Billie Joe Armstrong Shares Message of Solidarity Amid L.A. Protests
On Sunday evening (June 8), Armstrong posted a protest snippet from downtown L.A. via Instagram Stories, captioned with a middle-finger emoji and an ice cube. The clip featured a live recording of 'F— Off,' a track from Saviors (Édition de Luxe), the deluxe version of Green Day's 2024 album, released in May 2025.
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The post comes amid increasing criticism of federal raids across Southern California, which saw ICE agents detaining dozens of individuals alleged to be undocumented immigrants. The crackdown was quickly followed by the unrequested deployment of National Guard troops to L.A., marking one of the first times in modern history that the Guard was sent to a state without the governor's approval.
California Governor Gavin Newsom slammed the move as a 'serious breach of state sovereignty' in a letter issued Sunday afternoon, while L.A. Mayor Karen Bass echoed that sentiment, calling the situation 'provoked chaos' during a press conference.
Armstrong's statement also follows comments from Finneas, who claimed he was tear-gassed while attending what he described as a 'very peaceful protest' in downtown L.A.
The Grammy-winning producer and artist posted several Instagram stories, writing: 'Tear-gassed almost immediately at the very peaceful protest downtown — they're inciting this.' Finneas also reposted a video showing 9News Australia correspondent Lauren Tomasi being struck in the leg by a rubber bullet while reporting live from the scene.
The protests began Friday in response to ICE raids at several Los Angeles-area businesses. By Sunday, the National Guard had arrived in the city, and images of heavily armed officers confronting peaceful demonstrators, including journalists and musicians, began flooding social media.
For Armstrong, this latest act of resistance fits squarely within a decades-long tradition of speaking out against institutional injustice. Green Day's discography is filled with political commentary, from the anti-Bush sentiment of American Idiot to more recent critiques of gun violence and authoritarianism.
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Boston Globe
a few seconds ago
- Boston Globe
Tennessee town approves deals to turn closed prison into immigration detention facility
Advertisement The first vote of the meeting resulted in approval for a contract with CoreCivic to resume operating the facility, which was closed in 2021 after President Joe Biden ordered the Department of Justice to stop renewing contracts with private detention facilities. Trump reversed that order in January. The second vote, to approve an agreement with ICE, also passed. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up It is not immediately known when the facility will reopen. Mayor points to job-generating potential Noeman said he wanted to reopen the shuttered prison to bring jobs and economic development to the town, which has struggled with financial problems and needs infrastructure improvements. With a population of about 1,300, Mason is located about 40 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Memphis. When it was open, the prison was the town's largest employer and an important economic engine. Advertisement Noeman, an Egyptian-American immigrant and a longtime business owner in the town, called turning the closed prison over to CoreCivic and ICE a 'win-win situation,' which led to a cascade of loud boos. 'It's nothing personal about any immigrant,' Noeman said, adding moments later that 'to give jobs to the people is what I'm looking for.' At times, Noeman argued with attendees, questioning whether they actually live in Mason and telling them 'you don't know what you're talking about.' Before the meeting, board member Virginia Rivers told The Associated Press that she does not support turning the prison into an ICE facility because 'I don't like what ICE stands for, how they treat the people.' During the meeting, she noted that some immigrants without criminal records are being swept up by immigration agents and separated from their families. She said approving the contracts would make Mason 'complicit in the abusive treatment of immigrants.' 'We as officials of the town of Mason that were elected by the citizens should consider the consequences and the hurt that this would cause our local community, our neighbors, Tennessee schools and many families,' Rivers said. CoreCivic said in a statement that the ICE facility would create nearly 240 new jobs, and it is currently advertising openings for detention officers at a pay rate of $26.50 per hour. The facility would also generate about $325,000 in annual property tax revenue and $200,000 for Mason that could be used for schools, infrastructure improvements and other projects, the company said. 'The services we provide help the government solve problems in ways it could not do alone — to help create safer communities by assisting with the current immigration challenges, dramatically improve the standard of care for vulnerable people, and meet other critical needs efficiently and innovatively,' CoreCivic said. Advertisement CoreCivic has faced dozens of lawsuits in Tennessee In 2022, Mason reached a deal with the state of Tennessee after it attempted to take over the city's finances following years of alleged mismanagement. Some members of the public who spoke at the meeting said Mason is a majority-Black town with a history of being ignored and treated with disrespect. One of the speakers, Charles Watkins, noted that CoreCivic was the operator of the prison under its previous name, Corrections Corporation of America. 'How is it that we can consistently let these organizations come into Black communities and then just somehow overwhelm us with the few dollars that they throw on the table as crumbs while they take the majority of the take back to wherever they came from?' Watkins said. Tennessee's corrections agency has fined CoreCivic $44.7 million across four prisons from 2022 through February, including for understaffing violations. Records obtained by AP also show the company has spent more than $4.4 million to settle about 80 lawsuits and out-of-court complaints alleging mistreatment — including at least 22 inmate deaths — at four Tennessee prisons and two jails from 2016 through September 2024. The state comptroller released scathing audits in 2017, 2020 and 2023. The Brentwood, Tennessee-based company has defended itself by pointing to industrywide problems with hiring and keeping workers. Associated Press writer Jonathan Mattise contributed from Nashville, Tennessee.
