Trina's Kitchen: 2025

Friday, June 20, 2025

Shrimp Salad Rolls in the Kitchen

Nancy e-mailed to note a recipe that she likes to make and take to the beach or the lake or to a picnic. This is Southern Living's recipe for Shrimp Salad Rolls:

Ingredients

1 ½ lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 celery stalks (4 3/4 oz.), finely chopped (1 cup)

⅓ cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

½ tsp. kosher salt

2 Tbsp. salted butter, softened

6 potato hot dog buns, split and toasted

Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves, for serving

Directions

Cook shrimp in a large pot of boiling salted water until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool to the touch. Pat dry, and chop into bite-size pieces.

Stir together celery, mayonnaise, chives, dill, mustard, lemon juice, Old Bay seasoning, and salt until combined. Fold in chopped shrimp.

Spread butter on toasted buns; top with lettuce, and fill with shrimp mixture. Garnish with additional chives, if desired.

News?

Brian Wilson died. He passed away June 11th at the age of 83. I did not know that until this evening. At work, the people I work with talk about Kendrick Lamar or Sabrina Carpenter. And that's more than fine, that's the music of today. But I had no idea Brian passed.

My husband had no idea. We have a room with a stereo, couch some chairs and hundreds and hundreds of his vinyl albums. He is big time into music. He didn't know.

There's so much going on these days a lot can get lost.

But I wanted to talk a moment about Brian. He was a member of the Beach Boys and their leader during their best musical times. He was a songwriter and a producer. He used drugs which wasn't that uncommon in the sixties. He also had issues -- probably due to his abusive father -- and the drugs seemed to play into those issues and make him doubt himself and others around him.

Pet Sounds is his masterpiece. It came out in 1966. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, the Mamas and the Papas, Diana Ross & the Supremes, the Four Tops, the Rolling Stones, the Temptations, James Brown, Sony & Cher, etc. Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas has talked about how people were making contributions back then and one group would raise the bar and that would challenge others.

Pet Sounds should have been followed by Smile but Brian destroyed the masters of that song. Was he scared of success? Who knows.

But the Beach Boys were never again as great after 1966. Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin and others would emerge in 1967 and the Brian-led Beach Boys could have held their own but Brian's meltdown pulled them out of the game. "Good Vibrations" was their last great record -- record, not just song, but great recording -- it was part of the Smile project and let's you feel just how incredible the album could have been.

They had a lot of wonderful singles and they have one great studio album Pet Sounds.

From Pet Sounds, here's "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times."

And "God Only Knows."

And "Wouldn't It Be Nice."

This is C.I.'s "The Snapshot" for Friday:

Friday, June 20, 2025. The ICE horror stories multiply. A pregnant American gets imprisoned and chained up, an Afghan who was a translator for the US military gets rounded up, a journalist stopped from doing his job and detained and imprisoned. Those are just some of the horror stories Chump, ICE and Homeland Security are creating daily.

Let's start with some good news. Yesterday, MEIDASTOUCH NEWS reached five million subscribers.

That's a big deal and huge applause for them for the achievement.

Anything can happen in Chump Land. That includes an American citizen Cary López Alvarado being targeted. Will Conybeare (THE HILL) reports:

A pregnant U.S. citizen who was detained by federal agents approximately two weeks ago has since given birth to a healthy baby girl, but her boyfriend is now being held out of state and her problems are far from over.

Cary López Alvarado told Nexstar’s KTLA that she “tried to remain strong” during the scary ordeal, which took place outside a building where her boyfriend and cousin were doing maintenance work on June 8. She was nine months pregnant at the time.

Video taken by López depicts her struggling with a masked agent wearing a Border Patrol uniform asking to see her identification as she was protecting a truck carrying her boyfriend Brayan Nájera and cousin Alberto Sandoval — the latter of whom is also a U.S. citizen.

All three of them were eventually detained. Further footage posted on social media shows agents detaining López after they had pinned her truck between a wall.

[. . .]

The then-soon-to-be-mother was taken to a processing facility in San Pedro, where, according to her, the agents automatically assumed she was undocumented.

“[They said] ‘But you’re from Mexico, right?’ And I’m like ‘No, I’m from here,’” López said. “[They asked] … ‘Where’s here?’ and I’m like, ‘Here, the U.S., Los Angeles.”

“They put us in chains, so I had a chain from my hands under my belly that went all the way to my legs,” she added. “Every now and then, I would fix my hands because I felt like I would be putting too much pressure because the chain went under my belly.”

López was released after complaining of stomach pain and went straight to a hospital where she started having contractions, which she believes were caused by the stress of what she had gone through.

These horror stories are not accidents. I'm not a psychic. Months before the election, I noted what Chump was saying he would do could not be done without a lot of US citizens ended up targeted and harmed as well. Racial profiling, that's what they're doing. It's what they did to Cary, insisting she was from Mexico because of the way she looked. Putting her in chains because of the way she looked. Imprisoning her because of the way she looked.

She was pregnant when this happened -- pregnant and about to pop.

And she's an American citizen and this is what they did to her.

This is what hate merchants posing as Christians are embracing in the US now. There is nothing Christian about this.

Yesterday, MSNBC reported on Sayed Naser.

NPR's MORNING EDITION also reported on Sayed Naser.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

As part of its aggressive immigration policy, the Trump administration has been making it harder for asylum-seekers to stay in the U.S., and that includes at least one immigrant seeking safety here after helping the U.S. military in his home country. NPR's Quil Lawrence reports.

QUIL LAWRENCE, BYLINE: The scene of ICE agents arresting immigrants at courthouses has become common in the past few months, but this one played out a bit differently last week in San Diego.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED ICE AGENT #1: Yeah, yeah, go ahead. We're going to take him.

LAWRENCE: Bystanders filmed as Sayed Naser was approached by two masked ICE agents after a routine immigration hearing. They don't show a warrant, and they don't even seem to be sure they have the right person.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED ICE AGENT #2: What's your name?

LAWRENCE: As they handcuff him, he starts to tell the onlookers that he's a former interpreter for the U.S. Army.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SAYED NASER: I worked with the U.S. military back in my home country, Afghanistan.

LAWRENCE: Sayed Naser asked to withhold his family name because he fears for their safety in Afghanistan. And that's the whole point, says his lawyer, Brian McGoldrick.

BRIAN MCGOLDRICK: He spent three years working with the U.S. military at great risk to himself. And they've already killed part of his family.

LAWRENCE: Sayed Naser fled Afghanistan after the Taliban showed up at a family wedding and killed one of his brothers. He made a journey from Afghanistan to Brazil and then, sometimes on foot, traveled north to the U.S. border, where he was admitted legally last year. But McGoldrick says ICE agents took none of that under consideration.

MCGOLDRICK: Was all about filling their quota of 3,000 a day. They didn't care that, you know, he was really our ally. I don't think anybody took the time to even go through that.

Only the worst of criminals. That's what Chump lied and continues to lie. That's what Kristi Noam lies. Lies. The justification? Lies. They hide with lies. They break the law with lies. They evade oversight with lies. Earlier this week, US House Rep Dan Goldman's office issued the following:

Rep. Dan Goldman: “And the question is, why can't we go in? What are they hiding? If they're going to treat Comptroller Lander, if they're going to treat Senator Padilla, if they're going to treat Congresswoman McIver the way that these agents have been treating them, as if it's the police state out in the open in public, how are they treating immigrants behind closed doors who have to sleep on floors for multiple nights?”

