President Donald Trump posted a video of himself speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday about protests in Los Angeles — reinforcing a threat he made just minutes earlier
"If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it," he said referring the the Insurrection Act, an extremely rarely used law that authorizes the president to deploy military forces within the United States to suppress rebellion.
"If we didn't get involved, right now Los Angeles would be burning just like it was burning a number of months ago," he said.
"We are not playing around."
He also claimed, "Last night was terrible," and that the protests were "causing a lot of death." He then corrected himself, saying it was causing "a lot of potential death." There hadn't been any people killed in the protests as of Tuesday morning.
Trump has deployed National Guard recruits and Marines to the city, despite officials in California being against their presence.
CNN reporter Brian Stelter noted that the Defense Department's rapid response account on X claimed "Los Angeles is burning," when there were no reports of fires related to the protests at the time.
In a bizarre video this week, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard claimed the U.S. was "closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before" because of "political elites" with bomb shelters.
Gabbard made the claims in a post to X on Tuesday after she said she recently visited the site where the U.S. dropped the bomb on Hiroshima.
The Trump official said she saw "the unimaginable horror caused by a single nuclear bomb."
"A single nuclear weapon today could kill millions," she warned. "Just one of these nuclear bombs would vaporize everything at its core. People, buildings, life itself."
Gabbard used the story to suggest leaders should not provoke Russian President Vladimir Putin over his war in Ukraine.
"This is the reality of what's at stake, what we are facing now," she said. "Because as we stand here today, closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before, political elites and war mongers are carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers."
"Perhaps it's because they are confident that they will have access to nuclear shelters for themselves and for their families that regular people won't have access to," she added. "So it's up to us, the people, to speak up and demand an end to this madness. We must reject this path to nuclear war and work toward a world where no one has to live in fear of a nuclear holocaust."
President Donald Trump announced a plan to "wean" the United States off the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
During an Oval Office press conference on Tuesday, Trump said that governors would be responsible for providing disaster relief instead of the federal government.
"So we want to wean off of FEMA and we want to bring it down to the state level," the president explained. "A little bit like education, we're moving it back to the states so the governors can handle. That's why they're governors now. If they can't handle it, they shouldn't be governor."
Trump said the governors would "give each other a hand."
"But the FEMA thing has not been a very successful experiment, very, very expensive, and it doesn't get the job done," he opined. "You saw what happened in North Carolina under the past administration... And it has not worked out well. It's extremely expensive."
"And again, when you have a tornado or a hurricane or you have a problem of any kind, in a state, that's what you have governors for," the president added. "They're supposed to fix those problems."
President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy National Guard members and Marines to Los Angeles will cost an estimated $134 million, according to the Pentagon’s budget chief.
Over the weekend, Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles in light of immigration protests.
On Monday, Trump sent another 2,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to the city.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass claimed the troops were not needed. Many in the GOP accused the pair of “mishandling” the protests.
The cost was revealed by Acting Pentagon comptroller Bryn MacDonnell while he was testifying during an appropriations hearing at the Capitol.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was also at the hearing and took several blows from Democrats asking about the defense budget. The estimated cost covers food, travel and housing for the troops.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth answered questions on Tuesday before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense about President Donald Trump deploying National Guard soldiers and Marines to Los Angeles.
California Rep. Pete Aguilar (D) said that he has "severe concerns" about the soldiers being sent to LA without consultation with the governor of the state.
Ultimately, Aguilar inquired about the authority Trump has to deploy the guard without consulting state leaders.
"10 USC 12 406 says a legal basis that the president uses cites three examples in circumstances for the guard," Aguilar said before reading the law. "Invasion by a foreign nation, a rebellion or dangerous rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States, or if the president is unable with regular forces to execute the laws of the United States. Which authority is triggered here to justify the use?"
"I don't know, you just read it yourself, and people can listen to themselves, but it sounds like all three to me," Hegseth responded.
