Trump live updates: Vance defends DOGE and rebukes reports that there’s any tension between Musk and cabinet

The corner of New York City’s 5th Avenue and 56th Street is typically dotted with shoppers, designer goods and more than one reaction to the famous building casting its shadow over the block. Images of Donald Trump’s “Fight Fight Fight” are held in the air, others choose to put a choice finger in the air, merchants hawk T-shirts with the president’s mugshot. A few buskers hope to sell MAGA hats to anyone who breaks stride.

On Thursday, that typical NYC chaos turned into actual – but short-lived – chaos. MAGA-red was replaced by protest red and cop blue as protestors were dragged outside the famous tower after “occupying” it.

“A green card holder, even if I might like that green card holder doesn’t have an indefinite right to be in the United States of America,” Vance said. “American citizens have different rights from people who have green cards, from people who have student visas. And so my attitude on this is this not fundamentally about free speech.”

“And to me, yes it’s about national security, but it’s also more importantly about who do we, as an American public, decide gets to join our national community,” Vance continued. “And if the Secretary of State and the President decide this person shouldn’t be in America, they have no legal right to stay here.”

Vice President JD Vance said there’s no truth to reports that there’s tension between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and DOGE leader Elon Musk after the two reportedly had a heated argument during a cabinet meeting last week.

“I don’t think there’s tension,” Vance said. “There’s certainly disagreement. From time to time, we’re not going to agree on everything.”

“Elon is doing a great job…Marco [Rubio], I think, is doing an incredible job as Secretary of State…So the fact that you disagree at a meeting, that does not mean that you have misalignment,” he added.

Read the full report on the argument between Musk and Rubio:

Senate Democrats seemed to prepare themselves for the possibility of letting the government shut down as more of them came out against a continuing resolution on Thursday.

This comes even though their leader, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, signaled that he was willing to provide the votes to avert a shutdown, a sign that enough Democrats could join Republicans to vote for the stopgap spending bill.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is reportedly planning an overhaul for the military’s lawyers to relax the rules of combat engagement and change how charges are brought against service members.

Hegseth wants sweeping changes among the judge advocate general’s corps, pushing for more aggressive battlefield actions and more leniency against soldiers accused of offenses, which could include war crimes, sources told The Guardian.

Vice President JD Vance sat down for an interview with Fox News’s Laura Ingraham, which will air tonight at 7 p.m. ET.

Follow along for live updates from The Independent.

A Canadian entrepreneur who was arrested in the United States by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents over an incomplete visa is being held in “inhumane” conditions in an Arizona detention center, according to her family, who have now gone public in an attempt to secure her release.

Joe Sommerlad has the details.