BREAKING NEWS Top Democrat dead after cancer diagnosis
Congressman Gerry Connolly has died at the age of 75.
The Virginia Democrat 'passed away peacefully at his home,' according to a statement from his family.
Rep. Connolly announced he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer just days after the 2024 election in November.
'The sun is setting on my time in public service,' he said in a statement in April when revealing his cancer had returned.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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The Guardian
8 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Alzheimer's blood test can spot people with early symptoms, study suggests
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Reuters
22 minutes ago
- Reuters
Riot police, anti-ICE protesters square off in Los Angeles after raids
LOS ANGELES, June 6 (Reuters) - Helmeted police in riot gear turned out on Friday evening in a tense confrontation with protesters in downtown Los Angeles, after a day of federal immigration raids in which dozens of people across the city were reported to be taken into custody. Live Reuters video showed Los Angeles Police Department officers lined up on a downtown street wielding batons and what appeared to be tear gas rifles, facing off with demonstrators after authorities had ordered crowds of protesters to disperse around nightfall. Early in the standoff, some protesters hurled chunks of broken concrete toward officers, and police responded by firing volleys of tear gas and pepper spray. Police also fired "flash-bang" concussion rounds. It was not clear whether there were any immediate arrests. An LAPD spokesperson, Drake Madison, told Reuters that police on the scene had declared an unlawful assembly, meaning that those who failed to leave the area were subject to arrest. Television news footage earlier in the day showed caravans of unmarked military-style vehicles and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents targeted several locations, including a Home Depot in the city's Wetlake District, an apparel store in the Fashion District and a clothing warehouse in South Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles City News Service (CNS). CNS and other local media reported dozens of people were taken into custody during the raids, the latest in a series of such sweeps conducted in a number of cities as part of President Donald Trump's extensive crackdown on illegal immigration. The Republican president has vowed to arrest and deport undocumented migrants in record numbers. The LAPD did not take part in the immigration enforcement action. It was deployed to quell civil unrest after crowds protesting the deportation raids spray-painted anti-ICE slogans on the walls of a federal court building and massed outside a nearby jail where some of the detainees were believed to be held. Impromptu demonstrations had also erupted at some of the raid locations earlier in the day. One organized labor executive, David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union of California, was injured and detained by ICE at one site, according to an SEIU statement. The union said Huerta was arrested "while exercising his First Amendment right to observe and document law enforcement activity." No details about the nature or severity of Huerta's injury were given. It was not clear whether he was charged with a crime. ICE did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for information about its enforcement actions or Huerta's detention. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement condemning the immigration raids, saying, "these tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city."
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Leaders of the Jan. 6 riot take revenge against US after securing pardon from Trump
Five former members of the Proud Boys are looking for a little revenge after getting a pardon from Donald Trump, filing a $100million lawsuit against the Department of Justice. One of the first moves of Donald Trump's second term was to pardon all January 6 defendants which included members of the far right Proud Boys. Former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, Ethan Nordean and Dominic Pezzola have filed the suit in Orlando federal court. While Tarrio received a pardon, the other four plaintiffs had their sentences commuted. The lawsuit said all four applied for pardons on May 13. They claim their constitutional rights were violated when they were prosecuted for their participation in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The suit seeks unspecified compensatory damages plus 6% interest and $100 million plus interest in punitive damages. 'There was hostages in this country,' Tarrio said during a news conference Friday afternoon. 'It's not about any other country today, and that's why this lawsuit is so important to bring back law and order into our system.' The lawsuit claims the men were arrested with insufficient probable cause and that government agents later 'found' fake incriminating evidence. They also claim they were held for years in pretrial detention, often in solitary confinement. 'The Plaintiffs themselves did not obstruct the proceedings at the Capitol, destroy government property, resist arrest, conspire to impede the police, or participate in civil disorder, nor did they plan for or order anyone else to do so,' the lawsuit said. Tarrio, Biggs, Rehl and Nordean were all convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes for their participation in the Capitol riot that sought to stop Congress from certifying former U.S. President Joe Biden ´s win over President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Pezzola was acquitted on the conspiracy charge but convicted of stealing a police officer's riot shield and using it to smash a window. After returning to office earlier this year, Trump granted pardons to almost all of the more than 1,500 people who stormed the Capitol. The U.S. Justice Department didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Speaking to a media gaggle packed into his White House office the night of the inauguration, Trump said he was pardoning about 1,500 defendants and issuing six commutations. Ex-Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was a guest of honor at the Reagan Tribute at Mar-a-Lago – just two weeks after his prison sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump's executive order Zachary Rehl (pictured left) and Ethan Nordean (pictured right) are two of the plaintiffs in the suit He also directed the attorney general to seek dismissal of about 450 pending criminal cases against Jan. 6 defendants. The pardons fulfill Trump's promise to release supporters who tried to help him overturn his election defeat four years ago. 'These are the hostages,' he said while signing the paperwork in the Oval Office. Trump declared at his indoor parade earlier that day that he will sign pardons for 'a lot of people' who were convicted for the attack on the U.S. Capitol as the crowd cheered enthusiastically. 'We won, we won, but now the work begins,' Trump said to start his remarks at the end of the parade in the packed Capitol One Arena in Washington, DC. Tarrio, one of the biggest names to get a pardon, has since said he plans to run for public office. He was sentenced in September 2023 to serve 22 years in prison after he was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6 attack – even though he was not present at the Capitol that day. And just two weeks later, Tarrio was among the guests of honor during a Reagan Tribute event at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. Tarrio, who was chairman of the Proud Boys at the time of the Capitol attack, said he would neither 'support' nor 'condemn' the riot. The far-right activist did insist, however, that he did not 'sympathize' with lawmakers who were terrified in their offices that day. At least 37 members of the Proud Boys were arrested, charged or indicted for alleged roles in the Capitol riot by January 2022. By then, Tarrio was no longer a leader of the group. He served as chairman from 2018 to 2021. The House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack subpoenaed Tarrio to testify in November 2021 and in February 2022, he gave a deposition to the committee investigators and two members.
