Return to Transcripts main page

The Lead with Jake Tapper

U.S. Military Says, 700 Marines Activated to Respond to L.A. Protests; Now, Fourth Day of Demonstrations in Los Angeles; Tanks and Helicopters Arrive in D.C. Ahead of Military Parade. Judge Dismisses Justin Baldoni's Lawsuit Against Blake Lively. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired June 09, 2025 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper.

This hour, California leaders say they're going to sue President Trump today. They claim that President Trump unlawfully deployed troops to respond to immigration protests in Los Angeles. And now CNN is learning that Marines are being mobilized by President Trump after protesters turn to rioters, setting cars on fire, looting was reported. Police used flash bangs, tear gas and rubber bullets against the crowds.

Plus, the U.S. Secret Service releasing new details today as dozens of tanks roll into the nation's capital for President Trump's military parade On Saturday, coincidentally or not, his 79th birthday. This is officially being billed as the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary parade. How Republicans are defending the price tag as they pledge to cut down on government spending elsewhere.

Also, a major move today in one of the biggest lawsuits to rock Hollywood, a judge has dismissed Director Justin Baldoni's $400 million defamation lawsuit against actors Blake Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. Lively's attorney is going to join us in studio ahead.

The Lead Tonight, the U.S. military just confirmed that it activated more than 700 U.S. Marines deploying them to Los Angeles amid this showdown between Republican President Trump and Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, after Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guardsmen and women, as protests erupted over Trump's immigration raids in Los Angeles, sometimes turning violent.

Newsom reacting to the news of the Marines posted on X or Twitter, quote, U.S. Marines have served honorably across multiple wars in defense of democracy. They are heroes. They shouldn't be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial president. This is un-American, unquote. This weekend, governor Newsom also told Trump, calling in the California National Guard would just inflame tensions. But Trump overrode Governor Newsom in a rare move. This afternoon, Trump suggested that his borders are should go so far as to arrest Democratic Governor Newsom, and he called the protesters, quote, insurrectionists.

Right after that, California's attorney general announced a lawsuit against the Trump administration and said, Trump should, quote, put a mirror up to himself, unquote.

CNN's Jason Carroll is in Los Angeles with the latest. Jason?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake that development regarding the Marines is certainly to agitate a crowd that is already on edge, upset about what's going on with the National Guard. I just want to set the scene from where we are right now. We've followed this group of demonstrators to the front of the Metropolitan Detention Center, where you can see members of the National Guard are guarding this right next to members of the LAPD. Law enforcement doing everything they can, Jake, to make sure they do not see a repeat today of what they saw over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (voice over): A peaceful scene Monday afternoon after a weekend of violence. Protesters gathered in downtown Los Angeles.

ARACELLI MARTINEZ, DEMONSTRATOR: We oppose strongly the violations of the rights of all people, not just the immigrants, but all, us Americans are being affected by this, because they come for them and we're all next.

CARROLL: Downtown L.A., heavily guarded, has been declared an unlawful assembly area.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, they're removing the -- oh.

CARROLL: Over the weekend, hundreds of protesters clash with local law enforcement and the National Guard after ICE raids at the fashion district and a Home Depot near downtown Los Angeles. Cars set on fire, temporary shutdown of the busy 101 freeway, and a massive police response, and this moment where a reporter was shot by a rubber bullet.

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass told, CNN deploying the National Guard was unwarranted.

MAYOR KAREN BASS (D-LOS ANGELES, CA): It's an escalation that didn't have to happen. Why were there raids? You know, we had been told that he was going to go after violent criminals. It wasn't a drug den, it was a Home Depot. And you add onto that the National Guard, and it felt like fuel for a fire that was unnecessary.

CARROLL: And California's governor took to X writing, we are suing Donald Trump. The illegal order he signed could allow him to send the military into any state he wishes. This is an unmistakable step towards authoritarianism that threatens the foundation of our republic. We cannot let it stand.

ROB BONTA, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: An order that abused the federal government's authority and violated the Tenth Amendment and federal law, an order that skipped over multiple rational common sense strategic steps that should have been deployed to quell unrest and prevent escalation.

CARROLL: The immigrant community of Los Angeles also had this message for President Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are part of that immigrant community that has made L.A. great, that has made the state of California the fourth largest economy on the world today.

