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Donald Trump Deploys National Guard In L.A. Amid Protests Over ICE Raids; Citizens From 12 Nations Now Barred From Entering U.S.; Israel Intercepts And Ship "Madleen", Detains Activists; Activists Set To Gather In Egypt For "Global March To Gaza"; Donald Trump Sweeping New Travel Ban Takes Effect; Self-Driving Cars Set On Fire Amid L.A. Protests; IAEA Board Of Governors Expected To Vote On Iran Censure; Alarmed Retailers In Uruguay Urge Government To Act. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired June 09, 2025 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:29]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi. This is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi, where the time is
just after 6:00 p.m. in the evening.
Coming up, protests have been rocking the Los Angeles area in response to the Trump administration's intensified immigration crackdown. Donald Trump
deployed the National Guard against the wishes of California's governor and L.A.'s mayor, both Democrats, setting up a political showdown.
And President Trump's new travel ban barring citizens from 12 countries, mostly in Africa and the Middle East has now gone into effect. The bomb was
quickly denounced by groups that provide aid and resettlement help to refugees, and is already causing tensions to rise.
Israel is incepted a Gaza bound aid ship carrying Greta Thunberg and other prominent activists, detaining those on board and taking them to Israel.
The Freedom Flotilla coalition said the Israeli military had attacked and unlawfully boarded their ship, which they say was attempting to deliver aid
to Gaza, where an 11 week Israeli blockade of all aid has pushed the enclave into a hunger crisis.
Well, daybreak has brought relative calm to Los Angeles after three straight days of protests that prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to
deploy the National Guard.
Well, Demonstrations sparked by immigration raids across California, protesters set a number of self-driving cars on fire and blocked highways.
Police say one threw a molotov cocktail at an officer. Another rode a motorbike into a police line.
More than two dozen people have been arrested. The L.A. Police chief calling the violence disgusting.
Well, the president deployed at least 2,000 National Guard troops in response to these protests. State and local officials, though, say they
have enough resources to handle this unrest. Governor Gavin Newsom called the deployment illegal and said, California would sue.
The immigration raids sparked the protests are drawing criticism from Mexico's president who says immigration reform should happen through talks
and agreements, not raids and violence.
Let's get you more on the situation in Los Angeles starting with Marybel Gonzalez, here's what she had to tell me last hour.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here, things are much more calm, a very different scene than what we saw just hours ago, even early this
morning, as protesters were continuing to be on the ground. Here near the detention center, the crowds have dispersed. This was a detention center
where hundreds of people came to protest those ICE raids.
However, law enforcement is still not letting up. We've seen Los Angeles Police Department blocking the access to the federal building. And earlier
this morning, a group of National Guard has been helping reinforce that security.
So, while things are calm here, we definitely know that the protests are anticipating to start back up today. However, it's difficult to say, Becky,
how those protests will unfold if we'll see any more of those clashes that we saw over the weekend, but we certainly know that law enforcement here is
ready in case that does happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Marybel Gonzalez reporting there. CNN Politics Senior Reporter Stephen Collinson wrote an analysis piece for CNN Digital over the
weekend on what was this developing story. It says in part, President Trump delivering a warning to Democratic jurisdictions nationwide that oppose his
deportation moves that he will -- that he's implying he'll use the military, specifically the National Guard, to act against protest and
dissent, a prospect that is troubling in a democratic society.
And Stephen joins us now from Washington to talk more about this piece. You write, the president's actions are troubling in a democratic society. Very
specifically, just explain what you mean.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Well, in the United States, as in other democracies, it's generally held that you don't use
active duty military troops to enforce the law and to provide law enforcement. In fact, it's expressly illegal in the United States.
What the president has done so far by deploying those National Guard reservists to Los Angeles is probably not illegal in itself, because they
are not actively enforcing the law, but he is going very close to that line. And that is something that we have seen, not just in the immigration
issue, but across the board on multiple issues during this four month turbulent start to the Trump administration.
[10:05:24]
What we have again is the president pushing the limits of his power, and I think this confrontation and the opportunity to introduce a military
element is what the administration has been wanting ever since it was re- elected on a platform of hard line border enforcement and Trump's mass deportation program.
ANDERSON: Yes, you have said that Trump's rhetoric suggests he's eyeing political objectives that go beyond the immediate situation in Los Angeles.
