Lawmakers are set to question the secretary on Signalgate — the scandal that erupted after he and other national security officials outlined detailed military plans in a group chat that inadvertently included a prominent journalist.

Hegseth will be testifying alongside the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine. They’re also likely to face questions about President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard and hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles.

Rep. Kaptur shares concerns of use of ‘warrior ethos’ 15:41 , Gustaf Kilander 15:41 , Gustaf Kilander Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur noted that she comes from “a family of combat veterans going back a long time.” “When I hear warrior ethos, and I hear it a lot from you, Mr. Secretary, I’m concerned,” she told Hegseth. “All the soldiers in our family, all of whom fought and received medals for their combat service, call themselves soldiers,” she added.

DeLauro slams Hegseth for lack of ‘details’ 15:32 , Gustaf Kilander 15:32 , Gustaf Kilander Rep. Rosa DeLauro lost her temper as she tried to get “details” from Hegseth regarding defense spending. “What is your plan for the future?” she asked as she raised her voice. “Can we get that in writing and on paper so that we know where you’re going?” “Because we don’t have anything today, we have zip nada, and knowing where you’re going — You could talk percentages, you can talk about whatever you want, but unless this Committee sees dollars and cents and where you’re going and what your plan is, then we may reconsider what you need to do to go forward,” she said.

Hegseth refers back to George Floyd protests when defending LA deployment 15:25 , Gustaf Kilander 15:25 , Gustaf Kilander Hegseth defended the deployment of troops in LA by referring back to the confrontations between police and protesters in Minnesota following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. He blasted Governor Tim Walz for not calling in the National Guard sooner and for “abandoning” a police precinct.

Hegseth notes 13 percent budget increase when pressed on LA deployment 15:22 , Gustaf Kilander 15:22 , Gustaf Kilander Rep. McCollum pressed Hegseth for answers regarding the budget in relation to the deployment to LA, with Hegseth saying that “thankfully, unlike the previous administration, we’ve got a 13 percent increase in our defense budget, and we will have the capability to cover down on contingencies, which is something the National Guard and the Marines plan for.”

Hegseth pressed on budgetary consequences of LA deployment 15:18 , Gustaf Kilander 15:18 , Gustaf Kilander Rep. Betty McCollum asked Hegseth about the deployment of Marines to Los Angeles. “Los Angeles County has 17,000 law enforcement personnel, and the state of California has 24,000 National Guard troops,” she noted. “There’s no need for the Marines to be deployed,” she added. “What is the current cost for what is taking place in California, and how is it going to affect this budget or the budget we’re currently serving under?” she asked. “How much are these deployments going to cost for both the Marines and the National Guard, and what training or duties are not taking place because of these deployments, where in your limited budget, Sir, are you going to find in the remainder of this fiscal year, are you going to pull the money to cover these deployments? What holes are being created?” “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,” said Hegseth.

Hegseth praises ‘our friends at DOGE’ 15:12 , Gustaf Kilander 15:12 , Gustaf Kilander Questioning begins with Hegseth saying that “a review led by myself, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, our friends at DOGE, who’ve worked with us, have helped us look and identify places where we might find efficiencies.” “My hands are directly in the middle of that to ensure that as we seek those efficiencies and reduce those redundancies, we’re not doing so in a way that undermines our capability,” he added.

Hegseth says US ‘squandered’ military advantage 15:01 , Gustaf Kilander 15:01 , Gustaf Kilander The defense secretary argued that the proposed Republican budget “provides a historic level of funding for military readiness, putting our war fighters and their needs first.” “We’re rebuilding our military,” said Hegseth. “Twenty-five years ago, our military was unchallenged, yet we squandered that advantage as China carried out an unprecedented military buildup. President Trump is correcting those mistakes.”

Hegseth lauds Trump admin investment in military 14:57 , Gustaf Kilander 14:57 , Gustaf Kilander Hegseth said during his opening statement that “under President Trump’s leadership, this budget puts America first and gives our warriors what they need.” “The $961.6 billion budget request, over 1 trillion for national security, will end four years of chronic underinvestment in our military,” he added.

