When America Turns Inward: Military on the Streets, Immigrants Under Pressure
With U.S. troops deployed to LA and immigration crackdowns spreading through California, the Trump administration’s response to domestic unrest is sending shockwaves far beyond America's borders
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After days of immigration protests, downtown L.A.’s first night under curfew ended Wednesday morning with dozens of arrests, but less destruction and fewer clashes between protesters and authorities. The curfew went into effect at 8 p.m. Tuesday and lifted at 6 a.m. the following day. The Los Angeles Police Department reported that at least 25 people were arrested for violating the curfew in its first hours. Separately, U.S. Marines arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday amid growing concerns about a lack of coordination and communication between local police and the federal forces. The Trump administration has vowed to send 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles to protect immigration agents and federal buildings from protests, some of which have turned violent. But there remains something of a mystery about exactly where the forces are being stationed and exactly what they will do. Gov. Gavin Newsom meanwhile accused President Trump of intentionally fanning the flames of the Los Angeles protests and “pulling a military dragnet across” the city endangering peaceful protesters and targeting hardworking immigrant families. The Democratic governor’s comments were a forceful rebuke to the president’s claims that deploying the California National Guard and U.S. Marines to the city was necessary to control the civil unrest - LA Times
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested to lawmakers on Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s order on Saturday to federalize the National Guard was also intended to create a precedent so that playbook could be replicated in other states. “Part of it was about getting ahead of the problem, so that if in other places, if there are other riots, in places where law enforcement officers are threatened, we would have the capability to surge National Guard there, if necessary,” Hegseth said. Trump’s order on Saturday night putting “at least” 2,000 National Guard troops under his control did not name a specific location and was very broad — it said that the troops would be deployed “in locations where protests against (federal) functions are occurring or are likely to occur based on current threat assessments and planned operations.” Hegseth said that “thankfully, in most of those states, you’d have a governor that recognizes the need for it, supports it and mobilizes it, him or herself. In California, unfortunately, the governor wants to play politics with it.” - CNN
Alarm spread through California agricultural centers Tuesday as panicked workers reported that federal immigration authorities — who had largely refrained from major enforcement action in farming communities in the first months of the Trump administration — were showing up at farm fields and packinghouses from the Central Coast to the San Joaquin Valley. “Today we are seeing an uptick in the chaotic presence of immigration enforcement, particularly the Border Patrol,” said Elizabeth Strater, vice president of the United Farm Workers. “We’re seeing it in multiple areas.”
The United States will reduce funding allocated for military assistance to Ukraine in its upcoming defense budget, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a congressional hearing on June 10. “It is a reduction in this budget," Hegseth told lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives. “This administration takes a very different view of that conflict. We believe that a negotiated peaceful settlement is in the best interest of both parties and our nation's interests, especially with all the competing interests around the globe." The Pentagon has not yet released the full documentation regarding its 2026 budget. According to Hegseth, the pending budget "provides a historic level of funding for military readiness, putting (U.S.) warfighters and their needs first." Hegseth did not disclose details as to the extent of the funding cuts to Ukraine. - Kyiv Independent
Ukraine said it has repatriated more than 1,200 bodies soldiers killed in the war sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion more than three years ago, the latest move in a series of prisoner exchanges negotiated between the two sides. “As a result of the repatriation measures, the bodies of 1,212 fallen Defenders were returned to Ukraine," the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said in a statement on June 11. The agency responsible for exchanging prisoners of war said the bodies were returned with the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross. It gave no further details on the exchange and said it is still establishing the identities of the deceased. The swap is part of an ongoing agreement with Russia that has seen busloads of POWs cross the border both way - RFE/RL
Travel Chaos as Ukraine Hosts Southeast Europe Summit
Massive traffic jams snarled parts of the Odesa region today, with significant delays reported at the main Ukraine–Moldova border crossing, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hosted the Ukraine–Southeast Europe Summit. It was launched in 2022 to strengthen ties between Kyiv and southeastern European countries amid the ongoing war with Russia.
Among the attendees were Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Romanian President Nikușor Dan, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. Vučić’s visit marked his first trip to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war — a notable development given his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Vučić has previously taken part in Victory Day celebrations in Moscow and has opposed EU sanctions on Russia.
The office of the Ukrainian presidency reported that the one-day summit gathered representatives from nine southeastern European countries.
According to another news outlet, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also attended. (Odesa carries particular historical and emotional significance for Greece: it was one of the most important centers of Greek education in the diaspora and the birthplace of Greece’s Filiki Eteria (Society of Friends), a symbol of enduring historical and cultural ties between the two peoples, the Greek website Tovima.com reported).
