Protests and unrest erupted in Los Angeles following federal immigration raids of a Home Depot parking lot and a clothing manufacturer. President Donald Trump ordered National Guard troops, and later U.S. Marines, into Los Angeles against the wishes of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Downtown Los Angeles and the communities of Paramount and Compton have been wracked by riots, looting, and the burning of autonomous Waymo vehicles.

Today's guest is a self-described "former leftist…politically homeless" Californian who says that California's political establishment has enabled the violence and destruction we're currently seeing in response to the immigration raids. Laura Powell is an attorney and founder of Californians for Good Governance, which was founded to fight government overreach during the COVID-19 era. We discuss Newsom's war of words with Trump, the claim that these riots are an "insurrection," why Powell thinks Democrats are "encouraging" the chaos, whether the use of the military is federal overreach, and the role government-funded nonprofits and unions may have played in escalating the the situation in L.A.

00:00—Introduction and ICE raid timeline
03:38—National Guard response: provocation or necessity?
07:09—Is Newsom abdicating responsibility?
10:01—Who are the protesters and what motivates them?
16:28—How California law enforcement lost control
19:42—Federal overreach, civil liberties, and states' rights
26:28—Has California learned anything from past unrest?
30:09—Political theater: Newsom vs. Trump
46:50—Union power and the David Huerta arrest
55:42—What if large-scale deportations actually happened?
59:34—How to fix California governance

Mentioned in the podcast:

Newsom on X: "One of the the cornerstones of our Nation…is that our people are governed by civil, not military rule."

LAPD statement about the deployment of 700 Marines

Newsom on X: "Don't give Donald Trump what he wants."

Laura Powell on X: "I really do not want the feds to step in and restore order by declaring martial law."

Stephen Miller on X: "An insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States."

"ICE arrested a California union leader. Does Trump understand what that means?" Los Angeles Times

Laura Powell on X: "EXCLUSIVE: Taxpayer-Funded Nonprofit Behind the Anti-ICE Riots in Los Angeles."

Producer: John Osterhoudt

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