Los Angeles reels after three days of #immigration protests. Latest updates here.

#California Governor Gavin Newsom, a #Democrat, told MSNBC that he plans to file suit Monday against the Trump administration to roll back the National Guard deployment, which he called “an illegal act, an immoral act, an unconstitutional act.” This appears to be the first time in decades that a state’s National Guard was activated without a request from its governor.

Trump has cited a legal provision that allows him to mobilize federal service members when there is “a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.” Roughly 300 National Guard members arrived in the city over the weekend, and Trump said he had authorized 2,000 members to deploy if needed.

Here is a look at the latest:
1965 was the last time the National Guard was deployed without a governor’s permission

No president has done so since Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to protect a civil rights march in Alabama, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Johnson, unlike Trump, invoked the Insurrection Act, an 18th-century wartime law that allows presidents to deploy military forces during times of rebellion or unrest.

Trump instead relied on a similar federal law that places National Guard troops under federal command under circumstances that include the threat of rebellion.

But the law also says that orders for those purposes “shall be issued through the governors of the States” — making it unclear whether the president can activate the Guard without the order of that state’s governor.
More rallies planned for downtown LA

Union leaders are planning a rally for downtown Los Angeles Monday to support a labor leader arrested during immigration protests.

The Service Employees International Union said Monday that the rally at Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles is in support of its California president David Huerta.

Huerta was arrested Friday and expected to appear in court Monday afternoon.

The SEIU represents thousands of janitors, security officers and other workers in California. The group is also planning rallies in at least a dozen other cities spanning from Denver to New York.

Los Angeles has seen three days of protests over immigration arrests. Protests intensified after President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard.

Chicago leaders join immigration protests: ‘This is not about immigration. This is about domination of all of our communities.’

In Chicago, dozens of labor leaders, immigrant rights activists and elected officials rallied in a downtown plaza Monday in support of David Huerta, a regional president of the Service Employees International Union, who was arrested in California last week. The crowd called for Huerta’s immediate release, ending speeches with chants of “Free David!”

“He was wrongfully detained,” said Genie Kastrup, president of a Chicago-based SEIU chapter. What happened to Huerta “is about more than a single leader. It is a direct assault on all of us.”

The group also called out the Trump administration’s aggressive tactics on immigration enforcement, including a travel ban and arrests last week at a Chicago office used for Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-ins.

“We’re not going anywhere. This isn’t about safety. This is about control,” said Democratic U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, who was born in Mexico. “Fear is the tactic, silence is the goal. This is not about immigration. This is about domination of all of our communities.”
How did we get here? Protests were triggered by ICE arrests Friday

Confrontations began when dozens of protesters gathered outside a federal detention center demanding the release of 44 people arrested by federal immigration authorities across Los Angeles Friday, as part of Trump’s mass deportation campaign.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is averaging about 1,600 arrests per day, according to the agency’s head, Todd Lyons, who defended the tactics on June 2.

Mexican president calls for due process after authorities detained 42 Mexicans in Los Angeles raids

Mexican Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente said Monday that 42 Mexicans had been detained in raids in Los Angeles and that four had already returned to Mexico – two voluntarily and two via deportation.

President Claudia Sheinbaum, speaking at her daily news briefing, read aloud a statement from the Mexican government about the events in Los Angeles.

“The Mexican government reiterates its unwavering commitment to the protection and defense of the human rights of Mexicans living overseas, regardless of their immigration status. In this sense, we make a respectful but firm call to United States authorities for all immigration procedures to be carried out with adherence to due process, within a framework of respect for human dignity and the rule of law.”

“We do not agree with violent actions as a form of protest. Burning police cars appears to be more an act of provocation than of resistance. We condemn violence, no matter where it comes from. We call on the Mexican community to act pacifically and not allow itself to be provoked.”

“The Mexican government will continue using all diplomatic and legal channels available to express its disagreement through its consular network with practices that criminalize immigration and put at risk the safety and wellbeing of our communities in the United States.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom to sue Trump over National Guard deployment

Newsom, a Democrat, told MSNBC that he planned to file suit Monday against the Trump administration to roll back the Guard deployment, which he called “an illegal act, an immoral act, an unconstitutional act.”

Trump has cited a legal provision that allows him to mobilize federal troops when there is ”a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”

But Newsom said he believed the president was required to coordinate with the state’s governor before ordering such a deployment.

“We’re going to test that theory with a lawsuit tomorrow,” Newsom said Sunday.
The city of Glendale cancels a contract that allows ICE to house detainees in its local jail

The city in California is cancelling a contract that allowed federal immigration authorities to house detainees within its local jail, citing fears of undermining community trust.

In a statement Sunday night, Glendale officials said the city would formally terminate its agreement with the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“(T)he City recognizes that public perception of the ICE contract—no matter how limited or carefully managed, no matter the good—has become divisive,” the statement noted.

Federal immigration authorities often enter into agreements with local police departments to house immigrant detainees. ICE’s agreement with Glendale had been in place since 2007, officials said.

An ICE spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Travel Ban

As tensions continue to rise over Trump’s immigration enforcement, the President’s new ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens from 12 mainly African and Middle Eastern countries is taking effect Monday.
Trump was awake past midnight raging against the protests in LA and calling for a crackdown

“Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!” he wrote on Truth Social at 12:16 a.m. ET.

Roughly 300 National Guard members arrived in the city over the weekend, and Trump said he had authorized 2,000 members to deploy if needed, over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The military said 500 Marines were on standby.

“ARREST THE PEOPLE IN FACE MASKS, NOW!” Trump wrote at 12:19 a.m. Trump cited Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell’s recent comments to defend his response to the protests.

“Don’t let these thugs get away with this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” Trump wrote at 12:14 a.m.

“This thing has gotten out of control,” McDonell said Sunday.

“We have great cops in Southern California here that work together all the time,” he said. But he added that “looking at the violence tonight, I think we gotta make a reassessment.”

Australian reporter hit by nonlethal round during live report from the protests

An Australian television journalist was hit in the leg by a nonlethal round Sunday while reporting live from downtown Los Angeles.

Video of the incident released by 9News shows correspondent Lauren Tomasi reporting live when an officer behind her suddenly raises their firearm and fires a nonlethal round at close range. Tomasi, who doesn’t appear to be wearing personal protective equipment, cries out in pain and clutches her lower leg as she and her cameraman quickly move away from the police line.

“You just (expletive) shot the reporter,” a voice off-camera can be heard shouting.

The shooting came after a tense afternoon in which Tomasi and her crew were caught between riot police and protesters. At one point, she struggled to speak over the sound of clashes, while a protester grabbed the camera mid-broadcast.

“They’ve told people to get out of this area, and protesters have been refusing,” she reported. “We are safe here. It’s just noisy. But you can see the volatility.”

Speaking later Monday to 9News, Tomasi confirmed she was safe and unharmed.
Clashes escalated Sunday as National Guard troops arrived downtown

Starting Sunday morning, the troops stood shoulder to shoulder, carrying long guns and riot shields as protesters shouted “shame” and “go home.” After some closely approached the guard members, another set of uniformed officers advanced on the group, shooting smoke-filled canisters into the street.

Minutes later, the Los Angeles Police Department fired rounds of crowd-control munitions to disperse the protesters, who they said were assembled unlawfully. Much of the group then moved to block traffic on the 101 freeway until state patrol officers cleared them from the roadway by late afternoon.

Nearby, at least four self-driving Waymo cars were set on fire, sending large plumes of black smoke into the sky and exploding intermittently as the electric vehicles burned. By evening, police had issued an unlawful assembly order shutting down several blocks of downtown Los Angeles.

Flash bangs echoed out every few seconds into the evening.
Protests intensified on Sunday night in Los Angeles after Trump deployed National Guard troops

Sunday’s protests in Los Angeles were centered in several blocks of downtown. It was the third and most intense day of demonstrations against Trump’s immigration crackdown in the region, as the arrival of around 300 Guard troops spurred anger and fear among many residents.

Many protesters dispersed as evening fell and police declared an unlawful assembly, a precursor to officers moving in and making arrests of people who don’t leave. Some of those remaining threw objects at police from behind a makeshift barrier that spanned the width of a street and others hurled chunks of concrete, rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicles. Officers ran under an overpass to take cover.

The Guard was deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, including the downtown detention center where protesters concentrated.

