Attention to the Unseen

Rebecca Solnit writes: I think maybe it’s begun, the bigger fiercer backlash against the Trump Administration which is itself a violent backlash against every good thing that’s happened over the past several decades – the advance of rights for nature, women, children, indigenous peoples, BIPOC and immigrants/refugees, queer people, trans people, people with disabilities, workers, the right of us all to be free from being poisoned by food, water, air. It’s begun in Los Angeles, the city of angels, a…

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The Guardian reports: The Trump administration’s deployment of national guard troops to Los Angeles to intervene in civilian protests in the face of opposition from the Californian governor is a major escalation that risks the politicisation of the US military, armed service veterans are warning. Former top military figures have told the Guardian that the decision to put up to 2,000 troops under federal control and send them into the streets of LA is a violation of the military’s commitment…

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NBC News reports: California Gov. Gavin Newsom pushed back against threats of arrest by Trump administration officials, remaining defiant as he oversees clashes between law enforcement agents and protesters in response to immigration raids across Los Angeles while also managing an ongoing power struggle with the federal government. Trump’s “border czar,” Tom Homan, warned Saturday that immigration operations and the presence of federal personnel would continue in the city despite criticism from Democratic leaders who’ve warned it could further escalate…

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Robert Reich writes: Trump wants to escalate tensions. He wants a replay of the violence that occurred in the wake of the George Floyd murder — riots, mayhem, and destruction that allow him to escalate his police state further — imposing curfews, closing down parts of Los Angeles, perhaps seeking to subdue the entire state. And beyond. Please do not give him this. Don’t fall into his trap. We cannot be silent in the face of Trump’s dictatorial move. Silence…

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David Frum writes: If Trump can incite disturbances in blue states before the midterm elections, he can assert emergency powers to impose federal control over the voting process, which is to say his control. Or he might suspend voting until, in his opinion, order has been restored. Either way, blue-state seats could be rendered vacant for some time. Precedents do exist for such action. In autumn 1871, President Ulysses S. Grant imposed martial law on counties in South Carolina to…

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Anita Chabria writes: To say he is a beloved and respected leader in both the union and California in general is an understatement. You can still find his bio on the White House website, since he was honored as a “Champion of Change,” by President Obama. Within hours of his arrest, political leaders across the state were voicing support. “David Huerta is a respected leader, a patriot, and an advocate for working people. No one should ever be harmed for…

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Harold Meyerson writes: Let’s be clear about who, exactly, the agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been arresting in and around Los Angeles. On Friday, they raided downtown L.A.’s fashion district, where seamstresses and retail clerks, some of them undocumented immigrants, are clustered. On Saturday, they made arrests outside a Home Depot in Paramount, a working-class L.A. suburb where day laborers, some of them undocumented immigrants, assemble daily to get work on small-scale construction projects. The microscopically thin…

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The Washington Post reports: Cabinet officials and senior staffers across the Trump administration are reclaiming power from Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service, a trend that began long before the billionaire’s relationship with President Donald Trump exploded in public acrimony days after Musk formally left his White House post. As Musk departed, some of his top lieutenants were streaming out of government. Among those heading for the exits even before Musk and Trump began feuding, according to a White House official…

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Politico reports: California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday denounced President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy thousands of National Guard troops to quell pro-immigrant demonstrators in the Los Angeles area, calling the action “purposefully inflammatory.” The Democrat’s remarks came after Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, told Fox News that the administration planned to send National Guard troops to the area. The White House said Trump signed a presidential memorandum deploying 2,000 troops “to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to…

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Axios reports: Protestors are taking to the streets and community hubs nationwide on June 14 in what organizers expect will be the largest single-day anti-President Trump rally since the start of the administration. Why it matters: The widespread movement will run counter to Trump’s multimillion dollar military parade in D.C. “No Kings is a nationwide day of defiance,” organizers wrote. “From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism.” More than 100 pro-democracy advocacy groups are partnering to organize…

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