And so we have a message for President Donald Trump. Get the National Guardsmen out of here

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (on camera): And, Jake, just within the past hour we got word that that union leader, David Huerta, has been released on bond. And the hope is that that will help relieve some of the tension that's here on the ground. And it's definitely here, again, you can see the standoff right now between -- side of the building. We heard law enforcement give out the order to disperse. So, we're going to have to see what happens next in terms of that.

But, again, law enforcement not wanting to see a repeat of what they saw out here last weekend, the administration saying that these ICE raids are going to continue. The protesters that we spoken to out here, Jake, say they're not going to stop either.

TAPPER: All right. Jason Carroll, take care of yourself, be safe there. Jason Carroll on the streets of Los Angeles, thanks so much.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins is with us now. And, Kaitlan, this has been a longstanding feud between Gavin Newsom, Governor Newsom and President Trump. And it's escalated. Obviously, there are much bigger things, but bigger issues going on here than just personality clash. Now, the military says they're sending in 700 Marines.

What are your sources telling you about Trump's thinking on this? Is he trying to provoke a standoff on this? Is this just his -- part of his deportation promise? Is there any larger strategy?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: A lot of it, Jake, as is with so much of this presidency is a reflection of what he learned and what he wants to do differently from his first time in office. There were many moments when he was in office the last time where there were massive protests in big cities across the country, and he wanted to be able to send in the National Guard or federalize them and felt like he was stopped from doing so. He's on the record saying that the law stopped him from being able to do so.

And now they are trying to find different ways to justify doing what he's doing here, using the National Guard when he has not gotten any requests from the state's governor. And so I think that is part of this, is that he's trying to essentially learn from his time in office last time and do what he actually wanted to do his first time in office, but was talked out of doing so by people like the defense secretary then, Mark Esper, or General Mark Milley over at the Joint Chiefs.

And so I think that is a huge driving part of a lot of this and why they reacted so quickly. Because I was talking to people over the weekend and President Trump and Governor Newsom had a phone call on Friday, about 40 minutes. They spoke after the ICE arrest had started happening in different workplaces in L.A. And then it was after that he took the step to mobilize the National Guard and deployed them and send them in. And so that has been a huge part of this.

Trump himself was talking about what he believes the National Guard did after he deployed them, and this is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Cars burning all over the place, people rioting. And, by the way, we stopped it. We were able to make it much better, but it still looked pretty bad. And in watching clips last night, people were saying, this is really a big problem. And until we went in, if we didn't do the job, that place would be burning down just like the houses burned down. They were in big trouble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Now officials in L.A. are saying that that's not true, that, you know, Trump was tweeting that the situation was under control before the National Guard had actually even made it into Los Angeles.

TAPPER: Right. So, two things, one, he called the rioters, protesters, whoever, he called them insurrectionists. And Stephen Miller, his top aide, has called this an insurrection. I mean, I think it's questionable that it meets the definition, but that seems like some sort of predicate to possibly invoke the Insurrection Act. That's one and two. The degree to which these visuals and this topic is something that President Trump likes a lot more than us talking about his struggles getting the big, beautiful bill passed in the Senate or Elon Musk and him breaking up and Elon Musk saying he's on the Jeffrey Epstein list. I mean --

COLLINS: They're relishing this moment. I mean, the White House obviously thinks this works to one of their biggest strengths, which is that Americans favor his stance on deporting people from the United States and taking measures like this and getting cities under control, as he has framed it.

So, yes, they absolutely think these visuals work in their favor, and they also think it works in their favor when Democrats are on television defending the protest or describing them as mostly peaceful or showing the flags of people waving around a Mexican flag during these protests. All of those are visuals that the White House is trying to capitalize on. You could see that from their social media feeds, what the president has been saying.

I will say on the insurrectionist thing, Jake, yes, he did say that earlier when he was arriving at the White House. Just a few moments ago, reporters were in the in the east room with him.

[18:10:01]

He softened that language a little bit, saying he wasn't sure if they were insurrectionists.

TAPPER: Oh, interesting. Okay. Kaitlan Collins --

COLLINS: Within a matter of hours.

TAPPER: Kaitlan Collins, always good to have you here.

