Latest news with #GavinNewsom
Telegraph
12 minutes ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
The LA riots could destroy Donald Trump's presidency
We're only a few days into the anti-riot crackdowns in Los Angeles by various armed government enforcers and already there are lives at stake. No, not the lives of the hundreds of protestors out on the streets across America's second-largest city, but the political lives – or at least longevity – of some of the highest-profile personalities to emerge during president Trump's second turn in the White House. There's Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass, already weakened by her disastrous performance during last year's wildfire chaos and now even more compromised by the optics of incompetence as her city erupts yet again. And, of course, California governor Gavin Newsom, whose unbridled presidential ambitions could take a fatal hit if his state does not return to law and order – and fast. The riots are a test for Kristi Noem, the US secretary of Homeland Security, aka 'ICE Barbie' – who made waves when she toured a Salvadoran mega prison in March sporting a $50,000 Rolex. Her hardline anti-migrant stance has made her a close Trump confidant – but can it stand up to the ire of the masses she helped mobilise by her often cruel migrant deportation sprees? But the most consequential political life at stake here is that of Donald Trump himself – whose ultra-adversarial, bully-like tactics have yet to be tested as they are right now in California. There has never been anything quite like the anti-ICE protests during either of Trump's terms. The Women's Marches and BLM protests of his first administration may have, at times, turned rowdy and chaotic – but their violence was never directed at the White House like it is right now. This moment is different. Very different. For one thing, the conflict in Los Angeles is a direct response to Trump's hardline policies – in this case the illegal migrant crackdown – and are being mounted by those personally impacted, rather than virtue-signalling college kids motivated by 'privilege guilt.' The riots also come after 18 months of anti-Israel protests that have been some of the most violent protests in modern US history. America's radical Left has not only perfected aggressive adversarialism since Hamas' October 7 attacks – it's normalised it. And now it has even further weaponised this disregard for civility on what could be a far larger scale. Back in 2020, the National Guard were deployed to merely help support local law enforcement efforts when the BLM riots turned critical, and the Left was practically apoplectic. This time, the National Guard are Trump's main characters – and the Marines could be the White House's next course of action. This is a level of pushback practically without precedent – risky and uncertain amid an atmosphere of anti-Trumpism whose long-anticipated #resistance has finally materialised. Now unleashed, the California protesters could prove the ultimate – and most unanticipated – foils to a Trump White House whose run of nearly unchallenged luck looks like it is coming to an end. For many illegal migrants facing deportation, the spectre of arrest or even death rivals the potential violence awaiting in their home nations. These are people with literally nothing to lose – and thanks to Joe Biden there are millions of them existing along America's fringes. These are not the college-educated agitators who fuelled BLM in 2020 and 'Save Gaza' more recently – with middle class families and aspirational futures at stake. Fuelled by governor Newsom's surprising anti-Trump resolve – on Sunday he dared Trump's henchmen to arrest him – the protests could very well continue deep into the week, or even weeks; arrests, injuries or even deaths be damned. Trump has staked his legacy and the future of Maga on an uncompromising commitment to his ideals – and an end to illegal migration has been at the top since he branded Mexicans as 'rapists' on the very first day of his very first campaign a decade ago. Now those Mexicans are brandishing their nation's flag as they finally seek retribution. The past weekend's violence was practically inevitable – even if no one clearly saw it coming. With America already up in flames over Gaza – and the left always salivating at the prospect of an even more spectacular intersectional cause célèbre – the mayhem could easily spread beyond California in the coming days. The #resistance has finally arrived and it's far bloodier than anyone could have anticipated. It may still be early in Trump 2.0, but the Los Angeles riots could easily emerge as its most defining moment.
