Reflections...

We offer our reflections on the Reflecting Pool. We pinpoint shifting attitudes toward Israel In U.S. politics. We wonder whether Trump will declare a state of emergency before the November elections.

Transcript

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 0:00

Welcome to another episode of Inside Golden State Politics. I'm Bill Boyarsky, the former city editor and columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and with me is our producer director, Nancy Boyarsky

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 0:17

And I'm Sherry Bebich Jeffe, political analyst and self-styled media maven, coming to you from draining the swamp, cleaning up the American flag blue detritus and the yucky algae bloom overwhelming the $14 million plus restoration of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. "Oh, sure," you say. Okay, right. I don't do dirty pools. But there is no better metaphor for the state of the Trump agenda, indeed, for the Trump presidency. A total appallingly costly mess, result of incompetence, expertise, bunco moves, failure to think through, you name it. It is emblematic of what that veteran political analyst, Stewart, labeled the Trump administration's continual, quote, foresight and planning," end quote. Over to you, Bill.

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 1:39

Sheri, I think it's a lot more dangerous even than that. What Trump is now beginning to talk about is declaring a state of national emergency as we approach the November balloting. Now, a state of national emergency has untold consequences, but at worst it could mean putting ICE officers in polling booths, putting troops in polling booths. It could mean taking away the power of local government to run these elections rather and giving it to the federal government. Just the very mention as he did the other day of calling it a national emergency is

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 2:27

Yeah,

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 2:27

very

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 2:28

labeling this North America actor. That's right

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 2:31

That would be very frightening, right?

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 2:34

All of this, everything you mentioned, I'm not at all sure. I'm not a constitutional attorney, but it sure doesn't sound constitutional to me

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 2:43

No, it doesn't sound constitutional, and it would be in line with the continuation especially since the beginning of his second term of Trump's authoritarian rule of of the government. His taking over more and more power-- he and a few others principally his immigration advisor, Stephen Miller, setting policy themselves and having it all done in kind of a secretive manner. We don't know what the consequences will be, but we have to be alert and think of what we'll do and how we're gonna handle it, and what bodies of government can be mobilized to stop it. Is it inevitable?

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 3:31

Is a state of emergency inevitable? I don't think so, but I don't think that in terms of Trump might be trying to move the country, stopping the gates, the guardrails now are on the local and the state levels. That's where the pushback has to come from, and if it doesn't, we're in deep doo-doo, as is, of course, the reflecting pool

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 4:03

That's right. One of the most important developments, especially for the Democratic Party, was it would be the New York elections This past few days, where the mayor, Zohran Mamdani, scored big victories. His slate congressional candidates, three of them won. Five of his candidates for the state legislature won. It means a lot, it could mean a tilting of the government to the left. We're certainly going to see,

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 4:36

Not quite

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 4:36

echoes of that in the California election, especially for mayor of Los Angeles, where a Democratic socialist is running against the incumbent mayor, and these same issues will be out and debated. And some of these issues are going to be child care education more support for taxing the rich. These are all gonna be issues in in the New York election and in the California election, especially for mayor of Los Angeles

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 5:10

I have a question for you, Bill. Why did Mamdani do so well? He took an incredibly large risk in endorsing a slate of candidates, two of whom beat incumbents. Wow. How did it happen? Why did it happen

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 5:32

We can only theorize being several thousand miles away and

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 5:37

never

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 5:37

not being

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 5:38

darling

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 5:38

the middle of New York politics. But what he did was mobilize his supporters in in the key congressional districts and in the legislative districts. Did a lot of old-fashioned campaigning very grassroots, and he banked on a feeling that was also very instrumental in his victory for mayor, of a desire for change. Change, better government, more something or other. That's what-

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 6:14

Insurgency rather incumbency, is that what you're saying?

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 6:19

I think that's a very good way of putting it. Yeah.

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 6:21

I think, yeah, I do think that it, organizational is a part of it, but there was a lot of money spent, and the incumbents I am told, ran serious campaigns. But what I'm seeing from 3,000 miles away, reading about it, looking at it, is that there were basically two major themes inclu- after, of course, what you just mentioned the desire for change. One of them is Israel and the war in Gaza, and related to that is the role of AIPAC the Jewish American super PAC on it. And the other is just hammering at affordability, workers' rights. It's almost as though ideology writ large was secondary to those specific needs, wants, annoyances helped elect the Democratic Socialist candidates. The question is this a one-off or is this really where the Democratic Party is going nationwide?

