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TRANSCRIPT

Jane Coaston: It’s Tuesday, June 17th, I’m Jane Coaston, and this is What a Day, the show that says if you get a text from a foreign number saying it’s the DMV, or as the text I got said, BMV, and telling you that you owe money for tolls in a state you don’t live in, there’s like a hundred percent chance it’s a scam. The more you know. [music break] On today’s show, more tariff deals are underway. Maybe. And the Trump family’s latest grift is gold, fits in your pocket, and will supposedly be made in the USA, but currently isn’t. But let’s start with the great city of Los Angeles, the current location of the California National Guard, but not if Governor Gavin Newsom has anything to say about it. Today, a federal appeals court will decide if President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to anti-immigration raid protests will continue. The court ruled in the governor’s favor on Thursday, stating that Trump’s use of the National Guard was illegal, but the ruling was paused by the 9th Circuit that same day. The deployment is part of a larger battle between the President of the United States and his administration, who seem to think that Los Angeles is a desperate, crime-ridden hellhole, and the leadership and citizens of Los Angeles, who say it is definitely not. It’s me. I’m citizens. On Sunday, President Trump argued that sending in the National Guard was essential. 

[clip of President Donald Trump] So the protesters, if we didn’t have the National Guard on call and ready, they would rip Los Angeles apart. They come and they check and they say, is the National guard going to be there? And if the National guard is being there, they don’t even show up. 

Jane Coaston: I don’t think that’s true. On Truth Social that same day, Trump announced that he had recalibrated his mass deportation plan to emphasize raids on immigrants living in cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, and minimize raids on farms, the hospitality industry, and in rural areas, places where hundreds of thousands of undocumented folks are working. According to the New York Times, this came after a call from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who told the president that, quote, “Farm groups had been warning her that their employees would stop showing up to work out of fear, potentially crippling the agriculture industry.” Now the president can go after his two least favorite things, immigrants and cities, especially those led by Democrats. One of those Democrats is Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. I spoke to her on Monday afternoon in advance of the appeals court ruling. Mayor Bass, welcome to What a Day. 

Karen Bass: Thank you. 

Jane Coaston: On Tuesday, a federal appeals court is scheduled to hear arguments in the case over whether President Trump can control National Guard troops that are currently stationed in LA. How would the situation on the ground and even the tone in the city change if the court says that California Governor Gavin Newsom can take back control? 

Karen Bass: Well, I think it would lower the temperature considerably because they never should have taken control away from the governor to begin with. If we had needed the National Guard, we had no problem calling the governor. He has always been cooperative. The situation never rose to the level of unrest that required the National guard. What people should know is that Los Angeles is 500 square miles. The protests were in about two square miles. So certainly a geographic area that our local police department and with assistance from mutual aid from the sheriffs of other nearby cities could handle appropriately and they did just that. 

Jane Coaston: What has the impact of the immigration raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement been on L.A. thus far? What are you hearing from business owners and from immigrants themselves? 

Karen Bass: Uh. Even though it’s only lasted for a couple of weeks, it’s been a body blow to the economy. You have sectors of our economy that cannot function without immigrant labor, which is, I guess, why the president decided to back up off of agriculture and restaurants. But I will tell you, we don’t have massive agricultural fields in the city of Los Angeles. And then when he says he’s going to back up on restaurants and hotels Which ones? Does that mean a McDonald’s or does that mean just a five-star restaurant? And the same thing with hotels. So he has created a sense of uncertainty and just outright fear. Yesterday, I went to an iconic area of the Mexican-American community, Mariachi Plaza, that should have been bustling because it was Father’s Day. I went to restaurants. There were literally no customers. When I talked to the owners, they told me that this felt like the height of COVID. And so you had a sense of absolute fear, which is people not going out, not going to work. So it has just wrecked havoc and created a sense of fear and just think about it. Two weeks ago, everything was fine in LA. 

Jane Coaston: Where are ICE officials taking folks who are getting swept up in these raids? Have you been told about what’s happening to these people? 

Karen Bass: No, that’s part of the problem. People disappear. We know that there’s a couple of federal detention centers, but are they there? Are they someplace else? They have no access, no contact with their family members to let them know that they’re okay. They have not access to legal counsel. And I mentioned those two things, family members and legal counsel, because historically that access has been provided. We are fortunate in LA to have a very well-developed, well established and respected immigrant rights uh community and they’ve been doing this for decades actually and they have said this is the first time they have ever had an experience like this. 

