Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 105

US faith leaders opposed to ICE raids counsel nonviolent resistance and lead by example

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO and DEEPA BHARATH

When the Rev. Edward Anderson rallied in Los Angeles this week against the Trump administration’s intensifying immigration crackdown, he positioned himself between law enforcement and his fellow protesters, serving as a human buffer.

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Anderson, who leads McCarty Memorial Christian Church in the city’s West Adams Terrace neighborhood, believes he was upholding his moral duty to stand against injustice, but in a nonviolent manner that his faith demands.

“It is imperative that people of faith speak out because silence in the face of injustice is complicity,” he said.

Some U.S. religious leaders are taking a stand about President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, including ones citing Scripture to explain their support for his policies and others citing it to explain their resistance. For many of those condemning how federal agents are rounding up and deporting people who are in the country illegally, though, nonviolent resistance is the best — and only — way to effect positive change.

State and local leaders have accused Trump of inflaming tensions and raising the risk of violence by deploying National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles in response to the protests, which have been daily since last week. Although most have been peaceful, some have resulted in clashes between protesters and law enforcement.

Elected officials, including LA Mayor Karen Bass, have called on protesters to remain peaceful, saying violence will only inflame the situation.

It’s a message religious leaders can get behind.

“The moral message is clear: we do not accept the world as it is. We respond to cruelty with courage, to hatred with love,” Rabbi Sharon Brous said this week at an interfaith vigil in Los Angeles, where the mayor imposed a downtown curfew.

The Rev. Jacqui Lewis, senior pastor of Middle Collegiate Church in New York City, said nonviolent resistance is a core belief of her congregation, which has been feeding and helping newly arrived immigrants and demonstrating to support them.

“We’re like Jesus — nonviolent,” said Lewis.

But nonviolence isn’t silence, she said, adding that it “often means confronting people with the truth. … We understand that social change has happened because people of faith and spiritual imagination guided the streets peacefully.”

Demonstrators march during a protest Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Her flock plans to take part in one of Saturday’s “No Kings” rallies, which are happening in cities throughout the country to protest Trump’s policies and which will take place during a military parade in Washington.

Nonviolence and a slow path to change

Nonviolent protest has a proven track record in the U.S., having been successfully used by, among others, the Rev. Martin Luther King during the Civil Rights movement.

However, Michael Nagler, co-founder of The Metta Center for Nonviolence, a California-based nonprofit involved in education and advocacy, cautioned that nonviolence and civil disobedience come with suffering and sacrifice.

He pointed to the sacred Hindu text the Bhagavad Gita, which advises practicing action without getting attached to the result.

“Principled nonviolence comes from this awareness that the divine resides in each and every one of us and every life is precious,” he said. “You believe that a solution can always be worked out where all parties have their legitimate needs met.”

Nonviolence might not yield immediate results, but it eventually has a deeper impact and fewer casualties than the alternative, Nagler said. In the context of the current struggle, a positive result might mean getting the administration to deal with immigrants more humanely, he said.

Faith leaders can play a crucial role in the demonstrations, said the Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president of Interfaith Alliance. They can provide “a sense of shield” and a “spiritual force” for demonstrators, and inspire “a reduction of harm and nonviolent presence … in a space where it appears that there’s only a spiraling of violence.”

Partnering with local Los Angeles organizations and labor unions, Anderson said his congregation has led prayer vigils, helped migrants learn about their rights, and advised other faith leaders about what to do if ICE shows up at their houses of worship.

“As clergy and community leaders, we are not only called to preach justice but to embody it, to be present in the pain of our people, and to lift up the sacred worth of every human life,” he said in an email.

Anderson said he draws strength from the Bible’s calls to welcome the stranger, defend the oppressed and love thy neighbor.

Views among faith leaders are hardly uniform, with others citing the Bible as a reason for supporting Trump’s crackdown.

A lone demonstrator draped in a national flag stands outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center, in front of members of the California National Guard, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

There are many faith leaders, notably in the evangelical ranks, who support the immigration crackdown.

“I support 100% President Trump’s goal of protecting our country from evildoers, whether from within or without,” said the Rev. Robert Jeffress, a longtime Trump supporter who is a Southern Baptist pastor at a Dallas megachurch. “The president has authority from the Constitution and the Bible to do exactly what he’s doing.”

Regarding the protests, Jeffress said, “People have a right to be wrong. But they don’t have the right to be wrong in a violent manner.”

Committed to interfaith action and working together

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which participated in an interfaith prayer vigil in Grand Park on Tuesday, said it plans to remain engaged. That gathering showed that people of different faiths can unite and pray for a compassionate way forward, said the Rev. Parker Sandoval, the Catholic archdiocese’s vice chancellor.

“A lot of people are living in fear now, whether it’s fear of violence or the fear of being separated from their families,” he said. “God insists that we are not alone or without hope. Evil, no matter what form it takes, does not have the last word.”