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 7:45

All right.

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 7:46

If you look back, you can see the possibility of there were what? Three of the major cities in this country, will have or do have Socialist mayors. And is LA gonna be the fourth?

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 8:03

Also in, in New York, with its very large Jewish population, this election poses a real quandary for the old line Democrats the future speaker of the House if the Democrats take over the House Jeffries, and for Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate leader. They'll have to put together a coalition that's not like the one they operate now, which was, which is pretty traditional pro-Israel pro-Netanyahu pro APAC, pro-pro the traditional Jewish view of how to deal with Israel.

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 8:45

Yeah, I think you're right. I think it is interesting to me that support by AIPAC in particular, as well as not a strong antipathy toward what is going on vis-a-vis what Israel has been doing in Gaza, is really an albatross around the neck of very many electeds and candidates. It's almost to me. Apparently two of the congressional candidates that no-- the who lost in New York o-one was attacked. Dan Goldman was attacked because he said he did not support Netanyahu. He supported Israel, but he would not use the word genocide when referring to Gaza. And the second incumbent the same problem. times are changing, very much and I think you're right. I think it's the newer voters, the younger voters, who are far less devoted to, attached to Israel AIPAC and the money that comes from almost every large donor. The whole-- I think the terrain and I don't know whether it's good or it's bad, but it is certainly shifting in politics. It's like the-- we have-- the tectonic plates have shifted in terms of a special interest, large contributions, support Israel and support for Netanyahu. As a Jew, I'm a little worried to see where it goes, to tell you the truth. I hope it doesn't go where it might

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 10:45

It could mean a huge change for internal Israeli politics. Netanyahu has been very firm on his desire to continue the war on Gaza.

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 10:57

Yeah, I have to stay out

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 10:58

if it,

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 10:59

I said to stay out of jail

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 11:01

out of jail, he's fa- yes, he is, he's facing charges and and if he's the wartime prime minister,

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 11:09

Exactly

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 11:10

He will stay out of jail. That's his stay out of jail card. It means a huge shift. The Israeli right is very much in favor of a continued war in Gaza. That is the sticking point bringing it over to the United States, that is the sticking point between these pro-Israeli, pro-hawk Israelis and the dovish and younger Americans, is Gaza. That is what the younger Jews call genocide. And that's what happened today. A guy he lost his seat because he refused to

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 11:52

That was an attack against him. I forgot one more. how strong the candidate was against Donald Trump was another means of evaluating each of the candidates. It's... None of the candidates, however, none of the mandami, chosen ones, really beat the president senseless. They spoke to what people wanted and what people feared. Homelessness, if you will antipathy toward the war- war, antipathy toward the Trump administration large antipathy toward the way that Trump was handling immigration. And in many ways it was harder for the incumbents to fight that than their opponents, had a record of being against homelessness against the anti-immigration move, and looked to be more authentic, I think, to the electorate

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 13:04

Yeah I agree with you there. And we're just at a situation r- really right now where we have to say w- we don't quite know how it'll go. We don't know how it'll c- cut in these individual elections. I think it's going to have some effect on the election for mayor of Los Angeles

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 13:24

who knows? Not forget that Mamdani, the very beginning of the race for New York mayor was polling something like 1% in polls. Whoa. But, I keep saying New York isn't LA. But in other cities too, there is a very slight move toward the acceptance of Democratic Socialist candidates. There is now a not surprisingly, but there is a Democratic Socialist mayor of There will be one for Washington, DC. New York has one. And the question is: what about LA? And I can't answer that. I cannot answer that

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 14:13

That's something we're going to have to talk about during the year as we follow the election. The Bass showing in the primary, was not very strong, was it?

