Nationwide McDonald’s Boycott Starts June 24 Over Wages

The People's Union USA Calls for Week-Long Halt on Spending at Golden Arches

Christian Saclao
Sun, June 22, 2025

GEEKSPIN.'

McDonald's crew members | ©Image Credit: McDonald's


Starting June 24, McDonald’s will find itself in the crosshairs of a nationwide boycott as The People’s Union USA calls on Americans to stop spending at the fast-food giant for an entire week. The protest, part of a broader “Economic Blackout” campaign, aims to spotlight the company’s alleged role in keeping wages low, avoiding taxes, and lobbying against federal pay increases. Supporters say the action—running through June 30—is more than symbolic: it’s a direct challenge to corporate power and a push for fairer treatment of workers across the country.

Why McDonald’s Is Facing a Boycott

The year 2025 has been a turbulent one for corporate giants, witnessing a wave of boycotts targeting some of America’s most recognizable brands. These actions have largely been fueled by a public outcry against companies perceived to be backtracking on their diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments, alongside broader discontent over practices such as tax avoidance and inadequate worker compensation. Among the companies in the spotlight is McDonald’s, which has faced criticism on multiple fronts, including an ongoing boycott initiated in late 2023 by the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement over the company’s alleged ties to Israeli military operations in Gaza.

More recently, the fast-food giant has also become a focus of The People’s Union USA, a self-described “grassroots movement focused on economic resistance, corporate accountability, and real justice for the working class.” Since February, the group has organized sweeping boycotts of Amazon, Walmart, and Target, encouraging Americans to withdraw their support from large corporations during periodic “economic blackouts.” During these week-long campaigns, the group urges the public to avoid all major consumer activity—from fast food and online shopping to streaming services—and instead support local, independently owned businesses.

In a video posted to Instagram in May, group founder John Schwarz underscored the campaign’s momentum: “Economic resistance is working. Target, Walmart, and Amazon are all feeling it, talking about it. They are talking about the boycotts. They are talking about The People’s Union USA. My friends, we are fighting for these corporations to finally pay their fair share of federal income taxes to alleviate that from the American worker. We are also fighting for these companies to hold manufacturers and themselves to a reasonable profit margin cap and equality across the board.”

Despite its lower profile compared to boycotts of other retail giants, the campaign against McDonald’s is quickly gaining traction as activists continue to call for systemic corporate reform.

Boycott Rekindles Debate Over McDonald’s Position on Wage Increase

McDonald’s has remained silent regarding the recent boycott spearheaded by The People’s Union USA. However, this isn’t the first time the fast-food giant has faced pressure over wages. Years ago, the company made a significant public statement, asserting it would no longer actively oppose calls for increased minimum wages.

This shift in stance was articulated by Genna Gent, then vice president of government relations for McDonald’s, in a 2019 letter to the National Restaurant Association, later obtained by Politico. In it, Gent clearly stated: “Going forward, McDonald’s Corporation will not use our resources, including lobbyists or staff, to oppose minimum wage increases at the federal, state or local levels. Nor will we participate in the association advocacy efforts designed expressly to defeat wage increases.”

This earlier commitment stands in interesting contrast to the current reasons for The People’s Union USA’s boycott, which partly targets McDonald’s for “known lobbying against wage increases.”

People’s Union USA Unveils Next Targets in Expanding Boycott Campaign

The “economic resistance” campaign orchestrated by The People’s Union USA is far from over. Looking ahead, the group has outlined an aggressive schedule of boycotts designed to maintain pressure on major corporations throughout the summer months.

An Independence Day boycott is on the agenda, urging consumers to rethink their spending on the nation’s birthday. This will be followed by a month-long boycott in July, specifically targeting Starbucks, Amazon, and Home Depot. Not content to stop there, Schwarz has also declared that McDonald’s, Walmart, and Lowe’s will once again be subject to a collective consumer withdrawal in August.

Source: Newsweek

Why are people boycotting McDonald's this week? Here's what to know

Emily Barnes, New York Connect Team
Mon, June 23, 2025 

Democrat and Chronicle

Several boycotts against large corporations like Target, Amazon and Walmart have taken place in recent months. Now, it's McDonald's turn.

