(NewsNation
) — After a second report stated the secretary of defense shared classified information over a Signal group chat, an adviser to President Donald Trump told NewsNation that Pete Hegseth’s job is safe for now despite criticism over his judgment skills.
A current Trump adviser who spoke with NewsNation on the condition of anonymity said Monday that while The Atlantic Signal group chat
report was a media fiasco
, the mission itself in Yemen was accomplished, which still has the defense secretary in safe standing currently.
“It was a success. So, he has latitude,” the adviser said, but cautioned, “it’s still TBD only 3 months in.”
The source also said Hegseth has been problematic for the Trump administration since he did not reveal a nondisclosure agreement with a woman in 2017 who alleged he sexually assaulted
her prior to his nomination. Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing.
“The administration wants Pete Hegseth to be successful. Pete Hegseth doesn’t have the skills to be successful,” the source said.
The adviser said Trump needs Hegseth primarily for military recruitment.
“Trump wants recruitment up, and Hegseth inspires young men. Boost morale and lead to more recruitment,” the adviser said.
After Trump’s victory, the U.S. Army
has had a dramatic increase in enlistments, citing that December 2024 was its best December in 15 years, and 346 soldiers enlisted daily that month.
Army recruiters shared on X, “Our recruiters have one of the toughest jobs – inspiring the next generation of #Soldiers to serve. Congratulations and keep up the great work!”
Hegseth credited the president’s win as the reason for the historic rise in recruitment, writing on X,
“BOTTOM LINE: America’s youth want to serve under the bold & strong ‘America First’ leadership of @realDonaldTrump.”
A second source close to the White House, who requested anonymity due to the risk of professional reprisal, told NewsNation on Monday evening, “Rumors have been inaccurately spreading about Secretary Hegseth since the moment he was announced for the job. Military recruitment is soaring. America is respected again, and the secretary is showing true leadership. Any notion that tries to make the argument that in less than 100 days President Trump is questioning any of his Cabinet choices, nevertheless firing them, is complete and utter nonsense.”
“If it’s true that he had another [Signal] chat with his family, about the missions against the Houthis, it’s totally unacceptable,” Bacon told The Hill.
A Republican senator who asked not to be named told The Hill
, “There may be a little bit of buyer’s remorse” about Hegseth, who was narrowly confirmed in January.
While there is ongoing criticism about the defense secretary’s judgment, the White House is standing by him.
Trump expressed support for Hegseth when speaking to reporters
Monday.
“He’s doing a great job. Ask the Houthis how he’s doing,” Trump said dismissively on the sidelines of the White House Easter egg roll event on Monday, a reference to the rebel group in Yemen
targeted by those missile strikes.
The current Trump adviser added that morale at the Department of Defense is presently down, particularly after Dan Caldwell, senior Pentagon adviser; Darin Selnick, deputy chief of staff; and Colin Carroll, former chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg; were ousted and blamed for leaking to the press.
The three men issued a statement
on X on Saturday, saying they were slandered as they were discharged and not given information as to why they were ousted.
“All three of us served our country honorably in uniform – for two of us, this included deployments to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, based on our collective service, we understand the importance of information security and worked every day to protect it,” the statement read.
Despite the disappointment, the three stated they were supportive of the Trump administration’s mission to achieve peace through a strong U.S. military.
The Trump adviser told NewsNation it was their criticism of Hegseth’s leadership ability that led to their dismissal.
The advisor said the men “raised the red flag about his (Hegseth’s) management, and Hegseth flushed them out.”
NPR reported the White House is reportedly looking for a replacement for Hegseth. However, press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the report “fake news”
on X.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
The adviser said that following the news of a second Signal chat, much more responsibility will privately fall to Steve Feinberg, deputy secretary of defense.
“That’s why Steve Feinberg is in there. A proven leader,” they said. “You’ll see Steve take more of the responsibilities – not publicly.”
