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Erin Burnett Outfront
Feds Handcuff U.S. Senator At News Conference On ICE Raids; One Of 242 Passengers Aboard Doomed Plane Survives Crash; Interview with Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA). Aired 7-8p ET
Aired June 12, 2025 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:20]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
Breaking news, a U.S. senator handcuffed. California's Alex Padilla forcibly removed from a DHS press conference with Kristi Noem. Democrats calling for an investigation. The House descending into a shouting match over the incident. Senator Padilla is OUTFRONT this hour.
And a miraculous escape. Just one man made it out alive after a Boeing 787 Dreamliner just plummets to the ground after takeoff. All people on board killed but one. We have a special investigation and a look at the survivor.
And Kim Jong-un's dearest comrade, not Trump. The North Korean leader writing Putin in a letter that is overflowing with adoration. While Trump's letter to Kim has reportedly been ignored.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
Good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
And OUTFRONT tonight, we begin with the breaking news. Tensions boiling over, anger over Trump's immigration raids and his decision to deploy National Guard forces and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles reached a fever pitch today.
Here's what happened. A U.S. senator gets forced to the floor in handcuffs during a press conference being held by the secretary of homeland security, Kristi Noem. So, let's show you exactly what happened when Democratic senator Alex Padilla tried to ask homeland security Kristi Noem a question. Here's what unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTI NOEM, DHS SECRETARY: And what they have tried to insert.
SEN. ALEX PADILLA (D-CA): I want to know why you insist on exaggerating and embellishing.
Sir, sir, hands off, hands off. I'm Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary, because the fact of the matter is, a half a dozen criminals that you're rotating on your -- on your -- NOEM: I also want to talk about --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: It's an unsettling moment. Padilla forcibly removed from the room, as you can see, and what you're about to see now -- all right? Is what -- so, we just saw him get -- get over to the door, right? Being pushed.
Let's show you what happened next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the ground. Hands behind your back! Hands behind your back!
PADILLA: Let me get my hands. Go ahead. Put him behind my back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Cool. Lay flat. Lay flat. Other hands. Here. Other hand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was no recording loud out here. I do not know. There's no recording allowed out here per FBI regs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So you heard that official there, off camera at the end saying no recording allowed in here per FBI rights as they noticed that someone from Padilla's office was actually filming all of this.
The images of a sitting U.S. senator being forced to the ground and handcuffed, as I said, are unsettling. It is shocking.
Padilla has later just spoken about the incident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PADILLA: If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question, if this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they're doing to farmworkers, to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: All right. Senator Padilla is going to be OUTFRONT in just a few moments to talk about exactly what happened, as reaction to the incident has been swift. The California Governor Gavin Newsom posting a picture of Padilla being handcuffed with the caption if they can handcuff a U.S. senator for asking a question, imagine what they will do to you.
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling for an investigation. The L.A. mayor calling the incident abhorrent and outrageous. Now that's on the Democratic side. But as for Republicans, they see it
very differently. The House speaker said the Padilla charged the homeland security secretary, who went on television to defend her agent's response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NOEM: This man burst into the room, started lunging towards the podium, interrupting me and elevating his voice, and was stopped. Did not identify himself, and was removed from the room.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: That all went down on the ground in Los Angeles, but in Washington, at an oversight hearing. It then devolved into what frankly can be called a childish fight after they got word that Padilla had been handcuffed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MAXWELL FROST (D-FL): Will you commit, on the record to subpoenaing Kristi Noem because a U.S. senator was just thrown to the ground and detained in his own?
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): Democrats can't follow the rules, can't follow the law, can't follow rules.
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REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): Shut up. Just shut up.
FROST: No, you don't -- no, you're not going to tell me to shut up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Maybe my reaction is the same as your reaction. That's just embarrassing to hear coming from America's Capitol. Our congresspeople.
Trump's immigration crackdown and his decision to send troops into Los Angeles has crossed a line. It has struck a nerve for so many in this country, no matter their political persuasion. And cities across the country right now are preparing for a seventh day of protests about these ICE roundups, these mass roundups of immigrants.
These are pictures of Chicago, where you can see crowds gathering now in San Francisco.
Meantime, we are standing by for a decision after a high stakes hearing. So, you remember this when the governor of California filed for a temporary restraining order to say that you could not have the National Guard used by Trump in Los Angeles on the ground against his wishes, and that immediate or we could get relief in hours that was denied. They had a hearing today.
And after that hearing, the judge could be issuing a decision at any moment, which could be extremely significant. And we're talking about that coming out by the end of the day, Los Angeles time, which would be sometime this hour.
So, we are watching for that at any moment. It came as Trump's defense secretary today, Pete Hegseth, refused to say, okay -- now here's the problem. He refused to say whether he would actually honor the ruling of the court. If the court does not take his side and sides with the state of California.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): Here's where I hope we can agree. Whatever the federal district court decides, will you abide by it?
PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, this is a pending -- this is a current situation.
KHANNA: So will you agree, though, that it's not my legal view, it's not your legal view that makes the decision in America. It's the federal judiciary. If the federal court in California, in the San Francisco district judge has an orders -- a preliminary injunction, will you agree to abide by the federal courts?
