Weekend Edition | 'A Declaration of War': Trump Sends National Guard to LA

 

Sunday, June 8, 2025 ■ Today's Top News  'We're Not Scared': Freedom Flotilla Crew Approaches Gaza Despite New Israeli Threats "Israel's Defense Minister has once again threatened unlawful force against civilians, attempting to justify violence with baseless smears," the crew members said. "We will not be intimidated." By Olivia Rosane As they drew nearer to Gaza on Sunday, the 12 crew members of the Freedom Flotilla vessel the Madleen remained undeterred in their mission to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave, even as an Israeli official issued new threats. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on social media Sunday afternoon that he had instructed the Israel Defense Forces "to act to prevent the Madleen hate flotilla from reaching the shores of Gaza—and to take whatever measures are necessary to that end." "To the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propaganda spokespeople, I say clearly: You should turn back—because you will not reach Gaza," Katz said, referring to Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, one of the 12 people on board. "Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or assist terrorist organizations—at sea, in the air, and on land." "What we face is nothing compared to what Palestinians in Gaza endure." The crew members, however, said they would not turn back and that they hoped to reach Gaza by Monday. "Israel's Defense Minister has once again threatened unlawful force against civilians, attempting to justify violence with baseless smears," the group posted on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Instagram. "We will not be intimidated." "The Madleen is a peaceful civilian vessel, unarmed and sailing in international waters with humanitarian aid and human rights defenders. This mission is independent, guided only by conscience and solidarity with Gaza," the crew members wrote. Posting at around 7:00 p.m. local time, they added that they were around 160 nautical miles from Gaza and had experienced brief signal jamming, but that their tracker was currently working again. "We call on world governments to demand Israel stand down. It has no right to obstruct our mission or enforce its illegal and brutal blockade," they said. Individual crew members also spoke out. Palestinian Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan said on social media that she expected Israel to illegally detain the crew members within 24 hours. "When we are no longer able to communicate with you, I'm counting on you to continue the mobilization that has been so valuable to us throughout this journey," she said. Hassen further toldAl Jazeera that the crew would "stay mobilized until the last minute until Israel cuts the internet and networks." "We're not scared of them," German human rights activist and crew member Yasemin Acar said, as Al Jazeera reported. "The message they have been sending us—that we cannot come closer—is not making us step back." Brazilian activist and crew member Thiago Avila told Al Jazeera that the crew had observed drones flying overhead. "We know Israeli forces are prepared to confront us with weapons, but we are not afraid," he said, adding, "What we face is nothing compared to what Palestinians in Gaza endure." Turkish crew member Huseyin Suayb, meanwhile, told Al Jazeera that spirits remained high. "We are still heading toward Gaza, there is very little distance left. These are critical hours. God willing, we will be in Gaza tomorrow, as long as we do not face any obstruction," he said. Al Jazeera correspondent Omar Faiad, also on board the Madleen, said the crew members were trying to prepare themselves for any scenario. There is reason for concern, as Israel has a history of attacking other ships that have attempted to reach Gaza to protest the blockade that Israel and Egypt have enforced around the strip since Hamas assumed control there in 2007. In 2010, Israeli commandos killed nine activists on board the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara, and a 10th later died from sustained injuries. In May, drones damaged the Freedom Flotilla ship the Conscience as it sat in international waters off Malta, with activists attributing the attacks to Israel. "They may attack us again, threaten us, or resort to personal violence. They may target our lives," Suayb told Al Jazeera. "But as you know, we've experienced this before. Even the slightest reflex shown in self-defence is labelled as a weapon, as terrorism. We are completely peaceful activists. Not a single one of us knows how to fight or use a weapon. We do not pose any kind of threat." The Madleen set sail from Sicily on June 1, in protest not only of the long-standing blockade against Gaza but also the Israeli bombardment and restrictions of humanitarian aid into the strip since October 2023, which several human rights experts and organizations consider a genocide. Due to a total blockade of aid between March and May, aid organizations warn that Palestinians in Gaza are in danger of starvation, and the Madleen carries much-needed goods such as flour, rice, and baby formula. "The Flotilla Giants are approaching Gaza, scheduled to arrive tomorrow," United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese wrote on social media Sunday afternoon. "It is not only the aid, it is the HUMANITY THEY CARRY. For all of us. May Israel not endanger them as with the previous flotilla. MAY THIS BE THE TIME ISRAEL LAYS DOWN THE GENOCIDAL MACHINERY." 'A Declaration of War': Trump Sends National Guard to LA Over Anti-ICE Protests "The Trump administration's baseless deployment of the National Guard is plainly retaliation against California, a stronghold for immigrant communities," one advocate said. By Olivia Rosane U.S. President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard members in response to protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Los Angeles over the weekend, as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth threatened to call in the marines. The protests kicked off on Friday in opposition to ICE raids of retail establishments around Los Angeles. During Friday's protests David Huerta, president of SEIU California and SEIU-United Service Workers West, was injured and then arrested while observing a raid. His arrest sparked further protests, which carried over into Saturday in response to apparent ICE activity in the nearby city of Paramount. "The Trump administration's baseless deployment of the National Guard is plainly retaliation against California, a stronghold for immigrant communities, and is akin to a declaration of war on all Californians," Victor Leung, chief legal and advocacy officer at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation of Southern California, said in a statement. "They yell 'invasion' at the border—but this is the real one: Trump is seizing control of California's National Guard and forcing 2,000 troops into our streets." Saturday's most dramatic protest occurred outside a Home Depot in Paramount following rumors of an ICE raid there. However, Paramount Mayor Peggy Lemons told the Los Angeles Times that the ICE agents may instead have been staging at a nearby Department of Homeland Security (DHS) office. There were also rumors of an ICE raid on a meatpacking plant that never occurred. "We don't know what was happening, or what their target was. To think that there would be no heightening of fear and no consequences from the community doesn't sound like good preparation to me," Lemons said. "Above all, there is no communication and things are done on a whim. And that creates chaos and fear." According to the LA Times, the Home Depot protests began peacefully until officers lobbed flash-bang grenades and pepper balls at the crowd, after which some individuals responded by throwing rocks and other objects at the ICE cars, and one person drove their vehicle toward the ICE agents. "Many of the protesters did not appear to engage in these tactics," the LA Times reported. In another incident, Lindsay Toczylowski, the chief executive of Immigrant Defenders Law Center, wrote on social media that ICE agents threw a tear-gas canister at two of the center's female attorneys after they asked the agents if they could see a warrant and observe their activities. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said that over a dozen people were arrested on Saturday for interfering with the work of immigration agents. The first member of the Trump administration to mention sending in the National Guard was White House border czar Tom Homan, who told Fox News, "We're gonna bring National Guard in tonight and we're gonna continue doing our job. This is about enforcing the law." Trump then signed a memo Saturday night calling members of the California National Guard into federal service to protect ICE and other government officials. "To the extent that protests or acts of violence directly inhibit the execution of the laws, they constitute a form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States," the memo reads in part. "The only threat to safety today is the masked goon squads that the administration has deployed to terrorize the communities of Los Angeles County." Instead of using the Insurrection Act, as some had speculated he might, Trump federalized the guard members under the president's Title 10 authority, which allows the president to place the National Guard under federal control given certain conditions, but does not allow those troops to carry out domestic law enforcement activities, which invoking the Insurrection Act would enable. "On its face, then, the memorandum federalizes 2,000 California National Guard troops for the sole purpose of protecting the relevant DHS personnel against attacks," Georgetown University Law Center professor Steve Vladeck explained in a blog post Saturday. "That's a significant (and, in my view, unnecessary) escalation of events in a context in which no local or state authorities have requested such federal assistance. But by itself, this is not the mass deployment of troops into U.S. cities that had been rumored for some time." Indeed, several state leaders spoke out against the deployment. "The federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers," California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on social media Saturday. "That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions. LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment's notice. We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need." "The Guard has been admirably serving LA throughout recovery," he continued, referring to the devastating wildfires that swept the city early this year. "This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust." Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) posted on social media that he "couldn't agree more." "Using the National Guard this way is a completely inappropriate and misguided mission," Padilla said. "The Trump administration is just sowing more chaos and division in our communities." Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) added, "They yell 'invasion' at the border—but this is the real one: Trump is seizing control of California's National Guard and forcing 2,000 troops into our streets." While the National Guard's mission is currently limited, Vladeck argued that there were three reasons to be "deeply concerned" about the development. First, troops could still respond to real or perceived threats with violence, escalating the situation; second, escalation may be the desired outcome from the Trump administration, and used as a pretext to invoke the Insurrection Act after all; and third, this could depress the morale of both National Guard members and the civilians they engage with while degrading the relationships between federal, local, and state authorities. "There is something deeply pernicious about invoking any of these authorities except in circumstances in which their necessity is a matter of consensus beyond the president's political supporters," Vladeck wrote. "The law may well allow President Trump to do what he did Saturday night. But just because something is legal does not mean that it is wise—for the present or future of our Republic." Leung of the ACLU criticized both the ICE raids and the decision to deploy the Guard. "Workers in our garment districts or day laborers seeking work outside of Home Depot do not undermine public safety," Leung said. "They are our fathers and mothers and neighbors going about their day and making ends meet. Rather, the only threat to safety today is the masked goon squads that the administration has deployed to terrorize the communities of Los Angeles County." He continued: "There is no rational reason to deploy the National Guard on Angelenos, who are rightfully outraged by the federal government's attack on our communities and justly exercising their First Amendment right to protest the violent separation of our families. We intend to file suit and hold this administration accountable and to protect our communities from further attacks." National political leaders also spoke out Sunday morning. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) wrote on social media that it was "important to remember that Trump isn't trying to heal or keep the peace. He is looking to inflame and divide. His movement doesn't believe in democracy or protest—and if they get a chance to end the rule of law they will take it. None of this is on the level." Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) posted that the entire incident was "Trump's authoritarianism in real time." Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth threatened further escalation Saturday night when he tweeted that "if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized—they are on high alert." Newsom responded: "The Secretary of Defense is now threatening to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil against its own citizens. This is deranged behavior." "This is an abuse of power and what dictators do. It's unnecessary and not needed." Hegseth then doubled down on the threat Sunday morning, replying on social media that it was "deranged" to allow "your city to burn and law enforcement to be attacked." "The National Guard, and Marines if need be, stand with ICE," he posted. Journalist Ryan Grim noted that it was an "ominous development" for the secretary of defense to be commenting on immigration policy or local law enforcement at all. Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.) said of Trump and Hegseth's escalations: "This is an abuse of power and what dictators do. It's unnecessary and not needed." Writing on his Truth Social platform early Sunday, Trump praised the National Guard for their work in Los Angeles. Yet local and state leaders pointed out that the Guard had not yet arrived in the city by the time the post was made. As of Sunday morning, the National Guard had arrived in downtown Los Angeles and Paramount, ABC 7reported. In the midst of the uproar over Trump's actions, labor groups continued to decry the ICE raids and call for the release of Huerta. National Nurses United wrote on Friday: "With these raids, the government is sowing intense fear for personal safety among our immigrant and migrant community. Nurses and other union workers oppose this, and are standing up in solidarity with fellow immigrant workers. We refuse to be silent, and people like David Huerta are bravely putting their own bodies on the line to bear witness to what ICE is doing. It's appalling that ICE injured and detained him while he was exercising his First Amendment rights. We demand his immediate release." AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond said in a statement Saturday: The nearly 15 million working people of the AFL-CIO and our affiliated unions demand the immediate release of California Federation of Labor Unions Vice President and SEIU California and SEIU-USWW President David Huerta. As the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda has unnecessarily targeted our hard-working immigrant brothers and sisters, David was exercising his constitutional rights and conducting legal observation of ICE activity in his community. He was doing what he has always done, and what we do in unions: putting solidarity into practice and defending our fellow workers. In response, ICE agents violently arrested him, physically injuring David in the process, and are continuing to detain him—a violation of David's civil liberties and the freedoms this country holds dear. The labor movement stands with David, and we will continue to demand justice for our union brother until he is released. The unrest in Los Angeles may continue as Barragán toldCNN on Sunday she had been informed that ICE would be present in LA for a month. She argued that the National Guard deployment would only inflame the conflict. “We haven't asked for the help. We don't need the help. This is [President Trump] escalating it, causing tensions to rise. It's only going to make things worse in a situation where people are already angry over immigration enforcement." 'They Deserve Safety': Tlaib Leads Letter Urging Rubio to Protect Gaza Freedom Flotilla "We write to urge you to do everything in your power to ensure the safety of the ship and its unarmed, civilian passengers and the success of their peaceful, humanitarian mission to deliver lifesaving aid," the letter says. By Olivia Rosane As the Madleen drew closer to Gaza on its mission to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave, Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib led a letter on Friday calling on the Trump administration to protect the Gaza Freedom Flotilla vessel and its 12 crew members. "We write to urge you to do everything in your power to ensure the safety of the ship and its unarmed, civilian passengers and the success of their peaceful, humanitarian mission to deliver lifesaving aid," Tlaib (D-Mich.) and 10 other progressive lawmakers wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The lawmakers explained that their concern for the Madleen crew-members' safety stemmed "from the Israeli government's history of using lethal military force to prevent similar aid ships from arriving in Gaza." In 2010, for example, Israeli commandos killed nine activists onboard the Mavi Marmara during a raid, including one U.S. citizen. A 10th crew member, who was injured, later died as well. And as recently as May, another flotilla vessel, the Conscience, was attacked by drones off of Malta. Crew members aboard the Madleen issued a distress signal on June 4 as drones circled overhead. Responding to the current voyage, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin told reporters that the "IDF is prepared to operate on all fronts, including in the maritime arena," and said, "We will act accordingly," as The Jerusalem Post reported. "We must be clear: Any attack on the Madleen or its civilian crew is a clear and blatant violation of international law," the U.S. lawmakers wrote. "While the Trump administration and the international community fail to use their immense leverage to end this blockade, the activists on board the Madleen are an example of humanitarianism and solidarity." The ship is carrying necessities including rice, flour, medical supplies, and baby formula to Gaza, which has endured more than 600 days of Israeli bombardment and whose 2 million people face starvation following a two-month total aid blockade imposed by Israel that was only lifted in May after international pressure. However, the amount of aid allowed to enter is still severely curtailed. Several human rights experts and organizations agree that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza with its deadly assault, which has killed at least 61,709 people since October 2023. Crew members on the Madleen include French- Palestinian Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan and Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, whose presence has sparked threats from right-wing figures, including U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who wrote on social media, "Hope Greta and her friends can swim!" Tlaib and the other lawmakers criticized those threats, writing, "This is a serious matter, and we are deeply disturbed by U.S. elected officials making threatening 'jokes' about violence against the civilians onboard." They urged Rubio "to monitor the Madleen's journey and deter any such hostile actions." The legislators concluded the letter by drawing attention to the reason the Madleen set sail in the first place: Above all else, we urge you to address the issue at the root of this voyage: the brutal Israeli blockade and mass starvation of the Palestinian population of Gaza. We demand an immediate end to the blockade, an immediate resumption of unfettered humanitarian aid entry into Gaza, and an immediate and lasting cease-fire. While the Trump administration and the international community fail to use their immense leverage to end this blockade, the activists on board the Madleen are an example of humanitarianism and solidarity. They deserve safety, as does the besieged population of Gaza. In addition to Tlaib, the letter was signed by Reps. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (D-Ill.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Al Green (D-Texas), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) Other political leaders have argued that international attention is the best way to protect the Madleen and its crew. "The activists of the Madleen are risking their own lives to highlight the horrific cruelty of the Israeli government against the Palestinians in Gaza," wrote Irish senator Lynn Ruane. "If those seeking aid are targets, then so too are those seeking to bring that aid, so all eyes must be firmly on the Freedom Flotilla; their lives depend on it." On Saturday, more than 200 members of parliament from Europe signed a letter to Israel urging it to guarantee the safety of all Madleen crew members, allow the ship to enter Gaza freely and safely, allow it to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, and lift its blockade on Gaza entirely. "The world is watching," the European politicians wrote. "This is an opportunity to demonstrate respect for humanitarian law and human rights." As of Saturday, the Madleen had reached the coast of Egypt. "We are now sailing off the Egyptian coast," crew member and German human rights activist Yasemin Acar toldAgence France-Presse. "We are all good." Hassan, meanwhile, called on global governments to "guarantee safe passage for the Freedom Flotilla." 'This Is What Fascism Looks Like': Beloved Labor Leader David Huerta Arrested "This is about something much bigger," said the president of SEIU California, still in detention. "This is about how we as a community stand together and resist the injustice." By Jon Queally Unions and allies in California and across the United States on Saturday are demanding the immediate release of David Huerta, president of SEIU California and SEIU-United Service Workers West, after the highly regarded labor leader was injured and then arrested while witnessing a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Friday. "SEIU California members call for the immediate release of our President, David Huerta, who was injured and detained at the site of one of today's ICE raids in Los Angeles," said Tia Orr, executive director of SEIU California, in a statement. "This isn't just an overreach—it's a nationwide pattern of suppression." —Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) In a later update, the union stated that Huertas—a veteran labor leader whose union represents over 45,000 janitors, airport workers, security guards, and other property service workers—had been released from the hospital, where he received treatment for injuries sustained during his arrest, but that he remained in custody. The union included remarks from Huertas, who said, "We all collectively have to object to this madness because this is not justice. This is injustice." "This is about something much bigger" than his arrest, said Huertas. "This is about how we as a community stand together and resist the injustice." According to a statement released by the Department of Homeland Security, approximately 44 individuals were "administratively arrested" in a series of raids at retail stores in the Los Angeles area. In contrast, one individual, identified as Huertas, was arrested "for obstruction" of federal officers. "This is what fascism looks like," said California State Senator Scott Wiener, a Democrat. "Secret police raids. Injuring protesters. Arresting labor leaders." U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, the chief prosecutor in the Central District of California, claimed in a post on social media that "federal agents were executing a lawful judicial warrant at a LA worksite this morning when David Huerta deliberately obstructed their access by blocking their vehicle. He was arrested for interfering with federal officers and will face arraignment in federal court on Monday." "Let me be clear: I don't care who you are—if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted," said Essayli. "No one has the right to assault, obstruct, or interfere with federal authorities carrying out their duties." A video posted by Essayli alongside his statement appears to show the moment Huertas is pushed over by ICE agents amid a chaotic scene on a sidewalk where officers are clearing an area in front of a gate for an approaching van. Separate footage from a different angle shows Huertas going down backward due to a forceful push by the officers and landing with his neck and head on a hard concrete curb: "Today, SEIU-USWW President, my friend, and constituent David Huerta was thrown to the ground, tased, injured, and arrested for exercising his First Amendment right to observe and document law enforcement activity," said Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), who represents areas of Los Angeles. "This isn't just an overreach—it's a nationwide pattern of suppression. We must stand together." California's Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom also weighed in. "David Huerta is a respected leader, a patriot, and an advocate for working people," said Newsom. "No one should ever be harmed for witnessing government action." Outrage over Huerta's arrest and ongoing detention, both from the labor union movement and immigrant rights groups, continued to spread on Friday and into Saturday. "We refuse to stay silent while ICE terrorizes working-class communities," said the California Federation of Labor Unions (CFLU). "We are turning out and standing united in solidarity with SEIU-California, calling on the release of SEIU President David Huerta!" In a statement, CFLU president Lorena Gonzalez called for "an end to the cruel, destructive, and indiscriminate ICE raids that are tearing apart our communities, disrupting our economies, and hurting all working people. Immigrant workers are essential to our society—feeding our nation, caring for our elders, cleaning our workplaces, and building our homes." In a post on social media, SEIU California said: "Let’s be clear: ICE injured and detained the president of SEIU California for peacefully observing. ICE picked the wrong side. The wrong state. The wrong person. And the wrong union. David Huerta stood up. And 750,000 SEIU workers are standing with him." 