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Joe Biden, Barack Obama And Jimmy Kimmel Warn Of Another Donald Trump Term; Star-Filled L.A. Fundraiser Expected To Raise At Least $30 Million — Update

UPDATED: President Joe Biden‘s star-filled fundraiser in Los Angeles — in which he took part in a conversation with former President Barack Obama and Jimmy Kimmel — is now expected to raise at least $30 million, according to a source close to the campaign.
During the roughly 40-minute sit down, Biden, Obama and Kimmel touted the current administration’s accomplishments, but a good part of the talk was devoted to warnings about another Trump term and even bafflement at the way that the former Celebrity Apprentice host has shattered so many political and institutional norms.
Biden said that “one of the scariest parts” of another Donald Trump is that he would likely have the ability to appoint two more Supreme Court nominees.
“The Supreme Court has never been as out of kilter as it is today,” Biden said. “…The fact of the matter is that this has never been a court that has been this far out of step.”
He noted that when the Dobbs decision was issued overturning Roe vs. Wade, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that other decisions should be reconsidered, including IVF and contraception. Someone in the audience then shouted, “Gay rights.”
“By the way, not on my watch. Not on my watch,” said Biden, in a line that got one of the biggest cheers from the crowd in the 7,100-seat Peacock Theater.
Before Kimmel introduced the two presidents, he showed a video of Trump from 2020, where he predicted that if he was not elected, major holidays like the Fourth of July and Christmas would end. Kimmel had asked the president, “Is it satisfying to see that video to see how wrong Orange Julius Caesar was about your presidency?”At the outset, Biden wasted little time making a biting about Donald Trump shortly after he took the stage.
“I could have done nothing and done better than he was doing,” Biden.
The ABC late night host then went into a long list of Biden’s accomplishments, often interspersing them with irreverent quips.
Kimmel later noted that Biden said he was “fighting to restore the soul of America and lately it seems like we might need and exorcism. Is that why you visited the Pope?”
Biden laughed and said, “The truth is the way in which we communicate with people these days, there’s so much opportunity to just lie….If you have just one source you go to for your news, it’s just easy to convince people that that is the only truth that’s out there.”
Obama referred to Trump’s recent conviction, telling the audience that “Part of what has happened over the last several years is we have normalized behavior that used to be disqualifying. We have the spectacle of the nominee of one of the two major parties sitting in court and being convicted by a jury of his peers on 34 counts. His foundation is not allowed to operate because it was engaging in money business and not actually philanthropic work. You have his organization being prosecuted for not paying taxes. … There are certain standards and values that we should all abide by. Joe Biden has stood for those values and continues to do, and the other guy doesn’t.”
At times during the conversation, Biden tried out some of his own humor. With Trump and Biden neck and neck in the polls, Kimmel at one point asked, “Is this country suffering from Trump amnesia? Why do so many Americans seem to remember the Trump administration the same way we do a colonoscopy, like we know what happened. “
Biden responded, “All they got to do is remember what it was like. Remember the pandemic? He said, ‘Don’t worry. Just inject a little bleach in your body.”
“That worked for me, by the way,” Kimmel quipped. “Fair is fair.”
Biden then quipped, “By the way, it worked for him. It colored his hair.”
The event, which also featured celebrities such as George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Barbra Streisand, was being touted as the largest Democratic fundraiser ever. The sum is higher than a similar celebrity-filled event the campaign held at Radio City Music Hall in New York in March, when $26 million was raised.
The Biden campaign has been marketing the star-studded event for weeks, with supporters being offered a chance to win a trip to attend and meet some of those on the bill. “It’s amazing how many people will show up to an event when you send 5,000 emails reminding them about it,” Kimmel quipped.
Jill Biden also spoke, introduced by Streisand, who said that the first lady is “the neighbor everyone wishes they have, not the type who suddenly flies an American flag upside down.”
“Trump has told told us again and again why he wants the White House — to give himself absolute power,” the first lady said.
Among the thousands attending the event were industry figures including Damon Lindelof, Marta Kauffman, CAA’s Bryan Lourd and Craig Gering, Kathy Griffin and Jim Gianopoulos, as well as politicos including Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, among a group of lawmakers participating in a photo line with Biden and Obama. Also at the theater: Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de Leon.
As expected, there was a heavy police presence, with loud pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on Olympic Boulevard. Demonstrators have tried to block entrances at previous Biden fundraisers, including a Holmby Hills event in December. Protesters disrupted the Radio City event at points, but it went on as scheduled.
Also appearing at the Los Angeles event were Sista Strings (singing “Lift Every Voice”), The Silhouettes, Sheryl Lee Ralph (singing a rousing rendition of “God Bless America”), Jason Bateman and Kathryn Hahn. Jack Black wore stars and stripes overalls over a Dark Brandon T-shirt.
Republicans tried to turn their tables on the expected Trump bashing at the fundraiser. Jessica Millan Patterson, chair of the California Republican Party, said in a statement on Friday, “Democrat presidents have long had expectations of a warm welcome from Californians, but unfortunately for President Biden, his own actions and failed agenda – from rampant inflation to an open border and detrimental foreign policy – have deprived him of that reality. No amount of Hollywood magic or celebrity cameos can disguise the fact that Joe Biden is a failed president who will be retired by voters once and for all this November.”

