Kamala Harris Says LA Protest 'Overwhelmingly Peaceful' Calls Trump 'Cruel'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris defended the "overwhelmingly peaceful" protesters in Los Angeles while criticizing President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard troops as a "dangerous escalation" and "cruel" on the third consecutive day of violent clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement.
Harris' statement notably did not condemn the violence that has characterized the ongoing demonstrations, marking a stark contrast with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass's explicit condemnation of destructive behavior.
Taking to social media, Mayor Bass posted a statement on Friday, saying, "This morning we received reports of federal immigration enforcement actions in multiple locations in Los Angeles."
"As Mayor of a proud city of immigrants, who contribute to our city in so many ways, I am deeply angered by what has taken place," Bass said. "These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. My office is in close coordination with immigrant rights community organizations. We will not stand for this."
The protests, which began last week in response to federal immigration enforcement operations by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have escalated into sustained confrontations involving rock-throwing, alleged Molotov cocktails, burning vehicles, and arrests across multiple Los Angeles locations.
My statement on what's unfolding in Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/rujs8mrVPK — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 8, 2025
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information is available.
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Chicago Tribune
14 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
LA police enforce downtown curfew as protests continue against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles police swiftly enforced a downtown curfew Tuesday night, making arrests moments after it took effect, while deploying officers on horseback and using crowd control projectiles to break up a group of hundreds demonstrating against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Members of the National Guard stood watch behind plastic shields, but did not appear to participate in the arrests. Chicago protesters march against Trump's immigration crackdown as demonstrations pop up across the countryHours later, many of the protesters had dispersed, although sporadic confrontations continued that were much smaller than in previous nights. Officials said the curfew was necessary to stop vandalism and theft by agitators looking to cause trouble. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier accused Trump of drawing a 'military dragnet' across the nation's second-largest city with his escalating use of the National Guard. He also deployed Marines, though none were seen on the streets Tuesday. Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents, with some guardsmen now standing in protection around agents as they carried out arrests. He said it would only heighten tensions and promote civil unrest. The judge set a hearing for Thursday, giving the administration several days to continue those activities. The change moves troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions like deportations as Trump has promised as part of his administration's immigration crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers but any arrests ultimately would be made by law enforcement. Trump has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines over the objections of city and state leaders. They were originally deployed to protect federal buildings. Demonstrations have spread to other cities nationwide, including Dallas and Austin, Texas, Chicago and New York, where a thousand people rallied and multiple arrests were made. In Texas, where police in Austin used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators Monday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's office said Texas National Guard troops were 'on standby' in areas where demonstrations are planned, Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris said Tuesday evening. Guard members were deployed to San Antonio, according to assistant police chief Jesse Salame. He said he did not know how many were sent or details on the deployment. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency on the fifth day of protests and said the curfew will run from 8 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday. She said it was expected to last for several days. 'We reached a tipping point' after 23 businesses were looted, Bass said during a news conference Tuesday. The curfew covers a 1 square mile (2.5 square kilometers) section of downtown that includes the area where protests have occurred since Friday. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles (1,295 square kilometers). The curfew doesn't apply to residents who live in the designated area, people who are homeless, credentialed media or public safety and emergency officials, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell. McDonnell said 'unlawful and dangerous behavior' had been escalating since Saturday. 'The curfew is a necessary measure to protect lives and safeguard property following several consecutive days of growing unrest throughout the city,' McDonnell said. Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. It's one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a U.S. president. 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Several businesses were broken into Monday, though authorities didn't say if the looting was tied to the protests. The vast majority of arrests have been for failing to disperse, while a few others were for assault with a deadly weapon, looting, vandalism and attempted murder for tossing a Molotov cocktail. Seven police officers were reportedly injured, and at least two were taken to a hospital and released. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested Tuesday that the use of troops inside the U.S. will continue to expand. The Pentagon said deploying the National Guard and Marines costs $134 million.
Newsweek
27 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Ukraine Reacts To US Slashing Aid For Kyiv
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Cuts to U.S. aid for Ukraine in the upcoming budget "will lead to more casualties" for Kyiv, a senior Ukrainian lawmaker has told Newsweek. His warning comes as spluttering ceasefire negotiations fail to yield significant progress toward a deal to end the fighting, and Russia keeps up its aerial bombardment of the war-torn country. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told U.S. lawmakers during a committee hearing on Tuesday that there will be a "reduction" in the next fiscal year's budget for aid heading for Ukraine. He did not specify what the cutbacks in the upcoming budget will be. 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Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Frustrated Gavin Newsom Calls Out Trump's Ultimate ‘Weakness'
California Governor Gavin Newsom has attacked Donald Trump for 'sowing chaos' in Los Angeles and creating a 'theater of the absurdity' as immigration protests continue. During an interview with Pod Saves America on Monday, Newsom highlighted one of Trump's political flaws after a phone call with the president late Friday night which the 57-year-old had earlier described as 'decent.' Newsom was asked about Trump's polite call versus the attacks against him online by the president. 'They're just weakness masquerading as strength, they're cosplaying. I pray sanity can take shape here, I pray that they do not incite the kind of violence that they claim they seek to avoid,' Newsom said. Also speaking on the Meidas Touch podcast on Monday, Newsom spoke more about the call, revealing he had had a collaborative conversation with Trump on Friday, but added the president then lied about their discussion. 'It was unbelievably cordial, he never brought up the National Guard, he didn't want to talk about what was going on in L.A.,' Newsom said of the phone call. 'Then a few hours later he federalizes the National Guard, he lays claim that somehow it had solved all the problems and the Guard hadn't even officially been deployed. (He) completely lied about that, lied about our conversation, said he discussed the National Guard with me specifically.' Newsom also attacked Trump's deployment of troops to L.A. and blamed him for a 'manufactured crisis.' It comes as an additional deployment of 2,000 troops was authorized by the president on Monday night, on top of an earlier contingency sent by the president. The latest batch was confirmed by Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman and assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs. The governor said among the troops, California's 79th Infantry had been pulled from working on forest management to prepare for wildfire season. 'These are the folks that are currently being deployed now, they are being sent here for this theater of the absurdity. 'They were working on fentanyl interdiction and doing task force work... all of these extraordinary efforts that can no longer be done, or at least are disrupted because of this 'show'. And that's all this is,' Newsom said. 'There are 1,700 of these young men and women that are sitting around waiting for something and another 2,000 have been nationalized again just so Donald Trump can pound his chest and act like he is in control. He is creating chaos, he is sowing chaos.' Meidas Touch host Ben Meiselas pressed Newsom on being threatened with arrest. 'I don't want to be hyperbolic and act like a victim but honestly, I literally never thought in my life I'd hear those words uttered by the President of the United States. Directing the arrest of a political opponent that won an election and happens to be the governor of the largest state in our country. It's really about having the audacity to call him out on his unconstitutional actions.' Newman told Pod Save America he had put a plan in place in case he was arrested. 'We've already processed what that may look like that if they do get a federal warrant to arrest me. That the very act if I chose to fly back to Sacramento from L.A. could be grounds then for them actually having cause to arrest. The fact that we have had that conversation with our folks, in the United States in 2025, says everything you need to know about who's in the White House right now.' Speaking on CNN Monday night, Trump's border czar Tom Homan said that while Newsom had not done anything to warrant an arrest, he would not hesitate if that changed. The governor also said he first heard the nickname Trump has for him, 'Newscum', when he was a child. 'It's the President of the United States calling (me) what an eighth grade bully called me when I was a kid. Rather pathetic.'
