Tag Archives: united states

CNN: US military deploying over 4,000 additional troops to waters around Latin America as part of Trump’s counter-cartel mission

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The US military is deploying more than 4,000 Marines and sailors to the waters around Latin America and the Caribbean as part of a ramped-up effort to combat drug cartels, two US defense officials told CNN — a dramatic show of force that will give the president a broad range of military options should he want to target drug cartels.

The deployment of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit to US Southern Command, which has not been previously reported, is part of a broader repositioning of military assets to the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility that has been underway over the last three weeks, one of the officials said.

A nuclear-powered attack submarine, additional P8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, several destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser are also being allocated to US Southern Command as part of the mission, the officials said.

A third person familiar with the matter said the additional assets are “aimed at addressing threats to US national security from specially designated narco-terrorist organizations in the region.”

On Friday, the US Navy announced the deployment of the USS Iwo Jima, the 22nd MEU, and the two other ships in the Amphibious Ready Group — the USS Fort Lauderdale and the USS San Antonio — but did not say where they were going.

One of the officials emphasized that the military buildup is for now mostly a show of force, aimed more at sending a message than indicative of any intention to conduct precision targeting of cartels. But it also gives US military commanders — and the president — a broad range of options should Trump order military action. The ARG/MEU, for example, also features an aviation combat element.

The deployment of the Marine Expeditionary Unit, however, has raised concerns among some defense officials who worry that the Marines are not trained to conduct drug interdictions and counter drug-trafficking. If that is part of their mission set, they will have to lean heavily on the Coast Guard, officials said.

MEUs have been instrumental in the past in supporting large-scale evacuation operations; a MEU was stationed for months in the eastern Mediterranean, for example, amid tensions between Israel, Hamas and Iran.

A Marine official told CNN that the MEU “stands ready to execute lawful orders and support the combatant commanders in the needs that are requested of them.”

The US military deployed destroyers to the areas around the US-Mexico border in March to support US Northern Command’s border security mission and reinforce the US’ presence in the western hemisphere. The additional assets being moved now, however, will fall under US Southern Command, and are set to support SOUTHCOM for at least the next several months, one of the officials said.

CNN previously reported that a memo signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this year stated that the US military’s “foremost priority” is to defend the homeland, and instructed the Pentagon to “seal our borders, repel forms of invasion including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other criminal activities, and deport illegal aliens in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.”

The same memo also formally asked Pentagon officials for “credible military options” to ensure unfettered American access to the Panama Canal, CNN reported at the time.

So when do we invade Mexico, our future 52nd state (after Canada)?

US military deploying over 4,000 additional troops to waters around Latin America as part of Trump’s counter-cartel mission | CNN Politics
The US military is deploying more than 4,000 Marines and sailors to the waters around Latin America and the Caribbean as part of a ramped-up effort to combat drug cartels, two US defense officials told CNN — a dramatic show of force that will give the president a broad range of military options should he want to target drug cartels.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/15/politics/us-military-deploying-caribbean-latin-america-cartel-mission

CTV News: U.S. visitors to Canada outnumber Canadians in U.S. in rare reversal

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As Canadian travel to the United States continues to decline, new data shows a notable tipping point: More Americans visited Canada this July than Canadians did the United States, in a reversal not seen in years.

Statistics Canada’s latest figures show that U.S. residents made 1.8 million trips into Canada by automobile last month, with only 1.7 million Canadian return trips from the United States.

Canadian trips to the U.S. have outnumbered U.S.-Canada trips every July since before the COVID-19 pandemic, until now.

July travel has declined in both directions since last year, with U.S. visitor totals down 7.4 per cent and Canadian return trips plunging 36.9 per cent, down for six and seven months in a row, respectively.

“Recent data on foreign travel suggest that Canadians’ travel sentiment toward their southern neighbour has been shifting in early 2025,” a StatCan report from earlier this summer reads. “It is currently unclear whether the change is temporary or part of a more permanent shift.”

Girl Guides of Canada recently announced it would suspend excursions to the United States for an unspecified period of time, in a decision the organization said was linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tightening border control policies.

“This decision is rooted in our commitment to inclusivity and the safety of all our members,” Girl Guides of Canada wrote in an email to CTV News.

