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Protesters and Police Clash after Immigration Raids in Multiple Locations across Los Angeles, California; Previously Deported Immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia Returns to U.S. to Stand Trial for Human Smuggling Charges; President Trump and Elon Musk have Public Rift over Congressional Tax Bill; Federal Judge Approves $2.8 Billion Settlement Paving Way for U.S. Colleges to Begin Paying Student Athletes Millions of Dollars. Aired 2-230p ET.
Aired June 07, 2025 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
CLAY RISEN, REPORTER, "NEW YORK TIMES": -- pretty quickly to the point where a lot of people who are on the left felt like they couldn't speak their own mind about issues like civil rights or women's rights because those were suddenly being canceled. And so, you know, this dynamic is kind of ever present in American culture, and I think it just pops up at times of stress.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: And it's only exacerbated even more given the invention of social media as well. Clay Risen, thank you so much for joining us, really appreciate it.
And be sure to tune in to a historic Broadway first, CNN's live broadcast of George Clooney and Grant Heslov's "Good Night, and Good Luck," airing tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern on CNN and streaming on CNN.com and CNN Max.
Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Bianna Golodryga in for Fredricka Whitfield. And we begin this hour with anger over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown boiling over onto the streets of Los Angeles.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, they're removing the -- whoa! Son of a --
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GOLODRYGA: Protesters and police clashing Friday after immigration raids in multiple locations across the city. Authorities in riot gear used teargas and flash bangs to break up the crowds. CNN correspondent Julia Vargas Jones joins me now from Los Angeles. So, Julia, what more can you tell us about what happened yesterday?
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, we're just hearing now that there are more ICE raids happening right now in parts of Los Angeles. One of them CNN has video of, showing ICE federal agents in what seems to be close to a Home Depot in the southside of Los Angeles. We're seeing some people resisting. There's some flash bangs, some smoke in there. We will be looking more into that and bring more to you of what's happening down in this new raid happening today.
Yesterday, an extraordinary show of force by federal agents in Los Angeles as they made their way through downtown, three different locations, 44 people were arrested. Again, these were federal agents in tactical gear, military vehicles going through the downtown area. One person said what they felt in describing those interactions with those agents as those raids were taking place.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They said you have to get back. They kept pushing me back. And I assumed it was just those three agents. And then when I turned around, I see that there's a lot of them. There's people running, screaming everywhere that I was here. They started detaining a couple of other people. There was only one agent that was nice enough to let one of the people that got arrested call their family members and let them know.
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JONES: And as the news of these actions spread, Bianna, that's when we see those protests starting to pick up, all of them against these immigration enforcement raids. And the outrage came not just from those protesters, but also from the mayor, Karen Bass, saying that she was, quote, "deeply angered" by what was taking place, that these tactics "sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this," she said.
Governor Newsom also echoing that sentiment, saying -- slamming the raid, saying that this was a "continued chaotic federal sweep across California there just to meet an arbitrary arrest quota. And they are as reckless as they are cruel. Donald Trump's chaos is eroding trust, tearing families apart, and undermining the workers and industries that power America's economy." The governor there just starting another chapter of his longstanding feud with the president that isn't only about immigration, Bianna, but also touches on other issues like the environment and some of the other policies of California.
But what these raids managed to achieve, certainly, is to instill fear in these immigration, immigrant communities of southern California. Of the 10 million estimated undocumented immigrants of California, about one third live right here in Los Angeles County.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Julia Vargas Jones in Los Angeles for us, thank you.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador, is now back in the United States. After a sudden return on Friday, he appeared in court in Tennessee where he is facing federal criminal charges. His return is a striking about-face from the Trump administration which had long maintained that he would not be brought back to the U.S. And today, the acting ICE director said Abrego Garcia will be deported after he faces these charges. CNN's Rafael Romo is in Nashville. And Rafael, this is more back and
forth from the administration. What more are we learning about what finally led to Abrego Garcia return to the United States, we know after months of defiance from orders from multiple judges to do so?
[14:05:10]
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: That's right, Bianna. There's been plenty of back and forth. And after being returned to the United States, Kilmar Abrego Garcia appeared here at the federal courthouse in downtown Nashville last night. He won't be back in court until next Friday for his arraignment and detention hearing.
