Public Health & Safety

I lived in Los Angeles, and on 5 October in Grand Island, Nebraska the president said “Let them take out Los Angeles” and called it “a very small price to pay”. California’s State Threat Assessment Center is now watching for foreign threats.

I live in Singapore now, and LA is still an amazing city to me.

Justin Brown October 19, 2026 5 min read

One story.
Three layers.

Tension

Trump told a Grand Island, Nebraska rally on 5 Oct "Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego" and called it "a very small price to pay", and Governor Newsom ordered California's State Threat Assessment Center to monitor for foreign threats in response.

Noise

Newsom's retelling moved from "take out" to "bombing", the California delegation said Trump appeared to "invite Iran to destroy two American cities", and the White House and Trump's 7 Oct rally added the words "would have been threatened" and "We protect our cities".

Direct Message

Cal OES, the state Department of Justice and the Highway Patrol said on 6 Oct that there were no confirmed threats by Iran, and CSIS says Iran has not tested or deployed a missile that can reach the United States.

Follow the evidence →

I lived in Los Angeles, and on 5 October in Grand Island, Nebraska the president said “Let them take out Los Angeles” and called it “a very small price to pay”. California’s State Threat Assessment Center is now watching for foreign threats.

One story.Three layers.

One letter a week. Politics, read clearly.

One story.
Three layers.