Several dozen people were arrested throughout the weekend of protest. One was detained Sunday for throwing a Molotov cocktail at police, and another for ramming a motorcycle into a line of officers.

The Associated Press

#Colombian president vows to hunt ‘mastermind’ behind shooting of political rival, after 15-year-old arrested.


Colombian senator Miguel Uribe, in the running to join next year’s presidential race, is in a critical condition in hospital after being shot at an event in Bogota, allegedly by a 15-year old boy.

The 39-year-old, from the center-right Centro Democrático – or Democratic Center – the biggest opposition party in the South American nation, had expressed his intention to run in next year’s election.

He was shot twice on Saturday afternoon in the capital’s Fontibon district, according to the General Prosecutor’s Office. Police said the 15-year-old was carrying a Glock pistol when he was arrested.

Video footage showed the senator giving a speech to a crowd before multiple loud bangs rang out. He was seen lying on the ground as people around him fled. Police and civilians later rushed him to an ambulance.

Uribe has entered “the critical hours” of recovery after undergoing an initial surgical procedure, Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said Sunday.

“He came out well from the surgery,” his wife told reporters in an audio recording after the operation, according to AFP. “He fought the first battle and fought it well. He is fighting for his life.”

Uribe’s party said he was shot in the back while he was participating in a campaign event.

In a broadcast statement Saturday evening, Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack and vowed to hunt down those responsible, suggesting other criminals may have been involved.

“No resource should be spared, not a single peso or a single moment of energy, to find the mastermind … Wherever they live, whether in Colombia or abroad,” said Petro.

The president pointed to a pattern of Colombian criminals taking advantage of minors and promised an independent investigation to determine the “intellectual authors” of the attack - speculating there may be a link to “crime bosses” responsible for several political assassinations in the country.

He expressed his hope that the opposition senator would survive and said politics should be “free of violence.”

Uribe’s wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, posted a message on his X account asking for prayers for his recovery.

“Miguel is fighting for his life right now. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him,” she wrote.

Santa Fe de Bogota Foundation, the hospital where he is being treated, said he was undergoing “neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedures.”

“Uribe’s condition is stable, still in critical condition,” Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo told local TV network Caracol TV.
A political family

Uribe comes from a prominent Colombian political family. He is the grandson of Julio César Turbay Ayala, who governed the country from 1978 to 1982, and died in 2005.

The young politician’s mother was Diana Turbay, a journalist kidnapped by drug traffickers from the Medellín cartel under Pablo Escobar, and murdered during a rescue operation in 1991. His grandmother, Nydia Quintero de Balcázar, is the founder of the organization Solidarity for Colombia.

The Harvard graduate entered the Senate in 2022, after a career in local Bogota politics.

He is identified with the right wing of Colombian politics, as the standard-bearer of the Democratic Center, championing security and foreign investment.

In October 2024, he announced his presidential bid from the location where his mother was killed, saying that her death shaped his life. “I could have grown up seeking revenge, but I decided to do the right thing: forgive, but never forget,” he said.

With the presidential campaign still in its early stages, the Democratic Center has not yet chosen its official candidate.
International condemnation

The attack drew condemnation from the Colombian government and the Democratic Center, as well as former presidents and world leaders.

Before Petro’s address, the president’s office released a statement “categorically and forcefully” condemning the attack.

“This act of violence is an attack not only against the senator’s personal integrity, but also against democracy, freedom of thought, and the legitimate exercise of politics in Colombia,” the Presidency said.

Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez Suárez also announced a 3 billion pesos (US$730,000) reward for information that helps authorities track down those responsible for the attack.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms,” calling it “a direct threat to democracy.” He attributed it to “the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government” and urged the Colombian officials to dial back “the inflammatory rhetoric.”

President Petro later said he rejected “opportunistic” attempts to use the attack for “political purposes.”

Uribe’s Democratic Center party called the shooting “an unacceptable act of violence.”

“We strongly reject this attack, which not only endangers the life of a political leader but also threatens democracy and freedom in Colombia,” it said in a statement.

At least four former presidents – Ernesto Samper, Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Juan Manuel Santos and Iván Duque – issued condemnations. Centro Democratico is the party of both Uribe and Duque.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa sent his prayers to Uribe’s family, adding that “we condemn all forms of violence and intolerance.”

