Video shows teens saving family from garage fire
CNN's Fredricka Whitfield speaks with Aiden Kane and Tyler Sojda, who helped rescue a family in Marcy, New York from a garage fire after spotting the flames while driving home from junior prom.
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Forbes
27 minutes ago
- Forbes
L.A. Immigration Crackdown Sparks Concerns About Possible Martial Law
TOPSHOT - Demonstrators holding signs and flags face California National Guard members standing ... More guard outside the Federal Building as they protest in response to federal immigration operations in Los Angeles, on June 9, 2025. US President Donald Trump on June 9 ordered active-duty Marines into Los Angeles, vowing those protesting immigration arrests would be "hit harder" than ever. Protests in Los Angeles, home to a large Latino population, broke out on June 6, triggered by immigration raids that resulted in dozens of arrests of what authorities say are illegal migrants and gang members. (Photo by Apu GOMES / AFP) (Photo by APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images) In recent weeks, the Los Angeles immigration crackdown has become the epicentre of a dangerous national experiment—one in which immigration enforcement is serving as the pretext for something far more ominous: a steady descent into possible martial law. The deployment of U.S. military forces into California without the governor's consent, the violent sweep of immigration raids, and the weaponization of emergency powers all signal that the constitutional order is under siege. President Donald Trump's decision to send 4,000 National Guard troops and Marines into California was met with outrage from state leaders and legal experts alike. California Governor Gavin Newsom has called the action 'an illegal, immoral, and unconstitutional act,' and the state has filed suit against the federal government, citing violations of the U.S. Federal Code, which prohibit federalizing state militias except in cases of invasion, rebellion, or when a state cannot enforce its own laws. None of those conditions apply in this case. Yet the justification offered by the administration—that Los Angeles was on the brink of collapse due to immigrant protests—is as false and inflammatory as was demonstrated on a recent episode of Jimmy Kimmel, which showed footage of quiet Los Angeles streets. Following a series of ICE raids that detained over 100 people, protests erupted across the city. While the Los Angeles Police Department stated that the demonstrations were largely peaceful, federal officials framed them as acts of rebellion. In televised comments, President Trump, without evidence, declared that Los Angeles would have been 'completely obliterated' without military intervention. However, some legal scholars point out that such claims are disturbingly reminiscent of how autocrats have historically manufactured crises to seize power. For instance, in comments made recently by Yale historian Timothy Snyder, he warned, 'Be wary of paramilitaries. When the men with guns claim to be against the system, the system is under threat.' These warning signs are increasing. Earlier this year, President Trump re-declared a national emergency at the southern border, significantly intensifying deportation efforts, particularly in sanctuary jurisdictions. His Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem, asserts that these efforts are crucial to national security. However, critics contend that the raids are politically motivated, intended to incite chaos and test the boundaries of presidential authority. This is not mere conjecture. There have been calls to arrest Governor Newsom for defying the troop deployment—an idea that would equate to criminalizing political opposition. The implications are chilling. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Republicans are racing to pass what Trump has dubbed his 'big, beautiful bill,' a sprawling legislative package that, among other things, includes over $46 billion for the border wall and ICE funding. The administration is leveraging the unrest in Los Angeles to push hesitant GOP senators to fall in line. The proposed bill also imposes a $1,000 asylum application fee—an unprecedented barrier to legal refuge—and earmarks billions more for new Border Patrol and customs agents. These aren't merely policy choices; they are tools of exclusion and intimidation. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), a leading voice for the legislation, is actively urging his colleagues to use the Los Angeles protests as proof of why ICE and the border crackdown require even more support. Beyond Capitol Hill, the cultural symbolism of this shift is equally revealing. Trump has announced a massive military parade in Washington, D.C., timed to coincide with the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary—and his own birthday. With tanks, howitzers, and cruise missile launchers on display, the spectacle is designed to evoke strength. But it also mirrors the authoritarian aesthetics of regimes like Russia and North Korea. The question is, where is this all heading? During his first term, Trump was dissuaded from invoking the Insurrection Act during the George Floyd protests only after senior military officials objected. This time, with loyalists appointed to key positions, those checks seem to be absent. Historically, there exists a dangerous precedent for all this. In 1933, Adolf Hitler used the Reichstag Fire to suspend civil liberties and consolidate power. Legal analysts are increasingly drawing comparisons between that moment and today's ongoing use of emergency powers in the name of immigration control. '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,' said constitutional law professor Laurence Tribe. Even tech magnates are playing a role. Elon Musk, who now owns X (formerly Twitter), has eliminated most content moderation, amplifying polarizing rhetoric and misinformation. His platform has become a megaphone for conspiracy theories that portray immigrants as invaders and critics as traitors. Beneath all these disturbing developments in the crackdown on immigrants lies a core question: Is the United States still a democracy governed by civilian law, or is it becoming a militarized state ruled by executive whim? The courts may still provide a line of defense. California's lawsuit regarding the unauthorized deployment of federal troops will test the judiciary's willingness to uphold the Constitution. However, history teaches us that legal battles alone cannot protect democracy when institutions are co-opted or eroded. What is unfolding is more than a dispute over immigration policy; it is a stress test of America's democratic fabric. The use of immigration raids to justify military actions, the demonization of peaceful protests, and the consolidation of emergency powers—these are not isolated events. They form a pattern. While Americans seem divided on the issue of military use in the Los Angeles immigration crackdown, with half in favour and the other half, particularly Californians, opposed, June 14th, 2025, the 'No Kings National Day of Action,' promises to be a pivotal day for America as immigration protests, which have spread to other cities, will likely reach their peak on that day. While this unfolds, Trump will head to Canada to attend the G-7 meeting while keeping a watchful eye on events back home. Meanwhile, the fate of the Republic may hinge not on whether Trump builds a wall, but on whether Americans permit him to dismantle the walls of constitutional restraint in the name of constructing it.