News24
31 minutes ago
- Politics
- News24
California's Newsom slams Trump National Guard deployment as ‘acts of a dictator, not a president'
The Trump administration deployed the National Guard to quell protests in Los Angeles. California Governor Gavin Newsom labelled the deployment as unlawful. Protesters denounced US immigration authorities. California National Guard troops were deployed to the streets of Los Angeles on Sunday to help quell a third day of protests over US President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement, a step the state's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, called unlawful. Police were making more arrests after at least 10 on Sunday and 29 the previous night, Los Angeles police officers told a news briefing. National Guard troops guarded federal government buildings, as police and protesters clashed in separate demonstrations over federal immigration raids in Los Angeles. Los Angeles police declared several rallies to be 'unlawful assemblies', accusing some protesters of throwing concrete projectiles, bottles and other items at police. Video images showed several self-driving cars from Alphabet's Waymo were set ablaze on a downtown street on Sunday evening. Los Angeles police officers on horseback attempted to control the crowds. Demonstrators shouted 'Shame on you!' at police and some appeared to throw objects, video images showed. One group blocked the 101 Freeway, a major downtown thoroughfare. Jon Putman/Anadolu via Getty Images Groups of protesters, many carrying Mexican flags and signs denouncing US immigration authorities, gathered in spots around the city. The Los Angeles branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation organised speakers outside City Hall for an afternoon rally. Newsom said he requested the Trump administration to withdraw its order to deploy 2 000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles county, calling it unlawful. In an interview with MSNBC, Newsom said he planned to sue the administration over the deployment, adding that Trump 'has created the conditions' around the protests. Newsom accused Trump of trying to manufacture a crisis and violating California's state sovereignty. These are the acts of a dictator, not a president. Gavin Newsom However, Police Chief Jim McDonnell told a media briefing on Sunday night that the protests were getting out of control. Asked if the National Guard was needed, McDonnell said police would not 'go to that right away', but added: 'Looking at the violence tonight, I think we've got to make a reassessment.' In a social media post, Trump called on McDonnell to do so. 'He should, right now!!!' Trump added. 'Don't let these thugs get away with this. Make America great again!!!' The White House disputed Newsom's characterisation, saying in a statement: 'Everyone saw the chaos, violence and lawlessness.' Earlier, about a dozen National Guard, along with Department of Homeland Security personnel, pushed back a group of demonstrators outside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, video showed. US Northern Command said 300 members of the California National Guard had been deployed to three spots in the Los Angeles area. Their mission was limited to protecting federal personnel and property. In a social media post on Sunday, Trump called the demonstrators 'violent, insurrectionist mobs' and said he was directing his cabinet officers 'to take all such action necessary' to stop what he called '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. Jon Putman/Anadolu via Getty Images The FBI offered a $50 000-reward for information on a suspect accused of throwing rocks at police vehicles in Paramount, injuring a federal officer. Despite Trump's rhetoric about the demonstrations, he has not invoked the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that empowers a president to deploy the US military to suppress events like civil disorder. Asked on Sunday whether he was considering doing so, he said, 'It depends on whether or not there's an insurrection.' Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned that the Pentagon was prepared to mobilise active-duty troops 'if violence continues' in Los Angeles, saying the Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were on 'high alert'. US Northern Command said about 500 Marines were prepared to deploy if ordered. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass blamed the Trump administration for inciting tension by sending in the National Guard, but also condemned protesters who became violent. 'I don't want people to fall into the chaos that I believe is being created by the administration completely unnecessarily,' Bass told a press conference. Vanessa Cárdenas, the head of the immigration advocacy group America's Voice, accused the Trump administration of 'trumping up an excuse to abuse power, and deliberately stoke and force confrontations around immigration'. On Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CBS' Face the Nation that the National Guard would provide safety around buildings to people engaged in peaceful protest and to law enforcement. Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US-Mexico border, setting ICE a goal of arresting at least 3 000 migrants a day. Census data suggests a significant part of the population in Democratic-run Los Angeles is Hispanic and foreign-born. But the sweeping enforcement measures have also included legally resident people, some with permanent residence, spurring legal challenges. Yuri Cortez/AFP On Sunday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum criticised the US government over the immigration raids and National Guard deployment. '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 for the National Guard deployment cited a provision of Title 10 of the US 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 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'.
CNN
an hour ago
- Politics
- CNN
June 8, 2025 - Trump presidency, Los Angeles protest news
• On the ground: Police have used flash-bangs and tear gas while dispersing crowds, with some hitting and pushing protesters while making arrests, CNN witnessed. Protesters set at least two self-driving cars on fire. All of Downtown Los Angeles has been declared an unlawful assembly area. • Troop deployment: About 300 National Guardsmen are on the ground after President Donald Trump called them up to protect federal personnel and property. It's the first time a president has called in the National Guard without a state's request or consent in decades. Also prepared to deploy are 500 Marines. • Trump vs Newsom: California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state will file a lawsuit against the Trump administration over deployment of the National Guard, which he and LA Mayor Karen Bass have called inflammatory. • Why are there protests? Authorities and demonstrators have clashed for days after dozens of people were detained by immigration agents. Intelligence analysts believe protesters are motivated by several factors, including immigration raids, deployment of the National Guard, and agitators who fit profiles of 'professional rioters.'
