California governor Gavin Newsom sends direct message to Donald Trump as violent Los Angeles clashes continue
California governor Gavin Newsom has sent a direct message to US President Donald Trump as violent clashes continue in Los Angeles.
Protesters and the authorities were embroiled in violent clashes overnight on Sunday (8 June), with hordes of demonstrators flocking to the streets against the Trump administration's immigration raids in the city.
In an interview with MSNBC, Mr Newsom described the protests as 'unacceptable', stating 'anarchists are there to cause problems and are just playing into Donald Trump's hands'.
He added: 'At the end of the day, Donald Trump is the sponsor of these conditions.'
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The Guardian
12 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Albanese says footage of Nine journalist Lauren Tomasi being shot by LA police with rubber bullet is ‘horrific'
Prime minister Anthony Albanese says footage of Nine correspondent Lauren Tomasi being shot by a rubber bullet live on air is 'horrific' and he has expressed his concern to the US government. Tomasi was shot while reporting on protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles, with the incident caught live on camera. Footage showed an officer taking aim in the direction of Tomasi and her camera operator and then firing. Albanese said he had spoken to Tomasi and she was 'pretty resilient'. 'We have already raised these issues with the US administration,' he told journalists at the National Press Club. 'We don't find it acceptable that it occurred. And we think that the role of the media is particularly important. The prime minister said there was 'no ambiguity' that Tomasi was a reporter. Earlier, Tomasi told the Today show it was 'a bit of a shock' to be shot by police, but she only has minor injuries. 'I have a bit of a bloody big old bruise and it's a little bit sore, but I am all OK,' the US correspondent told Nine on Tuesday. 'It's a really crappy thing that's happened. But I really don't want to be the story … it's a really chaotic situation that's unfolding in Los Angeles.' Tomasi is the second journalist to be hit by police during the protests. British news photographer Nick Stern is recovering from emergency surgery for a wound sustained during the standoff between police and anti-ICE protesters on Saturday. Los Angeles police chief Jim McDonnell said the LAPD was aware and 'very concerned' about members of the media getting hit with crowd-control munitions. Asked at a press conference how the force would minimise injuries to bystanders, including press, he said: 'We minimise it through training, through the equipment we use. It is a target-specific munition. That's not to say that it always hits the intended target, particularly in a dynamic situation. 'I know that situation you're referring to, with the member of the media. We saw that, we're very concerned about it and we're looking into that.' Tomasi told Today she and the cameraman Jimmy went live around 5am LA time after 'thousands of protesters' appeared on the street. 'We felt that presence of the LAPD and law enforcement really ramp up and [we] went live ... police started pushing their way up the street. They'd begun firing teargas canisters and those rubber bullets, and we moved on to the sidewalk, really tried to stay out of the way,' she said. 'I was really focused on the camera and was finishing that report ... and I got hit. Jimmy scooped me up and we made our way out of there as quickly as possible. It was a bit of a shock.' The media union has condemned the shooting. The national media section of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) said Tomasi appeared to be deliberately shot while speaking to the camera. 'Journalists reporting from the frontline of protests and wars fulfil the essential role of bearing witness, and should be accorded the same protections as other frontline workers,' MEAA chief executive Erin Madeley said. On social media Tomasi thanked people for their messages but indicated she did not want to become the story and she had returned to work. 'I'm a bit sore, but I'm OK. Important we keep on telling the stories that need to be told. Here's our report on what unfolded in Los Angeles.' Today co-host Karl Stefanovic called for a thorough investigation, saying the footage 'looks like' Tomasi was deliberately shot. 'She has her back to [the officer]. She has a microphone and is standing in front of a camera. We don't know what was near her,' he said. 'We don't know what threat was so imminent it required a cop to discharge his weapon on a reporter, or whether he meant to shoot her. But it sure looks like that to me. 'The incident was maybe one of three things: a moment where an LA officer so thought his life was in danger, he needed to discharge his weapon; an incompetent warning shot; or the act of a coward. Either way, it needs to be properly investigated. Stefanovic said correspondents report complex, sometimes dangerous issues and take viewers at home to the frontlines of the story. 'Lauren is a hard-working, tenacious reporter who is always determined to be fair and balanced,' he said. 'She's also the best of us. You will not meet a kinder person.'
