Latest news with #U.S.Marines
UPI
13-08-2025
- Politics
- UPI
On This Day, Aug. 13: Israel, UAE agree to normalize relations
1 of 5 | U.S. President Donald Trump (2nd-L), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L), United Arab Emirates' Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) and Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani stand together during the signing ceremony for the Abraham Accords, where the countries of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates recognize Israel, at the White House in Washington, D.C., on September 15, 2020. File Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI | License Photo Aug. 13 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1889, William Gray patented the coin-operated telephone. In 1918, women were allowed to join the U.S. Marines for the first time. Sgt. Opha May Johnson, a 40-year-old civil servant, was the first to enlist. In 1961, East Germany closed the Brandenburg Gate and prepared to start building the Berlin Wall. In 1980, U.S. President Jimmy Carter was nominated for a second term by the Democratic National Convention in New York. He lost in November to Ronald Reagan. File Photo by Don Rypka/UPI In 1990, singer/songwriter Curtis Mayfield was left paralyzed when he was hit by a wind-blown lighting rig on an outdoor stage in New York. He died in 1999. In 1993, the multi-story Royal Plaza Hotel in eastern Thailand collapsed into a heap of rubble, leaving 137 people dead. In 2008, Bill Gwatney, chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party and a former legislator, was shot to death in his Little Rock office. After a 30-mile chase, a suspect was killed by police in an exchange of gunfire. A motive for Gwatney's killing was never determined. In 2013, Israel released 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of a deal to resume peace talks. File Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI In 2014, Brazilian presidential candidate Eduardo Campos was among seven people killed in a plane crash southeast of Sao Paulo. In 2016, Michael Phelps won his 23rd Olympic gold medal to finish his swimming career as the world's most decorated Olympian. In 2019, media companies CBS and Viacom agreed to a merger, combining their entertainment assets in an all-stock merger. The new company was known as ViacomCBS. In 2020, Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed to full normalization of relations. File Photo by Abir Sultan/UPI
Newsweek
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Chinese Patrol Ships Surround Islands of US Treaty Ally
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. Three Chinese coast guard vessels have deployed to a strategic waterway in the South China Sea that separates the Philippines from Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory—adding to rising regional tensions. Newsweek contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Philippine coast guard with requests for comment. Why It Matters The Philippines, a U.S. defense treaty ally, and China are locked in a yearslong territorial dispute. Beijing asserts sovereignty over most of the South China Sea—a conduit for an estimated one-third of global seaborne trade—citing so-called historical rights. Manila has in recent years stepped up its pushback against Chinese coast guard incursions into the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, leading to occasional dramatic clashes at contested features such as Scarborough Shoal. What To Know On Thursday, three Chinese coast guard cutters—each at least 330 feet in length—"bracketed" the Philippines' northernmost province of Batanes, according to ship-tracking data shared by maritime analyst Ray Powell. Powell, who heads the Stanford University-affiliated maritime analysis group SeaLight, described the maneuvers as "a new level of aggression" from Beijing. As of Friday morning, two of the ships were operating east of the island group, while the third remained in waters to the west. It is rare for Chinese coast guard ships to operate this far north. The Batanes are closer to southern Taiwan than to Manila and are situated in the Bashi Channel—a strategic choke point that would almost certainly come into play in a war with China. In April, the U.S. and Philippine militaries held joint drills there with the NMESIS anti-ship missile system, drawing protests from Beijing. China's maneuvers came a day after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., during a four-day state visit to New Delhi, vowed not to "cede one square inch" of territory to Beijing. The Philippine coast guard deployed a patrol aircraft to monitor the Chinese vessels because of what it called their "irregular movements," but poor weather limited the mission to challenging only the cutter west of Batanes, agency spokesperson Jay Tarriela said. He also said the ship ignored radio calls. "The leadership of the [Philippine coast guard] remains resolute and is prepared to deploy additional resources should the [China coast guard] vessels continue their presence or approach closer to the Batanes coastline," Tarriela wrote on X on Friday. U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment and 3d Marine Division conduct a notional fire mission with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System during the Maritime Key Terrain Security Operation as... U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment and 3d Marine Division conduct a notional fire mission with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System during the Maritime Key Terrain Security Operation as a part of Exercise KAMANDAG 9 in the Philippines, on May 27. More Cpl. Malia Sparks/U.S. Marine Corps What People Are Saying Jiang Bin, a spokesperson for China's Defense Ministry, said during Friday's news briefing of this week's joint Philippine-Indian naval drills: "We demand that the Philippines stop provoking and hype, stop forming cliques and making waves in the South China Sea, and return to the right track of managing differences through dialogue and consultation." Ray Powell, the director of SeaLight, wrote on X: "This is the first time I've observed this behavior from the China Coast Guard. While the CCG has been much more active in the West Philippine Sea, this marks the first I've seen it extend its intrusive patrols east of the Philippines." The West Philippine Sea is Manila's term for the parts of the South China Sea lying within its maritime zone. What Happens Next During his interview with Indian media, Marcos also said there was "no way" the Philippines could avoid being drawn into a war between its U.S. ally and China over Taiwan, citing its proximity and the more than 160,000 Filipinos working there. China's Foreign Ministry issued a sharp rebuke over the remarks, saying it had lodged protests with Manila and stressing that "geographic location" and the "large volume of Filipinos" in Taiwan should not be used as pretexts to interfere in the "internal and sovereign affairs of other countries." China claims Taiwan as its territory, though Beijing's government—which the Chinese Communist Party leads—has never ruled there. China has vowed to unite with the island democracy, through force if necessary. Chinese maritime activities—including oceanographic surveys and coast guard patrols in disputed areas—are likely to remain a point of friction in the South China Sea.
