A tense standoff between California and the federal government escalated Monday, with federal officials preparing to send in 700 Marines to assist the National Guard and state officials saying they will sue the Trump administration's decision to "trample over" Governor Gavin Newsom's authority.
Newsom shot back at Trump over the move to send in Marines: "U.S. Marines have served honorably across multiple wars in defense of democracy. They are heroes. They shouldn't be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President."
The addition of active-duty troops marks a significant escalation. It comes comes as California officials say they will sue the Trump administration challenging the decision to federalize the National Guard and send its members onto city streets amid increasingly hostile protests over Trump immigration policies, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Monday.