HEGSETH: What I will tell you is my job right now is to ensure the troops that we have in Los Angeles are capable of supporting law enforcement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Of course, the issue on the ground, where was that there -- did not appear to be any need for that support of law enforcement. But the crucial question here is whether they will abide by the ruling of a court, whatever it may be, and we await that ruling any moment here.
Let's go to the ground in Los Angeles. Nick Watt is there.
And, Nick, what are you seeing tonight?
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRSPONDENT: Festive vibe. We've got a few new signs, though, all my homies hate ICE. We've seen that a few days. Hands off our Senator Alex Padilla.
It is a lot louder here today. It's peaceful, but a lot louder. They've opened the ramps on the freeway, so there's a lot more traffic. Theres a lot of people as the day goes on that is picking up, as we've seen over the past few days.
Now, slight change in tactics from the federal side. Past few days. Weve seen mark DHS vans coming in and out, always met with volleys of cussing. Toda, we've only seen unmarked vehicles with plainclothes personnel trying to get in and out without being noticed. That has been not entirely successful.
Now, the mayor announced we will have another curfew tonight, 8:00 p.m. local time here in Los Angeles. Last night, we saw the LAPD moving in and making arrests even before then. So after about 7:00 p.m., they declared an unlawful assembly outside city hall, and the police moved in and started arresting dozens of people. So, the crowd right now, definitely getting livelier, still peaceful for now -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Nick, thank you very much.
And as you know, they would keep that road open in front of the federal buildings. A lot of the solidarity that is shown is by the horn beeping that you see. So more of that as they've opened the ramps to the freeway that are right there on the end of that block.
Let's go now to Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, sits on the Armed Services Committee, retired navy captain as well. And, of course, Senator, you flew combat missions, space shuttle missions as well.
So, in this moment, and as I said, Senator, this could come at any moment. We're expecting very possibly by the end of business California time. So, in the next 50 minutes, a federal judge issuing a ruling as to whether Trump is allowed to deploy the California National Guard troops against the will of the California governor, right? That's what's at stake here. That's what's in front of the court.
You know, I spent the past few days there, and certainly what I saw, even when there was some small incidents of violence, was there was not an actual practical need for that support. But in terms of the legality of it, do you believe Trump's order was lawful?
SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): Yeah, I do not. The president doesn't -- without the request of a governor should not be sending mobilizing federalizing National Guard troops. And he certainly shouldn't be sending U.S. Marines who are not trained to do this kind of work.
What really concerns me, though, even beyond this, Erin, is what you just mentioned, the clip you showed of the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, basically saying that he doesn't really care about what the decision of the court is. If that happens, we are deeper into a constitutional crisis with this administration.
BURNETT: And, you know, why do you think he responded the way he responded? I mean, obviously he didn't directly say he would defy, but he refused to answer the question in saying affirmatively that he would abide by the decision if it didn't go his way, right? He clearly didn't want to say that. He didn't feel that he could say that. And maybe that, Senator, is the big problem.
KELLY: Well, it's part of the problem. I mean, every one of the -- not everyone, but most of the top leadership in this administration, they don't want to upset this president. And he put people around him who are a bunch of yes men, yes women sycophants. And they don't want to upset Donald Trump. Thats not the way to have a functional government, at least not the United States government. And what happened today with Alex Padilla? I mean, this is the kind of stuff you see in Russia and China, not the United States. Its un-American.
BURNETT: I want to play again what we saw with Senator Padilla. So he goes into the press conference with the DHS secretary, Kristi Noem, and she's talking and he does interrupt her, starts asking a question. He identifies himself at the end of the question when they're starting to handcuff him. I'm Senator Alex Padilla, I'm Senator Alex Padilla. He's handcuffed on the ground.
And he is going to be with us in just a moment, Senator Kelly. He's going to be here live. But the FBI deputy director, Dan Bongino, has just posted on social media that Padilla was not wearing a security pin and physically resisted law enforcement when confronted: Our FBI personnel acted completely appropriately while assisting Secret Service and we're grateful for their professionalism and service.
Is that what you saw?
KELLY: Well, we don't wear this pin here except on the -- in the -- in the U.S. Capitol. I don't. I don't wear it anywhere else.
And she said this guy burst into the room. I saw an interview by Alex. He was already sitting in the room. And by the way, if you're the secretary of homeland security and you're in the state of California, you should know what the two senators look like.
I mean, she is a cabinet secretary. I mean, this idea this guy bursts into the room -- it's ridiculous. You know, it's, you know, on its face. It's not -- it's not believable.
So, you know, I think what happened in that room is putting us on a very dangerous path.
BURNETT: Well, you have a very fair point. If you're in the state of California in this moment, you should know who the two -- the two U.S. senators are.
KELLY: Just two.
BURNETT: Just two.
