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Police Declared Unlawful Assembly Outside L.A. City Hall as Situation Across Downtown Remains Peaceful; Trump Attends Les Miserables at the Kennedy Center; U.S. Moves Out Some Diplomats from the Middle East. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired June 12, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Los Angeles is just a few hours into its latest curfew following a sixth day of mostly peaceful protests against immigration raids and the Trump administration's use of the U.S. military on American soil.

At last check, the situation in L.A. appeared relatively calm, but police had been dealing with flare-ups and occasional skirmishes earlier. At one point, police declared an unlawful assembly outside City Hall and they've been arresting demonstrators who refused to leave the one square mile of downtown that's temporarily off limits.

According to the U.S. military, some 700 Marines training near L.A. are expected to deploy sometime in the next two days and will conduct the same mission as the National Guard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JIM MCDONNELL, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: The role is still not clear to us, the Marines or the National Guard, other than they're a support entity to protect federal employees and facilities, but the agents they're protecting do have certainly the right to be able to arrest lawbreakers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Later today, a federal judge will hear California's bid for an emergency restraining order to block what the governor calls the unwarranted and illegal militarization of L.A. The Trump administration is urging the court to reject this state challenge.

CNN's Michael Yoshida has been covering the curfew in downtown L.A. Here's his report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN REPORTER: It's very calm here in this part of downtown L.A. You can see we still have some law enforcement here. They've been here at these on and off ramps to the 101 highway in this part of downtown during the day and the night.

So that's nothing new. But if we look over, you can see the streets are open. No protesters, no law enforcement out there, just things appearing normal.

And we've seen throughout the day, obviously we did have protests, especially around that federal detention facility right there. But as we moved closer to the second night of curfew, we saw a lot of the protesters honestly just start to leave on their own.

You mentioned some of those activities we saw near City Hall. Our crew did make it over to City Hall and it was about maybe 30 minutes, 40 minutes after this curfew had started where even that group of maybe three or four dozen protesters, they ended up starting to walk in different directions as well. They never had any real interactions with the police that were staged there.

So again, second night of this curfew, it goes from 8:00 in the evening local time to 6:00 in the morning local time, covering about a one mile square area. And as you can see, things are calm here. They're calm a few blocks from here where we were. So it remains to be seen whether we'll continue to see this curfew in the coming nights as this week goes on.

CHURCH: And Michael, what more can you tell us about the U.S. Marines now deployed in L.A. and of course, the role that they'll be taking on?

YOSHIDA: So a lot of attention, obviously, be given to the 700 or so Marines that were moved out to this area last reporting. We know they were around outside of L.A. going through some more of their training in preparation for this role, although it's still a little bit unclear exactly how they'll be used that training, including use of non-lethal weapons, going over de-escalation skills techniques, also detainment training.

So a lot of that training ongoing and again, needs to be done and obviously will be done before we then see them potentially deployed in and around this area. Obviously, a lot of questions about how quickly that can happen and then what it may look like if it does become a reality.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Protests denouncing ICE raids and President Trump's immigration policies continue to spread throughout the country. The National Guard has been activated in two states so far, the first being the controversial deployment in California and Tuesday's activation in Texas ahead of planned protests this week.

[03:04:57] In Washington State, police arrested protesters after warning them to disperse. CNN affiliate KING says crowds were given five minutes to move before officers began advancing in a line to break up the crowds.

Meantime, the mayor of Spokane, Washington has declared a state of emergency and curfew in specific areas of the city. At one point during the protests, police used a smoke device on the crowd which prompted people to scatter. Officers say they have made more than 30 arrests in relation to the demonstrations.

Juliette Kayyem is a CNN senior national security analyst. She's also a former assistant secretary with the Department of Homeland Security. Appreciate you being with us.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SR. NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST AND FORMER U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY ASST. SECRETARY: Of course. Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: So as we watch these protests spread beyond Los Angeles to other cities across the country, let's just step back for a moment and look at the ICE raids that triggered all these demonstrations.

Donald Trump initially promised to go after the worst of the worst undocumented criminals. But instead, we are seeing men, women and children rounded up in raids, seized in restaurants, stores, schools, graduations and churches. What is going on here and why has the focus shifted from hardened criminals?

