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Politico
5 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Trouble for Trump's deportation machine
Presented by SPEED BUMP — President Donald Trump was plowing through California's resistance to his immigration agenda, ramping up raids, deploying National Guard troops and beating back Gov. Gavin Newsom's attempts to stop him in the courts. Suddenly, he has a problem. Clogged in court: On Friday, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration's 'roving' immigration arrests — ruling they relied on improper factors such as race. That came a day after another federal judge ruled that Los Angeles police couldn't fire less-lethal rounds at journalists covering immigration protests. RELATED: 'Trump administration allegedly deported previously separated families despite court order,' by the San Diego Union-Tribune's Alex Riggins Popularity deficit: Then there's the souring public opinion — a warning sign for Republicans regardless of what higher courts ultimately do. A newly released Gallup poll found voters have drastically swung toward record-high levels of support for immigration, and disapproval of Trump's immigration approach outweighs approval by 27 percentage points, POLITICO's Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing reports. Fatal incident: The survey was conducted in June, before a farmworker died while fleeing immigration agents at a licensed cannabis nursery in California. Jaime Alanis, who fell from the top of a greenhouse, was the first known person to die during one of the Trump administration's immigration raids, according to the AP. His death came during one of two raids in the state Thursday that yielded more than 300 arrests and drew heated protests, but Alanis wasn't a target, authorities said. The big picture: Immigration has traditionally been a major point of strength for Trump. If the court decision blocking 'roving' arrests stands, it could make it harder to hit his administration's arrest quotas. And as resonant as the issue has become nationally, if public support for his immigration agenda fades, it could hamper battleground Republicans not just in California, but across the map. But, but, but … The Trump administration on Sunday appealed the ruling blocking its enforcement tactics. Border czar Tom Homan that morning on CNN's 'State of The Union' denied that immigration arrests are being made based on people's physical appearance alone and said he doesn't 'think any federal judge can dictate immigration policy.' He acknowledged documented people were sometimes being detained, but blamed so-called sanctuary policies for forcing the administration to arrest people in their communities and at their worksites. 'We do have collateral arrests in many areas because we're out looking for those public safety threats,' Homan said. 'But legal aliens and U.S. citizens should not be afraid they're going to be swept up in a raid.' RELATED: 'Trump Border Czar Tom Homan: 'There Will Be No Amnesty,' from POLITICO's Dasha Burns Carbajal in the crosshairs: After Democratic Rep. Salud Carbajal went to a protest of one of the raids, in Carpinteria, and was shown on video being denied entry to the cannabis farm where it was taking place, the X account belonging to Immigration and Customs Enforcement accused him of being 'part of a violent mob of protestors attempting to obstruct federal law enforcement,' and of doxing an ICE employee. Carbajal shot back, saying the 'claims of 'doxxing' and 'violent mobs' are familiar deflection tactics designed to distort public perception and to evade accountability for their aggressive actions in our community.' Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the administration was reviewing reports of the incident and threatened to 'pursue every appropriate legal avenue to protect our law enforcement officers.' Resistance on repeat: Democrats continue to hit the administration with data showing large shares of people being arrested in some actions have no criminal history, and with Homan's statement that physical appearance can be a factor — if not the sole one — federal agents use in choosing when to detain someone. 'If I was outside of Home Depot because I like to do some work around the house, not dressed in a suit, could I be a target of ice enforcement under Tom Homan?' Sen. Alex Padilla said on 'State of the Union.' 