Trump says Elon Musk could face 'serious consequences' if he backs Democratic candidates

Trump says Elon Musk could face 'serious consequences' if he backs Democratic candidates

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — PresidentDonald Trumpis not backing offhis battle with Elon Musk,saying Saturday that he has no desire to repair their relationship and warning that his former ally and campaign benefactor could face "serious consequences" if he tries to help Democrats in upcoming elections. Trump told NBC's Kristen Welker in a phone interview that he has no plans to make up with Musk. Asked specifically if he thought his relationship with the mega-billionaire CEO ofTeslaand SpaceX is over, Trump responded, "I would assume so, yeah." "I'm too busy doing other things," Trump continued. "You know, I won an election in a landslide. I gave him a lot of breaks, long before this happened, I gave him breaks in my first administration, and saved his life in my first administration, I have no intention of speaking to him." The president also issued a warning amid chatter that Musk could back Democratic lawmakers and candidates in the 2026 midterm elections. "If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that," Trump told NBC, though he declined to share what those consequences would be. Musk's businesses have many lucrative federal contracts. The president's latest comments suggest Musk is moving from close ally to a potential new target for Trump, who has aggressively wielded the powers of his office to crack down on critics and punish perceived enemies. As a major government contractor, Musk's businesses could beparticularly vulnerableto retribution. Trump has alreadythreatenedto cut Musk's contracts, calling it an easy way to save money. The dramatic rupture between the president and the world's richest man began this week with Musk's public criticism of Trump's "big beautiful bill" pending on Capitol Hill. Musk has warned that the bill will increase the federal deficit and called ita "disgusting abomination." Trump criticized Musk in the Oval Office, and before long, he and Musk began trading bitterly personal attacks on social media, sending the White House and GOP congressional leaders scrambling to assess the fallout. As the back-and-forth intensified, Musk suggested Trump should be impeached and claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the president's association withinfamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Musk appeared by Saturday morning to have deleted his posts about Epstein. Vice President JD Vance in an interview tried to downplaythe feud. He said Musk was making a "huge mistake" going after Trump, but called him an "emotional guy" getting frustrated. "I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear," Vance said. Vance called Musk an "incredible entrepreneur," and said that Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, which sought to cut government spending and laid off or pushed out thousands of workers, was "really good." Vance made the comments in an interview with "manosphere" comedian Theo Von,who last monthjoked about snorting drugs off a mixed-race babyand the sexuality of men in the U.S. Navy when he opened for Trump at a military base in Qatar. The Vance interview was taped Thursday as Musk's posts were unfurling on X, the social media network the billionaire owns. During the interview, Von showed the vice president Musk's claim that Trump's administration hasn't released all the records related to Epstein because Trump is mentioned in them. Vance responded to that, saying, "Absolutely not. Donald Trump didn't do anything wrong with Jeffrey Epstein." "This stuff is just not helpful," Vance said in response to another post shared by Musk calling for Trump to be impeached and replaced with Vance. "It's totally insane. The president is doing a good job." Vance also defended the bill that has drawn Musk's ire, and said its central goal was not to cut spending but to extend the 2017 tax cuts approved in Trump's first term. The bill would slash spending and taxes but also leave some 10.9 million more people without health insurance and spike deficits by $2.4 trillionover the decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. "It's a good bill," Vance said. "It's not a perfect bill." The interview was taped in Nashville at a restaurant owned by musician Kid Rock, a Trump ally. ___

byMario Satorik

in

June 08, 2025

Trump says Elon Musk could face 'serious consequences' if he backs Democratic candidates

Trump says Elon Musk could face 'serious consequences' if he backs Democratic candidates BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — PresidentDonald Tr...

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Trump deploys National Guard as Los Angeles protests against immigration agents continue

Trump deploys National Guard as Los Angeles protests against immigration agents continue