Seth Zuihō Segall, a Zen Buddhist priest affiliated with the Buddhist Coalition for Democracy, said he and his colleagues are appalled by images of masked, armed federal immigration agents “whisking people off the streets and into cars.” He stressed via email that opposition to these developments should be nonviolent.

“Non-harming, non-hatred, and nonviolence are at the very core of the Buddha’s message,” he wrote. “We strive to treat all people — even those whose actions appall us — as buddhas-in-progress.”

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

An Omaha food plant owner says he followed the rules for hiring immigrants. It was raided anyway.

By MARGERY A. BECK

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The owner of an Omaha food packaging company says his business has been unfairly hamstrung by federal immigration officials, who raided the plant and arrested more than half its workforce.

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The raid took place despite the company meticulously following the government’s own system for verifying the workers were in the country legally, owner Gary Rohwer said Wednesday.

Glenn Valley Foods now is operating at about 30% of capacity as the business scrambles to hire more workers, Rohwer said as he stood outside the plant.

Asked how upsetting the raid was, Rohwer replied, “I was very upset, ma’am, because we were told to e-verify, and we e-verified all these years, so I was shocked.”

“We did everything we could possibly do,” he said.

Glenn Valley Foods, a meat packaging company that was raided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Margery A. Beck)

E-Verify is an online U.S. Department of Homeland Security system launched in the late 1990s that allows employers to quickly check if potential employees can work legally in the U.S., often by using Social Security numbers.

Some of America’s largest employers use it, including Starbucks and Walmart, but the vast majority of employers do not. Critics say the system is fairly easy to cheat, particularly with false documents.

Rohwer noted that federal officials have said his company was a victim of those using stolen identities or fake IDs to get around the E-Verify system, which lead agents conducting the raid described as “broken” and “flawed” to Glenn Valley executives.

But that does nothing to repair the company’s bottom line, Rohwer said.

“I’d like to see the United States government … come up with a program that they can communicate to the companies as to how to hire legitimate help. Period,” he said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that more than 70 people were arrested during the Glenn Valley Foods raid on Tuesday. It also said one of the workers, described as a Honduras national, assaulted federal agents as he was being detained.

The Omaha raid comes amid an immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump. The administration has been intensifying its efforts in recent weeks, and Trump deployed more than 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines this week to respond to ongoing protests in Los Angeles over his immigration policies.

Hundreds gather in after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted a raid earlier in the day in Omaha, Neb. on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Nikos Frazier/Omaha World-Herald via AP)

The raid, in the southeastern section of Omaha where nearly a quarter of residents are foreign born according to the 2020 census, led to hundreds of people turning out to protest Tuesday evening. But it also had a chilling effect on the south Omaha community.

The Metropolitan Community College’s South Omaha campus and an Omaha library branch in the area closed Tuesday afternoon, and several businesses along south Omaha’s normally bustling 24th Street closed as news of the raid spread. Several of them remained closed Wednesday, said Douglas County Board of Commissioners Chairman Roger Garcia, whose district covers south Omaha.

“Everybody’s still on alert, waiting to see what happens today and in the coming days,” Garcia said. “So there’s still a lot of anxiety and fear out there.”

That fear will show up in the form of a weakened economy in Omaha, he added.

“You know, when products are not being sold, taxes are not being collected, and people are not able to get their goods as well. So it affects all of us,” he said.

Douglas County Board Chairman Roger Garcia, whose district includes the south Omaha area where federal immigration officials raided a meat packaging plant on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, addresses reporters on Wednesday, June 11, in Omaha, Neb. Garcia says his community, which includes a large immigrant population, is shaken by the raid, and noted that his wife’s aunt was among those arrested and taken away from Glenn Valley Foods. (AP Photo/Margery Beck)

An aunt of Garcia’s wife was among those taken away by ICE during the Omaha raid, he said. They have been unable to determine where she is being held.

The raid came on the same day of the inauguration of newly elected Omaha Mayor John Ewing, a Democrat who unseated three-term Republican Jean Stothert last month.

During a news conference Wednesday to address the raid, Ewing declined to speculate on whether the timing of it was intended to distract from his swearing-in. But he denounced the action by federal authorities, saying, “My message to the public is that we are with them.”

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer also declared that his department will play no part in checking immigration or the legal status of residents in the community.

“That is not our mission. Our mission is public safety,” the chief said. “I need victims to come forward. They will not come forward if they’re fearful of Omaha Police Department being immigration officers.”

Appeals court temporarily blocks judge’s ruling to return control of National Guard to California

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday temporarily blocked a federal judge’s order that directed President Donald Trump to return control of National Guard troops to California after he deployed them there following protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids.

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The court said it would hold a hearing on the matter on Tuesday. The ruling came only hours after a federal judge’s order was to take effect at noon Friday.

Earlier Thursday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled the Guard deployment was illegal and both violated the Tenth Amendment and exceeded Trump’s statutory authority. The order applied only to the National Guard troops and not Marines who were also deployed to the LA protests. The judge said he would not rule on the Marines because they were not out on the streets yet.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had asked the judge for an emergency stop to troops helping carry out immigration raids, had praised the earlier ruling.

