California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday his plans to hold a special election in November to redraw the state’s congressional districts in response to Texas’s attempts to redraw their own maps to help the GOP cling to its narrow majority in the House of Representatives.
Arriving in Los Angeles for the planned press conference/rally at the Japanese American National Museum in the early hours of Thursday morning, I thought it would be a fairly standard press event. Newsom and other state and federal lawmakers would make their remarks, lay out their plans for the new congressional maps, and make their case to voters as to why this drastic move was necessary.
The morning started off normal enough. For those who don’t work in the news or media business, covering a press conference may seem an easy, by-the-books type of thing. However, that is rarely the case, especially for any events involving political leaders. First, you must lay all bags and equipment down in a designated area for a bomb sniffing dog to sweep them, and second, depending on your position, whether it be TV cameraperson, still photographer, videographer, or print journalist, you have to jockey for position in the press area. This is particularly important for still photographers. It comes as Newsom’s press conference [was] stormed by masked Border Patrol guards with guns.
As we were ushered into the press area by Newsom’s staff, we were given specific instructions for both parts of the event. The first part, Newsom and several other state and national Democratic leaders would deliver their remarks, including Sen. Adam Schiff, Sen. Alex Padilla, and Rep. Maxine Waters. That would be followed up by a traditional press gaggle where the governor would take questions from reporters.
The day took an unexpected turn as the 30 or so reporters from every major national and local news outlet crammed into the small auditorium inside the Japanese American National Museum. Word began circulating that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Agents had appeared outside the museum. While I couldn’t confirm it then, I kept my eye on my phone to see if anyone posted about it on social media. As the event began, speakers from various labor unions and activist groups delivered remarks supporting redistricting efforts. That was until one of the speakers confirmed that Border Patrol agents were intact outside. As Sen. Schiff spoke at the podium, I decided the story had shifted from inside the event to outside.
I quickly went outside to find no Border Patrol agents in sight. (I later learned they had arrested one person and quickly departed.) What I did find was a gaggle of reporters surrounding one person. So, as any reporter would do, I quickly ran over to the area, only to find Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass sounding off at the situation, denouncing President Donald Trump, and accusing him of intentionally sending the agents to the event.
“He [Trump] did this intentionally to disrespect the governor, to disrespect this iconic museum, and to disrespect our state. Now, why is this helpful to anybody at all? At this point, this doesn’t have anything to do with immigration. This is about causing trouble in our city,” Bass said.
Speaking to witnesses, I learned that the agents had arrested one person. I later learned that it was a delivery driver delivering produce to a local restaurant in Little Tokyo. By the time I got back inside, Newsom had already begun speaking. He also called out Trump, accusing him of intentionally sending the agents to the event.
“We can’t stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country,” Newsom said. “We are not bystanders in this world. We can shape the future. Donald Trump, you have poked the bear, and we will punch back.”
Since I don’t cover events like this regularly, it’s always bizarre to see people you’re used to seeing on TV up close in person. And having even the chance to ask the governor questions during the press gaggle was a big deal to me.
As Newsom finished his remarks, the press were taken to a separate room to set up for the press gaggle. Taking my position near the front of the pack, I set up my camera to get some decent original footage. As Newsom made his way into the room, he began taking questions. My hopes of posing a question to the governor quickly vanished, as it became apparent I was a small fish in a big pond. The TV reporters barked their questions out faster than I could form the words in my mouth. Another reporter luckily asked the question I wanted to ask, regarding the Border Patrol agents converging on the event.
“Well, I think it’s pretty sick and pathetic, and it said everything you need to know about the setting that we’re under. That they chose the time, manner, and place to send their district director outside right when we’re about to have this press conference,” Newsom told reporters. “It said everything you know about Donald Trump’s America, and that was top down, you know that for a fact.”
Newsom took several more questions regarding the special elections and the new congressional maps, which he said would be presented to the public and voted on by the legislature next week. Rep. Waters also gave remarks to the gaggle but declined to take any questions.
As Newsom’s staff began to wrap things up we all were ushered outside even as many reporters, including myself, tried to follow Newsom and continue asking questions. I made my way outside, headed to my car and like most of the reporters, quickly wrote the story I would file later that day. It comes after a bizarre internet image exposed how Trump looks without his fake tan and iconic hairdo.
https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/i-went-gov-gavin-newsoms-1332122
The joke’s on you, bubba!
What do you expect when you vote for a bigoted racist with 34 felony convictions?
Two Trump voters allege that Border Patrol agents racially profiled them after they were stopped and questioned on the way to the dentist.
George and Esmeralda Doilez, both U.S. citizens, were driving to an appointment in Southern California on Wednesday when a dark SUV started to follow them.
