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US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Los Angeles is “safe and sound” after he ordered troops into the streets but critics accused him of an authoritarian power grab and a judge was set to review the deployments’ legality.Protests erupted last week in the second biggest US city over aggressive new immigration raids targeting migrants at workplaces, courthouses and gathering places for day laborers seeking work.Anger at Trump’s crackdown and the use of masked, armed immigration agents, backed by uniformed soldiers, is spreading to other cities. Nationwide protests were planned for Saturday.Trump has repeatedly exaggerated the scale of the unrest, which has been largely peaceful, despite isolated clashes, vandalism and burning of cars.The Republican credited the arrival of troops for ensuring a quiet night in Los Angeles, where the mayor had ordered a nighttime curfew.Nearly 4,000 National Guard soldiers have been sent to Los Angeles, as well as 700 members of the US Marines — an elite force trained to fight in foreign wars and only very rarely deployed on US soil.”Our great National Guard, with a little help from the Marines, put the L.A. Police in a position to effectively do their job,” Trump said on Truth Social, adding that without the military the city “would be a crime scene like we haven’t seen in years.”A federal judge in San Francisco was set to hear arguments on whether use of the troops is constitutional, with California Governor Gavin Newsom alleging the president “is creating fear and terror.”Newsom accused Trump of aiming a “wrecking ball” at US democracy and urged Americans “not to give in.”Trump on Thursday said Newsom — seen as a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 — had “totally lost control of the situation” and should thank him for “saving his ass.”- Labor shortage fears -Trump was elected last year in part on his promises to expel people who enter the country illegally, then commit serious crimes. But his immigration crackdown is far broader, targeting mostly Latin American migrants who may have entered illegally but form the backbone of farming, construction and other manual industries in many parts of the country.Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, spoke up Thursday, saying she had told a visiting US official that “we didn’t agree with the use of raids to detain people working honestly in the United States.”The raids will “not only hurt people but also the US economy,” she said.Trump indicated he was under pressure, conceding he had heard complaints about laborers being rounded up.”We’re going to have an order on that pretty soon, I think. We can’t do that to our farmers — and leisure too, hotels,” he said.In Spokane, in the northwest state of Washington, a nighttime curfew was declared after police arrested more than 30 protesters and fired pepper balls to disperse crowds, officials said.In Seattle, the state’s biggest city, police arrested eight people after a dumpster was set on fire and projectiles were thrown. Three people were arrested in Tucson, Arizona, following clashes with police, the Arizona Republic reported.Protests also took place in Las Vegas, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Milwaukee, Chicago, Atlanta, and Boston, according to CNN.A nationwide “No Kings” movement was expected on Saturday, when Trump will attend a highly unusual military parade in the US capital.The Washington, DC parade, featuring warplanes and tanks, has been organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army but also happens to be the day of Trump’s 79th birthday.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed resolutions blocking California’s landmark efforts to phase out gas-powered cars in favor of electric vehicles, a move the state immediately contested in court.Trump’s action, a rebuke of Democratic climate change policies, comes after the Republican-led Congress revoked the state’s waiver allowing it to set more stringent regulations for cars.California had planned to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035, among other ambitious efforts.During the signing ceremony at the White House, Trump lashed out at the state’s bid as “a disaster for this country” and said the resolutions he was signing would save the industry from “destruction.”California swiftly sued the Trump administration over the resolutions, with Attorney General Rob Bonta saying: “The President’s divisive, partisan agenda is jeopardizing our lives, our economy and our environment.””It’s reckless, it’s illegal, and because of it, we’ll be seeing the Trump administration in court again for the 26th time,” he added.California, the nation’s wealthiest state with around 40 million people, has long used the waiver in the Clean Air Act to set its own emissions standards as it tries to mitigate some of the worst air pollution in the country.The size of the auto market in the state — and the fact that several other states follow its lead — means automakers frequently use its standards nationwide.Trump’s move also came as he clashes with California over immigration enforcement.California Governor Gavin Newsom has accused the president of acting like a tyrant over his use of the military to control small-scale protests in Los Angeles.- Environmental concerns – Trump’s action was condemned by environmental groups who say the rules are key for easing pollution.And Newsom recently argued that rolling back the state’s EV ambitions would boost China’s position on the market.While China is a manufacturing hub for such vehicles globally, the United States is a net importer of them, he said in a May statement.This is despite the United States being home to technologies that have pioneered the clean car industry, he noted.Trump has repeatedly criticized subsidies to encourage the EV industry despite significant federal funding allocated to projects in Republican districts — where thousands of jobs are expected to be created.He took aim at the sector as part of his flurry of executive orders on his first day in office this January in a bid to ensure what he called a “level” playing field for gasoline-powered motors.

