Trump: Musk will face serious consequences if he supports Democrats
US President Donald Trump says billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk will have to face "very serious consequences" if he funds opposition Democratic Party candidates in the midterm elections next year.
The relationship between Trump and Musk has been deteriorating over a Republican-led bill including tax cuts. Musk served in a key post in the Trump administration before quitting it late last month.
In a telephone interview with NBC News on Saturday, Trump was asked if he thought his relationship with Musk is over. Trump said, "I would assume so."
He criticized Musk for being "very disrespectful" of the office of the president.
Citing a senior White House official, Bloomberg reported on Friday that Trump is considering getting rid of the Tesla car he bought to show his solidarity with Musk's electric vehicle firm.
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Japan Times
13 minutes ago
- Japan Times
U.S., China to resume trade talks with focus on rare earth exports
Top trade negotiators from the U.S. and China are set to hold fresh talks in London on Monday, offering a glimmer of hope that the world's two largest economies can defuse tensions over Chinese dominance in rare-earth minerals. Both sides have accused the other of reneging on a deal in Geneva in May where they tried to start dialing back their trade war. Relations have spiraled since President Donald Trump's return to the White House, stoking uncertainty for companies and investors. China said Saturday it approved some applications for rare-earth exports, without specifying which countries or industries were involved — after Trump said Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed to restart the flow of minerals and magnets using the materials. "We want the rare earths, the magnets that are crucial for cell phones and everything else to flow just as they did before the beginning of April and we don't want any technical details slowing that down,' Kevin Hassett, head of the National Economic Council at the White House, said Sunday on CBS's Face the Nation. "And that's clear to them.' U.S.-China trade tensions escalated this year as a series of duty hikes on each other's goods sent tariffs well above 100% before hitting a pause. While the Geneva deal was meant to pave the way for a broader de-escalation, subsequent talks quickly stalled amid mutual recriminations. The U.S. complained about a decline in shipments of rare-earth magnets essential for American electric vehicles and defense systems, while China bristled at tightened U.S. restrictions on artificial intelligence chips from Huawei, access to other advanced technologies and crackdowns on foreign students in the U.S.. Trump's reprieve on U.S. tariffs for Chinese goods runs out in August, unless he decides to extend it. If deals aren't reached, the White House has said Trump plans to restore tariff rates to the levels he first announced in April, or lower numbers that exceed the current 10% baseline. In London, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet a Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier He Lifeng. Trump offered a positive spin on what has been a rollercoaster relationship since he took office in January, saying on social media that the talks should go "very well.' While a call between Trump and Xi last week generated some hope on Wall Street for lower duties between the trading partners, investors' optimism was limited. While promising to reshape U.S. trading relationships, the U.S. president has reached only one new trade agreement — with the U.K.. The Geneva meeting underscored the challenge of deal-making between China and the U.S.. "There was confusion and misunderstanding or misinterpretation intentionally on both sides, depending on how you look at it, about what was agreed to,' said Josh Lipsky, chair of international economics at the Atlantic Council. "They left too many things open to interpretation and they all paid the price for it in the intervening weeks.' After the two leaders spoke, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Trump told Xi that Chinese students are welcome to study in the U.S.. Trump later said it would be his "honor' to welcome them. For now, Xi appears to be betting that a reset in ties will lead to tangible wins in the weeks and months ahead, including tariff reductions, an easing of export controls and a less-fraught tone. The U.S. and China "just want to get back to where they were in Switzerland with a few more agreements down on paper to actually understand what is gonna be licensed, what gets permitted, what doesn't,' Lipsky said.
