MINNEAPOLIS: Thousands of protesters took to the streets of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-battles-minneapolis-shooting-fallout-as-agents-put-on-leave" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Minneapolis</a>&nbsp;on Friday in the latest show of anger over President Donald Trump&#39;s immigration crackdown, as a prominent US journalist was charged over his coverage of protests in the northern city. People marched with signs blasting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency leading Trump&#39;s mass deportation drive, in response to a call for a &quot;national shutdown&quot; across the United States. Minneapolis has become the epicenter of the immigration policy backlash after two protesters, both US citizens, were shot dead by federal agents this month. &quot;I don&#39;t think our federal government should be terrorizing our people like this,&quot; Sushma Santhana, 24, told AFP as protesters chanted &quot;our streets!&quot; around her. The crowd gathered in freezing temperatures after Bruce Springsteen performed at an <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/ice-agents-to-help-with-security-at-winter-olympics" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">anti-ICE</a> concert in the city. The US rock legend recently released &quot;Streets of Minneapolis,&quot; a tribute to the two killed protesters. Another protester, 24-year-old Max Maffor, said he was demonstrating &quot;to conserve what we would consider our democracy and all the liberties that we get from living in America.&quot; Rallies were also underway across Los Angeles, where immigration raids last year sparked protests, with thousands carrying signs outside City Hall. Journalist charged Earlier Friday, the Trump administration charged former CNN anchor Don Lemon and eight others with civil rights violations, after he and other reporters covered a protest at a church where an ICE official is a pastor. The journalist&#39;s lawyer said he was taken into custody in Los Angeles overnight, adding that his work covering the protest &quot;was no different to what he has always done.&quot; He faces two charges of conspiracy to deprive rights and interfering with First Amendment rights, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told AFP, referencing the constitutional protection for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-honors-charlie-kirk-with-presidential-medal-of-freedom-on-what-would-be-his-32nd-birthday" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">freedom</a>&nbsp;of expression, including religion. Political figures and media advocates condemned Lemon&#39;s arrest, with Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries calling for his immediate release. &quot;This is an egregious attack on the First Amendment and on journalists&#39; ability to do their work,&quot; said Committee to Protect Journalists CEO Jodie Ginsberg. Three other journalists were also arrested as part of the case and were later released, according to US media. Civil rights probe Trump meanwhile walked back his conciliatory tone to describe Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old nurse gunned down on Saturday, as an &quot;agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist&quot; after new footage allegedly of Pretti emerged. AFP could not immediately verify the video, in which a man said to be Pretti is seen kicking and breaking the taillight of the agents&#39; car before they emerge and tackle him to the ground. Some Minneapolis residents were unstirred by the footage. &quot;So the guy kicked a car&#39;s light, does that mean he deserved to die?&quot; Pedro Wolcott, a Latino sandwich shop owner, told AFP. The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into Pretti&#39;s death, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters Friday. There is no similar probe for Renee Good, also fatally shot by agents in January. Government shutdown Trump had claimed he wanted to &quot;de-escalate a little bit&quot; in the fallout of the deaths and appointed a new point man in Minneapolis, top immigration adviser Tom Homan. Homan said that &quot;certain improvements could and should be made,&quot; a marked difference in tone from his predecessor on the ground, combative Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino. He also said his staff was &quot;working on a drawdown plan&quot; for some of the more than 3,000 federal agents, if there was greater cooperation from the local authorities in the Democratic-run city. Backlash over the deaths of Pretti and Good has landed in Congress, just before a government funding deadline. Democrats have drawn a red line around funding for the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/afghan-national-arrested-near-dc-for-isisk-support-homeland-security" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Department of Homeland Security, </a>demanding it be stripped out and renegotiated to impose new constraints on immigration enforcement agencies.

Americas

Minneapolis has become the epicenter of the immigration policy backlash after two protesters, both US citizens, were shot dead by federal agents this month.