Let's just step back for a moment and just explain what it is that sparked these protests that did turn violent.
COLLINSON: Well, what it is is this is the latest in a series of raids by border enforcement. They're trying to arrest undocumented migrants. Add
them to the numbers of expulsions in the United States. They are under tremendous pressure. The customs and enforcement agency to push those
numbers up, which have been somewhat disappointing, I think, so far, to many of Trump's supporters, so they're under pressure.
This is a democratic state which has no desire to cooperate with what it sees, in many cases as the administration's heartless and sometimes illegal
actions. Trump has had a long running feud with the Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential nominee, certainly a
candidate. And I think the president wants to send a signal to other democratic jurisdictions, other states that don't want to cooperate with
this push, that he's willing to go to the limit. This is something that is very popular with his own supporters, and it fits into his self-image as a
strong man. Strong men like to use the military in civilian situations, even though that too many Americans is absolutely antithetical to
everything the country stands for.
ANDERSON: Stephen Collinson on the story for you. Stephen, thank you.
President Trump's sweeping new travel ban now in effect as of midnight, citizens from 12 countries, mostly in Africa and the Middle East, now
barred from entering the U.S. People from seven other countries now face new travel restrictions.
CNN's Kevin Liptak is at the White House for us. So, what's the White House saying? What are the details on this -- on this travel ban?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, this could potentially affect tens of thousands of people from those countries that are affected. These
12 countries, mostly in Africa and the Middle East, but also a few in Asia and the Caribbean.
The White House saying that these nations don't have stringent enough vetting processes for giving out their passports. They've also identified
these nations as having a high rate of visa overstays in the U.S.
There are seven additional countries, foreign nationals from those places will have also some travel restrictions in place. What the white -- I'm
sorry, what the State Department has said is that this will apply only to those who are currently outside of the United States who don't currently
have a visa. They say they will continue to take applications from these countries for visas, but that they won't be granted unless some of these
people meet the long list of exceptions that are in place.
And it is a relatively long list, it includes green card holders, dual nationals, diplomats, some athletes and coaches who would be coming to the
United States to participate in major sporting events like the World Cup or the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. You also have exceptions for adoptions,
so children who are being adopted by U.S. citizens, special immigrant visas for people coming from Afghanistan who may have helped the U.S. war effort
there. And also exceptions for people facing persecution in Iran.
Now, what President Trump has said is that this step is necessary to prevent terror attacks in the U.S. He announced it last week after that
anti-Semitic attack in Boulder, Colorado, the alleged culprit there is an Egyptian national, but we should note that Egypt is not among the countries
that are included on this list.
Of course, this all comes amid rising tensions over the president's immigration enforcement actions, and I think that there are some important
parallels to what we're seeing happening in Los Angeles, the president's decision to deploy the National Guard there.
[10:10:01]
Both that and this travel ban reflect steps that the president tried to take during his first term in office, what was essentially stymied in the
case of the National Guard, by his own aides, who essentially talked him out of it.
But when it comes to the travel ban, he was stymied by the courts. What you're seeing this time around us, the administration really learning some
lessons from that experience, really trying to button up in a legal sense, the justification and the rationale for why they selected these countries.
And when you talk to legal experts, they do say that that can make this more difficult to challenge in court, Becky.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you. Thank you.
Well, Israel has incepted the aid ship Madleen, which was bound for Gaza and detained everybody on board. The Israeli government says activists who
are hoping to bring aid supplies to the people of Gaza will be taken to the port of Ashdod, where they are expected to arrive a few hours from now,
then they'll be sent back to their own countries. So, the most notable names, of course, is the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Meantime, the reality on the ground in Gaza is dire, only limited aid is allowed in and attempts to distribute that have been plagued by chaos and
violence.
Well, CNN's Jeremy Diamond back with us this hour from Tel Aviv.
And last hour when we spoke, it wasn't clear what had happened to those who have been taken from this boat or detained on this boat. Is it any clear at
this point where these activists are right now?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, we still do not have full confirmation of exactly where they are, although it is clear now,
according to a source familiar with the process, that they will be taken to this Ashdod port, and from there proceedings will unfold to deport them
from Israel, likely from Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.
What we know unfolded in the early hours of this morning is that this ship carrying about a dozen pro-Palestinian activists who were trying to break
the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza, they were intercepted and boarded by Israeli commandos, the Freedom Flotilla coalition, the umbrella group that
oversaw this mission, said that they were unlawfully boarded in international waters.