“Today was really about a test of democracy, and today we passed the test,” Newsom said in a news conference before the appeals court decision.

The White House had called Breyer’s order “unprecedented” and said it “puts our brave federal officials in danger.”

“The district court has no authority to usurp the President’s authority as Commander in Chief,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement. “The President exercised his lawful authority to mobilize the National Guard to protect federal buildings and personnel in Gavin Newsom’s lawless Los Angeles. The Trump Administration will immediately appeal this abuse of power and looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”

National Guard and DHS police stand guard outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)Marines in civil disturbance training at nearby base

About 700 Marines have been undergoing civil disturbance training at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach in Orange County, California. Nicholas Green, an attorney for the state, told the court: “I have been told by the office of the governor that within the next 24 hours, 140 Marines will replace and relieve National Guard members in Los Angeles.”

Typically the authority to call up the National Guard lies with governors, but there are limited circumstances under which the president can deploy those troops. Trump federalized members of the California National Guard under an authority known as Title 10.

Title 10 allows the president to call the National Guard into federal service under certain limited circumstances, such as when the country “is invaded,” when “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government,” or when the president is unable “to execute the laws of the United States.”

Breyer said in his ruling that what is happening in Los Angeles does not meet the definition of a rebellion.

“The protests in Los Angeles fall far short of ‘rebellion,’” he wrote.

Protesters against federal immigration raids gather outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)California sued the federal government

Newsom sued to block the Guard’s deployment against his wishes. California later filed an emergency motion asking the judge to block the Guard from assisting with immigration raids.

The governor argued that the troops were originally deployed to protect federal buildings and wanted the court to block the troops from helping protect immigration agents during the raids, saying that involving the Guard would only escalate tensions and promote civil unrest.

Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, commander of Task Force 51, which is overseeing the Guard troops and Marines sent to Los Angeles, said that as of Wednesday about 500 of the Guard troops had been trained to accompany agents on immigration operations. Photos of Guard soldiers providing security for the agents have already been circulated by immigration officials.

None of the Marines have been trained to go on immigration raids, and it is not yet clear if they eventually will, Sherman said.

Trump improperly called up the Guard, judge says

In his broad ruling, the judge determined Trump had not properly called the Guard up in the first place.

The lawsuit argued that Title 10 also requires that the president go through governors when issuing orders to the National Guard.

Brett Shumate, an attorney for the federal government, said Trump complied with the statute by informing the general in charge of the troops of his decision and would have the authority to call in the Guard even if he had not.

In a brief filed ahead of the Thursday hearing, the Justice Department said Trump’s orders were not subject to judicial review.

“Courts did not interfere when President Eisenhower deployed the military to protect school desegregation. Courts did not interfere when President Nixon deployed the military to deliver the mail in the midst of a postal strike. And courts should not interfere here either,” the department said.

“Our position is this is not subject to judicial review,” Shumate told the judge.

Breyer, who at one point waved a copy of the Constitution, said he disagreed.

“We’re talking about the president exercising his authority, and the president is of course limited in that authority. That’s the difference between a constitutional government and King George,” he said.

Protests intensified

The protests over immigration raids in Los Angeles intensified after Trump called up the Guard and have since spread to other cities, including Boston, Chicago and Seattle.

Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Mayor Karen Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth.

Tulane scientist resigns citing university censorship of pollution and racial disparity research

By JACK BROOK

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Tulane University researcher resigned Wednesday, citing censorship from university leaders who had warned that her advocacy and research exposing the Louisiana petrochemical industry’s health impacts and racial disparities in hiring had triggered blowback from donors and elected officials.

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In her resignation letter, Kimberly Terrell accused the university of sacrificing academic freedom to appease Louisiana’s Republican Gov. Jeff Landry. Terrell, the director of community engagement at Tulane’s Environmental Law Clinic claimed the clinic had been “placed under a complete gag order” that barred her from making public statements about her research.

According to emails obtained by The Associated Press, university leaders wrote that the work of the law clinic had become an “impediment” to a Tulane redevelopment project reliant on support from state and private funders. The clinic represents communities fighting the petrochemical industry in court.

Kate Kelly, a Landry spokesperson, denied that the governor threatened to withhold state funding.

“I cannot remain silent as this university sacrifices academic integrity for political appeasement and pet projects,” Terrell wrote. “Our work is too important, and the stakes are too high, to sit back and watch special interests replace scholarship with censorship.”

Terrell said she resigned “to protect the work and interests” of the clinic.

Tulane spokesperson Michael Strecker said in an emailed statement that the university “is fully committed to academic freedom and the strong pedagogical value of law clinics.” He declined to comment on “personnel matters.”

Elected officials concerned about environmental law clinic’s work

Many of the clinic’s clients are located along the heavily industrialized 85-mile stretch of the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge commonly referred to by environmental groups as “Cancer Alley.”

