Good morning. It’s Tuesday, June 10.
- Hundreds of marines are deployed to Los Angeles.
- Gavin Newsom calls president a “dictator” and a “liar.”
- And Orange County politician gets five years in prison.
Los Angeles protests
1.
The Pentagon escalated its response to unrest in Los Angeles on Monday, mobilizing a battalion of 700 Marines and doubling the number of California National Guard members. In all, the military force would approach 5,000 troops. In a leaked letter, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asked the Pentagon to direct soldiers to arrest “lawbreakers,” a move experts called ominous. “This is a grave escalation,” said William Banks, a Syracuse University law professor and scholar of national security law. “It may presage the invocation of the Insurrection Act.” S.F. Chronicle | Wall Street Journal
- The fourth day of demonstrations on Monday were far less raucous. See the latest updates. 👉 L.A. Times | A.P. | N.Y. Times
2.
For a time this year, as California faced a daunting wildfire recovery, Gov. Gavin Newsom seemed to be repressing the flashes of Democratic fury he has been known for. No more. Since the weekend, Newsom has been on a tear against President Trump for deploying National Guard troops. He’s called the president “immoral,” “unhinged,” a “stone cold liar,” and a “dictator.” When asked about Trump administration officials raising the specter of his arrest, Newsom responded with a dare. “Arrest me,” he said. “Let’s just get it over with, tough guy. I don’t give a damn.” L.A. Times | CalMatters | Washington Post
- On Monday, Trump endorsed the idea of arresting of Newsom. Asked what crime he committed, the president answered: “His primary crime is running for governor.” A.P.
3.
The rush to deploy National Guard troops to Los Angeles, it seems, did not include making sleeping arrangements. Photos published on Monday, including the image above, showed sleeping troops packed tightly on the floor in what appeared to be federal building basements or loading docks. A source told the San Francisco Chronicle that the soldiers were “wildly underprepared,” arriving without funding for food, water, fuel, equipment, or lodging. “Currently, there is no plan for where everyone is sleeping tonight,” the person said. S.F. Chronicle
4.
President Trump’s forceful approach to the clashes in Los Angeles invited comparisons to his response after the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Even though the violence has been mostly concentrated in downtown L.A., Trump has portrayed the whole city as being invaded by “insurrectionist mobs.” If not for his actions, “Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated,” he said. The Capitol riot, by contrast, was a “day of love,” Trump has said. Upon his return to office, he pardoned those convicted of crimes. “Hypocrisy is the key word,” former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn said on Monday. CBS News | N.Y. Times
5.
Other developments:
- While most of the problems in Los Angeles occurred within a few downtown blocks, the area suffered widespread vandalism and thefts. On the walls of City Hall, an Art Deco landmark built in 1928, vandals scrawled “Fuck ICE,” “Fuck LAPD,” and “FuckTrump.” Police Chief Jim McDonnell called it “disgusting.” L.A. Times | Reuters
- California sued the Trump administration over its National Guard mobilization on Monday, calling it an “unprecedented usurpation of state authority.” The lawsuit argues that the administration violated the 10th Amendment, which preserves states’ rights. N.Y. Times | Courthouse News
- A prominent California labor leader, David Huerta, was charged on Monday with conspiring to impede an immigration officer. Sen. Adam Schiff accused the Trump administration of targeting Huerta. “They selectively use the Justice Department to go after their adversaries,” he said. “It’s what they do.” Washington Post | A.P.
- In May, White House aide Stephen Miller told ICE officials that the president was unhappy with the pace of deportations. Target Home Depots, he suggested. “ICE agents appeared to follow Miller’s tip and conducted an immigration sweep Friday at the Home Depot in the predominantly Latino neighborhood of Westlake in Los Angeles,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
- The Los Angeles County sheriff, Robert Luna, is a son of immigrants. He said he believes firmly that unauthorized immigrants who commit serious crimes should be deported. “The majority of our immigrants do not fit that category,” he said. “They are our cooks, our gardeners, our nannies, our hotel workers.” N.Y. Times
6.
