Today in Politics, Bulletin 148. 6/9/25

… Trump called for the arrest today of CA Gov Gavin Newsom. He was asked about ICE Director Tom Homan saying he may arrest Newsom: “I would do it it I were Tom, I think it would be great.”

… Newsom responded: “The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor. This is a day I hoped I would never see in America. I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.”

… Trump was asked by a reporter what crime Newsom committed that would justify arresting him: “I think his primary crime is that he ran for governor, because he’s done such a terrible job.”

… CNN’s Manu Raju: I asked Speaker Johnson if he’s OK with Trump saying that he would arrest Newsom: “Well, I was busy all today today, and I heard that for the first time sitting next to the president. I don’t know what all that involved, but he gave comment there and I’ll stick by what he said.”

… Profiles in courage right there.

… Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), currently running for governor of AL, also called for Newsom to be arrested: "Lock him up. LA looks like a third world country — anarchists are in charge, law enforcement is being attacked, and the rule of law is nonexistent."

… Newsom responded to Tuberville: “Alabama has 3X the homicide rate of California. Its murder rate is ranked third in the entire country. Stick to football, bro.”

… Nobody was more upset about Newsom having Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon on his podcast. I had many very good reasons that have nothing to do with not wanting to hear from the other side. I have listened to more Kirk and Bannon in the last 5 years than Gavin will in his lifetime. But I have officially moved on. I think he has handled this whole situation masterfully and there are more important things to worry about.

… SecDef Pete Hegseth tonight: “Due to increased threats to federal law enforcement officers and federal buildings, approximately 700 active-duty US Marines from Camp Pendleton are being deployed to Los Angeles to restore order. We have an obligation to defend federal law enforcement officers - even if Gavin Newsom will not.

… Martial law without a legal declaration. Just grab Marines and do what you want with them. This is why Trump appointed Hegseth.

… Trump said he called Newsom last night and claimed that he saved LA from being “completely obliterated” by federalizing the Nat Guard. Newsom said he is lying: “We talked for 20 minutes, this issue never came up. I kept trying to talk about LA, he wanted to talk about all these other issues. He never once brought up the Nat Guard. He’s a stone cold liar There’s no working with the President. There’s only working for him. I will never work for Trump.”

… Newsom gave an excellent interview to MSNBC last night which included the previous comment and these:

• Q: All of this is about immigration enforcement? Newsom: “I think it’s something much more. This is about authoritarian tendencies. This about command and control. This is about power. This about ego. This is a consistent pattern. This guy has abandoned the core principles of this great democracy. He’s threatening to go after judges he disagrees with, cut off funding to institutions of higher learning, he’s rewriting history and censoring historical facts.”

• Q: Stephen Miller and others have used the word “insurrection” to describe the activity on the streets of LA. Newsom: “They’re trying to incite violence. They’re trying to impose the kind of rhetoric that only makes conditions worse—that, quite literally, puts people’s lives at risk. And they’re doing it intentionally and knowingly.”

• Q: How did you find out that Trump was going to usurp your authority and deploy your Nat Guard? Newsom: “I heard it through a staffer. No heads up whatsoever. This is a manufactured crisis—to start stretching credulity, and to begin the process of inevitably moving toward a constitutional crisis around posse comitatus. And I think it’s inevitable—that’s where he’s going.”

• Q: There’s a pretty good chance Trump might be watching this. Newsom: “I hope so, he might learn something— rescind this order— it’s illegal. You’re creating the conditions you claim you’re solving and you’re not.”

• Q: Newsom asked about Tom Homan’s threat that he may arrest him: “He's a tough guy. Why doesn't he do that? He knows where to find me. Lay your hands off 4 year old girls that are trying to get educated. Come and arrest me. Let’s just get it over with tough guy. I don’t give a damn.”

• Newsom on the vandalism: “These images are unacceptable. These people on the car. These aren’t peaceful protesters. They are playing right into Trump’s hand and they need to be called out. They need to be arrested but Donald Trump is the sponsor of these conditions.”

