An appeals court has blocked an Obama judge's insane plan to micromanage President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino had been ordered to appear every weekday before U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis, an Obama appointee, to share updates on Trump's Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago.
But the 7th Circuit Appeals court has struck down Ellis' order, calling it a violation of the separation of powers, as the Chicago Tribune reports.
Judge Ellis had said the daily check-ins were needed to ensure compliance with a temporary restraining order she issued in October that restricted federal agents' use of force against crowds of journalists and sometimes violent protesters.
The judge wanted Bovino to appear at 5:45 p.m. every weekday until a preliminary injunction hearing on Nov. 5.
The Trump administration sought to overturn Ellis' order, calling it the latest instance of activist judges trying to micromanage Trump and hamstring his agenda.
The order "significantly interferes with the quintessentially executive function of ensuring the Nation’s immigration laws are properly enforced by waylaying a senior executive official critical to that mission on a daily basis.”
“Absent a stay, the government will be irreparably harmed because Chief Bovino will be required to prepare and sit for questioning in open court today and every weekday thereafter, with no stated endpoint in sight,” the administration's motion stated. “Every occasion that Chief Bovino is required to prepare and appear for those daily court sessions is time that he would otherwise spend carrying out the important law-enforcement functions he has been assigned.”
The administration's request for a reversal was temporarily granted by the 7th Circuit Appeals court on Wednesday, shortly before Bovino's first check-in.
Then, the appeals court made its order permanent in a striking decision on Friday that reprimanded Ellis for playing the role of "inquisitor rather than that of a neutral adjudicator."
The appeals court's three-judge panel said Ellis' order "sets the court up as a supervisor of Chief Bovino's activities, intruding into personnel management decisions of the Executive Branch."
"These two problems are related and lead us to conclude that the order infringes on the separation of powers," the court ruled.
Bovino has been a highly visible presence in Chicago, where immigration agents under his command have been accused of using excessive force.
But Bovino says that immigration agents, including himself, are under attack by unruly mobs.
"Did Judge Ellis get hit in the head with a rock like I did this morning? I had to apply gas this morning against people," Bovino told Telemundo last week. "Was she hit in the head with a rock? Maybe she needs to see what that's like before issuing an order like that."
Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg and other large donors are looking to unseat Zohran Mamdani from his spot as frontrunner in the Big Apple's mayoral race, Breitbart reported. The Democratic socialist is far ahead of his closest contender, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, which has establishment Democrats panicking.
The Democratic Party is attempting to raise big money to counteract the Mamdani effect. The large donors have been coalescing behind Cuomo in the hopes that "business elites" follow through on their promise to drop a cool $100 million to "knock out" Mamdani from the lead before Election Day.
Part of this strategy includes Bloomberg's continued endorsement of Cuomo, who recommitted his support for the former governor on a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday. Bloomberg, who served as mayor from 2002 to 2013, also donated $1.5 million to the "Fix the City" Super PAC.
Four months ago I endorsed @AndrewCuomo because I thought his management experience and government know-how made him the best choice for New Yorkers. I still do. And today, with early voting underway, I wanted to reiterate my support for Andrew Cuomo. Being Mayor of New York City… pic.twitter.com/4yWYcKAXXt
— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) October 29, 2025
The former mayor and media mogul used his experience to explain why Cuomo would be a good fit for the job. "Four months ago I endorsed @AndrewCuomo because I thought his management experience and government know-how made him the best choice for New Yorkers. I still do," Bloomberg said.
"And today, with early voting underway, I wanted to reiterate my support for Andrew Cuomo. Being Mayor of New York City is the second toughest job in America, and the next mayor will face immense challenges," he went on.
"Andrew Cuomo has the experience and toughness to stand up for New Yorkers and get things done. I hope you will join me in supporting him," Bloomberg concluded.
Prior to this year, Bloomberg and Cuomo had "feuded" back when Cuomo was the governor. Now that he and Mamdani "have starker differences," it seems Bloomberg is willing to let go of whatever disagreements the two had for the sake of the city.
As early voting is already underway, a Quinnipiac University poll conducted from October 23 to 27 showed that Mamdani was the frontrunner with 43% of the vote. The rest was split between Cuomo at 33% and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, who received 14%.
In a sane world, Mamdani would not be anywhere near the front of the pack, let alone leading it, because of his radical policies. For instance, Mamdani said in July 2020 that police officers "do not create safety" when they're called to domestic violence situations.