Aguilar also noted he'd seen photos of the soldiers sleeping on the ground and that they haven't been "provided fuel, food or water by the DOD." He asked how long the deployment would last and "why were we unprepared to provide them basic necessities such as food and water?"
Hegseth said that the commanders on the ground are "very well prepared" and were able to respond "incredibly rapidly to a deteriorating situation."
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell disputed that the situation was deteriorating, noting in a briefing Monday that it "heightened everybody's level of awareness and certainly anxiety."
He claimed, "there are moments where you make do as best you can temporarily. But we are ensuring they are housed, fed, water, capabilities in real time from my office because I care that much about the California Guard and the Marines."
Aguilar questioned what Hegseth said he was doing personally, which prompted an angry response.
"It's true every day! That's a disengenuous attack that misrepresents how much we care about our troops and what they're doing," Hegseth said, wagging a finger.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday, "The troops—whose makeshift quarters are shown in photographs exclusively obtained by the Chronicle—arrived without federal funding for food, water, fuel, equipment or lodging, said the source, who was granted confidentiality under Chronicle policies. This person said state officials and the California National Guard were not to blame…
"This is what happens when the president and (Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth) demand the National Guard state assets deploy immediately with no plan in place … (and) no federal funding available for food, water, fuel and lodging," the source said. “This is really the failure of the federal government. If you’re going to federalize these troops, then take care of them."
"I'm not gonna take that we don't care about the troops," Hegseth continued to deny.
Trump and Newsom are currently blasting each other over handling of protests happening in Los Angeles. The president sent National Guard recruits and Marines to the city as immigration protests grew — against the wishes of the California Governor.
Homan, for his part, told CBS News, “There's no intention to arrest [Newsome].”
But Johnson stated, "I'm not going to give you legal analysis on whether Gavin Newsom should be arrested. But he ought to be tarred and feathered, I'll say that."
Tarring and feathering was a form of public shaming first used in medieval Europe and a common punishment in the United States while still a British colony. It involves stripping the victim naked, pouring hot tar over them and covering it with feathers.
Johnson later added, “[Newsom is] standing in the way of the administration carrying out federal law. He is applauding the bad guys and standing in the way of the good guys. He is a participant, an accomplice.”
Johnson’s comments came during a House Republican leadership press conference.
According to the outlet, Newsom's spokesperson did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Elon Musk lashed out at Steve Bannon over his suggestion that his rocket company SpaceX should be nationalized.
The MAGA influencer has gone after the tech mogul after he publicly split with President Donald Trump, and Musk pushed back after Bannon claimed that 90 percent of SpaceX revenue comes from NASA, the Department of Defense and other government contracts, reported The Daily Beast.
“[Musk] made 100 to 150 billion dollars in net worth on government contracts,” Bannon said. “Why do we not have warrants or options, huge packages for the American taxpayer, as part of that?”
“I think we ought to go in and say with the new management," Bannon added. "We’re going to nationalize SpaceX because it’s a government entity anyway, with 90 percent of the revenues.”
Musk responded to a clip of Bannon's remarks posted on his X platform by twice using his frequently deployed slur.
“Bannon is such a r-----ed liar. Dumber than a doorstop,” Musk posted on his X account. “SpaceX revenue this year will be $15.5B and NASA is only worth $1.1B."
“If Bannon’s dumb ... reasoning made any sense, then anyone who bought products from any company would automatically own that company,” Musk added. “Bannon is truly peak r----d.”
Bannon, who helped get Trump elected in 2016 and served as his first White House strategist, has long been suspicious of Musk, but he has intensified his attacks after the president turned on him over their disagreement on the Republican budget bill.
“You’re going to tell me we should allow some ... punk to sit there and say he should be impeached, and [vice president] JD [Vance] should step in?” Bannon told Politico’s Playbook. “We’re going to go to ... war, and I’m going to rip your ... face off.
Point Roberts, a tiny Washington state town on the border with Canada, is being cripped by President Donald Trump.
The area is facing an economic crisis due to Trump's trade war with the nation to its north, according to a report in The New Republic.
