Gavin Newsom Throws Down the Gauntlet: "Do Not Give In"
Newsom addresses California, and the nation, on resisting Trump's authoritarianism. Plus: Updates from LA. RFK fires vaccine advisors. What's in Trump's deal with China? And News That Doesn't Suck.
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Unprecedented times here in the streets of Los Angeles and also here at News Not Noise HQ.
Turns out some things are beyond even my considerable powers of control – namely, my health and the mysterious algorithms that govern Instagram.
Today I’m dealing with a suprise medical adventure that’s temporarily sidelined me from delivering our usual deep-dive newsletter. Fortunately, the exceptional Rohan Montgomery has swooped in to save the day with a streamlined edition featuring the most important headlines and handy links for further reading. I’m optimistic I’ll be back to my usual verbose self by Friday.
Meanwhile, for those wondering where our Instagram posts have vanished to – I’ve been locked out of my account since Tuesday night. Apparently, even social media platforms need a break from our attempts to make sense of the chaos. Someone who understands these things is troubleshooting, and we’ll get back to our online coverage as soon as the Instagram gods smile on us again.
When it rains, it pours. Thanks for your patience while I sort out both my corporeal and digital existence.
Here Are Your Headlines:
All Quiet on the Western Coast: LA’s first night under a limited curfew, which lasted from 8pm to 6am in downtown, lifted this morning to relative quiet. The 700 Marines sent by the administration to maintain “law and order,” in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s words, are preparing to enter the city later this week. They need to first receive training on handling civil disturbances and using less-than-lethal weapons. Neither the Marines nor the 4,000 National Guard troops deployed to LA by Trump have the authority to arrest people. However, in an extraordinary clarification, the head of US Northern Command explained that Marines can detain people in “unique situations” for “long enough to hand [the detainee] off to a proper law enforcement official.
Wider Issue: “California may be first,” Newsom warned in a speech yesterday, “but it clearly won’t end here.” Where Newsom had once urged Democrats to work with Trump, he now threw down the gauntlet — and positioned himself as a leader of the resistance to authoritarianism. “If some of us can be snatched off the streets without a warrant, based only on suspicion or skin color, then none of us are safe,” Newsom said. “Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves. But they do not stop there.… Democracy is under assault right before our eyes.… What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence, to be complicit in this moment. Do not give in to him.”
Escalation: Hegseth today said “we would have the capability to surge National Guard” wherever “there are riots in places where law enforcement officers are threatened.” Trump similarly warned “the rest of the country that when they do it, if they do it, they’re going to be met with equal or greater force.” When asked if the administration would invoke the Insurrection Act, which would allow the use of military forces to end a rebellion, Attorney General Pam Bondi said “we’re not scared to go further … to protect our law enforcement officers and all the people in California.” “You’re not going to stop us,” Trump’s immigration czar, Tom Homan, said. “So I guess this is game on.”
No Stopping: Newsom warned that ICE “raids continue as I speak.” The administration is reportedly pressing the agency to ramp up arrests: a new mapping app using government data to locate people with deportation orders; officials working staggered shifts and seven-day workweeks; agents diverted from areas like human trafficking to help identify targets for deportation. Officials “understand they are playing Stephen Miller’s game,” one former ICE chief of staff said. “This isn’t about public safety or national security; this is about hitting a quota number.”
Too Fast: A new report suggests some Angelenos detained by ICE have already been removed from the country, many without receiving any legal representation.
Fire Spreads: Tens of thousands of people protested against ICE across the country, from San Francisco to Chicago to New York. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has deployed National Guard troops throughout the state. The Mayor of San Antonio said he didn’t ask for those troops, “nor did we get any advance warning” of their deployment.
Rain on the Parade: Nationwide “No Kings” protests are being planned for Saturday, to coincide with Trump’s military parade celebrating the Army’s 250th anniversary (and, coincidentally, his birthday).
Same Old: As is often the case, some used the chaos as cover to loot. “They’re the people who do this all the time,” LA’s police chief said, “go from one civil unrest situation to another using similar tactics … we run across [them] routinely, city to city.”
Jab to the Face: Health Secretary RFK Jr fired all 17 members of a key vaccine advisory panel on Monday. He claimed they had financial conflicts of interest, but reports suggest he was really worried about their ties to Democrats “Without removing the current member,” he explained in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, “the current Trump administration would not have been able to appoint a majority of new members until 2028.” That op-ed is reportedly how some of the dismissed experts found out they were being fired. “This will fundamentally destabilize vaccination in America,” the adviser warned.
Remember, Remember: RFK promised Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) that he would maintain the advisory board without changes. That’s part of what convinced Cassidy to confirm RFK. Cassidy refused to say whether he regrets that now — though he did pledge to “continue to talk with [RFK] to ensure” the advisory board isn’t “filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion.” Well, you know what they say. Fool me once…
Moving On: Senate Republicans are working on Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” this week, attempting to iron out disagreements and build momentum to have it ready for Trump’s July 4 deadline. According to Axios, the administration yesterday gave Republicans polling numbers that suggest Americans overwhelmingly support some parts of the bill; other elements, like making tax cuts permanent, hiring more ICE officers, and ending Medicaid benefits for unauthorized immigrants, are more divisive, though the White House’s polling still has a majority of people supporting each issue. That’s surprising, because an independent poll released today suggests just 27% of voters support the bill. Other independent polls from this week show similar results.
Lingering Smell: Elon Musk tweeted at 3am this morning that he regrets going “too far” in “some of” his criticisms of Trump. The statement reportedly came after a private call on Friday between Musk, Vice President JD Vance, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
Enemy of My Enemy: Musk’s actions turned many Republicans against him, and hasn’t seemed to win him back any Democrats, leaving him more unpopular than ever before.
Tentative Trade: Ukraine and Russia conducted an exchange of prisoners and bodies this week. Meanwhile, Russia continues to launch some of the largest air strikes of the entire war; yesterday’s assault damaged a maternity ward and killed at least three people.
Deal or No Deal: “OUR DEAL WITH CHINA IS DONE,” Trump announced today, “SUBJECT TO FINAL APPROVAL WITH PRESIDENT XI AND ME.” Full details are yet to be announced, but the agreement appears to involve both countries revoking retaliatory export restrictions invoked amid the trade war in April. Tariffs will remain unchanged. That’s the art of the deal!
Warning Signs: The US is preparing to evacuate all nonessential personnel from the embassy in Baghdad. The State Department is also allowing nonessential personnel and family members in locations across the Middle East to leave. Both moves are reportedly due to rising security risks in the region. Trump said yesterday Iran was “much more aggressive” in its nuclear talks with the US, which are currently at an impasse. Iran warned today that “if conflict is imposed on us … we will target all” US bases in the Middle East “without hesitation.”
News That Doesn’t Suck:
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