Embattled Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass accused her reelection opponent, Spencer Pratt, of &#8220;exploiting the grief&#8221; of the LA wildfire victims. 
In an interview with left-wing podcast host Katie Phang, Bass criticized Pratt&#8217;s outspoken advocacy, claiming that he was capitalizing on the tragedy even though he was among those who lost a home in the Palisades wildfire. 
&#8220;Well, honestly, before this, I had never heard of Spencer Pratt. But the thing I am concerned about is that I feel like he’s exploiting the grief of people in the Palisades. And I think that’s reprehensible,&#8221; Bass said. &#8220;I think he&#8217;s about his own celebrity; he&#8217;s famous now again.&#8221;
&#8220;I think he could benefit by a basic civics course, because I don&#8217;t think he understands the basics of how any government works,&#8221; she added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
LA Mayor Karen Bass:
Well, honestly, before this, I had never heard of Spencer Pratt. But the thing I am concerned about is that I feel like he’s exploiting the grief of people in the Palisades. And I think that’s reprehensible. <a href="https://t.co/PGbn9UKmkZ">pic.twitter.com/PGbn9UKmkZ</a>
— Acyn (@Acyn) <a href="https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/2050440571588944222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
The attacks come after Pratt, a former reality TV star, posted a<a href="https://x.com/spencerpratt/status/2049497051793412557?s=20"> viral advertisement</a> blasting Bass and other city leaders.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/reality-star-rips-karen-bass-in-fiery-campaign-video">In the campaign video</a>, Pratt films himself outside the mansions belonging to Bass and City Council member Nithya Raman. The scene then cuts to a homeless encampment as Pratt narrates, “They don’t have to live in the mess they created. Where you live,” he says.
&#8220;This is where I live,” Pratt adds while posing outside a trailer at the site of his burned-down home.
“They let my home burn down. I know what the consequences of failed leadership are. That’s why I’m running for mayor. For my sons, and the rest of us Angelenos that want to stop these corrupt politicians from destroying our city. We are gonna get the golden age of Los Angeles back,” he concludes.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
They not like us <a href="https://t.co/78hducHDUE">pic.twitter.com/78hducHDUE</a>
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) <a href="https://twitter.com/spencerpratt/status/2049497051793412557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
In January 2025, wind-whipped flames tore through homes and devastated entire neighborhoods in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades, an upscale community near the Los Angeles County coastline. Firefighters and emergency crews worked for weeks to fully contain the fires, which burned 50,000 acres and destroyed nearly 16,000 homes.
The fires, among the deadliest in California&#8217;s history, directly resulted in at least 31 deaths, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. A more in-depth analysis by the<a href="https://www.bu.edu/sph/news/articles/2025/death-count-for-2025-la-county-wildfires-likely-hundreds-higher-than-official-records-show/#:~:text=An%20estimated%20440%20deaths%20are,excess%20mortality%20during%20that%20period."> Boston University School of Public Health</a>, however, estimated that the fires were responsible for 409 excess deaths.
&#8220;The additional 409 deaths that were excluded from official death records likely resulted from partially attributable factors such as lung or heart conditions due to increased exposure to air pollution from smoke and burning objects, as well as indirect factors such as disruptions in other critical healthcare or mental health emergencies,&#8221; the researchers said.
Mayor Bass, who was representing the Biden Administration in Africa as Los Angeles communities were reduced to rubble, came under scorching criticism for her handling of the fires.
Returning from her overseas trip, Bass was caught flat-footed and literally speechless at Los Angeles International Airport.
&#8220;Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent while their homes were burning, and do you regret cutting the fire department budget by millions of dollars, Madam Mayor?&#8221;<a href="https://x.com/SkyNews/status/1877115173443400065?s=20"> Sky News reporter David Blevins asked Bass at the airport</a>.
&#8220;Have you absolutely nothing to say to the citizens today?&#8221; he added.
Pratt is a first-time candidate facing more than a dozen other contenders in the nonpartisan mayoral primary in June, including Bass, who is seeking re-election. <a href="blank">Prediction market</a>s currently favor leftist Nithya Raman.
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&#8216;Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent whilst their homes were burning? Do you regret cutting the fire department&#8217;s budget? 
<a href="https://twitter.com/skydavidblevins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@skydavidblevins</a> questions the mayor of LA, Karen Bass, as she faces backlash regarding the California wildfires.<a href="https://t.co/Nkz8onjC7V">https://t.co/Nkz8onjC7V</a> <a href="https://t.co/WwRwp6Imqz">pic.twitter.com/WwRwp6Imqz</a>
— Sky News (@SkyNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1877115173443400065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2025</a></blockquote>

Karen Bass

Karen Bass Accuses Spencer Pratt Of ‘Exploiting Grief’ Of Palisades Fire Victims. He Is One.