He instead believes that "mental health experts" should respond to calls rather than law enforcement. "There are so many responsibilities we’ve given to police that, frankly, should have nothing to do with their departments...there are so many different, different situations that would be far better handled by people trained to deal with those specific situations, as opposed to an individual with a gun," he claimed during a podcast interview.
Mamdani also famously supports city-run grocery stores. "As Mayor, Zohran will create a network of city-owned grocery stores focused on keeping prices low, not making a profit. Without having to pay rent or property taxes, they will reduce overhead and pass on savings to shoppers," Mamdani's campaign website claims.
"They will buy and sell at wholesale prices, centralize warehousing and distribution, and partner with local neighborhoods on products and sourcing." Other ridiculous ideas also include rent freezes and fare-free buses for all, both of which will make New York even more of a hellscape for the people living there.
Even with Mamdani's unflinching leftism and Bloomberg's backing for Cuomo, it almost seems this is a done deal for the socialist candidate. New York City is about to get what it deserves, but unfortunately, that will mean even those who didn't vote for him will have to live in the dystopia he'll create.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer agrees that some of then-President Joe Biden's autopen pardons could be "null and void" given his cognitive decline and lack of involvement toward the end of his term, Breitbart reported. The Kentucky Republican made this bombshell admission while appearing on Fox News Channel's The Ingraham Angle on Tuesday.
Biden's cognitive decline was apparent even to outsiders, but those closest to him allowed him to continue on with his presidency and even run for reelection. The persistent questions about his possible impairment that they tried to sweep under the rug have come full circle with pardons he granted with the use of the autopen.
Other presidents have used the device, which signs documents in the president's handwriting, but there is a fair amount of evidence that these important documents were signed off on, perhaps without Biden's full knowledge or consent. Comer believes this is enough to undermine some of his most high-profile pardons.
Earlier in the interview, Comer had said that many factors, including the use of the autopen and the lack of evidence that Biden was fully aware it was happening, made his pardons "null and void." The host and former attorney, Laura Ingraham, pressed Comer on whether he truly thought that would be the outcome.
"Are you of the view that, for instance, Biden’s pardon of his brother Jim or, let’s say, Anthony Fauci, are you of the view that those pardons are null and void, given what you know?" Ingraham asked him of the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "I am — absolutely 100%," Comer insisted.
"If anyone doubts whether or not there was a cover-up, they need to watch every minute of the testimony that we got, all of the hours and hours of depositions from these staffers, where you had people like Ian Sams, who was his spokesperson, who would come out every day and give press conferences, blasting me or blasting Robert Hur, or Jim Jordan or someone under oath when we asked him, 'How many times did you meet directly with Joe Biden?'" Comer recalled. Ian Sams had said it was just twice in two years, as did his executive secretary.
"That position is one of the closest to the president, whether it’s Obama, Trump, George Bush, Obama, she admitted that she would go weeks without having any interaction with Joe Biden. They clearly shielded him, not only from the American people, but from their inner staff. If he was an active participant, there would be notes," Comer said.
"There would be notes. The National Archives has no record of notes. There are no emails. It almost looks like they went back and changed their story from he approved it verbally and orally to we had memos and things like that. There were so many inconsistencies," Comer charged.
If what Comer says is true, he believes this will be enough for an investigation and perhaps for the pardons to be vacated. "And I think that the Department of Justice can bring all these people in, especially the three staffers and the doctor who pled the Fifth Amendment, and pressed them for more information, because at the end of the day, the American people know that Joe Biden was in a mental state of decline," Comer said.
"He hasn’t given a TV interview since he left office. The statement blasting my report today wasn’t from him. It was from an unnamed staffer," Comer went on.
The Kentucky Republican went on to say that the matter has been referred to Attorney General Pam Bondi. "We have handed her this investigation on a platter. We have done the heavy lifting: all the hours of depositions, traced the emails. We have proven no evidence Joe Biden was involved in the decision-making process," Comer said.
"She needs to bring people in, threaten accountability, threaten prosecution, get the truth from these people, and hold them accountable. We had a president of the United States who wasn't fit to serve, like tried to run him for a second term, and then they abused the autopen during the lame duck period," Comer said of the Democratic Party.
This issue is not going away regardless of how the left tries to ignore it. Many on their side have finally admitted that he was deteriorating, but none have gone as far as to say that they must scrutinize every action taken, including the times an autopen signed anything.
President Donald Trump met with China's President Xi Jinping on Wednesday in South Korea, and he called the meeting "friendly" and agreeable.
