You guys. It’s been a WEEKEND (and a Monday.) We went to a birthday party on Saturday night and got in the car to drive home, only to open the phone and watch rioting breaking out in the state of my birth, and a shooting AND stabbing in D.C., which is not far from our current home.
It’s 2025, and none of this is surprising, but it’s still alarming.
Let’s get into it for our June 10th installment of the Dawn Dispatch…
Trump Deploys National Guard to Los Angeles Amid Immigration Protests
President Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell immigration protests, marking the first time a US chief executive has used such power since 1992 during the Los Angeles riots. About 300 members of the National Guard arrived in Los Angeles Sunday morning following two consecutive days of protests over immigration enforcement actions.
The deployment came after federal agents faced off against demonstrators during protests following immigration raids that rounded up dozens of people across Los Angeles. ICE arrested about 118 people in the L.A. area over the past week.
California Governor Gavin Newsom called the move unlawful and has since sued the Trump administration. Newsom accused Trump of trying to manufacture a crisis and violating California's state sovereignty, writing on X: "These are the acts of a dictator, not a president."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced that 700 U.S. Marines were mobilized by the Trump administration Monday to support the National Guard in LA amid anti-ICE protests.
The Insurrection Act Question Looms
While President Trump hasn't formally invoked the 1807 Insurrection Act—which permits domestic military deployment during foreign invasion or domestic rebellion—his Sunday comments suggest he's keeping that option on the table. When pressed about invoking the law, Trump responded, "It depends on whether or not there's an insurrection." His recent characterization of the LA protesters as "insurrectionists" appears to be setting the stage for potential escalation.
The Legal Landscape: Without formally invoking the Insurrection Act, Marines remain prohibited from engaging in law enforcement activities—a crucial constitutional distinction that California officials are hammering in their lawsuit.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta argues the administration overreached by exercising powers typically reserved for full Insurrection Act invocation. "There is no invasion. There is no rebellion," Bonta declared, accusing Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth of "jumping from zero to 60" while bypassing proper law enforcement protocols in what he calls an "unnecessary and inflammatory escalation."
Historical Context: Presidential use of such powers isn't unprecedented. George H.W. Bush invoked the Insurrection Act during the 1992 Rodney King riots—but critically, at California's governor's request. The last time a president deployed troops against a state's objections was LBJ during Alabama civil rights demonstrations in 1965, according to the Brennan Center.
*My podcast co-host and I will be talking all about this topic on today’s episode. Make sure you’re subscribed.
Trump-China Trade Talks Resumed Yesterday in London
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