Don't miss Kaitlan on her show. It's called The Source with Kaitlan Collins. Look at the guest she's got, White House Border Czar Tom Homan, holy smokes. That's tonight and every weeknight at 9:00 Eastern, only on CNN.

Joining us now to discuss, CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller and CNN Military Analyst, retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

So, John, just like the National Guard, Marines are prohibited from conducting law enforcement activity, such as making arrests unless President Trump invokes the Insurrection Act. What might be the endgame here, do you think?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, I think what you're seeing here is that from the LAPD, from the L.A. mayor's standpoint, the National Guard actually became the magnet that drew disorder because of their presence there. Protesters in L.A. are quite used to dealing with the LAPD.

Adding the Marines to that could be interpreted as pouring more gasoline on that fire. I mean, the Marines had been to L.A. They were deployed in 1992 in the riots after Rodney King's beating and the officers at trial were acquitted. But that was at the request of the mayor, through the governor, through the Defense Department. Sending them with the governor and the mayor and the police chief saying we don't want them would be particularly provocative.

TAPPER: Colonel, Governor Newsom says Trump sent to the National Guard to L.A., quote, without fuel, food, water, or a place to sleep, unquote. Do National Guard troops generally have lodging and food options lined up when they are called up or is that the state's responsibility? How does that work?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, normally Jake, what they do is they have all of that lined up. And if they are part of the state you know, under Title 32, then that is basically taken care of by the state and the units that the guard unit belongs to. And in this particular case, when they federalized it, all of that support mechanism actually went away, or at least it didn't appear. And that's the kind of thing that could very well create problems for the troops and certainly for their morale, if nothing else.

TAPPER: John, you say that some of the more provocative protesters are part of, quote, experienced anarchist groups. We've heard that from Congresswoman Barragan, we heard it from Donald Trump, that some of the people really causing the most damage are actually not part of this grassroots, pro-immigrant movement, there's something else. So, how long does it take law enforcement to figure out who these people are, to figure out whether they're being even paid to be there and who would pay them?

MILLER: Well, I mean, they're not being paid to be there, in quotes, although some of these groups do raise funds and receive fundings. And those monies can come from some unexpected places. But the law enforcement view already know who the -- you can call them anarchists. Some of them call themselves anarchists. You can call them agitators. They already know who they are. Their specialty in these things is taking the people who are there to protest for the actual cause and then bringing their groups together and basically hiding in the middle of the crowd, egging people onto violence or committing acts of violence and then going back into the crowd.

They are opportunists when they see a chance to confront the government, confront authority, and attach themselves to one of these issues.

TAPPER: And, Colonel, Trump posted on Truth Social today, quote, the insurrectionists have a tendency to spit in the face of the National Guardsmen and women and others. These patriots are told to accept this. It's just the way life runs, but not in the Trump administration. If they spit, we will hit, unquote.

It's interesting to hear this president say that being offended by spitting on law enforcement given his reaction to what happened on January 6th.

LEIGHTON: Yes, it certainly is, Jake. And, you know, so I think you know, we all need to take a look at this and make sure that our definition of insurrection fits both cases, or at least one of them, and I would say that the January 6th case is definitely an insurrection. This is very much questionable and doesn't even, in my mind, at least come close to it.

TAPPER: And, Colonel, what do you make of 700 U.S. Marines being activated?

LEIGHTON: Yes. So, that's a battalion-size outfit in battalion in the Marine Corps. And, basically, that's a self-contained unit that can engage in military operations. So, they are prepared to conduct offensive military operations. But notice I've used the word military. This is a different issue. This is a civil affairs matter and it's a law enforcement issue.

[18:15:00]

They can learn very quickly. They did in 1992, as John mentioned. But it does take some time to accustom yourself to this environment and to also have the right rules of engagement. So, they are prepared to conduct the mission that they're given. Hopefully, it'll be one where they're in a support role. That's usually what happens in a case like this. But we'll see how this unfolds.

TAPPER: Colonel Leighton, John Miller, thanks to both of you. I appreciate it.

Much more on the breaking news ahead, as protesters are gathering in L.A., hundreds of Marines are on their way to the city. That's next.