Marcilynn Burke, dean of Tulane’s law school, wrote in a May 4 email to clinic staff that Tulane University President Michael Fitts worried the clinic’s work threatened to tank support for the university’s long-sought efforts to redevelop New Orleans’ historic Charity Hospital as part of a downtown expansion.

“Elected officials and major donors have cited the clinic as an impediment to them lending their support to the university generally and this project specifically,” Burke wrote.

Burke did not respond to an emailed request for comment Wednesday.

In her resignation letter, Terrell wrote that she had been told the governor “threatened to veto” any state funding for the expansion project unless Tulane’s president “did something” about the clinic.

Barred from media interviews

A 2022 study Terrell co-authored found higher cancer rates in Black or impoverished communities in Louisiana. Another study she published last year linked toxic air pollution in Louisiana with premature births and lower weight in newborns.

In April, Terrell published research showing that Black people received significantly less jobs in the petrochemical industry than white people in Louisiana despite having similar levels of training and education.

Media coverage of the April study coincided with a visit by Tulane leaders to Louisiana’s capitol to lobby elected officials in support of university projects. Shortly after, Burke, the law school’s dean, told clinic staff in an email that “all external communications” such as social media posts and media interviews “must be pre-approved by me.”

Emails from May show that Burke denied requests from Terrell to make comments in response to various media requests, correspondence and speaking engagements, saying they were not “essential functions of the job.”

On May 12, Terrell filed a complaint with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, claiming that her academic freedom had been violated. The agency, which accredits Tulane, did not comment.

University leaders concerned about clinic’s advocacy

In a May 21 audio recording obtained by the AP, Provost Robin Forman said that when Tulane leadership met with elected officials in April, they were pressed as to why “‘Tulane has taken a stand on the chemical industry as harming communities’,” and this “left people feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable.”

Burke said in an email that university leaders had misgivings about a press release in which a community activist represented by Terrell’s clinic is quoted as saying that petrochemical companies “prioritize profit over people.” Burke noted that Fitts was concerned about the clinic’s science-based advocacy program, and Terrell’s work in particular which he worried had veered “into lobbying.” Burke said Fitts required an explanation of “how the study about racial disparities relates directly to client representation.”

The clinic cites the study in a legal filing opposing a proposed chemical plant beside a predominantly Black neighborhood, arguing the community would be burdened with a disproportionate amount of pollution and less than a fair share of the jobs.

The clinic’s annual report highlighted its representation of a group of residents in a historic Black community who halted a massive grain terminal that would have been built around 300 feet from their homes.

The provost viewed the clinic’s annual report “as bragging that the clinic has shut down development,” Burke said in an email.

In her resignation letter, Terrell warned colleagues that she felt Tulane’s leaders “have chosen to abandon the principles of knowledge, education, and the greater good in pursuit of their own narrow agenda.”

Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Prosecutors say Republican South Carolina lawmaker used ‘joebidennnn69’ to send child sex material

By JEFFREY COLLINS

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A Republican member of the South Carolina House who prosecutors say used the screen name “joebidennnn69” has been arrested and charged with 10 counts of distributing sexual abuse material involving children.

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RJ May was arrested at his Lexington County home after a lengthy investigation and was ordered Thursday by a federal judge to remain jailed until his trial.

The three-term Republican is accused of using “joebidennnn69” to exchange 220 different files of toddlers and young children involved in sex acts on the Kik social media network for about five days in spring 2024, according to court documents that graphically detailed the videos.

Each charge carries a five-to-20 year prison sentence upon conviction and prosecutors suggested May could spend over a decade in prison if found guilty.

The files were uploaded and downloaded using May’s home Wi-Fi network and his cellphone, prosecutors said. Some were hidden by the use of a private network but others were directly linked to his internet addresses.

May says someone else could have used his Wi-Fi

At his arraignment, May’s lawyer suggested someone could have used the Wi-Fi password that was shown on a board behind a photo May’s wife may have posted online. Attorney Dayne Phillips also suggested investigators didn’t link each Kik message directly to May.

FILE – Republican South Carolina Rep. R.J. May of Lexington sits at his new desk during the organizational session for the House on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins, File)

Prosecutors asked that May, 38, not be given bail because he lives at home with his wife and young children, and some of the files he is accused of sharing feature children of about the same age as his.

May investigated for paid sex in Colombia

Prosecutors said they also investigated whether May used a fake name to travel to Colombia three times after finding videos on his laptop of him allegedly having sex with three women. An agent from the Department of Homeland Security testified the women appeared to be underage and were paid. U.S. agents have not been able to locate the women.

Prosecutors said May created a Facebook account with his fake name and his internet history showed him switching between his real account and the fake one and even searching his primary opponent from the fake login.

Phillips, May’s lawyer, told the courtroom that no sexual images of toddlers or young children were found directly on his laptop or cellphone.

After spending the night in jail. May appeared in court Thursday in shorts and a T-shirt with his wrists and ankles in cuffs. After being ordered to stay in jail, he appeared to blow a kiss at his wife, who was at the hearing.