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
An investigation accused a senior State Department official of having ties to Russia. Here's what we know
Rumors that Darren Beattie — a senior official in the U.S. State Department — had personal ties to Russia spread in June 2025. Posts across multiple platforms (archived, archived, archived, archived) claimed that the uncle of Beattie's wife, a Russian woman named Yulia Kirillova, had roles in Russian government and even once received a personal "thank you" message from Russian President Vladimir Putin. The posts pointed to an investigation (archived) published by U.K. news outlet The Telegraph on June 3, claiming that Beattie — whom the investigation asserted shut down the U.S. government's Russian disinformation unit — had links to the Kremlin. Below, we break down Beattie's history, what the investigation alleged, how Beattie's wife responded publicly to the claims and what evidence exists to support them: Beattie is not new to public controversy. He worked in the first administration of President Donald Trump as a policy aide and speechwriter, but left the White House in 2018 after CNN broke the story that he spoke at the 2016 H.L. Mencken Club Conference, an event attended by white nationalists such as Richard Spencer. Less than a year after Beattie's firing from the Trump administration, then-U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz hired him to work as a special adviser for speechwriting (archived). Trump then appointed Beattie in 2020 as a member of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, a position from which the administration of then-President Joe Biden forced him to resign in 2022 after several groups — including the Anti-Defamation League — denounced his appointment given his antisemitic history and the position's responsibility to identify and preserve international heritage sites, including historic sites of the Holocaust. (In his X account's bio, Beattie wrote that he is a "Proud Jew.") In February 2025, Trump appointed Beattie as the under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, a top position in the State Department. By April, Beattie had spearheaded the effort to shut down the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Disinformation office — a department responsible for combating foreign information interference, particularly regarding claims of Russian interference in U.S. elections, as well as monitoring Iranian and Chinese influence. In an interview with conservative activist Michael Benz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio credited Beattie with leading the effort to shut down the office, saying it had "nearly destroyed America's long free speech history." Before his role in the government, the Telegraph investigation claimed, Beattie was consistently vocal on his social media regarding his pro-Russia views. The Telegraph reported that Beattie's social media showed staunch support for Putin with posts praising him as "brave and strong" and claiming Putin had "done more to advance conservative positions in the US than any Republican." His official government page is, as of this writing, publicly viewable on the State Department website (archived), indicating that he still has a senior position in the department. The Telegraph's investigation made two major claims: that Beattie married a woman from Russia, and that she is the niece of a businessman with close ties to Putin. According to Florida public records The Telegraph acquired, Beattie married Kirillova in 2021 in a ceremony in Broward County. Kirillova's apparent Facebook profile — which matches the profile picture reported by The Telegraph — indicates she moved to Washington, D.C., in January 2025, just a week before Beattie's appointment. She also responded to The Telegraph's allegations after its investigation, speaking on behalf of herself and her uncle. "As for my uncle, who I believe was never even contacted for this piece, he has never held a position in the Kremlin or Russian government, ever," she told The Times in a story published on June 3. The Telegraph's investigation claimed Kirillova studied in Moscow before moving to Canada and eventually the U.S. These claims appear consistent with her Facebook page, which indicates she completed her education in Moscow before studying at the University of Calgary and then receiving a law degree from Georgetown Law School in Washington, D.C., in 2019. The Telegraph reported Kirillova is the niece of Sergei Chernikov, a Russian businessman with part ownership in the Bashkir Soda Co. The Telegraph alleged he had close ties to Putin and that he shared ownership of an apartment with Kirillova's mother. Kirillova legitimated the claim that Chernikov was her uncle when she responded to the assertions in a statement to The Times, saying: Far from being Kremlin-aligned, Putin publicly denounced my uncle and his ownership stake in Bashkir Soda, whereupon the Putin government stole his company from him. He has lived in exile from Russia for five years. I am deeply disappointed that the Telegraph would omit these material and publicly discoverable facts that completely undermine the suggestion that my uncle or I am Kremlin-linked — the narrative backbone of the entire piece. We reached out to Chernikov via his Facebook account for comment, and will update this story if we receive a response. A Russian news outlet published a story in 2023 that claimed Chernikov supported and participated in Putin's 2000 presidential election campaign, "for which he even received gratitude from the president" — echoing the