Activists on board also described Israeli drones circling overhead and then dropping some kind of white paint like substance on the ship before it was
boarded. The Israeli Navy also broadcast a message to the ship telling them that the Gaza coastline was off limits per this Israeli Navy blockade, and
shortly thereafter, they were indeed boarded by Israeli naval commandos.
We do know, of course, that there were, as far as we know, there were no injuries, no one was killed in this incident, which is notable, given that
there has been a more violent past of the confrontations with these efforts to break Israel's naval blockade, most famously in 2010 when a ship known
as the Mavi Marmara was boarded by Israeli commandos, who said that they came under attack with batons and metal rods from the passengers on board.
Israeli commandos killed nine people aboard that ship.
And then, just last month, we saw the first attempt of the ship that is being intercepted today. It was using another ship known as the Conscience,
and it came under what activists have said was an Israeli drone attack just off the coast of Malta, preventing that ship from heading to the Gaza
coastline altogether.
Of course, beyond Greta Thunberg, we also know that there is a member of the European Parliament, the French citizen, Rima Hassan, who is also on
board. And Israeli authorities have said that all of them will be made to watch this compilation of footage of the atrocities committed on October
7th to these activists in an attempt to kind of show them what they believe they should be focused on, which is not the humanitarian situation in Gaza
right now, but Israeli authorities would rather they focus on the horrors that happened on October 7th, Becky.
ANDERSON: What -- is it clear at this point -- you may not have an answer for this, so apologies if you don't. But is it clear what happens if the
activists choose to appeal their deportation?
DIAMOND: They certainly can, there is a process by which they could appeal their deportation. I would suspect that if they do, they would then remain
in Israeli custody until that those proceedings are handled. No indication as to whether or not any of these activists will do that, how long that
process will unfold, but I'm happy to check on that and get back to you, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, it's good to have you. Thank you, Jeremy.
And we'll discuss the Flotilla Fallout and more with my next guest, he's a former U.S. diplomat who resigned from the Biden administration over its
policy on Gaza. That is after what is this short break coming up.
[10:15:13]
Plus, we are following the unrest on the streets of Los Angeles of course this hour, more on that is after this.
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ANDERSON: We are following days of unrest on the streets of Los Angeles, police there have declared the city's downtown region, an unlawful assembly
area. The protest was sparked by immigration raids across California and prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to deploy National Guard troops over
the area -- to the area over the weekend. The governor in California calls that deployment illegal and says that the state will sue, more on than that
as we get it.
Well, The U.N in Gaza, aid delivery is hanging by a threat as the U.S. and Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, GHF, falls short of meeting
what are the daily needs on the ground. The U.N. warning the number of kids with acute malnutrition is rising amid the chaos at aid sites. Looting is
also rising sharply in recent weeks. A Palestinian woman underscoring to CNN, there are no security steps taken by the GHF.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UMM ZUHAIR, GAZA RESIDENT (through translator): Some people received aid once, twice, three times without I.D.s or registration, they open the doors
and people help themselves repeatedly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, my next guest Hala Rharrit is a former U.S. diplomat who was one of the highest ranking officials to resign from the Biden
administration over its handling of the war in Gaza in April of last year. You may have remember she was on the show just after that, and she was
tasked with presenting U.S. policy on the conflict to Arabic speaking audiences and relaying to Washington, how its approach was viewed in the
region. She spoke to CBS's "60 Minutes" program about that in January. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HALA RHARRIT, FORMER U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: I would show images of children that were starved to death. In one incident, I was
basically berated. Don't put that image in there. We don't want to see it. We don't want to see that the children are starving to death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Hala joins me now here in Abu Dhabi, and it's good to have you again. Hala, I just want to get your perspective, firstly, on the
reality on the ground in Gaza right now, and the Trump's -- the Trump administration's backing of this Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. We continue
to see starving, we continue to see looting, of course, on the ground.
RHARRIT: Well, Becky, so good to have you back, or so good to be back with you in the studio. I have to say, very bluntly, that it's profit over
people. That's what it is.
It has nothing to do with actually feeding the people of Gaza, and that is what is absolutely devastating. This is a private firm that was contracted
with potentially Israeli intelligence involvement, and that is not feeding the people. And not only that, it is killing the people.
