Romanian PM resigns after election surge in far-right vote
Bucharest | Romania's prime minister announced his resignation after a Donald Trump-aligned far-right leader scored a resounding first-round presidential victory, throwing the Black Sea nation into a fresh round of political turmoil ahead of a runoff ballot later this month.
Marcel Ciolacu said his coalition was unable to move forward after its preferred candidate in the presidential contest was eliminated. He signalled that the alliance of his Social Democrats with Romania's Liberals and another party may resume after a May 18 presidential runoff produces a winner, who will nominate a new premier.
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Sky News AU
43 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
‘A slippery slope': Trump deploying National Guard for LA riots sets ‘scary precedent'
Comedian Alex Stein says US President Donald Trump sending around 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles to intervene in the riots is an 'embarrassment'. Los Angeles is bracing for more anti-immigration enforcement riots, as 500 marines were sent to help our law enforcement. 'It sets a very scary precedent using United States military on … United States citizens,' Mr Stein told Sky News Digital Presenter Gabriella Power. 'It literally looks like out of an action movie … it is so bad. 'I'm happy that Donald Trump is using the National Guard, but at the same time, I don't like the National Guard being deployed on American citizens. 'It's a slippery slope.'
7NEWS
an hour ago
- 7NEWS
US immigration riots: Why are people protesting in LA?
Hundreds of Marines and an additional 2000 National Guard members have been deployed to control the riots in Los Angeles, according to US officials. LA police have also ordered protesters to go home after days of violent demonstrations, causing the entire downtown area to go into lockdown. The unrest was sparked by US President Donald Trump's move to crack down on illegal immigration and tighten the country's border security. So, why have his orders been met with a huge backlash? A big part it, some might argue, is the role that ICE has played in all this. What is ICE? ICE, or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is a division of the US Department of Homeland Security. It is responsible for enforcing immigration laws by detaining, deporting, and convicting unauthorised immigrants. As part of Donald Trump's immigration crackdown during his second term in office, ICE has ramped up its enforcement actions. On June 4, it arrested 2200 people which, according to NBC, is the most people ever arrested by the agency in a single day. But according to three sources familiar with the arrests, hundreds of those arrested had been enrolled in ICE's Alternative to Detention (ATD) program, which releases undocumented immigrants who are not deemed a threat to public safety. Following their release, these immigrants are tracked through ankle monitors, smartphone apps or other geolocating programs, along with periodic check-ins at ICE facilities. These LA ICE raids have also raised concerns over agents wearing masks and their lack of accountability using federal force in domestic affairs. How did the protests start? The protests started last Friday, when ICE agents raided the LA Fashion District and detained people suspected of being undocumented immigrants at their workplace. The arrest of over 100 people at multiple sites fuelled protests at the Metropolitan Detention Center. According to Homeland Security Investigations, 'approximately 44 people' were administratively arrested, and one person was arrested on an obstruction charge. President of the Service Employees International Union David Huerta was among those arrested for interfering with federal officers, according to LA-based attorney Bill Essayli. On Saturday, as word of the ICE raid spread, demonstrations continued at the heavily Latino city of Paramount, and its neighbour, Compton. Protesters attempted to again block Border Patrol vehicles near a Home Depot store in Paramount, with some hurling rocks and chunks of cement. Federal agents in response unleashed tear gas, flash-bang explosives and pepper balls. Trump signed a memo to deploy 2000 National Guard members to protect officers conducting immigration raids, contrary to the wishes of Governor of California Gavin Newsom, who accused the US president of a 'complete overreaction'. Newsom also condemned the raids, calling them 'chaotic federal sweeps' that aimed to fill an 'arbitrary arrest quota'. The escalation of tensions on Sunday triggered the deployment of 300 National Guard troops to guard federal detention centre Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown LA. Vehicles were set alight and officers in riot gear used flash-bang grenades and pepper spray to control crowds. LAPD declared the demonstration in downtown Los Angeles an unlawful assembly and ordered protesters to leave. On Monday, Trump ordered an additional 2000 National Guard members to be deployed in LA as well as 700 Marines. California has also filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, asking a judge to declare the call-up of National Guard troops unconstitutional and for the court to halt future deployments. Trump is the first president in 60 years to deploy the National Guard without that state's request. In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote, 'If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs' and that 'the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved'.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Trump deploys Marines as tensions rise over Los Angeles protests
President Donald Trump ordered active-duty US Marines and 2,000 more National Guard troops into Los Angeles on Monday, vowing those protesting immigration arrests would be "hit harder" than ever. Trump's extraordinary mobilization of 700 full-time professional military personnel -- and thousands of National Guard troops -- came on the fourth day of street protests triggered by dozens of immigration arrests in a city with huge foreign-born and Latino populations. California Governor Gavin Newsom slammed the move, posting on X that US Marines "shouldn't be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President. This is un-American." The deployment came after demonstrators took over streets in downtown LA on Sunday, torching cars and looting stores in scenes that saw law enforcement responding with tear gas and rubber bullets. Monday's demonstrations unfolded largely peacefully, however, after weekend protests triggered by dozens of arrests of people authorities said were illegal migrants and gang members. "Pigs go home!" demonstrators shouted at National Guardsmen outside a federal detention center. Others banged on the sides of unmarked vehicles as they passed through police containment lines. One small business owner whose property was graffitied was supportive of the strongarm tactics. "I think it's needed to stop the vandalism," she told AFP, declining to give her name. Others were horrified. "They're meant to be protecting us, but instead, they're like, being sent to attack us," Kelly Diemer, 47, told AFP. "This is not a democracy anymore." In the nearby city of Santa Ana, about 32 miles (50 kilometers) southwest of Los Angeles, law enforcement fired tear gas and flash-bang grenades on protesters chanting against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency as darkness fell. -'Hit harder' - Trump, speaking in Washington, branded the protesters "professional agitators and insurrectionists." On social media, he said protesters spat at troops and if they continued to do so, "I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before." Despite isolated and eye-catching acts of violence, officials and local law enforcement stressed the majority of protesters over the weekend had been peaceful. Schools across Los Angeles were operating normally on Monday, while the rhythms of life in the sprawling city appeared largely unchanged. Contrasting Trump's descriptions of the protests, Mayor Karen Bass said "this is isolated to a few streets. This is not citywide civil unrest." Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said local authorities were able to control the city. "The introduction of federal, military personnel without direct coordination creates logistical challenges and risks confusion during critical incidents," he told reporters. At least 56 people were arrested over two days and five officers suffered minor injuries, Los Angeles Police Department officials said, while about 60 people were arrested in protests in San Francisco. Protesters also scuffled with police in New York City and in Austin, Texas on Monday. Police made several arrests after around 100 people gathered near a federal building in Manhattan where immigration hearings are held, an AFP reporter there saw, while law enforcement fired tear gas on dozens of protesters in Austin, NBC affiliate KXAN reported. Trump's use of the military was an "incredibly rare" move for a US president, Rachel VanLandingham, a professor at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles and a former lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force, told AFP. The National Guard has not been deployed over the head of a state governor since 1965 at the height of the civil rights movement. US law largely prevents the use of the military as a policing force on home soil absent an insurrection. For good reason, VanLandingham said, explaining that troops such as the Marines are trained to use lethal force, as opposed to domestic peacetime law enforcement. "What does 'protect' mean to a heavily armed Marine??? Who has not/not trained with local law enforcement, hence creating a command and control nightmare?" she told AFP via email. The Pentagon said late Monday Trump had authorized an extra 2,000 guardsmen, seemingly on top of the 2,000 he deployed over the weekend.