Plus, I'm going to be joined live by Blake Lively's attorney after she scored a major win in court today. A judge dismissed director of Justin Baldoni's $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Welcome back to The Lead. You're looking at live images from Los Angeles where protesters have gathered for a fourth day in response to the Trump administration's immigration or ICE raids in the city. Sources tell CNN that around 700 U.S. Marines have been mobilized to the city after some of the weekend protests turned quite violent.

I want to bring in Republican Congressman Bryan Steil of Wisconsin.

[18:20:00]

Congressman, thanks for joining us.

So, you're a member of the Congressional National Guard Caucus. Do you have any concerns about the Trump administration sending National Guard troops to L.A. against the wishes of both the Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass, and the California governor, Gavin Newsom?

REP. BRYAN STEIL (R-WI): I'm concerned about the violence and lawlessness that we saw last night in the community of L.A. I think what all of us would like to see is the reestablishment of public safety immediately. The failure of LAPD to be able to get that under control last night, I actually think, speaks volumes about the need to make sure that there's additional human capital at the disposal to make sure that we are able to reestablish public safety.

We saw in Kenosha, Wisconsin, what happened with three nights after the governor of the state of Wisconsin rejected then-President Trump's offer of federal assistance. It was only on the fourth day that the federal assistance was accepted, and that's when public safety was reestablished in Kenosha. Hopefully, with this interjection of federal resources, we're able to see peace in L.A. tonight.

TAPPER: California's Attorney General Rob Bonta today accused President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth of unlawfully federalizing the California National Guard. The attorney general says that it violates the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, which says power is not specifically given to the federal government are for the states. What's your reaction? Does he have a point?

STEIL: I think there's actually pretty clear legal authority for the president to be able to do this in part to make sure that we're protecting federal buildings as well as assisting federal law enforcement officers who are conducting their job. Again, all of this is because we need to make sure that we're reestablishing public safety immediately in Los Angeles.

No one wants to see the violence and the illegal behaviors continue tonight in L.A. The hope is that at the end of the day, with the interjection of additional federal resources into Los Angeles that we can see public safety reestablished.

TAPPER: So, Mayor Bass of Los Angeles said that the ICE raids are, you know, the reason all of this has happened. And Gavin Newsom called the decision to send in the California National Guard, quote, unnecessary, inflammatory and provocative. So, they're saying that a lot of this is Trump's fault.

STEIL: I think all you have to do is look at the videos that played on CNN today and last night of the unrest of the violence and of the illegal behaviors that were being conducted across Los Angeles to recognize that additional resources are needed in Los Angeles.

The argument of the mayor of Los Angeles that this is somehow Trump's fault, I think, is false on its face. What really took place is we had four horrific years of immigration policy under President Biden, creating a moral hazard and letting people believe that they could enter the country illegally, engage in illegal behavior and there'd be no consequences.

Under President Trump, there are consequences, people are going to be held accountable and individuals who engage in particular and illegal behavior are going to reap the consequences. Those are U.S. citizens will face jail time and those that are non-citizens that are here in this country illegally will be deported. I think the American people want to see public safety reestablished and they were sick and tired of the terrible immigration policies of the Biden administration.

TAPPER: Well, let me ask you, because one thing I think everybody agrees is that the immigration system in this country is broken and that, theoretically, it would be great if Congress could pass some sort of comprehensive immigration bill that secured the border and maybe did other things too. So as to -- I don't know. I don't want to get, I'm not going to negotiate the bill here, but do you think there's any appetite from Republicans in Congress to work with Democrats and get something that could actually become law that might take care of this legislatively instead of through the executive branch?

STEIL: What I think you have here, Jake, is two problems. We had the broken illegal immigration system and a broken legal immigration system. To be in a position to address the broken legal immigration system, what we needed to do was fix the broken illegal immigration system. President Trump has done volumes on that. President Biden claimed that he needed a bill. President Trump, though on day one, took action. We reinstated stay in Mexico, restarted border wall construction, ended catch and release, and ended abuse of the parole system.

And so what we see is great progress having been made on the broken illegal immigration system. There's still room to go. The one big, beautiful bill provides resources and funding to further secure the U.S.-Mexico border. It's on the backside of that I actually believe we have an opportunity to address the broken legal immigration system, which is also a challenge for the United States.

TAPPER: Republican Congressman Bryan Steil of the great state of Wisconsin, thank you, sir. I appreciate your time today.

