PRESIDENT TRUMP is leaning into his role of commander-in-chief, seeking to flex U.S. military might amid unrest in Los Angeles and fragile negotiations with hostile foreign governments abroad.

Democrats are enraged by what they view as a heavy-handed overreaction after Trump dispatched thousands of National Guardsmen and hundreds of U.S. Marines to L.A. amid protests against immigration raids in Southern California.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith said Tuesday the active-duty battalion in Los Angeles has not been called into action yet, but their presence has infuriated Democrats, who say they’re escalating an already-combustible situation.

Trump says the troops are needed because Democratic officials in California allowed the riots and looting to spiral out of control.

The president was asked Tuesday how long the National Guard and Marines would remain in Los Angeles.

“When there is no danger, they’ll leave,” he said.

Trump also said he’d consider invoking the Insurrection Act, which has only been used a few times in U.S. history to quell rebellions.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) asked a federal judge Tuesday to intervene to limit Trump’s deployment of the National Guard.

“Federal antagonization, through the presence of soldiers in the streets, has already caused real and irreparable damage to the City of Los Angeles, the people who live there, and the State of California. They must be stopped, immediately,” the motion states. 

Trump touted his efforts to “liberate” L.A. during an appearance at Fort Bragg in North Carolina on Tuesday afternoon.

“What you’re witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, public order and national sovereignty,” Trump said of those clashing with law enforcement.

The president argued that military deployed to California are protecting “the supremacy” of federal law and are focused on “stopping an invasion.”

Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who fielded angry questions from Democratic lawmakers at a hearing earlier in the day, observed training exercises at the nation’s largest military installation.

On Saturday, Trump will oversee a military parade in the streets of Washington that marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army. The event also falls on his 79th birthday.

Democrats have blasted the parade, likening it to exhibitions under authoritarian regimes and pointing to the $45 million price tag.

Trump warned Tuesday that protesters at the parade would be met with “very big force.”

The parade — replete with helicopters, war planes and tanks — comes amid tense negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, trade talks with China and stalled peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

Trump said Tuesday that Iran is acting “much more aggressive” in its negotiations.

“It’s disappointing,” Trump told Bret Baier of Fox News. “But we are set to meet again tomorrow — we’ll see.”

Meanwhile, Russia launched a massive drone strike against Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hopes to meet with Trump next week at the G7 Summit in Canada.

The protests in Los Angeles appeared to be receding, although there were more than a dozen new incidents of unrest, vandalism and looting on Monday night.

The Los Angeles Police Department said 96 people were arrested for failure to disperse. Two officers were injured, treated and release.

Demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, who have been ramping up their immigration raids, have begun popping up in other cities.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said on a new episode of Pod Save America out Tuesday that Trump’s deployment of troops to Los Angeles is meant as a warning to protesters in other cities.

“This isn’t about public safety,” Newsom posted X. “It’s about stroking a dangerous president’s ego This is reckless. Pointless. And disrespectful to our troops.”

Vice President Vance fired back, posting pictures of rioting and burning cars from before the National Guard was called in.

“If you want to know why border patrol fear for their lives over enforcing the law, look in the mirror,” Vance said.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow that the vandalism taking place is “absolutely atrocious” and that those responsible “will be held accountable.”

However, she argued the unrest is only taking place in “a handful of streets in Downtown Los Angeles.”

Hegseth defended military involvement at a fiery Congressional hearing, saying the troops were necessary to protect ICE agents, who have clashed with protesters as they seek to carry out immigration raids.

“In Los Angeles, we believe that ICE, which is a federal law enforcement agency, has the right to safely conduct operations in any state and any jurisdiction in the country, especially after 21 million illegals have crossed our border under the previous administration,” Hegseth said. “ICE ought to be able to do their job…we have deployed National Guard and Marines to protect them in the execution of their duties.”

The Pentagon estimates it will cost $134 million to deploy the troops in Los Angeles.

It was another day of hot rhetoric from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Newsom called Hegseth an “embarrassment” and “a joke” and said “everybody knows he’s in over his head.”

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he wasn’t sure if Newsom should be arrested, but that he should be “tarred and feathered.”

California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) said Trump has an “endless desire to seize more power.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called Los Angeles a “city of criminals.”

There were signs of intra-party disagreement on both sides.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who has pushed Democrats to be more moderate, posted on X:

“I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigration—but this is not that. This is anarchy and true chaos. My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement.”

Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) posted on X:

“I remain concerned about ongoing ICE operations throughout CA and will continue my conversations with the administration—urging them to prioritize the removal of known criminals over the hardworking people who have lived peacefully in the Valley for years.”

💡Perspectives:

• The Free Press: Who is burning cars and throwing rocks in L.A.?

• The Wall Street Journal: Democrats make Stephen Miller’s day.

• American Prospect: Cries of defiance, songs of joy in Los Angeles.

• UnHerd: LA riots reflect failure of progressive leadership.

• Gideon’s: The street fight Trump wants.

Read more: 

• Democrats forced to walk tightrope on Trump, L.A. protests.

• Trump’s $1,000-per-baby investment accounts: What to know.

