History is filled with examples of men—and women—who in moments of crisis rose to challenge a deadly enemy.   

Among these have been:  

• Joan of Arc
• William Barret Travis 
• Volodmyr Zelensky 

Volofmyr Zelensky (January 25, 1978 – ) is a former attorney, actor and comedian who, as the sixth president of Ukraine, now leads his country in a life-or-death struggle against the aggressive Russia of Vladimir Putin. 

In 2021, his administration came under mounting pressure from Russia. On February 24, 2022, Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

During the assault by Russian troops on the capital of Kiev, the Biden administration urged Zelensky to evacuate to a safer location and offered to help him do so. Zelensky refused, saying: “The fight is here [in Kiev]; I need ammunition, not a ride.” 

As CBS correspondent Scott Pelley put it: “The moment Zelensky told his people he refused to flee, they refused to fall.”

Russia expected Kiev to fall in three days. But more than four years after the invasion, Kiev still remains defiant—and in the hands of Ukrainians.     

When Zelensky wasn’t broadcasting defiance at Russia and rousing Ukrainians to heroism, he was often visiting the battlefront.  Zelensky sees Ukraine’s struggle as the opening round of Russia’s war against the West:

“Some are….saying, ‘We can’t defend Ukraine because there could be a nuclear war.’ I think that today, no one in this world can predict what Russia will do.

“If they invade further into our territory, then they will definitely move closer and closer to Europe. They will only become stronger and less predictable.”

Millions of Americans—such as those who took part in nationwide “No Kings” protests on June 14, 2025—feel the same way about Donald Trump and his own dictatorial regime.

Which leads to:

Gavin Christopher Newsom (October 10, 1967) has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he imposed strict lockdown measures, thus saving countless lives by preventing a far greater spread of the virus.

Gavin Newsom

In doing so, he aroused the wrath of then-President Donald J. Trump, who promoted false “cures” such as drinking bleach and shining UV light up people’s rectums. Trump’s goal: “Keep America open” so he could take credit for a robust economy—and win re-election—no matter how many people died.

And Newsom has continued to challenge a re-elected Trump’s lies and illegal actions: 

• Trump has targeted the governor on social media, often referring to him as “Newscum.”
• And Newsom has proven he can give as good as he gets: He has highlighted U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data demonstrating that California created more jobs than any other state between the first quarters of 2025 and 2026.
• He has openly criticized Trump for policies that cut good-paying clean energy jobs and weaken environmental safeguards. 
• The two routinely trade personal barbs on X over state issues like wildfire management, homelessness and California’s high-speed rail project.
• In January 2026, Trump gave a speech at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. Afterward, Newsom publicly mocked it as “boring” and “boorish.”
• Newsom’s team accused the White House of blocking him from accessing the “USA House” headquarters at the summit.

On June 15, 2026, Newsom accused Trump of launching a politically motivated investigation into him and his wife: “They have not found a crime—they are simply trying to find one.

“He’s coming after me because I’m considering running for president, because he hates that I’ve consistently called him out over and over again for his lies and deceit.”

He added that federal agents had in recent days knocked on the doors of his friends and former employees, asking for records.

The Justice Department declined to comment.    

On June 6, 2025, protests erupted in Los Angeles against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The demonstrations were triggered by ICE raids at multiple locations in the city to arrest suspected illegal aliens. 

The first raid occurred within the Los Angeles Fashion District; two other raids occurred at a clothing wholesaler and a Home Depot in upscale Westlake. 

Word of these arrests quickly spread, and so did demonstrations, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stating that 44 people were arrested for suspected immigration violations and one person was arrested for obstruction.

David Huerta, the California president of the Service Employees International Union, was arrested for blocking a vehicle and charged with felony conspiracy to impede an officer. 

The epicenter of the protests became the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center at 535 N Alameda Street. About 200 protesters remained at the facility by 7 p.m., when the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) declared the protest to be an unlawful assembly and ordered protesters to disperse

Some protesters hurled chunks of broken concrete toward officers; the LAPD responded with tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang grenades to disperse the crowd. At 8:24 p.m. a citywide tactical alert was announced.

On June 7, the protests continued. About 1,000 people surrounded a local branch building used by Homeland Security.

Newsom deployed California Highway Patrol units to protect Los Angeles freeways.

By June 7, 118 illegal aliens had been arrested in Los Angeles, according to the DHS.