May’s political rise to the state House

After May’s election in 2020, he helped create the Freedom Caucus, a group of the House’s most conservative members who say mainstream House Republicans aren’t the true conservative heart of the GOP. He also helped the campaigns of Republicans running against GOP House incumbents.

“We as legislators have an obligation to insure that our children have no harm done to them,” May said in January 2024 on the House floor during a debate on transgender care for minors.

His son charmed the House in April 2021 when May brought him to visit for his third birthday and the boy practiced his parade wave around the chamber.

FILE -South Carolina Rep. RJ May, R-West Columbia, speaks in favor of an education voucher bill on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins, File)

The Freedom Caucus released a statement Wednesday night saying they kicked May out of their group after his arrest.

May spent a quiet 2025 House session

Many of his onetime friends have distanced themselves from May as rumors of the investigation spread through the Statehouse. During the current session he could largely be seen at his corner desk in the back of the 124-seat chamber, mixing with very few colleagues.

The House Speaker suspended May from his seat after the indictment.

May’s lawyer suggested he could have been framed and asked the Homeland Security agent if she knew that May had a lot of political enemies.

“There are a fair amount of people who don’t like me either, Mr. Phillips,” agent Britton Lorenen replied.

Coinbase hires top political strategist as crypto industry flexes its newfound political might

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI, KEN SWEET and JILL COLVIN

NEW YORK (AP) — A senior adviser to Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign is joining Coinbase’s global advisory council, which already includes several former U.S. senators and President Donald Trump’s ex-campaign manager, as the cryptocurrency exchange broadens its political reach.

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David Plouffe, a top Democratic strategist best known as an architect of Barack Obama’s successful 2008 presidential campaign, is the latest addition to the council, joining as the cryptocurrency industry plays an increasingly prominent role in shaping fast-moving legislation in Congress.

The bipartisan involvement reflects how both parties see crypto holders as an important and growing base of potential swing voters they are eager to tap, as well as their efforts to shape — and profit from — the lucrative industry. It also shows the political heft the crypto industry now carries under Trump, with several Democrats and Republicans joining the company’s payroll.

The crypto industry was among the largest spenders in the 2024 election. A crypto super political action committee spent over $130 million in 2024 congressional races. Coinbase — the nation’s largest crypto exchange — was the super PAC’s biggest contributor.

The cryptocurrency industry’s bets are already paying dividends. Congress is now moving quickly on industry-friendly legislation that would create a comprehensive framework for the regulation of digital assets amid a shift in Washington. Trump, a Republican, has pledged to make the U.S. the global capital of cryptocurrency, contrasting with what industry leaders viewed as a stifling regulatory approach under the previous Democratic administration.

Americans may soon be able to invest in crypto in their retirement accounts, after Trump’s Labor Secretary repealed a Biden administration guidance that said crypto may not be appropriate for 401ks and IRAs. President Joe Biden’s regulators had argued that extreme volatility of cryptocurrencies makes the asset class too risky for Americans trying to save long-term for retirement.

Regardless of how crypto has performed in the past, the ability for Americans to put their retirement funds — roughly $44 trillion in assets — into crypto will lead to billions of dollars in profits for the industry, if even a small portion of Americans put their assets into a cryptocurrency fund.

FILE – The Coinbase logo covers the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York’s Times Square, April 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Trump and his family have also been aggressively expanding their personal business into almost every part of the cryptocurrency ecosystem, including raising billions of dollars to buy bitcoin, creating a new stablecoin and launching and promoting a Trump-themed meme coin.

Trump addressed crypto enthusiasts at Coinbase’s policy conference in New York via video on Thursday, saying it’s “a really big honor” to be called the “first crypto president.”

“Congratulations to everyone at this exciting time for your industry and in our country’s life,” Trump said, to applause.

Chris LaCivita, the former co-campaign manager of Trump’s 2024 presidential bid, joined Coinbase’s advisory council in January.

Interviewed at Thursday’s conference, LaCivita and Plouffe recounted their efforts to court so-called “crypto voters” in the 2024 election. Both the Harris and Trump teams viewed the group as a new bloc of potential swing voters who were up for grabs. Coinbase chief policy officer Faryar Shirzad said the company met with both campaign to sell them on the potential.

LaCivita said Trump — who had once been a crypto skeptic — quickly came around, with the help of input from his sons Barron Trump and Donald Trump Jr.

“The newness of it I think was exciting, from the president’s standpoint,” said LaCivita. “It didn’t take really a lot.”

The campaign, he said, also saw an opportunity to reach a swath of voters who may not have been actively engaged with politics in the past, including Black and younger voters, with whom the Republican Party struggled in the past.

“It gave us an opportunity to establish common ground with an area and a demographic that we need expand in in order to be successful,” he said. “This was one of those just great growth opportunities in politics,” which he said are “few and far between.”

Plouffe said the Harris campaign had reached the same conclusion and argued the group is only growing.

