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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Mayor Announces Curfew In Downtown Los Angeles; Car Plows Through Protesters In Chicago; California Governor Delivers Address On L.A. Protests. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired June 10, 2025 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT & INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: And then everybody is either going to go home, or come up with some other plan. But it will relieve -- I mean, right now, they're operating with 725 officers, deployed in this square mile.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: Right.
MILLER: Which they can then spread out to other places, and respond to other jobs.
BERMAN: All right. The news. We're about a couple hours away from a curfew, beginning in Downtown Los Angeles. We will wait and see the impact that has. We are also waiting to hear from California governor, Gavin Newsom, said to be delivering a major address shortly.
The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News.
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KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: And we do start with breaking news, this evening, as the Mayor of Los Angeles has just declared a curfew will be in place for parts of Downtown Los Angeles, following days of protests that we have seen in this city that have, at times, turned violent.
She says that curfew will be in place from 08:00 p.m. Pacific Time to 06:00 a.m. Pacific, and it will cover about one square mile of the entire Los Angeles area. She said she does expect this curfew to be in place, potentially for the next several days.
The Mayor, Karen Bass, made a point to highlight that and talk about what this is going to look like, in terms of where exactly this will be, she said, not to minimize the violence that we have seen take place at times, but to emphasize that what you're seeing play out, and what we've been covering here on CNN, has not engulfed all of Los Angeles. The protests have been growing for a fifth night, as we are now waiting to hear from the California governor, Gavin Newsom, as well, this hour. He's expected to address the state, in the next few moments. We'll bring that to you live when it happens.
For now, I want to get an update on the ground from CNN's Erin Burnett, who is live in Downtown Los Angeles.
And Erin, with this news from the Mayor that a curfew is going to be going into place. Tell us what you've been seeing on the ground, and how that's going to affect what the next few hours could look like.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: And that's going to be the crucial question here, right, Kaitlan? We have a couple of hours until it formally takes effect. And right now, what we're seeing -- and just emphasize where I'm standing. I'm standing in front of the Federal Building where we saw last night, so many, the crowds, right, and all of this started from.
Right now, you've got National Guard cycling in and out. Where we are right now, no protesters. And we've been with pockets of protesters. We've seen the tactical units. But the protests have been more broken apart tonight.
It is going to affect all of Downtown L.A., where we're standing right now. But right now, you see the traffic and you see people out and about. It is fair to say, a lot of people don't quite know that there is a curfew yet, because news of it just crossed, Kaitlan. So, we'll see what that means over the next two hours.
But it would mean that police would be able to impound vehicles that are driving around, if they wanted. They would be able to detain people. It would give them all of those powers, in terms of the curfew. Well, we'll see if there's a reaction here.
But it has been pockets of protesters. Earlier on was really the most intensity that we saw right outside the Federal Building, with National Guard, when there were plastic water bottles lobbed at them, and that that was responded with rubber bullets. And that was the violence that we saw, the arrests, the detentions that we saw earlier today. That met with a dispersal act, and they said that crowds had to disperse.
I think it's fair to say, Kaitlan, that it was that moment that probably precipitated why the Mayor of L.A. very much wanted to do this curfew, to ensure that things didn't escalate and get out of control.
I talked to the Mayor just a few moments ago, and she was very clear that she wanted to do this, that she felt that a curfew was really the best option for L.A., right now, and that they would go, she originally indicated much smaller than they went, right, that it would be just part of Downtown, emphasizing it's just part of Downtown, not all of Downtown that has been if impacted.
But they did go bigger. They did go with all of Downtown L.A., that full square mile, taking place in just a couple hours here, Kaitlan
COLLINS: Yes. And just to put that in perspective. I mean, all of Los Angeles is 500 square miles. So for one square mile, to have that curfew, where they are going to put that in place. Obviously, we'll continue to see how that looks like and how it develops throughout the night.
Erin Burnett, thank you. We'll check back in with you throughout the hour, as we're watching the people around you learn about this curfew that is now going to be in effect, likely for the next several days, according to the Mayor.
Shimon Prokupecz is also live at a protest in New York City, on the other side of the country.
And Shimon, this is something that has changed, in the last 24 hours, as we're seeing more and more protests pop up at other places in the U.S. What are you seeing in New York tonight?
