Mina Kimes and Dan Le Batard 'CAPE UP' for immigration insurrectionists



Sports journalists Mina Kimes and Dan Le Batard appear to have both gotten similar talking points about the Los Angeles protests by downplaying what’s been going on when it comes to those rioting in the streets.

“The disparity [between] what’s actually happening in Los Angeles and the way it’s being mischaracterized is one of the biggest stress tests of modern media in recent memory. Botted socials, AI, old clips, declining literacy—it’s like seeing a broken emergency response system hit by a storm,” Kimes wrote in a post on Blue Sky social.

“She’s saying that we’re being misled on what’s transpiring in Los Angeles with these illegal immigrant riots and protests,” BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock says on “Fearless.”


“I staunchly and severely disagree with my crouching tiger colleague, ESPN quarterback whisperer, and the campaign manager of one Karen Bass. She’s not just a supporter. Literally, Jason, she actually went on campaign events with Miss Bass,” BlazeTV contributor Steve Kim chimes in.

“Here’s the issue,” he continues. “It’s not like every single block in our fine city is on fire. You don’t see protesters on every single red light. There’s ways to avoid a lot of the disruption and the unrest, but keep this in mind — by her definition, then 9/11 only affected a small block of Manhattan and the Pentagon.”

Dan Le Batard’s take wasn’t much better.

“What is happening in California, what is happening in Los Angeles — never mind the optics of it. The optics of it are horrifying enough. The reality of what is happening there with peaceful protests and what feels like state militia rubber-bulleting about basic American freedoms because we are now going for a whiter nation,” Le Batard said.

“Peaceful protests,” Kim comments, “this goes back to the BLM riots.”

“You have this big receipt, billions of dollars' worth of property damage and businesses lost. They are anything but peaceful,” he adds.

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Pete Hegseth defends deployment of troops in response to anti-ICE riots



Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified before Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday in support of President Donald Trump's decision to deploy troops in response to the violent anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles.

Trump deployed Marines and the National Guard to California as the anti-ICE riots raged on for nearly a week. Rioters were caught hurling rocks and concrete at law enforcement, committing arson, and waving foreign flags to protest recent ICE raids in Los Angeles.

Despite this, Democrats have expressed outrage over the deployment of troops in response to what they deem to be "people peacefully protesting." Hegseth, however, did not shy away from critics.

"The mission in Los Angeles ... is not about lethality," Hegseth said during a hearing Wednesday. "It's about maintaining law and order on behalf of law enforcement agents who deserve to do their job without being attacked by mobs of people."

'Every American citizen deserves to be in a community that's safe.'

RELATED: Republicans clash with Democratic lawmakers defending violent anti-ICE rioters

The mission in Los Angeles is about LAW AND ORDER. pic.twitter.com/grIOOgwwJn
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) June 11, 2025

"We're very proud that the National Guard and the Marines are on the streets defending ICE agents, and they will continue to do that," Hegseth added. "They're doing a great job."

While Democrats attempted to paint the ICE raids as a brutal or overextended use of power, Hegseth reiterated that law enforcement agents are just doing what they have been asked to do: enforce the law.

"Every American citizen deserves to be in a community that's safe, and ICE agents need to be able to do their job," Hegseth said during a hearing Tuesday. "They're being attacked for doing their job, which is deporting illegal criminals. That shouldn't happen in any city, Minneapolis or Los Angeles. And if they're attacked, that's lawless, and President Trump believes in law and order."

RELATED: Democrats vote overwhelmingly to allow illegal aliens to continue voting in key district

. @SecDef "Every American citizen deserves to live in a community that is safe, and ICE agents need to be able to do their job." pic.twitter.com/MRLrvcFlLv
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) June 10, 2025

While Democrats continued to spew outrage over the ICE raids, Hegseth reminded them that ICE is a federal law enforcement agency simply enforcing federal laws.

"In Los Angeles, we believe that ICE, which is a federal law enforcement agency, has the right to safely conduct operations in any state and any jurisdiction in the country," Hegseth said Tuesday. "Especially after 21 million illegals have crossed our border under the previous administration."

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Republicans clash with Democratic lawmakers defending violent anti-ICE rioters



Violent riots broke out in Los Angeles over the weekend as Immigration and Customs Enforcement began cracking down on deportations, with footage of masked protestors waving foreign flags, burning vehicles, and throwing rocks at law enforcement. In spite of all the chaos, Democrats were quick to defend the rioters.

Several high-profile California Democrats, like Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sen. Adam Schiff, attempted to downplay the violence and encourage peaceful protesting, recognizing the less-than-flattering optics of the situation. Others, like Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California, flat-out glossed over the violence and even likened it to protests during the Civil Rights Movement.

'Gavin Newsom can [no] longer hide his failures and incompetence.'

RELATED: Fiery footage shows radicals in LA savagely attack law enforcement on second night of violent riots

Photo by RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images

"My message to Donald Trump is you are a cruel human being and that you're using the poorest people in the land, the most vulnerable people in the land, to promote your politics," Waters said. "You are wrong. We know what this is all about."

"All of the elected officials in this city should be on the street," Waters added. "I want them to know what happened during the Civil Rights Movement, where we got out onto the street, where we marched, where we fought, and we made the government change."

Similarly, Democratic Rep. Nanette Barragan of California inaccurately claimed that President Donald Trump's administration is going after peaceful protesters. During an interview with CNN on Sunday, Barragan reiterated her point without realizing that the outlet was simultaneously airing footage of protesters rioting in a less-than-peaceful way.

"The president is sending the National Guard because he doesn't like the scenes," Barragan said. "He doesn't like the scenes of people peacefully protesting, and we know that California law enforcement, local law enforcement, they're there to protect the public. They're there to protect and have public safety, and that's what they're there to do."

'Stay peaceful? It never was peaceful.'

RELATEED:Officer slams door in Rep. Maxine Waters' face when she tries to check in on union president arrested in ICE rioting

Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images

One of the most high-profile defenses of the protests over the weekend came from former Vice President Kamala Harris. The failed presidential candidate said the ICE raids were part of Trump's "cruel, calculated agenda to spread division" and claimed that the protests have been "overwhelmingly peaceful."

Republicans refuted the mainstream Democratic narrative that the protests were both peaceful and justified. Republican Rep. Vince Fong of California condemned the riots and blamed Newsom's "failures and incompetence" for the escalation.

"Rioters blocking freeways, setting fires, and clashing with federal, state and local law enforcement," Fong said. "Gavin Newsom can [no] longer hide his failures and incompetence. Los Angeles deserves better."

Republicans outside of California, like Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Andy Biggs of Arizona, had similar reactions.

"Democrats are waging an insurrection and using Antifa, Cartels, and criminal illegals to, as the media says, 'peacefully protest' ICE deporting illegal rapists, child/human traffickers, and drug dealers," Greene said. "The left is inciting a war on US soil and is siding with terrorists."

"Stay peaceful? It never was peaceful," Biggs said. "What a disgusting joke. Democrats will never take responsibility for their failed policies."

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