Highlights from June 12, 2025
- SENATOR REMOVED FROM EVENT: Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was forcefully removed from a Department of Homeland Security news conference in Los Angeles held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The White House condemned Padilla, describing his actions as a “theater-kid stunt.”
- BILL SIGNING: President Donald Trump signed a bill that blocks a California rule that sought to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. The president delivered remarks on a wide-ranging list of topics, including his falling out with Elon Musk and deploying the National Guard in Los Angeles in response to anti-immigration raid protests.
- CONGRESSIONAL PICNIC: Members of Congress and their families attended an annual picnic at the White House this evening. The list of lawmakers included Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who previously said his invitation was canceled over his opposition to some of the president’s policies. Trump later said Paul was invited.
- HOUSE RESCISSIONS VOTE: The House narrowly passed a Republican bill canceling $9.4 billion in spending on the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Public Broadcasting Service, National Public Radio and other programs, with the aim of codifying cuts proposed by the Department of Government Efficiency.
Rubio: U.S. not involved in Israeli strike against Iran
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that Israel's decision to strike Iran tonight was a "unilateral action," emphasizing that the United States is "not involved in strikes against Iran."
"[O]ur top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense," Rubio wrote in a statement.
Amid the conflict, Rubio issued a stern warning to Iran.
"Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel," he wrote.
Sen. Alex Padilla disputes Trump administration’s account of his forcible removal at a DHS event
Padilla disputed the White House’s account of the events surrounding his forcible removal from Noem’s news conference, pushing back against key details about what exactly preceded his handcuffing by federal law enforcement agents.
Both the White House and Noem said Padilla failed to identify himself to security, yelled and lunged toward Noem.
“This man burst into the room, started lunging towards the podium, interrupting me and elevating his voice, and was stopped, did not identify himself, and was removed from the room,” Noem said in an interview on Fox News. “The way that he acted was completely inappropriate.”
Padilla denied all of Noem’s characterizations in his first interview after the incident — on MSNBC with NBC News’ Jacob Soboroff. “That’s ridiculous. It’s a lie but par for the course for this administration,” he began.
New GOP bill would protect AI companies from lawsuits if they offer transparency
Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., is introducing legislation that would shield artificial intelligence developers from an array of civil liability lawsuits provided they meet certain disclosure requirements.
Lummis’ bill, the Responsible Innovation and Safe Expertise Act, seeks to clarify that doctors, lawyers, financial advisers, engineers and other professionals who use AI programs in their decision-making retain legal liability for any errors they make — so long as AI developers publicly disclose how their systems work.
“This legislation doesn’t create blanket immunity for AI — in fact, it requires AI developers to publicly disclose model specifications so professionals can make informed decisions about the AI tools they choose to utilize,” Lummis, a member of the Commerce Committee, said in a statement first shared with NBC News. “It also means that licensed professionals are ultimately responsible for the advice and decisions they make. This is smart policy for the digital age that protects innovation, demands transparency, and puts professionals and their clients first.”
Lummis’ office touted the bill as the first piece of federal legislation that offers clear guidelines for AI liability in a professional context. The measure would not govern liability for other AI elements, such as self-driving vehicles, and it would not provide immunity when AI developers act recklessly or willfully engage in misconduct.
Democratic lawmaker tells GOP colleague to 'get some f------ balls' during clash over Padilla handcuffing
Rep. John Mannion, D-N.Y., told Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., to “get some f------ balls” during a dispute on the House floor today over Padilla's forcible removal and handcuffing by Secret Service agents.
“This is f------ madness man!” Mannion yelled at Lawler on the House floor.
Mannion told Lawler who was reportedly on the Democratic side of the floor, to return to his party's half of the chamber.
"Get over there and get some f------ balls! Tell them! Tell them!" Mannion screamed. "You know who I am. I’m a New Yorker just like you! This country’s falling apart!"
Lawler responded on X, calling Mannion “unhinged and unprofessional” and telling him to “go seek help for anger management — and f--- off.”
