from Hacker News

Sen. Padilla is forcefully removed from Noem's news conference and handcuffed

by uxcolumbo on 6/12/25, 9:00 PM with 33 comments

• by GuinansEyebrows on 6/13/25, 12:59 AM

  two of the bigger comment threads have already been flagged so i'd like to reiterate a point made by anigbrowl before it disappears:

  the most powerful tool we have against what's happening right now is a general strike. i'm reaching out to my union to see how we can collectively respond, and i encourage every single american unionized HN user to do the same or get involved with current action; but the seed must be planted in all of us: we don't have to accept what's going on, and we can grind things to a stop until we see change.

• by legitster on 6/12/25, 9:45 PM

  > “Padilla didn’t want answers; he wanted attention,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said. “It’s telling that Democrats are more riled up about Padilla than they are about the violent riots and assaults on law enforcement in LA.”

  Even if this was true, the pot is calling the kettle black. But that's kind of giving them the benefit of the doubt here:

  - They were in his district uninvited

  - Why even hold a local press conference if you don't allow questions?

  - In a room full of cameras, how is there not a single video of the supposed "lunge?

  - He is literally on the Senate committee that is supposed to oversee border security. Noem not knowing who he is is either incompetence or an outright lie

• by k310 on 6/12/25, 9:54 PM

  The administration's strategy is to break laws repeatedly until held accountable.

  Laws are merely "suggestions" until and unless they are enforced.

  Fascist playbook. See also:

  The Fascists’ Playbook [0]

  10 Small Steps: Executing the Fascist Playbook [1]

  [0] https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/05/08/the-fascists-playboo...

  [1] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/10-small-steps-executing-the-...

• by uxcolumbo on 6/12/25, 9:00 PM

  What can we, who value our democratic system, do to stop Trump's admin making these fascistic moves the new normal.

  If there aren't condemnations from both sides of the aisle, then I don't really know whether this further erosion of our democracy can be stopped.

• by artem2471 on 6/13/25, 6:06 AM

  Well, now you see why Ukrainians protested against Yanukovich for four months.

  State violence is a very dangerous road.

• by awnird on 6/12/25, 9:03 PM

  Noem openly declared that the goal is the overthrow of California's government.

  It's fascism, but you're not allowed to say that here, because Garry Tan helped pay for it, and Dan and Tom are Just Following Orders.