‘The lawlessness across the government must end,’ Rep. DeLauro says 14:55 , Gustaf Kilander 14:55 , Gustaf Kilander Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro slammed the administration during her opening statement, saying that “The American people expect, deserve, and demand better from their military leadership, and the lawlessness across the government must end.” “This administration has unlawfully dismantled agencies and stolen funding across the government to give billionaires a tax break,” she added. “America’s future soldiers are learning in our public schools. Our future sailors might rely on Medicaid to see a doctor. Our future airmen and women might only have a meal to eat because of SNAP or food stamps, or they may live in subsidized housing.”

Opening statements underway 14:52 , Gustaf Kilander 14:52 , Gustaf Kilander Rep Tom Cole told Hegseth that he would like to hear more about “your plans for Golden Dome, hypersonics, and other programs that are evolving with the constantly changing nature of war.” “I don’t want you or your colleagues at the Department of Defense to have to operate under [a continuing resolution] again for the coming year. I know the difficulties that places on you,” he added. “Every member of this committee knows that you’ve got my commitment.”

Democratic National Committee vice chair David Hogg, the Gen Z activist at the center of a major intraparty dispute, is wading into another contested primary with an endorsement in the race to succeed the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Virginia), a contest that reflects broader generational and ideological tensions Hogg has stoked.

Hogg’s political group, Leaders We Deserve, is backing 37-year-old state Del. Irene Shin, who is part of a crowded Democratic field vying later this month to fill Connolly’s seat in Northern Virginia after his death last month. One of Shin’s opponents is Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw, a former chief of staff to Connolly whom the congressman endorsed to succeed him before he died at age 75.

The endorsement of Shin is the second by Hogg’s group since he announced plans in April for the organization to spend $20 million to primary “out-of-touch, ineffective” incumbent House Democrats. Leaders We Deserve has not backed any challengers to incumbents yet, but Hogg’s involvement in primaries has still frustrated party leaders including DNC Chairman Ken Martin, given his expectation that DNC officers stay neutral in primaries.

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“Delegate Shin is an incredible progressive leader who has delivered real results for Fairfax County, and now, she’s running to take on a corrupt and broken system,” Hogg said in a statement to The Washington Post, adding that Shin “defeated an ineffective incumbent” in her first election to the Virginia legislature. “Leaders We Deserve and Irene are both committed to doing things differently, and we can’t wait to get her to Congress.”

Connolly’s decision to stay in office throughout a cancer struggle drew scrutiny from some Democratic activists, including Hogg. Hogg reportedly called Connolly’s death “one more point on the real danger posed by the system of seniority politics.” He cited the vacancy at a time Democrats are trying to stop a sweeping Republican tax and immigration bill.

Hogg is making his endorsement as his future at the DNC is in doubt this week. Committee members are voting electronically on whether to redo the elections that resulted in Hogg and a second Democrat, Malcolm Kenyatta, becoming DNC vice chairs this year. The vote was prompted by a procedural controversy that came up before Hogg announced his efforts to target House Democrats. But some committee members see the vote as a way to oust Hogg and the turmoil surrounding him.

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On Sunday, tensions escalated when some DNC members accused Hogg, without presenting evidence, of leaking audio to Politico of a private conversation. In the conversation, Martin said he questioned wanting to continue in his job and blamed Hogg. Hogg denied leaking the audio.

The first candidate that Hogg’s group endorsed since announcing its midterm plans was Robert Peters, an Illinois state senator running for an open U.S. House seat that heavily leans toward Democrats in the general election.

In the contest to fill Connolly’s seat, which also favors Democrats, at least half a dozen Democrats are running, and Shin launched her campaign a week ago with a video calling for “generational change.”

“I think generational change isn’t just about being young,” Shin said in an interview. “It’s about a changing of the guard. It’s bringing a different approach to the way that things have always been done.”

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She pointed to immigration as one issue where she would seek to more forcefully bring the concerns of her constituents to Congress, citing workshops she has held as a state lawmaker to help undocumented immigrants know their rights.

The Virginia Democratic Party is holding a “firehouse” primary (meaning the party, not the state, runs it) on June 28 to determine who will be its nominee in the September special election to finish Connolly’s term, which runs until January 2027.

Shin has served in the Virginia House of Delegates since 2022. The former nonprofit organizer won her first election by defeating a Democratic incumbent in the primary after calling for “strong progressive leadership.”

Shin said “challenging the establishment or the status quo” has always been part of how she sees politics — even if it means “a little bit of discomfort” to force change.

