curated citations to news sources
BBC: US senator dragged out of LA immigration news conference
NY Times: Senator Alex Padilla Forcibly Removed and Handcuffed After Confronting Noem
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As Mr. Padilla — a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the son of Mexican immigrants and a Los Angeles native — began to question the authenticity of a bank of mug shots behind her, agents shoved him out of the room, told him to drop to his knees in a hallway and handcuffed him, based on videos taken by Mr. Padilla’s office and a Fox News reporter.
A small group of reporters pivoted their cameras toward the disruption. Other national and local journalists were forced to wait outside the building after officials blocked access to the news conference shortly before the event began.
(NY Times more…)
Guardian: Senator Alex Padilla forcibly removed from Kristi Noem press conference in LA
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In a statement from Padilla’s office, his team said: “Senator Padilla is currently in Los Angeles exercising his duty to perform congressional oversight of the federal government’s operations in Los Angeles and across California. He was in the federal building to receive a briefing with General Guillot and was listening to Secretary Noem’s press conference.
Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American – June 12, 2025
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While Democratic senators and representatives are outraged, they are having little success getting their Republican colleagues to join them. House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) suggested that Padilla had charged Noem—the videos show no such thing—and suggested the Senate should censure Padilla for “wildly inappropriate” behavior.
While much focus has been on the assault itself, what Noem was saying before Padilla spoke out is crucially important. “We are not going away,” she said. “We are staying here to liberate this city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into the city.”
In other words, the Trump administration is vowing to get rid of the democratically elected government of California by using military force. That threat is the definition of a coup. It suggests MAGA considers any political victory but their own to be illegitimate and considers themselves justified in removing those governmental officials with violence: a continuation of the attempt of January 6, 2021, to overturn the results of a presidential election.
Priscilla Alvarez and Natasha Bertrand of CNN reported today that, although the Trump administration said its federalization of the National Guard and mobilization of Marines into Los Angeles was an emergency response to rioting, in fact White House officials began talking about using the National Guard and the military as support for immigration enforcement as early as February. …
(Heather Cox Richardson more…)
Thom Hartmann: Noem, the FBI & Trump Just Sent a Message to America: the Police State is Not Coming—it’s Here
Senator Alex Padilla asked a question. The regime answered with fists, lies, and a chilling promise: “We’re not going away.”
Liz Dye: We’ve reached the indicting the opposition stage of fascism
There’s no sane world in which Rep. McIver committed felonies during her altercation with ICE.
Bulwark: No Kings: Stand Against Trump’s Un-American Birthday Bash
He claims it’s about the Army, but it’s really about him.
John Pavlovitz: A Letter to Americans Still on the Sidelines as ‘No Kings Day’ Approaches
empty wheel: Ahead of No Kings Day, the King’s Nobles are Getting Nervous
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Somehow, Kehoe manages to take all this subjunctive language about possible future situations as justification for his big THEREFORE: “I, Mike Kehoe . . . do hereby declare that a State of Emergency exists in the State of Missouri due to civil unrest.” I think he left “the possibility of” out of that last sentence, as that sentence probably ought to end with “the possibility of civil unrest.”
Allison Gill: Protesting with PTS and Anxiety
I never thought I’d be posting about mitigating PTS and generalized anxiety symptoms while marching in large crowds to redress grievances against a fascist dictator, but here we are.
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If you have any other suggestions for mitigating anxiety in crowds, please feel free to share them below, and I’ll see you all this Saturday.
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AP: Judge says Trump illegally deployed National Guard to help with LA protests, must return control
The White House had no immediate comment on the ruling, but the federal government immediately filed an appeal with the Ninth Circuit court. The Trump administration called the lawsuit a “crass political stunt endangering American lives” in its official response Wednesday.
LAWdork: Federal judge says Trump’s National Guard activation was illegal, but appeals court stays order
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UPDATE, 11:35 p.m. ET: A Ninth Circuit panel issued an “administrative stay” of Breyer’s order through at least Tuesday — which would therefore mean Trump’s activation of the California National Guard would remain in effect over the weekend absent a further court order.yahoo!news: Is Los Angeles really under siege? This map shows how little of the sprawling city has been affected by protests.
Jennifer Rubin: Undaunted: The outspoken veterans
Unequivocal, courageous veterans who have come out and denounced Trump’s dangerous maneuver deserve our praise
Sarah Jones: Deployed Troops Raise Concerns about Pointing a Gun at Fellow US Citizens
Many of the increased calls to a GI Rights hotline are coming from Marine and National Guard troops deployed in LA who are confused about the actions of their leaders.
Wired: The High-Flying Escalation of CBP’s Predator Drone Flights Over LA
Custom and Border Protection flying powerful Predator B drones over Los Angeles further breaks the seal on federal involvement in civilian matters typically handled by state or local authorities.
On Wednesday, United States Customs and Border Protection confirmed to 404 Media that it has been flying Predator drones over Los Angeles amid the LA protests. The military drones, a CBP statement said, “are supporting our federal law enforcement partners in the Greater Los Angeles area, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with aerial support of their operations.”
