The latest on enforcement, arrests, schools, and misinformation as immigration raids and protests continue
The escalating war of words between President Donald Trump and state and local officials over the deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles will apparently lead to a surge of even more law enforcement and military personnel. Since Friday, protesters have clashed with authorities in both L.A., Paramount and neighboring Compton. Over the weekend, Trump administration officials called up the National Guard in response to what the White House said were "violent mobs." Protests eased but continued into Monday. Today we get the latest on military deployment and arrests, how public officials are reacting, what school districts are doing this week and how misinformation is becoming a big factor in the evolving situation in SoCal. Joining is LAist reporter Libby Rainey, LAist senior K-12 education reporter Mariana Dale, and Tatum Hunter, internet culture reporter for the Washington Post.
A look at political strategies amidst LA protests and immigration efforts
Seven hundred Marines deployed from 29 Palms yesterday as tensions between California and President Donald Trump escalated over the weekend’s ICE protests. President Trump authorized the deployment of 2,000 California National Guard members to the Los Angeles area as protests broke out over the weekend in response to local ICE raids. It was the first time the National Guard has been deployed without the state's authorization since 1965 when Lyndon B. Johnson deployed the National Guard to protect a civil rights demonstration in Alabama. Gov. Gavin Newsom called for President Trump to rescind the order in a letter on Sunday, stating that there was "no need for the National Guard to be deployed to Los Angeles" and that the president's actions were in violation of California's state sovereignty. And on Monday, state Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the president for the deployment. Today on AirTalk we discuss the politics at play as President Trump turns his focus on California. How are the state's majority Democratic leaders responding, and how might the protests affect the upcoming midterm elections? We're joined by Rob Stutzman, Republican political consultant and president of Stutzman Public Affairs, and Matt Rodriguez, Democratic strategist and founder and chief executive officer of Rodriguez Strategies.
Former OC Supervisor Andrew Do was sentenced to five years in prison. How does OC regain public trust?
Yesterday, Former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do was sentenced to five years in federal prison. This follows after an LAist investigation and federal probe led him to resign and plead guilty to a conspiracy to steal millions of taxpayer dollars meant to feed needy seniors. Hours after former O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do was sentenced to five years in federal prison on Monday, an alleged co-conspirator pleaded not guilty to related charges in federal court in Santa Ana. Thanh Huong Nguyen, 61, of Santa Ana was arraigned on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of concealment of money laundering. She was allowed to leave court on a $10,000 bond. Joining to discuss is Nick Gerda, LAist watchdog correspondent, and Mike Moodian, lecturer of leadership studies and public policy researcher at Chapman University.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on ICE actions and protests in the city
As Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials continue to conduct immigration sweeps across Southern California, public officials have been denouncing the actions undertaken by the federal government in response to protests throughout the region. State and local officials have decried President Trump's sending in of both National Guard members and Marines to assist local law enforcement with protestors, with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass calling the deployment of guard troops a "chaotic escalation." Today on AirTalk, Bass joins Austin to update listeners on the latest on the city's response to ICE actions, and protests.
Renowned funk icon Sly Stone, leader of funk revolutionaries Sly and the Family Stone, dies at 82
Sly Stone, the revolutionary musician and dynamic showman whose Sly and the Family Stone transformed popular music in the 1960s and ’70s and beyond with such hits as “Everyday People,” “Stand!” and “Family Affair,” died Monday at age 82. Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, had been in poor health in recent years. His publicist Carleen Donovan said Stone died in Los Angeles surrounded by family after contending with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other ailments. Founded in 1966-67, Sly and the Family Stone was the first major group to include Black and white men and women, and well embodied a time when anything seemed possible — riots and assassinations, communes and love-ins. The singers screeched, chanted, crooned and hollered. The music was a blowout of frantic horns, rapid-fire guitar and locomotive rhythms, a melting pot of jazz, psychedelic rock, doo-wop, soul and the early grooves of funk. Joining AirTalk today to talk about Stone’s impact on music is Joel Selvin, author, journalist and former pop music critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. He is the author of the book Sly & The Family Stone: An Oral History.
Are millennials destined to have a midlife crisis?
Millennials are now leaning well into their mid-40s and are starting to prepare for what they expect to be an inevitable midlife crisis. However, the midlives of millennials are looking a bit different than their parents, grandparents, and even older Gen-X cousins. In 2024, a study found that 81% of millennials say that even if they wanted one, they couldn’t afford a midlife crisis. But what exactly is a midlife crisis anyway? Research suggests most people walk through life without experiencing one. So how did the concept become such a landmark in aging? And what do we know about the way millennials are engaging with their midlives? Today on AirTalk we’re joined by midlife development expert Margie Lachman, a professor of psychology at Brandeis University. We also want to hear from you! Are you a millennial with a question about midlife development? How do you interpret our understanding of the midlife crisis? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
One woman shares her year of voluntary celibacy and the revelations that came with it
We know how much sex sells in our society. It’s a currency we’ve put a lot of value in. But in the past couple years, abstinence, or voluntarily celibacy has been on the rise. There have been reports that young people are increasingly less sexually active. And there was even a point a couple years ago when the hashtag “celibacy” was trending on TikTok. Today on AirTalk we’re joined by Melissa Febos, author of the new book, The Dry Season: A Memoir of Pleasure in a Year Without Sex (Knopf, June 2, 2025), whose year of voluntary celibacy after a series of entangled relationships proved to be revelatory in ways. We also want to hear from you. Have you ever taken a deliberate hiatus from sexual activity? How come and what did it provide you? Call us at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
Melissa Febos will be at Skylight Books in Los Feliz on Monday, June 16th at 7 p.m. Learn more about the event here.
