Tag Archives: California

Raw Story: ‘Come take me’: AOC dares Trump’s ‘border czar’ to make good on DOJ threat

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Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) goaded Tom Homan, Donald Trump’s so-called “border czar,” to make good on his threats of a potential Justice Department investigation into her efforts to inform migrants about their rights when interacting with federal immigration agents.

Homan’s repeatedly threatened Ocasio-Cortez in media appearances, and his comments were widely interpreted as attempts to intimidate or punish the congresswoman over her “Know Your Rights” seminars.

“Is that impeding our law enforcement efforts? If so, what are we gonna do about it? Is she crossing the line? So, I’m working with the Department of Justice and finding out. Where is that line that they cross? So, maybe AOC’s gonna be in trouble now.”

‘Come take me’: AOC dares Trump’s ‘border czar’ to make good on DOJ threat

Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) goaded Tom Homan, Donald Trump’s so-called “border czar,” to make good on his threats of a potential Justice Department investigation into her efforts to inform migrants about their rights when interacting with federal immigration agents. Homan’s repeatedly threatened Ocasio-Cortez in media appearanc…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/come-take-me-aoc-dares-trump-s-border-czar-to-make-good-on-doj-threat/ar-AA1E55Zm

Inquirer: ICE facilities need ‘drastic improvements,’ says Fil-Am attorney general

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California Attorney General Rob Bonta is demanding state detention centers make “significant improvements” to comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention standards.

That’s after a new 165-page report from the Department of Justice released Monday found that all of the state’s six privately-operated immigration detention facilities are failing to meet basic requirements for mental health care, medical recordkeeping, and suicide prevention. The report also found excessive use of force, discipline against detainees and use of solitary confinement.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is demanding state detention centers make “significant improvements” to comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention standards.

That’s after a new 165-page report from the Department of Justice released Monday found that all of the state’s six privately-operated immigration detention facilities are failing to meet basic requirements for mental health care, medical recordkeeping, and suicide prevention. The report also found excessive use of force, discipline against detainees and use of solitary confinement.

ICE facilities need ‘drastic improvements,’ says Fil-Am attorney general

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is demanding state detention centers make “significant improvements” to comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention standards. That’s after a new 165-page report from the Department of Justice released Monday found that all of the state’s six privately-operated immigration detention facilities are failing to meet basic requirements for mental health care, medical recordkeeping, and…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ice-facilities-need-drastic-improvements-says-fil-am-attorney-general/ar-AA1E4xHC

NPR: The U.S. economy shrinks as Trump’s tariffs spark recession fears

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Economic output is shrinking. The stock market has dropped sharply. And consumer confidence has tumbled to its lowest level since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That hardly looks like the new “golden age” the president promised on Inauguration Day just over three months ago.

Figures released by the Commerce Department Wednesday show that the United States’ gross domestic product contracted at an annual rate of 0.3% in the first quarter of the year, after growing at a solid pace of 2.4% in the final months of 2024.

The U.S. economy shrinks as Trump’s tariffs spark recession fears

Trump promised a new “golden age” for the U.S. But his first 100 days in office have left the economy looking tarnished, with data showing the economy contracted in the first three months of the year.

https://www.npr.org/2025/04/30/nx-s1-5380204/trump-economy-gdp-tariffs-recession-consumers

Irish Star: Irish woman living legally in US for 30 years detained after visit to Ireland

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A woman who has been living in the US for more than 30 years was taken into detention by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement after she paid a visit to her sick father in Ireland.

Cliona Ward, 54, went to the US in her early teens and has been residing in Santa Cruz, California, for over three decades. She recently traveled back to Ireland, a country not on the impossible immigration list, with her stepmother to visit her father, who has dementia. Upon her return, Ward was questioned about 20-year-old drug possession convictions that have reportedly been “expunged” under state but not under federal law.

Ward was reportedly released, but when she returned to the airport last Monday to show documentation to officials from US Customs and Border Protection recording how the convictions had been expunged, she was taken into custody just weeks after ICE detain students over visa issues.

According to the enforcement agency’s website, Ward is being held in an ICE facility in Tacoma, Washington state. According to reports, she is due before the courts on May 7th.

Irish woman living legally in US for 30 years detained after visit to Ireland

Cliona Ward, 54, is being held in an ICE facility in Tacoma, Washington state, after she was questioned by ICE agents upon her return to the United States last week

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/irish-woman-living-legally-in-us-for-30-years-detained-after-visit-to-ireland/ar-AA1DLJl2

ICE detains Irish woman residing in US over decades-old expunged conviction

Cliona Ward, a 54-year-old Irish woman living in the US for over four decades, was detained by ICE due to a supposedly expunged 20-year-old conviction. View on euronews

https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/other/ice-detains-irish-woman-residing-in-us-over-decades-old-expunged-conviction/ar-AA1DVMxM

New York Times: In Marin County, There’s Trouble in Teslaville

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Tesla’s sleek electric vehicles used to be a status symbol in liberal Mill Valley, Calif. Now, they are despised by many — including those who drive them.

In the parking lots of Mill Valley, Calif., mysterious index cards have surfaced on the windshields of Tesla Model Xs and Model 3s.

“Stop Elon,” they urge in teal script. “Dump your Tesla.”

A few years ago, buying a Tesla in Mill Valley meant that you had money, but were not overly showy. It meant you were a progressive environmentalist who had style.

It meant you belonged.