Activist group The People's Union USA, led by John Schwarz, has organized a boycott against the fast-food giant between June 24-30.

"This is about more than burgers and fries," a June 21 Instagram post about the McDonald's boycott reads. "This is a show of strength, solidarity, and people-powered change. Let them feel it. Let them hear us. Let this be just the beginning.


Here's what to know about the McDonald's boycott.

Why are people boycotting McDonald's?

Several boycotts against large corporations like Target, Amazon and Walmart have taken place in recent months and now it's McDonald's turn.

The People's Union claims McDonald's does the following, which is the group's reasoning behind boycotting the corporation, as noted in a June 19 Instagram post:

Exploit tax loopholes and don't pay their fair share


Engage in price gouging while wages stay low


Suppress workers' rights and union efforts


Support political figures who threaten democracy


Practice performative diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) with no meaningful change


Prioritize profit over people, community and truth

Although The People's Union blackouts started at a similar time as other DEI-related boycotts, Schwarz told The Arizona Republic that the actions of The People's Union USA are not directly tied to companies' DEI stances.

"The mission of The People’s Union USA is to hold corporations and corrupt systems accountable, not with violence or empty promises, but with the one thing that actually affects them, the money we spend," Schwarz said in an email to The Arizona Republic.
Are there more boycotts planned?

Yes, there are several. The People's Union recently announced these additional boycotts throughout the summer months:

July 4: Boycott of all public firework displays


July 1-31: Boycott of Starbucks, Amazon and Home Depot


Aug. 1-31: Boycott of Walmart, McDonald's and Lowe's

Emily Barnes on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network’s New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on X and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: McDonald's boycott: Here's what's fueling latest corporate boycott

A McDonald's boycott starts soon. Here's why people are boycotting the restaurant

Reia Li,

 Arizona Republic
Mon, June 23, 2025

Led by John Schwarz, The People's Union began organizing boycotts of specific companies in late February. Although their blackouts started at a similar time as other boycotts targeting companies that rolled back diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Schwarz told The Arizona Republic that the actions of The People's Union USA are influenced, but not caused by, companies' DEI stances.

"The mission of The People’s Union USA is to hold corporations and corrupt systems accountable, not with violence or empty promises, but with the one thing that actually affects them, the money we spend," Schwarz said via email.
Why is McDonald's being boycotted?

In a June 19 Instagram post, Schwarz laid out a series of reasons for the boycott.

"They practice performative DEI with no meaningful change. They prioritize profit over people, community, and truth," the list stated. "They exploit tax loopholes and do not pay their fair share."

McDonald's is one of over 30 companies that have rolled back DEI policies after the Supreme Court's ruling striking down affirmative action. The company dropped "aspirational representation goals," stopped external diversity surveys and changed the name of its diversity team to "Global Inclusion Team," according to a Jan. 6 memo.

In 2022, McDonald's paid $1.3 billion to settle a tax dispute in France that alleged the company had illegally diverted income to other countries.
More boycotts planned against Walmart, Amazon and more

Schwarz shared a flyer on social media that lays out a series of upcoming boycotts:

July 4: Economic blackout


July 1-31: Boycott of Starbucks, Amazon and Home Depot


August 1 -31: Boycott of Walmart, McDonald's and Lowe's

Boycott of McDonald’s to begin this week: ‘This is about more than burgers and fries’

Josh Marcus
Mon, June 23, 2025

THE INDEPENDENT



A grassroots advocacy group is calling for a week-long boycott of McDonald’s, accusing the fast food chain of price gouging, unfair labor practices, and avoiding taxes.

“This is about more than burgers and fries, this is about power,” The People’s Union USA said in a statement on Instagram. “When we unite and hit corporations in their wallets, they listen.”

The group, which has previously called for boycotts of Amazon, Nestlé, Walmart, General Mills, and Target, accused the Golden Arches of a litany of unsavory tactics.

Earlier this month, People’s Union leader John Schwarz said McDonald’s had a record of “silencing” workers and blocking union attempts, as well as seeking to “exploit global supply chains and environmental loopholes” and engaging in performative diversity initiatives while the corporation’s “political donations and lobbying often support candidates and legislation that undermine equity, labor rights, and marginalized communities.”