The allegations announced yesterday by Attorney General Pam Bondi against Abrego Garcia date back to 2016 and involve a half-a dozen alleged and unnamed Coconspirators. In essence, the federal government accuses the Salvadoran national of being a human trafficker and conspiring with the other six individuals to transport thousands of people between Texas and Maryland over the span of nearly a decade.
His conspiracy charges specifically relate to a trip in November 2022, where a Abrego Garcia is accused of driving a Chevrolet suburban and was pulled over on a Tennessee interstate highway with nine other Hispanic male passengers who didn't have any identification or luggage, and were allegedly undocumented immigrants.
But in an interview with CNN, an attorney for Abrego Garcia accused the Trump administration of playing games with the legal system. He also said his client should appear in immigration court instead of a criminal court, and told CNN the legal team had no prior knowledge that their client was being returned to the United States.
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SIMON SANDOVAL-MOSHENBERG, ATTORNEY FOR KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA: We learned about it on TV, just like the rest of the country. What's clear, this just makes crystal clear what we've been saying, frankly, for the past two months is that they've been playing games with the court. It just goes to show that they've been more interested in dragging his name through the mud than in actually sort of going through with proper court proceedings, just like it's been since day one.
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ROMO: Now, Bianna, another question that has surfaced has to do with Abrego Garcia legal status in this country. Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons confirmed this morning that there's a current deportation order for the Salvadoran national, which is enforceable whether he is convicted or not. This is what Lyons told FOX News.
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TODD LYONS, ACTING ICE DIRECTOR: Yes. So after his sentence, after he has his due process and these charges for human trafficking go forward, based on his conviction on the outcome of that case, he will be sent back and deported from the United States, and that judge's order will be affected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So even if he's found not guilty of these charges, he's being deported somewhere.
Lyons: Yes. We will go ahead and effect that lawful judge's deportation order.
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ROMO: And we're live back here at the federal courthouse in downtown Nashville, where Abrego Garcia appeared last night wearing a short sleeved white button down shirt. According to the A.P., when asked if he understood the charges, he told the judge, "Si, lo entiendo." An interpreter then said, "Yes, I understand." Bianna?
GOLODRYGA: Rafael Romo live for us from Nashville, thank you so much.
Well, right now more than a million people are under a tornado watch across parts of Arkansas as several weather -- severe weather makes its way toward the Carolina coast. Large hail and tornadoes are also likely to hit the Texas panhandle, which could intensify Sunday. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking the latest forecast. Allison, where is the biggest threat right now?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, more than 60 million people are under the threat for severe storms today, mainly across the southeastern U.S. But it's not just damaging winds and the potential for tornadoes. We're also looking at the threat for flooding as well. And it's two separate areas for flooding. One across the southeast, but another in portions of New England. And it's all from these storms that have already been ongoing throughout the day today, because they're going to continue through the evening and into the overnight hours as well.
By 8:00 tonight, looking at some very strong storms in and around Atlanta as well as Chattanooga, but also a little bit farther north, you'll start to see them sliding into portions of Cincinnati as well. Through the overnight you're still going to see that main line of storms continuing across the southeast, but you also have that other cluster that's going to start spreading into the mid-Atlantic as we make our way through the rest of the day Sunday.
By the time we get to Sunday afternoon and into the evening, we have redevelopment back out across portions of not only the Midwest, but also into the central and southern plains. So you're looking at a multi-day severe threat here, not just for the rest of Saturday, but also on Sunday, where we still have a level three out of five risk. But then even into Monday, it just transfers a little bit farther to the east, but you still have the potential there for a lot of those strong to severe thunderstorms to continue even into early next week.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Allison Chinchar, thank you.
And still to come for us, how the feud that has rocked the White House could eventually impact your family.
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GOLODRYGA: Well, today, more fallout from that explosive public breakup between President Trump and Elon Musk. The president now saying there will be, quote, "serious consequences" if Musk funds Democratic candidates to challenge Republicans voting for his spending bill. Now, this comes after Trump said he will look at canceling some of Musk's federal contracts as well.
Betsy Klein is following this story, and the president giving another interview, this time with NBC News. And it's clear that these two aren't going to be making up any time soon. What more can you tell us?
[14:15:03]
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: No, I would not put money on that, Bianna. But the White House and top officials spent the better part of Friday really trying to defuse and de-escalate these massive tensions between President Trump and the billionaire Elon Musk. And all of this started really because of disagreements over the president's sweeping domestic agenda bill, that so-called big, beautiful bill that Musk says will add too much to the federal deficit.
