California trial sheds light on sweeping theory behind Trump’s military deployments

California trial sheds light on sweeping theory behind Trump’s military deployments

Democracy Docket reports: The broad legal theory behind President Donald Trump’s use of the military in civilian law enforcement took center stage Tuesday during day two of a trial over the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles earlier this year. The three-day, non-jury trial before San Francisco-based federal Judge Charles Breyer concerns California’s claim that Trump’s use of troops in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which generally prohibits using the military in…

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How the military became yet another instrument of Trump’s power

How the military became yet another instrument of Trump’s power

Steven Simon and Jonathan Stevenson write: By ordering 800 National Guard troops to Washington, on the pretext of an illusory crime wave, President Trump has further dragged the U.S. military into domestic law enforcement, in a move credibly perceived as an ominous “test case.” This continues what the administration started in California in June as part of the its deportation efforts. Unfortunately, though we (and others) had hoped that the military would only respond to calls to action in American…

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Trump’s D.C. crackdown is a show of weakness, not power

Trump’s D.C. crackdown is a show of weakness, not power

Today’s Daily Cartoon, by Guy Richards Smit. #NewYorkerCartoons Get more cartoons and other funny stuff in your inbox: https://t.co/Vsmr3SrI6z pic.twitter.com/znno7AngmB — The New Yorker (@NewYorker) August 13, 2025 Quinta Jurecic writes: In the summer of 2020, as demonstrators gathered in Washington, D.C., to protest against the murder of George Floyd, President Donald Trump directed the National Guard and officers from various federal law-enforcement agencies to patrol the streets of the nation’s capital. The results were a disaster from the perspective…

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Russia is suspected to be behind hacking of federal court filing system

Russia is suspected to be behind hacking of federal court filing system

The New York Times reports: Investigators have uncovered evidence that Russia is at least partly responsible for a recent hack of the computer system that manages federal court documents, including highly sensitive records with information that could reveal sources and people charged with national security crimes, according to several people briefed on the breach. It is not clear what entity is responsible, whether an arm of Russian intelligence might be behind the intrusion or if other countries were also involved,…

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Epstein files: A federal judge’s ruling points toward Trump team cover-up

Epstein files: A federal judge’s ruling points toward Trump team cover-up

CNN reports: For weeks, the Trump administration has made a series of rather curious moves related to the Jeffrey Epstein files. It has gone back on its promises of extensive disclosure. It has misled about the situation. It has strained to avoid acknowledging President Donald Trump’s ties to Epstein. It has treated Ghislaine Maxwell suspiciously well in still-unexplained ways. And it has taken actions geared toward supposed transparency that didn’t appear all that transparent. The whole thing has several of…

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Reps. Massie and Khanna will bring Epstein victims to Capitol to push for files release

Reps. Massie and Khanna will bring Epstein victims to Capitol to push for files release

The Daily Beast reports: A rebel Republican congressman has invited multiple victims of Jeffrey Epstein to a press conference at the U.S. Capitol as part of a bipartisan push to force the release of legal files linked to the late pedophile. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a thorn in Donald Trump’s side for his frequent objections to the president’s spending bills and foreign policies, said that he and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna will be co-hosting the Sept. 3 conference. The…

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Trump calls on Goldman to replace economist who has warned tariffs will cause inflation

Trump calls on Goldman to replace economist who has warned tariffs will cause inflation

The Wall Street Journal reports: President Trump on Tuesday appeared to call for Goldman Sachs Chief Executive David Solomon to replace the bank’s top economist over his past predictions, in his latest broadside against executives he believes are undermining his goals. Trump said on his Truth Social social-media platform that Solomon should “go out and get himself a new Economist” because the bank made a “bad prediction a long time ago” on the market and tariffs. The president asserted that…

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After crushing dissent, American universities are deepening their ties with Israeli academia

After crushing dissent, American universities are deepening their ties with Israeli academia

+972 reports: At the end of July, Harvard signaled its willingness to spend as much as half a billion dollars to settle accusations of antisemitism brought by the Trump administration. While the scandal — and the staggering sum — has drawn widespread attention, a previous concession slipped under the radar: in a failed bid to placate the administration earlier this year, Harvard agreed to establish a formal partnership with an Israeli university. On July 28, Harvard announced two new initiatives…

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Trump regime asserts power to rewrite history at Smithsonian

Trump regime asserts power to rewrite history at Smithsonian

The Guardian reports: The Trump administration is evidently extending its control of cultural representation at the Smithsonian, the world’s largest museum and research complex. In a letter obtained by the Wall Street Journal, the White House told the Smithsonian that it plans a wide review of exhibitions, materials and operations ahead of the US’s 250th anniversary celebrations in 2026. The letter to Lonnie Bunch, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, from Trump administration officials said the White House wants the…

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Zuckerberg ‘occupation’ trashes Palo Alto neighborhood

Zuckerberg ‘occupation’ trashes Palo Alto neighborhood

The New York Times reports: For decades, the Crescent Park neighborhood of Palo Alto represented the dream of California living. Doctors, lawyers, business executives and Stanford University professors lived in charming homes under oak, redwood and magnolia trees. The houses, an eclectic mix including Craftsman homes and bungalows, were filled with families who became fast friends. The annual block parties heaved with people. Daily life was tranquil, and the soundtrack was one of children laughing as they rode their bicycles…

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As crime rates fall, Trump’s DC takeover is yet another distraction from Epstein

As crime rates fall, Trump’s DC takeover is yet another distraction from Epstein

Axios reports: President Trump temporarily placed Washington, D.C., police under federal control on Monday and implied that he would intervene in other cities despite crime rates falling. Why it matters: Trump’s D.C. takeover is a major escalation of federal control not frequently seen in America, and further illustrates his willingness to target Democratic-led cities while testing the limits of presidential authority. While announcing the D.C. crackdown, Trump also named Los Angeles, Baltimore, Oakland, New York and Chicago as cities that are “bad, very bad,” without offering specific…

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Trial to start on whether deployment of National Guard to LA violated federal law

Trial to start on whether deployment of National Guard to LA violated federal law

The Associated Press reports: A federal judge will hear arguments on whether the Trump administration violated federal law when it deployed National Guard soldiers and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles following June protests over immigration raids. President Donald Trump’s administration federalized California National Guard members and sent them to the second-largest U.S. city over the objections of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and city leaders, after protests erupted June 7 when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested people at multiple locations….

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Essential workers forced to go into hiding as crops rot and farmers face bankruptcy

Essential workers forced to go into hiding as crops rot and farmers face bankruptcy

  Crops are rotting. Families have vanished. Behind closed doors, a hidden crisis is unfolding across the farms of the West. Fear of immigration raids has driven farmworkers indoors, with their kids stuck inside all summer and their livelihoods on hold. CNN’s David Culver goes inside homes few outsiders ever see and reveals how immigration enforcement is reshaping the fields and the families who keep them running.

‘If these words reach you … Israel has succeeded in killing me’ — the last words of Gaza journalist Anas al-Sharif

‘If these words reach you … Israel has succeeded in killing me’ — the last words of Gaza journalist Anas al-Sharif

Before his assassination by Israel, Anas al-Sharif wrote: This is my will and my final message. If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice. First, peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings. Allah knows I gave every effort and all my strength to be a support and a voice for my people, ever since I opened my eyes to life in the alleys and streets of the Jabaliya refugee…

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