California

Los Angeles

Palisades Fire

A four-word caption and a short video were all it took for LA-based mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt to go viral, again.
&#8220;They not like us.&#8221;
The former reality star has been fundraising like mad in hopes of unseating incumbent Democrat Karen Bass, and with mega exposure like this, some of his supporters are saying he just might do it.
In the campaign video, the villain from the MTV reality show “The Hills” films himself outside mansions belonging to Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman. The scene then cuts to a homeless encampment as Pratt narrates, “They don’t have to live in the mess they created. Where YOU live,” he says.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
They not like us <a href="https://t.co/78hducHDUE">pic.twitter.com/78hducHDUE</a>
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) <a href="https://twitter.com/spencerpratt/status/2049497051793412557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
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“This is where I live,” Pratt adds while posing outside a trailer. The mayoral hopeful is openly furious over the city&#8217;s handling of the Palisades fire and the aftermath — and blames poor leadership for the conditions that led to the fire happening in the first place.
Pratt and his wife lost their home in the fire.
“They let my home burn down. I know what the consequences of failed leadership are. That’s why I’m running for mayor. For my sons, and the rest of us Angelenos that want to stop these corrupt politicians from destroying our city. We are gonna get the golden age of Los Angeles back,” he concludes.
The former reality star is getting a whole lot of support from a variety of places. According to <a href="https://www.foxla.com/news/lakers-jeanie-buss-la-mayoral-race-spencer-pratt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FOX 11</a>, Jeanie Buss — the controlling owner and governor of the Los Angeles Lakers — donated $1,800 to Pratt&#8217;s campaign, the maximum amount permitted by law.
X users are loving his new ad, which has 8.1 million views as of Thursday morning.
“One of the greatest political ads I&#8217;ve seen in a very long time,” one popular reply <a href="https://x.com/mattvanswol/status/2049523647874826629">said</a>. “Down to earth. Clear willingness to work hard. Dichotomy between ‘them’ and ‘us’ is amazing&#8230; those who POSTURE, vs those who have to live with the consequences of their posturing. 10/10 no notes.”
Last week, Pratt made <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/reality-star-rips-dem-karen-bass-for-allowing-homeless-to-conduct-nazi-like-experiments-on-dogs">headlines</a> after he ripped Bass for allowing animal abuse committed by the homeless to continue. If elected, he committed to putting an end to the practice. “Unbelievable levels of evil from the druggies that are left to massacre these poor animals. This ends when I’m mayor,” he promised.
Pratt is a first-time candidate facing more than a dozen other contenders in the nonpartisan mayoral primary in June, including Bass, who is seeking re-election. Pratt’s campaign website describes him as “Karen Bass’ worst nightmare.”

Spencer Pratt

Reality Star Rips Karen Bass In Fiery Campaign Video

Mayor

Politics

Former reality star Spencer Pratt, who is running for mayor of Los Angeles against incumbent Karen Bass, is taking a stand for animals that are allegedly being tortured by homeless people in the community.
The mayoral hopeful has been posting about animals being abused on Skid Row and beyond for weeks, sharing graphic videos of dogs overdosing on fentanyl and one presented with his eyes sewn shut.
“As Mayor, I will stand up a dedicated LAPD task force, Tactical PAWS: Policing Animal Welfare &amp; Safety. We will end the horrific atrocities that Karen Basura (his nickname for Bass) and [coucilwoman] Nithya Raman have allowed on our streets. ZERO tolerance for animal abusers,” he wrote in a post on April 20.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
As Mayor, I will stand up a dedicated LAPD task force, Tactical PAWS: Policing Animal Welfare &amp; Safety. We will end the horrific atrocities that Karen Basura and Nithya Raman have allowed on our streets. ZERO tolerance for animal abusers! <a href="https://t.co/QyUPKpdLEB">https://t.co/QyUPKpdLEB</a> <a href="https://t.co/XDnpJk4aba">pic.twitter.com/XDnpJk4aba</a>
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) <a href="https://twitter.com/spencerpratt/status/2046277962664996895?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
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“This is uncaring Karen’s legacy,” he said of Bass in response to a video of a dog with drugs in its system receiving medical care. “Unbelievable levels of evil from the druggies that are left to massacre these poor animals. This ends when I’m mayor.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is uncaring Karen’s legacy. Unbelievable levels of evil from the druggies that are left to massacre these poor animals. This ends when I’m mayor. <a href="https://t.co/jJ64X0sQ5R">https://t.co/jJ64X0sQ5R</a>
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) <a href="https://twitter.com/spencerpratt/status/2047197321079980376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In another video <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXhkUNNAdT9/">shared</a> to Instagram on Friday, he accused Bass and Raman of “facilitating the torture, mutilation, abuse, and murder of thousands of dogs by crazy drug addicts who breed them for money, set them on fire, [and] conduct Nazi-like experiments.”
Pratt says the dogs become drug testers and are frequently overdosing.
The former star of “The Hills” said that Raman allegedly “walked out” of a recent city council meeting after an animal rescue worker begged for help with the problem.
Pratt also said a rally was happening at The Barkery in Encino on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. to raise awareness and “save our pets from the zombies.”
The reality alum announced that he is running for mayor of Los Angeles on the one-year anniversary of the Palisades Fire, which is the event that he says radicalized him to make a change in his community. The Republican and former star of “The Hills” has been critical of local Democrats for their actions before and after the fires. Pratt and his wife, Heidi Montag, and his parents all lost their homes.
“The system in Los Angeles isn’t struggling; it’s fundamentally broken. It is a machine designed to protect the people at the top and the friends they exchange favors with while the rest of us drown in toxic smoke and ash,” Pratt said in part while announcing his campaign.
Pratt is a first-time candidate facing more than a dozen other contenders in the nonpartisan mayoral primary in June, including current Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Bass, who is seeking re-election. Pratt’s campaign website describes him as “Karen Bass’ worst nightmare.”