Nick Kiniski, owner of Kiniski's Reef, one of only three remaining restaurants in the town, is struggling to keep his business afloat. Once a thriving tourist destination, Point Roberts now stands nearly deserted, with its economy heavily dependent on Canadian visitors who are no longer coming.
The town's unique geography, surrounded by water on three sides and connected to Canada by land, makes it particularly vulnerable to changes in U.S.-Canada relations.
But Trump's threats of tariffs and his suggestion of using "economic force" against Canada have resulted in a swift and severe Canadian backlash, epitomized by the "Elbows Up" movement - a call for Canadians to keep their dollars at home.
Local businesses are feeling the impact acutely. The Rubber Duck Museum is relocating to Canada due to plummeting sales and uncertainty over tariffs. Restaurants and bars are operating at a fraction of their former capacity. Even those whose owners are sympathetic to Trump, like liquor store owner Larry Musselwhite, acknowledge the damage being done to the local economy.
"Point Roberts is shrinking, shuttering, exhausted," wrote reporter Chris Cannon. "The quirky little exclave has become an early victim of Donald Trump's trade war, and a potent metaphor for the fraying relationship between the United States and Canada."
The situation has evolved beyond mere economic boycott into a climate of fear and uncertainty. Increased border scrutiny and longer wait times are deterring even long-time visitors and dual citizens from crossing. The community's attempts to revive tourism through events like "Elbows Down, Sunglasses On" have provided only temporary relief.
Trump's mischaracterization of the U.S.-Canada trade relationship and his imposition of tariffs on critical Canadian imports have not only devastated border communities like Point Roberts but also threaten to undermine the broader U.S. economy and its global standing. As Canada seeks new trade partners, the U.S. risks becoming increasingly isolated, with border towns serving as a stark illustration of the consequences of this misguided trade policy.
McCollum asked why Hegseth has failed to get a budget to Congress in the four months since Congress requested it.
The Office of Management and Budget "has a responsibility to get management to the services so that contracts can be executed in a timely fashion," she said, noting that every defense contractor said that the process is "going too slow" while "time and taxpayer dollars are being wasted. Our national security is being put at risk because of the lag time. CR's are simply wasteful."
She noted that the budget was due in February, but Congress still doesn't have it. Instead of marking up an actual bill, McCollum said that all the members have "is a very rough draft and an incomplete defense appropriations act."
She cited Trump's "Golden Dome" project, which the president announced a few weeks ago, but hasn't outlined in any funding plan.
But it was her questions about the deployment of troops to Los Angeles that began a squabble on the House floor Tuesday.
"Active duty military has absolutely no role in domestic law enforcement and they are not trained for those missions," she continued, requesting that they all "follow the law."
She went on to ask Hegseth where the money is coming from to host Trump's parade scheduled for June 14. Early estimates of the cost are at least $45 million, including $16 million to repair the damage to the streets that the tanks would cause, NBC News reported in May.
She also wondered where the funds were coming from for the deployment of the troops to Los Angeles and the border.
"I honor and celebrate the United States Army, but I'd like to know how much this parade is going to cost," she said, noting she's sent several letters on the matter that have been ignored.
McCollum cut in while Hegseth spoke over her about the safety of immigration agents in Los Angeles. She noted that, given her limited five-minute questioning period, she wanted to redirect him to her question about cost.
"You asked about the situation in Los Angeles, and we believe that ICE agents —" Hegseth began before being interrupted.
"I asked about the budget. I asked about the budget," McCollum repeated.
Hegseth continued to ignore the budget question, instead talking about protecting ICE.
"Mr. Chairman, if the secretary is not going to answer budgetary questions, I will yield back my time, if the secretary refuses to answer the budgetary questions put before him," McCollum said. "They're important. What training missions are happening, where are you pulling the money from, and how are you planning moving forward? These are budget questions that affect this committee!"
She noted that in only a few hours, the House committee would be required to vote on a budget, and she wanted him to answer questions about it.
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense chairman, Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA), appeared to agree, asking Hegseth to answer her questions.