Tanks are rolling into D.C. ahead of this weekend's military parade. How the Nation's capital and the U.S. Secret Service are preparing for this massive event, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

TAPPER: New today on our Politics Lead, we're getting a look at the preparations for the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary military parade. That happens this Saturday. Completely coincidentally, it's also President Trump's 79th birthday. Millions of pounds, tons of equipment will roll down the streets of the U.S. Capitol this Saturday. I can't wait for the effect on my car's shocks. Nearly 7,000 soldiers are expected to be involved in this spectacle.

The total cost of which official estimate could be as high as $45 million at a time when DOGE is cutting all sorts of other programs.

My panel's here to discuss. Natasha Bertrand, let's start with you. I want to start with your reporting on preparations going into the parade, millions of pounds of equipment costing $45 million at least. What else have you learned?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, it's important to note that the Army's been planning for this massive birthday bash to celebrate its 250th for a couple of years now, and they were planning to throw a big kind of celebration, but the parade aspect of it was only added in recent months, and that was actually a suggestion from the Trump White House. They said, hey, why don't we add a big parade to this, because, of course, President Trump has wanted to see a big military parade in Washington, D.C., dating back to his first term. And so this was a great opportunity in their minds to actually make that happen.

[18:30:00]

So, the Army of Corps of Engineers, they only began trying to figure out how this could be feasible about two months ago, and they think that they've kind of gotten to a point where they're confident that this isn't going to cause massive damage to D.C. streets and infrastructure.

TAPPER: What?

BERTRAND: They are putting --

TAPPER: Have they been to D.C.?

BERTRAND: Their position is that there is not going to be any damage because they have put in a roughly $3 million worth of mitigation efforts. That includes metal plates on the streets. It includes putting pads on the tanks and the vehicles that are going to be rolling down the streets of D.C. to kind of create a separation of barrier. And then these are going to be moving very slowly, basically at walking pace.

And so they're confident that, you know, even though this is going to be approximately 7 million pounds worth of equipment that's going to be hitting the streets of D.C., it is not going to hurt, for example, gas pipelines or rip up the roads. And if it does, then the Army's going to be footing the bill for that.

TAPPER: Which means that we're going to be footing the bill for that.

And, Sabrina, you're a former deputy Press secretary for the Pentagon under President Biden. So, in addition to $45 million price tag, you know, this is part of a -- this comes at a time that President Trump and DOGE are trying to cut costs all over the place. $45 million is a lot of money, maybe not in Pentagon terms, but for the rest of us.

But I want to read this. This is the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Wicker. He said, quote, he told this to Politico, I would've recommended against the parade. On the other hand, the secretary feels it'll be a once in a lifetime opportunity for thousands of young Americans to see what a great opportunity it is to participate in a great military force that it will be a recruiting tool. So, we'll see.

I mean, it could be a recruiting tool, I guess. What do you think?

SABRINA SINGH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Sure, it could be a recruiting tool. At the end of the day, like Natasha said, they're going to be -- these are, you know, capabilities that are going to be on display that young kids are not going to be able to see up close every single day. So, the fact that they'll be able to go out and stand in front of the parade, sure, it's inspiring. You get to see our men and women in uniform marching along the streets of D.C. That is fantastic and we should applaud the Army generally.

That being said, $45 million for a parade in Washington, D.C., where you drive your car every single day, that cannot withstand this type of, equipment you know, these are weapons of war and they are going to destroy Washington, D.C. streets. And at the end of the day, like you said, it's not just going to be the Army footing the bill, it's going to be the taxpayers. And it's going to be all of us driving on these streets that are going to have to endure some of these costs long- term.

I think also what's important here is that this is a politicization of the military. It is coming on Trump's birthday. Yes, we should celebrate the Army and its capabilities. And I've, you know, had the honor to work alongside Natasha in that building, incredible men and women in uniform serving our country every day, but I don't know that a $45 million parade is the right way to go.

TAPPER: It also comes at this time that, of everything going on in California, where President Trump is commandeering the California National Guard and, you know, there's a lot of presentation of force and strength. What do you think of it all?

