Conversation with Secretary Buttigieg by Heather Cox Richardson
A recording from Heather Cox Richardson’s live video Read on Substack
(There is also a transcript, available on the page.)
Tag: Political
Those Harvard Classes We Read About-
some more info!
Trump Orders National Guard Deployed After Masked ICE Agents Clash With Protesters In LA Area [VIDEO]
The New York Times reports:
A third day of protests against immigration raids was expected to take place in the Los Angeles area on Sunday, hours after President Trump took the extraordinary action of ordering at least 2,000 National Guard members to assist immigration agents clashing with demonstrators.
The announcement by Mr. Trump — who said that any protest or act of violence that impeded officials would be considered a “form of rebellion” — was an escalation that put Los Angeles squarely at the center of tensions over his administration’s immigration crackdown and made rare use of federal powers to bypass the authority of California’s governor, Gavin Newsom.
Mr. Trump issued the order on Saturday as law enforcement officers faced off with hundreds of protesters for a second consecutive day in the Los Angeles area, in some cases using rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Mr. Newsom described Mr. Trump’s order as “purposefully inflammatory,” saying that the federal government was mobilizing the National Guard “not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle.”
The Associated Press reports:
Confrontations broke out on Saturday near a Home Depot in the heavily Latino city of Paramount, south of Los Angeles, where federal agents were staging at a Department of Homeland Security office nearby.
Agents unleashed tear gas, flash-bang explosives and pepper balls, and protesters hurled rocks and cement at Border Patrol vehicles. Smoke wafted from small piles of burning refuse in the streets.
Tensions were high after a series of sweeps by immigration authorities the previous day, including in LA’s fashion district and at a Home Depot, as the weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the city climbed past 100. A prominent union leader was arrested while protesting and accused of impeding law enforcement.
The Washington Post reports:
The National Guard has not yet been deployed to the sites of any protests in Los Angeles County, according to its sheriff’s department. “We were told that the National Guard had been deployed, however they are not on the scene or the ground yet,” Deputy Sheriff Tracy Koerner said around 1:45 a.m. local time. Earlier Sunday, Mayor Karen Bass said the National Guard had not been deployed in the city limits.
The Los Angeles Police Department said at midnight that it detained “multiple” people who breached an area near the city’s Metropolitan Detention Center where the agency had declared an “unlawful assembly.” “Those detained will be arrested and booked for failing to disperse,” the force said on social media. Earlier, police said a section of Alameda Street was closed to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
The cult is celebrating on X, with some calling for the use of “live rounds” on protesters. Trump’s post below came at 2:41am, presumably upon his return from a UFC match where he was seated with Mike Tyson.
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emptywheel (check)@emptywheelSEIU CA President David Huerta was assaulted and arrested for peaceful protest. The injuries the assault caused required hospital care.QuoteJD Vance@JDVanceReplying to @JDVanceFor the far left rioters, some helpful advice; peaceful protest is good. Rioting and obstructing justice is not.Post
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NAACP@NAACPDeploying troops to communities already under pressure is not leadership—it’s provocation. The Trump Administration is weaponizing fear to divide and destabilize. We will not be silent. We stand with those targeted and terrorized. We fight for justice. Always.QuoteGavin Newsom@GavinNewsomThe federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles — not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle. Don’t give them one.
Brian Allen@allenanalysisSubscribeIn case you were wondering what sparked the LA standoff between protesters and federal agents, this is it. Immigrants showed up for routine ICE check-ins and were detained on the spot. Hauled into the basement. Held overnight like fugitives. No warning. No due process. Just snatched. “Land of the free,” right?
Republicans against Trump@RpsAgainstTrumpSubscribeDuring his first term, Trump asked Defense Secretary Mark Esper to shoot protesters. Esper refused. Now he has Pete Hegseth. God help us allJD Vance now wants to use the chaos ICE is causing in Los Angeles as pretext to pressure politicians to pass the Republican budget bill that will saddle Americans with trillions of dollars of debt, skyrocket the deficit, take away people’s healthcare, and give massive tax breaks to the wealthy.
Jo@JoJoFromJerzSubscribeWeird how he didn’t call up the National Guard on January 6th.
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Crooks and Liars@crooksandliarsTrump sends in his brown shirts to cause disruption so he can use the insurrection act or whatever fucked rational he comes up with to send in the the National G. Mussolini gives a thumbs up in his grave.QuoteMeidasTouch@MeidasTouchTrump lit the match, poured the gasoline, and now wants to use the blaze he is creating as pretext to burn it all down.
Turnbull@cturnbull1968I have $20 that says she shows up in LA, wearing a special commando outfit, hair extensions and a camera crew in tow.
Madden@maddenificoA powder keg is about to explode: With masks to hide their identity, this is what a Nazi takeover of the streets of Los Angeles looks like. Trump’s cosplaying ICE Gestapo is carrying out a lawless assault against one of the most diverse cities in America.
Watch on XPost
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Teamsters California@TeamstersCA
JerryRigEverything@ZacksJerryRigI was told ICE was going to arrest gangsters and mobsters. But all I see is fat white guys in cosplay doin jobsite raids, school raids, and arresting mothers with kids who are applying for citizenship.