NUEVA YORK (AP) — Una persona de 30 años fue detenida el lunes por la policía en la Torre Trump después de que se recibieron informes de comportamiento indebido en una “superficie elevada” dentro del edificio, informaron las autoridades.
La Policía de la Ciudad de Nueva York se presentó alrededor de las 4:30 de la tarde en el rascacielos en donde el presidente Donald Trump tiene un penthouse. El edificio también alberga condominios privados, restaurantes, tiendas y un atrio elevado que está abierto al público.
Periodistas independientes que se encontraban en el lugar publicaron videos en los que se podía ver a agentes de seguridad que evacuaban a las personas del atrio y a policías que salían más tarde del edificio. Los agentes llevaban cascos y arneses de seguridad como los que utilizan los socorristas que se especializan en rescatar a personas de lugares elevados.
La unidad de servicios de emergencia del Departamento de Policía de la Ciudad de Nueva York detuvo a la persona sin más incidentes. De momento se desconoce qué cargos podría enfrentar la persona mientras el incidente sigue bajo investigación, indicó la policía.
A lo largo de los años, la Torre Trump ha sido escenario de protestas, amenazas de bomba y acrobacias ocasionales. Una persona intentó escalar el edificio en 2016 y llegó hasta el piso 21 antes de que agentes lo jalaran hacia el interior del inmueble.
___
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
QUITO (AP) — El gobierno de Ecuador informó el lunes de la detención de una persona, a la que no identificó, por presuntamente haber publicado en redes sociales un mensaje con una amenaza al presidente Daniel Noboa, días después de haber declarado alerta máxima
en el país.
El ministro del Interior ecuatoriano, John Reimberg, anunció en declaraciones a una radio local que el detenido “lanzó una amenaza directa contra el presidente”, por lo que hicieron un operativo para su captura. En las próximas horas, aseguró, será llevado ante un juez.
No identificó a la persona que fue apresada, tampoco dónde ni dio detalles sobre la supuesta amenaza. Según el ministro, el detenido habría dicho en redes sociales el fin de semana que hay que matar a Noboa.
Reimberg puntualizó que el sospechoso tiene antecedentes delictivos y que se le encontró una arma y municiones. “Ninguna amenaza puede quedar así y la policía realizó su trabajo”, defendió.
La detención se produjo luego de que el pasado sábado el Ministerio de Gobierno asegurara que información de inteligencia militar contenía una advertencia “sobre la gestación de un magnicidio, ataques terroristas y calentamiento de calles mediante manifestaciones violentas”. Declaró, entonces, que “el Estado está en alerta máxima”.
Ese organismo aseguró que se activaron todos los protocolos de seguridad en un esfuerzo por neutralizar las presuntas amenazas.
La declaración de “alerta máxima” en Ecuador se dio días después de que Noboa se impusiera en las urnas
ante la opositora de izquierda, Luisa González, con más de un millón de votos de diferencia, según el escrutinio de la autoridad electoral.
Ese ministerio, sin presentar pruebas, aseveró que “estructuras criminales” estarían detrás de un plan para desestabilizar el gobierno, así como “sectores políticos derrotados en las urnas”.
Aludió a un supuesto informe de inteligencia del Comando Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas que circuló en redes sociales, en el que se señalaba que tras los comicios presidenciales “se ha iniciado traslados de sicarios desde México y otros países hacia el Ecuador”.
El mismo sábado, la secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores de México rechazó “tajantemente la reiterada e inescrupulosa creación de narrativas en comunicados oficiales y/o filtraciones de documentos oficiales, que aludan a México como fuente de supuestos actos delictivos”.
Un día antes de los comicios, el gobierno ya había decretado un estado de excepción
que rige por 60 días en nueve zonas del país, incluyendo Quito, en un país azotado desde hace cuatro años por la violencia criminal,
que las autoridades atribuyen a la operación de bandas locales vinculadas a grupos transnacionales de narcotráfico. También cerró las fronteras a extranjeros
durante los comicios.
ROSEVILLE, Minn. — The flyers started appearing around the Augustana University campus earlier this year, followed by the all-student email blast. A club team was forming for women’s flag football, with room for all comers.
Kiley Coyne, an assistant director of admission for the music department who just happens to play on a women’s tackle football team in her spare time, eagerly added coaching to her duties at the school of 2,000 undergraduates in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
“I remember saying, ‘I just need 10.’ If we can have an offense and a defense, let’s go,” Coyne said. “Now we have 23 people who’ve gone out for it.”
With the sport’s inclusion in the Summer Olympics lineup for Los Angeles in 2028 serving as the most recent bump, flag football participation by girls has continued to spike across the country. The NFL has been a staunch supporter.
“I think one of the beauties of flag football is how accessible it is,” said Stephanie Kwok, the league’s vice president of flag football. “It’s adding to the opportunities for girls to play sports.”
The college level is the natural place for the next surge of growth. Augustana is one of seven NCAA schools fielding a club team this spring in a league launched with $140,000 and logistical support from the Minnesota Vikings. With five institutions in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin, a schedule was arranged for each team to assemble for multiple games at the same site on three Saturdays this month, including a championship tournament this weekend.
When Brooklyn Sturm first arrived on the Augustana campus as a freshman last fall, the former high school volleyball, basketball and softball standout wasn’t planning any athletic commitments beyond intramurals.
Now she’s a quarterback.
“I thought I needed to focus on academics, but when I got here it felt like a part of me was missing,” said Sturm, whose team made the four-hour drive to Northwestern University in Roseville, Minnesota, for the inaugural round of games on April 6. “If we had this opportunity in high school, I probably would’ve taken it.”
According to National Federation of High Schools data
, 14 states have girls’ flag football as a sanctioned sport with 42,955 players nationwide during the 2023-24 school year. That figure doesn’t include club or intramural participation, of course. About half a million girls ages 6 to 17 play the sport in some organized form. In Minnesota, the Vikings helped launch a four-team pilot at the high school club level last spring. This year, there are 51 schools in the league.
More than 100 higher-educational institutions, either in the NCAA, the NAIA or the junior college level, are now offering women’s flag football as a varsity or club sport, according to the NFL. The NAIA was on board first with sanctioned competition that began in 2021. There are 16 schools currently supporting an NCAA varsity program, with at least 20 more teams expected to start in 2026. Earlier this year, the NCAA recommended women’s flag football be designated an emerging sport.
One of the most intriguing developments in Minnesota has been the turnout from women who had never played an organized team sport before.
“Why am I doing this? It’s for those women who’ve never worn a uniform, who’ve never been part of the school spirit of being part of a team,” said Melissa Lee, an associate athletic director at Augsburg University in Minneapolis who agreed to coach the school’s team.
The obvious first question at the first gathering was about previous experience in the sport.
“What’s their token answer? We played powderpuff at homecoming our junior and senior year,” said Lee, who had 24 women sign up at the school of about 2,400 undergrads. “That was all it took for me. I said, ‘You’re on the team.’”
Even for the coaches on men’s tackle teams who’ve crossed over this spring to help lead the women’s flag startups, there has been a lot to learn.
The standard rules of flag football differ more than simply the absence of tackling, with plenty of variance from league to league and level to level. The fields are half as wide and half as long, and play is typically 5-on-5. The offense has four downs to cross midfield, then another four to score. Punts are verbally declared and not kicked, like an intentional walk in baseball, before the opponent takes possession at its own 5-yard line. The defense can rush the passer, but only from 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Running plays aren’t allowed inside the defense’s 5-yard line. After a touchdown, the scoring team chooses a 1-point conversion play from the 5 or a 2-point play from the 10.
Next season, Coyne said, the hope is to move to 7-on-7 play to increase playing time. Enough schools have expressed interest that the seven-team league could double in size. Then, ideally, varsity status would follow if a sustainable way to fund it can be figured out.