'Probably. And it's just wrong.' Padilla said he has been in touch with United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero over the raids and Alanis' death. Local officials in Southern California, meanwhile, have offered a mix of warnings and policy. Perris Mayor Michael Vargas warned constituents to 'stay home and do not open the door to strangers,' per the LA Times' Karen Garcia, while LA Mayor Karen Bass announced her city would provide cash payments to Angelenos affected by the raids, the Times' Noah Goldberg reported. Up next: CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said Glass House Farms, the target of the Thursday raids, is under investigation for child labor law violations that he didn't specify. He said 10 teenagers were found during the enforcement action, the youngest of whom was 14 — legal age for California teens to work in agriculture. Glass House denied wrongdoing. GOOD MORNING. Happy Monday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. Like what you're reading? Sign up to get California Playbook in your inbox, and forward it to a friend. You can also text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as 'CA Playbook' in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@ and bjones@ or on X — @DustinGardiner and @jonesblakej. WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. TRAVEL LOG JD DOES DISNEY — Vice President JD Vance is spending a lot of time in California for a state Republicans love to hate. Earlier this month it was a dinner fundraiser for the conservative Claremont Institute. Over the weekend, it was Disneyland. Democrats didn't miss the chance to taunt him for it. 'Hope you enjoy your family time, @JDVance. The families you're tearing apart certainly won't,' Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X. His press office chimed in: 'Tired: trashing California for political purposes … Wired: visiting & vacationing in California more than your home state this year.' Jane Kleeb, the Nebraska Democratic Party chair, was at Disneyland at the same time and posted video of Vance walking by … 'VP Vance is at Disneyland. I'm also here with my family,' Kleeb, president of the Association of State Democratic Committees, wrote on X. 'When I had a brief moment, I made it clear--we support immigrants, we support America. I asked the obvious question, 'I thought you hate California?' Since we've all seen and heard the hatred coming from Vance and Trump for California and Disney…' TMZ and MickeyVisit were all over the nuts and bolts of the vacation (Usha Vance, the second lady, grew up in the suburbs of San Diego), with video from, among other places, Tom Sawyer Island and Tiana's Bayou Adventure. The visit drew small crowds of protesters. The Orange County Register reported 'around 100 to 150 demonstrators gathered on Harbor Boulevard near the Disneyland entrance on Friday evening, and a crowd of protesters formed again on Saturday.' CASH DASH KIM DIGS IN — Battleground Rep. Young Kim raised over $2 million in the second quarter of 2025 and closed the quarter with nearly $4 million on hand. Her Democratic challenger Esther Kim Varet raised far less, over $600,000, over the same span. SILICON VALLEY SEEKING SHELTER — San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is touting the results of his city's homeless point-in-time count as proof that his push to fund shelter over housing is working, even as the city's homeless population increases. Data from the count, which Mahan's office shared with Playbook, shows San Jose grew its population of those who are sheltered, meaning they don't have their own houses but aren't living on the street. More than 2,500 of the city's 6,503 homeless residents are sheltered, an uptick of more than 37 percent over the 2023 count and nearly 160 percent over the 2019 count. That said, there's one big, not-so-rosy data point … San Jose's total homeless population increased by nearly 4 percent from 2023 to 2025, and more than 60 percent of the city's unhoused people remain unsheltered. Mahan argues the steady growth of San Jose's sheltered population is a 'proof point' for building more shelters that favor individual spaces for residents over large rooms that everyone shares. Asked whether it's acceptable for cities to have homeless residents, as long as they're inside, Mahan said it's 'more humane.' 'We can't end sheltered homelessness until we fix the broader housing market and get private investment to flow in alongside public investment to build the housing supply we need, and we must solve that,' Mahan said. 'That is a different problem, in many ways, from ending unsheltered homelessness,' he added. 'Which we could do inside of a decade if the state and counties and cities focused on it in the way that San Jose is.' — Lindsey Holden EDUCATION BUDGET ANGST — California's marquee public universities looked like clear-cut winners in the state's recent budget deal. But nerves are fraying as higher education leaders wait to see if leading Democrats will be good for their word, our Eric He reports. A total of $275 million previously pledged to the systems under prior agreements has been deferred to next year, and university leaders and advocates are openly questioning whether the money will ever come. 