Rep. Dan Goldman: “This is unacceptable. It is unacceptable that they denied our access, and we will be continuing to push for access with the executives at the Department of Homeland Security because they are violating the law. And we will not stop until we get to go in and observe what is going on in these detention centers with these non-criminal, nonviolent immigrants going through the process the correct way.”

Watch Video of Rep. Goldman Being Denied Access to Detention Area Here

Videos and Photos from the Press Conference Here

New York, NY — Congressmen Dan Goldman (NY-10) and Jerry Nadler (NY-12) hosted a press conference today after observing court proceedings at 26 Federal Plaza and being denied access to the federal building’s 10th floor, where immigrants are being detained for days and sleeping on the floor and benches in inhumane conditions. The Congressmembers confronted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deputy Field Director Bill Joyce and Field Office Director Judith Almodovar, who confirmed reports that immigrants were sleeping on the floor. The members raised concerns about the detentions and ICE’s ongoing refusal to allow lawful congressional oversight of detention facilities.

The press conference came on the heels of continued ICE raids at federal immigration courts across the country, targeting law-abiding immigrants attending routine court appearances. Most recently, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander was detained at 26 Federal Plaza while overseeing similar proceedings.

On May 29, Rep. Goldman observed similar court proceedings at 290 Broadway in Manhattan, where he confronted ICE and Department of Homeland Security agents about their continued use of face coverings while detaining law-abiding immigrants following routine asylum hearings.

A transcript of the Congressman’s comments is available below:

Rep. Dan Goldman: "Thank you. Thank you all for coming.

I'm here with Congressman Nadler in front of 26 Federal Plaza. We just went in to conduct our constitutional oversight authority of ICE and ICE detention facilities. We were denied access, even though we are allowed to show up unannounced by statute, and we must be allowed in.

We gave advance notice that we would be coming this morning, and they still denied our access. They said that this building is not being used as a, this is not a “detention facility,” even though the statute very clearly says that we are allowed into any facility that is being used to detain or otherwise house aliens.

The Deputy Field Director said that there are people who have been staying there for two nights or more after they have been processed, sleeping on benches and on the floor. We are very concerned about what conditions these immigrants are being held in while this mass deportation scheme is underway.

We observed the courtroom before that, where the government is trying to dismiss these immigration cases.

These are nonviolent, non-criminal immigrants going through the proper process, and the government is trying to dismiss the cases.

We observed two cases where the respondent, the immigrant, rejected the government's motion to dismiss it and moved ahead with their asylum claim. So they were not arrested by the numerous federal agents in masks who were waiting outside of the courtroom.

And those federal agents are not just ICE agents. There are numerous FBI agents. These are people whose responsibility and job duties are to investigate serious crimes. And they're being pulled away from investigating serious crimes so that they can arrest nonviolent, non-criminal immigrants going through the lawful legal process so that they can be deceptively removed in an expedited fashion.

And the question is, why can't we go in? What are they hiding? If they're going to treat Comptroller Lander, if they're going to treat Senator Padilla, if they're going to treat Congresswoman McIver the way that these agents have been treating them, as if it's the police state out in the open in the public, how are they treating immigrants behind closed doors who have to sleep on floors for multiple nights?

This is unacceptable. It is unacceptable that they denied our access, and we will be continuing to push for access with the executives at the Department of Homeland Security because they are violating the law. And we will not stop until we get to go in and observe what is going on in these detention centers with these non-criminal, nonviolent immigrants going through the process the correct way.

And the question for everybody to ask is, not only what are they hiding with the masks, but what are they hiding about this facility that they are using to house immigrants for multiple days?"

Earlier this month, Rep. Goldman and and House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02) led 84 House Democrats in an oversight letter of inquiry to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem seeking answers regarding the rise in ICE employing its masked, plainclothes officers to detain non-violent, law-abiding immigrants immediately following and in coordination with the dismissal of their existing deportation cases by DHS attorneys.

###

Things like this are happening all over the country. Jen Psaki covered the issue last night on her MSNBC progam.

It's outrageous, it's not fair, and it's not about humanity. It's certainly not about "Christianity" though some liars try to hide behind Jesus while they persecute immigrants. June 10th, Christopher Wells (VATICAN NEWS) reported:

In a statement issued on Friday after expanded federal immigration enforcement operations, the Archbishop of Los Angeles, José Gomez issued a statement saying he was “troubled” by the raids.

The Archbishop said he is praying for the community, and “that everyone involved will exercise restraint and calm.”

While agreeing that “undocumented immigrants who are known terrorists or violent criminals” are unwanted, Archbishop Gomez said “there is no need for the government to carry out enforcement actions in a way that provokes fear and anxiety among ordinary, hard-working immigrants and their families.”

Echoing the position of the US bishops, the Archbishop repeated his call for the US Congress “to get serious about fixing our broken immigration system that leads so many to seek to cross our borders illegally.”

Noting the “coherent” immigration policies in other countries, Archbishop Gomez said the United States likewise needs a policy “that respects the natural rights of people to emigrate in search of a better life and also ensures control” of the border.

“it’s been almost 40 years since the last reform of our immigration laws,” he concluded. “That’s too long and it’s time to do something about it.”

And it's not just the Church calling out these attacks on immigrants. It's not just former US President Barack Obama, US House Rep Dan Goldman, it's many people from all walks of life stating loudly and clearly: This is not America. This is not who we are and this is not what we were. Carlos De Loera (LOS ANGELES TIMES) reports:

Bad Bunny has chimed in on the ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that are taking place in his native Puerto Rico and all over the country.

The 31-year-old "Nuevayol" singer posted a video with commentary of ICE agents conducting a raid on the island to Instagram.

"Look, those motherf— are in these cars, RAV4s. They’re here on [Avenida] Pontezuela," he said of the officials arriving in the Puerto Rican city of Carolina. "Sons of b—, instead of leaving the people alone and working."

Since the onset of President Trump's second term, the U.S. territory has been subjected to ICE raids, which have targeted the island's largely Dominican immigrant population. For years, immigrants from the neighboring Caribbean island have been allowed to open bank accounts and obtain special driver's licenses that indicate their immigration status. The AP estimates that there are over 55,000 people from the Dominican Republic currently living in Puerto Rico.

Rebecca González-Ramos, ICE's top investigator in Puerto Rico, told NPR that the agency has made nearly 500 arrests, of which roughly 75% have been Dominicans. NPR further noted that fewer than 80 of the 500 people arrested have a criminal record, with the most common charge being reentry into the country following a deportation.

Again, this is not the America that inspires other countries. This is land of hate and fear with people egged on to hate and to fear by the ridiculously overweight and elderly fool Donald Chump whose 'blond' hair is about as real as his sex life (with his weight and his age, he's not getting it up anymore and that's why he rages nightly on social media). We're better than this and we need to reject the hate that Chump peddles. Patricia Caro (EL PAIS) notes:

The current U.S. immigration policy, which has defined much of the Trump administration’s five-month term, is not approved by a majority of Americans. According to the latest survey conducted by Pew Research, the Trump administration’s overall approach to immigration is viewed more negatively than positively, with 42% approving and 47% disapproving.

The mass expulsions of undocumented immigrants, which Trump wants to increase even further to achieve the largest deportation in history, are dividing citizens. Half of Americans say the administration’s immigration policies when it comes to deporting undocumented migrants are “too careless,” while 39% say they are “about right” and 9% say they are “too careful.”