“I just love taking new opportunities,” Sturm said, recalling the surprise by her family members at her initial decision to not play a college sport. “Now that they know I’m getting back into it, they’re like, ‘This is you. This is what you’re supposed to do.’”
Hello, this is Victor Davis Hansen, for the Daily Signal. I’d like to look at Joe Biden’s speech, if I could, for a moment. It was billed as his first post-presidential speech. He gave it in Chicago, to an activist group that is trying to support and help people who are disabled. It may or may not have actually been his first public speech, but it was billed as such.
But my interest is this: I watched it twice and then I compared the coverage in The Wall Street Journal. If you watch the speech, it’s, to tell you the truth, quite embarrassing. And that is why some former Biden aides said that they cringe to see how Joe Biden has descended into confusion and chaos.
He walked out to the podium when there was entry music, and then he began to speak for 15 or 20 seconds while the music was going on. No one could hear him, and yet, he didn’t stop. Nobody said, “Joe, we can’t hear you. You’re speaking. That was the introductory music.” Then he continued.
Traditionally—at least in the first year—an ex-president does not attack his successor.
He immediately went into a harangue about Donald Trump. And he did it in his typical style. That is, it’s a projectionist mode, where, as many people on the Left, if they are guilty of something, they project that onto a target. So, he was a full Snagglepuss—Snarly-puss. He was angry.
And, he said, “and he’s gonna cut Social Security, Donald Trump. And he’s—we’ve never been—but—we need unity.”
So, in other words, the man, who at one point called half the country, Donald Trump’s supporters, “garbage.” And has called them semi-fascist, ultra MAGA. And earlier during campaigns, he’d called them chumps and drags. He was now saying that Donald Trump was divisive, and he was calling for unity, while he was angry. As Biden is, often.
Then he went in and said that Donald Trump is going to destroy Social Security. Trump has promised, ad infinitum, he is not going to touch Social Security. What he did say was he’s going in with the DOGE auditors to see, for example, why thousands of people who were born before 1920 are still on the Social Security roles. Are they getting money? Are they dead? Are they alive? Are people 90, 100, 110? That’s something that’s interesting.
And then, finally, Joe Biden said, “When I was young and I saw a bus of colored kids…” “Colored kids.” That’s a term that nobody uses. It’s considered offensive. And it’s consistent with what Joe Biden has said as president. He called two of his important aides who were African American, “boys.” I think he referred to Satchel Paige, the great pitcher, at one point, as “colored.”
Remember in the Obama primary of 2008 he said Obama was the first “clean” and “articulate” black. He bragged that Delaware had been a “slave state,” as if he was acquainted, then, with African American’s issues.
I could go on—”put you all in chains.” So, it was a disastrous point. But my point is this: The Wall Street Journal headline was that he attacks Trump. Accuses him of cutting Social Security. And the article said that Biden looked rested.
That was just a complete distortion. And when you start looking every single day, as I’m doing, if it’s tariffs, it’s a disaster. If it’s DOGE, it’s a disaster. If it’s Ukraine, Trump is doing something wrong, he’s favored Putin too much. It’s a disaster.
Everything. If it’s the mistakenly deported Mr. Garcia, there’s no background about who Mr. Garcia really is. It’s a disaster. Almost every article—it’s like an itch or a twitch—is negative, negative, negative, negative. The news division makes the headlines—but the columnists now—and I like many of them and so do you—but they’re pretty much negative.
They can’t find a good thing to say. But yet, when we look at the first hundred days, as we’re going talk about in a later video: Border? Good. Effort to stop the Ukraine War? Admirable. Middle East? Iran has got its back against the wall. Energy? All these things are good. There’s nothing there. Why are they doing this?
I’ll just finish with this observation. I wrote 20 years for the National Review magazine. And they got into the same frame. They were obsessed with Donald Trump and felt that he had been a disaster. This was in 2015 and ’16, ’17. They got obsessed with it. And before they knew it, they were criticizing him for positions they had once held.
I hope The Wall Street Journal doesn’t get into that frame of mind. The New York Post, which is also a Murdoch venue, has not It’s been pretty objective. But something’s going on at The Wall Street Journal. And I fear that it’s going to lose them thousands of subscribers.
We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.
In a new, unhinged Truth Social post Monday, Trump doubled down on his pressure campaign—calling Powell a “major loser” and warning the economy could collapse unless the Fed chair slashes interest rates immediately.
“‘Preemptive Cuts’ in Interest Rates are being called for by many,” Trump ranted
. “With Energy Costs way down, food prices (including Biden’s egg disaster!) substantially lower… there can almost be no inflation, but there can be a SLOWING of the economy unless Mr. Too Late, a major loser, lowers interest rates, NOW.”
Trump also baselessly accused Powell of manipulating rates to help former President Joe Biden win in 2020, saying, “Powell has always been ‘To[o] Late,’ except when it came to the Election period when he lowered in order to help Sleepy Joe Biden, later Kamala, get elected. How did that work out?”
The outburst comes amid reports that Trump is reportedly hunting for ways to oust
Powell before his term ends in May 2026. Powell has made clear that Trump can’t legally remove
him—and doing so would only pour gasoline on the already volatile markets. Still, Trump told reporters
last week, “If I want him out, he’ll be out of there real fast, believe me.”
Powell’s resistance
isn’t about ego—it’s about the independence of the Federal Reserve, which is supposed to keep monetary policy insulated from political pressure. But even Trump’s public threats are enough to destabilize markets, and Wall Street clearly isn’t buying what Trump’s selling.
“If you start to raise questions about Federal Reserve independence, you are raising the bar for the Federal Reserve to cut. If you actually did try to remove the Federal Reserve chairman, I think you would see a severe reaction in markets,” Evercore ISI Vice President Krishna Guha told CNBC
.
That’s already happening: The S&P 500 ended down by 2.36%
Monday, and the Nasdaq
composite index was down by 2.55%. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled
more than 1,200 points—nearly 3.3%—before ending the day down 971.82 points, and the dollar hit its lowest point since 2022
.
And that’s not just bad optics. A weaker dollar makes American goods cheaper overseas, but also drives up import costs and makes inflation harder to control.
The irony here is hard to miss: Trump is throwing tantrums to pressure Powell into cutting rates, but each one only rattles markets more and deepens the economic chaos Trump created in the first place.
“There’s a slew of things that could be very unsettling to the market as it tries to navigate what it doesn’t really know how to navigate, which is policy uncertainty about tariffs,” John Mowrey, the chief investment officer at NFJ Investment Group, told The New York Times
.
Trump’s been gunning for Powell ever since the Fed chair correctly warned that the president’s erratic tariff threats would fuel inflation and choke off growth. Powell has made it clear he’s not eager to cut rates until there’s more clarity on Trump’s trade agenda—something he still refuses to provide.
“Tariffs are highly likely to generate at least a temporary rise in inflation. The inflationary effects could also be more persistent. The level of the tariff increases announced so far is significantly larger than anticipated,” Powell said in remarks at the Economic Club of Chicago last week. “The same is likely to be true of the economic effects, which will include higher inflation and slower growth.”
Markets had started to bounce back somewhat after Trump walked back
some of his threats and announced a 90-day pause on new tariffs (except on China). But Monday’s outburst brought it all crashing down again.
Trump is bullying Powell to clean up a mess that Trump has created. And every time he opens his mouth, he only deepens the damage.
BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Lejos de los rituales funerarios cuidadosamente planificados por el Vaticano para despedir los restos de Francisco, en una pequeña capilla de una barriada pobre de su natal Buenos Aires un grupo de feligreses con problemas de adicción a las drogas rezan frente a un mural inspirado en una imagen icónica del papa con un mate, la típica infusión sudamericana que por costumbre se comparte.
