Podcast · kabc.com
The John Phillips Show
790 KABC Radio | Cumulus Los Angeles
OC Native John Phillips brings wit, political connections and insight to “The John Phillips Show”. Phillips began his radio career as the youngest major-market radio talk show host in the country. He is also CNN political commentator, a columnist for The Orange County Register and makes regular appearances on cable news. John was formerly a sports anchor and executive producer for “McIntyre in the Morning”, producer for “The Al Rantel Show”, news writer for the KNX Morning News with Frank Mottek and Gail Eichenthal, and a guest host on virtually every show ever cancelled by KABC. Though in his mid-thirties he is a ten-year veteran of KABC John’s interests: The Angels, Palm Springs, movies, cruises, home Improvement and airline travel.
30 claims · Clear filters
True80% confidence5 sourcesOct 17, 2026The federal government told the California Secretary of State in July that 190,000 people were likely ineligible to vote.Said by DMultiple sources, including a California Secretary of State statement, the LA Times, and Courthouse News, confirm that the federal Homeland Security Department told California's Secretary of State in July that about 190,000 noncitizen voters were on the rolls. The sources describe this as 'may have' or 'potentially' ineligible rather than 'likely' ineligible, and the figure was later lowered to about 20,000; fact-checkers and the state call the underlying figure unsubstantiated, but that does not make the July communication itself false.True93% confidence6 sourcesOct 17, 2026The federal government sent a letter to California stating that 20,000 people on the voter rolls were likely ineligible to vote.Said by DThe federal government's October 13, 2026 letters to California officials, reported by the DOJ, Reuters, AP and others, stated that about 20,000 registered voters were 'likely' noncitizens and therefore ineligible to vote, which matches the claim. The letters went to the Secretary of State and Los Angeles County's registrar rather than the state as a whole, and the post's 'a couple days ago' fits that date, so the claim holds as of 2026-10-17; later coverage shows the state disputed the list and a court halted the DOJ's bid to block the ballots, but that does not change the claim's accuracy on that date.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True80% confidence5 sourcesOct 17, 2026The federal government matched U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement information with voter information to identify the 20,000 allegedly ineligible voters.Said by 2BThe federal government did match federal immigration data against California voter-roll information to flag about 20,000 likely noncitizen registrants, as the DOJ, CNN, Axios and The Hill all report. The post names the wrong agency (the matching involved USCIS and Homeland Security Investigations, not ICE by name), and the sources dispute how accurate the list is, but they do not dispute that the matching occurred.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True65% confidence5 sourcesOct 17, 2026Bonnie Raitt is performing at the Hollywood Pantages Theater on October 21, 2026.Said by BMultiple event listings and a promoter page show Bonnie Raitt scheduled at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre on October 21, 2026, as part of a two-night stand (October 20 and 21), so the claim holds as of the 2026-10-17 posting date. The sources are mostly unrated listing sites, and the promoter page is the only one that describes the run in detail; the tier1 sources in the set do not address this event.True90% confidence7 sourcesOct 17, 2026Federal law prohibits removing people from voter rolls within 90 days of an election.Said by DThe National Voter Registration Act's 90-day quiet period bars states from completing systematic removals of ineligible voters within 90 days before a federal election, as stated by DOJ guidance, AP and PolitiFact. The claim's wording omits the 'systematic' qualifier and individualized exceptions (e.g., removals at voter request, death, felony), which is a faithful paraphrase rather than a contradiction; the claim is about a 90-day federal restriction and the sources confirm it.True93% confidence7 sourcesOct 17, 2026Shirley Weber is the Secretary of State for California.Said by BThe California Secretary of State's official website states that Shirley N. Weber was sworn in as Secretary of State on January 29, 2021, and other sources published before and around 2026-10-17 identify her as the current officeholder. The claim matches the passage's reference to 'the same Secretary of State, Shirley Weber' and was accurate on the date it was made.True85% confidence5 sourcesOct 17, 2026The federal government previously claimed there were 190,000 ineligible voters in California before reducing the figure to 20,000.Multiple sources, including an ABC7 explainer and The Business Standard, report that federal officials earlier flagged as many as 190,000 potentially ineligible California voters and later narrowed the figure to about 20,000, matching the claim. The sources do not explain the reduction in detail, but the claim itself does not assert an explanation, so the core assertion holds; the claim faithfully tracks the passage.True90% confidence5 sourcesOct 17, 2026California Attorney General Rob Bonta was appointed to his position by Governor Gavin Newsom to fill a vacancy.Said by AMultiple reliable sources state that Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Rob Bonta as California attorney general to fill the vacancy left by Xavier Becerra's departure for HHS secretary. The claim is supported; the sources also show Bonta was confirmed by the legislature, which the claim does not dispute, and the post's wording matches the claim.True95% confidence6 sourcesOct 17, 2026Rob Bonta served as a member of the California state legislature before his appointment as Attorney General.Said by AMultiple sources, including the official California DOJ page, Reuters, the Governor's office release, and Wikipedia-style records, establish that Rob Bonta served in the California State Assembly (2012–2021) before being appointed Attorney General in 2021. The extracted claim is a faithful paraphrase of the post's point that Bonta was a termed-out legislator before Newsom's appointment, and the post's own framing matches the sources' record of his legislative service; the post's rhetoric about his career prospects is not part of the claim graded here.True90% confidence3 sourcesOct 17, 2026Rob Bonta appeared on Fox Business with Neil Cavuto to discuss a proposed wealth tax.Said by BMultiple sources, including a Fox Business article and a Fox transcript from August 2020, show Rob Bonta, then a California assemblyman, was interviewed by Neil Cavuto on Fox Business about his proposed wealth tax (AB 2088). The post's 'Bob Bonta' is the same person, and the claim's core assertion holds; the post's 'laughed off the TV' remark is not part of the extracted claim and was not graded.True93% confidence6 sourcesOct 17, 2026The federal government filed a lawsuit alleging that 20,000 people in California have ballots who should not have them.Said by BThe federal government (DOJ, working with DHS) did file a lawsuit on October 15, 2026, alleging that more than 20,000 registered California voters who are likely noncitizens have ballots they should not have. The claim faithfully reflects the post and the lawsuit was filed before the October 17 posting date; the allegation itself is contested, and a federal judge later declined to block counting, but that does not affect whether the lawsuit was filed with this allegation.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True95% confidence6 sourcesOct 17, 2026Gavin Newsom appointed Shirley Weber as Secretary of State.Said by AMultiple independent sources (AP, Politico, LA Times, Governor's office, CA Secretary of State) confirm Gavin Newsom selected Shirley Weber in December 2020 to be California's Secretary of State, to replace Alex Padilla after Padilla's Senate appointment; she was formally sworn in January 29, 2021. The claim's wording matches the passage's 'he gave Shirley Weber the Secretary of State's job' without adding anything, and the appointment was a nomination subject to legislative confirmation, which the sources report as completed.