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Tensions Flare in L.A. as Protests Grow over ICE Raids; Hegseth Testifies at Capitol Hill Hearing as to Use of Military in L.A. Protests; Several Deaths in Shooting At School in Graz, Austria; U.K. Sanctions Two Far-Right Israeli Government Ministers; California Governor Gavin Newsom Sues Trump Administration for National Guard Deployment; Tesla Stock Rises after Trump Sounds Softer on Musk. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired June 10, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): And welcome to what is the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD from our Middle East programming headquarters
here in Abu Dhabi. The time is just after 6 pm. I'm Becky Anderson.
We're closely following how the new day is unfolding in Los Angeles, as Donald Trump ups the ante with a deployment of 700 Marines and 2,000
National Guard to the protests.
A shooter opened fire at a high school in the Austrian city of Graz, killing at least nine people in one of the worst rampages in the country's
history.
And the United Kingdom is imposing sanctions on two far right Israeli government officials, after signaling for weeks that it would take a harder
line against Israel for its conduct in Gaza.
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ANDERSON: Well, CNN teams in Los Angeles say daybreak has brought relative calm to the downtown area after four straight days of clashes between
police and protesters. But here's what it looked like just hours ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Well, these clashes on the streets coincide with a wider power struggle. On Monday, the Trump administration announced it's
not just sending another 2,000 National Guard troops to the greater L.A. area; it is also mobilizing 700 U.S. Marines, all without the consent of
California's governor or the mayor of Los Angeles.
California is suing the Trump administration, asking a judge to declare its moves unconstitutional amid the anti ICE protests in the city. CNN's
Kaitlan Collins asked Trump's border czar if the decision to call up the military was really necessary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM HOMAN, TRUMP'S BORDER CZAR: The military's role is to protect government property and protect our officers. But you know, again, local
law enforcement needs to step up and control public safety.
I mean and -- and President Trump deployed these people, because the state of California, the mayor of San Diego [sic] -- excuse me, the mayor of Los
Angeles and the governor weren't simply acting fast enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, the mayor says that the city has the resources to handle the protests and claims that the president's intervention has actually
worsened the situation. Meanwhile, CNN's Amy Kiley reports on the growing number of anti-ICE demonstrations across the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMY KILEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Anti-ICE demonstrations are happening across the country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got it, got it.
KILEY (voice-over): Amid ongoing protests in L.A. Recent sites include New York.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am ordering your arrest.
KILEY (voice-over): Chicago --
-- Boston and more.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come for one. Free David.
KILEY (voice-over): Some demonstrators decry the arrest of a California union leader who is out on bail. He's charged with conspiracy to impede an
officer for allegedly blocking a gate during an L.A. protest. Immigration workplace raids in that city are what sparked initial demonstrations last
week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're standing in solidarity right now with thousands of workers across the country in over 20 different cities to demand an end
to the ICE raids.
KILEY (voice-over): President Donald Trump says he sent National Guard members and Marines to L.A. out of concern for public safety. California's
governor calls the order inflammatory. Many activists in other states agree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No military tactics need to be utilized at this time.
KILEY (voice-over): Police in multiple cities say they've arrested rallygoers for alleged legal violations. The White House border czar says
he thinks ICE should expand its efforts.
HOMAN: We're in every city in the country and ICE is going to be out every single day and will continue to be out there, regardless what's happening
in L.A.
KILEY (voice-over): I'm Amy Kiley reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Let's bring in John Sandweg. He's an attorney and the former acting director for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE,
under the Obama administration.
Sir, it's good to have you. You were the top lawyer for the Homeland Security Department. So first, I want your assessment on where we are at.
Do you see legitimate grounds for Trump to bring in the National Guard and all the Marines?
[10:05:03]
Or do you agree with the Californian officials that, in doing so, Trump is inflaming the situation?
JOHN SANDWEG, ATTORNEY AND FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR FOR U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT, OBAMA ADMINISTRATION: It's hard to tell from this
viewpoint, Becky.
You know, it's just difficult to see how widespread these protests are. But the bottom line is the LAPD has a long history of dealing with civil
unrest, of doing so successfully. The federal mission is limited to protecting these buildings.
I don't think there's any doubt here that the president is sending in this very large show of force, more than is necessary, in order to make a larger
statement.
But look, there are two key rules here when you're doing this between the federal and the state interaction. The first is don't make it worse.
Whatever you do when you're the Feds, don't make it harder on the locals.
And two is coordinate to the maximum extent. There are indications here that potentially both of those rules are being broken.
ANDERSON: Is it unconstitutional though?
SANDWEG: You know, Becky, I don't know. I mean there are there are statutes that allow the president to call up, you know, nationalize the
National Guard or call up active duty troops.