George told a San Diego NBC affiliate that the SUV put on a siren, pulled them over, and a group of masked Border Patrol agents got out to question them.
The Doilezes told NBC7 that they had been scoping out potential camping sites in the area on the way to the dental appointment.
George and Esmeralda voted for Trump in 2020, both of their first time voting, and again in 2024.
In a video of the interaction, a Border Patrol agent questions George through the car window.
“If you have a dentist appointment, it probably wasn’t the best idea to be out in the middle of nowhere,” the agent tells him.
“We have the right to travel anywhere we want to travel,” George says.
“You’re absolutely right, you do, and I actually have the right and authority to stop you,” the agent replies. “It’s called reasonable suspicion.”
The stated reason for the stop was that a “known alien” had been detected in the area, which is about 9 miles from the Southern Border. The agent said the Doilezes had aroused suspicion by making several U-turns.
But the couple said they thought the true rationale for the stop was their skin color.
“Why are we not allowed to be here? Because we’re not white? Our skin doesn’t match?” George told NBC7.
The agent called a K-9 unit, which detected a small amount of legally purchased cannabis in the car.
Citing that finding as probable cause, the agents searched George and Esmeralda’s car before letting them go about 30 minutes after the encounter began.
“I’m gonna go ahead and let you off with a warning,” the agent said after he told them he could have ticketed them for having marijuana.
In the wake of the incident, which left George “terrified” and his wife “shaking and crying,” the couple said that they regretted their votes for Trump.
“I feel shame, guilt, and anger at the same time because of the promises that he made that he lied to us about, going after the worst of the worst,” Georgesaid. “He lied on those and he stole our vote.”
Despite Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policies dictating that the agency cannot lawfully detain U.S. citizens, the agencies have detained dozens of citizens—including an electrician in New York and a tow yard employee near Los Angeles—per CNN.
Echoing Doilez’s frustration with Trump’s promise to target the “worst of the worst,” internal ICE data obtained by NBC shows that about half of those in custody have been neither convicted nor charged with a crime.
“Complying is going to get you in a prison concentration camp,” George said. “That’s what it’s going to do eventually. Maybe it might be sooner than we all think.”
A spokesperson for Customs and Border Patrol said in a statement to the Beast that the incident was a “lawful stop based on reasonable suspicion” and that “the claim that the stop was based on racial profiling is baseless.”
“Border Patrol Agents acted within their legal authority throughout this incident and remained focused on CBP’s mission: securing the border,” the statement said.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-couple-regrets-trump-vote-after-terrifying-border-patrol-stop
Catalina “Xóchitl” Santiago, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient and longtime immigration activist, was detained by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents on Sunday at El Paso International Airport as she prepared to board a domestic flight.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek via email on Wednesday that CBP arrested Santiago, a migrant from Mexico, because of a criminal history that included charges for trespassing and possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia.
“Illegal aliens who claim to be recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) are not automatically protected from deportations,” McLaughlin said. “DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country. Any illegal alien who is a DACA recipient may be subject to arrest and deportation for a number of reasons, including if they’ve committed a crime.”
Santiago will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
Why It Matters
Santiago’s detention has sparked concern among advocates as it highlights the fragility of legal protections for DACA recipients, often known as “Dreamers.” DACA provides work authorization and temporary protection from deportation, but it does not confer legal status.
Recent detentions of DACA recipients—including Santiago’s—raise pressing questions about the program’s limits, particularly under intensified immigration enforcement. The incident comes amid continued debate over the fate of DACA and its beneficiaries, as legal and policy battles play out across the U.S.
President Donald Trump has ordered his administration to remove millions of migrants without legal status to fulfill his campaign pledge of mass deportations, with White House officials like White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller previously referencing a daily goal of at least 3,000 arrests. The claimed quota has been met with legal action.
What To Know
Santiago, a member of the Movimiento Cosecha advocacy group, had reportedly presented a valid DACA work authorization card when taken into custody.
Around 4 a.m. local time on Sunday, she was approached and detained by two agents as she was about to board her flight. Despite presenting her DACA work authorization card, agents took her into custody and transferred her to a federal immigration processing facility in El Paso, according to Border Report.
An ICE official told Newsweek via email that this was not Santiago’s first brush with immigration officials, saying she first entered illegally in May 2005 near the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso. On August 31, 2020, she was charged with two drug offenses that remain pending.
Santiago has DACA status, which is set to expire April 29, 2026.
“It’s important to note that DHS officials can take enforcement actions against illegal aliens with criminal records,” the official said. “ICE officials served Santiago with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge.”
Her supporters, including Movimiento Cosecha, have mobilized a response through social media and organized a GoFundMe campaign that, as of Wednesday morning, had raised more than $56,700 for Santiago’s legal defense of a goal of $70,000. She has received more than 1,200 donations.
