Rioters Wreak Havoc In L.A.
Democrats whip up more violence and chaos while telling Americans not to believe their eyes, but we're not falling for this hoax again.
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Coinbase adds former top Obama and Harris adviser Plouffe as it broadens its political reach
WASHINGTON -- A senior adviser to Kamala Harris' 2024 presidential campaign is joining Coinbase's global advisory council, which already includes several former U.S. senators and Donald Trump's ex-campaign manager, as the cryptocurrency exchange broadens its political reach. David Plouffe, a top Democratic strategist best known as an architect of Barack Obama's successful 2008 presidential campaign, is the latest addition to the council, joining as the cryptocurrency industry plays an increasingly prominent role in shaping fast-moving legislation in Congress. The legislation aims to create a comprehensive framework for the regulation of digital assets and comes amid a shift in Washington. President Trump, a Republican, has pledged to make the U.S. the global capital of cryptocurrency, contrasting with what industry leaders viewed as a stifling regulatory approach under the previous Democratic administration. Trump and his family have also been aggressively expanding their personal business into almost every part of the cryptocurrency ecosystem, including raising billions of dollars to buy bitcoin, creating a new stablecoin and launching and promoting a Trump-themed meme coin. Chris LaCivita, the former co-campaign manager of Trump's successful 2024 presidential bid, joined Coinbase's advisory council in January. Former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat-turned-independent from Arizona, also joined the council, which consists of a number of other high-profile figures from both major political parties. Plouffe previously served on the global advisory board for Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, before joining Harris' presidential campaign as a senior adviser in August. Faryar Shirzad, Coinbase's chief policy officer, described the role of the advisers as being a 'sound board' to discuss policy efforts and business strategy. In Congress, legislation is advancing far more quickly than usual for a new industry — a pace that some involved in shaping the bills say comes amid an all-out pressure campaign from the cryptocurrency sector. On Wednesday, a group of Democrats joined the Republican majority to advance legislation regulating stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency typically pegged to the U.S. dollar. Final passage through the Senate could come next week. Meanwhile, a more sweeping bill to implement cryptocurrency market structure has begun moving through House committees.
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What Is a Constitutional Crisis and Are We in One Under the Second Trump Administration?
Stay up-to-date with the politics team. Sign up for the Teen Vogue Take You might have heard the term 'constitutional crisis' thrown around on social media or in the news lately. What used to be a relatively obscure concept you might learn about in civics class is now suddenly being talked about everywhere. Some say we're in a full-blown constitutional crisis, others claim we're veering toward one, and others believe the panic is overblown. Here's what the data says: Today, a majority of Democrats and Independents agree that the United States is experiencing a constitutional crisis, while just 3 in 10 Republicans say the same, according to surveys conducted by the States United Democracy Center and YouGov. As the leader of an organization that works to protect our democracy, and as a lawyer who served at the highest levels of state government, it's hard to disagree with the majority of my fellow Americans as I look at what's happening in our country right now — it feels like we are in a constitutional crisis. But what is a constitutional crisis? Is there an on-off switch, or is it a spectrum? And, more importantly, why should you care and what can you do about it? To answer that big question, we have to look at the source material: The United States Constitution. Our Constitution lays out a system of government that divides certain powers between the Congress, the courts, and the president, while giving states the authority to govern their people and to check the federal government. After a series of debates and compromises, the framers of the Constitution created that system of checks and balances to prevent any one branch of government from exercising too much power. Our democracy is built to withstand our differences while safeguarding our freedoms. You were likely taught how it's supposed to work: The president can veto Congress's bills. Congress can refuse to fund the president's priorities or reject their nominees. The courts can strike down laws they deem unconstitutional. And states can defend against federal overreach. In short, the Constitution is like a democracy rulebook. But it also relies heavily on the idea that people in power will respect those rules. An attempt to undermine or go around the system is an attack on our democracy. That's a constitutional crisis. The Constitution puts guardrails on the president's power — whether he likes it or not. But since President Donald Trump took office again in January 2025, the executive branch has repeatedly gone beyond its constitutional authority, testing the bounds of federal power like never before. Most recently, in response to protests in California, Trump moved thousands of National Guard units from state control to federal service. The action came without authorization from the governor, who is typically in command. When governors need federal assistance, they ask. It should not be forced on them. Trump has attempted to freeze federal funding for everything from disaster relief to child care. One problem: He doesn't have that power. The Constitution gives Congress the 'power of the purse' — the right to decide when and how our federal tax dollars are spent. And Congress has already promised those funds for essential services for everyday Americans. Federal judges have repeatedly ordered the administration to cease its attempts to stop funding for essential services. But as these lawsuits wind through the courts, real people are being hurt. State and local health departments can't pay staff, college students are having trouble accessing federal financial assistance, and job training programs are being canceled — all because of an unconstitutional power grab. Our system is set up so that when there are constitutional disputes between the branches of government, we look to the courts to resolve them. And an overwhelming majority of Americans agree that the law should be applied equally to everyone, including those in power, according to March polling from States United and YouGov. When a court issues a ruling, it's not a suggestion — it's the law. Even the president must comply. Imagine if a regular person, after being convicted of a violent crime in court, could decide to ignore the jury and walk free? Americans would never stand for that. Yet, the Trump administration continues to defy court orders across the country. They reportedly didn't turn around planes carrying people being deported to El Salvador. They spent weeks refusing to comply with an order from the Supreme Court to 'facilitate' the return of a Maryland resident who was wrongfully deported. And they refused to let Associated Press journalists into Oval Office events, even after a judge found that was a violation of the First Amendment. Administration officials have also made a series of concerning statements calling into question the judicial system's check on executive power. When it comes to the Trump administration disregarding our system of checks and balances, the list goes on. You've probably heard about how the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk until his recent departure, gutted federal agencies that were created by Congress. But did you know that Trump also tried to use an executive order to change key aspects of how we run elections? The Constitution is very clear that states have authority over our elections. That helps ensure that elections work for the people, not the party in power in Washington, DC. It's how we keep our elections free, fair, and secure. Trump tried to grab that state power. Once again, a judge stopped him, blocking parts of his order. By the way, many of Trump's executive orders haven't just been deemed illegal in the courts — they're also unpopular. Nearly three-quarters of Americans believe policy changes should happen through the passage of a bill in Congress, not an executive order by the president, according to our March poll with YouGov. No one person gets to declare a constitutional crisis, just like no one person gets to break our democracy. And even if there were a 'constitutional crisis' switch we could flip, there would be no cavalry riding to the defense of American democracy. We are the cavalry. We can debate the wording. We can argue over what really tips us into crisis, but at the end of the day, that's a distraction meant to divide us further. Because here's what I'll tell you is really important: President Trump continues to violate our constitutional system. Plain as day. He's breaking the law and ignoring the people who are meant to keep him in check. Despite all that, I firmly believe it's not too late. The Trump administration has done a lot of damage in these first five months, but we can still preserve American democracy. Enforcing and upholding the Constitution is the way forward. And we need to use every power that our country's founders gave us to do so. Because this is our democracy — our future. And the Constitution is our rulebook. It begins, 'We the People,' after all. Many of our state leaders — governors, attorneys general, and secretaries of state — are standing up for the Constitution and our freedoms, and our team at States United is committed to supporting them. Judges across the country are interpreting the law without fear or favor. But we also need citizens — especially young people — who are informed, engaged, and unafraid to speak out. You've already taken the first step, which is educating yourself on how the system works. What's next? You can vote, organize, protest, and lead. You can express your views online and challenge disinformation. You can work or volunteer for an organization that's fighting back. You can support elected officials who defend the rule of law, hold accountable those who don't, and one day run for office yourself. We can't take our democracy for granted. The Constitution doesn't enforce itself. It relies on each of us to uphold it. The question isn't whether we are in a constitutional crisis. It's what we're going to do about it. Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue Want more U.S. government coverage? The Current Supreme Court Is Illegitimate What It's Like to Live In a State Run By Politicians You Can't Stand Mass Incarceration Is Cruel, Expensive, and Ineffective The True Story of a White Supremacist Insurrection in the U.S.