The judge in the Harvey Weinstein sex crimes retrial declared a mistrial on the outstanding rape charge against the movie producer Thursday, after the jury foreperson refused to return to deliberate the case amid a jury room feud.In front of packed press and public benches in the 13th-floor New York courtroom, Judge Curtis Farber dismissed jurors who had been unable to reach a verdict on the charge that Weinstein raped Jessica Mann.”Deliberations became heated to such a degree I am obligated to declare a mistrial on the one count on which you didn’t reach a verdict,” Farber declared from the wood-paneled bench, wearing a robe and reading glasses.Weinstein’s lawyer Arthur Aidala had forcefully argued that a crime had been committed against one of the jurors, but the judge dismissed the claim.On Wednesday, the jury convicted Weinstein for sexual assault on Miriam Haley, and acquitted the fallen movie mogul for allegedly sexually assaulting Kaja Sokola. The defense vowed to appeal.The prosecutor brushed off the defense’s claim that a retrial on the charge of raping Mann would exert unfair pressure on the alleged victim. “We will proceed to trial and that is what justice would be in this case,” Nicole Blumberg said.Outside court, Aidala alleged that two jurors had indicated to his team that the panel had considered the cases of rapper Sean “P Diddy” Combs and convicted child sex abuser R. Kelly in their discussions.”(If) they say, ‘Well, look at R Kelly. Look what’s going on across the street with P Diddy’… That’s not what you can do, and that’s what we just heard happen,” said the sharp-suited attorney.Combs is on trial at a nearby courthouse for alleged racketeering and other crimes, and the publicity of that case has largely eclipsed Weinstein’s retrial.Weinstein, 73 and wheelchair-bound by ill-health, is already in jail for a 16-year term after he was convicted in a separate California case of raping a European actress more than a decade ago.Proceedings in New York have been dogged by personal issues between jurors, two of whom have privately complained to the judge about fellow panelists.The foreman had told judge Farber he could not continue after facing threats.”One other juror made comments to the effect ‘I’ll meet you outside one day’,” the judge said Wednesday quoting the foreman, adding there was yelling between jurors.After Weinstein’s lawyer demanded a mistrial over the jury rupture, Weinstein himself addressed the court Wednesday, deploying a commanding voice reminiscent of his Hollywood heyday.- ‘Threats, violence, intimidation’ -“We’ve heard threats, violence, intimidation — this is not right for me… the person who is on trial here,” he said.The Oscar-winner’s conviction on the Haley charge is a vindication for Haley whose complaint in part led to the initial guilty verdict in 2020. That landmark case helped spur the “MeToo” movement that saw an outpouring of allegations from prominent women who were abused by men.Weinstein underwent a spectacular fall from his position at the top of the world of Hollywood and show business in 2017 when allegations against him exploded into public.The movement upended the film industry, exposing systemic exploitation of young women seeking to work in entertainment, and provoking a reckoning on how to end the toxic culture.More than 80 women accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct in the wake of the global backlash against men abusing positions of power.Weinstein’s original 2020 conviction, and the resulting 23-year prison term, was thrown out last year after an appeals court found irregularities in the way witnesses were presented.

