Latest news with #Dr.PhilPrimetime
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Commentary: Why on earth is Dr. Phil involved in immigration raids? Another made-for-TV event from a reality star president
Can someone explain to me what, exactly, Dr. Phil has to do with immigration policy or constitutional law in these United States? Many outrageous and unsettling things happened in Los Angeles over the weekend. On Friday, multiple immigration raids, in downtown's Fashion District and outside a Home Depot in Paramount, sparked a not unusual response that led to police involvement, during which many, including union official David Huerta, were arrested. Ostensibly dissatisfied with the handling of the situation, President Trump, over objections from both L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, made the highly unusual — and potentially illegal — decision to send in the National Guard. Tensions escalated and by Sunday, portions of L.A. freeways were shut down as some protesters and/or outside agitators vandalized downtown stores, defaced buildings, hurled rocks from downtown overpasses onto law enforcement vehicles and set fire to a few Waymo cars. Trump's border advisor, Tom Homan, threatened to arrest Newsom if citizens of this sanctuary state continued to interfere with immigration raids, and Newsom publicly dared him to do it, adding that California would be suing the Trump administration for making the situation worse by sending in the National Guard. On Monday, Homan appeared to backtrack on his threat while Trump said he would support it. It was both a little — no one should have been surprised that ICE raids in L.A. would spark protests and these were, relatively speaking, small and nonviolent — and a lot. Sending in the National Guard was an obvious military flex, designed to to bait Angelenos while perhaps distracting Americans from Trump's far greater troubles. Read more: No, Dr. Phil wasn't present at L.A. ICE raids, but he taped interview with Trump's border advisor But nothing said 'this is a made-for-TV event brought to you by the same reality-star-led administration that proposed making legal immigration into a television competition' as the presence of Phil McGraw. Who, after being embedded with ICE officials during raids in Chicago earlier this year, spent some of this weekend kicking it with Homan in L.A.'s Homeland Security headquarters. As first reported by CNN's Brian Stelter, Dr. Phil was there to get 'a first-hand look' at the targeted operations and an 'exclusive' interview with Homan for 'Dr. Phil Primetime' on MeritTV, part of Merit Street Media, which McGraw owns. Dr. Phil is, for the record, neither a journalist nor an immigration or domestic policy expert. He isn't even a psychologist anymore, having let his license to practice (which he never held in California) lapse years ago. He is instead a television personality and outspoken Trump supporter who was on hand to … I honestly don't know what. Provide psychological support to Homan as he threatened to arrest elected officials for allowing citizens to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech while using local law enforcement to prevent any violence or destruction of property that might occur? Offer Homan another platform on which he could explain why Trump is breaking his own vow to target only those undocumented immigrants who have committed violent crime? Read more: The reality TV roots of the MAGA coalition Or maybe just provide a familiar face to help normalize rounding up people from their workplaces and off the street and sending in the National Guard when this doesn't appear to be happening smoothly enough. There is, of course, the chance that McGraw asked Homan some tough questions. In a clip from the interview posted on X, he appears to begin his interview by asking what exactly happened this "busy" weekend in L.A. Homan replies that multiple law enforcement agencies were 'looking for at-large criminals' and serving search warrants as part of a larger money laundering investigation, including at one company where 'we knew about half of their employees were illegally in the United States' and in 'service of those warrants, we arrested 41 illegal aliens.' Still, after years of claiming to be nonpolitical, McGraw gave the president a full-throated endorsement at Trump's Madison Square Garden rally in 2024 while denouncing diversity initiatives. McGraw said the name of his media company pays homage to Americans who made it 'on hard work … not on equal outcomes or DEI.' McGraw's presence during immigration raids, and his choice as the person who should interview Homan even as things escalated in L.A., would seem downright weird if it weren't so politically perilous. Merit Street Media is one of a growing number of new news outlets claiming to offer 'fresh perspective' on 'American values' while hewing almost exclusively to Trump's MAGA message and offering 'safe spaces' to conservatives. Then-presidential candidate Trump told Dr. Phil in August — in reference to those involved in his felony conviction — 'revenge can be justified' and that he would win California if Jesus were