In the late 1980s and early ’90s, when Uribe’s mother was assassinated, Colombia experienced one of its worst periods of political violence, with the murders of several presidential candidates.

Uribe is a prominent member of a new generation of politicians descended from victims of that violence, along with current Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán, son of former Liberal leader Luis Carlos Galán, who was assassinated in 1989.

One of Uribe’s greatest rivals in the Senate, María José Pizarro, is the daughter of Carlos Pizarro Leongómez, assassinated in 1990 while running for president of the leftist M-19.

CNN’s Billy Stockwell and Sofia Barruti contributed to this report.

Mauricio Torres, Fernando Ramos, Chris Lau and Sebastian Jimenez, CNN

A quirky vegetable sculpture contest features a squash Donald Trump and a papal ‘Cornclave’.

Vegetable likenesses of U.S. President Donald Trump and singer Dolly Parton and a papal “Cornclave” went on display Saturday at the Lambeth Country Show, an urban take on a country fair held annually in London’s Brockwell Park.

The two-day show features sheep-shearing, livestock competitions, food, music and a vegetable sculpture contest that has attracted national renown for its quirky creativity.

This year, several sculptures referenced the recent papal election or movie on the same subject, including one featuring cardinals made of maize, titled “Cornclave.”

Other entries included Irish rap trio Kneecap in potato form, “Cauli Parton” in a movie-inspired tableau titled “9 to Chive,” a vegetable “Mo Salad” likeness of Liverpool soccer star Mohamed Salah and animated icons Wallace and Gromit made from butternut squash.

Trump also got the butternut squash treatment, while some entries referred to local politics. In Lambeth, as in other parts of London, local authorities have turned to holding large concerts and festivals in parks as a way to raise money, to the chagrin of some neighbors.

“Wolf Hall” actor Mark Rylance, one of a group of local residents opposed to big events in Brockwell Park, is represented as “Mark Rylunch,” with an apple-carved head and satirical signs branding him a NIMBY (not in my backyard) campaigner.

“Every year, this is what we get so excited about, is the vegetable sculptures,” Country Fair regular Maddy Luxon said. “It’s just so unique and just so witty and we love the political ones.”

“And the puns,” said Marek Szandrowski, who was with her. “The vegetable puns, definitely.”

Vance says #Musk making a ‘huge mistake’ in going after Trump but also tries to downplay the attacks.

U.S. President Donald Trump is not backing off his 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 of Tesla and 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 be particularly vulnerable to retribution. Trump has already threatened to 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 it a “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 with infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Musk appeared by Saturday morning to have deleted his posts about Epstein.

Vice President JD Vance in an interview tried to downplay the 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 month joked about snorting drugs off a mixed-race baby and 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 trillion over 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.

Article by Michelle L. Price and Bill Barrow.

Top #TikToker Khaby Lame detained by U.S. immigration. U.S. #immigration agents detained and later allowed the “voluntary departure” of the world’s most-followed TikToker, Khaby Lame, after he “overstayed” his visa, authorities said Saturday.

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Seringe Khabane Lame, 25, a citizen of Italy, June 6, at the Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada for immigration violations,” the agency said in a statement to AFP.

Lame entered the United States on April 30 and “overstayed the terms of his visa,” the statement said of the Friday detention, adding that he was released the same day.

The Italian national, who is a UNICEF goodwill ambassador and has a following of more than 162 million on TikTok, “has since departed the U.S.”

Lame had not immediately posted publicly about the incident as of Saturday afternoon.

Since taking power in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has delivered on campaign promises to tighten immigration controls and carry out a mass deportation drive -- aspects of which have been challenged in U.S. courts.

Lame holds top spot on the wildly popular TikTok social media app, with 162.2 million followers and has risen to fame for his short silent videos mocking the convoluted tutorials and tips that abound on the internet.

He punctuates his videos with a trademark gesture -- palms turned towards the sky, accompanied by a knowing smile and wide eyes -- as he offers his own simple remedies.

The idea for his content came to him while wandering around the housing project where his family lived in Chivasso, near Turin, after losing his factory mechanic’s job in March 2020.

His posts took off -- helping him gross an estimated $16.5 million through marketing deals with companies in the period between June 2022 and September 2023, according to Forbes.

Trump’s big bill also seeks to undo the big bills of Biden and Obama

Hidden Invasion: Inside Rwanda's covert war in eastern #Congo

https://www.nbcnews.com/video/hidden-invasion-inside-rwanda-s-covert-war-in-eastern-congo-241043525685

‘Inevitably going to implode’: Here’s what experts think about Trump and Musk’s relationship as it unravels online.

Simon Sherry, a registered psychologist, said he couldn’t speak directly about Trump or Musk since he has not assessed or diagnosed them. However, he said he could speak of individuals who may have certain personality traits and relationship styles that could lead to a similar public fallout.

Sherry says people who exhibit narcissistic qualities generally “don’t play nicely” with each other.

“Speaking in general terms, when two narcissistic individuals interact, it often becomes a struggle for dominance,” Sherry, a professor from the department of psychology and neuroscience at Dalhousie University in Halifax, said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca on Friday. “So if you’ve got traits like grandiosity and entitlement, you have a great need for admiration.”

“So if you’ve traits like grandiosity and entitlement, you have a great need for admiration.”

These types of individuals may also be “low on empathy” and “cold” during interactions, he adds.

“And if you have that cold and unempathetic style, it’s more likely that you’re going to escalate conflict, as opposed to move toward repairing a relationship or any sort of a reconciliation.”

Bree McEwan, a communication professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga, told CTVNews.ca in a video interview Friday that the public unravelling between Trump and Musk raises questions.

“This is perhaps an unusual moment where we’re having power players in the U.S. government air out all of their beef in online settings,” said McEwan, who specializes in social media’s role in personal communication and public discourse.

“It does allow for a lot of conversation and chatter to occur around their discussion, but it also brings up the question of how much of this is a performance, who’s that performance for, and how much of this is sort of serious business of these major players,” McEwan added.

The high-profile feud also has significant consequences, she adds.

“From a responsibility perspective, when you are two major players whose every action has a huge influence on world markets, there’s a point here where maybe you should be picking up the phone and talking to each other, maybe have a conversation in the Oval Office,” she said.
Breakup was ‘inevitable’: Trump biographer

Marc Fisher, co-author of the 2016 book “Trump Revealed: An American Journey of Ambition, Ego, Money, and Power,” called the duo’s breakup “inevitable.”

“This is a case of two wealthy and narcissistic billionaires, who are very accustomed to having the spotlight entirely to themselves and find that, when someone challenges them, they tend to push back pretty hard,” Fisher said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca on Friday.

He added that the fallout “makes perfect sense,” with Musk moving on as a top White House adviser.

“He had endangered his own businesses by devoting himself entirely to his time in Washington, and so he’s now abandoned Trump and Trump doesn’t like that,” he said. “He doesn’t like when people separate from him or critique him in any way, and so we have this battle of the wits and battle of the wills going that very much reflects the personalities of both men.”

Both Musk and Trump are prone to “overreactions” and “emotional reactions,” Fisher added.

“Both of them see this kind of dispute as something that ought to play out in public, because that gives them even more attention, and attention is really the currency by which they measure their own success,” he said.

Fisher adds that the public fight positions Trump as standing up to a billionaire, while Musk may be trying to prove to his stockholders that he’s paying attention to his business.

“Neither of them has much to lose here,” he said.
‘A marriage of convenience’

Fisher doesn’t believe Trump and Musk had a genuine connection.

“It was a marriage of convenience, really more of an accident than anything else, doomed from the start,” Fisher said. “It’s the kind of relationship that was perhaps mutually beneficial for a short time but was inevitably going to implode.”

For Trump, Musk provided “extraordinary energy” to allow Trump and his officials to show they were “really tearing the federal government apart,” Fisher said, noting Trump seems to have less energy now than during his first administration.

“For Musk, this was an opportunity to push forward his business interests, get in close with the president who had a significant sway over whether large government contracts, which are at the heart of Musk’s operations, would come his way and stay with his companies,” Fisher said. “And so this was really, something that seemed mutually beneficial for a time.”
‘Kerosene being thrown on this fire’

Jeffrey Dvorkin, a media observer and former director of the journalism program at University of Toronto, had some ideas on what may be happening with the insults between the two men online. He called social media the “kerosene being thrown on this fire.”