Los Angeles Times
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Trump names himself chair of L.A. Olympics task force, hinting at wider role
WASHINGTON — In past Olympic Games held on American soil, sitting presidents have served in passive, ceremonial roles. President Trump may have other plans. An executive order signed by Trump on Tuesday names him chair of a White House task force on the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, viewed by the president as 'a premier opportunity to showcase American exceptionalism,' according to a White House statement. Trump, the administration said, 'is taking every opportunity to showcase American greatness on the world stage.' At the White House, speaking in front of banners adding the presidential seal to the logo for LA28, Trump said he would send the military back to Los Angeles if he so chose in order to protect the Games. In June, Trump sent the National Guard and U.S. Marines to the city amid widespread immigration enforcement actions, despite widespread condemnation from Mayor Karen Bass and other local officials. 'We'll do anything necessary to keep the Olympics safe, including using our National Guard or military, OK?' he said. 'I will use the National Guard or the military. This is going to be so safe. If we have to.' Trump's executive order establishes a task force led by him and Vice President JD Vance to steer federal coordination for the Games. The task force will work with federal, state and local partners on security and transportation, according to the White House. Those roles have been fairly standard for the federal government in past U.S.-hosted Olympic Games. But Trump's news conference could present questions about whether a president with a penchant for showmanship might assume an unusually active role in planning the Olympics, set to take place in the twilight of his final term. There is ample precedent for military and National Guard forces providing security support during U.S.-hosted Olympic Games. But coming on the heels of the recent military deployment to Los Angeles, Trump's comments may prove contentious. French president Emmanuel Macron was a key figure in preparations for last year's Paris Games, including expressing his vocal support for the ambitious Olympic opening ceremony plan to parade athletes down the Seine River on boats. Many officials were concerned about potential threats along the 3.7-mile stretch, but authorities responded by increasing security measures that included up to 45,000 police officers and 10,000 soldiers. The task force, to be housed within the Department of Homeland Security, will 'assist in the planning and implementation of visa processing and credentialing programs for foreign athletes, coaches, officials, and media personnel,' the executive order said. City officials have expressed concern that the president's border policies could deter international visitors and complicate visa processing for Olympic teams. More concentrated involvement from Trump could spell further strain with Los Angeles city officials, who sought to make nice in the wake of devastating January fires, but have fiercely bucked Trump's recent immigration offensive. Trump swiped at Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass during his remarks on Tuesday, calling her 'not very competent' and criticizing the pace of city permitting for fire rebuilding. (Bass did not immediately respond to a request for comment.) Known for her coalition-building skills, Bass is not, by nature, a public brawler. In the aftermath of the Palisades fire, she appeared determined to preserve her fragile relationship with the president — and the billions of dollars of federal aid her city was depending on — responding diplomatically even as he publicly attacked her. But that determined cordiality crumbled when masked immigration agents and military personnel descended on the city. With troops stationed in the city and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal authorities arresting undocumented immigrants at courthouses, car washes and Home Depot parking lots, Bass took on Trump forcefully. At news conferences and in interviews, she accused the president of waging 'an all-out assault on Los Angeles, inciting chaos and fear and using the city as 'a test case for an extremist agenda.' Casey Wasserman, chairman of LA28, attended the White House event, thanking Trump for 'leaning in' to planning for an Olympics that was awarded to Los Angeles during his first term. 'You've been supportive and helpful every step of the way,' Wasserman said, noting that the Games would amount to hosting seven Super Bowls a day for 30 days. 'With the creation of this task force, we've unlocked the opportunity to level up our planning and deliver the largest, and yes, greatest Games for our nation, ever.' Wasserman will also have a delicate political balancing act, managing a Games in a deep-blue city with a famously mercurial Republican president in office. A Hollywood scion and sports and entertainment mogul, Wasserman has long been a prominent Democratic donor known for his close relationship with the Clintons. But in recent months he has diversified his giving, with hefty donations to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and House Speaker Mike Johnson's leadership fund. Wasserman has publicly praised Trump's commitment to the Games and traveled to Mar-a-Lago in January to meet with the incoming president. Presidents have long played a role in the Games. In 1984, Ronald Reagan formally opened the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, becoming the first American president to do so. Reagan attended several Olympic events, but repeatedly emphasized the federal government's role was focused on security, according to the White House Historical Assn. The Olympic Charter requires the host country's head of state to officially open the Games, but before Reagan, the duty had been fulfilled by local political leaders or vice presidents representing the president. The federal government has historically provided significant funding when the Games are hosted on U.S. soil, with financial support going toward both security and infrastructure. Leading up to the 1996 Games in Atlanta, the federal government spent $227 million on security and transportation, playing 'very much a junior partner' to the Olympic Committee, then-Vice President Al Gore said at the time. Still, a bombing at the Centennial Olympic Park during the games that summer shook the security establishment. The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City were the first Games to be classified as a 'National Special Security Event,' the government's highest security rating for any event that designates the U.S. Secret Service as the lead agency for implementing security. That standard has remained in place for U.S.-held Olympic Games ever since. The Secret Service will also lead security coordination for the 2028 Games. The federal government was particularly involved in the Salt Lake City games, which were held just months after the 9/11 attacks. Los Angeles leaders are actively involved in the security planning, and are currently in negotiations with LA28 for the use of the city's police, traffic officers, and other employees during the Olympics and Paralympics. Security, trash removal, traffic control, paramedics and more will be needed during the 17-day Olympics and the two-week Paralympics the following month. Under the 2021 Games agreement between LA28 and the city, LA28 must reimburse Los Angeles for any services that go beyond what the city would provide on a normal day. The two parties must agree by Oct. 1, 2025, on 'enhanced services' — additional city services needed for the Games, beyond that normal level — and determine rates, repayment timelines, audit rights and other processes. Overtime for Los Angeles police officers, and any other major expenses, would be acutely felt by a city government that recently closed a nearly $1-billion budget deficit, in part by slowing police hiring. Times staff writer Dakota Smith contributed to this report.