“It was prompted by the recent restrictions put on equal entry into the United States, as some members may hold citizenship from non-Canadian countries and could be impacted by the restrictions.”

As for air travel, Canada has seen an increase in visitors, with 1.4 million non-residents arriving this July, up just over three per cent from the same time in 2024. While most of this growth came from overseas travellers, U.S. visitors by air also increased 0.7 per cent.

Overall, international arrivals to Canada are down 15.6 per cent from the same time last year, according to StatCan.

Thank you, King Donald, for alienating our northern neighbors. Apparently folks don’t want to risk being detained on whimsy by your bully boys.

U.S. visitors to Canada outnumber Canadians in U.S. in rare reversal
As Canadian travel to the United States continues to decline, new data shows a notable tipping point: More Americans visited Canada this July than Canadians did the United States, in a reversal not seen in years.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/in-a-rare-reversal-of-trends-more-americans-visit-canada-by-car-than-vice-versa

Newsweek: Social Security predicted to run out of money sooner due to Trump bill

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A federal actuary has acknowledged that Social Security trusts will begin to become insolvent by 2034, with just 81 percent of beneficiaries estimated to receive their promised benefits.

Chief Actuary Karen Glenn wrote in a letter to Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, a Senate Finance Committee ranking member, on Tuesday: “Because the revenue from income taxation of Social Security benefits is directed to the Social Security and Medicare trust funds, implementation of the OBBBA will have material effects on the financial status of the Social Security trust funds.”

“The ‘One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act’ provides historic tax relief to America’s seniors,” a Social Security Administration (SSA) spokesperson told Newsweek on Thursday. “As Commissioner [Frank] Bisignano has repeatedly emphasized, ensuring the long-term financial health of these trust funds remains a top priority.

“The Social Security Administration is committed to working with Congress and other stakeholders to protect and strengthen these vital programs, ensuring that millions of Americans can continue to rely on Social Security for a secure retirement and support in times of disability—both now and in the future. We remain focused on responsible stewardship and transparent communication.”

Why It Matters

The Social Security system, supporting retirement income for tens of millions of Americans, now faces an earlier-than-expected financial crisis following major United States tax policy changes. The 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, enacted under President Donald Trump, has shifted the projected date of insolvency, which could impact benefit payouts for about 62 million retirees and dependents.

Policymakers, financial experts and advocacy groups have responded with warnings about the urgent need for legislative action to preserve benefits and the long-term viability of the program that remains a cornerstone of American social policy. Without intervention, automatic cuts could leave Americans with roughly three-quarters of the benefits currently anticipated.

This issue not only affects today’s retirees but also has profound implications for future generations of U.S. workers who depend on the ongoing stability of the Social Security system. The projected financial strain intensifies longstanding debates on tax policy, government spending and entitlement reform.

The SSA reported that roughly 70 million people were receiving Social Security benefits as of June of this year.

What To Know

The SSA revised its timetable for trust fund depletion following the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 4, 2025.

The Office of the Chief Actuary, under the guidance of SSA, reported that cumulative costs to the Social Security’s Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) and Disability Insurance (DI) trust funds (jointly called OASDI) would increase by roughly $168.6 billion over the coming decade due largely to lower income tax rates and new deduction rules, including a temporarily enhanced standard deduction for seniors.

As a result, the actuarial balance further deteriorated to -3.98 percent from -3.82 percent.

If combined with further projections, Social Security reductions for future generations could reach or exceed 30 percent.

Social Security benefits will face an automatic 24 percent cut at the time of insolvency in late 2032, according to an analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB). By 2099, that cut could exceed well over 30 percent.

That 2032 estimate is equivalent to an $18,100 annual benefit cut for a dual-earning couple retiring at the start of 2033, shortly after trust fund insolvency. Simultaneously, those same retirees might experience reduced access to health care due to an 11 percent cut in Medicare Hospital Insurance payments.

Cuts would grow over time as scheduled benefits continue to outpace dedicated revenues, per the nonpartisan CRFB. The same actuarial forecasts warned that Medicare’s trust fund faces a similar timeline, expecting depletion in 2033.