News
How Many Law Enforcement Agencies Are Involved in LA Immigration Protests?

The protests in Los Angeles against immigration raids, now seven days on, have resulted in a considerable law enforcement presence — significant in both its sheer number and its broad representation across local and federal agencies, including military forces.
The New York Times identified more than a dozen groups that were on the ground in the past week. Times journalists reviewed over a thousand videos and images taken of the protests, including drone footage of the downtown area, to determine officers’ locations and movements and the weapons they were carrying.
Where major agencies were seen operating
It is extremely unusual for active-duty military personnel to be deployed to respond to a domestic protest, as the Trump administration ordered last week. President Trump commandeered 2,000 members of California’s National Guard and placed them under federal control, bypassing the opposition of state leaders, and then sent another 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the greater Los Angeles area.
The last time a president bypassed a governor to deploy the National Guard was in March of 1965, on the eve of the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. On Thursday, a federal judge blocked Mr. Trump’s deployment of the troops and ordered the administration to return control of the forces to Gov. Gavin Newsom. The administration has appealed the decision.
The array of local law enforcement officers on the ground, on the other hand, is not unusual. California has a so-called mutual aid system in place that allows police and sheriffs’ departments to request backup from nearby areas if necessary. The two Los Angeles agencies were joined by at least 240 officers from neighboring counties and cities, as well as 600 California Highway Patrol Officers sent by Mr. Newsom.
Which agencies are represented, and what gear they have
The Los Angeles Police Department has traditionally been in charge of crowd control at protests. Some officers on the ground in recent days have worn basic uniforms, which include a handgun and a baton. Others have been equipped with full riot gear.
Police officers on horseback have significant physical advantage against crowds.
This week, the L.A.P.D. called for mutual aid from other local municipalities, including:
The L.A.P.D. also requested assistance from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Similarly, the sheriff’s department has called upon neighboring counties to support its efforts, including:
The California Highway Patrol has been leading the efforts to contain crowds as they cross, block or take over major thoroughfares — for instance, when protesters briefly blocked Highway 101 on Sunday.
The Department of Homeland Security, a federal agency, has been performing immigration raids, including those that set off the current wave of demonstrations. Agencies under the department — including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection — carry out the raids, sometimes with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Mr. Trump federalized the California National Guard and deployed around 4,000 troops to defend federal buildings and federal agents. On Monday, Trump also mobilized the U.S. Marine Corps, which has not operated on domestic soil since the 1992 Los Angeles riots. As of Thursday afternoon, Marines were training in the greater Los Angeles area but had not been seen on the ground at the protest site.
On Thursday, U.S. Marshals were spotted in the vicinity of the federal building complex, assisting the L.A.P.D with arrests.
How agencies interact
The National Guard has been positioned alongside Department of Homeland Security officers directly outside a federal building complex in downtown Los Angeles where much of the protest activity has occurred. The Guard members have not been authorized to carry out immigration raids or patrol the city’s streets.
They could be seen on occasion this week interacting with crowds when federal property was involved. On Sunday, the National Guard and D.H.S. officers pushed back demonstrators to clear a way for federal vehicles entering the complex, and the D.H.S. officers sprayed the crowd with pepper spray and pepper balls.
When conducting immigration raids, federal agents from the D.H.S., including Border Patrol, and from the F.B.I. often do interact with crowds of angry community members. Federal agents arrived in armored trucks, wearing tactical gear and carrying military-style rifles, for a raid on a clothing wholesaler on June 6 less than two miles from Los Angeles City Hall. Using flash-bang grenades, the agents dispersed a group of people that gathered to protest the raid.
Given the relatively small protest area — which has been concentrated in just a few square blocks — officers from various agencies have frequently ended up in close proximity. In the below photo, taken Monday, officers from at least five agencies stand on a single corner.
An image showing how multiple agencies were stationed outside a federal building during the protests in Los Angeles. Pictured are members of the California National Guard, and officers from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office, and the Los Angeles Police Department.
Los Angeles law enforcement agencies, including the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the city’s police department, have responded to demonstrations throughout the city, at times deploying flash-bang grenades, projectiles and other crowd-control measures. They have been authorized only for traffic and crowd control management, and not to perform immigration raids.
As of Thursday, the L.A.P.D. had already arrested more than 160 people in connection with the demonstrations, most of whom face charges of failure to disperse.
Prominent California leaders, including Mr. Newsom, have accused Mr. Trump of inflaming recent tensions in the state. In a speech on Tuesday, Mr. Newsom sharply criticized Mr. Trump’s deportation agenda, which led to the federal raids last week that set off the protests. He also condemned the administration’s decision to commandeer National Guard troops and deploy Marines, calling it “a brazen abuse of power by a sitting president.”
News
Oil prices surge after Israel’s attack on Iran