Hegseth responded by attacking President Joe Biden's administration, saying that they "thankfully have a 13% higher budget" for defense than in the previous administration. The 2025 budget was passed in 2024 under the Biden administration.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) berated Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after he was unable to give her a plan for spending on military submarines.
During a Tuesday House Appropriations Committee hearing, DeLauro demanded "specific information" about how defense funds were being used on submarines after Hegseth suggested Congress had not supported the program.
"We're willing to listen to all of that, because in fact, in contrast to what your earlier statement was, we have in fact supported mightily the submarine industrial base from this committee that has not been neglected," the Democratic lawmaker said. "So, do we have a plan? Do you have a plan for making the necessary investments to ramp up production to the necessary levels? And what is that plan?"
"Ma'am, first of all, I want to thank this committee for the flexibility alongside FY25 and the continued resolution," Hegseth stated.
"Well, I would hope you would thank this committee for the funding that it had made!" DeLauro exclaimed. "We have made a serious investment. So your first statement is inaccurate! We have focused squarely on submarines."
"And we now want to know where that is going and what your plan is for the continued advancements to meet production levels and make sure that that is an area that's covered for our national security," she said.
"Congresswoman, we have the details and we will provide them for you," Hegseth insisted.
"Well, then let's have them!" DeLauro shouted. "And my hope is that we could get to it before we go to a markup within a few hours here today."
GOP political strategist and former Managing Editor for the Daily Caller, Derek Hunter, is asking, “Why should I care” about the Los Angeles riots?
And he's mulling the idea of just letting “liberal cities burn.”
“It’s time to accept that some people simply cannot be reached,” Hunter said in his Tuesday Townhall column. “They are like smelly, virgin Terminators who cannot be reasoned with. They’re called Democrats. Not all Democrats, some aren’t complete automatons, they’re just too busy and don’t pay attention to anything outside their immediate area.”
Railing against the left, he believes Democrats still need to be informed about “how their fellow Democrats are either actively engaging in activities that are anti-American or enabling those activities.”
Only then does Hunter believe “we must let all of them marinate in the consequences of their stupid decisions.”
But, he added, “They voted for these idiots as they imposed insane permitting laws and regulations that will make it take years before anyone can rebuild their home, so why should I care if they’ve screwed themselves into a corner?”
In light of the protests in Los Angeles, Hunter rhetorically asked, “To hell with LA? Should we just leave the state to destroy itself?”
He then said, “They do overwhelmingly vote for the people who are making that happen, so maybe we should let them. They’re going broke and will likely be looking for a federal bailout soon. Pass.”
He compared California Democrats to children who only learn by doing something, not by listening. “After generations of blind loyalty to a failed political party, it is abundantly clear that Democrats [have to learn the hard way].”
“Ultimately, I’m inclined to let California leftists punch themselves in the face,” he said before adding, “but only to a certain point.”
A key GOP Senate chairman has signaled that one of the most controversial provisions in President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" doesn't comply with Senate rules — and can't be in the final product.
The language in question, tucked into Section 70302 without any clear relation to the rest of the bill's provisions on tax breaks for the wealthy or Medicaid and food stamp cuts — would make it almost impossible for federal judges to enforce civil contempt penalties against Trump administration officials who openly defy court orders, by requiring plaintiffs to pay a bond.
But although it passed in the House version of the bill, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is pouring cold water on this provision moving forward.
According to Politico's Jordain Carney, "Grassley tells me he had a meeting yesterday on House's contempt citation language tucked in reconciliation bill. 'The house plan isn't Byrdable' and at very least provision will have to be 'modified.'"
Carney added that Grassley said "he didn't hear a decision in the meeting about what will happen" with this text.
By "Byrdable," Grassley is referring to the Byrd Rule, a longstanding requirement that any element of a budget bill in the Senate must be primarily related to the budget, in order to be eligible to pass under reconciliation rules. This is essential because Republicans need to pass the legislation with Republican votes only, and don't have the votes to end a Democratic filibuster, which a reconciliation bill bypasses.
