MEXICO CITY — The United States has widened its military campaign against alleged drug traffickers in Latin America, announcing on Wednesday that its forces had struck a boat purportedly smuggling narcotics off the Pacific coast of Colombia.
It was the eighth alleged drug vessel bombed by the U.S. in recent weeks, and the first attacked in the Pacific Ocean.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the airstrike killed two people, bringing the death toll in the attacks to 34. He said the vessel was “known by our intelligence” to be carrying narcotics, but did not provide evidence of those claims.
Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel being operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization and conducting narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific.
In a short video clip posted on X by Hegseth, a small boat carrying some kind of cargo is seen speeding through waves before a massive explosion hits, leaving the vessel drifting on the water in flames.
The attack drew swift rebuke from U.S. lawmakers who have criticized the Trump administration’s campaign of secretive strikes.
“Another illegal military strike on a boat, this time in the Pacific, broadening the Administration’s deadly campaign to another ocean,” said Sen. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California. “Once again, there is no detail on who was killed or why.”
The latest attack comes amid escalating tensions between President Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro, and some observers speculated that it was designed in part to punish Petro for defying Trump.
Petro, who has criticized Trump on issues ranging from migration to the war in Gaza, has in recent days accused the U.S. of killing innocent civilians and of using the strikes as pretext to try to push out Venezuela’s leftist authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro. He has slammed Trump for not doing more to reduce demand for narcotics in the U.S., which is the world’s top consumer of drugs.
After Petro accused the U.S. of murder, saying that an earlier strike had killed a Colombian fisherman in the Caribbean, Trump retorted without evidence that Petro was a “drug dealer” and warned that the U.S. would take unilateral action to combat drug trafficking there. He also vowed to cut aid to Colombia, which has long been one of America’s closest allies in the region, and to impose punishing tariffs on Colombian imports.
Since Trump took office in January, he has gone to lengths to paint Latin American drug traffickers as a threat to national security, officially declaring several cartels as terrorist groups and then ordering the Pentagon to use military force against them. Trump, who insists the U.S. is locked in an “armed conflict” with the cartels and has the right to defend itself against them, has deployed thousands of U.S. troops and a small armada of ships and warplanes to the Caribbean.
In his social media post, Hegseth compared the alleged drug traffickers to Al Qaeda, the terror group that masterminded the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
“Just as Al Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people,” Hegseth said. “There will be no refuge or forgiveness — only justice.”
U.S. lawmakers, including members of Trump’s Republican Party, have questioned the legality — as well as the effectiveness — of the strikes.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said this week that he believes the strikes are illegal because only Congress has the authority to declare war. Boats traveling some 2,000 miles south of the U.S. border don’t pose an imminent threat to Americans, he told journalist Piers Morgan.
“These are outboard boats that would have to refuel 20 times to reach Miami,” he said.
Paul questioned why U.S. officials weren’t first attempting to detain the boats and arrest the suspected smugglers before carrying out lethal strikes. “We don’t just summarily execute people,” he said. “We present evidence and convict them.”
Paul is part of a bipartisan group of senators that is planning to force a vote on legislation that would block the U.S. from engaging in hostilities within or against Venezuela without explicit approval from Congress. The measure’s passage is a long shot in the Republican-dominated Senate, but a vote would require senators to take a public stance on Trump’s escalating military campaign.
Schiff, who co-introduced the resolution, said the Senate must assert its authority and “stop the United States from being dragged — intentionally or accidentally — into full-fledged war in South America.”
Michael Shifter, past president of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington research group, said the broadening of the military’s theater to the Pacific may be an effort to address criticism that only a small amount of drugs that reach the U.S. are trafficked through the Caribbean.
The Pacific is a major corridor for U.S.-bound illicit drugs, especially Colombia-produced cocaine. Chemical precursors for fentanyl and other synthetic drugs also cross the Pacific from Asia to Mexico.
“It may be aimed at trying to strengthen their case, because they’re being questioned a lot on that,” Shifter said, referring to the Trump administration. “The Pacific is where most of the drugs come from.”
He said the expanded strikes may increase fears in Mexico — the major conduit for drugs entering the United States. U.S. officials have warned that drone strikes on drug producers or traffickers in Mexico may be coming, even as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says her country would treat any unilateral military actions on her territory as “an invasion.”
“I’m sure they’re asking themselves in Mexico: ‘Are we next?’” Shifter said.
The White House has been more focused on Latin America than previous administrations, in part because its foreign policy is driven by Marco Rubio, Trump’s secretary of State and national security advisor. Rubio, the son of immigrants from Cuba, has a deep interest in the region and has long sought to counter leftists there, especially the authoritarian leaders of Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba.
Many analysts believe the strikes, the military buildup and Trump’s authorization for the CIA to conduct covert action in Venezuela are signs that the White House hopes to topple Maduro, who leads one of the world’s most oil-rich nations.
But that contrasts with Trump’s repeated vow not to interfere in the politics of other nations. “The interventionalists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand,” he told an audience in the Middle East earlier this year.
Linthicum and McDonnell reported from Mexico City and Ceballos from Washington.
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Kate Linthicum, Ana Ceballos, Patrick J. McDonnell
NEWARK, N.J. (WPVI) — In the closely-watched race for governor of New Jersey, some big names for both parties will be working to help their candidates in the final days.
Former President Barack Obama will be in New Jersey to campaign with Democrat Mikie Sherrill on the final weekend before Election Day, and President Donald Trump is planning to host tele-rallies for Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
The high-profile endorsements in the race for the next governor of New Jersey is a big deal, and not just for the Garden State.
“This is just only one year after national elections, it’s very important, kind of bellwether to see where the country may be leaning,” said Peter Kasabach, Executive Director NJ Future.
The Democratic Party is bringing out its heavy hitter in support of Sherrill, announcing Tuesday morning, a November 1 rally will be held in Newark with former President Obama.
Meanwhile, on Monday evening, President Trump posted on Truth Social, “Jack Ciattarelli is a winner for New Jersey,” announcing plans for a group of campaign robocalls.
“Democrats and Republicans know nationwide, this is a do-or-die race for them,” said Ashley Koning of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling. “We also have President Trump looming over this entire election as a huge political figure. And so, you know, it’s not surprising that now we see who is probably still the most popular democratic figurehead at the national level, Barack Obama, now wading into this race as well.”
“There’s a lot of really important issues facing New Jersey. Probably the biggest one is affordability,” Kasabach said.
Affordability, one of the key kitchen table issues facing his successor, was addressed by Governor Phil Murphy on Tuesday morning at Aspen Ideas: Economy Newark Festival.
“There’s an unprecedented amount of volatility that leads to a lot of uncertainty, economic anxiety,” Murphy said.
Murphy narrowly defeated Ciattarelli in 2021, with support from Obama
A few Newark residents reacted to the announcement that Obama would be campaigning in their city.
“It lets me know that he’s, he’s still very much involved in politics,” said Newark resident Kimberly Martin.
Resident Shahid Ali said it doesn’t move the needle for her.
It’s been 60 years since New Jerseyans elected a governor from the same party for three consecutive terms – since 1965.
What impact and influence Obama and Trump will have on voter turnout, remains to be seen after Election Day.
SAN FRANCISCO — State Sen. Scott Wiener couldn’t wait any longer. The once-in-a-generation political opening he’d eyed for years had arrived, he decided — whether the grand dame of San Francisco politics agreed or not.
On Wednesday, Wiener, 55, a prolific and ambitious lawmaker, formally announced his candidacy for the San Francisco congressional seat held for nearly four decades by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, 85, who remains one of the party’s most powerful leaders and has yet to reveal her own intentions for the 2026 race.
“The world is changing, the Democratic Party is changing, and it’s time,” Wiener said in an interview with The Times. “I know San Francisco, I have worked tirelessly to represent this community — delivering housing, health care, clean energy, LGBTQ and immigrant rights — and I have a fortitude and backbone to be able to deliver for San Francisco in Congress.”
State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) announced Wednesdat that he will run for the congressional seat currently held by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
(Josh Edelson/For The Times)
Wiener’s announcement — which leaked in part last week — caught some political observers off guard, given Wiener had for years seemed resigned to run for Pelosi’s seat only once she stepped aside. But it stunned few, given how squarely it fit within the broader political moment facing the Democratic Party.
In recent years, a long-simmering reckoning over generational power has exploded into the political forefront as members of the party’s old guard have increasingly been accused of holding on too long, and to their party’s detriment.
Long-serving liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ruffled many Democratic feathers by declining to step down during Barack Obama’s presidency despite being in her 80s. She subsequently died while still on the court at the age of 87 in 2020, handing President Trump his third appointment to the high court.
Visitors walk past a bust of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein at San Francisco City Hall. The former mayor of San Francisco served in the Senate until she died in 2023 at age 90.
(Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
As a result, age has become an unavoidable tension point for Democrats heading into next year’s midterm elections.
It has also been an issue for Republicans, including Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), 83, the former Senate majority leader who has faced health issues in recent years and is retiring in 2026 after more than 40 years in the Senate. Other older Republicans are facing primary challenges for being perceived as too traditional or insufficiently loyal to Trump or the MAGA movement — including Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), 73 and in office since 2002, and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), 68 and in the Senate since 2015.
For decades, many conservatives have called for congressional term limits in opposition to “career politicians” who cling to power for too long. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, and David Trone, a Maryland Democrat, renewed those calls on Wednesday, announcing in an op-ed published in the New York Times that they would co-chair a national campaign to push for term limits.
However, perhaps because they are in power, the calls for a generational shake-up in 2026 have not been nearly as loud on the Republican side.
Democratic Party activists have sounded the alarm about a quickening slide into gerontocracy on the political left, blamed it for their party’s inability to mount an energetic and effective response to Trump and his MAGA movement, and called for younger candidates to take the reins — while congressional leaders in their 70s and 80s have increasingly begun weighing their options in the face of primary challenges.
“It’s fair to say the political appetite for octogenarians is not high,” said Eric Jaye, a veteran Democratic strategist in San Francisco.
“The choice in front of people is not just age,” said Saikat Chakrabarti, a 39-year-old tech millionaire and Democratic political operative who is also running for Pelosi’s seat. “We need a whole different approach and different candidates.”
“There’s like this unspoken rule that you don’t do what we’re doing in this moment. You sit out and wait your turn,” said Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang, 40, who has launched a primary challenge to Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento), who is 81 and has been in Congress since 2005. “But I’m not going to wait on the sidelines, because there is an urgency of now.”
A national trend
The generational shift promises to reshape Congress by replacing Democrats across the country, including some who are leaving without a fight.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, 78 and a senator representing New Hampshire since 2009, said in March that it was “time” to step aside.
In Illinois, Sen. Richard Durbin, 80 and a senator since 1997, and Rep. Jan Schakowsky, 81 and in the House since 1999, both announced in May that they would not run again. Durbin said it was time “to pass the torch,” while Schakowsky praised younger “voices” in the party as “so sharp.”
Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, 78 and in the House since 1992, announced his retirement last month, saying that “watching the Biden thing really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party.”
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks at a news conference.
(Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Other older Democrats, meanwhile, have shown no intention of stepping aside, or are seeking out new roles in power.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills, 77, recently announced she is running to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is 72 and has been in the Senate since 1997. Mills has tried to soften concerns about her age by promising to serve just one term if elected.
Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, 79 and in the Senate since 2013, has stiffly rebuffed a primary challenge from Rep. Seth Moulton, 46, accusing Moulton of springing a challenge on him amid a shutdown and while he is busy resisting Trump’s agenda.
In Connecticut, Rep. John Larson, 77, who has been in office since 1999 and suffered a complex partial seizure on the House floor in February, has mocked his primary challengers’ message of generational change, telling Axios, “Generational change is fine, but you’ve got to earn it.”
David Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., speaks at the 2022 March for Our Lives.
(Leigh Vogel / Getty Images for March For Our Lives)
David Hogg, a 25-year-old liberal activist who was thrust into politics by the 2018 mass shooting at his Parkland, Fla., high school, is among the party’s younger leaders pushing for new blood. He recently declined to seek reelection as the co-vice chair of the Democratic National Committee to bring primary challenges to older Democratic incumbents with his group Leaders We Deserve.
When he announced that decision in June, Hogg called the idea that Democratic leaders can stay in power until they die even if they don’t do a good job an “existential threat to the future of this party and nation.” His group fundraises and disperses money to young candidates it backs.
When asked by The Times about Pelosi and her primary challengers, however, Hogg was circumspect, calling Pelosi “one of the most effective and consequential leaders in the history of the Democratic Party.”
A shift in California
Pelosi is not the only older California incumbent facing a primary challenge. In addition to Matsui, the list also includes Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Porter Ranch), who is 70 and has been in office since 1997, and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), who is 74 and has been in office since 1999.
But Pelosi’s challenges have attracted more attention, perhaps in part because her departure from Congress would be the clearest sign yet that the generational shift sought by younger party activists is fully underway.
Nancy Pelosi is sworn in as House speaker in 2007, surrounded by her grandchildren and children of other members of Congress.
(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
A trailblazer as the first female speaker of the House, Pelosi presided over two Trump impeachments. While no longer in leadership, she remains incredibly influential as an arm-twister and strategist.
She played a central role in sidelining Biden after his debate meltdown, and for the last couple months has been raising big money — a special skill of hers — in support of California’s Proposition 50. The measure seeks voter approval to redraw California’s congressional districts to better favor Democrats in response to Trump’s pressure campaign on Texas and other red states to redraw their lines in favor of Republicans.
Pelosi has used Prop. 50 in recent days to deflect questions about her primary challengers and her plans for 2026, with her spokesman Ian Krager saying she “is fully focused” on the Prop 50 fight and will be through Nov. 4.
Chakrabarti, who helped Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) unseat a longtime Democratic incumbent in 2019, said he sees even more “appetite for change” among the party’s base today — as evidenced by “mainstream Democrats who have voted for Nancy Pelosi their whole life” showing up to his events.
And it makes sense, he said.
For decades, Americans have watched the cost of essentials skyrocket while their wages have remained relatively flat, Chakrabarti said, and that has made them desperate to support messages of “bold, sweeping economic change” — whether from Obama or Trump — even as long-serving, mainstream Democrats backed by corporate money have worked to maintain the status quo.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez leaves a news conference at the Capitol in 2019. At left is Saikat Chakrabarti, who was her chief of staff and is now a candidate for the congressional seat held by Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag)
He said it is time for Democrats to once again push bold, big ideas, which he plans to do — including Medicare for all, universal child care, free college tuition, millions of new units of affordable housing, a new economy built around climate action, and higher taxes on billionaires and mega-millionaires like him.
Wiener, who also backs Prop. 50 and would be the first out gay person to represent San Francisco in Congress, said he cannot speak to Pelosi’s thinking — or to Politico reporting Wednesday that Pelosi is considering her options and has been seen “publicly elevating” San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan in the race — but is confident in his readiness for the role.
Wiener agreed with Chakrabarti that big ideas are needed from Democrats to win back voters and make progress. He also said that his track record in the state Legislature shows that he has “been willing to take on very, very big fights to make significant progressive change.”
“No one has ever accused me of thinking small,” he said — citing his success in passing bills to create more affordable housing, reform health insurance and drug pricing, tackle net neutrality, challenge telecommunications and cable companies and protect LGBTQ+ and other minority communities and immigrants.
“In addition to having the desire to make big progressive change, in addition to talking about big progressive change, you have to be able to put together the coalitions to deliver on that change, because words are not enough,” Wiener said. “I’ve shown over and over again that I know how to do it, and that I can deliver.”
Political analysts said a message of big ideas will clearly resonate with some voters. But they also said that Pelosi, if she stays in the race, will be hard to beat. She will also face more serious questions than ever about her age and “her ability to function at the extraordinarily high level” she has worked at in years past, Jaye said, and will “have to answer those questions.”
If Pelosi decides not to run, Chakrabarti has the benefit of self-funding and of the current party enthusiasm for fresh faces, they said, and anyone — Chan or otherwise — would benefit from a Pelosi endorsement. But Wiener already has a strong base in the district, a track record for getting legislation passed and, as several observers pointed out, a seemingly endless battery.
“Scott Wiener is an animal. The notion of work-life balance is not a concept he has ever had. He is just like a robotic working machine,” said Aaron Peskin, who served 18 years on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, some alongside Wiener.
Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Oakland) speaks to reporters at the Capitol in September.
(Kayla Bartkowski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Amanda Litman, the president of Run for Something, which supports young progressive candidates, said there is pent-up demand for a new generation of leaders, and “older Democrats, especially those in Congress, need to ask themselves, ‘Am I the best person to lead this party forward right now?’”
Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Oakland), 48, won her seat in 2024 after longtime Rep. Barbara Lee, 79, who had been in the seat since 1998, decided to run for Oakland mayor. Simon said that to her, “it’s not necessarily about birthdays” but who can do the job — “who can govern, who can mentor and who can hold this administration accountable.”
As a longtime community activist who worked with youth, Simon said she is “extremely excited” by all the energy of young Democratic office seekers. But as a freshman in Congress who has leaned on Lee, Pelosi and other mentors to help her learn the ropes, she said it’s also clear Democrats need to “have some generals who are really, really tried and tested.”
“What is not helpful to me in this moment,” Simon said, “is for the Democrats to be a circular firing squad.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a stark warning Monday that food assistance benefits for millions of low-income Californians could be delayed starting Nov. 1 if the ongoing federal shutdown does not end by Thursday.
The benefits, issued under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and formerly called food stamps, include federally funded benefits loaded onto CalFresh cards. They support some 5.5 million Californians.
Newsom blamed the potential SNAP disruption — and the shutdown more broadly — on President Trump and slammed the timing of the potential cutoff just as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches.
“Trump’s failure to open the federal government is now endangering people’s lives and making basic needs like food more expensive — just as the holidays arrive,” Newsom said. “It is long past time for Republicans in Congress to grow a spine, stand up to Trump, and deliver for the American people.”
The White House responded by blaming the shutdown on Democrats, as it has done before.
Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said the “Democrats’ decision to shut down the government is hurting Americans across the country,” and that Democrats “can choose to reopen the government at any point” by voting for a continuing resolution to fund the government as budget negotiations continue, which she said they repeatedly did during the Biden administration.
“Newscum should urge his Democrat pals to stop hurting the American people,” Jackson said, using a favorite Trump insult for Newsom. “The Trump Administration is working day and night to mitigate the pain Democrats are causing, and even that is upsetting the Left, with many Democrats criticizing the President’s effort to pay the troops and fund food assistance for women and children.”
Congressional Republicans also have blamed the shutdown and resulting interruptions to federal programs on Democrats, who are refusing to vote for a Republican-backed funding measure based in large part on Republican decisions to eliminate subsidies for healthcare plans relied on by millions of Americans.
Newsom’s warning about SNAP benefits followed similar alerts from other states on both sides of the political aisle, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture warned state agencies in an Oct. 10 letter that the shutdown may interrupt funding for the benefits.
States have to take action to issue November benefits before the month ends, so the shutdown would have to end sooner than Nov. 1 for the benefits to be available in time.
Newsom’s office said Californians could see their benefits interrupted or delayed if the shutdown is not ended by Thursday. The Texas Health and Human Services Department warned that SNAP benefits for November “won’t be issued if the federal government shutdown continues past Oct. 27.”
Newsom’s office said a cutoff of funds would affect federally funded CalFresh benefits, but also some other state-funded benefits. More than 63% of SNAP recipients in California are children or elderly people, Newsom’s office said.
In her own statement, First Partner of California Jennifer Siebel Newsom said, “Government should be measured by how we protect people’s lives, their health, and their well-being. Parents and caregivers should not be forced to choose between buying groceries or paying bills.”
States were already gearing up for other changes to SNAP eligibility based on the Republican-passed “Big Beautiful Bill,” which set new limits on SNAP benefits, including for nonworking adults. Republicans have argued that such restrictions will encourage more able-bodied adults to get back into the workforce to support their families themselves.
Many Democrats and advocacy organizations that work to protect low-income families and children have argued that restricting SNAP benefits has a disproportionately large effect on some of the most vulnerable people in the country, including poor children.
According to the USDA, about 41.7 million Americans were served by SNAP benefits per month in fiscal 2024, at an annual cost of nearly $100 billion. The USDA has some contingency funding it can utilize to continue benefits in the short term, but does not have enough to cover all monthly benefits, advocates said.
Andrew Cheyne, managing director of public policy at the advocacy group End Child Poverty California, urged the USDA to utilize its contingency funding and any other funding stream possible to prevent a disruption to SNAP benefits, which he said would be “disastrous.”
“CalFresh is a lifeline for 5.5 million Californians who rely on the program to eat. That includes 2 million children. It is unconscionable that we are only days away from children and families not knowing where their next meal is going to come from,” Cheyne said.
He said the science is clear that “even a brief period of food insecurity has long-term consequences for children’s growth and development.”
Ted Lempert, president of Children Now, said a disruption would be “horrific.”
“We speak out for the needs of kids and families, and kids need food — basic support to live and function and go to school,” he said. “So this could be really devastating.”
Times staff writer Jenny Gold contributed to this report.
After a mostly peaceful ‘No Kings Day’ protest in downtown Los Angeles, 14 people were arrested.
After a generally peaceful ‘No Kings Day’ demonstration in downtown Los Angeles, 14 people were arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
According to the LAPD, twelve adults and two minors were taken into custody after the protest on Saturday.
Reports say that small crowds lingered into the night after the daytime demonstration. The LAPD formed skirmish lines and issues dispersal orders, preparing for arrests. Demonstrators were reportedly warned by officers that if they did not disperse, they would be taken into custody. No serious injuries were reported or released.
The protest was primarily peaceful throughout the day, with the crowd chanting and marching together. Aside from the handful of arrests, the event progressed smoothly. LAPD officers moved on horseback and in police vehicles downtown, pushing the live crowd back.