[10:20:07]
We've seen with our own eyes the shots that were fired to civilians. It's absolutely unacceptable. Malnutrition rates among civilians are so high,
children are dying of starvation. Something needs to be done, and obviously that is why I'm here today to discuss it with you, and we as a global
society need to step up.
ANDERSON: Well, you are here to discuss that with me, and what can be done and should be done. You're involved in advocacy happening in tandem with
the Freedom Flotilla, famously, Greta Thunberg is on board that. We actually don't know where the activists on that ship are at present, as we
understand it, they will be taken to Israel. But the boat has been -- the boat -- the IDF has gone on to the boat and has stopped it from delivering
the aid that was on board.
Tell us about what you are involved with.
RHARRIT: So, I'm involved in the Global March to Gaza, and it is, as you said, in tandem with the Gaza Flotilla.
Look, Becky, I was a diplomat for two decades. I believed in the system, I believed in the good of government. I believe in international law. I still
do in U.S. laws.
But what Gaza has shown us is that none of that has applied to the Palestinian people, and it is absolutely devastating. Year af -- over a
year of massacres, violations of international law, I proved, along with my other fellow resignees from the U.S. government, beyond the shadow of a
doubt, how U.S. continues support for Israel through military arms was a violation of U.S. laws, let alone international law. Yet nothing has
mattered.
Children are starving to death, and at this point, the only thing that I feel I can do is action. I've done over a hundred interviews on this,
spoken at dozens of panels, but now is no longer time for talk only, we need action, and we saw that with the Flotilla, and now we're going to do
it by foot.
We're going to be a march of over 3,000 people coming from over 50,000 countries. This is humanity saying no more, let the food in. People cannot
be starved to death.
ANDERSON: This is a march to Gaza from Egypt, as I understand it. Are the Egyptian authorities going to support this march?
RHARRIT: They have no reason not to support this march. They have known about the planning of this march for quite some time, the organizers of the
march have informed the Egyptian embassies throughout the world, really, because again, there are 50 delegations -- over 50 delegations coming.
There have been meetings with Egyptian ambassadors. The Egyptian authorities have not said no.
And to be quite frank, this is in line with everything that Egypt has been trying to do diplomatically, saying, let the aid in, cease fire now. This
is not at all undermining Egyptian authority. Quite the contrary, it's supporting their diplomatic efforts.
ANDERSON: There are critics, and you will have heard those critics who say both the Freedom Flotilla and this March are publicity stunts. You saw the
IDF call the Flotilla a selfie yacht. If these efforts are unlikely to affect change, although you will hope that they do. Do you understand that
criticism that these are just performative?
RHARRIT: I understand that Israeli hasbara, their public relations arm, has nothing else to say but that. They have nothing else to say but the fact
that it is a publicity stunt. Because they cannot deny that there is hunger on the ground, we see it with our own eyes. They cannot deny that children
have died of forced starvation.
I agree that this may not break the siege. A hundred percent, no one is foolishly going into Egypt thinking they're going to all of a sudden open
the border for us.
But I also know that inaction for me is not an option. I take a look at my children. I take a look at the children of Gaza, and I know that for me, I
cannot live with myself not doing something. And I've talked for over a year and a half, and now it's time to march, and after this, it's going to
be time to do more, until the siege, which is again, illegal, an illegal siege is broken.
ANDERSON: To your mind, what will success -- what will a successful outcome look like here? I know you've just said that your team is not expecting to
get into Gaza itself. So, what will success look like?
RHARRIT: That's a very good question. This to me, already, is success, raising international awareness, allowing people from around the world to
show solidarity with the Palestinians, we have to ask ourselves, what type of world do we want to live in? Do we want to live in a world where nation
states can starve people to death? Or do we want to live in a world where there are human beings that help one another?
[10:25:10]
The fact that over 50 delegations are sending hundreds of people, amounting to over 3,000 people that are coming together as a collective for a common
humanity, not for this side versus that side, but for a common humanity. To me, that is already success, and I want to live in a world where that
happens.
ANDERSON: And these sort of marches, you know, there is precedent for marches like this, raising awareness and shifting the needle on issues. It
can take so long, though, but the marches are important.
At what point does this kind of activism? And people will ask this, and you will may have been asked is, at what point does this sort of activism take
away from attention on the people of Gaza? I know that sounds like an odd question.