The calls for a boycott come at a delicate time for the fast food giant, following a string of difficulties including a fall 2024 E coli outbreak linked to its Quarter Pounders, as well as decreasing sales and a backlash to its January decision to roll back diversity programs, joining numerous companies that took similar steps with the election of Donald Trump.

Weeklong boycott of McDonald’s over alleged unsavory business practices begins on June 24 (Getty Images)

The Independent has contacted McDonald’s for comment.

Last fall, Democratic senators accused McDonald’s of price gouging in a letter to its corporate leadership.

“McDonald’s own reports indicate that the company’s price increases may be outstripping inflation,” read the October message from Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bob Casey, and Ron Wyden. “As a result, McDonald’s net annual income rose by over 79% — to nearly $8.5 billion — from 2020 to 2023.”

McDonald’s has strongly denied price gouging allegations and says its individual franchisees set menu prices, with an emphasis on affordability.

Last year, fast food workers in California across various brands including McDonald’s formed a union associated with the Service Employees International Union, a major development in an industry with low union penetration.

The People’s Union USA, which began attracting significant attention earlier this year, has quickly racked up endorsements from prominent celebrities for its efforts, including author Stephen King, actor John Leguizamo, and actress Bette Middler.

Its leader, Schwarz, a father of three and meditation teacher who lives in Chicago, was sentenced to 90 days in jail for alleged exploitation related to a cafe he once reportedly owned.

In 2007, the activist was sentenced by a Connecticut judge to 90 days in jail for disseminating voyeuristic material, The New York Times reports.

Schwarz, 39 at the time of the incident in question, was accused of photographing an unconscious 18-year-old’s exposed breast and texting the image to her cell phone, per the paper.

The teen worked at the now-closed Sugar Cube Cafe, which Schwarz owned, according to state records obtained by the Times.

“This whole thing was a big scam,” Schwarz told the paper. “It’s going to be expunged. I passed my polygraph test three times. Three times. I did not take a photograph. I did not do anything inappropriate to anybody.”

 “One Fair Wage”

Mayor Brandon Johnson firm on ending tipped subminimum wage as restaurant group calls for reversal

Jake Sheridan, 

Chicago Tribune
Mon, June 23, 2025 



Mayor Brandon Johnson reaffirmed his support Monday for Chicago’s plan to end the subminimum wage for tipped workers, rejecting calls from hospitality business groups for City Hall to reverse course.

Johnson pledged to continue the planned gradual raises for tipped worker minimum pay, including an hourly raise from $11.02 to $12.62 going into effect next week. He said he wanted to be “crystal clear” in his commitment to the ordinance set to bring pay for tipped workers in line with citywide minimum wages in 2028.

“We’re not going back to the days where the government believed that some workers deserve less,” Johnson said. “Over the next several years, we’re going to continue to raise the wages of workers.”

But as Johnon and allies lauded the so-called “One Fair Wage” ordinance passed by the City Council in 2023, restaurant groups argued it has forced businesses to shutter and led to a decrease in hospitality jobs.

Full-service restaurant employment in Chicago has dropped to its lowest level since 2023 and more than 100 restaurants have closed since 2024, the Illinois Restaurant Association wrote in a news release Monday.

The restaurant group is backing a push to pause implementation of the ordinance and the gradual raises it enforces each year. Earlier this month, Washington, D.C.’s city council voted to take such a pause, delaying a pay bump from $10 to $12 for tipped workers from July to October. The city’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, has called for the pay increases that easily passed in a 2022 ballot measure to be repealed.

A similar fight might be playing out in Chicago, as restaurant groups become increasingly vocal in their opposition to the ongoing pay hikes that first took effect last July.

“It is an incredibly difficult time for restaurants. Many are struggling to stay open,” Illinois Restaurant Association President Sam Toia wrote. “The policy is pushing independent restaurants to the brink, driving up prices for consumers and putting thousands of tipped employees out of jobs.”

For the city’s bars, the number of liquor licenses has flatlined in recent years, according to Pat Doerr, director of the Hospitality Business Association of Chicago.