CRFB’s estimates are somewhat larger than those implied by the most recent trustees’ report, due to tax rate cuts and an increase in the senior standard deduction from OBBBA, reducing Social Security’s revenue from the income taxation of benefits, which they say is increasing the required cut by about a percentage point upon insolvency.

“If the expanded senior standard deduction and other temporary measures of OBBBA are made permanent, the benefit cut would grow larger,” CRFB said.

Newsweek reached out to CRFB via email for additional comment.

The revised insolvency projections are also the product of broader demographic changes, including increased retirements among baby boomers, a declining birth rate, and lowered wage-growth expectations.

The latest trustee report in mid-June highlighted that, even apart from recent legislation, taxes collected for Social Security have struggled to keep pace with payouts due to the program’s structure.

What People Are Saying

Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano, in a June 18 press release: “To ensure we serve the public and deliver high-quality service to the 185 million people who work and pay payroll taxes for Social Security and the 70 million beneficiaries who will receive benefits during 2025, the financial status of the trust funds remains a top priority for the Trump Administration.

“Congress, along with the Social Security Administration and others committed to eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, must work together to protect and strengthen the trust funds for the millions of Americans who rely on it—now and in the future— for a secure retirement or in the event of a disability.”

From an analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget on July 24: “Policymakers pledging not to touch Social Security are implicitly endorsing these deep benefit cuts for 62 million retirees in 2032 and beyond. It is time for policymakers to tell the truth about the program’s finances and to pursue trust fund solutions to head off insolvency and improve the program for current and future generations.”

What Happens Next

Congress faces mounting pressure to act before the projected Social Security trust fund depletion in 2034 to avoid automatic benefit cuts. Options under discussion include tax hikes, changes to the benefit formula, or increasing the full retirement age.

Social Security predicted to run out of money sooner due to Trump bill
One organization warns that a dual-earning couple retiring in 2033 could experience a Social Security trust fund cut of $18,100.

https://www.newsweek.com/social-security-retirement-savings-benefits-money-2110258

Washington Post: Trump claims credit for fixing Social Security as it barrels to insolvency

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Many of the president’s claims were misleading and ignored months of turmoil at the embattled agency.

President Donald Trump marked the 90th anniversary of Social Security on Thursday with an Oval Office signing of a proclamation that the safety net was “more resilient than ever before,” thanks to him. He claimed improvements to the program’s customer service. He also misleadingly declared that he had checked off his campaign promise to eliminate taxes on benefits for seniors.

But Social Security is barreling toward insolvency faster than before because of Trump’s tax bill and immigration policies, according to experts. The agency has faced tumult since the U.S. DOGE Service came in with a grand scheme to root out fraud and overhaul the program, causing disruptions and frustrations within the agency.

And despite the repetition of “no tax on Social Security” from Trump and his allies, the law ultimately signed by the president did not eliminate taxes on seniors’ benefits.

The Oval Office event — largely ceremonial — offered the president a chance to repeat his commitments to older Americans on the anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt signing the Social Security Act into law. Trump was joined by Commissioner Frank Bisignano, who has led the agency since May.

“I made a sacred pledge to our seniors that I would always protect Social Security, and under this administration we’re keeping that promise and strengthening Social Security for generations to come,” Trump said.

However, Republicans have not yet provided a solution to put off Social Security’s impending shortfalls.

Natalie Ihrman, a Social Security spokeswoman, said the agency is “committed to working with Congress and other stakeholders to strengthen these vital SSA programs and continue to provide secure retirement and support in times of disability for millions of Americans.”

The trust fund will be insolvent by 2033, the program’s trustees said in June, if Congress doesn’t act. And after the passage of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, the chief actuary said the law could hasten Social Security’s insolvency date.

In addition, experts have warned that Trump’s efforts to deport undocumented immigrants — who pay into the system but are barred from receiving benefits — will further deplete the program.

Penn Wharton’s budget model has projected that if the government deports 10 percent of undocumented immigrants annually over the next 10 years, Social Security will lose $133 billion in funds over that period of time.

In his comments Thursday, Trump repeated a baseless claim that immigrants were getting benefits and asserted that nearly 275,000 immigrants were removed from the agency’s rolls. The agency did not provide information about the president’s claims that immigrants were getting benefits, but it said, “SSA updated the Social Security records of about 275,000 individuals no longer holding legal status, ensuring people ineligible to receive benefits are not improperly paid.”