A sampling of commentary:
- The L.A. Times’ Gustavo Arellano said President Trump’s threat to liberate “once great” Los Angeles from a “migrant invasion” deserves a reaction. But throwing cinder blocks from overpasses? “That’s supposed to keep immigrant families safe and defeat Trump?”
- The N.Y. Times’ Michelle Goldberg: “If you saw all this in any other country — soldiers sent to crush dissent, union leaders arrested, opposition politicians threatened — it would be clear that autocracy had arrived.”
- The Washington Post’s Philip Bump: “What’s important to remember about the fracture that emerged in Los Angeles over the weekend is that it came shortly after reports that President Donald Trump was seeking to block California from receiving certain federal funding.”
- The Wall Street Journal editorial board: “The airwaves and social media are saturated with footage of protesters waving Mexican flags atop burning cars, carrying signs claiming California is ‘Stolen land’ and chanting ‘We don’t want ICE or police!’ Mr. Newsom really is living in La La Land if he thinks Americans will side with such radicals over Mr. Trump.”
Statewide
7.
Andrew Do, a former Orange County supervisor, was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday for corruption. Last fall, Do pleaded guilty in a conspiracy to steal millions of dollars meant to feed needy seniors. Out of $9.3 million in Covid relief funds, just 15% went to people in need. “I just do not believe any sentence other than the maximum reflects the seriousness of the crime,” Judge James Selna told a packed courtroom. LAist | Voice of OC
8.
State Senate Democrats chose a staunch environmentalist to be the body’s next leader on Monday. State Sen. Monique Limón, of Santa Barbara, will take over for current Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, who terms out at the end of 2026. A daughter of Mexican immigrants, she will be the first Latina to lead the upper house. She noted the symbolism of her personal story on Monday — as anti-deportation protests roil Los Angeles — vowing to stand up for immigrants. L.A. Times | Noozhawk
9.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil rights lawsuit on Monday against a Palestinian-owned coffee shop in Oakland, accusing it of refusing to serve Jewish people. Last fall, the owner of the Jerusalem Coffee House, Abdulrahim Harara, was captured on video ordering a customer to leave because he was wearing a baseball hat with the Jewish Star of David. Prosecutors noted that menu items at the cafe including a drink called “Sweet Sinwar” — an apparent reference to the slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar — and “Iced in Tea Fada.” S.F. Chronicle | KRON
10.
“Swaying willows stand stalwart from the banks. Behind them, rolling hills splashed with orange and yellow wildflowers and ancient basalt pillars stretch to the horizon. Far from the hum of highway and roads, the silence here is broken only by the purr of the river as it rolls over rocks, accented with eagle calls or chattering sparrows who have already claimed sites along the water for their nests.”
Reporter Gabrielle Canon took a rafting trip down the Klamath River nearly a year after four dams were removed. The Guardian
11.
A federal judge on Monday dismissed director Justin Baldoni’s lawsuits against actress Blake Lively, who had accused him of sexual harassment, and the New York Times, which reported on her allegations. Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled that Lively’s claims and the Times’ reporting fell under laws protecting legal filings and news gathering. The Times article covered a legal filing in which Lively accused Baldoni of orchestrating a smear campaign against her after she complained about harassment during the filming of “It Ends With Us,” in which they co-starred. A.P. | Reuters
12.
The Berkeley photographer Richard Misrach, known for his painterly large-scale color photographs, unveiled a new project on cargo ships on their way to and from the Port of Oakland. A number of the images capture that ethereal moment when light slices through the sky to illuminate an object. In the case of cargo ships, the objects are “chess pieces” loaded with symbolism on the impact of global trade, Misrach said. Lenscratch spoke to him about the project.
- See more images from the “Cargo” series. 👉 Fraenkel Gallery
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