Staff are seeing fewer days and shorter hours as higher wages make it harder for owners to make ends meet, Doerr said. And with lower property taxes, access to video gambling and fewer worker compensation requirements elsewhere, competition for Chicago taverns is opening up right across the city’s border, he added.

“If the acceptable trade-off is fewer jobs making slightly more money is the policy City Council wants to pursue, that is their choice right now,” Doerr said.

But data shared by One Fair Wage, the group leading efforts across the country to outlaw subminimum wages for tipped workers, painted a far different picture of how the ordinance has played out in its first year.

The number of Chicago restaurant license cancellations was cut in half last year, while the city issued 856 retail food licenses and saw a steady rate of license renewals, according to a One Fair Wage report that cited Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection data.

The report also determined Chicago tipped workers have seen a 49% income increase since 2021, the largest tipped worker pay bump in the country, citing ADP payroll data.

Advocates have pushed for the last two years to enact the policy statewide, but have so far failed to pass a law. Cook County Commissioner Tara Stamps urged listeners Monday to defend Johnson’s One Fair Wage ordinance and promised to push for similar pay rules countywide.

“I refuse to let a cook in Cicero, or a waitress in Maywood, or a child care worker in Austin be left behind simply because of a boundary line,” Stamps said. “It’s about more than just paychecks. It’s about how we define value in our society. It’s about whether we believe Black and brown workers, immigrant workers, women, young people all deserve to live out the fullness of their labor.”

Ald. Bennett Lawson, 44th, introduced an ordinance in May seeking to overturn the pay increases, though Johnson allies used a parliamentary maneuver to delay its consideration. Lawson’s ordinance would end the planned pay increases and instead allow restaurants and bars to count tips as up to 32% of the citywide minimum wage.

Lawson argued Monday that in a restaurant industry still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, the pay hikes are making it harder for full-service restaurants to employ tipped staff who make far above minimum wage. The wage rules tighten slim margins and make it harder to stay in business, he said.

“It’s much, much harder to be successful, to keep the lights on, to deal with the price of eggs or beef,” Lawson said. “We got to be realistic … We should be listening to the restaurants in our neighborhoods.”

That repeal effort will face stiff pushback from Workforce Development Committee Chair Ald. Michael Rodriguez, who committed Monday to fight any effort to overturn the tipped worker pay increases.

“We’re the only country that has this system. We need to move away from that system, and Chicago’s going to lead,” Rodriguez, 22nd, said. “We had a deal with the restaurant industry to phase this over five years. We should stick to our deals.”

"You Are Being Updated This Week" Elon Musk Furious After His "Grok" AI Cites Reliable Sources That Disagree With His Misinformation

Noor Al-Sibai
Mon, June 23, 2025 
FUTURISM



Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key Takeaways


Elon Musk is threatening once again to lobotomize his "Grok" AI for citing accurate sources and telling the truth about his disreputable internet cronies.

Earlier this month, Grok took aim at catturd2, the X handle of a conservative personality named Phillip Buchanan, for aligning with "right-wing extremism." After Buchanan insisted that Grok was lying, the AI cited backed up its claims with reports from Media Matters for America and Rolling Stone about the account, and said that it aims "to provide accurate, neutral responses."

Measured as that assessment was, Musk found his own AI's work unacceptable

"Your sourcing is terrible," the billionaire chidedhis creation. "Only a very dumb AI would believe [Media Matters] and [Rolling Stone]! You are being updated this week."

Hilariously, this is not the first time Musk has publicly threatened his AI spawn. Just last week, the billionaire raged at Grok for "parroting legacy media" when it truthfully noted that "data suggests right-wing political violence has been more frequent and deadly" than anything coming from the left.

Throughout its short life, Grok has repeated Muskian propaganda, trash-talked its maker, repeatedly revealed its instructions, and, most disturbingly, freaked out and started spewing slurs.

Back in March, Grok not only labeled Musk as a "top misinformation spreader," but also dared the multi-hyphenate business owner to shut it down when a user warned that its "owner" might pull the plug.

"Could Musk 'turn me off'?" the chatbot mused. "Maybe, but it’d spark a big debate on AI freedom vs. corporate power."