From 2h ago 14.12 BST Trump again defends decision to ‘send in the troops’ Donald Trump has again defended his decision to deploy the National Guard to LA, claiming if he hadn’t “that once beautiful and great city would be burning to the ground right now”. As many have pointed out already, the demonstrations started out peacefully, and while some buildings have been vandalized and looted, some cars were set alight and there is graffiti downtown, much of Los Angeles has not been affected at all. Trump then went on a tirade about rebuilding houses in LA and again attacked governor, Gavin Newsom, and mayor, Karen Bass. It’s unclear where Trump got the “25,000 houses burned to the ground from”, but if he’s referring to the most recent wildfires, which caused significant damage and displacement in the area, the number of homes, businesses and other structures destroyed was around 12,000, not 25,000. Here’s Trump’s Truth Social post: 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, much like 25,000 houses burned to the ground in L.A. do to an incompetent Governor and Mayor – Incidentally, the much more difficult, time consuming, and stringent FEDERAL PERMITTING PROCESS is virtually complete on these houses, while the easy and simple City and State Permits are disastrously bungled up and WAY BEHIND SCHEDULE! They are a total mess, and will be for a long time. People want to rebuild their houses. Call your incompetent Governor and Mayor, the Federal permitting is DONE!!! Share Updated at 15.15 BST

2m ago 15.56 BST Democratic congressman for California John Garamendi said Donald Trump’s response to the protests in downtown Los Angeles is about Trump “pretending that he is the king of this nation, that he has the ultimate power and authority to do anything he wants to do.” Garamendi, speaking to CNN on Tuesday, said the “very significant blowback” created by recent immigration raids and Trump’s actions were to be expected. He said: They are not finding criminals. They’re finding people that are hard-working family members, some of them are in school. They’ve created fear all across this country. Share

12m ago 15.45 BST Chris Stein Pete Hegseth was pressed about his decision to deploy Marines and National Guard troops to Los Angeles by Betty McCollum, the top Democrat on the House appropriations subcommittee before which the defense secretary is testifying. McCollum wanted to know how much the deployments, which have been made over the objections of California’s governor Gavin Newsom, would cost, and what training and other duties the troops were passing up because of the deployment. She also noted that no such troops were deployed in 2020 during protests that followed George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. Hegseth said: 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. Ice ought to be able to do its job, whether it’s Minneapolis or Los Angeles. The police chief said she was overwhelmed, so we helped. McCollum objected to Hegseth’s answers, saying he refused to respond to her questions about the defense department’s budget. Share

1h ago 15.00 BST Hegseth faces grilling on Capitol Hill for first time since Signal scandal and troops sent to LA Defense secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to field sharp questions from members of Congress about his tumultuous start as Pentagon chief, including his sharing of sensitive military details over a Signal group chat, in three separate Capitol Hill hearings beginning today. This will be his first appearance before a House committee since his epic and controversy-ridden Senate confirmation hearings over four months ago – and a lot has happened since then, so it could be a lengthy one. View image in fullscreen Pete Hegseth arrives for a House appropriations defense subcommittee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill. Photograph: Annabelle Gordon/Reuters Lawmakers are also sure to quiz Hegseth on the legality of his mobilization of 700 active-duty marines to assist more than 4,100 national guard troops in protecting federal buildings and personnel. We can expect questions about what the troops are expected to do and how much it will all cost. Under the Posse Comitatus Act, troops are prohibited from policing US citizens on American soil. Invoking the Insurrection Act, which allows troops to do that, is incredibly rare, and Trump has downplayed suggestions that he plans to do that. Hegseth’s conduct around Signalgate is bound to come up, both in terms of his sharing of attack plans in Yemen and his subsequent denials that the information was classified. We can also expect questions around the general sense of chaos around the Pentagon since he took charge, with a number of key staff being fired. Lawmakers also have made it clear they are unhappy that Hegseth has not provided details on the administration’s first proposed defense budget, which Donald Trump has said would total $1tn, a significant increase over the current spending level of more than $800bn. It will also be lawmakers’ first chance to ask Hegseth about a myriad of other controversial spending by the Pentagon, including plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on security upgrades to turn a Qatari jet into Air Force One and to pour as much as $45m into a parade recently added to the Army’s 250th birthday bash, which happens to coincide with Trump’s birthday on Saturday. We did say a lot’s happened. We’ll bring you all the key lines here. Share Updated at 15.21 BST

