Newsom is making news because he is one of the only Democrats with actual power who isn’t afraid to use it. He does have the power to affect who controls Congress in the next election, so he’s using it. He does control the largest economy in the U.S. and could cut those resources off if it came down to it. He does control a state with 117,000 law enforcement officers who could be ordered to defend Californians from federal aggression, if needed.