'Dangerous Power Grab' as Supreme Court Sides With DOGE on Social Security Data "This action by six far-right justices is an affront to every principle of government transparency and the rule of law." By Jon Queally Defenders of Social Security are responding with critical anger to a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday that side with the Trump administration in a legal battle over access to sensitive data of tens of millions of Americans by the Department of Government Efficiency, the government-eviscerating agency first spearheaded by right-wing libertarian and mega-billionaire Elon Musk. The unsigned emergency order from the court came in response to an emergency application from the Trump administration defending DOGE's ability to have access to Social Security databases that two labor unions, alongside the Alliance for Retired Americans, had file a legal suit to protect. By its ruling, the Supreme Court stayed a lower federal court's ruling that said DOGE must "disgorge" and "delete" any of the data it accessed or downloaded from the agency files. While the underlying case plays out, DOGE is now authorized to retain the data and access to the information, which critics say cannot be entrusted to the newly-created department and unvetted personnel who control it. "This is a sad day for our democracy and a scary day for millions of people," said the coalition behind the challenge in response to the decision. "This ruling will enable President Trump and DOGE's affiliates to steal Americans' private and personal data. Elon Musk may have left Washington, D.C., but his impact continues to harm millions of people. We will continue to use every legal tool at our disposal to keep unelected bureaucrats from misusing the public's most sensitive data as this case moves forward." "If Americans' personal Social Security data is misused or abused by this administration, the Supreme Court's majority will have been fully complicit." While the majority ruling was unsigned, Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Elana Kagan backed what was described as a "blistering" dissent, authored by Jackson, countering the determination and warning against continued access for DOGE while the case makes its way through the lower courts. "On the one hand, there is a repository of millions of Americans' legally protected, highly sensitive information that—if improperly handled or disseminated—risks causing significant harm," she wrote. "On the other, there is the government's desire to ditch the usual protocols for accessing that data, before the courts have even determined whether DOGE's access is lawful." Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, called the majority's ruling "extremely troubling" for a host of reasons. "We echo the concerns of the minority, as articulated by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, that the decision creates 'grave privacy risks' by giving DOGE 'unfettered data access — despite its failure to show any need or any interest in complying with existing privacy safeguards,'" said Richtman. "It is hard to justify the court's action, especially in light of the incompetent, reckless manner in which DOGE has already interfered with the operations of the Social Security Administration, prompting a spike in new Social Security claims by older people who fear the situation will only get worse." Devon Ombres, senior director for Courts and Legal Policy at the center-left Center for American Progress, echoed those concerns. "This action by six far-right justices is an affront to every principle of government transparency and the rule of law. DOGE has shown no need to review every American’s personal information, and the high court provides no explanation in granting it access," said Ombres. "Americans have no way to know how DOGE will use or misuse this information, nor what DOGE is or what it is doing. Shame on the court for rubber-stamping this administration’s lawlessness and further undermining the public’s trust in government, which President Trump has eroded." Citing Musk, who recently left his position at DOGE and has been engaged in a high-profile spat with President Donald Trump in recent days, Richtman said the Tesla and SpaceX founder and world's richest man cannot be trusted, giving the lies he told about Social Security fraud that "undermined people's faith in the system." "This hardly inspires confidence that DOGE has either the sense of ethics or public service to be entrusted with Americans' private data, leading us to believe that the court simply is abetting another dangerous power grab by the Executive branch," said Richtman. "If Americans' personal Social Security data is misused or abused by this administration, the Supreme Court's majority will have been fully complicit." Rubio, Trump Accused of Criminal Obstruction for Sanctioning ICC Judges "Sanctioning ICC judges for doing their work on behalf of justice is a flagrant attack on the rule of law," said one critic. By Brett Wilkins Human rights defenders on Friday accused U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio of criminal obstruction after Rubio announced sanctions targeting four International Criminal Court judges who authorized an investigation into torture allegations against American troops in Afghanistan and arrest warrants for fugitive Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Rubio sanctioned International Criminal Court Judges Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin, and Beti Hohler of Slovenia "pursuant to President Trump's Executive Order 14203." The order was issued in February and sanctioned ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan and accused the Hague-based tribunal of "baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel." "Have Marco Rubio's State Department lawyers read him Article 70 of the Rome Statute on obstruction of justice?" "These four individuals have actively engaged in the ICC's illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel," Rubio added. "The ICC is politicized and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies." Two of the sanctioned judges authorized a probe of U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. The other two green-lighted warrants for the arrest of Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, his former defense minister, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, including weaponized starvation and the murder of Palestinians—at least 54,607 of whom have been killed since Israel began its assault and siege of Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ICC's Assembly of State Parties—the court's governing body—said in a statement Friday that the U.S. sanctions are a "regrettable" effort to "impede the court and its personnel in the exercise of their independent judicial functions. Kenneth Roth, a professor at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and former director of Human Rights Watch, on Friday accused Trump and Rubio of "obstructing justice under Article 70 of the Rome Statute," the treaty establishing and governing the ICC. Christoph Safferling, director of the International Nuremberg Principles Academy—a Germany-based foundation "dedicated to the advancement of international criminal law and related human rights"— said Friday that 80 years after the the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals, "obstructing the ICC is an affront to the commitment to justice and the rule of law." "The court carries forward this legacy and calls for our steadfast support in the fight against impunity," Safferling added. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said Friday that he was "profoundly disturbed" by the U.S. sanctions. "Attacks against judges for performance of their judicial functions, at national or international levels, run directly counter to respect for the rule of law and the equal protection of the law—values for which the U.S. has long stood," Türk added. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union "deeply regrets" the Trump administration's move. Slovenia's Foreign Ministry said that "Slovenia regrets the announced sanctions by the U.S. government against four judges of the International Criminal Court, including a judge from Slovenia," and "rejects pressure on judicial institutions and influence on judicial operations." "Courts must act in the interests of law and justice," the ministry continued. "In the current situation we will support the judge, who is a Slovenian citizen in carrying out her mandate." Due to the inclusion of an E.U. member state on the sanctions list, Slovenia will propose the immediate activation of the blocking act." The E.U.'s blocking statute is meant to protect businesses in the 27-nation bloc from adverse consequences of foreign—particularly U.S.—sanctions. During the first Trump administration, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sanctioned then-ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and Prosecution Jurisdiction Division Director Phakiso Mochochoko for investigating U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. This, even after the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber II announced it would not grant a request by Bensouda to open an investigation into the alleged torture of prisoners held in U.S. military and secret CIA prisons in Afghanistan, Poland, Romania, and Lithuania. In 2021, Khan angered human rights defenders by announcing he was seeking approval to resume an investigation into potential war crimes in Afghanistan committed by the Taliban and the Islamic State—but would exclude alleged crimes perpetrated by U.S. forces. U.S. and Israeli officials often note that neither country is a party to the Rome Statute. However, the court has affirmedr its jurisdiction "in relation to crimes committed on the territory of Palestine, including Gaza," as well as "over crimes committed by Palestinian nationals inside or outside Palestinian territory." Responding to the U.S. sanctions, Amnesty International secretary general Agnès Callamard said Friday that "this is an attack against international justice and the fight against impunity." "Governments who believe in a rule-based order must take all necessary measures to protect the four judges against the impact of the sanctions," she continued. "They must assure the ICC of their full support. They must voice their commitment to the independence and impartiality of the ICC clearly and loudly. They must implement all arrest warrants and support the ICC in all its investigations." "International justice is a battleground. It has been so from the very beginning," Callamard added. "Victims know so all too well. We will keep fighting and resisting all attempts to derail, undermine, destroy the search for justice and the rule of law." In April, the ACLU filed a lawsuit in a Maine federal court on behalf of Matthew Smith, co-founder of the human rights group Fortify Rights, and international lawyer Akila Radhakrishnan arguing that Trump's sanctions against Khan violate their First Amendment rights. JOIN THE MOVEMENT As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. JOIN WITH US TODAY ■ More News Professors Express Outrage Over UMich's Use of Investigators to Surveil Gaza Student Protestors Despite Trump-Musk Feud, CO2 Milestone Is the 'Important News of the Day' The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere peaked above 430 parts per million in 2025—the highest it has been in millions of years—according to data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego on Thursday. The news was overshadowed by the explosive feud between U.S. President Donald Trump and his erstwhile backer Elon Musk, but climate activist Bill McKibben argued that it was ultimately more consequential. "In the long run, this is actually going to be the important news of the day—CO2 in the atmosphere passes another grim milestone," McKibben wrote on social media. Carbon dioxide has been accumulating in the atmosphere due primarily to the human burning of fossil fuels, as well as by the clearing of forests and other natural carbon sinks. There, it acts as a greenhouse gas, trapping heat from the Earth, and is the primary gas responsible for the rise of global temperatures by approximately 1.1°C from the 1850 -1900 average. This warming has already had a host of dramatic impacts, from extreme weather events to sea-level rise to polar ice melt, and scientists warn these impacts will only accelerate under current energy policies, which put the world on track for around 3°C of warming by 2100. The last time that atmospheric CO2 concentrations topped 430 ppm was most likely more than 30 million years ago, Ralph Keeling, who directs the Scripps CO2 Program, toldNBC News. "It's changing so fast," he said. "If humans had evolved in such a high-CO2 world, there would probably be places where we wouldn't be living now. We probably could have adapted to such a world, but we built our society and a civilization around yesterday's climate." "While largely symbolic, passing 430 ppm should be a wake-up call." Scripps and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration both measure carbon dioxide levels from NOAA's Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, where Charles Keeling began taking measurements in 1958. As CO2 levels rise over time, they also follow a seasonal cycle—peaking in May before falling in the Northern Hemisphere summer and rising again in the fall. This May, Scripps Oceanography calculated an average of 430.2 ppm for 2025, which is 3.5 ppm over the average for May 2024. NOAA's Global Monitoring Laboratory, meanwhile, calculated a monthly average of 430.5 ppm, a 3.6 ppm jump from the year before and the second-steepest