RHARRIT: No, it's a very good question. It's a very good -- and honestly, I've asked myself that question as I was trying to deliberate whether I
would be involved in this march, and I decided to join at the very last minute.
But honestly, for me, it's about change, and governments are not shifting their policy. When I was on the inside, I tried to shift it with very
rational legal arguments, it didn't change. When I was on the outside, I tried to shift it. Again, based on legal rational arguments, nothing has
shifted.
So, what are we left to do? Either we don't act and the people continue to starve on the ground, hostages continue to be stuck in Gaza, right?
So, for me, it's not, what about why not this? It's about, what else can we potentially do to help the Palestinians? And I have -- and I did reach out
to Palestinians myself that are on the ground in Gaza, and I was told, please help, please come, do what you can. And once I heard that, my
decision was made.
ANDERSON: Hala, it's good to have you. Thank you very much for explaining. Stay in touch with us.
RHARRIT: Absolutely.
ANDERSON: Still to come, clashes between police and protesters in Los Angeles lead to dozens of arrests as President Trump deploys the National
Guard, I'm going to get you there live straight after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson, here are your headlines.
And the crew of the Madleen humanitarian aid ship, who were hoping to reach Gaza are now in Israeli custody. The ship was intercepted in international
waters by the Israeli military overnight.
Israel's foreign ministry says the crew members will be taken to Israel and are then deported to their home countries.
[10:30:04]
U.S. President Donald Trump's new travel ban is now in effect. He signed a proclamation last week banning nationals from 12 countries. Another seven
countries are facing partial restrictions. The White House says President Trump issued the order to, "Protect Americans from dangerous foreign
actors."
The protesters have been dispersed, at least for now in Los Angeles, after a third straight day of clashes with police sparked by immigration raids
across that state. The demonstrations prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to deploy National Guard troops in the city. He declared all of downtown
L.A. an area of unlawful assembly.
Well, joining me now is Raul Reyes, he's an attorney and immigration analyst. Let's start. So, it's good to have you. Let's start with what
we're seeing on the streets of L.A. over the weekend. What do you make of it? What's your reaction?
RAUL REYES, ATTORNEY AND IMMIGRATION ANALYST: Well, when we see these type of protests erupting, it's been three days now, you have to keep in mind
that this was really at its heart, an organic response in the community to the escalation of immigration enforcement across Los Angeles, a city where
about half the residents are Latino.
And what I mean by when I say these aggressive immigration enforcement tactics were that ICE agents were going to hospitals, outside churches,
even to elementary graduation. And this sort of pushback comes from the community. In my view, of course, they're concerned about friends, family
members, neighbors.
But throw into this mix the fact that immigration is a very contentious issue in the U.S., and now the federal government has, is seems to be
escalating the situation by bringing in the National Guard.
ANDERSON: Yes, you've called -- calling up the National Guard a recipe for disaster. Why do you say that?
REYES: Right. Because we have a already volatile situation on the ground where we have many protesters. And I know from my days as a journalist, you
can have a peaceful crowd of 2,000, it only takes two or three knuckleheads to send the whole thing going south.
We have LAPD, sheriffs, local law enforcement all engaged in containing these activities as best as they can. And they say that they do not need
outside help.
The mayor of Los Angeles, the governor of California, they do not want these outside reinforcements, if you will, from the -- being sent by the
federal government.
It's contributing sort of to an element, I think, to more fear, more anger, more frustration, and unfortunately on the ground, how does that play out
with some of these random scenes of violence and even lawlessness, as people have thrown rocks, burned cars, attempted to assault ICE officers.
ANDERSON: And it -- and it is important to point out that while these protests were largely peaceful to begin with, there have been incidents of
lawlessness and violence, and we've seen those on our television screens around the world.
Look, we don't know what will happen, you know, going forward. It's Monday morning, it's early and it's relatively peaceful on the streets. The images
that we've seen over the weekend though very, very alarming.
While I've got you, I do want to just talk to you about the sweeping new travel bans that went into effect at midnight last night. You've said that
the Trump administration has learned from the errors it made in implementing the first travel bans during the first term. I think it was
with six Muslim countries back then. This is 20 countries plus seven partial bans. What do you mean? How so, what do you mean in them having
learned from the errors they made the first time?