By Omar Younis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -President Donald Trump's administration said it would deploy 2,000 National Guard troops on Saturday as federal agents in Los Angeles faced off against a few hundred demonstrators during a second day of protests following immigration raids. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that the Pentagon was prepared to mobilize active-duty troops "if violence continues" in Los Angeles, saying the Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were "on high alert." Federal security agents on Saturday confronted protesters in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, where some demonstrators displayed Mexican flags. A second protest in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night attracted some 60 people, who chanted slogans including "ICE out of L.A.!" Trump signed a presidential memorandum to deploy the National Guard troops to "address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester," the White House said in a statement. Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, told Fox News that the National Guard would be deployed in Los Angeles on Saturday. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the decision "purposefully inflammatory." He posted on X that Trump was deploying the National Guard "not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle," adding: "Don't give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully." Newsom said it was "deranged behavior" for Hegseth to be "threatening to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil against its own citizens." Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that if Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass can't do their jobs "then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!" The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where census data suggests a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term. 'VIOLENT INSURRECTION' "Insurrectionists carrying foreign flags are attacking immigration enforcement officers, while one half of America's political leadership has decided that border enforcement is evil," Vice President JD Vance posted on X late on Saturday. Senior White House aide Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner, described the protests as a "violent insurrection." The administration has not invoked the Insurrection Act, two U.S. officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity. One said that National Guard troops can deploy quickly, within 24 hours in some cases, and that the military was working to source the 2,000 troops. The 1807 law empowers a president to deploy the U.S. military to enforce the law and suppress events like civil disorder. The last time it was invoked was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots at the request of the California governor. Video footage of the Paramount protest showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks at the Paramount protest, lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. Authorities began detaining some protesters, according to Reuters witnesses. Los Angeles police posted on X that "multiple people have been detained for failing to disperse after multiple warnings were issued." It did not give further details. There was no official information of any arrests. "Now they know that they cannot go to anywhere in this country where our people are, and try to kidnap our workers, our people - they cannot do that without an organized and fierce resistance," said protester Ron Gochez, 44. A first round of protests kicked off on Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that there were about "1,000 rioters" at the protests on Friday. Reuters could not verify DHS's account. Angelica Salas, executive director of immigrants' rights organization Chirla, said lawyers had not had access to those detained on Friday, which she called "very worrying." TRUMP'S IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the U.S.-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also caught up people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to requests for comment on the protests or whether there had been any immigration raids on Saturday. Television news footage on Friday showed unmarked vehicles resembling military transport and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. Raids occurred around Home Depot stores, where street vendors and day laborers were picked up, as well as at a garment factory and a warehouse, Salas of Chirla said. Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, condemned the immigration raids. "I am deeply angered by what has taken place," Bass said in a statement. "These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this." (Reporting by Sandra Stojanovic and Omar Younis; Additional reporting by Lucia Mutikani, Alexandra Ulmer, Michael Martina and Idrees Ali; Writing by Alexandra Ulmer and Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Diane Craft, Deepa Babington, Michelle Nichols and William Mallard)

byMario Satorik

in

June 08, 2025

Trump deploys National Guard as Los Angeles protests against immigration agents continue

Trump deploys National Guard as Los Angeles protests against immigration agents continue By Omar Younis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -President Do...

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Thunder trace ties to tight-knit fan community to 1995 Oklahoma City bombing

