Latest news with #TrumpAdministration
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Waymo vehicles set on fire in downtown L.A, as protesters, police clash
As Los Angeles police struggled with another day of unrest in downtown L.A., several Waymo autonomous taxis were set on fire, sending black smoke billowing into the air. The dramatic images were captured during an afternoon of clashes between large groups who were protesting immigration raids by the Trump administration and L.A. police who were trying to maintain order. For some time, protesters blocked traffic on the 101 Freeway before California Highway Patrol officers slowly pushed them back. Police advised residents to avoid the the 101 Freeway through downtown L.A. Images of the Waymo cars on fire on Los Angeles Street were broadcast nationally as Los Angeles has become a flashpoint in the immigration debate. Tires were slashed, windows smashed, and anti-ICE messages spray-painted over the cars, which were parked in a row. Protesters swarmed around the vehicles, tearing the doors off and stomping on the windshields. One man with a mask over his face smashed car windows with a skateboard. Another appeared to use a makeshift flamethrower to set the interior of a car ablaze. Around 5:30 p.m., some people were seen throwing Lime electric scooters into the burning cars, while others stood back. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the vehicle blazes while the Los Angeles Police Department warned people to stay away from the area. "Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby," said the LAPD in a statement. Waymo's fleet of electric, self-driving taxis has become a familiar sight on L.A. roads. A spokesperson for Waymo told The Times the company was in touch with law enforcement regarding the incident. After launching in San Francisco and Phoenix, Waymo began serving Los Angeles in November. It attracted an initial wait list of around 300,000 people before becoming available to anyone who downloaded the service's app, a company spokesperson said in January. As of January, Waymo had already driven 1.9 million miles in Los Angeles. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Analyst explains why she thinks progress will be made in U.S.-China trade talks
President Trump's top economic advisors will meet with Chinese trade representatives in London on Monday for a fresh round of trade talks. Senior fellow at the Yale Law School's Paul Tsai China Center Samm Sacks explains what both sides will want to gain from the discussions.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
China's Rare Earths Weapon Could Kill Europe's Auto Industry
China earlier this year introduced restrictions on its exports of rare earths. The move marked a new stage in the US- China trade spat, when the two sides no longer tried to out-tariff each other but took to more concrete steps. The problem is, the restrictions don't just apply to U.S. companies. And they may well deliver the fatal blow to Europe's struggling auto industry. China controls 90% of the world's rare earths processing capacity. It is the indisputable, if not exactly celebrated in the West, master of the rare earths industry. And now, it is using this position to make a point to trade partners that have gone above and beyond to restrict Chinese exports to their own countries and regions—essentially the same thing that Washington does when it uses the dominance of the dollar to sanction governments it doesn't see eye to eye with. Rare earths are used in a perhaps surprisingly wide variety of products. More specifically, it's rare-earth magnets that are troubling carmakers on both sides of the ocean. 'Without reliable access to these elements and magnets, automotive suppliers will be unable to produce critical automotive components, including automatic transmissions, throttle bodies, alternators, various motors, sensors, seat belts, speakers, lights, motors, power steering, and cameras,' the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry body, wrote in a letter addressed to the Trump administration in early May. The letter, cited by Reuters in a recent report on the rare earths restrictions, is one of what looks like a cry for help that is only going to get louder. It was signed by auto industry leaders including Toyota, Volkswagen, and General Motors, which thanked the administration for trying to resolve the issue. If they didn't, the carmakers said, it would be only a matter of time before car factories started shutting same is happening in Europe, and it's worse—because with Trump, U.S. carmakers no longer have to worry about EVs. With the current European parliament and the Commission, local carmakers do have to worry about EVs, a lot. Because EVs feature greater amounts of those rare earths than internal combustion engine cars. And European carmakers have been mandated with the production and sale of certain minimum numbers of these EVs over the next three years. 