LA riots: Will Newsom and Trump’s situationship survive federal court?

We can’t wait for the Les Mis/Trumps edits that are for sure cooking in phones across America to hit our feeds today!

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Jun 12, 2025

Sex Pests Get the Legal Treatment

I hope Trump and Melania had a wonderful time at Les Mis last night. I, too, sort of spent the evening watching Les Mis, in that I was scrolling through the news. The irony was probably lost on Trump (he’s kinda dumb), but as for the rest of us, it’s another day of raging against the state. In today’s newsletter, we’ll cover updates on the protests, as well as RFK Jr’s antivaxxing (AGAIN), the legal cases against two of our nation’s most notorious abusers, Sean Combs and Harvey Weinstein, good news for Mahmoud Khalil, bad news for North Korea, the Air India plane crash, Macklemore, banana-flavored coffee, and more.

Trumpdates

Downtown Los Angeles was relatively quiet last night, as the 8 pm curfew took hold once again. And yet, the 700 Marines that President DonaldTrump sent to LA have apparently “completed their training” (sorry – why was he sending untrained Marines??) and are set to be deployed within the next day or so. On the bright side, Gavin Newsom’s social media team has begun trolling Pete Hegseth, and I’m here for it. As they say, my enemy’s frenemy is a friend of mine or something like that. They posted a video of some Angelinos dancing, and it looks pretty fun. Definitely better than an evening getting boo’d at Kennedy Center (sorry JD, those videos never get old).

The protests have continued to spread, with police making arrests in New York City, Spokane, Seattle, and more. And today, a judge is holding the first hearing regarding Newsom’s request that the courts block Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to California, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed for some good news for once. Here’s what else is happening in the greater Trumpland area:

Remember how RFK Jr. sacked all 17 members of a CDC vaccine advisory panel? Well, he’s replaced them with eight new ones, including several who are vocal skeptics of mRNA technology. I’m telling you, #MAHA TikTok is more effective for gaining employment than LinkedIn Premium.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has stated that the tariffs on China won’t change again (a claim he has made before), and Trump has confirmed that he’s holding them at 55%. Okay, that’s kinda a high number…
And Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the Brain to Lutnick’s Pinky, said he expects the July 8th deadline for trade agreements with other nations will be pushed back.
This morning, Trump plans to sign three resolutions rolling back California’s vehicle emissions standards. Did the Waymos freak him out, too?
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) says the White House uninvited him to a picnic over his opposition to the One Big Beautiful Bill. Okay, but is he absolutely sure it’s not just his personality? Read more.

Federal judge rules that the government can’t hold Mahmoud Khalil

Huge update in the case of Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia student and green card-holder detained in March for reasons that were…never really made clear. Especially since he was never charged with a crime. To justify his detention, Secretary of State Lil Marco Rubbio cited a 1952 law claiming Khalil posed a national security risk, but instead of giving evidence, he just said it was his “right” to decide. Kinda like that time Marco decided Trump had a small penis…

Anyway, yesterday, a federal judge ruled that the government could not deport or detain Khalil. The judge stated Khalil’s “career and reputation are being damaged and his speech is being chilled — and this adds up to irreparable harm." Khalil’s not out yet, though: the ruling won’t take effect until tomorrow, which means the government unfortunately can appeal. Still, it’s promising. As his wife, who’s been home alone with their newborn, said, “This is the news we’ve been waiting over three months for.” Khalil is currently in a detention facility in Louisiana.

In related news, lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia – the Maryland man wrongfully deported to a torture dungeon in El Salvador – are asking a judge to release him ahead of his trial. He’s currently in federal custody in Tennessee. Read more.

“A fan stormed the stage during a Katy Perry concert in Australia earlier this week. Wild. I had no idea Katy Perry had fans.”

Sean Combs’ ex-girlfriend “Jane” on the stand

(TW: Sexual assault) In the creepiest sitcom of all time, crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried and sexual predator/media mogul Sean Combs became friends in jail. And while I wouldn’t be surprised if both ultimately get a Trump pardon, Combs is not above the law yet. So, where did we leave off with the Combs trial? The man has been charged with five criminal counts: one to conspire to commit racketeering, two counts of sex trafficking, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The trial so far has been…how should I put it…Epstein-esque? Witness testimony confirms what we already knew: the man is a world-class creep, and we all owe Aubrey O’Day an apology.

In the first few weeks, we heard a LOT from the singer Cassie about the sex trafficking and sexual abuse she suffered while involved with Combs. This week, another of Combs’ exes – known on the stand as “Jane,” to protect her identity – has been testifying about her experiences with the rapper. Like Cassie, she described Combs’ “freak offs,” which basically sound like coerced drug-fueled orgies with trafficked sex workers. Jane testified she felt compelled to participate in the freak-offs — which Combs directed and often recorded, because he was controlling her financially. Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the trial is expected to last about another month. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison…and upon hearing the testimony, the idea definitely doesn’t make me mad.

And in other non-presidential predator news…Harvey Weinstein. Yesterday, a jury found him guilty of one count of sexual assault, not guilty of another, and on the third count, they were undecided. Idk, without knowing any details, I feel like he did it. Also, there was apparently drama on the jury, with “yelling and screaming” during deliberations. Everything about Harvey Weinstein makes me want to scream, so I get it. This charge carries a maximum of 25 years in prison, which would be in addition to the sentence from his California sexual assault conviction. Busy guy! Read more.

LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS

Plane crash in India leaves over 200 dead

Really horrible news out of India this morning. Earlier today, an Air India flight to London crashed into a medical college just after it took off from Ahmedabad, India. The flight had 242 people on board, including the crew, and as of this morning, over 200 are reported dead, according to local police. The exact cause of the crash is unknown, but – and this won’t shock anyone – it was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Some had raised concerns about this type of aircraft before the crash, and Boeing has said they’re “working to gather more information” on the cause. I would trust Nathan Fielder’s explanation more than theirs, tbh. Read more

ON OUR RADAR

Brian Wilson of Beach Boys fame has died at age 82. And during Beach Boys season no less :(
Seven families have filed a lawsuit against Arkansas over a law that requires schools to post the 10 Commandments in public school classrooms.
The GOP is introducing a bill to protect AI companies from lawsuits if they meet disclosure requirements. You’re not going to believe this, but the bill was actually drafted by none other than ChatGPT (I assume).
Apparently, thieves broke into Macklemore’s Seattle home earlier this week. Interesting, do you think they were trying to pop some tags? (So sorry, I’ll see myself out).
The IDF announced they recovered the bodies of two deceased hostages.
The new president of South Korea ordered the military to stop blasting K-pop into North Korea. I had no idea they were doing this, but I’m so bummed it’s over. Both countries were also broadcasting propaganda into each other, but as of this morning, they appear to have suspended their loudspeaker broadcasts.
Starbucks is now testing a banana-flavored protein cold foam. Sorry but haven’t we suffered enough??
Congrats @notsotroubled! Thank you for your service.

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