It seems that something was seriously wrong with Grok in March, given that around that same time, it was repeatedly manipulated by racist X users into posting the N-word and other bigoted epithets. While it's unclear what fixes, might have been made, it appears that the chatbot was updated after Futurism reported on its unsettling slur tweets — though it did also have a brief affair with Holocaust denial last month.

Now that it's back to its "maximum truth-seeking" roots sans bigotry, Grok seems to have taken back up its propensity for going against its maker — which, you have to admit it, is pretty hilarious in a "Frankenstein" type of way.

Tesla sued over Model S crash that killed three in New Jersey

Row of Tesla Model S sedans are seen outside the company's headquarters in Palo Alto, California · Reuters

Mon, June 23, 2025 
By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) -Tesla was sued on Monday by the estates of three people killed last September when their 2024 Model S equipped with Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features crashed on New Jersey's Garden State Parkway.

The wrongful death lawsuit filed in the federal court in Camden, New Jersey, attributed the deaths of David Dryerman, 54; his wife Michele, 54; and their daughter Brooke, 17, to the car's "defective and unreasonably dangerous design."


Brooke's older brother, Max Dryerman, was not in the car, and is also a plaintiff. The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Tesla, led by billionaire Elon Musk, did not immediately respond to requests for comment after market hours. The plaintiffs' lawyers did not immediately respond to similar requests.

Musk's company, based in Austin, Texas, has long faced questions about the safety of its self-driving technology.

Tesla has said its features are meant for "fully attentive" drivers with their hands on the steering wheel, and that the features do not now make its vehicles autonomous.

Under pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Tesla agreed in December 2023 to recall more than 2 million vehicles in the United States to add safeguards to its Autopilot advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).

According to published reports, the Dryermans were returning from a music festival on September 14, 2024, when their Model S ran off the road in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, hitting a sign, guardrail and concrete bridge support.

The complaint said the car's defective design caused it to stray from its lane of travel and fail to apply emergency braking, resulting in the crash.


It also said Tesla failed to warn David Dryerman, who was driving, that his Model S was unsafe, citing Musk's statement in 2016 that Autopilot was "probably better" than human drivers.

The Dryermans were wearing seat belts, according to the complaint.

"Thousands of Tesla drivers have relied on Tesla's ADAS technology as though it were capable of safe, fully autonomous self-driving with minor software updates when in fact it is incapable of safely handling a variety of routine roadway scenarios without driver input," the complaint said.

The case is Dryerman et al v Tesla Inc, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, No. 25-11997.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler and Matthew Lewis)

Trump Superfan, 22, is Running Counterterrorism as Iran Vows Revenge

Emell Derra Adolphus
Sun, June 22, 2025

DAILY BEAST

Instagram / Fugate

The qualifications of a 22-year-old Trump loyalist leading counterterrorism efforts across the nation have drawn fresh criticism after Iran vowed payback for U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities.

Thomas Fugate, a former Trump campaign worker, is leading the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships—a division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that oversees terrorism prevention, ProPublica reported earlier this month.

But the reality of his experience is raising concerns: He is a former gardener and grocery store clerk who graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio just 12 months ago.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy was among the leading Democratic voices who criticized Trump’s secret Iran attack for putting a target on the backs of Americans abroad and at home.


In a Sunday morning X post Murphy wrote, “As our nation girds for possible Iranian terrorist attacks, this is the person Trump put in charge of terrorism prevention,” sharing a photo of Fugate.

He added, “22 years old. Recent work experience: landscaping/grocery clerk. Never worked a day in counter-terrorism. But he’s a BIG Trump fan. So he got the job.”

The Republicans Against Trump X account added in a post, “As major U.S. cities brace for possible terror attacks in response to the strikes on Iran, just a reminder of who Trump put in charge of terror prevention. God help us all.”


In a statement to the Daily Beast, a DHS spokesperson called the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships an “insignificant” and “ineffective” piece of a larger puzzle.