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Oil prices surged on Friday as Israel’s air strikes against Iran threatened supplies across the region and sparked a rush to haven assets.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, was up 8.8 per cent at $75.48 in London after earlier spiking more than 12 per cent. West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, climbed 9 per cent to $74.15.
Michael Alfaro, chief investment officer at Gallo Partners, a hedge fund focused on energy and industrials, said the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities marked a “seismic escalation” in the conflict.
“We’re staring down the barrel of a prolonged conflict that’s almost certain to keep oil prices elevated,” he said.
Israel’s strikes targeted Iran’s nuclear programme, military facilities and killed its top two commanders. Iran said none of its oil installations were hit in the attack.
Global stock markets fell and gold, a haven asset, jumped. Futures tracking the S&P 500 were down 1.2 per cent and the gold price was up 1 per cent at $3,418 an ounce.
There are multiple risks for the energy sector from a renewed conflict.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway separating Iran from the Gulf states, is a conduit for about a third of the world’s seaborne oil supplies. Iran has repeatedly threatened to close it in the event of an attack.
Some of the world’s largest oilfields, including in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, are also within reach of Iran’s missiles and drones. In 2019 Iran was widely believed to be behind an attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities that briefly pushed up the price of crude.
Qatar is one of the world’s largest suppliers of liquefied natural gas and its shipments must traverse Hormuz to reach international markets at a time of tight global supplies.
Helima Croft, a former CIA analyst who is now at RBC Capital Markets, questioned whether the latest strike was a limited military engagement, as occurred in the autumn, or if Iran would target regional energy supplies.
“The key question is whether Iran seeks to internationalise the cost of tonight’s action by targeting regional energy infrastructure,” Croft said.
US President Donald Trump has previously pledged to keep oil prices low to help tame inflation.
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine that started in 2022, the Biden administration released about 300mn barrels of crude from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the world’s largest emergency stockpile, to help keep prices in check.
If the oil price surge is prolonged or supplies are disrupted from the Middle East, Trump could use the SPR, but in the past he has criticised former president Joe Biden for draining the reserve to its lowest level in 40 years. The SPR has around 400mn barrels, well below its 727mn barrel capacity.
Traders will also look for any response from the Opec+ group of oil producers. Saudi Arabia, one of the group’s most powerful members, condemned Israel’s attack on Friday.
The group, of which Iran is a member, has been raising production in recent months but may face additional pressure from the Trump administration to tap its additional capacity to keep markets well supplied.
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Did Trump get cheers or jeers at 'Les Mis'? Find out in the quiz

From left: Cole Escola, Khaby Lame, Justin Baldoni.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions; Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images; Cindy Ord/Getty Images
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Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions; Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images; Cindy Ord/Getty Images
This week brought the celebrity-starved quiz a cornucopia of fun, from K-pop to Tonys. (That, by the way, is a false range. There is no spectrum on which K-pop and the Tony Awards are endpoints. Do as I say, not as I do.)
If you hate-take the quiz each week and think you could do better, now you can try. We’re taking reader submissions for each week’s bonus question. The submission form and instructions are below the quiz. Please submit by 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 17.
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