Israel has sent 'so much food' into Gaza, says Dr. Sheila Nazarian
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
19 minutes ago
- Politico
Trump Bruins a good time at UCLA
BILLION-DOLLAR BATTLE: The Trump administration's battle to dominate higher education has come to California — and this time, it involves one of the country's largest university systems and the taxpayers who help fund it. The University of California, Los Angeles is in court today over more than half a billion dollars the federal government has frozen over antisemitism allegations stemming from last year's Israel-Gaza campus demonstrations. During virtual arguments this afternoon, Judge Rita F. Lin sounded skeptical of some of the administration's arguments, questioning how the Trump administration's explanation that the cuts were an 'indefinite suspension' rather than a 'termination' would comply with a prior ruling. The hearing came days after Gov. Gavin Newsom blasted Donald Trump's demand for $1 billion from UCLA in return for millions of dollars in frozen federal research grants, describing the president's move as an attempt to 'silence academic freedom.' Newsom also floated the idea of another lawsuit. 'He has threatened us through extortion with a billion-dollar fine unless we do his bidding,' the governor told reporters on Friday. Asked about a potential lawsuit, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt today said the governor could 'bring it on,' repeating a refrain Newsom frequently uses against Trump. Here's what we're watching after a week of rapid-fire developments. UCLA is the first public institution the Trump administration has targeted. The president has successfully gone after a handful of prestigious private schools, settling with Brown and Columbia in exchange for keeping their funding. Harvard is also reportedly close to a settlement, and George Washington University appears to be next on Trump's hit list. UCLA's status as a taxpayer-funded school means any major financial moves could have a trickle-down effect on the University of California system and the state, as a whole. It also gives state leaders more say over its actions, although they haven't always agreed with university leaders' decisions — lest we forget the demise of the Pac-12 over Newsom's objections. It's about the money, but it's not just about the money. Trump is using federal funding as leverage to force policy changes at UCLA, as he's done at the other schools that have settled. His administration wants the university to stop giving scholarships based on race or ethnicity, end DEI incentives for hiring, stop using proxies for race in its admissions process and share information on test scores, grade point averages and applicant race. Assembly Budget Chair Jesse Gabriel told Playbook it's 'hard to take this seriously,' and it seems more related to 'political gamesmanship.' 'They're asking for a billion-dollar settlement in exchange for not removing roughly $500 million in funding,' he said. 'It just doesn't make any sense. So there's a couple pieces of this that just don't add up.' Trump says the settlement is about antisemitism. California Jewish leaders disagree. The president's administration is using the protest movement and related claims of discrimination to exercise authority over UCLA. But the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California today released a statement saying it 'strongly opposes' Trump's push for a settlement, saying the move would 'drive a wedge between the Jewish community and other vulnerable groups that are harmed.' 'As a public institution, such a settlement would ironically divert public funds from other initiatives, including those that combat antisemitism and hate,' the group said. UCLA already paid $6.5 million to settle a separate case brought by Jewish students and a professor related to pro-Palestinian encampments protesters constructed on campus last year. Gabriel and his Legislative Jewish Caucus co-chair Scott Wiener, a Democratic state senator from San Francisco, both said rising antisemitism is real, but they've been encouraged to see changes enacted by UCLA's new chancellor, Julio Frenk. They said Trump's settlement demand isn't really about protecting Jewish students. 'He does not care about Jews or antisemitism,' Wiener told Playbook. 'He is using Jews as human shields to accomplish his actual political goals, which are to consolidate control over universities and to destroy scientific research.' University of California leaders are still figuring out their next move. The UC Board of Regents held an emergency meeting about the settlement yesterday and 'discussed a path forward' without taking any action. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis' team said she was present for the meeting. Newsom's office confirmed he was not in attendance. IT'S TUESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@ WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY GOING DIRECT: OpenAI has appealed directly to Newsom in a letter obtained exclusively by California Decoded, suggesting California should consider AI companies that sign onto national and international AI agreements as compliant with state AI rules. The letter, dated Monday from OpenAI's Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane, comes as Sacramento continues to debate key AI legislation, including Wiener's SB 53, which would require AI companies divulge their safety testing protocols and would establish whistleblower protections for their workers. Lehane recommended 'that California take the lead in harmonizing