Up First from NPR - LA Protests, Federal Judges Toxic Workplaces, Housing Climate Solutions

Episode Date: June 9, 2025

Immigration raids in Los Angeles spark three days of protests. President Trump deploys the National Guard to the city against the wishes of California Governor Gavin Newsom. As federal judges serve as a check on the power of President Trump's administration, some judges extend their own power over the lives of those who work for them. And, six months after massive fires destroyed entire communities in Los Angeles, NPR kicks off a week of climate solutions reporting with a focus on housing.Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Gigi Douban, Anna Yokhananov, Barrie Hardymon, Neela Banerjee, Lisa Thomson and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Immigration raids in LA spark three days of protests. We cannot stay home when this kind of thing is going on. Why is the president accused of trying to provoke chaos by sending in the National Guard? I'm Leila Fadl with Amartines and this is Up First from NPR News. The governor of California is formally requesting that the federal government get the troops out of his state. Gavin Newsom says it's a serious breach of state sovereignty. This as Trump's immigration crackdown widens with a new travel ban going into effect today.

And as federal judges serve as a check on the power of President Trump, who checks the power of those same judges in the workplace? I don't think the lifetime here should protect people from any sort of repercussions for running unfair, toxic workplaces. Stay with us, we've got all the news you need to start your day. Support for NPR's Climate Solutions Week Rethinking Home comes from the Nature Conservancy. People from all walks of life depend on nature for the food they eat, the water they drink, and the air they breathe, for strengthening their communities, powering their livelihoods, and safeguarding their health.

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Download us. This American Life. In Los Angeles, anger over President Trump's mass deportation campaign has boiled over. Yeah, for three days, protesters have taken to the streets of LA in response to immigration and customs enforcement, or ICE, immigration rates. The president, in an extraordinary move, deployed the state's National Guard against the wishes of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Local and state officials are accusing the president of purposely provoking chaos.

With us now is NPR's Adrian Florido in Los Angeles. So how do these clashes between authorities and protesters escalate so quickly? Well, they started on Friday, when immigration agents carried out raids at a Home Depot and at some downtown LA warehouses and began rounding up immigrant workers. People who heard it was happening showed up

and tried to stop these arrests. They yelled at agents, they tried to block their cars, they threw rocks as they sped away. And as video of these confrontations spread, top Trump administration officials and the president himself went on social media and on TV and started attacking these protesters for interfering with ICE. On Saturday after more of these scattered confrontations, President Trump issued a proclamation calling the protests rebellion. He invoked a rarely used presidential authority to federalize the California National Guard and said that he would bring 2,000 of its troops into LA to protect ICE agents and those

troops started arriving yesterday. Okay, and where did things go from there? Well, the protests started to grow larger. Yesterday, things started peacefully. Large crowds gathered in downtown LA to protest the ICE raids. Rosa Cesaretti was one of them. We cannot stay home when this kind of thing is going on

because it's always they say first it's them and then it's you. As the day went on though things got more chaotic federal and local law enforcement used flashbangs tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds protesters through cinder blocks and set a couple of cars on fire. Police arrested dozens of people, including some who blocked a freeway. Now, the governor and the mayor of LA are blaming the president for this unrest. What are they saying? Well, they say that Trump wants chaos and that he's instigating violence to justify

a crackdown. Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass said they had things under control and that Trump's decision to take over California's National Guard is only inflaming things. The last time a that a president deployed a state's National Guard troops without a request from the governor was 60 years ago. Governor Newsom called it a breach of state sovereignty. Yesterday, some of the first troops to arrive in L.A. were stationed at the entrances to various federal buildings.

This is what Mayor Bass said at a press conference yesterday. I join with the governor in appealing to the administration to rescind the order to federalize the National Guard and allow the National Guard to come back under the control of the governor. Governor Newsom said that he is suing the president over this. The president's order says the troops will be deployed for 60 days, or as long as the Secretary of Defense thinks it's necessary. All right, so that's what the governor and L.A.'s mayor are saying to the president. What are they saying to their constituents who are out there protesting ICE?

