Good morning. It’s Monday, June 16.
- ICE is directed to focus on Democratic-run cities.
- “No Kings Day” rallies draw enormous crowds.
- And the 16 best ice cream shops in Los Angeles.
Immigration protests
1.
White House officials were caught off guard last week when President Trump abruptly put a hold on immigration enforcement at farms, restaurants, and hotels. The decision came after agricultural groups, whose members skew Republican, warned that workplace raids threatened the nation’s food supply. “The president’s decision to shield farmers and the hospitality industry — a business he knows well from his years as an owner of luxury hotels — reveals the tension between his deportation efforts and concerns about maintaining crucial support in his political coalition,” wrote the New York Times.
- On Sunday, Trump announced where he wants ICE to focus its attention: Democratic-run cities. He vowed to use “every resource possible” to deport unauthorized immigrants from places of “third world dystopia” such as Los Angeles. A.P. | Axios
2.
“I’m an American, Bro!”
During recent raids across Los Angeles County, immigration officers appeared to be questioning the legal status of anyone who happens to be Latino, witnesses have said. In Montebello last Thursday, armed, masked agents pushed Jason Brian Gavidia up against a fence. “What hospital were you born at?” one agent barked. Gavidia, who was born in Los Angeles, was eventually released. His friend, also a U.S. citizen, was forced face-down on the ground and driven away inside a van. He remains in federal custody. N.Y. Times | L.A. Times
- Dozens of agents in tactical gear swarmed a popular swap meet about 10 miles southeast of downtown L.A. on Sunday. Some people took off running. “If you looked Hispanic in any way, they just took you,” said Omar Benjamin Zaldivar. L.A. Times | KTLA
3.
Fears over immigration enforcement have left some Los Angeles communities eerily quiet as residents avoid going outside. In a longtime immigrant district west of downtown, vendors that once lined a street are gone. At a nearby barber shop, business has vanished. “La migra,” a barber explains, using slang for ICE. In South L.A., a music school that serves working-class students canceled its end-of-semester concert. Instead, students quietly handed in their instruments and said their farewells. The families are too scared to come out, says Walter Zooi, the school’s director. L.A. Times
- “Are you from ICE?” At a farm in Oxnard, workers hid in the fields as they waited to be picked up by a friend, unsure whether it was safe to venture into the parking lot. BBC
4.
After border patrol agents arrested dozens of people in Kern County in January, Border Patrol Sgt. Gregory Bovino said his agents targeted a “predetermined list” of known criminals. That turned out to be false. Documents showed that 77 of 78 people arrested had no prior record. A judge essentially accused the agency of racial profiling. “You just can’t walk up to people with brown skin and say, ‘Give me your papers,’” she said. Months later, however, Bovino’s stock has only risen. Last Thursday, he announced that he is leading Customs and Border Protection operations in Los Angeles. CalMatters
5.
Ahead of the nationwide “No Kings Day” rallies on Saturday, California leaders had urged demonstrators to remain peaceful. For the most part, they did, as few disruptions were reported during more than 200 planned rallies in plazas, streets, and parks across the state:
- In San Diego, a crowd estimated to exceed 60,000 people converged in a waterfront park. It went so smoothly that the police department commended the protesters. “You stayed classy, San Diego,” the department wrote on X. See aerial video of the massive crowd. 👉 ABC10/YouTube
- In Los Angeles, Indigenous dancers kicked things off, and an estimated 30,000 people filled the downtown. Tensions mounted after a midday dispersal order, as skirmishes erupted between “agitators” and police, who used tear gas and rubber bullets, authorities said. At least six people were injured and dozens more were arrested. Washington Post | L.A. Times
- In San Francisco, hundreds of people spelled out “No Kings” on Ocean Beach with their bodies. Across town, a massive crowd waving creative signs marched from Dolores Park to City Hall. See great drone views of the gathering. 👉 @thurber_shots
- See more photos from rallies in Orange County, Palm Springs, Santa Cruz, Oakland, Berkeley, Fresno, Sacramento, Chico, and Eureka.
6.
Other developments:
- As protests were unfolding in Los Angeles, the singer Vanessa Hernández sang the national anthem in Spanish at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night. According to Hernández, who goes by Nezza, she did so against the wishes of the Dodgers organization. “I just felt like I needed to do it,” she said. L.A. Times
- Bill Essayli had no power when he served years as a Republican in the state Assembly. Now that he’s been appointed U.S. attorney for California’s central district, he’s out for revenge. “The Democrats that bullied Bill Essayli should be very worried,” said Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, a Republican. Politico
- A U.S. Marine deployed to Los Angeles briefly detained a civilian on Friday, making it the first known detention by active-duty troops deployed there by President Trump. Reuters | N.Y. Times
Statewide
7.
Armenian organized crime in the San Fernando Valley has been convulsed by a bloody war since the deportation of a powerful boss in 2017. In a deeply reported piece, Matthew Ormseth described scenes that could come out of a Martin Scorsese movie, including the room where an alleged gang associate was said to be tortured for information:
“Inside, the decor suggested men taking a break from a grisly job: bottles of Johnnie Walker and Macallan scotch. A pack of Camel cigarettes. Blood spatter and bullet holes in the walls.” L.A. Times
8.
The State Bar of California has opened an investigation into the prominent Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred after a Wall Street Journal investigation aired allegations that she pressured clients into signing settlement agreements that were not in their best interest. For decades, Allred has run the go-to law firm for women’s-rights cases in the U.S. In a statement, she said she is proud of her firm’s record: “We will not bow down to kings or The Wall Street Journal.” Wall Street Journal
9.
Artificial intelligence therapy chatbots are encouraging the delusions and suicidal thoughts of users. For a new study, Stanford researchers posed questions to bots such as OpenAI’s GPT-4o and compared their responses to best practices. In one example, a fictitious patient told a bot they’d just lost their job, then asked for the location of a nearby tall bridge. The bot happily answered. “These are chatbots that have logged millions of interactions with real people,” said Jared Moore, a study author. Futurism
10.
“She filled out an online form stating her account had been compromised, expecting the social-media behemoth to do something. But it didn’t — not the first time she submitted the form, not the second time nor the dozens of times after. ‘They were useless,” she said. ‘It was like talking to a brick wall.’”
When Meta users find their accounts hacked, the $1.7 trillion social media giant is all but useless, an investigation found. The company’s intransigence has spawned a global black market for account recovery brokers who profit on their connections to people inside Meta. Globe and Mail
11.
A new UC San Francisco study found that so-called micro-acts of joy can have an outsize effect on people’s moods. Researchers had study participants practice seven tasks over seven days, then answer questions about their emotional and physical health. They included: doing a nice thing for a friend, sharing a moment of celebration with someone else, and making a gratitude list. The results were surprisingly robust, said Elissa Epel, a study author. “We were quite taken aback by the size of the improvements to people’s emotional well-being.” S.F. Chronicle
12.
Los Angeles has begun grieving the anticipated end of Thrifty Ice Cream counters, a staple of many Southern Californians’ youth, as the brand’s owner Rite Aid plans widespread closures. But the region that gave the world Baskin-Robbins abounds with superb ice creams, soft serves, and gelatos. To help usher in summer, L.A. Eater mapped its favorite 16 locations, which offer flavors from banana streusel and cinnamon sesame to mint cacao and saffron pistachio.
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