The LAPD agreed in a tweet from their account that most of the demonstrators were peacefully protesting, and that a small group of ‘agitators’ were dealt with. Authorities alleged that some of the ‘agitators’ used lasers and flashing lights against LAPD officers, leading to arrests, though it is unclear what charges the defendants are facing currently.
After thousands of people gathered to express their constitutional 1st Amendment rights peacefully earlier in the day, nearly a hundred agitators marched over to Aliso and Alameda. During the demonstration at that specific location, lasers and industrial size flashing lights…
Saturday marked a nationwide day of ‘No Kings Protests’ against Donald Trump and his current administration. Cities across the United States gathered in the thousands to express their critiques of the administration, which many demonstrators call tyrannical.
Many participants said that Trump administration’s recent push for deportation efforts is a top concern and priority in recent protests. Other concerns include the protection of the personal freedoms and constitutional rights of Americans. This is especially relevant across California, were the LAPD last clashed with protesters over similar issues.
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“I can’t go to Home Depot without fearing for my life now,” said Javier Zumaeta of South Pasadena to ABC 7 Los Angeles. “At any moment, we could get black-bagged. We’re forced to carry around our passports now. We’re not living in a free country anymore.”
OCT 4, 2025 – Demonstrators protest recent ICE raids in CaliforniaCredit: Photo by David McNew/Getty Images
In Los Angeles, thousands of residents organized to practice their first amendment rights. The demonstration included thousands of individual signs, a large banner that read ‘No Kings’, and a 20-foot-tall balloon of Trump wearing a diaper.
The recent wave of protests is the latest in a series of tense clashes between protestors and law enforcement across the nation.
The Los Angeles demonstration was organized by 50501 SoCal and Service Employees International Union Local 721, in partnership with Black Lives Matter Grassroots Los Angeles, Working Families Party, Black Women for Wellness, the TransLatin@ Coalition, the Human Liberation Coalition, the Removal Coalition, Clergy Laity United for Economic Justice, Democracy Action Network, among others.
Healing and uplifting communities through music and unity is the foundation of this event space created by Zacil “DJ Sizzle Fantastic” Pech and Norma “Normz La Oaxaqueña” Fajardo.
For nearly a decade DJ Sizzle has built a reputation in the queer POC and Spanish-speaking undocumented communities for making the space for them to come together to celebrate their culture and partake in the ultimate act of resistance — joy.
Couples, companions, comadres all dance together on the dancefloor at Cumbiatón. (Photo courtesy of Cumbiatón).
Cumbiatón was created during the first Trump administration as a direct response to the erasure, racism, homophobia and xenophobia that was engrained into the administration’s mission for those first four years. Now that the second Trump administration is upon us, the racism, homophobia, transphobia and xenophobia are tenfold.
This event space is a ‘party for the hood, by the hood.’ It is led by women, queer and trans people of color in every aspect of the production process.
The recent fires that burned through Altadena and Pacific Palisades made DJ Sizzle decide to step back from marketing the event in Los Angeles, an area where people had just lost their businesses, homes and where their lives were completely thrown for a loop.
Now they’re back, doubling-down on their mission to bring cumbias, corridos and all the music many of us grew up listening to, to places that are accessible and safe for our communities.
“I started Cumbiatón back in 2016, right after the election — which was weirdly similar because we’re going through it again. And a lot of us come from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) movement. We were the ones to really push for that to happen along with the DREAM Act.”
DJ Sizzle says that she wanted to create a space out on the streets to celebrate life and come together, because of how mentally and physically taxing it is to be a part of the marginalized communities that were and still are, a major target for ongoing political attacks.
Edwin Soto and Julio Salgado pose for a photo at a Cumbiaton event in 2024. (Photo courtesy of Cumbiatón).
“We need these spaces so that we can kind of refuel and rejoice in each other’s existence,” said DJ Sizzle. “Because we saw each other out on the street a lot, but never did we really have time to sit down, have a drink, talk, laugh. So I found that music was the way to bring people together and that’s how Cumbiatón got started. It was honestly like a movement of political resistance through music.”
DJ Sizzle is an undocumented community organizer who aims to not only bring awareness to the issues that her communities face, but also to make space to celebrate the wins and bond over the music that brings people in Latin America, East L.A., Boyle Heights and the Bay area together.
Julio Salgado, a queer, visionary artist and migrant rights activist from Ensenada, Baja California with roots in Long Beach and the Bay Area, connected with DJ Sizzle over their shared passion in advocating for immigrant rights.
“Cumbiatón was created during the first [Trump] administration, where you know, a lot of people were really bummed out and so what Sizzle wanted to create was a place where people could come together and celebrate ourselves,” said Salgado. “Fast-forward to the second [Trump] administration and we’re here and feel a little bit more like: ‘oh shit, things are bad again.’ But, things have always been bad.”
Salgado is involved with Cumbiatón through his art. He is a mixed-media artist who creates cartoons using his lived experience with his sobriety journey, undocumented status and queer identity.
With a background in journalism from California State University, Long Beach, Salgado documents what activists do in the undocumented spaces he has been a part of throughout his life.
In 2017, Salgado moved back to Long Beach from the Bay Area, and at the time he started doing political artwork and posters for protests against the first Trump administration, but because the nature of that work can be very tiring, he says that he turned to a more uplifting version of his art where he also draws the joy and unity in his communities.
When he and Sizzle linked up to collaborate during that time, he thought he could use his skills to help uplift this brand and bring it to the forefront of the many events that saturate the party landscape.
DJ Sizzle doing her thing on stage, giving the crowd the music they went looking for. (Photo courtesy of Cumbiatón).
“We are familiar with using the dance floor as a way to kind of put the trauma a little bit away just for one night, get together and completely forget,” said Salgado.
Coming from an undocumented background, Salgado and Sizzle say that their experience with their legal status has made them very aware of how to go about the ID-check process at the door for their events.
“When you’re undocumented, you have something called a [High Security Consular Registration (HSCR)] and it’s kind of like your ID and many of these heterosexual clubs would see that and say it was fake,” said Salgado. “But at the gay club, they didn’t care.”
Just being conscious of what that form of ID looks like and knowing that it’s not fake, helps many of the hundreds of people who come through for Cumbiatón, feel just slightly more at ease.
Edwin Soto, who is another community activist and leader in the undocu-queer community, is also involved in the planning and organizing of the event.
In the long journey of making Cumbiatón what it is now, they say that they have all been very intentional about who they bring in, making sure that whoever they are, they also understand the experience of being undocumented and accepted anyway.
“Something that Sizzle and the team have been very intentional about is making sure that [the security at the door] knows that someone might be using their consulate card,” said Soto.
Bringing together this event space is no easy task, considering the fact that their events are deeply thought out, intentional and inclusive of not just people of color, but also people with differing abilities and people who do not reflect the norm in West Hollywood clubs.
“We created the space that we were longing for that we did not see in West Hollywood,” he said. “[Cumbiatón] is what life could really be like. Where women are not harassed by men. Where people are not body-shamed for what they’re wearing.”
When it comes to their lives outside of Cumbiatón and partying, Sizzle says that it does get exhausting and planning the event gets overwhelming.
“It is really difficult, I’m not going to lie,” said DJ Sizzle. “We are at a disadvantage being queer and being undocumented because this administration triggers us to a point that, anyone who is not a part of those identities or marginalized communities would ever be able to understand,” said Sizzle. “There are times where I’m just like: ‘I’m going to cocoon for a little bit’ and then that affects the marketing and the communication.”
Usually, the events bring in hundreds of people who are looking for community, safety and inclusion. (Photo courtesy of Cumbiatón).
That’s a little bit about what goes on behind the scenes — which really shouldn’t come as a surprise for anyone who is out there fighting for basic human rights, while also making the space to party and enjoy themselves.
“I’m really trying to find balance and honestly my life raft are my friends and my community,” she said. “Like, being able to share, being able to have this plática, and be like ‘bitch, I see you and I know its fucked up, but we got each other.’”
Cumbiatón was made with the purpose of making space to include and invite the many different people in these communities who are otherwise sidelined in broader conversations and in party scenes where they are not as inclusive or thoughtful about their attendees.
“How beautiful is it to be queer and listen to rancheras and to norteñas and cumbia, and to just own it,” said Soto.
To join Cumbiatón at their next party, visit their Instagram page.
US stocks stepped higher on Monday as Wall Street kicked off a packed week full of high-profile earnings and a delayed release of key inflation data.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) nudged up roughly 0.4%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 0.5%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) also gained around 0.5%, with stocks coming off weekly wins.
Wall Street was assessing the fallout from a major Amazon (AMZN) AWS outage early on Monday morning, the ripple effect of which took platforms such as Robinhood (HOOD) offline. The cloud giant underpins services for a swathe of top companies, and users reported disruption at websites ranging from United Airlines (UAL) to Reddit (RDDT). AWS operations are now returning to normal, the Amazon unit said.
Markets are also setting aside a laundry list of worries to focus instead on earnings season, which shifts into high gear this week. Hopes are high, with reports from Tesla (TSLA), Intel (INTC), Netflix (NFLX), and Coca-Cola (KO) leading the highlights in a busy roster.
On Monday, eyes will be on Zions Bancorp’s (ZION) third quarter results due after the bell. The regional lender’s disclosure of bad loans linked to fraud last week spooked investors with concerns about US credit quality.
A lull on the trade war front also provided solace. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said relations with Beijing have “de-escalated” and said US-China talks are set to resume this week in Malaysia.
On Sunday, President Trump listed the top issues for the US — rare earths, fentanyl, and soybeans — in a sign the White House is continuing to soften its stance. That raised optimism that Trump’s promised 100% additional tariff on Chinese imports set for Nov. 1 may not come to pass.
Meanwhile, the US government shutdown has entered its third week, with Democrats and Republicans still at odds over federal healthcare subsidies. Economists warn that a prolonged standoff could dent near-term GDP growth, though most see any slowdown as likely temporary.
The federal stoppage has slammed the brakes on inflation and jobs data key to the Federal Reserve’s decision making. But the Bureau of Labor Statistics is set to release September’s Consumer Price Index on Friday, delayed from last week. The data could prove pivotal to the Fed’s rate path, as policymakers enter a quiet period ahead of their two-day meeting next week.
LIVE9 updates
Apple stock opens at record as strong iPhone 17 sales boost optimism
Apple (AAPL) stock opened up more than 2.5% on Monday to trade at a record high after research firm Counterpoint Research said in a note Monday that the firm’s latest iPhone 17 was on track to outsell its predecessor model by some 14% in its first 10 days on the market.
Apple has been a laggard among its Big Tech peers, rising less than 3% so far this year against a nearly 14% gain for the S&P 500.
The company launched the newest version of its iPhone late last month, unveiling the iPhone 17 with a new camera and display, as well as the iPhone 17 Air, a new lightweight, ultra-thin version of its flagship device.
Back in September, Yahoo Finance’s Dan Howley said the new lineup was Apple’s most exciting iPhone rollout in almost a decade.
According to Reuters, Counterpoint’s work also showed that sales of the iPhone 17 in China has nearly doubled sales of iPhone 16 over the same period.
In a note to clients last week, Bank of America’s Wamsi Mohan noted that lead times for the latest iPhone models remained elevated against prior years, indicating strong demand for the new devices.
