Letters to the Editor: Venezuelan men deported to prison in El Salvador deserve due process
To the editor: As we learn of hundreds of young men hauled off in shackles — with zero due process — to a brutal El Salvadorian prison, it is clear that cruelty is not a byproduct, but rather the point for this administration ("They were called gang members and deported. Families say their only crime was having tattoos," March 23). We have evidence some were not affiliated with gangs. Not a hint of regret for those whose only offense was escaping tyranny and torture in Venezuela and who now find themselves in a living hell.
Immigration falls under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security headed by Kristi Noem. She appears to have auditioned for the role with the release of her book last year containing a tough-gal brag about shooting her dog and goat. Their offenses? Annoying her. In any normal world, this admission would have been a nonstarter for a position of power. Not in Trump's America. Is it any wonder this is where we are as a country — when cruelty is sport and celebrated by the powers that be?
Cathy Goldberg, Seal Beach
..
To the editor: The Alien Enemies Act, which is Trump's excuse for deporting people to El Salvador, only applies in wartime. The power to declare war, like the power of the purse, is expressly under the authority of the legislative branch. We are not at war just because Trump says we are.
Scott McKenzie, La Canada
..
To the editor: President Trump cannot be allowed to round up any group of people in our country and perform all of the "due process" within the executive branch. He cannot go on to pay El Salvador to apply prison time while avoiding an American court of law, presumably because it is more convenient. That is unconstitutional.
Douglas Chapman, Santa Ana
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump booed and cheered at the Kennedy Center while attending 'Les Misérables'
WASHINGTON (AP) — The drama in the audience rivaled the spectacle on stage on Wednesday at the Kennedy Center, where President Donald Trump went to the opening night of 'Les Misérables' as he tightens his grip on the venerable performing arts institution. It was his first time attending a show there since his election, and he was booed and cheered as he took his seat alongside first lady Melania Trump. Near the end of the intermission, someone loudly cursed his name, drawing applause. Several drag queens were in the crowd, their presence a protest against Trump's complaints that the Kennedy Center had hosted too many drag shows in the past. Despite the condemnation, the event had a MAGA-does-Broadway feel. Ric Grenell, the Trump-appointed interim leader of the Kennedy Center, was there, as were Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha. Before the show began, Attorney General Pam Bondi chatted with guests and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took selfies. Laura Loomer, the conspiracy theorist who has advised Trump on personnel decisions, posted a video from a seat near the stage. Trump walked the red carpet with the first lady when they arrived at the Kennedy Center, which he's been remaking in his image while excising what he describes as liberal ideology. 'We want to bring it back, and we want to bring it back better than ever,' Trump said. The Republican president has a particular affection for 'Les Misérables,' the sprawling musical set in 19th-century France, and has occasionally played its songs at his events. One of them, 'Do You Hear the People Sing?,' is a revolutionary rallying cry inspired by the 1832 rebellion against the French king. The three-hour production featured singing and dancing, with the sounds of explosions and gunfire filling the theater as protesters and soldiers clashed on stage. For Trump's critics, it was an unnerving echo of what's unfolding in Los Angeles, where Trump has deployed National Guard troops in response to protests over his deportation policies. 'Someone explain the plot to him," California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, wrote on social media. Terry Gee, a bartender, bought his ticket for the show in November and didn't mind Trump's presence. It's his sixth time seeing 'Les Misérables,' and he said, 'I'm going to enjoy the show regardless." Hannah Watkins, a nurse, only learned that Trump would be there when the Kennedy Center distributed information about extra security and she searched online to see what was happening. 'I've seen a lot of famous people so far, which is exciting,' said Watkins, who had claimed a spot near the VIP entrance with her mother. 'Honestly, we just like 'Les Mis' and are excited to be here.' Before Trump, presidential involvement in the Kennedy Center's affairs had been limited to naming members to the board of trustees and attending the taping of its annual honors program in the fall. But after returning to office in January, Trump stunned the arts world by firing the Kennedy Center's longtime director and board and replacing them with loyalists, who then named him as chairman. Trump promised to overhaul its programming, management and even appearance as part of an effort to put his stamp on the national arts scene. His latest moves have upset some of the center's patrons and performers. In March, the audience booed the Vances after they slipped into upper-level seats to hear the National Symphony Orchestra. Trump appointed Usha Vance to the Kennedy Center board along with Bondi, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Fox News Channel hosts Maria Bartiromo and Laura Ingraham, among other supporters. Sales of subscription packages are said to have declined since Trump's takeover, and several touring productions, including 'Hamilton,' have canceled planned runs at the center. Actor Issa Rae and musician Rhiannon Giddens scrapped scheduled appearances, and Kennedy Center consultants including musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned. Understudies may have performed in some roles Wednesday night because of boycotts by 'Les Misérables' cast members, but Trump said he wasn't bothered by anyone skipping the performance. 