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly in the last 20 minutes or so, Kaitlan, we have seen an escalation here, really started by some of the agitators that were in the crowd.
This has been going peaceful here for more than four hours. It started just feet away from where I'm standing, and they have been marching for the last several hours. They went to Washington Square Park, and then they decided to keep going. And as the crowd was walking marching through SoHo, there were some people in the crowd who started throwing garbage and other items into the street.
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Keep in mind, the police had not been bothering any of the marchers or protesters, to that point. In fact, for hours, they were allowing them to remain in the street, stop traffic, walk around, do what they were doing.
And it wasn't until some of the people in the crowd started throwing garbage into the street, the NYPD -- you see these officers here. These are the Strategic Response Group. These are the officers that respond to the protests. And what happened was the Chief here started calling them in and said, Let's go. Let's go. Hurry up.
And then they started making announcements, Kaitlan, for people to get out of the street, and if they refuse, they would be arrested. And then, within a few seconds after that, the NYPD moved in, and, as you saw, made several arrests.
And, at this point now, some of those that are arrested are going to be placed in this van here. And right now, the NYPD is sort of just standing around, trying to control the situation as they move some of the people they've been arrested.
But I think it's important to note here that the NYPD has been hands- off here, since 5 o'clock. And it wasn't until the 9 o'clock hour, closer as we approached 9 o'clock, when this group decided to leave Washington Square Park, head here to Lower Manhattan, here at Federal Plaza.
Because behind me here, I want to just show you, Kaitlan, this is Federal Plaza. This is where the ICE office is. This is where people who are detained by ICE are held until they are moved.
And I just want to quickly, if I can show you just up the street here, there are still, it may be hard to see, Kaitlan, because it's dark, but Evelio (ph) here is going to do the best he can. There's still hundreds of protesters here.
COLLINS: Yes, we can see them.
PROKUPECZ: And as long as they remain on the sidewalk -- yes, you can see them. OK, good.
So as long as they remain on the sidewalk, I don't think the NYPD is going to interfere with them. But if they decide to go back in the street, start throwing garbage. We saw someone throwing a ladder. There was a construction site. And someone went into the construction site and pulled items out of that.
So for now, we'll see. But important here, right now, there is an escalation. NYPD is now here. And we wait to see what happens.
COLLINS: And it's notable, Shimon, what you pointed out about that's where ICE is holding and detaining people. That is exactly what we saw start in Los Angeles, at the beginning of all of this, on Friday night.
Shimon, we'll check back in with you, as you continue to monitor the protests that are happening in New York, right now.
Now, as we are waiting to hear from the Governor of California, I want to bring in Democratic senator of California, Adam Schiff.
And it's great to have you here, Senator, as we're watching very closely what is happening on the ground, in your state, in Los Angeles, specifically.
And you just saw the Mayor announce that she is going to be putting a curfew in place, starting at 08:00 p.m. Pacific, lasting until 06:00 a.m. in the morning. It's just one square mile of the 500 square miles that Los Angeles is.
But do you think that's the right call by the Mayor?
SEN. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): I think it's a very reasonable decision for her to make, to try to get beyond this period, where people are exercising their right to protest. But also, you have some agitators, who are vandalizing buildings, and who are using violence, and those vandals should be arrested and prosecuted. But I think it's reasonable to set a curfew and hope things settle down.
I think, frankly, there's nothing the President would like more than to provoke a confrontation, with either the Guard, or he's calling the Marines, both unjustified, I think, unlawful steps by the President. But nonetheless, a pattern we're likely to see replicated in other parts of the country.
COLLINS: Yes, and you just mentioned the President. One thing that he has been saying today is that the protesters that we're seeing, the agitators, the people who are causing violence, are paid. We don't have any evidence of that. But it is something that he's been saying repeatedly, for the last several days.
And today, I want to play what he said in Fort Bragg about who he thinks is paying them, and how he walked those comments back a few hours later.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: In Los Angeles, the Governor of California, the Mayor of Los Angeles--
(BOOING)
TRUMP: --they're incompetent. And they paid troublemakers, agitators and insurrectionists.
REPORTER: Mr. President, you appeared to say that the Governor and the Mayor paid them. Do you believe that the Governor and the Mayor paid the agitators?
TRUMP: No, I don't say the Governor and the Mayor. I said, somebody's paying them, I think. And if they're not, they're just trouble-making.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: What's your response to that, Senator?
