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Oct. 7, 2025, 5:17 PM EDTBy Gary Grumbach and Dareh GregorianPresident Donald Trump suggested numerous times this week that he could invoke the sweeping presidential powers granted by the Insurrection Act “if necessary.””It’s been invoked before,” Trump told reporters Tuesday, adding, “We want safe cities.”Using the Insurrection Act was something Trump repeatedly suggested he might do in his first term, although he never actually did.A spokeswoman for the White House, Abigail Jackson, said in a statement Tuesday that the president has “exercised his lawful authority to protect federal officers and assets. President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities.”Here’s a look at what the Insurrection Act is, and what it would enable the president to do.What is the Insurrection Act?While the military is generally barred from being deployed for domestic law enforcement without congressional authorization, the Insurrection Act gives the president power to deploy the U.S. military domestically and to federalize National Guard troops during specific circumstances.It was signed into law by President Thomas Jefferson in March 1807.Has it ever been used before?Many times, but not in decades.George Washington used an earlier version of the law to stamp out the Whiskey Rebellion in 1792.President George H.W. Bush was the last to use it during the deadly 1992 Los Angeles riots, following a request from the city’s Democratic mayor and the state’s Republican governor.What can trigger the use of the Insurrection Act?While one justification for invoking the act is clear — that the president can take action if asked to do so by a governor or a Legislature — the other standards mentioned in the statute are broad and vague, giving the president wide latitude.“Whenever the President considers that unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, or rebellion against the authority of the United States, make it impracticable to enforce the laws of the United States in any State by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings, he may call into Federal service such of the militia of any State, and use such of the armed forces, as he considers necessary to enforce those laws or to suppress the rebellion,” the statute reads.Another section says the president, “by using the militia or the armed forces, or both,” shall “take such measures as he considers necessary to suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy” if it “hinders the execution of the laws of that State, and of the United States within the State,” or if it “opposes or obstructs the execution of the laws of the United States or impedes the course of justice under those laws.”The statutes don’t define the terms, essentially leaving it up to the president to determine what constitutes an insurrection or rebellion, and when it’s been quelled.A 2022 review from the Brennan Center, a progressive policy group, called that provision “so bafflingly broad that it cannot possibly mean what it says, or else it authorizes the president to use the military against any two people conspiring to break federal law.”How does Trump define insurrection?The president — who was impeached on a charge of inciting insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021 — has indicated he has a low bar for what he considers insurrection, but has also said he doesn’t believe the criteria to use the act have been met.Trump mentioned the word insurrection — which the Encyclopaedia Britannica defines as “an organized and usually violent act of revolt or rebellion against an established government or governing authority” — five times on Monday.”Portland is on fire. Portland’s been on fire for years. And not so much saving it — we have to save something else, because I think that‘s all insurrection, really criminal insurrection,” Trump said at one point in the Oval Office on Monday. He told Newsmax later in the day that the situation in Portland was “pure insurrection.”Earlier in the day, he said he’d invoke the act “if it was necessary. So far it hasn’t been necessary but we have an Insurrection Act for a reason. If I had to enact it, I’d do that. If people were being killed and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up, sure I’d do that. I want to make sure that people aren’t killed.”Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, he broadened his definition, saying “these Democrats are like insurrectionists” because they opposed his “big beautiful bill.”How would using the Insurrection Act be different from what Trump is already doing?The Insurrection Act gives the military more freedom to perform law enforcement duties, such as conducting searches and making arrests.When Trump deployed the National Guard and the Marines in Los Angeles amid protests over his immigration policies, they were publicly assigned a more limited role, focused on protecting federal buildings and activities.A federal judge in California last month found they actually did more than that, and violated the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which prohibits the president from using the military as a domestic police force without approval from Congress or under special circumstances — such as an invocation of the Insurrection Act.“The evidence at trial established that Defendants systematically used armed soldiers (whose identity was often obscured by protective armor) and military vehicles to set up protective perimeters and traffic blockades, engage in crowd control, and otherwise demonstrate a military presence in and around Los Angeles,” U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer wrote in his ruling.“In short, Defendants violated the Posse Comitatus Act,” he said.The administration is appealing the ruling and an appeals court has put the ruling on hold while the case proceeds.Gary GrumbachGary Grumbach is an NBC News legal affairs reporter, based in Washington, D.C.Dareh GregorianDareh Gregorian is a politics reporter for NBC News.Tara Prindiville contributed.

- Latest News - October 8, 2025

President Donald Trump suggested numerous times this week that he could invoke the sweeping presidential powers granted by the Insurrection Act “if necessary.””It’s been invoked before,” Trump told reporters Tuesday,.

