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gavin newsom
Newsom Says DOJ Probe Puts Him and Wife on Trump's Political 'Hit List'
"Donald Trump is simply the most corrupt president in American history. He's turned the levers of government into his own personal power ministry, to reward cronies and to try to jail his opponents."
Jun 15, 2026
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday said the US Department of Justice was investigating both him and his wife in what he described as an abuse of power being carried out on behalf of President Donald Trump.
In a video posted on social media, Newsom claimed federal agents in recent days "have knocked on the doors of family, friends, and former employees, not because they've found a crime" but "because they're simply trying to find one."
Newsom charged that Trump himself was behind the investigation, which he said was being done in response to his prospective 2028 presidential campaign.
"Donald Trump is simply the most corrupt president in American history," Newsom said. "He's turned the levers of government into his own personal power ministry, to reward cronies and to try to jail his opponents. His personal attorney now runs the Department of Justice, which has repeatedly gone after his political enemies."
Newsom then linked the current DOJ investigation into him to federal investigations of New York Attorney General Letitia James, former Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, and former FBI Director James Comey as yet another politically motivated assault on the rule of law.
"One by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hit list," Newsom explained. "And today, I proudly join that list. After calling for my arrest last year, Donald Trump directed his Department of Justice to investigate me."
The governor said that investigators in recent days had shown particular interest in his wife, documentary filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
"If they can't intimidate me, they'll go after the mother of our children," said Newsom. "Donald Trump picked the wrong target. We have nothing to hide."
A source told The New York Times that the investigations into Newsom "were initiated by federal law enforcement officials in California, based on government witnesses offering information there, and were not launched by officials in Washington."
However, Trump has gotten directly involved in multiple DOJ investigations of his political opponents that have led to criminal charges.
Last year, the president inadvertently posted a message on his Truth Social platform that was intended to be a private message to then-Attorney General Pam Bondi, in which he pushed her to move more quickly on indicting Comey, James, and US Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
James and Comey would subsequently be hit with criminal charges, although cases against them were dismissed last year by a federal judge. Comey has since been indicted again for posting a purportedly threatening message on social media that some legal experts have described as an "embarrassing" case.
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'Beyond Despicable,' Says Democrat After White House Official Says Trump 'Bored' With Iran War
“Real people have paid the price of this war," said Rep. Don Beyer. "Civilians have been killed throughout the Middle East, including the US missile strike that killed more than 150 schoolchildren.”
Mar 27, 2026
It’s been less than a month, and President Donald Trump's war of choice in Iran has unleashed a cascade of consequences for countless human lives and the global economy that are far from resolved—but he is reportedly getting tired of the illegal war he started.
MS NOW reported on Friday that White House sources believe that Trump is "getting a little bored" with the Iran war and "wants to move on" to other initiatives.
MS NOW's report on Trump's feelings about the war was echoed by The Wall Street Journal, which on Thursday reported that the president has told associates that he wants to wrap up the war in the coming weeks and avoid a protracted conflict.
The problem, sources told both MS NOW and the Journal, is that there is no simple way to wrap up the conflict given that Iran is continuing to block passage through the Strait of Hormuz, which is sending global energy costs spiking.
And while Trump has shown the ability to simply lie about his achievements in the past and have his supporters believe them, one former Trump official told MS NOW that just won't work if Americans keep paying $4 per gallon of gas.
"He has learned he can tell the American people his feeling, and, with enough time, the American people will accept his lie," the official said. "Just telling us the war is won isn’t good enough. We need to see it; we need to feel it."
In a social media post, Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) called the president "beyond despicable" for feeling "bored" after starting a war that has killed thousands of people, created chaos across the Middle East, and raised prices for US consumers.
"Donald Trump is now 'a little bored' with his 'little excursion' in Iran, as if war is nothing more than passing amusement to him," said Beyer. "War is not a game. It's not a spectacle. It's not something you pick up and drop when it stops entertaining you."
Beyer then highlighted the human costs of Trump's war, which he launched at 4 a.m. on a Saturday morning without any authorization from Congress.
"Real people have paid the price of this war," he wrote. "We've already lost 13 Americans killed in action, with many more seriously wounded. Civilians have been killed throughout the Middle East, including the US missile strike that killed more than 150 schoolchildren."
Trump and allies such as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have signaled that after the US is finished with Iran, they will next attempt to topple the government of Cuba, where the White House has caused a catastrophic fuel shortage in recent weeks with its ramp-up of the blockade that's been in place for decades. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this month that "the embargo is tied to political change on the island."
The press office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is seen as a likely Democratic contender for the presidency in 2028, also blasted the president's reported boredom with his own war.
"American soldiers are dying," wrote Newsom's office. "Americans are paying more at the pump. Republicans are cutting essential services to fund a war no one but Trump and MAGA wanted. And now Trump is bored. Disgusting. Truly unpresidential behavior from our supposed commander-in-chief."
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Billionaires Tax Supporters Up in California By Nearly 2-to-1, Poll Shows
"The American people are sick and tired of massive income and wealth inequality," said Sen. Bernie Sanders. "Billionaires need to start paying their fair share."
Mar 10, 2026
Voters in California are supporting a proposed wealth tax on billionaires in their state by a ratio of almost 2-to-1, according to a poll conducted by the Citrin Center for Public Opinion Research.
Politico, which commissioned the poll from the center at the University of California, Berkeley, reported on Tuesday that support for the billionaire tax is currently at 50% of California voters, while just 28% registered opposition.
However, University of California Berkeley political scientist Jack Citrin told Politico that the measure's passage isn't yet a slam dunk because voters remain vulnerable to counterarguments against the plan, which would impose a one-time 5% tax on billionaires' total wealth.
"The yes side has the current lead and you have some strong supporters, so that’s the good news," Citrin explained. "Most experts on the initiative process say that the yes side has an advantage to start with because no one’s been talking about it and it sounds like a good idea... but then once the campaign begins you whittle away at that."
Among other things, the poll found voters were concerned about whether the wealth tax would really be a one-time measure, whether it would push wealthy individuals out of the state, and whether the middle class would be forced to pay more in taxes to make up for the potentially departed billionaires.
Citrin told Politico that supporters of the wealth tax will have to convince voters that billionaires' threats to leave California if the measure passes are a bluff.
"If you’re the yes side you have to hammer away at: this isn’t true, they’re not going to leave, it’s just scare tactics," Citrin said.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who along with other progressives has championed the wealth tax, hailed the UC Berkeley poll as a sign that the political tide is turning against US oligarchs.
"A new poll shows voters overwhelmingly support California’s proposal to tax billionaire wealth to fund healthcare—by nearly a 2-to-1 margin," Sanders wrote in a social media post. "The American people are sick and tired of massive income and wealth inequality. Billionaires need to start paying their fair share."
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, seen as a likely 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, has gone on the record opposing the wealth tax and has said he will campaign for its defeat.
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