Doesn’t feel right to talk about anything else other than these protests happening in my backyard right now, so here’s a grab bag of updates with a sprinkle of commentary.

Now, I am obviously not an immigration expert. But in journalism classes, they train you on how to be a general assignment reporter, someone who could reasonably cover any topic with a couple hours of research and fact organization. Your local TV anchors and newspaper reporters are typically general assignment reporters.

The tagline of this newsletter is now to "be informed in time for weekend brunch." I share these details to bring you up to speed, as many, many protests around the nation are planned for today.

It’s a Saturday, it’s Flag Day, it’s President Trump’s birthday, and it’s also the 250th birthday of the United States Army, so a $43 million military parade in Washington, DC will be happening.

Over 2,000 protests across the country are planned, and there are reports that bad actors have already organized to create chaos and blame the protestors, so you’ll probably see imagery from these flood your feeds.

Shore up those media boundaries and take care of yourself these next few days.

Summary lede (​What’s a lede?​)

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been conducting raids around the country since President Trump’s inauguration in January.

US law states that undocumented immigrants and people who overstay their visas can be deported. Temporary work visa holders who violate their work conditions can be deported, and lawful permanent residents (green card holders) can be deported if they commit certain crimes, such as aggravated felonies.

Anyone facing deportation has the right to due process, which includes legal representation and appearing before an immigration judge, before being deported, per the 5th and 14th amendments of the US constitution.

At its peak in 2007, there were about 12.2 million undocumented immigrants in America, just over three percent of the population, after which there was a steady decline. The number is estimated at 11 million now, up from 10.5 million in 2021.

Immigration is a very complex topic, with lots of nuances. Example: If everyone undocumented were to be deported today, many industries would lose huge swaths of their workforces, most notably farms. Food supply would collapse, GDP would contract, and there would be substantial economic fallout.

Unlike most of Twitter, I am not an expert on immigration or hyperlocal politics. So I’ve been listening and learning this past week, and getting ready for my local demonstration that’s happening later today.

Two accounts I recommend to keep up on what’s happening in Los Angeles are ​LA T.A.C.O​. (​Instagram​) and the ​Los Angeles Public Press​ (​Instagram​). Both are doing good street journalism, a welcome contrast to the farmed optics from larger national broadcast networks. Support independent media creators when you can.

Los Angeles is massive

Media have painted LA as this dystopian warzone, and that’s really not accurate, mainly because this metropolitan area is freaking huge.

Los Angeles County has 9.66 million people, according to 2023 data. One in 35 Americans live in LA County, and one in nine Americans live in California. I moved from LA to Long Beach recently, and I’m still in LA County – even though Long Beach is a city of almost 500,000 people.

If LA County were a state, it would be the 11th-largest state in America by population, and California itself would be the fourth-largest economy in the world if it were its own country, having recently eclipsed Japan.

It’s impossible for a single image or video to sum up the lived experience of almost ten million people. It has been disruptive, though. An 8pm curfew has strangled downtown businesses, and certainly locals and millions watching from afar have lost many hours in peace and productivity as a result.

TikToks I bookmarked

We’re seeing a lot of citizen journalism here right now.

​In this video​, protestors attempted to leave downtown before the 8pm curfew took effect, but were boxed in by police and then arrested at the hour for curfew violation, an illegal practice known as kettling.

​In this video​, a woman trying to get home was shot with a rubber bullet. Rubber bullets can cause internal bleeding, so the practice is to shoot them at the ground so they ricochet and lose speed, but this was a direct shot, something we're seeing in many videos.

​In this video​ from earlier this week, an Australian news reporter was intentionally shot in the leg with a rubber bullet.

​In this video​, a restaurant worker is seen helping a Los Angeles police officer clean ICE-initiated tear gas from his eyes. Tear gas is banned in international law during warfare for being inhumane, but it's legal here.

(BTW, this isn’t the first time tear gas has been implemented for the sake of photos. Recall ​the June 2020 photo​ in which military personnel tear-gassed demonstrators in a park so that then-President Trump could take a photo holding a Bible in front of a church.)

​Here’s a video​ of LAPD on horseback hitting someone with a baton even though they were leaving anyway.