KAYYEM: So it's very important that this that this point be made, which is that the protests are against the shift by the Trump administration from the promise that they're going to get hardened criminals, people who commit crimes, people who are not members of society, which is shifted by their own admission to just simply viewing anyone who is here unlawfully as illegal and or criminal and therefore justifying getting out of the country.

Part of this is just their vibe. I mean, I have to be honest with you. It is just the leadership at the White House.

Stephen Miller, the deputy chief of staff, Tom Homan, the border czar. These are people who really don't make that distinction in their mind between the criminal, unlawful immigrants and unlawful immigrants who may have been here a long time committed to society.

And that's why you're seeing this pushback, because it's not it is it is not what the expectation was by the Trump administration, which has numbers it wants to satisfy in terms of deportation to satisfy their base.

CHURCH: And Juliette on Tuesday, ICE posted images of National Guard troops providing perimeter security to their agents on a raid, integrating the military into the enforcement of immigration law. And Major General Scott Sherman confirmed Wednesday that the National Guard will be accompanying ICE agents on raids and arrests. What's your response to members of the military being used in this way?

KAYYEM: Yes, so I mean, it depends on what their status is. This is not just a technical issue.

I mean in the past, governors have utilized the National Guard for essentially force protection, essentially that you need to protect forces. We know in the past, however, we now know that when governors have sought to federalize the National Guard, sort of put their own National Guard under a president, they have always done so. It's always been done by the request of the Governor.

This is a different situation when it's sort of a one force under the President now being put into a very dynamic situation without the appropriate training, without clear command and control, without clear mission, without preparation. And you're seeing that sort of disconnect between what Trump is saying that the military is doing and what they are essentially doing, which is protecting ICE agents on raids.

It's unnecessary. It likely is inciting a lot of the response, and it looks sort of like a foolish use of the military in some ways. I think he's denigrated them in many ways by just sort of throwing them into this mission.

CHURCH: And Juliette, the Department of Homeland Security posted a message on Wednesday saying, help your country locate and arrest illegal aliens, report all foreign invaders. Using a World War II poster to get that message across and providing the contact number for ICE so that citizens can report anyone they know who is undocumented. Again, it's veering far from the original goal of the administration to focus on criminals.

Will this sort of witch hunt fly in America, do you think?

KAYYEM: Yes, I mean, I wonder sometimes already whether that's what's happening, because you kind of wonder why were certain people chosen to someone not like them and ICE went after them. It's going to be incredibly overwhelming for ICE to manage, I think, a lot of phone calls. But it is that slippery slope.

[03:10:08]

It's that sort of turn by the White House from the criminal, unlawful immigrants to any person that is here. And that is not going over well, not just in blue cities and blue states, but throughout the country as these raids are occurring throughout red states.

I don't, you know, I'm not a political person. I can't, I don't know what the game plan is in terms of like, why would you do this against your own people or against your own supporters? But what we do basically know now is Americans are pretty consistent that they want tighter borders and relatively consistent that they don't love interior enforcement against people who are not criminals.

They sort of accept that people come here, they do jobs, they raise kids, they contribute to society. That notion, however, has changed dramatically in this administration.

CHURCH: Juliette Kayyem, always appreciate having you on. Thank you. KAYYEM: Thank you.

CHURCH: The U.S. Secretary of State -- U.S. Secretary of Defense, rather, Pete Hegseth suggested Wednesday that President Trump's order to federalize California's National Guard was intended to create a precedent, meaning the tactic could be replicated in other states. Hegseth made these comments during a Senate subcommittee meeting on Wednesday. The President's order over the weekend was very broad and was likely vague for a reason.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Part of it is getting ahead of a problem so that if in other places, if there are other riots in places where law enforcement officers are threatened, we would have the capability to surge National Guard there if necessary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Hegseth also told lawmakers there are currently 13,000 U.S. troops deployed to the southern border with Mexico. The most recent deployment there was in May.

Well the American public appears split over the Trump administration's heavy-handed response to the L.A. protests. A new poll from "The Washington Post" and George Mason University's Schar School found 44 percent of those surveyed opposed the military deployments. Just over 40 percent are in favor and 15 percent don't know what to think.