Japan Times
13 minutes ago
- Japan Times
Tensions flare as National Guard arrives in Los Angeles to quell immigration protests
California National Guard troops clashed with protesters in Los Angeles on Sunday hours after arriving in the city on the orders of President Donald Trump to quell demonstrations against immigration raids carried out as part of Trump's enforcement measures. About a dozen National Guard members, along with Department of Homeland Security personnel, pushed back a group of demonstrators that amassed outside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, video showed. The confrontation continued on the street outside the facility. The protesters had earlier chanted "ICE out of LA," at a group of National Guard members, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which carried out immigration raids in Los Angeles beginning on Friday, sparking demonstrations that continued for a third day on Sunday. The complex is near Los Angeles City Hall, where another protest against the immigration raids is scheduled for Sunday afternoon. U.S. Northern Command confirmed 2,000 National Guard troops had started deploying and that some were already on the ground. Trump on Sunday characterized earlier demonstrations in the city as "riots." Speaking to reporters in New Jersey, he threatened violence against demonstrators who spit on police or National Guard troops, saying "they spit, we hit." He did not cite any specific incidents. "If we see danger to our country and to our citizens, it will be very, very strong in terms of law and order," Trump said. National Guard troops were also seen in Paramount in southeast Los Angeles near the Home Depot, the site of altercations between protestors and police on Saturday. California Governor Gavin Newsom has accused Trump of deploying the National Guard because he wants "a spectacle." "Don't give Donald Trump what he wants," Newsom said in a post on X. "Speak up. Stay peaceful. Stay calm." Video showed at least a half dozen military-style vehicles and riot shields on Sunday at the federal building where the Department of Homeland Security said that about "1,000 rioters" had protested on Friday. Members of the California National Guard in the Los Angeles County city of Paramount, California, on Sunday | REUTERS Law enforcement faced off with a few hundred protesters in Paramount and 100 in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, with federal officers firing gas canisters in efforts to disperse crowds, according to witnesses. The Los Angeles Police Department arrested 27 people on Saturday for failure to disperse from the downtown protest, police spokesperson Norma Eisenman said. She said she could not comment on whether LAPD used less lethal force. Less lethal force refers to crowd control tactics such as pepper balls. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrested three people on Saturday on suspicion of assaulting an officer and three deputies received minor injuries. Sheriff's deputies did use "less lethal force" in Paramount, spokesperson Deputy Brenda Serna said, but she could not specify which tactics were used. While U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance referred to the protesters as "insurrectionists" and senior White House aide Stephen Miller described the protests as a "violent insurrection," Trump has not invoked the Insurrection Act. Asked on Sunday, whether he would invoke the 1807 law, which empowers a president to deploy the U.S. military to suppress events like civil disorder, he replied "it depends on whether or not there's an insurrection." 'Zero tolerance' The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where census data suggests a significant part of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made immigration enforcement measures a hallmark of his second term. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned that the Pentagon was prepared to mobilize active-duty troops "if violence continues" in Los Angeles, saying the Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were "on high alert." "There is plenty of room for peaceful protest, but ZERO tolerance for attacking federal agents who are doing their job. The National Guard, and Marines if need be, stand with ICE," Hegseth said in a social media post on Sunday, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Democratic Congresswoman Nanette Barragan, whose California district includes Paramount, on Sunday criticized the president's decision to deploy National Guard troops, arguing that local law enforcement has adequate resources to respond. "We don't need the help. This is him escalating it, causing tensions to rise. It's only going to make things worse in a situation where people are already angry over immigration enforcement," Barragan told CNN's "State of the Union." Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday that the National Guard would provide safety around buildings, to people engaged in peaceful protest and to law enforcement. A members of the California National Guard looks at nearby protesters, whose reflection is visible in his helmet visor, in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday. | Gabriela Bhaskar / The New York Times ICE operations in Los Angeles on Friday arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the U.S.-Mexico border, setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day. But the sweeping enforcement measures have also included people legally residing in the country, some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Sunday criticized the U.S. government over the immigration raids and deployment of the National Guard. "We do not agree with this way of addressing the immigration issue," Sheinbaum, who has sought to cultivate a positive relationship with Trump, said at a public event. "The phenomenon will not be addressed with raids or violence. It will be by sitting down and working on comprehensive reform." Trump's justification Trump's justification for the National Guard deployment cited a provision of Title 10 of the U.S. Code on the Armed Forces. However, Title 10 also says the "orders for these purposes shall be issued through the governors of the States." It was not immediately clear if the president had the legal authority to deploy the National Guard troops without Newsom's order. Title 10 allows for National Guard deployment by the federal government if there is "a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States." Those troops are only allowed to engage in limited activities and cannot undertake ordinary law enforcement activities. Trump's memo says the troops will "temporarily protect ICE and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions, including the enforcement of Federal law, and to protect Federal property, at locations where protests against these functions are occurring or are likely to occur."