Trump had announced a crusade against immigration during his campaign run, but the measures he has taken since January 20 have exceeded many expectations. The Republican’s rhetoric was that deportations would focus, at least initially, on undocumented immigrants who had committed crimes, but the reality has been very different.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in restaurants, factories, and other workplaces, or in courthouses where immigrants go to attend scheduled hearings, are disliked by the majority. Fifty-four percent disapprove of increasing raids in workplaces where people in the U.S. illegally may be working, compared to 45 percent who approve.

This is not who we are and it is not who we want to be. The more we see this in our communities, the greater our repulsion grows and for good reason. It's not Christian, it's not Muslim, it's not Jewish, it's not Hindi, it's not a reflection of any real religion, it's not a reflection of any ethical and humane code of life.

It is hatred plain and simple.

And Chump lies and claims these are the worst of the worst to justify it. He lies about an innocent man having a tattoo on his hand -- there was no tattoo -- so that he can scare people because scared people lay down in front of a bully. Scared people go along. The problem is that America's nature -- good or bad -- is one of individualism. That's the American character. And you can't spook even a majority of the American population with lies for very long. Chump's lies are exposed in every community across the country.

And the pushback against Chump's horrible actions starts with one and builds and builds.

Poetic phrases come to mind
Whenever I find injustice being done
And I wonder, what am I gonna do, what am I gonna do
What can one do except to be one
Talking to two, touching three
Growing to four million
Each of us is one--all of us are one

-- "One," written by Carole King, first appears on her album SIMPLE THINGS

The more horror stories are learned of, the stronger the pushback grows. It's obvious unless you're a fool n cognitive decline. In which case? It's all a joke to you like it is to demented Donald. Li Zhou (HUFFINGTON POST) explains:

While touting the installation of new flag poles at the White House on Wednesday, President Donald Trump paused to ask the workers involved an awkward question about their immigration status.

“Do we have anybody here?” Trump asked the workers, who were flanking him in an apparent photo opportunity. “Any illegal immigrants?”

It's a joke to him. It's not a joke to the people whose lives are being destroyed, or to the people who worry their lives are about to be destroyed, or to those of us who know and love them as our friends, our co-workers, our neighbors. I've said this repeatedly including earlier this week, Americans are rejecting this and we're doing it as We The People because so few leaders have emerged on this issue. Bad Bunny's comments? They're going to help. But this is still, right now, about communities standing up for the people who live in them. And this repulsion to Chump's tactics is spreading and spreading.

Moises Sotelo is someone we've noted before. The vineyard manager in Oregon who ICE took away from his church June 12th and has held ever since. Cy Neff (THE GUARDIAN) reports:

Left in the lurch is Sotelo’s family, the church he attends, the employees of his small business, the vineyards he works with and friends made along the way. Requests to Ice from family or attorneys regarding next steps in Sotelo’s detention are hitting dead ends.

Anthony Van Nice, the owner of a local vineyard, first worked with Sotelo in the mid-1990s when Van Nice was a “cellar rat” getting his start in the wine industry. He considers Sotelo a friend and said he was “disappointed and disgusted” by the arrest, and the government’s treatment of immigrants.

“My concern is about my friends and neighbors who are getting rounded up by Ice,” Van Nice told the Guardian. “We built this country on the backs of immigrant labor … To just round them up like criminals and throw them into these overcrowded detention centers, send them packing without telling their family or attorneys where they are or where they’re going, it’s inhumane. It’s a human rights issue.”

Sotelo’s detention comes as Ice raids on farm workers are heating up in Oregon’s wine country and across the US. The Trump administration briefly directed US immigration agents to shift their focus away from farms, only to abruptly reverse course this week. Meanwhile, reports of masked, unidentified agents conducting workplace raids have become commonplace. America’s agricultural industry, where at least 42% of workers are estimated by the US Department of Labor to be undocumented, is exemplifying the practical limits of Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation agenda.

I don't believe that we've noted Victor Avila here before. Mandy Taheri (NEWSWEEK) reports:

Victor Avila, a 66-year-old green card holder who has lived in the United States since he was a teenager, was detained in May by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at San Francisco International Airport after returning from a trip to visit his son, a U.S. Air Force servicemember stationed in Japan, according to local reports and a GoFundMe page.

A longtime resident of San Diego, Avila has worked as a legal assistant at the workers' compensation law firm Kiwan & Chambers APC for over a decade. Colleagues from the firm organized the fundraiser.

It's one horror after another. AP's Russ Bynum reports:

U.S. immigration authorities said Wednesday they have detained a Spanish-language journalist, who will face deportation proceedings following his arrest on charges of obstructing police and unlawful assembly while covering a weekend protest outside Atlanta.

Mario Guevara was turned over by police to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody three days after he was jailed in DeKalb County, agency spokesman Lindsay Williams said in an emailed statement. His case now goes to immigration court to determine whether Guevara, a native of El Salvador, can remain in the U.S.

His attorney, Giovanni Diaz, has said that Guevara was doing his job and committed no crime when police arrested him. He also says Guevara has legal authorization to live and work in the U.S., and has a pending application for permanent residency. Diaz did not immediately return phone and email messages Wednesday.

David PlazaS (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION) notes that Mario was covering the No Kings protest in Atlanta when he was arrested and had posted on his INSTAGRAM account :

Buen día mi gente, yo sé que a más de alguno le va a molestar lo que diré, pero prefiero hacerlo y no callar, pues así se puede prevenir alguna desgracia. Se avecinan manifestaciones en contra de los operativos de ICE en diversos puntos de Estados Unidos, pero no vale la pena que la gente llegue a protestar con violencia ni a faltarle el respeto a las autoridades. Eso sólo nos hace quedar muy mal como comunidad. Nos deja ante la vista pública como seres violentos y malos, cuando la verdad es que somos todo lo opuesto. Otra cosa, si careces de estatus legal en el país, piénsalo un millón de veces antes de ir a estas demostraciones “pacíficas”. El riesgo de ser identificado y arrestado por las agencias federales es demasiado alto y la mayoría tenemos familias acá que dependen de nosotros. No vale la pena eso. Finalmente NO llevemos banderas de nuestros países. Se supone que queremos que algún día nos den legalización, pues tenemos que mostrar que amamos su tierra, lo cual es verdad, pues ya la mayoría nos hemos encariñado con esta patria, a pesar que no es nuestra y estoy seguro que más de alguno como yo, empuñaría un arma sin pensarlo para salir en defensa de USA si fuese necesario, en especial, los que tenemos hijos nacidos acá. ¿O me van a negar que cuando escuchan las notas del himno estadounidense sienten nostalgia, a pesar que no somos de acá? Porque yo sí lo he sentido muchas veces. Pongámonos en el lugar de los gringos, si yo estuviera en El Salvador y llegaran 1000 extranjeros, poniendo música en su idioma, y ondeando las banderas de Rusia, por ejemplo, yo lo tomaría como un intento de invasión y me preocuparía. Es mi opinión. Tiene derecho a pensar diferente. Si es el caso, pero déjamelo saber con respeto y educación, porque ese es otra cosa que aprovechamos las redes sociales para maldecir a los demás que ni siquiera conocemos a veces. Mal hecho.

He's noting protests going on and it is not worth it to protest violently or disrespectfully because that will be used to make the community look bad. He advises people who do not have documentation to avoid going to the protests to avoid being arrested. He advises them not to carry any flags other than US flags. He states if he were in El Salvador and 1000 people showed up waiving Russian flags, he would think El Salvador was being invaded.

Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon (ATLANTA CIVIC CIRCLE) notes:

Guevara is a prominent independent journalist in metro-Atlanta, known for his Spanish-language coverage of ICE and the Latino community. He was arrested by the Doraville Police Department last Saturday, while covering an anti-ICE protest on Chamblee Tucker Road in northeast Atlanta.