SCHIFF: Well, that this is Donald Trump being Donald Trump, basically making statements out of whole cloth, making the craziest allegations, then trying to deny them. You know, it's awful, frankly, to have a president that nobody can believe what he says, from morning, noon, or night.
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But it's also quite traditional Trump. And that is, he wants to justify the unjustifiable. He wants to create chaos. He wants to somehow pretend to be a president of law and order, when his first act in office was to pardon hundreds of people who attacked law enforcement officers. So, we've got this president who no one can really have confidence or trust in, and he's displaying, once again, why there's so little trust in him.
COLLINS: What is your response when the President says that, L.A. would be burning to the ground right now -- that's a quote -- if the President had not ordered the National Guard to go into Los Angeles.
SCHIFF: Well, this is another perfect illustration of Trump's repeated false statements. I mean, he's kind of a firehose of falsehood.
He made that claim that, thanks to the Guard, things were settling down in Los Angeles, before the Guard was even deployed or in position. So, this is the President, basically, I guess, speaking whatever comes into his head, no matter how false, no matter how improper. He, at one point, said he supported the arrest of the Governor. It's absurd nonsense.
But when he abuses the military, this way, it erodes trust in the military. We, in California, like in so many states, have a very close relationship with our National Guard. We revere our Guard. They're there to help us during fires and floods. They're there when we need them. And to misuse them in this way.
And to misuse the Marine Corps that we also really value and idealize their service to the country. When there are some real threats facing the country from outside the country, to deploy them in American cities, to try to intimidate Americans? It's just such a terrible abuse, but one, I really think, we're likely to see replicated in other cities.
COLLINS: Well, Governor Newsom's office is teasing that he's going to directly respond to the President tonight, in their release, saying that he's going to speak, which I should note, is expected to happen in a few moments. They said, It will be in response to President Trump's assault on democracy and the President's illegal militarization of Los Angeles.
What do you want to hear from Governor Newsom tonight?
SCHIFF: Well, I think the Governor has taken the right approach, which is, this is really lawless action by the President. It's an abuse of the military. It's a waste of taxpayer money. It's deliberately adding fuel to the fire. This is not what L.A. wants. It's not what California either wants or needs.
The President ought to do his job, for crying out loud. He said he would lower prices. Prices have not been lower. Do your job. He said he would go after violent criminals, who were here unlawfully. He's not. He's doing these, these pointless raids, where he's sweeping up citizens and non-citizens alike. He's going after farmworkers who do back-breaking work, out on the fields. He's separating families.
Do your job, Donald Trump. Focus on those who are violent offenders. And stop raising the temperature in cities around America, and stop abusing the military. I think that's what the Governor will be pointing out, and he is quite right to do so.
COLLINS: What would you say on those two fronts, on immigration and on the National Guard. These are both things that Trump alluded to, when he was on the campaign trail. One, they had signs that said, Mass deportations. And secondly, he also said that he wouldn't do what he did in his first term by not bypassing governors to deploy the National Guard, when he wanted to.
What would you say to someone who said, Well, I mean, the President said on the campaign trail he was going to do this, and he was still -- he was elected.
SCHIFF: Well, he's said a lot of things on the campaign trail. And often, he's said things that were mutually contradictory.
He also said he was going to focus on deporting violent criminals. He hasn't done that. Now, he tried to paint everyone who was in the country, who was undocumented as a violent criminal. That was a lie. And the fact that he can't find or doesn't care to try to ferret out people who have committed crimes, and is doing these indiscriminate raids, shows, I think, how he is breaking his commitment.
But I think people voted for Donald Trump, because he said he was going to bring down prices, and he was going to try to improve the quality of life for the American people. This is not that.
This is simply creating chaos in our streets. And if anything, this is his effort to distract from his needless and unsuccessful tariff wars, distract from his inability to bring down costs, distract from his fight with Elon Musk, distract from the problems plaguing his deficit- and debt-exploding big, ugly bill, his raids on Medicaid and Medicare.
So, this is simply, I think, Donald Trump wishing to say, Hey, don't pay attention to everything going on over here. I'm going to abuse the military, and pretend to be a law and order president after pardoning hundreds of insurrectionists.
COLLINS: Senator Adam Schiff, we'll be watching closely, obviously, to see what's happening in Los Angeles tonight. Thank you for your time.
