Overview

• On The Late Show, Gavin Newsom said he fears the U.S. may not hold a 2028 presidential election unless Americans confront what he called a code‑red threat to democracy.
• Newsom labeled federal actions under President Trump as authoritarian, citing the federalization of the National Guard, the deployment of troops and Marines to Los Angeles, and masked ICE operations that prompted a new California law barring concealed faces.
• The White House dismissed his warning as absurd and a conspiracy theory, while Republican leaders including California Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher criticized his rhetoric and comparisons.
• Newsom said California has filed or is pursuing 41 lawsuits against the administration and is pushing Prop. 50 for a Nov. 4 special election that would let legislators temporarily take over congressional redistricting, a move opposed by groups such as the League of Women Voters and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
• Hours after Trump told the U.N. that climate change is the greatest con job, Newsom signed a nonbinding climate memorandum with Brazil and blasted the president’s stance at a New York Times Climate Forward event.