People who fled Pakistan-administered Kashmir return after ceasefire
Hundreds of locals who fled the Pakistan-administered Kashmir region returned to their homes on Sunday, a day after Islamabad and New Delhi agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the US. AP video by MD Mughal
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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
After tear gas and street fires, an Los Angeles community cleans up as National Guard troops arrive
COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — Ernest Melendrez woke up early Sunday to shovel tear gas pellets and other charred and broken detritus from his neighborhood's streets, the remnants of a battle between protesters demonstrating against immigration raids and federal and local authorities the night before. Melendrez wore a mask covering his nose and mouth, but he coughed often – it wasn't enough to protect him from remaining tear gas still in the air. Across the street, storefronts were covered in anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement graffiti. 'I think people have the right idea, just the wrong approach,' Melendrez said as cars whisked by him, some honking in appreciation or stopping to ask questions about the night before. 'Everybody has their own way of coping with stuff, and if nobody is there to help manage their feelings this is what can tend to happen. You need some community support.' Melendrez, his wife and daughter cleaned the streets that were obscured just hours earlier by huge clouds of tear gas fired by federal authorities. The protests prompted President Donald Trump to order National Guard troops deployed to downtown Los Angeles President Donald Trump says he's deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles to respond to immigration protests, over the objections of California Gov. Gavin the clashes. More protests were planned Sunday, and troops dressed in tactical gear were seen stationed outside Metropolitan Detention Center downtown, where hundreds of demonstrators clashed with federal authorities previously. Newsom has called Trump's order a 'complete overreaction.' A Home Depot about a block away from where Melendrez was cleaning was the epicenter of the previous night's struggle. On Sunday it was empty and calm; a lone worker cleaned graffiti off the store's sign as customers drove in. As federal officers in tactical gear fired tear gas and other nonlethal weapons in Compton and Paramount on Saturday, some protesters started a series of small fires that left black char on the streets. Graffiti was scrawled on a doughnut shop, a taqueria, a gas station and other locally owned businesses. On Sunday the damage was still raw and uncleaned in Compton, save for Melendrez's efforts, with spray-painted slogans such as 'What is America without Immigrants' all around. Launie Melendrez, who is married to Ernest, said she supported peaceful protest, and empathized with the families 'being destroyed, that are getting wrangled up. It's sad.' She looked around at the local businesses that had been damaged, and shook her head. 'The destruction of people's hard work. This is how these people, their families, take care of themselves. And the destruction of that is not going to help your case.' Given the breadth of the damage, neighbors said they were angry they were being left to clean up the mess. Melendrez's daughter, Elaina Angel, grew up in Compton and said she wasn't surprised. But it still left her feeling frustrated to see the Home Depot already reopened while her streets and local businesses were still marred by trash and graffiti. 'They don't care about Compton,' she said through her mask, stopping to cough from the irritation. She meant political leaders, law enforcement authorities and others who were nowhere to be seen Sunday morning. "But I don't think they were counting on us to come out and clean it up.'
Hamilton Spectator
5 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
After tear gas and street fires, an Los Angeles community cleans up as National Guard troops arrive
COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — Ernest Melendrez woke up early Sunday to shovel tear gas pellets and other charred and broken detritus from his neighborhood's streets, the remnants of a battle between protesters demonstrating against immigration raids and federal and local authorities the night before. Melendrez wore a mask covering his nose and mouth, but he coughed often – it wasn't enough to protect him from remaining tear gas still in the air. Across the street, storefronts were covered in anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement graffiti. 'I think people have the right idea, just the wrong approach,' Melendrez said as cars whisked by him, some honking in appreciation or stopping to ask questions about the night before. 'Everybody has their own way of coping with stuff, and if nobody is there to help manage their feelings this is what can tend to happen. You need some community support.' Melendrez, his wife and daughter cleaned the streets that were obscured just hours earlier by huge clouds of tear gas fired by federal authorities. The protests prompted President Donald Trump to order National Guard troops deployed to downtown Los Angeles President Donald Trump says he's deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles to respond to immigration protests , over the objections of California Gov. Gavin the clashes. More protests were planned Sunday, and troops dressed in tactical gear were seen stationed outside Metropolitan Detention Center downtown, where hundreds of demonstrators clashed with federal authorities previously. Newsom has called Trump's order a 'complete overreaction.' A Home Depot about a block away from where Melendrez was cleaning was the epicenter of the previous night's struggle. On Sunday it was empty and calm; a lone worker cleaned graffiti off the store's sign as customers drove in. As federal officers in tactical gear fired tear gas and other nonlethal weapons in Compton and Paramount on Saturday, some protesters started a series of small fires that left black char on the streets. Graffiti was scrawled on a doughnut shop, a taqueria, a gas station and other locally owned businesses. On Sunday the damage was still raw and uncleaned in Compton, save for Melendrez's efforts, with spray-painted slogans such as 'What is America without Immigrants' all around. Launie Melendrez, who is married to Ernest, said she supported peaceful protest, and empathized with the families 'being destroyed, that are getting wrangled up. It's sad.' She looked around at the local businesses that had been damaged, and shook her head. 'The destruction of people's hard work. This is how these people, their families, take care of themselves. And the destruction of that is not going to help your case.' Given the breadth of the damage, neighbors said they were angry they were being left to clean up the mess. Melendrez's daughter, Elaina Angel, grew up in Compton and said she wasn't surprised. But it still left her feeling frustrated to see the Home Depot already reopened while her streets and local businesses were still marred by trash and graffiti. 'They don't care about Compton,' she said through her mask, stopping to cough from the irritation. She meant political leaders, law enforcement authorities and others who were nowhere to be seen Sunday morning. 'But I don't think they were counting on us to come out and clean it up.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