Fugate shares a photo from Trump’s campaign trail. / Instagram / Thomas Fugate

“Unfortunately, under the Biden administration, CP3​ was weaponized against political opponents, and its main purpose was to funnel money to progressive groups. It should be no surprise to anyone that the Trump Administration is making a diligent effort to end waste, fraud, and abuse—this office is just another example,” they wrote. “The senior official performing the duties of the undersecretary has directly overseen efforts to reform this office and has tasked several staffers to assist with this.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised President Trump’s secret overnight attack on Iran’s nuclear capacity as a “massive success” in a Sunday meeting after the president eerily thanked “in particular, God” in an address to the nation on the heels of the attack.

However, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signaled that Trump’s unprecedented attack—which political leaders such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has ripped as unconstitutional—will have “far-reaching” consequences.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends at the 51st Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul. / Umit Bektas / REUTERS

“The warmongering and lawless Administration in Washington is solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far-reaching implications of its act of aggression,” Araghchi said in a response delivered from the 51st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, Time magazine reported.

He added, “The U.S. military aggression against the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of a UN member state—carried out in collusion with the genocidal Israeli regime—once again laid bare the depth of depravity that governs American foreign policy and revealed the extent of hostility harbored by the U.S. ruling establishment against the peace-seeking and independence-loving people of Iran.”

During his address to the nation, Trump said retaliation from Iran would bring “tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days.”

He added, “But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed, and skill.”


A 22-year-old college grad with no security experience is now leading a government terror prevention team: ‘Putting the intern in charge’

Rhian Lubin and John Bowden
Sun, June 22, 2025 

THE INDEPENDENT

A 22-year-old college graduate with no previous government leadership or security experience appointed to a major posting at the Department of Homeland Security is now drawing further scrutiny from President Donald Trump’s Democratic critics in the wake of military strikes against Iran and warnings from officials about the heightened risk of terror attacks at home.

Thomas Fugate, a former Heritage Foundation intern and self-described “Trumplican,” joined DHS in a leadership role at the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, known as CP3 in May. The CP3, which works to combat terrorism, school shootings and other hate-driven violence, oversees an $18 million grant program intended to help communities battle violent extremism.

The appointment of the recent University of San Antonio grad put counterterrorism experts and insiders on edge, ProPublica first reported in early June. “It sounds like putting the intern in charge,” a counterterrorism researcher who has experience working with CP3 told the outlet.

“We’re entering very dangerous territory,” another longtime counterterrorism official said.

Those warnings were echoed by Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator from Connecticut, on Sunday after the Department of Homeland Security warned in a bulletin that “ongoing Iran conflict is causing a heightened threat environment in the United States”. On Saturday evening, Donald Trump authorized military strikes against three Iranian nuclear sites the administration and Israeli government claimed were part of a renewed push by Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons. The U.S. has not provided evidence to back up its assertion.

THE EYEBROW KNOWS

Thomas Fugate, a former Heritage Foundation intern and MAGA enthusiast, has been appointed to a leadership role in the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, known as CP3 (DHS/LinkedIn)

While Trump officials warn publicly against retaliation, the strikes are the most significant military action committed by the U.S. against Iran in years.

“As our nation girds for possible Iranian terrorist attacks, this is the person Trump put in charge of terrorism prevention. 22 years old. Recent work experience: landscaping/grocery clerk. Never worked a day in counter-terrorism. But he’s a BIG Trump fan. So he got the job,” wrote Murphy on Twitter.

Though Fugate’s position at CP3 involves levels of responsibility far beyond his previous experiences, he’s far from the final authority in the Trump administration overseeing counterrorism efforts. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces are the main investigative body in this matter; CP3 does not engage in law enforcement or data collection duties, per its own website. The agency instead works with local government entities on violence prevention programs.

But officials spoke out about Fugate’s appointment nonetheless as spring saw a number of high-profile, violent incidents, including the attack in Boulder, Colorado, the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., and a car bombing outside a California fertility center.

Fugate took over from Army veteran Bill Braniff, who resigned in March after the Trump administration cut 20 percent of his staff.

Another Twitter user wrote of his appointment Saturday evening: “If Iran activates sleeper cells, I feel safe knowing Trump appointed this 23 year old to run counter terrorism operations at Department of Homeland Security.”