Of course, there's also laws that are very limited in what they can do. I think a lot of that will depend on what they are doing.
If they're sitting there providing back support for the National Guardsmen, maybe not. If they're limiting their mission to protecting federal
buildings, maybe not in that circumstance. But again, a lot of it will depend on what role those troops play when they actually are deployed.
ANDERSON: Understood. Stand by. I want to bring in Stephanie Elam, who's on the ground. She's on the scene in L.A.
Stephanie, we spoke last hour. You said things were relatively calm at that point. The sun is up. It is the beginning of a new day.
What are you seeing and hearing on the streets?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Rush hour is just now getting going. People are finding their way to work.
And I think that's a huge part of this story, is that we're seeing people out here, painting over some of the buildings, some of the graffiti out
here. We've seen people cleaning up.
Where I'm standing right now, this is an Adidas store and you can look through, you can see that they broke down the door to get here. There's
some looting and destruction here. We watched them patch up a door on the store around the corner.
And I think that's a huge part of what we're seeing here is that element during the day, protesting ICE actions. And then at night, it's just a
destructive energy that is coming through here.
And to that point, the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, has spoken about how she believes that this is a bit of an experiment, how the federal
government has moved into the city. Take a listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR KAREN BASS (D-CA), LOS ANGELES: These are not the people that we were told were going to be detained. And it makes me feel like our city is
actually a test case, a test case for what happens when the federal government moves in and takes the authority away from the state or away
from local government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELAM: And she's saying that, you know, they are going to go after this destructive element that's been in here, just causing chaos like you're
seeing inside of this Adidas store.
And it's really important to say to just say how much the city is really operating business as usual throughout all of L.A. and through most of
downtown. There's just slivers where there's been more of this destruction like this.
It's not even all of downtown. And I think that's something that really needs to be put into perspective. Most Angelenos are going about their days
as usual, going to work right now, driving through here, going to class if they're still in school. So most of the city operating as normal at this
point. Becky.
ANDERSON: I want to have a listen to the Homeland Security secretary, Kristi Noem, claiming protesters are being paid. Stand by.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTI NOEM, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: These are organized. These are people that are being paid to do this. You can follow how they
behave, the signals they give to each other in these crowds and these protests to instigate violence.
This is an operation and it's professionally done. They've done it before. And we're stop it and make sure that we prosecute every single one of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELAM: Briefly, have you seen any evidence of that, that protesters are being paid?
What's the breakdown of peaceful protesters and what the Trump administration will suggest, as will some Californian officials, as outside
agitators from your understanding?
ELAM: The outside agitator idea is something that's been around for every single one of these protests. And it may be something that is happening.
But what I will say is that there is definitely a group of people that come in and they just want to destroy things and disrupt things, whether or not
they're organized.
We've heard this from Ferguson all the way down. We hear this every single time. There are some people who just want to be a part of the chaos and
then there are other people who are coming out here day in, day out.
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Even when there aren't cameras out there, who are trying to bring attention to what's happening with these immigration actions. And that is what their
concern is.
And those are the ones who are out during the day, saying that they don't feel safe. Many of them saying because of these actions and because of the
force that is being brought into the city.
And that's also why you see local leadership as well as the governor's office saying that this just inflames things. Because once this element
comes in of the federal government and the military, that those people who are interested in just chaos feel the need to just come in and inflame
things even more.
So this is the argument that you're seeing all along. Whether or not there's actually paid protesters, you hear this all the time but no one has
ever given us proof that that's the case.
ANDERSON: Yes. Stephanie, good to have you.
John, let me bring you back in. Let's talk about Trump's broader immigration strategy, because that is ultimately the heart of why we are
seeing these protests by the peaceful protesters.
And as Stephanie said, there are people, you know, coming out, day in and day out, when the cameras aren't on. And we're not seeing the violence.
And, you know, the images that we've been fed over the last four or five days.
There are protesters day in and day out.
What -- how different is what is happening now as far as immigration effort and policy than your time as acting head of ICE under Obama?
SANDWEG: Yes, there's dramatic differences, Becky. And Becky, I'll say this about L.A. in particular. There has long been a history of passionate
advocacy and exercising First Amendment rights when it comes to immigration policy.
So this idea that somehow this is all organized or paid protests strikes me as just ridiculous. Los Angeles in particular, when it comes to
immigration, people are very passionate about coming out and speaking when they are frustrated.
But this all stems from this administration drive to execute mass deportations. And ICE has undergone a real shift in operational tactics
over the last two or three weeks.
And what really sparked this in Los Angeles was, you know, those new tactics, where, rather than focusing on these individualized surgical
approaches, where you target somebody who has a criminal history or had been arrested, just some nexus to the criminal justice system.
