curated citations to news sources
Statement by Fmr. Defense Secretary General James Mattis on Trump’s Use of Marines as Unconstitutional
…
We must reject any thinking of our cities as a “battlespace” that our uniformed military is called upon to “dominate.” At home, we should use our military only when requested to do so, on very rare occasions, by state governors. Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict — a false conflict — between the military and civilian society. It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are sworn to protect, and of which they themselves are a part. Keeping public order rests with civilian state and local leaders who best understand their communities and are answerable to them.
…
Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences…
Military.com: Bragg Soldiers Who Cheered Trump’s Political Attacks While in Uniform Were Checked for Allegiance, Appearance
Guardian: Troops and marines deeply troubled by LA deployment: ‘Morale is not great’
…
Three different advocacy organisations representing military families said they had heard from dozens of affected service members who expressed discomfort about being drawn into a domestic policing operation outside their normal field of operations. The groups said they have heard no countervailing opinions.
ABC: US military can temporarily detain protesters in Los Angeles, commander says
Timothy Snyder: Trump’s civil war
Earlier this week Donald Trump called for a second civil war at a US military base. This scenario can be resisted and prevented, if we have the courage to listen, interpret, and act. And this Saturday we will have the occasion to act.
Jay Kuo: Bragg-adocious
Trump’s wild speech at a U.S. military base, with a backdrop of cheering, pre-screened soldiers, draws us one step closer to autocracy.
Sarah Jones: Trump Started the Fire
Donald Trump and his Republican Party started the fire in Los Angeles.They incited protest with masked kidnappings of people in public spaces and now they’re trying to blame Democrats for the results.
Jennifer Rubin: Trump’s Big Ugly LA Lie
Donald Trump intentionally provoked needless violence
Time: Trump Picked the Worst Possible Time to Hold a Military Parade
…
It’s one thing to watch a military display for show; it’s another to watch live ammo be fired into the air to put down domestic demonstrations. The disconnect between Trump’s stagings of brute force is striking and more than a little worrisome for those who have long thought civilian control of the military would have stopped such a craven choice.
-
Robert Reich: Solidarity Now
We may disagree on many things, but we stand together on the fundamentals.
(Robert Reich more…)
-
Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American – June 11, 2025
While President Donald Trump is trying to project strength by ordering a federalized National Guard and the Marines into Los Angeles, a new Quinnipiac poll of American registered voters out today reinforces that both Trump and his policies are unpopular. The numbers are remarkable.
The poll shows that 38% of registered voters approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president; 54% disapprove. Voters aren’t keen on Trump’s appointees, either. Thirty-eight percent of voters approve of the way Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is handling his job; 53% disapprove. Thirty-seven percent of voters approve of the way Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is handling his job, while 46% disapprove. Thirty-eight percent approved of the work billionaire Elon Musk did, while 57% said it was either “not so good” or “poor.”
More voters disapprove than approve of Trump’s handling of immigration issues (43% approval to 54% disapproval), deportations (40% approval to 56% disapproval), the economy (40% approval to 56% disapproval), trade (38% approval to 57% disapproval), universities (37% approval to 54% disapproval), the Israel-Hamas conflict (35% approval to 52% disapproval), and the Russia-Ukraine war (34% approval to 57% disapproval).
Voters are opposed to the budget reconciliation bill the Republicans have dubbed the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” (and Democrats have called the “Big, Beautiful Betrayal”) by 53% to 27%. While the measure cuts almost $800 billion out of Medicaid over the next ten years, only 10% of registered voters believe the federal funding for Medicaid should decrease.
(Heather Cox Richardson more…)
-
Alternet: ‘True mask off moment’: GOP lawmaker says some jobs shouldn’t pay workers enough to live
-
WSJ: Trump Has No China Trade Strategy
Washington and Beijing stage a tactical retreat that shows China’s leverage.
TNR: How Trump’s Tariffs Promote Hate at Home
CNBC: Here are the three reasons why tariffs have yet to drive inflation higher
…
At least three factors have conspired so far to keep inflation in check:- Companies hoarding imported goods ahead of the April 2 tariff announcement.
- The time it takes for the charges to make their way into the real economy.
- The lack of pricing power companies face as consumers tighten belts.
-
WSJ: L.A. Police Suppress Protests as ‘Anti-Trump’ Demos Planned for Weekend
Intercept: LAPD Won’t Do Immigration Enforcement — But Will Shoot You With Rubber Bullets for Protesting ICE
LA’s sanctuary laws ban cops from helping ICE in most cases. But the LAPD was out in full force repressing protests against the raids.
NY Post: Post photographer shot in the head with rubber bullet in LA anti-ICE riots — and he caught the terrifying moment on camera
-
Bulwark: The Vicious MAGA Feedback Loop Feeding Trump’s L.A. Crackdown
-
Sarah Jones: Woman Deliberately Shot By Law Enforcement While Trying to Return Home In LA
Ken Klippenstein: LA Protesters Arrested for Throwing Molotov Cocktails
-
Slate: The Way Trump Speaks About the Military Is Awfully Revealing
…
Trump says the Army parade will display—and demonstrate that America possesses—“the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest Army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we’re going to celebrate it.”Apart from the fact that submarines are the Navy’s pride, not the Army’s, and can’t be hauled out for any sort of public display, two peculiarities stand out in Trump’s remarks. First, all of the weapons that will be rolling down, or flying above, Constitution Avenue—26 Abrams tanks, 28 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and 27 Stryker vehicles, and several dozen personnel carriers, as well as more than 50 helicopters—were built long ago. In fact, the Army hasn’t built any new tanks or fighting vehicles in this century. In other words, the boasts—which aren’t incorrect (the Abrams and the Bradley do rank among the world’s greatest armored vehicles)—don’t align with Trump’s claims, in other forums, that his predecessors ravaged the military and left the country defenseless. (At a House hearing on Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made similar claims and asserted that he and Trump had vastly improved our preparedness—even though they haven’t yet submitted a detailed defense budget, much less enacted it, or developed and built any of its proposed weapon systems.)
More striking is what Trump omitted from his list of enthusiasms: the men and women who serve in the armed forces. Trump clearly doesn’t care much about any of the people who train, fight, or die for our country. It’s worth recalling the claim, made by his former chief of staff, retired Gen. John Kelly, that Trump once derided fallen soldiers as “losers” and “suckers.” Trump denies he ever said that. But if you believe the president over the general, consider that, earlier this year, Trump changed the names of Memorial Day and Veterans Day to “Victory in World War II Day” and “Victory in World War I Day.” The change is significant—and appalling. It means that the vast majority of American veterans have no day of their own to commemorate. (About 66,000 World War II vets are still alive, but that amounts to less than one-half of 1 percent of the nation’s 15.8 million living veterans from all wars.) Nor do the families of those who died in more recent wars—around 36,000 in Korea, 58,000 in Vietnam, 4,500 in Iraq, and 2,200 in Afghanistan, among others.
Trump has no interest in memorializing service or sacrifice for their own sake. (Remember his dis of John McCain, who was tortured in North Vietnamese jails for five years after getting shot down: “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”) Winning is all that matters in Trump’s book—and our most solemn national holidays have been altered to reflect his mindset.
(Slate more…)
-
Sarah Jones: Gov Abbott Betrays the Lie by Deploying National Guard BEFORE Saturday’s Protests
-
Raw Story: Entire Fulbright board quits in mass revolt over Trump assault
-
Decoding Fox News: Biden’s Use of an Autopen – The Latest Bright Shiny Object
A condensed overview of 18 hours of Fox News for the week ending 6/8/25
Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda
Leave a Reply