Hegseth vows ‘surge’ of National Guard troops in Washington DC after Trump says ‘don’t lower the number’ – live

From 1h agoHegseth on National Guard troops in DC: 'We're going to surge this summer'

Trump has called for the numbers of US National Guard troops deployed across Washington DC to not be lowered.

“Keep them, and don’t lower the number, either. Somebody said, ‘Oh, are there less?’ I said, ‘I hope not, but don’t lower the number, if you don’t mind,” Trump said.

In response, defense secretary Pete Hegseth said: “We’re going to surge this summer too.”

Former attorney general Pam Bondi revealed that she was recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer.","elementId":"c9685ec6-c2c5-4b29-9ff4-448b77fe7c50"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

In an interview with CNN, Bondi, who was ousted by Trump in April over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, shared that she has already undergone surgery and is still recovering and “doing well, though.”","elementId":"83daff7f-2f78-4ebe-8e61-279a336b0270"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Although Bondi is no longer leading the justice department, Trump has tapped her for another influential role within his administration, Axios reports.","elementId":"949565f0-f693-4707-a700-8bb5a5e536e4"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

She will now serve on the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a group helping shape federal policy on artificial intelligence and technology.","elementId":"82801cad-f6d2-4ea5-957d-33359b758cb7"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Trump has called for the numbers of US National Guard troops deployed across Washington DC to not be lowered.","elementId":"5f2dd3e5-9f20-4294-a6c3-60a2b3c92488"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

“Keep them, and don’t lower the number, either. Somebody said, ‘Oh, are there less?’ I said, ‘I hope not, but don’t lower the number, if you don’t mind,” Trump said.","elementId":"a20d044c-ced6-4268-a17a-a0646f9d42a1"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Trump briefly interjected Marco Rubio’s briefing, saying that the US is “producing right now more oil by double than Russia and Saudi Arabia combined.”","elementId":"8ada290d-e6f0-414f-8424-2d7d79218164"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

He then added: “We don’t need oil, we don’t need the straits, we don’t need anything but we have more oil now being produced by double, by two times than Russia and Saudi Arabia combined.”","elementId":"fb92acec-76b8-4912-a86f-63ff8fc7ce14"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Trump had previously threatened Iran, warning that “a whole civilization will die” if Tehran refused to comply with US demands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz - a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments.","elementId":"a9209ecf-ea32-4617-8475-c441015c86c0"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1779899264000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"18.27 CEST","blockLastUpdated":1779899488000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"18.31 CEST","blockFirstPublished":1779899488000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"18.31 CEST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"18.31","title":"Trump: 'We don't need oil, we don't need the straits'","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Wed 27 May 2026 20.02 CEST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 27 May 2026 12.12 CEST"},{"id":"6a17145a8f084f59d18441ad","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Trump’s cabinet meeting at the White House has started.","elementId":"92d80c29-52c3-4cf4-9edf-85ca99e67d71"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

He has begun by talking about his administration’s achievements, starting with “zero illegal aliens” entering the country in the last 12 months and a drop in murder rates across the country.","elementId":"c9e1ffce-8ae4-41eb-99fa-78db4000b315"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1779897434000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"17.57 CEST","blockLastUpdated":1779899115000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"18.25 CEST","blockFirstPublished":1779897556000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"17.59 CEST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"17.59","title":"Trump holds cabinet meeting at White House","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Wed 27 May 2026 20.02 CEST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 27 May 2026 12.12 CEST"},{"id":"6a170daf8f08c2c7e6ab2ca7","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Republican leaders rushed to throw their weight behind Ken Paxton following his big primary victory in Texas over the four-term US senator, John Cornyn, amid anxiety within the party over his prospects in November’s general election.","elementId":"d0ee590c-8376-4b44-9914-5d8b3179d08f"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Hours after the race was called, Trump who backed Paxton, despite intense concern among establishment Republicans – took to Truth Social to attack his Democratic rival in the midterm elections.","elementId":"d17ee2f1-3306-4532-8918-f77e8c63718a"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