(Wired more…)
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AP: Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear and missile sites with explosions heard across Tehran
WSJ: Netanyahu Says Operation ‘Rising Lion’ Will Last ‘as Many Days as It Takes’
NY Times: What to Know About Israel’s Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Program
Guardian: Israeli strikes hit more than 100 targets in Iran including nuclear facilities
NewsNation: Iran withdraws from nuclear talks with US
- Israel struck multiple targets and killed senior leaders in Iran
- Iran launched retaliatory drone attacks and warned of retaliation
- Iran announced it is pulling out of nuclear talks with the US
Daily Beast: Rubio’s Bid to Distance U.S. From Israel’s Attack on Iran Immediately Blows Up
DIPLOMATIC HEADACHE
Iran blames Washington as Trump pushes for talks amid Middle East chaos.Daily Beast: Marco Rubio Aide Scrambles to Delete His Public Attack on Trump Appointee
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Crooks & Liars: Trump’s Top General Breaks With Donald On Major Issues
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Of course, Putin won’t stop with Ukraine. His thirst for blood and power is limitless. And of course, there have been border issues for years now. But we aren’t being invaded, and Trump did kill the bipartisan deal over the southern border. Of course, “there’s definitely some frustrated folks out there” since the ‘law and order’ President has no respect for laws or the Constitution.
(Crooks & Liars more…)Crooks & Liars: Marco Rubio Congratulates Russia On ‘Russia Day’
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BBC: Hegseth suggests Pentagon has ‘contingency’ plans to take Greenland by force
In a congressional hearing on Thursday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked if the US needs to be prepared “to take Greenland and Panama by force”.Hegseth avoided directly answering the question but suggested the US has plans for “any contingency”.
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Guardian: Hegseth aide upended Pentagon leak inquiry with false wiretap claims
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Dean Blundell: Trump’s Fort Bragg rally featured soldiers in uniform buying “White Privilege Trump Cards” and MAGA gear
(Dean Blundell more…)
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Daily Kos: Trump thinks ‘windmills are killing our country’—yes, really
(Daily Kos more…)
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AP: Judge blocks Trump’s election executive order, siding with Democrats who called it overreach
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Sarah Jones: Masked ICE Raids at California Churches Involved Threatening a Pastor
Pastor Alfredo Lopez of Downey Memorial Christian Church confronted ICE agents asking for their information after seeing a man outside his church’s parking lot being surrounded by immigration officers.
Not only did the agents refuse to give their identity and refuse to leave the church parking lot, but they threatened the pastor while “pointing weapons at the clergy.”
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Closer to the Edge: They Took Her Anyway
ICE Rips Breastfeeding Mother from U.S. Marine’s Family in New Orleans
A FAMILY FOLLOWED THE RULES. ICE FOLLOWED PROCEDURE. THAT’S THE PROBLEM.
There was no raid. No crime. No deception. Just Paola Clouatre, 25 years old, arriving at a scheduled immigration interview in New Orleans with her husband Adrian—a Marine Corps veteran—and their two children. They were there for a routine step in the process of applying for Paola’s Green Card. They were following the system, trusting that cooperation would count for something. But after the interview, they were told to wait. And instead of paperwork, three ICE agents entered and arrested Paola on the spot.
(Closer to the Edge more…)
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Your Local Epidemiologist: A snapshot into how deportations affect health
It’s been… a week. Sometimes I’m left feeling like I’m bailing buckets of water out of an ocean. So I’m going to keep this short.
As you may have heard, RFK Jr. has already revealed eight names for the new ACIP committee. As mentioned earlier, there was a spectrum of possibilities on who these names would be, going from “best case” to “worst case.” Let’s say there are some major red flags. But there may be more names, and I want to wait to comment until the entire list is revealed and I have a steady head. More soon.
Part of the exhaustion this week isn’t just professional. It’s also deeply personal…
Every night, I ask my girls about their day. Most of the time, their answers reflect their innocence and uncomplicated lives (“Someone cut in front of me in the lunch line.”) But my daughter’s response stopped me.
Daughter: Aiden* was being really mean today.
Me: Well, sometimes when someone is mean, that means they are really sad inside.
Daughter: That makes sense because he was crying all day.
Me: Why was he crying?
Daughter: Because his parents had to go back to Mexico.
Me: For a summer vacation?
Daughter: No, forever. He doesn’t know when he will see them again. He has to live with his grandma. [pause] Are you going to have to go to Mexico?One in eight students in states like California have at least one undocumented parent. So I suppose it was only a matter of time before my daughters’ world collided with the reality of immigration policy. But nothing prepares you for the conversation.
Regardless of where you stand politically on immigration, it’s essential to understand that policy changes impact not just individuals who are deported, but the communities they leave behind, especially children.
(Your Local Epidemiologist more…)
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Closer to the Edge: Don’t Shoot the Messenger: It’s Time for a Law That Protects Journalists From Rubber Bullets
In America, you can shoot a journalist in the face with a rubber bullet and be home by dinner. No charges. No suspension. No real consequences. Just another “use of force” report buried under jargon about “non-lethal dispersal tactics.” And this week, in Los Angeles, it happened again. Rubber bullets flew through downtown like warnings, thudding into bodies, breaking skin, scattering peaceful crowds, and once again threatening the people holding cameras just for being too close to the truth.
This isn’t crowd control. It’s message control. And the message is this: Shut up or bleed.
During the George Floyd uprisings in 2020, more than a hundred journalists were assaulted by police in a single month. Not for looting. Not for violence. For documenting. Linda Tirado was shot in the face and lost her eye. Freelancers and staffers alike were targeted, gassed, handcuffed, beaten — and not a single cop faced criminal charges for it. If this were Turkey or Russia, we’d call it state repression. But here in the land of performative press freedom, we call it “collateral.”
(Closer to the Edge more…)
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Marisa Kabas: ICE agents get green light to make unjustified warrantless arrests
The agency announced an accountability policy has been rescinded.
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Morgaan Sinclair, Ph.D.: Manufacturing Dissent: Trump’s Coup. Why now? Look no further than Rockland, New York.
Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda
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