Latest news with #PledgeofAllegiance
New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Miranda Devine: FBI emails revealed to The Post expose Biden DOJ's obsession with piling on Trump charges
Internal FBI emails reveal that rogue agents and prosecutors in the Biden DOJ were looking for ways to pile on new criminal charges against Donald Trump over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot — this time over his involvement with the J6 prisoner choir, based on a single partisan news article. The 2023 emails obtained by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and revealed exclusively to The Post, are an example of the nitpicking malice of anti-Trump lawfare that tainted special counsel Jack Smith's investigation, during Joe Biden's presidency. 'Can we do some work to nail down Trump's role in this,' writes prosecutor JP Cooney to DOJ colleagues on March 8, 2023, in an email with the subject line 'J6 Prisoner Choir/DJT' and an attached article titled 'Trump Collaborates On Song With Jan. 6 DefendantsTrump And Jan. 6 Prisoners Collaborate On New Song Called 'Justice For All.' ' Cooney was a deputy special counsel who worked on both the Robert Mueller and Jack Smith get-Trump special counsel investigations. 'Agent Zero' 'According to this Forbes article, Trump recorded the Pledge of Allegiance at MAL [Mar a Lago] and Kash Patel [Now FBI director] and Ed Henry [former Fox News host] were also involved,' Cooney wrote in the email chain. 'The profits are routed to an LLC run by Henry, and proceeds are intended for families of incarcerated J6 defendants — but there is apparently a vetting process that excludes families of defendants who assaulted police officers. 'I asked Ahmed [likely prosecutor Ahmed Baset, who was fired earlier this month] to preserve this last night. I'll talk to Maria/Erin and Julia about doing some follow up here to nail down Trump's role.' Cooney also instructed colleagues to look at starting 'some process on Ed Henry's LLC,' presumably a legal process such as a subpoena, search warrant or other court-authorized actions to gather evidence. His email was forwarded to eight agents and DOJ staff, including notorious anti-Trump FBI Special Agent Walter Giardina, who responded two days later to say he was investigating the claims in the Forbes article about Trump and the J6 prisoner choir: 'Esther and I are working on this today. We're going to put together our findings at 2 and get something to you shortly after that.' Giardina was 'Agent Zero' in a lot of overzealous FBI actions involving Trump and his allies, including the investigation of Trump White House advisor Dr. Peter Navarro on contempt of Congress charges for refusing to appear before the House committee investigating the J6 riot. It was Giardina's FBI team that arrested Navarro as he was about to board a plane at Reagan National Airport in 2022, put him in leg irons and threw him in jail instead of simply issuing a summons for him to come to court, as the federal judge overseeing the case later said while criticizing the heavy-handedness. Giardina was also significantly involved in Operation Crossfire Hurricane (the debunked Russia collusion investigation against Trump), Special Counsel Mueller's investigation and cases involving Trump allies Dan Scavino and Roger Stone, as well as the Hillary Clinton emails case. According to Sen. Grassley, Giardina was an 'initial recipient of the Steele Dossier' and falsely claimed that the bogus Clinton campaign smear sheet against Trump was corroborated as 'true.' Giardina also 'electronically wiped the laptop he was assigned while working for Special Counsel Mueller outside of established protocol for record preservation, raising the possibility that he destroyed government records.' Keep up with today's most important news Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Whistleblown away Whistleblowers have told Grassley that Giardina 'openly stated his desire to investigate Trump, even if it meant false predication' because of his hostility to the past and future president. Grassley believes this email chain is another 'clear example' of how the federal law enforcement apparatus was weaponized to try to 'get Trump' at all costs. 'Instead of focusing on DOJ and FBI's core law enforcement responsibilities,' Grassley told the Post, 'partisan prosecutors and agents were surfing the web to find any shred of information they could use to spin another baseless case against Trump. Their actions are a disservice to Americans, who pay their salaries and depend on DOJ and FBI to keep them safe.' Grassley, known as the 'patron saint of whistleblowers,' is working with FBI director Kash Patel and his deputy Dan Bongino to ferret out the lawfare correspondence hidden at FBI headquarters and finger the culprits behind the anti-Trump lawfare of the past eight years. Patel also this week gave Grassley an FBI intelligence report alleging Chinese involvement in forging American driver's licenses intended to be used for fake mail-in ballots supporting Biden in the 2020 election. Whistleblowers had told Grassley that the FBI memo had been recalled after it was issued and no further action was taken, despite the fact that Customs and Border Protection seized almost 20,000 fake licenses three months before the election. 'Thanks to the oversight work and partnership of Chairman Grassley, the FBI continues to provide unprecedented transparency,' Patel told Just the News, which first reported on the CCP election plot. 'To that end, we have located documents Chairman Grassley requested.' 'My investigative work won't rest,' Grassley told the Senate on Wednesday. 'There'll be much more coming from this senator.' Among the charges Smith, Cooney, Giardina and pals were trying to drum up against Trump over his conduct on Jan. 6, 2021, were conspiracy to defraud the US, obstruction of an official proceeding and potential violations of the Insurrection Act. Ultimately, they failed. Trump comprehensively won the 2024 election, Smith was forced to drop the Jan. 6 and Mar-a-Lago cases against him — and Trump fired his team, targeted their law firms and pardoned every Jan. 6 defendant.