Reality Star Rips Dem Karen Bass For Allowing Homeless To ‘Conduct Nazi-Like Experiments’ On Dogs

Animals

Drugs

Elections

Homeless

Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass is facing a deepening political crisis following allegations that she personally directed the &#8220;watering down&#8221; of an official report into the 2025 Palisades fire to shield the city from legal liability.
Sources close to the mayor’s office revealed to the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-02-04/bass-directed-watering-down-of-palisades-fire-after-action-report-sources-say">Los Angeles Times</a> that Bass pressured fire officials to remove or soften key findings regarding the Los Angeles Fire Department’s (LAFD) shortcomings. The most significant alteration involved the department’s failure to fully staff and pre-deploy engines ahead of the January 2025 disaster, which ultimately claimed 12 lives and destroyed more than 6,000 structures.
While the mayor has repeatedly denied involvement, two confidants told investigators they are prepared to testify under oath that Bass held onto an early draft of the report until the desired changes were made. One confidant reportedly warned the mayor that altering the document was a &#8220;bad idea&#8221; that would cause significant political damage.
The discrepancy between the drafts is stark. An initial version stated that pre-deployment decisions &#8220;did not align&#8221; with safety policy. However, the final version released in October claimed the department went &#8220;above and beyond&#8221; standard protocols —  a claim the report’s own author, Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook, refused to endorse, calling the final document &#8220;highly unprofessional.&#8221;
The controversy adds to a legacy of criticism regarding Bass’s handling of the blaze. At the height of the emergency, the mayor was traveling in Ghana for a presidential inauguration, leaving the city as firestorms erupted. Upon her return, she was filmed at the airport <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/karen-bass-ignores-questions-about-her-handling-of-devastating-fires">ignoring questions</a> about why she had approved a $23 million cut to the LAFD budget — the second-largest cut in her fiscal plan — just months before the catastrophe.
Public records and Times investigations previously revealed that the LAFD failed to keep firefighters on duty for a second shift despite forecasts of &#8220;catastrophic&#8221; winds. Furthermore, evidence suggests a smaller fire on New Year&#8217;s Day was improperly extinguished and left to smolder for six days before rekindling into the massive Palisades fire.
&#8220;The mayor didn’t tell the truth when she said she had nothing to do with changing the report,&#8221; one source told the Times.
Current Fire Chief Jaime Moore, appointed by Bass in November, has stated he will not investigate who was responsible for the edits, choosing instead to &#8220;focus on the future.&#8221; However, the revelation of the mayor&#8217;s alleged behind-the-scenes role has led some residents and former officials to label the incident a &#8220;cover-up.&#8221; As legal proceedings loom, the testimony of Bass’s own inner circle may prove to be the most damaging chapter of her administration.

Task force to investigate, apprehend andprosecute suspects of smash-and-grabs in recent weeks.

L.A.’s Democrat Mayor Accused Of Editing Palisades Fire Report To Hide Failures

L.A.'s Democrat Mayor Accused Of Editing Palisades Fire Report To Hide Failures

Within hours of the Supreme Court&#8217;s decision allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to resume sweeps in Los Angeles, California, several prominent Democrats across the city and the state issued statements complaining about the ruling.
Fox News National Correspondent Bill Melugin shared a few of their comments — from Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass, Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA), and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) — in a post on X.
&#8220;Reactions to SCOTUS allowing immigration sweeps to restart in LA: Mayor Bass: &#8216;Today&#8217;s ruling is not only dangerous, it&#8217;s un-American.&#8217; Gov. Newsom: &#8216;Trump&#8217;s hand-picked SCOTUS majority just became the Grand Marshal for a parade of racial terror in LA.&#8217; ACLU: &#8216;Outrageous.'&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Reactions to SCOTUS allowing immigration sweeps to restart in LA:
Mayor Bass: &#8220;Today&#8217;s ruling is not only dangerous, it&#8217;s un-American&#8221;.
Gov. Newsom: &#8220;Trump&#8217;s hand-picked SCOTUS majority just became the Grand Marshal for a parade of racial terror in LA&#8221;.
ACLU: &#8220;Outrageous&#8221;
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillMelugin_/status/1965132720113418548?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Newsom&#8217;s full statement went a bit further, claiming that the Trump administration planned to hunt down anyone who looked Latino: &#8220;Every person is now a target.&#8221;
&#8220;@realDonaldTrump&#8217;s hand-picked SCOTUS majority just became the Grand Marshal for a parade of racial terror in LA. His administration is targeting Latinos — and anyone who doesn’t look or sound like @StephenM&#8217;s idea of an American — to deliberately harm our families and economy.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Trump&#8217;s private police force now has a green light to come after your family.
Every person is now a target.
California will continue to do all we can fight these abhorrent attacks on Californians.
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) <a href="https://twitter.com/CAgovernor/status/1965127262531092507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Trump&#8217;s private police force now has a green light to come after your family. Every person is now a target. California will continue to do all we can fight these abhorrent attacks on Californians,&#8221; Newsom continued.
&#8220;I want the entire nation to hear me when I say this isn’t just an attack on the people of LA, this is an attack on every person in every city in this country. Today’s ruling is not only dangerous – it’s un-American and threatens the fabric of personal freedom in the U.S.,&#8221; Mayor Bass said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I want the entire nation to hear me when I say this isn’t just an attack on the people of LA, this is an attack on every person in every city in this country.
Today’s ruling is not only dangerous – it’s un-American and threatens the fabric of personal freedom in the U.S. <a href="https://t.co/mFU4ZCh93L">https://t.co/mFU4ZCh93L</a>
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorOfLA/status/1965129986307936354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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At the nation&#8217;s highest court, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor registered her complaint as well, sounding quite a bit like the elected Democrats who object to federal immigration agents being permitted to enforce federal immigration laws.
&#8220;Instead of allowing the District Court to consider these troubling allegations in the normal course, a majority of this Court decides to take the once-extraordinary step of staying the District Court’s order. That decision is yet another grave misuse of our emergency docket,&#8221; Sotomayor protested. &#8220;We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job. Rather than stand idly by while our constitutional freedoms are lost, I dissent.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sotomayor dissent on SCOTUS decision on ICE raids in LA: “We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job. Rather than stand idly by while our constitutional freedoms are lost, I…
— Jesse Rodriguez (@JesseRodriguez) <a href="https://twitter.com/JesseRodriguez/status/1965094959817572823?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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California Governor Newsom Announces Lawsuit Challenging Trump Tariff Authority

