Latest news with #anti-ICE
Axios
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Axios
Newsom sues Fox News for defamation over Trump phone call
California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued Fox News on Friday for $787 million, accusing the outlet of defamation in its reporting on a phone call between him and President Trump. Why it matters: Newsom's demand for $787 million is nearly the same figure Fox News paid Dominion Voting Systems in 2023 to settle a defamation lawsuit over the network's coverage of the 2020 election. Fox News, Newsom's office and the White House did not respond to Axios' requests for comment. Driving the news: Newsom's lawsuit accuses Fox host Jesse Watters of misleadingly editing a video of Trump to support the president's disputed assertion that the two spoke before Trump deployed the National Guard in response to anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, multiple outlets reported. Newsom denied that Trump contacted him before deploying more National Guard troops to Los Angeles, after the president claimed he had spoken with the governor. "No more lies," Newsom said on X Friday morning. Friction point: Trump's decision to federalize the California National Guard over the governor's objections only exacerbated a brewing feud between the two men. Trump has repeatedly targeted California, threatening to withhold funding for education and disaster recovery and to strip the state's ability to regulate vehicle emissions. The governor sued
Fox News
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Nearly 200 House Dems reject resolution condemning violent anti-ICE riots in LA
Nearly 200 House Democrats voted against a resolution condemning the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles earlier this month. 215 voted in favor, with all Republicans that voted backing the resolution. The resolution was led by Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., and the rest of the Golden State's Republican congressional delegation. "Peaceful protests are a constitutional right, but vandalism, looting, violence, and other crimes are not. Protecting public safety shouldn't be controversial, which is why I am leading the California Republican delegation in a resolution to support law and order as we continue to see unrest," Kim stated when introducing the resolution. "I hope Governor Newsom can come together with President Trump to stop the riots, lower the temperature, and keep our communities safe," she added. "Let's be clear: the riots escalated before the National Guard was sent in and were enabled by California's soft-on-crime policies – peddled for years by Governor Newsom, Sacramento, and local prosecutors – that have allowed for lawlessness and endangered public safety of hardworking Californians," Kim continued. It was introduced on June 17, and it acknowledges that peaceful protests should be welcomed in the United States, but calls out the criminal elements that unfolded in the area earlier this month. "These protests quickly escalated into violent riots across Los Angeles, where acts of arson, widespread looting, property destruction, and vandalism were committed, blocking streets and highways, lighting streets on fire, throwing rocks at law enforcement vehicles, and assaulting Federal and local peace officers," the resolution states. Earlier this month, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said that the protest was an excuse for bad actors to commit crimes, such as stealing from businesses, committing property damage and assaulting law enforcement. "This group wanted to commit crimes," Hochman said at the time. "They looked at the protest as a cover, an opportunity to go ahead and ply their illegal trade and commit a whole variety of crimes that, in many ways, has done a huge disservice to the legitimate protesters out there." Some Democrats criticized the resolution, as a legal battle ensured whether President Donald Trump was able to send in the National Guard as the civil unrest went on. Many Republicans have argued it was necessary, while many California Democratic Leaders like Gov. Gavin Newsom said troop deployment was an instigator. "This resolution ignores those facts to score political points," Rep. Nanette Díaz Barragán, D-Calif., said on the House floor in opposition to the resolution, saying troop deployment "only escalated tensions and further unrest" while adding that Democrats have called for prosecutions of those who have acted violently. "Your daily reminder that Trump still has 4,946 troops sitting around LA doing nothing. Meanwhile, he has weakened our border safety operations -- slashing the National Guard's fentanyl and drug interdiction force by 32 PERCENT. He is actively endangering our communities by keeping these troops in LA," Newsom posted to X on June 25. Meanwhile, debate ensues about the ICE operations and deportation efforts nationwide, as ICE agents face a 500% increase in assaults, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
New York Post
21 hours ago
- New York Post
Career criminal who hurled Molotov cocktail at LA hotel where 27 DHS agents were staying during anti-ICE riots arrested