Ten miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge, tucked into the lush, green hills of Marin County, Mill Valley is an idyllic place to live — for those who are wealthy and liberal.

And for years, Teslas were “the Ferrari for the Patagonia-wearing crowd,” said Nathan Ballard, a political consultant who lives in Mill Valley and owns a black Tesla Model S.

But the sleek electric cars have come to mean something else entirely for Mill Valley residents since the presidential election.

https://archive.is/m8yJY

ACLU: There’s No Evidence I’m in a Gang — Because I’m Not. But I’ve Been Locked Up for Two Months for Gang Membership.

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Trump’s Amerika:

One Friday after school last June,I went to play soccer with friends in the park in Brentwood, New York, where I live. I love the soccer fields there. There are lights and grass, and it feels so much nicer and safer than the fields where I used to play. In El Salvador, where I’m originally from, a gun might go off or gang members might grab a player off the field and beat him up.

Walking home with my friend, Juan* around 8 p.m., I felt good. We ran into a kid we knew from school, Andres,* and he joined us. I knew Andres’ face, and I would say, “Hey, what’s up?” when we ran into each other at school, but I didn’t know him well.

As we were walking, Juan and I started to joke around and shove each other, laughing. All of a sudden, we saw a police car pull up. For months, the police had been stopping me frequently and accusing me of being in a gang. Their “evidence” was based on nothing — a doodle they found in my notebook and people I said hello to at school. I had even asked to meet with the police to explain to them that I’m not in a gang.

…

I don’t belong locked up. I can’t understand why I’ve been in jail for more than two months. I never belonged to a gang. I never hurt anyone. I never threatened anyone. I fled from the gangs in my country. And I thought I was coming to a country where I would be safe.

There’s No Evidence I’m in a Gang — Because I’m Not. But I’ve Been Locked Up for Two Months for Gang Membership. | ACLU

The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union — beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.
There’s No Evidence I’m in a Gang — Because I’m Not. But I’ve Been Locked Up for Two Months for Gang Membership.

Politico: The vicious rivalries tearing apart Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon

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A feud between the secretary’s advisers and his chief of staff created backbiting and distrust that has erupted into the open.

When President Donald Trump chose Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary, incoming officials knew they’d need to surround the inexperienced Fox News host with accomplished staff who could handle the nation’s largest bureaucracy. Hegseth would be the show horse, they figured, and others at the top would keep the Pentagon on track.

What happened was the opposite. Hegseth surrounded himself with advisers who quickly turned into vicious rivals for power — whose bitter brawl has now unraveled into revenge power plays, surprise firings, accusations of leaking and embarrassing headlines that are blowing up the Pentagon, distracting from Trump’s agenda and possibly jeopardizing Hegseth’s job.

It’s a dog-eat-dog world. Just consider that they’re not starting with the finest of people.

The vicious rivalries tearing apart Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon

A feud between the secretary’s advisers and his chief of staff created backbiting and distrust that has erupted into the open.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/22/pentagon-infighting-hegseth-fired-officials-00302709

Are Tesla odometers accurate?

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Tesla odometer uses “predictive algorithms” to void warranty, lawsuit claims

This is a separate case to the lawsuits alleging Tesla misleads about range.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/04/tesla-makes-its-cars-lie-about-their-mileage-lawsuit-claims

Tesla speeds up odometers to avoid warranty repairs, US lawsuit claims

Tesla faces a proposed class action claiming it speeds up odometers on its electric vehicles so they fall out of warranty faster, saving Elon Musk’s company from having to pay for repairs.

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-speeds-up-odometers-avoid-warranty-repairs-us-lawsuit-claims-2025-04-17

Tesla Accused Of Speeding Up Odometers So Their Warranties Expire Faster

Odometer fraud: very much illegal.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/tesla-accused-speeding-odometers-warranties-204441359.html

Miami Herald: Once a champion for Venezuelans, Rubio endorses Trump decision to end Venezuela TPS

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“Designating Venezuela under TPS does not champion core American interests or put America and American citizens first. Therefore, it is contrary to the foreign policy and the national interest of the United States,” Rubio wrote in a Jan. 31 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Where do these ignorant fools come from? It has nothing to do with putting America and American citizens first, second, third, or whatever. We are obligated under the 1967 Protocol regarding refugees to accept and assist refugees regardless of their temporal or geographic situation. TPS simply provided a framework to handle our existing treaty obligations more efficiently.

Once a champion for Venezuelans, Rubio endorses Trump decision to end Venezuela TPS

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, once a stalwart champion of Venezuelan immigrants, supports President Donald Trump’s decision to end the deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of people already in the United States who fled dictatorship and humanitarian crises in their home country.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/once-champion-venezuelans-rubio-endorses-220038340.html

The Guardian: Republicans are quietly trying to disenfranchise millions of voters

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The so-called Save Act would strip millions of their access to the vote and make the process harder for everyone else

One such piece of legislation is the so-called Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or Save Act, which would require Americans seeking to register or re-register to vote to prove US citizenship. This dangerous bill would in effect strip millions of Americans of their access to the vote, while making the voting process more difficult and burdensome for everyone else. Rather than make our elections more secure, the Save Act would disenfranchise millions based on nothing but a series of debunked conspiracy theories.

Republicans are quietly trying to disenfranchise millions of voters | Alexis Anderson-Reed

The so-called Save Act would strip millions of their access to the vote and make the process harder for everyone else

Republicans are quietly trying to disenfranchise millions of voters | Alexis Anderson-Reed | The Guardian