There is a certain level of bittersweet joy in watching the illusions of a Los Angeles news anchor crumble on air.
Such is what happened as KTTV in Los Angeles was covering the riots in the city, which began last week as Immigration and Customs Enforcement began carrying out raids in southern California.
Protests and riots — which the left swore were totally unorganized and which were obviously totally organized — broke out, cars were burned, tires were slashed, law enforcement was menaced, the media had another opportunity to say things were “fiery but mostly peaceful,” and it appeared like the spirit of 2020 had finally re-arrived.
Then, President Donald Trump ordered the National Guard and the Marines “to temporarily protect ICE and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions, including the enforcement of Federal law, and to protect Federal property,” according to a memorandum.
The rest of the city is in the hands of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who are chastising and/or suing Trump while pleading with the mob to please not burn the place down. (Again.)
Enter KTTV’s coverage of the riots on Monday, where one reporter on the scene described, “We have people right now, look at this, dropping off food and water.”
Such nice folks, these progressives! Back at the studio, one KTTV anchor said it was unlike a scene before “where you have the different organizations that are backing some of these protests. This is more … organic, and maybe that’s what you’re seeing.”
Then, they realized things might not be, uh, so organic.
“What are those boxes?” the anchor’s co-host in studio asked.
“Are those masks of some sort?” she asked.
Why, indeed they were!
ICYMI: Here’s the moment a pickup truck dropped off boxes of face shields in downtown LA during our live report on @FOXLA with @Elex_Michaelson and @DevineNews pic.twitter.com/4JZYE69dMg
— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) June 10, 2025
“That doesn’t look like food,” one of the anchors said. You don’t say.
“Yeah, so people are prepping for some sort of altercation with police, as we speak,” the reporter at the scene said.
The male co-anchor said that Christina Gonzalez, at a site not too far off, “was describing a festive atmosphere, and it looked like a lot of folks, including a lot of older folks, who were there for the right reasons.” (The “mostly peaceful” impeding of law enforcement carrying out their appointed duties is the “right reasons,” apparently, not the “fiery” impeding.)
Instead, these were “troublemakers” who were “very concerning.” Oh, just this recently?
Indeed, as Fox News’ Bill Melugin pointed out, these “protesters” were being “given earplugs, gas masks, and water bottles” — with the water being “not to drink, a lot of those water bottles are being thrown” at law enforcement, he said.
Conservative activist Nick Sorter noted that these masks aren’t cheap and wondered where the money was coming from:
#BREAKING: Rioters are being given earplugs, gas masks, and water bottles to throw at police, per @BillMelugin_
FOX LA also reporting TRUCKLOADS of bionic shields, which cost $60+ each, are being delivered to rioters.
There is NOTHING organic about this. WHO IS FUNDING IT? pic.twitter.com/kkjZIR9qES
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 10, 2025
A KTTV reporter noted that these were the shields that protesters were allegedly receiving; they can be bought some places at lower than $60, but not substantially.
#BREAKING We just saw people arrive in Downtown L.A. with truck loads of Bionic Face Shields that demonstrators quickly grabbed.
It certainly seems like gear you’d wear if you’re preparing for conflict with police.
Who is funding this? pic.twitter.com/2hZphafOsi
— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) June 10, 2025
Which is just another reminder that this is staged and astroturfed nonsense to try and goad the White House into an overreaction. The president hasn’t taken the bait, calling in the National Guard and the Marines for the expressed purpose of protecting federal agents and property — nothing more, nothing less.