Trump said that Xi "agreed to almost everything" during their two hours face-to-face, and in return, he agreed to lower tariffs on the world's most populous nation.
"On a scale from zero to 10, with 10 being the best, I would say the meeting was a 12," he told reporters who were traveling with him on the flight back to Washington.
"It was an outstanding group of decisions I think that was made. A lot of decisions were made too, there wasn't too much left out there," Trump said.
When Xi agreed to work toward decreasing the amount of fentanyl coming into the U.S. from China, Trump lowered the tariffs on Chinese goods from 57% to 47%.
"I believe he's going to work very hard to stop the death that's coming in," Trump said.
In another positive development, China agreed to end its pause on purchasing soybeans from the U.S. The pause caused problems for farmers.
China also agreed to a one-year pause on its limits in exporting rare minerals, which led to the U.S. loosening some of its own export restrictions.
"President Xi is a great leader of a great country, and I think we're going to have a fantastic relationship for a long period of time," Trump said at the start of the meeting.
Of course, Xi is a communist dictator, not a great leader, but Trump was buttering him up to get what he wanted, so that's okay.
The pair hadn't met in person for six years, but they have spoken on the phone three times and exchanged several letters since Trump took office for the second time.
"China and the U.S. should be partners and friends. This is what history has taught us and what reality demands," Xi said through an interpreter.
They also talked about China buying oil from the U.S. (Alaska), but they skipped over several more controversial topics.
They didn't talk about Taiwan, TikTok, or China buying Russian oil, but hey, it's a good first step toward lowering tensions.
Senate Republicans are staging a rare rebellion against President Donald Trump’s tariff policies on Canadian goods, signaling a fracture in party unity over trade strategy.
A bipartisan coalition in the Senate, including a handful of GOP defectors, pushed forward a resolution to strip Trump of the emergency powers he invoked to slap hefty tariffs on Canada, challenging both his tactics and the economic fallout.
This saga kicked off earlier this year when Trump, wielding the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, imposed a steep 35% tariff on Canadian imports, alongside a whopping 50% duty on steel from other nations.
Things escalated recently when Trump, irked by an Ontario government ad featuring audio from Ronald Reagan’s 1987 trade speech, upped the ante with an additional 10% tariff on Canada.
In a fiery Truth Social post, Trump declared, “ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,” doubling down on his hardline stance.
Now, let’s be real—while Trump’s instinct to play tough on trade might resonate with those tired of globalist giveaways, this move risks alienating allies and hiking costs for everyday Americans.
Enter the Senate, where a resolution led by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., gained traction to halt these emergency tariffs, with key Republicans like Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska crossing party lines.
Sen. Rand Paul, a co-sponsor, has been vocal, arguing that these tariffs are essentially a hidden tax on U.S. consumers and that “a rule by emergency is not what the Constitution intended, that taxes are supposed to originate in the House of Representatives.”
Paul’s got a point—emergency powers shouldn’t be a blank check for policy that sidesteps congressional oversight, no matter how much we cheer for America-first economics.
Meanwhile, the White House, clearly rattled, sent Vice President JD Vance to a Senate lunch to whip GOP votes, warning that breaking ranks on Trump’s tariff plan would be a “huge mistake.”
Sorry, Mr. Vance, but when Kentucky farmers and distillers are getting squeezed, as Sen. Mitch McConnell has pointed out, loyalty to policy over people starts looking like a misstep.
McConnell himself didn’t mince words, joining the opposition by highlighting the real-world pain these trade barriers inflict on his state’s economy.
This isn’t the only Senate action—Kaine’s resolution is part of a trio targeting Trump’s emergency tariff powers, with similar measures advancing against duties on Brazil and Canada.
Yet, don’t hold your breath for a House victory; these resolutions are likely dead on arrival there, leaving this Senate revolt more symbolic than substantive.
Still, the message is clear: even among conservatives who back Trump’s broader vision, there’s a line when trade wars start hitting home—and this tariff tussle might just be it.
In a surprising reversal, top public health official Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is soft-pedaling his bombshell claims tying autism to Tylenol use by pregnant women.
During a press conference Wednesday, Kennedy noted there is not enough data to establish a causal link, the Hill reported.
“We’ve all said from the beginning that the causative association between Tylenol given in pregnancy … is not sufficient to say it definitely caused autism, but it is very suggestive,” Kennedy said.