“Vamos a agradecer por todas las cosas que nos enseñó, nos regaló y por lo que va a seguir haciendo desde el cielo”, dijo en tono ameno el padre Ignacio Bagattini al dar comienzo a una misa improvisada en la parroquia Cristo Obrero del Barrio Carlos Mugica, conocido popularmente como la Villa 31 y considerada un símbolo de la desigualdad social.
Unas pocas horas después de confirmarse el deceso del papa
, Bagattini tuvo el impulso de organizar la ceremonia religiosa antes del almuerzo en el pequeño templo que funciona como centro de rehabilitación para adicciones para despedir a un aliado incondicional de quienes, como él, optaron por la misión de aliviar las penas de los más desprotegidos de la sociedad.
Francisco “abrió las puertas de la Iglesia mucho más de par en par. Estaba media puerta abierta”, remarcó el padre “Nacho”, como lo llaman los fieles del barrio, cubierto con una estola que en uno de sus extremos tiene la frase: “Iglesia pobre para los pobres” y el rostro del papa.
“Abrió las puertas para que todos puedan encontrar un lugar. No mirar su apariencia, ni historia, ni olor ni de dónde venís”, añadió.
Sentados en bancas de madera, hombres y mujeres con la mirada sombría por la pelea desigual contra las drogas y el alcohol en un contexto social vulnerable, se preguntan ahora si las puertas de la Iglesia no volverán a cerrarse para ellos.
“La muerte del papa me afectó en lo emocional, me da miedo cómo va a seguir esto”, comentó Fabián Maldonado, de 38 años, un adicto recuperado y acompañante de chicos del Barrio Carlos Mugica en situación de calle. “Hay preocupación”.
En 2008, el entonces arzobispo de Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, fundó la Familia Grande Hogar de Cristo, una red de centros de asistencia para adictos bajo la órbita de las parroquias levantadas en las barriadas pobres. Los sacerdotes habían advertido a su superior sobre los estragos que estaba causando el creciente consumo de estupefacientes, especialmente pasta base de cocaína, entre los jóvenes de las llamadas villas miserias.
La misión, que incluye centros de internación y rehabilitación de adicciones, talleres de oficios y comedores, se expandió durante el pontificado de Francisco hasta alcanzar los 300 en todo el país. Su papel se volvió vital, junto a otras organizaciones sociales en un contexto social agravado por el flagelo de la inflación en la última década, que amplió la población de los barrios pobres.
Tras la misa, pacientes y voluntarios se reúnen alrededor de tablones de madera para comer un guiso y un trozo de pan.
“Tengo miedo. Con él vivo, nos daban muchas cosas. Ahora, ¿quién nos va a ayudar?, ¿quién nos va a dar mercadería?, ¿quién va a ayudar a la gente a salir de la calle y del consumo?”, se preguntó Yesica Mendienta, una adicta en recuperación de 27 años y madre de dos hijos.
La joven, vestida con un conjunto deportivo y una gorra, advirtió que encima “cada vez son más” los adictos que concurren al centro a pedir ayuda.
“Estoy agradecida con este lugar, aunque hice mucho berrinche cuando consumía. Me están dando una mano para ser una buena madre”.
La sensación de desamparo también invadió a los fieles de la Iglesia de Caacupé, parte de la misma red en la villa 21-24 de la capital.
“No tengo palabras, me duele mucho, mucho… Era la persona más humilde de toda la ciudad”, expresó con lágrimas en los ojos la devota Sara Benítez Fernández, de 57 años. “Nunca vamos a ver un papa como él… Nunca”.
La muerte del papa, además, se da en un contexto de reconfiguración de las políticas públicas de ayuda social por impulso del presidente ultraderechista Javier Milei, que bajo la figura de la “motosierra” ha avanzado sobre un inédito ajuste de los gastos del Estado,
que incluyó recortes en planes de asistencia.