When it comes to support for the protests against the stepped-up ICE raids, it's almost an even split, but a greater number of respondents are undecided.

Well Donald Trump was greeted with cheers and boos as he attended a performance of "Les Miserables" at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

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It was just a few months ago that the president launched a conservative takeover of the performing arts facility, calling it too liberal. His appearance was part of a fundraiser for the center. Trump said donors had raised $10 million.

Before the show, President Trump said he's a big fan of Les Mis. Ironically, while protesters are in the streets of some U.S. cities, the legendary musical tells the story of French citizens rising up against their government. He told Fox News Digital he loves the songs and the musical.

Kristen Holmes has more on his night at the Kennedy Center.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump going to see a performance of Les Mis at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday. This is the first time he's seen a performance at the Cultural Center since he effectively took it over. He got rid of most of the board members, replaced them with Trump loyalists, who then in turn voted him to be the President of the board.

Now, he's been pretty fixated on the Kennedy Center for some time. We know he's visited there, he has tried to talk about rebuilding it, we know he's tried to put $250 million into that spending bill that's currently in front of the Senate.

Now, tonight was billed as partly a fundraiser. There were tickets for $2 million, $1 million, $100,000. We heard from the head of the Kennedy Center, Rick Grinnell, who said that they believed that they had raised around $10 million.

Now, for $2 million, as we reported earlier, you could essentially get a seat in the box next to the President. We also know that a lot of members of the administration and supporters were buying some of those tickets.

Now, there had been some concern, because last month, CNN reported that several members of the cast of Les Mis were planning on boycotting the President's performance. The director, Grinnell, was asked about that as well, he said that was a long time ago. And there has been a lot of pushback to Donald Trump's takeover of the Cultural Center, which has been really an iconic piece of Washington, D.C., for decades.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Protests against ICE raids are expanding to cities across the United States, including New York. We are watching developments there as our coverage of the ongoing demonstrations continue next.

[03:15:05]

Plus, the U.S. is preparing to pull non-essential personnel from the Middle East. We will explain what's behind that move.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Calm is being reported on the streets of downtown Los Angeles, where a curfew is in place for a second straight night, following more protests against immigration raids.

On Wednesday, police in L.A. declared an unlawful assembly outside City Hall, where a CNN crew saw officers using rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Police said people had thrown fireworks and rocks at officers during a march through downtown to the steps of City Hall.

[03:20:10]

And protests are taking place well beyond California. In Indiana, a large group of anti-ICE demonstrators gathered outside the Pacers Arena in Indianapolis, where an NBA finals game was underway.

Well another day of protests as well in New York City, where about 200 demonstrators gathered downtown to voice their opposition to the ICE raids. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is there and filed this report earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SR. CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: I just want to show you what's happening. We've been out here now for about five hours. These are the NYPD officers. They've been out here just as long as we've been out here.

And now basically what's been happening, I'm going to have Evilio turn around here and show you, there are some protesters that still remain. This is very much a smaller group than what we saw earlier tonight. They have now essentially just stopped here on the sidewalk.

It's kind of sometimes a confrontation with police at times trying to abate the police. And then the police would come in onto the sidewalk and threaten an arrest. And then it's actually been remarkable to watch as the bosses, the white shirt, the chiefs and the lieutenants and the captains move in and try to de-escalate, tell the officers, move back, let's go, let's move out and make sure that they don't make an arrest and they want to de-escalate.

And that's kind of in the back-and-forth here tonight. As we were out here last night, this area is so significant because this is where the ICE offices are, the New York City ICE offices. This is where they detain people that they take into custody.

And what happened earlier was one of the vans came out. It was empty, but they didn't know that. It's a prisoner van.

And the group started chasing after the van. And then the NYPD moved in and the van wound up leaving. But that's been kind of what's been happening here over the course of the past several days.

But for now, we're just at this standoff here. The police are allowing them to remain on the sidewalk. And we'll see at some point they're going to have to leave, as we saw last night.

So let's see how this develops here as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Israel says it has recovered the remains of two more hostages from Gaza in a military operation by the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet Security Agency.

Officials say Yair Yakov was killed in the October 7, 2023 attacks and his body taken to Gaza. The name of the second hostage has not been released at the request of their family.