“And so there should be a cautious approach to it, and that’s why our message to patients, to mothers, to people who are pregnant, the mothers of young children, is consult your physician, and we have asked physicians to minimize the use to one that’s absolutely necessary,” Kennedy added.
The controversial Health Secretary has come under fire for a number of unorthodox and unproven health claims.
In September, Trump and Kennedy held a White House press conference where they urged pregnant women to be cautious of Tylenol, with Trump telling mothers to "tough it out" unless absolutely necessary.
The Tylenol claims brought furious backlash from the medical community, with critics accusing Trump and Kennedy of sowing confusion among parents.
At a Cabinet meeting earlier this month, Kennedy suggested Tylenol use after circumcision could "double" the rate of autism in boys.
“There’s two studies which show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism. It’s highly likely because they were given Tylenol,” he said.
Kennedy later accused the mainstream media of distorting his comments by making it sound like he was tying circumcision itself to autism, when he pointed to the use of Tylenol after the procedure. But one of the studies Kennedy cited, a controversial 2015 paper from Denmark, did not have data on what medications were used for pain management. The authors found a slight correlation between autism and circumcision and pointed to the stress of the procedure as a potential mechanism.
As usual, the mainstream media attacks me for something I didn’t say in order to distract from the truth of what I did say.
At yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, I said: “There are two studies that show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism, and it’s highly…
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) October 10, 2025
In recent weeks, Trump has continued to give out highly specific medical advice that echoes Kennedy's skepticism of vaccines and other pharmaceuticals.
“Pregnant Women, DON’T USE TYLENOL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, DON’T GIVE TYLENOL TO YOUR YOUNG CHILD FOR VIRTUALLY ANY REASON, BREAK UP THE MMR SHOT INTO THREE TOTALLY SEPARATE SHOTS (NOT MIXED!), TAKE CHICKEN P SHOT SEPARATELY, TAKE HEPATITAS B SHOT AT 12 YEARS OLD, OR OLDER, AND, IMPORTANTLY, TAKE VACCINE IN 5 SEPARATE MEDICAL VISITS! President DJT,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday.
While there is some evidence linking Tylenol and autism, Trump's remarks have been more definitive than the cautious statements of his health officials.
"To be clear, while an association between acetaminophen and autism has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature," the FDA wrote in September.
Disgraced FBI director James Comey is facing a bar complaint from a conservative group over his dishonest and unethical conduct, adding new legal pressure on the Trump enemy as he fights criminal charges for obstructing Congress.
The complaint, from the Center to Advance Security in America (CASA), calls for an investigation into Comey and for him to be potentially stripped of his law licenses in New York and Virginia, the Daily Caller reported.
"Misrepresentation, honesty, and trustworthiness are all factors that the Rules of Professional Conduct expressly factor when weighing whether to discipline an attorney,” the complaint filed in New York reads.
“Comey’s actions, at a minimum, call into question all three factors. The Committee, therefore, should waste no time before investigating the allegations against Comey and, if by a preponderance of evidence is substantiated, discipline him accordingly."
As FBI director, Comey acquired a reputation for wading into politics in heavy-handed ways, drawing criticism from both parties. Democrats still fault Comey for reopening an e-mail investigation into Hillary Clinton on the eve of the 2016 election, while President Trump and his allies say Comey went easy on Clinton while simultaneously pushing a political witch hunt into Trump, the infamous "Russian collusion" hoax.
In 2019, Comey was reprimanded by the Justice Department's Inspector General for leaking sensitive memos for his own personal gain, an action that “set a dangerous example for the over 35,000 current FBI employees — and the many thousands of more former FBI employees — who similarly have access to or knowledge of non-public information.”
Comey admitted to sharing the memos in order to trigger a Special Counsel probe into President Trump, who would spend much of his first White House term under a cloud of suspicion before Special Counsel Robert Mueller concluded that there was no evidence of Russian collusion.
The prosecution into Comey is based on his sworn testimony in September 2020 that he had never “authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports," despite his self-avowed leaking.
In addition to sharing his memos through a law professor friend, Comey was also investigated, but never charged, over separate leaks through his chief of staff and an FBI lawyer, according to recently declassified FBI memos.
An ex-FBI lawyer, James Baker, said he leaked classified information to the New York Times "under the belief he was ultimately instructed and authorized to do so by then FBI Director James Comey," the memos say.
Comey, a vocal critic of Trump, has sought to dismiss the "vindictive" criminal charges against him, and some conservatives have also questioned the strength of the case.