Stocks rise at the open, oil falls
Stocks marched higher at the open after a significant AWS outage created disruptions at numerous companies on Monday morning.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose 0.4%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) gained 0.5%.
Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury yield (^TNX) hovered below 4% after falling 2 basis points. The 30-year yield (^TYX) also declined 2 basis points to 4.57%.
Gold (GC=F) futures climbed 2% to $4,334 an ounce. Crude oil futures (CL=F) dropped 1.5% to $56 per barrel.
Tesla, Netflix to report earnings as US-China trade fight turns ‘unsustainable’: What to watch this week
Here’s what lies ahead as markets grapple with the US federal shutdown, a looming oil glut, and “cockroach” fears about credit quality in the economy.
Beyond Meat stock soars 60% amid possible short squeeze
Beyond Meat (BYND) stock surged over 60% in premarket trading on Monday, recouping some of the heavy losses it suffered this year. Shares remain down over 82% year to date, however.
The plant-based meat manufacturer is undergoing a debt restructuring, which last week led traders to dump shares. As of Friday’s close, shares were trading at just $0.64 apiece. With Monday’s move, shares are on track to open back above $1.
The absence of a major catalyst on Monday and increased trading volume suggest the stock may be experiencing a short squeeze, as bearish investors are forced to buy back shares to limit losses.
Beyond Meat has fallen on hard times since its IPO in 2019, a year when the stock traded as high as $240 a share. On Oct. 13, Beyond Meat announced a debt-swap deal that would issue as many as 326 million shares of stock in order to reduce its debt load by about $800 million.
‘Top of my list of worries’: Why the stock market’s boom could become America’s biggest risk
Tesla (TSLA) stock rose 1% before the bell on Monday. The EV maker is set to report its third quarter earnings on Wednesday. Barclays (BCS) also reiterated the stock as Equal Weight and raised its price target to $350 (from $275).
Robinhood (HOOD) stock rose 3% in premarket trading. The trading platform recently had its price target raised from rom $130 to $170 and reiterated an “Outperform” rating by analysts at Citizen JMP.
MP Materials (MP) stock was up 3% before the bell on Monday. The rare-earths materials company has seen a lot of action over the last few weeks after China restricted export of rare earths, forcing the US and other countries to diversify their supply chain. President Trump confirmed on Sunday that rare earth is a key talking point for the US-China trade talks, which will take place in Malaysia this week.
Huge Amazon Web Services outage takes major websites offline
A major outage at Amazon Web Services on Monday morning had a huge knock-on effect, taking down platforms like Coinbase (COIN) and Robinhood (HOOD) in widespread disruption that hit several big websites.
Those hit ranged from United Airlines (UAL) to T-Mobile (TMUS) and Reddit (RDDT), according to Downdetector reports from users. It also degraded services for government agencies and AI companies. per Bloomberg.
Amazon Web Services said at around 6 a.m. ET that its cloud service had recovered significantly after the disruption, which started having an impact about four hours earlier, going by customer complaints.
The cloud provider, whose services underpin a big slice of the web, said a problem on the US East Coast were behind the issues.
The economy’s biggest risk may not be tariffs or private credit but the stock market itself, where roughly $9 trillion in equity gains over the past year have powered high-income spending that could quickly reverse if portfolios start flashing red instead of green.
“The surge in stock prices is so key to the well-to-do who are driving consumer spending,” Mark Zandi, Moody’s Analytics chief economist, told Yahoo Finance on Friday. “If that gets turned into reverse and we see stock prices decline, then that’s the real threat to the economy in my mind.”
Moody’s estimates the top 10% of earners account for about half of all consumer spending, a dynamic that’s kept growth steady even as inflation and tariffs bite lower-income households. That link between spending power and market performance has become increasingly evident amid fresh market swings.
US stocks rose on Friday as President Trump eased fears of a further trade escalation with China, rebounding from Thursday’s steep losses sparked by renewed worries over private credit. Regional banks, including Zions (ZION) and Western Alliance (WAL), also recovered after reports of fraudulent loans and mounting credit stress added to investor jitters against the backdrop of a prolonged government shutdown.
Still, Zandi said those risks pale next to what’s building in financial markets, where a sharp reversal could quickly shake the confidence of the wealthy households powering US growth.
“Of all the risks out there, from what’s going on in the banking system to the government shutdown and everything else, that’s the one that’s at the top of my list of worries,” he said.
“I’m more sanguine about the banking system,” he added. “I’m less sanguine about financial markets. Valuations are high. …Everything feels a bit juiced, overvalued, bordering on frothy.”
Zandi warned that froth is directly tied to the same high-income households driving US consumption. That means if market gains unwind, the very group propping up spending could quickly pull back.
Deborah Weinswig, founder and CEO of Coresight Research, which tracks global retail and consumer trends, said the split between high- and low-income households is at its highest level since January 2020.
“The high-end consumer right now is still very strong and stronger than we would have even expected,” Weinswig said, noting spending among wealthier shoppers has continued to rise through the fall.
At the same time, lower-income households are stretching their budgets by visiting more stores per trip, about five or six now versus three before the pandemic, as they hunt for bargains and stack promotions.
America’s economy is increasingly driven by wealthy consumers — a risky dependence if the market turns. (Courtesy: Getty Images) ·RUNSTUDIO via Getty Images
“We continue to see this middle [consumer] being really squeezed,” she said, pointing to discount and luxury retailers as the clear winners. “Those value-oriented retailers on the bottom and those true luxury brands on the top — that’s where we continue to see a lot of strength.”
Weinswig said the retailers that stand to gain the most in this environment include Walmart (WMT), which continues to attract higher-income shoppers, along with the warehouse clubs like Costco (COST), BJ’s (BJ), and Sam’s Club, which she said have the strongest community ties and most sophisticated consumer data.
TJX Companies (TJX), Ross Stores (ROST), and Burlington (BURL) also stand out as shoppers trade down and hunt for bargains.
“We’re going to start to see not only bifurcation of the consumer, but also in some of these stocks,” she added, predicting sharper performance gaps ahead between retailers that can adapt and those that can’t.
But even as some retailers benefit from that bifurcation, there are signs the broader spending picture is starting to soften. According to Deloitte’s 2025 holiday retail survey, overall spending is expected to drop 10% from last year with consumers across all income levels projected to cut back.
“Consumers are feeling an affordability pinch at the moment,” Mike Daher, Deloitte vice chair, told Yahoo Finance. “They’re going that extra mile to make sure they get a higher ROI on their personal spending.”
That value-seeking mindset even extends to higher earners.
Among households earning at least $200,000 a year, about one in four are now exhibiting value-seeking behavior, Deloitte’s data showed.
“They’re either holding back from buying altogether, looking for cheaper alternatives, or waiting for more promotions to happen,” Daher said.
It’s a signal that even the top of the consumer pyramid, the same cohort keeping the US economy afloat, could be nearing a breaking point.
“Those on the lower end of the economy are suffering,” he said, noting recent bankruptcies in the auto sector, including collapses at First Brands and Tricolor, underscore how overextended borrowers and weaker consumers are feeling the squeeze.
“If there’s weakness in consumer capability and wealth and health in there,” he continued. “We’re going to have more of a problem.”
Allie Canal is a Senior Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X @allie_canal, LinkedIn, and email her at alexandra.canal@yahoofinance.com.
In June, millions of demonstrators took to the streets across the nation for the first “No Kings” protests as the Trump administration’s agenda began coming into focus. At that time, the Department of Homeland Security had begun carrying out large-scale immigration raids across Southern California, and Trump deployed military troops to Los Angeles in response to mass protests.
Since then, many Americans believe that Trump’s actions — doubling down on immigration raids in major cities, deploying National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., and embarking on an aggressive campaign against political opponents — have only become more severe.
Trump pushed back against the underlying premise of the protest in an interview with Fox News on Friday.
“They’re referring to me as a king,” he said. “I’m not a king.”
More than 2,700 “No Kings” demonstrations are scheduled across the country, roughly 600 more events than in June, in which more than 5 million people participated. Demonstrations are already underway in New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Boston, drawing massive crowds.
In an attempt to broaden the scope of “No Kings,” organizers are appealing to Americans upset over the rising cost of living, gutting of environmental protections, sweeping overhauls of federal agencies, and the government shutdown over looming healthcare cuts.
The protest in Los Angeles’ Grand Park is expected to begin by 2 p.m. In Orange County, demonstrators are expected to arrive at Centennial Park in Santa Ana on Saturday afternoon to protest not only Trump’s immigration actions, but also his policies on healthcare, environmental protections and education.
“We the People have had enough of the illegal actions being carried out by this sham administration,” Amy Stevens, one of the Orange County demonstration’s organizers, said in a statement. “Change starts from the bottom up.”
Organizers say the goal of “No Kings” goes beyond just getting Americans out on the streets, hoping to connect people who are upset and frustrated with the Trump administration to local organizing groups.
“Getting involved in those groups, making those face to face connections and joining them will have a much larger impact over the next few days, the next few weeks, next few months, the next few years, than just one day of protest,” said Hunter Dunn, a spokesman for 50501, one of the “No Kings” coalition’s core organizing partners.
Saturday’s rallies are happening amid a major disruption to one of Southern California’s major freeways.
The state announced Saturday morning that it would close a 17-mile stretch of Interstate 5 for several hours after military officials confirmed that live-fire artillery rounds will be shot over the freeway during a Marine Corps event at Camp Pendleton.
The unprecedented closure is expected to cause massive gridlock, but it is not clear what impact, if any, it will have on the day’s demonstrations.
“Using our military to intimidate people you disagree with isn’t strength — it’s reckless, it’s disrespectful, and it’s beneath the office he holds,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “Law and order? This is chaos and confusion.”
Staff writers Jenny Jarvie and Nathan Solis contributed to this report.
Hundreds across the Triangle will join an even bigger number of thousands across the nation to protest the Trump Administration in a second round of “No Kings” protests.
WRAL News will be at the scene at several protests across the Triangle.
The Latest:
9:30 a.m.: WRAL News was live on the scene at the Apex protest that started at 9 a.m. People lined the streets while cars passed by and honked at them.
The North Carolina GOP responded to today’s ‘No Kings’ protests, saying:
“Far-left radical Democrats shut down the federal government to brag at these events they shut down the government to stop President Trump. Democrats must stop holding the government hostage at the expense of military service members, low-income families, and federal law enforcement.”
‘No Kings’ returns to the nation
This weekend is the second chance to protest against President Donald Trump’s administrations policies and procedures. According to organizers, people will mobilize for a nationwide, nonviolent day of action to “defend democratic norms and reject authoritarianism.”
This weekend will be the third mass movement against the administration this year, and it comes amid an intensifying conflict between protestors and federal and local law enforcement nationwide.
There are about over 1,300 events planned nationwide, with at least nine in cities across the Triangle. The earliest protest planned will be in Apex at 9 a.m. There are even smaller communities within Triangle cities that are planning their own protests.
According to a tip sent into WRAL News, the Cambridge at Brier Creek, a retirement community in Raleigh, will reportedly conduct their own “No Kings” Day protest outside of their building.
