CURRENT EVENTS July 14 - July 31

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Army veteran and US citizen arrested in California immigration raid warns it could happen to anyone​


apnews.com

Army veteran and US citizen arrested in California immigration raid warns it could happen to anyone

A U.S. Army veteran arrested during an immigration raid at a California marijuana farm says he was sprayed with tear gas and pepper spray before being dragged from his vehicle on his way to work.
apnews.com apnews.com

“… George Retes, 25, who works as a security guard at Glass House Farms in Camarillo, said he was arriving at work on July 10 when several federal agents surrounded his car and — despite him identifying himself as a U.S. citizen — broke his window, peppered sprayed him and dragged him out.

… Retes was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where he said he was put in a special cell on suicide watch and checked on each day after he became emotionally distraught over his ordeal and missing his 3-year-old daughter’s birthday party Saturday.

… He said federal agents never told him why he was arrested or allowed him to contact a lawyer or his family during his three-day detention.

Authorities never let him shower or change clothes despite being covered in tear gas and pepper spray, Retes said, adding that his hands burned throughout the first night he spent in custody.

On Sunday, an officer had him sign a paper and walked him out of the detention center. He said he was told he faced no charges.

… Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed Retes’ arrest but didn’t say on what charges.

“George Retes was arrested and has been released,” she said. “He has not been charged. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is reviewing his case, along with dozens of others, for potential federal charges related to the execution of the federal search warrant in Camarillo.”…”
 

Trump Order on International Criminal Court Likely Violates First Amendment, Judge Rules​

The ruling’s scope is limited to two American activists, but it represents a striking, if tentative, blow to the president’s efforts to penalize and isolate the world’s highest criminal court.


“
An executive order by President Trump seeking to punish people who work with the International Criminal Court is most likely a violation of the First Amendment, a federal judge found on Friday.

Judge Nancy Torresen of the Federal District Court in Maine shielded two U.S. human rights activists from any penalties for violating the directive, saying that by threatening to punish anyone who provides “funds, goods or services” to I.C.C. officials under sanctions, the orderrestricts a swath of speech-based activity that goes beyond its stated aims.

The ruling marked a striking, if tentative and limited, blow to Mr. Trump’s efforts to penalize and isolate the world’s highest criminal court….”
 
nycfan said:

Under Trump, a New Focus for a Birth Control Program: Helping Women Get Pregnant​

A little-noticed plan for an “infertility training center” signals that the administration intends to take a new approach with Title X, which has long helped low-income women access contraception.

🎁 —> https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/...e_code=1.Xk8.Kdu3.RK9AZXyhhLbJ&smid=url-share
Click to expand...

“… The first sign of the change appeared on a little-noticed government website last week, in a post offering a $1.5 million grant to start an “infertility training center.” The center would promote “holistic” approaches to combating infertility, such as menstrual cycle education classes that women also take to try to prevent pregnancy without using birth control.

The announcement of the training center is the clearest sign yet that the administration plans to take a new approach with the federal family planning program known as Title X, and point it more toward combating infertility, a goal that President Trump has made part of his agenda.

… While Title X has historically focused primarily on providing contraception, the program already offers a wide range of services beyond birth control, including testing for sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy tests, as well as basic infertility care. But the vast majority of patients who come to Title X clinics are looking for birth control or S.T.D.-related services, several experts and grant administrators said.

Advocates who provide contraception to low-income women said they were surprised and concerned when they noticed the announcement on the government website….”

——
I am not at all opposed to expanding access to infertility treatment so long as that does not come at a cost of cutting back support for birth control …
 

Judge Orders Trump Officials to Restore Funding for Radio Free Europe​

In a stern ruling, the judge rebuked the Trump administration for refusing to disburse funding that Congress had already approved.


“… The judge, Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, berated the Trump administration in his ruling, calling its legal arguments “nonsensical” and its decision to withhold funds “unprecedented.”

…
The president has moved to close Voice of America, which provides news across the world in 49 languages. The Trump administration, accusing Voice of America of spreading partisan propaganda, fired nearly all of its journalists and shut down its operations. On Friday, at Mr. Trump’s urging, Congress passed a bill that clawed back $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the company that funds NPR and PBS, two national stations that Republicans have accused of liberal bias.

