Senator probes CBP nominee's alleged interference in migrant death investigation
A leading Senate Democrat said in a letter Wednesday that he is seeking records to determine if President Donald Trump's nominee to lead U.S. Customs and Border Protection improperly intervened in the criminal probe into the 2010 death of an undocumented immigrant in federal custody.
In a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) said nominee Rodney Scott was a top Border Patrol official in the San Diego sector when agents battered Anastasio Hernandez Rojas with batons and shocked him with a taser, leaving him unconscious and bloody. His subsequent death led to investigations that shadowed CBP for years and are likely to undergo fresh scrutiny as Scott's Senate confirmation hearing approaches.
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Bloomberg
30 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
From Visas to Jets, US and China Are Finding New Trade Leverage
Donald Trump brought many of the same grievances to his second trade war against China, but the economic battleground that's emerged since then is making it harder to avoid a rupture this time around. While tariffs kicked off the dispute, it's the new trade weapons being unsheathed by both sides that have come to define the latest standoff. And if the damage done so far is any indication, the scars will prove more enduring — no matter the outcome of trade talks in London that will continue into a second day on Tuesday.
USA Today
38 minutes ago
- USA Today
All us billionaires who voted Patronis must be celebrating ‘Big Beautiful Bill'
All us billionaires who voted Patronis must be celebrating 'Big Beautiful Bill' | Letters Show Caption Hide Caption PNJ Headlines: Here's what's in the news Tuesday People react to arrest of woman with dementia, Santa Rosa zoning board controversy, and Seventy1 Bistro in Tuesday's news Opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are those of our readers and not the Pensacola News Journal. In order for letters to be considered for publication, they must be 250 words or less and include your full name, address and phone number. Only your name and city of residence will be published. Submission does not guarantee publication. Email submissions to opinion@ All us billionaires who voted for Patronis must be celebrating now To all voters in House District 1, there was a special election on April 1. Just recently, you were asked to exercise your constitutional right to vote for your representative. The race was between Democrat Gay Valimont and Republican Jimmy Patronis. And Jimmy Patronis won. Thank you to all who voted. Just to point out that your vote counts, the U.S. House of Representatives voted this week on the 'Big Beautiful Budget' that will cut Medicaid, SNAP, and Meals on Wheels to name just a few things. And this budget will also give tax breaks to all of you billionaires. The amazing thing is that it passed by one vote! It comes down to what is important to you. If more people had voted to elect Gay Valimont, that bill would not have passed, we would not have the possibility giant cuts to Medicaid and the other cuts in this Budget. Since more people voted for Jimmy Patronis, there is the possibility that huge tax cuts will be available for the very rich. Which will affect you? If Gay Valimont had been elected on April 1, you would have been responsible for saving Medicaid and disappointing those billionaires in the neighborhood. Please don't think that your vote doesn't count. Because it does. It did. And will continue to matter. Donna Grace, Gulfport Perhaps neighborhood developers should take bear habitat into consideration Whose fault is it that bears are "encroaching" on our neighborhoods? For how many years and how many acres have people encroached on bear habitat? Maybe those responsible for giving permission for development should identify bear habitat and consider the bears. Then maybe the bears would not get a death sentence from those who moved into their land. Perhaps redevelopment of rundown areas could be considered, instead. Meg Melvin, Pensacola Pensacola Beach could do more to give warning flags better visibility As a resident of Santa Rosa and Escambia counties off and on for almost 50 years, Pensacola Beach is a big part of my life. You hear about the beach warning flag system daily on the news, which is a great thing. Arriving on Santa Rosa Island from the Bob Sikes Bridge, you immediately see the warning flag color (which can change throughout the day). If you set up at the Casino Beach parking lot, you are one of the few lucky ones that can see the warning flag. We recently rented 102 Ariola Drive for the week. There were 13 of us of whom only two could see what color the warning flag was that was flying at the end of the pier. The lifeguard trucks that roam the beach have what amounts to a small piece of colored cloth attached under a surfboard. There are a lot of American flags flying on the shoreline, but not one beach warning flag! People are chastised and berated for not following the warning flags that they cannot see! The warning flag system is a great idea but can only be followed if it is visible. It seems the lifeguard trucks can put in a little effort and fly a warning flag. Also, if you display the warning flags along with the American flags, they would be visible to many and do the job they were intended to do, save lives. Cyndi Schumaker, Milton Donald Trump's corruption must be resisted As the continuing blatant immorality and corruption of Donald Trump seems inevitable, the temptation to just accept it increases. But he will be stopped! We cannot just give up. Our voices of protest must continue to mobilize the people. Stopping Trump won't end the threat to the United States and our system of government. The demise of Marx and Hitler did not end Marxism and Fascism. Trumpism has spread to a large portion of our population. The resistance to the threat they project must continue. Our vigilance and action against them will continue. The extreme right of neo-Nazis and white Christian nationalists will not go away. But their political aims can be suppressed. Michael Gilbert, Jay Memorial Day is not for veterans, but for those who gave all This weekend is not Veterans Day. It's Memorial Day — a time not to thank the living, but to honor the fallen. I say this with the utmost sincerity, please do not thank veterans this weekend. Those of us who are veterans have our day in November. Memorial Day is for our brothers, sisters, and siblings who gave everything — the ones who didn't come home. When you thank us now, it reminds us that we made it back while they did not. It's a heavy reminder, one that intensifies the pain. This weekend is not about service — it's about sacrifice. To the estimated 22 veterans we lose to suicide daily — we remember you. Not every battle ends on the battlefield. Our hearts are with your families. The fight to support change and support service members must continue. Veterans represent every race, religion, ethnicity, and background. They spoke many languages and had families from every corner of the world. They loved in many ways. Make sure your idea of patriotism is not narrow minded. Honor all of them. To the family of SrA Fortson, we honor his service, his legacy, and his sacrifice. He was a hero. While justice may be absent, we continue to demand accountability. Christina Forrest, Navarre Why is DeSantis fighting so hard to deny climate change Floridians, it's time to get serious about combating climate change. Why is it taboo to include those words in any government legislative materials? Gov. DeSantis doesn't believe that our weather is changing in dramatic ways. He like Donald Trump dismisses the evidence that these wild weather patterns have anything to do with manmade emissions of carbon dioxide and methane. Extensive scientific studies have shown that these gases emitted into our atmosphere are heating the planet beyond normal cycles producing havoc (e.g. historic numbers of devastating storms, fires, tornadoes and droughts). DeSantis supports Donald Trump's willingness to 'drill baby drill' producing more polluting fossil fuels. DeSantis offered marginal effort to reduce damage to our environment by banning release of helium filled balloons over our waterways (known to harm/kill turtles/other sea life). Yet he has prevented cities and counties from banning the distribution of more damaging plastic bags. Encouraging the use of multiple cotton or plastic bags is a meaningful step to reducing production of petrochemicals. Estimates by reliable sources show that we Americans use approximately 100 billion single use plastic bags each year. By eliminating those bags, we could avoid production of three million barrels of oil. Wayne Seden, Gulf Breeze Never miss a story: Subscribe to the Pensacola News Journal using the link at the bottom of the page under Stay Connected.