CBS News
2 minutes ago
- CBS News
California says Trump's L.A. military deployment was illegal and caused "anxiety and fear"; Feds say president had authority
Lawyers for the state of California and the federal government faced off in court Tuesday over President Trump's deployment of thousands of National Guard troops to Los Angeles. The attorney for the state, Meghan Strong, argued that having what she called a "standing army" in Los Angeles is "unprecedented" and goes against a "deep-rooted policy against military involvement in civilian life." She said that Mr. Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth "think that they can disregard that policy on a whim." Californians "have been forced to endure anxiety and fear caused by the pervasive presence of this standing army," said Strong. Mr. Trump sent in around 700 Marines and 4,000 California National Guard troops to protect federal property and law enforcement agents during a series of protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in early June. The deployment prompted a lawsuit from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who did not approve of the use of his state's Guard forces and called the move an illegal "power grab." At issue in the three-day bench trial pitting Newsom against the Trump administration is whether the troops violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which generally prohibits military personnel from carrying out domestic law enforcement. Strong alleged that the federal government acted in violation of that 1878 law, saying troops were used to provide armed security for federal agents, set roadblocks and perimeters that restricted civilian movement, and detained civilians. California asked U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer for an injunction that would let the military protect federal property — like courthouses and ICE facilities — but block it from continuing the support for immigration enforcement operations, which the state's lawyer called an "unlawful military crusade." Meanwhile, Eric Hamilton, a lawyer for the Justice Department, argued that the military deployment is legal, with the purpose of protecting federal property and personnel. He said that no violation of the Posse Comitatus Act exists. The federal government's only witness — Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, who was at one point commanding general of the Guard task force in Los Angeles — said he was instructed "that we were not conducting law enforcement operations and that we were there to serve the United States." "We took our duty very seriously, and care and professionalism was always exhibited," he said. Mr. Trump justified the deployment using a law called Title 10, which allows the president to call up Guard forces during a "rebellion," or if he is unable "with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States." In an early June memo, Mr. Trump said the protests in Los Angeles "constitute a form of rebellion" and endangered federal agents. Breyer had previously ruled that Mr. Trump used Title 10 unlawfully, but he was overruled by an appellate court that said Mr. Trump had discretion to decide if that law applied. Since then, most of the troops have left Los Angeles, with roughly 300 Guard forces remaining. But the issue has drawn more attention in recent days, as the Trump administration deploys National Guard forces to Washington, D.C. The administration says that deployment is necessary to support law enforcement and crack down on violent crime, but local leaders have condemned the federal government's intervention. Strong cautioned that "Los Angeles is only the beginning," citing recent comments from Mr. Trump that she said indicated he may deploy the National Guard to other cities, including Oakland and New York. A "constitutional exception?" Parts of Tuesday's testimony hinged on an alleged "constitutional exception" to the Posse Comitatus Act. At one point, Sherman referred to a "constitutional exception." He testified that he was advised federal troops were allowed to do "four things" that would normally be barred under the law — security patrols, traffic control, crowd control and riot control — "because it was in line with what the President was directing" and "what the Secretary of Defense was directing." But Judge Breyer was unaware of such an exception and pressed Sherman on the issue. "I'm not a lawyer," said Sherman. "That may be to your credit," responded Breyer. Breyer later asked if Sherman ever received legal advice that if the Guard task force engaged in certain activities, it would violate the Posse Comitatus Act. Sherman testified that he was told, since Mr. Trump's memo said the Los Angeles protests were a form of rebellion that prevented federal agents from doing their jobs, that triggered the constitutional exception. "This is all the way from the top of DOD down to Task Force 51," he said. California's attorney, Strong, disputed this "mysterious constitutional exception," arguing that neither the president nor the secretary of defense "can create an exception to the Posse Comitatus Act." "That means all the directives we've seen the past two days are wrong and what they told soldiers to do was illegal," she said. "Those directives are based on a constitutional exception that doesn't exist." One exception to the Posse Comitatus Act is the Insurrection Act, which lets the president use the military to enforce the law during an insurrection. Mr. Trump has not invoked that law. "If he calls something a rebellion, it is a rebellion?" Mr. Trump's description of the Los Angeles protests as a "rebellion" was raised again in court on Tuesday, after Sherman testified Monday that he didn't hear the term used to describe the demonstrations. Sherman clarified on Tuesday that he knew Mr. Trump's memo called the protests a rebellion. The judge later pushed back against the idea that Mr. Trump has the discretion to decide if a "rebellion" is occurring. "If he calls something a rebellion, it is a rebellion?" Breyer asked, repeatedly. The federal government's attorney, Hamilton, said that the president is commander in chief, and he's entitled to deference in that judgment. But when asked by the judge multiple times, he acknowledged that it doesn't make it a rebellion. Breyer further questioned Mr. Trump's ability to dictate what the law allows, when Hamilton argued that there was no violation of the Posse Comitatus Act because the military was serving a protective function in Los Angeles. "Are you saying that because the president says it, therefore it is?" said Breyer. "If the president says you can do X," he continued, "because the president has said it, that's sufficient to take it out of the Posse Comitatus Act?" The trial will conclude on Wednesday.