'I couldn't care less,' he said. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has adopted a more aggressive posture toward the arts. The White House has taken steps to cancel millions of dollars in previously awarded federal humanities grants to arts and culture groups, and Trump's budget blueprint proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Trump has also targeted Smithsonian museums by signing executive orders to restrict their funding and by attempting to fire the director of the National Portrait Gallery. The president characterized previous programming at the Kennedy Center as 'out of control with rampant political propaganda' and said it featured 'some very inappropriate shows,' including a 'Marxist anti-police performance' and 'lesbian-only Shakespeare.' The Kennedy Center, which is supported by government money and private donations, opened in 1971 and for decades has been seen as an apolitical celebration of the arts. It was first conceived in the late 1950s during the administration of Republican President Dwight Eisenhower, who backed a bill from the Democratic-led Congress calling for a National Culture Center. In the early 1960s, Democratic President John F. Kennedy launched a fundraising initiative, and his successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, signed into law a 1964 bill renaming the project the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. Kennedy had been assassinated the year before. ___ Associated Press writer Mark Kennedy in New York contributed to this report. Darlene Superville And Chris Megerian, The Associated Press
San Francisco Chronicle
38 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Oakland Post editor's confessed killer paroled after years in prison
The man convicted of killing an Oakland newspaper editor who was investigating the finances of a Black empowerment group in 2007 was released from prison last week, officials told the Chronicle. Devaughndre Broussard was released into parole supervision on June 5, according to a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesperson. No other details regarding his release were immediately provided. Chauncey Bailey, the editor of African-American weekly the Oakland Post, had been investigating the bankruptcy proceedings of Your Black Muslim Bakery before he was killed. Broussard, a member of the bakery group, testified in 2011 that its leader, Yusuf Bey IV, had ordered him to learn where Bailey lived and 'find out his routine,' according to a Chronicle report. 'He wanted us to take him out before he wrote that article.' Broussard confessed to killing Bailey with three shotgun blasts on Aug. 2, 2007 as Bailey was walking to work at 14th and Alice Streets in downtown Oakland, according to a previous Chronicle report. A federal judge ordered the bakery to liquidate its assets amid debt and management problems the week following Bailey's killing. Broussard was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the slayings of Bailey and Odell Roberson, 31. Roberson was the uncle of the man who shot and killed Bey IV's brother near the former San Pablo Avenue bakery. Broussard promised to testify against Bey IV and Antoine Mackey, a former bakery associate, who was also a suspect in Bailey's killing. Bey IV was sentenced in 2011 to spend the rest of his life in prison for ordering the killings of Bailey, 57, Roberson, 31, and Michael Willis, 36. Jurors decided that Bey IV was guilty of murdering Bailey because he had ordered Broussard to pull the trigger. Mackey was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for Bailey and Willis's killings, the Chronicle previously reported. In 2015, a state appeals court denied Bey IV and Mackey's motion to overturn their convictions, dismissing claims that their trial should have been moved from Alameda County due to negative publicity.
Newsweek
38 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Donald Trump Booed at Kennedy Center, Drowned Out By 'USA' Chants
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump got a mixed reception at the Kennedy Center theater, where he watched the opening night performance of "Les Misérables" on Wednesday evening, but the boos and jeers were soon drowned out by chants of "USA". Trump waved and clapped as he entered the theater to the sound of both cheering and booing, a video posted to social media showed. A woman in another video can be seen shouting "felon" and "rapist" at Trump as another theatergoers urges her to "stop it". The president attended the performance with First Lady Melania Trump. .@realDonaldTrump gets cheered and booed at the Kennedy Center. — Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) June 11, 2025 "I couldn't care less" is what @realDonaldTrump said when asked what his response was to some Les Mis cast and crew potentially boycotting his attendance at the @kencen tonight This was the reaction to him walking in - a mix of cheers and boos More on @wusa9 — 𝙆𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙚 𝙇𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙤 (@KatieLusso) June 12, 2025 This is a developing article. Updates to follow.
