For the White House, when you’re wrong, you’re right

KCRW's Left, Right & Center

KCRW

352865, News

4.2 • 4.8K Ratings

🗓️ 18 April 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents wrongfully deported Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador last month. Abrego Garcia currently sits in a maximum security prison there, despite holding legal immigration status and no criminal record. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that the Trump administration should facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return, but the White House says it’s Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s responsibility instead. Neither Trump nor Bukele expressed interest in returning Abrego Garcia to the U.S. What does this Trump-court showdown mean for the balance of power in our government?

Outside of immigration, the White House’s administrative crackdowns continue on college campuses. Federal officials sent Harvard University a letter demanding it end its DEI programs and enforce stricter rules on campus antisemitism. The school refused. Lawyers for the university claimed the government’s demands violate Harvard’s First Amendment rights. In retaliation, the Trump administration threatened to cut $2 billion in federal funding. Can the White House continue to threaten private universities if they don’t do their bidding? Are there ulterior motives behind the administration’s focus on antisemitism?

Transcript

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0:00.0	All right, time again for another left, right and center, everybody.
0:04.3	I'm David Green.
0:05.3	Moa Lathie is here on the left.
0:07.2	Sarah Isger is away this week, but we're happy to have Noah Rothman back with us on the right.
0:11.3	He's senior writer for the National Review.
0:13.9	Noah, welcome back.
0:15.1	Appreciate you being here.
0:15.9	I guess we didn't scare you too much.
0:17.3	It is my pleasure.
0:18.1	Not hard enough.
0:19.3	I think you guys should really berate me. I'm ready for it.
0:22.5	We'll take care of that. Yeah, all right. We can do that. Yeah. Well, let's dig right in. I want to start with the case of Kilmar-Abrego-Garcia. This is the father of three from Maryland, who is an El Salvadoran national.
0:38.4	He was deported by mistake by the Trump administration and is now in a maximum security prison in El Salvador.
0:45.5	The Trump administration is being asked to provide details of its effort or lack thereof to return Abrago Garcia home.
0:53.7	U.S. District Judge Paul Zinis ruled that the Trump
0:56.4	administration has to facilitate his return to the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court largely
1:02.2	backed that judge's decision, but so far no indication the Trump administration is going to
1:07.8	comply. The White House claims this is actually now in the hands of Salvador and
1:12.4	President Naib Buckele. Buckele visited Trump at the White House this past week and pretty much
1:17.9	rejected the possibility that he's going to bring this Maryland man home.
1:21.0	Can President Buckele weigh in on this? Do you plan to return him?
1:24.6	Well, I'm supposed to have suggested that I smuggle a terrorist into the United
	...

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