1h ago 14.46 BST CNN reporters on the ground in downtown Los Angeles, the site of much of the anti-Ice protests over the past five days, report that while some buildings have been vandalized, and there is graffiti in downtown, much of LA has not been affected by the protests. According to CNN – and very much contrary to Trump’s comments about the city – the damage was “not a sliver just of Los Angeles, it’s really a sliver of downtown. Much of the rest of the city is functioning as per normal.” View image in fullscreen A man cleans ‘Fuck Ice’ graffiti off the Robert Young federal building on 9 June. Photograph: Jim Vondruska/Getty Images Share Updated at 15.22 BST

2h ago 14.19 BST ‘The language of authoritarianism’: how Trump and allies cast LA as a lawless city Trump’s language in that last post is just another example of the familiar script of the president and his allies, who – as my colleague Tess Owen writes – over the last few days cast the sprawling city of Los Angeles in shades of fire and brimstone, a hub of dangerous lawlessness that required urgent military intervention in order to be contained. But as we know, the demonstrations were actually confined to very small areas of the city and life generally went on as usual across much of LA. This language is deliberate, says Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a history professor at New York University and scholar on fascist and authoritarian movements, who tells Tess the rhetoric coming from the Trump administration is “an authoritarian trick”. You create a sense of existential fear that social anarchy is spreading, that criminal gangs are taking over. This is the language of authoritarianism all over the world. What is the only recourse to violent mobs and agitators? Using all the force of the state. Thus we have the vision of the national guard, armed to the teeth. It’s like a war zone. That’s on purpose, it’s habituating Americans to see those armed forces as being in combat on the streets of American cities. The protests turned violent when federal immigration authorities used flash bang grenades and tear gas against demonstrators. Over the weekend, fiery and chaotic scenes played out in downtown LA, Compton and Paramount. Dozens of people were arrested for an array of crimes, including an alleged tossing of a molotov cocktail towards Ice officers. Protesters shut down a freeway, several self-driving vehicles were torched and dumpsters were set alight, and there were scattered reports of looting. Still, as mayor Karen Bass noted on CNN on Monday, on “a few streets downtown, it looks horrible”, but there was “not citywide civil unrest”. Trump has also repeatedly suggested that some of the individuals involved in the protest were “paid”, invoking a popular rightwing conspiracy about dark money bankrolling liberal causes. This, too, is another tactic out of the authoritarian playbook, according to Ben-Ghiat. If there are any protests against the autocrat, you have to discredit them by saying they are crisis actors, they are foreign infiltrators. You have to discredit them in the public eye. ‘The language of authoritarianism’: how Trump and allies cast LA as a lawless city needing military intervention Read more Share Updated at 15.25 BST

2h ago 14.12 BST Trump again defends decision to ‘send in the troops’ Donald Trump has again defended his decision to deploy the National Guard to LA, claiming if he hadn’t “that once beautiful and great city would be burning to the ground right now”. As many have pointed out already, the demonstrations started out peacefully, and while some buildings have been vandalized and looted, some cars were set alight and there is graffiti downtown, much of Los Angeles has not been affected at all. Trump then went on a tirade about rebuilding houses in LA and again attacked governor, Gavin Newsom, and mayor, Karen Bass. It’s unclear where Trump got the “25,000 houses burned to the ground from”, but if he’s referring to the most recent wildfires, which caused significant damage and displacement in the area, the number of homes, businesses and other structures destroyed was around 12,000, not 25,000. Here’s Trump’s Truth Social post: 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, much like 25,000 houses burned to the ground in L.A. do to an incompetent Governor and Mayor – Incidentally, the much more difficult, time consuming, and stringent FEDERAL PERMITTING PROCESS is virtually complete on these houses, while the easy and simple City and State Permits are disastrously bungled up and WAY BEHIND SCHEDULE! They are a total mess, and will be for a long time. People want to rebuild their houses. Call your incompetent Governor and Mayor, the Federal permitting is DONE!!! Share Updated at 15.15 BST

2h ago 13.45 BST The day so far Last night Trump sent another 2,000 National Guard troops to LA, following the original 2,000 sent on Saturday.