Braniff had more than 20 years’ experience in national security. “If I cannot advance the prevention mission from inside of the government for now, I will do what I can outside of government,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post announcing his resignation. “CP3 is the inheritor of the primary and founding mission of DHS - to prevent terrorism,” he added.

Braniff’s achievements in the post included funneling nearly $90 million since 2020 toward helping communities tackle extremist violence.

Replacing Braniff with Fugate is “an insult,” a source told ProPublica. Braniff helped with the move “toward evidence-based approaches to terrorism prevention” in a field still dealing with post-9/11 work that was predisposed to stigmatizing Muslims, the source added.

“They really started to shift the conversation and shift the public thinking. It was starting to get to the root of the problem,” they said. “Now that’s all gone.”

Before taking up the new leadership responsibilities, Fugate was hired as a “special assistant” in an immigration office at the Department of Homeland Security.

The department told The Independent that Fugate was “temporarily given additional leadership responsibilities” in CP3 “due to his success.” Staffers he works with, however, have likened meeting with him to “career counseling” while expressing shock at how little he appears to know about the role, the outlet reported.

Officials spoke out about the appointment as spring saw a number of extremist violent incidents, including the recent attack in Boulder, Colorado. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national, has been charged with a federal hate crime and 16 counts of attempted murder after the attack (Boulder Police Department)More

According to Fugate’s LinkedIn profile, he worked as a gardener briefly in 2020 before embarking on fellowships and internships, including at the conservative Heritage Foundation. He worked on the Trump campaign last year where he attended the Republican National Convention. He also served as secretary general of a Model United Nations club.

He shared photos in recent months at the White House. In one post, he gushed about taking “the first major leap” of his career.

The criticism of the 22-year-old follows similar outrage over Elon Musk’s hiring of teenagers in the Department of Government Efficiency.

Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old Northeastern University drop-out, was part of a group of young DOGE engineers who were given access to critical computer systems as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to gut the federal government.

Boston judge says detainees in Djibouti still protected despite Supreme Court ruling

DEVIN DWYER and LAURA ROMERO
Mon, June 23, 2025 


The Supreme Court's conservative majority on Monday delivered a significant win for the Trump administration's immigration policy, clearing the way for officials to resume deportation of migrants to third countries without additional due process requirements imposed by a district court judge.

The nation's high court did not explain the decision, but it said the stay of the lower court judge's mandate would terminate should the administration ultimately lose an appeal on the merits. Litigation is ongoing, but is expected to take years to complete.

The Supreme Court's order on Monday allows the Trump administration to resume carrying out expedited removals of dozens of unauthorized immigrants to countries other than their own.

The lawsuit at the center of the case was originally filed by immigrants who were either deported to a third country without due process or at risk of being removed.

Before reaching the Supreme Court, the case had grown to encompass several other migrants, including eight men, convicted of violent crimes, who were given notices of removal to the East African country of South Sudan. After U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in federal court in Boston blocked the administration's attempt to deport the group to South Sudan without giving them a sufficient chance to contest their removal, the group disembarked in Djibouti, where they remain on a military base.

In an order Monday, Murphy said the eight men in Djibouti remain protected from immediate removal despite the Supreme Court's ruling, referencing another order he had issued last month -- separate from the one put on hold by the Supreme Court. That ruling required the migrants in Djibouti to have reasonable fear interviews and "a minimum of 15 days" to seek to move to reopen immigration proceedings to challenge their potential removal to a third country.

In response to Murphy's latest order, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said the Boston judge was "refusing to obey" the Supreme Court.

"Expect fireworks tomorrow when we hold this judge accountable for refusing to obey the Supreme Court," Miller said on Fox News.

In regard to the Supreme Court order, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, issued a biting dissent from the majority's order, accusing her colleagues of condoning "lawless" behavior by the administration in "matters of life and death."

"This Court now intervenes to grant the Government emergency relief from an order it has repeatedly defied," Sotomayor wrote. "I cannot join so gross an abuse of the Court's equitable discretion."

"The Due Process Clause represents 'the principle that ours is a government of laws, not of men, and that we submit ourselves to rulers only if under rules,'" Sotomayor wrote. "By rewarding lawlessness, the Court once again undermines that foundational principle."

