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LA Mayor Bass dodges question on whether all illegal immigrants in city should be allowed to stay

LA Mayor Bass dodges question on whether all illegal immigrants in city should be allowed to stay

New York Post2 days ago
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass repeatedly dodged answering directly on whether all illegal immigrants in the sanctuary city should be allowed to stay.
In an interview with ABC's 'This Week,' Bass further criticized President Donald Trump's decision to federalize 4,000 National Guard troops and deploy about 700 Marines to Los Angeles amid anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) riots and protests.
The Democratic mayor was questioned by ABC host Martha Raddatz on who she thinks should be deported – whether that should be just people convicted of crimes – given Los Angeles has about a million 'undocumented workers.'
'What should happen to those people?' Raddatz asked.
'Let me just say that, because we are a city of immigrants, we have entire sectors of our economy that are dependent on immigrant labor. We have to get the fire areas rebuilt. We're not going to get our city rebuilt without immigrant labor,' Bass claimed. 'And it's not just the deportations, it's the fear that sets in when raids occur, when people are snatched off the street. And I know you are aware that even people who are here legally, even people who are U.S. citizens, have been detained.'
5 Bass criticized Trump's decision to federalize 4,000 National Guard troops and deploy about 700 Marines to Los Angeles.
ABC
'So they should not be deported?' Raddatz pressed.
Bass responded, 'I don't think so. I think they should stay.'
The ABC host interjected, noting that the mayor was discussing 'a million undocumented people.'
'No, let me just tell you, what I think we need is comprehensive immigration reform. I served in Congress for 12 years,' Bass said.
5 The Democratic mayor was questioned by ABC host Martha Raddatz on who she thinks should be deported.
AFP via Getty Images
Raddatz again interrupted the mayor, noting that Bass, as a congresswoman, did not ensure the passage of such immigration reform.
'And why didn't we get it? I mean, after I left, there was an immigration reform bill that had bipartisan support,' Bass said, attempting to blame Trump. 'This was during the campaign. The president decided he didn't want to have it happen because he didn't want immigration reform to happen, where he didn't take credit for it.'
Noting the surge in border crossings under former President Joe Biden, Raddatz recalled asking a Border Patrol agent whether he felt badly for illegal immigrants.
5 Raddatz interrupted the mayor, noting that Bass, as a congresswoman, did not ensure the passage of such immigration reform.
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA
His response, Raddatz said, was yes, but 'they're cutting in line in front of those people who want to do it legally in the right way.'
'Let me just tell you that the people that make that trek, many of whom walk from Central America and even South America up to our border, risk their lives. I don't believe that all of these people are sitting at home dreaming of coming to Los Angeles,' Bass said in response. 'They're coming here out of desperation.'
Raddatz noted that 'hundreds of thousands' of people illegally crossed the border under the Biden administration. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) figures, however, recorded about 10.8 million border encounters and roughly two million more known 'got-a-ways' during Biden's term. Trump, meanwhile, has reported record-low border crossings since he began his second term.
5 Noting the surge in border crossings under Biden, Raddatz recalled asking a Border Patrol agent whether he felt badly for illegal immigrants.
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA
When asked if there's 'anything good' she thinks the Trump administration has done in these six months at the border, Bass said, 'Well, I will keep praise on the administration for the first six months in Los Angeles with the fires. If you ask me, is there anything that they have done good in terms of immigration, I don't know. I don't think so. I think that the viewpoint has been punitive, has been, let's make it as miserable as possible so that these people don't come.'
Bass said she has not recently had conversations with the Trump administration regarding immigration despite the National Guard presence in the city.
'I have put in a request and I hope to. I will always be open to a conversation,' the mayor said. 'I want to work with the administration to solve this problem. We have the World Cup in 11 short months here. We have Olympics and Paralympics coming in three short years. I know that these games are very important to the president and I look forward to working with him, and we have an extreme difference on this issue, but there's many issues for us to work on, and I will continue trying to outreach to the administration and hope that at some point they'll be responsive.'
5 Bass said she has not had conversations with the Trump administration regarding immigration despite the National Guard presence in the city.
REUTERS
The mayor also responded to how she hopes the next six months to two years will be for immigrants in Los Angeles, taking a dig at what she deemed the Trump administration's 'reign of terror.'
The Pentagon last week announced it was pulling 2,000 National Guard troops from Los Angeles, citing how the 'lawlessness' seen in early June anti-ICE riots has subsided.
'Well, I am just hoping that this reign of terror ends. I'm hoping that the military leaves because they were never needed here to begin with,' Bass said. 'I hope that we can get back to normal.'
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Virginia Republicans sound alarm over governor's race: ‘It's a disaster'
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  • The Hill