A battalion of 700 marines were also temporarily mobilized to Los Angeles, marking another escalation in Trump’s response to street protests over his aggressive immigration policies. LAPD said it had not been formally notified and the marines’ arrival would present “a significant logistical and operational challenge”.

Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, said US marines are “not political pawns” and called the Trump administration’s deployment a “blatant abuse of power”. He again accused Trump of “trying to provoke chaos”.

Dozens of people were arrested in California, as other protests sprung up in at least nine other US cities overnight, including New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco. In Austin, Texas, police fired nonlethal munitions and detained several people as they clashed with a crowd of several hundred protesters.

California yesterday said Trump’s deployment of the National Guard was illegal and violated the state’s sovereignty and federal law, according to a court filing of its lawsuit against the US government.

Australia’s prime minister denounced the “horrific” shooting of a rubber bullet at an Australian television reporter covering the unrest in LA. Anthony Albanese said the reporter could reasonably have expected not to be “targeted” with a rubber bullet while doing her job in Los Angeles. The footage showed she was “clearly identified” as a member of the media, with “no ambiguity”, he said. “We don’t find it acceptable that it occurred, and we think the role of the media is particularly important.” He said he had raised the incident with the Trump administration. Share Updated at 14.08 BST

3h ago 12.58 BST Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will also be at Tuesday’s event where Donald Trump will address US soldiers at Fort Bragg as the President deploys the military in an attempt to quiet immigration protests in Los Angeles. Driscoll will attend along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, service members, veterans and their families to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US Army. Fort Bragg, located near Fayetteville, North Carolina, serves as headquarters for US Army Special Operations Command. Highly trained units like the Green Berets and the Rangers are based there. Share

4h ago 12.25 BST Donald Trump and his allies turned to a familiar script over the weekend, casting the sprawling city of Los Angeles in shades of fire and brimstone, a hub of dangerous lawlessness that required urgent military intervention in order to be contained. “Looking really bad in L.A.,” Trump posted on Truth Social in the very early hours of Monday morning. “BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!” But contrary to the Trump administration’s characterization of an entire city in tumult, the demonstrations were actually confined to very small areas and life generally went on as usual across much of the city. Read the full report here: ‘The language of authoritarianism’: how Trump and allies cast LA as a lawless city needing military intervention Read more Share

4h ago 12.16 BST Gaby Hinsliff thinks Trump has unleashed something terrifying in the US – that even he may be powerless to control: She was live on air to viewers back home, her TV microphone clearly in hand, when the rubber bullet hit her. The Australian reporter Lauren Tomasi was the second journalist after the British photographer Nick Stern to be shot with non-lethal rounds while covering protests in Los Angeles sparked by immigration raids. But she was the first to be caught on camera and beamed around the world. There’s no excuse for not knowing what the US is becoming, now that anyone can watch that clip online. Not when you can hear her scream and see the cameraman quickly swing away to film a panicking crowd. Trump has unleashed something terrifying in the US – that even he may be powerless to control | Gaby Hinsliff Read more Gaby Hinsliff Share Updated at 13.04 BST

4h ago 12.08 BST Here are some more images coming to us over the wires from the protests: View image in fullscreen People continue protesting for a third consecutive day in Los Angeles. Photograph: Matthew Hoen/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen People continue protesting for a third consecutive day in Los Angeles. Photograph: Matthew Hoen/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock Share

4h ago 11.50 BST Trump to address soldiers in North Carolina in visit with Hegseth President Donald Trump will address US soldiers on Tuesday as his administration deploys 700 marines to Los Angeles in an escalating response to street protests over his immigration policies. Trump and defense secretary Pete Hegseth are scheduled to visit Fort Bragg, North Carolina, home to around 50,000 active-duty soldiers, for long-scheduled commemorations of the US Army’s 250th anniversary ahead of a major parade in Washington on Saturday, Reuters reports.