A 61-year-old man convicted of a 1999 double murder was executed on Thursday in Oklahoma, the third inmate put to death in the United States this week.John Hanson was executed by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in the town of McAlester, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections said in a statement.Hanson was convicted of carjacking and kidnapping Mary Bowles, 77, from a mall in the city of Tulsa and then shooting her to death along with a witness, Jerald Thurman.Hanson had been serving a life sentence for bank robbery in the state of Louisiana but the Trump administration approved his transfer to Oklahoma so he could face the death penalty.President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and called on his first day in office for an expansion of its use “for the vilest crimes.”Hanson was the third Death Row inmate executed in the United States this week.Gregory Hunt, 65, convicted of the 1988 rape and murder of his girlfriend, Karen Lane, 32, was executed by nitrogen gas on Tuesday in Alabama.Anthony Wainwright, 54, convicted of the 1994 murder of Carmen Gayheart, 23, a nursing student and mother of two young children, was put to death by lethal injection in Florida on Tuesday.A fourth execution is to be carried out this week, in South Carolina, where Stephen Stanko, 57, is to be put to death on Friday by lethal injection.Stanko was convicted of the 2005 murders of his girlfriend, Laura Ling, 43, and Henry Turner, a 74-year-old friend.There have been 22 executions in the United States this year: 17 by lethal injection, two by firing squad and three by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a facemask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.The use of nitrogen gas as an execution method has been denounced by UN experts as cruel and inhumane.The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others — California, Oregon and Pennsylvania — have moratoriums in place.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Los Angeles was “safe and sound” for the past two nights, crediting his deployment of thousands of troops to quell anti-deportation protests, as California prepared for a legal showdown over his unprecedented move.With protests spreading across the United States, a night-time curfew has been in place in its second-largest city with authorities tackling vandalism and looting that scarred a few city blocks.”Our great National Guard, with a little help from the Marines, put the L.A. Police in a position to effectively do their job,” Trump said on Truth Social, adding that without the military the city “would be a crime scene like we haven’t seen in years.”The mostly peaceful protests ignited last week over an escalation in efforts to apprehend migrants in the country illegally, but there were also pockets of violence, including the burning of self-driving taxis and hurling stones at police.Trump deployed several thousand National Guard troops and 700 active-duty marines over the objections of Democratic California governor Gavin Newsom, the first such action by a US president in decades.Trump charged that the governor “had totally lost control of the situation.””He should be saying THANK YOU for saving his ass, instead of trying to justify his mistakes and incompetence,” Trump added.In Spokane, in the northwest state of Washington, another night curfew was declared after police arrested more than 30 protesters and fired pepper balls to disperse crowds, officials said.In Seattle, Washington state’s biggest city, police arrested eight people after a dumpster was set on fire and projectiles were thrown. Three people were arrested in Tucson, Arizona, following clashes with police, the Arizona Republic reported.Protests also took place in Las Vegas, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Milwaukee, Chicago, Atlanta, and Boston, according to CNN.- ‘Democracy is under assault’ – Trump won the election last year partly on promises to combat what he claims is an “invasion” by undocumented migrants.”If I wasn’t there… Los Angeles would have been burning to the ground,” he told reporters WednesdayAround 1,000 of the 4,700 troops Trump deployed were actively guarding facilities and working alongside ICE agents, said Scott Sherman, Deputy Commanding General Army North, who is leading operations.The rest — including 700 active duty Marines — were mustering or undergoing training to deal with civil disturbances, he said.The Pentagon has said the deployment will cost taxpayers $134 million.Newsom, a Democrat widely viewed as eying a 2028 presidential run, has accused Trump of escalating the confrontation for political gain.He warned earlier this week that the militarization would creep beyond his state’s borders, saying “democracy is under assault right before our eyes.”Lawyers for California were expected in court on Thursday to seek an order blocking troops from accompanying immigration officers as they arrest migrants.Trump administration lawyers called the application a “crass political stunt.”- Military parade -A nationwide “No Kings” movement was expected on Saturday, when Trump will attend a highly unusual military parade in the US capital.The parade, featuring warplanes and tanks, has been organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army but also happens to be the day of Trump’s 79th birthday.The Trump administration is painting the wave of protests as a violent threat to the nation, requiring military force to support regular immigration agents and police.But Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the crisis had been manufactured in Washington.”A week ago, everything was peaceful in the city of Los Angeles,” she told reporters.”Things began to be difficult on Friday when raids took place… that is the cause of the problems.”This was provoked by the White House.”Arrests by masked and armed men continued Wednesday.A pastor in the LA suburb of Downey said five armed men driving out-of-state cars grabbed a Spanish-speaking man in the church’s parking lot.When she challenged the men and asked for their badge numbers and names, they refused.”They did point their rifle at me and said, ‘You need to get back,'” Lopez told broadcaster KTLA.