James Talarico “may be the worst Texas candidate I have ever seen”, said the US president, claiming the Austin state representative and Democratic nominee for Texas senator was weak on crime and an advocate for open borders.","elementId":"e15c8d10-3359-45e3-8544-d1f2776484df"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Reaching for a favored Republican attack line against Talarico, Trump claimed he was a vegan who “dislikes meat, not exactly a good way to be if you’re wanting to win an Election in Texas”.","elementId":"13f45ce4-6426-4b09-be94-9bdd6b784e98"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement","prefix":"Related: ","text":"Republicans race to back Ken Paxton as runoff sets up closely watched US Senate battle in Texas ","elementId":"540a2bcd-c8d5-453c-9d7c-193ba61be272","role":"thumbnail","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/27/republicans-back-ken-paxton-texas-senate"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

While Texas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988, Republican operatives have privately worried that Paxton’s long trail of legal troubles would make him a riskier standard-bearer than the incumbent.","elementId":"77b856f1-3173-42e7-8c46-c064d83a5c17"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Of the outgoing Cornyn, a veteran US senator who enjoyed the support of many of his Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill, Trump was more measured. “John will remain my friend for a long time to come,” he said.","elementId":"60f44526-e7bf-41f0-b6f4-f5963d3dbfdc"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1779895727000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"17.28 CEST","blockLastUpdated":1779899101000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"18.25 CEST","blockFirstPublished":1779895854000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"17.30 CEST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"17.30","title":"Republicans race to back Ken Paxton as runoff sets up high-stakes US Senate battle in Texas","contributors":[{"name":"Joseph Gedeon"}],"primaryDateLine":"Wed 27 May 2026 20.02 CEST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 27 May 2026 12.12 CEST"},{"id":"6a16f2588f08f5cca5b17152","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Joe Biden, the former president, has filed a lawsuit to try to prevent the justice department (DoJ) from releasing transcripts and audio of interviews that exposed his frequent memory lapses and helped derail his 2024 re-election campaign.","elementId":"f0fec903-515e-43da-82e7-f59cc276a0f9"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

The decade-old conversations with the author of his biography ended up in the hands of Robert Hur, the special counsel who was appointed to look into allegations Biden improperly handled classified documents.","elementId":"19392d2b-fe58-4943-b7bd-ec8e6cdf17be"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Hur evaluated the files, and also spent five hours interviewing Biden himself, concluding in a 2024 report to Congress that there was no criminal wrongdoing, but portraying the then 81-year-old president as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory”.","elementId":"9b9f448d-74c2-4129-ad77-ea9ffc8f5aba"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Biden withdrew from the 2024 election following repeated questioning of his age and mental competence, and endorsed Kamala Harris as the ultimately unsuccessful Democratic nominee.","elementId":"04b08d8e-afb2-4208-8165-4a696e5467c9"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

His lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Washington DC, accuses the DoJ of an “unwarranted invasion of President Biden’s privacy”.","elementId":"fb67fd24-d894-48f0-a02d-8e04f896e4ef"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