Indian Express
02-08-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
US appeals court keeps bar on Los Angeles federal immigration arrests
A federal appeals court late on Friday affirmed a lower court's decision temporarily barring US government agents from making immigration-related arrests in Los Angeles without probable cause. Rejecting the Trump administration's request to pause the lower court's order, the three-judge appeals panel ruled that the plaintiffs would likely be able to prove that federal agents had carried out arrests based on peoples' appearance, language and where they lived or worked. President Donald Trump called National Guard troops and US Marines into Los Angeles in June in response to protests against the immigration raids, marking an extraordinary use of military force to support civilian police operations within the United States. The city of Los Angeles and other Southern California municipalities joined a lawsuit filed in June by the American Civil Liberties Union accusing federal agents of using unlawful police tactics such as racial profiling to meet immigration arrest quotas set by the administration. A California judge last month blocked the Trump administration from racially profiling immigrants as it seeks deportation targets and from denying immigrants' right to access to lawyers during their detention. In Friday's unsigned decision, the judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit largely rejected the administration's appeal of the temporary restraining order. The judges agreed with the lower court in blocking federal officials from detaining people based solely on 'apparent race or ethnicity,' speaking Spanish or accented English, or being at locations such as a 'bus stop, car wash, tow yard, day laborer pick up site, agricultural site, etc.' The Department of Homeland Security and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside business hours. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the order a victory for the city. 'The Temporary Restraining Order that has been protecting our communities from immigration agents using racial profiling and other illegal tactics when conducting their cruel and aggressive enforcement raids and sweeps will remain in place for now,' she said in a statement. Mohammad Tajsar, senior staff attorney at the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, welcomed the ruling in statement: 'This decision is further confirmation that the administration's paramilitary invasion of Los Angeles violated the Constitution and caused irreparable injury across the region.'
The Sun
02-08-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
US court upholds bar on LA immigration arrests without probable cause
A federal appeals court late on Friday affirmed a lower court's decision temporarily barring U.S. government agents from making immigration-related arrests in Los Angeles without probable cause. Rejecting the Trump administration's request to pause the lower court's order, the three-judge appeals panel ruled that the plaintiffs would likely be able to prove that federal agents had carried out arrests based on peoples' appearance, language and where they lived or worked. President Donald Trump called National Guard troops and U.S. Marines into Los Angeles in June in response to protests against the immigration raids, marking an extraordinary use of military force to support civilian police operations within the United States. The city of Los Angeles and other Southern California municipalities joined a lawsuit filed in June by the American Civil Liberties Union accusing federal agents of using unlawful police tactics such as racial profiling to meet immigration arrest quotas set by the administration. A California judge last month blocked the Trump administration from racially profiling immigrants as it seeks deportation targets and from denying immigrants' right to access to lawyers during their detention. In Friday's unsigned decision, the judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit largely rejected the administration's appeal of the temporary restraining order. The judges agreed with the lower court in blocking federal officials from detaining people based solely on 'apparent race or ethnicity,' speaking Spanish or accented English, or being at locations such as a 'bus stop, car wash, tow yard, day laborer pick up site, agricultural site, etc.' The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside business hours. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the order a victory for the city. 'The Temporary Restraining Order that has been protecting our communities from immigration agents using racial profiling and other illegal tactics when conducting their cruel and aggressive enforcement raids and sweeps will remain in place for now,' she said in a statement. Mohammad Tajsar, senior staff attorney at the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, welcomed the ruling in statement: 'This decision is further confirmation that the administration's paramilitary invasion of Los Angeles violated the Constitution and caused irreparable injury across the region.' - Reuters