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Convoy departs from Twentynine Palms as Marines deployed to Los Angeles amid protests
(This story has been updated with additional information.) Roughly 700 Marines from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms were expected to be activated and sent to Los Angeles in response to the protests and unrest there, defense officials confirmed Monday afternoon. California Gov. Gavin Newsom immediately blasted the decision to deploy combat troops on American soil as "un-American." In addition to the Marine mobilization, a Pentagon official said later Monday on social media that an additional 2,000 California National Guard are being deployed at the order of President Donald Trump, a couple days after an initial round of hundreds of guard members were sent to LA. A Desert Sun photojournalist observed five buses and six to 10 armed vehicles passing Park Boulevard near Joshua Tree while heading west on Highway 62 — the main route from Twentynine Palms to Los Angeles — shortly after 7 p.m. Monday. At the nearby crosswalk, about 20 protestors were gathered demonstrating against the recent immigration raids. It was unclear what the Marines will be tasked with in Los Angeles, according to CNN, which first reported the mobilization while citing three people familiar with the matter. But one of the people familiar with the mobilization said they will be augmenting the National Guard's presence on the ground in LA. The roughly 700 Marines from 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division "will seamlessly integrate with the Title 10 (National Guard) forces under Task Force 51 who are protecting federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area," the U.S. Northern Command said in a prepared statement. "The activation of the Marines is intended to provide Task Force 51 with adequate numbers of forces to provide continuous coverage of the area in support of the lead federal agency," the statement added. The battalion is based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. Reuters cited an official who said that despite the Marines being sent, the Insurrection Act was not expected to be invoked. The Marines cannot conduct law enforcement activity such as making arrests unless Trump invokes that act, per CNN. The Marine mobilization came after hundreds of California National Guard soldiers were deployed over the weekend in downtown Los Angeles by President Donald Trump, citing 'incidents of violence and disorder' during protests against the administration's deportation policies and recent raids. The U.S. Northern Command posted pictures on social media shortly before 5 p.m. Monday that appeared to be taken at the Twentynine Palms base showing Marines and vehicles as they prepared to depart for the Los Angeles area. The move drew fierce pushback from California's leaders, including Newsom, who say local law enforcement agencies are more than capable of keeping the peace in the city. 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 request since 1965. The state of California announced Monday that it is suing the Trump administration over its decision to federalize the National Guard and send its members onto city streets. Newsom criticized the decision to mobilize the Marines in Twentynine Palms in a post Monday afternoon on X. "U.S. Marines have served honorably across multiple wars in defense of democracy. They are heroes," Newsom said. "They shouldn't be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President. This is un-American." In a statement Monday, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said his office 'has not received any formal notification that the Marines will be arriving in Los Angeles,' and he urged clear communication to 'prevent confusion' and 'avoid escalation.' 'The possible arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles — absent clear coordination — presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding the city,' McDonnell said in a prepared statement. He added the city's police department, alongside mutual aid partners, have 'decades of experience managing large-scale public demonstrations, and we remain confident in our ability to do so professionally and effectively.' 'That said, our top priority is the safety of both the public and the officers on the ground,' McDonnell said. 'We are urging open and continuous communication between all agencies to prevent confusion, avoid escalation, and ensure a coordinated, lawful, and orderly response during this critical time.' The LAPD arrested 29 people for failure to disperse Saturday evening, according to a press release issued Monday. On Sunday, 21 people were arrested by the department, with charges including attempted murder with a Molotov cocktail, assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, looting and failure to disperse. Initial figures show five LAPD officers sustained minor injuries during the confrontations with protestors, according to the department, while five LAPD horses were also 'targeted' and sustained minor injuries. 'Throughout (Sunday) evening, officers encountered groups using handheld radios to coordinate movement and evade law enforcement,' the department said. 'By approximately 2:30 a.m. on June 9, the crowd had (dispersed) enough for LAPD personnel to begin demobilizing.' The police department is reviewing body-worn video and other evidence related to the incidents and said it would work with prosecutors 'to seek appropriate charges for those involved in criminal activity.' Additionally, the LAPD Professional Standards Bureau will investigate allegations of excessive force and other issues related to officers' actions during the protests. Taya Gray and Jay Calderon of The Desert Sun and USA TODAY contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Convoy departs Twentynine Palms after Marines ordered to LA