The tip said, “You’ll find 50-60 elderly people (some in wheelchairs, others with canes), along with some of their relatives. They are gathering to express their right of free speech, right to assemble, and right to oppose the policies of the current administration.”
The “No Kings” movement first made headlines in June 2025, when protests stretched across the Triangle and from coast-to-coast with signs, speeches and rallies around immigration, human rights and activism. Participants ranged from age 6 to 92, but were united by a common thread.
The organizer’s website stated, “In June, we did what many claimed was impossible: peacefully mobilized millions of people to take to the streets and declare with one voice: America has No Kings. And it mattered. The world saw the power of the people.”
It continued, “Our peaceful movement is only getting bigger and bigger. “NO KINGS” is more than just a slogan; it is the foundation our nation was built upon. Born in the streets, shouted by millions, carried on posters and chants, it echoes from city blocks to rural town squares, uniting people across this country to fight dictatorship together.”
At the national level, GOP leaders call the protests and rallygoers themselves “communists” and “Marxists.” They say Democratic leaders are beholden to the far-left flank and willing to keep the government shut down to appease those liberal forces.
“I encourage you to watch — we call it the Hate America rally — that will happen Saturday,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
“Let’s see who shows up for that,” Johnson said, listing groups including “antifa types,” people who “hate capitalism” and “Marxists in full display.”
The organizers on social media and their website emphasize that protestors remain peaceful throughout the weekend.
In a statement released Friday, Attorney General Jeff Jackson reminded North Carolinians about the importance of peaceful protests as the state joins the nationwide protests set for Saturday.
Peaceful protest is one of the most important rights we have as Americans. It’s how people make their voices heard and stand up for what they believe in. I encourage everyone who chooses to demonstrate to do so peacefully and to look out for one another’s safety. Protesting peacefully honors both the cause and the Constitution. Peaceful protest strengthens our democracy; violence undermines it. Attorney General Jeff Jackson
“No Kings” demonstrations are organized by a coalition of more than 200 groups, including 50501, Indivisible, American Civil Liberties Union, American Federation of Teachers, Social Security Works and many others.
When millions of demonstrators took to the streets in June for “No Kings Day” — depicting President Trump as a wannabe monarch intent on violating American democratic norms — it was still fairly early in his administration.
The immigration raids in Los Angeles were just getting under way and Trump had deployed military troops to the city to clamp down on protests.
But four months later, many Americans feel Trump’s threats and norm-shattering actions have only gotten more intense as protesters prepare to take part Saturday in more than 2,700 “No Kings” demonstrations scheduled across the country.
In that period, the Trump administration has ramped up immigration raids across L.A. and Chicago and deployed National Guard troops to Washington D.C. It has also pressured universities to comply with his agenda or lose funding, fired government officials he deems insufficiently loyal and embarked on an aggressive sweep of prosecutions of political opponents.
“We’re seeing an escalation, right?,” said Hunter Dunn, a spokesman for 50501, one of the “No Kings” coalition’s core organizing partners. “We are watching as ICE’s mass deportation program is speeding up and becoming even more aggressive than it was. What happened in Los Angeles is now happening in Memphis, in D.C., in Chicago.”
But the second “No Kings” protest comes with some existential questions for organizers who trying to mount a sustained protest movement. What is the most effective way to challenge Trump? And how do you make noise without playing into the president’s hands?
Saturday’s revival of the massive series of demonstrations — organized around the slogan “No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings” — will voice left-wing concerns that the Trump administration is embracing authoritarian tactics and unraveling U.S. democracy. But it will also include a broader range of issues, including rising prices and rollbacks of environmental protections.
For Dunn, a 22-year-old organizer in Los Angeles County who is part of a coalition of thousands of groups, the threat Trump poses goes beyond immigration. Trump, he noted, had used the Federal Communications Commission to try to silence broadcasters he does not like, brought “spurious” charges against protesters and demonstrators outside of ICE facilities and signed a so-called “big, beautiful bill” that Dunn said had funneled trillions of dollars from the average American to billionaires who supported the Trump regime.
“We’re seeing the Trump administration repeatedly try and fail to shake the pillars of democracy, and in doing so, escalate the threat level,” Dunn said.
The June 14 event inspired more than five million people to rally against Trump. One test will be whether they can increase that number on Saturday.
In both Los Angeles and Chicago, Trump has tried to use protests — many of them peaceful — to claim that the streets are unsafe and in need of military troops. Trump pushed back against the underlying premise of the protest in an interview with Fox News Friday.
“They’re referring to me as a king,” he said. “I’m not a king.”
Protesters also face increasing attacks from Trump’s allies on the right, some of whom are branding their demonstrations as anti-American.
“We call it the ‘hate America’ rally,” U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday at a news conference. “Let’s see who shows up for that. I bet you you’ll see Hamas supporters, I bet you’ll see Antifa types, I bet you’ll see the Marxists on full display, the people who don’t want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic.”
Organizers expect a broad and diverse group of Americans to attend Saturday’s “No Kings” demonstrations. About 600 more events are scheduled than the 2,100 demonstrations that took place in June, and slightly more people have signed up, even though the organization is discouraging registrations.
David S. Meyer, a professor of sociology at UC Irvine who studies social movements, said that people’s opinions about the Trump administration have not changed too much since June. Rather, he argued, people felt a higher level of urgency about the danger of the Trump administration.
“What’s increased is the willingness of people to take more action, to do something,” he said. “I think there’s a hunger for action.”
Meyer said he was surprised to see key GOP leaders falling into line with Trump and pushing the idea that “No Kings” is anti-American.
“There are plenty of presidents who’ve encountered protests against their policies,” Meyer said. “That’s part of what America is all about. And usually presidents say, ‘I have to represent everybody and do what I think is best for the country. And I understand that there are other Americans who disagree with me.’”
In an attempt to broaden the scope of “No Kings,” Meyer noted, organizers are appealing to Americans upset over the rising cost of living, gutting of environmental protections, sweeping overhauls of federal agencies and the government shutdown over looming healthcare cuts. These issues, Meyer argued, are connected to the theme of American democracy.
“Trump doesn’t consult with people who disagree with him … and the people surrounding him, and this is by design, are explicitly chosen because of their loyalty rather than their specific competencies,” Meyer said. “The strategy of the ‘No Kings’ organizers is to provide a kind of large and inclusive bucket for all the grievances to fit into and for people with all kinds of different gripes to show up.”
Another reason “No Kings” touches on so many issues, Dunn said, is in response to the Republican tactic — articulated by Trump’s former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon as “flooding the zone” — of overwhelming the public with a barrage of information, disinformation and controversy.
“Republicans’ strategy is to worsen the economy for everyone, to worsen the cost of living for the average American… to try to weaken the American people and make it harder for them to stand up against this administration’s abuses,” Dunn said. “So that’s why we’re standing up on all those fronts, because we have to meet them at every front that they’re using to harm the American people.”
The goal of “No Kings” goes beyond just getting Americans out on the streets together in solidarity against Trump. They want to connect people who are upset and frustrated with the Trump administration to local organizing groups.
“Getting involved in those groups, making those face to face connections and joining them will have a much larger impact over the next few days, the next few weeks, next few months, the next few years, than just one day of protest,” Dunn said.
Going forward, Dunn said, one of the key questions facing the Trump resistance movement is how to pressure leading Democratic elected officials to get on board.
While legislators such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders and Chris Van Hollen had done a lot to resist the Trump administration, he said, he wanted to put more pressure on mainstream Democrats across the country.
“How do we get support from what is supposed to be the opposition party?”
Dunn said he was not worried about the prospect of violence Saturday when millions take to the streets. The rallies and demonstrations that took place on the June demonstrations were overwhelmingly peaceful, he noted. Organizers put a major emphasis on de-escalation and protest safety, bringing in community and faith leaders and training tens of thousands of volunteers across the country in de-escalation. He scoffed at the idea extremists might hijack any of the demonstrations.
“The biggest threat to safety at every protest I’ve ever been at — unless law enforcement gets involved — is always dehydration and heat exhaustion,” Dunn said.
Olivia Negron, 73, an organizer with Studio City Rising who has protested in that L.A. neighborhood every weekend since April, said she was alarmed not just by the president’s rhetoric, but by the Trump administration’s actions against immigrants through the courts and in the streets.
“The president doesn’t know what it is to be American,” said Negron, a Latina and the child of a U.S. Navy officer. “The American dream is about inclusivity and making sure that immigrants are welcomed into the United States.”
Negron, who marched against the war in Vietnam, said she felt the people in power have taken away what it means to be American and made it difficult to fly the American flag. But she said she was hopeful that the Trump administration’s actions since the last “No Kings” day would push more people to protest.
“We need to turn the ship of state around and get this democracy heading in the right direction,” Negron said. “Absolutely more inclusion, more equity, more diversity. Diversity is our strength and empathy is our superpower.”
SAN FRANCISCO — About 24 hours after President Trump declared San Francisco such a crime-ridden “mess” that he was recommending federal forces be sent to restore order, Manit Limlamai, 43, and Kai Saetern, 32, rolled their eyes at the suggestion.
The pair — both in the software industry — were with friends Thursday in Dolores Park, a vibrant green space with sweeping views of downtown, playing volleyball under a blue sky and shining autumn sun. All around them, people sat on benches with books, flew kites, played with dogs or otherwise lounged away the afternoon on blankets in the grass.
Both Limlamai and Saetern said San Francisco of course has issues, and some rougher neighborhoods — but that’s any city.
“I’ve lived here for 10 years and I haven’t felt unsafe, and I’ve lived all over the city,” Saetern said. “Every city has its problems, and I don’t think San Francisco is any different,” but “it’s not a hellscape,” said Limlamai, who has been in the city since 2021.
Both said Trump’s suggestion that he might send in troops was more alarming than reassuring — especially, Limlamai said, on top of his recent remark that American cities should serve as “training grounds” for U.S. military forces.
“I don’t think that’s appropriate at all,” he said. “The military is not trained to do what needs to be done in these cities.”
Across San Francisco, residents, visitors and prominent local leaders expressed similar ideas — if not much sharper condemnation of any troop deployment. None shied away from the fact that San Francisco has problems, especially with homelessness. Several also mentioned a creeping urban decay, and that the city needs a bit of a polish.
But federal troops? That was a hard no.
A range of people on Market Street in downtown San Francisco on Thursday.
“It’s just more of [Trump’s] insanity,” said Peter Hill, 81, as he played chess in a slightly edgier park near City Hall. Hill said using troops domestically was a fascist power play, and “a bad thing for the entire country.”
“It’s fascism,” agreed local activist Wendy Aragon, who was hailing a cab nearby. Her Latino family has been in the country for generations, she said, but she now fears speaking Spanish on the street given that immigration agents have admitted targeting people who look or sound Latino, and troops in the city would only exacerbate those fears. “My community is under attack right now.”
State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said troop deployments to the city were “completely unnecessary” and “typical Trump: petty, vindictive retaliation.”
