President Biden has officially designated two new national monuments in California.

The White House announced last week that Biden would designate the Chuckwalla National Monument and the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument — protecting a combined 848,000 acres of particular significance to Native American tribes in the region.

However, the designations were postponed until this week. 

Biden delivered his remarks from the White House as fires rage in the Los Angeles area. 

The 624,000-acre Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California will be located at the meeting of the Mojave and Colorado deserts and will include mountain ranges, rock formations, woodlands and canyons, including the Painted Canyon, which is known for its colorful walls. 

The 224,000-acre Sáttítla Highlands National Monument is in Northern California and features the dormant Medicine Lake Volcano.

Biden, in a speech ahead of the monument proclamations, said: “Our outdoor treasures are the pride of our country, the bond between the physical and spiritual world, a bridge to our past and to our future.”

“Conserving them not only protects the livelihoods of people who depend on them. It preserves a key piece of our history and the full American story,” he added.

The draft is three weeks away now. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have pieced together an off-season that is earning widespread praise across the league. The question is whether they can stick the landing with their 1st round pick in the draft. Current projections have the top three picks likely being a mix of Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Abdul Carter. After that, it gets tricky. People in Chicago want to know where running back Ashton Jeanty will end once the dust settles.

Widespread belief has been that the Las Vegas Raiders are the heavy favorites to take him at 6th overall, with New Orleans at #9 also being a possibility. It makes sense. Las Vegas’ best option right now is a 33-year-old Raheem Mostert. New Orleans knows Alvin Kamara turns 30 in July. Both teams need to think about the future at that position. Both have head coaches who like to run the ball. One thing is clear. A source told SM that those around the league believe one thing is certain.

“He likely won’t get passed Chicago if he falls that far.”

Ashton Jeanty is a strong probability for the Bears.

Whispers from Halas Hall indicate they love the Boise State star. It isn’t hard to see why. He nearly broke Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record in 2024, nearly winning the Heisman in the process. The guy carried his team to the college football playoffs. He’s built like a brick house with power, speed, contact balance, and vision. There aren’t any truly glaring weaknesses in his game. He’s earned comparisons to the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshawn Lynch. The Bears haven’t had a back of that caliber since Matt Forte.

Try to imagine what this offense could look like with Ashton Jeanty, Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, and Cole Kmet all as options for quarterback Caleb Williams. Throw all of it into Johnson’s offense, and you can understand why some people around the league aren’t wild about the idea. They are quietly hoping Jeanty goes somewhere else. One thing is certain. If he gets past the Raiders, the noise will get loud in a hurry. It would mark the first time in 20 years the Bears have taken a running back in the 1st round.