administration - The Latremie Post

Trump plans to deploy National Guard in Illinois, governor says

The Trump administration plans to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said Saturday. Pritzker revealed that the guard received word from the Pentagon in the morning that the troops would be called up. He did not specify when or where they would be deployed, but President Donald Trump has long threatened to send troops to Chicago.

“This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said in a statement. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”

A spokesperson for the governor’s office said she could not provide additional details. The White House and the Pentagon did not respond to questions about Pritzker’s statement.

The escalation of federal law enforcement in Illinois follows similar deployments in other parts of the country. Over the summer, Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles as part of his law enforcement takeover in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, Tennessee National Guard troops are expected to help Memphis police.

In response, California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued to stop the deployment in Los Angeles and won a temporary block in federal court. The Trump administration has appealed the ruling, which deemed the use of the guard illegal. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has indicated that it believes the government is likely to prevail.

Pritzker called Trump’s move in Illinois a “manufactured performance” that would pull the state’s National Guard troops away from their families and regular jobs. “For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control,” said the governor.

He also noted that state, county, and local law enforcement have been coordinating to ensure the safety of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Broadview facility on the outskirts of Chicago. Federal officials reported the arrests of 13 people protesting near the facility on Friday. The facility has been frequently targeted during the administration’s surge of immigration enforcement this fall.

Last month, Trump said he was sending federal troops to Portland, Oregon, calling the city war-ravaged. However, local officials have suggested that many of his claims and social media posts appear to rely on outdated images from 2020, a time when demonstrations and unrest gripped the city following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

City and state officials sued to stop that deployment the next day. U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut heard arguments Friday, with a ruling expected over the weekend.

Trump has federalized 200 National Guard troops in Oregon, but so far, they do not appear to have moved into Portland. They have been seen training on the coast in anticipation of deployment.

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Associated Press reporter Rebecca Boone contributed.
Thomas Peipert, The Associated Press
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/trump-plans-deploy-national-guard-191248616.html

After Apple, Google has taken down an ICE tracking app

**After Apple, Google Also Removes ICE Tracking App from Play Store**

*By Dwaipayan Roy | October 4, 2025, 6:21 PM*

Just a day after Apple removed the app ICEBlock from its iOS App Store, Google has followed suit by pulling a similar app, Red Dot, from the Play Store. Both applications were designed to allow users to report sightings of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents anonymously.

### App Functionalities

ICEBlock and Red Dot enabled users to share real-time information about the locations of ICE agents. Users could report sightings anonymously and receive alerts about ICE presence in their vicinity. These features aimed to help communities stay informed, but critics argued that such apps could potentially put law enforcement officers at risk.

### Google’s Decision and Policy Enforcement

Google’s removal of Red Dot aligns with its policies against apps that pose a high risk of abuse. The company stated that it enforces its moderation policies consistently across all apps that incorporate user-generated content. A Google representative clarified, “ICEBlock was never available on Google Play, but we removed similar apps for violations of our policies.”

This action follows a recent violent incident at an ICE facility, prompting Google to remove apps that share location data of vulnerable groups. Notably, Google mentioned that it did not receive any communication from the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding these removals.

### The Debate Over Government Influence and Civil Liberties

Apple’s initial removal of ICEBlock has sparked widespread debate over the intersection of technology, government oversight, and civil liberties. ICEBlock allowed people to anonymously report and view ICE agent locations within an 8 km radius, making it a powerful tool for community awareness.

Reports indicate that the Donald Trump administration applied pressure on Apple, reportedly threatening legal action against the app’s developers. This government involvement has raised concerns about the impact on freedom of expression and the role of tech companies in regulating sensitive content.

As this situation unfolds, it highlights the ongoing challenges tech companies face in balancing user safety, legal compliance, and civil rights in their app ecosystems.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/science/google-has-removed-this-controversial-app-from-play-store/story

Trump has ‘determined’ the U.S. is in ‘armed conflict’ with cartels, administration tells Congress

The Trump administration informed Congress in a confidential notice this week that President Donald Trump has “determined” that the United States is in an armed conflict with drug cartels. According to the notice, members of these organizations can be targeted as unlawful combatants.

The President classified these cartels as non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States. The notice stated, “In response, based upon the cumulative effects of these hostile acts against the citizens and interests of the United States and friendly foreign nations, the President determined that the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations.”

This designation essentially places drug cartels in the same legal category as terrorist groups like Al Qaeda or the Islamic State.

In recent weeks, the U.S. military reportedly struck at least three boats from Venezuela allegedly carrying narco-traffickers and drugs that could threaten Americans, President Trump said on Truth Social.

The notice to Congress included examples of actions the President could take in targeting the cartels and cited an attack on September 15 that killed approximately three unlawful combatants. The White House has defended these strikes, emphasizing their legality.