SCHIFF: Thank you.
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COLLINS: I also want to bring in our team of reporters and experts that we have, covering all of the live breaking development, out of Los Angeles, and also in multiple cities tonight, as we are seeing protests pop up in other places as well.
CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is here.
CNN Legal and National Security Analyst, Carrie Cordero.
And also, CNN's Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst, John Miller is with me.
And John, obviously, you have experience with the LAPD. Just from your perspective, as you're watching this play out tonight, with this curfew that is for Downtown Los Angeles. Again, as the Mayor said, it's one square mile out of the 500 square miles that accompanies -- encompasses L.A. What do you make of what this is going to look like, and how it will change, or not, what's happening on the ground tonight?
MILLER: Well, I think what they're doing by making it so early, 08:00 p.m. -- and, I mean, remember, Kaitlan, this is the first curfew Los Angeles has had since the 1992 riots, and this is far from that in terms of level of violence.
But what they're looking at is the Civic Center, where the ICE activity has been by the courthouse, and the jail, where the National Guard is stationed, has become this lightning rod.
So, to spread people out from that area, where they have had to concentrate so many officers, gives them two opportunities. One, it gets that crowd off the ax of that symbolic target, the courthouse and the jail. Two, it allows them to stop anybody who is moving in that area, because they won't need any probable cause or any particular crime after the curfew. If they're out in that area and they're not authorized, they can be arrested right away.
But here's the key to this. Look at the arrest numbers. 40 on Sunday. A 114 on Monday. A 197 on Tuesday. And then 67 more. By California Highway Patrol. So that's 264. They were reaching the pace within that small area of Los Angeles, with these arrests, to say, We're steaming towards something that is becoming too hard to work with this number of cops. Let's just lock it down.
COLLINS: Yes. And I want to point out. If you can see John, we're looking at Chicago, right now, and scenes coming out of there. As people might look at this and think, Oh, that's Los Angeles. No, this is what's happening in Chicago. We saw it last night, in Dallas and in Austin, to a degree. We're watching with Shimon, to see what's happening inside New York tonight. Obviously, as everyone is staying on high alert for this.
If you're law enforcement in another city, and you're watching what's happening in L.A., you're watching this curfew be put in place? Is that something that they're paying attention to, in case it is a cause or it's a need in places like Chicago?
MILLER: Well, it is. Now, there are some key differences. Now, New York had its last curfew in 2020, during the riots after the George Floyd incident, where you had sustained looting for two or three nights in a row, and that lasted a week. It also started at 08:00 p.m. But we hadn't had one here since 1965 before that. So yes, this is unusual.
Now, Chicago, a city half the size of New York City, a little bit smaller than Los Angeles, but 13,000 cops. New York City, twice the population of Los Angeles, but 30,000 cops. Los Angeles, they have just about 8,300 cops there. They're down by a couple of thousand, under their head count.
This has been putting a real strain on the department in a very small area. They've got 725 officers, in that area, right now, and another 725 coming on at midnight. And what they're hoping to do is walk the tension level down, and maybe get some of those resources, police resources, back to patrolling the rest of the city.
COLLINS: Yes, we'll continue to see what happens. It's remarkable to see when the last time these curfews were put in place.
And Priscilla, in terms of what we're seeing happening in L.A. We've been talking about the National Guard being there, what's happening with ICE, as Tom Homan said last night. These ICE arrests are still continuing. They're not stopping them because of what we're seeing coming out of Los Angeles.
We saw these images of what appeared to be National Guard troops helping ICE agents conduct these arrests, not actually arresting people, but basically kind of standing guard as they were.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this was a remarkable image, because of just how unusual it is. In fact, as soon as I saw it, you'll see it right there on your screen, that I texted my sources. And no one had recalled an instance where National Guard was involved at all on any type of interior enforcement -- that Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
COLLINS: Noone could remember this happening?
ALVAREZ: Noone can remember this happening.
COLLINS: Wow.
ALVAREZ: So, this was a situation, where National Guard has been deployed to serve as a security perimeter, as well as to protect a Federal Building. In this case, they appear to be doing the former, which is providing a security perimeter, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement continued their operations in Los Angeles.
But it certainly marks an escalation, because even if National Guard isn't arresting anyone, just serving as a security perimeter to ICE, as they're conducting these operations, is notable.
