Welcome to the lead. I'm Jake Tapper. In our national lead, we have breaking news. President

Trump is speaking right now at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. He is digging in on his decision to send in

thousands of members of the National Guard to Los Angeles to commendeer the California National Guard.

In fact, we're going to continue to monitor his remarks. The state of California today

responding asking a federal judge to block President Trump from commandeering the California National

Guard to keep order in the face of the anti-ice protests. But President Trump twice today has said that his use of the military is what saved the

city of Los Angeles from complete and utter annihilation, claiming so, including in remarks

he just made moments ago at Fort Bragg.

I've deployed thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to protect federal law enforcement

from the attacks of a vicious and violent mob.

And some of the radical left, they say, oh, that's not nice.

Well, if we didn't do it, there wouldn't be a Los Angeles.

It would be burning today.

And while President Trump deployed 4,000 members of the National Guard and is mobilizing 700 Marines, neither those troops nor the Marines can conduct law enforcement activity, according to the law, including making arrests, unless, of course, President Trump invokes the insurrection asked.

He today, earlier today, he was asked if he would do that.

If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We'll see.

But I can tell you, last night was terrible.

Last night was the fourth night of protests there.

Demonstrators and police squared off in

scattered areas throughout downtown Los Angeles. Officers using less lethal weapons, including rubber

bullets, to disperse protesters, some of them rioters after objects were thrown at law enforcement.

There was some looting. A reporter for the Los Angeles Fox affiliate

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