Raw Story

President Donald Trump is sending a clear message to law enforcement officers who break the law, conservative analyst Bill Kristol wrote for The Bulwark in an urgent analysis published on Tuesday — you can do whatever you like as long as you're loyal to me.

Trump has become infamous for handing out pardons to his political allies hit with federal charges, including most notoriously around 1,500 January 6 rioters. But he followed this up over the weekend by pardoning a far-right Virginia sheriff convicted in a bribes-for-badges scheme.

Culpepper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins "had accepted more than $75,000 in bribes in exchange for appointing various untrained and unvetted individuals to no-show jobs as auxiliary deputy sheriffs," wrote Kristol. "The evidence was overwhelming, including video of Jenkins accepting bags of cash, the testimony of some of those involved in the scheme, and reports from two undercover FBI agents. In March 2025, Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison."

However, Ed Martin, the recently-disgraced GOP activist who served as Trump's former D.C. prosecutor, recently became the DOJ pardon attorney and got involved in the case.

"Jenkins was a rabidly anti-immigrant, pro-Trump sheriff who’d become a minor celebrity in MAGA world. Trump himself may not have known of him, but Ed Martin did," wrote Kristol. After Martin's intervention, Trump issued the pardon and baselessly claimed Jenkins was “persecuted by the Radical Left ‘monsters’” at DOJ and railroaded thanks to a “Biden Judge.”

"Trump’s pardon is an affront to the oaths both he and Jenkins swore. Though the pardon is legal in the sense that it’s within Trump’s power, it is an affront to the rule of law," wrote Kristol.

The message Trump sent by doing this, he continued, is that "under Trump’s pardon regime, law enforcement officers can become Trump enforcement officers. Others who decide to engage in vigilante action — perhaps in cooperation with Trump-supporting law enforcement officers — can also expect pardons. Trump sheriffs and wannabe sheriffs will increasingly believe, thanks to Trump and Ed Martin, that they can act with immunity. MAGA vigilantism over the next four years will be super-charged."

Ultimately, Kristol concluded, the only safeguard against Trump's unchecked pardon abuses "is political and civic leaders ... who call attention to its abuses, and who seek to guard against some of the implications of those abuses. The fundamental check has to be a citizenry that upholds standards of legality and decency even when the president and his administration don’t."

President Donald Trump is leaving Massachusetts in a “cloud of chaos” as his moves against so-called “woke universities” have wide-reaching effects across the Bay State, according to a Boston Globe Correspondent, Kara Miller.

“In epic tales, heroes and villains often have a lot in common — even if they can’t initially see it,” Miller wrote. “For the Trump administration, the ultimate foe just might be liberal elites.”

She believes, “Massachusetts may be uniquely positioned to suffer in President Trump’s second term.”

This is because the state’s “economy is deeply reliant on elite colleges, elite hospitals, and the elite minds who come here from around the world. In Massachusetts — like it or not — we have built an economy on expertise, excellence, and education.”

We’re living under “a cloud of chaos,” Boston’s Mayor Michelle Wu told the Globe.

With Trump targeting the very industries that make Massachusetts successful, Miller is now calling the industries “liabilities,” and Mayor Wu agreed.

EXCLUSIVE: Breastfeeding mom of US citizen sues Kristi Noem after being grabbed by ICE

“Boston is at the center of many of the most targeted industries and communities, and so we’re feeling it very much — very urgently,” Wu said. Boston is “trying to plan for unpredictability. And so our city budget this year includes preparations for worst-case scenarios.”

Wu is expecting “immediate, significant impacts to federal funding or larger macroeconomic impacts.”

She’s not the only one with concerns. Boston University economist Adam Guren told the Globe, “I think the local economy is going to hurt. I think it’s going to hurt a lot. This is a particularly scary time for Massachusetts.”

“Up until a couple of months ago,” says Cait Brumme, the CEO of MassChallenge, “Massachusetts was a really attractive place to be.”

Now Brumme says, “I feel like there’s a risk people will feel like: You may not be welcomed here.”

“It will be hard for the state — and some of its most significant institutions — to win the battles of the next three-and-a-half years,” Miller wrote. “The question is whether they can hold on long enough to win the war.”

by Ben Turner

The 28-year-old has collected and archived the panels that once protected businesses from rioting in Minneapolis, aiming to preserve the legacy of the 2020 murder that shocked the United States.

Five years on, Zellner-Smith said the boards -- kept in a storage unit by an industrial site two miles (three kilometers) from where Floyd died -- still evoke powerful emotions.

They range from blank plywood with text reading "I can't breathe" -- the final words Floyd said as Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on his neck -- to colorful murals depicting rainbows and love hearts.

"Every time I look at them there's something different I notice," she told AFP. "They reignite an energy or a fire that was felt years ago during the uprising."

Then a university graduate in Minneapolis, Zellner-Smith was among millions of Americans who joined the Black Lives Matter rallies in 2020 that swept US cities.

The threat of vandalism saw many businesses protect themselves with wooden boards -- which became canvases for protesters' slogans and drawings demanding justice.

- 'Resistance' -

"Every single day after work, I'd grab my dad's pickup truck and I would just drive around searching for boards," said Zellner-Smith, who searched alleyways and dumpsters.

Today, her project called "Save the Boards" counts over 600 in its collection, with each stacked vertically in a pair of storage units measuring 10 by 30 feet (three by nine meters).

But with Floyd's legacy under the spotlight on the fifth anniversary of his death as many hoped-for reforms to address racism have not been met, she said the boards are crucial to sustaining the protest movement.

"Art serves as a form of resistance and storytelling, and it speaks to real, lived experiences, and that's what these are," Zellner-Smith said.

Her next challenge is finding a long-term home for the boards as grants that covered storage costs are running dry.

A handful are already being exhibited -- including in a building restored after it was damaged by arson during the 2020 protests -- and most have been photographed to be archived online.

"My biggest push is just to make sure they're still seen. The stories they have to tell are still heard, and that people understand there's still a lot of work to be done," Zellner-Smith said.

- 'Murals gave me hope' -

That nonprofit exhibited around 50 boards during a memorial event held Sunday on a recreation ground near George Floyd Square, the name given to the area where the 46-year-old was killed.

With Afrobeat music booming from speakers, dozens of people scanned the display that included one piece with squares of black and brown, each filled with phrases like "We matter" and "Protect us."

Another mostly bare wooden board had just a black love heart with "No justice, no peace" written in the middle.

"I think it is absolutely vital that these murals and this story that they tell are preserved for future generations," said Leesa Kelly, who has collected over 1,000 pieces while running Memorialize the Movement.

Asked what drove her to start the project, the 32-year-old replied: "I didn't do this because I was motivated or inspired, I did it because I was experiencing trauma."

"A Black man was killed. The murals gave me hope," said Kelly, who also collected many of the boards herself during the 2020 protests.

Darnella Thompson, 43, was one of those looking at the boards on a warm, sunny day, stopping to take a photo in front of one saying "Speak up" and "Hope."

"It's overwhelming," she told AFP. "As a person of color who has experienced quite a bit here in this country, it definitely resonates very much with me."

"It brings up more so sadness than anything because this is continuous," Thompson added.

bjt/des

© Agence France-Presse

The head of a controversial US-backed group preparing to move aid into the Gaza Strip announced his abrupt resignation Sunday, adding fresh uncertainty over the effort's future.

In a statement by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), executive director Jake Wood explained that he felt compelled to leave after determining the organization could not fulfil its mission in a way that adhered to "humanitarian principles."

The foundation, which has been based in Geneva since February, has vowed to distribute some 300 million meals in its first 90 days of operation.

But the United Nations and traditional aid agencies have already said they will not cooperate with the group, amid accusations it is working with Israel.

The GHF has emerged as international pressure mounts on Israel over the conditions in Gaza, where it has pursued a military onslaught in response to the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas.

A more than two-month total blockade on the territory only began to ease in recent days, as agencies warned of growing starvation risks.

"Two months ago, I was approached about leading GHF's efforts because of my experience in humanitarian operations" Wood said.

"Like many others around the world, I was horrified and heartbroken at the hunger crisis in Gaza and, as a humanitarian leader, I was compelled to do whatever I could to help alleviate the suffering."

Wood stressed that he was "proud of the work I oversaw, including developing a pragmatic plan that could feed hungry people, address security concerns about diversion, and complement the work of longstanding NGOs in Gaza."

But, he said, it had become "clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon."

Gaza's health ministry said Sunday that at least 3,785 people had been killed in the territory since a ceasefire collapsed on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 53,939, mostly civilians.

Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Wood called on Israel "to significantly expand the provision of aid into Gaza through all mechanisms" while also urging "all stakeholders to continue to explore innovative new methods for the delivery of aid, without delay, diversion, or discrimination."

nl/des

© Agence France-Presse

Donald Trump on Sunday stunned the world with a comment he made about Vladimir Putin.

Trump over the weekend changed his tone on Putin, first delivering some "very harsh words" to the Russian leader through the American press.

After that, Trump took to Truth Social, where he said he was shocked about how Putin has apparently changed.

EXCLUSIVE: Trump accused of new grift that puts Qatari plane in shade

"I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him," Trump wrote. "He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever. I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!"

Writer Michael Freeman reposted Trump's statement and wrote, "This is a very bad time to have a very stupid president."

PatriotTakes, which says it is dedicated to "researching and monitoring" right-wing extremism "and other threats to democracy," responded with, "Trump now says Putin 'has gone absolutely crazy' bombing cities, blames Zelenskyy and Biden."

"Anyone else remember how Trump said he would end the war in 24 hours?" the group asked.

Ex-GOP strategist Jeff Timmer chimed in, saying, "Jesus H F------ Cream of Wheat for Brains Christ. Trump’s brain is a black hole singularity that sucks in stupidity and ignorance, crushes and distills them to their purest, unadulterated, and most potent form, then combines them with infinite avarice, cruelty, and sociopathy."

Former prosecutor Ron Filipkowski said, "In other words, he promised repeatedly during the campaign he had a secret plan to end the war in 24 hours and he was just bulls------- everyone because he doesn’t have the first clue what to do, he gave away all negotiating leverage months ago, and his special envoy is a dope."

Journalist Aaron Rupar called the comment, "Beyond parody."

Many critics of President Donald Trump have been attacking his immigration policies — from mass deportations to foreign students being detained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities because of their political statements — as a blatant assault on due process and the rule of law.

One of those critics is attorney Dean Obeidallah, host of "The Dean Obeidallah Show" on SiriusXM and an opinion columnist for MSNBC's website. During a Saturday, May 24 appearance on MSNBC, Obeidallah warned that Trump's draconian immigration policies are not only a threat to immigrants — they also have disturbing implications for lifelong U.S. citizens.

The New Jersey native told MSNBC's Ali Velshi, "This is not about immigration. Regardless of (what) you feel on that issue, Democrat or Republican, it's something bigger than that…. And that word is freedom…. Donald Trump is going after everything, freedom of speech, in ways we've never seen. I mean, a judge just ruled on Friday protecting the law firms, saying you're going after dissent, going after universities. I had professor Stephen Levinsky on my show, co-author of 'How Democracies Die,' saying: Every autocrat goes after universities because they are independent centers of dissent."

READ MORE: Nicolle Wallace reveals what may finally convince Trump to 'back away from the people'

Obeidallah continued, "He's going after media outlets. He's going after Democrats. They're arresting judges, the mayor of Newark —they dropped the charges, they had no case…. They opened up an investigation into Act Blue because it's a platform to help Democrats raise money. There's now an investigation of Media Matters."

The SiriusXM host described the Trump Administration's policies as a "re-envisioning of what America is about."

Obeidallah told Velshi, "This really is a push and pull between two competing visions of America. One: that we believe in is freedom, the United States of America, with due process — and their vision, which is an autocracy. And that really is what we're dealing with — or easier than that, a dictatorship. They want Trump as the dictator of the United States, and we all have to bow down to him."

Velshi noted that when "due process is taken away…. that's where your freedoms disappear" — to which Obeidallah responded, "Absolutely. It's the only thing that keeps us (from)…. being North Korea."

READ MORE: 'America First': Far-right MAGA Catholics declaring war against 'globalist' Pope Leo

Watch the full video below or at this link.