'Deferred funding is never a guarantee,' Meredith Turner, UC's senior vice president of external relations and communications, wrote on social media after the budget deal was announced. Turner added that the 'real test will come next year—when we'll look for them to make good on the promise to backfill what's been deferred.' CLIMATE AND ENERGY CALAMITY ON THE COLORADO — The West's most important river has shriveled over the past quarter century — and its leading climate scientist says things could get a lot worse. Read Friday's California Climate for why Brad Udall is worried about the situation along the Colorado River and federal cuts to science funding under Trump. Top Talkers CUP COUNSEL — Alan Rothenberg, an attorney at the center of the U.S.' breakthrough on soccer who helped organize the 1984 Olympics in LA, has some advice for Trump as the U.S. prepares to host its first World Cup. Our Sophia Cai talked with him about the effect Trump's travel restrictions might have, the differences between hosting the tournament and the Olympics and how Andrew Giuliani — the person running the FIFA World Cup 2026 Task Force — might support host cities. Read excerpts from their conversation here. NO SILVER BULLET — 'Democrats are banking on backlash to Republicans' Medicaid cuts to boost them in next year's midterms. There's just one problem: The cuts haven't happened yet,' our colleagues Nicholas Wu, Lisa Kashinsky and Madison Fernandez write. Republicans' megabill delayed work requirements until 2027 and financing changes until 2028, and it front-loaded tax breaks that voters are likely to see sooner. 'If we say 'they took it from you,' but it hasn't happened yet, it just complicates it,' said California-based Democratic strategist Doug Herman. 'MERE THEATER' — The California National Guard cut off soldiers' access to threat info and basic mission briefings after independent journalist Ken Klippenstein obtained and published records showing authorities' march through MacArthur Park was designed to be a show of force. 'That the LA deployment is mere theater was the most embarrassing disclosure in the leak, Klippenstein reports on his SubStack. AROUND THE STATE — The owner of an Esparto fireworks warehouse that exploded earlier this month received a state explosives license due to a legal 'loophole.' (Sacramento Bee) — Foreign nationals have used ambulances and posed as patients seeking emergency care to illegally enter California from Mexico, according to court documents. (San Diego Union Tribune) — Fresno County will increase oversight of departments' discretionary spending after the county public health department participated in a local Pride celebration, handing out condoms, lubricant and educational information. (Fresnoland) PLAYBOOKERS IN MEMORIAM — UC Berkeley business professor Przemysław Jeziorski was shot and killed while visiting his family in Greece this month. He was 43. PEOPLE MOVES — The University of California Office of the President appointed Christopher Witko as executive director of the University of California Center Sacramento. Witko, a political scientist who teaches at Penn State University, will also be joining the UC Davis political science department starting Sept. 1. FIRM MOVES — P. Anthony Thomas has launched The Thomas Advocacy Group, a consulting firm with business, labor and advocacy group clients. Thomas previously worked at Southern California Edison, lobbied for the League of California Cities, California Forestry Association, California Natural Gas Producers Association, California Independent Petroleum Association and the California Building Industry Association. BIRTHDAYS — Axial Media and Communications founder Brian Parvizshahi … Sacramento City Councilmember Caity Maple … Meta's Nkechi Nneji … Angie Georgoulias, partner at BB&G Political and Fundraising Strategy … Joel Silver … BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Sunday): Brian Grazer … Kate Frischmann of Microsoft … Mike Hais … Damon Conklin, legislative advocate, League of California Cities … Harrison Ford … Carolyn Strauss … (was Saturday): former FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel … Brendan Daly … CNN's Eden Getachew … Assemblymember Dawn Addis … Brandon Shaw … Rohini Kosoglu … Victor Ruiz-Cornejo, public engagement manager, west for DoorDash … Rachel Brosnahan … (was Friday): Max Levchin ... Richard V. Sandler SPOTTED: Democratic Assemblymembers Dawn Addis and Maggy Krell dining Sunday evening at Stepdad's restaurant in Sacramento's Land Park neighborhood. (h/t Rachel Bluth) WANT A SHOUT-OUT FEATURED? — Send us a birthday, career move or another special occasion to include in POLITICO's California Playbook. You can now submit a shout-out using this Google form.