Not to be deterred, ​here is a lovely video​ of Mexican dancing in front of LA City Hall, as ICE agents watch in the background.

And ​here’s a woman dancing it out​ in downtown LA.

​Here are some abuelitas singing​ to a line of ICE agents.

All of this is far too scary for Trumpers, so they ​protested on Rodeo Drive​ in Beverly Hills instead. Lol.

And don’t worry, ​people are recreating the ICE protests on Roblox, too. ​

I could go on and on from all the stuff I saw this week, but I’ll restrain myself.

LA has a lot of LGBT immigrants

Making sure you saw a ​report​ that came out yesterday from the Williams Institute. It estimates there are 122,000 LGBT immigrants in LA county. Of that number, 60% are naturalized citizens, 21% have legal status, and 19% are undocumented.

Many see this militarized response as a rehearsal, a blueprint for how this administration might respond to segments of the population it wants to erase. Queer people fall into that category, particularly transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex people.

Commentary

The go-to false narrative here is that all immigrants are criminals. This narrative works because most Americans have no clue how immigration works, and their knowledge gap is filled in through media that is often fear-based.

This fear strategy is even more potent when there's a villain. In this case, the immigrants are the criminals. Queer people experience a similar villain arc, being called groomers. Obviously very different topics, but there's a common denominator in that media messaging piece.

This is true for money as well. Consumerism is messaging to get you to spend money. Crypto and meme stock hype prey on FOMO. Online entrepreneurs sometimes get ruthless with their mastermind or flagship program pricing.

The media we are shown is also increasingly fake, AI-generated, and manipulative. This is one reason I include AI news every week; AI video is leaps and bounds ahead of where it was two years ago, and it’ll be important for us to keep up. Personal branding will change.

As our media systems fracture, I think longform will stand out more than it used to. I am not popular. But I do get thoughtful comments from readers each week, and that’s the kind of supportive community I want to attract and build long-term.

Thoughts on cancelling influencers

I saw discourse this past week about cancelling influencers or social media personalities who haven’t spoken up yet. I am unpopular, so it doesn't apply to me, but according to these social media KPIs, I would also be cancelled into oblivion because I haven’t written or posted anything about LA until today.

This is one hesitation I have about building too much of my platform on social media. On social, it sometimes feels like you have to be someone’s Pokémon. Users expect you to weigh in immediately, and if you don’t weigh in on their timeline, it’s off with your head.

You’re really not allowed to sit and observe and think and learn, or be busy with work and family. And you’re certainly not allowed to be taking action offline without documenting it online.

Social media has its merits, but it ain't everything. Many of us feel like we have to keep up with all the platforms and do all the things for the sake of “marketing.” You don’t. You can take a moment when needed.

Make people feel more, less often, rather than less, more often.

A little quiet is okay from time to time

This isn’t a copout on commenting on current events. To quote a famous rallying cry from the AIDS crisis in the eighties, ​silence = death​. But you also don't need to justify taking rest when you need it, and you shouldn't feel shamed if you need a moment to learn or refresh on a topic that is heightened in the news cycle.

The social media landscape is allergic to silence, so if you are being quiet, it’s taken as sinister. But sometimes silence is where your best, most impactful perspectives emerge. And this clarity is what gives you the passion and power you need to fight.

Take the time you need to do and create work that matters.


Reporting

Seeking sources: OnlyFans

On a lighter note, I'm working on an article for Out's print edition that will be about OnlyFans. (Tip for magazine pitching: I'm submitting this story by July 4th for the October issue. You have to pitch wayyyy in advance if you want placements in magazines.)

Do you know someone using OF to make money? I want to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Yes, I'm using my newsletter for sourcing, and no, IDGAF what people think. The highly controversial app is a facet of queer culture, and I want to reveal what's really going on with people's numbers -- and lives as a result.

Inbox is open if you know of a creator, credentialed mental health professional, or human rights organization contact who might want to weigh in.


g. (Emily Sohn / Nieman Storyboard)Hot Links

What happened this week

Disclosure: I work at Ziff Davis, the parent company of CNET, Mashable, PCMag, Lifehacker, and ZDNET, and equalpride, the parent company of The Advocate and Out magazine.