“The folks who own crypto are pretty politically competitive,” he said. “These are not MAGA voters. They are swing voters. Lean a little Democratic, certainly lean a lot younger.”

Both were also bullish on their party’s chances in next year’s midterm elections. Plouffe stressed the party out of power generally has an edge. He acknowledged that the Democratic Party “has a lot of work to do on its brand” after their disappointing finish last year, but said he hoped “that’s going to come from the people who run and from the grassroots together.”

LaCivita said the goal for Trump would be to demonstrate to voters that he is delivering on his campaign promises.

Plouffe, who previously served on the global advisory board for Binance, joins a council that also includes former Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat-turned-independent. The role of advisers is to be a “sounding board” to discuss policy efforts and business strategy, Shirzad said.

In Congress, legislation is advancing far more quickly than usual for a new industry — a pace that some involved in shaping the bills say comes amid an all-out pressure campaign from the cryptocurrency sector.

On Wednesday, a group of Democrats joined the Republican majority to advance legislation regulating stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency typically pegged to the U.S. dollar. Final passage through the Senate could come next week.

Meanwhile, a more sweeping bill to implement cryptocurrency market structure has begun moving through House committees.

Cappelletti reported from Washington.

SF Giants see seven-game win streak snapped in ninth against Rockies

The Giants got a taste of their own medicine Thursday and missed a chance to head into Los Angeles tied for first place in the National League West.

Uncharacteristic wildness by reliever Randy Rodriguez and an error by third baseman Casey Schmitt in the ninth inning helped contribute to a three-run ninth by the Colorado Rockies in an 8-7 win over the Giants at Coors Field.

Orlando Arcia lined a single to left to drive in the winning runs, as Rodriguez gave up three runs in a 43-pitch ninth inning. The Giants had an opportunity to win the game on a double play, but an error by Schmitt allowed the first run to score and set up Arcia’s game-winner.

The loss ended a seven-game win streak for the Giants (40-29), who head into Los Angeles one game behind the Dodgers as the longtime rivals begin their first series of the season on Friday at Chavez Ravine.

Thursday’s loss painfully flipped the script for a Giants team that has won 17 games this season when trailing by multiple runs.

“Little things that we’ve been pretty good at, especially in these tight games, ended up costing us today,” Giants manager Bob Melvin told reporters.

Dominic Smith hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning and appeared to put the Giants in command with a 7-2 lead. Hayden Birdsong pitched the first six innings for the Giants, followed by Sean Hjelle, Erik Miller, and Ryan Walker before Rodriguez came undone in the ninth to fall to 3-1.

With closer Camilo Doval unavailable after closing consecutive games and the Giants clinging to a 7-5 lead, Melvin opted to use Walker as the set-up man and Rodriguez as the closer. Walker pitched a dominant scoreless eighth.

Rodriguez came in with a 0.61 earned run average and just three walks in 29 1/3 innings, but here’s how it went in the ninth:

Jordan Beck hit a deep drive to left that Jung Hoo Lee ran down at the fence for the first out.

Sam Hilliard walked.

Former Giant Thairo Estrada hit a drive that Heliot Ramos fielded, then dropped. It was ruled a double, and runners were at second and third.

Ryan McMahon walked.

Brenton Doyle’s double play ball is booted by Schmitt, scoring Hilliard, leaving runners at second and third.

Pinch hitter Hunter Goodman strikes out swinging.

Arcia singles in the winning runs.

A.P. PhotoGiants starter Hayden Birdsong left with a 7-3 lead but got no decision after six innings of work.

Birdsong gave up three earned runs with two walks and six strikeouts. He threw 104 pitches, 67 of them strikes, his most pitches of the season and the second most in his career.

“To throw 104 pitches, which is like 125 here, was great,” Melvin said. “He gave up six innings and obviously left with a comfortable lead.”

Colorado, with the worst record in baseball at 13-54, broke a trend where the Giants have been beating up on teams with inferior records. The Giants fell to 21-7 against teams with records under .500. Seth Halvorsen was the winning pitcher for Colorado, evening his record at 1-1.

Mickey Moniak homered off Birdsong with one out in the sixth inning, an opposite-field drive to left field that kept carrying in the mile-high altitude. It was his seventh of the season. Colorado got to Hjelle in the seventh on a two-run single by Estrada.

Smith’s home run against starter Antonio Senzatela (1-11) gave the Giants some breathing room after the Rockies had closed within two runs. It was a no-doubter into the upper deck in right field that traveled 433 feet and left the bat at 106.2 miles per hour for his first home run as a Giant.

It scored Mike Yastrzemski, who walked, and Wilmer Flores, who opened the inning with a double

Colorado scored twice in the fourth after Birdsong had recorded two quick outs. Doyle reached base on a blind stab attempt at a comebacker by Birdsong — which probably would have been fielded for an out had he let it go — with Moniak hitting a single to right and Arcia drawing a walk.

Ryan Ritter then singled in two runs with a hard grounder that got past a backhand attempt by Willy Adames at shortstop.