counting the ballots. Read more: Camp Pendleton Marines deployed to L.A.; after ICE protest, union leader faces a federal charge Using McGraw as a platform to explain Trump and Homan's divisive immigration policy and incendiary decision in L.A. most certainly underlines the criticism that these raids, and the fallout they will inevitably cause particularly in sanctuary states and cities, are being conducted with maximum spectacle awareness. If McGraw isn't a direct part of the policy, he appears to be a big part of its publicity. Which is a bit alarming. Over the years, McGraw has been criticized about his treatment of guests (some of whom sued) and staff. In 2020, he issued an apology for comparing the mounting deaths from COVID-19 to the (far smaller) number of deaths due to drowning in swimming pools. After his fellow Oprah alum, Dr. Mehmet Oz, ran for the Senate last year, McGraw shrugged off the notion that he would ever follow suit, saying he 'doesn't know enough about it.' 'When you start talking to me about geopolitics and all the things that go into that — I'm a neophyte, I don't think I would be competent to do that.' Nor is there any indication that he is well-versed in immigration or constitutional law. If Trump and Homan honestly wanted a recognizable TV brand to help walk Americans through the legal complications of what happened in L.A. over the weekend, they should have asked Judge Judy. Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Why on earth is Dr. Phil involved in immigration raids? Another made-for-TV event from a reality star president
Can someone explain to me what, exactly, Dr. Phil has to do with immigration policy or constitutional law in these United States? Many outrageous and unsettling things happened in Los Angeles over the weekend. On Friday, multiple immigration raids, in downtown's Fashion District and outside a Home Depot in Paramount, sparked a not unusual response that led to police involvement, during which many, including union official David Huerta, were arrested. Ostensibly dissatisfied with the handling of the situation, President Trump, over objections from both L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, made the highly unusual — and potentially illegal — decision to send in the National Guard. Tensions escalated and by Sunday, portions of L.A. freeways were shut down as some protesters and/or outside agitators vandalized downtown stores, defaced buildings, hurled rocks from downtown overpasses onto law enforcement vehicles and set fire to a few Waymo cars. Trump's border advisor, Tom Homan, threatened to arrest Newsom if citizens of this sanctuary state continued to interfere with immigration raids, and Newsom publicly dared him to do it, adding that California would be suing the Trump administration for making the situation worse by sending in the National Guard. On Monday, Homan appeared to backtrack on his threat while Trump said he would support it. It was both a little — no one should have been surprised that ICE raids in L.A. would spark protests and these were, relatively speaking, small and nonviolent — and a lot. Sending in the National Guard was an obvious military flex, designed to to bait Angelenos while perhaps distracting Americans from Trump's far greater troubles. But nothing said 'this is a made-for-TV event brought to you by the same reality-star-led administration that proposed making legal immigration into a television competition' as the presence of Phil McGraw. Who, after being embedded with ICE officials during raids in Chicago earlier this year, spent some of this weekend kicking it with Homan in L.A.'s Homeland Security headquarters. As first reported by CNN's Brian Stelter, Dr. Phil was there to get 'a first-hand look' at the targeted operations and an 'exclusive' interview with Homan for 'Dr. Phil Primetime' on MeritTV, part of Merit Street Media, which McGraw owns. Dr. Phil is, for the record, neither a journalist nor an immigration or domestic policy expert. He isn't even a psychologist anymore, having let his license to practice (which he never held in California) lapse years ago. He is instead a television personality and outspoken Trump supporter who was on hand to … I honestly don't know what. Provide psychological support to Homan as he threatened to arrest elected officials for allowing citizens to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech while using local law enforcement to prevent any violence or destruction of property that might occur? Offer Homan another platform on which he could explain why Trump is breaking his own vow to target only those undocumented immigrants who have committed violent crime? Or maybe just provide a familiar face to help normalize rounding up people from their workplaces and off the street and sending in the National Guard when this doesn't appear to be happening smoothly enough. There is, of course, the chance that McGraw asked Homan some tough questions. In a clip from the interview posted on X, he appears to begin his interview by asking what exactly happened this 'busy' weekend in L.A. Homan replies that multiple law enforcement agencies were 'looking for