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Trump Appeals Hush Money Conviction; Interview With Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI); Curfew Expires in Downtown Los Angeles. Aired 11- 11:30a ET

Aired June 11, 2025 - 11:00   ET

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

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Happening now: Marines are prepared to deploy in Los Angeles later today, where some of them are expected to join National Guard troops. That's according to military officials. And the president says they will stay there until there's what he calls peace.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Meanwhile, local law enforcement arrested dozens of people overnight suspected of breaking a curfew for downtown L.A.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

We begin this hour in Los Angeles, where a curfew for part of the city has been lifted following a fifth night of protests. Police say nearly 400 people have been arrested since demonstrations began on Saturday.

BROWN: And as California Governor Gavin Newsom and the president continue to escalate their war of words, Attorney General Pam Bondi says the administration is -- quote -- "not scared to go further" with its response in the city.

So let's go live now to CNN's Stephanie Elam right on the ground there in Los Angeles.

What's going on there this morning, Stephanie?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right now, it's business as usual, Pamela. People are getting to work. They're driving into downtown to get to their jobs if they need to.

The roads outside of the detention center which I can see where I am and the federal building are open. Cars are driving through here now, now that the curfew has been lifted.

But, listen, the curfew is going to go back into effect. The mayor said so. That will be in effect for probably the next few days, and it goes into effect at 8:00 p.m. local. And because of the fact that we are in June, the sun is still pretty much up at 8:00 p.m., so that is early.

We saw some of the skirmishes between law enforcement and protesters starting earlier yesterday. We also saw them again, protesters getting onto the 101 Freeway, which we are just above right here right outside of this federal building, and shutting it down. We saw some arrests happening there. About 200 arrests happened yesterday.

We know about two dozen buildings were hit for looting. So this is what they have been targeting. This is what they're saying they're shutting down here. But, for the most part, we have only seen the National Guard outside of the federal building. And we haven't seen them anywhere else.

And, obviously, as you were just saying, we have not seen the Marines at all at this point. But, again, this is just a small part of downtown Los Angeles, not even all of downtown Los Angeles, while the greater Los Angeles area is operating business as usual for the most part, Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Stephanie Elam, thanks so much -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And there's more news we're following.

The Trump administration now has less than three hours to respond to a temporary injunction requested by California. The state is suing to block the White House from using Marines and the National Guard in the protests over immigration raids in downtown Los Angeles.

President Trump mobilized the U.S. military over the objection of the state's governor.

CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein is here with us in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Betsy, this has also led to some heated words between the president and the California governor, Gavin Newsom. What can you tell us?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, Wolf, I just want to step back for a moment, because these two men are having an argument about a phone call.

And they have been lobbying these intensifying attacks back and forth over the past several days. And it seems frivolous, but it all really underscores these very real tensions between President Trump and Governor Newsom amid these very intensifying days of protests over the president's mass deportation policies.

So, CNN reported over the weekend that the two had spoken on Friday for about 40 minutes, according to Newsom's office. And according to his office, they also said that Newsom placed the call. And then, yesterday, after the situation had escalated significantly, the president sending in 4,000 National Guard members against Newsom's objections, he was asked when he last spoke to Newsom. The president said it was a day ago. Newsom fired back with a post to social media that was sure to irritate the president. He said -- quote -- "There was no call, not even a voice-mail. Americans should be alarmed that a president deploying Marines onto our streets doesn't even know who he's talking to."

The president went on to share a screenshot of his call log with FOX News. It said they spoke for 16 minutes at 1:23 in the morning on Friday and that Trump himself made the call. So the reality here is that neither of them are being completely forthcoming about this situation. The president weighing in further in a podcast that posted this morning.

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BLITZER: And in the midst all of this, as you know, Betsy, this morning, President Trump is sharing new details about a trade truce with China. What will the U.S. be getting out of this framework?

KLEIN: Well, the U.S. and China have agreed on a framework to implement this trade deal with China. The source of tension between the U.S. and China over the past several days has been those rare earth minerals that go into everything, critical minerals and things from your cell phone to dishwashers to cars.

And that appears to have been resolved. China is easing its restrictions on the exports of those rare earth minerals and magnets to the U.S, the president saying in a post that they will be supplied up front by China, Wolf.