state-based AI regulation with emerging global standards' when it comes to the technology, dubbing it the 'California Approach.' OpenAI and other developers have already signed onto, or plan to sign onto, the EU's AI code of practice and committed to conducting national security-related assessments of their programs, both voluntary commitments, Newsom spokesperson Tara Gallegos said: 'We have received the letter. We don't typically comment on pending legislation.' The letter offers Newsom something of an off-ramp this year, after he vetoed Wiener's broader SB 1047 AI safety bill last year that would have required programs to complete pre-release safety testing. — Chase DiFeliciantonio If you like this excerpt from POLITICO Pro Technology: California Decoded, you can request a demo here. IN OTHER NEWS MUSICAL CHAIRS: Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones today threw cold water on rumors he might take advantage of Democratic redistricting efforts to mount a congressional campaign — although he doesn't seem to fully rule it out, either. 'Despite unfounded rumors and political gossip, I am not considering a run for Congress because of redistricting,' Jones said in a statement to Playbook. 'I strongly oppose Gavin Newsom's redistricting scheme,' he added. 'Senate Republicans will fight this unfair political power grab that silences Californians and undermines our Constitution.' The San Diego-area Republican, whose final term ends next year, lives in an area with two deep-blue congressional districts that could become more purple as Democrats try to pick up five new seats. As we've reported, San Diego Reps. Scott Peters and Sara Jacobs are preparing to add Republicans as Democrats draw a new map in response to Texas GOP redistricting. TOUTING TELEWORK: A long-awaited state audit of Newsom's return-to-office mandate for state employees was critical of the governor's push to require in-person work. Newsom ordered state workers back to the office for two days per week in 2024 and four days earlier this year, although he postponed the more stringent directive before it took effect. The audit says reducing state office space in response to telework could save the state $225 million. It also said the governor's office 'did not gather some important information about departments' office space needs or the associated costs before directing state employees to work an increasing number of days per week in the office.' GOP Assemblymember Josh Hoover, who's been an advocate of telework, released a statement promoting the report. 'The findings of the audit make clear that providing telework options for state employees in the jobs where it makes sense has substantial benefits for workers, taxpayers, state agencies, commuters, and the environment,' he said. WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY — Black leaders say Trump's criticisms of Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and other cities smack of racism. (POLITICO) — Democratic members of Congress are accusing the Trump administration of cleaning up a basement ICE detention center in downtown Los Angeles ahead of their visit. (Los Angeles Times) AROUND THE STATE — The California High Speed Rail Authority wants lawmakers to help the agency resolve land-use conflicts that are slowing the expensive project. (Fresno Bee) — Advocates are urging officials to preserve video evidence of San Diego County jail deaths after surveillance footage from one incident was erased. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
CBS News
19 minutes ago
- CBS News
Judge says ICE can't hold detainees at NYC facility unless it improves conditions and gives them sleeping mats
A federal judge on Tuesday said he would block the Trump administration from using a federal building in New York City to hold immigrants facing deportation unless it reduces the number of detainees and improves conditions at the site, including by providing sleeping mats and hygiene products. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan issued the temporary restraining order after holding a hearing earlier Tuesday. A government lawyer conceded in court that those detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, at the Manhattan facility did not have access to certain services, including sleeping mats, in-person legal visits, medication and more than two meals per day. The holding facility in question, located inside the 26 Federal Plaza building in downtown Manhattan, has been at the center of widespread criticism from pro-immigrant advocates, who have denounced conditions faced by detainees there as "inhumane." Video released last month showed detainees at the facility lying on the ground, without mats or beds. ICE has said the site has fewer services because it is not designed for long-term detention, though government data indicates some detainees have been held for days there. Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union and other advocates filed a lawsuit against ICE over the 26 Federal Plaza holding facility, alleging that detainees there were being held in unsafe and unsanitary conditions, without access to basic necessities, including hygiene products. The advocates said detainees only received two "inedible" meals daily and were denied access to unrestricted calls with lawyers. On Tuesday morning, Justice Department lawyer Jeffrey Oestericher said the government did not dispute that detainees at the facility only received blankets, not beds or sleeping mats. He confirmed detainees get two meals each day — not three — and that the toilets for detainees are inside the same area where they sleep. Oestericher said the facility does not permit in-person visitations due to its "layout" and noted the government did not dispute claims that detainees lack access to medication. In his order later Tuesday, Kaplan placed restrictions on how many people ICE can hold at the Manhattan site, prohibiting the agency from using holding rooms with a floor area that is less than 50 square feet per detainee. Kaplan said ICE could only hold people at the facility if it offered them regular calls with lawyers, clean bedding mats, know-your-rights notices, access to medication, soap, towels, toilet paper, toothpaste and feminine hygiene products. He also ordered ICE to ensure the holding areas are cleaned three times each day. Representatives for ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday's temporary restraining order, which is set to last for 14 days. The Trump administration has repeatedly denied allegations of subpar conditions at ICE detention centers. "Today's order sends a clear message: ICE cannot hold people in abusive conditions and deny them their Constitutional rights to due process and legal representation," said Eunice Cho, a senior attorney at the ACLU. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander called the ruling "a much-needed rebuke of Trump's cruel immigration policies" in a statement Tuesday. In July, the New York Immigration Coalition released a video, which was verified by CBS News New York, showing conditions on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza. On the video, it appears over two dozen people are being held together in one room. The person taking the video is heard saying, "Look how they have us here like dogs." The room does not appear to have any furniture in it. A number of people are seen laying or sitting on towels or foil blankets on the floor. There are two toilets with sinks in the back of the room, only separated by half walls with no doors. One of the two toilets is covered with a foil blanket. The legal fight over the Manhattan holding facility comes at a time when ICE is detaining record numbers of people facing deportation. On Tuesday morning, ICE was holding nearly 60,000 detainees in detention centers throughout the U.S., according to internal agency data. As part of President Trump's government-wide crackdown on illegal immigration, ICE has sought to expand its detention system by bringing new facilities online, brokering agreements with states willing to convert local sites into immigration detention centers and using military bases, like Fort Bliss in Texas, as deportation staging hubs.
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
National Guard rehearsed show of force against immigration raid protesters, general testifies
SAN FRANCISCO — National Guard troops repeatedly rehearsed their role in an operation at a Los Angeles park intended as a show of force against undocumented people and those protesting the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, a deputy commanding general testified Tuesday. Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, who commanded Guard troops in Los Angeles, was testifying at a trial to determine whether the Trump administration violated federal law when it deployed the soldiers and U.S. Marines to Southern California this summer. Sherman said the deployment of federal agents on horseback and on foot to MacArthur Park in the heart of a neighborhood with a large immigrant population was initially planned for Father's Day, June 15. But the operation was moved to July 7 after he raised concerns the park could be crowded, he said. 'We assessed that there could be a large amount of people in the park (on Father's Day), which could quickly overwhelm Border Patrol,' Sherman testified. Sherman said the decision to shift the timing of the operation came after discussion among the National Guard, the U.S. Northern Command, the Border Patrol, Department of Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth and Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. The Guard troops were deployed to protect the perimeter and were instructed only to exit their vehicles if there was a direct threat to federal agents, he said. All troops remained in their vehicles during the brief but mighty show of force . Sherman said the operation took just 20 minutes because it had been rehearsed multiple times. The Department of Homeland Security hasn't said if anyone was arrested. Sherman testified during the second day of a three-day trial on whether President Donald Trump's deployment of armed forces to Los Angeles following protests over immigration raids this summer violated the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act. The law generally prohibits a president from using the military to police domestic affairs. All but about 300 Guard troops have since left Los Angeles. Sherman testified that he also raised concerns that military vehicles would park along Wilshire Boulevard, which traverses the park, instead of staying in the park's perimeter. After he raised his concerns, Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol's El Centro sector chief in charge of the immigration crackdown in Los Angeles, questioned his loyalty, Sherman told the court Monday. On July 7, federal agents, many of them in tactical gear, walked and rode their horses around the park, which was nearly empty since word had spread of a potential raid. LA Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom called it a political stunt and spectacle meant to intimidate the city's immigrant communities.