[21:20:00]
And again, it's an image that no one that I've talked to can recall ever seeing before, even if we have seen, for example, National Guard helping along the U.S. southern border before this, and the Interior is remarkable.
And it is telling, Kaitlan, of the bigger backdrop here, which is that the administration has been pulling every lever of government, to try to get more assistance, to ICE, to drum up their immigration arrests. And this perhaps marks yet another moment, a remarkable one, as they move toward using National Guard as well.
COLLINS: Yes, and they did--
ALVAREZ: Even if not, again, for arrests.
COLLINS: --making that case to Republicans as well about boosting their funding.
But Carrie, when you look at this -- and we're waiting to hear from California governor, Gavin Newsom. He's been doing few interviews here and there. But his first time, addressing all of California, in terms of what's happening in Los Angeles tonight, and his response to the President bringing in the National Guard. A judge today declined to immediately, basically put a restraining order on this lawsuit that he's filed, over Trump calling in the National Guard. What do you make of that standing that he has there?
CARRIE CORDERO, CNN LEGAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, FORMER MEMBER, HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISORY COUNCIL: Well, I think the perspective of the Governor is going to be the perspective of really what any other governor, in the entire country, would make, which is that they are the commander of their own National Guard, and they have operational control over their National Guard.
And even sometimes, when there's a federal mission involved, and the federal government is financially supporting the National Guard, the Guard is still under the command and control of the Governor.
So, it's an unusual situation. It has happened in modern history. But it's an unusual situation, and usually a more extraordinary situation, when a president comes in and federalizes the Guard, particularly over the objection of the governor.
And so really, Governor Newsom is in a position, tonight, to make an argument for federalism, and what is really more of a conservative argument, and an argument why the federal government should not be coming in, stepping into his state.
And I think, actually, the Mayor's action, in establishing this curfew and stepping up the law enforcement side of things, will help the Governor's argument on that.
COLLINS: Yes. And she said to stop vandalism and looting. She cited that specifically.
We'll check in and see what happens here.
Everyone, thank you for bringing that expertise.
We are moments away from hearing from Governor Gavin Newsom, delivering a formal address amid these protests. We're going to bring that to you live here on CNN, when it happens.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: You're looking at a live scene, inside Chicago tonight, as protesters have filled a busy intersection in Downtown. We're watching police officers face to face with the protesters there, as they are working to contain what has become a tense scene, at the moment.
I want to bring in CNN's Whitney Wild, who is in the heart of Downtown Chicago tonight.
And Whitney, earlier, I know there was a video of a car plowing through protesters in Chicago. What have you been seeing, over the last few hours? WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: We've seen a very loud protest, a protest that has grown in size. And we've seen law enforcement start to take a, I guess, I would call it, a bolder posture. Although, I will say this has been a very peaceful protest.
So right now, what you're looking at, these are -- this is the top command staff for CPD. You're looking at the number two -- number two in charge for the Chicago Police Department. That's the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety here. So, I thought it was important to show you that, so that people understand how seriously this City is taking the public safety aspect here.
But also, Kaitlan, the First Amendment right for these people to protest. The Chicago Police Department has said over and over and over, including, last summer during the DNC, they take First Amendment protected right to protest very seriously. They train their law enforcement to make sure that they are protecting public safety, but also giving protesters enough time and space to do what they need to do.
And so, what you're seeing here, this is the first time, actually, right now, that we're seeing law enforcement in riot gear. Before, they were just in soft gear, Kaitlan, so that means no helmet. But now you're seeing that they are in -- that they have helmets now, that they have batons now.
So, the Chicago Police Department is not allowing this to get out of control. But again, you know that we are hearing from the top levels that they are committed to First Amendment protest activity.
There are easily thousands of people, here in Downtown Chicago. Earlier, we had this video, and I believe that we can show it to you. The major incident here was a car going through part of the crowd. They didn't plow right into the thick of the crowd, but it sort of wove through some of the protesters, and clipped protesters on either side, and then bolted down the street. That was at Wabash and Monroe, Kaitlan.
We're still working with the Chicago Police Department to find out more information about that, if that driver has been arrested, and any details that might help explain exactly why that happened.
So, right now, the protest is, sort of, is spreading out at the moment. Before it was -- it was a lot denser. But now you're seeing, again, the Chicago Police Department spread out in lines here, and the crowd is starting to break apart a little bit, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: OK. Whitney Wild, keep us updated with what you've been seeing on the ground.