“He wants to attack anyone who he perceives as an enemy, and that includes cities, and so he started with L.A. and Southern California because of its large immigrant community, and then he proceeded to cities with large Black populations like Chicago, and now he’s moving on to cities that are just perceived as very lefty like Portland and now San Francisco,” Wiener said.
Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, defended such deployments and noted crime reductions in cities, including Washington, D.C., and Memphis, where local officials — including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat — have embraced them.
“America’s once great cities have descended into chaos and crime as a result of Democrat policies that put criminals first and law-abiding citizens last. Making America Safe Again — especially crime-ridden cities — was a key campaign promise from the President that the American people elected him to fulfill,” Jackson said. “San Francisco Democrats should look at the tremendous results in DC and Memphis and listen to fellow Democrat Mayor Bowser and welcome the President in to clean up their city.”
A police officer shuts the door to his car after a person was allegedly caught carrying a knife near a sign promoting an AI-powered museum exhibit in downtown San Francisco.
A presidential ‘passion’
San Francisco — a bastion of liberal politics that overwhelmingly voted against Trump in the last election — has been derided by the conservative right for generations as a great American jewel lost to destructive progressive policies.
With its tech-heavy economy and downtown core hit hard by the pandemic and the nation’s shift toward remote work, the city has had a particularly rough go in recent years, which only exacerbated its image as a city in decline. That it produced some of Trump’s most prominent political opponents — including Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris — has only made it more of a punching bag.
In August, Trump suggested San Francisco needed federal intervention. “You look at what the Democrats have done to San Francisco — they’ve destroyed it,” he said in the Oval Office. “We’ll clean that one up, too.”
Then, earlier this month, to the chagrin of liberal leaders across the city, Marc Benioff, the billionaire Salesforce founder and Time magazine owner who has long been a booster of San Francisco, said in an interview with the New York Times that he supported Trump and welcomed Guard troops in the city.
“We don’t have enough cops, so if they can be cops, I’m all for it,” Benioff said, just as his company was preparing to open its annual Dreamforce convention in the city, complete with hundreds of private security officers.
The U.S. Constitution generally precludes military forces from serving in police roles in the U.S.
On Friday, Benioff reversed himself and apologized for his earlier stance. “Having listened closely to my fellow San Franciscans and our local officials, and after the largest and safest Dreamforce in our history, I do not believe the National Guard is needed to address safety in San Francisco,” he wrote on X.
He also apologized for “the concern” his earlier support for troops in the city had caused, and praised San Francisco’s new mayor, Daniel Lurie, for bringing crime down.
Billionaire Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, also called for federal intervention in the city, writing on his X platform that downtown San Francisco is “a drug zombie apocalypse” and that federal intervention was “the only solution at this point.”
Trump made his latest remarks bashing San Francisco on Wednesday, again from the Oval Office.
Trump said it was “one of our great cities 10 years ago, 15 years ago,” but “now it’s a mess” — and that he was recommending federal forces move into the city to make it safer. “I’m gonna be strongly recommending — at the request of government officials, which is always nice — that you start looking at San Francisco,” he said to leading members of his law enforcement team.
Trump did not specify exactly what sort of deployment he meant, or which kinds of federal forces might be involved. He also didn’t say which local officials had allegedly requested help — a claim Wiener called a lie.
“Every American deserves to live in a community where they’re not afraid of being mugged, murdered, robbed, raped, assaulted or shot, and that’s exactly what our administration is working to deliver,” Trump said, before adding that sending federal forces into American cities had become “a passion” of his.
Kai Saetern, 32, was playing volleyball in Dolores Park on Thursday. Saetern said he has never felt unsafe living in neighborhoods all over the city for the last 10 years.
Crime is down citywide
The responses from San Francisco, both to Benioff and Trump, came swiftly, ranging from calm discouragement to full-blown outrage.
Lurie did not respond directly, but his office pointed reporters to his recent statements that crime is down 30% citywide, homicides are at a 70-year low, car break-ins are at a 22-year low and tent encampments are at their lowest number on record.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Lurie said. “But I trust our local law enforcement.”
San Francisco Dist. Atty. Brooke Jenkins was much more fiery, writing online that Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had turned “so-called public safety and immigration enforcement into a form of government sponsored violence against U.S. citizens, families, and ethnic groups,” and that she stood ready to prosecute federal officers if they harm city residents.
Attendees exit the Dreamforce convention downtown on Thursday in San Francisco.
“If you come to San Francisco and illegally harass our residents … I will not hesitate to do my job and hold you accountable just like I do other violators of the law every single day,” she said.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) — whose seat Wiener is reportedly going to seek — said the city “does not want or need Donald Trump’s chaos” and will continue to increase public safety locally and “without the interference of a President seeking headlines.”
Newsom said the use of federal troops in American cities is a “clear violation” of federal law, and that the state was prepared to challenge any such deployment to San Francisco in court, just as it challenged such deployments in Los Angeles earlier this year.
The federal appellate court that oversees California and much of the American West has so far allowed troops to remain in L.A., but is set to continue hearing arguments in the L.A. case soon.
Trump had used anti-immigration enforcement protests in L.A. as a justification to send troops there. In San Francisco, Newsom said, he lacks any justification or “pretext” whatsoever.
“There’s no existing protest at a federal building. There’s no operation that’s being impeded. I guess it’s just a ‘training ground’ for the President of United States,” Newsom said. “It is grossly illegal, it’s immoral, it’s rather delusional.”
Nancy DeStefanis, 76, a longtime labor and environmental activist who was at San Francisco City Hall on Thursday to complain about Golden Gate Park being shut to regular visitors for paid events, was similarly derisive of troops entering the city.
“As far as I’m concerned, and I think most San Franciscans are concerned, we don’t want troops here. We don’t need them,” she said.
Passengers walk past a cracked window from the Civic Center BART station in downtown San Francisco.
‘An image I don’t want to see’
Not far away, throngs of people wearing Dreamforce lanyards streamed in and out of the Moscone Center, heading back and forth to nearby Market Street and pouring into restaurants, coffee shops and take-out joints. The city’s problems — including homelessness and associated grittiness — were apparent at the corners of the crowds, even as chipper convention ambassadors and security officers moved would-be stragglers along.
Not everyone was keen to be identified discussing Trump or safety in the city, with some citing business reasons and others a fear of Trump retaliating against them. But lots of people had opinions.
Sanjiv, a self-described “techie” in his mid-50s, said he preferred to use only his first name because, although he is a U.S. citizen now, he emigrated from India and didn’t want to stick his neck out by publicly criticizing Trump.
He called homelessness a “rampant problem” in San Francisco, but less so than in the past — and hardly something that would justify sending in military troops.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” he said. “It’s not like the city’s under siege.”
Claire Roeland, 30, from Austin, Texas, said she has visited San Francisco a handful of times in recent years and had “mixed” experiences. She has family who live in surrounding neighborhoods and find it completely safe, she said, but when she’s in town it’s “predominantly in the business district” — where it’s hard not to be disheartened by the obvious suffering of people with addiction and mental illness and the grime that has accumulated in the emptied-out core.
“There’s a lot of unfortunate urban decay happening, and that makes you feel more unsafe than you actually are,” she said, but there isn’t “any realistic need to send in federal troops.”
She said she doesn’t know what troops would do other than confront homeless people, and “that’s an image I don’t want to see.”
Times staff writer Dakota Smith contributed to this report.
Portland, Ore. – “No Kings” protest marches are planned around the country Saturday, to show opposition to President Trump’s policies, including his use of the military in U.S. cities. Several events are planned for the Portland-metro area.
Portland Police estimate the downtown crowd could swell to anywhere from a few thousand to 50,000 people. “We’ve seen a number of protests, they’ve been very peaceful. And there are no indicators that we’re going to see anything different here from this,” Assistant Chief Craig Dobson said Friday.
Portland’s Bureau of Transportation confirms it approved permits for three marches, starting at 11 a.m.: At the Convention Center, east end of the Hawthorne Bridge and Pioneer Courthouse Square.
Multiple agencies will be involved in safety and traffic patrols, including State Police and Portland Fire. “We’re working with TriMet to ensure, as they close the roads, we’ll be able to redirect some of the bus routes,” says Dobson, “We’re working with ODOT to ensure some of the offramps and onramps are okay for people to be able to safely participate in this event.”
Dobson added Friday, “It’s billed as a family-friendly event, so we’re expecting it to be much like the ones that we’ve seen in the summer. We’re not anticipating any issues; it’s just going to be a large, friendly event, where we anticipate people to be able to exercise their First Amendment rights. And we’re hoping that at the end of the event, they can take advantage of the decent weather and go into downtown and southeast Portland, and visit the businesses in those areas.”
In mid-June, an estimated 50,000 people marched through downtown Portland in the first “No Kings” demonstration (pictured). Portland Police say officers managed the event without any reports of violence or vandalism.
His lawyers filed an emergency appeal urging the court to set aside rulings of judges in Chicago and hold that National Guard troops are needed to protect U.S. immigration agents from hostile protesters.
The case escalates the clash between Trump and Democratic state officials over immigration enforcement and raises again the question of using military-style force in American cities. Trump’s lawyers have repeatedly gone to the Supreme Court and won quick rulings when lower-court judges have blocked his actions.
Federal law authorizes the president to call into service the National Guard if he cannot “execute the laws of the United States” or faces “a rebellion or danger of rebellion against the authority” of the U.S. government.
“Both conditions are satisfied here,” Trump’s lawyer said.
Judges in Chicago came to the opposite conclusion. U.S. District Judge April Perry saw no “danger of rebellion” and said the laws were being enforced. She accused Trump’s lawyers of exaggerating claims of violence and equating “protests with riots.”
She handed down a restraining order on Oct. 9, and the 7th Circuit Court agreed to keep it in force.
But Trump’s lawyers insisted that protesters and demonstrators were targeting U.S. immigration agents and preventing them from doing their work.
“Confronted with intolerable risks of harm to federal agents and coordinated, violent opposition to the enforcement of federal law, the President lawfully determines that he is unable to enforce the laws of the United States with the regular forces and calls up the National Guard to defend federal personnel, property, and functions in the face of ongoing violence,” Solicitor Gen. D. John Sauer wrote in a 40-page appeal.
He argued that historically the president has had the full authority to decide on whether to call up the militia. Judges may not second-guess the president’s decision, he said.
“Any such review [by judges] must be highly deferential, as the 9th Circuit has concluded in the Newsom litigation,” referring to the ruling that upheld Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles.
Trump’s lawyer said the troop deployment to Los Angeles had succeeded in reducing violence.
“Notwithstanding the Governor of California’s claim that deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles would ‘escalat[e]’ the ongoing violence that California itself had failed to prevent … the President’s action had the opposite, intended effect. In the face of federal military force, violence in Los Angeles decreased and the situation substantially improved,” he told the court.
But in recent weeks, “Chicago has been the site of organized and often violent protests directed at ICE officers and other federal personnel engaged in the execution of federal immigration laws,” he wrote. “On multiple occasions, federal officers have also been hit and punched by protesters. … Rioters have targeted federal officers with fireworks and have thrown bottles, rocks, and tear gas at them.”