In his ruling, Judge Lamberth cited the rescissions bill that Congress passed, noting that the administration already understood “the proper procedure” for canceling funds that Congress had already approved. He criticized the administration for not having followed similar steps for RFE/RL’s case.…”
 

Rubio Restricts U.S. Criticism of Tainted Foreign Elections​

A State Department cable telling officials to avoid comments on the “fairness or integrity” of most elections continues a U.S. turn away from promoting democratic values abroad.

www.nytimes.com

Rubio Restricts U.S. Criticism of Tainted Foreign Elections

A State Department cable telling officials to avoid comments on the “fairness or integrity” of most elections continues a U.S. turn away from promoting democratic values abroad.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

“… In an official cable to diplomatic and consular posts on Thursday, Mr. Rubio said that public comments on foreign elections “should be brief, focused on congratulating the winning candidate and, when appropriate, noting shared foreign policy interests.”

Such messages, the agency memo added, “should avoid opining on the fairness or integrity of an electoral process, its legitimacy, or the democratic values of the country in question.” The directive applied to the department’s domestic offices and foreign posts, Mr. Rubio said.

… the State Department under President Joseph R. Biden Jr. criticized foreign votes frequently, …So did Mr. Rubio, as a Republican senator from Florida known for his outspoken criticism of anti-democratic practices abroad.

Mr. Rubio dismissed Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election as “a complete fraud,” co-sponsored a 2020 Senate resolution demanding that President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus hold “a free, fair, and transparent election that adheres to international standards” and called Vladimir V. Putin of Russia a “tyrant” who “stole an election.”

Mr. Rubio has muted such talk since he joined the Trump administration, although in a Friday statement celebrating the release of American prisoners from Venezuela he said that the United States “continues to support the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.” …”
 

Disinformation catalyses anti-migrant unrest in Spain​



“… Last weekend's unrest in the southeastern town of Torre Pacheco pitted far-right groups against immigrant residents, mainly of Moroccan origin, but a heavy police presence prevented serious confrontations.

The altercations were sparked after a 68-year-old pensioner said three men of North African origin attacked him without provocation on July 9.

… The sudden outbreak of violence took Spain by surprise but anti-migrant discourse had already been brewing, partly due to disinformation circulating on social media.

AFP's digital verification team in Spain has debunked many false claims linked to immigrants, mostly concerning public benefits they supposedly receive and alleged attacks by foreigners on Spanish customs.

…A video purporting to show the assault on the pensioner, along with a list of alleged attackers, quickly circulated online -- both debunked by AFP.

… Experts also emphasised the role of politicians, particularly the far-right Vox party, in fanning the flames of anti-migrant rhetoric….”
 

Poland begins controls on borders with Germany and Lithuania​

Move after far-right protests is latest example of measures within EU that are straining passport-free Schengen zone

www.theguardian.com

Poland begins controls on borders with Germany and Lithuania

Move after far-right protests is latest example of measures within EU that are straining passport-free Schengen zone
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

“… There have been far-right protests in Poland and anti-immigration campaigners have claimed that Germany is sending people to Poland despite them not having originally entered Germany via Poland, in contravention of EU rules. German authorities have denied this.

Poland’s controls are being carried out by hundreds of extra police officers and soldiers on 52 border crossings with Germany and 13 with Lithuania.

Germany introduced similar random checks on the Polish border in 2023. In May, shortly after the new government of Friedrich Merz took office, the German interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, ordered more intensive controls which meant that asylum seekers could be turned back at the border, sparking controversy and triggering court challenges.…”
 
nycfan said:

Poland begins controls on borders with Germany and Lithuania​

Move after far-right protests is latest example of measures within EU that are straining passport-free Schengen zone

www.theguardian.com

Poland begins controls on borders with Germany and Lithuania

Move after far-right protests is latest example of measures within EU that are straining passport-free Schengen zone
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

“… There have been far-right protests in Poland and anti-immigration campaigners have claimed that Germany is sending people to Poland despite them not having originally entered Germany via Poland, in contravention of EU rules. German authorities have denied this.

Poland’s controls are being carried out by hundreds of extra police officers and soldiers on 52 border crossings with Germany and 13 with Lithuania.