You go to that individual's house and make a single arrest. What they've switched to is these worksite raids and sweeps of Home Depot parking lots
or going to workplaces where they anticipate they can make a large number of arrests.
The goal here is volume, Becky. They are -- the administration has been frustrated with the pace of arrests. And when you go out one-on-one getting
those criminals, you get higher quality targets, people who might pose a threat to public safety but much lower numbers in total.
So the administration wants to drive up the numbers. And the only way with ICE's current resources they can do that is by doing these kind of sweeping
operations where a number of officers hopefully can make a massive number arrests at once.
Of course, when you do that, you're not getting criminals. You don't know who you're going to get. It's indiscriminate. You're just trying to get as
many people as possible.
And what happens is you start touching upon these people, who've been here 15 years or more in the United States, who have married U.S. citizens, who
have U.S. citizen children, who go to churches with members of the community, who work with members of the community.
And it really just is pouring fuel on this frustration and these concerns that are in the community. So a lot of this is attributable to this shift
in tactics that really we've only seen for the last couple of weeks.
ANDERSON: A CBS poll that just came out before these protests, let's be clear about that, found that the majority, 55 percent of Americans, say
they like the goals of Trump's deportation program; 56 percent disagree with Trump's approach on it.
With respect, there are those that say there is an argument that the previous administrations like yours took too little action to stop illegal
immigration. And the frustration was clear. It was clear. It was clear that it was the number one priority, for many voters who voted Donald Trump in.
What is your response to that?
SANDWEG: I think there's no doubt that, during the Biden administration, the situation at the border just politically got out of hand and went on
too long. There were too many people crossing. There are complicated reasons why that occurred, mainly due to Congress' failure to fund our
asylum system.
But I will tell you this, that when it comes to immigration enforcement, this administration has done a good job of highlighting those criminal
cases that they've been focusing -- not focused on but they've arrested the individual, you know.
But the problem is that that is not the majority of who's being arrested. And I can tell you, from having worked on immigration policy for a long
time, that when you look at the demographics of who these undocumented are in America, the 12 million or so, the reality is that most of them have
been here a long time.
And most of them are deeply integrated and have mixed status families, meaning they are U.S. citizens. I will be very curious to see, as the
administration has shifted tactics and really pushes for volume of arrests, you're going to be hitting that population pretty hard.
[10:15:07]
It will be very interesting to me to see whether those numbers, those polling numbers, hold up. There has always been, you know, widespread as
there should be and bipartisan support for getting bad actors off our streets.
But when you start talking about the people who came here 15-20 years ago to make their life better, I don't know if those numbers will hold up.
ANDERSON: Yes. Listen, I'm going to stop you there. Thank you. Your analysis is extremely important. I want to get us to Capitol Hill, where
the U.S. military leaders are testifying, including Pete Hegseth, amid a U.S. military deployment of troops to Los Angeles. Let's listen in.
PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, Congresswoman, thank you for the question. You are right.
We are both originally from Minnesota which is why I recall 2020 quite well when Governor Walz abandoned a police precinct and allowed it to be burned
to the ground and also allowed five days of chaos to occur inside the streets of Minneapolis.
The police precinct, ma'am, was abandoned and burned to the ground. And because of that, the National Guard was eventually far too late mobilize.
And President Trump recognizes a situation like that improperly handed by a governor, like it was by Governor Waltz, if it gets out of control, is a
bad situation for the citizens of any location.
So in Los Angeles, we believe that ICE, which is a federal law enforcement agency, has the right to safely conduct operations in any state and any
jurisdiction in the country.
Especially after 21 million illegals have crossed our border under the previous administration. ICE ought to be able to do its job, whether it's
Minneapolis or Los Angeles.
REP. BETTY MCCOLLUM (D-MN): I have limited time. I asked a budget question. Could the secretary please address the budget?
Thank you.
HEGSETH: You asked about the situation in Los Angeles and we believe --
MCCOLLUM: I asked about the budget.
HEGSETH: -- ICE agents should be allowed to be safe, the budget in doing their operations and we have deployed National Guard and the Marines to
protect them in the execution of their duties because we ought to be able to enforce integration immigration law in this country, unlike what
Governor Walz did in 2020.
There are 17,000 LAPD. You mentioned that. There would be 18,000 if not for the defund movement that folks like Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass have
implemented. The police chief said she was overwhelmed --
MCCOLLUM: The secretary is not going to ask the budgetary questions. I will yield back my time if the secretary refuses to answer the budgetary
questions I put before him. They're important. What training missions aren't happening?
Where are you pulling the money from and how are you planning this moving forward?