The number of people forcibly displaced from their homes worldwide has dropped slightly from a record peak but remains “untenably high”, the United Nations said Thursday.A record 123.2 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced from their homes at the end of 2024, said UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.But that figure dropped to 122.1 million by the end of April this year, as Syrians began returning home after years of turmoil.More than 1.5 million Syrians have been able to return home from abroad or from displacement within the war-ravaged country.But the UNHCR warned that the course of major conflicts worldwide would determine whether the figure would rise again.The agency said the number of people displaced by war, violence and persecution worldwide was “untenably high”, particularly in a period when humanitarian funding is evaporating.”We are living in a time of intense volatility in international relations, with modern warfare creating a fragile, harrowing landscape marked by acute human suffering,” said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.”We must redouble our efforts to search for peace and find long-lasting solutions for refugees and others forced to flee their homes.”- Sudan overtakes Syria -The main drivers of displacement remain sprawling conflicts like those in Sudan, Myanmar and Ukraine, UNHCR said in its flagship annual Global Trends Report.Syria’s brutal civil war erupted in 2011 but ruler Bashar al-Assad was finally overthrown in December 2024.The report said rising numbers of Syrians have since been able to return to their homes.As of mid-May, more than 500,000 Syrians are estimated to have crossed back into the country since the fall of Assad, while an estimated 1.2 million internally displaced people (IDPs) have returned to their areas of origin since the end of November.UNHCR estimates that up to 1.5 million Syrians from abroad and two million IDPs may return by the end of 2025.Sudan is now the world’s largest forced displacement situation with 14.3 million refugees and IDPs, overtaking Syria (13.5 million), which is followed by Afghanistan (10.3 million) and Ukraine (8.8 million).”During the remainder of 2025, much will depend on the dynamics in key situations,” the annual report said, including whether peace or ceasefires can be reached in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Ukraine.It also depends on whether conditions for returns improve in Afghanistan and Syria.Another factor was “how dire the impact of the current funding cuts will be”.The United States was by far UNHCR’s biggest donor but has dramatically scaled back its overseas aid, while other countries are tightening their budgets.”The failure to protect civilians is astounding,” said Norwegian Refugee Council chief Jan Egeland.”Despite the immense suffering of displaced people, we are now seeing many countries turn inwards, making drastic cuts to humanitarian funding.”- One in 67 -The number of people forced to flee persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing public order has almost doubled in the last decade.The figure of 123.2 million worldwide at the end of last year was up seven million compared to the end of 2023.”One in 67 people globally were forcibly displaced at the end of 2024,” UNHCR said.In total, 9.8 million forcibly displaced people returned home in 2024, including 1.6 million refugees — the most for more than two decades — and 8.2 million IDPs — the second highest ever.”We have seen some rays of hope over the last six months,” said Grandi.But countries such as the DR Congo, Myanmar and South Sudan saw significant new forced displacements as well as returns.Two-thirds of refugees stay in neighbouring countries.Iran (3.5 million), Turkey (2.9 million), Colombia (2.8 million), Germany (2.7 million) and Uganda (1.8 million) host the largest refugee populations.

Tariffs, immigration, energy: In all these areas, Donald Trump has granted himself exceptional and broad presidential powers by declaring “emergency” situations that his critics insist do not exist.”In the United States, there is no tradition of emergency powers (granted to the president) under the Constitution,” New York University professor Noah Rosenblum told AFP.But various laws allow the commander-in-chief’s powers to be expanded on an exceptional — and usually temporary — basis.Historically such emergency powers have been invoked to deal with natural disasters, to deploy responders or troops, and to unlock critical funding. “But that, of course, is not how Donald Trump is using it,” Rosenblum said.Since returning to the White House on January 20, the Republican president has repeatedly invoked states of emergency in a variety of areas — eight times in all, according to National Public Radio — thus green-lighting swift and forceful intervention on his administration’s part.They have had little to do with hurricanes, floods or earthquakes.On his first day in office, Trump declared a “national energy emergency” in the United States — the world’s leading oil producer.By early April, frustrated by the trade deficits the United States had with many countries, including some imbalances going back decades, Trump declared a national emergency, among other reasons, “to increase our competitive edge,” the White House said. The result? Tariffs slapped on adversaries and allies alike.The flow of migrants arriving from Mexico has prompted Trump to declare a state of emergency at the US southern border, and he apparently feels empowered to respond with massive import duties, or forced deportations of undocumented migrants.