It’s Tuesday. Four astronauts are expected to launch into space tomorrow at 8 a.m.! (unless there’s another delay).
In today’s issue:
- Price tag of Trump’s LA deployment
- Pete Hegseth testifies on Capitol Hill
- The White House’s ‘marching orders’
- Inside the DNC drama
- Passports coming to Apple Wallet
📣 DEPORTATIONS
Pete Hegseth, welcome to the hot seat:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified on Capitol Hill this morning, butting heads with House Democrats over the military presence in Los Angeles amid the protests.
What we learned: Hegseth declined to discuss the cost of President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles.
But Bryn MacDonnell, a special assistant to Hegseth, told the House Appropriations defense subcommittee that “the current estimated cost is $134 million, which is largely just [temporary duty travel] costs, travel, housing, food, etc.”
Hegseth defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for performing the raids. He also referenced the George Floyd murder protests in 2020, arguing the National Guard was brought in “too late.”
^ Speaking of those military deployments: The Trump administration has significantly escalated the federal response to the Los Angeles deportation protests, deploying another 2,000 California National Guard troops and roughly 700 Marines to the city.
What is important to note here: This is against California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) wishes. He has called the deployment “un-American” and accused Trump of using the U.S. military to “manufacture a crisis.” California’s attorney general called it an unprecedented power grab, accusing the Trump administration of exceeding its authority.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) told MSNBC: “That’s his end goal, to seize more power that he doesn’t have,” Bonta said Monday. That’s why he calls things emergencies that aren’t emergencies, why he calls things invasions that aren’t invasions. Because he wants to exercise authority that would only be triggered if there really were an invasion, an emergency, a rebellion when there’s not.”
Trump’s defense of the military presence: “If I didn’t ‘SEND IN THE TROOPS’ to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now,” Trump argued on Truth Social. 🔎 Read Trump’s full post
And Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem bashed Los Angeles as a “city of criminals” and slammed state leaders’ handling of the protests.
The protests are spreading: Anti-ICE protests are popping up in Dallas and Austin, Texas, as well as Atlanta and New York City.
➤ SIGHTS AND SOUNDS:
LAPD briefly detained a CNN reporter: It happened on live television. 📹 Watch
📹 Protest footage, via CNN
Be skeptical of the photos and videos you’re seeing: There are a lot of fake images and conspiracy theories surrounding the protests. The New York Times explains.
Knowing your rights: Nexstar published a helpful read explaining your rights when approached by an immigration officer.
Behind the scenes of the Trump deportations:
The Wall Street Journal published a fascinating report on what happened within the Trump administration that sparked the recent spike in deportations and protests. Trump was reportedly unhappy with the daily total of deportations — they were lower than the Biden administration’s daily tally in his final year — and relayed that message to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through top aide Stephen Miller.
Miller’s message to ICE: Get their daily deportation numbers up. “Just go out there and arrest illegal aliens,” Miller reportedly said, adding officials should not focus solely on gang members or violent criminals.
Excerpt: “Agents didn’t need to develop target lists of immigrants suspected of being in the U.S. illegally, a longstanding practice, Miller said. Instead, he directed them to target Home Depot, where day laborers typically gather for hire, or 7-Eleven convenience stores. Miller bet that he and a handful of agents could go out on the streets of Washington, D.C., and arrest 30 people right away.”
ICE agents heard the message loud and clear. They raided a Home Depot and other locations in Los Angeles, which sparked the recent protests.
Read the Los Angeles Times reportingon the Home Depot raid.
What makes these arrests different from past administrations: “Federal agents make warrantless arrests. Masked agents take people into custody without identifying themselves. Plainclothes agents in at least a dozen cities have arrested migrants who showed up to their court hearings. And across the U.S., people suspected of being in the country illegally are disappearing into the federal detention system without notice to families or lawyers, according to attorneys, witnesses and officials.”
