Dear neighbor,

Late last night, President Trump tweeted a vile, racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as primates. Trump doing this won't distract from the fact that he is in the Epstein files, and I know he is super jealous of the fact that Barack Obama is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Michelle Obama is a two-time Grammy winner. After initially defending the post, the White House eventually took it down. Still, President Trump should apologize.

On Monday, I was disturbed to see Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche say that “'it isn't a crime to party" with Jeffrey Epstein. 

That is wrong. If Epstein was trafficking minors at a sex party and a person patronized the establishment, then that is a crime.

Additionally, Blanche failed to redact the names of victims and pictures of children in the publicly released files, which was a critical restriction under the law Congress passed. Also, after meeting with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, he moved her to a minimum-security prison and got her a puppy. That’s outrageous.

Blanche needs to resign, and the Justice Department needs to investigate everyone involved in Epstein’s crimes.

Trump is mentioned thousands of times in the Epstein files and there are highly disturbing allegations against him. These allegations need to be seriously investigated.

I discussed this and more at this week’s press conference. Click below to watch: 

This week, I continued to advocate for Kristi Noem’s removal from office and demand real reforms to ICE and Border Patrol’s abusive operations.

Next week, Congress will be voting again on funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats are demanding basic transparency and accountability from ICE and CBP – starting with requiring agents to remove face coverings and wear body cameras. Law enforcement agencies are also expected to cooperate with investigations and rely on judicial warrants, not evade oversight.

A more detailed list of our accountability demands is available here.

These are commonsense reforms that we should enact right now. Instead, Trump is busy closing the Kennedy Center and wanting to nationalize elections.

I joined Meet the Press on NBC NOW to discuss this more:

LA COUNTY FOOD RESOURCES: The LA County Office of Food Systems has resources to learn more about the LA County food system and a dashboard to find more information on efforts to promote food access and nutrition security across the county. Visit here for more.

BY LA FOR LA: LA County has put together a network of people to help with substance use and overdose prevention, mental health, and housing/food assistance. Check out the resource page here.

CONGRESSIONAL ART COMPETITION: High school students are encouraged to participate in this year’s Congressional Art Competition. Submissions are now open until Friday, March 6, 2026, at 5 PM PT. For more information, visit here.

YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL APPLICATIONS: Students in 9th-12th grade can now apply to join our district’s 2026-2027 Youth Advisory Council. This is an opportunity to work directly with my office to collaborate on key issues for young people. Applications are now open until Friday, June 26, 2026, at 5:00 PM PT. Visit here for more information.

SUMMER INTERNSHIPS: My Los Angeles and Washington offices are now accepting applications for our Summer 2026 Internship Program. You can find out how to apply here.

My Los Angeles office is available to help with federal agency issues at (323) 651-1040, or you can visit our webpage here.

I look forward to updating you again soon. 

Warmly,

Ted