Live Updates: Hegseth to be grilled on Capitol Hill; Trump heading to Fort Bragg
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will face a barrage of questions Tuesday as he appears on Capitol Hill for his first public testimony since his bruising confirmation hearing in January. Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee are expected to press Hegseth on his use of an unclassified messaging app, President Donald Trump's pursuit of a Qatari luxury airliner for use as Air Force One, a ban on transgender service members and a $45 million military parade planned for Saturday, among other topics. Trump, meanwhile, plans to head to Fort Bragg in North Carolina on Tuesday as part of the celebration of the Army's 250th anniversary as he continues to face questions about his deployment of the military to quell protests in Los Angeles.
The specter of federally controlled troops in American streets has historically signaled a seismic social crisis, from forcing integration in Arkansas to protecting civil rights marchers in Alabama. But President Donald Trump sent the National Guard to Los Angeles at a time when state and local officials said they had protests there under control.
House Democrats will have an opportunity Tuesday to question Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about what they describe as his polarizing stewardship of the Pentagon and the unabating turmoil that has gripped the institution during his brief tenure in charge, a potentially uncomfortable subject he has mostly avoided in public remarks to date.
The Smithsonian's Board of Regents said Monday night that 'all personnel decisions' are directed by Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, 10 days after President Donald Trump claimed that he had fired the director of the institution's National Portrait Gallery. The board, which issued its statement after an all-day meeting Monday, also said that it supported Bunch's 'authority and management' of the Smithsonian.
LOS ANGELES — The relationship between the leader of the United States and the country's most populous state reached a near-breaking point Monday, as President Donald Trump said he thought California Gov. Gavin Newsom should be arrested, a claim that Newsom described as an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.
As the two men traded recriminations, Trump stepped up the military's presence on the streets of Los Angeles, against Newsom's will.
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Pritzker, governors will defend immigration policies before House panel
As President Donald Trump spars with California's governor over immigration enforcement, Republicans in Congress are calling other Democratic governors to the Capitol on Thursday to question them over policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform posted a video ahead of the hearing highlighting crimes allegedly committed by immigrants in the U.S. illegally and pledging that 'sanctuary state governors will answer to the American people.' The hearing is to include testimony from Govs. JB Pritzker of Illinois, Tim Walz of Minnesota and Kathy Hochul of New York. There's no legal definition of a sanctuary jurisdiction, but the term generally refers to governments with policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Courts previously have upheld the legality of such laws. 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The Minnesota Legislature, meeting in a special session, passed legislation Monday to repeal a 2023 law that allowed adults in the U.S. illegally to be covered under a state-run health care program for the working poor. Walz insisted on maintaining eligibility for children who aren't in the country legally, Cappelletti reported from Washington, D.C. Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Mo. Also contributing were Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre in Albany, N.Y.; Steve Karnowski in St. Paul, Minn.; and Sophia Tareen in Chicago. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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LA-area mayors plead with Trump admin to stop ICE immigration arrests
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As the Middle East teeters on the brink, Trump could be forced into war with Iran
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