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
True90% confidence6 sourcesOct 17, 2026California allows automatic voter registration when obtaining a driver's license.Said by ACalifornia's Motor Voter program automatically registers eligible DMV driver's license applicants to vote unless they opt out, as confirmed by the Secretary of State's 2026 pages and guidance. The claim's literal wording is accurate as of 2026-10-17; the post's phrasing 'the DMV automatically registers you' is a faithful paraphrase, and the program's eligibility limits (citizens, residents, not incarcerated for felony) are not a contradiction of the core assertion.True88% confidence7 sourcesOct 17, 2026California has approximately 23 million registered voters.Said by 2BCalifornia's Secretary of State reported 23,164,977 registered voters as of September 4, 2026, which matches the claim's figure of approximately 23 million. Other sources from around the claim's date also cite about 23 million, so the claim holds as of 2026-10-20 and the extraction matches the passage.True80% confidence9 sourcesOct 17, 2026The Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney Bill Isaley sent a letter and a thumb drive to Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters Dean Logan and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber alleging there are 20,000 illegal ballots in Los Angeles County.Said by BMultiple sources confirm that the DOJ sent Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan and Secretary of State Shirley Weber a letter with a password-protected thumb drive listing about 20,000 voters it says are likely noncitizens. The official is First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (the post's "Isaley" appears to be a transcription error), and the sources dispute the allegation's accuracy, so calling it "illegal ballots" describes the DOJ's allegation rather than a established fact.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True60% confidence5 sourcesOct 17, 2026California sends 20 million ballots out in the mail for each election.Said by BCalifornia counties mail a ballot to every active registered voter for each election, and the sources report about 23 million mail ballots sent for the 2026 primary and general elections, so the claim's direction and mechanism are supported. The claimed figure of 20 million understates the recorded 23.1 to 23.45 million, but it is not grossly off, and the dropped 'less than half are filled out' detail is not graded. As of 2026-10-17, the mailing had already occurred (deadline Oct 5).True90% confidence5 sourcesOct 17, 2026California DMV issues driver's licenses to illegal aliens.Said by AThe California DMV's own handbook states it offers driver's licenses to all residents regardless of immigration status, and a 2026 Reuters report says 19 states plus DC license undocumented immigrants, a group that includes California per other sources. The claim is accurate as of 2026-10-17, and the extracted wording is faithful to the post. The loaded term 'illegal aliens' is the post's framing, not a factual dispute about the licensing.True90% confidence6 sourcesOct 17, 2026The Trump administration sent a thumb drive to Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan's office containing a list of likely non-citizen registered voters and a sticky note with a password.Said by CMultiple tier1 sources confirm the Justice Department sent Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan's office a password-protected thumb drive with a list of about 20,000 people it believes are likely noncitizens, plus a handwritten note with the password (described by the secretary of state's office as a sticky note). The claim drops the post's hedge "what they claim is," but the sources treat the list as the administration's allegation, so this does not change the verdict. A later October 29 federal court ruling against the administration does not affect the October 17 assessment.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True93% confidence8 sourcesOct 17, 2026The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against California claiming there are 20,000 non-citizens on the state's voter rolls.Said by DThe Justice Department sued California on October 15, 2026, and its complaint claims that more than 20,000 likely noncitizens are registered to vote in the state. The claim describes what the lawsuit alleged, not whether the allegation is true, and California officials dispute it.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True93% confidence6 sourcesOct 17, 2026Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan refused to open the thumb drive provided by the DOJ due to security concerns.Said by CLos Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan's own October 14 statement, carried by AP, The Hill, CBS and PBS, says his office did not open the thumb drive because doing so would conflict with data privacy and information security protocols, and that the device was not a secure medium. The claim matches the post's statement about security concerns, and the refusal was in place as of the 2026-10-17 posting date; later coverage (NPR, Oct 20; Logan's Oct 21 statement on preliminary review) shows the County later reviewed records, which does not change the October 17 state of affairs.True90% confidence5 sourcesOct 17, 2026Dean Logan previously worked as a registrar in Washington state.Said by AThe claim that Dean Logan previously worked as a registrar in Washington state is supported by multiple sources: an official EAC bio says he served as Washington State Elections Director and as elected Kitsap County Clerk, and as Director of Records, Elections and Licensing in King County, Washington, before coming to Los Angeles County. The post's characterization of a 'checkered history' is opinion and not graded here, and the extracted claim's narrower 'registrar' label is a defensible reading of his Washington election-administration roles.True90% confidence5 sourcesOct 17, 2026Dean Logan's office was responsible for counting the petitions to recall George Gascon.Multiple sources confirm that Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan's office examined and verified the 715,833 signatures submitted to recall District Attorney George Gascón, finding 520,050 valid, short of the 566,857 required. The post's 'counting' corresponds to this signature verification, and the claim does not depart from the passage; its 'whole mess' remark is opinion and is not graded.True90% confidence8 sourcesOct 17, 2026California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed 100 lawsuits against the federal government.Said by BMultiple sources (CalMatters, LAist, KQED, Center Square, and the AG's own press release) report that Bonta filed the state's 100th lawsuit against the Trump administration on Oct 15, 2026, and the post's own remark about his 'one hundredth lawsuit against this federal government' matches. The claim's wording 'against the federal government' is a faithful paraphrase of the post, and the sources confirm the 100-lawsuit count.True95% confidence9 sourcesOct 17, 2026The federal government filed a lawsuit against California regarding voter rolls during the ongoing election.Said by DThe federal government (the Trump Justice Department) filed a lawsuit against California election officials on October 15, 2026, over the state's refusal to set aside mail ballots from about 20,000 people flagged as likely noncitizens on voter rolls. That was before the October 17 posting date, and the claim's 'ongoing election' framing matches the reporting on the November 3 midterms, so the claim is true as of its date.