PHOTO ESSAY: A young trans woman's journey, and her latest destination: World Pride in Washington
WASHINGTON (AP) — As they get ready in their hotel room, Bella Bautista trades makeup tips with the roommate she has just met. Bautista, her cheekbones high and her confidence glowing, asks her roommate to curl her highlighted hair in the back. Jae Douglas obliges cheerfully. Bautista, 22, is a college cheerleader turned pageant contestant. Last month, she competed in the Miss Supranational USA pageant in Miami, representing Tennessee. She hails from Cartersville, a small Georgia town north of Atlanta. She works as a social media intern for the Global Trans Equity Project. She has come to Washington, D.C., to attend World Pride activities in the wake of the Trump administration's policies legislating against gender-affirming care and its rhetoric against transgender girls in sports. During a speech she delivers to the trans community she announces what could be the anthem for her audience: 'I'm not asking for permission to be who I am, I am who I am.' Bautista says she is the first and only transgender woman to compete in the Miss Supranational pageant. It is part of a lengthier process of embracing her identity — both within herself and to the world. Marching in an impending rain with a hundred others from the National Trans Visibility March, en route to the Lincoln Memorial to join the World Pride rally, Bella reflected, 'I'm not fighting for myself anymore. I'm fighting for a larger cause alongside other people, which is good for a change. You know, being the only transgender person from my small town, it's different to be in the capital of the USA. But so many people that are also fighting alongside with me are here, and have that same struggle.' 'In previous years, I felt more compelled to live my life stealth,' Bautista says. 'But with everything going on with the current administration, I felt the need to give an actual face to the issue.' Coming out was a process When Bautista transitioned during her senior year of high school in 2020, there were many pro-Trump demonstrations by students at her school during school hours. So she started a 'diversity club' to create a safe place for LGBTQ+ students and students of color. 'I came out to my mom when I was 13, and I asked her, 'Am I a girl?′ She said she didn't know — 'That's something we need to look into.' I didn't know what being trans meant or anything like that. I've always been flexible with my gender and sexuality.' Puberty was an upsetting time for her, before she was able to access gender-affirming care. 'Having male hormones in my body gave me a lot of anxiety, dysphoria. And I felt that testosterone was going to destroy my body,' she says. With her family's assent, she ordered hormones online and medically transitioned at 17, during her senior year. As a gamer, she chose the name 'Bella' online. It stuck. 'When I went to college I chose that name and told people, 'Hi, I am Bella, I'm a woman.' And I was stealth. No one on campus knew I was trans at the start. I just really wanted to live a normal college life, be a normal college girl.' But things changed during her second year at college. She awakened to all the 'harmful stereotypes' — and realized she could use them to help others. 'People would say that I don't look trans, I don't sound trans, so for me to be openly trans, it gives people more perspective,' she says. 'I'm a normal college girl. I'm a cheerleader. This is what I look and sound like. It really resonates with both political parties.' This past winter, she decided to testify at the Georgia State Capitol about her experience as a young trans woman athlete. It was illuminating for her. 'I had to speak in front of Republican members and I would run into them in the hallways or the elevators, or outside the bathroom, and they'd say, 'Oh, you're testifying against my bill but you're amazing, I loved your speech. Politicians politicize trans rights to gain votes. A big part of my platform is saying that my trans identify is not a political agenda for either side.' She later began an organization called 'This Does Not Define Me,' referring to her experiences with PTSD, a speech impediment, being Mexican American and fighting trans stereotypes. The organization is about visibility — and a sense that the challenges faced by people, especially within the trans community, shouldn't define them. 'I hope that as more people meet me I put them at ease,' she says, 'and I get more empathy for the trans community. As people have more interactions with trans people they'll realize we are just normal people, with dreams, and this just happens to be my story.' She dreams about the future, but is right here in the now Bautista's own journey has defined her in many ways, though, including her professional aspirations. She hopes to become a civil rights attorney, to stand up for marginalized people, and someday to run for public office in Georgia. That's later, though. Now, in a climate that doesn't always accept people like her, there is power in just being who she is. 'I think the most powerful thing that I can do right now as a young trans woman is to educate the populace that this is my experience and that I am so much more than just being trans.' Back at the hotel, ahead of attending a conference for the National Trans Visibility March, Bautista has Douglas take a video of her striding through the lobby in a gold gown. It's for her Instagram feed. A family with two young children stops her. 'Are you a model? Where may we have seen you before?' Bella smiles demurely and says, 'Oh, I'm a pageant girl.' She turns to a visitor. 'I get that a lot,' she says. Coming to World Pride from a hometown where she's the only trans person is raising some questions for Bautista. Is allyship enough? Are gay members of the community fully backing trans rights? 'It really feels like it's LGB and then T,' she says. 'We are going through so much. I am hoping these people waving the gay flag are also considering what we are going through at this time.' Add onto that her identity as a Mexican woman and — with the Trump administration's immigration crackdown on many fronts — there is still more she wants to advocate. So much more to do. Bella Bautista was silent for a while. No longer. 'It feels good to represent … something bigger and to be proud of that,' she says. 'I kind of want to be like, 'I'm here,' you know?' she says. 'I'm just a normal college girl, I'm a cheerleader, I do pageants, and I happen to be trans, but that does not define my ability to succeed. Being trans is part of who I am, but I still deserve access to those dreams.' ___ Jacquelyn Martin is an Associated Press photographer based in Washington.
