First Thing: Donald Trump sends Marines to LA as mayor says city being used as ‘experiment'
Good morning.
About 700 US marines were en route to Los Angeles on Tuesday after Donald Trump mobilized them the day before in response to protests over immigration raids. The president also doubled the number of national guard members to 4,000, in an extraordinary mobilization of troops against US residents that California leaders have called 'authoritarian'.
The Pentagon mobilized the 700 active-duty marines after tensions between the federal government and the nation's second-largest city dramatically escalated over the weekend, with residents taking to the streets to demonstrate against a series of brutal crackdowns on immigrant communities. The raids have affected garment district works, day laborers and restaurants. Federal agents also arrested the president of a major California union who was serving as a community observer during the raids.
Despite facing teargas and other munitions over the weekend, protesters continued to rally yesterday, and families of detained immigrants pleaded for their loved ones to be released.
How is California responding? The state has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing the US president of 'unlawfully' federalizing the state's national guard to quell a domestic protest.
Days before Pete Hegseth fired three top aides last month over a Pentagon leak investigation into the disclosure of classified materials, according to four people familiar with the episode, a recently hired senior adviser said he could help with the inquiry.
The adviser, Justin Fulcher, suggested to Hegseth's then chief of staff, and Hegseth's personal lawyer, Tim Parlatore, that he knew of warrantless surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA) that had identified the leakers.
Fulcher offered to share the supposed evidence as long as he could help run the investigation, three of the people said. But when he eventually sat down with officials, it became clear he had no evidence of a wiretap, and the Pentagon had been duped.
The extraordinary episode adds to the growing portrait of dysfunction inside Hegseth's front office.
What happened next? The development was not communicated to the White House – so several Trump advisers who were told of the NSA wiretap claim believed that was part of the 'smoking gun' evidence against the three aides fired by Hegseth, until they developed their own doubts.
The Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg was leaving Tel Aviv on a flight to France after having been detained earlier with other activists on a Gaza-bound aid boat, Israel said today.
'Greta Thunberg is departing Israel on a flight to France,' Israel's foreign ministry said on its official X account, along with two photos of the activist on board a plane.
The group of activists departed Italy on 1 June aboard the Madleen carrying a symbolic amount of food and supplies for Gaza, whose population is at risk of famine. Israeli forces intercepted the boat in international waters yesterday and towed it to the port of Ashdod.
What about the other activists? 'The passengers of the 'Selfie Yacht' arrived at Ben Gurion airport to depart from Israel and return to their home countries,' the Israeli foreign ministry said. 'Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority.'
The health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, is getting rid of all 17 members on a key panel of vaccine experts and will replace them, he said yesterday.
A former girlfriend of Sean 'Diddy' Combs told jurors in his sex-trafficking and racketeering trial that she repeatedly told the music mogul she didn't want to have sex with other men.
Authorities said a Chinese scientist was arrested while arriving at a Detroit airport for the alleged smuggling of biological material, the second such case in two days.
Donald Trump unveiled a federal program yesterday providing $1,000 government-funded investment accounts for American babies, getting backing from top business leaders who said they plan to contribute billions more to an initiative tied to 'the big beautiful bill'.
Graphic sexual content, bullying, abuse and threats of violence are rife on Meta-owned products. Now Meta is pumping billions of dollars a year into building its metaverse, a virtual world for education, business, shopping and live events. But if Meta has utterly failed to keep women and girls safe in its existing online spaces, why should we trust it with the future?
The unexplained deaths of hundreds of elephants near watering holes across the Okavango delta in May 2020 alarmed conservationists. Nearly five years later, scientists finally published a paper indicating what they believe to be the reason behind the deaths: toxic water caused by an algal bloom.
Millions of people are prevented from having the number of children they want by a toxic mix of economic barriers and sexism, a new UN report has warned. While right-wing governments, including the US and Hungary, are increasingly blaming falling fertility rates on a rejection of parenthood, the report found most people wanted children.
Gen Z are making headlines for their hesitancy to use bar tabs – instead preferring to close out and pay after every single drink, no matter how many rounds they order. But do younger people have a monopoly on poor bar etiquette? Alaina Demopoulos spoke to bartenders across the US about which generation behaves best.