REYES: Well, during the first Trump administration, the travel ban was rolled out in a very chaotic matter. There was chaos at the airport. A lot
of things were unclear. There were people arrested when their flights landed at the airport. That's why it was blocked by two courts, and it was
only allowed in part by our Supreme Court because they amended it along the way.
This time, the Trump administration has worked from the third version, the travel ban is more narrowed, more tailored, and there it rests really on an
argument of national security, that is something perhaps the Supreme Court will be more inclined to allow to find permissible.
For me, the concern is still that there are many parts of the -- this new travel ban that are very inconsistent. For example, it was enacted in
response to the violence in Boulder, Colorado, committing -- committed by an Egyptian national, but the country of Egypt is not on the list.
[10:35:13]
It was also enacted supposedly because certain countries like Venezuela will not take deportees back, but Venezuela has been accepting U.S.
deportees back.
So, there are inconsistencies within this act. I would say it's a better version of what they tried the first time. It may well stand past muster at
our conservative majority court, but it does -- it really will cause harm and hardship for refugees and people seeking to enter the country, because
this takes aim.
Remember, this is not about undocumented or illegal immigration. The travel ban is aimed at legal immigration, which, even now that is an area the
Trump administration is cracking down on.
ANDERSON: Yes, and it's very important that you made that distinction, because I want to close this conversation with going back to L.A. and what
is the activities by ICE that sparked these protests over the weekend. There seems to be no evidence that the Donald Trump administration is going
to rain back its efforts on immigrants. Do you see any evidence at this point?
REYES: No, unfortunately, sad to say, I do not. It seems as though the Trump administration wants this showdown with California. Really, the Trump
administration is pushing the boundaries of executive authority here, presidential power over the states.
The sad thing to me is that, two things, one is that the majority -- the overwhelming majority of undocumented people in the U.S. are just living
ordinary lives. They're like all the rest of people here, raising the families and sending their kids to school, trying to work. But because of
these images, many Americans will maybe think that they are somehow disposed to violence.
And my second concern is that by inserting the federal government into what is already a volatile situation, we could see more confrontations and
protesters, as well as law enforcement officers, could be themselves, be at risk for violence or harm.
So, I wish -- my hope is that the Trump administration would back down and let the city of Los Angeles, the state of California handle this matter.
That would deescalate the situation in my view.
ANDERSON: Well, it's half past 10:00 in the morning in New York, just after earlier in L.A., we've been reporting that things are relatively calm,
given what we witnessed over the weekend. So let's hope that that continues.
For the time being, Paul, thank you very much indeed for joining us.
Elon Musk appears to be backing President Trump's actions against protesters in Los Angeles following their very public breakup. On Sunday,
the billionaire posted a screenshot of Trump's Truth Social post bashing the governor of California and the mayor of Los Angeles. The shared post
from the president said, in part, "These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists."
Well, streets of Southern California are quieter now, but earlier when things were escalating, several Waymo self-driving vehicles were set on
fire. CNN's Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter tells us how Waymo responded to the violence and how misinformation about the protests spread online.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: This was like something out of a dystopian sci-fi novel on Sunday, watching these Waymo self-driving cars go
up in flames. Waymo has been rolling out these robotaxis in California, first in San Francisco, now in Los Angeles, and by all accounts, they've
been a huge hit. People love the truly self-driving experience, being able to call a robotaxi and have it pull up a minute or two later.
In this case, there were a number of these Waymos all lined up on the same street. Vandals were defacing the cars and then ultimately were able to set
them ablaze. These fires were raging for quite some time, as seen on local television news helicopters, firefighters eventually arrived once the scene
was a little bit safer in order to put those fires out.
I spoke with a spokesperson for Waymo who said the company was in touch with law enforcement about the matter, and that's significant for the
following reason. Waymo was able to turn off its app, turn off the ability to request rides around the area where protests were happening. Turning off
that functionality meant that other cars could not be ordered by riders for the intent of possibly defacing or lighting them on fire.
So, a very 21st Century problem for a 21st Century technology on the streets in downtown L.A. And it's not the only example of digital city
infrastructure being used and weaponized on Sunday, we also saw Lime scooters, which are seen on street corners in lots of major cities used in
order to try to damage police vehicles. Vandals took some of those scooters and threw them onto police cars that were parked on Interstate 101. Lime
didn't immediately have any comment on the matter. But frankly, there wasn't much the company could say. It wasn't as if its scooters were being
used illegally by those vandals.