When he was arrested, Guevara was wearing a vest clearly marked “PRESS” and a helmet, while holding his phone to livestream the protest and police response. During his arrest, which he captured on his Facebook feed, Guevara can be heard calmly telling officers he is a member of the media.

During the protest, Atlanta Civic Circle reporters witnessed police in riot gear deploy tear gas on protestors at least three times and indiscriminately threaten to arrest both demonstrators and journalists who were standing on the sidewalk or in the parking lot of the Embry Village strip mall where the rally took place.

Joyce Lupiani (FOX 5) adds, "Guevara has extensively covered ICE arrests in the metro Atlanta area. He fled his native country of El Salvador in 2004 ahead of threats from leftwing paramilitary groups, according to laopinion.com. He has worked for Spanish-language media outlets including Atlanta Latino and Mundo Hispanico and won an Emmy Award in 2023 for his work. He founded MGNews in June last year to focus on immigration enforcement in metro Atlanta. He has more than 780,000 followers on Facebook alone." Shyna Mae Deang (INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES) notes, "He was booked into DeKalb County Jail, and while bond was initially granted, ICE filed a detainer. Instead of walking free, Guevara was moved to Stewart Detention Center, where he remains under immigration custody." Anyone can be targeted. Even if they have all the legal papers, as Mario did. Even if they'd been a Chump supporter, as Mario had. The Committee to Protect Journalists offers:

“We are deeply concerned by the ongoing detention of Spanish-language journalist Mario Guevara by authorities in DeKalb County, Georgia. He must be released immediately and the charges against him dropped,” said CPJ U.S., Canada and Caribbean Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen. “Guevara was doing his job and reporting the news at the time of his arrest. It is alarming that the charges he is now facing could be a pretext to begin deportation proceedings against him.”

Guevara, an Emmy-winning reporter who covers immigration on his “MGnews” Facebook page, and other social media platforms was livestreaming the protest in the Embry Hills neighborhood northwest of Atlanta when he was detained by police. At the time of his arrest, Guevara was wearing a press pass and clearly identified himself as a journalist to law enforcement, according to video footage of his arrest.

As we've noted before when it comes to the farm raids, the worst of the worst criminals are not spending their down time harvesting vegetables for someone else. That's not how it works. So these raids on workers? They're not capturing anyone whose some big time criminal. Jireh Deng (BUSINESS INSIDER) reports:

The normally bustling streets of Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles were quiet except for the commotion of sirens and gusty helicopters. Loud bangs punctuated the night, but LA's street vendors were still slinging tacos and crêpes to the few pedestrians who had ventured out.

It was the evening of Monday, June 9, the week that the LA Times reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained several hundred immigrants in Southern California. In response, the streets of downtown had been embroiled in four consecutive days of uproar.

From the taco stand where Celeste Sughey works as a cashier, we could hear protesters and law enforcement clashing. Sughey and her co-workers have continued to sell food despite the risk of being undocumented because their families depend on the paychecks.

"This is our only job, this is how we get to survive," Sughey said. She asked that the business not be named out of fear that it could be targeted by federal law enforcement.

Two other vendors I spoke to said they had work authorization in the US but aren't citizens. They feared being swept up in what they see as indiscriminate arrests targeting Latino workers.

These are dark days. But the sun does come out and it will come out. And those who hid in the shadows will not be looked upon kindly. The voices objecting to this unAmerican behavior are growing and will continue to grow.

Lastly, we'll close with this from THE ELEVENTH HOUR WITH STEPHANIE RUHLE who is disgusting the economy and the lies of Chump -- lies that include his 'big beautiful bill.'

ADDED: Adding this from THE BLACK COMMENTATOR.

The Black Commentator Issue #1046 is now Online

June 19, 2025

Read issue 1046

Our email address is BlackCommentator@gmail.com

Our voicemail number is 856.823.1739

Take me off the email list

The Black Commentator | P.O. Box 2635, A weekly publication dedicated to economic justice, social justice and peace.,
Tarpon Springs, FL 34688-2635

The following sites updated:

Watermelon Gazpacho in the Kitchen

Terry e-mails that those worried about the kitchen heating up the house as they fix dinner should consider making a gazpacho soup ''because there's no cooking!" Terry suggests Love & Lemon's Watermelon Gazpacho recipe:

Ingredients

4 heaping cups cubed seedless watermelon

1 English cucumber, diced, reserve half

3 medium tomatoes, diced, reserve half

1 small red bell pepper, diced, reserve half

⅓ cup chopped green onions, diced, reserve half

1 garlic clove

small handful basil

3 to 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ jalapeño pepper, optional

diced avocado, optional

micro greens, optional for garnish

Instructions

Set aside the reserved half of the chopped cucumber, tomatoes, red pepper and green onions and place the remaining half in a blender. Add the watermelon, garlic, basil, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and jalapeño pepper, if using. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Pour into a large bowl (or small individual jars, as pictured) and stir in the reserved chopped vegetables.

Chill for 3 to 4 hours or overnight.

Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with diced avocado and/or micro greens, if desired, before serving.

News? Ryan Adamczeski (The Advocate) reports:

The Trump Administration will eliminate funding for a crucial suicide hotline dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth in just one month.

The federal government will close the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services – a federal program that provides emergency crisis support to queer youth considering suicide – effective July 17, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced Wednesday. This is several months ahead of its initial October 1 closure deadline, first revealed by leaked budget draft in April.

“This is devastating, to say the least. Suicide prevention is about people, not politics," Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, said in a statement. "The administration’s decision to remove a bipartisan, evidence-based service that has effectively supported a high-risk group of young people through their darkest moments is incomprehensible. The fact that this news comes to us halfway through Pride Month is callous – as is the administration’s choice to remove the ‘T’ from the acronym ‘LGBTQ+’ in their announcement. Transgender people can never, and will never, be erased."

This is Donald Chump. He'll save pennies to hurt young people. He'll do nothing to make the country better.

This is C.I.'s "The Snapshot" for Thursday:

Thursday, June 19, 2025. An assaulter in chief leads to assaults being dismissed instead of prosecuted. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth crashes and burns before another Senate committee.

We're going to start with Senator Patty Murray. I wasn't at the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing yesterday. But I watched the video below and read the senator's statement before going to sleep last night. In my dreams, I kept returning to one thing and it's how Chump has degraded our country with his appointees and his executive order that have turned this government into an attack on those who are assaulted.

Washington, D.C. — Today, at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing to consider pending labor and civil rights nominations, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the HELP Committee, grilled Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Acting Chair and Commissioner nominee Andrea Lucas on dismissal of discrimination cases involving people who are nonbinary and the importance of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Senator Murray also spoke out against Trump’s illegal firing of EEOC Commissioners Charlotte Burrows and Jocelyn Samuels, which she forcefully condemned in January and led a letter in March demanding their immediate reinstatement.

[FIRING OF COMMISSIONERS SAMUELS AND BURROWS]

Senator Murray began by addressing President Trump’s unprecedented move earlier this year to fire two Democratic Commissioners on the EEOC: “On January 27, President Trump made the unprecedented and illegal move to fire two EEOC Commissioners—Jocelyn Samuels and Charlotte Burrows—without cause. In the EEOC’s 60-year history, the President has never fired a commissioner before their term expired. Commissioner Lucas, in 2021 you actually criticized President Biden’s move to fire the former General Counsel, calling the EEOC a ‘independent agency.’ Now that President Trump is in charge, all of the talk about the EEOC’s ‘independence’ has disappeared. These illegal firings are yet another example of the very long list of ways President Trump is weaponizing and making independent agencies political—in this case, the one Americans actually rely on for justice when they face discrimination at work.”