Yomiuri Shimbun
16 minutes ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Protests Intensify in Los Angeles after Trump Deploys Hundreds of National Guard Troops
The Associated Press Multiple Waymo taxis burn near the Metropolitan Detention Center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tensions in Los Angeles escalated Sunday as thousands of protesters took to the streets in response to President Donald Trump's extraordinary deployment of the National Guard, blocking off a major freeway and setting self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash bangs to control the crowd. Some police patrolled the streets on horseback while others with riot gear lined up behind Guard troops deployed to protect federal facilities including a detention center where some immigrants were taken in recent days. Police declared an unlawful assembly, and by early evening many people had left. Some protesters who remained grabbed chairs from a nearby public park to form a makeshift barrier between themselves and police and throw objects at them. It was the third day of demonstrations against Trump's immigration crackdown in the region, as the arrival of around 300 federal troops spurred anger and fear among some residents. Sunday's protests in Los Angeles, a city of 4 million people, were centered in several blocks of downtown. Outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, crowds chanted 'shame' and 'go home' at members of the National Guard, who stood shoulder to shoulder, carrying long guns and riot shields. After some protesters closely approached the guard members, another set of uniformed officers advanced on the group, shooting smoke-filled canisters into the street. Minutes later, the Los Angeles Police Department fired rounds of crowd-control munitions to disperse the protesters, who they said were assembled unlawfully. Much of the group then moved to block traffic on the 101 freeway until state patrol officers cleared them from the roadway by late afternoon, while southbound lanes remained shut down. Flash bangs echoed out every few seconds into the evening as some protesters threw objects down at the roadway and state patrol officers fired back. Nearby, at least four self-driving Waymo cars were set on fire, sending large plumes of black smoke into the sky and exploding intermittently as the electric vehicles burned. By evening, police had issued an unlawful assembly order shutting down several blocks of downtown Los Angeles. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom requested Trump remove the guard members in a letter Sunday afternoon, calling their deployment a 'serious breach of state sovereignty.' He was in Los Angeles meeting with local law enforcement and officials. It wasn't clear if he'd spoken to Trump since Friday. Their deployment appeared to be the first time in decades that a state's national guard was activated without a request from its governor, a significant escalation against those who have sought to hinder the administration's mass deportation efforts. Mayor Karen Bass echoed Newsom's comments. 'What we're seeing in Los Angeles is chaos that is provoked by the administration,' she said in an afternoon press conference. 'This is about another agenda, this isn't about public safety.' Their admonishments did not deter the administration. 'It's a bald-faced lie for Newsom to claim there was no problem in Los Angeles before President Trump got involved,' White House Abigail Jackson said in a statement in response. Deployment follows days of protest The arrival of the National Guard followed two days of protests that began Friday in downtown Los Angeles before spreading on Saturday to Paramount, a heavily Latino city south of the city, and neighboring Compton. Federal agents arrested immigrants in LA's fashion district, in a Home Depot parking lot and at several other locations on Friday. The next day, they were staging at a Department of Homeland Security office near another Home Depot in Paramount, which drew out protesters who suspected another raid. Federal authorities later said there was no enforcement activity at that Home Depot. Demonstrators attempted to block Border Patrol vehicles hurling rocks and chunks of cement. In response, agents in riot gear unleashed tear gas, flash-bang explosives and pepper balls. The weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the LA area climbed above 100, federal authorities said. Many more were arrested while protesting, including a prominent union leader who was accused of impeding law enforcement. The protests did not reach the size of past demonstrations that brought the National Guard to Los Angeles, including the Watts and Rodney King riots, and the 2020 protests against police violence, in which Newsom requested the assistance of federal troops. The last time the National Guard was activated without a governor's permission was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to protect a civil rights march in Alabama, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Trump says there will be 'very strong law and order' In a directive Saturday, Trump invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is 'a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.' He said he had authorized the deployment of 2,000 members of the National Guard. Trump told reporters as he prepared to board Air Force One in Morristown, New Jersey, Sunday that there were 'violent people' in Los Angeles 'and they're not gonna get away with it.' Asked if he planned to send U.S. troops to Los Angeles, Trump replied: 'We're gonna have troops everywhere. We're not going to let this happen to our country. We're not going to let our country be torn apart like it was under Biden.' He didn't elaborate. About 500 Marines stationed at Twentynine Palms, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) east of Los Angeles were in a 'prepared to deploy status' Sunday afternoon, according to the U.S. Northern Command. Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lives in Los Angeles, said the immigration arrests and Guard deployment were designed as part of a 'cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division.' She said she supports those 'standing up to protect our most fundamental rights and freedoms.'
