On Thursday, the California bear roared to life as Gavin Newsom and his allies held a rally to kick off the ballot initiative meant to counter Trump's meddling in Texas.

One by one, California labor leaders, Democrats, and activists came forward to support a redistricting effort that would wipe out any gains made by Texas in their effort to cheat for Trump and add another 4 seats on top of that. And then Gavin Newsom came to the mike.

I've been waiting so long for someone (and yes, I see you, JB Pritzker) to bring the fight to Trump. What Newsom is doing puts Texas in a box, because he's giving them enough room to step back from the precipice while still keeping his finger on the trigger. And boy howdy, he did not stop there.

The rally itself was held at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, where several dozen masked ICE agents also appeared to put a fascist flair on the event for their god and hero, Donald Trump. But no one was cowed by that.

Newsom had some needles to poke into Trump's ass:

I know what Donald Trump knows, he's going to lose the midterms.

He knows de facto his presidency ends in 17 months, when Speaker Jeffries is back in office.

He knows it.

Why else would you try to rig the system?

Why else would you make the phone call?

He's a failed president.

Who else sends ICE at the same time having a conversation like this?

Someone is weak.

Someone is broken.

Someone is weakness is masquerading as strength.

The most unpopular president in modern history, an economy that's collapsing all around him.

You saw the new wholesale prices going up almost a full percentage point today.

Inflation is going up.

Job creation is going down.

He's trying to rewrite history, Smithsonian, censoring historical facts.

And in the spirit of what Adam Schiff said, he's trying to put America in reverse on voting rights, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, on women's rights.

He wants to bring us back to a pre 1960s world.

That's what this is all about.

It's about power.

And I want to end on this.

And we are about to get power.

Yes, just inject this into my veins. A high profile Democrat not just saying, but also DOING A THING that lets Republicans know we're not going to stand by and watch them cheat.