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yesterday

Pentagon Confirms Photos of Guard Troops Sleeping on L.A. Building Floor as Authentic

Defense Department confirmation ends speculation over AI origins, Afghanistan misattribution

Photos obtained by the Chronicle show California National Guard troops deployed by the White House to Los Angeles packed together in what appear to be federal building basements or loading docks. The source who provided the photo said they redacted the name of one soldier that appeared in this photo.
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Overview

  • The San Francisco Chronicle released two exclusive photos on June 9 showing California National Guard soldiers sleeping on a Los Angeles federal building’s concrete floor during June 2025 immigration protests.
  • Governor Gavin Newsom posted the images on X to criticize President Trump for sending troops without adequate food, water or lodging.
  • Social media users and conspiracy theorists, including Laura Loomer, alleged the photos were AI-generated or dated to the 2021 Afghanistan evacuation, claims that ChatGPT initially echoed.
  • Fact-checkers at Lead Stories, Snopes and Politifact, and a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed on June 10 that the images are authentic and depict the recent L.A. deployment.
  • Verification also drew on matching Raven unit patches and U.S. Northern Command press release photos to link the soldiers and the federal building to the current mission.