Tag Archives: Democrats

New York Times: Trump Declares Dubious Emergencies to Amass Power, Scholars Say

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In disputes over protests, deportations and tariffs, the president has invoked statutes that may not provide him with the authority he claims.

To hear President Trump tell it, the nation is facing a rebellion in Los Angeles, an invasion by a Venezuelan gang and extraordinary foreign threats to its economy.

Citing this series of crises, he has sought to draw on emergency powers that Congress has scattered throughout the United States Code over the centuries, summoning the National Guard to Los Angeles over the objections of California’s governor, sending scores of migrants to El Salvador without the barest hint of due process and upending the global economy with steep tariffs.

Legal scholars say the president’s actions are not authorized by the statutes he has cited and are, instead, animated by a different goal.

“He is declaring utterly bogus emergencies for the sake of trying to expand his power, undermine the Constitution and destroy civil liberties,” said Ilya Somin, a libertarian professor at Antonin Scalia Law School who represents a wine importer and other businesses challenging some of Mr. Trump’s tariffs.

…

Trump Declares Dubious Emergencies to Amass Power, Scholars Say
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/10/us/politics/trump-emergency-powers-invasion.html?unlocked_article_code=1.N08.tEO-.S_2DmAE6Yws9&smid=url-share

New York Times: Trump Declares Dubious Emergencies to Amass Power, Scholars Say

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In disputes over protests, deportations and tariffs, the president has invoked statutes that may not provide him with the authority he claims.

To hear President Trump tell it, the nation is facing a rebellion in Los Angeles, an invasion by a Venezuelan gang and extraordinary foreign threats to its economy.

Citing this series of crises, he has sought to draw on emergency powers that Congress has scattered throughout the United States Code over the centuries, summoning the National Guard to Los Angeles over the objections of California’s governor, sending scores of migrants to El Salvador without the barest hint of due process and upending the global economy with steep tariffs.

Legal scholars say the president’s actions are not authorized by the statutes he has cited and are, instead, animated by a different goal.

“He is declaring utterly bogus emergencies for the sake of trying to expand his power, undermine the Constitution and destroy civil liberties,” said Ilya Somin, a libertarian professor at Antonin Scalia Law School who represents a wine importer and other businesses challenging some of Mr. Trump’s tariffs.

Trump Declares Dubious Emergencies to Amass Power, Scholars Say
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/10/us/politics/trump-emergency-powers-invasion.html?unlocked_article_code=1.N08.tEO-.S_2DmAE6Yws9&smid=url-share

NBC News: Gavin Newsom locks horns with Trump in a politically defining moment

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Newsom’s 2028 presidential aspirations hang in the balance as the eyes of the nation are on California’s clash with immigration authorities.

The battle between the president and the governor of the country’s largest state instantly turned Newsom into the face of resistance to President Donald Trump’s expansive interpretation of the authorities of his office and mass-deportation campaign. Newsom, who is a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, has been taking heavy criticism from within his own party over his efforts — in part through his new podcast — to cast himself in the role of conciliator.

Newsom delivered an address Tuesday night that aimed squarely at Trump and was clearly intended for a national audience.

“This isn’t just about protests here in Los Angeles,” he said. “When Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commander the National Guard, he made that order apply to every state in this nation. This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes. This moment we have feared has arrived.”

…

Newsom has also been mounting his own messaging offensive, including on X, where he posted what appeared to be photos of troops crowded on a floor, apparently attempting to rest.

“You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep. Here they are — being forced to sleep on the floor, piled on top of one another. If anyone is treating our troops disrespectfully, it is you @realDonaldTrump,” Newsom said on X.

On Sunday, Newsom chided Trump “border czar” Tom Homan, saying in an MSNBC interview: “Tom, arrest me. Let’s go.”

Late Monday, Newsom sat for a “Pod Save America” podcast recording in which he cast Trump’s actions as unconstitutional and said some of those assigned to Los Angeles — in his view, unnecessarily — were pried away from fentanyl investigations, and potentially from border operations, for “this theatrical display of toughness by a president of the United States who is unhinged.”

By Tuesday morning, Newsom accused Trump and his top White House deportation architect Stephen Miller of sheltering insurrectionists.

“The only people defending insurrectionists are you and @realDonaldTrump. Or, are we pretending like you didn’t pardon 1500 of them?”

Gavin Newsom locks horns with Trump in a politically defining moment
Newsom’s 2028 presidential aspirations hang in the balance as the eyes of the nation are on California’s clash with immigration authorities.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/rcna211813

NY Post: ‘Worrying’ footage shows anti-ICE protester doling out tactical gear in Los Angeles as violence escalates

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Unsettling footage has emerged of an anti-ICE protester brazenly doling out tactical gear to masked agitators in Los Angeles as the violence continues to escalate – despite California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrats repeatedly claiming the demonstrations have been largely peaceful.

The unidentified person was caught on camera dispersing what appeared to be riot shields and gas masks to the crowd from the back of a pickup truck Monday afternoon — just steps from downtown federal buildings.

Scores of rioters could be seen running toward the truck to grab the masks, which had the brand “Bionic Shield” emblazoned across them, the footage shot by Fox11 showed.

To whomever was distributing the gas masks and vests, thank you for help to keep the demonstrators safe.

‘Worrying’ footage shows anti-ICE protestor doling out tactical gear in LA as violence escalates
Footage has emerged of an anti-ICE protestor brazenly doling out tactical gear to masked agitators in Los Angeles as the violence continues to escalate.

https://nypost.com/2025/06/10/us-news/footage-shows-anti-ice-protestor-doling-out-tactical-gear-in-los-angeles

Defense News: LA deployments to cost $134 million and last 60 days, Pentagon says

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The military’s deployment of almost 5,000 National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles in response to immigration protests will cost around $134 million and last 60 days, the Pentagon’s acting comptroller told lawmakers in a hearing Tuesday.

That funding will come from the Defense Department’s operations and maintenance budget and cover travel, housing, food and other incidental expenses, Bryn MacDonnel said at a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing. Together, the description gives the clearest sense yet of the military’s bill for the administration’s controversial deployments to the city.

And it’s only “necessary” because ICE thugs insist on showing up in a militarized convoy instead of doing their raids professionally and discretely. You put on a show, you get an audience, you got what you asked for, suckers!

LA deployments to cost $134 million and last 60 days, Pentagon says
The cost estimate came during a feisty exchange as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified before the House on Tuesday.

https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2025/06/10/la-deployments-to-cost-134-million-and-last-60-days-pentagon-says

Daily Beast: Trump Is Using the L.A. Crisis in Ultimatum to GOP Lawmakers

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The White House aims to tie the disorder to a show of support for Democrats’ agenda.

President Donald Trump is hoping to turn a crisis into an opportunity by using the Los Angeles protests to persuade on-the-fence GOP lawmakers to back his spending bill.

White House officials and Trump allies believe the optics of the protests could ultimately benefit the president as he seeks funding for the hardline immigration proposals outlined in his “Big, Beautiful Bill,” including expanded deportations of migrants.

“We see the riots in L.A. as laden with political opportunity—a fight between what Republicans say they want vs. the radical left and protesters waving the Mexican flag in front of burning cars—and the Democrats supporting them,” a senior White House adviser told Axios.

…

Trump also agreed it would be a “great thing” if his border czar, Tom Homan, authorized the arrest of California Gov. Gavin Newsom amid the partisan tensions surrounding the protests.

“I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican—this is a line we cannot cross as a nation. This is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism,” Newsom posted while sharing a clip of Trump’s remarks.

Trump Is Using the L.A. Crisis in Ultimatum to GOP Lawmakers
The White House aims to tie the disorder to a show of support for Democrats’ agenda.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-is-using-the-la-crisis-in-ultimatum-to-gop-lawmakers

Politico: Gavin Newsom: Trump is ‘unhinged,’ speaking like an ‘authoritarian’

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The California governor blasted Trump amid the president’s deployment of National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Donald Trump’s threats against him and other Democrats following the president’s unilateral deployment of National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area carried all the markings of authoritarianism.

“It’s just an extraordinary moment, and I don’t want to overstate it, but these are the words of an authoritarian,” Newsom said in a Monday interview with POLITICO. “Whether he acts on it or not, the chill that creates is real, and it’s a serious moment, very serious.”

Trump and his border czar have targeted Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass by name with threats of arrests — and other ominous unspecified acts to be carried out by the federal government if the two don’t fall in line. Newsom spoke after a weekend of unrest — property destruction and bursts of violence — following immigration raids in the region.

