Guardian: Throwing their bodies on the gears: the Democratic lawmakers showing up to resist Trump

Republicans may literally own social media platforms, but some Democrats are buying back legitimacy with protests

A flock of Ice agents, some masked, some sporting military-operator fashion for show, smooshed the New York City comptroller, Brad Lander, up against a wall and handcuffed him in the hallway of a federal courthouse in early June, shuffling the mild-mannered politician into an elevator like the Sandman hustling an act off the stage 10 miles north at Harlem’s Apollo Theater.

Like at the Apollo, Lander’s arrest was a show. News reporters and cellphone camera-wielding bystanders crowded the hall to watch the burly federal officers rumple a 55-year-old auditor asking for a warrant.

“I’m not obstructing. I’m standing here in this hallway asking for a judicial warrant,” Lander said. “You don’t have the authority to arrest US citizens.”

“This is an urgent moment for the rule of law in the United States of America and it is important to step up,” Lander told the Guardian after the arrest. “And I think the dividing line for Democrats right now is not between progressives and moderates. It’s between fighters and folders. We have to find nonviolent but insistent ways of standing up for democracy and the rule of law.”

“There’s a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can’t take part,” Mario Savio, a student leader in the free speech movement, a campaign of civil disobedience against restrictive policies on student political activity, said 60 years ago during a campus protest. “You can’t even passively take part. And you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you’ve got to make it stop.”

Hannah Dugan, a Wisconsin judge, allowed a man to leave through the back doors of her courtroom, allegedly in response to the presence of immigration officers waiting to arrest him. FBI agents subsequently arrested Dugan in her Milwaukee courtroom on 25 April, charging her with obstruction.

The FBI director, Kash Patel, posted comments about her arrest on X almost immediately, and eventually posted a photograph of her arrest, handcuffed and walking toward a police cruiser, with the comment: “No one is above the law.” Digitally altered photographs of Dugan appearing to be in tears in a mugshot proliferated on social media. Trump himself reposted an image from the Libs of TikTok website of Dugan wearing a Covid-19 mask on the day of her arrest.

Three days later …

It’s long read — best to click on the link below and read the article in its entirety.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/30/democrats-trump-resistance

Alternet: ‘Don’t have a smidgen of hope’: [Bimbo #2] Noem to divert FEMA money as flood victims struggle

The New Republic reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem intends to use FEMA funds to build a new detention center in Florida.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier revealed his approval of plans for funding the facility, called “Alligator Alcatraz” with federal money last week. He said on Fox News that the hostile Florida Everglades would act to deter escape from the 39-square-mile site.

“You don’t need to invest that much in the perimeter. People get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,” said Uthmeier.

Despite proposed saving from the facility’s isolation, The New York Times reports it will cost $450 million every year to operate the center, and Noem posted on X that this will be funded “in large part … by FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program.”

In other words the money is being stolen from the people for who it was appropriated by Congress — the victims of floods and other natural disasters.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are working at turbo speed to deliver cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens,” [Bimbo #2] Noem’s claimed. “We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.”

Repeating a lie ad nauseum doesn’t make it true. Only a small percentage of the deportees have criminal records.

https://www.alternet.org/fema-doge-trump-voters

Raleigh News & Observer: Trump’s Approval Rating Plummets in New Poll

President Donald Trump’s approval rating has dropped to 38%, according to Quinnipiac, amid a public clash with Elon Musk over the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” A CBS/YouGov poll earlier this month showed 45% approval and 55% disapproval, underscoring the growing public scrutiny he faces.

Republican lawmakers … are viewed unfavorably by 61% of the general public. This disparity comes amid ongoing challenges Republicans have faced in appealing to a wider audience beyond their base.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-s-approval-rating-plummets-in-new-poll/ss-AA1GVnKX

Mirror: LA immigration protests LIVE: Mass protests spread to new cities, with tear gas thrown in Dallas

The President sent another 2,000 National Guard troops to confront immigration protesters in LA, as the demonstrations spread to other US cities

President Donald Trump has defended his decision to send another 2,000 National Guard troops to confront immigration protesters in Los Angeles, as the demonstrations spread to other US cities.