But the known facts about Comey's conduct are damning enough to merit a bar investigation, according to the complaint, which notes the standard of evidence in bar proceedings is lower than the "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard required for a criminal conviction.
“Because Comey has proven willing to say false statements, under oath, during a congressional hearing, he cannot be trusted to be truthful in the practice of law,” the New York complaint reads.
"His duties of honesty and trustworthiness to the courts in which he appears are now in question. His actions, without question, constitute ‘misrepresentation,'” the complaint adds.
A pair of prosecutors have been suspended by the Justice Department after they submitted a sentencing memo containing politically charged language that appeared to blame President Trump for a threat against former president Barack Obama.
The two prosecutors, Carlos Valdivia and Samuel White, submitted the statements in a case against an erratic man, Taylor Taranto, who received a federal pardon from Trump for his involvement in the events at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021.
Despite the pardon, Taranto is facing prison after he was separately convicted for making threats outside the Washington D.C. home of Obama in June 2023.
The sentencing memo filed by Valdivia and White sought 27 months in prison for Taranto and lumped him in with "thousands of people comprising a mob of rioters" who participated in the events of January 6th.
Most of the people who entered the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, were charged with non-violent misdemeanor offenses, although many were accused of crimes like assault.
Taranto, who was charged with misdemeanor crimes, allegedly entered the Capitol and scuffled with police before being forced outside, where he clashed with other protesters using a cane.
The sentencing memo noted that Taranto returned to his home in Washington State afterwards, "where he promoted conspiracy theories about the events of January 6, 2021.”
The prosecutors also tied Taranto's threatening actions outside Obama's home in June 2023 to Trump having "published on social media platforms the purported address of former President Obama" earlier that day.
Taranto was arrested after a short foot chase in Obama's Kalorama neighborhood, where Taranto tried to evade Secret Service and livestreamed himself making statements about searching for "tunnels" and "entrance points."
The police found hundreds of rounds of ammunition and two guns in his van.
Shortly after the sentencing memo against Taranto was filed, Valdivia and White were locked out of their government devices.
The memo was signed by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, a close Trump ally.
Trump pardoned nearly all January 6th defendants on the first day of his second presidential term, casting them as victims of overzealous and politically motivated prosecution under the Biden administration, which also sought to jail Trump as he campaigned for the White House in 2024.
Biden-era "weaponization" is continuing to fall under scrutiny as Senate Republicans uncover a sweeping FBI "fishing expedition" led by Trump prosecutor Jack Smith, who sought subpoenas against scores of Republicans, some of whom had their phone records collected.
Hold onto your hats, folks—Washington’s latest scandal might just make your head spin with questions about who’s really been running the show.
According to Breitbart, the House Oversight Committee dropped a bombshell report on Tuesday, alleging that several executive actions under President Joe Biden’s administration, including pardons and commutations, were signed with an autopen without his direct approval, rendering them potentially invalid.
This isn’t just a paperwork glitch; it’s a serious accusation of bypassing presidential authority. The Committee’s findings suggest Biden’s aides may have used a mechanical device to replicate his signature on critical documents. And if true, that’s not just a shortcut—it’s a constitutional crisis waiting to happen.
On Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee didn’t hold back, urging the Department of Justice to dig deep into executive actions from Biden’s tenure. They claim evidence points to decisions made without the president’s personal sign-off. It’s the kind of revelation that makes you wonder how much oversight there really is in the Oval Office.
The report specifically calls out the use of an autopen—a machine that mimics signatures—for actions like clemency orders. According to the Committee, these moves are void if not directly authorized by Biden himself. That’s a polite way of saying someone might have played fast and loose with the highest office’s power.
Diving into the 91-page document, the Committee paints a troubling picture of Biden’s mental and physical state during his presidency. They allege senior White House staff worked overtime to hide any decline from the public eye. It’s a claim that, if substantiated, raises ethical questions about transparency at the top.
The report doesn’t just stop at signatures—it accuses aides of colluding to maintain an illusion of presidential control while Biden’s capacity allegedly waned. This isn’t just about a pen; it’s about whether the American people were misled. And that’s a bitter pill for anyone who values honesty in governance.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer didn’t mince words in his assessment of the situation. “The Biden Autopen Presidency will go down as one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history,” Comer said in a written statement. If that doesn’t make you sit up and take notice, what will?