8 minutes ago
Tennessee town approves deals to turn closed prison into immigration detention facility
MASON, Tenn. -- Officials in a rural Tennessee town voted Tuesday to approve agreements to turn a former state prison into an immigration detention facility operated by a private company, despite loud objections from upset residents and activists during a contentious public meeting. The five-member Board of Alderman in Mason, plus Mayor Eddie Noeman and Vice Mayor Reynaldo Givhan, met in a fire station garage to discuss converting the closed West Tennessee Detention Facility into a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center run by CoreCivic Inc. Also present were a few dozen vocal, angry members of the public who oppose allowing ICE to house immigrants in Mason who have been taken into custody as President Donald Trump pushes for mass deportations. Trump has touted a Florida detention facility where allegations of mistreatment of detainees have drawn lawsuits from civil rights advocates and environmental groups. The first vote of the meeting resulted in approval for a contract with CoreCivic to resume operating the facility, which was closed in 2021 after President Joe Biden ordered the Department of Justice to stop renewing contracts with private detention facilities. Trump reversed that order in January. The second vote, to approve an agreement with ICE, also passed. It is not immediately known when the facility will reopen. Noeman said he wanted to reopen the shuttered prison to bring jobs and economic development to the town, which has struggled with financial problems and needs infrastructure improvements. With a population of about 1,300, Mason is located about 40 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Memphis. When it was open, the prison was the town's largest employer and an important economic engine. Noeman, an Egyptian-American immigrant and a longtime business owner in the town, called turning the closed prison over to CoreCivic and ICE a 'win-win situation,' which led to a cascade of loud boos. 'It's nothing personal about any immigrant,' Noeman said, adding moments later that 'to give jobs to the people is what I'm looking for.' At times, Noeman argued with attendees, questioning whether they actually live in Mason and telling them 'you don't know what you're talking about.' Before the meeting, board member Virginia Rivers told The Associated Press that she does not support turning the prison into an ICE facility because 'I don't like what ICE stands for, how they treat the people.' During the meeting, she noted that some immigrants without criminal records are being swept up by immigration agents and separated from their families. She said approving the contracts would make Mason 'complicit in the abusive treatment of immigrants.' 'We as officials of the town of Mason that were elected by the citizens should consider the consequences and the hurt that this would cause our local community, our neighbors, Tennessee schools and many families,' Rivers said. CoreCivic said in a statement that the ICE facility would create nearly 240 new jobs, and it is currently advertising openings for detention officers at a pay rate of $26.50 per hour. The facility would also generate about $325,000 in annual property tax revenue and $200,000 for Mason that could be used for schools, infrastructure improvements and other projects, the company said. 'The services we provide help the government solve problems in ways it could not do alone — to help create safer communities by assisting with the current immigration challenges, dramatically improve the standard of care for vulnerable people, and meet other critical needs efficiently and innovatively,' CoreCivic said. In 2022, Mason reached a deal with the state of Tennessee after it attempted to take over the city's finances following years of alleged mismanagement. Some members of the public who spoke at the meeting said Mason is a majority-Black town with a history of being ignored and treated with disrespect. One of the speakers, Charles Watkins, noted that CoreCivic was the operator of the prison under its previous name, Corrections Corporation of America. 'How is it that we can consistently let these organizations come into Black communities and then just somehow overwhelm us with the few dollars that they throw on the table as crumbs while they take the majority of the take back to wherever they came from?' Watkins said. Tennessee's corrections agency has fined CoreCivic $44.7 million across four prisons from 2022 through February, including for understaffing violations. Records obtained by AP also show the company has spent more than $4.4 million to settle about 80 lawsuits and out-of-court complaints alleging mistreatment — including at least 22 inmate deaths — at four Tennessee prisons and two jails from 2016 through September 2024. The state comptroller released scathing audits in 2017, 2020 and 2023.