According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, 53 hostages are still being held in Gaza. Of these, at least 20 are still believed to be alive. The death toll from 20 months of fighting in Gaza has grown to more than 55,000 people, that's according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The United Nations said last year that the majority of victims in Gaza are women and children.

The U.S. State Department is dodging the question of whether the U.S. still supports a two-state solution for Israel and Palestinians. That's been Washington's policy for decades until U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee recently suggested otherwise.

Oren Lieberman has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMAN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Remarkable comments here from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, effectively saying the U.S. is no longer pursuing a two-state solution, that is, the plan for a state of Israel to live and exist next to a state of Palestine. This has been U.S. policy for decades under both Republican and Democrat administrations.

Huckabee effectively saying the U.S. is walking away from that in a series of interviews he gave. One of those was with Bloomberg. And in that interview, according to Bloomberg, he says, unless there are some significant things that change the culture, there's no room for it, it being a Palestinian state.

He says instead that a Palestinian state should be carved out of some of the neighboring Muslim countries. Perhaps not a surprise that these comments come from Huckabee. He is an Evangelical Christian who has supported Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and years ago even said that he believed there's no such thing as a Palestinian.

Still, the key question, is he setting U.S. policy here or is this only his belief? This is what State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told CNN.

TAMMY BRUCE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: The person that makes the policy regarding foreign policy is President Trump. This is a fluid, dynamic situation. President Trump is the one, of course, it's one guiding hand for the country on all of our issues.

LIEBERMAN: Huckabee's comments come just a week before a conference at the U.N. meant to advance support for a two-state solution.

[03:25:01]

France is considering recognizing a state of Palestine next week at the U.N. conference. It wouldn't change anything on the ground, but it is a massively important symbolic move that would make France just the latest state to recognize a Palestinian state.

Oren Lieberman, CNN, in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The State Department is preparing to order the departure of non-essential personnel from U.S. embassies in Iraq, Bahrain, and other parts of the Middle East. An official tells CNN Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents.

CNN's Kylie Atwood explains what's behind the move.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The State Department and the Department of Defense moving to draw down non-essential U.S. diplomats in the Middle East and the families of U.S. military officials in the Middle East. This comes due to heightened security concerns in the region, with U.S. Central Command saying that they are monitoring developing tensions in the Middle East, not specifically citing what those tensions are.

But CNN has reported on the increased tensions over recent weeks and months between Israel and Iran, with U.S. officials concerned about Israel drawing up plans preparing for a strike on Iran's nuclear program. And this also comes as the Trump administration has been trying to reach an Iran nuclear deal with the country.

They have been engaged in five rounds of nuclear talks with Iran. They are expected to have their sixth round of talks this coming weekend. A senior administration official said that, for now, those talks remain scheduled.

But earlier today, President Trump said that he is less confident about the possibility of reaching that deal. The Iranians have said that they will be presenting a response to what the U.S. put on the table, and it wouldn't be a distinctive no. But we will have to watch and see where that goes, as the security concerns are on the top of the U.S. officials' minds.

Kylie Atwood, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Oman's foreign minister says that sixth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S. will be held in Muscat on Sunday. But Tehran is warning there will be a price to pay for the U.S. if Iran becomes the target of any military action.

A source familiar with the discussion says President Donald Trump told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop talking about possible strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. It reportedly happened during their phone call on Monday. But President Trump himself has in the past threatened military action if nuclear talks with Iran fail.

The Iranian Defense Minister spoke about Tehran's response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZIZ NASIRZADEH, IRANIAN DEFENCE MINISTER (through translator): God willing, it won't come to that, and the talks will yield results. But if they don't, and conflict is imposed upon us, the enemy's losses will undoubtedly be greater than ours. In that case, America will have to leave the region because all its bases are within our reach. We have access to them, and without hesitation, we will target all of them in the host countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Still to come, more on our breaking news coverage on the Los Angeles protests. What CNN crews saw after curfew started in the city, that's just ahead.

And President Trump is touting a new trade deal between the world's two biggest economies. We'll tell you what's in the new agreement. Back in just a moment.

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[03:30:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check today's top stories for you.