U.S. Northern Command has put out images, Senator, of the U.S. Marines rehearsing. And you said that that's not what they're trained to do, right? To do domestic law enforcement, but they're rehearsing ahead of being deployed in Los Angeles area, right? We understand there's 700 of them that have been put, you know, at the ready. They weren't there on the ground, certainly, that we've seen in the past few days, but that they're training right now.
So as a former military officer, what's your reaction to the images that we are seeing? These are formal images being put out by U.S. northern command of the very Marines who they say they're training for L.A.
KELLY: Well, I'm going to have a conversation with the head of Northern Command, General Guillot, you know about this. This is the first time I'm seeing these images. But also, you know, I plan to talk to the chairman of the joint chiefs because, I mean, it's not only this. I mean, it's sending Marines. It's what happened at Fort Bragg the other day where the president was clearly using soldiers as political props to further a political message and an agenda.
It's -- again, and I hate to use this word again, but it is un- American. It's not anything I've seen, certainly not during my service 25 years in the United States navy, but not even in my lifetime have I seen actions like this from a commander in chief, presidents. Every single one of them in our lifetimes has been somebody who brings us together, who unites us.
And it seems to me that every decision this president makes is more about dividing our country.
BURNETT: Senator Kelly, I appreciate your time. And thank you very much, sir.
Here on set with me in New York, Ryan Goodman, legal analyst, former special counsel at the defense department.
So, Ryan, let's just start with the hearing today. So, this temporary restraining order that that that was requested by the governor of California to stop the U.S. Marines and National Guard from being deployed. This is a big order. This is a very important thing.
The judge had declined to give him that immediate, in a few hours, we're going to give it to you. I'm going to look at it. Theres going to be a hearing on Thursday. Here we are. Its Thursday. The hearing has happened, and the judge has said he expects to issue his ruling very soon, that it could come by the end of business today, which means it's coming in the next few minutes. Where do you see this going?
RYAN GOODMAN, FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL AT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE: So, the judge somewhat revealed his hand. I usually wouldn't make a prediction, but I think I'm safe in saying most people would anticipate that within the hour, he will issue an order that in fact does say that it was not -- that the president United States did not properly federalize the National Guard, that the order is illegal.
[19:15:08]
At the same time, he will say that the Marines are a separate matter, and he does not think he has enough evidence there to say anything about stopping the Marines, because that's a separate constitutional authority.
BURNETT: So, in the what the judge said, when you talk about what may have revealed his hand, all right, he said, quote, the president is of course, limited into his authority. I mean, that's the difference between a constitutional government and King George. King George, of course, was the president during the Boston Tea Party, right? I mean, just be careful which king we picked, okay? There's something meaningful in that king. It's not that a leader can simply say something and then it becomes it.
That -- those are strong words.
GOODMAN: Very strong. And I think that's part of the reason as to the federal government's argument kind of fell apart because the federal government is making a very extreme argument before the judge there saying, you cannot even look at this.
If the -- they even said at a certain point, even if President Trump had no evidence of what was going on in the ground, he could still issue the memorandum to authorize the National Guard. And the judge is saying, no, that would be a monarchy. Like it can't be that it's completely beyond review, especially because the National Guard is actually a congressional power, not a presidential power. It's the congress that calls up the militia.
BURNETT: And does the I was saying, you know, being on the ground, the does the practical how much of a role does that play? I mean, you have 18,000. They've said this in L.A., 18,000 LAPD, L.A. County sheriffs, California highway.
They are the best of the best at what they do. That includes riots and protests, and they're doing it. And they have 18,000 now. They're not going to do it. But the point is, they have mass force. Okay.
And you had a few National Guard around a federal building. They had scores of people who could have done that job. And the situation on the ground is such that we saw it even with the violence that we saw, sporadic as it was, that it did exist.
They had it. They had it under control. Does the practicality of the situation matter when it comes to a temporary restraining order?
GOODMAN: It does. It does because the judge might say part of the reason that he's going to find against the federal government is that it wasn't a rebellion at the time, and that the local authorities had it under control sufficiently, that there was no reason to then federalize the guard, because the statute requires those kinds of conditions to be first met. Right. It's not clear --
BURNETT: It's clearly not a rebellion. I mean, I'm just going to say standing there, that's a silly thing to say.
GOODMAN: Absolutely. It's like facially it just doesn't hold up.
BURNETT: No.
GOODMAN: So, I think the judge might say that, and the judge also might alternatively say you were supposed to go through the governor. You never went through the governor. The statute says you have to go through the governor. So that's another reason.
We don't know what exactly will be his basis. But it seems like he's going there. At the end of the hearing, he was actually just haggling over how his order would look in a certain sense. So that's why I think it's pretty clear how he's going to come out.
BURNETT: All right. Well, we're here. You're going to be here for us through the hour. Because obviously this is crucial, especially in light of what we just heard from Defense Secretary Hegseth with his refusal to say that he would honor the order explicitly if it did not go in favor of President Trump.
Next, we are going to speak to Senator Padilla after he was handcuffed and forcibly removed from that DHS news conference. He's going to explain exactly what happened in that moment, exactly what he says went down.