“I led a letter to President Trump pressing him to reinstate Commissioners Samuels and Burrows, and I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing any nominations to the EEOC until President Trump does that,” SenatorMurray said.

[DISMISSAL OF DISCRIMINATION CASES]

Senator Murray moved onto her questioning, focusing on the EEOC’s recent move to dismiss nearly every lawsuit it had filed over the past year alleging discrimination against transgender and nonbinary workers following President Trump’s Executive Order on “Gender Ideology” that recognizing only two “immutable” sexes: “Under President Trump, the EEOC has moved to dismiss cases they had previously agreed on—by a majority vote—to litigate. For example, the Commission recently dismissed a case, Lush Cosmetics, where the EEOC itself had alleged that a manager: groped an employee, asked an employee for sex, commented on employees’ breasts, tried to engage employees in sexual discussions, and used sexual profanities. Commissioner Lucas, was it your decision to dismiss that case?”

Commissioner Lucas first acknowledged that she had conveniently changed her position on the independence of the EEOC: “Thank you for the question, Senator, and for the opportunity to acknowledge my prior tweet and to note that I was wrong at that time…the agency is an executive branch agency. At the time that I indicated that, I was not aware of the long record that the agency had taken that position, and therefore it’s important for as an executive agency us to follow the President when he directs us in an Executive Order to defend women’s rights and to refer to individuals solely by their biological pronouns—”

Senator Murray redirected Commissioner Lucas to answer her question, saying: “Can you answer the question on dismissing the case? You were Acting Chair of the Commission when Lush Cosmetics, was it your decision to drop the case?”

“It was my decision in consultation with our career staff, unanimous decision of the career staff, that it was impossible to both comply with the President’s Executive Order as an executive branch agency and also zealously defend the workers who we had brought the case on behalf. We could not balance both of those interests and therefore we gave them an opportunity to intervene, and the case proceeds forward with those workers taking a position on their own,” Commissioner Lucas replied.

“I just want to be clear—what you’re saying is that when an employee is groped, propositioned for sex, and called abject slurs at work, the EEOC will do absolutely nothing to enforce anti-discrimination laws if that employee happens to be nonbinary, or otherwise doesn’t conform to this administration’s ideas about gender,” Senator Murray responded. “Is that correct?”

Commissioner Lucas replied, “Respectfully, I disagree with that conclusion.”

“I don’t know what conclusion we come to other than that with that decision,” Senator Murray pushed back.

“It shouldn’t matter what someone’s gender identity is. If they are harassed at work, they should be able to get the justice they are entitled to under the law,” Senator Murray concluded.

___________________________________

Throughout her career, Senator Murray has championed workers’ rights and fought to combat employment discrimination, including as the top Democrat on the Senate labor committee from 2015-2022—among other things, Senator Murray fought back against a proposed DOL rule by the Trump administration that would allow federal contractors and subcontractors to justify discrimination against women, LGBTQ+ people, and members of certain religious groups on ideological grounds. Senator Murray first introduced the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act—comprehensive labor legislation to protect workers’ right to stand together and bargain for fairer wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces—in the 116^th Congress, and also leads the Bringing an End to Harassment by Enhancing Accountability and Rejecting Discrimination (BE HEARD) in the Workplace Act, comprehensive legislation to prevent workplace harassment, strengthen and expand key protections for workers, and support workers in seeking accountability and justice.

###

There are important issues in the senator's press release and in the exchange in the video. We're just focusing on the middle one.

For those who have forgotten, Donald Chump has multiple credible claims of assault against him. Multiple. For those who have forgotten, he selected the highly unqualified Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense. Hegseth has allegations of spousal abuse against him -- ex-wife can't talk or risks legal fall out -- and he apparently assaulted a woman who he then settled with and made her sign an NDA and refused to release from that NDA so that she could testify to the Senate during his confirmation hearing.

If it walks like a duck . . .

And what we're seeing in Chump Land now is a government that works to excuse away abuse while punishing the abused.

Last week, Hegseth was at one hearing after another. He kept making statements -- his opening statements -- that included what sounded like threats. Here he is last Thursday before the House Armed Services Committee:

I have directed each of the military departments to conduct a review of their Military Equal Opportunity and Equal Employment Opportunity programs and processes. Our personnel deserve fair treatment and a positive work environment that is free from unlawful discrimination and harassment. They also deserve qualified leaders who are empowered to make tough decisions, enforce standards, and restore good order and discipline through balanced accountability. We are going to streamline investigation processes, address problematic behaviors, and mitigate undue mission impacts. Complaints that are unsubstantiated by actionable, credible evidence will be dismissed in a timely manner. Flimsy allegations will not be used adversely against the accused. Personnel who knowingly submit false complaints will be disciplined. This is critical to advancing meritocracy and balancing accountability. It is also the right thing to do for the DoD and our workforce. We will continue to hold leaders at all levels accountable for their actions, but the Department will no longer foster a culture of "walking on eggshells."

Hegseth, like Chump, apparently assaulted women. And now both men have been put in charge despite that fact. And read his remarks above. His anger is directed at those coming forward, not t those who have been put in positions of power. He wants to talk assaults and the assault that matters to him is the 'poor' person being accused of assault. He rips into these victims coming forward. They're liars! And they will be punished to the full extent!

Most coming forward are not liars.

And yet Hegseth has nothing to say about them. Even though it is them that the government owes an apology too. Even though it is them that qualify as the betrayed.

Hegseth had nothing to say about that despite the huge numbers of service members who have been assaulted by someone in command. Hill & Ponton is a firm specializing in veterans disability. They note:

Facts on Military Sexual Assault

High demand for VA health care. 1,307,781 outpatient visits took place at the VA for MST-related care in 2015.
The likelihood that a person’s mental health suffers and experience suicidal or depressive thoughts increases after sexual violence. Posttraumatic stress disorder can be common along with other mental health conditions.
People who have been sexually assaulted are more at risk for substance use and substance abuse than the general public.[4]
Sexual violence and the following psychological trauma also affects victims’ relationships with their family members, friends, and co-workers.
Victims are at risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

Statistics on Military Sexual Assault[5]

Sexual violence remains pervasive. In 2018, 20,500 service members were sexually assaulted or raped including 13,000 women and 7,500 men. The rate of sexual assault and rape jumped by almost 40% from 2016 to 2018, and for women veterans, the rate increased by over 50% to the highest level since 2006.
Of women who reported a penetrative sexual assault, 59% were assaulted by someone with a higher rank than them, and 24% were assaulted by someone in their chain of command.
Vast majority of cases go unreported. 76.1% of victims did not report the crime in 2018.
Retaliation is the norm. 64% of women who reported a sexual assault face retaliation. 66% of retaliation reports alleged that retaliators were in the reporter’s chain of command. A third of victims are discharged after reporting, typically within 7 months of making a report. Victims received harsher discharges, with 24% separate under less than fully honorable conditions, compared to 15% of all service members.
Low trust and satisfaction in the system. Over 1 in 4 victims who did not report feared retaliation from their command or coworkers. Nearly 1 in 3 victims who did not report feared the process would be unfair or nothing would be done. Less than half of the female veteran survivors felt well supported by their chain of command.
Convictions have plummeted by almost 60% in unrestricted sexual assaults reported since 2015. In 2018, of the 5,805 unrestricted reports of sexual assault, 307 cases were tried by court-martial, and 108 offenders were convicted of a nonconsensual sex offense.
40% of homeless women veterans have faced MST. Veterans with an MST history are over twice as likely to experience homelessness.[6]
9 out of every 10 victims of rape are female veterans.[7]