SCOTUS Decision On LA ICE Raids Triggers All The Right People

ACLU

Courts

Gavin Newsom

Illegal Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Sonia Sotomayor

Supreme Court

The former Los Angeles fire chief, who was fired by Democratic Mayor Karen Bass in February after the deadly Palisades fire raged for weeks, filed a legal claim against the city on Wednesday, accusing Bass of orchestrating a &#8220;defamation and retaliation campaign&#8221; to save her political image.
Ex-fire chief Kristin Crowley said that Bass “orchestrated a campaign of misinformation, defamation, and retaliation” in an effort to move the spotlight off of herself, &#8220;while concealing the extent to which she undermined public safety,” the Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-08-20/former-los-angeles-fire-chief-accuses-mayor-bass-of-defamation">reported</a>. Crowley&#8217;s legal claim noted that Bass was taking the brunt of the criticism over her decision to leave the country and attend a ceremony in Ghana when the fire first broke out.
“As the Fire Chief, for nearly three years, I advocated for the proper funding, staffing and infrastructure upgrades to better support and protect our Firefighters, and by extension, our communities,” Crowley told the Times. “The lies, deceit, exaggerations and misrepresentations need to be addressed with the only thing that can refute them — the true facts.”
California requires a legal claim to be filed before a lawsuit against a government entity, according to the Times.
The rift between Crowley and Bass began after the former fire chief blamed the mayor&#8217;s $17.5 million cuts to the L.A. fire department&#8217;s budget, while Bass said that Crowley sent 1,000 firefighters home before the Pacific Palisades fire broke out, despite the drought conditions and high winds creating a high-risk fire environment. Twelve people died in the Pacific Palisades fire, and around 7,000 homes were destroyed.
A month before the fire broke out, Crowley <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/l-a-fire-chief-warned-democrat-mayor-bass-budget-cuts-severely-limited-fire-response">wrote</a> in a memo that the budget cuts “severely limited the department’s capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires.”
In the legal claim, Crowley&#8217;s lawyers said that Bass “initially praised the department’s preparedness” after fire crews responded to the fire.
“But as criticism mounted over her absence, Bass reversed course,” the legal claim added. “She sought to shift blame to Crowley, falsely stating that Bass was not aware of the nationally anticipated weather event, that Crowley sent 1,000 firefighters home who could have fought the blaze, and misrepresenting the department’s budget.”
The claim also stated that the “LAFD did not have sufficient operating emergency vehicles to safely and effectively pre-deploy 1,000 (or anywhere near 1,000) additional firefighters on January 7.” Bass accused Crowley of allowing 40 available engines to sit &#8220;idle&#8221; before the fire erupted, but the ex-fire chief&#8217;s lawyers are pushing back against that claim too, saying that “the LAFD staffed all its front-line fire engines (including all the 40 engines that Bass later falsely stated sat ‘idle’).”
Bass reportedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/la-fire-chief-reportedly-called-to-mayors-office-to-be-fired-heres-what-we-know">summoned</a> Crowley to her office on January 10, and Crowley expected to be fired during that meeting. The fire chief, however, wasn&#8217;t ousted until February 21, six weeks after the Pacific Palisades fire was finally extinguished. During the January 10 meeting, Crowley&#8217;s lawyers claimed that Bass chewed her out for complaining about the fire department&#8217;s funding. Bass allegedly told her, “I don’t know why you had to do that; normally we are on the same page, and I don’t know why you had to say stuff to the media.&#8221;
Bass also said that Crowley refused to conduct an after-action report after she was ordered to, but Crowley&#8217;s lawyers insisted that she was only asked about an after-action report and never instructed to produce one. During the back-and-forth with Bass, Crowley was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/los-angeles-fire-chief-axed-by-mayor-bass">defended</a> by the 3,000-member L.A. firefighter union, which stated, &#8220;While we haven’t agreed on everything, you’ve been the only fire chief in decades to repeatedly demand adequate resources.&#8221;

LA Press Conference

Axed L.A. Fire Chief Accuses Mayor Of ‘Retaliation Campaign’ To Save Face After Deadly Fire