• House approves resolutions condemning antisemitic attack in Colorado.

• Trump, Newsom collide over LA unrest.

• A strong majority of Americans support prioritizing birth sex over gender identity on government documents and in sports.

   

• A new study finds there’s little overlap between news sources trusted by Democrats and Republicans.

• News websites are getting crushed by Google’s new Artificial Intelligence tools, as people stop clicking on links to news stories.

©  AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

The White House and GOP leaders on Capitol Hill are looking to flip the protests in Los Angeles into momentum for President Trump’s agenda bill.

Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” appeared to be losing momentum in the Senate last week, but now advocates of the legislation are pointing to efforts by protesters to disrupt Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids as evidence the bill must pass to give law enforcement more resources.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Tuesday the bill would provide funding to hire 10,000 new ICE agents; provide a $10,000 bonus to frontline border patrol workers; and provide more than $14 billion for air and ground support to conduct 1 million deportations a year.

“We are starting with the dangerous illegal immigrants, and that’s exactly who the rioters and politicians in California are trying to protect,” Johnson said. “While Republicans are supporting the men and women of ICE through the one big beautiful bill, Democrats are fighting for those illegal aliens and against law enforcement agents.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt added:

“The riots in Los Angeles prove that we desperately need more immigration enforcement personnel and resources,” she posted on X. “America must reverse the invasion unleashed by Joe Biden of millions of unvetted illegal aliens into our country.”

Leavitt met privately with House Republicans at their weekly conference on Tuesday, urging them to “go on offense” and to “go back to districts and push back on disinformation on the bill.”

Still, there are stark divisions among Republicans about the way forward.

The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that some Republicans are eager to cut more spending from the bill after Elon Musk attacked the legislation for its “mountain of disgusting pork.”

“Facing a jittery bond market and scathing criticism from Musk, GOP lawmakers have expanded their search for ways to reduce the deficit by cutting Medicare, the Defense Department and the Federal Reserve — areas of the budget that were considered off-limits just a few weeks ago.”

And now, hardline conservatives in the House are going big in search of another round of spending cuts.

The Hill’s Emily Brooks writes:

“Those include some controversial suggestions that were previously rejected by the House, like putting restrictions on the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) that was expanded under ObamaCare; and further reigning in the ability of states to extract more federal Medicaid matching dollars through provider taxes imposed on health care providers.”

The effort to claw back billions in spending on international aid and public media is running into opposition from some Republicans, who either disagree with some of the proposed cuts or worry it would undermine Congress’s authority to allocate funding in the future.

Speaker Johnson is under pressure from fiscal hawks to codify the recissions, which came out of the Department of Government Efficiency.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) filed legislation Tuesday to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, more than doubling the rate which was last hiked in 2009.

💡Perspectives:

• USA Today: The Democratic Party is self-destructing.

• Very Serious: Bluesky isn’t a bubble. It’s a containment zone.

• The Hill: Trump is fueling a young, male comedy comeback.

• The Hill: How Dems can win back male voters: start by respecting them.

• The Liberal Patriot: Understand America’s communities.

Read more: 

• Mark Green to resign from House after final vote on ‘big, beautiful bill’.

• Amazon to invest $20 billion in Pennsylvania data centers.

©  John McDonnell, Associated Press

Some Republicans are pushing back after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members of the independent panel advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines.

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Kennedy said the move was necessary to restore faith in vaccines.

“A clean sweep is needed to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science,” Kennedy wrote. 

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) was surprised by the move and said it seemed “excessive,” although she said her ultimate determination would hinge on who is chosen to replace the fired members on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician, said he spoke with Kennedy about the firings.

“Of course, now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion,” Cassidy posted on X. “I’ve just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I’ll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case.”

The Hill’s Nathaniel Weixel writes:

“The panelists are not political appointees. The ACIP meets three times a year to review data on vaccines and recommend how they should be used. It is comprised of independent medical and public health experts who do not work for CDC. Members are appointed to four-year term.”

• Tensions between 25-year old gun rights activist David Hogg and Democratic National Committee (DNC) are reaching a boiling point, as the party moves to potentially redo Hogg’s election as vice chair. 

The Hill’s Caroline Vakil and Julia Manchester write:

“Leaked audio revealed DNC Chair Ken Martin venting his frustration with Hogg, who has come under fire from some within the party for his efforts to oust certain incumbents while serving as a DNC vice chair.”

Voters are heading to the polls in New Jersey on Tuesday to choose nominees for the state’s gubernatorial race, one of only two in the country this year.

The Hill’s Jared Gans has five things to watch for in The Garden State, which Democrats won at the presidential level in 2024 by the slimmest margin since 1992.

💡Perspectives:

• RealClearPolitics: Trump can and should fire Fed chief.

• The New Republic: Why Trump created the autopen scandal.

• RFK, Jr.: HHS moves to restore public trust in vaccines.

• Racket: Nothing stops Goldman Sachs.

Read more: 

• Why Trump turned against ‘gold standard’ mRNA vaccines.

• Judge blocks administration from enforcing diversity, transgender orders.

• Greta Thunberg deported from Israel.

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