Hello and welcome to Background Briefing, available 24-7 at background briefing. I'm Ian Masters,

and today we'll examine a number of stories and issues in the news.

We'll begin with the escalating war of words between President Trump and California's Governor Newsom,

who described Trump's actions taken against Los Angeles as fulfilling, quote,

the deranged fantasies of a dictatorial president.

Joining us to discuss how the world's fifth largest economy

can handle an aggressive federal government

dominated by a Republican Party

anchored in southeast red states,

which California taxpayers subsidize,

is Michael Hiltsig,

a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and columnist at the Los Angeles Times.

He currently writes a twice-weekly column covering business and economic issues relevant to life in

California, and his books include The New Deal and Modern History and Iron Empires, Robert

Barron's Railroads in the Making of Modern America, and his latest book is Golden State, The Making of California.

We will discuss his latest article at the Los Angeles Times.

Can Newsom block tax payments to the U.S. government?

No, but we do give more than we get back.

Then we'll look into Secretary of Defense, Hague says,

testimony today before a House Appropriation Subcommittee on Defense, in which he admitted he did not know what authority Trump is using to deploy National Guard and Marines in L.A.

And assess how much a possible civil war is being stoked, as Trump describes protesters as terrorists.

Joining us is an expert on international and domestic terrorism, Tom McIntylus, a professor of history

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