La Iglesia católica local se quejó hace un tiempo por la demora en la entrega de alimentos a comedores comunitarios por parte de las autoridades nacionales.
El padre Nacho pide a los humildes del barrio 31 no desalentarse tras la partida del papa argentino.
“Si en este momento me preocupara, me paralizara, es porque entiendo que todo esto que se armó depende de nosotros, los seres humanos. Pero esto depende de Dios. Hay que esperar. Un día Dios metió la mano y nos sorprendió con Francisco. Ojalá nos vuelva a sorprender”.
Most California voters support the state’s efforts to increase health care coverage for undocumented immigrants, a new survey found.
According to a new survey from the University of California Berkley’s Citrin Center and Politico, 21 percent of voters believe the state should continue to offer Medicaid coverage to undocumented immigrants, even if it means there will be cuts elsewhere in the budget.
Thirty-two percent say California should continue offering the program to undocumented immigrants but if budget cuts are deemed necessary to make it work, people in the country legally should receive priority.
About a third, 31 percent, say California never should have opened its Medicaid coverage up to undocumented immigrants and 17 percent say the state should partially or fully reverse the decision to offer the health care coverage.
The survey comes just days after California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed legislation
to close a $2.8 billion Medicaid funding gap.
Republicans in the state were pushing back on Newsom’s decision, arguing that undocumented immigrants should not be receiving access to the care since there’s a gap in the budget.
Newsom’s signed legislation is part of the state’s plan to fix the $6.2 billion gap in the Medicaid budget after California launched an attempt to give all low-income adults coverage regardless of immigration status.
The state has surpassed its original budget because it underestimated the number of people who signed up for Medicaid services. State leaders have not disclosed how many people enrolled via the expansion.
Jack Citrin, a longtime UC Berkeley political science professor, told Politico
that the findings of the survey can offer state lawmakers direction as they grapple with the costs, which were higher than expected.
“I think there will be resistance among the state government to cutting Medicaid, but if they have to, presumably they might start changing which undocumented get access, maybe limiting it to children and elderly people, rather than everyone,” he said.
Medi-Cal, the name of the state’s Medicaid program, has become controversial as the state looks to expand coverage and make its own version of universal health care. Republican state lawmakers have pushed back on Newsom, saying he’s “bankrupted the program” and made legal residents “come second.”
While Newsom has said he doesn’t have any plans to roll back the plan, other Democrats say tough choices lie ahead.
The survey was conducted among 1,025 California respondents from April 1-14 and has a margin of error of 5 percentage points.
President Donald Trump endorsed both Republican candidates in the 2026 Arizona gubernatorial race on Monday, throwing his support behind Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) after having already endorsed his competitor Karrin Taylor Robson.
“I like Karrin Taylor Robson of Arizona a lot, and when she asked me to Endorse her, with nobody else running, I Endorsed her, and was happy to do so,” wrote Trump in a Truth Social post
. “When Andy Biggs decided to run for Governor, quite unexpectedly, I had a problem — Two fantastic candidates, two terrific people, two wonderful champions, and it is therefore my Great Honor TO GIVE MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT TO BOTH.”
He concluded, “Either one will never let you down. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
In the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial race, Trump backed Robson’s opponent Kari Lake, who went on to lose against Katie Hobbs by less than 1%. Former Vice President Mike Pence, meanwhile, backed
Robson, who repeatedly praised Pence as a “warrior” and “the genuine article” in a political world “full of charlatans & fakes.”
Trump has a track record
of backing several candidates in the same race.
In 2024, Trump endorsed
both Abe Hamadeh and Blake Masters in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District Republican primary – championing
the power of his endorsement after Hamadeh won. He also endorsed both Jerrod Sessler and Tiffany Smiley in Washington’s 4th Congressional District, both Andrew Bailey and Will Scharf in the Missouri attorney general race, and the top three candidates in Missouri’s governor race.
