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By Richard Luthmann with Michael Volpe
THE UNKNOWN 42 EXPLODES: TROOPS, FLAGS, AND EXECUTIVE FIREPOWER
President Trump’s deployment of federal troops to Los Angeles dominated this week’s The Unknown Podcast as co-hosts Richard Luthmann and Michael Volpe clashed over the legality and politics of the move.
Trump cited 10 U.S.C. § 12406 to activate thousands of National Guard and 700 Marines, claiming an “insurrection” was underway. His executive order stated the purpose: “to protect ICE and other U.S. personnel performing federal functions” amid violent anti-ICE protests in L.A.
Volpe was skeptical.
“I don’t see anything in that statute that lets him send troops into L.A. to protect buildings,” he said. “This is a local issue. The National Guard isn’t helping. It’s for show.”
Luthmann fired back: “There’s an insurrection afoot. They’re flying Mexican flags. How do we know this isn’t a foreign invasion?”
He argued Trump’s actions were constitutional.
“Article II gives him the duty to execute the laws. This is law and order, not totalitarianism.”
Newsom’s emergency injunction request was promptly rejected by the courts, confirming Trump’s authority.
“This is Trump learning from history,” Luthmann added. “In 2020, Minnesota burned because no one acted. He’s not making that mistake again.”
THE UNKNOWN 42 EXPLODES: DIDDY’S TRIAL TAKES A DARK TURN
The criminal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is entering bombshell territory. The feds dropped what Volpe called the “smoking gun”: an audio message where Combs told ex-girlfriend “Jane” she’d “have a rude awakening” if she didn’t participate in “hotel nights.”
“That’s coercion,” Volpe said. “That’s the element of sex trafficking. They got him.”
Luthmann agreed the message was damaging. “They’re close,” he said. “But the defense has an opening.”
The duo dissected two failed mistrial motions filed by Diddy’s lawyers. The first involved prejudicial references to a previous case, and the second accused prosecutors of knowingly submitting false testimony about a hotel balcony incident.
“They proved Diddy wasn’t even in the state that day,” Volpe said. “Cassie lied. That’s a huge deal.”
Luthmann explained the strategy: “If the defense can show a pattern of prosecutorial misconduct, they can argue the whole case is tainted. It worked for O.J.—you put the system on trial.”
Volpe added: “You can’t cross-examine an audio recording. But you can convince jurors the witnesses—and prosecutors—lied repeatedly. That’s reasonable doubt.”
The court, however, found no prejudicial impact—yet.
“Judge Subramanian is a stickler,” Luthmann said. “But if this keeps up, he may have to throw the whole case out.”
THE UNKNOWN 42 EXPLODES: ELON VS. TRUMP: LOYALTY AND LOSSES
The podcast also tackled the high-profile spat between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. The feud began over Trump’s proposed “Big Beautiful Bill,” which Musk said was bloated and fiscally irresponsible.
It spiraled into Musk accusing Trump of being tied to Jeffrey Epstein.
But at 12:04 AM Wednesday, Musk folded.
“I regret some of my posts about President Trump last week,” he wrote on X. “They went too far.”
Volpe was blunt: “He apologized because Tesla stock was tanking. Plain and simple.”
Luthmann dissected the Trump playbook: “He demands public loyalty. If you cross him, you must publicly bend the knee.”
Examples abounded:
Ted Cruz: From “pathological liar” to “Beautiful Ted.”
Lindsey Graham: Once a critic, now a lapdog.
Marco Rubio: After being mocked, he’s now the Secretary of State.
“Elon knows the script,” Luthmann said. “Trump will make a show of forgiving him, but he never forgets.”
Volpe noted Musk may be pulling back from politics. “He needs the stock to stabilize.”
Luthmann agreed. “He should just build his company town in Texas and stay quiet. Make peace with Trump. Focus on the empire. That’s the Musk move.”
THE UNKNOWN 42 EXPLODES: THE FINAL WORD
The Unknown delivered a masterclass in raw political commentary from Trump’s military muscle to Diddy’s legal doom to Elon’s Twitter tap-out. Luthmann summed it up best:
“This is Trump 2.0. He’s faster, smarter, and not taking any nonsense. And the world’s watching.”
Volpe had the last shot: “Just don’t call it law and order when it looks like theater.”
Stay tuned for next week’s episode.
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