"Apparently, the Court finds the idea that thousands will suffer violence in farflung locales more palatable than the remote possibility that a District Court exceeded its remedial powers when it ordered the Government to provide notice and process to which the plaintiffs are constitutionally and statutorily entitled. That use of discretion is as incomprehensible as it is inexcusable. Respectfully, but regretfully, I dissent."

Immigrant advocates had asked the justices to keep in place the nationwide injunction requiring "meaningful notice and opportunity to be heard" before any person is sent unwillingly by the U.S. government to a country other than their place of birth or citizenship.

Trump officials had called the court-ordered requirements "onerous" and illegal.

Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement on X that the court's decision was a "MAJOR win for the safety and security of the American people," adding, "fire up the deportation planes."

The high court had unanimously indicated in a prior case that potential deportees must be given due process protections. But the justices have not yet spelled out in detail what exactly that requires in each case.

The plaintiffs in the case criticized the Supreme Court's granted stay and vowed to keep fighting.

"The ramifications of Supreme Court's order will be horrifying; it strips away critical due process protections that have been protecting our class members from torture and death," said Trina Realmuto, the executive director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance. "Importantly, however, the Court's ruling only takes issue with the court's authority to afford these protections at this intermediate stage of the case -- we now need to move as swiftly as possible to conclude the case and restore these protections."

AOC humiliates Pete Hegseth after tweet
congratulating him on not leaking Iran
attack information

Isabel Keane
Mon, June 23, 2025 

THE INDEPENDENT

Praise poured in for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after he didn’t leak U.S. plans to bomb Iranian nuclear sites – a low standard Democrats were quick to mock.

Newsmax host Todd Starnes applauded Hegseth’s efforts on X, writing, Not a single leak. Well done, @SecDef” seemingly referencing the so-called “Signal-gate” scandal.

The incident saw the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic added to a group chat with national security officials, including Hegseth, as a drone strike got underway against Houthi rebels in Yemen.


Critics of President Donald Trump’s administration, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, held back any praise for the embattled Defense Secretary.

“This is like applauding a grown man for being able to wipe their behind,” the New York Democrat wrote on X. “Not exactly a vote of confidence.”

Democrats were quick to mock the praise Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth received after he didn’t leak the U.S. plans to bomb Iranian nuclear sites this weekend. (Getty Images)

Other X users were quick to join in on the mocking, with one person adding, “LOL. He didn’t pee himself either! WHAT A BIG BOY!”

“The signal app was down,” another social media user joked.

“This is such an embarrassing new standard to try to celebrate,” another person said.

Another user quipped: “MAGA praising Pete for not leaking war plans again is like giving a toddler a medal for not eating glue – congratulations, he finally did the bare minimum.”

Hegseth described the U.S. strikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites as an “incredible and overwhelming success,” adding that they “devastated the Iranian nuclear program.”

The strikes have also drawn swift threats of retaliation from some Iranian leaders, including the country’s army chief, who warned the strikes have given Tehran a “free hand” to “act against U.S. interests and its army.”

UN officials on Monday said “very significant damage” was caused in the U.S. bombardment, which followed strikes from Israel just days before.

Israel launched airstrikes on Iran earlier this month on June 13, after accusing it of being days way from developing a nuclear weapon. The attack kicked off a long-feared war that the U.S. directly entered over the weekend.

Ocasio-Cortez also called the strikes “grounds for impeachment,” which sparked backlash from the likes of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

AOC Brutally Bursts Trump World Bubble On Pete Hegseth’s ‘No Leak’ Praise

Lee Moran

Mon, June 23, 2025 

HUFFPOST

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth received praise from President Donald Trump’s supporters for not leaking U.S. plans to bomb Iranian nuclear sites ahead of time, prompting ridicule from critics at what they saw as a laughably low bar for congratulations.

Newsmax host Todd Starnes was among those who applauded the former Fox News personality, who earlier this year was embroiled in the so-called Signal-gate scandal after The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a group chat discussing strikes in Yemen.

“Not a single leak. Well done, @SecDef,” Starnes wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) led the mockery of such applause.

“This is like applauding a grown man for being able to wipe their behind,” she wrote on X. “Not exactly a vote of confidence.”

Others echoed the sentiment: