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Trump campaign aid sought Russia meeting

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Trump campaign aid sought Russia meeting

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CNN

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In a March 2016 email, Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos offered to set up a meeting between top Russian officials and top Trump campaign officials, under the subject line "Meeting with Russian Leadership -- Including Putin," according to the source.

The email from Papadopoulos was first reported by The Washington Post Monday evening. The Post also reported that Papadopoulos made at least six requests for meetings between top campaign officials and Russian officials over the course of the campaign, but that they were roundly rejected by several members of the campaign.

Papadopoulos did not immediately respond to CNN's requests for comment.

Former campaign chairman Paul Manafort has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks, as federal agents searched his Virginia home and removed evidence. Manafort was a part of Donald Trump Jr.'s June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer and a Russian-American lobbyist, and has given contemporaneous notes he took of that meeting to investigators.

A source familiar with the Papadopoulos emails said that Manafort immediately dismissed the idea of meeting with top Russian officials and advised Trump to do the same.

Reached for comment, Manafort spokesman Jason Maloni told CNN: "Mr. Manafort's swift action reflects the attitude of the campaign -- any invitation by Russia, directly or indirectly, would be rejected outright. His request that the response come from a low level staffer sent a clear signal that the invitation did not merit consideration. This is concrete evidence the Russia collusion narrative is fake news."

The March 2016 email was included in a batch of 20,000 campaign emails turned over to federal and congressional investigators by the Trump campaign.

Carter Page, a former Trump adviser who has been a subject of interest for congressional investigators, told CNN he remembered seeing the email from Papadopoulos but did not act on it and never saw additional requests from Papadopoulos.

The Papadopoulos email represents a new twist in the investigations, but is likely not as consequential as other meetings and email exchanges, including one in which Donald Trump Jr. set up a meeting with a Russian lawyer after the lawyer promised to deliver dirt on Clinton directly from the Kremlin.

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trump campaign aide sought russia meeting - cnnpolitics

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Trump campaign aide sought Russia meeting

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A former Trump campaign volunteer offered to set up a meeting between campaign officials for then-candidate Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin last March, according to a source that reviewed a March 2016 email from the campaign aide -- but that meeting was dismissed by campaign leadership and Trump was advised not to do it.

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School district removes gay students' yearbook quotes

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School district removes gay students' yearbook quotes

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New York Post

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Two gay high school students whose quotes were removed from their senior yearbook say they're "disheartened and angry" by the "senseless censorship" behind the move.

Joey Slivinski and Thomas Swartz, who recently graduated from Kearney High School in Missouri, told KCTV they submitted their senior quotes for the yearbook on time just like their other classmates - only to realize that something was amiss when they cracked open the keepsake.

Without warning, school district officials had scrubbed their quotes out of concern that they could "potentially offend" other students.

"Of course I dress well, I didn't spend all that time in the closet for nothing," Slivinski's original quote read.

Swartz, meanwhile, had submitted this: "If Harry Potter taught us anything, it's that not one should have to live in the closet."

Slivinki, in a Facebook post last week, said he had always felt that his sexual orientation was respected in his community until his quotes were scrubbed.

"I put a very innocent quote as my senior quote and they took it away from me with absolutely no warning or option to change it," Slivinski wrote, adding, "Our schools are supposed to be a place that you can express being who you are."

Swartz said in a Facebook post that he didn't need to be "protected from small minded people" and that he came out to his parents when he was 15 years old.

"The only people I need protection from are the people directly involved with deleting my statement and infringing upon my civil rights," Swartz wrote last week.

District officials said they were trying to "protect" students by removing the quotes but acknowledged their "mistake" in offending another group of students.

"In an effort to protect our students, quotes that could potentially offend another student or groups of students are not published," the statement read. "It is the school's practice to err on the side of caution. Doing so in this case had the unintentional consequence of offending the very students the practice was designed to protect. We sincerely apologize to those students."

The district's statement also noted the "importance of inclusion and acceptance," particularly in an educational setting.

"We work diligently to help every student feel safe, supported, and included," the statement continued. "District staff participate in ongoing training around issues of diversity and support student organizations that do the same. That being said, we acknowledge our mistake and will use it as a learning opportunity to improve in the future."

Slivinski and Swartz told KCTV they plan to make stickers to insert their quotes back into their yearbooks as well as those of their friends.

"I'm proud to be from Kearney and I'm proud to be whom I am," Slivinski told the station. "I'm just disappointed at what happened."

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School district removes gay students' yearbook quotes

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Two gay high school students whose quotes were removed from their senior yearbook say they're "disheartened and angry" by the "senseless censorship" behind the move. Joey Slivinski and Thomas Swartz, who recently graduated from Kearney High School in Missouri, told KCTV they submitted their senior quotes for the yearbook on time just like their other classmates - only to realize that something was amiss when they cracked open the keepsake.

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Gay students' quotes censored from Missouri high school yearbook

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Gay students' quotes censored from Missouri high school yearbook

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Washington Times

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A Missouri school district has apologized after quotes from two openly gay students were censored from their high school yearbook.

Joey Slivinski and Thomas Swartz, two newly graduated students from Kearney High School, said they had submitted senior quotes to appear in the 2017 yearbook, but the school scrubbed them from the final print without notice.

"Mine was, 'Of course I dress well. I didn't spend all that time in the closet for nothing,'" Mr. Slivinski told a local CBS affiliate. "I went to find my quote in the yearbook, but nothing was there."

Mr. Swartz said his quote was, "If Harry Potter taught us anything, it's that no one should have to live in the closet."

"It was a blank picture under my name," Mr. Swartz told CBS.

The Kearney School District apologized for removing the quotes, saying its policy is to censor messages that "could potentially offend," but admitted it made an error in this case.

"Each year, graduating seniors are provided an opportunity to pick a favorite quote to be placed in the yearbook," read a joint statement by Principal Dave Schwarzenbach and KSD Superintendent Bill Nicely. "In an effort to protect our students, quotes that could potentially offend another student or groups of students are not published. It is the school's practice to err on the side of caution. Doing so in this case had the unintentional consequence of offending the very students the practice was designed to protect.

"We sincerely apologize to those students," the statement said. "All KSD staff understand the importance of inclusion and acceptance especially in an educational setting. We work diligently to help every student feel safe, supported, and included. District staff participate in ongoing training around issues of diversity and support student organizations that do the same. That being said, we acknowledge our mistake and will use it as a learning opportunity to improve in the future."

Meanwhile, Mr. Swartz and Mr. Slivinski said they plan to type up stickers with their quotes so that friends can insert their words into the yearbook.

"I'm proud to be from Kearney and I'm proud to be who I am," Mr. Slivinski said. "I'm just disappointed at what happened."

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Gay students' quotes censored from Missouri high school yearbook

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A Missouri school district has apologized after quotes from two openly gay students were censored from their high school yearbook. Joey Slivinski and Thomas Swartz, two newly graduated students from Kearney High School, said they had submitted senior quotes to appear in the 2017 yearbook, but the school scrubbed them from the final print without notice.

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Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott suspended six games for conduct

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Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott suspended six games for conduct

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ESPN

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A man was fired from his job after a photo of him at the deadly Charlottesville white-supremacist rally went viral 

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A man was fired from his job after a photo of him at the deadly Charlottesville white-supremacist rally went viral 

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Business Insider

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Gators punish players for misuse of funds

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Gators punish players for misuse of funds

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The Read Optional

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EXCLUSIVE: Gators punish players for misuse of funds

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Several Florida football players are dealing with internal punishment over the misuse of school funds, per sources with knowledge of the situation. The players, who include freshmen, sophomores and...

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Pregnant Student Barred From Graduation At Md. Christian School

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Pregnant Student Barred From Graduation At Md. Christian School

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NPR

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Pregnant Student Barred From Graduation At Md. Christian School 

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California Muslim forced to remove hijab awarded $85k settlement

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California Muslim forced to remove hijab awarded $85k settlement

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BBC News

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Ex-Stanford student-athlete Brock Turner featured in sexual assault campaign

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Ex-Stanford student-athlete Brock Turner featured in sexual assault campaign

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The Mercury News

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Lawsuit: Boy Was Punched, Knocked Unconscious During Class

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Lawsuit: Boy Was Punched, Knocked Unconscious During Class

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NY Times

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NPR

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Another unarmed black teen killed by police

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Another unarmed black teen killed by police

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Huffington Post

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Another Unarmed Black Teen Killed By Police

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Jordan Edwards, 15, was fatally shot by police while in a moving vehicle after leaving a party in Texas. The officer who killed him has been fired after the police department reviewed the body-cam footage, which contradicted his initial statements.

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ABC News

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School video shows young boy with autism dragged down a hallway by teachers

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After the prosecutor decided not to file charges, the boy's mother posted the surveillance video on Facebook.

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Charlottesville white nationalist rally blamed for 3 deaths, dozens of injuries

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Charlottesville white nationalist rally blamed for 3 deaths, dozens of injuries

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Fox News

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A 32-year-old woman was killed Saturday and 19 others were injured, five of them critically, when a car rammed into a group of counter-protesters during the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Va.

A helicopter crash that killed the pilot and a passenger later in the afternoon outside the university town also was linked to the rally by State Police, though officials did not elaborate on how the crash was connected.

At a late afternoon news conference, Charlottesville Police Chief Al Thomas said that 35 people had been injured in various confrontations during the rally and made a point of saying that none of those involved his officers. Thomas also said that the car crash was being treated as an act of "criminal homicide."

The chaos boiled over at what is believed to be the largest group of white nationalists to come together in a decade: the governor declared a state of emergency, police dressed in riot gear ordered people out and helicopters circled overhead. The group had gathered to protest plans to remove a statue of the Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

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WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES AND LANGUAGE
Matt Korbon, a 22-year-old University of Virginia student, told the Associated Press several hundred counter-protesters were marching when "suddenly there was just this tire screeching sound." A silver Dodge Challenger smashed into another car, then backed up, barreling through "a sea of people."

The impact hurled people into the air. Those left standing scattered, screaming and running for safety in different directions.

Virginia Secretary of Public Safety Brian Moran told The Associated Press that the driver of the car, a man, was in custody. Moran did not provide the driver's name.

The crash occurred approximately two hours after clashes in which hundreds of people scramed, chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other ahead of the scheduled noon demonstration.

Adressing those who he called "the white supremacists and the Nazis who came into Charlottesvillle today," Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe told them to "go home."

"There is no place for you here," McAuliffe said. "There is no place for you in America ... Go home and never come back."

Hours earlier, President Donald Trump condemned "in the strongest possible terms" what he called an "egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides" after the clashes. He called for "a swift restoration of law and order and the protection of innocent lives."

Hours later, Trump tweeted condolences to the families of the victims of the helicopter crash - who he identified as Virginia state troopers - and the unidentified woman who was killed by the car.

Right-wing blogger Jason Kessler had planned what he called a "pro-white" rally to protest Charlottesville's decision to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a city park.

Oren Segal, who directs the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism, said multiple white power groups had gathered in Charlottesville, including members of neo-Nazi organizations, racist skinhead groups and Ku Klux Klan factions.

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"We anticipated this event being the largest white supremacist gathering in over a decade," Segal said. "Unfortunately, it appears to have become the most violent as well."

The white nationalist organizations Vanguard America and Identity Evropa; the Southern nationalist League of the South; the National Socialist Movement; the Traditionalist Workers Party; and the Fraternal Order of Alt Knights also were on hand, he said, along with several groups with a smaller presence.

Kessler said this week that the rally is partly about the removal of Confederate symbols but also about free speech and "advocating for white people."

"This is about an anti-white climate within the Western world and the need for white people to have advocacy like other groups do," he said in an interview.

The violence was met with universal condemnation from political leaders, as well as first lady Melania Trump, who tweeted: "Our country encourages freedom of speech, but let's communicate w/o hate in our hearts. No good comes from violence. #Charlottesville."

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Vice President Mike Pence tweeted: "I stand with @POTUS against hate & violence. U.S. is greatest when we join together & oppose those seeking to divide us. #Charlottesville"

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., also tweeted condemning the protests. "The views fueling the spectacle in Charlottesville are repugnant," Ryan tweeted. "Let it only serve to unite Americans against this kind of vile bigotry."

The NHL's Detroit Red Wings released a statement Saturday denouncing the user of their logo at the rally and that they are considering legal action to stop it.

The team said it "vehemently" disagrees with and is not associated with the event."

A Michigan-based white nationalist group called the Detroit Right Wings uses the Red Wings' logo.

Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer said he was disappointed that the white nationalists had come to his town and blamed Trump for inflaming racial prejudices during his campaign last year.

"I'm not going to make any bones about it. I place the blame for a lot of what you're seeing in American today right at the doorstep of the White House and the people around the president."

Saturday's violence was the latest confrontation in Charlottesville since the city voted earlier this year to remove the Lee statue.

In May, a torch-wielding group that included prominent white nationalist Richard Spencer gathered around the statue for a nighttime protest, and in July, about 50 members of a North Carolina-based KKK group traveled there for a rally, where they were met by hundreds of counter-protesters.

The city has also renamed Lee Park, where the statue stands, and Jackson Park, named after Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. They are now called Emancipation Park and Justice Park, respectively.

A group called the Monument Fund filed a lawsuit arguing that removing the statue would violate a state law governing war memorials. A judge has agreed to a temporary injunction that blocks the city from removing the statue for six months.
Fox News' Doug McKelway and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Charlottesville white nationalist rally blamed for 3 deaths, dozens of injuries

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A 32-year-old woman was killed Saturday and 19 others were injured, five of them critically, when a car rammed into a group of counter-protesters during the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Va.

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FBI agents raided Manafort's home, seized docs

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FBI agents raided Manafort's home, seized docs

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Fox News

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Report: FBI agents raided Manafort's home, seized docs

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Former Trump campaign chair's home searched for materials related to Russia meddling investigation

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Mainstream media exploit Charlottesville violence to help the Left

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Mainstream media exploit Charlottesville violence to help the Left

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Breitbart

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Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP / Getty

The mainstream media enjoys grousing about supposed threats to the First Amendment under President Donald Trump. But few are bothering to stand up for the basic right of freedom of speech in the wake of violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia between white supremacists and left-wing "anti-fascist" rioters.

The death toll was three, after a horrific attack - possibly an act of domestic terror - by an apparent right-wing extremist who drove his car into the "Antifa" crowd, killing one and injuring many more. Two state police officers monitoring the protests also died in a helicopter crash nearby.

The white supremacists had gathered to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee, one of many historic markers of the old South that have been targeted since a racially-motivated mass shooting at a church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015. But the protesters did more than defend the statue. They also used the event to broadcast their hatred of Jews, among other minorities, and to elevate their otherwise marginal national profile.

As repulsive as the white supremacists and their messages were, they had the same First Amendment rights as all other Americans do. (I grew up in Skokie, Illinois, where neo-Nazis were once granted the right to march through the largest community of Holocaust survivors outside of Israel, so free speech has always been a particularly potent principle for me.) The "anti-fascist" protesters arrived with the intent of shutting down free speech - through force.

When that happens, Americans should unite in condemning the violent assault on the First Amendment. We should not let those who would shut down free speech succeed, either by silencing the offensive speech or by using the fact of violence to rally public opinion against the targeted group. Otherwise, such violence will continue to be used.

Trump has been criticized for not condemning the white supremacists in his initial response to the clashes in Charlottesville. But Trump took an oath to defend the Constitution. His first duty was to uphold freedom of speech - not to indulge the "anti-fascists," or the media who protect them by failing to report their violent tactics and totalitarian mindset. Therefore he correctly, and strongly, condemned the violence on "many sides."

The fact that Trump's measured, appropriate response became a pretext for more media outrage, and nationwide protest, is further proof that the media have abandoned their own supposed principles in the service of a political agenda. They want to bring down President Trump, and negate the 2016 election, First Amendment be damned.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the "most influential" people in news media in 2016. He is the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

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Mainstream Media Exploit Charlottesville Violence to Help the Left - Breitbart

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The death toll was three, after a horrific attack - possibly an act of domestic terror - by an apparent right-wing extremist who drove his car into the "Antifa" crowd, killing one and injuring many more. Two state police officers monitoring the protests also died in a helicopter crash nearby.

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56 Retired U.S. Generals and Admirals Blast Trump's Military Trans Ban

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56 Retired U.S. Generals and Admirals Blast Trump's Military Trans Ban

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Huffington Post

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"[It] would cause significant disruptions, deprive the military of mission-critical talent, and compromise the integrity of transgender troops."

The highly-decorated officials voiced their displeasure with Trump's new policy, which he made known in a series of tweets on July 26, via a letter sent to The Palm Center, an independent research institute.

After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow......
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017

....Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming.....
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017

....victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017

"This proposed ban, if implemented, would cause significant disruptions, deprive the military of mission-critical talent, and compromise the integrity of transgender troops who would be forced to live a lie, as well as non-transgender peers who would be forced to choose between reporting their comrades or disobeying policy," the letter, also sent to HuffPost, reads. "As a result, the proposed ban would degrade readiness even more than the failed 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. Patriotic transgender Americans who are serving- and who want to serve-must not be dismissed, deprived of medically necessary health care, or forced to compromise their integrity or hide their identity."

The generals and admirals also lashed out at Trump's claims that allowing trans people to serve in the military would be both a "disruption" and a financial burden.

The letter also notes that "transgender troops have been serving honorably and openly for the past year, and have been widely praised by commanders" and that 18 other nations allow trans troops "and none has reported any detriment to readiness."

"These retired generals and admirals have made it clear exactly how harmful President Trump's transgender military ban would be to our nation's armed forces," Stephen Peters, HRC National Press Secretary and Marine veteran, wrote in an email. "President Trump's and Vice President Pence's attack on bravely serving transgender troops is dangerous and unpatriotic. They absolutely must listen to these voices of reason and reverse course in support of ALL of our nation's heroes, regardless of their gender identity."

Commandant Paul Zukunft, the head of the U.S. Coastguard, also weighed in on the ban on Tuesday. He told the Center for Strategic and International Studies forum, "I told [a transgender military member] I will not turn my back... We have made an investment in you and you have made an investment in the Coast Guard, and I will not break faith."

A full list of the signees of the letter appears below:

General John R. Allen, USMC (Retired)
General Robert W. Sennewald, USA (Retired)
Vice Admiral Donald Arthur, USN (Retired)
Lieutenant General Robert Gard, USA (Retired)
Lieutenant General Walter Gaskin, USMC (Retired)
Vice Admiral Kevin P. Green, USN (Retired)
Lieutenant General Arlen D. Jameson, USAF (Retired)
Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy, USA (Retired)
Lieutenant General Willie Williams, USMC (Retired)
Major General Juan G. Ayala, USMC (Retired)
Major General Donna Barbisch, USA (Retired)
Rear Admiral Chris Cole, USN (Retired)
Major General Vance Coleman, USA (Retired)
Major General J. Gary Cooper, USMC (Retired)
Major General Paul Eaton, USA (Retired)
Major General Mari K. Eder, USA (Retired)
Rear Admiral F. Stephen Glass, USN (Retired)
Major General Richard S. Haddad, USAF (Retired)
Major General Irv Halter, USAF (Retired)
Rear Admiral Jan Hamby, USN (Retired)
Major General Marcelite J. Harris, USAF (Retired)
Rear Admiral John Hutson, JAGC, USN (Retired)
Major General James R. Klugh, Sr., USA (Retired)
Major General Dennis Laich, USA (Retired)
Major General Randy Manner, USA (Retired)
Major General Dee Ann McWilliams, USA (Retired)
Major General John Phillips, USAF (Retired)
Major General Dana J.H. Pittard, USA (Retired)
Major General Gale Pollock, CRNA, FACHE, FAAN, USA (Retired)
Rear Admiral Harold Robinson, USN (Retired)
Major General Patricia Rose, USAF (Retired)
Rear Admiral Alan Steinman, USPHS/USCG (Retired)
Major General Antonio Taguba, USA (Retired)
Major General Peggy Wilmoth, PhD, MSS, RN, FAAN, USA (Retired)
Major General Maggie Woodward, USAF (Retired)
Rear Admiral Dick Young, USN (Retired)
Brigadier General Clara Adams-Ender, USA (Retired)
Brigadier General Ricardo Aponte, USAF (Retired)
Rear Admiral Jamie Barnett, USN (Retired)
Brigadier General David Brahms, USMC (Retired)
Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney, USMC (Retired)
Brigadier General Julia Cleckley, USA (Retired)
Rear Admiral Jay DeLoach, USN (Retired)
Brigadier General John Douglass, USAF (Retired)
Brigadier General Evelyn "Pat" Foote, USA (Retired)
Brigadier General Judy M. Griego, NMANG (Retired)
Brigadier General David R. Irvine, USA (Retired)
Brigadier General John H. Johns, USA (Retired)
Rear Admiral Gene Kendall, USN (Retired)
Brigadier General Thomas Kolditz, PhD, USA (Retired)
Brigadier General Carlos E. Martinez, USAF (Retired)
Brigadier General Ronald Rokosz, USA (Retired)
Brigadier General John M. Schuster, USA (Retired)
Rear Admiral Michael E. Smith, USN (Retired)
Brigadier Paul Gregory Smith, USA (Retired)
Brigadier General Marianne Watson, USA (Retired)

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56 Retired U.S. Generals And Admirals Blast Trump's Military Trans Ban

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"[It] would cause significant disruptions, deprive the military of mission-critical talent, and compromise the integrity of transgender troops." The highly-decorated officials voiced their displeasure with Trump's new policy, which he made known in a series of tweets on July 26, via a letter sent to The Palm Center, an independent research institute.

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Trump points fingers as the GOP stumbles towards healthcare vote

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Trump points fingers as the GOP stumbles towards healthcare vote

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Huffington Post

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Despite not knowing what bill the Senate will vote on, Donald Trump jumped into the debate on repealing and replacing Obamacare and blamed Senate Republicans for failing to keep their campaign promise.

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Trump Points Fingers As The GOP Stumbles Towards Health Care Vote

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Despite not knowing what bill the Senate will vote on, Donald Trump jumped into the debate on repealing and replacing Obamacare and blamed Senate Republicans for failing to keep their campaign promise.

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Political Fight Threatens Illinois Public School Funding

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Political Fight Threatens Illinois Public School Funding

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NPR

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Political Fight Threatens Illinois Public School Funding

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Trump Administration Accused Of Falsely Saying Immigrant Teens Have Gang Ties

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Trump Administration Accused Of Falsely Saying Immigrant Teens Have Gang Ties

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NPR

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The ACLU has filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that the Trump administration is falsely accusing immigrant teens of gang affiliations in a concerted effort to deport them.

The American Civil Liberties Union says the federal government is illegally detaining immigrant teens from Suffolk County, N.Y., in "jail-like facilities," based on unsubstantiated claims that they are members of transnational street gangs.

The civil rights group also says the young immigrants were detained without notice to their parents or lawyers, and without giving them a chance to challenge the allegations.

According to the lawsuit, the Latino teens are being "profiled as gang members based on the neighborhoods they live in and their countries of origin."

"We're talking about teens who were picked up for play-fighting with a friend, or for showing pride in their home country of El Salvador," Stephen Kang, an attorney with the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, said in a statement. "The Office of Refugee Resettlement is accepting wholesale that young immigrants should be kept behind bars because of what they look like or where they come from."

The lawsuit names Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement.

"During the Attorney General's visit to El Salvador, he repeatedly heard of efforts by MS-13 and other transnational gangs to prey on and recruit children as young as eight years old," Devin M. O'Malley with the Department of Justice said in an email. "We will absolutely defend the President's lawful authority to keep Americans safe and protect communities from gang violence."

A spokesman with Immigration and Customs Enforcement declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing the pending litigation.

President Trump gave a speech in Suffolk County last month about his administration's crackdown on MS-13 gang members. MS-13 started in California and spread across the country, especially as gang members were deported to El Salvador and came back across the border into the U.S.

In interviews with NPR, local and federal officials have stood behind their enforcement efforts.

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Trump Administration Accused Of Falsely Saying Immigrant Teens Have Gang Ties

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The ACLU has filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that the Trump administration is falsely accusing immigrant teens of gang affiliations in a concerted effort to deport them. The American Civil Liberties Union says the federal government is illegally detaining immigrant teens from Suffolk County, N.Y., in "jail-like facilities," based on unsubstantiated claims that they are members of transnational street gangs.

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White nationalists storm the University of Virginia campus 

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White nationalists storm the University of Virginia campus 

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ABC News

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has been on the streets on charlottesville simmering for 24 hours. It started with plan to unite the right rally. Tonight, images like this, a counterdemonstrator face to face with white nationalists. Ignited gas can in his hand. The confrontation began last night, those white nationalists carrying torches, March through a college campus, protesting the removal of a confederate statue. Here's ABC's Stephanie Ramos. Reporter: A major American college campus transformed into a battlefield. 10:00 Friday night, hundreds of white nationalists storming the university of Virginia, protesting plans to remove a statue of confederate general Robert E. Lee. Blood and soil! Reporter: Torches in hand, chants flooding the air. You will not replace us. Reporter: Images showing the March spiraling out of control. So-called alt-right demonstrators clashing with counterprotesters. Some swinging torches. Police dispersing the crowds, calling it an unlawful assembly. Several people injured and one person arrested, led away in handcuffs. Some in the crowd reportedly hit in the face with pepper spray. The overnight violence spilling into this morning when marchgoers and counterprotesters clash again, hours before the unite to right March was even set to begin. Just after 10:30 A.M., the crowd growing in size. New reports of injuries coming in. Local and state police in riot gear, responding in force. But the violence escalating. Fights erupting between marchgoers and counterprotesters. Just before noon, Virginia's governor declaring a state of emergency, saying, "I am disgusted by the hatred, bigotry, and violence these protesters have brought to our state." But the situation escalating. Now, chaos on the streets of charlottesville. Protesters beating one another with sticks and metal rods. Police, once again, using pepper spray, trying to push demonstrators back. Urging the crowd to disperse. Leave the immediate area or you will be arrested. They ripped my flag off, tried to grab it. Reporter: Just before 2:00 P.M., that situation taking that deadly turn. The mayor of charlottesville calling it racist and intolerant. The university of Virginia president calling it abhor rent. Our thanks to Stephanie for

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

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Video: White nationalists storm the University of Virginia campus

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has been on the streets on charlottesville simmering for 24 hours. It started with plan to unite the right rally. Tonight, images like this, a counterdemonstrator face to face with white nationalists. Ignited gas can in his hand. The confrontation began last night, those white nationalists carrying torches, March through a college campus, protesting the removal of a confederate statue.

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Lawmakers slam Trump for delay in denouncing hate groups by name

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Lawmakers slam Trump for delay in denouncing hate groups by name

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ABC News

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Following bipartisan criticism of his response to the unrest in Charlottesville, Virginia, the president publicly condemned white supremacists and other hate groups by name for the first time since violence broke out.

" Racism is evil," Trump said on Monday. "Those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the [ Ku Klux Klan], neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans."

"As I said on Saturday, we condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence. It has no place in America," Trump added.

Trump condemned the specific hate groups two days after a rally organized by white supremacists in Charlottesville turned deadly. Heather Heyer, 32, died after a man intentionally drove into a crowd of counter-protesters and 35 more people were injured. James Alex Fields Jr., an alleged Nazi sympathizer, has been charged with second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding and one count related to leaving the scene.

But while Trump addressed the situation in Charlottesville during a briefing on Saturday, calling for "the swift restoration of law," he failed to mention the hate groups by name, instead condemning "violence on many sides."

Susan Bro, Heyer's mother, thanked the president for his words of "comfort and for denouncing those who promote violence and hatred" after his address on Monday.

A significant number of lawmakers criticized Trump's delay in condemning those groups.

"It shouldn't take the President of the United States two days to summon the basic decency to condemn murder and violence by Nazis and white supremacists," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.

"If the President is sincere about rejecting white supremacists, he should remove all doubt by firing Steve Bannon and the other alt-right white supremacist sympathizers in the White House," Pelosi added.

Sen. Lindsey Graham kept his response short, tweeting, "Well done Mr. President," following Trump's comments on Monday.

A spokesperson for Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said the senator "applauds the president for clearly communicating the evilness of racism and clearly calling out the KKK, neo-Nazis, and white supremacists."

But Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., criticized Trump's initial response and delay in condemning the specific groups involved.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. and the state's former governor, took on a different stance, telling MSNBC that Trump "sounded presidential" but he "wished he would have said those words on Saturday."

"But I will give the president the benefit today. He said those words and now, we have to make sure his Department of Justice acts on those words. We fully pursue not only this one individual [James Alex Fields Jr.] ... but the DOJ will also go after these hate groups across the country because they'll be back," Warner told MSNBC.

Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., said she found it puzzling how Trump "didn't hesitate to attack" Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier over his resignation but "balks at calling out avowed white supremacists" for what they stand for.

Trump has accused Frazier of focusing on "lower rip-off drug prices" on Monday, just hours after Frazier resigned from the president's American Manufacturing Council in what he described as a stand "against intolerance and extremism."

Odd how @POTUS doesn't hesitate for a second to attack CEO of #Merck, yet balks at calling out avowed white supremacists for what they are.
- Jackie Speier (@RepSpeier) August 14, 2017

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., criticized the president shortly after his speech on Twitter: "Donald Trump's decision to support Arpaio *during* the Charlottesville crisis, as he refused to condemn white supremacy, speaks volumes."

Beyer is referencing Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was found guilty of criminal contempt for refusing a state judge's order to stop targeting people he believed were undocumented immigrants during traffic patrols. The president told Fox News Sunday that he is "seriously considering" a pardon for the sheriff.

Beyer also pointed out that it took two full days of bipartisan criticism and "pleading by aides" as well as senior officials like Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his own daughter, Ivanka, for Trump to "issue this basic condemnation."

Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Illinois, said while he was pleased Trump "had finally identified this hate," he added that such comments should have come 47 hours ago and that "words only mean so much." Quigley added that America was "watching and waiting."

Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, said he hoped Trump's words "would begin to unite what white supremacists and bigotry in VA aimed to divide."

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., also responded to the president's brief remarks, calling it "inexcusable" that Trump waiting so long.

"Denouncing white supremacists, KKK, & neo-Nazis should have been instinctive & instant. Trump's failure shows lack of moral leadership," Blumenthal said in his first tweet, adding "delay greatly dilutes the message."

Chair of the Democratic National Committee Tom Perez also criticized Trump's delay, writing: "History won't forget that when the streets of Charlottesville echoed with evil, Donald Trump responded with silence."

For his part, Rep. David Cicilline, D-Rhode Island, tweeted: "It shouldn't take 72 hours for the President to condemn Nazis marching in the street."

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Lawmakers slam Trump for delay in denouncing hate groups by name

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Following bipartisan criticism of his response to the unrest in Charlottesville, Virginia, the president publicly condemned white supremacists and other hate groups by name for the first time since violence broke out. " Racism is evil," Trump said on Monday.

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Police officer buys kids back-to-school haircuts

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Police officer buys kids back-to-school haircuts

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Fox News

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Police officer buys kids back-to-school haircuts

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Officer Johnny Pollack explains on 'Fox & Friends'

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Confederate statue toppled at North Carolina rally

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Confederate statue toppled at North Carolina rally

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ABC News

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Activists and protesters who attended a rally Monday night to coax officials to remove a Confederate statue that's been moored in front of Durham, North Carolina's old courthouse since 1924 decided to do it themselves.

The toppled statue depicts a Confederate soldier wielding a muzzle rifle and lugging a canteen and bedroll. It is dedicated "in memory of the boys who wore gray."

As Monday evening's demonstration went on, protesters surrounded the base of the erected soldier.

Video circulating online showcased the swelling protesters, many in chorus shouting: "We, we are the revolution!" followed by "You can't stop the revolution."

Some demonstrators held up handwritten, charged screeds on cardboard that read "Stop Calling the Cops" and "Fight your Local Nazis," and one bluntly: "F--- yo statue" as they closed in on the the cast metallic Confederate monument.

Some protesters rested a ladder and looped a rope around the statue before yanking the soldier from its concrete perch.

While dragged it to the ground, the angry demonstrators began stomping on the statue repeatedly, as seen on video footage captured by a reporter with ABC affiliate WTVD.

The Durham Police Department released a statement late Monday night regarding the incident.

"The Durham Police Department (DPD) is aware that a Confederate monument was toppled at the old Durham County courthouse. Because this incident occurred on county property, where county law enforcement officials were staffed, no arrests were made by DPD officers," the statement reads.

Gov. Roy Cooper quickly came out against the statue takedown on Monday night, tweeting: "The racism and deadly violence in Charlottesville is unacceptable but there is a better way to remove these monuments #durham - RC"

The racism and deadly violence in Charlottesville is unacceptable but there is a better way to remove these monuments #durham - RC
- Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) August 15, 2017

The desecration of the Confederate soldier comes two days after a gathering of white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia turned into a melee that culminated in 20-year-old James Alex Fields allegedly plowing his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one and injuring at least 19.

Protests in New York

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Amr Alfiky/Reuters

In New York Monday night, around 1,000 protesters descended on Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan to make a statement on the night the president arrived back in his hometown for a short stint. Some of the protesters formed a human wall, and others shouted messages like "No hate" or "Impeach."

Notably, an inflatable caricature of a Trump in the form of a rat was plotted nearby at The Plaza hotel.

Trump came under fire over the weekend over his statement regarding the violence in Charlottesville. In remarks on the rally and subsequent clashes from his golf club in New Jersey on Saturday, he condemned the "egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides." Two days later, he condemned hate groups, including white supremacists, in remarks from the White House.

The president's return to his New York penthouse comes during his "working vacation," where he's been staying at his club in Bedminster, New Jersey. It's the first time the president has returned to Trump Tower since his inauguration.

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confederate; south; racism; protest; durham; new york city

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Confederate statue toppled at NC rally as protesters descend on Trump Tower

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Activists and protesters who attended a rally Monday night to coax officials to remove a Confederate statue that's been moored in front of Durham, North Carolina's old courthouse since 1924 decided to do it themselves. The toppled statue depicts a Confederate soldier wielding a muzzle rifle and...

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Culture Jihadists Rip Down Confederate Statues

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Culture Jihadists Rip Down Confederate Statues

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Todd Starnes, Fox News

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A raging mob of culture jihadists stormed through downtown Durham, North Carolina and toppled a historic statue of a Confederate war soldier.
Click here for a free subscription to Todd's newsletter: a must-read for Conservatives!
The Islamic Radicals engaged in similar atrocities in Iraq -- turning Iraqi history into piles of rubble. What's next -- will the American culture jihadists target Mount Vernon or the Jefferson Memorial or Stone Mountain in Georgia?

It won't be long before the jihadists start burning copies of "Gone With the Wind."
Click here to get Fox News Channel's Number One CONSERVATIVE Podcast!

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Culture Jihadists Rip Down Confederate Statue

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A raging mob of culture jihadists stormed through downtown Durham, North Carolina and toppled a historic statue of a Confederate war soldier. Click here for a free subscription to Todd's newsletter: a must-read for Conservatives! The Islamic Radicals engaged in similar atrocities in Iraq