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California Asks Court For Emergency Order Blocking Trump Administration From Using National Guard; Dem Sen. Fetterman Criticizes His Party's Response To L.A. Protesters; Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) Discusses About L.A. Protest And Trump Administration Response; L.A. Mayor: She Has "No Idea" What Marines Will Do When They Arrive. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired June 10, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

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[15:00:36]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Defiant in the Face of Criticism: President Trump defends sending Marines and the National Guard into Los Angeles, insisting the city would be in flames if he had not acted. We'll speak with one of the state senators about the unrest and California's response.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Plus, An Alarming Report: The World Bank warning the global economy is on track for its worst decade since the 1960s. The President's trade war seen as a major factor. Right now, U.S. officials are in London for negotiations with China. We'll get you the latest there.

And some explicit testimony to tell you about at the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs, one of his accusers, talking about how she was under emotional pressure when she worked for the rap mogul.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KEILAR: Breaking just moments ago, California has now filed an emergency order to block President Trump's military mobilization in Los Angeles. California's governor, Gavin Newsom, said, quote, "Trump is turning the U.S. military against American citizens." Adding, "The courts must immediately block these illegal actions."

Let's go to the White House now and CNN's Kristen Holmes.

Kristen, the President is wheels down now in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, ahead of the event that he's holding there soon as this news is coming in.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. We're waiting to see if he does react to it. We do know that behind the scenes, Donald Trump's administration had been annoyed at the ongoing litigation, the fact that they had sued at all. They've been accusing them of judge shopping. There's no indication of that, but that is one of the things that we know the Trump administration often does when various things turn to litigation as they accuse the other side of this judge shopping.

But, of course, we will be listening. We will see if he says anything about this. He did speak right before he left, talked about this ongoing situation in L.A. He said that he had to send various military apparatus, including National Guard, Marines, on the ground there.

He also, again, slammed Governor Newsom. And then he was asked how long they believe that the Marines or the National Guard would be on the ground. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The National Guard will be in California indefinitely. How long will they be there until you think ...

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Until there's no danger. Well, it's easy. Look, it's common sense you asked me that question. When there's no danger, they'll leave. You would have had a horrible situation had I not sent them in. Horrible. They'd be reporting on a lot of death and a lot of destruction, that's not going to take place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: So, obviously, there saying until there's no danger. That's pretty objective - I mean, pretty subjective, excuse me. He will have to be the determiner of what the danger actually is. And just really quickly, one of the things that we have been discussing is how far Donald Trump is willing to go. In particular, is he willing to invoke the Insurrection Act? And he left the door open during these comments to invoke the Insurrection Act, essentially saying that if he decides that it's an insurrection, he will, in fact, invoke that act, which obviously would be an extreme measure in the circumstance.

KEILAR: All right. Kristen Holmes, thank you so much for that.

And CNN's Stephanie Elam is now on the streets of L.A.

Stephanie, you're near where some of the National Guard have been staged. What are you seeing?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brianna, in fact, we saw them move out most of their vehicles here. But if you look, you can still see that some of the National Guard is still lined up in front there. There's one vehicle there. That is a federal building that they are protecting. We heard Mayor Karen Bass say that that is the one building that the National Guard has been designated to protect. She did say that she wasn't sure what the Marines would do once they got here, just to clarify, because we have not seen them.

I need you to know we've been out here all night, going into the morning, through the rush hour, into now. And I have to tell you that we did see some of the leftovers of some of the looting and vandalism that happened. The graffiti that is throughout Downtown Los Angeles is the most excessive that I've seen since the time that I've lived here.

However, the looting was cleaned up very quickly. [15:05:01]

By 8 A.M., you could see they cleaned up glass, boarded up windows. They'd even taken away some of the tagging that had been done on the walls.

But we talked to two residents who live in the neighborhood where we were, around this looted Adidas store and Apple store, and we asked them if they thought it was an overreach to have federal military coming into their city. Take a listen to what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRISCILLA MARTINEZ, LOS ANGELES RESIDENT: I think it's a little excessive. I do agree that maybe for, like, the riots, like people breaking into the small businesses, okay, but for the peaceful protesting, I believe that people have the right to protest.