Hans India
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Protests against Trump's immigration policies staged across all US states
About 2,000 protests against the Trump administration's policies were held in all 50 US states, ranging from small groups in more rural communities to larger rallies in major cities, including New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, among others. The protests on Saturday came as US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and decision to deploy the military in Los Angeles have already led to large-scale protests and additional protests in several other cities, reports Xinhua news agency. On the same day, a military parade hosted by Trump was staged in Washington for the US Army's 250th anniversary, which coincides with his 79th birthday. The protests, under the slogan "No Kings," have been arranged by a number of groups that overlap with the coalition that pulled together the "Hands Off!" protests on April 5 and other recent large protests against the Trump administration, according to US media reports. The coalition behind the protests has branded Saturday as a "day of defiance" against what the groups describe as "authoritarian overreach" by Trump and his allies. Plans for the event had been underway well before federal immigration raids set off protests in Los Angeles and other cities. Organisers avoided calling for protests in Washington, where the military parade was staged. They have characterised the Washington parade as a theatrical "display of dominance." Trump warned that anyone seeking to protest at the parade would be met with "very big force." In Atlanta, thousands of demonstrators gathered at Liberty Plaza, carrying signs with messages against the administration. The crowd also sang a protest version of the classic tune "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," reworded as "Take Trump Out of the White House." In Nashville, more than 1,000 people gathered near the Tennessee State Capitol and a cheering crowd recited the Pledge of Allegiance, a patriotic verse that promises allegiance to the flag of the United States and the Republic. In New York City, the police estimated that around 50,000 people took to the streets, shouted slogans like "What do we want? No ICE! When do we want? Now!" and waved banners reading "No Deportation! Trump Must Go!" and "No Justice, No Peace!" Xinhua reporters on the scene saw no arrests made by police. "That guy isn't content to be president of the United States of America, wants to be king!" Eddie B, a resident, told Xinhua. "But we won't let that happen." Mindy W, a visitor to New York City, said, "We need to rise up and stop him before it's too late and our democracy is gone forever!" In California, over 100,000 protesters staged demonstrations in over 200 cities and towns. Even in Idyllwild, a mountain town with only 3,600 residents, some 600 people took to the streets. Demonstrations even spread to Santa Catalina, an island some 35 km off the coast of Southern California. The authorities in Los Angeles, which has emerged as the epicenter of anxiety over immigration enforcement and seen days of sustained protests, said they were bracing for the possibility of crowd sizes that could be "unprecedented." It turned out that at least 25,000 people participated in the protests in LA on Saturday. Elected leaders and law enforcement officials in California and across the country encouraged protesters to remain peaceful, and organisers of the "No Kings" demonstrations called on participants to focus on "nonviolent action." Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles, warned that demonstrations that turned destructive would only feed into an unfounded portrayal of LA as gripped by unrest. In Houston, Texas, the official estimate placed the number of protesters at over 15,000. Xinhua reporter at the scene saw many of them as Latinos and young, peacefully in protest, with one speaker shouting, "No Kings! Just like today, we don't need Donald Trump as king." A speaker named Mima told reporters, "This is a democracy and this isn't a monarchy ... The ICE raids and everything are not right. Violence and ripping families apart are not okay." In Greenville, Ohio, where Democrats are rare, protesters began gathering at noon, waving flags and holding posters in a downtown roundabout. Police warned that anybody blocking the road would go to jail. In Miami, the "No Kings" protest is unfolding near the Torch of Friendship, a symbol of the city's connection to the Caribbean and Latin America, with many protesters waving American flags. As is the tradition with protests on Biscayne Boulevard in downtown Miami, cars passing by were honking steadily to show support, and people were banging pots and pans. Ras Baraka, mayor of Newark, travelled between protests in New Jersey, heading from one in Montclair to another in Piscataway. He recounted what happened after his arrest last month following a clash at Delaney Hall, a private detention centre. "What I found out is that people who don't defend immigrants won't defend me either," he said. "We have to defend that right and defend it vociferously."
