LA protests: US deploying hundreds of Marines
California governor Gavin Newsom said the Donald Trump administration will deploy an additional 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles in light of the protests in the city.
Sean Parnell, assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, later confirmed the deployment in a statement on X, saying that Trump had ordered that the toops be "called into federal service to support ICE & to enable federal law-enforcement officers to safely conduct their duties."
Newsom was highly critical of the deployment.
"This isn't about public safety, It's about stroking a dangerous President's ego," Newsom posted on his X account, calling the move "reckless, pointless and disrespectful to our troops."
According to Newsom, only approximately 300 of the first 2,000 National Guard troops to be deployed to Los Angeles are currently active in the city, with the rest "sitting, unused, in federal buildings without orders."
California sues the Trump administration over National Guard deployment
The state of California has sued the Trump administration for deploying the National Guard in response to the immigration protests in Los Angeles.
According to the lawsuit, the deployment of troops in the state "trampled" on the state's sovereignty, with California pushing for a restraining order.
California attorney general Rob Bonta said the move became necessary once US President Trump escalated the number of troops, leading to growing unrest.
In a post on his X account, California governor Gavin Newsom said a government should be "accountable to its people… not military rule."
"California will be standing up for those principles in court," he added.
US Health Secretary Kennedy fires all members of vaccine committee
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired all members of a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) panel of vaccine experts, the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement.
Kennedy removed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a body that advises the CDC on which groups of people would most benefit from an already-approved vaccine and the timing in which they should get it.
The process of considering new members to replace the departing members has begun, the statement said.
Kennedy Jr., a long-time vaccine skeptic, said the move is to restore public trust "above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda," adding that "unbiased science" is what guides US health agencies.
Former FDA Chief Scientist Jesse Goodman called the firings a "tragedy," saying the move will reduce confidence in the US' health authorities.
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Observer
5 hours ago
- Observer
This is what autocracy looks like
Since Donald Trump was elected again, I've feared one scenario above all others: that he'd call out the military against people protesting his mass deportations, putting America on the road to martial law. Even in my more outlandish imaginings, however, I thought that he'd need more of a pretext to put troops on the streets of an American city — against the wishes of its mayor and governor — than the relatively small protests that broke out in Los Angeles last week. In a post-reality environment, it turns out, the president didn't need to wait for a crisis to launch an authoritarian crackdown. Instead, he can simply invent one. It's true that some of those protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles have been violent; on Sunday one man was arrested for allegedly tossing a Molotov cocktail at a police officer, and another was accused of driving a motorcycle into a line of cops. Such violence should be condemned both because it's immoral and because it's wildly counterproductive; each burning Waymo or smashed storefront is an in-kind gift to the administration. It's important to understand that for this administration, protests needn't be violent to be considered an illegitimate uprising. The presidential memorandum calling out the National Guard refers to both violent acts and any protests that 'inhibit' law enforcement. That definition would seem to include peaceful demonstrations around the site of ICE raids. In May, for example, armed federal agents stormed two popular Italian restaurants in San Diego looking for workers in the country illegally; they handcuffed staff members and took four people into custody. As they did so, an outraged crowd gathered outside, chanting 'shame' and for a time blocking the agents from leaving. Under Trump's order, the military could target these people as insurrectionists. The administration, after all, has every reason to want to intimidate those who might take part in civil disobedience. Violent protests play into its hands; peaceful ones threaten the absurd narrative it's trying to bludgeon America into accepting. Just look at the lengths to which it's going to silence David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union of California. Last week, Huerta was arrested after sitting on a sidewalk and blocking a gate while protesting an immigration raid at a work site in Los Angeles. While he was being detained, he was knocked to the ground, resulting in his hospitalisation. On Monday, the Justice Department charged him with 'conspiracy to impede an officer,' a felony that carries a maximum prison term of six years. Trump also, on Monday, called for the arrest of Newsom. If you saw all this in any other country — soldiers sent to crush dissent, union leaders arrested, opposition politicians threatened — it would be clear that autocracy had arrived. The question, now, is whether Americans who hate tyranny can be roused to respond. Many people have speculated that the confrontation in Los Angeles will play into Trump's hands, allowing him to pose as a champion of law and order bringing criminal mobs to heel. Maybe they're right; Trump is a master demagogue with a gift for creating the scenes of conflict his supporters crave. We now know that TV celebrity Dr Phil McGraw was on the ground with ICE during the raids that set off the Los Angeles unrest, filming a prime-time special. The administration appeared to want a spectacle. Public opinion, however, isn't set in stone, which is why it's important for everyone who has a platform — politicians, veterans, cultural and religious leaders — to denounce the administration's authoritarian overreach. Administration officials like Stephen Miller are pushing the idea that Los Angeles is 'occupied territory,' as evidenced by the foreign flags some protesters are carrying. Americans who still have hope for democracy should be saying, as loudly and as often as they can, that this is an insultingly stupid lie to justify a dictatorial power grab. Yes, America has lurched to the right since Trump's first term, and he can get away with abuses now that would have set off mass outrage then. Plenty of Democrats, burned by the backlash against Black Lives Matter and large-scale illegal immigration, would rather not have a fight over disorder in Los Angeles. 'For months, Democrats scarred by the politics of the issue sought to sidestep President Donald Trump's immigration wars — focusing instead on the economy, tariffs or, in the case of deportations, due process concerns,' reported Politico. But there's no sidestepping a president deploying the military in an American city based on ludicrous falsehoods about a foreign invasion. Indeed, it's hard to think of a clearer signpost on the road to dictatorship. This Saturday, on Trump's birthday, he's planning a giant military parade in Washington, ostensibly to celebrate the Army's 250th anniversary. Tanks have been photographed en route to the city, the Lincoln Memorial standing tragically in the background, like an image from some Hollywood dystopia. On that day, there will be demonstrations all over the country under the rubric 'No Kings.' I desperately hope that Trump's attempt to quash protest ends up fuelling it. Those who want to live in a free country may be scared, but they shouldn't be cowed. — The New York Times Michelle Goldberg The writer is an American journalist and author, and an op-ed columnist for The New York Times
Observer
5 hours ago
- Observer
Marines arrive in LA under Trump orders as protests spread
LOS ANGELES: Hundreds of US Marines arrived in Los Angeles overnight and more were expected on Tuesday under orders from President Donald Trump, who has also activated 4,000 National Guard troops to quell protests despite objections from California Governor Gavin Newsom and other local leaders. The city has seen days of public outrage since the Trump administration launched a series of immigration raids on Friday, though local officials said the demonstrations on Monday were largely peaceful. About half of the roughly 700 Marines that Trump ordered to Los Angeles arrived on Monday night, and the remaining troops will enter the city on Tuesday, a US official said. The US military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told KABC that more than 100 people had been arrested on Monday but that the majority of protesters were non-violent. The Marines will protect federal property and personnel alongside Guard troops, US Northern Command said in a statement announcing the move. There were approximately 1,700 Guard troops in greater Los Angeles as of Monday, with more on the way. Trump has justified his decision to deploy active military troops to Los Angeles by describing the protests as a violent occupation, a characterisation that Newsom and Bass have said is grossly exaggerated. Newsom accused Trump of sending troops to deliberately inflame the situation and said the president's actions made it more difficult for local law enforcement to respond to the demonstrations. In a social media post on Tuesday morning, Trump said Los Angeles would be "burning to the ground right now" if he had not deployed troops to the city. Since protests broke out on Friday they have been largely peaceful, although there have been isolated clashes, with some demonstrators throwing rocks and other objects at officers, blocking an interstate highway and setting several cars ablaze. Several businesses were looted, including an Apple store and a CVS pharmacy. Police have responded by firing projectiles such as pepper balls, as well as flash-bang grenades and tear gas. Police said they had arrested 21 people on Sunday on charges including attempted murder with a Molotov cocktail and assaulting an officer, and officials said they expected more arrests after reviewing video. In a statement on Monday, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said the department had not been notified that any Marines were travelling to the city and that their arrival "presents a significant logistical and operational challenge." Trump's Marine deployment escalated his confrontation with Newsom, who filed a lawsuit on Monday asserting that Trump's activation of Guard troops without the governor's consent was illegal. The Guard deployment was the first time in decades that a president did so without a request from a sitting governor. The use of active military to respond to civil disturbances is extremely