… Meanwhile, Trump was doing his best to fan the flames and incite things on Truth Social: “Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!”

… “ARREST THE PEOPLE IN FACE MASKS, NOW!”

… Steve Bannon on his podcast: “We don't just need tough words, we need tough actions. Start arresting officials who interfere with ICE and other law enforcement agencies trying to stop the invasion of the United States. Blink now, and you'll lose your country.”

… Trump then claimed today that he saved LA, just like he claimed he saved it from fires: “We made a great decision in sending the Nat Guard to deal with the violent, instigated riots in CA. If we had not done so, LA would have been completely obliterated. The very incompetent ‘Governor,’ Gavin Newscum, and ‘Mayor,’ Karen Bass, should be saying, ‘THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP, YOU ARE SO WONDERFUL. WE WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT YOU, SIR.’ Instead, they choose to lie to the People of CA and America by saying that we weren’t needed, and that these are ‘peaceful protests.’ Just one look at the pictures and videos of the Violence and Destruction tells you all you have to know.”

… Newsom then posted an article from the SF Chronicle with this caption: “This is how Trump treats his troops. Disgraceful.” Chronicle source: “This is what happens when the president and Sec of Defense demand the Nat Guard state assets deploy immediately with no plan in place and no fed funding available for food, water, fuel and lodging. This is really the failure of the fed govt. If you’re going to federalize these troops, then take care of them.”

… Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) complained that Congress didn’t pass additional funding for ICE yet this year because Trump and Johnson wanted to lump it in with the big budget resolution: “We should 100% support ICE with more funding - and it should have been done 6 FRIGGING MONTHS AGO. But it was purposefully held back as leverage for a massive tax/spend bill to gloss over deficit impact of taxes like expanded child tax credits that do not ‘pay for themselves.’”

… Daniel Horowitz, editor of conservative The Blaze: “Rather than passing immigration right away, the WH made the entire election mandate about some bizarre tax provisions (many of which, ironically, would pass with dem support anyway e.g. tax on tips passed 100-0). Now they are pressuring people to eat a crap sandwich and accusing them of holding up the bill. Headed forward, Trump must A) sever the bill into two parts and immediately pass the immigration portion B) add a provision to the first bill defunding court cases against deportations. It's that simple.”

… CA’s AG Rob Bonta announced that he filed a lawsuit against Trump based on the fact that his order to federalize the CA Nat Guard was illegal: “The protests had mostly dissipated and the streets were mostly quiet and calm. Since Trump announced his plan to deploy troops, the situation on the ground escalated quickly. What we saw yesterday happened AFTER the president’s unnecessary, counter-productive, and unlawful order that abused the fed govts authority.”

… Former Nat Guard Maj Gen Randy Manner to Fox: “The President's fed deployment of the Nat Guard over the official wishes of a governor is bad for all Americans concerned about freedom of speech and states rights. The governor has the authority and ability to respond to the civil disturbances with law enforcement capabilities within his state, augmented as necessary by requesting law enforcement assistance from other governors. There are over a million badged and trained members of law enforcement in this country for the governor to ask for help if he needs it. While this is presently a legal order, it tramples the governor’s rights and obligations to protect his people. This is an inappropriate use of the Nat Guard and is not warranted.”

… Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) posted a video showing police cars on fire with this caption: “This is not peaceful!” It was a video from 2020.

I promise you there’s more news coming than just LA, but it is an important story with national implications for all of us. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin recapping the weekend, you can find it here. Thanks to all for subscribing!

… Rep. Tim Moore (R-NC) gave his expert analysis on the situation in LA from his district in NC: “LA is being burned by lawless mobs who support foreign criminals. House Republicans and the Trump Admin are working together to ensure this chaos doesn’t become America’s future.”

… CNN: “As fed agents prepared to fan out in LA for a controversial immigration crackdown, the officers were greeted by a familiar face: Dr. Phil. The TV personality and his camera crew were on hand before and after the raids that took place on