Politics and views in the United States.

Democrats demand answers on CA Sen. Padilla's handcuffing and removal from a DHS news conference. Defense Secretary Hegseth defends the administration's protest response as preventative, and Trump vows protests of Saturday's military parade will be met with "heavy" force.

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to 2025 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

Mr. President, I just saw something that sickened my stomach.

The manhandling of a United States senator.

We need immediate answers to what the hell went on.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is one of many congressional Democrats asking about California Senator Alex Padilla being forcibly removed from a Department of Homeland Security press conference.

Padilla says he wanted to ask DHS Secretary Kristi Noem a question about immigration enforcement in Los Angeles when he was forced to the floor and handcuffed.

Noem says the senator rushed her, but video of the event contradicts that.

Republicans, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, are calling for Padilla's censure.

L.A. police and authorities say the administration's deployment of California National Guard and active-duty Marines to protest over immigration raids escalated the situation, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defends President Donald Trump's decision to send in the military.

Testifying before Congress, he says the president federalized the National Guard without California Governor Gavin Newsom's permission to avoid destruction similar to Minneapolis during the 2020 George Floyd riots.

President Trump recognizes a situation like that, improperly handled by a governor like it was by Governor Walz, if it gets out of control, is a bad situation for the citizens of any location.

President Trump has previously suggested he could invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807, getting broad authority to use the military inside the country.

He has also referred to the California protesters as insurrectionists, but former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi says it's interesting to see Trump call up the National Guard in a way that violates the Constitution when he didn't on January 6, 2021.

Not only would he not do it, when law enforcement people were being harmed, some later died, he would not send it in when an insurrection that he incited was causing damage to those assigned to protect the Capitol and the Constitution that day.

The military actions in California aren't without monetary costs.

The Pentagon estimates sending Marines to Los Angeles will cost $134 million for travel, food, and housing.

This comes as President Trump is planning a military parade tomorrow for his birthday and to honor the 250th anniversary of the Army at a cost of $25-45 million.

J.L. Andropont is with 350.org.

He claims there isn't money for communities devastated by climate disasters, for life-saving medical care, or food for our most vulnerable kids.

SNAP benefits.

The budget reconciliation now being debated in the Senate would cut SNAP benefits by $300 billion over the next decade.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates its cuts to Medicaid would force 16 million people to lose health coverage.

It's unknown how many people will show up at about 2,000 No Kings protests planned the same day as Trump's military parade.

Chuck Tryon with the Indivisible Mass Coalition says people want to defend the country's basic beliefs.

"It shows that there are millions of people out there who care about our Constitution, who care about our fellow humans and citizens and want a thriving multicultural democracy."

I'm Edwin J. Viera for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.