Stephen Miller@StephenMYou have no say in this at all. Federal law is supreme and federal law will be enforced.
Molly Ploofkins@MollyploofkinsAsk yourself why ICE is conducting raids in cities like LA and Chicago, where they face strong opposition, while massive agribusinesses in places like Kristi Noem’s South Dakota remain untouched.
Mike Nellis@MikeNellisYour boss pardoned cop beaters at the January 6th riot
Amee Vanderpool@girlsreallyruleThis guy is living out his camo fantasy right now like it’s a game. Disgusting.
Maine@TheMaineWonk“Those aren’t protestors. Those are Feds.” Did I do this right, MAGA?
Turnbull@cturnbull1968President Obama deported 3 million people and managed to do so without using stormtroopers and the National Guard. Like everything else, Obama was better at that too.
Brett Bruen@BrettBruenJust so we are clear – this is what an insurrection actually looks like:
Marlene Robertson@marlene4719This bloodthirsty fascist pig is longing to shoot people ever since his first term.
Turnbull@cturnbull1968Trump is sending in highly visible and armored ICE agents to LA and other big cities. He’s deliberately creating conflict so he can federalize the National Guard to go in and start hurting American citizens. That’s the end game.
Watch on X
Jon Favreau@jonfavs
“Abducting people at work sites – meaning they have jobs.
“Capturing them at court dates – meaning they’re following the law.
“Blocking them from accessible higher education – meaning they’re striving for more.
“And peddling lies about jobless, lawless, driftless.
https://bsky.app/profile/anatosaurus.bsky.social/post/3lqt2xdvn3s2y
Are all of these even ICE agents? Mismatched uniforms, face masks and no IDs or badges displayed? This looks like bargain basement brown shirts.
It’s even worse than just “capturing them at court dates”…they are dropping charges against the people for the sole purpose of arresting and deporting them as they are leaving the courthouse, It’s underhanded bullshit.
No one is obstructing lawful actions, they’re stopping the illegal kidnapping and rendition of people, without due process.
These jackboots are even openly attacking journalists .
This is going to end in blood, and I doubt it’ll be limited to Los Angeles.
THE WORLD IS INDEED WATCHING.
I am going to be doing dishes so enjoy some The Majority Report clips I found informative. Hugs
Some Clay Jones Work
Black Eye Clones by Clay Jones
There are a lot of weird things going on Read on Substack
There are other issues I should be drawing about, but how can I resist a second Biden Clone cartoon? This shit is cray-cray, yo? Do the kids still say “cray-cray?” Anywhosies, I drew a second Biden clone cartoon. The bad thing is, I have at least two more ideas on Biden Clones that I should at least sketch out for the Blog O’ Roughs, which is long overdue.
Since we talked about Biden Clones yesterday, we’re going to talk about the other shit in this cartoon.
Elon says he’s leaving Washington, and he’s taking Stephen Miller’s wife with him. Whaaaaat?
Katie Miller, the wife of Baby Goebbels, has left her position as adviser and spokesperson for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to work full-time for Musk and his companies. I don’t know what position she’ll be assuming for Elon, but I heard she bought some knee pads. Wow, I’m a horrible person. But, Baby Goebbels doesn’t want to talk about it. (snip-MORE, and oh, do go read it!)
Biden Clone by Clay Jones
It’s extremely difficult to out-crazy the shit that comes out of the Trump White House Read on Substack
Late last night, around the time a person would tweet while on a bender or call up an ex-girlfriend for a booty call, Donald Trump posted to Truth Social that Joe Biden was executed in 2020 and replaced with clones and robots. (snip-MORE, and it’s also very good)
The Soylent Green Party by Clay Jones
Not to give the GOP any ideas Read on Substack
Republicans suck. They suck with compassion. They suck with empathy. Lord knows they suck with humor. And yet, voters believe the GOP connects more with average Americans than Democrats do, never mind that their leader craps in a golden toilet.
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is a great example. She ignored Republican advice against holding town halls and learned the hard way that her constituents don’t like the current MAGA agenda. Probably because it sucks. You don’t need a think tank to run a bunch of surveys to know that the majority of voters don’t want to lose their Medicaid coverage or health insurance. And, they don’t want it to be more difficult with loops to jump through to keep their coverage.
During Joni’s town hall last Friday, she was grilled by her voters about the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which the House barely passed 215-214, and will cut Medicaid along with a lot of government health programs, along with SNAP, and make Medicaid tougher to keep, all so billionaires retain their huge 2017 MAGA tax cuts while adding trillions to the debt.
Grams might have to eat generic cat food, not even the good cat food, while your boss will get to purchase his fourth yacht, which Republicans are trying to make tax-deductible, along with private jets and trophy wives, like Melania. (snip-yes, MORE that’s good to read!)
