Updated

President Trump suggested at a rally in Nebraska that Iran could 'take out' the cities of Los Angeles or San Diego, prompting California Governor Gavin Newsom to call the remarks 'deranged and dangerous' and order the state's threat-assessment center to actively monitor for possible threats. California officials broadly denounced the comments as reckless, and the White House sought to clarify that Trump had been misunderstood. The controversy has become part of a wider debate over Trump's handling of the Iran war and its political fallout ahead of the US midterm elections.