And the breaking news this hour about that plane. It was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner had just taken off, was in the air for less than 30 seconds. And then that was it. But one person miraculously survived, 241 others on board were killed. Special investigation next, such that we know what happened already.
And Gavin Newsom taking a page from Trump's playbook, now saying that the president's not all. Are all these new attacks helping Newsom gain mass Democratic support?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:23:07]
BURNETT: All right, the breaking news. The deadly Boeing Dreamliner 787 crash, that Dreamliner of course, is flown by the biggest airlines in the United States as well. Right? It is an airline used -- an airplane used around the world where tonight learning some new details about the miracle of this horrific tragedy, the sole survivor.
Right now, he is recovering in the hospital. He somehow walked away. And I'm not using that euphemistically. He actually walked away from the crash, which we now understand, including people on the ground has killed at least 290 people, 241 on board.
The moment of impact was caught on camera. These videos are disturbing. This is the security camera. Just the footage right outside the airport. So, this is just a regular camera. Going all the time takes off. Everything looks normal until about 11 seconds in, and it starts to falter and almost float, it appears. It only got 625 feet into the air.
That's when pilots issued a mayday, so they knew immediately something was wrong. Thats the last contact they had with the plane. It then plunged from the sky. And then that horrific fireball.
Katie Polglase has an OUTFRONT investigation on what we know happened on that flight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATIE POLGLASE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER (voice-over): These are the final moments of Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner with more than 200 people on board, struggling to stay in the air. It crashes in a huge fireball.
A CNN analysis geolocating multiple social media videos and examining flight tracking data shows how the deadly crash unfolded. The plane took off at 1:38 p.m. local time from Ahmedabad airport in western India. CNN synced together flight tracking data with this video from a security camera. The Dreamliner is heading to London Gatwick Airport. It reaches 625 feet in the air, but then the tracking stops, less than a minute after takeoff.
[19:25:03]
You can see in the CCTV it starts descending, plummeting at a speed of 475 feet per minute before it hits the ground. But there was enough time for a mayday call, according to India's civil aviation director.
Geolocated videos show the plane crashed just outside the airport. This video of the planes fall was filmed about 650 feet beyond the airport perimeter. On the ground at part of the crash site, you can see the plane's tail lodged in the roof of a building. That building is here housing a food hall and just half a mile from the airport.
The fuselage and main crash site, just 465 feet away from the tail, where a massive fireball can be seen in a populated neighborhood. Officials say people on the ground are among the dead.
Closer footage shows the horrific aftermath as recovery teams comb through the charred wreckage, but incredibly, at least one passenger survived and was taken to the hospital. He heard a loud bang about 30 seconds after takeoff. He was in seat 11A, which, according to online seat maps, is right next to the emergency exit. This is the first crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and while the cause is still unknown, this latest disaster puts more pressure on Boeing, following a string of failures in recent years.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
POLGLASE (on camera): Well, Erin, according to the plane's tail number, it started flying in 2013, just two years after Boeing started manufacturing the 787 Dreamliners. But investigators will now be looking into are the maintenance records and pilot training in their search for answers -- Erin.
BURNETT: Katie, thank you so much. That investigation.
Let's go now to Dr. Richard Nachwalter, orthopedic spine surgeon. He has treated plane crash survivors and trauma survivors over decades in his career.
Also with us, aviation analyst Miles O'Brien.
Miles, I said, you've done all -- you know, so much over the years, MH370, every single one of these horrific tragedies.
Miles, can I just show again because of the of the different video out there? It is that security footage that somehow maybe strikes all of us because everybody can imagine those first moments when the plane comes and you feel that lift underneath you and you're off and you're safe, and we're watching this.
And in the air, it's only in the air about 30 seconds. It adds at a second 11, where you start to see it, you know, stop in a sense kind of seem to falter and flounder. When you watch all of this, we're going to play it all the way out, Miles, what stands out to you?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Look at about 10 seconds or so, Erin, you hit the number perfectly. Up until that point, I would say this is just a routine takeoff of a 787. At 10 seconds, what we should see are the gear stowed away and a continuation of the climb. Why is the landing gear still out? What happened there?
There's another angle, which seems to indicate that the flaps, the trailing edge, aerodynamic surfaces which are designed to increase lift of the wing when it's flying slowly on takeoff and landing, which are essential for that slow speed flight. It appears they were not deployed. So, there's a misconfiguration here. How that happened, why it happened is really at the crux of this right now.
BURNETT: Right. Which is why they're looking at -- they're looking at training. They're looking at maintenance.
Dr. Nachwalter, you know, we also have the video of the only survivor walking away. And just before we came on, you know, everyone, we were talking and I was saying to the doctor, I didn't believe it when I first saw it. I didn't believe it. I said, there's no way.
You look at that. And every single person is dead. And the survivor's walking away like he's fine. But it is true. It is real. He -- that's him. He's walking away. He's talking about what happened. He was totally aware.
He, you know, wasn't as if he blacked out. Doctor, he said 30 seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed and every other person died. And how shocking is it? He's walking away.
DR. RICHARD NACHWALTER, ORTHOPEDIC SPINE SURGEON: Yes. And thank you for having me.