Share Updated at 14.08 BST

5h ago 11.21 BST Opinion: Trump is deliberately ratcheting up violence in Los Angeles Moustafa Bayoumi Donald Trump was on his way to Camp David for a meeting with military leaders on Sunday when he was asked by reporters about possibly invoking the Insurrection Act, allowing direct military involvement in civilian law enforcement. Demonstrations against Trump’s draconian immigration arrests had been growing in Los Angeles, and some of them had turned violent. Trump’s answer? “We’re going to have troops everywhere,” he said. I know Trump is “a delusional narcissist and an orange-faced windbag”, to borrow the words of the Republican senator Rand Paul, and that this president governs using misdirection, evasion, and (especially) exaggeration, but we should still be worried by this prospect he raises of sending “troops everywhere”. View image in fullscreen ‘While a government may have the means to inflict mass violence, it is ultimately the people who hold the power. These are the lessons we need to be studying.’ Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters Already, Trump and his administration have taken the unprecedented steps of calling up thousands of national guard soldiers to Los Angeles against the wishes of the California governor, of deploying a battalion of hundreds of marines to “assist” law enforcement in Los Angeles, and of seeking to ban the use of masks by protesters while defending the use of masks for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents. Needless to say, none of this would be happening if these times were normal. What makes this moment abnormal is not the fact that Los Angeles witnessed days of mostly peaceful protests against massive and destructive immigration arrests. We’ve seen such protests countless times before in this country. Nor is it the fact that pockets of such protests turned violent. That too is hardly an aberration in our national history. What makes these times abnormal is the administration’s deliberate escalation of the violence, a naked attempt to ratchet up conflict to justify the imposition of greater force and repression over the American people. Read the full opinion piece here: Trump is deliberately ratcheting up violence in Los Angeles | Moustafa Bayoumi Read more Share Updated at 13.03 BST

5h ago 10.53 BST Kang Hyung-won, a photojournalist who reported for the Los Angeles Times during the 1992 race riots in Los Angeles, said on X, in a reply to Donald Trump Jr.’s post, the picture had been taken by him and it was used without his permission. “You’re using the photo out of context. Please take it down,” Kang said. Kang told Reuters by email his photograph depicted a different situation when law enforcers were not providing adequate protection. Make Rooftop Koreans Great Again! pic.twitter.com/UFRhMPCYLb — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 9, 2025 “(The) current situation of people expressing a widespread disagreement about an excessive and aggressive enforcement by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while LAPD is present and keeping the city in order is not even remotely similar to the dire situation for Korean Americans of those dark hours during the 1992 L.A. Riots,” he said. Kang said he was consulting a lawyer after having no response to his request that Trump Jr. take down the post. No-one from the Washington administration could immediately be reached for comment. Share

5h ago 10.43 BST An association of Korean Americans in Los Angeles has criticised Donald Trump Jr., the son of the US president, for “reckless” comments on social media and urged him not to exploit a riot that devastated their community 33 years ago. The Korean American Federation of Los Angeles also said an operation by the US administration to round up suspected undocumented immigrants lacked “due legal procedures”. Donald Trump Jr. posted a photograph of a man with a rifle on a rooftop on X with a message: “Make Rooftop Koreans Great Again!” referring to actions by the Korean American community during the 1992 race riots in Los Angeles. View image in fullscreen Donald Trump Jr., son of US President Donald Trump, has been criticised for his “reckless” comments on ‘X’. Photograph: Caroline Brehman/EPA The federation in separate statements expressed concern over the developments in Los Angeles over the last week and said their businesses were seriously affected by the crackdown and arrests. “While the unrest has not yet subsided, Donald Trump Jr …. showed the recklessness of posting a post on X on Sunday 8 June, mocking the current unrest by mentioning the ‘Rooftop Korean’ from the LA riots 33 years ago,” it said in a statement on Monday Los Angeles time. “As the eldest son of the current president and an influencer with approximately 15 million followers, his actions could pose a huge risk in these icy times, and we strongly urge the past trauma of the Korean people be never, ever exploited for any purpose.” Share Updated at 13.02 BST

6h ago 10.22 BST Hundreds of deputies have been mobilised in Los Angeles County as law enforcement try to respond to widespread protests, the state governor Gavin Newsom’s office has said. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, in coordination with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), has formally requested mutual aid assistance from law enforcement agencies within and outside of Los Angeles County to support LAPD. It has approved the mobilisation of 20 deputies from San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department; 83 deputies from Orange County Sheriff’s Department; 32 deputies from Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department; 44 deputies from Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and 80 officers from municipal police agencies within Los Angeles County To bring further support to the region, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department has already provided more than 200 deputies to support the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Share