Telegraph's claim that he "received a letter of thanks from Putin for his help in the election campaign which first brought the Russian leader to power." The Telegraph article detailed Chernikov's foray into politics as follows: The same year [2000], Mr Chernikov took his first step into politics, taking a role in the ministry of natural resources, before becoming deputy governor of the Nenets region in Siberia. From 2008 to 2010, he was a member of Russia's civic chamber, which was founded following a proposal by Putin and is notionally meant to scrutinise the activities of the Russian government. When the chamber was set up, critics claimed that it would be staffed by Kremlin allies and used to diminish a rival power base in the Russian State Duma. The claim Chernikov was involved in Russian politics originated before The Telegraph story. The Russian news story above, as translated by Google Translate, reads as follows: According to Chernikov's biography on the website of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, of which he became a member in 2008, the businessman participated in Vladimir Putin's 2000 election campaign, for which he even received gratitude from the president. In 2000-2001, he managed to work as the first deputy head of the North-West Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources, and after several months he spent as the first vice-governor of the Nenets Okrug. However, from this experience, in his own words, he concluded that public service was not for him, and returned to business. We were unable, as of this writing, to find Chernikov's official biography on the website of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation. However, it was clear that by 2020, Putin publicly intervened in the Bashkir Soda Co., after protests erupted over the company's plans to continue mining limestone from a mountain sacred to local residents for the production of baking soda. A Russian court also determined the 2013 privatization of the company "was carried out with violations," and the vast majority of the company subsequently transferred to federal ownership. Putin then reportedly ordered the return of a portion of the shares to the trust management of the locale's authorities. It's unclear whether Russia officially forced Chernikov into exile and where exactly he lives, but according to the Russian news outlet, his social network profile lists Geneva, Switzerland, as his city of residence. Beattie — a historically vocal supporter of Putin — continues to hold his position in the U.S. State Department, and according to an investigation by The Telegraph, he married the niece of a Russian businessman — Chernikov — with reported links to Putin. A Russian news outlet previously reported several claims about Chernikov, including that he received a personal thank you from Putin for his support in the 2000 election and held some government roles years before The Telegraph's investigation made similar assertions. Reports indicate Putin intervened with Chernikov's chemical company, and Chernikov may be exiled from Russia, as of this writing. However, Snopes has not reviewed primary evidence related to these claims, and therefore cannot substantiate the claims in their entirety. 'Владимир Путин передал половину акций БСК Башкирии'. УФА1.ру, 8 June 2021, 'Следы ведут в Башкирию: разгадываем тайну самого дорогого памятника на Ваганьковском кладбище'. УФА1.ру, 10 May 2023, 'Darren Beattie'. United States Department of State, Accessed 10 June 2025. Kaczynski, Andrew. 'Speechwriter Who Attended Conference with White Nationalists in 2016 Leaves White House | CNN Politics'. CNN, 19 Aug. 2018, 'Как Башкирия отстояла Куштау (и потеряла БСК): хроника громких протестов в защиту шихана'. УФА1.ру, 15 Aug. 2021, Kelly, Caroline. 'Gaetz Hires Ex-WH Staffer Who Attended Conference with White Nationalists | CNN Politics'. CNN, 19 Apr. 2019, 'Long Live Kushtau Mountain and Its Defenders'. Greenpeace International, 4 June 2025, 'Protecting and Championing Free Speech at the State Department'. United States Department of State, Accessed 10 June 2025. Smith, Benedict. 'Trump Official Who Shut down Counter-Russia Agency Has Links to Kremlin'. The Telegraph, Steck, Andrew Kaczynski, Jennifer Hansler, Em. 'Trump Appoints Speechwriter Fired for Attending Conference with White Nationalists to Top State Department Role | CNN Politics'. CNN, 3 Feb. 2025, Taylor, Adam. 'Rubio Shuts State Dept. Foreign Disinformation Office, Citing Censorship'. The Washington Post, Washington, George Grylls. Russian Wife of US Official Denies 'Malicious Claims' of Kremlin Links. 3 June 2025, 'You Searched for Beattie - Page 3 of 81'. Revolver News, Accessed 10 June 2025. - YouTube. Accessed 10 June 2025. 'Путин передал акции "Башкирской содовой компании" фирме бывшего бизнес-партнера Ротенбергов'. УФА1.ру, 13 Apr. 2023,
CNN
40 minutes ago
- CNN
Federal agents box in man accused of assaulting border patrol agent at LA protests
Video shows the moment federal officers took a man into custody they say is wanted on suspicion of assaulting a border patrol agent at an anti-ICE protest in Los Angeles. The agents boxed in the suspect's vehicle at an intersection in the Boyle Heights neighborhood while his partner and toddler were inside. The man's partner said he was at a protest in Paramount over the weekend and there was a warrant out for his arrest after a confrontation with authorities. A spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security indicated that the incident was not a hit-and-run, but rather, a 'targeted arrest of a violent rioter who punched a CBP officer.'
