Gavin Newsom criticizes Trump’s protest tactics and May inflation concerns: Morning Rundown

In today’s newsletter: California Governor Gavin Newsom’s fiery response to the White House’s troop deployment in Los Angeles. What May’s inflation numbers say about tariffs and the challenges facing the U.S. men’s national team at the 2026 World Cup.

Here’s what to know today.

Gavin Newsom warns ‘democracy is under assault’ in speech blasting Trump

As Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass took steps Tuesday night to control unrest in the city’s downtown by enacting a curfew, California Gov. Gavin Newsom was blasting Trump’s tactics to quell immigration protests in L.A. In an address Tuesday night, Newsom said that “democracy is under assault before our eyes,” accusing the president of overstepping his authority by federalizing the California National Guard and deploying Marines for a domestic disturbance. Trump, without the governor’s request, activated thousands of National Guard members and deployed more than 700 Marines to L.A. since protests began last week.

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The pair have been sparring over how to respond to the unrest, with Trump hurling personal insults at Newsom and suggesting he should face arrest after daring ‘border czar’ Tom Homan to apprehend him.

For Newsom, who is considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, clashing with Trump over Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the state could prove to be the most consequential political fight of his career.

“For someone like Newsom, the balance is: Is he able to be tough enough? Will he stand up to Trump? How does he lead at this moment?” said Democratic strategist Karen Finney.

He’s also faced heavy criticism from the Democratic Party over his efforts to cast himself in the role of conciliator. But he now has a tricky political tightrope to walk: stem the looting and vandalizing of L.A., while characterizing Trump’s military actions as an overreach.

More immigration news:

• A recent memo obtained by NBC News highlights how the Justice Department instructs immigration judges, who work for the executive branch, to dismiss cases in a tactic to speed up arrests.
• The protests that roiled Los Angeles over the weekend were set to spread Tuesday across the country, as activists planned demonstrations in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and elsewhere.
• The military currently has a limited role in the Los Angeles protests, but Trump’s move to send more National Guard troops and Marines to the city raises questions about his limits on using military authority on U.S. soil.
• White House border czar Tom Homan told NBC News’ Tom Llamas that protests are making immigration raids more “difficult” and “dangerous,” when asked if demonstrations have slowed ICE operations in the city.
• Trump’s deportation efforts have drawn ire from some of his supporters who believe the administration is removing noncitizens instead of targeting the removal of criminals in an attempt to laud a high number of arrests.

May inflation numbers will illustrate if U.S. companies are truly absorbing tariffs

The president suggested that U.S. companies “eat” the cost of his tariffs, but his on-again, off-again trade policy changes have sent businesses scrambling. Some companies, like Walmart, have even hinted to customers that they could start seeing higher costs at the register, contrary to Trump’s advice.

He campaigned on promises to bring price relief to Americans, but surveys show that since rolling out his 10% “Liberation Day” tariffs, confidence in that promise has deteriorated. The U.S. Court of International Trade quickly answered with a ruling that stated the president exceeded his executive authority with the massive tariffs rollout. But while the administration’s appeal plays out, a federal court has allowed the price hikes to remain in effect. Shortly after the import news, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a 90-day pause of the reciprocal tariffs and have since been in talks to reach a trade agreement.

May’s inflation report will offer the most definitive look at whether higher imports were passed off to customers, and the Consumer Price Index forecast is indicating just that. Early CPI numbers forecast a 12-month increase of 2.4% in prices for goods and services in May, compared with a 2.3% annual pace in April. Even if May’s price-growth data is milder than expected, some analysts say it could take until July to see the full impact of the bulk of Trump’s tariffs.

Read the full story here.

The World Cup is coming to America. Is the U.S. men’s national team ready?

It’s been more than 30 years since Tony Meola was the U.S. men’s national team starting goalkeeper during the U.S.-hosted FIFA World Cup, but he says there are still uncertainties about whether the current team has the potential to become perennial contenders. Next June, the 2026 World Cup will return to the country (along with Canada and Mexico) with high hopes that the team will meet the moment.

“I want to see progression over the next year and go into [the World Cup] with as few question marks as possible, not going in there sort of fearing what’s going to happen,” said Meola, now an analyst for CBS Sports Golazo Network. He’s joined by several other analysts in their skepticism about the team one year out.

With the 2026 World Cup final taking place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, all eyes will be on the “Golden Generation” of players — rising stars like Christian Pulisic, Sergiño Dest, Timothy Weah and others — entering what should be their most explosive years.

“I felt like the ‘Golden Generation’ tag was coined based on potential. And now some of these guys are coming into their prime, so that potential has to be realized,” said Fox Sports, MLS and Apple commentator Maurice Edu.

In recent competitions like last summer’s Copa América, the USMNT failed to get out of the group stage after losses to Uruguay and Panama. There was excitement around the team tapping Mauricio Pochettino as coach, but so far, the results have been mixed. Now all eyes will be on the USMNT ahead of its summer matches, followed by friendlies in the fall, to see how this program might stand to perform on the world stage.

Read the full story here.

Read All About It

• The president’s stamp of approval on Republican Jack Ciattarelli and U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s win over other Democratic candidates has solidified the New Jersey gubernatorial race, offering an early indicator of the country’s political mood in Trump’s second term.
• More accusations have mounted against the Alexander brothers, three real estate brothers accused of working together to drug and sexually assault and rape vistims from 2009 to 2021.
• Journalist Terry Moran is out at ABC News after calling White House official Stephen Miller a “world-class hater” whose “hatreds are his spiritual nourishment” on social media.
• A woman is suing Costco for more than $14 million after she said a liquor cabinet fell on her while shopping in the store, leaving her with serious head injuries.
• 24 universities and more than 12,000 alumni took measures to back Harvard in its legal battle against the Trump administration.
• More than 6,000 dog attacks on postal workers were recorded last year, making for a seven-year high, according to recent USPS data.

Staff Pick: CDC birth control research cuts impact more than pregnancy prevention

Reading about various cuts across federal agencies has become extremely hard to follow, and I imagine most people associate the Centers for Disease Control with the Covid pandemic. But this story, along with other coverage, has illustrated much more about the branches of research that have been happening at the CDC. I’d never heard of the organization’s “contraception bible,” let alone thought that birth control research impacts more than just pregnancy prevention. Maternal health care is a wide net, and disbanding this small, yet mighty, CDC team could truly have a big impact. — Kaylah Jackson, platforms editor

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

The NBC Select team tested over 100 sunscreens for six weeks to find the best options on the market, including brands like Round Lab, Supergoop and more. Every editor used each SPF for at least three days or more and followed a strict criteria, which helped us rank our favorite sunscreens. Plus, with tariffs and the possible rising cost of consumer tech, it might be a good time to consider refurbished tech from Apple, Amazon and other retailers.

Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Kaylah Jackson. If you’re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign up here.