at-large criminals' and serving search warrants as part of a larger money laundering investigation, including at one company where 'we knew about half of their employees were illegally in the United States' and in 'service of those warrants, we arrested 41 illegal aliens.' Still, after years of claiming to be nonpolitical, McGraw gave the president a full-throated endorsement at Trump's Madison Square Garden rally in 2024 while denouncing diversity initiatives. McGraw said the name of his media company pays homage to Americans who made it 'on hard work … not on equal outcomes or DEI.' McGraw's presence during immigration raids, and his choice as the person who should interview Homan even as things escalated in L.A., would seem downright weird if it weren't so politically perilous. Merit Street Media is one of a growing number of new news outlets claiming to offer 'fresh perspective' on 'American values' while hewing almost exclusively to Trump's MAGA message and offering 'safe spaces' to conservatives. Then-presidential candidate Trump told Dr. Phil in August — in reference to those involved in his felony conviction — 'revenge can be justified' and that he would win California if Jesus were counting the ballots. Using McGraw as a platform to explain Trump and Homan's divisive immigration policy and incendiary decision in L.A. most certainly underlines the criticism that these raids, and the fallout they will inevitably cause particularly in sanctuary states and cities, are being conducted with maximum spectacle awareness. If McGraw isn't a direct part of the policy, he appears to be a big part of its publicity. Which is a bit alarming. Over the years, McGraw has been criticized about his treatment of guests (some of whom sued) and staff. In 2020, he issued an apology for comparing the mounting deaths from COVID-19 to the (far smaller) number of deaths due to drowning in swimming pools. After his fellow Oprah alum, Dr. Mehmet Oz, ran for the Senate last year, McGraw shrugged off the notion that he would ever follow suit, saying he 'doesn't know enough about it.' 'When you start talking to me about geopolitics and all the things that go into that — I'm a neophyte, I don't think I would be competent to do that.' Nor is there any indication that he is well-versed in immigration or constitutional law. If Trump and Homan honestly wanted a recognizable TV brand to help walk Americans through the legal complications of what happened in L.A. over the weekend, they should have asked Judge Judy.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
No, Dr. Phil wasn't present at L.A. ICE raids, but he taped interview with Trump's border czar
As Immigration and Customs Enforcement carries out raids across Los Angeles, former daytime talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw and his TV network MeritTV are covering the actions and protests in the city. McGraw conducted an interview Friday with White House border czar Tom Homan, who was leading the agency's raids. A portion of the interview was posted on MeritTV's website and the network plans to air a conversation between the men that was "taped the day before and the day after the L.A. operation" in two parts beginning Monday at 5 p.m. PT, according to a network spokesperson reached via email. MeritTV, which launched late last year, primarily features McGraw's show "Dr. Phil Primetime," where he comments on the news and interviews figures ranging from New York City Mayor Eric Adams to businessman and former L.A. mayoral candidate Rick Caruso. The TV host has previously embedded with ICE officials during raids, including in Chicago earlier this year, where he and his crew taped arrests. However, that wasn't the case this time around in L.A., but crews from his network did capture footage from the enforcement action over the weekend. Read more: Camp Pendleton Marines deployed to L.A.; after ICE protest, union leader faces a federal charge 'MeritTV news crews were on the ground during the recent ICE operation in L.A. on Friday,' a MeritTV spokesperson said. 'In order to not escalate any situation, Dr. Phil McGraw did not join and was not embedded, as he previously was in Chicago.' The interview was taped at the Homeland Security Investigations' downtown field office. ICE declined to comment on the interview and whether McGraw was given advance notice of the raids. McGraw was previously the host of his eponymous talk show, which ended in 2023 after 21 seasons. At the time, CBS Media Ventures, which syndicated the talk show, and McGraw said he wanted to expand his audience in a new venture because of 'grave concerns for the American family.' During the 2024 election, McGraw spoke at then-presidential candidate Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden, though he claimed it wasn't an endorsement. However, he has been a proponent of the administration's positions on immigration and he was recently named to the president's religious liberty commission. Sign up for Screen Gab, a free newsletter about the TV and movies everyone's talking about from the L.A. Times. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
