During a protest in downtown Los Angeles, 9 News Australia correspondent Lauren Tomasi was struck in the leg by a rubber bullet fired by a law enforcement officer. The incident, captured on video, occurred as police dispersed protesters using rubber bullets. While Tomasi sustained an injury, she and her camera operator are safe and will continue reporting. The LAPD stated they were unaware of the video at the time of inquiry.
In response to ongoing protests in Los Angeles and escalating threats against federal personnel and buildings, President Trump deployed approximately 700 active-duty Marines from Camp Pendleton to supplement the National Guard. This action, taken without the consent of California Governor Newsom, represents a significant escalation of the federal response to the demonstrations. Newsom condemned the deployment, alleging a manufactured crisis and vowing legal action against the president. The deployment follows days of protests sparked by law enforcement actions against immigration demonstrators.
The Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting will consider resolutions advocating for legal bans on pornography and same-sex marriage, reflecting biblically-based views on gender, marriage, and family. Further resolutions call for restrictions on sports betting and policies promoting childbearing. Internal debates include a potential ban on churches with women pastors and calls to defund the denomination’s public policy arm due to its stance on abortion. These discussions occur against a backdrop of the convention’s conservative shift and increasing alignment with a Christian nationalist agenda within the political landscape.
Following his arrest and injury during an ICE raid while serving as a community observer, labor leader David Huerta faced charges of impeding an officer. His arrest sparked widespread protests and demands for his release from major US labor unions, including the AFL-CIO and SEIU. These unions condemned the ICE raids and the alleged use of excessive force, framing Huerta’s case as a broader fight against injustice targeting immigrant communities and workers’ rights. The demonstrations, held across numerous US cities, also called for an end to the deployment of the National Guard to quell protests.
The Pentagon’s decision to deploy 700 Marines to Los Angeles is raising serious concerns about the blurring lines between military and civilian law enforcement. The sheer scale of the deployment, particularly in relation to the reported number of protestors, is prompting questions about the necessity and proportionality of such a response. Many are pointing out that this action seems excessive, especially considering the available resources of the National Guard.
This deployment immediately brings to mind the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts the use of the military for domestic law enforcement purposes. The act, while amended in 2022 to include Marines and Navy personnel, still places significant limitations on military involvement in civilian affairs.… Continue reading
Escalating tensions between California and the Trump administration have led to a potential conflict over tax funding. California Governor Newsom threatened to withhold the state’s substantial tax contributions to the federal government—approximately $83 billion more than it receives in return—in response to potential federal funding cuts to the state’s university system. Treasury Secretary Bessent countered, accusing Newsom of threatening criminal tax evasion and suggesting California adopt Trump-era tax cuts. This “donor state” dynamic highlights the significant financial disparity between states’ tax contributions and federal funding received.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging the federalization of 2,000 California National Guard members was unlawful and an overreach of presidential authority. Bonta argues the deployment was unnecessary, as protests had subsided before the action, and that it diverted crucial resources from wildfire preparedness. The suit seeks a court order to halt the deployment, claiming the president abused his power for political gain and infringed upon the governor’s authority. The White House countered that the deployment was necessary to quell unrest, while Governor Newsom accused Trump of manufacturing a crisis for political purposes.
President Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles, overriding Governor Newsom’s objections, in response to anti-ICE protests. This action, condemned by both Newsom and Mayor Bass as inflammatory and escalatory, saw troops stationed near a federal complex where undocumented immigrants were being detained by masked federal agents. The deployment, the first of its kind in decades without gubernatorial consent, followed several days of controversial ICE raids resulting in injuries and arrests of protesters, including a union leader. The situation is characterized by accusations of excessive force, illegal detentions, and the deliberate provocation of unrest.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov asserted that the Ukraine conflict necessitates NATO’s withdrawal from the Baltics for resolution, marking a shift in the Kremlin’s stance. He contends NATO’s eastward expansion is a fundamental cause of the war, echoing previous Kremlin demands for a halt to Ukraine’s NATO aspirations. Ryabkov’s statement suggests a condition for de-escalation, impacting ongoing negotiations and the future of the conflict. The Kremlin’s position underscores the complex geopolitical dynamics influencing the war’s trajectory.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the dismissal of all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), citing a need to restore public confidence in vaccine science. This action, criticized as potentially undermining vaccination efforts, follows Kennedy’s previous decisions to halt COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for certain groups and cancel pandemic vaccine research programs. While Kennedy claims the ACIP was plagued by conflicts of interest, no such issues have been publicly documented. The ACIP will still convene its scheduled meeting, though the long-term implications of this restructuring remain to be seen.
John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood