US updates: Mahmoud Khalil vows to keep protesting after relase

06/22/2025June 22, 2025

Welcome back to our coverage

We're resuming our coverage of news from the US this Saturday. 

US President Donald Trump is meeting with security officials in the evening as he continues to weigh Washington's involvement in the Israel-Iran war. 

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

Vance refers to Alex Padilla as 'Jose Padilla,' drawing condemnation

During his visit to Los Angeles, Republican Vice President JD Vance falsely referred to Democratic California Senator Alex Padilla as "Jose Padilla."

Alex Padilla last week was restrained and taken into handcuffs when he tried to ask Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a question during a news conference in a Los Angeles federal building. 

Padilla called Trump a tyrant after he was pushed out of the room while attempting to ask a question of US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Image: David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP/picture alliance

"I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question;" Vance said, apparently referring to the incident last week involving Padilla. Jose Padilla was convicted in 2007 for supporting al-Qaeda and accused of planning a "dirty bomb" attack.  

California Governor Gavin Newsom said it was "not an accident" that Vance referred to Padilla as "Jose." Newsom pointed out that Vance and Padilla had both served in the Senate together.  

"How dare you disrespect him and call him Jose," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said after the incident. 

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

JD Vance meets with US troops in Los Angeles

Vance criticized California officials during his visit to Los Angeles Image: Jae C. Hong/AP/picture alliance

US Vice President JD Vance met with troops deployed in Los Angeles, claiming they are still "necessary" to maintain order in the Californian city.  There are some 700 US Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops in the city. 

"Unfortunately, the soldiers and Marines are still very much a necessary part of what's going on here because they're worried that it's going to flare back up," Vance told journalists in Los Angeles. Vance had earlier served in the US Marine Corps.  

Vance's comments came after a US appeals court allowed Trump to retain control of California's National Guard. Vance said the ruling backed up the claim that the troop deployment is  "a completely legitimate and proper use of federal law enforcement."

National Guard deployment was against wishes of California officials

The decision to deploy National Guard troops to Los Angeles was against the wishes of Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Protests earlier this month against immigration raids sparked some clashes between demonstrators and police. Vance claimed that Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass did not support law enforcement earlier this month in preventing unrest. 

California officials such as Newsom and Bass have argued that the deployment of troops in Los Angeles escalated the situation and say the deployment is unconstitutional overreach by the Trump administration. 

The idea of troops dealing with domestic unrest on US soil has a dark past. During an anti-Vietnam war rally at Kent State University in Ohio in 1970, Ohio National Guard shot dead four college students and left nine others wounded.         

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

Trump says US doesn't have to meet defense spending target

US President Donald Trump claimed that the US doesn't need to meet the 5% defense spending target he insists on for other nations. 

The Trump administration has pushed US allies in Europe and Asia to pay 5% of its GDP on defense. The US currently spends 3.4% of its GDP on defense. 

Next week, NATO members are expected to meet in the Hague, Netherlands for talks on defense and security. NATO members are moving toward a formal pledge to spend 5% of GDP on defense which could be formalized at the summit next week. 

When asked whether the US should abide by the 5% target, Trump replied: "I don't think we should, but I think they should."

"We've been supporting NATO so long," Trump told journalists.       

Spain has reportedly declined to pursue the 5% defense spending pledge. In 2024, Spain just spent 1.3% of GDP on defense. 

Trump called Spain a "very low payer" and said he thinks "Spain has to pay what everybody else has to pay." 

Although Trump has criticized European countries for not paying enough, some countries, such as Poland, pay more than the US when it comes to defense. Poland spent 4.2% of GDP on defense in 2024 and is expected to spend even more this year.  

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil released

Khalil wore a Palestinian keffiyeh as he spoke to reporters following his releaseImage: Matthew Hinton/AP/picture alliance

Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist who played a role in the Columbia University protests against Israel's war in Gaza, has been released from federal immigration jail in Louisiana.

He spent 104 days in US custody. "Justice prevailed, but it's very long overdue," he said outside the facility. "This shouldn't have taken three months."

Khalil was born in Syria and holds Algerian citizenship. He is not a US national but is a permanent resident.

US District Judge Michael Farbiarz ordered Khalil's release earlier on Friday.

Farbiarz said the US government made no attempt to rebut evidence from Khalil's attorneys that he is not a flight risk nor a danger to the public.  

The Trump administration has targeted Khalil, saying he played a role in antisemitic protests.

Khalil's legal team have argued that he is not antisemtitic or anti-US.

The Trump administration had detained Khalil on foreign policy grounds, but Fabiarz had earlier ruled that the foreign policy reasons did not justify his detention. 

Khalil's green card will be returned to him, and he is permitted to limited travel within the US.

At the same time, the Trump administration is still attempting to deport Khalil based on allegations that he lied to obtain his green card. This means that Khalil's legal battle to stay in the US is still not over.      

Khalil's wife Noor Abdalla celebrates release

Khalil is married to US citizen Noor Abdalla, who gave birth to their son while he was in immigration detention.  

Abdalla celebrated Khalil's release in a statement: "We know this ruling does not begin to address the injustices the Trump administration has brought upon our family, and so many others."

"But today we are celebrating Mahmoud coming back to New York to be reunited with our little family."    

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

VOA cuts met with backlash from employees, Democrats

The latest cuts to VOA were met with fierce criticism from employees of the outlet and congressional Democrats. 

VOA employees Jessica Jerreat, Kate Neeper and Patsy Widakuswara are involved in a legal battle against Trump's cuts to the news outlet and US-funded public media. Jerreat, Neeper and Widakuswara were among those laid off on Friday.

"It spells the death of 83 years of independent journalism that upholds US ideals of democracy and freedom around the world," Jerreat, Neeper and Widakuswara said in a statement in response to the latest cuts. 

In a post on X, Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire strongly condemned the cuts. Jeanne Shaheen is the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.  

Shaheen said the "decimation of US broadcasting leaves authoritarian propaganda unchecked by US backed independent media and is a perversion of hte law and congressional intent."

"It is a dark day for the truth," Shaheen said. 

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

Trump administration lays off hundreds at Voice of America

The Trump administration on Friday laid off 639 employees at US public broadcaster Voice of America (VoA) and its parent organization, the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM). 

VoA was established in World War II and aims much of its programming at countries under authoritarian regimes such as North Korea and Iran.  

Kari Lake, a former television anchor and Trump ally who serves as the senior advisor to the USAGM, said the cuts are part of a "long overdue effort to dismantle a bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy." 

Some 1,400 people have been fired at VoA and USAGM since March, Lake said. Many VOA staff have been on administrative leave since March 15 amid legal proceedings. 

Trump has attacked publicly-funded news outlets such as VoA and National Public Radio (NPR), claiming without concrete evidence that their programming is biased toward conservatives. 

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

Welcome to our coverage

Wesley Dockery | Farah Bahgat

Welcome to DW's coverage of current affairs in the US and the second term of President Donald Trump.

In addition to the latest news on the US, this blog will also bring you multimedia content, analysis and on-the-ground reporting from DW correspondents.

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