As we're watching closely, as these protests are not just happening in Los Angeles. As we can see, they're also happening in Chicago, New York, other cities across the United States, as well.
As we're monitoring, though, what is happening in L.A., and waiting to hear from the Governor, who's expected to speak any moment now, we did just hear from the City's Mayor, who said that approximately 23 businesses in Downtown Los Angeles have been looted, during the protests that we're seeing happening over the last few days.
This comes as CNN has learned that the more than 700 Marines that we told you about, last night, that have been activated to go and assist the National Guard in L.A., are now completing additional training before potentially moving into the city.
[21:30:00]
There's this aerial footage, from this afternoon, where it shows what appears to be Marines practicing drills at a base. This is in the L.A. area, keep in mind. Some of those drills have included the use of riot shields, hand-to-hand combat as well, as we are keeping a close eye on that.
I want to bring in my sources tonight.
Former Air National Guardsman and Illinois congressman, Adam Kinzinger.
And also, the former Acting Secretary of Homeland security in President Trump's first term, Chad Wolf.
And it's great to have both of your expertise here. And I do want to warn you, I might have to interrupt you when Governor Newsom starts speaking.
But Adam Kinzinger, when you see the video that I just showed, of what appears to be these Marines, training with riot shields, and practicing detaining people, do you think that is something that we could -- we could potentially see?
ADAM KINZINGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER AIR NATIONAL GUARDSMAN, FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE (R-IL): I mean, it's possible, but they have no authority. They're Title 10. Title 10 means they're federal troops. Short of using the Insurrection Act, they have no authority for any law enforcement.
And here's the interesting thing. All of those troops that we're calling National Guard troops are not National Guard troops. They've been -- and I know this as a Guardsman, by the way -- they've been activated under Title 10 by the President, without consent of the governor. They are active-duty U.S. Army, with all the limitations the U.S. Army has.
The reality of it is, look, if Newsom and L.A. needed the National Guard, they would activate the National Guard. Short of that, these guys are actually being used as props. If you need 100 of them to guard a building, that's one thing. But to use the U.S. Marines, when you have 4,000 U.S. Army troops? That's meant for one reason, to intimidate. And that should be chilling to everybody that sees that.
COLLINS: Mr. Secretary, was it surprising to you? As we were just hearing from Priscilla, who said that she had talked to former ICE officials, senior officials, who said when they saw the images of National Guard forces and troops helping and kind of standing guard, as ICE was conducting arrests today, they said that is something that they've never seen before. Do you recall ever seeing that?
CHAD WOLF, FORMER ACTING HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY UNDER TRUMP, EXECUTIVE VP & CSO, AMERICA FIRST POLICY INSTITUTE: Well, I mean, ICE uses a variety of different law enforcement agencies to help them do their mission, whether it's National Guard, or it's ATF, or FBI, or whatever it might be.
ICE law enforcement are there on the front lines, making those arrests, serving those administrative warrants and the like. And you have other law enforcement. And now, this case, National Guard, that are doing other missions.
It's very similar to how CBP and DHS deploys the National Guard to the border as well. They're not necessarily putting hands on migrants crossing the border. But they are doing a variety of other duties there, that frees up local law enforcement, or Border Patrol along that border.
So, this idea of Title 10 and all of that, I mean, that's interesting, but it's not really relevant here. What the President has said is that he's calling National Guard in, to help address the situation. And by National Guard protecting federal buildings, that takes law enforcement off of that mission, to where they can engage, as they normally do in that community policing, to help control and to address the violent agitators.
KINZINGER: Kaitlan, can I just say, it's not--
COLLINS: Adam Kinzinger, your response?
KINZINGER: Yes, it's not interesting, the Title 10 and Title 32 difference. It's the law. It's the Constitution. The Constitution which prevents federal troops from doing law enforcement. You can call the National Guard if you want. But if they're under Title 10.
Look, I worked the border. I actually worked the border, under you, when you were -- when you were Homeland Secretary. I was Title 32. So, I had, with the consent of the governor, the ability to do law enforcement. And I think the Guard is really important for that. And if Gavin Newsom decides that the Guard needs to be used for that, he has every right.