The State Department is preparing to order the departure of non- essential personnel from U.S. embassies in Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait and other parts of the Middle East. An official told CNN that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from across the region amid rising tensions in the Middle East.

Protests against ICE raids are expanding across the U.S. The mayor of Spokane, Washington, has declared a state of emergency and announced a curfew in certain parts of the city. Large groups of protesters filled the streets carrying signs and blocking roads.

And in Los Angeles, a small part of downtown is under curfew for a second night. CNN's crew on the scene reports all is quiet with only police on the streets. The mayor says the curfew is meant to stop bad actors who are taking advantage of the president's chaotic escalation.

CNN's Nick Watt and his team were on the streets as officers started making arrests in L.A. ahead of the curfew. Here's what they saw.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So it's night two of the curfew here in Los Angeles. The arrests began before the curfew kicked in. An unlawful assembly was declared outside City Hall.

[03:35:04]

Police on horseback, police on foot pushed the protesters up down here. We saw maybe 20 or 30 arrests.

Night is falling. The police are calm. And it's worth noting these are all local law enforcement, LAPD, Metro, L.A. Sheriff, not the federal troops that are here in Los Angeles.

And also worth noting, the protest area is a tiny sliver of this city.

Officials reckon 4000 people have been protesting. A fraction of those have been violent. And they've got nearly 18,000 officers between the Sheriff's Department and the LAPD to keep a lid on things.

The protests, very narrow. What is very broad across Los Angeles is the fear amongst the undocumented community and the broader immigrant community.

We spoke to one undocumented person who heard there was a raid near her home. She was scared to go to her home, she's being told that ICE are going to be here for 60 days. There is fear throughout Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And that fear over ICE raids has even spread to schools. Some in Los Angeles now say they are planning to skip graduations out of fear of deportation. The superintendent of the L.A. Unified School District explains what he's hearing from those in his area.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBERTO CARVALHO, SUPERINTENDENT, L.A. UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT: A lot of our kids belong to families where a father, a mother, or both may have an undocumented immigration status, putting them in a position of deep fear. Students themselves have spoken with me, families have reported to me that their conversations at their table are about who's going to leave, who's going to take care of our children if either one of us is picked up and deported.

So there is concern, there is fear, and we have a constitutional responsibility to protect our kids. As an immigrant, former undocumented teenager to this country, I would be the biggest hypocrite if I did not fight for the rights of the kids who today are facing circumstances that I faced over 40 years ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: David Goldberg is the president of the California Teachers Association. He joins me now from Los Angeles. Thank you so much for talking with us.

DAVID GOLDBERG, PRESIDENT, CALIFORNIA TEACHERS ASSOCIATION: My pleasure to join you tonight.

CHURCH: So you and your organization have been calling for the immediate release of children, families, and David Huerta, the President of SEIU California, all detained during ICE raids in your community. What feedback have you received on those calls for their release?

GOLDBERG: From our members, first and foremost from our members, we've had near universal support. And that's members, even members who voted for President Trump across the board.

Our members have dedicated our lives to our students and are terrified and heartbroken when students are being picked up. Many of these students, by the way, who are now detained are detained going to their own court appointments and detained where their parents are now, instead of finishing their year with their students and their friends, are now sitting in detention facilities.

So our members want us to get out there. They're ordering materials on how to share information with parents about their legal rights. They want to support parents, the people we dedicate, and the students we dedicate our lives to.

This is not a Republican or Democratic issue in a red or blue thing for educators. This is about standing up for the students and supporting students. Every student, no matter the legal status, should be welcomed in our classrooms.

CHURCH: And David, you have also been taking part in peaceful protests against these ICE raids in L.A. What message are you trying to convey each day when you get out on the streets and to have your voice heard, of course, and what sort of feedback are you getting out there? What's the experience like?

GOLDBERG: Sure. When I get out there, when I join others in being out there, for me, it's part of a moral obligation I have, and it's part of almost redefining what it means to be an educator right now. I signed up to commit my life, not for the pay, believe it or not, for being an educator, but dedicating my life, and so do my colleagues, dedicate our lives to our students.

And when they're under attack, it's up to us to also make sure that everyone, like I said before, everyone feels safe in our schools. That's the kind of society, that's how schools thrive, that's how our society thrives. So when we non-violently protest, we're protesting in solidarity, in solidarity with our communities who right now are under attack.