California on Monday sued the Trump administration for authorizing the deployment against their will. The president and aides portrayed the move as just the start of potentially escalated action, including sending hundreds of U.S. Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton.

Newsom, Bass and other Democratic leaders believe Trump’s moves were designed to provoke protesters to produce footage showing a major American city in chaos — as well as an attempt to distract from the uneven economy hastened by his trade standoffs and his messy breakup with Elon Musk.

“He is unhinged, and he’s acting recklessly, and the threat of the Marines coming in the United States, this is a very serious and sober moment. We are going to stand firm,” Newsom said.

…

Gavin Newsom: Trump is ‘unhinged,’ speaking like an ‘authoritarian’
The California governor blasted Trump amid the president’s deployment of National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/09/gavin-newsom-trump-is-unhinged-speaking-like-an-authoritarian-00394617

Daily Mail: Body found outside looted store as LA riots take deadly turn: Live updates

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The Los Angeles riots have taken a sinister turn after a man’s body was found on the sidewalk following a night of looting and chaos. Police were called to the scene near a looted T-Mobile shortly after 1:30 a.m., where they discovered his body. An LAPD spokesperson said they are investigating the matter and it is unclear if his death was related to protest activity.

On Monday, a mystery donor was caught on camera passing out gas masks and riot shields from her Ford F-150 to protesters in the streets as the National Guard was stationed nearby. 

…

Trump claims the city would have been ‘completely obliterated’ if he had not deployed the Guard.

F*ck*ng fool Trump!!!

Military announces new measures in LA as protests turn deadly: Live
LIVE UPDATES: The military is set to stay in Los Angeles for 60 days after Monday marked a fourth day of destructive anti-ICE protests.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14797673/la-riots-live-updates-2025-trump-cause-protest-ice-marines.html

NBC News: Anti-ICE protests held coast to coast after L.A. unrest as national movement grows

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Activists plan more events Tuesday in New York, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta.

The protests that roiled Los Angeles over the weekend were set to spread Tuesday across the country, as activists planned demonstrations in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and elsewhere.

Rallies protesting ICE raids and the government’s immigration policies have spread across California and beyond this week. A series of so-called No Kings demonstrations are planned nationwide for Saturday.

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NBC News counted at least 25 rallies and demonstrations coast to coast. Some of them involved only a few dozen participants, while others attracted thousands to make a stand against the detention and removal of suspected undocumented migrants.

Many protesters across the country were trade unionists calling for the release of SEIU California President David Huerta, who was arrested on Friday.

Bimbo #2 is still too dense to get the message:

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem signaled on Tuesday that she would continue the agency’s program of raids and deportations despite the widespread protests.

“ICE will continue to enforce the law,” [Bimbo #2] Noem said.

It’s only just begun! 🙂

Anti-ICE protests held coast to coast after L.A. unrest as national movement grows
Activists plan more events Tuesday in New York, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/anti-ice-protests-held-coast-coast-l-unrest-national-movement-grows-rcna211980

Politico: Gavin Newsom: Trump is ‘unhinged,’ speaking like an ‘authoritarian’

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The California governor blasted Trump amid the president’s deployment of National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Donald Trump’s threats against him and other Democrats following the president’s unilateral deployment of National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area carried all the markings of authoritarianism.

“It’s just an extraordinary moment, and I don’t want to overstate it, but these are the words of an authoritarian,” Newsom said in a Monday interview with POLITICO. “Whether he acts on it or not, the chill that creates is real, and it’s a serious moment, very serious.”

…

Newsom, Bass and other Democratic leaders believe Trump’s moves were designed to provoke protesters to produce footage showing a major American city in chaos — as well as an attempt to distract from the uneven economy hastened by his trade standoffs and his messy breakup with Elon Musk.

“He is unhinged, and he’s acting recklessly, and the threat of the Marines coming in the United States, this is a very serious and sober moment. We are going to stand firm,” Newsom said.

…

“There’s maybe a second branch of government left in this country,” Newsom said. “We obviously lost the legislative branch to Trump and Trumpism. We pray that the courts are still holding firm.”

Gavin Newsom: Trump is ‘unhinged,’ speaking like an ‘authoritarian’
The California governor blasted Trump amid the president’s deployment of National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/09/gavin-newsom-trump-is-unhinged-speaking-like-an-authoritarian-00394617