It seeks to halt the department, which once fought to keep the transcripts and recordings secret, from handing them over to the Republican-controlled House judiciary committee and conservative Heritage Foundation.","elementId":"6a651510-5a9c-4361-ae75-ccf911fdd417"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1779888728000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"15.32 CEST","blockLastUpdated":1779890095000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"15.54 CEST","blockFirstPublished":1779888805000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"15.33 CEST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"15.33","title":"Biden sues justice department to block release of Hur interview audio","contributors":[{"name":"Richard Luscombe"}],"primaryDateLine":"Wed 27 May 2026 20.02 CEST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 27 May 2026 12.12 CEST"},{"id":"6a16e0068f0862b31fbd8684","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Lawmakers, families and advocates continued their days-long protest on Wednesday morning against poor conditions and the denial of medical care at New Jersey’s Delaney Hall detention center.","elementId":"e2e7abb9-8cba-4195-8c53-be6a2b94a02f"},{"expired":false,"assetId":"fL3xzKMcs2Q","posterImage":[{"url":"https://media.guim.co.uk/edd73a0d98e3d6ba68e1e0be911909bc66940946/679_230_7295_4104/2000.jpg","width":2000},{"url":"https://media.guim.co.uk/edd73a0d98e3d6ba68e1e0be911909bc66940946/679_230_7295_4104/1000.jpg","width":1000},{"url":"https://media.guim.co.uk/edd73a0d98e3d6ba68e1e0be911909bc66940946/679_230_7295_4104/500.jpg","width":500},{"url":"https://media.guim.co.uk/edd73a0d98e3d6ba68e1e0be911909bc66940946/679_230_7295_4104/140.jpg","width":140},{"url":"https://media.guim.co.uk/edd73a0d98e3d6ba68e1e0be911909bc66940946/679_230_7295_4104/7295.jpg","width":7295}],"id":"674aed74-5860-44f9-91a8-8a0adab334c5","caption":"Protest outside ICE detention centre in New Jersey - watch live","elementId":"03f92228-32b8-48a1-a21d-4d689597467e","duration":0,"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.YoutubeBlockElement","mediaTitle":"Protest outside ICE detention centre in New Jersey - watch live","channelId":"UCIRYBXDze5krPDzAEOxFGVA"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Inside the facility, a hunger strike is under way, the Guardian has reported.","elementId":"60aab84a-6e2b-4b8e-9df9-7064a8f15db2"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Earlier, protestors alleged that US immigration agents deployed pepper spray and batons against them during a demonstration. US senator Andy Kim said he was pepper-sprayed by federal agents on Monday.","elementId":"b76b7e5d-853e-4b2c-b505-abe741a1827d"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Video posted on social media showed Kim, a Democrat representing New Jersey, receiving help from a volunteer on Monday, who is seen pouring water in his eyes outside Delaney Hall in Newark.","elementId":"42b02461-797a-4ed3-9de8-2d84a7facad5"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1779884038000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"14.13 CEST","blockLastUpdated":1779885170000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"14.32 CEST","blockFirstPublished":1779884863000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"14.27 CEST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"14.27","title":"Protest outside ICE detention center in New Jersey over poor conditions","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Wed 27 May 2026 20.02 CEST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 27 May 2026 12.12 CEST"},{"id":"6a16d5fe8f0862b31fbd8604","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Donald Trump has congratulated Ken Paxton in a social media post, while also praising his defeated runoff opponent John Cornyn.","elementId":"504a72d7-dab7-45a1-80ae-df7343a26db6"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Trump wrote on Truth Social:","elementId":"665ee7e3-12c7-4826-a2ca-2ee1098f6a63"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"\n

Congratulations to Ken Paxton on such a tremendous win, and to John Cornyn for having run a strong and powerful race but, more importantly, having had a truly great career.\n

John will remain my friend for a long time to come, as we both watch Ken become a fantastic, common sense Senator, one who is respected by all.\n","elementId":"b1d7ea57-46eb-4833-854f-f746cbb89108"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Paxton will now face James Talarico, a Democratic pastor and state legislator whose message of peace and populism has attracted much attention.","elementId":"a5e9f613-d485-4733-8d50-761a16dc6523"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

If he wins, Talarico would become the first Democrat in more than 30 years to win statewide office in Texas.","elementId":"99d68148-0ad9-43f8-b2d3-7ca2fe527714"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

But the president was not quite so complimentary of him, likening him to the cartoon character Alfred E Neuman. He added:","elementId":"f3fdeb26-7773-4adf-a37e-062fe288e189"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"\n

His opponent, Alfred E. Neuman, may be the worst TEXAS candidate I have ever seen. A strong Open Borders advocate, he is WEAK ON CRIME, believes there are 6 genders, is insulting to Jesus Christ, will never support the Military, was a big Mask Wearer until recently, and is a Vegan who dislikes meat, not exa