More Facts on Military Sexual Assault

High demand for VA health care. 1,307,781 outpatient visits took place at the VA for MST-related care in 2015.
The likelihood that a person’s mental health suffers and experience suicidal or depressive thoughts increases after sexual violence. Post traumatic stress disorder can be common along with other mental health conditions.
People who have been sexually assaulted are more at risk for substance use and substance abuse than the general public.[4]
Sexual violence and the following psychological trauma also affects victims’ relationships with their family members, friends, and co-workers.
Victims are at risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

More Statistics on Military Sexual Assault[5]

Sexual violence remains pervasive. In 2018, 20,500 service members were sexually assaulted or raped including 13,000 women and 7,500 men. The rate of sexual assault and rape jumped by almost 40% from 2016 to 2018, and for women veterans, the rate increased by over 50% to the highest level since 2006.
Of women who reported a penetrative sexual assault, 59% were assaulted by someone with a higher rank than them, and 24% were assaulted by someone in their chain of command.
Vast majority of cases go unreported. 76.1% of victims did not report the crime in 2018.
Retaliation is the norm. 64% of women who reported a sexual assault face retaliation. 66% of retaliation reports alleged that retaliators were in the reporter’s chain of command. A third of victims are discharged after reporting, typically within 7 months of making a report. Victims received harsher discharges, with 24% separate under less than fully honorable conditions, compared to 15% of all service members.
Low trust and satisfaction in the system. Over 1 in 4 victims who did not report feared retaliation from their command or coworkers. Nearly 1 in 3 victims who did not report feared the process would be unfair or nothing would be done. Less than half of the female veteran survivors felt well supported by their chain of command.
Convictions have plummeted by almost 60% in unrestricted sexual assaults reported since 2015. In 2018, of the 5,805 unrestricted reports of sexual assault, 307 cases were tried by court-martial, and 108 offenders were convicted of a nonconsensual sex
40% of homeless women veterans have faced MST. Veterans with an MST history are over twice as likely to experience homelessness.[6]
9 out of every 10 victims of rape are female veterans.[7]

Reading the above statistics, go back and read Hegseth's nonsense:

He is not concerned about the survivors of assault.

He makes no mention of what a betrayal assault is. He calls out only people coming forward. Again, the vast number of people coming forward are telling the truth. But the survivors do not matter one bit to Hegseth as evidenced by his own remarks and what he choose to emphasize.

That's why, Senator Joni Ernst -- you stupid idiot -- you don't vote to confirm someone like him.

When you do, the system of justice is inverted, turned upside down and it becomes about assaulters protecting other assaulters.

I was at yesterday's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing and we're going to cover that. Pete Hegseth and his DoD cronies, as you will see, were feeling a little wee-wee.

Senator Tammy Duckworth: In response to my colleague from Oklahoma, I believe the Secretary of Defense has just responded last week and admitted that the $1 billion mission that he led against the Houthis who do not have a navy has not restored the transit of US flag commercial vessels through the Red Sea and in fact has resulted in the loss of two F18 Hornets to the tune of 60 million dollars a piece as well as, I believe, the last count was seven Reaper drones to the tune of another 200 million dollars. You [Pete Hegseth] are blowing through money like my fellow cadets and I did in our first liberty after basic camp. Luckily, I didn't end up with a questionable tattoo. Your facilities, Mr Secretary, since you've taken office has been staggering. You sent classified operational information over Signal to chest thump in front of your wife -- who, by the way, has no security clearance -- risking service members' lives in the process. You blew the one million dollar fight against the Houthis whom, again as my colleague says, have no navy and yet you lost all of those aircraft. You've created such a hostile command environment that no one wants to serve as your Chief of Staff or work with you and other senior DoD leadership roles. But what you should all be talking about more than all of this is that you have an unjustified, unAmerican use of the military and American cities pulling resources and attention away from core missions to the detriment of the country, the war fighters and, yes, the war fighting that you claim to love. I don't know if this is because you are too inexperienced and incompetent to understand the real threats facing our country of if its because you are just an unqualified yes-man who can't tell the president how to keep Americans are safe. You are focusing on renaming bases for Confederate generals. You said just now to Senator King that to a man and to a woman we would rather be associated with the old Confederate names. Well I am one of those women. I served at Fort Rucker, Alabama -- a base that was named for a traitor who took up arms against the United States of America, led troops who killed Americans. It was renamed for Mike Novosel -- a Medal of Honor recipient who, in his citation for the Medal of Honor, includes that he saved 29 American lives, including hovering backwards in a helicopter towards an enemy bank bunker where a wounded American was laying and saved that -- and saved that person -- including after taking fire himself. I know a little something about what it takes to fly a helicopter when you've been hit by enemy fire. That was heroic. I'd rather be associated with Mike Novosel than a Confederate traitor. I don't know whether you inexperienced or too incompetent but I wonder when you will actually focus on our nation's war fighting mission? We know that California is just a deliberate, systematic, political and dangerous campaign led by you. We should not be using our mayor :::: military to play cops against Americans. General [J Daniel] Caine, a key part of your job is to coordinate military planning across the joint-force. Is the department currently incorporating into any military plans expanding the use of reserve forces to include the National Guard or active duty troops to support domestic law enforcement -- including in other locations in the United States?

General J Daniel Caine: Uh, Senator, you know we-we -- uh, carefully

Senator Tammy Duckworth: Yes or no, General.

General J Daniel Caine: Well . . . it's-it's not really a yes-or-a-no question, Madam Senator. We-we plan all kinds of different things. I'm not aware of any -- I'm not aware of anything. But the reason why I'm answering is the tags may be looking at something that I'm not aware of.

Senator Tammy Duckworth: What are you doing at your level? You're not aware of that happening at your level? Because we know that on his first day, President Trump directed US Northern Command to revise its unified command plan to add new planning requirements to combat and, I quote, "criminal activities." A series of follow-up executive orders continue to redirect DoD priorities to supporting domestic law enforcement including one in April that tells DoD, and I quote, "it's for law and order." In other words, do law enforcement's job. I'd like to enter these executive orders into the record, Mr Chairman.

Chair Roger F Wicker: Is there objection? Without objection.

Senator Tammy Duckworth: Secretary Hegseth, you say you are force focused -- on war fighting and warriors. Those are your words. Yet you are diverting untold DoD resources and attention to fundamentally non-military mission of domestic policing across the country. We have qualified police officers who are trained for that mission. They know those streets better than the Marines you deployed to Los Angeles who normally focus on the Indo Pacific. And you recently approved 700 more troops in three other states to do admin and logistic works for ICE. You say all of this is valuable training but I would much rather our troops do tough, realistic training relevant to high-end combat. Instead of typing in spread sheets for ICE, they should be conducting live fire maneuver exercises, instead of patrolling American neighborhoods and standing in front of federal buildings, they should be rehearsing call-for-fire missions. We have local police who can stand in front of those federal buildings. And the list of distractions goes on. You are encouraging the DoD workforce to go work for DHS in increasing numbers. You are pulling the military away from facing foreign enemies who literally say things like "Death to America!" and you're putting troops with weapons aimed at Americans Mr Secretary, let the military get back to its real job. Stop forcing them to do DHS'. And if you want to be DHS secretary, maybe you can apply for that job when you're fired from this one due to your staggering incompetence.