These are budget questions that affect this committee and the decisions we're going to be making in a couple of hours. If you're not going to
answer them, please let the chairman know and I will take back my time and I will yield it back to the chairman.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Secretary, I want you to just let us know what accounts are you pulling the money to fund --
HEGSETH: Well, thankfully, unlike the previous administration, we've got a 13 percent increase in our defense budget and we will have the capabilities
to cover down on contingencies, which is something the National Guard and the Marine planned for.
So we have the funding to cover down on contingencies, especially ones as important as maintaining law and order in a major American city.
As far as training all of the units on the ground have been fully trained in their capabilities of what they're executing on the ground.
MCCOLLUM: Chairman, can I ask for budgetary if he needs to get back to the committee with the numbers, I'd appreciate it, current and present.
HEGSETH: I'd be happy to submit them for the record.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gentlemen, we received an answer to the question for the record.
Gentleman from Oklahoma, Mr. Cole.
REP. TOM COLE (R-OK): Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Secretary, again, welcome. As I mentioned in my opening comments, I'm very concerned about retiring legacy systems. They need to be retired. No
problem there.
But doing it too fast and not having replacements coming online, I've got a particular concern where E-3s, as my colleagues know, AWACS are -- there's
31 of them in the fleet or there were 15 have been retired since '23.
They fly out of Tinker Air Force Base for the most part, which is in my district; hence my parochial but I think legitimate interest here. Very
interested in seeing -- and this committee has done some important work in positioning us to acquire and field E-7s, not a new technology.
Our friends in Australia use it. Our friends in the United Kingdom use it. It's much superior to what we have. And so, again, this is one of the areas
where we're concerned where we don't have the budget information from OMB we'd like.
I'm -- so I'm curious about what your thoughts are on the platform and replacing them.
You have any idea about the speed and cost that you're planning to move?
ANDERSON: Let's bring in our senior White House reporter, Kevin Liptak.
Kevin, we just heard from Pete Hegseth. It's the first time that he's come under congressional questioning since his confirmation. And we heard him
take questions about the role of the military in the L.A. protests.
[10:20:00]
Very specifically, how the deployment affects budgets.
What stood out to you?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And we should say this is ostensibly a budget hearing, Pete Hegseth on the Hill, defending
president Trump's request for the Pentagon for this fiscal year.
But clearly, it's become contentious surrounding this issue of federal deployments of troops in Los Angeles. And you saw him there, coming under
fairly intense questioning from the Democrat, Betty McCollum from Minnesota.
She's the top Democrat on this Defense budget subcommittee, asking about the prospect of president Trump using troops in this fashion. And you saw
Hegseth trying to go back to discuss the protests that occurred in Minnesota in 2020 surrounding the death of George Floyd at the hand of a
police officer.
Essentially making the case that the Democratic governor of that state, Tim Walz, who you'll remember was the running mate last year with Kamala
Harris, essentially fell down on the job and didn't protect the property in the capital of Minnesota at that time.
That, Hegseth says, is informing president Trump's decision to activate the National Guard, to activate active duty Marines to Los Angeles; this time
around, essentially making the case that Democratic governors can't be trusted to do this on their own.
So this was, you know, the very start of this hearing. But you can tell that this is just going to become more and more contentious as he continues
testifying.
ANDERSON: Yes. Well, let's get back to the hearing, which is live on Capitol Hill now. The U.S. Defense Secretary testifying before the U.S.
House committee. Let's listen in.
COLE: We got a platform here that works. Space is great. It's unknown. It's undeveloped. And I would just urge you to look at this pretty
carefully as you make the decision. We certainly will as a committee. I don't know how much time I've got left because the clock's not running.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're the chairman.
(LAUGHTER)
COLE: Well, that --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chairman?
COLE: -- that's -- well, I will -- I will try and be respectful to the committee and certainly respectful to our witnesses.
I have one other quick question, if I may. And I think probably a lot of members have had these concerns.
Look, I'm largely very much in favor of the hiring freezes and some of the things you've done personnel-wise. So this is not a criticism. But I do
hear that we have certain exempt positions, like aircraft mechanics, like firefighters.
We're having a problem with that. Again, Fort Sill at the home of the field artillery and air defense artillery as well, it's a pretty military
district. Nobody's being critical but we're having a hard time getting -- these are exempt categories, those filled.
Can you tell me where we're at on that?
Because these are mission critical people.
HEGSETH: It's a great question, sir. It's something we're paying very close attention to. In fact, we meet on it multiple times a week. It
includes shipbuilding capabilities, child care centers.
There are a lot of positions that affect our industrial base, our capabilities or our families that we are working diligently to ensure we're
getting those exceptions as quickly as possible, those waivers.
But we're also trying to do right by rightsizing the civilian force, which has gotten too bloated too fast and has mostly been right-sized through
voluntary separations, through DRP.
So I acknowledge that. And we can get you a full list of the exemptions as well, to make sure you understand where the -- where we're making
tradeoffs.