Int'l Business Times
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Ex-Obama Adviser Takes Jab at Trump in Defense of Zohran Mamdani: 'Trump Said Things That Are Problematic Too'
A former advisor of former President Barack Obama defended the Democratic candidate in the New York City mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani, from MAGA-supporting critics, pointing out that President Donald Trump has also made outrageous statements. Former Obama administration staff member and Biden-Harris campaign senior staffer, Ashley Allison, appeared on CNN's "State of The Union" on Sunday. The panel, which included Democratic Rep. Chris Deluzio and Republican Rep. Riley Moore, conversed with CNN host Jake Tapper, who brought up Mamdani's recent victory in New York. Migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. using the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) CBP ONE application, wait outside the building of the National Institute of Migration (INM) as they queue to request a permit to travel to another point of entry to the U. Reuters "There are some things that he says that I find problematic. But Donald Trump is our president, and a lot of people support him and he's said a lot of things that are problematic too. So we can find our way around things and hold people accountable while still supporting them to be good mayors," Allison said. "Two things happened; there was an effective and aggressive 'no' to Cuomo's campaign, which opened for whoever was in that primary to find their lane and Mamdani was the one who found his lane and is now the Democratic nominee," she had said earlier. Allison encouraged Democats to "support" the candidates who win their primaries instead of picking apart their campaigns. "What is good in New York City probably isn't going to fly in Youngstown, Ohio, where I'm from, but we are the big tent party, or at least we used to be, so there's enough space for all of us. Don't let him become mayor and then just turn your back on him, help him govern," Allison continued. Mamdani will go on to face off against Cuomo again in November, who reportedly plans to continue running as an independent, as well as current Mayor Eric Adams, who is also running as an independent, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and independent candidate Jim Walden. Originally published on Latin Times
New York Post
07-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Biden Gaza pier fiasco left 62 US forces injured, one dead and caused $31M in damages: report
WASHINGTON — Former President Joe Biden's failed floating Gaza pier plan left 62 US personnel injured, one service member dead and caused at least $31 million in damage to military equipment, according to a scathing Pentagon watchdog report that found the Army and Navy failed to properly train, prepare, coordinate and plan for the mission. The project, which Biden announced during his 2024 State of The Union address amid mounting protests on the left over Israel's war against Hamas, sought to deliver humanitarian aid to the terrorist-controlled enclave — but ultimately was functional for just 20 days before being abandoned. The Defense Department Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG) report, released late Tuesday, found that the military services were not adequately prepped for the mission — dubbed Operation Neptune Solace — but the project moved ahead despite the Army and Navy facing 'low equipment mission-capable rates and low manning and training levels.' 'The Army and Navy did not allocate sufficient maintenance, manning, [or] training,' according to the report, which also found that the services 'did not organize, train, and equip to a common joint standard' for the so-called 'joint logistics over-the-shore' — or JLOTS — operation Advertisement 3 Army Soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade use a rope to stabilize humanitarian lifted by a crane aboard the MV Roy P. Benavidez during the floating pier initiative. U.S. Army photo / Staff Sgt. Malcolm Cohens-Ashley The disjointed nature of the effort contributed to 27 watercraft and other paraphernalia suffering damage costing $31 million to repair, the report found, as 'Army-and Navy-specific equipment, including watercraft, piers, and causeways, as well as command, control, and communications systems was not interoperable.' This week's report follows a similar review by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of the Inspector General from August 2024 — which found Biden charged ahead with the $230 million pier despite the urgings of multiple federal aid workers. Advertisement Army officials interviewed by the DoD OIG noted that 'the lack of interoperability created challenges during (the Gaza operation), resulting in equipment damage and communications security risks,' according to the report. 3 Former President Joe Biden directed the creation of a humanitarian pier for Gaza. POOL/AFP via Getty Images US Central Command (CENTCOM reported 62 injuries during the course of Operation Neptune Solace, though the report said it was unclear whether they happened 'during the performance of duties or resulted off duty or from pre-existing medical conditions.' The Pentagon had previously confirmed that three service members were injured May 23, 2024, as the result of a non-combat incident during the operation. Advertisement One of those injured, Army Sgt. Quandarius Davon Stanley, 23, died Oct. 31 while under long-term medical care. 3 The pier ultimately operated for just 20 days and delivered less than a third of the intended amount. AP The Biden White House had expected that it would allow delivery of enough provisions to feed an estimated 1.5 million Palestinians over a three-month period. But the pier ultimately delivered less than a third of that for roughly 450,000 Palestinians before it was decommissioned on July 17, according to the USAID report. Advertisement The report also found serious issues with the planning of the operation, noting the pier's designers 'did not fully consider mission-specific information requirements, such as beach conditions, average sea states, and other factors that affect the ability to successfully plan and conduct JLOTS operations.' A Pentagon spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