It's a tragic, tragic story. And he was probably in just the right place on the plane because that plane caught flames immediately. And you would. And it wasn't like the -- there was a time to prepare the cabin.
They were -- you've all been on the planes, you know, prepare for arrival. And we've been on planes that didn't land as smoothly as we'd all expected. But this plane went up and came down and burst into flames. So, his only chance is that he was right by a place that opened up. So was it a door that opened.
BURNETT: Or would like popped out.
NACHWALTER: The door ejected, and he got ejected with the door and he got out --
BURNETT: The fireball.
NACHWALTER: He got out before the flames.
BURNETT: I mean, it is just stunning. Miles, can we just look at the layout of the plane, okay? This is the
inside of the Dreamliner is the way they fly it. Well show everyone just, you know, the seat map when you go on and you select your seat. Okay, 11A, 11A is an exit row.
[19:30:03]
Theres room in front of it. He is in the window seat.
Now, I'll point out that. Whether it was 11 F or whatever it is on the other side would be presumably in a similar situation, but that person did not survive. We've seen the ticket, right? That's the seat. It's in front of the wing.
So, when you look at the location, Miles, tell us why it may have mattered so much.
O'BRIEN: Well, remember where the fuel is in the wing. So ahead of the wing, he's sitting right beside the door. You know, people, Erin, always ask me, where should I sit on an airplane? In front of the plane. Back of the plane. I always say statistically, sit in the exit row. That's where the door is.
And I think this has been proven on this occasion. Now, what happened on the right side? Maybe there were -- there was a bigger tree there or a structure. Theres all kinds of factors that come in into this.
But the fact I had the exact same reaction as you when I saw him walking, seemingly casually, presumably a lot of adrenaline flowing through his veins, walking away from that crash. I thought this couldn't be real, but there it is.
BURNETT: I mean, Dr. Nachwalter, no one else in that area survived. I mean, as Miles said, perhaps part of that hit the building or but, you know, there's the structural reasons for that seat. And then there's just the -- I mean, I don't know what word one wants to use. Maybe miracle is not the right word, but he's the only one.
NACHWALTER: He's the only survivor. And he got out of that plane before it burst into flames, because there weren't -- that plane didn't land and people had the usual deceleration injuries, like car accidents. That plane burst into flames and jet fuel burns at like 1,800 degrees. So, the chance of surviving that is pretty close to zero.
BURNETT: So they would have died immediately.
NACHWALTER: So he got out before the fire, or else he would have asphyxiated.
BURNETT: And with very -- not even burning. I mean, he was ejected pretty far because we see it land. Everyone sees the flame go up. Right? I mean, that ejection had to --
NACHWALTER: Must have happened on impact. He got thrown with the door in the exit row. BURNETT: Absolutely incredible. And would have of course been in his
seat with his seatbelt on.
All right. Thank you both so very much.
And next, the California Senator Alex Padilla as promised, is OUTFRONT the White House now saying he should be, quote, ashamed of his childish behavior after he was handcuffed during a DHS news conference. He is going to tell us everything that he knows about the incident with us live next.
And the California Governor Gavin Newsom upping the ante tonight with a defiant message to protesters taking on Trump.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:37:07]
BURNETT: All right, breaking news. Outrage on Capitol Hill.
Hispanic Democratic members of Congress marching into the offices of House Speaker Johnson and House Majority Leader John Thune. All of that coming as they are trying to express their outrage over what happened to the Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California, at a DHS conference being hosted by the secretary of the of the DHS, Kristi Noem, at -- the homeland security secretary. He was forcibly then handcuffed, brought down to the ground by FBI agents, handcuffed, and his team then told they weren't allowed to film in there after they had filmed what happened.
Now, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demanding immediate answers about what happened. John Thune, the majority leader, also saying he's looking into it.
The White House blames Padilla for the incident, saying that he lunged towards Noem and should be ashamed of his childish behavior.
We're going to be joined by the Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California in just a couple of moments. He's just getting in the seat.
But joining us right now, Xochitl Hinojosa, the former DOJ director of public affairs, and the former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. And we're going to be talking to both of you here, right before we talk to the senator and, of course, after.
But can I just start with you, Governor Pawlenty? We know that everybody wants to understand what happened here. Senator Mark Kelly made an interesting point at the top of the program. He said, look, you're in California. You're hosting a press conference in the state of California. In the moment that we are in in California and one of two senators from California is sitting in the room and stands up and starts talking, and you should know who he is, and you should know who he is. And that would mean you don't just handcuff him.
Do you see it that way? TIM PAWLENTY (R), FORMER MINNESOTA GOVERNOR: No. I read and follow
politics incredibly closely, and I didn't know who he was. I had to look him up. And so, to me, as I watched that video, and I know he's sitting there, with all due respect, he looked like he wanted to create a spectacle.
And if you approach a sitting cabinet secretary with a security portfolio and you do it in an aggressive manner, you should expect to be constrained and maybe shoved. And if they didn't know who he was, I think that was an appropriate response.