Peace & Justice History for 6/4
| June 4, 1939 During what became known as the “Voyage of the Damned,” the SS St. Louis, carrying more than 900 Jewish refugees from Germany to the U.S., was turned away from the Florida coast. The ship, also denied permission to dock in Cuba, eventually returned to Europe; many of the refugees later died in Nazi concentration camps.  The reality of what happened The movie based on the history |
| June 4, 1972 Angela Y. Davis, a former philosophy professor at the University of California, outspoken black leader and self-proclaimed communist, was acquitted on charges of conspiracy, murder, and kidnapping by an all-white jury in San Jose, California.  More on Angela Davis  Angela Davis wearing a peace button from peacebuttons.info, speaking at The Grays Harbor Institute, Hoquiam, Washington April, 2007  |
June 4, 1987 New Zealand passed legislation declaring itself nuclear-free. In 1986, New Zealand had banned the entry of U.S. Navy ships from their ports in the belief that they were carrying nuclear weapons or were nuclear-powered. U.S. government protests of the policy led to breakup of the ANZUS (Australia-New Zealand-United States) defense alliance.The New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control Act of 1987 (which ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) prohibits the: • manufacture, acquisition, possession, control of any nuclear explosive device • aiding, abetting or procuring any person to manufacture, acquire, possess, or have control over any nuclear explosive device • transport, stockpiling, storage, installation, or deployment of any nuclear explosive device. |
| June 4, 1989 Hundreds of civilians were shot dead by China’s People’s Liberation Army during a bloody military operation in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Students and workers had become part of a growing pro-democracy movement, gathering there continuously for weeks. The Chinese government still officially denies any deaths occurred; thousands who were arrested “disappeared” and remain unaccounted for. “… deaths from the military assault on Tiananmen Square range from 180 to 500; thousands more have been injured . . . thousands of civilians stood their ground or swarmed around military vehicles. APCs [armored personnel carriers] were set on fire, and demonstrators besieged troops with rocks, bottles, and Molotov cocktails.”*   *From a comprehensive overview prepared by the National Security Archive based on formerly classified U.S. Government documents |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryjune.htm#june4
Peace & Justice History For 6/2
| June 2, 1783 At the urging of General George Washington, the United States Congress agreed to gradually disband the Revolutionary army following the end of the war. Subject only to the signing of a final peace treaty with Great Britain, all soldiers and non-commissioned officers were discharged; additionally, a full pardon was granted to privates and non-coms in confinement. |
| June 2, 1863 Abolitionist and former slave James Montgomery led 300 African-American troops of the Union Army’s 2nd South Carolina Volunteers on a raid of plantations along the Combahee River. Meanwhile, backed by three gunboats, Harriet Tubman’s forces set fire to the plantations and freed 750 slaves.  Harriet Tubman More on General Tubman |
| June 2, 1936 General Anastasio Somoza, head of the U.S. Marine-trained National Guard, forced the resignation of Nicaragua’s elected President, Juan Bautista Sacasa. This followed a seven-year U.S. occupation of the country and was followed by Somoza family control of the country for the next four decades. More about Somoza and other U.S.-friendly Central American dictators |
| June 2, 1952 The U.S. Supreme court ruled illegal President Truman’s order two months earlier for the Army to seize the nation’s steel mills in order to avert a strike during the Korean war. The decision |
Some recent clips from The Majority Report. Watch / listen to those that interest you.
Another Young Person Running For Office
I’m skipping down to the part about the candidate. We’ve all seen the clip of Sen. Ernst. But I remember the statements of Zach Wahls; I bet we all do! -A.
Well, We Are All Going to Die by Charlotte Clymer
An all-timer cruel remark. Read on Substack
Snippet:
Anyway, while Sen. Ernst may not care if your loved ones don’t have the lifesaving health care they need, I do bring good news: there’s a leader in Iowa who does.
You may remember Zach Wahls; he’s the young man who went viral many years ago when he delivered a deeply moving testimony to the Iowa Legislature about growing up with two mothers, as lawmakers were considering support for marriage equality.
Well, Mr. Wahls has been serving in the Iowa State Senate since 2019—including a few years in tenure as the Minority Leader—and he’s public exploring a run against Sen. Ernst in next year’s election.
I have rarely been as impressed with an elected official as I am with Mr. Wahls. He’s exactly the kind of leader you’d hope would be dedicated to fighting the good fight and having the kind of good sense necessary to bring folks together for common sense solutions.
Sen. Ernst was already looking at a competitive fight before her “we are all going to die” honesty this morning, and I have to imagine the math ain’t looking great for her against Mr. Wahls moving forward.
If you’d like to throw a donation to Mr. Wahls in what I believe would be a successful campaign, I’d be grateful.
I’ll end this on a note of reason and empathy. When word of Sen. Ernst’s comment reached the great Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota, her response couldn’t have summed it up better:
“I thought my job as Senator was to try to keep my constituents alive.”
Remove the Enablers
Hi everyone. I found this to be a hopeful sign. We need to excise, like an infection, the poison that has taken over our country’s leadership and too many of our citizens. And, in keeping with that, since they are a bunch of juvenile delinquents, perhaps the best person for the job is a pediatrician?