'I informed my Chinese counterpart about the alarming situation in the EU car industry — the rare earth and permanent magnets are essential for industrial production… this is extremely disruptive for industry,' the European Union's trade commissioner, Maros Sefcovic, said this week, as quoted by the Financial Times. He added that the 'Carmakers are warning of huge production difficulties in a short period of time.' The clock, in other words, is ticking and China does not really seem in a hurry to stop it. The restrictions that Beijing implemented in mid-April are not literal—or direct. They are in the form of a new licensing regime for anyone who wants to buy rare earth magnets from Chinese producers. To do that, the prospective buyer needs to apply for a license, provide a substantial amount of information, and wait. As a Bosch spokesperson described it, the application process was 'complex and time-consuming, partly due to the need to collect and provide a lot of information.' Because of this complexity, only a few car parts suppliers have been granted such licenses, making the car companies' freak-out only a matter of time, really. But this is coming at a really bad time for European carmakers, despite the substantial rise in EV sales. They are still to turn in a solid profit on their electric cars and they are supposed to be making ever more of these—which means a lot more rare earths. Things are not that swell in the United States, either, after President Donald Trump accused the Chinese of violating a deal the two earlier agreed, on the temporary relaxation of trade warfare, including tariffs and other trade restrictions—only to be slapped back with the accusation that he did that first, by restricting semiconductor exports. Things are not looking good for the car industry right now but there is, as always, a silver lining. It consists in the fact that the world is entirely dependent on a single source of rare earths and this is not a sustainable or secure state of affairs. There has been a lot of talk in both Europe and the United States about building their own supply chains in such critical materials but action has not really been forthcoming. Even if it was, building a supply chain from scratch takes many years—just ask China. Yet the rare earths drama may boost Europe's resolve to actually start working on that supply chain, however long it takes to build it. Import dependence can be fatal. By Irina Slav for More Top Reads From this article on
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Newsom calls National Guard deployment 'unlawful' as immigration clashes rock LA
SACRAMENTO, California — Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration called the Trump administration's deployment of National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area 'unlawful," urging Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday to back down as demonstrators clashed with law enforcement. The Trump administration's extraordinary deployment of the Guard to quell immigration protests in Southern California came without necessary coordination with California officials, Newsom's legal affairs secretary wrote in a letter to Hegseth. Newsom's team argued that state and local police agencies had the situation under control and that federal intervention would only intensify the conflict. 'There is currently no need for the National Guard to be deployed in Los Angeles, and to do so in this unlawful manner and for such a lengthy period is a serious breach of state sovereignty that seems intentionally designed to inflame the situation,' Newsom Legal Affairs Secretary David Sapp wrote. President Donald Trump's move to federalize a state's National Guard without the governor's approval was the first of its kind since Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to Alabama in 1965. Around 300 National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday as protests of immigration raids stretched into their third day. At one demonstration, law enforcement used tear gas on protesters who approached National Guard troops, though it was unclear which law enforcement agency threw the smoke-filled canisters, the Associated Press reported. Protests sprang up in downtown Los Angeles Friday and continued in the region throughout the weekend, with demonstrators facing off with federal agents Saturday in response to an immigration raid at a suburban Home Depot. In an AP video, protesters blocked off a major roadway, many of them waving Mexican flags and holding signs as traffic came to a standstill. Newsom traveled to Los Angeles on Sunday to meet with local officials and be briefed by law enforcement, according to a spokesperson for the governor. Democrats in California and across the country rallied around Newsom as he sought to push back on the Trump administration's intercession. Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lives in Los Angeles, called Trump's action a 'dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos.' 'This Administration's actions are not about public safety — they're about stoking fear. Fear of a community demanding dignity and due process,' Harris, who is considering running for California governor next year or president in 2028, wrote in a statement. The nation's Democratic governors derided Trump's Guard takeover as an 'ineffective and dangerous' override of Newsom's authority. 'President Trump's move to deploy California's National Guard is an alarming abuse of power,' the Democratic chief executives wrote in a joint statement. 'Governors are the Commanders in Chief of their National Guard and the federal government activating them in their own borders without consulting or working with a state's governor is ineffective and dangerous.' The governors' stand came as the Trump administration considers deploying Marines to Los Angeles County. A Defense official told POLITICO that 500 members of the military branch were given 'prepare to deploy' orders and could be sent to the region. 