Activists dispute the grounds for her detention, arguing that she has legal protection under DACA and is an integral part of her community after more than a decade of activism. They said Santiago had made “such a profound and powerful impact on so many loved friends and community members from Florida to Texas and beyond,” notably aiding the immigrant community and families in El Paso.
“Now, we need to show up for her,” the GoFundMe page said. “Immigrant communities have been targeted for decades, and the Trump administration is taking these fascist tactics to unprecedented levels. This unexpected and cruel detainment will likely result in high legal fees alongside immeasurable emotional impact on her and her family.
“We are asking for support for her legal funds and post-release care and healing. Please give what you can to ensure that Xotchil has the resources needed to fight for her case, her ability to stay in the U.S. with her family and community, and can take the time needed to recover from this traumatic experience after she is released.”
Newsweek has contacted the page’s organizer, Lagartija del Sol, for comment.
A separate petition on ActionNetwork.org has garnered more than 3,200 signatures calling for her release.
Organizers have scheduled a protest for August 6 at the ICE detention facility in El Paso demanding Santiago’s release, according to KVIA.
What People Are Saying
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek via email on Wednesday: “Illegal aliens can take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream.”
Catalina “Xóchitl” Santiago, in a statement posted on her GoFundMe page by Lagartija del Sol: “I love everyone and thank you so much for walking with me in so many ways, for thinking of my well being and for reminding me of importance of organized struggle and lightening up my spirit.”
What Happens Next
Santiago remains in federal immigration custody as legal proceedings continue. Her supporters are coordinating with her legal team to challenge her removal and demand her release.
The broader legal future for DACA recipients remains uncertain amid ongoing court battles and evolving immigration policies.
President Donald Trump declared he was a dealmaker on Truth Social today before immediately contradicting himself by saying he would find it hard to make a trade tariff deal with Canada.
Thursday morning saw Trump share an image of himself with a fist in the air that had the words “Donald Trump dealmaker in-chief” emblazoned across it. Then, just three minutes later, he wrote in another post that it will be “very hard” to make a trade deal with Canada in light of its Prime Minister Mark Carney announcing plans to recognise a Palestinian state.
Trump’s trade threat comes a day before higher tariffs are slapped on countries without a US trade deal. Canada is set to face a 35% tariffs on most goods it sells to the US from Friday, if a deal is not reached today. It comes as Trump makes ‘disturbing remarks’ about his 1-year-old daughter in resurfaced clip.
On the trade deals, Trump wrote, “Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine. That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them. Oh’ Canada!!!”
Canada’s move to recognize a Palestinian state comes after UK and France made similar announcements. Their pledge comes as a hunger in Gaza continues. On Wednesday, the Hamas-run health ministry reported seven more deaths from malnutrition.
Earlier this week, Trump said there was “real starvation” in Gaza. He also told how he was working with Israel to “get things straightened out”..
Earlier this month, Trump posted an angry letter to Carney on Truth Social, in which he accused him of having “financially retaliated against the United States.” Canada, the second-largest trading partner of the U.S. behind Mexico, failed to deal adequately with fentanyl crossing into the northern U.S. border, Trump claimed, “Instead of working with the United States, Canada retaliated with its own Tariffs.”
Fentanyl seizures by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol at the Canada-U.S. border reportedly representing less than 0.1% of U.S. fentanyl seizures between 2022 and 2024.
Carney responded to Trump’s post on X, saying that he would continue his country’s commitment to cooperating with Washington, including battling the fentanyl crisis.
“Throughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses,” Carney wrote on X in reply to Trump. “We will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1. Canada has made vital progress to stop the scourge of fentanyl in North America.”
“We are building Canada strong,” he continued. “The federal government, provinces and territories are making significant progress in building one Canadian economy. We are poised to build a series of major new projects in the national interest. We are strengthening our trading partnerships throughout the world.”
It comes after a Trump family member revealed his body is “rotting inside” as she delivered a terrifying update on the president’s health.
https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/donald-trump-nickname-canada-35650698?int_source=nba
A legal group co-founded by top White House aide Stephen Miller has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, seeking an investigation of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
The America First Legal complaint, filed on Monday, claims that the Dodgers’ DEI policies “appear to discriminate against employees, or prospective employees, solely because of their skin color or sex.” They cite a reference on the team’s DEI page that outlines recruitment efforts, including “sponsoring programs geared toward women and people of color.”
The complaint follows an incident on June 19 in which masked agents appeared near one of the Dodgers’s gates to its parking lot. Protesters gathered in the area, and the Los Angeles Police Department arrived at the scene, and the agents left. The Dodgers posted that that morning, “ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots. They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization.”
https://deadline.com/2025/07/dodgers-dei-complaint-ice-1236447419