No, Dr. Phil wasn't present at L.A. ICE raids, but he taped interview with Trump's border czar
As Immigration and Customs Enforcement carries out raids across Los Angeles, former daytime talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw and his TV network MeritTV are covering the actions and protests in the city. McGraw conducted an interview Friday with White House border czar Tom Homan, who was leading the agency's raids. A portion of the interview was posted on MeritTV's website and the network plans to air a conversation between the men that was 'taped the day before and the day after the L.A. operation' in two parts beginning Monday at 5 p.m. PT, according to a network spokesperson reached via email. MeritTV, which launched late last year, primarily features McGraw's show 'Dr. Phil Primetime,' where he comments on the news and interviews figures ranging from New York City Mayor Eric Adams to businessman and former L.A. mayoral candidate Rick Caruso. The TV host has previously embedded with ICE officials during raids, including in Chicago earlier this year, where he and his crew taped arrests. However, that wasn't the case this time around in L.A., but crews from his network did capture footage from the enforcement action over the weekend. 'MeritTV news crews were on the ground during the recent ICE operation in L.A. on Friday,' a MeritTV spokesperson said. 'In order to not escalate any situation, Dr. Phil McGraw did not join and was not embedded, as he previously was in Chicago.' The interview was taped at the Homeland Security Investigations' downtown field office. ICE declined to comment on the interview and whether McGraw was given advance notice of the raids. McGraw was previously the host of his eponymous talk show, which ended in 2023 after 21 seasons. At the time, CBS Media Ventures, which syndicated the talk show, and McGraw said he wanted to expand his audience in a new venture because of 'grave concerns for the American family.' During the 2024 election, McGraw spoke at then-presidential candidate Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden, though he claimed it wasn't an endorsement. However, he has been a proponent of the administration's positions on immigration and he was recently named to the president's religious liberty commission.
New York Post
09-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Dr. Phil was on hand at ICE field office during LA immigration raids
TV personality Dr. Phil McGraw and his camera crew were on hand before and after the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles that triggered violent mass protests in the city. The 74-year-old, who covered the ICE raids in Chicago earlier this year, interviewed Trump's border czar Tom Homan to 'get a first-hand look at the targeted operations' in the California city, CNN reported. McGraw, however, did not directly embed himself with ICE officers this time, instead opting to remain at a field office as he spoke with Homan on 'the day before and day after the LA operation,' his office said. 5 Dr. Phil McGraw was at the ICE field office in Los Angeles speaking with agents before and after Friday's chaotic immigration raid. Getty Images 5 Protests erupted in Los Angeles and nearby cities as mobs of demonstrators confronted ICE and the LAPD. AFP via Getty Images 'In order to not escalate any situation, Dr. Phil McGraw did not join and was not embedded' directly during the LA raids, his office explained. McGraw's footage and interview with Homan is set to air on 'Dr. Phil Primetime' on Monday and Tuesday night. A snippet of the interview with Homan posted online earlier in the day showed that the ICE chief was aware things could get hectic in California ahead of the raid. 'You can hate what ICE does and who ICE is. You can protest and throw out all the nasty words you want, but you can't cross that line,' Homan warned if demonstrators get in the way of his officers. 5 Protestors holding signs that read 'ICE out of LA!' during a demonstration. AFP via Getty Images 5 Officers fire soft rounds at demonstrators near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown LA on Sunday. AP 'It's getting out of control. It's getting to be a significant threat to our officers,' he added. Los Angeles descended into multiple days of chaos after ICE officials began an immigration raid on Friday to nab undocumented migrants, with a mob of protesters confronting ICE and the LAPD. The protests devolved into violence on Saturday, with rioters pummeling federal agents with rocks after a raid at a Home Depot in Paramount, California. 5 A mounted police officer confronts a protester hugging the horse during a demonstration against immigration raids. Getty Images Trump has since authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard members to contain the riots and restore order. McGraw's presence at yet another high-profile ICE raid in a major American city has reignited the criticisms of the 'made-for-TV' nature of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. The TV host was at the center of ICE's raids in Chicago back in January, where agents were told to be 'camera-ready' for McGraw and his television crew.