“As we have said many times, the President acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement Thursday. “He is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans.”

NBC News reported last month that the administration is considering strikes on drug cartels operating inside Venezuela. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has denied any role in drug trafficking and has repeatedly alleged that the United States is trying to force him from power.

However, many critics of the strikes, including congressional Democrats and some Republicans, argue that the administration does not have the legal authority to target drug cartels using the U.S. military. They maintain that drug trafficking remains a law enforcement matter best addressed through interdiction.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also serving as acting national security adviser, has declared interdiction efforts ineffective, underscoring the administration’s rationale for the military approach.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-determined-us-armed-conflict-cartels-congress-notice-rcna235294

Trump has ‘determined’ the U.S. is in ‘armed conflict’ with cartels, administration tells Congress

The Trump administration informed Congress in a confidential notice this week that President Donald Trump has “determined” that the United States is in an armed conflict with drug cartels and that members of these organizations can be targeted as unlawful combatants.

According to the notice, the President classified these cartels as non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States.

“In response, based upon the cumulative effects of these hostile acts against the citizens and interests of the United States and friendly foreign nations, the President determined that the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations,” the notice added.

This designation effectively places drug cartels in the same legal category as terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.

In recent weeks, the U.S. military reportedly struck at least three boats originating from Venezuela that were allegedly carrying narco-traffickers and drugs posing a threat to Americans. President Trump mentioned these actions on Truth Social.

The notice to Congress outlined potential actions the President could take in targeting the cartels and cited an attack on September 15 that resulted in the deaths of approximately three unlawful combatants.

The White House has defended these strikes. “As we have said many times, the President acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores, and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly stated on Thursday.

NBC News reported last month that the administration is considering further strikes on drug cartels inside Venezuela.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has denied any involvement in drug trafficking and has repeatedly accused the United States of attempting to force him from power.

However, many critics of the strikes—including congressional Democrats and some Republicans—argue that the administration does not yet have the legal authority to target drug cartels using the U.S. military. They maintain that this issue remains primarily a law enforcement matter, best addressed through interdiction efforts.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also serving as acting national security adviser, has declared that interdiction efforts have been ineffective in combating the cartels.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-determined-us-armed-conflict-cartels-congress-notice-rcna235294

US Govt Shutdown: Republicans, Democrats trade barbs as tourist places close

The first day of the federal government shutdown saw Republicans and Democrats trading blame, as iconic sites across the United States (US) — from the Liberty Bell in Pennsylvania to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii — were temporarily closed, news agency AP reported.

Vice-President JD Vance appeared at the White House briefing room to assert that Democrats had refused to keep the government funded because they were seeking to extend health coverage to people in the country illegally. This claim was disputed by top leaders of the Opposition, who argued that their sole aim was to renew funding for health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act to prevent insurance premiums from rising nationwide, AP reported.

Neither side showed signs of compromise, raising concerns that the economic impact of the shutdown could grow, putting hundreds of thousands of jobs and essential services at risk.

Callers to the White House comment line heard a recorded message from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blaming Democrats for shutting down the government to prioritise healthcare for illegal immigrants over American citizens, AP reported. Several federal agencies also posted messages on their websites echoing this claim.

In a controversial move, the White House additionally revived a deepfake video of House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, edited with a moustache and sombrero, which Jeffries described as offensive. He responded with a meme mocking Vice-President Vance.

The Vice-President admitted that he could not predict the shutdown’s duration but hoped some moderate Senate Democrats would vote with Republicans to restore funding. “If this thing drags on for another few days, or God forbid weeks, we are going to have to lay people off,” said Vance.

Meanwhile, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer accused the Trump administration of using the American public as pawns. “Donald Trump says it loud and clear: He is threatening pain on the country as blackmail,” Schumer said.

An estimated 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, with some potentially facing permanent job losses. Many offices have been shuttered as the administration seeks to pressure Democrats, though key policy priorities — including deportation measures — continue with minimal disruption.

The Trump administration has also withheld funds for projects in Democratic states, including nearly USD 18 billion for New York City transport projects and almost USD 8 billion in green energy initiatives across 16 states.

The US shutdown has partially disrupted public services, with national parks and memorials closed to tourists. At Acadia National Park in Maine, visitors found trail maps missing and rangers absent, leaving them uncertain about hiking.

“It’s frustrating that they’re playing politics in D.C.,” said visitor Jim Feather, adding, “Their job is to pass a budget. If they’re not doing their job, what are they doing down there?”

Federal courts and essential services like weather forecasting remain operational, but the US shutdown is beginning to affect everyday life and tourism nationwide.

(With AP inputs)
https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/us-government-shutdown-2025-republicans-democrats-blame-each-other-as-iconic-tourist-sites-close-23596921