LA Podcast - Olympic Meddle

Mike and Godfrey are joined by Spectrum 1 News’ Kate Cagle to talk about new “Trojan Horse” immigration raids, Trump launching a new LA28 White House task force while continuing to bash LA, and the escalating war over the potential redistricting of congressional seats in Texas and California. Plus, Kate discusses her recent interview with LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath.

Listen below, on Apple Podcasts, via Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

SHOW NOTES

Federal agents continued their reign of terror, using a Penske rental truck as a “Trojan Horse” to target day laborers and raid a Home Depot near MacArthur Park. An embedded Fox News reporter accompanied the agents. Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli insisted the raids will continue, despite a federal court order that halted indiscriminate apprehensions in LA 

Kate interviewed Essayli, who said that running from ICE agents is sufficient reason for them to stop someone

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced she was removing age limits for ICE recruits to boost recruiting for the massive expansion of the agency. One of those new recruits is former Supermanactor Dean Cain

The Wall Street Journal details how detainees are often shuffled from site to site, vanishing into an opaque ICE detention system

Trump established the LA28 White House task force, and announced that he would be the chair. At a press conference, he bashed LA Mayor Karen Bass as “not very competent,” praised a ban on trans athletes competing in the games, and received a collection of 1984 Olympic medals from LA28’s chair, Casey Wasserman

Bass shared her reaction with Fox 11’s Elex Michaelson, essentially saying “nothing to see here”

LA Times columnist Gustavo Arellano had a more pointed reaction —  as he describes Wasserman: “I haven’t seen such a suck-up since the last time I vacuumed my dad’s pool” — and calls for LA to withdraw from hosting the games

NOlympics LA released the findings of a new poll showing support for hosting the games among Angelenos is waning

At Torched, Alissa talks with civil rights attorney Connie Rice, who recently wrote a letter to city officials warning that hosting the games will have potentially dire fiscal consequences

With Texas Republicans attempting to redraw congressional district maps before the 2026 midterm elections, Gavin Newsom is pushing to redraw California’s map to add Democratic seats. Top Democrats are embracing the plan, while former GOP governor Arnold Schwarzenegger opposes it.  Leading anti-gerrymandering group Common Cause is internally split and searching for a path forward

Newsom’s proposal has an uncertain path, requiring quick legislative action and approval from voters in a special election

Kate’s podcast for LA Times Studios, Rebuilding LA, tracks local fire recovery efforts. On the latest episode, Kate talks with LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath

Join LA Forward’s Monthly Meeting on Tuesday, August 19 from 7 to 8 p.m. on Zoom

This week’s episode is produced by Olive Greenspan

Support for LA Podcast is provided by LA Forward and by listeners like you. The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. If you want to help us bring more independent voices to California media, you can subscribe at thinkforward.la

All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the individual co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward