Today in Politics, Bulletin 149. 6/10/25

… Speaker Mike Johnson said that CA Gov Gavin Newsom should be tarred and feathered. He was asked today if he agreed with Trump and Tom Homan that Newsom should be arrested: “Um, that's not my lane. I'm not going give you legal analysis on whether Gavin Newsom should be arrested. But he ought to be tar and feathered, I'll say that.”

… Cool, just skip over arrests and due process to summary medieval punishments.

… Newsom responded: “Good to know we’re skipping the arrest and going straight for the 1700’s style forms of punishment. A fitting threat given the GOP wants to bring our country back to the 18th Century.”

… Trump was asked today when he last spoke to Newsom: “A day ago. Called him up to tell him - you got to do a better job. He's doing a bad job. Causing a lot of death and potential death.”

… There is no death. And he didn’t call him.

…. Newsom responded: “There was no call. Not even a voicemail. Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesn’t even know who he’s talking to.”

… One thing Newsom has shown is the key to effectively deal with Trump and the MAGA propaganda machine: You must respond immediately and call out the lies. He has done that. He puts out responses minutes after Trump and his minions make statements. He jumps on podcasts and TV right away. You can’t wait until hours or days later, then answer in a press conference, statement, or scripted speech. All Dems should learn from it - especially the leaders in Congress, who don’t seem to understand that in the social media era of politics, you can’t do things the way you did 15-20 years ago.

… DHS Sec Kristi Noem then violated the Hatch Act in the Oval Office of the WH while standing next to Trump: “Gov Newsom has been an incompetent governor of CA for many years. The people there should never elect him into a leadership position ever again.”

… He’s term limited, but I’m more focused on the DHS Sec politicking in the Oval. The president and VP are allowed under the law. Nobody else.

… Trump issued a warning to anyone who plans to protest the military parade on his birthday: “We’re going to be celebrating big on Saturday. And if there’s any protestor who wants to come out, they will be met with very big force. This is people who hate our country. But they will be met with heavy force.”

… The First Amendment specifically states that the government cannot use force to suppress the ability of people to protest the government. That is the primary reason why the free speech clause was put into the very first amendment that James Madison wrote to the Constitution.

… But Trump claims that the military parade in DC is not really about his birthday: “We’re celebrating the Army on Flag Day - not my birthday. It is my birthday, but I’m not celebrating my birthday, I’m celebrating Flag Day. It happens to be the same day so I take a little heat, but Flag Day is the appropriate day.”

… I’m sure we all believe that.

… Axios: “The parade is set to begin at 6:30 pm, and will start at 23rd Street and Constitution Avenue NW and end at 15th and Constitution Avenue NW. The parade will include 28 M1A1 Abrams tanks, 28 M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and 4 Paladin Howitzers. There will be 8 CH-47 Chinook helicopters, 16 AH-64 Apache helicopters, and 16 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.”

… Sen Bernie Sanders (I-VT): “We all like to enjoy a nice birthday party. But most of us don't celebrate with a $45 million taxpayer-funded military parade. Save taxpayer money. Have a birthday cake and blow out a few candles. Don’t shut down the capital and roll out 60-ton tanks through the streets.”

… Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI): “For the first time in 30 years, a Vietnam Veterans ceremony must relocate from DC to Virginia - so Vietnam Draft Dodger Trump can throw himself the world’s creepiest birthday party.”

… Walmart heiress Christy Walton is funding full page ads in the NYT this week for “No Kings Day,” which is a series of nationwide counter-protests scheduled for Trump’s birthday.

… Breitbart editor Matthew Boyle: “Given that Walmart fortune heiress Christy Walton is funding them, and the fact that Walmart CEO Doug McMillon is now outright refusing to condemn violence against law enforcement per spokeswoman Lauren Willis, it’s time to start calling them the Mexican Flag Walmart Riots.”

… Sen Josh Hawley (R-MO): “These LA rioters love waving their foreign flags while they burn ours. If you burn the American flag in furtherance of a crime, you ought to get your prison sentence doubled.”

… Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) posted this: “On June 7-9 and June 14 there will be protests across the country. Some of these are being backed by a communist group tied to the CCP. These groups are using ICE protests as a ruse. MAGA: DO NOT SHOW UP IN GEAR. IF YOU DO ATTEND AND WITNESS ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, RECORD FACES AND LICENSE PLATES. We will ask you to submit footage and information to the FBI. THIS IS ORCHESTRATED.”

… Kristi Noem was talking tough on Fox: “The more that people conduct violence against law enforcement officers, boy, we’re going to hit ‘em back, and we’re going to hit ‘em back harder than we ever have before.”

… Noem on LA and Mayor Karen Bass: “She’s holding press conferences talking about the fact that people have the right to peacefully protest and that they’re a city of immigrants. Well, they’re not a city of immigrants, they’re a city of criminals, because she has protected them for so many years.”

… AG Pam Bondi to Fox on the LA protests: “It looks like a Third World country, and it’s not. It’s the United States of America. We are not standing for it.”

… SecDef Pete Hegseth testified for the first time today before the House. He was supposed to talk about the DOD budget, but wanted to spend his time trashing Biden and “woke ideology.” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) finally had enough: “Please, I want your plan! I’ve had difficulty with the prior admin and I don’t mind calling them out. But what is your plan for the future! Can we get that in writing on paper so we know where you’re going, because we don’t have anything today. Zip. Nada. Give us details!”

… Veterans activist Fred Wellman: “He showed up at the budget hearing with all of his usual bullshit talking points but none of the actual budget. He hasn’t bothered. His priority is prayer meetings, workouts, book banning, and travel. He does videos in his office but none of the actual boring work of a Cabinet Secretary.”

… Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) asked Hegseth about Trump using the Nat Guard in CA: “The basis that the president used cites 3 examples in circumstances for the Guard: 1. Invasion by a foreign nation. 2. Rebellion against the govt. 3. The president is unable with regular forces to execute the laws of the nation. Which is triggered here?” HEGSETH: “Sounds like all three.” Aguilar: “You think the president is unable to execute the laws of the US?”

… ABC’s chief political correspondent Terry Moran was fired today by ABC for his post about Stephen Miller. I thought they’d give him a one-week suspension given his long track record as an excellent reporter, but ABC caved again to Trump. Sad. These are the days I’m glad I’m not a corporate journalist.

Reminder no Bulletin tomorrow because I do my podcast Uncovered where we do a deeper dive into the Top 10 stories of the week. We are also adding a new ‘Ask Me Anything’ weekly show starting tomorrow after Uncovered where paid subscribers can submit questions to Ben and I will be answer them from you with Ben moderating. (Everyone can watch of course). Nothing is off limits and I won’t know what’s coming - so you can test my range of knowledge!

Thanks again truly for everyone who supports my work so I don’t have to worry about being Terry Moran! If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.

… Politico on CA’s lawsuit against Trump asserting that his order to federalize the Guard violated the law: “Gavin Newsom's lawsuit against Trump goes to Judge Charles Breyer, brother of the Supreme Court justice and appointee of Bill Clinton.”

… Aguilar asked Hegseth’s Undersecretary Bryn MacDonnell how much it will cost taxpayers to deploy the Nat Guard and the Marines to LA: “The current estimated cost is $134 million.”

… Trump was asked how long the Nat Guard is going to stay on the streets of LA: “Until there’s no danger. You would’ve had a horrible situation had I not sent them.”

… Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA): “On January 6th, we begged the president of the United States to send in the National Guard. He would not do it. And yet, in a contra-