Fire

Los Angeles Fire Department

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass bristled on Thursday after dozens of Border Patrol agents appeared outside of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press conference.
Newsom held a highly touted press conference on Thursday to outline California’s plan to counter GOP redistricting efforts in Texas. During Newsom’s remarks, roughly 100 federal officers <a href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/feds-conduct-apparent-raid-just-outside-newsom-press-conference-in-downtown-los-angeles/">gathered</a> just outside the venue, the Japanese American National Museum, in preparation for an apparent raid in the area.
“There is no way this was a coincidence. This was widely publicized that the governor and many of our other elected officials were having a press conference here to talk about redistricting, and they decided they were going to come and thumb their nose in front of the governor&#8217;s face. Why would you do that? That is unbelievably disrespectful. It’s a provocative act,” <a href="https://x.com/LATACO/status/1956076782035329086">said</a> Bass later.
“They&#8217;re talking about disorder in Los Angeles, and they are the source of the disorder in Los Angeles right now. This is just completely unacceptable,” she continued. “This is an administration, this is a Customs and Border Patrol that has gone amok. This absolutely has to stop. There was no danger here, there was no need to detain anyone here, and there was certainly no need to have a provocative act right here where the governor is having a press conference.”
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
Newsom’s office posted a video on social media of some of the federal agents, suggesting that the agents were ordered there as an act of intimidation.
“BORDER PATROL HAS SHOWED UP AT OUR BIG BEAUTIFUL PRESS CONFERENCE! WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED!” an X account for Newsom’s office posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BORDER PATROL HAS SHOWED UP AT OUR BIG BEAUTIFUL PRESS CONFERENCE! WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED! <a href="https://t.co/Bu4gmbeY40">pic.twitter.com/Bu4gmbeY40</a>
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovPressOffice/status/1956061011225780421?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin denied Bass’ accusation, saying in a statement that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol regularly “patrols all areas of Los Angeles every day with over 40 teams on the ground to make LA safe.”
“Our law enforcement operations are about enforcing the law — not about Gavin Newsom,” she added.
During the press conference, Newsom announced plans to hold a special election that would allow California’s legislature to redraw its congressional map. California’s map is currently set by an independent commission. Even so, out of California’s 52 congressional districts, just nine are held by Republicans despite President Donald Trump earning nearly 40% of vote in 2024.

LA Mayor Furious After Immigration Agents Gather Outside Newsom’s Resistance Press Conference

General

Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass immediately declared victory when reports began to circulate that more than 1,000 U.S. troops were being pulled back from her city, but it was Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth who got the last word.
Bass shared a New York Times article <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/us/troop-withdrawal-los-angeles.html">reporting</a> the imminent drawdown of 1,350 American service members — who were initially deployed to the California city to protect federal personnel and property as violent protests and riots threatened the work and safety of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents — and added her own comment.
&#8220;Another win for Los Angeles tonight: 1,000 more troops are retreating. We will continue this pressure until ALL troops are out of L.A.,&#8221; she crowed, claiming that the troops were &#8220;retreating&#8221; under pressure from politicians like herself.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Another win for Los Angeles tonight: 1,000 more troops are retreating.
We will continue this pressure until ALL troops are out of L.A.<a href="https://t.co/spbTtO09TS">https://t.co/spbTtO09TS</a>
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorOfLA/status/1950784025511292967?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Hegseth responded to Bass, explaining that the troops were only leaving Los Angeles because the situation was finally under control — which it certainly was not when they had first arrived — and they were able to redeploy elsewhere having completed a successful mission in her city despite her unwillingness to help.
&#8220;You’re welcome Mayor,&#8221; Hegseth posted. &#8220;These brave troops are redeploying because their mission was so successful. You should be thanking them for saving your city from mobs &amp; chaos. We will continue to support law enforcement—even when you won’t.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
You’re welcome Mayor.
These brave troops are redeploying because their mission was so successful.
You should be thanking them for saving your city from mobs &amp; chaos.
We will continue to support law enforcement—even when you won’t. <a href="https://t.co/BQPKfDQTJk">https://t.co/BQPKfDQTJk</a>
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/1950971699299586222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Hegseth was not the only one to respond to the L.A. mayor&#8217;s claims.
&#8220;What an actual idiot &#8230; They are not &#8216;retreating.&#8217; They are redeploying, because they did their job, you Marxist,&#8221; actor Dean Cain replied.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
What an actual idiot&#8230; 
They are not &#8220;retreating.&#8221; They are redeploying, because they did their job, you Marxist. <a href="https://t.co/dS1vFXylcD">https://t.co/dS1vFXylcD</a>
— Dean Cain (@RealDeanCain) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealDeanCain/status/1951010235277254804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;You’re not pressuring anyone or anything. The Trump Administration moved in, quelled the chaos and did the job you’re incapable of doing. Now that the job is done, the troops are being moved out. If we left the them there indefinitely, you’d b**** about that, too. You’re a joke!&#8221; another posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
You’re not pressuring anyone or anything. The Trump Administration moved in, quelled the chaos and did the job you’re incapable of doing. Now that the job is done, the troops are being moved out. If we left the them there indefinitely, you’d bitch about that, too. You’re a joke!
— Suburban Black Man 🇺🇸 (@niceblackdude) <a href="https://twitter.com/niceblackdude/status/1950788442528317898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;You realize that you are completely irrelevant and inconsequential to ANY troop movements, right? You&#8217;re like a spectator in the stands, watching a team win, and then cheering, &#8216;I DID IT!!'&#8221; another said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
You realize that you are completely irrelevant and inconsequential to ANY troop movements, right?
You&#8217;re like a spectator in the stands, watching a team win, and then cheering, &#8220;I DID IT!!&#8221;
— Grateful Calvin (@shoveitjack) <a href="https://twitter.com/shoveitjack/status/1950975200729899402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Approximately 250 troops remain in Los Angeles, according to Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, and they will remain there as long as necessary to continue protecting federal personnel and property.