Thousands rally in Minneapolis as immigration anger boils

Web Desk/AFP

WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM: Regional tensions have intensified dramatically as US President Donald Trump confirmed a naval fleet is advancing toward Iran, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on his rejection of Palestinian statehood, setting the stage for potential confrontation across the Middle East. Speaking at a ceremony in Iowa, President Trump announced that a significant naval presence is moving toward Iranian waters, expressing hope that Tehran would agree to negotiations.&nbsp; &quot;I hope Iran will make a deal with us,&quot; Trump stated, while simultaneously launching his midterm election campaign. The president claimed that in June, US forces eliminated Iran&#39;s nuclear capability through military operations that he said resulted in no civilian casualties. Trump&#39;s remarks came as the United States deployed the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to the Middle East and announced a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-to-conduct-multiday-military-exercise-in-middle-east" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">major multi-day Air Force exercise</a>&nbsp;in the region. The US military described the exercise as demonstrating America&#39;s ability to &quot;deploy, disperse, and sustain combat airpower&quot; across the region, though no specific dates or locations were disclosed. The American president told Axios news site that Washington has &quot;a big armada next to Iran&quot; but maintained that diplomatic talks remain viable.&nbsp; &quot;They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions,&quot; Trump insisted.&nbsp; He also took the opportunity to tout economic achievements, claiming America&#39;s economy has stabilized after what he called &quot;historic inflation&quot; a year ago, with investment volumes reaching $18 trillion. In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Netanyahu issued his own forceful statements, declaring that Israel would never allow the establishment of a Palestinian state in Gaza.&nbsp; &quot;It hasn&#39;t happened and it will not happen,&quot;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/will-block-establishment-of-palestinian-state-insists-israel-will-maintain-control-over-gaza-west-bank-netanyahu" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Netanyahu</a>said during a televised press conference, taking credit for having &quot;repeatedly blocked&quot; the implementation of a two-state solution. Netanyahu emphasized that Israel would maintain security control &quot;from the Jordan River to the sea,&quot; including Gaza. He stated that no reconstruction would occur in Gaza until Hamas is disarmed and the territory is demilitarized of weapons and tunnels. &quot;It will be done the easy way, or it will be done the hard way. But in any case, it will happen,&quot; the Israeli leader warned. The prime minister also addressed the Iranian situation, stating that while Trump would make his own decisions, Israel would act independently.&nbsp; &quot;If Iran makes the grave mistake of attacking Israel, we will respond with a force that Iran has never seen,&quot; Netanyahu threatened, referencing the 12-day war with Iran last June that saw Israeli strikes on military targets and the killing of senior Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian strongly condemned what he called US &quot;threats&quot; during a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Pezeshkian argued these threats were &quot;aimed at disrupting the security of the region,&quot; highlighting Tehran&#39;s growing alarm at the American military buildup. In a significant diplomatic move, Saudi Arabia&#39;s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reaffirmed the Kingdom&#39;s commitment to respecting Iran&#39;s sovereignty.&nbsp; According to the Saudi Press Agency, the Crown Prince made clear that Saudi Arabia rejects the use of its airspace or territory for any military actions against Iran, regardless of the source or direction of such attacks.&nbsp; He stressed Saudi support for resolving disputes through dialogue to enhance regional security and stability. The escalating crisis has its roots in Iran&#39;s deadly anti-government protests that began in late December. Trump had repeatedly warned Tehran of military intervention if protesters were killed and encouraged Iranians to overthrow state institutions, declaring &quot;help is on the way.&quot; However, he pulled back from ordering strikes earlier this month, claiming Tehran had halted more than 800 executions under American pressure. As the naval armada approaches Iranian waters and military exercises commence, the international community watches anxiously to see whether diplomacy can prevail over the threat of another Middle Eastern conflict.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, the Crown Prince made clear that Saudi Arabia rejects the use of its airspace or territory for any military actions against Iran, regardless of the source or direction of such attacks. 

Articles tagged with "President Donald Trump"

Thousands rally in Minneapolis as immigration anger boils

Escalating tensions: Trump threatens Iran as Netanyahu vows no Palestinian state