Most federal public benefits — such as Social Security — are available only to U.S. citizens and certain categories of legal immigrants.

Trump also praised himself for keeping a campaign promise to eliminate taxes on Social Security.

“I signed One Big Beautiful Bill and allowed no tax on Social Security for our great seniors,” Trump said.

But the law didn’t create an exemption on taxes on Social Security benefits. It added a temporary $6,000 deduction for seniors who earn as much as $75,000 a year, or $12,000 for joint filers earning as much as $150,000.

Ihrman of SSA said the law “provides historic tax relief to America’s seniors.”

The White House Council of Economic Advisers estimates that 88 percent of older adults will not pay taxes on their benefits because of the bill, up from 64 percent under previous law.

Howard Gleckman, senior fellow at the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, said the council’s estimate relies on the assumption seniors would use their standard deduction to reduce their tax liability on Social Security benefits rather than their total income. The policy center has estimated that about half of recipients will pay at least some income taxes on their benefits.

“What he’s saying is just wrong,” Gleckman said of Trump’s claim.

Trump and Bisignano also touted achievements in customer service, specifically claiming recent reductions in wait times for the 1-800 phone line and at field offices as well as the elimination of scheduled maintenance times for the website.

Bisignano came into the agency in May after the cost-cutting U.S. DOGE Service implemented changes that led to customers complaining of dropped calls, the website repeatedly crashing and thousands of workers leaving the agency.

One of Bisignano’s early efforts to address the overwhelmed phone line was to move field office workers to answer calls.

Advocates have said it is harder to tell what customer service is like since the agency has taken down many of its public-facing performance metrics.

To trumpet the phone performance, the agency has said it reduced the “average speed to answer,” which does not count the time callers wait for a call back, even though the agency rolled out the callback feature last year.

The agency also said it cut wait times at field offices, a statistic repeated by Trump on Thursday.

That is misleading, according Jessica LaPointe, president of Council 220 of the American Federation of Government Employees. After the agency rolled out a new system of assigning appointments to people walking into field offices in December, the time people wait in the lobby of field offices went down because they were no longer getting their issues handled when they showed up.

“Now you wait 20 minutes in the lobby to get to the window and then you’re given an appointment and you are waiting then months to get your business finished, from start to finish,” LaPointe said.

Trump claims credit for fixing Social Security as it barrels to insolvency
Many of the president’s claims were misleading and ignore months of turmoil at the embattled agency.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/08/14/trump-social-security-90th-annniversary

Also here:

Trump claims credit for fixing Social Security as it barrels to insolvency
Many of the president’s claims were misleading and ignore months of turmoil at the embattled agency.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ar-AA1Ky5eX

Related article:

Social Security predicted to run out of money sooner due to Trump bill

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/social-security-predicted-to-run-out-of-money-sooner-due-to-trump-bill/ar-AA1K6mMw

Daily Beast: U.S. Citizen: I Was Seized by ICE and Held for Days Without Water

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Andrea Velez spent two days in a Los Angeles detention center despite telling ICE officers that she is a U.S. citizen.

An American citizen has told how she was held by ICE for 48 hours, claiming she was denied water despite proving her legal status.

Andrea Velez, 32, had just arrived at work in Downtown Los Angeles on June 24 when agents grabbed her and forced her into a car.

Velez told NBC4 News Los Angeles that an immigration raid was going on when she was slammed to the ground. Velez, a graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, who works in fashion was taken into custody while her mother, Margarita Flores, screamed at agents to stop.

“She’s a U.S. citizen,” Velez’s mother, an immigrant from Mexico, said through tears. “They’re taking her. Help her, someone.”

Velez said she was sitting in a detention center and was given nothing to drink for 24 hours. In total she spent two days in detention. She said that the ordeal has left her unable to physically return to work.

“I’m taking things day by day,” she told the station.

The incident had been notorious from the beginning. LAPD officers were called to the scene because it was reported as a “kidnapping” but did not intervene when it became clear it was an ICE action—even though it was against a U.S. citizen, ABC& Los Angeles previously reported.