Several other elements of the bill are at risk of being stripped out under the Byrd Rule as well, including a "revenge tax" that imposes a higher rate on foreign companies. If this provision is ruled out of order by the Senate parliamentarian, it could blow a $116 billion hole in the bill and leave the GOP scrambling to make up that revenue somewhere else.
Editor's note: The headline of this article has been updated.
A Trump administration official was unable to justify her claims after she was repeatedly fact-checked by CNN's John Berman.
Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security's assistant secretary for public affairs, appeared Tuesday morning on "CNN News Central," where Berman started off asking why President Donald Trump had doubled the number of National Guard troops in Los Angeles if local law enforcement said the protests were under control, as a Republican county commissioner had stated on a previous segment.
"Well, John, last night we actually saw that our law enforcement, there was Molotov cocktails being thrown at them, they were being bombarded by rocks being thrown at them as well, pummeled," McLaughlin said.
"Again, fires being lit, public property being defaced. So for them to say that they have this under control is just absolutely false. But they've been saying that since the beginning. [California Gov.] Gavin Newsom and [Los Angeles Mayor] Karen Bass have been saying that this is mostly peaceful, and Americans have eyes and ears, and they can see for themselves that these have not been peaceful protests, as cars have been lit on fire and our law enforcement has been assaulted. So we would like for local and state law enforcement to actually get this under control, John."
Berman was dubious and asked the spokeswoman to back up her assertions.
"What metrics do you have that show that last night was worse than the nights before?" Berman said. "Because by all the evidence, there were fewer – I'm not saying there wasn't, but it was absolutely, there was violence and there were clashes between protesters and police, but it was less than and less extreme than the previous night. So what metrics do you have that show the opposite?"
McLaughlin denied making the claim, and credited Trump's moves with defusing tensions.
"I didn't say that things have escalated further," she said. "I actually think thanks to the National Guard being called in, as well as the Marines, we have more resources to make sure that our federal buildings, that there's crowd control, but we have our own eyes and ears as metrics, John, which is to show that there are Molotov cocktails being thrown. There is ICE enforcement and National Guard troops, rocks being pummeled at them, fires and being lit, and American flags being burned. So I can I think we can rely on our own images to tell the story."
Berman said his own eyes told a different story.
"If we can rely on our own eyes, last night we were all watching the National Guard troops were literally behind the LAPD, the Los Angeles police and the sheriff's department, not engaging directly with the protesters," Berman said. "They were protecting federal buildings, absolutely lined up around the federal buildings. But they weren't engaged with the protesters themselves, so, again, how will doubling the number of them, if that is their mission, change the situation?"
McLaughlin tried to change the subject.
"John, because of Gavin Newsom's lack of leadership," McLaughlin said, "we've had a whole of government approach, and I think Americans can be so proud of their law enforcement in the face of assaults in the face of really hatred in the face of major threats calling for the killing of ICE, the death to America, our ICE enforcement officers, our National Guard, and our military has stood with professionalism, with dignity, with patriotism, and I think that this is something the American people can be very proud of. I know the Trump administration is incredibly proud of the professionalism we've seen out of our National Guard and other members of law enforcement, and we thank them."
Berman asked whether that was intended as a slight against local police, but she claimed it was the state's Democratic leaders who had disrespected law enforcement.
"We are very proud of our state and local law enforcement officials who, again, these protesters have been burning American flags threatening these law enforcement officers, taunting them," McLaughlin said. "It's disgusting the behavior and it's a shame that Karen Bass and Gov. Newsom continue to stand by them, not calling them down, especially, I think we should get back to the root as well, John, of what these protests are about is about, these ICE enforcement officers just carrying out the law in the last 72 hours, ICE enforcement officers have arrested child molesters, rapists, murderers, multiple gang members. They are putting themselves on the front lines, risking their lives every single day to make American communities safer."
Berman fact-checked her again.
"To be clear, both the mayor, Karen Bass, and the governor have condemned the violence of the protesters," he said. "When the protesters become violent, they each have said that it is a bad thing and for it to stop."