BURNETT: So, Governor, I understand exactly what you're saying, and I obviously have great respect for you. So, I just want to make sure I really understand. Do you really think that they shouldn't know who -- one of the two sitting senators of the state of California is when they're hosting a press conference on this issue in California?
PAWLENTY: Well, you would think so. But if they honestly didn't, and I'm at a podium and you're the director of homeland security, and somebody aggressively approaches and starts yelling in that context, you should expect to get shoved back. I appreciate what the security did, if those are the facts.
BURNETT: All right. Xochitl, how do you see it?
XOCHITL HINOJOSA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR; So it's not just security in the building. It wasn't any sort of state security. Local security. This is United States Secret Service.
The Secret Service is tasked with protecting the Department of Homeland Security, specifically the secretary of homeland security.
[19:40:03]
And in the role of the Secret Service -- they're the part of the federal government -- in that role, their job is to protect the secretary and against any threats. Their job is not to deal with protests or anything else. It's to protect the secretary when it comes to threats.
If you're the United States Secret Service, you know exactly who those senators are. If your boss and the person you're protecting is traveling to a state where there is a crisis, and the fact that they claim that they didn't know him, they you know, he is not you know, he is someone who went through security again, because there is a was a federal building. So, I just want to remind you, this wasn't like they were outdoors in a park and some homeless man came in. They were in a federal building where everybody went through security.
He yells a few questions, does not do anything else, and then is detained and put on the ground. You know, Erin, it really not only angers me, but it's clear that they did this because of the way that he looks. And it's really, really unsettling to me and to many Latinos out there that this is what's happening.
BURNETT: All right, both of you, please stay with me. As I said, the Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California does join
me now.
And, Senator, I appreciate your time. And I know you've -- you've had a day.
I don't know if you just heard what Xochitl was saying. She was saying that what she finds so unsettling as a Hispanic woman is that she feels that this happened to you because of how you look. And that as one of two sitting senators from California, those -- those Secret Service agents would have known exactly who you were. And in fact, after you started talking, you said, "I'm Senator Alex Padilla", and you said it multiple times.
Do you think that it was because of how you look?
SEN. ALEX PADILLA (D-CA): Look, I don't know what the motives are. I think the point is this, Erin, and as I said, when I -- when I came out of the building a little while after the incident, if this can happen to me, a United States senator representing the state of California, if this is how the Department of Homeland Security and the people around the secretary will treat a United States senator for having the audacity to ask a question, then imagine what they can do -- imagine what they are doing to people in communities, not just throughout Los Angeles, but throughout the country.
Now, back to the facts at hand here, because I also heard Governor Pawlenty's remarks. So let me just set the record straight. The point was made. This wasn't at a park. This wasn't in front of a shopping center. This was inside a secure federal building.
Yes. I myself went through security screening to enter the building.
Why was I even there? I was there for a scheduled briefing with representatives of NorthCom, Northern Command, because from the Department of Defense, to the Department of Homeland Security, to the White House and everywhere in between, this is an administration that has been anything but transparent and accountable with -- to the members of the Senate, to the Congress in general in our role of oversight and accountability.
We have questions. We have questions. How is it that Donald Trump would, against the wishes of the governor of California, against the wishes of local law enforcement, nationalize -- federalize National Guard troops and deploy them into a city where local law enforcement says, you know, we can control this? And so --
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: And, Senator --
PADILLA: Go ahead.
BURNETT: No, I just want to say we're awaiting an order from the judge, which we expect could come anytime, actually, in the next sort of 15 to 20 minutes on that order, because there was a hearing today. So, we could get that news even as you and I are speaking.
But I -- you know, I understand that -- it's just when you look at these images and your staff was there, they were able to record what happened in the room. And then when they took you in the hall outside and they put you on the ground and they handcuff you, and everybody is watching it and people are trying to understand what happened. It's unsettling.
I mean, can I just show again the moment that you were detained, Senator, because you're -- you know, they're -- they're telling you -- to put your hands behind your back. They force you to the ground. They handcuff you, right? And this is after in the room you asked a question.
When she was talking, it did sound like you were talking over her. You heard the governor say you were trying to create a spectacle.
Tell me exactly what happened. So, you're just sitting in the room, and then what? Tell me how you see it.
PADILLA: So, listen, here's what happened.
So, I'm in the conference room a couple doors down, waiting this briefing with representatives of Northern Command.
BURNETT: Yeah.
PADILLA: We learn almost on the spot that there's this press conference going on down the hall.
Now, my briefing is delayed because of the folks in that press conference. From the moment I entered the building, I'm being escorted by a member of the National Guard and an FBI agent. I asked, well, since we're waiting, can we go listen in to the press conference?
They escort me over to the press conference. They opened the door for me. I'm standing in the back, behind the reporters, behind the cameras, just listening in.
And at one point, the rhetoric -- the rhetoric just got to be too much, not the first time, but the second time the secretary say that the Trump administration wants to liberate the people of (AUDIO GAP) from the governor and the mayor.
[19:45:05]
It was just too much.
And so, yes, I said who I was. I began to ask a question, and it was maybe half a second later before there was multiple agents on me. They shoved me outside.
