David Edwards

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed that President Donald Trump had ordered him to deploy an additional 500 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., after two soldiers were shot on Wednesday.

"Myself and my team were notified that two National Guardsmen have been shot in Washington, D.C. critically wounded," Hegseth told reporters. "The shooter shot in a cowardly, dastardly act targeting the best of America, heroes willing to serve in Washington, D.C., serve for people they don't know and they've never met because they love their country, their capital, and their community."

"That will only stiffen our resolve," he insisted. "We will never back down. We will secure our capital. We will secure our cities."

"And that's why President Trump has asked me, and I will ask the Secretary of the Army to the National Guard, to add 500 additional troops, National Guardsmen, to Washington, D.C. This will only stiffen our resolve to ensure that we make Washington, D.C., safe and beautiful."

After news broke that two National Guard members were shot in Washington, D.C., Vice President JD Vance spoke to troops about the report that they had been shot.

"Well, it is great to be here in beautiful Fort Campbell, Kentucky," Vance told the troops gathered on Wednesday for an event to celebrate Thanksgiving. "First, before we get started on a somber note, we had — and some of you may have seen this on your phones or on social media, but apparently there — was a shooting outside the White House just a couple of hours ago."

"There's a lot that we haven't yet figured out. But what we do know is that a couple of National Guardsmen were injured in the line of duty," he continued. "I want everybody who's a person of faith to say a prayer for those two National Guardsmen that they're able to spend Thanksgiving with their families instead of losing their lives because I understand they're still in pretty tough condition."

"But I think it's a somber reminder that soldiers, whether they're active duty, reserve, National Guard, our soldiers are the sword and the shield of the United States of America. And as a person who goes into work every single day in that building, and knows that there are a lot of people who wear the uniform of the United States Army. Let me just say very personally, thank them for what they're doing."

Don Brown, a Republican Senate candidate from North Carolina, argued that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could "go all the way to the death penalty" to punish Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) after he participated in a video urging troops not to follow illegal orders.

During an interview on Wednesday, MAGA influencer Benny Johnson asked Brown, a former Navy JAG officer, how Hegseth would punish Kelly.

"Mark Kelly, he's a Navy captain, and the UCMJ, which is the criminal code for the military, adopted and signed in 1950 by President Eisenhower, passed by Congress, allows Mark Kelly and anyone else who is a retiree to be brought back up, investigated, and prosecuted for violations of the UCMJ," Brown remarked. "And there are about five or six here. So I'm glad to see my friend Pete Hegseth take action here. I hope that we're going to see more substance of that."

"Could you explain what Mark Kelly would be facing?" Johnson wondered.

"Theoretically, for sedition, you could go all the way to the death penalty," Brown noted, echoing President Donald Trump's remarks. "That wouldn't happen here, but it is, it is possible. He could also be prosecuted for treason."

"But he could be called back up, forced back in uniform, and face charges on this," he added. "And I think, you know, we need to at least get this process in motion. You just can't have members of the Congress trying to undermine a valid, you know, order from the president."

Brown speculated that Democratic lawmakers were trying "to isolate the Republicans, the Democrats against Republicans on a nuclear submarine, on a Trident-class submarine."

"And if you start like decaying order, then you'll kick off a world war real fast," he insisted. "It's among the most irresponsible acts I've ever seen members of the United States Senate engage in."

Tina Peters, a former Mesa County clerk in Colorado, will not be transferred to a federal prison where President Donald Trump could potentially pardon her after DOJ pardon attorney Ed Martin said he put pressure on the state to turn over the notorious election denier.

"Requests to transfer inmates from the Colorado Department of Corrections emanate from the state, and not from other entities. The Department is not currently seeking any transfer," Colorado Department of Corrections spokesperson Alondra Gonzalez told 9News.

Peter is serving nine years after being convicted of multiple felonies for allowing Trump allies access to the local voting system to investigate MAGA conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election.

Martin recently told MAGA influencer Steve Bannon that he put "the right kind of pressure" on state officials to have Peters transferred to federal custody.

"If the feds say we want something, you change your tune," he insisted.

Trump has called Peter a "hostage," but cannot grant her a pardon while she is in state custody.

President Donald Trump insisted that claims that he had considered firing FBI Director Kash Patel were "totally false."

Multiple sources told MS NOW that the president was considering removing Patel as soon as December, according to a report on Tuesday.

In a post on X, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that the "story is completely made up."