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, my hope, Jake, is that we see an increase in civic nationalism again, pride patriotism. For about two decades now, we've seen a decrease in military recruitment. It's finally ticking back up. Hopefully, this will be an opportunity for those numbers to go through the roof. God knows we desperately need it, particularly considering China's expansion and focus on expanding not only their military in terms of numbers, but also their technology.

Additionally, we've had, what, two, three decades of constant wars. We spent, what, $2, $3 trillion on many of those conflicts in the Middle East. I think this is a good opportunity to sort of pay it forward and give a big thanks to the men and women who have sacrificed things for conflicts where I think we have yet to see the rewards of those conflicts. In fact, the Middle East is not even worse than it was before.

And so I'm looking at this for a positive note. I hope many Americans see it that way as well.

TAPPER: So, Natasha, let me ask you about these 700 U.S. marines that are now being sent to the -- mobilized to respond to the protests in Los Angeles. What is prompting that? Because, I mean, I think National Guardsmen are more commonly used for civic unrest-type situations, you know, after the George Floyd protests and the like. This seems really unusual.

BERTRAND: Yes. And we actually just got a statement from the secretary of defense about this. He posted on X that this is because of the threats that law enforcement and federal personnel are experiencing in Los Angeles. But, you know, the reaction that we've gotten all day from Pentagon officials is basically, why do we need the Marines? We have the National Guard.

And so it seems as though this is being perceived, at least internally, as something of a show of force mechanism. And it really is an escalation in that sense because, obviously, you have the National Guard, 2000 of which were called up, but only 300 of whom are actually in the streets right now. And it doesn't seem as though they're encountering such severe difficulties that they need an additional couple hundred Marines to help them out, I mean, especially from some of the photos we're seeing here of the protest.

And so it seems at this point, like they want the Marines there to bolster the forces that are already there in terms of the National Guard.

[18:35:02]

And, you know, we'll see what they actually end up doing, but they can't do much without Trump invoking the Insurrection Act.

TAPPER: So, a year ago, I think it was a year ago, there was talk of President Biden federalizing, the National Guard in protest of what Governor Abbott was doing in Texas. He didn't actually -- Biden did not actually do it, but there was talk of it. And then South Dakota Governor, now DHS Secretary Kristi Noem posted on Twitter if Joe Biden federalizes, the National Guard, that would be a direct attack on stage. Isn't this exactly what people hate about politics, when one side does it? You know, I mean, it's just -- the hypocrisy is just so ranked (ph).

SINGH: Yes. And under, you know, President Biden's administration, we never did something without the governor's consent. So, when it came to North Carolina --

TAPPER: There was talk of it though. There was talk of it.

SING: But the fact is that we didn't it. We didn't do it because of, you know, governors know their states best, mayors know their cities best, and local law enforcement knows their communities best. And at the end of the day, surging a force that doesn't necessarily have a role in your community and doesn't know those streets like the local law enforcement do, that is going to add chaos to a situation that's already, you know, taking place on the ground. And, frankly, they don't need this extra show of force. They just don't.

SINGLETON: I mean, Jake, look, I think California is effectively a sanctuary state. They have incentivized illegal immigrants to come into their state. They have had various budget shortfalls as a result. We've seen a strain on classrooms. We've seen a strain on social services. We've seen their law enforcements locally be stretched to their limits.

So, I would actually have a different approach. If I were advising the president, I would step back. I would allow California to essentially fall based upon the bad policies of liberalism and their governor and the mayor of Los Angeles. And I would go across the country and articulate to America, these are the results of voting for Democrats. This is why you should vote for Republicans.

TAPPER: Shermichael Singleton, Sabrina Singh, Natasha Bertrand, thank you one and all for being here.

Our small business series takes us to South Carolina next with a seafood industry was already struggling to stay afloat because of international competition. How have Trump's tariffs helped them? Have they helped right the ship? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

TAPPER: Now, it's time for our Business Leaders series, talking to small business owners from coast to coast about President Trump's tariffs. Most are not loving the impact. Some, however, are enthusiastic.

Today, we're docking at Tarvin Seafood. It's a family-owned shrimping business based in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. It launched in 2011 with one boat for their oldest son and now operates five shrimp boats and three snapper grouper boats.

Co-Owner Taylor Tarvin joins us now. Taylor, thanks for joining us.

