Today in One Sentence. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a new, four-star “AUTOWARCOM” to develop and deploy drones and other autonomous weapons; Trump’s taxpayer-funded TV ads were paid for with $20 million in border security funding; the Supreme Court agreed to decide whether ICE can detain immigrants who crossed the border illegally years ago without a bond hearing; Louisiana, Alabama, and Arkansas sued New York, Massachusetts, and California for shielding providers who mail abortion pills into states with bans; the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate jumped to 7.28%, its highest since November 2023; 17% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the cost of living and 65% blame his policies for high prices; and Trump refused to rule out declaring a state of emergency before the midterms, saying, “I don’t rule anything out or in. We’ll see.”.

1/ Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a new, four-star “AUTOWARCOM” to develop and deploy drones and other autonomous weapons. The Pentagon, however, will need legislation to establish the new command, which Hegseth wants operational by October 2027. Hegseth also ordered a 20% reduction in positions for generals and admirals by Jan. 1, 2027, doubling a cut he ordered last year. He called it “accountability and long overdue,” claiming “We are no longer the woke department or the weak department. Simple translation of that: No fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors.” Sen. Mark Kelly warned that Hegseth was “purging a generation of great leaders of the military” and that it would take a generation to recover. Meanwhile, Hegseth tapped Elon Musk, Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich for a 120-day study on the future of warfare. Musk’s and Luckey’s companies both benefit from federal defense contracting and have a financial stake in how the military modernizes itself. (New York Times / Associated Press / Politico / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / NPR / Bloomberg / ABC News)

  • The Pentagon is preparing to send 10,000 more troops and a third aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East. The USS Theodore Roosevelt and a Marine amphibious group set sail this week, but one official said no final decision had been made on the carrier’s destination. (Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg)

2/ Trump’s taxpayer-funded TV ads were paid for with $20 million in border security funding. The White House moved the money that Congress had allocated for border surveillance and drug-trafficking enforcement into a Homeland Security account for “commemorative events.” DHS then awarded a $20 million “national media campaign” contract the next day. One ad resembles Trump’s 2024 campaign ad, but instead now says “Paid for by the U.S. Government.” Federal law that prohibits the use of public funds for “propaganda purposes.” FCC Chair Brendan Carr nevertheless called the ads “normal” public service announcements. (Washington Post / MS Now / Reuters / NBC News / Politico)

3/ The Supreme Court agreed to decide whether ICE can detain immigrants who crossed the border illegally years ago without a bond hearing. The Trump administration changed its interpretation of a 1996 law last year to mandate detention during deportation proceedings, even for people who have lived in the U.S. for decades. The policy reversed nearly 30 years of practice that allowed them to seek release while their cases proceeded. Nine of the 11 federal appeals courts have rejected the administration’s interpretation. The justices are expected to rule by the end of June. (New York Times / NBC News / Politico / Reuters)

  • Renee Good’s family filed two lawsuits over her fatal shooting by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis. One names the U.S. as the sole defendant. The other alleges Ross and six current and former Trump officials conspired to target Somali and Hispanic Minnesotans, while the White House called the lawsuits baseless. (CNN / Axios / CBS News / Washington Post / Reuters)

4/ Louisiana, Alabama, and Arkansas sued New York, Massachusetts, and California for shielding providers who mail abortion pills into states with bans. The lawsuit argues that the shield laws violate the Constitution by preventing the three states from investigating and prosecuting out-of-state providers. It’s the first lawsuit brought directly against states with abortion shield laws. (New York Times / Associated Press / Mother Jones / The Hill)

5/ The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate jumped to 7.28%, its highest since November 2023. Rates rose from 7.03% last week, which was the biggest weekly increase since October 2022. (NBC News / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / New York Times)

poll/ 17% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the cost of living and 65% blame his policies for high prices. 67% of Republicans, however, say higher prices were due to factors outside his control. (Associated Press / AP-NORC)

  • Trump: “I give us an A+ on the government, on economics, on everything.” (Politico)

The 2026 midterms are in 33 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 768 days.

✏️ Notables.

  1. Trump refused to rule out declaring a state of emergency before the midterms, saying, “I don’t rule anything out or in. We’ll see.” (The Hill / The Guardian)

  2. Trump said he would consider issuing preemptive pardons to members of his administration before leaving office, saying “Yeah, sure I’d do that.” When asked what would happen if Democrats took the House, he said: “They’ll probably go after me and I’ll go after them.” (NBC News / ABC News / Bloomberg)

  3. Trump claimed the Secret Service wanted him to tear down the Oval Office and replace it with a more secure version. “I said, ‘My ass, you can’t build a new one. This is a special place.’” (Washington Post / The Hill)

  4. Trump refused to rule out demolishing the Kennedy Center, saying “I’m not committing to anything” and that “we’re going to see how it plays out in court.” A federal judge ordered the administration to give at least 30 days’ notice before any demolition. (Washington Post)

  5. Trump lashed out at Time reporters for not asking him “one fucking positive question” and complained they had ignored Venezuela, even though they had discussed it earlier in the interview. (Rolling Stone / The Hill)

  6. A D.C. judge permanently dismissed the vandalism case against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn over damages to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office dropped the case after evidence showed the damaged was caused by a flawed installation. (NBC News / ABC News / Axios / Associated Press / CNBC)

  7. A federal judge preliminarily reinstated Seattle’s court-appointed U.S. attorney, ruling Trump could not fire prosecutors appointed by courts. In July, Trump fired Rogoff less than an hour after he took office. The Justice Department said it would seek an immediate stay and appeal.(Politico / Reuters / CNN)