Velez was charged with assaulting a federal officer while he was attempting to arrest a suspect. A federal criminal complaint alleged that the agent was chasing after a man but Velez stepped into the agent’s path and extended her arm “in an apparent effort to prevent him from apprehending the male subject he was chasing.” The complaint added that her arm hit the agent in the face.

The incident had been notorious from the beginning. LAPD officers were called to the scene because it was reported as a “kidnapping” but did not intervene when it became clear it was an ICE action—even though it was against a U.S. citizen, ABC& Los Angeles previously reported.

Velez was charged with assaulting a federal officer while he was attempting to arrest a suspect. A federal criminal complaint alleged that the agent was chasing after a man but Velez stepped into the agent’s path and extended her arm “in an apparent effort to prevent him from apprehending the male subject he was chasing.” The complaint added that her arm hit the agent in the face.

Velez denied wrongdoing. She said that during the incident, someone grabbed her and slammed her to the ground. She tried to tell the agent, who was in plainclothes, that she was an American citizen. But he told her she was “interfering” and he was going to arrest her.

“That’s when I asked him to show me his ID, his badge number,” she said. “I asked him if he had a warrant, and he said I didn’t need to know any of that.”

Velez said she repeatedly told ICE officers she was a U.S. citizen. When she was taken into a Los Angeles detention center, she gave officers her driver’s license and health insurance card to prove her citizenship status. She was still locked behind bars.

Velez’s family was unaware of her whereabouts for more than a day until lawyers for the family tracked her down.

Later, the Department of Justice (DOJ) dismissed her case without prejudice, meaning it could be reopened if prosecutors decide to.

Velez’s attorneys told NBC Los Angeles that they are exploring legal moves against the federal government.

Between 2015 and 2020, ICE erroneously deported at least 70 U.S. citizens, arrested 674 and detained 121. It is unclear how many have been mistakenly taken amid the Trump administration’s mass campaign to deport 1 million immigrants per year.

In January, U.S. citizen Julio Noriega was looking for work in Chicago when he was swept up in the mass raids. In May, Georgia college student Ximena Arias-Cristobal was detained after police pulled over the wrong car during a traffic stop. In June, a deputy U.S. marshal was detained in Arizona because he “fit the general description of a subject being sought by ICE.” That same month, a Ph.D. student named Job Garcia was tackled and thrown to the ground by ICE for recording a raid in Los Angeles.

A recent lawsuit claims that at least three American-born children have been removed from the country. The sudden banishment includes a 4-year-old boy with stage-four kidney cancer who was receiving critical, life-saving medical treatment in the United States. He was shipped from Louisiana to Honduras in April.

The Daily Beast has reached out to ICE for comment.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Daily Beast: “FALSE. ICE provided Andrea Velez with water, food, sanitary products, and she was given restroom breaks as needed. The media needs to stop peddling lies and smears that have led to a 1000% increase in assaults against our brave ICE officers.”

U.S. Citizen: I Was Seized by ICE and Held for Days Without Water
Andrea Velez spent two days in a Los Angeles detention center despite telling ICE officers that she is a U.S. citizen.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/us-citizen-andrea-velez-i-was-seized-by-ice-and-held-for-days-without-water

Kristi Noem is living rent-free in home used by Coast Guard commandant

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A DHS spokeswoman said Noem must live on the military base because she had been “so horribly doxxed and targeted that she is no longer able to safely live in her own apartment.”

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem is living for free in a military home typicallyreserved for the U.S. Coast Guard’s top admiral, officials familiar with the matter said. The highly unusual arrangement has raised concern within the agency andfrom some Democrats, who describe it as a waste of military resources.

In her former life she shot her family’s pet puppy and goat and bragged about it in a book.

Now this poor pathetic wench implements a policy of cruelty and hatred only to lament that she’s not loved.

Suck it up, bitch!

Kristi Noem is living rent-free in home used by Coast Guard commandant
A DHS spokeswoman said Noem must live on the military base because she had been “so horribly doxxed and targeted that she is no longer able to safely live in her own apartment.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/08/15/kristi-noem-is-living-free-charge-coast-guard-commandants-home

Another link:

https://archive.ph/8IgAO#selection-435.0-443.70

Visa Lawyer Blog: New USCIS Policy Seeks to Intimidate Immigrants Applying for Green Cards by Threatening Deportation Proceedings

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Until this month, if your family member was in the U.S. legally, you could file an I-130 on their behalf, and they could remain in the U.S. while it was being processed. In a devious underhanded move to increase their deportation numbers, the Trump regime intends to start deporting family members whose visas have expired while their I-130 filings are being processed.

On August 1st the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced new policies that could make immigrants applying for green cards through family-based petitions more vulnerable to deportation.

The changes appear in various updates to USCIS’ Policy Manual which states that immigration officials can begin removal proceedings for immigrants who lack legal status and apply to become permanent residents through family-based petitions.

According to the Policy Manual, “if USCIS determines the alien beneficiary is removeable and amenable to removal from the United States, USCIS may issue a Notice to Appear (NTA) [in immigration court] placing the beneficiary in removal proceedings. Petitioners and alien beneficiaries should be aware that a family-based petition accords no immigration status nor does it bar removal.”

The new policy went into effect immediately and applies to pending requests for a green card, and those filed on or after August 1st.

While the practical impact of this policy is yet to be seen, it provides immigration officials with more discretion to initiate removal proceedings even where a green card application is pending with USCIS, for those who entered the U.S. illegally, overstayed a U.S. visa, or otherwise failed to maintain their legal status.

These policy changes underscore the importance of maintaining underlying legal status throughout the green card process. Those who lack legal status or who lost their status during the green card process may be most at risk.

This shift is troubling because under previous administrations, green card applicants were not placed in removal proceedings while their green card applications were pending, except for cases involving serious criminal offenses.

USCIS has defended these policies stating that, “Fraudulent, frivolous, or otherwise non-meritorious family-based immigrant visa petitions erode confidence in family-based pathways to lawful permanent resident (LPR) status and undermine the immigration system in the United States. USCIS must ensure that qualifying marriages and family relationships are genuine, verifiable, and compliant with all applicable laws.”

Overtime, USCIS has become increasingly cooperative with agencies like DHS and ICE—moving from an administrative agency to an immigration enforcement agency placing a growing number of immigrants at risk of deportation.

These policies send a clear anti-immigrant message intended to intimidate and drive undocumented immigrants to self-deport. Green card applicants must not fall into this trap and instead seek legal counsel to fully understand their rights.

New USCIS Policy Seeks to Intimidate Immigrants Applying for Green Cards by Threatening Deportation Proceedings
On August 1st the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced new policies that could make immigrants applying for green cards through family-based petitions more vulnerable to deportation. The changes appear in various updates to USCIS’ Policy Manual which states that immigration officials can begin removal proceedings for immigrants who lack legal status and apply…
New USCIS Policy Seeks to Intimidate Immigrants Applying for Green Cards by Threatening Deportation Proceedings

2 paragraphs: Former Commanding General of US Army Europe Calls Trump-Putin Meeting “Despicable”

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Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General and former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Europe and the Seventh Army Mark Hertling responded to President Donald Trump greeting Russian President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday in what was billed as a summit to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war.

Hertling, who often provides military analyst on CNN, wrote on social media on Friday: “This afternoon, I told @NicolleDWallace that I had a sense of ‘dread’ about what might happen in the Alaskan ‘summit.’ After watching the press conference, that dread has come to life.” He added, “This whole thing is despicable.”

Days before the summit, Hertling wrote: “Watching the US prep for a critically important meeting with Putin in Alaska reminds me of students who realize they had an assignment a day before it is due. Hoping I’m wrong, but concerned about the diplomatic approach & the potential outcome.”

Hertling is not the only highly decorated veteran who has voiced opposition to Trump’s warm welcome of Putin on U.S. soil. Retired Marine Lt. Col. fighter pilot Amy McGrath also criticized the Trump administration.

McGrath wrote: “I’m sorry but it’s hard to get over the picture of the airmen on their knees, in front of the Russian jet, rolling out the red carpet for a mass murderer. Just never thought I’d see that.”

MAGA influencers including Charlie Kirk and Fox News star Laura Ingraham, neither with military credentials, say those who are critical of the meeting are “biased.”

Kirk wrote: “Anything the media says about the Alaska summit must be immediately discredited because they are mad Trump met with Putin at all.” And Ingraham responded to the negative feedback on X: “Anyone saying that the Trump-Putin meeting was a failure is ignorant, biased or both.”

Trump, who has continually threatened Putin with increased sanctions and worse if the Russian leader failed to agree to a ceasefire by certain dates, left the meeting saying a ceasefire was no longer the immediate goal.

“It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Former Commanding General of US Army Europe Calls Trump-Putin Meeting “Despicable”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/former-commanding-general-of-us-army-europe-calls-trump-putin-meeting-despicable/ar-AA1KE0DV

Rolling Stone: Trump Cuts Off Medical Visas from Gaza After Laura Loomer Meltdown

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The move comes after Loomer, the right-wing provocateur, freaked out over a video of children from Gaza coming to the U.S. for medical care

Donald Trump’s administration stopped all visitor visas from Gaza — including those for humanitarian and medical aid — on Saturday after far-right provocateur and Trump friend Laura Loomer posted about several Palestinian children being allowed into the U.S. for medical care amid Israel’s relentless siege and blockade. 

The State Department said it will “conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days,” in a post on X. 

“It’s amazing how fast we can get results from the Trump administration,” Loomer wrote on X, adding an applause emoji.”

Loomer posted a video Friday showing children from Gaza arriving in San Francisco for treatment, greeted by a cheering crowd. Loomer called the video an “exclusive,” posting it to X with her watermark on it, despite it being posted on Aug. 6 by the nonprofit HEAL Palestine, which provides medical care to Palestinians. 

“How did Palestinians get Visas under the Trump administration to get into the United States? Did @StateDept approve this? How did they get out of Gaza? Is @SecRubio aware of this?” she asked Friday. 

The caption of the Aug. 6 video reads, “Leyan, Ghazal, and their siblings will [begin] medical treatment and school as soon as possible under the care of HEAL.”

Loomer messages Rolling Stone on Saturday afternoon: “The MAGA base didn’t vote for more Islamic immigration into the United States. I applaud Secretary of State Marco Rubio for halting the Visas of Gazans from a HAMAS hot zone and look forward to seeing the State Department’s review of the rogue State Department employees who signed off on visas for Gazans who have shown a disrespect for American life as Hamas continues to hold hostages.”

According to NBC Bay Area, Leyan is a 14-year-old who was burned and injured by shrapnel in an explosion at her school. Ghazal, 6, was also hurt in an explosion. Another child who arrived, 8-year-old Anas, was hurt in an explosion that killed his entire family. There were 11 children in total evacuated, the largest medical evacuation of injured children from Gaza to the U.S.

“The logistics of getting them out is also a nightmare,” Talha Baquar of HEAL Palestine told NBC Bay Area. “The Israeli government has to approve of their release. One of the children who’s coming today, he’s been on a waitlist to get out. He’s had his medical visa since November of last year.”

“These children could not wait,” Dr. Zeena Salman, pediatric oncologist and co-founder of HEAL Palestine, said in a statement. “Their lives are at stake, and this mission is about giving them a future.”

After the children receive medical care, they will go to Egypt, where HEAL will continue to support them, the organization said. HEAL has evacuated 63 injured children and 148 people total as of August 4, according to its website.

Andrew Miller, former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israeli-Palestinian Affairs, posted on X that the State Department’s move reflected “prejudice.” 

“I dealt with such cases during the Biden admin. No one leaves Gaza w/o Israel’s approval & everyone’s vetted through U.S. databases. Any security risk is negligible. This is rank ethnic/religious prejudice. Denying sick people critical medical care is cowardly & depraved.”

Loomer declared victory after the State Department announced it would stop visas from Gaza.

“This is fantastic news,” she posted on X. “Hopefully all GAZANS will be added to President Trump’s travel ban. There are doctors in other countries. The U.S. is not the world’s hospital!”

“Thank you for bringing attention to this matter, @LauraLoomer,” Jan. 6 rally organizer Caroline Wren wrote on X. 