BLITZER: We will see how that goes. All right, Betsy, thank you very much.

Betsy Klein reporting for us.

Also new this morning, America's largest automaker is getting in line with Trump's push for more U.S.-made vehicles. General Motors says it will invest $4 billion into three U.S. plants to boost production of electric and gas-powered vehicles.

Let's discuss this more with the Republican Representative Lisa McClain of Virginia. She serves as the chair of the House Republican Conference as well.

Thanks so much for joining U.S., Congresswoman.

REP. LISA MCCLAIN (R-MI): Thanks for having me.

BLITZER: On this news from General Motors, this investment would bring jobs, a lot of jobs potentially, to your district in Michigan.

But there's still a question of whether this is just General Motors trying to gain some reprieve from the president's tariff policies with a flashy major announcement. Are you confident, Congresswoman, this $4 billion amount is an actual investment in jobs in Michigan?

MCCLAIN: Well, I am confident.

I don't think we're going to get the $4 billion. What I have heard is we're going to get the $4 billion to the Lake Orion plant in my district, which is -- obviously, I'm super excited about. It should be about 2,300 new jobs on top of the 1,000 that are already there.

So I'm confident. I'm excited. This is huge for our community, for our constituents, not just with the economic impact from GM, but from all the local communities. And we have talked about this earlier. Michigan unfortunately ranks third behind California in New York with manufacturing jobs lost in our state.

So this is absolutely huge and big for our state. We're just excited.

BLITZER: The Mexican secretary of the economy -- I don't know if you heard about this -- he's seemingly pushing back on this GM announcement, writing on Twitter, in that he received a call from GM, saying their plants are operating normally in Mexico, adding there is -- quote -- "no forecast of closures or layoffs."

That's the Mexican minister of the economy. So is this really, really bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. or, once again, is this a splashy announcement?

MCCLAIN: Well, I think we will wait and see.

But my point to this whole thing is, President Trump ran on and Republicans ran on bringing jobs back to America.

Why are we such naysayers? Really, the Lake Orion plant is gearing up for it. GM is making the announcement. I find it very hard to believe that GM would lie about this. This is a good thing. Why can't we celebrate this, right? It will happen, I believe, they said at the end of '26, but this is 2,300 jobs.

We should be celebrating this. Let's not put politics at the top of everything. This is real jobs coming back to the Lake Orion plant that they're gearing up for. I highly doubt GM would allow the Lake Orion facility to gear up if they thought this was just a splash in the pan.

BLITZER: Yes, if in fact it all happens as suggested by GM, that would be a major, major achievement for the folks in your district, especially in Michigan and a couple other states as well.

I want to turn right now while I have you, Congresswoman, to this anti-tice -- anti-ICE, I should say, protests that have been happening across the country, particularly in Los Angeles. California is now suing the Trump administration after the president gave the order to deploy some 2,000 National Guard troops to the city.

And the state's governor, Gavin Newsom, says Congress is -- quote -- "nowhere to be found." Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): There are no longer any checks and balances. Congress is nowhere to be found. Speaker Johnson has completely abdicated that responsibility. The rule of law has increasingly been given way to the rule of Don.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Congresswoman, how do you respond to the governor?

MCCLAIN: Well, what I would respond to the governor is, Governor, if you want to talk about somebody that is nowhere to be found, unfortunately, Governor Newsom, that's actually you, because we wouldn't have to get involved, the president wouldn't have to get involved, Congress wouldn't have to be -- get involved if you, Governor Newsom, could handle your own business.

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But, unfortunately, this is what happens when you have anarchy and you don't believe in the rule of law. You actually end up with a situation that you end up in your city.

So I would turn that around on Governor Newsom. You want to talk about no one to be found, unfortunately, that's you, Governor. It's sad that the president even has to weigh in to send the National Guard. It's a shame that you can't protect your own legal citizens in your own city.

BLITZER: Do you support, Congresswoman, sending active-duty U.S. Marines into the streets of America's second largest city?

MCCLAIN: Listen, I don't want it to get to that point. I would hope that Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass and the president and Congress and the law-abiding citizens would all focus together and be on the same page to deal with the criminals, the criminals, the people who got here by breaking the law and who are using violence against law- abiding citizens and against the ICE agents who are actually here to protect the law-abiding citizens.

That's what I would wish. I hope it doesn't get to that. But the president does have the authority to protect government personnel and government property. And from the videos that I have seen, it's not really happening, because you have people throwing rocks and throwing -- burning cars and attacking ICE agents.

What is going on? This is America in which we live. So I do support the president that he has the right to do that. My hope is that Governor Newsom and Ms. Bass, the -- Mayor Bass can get their city under control and it doesn't get to this.

BLITZER: While I have you, Congresswoman, on another major development, the president now says the United States has reached a new trade agreement with China, writing in the TRUTH Social post this morning that the United States' deal with China is -- quote -- "done."

But CNN reports that this is a return to the already tense state of affairs that existed before the president's so-called liberation day announcements on tariffs. What's your reaction to this development? MCCLAIN: Well, again, I look at things from an optimistic point of

view. Look at what we're talking about again. We're talking about a trade deal with China. We're talking about leveling the playing field. We're talking about bringing American jobs back.

We're talking about putting America first. We have a minerals deal where I believe we pay, what is it, 10 percent and the Chinese pay a 55 percent tariff. Gee, I think that's a good deal for America. Why can't we celebrate the positives?

I mean, sometimes, I think President Trump could have the cure for cancer and everyone would naysay it. Let's take a look at the policies and what's actually happening to put America first. This is another positive of promises made, promises kept to renegotiate trade deals. This is progress. Let's celebrate progress for the American people.

BLITZER: I totally understand.

Before I let you go, Congresswoman, let me ask you about President Trump's military parade planned for here in Washington this Saturday. It will be in attendance -- I know you will be in attendance, but a lot of Republican lawmakers plan to skip it, citing concerns about the price tag and the image it actually conveys to the world.

Do you share at all those concerns?

MCCLAIN: You know, everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but I personally don't share those concerns.

I'm excited to see our military on display. I'm excited to see and encourage and honor our military. So that's what I think we're doing. Listen, these military men and women provide safety, security for law- abiding American citizens, and that is something that we should celebrate and we should honor.

And I think that's exactly what we're doing on Saturday's parade.

BLITZER: Congresswoman Lisa McClain of Michigan, thanks, as usual, for joining us.

MCCLAIN: Thank you. Enjoy your day. Stay cool.

BLITZER: You too -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, still ahead right here in THE SITUATION ROOM: It has been close to a year since President Trump's hush money conviction, but he's still fighting to get it thrown out right now.

BLITZER: Plus, a brand-new study highlights the potentially catastrophic effect of vital ocean currents slowing down or even collapsing altogether.

Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

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BROWN: Happening now: A federal appeals court is hearing arguments in President Trump's New York hush money case. Last year, he was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

We are joined now by CNN senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig.

Elie, this appeal, of course, it's a big deal because it is one of the first major tests of the Supreme Court's landmark decision on presidential immunity. What are both sides arguing here?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: So I just listened to the oral argument. They livestreamed it in the Second Circuit. Just concluded, and I thought it was really interesting.

So the big question is, where will Donald Trump's appeal be heard? Because, as you just said, we remember, he was convicted in state court, but he wants to bring his appeal over to federal courts.

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Now, there's a federal law that says, if somebody is charged in a state with something relating to their federal office and they have what we call a colorable defense, meaning a half-decent defense, then they have the right to have their case moved over to federal court.

And so Trump's lawyers argued just now that, well, the immunity decision, which came out after -- a couple of months after the verdict, says that if any of the evidence related to his job as president, that evidence should have been kept out of the trial, he should have been immune and the case never should have happened.

So that's why Trump is arguing he deserves to have his appeal heard in federal court. The DA, of course, disagrees. The DA says the evidence of Trump's actions when he was president was a very small part of the trial and it's not enough to get him over into federal court.

BROWN: So what happens if President Trump succeeds here and it is moved over to federal court?

HONIG: Yes, then his appeal -- so, as it currently stands, his appeal will go up through the New York state appeals process, right? He was convicted in the New York state trial court. He would then go to the mid-level New York appeals division and then the highest court in New York, which we call the Court of Appeals.

If he wins, though, it shifts over to the federal courts and he gets to argue his appeal in what we call the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, which is then one layer below the U.S. Supreme Court.