The communities, again, that we live in, that we dedicate our lives to serving. This is part of service to that community, is being an ally and being in solidarity with them when they're being under attack.

CHURCH: And David, what are you able to tell us about how these ICE raids are being conducted and the children being caught up in these raids and arrests?

[03:40:08]

GOLDBERG: Yes, for me, the way the ICE raids are being conducted are being meant to cause maximum intimidation, maximum fear in communities. That's what they're doing. That's why they're going out to very public places.

And that's something that, frankly, in a society like ours, and then, by the way, I'm about a mile and a half from downtown Los Angeles, you probably hear the helicopters, the way now the federal government is trying to weaponize this.

And by the way, one other thing that should be made very apparent, this is happening at the same time that President Trump and the Republicans in Congress are trying to cut $16 billion in financial aid to California to serve our students in public education, our most vulnerable students, our special ed kids, our kids in rural communities, our kids who need food to eat at school.

So for us, this is part of a broader attack on public education and on the communities we serve. So when we're out there non-violently protesting, it is about standing up for our students, and it's also standing up for public education in a society that takes care of everybody.

CHURCH: And David, what more can you share with us about the children who have been locked up in detention centers as a result of these raids?

GOLDBERG: Yes, I mean, what I could share is their lives are now totally disrupted. A kid who was getting ready for the end of school, you know, kids as young as three years old. We had a kid here in Torrance, a third grader, detained.

We have kids who are just taking the brunt, and by the way, for most families who are immigrant families and have undocumented, most of them are mixed families. So kids are here legally very often, but their parents are being taken away right in front of them. That is something that kids do not recover from for a long time.

It is something that we need to make sure never happens. That devastates students. You can't learn and thrive under that kind of fear.

And so the more we can, the more our job as educators is to help our kids to feel safe at schools. That's why the weaponization right now of President Trump of school sites, a church by the way, sanctuary places, places that should be safe from this kind of fear and attacks.

That's what's going on right now. It's a deliberate attempt to sow fear in our communities. And right now as educators, it's our job to stand with them and help them to feel as safe as can be.

CHURCH: David Goldberg, thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate it.

GOLDBERG: Thank you. I appreciate it.

CHURCH: President Trump says a U.S. deal with China includes access to valuable rare earth minerals and the U.S. will allow Chinese college students to keep attending U.S. universities. In a social media post, President Trump said, quote, "our deal with China is done."

But as CNN's Phil Mattingly explains, there's still a long way to go.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF U.S. DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: When it comes to the bilateral relationship between China and the U.S., the world's two most powerful countries, largest economies in the world, the primary takeaway at this point is the worst case scenario hasn't actually played out.

That was the goal of the 20 hours of talks in London between the two sides, the second round of trade negotiations between President Trump's team and their Chinese counterparts. It was to try and prevent a rapid and potentially very dangerous escalation.

The reason why is this. Obviously, this is the second round of talks. The first round of talks that led to the initial very significant tariff escalation also created the seeds for real tension in the four weeks that followed.

That was over the issue of rare earths. These are elements really controlled almost entirely by China in terms of supply. And that's a problem given their centrality in critical components that U.S. population uses every single day.

So does U.S. military. Automakers were at the point where they were going to have major supply chain issues within a matter of days.

U.S. officials, frustrated that the supply had essentially been locked down by the Chinese, started countering with their own moves, including student visas and potential crackdowns on Chinese students in the United States, their own export controls as well. So the goal going into this was not some dramatic detente or completely new trade deal. It was to try and remove the issue that had the very real potential of serving as an accelerant to another dramatic escalation.

So that's the takeaway, the worst thing didn't happen as for where things go from here, it's an open question. It's obviously going to be a slow process when you talk to U.S. officials. They don't expect some big sweeping trade deal anytime soon.

But the fact that the points of tension, the friction areas were taken off the table again for a second time, that they see as a positive signal over the long term.

[03:45:05]

As to what happens next, we expect talks, probably a third round at some point soon. But in terms of any tangible agreement, even if President Trump and President Xi have a great phone relationship, that seems a little bit longer in the offing.