Economy, money, entrepreneurship

​Year-over-year inflation was 2.4%, Wednedsay's consumer price index report revealed. ​Ideal benchmark is 2%, so that's pretty good, but tariff fallout is expected to kick this up in coming months. (Aimee Picchi / CBS News)

​Those Investment Ads on Facebook Are Scams.​ (Emily Long / Lifehacker)

​The alarming surge of “wrench attacks” in crypto puts owners on edge.​ In-person crime against visible crypto fanatics and executives has increased dramatically as bad actors realize they're easier to rob. (Yaël Bizouati-Kennedy / Sherwood News)

​Coinbase is getting into credit cards.​ The company will offer an AmEx to paying users on its Coinbase One plan that offers 2-4% cash back in the form of Bitcoin. 🤨. (Tanaya Michael / CNBC)

​Meanwhile, Walmart and Amazon Are Exploring Issuing Their Own Stablecoins​. The reason is that a Stablecoin crypto would let them bypass merchant card fees, which every corporation hates, hates, hates paying. Maybe corporate disdain for fees is what will make crypto mainstream. (The Wall Street Journal)

​Layoff Anxiety Is Real. 10 Steps to Take Now Before You Lose Your Job.​ Including to be helpful, but also because my CNET colleague Laura's copyediting is fabulous. (Laura Michelle Davis / CNET)

AI, tech

​Apple's Biggest Reveals at WWDC 2025: iOS 26, Liquid Glass Design and Call Screening.​ (Lori Grunin / CNET)

​Apple’s struggles to update Siri lead to investor concerns over AI strategy.​ Past Apple employees said that one reason the company is behind in the AI-powered voice race is that they're struggling to incorporate LLMs into Siri's existing systems, whereas new startups can just start from scratch. I noticed engineering SVP Craig Federighi playing defense via a bunch of press interviews this week. (Michael Acton / Financial Times)

​Dear Apple: Thanks for Fixing the Photos App. Sincerely, Every iOS User.​ (Michael Muchmore / PCMag)

​Google Cloud broke on Thursday, affecting many services​. (Corinne Reichert / CNET)

​SAG-AFTRA Suspends Strike Against Video Game Companies, Paving Way for Return to Work.​ Voice and performance capture workers had been on strike for nearly a year. (Erik Hayden / The Hollywood Reporter)

​Digital Redlining: What It Is and How It Continues to Impact Communities.​ The uneven access to broadband internet in America is one of the biggest epiphanies I've had since arriving at CNET two years ago. (Cierra Noffke / CNET)

​The Blind Leading the Gamers.​ Literary journalism is my favorite style of writing, and Dexter Thomas did a beautiful job here profiling Ross Minor, a blind Twitch and YouTube streamer who also consults big studios on gaming accessibility. (Dexter Thomas / WIRED)

LGBTQ

​Lushious Massacr Is Living Her Realness Era—and ‘Dragvestigating’ Her Way Through It. ​Can confirm this drag queen's YouTube videos are hilarious and a bright light during a rather dark year. Fun fact, used to work with this writer--a real gem. (Zach McKenzie / OutSmart)

​The creator of the trans flag, 74, is moving to Costa Rica, citing US backsliding under Trump. ​Part of a weekly online column at BAR called LGBTQ Agenda. (John Ferrannini / Bay Area Reporter)

​Drag queens crashed a performance at the Kennedy Center with President Trump in attendance.​ (Ryan Adamczeski, Jacob Ogles / The Advocate)

​The road to Obergefell: Looking back on a decade of marriage equality.​ (Trudy Ring / The Advocate)

​The 9th anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting was this week. ​(Jacob Ogles / The Advocate)

Social media and pop culture

​Instagram rolls out long-awaited grid customization and more creative features. ​About 7 years too late imo, but better late than never? (Crystal Bell / Mashable)

​Meta sues 'nudify' app Crush AI.​ The Hong Kong-based app, which uses AI to "undress" people in photos, allegedly bypassed Meta's ad review process. At one point 90 percent of the app's traffic was coming from Meta ads. (Chase DiBenedetto / Mashable)

​Nut grafs (or graphs): How five sentences can help a writer focus.​ Lack of a nutgraf is the number one problem I see in most people's online article and newsletter writin (from 2021)