Prior to Trump's tariffs, we've heard before in our program about how the domestic seafood industry was struggling to compete with imports. Can you talk about how your business was handling that crisis?

TAYLOR TARVIN, CO-OWNER, TARVIN SEAFOOD: Well, our business is somewhat insulated from the problem nationally. We operate in a niche market, so we are able to keep our prices up to the boats and have been able to function. But where it's really been devastating is down on the Gulf Coast where the shrimping industry is slightly different than it is on the East Coast, where it's more production boats. And they all flow to processors and they depend on the price from the processors. And with the flood of imports that have come into the United States, it's driven prices down to where last year there were boats that weren't even leaving the dock because they couldn't cover costs.

TAPPER: So, any relief from the tariffs so far or has it not had an impact because you were pretty insulated?

TARVIN: Well, I think industry-wide, there has been some relief and I think the hope is that that the higher tariffs, if they're implemented, will be a short-term fix to the problem that it'll bring the price of imported shrimp up to where domestic shrimp are competitive and people can start to recoup some of their losses or at least stem their losses.

There needs to be longer term fixes put in place, systemic problem. But, again, short-term, we're hoping that the terrorists will provide some relief.

TAPPER: So, what might be the long-term solution for the seafood crisis?

TARVIN: Well, there's actually several, and some of it is nothing more than applying laws that are already in place. We have anti- dumping laws that are supposed to prevent foreign competitors from coming in and just flooding a market at ridiculously low prices that doesn't hardly cover their costs. Applying that would certainly help.

There's also safety laws where imported shrimp is supposed to be tested for banned substances. Mostly that would be antibiotics. In some of these countries, the shrimp are raised in stagnant ponds. They're fed animal waste. And because of those unhealthy conditions they have to feed the shrimp antibiotics. And, of course, the FDA prohibits antibiotics in food stuff. But, unfortunately, testing is sporadic. The FDA's supposed to be inspecting the shrimp when it comes into the country. But at this point, they're testing, I think, just a little bit less than 1 percent. And I don't know what's going to happen with the reduction in FDA funding if that's going to become even worse.

TAPPER: All right. Tarvin Seafood based in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, Taylor Tarvin, our guest today, thanks so much for joining us, sir. I appreciate it.

TARVIN: Thank you.

TAPPER: A huge move today in a legal battle that was rocking Hollywood.

[18:45:01]

A judge dismissed Director Justin Baldoni's $400 million defamation lawsuit against actors Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.

Lively's attorney is here live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Our pop culture lead a judge has dismissed altogether the $400 million defamation lawsuit filed by director Justin Baldoni against Hollywood power couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.

The back story, Lively had initially filed a civil lawsuit against Baldoni, claiming that while working on the film, "It Ends With Us", Baldoni sexually harassed her. She claims that when she spoke up, Baldoni's team in retaliation orchestrated a smear campaign to ruin her reputation. Baldoni denied all of her claims and later filed this defamation suit, which was just dismissed today.

And with me now is the attorney representing Blake Lively, Mike Gottlieb.

And, Mike, we should just -- if people think you look familiar, it's because you were here talking about your representing Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, the two Georgia election workers that were suing Rudy Giuliani. Just if anybody's wondering. How did this guy's face look familiar?

[18:50:00]

So how did Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds react to hearing that the defamation suit against her and her husband has just been dismissed?

MICHAEL GOTTLIEB, ATTORNEY REPRESENTING BLAKE LIVELY: It's a day of vindication, Jake. And thanks for having me, by the way.

They're vindicated. They are gratified. They are grateful to the individuals and organizations that have stood by Ms. Lively as she's pursued these claims. And they are determined -- Ms. Lively is determined to see her claims through which are not dismissed, and will go on to a trial that's set for next year.

But she's determined to see her claims through and to pursue them to have a full public accountability of what she has alleged happened to her.

TAPPER: And one of the things that's so fascinating and also disturbing about this case is how much the Internet, plays a role with people trying to get out information to smear. And there was a very orchestrated campaign to smear Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, to a lesser extent. What was that like? What was it like going through that as her attorney?

GOTTLIEB: Yeah. The complaint that Ms. Lively filed alleges that a retaliatory campaign was launched against her back around the time that the movie was released in August of 2024. That campaign was sort of written out in a planning document of exactly the kinds of activities and stories that would be planted about Ms. Lively, to accuse her of weaponizing feminism, to accuse her of exploiting people all designed to discredit her, to silence her.