[10:40:28]
We've seen lots of accurate information spread on social media about this unrest, lots of people posting their own videos and photos after going out
and protesting.
But there's also been a lot of misinformation that I've been seeing online about these protests, and in some cases, about the unrest that has
resulted.
Senator Ted Cruz, for example, posted a video seemingly criticizing the 2025 protesters, but the video was actually from 2020 showing police cars
on fire during the George Floyd uprisings. A number of conservative influencers posted the same video clip on Sunday, acting as if it was
happening live on television.
The intent, it seems, is to lump in violent rioters and peaceful protesters acting as if they are all the same, when in fact, of course, they are not.
That misinformation led California Governor Gavin Newsom's office to warn people to double check before they were sharing content on social media.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Right, that is Brian Stelter.
Well, Iran's nuclear program in focus this week, as the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog threatens to censure Iran over noncompliance with resolutions.
More on that, and what it means, sort of, in the big scheme of things is, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Rafael Grossi, the head of the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency spoke earlier at what was a pivotal meeting, largely focused
on Iran's Nuclear noncompliance and potential censure.
Now in his opening statements, Grossi said Iran had not been cooperating with the IAEA based upon its recent findings, the agency could not certify
Iran's program as peaceful, unless and until Iran assists the agency in resolving the outstanding safeguards issues the agency. It said, will not
be in a position to provide assurance that Iran's nuclear program is exclusively peaceful.
Well, the assessment comes amid the U.S. and Iran's indirect talks around a possible nuclear deal talks which the IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi
is supporting. The talks now in their fifth round, and seemingly have reached an impasse. A censure resolution by the IAEA is unlikely to help
bridge the gap between the two nations.
Well, joining me now is Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, author of Losing an Enemy: Obama,
Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy. It's good to have your regular guests on this show. It's always useful to get your analysis or insight.
[10:45:10]
Iran has said that, shouldn't IAEA censure resolution be passed, it would retaliate. What do you think it means by that?
TRITA PARSI, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, QUINCY INSTITUTE FOR RESPONSIBLE STATECRAFT: Well, we have seen this pattern in the past, that whenever the
IAEA censors Iran, the Iranians tend to actually escalate the nuclear program.
In the past, they have withdrawn access to the IAEA. They have closed down cameras of the IAEA, and this time around, I fear that it may actually be
much, much worse, because all of this is coinciding not only with the negotiations between the Trump administration and Iran, but also the
pending snapback resolution at the U.N. Security Council in which the Europeans are likely to trigger that mechanism and reimpose all previous
U.N. sanctions on Iran by October.
In that scenario, what the Iranians have said is that they're not just going to walk out of the JCPOA, the Iran nuclear deal, but all out of the
Non Proliferation Treaty as a whole. This would put us into completely new territory. We've never been in that scenario before, and it's a very, very
dangerous escalation.
ANDERSON: I just want to get our viewers get a sense of very specifically what Grossi said earlier today. He told reporters that the work that the
IAEA does is independent but interconnected to bilateral talks, and that a possible censure resolution would also be separate from ongoing nuclear
talks. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAFAEL GROSSI, DIRECTOR GENERAL, IAEA: Of course, there is no formal link between one thing and the other, but it is obvious, I think, for all of us,
that there is an interrelation. And perhaps a mutual influence, not perhaps, for sure, it's a mutual influence, whether the influence is
mutually beneficiary or otherwise, it's a little bit on the eye of the beholder.
For some what we are going to discuss might be good, in case there is, I don't know, because it's in the hands of member states. In case there is a
resolution, this could be an incentive for others. It is the opposite.
So, I think the views here will be different. What I think it's important, what I try to transmit in my -- in my statement, is that we need to make
progress in both of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: It's clearly a very thin line that's being trodden here, and you worry that any censure resolution would impact what are these very fragile
negotiations at this point, Trita.
PARSI: Correct. But also the opposite is true as well, which is that if there actually is a deal between the United States and Iran, much of what
is happening at the IAEA will also be on track towards resolution. This is exactly what happened in 2015.
I mean, what the problem here really is, that there were activities that Iran conducted more than 20 years ago, which then was put to rest as a
result of the JCPOA. The IAEA, at the time, said that they were satisfied with the answers.