The protests began Friday in downtown LA after federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people across the city. Trump on Monday authorized the deployment of 700 Marines and additional National Guard troops to LA as the protests entered a fourth day. It came after an initial 300 troops arrived in the city on Sunday.

The demonstrations spread to other cities including Boston, Houston and Philadelphia on Monday. In Dallas, hundreds of protesters gathered for a rally which police declared was “unlawful.” Authorities said one person was arrested.

https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/la-immigration-protests-live-flash-1195445

Huffington Post: Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem Said An Immigrant Threatened To Kill Trump. The Story Quickly Fell Apart.

Investigators actually believe the man may have been framed so that he would get arrested and be deported from the U.S., a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

A claim by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem that an immigrant threatened the life of President Donald Trump has begun to unravel.

[Bimbo #2] Noem announced an arrest of a 54-year-old man who was living in the U.S. illegally, saying he had written a letter threatening to kill Trump and would then return to Mexico. The story received a flood of media attention and was highlighted by the White House and Trump’s allies.

But investigators actually believe the man may have been framed so that he would get arrested and be deported from the U.S. before he got a chance to testify in a trial as a victim of assault, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The person could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Let’s just say that Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem is one of the dimmest bulbs ever to hold a cabinet-level office.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ap-us-trump-threat-ice-arrest_n_683a1761e4b06a21c073aacd

Live: LA immigration protests LIVE: Newsom brands Marine deployment to LA Trump’s ‘deranged fantasy’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state of California is suing Donald Trump over his response to the violent riots in L.A. Tensions exploded between the two over the weekend and into Monday

Americans fear civil war is beginning right before their eyes as L.A. protesters and police clash — and California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state of California is now suing Donald Trump over his response to the violent riots.

California Democrat Adam Schiff also accused Trump of wanting a reason to justify martial law in the region. The president lobbed several attacks against Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass on his Truth Social on Sunday night.

Trump is deploying 2,000 National Guard troops as protesters seek to block federal immigration authorities from carrying out deportations. ed to deploy status” should they be called upon to defend federal facilities and personnel.

The Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division will work with the roughly 2,100 National Guard troops on the ground to protect federal property and personnel, including federal immigration agents, U.S. Northern Command says.

The Marines are moving from their base at Twentynine Palms in the California desert on Monday.

The troops have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force, and they will be armed with the weapons they normally carry.

Kent State Reprise is just around the corner.

https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/la-immigration-protests-live-flash-1195445

Mirror: LA immigration protests LIVE: Civil war fears explode as 2,000 National Guard troops deployed

Americans are panicking about chaotic scenes unfolding in Los Angeles today as angry protesters clashed with federal agents.

Americans fear civil war is beginning right before their eyes as LA protesters and police clash – and California Democrat Adam Schiff has even accused Donald Trump of wanting a reason to justify martial law.

Trump is deploying 2,000 National Guard troops as protesters seek to block federal immigration authorities from carrying out deportations. And defense secretary Pete Hegseth has threatened to send in the Marines, with around 500 troops on standby.

In a statement released on Sunday, U.S. Northern Command said that, at the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about 500 Marines are “in a prepared to deploy status” should they be called upon to defend federal facilities and personnel.

In an earlier directive, the President invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is ”a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”

Writing on X, one user said “sadly LA looks like a scene from the 2024 Civil War movie,” while another user asked: “Is the US now in de facto civil war or is that not yet what they call it?”

Others said they fear LA is the “beginning” of a wider civil war across the U.S.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Trump are publicly clashing about efforts taken to contain the protests, with Newsom even going as far as accusing Trump of “manufacturing a crisis.”

This was echoed by Schiff, who wrote on social media: “There is nothing President Trump would like more than a violent confrontation with protestors to justify the unjustifiable — invocation of the Insurrection Act or some form of martial law.”

https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/la-immigration-protests-live-flash-1195445

Mirror: LA immigration protests LIVE: Civil war fears explode as 2,000 National Guard troops deployed

Americans are panicking about chaotic scenes unfolding in Los Angeles today as angry protesters clashed with federal agents.