Comer’s statement goes further, alleging a deliberate deception by Biden’s inner circle. “Our report reveals how key aides colluded to mislead the public and the extraordinary measures they took to sustain the appearance of presidential authority as Biden’s capacity to function independently diminished,” he added. That’s a zinger that lands hard, pointing fingers at a systemic failure rather than just a technicality.
The Committee’s recommendations are as sharp as they come, pushing for the Department of Justice to scrutinize every executive action taken under Biden’s name. They’re not just asking for a peek—they want a full-blown review. It’s a demand for accountability that resonates with anyone frustrated by bureaucratic overreach.
Chairman Comer also pointed the spotlight at specific aides, including Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Annie Tomasini, and Anthony Bernal, for invoking the Fifth Amendment during inquiries. He’s called for the DOJ to take a closer look at their roles. If silence is golden, it’s also awfully suspicious in this context.
Adding another layer, Comer urged the D.C. Board of Medicine to examine Dr. O’Connor’s conduct as Biden’s personal physician. The implication here is clear: was the president’s health status hidden to prop up a faltering administration? That’s a question that cuts to the core of public trust.
The report labels many executive actions, especially clemency decisions, as “illegitimate” due to the autopen’s use. If the DOJ agrees, we could see a cascade of reversals that rewrite parts of Biden’s record. It’s a potential unraveling that would shake up an already polarized political landscape.
For conservatives, this saga is a glaring example of why unchecked power and progressive overreach need reining in. Yet, it’s worth noting that any resolution must prioritize fairness and due process over political point-scoring. After all, the goal here is restoring faith in our institutions, not just settling grudges.
So, where does this leave us? The House Oversight Committee has thrown down the gauntlet, and now it’s up to the DOJ and other bodies to pick it up. One thing’s for sure—this autopen affair is a reminder that in Washington, even a signature can signpost a scandal.
As he soft launches a presidential campaign, California governor Gavin Newsom (D) is coming under scrutiny for fostering the rise of open prostitution in his state - including the trafficking of children.
The liberal New York Times shone a light on the growing problem in a recent article that focuses on one notorious street in Los Angeles where girls as young as 11 and 13 stalk the sidewalks in lingerie.
"For the 77th Street Division, which covers the northern half of the Figueroa Corridor, prostitution had always been a problem. But in recent years, the officers had seen the magnitude of child sex trafficking explode,” the Times noted.
"With a dozen girls, one trafficker could easily make $12,000 a night," the article says.
Police in Los Angeles have felt powerless to stop this plague from spreading, thanks to the leftist policies of local and state politicians including Newsom.
While the Times fails to mention Newsom's role in the trafficking epidemic, the newspaper does mention SB357, which was introduced by Senator Scott Wiener and signed into law by Newsom in 2022. Wiener is now challenging Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) for her seat in Congress.
Like most soft-on-crime reforms, SB357 was conceived as a response to imaginary social ills, such as a lack of "dignity" accorded to prostitutes and supposedly rampant discrimination in policing.
But the law, which bars police from arresting anyone loitering for prostitution, has had the predictable impact of fueling the demand for illicit sex.
"The repeal, known as SB 357, was intended to prevent profiling of Black, brown and trans women based on how they dressed," the Times reports. "But when it was implemented in January 2023, the effect was that uniformed officers could no longer apprehend groups of girls in lingerie on Figueroa, hoping to recover minors among them. Now officers needed to be willing to swear they had reason to suspect each girl was underage — but with fake eyelashes and wigs, it was nearly impossible to tell."
At the time SB357 became law, Newsom downplayed the change, saying it would target "disproportionate harassment of women" and transgenders without legalizing prostitution.
While the law did not legalize prostitution, it was a massive boon for pimps - and without adequate policing, prostitution might as well be legal in places like Figueroa Street.
The Times obliquely notes the impact of the "defund the police" movement, which led to police in Los Angeles disbanding a special unit for combating trafficking.
"As trafficking grew, the means to deal with it shrank. In 2021, the Police Department’s central human-trafficking unit was disbanded following budget cuts, leaving each division fewer resources to tackle the problem," the Times reported.
In July, Newsom signed a law making it a felony to purchase sex from minors and making it a misdemeanor to loiter for the purpose of purchasing sex. Newsom opposed members of his own party who fought the part of the law that makes it an automatic felony to buy sex from 16- and 17-year-olds.
While the new law is a step in the right direction, open prostitution is still thriving in California after years of lax enforcement, and it is still illegal for police to arrest prostitutes for loitering.
We can expect this issue to come up more as Newsom chases the White House. He needs to answer for this.