Kristi Noem Seeks Military Arrests in Los Angeles
One day before the Trump administration deployed U.S. Marines to confront protesters in Los Angeles, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to direct the military to detain or arrest “lawbreakers,” a move one expert called “a grave escalation,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
White House Struggles to Find People to Work for Hegseth
“The White House is looking for a new chief of staff and several senior advisers to support Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after a series of missteps that have shaken confidence in his leadership, but it has so far found no suitable takers,“ NBC News reports.
Cardinals Pitcher Recruited to Challenge Ann Wagner
A recent poll in Missouri’s 2nd District tested former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright in a potential congressional match-up against Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO), Inside Elections reports.
The suburban district isn’t currently among the races rated as competitive by Inside Elections, but an out-of-the-box Democratic candidate such as Wainwright would have the potential to draw attention and resources to the race.
Dr. Phil Was Embedded with ICE
“As federal agents prepared to fan out in Los Angeles for a controversial immigration crackdown, the officers were greeted by a familiar face: Dr. Phil McGraw,” CNN reports.
“The television personality and his camera crew were on hand before and after the raids that took place on Friday and triggered several days of street protests.”
Newsom Says Trump Is ‘Unhinged’
“California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Donald Trump’s threats against him and other Democrats following the president’s unilateral deployment of National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area carried all the markings of authoritarianism,” Politico reports.
Said Newsom: “It’s just an extraordinary moment, and I don’t want to overstate it, but these are the words of an authoritarian. Whether he acts on it or not, the chill that creates is real, and it’s a serious moment, very serious.”
He added: “He is unhinged, and he’s acting recklessly, and the threat of the Marines coming in the United States, this is a very serious and sober moment. We are going to stand firm.”
House to Make Technical Fixes to Tax Bill
“House Republicans will try to fix issues with their megabill in the Rules Committee this week based on provisions the Senate parliamentarian has identified as non-compliant with the chamber’s rules,” Politico reports.
“Republicans need to send their massive tax and spending package to the Senate to make its own changes. But without making certain revisions to the House-passed bill first, it could run afoul of the chamber’s parliamentarian.”
Texas Republicans Look to Redraw Districts
“Republicans from Texas’ congressional delegation met at the U.S. Capitol Monday night to discuss a proposal to redraw the lines of their House districts,” the Texas Tribune reports.
“Emerging from a meeting attended by most of the 25-member GOP delegation, Sessions said there was ‘a lot we don’t know,’ including whether Gov. Greg Abbott would be in favor of the idea. Abbott has the lone authority to call members of the Texas Legislature back to Austin for a special session, which would be required to carry out the rare and extraordinary move of reshaping the state’s political boundaries in the middle of the decade, years before the next census in 2030.”
New York Times: “President Trump’s political team is encouraging Republican leaders in Texas to examine how House district lines in the state could be redrawn ahead of next year’s midterm elections to try to save the party’s endangered majority.”
Mark Green to Quit Congress
“House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green (R-TN) will resign from Congress as soon as the House votes again on the reconciliation bill, Punchbowl News reports.
“Green announced he would not seek reelection in 2024, only to reverse his decision weeks later and handily win reelection.”
“Green recently got divorced. His ex-wife, Camilla Green, sent a text message to House spouses in September saying that the Tennessee Republican was having an affair and ‘Satan has rewritten our marriage in his mind.’”
RFK Jr. Purges Vaccine Panel
“Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday he was removing the entire membership of the influential vaccine advisory panel that makes immunization recommendations for the United States, an unprecedented move by Kennedy and escalation of his overhaul of federal vaccination policy,” the Washington Post reports.
“In an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal, Kennedy said he decided to retire the 17 independent vaccine experts from the Advisory Committeeon Immunization Practices because the panel has been “plagued with persistent conflicts of interest” and has become a “rubber stamp” for vaccines.Doctors and pharmacists look to the committee’s recommendations to decide which shots to offer.”
Trump Pivots From Musk to Newsom
“Just a few short days ago, President Trump was remarkably and viciously feuding with Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and the person who spent more money than anyone to return him to the White House,” the New York Times reports.
“But one of the constants in Trump’s second term is that the subjects of his quarrels are ever-changing. And by Monday, Trump had turned the page on Musk — for now — and focused on a more familiar and frequent target for his rage: Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor of California.”
Iran Appears to Reject Key Element of Nuclear Talks
“President Trump said that Iran appeared to have rejected a key element of an American proposal aimed at breaking the deadlock in the negotiations over the future of the country’s nuclear program,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Trump told reporters that Tehran wants to continue enriching uranium on its own soil, after the United States proposed an arrangement under which Iran would phase out its own efforts but still receive nuclear fuel for power production.”
500 Marines Being Mobilized in Response to Protests
“Roughly 500 Marines based out of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in California have been mobilized to respond to the protests in Los Angeles, and will join the National Guard troops that were activated by President Donald Trump over the weekend without the consent of California’s governor or the city’s mayor,” CNN reports.
“The deployment of the full Marine battalion marks a significant escalation in Trump’s use of the military as a show of force against protesters, but it is still unclear what their task will be once in LA, the sources said. Like the National Guard troops, they are prohibited from conducting law enforcement activity like making arrests unless Trump invokes the Insurrection Act.”
Why Musk Is Vulnerable in Conflict with Trump
Washington Post: “The spectacular public feud last week between Musk and Trump has laid bare just how much Musk may lose if their rocky relationship continues to unravel.”
“While Trump and the GOP have benefited from Musk’s money, Musk is most vulnerable if the president uses the levers of government to retaliate — a prospect the president raised in a message last week threatening to cancel Musk’s companies’ federal contracts.”
GOP Senators Urged to Double Down on L.A. Protests
“Senate Republican leadership is urging senators to double down on condemning the chaotic protests that erupted over the weekend in Los Angeles,” Axios reports.
“Republicans are convinced they have a winning issue.”
Said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR): “This gives us an opportunity to remind Americans how extreme the Democratic party is on immigration. Americans have a choice between Republicans’ law & order vs. the Democrats’ car-burning, illegal alien rioters.”
He added: “So far, every Senate Democrat who has spoken out has backed the rioters…”
Trump Calls Protesters in Los Angeles ‘Insurrectionists’
“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.”
Trump’s Troop Deployment Is a Warning Sign
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
Bonus Quote of the Day
“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.
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