MICHAEL MARSHALL, LOS ANGELES RESIDENT: It's tyrannical, you know? If this one person can make this decision, go this - you know, these drastic measures, and not only are the people who are trying to deport lives at risk, the Marines are at risk, the cops are at risk, the families. You know, prayers go out to everyone involved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: And we did hear from the Mayor that she knows of one rally that is planned for later today. Looking back at last night, Los Angeles Police Department saying at least 113 people were arrested, 96 of those on suspicion of failure to disperse, and also one person arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. There were 14 other arrests that were related to the looting that we saw.

But what I really do want to stress here, because I can tell by looking at some of the images just on TV, it's very easy to think that all of Los Angeles is embroiled in this, and that is just not the case. It is slivers of downtown, it's not even all of downtown. Driving in here overnight, it was not what I expected based on what I had seen.

So, when you look at this, the vast majority of L.A. is operating as normal. People are going about their lives, going to business, going to school if they're still in school. The city is operating, trains are running, buses are running. It is not the entire city, and this characterization that it is, is just simply false.

KEILAR: And there is still that Los Angeles traffic, as we saw in one of your earlier hits there. Stephanie Elam, thank you.

ELAM: It's here.

KEILAR: It's here, unfortunately.

ELAM: Yes.

KEILAR: Stephanie, thank you so much. Boris? SANCHEZ: Meantime, Democratic Senator John Fetterman has a new warning for his own party as they respond to the protests in L.A. Here's what he told CNN's Manu Raju earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): You can't defend when people start setting things on fire, or they start damaging buildings, or going after members of law enforcement. That's not free speech. That is not peaceful protest. And I'm very supportive of immigration as well, too. We have to find a way forward that two must be true at the same time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Joining us now to discuss California Senator Alex Padilla.

Senator, thank you so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.

When you hear your Democratic colleague there argue that Democrats lose the moral high ground when they refuse to condemn some of the behavior, some of the violent behavior that we've seen, I wonder what your response is. Would you like to see a stronger condemnation from members of your party?

SEN. ALEX PADILLA (D-CA): So, thank you, Boris. And, look, let me start by saying as much as I respect Sen. Fetterman, my colleague from Pennsylvania, he does not know the situation on the ground. And every interview I've done, every interview of my Democratic House colleagues, my colleague Sen. Schiff from California on these issues, one, we all have condemned the violence. It has distracted from the key message of the protesters and the demonstrators. Even the chief of police has recognized that the individuals involved with the looting and vandalism at night is a very different set of people than the organizers and advocates that are marching, that are demonstrating, that are protesting peacefully throughout the course of the day. So that is an important distinction.

And I think what's also important to remind ourselves of is it didn't have to get to this point. This is absolutely a crisis that has been made intentionally by Donald Trump, beginning with the increasingly aggressive and theatrical immigration enforcement activities, the ICE raids in elementary schools and houses of worship, please, to him looking or creating any opportunity to further and further escalate.

The federalization of National Guard troops is not only unnecessary, it's counterproductive. And as things have quieted down during the day from day to day, he responds now with de-escalation by now potentially sending Marines. He's the one escalating, he's the one creating the tension, and it has got to stop.

SANCHEZ: Senator, under U.S. law, ICE is authorized to arrest undocumented individuals. I wonder what specifically you would have done differently in response to these immigration violations, because according to law, there's really nothing stopping the administration from carrying this out, right?

PADILLA: Yes. Look, you're absolutely right. The law is the law.

[15:10:01]

But what Donald Trump said throughout the course of his campaign was there was going to be a focus, a prioritization of dangerous, violent criminals. And while I'm sure there are more than a few of dangerous, violent criminals that have been detained, have been deported since he returned to office on January 20th, if you look at the totality of what they've done, it is far beyond just a focus on dangerous, violent criminals. The vast majority of immigrants, both documented and undocumented, are not lawbreakers.

In fact, so many of them work in industries that are so key to our economy, in construction, in hospitality, in health care, et cetera. That's why in the first Trump administration, he designated so many of them as essential workers at the beginning of the pandemic.