Thunder trace ties to tight-knit fan community to 1995 Oklahoma City bombing

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault was just 10 years old at the time of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995. Just two players on the Thunder's roster had been born at that time – Alex Caruso had just turned 1, and Kenrich Williams was 4 months old. But they all have knowledge of the crime and tragedy because every Thunder employee – from the business side to basketball operations, from first-round draft pick to a player on a two-way G League contract – visits and tours the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. "I was on that tour within a month of working here," said Daigneault, who was hired as the franchise's G League coach in 2014. "There's literally no one that's ever put a logo on their chest that has not been through there because it's just such a big part of the story of the city and the kindness, the compassion that the city has and this community has not only for the team but for one another." April 19 marked the30th anniversary of the bombing, and the memorial and museum has conducted several events honoring victims and their families and sharing history. There is no question the bombing shaped the city and region, contributing to its resolve, strength and sense of community. The memorial and museum are one mile north of the team's arena in downtown Oklahoma City, and about 500,000 people visit the sacred ground annually. The memorial is marked by solemnity and a reminder of evil. On a recent morning, visitors walked through the outdoor portion of the memorial. At one end, the 9:01 Gate "represents the innocence before the attack" – the bombing happened at 9:02 – and the 9:03 Gate "symbolizes the moment healing began." The 168 chairs represent each of the people killed in the bombing, the survivor wall – a remnant from the explosion – and the survivor tree, "a living symbol of resilience," are part of the outdoor memorial. Kari Watkins is the president and CEO of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum and has had a significant role in creating a space that honors and teaches through a variety of storytelling methods, includinginteractive exhibits. Watkins, one ofUSA TODAY's 2025 Women of the Year, was thememorial and museum's first employee. She said Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti reached out to her. "I met with him, talked to him and took him through (the memorial and museum), and we've become good friends," Watkins told USA TODAY Sports. "He is more than a GM to me. He is a friend." Presti is on the memorial and museum's executive committee. "We have this term called theOklahoma Standard," Watkins said. "It was a term that (Tom) Brokaw coined the first night of his broadcast in 1995 talking about how Oklahomans were a little different. They were cowboy tough, they were resilient, they were strong, and they had set the standard he had never seen before. … "I'll never forget one board meeting, I don't know, 10 years ago, eight years ago, Sam said, 'You guys take this for granted. You think everybody takes care of their neighbors.' Everybody steps up, and it says so much about the people of the city. They just go and do things. They serve others, they help others. And there's a kindness level here, and we've worked on that harder because of Sam's influence." OPINION:How Pacers coach Rick Carlisle helped Thunder GM Sam Presti break into NBA C-suite USA TODAY Women of the Year:Pacers CEO Mel Raines relishes building community through sport On Friday, June 6, Watkins led NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Thunder owner Clay Bennett on a tour. "I was telling the commissioner the reason I think it's so important is because we are starting to see the same dehumanization and hear the same anti-government rhetoric, and we're hearing all those same noises we heard in 1995, and we've got to stop it," Watkins said. "We've got to figure how to sit down and listen." Caruso, the Thunder's key reserve guard, started his professional basketball career with the Thunder's G League team in 2016. That's when he visited the memorial and museum for the first time. "The cool thing about the organization is no matter how big, small, what your role is on the team, you make a trip out there just to learn about the history of it and how it did impact the community and understand why the relationship is so tight between this team and organization and the community," Caruso said. Said Watkins: "What the perpetrators sought to do in 1995 was to divide our city. And if you're here, you see a city that's united. And so those were the lessons we learned, and we just want to keep, we're passing them on to thousands of school kids a year. "But when you wear the words Oklahoma City on your jersey, you are an ambassador for your city. And so when they come through, they learn the story. Most of them don't know it. They weren't alive. And unless they've Googled it or seen it somewhere, they don't know the story." They now know the story, woven into the heart and soul of the city. Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media@JeffZillgitt This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Part of Thunder's identity traces roots to Oklahoma City bombing

byMario Satorik

in

June 08, 2025

Thunder trace ties to tight-knit fan community to 1995 Oklahoma City bombing

Thunder trace ties to tight-knit fan community to 1995 Oklahoma City bombing OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault was just 10...

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Kevin O'Connell is a QB guru. How that happened is best part of his Vikings story

Kevin O'Connell is a QB guru. How that happened is best part of his Vikings story

Editor's note: This story is a part of a series by USA TODAY Sports called Project: June. We will publish at least one NFL-themed story every day throughout the month because fans know the league truly never sleeps. It was last December when former tight end Greg Olsen, an announcer on Fox, said something that has become increasingly popular now about Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell. But then, Olsen was one of the first high-profile people to put it so bluntly and publicly. "If you're starting a franchise and you need a great coach, play-caller, quarterback whisperer," Olsen said, "he might be the guy." He probably istheguy. But how did O'Connell get to this point? I've been told by several people who've been around O'Connell that he does this one thing that is increasingly rare in the NFL (and actually in all of society): He listens. He listens extremely well. O'Connell prepares and works hard but his listening skills are supposedly what distinguishes him from some other coaches. When it comes to formulating a game plan, he accepts input more than the average coach, it seems. He's perhaps mastered the trickiest part of doing the job in that he listens while simultaneously leading. None of this is to say O'Connell is alone at doing this, but he might be the best at it. Even the way he handled the Aaron Rodgers situation was impressive. More listening. More good communication. It was a tricky one for O'Connell. He had to navigate what is a friendship between the two men and explore (delicately) the possibility of Rodgers joining the Vikings while simultaneously protecting the interests of J.J. McCarthy. "When there was an opportunity — when him and I connected this offseason just to kind of talk about what that would look like — we had a lot of great dialogue about it, but it always was centered around what was best not only for the present in theMinnesota Vikingsorganization, but the future,"O'Connell said. "I was very honest about my feelings towards J.J., my obligation that I felt like we were going to give him the best possible situation to begin and thrive on this NFL journey, and let's see where it goes. We stayed in touch and had some communication," he said. "... Out of respect for our friendship and everything, that's about as much as really kind of happened." #Vikingshead coach Kevin O'Connell talks about his discussions with Aaron Rodgers in the offseason and what he thinks about the veteran QB@iHeartRadiopic.twitter.com/UvzCGG51T7 — KFAN1003 (@KFAN1003)June 6, 2025 There's also the preparation part of O'Connell's game, and this is whereMcCarthy,who is taking over the position fromSam Darnold,will also greatly benefit. Vikings offensive tackle Brian O'Neill once explained O'Connell'sattention to detail this way: "It's always, like, 'Hey, we're going to do this run this way because, later in the game, that's what they're going to see, and the way our formations are, they're going to think it's this, but it's really that,'" O'Neill said a few months ago. "It's keying players into why we're installing things the way we are, rather than some coaches who call plays and install plays, and the players don't know why." "If you're starting a franchise and you need a great coach, play-caller, QB whisperer he might be the guy." -@gregolsen88on Head Coach Kevin O'ConnellWe know that's right.pic.twitter.com/6lNT3HCTo8 — Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings)December 9, 2024 Said O'Connell to ESPN:"Coaching, in my opinion, is about what you do in those moments to help make sure that your team improves and players improve. And then doing it in a way that never ever alters their confidence to go get their job done. "If we're only going to operate the way we want when things are going well, that's a culture that has nothing to do with what we're trying to build here. And luckily, because I think we have great players and we have great people in our locker room and our coaching staff, people have adhered to that being our way of doing things, and it has shown up." O'Connell was named Coach of the Year in 2024 and in many ways it wasn't just about the season. It could have easily been a lifetime achievement award as he has worked around many quarterbacks and changed their careers for the better. The latest was of course Darnold. If O'Connell's history continues, McCarthy will be another QB success story for him. Just watch ... and listen. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:J.J. McCarthy is in great hands with QB whisperer Kevin O'Connell