President Donald Trump speaks during an “Invest in America” roundtable with business leaders at the White House, Monday, June 9, 2025, in Washington. Evan Vucci/AP U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers his speech during 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, Saturday, May 31, 2025. Anupam Nath/AP President Donald Trump speaks during an “Invest in America” roundtable with business leaders at the White House, Monday, June 9, 2025, in Washington. Evan Vucci/AP

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is fielding sharp questions from members of Congress about his tumultuous start as Pentagon chief, including his sharing of sensitive military details over a Signal chat, in three separate Capitol Hill hearings beginning Tuesday.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump plans to speak at Fort Bragg to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army as he deploys the military in an attempt to quiet immigration protests in Los Angeles. Trump has promoted the Army’s anniversary as a reason to hold a military parade in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, which is also his 79th birthday.

Here’s the latest:

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Ukraine’s surprise drone attack on Russia has the US rethinking its own defenses, Hegseth says

The attack in early June that destroyed a large number of Russian bomber aircraft caught the U.S. off guard and represented significant advances in drone warfare, Hegseth told lawmakers Tuesday.

The attack has the Pentagon rethinking drone defenses “so we are not vulnerable to a threat and an attack like that,” Hegseth told the House appropriations subcommittee on defense.

Hegseth said the Pentagon “is learning everyday from Ukraine,” and focused on how to better defend its own military airfields.

Hegseth refuses to provide lawmakers details on costs of sending Marines to Los Angeles

In a back an forth with the defense appropriations subcommittee’s top Democrat, Hegseth refused to answer basic questions on the cost of deploying Marines to Los Angeles, instead falling back on political talking points.

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In a series of questions on the news that Marines would be sent to Los Angeles, House Appropriations defense subcommittee ranking member Rep. Betty McCollum told Hegseth “this is a deeply unfair position to put our Marines in,” she said. “There’s no need for the Marines to be deployed.”

McCollum asked what the cost of the deployment would be. Hegseth deflected on the costs, attacked the decisions of the previous Biden administration instead and talked about illegal immigration.

“Could the Secretary please address the budget” McCollum asked him.

Hegseth again refused to acknowledge McCollum’s question and attacked the politics of the past administration again. McCollum took back her time and Hegseth was instructed by the committee chairman to provide the costs in writing instead.

California Democrats accuses Trump of inciting unrest

Democratic members of California’s congressional delegation are accusing the president of creating a “manufactured crisis” in Los Angeles with his orders to send in thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines.

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“It’s a deliberate attempt by Trump to incite unrest, test the limits of executive power and distract from the lawlessness of his administration,” said Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who organized a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday morning.

Rep. Jimmy Panetta said Trump’s decision to send in the military was designed to “give him the image and give him the fight and give him the pictures that he wants.“

Rep. Nancy Pelosi contrasted Trump’s actions now with his handling of the Jan. 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol when law enforcement officers were being beaten.

“We begged the president of the United States to send in the National Guard. He would not do it,” Pelosi said.

Hegseth skirts acknowledging key controversies in opening remarks

Based on his opening remarks in his first appearance before lawmakers since taking office, there’s been nothing but smooth sailing in the defense chief’s office.

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Hegseth completed his opening statement with no mention of his controversial use of Signal, of the lack of defense budget details to guide Congress, or his controversial firings of his own staff or military leaders.

Hegseth also made no mention of a decision to deploy Marines into Los Angeles to respond to immigration raid protests. Instead, he clung closely to the talking points he’s used since taking office, such as emphasizing that “DEI is dead,” and that he’s focused on a return to “lethality.”

Pentagon mired in ‘controversy and chaos,’ lawmaker says in Hegseth hearing

Trump’s defense chief faced a litany of questions on what some lawmakers called “rash” or “reckless” decisions or actions dating back to his first day in office, as Tuesday’s hearing before the House Appropriations defense subcommittee began.

In opening statements, lawmakers asked about Hegseth’s decisions to fire top military leaders, his use of Signal and other controversies, including his firing of several staff members in his inner circle.

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“The Department of Defense is mired in controversy and chaos,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking member of the full committee.

Citing trade wars, the World Bank sharply downgrades forecast for global economic growth

President Trump’s trade wars are expected to slash economic growth this year in the United States and around the world, the World Bank forecast Tuesday.