I was trying to both get my question out and not lose my balance. You know, one is telling me, get down on my knees and another one pushing me in a different direction. There was no resistance -- to the contrary. I kept asking, why am I being detained? Get down on your knees. Turns
into flat on the floor. I'm trying, but I'm being pushed and pulled in different directions. And finally, down on the floor, they handcuffed me.
Multiple times, why am I being detained? No response, no response, no response.
Finally, minutes later, I guess somebody around the secretary realizes this is the United States senator, and they come running down the hall and finally say, let him go.
So, you know, again, the point is, (AUDIO GAP) imagine what they're doing to people all around the country.
BURNETT: Yeah.
PADILLA: And, Erin, let me also underscore this.
BURNETT: Yeah.
PADILLA: It's not just about immigrants' rights, which so many peaceful protesters are shouting about in Los Angeles. It's about all of our rights.
The reason this crisis, this spectacle has been created by the Trump administration this week is because of all the bad headlines of recent weeks, right? Their budget bill is being exposed for what it is, gutting health care, gutting the social safety net, to underwrite tax breaks for the rich.
He certainly hasn't brought peace between Russia and Ukraine. He's losing every other day in court. He's broken up with his BFF, Elon Musk.
So, what does he do? He distracts and he scapegoats and demonizes immigrants.
BURNETT: So, Senator, can I ask, you know, as I -- as I watch this, I'm struck and I -- and I'm sure many people are struck, whatever their politics may be. You're a sitting senator, you're in the room, and you identify yourself.
We hear you identify (AUDIO GAP). I'm Senator Alex Padilla. (AUDIO GAP). I heard you say it, I believe, I think at least three times.
And then this happens to you.
I'm just curious. I'm sure maybe there's some part of you in that moment, you're saying, well, I'm a sitting senator. This is -- this is not going to end -- this is going to end badly.
But you still had to be shocked, right? I mean, what was your emotion in that moment?
PADILLA: Yeah. BURNETT: I mean, this is not a position that you would have ever
expected to find yourself in in a press conference, suddenly being tackled and wrestled and thrown to the ground and had handcuffs put on you.
PADILLA: Look, it took some restraint. Growing up where I grew up and how I grew up, Erin, trust me, it is not easy when you may be pushed around like that by a law enforcement official to have that restraint because it's a physical reaction.
But you know that if you don't oblige, it can escalate even more. So, I think I was very, very restrained with everything that happened there.
Flash forward to now getting walked down a hall in handcuffs, not being told where were going. Are they escorting me outside? I don't know. Am I taken to a detention facility? I don't know.
It's probably not another conference room to, you know, go await the briefing, which never happened, by the way. After this all went down, the very folks I was supposed to meet with just said, you know, no briefing after all.
So, you know, it saddens me, not just my kids that are watching this. And I've had to talk them through what happened and what it means and why I do what I do. But so many kids around the country seeing an administration that puts United States senators in handcuffs.
This is not normal. We cannot treat it as normal.
BURNETT: No. No, it's not normal.
Secretary Noem, she came out afterwards -- and I'll play you what she said. I know you have since had a 10 to 15-minute conversation with her. And I want to ask you about what happened in that.
But I wanted to play for you first, because I know you may not have had a chance to hear this. She went on Fox News. She talked about the incident.
Here's what she said happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTI NOEM, DHS SECRETARY: This man burst into the room, started lunging towards the podium, interrupting me and elevating his voice, and was stopped. Did not identify himself and was removed from the room. He didn't say who he was until he was already had been lunging forward, and people were trying to detain him for quite a period of time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So that's what she said. I don't know whether that was before or after she spoke to her. She said you had a great conversation. What can you share about that conversation? Would you agree it was
great?
PADILLA: Well, first of all, from the interview, of course, lies, lies.
I've already established I did not barge into the room. I wasn't lunging at her or anybody. And yes, I identified myself.
So, when the cops came off, they offered a meeting with the secretary.
And, Erin, look, I'm just trying my job as a senator. When we ask questions in committee and don't get answers, okay, let's try another approach. We send formal letters, whether it's on my behalf or on behalf of so many colleagues requesting information as to what the heck they're doing, they're not responded to.
[19:50:05]
And so, when I had a potential audience with the secretary, I took it. Sadly, still not forthcoming with any sort of data or details because here's the problem and --
BURNETT: Any apology, any apology for what happened here?
PADILLA: You would think -- you would hope that that's how the meeting would have started, but no apology, no acknowledgment whatsoever. But it's the Trump administration, so I'm not holding my breath for decency, decorum or manners here.
BURNETT: Yeah --
(CROSSTALK)
PADILLA: One of the big points I was trying to make with her -- one of the big points I was trying to make with her is that, look, I get if the Trump administration was doing what Trump said on the campaign trail, let's focus on dangerous, violent criminals for detention and deportation. There's no disagreement there. There's no debate there.
But that's not what's happening on the streets of Los Angeles and throughout the country. There are some and that's a good thing. But when they're -- when they're cruelly detaining and deporting, oftentimes without due process so many other --
BURNETT: Yeah.