“More than 30 [DHS] officers have been injured during the assaults on federal law enforcement” at the Broadview facility alone, resulting in multiple hospitalizations, he wrote.
Officials in Illinois blamed aggressive enforcement actions of ICE agents for triggering the protests.
Sauer also urged the court to hand down an immediate order that would freeze Perry’s rulings.
The court asked for a response from Illinois officials by Monday.
QUIZ: President Trump is bringing back the Presidential Fitness Test. How much do you remember?
– If you ever get sidelined by cramps, injury, or if you’re new to running and want to understand how your body moves, fitness tests are a great tool to become better, faster, and stronger. Let’s break down what tests are beneficial for runners? A gait analysis, which involves being recorded from different angles while running on a treadmill to look at form, including foot strike and body alignment, is especially useful for runners with chronic injuries like shin splints, patella femoral pain, or IT band issues. If you’re new to running, consider a functional movement screening, or FMS, which is when a coach or a trainer will typically put you through movements like single leg squat, push up, and step over, and then watch how your body moves. If your hip drops to one side or your knees cave in on that squat, then that could indicate weakness in your core stability. Some places like NYU, HSS and Columbia Run Lab offer running analyses, which combine a gate analysis on a treadmill with a movement screen like the FMS, so it’s one stop shopping. You can also often get an FMS at a gym as part of an initial training evaluation, and it can be useful on its own. If you wanna measure your cardio fitness, VO2 max is what you’re looking for. It’s an increasingly popular test in recent years. VO2 max measures your aerobic capacity. It can give you a sense of your cardiovascular fitness, which can be helpful as a benchmark to try to improve, often via short, intense intervals. This test can also help determine your max heart rate and training zones based on that. Lactate threshold or the point at which your body goes from aerobic to anaerobic is something you can train and improve. Knowing your threshold allows you to train in the proper zones so you can increase it. Wearable data is the most affordable option, and you can track a lot of these same things right from your watch like gate, cadence and stride length. But that data might not be very useful if you don’t know what to do with it. That’s where these tests come into play. For more expert advice about fitness testing for runners, check out runnersworld.com.
QUIZ: President Trump is bringing back the Presidential Fitness Test. How much do you remember?
President Donald Trump is reviving the long-retired Presidential Fitness Test, a test schools haven’t used in over a decade. Trump signed an executive order on July 31 directing the Secretaries of Health and Education to re-administer the exam.It’s not clear which exercises will be part of the test or when it will launch in schools.Along with the fitness test, Trump is also reinstating the Presidential Fitness Award, which recognizes top-performing students.The award program was first introduced in 1966 as an incentive to promote health and fitness to American children. How much do you remember about the test and award? Take the below quiz to find out.Not seeing the quiz? APP USERS: Tap here
WASHINGTON —
President Donald Trump is reviving the long-retired Presidential Fitness Test, a test schools haven’t used in over a decade.
Trump signed an executive order on July 31 directing the Secretaries of Health and Education to re-administer the exam.
It’s not clear which exercises will be part of the test or when it will launch in schools.
Along with the fitness test, Trump is also reinstating the Presidential Fitness Award, which recognizes top-performing students.
The award program was first introduced in 1966 as an incentive to promote health and fitness to American children.
How much do you remember about the test and award? Take the below quiz to find out.
The US and Saudi Arabia have managed to derail negotiations regarding a landmark deal to cut global shipping emissions, according to a report by the BBC. The deal had already been approved and would have made shipping the world’s first industry to adopt internationally mandated emissions guidelines.
Representatives from more than 100 countries had gathered in London to formally approve the so-called global carbon tax, after nearly ten years of negotiations. However, the US government had been pressuring countries to vote “no” on the measure, threatening tariffs if met with noncompliance.
Saudi Arabia instituted a plan to derail negotiations. The country tabled a motion to adjourn talks for a year, at a time when most countries were set to vote on it. That passed by just a handful of votes, with approving votes coming from both the US and Russia.
This essentially destroys the plan, despite technically being just a delay, as timelines will have to be renegotiated. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared the outcome a “huge win” for Trump.
Even the shipping industry was on-board with the plan, as it offered consistent global standards that don’t currently exist. Industries like certainty. Thomas Kazakos, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping, said that the organization is “disappointed that member states have not been able to agree a way forward at this meeting.” He also said that the “industry needs clarity to be able to make the investments.”
Meanwhile, carbon dioxide levels reached record highs in 2024 and we aren’t doing too much about it. This agreement would’ve forced ship owners to use cleaner fuels beginning in 2028, or face fines. Shipping currently makes up around three percent of global carbon emissions, but that’s expected to rise by anywhere from ten percent to 150 percent by 2050.
Countries are expected to reconvene in April to discuss the plan, but this will likely not feature a vote. It’ll likely be a renegotiation from the ground up.
In the early days of President Trump’s second term, the U.S. appeared keen to cooperate with Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s authoritarian leader. Special envoy Ric Grenell met Maduro, working with him to coordinate deportation flights to Caracas, a prisoner exchange deal and an agreement allowing Chevron to drill Venezuelan oil.
Grenell told disappointed members of Venezuela’s opposition that Trump’s domestic goals took priority over efforts to promote democracy. “We’re not interested in regime change,” Grenell told the group, according to two sources familiar with the meeting.
But Marco Rubio, Trump’s secretary of State, had a different vision.
In a parallel call with María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia, two leaders of the opposition, Rubio affirmed U.S. support “for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela” and called González “the rightful president” of the beleaguered nation after Maduro rigged last year’s election in his favor.
Rubio, now also serving as national security advisor, has grown closer to Trump and crafted an aggressive new policy toward Maduro that has brought Venezuela and the United States to the brink of military confrontation.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio whispers to President Trump during a roundtable meeting at the White House on Oct. 8, 2025.
(Evan Vucci / Associated Press)
I think Venezuela is feeling the heat
— President Trump
Grenell has been sidelined, two sources told The Times, as the U.S. conducts an unprecedented campaign of deadly strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug boats — and builds up military assets in the Caribbean. Trump said Wednesday that he has authorized the CIA to conduct covert action in the South American nation, and that strikes on land targets could be next.
“I think Venezuela is feeling the heat,” he said.
The pressure campaign marks a major victory for Rubio, the son of Cuban emigres and an unexpected power player in the administration who has managed to sway top leaders of the isolationist MAGA movement to his lifelong effort to topple Latin America’s leftist authoritarians.
“It’s very clear that Rubio has won,” said James B. Story, who served as ambassador to Venezuela under President Biden. “The administration is applying military pressure in the hope that somebody inside of the regime renders Maduro to justice, either by exiling him, sending him to the United States or sending him to his maker.”
In a recent public message to Trump, Maduro acknowledged that Rubio is now driving White House policy: “You have to be careful because Marco Rubio wants your hands stained with blood, with South American blood, Caribbean blood, Venezuelan blood,” Maduro said.
As a senator from Florida, Rubio represented exiles from three leftist autocracies — Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela — and for years he has made it his mission to weaken their governments. He says his family could not return to Cuba after Fidel Castro’s revolution seven decades ago. He has long maintained that eliminating Maduro would deal a fatal blow to Cuba, whose economy has been buoyed by billions of dollars in Venezuelan oil in the face of punishing U.S. sanctions.
In 2019, Rubio pushed Trump to back Juan Guaidó, a Venezuelan opposition leader who sought unsuccessfully to topple Maduro.
Rubio later encouraged Trump to publicly support Machado, who was barred from the ballot in Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, and who last week was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her pro-democracy efforts. González, who ran in Machado’s place, won the election, according to vote tallies gathered by the opposition, yet Maduro declared victory.
Rubio was convinced that only military might would bring change to Venezuela, which has been plunged into crisis under Maduro’s rule, with a quarter of the population fleeing poverty, violence and political repression.
But there was a hitch. Trump has repeatedly vowed to not intervene in the politics of other nations, telling a Middle Eastern audience in May that the U.S. “would no longer be giving you lectures on how to live.”
Denouncing decades of U.S. foreign policy, Trump complained that “the interventionalists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand.”
To counter that sentiment, Rubio painted Maduro in a new light that he hoped would spark interest from Trump, who has been fixated on combating immigration, illegal drugs and Latin American cartels since his first presidential campaign.
Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, right, and opposition leader María Corina Machado greet supporters during a campaign rally in Valencia before the country’s presidential election in 2024.
(Ariana Cubillos / Associated Press)
Going after Maduro, Rubio argued, was not about promoting democracy or a change of governments. It was striking a drug kingpin fueling crime in American streets, an epidemic of American overdoses, and a flood of illegal migration to America’s borders.
Rubio tied Maduro to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan street gang whose members the secretary of State says are “worse than Al Qaeda.”
“Venezuela is governed by a narco-trafficking organization that has empowered itself as a nation state,” he said during his Senate confirmation hearing.
Meanwhile, prominent members of Venezuela’s opposition pushed the same message. “Maduro is the head of a narco-terrorist structure,” Machado told Fox News last month.
Security analysts and U.S. intelligence officials suggest that the links between Maduro and Tren de Aragua are overblown.
A declassified memo by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence found no evidence of widespread cooperation between Maduro’s government and the gang. It also said Tren de Aragua does not pose a threat to the U.S.
The gang does not traffic fentanyl, and the Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that just 8% of cocaine that reaches the U.S. passes through Venezuelan territory.
Still, Rubio’s strategy appears to have worked.
In July, Trump declared that Tren de Aragua was a terrorist group led by Maduro — and then ordered the Pentagon to use military force against cartels that the U.S. government had labeled terrorists.
Trump deployed thousands of U.S. troops and a small armada of ships and warplanes to the Caribbean and has ordered strikes on five boats off the coast of Venezuela, resulting in 24 deaths. The administration says the victims were “narco-terrorists” but has provided no evidence.
Elliott Abrams, a veteran diplomat who served as special envoy to Venezuela in Trump’s first term, said he believes the White House will carry out limited strikes in Venezuela.
“I think the next step is that they’re going to hit something in Venezuela — and I don’t mean boots on the ground. That’s not Trump,” Abrams said. “It’s a strike, and then it’s over. That’s very low risk to the United States.”
He continued: “Now, would it be nice if that kind of activity spurred a colonel to lead a coup? Yeah, it would be nice. But the administration is never going to say that.”
Even if Trump refrains from a ground invasion, there are major risks.
“If it’s a war, then what is the war’s aim? Is it to overthrow Maduro? Is it more than Maduro? Is it to get a democratically elected president and a democratic regime in power?” said John Yoo, a professor of law at UC Berkeley, who served as a top legal advisor to the George W. Bush administration. “The American people will want to know what’s the end state, what’s the goal of all of this.”
“Whenever you have two militaries bristling that close together, there could be real action,” said Christopher Sabatini, a senior fellow for Latin America at the think tank Chatham House. “Trump is trying to do this on the cheap. He’s hoping maybe he won’t have to commit. But it’s a slippery slope. This could draw the United States into a war.”
Sabatini and others added that even if the U.S. pressure drives out Maduro, what follows is far from certain.