- ‘Aspiring autocrat’ -Now, Trump has sent the US military into Los Angeles to quell protests, invoking a seldom-used law that allows the president to deploy National Guard units if there is a “rebellion or danger of rebellion.”The move countered the wishes of local authorities and California Governor Gavin Newsom, who accused Trump of a “dictatorial” drift.”The president is simply announcing emergencies when there aren’t any,” said Frank Bowman, a law professor at the University of Missouri, noting how local police have said they are capable of handling clashes with protesters opposed to raids by immigration agents.”All of these grants of potential emergency powers really don’t account for the election of a president like Mr. Trump, who is not entirely rational, who is not dedicated to the rule of law, who is, in fact, an aspiring autocrat who is looking… to exercise extraordinary power,” Bowman told AFP.Trump is not the first US leader to invoke exceptional circumstances to justify such moves, even if he does so in a way without precedent.His Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, for example, decided to forgive student debt given the “emergency” created by the Covid pandemic. The conservative-leaning Supreme Court was not convinced, however, and blocked the plan.- Eisenhower and Nixon -In Trump’s case, will the courts, which have been flooded by lawsuits, affirm the legality of actions taken in the name of imminent peril?The tendency of judges “in these kinds of things is to defer pretty heavily to the president,” Bowman said.On Thursday, a California court will consider a request by Governor Newsom to suspend Trump’s troop deployment.In a filing to the court, the administration said Trump’s judgment has historical precedent.Courts did not interfere when President Dwight Eisenhower sent troops to protect school desegregation or when Richard Nixon deployed the military to deliver the mail during a postal workers’ strike, “and courts should not interfere here either,” it said.Beyond the legal tussles, the relentless use of the language of urgency, of imminent threat or national peril, is part of a broader strategy, professor Rosenblum stressed.Trump, he said, “is using the perpetual rhetoric of emergency to keep us perpetually riled up and either on the defensive and so increasingly exhausted or scared and aggressive — and so demanding government intervention.” 

Protests over hardline immigration tactics ignited across the United States Wednesday after days of demonstrations in Los Angeles, as California prepared for a legal showdown over President Donald Trump’s deployment of the military.Over 1,000 people massed in America’s second biggest city for a sixth day of protests, with the crowd peaceful as they marched through the streets.A second night of curfew was in place as city leaders try to get a handle on the after-dark vandalism and looting that scarred a few city blocks in the 500-square-mile (1,300 square kilometers) metropolis.”I would say for the most part everything is hunky dory right here at Ground Zero,” protester Lynn Sturgis, 66, a retired school teacher, told AFP.”Our city is not at all on fire, it’s not burning down, as our terrible leader is trying to tell you.”The mostly peaceful protests ignited over a sudden escalation in efforts to apprehend migrants in the country illegally.Pockets of violence — including the burning of self-driving taxis and hurling stones at police — were nothing the 8,500 officers of the Los Angeles Police Department had not dealt with before.Trump won the election last year partly on promises to combat what he claims is an “invasion” by undocumented migrants.He is now seizing the opportunity to make political capital, ordering the California National Guard to deploy despite Governor Gavin Newsom’s objections, the first time a US president has taken such action in decades.”We’re going to have a safe country,” he told reporters on his way into a performance of “Les Miserables” in Washington. “We’re not going to have what would have happened in Los Angeles. Remember, if I wasn’t there… Los Angeles would have been burning to the ground.”Around 1,000 of the 4,700 troops Trump deployed were actively guarding facilities and working alongside ICE agents, said Scott Sherman, Deputy Commanding General Army North, who is leading operations.The rest — including 700 active duty Marines — were mustering or undergoing training to deal with civil disturbances, he said.The Pentagon has said the deployment will cost taxpayers $134 million.Governor Newsom, a Democrat widely viewed as eying a 2028 presidential run, has charged that Trump is seeking to escalate the confrontation for political gain.He warned Tuesday that the unprecedented militarization would creep beyond his state’s borders, claiming “democracy is under assault right before our eyes.”Lawyers for California were expected in court on Thursday to seek an order blocking troops from accompanying immigration officers as they arrest migrants.Trump administration lawyers called the application a “crass political stunt.”- Nationwide protests growing -Despite Trump’s threats to deploy the National Guard to other Democratic-run states, protesters appeared undeterred.Demonstrations were reported in St Louis, Raleigh, Manhattan, Indianapolis, Spokane and Denver.In San Antonio, hundreds marched and chanted near city hall, reports said, where Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has deployed the state’s National Guard.A nationwide “No Kings” movement was expected on Saturday, when Trump will attend a highly unusual military parade in the US capital.The parade, featuring warplanes and tanks, has been organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army but also happens to be the day of Trump’s 79th birthday.- ‘Inflamed’ situation -The Trump administration is painting the protests as a violent threat to the nation, requiring military force to support regular immigration agents and police.But Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the crisis had been manufactured in Washington.”A week ago, everything was peaceful in the city of Los Angeles,” she told reporters.”Things began to be difficult on Friday when raids took place… that is the cause of the problems.”This was provoked by the White House.”Arrests by masked and armed men continued Wednesday.A pastor in the LA suburb of Downey said five armed men driving out-of-state cars grabbed a Spanish-speaking man in the church’s parking lot.When she challenged the men and asked for their badge numbers and names, they refused.”They did point their rifle at me and said, ‘You need to get back,'” Lopez told broadcaster KTLA.

