President Donald Trump confirmed in an interview with NBC News that he plans to attend an unusual meeting organized by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that will gather hundreds of senior military officers near Washington on Tuesday.
“It’s really just a very nice meeting talking about how well we’re doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things. It’s just a good message,” he said in a phone call.
Hegseth last week summoned hundreds of senior military leaders, who are stationed all over the world, for a meeting of the Defense Department’s top brass.
An official familiar with the plans for the meeting told NBC News last week that its purpose is for Hegseth to highlight military accomplishments and to discuss the future of the Pentagon under his leadership.
Investigating former FBI directors
In the exclusive interview, Trump also accused former FBI Director Christopher Wray of “inappropriate” behavior during his tenure and said he “would think” the Justice Department is investigating him.
Wray is the second former FBI director to be recently targeted by the president. James Comey was indicted last week, days after the president said that the attorney general should prosecute him. Patrick Fitzgerald, who has taken down the mob and convicted governors, is coming out of retirement to represent Comey, his longtime friend.
Meanwhile, Senator Chuck Schumer said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that he has “no faith in Trump’s judicial system” and accused the president of undermining democracy by going after his political foes.
Church attack kills 4; suspect also killed
A 40-year-old man drove a vehicle through the front doors of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building Sunday in Grand Blanc, Michigan, and opened fire. At least four people were killed and multiple others were injured, authorities said.
The suspect, identified as a man from Burton, was also killed in the shooting. He got out of his vehicle and began firing rounds at people who were attending a church service, police said.
A fire, believed to have been deliberately set by the gunman, also broke out at the church, authorities said. It has been contained, and more victims might be found inside the church.
As many as three improvised devices were found at the scene, according to two senior U.S. law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation. However, the investigation is still in its early stages, and it’s not clear whether they were incendiary devices or explosive devices, according to the people who were briefed.
The shooting occurred hours after Russell M. Nelson, the oldest-ever president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died at the age of 101.
Trump directs defense secretary to deploy troops to Portland
President Donald Trump said he was directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “provide all necessary Troops” to Portland, Oregon.
Trump wrote Saturday on Truth Social that the troops would “protect War ravaged Portland” and protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities that he claimed are “under siege from attack by Antifa and other domestic terrorists.”
Trump added that he is “authorizing Full Force, if necessary,” but didn’t clarify what that meant.
Pentagon officials appeared to be surprised by the post and told NBC News they weren’t aware of any new orders to send troops into Portland. The officials said they had no immediate information about any potential operation, including the size and scope of the mission or who — National Guard or active-duty forces — would be deployed.
The state of Oregon and the city of Portland sued the Trump administration to stop the deployment of National Guard troops.
The suit names Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Defense Department, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the Department of Homeland Security as defendants.
In the complaint, the plaintiffs claim Hegseth issued a memorandum Sunday calling 200 members of the Oregon National Guard into federal service.
Meet the Press
A defiant Senate Majority Leader John Thune vowed that Republicans will hold firm on their seven-week funding bill, insisting that the only way to prevent a government shutdown Tuesday is for Democrats to support it.
In an interview with “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker, Thune, R-S.D., said it’s “totally up to the Democrats” whether a shutdown will be avoided, likening the party to hostage-takers who are “hijacking” the process to pursue ideological demands.
He said Republicans won’t compromise on the short-term bill, calling it a mechanism to keep pursuing a long-term deal. Democrats have pushed for an extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies, which Thune said he’s open to discussing, but not as part of the funding bill and only with reforms.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Congress can still avert a shutdown, but only if Republicans engage in a “serious negotiation.” President Donald Trump will meet with the top four congressional leaders at the White House on Monday.
“We need the meeting. It’s a first step, but only a first step. We need a serious negotiation,” Schumer said. “Now, if the president at this meeting is going to rant and just yell at Democrats and talk about all his alleged grievances and say this, that and the other thing, we won’t get anything done.”
Politics in brief
- Adams drops out: New York Mayor Eric Adams announced he is dropping his third-party bid for re-election, narrowing the field for November’s election.
- FBI fires agents: At least 15 FBI agents were fired in connection with their actions during the 2020 protests that followed the death of George Floyd, a source familiar with the terminations told NBC News.
- Travel records subpoenaed: The Justice Department issued a subpoena for records related to the travel history of Fani Willis, the Georgia district attorney who charged President Donald Trump in an election interference case in 2023.
In South Texas, a town struggles for water
A small town in South Texas is scrambling to find alternative sources of drinking water as severe drought grips the region and threatens to dry up its main supply.
The city of Mathis typically pumps its drinking water from Lake Corpus Christi, but water levels are expected to plunge too low to safely extract anything usable, City Manager Cedric Davis said.
“It’s going to be difficult to pull clear water out of the lake because we’ll be pulling up mud with the water,” he said.
All that mud could damage the city’s filtration and water treatment systems, used to service 4,300 residents, he added.
The situation in Texas highlights a growing problem in drought-prone parts of the country — and the world — as climate change alters precipitation patterns, intensifies drought and saps the availability of safe drinking water.
Malik Nabers injury casts pall over Giants’ first victory
Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers was ruled out for the rest of Sunday’s game with a knee injury and may miss the rest of this season as well.
Nabers suffered a non-contact injury and NFL Media reports that he is believed to have a torn ACL. If that diagnosis is confirmed, Nabers will not be back on the field until 2026.
That would be a massive blow to the Giants offense as the Jaxson Dart era gets underway at quarterback. Nabers had 109 catches as a rookie and would have been a frequent target for Dart over the final 13 games of the season.
- Irish eyes are smiling: The Pittsburgh Steelers held on for a 24-21 win over the Minnesota Vikings, capping the NFL’s first game in Ireland to improve to 3-1.
- The Parsons effect: Who won the Micah Parsons trade? The answer is still unclear after the Cowboys and Packers ended their "Sunday Night Football" showdown in a 40-40 tie.
- Halftime headliner: Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny will perform at the halftime show for Super Bowl 60 in February.
Notable quote
It’s not like scientists have just been staring at their belly buttons for 20 years, not looking at autism treatments.
Alycia Halladay, chief science officer at the nonprofit Autism Science Foundation
Some families had already tried leucovorin as a treatment for autism long before President Donald Trump touted it. But experts remain concerned about a lack of strong evidence, especially after the Food and Drug Administration pushed the drug for chemotherapy side effects as a therapy for autism without a formal submission.
In case you missed it
- Hurricane Humberto continues to churn in the western Atlantic as a major Category 4 storm, while Tropical Depression Nine has strengthened into Tropical Storm Imelda, threatening the Bahamas and potentially parts of the Southeastern United States.
- Drew Scanlon, the blinking guy in the internet’s “Blinking Guy” meme, rode 102 miles across the San Francisco Bay Area to raise funds for multiple sclerosis research.
- A new study found the Amazon’s largest trees are growing, multiplying in number and continuing to play a major role in mitigating the impacts of climate change by fattening up on carbon dioxide.
- Three members of the Putman family, who once had their own TLC show called “Meet the Putmans,” died in a car crash in Michigan that also injured several others, the family said.
- Europe retained the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, reasserting its dominance over the Americans.
- Brayan Rocchio hit the walk-off homer that put an exclamation point on the Cleveland Guardians’ historic run to an AL Central title.