COLE: I'd appreciate that very much, Mr. Secretary. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Thanks for your courtesy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks.
The gentleman, Ms. DeLauro.
REP. ROSA L. DELAURO (D-CT): Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
I'd like to focus. Mr. Secretary, my question on submarines and our national security, our military shipbuilding. And as I said specifically,
submarines; critical investment for national security and for the economy of my home state of Connecticut.
This is a yes or no question, Mr. Secretary.
Do you agree that continued investment in the Department of Defense in submarine production is, in fact, critical to the United States' national
security and military readiness?
HEGSETH: Very critical.
DELAURO: So yes, thank you. And we agree there will be continue to be a critical asset to deter adversaries, sustain the advantage we have in
undersea domain. And the Defense Department should continue to support these programs.
What is the status of the department's investments in submarine programs?
HEGSETH: A 14 percent increase in F.Y. '26 on the Columbia and substantial increase in the Virginia as well. So we're ensuring a defense submarine
industrial base that has been left behind, that has been neglected, is fully invested.
(CROSSTALK)
DELAURO: We have funded the submarine base --
HEGSETH: -- the submarines.
DELAURO: -- and more than half. And you can go back to last December.
[10:25:00]
But I want to move on.
Do you know where our submarine production currently stands and whether current production is sufficient to bridge the gap between current fleet
size and projected need?
HEGSETH: There is a gap but we believe we are closing it, ma'am. Yes.
DELAURO: And if you can get to us the information about how, in fact, that you can close that gap, because we do not have any information.
ANDERSON: All right. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Pete Hegseth testifying for the first time since his confirmation hearing, mostly on
budgets.
This is a budget hearing. He has been cross-examined about the deployment of military in L.A. And we will keep an eye on what is going on there. And
as we get more, we will get it to you. There is more news ahead, of course. Stay with us.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Here are your headlines.
And authorities say nine people have been killed in a school shooting in Graz in Austria. That includes children between the ages of 14 and 18.
Police say the suspected perpetrator, a 21-year old Austrian male, is also dead. They say he died by suicide during the incident and acted alone.
United Kingdom and four other countries have imposed sanctions on two far right Israeli government ministers. The U.K., Australia, New Zealand,
Canada and Norway are placing asset freezes and travel bans on national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and the finance minister, Bezalel
Smotrich.
Britain says both men have repeatedly incited violence against Palestinians.
Los Angeles is waking up to a state of relative calm after four straight days of protests that have prompted the Trump administration to deploy the
National Guard and mobilize hundreds of U.S. Marines. Now the president says he was acting out of concern for public safety.
ANDERSON: Well, more now on that breaking news out of Austria after a shooting at a high school in the city of Graz. A shooter opened fire at
around 10 am local time. Police say the suspected perpetrator, a 21-year old Austrian national, acted alone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
And I want to warn you that the video that we are about to play is disturbing. In it, you can hear screams as those shots ring out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Well, police say nine people were killed, including children between the ages of 14 and 18.
[10:30:05]
CNN international correspondent Melissa Bell following developments for us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Many unanswered questions; when we spoke an hour or so ago in a press conference a short time ago, we did get more detail, particularly
about the victims as well as the suspected perpetrator.
So what do we learn?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We did, Becky. We understand that, amongst those nine people killed by this assailant, there
were six women or girls. Some of them were under 18; three men or boys. They didn't give the exact division of which group the children fell in.
We just understand that some of those killed were between 14 and 18. This was, of course, a high school. Becky, where this gunman went on the rampage
this morning. We also learned in that press conference that he was a 21- year-old former student.
Although none of those who spoke would speculate about what his motives might have been, we do understand he was armed with both a rifle and a
handgun. And not only killed those nine that I speak of but also wounded 12 other students.
So this was a very violent attack that saw a great deal of casualties. We did learn from a policeman earlier a bit more about how events had unfolded
this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SABRI YORGUN, AUSTRIAN POLICE SPOKESPERSON (through translator): Yes. In the morning hours, around 10 am, we received a call that several shots had
been heard in Bourg de Qizan an-Najjar.
We then launched an operation with a large number of emergency services, including the special commando Cobra unit. We can now say that we have
secured the situation; i.e., there is no further danger to the population but there are several casualties.
The pupils who were still in the building have been evacuated by us and have been accommodated and looked after in a nearby area.
Another important piece of information is that a collection point has been set up in the ASKO Stadion in Eggenberg in Graz for the parents of the
pupils, where a crisis intervention team is also onsite to look after the parents.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: This is, of course, an extremely shocking mass casualty event, as any school shooting is. But remember, Becky, that, here in Europe they are
relatively rare. In Austria, the figures going back to 2021, are 0.1 firearm deaths for every 100,000 people. That is 4.5 for every 100,000
people in the United States.