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LA Riots Hand Republicans Script for Midterms
The masked man on the motorcycle, the one who waved a Mexican flag in front of a torched car as Los Angeles police stood by, will soon be famous. His identity remains unknown, his image iconic - but for all the wrong reasons. Republicans will replay the clip again and again in campaign ads ahead of the midterms. "This lawlessness is exactly what Americans rejected in 2024," said Michael Whatley, chairman of the Republican National Committee. "While Democrats sow chaos, Republicans stand as the party of law and order." President Trump is delivering on his campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration, Whatley told RealClearPolitics, and ahead of the midterms, his party "will continue to run on this winning message and finish the job for the American people." As National Guard were being deployed to quell violence in California, Republicans were mobilizing to capture and catalog video of looting, rioting, and violence. One RNC official told RCP they were struggling to capture the flood of content coming across cable news. "It was just non-stop," they said. "There was so much." That content from the LA riots will soon provide fodder for the contrast Republicans hope to paint in November of next year, illustrating the failed immigration policies they allege California Gov. Gavin Newsom now embodies. For his part, Newsom blames Trump for inflaming an already "combustible situation." Los Angeles became ground zero for the Trump administrations immigration crackdown Saturday when ICE agents launched a series of raids across the city. Protests followed. Some of the demonstrations have been peaceful. The ones getting wall-to-wall news coverage, however, were not. Demonstrators hurled rocks, firework shells, and Molotov cocktails at police. Vandalism and looting ensued, prompting Trump to order 2,000 National Guardsmen to the city without the approval of the California governor. Newsom quickly condemned the move as a "blatant abuse of power" that puts the nation on a path to authoritarianism. "Trump is pulling a military dragnet all across Los Angeles," Newsom said in a speech delivered from an LA studio Tuesday, as the city remains under a curfew ordered by Mayor Karen Bass. "Well beyond his stated intent to just go after violent and serious criminals, his agents are arresting dishwashers, gardeners, day laborers and seamstresses." "California may be first, but it clearly wont end here," the governor said. "Other states are next. Democracy is next." The White House already saw the riots as an opportunity to paint Democrats as hapless in the face of lawlessness. After the governors speech, they were overjoyed to have that fight with Newsom. "Democrats are not even choosing the 20 on 80-20 issues," a White House official told RCP. "Theyre choosing the 10 on 90-10 issues." The situation in Los Angeles could be perilous for Democrats. Newsom has tried to differentiate a violent mob from lawful demonstrators, warning on social media that those "who take advantage of Trumps chaos" will be held accountable, while encouraging those who are "protesting peacefully." The White House, meanwhile, sees nothing but anarchy and is considering invoking the Insurrection Act, a law that grants the president authority to deploy the military on U.S. soil. Asked if he was considering it, Trump told RCP Tuesday in the Oval Office, "We will see." Republicans are betting that voters have already made up their minds. "AI couldnt generate better imagery," said Jesse Hunt, a GOP strategist and former communications director at the National Republican Senatorial Campaign. Trump won the general election, in large part, in reaction to the lax immigration policies of the Biden administration, Hunt told RCP, and the mob violence in LA will capture voter attention ahead of the midterms. "It paints a real picture of which side voters can choose to be on," he said, "public servants enforcing U.S. law in an American city or a violent mob waving another countrys flag." The National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee has already cut a digital spot that will serve as a template for the midterms. Posted on social media Tuesday, the video splices together clips of rock-hurling rioters in the smoke-filled streets of LA with soundbites from Democrats defending the demonstrations as "mostly peaceful protests." The Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with Speaker Mike Johnson and the largest spender in House campaigns, has already argued this week that the riots roiling Los Angeles will continue to spread to other cities. When confronted with that chaos, the group predicted, "Americans will vote accordingly." A new survey commissioned by CLF, obtained by RCP, and conducted by Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio, provides the reasoning for their confidence. The polling of key congressional districts found that on illegal immigration and deportations, 57% favor "hiring nearly 40,000 additional ICE and border patrol agents to address illegal immigration as well as drug and human trafficking." The Republican survey also showed 68% of voters favor funding for the military to support law enforcement "in their fight against drug cartels." The Trump administration remains convinced that the public is on their side. "They are incredibly out of touch with what the vast majority of Americans support," a White House official said of Democrats, telling RCP, "We are going on offense and backing them into the corner of supporting dangerous criminal illegal aliens, violent rioters, and lawless chaos." Susan Crabtree is RealClearPolitics' national political correspondent. & Philip Wegmann is White House correspondent for RealClearPolitics.
