politics

Photographer Job Garcia, a US citizen, seeks recompense after reportedly being tackled and thrown to the ground

A US citizen is seeking $1m in recompense from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies after being arrested by officials last month when filming an immigration raid at a Home Depot store.

Job Garcia, a 37-year-old a photographer and PhD student at Claremont Graduate University, was tackled, thrown to the ground, arrested and detained for over 24 hours, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (Maldef) said. The advocacy group is representing Garcia.

The arrest of immigrants has escalated nationwide, notably at Home Depot sites, where undocumented laborers in particular gather in parking lots outside branches of the store chain, waiting to be picked up for casual work.

Writing on X, the Republican politician said she was creating legislation that would make "the injection, release, or dispersion of chemicals or substances into the atmosphere for the express purpose of altering weather, temperature, climate, or sunlight intensity" a felony.

…

"I am introducing a bill that prohibits the injection, release, or dispersion of chemicals or substances into the atmosphere for the express purpose of altering weather, temperature, climate, or sunlight intensity," she wrote. "It will be a felony offense."

She added: "We must end the dangerous and deadly practice of weather modification and geoengineering."

Lawmakers in Florida are raising alarm over documents suggesting immigrant children and pregnant women could be detained at 'Alligator Alcatraz.'

A draft operational plan obtained by the Miami Herald suggests minors could indeed be transported to the controversial site in the Everglades. The 35-page undated document details protocols to "separate minors from unrelated adults" and to provide "snacks and water" to minors, pregnant women and detainees with medical conditions during transport.

"The State of Florida is planning to send pregnant women and children to the 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention camp," wrote State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith on social media. "This is totally un-American. We cannot be silent."

Reckless agency layoffs and the dismantling of federal relief programs could leave the Lone Star State in peril.

Donald Trump’s commitment to “energy dominance” would seem to be good news for the Texas economy. But in the administration’s reversal of environmental policies—including via the chaos of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) trashing federal agencies—it is easy to overlook changes that are of particular importance for the state.

Federal resources for managing climate-augmented weather disasters are being wiped out, and crucial information about future risks is being destroyed or degraded. Meanwhile, state leaders stand by while denying the seriousness of climate change as a driver of these events—and the threat this poses to the state economy.

It is not exactly breaking news that Texas is vulnerable to extreme weather, with recent hurricanes and wildfires fresh in mind, nor is the well-documented effect of a warming climate in magnifying severe weather. Just look to the growing count of billion-dollar natural disasters (severe storms, drought, flood, wildfires, severe cold). For example, from 2020 to 2024 Texas suffered 68 of these costly events, with Florida second at 34.

Old Glory Club has at least 26 chapters with participants including military personnel, lawyers and civil servants

A nationwide US network of dozens of far-right, men-only fraternal clubs has what members describe as “literally hundreds” of participants who include past and currently serving military personnel, lawyers, civil servants, and prominent antisemitic influencers, a Guardian investigation can reveal.

The Old Glory Club (OGC) – which has at least 26 chapters in 20 US states and until now has drawn little attention – exemplifies the alarming rise of organized racist political groups in the past few years but especially during the rise of Donald Trump and his return to the White House.

The OGC network has held conferences, meetups and other events. Key members like podcaster Pete Quinones use their platforms to push far-right ideas about Jewish people and immigrants. Other members have used their platforms to respond to political events, and to advocate measures including “cancellation insurance” for members whose extreme political views might impede their professional lives.

Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., announced his official resignation from Congress on Friday, a move that was expected but one that could, at least for now, shrink Republicans’ already narrow majority in the House.

With his resignation, Republicans are down to a 219-212 majority in the House, at least until his seat in the solidly red district is filled.

His resignation will be effective July 20, Fox News reports from a letter Green sent to House Republican leadership.

Source.

The Trump administration said it deported a group of eight men convicted of serious crimes in the United States to the conflict-ridden African country of South Sudan, following a weeks-long legal saga that had kept the deportees in a military base in Djibouti for weeks.

Assistant Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the deportation flight carrying the deportees landed in South Sudan just before midnight EST on Friday. A photo provided by the department showed the deportees, with their hands and feet shackled, sitting inside an aircraft, guarded by U.S. service members.

Reports indicate defense secretary unilaterally acted to halt shipment even as Pentagon suggested US arsenal is stocked

Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, unilaterally halted an agreed shipment of military aid to Ukraine due to baseless concerns that US stockpiles of weapons have run too low, it has been reported.

A batch of air defense missiles and other precision munitions were due to be sent to Ukraine to aid it in its ongoing war with Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in 2022. The aid was promised by the US during Joe Biden’s administration last year.

But the Pentagon halted the shipment, with NBC reporting that a decision to do so was made solely by Hegseth, Donald Trump’s top defense official and a former Fox News weekend host who has previously come under pressure for sharing plans of a military strike in two group chats on the messaging app Signal, one of which accidentally included a journalist.

Welp...

For context, this is how the New York Times covered the opening of Dachau