DOD Secretary Hegseth And Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Caine Brief On Iran Strike

L.A. Mayor Declares Victory As Troops Move Out, But Pete Hegseth Has Last Word

L.A. Mayor Declares Victory As Troops Move Out, But Pete Hegseth Has The Last Word

Military

Pete Hegseth

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass joined hordes of protesters Monday as they attempted to disrupt an ICE raid on a reported MS-13 hangout.
Dozens of ICE agents and military personnel surrounded Los Angeles&#8217; MacArthur Park early Monday morning, <a href="https://www.foxla.com/news/ice-operation-macarthur-park-july-7-2025?taid=686c0b5776b5a50001564eb2&amp;utm_campaign=trueanthem&amp;utm_medium=trueanthem&amp;utm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox 11 Los Angeles</a> reported. Accompanied by agents on horseback and a Department of Homeland Security helicopter flying overhead, the coordinated raid was aimed at detaining MS-13 members, who reportedly congregate in the park.
Immediately following the agents’ operation, Bass arrived at the park and attempted to speak to ICE officers. Responding to a reporter, Bass <a href="https://x.com/Elex_Michaelson/status/1942289331248587004" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;They need to leave and they need to leave right now &#8230; because this is unacceptable!&#8221;
Later, in a <a href="https://x.com/MayorOfLA/status/1942296116378362055" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on X, Bass denounced the raid at the park, saying, “Minutes before, there were more than 20 kids playing- then, the MILITARY comes through. The SECOND I heard about this, I went to the park to speak to the person in charge to tell them it needed to end NOW. Absolutely outrageous.”
Protestors arrived at the raid almost as soon as it began. According to one report, one of the armored vehicles had its tires slashed by a protester while others had objects thrown at them.
One transgender <a href="https://x.com/BillMelugin_/status/1942287380175806857/video/1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">protestor</a> confronted the officers, demanding they “Get out of my city!”
After the raid was over, Bass spoke to Border Patrol Chief Agent Gregory Bovino over the phone, asking for the agents’ removal from the park.
When asked what Bovino’s response was, he <a href="https://x.com/BillMelugin_/status/1942313482323648820" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commented</a> to Fox News’s Bill Melugin, “I don’t work for Karen Bass. Better get used to us now, cause this is going to be normal very soon. We will go anywhere, anytime we want in Los Angeles.”
In June, Los Angeles became the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-am-not-playing-around-trump-hammers-home-his-determination-on-l-a-riots?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98I+Am+Not+Playing+Around%E2%80%99%3A+Trump+Hammers+Home+His+Determination+On+L.A.+Riots" target="_blank" rel="noopener">epicenter</a> of protests and riots against ICE raids after the Trump administration ramped up efforts to detain illegal aliens. For about a week, anti-ICE riots continued throughout one part of the city, leading to a curfew put in place by Bass, multiple arrests of agitators, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-judiciary-opens-investigation-into-leftist-groups-ties-to-anti-ice-riots?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=House+Judiciary+Opens+Investigation+Into+Leftist+Group%E2%80%99s+Ties+To+Anti-ICE+Riots" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigations</a> into extremist groups funding the protestors.
Protests against the presence of federal agents in the community have continued in the past month, with the most recent <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/multiple-arrested-anti-ice-protesters-clash-police-us-troops-los-angeles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrests</a> occurring Saturday, according to Fox News.
President Donald Trump recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-hits-los-angeles-with-lawsuit-after-violent-anti-ice-riots?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Admin+Hits+Los+Angeles+With+Lawsuit+After+Violent+Anti-ICE+Riots" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> the city of Los Angeles over its sanctuary city policies, which he says violate the Constitution&#8217;s supremacy clause of the constitution.

Los Angeles Mayor, Protestors Swarm ICE Officers Raiding MS-13-Controlled Park

The Trump administration sued the city of Los Angeles on Monday, accusing the city of violating the Constitution with “sanctuary city” policies that impede federal immigration enforcement.
The Justice Department said in a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1406366/dl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> that the city’s policy prohibiting any city resources from being used for federal immigration actions violates the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. The DOJ argued that the city’s policies contributed to the anti-ICE riots that rocked Los Angeles County earlier this month as law enforcement officers were attacked and vehicles were burned.
“Sanctuary policies were the driving cause of the violence, chaos, and attacks on law enforcement that Americans recently witnessed in Los Angeles,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said. “Jurisdictions like Los Angeles that flout federal law by prioritizing illegal aliens over American citizens are undermining law enforcement at every level – it ends under President Trump.”
Shortly after Trump was elected in November, the Los Angeles City Council voted to officially designate itself as a sanctuary city. These policies prevent the city from working with or sharing information with federal immigration authorities.
“The Supremacy Clause prohibits the City of Los Angeles and its officials from singling out the Federal Government for adverse treatment — as the challenged law and policies do — thereby discriminating against the Federal Government,” the lawsuit says. “Accordingly, the law and policies challenged here are invalid and should be enjoined.”
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The suit names Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, the Los Angeles City Council, and Los Angeles City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson.
Dozens of people were federally or locally <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-are-coming-for-you-feds-reveal-more-charges-against-anti-ice-rioters?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=‘We+Are+Coming+For+You’%3A+Feds+Reveal+More+Charges+Against+Anti-ICE+Rioters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charged</a> earlier this month after riots broke out in response to ICE conducting arrests in Los Angeles County. President Donald Trump sent in the Marines and the National Guard to protect federal personnel and property in response to the riots.
“Today’s lawsuit holds the City of Los Angeles accountable for deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration law,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “The United States Constitution’s Supremacy Clause prohibits the City from picking and choosing which federal laws will be enforced and which will not. By assisting removable aliens in evading federal law enforcement, the City’s unlawful and discriminatory ordinance has contributed to a lawless and unsafe environment that this lawsuit will help end.”