Soon that devolved as these exchanges turned personal on dueling social media platforms owned, of course, by both men. But it could have very real impacts. As you mentioned, Musk at one point endorsed this idea of impeaching the president and replacing him with Vice President J.D. Vance. But Musk has also pledged significant funding to Trump aligned Republican candidates in the midterm election. All of that now in question.
And the president was asked about that in an interview this morning with NBC News's Kristen Welker. He said, quote, there would be serious consequences if Musk chooses to fund Democratic candidates who are running against Republican candidates who vote for this bill. And separately, the president has threatened to review some of Musk's federal contracts for some of his businesses. This could, of course, have billions of dollars in impact for things like SpaceX.
President Trump, of course, told his staff to stay focused on that big, beautiful bill. He told his vice president, J.D. Vance, to speak diplomatically about this situation when asked about it. And the president, for his part, remaining quite muted when pressed on it by reporters on his way here to Bedminster. Take a look.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your view on Elon Musk as of today? I mean, have you heard from him at all?
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: Honestly, I've been so busy working on China, working on Russia, working on Iran, working on so many things, I'm not thinking about Elon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have any plans to speak with. Mr. Musk? This was one of your closest advisors.
TRUMP: No, I don't have any plans.
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KLEIN: And yet this feud has spawned gossip across Washington and the West Wing, one former Trump aide saying that everyone is talking about it. But the president, Trump, the president says he doesn't care. Even though he says that, he privately has been polling allies and advisers on whether they believe that Musk's behavior over the past week has been related to his reported drug use. Of course, all of this comes at such a critical moment for the president's signature legislation that's facing key deadlines and razor thin margins in Congress, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: And there's some reporting that Elon Musk has been deleting some of his more inflammatory tweets on -- posts on X that he's made over the past couple of days as this as this breakup has just shocked the country and the world. But you have new reporting that may give an explanation as to why this happened and the role that Trump's close advisor, Stephen Miller, and his wife have had in this feud.
KLEIN: Well, right. There is one Washington power couple that is at the center of this feud straddling both sides of the Musk-Trump divide. Stephen Miller is the president's deputy chief of staff. He is an architect of some of the president's most hardline immigration policies, as well as his efforts to target college funding and other top domestic policy agenda items. He is married to Katie Miller, who up until very recently had been serving in an advisory role to Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency.
So it was announced, and CNN had reported last week, before this entire blowup, that Katie Miller would be leaving her role in the government. She was also, like Musk, a special government employee, and planned to go work for Musk full time, advising him and arranging some of his non-government related interviews.
And one source in the Trump administration told us Katie Miller now has to choose between Elon and Trump. She said, the source said it can't be both. There are also divided views, according to our reporting on how this could impact Stephen Miller's ascendance. He is one of the presidents most trusted advisors, and there's been some speculation on whether he could have his sights set on eventually being tapped as chief of staff in the future. One senior official saying that this situation will make that more complicated. Another pushed back on that, saying that next to Susie Wiles, the chief of staff, Trump trusts and relies on Stephen Miller the most, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Oh, what drama unfolding at the White House. Betsy Klein, you're on top of it for us. Thank you so much.
Well, for more, let's bring in David Graham. He's a staff writer at "The Atlantic" and the author of "The Atlantic Daily Newsletter." David, it was just two weeks ago where the famous goodbye in the Oval Office between these best of friends seemed so cordial, saying that they would stay in touch and in support of one another, that Elon Musk would continue to support the efforts made, especially at DOGE and the initiatives taken by the White House.
[14:20:10]
What a difference just two weeks has made. Many had predicted that there would be a fallout eventually. You're saying perhaps not at the speed and intensity that were seeing it all unfold. What do you make of it?
DAVID GRAHAM, STAFF WRITER, "THE ATLANTIC": You know, I've been very surprised. I did expect that their egos would clash. And it seemed for a long time like that wasn't going to happen. And I think one reason is they both see that they had a lot to lose. And we see that in Betsy's reporting about how Trump is sort of trying to deescalate that. And we see that in Musk deleting tweets. But they are very big egos, and they both had interests on the line here. And so we see those clashing.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And there's some reporting from -- I mean, the president himself even said that this is personal for, for Elon Musk because this new bill would take away some of the E.V. tax credits that would obviously impact his company, though those close to Elon Musk say this has to do with his larger issue of really addressing and tackling the growing deficit here by his work at DOGE, and perhaps even the president withdrawing his nominee at NASA. The vice president, J.D. Vance, has been silent up until now, but he's saying now that Musk made a big mistake. Here's what he said in an interview.