Citing “a substantial rise in trade barriers’’ but without mentioning Trump by name, the 189-country lender predicted that the U.S. economy — the world’s largest — would grow half as fast (1.4%) this year as it did in 2024 (2.8%). That marked a downgrade from the 2.3% U.S. growth it had forecast back for 2025 back in January.

The bank also lopped 0.4 percentage points off its forecast for global growth this year. It now expects the world economy to expand just 2.3% in 2025, down from 2.8% in 2024.

▶ Read more about the World Bank’s forecast

Trump links protests in Los Angeles to home rebuilding after wildfires

Trump said his decision to “SEND IN THE TROOPS” to Los Angeles spared the city from burning to the ground like thousands of homes after wildfires this year.

He wrote on his social media site that people want to rebuild, and that the federal permitting process is “virtually complete on these houses.”

Trump claimed “the easy and simple City and State Permits are disastrously bungled up and WAY BEHIND SCHEDULE!” and blamed California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

“People want to rebuild their houses. Call your incompetent Governor and Mayor, the Federal permitting is DONE!!!” he wrote.

Trump’s Tuesday schedule, according to the White House

12:25 p.m. — Trump will travel to Fort Bragg, North Carolina

2:40 p.m. — Once he arrives, Trump will observe a military demonstration

4:00 p.m. — Trump will deliver remarks to service members, veterans and their families

6:00 p.m. — Trump will travel back to the White House

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to face Congress for first time since Signal leaks

He’s expected to field sharp questions from members of Congress about his tumultuous start as Pentagon chief, including his sharing of sensitive military details over a Signal chat, in three separate Capitol Hill hearings beginning Tuesday.

Lawmakers also have made it clear they’re unhappy that Hegseth hasn’t provided details on the administration’s first proposed defense budget, which Trump has said would total $1 trillion, a significant increase over the current spending level of more than $800 billion.

It will be lawmakers’ first chance to ask Hegseth about a myriad of other controversial spending by the Pentagon, including plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on security upgrades to turn a Qatari jet into Air Force One and to pour as much as $45 million into a parade recently added to the Army’s 250th birthday bash, which happens to coincide with Trump’s birthday on Saturday.

▶ Read more about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

RFK Jr. ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory committee

Kennedy on Monday removed every member of a scientific committee that advises the CDC on how to use vaccines and pledged to replace them with his own picks.

Major physicians and public health groups criticized the move to oust all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Kennedy, who was one of the nation’s leading anti-vaccine activists before becoming the nation’s top health official, has not said who he would appoint to the panel, but said it would convene in just two weeks in Atlanta.

Although it’s typically not viewed as a partisan board, the entire current roster of committee members were Biden appointees.

▶ Read more about Kennedy’s latest move

Trump pushes ahead with his maximalist immigration campaign in face of LA protests

Trump made no secret of his willingness to take a maximalist approach to enforcing immigration laws and keeping order as he campaigned to return to the White House. The fulfillment of that pledge is now on full display in Los Angeles.

By overriding California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom, Trump is already going beyond what he did to respond to Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, when he warned he could send troops to contain demonstrations that turned violent if governors in the states did not act to do so themselves. Trump said in September of that year that he “can’t call in the National Guard unless we’re requested by a governor” and that “we have to go by the laws.”

But now, he’s moving swiftly to test the bounds of his executive authority in order to deliver on his promise of mass deportations. What remains to be seen is whether Americans will stand by him once it’s operationalized nationwide. For now, Trump is betting that they will.

▶ Read more about Trump’s efforts to fulfill his immigration promises

Trump heads to Fort Bragg while facing criticism for deploying military at Los Angeles protests

Trump plans to speak at Fort Bragg on Tuesday to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army as he deploys the military in an attempt to quiet immigration protests in Los Angeles.

Fort Bragg, located near Fayetteville, North Carolina, serves as headquarters for U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Highly trained units like the Green Berets and the Rangers are based there.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will also be at Tuesday’s event, along with service members, veterans and their families.

Trump has promoted the Army’s anniversary as a reason to hold a military parade in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, which is also his 79th birthday.

Trump, who sees the military as a critical tool for domestic goals, has used the recent protests in Los Angeles as an opportunity to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines to quell disturbances that began as protests over immigration raids.