Just before he entered the House chamber, Mannion similarly yelled at reporters outside the Capitol.
“Press, we need you,” he said. “We need you. We need you to hold them accountable. Don’t cover the distractions. Cover the actions that lead us towards authoritarianism.”
Padilla defends decision to interrupt Noem's news conference amid fallout over handcuffing
Padilla defended his decision to interrupt the news conference, saying in a statement on X that he viewed it as a rare opportunity to press the Trump administration about its deployment of military forces in the state.
"We have repeatedly asked the Trump Administration for answers on the deployment of military forces and the needless escalation in Los Angeles over the last week — and have gotten limited to no information. I attended Secretary Noem’s press conference in hopes of getting some answers," Padilla said.
In video of the event shared by Padilla's office, he can be heard identifying himself as a "senator." Despite that, Padilla said, he was still "aggressively pushed out of the room, forced to the ground, and handcuffed."
"If that’s what they do to a United States Senator with a question, imagine what they can do to any American that dares to speak up. We will hold this administration accountable," he wrote.
House Democrats heckle Johnson after he called Padilla's behavior 'wildly inappropriate'
House Democrats heckled House Speaker Mike Johnson after he called Padilla's behavior "wildly inappropriate" at a gaggle with reporters.
"What I saw was agents asking him to quiet down so that, you know, the secretary could continue her press conference,” said Johnson, R-La. “He refused to do so. What were they supposed to do?"
"Why don’t you stand up for Congress?” Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., yelled.
Asked by a reporter whether he had a response to the Democratic pushback, Johnson refused to respond, saying instead, "I think the American people can draw their own conclusion."
He said that formal disciplinary measures are up to the Senate but that he thinks “that behavior, at a minimum, it rises to the level of a censure.”
Sen. Susan Collins says Padilla's removal is 'disturbing'
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said it's "hard to imagine a justification" for the forced removal of Padilla from Noem's news conference.
"I think it’s very disturbing," Collins told NBC News. "I don’t know what preceded it. I just was shown on the floor a small play, but it looks like he is being manhandled and physically removed, and it’s hard to imagine a justification for that.”
White House slams Padilla for 'theater-kid stunt' that led to handcuffing
The White House condemned Padilla for interrupting Noem's news conference, calling his behavior "immature" and a "theater-kid stunt."
"Padilla stormed a press conference, without wearing his Senate pin or previously identifying himself to security, yelled, and lunged toward Secretary Noem. Padilla didn’t want answers; he wanted attention," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
The White House also slammed Democrats for their widespread anger over Padilla's handcuffing and removal, framing the uproar as misplaced.
"Padilla embarrassed himself and his constituents with this immature, theater-kid stunt — but it’s telling that Democrats are more riled up about Padilla than they are about the violent riots and assaults on law enforcement in LA," the statement read.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair calls for criminal investigation of officials involved in Padilla incident
Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, this afternoon called for the arrest of the agents involved in the forced removal and handcuffing of Padilla, characterizing the incident as an "assault."
“We want a fast and full investigation on the assault of Sen. Alex Padilla. That’s what we want. We want those people that assaulted him to be looked at and to be arrested,” Espaillat said, adding that the Hispanic Caucus is "fully behind" Padilla.
Espaillat said the incident was part of a broader effort by the administration to crack down on dissent, which he framed as a sign of a democracy in danger.
“Anybody that sees the video will see that he was aggressively assaulted and thrown on the ground for simply just wanting to express his opinion or ask a question," Espaillat said. "The censoring of dissent will put this democracy and has put this democracy in danger."
Sen. Gary Peters says forcible removal of Padilla was 'unacceptable'
Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, this afternoon condemned Padilla's forcible removal from the news conference.
"He was dragged out, taken out, because he was trying to ask a question — thrown to the floor," Peters said in a video statement on X.
"It is absolutely unacceptable. As a member of Congress, you have a right to ask questions, to stand up for the people that we represent, and what we saw today is simply unacceptable," Peters added.