And let's talk about not just Los Angeles, but California, Boris. California is not just the most populous state in the nation, the most diverse state in the nation, home to more immigrants than any other state in the nation. It's also the largest economy by far of any state in the nation, the fourth largest economy in the world, not despite its immigrant population, but because of the contributions of so many immigrants as workforce, as consumers, as entrepreneurs.

So, yes, let's focus on detaining, deporting violent criminals, dangerous criminals. But for everybody else, there's got to be a better way. And Donald Trump has yet to propose a pathway forward for dreamers, a pathway forward for farm workers and so many others that have been here, living here for years, if not decades, contributing to the success of our communities and the country as a whole.

SANCHEZ: Yes. To your point about the military mobilization, as of last night, local law enforcement shared with us that they had not been fully briefed on the Marines' mission. There seemed to be a lack of communication, specifically as to what they would be doing, what the terms of engagement are. I wonder what your understanding is of what they and the National Guard have been authorized to do beyond standing guard at these two federal buildings that Mayor Karen Bass outlined earlier today.

PADILLA: Yes, Boris, that's a question that we're all asking. The mayor is asking the question. The governor is asking the question. Chief McDonnell and LAPD is asking the question. Sheriff Luna, L.A. County Sheriff's Department is asking the question. I have requested to the White House directly to be briefed on all those details and haven't gotten the answers yet.

You know, just to underscore how disorderly, how shook from the hit this operation has been, the Marines learned about their potential mobilization through the press. You know, they themselves don't know what the mission would be if Marines start being deployed within the communities of the city of Los Angeles.

The lack of coordination of the National Guard has left them sleeping literally on the floors in the buildings that they're designated to protect. And when there's that lack of coordination with local law enforcement, it actually makes the job of the deputy sheriffs and the police officers that are trying to protect people and protect the city and protect property that much harder because they're doing that on the one hand while also trying to protect the federal agents that are out there.

SANCHEZ: Senator, our reporting indicates that right now the administration is exercising powers beyond what's in the realm of the Insurrection Act. But President Trump has not ruled out invoking it. In fact, given some of the language that he and others in the administration have used about there being insurrectionists and open rebellion, the blocking of federal officials from carrying out law enforcement, it seems like it might still be on the table. What happens if the President invokes the Insurrection Act, if this weekend there are more protests and things escalate from there? What do you see happening?

PADILLA: Well, it's a classic hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. Hope for the best. We know that Attorney General Bonta and a lot of his colleagues have gone to court because we do believe that this federalization and deployment of National Guard, women and men, is not been properly justified according to the powers outlined for the President of the United States and if it - it certainly hasn't been properly communicated.

But if that's unsuccessful, then we still have to continue to hold this administration accountable. I'll give you one stat that came out today. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, in front of a House committee today, finally acknowledged this operation, Boris, is costing $143 million. For how many detentions? Maybe a few dozen. You know, this is not the most cost-effective way. It's not the most effective way to be doing this job.

SANCHEZ: And lastly, Senator, you spoke about this military mobilization being unnecessary and part of a federal overreach. Do you feel that local law enforcement could have done more to prevent what we saw Friday night bleeding into Saturday before the National Guard was called in?

[15:15:10]

PADILLA: Look, I have full faith in local law enforcement and their leadership. As Sheriff Luna has been on CNN and other networks explaining, there's a very healthy and robust mutual aid system throughout the region. So, if the LAPD needs further help, there's communication with surrounding agencies.

Los Angeles has been through this before, whether it's marches, whether it's protests, whether it's rallies, whether it's parades. We know how to do crowd control and restore a situation. But when the President of the United States unlawfully escalates detentions through the deployment of federal forces, that is not only not helpful, it's counterproductive. Let local law enforcement do their job.

SANCHEZ: Senator Alex Padilla, thank you so much for the time.

PADILLA: Thank you, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Still to come, L.A.'s police chief expressing confusion about how U.S. Marines will be used if protests turn violent. You heard the senator there, a lot of folks are questioning coordination and crowd control response. We'll discuss in just moments.

Plus, the defense now cross-examining the girlfriend of Sean "Diddy" Combs in his sex trafficking trial. That and much more coming your way in just a few minutes.

