Anti-ICE, Anti-Law Enforcement Riots Engulf Los Angeles

The violent unrest shut down the 101: At one point, the 101 Freeway through downtown LA was completely shut down. With the influx of protesters near the Little Tokyo Metro A/E line Station, trains bypassed it and the LAPD asked that it be kept closed. Arrests were reported as some protesters threw bottles and other objects at officers and attempted to breach police lines. Two people riding motorcycles were detained after they allegedly attempted to breach a skirmish line at the intersection of Alameda and Temple streets and injured two officers, according to the LAPD. Video also showed protesters at one point surrounding a police vehicle that appeared to be trying to drive through the crowd, with at least one person throwing an object at the car (Daily News). Mayor Bass responds, blaming Trump: This is intentional chaos … We’re still recovering –after five months—from the city’s worst natural disaster in decades (Bass). A disaster about which she had warning and still abandoned Angelenos for junket to Africa. See number 4 below.

It’s “Fiery, But Mostly Peaceful” All Over Again

That line you’ll remember is CNN’s coverage of the riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2020 (The Hill). This time, it’s “Lawful protests with some unrest.” Ed Morrissey: After reviewing the media coverage last night, our pals at Twitchy brought us the piece de la résistance, heavy on the resistance. This is how CNN covered the riots in Los Angeles, despite the on-camera arsons, assaults on ICE agents, and general bedlam: CNN: “Lawful protests with some unrest.” If this looks familiar, it’s because CNN used the same playbook as they did five years ago during the George Floyd riots: “CNN going to the old playbook from Kenosha, WI where the reporter is standing in front of a building totally engulfed in flames with the caption “mostly peaceful protests” MSNBC also used “mostly peaceful” as their motto in 2020, and the rest of the media followed suit, including and especially the coverage about the Twin Cities and the massive destruction that took place there. As John detailed in his post last night, there is a massive amount of violence sweeping through Los Angeles, much of it directed at legitimate law enforcement actions by the federal government. The local authorities didn’t lift a finger to stop it the first day, and it predictably escalated the second day. Meanwhile, just like CNN and every single £$%^&% Protection Racket Media outlet did with Joe Biden’s cognitive incapacity for the last four years, they are going to tell you to trust them rather than your own eyes and ears. They will flat-out ignore the violence as long as they can’t use that violence to damage Republicans, and pretend that nothing’s happening as the city (or cities) burn….Well, this is the next time. And they are still carrying water for the radical Left and the Democrat Party that the radical Left controls. The only way to fight that is to support independent voices and platforms that will expose their propaganda and provide even a modicum of accountability for their corruption (Hot Air).

California Governor, Los Angeles Mayor Endanger First Responders by Encouraging Anti-Law Enforcement Unrest

The ICE officials, the National Guard and other cooperating law enforcement officials are simply executing what is a lawful act (immigration enforcement and protecting the safety and security of those engaged those actions). Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass: My office is in close coordination with immigrant rights community organization. We will not stand for this (Bass). More: We are going to fight for all Angelenos (Bass). Governor Newsom: We didn’t have a problem until Trump got involved (Newsom). Fox 5: Peaceful protests turn violent…  (Fox 5). Sarah Arnold of Townhall: California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) urged anti-ICE demonstrators to resist President Donald Trump’s actions, telling them not to give the president what he wants—even as he called on protesters to deescalate and stand down amid a third consecutive night of violent unrest. “California – Don’t give Donald Trump what he wants,” Newsom wrote on X.(Townhall). Newsom calls Trump a dictator: These are the acts of a dictator, not a President (Newsom). This is not the language of de-escalation. Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass endanger our first responders. California Rep. Darrell Issa: Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass have a real habit of letting Los Angeles burn (Issa).  Hugh Hewitt points us to the relevant federal code re federal engagement: (Hewitt).