There is so much worth reviewing in the above. For example, the senator is correct, 100%, that using the military on American streets is a misuse that weakens the military forces. And we'll come back to that topic. But Tammy just laid it out throughout her remarks and I think we need to all be clear on reality and make this the end of 'participation' trophies.

We do not have, in the US, a Fort Kim Il-Sung.

We don't have that.

Why?

He was the leader of North Korea when the US was in the Korean War. Kim II-Sung was not an American soldier or general or commander-in-chief. He was an enemy of the American people

By the same token, I don't care if you're huffing the rags of great grandpappy's Confederate Army uniform, great grandpappy was a traitor to the United States who took up arms against the country. You've had your time to heal. Now it's time to get real. There was never a need to glorify the Confederacy.

They were traitors. Pete Hegseth identifies with them because he glorifies the traitors of the January 6th insurrection.

It's 2025, we're not pretending for the sake of hurt feelings Everyone who fought in the Civil War is long dead. Those of us in the country today need to stop walking on egg shells. That is not me being an idiot like Patricia Arquette who once took to Twitter to slam people who have ancestors that were in the Confederacy. I'm not blaming you for what some distant uncle Jed did two centuries back. That has nothing to do with you. I'm not blaming you for it. But I am saying that it's time for you to grasp that the propaganda ends now. F**k GONE WITH THE WIND, f**k all the propaganda. They were traitors. They took up arms against the United States. Traitors.

Just like the insurrectionists of January 6th.

The classic definition of a traitor, Senator Angus King had noted earlier and asked Hegseth, "Why are you going through these incredible gymnastics, finding current soldiers or other soldiers to rename? And you slipped a minute ago. You said 'We're returning these bases to their original names." He did slip.

Hegseth slipped and Angus caught it. King stated, "I don't understand what the motivation is to rename bases for people who took up arms against their country on behalf of slavery."

Hegseth spewed a lot of nonsense but it was a hard sell to the Committee.

Senator Tim Kaine: Earlier this month, you announced a plan to change the names of three Virginia military bases to restore the names of Confederate era generals on those bases. You researched to find brave American soldiers with the same last names -- Lee, Hill and Pickett -- who had not fought for the Confederacy and declared that those Confederate adjacent names would be restored. The problem is that you had to strip away the names of four amazing people that the Pentagon and local communities had chosen to honor at the Virginia bases. Van Barfoot, he was a Mississippi native, Mr. Chair, who came to Fort Pickett in the early forties to train for war. He fought all over Europe in WWII. He won the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery leading his platoon in southern Italy. He killed ten of the enemy, captured seventeen more and escorted two wounded Americans 1700 yards to safety under enemy fire. Stayed in the army for another 34 years seeing action in both the Korean and the Vietnam Wars and being assigned as the Army liaison to the Virginia National Guard at Fort Pickett. Long after he retired, he maintained his tie to the Fort and to the Virginia National Guard. I was at the naming ceremony where this base to which he had devoted so much of his life was named in his honor. His family was there and they were so proud. Arthur Gregg served in the Army for more than 30 years. He was the first African-American to reach the rank of Brigadier General, first to reach the rank of Lt General. Began as an enlisted, eventually decided to become a commissioned officer. Went to Fort Lee for quartermaster training. Quickly rose through the ranks as an instructor even though he was not allowed to go to the officers club because of the color of his skin. He finished his career in 1979 as the Director of All Army Logistics Operations around the world. He stayed near Fort Leon retirement, raised his family there and was a continuous, beloved presence until his death last summer at 96. He was actually at the renaming ceremony with his family in 2022 -- at this place that meant so much to him. Charity Adams? Charity Adams was an Army officer during WWII. The first African-American woman allowed to join the WACS [Women's Army Corps]. She was the commanding officer of the 6888 Central Postal Directory Battalion -- a unique battalion composed primarily of African-American women making sure that American GIs in Europe got their mail during World War II. Our colleagues, [Senator] Jacky Rosen and [Senator] Jerry Moran successfully passed a bill in 2002 giving the 6888 the Congressional Gold Medal. Charity Adams was the highest ranking African-American woman in the military at the end of WWII. Her family was at the dedication of Fort Gregg Adams, named in honor of these two trail blazing logistic leaders. They were so proud. Finally, Mary Walker, the only woman ever to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. She graduated from Syracuse Medical School in 1855. She tried to join the Union Army as a surgeon, was turned away because she was a woman. But the need was so great, she eventually got hired in a military hospital in Washington and then was deployed as an Army surgeon with the Army of the Cumberland and the 52nd Ohio Infantry becoming the first female surgeon in the US Army. She served all over Virginia including the place where the base is now named after her. She frequently crossed the battle lines to treat civilians and even treated Confederate soldiers. She was captured a prisoner of war in Richmond until a prisoner release. President Andrew Johnson gave her the Congressional Medal of Honor after the Civil War. Why did you decide that these four patriots were not worthy enough to have their names on a base.

Secretary Pete Hegseth: Well, Senator, as you know this was never about the names of the bases. They were renamed to.

Senator Tim Kaine: So you don't challenge the bases --

Secretary Pete Hegseth: Restoring all bases to their original names were not about erasing.

Senator Tim Kaine: Okay, you don't care about their military record, you wanted to restore the Confederate names. When you called the Gregg family to tell them that their dad's name was no longer going to be on the base, what was their reaction?

Secretary Pete Hegseth: Uhm, Senator, the army notified them of that.

Senator Tim Kaine: You didn't call any of the families and I've spoken with the families and the families were called by the press. That's how they learned about this. They learned about it from the press, you didn't call the Barfoot family, the Gregg family and you didn't call the Adams family. I told the families that I'd ask you about this today. In fact, two of General Gregg's granddaughters, Avery and Sydney, are right here in the audience. And I want to ask you this as I close. While you announced that these brave men and women's names would be stripped from the Virginia bases, no orders to that effect have been received by the base commanders. In light of the patriotic service of Van Barfoot, Arthur Gregg, Charity Adams and Mary Walker, I'd like to ask you simply not to issue the orders changing the names of these Virginia bases. These families, my Commonwealth, are very proud of these heroes, very satisfied with these names, and ask you not to change them. Will you honor these exemplary patriots and keep their worthy names in places on the bases they loved and where they served?

Secretary Pete Hegseth: Senator, we very much thank and appreciate them for their service and we'll find ways to recognize them but the orders will soon be going to those bases to change the names back to the original name that never should have been changed.

They never should have been changed. What a damn fool. What a damn racist.

And Hegseth isn't just pro-racist, he's someone who hates Jewish people.

Senator Jacky Rosen: Secretary Hegseth, would you agree that every senior official in the Department of Defense must reflect the values and conduct that our servicemembers must uphold and our citizens expect?

Secretary Pete Hegseth: Senator, we want to uphold the highest possible standards.

Senator Jacky Rosen: I’ll take that for a yes. Would you also agree that antisemitism and antisemitic conspiracy theories have no place in our government or military?

Secretary Pete Hegseth: They should not.

Senator Jacky Rosen: Would you agree that anyone who has posted “antisemitic conspiracy theories lifted right out of the neo-Nazi playbook,” shouldn’t be anywhere near a position of power? Yes or no, please.

Secretary Pete Hegseth: Since I don’t believe the characterization of many officials in the news media, I would need to see precisely what’s being characterized.

Senator Jacky Rosen: But generally…

Secretary Pete Hegseth: Generally speaking, sure.