Islamophobic Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) applauded Loomer for posting the video. “Massive credit needs to be given to @LauraLoomer for uncovering this and making me and other officials aware. Well done, Laura,” he posted on X. 

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement that the State Department’s move seemed “intentionally cruel.” 

“Blocking Palestinian children injured by American weapons from coming to America for medical treatment is the latest sign that the intentional cruelty of President Trump’s ‘Israel First’ administration knows no bounds,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.

Israel has led a brutal onslaught and near-total blockade in Gaza since October 7, 2023, following the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7, Gaza’s Health Ministry said at the end of July. More than 50,000 children in Gaza have been killed or injured during this period, according to UNICEF, and more than one child has been killed per hour, according to The Washington Post. In April, an Israeli airstrike destroyed part of the last fully functional hospital in Gaza. Israel has tightly restricted food and humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza, creating widespread famine throughout the strip.

Trump previously called Loomer a “free spirit” when the two traveled together last September, and she continues to privately advise him and others in the administration.

After Trump won in November, various Gazan families and immigration attorneys — who were already largely sickened by the Biden administration’s actions during this conflict — were in panic mode, fearing the worst for how any slivers of relief and options they were offered under the Democratic presidency would evaporate under a second Trump government.

Those fears are being realized, and then some.

“I’ve visited with some of the children in Houston, [Texas], who have been brought here from Gaza for medical treatment,” human rights lawyer Maria Kari told Rolling Stone in January. “I’m a mother and I don’t know how many diapers you’ve changed. But until this war, I had never seen someone have to change a diaper on a baby — who was just under two years old — who had third-degree burns on the diaper-change area. The sound the baby makes is horrifying. It’s seared into your brain. It haunts you forever. I’ve sat and ate with a girl who had to hold her jaw while we ate because there’s a hole in her jaw and food was falling out while she ate. I’ve sat and painted ceramic dinosaurs with these children — the same things I do with my children — and they’re so beautiful, they’re so cute and resilient. One of them had just buried her baby sister just before she got on a plane to come here.” 

This is whom Republicans and their allies are working hard to shun, banish, and deny relief.

Trump Cuts Off Medical Visas from Gaza After Laura Loomer Meltdown
Donald Trump stopped all visas from Gaza, including for humanitarian and medical aid, after Laura Loomer freaked out about children getting care.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-gaza-laura-loomer-medical-visas-hospital-1235410184

Sun Herald: Lawsuit Targets ICE Arrests at Court Hearings

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A coalition of immigrants and advocates has filed a class-action lawsuit in D.C. to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from arresting migrants at immigration court hearings. They argued these arrests, which have increased significantly in 2025, instill fear in asylum seekers and violate U.S. immigration law and the Fifth Amendment. Their complaint cites surprise arrests leading to family separations and heightened fear of persecution.

Democracy Forward President Skye Perryman said, “The Trump administration is weaponizing immigration courts and chilling participation in the legal process.”

Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative Interim CEO Priyanka Gandhi-Abriano said, “The arrests are a deliberate attempt to intimidate people.”

ICE often arrests individuals after deportation cases have been dismissed, enabling expedited deportations. Advocates alleged that the administration has used courts to intimidate participants in legal processes.

Gandhi-Abriano said, “Our friends, neighbors, and families are told to ‘do it the right way’ — to follow the legal process. They’re doing just that — showing up to court, complying with the law. Despite this, they’re being arrested and detained.”

National Immigrant Justice Center Director of Litigation Keren Zwick said, “We are witnessing an authoritarian takeover of the U.S. immigration court system by the Trump administration.”

Immigration officials have defended the actions as lawful, claiming those with credible fear have still been able to pursue their cases and that targeting court attendees has improved enforcement. Critics warned that the practices risk undermining due process rights.

Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said, “We aren’t some medieval kingdom; there are no legal sanctuaries where you can hide and avoid the consequences for breaking the law.” She added, “The ability of law enforcement to make arrests of criminal illegal aliens in courthouses is common sense. It conserves valuable law enforcement resources because they already know where a target will be. It is also safer for our officers and the community.”

Lawsuit Targets ICE Arrests at Court Hearings

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/lawsuit-targets-ice-arrests-at-court-hearings/ar-AA1KEhLx