So there's a big difference in how often these kinds of firearm deaths come about, mass casualty events as well. And in schools particularly, it is
worth noting, though, that Austria has, by European standards, a relatively high proportion of firearms holders, 30 out of every 100 people. That's
pretty high by European standards.
Still, this event will have been extremely shocking, not just for the scale, the number of deaths, but, of course, for the fact that these are
extremely rare events here on the European continent. Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. Melissa. Thank you.
Well, more now on the sanctions imposed on Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich. The
two men lead far right political parties in Israel and they are crucial to keeping prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's fragile coalition afloat. CNN's
Jeremy Diamond has more on what these sanctions entail.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: It will be an asset freeze as well as a ban on entry into the United Kingdom.
And this is quite a significant step following weeks, during which we have heard the British government warning that there will be consequences for
Israel's continued blockade of the Gaza Strip, for its escalating military campaign in Gaza.
And now we are seeing that the British government is taking these steps against two of probably the most extreme members of the Israeli government
and that is the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, as well as the minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
We are already getting reaction from those two ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir saying that the sanctions do not scare him and that he will continue to act
for his country, for our people.
He says, "I will continue to act to make sure that they do not let humanitarian aid into Hamas. We got through Pharaoh," he said, "we will get
through this, too."
I believe there has also been a reaction from Bezalel Smotrich, which I'm finding here right now. He is saying that he has heard about these
sanctions because he is thwarting the establishment of a Palestinian state.
He says there couldn't be better timing than this and that his response is one of contempt, effectively for this effort by the United Kingdom.
[10:35:00]
And he is saying that we are determined to continue building.
And, of course, the targeting of these two ministers beyond the fact that they are right wing members of the Israeli government, is also because
these are two of the members of the Israeli government who have pushed Jewish settlements in the West Bank, perhaps more than any other.
And Bezalel Smotrich actually has an active role in doing so from his perch as a minister in the defense ministry as well, which is kind of his second
portfolio in the Israeli government.
But make no mistake, this is an effort by the British government, after weeks of condemnations, a lot of rhetoric coming from the British
government to actually take some hard and fast action, directed again at these more extreme members of the Israeli government.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Jeremy Diamond reporting for you.
Well, coming up, California asking a court to prevent the Trump administration from using the National Guard to quell protests in Los
Angeles. More on that is after this.
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ANDERSON: Well, the State of California has filed a lawsuit to block the Trump administration from sending in the National Guard to quell protests
in Los Angeles. As Jeff Zeleny reports, it is the latest in a string of confrontations between the U.S. president and the California governor,
Gavin Newsom.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I like Gavin Newsom. He's a nice guy but he's grossly incompetent. Everybody knows.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: That old showdown between Donald Trump and Gavin Newsom is back and explosive as ever.
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: It's my job to clean up Donald Trump's mess because he's making it by the hour.
ZELENY: The president and the California governor have long been tangling over immigration.
TRUMP: I said look, you got to take care of this. Otherwise, I'm sending in the troops. That's what we did.
ZELENY: But their fight is escalating after Trump federalized the National Guard and mobilized marines after violent protests in Los Angeles.
NEWSOM: He's taken the illegal and unconstitutional act of federalizing the National Guard and he's putting lives at risk.
ZELENY: It's the latest chapter in the turbulent relationship between Trump and Newsom who have sparred over tariffs.
NEWSOM: No state is poised to lose more than the state of California. This is recklessness at another level.
ZELENY: And deadly wildfires.
TRUMP: We're going to take care of your water situation and we'll force it down his throat and we'll say, Gavin, if you don't do it, we're not giving
you any of that fire money that we send you all the time.
ZELENY: For Trump, the grievance often goes back to California itself.
TRUMP: If Jesus came down and was the vote counter, I would win California.
ZELENY: And the fact he lost the Democratic enclave by more than 20 points and millions of votes, all three times he ran.
NEWSOM: Objectively California is the most U.N.-Trump state in America and I think that's demonstrable.
[10:40:00]
ZELENY: Yet beyond the resentment and anger, the two men have also shaken hands and found common cause.
TRUMP: We're obviously from different sides of the spectrum but we have a very good relationship.
NEWSOM: We've played no politics during COVID with California.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing but cowards.
ZELENY: Those pleasantries are a distant memory with California in Trump's crosshairs again.
TRUMP: We did the right thing. Everybody agrees to that. But you have a governor who let the city burn down.
I think Gavin, in his own way, is probably happy I got involved.
ZELENY: No sign of that as Newsom sued Trump and called his actions an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism -- Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White
House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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ANDERSON: Well, CNN senior political reporter, Stephen Collinson, and "The New York Times" journalist, Lulu Garcia-Navarro, are joining us from
Washington, D.C.