Well, all day yesterday, they were pleading with them to remain calm and peaceful. Newsom asked people not to take the president's bait, not to give him an excuse to crack down. Trump officials say they are charging ahead with their deportation plans, so a big question going into this week is whether these protests and the federal government's response will continue to escalate. Alright, that's NPR's Adrian Florida. Thanks a lot. Thanks. Alright, for more on how Washington is handling the protests and the latest Trump immigration policy with us now is NPR White House correspondent, Deepa Sivaram.

So Deepa, what has the president said about the protests and this decision to call in the National Guard? Yeah, the president spoke to reporters yesterday and he called the protests in LA a riot. And he said that he called California's governor Gavin Newsom and said that if he didn't take care of the violence in response to the ICE raids that he was going to send in troops. And that is of course what happened. Trump suggested that there were instances of protesters spitting on police officers and throwing things.

Trump said he has a statement of quote, they spit we hit referring to how troops will respond. And he said that he was watching to see what happens in other cities in regards to other protests against police or military members. And Trump seemed to allude to the possibility that he could send in troops to other cities. Now, this is within the president's power to call in the National Guard, but it is a rare thing. Right, exactly.

So definitely rare because it happened without Newsom's consent. And like Adrianenne said, the last time a president stepped in to call the National Guard without consent from a governor was the 1960s. So it is a far stretch of federal power here. But I will say the president does have the authority to do this. A White House official told me that Trump used a U.S. code to call in these National Guard troops. And it isn't the first time that Trump has called the National Guard. In the summer of 2020, during the protests against the police

killing of George Floyd, Trump asked governors to send troops to D.C. But that was a situation in which governors had a choice to send in National Guard members or not. In this case, you know, over the weekend, Trump called in those Guard members over Newsom's head. And how did Gavin Newsom respond? Yeah, so he's, of course, pushing back weekend, Trump called in those guard members over Newsom's head. And how did Gavin Newsom respond? Yeah, so he's, of course, pushing back. Newsom released a letter last night addressed to the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. He's formally requesting that Trump rescind his deployment of troops. Newsom called it a, quote, serious breach of state sovereignty and said that it was increasing

tensions. Trump, though, appears to be doubling down on his actions in opposed to truth social. Yesterday, he called the protesters a, quote, violent insurrectionist mob and said that he was directing his administration to, quote, liberate Los Angeles from the migrant invasion. All right. So what's happening in Los Angeles

is related to immigration policy. Now, another immigration policy took effect today, and that's the new travel ban. So, Deepa, what can you tell us about this new travel ban? Yeah. So, the ban is divided into two parts. There's some countries that have a full ban, some that have a partial ban. There are 12 countries under the full ban, and those include countries such as Afghanistan,

Haiti, Iran, Sudan, and Yemen. The partial ban applies to seven other countries, including Cuba, Laos, and Yemen. The partial ban applies to seven other countries including Cuba, Laos and Venezuela. The White House has said the countries named lack screening and vetting capabilities and I'll tell you this ban was something Trump had promised to do on the campaign trail as a continuation of the Muslim travel ban from his first term. So day one at the White House in January of this year Trump signed an executive order that tasked federal agencies looking into which countries had what they see as deficiencies in vetting and screening that would merit this kind of a ban.

So what's going into effect today has really been something that Trump started from the beginning of his second term. All right. That's NPR White House correspondent, Deepa Sivaram. Thanks a lot. Thank you. House correspondent Deepa Sivaram. Thanks a lot. Deepa Sivaram, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MPP, MP And those judges also have a lot of power over the people who work for them, including law clerks. NPR's Keri Johnson has been reporting on the closed world of the federal court.

So Keri, you've been digging in the federal judiciary for what, more than a year now. What'd you find? First of all, there's a real culture of fear. Clerks are afraid of talking about judges and what happens behind closed doors in those chambers. And there's a big power imbalance here. The law clerks are often just out of law school and their judges may become the most powerful mentors they have for their entire career.