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The Sun
36 minutes ago
- The Sun
I married a convicted killer in prison ceremony…his MUM tried to cancel wedding & trolls say he'll kill me when he's out
DRESSED in a frilly white gown, jewelled headband and satin heels, bride Carla Ward felt like a princess as she reached the gates of her wedding venue. But she wasn't about to say 'I do' inside a church or registry office. 12 12 She was heading into a prison - to marry a convicted killer. Last month the 27-year-old tied the knot with inmate Joseph Ward, 42, in a jailhouse ceremony in Louisiana, US. Despite Ward currently serving an 100-year sentence for shooting and killing a woman, Carla vowed to commit herself to him. Yet not everyone was happy with their marriage. On the morning of their nuptials, her mother-in-law-to-be phoned the prison to call it off - objecting to the union due to the couple's 15-year age gap. But the vows still went ahead as planned, with just the prison staff and warden as witnesses. Twice-divorced Carla, from Tennessee, insists it was the 'happiest day of her life', adding: 'I've been married before but this time felt 100 per cent natural. 'I was so shocked to learn that his mother wasn't happy as she'd said before that she was looking forward to welcoming me to the family, so it made me sad. 'Still, we didn't let it ruin our special day.' On the morning of the wedding Carla arrived at the prison in her car, where it was searched by armed guards before she went through a body scanner. Love Behind Bars: I married a convicted killer serving 100 years after rodeo date 12 She was then escorted inside to meet her groom. 'I was taken in to see Joseph,' Carla recalls. 'But he was half an hour late for his own wedding as he was working. 'Eventually he arrived dressed in a blue long-sleeved shirt, jeans and his rodeo belt and cowboy boots. It was pure joy seeing him.' The couple exchanged vows they'd written themselves at the visiting table before sharing a kiss as husband and wife. Afterwards the prison newspaper photographer snapped some pictures of the newlyweds, before they had an hour left of their visit. I was so shocked to learn that his mother wasn't happy as she'd said before that she was looking forward to welcoming me to the family, so it made me sad Carla Ward Carla says: 'It wasn't a conventional wedding but it was beautiful to us. I'll cherish that day forever." In October 2000, Ward was handed a 100-year sentence for aggravated robbery, kidnap and manslaughter, after a woman was shot and killed in Louisiana. He faced the death penalty, so took a plea deal. Carla, who has never had sex with her husband, says: 'Most people are shocked to discover I'm married to a convicted criminal, but that's not how I see him. 'He's really loving and has such a kind nature. He's really remorseful for his past actions and has had a lot of time to repent and turn his life around. 'I believe everyone deserves a second chance.' Instant connection 12 In September 2023, after watching him in a prison documentary, Carla fell for Ward. He was working as a horse trainer - a job awarded to prisoners who show exceptional behaviour. Carla says: 'He was only 17, so young at the time of his crime, I felt sorry for him, so decided to reach out and emailed him.' The pair began talking and clicked straight away. Within a week Ward professed his love to Carla, calling her his 'soulmate'. She says: 'I've always been attracted to older men. My last relationship was with a man 20 years my senior, so the 15 years between us wasn't an issue.' The following month the couple met for the first time at a rodeo event in a Louisiana prison stadium that was open to the public. Carla says: 'Joseph hugged me and introduced me as his girlfriend to his sister and mum who were visiting. 'He even told some of the guards, too. 'It felt really natural and we shared kisses throughout the day.' I've always been attracted to older men. My last relationship was with a man 20 years my senior, so the 15 years between us wasn't an issue Carla Ward That day Ward told her that when he was 17, in a drug-induced stupor, him and friend Robert Smith kidnapped and killed Smith's sister Christy, 24. According to Carla, Ward insisted he didn't pull the trigger. Carla says: 'He regrets his actions every day and wishes he'd never been there. 'But he had a hard upbringing and was maltreated himself. He'll have guilt forever.' After their first date the pair continued to talk daily over the phone - and in December 2023, Carla visited her mum, 58, to confess that the man she had been dating was a convicted criminal. She recalls: 'I handed Mum my phone and told her Joseph was on the other end and wanted to talk to her. 'But then I explained how the call was being recorded because he was in prison. 'Her mouth dropped open and she couldn't believe it, but she still spoke to him.' During their conversation Ward asked permission to marry Carla, which her mum granted. Carla says: 'At first Mum was shocked, and obviously it isn't an ideal union any parent would want for their child. 