Who Is Burning Cars and Throwing Rocks in L.A.? Plus. . .

It’s Tuesday, June 10. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Matthew Continetti on why illegal immigration is the defining issue of our time; Ruy Teixeira on how the L.A. riots are an advertisement for Trump; Tyler Cowen on the end of the nation-state; and much more.

But first: Who are the L.A. rioters, really?

The first questions journalists must answer, no matter the story, are who, what, when, and where.

Those basic questions have become so much more urgent given the collapse of trust—and trustworthiness—in the media, with the left and right living in separate realities. And so it is with the disorder in Los Angeles. To oversimplify only slightly: The left says peaceful protests! And the right says antifa! Mexican nationalists!

All of which is why it’s more important than ever to see things with your own eyes—or through the eyes of people you trust. That’s why Austyn Jeffs and Leighton Woodhouse have been on the streets of L.A. in recent days covering the drama.

Austyn saw protesters throwing rocks at cops—and police unable to control the chaos. Watch what he saw:

Leighton, who has covered dozens of protests, felt like this could be the prelude to something far worse.

But the “who, what, when, and where” is not our only job as journalists. The other thing we do here—and pride ourselves on—is the why. That means helping our readers make sense of an oftentimes bewildering barrage of news—and, in this case, answering questions such as: How did it come to be that protesters are throwing rocks at cops? Why is immigration such an explosive issue? And what will the political effects of the chaos be?

Those questions and more are answered by Matt Continetti and Ruy Teixeira in their pieces for us today. Matt explains why immigration is the issue of our time—and the latest act in our unending constitutional drama.

Ruy asks: Have the Democrats learned nothing? As it turns out, strict immigration enforcement is popular with voters. “Democrats do not have to cheer on every ICE raid,” Ruy writes, “but they have to be seen to prioritize law and order.”

—Bari Weiss

• Senior officials from the U.S. and China met in London yesterday to avert a trade war that would threaten rare earth minerals crucial to U.S. supply chains, including one used to make heat-resistant magnets found in fighter jets. According to White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett, the talks aimed to confirm the continued export of this critical mineral, which Chinese president Xi Jinping pledged to Donald Trump during a phone call last week—their first one-on-one conversation since Trump’s inauguration.

• Trump’s travel ban took effect yesterday, effectively barring citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States. The ban, which Trump signed last week, applies to foreign nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

• Israeli forces halted the advancement of a sailboat carrying activists and aid to Gaza yesterday, whose passengers included climate advocate Greta Thunberg. After rerouting the ship to Israel and promising to distribute the aid on board, Israel’s Foreign Ministry called the boat a “selfie yacht” in a post on X. “The show is over,” the post said.

• Democrats are pioneering a new multimillion-dollar, Soros-backed initiative called “Blue Texas,” aiming to make the Lone Star State a battleground by 2032. Republicans have dominated in Texas for decades, winning in every presidential election since 1980, while the last Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from the state was Lloyd Bentsen in 1988.

• Warner Bros. Discovery is splitting into two companies: one focused on streaming and studios (including HBO Max and Warner Bros. films), and the other housing cable channels like CNN and TNT. The split will undo the 2022 merger between Warner Media and Discovery Communications, aiming to reduce debt and compete with streaming companies like Netflix and Amazon Prime that are unburdened by declining cable TV revenues.

• Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin blamed his struggle helming the party on DNC infighting triggered by Vice Chair David Hogg, according to a recording of a Zoom call leaked to Politico. Hogg drew the ire of Martin and others in his party in April when he vowed to spend $20 million to primary incumbent Democrats with younger candidates. “You essentially destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership that I need to,” Martin told Hogg during the call.

• Lovable, a Swedish AI “vibe coding” start-up that enables non-coders to build software, is in early talks with U.S. investors to raise over $100 million at a valuation exceeding $1.5 billion. Since launching its first product six months ago, Lovable has rapidly amassed 130,000 users—most of whom have little to no coding experience. For all you need to know on vibe coding, read Suzy Weiss’s piece, “My Afternoon with the Vibe Coders.”

This week, Bari sits down for a rare, in-depth conversation about building The Free Press, becoming a public figure, and navigating motherhood in a time of institutional collapse and rising antisemitism. Don’t miss the premiere episode of Conversations with Coleman.