“I think that what we’re seeing is the acting out of these unresolved issues that stem from childhood, but now have a terrible impact on the rest of us,” the senior fellow of Massey College at the University of Toronto said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca on Friday, referring to their “very demanding” fathers. “It is a destabilizing situation in the United States in the American government, which is never good for anybody.”

Meanwhile, he said Musk is “a disruptor.”

“He’s throwing his toys around the room, hoping someone will pick up after him,” Dvorkin said. “There may be some rationalization of what they’re doing and why they’re doing it, but I think deep down, we’re dealing with two deeply flawed people, who have never really learned how to play well with others.”

But Dvorkin sees one benefit in the feud.

“The only advantage I can see is that Canada now has a new prime minister who seems to be a grown up, the adult in the room, and he will now be able to exercise a level of control that maybe the previous prime minister was unable or unwilling to do,” he said.

The implosion of a powerful political alliance: Trump and Musk in their own words.

Last Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump heaped praise on Elon Musk as the tech billionaire prepared to leave his unorthodox White House job.

Less than a week later, their potent political alliance met a dramatic end Thursday when the men attacked each other with blistering epithets. Trump threatened to go after Musk’s business interests. Musk called for Trump’s impeachment.

Here’s a look at the implosion of their relationship in their own words.
The goodbye

“Today it’s about a man named Elon. And he’s one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced. He stepped forward to put his very great talents into the service of our nation and we appreciate it. Just want to say that Elon has worked tirelessly helping lead the most sweeping and consequential government reform program in generations.” — Trump, May 30, Oval Office remarks

___

Trump invited cameras into the Oval Office last week to bid farewell to Musk, who said he was stepping away from his government work to focus on his businesses.

Trump spoke effusively of Musk and his work with the Department of Government Efficiency for nearly 15 minutes straight.

“I’ll continue to be visiting here and be a friend and adviser to the president,” Musk said. He marvelled at the gold-tinged decorations Trump placed around the Oval Office.

“The oval office finally has the majesty that it deserves thanks to the president,” he said.

The budget dispute

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.” — Musk, Tuesday, post on X.

___

Days after their Oval Office meeting, Musk escalated his previously restrained criticism of Trump’s “big, beautiful” budget bill, the president’s top congressional priority.

Still, he kept his critique focused on their policy disagreement. He did not go after Trump by name, even as he called on Republican lawmakers to vote down the bill and threatened political retribution against those who took Trump’s side.

“In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people,” Musk wrote on X.

Uncharacteristically for a man who rarely lets a snub go unanswered, Trump did not respond. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Musk’s views on the bill were not a surprise to Trump, and his social media posting “doesn’t change the president’s opinion.”

Musk continued Wednesday, approvingly sharing social media posts and memes that criticized the budget’s price tag and deficit impacts, though still directing his ire at Congress.

The bitter breakup

“Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore.” -- Trump, Thursday, Oval Office meeting with the German chancellor.

___

Trump said he was “very disappointed in Elon” and was surprised by his benefactor’s criticism.

The war of words escalated rapidly from there. It all played out on their respective social media platforms, with Musk posting on X and Trump on Truth Social.

Musk dismissed Trump’s criticism. “Whatever,” he wrote. He shared old Trump social media posts urging lawmakers to oppose deficit spending and increasing the debt ceiling.

“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” Musk posted, a reference to Musk’s record political spending last year, which topped $250 million.

“Such ingratitude,” he added.

Trump said Musk had worn out his welcome at the White House and was mad that Trump was changing electric vehicle policies in ways that would financially harm Musk-led Tesla.

“Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!” Trump wrote.

He added: “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”

Musk goes nuclear

“Time to drop the really big bomb: Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” — Musk, Thursday, X post.

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In a series of posts, he shined a spotlight on ties between Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who killed himself while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Some loud voices in Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement claim Epstein’s suicide was staged by powerful figures, including prominent Democrats, who feared Epstein would expose their involvement in trafficking. Trump’s own FBI leaders have dismissed such speculation and there’s no evidence supporting it.

Later, when an X user suggested Trump be impeached and replaced by Vice-President JD Vance, Musk agreed.

“Yes,” he wrote.

“I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago,” Trump wrote. He went on to promote his budget bill.