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Oct. 8, 2025, 9:14 AM EDT / Updated Oct. 8, 2025, 2:06 PM EDTBy Megan LebowitzPresident Donald Trump said in a post to Truth Social on Wednesday that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker “should be in jail” in an escalation of his conflict with the two Democratic officials.”Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers!” he said in the post. “Governor Pritzker also!”The president’s post comes a day after Texas National Guard troops arrived in Illinois, despite the Democrats’ fierce opposition. Trump has threatened for weeks to send troops to Chicago as part of a crime-fighting and immigration effort, and Democrats have slammed his push as overreach and a political stunt.Reached for comment, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said that “JB Pritzker and Brandon Johnson have blood on their hands” and accused them of having “stood idly by while innocent Americans fall victim to violent crime time and time again.”She argued that “instead of taking action to stop the crime, these Trump-Deranged buffoons would rather allow the violence to continue and attack the President for wanting to help make their city safe again.”The statement did not address NBC News’ questions about what crimes the president believes Johnson and Pritzker and whether the White House planned to try to have federal agents arrest them.Texas National Guard troops arrive outside Chicago02:11Pritzker responded to the president in a post to X, saying, “I will not back down.”“Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power,” he said in the post. “What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?”Later, Pritzker told reporters that Trump is “a coward.””He likes to pretend to be a tough guy,” Pritzker said of the president. “Come and get me.”Reached for comment, Johnson said that “this is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested.”“I’m not going anywhere,” he added.On Monday, Illinois sued in an attempt to prevent the White House from deploying federalized troops to Chicago. A judge scheduled a hearing on the case for Thursday and declined to sign a temporary restraining order, which would have blocked the administration as the case proceeds in court. The president’s comments come as protests across Immigration and Customs Enforcement have rippled across the country as the administration ramped up efforts to detain and deport migrants. The White House has previously argued that deploying the National Guard is necessary to “protect federal assets and personnel” and prevent “attacks on law enforcement.”Trump first deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles, over Gov. Gavin Newsom’s objections, after protests broke out in response to immigration raids. The president then ordered the National Guard to the streets of D.C., painting it as an effort to fight crime. The administration is also trying to send federalized National Guard troops from California to Portland, Oregon, but a judge granted a temporary restraining order this week to block the move as the case is considered in court. A Pentagon spokesperson had said that the troops would have worked to “support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal personnel performing official duties, including the enforcement of federal law, and to protect federal property.” In Chicago, a frequent target of the president, Johnson signed an executive order on Monday in an effort to block immigration agents from using city property during their operations in Chicago. “We will not tolerate ICE agents violating our residents’ constitutional rights nor will we allow the federal government to disregard our local authority,” Johnson said in a press release marking the so-called “ICE Free Zone” executive order. Pritzker has emerged as a leading critic of the Trump administration as his state faces the president’s ire. Trump has compared Chicago to a “war zone,” and Pritzker said Sunday in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” that “they’re just making this up.””Then what do they do? They fire tear gas and smoke grenades, and they make it look like it’s a war zone,” Pritzker said on Sunday, appearing to refer to federal agents. “And they, you know, get people on the ground are, frankly, incited to want to do something about it, appropriately.”In recent days, Pritzker also said that he believed that Trump should be removed from office. “There is something genuinely wrong with this man, and the 25th Amendment ought to be invoked,” he said, referring to a process for removing the president from office.On Tuesday, Pritzker was asked during an event whether he believed he could be arrested. “I’m asking any of you to come visit me in the gulag in El Salvador,” Pritzker joked, referring to the prison where the Trump administration has deported some immigrants.House Speaker Mike Johnson did not say whether he believed Mayor Johnson and Pritzker should be jailed when asked by NBC News about Trump’s post. “Should they be in prison? Should the mayor of Chicago and the governor of Illinois be in prison?” Johnson responded. “I’m not the attorney general. I’m the Speaker of the House, and I’m trying to manage the chaos here. I’m not following the day-to-day on that.”Trump has repeatedly threatened legal action against some of his political opponents, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Last month, he urged Attorney General Pam Bondi in a post to Truth Social to not “delay any longer,” slamming his political opponents and writing, “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”Comey was indicted days later and is set to be arraigned on Wednesday. Megan LebowitzMegan Lebowitz is a politics reporter for NBC News.Natasha Korecki and Julie Tsirkin contributed.

- Latest News - October 8, 2025

President Donald Trump said in a post to Truth Social on Wednesday that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov.

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Oct. 8, 2025, 2:06 PM EDTBy Daniella SilvaSome 500 National Guard members have arrived in the Chicago area and are mobilized for an initial period of 60 days, despite an ongoing lawsuit challenging their deployment there, according to a statement Wednesday morning from U.S. Northern Command, a part of the Defense Department.About 200 members from multiple units in the Texas National Guard and some 300 members from multiple units in the Illinois National Guard have been activated and sent to Chicagoland, the statement said. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has denounced the deployment as an unconstitutional invasion. The troops are stationed at the Army Reserve center in Elwood, outside of Joliet, Illinois, about an hour southwest of Chicago. “These forces will protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other U.S. Government personnel who are performing federal functions, including the enforcement of federal law, and to protect federal property,” U.S. Northern Command said in its statement. On Monday, the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago sued to block the Trump administration from deploying federalized National Guard troops on the streets of Chicago.In a statement Sunday, ahead of the National Guard’s arrival, Pritzker said, “We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion.”“It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state’s military troops,” he said in the statement.​“The brave men and women who serve in our national guards must not be used as political props,” he said. “This is a moment where every American must speak up and help stop this madness.”President Donald Trump said in a post to Truth Social on Wednesday that Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson “should be in jail” in an escalation of his conflict with the two Democratic officials.“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers!” he said in the post. “Governor Pritzker also!”Trump has threatened for weeks to send troops to Chicago as part of a crime-fighting and immigration effort, and Democrats have pushed back and said any deployment would be politically motivated against his perceived enemies and an overreach of authority. NBC News has reached out to the White House for further comment.Pritzker responded to the president in a post to X, saying, “I will not back down.”“Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power,” he said. “What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?”Reached for comment, Johnson said that “this is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested.”“I’m not going anywhere,” he added.The Trump administration is also seeking to send the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, but a judge granted a temporary restraining order this week to block the move as the case is considered in court. A Pentagon spokesperson said that the troops would have worked to support ICE and other federal personnel, as well as protect federal property.On Tuesday, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek directed U.S. Northern Command to demobilize Oregon’s 200 National Guard troops and return another 200 California National Guard members to their state.Referencing the judge’s decision temporarily blocking Trump from sending the National Guard into Portland, Kotek said in a statement, “Judge Karin J. Immergut’s orders are a clear and forceful rebuttal to President Trump’s misuse of states’ National Guard.”“Thus, I am directing Northern Command to send Oregon’s citizen-soldiers home from Camp Rilea immediately,” Kotek said. “Let’s remember that these Oregonians are our neighbors and friends, who have been unlawfully uprooted from their family and careers — they deserve better than this.”It was unclear if Kotek’s letter to U.S. Northern Command would have any effect. The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment from NBC News regarding legal standing for directing U.S. Northern Command to send troops home. NBC News also reached out to U.S. Northern Command for comment.Daniella SilvaDaniella Silva is a national reporter for NBC News, focusing on immigration and education.

- Latest News - October 8, 2025

The troops, composed of units from Texas and Illinois, are based at an Army Reserve station about an hour southwest of Chicago.

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Savewith a NBCUniversal ProfileCreate your free profile or log in to save this articleOct. 8, 2025, 1:35 PM EDTBy Patrick Smith and Pilar MelendezDolly Parton is speaking out after her sister prompted widespread concern for the legendary singer’s health amid the postponement of a string of live shows — insisting she “aint dead yet!”In a video posted on Instagram on Wednesday, Parton explained that she was working on commercials for the Grand Ole Opry and wanted to put people’s minds at ease, providing an update to fans on her health. “Everyone thinks that I am sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you?I’m working hard here! ” the 79-year-old singer added in the video captioned “I ain’t dead yet!”The public concern surged on Tuesday afternoon, when her younger sister, Freida Parton, posted that she had been “up all night praying for my sister, Dolly.” “She’s strong, she’s loved, and with all the prayers being lifted for her, I know in my heart she’s going to be just fine,” Freida Parton added.The post generated news coverage and attracted almost 4,000 comments and 19,000 shares on Facebook, largely from concerned fans of the 79-year-old Queen of Country, which later prompted Freida Parton to clarify her remarks on Tuesday night.”I want to clear something up. I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly,” she said.”She’s been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer. It was nothing more than a little sister asking for prayers for her big sister. Thank you all for lifting her up. Your love truly makes a difference.”In the Wednesday video, Parton said she appreciated the concern and prayers and noted that she has “some problems, as I’ve mentioned.” Parton explained that after her husband Carl died in May, she did not take care of herself and “let a lot of things go that I should’ve been taking care of.””When I got around to it, the doctor said we need to take care of this, we need to take care of that,” Parton explained in the video. “Nothing major, but I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home and closer to Vanderbilt, you know, where I’m kind of having a few treatments here and there.Last month, Parton announced that she was postponing her Las Vegas residency on Sept. 29 due to “some health challenges” that would require “a few procedures.””As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!” Parton added.The Vegas shows were scheduled to take place at The Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace between Dec. 4 and Dec. 13. They have been rescheduled for September next year and tickets already purchased will be valid for those shows.At the time, Parton said she would be able to work on projects from Nashville, but wouldn’t be able to rehearse for the live shows. She stressed that there was no chance of her quitting music, “because God hasn’t said anything about me stopping yet.””I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is through with me, and I ain’t done working,” Parton concluded the video. Patrick SmithPatrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.Pilar MelendezPilar Melendez is a breaking news editor for NBC News Digital. 

- Latest News - October 8, 2025

Dolly Parton is speaking out after her sister prompted widespread concern for the legendary singer’s health amid the postponement of a string of live shows — insisting she “aint dead.

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