A 'serial criminal' and 'coward' was arrested in Los Angeles Tuesday for allegedly tossing a Molotov cocktail at a hotel where more than two dozen Department of Homeland Security agents were staying as violent anti-ICE riots held the city hostage. Eric Anthony Rodriguez, 39, who hails from California, allegedly hurled a Molotov cocktail at a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport, where 15 agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and 12 Customs and Border Protection agents were staying, early Saturday, officials told The Post. The Los Angeles Police Department received a call about an 'incendiary device investigation' early Saturday after witnesses said that a male suspect had lit and launched a Molotov cocktail toward the hotel. Advertisement The device landed harmlessly in some bushes, and a hotel employee was able to put out the fire, according to Officer David Cuellar, an LAPD spokesman. No one was injured in the attack. 'This coward threw a Molotov cocktail at a hotel in Los Angeles where 27 DHS law enforcement officers were staying,' Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a press release. Advertisement A joint investigation between the LAPD's Major Crimes unit and the Los Angeles Fire Department's arson investigators zeroed in on Rodriguez, Cuellar said. He was nabbed Tuesday morning without incident near the scene of the initial attack, Cuellar said. 4 Eric Anthony Rodriguez, 39, is accused of hurling a Molotov cocktail at an LA hotel where 27 DHS agents were staying on Saturday, officials said. Department of Homeland Security 'Anyone who threatens the lives of federal officers will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law — and that is exactly what will happen to Rodriguez,' McLaughlin said. Advertisement 'If you threaten or attempt to harm a law enforcement officer, we will find you.' 4 Los Angeles was still reeling from violent anti-ICE protests when they arrested Eric Anthony Rodriguez, 39, for hurling a Molotov cocktail at a hotel where where 27 agents from the Department of Homeland security were staying. Toby Canham for NY Post The Los Angeles County District Attorney charged Rodriguez with one count of possession of a destructive device and one count of arson, Cuellar said. 'Anthony Rodriguez is a serial criminal who will face justice for threatening the lives of federal law enforcement,' McLaughlin said. Advertisement 4 Los Angeles was aflame earlier this month when a wave of anti-ICE riots ran rampant in the city. Toby Canham for NY Post 'Dangerous rhetoric by sanctuary politicians has fanned the flames of violence against federal law enforcement — and it has led to a 500% increase in assaults against ICE,' she added. Rodriguez has a criminal record going back more than two decades, according to law enforcement sources familiar with the case. He was convicted of a felony in 2004 for receiving stolen property. In March 2024, he was convicted in Los Angeles County Superior Court of robbery in the second degree. He was convicted of five other felonies between 2004 and 2024, including an assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury. Rodriguez had an outstanding felony warrant for violating parole when he was arrested, sources said. He is just the latest to be collared over Molotov-cocktail related attacks on law enforcement during the protests. On June 7, the height of the violent anti-ICE riots in the City of Angels, Emiliano Garduno-Galvez was arrested and charged with attempted murder for hurling a Molotov cocktail at LA County sheriff's deputies, police said. 4 Los Angeles was the epicent of anti-ICE riots this month. Toby Canham for NY Post Advertisement Garduno-Galvez, who had already been deported from the US once, had been arrested twice in 2024. He was out due to California's sanctuary laws, which meant ICE detention orders were ignored by local officers according to DHS. 'These are the types of criminal illegal aliens that rioters are fighting to protect,' said McLaughlin. 'The Los Angeles rioters will not stop us or slow us down.'
Herald Sun
a day ago
- Automotive
- Herald Sun
Ship transporting thousands of cars sinks in Pacific after fire
Don't miss out on the headlines from Motoring. Followed categories will be added to My News. A ship holding thousands of cars sank in the Pacific Ocean on Monday, weeks after a fire broke out on a deck that was holding electric vehicles – stoking industry concerns around transporting highly flammable batteries. The 182-metre-long Morning Midas had been adrift at sea since June 3, when flames broke out and the crew was forced to abandon ship. The ship was carrying 3,000 cars, including 800 EVs, when it sank in international waters approximately three miles deep, according to the ship's owner, London-based Zodiac Maritime. It had been weakened by fire damage and intense weather, the company said. 'As a precaution, two salvage tugs containing pollution control equipment remain on site to monitor for any signs of pollution or debris. Their crews are safe,' Zodiac Maritime told The Post in a statement. 'A specialised pollution response vessel is also en route to the location as an additional precaution.' The company said it is working with the US Coast Guard and Resolve Marine, which specialises in marine emergency response. The Coast Guard and Resolve Marine did not immediately respond to The Post's requests for comment. Most of the vehicles on board the vessel were made in China and headed toward Mexico. The sinking raises concerns about the dangers of the highly flammable lithium-ion batteries typically used in electric vehicles. Just two weeks ago, Waymo was forced to suspend service of its driverless EVs in downtown Los Angeles after anti-ICE protesters set five of its vehicles ablaze. Police officers warned residents to steer clear of the melted metal heaps, since the batteries can release toxic fumes, like hydrogen fluoride, when set on fire. In 2022, a 60,000-ton cargo ship called the Felicity Ace carrying thousands of luxury cars sank in the Atlantic Ocean after a fire on board burned for nearly a week. Experts hired to salvage the ship said the large amount of lithium batteries likely caused the fire to spread and stay ablaze for longer. This story originally appeared on New York Post and was reproduced with permission Originally published as Cargo ship transporting thousands of cars sinks in Pacific after fire
Business Insider
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Insider
Americans are looking to stock up on gas masks, emergency meal kits, and power banks as anxiety builds