yearly climb since 1958. "Another year, another record," Keeling said in a statement. "It's sad." The news comes two months after Mauna Loa daily measurements surpassed 430 ppm for the first time in March, which Plymouth Marine Laboratory professor Helen Findlay called "extremely disappointing and worrying." "While largely symbolic, passing 430 ppm should be a wake-up call, especially given the accelerated response we are seeing of glaciers and ice sheets to current warming," Dr. James Kirkham, chief scientist of the Ambition on Melting Ice coalition of governments, said at the time. "This upward trajectory is a direct result of continued fossil fuel use, likely exacerbated by emissions from extreme wildfires last year, methane leaks from fossil fuel extraction and possibly greater permafrost emissions, alongside decreased ability of very warm oceans to absorb CO2," Kirkham said. The monthly record also comes a little more than a week after a United Nations report warned that there was a small chance global temperatures could surpass 2°C in at least 1 of the next 5 years, only a decade after world leaders pledged in the Paris agreement to keep global temperatures "well-below" that level. "Carbon emissions are still rising, and the atmosphere is going to keep heating further until greenhouse gas concentrations stabilize," Matt Kean, who chairs Australia's Climate Change Authority, wrote in response to the Scripps and NOAA figures. "What sort of climate do we want to leave our children and those who come after them?" After Trump Deportation Attempt, Migrants and ICE Agents Stranded in Shipping Container in Djibouti The Trump administration could have sent eight migrants with deportation orders and the immigration agents who were escorting them to a facility in the U.S. after a federal judge recently barred officials from deporting them to war-torn South Sudan, where they could face persecution or torture. Instead the administration sent them to U.S. Naval Base Camp Lemonnier in the East African country of Djibouti, where a court filing on Thursday said they face illness, the threat of rocket fire from nearby Yemen, temperatures that soar past 100°F daily, and rancid smoke from nearby burn pits where human waste and trash are incinerated. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, blamed U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy for "stranding" the 13 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and eight detainees at the naval base, where they have been housed since late May in a metal shipping container converted into a conference room with just six bunk beds. The administration has frequently attacked judges for issuing rulings that have interfered with President Donald Trump's ability to carry out his anti-immigration agenda. But Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, pointed to court transcripts that showed the Trump administration had requested the migrants and agents be sent to Camp Lemonnier. "No one asked them to do and no court order forces them to do it," said Reichlin-Melnick Thursday. In a court transcript, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign told Murphy that "bringing them back would be a much broader remedy than necessary" and suggested the detainees could have a "reasonable fear interview where they are" in Djibouti to determine if they had a credible fear of persecution or torture if they were deported. Murphy had instructed officials to arrange reasonable fear interviews when he ruled in May that they could not be sent to South Sudan. "The judge did NOT require that anyone be 'stranded' anywhere," said Reichlin-Melnick. "In fact, it was the Trump administration that asked the judge for permission to hold the men in Djibouti! ICE could literally bring the men to any other U.S. base (or back to the U.S.) at any time!" Murphy's ruling in May interrupted a deportation flight carrying the migrants—who have been convicted of crimes and are from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, South Sudan, and Vietnam—to South Sudan. The judge said the flight violated his previous order from April 18, which prohibited the administration from sending immigrants to third countries without providing them a chance to request humanitarian protections. That ruling was underpinned by the Convention Against Torture, which bars governments from deporting people to countries where they could be face torture. "The judge gave the government a choice as to how to remedy the government's violation of the court's order—either return them and comply with the order in the United States or comply with the order overseas," Trina Realmuto, a lawyer for the immigrants, toldThe Intercept. "The government opted to comply overseas after telling the court that they had the ability to do so. This is a situation the government both created and can remedy if it so chooses." The court filing on Thursday by Mellissa Harper of the Office of Refugee Resettlement described how within 72 hours of arriving at the makeshift detention facility in Djibouti, the agents and migrants began to suffer from symptoms for bacterial respiratory infections, including "coughing, difficulty breathing, fever, and achy joints." The filing explained that they are unable to get tested to determine what the illness is, and there is only a small supply of inhalers, Tylenol, eye drops, and nasal spray to treat the symptoms. Based on what was described, Politico's Kyle Cheney asked: "Why is the Trump administration forcing them to stay there?" "ICE's claims of difficulties here are ENTIRELY self-inflicted," said Reichlin-Melnick. "THEY asked the judge for permission to hold the men in Djibouti. The plaintiffs wanted the men brought back here. I have sympathy for the low-level officers stuck there, but it's ALL their bosses' fault." The administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay Murphy's order requiring screenings for the migrants, claiming that ruling violated officials' authority to deport immigrants to third countries if their home countries won't take them back. But in the case of at least one of the migrants, Jesus Munoz Gutierrez, the government of his home country of Mexico was not informed that he had been sent to Djibouti. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum suggested last month that Gutierrez could be repatriated if U.S. followed protocols to send him back to Mexico. Setareh Ghandehari, advocacy director for Detention Watch Network, toldNewsweek that the administration's insistence on detaining the migrants in a shipping container at Camp Lemonniere is "the latest move in Trump's shocking expansion of third country deportations." "By expelling people out of sight and out of mind to remote prisons and war-torn, unstable countries," said Ghandehari, "the Trump regime is attempting to normalize the offshoring of immigration detention and third country deportations as a new and expanded model of incarceration and deportation." Ghandehari added that "the use of shipping containers to detain people is heinous and enraging—and coupled with the extreme heat, disease, and threats of rocket attacks in Djibouti, can be deadly." 