PADILLA: -- hardworking people who our country relies on, that is not in our national interest.
BURNETT: So, on that -- on that front, you know, just in the L.A. talking to people and hearing what people are saying, you know, they'd say, I was here illegal. Somebody say I came illegally as a kid, but then I went to the process and I'm legal now.
One person was talking how they actually are working someone who cleans the rooms for ICE agents who are staying in hotels detaining people, right? And they're too scared to go to work to clean the rooms even though they need the money because they're worried the ICE staying there might detain them just because they're Hispanic.
And that brings to the DHS -- they're putting out images of Uncle Sam urging Americans to, in their words, report all foreign invaders to ICE. That's actually came out from the official X account for the Department of Homeland Security. Report all foreign invaders to ICE.
Where is this headed?
PADILLA: Yeah. Well, look, the Trump and his entire administration are great at misinformation and disinformation, at causing chaos, at causing division.
Where is this going? It's going to keep getting worse. This is how authoritarianism happens unless and until the people speak up and push back.
And so, that's why you've seen so many protesters, vast majority, peaceful protesters, not just in and around Los Angeles this last week, but increasingly in other cities.
So, we have to continue to exercise our First Amendment rights, keep it peaceful. Violence is not tolerated. Violence is not condoned. That will have its consequences.
But people need to continue to speak up because this is not normal.
BURNETT: Senator Padilla, I appreciate your time and thank you so much for coming on and talking about that incident today. We appreciate it.
PADILLA: Thank you, Erin.
BURNETT: And next, California governor launching a new attack on Trump, saying that the president is not all there mentally, which may make you recall things this president said about the last one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:57:06]
BURNETT: New tonight, California Governor Gavin Newsom claiming President Trump is, quote, not all there after Trump claimed he spoke to Newsom on Monday, which Newsom says never happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: It's the president of United States calling someone a scum, scum, scum. He begins the day with that and then talks about the National Guard and then starts making up all these things he claimed he told me about, which I'm honestly starts to disturb me on a different level, that maybe he actually believed he said those things.
INTERVIEWER: Wow.
NEWSOM: And he's not all there. I mean, that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Of course, when Trump put out evidence, you know, that he spoke to Newsom, he put a screengrab out showing that he didn't talk to Newsom on the day. He said he talked to Newsom.
So Newsom is urging demonstrators not to stop protesting Trump's immigration raids and policies, saying in part, keep up the pressure. Do it peacefully.
Let's go to Harry Enten who is here with me now.
All right. This is a big moment for Gavin Newsom. It's a big moment. Tell me something I don't know about him.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: I'll tell you something that you don't know. A star, a political star, perhaps has been born because how many people watch Gavin Newsom's speech on just YouTube alone? Get this. Over 3 million folks watch the speech on YouTube alone. The speech, of course, about Donald Trump and the ICE raids.
And here's what's so interesting to put that in comparison. Joe Rogan, a very popular podcast, the most popular in America. His average podcast episode over the last month has averaged only 1.6 million YouTube views this month, so Newsom's speech very, very popular.
BURNETT: Okay, here's the thing, though. Now everyone's talking about him. Democratic candidate 2028. They've all run. I mean, I'm talking about lemmings and I'm only I'm saying this because a few weeks ago they did not like him on the progressive left because he had a podcast where he was trying to find out what was wrong with the Democratic Party and listen to people on the right like Steve Bannon.
And now, all of a sudden, it's like, oh, let's just forget that guy ever existed. Here's our new hero. And then they run over.
So, you know, what's happening here?
ENTEN: Yeah, I mean, take a look at the betting markets or take a look at the bettors. And this they set the line and look at the chance of Gavin Newsom to be the next president of the United States.
Look at this, on June 5th, it was just 7 percent. Look at that. By June 12th, nearly doubling to 13 percent. He has at this particular point, the number one most likely Democratic candidate and the most likely president on the Democratic side to be president of all the other Democrats running at this point, or maybe running.
BURNETT: Right. Well, I guess one thing we know that says is the Democrats are desperately looking for somebody. They're looking for somebody. Throwing the object, I'm going over.
Okay. How did voters in California -- because this is going to be crucial -- how did they view Newsom before what's happened in the past week?
ENTEN: Yeah, I think that's what's so interesting. You were kind of hinting at it, right? Erin Burnett you were essentially saying, who was Newsom a few weeks ago? The Democrats hated him in his own home state, a very blue state.
Look at his approval rating as of the late May, look at this, it was only 46 percent, 53 percent disapprove in a state that Kamala Harris won by, what, about 20 points? And it wasn't just all likely voters. How about Democratic voters?
You can see his net approval rating had dropped significantly from the last time he was reelected, at 69 points down to plus 36 points. Thats a 33-point drop. He was not all that popular for a Democrat in California.
BURNETT: And we will see what happens in the next few weeks when those numbers are updated. See what swing we see.
ENTEN: We'll see what happens.
BURNETT: All right, Harry, thank you. And thanks to all of you.
Anderson starts now.