Jane Coaston: There has been at least one case of a U.S. citizen being held by ICE in Montebello, California, which is about 20 minutes away from L.A. proper. Have you heard of any other similar incidents? 

Karen Bass: Oh, yeah, absolutely. We’ve also heard of people who were going to going appearing for their annual immigration appointment. They are here legally. They’re not citizens, but they are here with papers and their obligation is to show up once a year. And when they show up now they don’t know whether they’re going to be detained. You know, what that means to me is, is that now that that word has gotten out in the community, there’ll be a lot of people who will be too afraid to show up. And then, you know, what that means, then they will fall out of status and then they will be considered quote unquote, “illegal.” 

Jane Coaston: You’re a former member of Congress. How are you working with your former colleagues to protect your city? Have you spoken to your former colleagues? What are they doing to stop these raids? 

Karen Bass: Well, you know, I mean, I speak to my colleagues all the time. As a matter of fact, we had a press conference last week with members of Congress and the state legislature, all standing in solidarity with each other, all doing everything we can to stop the raids. But you know in Congress, it’s majority rules and Democrats are not in the majority now so they can speak up, but getting legislation passed and all of that is virtually impossible in a Congress like this, and in my opinion. Both the leader of the House and the leader of the Senate have essentially acquiesced their own power to the White House. The judiciary is shaky. We don’t know where they’re going to go. In the past, we would have just said, okay, we don’t like this. This is crazy, but we know the courts will stop that. We can’t rely on that anymore. So my view is, is that we really have one branch of the government, and that’s the executive. 

Jane Coaston: Now, you’ve been talking about the disruption that’s happened in L.A. and the disruption that you’ve attributed to the Trump administration sending the National Guard in. How do you reset after this moment and moving forward? 

Karen Bass: Well, I don’t think you reset after the moment. I think you re-set during the moment and so what it is very important is that we stay together and that we support each other and that all of the organizations, I did a um a press conference last week also here with 30 mayors from the county. And so, and with the community organizations, we did a, uh, an event with an hour’s notice and there were over a hundred community organizations here, so we’re all feeling this. Whether you know immigrants personally, which is a rare person in Los Angeles that doesn’t, but everybody is being touched by this. And then I think the human toll is really moving and hurtful to all Angelenos. 

Jane Coaston: Mayor Bass, thank you so much for taking the time to join me. 

Karen Bass: You’re welcome. Thank you for having me on. 

Jane Coaston: That was my conversation with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. We’ll get to more of the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a five star review on Apple podcasts. Watch us on YouTube so you can see all of the crazy footage we’ve gotten this episode and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. [music break]

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Jane Coaston: Here’s what else we’re following today. 

[sung] Headlines. 

Jane Coaston: Israel escalated its attacks against Iran on Monday, striking a state-run television station during a live broadcast. As you can see if you watch us on YouTube, the anchor quickly runs from her desk as debris flies around her head. It came after Iranian strikes on Israel killed at least eight people. That’s according to Israeli officials. Israel claims it’s only targeting sites connected to Iran’s nuclear and missile program. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with ABC News on Monday about the possibility of targeting Iran’s supreme leader. 

[clip of unnamed ABC News anchor] But U.S. officials tell us that the president flatly rejected a plan, an opportunity that that you the Israelis had to take out the Supreme Leader. Do you understand his concern? My understanding is his concern is that this would escalate the conflict beyond where it is already. 

[clip of Benjamin Netanyahu] No, it’s not going to escalate the conflict, it’s going to end the conflict. 

Jane Coaston: On Truth Social Monday, President Trump urged people in the Iranian capital of Tehran to leave, writing, quote, “Iran should have signed the deal I told them to sign. What a shame and waste of human life. Simply stated, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. I said it over and over again.” Israel’s military earlier in the day issued an evacuation warning for people in part of Iran’s capital. The Iranian Health Ministry says at least 224 people have been killed by strikes since Israel started attacking Iran last week. Israel’s government says at least 24 people have died in Israel. 

[clip of President Donald Trump] We just signed a document. This is [?]– sorry about that. [sounds of shuffling]. 

[clip of Prime Minister Keir Starmer] A very important document. 

[clip of President Donald Trump] A little windy out here. [?] We just signed it and it’s done. 