Germany introduced similar random checks on the Polish border in 2023. In May, shortly after the new government of Friedrich Merz took office, the German interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, ordered more intensive controls which meant that asylum seekers could be turned back at the border, sparking controversy and triggering court challenges.…”
Click to expand...
“…
For some time Poland has been warning against what it says is a Russian-Belarusian campaign to destabilise the EU and stoke the far right by incentivising irregular migration through the bloc’s eastern borders with Belarus.

Siemoniak said that just before the controls began at midnight, Polish border guards stopped an Estonian man attempting to smuggle four people, thought to be Afghan citizens, over the border. “This is exactly the proof we need as to how necessary these controls are,” he said.

Tusk said the same four people had been previously registered as attempting the illegal crossing from Belarus.…”
 


“… Vice Adm. Yvette Davids has led the school since January 2024 and is departing from her post ahead of a term that typically lasts no less than three years.

…
Instead of retiring at the end of her tenure as is required by law, Davids has been nominated to serve as the deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans, strategy and warfighting development. The move is essentially lateral, going from one three-star billet to another, according to a Senate aide speaking on condition of anonymity. It was not clear Friday whether Davids is leaving her Naval Academy posting voluntarily….”

Read more at: Marine general nominated to replace first female Naval Academy superintendent
Source - Stars and Stripes
 

President Trump will reportedly sign an executive order to limit NIL money for players​

President Trump loves the free market so much he’s going to limit NIL spending.

www.sbnation.com

President Trump will reportedly sign an executive order to limit NIL money for players

President Trump loves the free market so much he’s going to limit NIL spending.
www.sbnation.com www.sbnation.com

frontofficesports.com

Trump Is Actively Working on an Executive Order to Govern NIL

Trump’s potential involvement in college sports compensation has been rumored for months—but so far, no concrete actions have materialized.
frontofficesports.com frontofficesports.com

“… While it’s still unclear what the president’s order would contain, it’s unlikely to significantly conflict with current efforts in the House. But an executive order wouldn’t have the power to grant some of the antitrust protections that the NCAA and power conferences have been asking for in Congress to govern the NIL era, sources previously told FOS. Instead, the order could establish a commission to investigate the issue and report back best practices, as Trump has done in the past.

…
Meanwhile, lawmakers in Congress have been considering legislation not just on NIL, but also on athlete employee status, antitrust protections for the NCAA, and other governance rules. They’ve held more than a dozen hearings and introduced a slew of bills—none of which have reached the floor of Congress for a vote. Those conversations, as well as NCAA lobbying efforts, have picked up as the House v. NCAA settlement reached its final stages and was ultimately approved in June.

The result of that labor so far is the SCORE Act, which would codify the terms of the House v. NCAA settlement, give the NCAA antitrust protections to shield it from lawsuits challenging compensation and governance rules, and rule that athletes aren’t employees. …”
 
nycfan said:

Rubio Restricts U.S. Criticism of Tainted Foreign Elections​

A State Department cable telling officials to avoid comments on the “fairness or integrity” of most elections continues a U.S. turn away from promoting democratic values abroad.

www.nytimes.com

Rubio Restricts U.S. Criticism of Tainted Foreign Elections

A State Department cable telling officials to avoid comments on the “fairness or integrity” of most elections continues a U.S. turn away from promoting democratic values abroad.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

“… In an official cable to diplomatic and consular posts on Thursday, Mr. Rubio said that public comments on foreign elections “should be brief, focused on congratulating the winning candidate and, when appropriate, noting shared foreign policy interests.”

Such messages, the agency memo added, “should avoid opining on the fairness or integrity of an electoral process, its legitimacy, or the democratic values of the country in question.” The directive applied to the department’s domestic offices and foreign posts, Mr. Rubio said.

… the State Department under President Joseph R. Biden Jr. criticized foreign votes frequently, …So did Mr. Rubio, as a Republican senator from Florida known for his outspoken criticism of anti-democratic practices abroad.

Mr. Rubio dismissed Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election as “a complete fraud,” co-sponsored a 2020 Senate resolution demanding that President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus hold “a free, fair, and transparent election that adheres to international standards” and called Vladimir V. Putin of Russia a “tyrant” who “stole an election.”

Mr. Rubio has muted such talk since he joined the Trump administration, although in a Friday statement celebrating the release of American prisoners from Venezuela he said that the United States “continues to support the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.” …”
Click to expand...
Rubio's autocratic turn has been quite dramatic. If we ever get properly democracy back, I hope he pays a high post-Trump admin cost.
 
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