Good to have you both.
Lulu, let's start with you. It is pretty remarkable for the U.S. president to seemingly endorse arresting California's Democratic governor.
But is it just bluster from Trump?
And does it actually, to a degree, play into Newsom's hands, do you think?
How do you see this developing?
LULU GARCIA NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Becky, isn't it extraordinary that we have to wonder if the president of the United States is blustering when
he talks about arresting the governor of the largest -- one of the largest states in this country?
You know, it is unknown at this point. Obviously, if he means it -- and that, I think, is part of the problem that we're seeing in this country. We
are so far beyond what is normal. We are so far beyond what is typical. We are so far beyond what is acceptable.
And so this conflict between these two men, I will say, is exactly what president Trump wants at this point. We're not talking about tariffs. We're
not talking about the economy. We're talking about what are quite localized protests in the state of California on an issue that president Trump feels
very strongly he has the wind at his back on.
Most Americans, if you ask them, do feel that illegal immigration is a problem in this country. And most Americans have given president Trump, in
poll after poll, you know, some leeway to do what he sees fit in order to contain what they see as a problem.
ANDERSON: Stephen, you wrote, quote, "Trump may be playing with fire in a city and state where anger over his wild four-month old presidency is
boiling. But then again, maybe that is the point," you say.
Just explain.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, whenever you put troops into a situation that is this volatile, even if, at this point,
those troops are apparently just guarding federal buildings, you add a level of risk.
You add a level of provocation that can make bad things happen, that can create tragedies. You put young soldiers in very difficult positions. You
bring demonstrators and perhaps agitators who see a chance to make trouble into a position of confrontation.
So you don't necessarily completely control every way this can unfold. Everything the administration has been saying, however, appears that they
want to have this confrontation. It would not be far-fetched to suggest that they hope, perhaps, that this escalates.
Because that gives them the excuse, therefore, to have a much more militarized aspect of this mass deportation program. There is this layer,
as Jeff was talking about, of the political clash between Trump and Newsom, between the president and California, the most populous state.
That is standing up and resisting his authority and his power. But you know, let's think about what's happening here. The administration has
created an absurd idea that Los Angeles is about to be burned down unless troops are deployed to save it. Trump said as much this morning.
That is a tactic that's familiar from authoritarians throughout South America, Asia and Europe. So I think you have to take this very seriously,
even if, at this moment, the president hasn't necessarily crossed the line.
ANDERSON: Lulu, you've spent years covering Latin America and U.S. immigration. L.A. a real hub for immigrants. They make up 34 percent of
the population and nearly half the population is Hispanic or Latino.
Just talk to us about the impact of what is going on here on the ground.
NAVARRO: Yes, I mean, this is the thing that I think is being lost in all of this. This particular series of protests was prompted by the fact that
ICE members were going into stores outside of Home Depot.
[10:45:08]
Where day laborers are often found and rounding up immigrants and taking them away. And we have not really seen this kind of immigration enforcement
for quite some time.
What most governments and the United States have done, to greater or lesser degrees, has been to really target people who are on a list, people who
have done something wrong, who have, you know, are violent offenders in some way.
And they tend not to go after people who might be here in an undocumented fashion illegally but are just going about their business. And so going
into communities, especially heavily Hispanic and Latino communities and basically taking away the breadwinners, these might be family men. We don't
know.
Part of this is like, we don't know who these people are. We don't know why they're being picked up. You know, these kinds of mass, indiscriminate
arrests really has galvanized the Latino community and worried them.
And we've seen family separations, et cetera, et cetera. But that is not really getting the focus, because what is getting the focus is what Donald
Trump would like to show, which is, you know, there's a problem there.
"I'm not going to, you know, I'm not going to let this go on. I am the strong man. And so I'm going to send in military force."
ANDERSON: Yes.
And the images you know, speak 1,000 words, don't they, Stephen?
To Lulu's earlier point, we've been, for example, reporting a CBS poll today that found that the majority of Americans are -- or those polled at
least -- are for Trump's deportation goals. It was one, if not the most important issue that he got elected on. And he says he has a mandate on
this.
Those same people polled, though, were against how he is carrying out these goals. And it does seem like there are a lot of gray areas here.
So I guess that begs the question, should we expect to see a continuation of the roundups that are, you know, were at the heart of these current
protests?
Is it going to suit the Trump administration?
COLLINSON: Well, yes. I mean, Stephen Miller, the hardline senior White House official, has been pushing immigration agents to arrest more people.
They're not satisfied with the numbers that they've been getting.
That's one reason why they're being, as Lulu said, less discriminatory about who they're rounding up.
