Clashes escalate in Los Angeles after Trump sends in National Guard
Listen to article
Tensions escalated in downtown Los Angeles after US President Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops to confront demonstrators protesting against sweeping immigration raids.
Security forces fired tear gas, flash bangs, and rubber bullets near the Edward R Roybal Federal Building, the Metropolitan Detention Centre, and the 101 Freeway.
The clashes marked the third consecutive day of unrest following the administration's intensified immigration crackdown, which has seen dozens of undocumented migrants detained across the city.
One demonstrator was seen waving a Mexican flag as smoke billowed from a burning Waymo self-driving vehicle, and another nearby was heavily vandalised. Protesters also blocked traffic along the 101, a major artery through downtown, while some clashed directly with mounted LAPD officers.
The move sparked immediate backlash from California's Democratic leadership. Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the deployment as unconstitutional and vowed legal action after the White House rejected his formal request to rescind the order.
Despite protests already being managed by @LAPDHQ, President Trump is escalating the situation by threatening to deploy roughly 500 active-duty Marines to the streets of Los Angeles.
Los Angeles: Remain peaceful. Don't fall into the trap that extremists are hoping for. — Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 9, 2025
'These are the acts of a dictator, not a president,' Newsom said in an MSNBC interview, accusing Trump of "manufacturing a crisis" and violating state sovereignty.
Australian journalist among those injured
Amid the chaos, Australian reporter Lauren Tomasi of Nine News was struck by a rubber bullet while filming a live report. The incident, captured on video, showed an officer firing directly in the direction of Tomasi and her crew as police advanced on protesters.
'You just fucking shot the reporter!' a bystander can be heard shouting, as Tomasi grabbed her leg in pain. Despite the injury, she later confirmed she was not seriously hurt, saying, 'I'm good.'
Over 100 arrested across California
In addition to the arrests made in Los Angeles—where police said at least 10 people were detained Sunday—San Francisco saw further unrest. Authorities there declared an unlawful assembly and arrested around 60 people after some demonstrators turned violent, allegedly assaulting officers and damaging property.
Protests were sparked by aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sweeps reportedly targeting up to 3,000 migrants per day under a new federal directive. Critics, including immigrant rights groups and local leaders, say legal residents and permanent visa holders have also been caught up in the detentions.
Vanessa Cárdenas, head of America's Voice, accused the administration of 'deliberately stoking confrontation' and using immigration enforcement as a political weapon.
Legal questions over deployment
Trump's justification for the National Guard deployment rests on Title 10 of the US Code, which allows federal activation in cases of rebellion or federal threats. But legal experts point out that Title 10 also requires orders to be issued through state governors—something Newsom did not authorise.
So far, US Northern Command has confirmed that 300 Guard members are active at three sites in Los Angeles, with a further 500 Marines on standby at Camp Pendleton. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon was prepared to escalate if violence continues.
Mexico condemns US actions
The raids and resulting violence also drew condemnation from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who said immigration challenges 'cannot be resolved through force.'
'The phenomenon will not be addressed with raids or violence,' Sheinbaum said. 'It will be by sitting down and working on comprehensive reform.'
Despite growing pressure at home and abroad, President Trump has not invoked the Insurrection Act, a move that would allow him to deploy active-duty military forces. Asked on Sunday whether he was considering that step, Trump replied, 'It depends on whether or not there's an insurrection.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
3 hours ago
- Business Recorder
India and US advance toward interim trade deal after four-day talks
NEW DELHI: Indian and U.S. negotiators made progress in their latest round of talks in New Delhi on Tuesday on a bilateral trade deal, having focused on market access for industrial and some agricultural goods, tariff cuts and non-tariff barriers, Indian government sources said. 'The negotiations held with the U.S. side were productive and helped in making progress towards crafting a mutually beneficial and balanced agreement including through achievement of early wins,' one of the sources said. The U.S. delegation, led by senior officials from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, held closed-door negotiationswith Indian trade ministry officials headed by chief negotiator Rajesh Agrawal. Both sides discussed increasing bilateral digital trade, by improving customs and trade facilitation measures, the sources said, adding that 'negotiations will continue' for early conclusion of the initial tranche of the trade pact. U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed in February to conclude a bilateral trade agreement by fall 2025 and to more than double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. India, US push to finalise interim tariff deal as Trump's deadline nears The two sides are expected to sign an interim agreement by the end of the month, before the expiry of Trump's 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs on major trading partners, including a 26% tariff on India. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, currently in Switzerland for talks with European trade partners, said India is prepared to proceed with the deal by first addressing simpler issues. The next phase of negotiations could tackle more complex matters, with the goal of signing the first tranche of the bilateral trade pact by September or October, the officials added. India resisted U.S. demands to open its markets to wheat, dairy and corn imports, while offering lower tariffs on high-value U.S. products such as almonds, pistachios and walnuts, one of the sources said. India also asked the U.S to revoke its 10% baseline tariff. However, the U.S. side opposed this, noting that even Britain was subject to this under its recent bilateral trade agreement. Trump says US doing 'big deals' with Pakistan, India Additionally, India sought an exemption for its steel exports from a 50% tariff. A potential 26% tariff on India would be devastating to Indian goods - including rice, shrimp, textiles and footwear, which together comprise nearly one-fifth of India's merchandise exports - and could severely hit exports and dampen foreign investment inflows. India has pledged to increase purchases of American goods, including energy products like liquefied natural gas, crude oil, coal and defence equipment. India's exports to the U.S. rose 28% to $37.7 billion in the first four months of 2025, while imports increased to $14.4 billion, widening India's trade surplus, according to U.S. government data.