When the going gets tough, Americans go shopping. Following the US bombing of Iran last weekend, Google search interest for topics including "Survival kit" and "Nuclear fallout" spiked in the US to levels not seen since the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, data through Thursday shows. On Amazon, data from marketplace analytics company Jungle Scout shows searches and sales for products like gas masks, first aid kits, and solar-powered flashlights have ticked up notably in the past 30 days. The data also show increased searches for "riot gear" and "hurricane preparedness kit" during the same period, which suggests US shoppers have a lot more on their minds than nuclear war alone. The product with the largest increase in search interest in the Jungle Scout data was a Uvex Bionic Face Shield that went viral earlier this month in connection with the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles. The search terms offer a lens into customer concerns this summer, though actual demand is affected by multiple factors, said Jungle Scout's chief operating officer Tom Werle. While the prospect of World War III may have loomed large last weekend, it seems Americans might also be anxious about a host of domestic concerns: a trade war possibly interfering with essential supplies; civil unrest surrounding arrests and deportations; or increasingly hot and violent wildfires, tornadoes, and hurricanes. The military uses the acronym OBE, or "overcome by events," when circumstances spiral out of control and beyond the scope of a mission's plan and preparation. Chad Huddleston, an anthropology professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville who has studied prepper communities for more than a decade, said that may describe how Americans are feeling about recent events. "People are looking in their immediate area to see what's going on with that to determine, 'Well, what should I be worried about?'" he said. Huddleston started following preppers back in 2008 when the phenomenon was becoming more mainstream. He found that the events that motivated people to start prepping then weren't the 9/11 attacks or subsequent wars in the Middle East — it was something closer to home. "They all said Katrina," he said. "When Katrina happened, they could watch on TV all these people suffering." "They're like, 'Oh no, that could happen here,'" he added. Among the TikTokers posting about a possible World War III this week, one user shared a video showing how to build a survival kit for less than $20 at Dollar Tree. Her items included a headlamp, some paracord, batteries, a can of beans, body wash, and a bottle of water. A bit of retail therapy in the form of off-the-shelf solutions can offer people the illusion of preparedness. "I think for a lot of people — and people that I probably would not call preppers — it is a first and only step," Huddleston said. "They go and buy the Costco food bucket, and then a bag off Amazon, and they throw it in the closet, like, 'Cool, we're done.'" He said true preppers are more focused on skills and planning than on gear: "The more you know, the less you need." For some (who can afford it), that sense of comfort has taken the form of investing in safe rooms, underground bunkers, or survival condos advertised as able to withstand threats ranging from weather to war. Two such companies told BI they typically receive a spike in new customer interest following incidents like the Iran bombing, but calls to several other builders did not indicate a significant uptick in inquiries in the past week. Of course, a five- or six-figure underground shelter is likely less of an impulse buy than a ready-made bug-out bag from Amazon. "I think that more immediate stuff is much more prominent in people's minds and maybe in their algorithms," Huddleston said. If doomsday comes to the US, it's BYOB: Bring Your Own Bomb Shelter America's retail-first approach to disaster prep also stands in stark contrast to other nations' civil defense strategies. In some countries like Switzerland or Finland (which have seen invasions and ground wars on their doorsteps in the past 100 years), there is a more communitarian attitude toward preparedness. When warning signals go off, entire towns can seek cover in well-provisioned, blast-proof shelters under soccer fields and parking garages nearby. "America doesn't know what a real bomb shelter looks like," said Paul Seyfried, a disaster preparedness consultant in Utah. Seyfried has designed and built bunkers for several clients in the US based on principles from nuclear science and European practice. He said he's skeptical of the efficacy of many of the more heavily promoted doomsday survival concepts on the market today. Unlike other nations that invest heavily in hardened civil defense infrastructure and detailed emergency planning, Seyfried said the US does far less than it did during the height of the Cold War. He said the main messaging now is "stay inside and listen to your radio." In the US, individuals typically bear responsibility for building, supplying, and maintaining their own families' disaster response options. Americans also generally have high levels of mistrust toward the government. Public trust in the federal government remains at historic lows, according to Pew Research. A 2024 FEMA survey found that about half of Americans expect any level of government to provide help in the event of a disaster or emergency, though health and financial worries far outranked disaster concerns in the survey. "It follows our general American ideal of individualism and bootstrap mentality," Huddleston said. "I filled my bunker with Kirkland stuff. If you didn't do that, then too bad. That's your fault." That could speak to the ultimate driving force behind any surge in sales of disaster supplies: if people see that their friends and neighbors have a stockpile of survival supplies, they may want their own as well.