The Giants struck for four runs in the second against Senzatela, with Tyler Fitzgerald hitting a sacrifice fly, Logan Porter hitting a run-scoring single, and Ramos hitting a two-run single.

L.A. series amidst protests

The Giants arrive for the three-game series as Los Angeles is in the national spotlight due to protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. President Donald Trump has deployed the National Guard to the city over California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s objections. Dodger Stadium is two miles from downtown, and more protests are expected Saturday.

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How the pitching rotation shapes up for a three-game series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers:

Friday: Logan Webb (5-5, 2.58) vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-4, 2.20), 7:10 p.m.

Saturday: Landen Roupp (4-4, 3.29) vs. Clayton Kershaw (1-0, 4.35), 7:10 p.m.

Sunday: Kyle Harrison (1-1, 4.56) vs. Dustin May (3-4, 4.46), 4:10 p.m.

Protesters in Monterey support Los Angeles

MONTEREY — Monterey County residents took part in a protest Wednesday to demonstrate against the Trump administration and support the ongoing protests in Los Angeles.

More than 100 people gathered at Window on the Bay park off Del Monte Avenue Wednesday evening, many holding signs calling out President Donald Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement involvement in California and the president’s recent call for military involvement in Los Angeles.

Hosted by Indivisible Monterey, the evening demonstration took place days before what’s expected to be a larger event on Saturday. The “No Kings” rallies, protests critical of Trump and his administration’s immigration policies, are planned nationwide Saturday to coincide with the president’s scheduled military parade in Washington D.C. One is planned from 2-4 p.m. Saturday at Window on the Bay on Del Monte Avenue near downtown Monterey.

“We want to show that we stand with our state and we stand with the L.A. community,” said Murtaza Mogri, lead organizer for Indivisible Monterey. “(Californians) are being targeted.”

Wednesday’s demonstration for many was in direct support of Los Angeles, as ongoing protests in the city against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids prompted President Trump to order hundreds of U.S. Marines to join the National Guards troops previously deployed to the city. The move spurred legal pushback from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Over 100 protestors gathered at Window By the Bay Wednesday evening in solidarity of protests in Los Angeles against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. (Kyarra Harris - Monterey Herald)

“We’ve been protesting since this started, but today we’re standing in solidarity with Los Angeles, against the regime and the military involvement,” said Kim Charles from Pacific Grove. “It feels safe to protest in Monterey County, but there are many people who don’t feel safe at all and we’re standing for them too.”

For many who attended Wednesday, reasons were more personal as well. Kevin Chabarin, from Seaside, is first-generation American and came to support his family.

“My family members are immigrants, and while Monterey County is generally more welcoming, there are still people who are afraid that their rights could be taken away,” Chabarin said.

In addition to making their voices heard, volunteers with Indivisible Monterey want to see the county continue to provide protection and a welcoming community for immigrants.

“We’re doing what we can by supporting our immigrant community both documented and undocumented, and this isn’t stopping at immigrants, (the administration) are going after U.S. citizens too,” Mogri said. “There’s a lot of energy and we want to convert that not only into protests, but into a proper response that works locally to support our immigrants and help protect when ICE tries to intervene.”

Horoscopes June 11, 2025: Peter Dinklage, let your emotions flow when dealing with matters

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Shia LaBeouf, 39; Peter Dinklage, 56; Hugh Laurie, 66; Adrienne Barbeau, 80.