"In fact, when this Fake News published, I was in the Oval Office, where President Trump was meeting with his law enforcement team, including FBI Director Kash Patel," she wrote. "I read the headline to the President and he laughed. He said: 'What? That's totally false. Come on Kash, let's take a picture to show them you're doing a great job!'"

Leavitt included Trump's photo with Patel in her post.

Patel has come under fire in recent weeks for alleged misuse of government resources, including taking an agency jet for a "date night" with his girlfriend.

The FBI is reportedly investigating Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a video warning military service members against following illegal orders.

Fox News first reported that the FBI was working with the Capitol Police to schedule interviews with Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), and Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO).

MS NOW confirmed that Capitol Police were helping to schedule the interviews.

"Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders," the lawmakers stated in the video.

President Donald Trump later suggested that the lawmakers had committed crimes punishable by death. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the video as "seditious" and said the Pentagon would investigate and possibly court-martial Kelly, a retired Navy captain.

A Justice Department official told Reuters that the FBI interviews would help to determine "if there's any wrongdoing, and then go from there." After taking office, President Donald Trump fired FBI Director Christopher Wray and appointed loyalist Kash Patel to head the agency.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host with a history of drinking, insisted that he would conduct a "uniform inspection" if Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) is recalled to active duty, after he participated in a video reminding U.S. troops not to obey illegal orders.

"So 'Captain' Kelly, not only did your sedition video intentionally undercut good order & discipline…but you can't even display your uniform correctly," Hegseth ranted on Tuesday in a social media post. "Your medals are out of order & rows reversed. When/if you are recalled to active duty, it'll start with a uniform inspection."

The Defense secretary's post came after Kelly noted that he only learned of the Pentagon's investigation on X.

"If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won't work," the senator wrote. "I've given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution."

Kelly's post included a photo of the medals on his uniform.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that the United States "can't have" soldiers questioning whether orders are legal after Democrats pointed out that troops have a responsibility not to follow illegal orders.

During a Monday interview on Fox News, Leavitt said Democrats were giving "a wink and a nod to the 1.3 million active duty service members who serve in our United States armed forces and essentially encourage them to defy the orders of their commander-in-chief."

"Not a single order this president or administration has given to our military has ever been illegal, nor will it ever be," she insisted. "This administration respects and abides by the law."

"You can't have a soldier out on the battlefield or conducting a classified order questioning whether that is lawful or whether they should follow through. There must be a chain of command in our military."

Despite Leavitt's claim, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) states that service members can be liable for following unlawful orders, including burglary, murder, assault, rape, and property destruction. The UCMJ also prohibits "all conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces, and crimes and offenses."

Bill Maher called out Lara Trump after she tried to deny that her father-in-law called a reporter "piggy."

During his Monday Club Random podcast, Maher told Lara Trump that some of President Donald Trump's rhetoric made it difficult for him to win over opponents.

"Don't do things like call a woman 'piggy,'" Maher suggested.

"Do we know that happened?" Lara Trump asked.

"I saw it on tape!" Maher exclaimed.

"Or did he say McGee?" Lara Trump laughed. "But Donald Trump is an equal opportunity offender. He also said that he gave [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu a lot of crap whenever he thought that he wasn't doing things right."

"What's that to do with piggy?" Maher asked.

Instead of acknowledging the "piggy" insult, Lara Trump deflected by accusing former President Joe Biden of using offensive rhetoric.

Maher noted that he had planned an editorial criticizing liberals for bad behavior.

"It just makes my job more difficult when, during this week, he says to a woman, piggy," he explained. "I mean, even you must admit, this is just not cool, not necessary."

"There are people you just have to talk to and not talking and going no contact," Maher continued. "Even when he says piggy. But does he have to do that? Can't you get in there and say so?"

"Donald Trump is not perfect," Lara Trump responded, "but he does a lot of things that I think are great."

Fox News legal analyst Jonathan Turley criticized Lindsey Halligan, President Donald Trump's illegally appointed prosecutor, after a judge dismissed two cases she brought against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

After United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie ruled that the indictments against Comey and James were invalid on Monday, Fox News host John Roberts noted that Attorney General Pam Bondi had issued a memo to declare that she had "ratified" the indictments in an attempt to insulate the charges in case Halligan was found to be illegally appointed.

"I mean, did the judge take this into consideration? Can the judge still throw out the cases if they'd been ratified by the Attorney General?" Roberts asked Turley.