byMario Satorik

in

June 08, 2025

Kevin O'Connell is a QB guru. How that happened is best part of his Vikings story

Kevin O'Connell is a QB guru. How that happened is best part of his Vikings story Editor's note: This story is a part of a series by...

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Trump says Department of Justice made decision to bring back Abrego Garcia

Trump says Department of Justice made decision to bring back Abrego Garcia

(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday it was the Department of Justice, not him, that made the decision to bring back to the U.S. a man mistakenly deported from Maryland to El Salvador. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was flown back to face criminal charges of transporting illegal immigrants within the U.S., Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Friday. His return marked an inflection point in a case seized on by critics of Trump's immigration crackdown as a sign that his administration was disregarding civil liberties in its push to step up deportations of migrants. "Well, that wasn't my decision. The Department of Justice decided to do it that way, and that's fine," Trump told NBC News in an interview when asked about Abrego Garcia's return. Trump added that he had not spoken to El Salvador President Nayib Bukele about the move. Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran whose wife and young child in Maryland are U.S. citizens, appeared in federal court in Nashville on Friday evening. His arraignment was set for June 13, when he will enter a plea, according to local media reports. Until then, he will remain in federal custody. If convicted, he would be deported to El Salvador after serving his sentence, Bondi said. The Trump administration has said Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang, an accusation that his lawyers deny. Abrego Garcia was deported on March 15, more than two months before the charges were filed. He was briefly held in a mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador, despite a U.S. immigration judge's 2019 order barring him from being sent to the Central American nation because he would likely be persecuted by gangs. Trump said he thought it would be "a very easy case" against Abrego Garcia, who he accused of having a "horrible record of abuse" of women. Abrego Garcia's lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, has called the criminal charges "fantastical." (Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Michael Martina; Editing by Paul Simao)

byMario Satorik

in

June 08, 2025

Trump says Department of Justice made decision to bring back Abrego Garcia

Trump says Department of Justice made decision to bring back Abrego Garcia (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday it was th...

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Investigators looking at who sent Hegseth's Signal messages, sources say

