Free Republic

Tuesday on CNN’s “News Central,” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) claimed President Donald Trump was “unlawfully” escalating the situation in Los Angeles. Padilla said, “I think what’s also important to remind ourselves of is it didn’t have to get to this point. This is absolutely a crisis that has been made intentionally by Donald Trump, beginning with the increasingly aggressive and theatrical immigration enforcement activities, the ICE raids in elementary schools and houses of worship, please, to him looking or creating any opportunity to further and further escalate. ” He continued, “The federalization of National Guard troops is not only unnecessary,...

On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Agenda,” Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) claimed President Donald Trump’s unconstitutional behavior was escalating down a dangerous path. Goldman said, “This is so misguided the notion that because he won an election that he should be able to ignore the Constitution or violate our laws is preposterous.” Host Kasie Hunt said, “Are you confident the president will uphold the Constitution?” Goldman said, “I’m not confident. I’m not at all.”

US stocks fell on Friday as China struck back at President Trump’s latest tariff with a total 125% tax — further escalating trade tensions between the two nations. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 254 points, or 0.6%, after plummeting 1,014.79 the day before. The index has been on a wild ride over the past week as markets struggle to absorb back-and-forth trade war news, plunging more than 4,000 points after Trump revealed his so-called “reciprocal” tariffs last Wednesday, then recovering more than 1,500 points this week after he announced a 90-day pause on most of his harsher tariffs. The...

Gunfights between protesters and security forces broke out in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya on Wednesday, with elite counter-terrorism troops deploying after police “lost control” of the situation, police sources told Reuters.

The Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff on Sunday defended the pace of the air war against Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists, warning that escalating bombing raids or sending in more American troops would be a mistake. During a visit to a French aircraft carrier in the Gulf taking part in the air campaign, General Martin Dempsey appealed for "strategic patience" in the fight against the ISIS group in Iraq and Syria, according to AFP. Expanding the air war could risk civilian casualties and play into the hands of ISIS propaganda, he said aboard the Charles de Gaulle....

Hortefeux warned rioters that "the right to protest is not the right to break things, the right to set things on fire, the right to assault, the right to pillage." "We will use all means necessary to get these delinquents." That includes the GIGN paramilitary police, he said. Over the past week, 1,423 people have been detained for protest-related violence, he said, more than a third of them Tuesday. Of those, 123 are facing legal action. He said he ordered police to look at video surveillance to find more perpetrators, suggesting more arrests could be ahead. He said 62 police...

Russian military intelligence services are reporting a flurry of activity by U.S. Armed Forces near Iran's borders, a high-ranking security source said Tuesday. "The latest military intelligence data point to heightened U.S. military preparations for both an air and ground operation against Iran," the official said, adding that the Pentagon has probably not yet made a final decision as to when an attack will be launched. He said the Pentagon is looking for a way to deliver a strike against Iran "that would enable the Americans to bring the country to its knees at minimal cost." He also said the...

Is the war on Wal-Mart escalating?Thomas Lifson Two Maine teen-agers are under arrest for detonating 2 acid bombs inside a shopper-filled local Wal-Mart, according to the Associated Press. Fortunately, no shoppers were seriously injured by the explosives, which were reportedly made from household items. The motives for the attack remain unknown. The AP report states, [Public Safety spokesman] McCausland said he had no information on why the bombs were set off in the store and whether the two juveniles had been in trouble with the law before. He said the boys had made three additional explosive devices and placed one...