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[15:20:47]

SANCHEZ: Today, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass is criticizing the Trump administration for deploying U.S. military personnel to her city. It comes as about 700 Marines and thousands more National Guard members are being mobilized in response to the protests there. Here's what the mayor had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR KAREN BASS (D-L.A.): People have asked me, what are the Marines going to do when they get here? That's a good question. I have no idea. The National Guard that are here now have one assignment, and that is to protect one building, which is the federal building downtown. The second building, which is the federal building on Westwood Boulevard. And as far as I know, nothing has happened in Westwood at all. So, this was not needed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller is with us now.

John, we hear the mayor saying she doesn't know what the Marines' mission will be in L.A. if they can't legally help with law enforcement. What can they do?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, they can guard the building the same way the National Guard does. They can guard a different building. But as the mayor kind of questioned, under their current status, they can't be deployed into the street to do any other kind of mission that might involve law enforcement.

SANCHEZ: And, John, CNN teams on the scene have seen several tactical military vehicles departing the downtown detention center. This is into city roads. What are these typically used for?

MILLER: Well, these look like the Humvees that are used generally in war zones. But in this context, they would be used to move people and to move equipment, which would probably be likely the support package that came to support the Marines for where they're going to stay and what they're going to use to operate in terms of communications gear and other things. KEILAR: And when you think about these entities all being in the same place, with obviously different roles that they can fulfill, law enforcement and the military, John, how important is deconfliction going to be? What are the concerns there?

MILLER: Well, it's going to be important because, first, we really do need to understand the rules of engagement. With the National Guard, you have them with a clear mission, which is they are perimeter security for that federal building, for the federal jail. And they're armed with M4 rifles that appear to be fully loaded and operational.

So, what are those rifles for? When do they come into play? What does the rules of engagement say about when they can use force or when they can escalate to deadly force?

We don't know any of that. The Marines will be controlled by the Northern Command or NORTHCOM. That is the Army command that handles the deployment of troops on U.S. soil. And remember, we see this all the time. They help out in hurricanes. They were at Katrina in New Orleans. They deployed to wildfires. Even the National Guard's been in L.A. for the fires that went there, you know, through the Palisades.

So, it's not that they're a stranger to the mission of assisting local people in emergencies. It's just that we're in a bit of a conflict zone now. So that changes the nature of the beast.

SANCHEZ: And given that idea that we're in a conflict zone now, how difficult is it for law enforcement to distinguish between people that are peacefully protesting and agitators?

MILLER: Well, it's an interesting question. So yesterday, right, we all saw what happened yesterday if we were here or you were watching on television. So, you know, since Friday, you've got one arrest for somebody throwing a Molotov cocktail at police. That person's charged with attempted murder because we have been painfully reminded what a Molotov cocktail can do by the recent events in Boulder.

One for resisting, one for vandalism. Two LAPD officers were injured. But yesterday we had 96 arrests basically for failure to disperse.

[15:25:02]

But when you see the amount of fireworks, commercial-grade fireworks that were thrown at police, rocks, bottles, cinder blocks that were broken into pieces that were coming from the back of the crowd, you've got your core protesters who are protesting the migrant issues. Then you've got organizations behind them that are protest organizers. They're involved in multiple issues, Palestinian issues, issues with UCLA, this issue.

And then behind them, and we saw these people yesterday on the video, you have people using black bloc tactics. Those are the people dressed totally in black. They've got the black hoodies on. You know, some of the observations by police yesterday were they showed up with gas masks. They showed up with goggles. They showed up with leaf blowers to blow the tear gas in the other way. They showed up with their own smoke grenades that they tossed at police when they needed to disappear into the crowd.

So, you have this diversity of people with different agendas, but the anarchist agenda is - the anti-government agenda, it's the attack the police agenda. It's the escalate the pitch and the violence agenda. And the protesters in the front often have no say in that. They just end up in the same group.

KEILAR: Yes, an incredibly bad situation.

John Miller, thank you so much.

And still to come, President Trump makes a speech to troops at Fort Bragg just a few minutes from now.

SANCHEZ: Plus, as the U.S. and China sit down for trade talks, there are warnings the global economy could be on track for its worst decade in generations. That and much more next.

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