"He can in the sense that novelty is not good when it comes to criminal indictments," Turley explained. "And there was a lot of novelty in the final day to get this indictment through. They were right up against the clock. And particularly with Comey, they had rejected one of the counts. And so Halligan sort of put together the other two counts rapidly and then submitted that."

In the end, Halligan's last-minute shenanigans to secure indictments had no bearing on the dismissals.

"This is something that a number of us raised when the indictment first came out," Turley pointed out. "Under federal law, the president has 120 days to use an interim U.S. attorney, an acting U.S. attorney. That time was effectively used up by her predecessor. And reportedly, he was shown the door because he had misgivings about some of these charges."

The Fox News analyst suggested that Trump's Department of Justice scored a "small victory" because the judge dismissed the indictments without prejudice, meaning the government could bring the charges again in the future if the statute of limitations had not expired, as they had in Comey's case.

"The Justice Department has some good faith arguments that the reading of that law is wrong," Turley said of a possible appeal. "But I think a lot of judges would have raised the same concern. The general view has been that you sort of get one bite at the apple. You've got 120 days."

United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie dismissed the federal government's indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, ruling that President Donald Trump unlawfully appointed his personal attorney, Lindsey Halligan, as interim U.S. attorney.

"I agree with Mr. Comey that the Attorney General’s attempt to install Ms. Halligan as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was invalid. And because Ms. Halligan had no lawful authority to present the indictment, I will grant Mr. Comey’s motion and dismiss the indictment without prejudice," the judge wrote on Monday.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's so-called Department of War threatened to court-martial Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) after he appeared in a video stating that U.S. troops have a constitutional duty to refuse illegal orders.

"The Department of War has received serious allegations of misconduct against Captain Mark Kelly, USN (Ret.). In accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 688, and other applicable regulations, a thorough review of these allegations has been initiated to determine further actions, which may include recall to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures," the Department of Defense said in a statement on Monday.

"All servicemembers are reminded that they have a legal obligation under the UCMJ to obey lawful orders and that orders are presumed to be lawful," the statement added. "A servicemember's personal philosophy does not justify or excuse the disobedience of an otherwise lawful order."

President Donald Trump has suggested that the Democrats who reminded troops of their duty to refuse illegal orders could be hanged for treason.

"I think it's important to say that there is nothing more American than standing up for the Constitution, that's what we were doing," Kelly told CNN last week. "I think his reaction is just characteristic of a political system that no one is proud of right now."

Former CIA adviser Jim Rickards, a MAGA supporter, admitted that President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Ukraine was to give Russian President Vladimir Putin "everything he wants."

"The criticism of the plan is that it gives Putin almost everything he wants," Rickards told MAGA influencer Steve Bannon on Monday. "Well, I have news for you. That's how we're going to end the war. That's the only way you're going to end the war. The Russians won, you know, with a lot of casualties and a lot of people."

"So why should the Russians concede anything? They shouldn't."

Bannon agreed: "The Russians won the war."

"If you're the United States, you've got two choices. Keep fighting or keep supporting the war, or agree to Putin's plan," Rickards asserted. "Now the criticism that, oh, you know, you're agreeing to Putin's plan. Well, that's the only outcome here, short of World War III."

"Ukraine has lost," he added. "The brilliance of this 28-point plan was that it recognizes what I just described."

The Real America's Voice MAGA network has begun pushing back against President Donald Trump's tariffs by highlighting his small-business supporters who have been hit hard.

On Monday, Real America's Voice host David Brody spoke to Kenneth Bernardo of the Bay Crane Company.

"President Trump has repeatedly touted his use of tariffs, but how are they impacting American companies?" Brody began. "It is really hurting American construction."

For his part, Bernardo said he supported the president but insisted that the tariffs were causing "canceled orders and a limitation of growth."

"Some people in our industry — understanding that about 85% of our industry is family owned and small business, enterprises, you know, these additional tariffs and the cost that they put on these products that are not available in the United States are limiting a lot of these small businesses from going out and investing," he noted.

Bernardo explained that small businesses in his industry were being forced to buy used equipment on the secondary market due to tariffs on new equipment.

"We talk about the impact that it's having to these small businesses across the country," he explained. "Some of these cranes, you know, could cost, say, six or seven million dollars. So between the reciprocal tariffs plus the additional 50% steel tariffs, you're talking, you know, millions of dollars of additional cost."