Reminder: Los Angeles Mayor Bass Is a Radical

She’s no naïve but well-intended liberal. She has decades of infatuation with socialism and Cuba-style communism. When she was a potential VP pick for Biden in 2020, The Atlantic did a profile highlighting her decades of engagement in Cuba: she’s also the only person on Biden’s list who spent part of the 1970s working construction in Fidel Castro’s Cuba with the Venceremos Brigade, a group that has organized annual trips to Cuba for young, leftist Americans for half a century….. Bass went to see Castro speak in Revolution Square in Havana, joining “about a bazillion people” in the crowd, she said. Although she couldn’t understand him, he was “extremely charismatic.”… Bass’s interest in Cuba kept up after she became a member of the California assembly. She went to the country again in 2005, on a trip organized by the California lobbyist Darius Anderson and paid for out of her campaign account, according to campaign-finance records kept by the California secretary of state. She’s returned several times since being elected to the U.S. House in 2010. She visited Alan Gross, the USAID contractor whom Cuba accused of being a spy, during his five years in prison, and joined then–Secretary of State John Kerry when he went to Havana to raise the American flag over the reestablished U.S. embassy in 2015 (Atlantic). And: Many of you will remember, Bass was in Africa during the devastating fires in January. Why was she in Africa? Desert Sun: Bass was in West Africa to attend the inauguration of Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama on Saturday. Jan 4 (Desert Sun). Why is that so exciting for her? The Socialist International explains: The Socialist International congratulates John Dramani Mahama on his election as President of Ghana, a clear reflection of the trust placed in his leadership. We also applaud the National Democratic Congress (NDC), a valued member of our global family, for its dedication to democracy and social justice (Socialist). Mahama in 2012: “I am still a socialist” (Newsweek). So: Bass abandoned Los Angeles in the fires to celebrate the achievement of her like-minded brother in Ghana. Don’t trust her today.

Iran Orders Materials From China Sufficient for Hundreds of Ballistic Missiles

And no, these materials have nothing to do with peaceful use or civilian nuclear power. Wall Street Journal: Iran has ordered thousands of tons of ballistic-missile ingredients from China, people familiar with the transaction said, seeking to rebuild its military prowess as it discusses the future of its nuclear program with the U.S.  Shipments of ammonium perchlorate are expected to reach Iran in coming months and could fuel hundreds of ballistic missiles, the people said… Iran wants to bolster regional allies and rebuild its arsenal while it pushes deeper into contentious talks with the Trump administration over its nuclear program. Iran has continued to expand its stockpiles of uranium enriched to just below weapons grade and ruled out negotiating limits on its missile program (Wall Street Journal). Critical Threats: Iran is continuing to cooperate with China to replenish its solid-fuel ballistic missile stockpile after Israel destroyed Iranian solid-fuel production sites in October 2024. Israeli strikes in October 2024 damaged three major long-range missile production sites in Iran, including the Shahroud Military Site in Semnan Province and the Khojir and Parchin complexes in Tehran Province (Critical Threats).

"Frankly, we have imported antisemitism with the big numbers of migrants we have within the last 10 years"

It was a moment of candor and clarity from the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Antisemitic attacks in Germany are up 77 percent year-to-year, 2023 to 2024. DW: In an interview with Fox News, Merz was asked what he was doing to combat antisemitism in Germany and he said: “This is, especially for Germany, a terrible challenge that we are faced with such an amount of cases of antisemitism in Germany, We are doing everything we can to bring these numbers down,” Merz continued. “We are prosecuting those who are against the law. And frankly, we have a sort of imported antisemitism with the big numbers of migrants we have within the last 10 years, and we have to tackle this and we have to resolve this problem.” Merz’s comments come on the back of data which earlier this week showed the rising numbers in antisemitic incidents in Germany. In 2024, 8,627 antisemitic incidents occurred — 77% more than in 2023 (DW). Clip: (X). Russell Berman: In contemporary European discourse, the challenges of immigration are inextricably tied to questions of Islam and Islamism…. It is important to recognize how Europe has not succeeded in integrating the Middle Eastern immigrant population, elements of which cling to Islamist viewpoints incompatible with liberal Western societies….  it should not be forgotten that the 9/11 plot was prepared significantly among radicals in Germany. Islamism in Europe can turn into a terrorist threat to the American homeland. Finally, the backlash against immigration, especially in Germany and France, has been carried by political parties whose animosity to immigrants goes hand in hand with a rejection of the transatlantic alliance of Western democracies. The crises of immigration and Islamism in Europe are therefore directly pertinent to American national interests. An astute U.S. foreign policy would help manage these challenges (Hoover).

A Big Deal for Steel

An in-depth look from Salena Zito at the Trump deal that saved U.S. Steel—and maybe one big piece of the political realignment we’re watching unfold in front of us: In 1977, then-President Jimmy Carter ignored the pleas of the Central Labor Union to stop steel imports and ease regulations that were hurting the industry. Carter also refused to meet with the union when it traveled to the White House, as then-Ohio Democratic Sen. John Glenn stood on the U.S. Capitol steps with other elected officials while the crowd waved signs reading, “Save the Steel Industry.” Carter never bothered to send out an aide to receive the petitions when they arrived. Few legacy news organizations in New York and Washington, D.C., at the time chronicled the hollowing out of communities and the long-term effects on those left behind. Many of these journalists didn’t understand how this started the incremental movement of the working class toward the Republican Party. It was only when Trump won his first term in 2016 that it became clear. Trump sealed the deal with the working class for the Republicans. It will be interesting if the legacy media chronicle this with the vigor and intellectual curiosity it deserves. If not, they may ask eight years from now why Republicans keep winning (Washington Examiner).

Champlin Park High School Rebels Win Their First Girls State Softball Championship

The school—north of Minneapolis—was riding on the heels of their star male player: Marissa Rothenberger who  pitched seven dominating shutout innings, recording six strike outs (Champlin Park). Riley Gaines: Another state championship hijacked by a team with a boy. “Marissa” Rothenberger pitched 7 shutout innings to lead Champlin Park to a 6-0 win in the Minnesota Girls’ State Softball Championship. You’re a shameful coward, @GovTimWalz (Gaines). Fox News: The pitcher’s dominance this season has prompted a lawsuit by three anonymous opposing players amid a national divide over the legality of trans athletes in girls’ sports. One of the players involved in the lawsuit reacted to the pitcher’s run to the championship game in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital, provided by her attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). “It is upsetting to see a male athlete dominating our sport and taking opportunities away from girls who have worked hard all season to make it to the championship game in the state tournament. On top of the unfairness, it is oftentimes a risk to play a physical sport like softball against a male athlete,” the statement said (Fox News).

The Greta Thunberg “Selfie” Flotilla Ends With a Resounding Thud

The activist for sale was en route with her iPhone in hand ready to solve the conflict—one selfie at a time—between Israel and the barbaric terror group Hamas. YNET: IDF takes control of the vessel ‘Madeline’ that was making its way to the Gaza Strip, without conflict. The forces will redirect the ship to Ashdod port….  The Foreign Ministry announced that “The ‘selfie yacht’ of the ‘celebrities’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries.” The ministry added that “While Greta (Thunberg) and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity — and which included less than a single truckload of aid — more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, and in addition, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza” (YNET).

How Elite Media Manufactured a “Genocide” in Gaza: A 21st Century Blood Libel

Zach Goldberg looks at the proximity of the word use of “genocide” used in context of Gaza relative to other genuine genocides we’ve seen in relatively recent history: Upon closer examination, however, much like the widespread surge in race-related terminology during the “Great Awokening,” The New York Times was far from alone, as references to genocide reached unprecedented highs across numerous major news outlets, including The Guardian and the Associated Press. To confirm that these recent spikes were driven primarily by the Israel-Gaza conflict—and to place them in historical context—I analyzed how frequently each of the six outlets paired genocide with countries or groups historically associated with genocide allegations or acts. Using Nexis Uni, I tracked annual coverage associating genocide with well-documented historical cases, including Rwanda (1994), Darfur (2003-2008), Bosnia (1995), Myanmar (2017-present), and the Yazidis (2014-2017). The results were striking and unambiguous: Coverage linking Israel with genocide has surged far beyond every other agreed-upon historical case of genocide across all examined outlets. In The New York Times, for example, articles pairing Israel and genocide reached levels more than nine times higher than the peak for Rwanda and nearly six times greater than for Darfur…. We need our moral language to retain its clarity and gravity, not to mention its anchoring in legal and historical reality. Once terms like genocide and ethnic cleansing become routine descriptors for controversial wars or asymmetric conflicts, they lose their power to name the world’s most unspeakable crimes. That erosion weakens our ability to recognize and respond to real genocides when they occur—and distorts our understanding of those that already have, while diminishing the agency and true horror of genocidal actions (Tablet).