Latest news with #federalintervention
Fox News
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Sen. Kennedy tells Democrats to 'pop a Zoloft' over Trump's handling of Los Angeles anti-ICE riots
Sen. John Kennedy derided Democrats distraught over the Trump administration's federal intervention in the Los Angeles anti-ICE riots, warning that "sheep" are in charge of the deep blue state and "wolves" in the streets must be stopped. "I think all those people [Democrats] need to pop a Zoloft and relax a little bit," Kennedy, R-La., said Tuesday on "America's Newsroom," reacting to soundbites of Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten's criticism of the Trump administration. "I don't think this situation is especially complicated. You don't need to be an astrophysicist to figure it out. We've got a wolf problem in Los Angeles. They're not peaceful protesters. They're wolves. They're hurting people. They're destroying property." The Louisiana Republican went on to join others in his party in criticizing Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass – both Democrats who have also publicly pushed back against federal intervention to mitigate the unrest. Kennedy said he believes a majority of Americans will agree with the president taking decisive action to stop the unrest. "More sheep is not gonna stop the wolf problem, so the federal government sent in troops and we're stopping the wolf problems. Last night was a better night and tonight will be better still. It's not hard to figure out… I think most Americans are looking at this and going, stop the wolves, and a lot of them are thinking… who's going to pay for all this? Who's gonna pay for this destruction? Are we gonna get the bill? That's the way I see it." Newsom's office argued the demonstrations have not reached "riot" status when previously contacted by Fox News Digital. "LA riots? Have these geniuses ever seen what happens when the Eagles win a playoff game?" Newsom's communications director Izzy Gardon said, reacting to California Republicans' criticisms and the riots overall on Sunday morning. Newsom's office announced Monday that he and state Attorney Gen. Rob Bonta are suing the Trump administration for the alleged "illegal takeover" of the California National Guard, arguing the actions President Trump took exceed his Title 10 authority. "Donald Trump is creating fear and terror by failing to adhere to the U.S. Constitution and overstepping his authority. This is a manufactured crisis to allow him to take over a state militia, damaging the very foundation of our republic. Every governor, red or blue, should reject this outrageous overreach. This is beyond incompetence — this is him intentionally causing chaos, terrorizing communities, and endangering the principles of our great democracy. It is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism. We will not let this stand," Newsom said, per a press release from the webpage for his office. In a statement posted to her office's webpage, Mayor Bass called the deployment of guardsmen a "chaotic escalation." "The fear people are feeling in our city right now is very real – it's felt in our communities and within our families, and it puts our neighborhoods at risk. This is the last thing that our city needs, and I urge protestors to remain peaceful. "I've been in touch this morning with immigrant rights leaders as well as local law enforcement officials. Los Angeles will always stand with everyone who calls our city home." Other Democrats have been more critical of the situation, namely Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who wrote on X Monday, "I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations and immigration – but this is not that. This is anarchy and true chaos. "My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement."
The Australian
18 hours ago
- Politics
- The Australian
California to sue Donald Trump over National Guard deployment in LA protests
Roughly 700 Marines are deploying to the Los Angeles area to protect federal buildings and personnel in the wake of weekend protests over immigration that have already led President Trump to federalise National Guard troops, defence and congressional officials said. The troops, which are assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division out of Twentynine Palms, Calif., won't engage with protesters, US Northern Command, which is responsible for U.S. military operations in North America, said in a statement. A senior administration official told reporters on Monday evening that the move came in light of increased threats against federal officers and federal buildings. The unusual decision marks the first time in more than three decades that Marines have been sent into a US city to address civil unrest. It came over the objections of California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has called the federal intervention an intrusion on state sovereignty and vowed to sue in response. 'They shouldn't be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfil the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President,' Newsom wrote in a message on X. The troops, which could arrive in the Los Angeles area as soon as tonight, will be under the US Northern Command, which is responsible for US military operations in North America. The Marines are among the troops Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said over the weekend were prepared to deploy on orders. It is unclear how long the Marines will deploy, what kind of weapons they are authorised to carry or their specific orders. A statement by the US Northern Command said that 2,100 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines will protect federal personnel and property under the command of Task Force 51, the headquarters that has been assigned the mission. The forces have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control, and standing rules for the use of force, the command said. On Monday night, the president approved the deployment of an additional 2,000 California National Guardsmen in response to the protests, the Pentagon said in a post on X. Once the troops are all in place, there will be roughly 4,000 federalised National Guard members in California. A presidential order issued Saturday by Trump directed the Pentagon to use the National Guard and 'other members of the Regular Armed Forces as necessary' to protect federal 'functions and property.' The last time Marines deployed to quell civil unrest was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which erupted after four police officers were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King. President George H.W. Bush acted after he received a request from California Gov. Pete Wilson to help contain the violence that erupted after the acquittal of the police officers. Bush invoked the Insurrection Act, federalising the California National Guard. He then deployed roughly 2,000 Army soldiers from nearby Fort Ord and 1,500 Marines from Camp Pendleton. In this instance, Trump didn't invoke the Insurrection Act, a 1792 law that allows the president to deploy the US military domestically in some instances, such as putting down civil disorder or a rebellion, but instead appeared to authorise the deployment under the weekend executive order. National Guard troops are part-time soldiers assigned to a state and are usually under the governor's authority. Active-duty troops answer solely to the commander in chief and their focus is on defending the US Trump, who won his re-election campaign on a pledge to crack down on illegal immigration, has embraced fights with Democrats who have said his tactics go beyond his constitutional limits. Though US officials have said the role of the National Guard and Marine forces in Los Angeles will be limited, the broad nature of the order has spurred concerns that it could also be laying the foundations for future military actions against protesters elsewhere in the country. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 bars the armed forces from law enforcement except under certain circumstances. California Governor Gavin Newsom has dared border tsar Tom Homan to arrest him as he threatened to. Picture: AP. The Los Angeles deployment also comes on the heels of other steps in which Trump has used his executive authority to push the boundaries of using troops on US soil. Those include authorising active‑duty troops to detain migrants in newly created military zones along the southern border, using U.S. bases as detention areas and flying detainees out of the country on US Air Force planes. 'This is Trump's dream,' Rep. Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat who as a Marine officer served multiple tours during the war in Iraq, said Monday. 'This is exactly what he has wanted to do: turn the military against the American people. Donald Trump has never respected what Marines do overseas, but has always wanted to use them to force his political agenda at home.' It is rare for a president to send National Guard troops or active-duty military to a state without an explicit request from a governor or invoking the Insurrection Act. President Lyndon Johnson federalised the National Guard and sent them to Alabama to protect protesters marching from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 without a request from the state's governor. Johnson invoked the Insurrection Act. Active-duty troops were used by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1957 without permission of the state's governor. They were used to uphold a Supreme Court ruling that segregated schools were inherently unequal, which enabled Black children to enrol at a previously segregated school in Little Rock, Ark. Eisenhower also relied on the Insurrection Act. Dow Jones
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Los Angeles mayor says city is being used as a 'test case' and 'an experiment'
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass has accused the federal government of using her city as a 'test case' for the federal government taking over from local and states authorities and said the intervention was completely unwarranted. 'I don't think our city should be used for an experiment,' said Bass