rare. "This isn't about public safety," Newsom wrote on X on Monday. "It's about stroking a dangerous President's ego." The top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jack Reed, said he was "gravely troubled" by Trump's deployment of active-duty Marines. "Since our nation's founding, the American people have been perfectly clear: we do not want the military conducting law enforcement on US soil," he said. US Marines are trained for conflicts around the world and are also used for rapid deployments in case of emergencies, such as threats to US embassies. In addition to combat training, which includes weapons training, some units also learn riot and crowd control techniques. The raids are part of Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown, which Democrats and immigrant advocates have said are indiscriminately breaking up families. US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pledged on Monday to carry out more operations to round up suspected immigration violators. Trump officials have branded the protests as lawless and blamed state and local Democrats for protecting undocumented immigrants in sanctuary cities. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered on Monday outside a federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles where immigrants have been held, chanting "free them all" and waving Mexican and Central American flags. — Reuters
Observer
15 hours ago
- Observer
Trump administration deploys Marines to Los Angeles, vows to intensify migrant raids
The Trump administration on Monday ordered U.S. Marines into Los Angeles and intensified raids on suspected undocumented immigrants, fueling more outrage from street protesters and Democratic leaders who raised concerns over a national crisis. Some 700 Marines based in Southern California were expected to reach Los Angeles Monday night or Tuesday morning, officials said, as part of a federal strategy to quell street demonstrations opposing the immigration raids, which are a part of a signature effort of President Donald Trump's second term. Although their mission to protect federal personnel and property is temporary - filling the gaps until a full contingent of 4,000 National Guard troops can reach Los Angeles - the deployment is an extraordinary use of military force in support of a police operation, and it comes over the objection of state and local leaders who did not request help. Meanwhile, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pledged to carry out even more operations to round up suspected immigration violators, extending a crackdown that provoked the protests. Trump officials have branded the protests as lawless and blamed state and local Democrats for permitting upheaval and protecting undocumented immigrants with sanctuary cities. The military and federal enforcement operations have further polarized America's two major political parties as Trump, a Republican, threatened to arrest California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, for resisting the federal crackdown. California sued the Trump administration to block deployment of the National Guard and the Marines on Monday, arguing that it violates federal law and state sovereignty. The top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jack Reed, said he was "gravely troubled" by Trump's deployment of active-duty Marines. "The president is forcibly overriding the authority of the governor and mayor and using the military as a political weapon. This unprecedented move threatens to turn a tense situation into a national crisis," Reed said. "Since our nation's founding, the American people have been perfectly clear: we do not want the military conducting law enforcement on U.S. soil," he said. The announcement that Marines would be deployed was made on the fourth straight day of protests. Late on Monday police began to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who gathered outside a federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles where immigrants have been held. Police said arrests were being made. National Guard forces had formed a human barricade to keep people out of the building. Then a phalanx of police moved up the street, pushing people from the scene and firing "less lethal" munitions such as gas canisters. Police had used similar tactics since Friday. RARE USE OF MILITARY U.S. Marines are known as the first American forces to establish a beachhead in U.S. military interventions, and as the last forces to leave any occupation. Though military forces have been deployed domestically for major disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the attacks of September 11, 2001, it is extremely rare for troops to be used domestically during civil disturbances. Even without invoking the Insurrection Act, Trump can deploy Marines under certain conditions of law or under his authority as commander in chief. The last time the military was used for direct police action under the Insurrection Act was in 1992, when the California governor at the time asked President George H.W. Bush to help respond to Los Angeles riots over the acquittal of police officers who beat Black motorist Rodney King. Newsom contends it is his charge as governor to call in the National Guard, labeling Trump's" action as "an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism." Trump in turn said he supported a suggestion by his border czar Tom Homan that Newsom should be arrested over possible obstruction of his administration's immigration enforcement measures. "I would do it if I were Tom. I think it's great," Trump told reporters.
