New York State Senate Session – 06/13/2025

The U.S. Marine Corps — under the watchful eyes of Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — staged a demonstration on Saturday in southern California.

It wasn’t a No Kings demonstration, though. It was more like a Yes Kings demonstration.

Some of the Marine Corps’ shells that were fired by M777 howitzers across California’s Interstate 5 prematurely detonated, sending shrapnel down on what could have been hundreds of motorists.

Why the hell did the Marine Corps fire artillery shells over Interstate 5 anyway?

Interstate 5 is the largest and most-traveled north-south freeway in California.

The military demonstration was part of an exercise marking the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary.

Beforehand, the military predicted that the exercise would be safe, but California Governor Gavin Newsom disagreed.

“Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn’t just wrong — it’s dangerous,” Newsom said last week.

Newsom was so concerned about the plan that he ordered a 17-mile stretch closed of the freeway closed between Los Angeles and San Diego — which caused significant backups on that portion of the interstate, used by approximately 80,000 people daily.

Before the mishap, Vance’s office disputed Newsom’s claim that the live rounds were dangerous, saying the Marine Corp’s demonstration was “an established safe practice.”

“If Gavin Newsom wants to oppose the training exercises that ensure our Armed Forces are the deadliest and most lethal fighting force in the world, then he can go right ahead,” Vance’s communications director said in a statement. “It would come as no surprise that he would stoop so low considering his pathetic track record of failure as governor.”

After the round prematurely exploded on Saturday, the whole exercise — which was expected to include the firing of approximately 60 155-millimeter shells — was terminated.

An active-duty Marine artillery officer and a former Marine artillery noncommissioned officer who spoke to the New York Times described the exercise as “unusual.”

They said the only howitzer training they had previously observed at Camp Pendleton had taken place at approved artillery ranges on the main side of base, east of the interstate, which they said were a much safer option for training.

A highway patrol official based in the area also described it as “unusual and concerning.”

Tony Coronado, the highway patrol’s border division chief, said in a statement that “it is highly uncommon for any live-fire or explosive training activity to occur near an active freeway.”

So what’s going on here? Why did the Marine Corps decide to fire live artillery shells across California’s major interstate freeway on Saturday?

Could the decision have had anything to do with the planned No Kings demonstrations in California on Saturday — the heart of anti-Trump country — and the well-known fact that Trump hates California?

Just asking.

• Robert Reich is a professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/.
• Robert Reich's new memoir, Coming Up Short, can be found wherever you buy books. You can also support local bookstores nationally by ordering the book at bookshop.org.

Veteran Rich Osthoff was defrauded by ex-Rep. George Santos who, he claimed, set up a GoFundMe for his dying dog — and then pocketed the cash. Watching President Donald Trump free the disgraced congressman Friday has left him furious.

Speaking to MSNBC on Monday, Osthoff said he was "sick to my stomach" after hearing about Santos' commutation. "For the president of the United States to stick me in the gut with a knife, and every other veteran and every other military member gets a knife to the gut."

Osthoff had hoped that Santos would serve at least half of the sentence before he was released or pardoned.

"His sentence would serve as a warning to federal officials that if you do this, you'll end up in prison. That's what the DOJ wanted the message to be. What message does him walking out of prison after three months send him?" Osthoff asked.

"Walking out of prison after three months is a complete travesty. Same with the the Jan. 6th people. This is the president, a rogue president now just using his pardon power like a cudgel against everything that's decent, good and holy. It's shameful and a disgrace. And I'm almost ashamed that I served my country. Now, this is not the country I raised my hand three times to re-enlist for."

Osthoff's service dog had cancer and he sought help from individuals who could contribute to fund the treatment he couldn't afford. Santos offered to start a GoFundMe for the dog, but, in the end, Osthoff never saw a dime of the money.

After the scam was revealed, individuals stepped up to help him get another service dog, but it meant his dog Sapphire suffered.

"Sapphire still died and I watched her die a painful death," he said.

"And that guy is the one who did that to me. Every time I see him on TV now ... it brings a wound right back into the forefront again," Osthoff lamented.

Santos told CNN over the weekend that he hopes to be a more honest person and express contrition for those he wronged. But Osthoff isn't buying it.

"He's been so rude to me. He's lied about me. He's defamed me on TV dozens of times. He has no remorse," the Navy veteran said.

Santos spent 84 days in prison out of the 87 months in prison.