Virginia Republicans sound alarm over governor's race: ‘It's a disaster'

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Miyares is seen by many Republicans in the state as the strongest component of the GOP ticket, given his incumbency status and what Republicans see as his talent on the campaign trail. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Miyares has nearly $7 million cash on hand, which is more than Earle-Sears's own. 'If she can't raise a lot of money soon, there's going to be a sense that the best thing they can do is try to salvage the Miyares campaign because an attorney general in Virginia has independent powers,' said veteran Virginia political analyst Bob Holsworth. 'Sears at the moment is not defining the campaign,' he continued. 'The most visible Republican campaign is the campaign against Jay Jones.' Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who is term-limited, is seen as one of the best hopes for Republicans. The governor is still seen as relatively popular as he approaches the end of his tenure. 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Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary Wants Stephen Colbert To Be Fired: 'Whack Him'
Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary Wants Stephen Colbert To Be Fired: 'Whack Him'

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time9 minutes ago

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Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary Wants Stephen Colbert To Be Fired: 'Whack Him'

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Shark Tank star Kevin O'Leary called on Tuesday for The Late Show host Stephen Colbert to be fired for insulting his employer, days after CBS announced that the show would be canceled in May. Newsweek was not immediately able to contact Stephen Colbert or his publicist for comment. Kevin O'Leary, chairman of O'Leary Ventures, speaks before a Senate Committee on China at a hearing in Washington, D.C., on April 9, 2025. Kevin O'Leary, chairman of O'Leary Ventures, speaks before a Senate Committee on China at a hearing in Washington, D.C., on April 9, It Matters The call by O'Leary in a CNN panel discussion will likely stir an already heated and polarized debate over the cancellation of The Late Show, and could raise new questions about the prospects of Colbert staying on as host for the next 10 months. O'Leary is one of the stars of reality TV show Shark Tank, in which aspiring businesspeople present proposals for money-making projects to a panel of prospective investors. What To Know CBS announced on Thursday that it was cancelling the long-running The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in May 2026 for financial reasons. Days before the announcement, Colbert called out Paramount, the parent company of CBS, over a $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump. This was in connection with an accusation by Trump that 60 Minutes had edited an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee in last year's presidential election, in a "deceitful" way. The show denied that. Paramount is hoping to merge with Skydance Media, which requires Federal Communications Commission approval under the Trump administration. CBS executives said the cancellation of The Late Show was "not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount." "He's just insulted his bosses," O'Leary told the CNN panel. "Like, what is this guy? Whack him. Whack him." It was not clear what particular Colbert comment O'Leary was referring to when he called for him to be fired. Colbert has not pulled any punches when it comes to mocking Trump since the announcement that his show was ending. On the contrary, he has doubled down on his digs at the president and his connections with the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, saying: "The gloves are off." Colbert has also questioned the CBS assertion that the cancellation of his show was purely the result of a financial decision. "How could it purely be a financial decision if The Late Show is number one in ratings?" he asked on his show. What People Are Saying CNN anchor Abby Phillip, in the discussion about Colbert, said of the comedian: "He does have power in this equation because he knows that he is the public face of this network. Nobody knows who runs CBS, OK? No one knows. But everyone knows Stephen Colbert." Trump, in a post on Truth Social on Friday, said: "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings." What Happens Next The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is scheduled to disappear from screens in May 2026. In the meantime, more questions could arise about the future of other irreverent late-night talk shows in light of its fate.

I Was Ambassador to Hungary. The America I Returned to Alarms Me.
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