To accommodate the high-level delegations, the main Palanca border crossing was closed for much of the day, forcing regular travelers and lorry drivers to reroute through a smaller crossing that requires two separate stops. The resulting disruption added several hours to the journeys of those heading to Moldova and prompted a flood of complaints from frustrated travelers.
The impact of the summit was also felt across the border. In the Moldovan capital of Chișinău, police officers were spotted every 300 meters or so along the main road connecting the airport to the city center — a visible reminder of the tight security measures and logistical footprint of the event. The cost of hosting and securing such gatherings, while politically significant, was clearly felt on the ground.
A summit declaration, published Wednesday evening on the Ukrainian presidency website, stated the following: “We condemn Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine in the strongest possible terms. It constitutes a grave crime against the Ukrainian people, a blatant violation of international law — including the UN Charter — and a severe threat to peace, security, and stability across the wider European continent and globally.” (Read the full declaration here).
Watch my video below for scenes from the travel chaos and a breakdown of the summit’s political implications.
U.N. experts said in a report on Tuesday that Israel committed the crime against humanity of "extermination" by killing civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites in Gaza, part of a "concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life."We are seeing more and more indications that Israel is carrying out a concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life in Gaza," former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, who chairs the commission, said in a statement. “Israel's targeting of the educational, cultural and religious life of the Palestinian people will harm the present generations and generations to come, hindering their right to self-determination," she added. The commission examined attacks on educational facilities and religious and cultural sites to assess whether international law was breached. Israel disengaged from the Human Rights Council in February, alleging it was biased. Its diplomatic mission said on Thursday that the commission's latest report was an "attempt to promote its fictitious narrative of the Gaza war", and proved that its members "care more about bashing Israel than protecting the people of Gaza." - Reuters
Around 15,000 protesters filled a square in Hungary's capital Tuesday in what organizers called the beginning of a resistance movement against the government of populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Nearly two dozen public figures including writers, actors, musicians and journalists joined the demonstration in Budapest. Most of the speakers criticized what they see as the government's increasingly anti-democratic conduct. Some alleged corruption benefiting those with ties to Orbán's Fidesz party. “This country doesn't belong to those who lie, who rob from the people, who have sold their humanity for power," said one speaker, Csaba Bogos. "This country belongs to those who dare to think, who can read between the lines, who trust in themselves and each other, and believe that there is a common, peaceful future that we must build together." It was the latest anti-government protest since Orbán's party pushed through a law in March, and a constitutional amendment the following month, that effectively banned public LGBTQ+ events. That law also allowed for authorities to use facial recognition technology to identify and fine participants in prohibited assemblies. It drew allegations that Orbán was leading the country toward a full autocracy similar to Russia under President Vladimir Putin. As national elections approach in 2026 and Orbán's party trails in most polls to a new opposition challenger, the Hungarian leader's detractors say he has turned to more authoritarian tactics to silence critics. Speakers at Tuesday's demonstration warned that a recent draft bill that would allow the government to blacklist critical media organizations and NGOs would mean the end of independent journalism and civic engagement - AP
Hong Kong police on Tuesday accused a mobile game application of advocating armed revolution and promoting secessionist agendas, saying that those who publish it or share it with others online may risk violating national security laws. The announcement — the first to publicly denounce a gaming app — indicates that authorities are widening the crackdown that has followed anti-government protests in 2019. Authorities have crushed or silenced many dissenting voices through prosecutions under the 2020 national security lawimposed by Beijing and a similar, homegrown law enacted last year. In a statement, police warned residents against downloading the “Reversed Front: Bonfire” application, saying those with the app installed might be seen as possessing a publication with a seditious intention. They also warned people against providing financial assistance to the application developer, including making in-app purchases. ‘Reversed Front: Bonfire’ was released under the guise of a game with the aim of promoting secessionist agendas such as ‘Taiwan independence’ and ‘Hong Kong independence,’ advocating armed revolution and the overthrow of the fundamental system of the People’s Republic of China,” police said. - AP
The planned trial of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte is in doubt after the articles of impeachment were unexpectedly sent by senators back to the House of Representatives, whose prosecutors said they can’t — for now — comply with the request. Voting 18-5 late Tuesday, senators approved the move, which will likely delay the impeachment trial against the 47-year-old vice president. Opponents argued the move is tantamount to a dismissal of the case, though Senate President Francis Escudero denied that, noting that a summons was separately issued for Duterte to appear before the impeachment court when the trial proceeds - Bloomberg
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