Americans fear civil war is beginning right before their eyes as LA protesters and police clash – and California Democrat Adam Schiff has even accused Donald Trump of wanting a reason to justify martial law.

Trump is deploying 2,000 National Guard troops as protesters seek to block federal immigration authorities from carrying out deportations.

In a directive Saturday, the President invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is ”a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”

Writing on X, one user said “sadly LA looks like a scene from the 2024 Civil War movie,” while another user asked: “Is the US now in de facto civil war or is that not yet what they call it?”

Others said they fear LA is the “beginning” of a wider civil war across the U.S.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Trump are publicly clashing about efforts taken to contain the protests, with Newsom even going as far as accusing Trump of “manufacturing a crisis.”

This was echoed by Schiff, who wrote on social media: “There is nothing President Trump would like more than a violent confrontation with protestors to justify the unjustifiable — invocation of the Insurrection Act or some form of martial law.”

https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/la-immigration-protests-live-flash-1195445

Alternet: ‘One of the worst’: Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem slammed for ‘false accusation’ against man who was framed

Authorities have acknowledged an error in their initial assessment of a Wisconsin man who was arrested last month under suspicion of threatening President Donald Trump, CNN reported Tuesday.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Secretary Kristi Noem had previously labeled Ramón Morales Reyes, an undocumented immigrant, as a potential threat based on threatening letters allegedly written by him. However, a subsequent investigation revealed that Morales Reyes, who cannot read or write in English, was framed by Demetric Deshawn Scott, a 52-year-old man from Milwaukee.

Bimbo #2 doesn’t care who or what she hurts. Just ask her goat or puppy.

Never mind, the goat & puppy are dead — Bimbo #2 shot them.

https://www.alternet.org/kristi-noem-dhs

Independent: New video shows Judge Hannah Dugan with federal agents in moment that led to her arrest

Attorneys for Wisconsin county judge call the case against her ‘entirely unconstitutional’

Newly obtained surveillance footage from inside a Wisconsin courthouse shows a county judge speaking with federal law enforcement officers before they arrested an undocumented immigrant moments after his hearing in the judge’s courtroom.

A week later, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was placed in handcuffs and accused of obstructing his arrest.

Footage from April 18 provided to The Independent from a public records request shows at least six plain-clothes agents in ball caps and hooded sweatshirts arriving on Dugan’s floor. At one point, one agent sits directly across from Dugan’s courtroom.

Minutes after Dugan’s arrival, agents see Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his attorney entering the courtroom. Flores-Ruiz faces domestic abuse charges stemming from an argument with his roommates, according to a criminal complaint.

Dugan can be seen speaking to a pair of agents sitting on a bench in the courthouse hallway, and then appears to direct them down the hall. According to the criminal complaint, the agents told the judge they had an administrative warrant, which is typically issued by immigration authorities without a judge.

The judge allegedly told the agents to see the chief judge about their plans to make an arrest inside the courthouse. The complaint accuses Dugan of exhibiting “confrontational, angry demeanor” when speaking with federal agents. The surveillance footage does not include any audio.

Dugan is standing still in the video while speaking with two agents, who appear relaxed and slouched on the benches. One agent begins to walk down the hall while Dugan continues speaking with the other agent. Dugan then gestures towards the other end of the hall. She walks the opposite direction when the agents walk away.

None of the videos show the inside of her courtroom. A hearing for Flores-Ruiz lasted only a few minutes. Federal prosecutors allege Dugan directed Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out of her courtroom through a non-public door.

But video footage shows the door was just a few feet from the main entrance. Flores-Ruiz and his attorney walk past federal agents as they head towards the elevator. One agent follows them to the elevator. According to a criminal complaint, the agent shared an elevator to the lobby with the both of them.

Looks like ICE’s Gestapo thugs have no evidence worth mentioning.

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/judge-hannah-dugan-video-ice-arrrest-b2762081.html