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
Protests intensify in Los Angeles after Trump deploys National Guard troops
They blocked off a major road and set self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd. Many protesters dispersed as evening fell and police declared an unlawful assembly, a precursor to officers moving in and making arrests of people who do not leave. Some of those remaining threw objects at police from behind a makeshift barrier that spanned the width of a street and others hurled chunks of concrete, rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicles parked on the closed southbound 101 freeway. Officers ran under an overpass to take cover. Sunday's protests in Los Angeles, a sprawling city of four million people, were centred in downtown several blocks. It was the third and most intense day of demonstrations against Mr Trump's immigration crackdown in the region, as the arrival of around 300 Guard troops spurred anger and fear among many residents. The Guard was deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, including the detention centre where protesters concentrated. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said officers were 'overwhelmed' by the remaining protesters. He said they included regular agitators who appear at demonstrations to cause trouble. Several dozen people were arrested throughout the weekend of protest. One was detained on Sunday for throwing a Molotov cocktail at police, and another for ramming a motorcycle into a line of officers. Let's get this straight: 1) Local law enforcement didn't need help. 2) Trump sent troops anyway — to manufacture chaos and violence. 3) Trump succeeded. 4) Now things are destabilized and we need to send in more law enforcement just to clean up Trump's mess. — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 9, 2025 Mr Trump responded to Mr McDonnell on Truth Social, telling him to arrest protesters in face masks. 'Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!' he wrote. Starting in the morning, the troops stood shoulder to shoulder, carrying long guns and riot shields as protesters shouted 'shame' and 'go home'. After some 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. 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. Flash bangs echoed out every few seconds into the evening. Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom requested that Mr Trump remove the guard members in a letter on Sunday afternoon, calling their deployment a 'serious breach of state sovereignty'. He was in Los Angeles meeting local law enforcement and officials. The 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. Mr Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass blamed the increasingly aggressive protests on Mr Trump's decision to deploy the Guard, calling it a move designed to inflame tensions. They have both urged protesters to remain peaceful. '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.' But Mr McDonnell, the LAPD chief, said the protests were following a similar pattern for episodes of civil unrest, with things ramping up in the second and third days. He pushed back against claims by the Trump administration that the LAPD had failed to help federal authorities when protests broke out on Friday after a series of immigration raids. His department responded as quickly as it could, and had not been notified in advance of the raids and therefore was not pre-positioned for protests, he said. Mr Newsom, meanwhile, has repeatedly said that California authorities had the situation under control. He mocked Mr Trump for posting a congratulatory message to the Guard on social media before troops had even arrived in Los Angeles, and said on MSNBC that Mr Trump never floated deploying the Guard during a Friday phone call. He called Mr Trump a 'stone cold liar'. The 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 spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. The arrival of the National Guard followed two days of protests that began Friday in Los Angeles before spreading on Saturday to Paramount, a heavily Latino city south of the city, and neighbouring 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. 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 Mr 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 Centre for Justice. In a directive on Saturday, Mr 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 authorised the deployment of 2,000 members of the National Guard. Mr 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 going to get away with it'. Asked if he planned to send US troops to Los Angeles, Mr Trump replied: 'We're going to have troops everywhere. We're not going to let this happen to our country.' He did not elaborate. About 500 marines stationed at Twentynine Palms, about 125 miles (200 kilometres) east of Los Angeles were in a 'prepared to deploy status' on Sunday afternoon, according to the US Northern Command.
Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Photos: Protests intensify in Los Angeles as National Guard troops deployed
Thousands of protesters have clashed with authorities as they took to the streets of Los Angeles for a third night in response to United States President Donald Trump's extraordinary deployment of the National Guard. Sunday's protests in Los Angeles, a sprawling city of 4 million people, were centred in several blocks of the city centre. It was the third and most intense day of demonstrations against Trump's immigration crackdown in the region, as the arrival of about 300 National Guard troops spurred anger and fear among many residents. The troops were deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, including the Metropolitan Detention Center where protesters concentrated. The crowds blocked a major highway and set fire to self-driving cars. The authorities used tear gas, rubber bullets and flashbangs. Governor Gavin Newsom requested Trump remove the National Guard in a letter, calling their deployment a 'serious breach of state sovereignty'. It was 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. The arrival of the National Guard followed two days of protests, which began on Friday in central Los Angeles before spreading on Saturday to Paramount, a heavily Latino city to the south, and neighbouring Compton. Federal agents arrested immigrants in LA's fashion district, in a Home Depot car park 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. The weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the LA area climbed above 100, federal authorities said. Many more were arrested whilst protesting, including a prominent union leader who was accused of impeding law enforcement. 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 Centre for Justice.