Read the full WSJ report: ‘The White House Marching Orders That Sparked the L.A. Migrant Crackdown’
➤ WHO JD VANCE MAY WANT TO DEPORT:
Vice President Vance and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appear to want to deport the popular X user Derek Guy, known as the “Menswear Guy.” You may know him from his snarky takes on men’s clothing and tailoring suggestions. The X user wrote a lengthy post explaining his immigration status. His parents left Vietnam in the late 1960s for Canada, where Guy was born, and he has lived in the U.S. since he was a baby.
Excerpt from Guy’s post: “Since I came here without legal documentation, I eventually fell into the category of being an undocumented immigrant. Yet, I’ve been in the United States since I was a baby. My identity and roots are very much based in this country, no different from anyone else.”
Another X user egged on Vance to “do the funniest thing ever.” Vance then responded with a Jack Nicholson gif nodding and smiling.
➤ RELATED READS:
Politico: Trump’s troop deployment is a warning sign for what comes next, legal scholars fear
The Atlantic: For Trump, This Is a Dress Rehearsal: Ordering the National Guard to deploy in Los Angeles is a warning of what to expect when his hold on power is threatened.
The Washington Post: For Trump, seizing emergency powers has become central to governing
📸Check out Time’s new cover— The cover story reads, “Inside the Trump Administration’s unprecedented effort to deport millions of people.”
🥊️OTHER NEWS
Drama at the DNC:
“Tensions are reaching a boiling point between David Hogg and Democratic National Committee (DNC) leadership as the organization moves to potentially redo Hogg’s election as vice chair,” report The Hill’s Caroline Vakil and Julia Manchester.
Tell me more: “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.”
Timing: “The leak occurred the day before DNC officials were set to vote virtually on whether to redo the vice chair elections, a move technically unrelated to the controversy surrounding Hogg. And it has underscored the frustrations many in the party feel toward the 25-year-old gun control activist.”
Read the full report: ‘Democratic frustration reaches boiling point over David Hogg’
➤ MEANWHILE, REPUBLICANS ARE HAVING THEIR OWN INTERNAL DRAMA:
The Hill’s Emily Brooks published an interesting read on the war that Trump aide Stephen Miller has waged against the Republican Party’s libertarians.
Who is taking the brunt of this?: Libertarian-leaning lawmakers Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who have voiced concerns over the “big, beautiful bill’s” deficit concerns. Read: ‘Stephen Miller wages war on the GOP’s libertarians’
The Movement is Brooks’s weekly newsletter tracking the influence and debates steering politics on the right. Click here to sign up & get it in your inbox!
➤ D.C. TIDBITS:
*Not spotted* outside the White House: ABC News’s Jonathan Karl noticed that Trump’s bright red Tesla is no longer parked at the White House. Keep in mind that White House officials said he would be getting rid of it following his messy breakup with Elon Musk. 📸 White House parking spaces
Fences are put up around the White House: Freelancer Andrew Leydon 📸posted photos of fencing put up around the White House perimeter. He noted it’s in preparation for this weekend’s military parade.
COMING UP
The House and Senate are in. President Trump is in North Carolina this afternoon. (All times EST)
12:25 p.m.: Trump leaves for Fort Bragg.
12:30 p.m.: Senators meet for weekly caucus meetings.
1:30 p.m.: First House votes. Last votes are expected around 5 p.m. 📆Today’s agenda
2:15 p.m.: Two Senate votes. One more vote is expected today. 📆Today’s agenda
2:40 p.m.: Trump observes a military demonstration at Fort Bragg.
4 p.m.: Trump delivers remarks at Fort Bragg. 💻 Livestream
7:35 p.m.: Trump returns to the White House.
8 a.m. Wednesday: Four astronauts launch into space. 💻Details and livestream
Wednesday: The Congressional Baseball Game. Details
Saturday: Trump’s military parade. What to know
🐝 INTERNET BUZZ
🧋 Celebrate: Today is National Iced Tea Day!
🧳 Huge news for the forgetful among us: Apple announced that starting this fall, travelers will have the option to add a digital version of their passport to their Apple Wallet. The Transportation Security Administration says it will accept the digital ID for domestic travel.
👋 AND FINALLY…
Because you made it this far, here are some curious chimpanzees.
Have you ever thought that maybe animals are the ones observing *us* at the zoo…?