Since then, the Mossad (ph) has come up with new information, with some tropes that they stole from Iran, a major Intelligence coup that they
scored a couple of years ago, the information that the IAEA is basing it on right now, according to the Israeli media, is, to a large part, based on
information that the Mossad has provided the IAEA.
And so, this issue is kind of being reopened, but it can be closed again as a result of a nuclear deal between the two sides. So, a large extent, this
is part of adding pressure to make sure that a nuclear deal is struck.
ANDERSON: I mean, the USA, they've delivered a framework. At the moment, the Iranians are saying the framework doesn't sort of match up to what is
being discussed in these talks. Be that as it may, we know that Trump spent much of his campaign focusing on Iran not obtaining a nuclear weapon. That
was the sort of starting point, it seems, for these negotiations, and yet now the renewed focus on enrichment has clearly become a major sticking
point.
Do you believe the Trump administration might back down from this new red line? Because it clearly is, certainly we are being told by Tehran it is a
red line.
PARSI: If the Trump administration wants a deal, it will be more or less inevitable that they will have to back down from this.
The reason why talks even began is precisely because Trump's original red line was a workable red line. it was only weaponization. It didn't go into
enrichment. For 20 plus years, the U.S. has tried to get things back to zero enrichment. It has never worked. The end result has actually been that
by not getting a deal, the Iranian nuclear program actually grows further.
[10:50:20]
And whenever a deal is struck, it means that you have delayed the realistic restrictions that can be imposed on that program by having wasted so much
time on trying to pursue this fantasy of zero enrichment.
It is a bit stunning to me, to be frank with you, to see that Trump has gone back to the zero enrichment goal, mindful of the fact that this was
the strategy of John Bolton and Mike Pompeo, which Trump, in my view, correctly, blames for a lot of the failure that he had with Iran during his
first term, but yet he has now apparently adopted that strategy of those two individuals.
ANDERSON: Interesting to get your insight always, Trita. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. We continue to follow this story. Let me take a
very short break, back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: An online shopping giant is expanding fast outside its home market of China. But although Temu is racking up big sales, not everybody
is happy.
CNN's Dario Klein reports from Uruguay.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DARIO KLEIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Thousands of packages piling up every hour of every day. The Chinese online shopping platform Temu has
been in Uruguay for little over a year, but it's been enough to shake the local economy.
KLEIN: Shopping has exploded in just the first four months of 2025, almost 600,000 package arrived here in Uruguay according to the National Customs
Service.
KLEIN (voice over): That's one per every six Uruguayan, and three times more than last year before Temu had arrived. The company sells at very low
prices and doesn't charge for shipping. If they follow the rules, neither Temu nor the customers pay taxes.
KLEIN: In Uruguay, people are only allowed three purchases a year, up to $200 each, and a maximum of 20 kilos per shipment. For the rest, he has to
pay import taxes.
KLEIN (voice over): Uruguayan companies like this one are taking the hit. Bernardo Kelmanzon import toys and other merchandise, and is vice president
of the Uruguayan Toy Association.
KLEIN: He's saying that Temu was an explosion, and it changed the whole scenario.
KLEIN (voice over): Toy sector is one of the most impacted, but it's not alone. That's why importers are demanding a level playing field.
KLEIN: So they want equal treatment with Temu.
KLEIN (voice over): And it's not just the cost. There's also regulation, which the businessman say Temu does not have to follow.
KLEIN: The challenge is huge.
KLEIN (voice over): But as with any big shift, there are losers, but also winners, like the delivery companies.
KLEIN: This is the other side of the coin. Warehouse are packed. A record number of packages have been arriving to customs and then piling up here.
Spaces overflowing with Temu merchandise.
[10:55:04]
KLEIN (voice over): Some customers show up here as well, lining up to pick up their items. She says it's her first time buying with Temu, and so far
so good. This is only one of the four companies delivering Temu packages in Uruguay.
KLEIN: This is -- this is all Temu.
KLEIN (voice over): And they say business is booming.
KLEIN: Only here, more than 100 people knew it's working due to Temu.
KLEIN (voice over): At peak hours, this warehouse looked like an ant hill. The Temu van hits the road and the Uruguayan economy.
Dario Klein, CNN, Montevideo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN, ONE WORLD is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