Time of India
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
After anti-Trump protests sweep the nation, curfew begins in downtown Los Angeles
Protesters filled plazas, streets and parks across the country Saturday, mounting a mass mobilization that called for protecting American democracy from a president whom many opponents accused of overreaching the powers of his office. The demonstrations set off in waves as the day progressed, in small towns and major cities, including New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles, the heart of a surging protest movement against President Donald Trump. Some 2,000 events, organized under the slogan No Kings, were planned across all 50 states, animated by the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, federal spending cuts and Trump's military parade in Washington, which coincided with his 79th birthday. And while confrontations with police were rare across the country for much of the day, tensions in Los Angeles mounted as an 8 p.m. curfew threatened to escalate clashes between law enforcement officials and protesters downtown. Police have fired tear gas and swung batons on horseback to drive crowds from federal buildings. In a post on the social platform X, the LAPD said that people threw rocks, bottles and fireworks at officers. Many events nationwide drew large crowds with demonstrators striking patriotic themes, waving American flags or reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Speakers at a rally outside the state Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, paid tribute to state Rep. Melissa Hortman, a Democratic lawmaker who was assassinated overnight by a person pretending to be a police officer. Organizers called off other rallies in the state as investigators said the attacker, who remained at large, may have also planned to target the protests. Live Events In Houston, some demonstrators handed out flowers to police officers who were securing the route of the protest. Other rallies, like in Whittier, California, a suburb southeast of Los Angeles, and Raleigh, North Carolina, took on the feel of a dance party, as demonstrators blasted lively music. As some demonstrations began to wrap up, pockets of protesters resisted leaving. In Charlotte, North Carolina, police sprayed a chemical irritant at protesters attempting to move past a line of officers after the official end of the protest. Three people were arrested in a separate rally against Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Pittsburgh, as well as eight others conducting a similar protest in a northern Atlanta neighborhood. In Chicago, a two-hour standoff between hundreds of protesters and police ended without incident. In Austin, Texas, protesters have been pepper sprayed by police, and in San Antonio, people confronted military officials at the Alamo. Other demonstrations were impacted by counterprotesters. In Springfield, Ohio, where Haitian immigrants have been vilified by the administration, a man wearing a Trump T-shirt was arrested after a confrontation with protesters. And in Culpeper County, Virginia, a 21-year-old man was arrested and accused of intentionally driving his vehicle through a crowd of protesters leaving a demonstration. At least one person was struck by the vehicle, but no injuries were reported. Here's what else to know: Military parade No Kings organizers avoided calling for demonstrations in Washington, where the military parade was being held despite a forecast of thunderstorms. Trump previously warned that anyone seeking to protest at the parade would be met with "very big force." Texas Capitol cleared Authorities in Texas temporarily closed off the state Capitol and its grounds in Austin after what they described as a "credible threat" directed at state legislators who were expected to attend the protest. A person was taken into custody in connection with the threat, according to a law enforcement official in Texas. Los Angeles crackdown In the months before the immigration raids in Los Angeles, the Trump administration and immigrant rights groups had been preparing for conflict. Then the message arrived: "ICE is here," one father wrote. "They're going to take us." Detained by Marines Marcos Leao, a 27-year-old Army veteran, was briefly held by U.S. Marines outside of a federal building in Los Angeles. The move was noteworthy because federal troops are rarely seen detaining U.S. civilians, even temporarily. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Miami Herald
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Thousands Mobilize for ‘No Kings' Demonstrations Across All 50 States
EDITORS NOTE: EDS: SUBS throughout to update; REVISES headline and byline; ADDS related story; RECODES as an added Page 1 refer.); (ART ADV: With photos.); (With: TRUMP-MILITARY-ASSESS, CALIF-PROTESTS-RECONSTRUCT Many thousands of protesters filled plazas, streets and parks across the country Saturday, mounting a mass mobilization against a president that many demonstrators decried as authoritarian. The protests, in small towns and major cities including Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston and Atlanta, came as President Donald Trump was set to host a military parade in Washington in the afternoon. The "No Kings" events in all 50 states were animated in part by the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, domestic military mobilization, spending cuts and parade in Washington that coincided with the president's 79th birthday. With many demonstrators waving American flags, the protest crowds at times recited the Pledge of Allegiance and carried signs referencing the nation's founding fathers. In Newark, New Jersey, Rep. LaMonica Mclver stood in front of a statue of Abraham Lincoln