Business Recorder
4 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Blackstone to invest $500 billion in Europe over next decade
Blackstone plans to invest up to $500 billion in Europe over the next decade, CEO Steve Schwarzman told Bloomberg Television in an interview on Tuesday, underscoring market confidence in the region's prospects. Schwarzman said Europe represents a 'major opportunity' for the world's largest alternative asset manager, which oversees assets worth over $1 trillion. There has been a surge in investor optimism about the region, driven by European governments' push to increase military spending and revive a sluggish private equity market. With U.S. President Donald Trump reshaping global alliances and trade policies, Europe is actively pursuing new avenues for economic growth, potentially creating promising investment opportunities for firms such as Blackstone. The European Union, for example, is ramping up its defense spending to revitalize a sector historically overlooked by private investors. Since 2020, the U.S. and Canada have attracted 83% of all private equity and venture capital-backed aerospace and defense investment, according to S&P. Europe is starting to change its approach, 'which we think will result in higher growth rates. So this has worked out amazingly well for us,' Schwarzman told Bloomberg. Schwarzman supported Trump in the U.S. presidential election last year, according to a report from Axios. He has long been viewed as an ally of the president. Trump's whiplash tariffs have, however, prompted several businesses to optimize their supply chains to reduce U.S. exposure. 'The U.S. administration's tariffs - combined with any retaliatory measures from its trading partners - will deliver a supply shock to the U.S. and a demand shock to the rest of the world, including China and Europe,' said Blerina Uruçi, chief U.S. economist at T. Rowe Price.
Business Recorder
7 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Iran says new round of US talks planned for Sunday
TEHRAN: Iran said a new round of nuclear talks with the United States is planned for Sunday, after Washington submitted a proposal for a deal amid a standoff over uranium enrichment. The longtime foes have held five rounds of talks since April, the highest level contact since President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from a 2015 nuclear accord during his first term. 'The next round of Iran-US indirect talks is being planned for next Sunday in Muscat,' Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a statement Tuesday. Trump had earlier said the meeting with Iran was expected on Thursday but Baqaei noted that Iran's foreign minister and chief negotiator Abbas Araghchi would be attending the Norway's Oslo Forum, a gathering of conflict mediators. The sixth round of talks will come around two weeks after Iran received a US proposal for nuclear deal which Araghchi described as containing 'ambiguities'. Iran said the US proposal failed to include 'elements' reflective of the previous negotiations including lifting of sanctions – a key demand for Tehran, which has been reeling under their weight for years. Tehran said it would present a 'reasonable, logical and balanced' counter-proposal to the United States through mediator Oman. On Monday, Trump said the upcoming US-Iran talks could clarify if a nuclear deal is possible to avoid military action. Iran says to submit own nuclear proposal to US soon Iran and the United States have been locked in a diplomatic standoff over Iran's uranium enrichment, with Tehran defending it as a 'non-negotiable' right and Washington calling it as a 'red line'. 'National interests' Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal and close though still short of the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead. Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, while Tehran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes. On Tuesday, Iran's deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi dismissed claims that there was a 'deadlock' in the talks with the US. 'Any negotiations with an international dimension come with their own sensitivities and require a great deal of patience for them to reach a result,' he told the official IRNA news agency. 'What matters to us is that we can safeguard the national interests of the country through these talks, and that is how we proceed,' he added. He said that the sixth round will be the first in which the parties express their views on the exchanged written materials, noting that Tehran will again reiterate its position on enrichment capacity, as it has done publicly in the past. On Monday, the United Nations nuclear watchdog began a Board of Governors meeting in Vienna that will last until Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear activities among other topics. The meeting came after the International Atomic Energy Agency released a report criticising 'less than satisfactory' cooperation from Tehran, particularly in explaining past cases of nuclear material found at undeclared sites. Iran has criticised the IAEA report as unbalanced, saying it relied on 'forged documents' provided by its arch foe Israel. On Tuesday, Araghchi reiterated criticism of a plan by European powers and the United States to adopt a resolution at the IAEA meeting, accusing Tehran of non-compliance with its nuclear obligations. 'Any ill-considered and destructive decision in the Board of Governors against Iran will be met with an appropriate response,' he said during a phone call with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya. Iran has said it would reduce cooperation with the IAEA if the resolution passed.