Protesters continue to clash with the Los Angeles Police Department in downtown Los Angeles due to the immigration raids in L.A.

Trump Admin Hits Los Angeles With Lawsuit After Violent Anti-ICE Riots

Department of Justice

Donald Trump

Pam Bondi

Sanctuary Cities

Trump Administration

U.S.

The anti-ICE demonstrations and riots that broke out in Los Angeles County nearly a week ago calmed down on Wednesday night after L.A. Democratic Mayor Karen Bass issued a curfew and local law enforcement officers moved in to arrest any demonstrators who defied the order.
Bass issued a curfew on Tuesday and Wednesday night from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. for most of downtown L.A. to prevent any further violence or vandalism, The Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/live/los-angeles-protests-immigration-raid-live-updates">reported</a>. An unlawful assembly was declared at 6:25 p.m. on Wednesday, and LAPD officers moved in to disperse the crowd, firing rubber bullets at 7:00 p.m. and causing many of the demonstrators to flee the scene. Thirty minutes later, the LAPD began arresting anyone who remained in the curfew zone downtown, which was around a few dozen protesters, according to the Times.
In a Thursday morning social media <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114670085083632579">post</a>, President Donald Trump took credit for the calmer nights of protests, praising the National Guard and the Marines, whom he deployed to L.A., for putting &#8220;L.A. Police in a position to effectively do their job.&#8221;
&#8220;Los Angeles was safe and sound for the last two nights. Our great National Guard, with a little help from the Marines, put the L.A. Police in a position to effectively do their job,&#8221; Trump wrote. &#8220;They all worked well together, but without the Military, Los Angeles would be a crime scene like we haven’t seen in years.&#8221;
Trump then ripped California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying that he &#8220;had totally lost control of the situation.&#8221;
&#8220;He should be saying THANK YOU for saving his ass, instead of trying to justify his mistakes and incompetence!!!&#8221; the president added.
L.A. Police Chief Jim McDonnell told &#8220;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/la-police-chief-national-guard-focused-on-immigration-agenda-not-helping-with-protests/">CBS Mornings</a>&#8221; on Wednesday that the National Guard is not assisting local authorities with street protests or riot control.
&#8220;That&#8217;s not our understanding. They have a different mission,&#8221; McDonnell said. &#8220;They&#8217;re working in support of the federal agencies that are working with ICE on civil immigration enforcement and criminal immigration enforcement.&#8221; He added, &#8220;We don&#8217;t need the National Guard, and they are not here to help us right now.&#8221;
Mayor Bass <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/la-mayor-says-military-national-guard-presence-provoke-the-population">told</a> PBS on Wednesday that her curfews &#8220;absolutely&#8221; helped prevent more rioting in the downtown area.
&#8220;Last night was the first night of the curfew,&#8221; Bass said about the Tuesday night order. &#8220;And I will tell you, over 100 people were arrested, but they were arrested for failure to disperse and violating curfew, no violence, no vandalism. And so that is different than the night before.&#8221;
Bass continued to criticize Trump over the deployment of the National Guard, calling it &#8220;completely unwarranted&#8221; and arguing that Trump&#8217;s action provoked the rioting.
&#8220;No one asked for that help. You were talking about minor protests, but every time you do something like this, you provoke the population even further,&#8221; she said. &#8220;They are angry because of the raids, they are angry because of the National Guard being here, and now they are really going to be angry if the troops come in.&#8221;
Trump has called out both Bass and Newsom for how they handled the rioting over the weekend, when federal, state, and local law enforcement officers were attacked by agitators and buildings were vandalized and damaged. Earlier this week, the president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-newsom-bass-should-thank-him-for-deploying-national-guard-to-keep-our-citizens-safe?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=12&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Says+Newsom%2C+Bass+Should+Thank+Him+For+Deploying+National+Guard+%E2%80%98To+Keep+Our+Citizens+SAFE%E2%80%99">accused</a> the mayor and governor of lying &#8220;to the People of California and America by saying that we weren’t needed, and that these are peaceful protests.&#8217;”
As the authorities quell the violence in L.A., the Trump administration continues to <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-06-11/los-angeles-immigration-protest-curfew">conduct</a> immigration raids throughout Southern California. The White House said on Wednesday that since last week, 330 suspected illegal immigrants in the Los Angeles area have been detained, 113 of whom had past criminal convictions. Immigration agents have targeted businesses, including at least five <a href="https://www.latimes.com/00000197-608b-d79b-adff-ecafffe80000-123">car washes</a> in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, arresting dozens of suspected illegal immigrants, according to the Times.

Los Angeles Riots

L.A. Anti-ICE Demonstrations Calm After Curfew, More Arrests. Trump Praises U.S. Military.