Jane Coaston: On Monday afternoon, President Trump both literally and figuratively dropped a new tariff deal with the United Kingdom. He announced the deal alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and dropped a few pages of it in the process. While Starmer said it was quote, “a very good day for both of our countries,” some details remain up in the air. In early May, the US agreed to exempt the UK from any tariffs on imported steel but never actually made things official. This latest agreement doesn’t quite manage that either. For now, steel from the UK will still be subject to a 25% tariff. Which isn’t bad, compared to the 50% tariff President Trump imposed on everyone else back in late May. Trump told reporters he’d have more info for them later on whether or not those tariffs would ultimately go down to zero. A couple of things we do know. A 10% levy is remaining in place on most goods from the UK. That includes cars, which had previously been subject to a 27.5% tariff. President Trump said the UK was well positioned when it comes to future tariffs for one very important reason. 

[clip of President Donald Trump] The UK is very well protected. You know why? Because I like them, that’s why. That’s their ultimate protection. 

Jane Coaston: Sure. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been busy trying to keep up with the Trump administration’s goal of deporting 3,000 undocumented people per day. And apparently the flurry of activity is hitting ICE’s pocketbook. On Monday, Axios reported that ICE could run out of cash by next month. And it’s not like someone didn’t warn Trump about a cash crunch. Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy warned Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem about it during a subcommittee hearing last month. 

[clip of Senator Chris Murphy] I say this with seriousness and respect, but your department is out of control. You are spending like you don’t have a budget. You’re on the verge of running out of money for the fiscal year. 

Jane Coaston: One fiscal escape hatch might be the president’s big beautiful bill that is not very beautiful. If it passes, it could funnel 75 billion more dollars to ICE through 2029. If that doesn’t happen soon, though, the president could declare a national emergency to divert funds to ICE from other parts of the government. He wouldn’t do that, would he? A federal judge in Massachusetts said the Trump administration’s cuts to national institutes of health grants for research on diversity-related topics are illegal. Which tracks. Massachusetts District Judge William Young on Monday ordered the NIH to restore much of that funding. That includes hundreds of grants that featured support for research on gender identity and equity in health care. Young admonished the administration for the cuts it started earlier this year. He said, quote, “I’ve sat on this bench now for 40 years. I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this.” And quote, “I would be blind not to call it out.” And he’s a Reagan appointee. Young’s ruling comes after Democrat-led states, unions, researchers, and public health organizations — you know, people who know things — sued in two separate cases to save NIH funding. 

[clip of Eric Trump] More and more our company is evolving into various sectors. And, you know, but there is kind of a key to that and that is America, right? I mean, the fact that all your customer service will be done in America. It’s gonna be done in St. Louis, Missouri. I hope I was allowed to give that out um and making phones in America, it’s about time we bring products back to our great country. 

Jane Coaston: Eric and Donald Trump Jr. Announced the launch of T1 Mobile Monday. Eric grabbed a mic to boast about the company’s America First ethos. You know, Eric Trump. The Trump sibling who looks like a glass of milk. No, I will not be taking any questions. Not much of this is super new. T1 mobile resells network service from the country’s three biggest carriers, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. The company bills its T1 phone as made in America, but industry analysts are skeptical. Saying it’s most likely a re-scanned Android phone made in China. But on the bright side, for the price of $47.45 per month, you won’t just be getting texts, international calls, telehealth access, and roadside assistance. You’ll also help enrich the Trump family, which has made no bones about pursuing private business interests in real estate, cryptocurrency, and even branded Bibles, despite the massive conflicts of interests they might present. And that’s the news. [music break]

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Jane Coaston: That’s all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, wonder at how Trump’s pick to run the Federal Aviation Administration said he had a commercial pilot’s license and doesn’t, and tell your friends to listen. And if you’re into reading, and not just about how Brian Bedford, the CEO of Republic Airways, stated on the airline’s website that he had a commercial pilot’s license until journalists started asking questions and then the word commercial magically disappeared, like me, What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at Crooked.com/subscribe. I’m Jane Coaston, and honestly, can just one person in this administration be normal? Just one. [music break] What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It’s recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producers are Raven Yamamoto and Emily Fohr. Our producer is Michell Eloy. We had production help today from Johanna Case, Joseph Dutra, Greg Walters, and Julia Claire. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison, and our executive producer is Adriene Hill. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East. 

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