70+ Legal Experts Accuse Pam Bondi of 'Serious Professional Misconduct' Over 70 legal experts and a trio of organizations have sent the Florida Bar an ethics complaint calling for an investigation and "appropriate sanctions" against U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, accusing her of engaging in "serious professional misconduct that threatens the rule of law and the administration of justice." The 23-page complaint, filed Thursday, is signed by Democracy Defenders Fund, Lawyers Defending American Democracy, Lawyers for the Rule of Law, and individual attorneys, law professors, and former judges. It was first reported by the Miami Herald. "We file this complaint recognizing that Ms. Bondi currently serves as the attorney general of the United States, the highest-ranking lawyer in the United States government," the coalition wrote. "Indeed, we bring Ms. Bondi's misconduct to your attention precisely because Ms. Bondi holds this exalted position, with the attendant responsibilities for subordinate lawyers under her authority who carry out her directives, and because the complaint highlights for the entire legal profession the importance of ethical rules to our independent, self-regulating profession." "Ms. Bondi, personally and through her senior management, has sought to compel Department of Justice lawyers to violate their ethical obligations under the guise of 'zealous advocacy.'" After former Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration to lead the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) last November, then-President-elect Donald Trump swiftly announced Bondi as his new pick. Senate Republicans and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) confirmed her in February, despite various concerns, including her lobbyist work for corporate giants. On Bondi's first day, she moved to dissolve teams that probed foreign lobbying and threats posed by corporate misconduct, revive enforcement of the federal death penalty, investigate DOJ officials who prosecuted Trump, defund sanctuary cities, and end diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and programs. She also issued a memorandum highlighted in the new complaint. "The gravamen of this complaint is that Ms. Bondi, personally and through her senior management, has sought to compel Department of Justice lawyers to violate their ethical obligations under the guise of 'zealous advocacy' as announced in her memorandum to all Department employees, issued on her first day in office, threatening employees with discipline and possible termination for falling short," the filing states. The complaint details "three glaring examples of department lawyers being terminated or forced to resign as a result of demands that they act unethically issued by Ms. Bondi or a member of her senior management, including Emil Bove, initially the acting deputy attorney general (the No. 2 position in the department) and now the principal associate deputy attorney general (the No. 3 position); Todd Blanche, the current deputy attorney general; and Edward Martin, then interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and now chief of the Justice Department's 'Weaponization Working Group' and the department's pardon attorney." "Through her 'zealous advocacy' memorandum and its application in these three cases, Ms. Bondi has sent a message to all Justice Department lawyers that they must disregard the applicable rules of professional conduct, fundamental ethical principles, and long-standing norms of the Department in order to zealously pursue the president's political objectives—and, if they fail to do so, they will be disciplined or fired," the filing adds. "However, as Ms. Bondi and her senior staff are fond of saying, no one is above the law, and this includes Ms. Bondi." The Florida Bar confirmed receipt of the complaint to the Miami Herald but did not comment further. The coalition noted that "we file this complaint notwithstanding the Florida Bar's recent reply to two previous ethics complaints filed against Ms. Bondi that it 'does not investigate or prosecute sitting officers appointed under the U.S. Constitution while they are in office.'" "The purported rationale for declining to investigate or prosecute is that such action 'could encroach on the authority of the federal government concerning these officials and the exercise of their duties,'" the coalition continued. "The Florida Bar's dismissal is unsupported by history or precedent." Chad Mizelle, DOJ chief of staff, suggested in a statement to the Miami Herald that the new call for a probe of Bondi will be unsuccessful, like the previous submissions. "The Florida Bar has twice rejected performative attempts by these out-of-state lawyers to weaponize the bar complaint process against AG Bondi," said Mizelle. "This third vexatious attempt will fail to do anything other than prove that the signatories have less intelligence—and independent thoughts—than sheep." Meanwhile, Norm Eisen, executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund, said in a statement that "since her first day on the job, Pam Bondi has made clear that she plans to use the Department of Justice for political pursuits, and she has done just that." "Especially as the nation’s highest ranking legal officer," Eisen added, "she must be held to account for her actions that threaten the rule of law and the administration of justice." VIEW ALL NEWS ■ Opinion How Should We Respond to Trump’s National Guard Deployment Against the People of LA? We cannot be silent in the face of Trump’s dictatorial move. Silence is acquiescence. We must be brave in resisting him. But we must not succumb to violence. By Robert Reich The Next 48-140 Hours Are Critical for the Movement to End the Gaza Genocide Within days, the Gaza Flotilla Sailboat with 12 onboard will reach the “Danger Zone.” How will the world respond? By Ann Wright Trump Is Dragging America Back to Pre-Civil Rights Norms Permission to dehumanize comes from the top down. This is what the Trump era continues to teach us, as well as how politically convenient it is. By Robert C. Koehler Universalism, Not Abundance, Is the Only Real Defense Against Authoritarianism Universalism is the only governing strategy strong enough to rebuild what Trumpism has corroded—not as a slogan, but as a material commitment. By Matt Watkins VIEW ALL OPINION Call 207.775.0488 to donate by phone or mail a check to: Common Dreams · PO Box 443 · Portland, ME 04112-0443 · USA Common Dreams is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Your contribution is tax-deductible. EIN: 20-3368194