Executive

Immigration

LAPD

Los Angeles County

National Guard

California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom moves to block the Marines and National Guard as anti-ICE riots continue in Los Angeles. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ousts an entire vaccine advisory panel, saying they’ve lost the public’s trust. And college athletes will now get paid to play.
It’s Wednesday, June 11, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2>Anti-ICE Riots Spread</h2>
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Topline: As anti-ICE riots continue in L.A., more violent demonstrations have broken out in cities nationwide.
In the last day, we’ve seen the demonstrations spread. In San Francisco, for example, more than 150 people were arrested after a riot began outside of an ICE office, where cars and city buses were destroyed, storefronts vandalized, and police assaulted. In New York City, at least a dozen protesters were arrested outside Trump Tower after resisting police while attempting to shut down traffic. Anti-ICE organizers say they are planning demonstrations in Chicago, Austin, Dallas, Atlanta, and elsewhere.
But Los Angeles is still the epicenter of the unrest. A section of downtown is cleaning up after stores were looted and the area was vandalized, with a large Apple Store robbed by hundreds of rioters — we also saw jewelry and shoe stores looted as well.
&#8220;This is ridiculous,” one local business owner told <a href="https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1932473175679373387">NewsNation</a>. “This doesn&#8217;t look like they&#8217;re protesting for ICE or anything. &#8230; Just looting the stores.&#8221;
L.A.’s Democratic Mayor Karen Bass continued to downplay the riots, saying on Tuesday that the violence is only taking place in “several isolated streets in downtown Los Angeles. It is not even all of downtown Los Angeles.&#8221; Bass has made clear from the start that she places the blame on the Trump administration, which she says “provoked” unrest with their raids and threat of bringing in the National Guard. Bass has also said that the media has blown the situation out of proportion and that the LAPD has the situation under control.
However, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell <a href="https://x.com/TheChiefNerd/status/1931919309229392192">said</a> earlier this week that his force had been overwhelmed. “Tonight, we had individuals shooting commercial-grade fireworks at our officers. That can kill you. … We are overwhelmed as far as the number of people out there engaged in this activity. … There is no limit to what they are doing to our officers.&#8221;
President Trump has deployed 700 U.S. Marines and 4,000 members of the California National Guard to the area since the unrest began. Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump had a clear message for folks in the rest of the country: the ICE raids will continue, and if you riot, we will respond with force.
Democrats nationwide have continued to push back on Trump’s mobilizing of the National Guard and Marines, saying it is unnecessary and even fascist. Governor Newsom is suing the Trump administration, calling the mobilization of troops an “unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.” On Tuesday, he also filed an <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/newsom-files-emergency-motion-to-block-military-deployment-in-la/">emergency motion</a> requesting a restraining order to block the deployment of Guardsmen and Marines.
<h2>Vaccine Panel Gutted</h2>
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Topline: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired all members of a key vaccine advisory panel.
The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, known as ACIP, meets a few times a year and makes recommendations to the CDC; it basically sets the childhood vaccine schedule and makes other vaccine-related recommendations, like flu shots and COVID vaccines. ACIP also heavily influences which vaccines are covered by both public and private insurance.
On Monday, Kennedy announced that he’s “retired” all 17 members. In an op-ed submitted to The Wall Street Journal, Kennedy argued that ACIP had become a rubber stamp for all vaccines, and they weren’t appropriately diving into potential safety risks. He wrote that ACIP has “never recommended against a vaccine—even those which were later withdrawn for safety reasons,” adding that the panel “failed to scrutinize vaccine products given to babies and pregnant women.” Kennedy also highlighted conflicts of interest from ACIP and cited past investigation findings that said ACIP’s enforcement of conflict of interest rules was “weak to nonexistent” and said the panel didn’t offer transparency with their decision-making.
Thirteen of the 17 ACIP panelists were appointed by the Biden administration in 2024. Kennedy said that if he waited for them to serve out what is typically four years on the job, he wouldn&#8217;t be able to get a new panel until 2028, which is part of the reasoning for this swift “clean sweep.”
<h2>College Athletes&#8217; Pay Day</h2>
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Topline: College athletes can now be paid directly by their schools after a huge lawsuit was settled this week.
A new era has dawned in the world of college sports. Something that was illegal just a week ago – schools paying players – is now the law of the land.
A settlement in the case of House vs. NCAA, a class-action lawsuit which claimed the NCAA was illegally limiting the earning potential of college athletes, has been approved by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken. This agreement ends three separate antitrust lawsuits, and it means schools can now begin paying their athletes directly.
The first checks will be cut on July 1. The settlement doesn’t just affect current and future athletes. The NCAA will pay nearly $2.8 billion in back damages over the next 10 years to athletes who competed in college at any time from 2016 through the present day. The settlement comes with an annual cap, much like a salary cap in professional sports, that is expected to start at roughly $20.5 million per school in 2025-26. It will then increase every year during the decade-long deal. These new payments are in addition to scholarships and other benefits the athletes already receive.
It will be interesting to see how each athletic department allocates that $20.5 million between their various sports, and how each program will continue to incorporate NIL deals on top of the revenue-sharing payments.
“If you’re a fan of a group of 5 school, if you’re a fan of one of these middle schools, get ready for hard times,” sports commentator Paul Feinbaum said in response to the deal. &#8220;Women&#8217;s sports will be hurt, Olympic sports will be crushed, football wins, basketball — other than maybe the Big East — takes a slight back seat.”
NCAA President Charlie Baker was more optimistic and said he believes the settlement will help regulate what has been a very volatile market in college sports. “Opportunities to drive transformative change don&#8217;t come often to organizations like ours. It&#8217;s important we make the most of this one.”

MRN 6.11.25 Wed Thumbnail V1

Morning Brief: Anti-ICE Riots Spread, Vaccine Panel Gutted, & College Athletes Get A Big Payday

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