The issue here is that, yes; the Democrats failed in the last administration to convince the electorate that they had a serious plan to
address border issues, mass internal migration. And that has given Trump a lot of leeway.
The politics on this has certainly shifted to the Right. We don't know exactly where that line is. During the first term, there was this big
controversy, you remember, about children being held in cages. That seemed to break the public's tolerance for the Trump administration policies. We
don't know where that is.
Perhaps this more indiscriminatory sweep that Lulu was talking about could eventually be the thing that erodes support for it here.
ANDERSON: Quick final thought, Lulu, from you, if you will. There are protests in New York this hour. A growing number of protests across the
country.
Do you see this as some precipice of a of a bigger cultural clash in America?
Or do you expect this to be mostly contained to L.A. in the end?
NAVARRO: I don't know but it's very worrying. Right. And it's worrying because, as you know, as many have made the point, these protests, protests
in general, are extremely volatile and we don't know at the beginning of them what, you know, might catch fire.
And we certainly don't know when you introduce U.S. Marines, for example, who are meant to fight foreign wars on the streets of America, what that
does to this situation. So I would say we are in a very dangerous place right now in the United States.
ANDERSON: Always good to have you, Lulu.
Stephen, always a pleasure.
Thank you very much indeed to both of you. It's an enormously important story. And you are both, your insight and analysis, so important to us.
Thank you.
We are back after a quick break. Stay with us.
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[10:50:00]
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ANDERSON: I want to get you back to Austria, where nine people have been killed in a school shooting. Journalist Miha Oresnik with CNN affiliate N1,
joining me now from the city of Graz.
Can you just explain what we understand to be the latest from authorities there?
MIHA ORESNIK, N1 JOURNALIST: Yes, Becky. We're in southern Austria, in central Europe, in the country's second largest city, Graz, where, just
before 10 am local time, a horrifying school shooting shook this quiet city to its core.
Behind me is the high school where the attack unfolded; 21-year old former student, an Austrian citizen living here in the Graz area, entered the
school, armed with a rifle and a handgun and opened fire in two classrooms.
Authorities have confirmed the tragic loss of nine lives, eight underage students and one teacher, before the gunman turned the weapon on himself in
a school restroom; 12 others have been injured and are being treated in nearby hospitals.
Austria's chancellor, interior ministers and other top government officials have arrived in Graz as the country grapples with the aftermath of this
devastating event. A three-day mourning period has been declared.
And both Graz and the wider region remain in deep shock. So far, no motive has been disclosed. Interior minister Gerhard Karner confirmed the shooter
once attended this school but did not graduate. He had no prior police record and the weapons were legally owned with proper permits.
The school grounds remain heavily secured, as you may see, and, of course, by the police, with the area closed off and the investigation is still
ongoing.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you. Thank you.
And we will continue to follow this story, the worst rampage, school rampage in Austrian history. As we understand it, nine people dead,
including children between the ages of 14 and 18, in Graz in Austria. More on that as we get it.
Well, an interesting political twist related to one of our top stories this hour. The L.A. protests may -- just may -- be helping to smooth over some
of the bitterness between Donald Trump and Elon Musk after what was an explosive public feud last week.
Over the weekend, Musk, who has often voiced approval for Donald Trump's immigration policy, appeared to show support for its response to the
protests in reaction to a post stating that the president will not tolerate rioting and violence.
And yesterday, Trump softened his tone by saying this during a White House event.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Look, I wish him well. You understand we had a good relationship and I just wish him well; very well, actually.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, in response, Musk posted a heart emoji to a clip of those remarks. And shares of Tesla, which, of course, sank like a stone amid the
angry breakup last week, rose over 4 percent yesterday.
[10:55:00]
And this is how they are doing right now. Let's bring those up. And it is still unclear how this relationship will play out.
But for now, Wall Street analysts certainly breathing a sigh of relief or certainly breathing slightly easier and it seems traders encouraged, let's
say, to buy into that Tesla stock.
And finally, tonight, the U.S. president has taken the wraps off what are being called the Trump Accounts. It is a pilot program that would give
every American newborn a $1,000 investment account managed by the child's legal guardians. Donald Trump promoted the plan at a White House roundtable
with business leaders on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: This is a pro-family initiative that will help millions of Americans harness the strength of our economy to lift up the next
generation. And they'll really be getting a big jump on life, especially if we get a little bit lucky with some of the numbers and the economies into
the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CEOs from companies like Dell, Uber, Nvidia say they will promote the plan.
AI giant Nvidia saying it will, quote, "proudly support this bold initiative by contributing to the accounts of our employees' children. Our
children will grow up in the age of AI. Let's give them a stake in it as they help shape what may be the most consequential generation of our time."
No suggestion these accounts will be paid in cryptocurrency.
But who knows?
That is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up.
END