'We're going to have troops everywhere,' Trump told reporters on Sunday, without offering specifics. '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.' Trump's border czar Tom Homan told NBC News that raids will continue daily in the region and hinted that Newsom or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass could be arrested if they 'cross that line' and impede immigration enforcement. The National Guard deployment, paired with Newsom's legal shot across the bow, reflects rising tensions in the Trump-Newsom relationship after the two leaders seemingly entered a fragile détente when Trump visited Los Angeles in wake of the fires there earlier this year. Newsom and other California Democrats have blasted the administration's response to the demonstrations, while also calling for protesters to avoid violence. The California governor's counterparts across the country cast Trump's unwanted intervention as a vote of no-confidence in local police agencies. 'Threatening to send the U.S. Marines into American neighborhoods undermines the mission of our service members, erodes public trust, and shows the Trump administration does not trust local law enforcement,' the Democratic governors wrote. — Myah Ward and Gregory Svirnovskiy contributed to this report.
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
California governor calls Trump National Guard deployment in LA unlawful
California National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles to quell demonstrations over President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement, as the state's Democratic governor called their deployment unlawful. The National Guard began deploying as demonstrations over federal immigration raids continued for a third day in Los Angeles, culminating in confrontations between protesters and police. Los Angeles police declared one rally near City Hall to bean "unlawful assembly," alleging that some protesters threw concrete, bottles and other objects at police. "Arrests are being initiated," the department wrote in a post on social media. Demonstrators shouted "shame on you" at police and some appeared to throw objects, according to video. A group of protesters blocked the 101 Freeway, a major thoroughfare in downtown Los Angeles. California Governor Gavin Newsom said he requested the Trump administration withdraw its order to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles County, calling it unlawful. Mr Newsom accused Mr Trump of trying to manufacture a crisis and violating California's state sovereignty. "These are the acts of a dictator, not a President," he wrote in a post on X. The White House disputed Mr Newsom's characterization, saying in a statement that "everyone saw the chaos, violence and lawlessness". I have formally requested the Trump Administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles county and return them to my command. We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while… — Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 8, 2025 Earlier, 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. Mr Trump in a social media post, 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," Mr Trump said. National Guard troops were also seen in Paramount, in southeast Los Angeles, near the Home Depot, the site of altercations between protesters and police. Law enforcement faced off with a few hundred protesters in Paramount and 100 in downtown Los Angeles, with federal officers firing gas canisters in efforts to disperse crowds, according to Reuters witnesses. Authorities in Los Angeles arrested about 30 people, including three on suspicion of assaulting an officer. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office said three deputies sustained minor injuries. 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 Mr 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 whether he was considering invoking the law, 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." Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said her city's law enforcement would have been able to handle the protesters and blamed the Trump administration for inciting tensions by sending in the National Guard. "It's a feeling here of intentional chaos in a situation that had not broken out to violence short of a few people," Ms Bass, a Democrat, said on CNN. Democratic Congresswoman Nanette Barragan, whose California district includes Paramount, also blamed the Trump administration. "It's only going to make things worse in a situation where people are already angry over immigration enforcement," Ms Barragan told CNN's "State of the Union". 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." 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. ICE operations in Los Angeles on Friday arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. The Department of Homeland Security shared information about what it said were the criminal records of some of those arrested. Mr Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US-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 criticized the US government over the immigration raids and deployment of the National Guard. "We do not agree with this way of addressing the immigration issue," Ms Sheinbaum, who has sought to cultivate a positive relationship with Mr 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 Mr 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 troops without Mr 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. Mr 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."
