A federal judge has, for the third time, ruled against the Trump administration in its monthslong deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles, ordering the troops out of the city. Trump still hasn't gotten tired of ordering around the National Guard and deploying them in Democrat-led cities at his whim, under the guise of "protecting federal property" because that is the only legal basis for doing what he's been doing. And the same US District Court judge in San Francisco who has ruled against the administration twice in its effort to keep troops on the ground in Los Angeles has again ruled that the troops need to leave.
It was the privilege of a lifetime to be able to serve in the National Guard for 13 years and do the things that I got to do there, meet the people that I met, but really, it was about service to others, which I think is an important thing for all of us to keep in mind and something we should dedicate a little bit of our time to every day.
There are certainly many more charges to come, but we are upgrading the initial charges of assault to murder in the first degree. And we are hoping that the more information we can get and the more investigation that is going on 24/7 now, around the clock in Washington, the more we will find out about what actually happened in terms of this individual even being in this country and being in a position to ambush and shoot down an innocent young woman who was doing her duty to the people of this country.
President Donald Trump has hit the pause button on deploying the National Guard to New York City, with the commander-in-chief on Saturday saying there are other American cities that need it more right now. The president's comments came a day after he welcomed Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who will be New York City's next mayor, to the White House. Trump has said previously that New York was on his list of Democrat-run cities that he would deploy the National Guard to, saying in August he would help fight crime in the Big Apple after he was done in Chicago.
Again and again, President Trump's efforts to send National Guard troops to U.S. cities have been met with resistance in the courts. In his second term, Trump has continued to push the boundaries of military involvement in domestic matters, whether it comes to addressing public safety, quelling protests or safeguarding federal buildings and personnel, including ICE agents.
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The 400 out-of-state National Guard troops deployed to Chicago and Portland, Ore., will be sent home in the coming days, according to multiple reports. In Chicago, 200 Texas National Guard troops were sent to the city in early October but their deployment to the streets was stalled by multiple court rulings. In Portland, 200 California National Guard troops have been sitting through a similar situation. In the coming days, the Department will be shifting and/or rightsizing our Title 10 footprint in Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago, U.S. Northern Command wrote Friday on social media.
Jaiden Booth has been keeping a close eye on viral videos in cities across the country where National Guard and immigration enforcement agents have been deployed, especially how people of color are being treated during immigration raids and protests. Over the past few months, Booth, a St. Louis resident, said he has seen federal agents and unmarked vehicles in various immigrant communities around the city, which pushed him to start preparing to better support vulnerable people.
Although the National Guard is not the country's primary fighting force, it is the oldest. Dating back to 1636, the National Guard is older than the United States itself, and was first established as an organized group of militias. Today, the National Guard is made up of nearly 420,000 part-time volunteers who typically serve in their home state under either the Army or Air National Guard.
Even before inception, the lawsuit has been dogged by a war on reality fueled by social media influencers, some of whom have direct lines to federal officials. At every turn, influencers and the imperatives of content creation have been an inextricable though not always visible part of the National Guard case. The influencers have broadcast their content directly to figures in the administration, they have shaped national policy around "domestic terrorism," and they have seeped into the legal record itself.
If you're reading this, you probably know the value of the Mercury' s newsreporting, arts and culture coverage, event calendar, and the bevy of events we host throughout the year. The work we do helps our city shine, but we can't do it without your support. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!
A newly released Department of Defense (DOD) memo calls for all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories to form "quick reaction forces" within the National Guard that will be trained in "riot control" procedures - the latest indication that President Donald Trump is set to escalate his militarization of cities across the country. The October 8 memo was signed by Major General Ronald Burkett, the director of operations for the DOD's National Guard bureau.
President Donald Trump made the stunning claim that he can send any military branch he wants including The Navy to U.S. cities as part of a crackdown he has tried out using the National Guard. Trump has already sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles, Memphis, and Washington, D.C., and is trying to send them Portland and Chicago amid pushback from state and local officials and widespread criticism.