We spoke to dozens of current and former law clerks about their experience. We heard about problems with 50 judges across 26 states. Most of those judges are still working with little or no punishment. Okay, so what kinds of complaints did you hear from these young lawyers? These complaints range from sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination to bullying. I also heard a judge's control over a law clerk extends to nearly every aspect of that clerk's life, from feeling forced to drink alcohol to when and how they leave their jobs. And most of the clerks who spoke to us were afraid

of retribution, so we got voice actors to share the clerk's words verbatim. Here's a clerk with the initial E. Life tenure exists for a reason, but I don't think the life tenure should protect people wholly from any sort of repercussions for running unfair, toxic workplaces. E told me she spoke with investigators about her judge bullying her and making racially problematic statements, but she thinks there were no consequences after that and the judge is still working. Wow, so what did you hear from the courts in response to your reporting?

The Administrative Office of the Court sets policy nationwide and they say they've done a lot over the past seven years to make their workplaces better. They're considering more changes that would encourage clerks to use the internal HR system to report possible abuse. Right now, court employees are really not subject to certain civil rights laws. That means they're not able to sue like other American workers when they have problems. So this internal system is the final word. And complaints about judges there are heard by other judges. Now, Carrie, the federal courts are at the center of so many big disputes this year, hundreds of cases involving President Trump's policies and actions.

How does that dynamic carry over into some of these workplaces? Judges are acting as a check on the executive branch, and that includes judges appointed by Republican presidents like Donald Trump. Judges are also facing a lot of hostile rhetoric and sometimes even violent threats because they are doing their jobs. But I heard from people who say that because the judges are playing such an important role in the democracy, that's all the more reason for the federal courts to clean up their own workplaces.

Too many clerks are still really afraid of retaliation and instead of reporting problems to the judiciary They feel like the only fair hearing they'll get is sharing their experience with a reporter. That's MPRs Carrie Johnson Carrie Thanks. Thanks for having me Six months ago wildfires destroyed entire communities in Los Angeles. The fires were a clear reminder of how climate change is increasingly affecting where we live. That's why all this week, NPR will be bringing you climate solutions related to housing. Joining me now is NPR's Julia Simon to explain more.

Good morning, Julia. Good morning, Leila. Okay, Julia, summer, love the weather, but it's also a season of fires and hurricanes and heat waves, and that can get people pretty worried, pretty scared. So what is this week going to offer them? As climate journalists, we're always asking ourselves, how can we build our homes and communities to be more resilient to climate change? And how can we reduce climate pollution? Because, Leila, there are hopeful

stories out there. And that's what this week is all about. Not being Pollyanna-ish, but sharing stories about real housing solutions from reporters across the US and the world. Which can be really useful. I'm guessing some of these solution stories involve preparing for upcoming disasters. Yes, we're going to Alabama to look at fortifying roofs for hurricanes, to New Jersey to look at elevating homes for flooding. Solutions don't just involve actions individuals take.

Researchers find communities can take preventative measures, too, together. So we have a story from Colorado where many people worked to make multiple homes a buffer against wildfires. Here's Lisa Hughes of Lewisville, Colorado. By you doing it and your neighbors doing it, you're making your community safer. So community-wide climate actions is clearly a theme here. Definitely. And we have stories from Nevada and Utah about addressing heat and drought in desert communities, again, altogether. But these solutions are not just about adapting to climate change. There are solutions about reducing the emissions that heat the planet.

100% housing is a big source of climate pollution, Leila, whether that's building materials that use lots of planet heating fossil fuels or energy intensive heating or cooling. So we have stories about making housing more sustainable. We actually have tips to help you use less electricity in your homes, like this window shade. It's like a curtain outside of your window. Obviously it makes sense because the heat doesn't go in, it stays out. Exactly. And that Austrian voice you just heard was

Sebastian Schublach. He's a resident of Vienna. Most of the stories are from across the US, but we do have a few exciting solutions from Europe. Ultimately, we hope people will come out of this weak veil, feeling empowered and knowing a lot more about housing climate solutions that are already taking place. That's NPR's Climate Solutions correspondent, Julia Simon. You can check out our Climate Solution reporting all this week and find more stories at npr.org slash climate week and you'll hear a lot of those stories from Julia. Thank you. Thank you, Leila.

And that's a first for Monday, June 9th, I'm Martina. And I'm Leila Faldin. For your next listen, check out Consider This from NPR. We here at Up First give you three big stories of the day or consider this colleagues dive into a single news story and what it means to you in less than 15 minutes. Listen now on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Gigi Duban, Anna Yukhanov, Barry Hardiman,

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