Senator Jacky Rosen: Would you not say that if you thought something was coming out of a neo-nazi playbook it doesn’t have any place in our Department of Defense? Now, Secretary Hegseth, the quote I just read you was referencing Ms. Kingsley Wilson, the DOD press secretary, who my Republican colleagues on this committee have also expressed alarm over due to her public comments. In fact, one colleague said, “Obviously, I don’t agree with her comments. I trust the Pentagon will address this." However, in the months since, not only have you not addressed these comments, you have promoted Ms. Wilson. This seems to be at odds with President Trump’s commitment to combat antisemitism, which you just said you agreed with. So, Secretary Hegseth, given the rise in antisemitic violence and hate crimes in our nation, and to show that the Trump Administration does have a zero-tolerance policy for antisemitism, will you dismiss Ms. Kingsley from her role as the U.S. military’s spokesperson today? Yes or no.

Secretary Pete Hegseth: Again, that’s why I referenced the context and characterization. I’ve worked directly with her; she does a fantastic job, and any suggestion that I, or her, or others are party to antisemitism is a mischaracterization attempting to win political points.

Senator Jacky Rosen: I’m going to assume that your lack of an answer confirms what we’ve known all along, that the Trump Administration is not serious. You are not a serious person. You are not serious about rooting out antisemitism in the ranks of our DOD. It’s despicable. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

He should be ashamed of himself, he's doing a lousy job in a position he was never qualified for. The topic of this hearing -- as was the case in three Congressional hearings last week -- was the DoD budget that was due back in February but which Hegseth still can't pull together. He can't even do the basics of his damn job.

Senator Angus King: Let me talk about the budget. I don't understand why the budget is coming to us in two pieces. Why not give us an honest base budget instead of putting a piece of it in reconciliation? As I understand it, OMB (the Office of Management and Budget) is saying we are going to have a flat defense budget for the next four or five years. Are we playing reconciliation every year from now on? Why not give us an honest budget telling us what your priorities are, and we can consider it. This committee always works on a bipartisan basis on the defense budget. We all want to see some increases in the defense budget, yet you are giving us this fake [version] — here is a piece of the project, here is another. In the base budget you are cutting ship building in half and saying, well we’re going to make it up in reconciliation. Are we going to have reconciliation every year? Which basically puts a significant part, 10% or 15% of the defense budget in a wholly partisan decision-making process, whereas in the history of this committee it has always been bipartisan. Why are we doing it this way?

Hegseth could not supply an honest answer. Honesty is even more difficult for Hegseth than answering yes-or-no questions.

Republican Roger Wicker is the Chair of the Committee and even he expressed his disappointment over Hegseth's inability, all these months later, to submit a budget plan that's over four months late. This point was raised repeatedly because Hegsteh is derelict in his duty.

Senator Richard Blumenthal: I want to move onto another area of questioning. The Chairman has said that you have submitted precious little detail. to quote him, "precious little detail about the budget." I think there is no detail. This budget is literally a rough outline, with shortsighted shortfalls. For example, the shortfall on the Columbia-class, two billion dollars. Only about one billion dollars for Virginia-class. There is virtually no outline or specificity as to how you are going to provide drones to defend and also engage in offensive outline and maneuvers.

He's not doing his job. He's doing everything but his job and then he lies when he's caught.

The families whose names were being stripped from the forts? He lies to Senator Tim Kaine that "the army notified them of that." But, no, that was just a lie. No notification took place. He's a cheap, filthy liar who can't pull together a budget, who can't stop attacking former President Joe Biden. The drunk was wearing his little boy dress shirt and had on even more foundation (make up) then he did in all three of the hearings he appeared at last week. He has plenty of time for things like that but he just can't manage time when it comes to doing his damn job -- a job that was always going to be over his head.

Senator Elissa Slotkin: Mr Secretary, I said in your hearing -- when you had your confirmation hearing -- that my biggest concern was -- with you at the helm -- was the potential use of the military in ways that contradict the Constitution or that taint what I hope we all want which is an apolitical military. And when I asked you about an order that was actually given to your predecessor, Secretary [Mark] Esper to deploy active-duty troops on the protesters. You said this was all theoretical. Here we are a few months later, you've deployed 4700 troops to Los Angeles against the wishes of the governor and my colleague across the aisle is right: It is the first time since 1965 that we have deployed guard troops without the permission of the governor. In all the incidents that he laid out, the president had sent in the military to protect the protesters, not against the protesters You may dismiss it. But I feel like this is a fundamental issue of American democracy. If you love your country and you want an apolitical military, then it should be the last resort, not the first resort in our country to use them. So to get to the nontheoritical, have you authorized the uniform military to detain or arrest protesters in Los Angeles?

Secretary Pete Hegseth: Senator, I would just start by saying --

Senator Elissa Slotkin: Just answer the question

[cross talk]

Senator Elissa Slotkin: What you're doing is something different. Everyone knows this is a political decision. Right? So we don't trust that you're using the best interests of the military certainly and of democracy on top of that. So have you given the order? That's all I want to know. It's not theoretical. For the US military -- not law enforcement, they can arrest all day long, that's their job -- do they have the ability, the uniformed military to arrest and detain protesters currently today.

Secretary Pete Hegseth: Um-um -- I-I

Senator Elissa Slotkin: It's a yes or not thing --

Secretary Pete Hegseth: It's amusing --

Senator Elissa Slotkin: It's not --

Secretary Pete Hegseth: These troops are given very clear orders --

Senator Elissa Slotkin:Then what is the order? List it out for us. Be a man, list it out. Did you authorize them to detain or arrest? That is a fundamental issue of democracy I'm not trying to be a snot. Did you authorize them to do that?

All of these orders and what they are sent there to do are public --

Senator Elissa Slotkin: So say it. Say it. Yes or no.

Secretary Pete Hegseth: I'd like to.

Senator Elissa Slotkin: So say it. Yes or no.

Hegseth babbles away and, of course, does not say yes or no but does bring in former President Joe Biden to attack Joe's character and leadership. They have nothing else to offer but, all these months later, still blaming the previous president.

Senator Elissa Slotkin: Have you given the order to be able to shoot at unarmed protesters, in any way? I’m just asking the question. Don’t laugh. Like the whole country.... And by the way, my colleagues across the aisle—

Secretary Pete Hegseth: What is that based on? What evidence would you have that an order like that has ever been given?

Senator Elissa Slotkin: It is based on Donald Trump giving that order to your predecessor, to a Republican secretary of defense, who I give a lot of credit to because he didn’t accept the order. He had more guts and balls than you because he said, I’m not going to send in the uniformed military to do something that I know in my gut isn’t right. He was asked to shoot at their legs. He wrote that in his book. That’s not hearsay. So your pooh-poohing of this—it just shows you don’t understand who we are as a country, who we are. And all of my colleagues across the aisle, especially the ones that served, should want an apolitical military and not want citizens to be scared of their own military. I love the military. I served alongside my whole life. So I’m worried about you tainting it. Have you given the order? Have you given the order that they can use lethal force against [unarmed protesters]? I want the answer to be no. Please tell me it’s no. Have you given the order?

Hegseth: Senator, I’d be careful what you read in books, and believing it, except for THE BIBLE.

We're stopping there. Hegseth is not a Christian. The thrice married drunk has crashed veteran organizations while padding his own pocket. There is nothing Christian about him. But called out in a hearing, he tries to hide behind THE BIBLE.

THE BIBLE is not what his position requires his knowledge of. To be Secretary of Defense, one of your 'bibles' has to be THE UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE (UCMN) and Hegseth has demonstrated nothing in action or word to indicate he's even remotely familiar with it.

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