“Gen. Dan Caine, who since becoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in April has assiduously avoided the public spotlight, on Wednesday broke with President Donald Trump’s assessment of the threat posed by Russia and the ongoing protests and violence in Los Angeles,” the Washington Post reports.

“Caine’s comments during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing were restrained but significant, coming from the nation’s top military officer who Democrats and moderate Republicans had feared might show little appetite for going against a president prone to pushing falsehoods in pursuit of his political agenda.”

New York Times: “Since taking office in January, Mr. Trump has, step by step, expanded domestic use of the military, testing the legal and political limits on involving troops trained to fight foreign wars in roles traditionally carried out by the local police or Border Patrol.”

“There are now more U.S. troops deployed to Los Angeles than serving in Syria and Iraq, a fact the chief Pentagon spokesman, Sean Parnell, promoted on social media on Wednesday.”

Washington Post: White House opens door to historic military deployment on U.S. soil.

Wall Street Journal: Legal fight over troops has little legal precedent.

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday insisted the Pentagon’s deployment of troops to Los Angeles was lawful. He just couldn’t cite the law he was following,” Politico reports.

“The Pentagon chief clashed with several lawmakers at a Senate budget hearing as he sought to defend President Donald Trump’s decision to send thousands of troops, including 700 active-duty Marines, to California in response to mass deportation protests.”