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
The Latest: Trump heads to Fort Bragg to celebrate 250th anniversary for US ArmyBy The Associated PressThe Associated Press
President Donald 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.
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:
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.
▶ Read more about Trump’s Fort Bragg trip