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 14:26

It was about 35%, which is not wonderful, to say the least, an incumbent mayor. It doesn't bode well. It doesn't mean she's but that's not a very strong showing. If you look at the result, and somebody mentioned this, if you look at the results, what has happened to the electorate in Los Angeles seems to be it's been cut in thirds. You've got the incumbent, Karen Bass, with about 35% of the vote, she's the centrist, not quite centrist, but more moderate liberal Democratic candidate. You've got Councilwoman who is to the left of Bass on the Democratic side. And then you've g- who came in second and very closely following was Spencer Fry, who is a registered Republican and got a sort of endorsement light of the president of the United States. It's wild what's going on. I think

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 15:43

I think it's going to be a terrific opportunity for Nikki Rahman to go after the mayor to beat her. She like the candidates in New York, gonna have to deal with the Israel issue. It's an issue here.

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 15:59

I don't know. I just don't know Why

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 16:01

It's just a- an issue here we have one of the largest Jewish populations in the world here in Los Angeles

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 16:08

And we also have a very strong Iranian

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 16:12

We have a very

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 16:13

is not the same issue, but it's certainly a similar

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 16:17

And that is gonna s- somehow play out in the, in the November election, especially as they get into the part of the election where they go after each other, where they have town halls, where they have to presumably talk to reporters and talk to audiences. You're going to find Bass and Rahman are going to have to spell out their positions on Israel more definitively, I think.

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 16:46

I'm not... I don't know. Let's put it this way. I think there are very different attitudes in LA, and maybe different priorities than we may have seen in the New York election. In terms of homelessness, in terms of affordability, that's what I'm hearing Angelinos concerned about. Transportation, crime. and don't forget, congressional district is not city hall. Here in LA, we're looking at a different office, different responsibilities, different political dynamics than the congressional. is far more potent, I think, as an issue in a federal office, i.e., the Congress has to deal with that directly. It's not the case with the LA mayor. Oh my, I don't know why anybody wants to run for it at this point. Issues that are much closer immediately under their supervision, their control, as local elected officials. So I'm not sure that the weight, the power of the position that a candidate might have on Israel will be quite so potent. I could be totally wrong, But it's not what I'm feeling.

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 18:18

one thing about the office of mayor you never know when you're gonna get hit by something. There was a mayor who went to Chicago to celebrate the opening of the Obama Center for one day, and this frozen food storage thing, which is bigger than two football fields, caught fire, and it... And the fire's still going on, or was still going on

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 18:43

in Boyle Heights here you're talking about. I don't know. What's the point then? What do you mean? What are you saying?

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 18:50

It's a job where you gotta be on your toes. You have to be sharp at every minute. You can never relax. You've gotta comment on everything that happens. You are in effect the city's leader. You can

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 19:04

Certainly, yeah. And that's another problem because there is not a unified constituency. There really, it's-- really is a, that has split in thirds. And what we need, particularly moving from the World Cup into the Olympics and all of the problems that still exist, is a leader who can codify everybody, bring them together. I don't see it. I don't see it. And that will weaken any mayor who wins the election

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 19:37

it's gonna be interesting and it'll really be a test of these two candidates Ramman and and Bass, whether they have the skill to navigate these very treacherous

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 19:48

And that, and then, let us not forget that probably the known unknown in all of this, and particularly if indeed we're as split as we seem to be, and as polarized one way or another as we seem to be, and by we, the Los Angeles electorate, Spencer Pratt is no longer in the race. He came in third. What happens to his voters? I don't see his voters moving over to Rahman. I see his voters either moving toward Bass or what I think might even be more likely, except for the fact that there is a Republican candidate for governor, Steve Hilton may save the party, Republicans might stay home

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 20:39

That's very possible. And certainly Pratt from everything he's been saying is gonna remain a force in the city elections. He likes it. You can see it. He thinks he's good at it. And and he's going to be,

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 20:53

like

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 20:54

he's gonna be out there talking and being quoted. You'll have two candidates in the runoff plus Pratt hanging out there on the sideline cheering them or hooting them on

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 21:07

I guess one assumes. You mean he won't go slurping away and tending to his wounds? That could happen too. But clearly, I doubt that he would be, like I said, I don't know, but I think he'll probably not put his thumb on the scale for either one of two remaining candidates, both of whom are farther to the left, apparently, than he is. certainly, they're not Republicans. And I don't know why that either of them would ask for that endorsement, because it's very clear that thinks that Pratt is really good. That's not good to have that hanging around a Democrat's neck right now.