BROWN: But, like, just for our viewer here in layman's terms, why should they care about this?

HONIG: Yes. Right. BROWN: Why should they be paying attention to this? What is the

bottom line?

HONIG: Because, if you're Donald Trump, you would much rather be in federal court than state court for a couple of reasons.

Number one, if the basis of your defense you're going to make on appeal is, I have federal immunity based on my job as the federal president, you would rather argue that to a federal court than a state court. The other thing, candidly, the state courts -- the appellate courts in the state are stacked against him; 27 of the 28 judges and justices who Donald Trump might appear in front of if the case stays over on the state side were Democrat-appointed.

If he gets over to the federal side, the Second Circuit is about 50/50 between Democrats and Republicans, and then he'd have the U.S. Supreme Court. I should say the U.S. Supreme Court can hear either way.

BROWN: Right.

HONIG: They can take cases from state or federal, but it's just a much better forum. And, look, where you are trying or arguing a case can make all the difference. And there's a reason the DA is fighting so hard to keep it away from federal court, keep it over on the state side.

BROWN: Right. Understandably.

All right, I want to turn to California now. There is this judge that shot down California's request to block Trump from using the Marines National Guard in L.A. Both parties are back in court today -- tomorrow, I believe it is. What do you expect and why is this so significant?

HONIG: Well, obviously, this is a huge case.

Wolf asked me yesterday, who do you think has the better of the argument? I said, look, we're largely in unknown territory here, but it seems to me the president -- whether one thinks that the deployment of a National Guard is wise, smart, necessary, I think the president has the better of the legal argument, because the law says the president can deploy the National Guard for limited purposes if necessary to enforce federal laws.

California argued, yes, but the governor has to approve that. That did not make sense to me, as I explained yesterday, within the larger scheme of the statute. And it seems at least for now the judge agrees with the Trump administration because the judge refused to put an emergency halt on this.

Now, they will flesh the arguments out more fully tomorrow afternoon, but that's going to be the challenge for the state. They're going to have to show why this very broad statute, like it or not, does not allow Donald Trump to send in National Guard to California.

BROWN: All right, Elie Honig, as always, great to see you. HONIG: Thanks, guys.

BROWN: Welcome to THE SITUATION ROOM here.

HONIG: Great to see you in person.

BLITZER: He knows the law.

BROWN: Great to have him here in person.

BLITZER: I know. We always...

BROWN: He knows the law. That's right.

BLITZER: We're grateful to Elie. Thanks very much.

HONIG: Appreciate it.

BLITZER: Up next: how the escalating conflict between the president and California's governor over the U.S. National Guard could give other Democrats potentially a possible blueprint for challenging the White House's actions.

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BLITZER: The Trump administration faces an afternoon deadline to respond to California's lawsuit over the use of U.S. military troops in downtown Los Angeles.

The state is trying to block the White House from using the Marines and National Guard troops in protests over immigration raids. President Trump mobilized the military against the objections of the state's governor, Gavin Newsom, who is accusing the president of -- quote -- "a brazen abuse of power" -- close quote.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWSOM: This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, joining us now, CNN senior political and global affairs commentator Rahm Emanuel. He's a former U.S. ambassador to Japan, a former Obama White House chief of staff, former mayor of Chicago as well.

Rahm, thanks for being here.

Do you agree with Governor Newsom? Has the White House trampled California's rights by mobilizing U.S. military troops without their consent?

RAHM EMANUEL, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Yes, Wolf, I want to draw back on one experience when I was mayor.

Chicago in 2012 had the largest NATO meeting in the history of NATO, 75 countries -- yes, close to 75 countries because other countries participated. We had 50,000 people on the street. We did security in collaboration and cooperation with the federal government, not in confrontation.

And people were able to protest without provoking, very little, if any violence at all. Here, the administration, Trump administration, is not trying to cooperate, not trying to collaborate, is trying to confront not those protesters, but also the state government. This was a confrontation driven by the Trump administration.

So I think Gavin Newsom is right not only to sue, but to call it out, because it starts the United States down a road we haven't ever gone before. Now, you have a right to protest. You don't have a right to provoke. That is also true for the government. You have a responsibility to protect, not to provoke.