'But she could tell how much we were in love, so gave her blessing. I was so happy." Proposal 12 12 In January 2024, Ward proposed during a jail visit, and 16 months later, in May this year, Carla had a hen do with close friends in New Orleans to celebrate her up-coming wedding. She explains: 'My three best friends support us, and those that don't agree don't say anything rude, they just don't understand how the relationship is functional. 'They think I'll regret being with him and I'm crazy for having a marriage with someone behind bars. 'They worry how he'll be when he's released after being institutionalised. 'But I reassure them that our love is real and he's worth waiting for.' They think I'll regret being with him and I'm crazy for having a marriage with someone behind bars Carla Ward Carla says she's regularly trolled by strangers online for her unusual relationship choice. She says: 'If I post a picture of us together on social media, I get asked a lot if he's a sex offender, which is horrible. 'They say our love is disgusting and that I'm throwing my life away with an older man who's behind bars. 'Once someone said he'll probably kill me when he gets out. It's awful.' Carla makes the 10-hour round trip to visit Ward in prison once a month, and while their relationship is unconventional, she insists Joseph is the love of her life. She says: 'I can't wait to spend the rest of mine with him as husband and wife.' 12 UK Prison Brides Tracey Bottomley married double murderer Ernest Otto Smith in the US after meeting through a prison pen pal initiative. Tracey, from West Yorks, knew he had been given a life sentence with no possibility of parole Rebecca Short, from Oxfordshire, told her family she was on holiday in the US in 2022. Little did they know she was marrying double murderer Manuel Ovate Jr, who was on death row Paula Williamson, an actress who appeared on Hollyoaks and Emmerdale, married the infamous Charles Bronson in 2017 after they became penpals Karen Charves married Kenny Richey while he was on death row in 2014. He had been convicted for starting a fire in 1986 that killed his ex-girlfriend's daughter, aged two. Karen and Kenny's union did not last and she claimed he was abusive. Naomi Wise, from Essex, married Victor Oquendo, nicknamed Animal, while he was serving a 24-year prison term in a US jail. They split up in 2022 but have now rekindled their romance
Scottish Sun
36 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Brits among 9,000 migrants to be sent to Guantanamo in Trump plan to make notorious terror prison a vast detention site
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BRITS are among the 9,000 migrants set to be sent to the infamous Guantanamo Bay in President Donald Trump's plan to make its notorious terror prison a detention site. The first transfers are set to begin within a matter of days as the Trump administration dramatically ramps up its vast crackdown on illegal immigration. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 10 President Donald Trump plans to make Guantanamo's notorious terror prison a detention site Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 10 The first plane of detained migrants arriving at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay on February 4 Credit: AFP 10 Trump said he planned to detain 'criminal illegal aliens' at the notorious Guantanamo Bay military prison Credit: AFP 10 At the start of the year, the US President announced his plans to send up to 30,000 illegal immigrants to detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters at the time that 'the White House is currently working on [using] resources we currently have in Guantanamo Bay' to increase the number of beds for 'the worst of the worst.' 'We're already doing it,' Noem said. 'We're building it out.' The notorious Cuban camp was previously used as a military prison for those captured during George W Bush's "war on terror" after the heinous 9/11 attacks. read more news ELON SECOND THOUGHT Musk says he 'REGRETS' some of his bitter attacks on Trump after X row This week alone, at least 9,000 people are being identified for a potential transfer to the prison as early as Wednesday, according to documents seen by Politico. Roughly a whopping 800 Europeans are on the list of potential Guantanamo detainees - including British and French citizens, the Washington Post reports. Currently roughly 500 migrants have been held at the jail dubbed "Gitmo" for short periods of time in the past few months. According to the Trump administration, it works as a pit stop on the way to being deported to the country those being held came from. The bombshell move represents the administration's further toughening on immigration policy. Critics say the Guantanamo threat works to deter new illegal immigrants from entering the US whilst also encouraging those already in the country to self-deport. The Sun visits Guantanamo Bay One State Department official told Politico: "The message is to shock and horrify people, to upset people - but we're allies." But the deportation plans don't come without legal challenges. A court in Washington is considering a plea to outlaw the use of Guantanamo to house migrants as the American Civil Liberties Union claims they are being held in horrific conditions. Detainees are apparently kept in a rat-infested camp, served inadequate food and denied the weekly change of clothing. Detainees once endured sleep deprivation, waterboarding, and extreme temperature exposure as part of the CIA's 'enhanced interrogation' program. One of the most infamous detainees, Abu Zubaydah, was waterboarded 83 times and kept in a coffin-sized box for hours on end. While the camp once held nearly 800 suspected terrorists, that number has dwindled to just 15, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks. The last remaining detainees exist in a legal limbo, held indefinitely as the US struggles to either prosecute, transfer, or release them. 10 U.S. Navy sailors and Coast Guardsmen erect expeditionary shelter tents Credit: via REUTERS 10 Trump's border czar Tom Homan said the administration would expand the capacity of the hellhole facility as the military planned to put up temporary tents Credit: Reuters 10 The first USmilitary aircraft to carry detained migrants to a detention facility at Guantanamo Bay Credit: Reuters The ACLU accused the Trump administration of using Guantanamo "to frighten immigrants, deter future migration, induce self-deportation, and coerce people in detention to give up claims against removal and accept deportation elsewhere". The US Justice Department vehemently denied the claim, telling the court that Guantanamo is solely used as a temporary stop. Nine Brit citizens were previously held in Guantanamo in 2004, of which five were repatriated. And nine more people who had residency status in the UK but not citizenship were also held at the camp. Trump's border czar Tom Homan previously said the administration would expand the capacity of the hellhole facility. He said: "We're just going to expand upon that existing migrant center." Meanwhile Noem shared images of migrants arriving at the Guantanamo facility. She wrote on social media: "President Donald Trump has been very clear: Guantanamo Bay will hold the worst of the worst. "That starts today." The prison has cost US taxpayers over $6 billion to operate, with an annual budget of $540 million — roughly $13 million per prisoner. A dedicated medical wing, staffed by doctors, psychiatrists, and even dentists, exists to prevent detainees from dying in custody, ensuring they remain locked away indefinitely. What is Guantanamo Bay? By Juliana Cruz Lima, Foreign News Reporter GUANTANAMO Bay has long been synonymous with human rights abuses, indefinite detention, and controversial interrogation techniques. First opened in 2002 by George W. Bush in the wake of 9/11, the high-security facility became a legal black hole. There, suspects could be held without trial, subjected to brutal conditions, and interrogated using 'enhanced techniques'—a euphemism for torture. The prison complex, located on Cuban soil but under US control, is a fortress of isolation. Guard towers loom over the razor-wire fences, motion-activated searchlights sweep the perimeter, and cameras monitor every inch of the facility. Inside, detainees — most clad in orange jumpsuits — have spent decades in concrete cells measuring just 6.8 square feet, often with nothing but a thin mattress, a metal toilet, and a small slit for daylight. Prisoners have been force-fed through nasal tubes during hunger strikes, shackled in stress positions for hours, and subjected to psychological torment. Detainees once endured sleep deprivation, waterboarding, and extreme temperature exposure as part of the CIA's 'enhanced interrogation' program. Prisoners are separated into camps based on their perceived threat level. The most notorious detainees are housed in Camp 5 and Camp 7, which are maximum-security units where prisoners are kept in near-total isolation. Others are held in Camp 6, where detainees live communally but are still closely monitored. Camp X-Ray, the original makeshift site of the prison, was shuttered years ago, but its haunting images of hooded detainees kneeling behind barbed wire remain a symbol of Guantanamo's dark legacy. 10 US Marines heading to the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay Credit: Reuters 10 US Army soldier walking at unused common detainee space in 'Camp 6' detention facility at the US Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay Credit: AFP
The Sun
41 minutes ago
- The Sun
Brits among 9,000 migrants to be sent to Guantanamo in Trump plan to make notorious terror prison a vast detention site