Investigators looking at who sent Hegseth's Signal messages, sources say

Pentagon investigators are looking into whether Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth personally wrote the text messages detailing themilitary's plans to strike Houthi targetsin Yemen or whether other staffers typed out those details, according to two people familiar with the ongoing probe. The Defense Department's Office of Inspector General has spent several weeks interviewing Hegseth's current and former staff members to figure out how United States strike details taken from a classified system wound up in a commercial messaging app known as Signal. "Because this is one of the DOD IG's ongoing projects, in accordance with our policy we do not provide the scope or details to protect the integrity of the process and avoid compromising the evaluation," DOD IG spokesperson Mollie Halperin told ABC News. The details were relayed intwo chat groupsthat included Hegseth - one with Vice President JD Vance and other high-ranking officials, and a second one that included Hegseth's wife, who is not employed by the government. MORE: Pentagon watchdog launches probe into Hegseth use of Signal chat ahead of Houthi airstrike It remains unclear how soon the findings will be released. Hegseth is scheduled to testify for the first time as defense secretary on Tuesday, where Democratic lawmakers are expected to question his handling of classified and sensitive information. The sharing of the details reportedly occurred around the same time in mid-March when key members of President Donald Trump's National Security Council, including Hegseth, inadvertently shared details about the March 15 missile strike in Yemen with the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. Much of the same content was shared in the second encrypted chat with family members and others -- a chat group that Hegseth had created on his personal phone during his confirmation process that included his wife, Jennifer Hegseth, the two officials told ABC News. MORE: What to know about Signal, which the Pentagon previously discouraged workers from using In addition to looking at whether the information was classified and who wrote it, investigators are also asking whether any staff members were asked by Hegseth or others to delete messages, according to one person familiar with the IG probe. The government is required under law to retain federal communications as official records.

byMario Satorik

in

June 08, 2025

Investigators looking at who sent Hegseth's Signal messages, sources say

Investigators looking at who sent Hegseth's Signal messages, sources say Pentagon investigators are looking into whether Department of D...

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Coco Gauff used words and a mirror to persuade herself she could win the French Open

Coco Gauff used words and a mirror to persuade herself she could win the French Open

PARIS (AP) — A little bit of self-persuasion went a very long way for Coco Gauff, whose victory at theFrench Opengave the 21-year-old American a trophy she has long coveted, and a second major title. Gauff defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday to add to herU.S. Open titletwo years ago. Sabalenka had been the more in-form player heading into the final and Gauff felt she needed some extra motivation. So she drew inspiration fromGabby Thomas, who became the women'sOlympic 200-meter championat last year's Paris Olympics. Thomas had kept writing down that she would be the Olympic champion in her Notes app, so Gauff tried adopting the same approach and grabbed a piece of paper. "I wrote, 'I will be French Open champion 2025' like a bunch of times," Gauff explained. "She (Thomas) wrote 'I will be the Olympic champion' and she ended up winning the gold. I think it's a great mindset that she had." Eight lines on a piece of paperwritten by Gauff late on a Friday night, then it was finally time for bed, time to rest. Not quite. Gauff then persuaded herself a little bit more, by staring at the mirror and convincing herself she was looking at the face of a soon-to-be French Open champion. "Looking at myself in the mirror so I was trying to instil that belief, and obviously it happened. I didn't know if it was going to work or not. (But) it did," Gauff said, then laughed as she added: "When you're desperate, you're just trying anything to think that it's going to help you win." Gauff also posted on Instagram another message she wrote to herselffour years ago, which started with the words "I had a dream last night that I will win (the) French Open." Job done. What also stood out during the 2 hours and 38 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Saturday — in a gritty final punctuated by swirling winds due to the open roof — was how Gauff stayed calm while Sabalenka imploded and continually remonstrated with herself. All the screams and shouts were coming from Sabalenka's side of the net, while there was an almost quiet, steely focus on Gauff's side. That's largely because, these days, Gauff gets her frustrations out before matches. "I know how important it is for me to let out those emotions so that when I come on the match court I can try and be as calm as possible," the No. 2-ranked Gauff said. "I'm more cool-headed in matches. But in practice I can get pretty upset. Just let me be upset. If I'm upset, I'd rather be upset on the practice court than the match." Gauff will now switch to the grass-court season and may play inBerlin, Germanyin a week's time before heading to London for Wimbledon, which starts on May 30. When she gets to London, Gauff will indulge in one of her favorite hobbies: trying to get out of Escape Rooms. "For sure, I love it, and I'm going to definitely do it," she said. And how about Sabalenka? How will she be coping with the defeat and thefrustrationsshe so clearly felt? Will she be analyzing footage of the match over and over again, trying to understand where she went wrong and what she must do better? Far from it. She's off to indulge herself in Greece. "I already have a flight booked to Mykonos and alcohol, sugar. I just need couple of days to completely forget about this crazy world," Sabalenka said. "Tequila, gummy bears, and I don't know, swimming, being like the tourist for couple of days." ___ AP tennis:https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

byMario Satorik

in

June 08, 2025

Coco Gauff used words and a mirror to persuade herself she could win the French Open

Coco Gauff used words and a mirror to persuade herself she could win the French Open PARIS (AP) — A little bit of self-persuasion went a ver...

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