President Donald Trump touted a new website for his planned $5 million US residency permit on Wednesday, saying the waiting list for the golden visa has opened on TrumpCard.gov.”Thousands have been calling and asking how they can sign up to ride a beautiful road in gaining access to the Greatest Country and Market anywhere in the World,” Trump wrote in a social media post.Trump unveiled the first such visa aboard Air Force One in April, holding a golden prototype that bore his face and promising the special permit would probably be available “in less than two weeks.”The visas are not available yet, but the website announced Wednesday allows interested parties to submit their name, desired visa and email address under a header that says “The Trump Card is Coming.” Trump previously said the new visa, a high-price version of the traditional green card, would bring in job creators and could be used to reduce the US national deficit.The announcement comes as deportation raids are being ramped up across the country, prompting protests, and as Trump’s administration faces ongoing lawsuits and accusations of rights violations over its anti-immigration blitz.Trump has said the new card would be a route to highly prized US citizenship. He said in February that his administration hoped to sell “maybe a million” of the cards and did not rule out that Russian oligarchs may be eligible.

Just blocks from where a handful of die-hard protesters faced police in Los Angeles on Wednesday, residents were enjoying lunch in the sun and shrugging off Donald Trump’s claims their city was burning.Six days after unrest began — prompting the US president to send soldiers into the streets, over the furious protests of local officials — life in the City of Angels was going on largely as normal.”Everything is hunky dory right here at Ground Zero,” Lynn Sturgis, a retired teacher who was protesting outside the federal complex that has been at the heart of the demonstrations in Downtown Los Angeles, told AFP. “Our city is not at all on fire, it’s not burning down, as our terrible leader is trying to tell you.”The demonstrations began Friday as immigration authorities carried out raids on undocumented migrants in the sprawling metropolis.They have continued each day since — mostly peacefully, but tarnished by several spectacular incidents of violence, including torched cars and sporadic clashes with law enforcement.  Trump has insisted that if he had not taken the extraordinary step of sending troops into Los Angeles over the weekend, “it would be burning to the ground right now.”- ‘Manufactured’ -“Not at all… this is very calm,” protester Ellen Carpenter, a retired federal worker who was demonstrating alongside Sturgis, told AFP.”I lived in Washington, DC for a long time, so I was part of very large protests there, you know, millions and millions of people. This is a little wimpy by comparison.””This whole thing has been manufactured by the current administration,” Sturgis said.Trump’s promises to crack down on illegal immigration helped propel him back into the White House.He seized the opportunity presented by the Los Angeles rallies to order the California National Guard to deploy along with hundreds of Marines — a move state governor Gavin Newsom called “dictatorial.”Los Angeles real estate agent Tracey, who declined to give her last name, said the deployment was a “mistake.””I don’t feel safe” with the military presence in the city, she said, even as she admitted that the protests had at times been “scary”.Retired actor Thomas welcomed the troops, however. – Not taking chances -“As soon as it gets dark, thugs come out and cause trouble,” the 69-year-old told AFP downtown. It is the National Guard that has calmed things down, he argued — “bringing in more force. That’s all they understand… You have to step in and put your foot down.”Restaurants in the streets surrounding the protest area were packed at lunchtime Wednesday. Workers cleaned graffiti sprayed by protesters on federal buildings as curious passers-by stopped to watch and snap photos. But there were some signs of apprehension as a handful of businesses were boarding up, worried that protests planned for the weekend could spiral into more violence.Trump will hold a military parade in Washington for his birthday on Saturday that coincides with planned protests in more cities across the country. “There’s lots of expensive glass behind these boards that we’re worried about, so we’re not going to take any chances,” Chis Gonzalez, who was overseeing the boarding up of one downtown business, told AFP.”Saturday, you know, seems like it’s going to be a big protest. We’re just anticipating the worst… Not saying the protests are bad, but it’s definitely scary when you have a business to protect.”