BRITS are among the 9,000 migrants set to be sent to the infamous Guantanamo Bay in President Donald Trump's plan to make its notorious terror prison a detention site. The first transfers are set to begin within a matter of days as the Trump administration dramatically ramps up its vast crackdown on illegal immigration. 10 10 At the start of the year, the US President announced his plans to send up to 30,000 illegal immigrants to detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters at the time that 'the White House is currently working on [using] resources we currently have in Guantanamo Bay' to increase the number of beds for 'the worst of the worst.' 'We're already doing it,' Noem said. 'We're building it out.' The notorious Cuban camp was previously used as a military prison for those captured during George W Bush's "war on terror" after the heinous 9/11 attacks. This week alone, at least 9,000 people are being identified for a potential transfer to the prison as early as Wednesday, according to documents seen by Politico. Roughly a whopping 800 Europeans are on the list of potential Guantanamo detainees - including British and French citizens, the Washington Post reports. Currently roughly 500 migrants have been held at the jail dubbed "Gitmo" for short periods of time in the past few months. According to the Trump administration, it works as a pit stop on the way to being deported to the country those being held came from. The bombshell move represents the administration's further toughening on immigration policy. Critics say the Guantanamo threat works to deter new illegal immigrants from entering the US whilst also encouraging those already in the country to self-deport. The Sun visits Guantanamo Bay One State Department official told Politico: "The message is to shock and horrify people, to upset people - but we're allies." But the deportation plans don't come without legal challenges. A court in Washington is considering a plea to outlaw the use of Guantanamo to house migrants as the American Civil Liberties Union claims they are being held in horrific conditions. Detainees are apparently kept in a rat-infested camp, served inadequate food and denied the weekly change of clothing. Detainees once endured sleep deprivation, waterboarding, and extreme temperature exposure as part of the CIA's 'enhanced interrogation' program. One of the most infamous detainees, Abu Zubaydah, was waterboarded 83 times and kept in a coffin-sized box for hours on end. While the camp once held nearly 800 suspected terrorists, that number has dwindled to just 15, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks. The last remaining detainees exist in a legal limbo, held indefinitely as the US struggles to either prosecute, transfer, or release them. 10 10 10 The ACLU accused the Trump administration of using Guantanamo "to frighten immigrants, deter future migration, induce self-deportation, and coerce people in detention to give up claims against removal and accept deportation elsewhere". The US Justice Department vehemently denied the claim, telling the court that Guantanamo is solely used as a temporary stop. Nine Brit citizens were previously held in Guantanamo in 2004, of which five were repatriated. And nine more people who had residency status in the UK but not citizenship were also held at the camp. Trump's border czar Tom Homan previously said the administration would expand the capacity of the hellhole facility. He said: "We're just going to expand upon that existing migrant center." Meanwhile Noem shared images of migrants arriving at the Guantanamo facility. She wrote on social media: "President Donald Trump has been very clear: Guantanamo Bay will hold the worst of the worst. "That starts today." The prison has cost US taxpayers over $6 billion to operate, with an annual budget of $540 million — roughly $13 million per prisoner. A dedicated medical wing, staffed by doctors, psychiatrists, and even dentists, exists to prevent detainees from dying in custody, ensuring they remain locked away indefinitely. What is Guantanamo Bay? By Juliana Cruz Lima, Foreign News Reporter GUANTANAMO Bay has long been synonymous with human rights abuses, indefinite detention, and controversial interrogation techniques. First opened in 2002 by George W. Bush in the wake of 9/11, the high-security facility became a legal black hole. There, suspects could be held without trial, subjected to brutal conditions, and interrogated using 'enhanced techniques'—a euphemism for torture. The prison complex, located on Cuban soil but under US control, is a fortress of isolation. Guard towers loom over the razor-wire fences, motion-activated searchlights sweep the perimeter, and cameras monitor every inch of the facility. Inside, detainees — most clad in orange jumpsuits — have spent decades in concrete cells measuring just 6.8 square feet, often with nothing but a thin mattress, a metal toilet, and a small slit for daylight. Prisoners have been force-fed through nasal tubes during hunger strikes, shackled in stress positions for hours, and subjected to psychological torment. Detainees once endured sleep deprivation, waterboarding, and extreme temperature exposure as part of the CIA's 'enhanced interrogation' program. Prisoners are separated into camps based on their perceived threat level. The most notorious detainees are housed in Camp 5 and Camp 7, which are maximum-security units where prisoners are kept in near-total isolation. Others are held in Camp 6, where detainees live communally but are still closely monitored. Camp X-Ray, the original makeshift site of the prison, was shuttered years ago, but its haunting images of hooded detainees kneeling behind barbed wire remain a symbol of Guantanamo's dark legacy. 10 10 10