And it was -- it was a campaign that really took a toll on Ms. Lively and a number of other individuals that were -- that were really roped into this and harmed by this campaign.

TAPPER: Well, let's talk about that, because the toll I want to talk about is taken on Blake and her family. It created headlines when Baldoni's now dismissed lawsuit brought up Blake Lively's friend Taylor Swift. Swift was subpoenaed when text exchanges between Baldoni and lively were revealed to include the name Taylor.

Swift's rep says she -- representatives said she was not involved in the movie in any way beyond licensing one song for the film, and at the time, you slammed Baldoni's team for bringing Taylor Swift into this.

How did how did that impact your client?

GOTTLIEB: You know, Jake, it's no accident that they brought her into this, that they had a scenario planning document I mentioned from August of 2024 mentions. One of the things they plan to do was to plant stories discussing the weaponization of feminism, including how people in Blake Lively circles, specifically Taylor Swift, have been accused of weaponizing feminism to bully people. This was the plan from long before there was a lawsuit to bring Taylor Swift into this, to accuse them both together of weaponizing feminism.

So, it was no surprise that they tried to bring her into this lawsuit. She has nothing to do with the claims or defenses in this case, and I don't think the court is going to allow the actual claims in this case to be distracted by this or anything else.

TAPPER: So, the judge, when dismissing the lawsuit, Baldoni's lawsuit today, he did not address the merits of his complaints. He rather just said that Blake Lively did not make any potentially defamatory comments other than those in her civil rights complaint, which are covered by privilege.

The judge ruled that Baldoni can file an amended complaint on allegations relating to interference with contract. Do you think he will?

GOTTLIEB: He may. He can't file an amended complaint against all of the defendants that they sued. So, for example, "The New York Times" has been dismissed. Ms. Lively's publicist, Leslie Sloane, has been dismissed. They don't have claims that they can amend with respect to those defendants.

They may try to file an amended complaint with respect to what I would describe as sort of ancillary or side claims in the case, but the core of the claim, the $400 million defamation and false light claim is gone from the case. Our claims will continue and go on through discovery and trial.

TAPPER: Are you representing her in her suit coming up in March?

GOTTLIEB: Yes. It's part of the same consolidated case in front of the court in New York.

TAPPER: And what -- remind us again. What is that? What is she suing?

GOTTLIEB: She sued for sexual harassment and retaliation, as well as a number of other claims. And that is really about what happened to Ms. Lively on the set, which was a harassment that she experienced, that she reported privately. She attempted to address and did address through protections for herself and others on the set. And then in response, was retaliated against with this campaign that we talked about a little bit earlier.

TAPPER: Is there a lesson for Hollywood in any of this, in any of what happened?

GOTTLIEB: I think that today is a message that these kinds of retaliatory lawsuits that are really designed to silence and punish people who speak up won't work. They are not going to work. They won't be tolerated by our justice system, and they will not be successful. And I think that's an important message for others who want to speak up against the mistreatment that they may face in their workplaces.

TAPPER: All right. Michael Gottlieb, thank you so much for your time. And if Justin Baldoni wants to come on to talk about this, here is an invitation. Continue -- consider this an open invitation.

Coming up next, an update to a story we've been following for years here on THE LEAD, what prosecutors said today about a possible retrial for Richard Glossip. That's the longtime death row inmate in Oklahoma after the U.S. Supreme Court tossed out his conviction and his sentence.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:59:31]

TAPPER: Our last lead starts with a story that we've been following here on THE LEAD for years. Today, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said the state will retry longtime death row inmate Richard Glossip for a third time on his role in the 1997 murder of Barry Van Treese. Back in February, the U.S. Supreme Court tossed Glossip's conviction and death sentence. The court determined prosecutors allowed false testimony from a key witness, violating Glossip's right to a fair trial. An unprecedented move in our health lead. Today, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed all 17 members of the CDC's Vaccine Advisory Committee. Kennedy said the group is, quote, plagued with conflicts of interest, unquote. Kennedy can appoint members who typically serve four years. What's the worst that can happen?

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" live from Los Angeles starts now. See you tomorrow.