Happy Birthday: Let your emotions flow when dealing with relationships, home and family matters. Put more effort into comfort, convenience and maintaining a stable and healthy environment for you and your loved ones. Refuse to let outside influences dominate your subconscious, adding stress when peace and love are the antidote. Patience, research and gratitude for what you have will carry you through any storm. Trust your instincts, not hearsay. Your numbers are 5, 12, 22, 28, 30, 34, 41.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Stay alert, observant and aware of what everyone around you is doing and saying, or someone will try to take advantage of you. Look for flaws and false information, and counter quickly to save time, money and energy. Take care of responsibilities, updates and protecting your rights. Travel and learning are favored. 5 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Refrain from double-booking yourself. Focusing on your purpose rather than spreading yourself too thin is in your best interest. Stick to the facts, promise what’s doable and walk away from unpredictable situations. Pay attention to money matters, how you earn your living and maintaining your status quo. Protect yourself and your assets. 3 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Spending and focusing on what you can afford will help you dodge donating to or joining a risky joint venture. Keep an open mind, but refuse to let anyone pressure or demean you into participating in something that isn’t right or best for you. Concentrate on personal gain and growth. 3 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): A bountiful approach to getting your point across will work wonders if you can verify your claims. Be specific and accommodating, and everything will fall into place. It’s your accuracy that will encourage fast results. Participate in causes that resonate with you, and you’ll connect with someone unique. Romance is favored. 3 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): A passionate approach to whatever you pursue will carry weight to the winner’s circle. Stand tall, be proud and make your point heard. A distinctive plan will separate you from anyone trying to compete. Convincing those holding power will be easy; however, getting the masses to follow suit will require proof and patience. 5 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Keep it to yourself. Meddling or interfering will be menacing even if done with good intentions. You’ll gain ground if you play the role of a sounding board — reflecting and directing without trying to control. Your best results will come from self-improvement projects that include health, fitness, diet and a makeover. 2 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Show respect, and you’ll gain respect. Using charm and persuasive tactics can do wonders initially, but you’ll need a backup plan if you want to go the distance. No lazy Libra tactics will suffice; deliver the goods and enjoy the outcome. Your rewards will be more than just monetary. 4 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Set your sights on a financial goal and put a solid plan together to help you arrive at your destination and collect your reward. Leave nothing to chance or in someone else’s hands. Research, develop and finish what you start; everything else will fall into place. Celebrate with someone you love. 3 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Keep emotions under control and your mind on what you want to achieve. Expect distractions and false information to surface, and be ready to dissect and formulate a presentation that is honest, direct and easy to follow. Success is within reach if you finish what you start. 3 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Distance yourself from negativity and people who cause chaos. You have plenty to gain if you march forward with a positive attitude, plan and willingness to compromise. Opportunity knocks; it’s up to you to open the door and let it in. Investing time in lifestyle changes will elevate awareness and decrease stress. 3 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Take on a challenge and show everyone your capabilities. Direct your enthusiasm into making a dazzling presentation that will spark imagination and create a stir. Your input can lead to a new idea and position you for future opportunities. Be the one to lead the way; a positive change will enrich your life. 4 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Pay more attention to domestic issues. Discipline will be necessary to divert negativity and opposition. Listen to complaints, show compassion, and offer solutions that show you have faith in finding a way to move forward. Home improvements, lowering overhead and compromise will give you hope for a brighter future. 2 stars

Birthday Baby: You are sensitive, outspoken and pioneering. You are resilient and charismatic.

1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes.
2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others.
3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals.
4 stars: Aim high; start new projects.
5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

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A federal appeals court is set to hear arguments in Trump’s bid to erase his hush money conviction

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s quest to erase his criminal conviction heads to a federal appeals court Wednesday. It’s one way he’s trying to get last year’s hush money verdict overturned.

A three-judge panel is set to hear arguments in Trump’s long-running fight to get the New York case moved from state court to federal court, where he could then try to have the verdict thrown out on presidential immunity grounds.

The Republican is asking the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene after a lower-court judge twice rejected the move. As part of the request, Trump wants the federal appeals court to seize control of the criminal case and then ultimately decide his appeal of the verdict, which is now pending in a state appellate court.

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The 2nd Circuit should “determine once and for all that this unprecedented criminal prosecution of a former and current President of the United States belongs in federal court,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in a court filing.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which prosecuted Trump’s case, wants it to stay in state court. Trump’s Justice Department — now partly run by his former criminal defense lawyers — backs his bid to move the case to federal court.

If Trump loses, he could go to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Trump was convicted in May 2024 of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels, whose affair allegations threatened to upend his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump denies her claim and said he did nothing wrong. It was the only one of his four criminal cases to go to trial.

Trump’s lawyers first sought to move the case to federal court following his March 2023 indictment, arguing that federal officers including former presidents have the right to be tried in federal court for charges arising from “conduct performed while in office.” Part of the criminal case involved checks he wrote while he was president.

They tried again after his conviction, arguing that Trump’s historic prosecution violated his constitutional rights and ran afoul of the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling, which was decided about a month after the hush money trial ended.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after arriving on Air Force One, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The ruling reins in prosecutions of ex-presidents for official acts and restricts prosecutors in pointing to official acts as evidence that a president’s unofficial actions were illegal.

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied both requests, ruling in part that Trump’s conviction involved his personal life, not his work as president.

In a four-page ruling, Hellerstein wrote that nothing about the high court’s ruling affected his prior conclusion that hush money payments at issue in Trump’s case “were private, unofficial acts, outside the bounds of executive authority.”

Trump’s lawyers argue that prosecutors rushed to trial instead of waiting for the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision, and that prosecutors erred by showing jurors evidence that should not have been allowed under the ruling, such as former White House staffers describing how Trump reacted to news coverage of the hush money deal and tweets he sent while president in 2018.

FILE – Emil Bove, attorney for then former President Donald Trump, attends Manhattan criminal court during Trump’s sentencing in the hush money case in New York, Jan. 10, 2025. (Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via AP, File)

Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer Todd Blanche is now the deputy U.S. attorney general, the Justice Department’s second-in-command. Another of his lawyers, Emil Bove, has a high-ranking Justice Department position.

The trial judge, Juan M. Merchan, rejected Trump’s requests to throw out the conviction on presidential immunity grounds and sentenced him on Jan. 10 to an unconditional discharge, leaving his conviction intact but sparing him any punishment.

Appearing by video at his sentencing, Trump called the case a “political witch hunt,” “a weaponization of government” and “an embarrassment to New York.”