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Los Angeles' image is scuffed since ICE raids and protests, with World Cup and Olympics on horizon
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Instead, a less flattering side of Los Angeles has been broadcast to the world in recent days. Protests have mostly taken place in a small swath of downtown in the sprawling city of 4 million people. As Trump has activated nearly 5,000 troops to respond in the city, Bass has staunchly pushed back against his assertions that her city is overrun and in crisis. Bass, in response to Trump, said she was troubled by depictions that the city has been 'invaded and occupied by illegal aliens and criminals, and that now violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming our federal agents. I don't know if anybody has seen that happen, but I've not seen that happen.' The series of protests began Friday outside a federal detention center, where demonstrators demanded the release of more than 40 people arrested by federal immigration authorities. Immigration advocates say the people who were detained do not have criminal histories and are being denied their due process rights. An international city Much like New York, Los Angeles is an international city that many immigrants call home. The city's official seal carries images referencing the region's time under Spanish and Mexican rule. Over 150 languages are spoken by students in the Los Angeles Unified School District. About half of the city's residents are Latino and about one-third were born outside the U.S. Bass faulted the Trump administration for creating "a chaotic escalation' by mobilizing troops to quell protests. "This is the last thing that our city needs," Bass said. Los Angeles resident Adam Lerman, who has attended the protests, warned that protests would continue if the Trump administration pushes more raids in the city. 'We are talking about a new riot every day,' Lerman said. 'Everybody knows they are playing with fire." It's not the publicity LA needs as it looks to welcome the world for international sporting events on a grand scale. 'At this stage in the process, most host cities and countries would be putting the final touches on their mega-event red carpet, demonstrating to the world that they are ready to embrace visitors with open arms,' said Jules Boykoff, a Pacific University professor who has written widely on the political and economic impacts of the Olympic Games. The scenes of conflict are 'not exactly the best way to entice the world to plan their next tourist trip to the U.S. to watch a sports mega-event.' A mayor under pressure The federal raids and protests have created another dicey political moment for Bass, who has been struggling with a budget crisis while trying to recover from political fallout from the wildfires that ignited when she was out of the country. She's been careful not to discourage protests but at the same time has pleaded for residents to remain peaceful. The mayor will likely face backlash for involving the Los Angeles Police. And she needs to fight the perception that the city is unsafe and disorderly, an image fostered by Trump, who in social media posts has depicted Bass as incompetent and said the city has been 'invaded' by people who entered the U.S. illegally. Los Angeles is sprawling — roughly 470 square miles (750 square kilometers) — and the protests were mostly concentrated downtown. "The most important thing right now is that our city be peaceful," Bass said. 'I don't want people to fall into the chaos that I believe is being created by the (Trump) administration.' On Monday, workers were clearing debris and broken glass from sidewalks and power-washing graffiti from buildings — among the structures vandalized was the one-time home of the Los Angeles Times across the street from City Hall. Downtown has yet to bounce back since long-running pandemic lockdowns, which reordered work life and left many office towers with high vacancy rates. Trump and California officials continued to spar online and off, faulting each other for the fallout. At the White House, Trump criticized California leaders by saying 'they were afraid of doing anything' and signaled he would support Newsom's arrest over his handling of the immigration protests. If Los Angeles' image was once defined by its balmy Mediterranean climate and the glamor of Hollywood, it's now known 'primarily for disaster,' said Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney. 'A lot of perception depends on images," Pitney added. Right now, the dominant image "is a burning Waymo.' ___ Associated Press writer Jason Dearen contributed.
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Hegseth faces Congress for first time since Signal leaks and Marine deployment to Los Angeles
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to field sharp questions from members of Congress about his tumultuous start as Pentagon chief, including his sharing of sensitive military details over a Signal chat, in three separate Capitol Hill hearings beginning Tuesday. Lawmakers also have made it clear they are unhappy that Hegseth has not provided details on the administration's first proposed defense budget, which President Donald Trump has said would total $1 trillion, a significant increase over the current spending level of more than $800 billion. It will be lawmakers' first chance to ask Hegseth about a myriad of other controversial spending by the Pentagon, including plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on security upgrades to turn a Qatari jet into Air Force One and to pour as much as $45 million into a parade recently added to the Army 's 250th birthday bash, which happens to coincide with Trump's birthday on Saturday. Lawmakers may quiz Hegseth on the latest searing images coming out of the immigration raid protests in Los Angeles. Hegseth has deployed about 700 active-duty Marines to assist more than 4,100 National Guard troops in protecting federal buildings and personnel. But there are questions about what the troops will have to do and how much it will all cost. Under the Posse Comitatus Act, troops are prohibited from policing U.S. citizens on American soil. Invoking the Insurrection Act, which allows troops to do that, is incredibly rare, and it's not clear if Trump plans to do it. The commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Eric Smith, will be on Capitol Hill testifying at a separate budget hearing at the same time as Hegseth and is likely to face similar questions. What Hegseth has focused on so far Hegseth has spent vast amounts of time during his first five months in office promoting the social changes he's making at the Pentagon. He's been far less visible in the administration's more critical international security crises and negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza and Iran. Most recently, Hegseth directed the renaming of a Navy ship that had honored Harvey Milk, a slain gay rights activist who served as a sailor during the Korean War. His spokesman, Sean Parnell, said the renaming was needed to ensure "the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the commander-in-chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos.' Hegseth has posted numerous videos of his morning workouts with troops or of himself signing directives to purge diversity and equity programs and online content from the military. He has boasted of removing transgender service members from the force and firing so-called woke generals, many of whom were women. He was on the international stage about a week ago, addressing an annual national security conference in Asia about threats from China. But a trip to NATO headquarters last week was quick and quiet, and he deliberately skipped a gathering of about 50 allies and partners where they discussed ongoing support for Ukraine. His use of the Signal messaging app Hegseth's hearing Tuesday before the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee will be his first public appearance on Capitol Hill since he squeaked through his Senate confirmation with a tie-breaking vote. It was the closest vote of any Cabinet member. While he has talked a lot about making the military more lethal, it was his use of the unclassified, unsecured Signal messaging app that quickly caught public attention. Set up by then-national security adviser Mike Waltz, a group chat included Hegseth and other senior administration leaders and was used to share information about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. The chat became a public embarrassment because the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was inadvertently added to it. Waltz took responsibility for the gaffe, but Hegseth was roundly criticized for sharing details about the military strikes in this chat and in another one that included his wife and brother. Multiple investigations are looking into his use of Signal. The Defense Department's acting inspector general has been looking into the initial chat at the request of the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The Pentagon's watchdog also is reviewing whether any of Hegseth's aides were asked to delete any Signal messages. Controversial Pentagon spending While any number of those issues could come up at the House Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday, money issues are more likely to be the focus of the hearings Tuesday in the House and Wednesday before the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee. Already defense leaders have been grilled in other hearings on the plans to retrofit the Qatari jet and the costs of the military parade. Trump has long wanted a parade, and Army leaders defended it as a good way to attract new recruits. Other questions may involve the costs of expanding the use of military forces to secure the southern border, the plans for the Golden Dome missile defense program, and how the department intends to fund modernization programs for drones and other critical weapons systems.