Phil Mattingly, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: President Trump says he is starting to believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't care about the human cost of the war in Ukraine. The U.S. President gave himself a two-week deadline to determine

whether his Russian counterpart is serious about ending the war. That deadline has now passed with little progress toward peace. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is downplaying the lack of progress.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESPERSON (through translator): As you can see, the dialogue continues. It is being carried out by the diplomatic departments as part of the understandings that have been reached between President Putin and President Trump.

Well, let's just say that there are a lot of blockages in bilateral relations. Of course, we can hardly hope for any quick results, but this is exactly the kind of complex step-by-step work that has begun and will be continued.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

CHURCH: Ukraine is reeling from another massive drone attack on its second largest city. Officials say Russian drones hit apartment blocks in Kharkiv Wednesday night.

At least three people were killed and 59 others injured. Authorities in Austria say they are still searching for a motive after a gunman shot and killed 10 people at his former high school. The suspect then shot and killed himself.

Tuesday's rampage was one of the worst school shootings in the country's history. The Austrian president visited the city of Graz where the shooting took place and vowed to work to prevent a crime like this in the future.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXANDER VAN DE BELLEN, AUSTRIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It is the task of politics to fully and equivocally clarify the circumstances of this crime so that we can do everything humanly possible to avert such an immeasurable suffering in the future or at least minimize the probability to understand everything that can be understood in order to prevent what can be prevented in the future. And yes, if we come to the conclusion that the Austrian weapons law needs to be changed to make it safer, then we will do so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Authorities say they searched the gunman's home and found a non-functional makeshift bomb, a suicide note and a video message.

Gavin Newsom is criticizing Donald Trump for inflaming tensions. A look at the President's feud with California's leader when we come back.

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[03:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: California Governor Gavin Newsom is slamming President Trump for making things worse in Los Angeles by sending in the Marines and National Guard. The clash is the latest in their long-standing feud.

CNN's Tom Foreman has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Governor Gavin Newsom is on the attack, saying Los Angeles police had trouble in the city contained and winding down days ago.

NEWSOM: But that's not what Donald Trump wanted. He again chose escalation, he chose more force, he chose theatrics over public safety.

FOREMAN (voice-over): After months of Democrats hungering for anyone to lead opposition to Trump, Newsom's social media following is skyrocketing. He has trolled right-wing lawmakers over seemingly performative patriotism.

He responded to a Trump accusation of protesters disrespecting the National Guard with, you sent your troops without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep. And he has met Trump's chatter about cutting aid to states by noting California pays billions more in federal taxes than it receives in funding.

NEWSOM: So if Donald Trump's going to continue to threaten 40 million Americans that live in California, maybe we should consider withholding those resources.

UNKNOWN: I think Governor Newsom is stepping up to meet the moment.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Some top Democrats are delighted. Some Republicans--

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: He ought to be tarred and feathered.

FOREMAN (voice-over): -- are clearly disturbed.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: He's an incompetent Governor.

FOREMAN (voice-over): The wildfires that scorched L.A. signaled the first skirmish of the year, as the president threw roundhouse insults and the governor punched back hard. They touched gloves long enough to get disaster aid flowing.

TRUMP: I appreciate the governor coming out and meeting me, Gavin.

FOREMAN (voice-over): But the clash only intensified the spotlight on Newsom, who frequently does what Trump seldom dares, debating folks on the other side of the political divide.

NEWSOM: I want comprehensive immigration reform. I want to actually address the issue more comprehensively, just like Ronald Reagan did in 1989.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Sometimes he battles the right. Sometimes he bruises the left. For example, by telling a conservative media host trans athletes don't belong in women's sports.

NEWSOM: I think it's an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that.

FOREMAN (voice-over): But as widening protests show Trump enraging some voters, Newsom appears to be engaging others with a simple call reaching far beyond California. Resist.

[03:55:02]

NEWSOM: What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence to be complicit in this moment. Do not give in to him.

FOREMAN: There is no doubt that Newsom is getting under Donald Trump's skin, but there's also no doubt that a lot of other politicians in other states are watching closely to see if this form of opposing Donald Trump works.

Tom Forman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And thanks for spending part of your day with me, I'm Rosemary Church. "Early Start" with Polo Sandoval in New York is next.

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