curated citations to news sources
Task & Purpose: Marines detain civilian in Los Angeles, in first such case
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The incident was first reported by Reuters, who identified the detained man as U.S. Army veteran Marcos Leao. A spokesperson for U.S. Northern Command confirmed that an individual was detained, but turned over to law enforcement officials after approximately 10 minutes. He was transferred to the custody of officers from the Department of Homeland Security before being released.
Per Reuters, Leao was on his way to the nearby Veterans Affairs campus when he crossed yellow tape at the Wilshire federal building, which Marines from 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment took over guarding this afternoon. Marines quickly detained him and restrained him using zip ties.
Social media and a Backstage account matching Leao’s name and image describe him as a 27-year-old personal trainer, actor and model. According to his biography, he completed one tour in Iraq while in the U.S. Army. Leao, who gained U.S. citizenship through his military service according to Reuters, was released by authorities and said he was treated “very fairly.”
(Task & Purpose more…)
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Closer to the Edge: Nick Stern
Nick Stern was doing what photojournalists do best—capturing the soul of a moment, documenting reality with the calm precision of someone who’s seen it all. War zones. Riots. Political unrest. And yet, it was Los Angeles—not Kabul, not Kyiv, not Kandahar—that nearly tore his leg open and left him in an operating room.He was walking along the protest route, lens in hand, clearly marked as press, when the shot rang out. One second he was standing. The next, he collapsed. A “non-lethal” munition—a term that deserves to be laughed out of every public safety manual—ripped into the back of his leg.
“I felt a mighty pain in my leg,” Stern later told The Guardian. “I put my hand down and felt a lump sticking out.”
The projectile had lodged itself so deep it had to be surgically removed. Emergency surgery. For doing his job.
This wasn’t a ricochet. This wasn’t an accident. It was another state-sanctioned assault on a journalist, and the only reason we know about it is because Nick lived to tell the tale. And still, no badge number. No arrest. No accountability.
(Closer to the Edge more…)
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Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American – June 13, 2025
Two hundred and fifty years ago, on June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress resolved “That six companies of expert riflemen, be immediately raised in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, and two in Virginia; that each company consist of a captain, three lieutenants, four serjeants, four corporals, a drummer or trumpeter, and sixty-eight privates…[and that] each company, as soon as completed, shall march and join the army near Boston, to be there employed as light infantry, under the command of the chief Officer in that army.”
And thus Congress established the Continental Army.
…In September 1783, negotiators concluded the Treaty of Paris that formally ended the war, and Congress discharged most of the troops still in service.
…With the army disbanded, General Washington himself stepped away from military leadership. On December 23, Washington addressed Congress, saying: “Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theatre of action, and bidding an affectionate farewell to this august body, under whose orders I have so long acted, I here offer my commission, and take my leave of all the employments of public life.”
…It is the story of this Army, 250 years old tomorrow, that President Donald J. Trump says he is honoring with a military parade in Washington, D.C., although it also happens to be his 79th birthday.
But the celebration of ordinary people who fought against tyranny will be happening not just in the nation’s capital but all across the country, as Americans participating in at least 2,000 planned No Kings protests recall the principles American patriots championed 250 years ago.
(Heather Cox Richardson more…)Lisa Needham: The Trump/Musk fight is why we say “No Kings”
Today’s protests are about reestablishing a government of laws, not unaccountable oligarchs.
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Wired: How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.
(Wired more…)
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Adam Mockler: This War Wasn’t Inevitable. Trump Made It Happen.
The Iran deal was working until he tore it up. Now the region is on fire.
The current crisis between Israel and Iran didn’t come out of nowhere. It’s the result of years of reckless decisions. And none were more dangerous than Donald Trump pulling the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal.That agreement, negotiated under President Obama and backed by our allies, placed real limits on Iran’s nuclear program. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked. Inspections were happening. Enrichment was under control. War was held off.
Then Trump tore it up.
He offered no alternative, no follow-up plan, no diplomatic pathway. Just slogans. Just sabotage.
What happened next was predictable. Iran resumed uranium enrichment. Diplomatic channels collapsed. Tensions grew. And now we are watching those tensions erupt.
(Adam Mockler more…)
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NY Times: A Miscalculation by Iran Led to Israeli Strikes’ Extensive Toll, Officials Say
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Hill: DHS sends out provocative new poster
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ProPublica: Trump Administration Abandons Deal With Northwest Tribes to Restore Salmon
The Trump administration canceled a deal, signed under President Joe Biden, that would have enabled the removal of four hydroelectric dams along the Columbia River that are considered harmful to salmon.
(ProPublica more…)
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NY Times: National Parks Are Told to Delete Content That ‘Disparages Americans’
Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda
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