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J.D. VANCE, (R) VICE PRESIDENT: Really, man, I think it's a huge mistake for him to go after the president like that. And I think that if he and the president are in some blood feud, most importantly, it's going to be bad for the country. But I think it's going to be -- I don't think it's going to be good for Elon, either.
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GOLODRYGA: Now, let's remind viewers that in the midst, or at the height of this public spat and falling out, Elon Musk endorsed the idea of impeaching Trump and replacing him with the vice president. What do you make of the position that has put Vance in?
GRAHAM: Vance is in a tricky place. You know, he has been told by Trump, and the administration is trying to deescalate this. But he also does have to prove his loyalty because it's something that's so important to Trump. And so Musk sort of was daring him to show his ambition. And I think he understands that however much he might feel about -- however he might feel about Musk, his ticket to ascendancy and his ticket to continued power is Trump. And so he has to stay in the president's good graces. GOLODRYGA: And the president spoke with NBC News over the phone, or
just earlier today, and as we noted earlier, said that Elon Musk may have to pay consequences if he decides to fund Democratic candidates to challenge his budget bill. Where do you where do you see this going? And do you see it having any impact at all on this bill ultimately getting passed?
GRAHAM: This bill is in such a narrow place. It doesn't take a lot to sink it. There are several Republicans in the Senate who are expressing concerns. And Musk, by taking up this deficit angle, whether it's sincere or just a front for his concerns about E.V. credits or whatever, does strengthen the spines of those Republicans who are raising questions. So I think there is a danger there.
I think the fact that Trump is able to threaten retaliation against Musk in this very personal way about his government contracts, so some of the problems with Musk being in such a close position, both overseeing government contracts as part of DOGE and now on the outside, the fact that the president wants to take revenge in that way, I think is also a problem.
GOLODRYGA: All right, we'll see where all of this ends up. David Graham, thank you.
We'll be right back.
GRAHAM: Thank you.
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[14:27:30]
GOLODRYGA: The manhunt for a former Arkansas police chief who escaped from prison is now over. On Friday, police captured Grant Hardin about two miles west from the prison grounds. Police say tracking dogs picked up his scent in the area, and he was apprehended a short time later. The 56-year-old was on the run for more than 10 days after escaping wearing a makeshift law enforcement uniform. He is serving a 30-year sentence for murder and two 25-year sentences for rape. Police say he's been transferred to a supermax state facility.
A major shakeup in college sports. A federal judge has approved a $2.8 billion settlement, paving the way for U.S. colleges to start paying their student athletes millions of dollars as soon as next month. CNN sports anchor Andy Scholes has more.
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ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: College athletics is entering a whole new world. Starting July 1st, schools are now allowed to start cutting checks directly to their athletes. A federal judge formally approved a deal on Friday between the NCAA big conferences and lawyers representing all division one athletes. As a part of the deal, the NCAA is going to pay $2.8 billion in back damages over the next 10 years to athletes who competed in college at any time from 2016 to the present day. But moving forward, the power conference schools can now directly pay athletes with a cap expected to start at $20.5 million per school, and it's expected to increase each year.
Now, athletes will still be able to sign name, image, and likeness deals, but they now have to be approved by a new clearing house that is being set up to make sure that deals are fair and not strictly pay for play. The NCAA is not going to be in charge of this new world. The power conferences have set up a settlement enforcement committee called the College Sports Commission to enforce these new rules and guidelines.
Over the past few years, college sports has really become the wild west when it came to athletes going to and changing schools due to NIL money. This new framework will help put some guidelines in place, finally, for all that, but lots of questions remain, like, are college athletes now employees of the school? Can you put a salary cap on athletes that aren't unionized? Well, the NCAA and its schools are hoping that federal lawmakers will step in to help solve the remaining problems with these issues.
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GOLODRYGA: A big change. Andy Scholes, thank you.
And don't go anywhere, because CNN is taking you to the action at the French Open. All Access at Roland-Garros is coming up with CNN's Coy Wire. Hi, Coy. So exciting.
[14:30:05]
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: So exciting, Bianna. We are in for 30 minutes of action-packed fun.
