One of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen remembers struggle for recognition amid Trump's DEI purge
AURORA, Colo. — With members of a trailblazing Black Air Force unit passing away at advanced ages, efforts to remain true to their memory carry on despite sometimes confusing orders from President Donald Trump as he purges federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Col. James H. Harvey III, 101, is among the last few airmen and support crew who proved that a Black unit — the 332nd Fighter Group of the Tuskegee Airmen — could fight as well as any other in World War II and the years after.
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Gavin Newsom asks Trump to withdraw troops from Los Angeles as protests intensify
National Guard soldiers stand in front of the federal building in downtown Los Angeles, on June 8, 2025. President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 troops to handle escalating protests against immigration enforcement raids in the Los Angeles area, a move the state's governor termed "purposefully inflammatory." (Photo by Frederic J. Brown, AFP via Getty Images) This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Hundreds of California National Guard soldiers are deployed in downtown Los Angeles in an escalation of the Trump administration's rolling immigration enforcement action throughout Southern California. Their deployment comes over the objections of California leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who say that local law enforcement agencies are more than capable of keeping the peace in the city. He wrote a letter on Sunday afternoon to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth requesting that the administration withdraw the troops and questioning the legality of their deployment. The National Guard is usually called in at the request of a state's governor; a president has not deployed troops without a governor's requests since 1965. 'There is currently no need for the National Guard to be deployed in Los Angeles, and to do so in this unlawful manner and for such a lengthy period is a serious breach of state sovereignty that seems intentionally designed to inflame the situation,' he wrote. The governor had previously spoken to Trump on the phone for about 40 minutes on Friday night, a spokesperson said. This morning, rifle-toting National Guard soldiers patrolled a federal building downtown. They also brought heavy military vehicles. Tensions intensified by midafternoon, when a protesters neared the complex. Los Angeles Police Department officers pushed them away from the building and fired dozens of less-than-lethal rounds into the crowd. The deployment followed two days of unrest after immigration sweeps downtown and in the city of Paramount. In one incident, officers arrested David Huerta, the leader of a California janitors' union, who was protesting a raid. He remains in custody. Trump's order deploying the troops cited 'incidents of violence and disorder' following immigration enforcement actions and the Border Patrol on social media has called attention to an incident in which someone threw rocks at their vehicles in Paramount, breaking a window. After the raids, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement published a list of what they called 'the worst of the worst' offenders caught in the immigration raids. The release also accused 'California politicians and rioters' of 'defending heinous illegal alien criminals.' The escalation could be a turning point for a state where Democratic politicians had started the year fairly quiet on Trump's immigration crackdowns, at least compared to his first time in office. With the state facing a multibillion-dollar budget deficit, lawmakers and Newsom were antsy about losing federal funding, and Newsom especially was depending on a relatively harmonious relationship with the federal government to secure aid for Los Angeles wildfire recovery. But California Democrats have since struck a more defiant tone. Last week they advanced numerous bills to discourage warrantless ICE visits to hospitals, schools and shelters. Over the weekend, they condemned the raids and sided with protesters, especially after federal agents arrested prominent union president Huerta on Friday during a clash with protesters outside an immigration raid of a garment company's warehouse. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, a Salinas Democrat, called the raids 'an authoritarian assault on our immigrant communities.' 'We will not allow (Los Angeles) to become a staging ground for political terror,' he wrote in a statement. His counterpart in the state Senate, Healdsburg Democrat Mike McGuire, said the National Guard deployment 'reeks of fascism.' Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California — which includes Los Angeles — told KNBC-TV that immigration enforcement agents were under duress while conducting raids in Paramount and Compton. 'You have thousands of people forming and gathering in crowds, rioting, attacking our agents, throwing rocks, throwing eggs, throwing Molotov cocktails,' Essayli told the news station. Marissa Nuncio, director of the Los Angeles-based Garment Worker Center, said garment workers were reeling after immigration enforcement agents detained 20 of them in a raid at Ambiance Apparel in the city's Fashion District on Friday. The amassing of troops downtown made her members worry about a second raid. The Garment Worker Center held a know-your-rights seminar on Saturday, one day after the raid. Attendees 'wanted to know, how can we stop this,' Nuncio said. 'How can we resist these attacks on our community? They wanted to know if it's safe to go to work, to go to church, to go to the clinic.' Garment workers are particularly vulnerable because they are often employed in illegal production facilities that pop up and then disappear overnight. They're paid by the piece, usually 5 cents to 12 cents per piece of clothing, a controversial practice that has drawn scrutiny from the Legislature. Their weekly take-home pay is about $300, or $5.50 per hour, paid in cash. 'We feel the best we can do is inform workers of what's going on,' Nuncio said, 'and remind them that they have power in their rights.' CalMatters reporter Joe Garcia contributed to this story. This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
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National Guard deployed to L.A. and Trump warns Musk of 'consequences': Weekend Rundown
President Donald Trump moved to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass after immigration raids in the city led to protests and disorder. Approximately 300 National Guard members descended on Los Angeles on Sunday morning after the president ordered the deployment of 2,000 troops, a move sharply criticized as inflammatory and unnecessary by Newsom and a 'chaotic escalation' by Bass, who warned that an 'extreme presence of troops or law enforcement officers' could stoke 'massive civil unrest.' Tom Homan, Trump's appointed border czar, told NBC News that Newsom and Bass had created 'a sanctuary for criminals' and suggested the governor and mayor could be arrested if they impeded law enforcement. 'I'll say about anybody,' Homan said, 'it's a felony to knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien. It's a felony to impede law enforcement from doing their job.' Homan said 'around 150' undocumented immigrants had been detained in the last two days as Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers carried out large-scale sweep across the city. In an interview with NBC News' 'Meet the Press,' Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said he would not accept campaign donations from Elon Musk, but urged the former Trump adviser to 'get involved right now in a more substantive way' in Democrats' push against the sweeping GOP-backed spending bill. Booker's remarks come as other Democrats have floated welcoming Musk into the Democratic Party after a feud between President Donald Trump and the tech mogul exploded into public view last week. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., also joined moderator Kristen Welker on Sunday, defending Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard in Los Angeles as demonstrators protest federal immigration raids. 'He's trying to de-escalate all the tensions that are there,' Lankford said. 'This is an American city, and to be able to have an American city where we have people literally flying Mexican flags and saying, 'You cannot arrest us,' cannot be allowed.' He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that. President Donald Trump on Elon Musk President Donald Trump on Saturday told NBC News there would be 'serious consequences' if tech mogul Elon Musk funds candidates to run against Republicans who vote in favor of his sweeping budget bill, after a breakdown in relations between the two. Trump's comments were the most extensive since he and Musk exchanged threats and attacks on X and Truth Social earlier this week. He added that he thought the Republican Party was more unified than ever after the two men fell out in front of the world. Back in the USA: Trump told NBC News that it wasn't his decision to bring mistakenly deported Maryland man Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. to face federal charges, but said he believes it will be a 'very easy case.' Abrego Garcia's case has raised a number of questions, including what the political fallout will be. Lines redrawn: Democrats are making gains in wealthier, whiter and more educated areas as Republicans make inroads with Hispanic and white working-class voters, an analysis of election data shows. Treatment halted: Trump's travel ban has stalled lifesaving treatment for Haitian children who need to travel for surgery. A U.S. doctor who has operated on Haitian children is pleading for the administration to make a humanitarian exception to the ban. The No. 2 seeds for both the men's and women's finals at Roland-Garros came out on top this year. In three sets, Coco Gauff became the first American women to win the French open since Serena Williams in 2015, outlasting top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka with a 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 victory. 'The crowd really helped me today. You guys were cheering for me so hard, and I don't know what I did to deserve so much love from the French crowd,' Gauff said. 'But I appreciate you guys.' In the men's final, Carlos Alcaraz produced one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the clay-court tournament. The defending champion made a stunning comeback from two sets down, winning a fifth-set tiebreaker to beat No. 1 Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) to retain his French Open title for a second-straight year. It was the longest-ever French Open final — 5 hours, 29 minutes — in the Open Era. 'Wicked' star Cynthia Erivo, a Grammy, Emmy and Tony award-winning actress and singer, is slated to host the 78th annual Tony Awards, which this year return to New York City's Radio City Music Hall. There are 29 shows on Broadway that received nominations this season, with tight competition in many categories, and the acting categories are stacked with Hollywood stars, including George Clooney and Sarah Snook. NBC News will be covering the Tonys live. Follow our coverage here. Colombian senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay is fighting for his life after he was shot three times during a campaign event in Bogotá on Saturday. A Cantonese opera inspired by Trump has debuted its latest edition, riffing on the president's infamous White House sparring match with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to block an aid vessel carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists from reaching Gaza, by 'any means necessary.' Did you know you are more likely to be struck by lightning than the Pacers were to win their playoff comebacks? These stats back up that claim. A U.S. marshal was mistakenly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Arizona because he 'fit the general description of a subject being sought by ICE,' officials said. A Seattle man was charged in connection with a series of robberies and burglaries of current and former professional athletes, with alleged victims including Seattle Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo, center fielder Julio Rodriguez and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell. Just how much damage did Ukraine do in its 'Spiderweb' drone attack on Russia? NBC News has analyzed satellite imagery to dig into the claims being made by Kyiv and Moscow. Multiple people were injured after a small plane carrying 20 people crashed in Tullahoma, Tennessee, authorities said. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
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Lexington councilwoman Denise Gray won't seek reelection, cites harassment
Lexington councilwoman Denise Gray will not seek reelection, she announced Sunday afternoon. Gray said after much prayer and reflection, she decided to not seek a second term as the sixth-district councilperson for the Lexington Fayette County Urban Government. 'Serving you, my neighbors, my hometown community, and the district where I was raised has been an honor that words can hardly capture,' Gray stated in a press release. 'Together we've asked hard questions, challenged the status quo, and worked toward a more just and equitable Lexington. I am proud of what we've built.' Gray said her decision to not run again for a Lexington council seat was a result of treatment by media following her sexual assault allegations against former council member Brenda Monarrez. Monarrez was accused of sexual assault against Gray in August 2024. On Aug. 8, 2024, Gray applied for a restraining order, called an interpersonal protection order, alleging Monarrez was sexually aggressive toward her on two occasions over the prior three years. In October, District Judge Traci Brislin granted a three-year restraining order between the two women and found sexual assault did occur. 'I believe an actual sexual assault occurred, and it may occur again,' Brislin said. 'The court believes that this has happened on not one, but two separate occasions.' Sexual assault under state statue also includes sexual abuse. No criminal charges have been filed against Monarrez. Gray said her decision to not seek reelection wasn't easy. 'The lack of empathy and disregard for my humanity during that time was not only hurtful, but it was also a painful reminder of the barriers Black women too often face when we speak truth and stand in our power,' Gray said. 'Despite that treatment, I continued to show up and serve with courage, compassion, and commitment. But I will not pretend it did not affect me, it did.' Gray was elected in November 2022 to represent Lexington's sixth district, which stretches along Lexington's north and east sides with Paris Pike, Winchester, Liberty, Man O'War and Bryan Station roads as major corridors. As a result of the sexual assault claims, Monarrez was banned from entering city hall and Democratic party events. Monarrez, who represented district four, lost her seat to Emma Curtis in November 2024. Staff reporter Beth Musgrave contributed to this story.