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 21:58

Trump is absolutely dedicated to something he calls the Save America Act, which is a proposal now stalled in the Senate to require proof of citizenship when you apply to

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 22:12

Among the

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 22:13

vote.

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 22:14

It's a voter suppression bill is what it it makes it almost entirely difficult for many people to meet his concerns

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 22:26

That's why I think that, going back to what we were talking about about federalizing the elections, why it's so dangerous. Because if the SAVE Act passes, that means you'd have to show proof of your citizenship when you vote, right?

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 22:44

Perhaps. That's nowhere near that development yet. If indeed that there is a compromise meant so that Congress can do what it never done before and was about to do, which was move a bipartisan hou- affordable housing bill who knows?

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 23:03

Now

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 23:04

Who knows

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 23:04

Trump was going to sign that bill. He was gonna have a little ceremony over at the White House. And people were on their way to the signing ceremony, in fact, when they were notified that he's changed his plans. He wasn't going to sign the bill. He wasn't gonna sign this housing bill and he wouldn't do anything until Congress had passed, his Save America election bill. By the way, that housing bill is a fairly mild bill.

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 23:34

More importantly, it's it's bipartisan.

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 23:37

bipartisan, right

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 23:39

That is important right now. What he's done is thrown it in the face of the Republicans in Congress that their president doesn't care about affordable housing. He came off to me looking like the kid in the schoolyard who was playing marbles with his friends or her friends, didn't like the fact that he or she was losing, just picked up his marbles and left the schoolyard. Wasn't going the way he wanted it to go. That's what's going on, I think, with Trump. It's the five-year-old in him that is not even hiding a little bit. It's coming straight out

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 24:28

It's gonna be very interesting to watch what he does as the November election approaches. First, there's gonna be a lot of speculation about whether he's actually gonna try to run for a third term, and that's gonna be a topic of discussion.

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 24:43

He has been teasing that lately. I don't... he may be just having fun, loving the attention that gets, but nothing, I think, ought to be ignored in terms of the future of Donald Trump, and of course then the future of the United States of America

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 25:04

That's right Meanwhile, that ballroom stalled after that. What happened to that?

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 25:10

It's one big hole in the ground. think it's wonderful. Here's what... I saw a political cartoon today which really got it right. It was Trump standing next to what used to be the East Wing of the White House, bellowing about these people who are gonna get... Who were arrested and will go to court because they were destroying government property. And there was the hole he made when he destroyed the East Wing of the White House. that was the best the best example Trump's approach that I've seen in a long time

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 25:58

what about his boxing ring? Which destroyed a whole lawn of the White House as

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 26:03

Apparently they're having to replant it.

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 26:05

They have to replant it

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 26:06

they, they're gonna new greenery Because it's been trampled

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 26:11

i'm a longtime boxing fan

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 26:15

Boo!

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 26:16

And I'm ashamed to admit that. But

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 26:19

I agree with you on that

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 26:20

i've gone to a lot of fights, and I was watching the brutal world champion, the UFC spectacle that Trump put on and there were all these warnings about how dangerous it was and how brutal and what a vicious thing it's gonna be, and I was-- I watched it for, maybe five or 10 minutes. They weren't hitting each other very hard. It reminded me of wrestling, which was, is a stage--

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 26:48

It is wrestling

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 26:49

It's a staged show. This reminded me is this is a staged show and the fighters were gonna go out there and fight, but they weren't gonna really hurt themselves. No sense in really hurting yourself. Not getting paid enough money, not nothing. Don't do it

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 27:10

Do you think they were paid taxpayers' money, by the way? I never thought about

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 27:14

don't know. That's a good one

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 27:17

Who paid them to do this? And did we pay for that awful claw that, apparently is still hovering behind the White House

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 27:27

Yeah.

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 27:28

It's gonna be a bumpy political season, I fear

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 27:33

It is. Sherry, let's talk about it next week

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 27:37

Okay. You got a date, honey.

host-4ha0_2_06-24-2026_150144 27:39

Okay. Bye-bye

squadcaster-4704_2_06-24-2026_150143 27:41

All right, everybody. Cheers.