and struck a tone of defiance. She faces federal charges of interfering with federal law enforcement outside a migrant detention center. "They will not silence, intimidate or bully me," Mclver said. "We have to be on the front lines to fight for democracy." That message took a particularly ominous tone as news spread from Minnesota that a person pretending to be a police officer had assassinated a Democratic state lawmaker and attempted to kill a second. The state patrol asked people to refrain from attending "No Kings" events in the state, reporting that materials referencing the gatherings were found in the vehicle of the suspect, who remained at large Saturday afternoon. Hours later, authorities in Texas evacuated the state Capitol and its grounds "out of an abundance of caution" after receiving what they described as a credible threat toward state legislators who were expected to attend the protest in Austin. The collective action encompassed some 2,000 planned events. Those protests came amid building outrage over raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Los Angeles that led to mass demonstrations and conflicts with law enforcement. In San Francisco, hundreds of protesters blocked the entrances of a building that houses ICE offices after dozens of immigrants who lack permanent legal status received phone alerts telling them to check in for appointments Saturday. The agency has been detaining immigrants who show up at routine check-ins. In Atlanta, thousands of people packed into Liberty Plaza, carrying signs that included the message "Stop Trump's Terrorism" and singing a rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" adjusted with the words "Take Trump out of the White House." In Westerly, Rhode Island, hundreds of people stood in a light rain along U.S. Highway 1, some with signs and bullhorns. One sign read: "Not a paid protestor, I hate him for free." People marched in the rain down Queens Boulevard in New York City, occupying 10 blocks of a service lane. The mood was boisterous as people chanted "No Kings in Queens," and people in passing cars honked their horns and cheered. In Staten Island, the city's most conservative borough, demonstrators on Victory Boulevard also were met with supportive honks from cars and, in some cases, heckling. "Long live the king," one driver shouted as he passed the group. Thousands swelled the area outside City Hall in Los Angeles, which has emerged as the epicenter of anxiety over immigration enforcement and has seen days of sustained protests. Members of Russian dissident group Pussy Riot, their heads covered in red balaclavas, climbed the steps of City Hall with a banner that read, "It's beginning to look a lot like Russia." Authorities in Los Angeles had said they were bracing for crowd sizes that could be "unprecedented." Elected leaders and law enforcement officials in California and across the country encouraged protesters to remain peaceful, and organizers of the No Kings demonstrations called on participants to focus on "nonviolent action." In Houston, some demonstrators handed out flowers to police officers who were securing the route of the protest. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Copyright 2025
Chicago Tribune
14-06-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: EPA bans use of pesticide DDT
Today is Saturday, June 14, the 165th day of 2025. There are 200 days left in the year. This is Flag Day. Today in history: On June 14, 1972, the Environmental Protection Agency ordered a ban on domestic use of the pesticide DDT, to take effect at year's end. Also on this date: In 1775, the Continental Army, forerunner of the United States Army, was created by the Second Continental Congress. In 1777, the Second Continental Congress approved the design of the first 'stars and stripes' American flag. In 1846, a group of U.S. settlers in Sonoma proclaimed the breakaway state of the California Republic, declaring independence from Mexico. In 1919, British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown embarked on the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1940, German troops entered Paris during World War II; the same day, the Nazis transported their first prisoners to the Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland. In 1943, the U.S. Supreme Court, in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, ruled 6-3 that public school students could not be forced to salute the flag of the United States or recite the Pledge of Allegiance. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill adding the phrase 'under God' to the Pledge of Allegiance. In 1982, Argentine forces surrendered to British troops on the disputed Falkland Islands. In 1993, President Bill Clinton announced his nomination of Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2005, Michelle Wie, 15, became the first female player to qualify for an adult male U.S. Golf Association championship, tying for first place in a 36-hole U.S. Amateur Public Links sectional qualifying tournament. In 2017, fire ripped through the 24-story Grenfell Tower residential building in West London, killing 72 people. In 2018, a Justice Department watchdog report on the FBI's handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe criticized the FBI and its former director, James Comey, but did not find evidence that political bias tainted the investigation. Today's Birthdays: Actor Marla Gibbs is 94. U.S. President Donald Trump is 79. Olympic speed skating gold medalist Eric Heiden is 67. Jazz musician Marcus Miller is 66. Singer Boy George is 64. Tennis Hall of Famer Steffi Graf is 56. Classical pianist Lang Lang is 43. Actor J.R. Martinez is 42. Actor Lucy Hale is 36. Actor Daryl Sabara is 33. Rapper Gunna is 32.
