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Good morning. It’s Friday, June 13.
- Democrats livid over treatment of Sen. Alex Padilla.
- Rulings leave use of National Guard in L.A. in limbo.
- And President Trump’s tone shifts on migrant workers.
Senator tackled
1.
How a sitting U.S. senator from California found himself in handcuffs and pinned to ground became a matter of fierce dispute and recrimination on Thursday. Sen. Alex Padilla had arrived unannounced to a news conference by Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, in Los Angeles. Just as she was pledging to “liberate” L.A. from “the burdensome leadership” of its elected officials, Padilla, 52, called out a question. Immediately, several agents shoved him from the room.
Noem said later that Padilla failed to identify himself. But video showed him say, “I’m Senator Alex Padilla,” about eight seconds after he first spoke. Noem also claimed he “lunged” at her. Padilla denied that, and no video circulating on Thursday appeared to capture his initial movements. A reporter said the senator entered the room and began walking toward the podium. As cameras pivoted to Padilla, he could be seen pushing back against the agents. “Sir! Sir! Hands off!” he shouted. S.F. Chronicle | Washington Post
- See the altercation from three angles:
2.
Padilla’s treatment set off a firestorm among Democrats on Capitol Hill. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks said she was so angry she was shaking. Sen. Chris Van Hollen said, “This is what a dictatorship looks like.” Sen. Patty Murray came close to tearing up as she warned of democracy in peril. Others called the episode “inexcusable,” “disgraceful,” and “sickening.” A few Republicans echoed the Democratic fury. “It’s not the America I know,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Others accused Padilla of political theatrics. “Was he disruptive?” Sen. Lindsey Graham asked reporters, adding, “He got what he wanted.” Axios | Politico | A.P.
Immigration protests
3.
A federal judge on Thursday blocked President Trump’s mobilization of the National Guard in Los Angeles, ordering him to return control of the troops to California. In a withering 36-page opinion, Judge Charles Breyer concluded that there is no rebellion in L.A. and that the government usurped authority that the Constitution reserves to the states. “It is not the federal government’s place in our constitutional system to take over a state’s police power whenever it is dissatisfied with how vigorously or quickly the state is enforcing its own laws,” he wrote. Later on Thursday, an appeals court stayed the ruling while it reviews the case. A.P. | N.Y. Times
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked on Thursday if he’d respect a court order to withdraw Marines from Los Angeles. He wouldn’t say. Politico
4.
Troops deployed in Los Angeles have been telling friends and family that they are uneasy about being made into pawns in a political battle, according to three different advocacy organizations that represent military families. The groups said they have heard no countervailing opinions. “The sentiment across the board right now is that deploying military force against our own communities isn’t the kind of national security we signed up for,” said Sarah Streyder of the Secure Families Initiative. The Guardian
5.
As the federal authorities have sought to ramp up deportations, agents have repeatedly descended on a quintessential California business: the car wash. At least six of the businesses have been targeted in Los Angeles alone. The Washington Post obtained security footage and cellphone video that captured two such raids on consecutive days at the Westchester Hand Wash near LAX. Among those taken away: a father of four who has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years.
- In the wake of ICE raids, an eerie silence hung over a Central Coast farm where workers would typically be shuffling up and down the strawberry rows. L.A. Times
6.
President Trump adopted an uncharacteristically sympathetic tone toward undocumented workers on Thursday, even as his deportation crackdown targets agricultural communities, Home Depots, and car washes. “Our farmers are being hurt badly by, you know, they have very good workers, they have worked for them for 20 years,” the president said during a news conference. “They’re not citizens, but they’ve turned out to be, you know, great. And we’re going to have to do something about that.” In a Truth Social post, he pledged: “Changes are coming!” N.Y. Times | Bloomberg
7.
Mayor Karen Bass delivered her most impassioned critique of the federal response in Los Angeles to date on Thursday. Flanked by dozens of civic leaders, she addressed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s description of the city as a “warzone.” “To characterize what is going on in our city as a city of mayhem is just an outright lie,” Bass said. She addressed Noem directly: “I served with the secretary for probably about 10 years in Congress. And Madame Secretary, I do not recognize you. I do not know the Kristi Noem that I served with.” L.A. Times
8.
As Democrats at every level of government in California have denounced President Trump’s deployment of soldiers in Los Angeles, the Democratic mayor of San Francisco has remained assiduously quiet. Mayor Daniel Lurie’s reticence seems to be part of a standing policy since assuming office in January. This week, he has been asked about Trump’s call to arrest Gov. Gavin Newsom, whether troops might come to San Francisco, and if he considered Trump to be an authoritarian. In each case, he offered no opinion. “It is like he who shall not be named,” Supervisor Myrna Melgar said. N.Y. Times
9.
On this week’s California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman talked with Gustavo Arellano, the longtime Los Angeles Times columnist and chronicler of the Latino community. Arellano recalled encountering people at rallies in recent days who said it was their first time protesting. “And in fact, they said they agreed with Trump deporting criminals, violent criminals,” he said. “That’s what Trump said he was going to do, first get rid of the violent criminals. But they all said, ‘That’s not what’s happening here.'”
Statewide
10.
President Trump signed three joint resolutions of Congress on Thursday that revoke California’s mandates to phase out gas-powered car sales by 2035 and clean up diesel trucks. In a speech at the White House, he argued that California’s regulations would raise car prices, hurt car companies, and strain electrical grids. “We officially rescue the U.S. auto industry from destruction by terminating the California electric vehicle mandate once and for all,” he said to applause. California immediately hit back with a lawsuit. KQED | Washington Post
11.
For years, Gov. Gavin Newsom has denied harboring presidential aspirations, insisting a couple years ago that he has “sub-zero interest” in the office. This week, however, he acknowledged what many political observers deemed an inevitability. Asked once again about his political future by the Wall Street Journal, Newsom answered: “I’m not thinking about running, but it’s a path that I could see unfold.” The shift in tone, wrote CalMatters, “comes, perhaps fortuitously, as all eyes are on Newsom again.”
In case you missed it
12.
Five items that got big views over the past week:
- A yurt resort near Joshua Tree; an Airstream resort near Sequoia National Park; and a new luxury camp with two swimming pools along the Russian River. Travel + Leisure updated its list of California’s best glamping destinations in time for summer.
- On Tuesday, a Nebraska couple on an anniversary trip to Los Angeles visited Griffith Observatory, perched 1,000 feet above sea level. “If you’re not here, you think L.A.’s burning to the ground,” Joe McGuire said. “But you come out here, you look around and you just say, ‘My God, this is where I want to be.’” Washington Post
- Stephen Miller, the architect of President Trump’s hardline deportation agenda, grew up in liberal Santa Monica. In recent days, Miller has portrayed his hometown in grim terms: “Huge swaths of the city where I was born now resemble failed third world nations. A ruptured, balkanized society of strangers.” The cultural critic David Klion explored how Miller got to be this way. The Nation
- Roughly 73 square miles of forested land along the lower Klamath River has been returned to the Yurok Tribe, according to an announcement last week. It appears to be the largest “land back” deal in state history. Grist | A.P.
- See gorgeous video of the region known as Blue Creek.
- The Berkeley photographer Richard Misrach, known for his painterly large-scale color pictures, 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 a ship. Lenscratch
- See more images from the “Cargo” series. 👉 Fraenkel Gallery
- See more images from the “Cargo” series. 👉 Fraenkel Gallery
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