“President Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that the protesters in Los Angeles “are insurrectionists,” a term that several of his aides have been using as well, in what may become a rationale for him to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act,” the New York Times reports.
“Invoking the act would give Mr. Trump broad authority to use the United States military to deal with violent protests in California and possibly elsewhere.”
Politico: “Trump, for now, has given the troops a limited mission: protecting federal immigration agents and buildings amid a wave of street protests against the administration’s mass deportation policies. To justify the deployment, Trump cited a provision of federal law that allows the president to use the National Guard to quell domestic unrest.”
“But Trump’s stated rationale, legal scholars say, appears to be a flimsy and even contrived basis for such a rare and dramatic step. The real purpose, they worry, may be to amass more power over blue states that have resisted Trump’s deportation agenda. And the effect, whether intentional or not, may be to inflame the tension in L.A., potentially leading to a vicious cycle in which Trump calls up even more troops or broadens their mission.”
For members: Trump Blurs the Line Again
“I would do it if I were Tom. I think it’s great. Gavin likes the publicity… I like Gavin Newsom, he’s a nice guy, but he’s grossly incompetent.”
— President Trump, suggesting immigration czar Tom Hohman should arrest California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“The reconciliation bill has given Republicans a way to target abortion access in states that legally protect it: threatening their federal health care funding,” NOTUS reports.
“House Republicans added a last-minute provision to their reconciliation bill via a manager’s amendment that would block certain Affordable Care Act funds from going to state health plans that cover abortion services. There are currently 13 states — California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington state — with laws in the books that require insurers to cover abortion.”
Mark Leibovich: “No matter how brazen Trump becomes, the most effective communicator in the Democratic Party continues to opt for minimal communication. His ‘audacity of hope’ presidency has given way to the fierce lethargy of semi-retirement.”
Reuters: “The risk of a public backlash against Trump if conditions at the national parks prove unpleasant for visitors this summer is significant. While Americans are increasingly divided on a range of key issues, the vast majority cherish the parks as national treasures and beloved, affordable vacation getaways.”
“And they are visiting them in record numbers. Last year, national parks welcomed more than 331 million visitors, a new high, up 6 million from 2023.”
Bill Gates went to the White House and begged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to unwind the DOGE cuts to foreign aid, Tara Palmeri reports.
But the secretary of State “informed Gates that even with Musk out, they have no plans to reverse the cuts.”
A video shared by the U.S. Army of tanks being transported to the nation’s capital for the Army’s upcoming 250th birthday parade showed one loaded on a flatcar with graffiti that appeared to read: “Hang Fauci & Bill Gates,” the Washington Post reports.
“Ahead of U.S.-China talks in London, President Trump authorized Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s team to negotiate away recent restrictions on the sale of a wide variety of technology and other products to China,“ the Wall Street Journal reports.
“It’s a novel strategy, underscoring the impact of China’s rare-earth controls on U.S. industries.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom said that California planned to sue over President Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reports.
“President Donald Trump’s order to deploy 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles appears unprecedented, relying on an unorthodox use of a law aimed at quelling serious domestic unrest or an attack on the United States by a foreign power,“ the Washington Post reports.
“It marks the first time in about 60 years that an American president has taken such action without a governor’s consent. Furthermore, his executive order authorizes the Pentagon to dispatch military personnel domestically to enable federal functions and protect government property — a chilling sign, the experts said, that Trump is prepared to send troops into other cities in response to protests.”
New York Times: “Mr. Trump has long mused about using military force on domestic soil to crush violent protests or riots, fight crime and hunt for undocumented migrants — a move that his aides talked him out of during his first term. Between his two presidencies, he said that he would do so without the consent of state governors if he returned to power.”
“The order is a significant step in that direction, but for now it stops short of invoking the most expansive power Mr. Trump could claim a right to use. It remains unclear how matters will play out on the ground — and, potentially, in court.”
Eight states have introduced or passed legislation to ban planes from emitting “chemtrails” to poison Americans or control the weather, The Guardian reports.
Of course, there’s no credible evidence that this is even happening.
Former Detroit mayor Mike Duggan, who left the Democratic Party, told the Washington Post he can shake up Michigan’s gubernatorial race next year.
Said Duggan: “My goal is 20 percent from the Democratic side, 20 percent from the Republican side, and win with 40 percent of the vote.”
“Israel intercepted a Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and 11 other activists early Monday, per posts from the Israeli government and the pro-Palestinian group behind the drive,” Axios reports.
Elon Musk’s DOGE bypassed White House security systems by installing Starlink and transmitting data without being detected, the Daily Beast reports.
“He’s a tough guy. Why doesn’t he do that? He knows where to find me. Lay your hands off four-year-old girls who are trying to get an education… Come after me. Arrest me. Let’s just get it over with, tough guy.”
— Gov. Gavin Newsom, responding to immigration czar Tom Hohman’s threat to arrest public officials.
Playbook: “For Trump, this is simply a fight he has been waiting for. The president was under no illusions about the protests that would eventually meet his deportation strategy, nor in any doubt about how he would respond when the moment came. And Saturday’s historic decision to send in the National Guard may only be the start; last night Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put 500 Marines on standby for deployment.”
“And then … this: ‘Looking really bad in L.A.,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social, shortly after midnight. “BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!” Helping Trump’s cause were comments from the LAPD that the situation has spiraled “out of control” (though Newsom is blaming Trump himself for that.) It’s worth noting that Trump has not ruled out invoking the 1807 Insurrection Act — which gives authority for a president to deploy the U.S. military on the streets — though he told reporters yesterday afternoon that he did not believe the current situation meets that bar.”
“This is diving-line politics, and Trump thinks he is on the winning side.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.