Welcome to meet the press now.

I'm Kristen Welker in Washington.

We are following breaking news amid intensifying clashes in Minnesota, as the president

now weighs a major escalation, threatening to deploy the U.S.

military against the protesters.

The president today saying he will invoke an 18th century law called the Insurrection Act if Minnesota's

leaders don't put a stop to the protests.

That law authorizes presidents to deploy military combat troops domestically to suppress

rebellion or domestic violence. Trump administration officials today defending the president's

threat after a top Justice Department official accused state and local leaders of, quote,

terrorism. The Insurrection Act is a tool at the president's disposal. As you know, it has been used sparingly, but it has been used by previous presidents in American history.

You know, I spoke to the president this morning about several different things, but we did discuss that.

And that certainly is within the president's constitutional authority to use that if he thinks he needs to to keep people safe.

The White House threats come after another night of intensifying clashes in Minneapolis,

including a federal agent shooting a man in the leg during an operation to arrest him.

Homeland Security Secretary Christine Ome saying that agent feared for his safety after he was attacked by two other men armed with, quote, weapons and shovels and brooms while the officer was trying to make an arrest.

Officers on the scene fired flashbangs and sprayed chemical agents at protesters.

Minnesota's leaders speaking out last night calling the situation

on the ground chaotic. Two to three thousand armed agents of the federal government have been

deployed to Minnesota. Armed, masked, undertrained ICE agents are going door to door,

ordering people to point out where their neighbors of color live.

They're pulling over people indiscriminately, including U.S. citizens, and demanding to see their

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