Venezuela is dominated by a patchwork of guerrilla and paramilitary groups that have enriched themselves with gold smuggling, drug trafficking and other illicit activities. None have incentive to lay down arms.
And the country’s opposition is far from unified.
Machado, who dedicated her Nobel Prize to Trump in a clear effort to gain his support, says she is prepared to govern Venezuela. But there are others — both in exile and in Maduro’s administration — who would like to lead the country.
Machado supporter Juan Fernandez said anything would be better than maintaining the status quo.
“Some say we’re not prepared, that a transition would cause instability,” he said. “How can Maduro be the secure choice when 8 million Venezuelans have left, when there is no gasoline, political persecution and rampant inflation?”
Fernandez praised Rubio for pushing the Venezuela issue toward “an inflection point.”
What a difference, he said, to have a decision-maker in the White House with family roots in another country long oppressed by an authoritarian regime.
“He perfectly understands our situation,” Fernandez said. “And now he has one of the highest positions in the United States.”
Linthicum reported from Mexico City, Wilner from Dallas and Ceballos from Washington. Special correspondent Mery Mogollón in Caracas contributed to this report.
The White House alters plans to shut down the I-5 for a military event at Camp Pendleton; The Freeway will remain open as ‘No Kings Day’ protests and the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps are underway this weekend.
This weekend, the White House intended to shut down part of the 5 Freeway between Los Angeles and San Diego due to a live fire demonstration for a military event happening at Camp Pendleton. However, after receiving concerned responses from local officials and residents, the 5 Freeway will now stay open during the event.
In a news release from the same day, the U.S Marines confirmed, “All training events will occur on approved training ranges and comport with established safety protocols. No public highways or transportation routes will be closed.”
The military event is scheduled for this Saturday, which marks the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps. The event is set to feature a live-fire and amphibious assault demonstration, which could include firing missiles over the Freeway and onto Camp Pendleton. It is also reported that Navy ships will fire missiles around the coast of the base.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, and other military leaders are set to attend the event, which has been titled “America’s Marines 250: Sea to Shore – A Review of Amphibious Strength”.
Christopher Clark, a spokesperson for Caltrans, told SFGATE they were “informed of potential plans” to close the highway and “cautioned against it.”
Governor Gavin Newsom addressed plans to close I-5 with a post on X on October 15th, writing, “Donald Trump and JD Vance think that shutting down the I-5 to shoot out missiles from ships is how you respect the military. PUT ASIDE YOUR VANITY PARADE AND PAY OUR TROOPS INSTEAD.
Donald Trump and JD Vance think that shutting down the I-5 to shoot out missiles from ships is how you respect the military.
If road closures had happened, they would likely result in extreme congestion from Dana Point to past Del Mar. The road services over 80,000 travelers, who would all have to find alternate routes of up to 30 additional miles.
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Following the Marine Corps’ announcement that I-5 would remain open, Governor Newsom’s press office responded on X, writing: “We’re relieved the White House backed off its plans to shut down a major interstate. Now that I-5 will stay open, we hope the Trump Administration applies that same common sense to reopening the federal government!”
We’re relieved the White House backed off its plans to shut down a major interstate.
Now that I-5 will stay open, we hope the Trump Administration applies that same common sense to reopening the federal government! https://t.co/6aGDaxhY9V
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) October 16, 2025
The Marine Corps anniversary comes amid the ongoing government shutdown, as thousands of federal workers are working without pay as lawmakers scramble to find a solution. On Wednesday, a ninth attempt at voting to fund the government ended unsuccessfully, leading into the third week of nationwide shutdowns.
Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Leader of the U.S House of Representatives, said, “We are ready, willing to negotiate a bipartisan spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people.”
Air traffic controller Peter Lefevre said about the shutdown, “Not knowing how I’m going to have child care for my kids, put gas in the car or pay the next mortgage payment, adds a certain level of stress to an already stressful profession.”
The spectacular event is the latest in a series of costly military investments made by the administration at the expense of taxpayers. While the military continues to see significant budget increases, Federal workers, active duty members and American citizens are facing budget cuts and economic hardship. All the while, the government remains at a standstill over the future of its funding.
The event at Camp Pendleton coincides with another round of ‘No Kings Day’ protests scheduled for this weekend. Upcoming demonstrations are expected to bring out millions of citizens across the country who oppose the current administration.
Following the state department’s review of their social media accounts, six foreigners have had their visas revoked for allegedly making light of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Charlie Kirk, a conservative figure, was killed on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University on behalf of his organization Turning Point USA. As President Trump was posthumously awarding Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the announcement of visa revocation was made by the State Department.
Kirk was revered by Trump as a “Great American Hero” and even a “martyr” for freedom. As such, the Trump administration has targeted people for comments about Kirk. Although these individuals are from Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Paraguay and South Africa, the names and types of visas these individuals had are yet to be revealed.
Nhlamulo Baloyi, a South African national, has come forward to confirm that the State Department revoked his visa that was supposed to expire in 2032. This took place after uploading a post that said “Charlie Kirk won’t be remembered as a hero” and suggesting that his followers were a “movement of white nationalist trailer trash.”
Baloyi says that “this goes against all the values that one has known about America”, contending that the revocation of his visa is a free speech violation. He mentions that he condemns political violence and that his post was simply intended to shed light on some of the double standards surrounding race.
The State Department has commented in a post on X that “The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans”. These actions, an effort to silence criticism of the passed political figure.
The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans.
The State Department continues to identify visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk. Here are just a few examples of aliens who are no longer welcome in the U.S.:
Many companies and institutions have fired, suspended, and otherwise disciplined people for making social media posts regarding Kirk’s death. David Axelrod, former advisor to Barack Obama, argues, posting on X, that “U.S. revokes visas for 6 foreigners for derisive posthumous comments about Charlie Kirk–who was ironically, a self-styled champion of free speech!”
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Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said they “will defend our borders, our culture, and our citizens by enforcing our immigration laws”. Other top officials, such as Vice President JD Vance, have encouraged people to call out any offensive language about Kirk they may find online.
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge blocked the Trump administration Wednesday from firing thousands of government workers based on the ongoing federal shutdown, granting a request from employee unions in California.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston issued the temporary restraining order after concluding that the unions “will demonstrate ultimately that what’s being done here is both illegal and is in excess of authority and is arbitrary and capricious.”
Illston slammed the Trump administration for failing to provide her with clear information about what cuts are actually occurring, for repeatedly changing its description and estimates of job cuts in filings before the court, and for failing — including during Wednesday’s hearing in San Francisco — to articulate an argument for why such cuts are not in violation of federal law.
“The evidence suggests that the Office of Management and Budget, OMB, and the Office of Personnel Management, OPM, have taken advantage of the lapse in government spending and government functioning to assume that all bets are off, that the laws don’t apply to them anymore,” Illston said — which she said was not the case.
She said the government justified providing inaccurate figures for the number of jobs being eliminated under its “reduction in force” orders by calling it a “fluid situation” — which she did not find convincing.
“What it is is a situation where things are being done before they are being thought through. It’s very much ready, fire, aim on most of these programs,” she said. “And it has a human cost, which is really why we’re here today. It’s a human cost that cannot be tolerated.”
Illston also ran through a string of recent comments made by President Trump and other members of his administration about the firings and their intentionally targeting programs and agencies supported by Democrats, saying, “By all appearances, they’re politically motivated.”
The Trump administration has acknowledged dismissing about 4,000 workers under the orders, while Trump and other officials have signaled that more would come Friday.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said Wednesday on “The Charlie Kirk Show” that the number of jobs cut could “probably end up being north of 10,000,” as the administration wants to be “very aggressive where we can be in shuttering the bureaucracy, not just the funding,” and the shutdown provided that opportunity.
Attorneys for the unions, led by the American Federation of Government Employees, said that the figures were unreliable and that they feared additional reduction in force orders resulting in more layoffs, as promised by administration officials, if the court did not step in and block such actions.
Illston, an appointee of President Clinton, did just that.
She barred the Trump administration and its various agencies “from taking any action to issue any reduction in force notices to federal employees in any program, project or activity” involving union members “during or because of the federal shutdown.”
She also barred the administration from “taking any further action to administer or implement” existing reduction notices involving union members.
Illston demanded that the administration provide within two days a full accounting of all existing or “imminent” reduction in force orders that would be blocked by her order, as well as the specific number of federal jobs affected.
Elizabeth Hedges, an attorney for the Trump administration, had argued during the hearing that the order should not be granted for several procedural reasons — including that the alleged harm to federal employees from loss of employment or benefits was not “irreparable” and could be addressed through other avenues, including civil litigation.
Additionally, she argued that federal employment claims should be adjudicated administratively, not in district court; and that the reduction in force orders included 60-day notice periods, meaning the layoffs were not immediate and therefore the challenge to them was not yet “ripe” legally.
However, Hedges would not discuss the case on its actual merits — which is to say, whether the cuts were actually legal or not, which did not seem to sit well with Illston.
“You don’t have a position on whether it’s OK that they do what they’re doing?” Illston asked.
“I am not prepared to discuss that today, your honor,” Hedges said.
“Well — but it’s happening. This hatchet is falling on the heads of employees all across the nation, and you’re not even prepared to address whether that’s legal, even though that’s what this motion challenges?” Illston said.
“That’s right,” Hedges said — stressing again that there were “threshold” arguments for why the case shouldn’t even be allowed to continue to the merits stage.
Danielle Leonard, an attorney for the unions, suggested the government’s positions were indefensible and directly in conflict with public statements by the administration — including remarks by Trump on Tuesday that more cuts are coming Friday.
“How do we know this? Because OMB and the president relentlessly are telling us, and other members of the administration,” Leonard said.
Leonard said the harm from the administration’s actions is obvious and laid out in the union’s filings — showing how employees have at times been left in the dark as to their employment status because they don’t have access to work communication channels during the shutdown, or how others have been called in to “work without pay to fire their fellow employees” — only to then be fired themselves.
“There are multiple types of harm that are caused exactly right now — emotional trauma. That’s not my word, your honor, that is the word of OMB Director Vought. Let’s cause ‘trauma’ to the federal workforce,” Leonard said. “And that’s exactly what they are doing. Trauma. The emotional distress of being told you are being fired after an already exceptionally difficult year for federal employees.”
Skye Perryman, president and chief executive of Democracy Forward, which is co-counsel for the unions, praised Illston’s decision in a statement after the hearing.
“The statements today by the court make clear that the President’s targeting of federal workers — a move straight out of Project 2025’s playbook — is unlawful,” Perryman said. “Our civil servants do the work of the people, and playing games with their livelihoods is cruel and unlawful and a threat to everyone in our nation.”
Illston asked the two parties to confer on the best date, probably later this month, for a fuller hearing on whether she should issue a more lasting preliminary injunction in the case.
“It would be wonderful to know what the government’s position is on the merits of this case — and my breath is bated until we find that,” Illston said.
After the hearing, during a White House news conference, Trump said his administration was paying federal employees whom “we want paid” while Vought uses the shutdown to dismiss employees perceived as supporting Democratic initiatives.
“Russell Vought is really terminating tremendous numbers of Democrat projects — not only jobs,” Trump said.
