New reporting in the New York Post suggests the FBI may have infiltrated Governor Newsom’s inner circle, convincing Democratic Insider Alexis Podesta to secretly record conversations with Newsom’s then chief-of-staff Dana Williamson, who in May pleaded guilty to federal fraud and tax charges. The accusation of Podesta wearing a wire comes according to Williamson’s attorney. Newsom’s office, meanwhile, responding, saying there is no evidence that the alleged use of that wire on one of the FBI’s informants was in any way connected to the Governor.
This, capping a busy week in California politics, in which new laws went into effect, the gas tax went up, state workers were required to go back to the office, former Vice President Harris and Governor Newsom courted NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani amid a surge of progressive candidates, backed by the DSA, winning Democratic primaries across the country, and controversy over the failure of legislation that would have barred sex offenders from running for office in California. “Inside California Politics” host Nikki Laurenzo joins Micah Ohlman and Courtney Friel to break it all down and offer her Independence Day message ahead of America’s 250th. July 3, 2026.