But a Title 10 troop is no different than the 82nd Airborne. And there are not just laws. There's constitutional requirements for that. And I get that this may be boring to some people, or we may be able to kind of shake our head and push it away. But this is actually constitutional stuff that is extremely important in my mind.
COLLINS: But Mr. Secretary, can I ask you on obviously--
WOLF: Yes, but everything that the National Guard is doing, right now, is protecting federal buildings. So this idea, I mean, we can--
KINZINGER: Right. That's OK. WOLF: --we can talk about what-if, and hypotheticals. But it is federal assets that they are guarding, which they're well within their right to do.
COLLINS: Yes. Well, I'm glad you -- I'm glad you brought that up. Because what we're seeing them do and what we could see them do.
We heard today that the Homeland Security Secretary, who has your old job, Kristi Noem, sent a memo, over the weekend, to Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, asking him to direct members of the military, on the ground, in L.A., to arrest protesters.
But wouldn't that be a violation of federal law if the President has not invoked the Insurrection Act?
WOLF: Sorry. Is that to me, Kaitlan?
COLLINS: Yes.
WOLF: Yes. Look, I don't know anything about that memo. I think, yes, there are definitely some legal issues there, on whether or not DOD assets can actually put hands on and arrest folks. I think there's a lot of complexities there.
[21:35:00]
I would be in favor of making sure that you have law enforcement, and in this case, ICE law enforcement, that has those statutory responsibilities. If they're going to make arrests, if they're going to detain individuals, that those individuals with that type of training, and those authorities do it. And you use the National Guard, and you use others to do other missions that frees up that law enforcement to do that primary mission of making those arrests and holding people accountable.
COLLINS: All right.
And I want to thank you so much.
I want to go in and listen to Governor Gavin Newsom.
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): --What's happening right now is very different than anything we've seen before.
On Saturday morning, when federal agents jumped out of an unmarked van, near a Home Depot parking lot, they began grabbing people. A deliberate targeting of a heavily Latino suburb. A similar scene played out when a clothing company was raided downtown.
In other actions, a U.S. citizen, nine months pregnant, was arrested. A 4-year-old girl taken. Families, separated. Friends, quite literally, disappearing.
In response, everyday Angelenos came out to exercise their constitutional right, to free speech and assembly, to protest their government's actions. In turn, the State of California and the City and County of Los Angeles sent our police officers, to help keep the peace. And with some exceptions, they were successful.
Like many states, California is no stranger to this sort of unrest. We manage it regularly and with our own law enforcement. But this, again, was different. What then ensued was the use of tear gas, flash-bang grenades, rubber bullets, federal agents detaining people and undermining their due process rights.
Donald Trump, without consulting California law enforcement leaders, commandeered 2,000 of our state's National Guard members, to deploy on our streets, illegally, and for no reason.
This brazen abuse of power, by a sitting president, inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers, and even our National Guard, at risk. That's when the downward spiral began. He doubled down on his dangerous National Guard deployment, by fanning the flames even harder. And the President, he did it on purpose.
As the news spread, throughout L.A., anxiety for family and friends ramped up. Protests started again. By night, several dozen lawbreakers became violent and destructive. They vandalized property. They tried to assault police officers. Many of you have seen the video clips, of cars burning, on cable news.
If you incite violence, I want to be clear about this, if you incite violence or destroy our communities, you are going to be held to account. That kind of criminal behavior will not be tolerated. Full stop. Already, more than 220 people have been arrested, and we're reviewing tapes to build additional cases, and people will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Again, thanks to our law enforcement officers, and the majority of Angelenos who protested peacefully, this situation was winding down and was concentrated in just a few square blocks downtown.
But that, that's not what Donald Trump wanted. He again chose escalation. He chose more force. He chose theatrics over public safety. He federalized another 2,000 Guard members. He deployed more than 700 active U.S. Marines.
These are the men and women trained for foreign combat, not domestic law enforcement. We honor their service. We honor their bravery. But we do not want our streets militarized by our own Armed Forces. Not in L.A. Not in California. Not anywhere.
We're seeing unmarked cars, unmarked cars, in school parking lots, kids afraid of attending their own graduation. Trump is pulling a military dragnet, all across Los Angeles, well beyond his stated intent to just go after violent and serious criminals.
His agents are arresting dishwashers, gardeners, day laborers and seamstresses. That's just weakness, weakness masquerading as strength. Donald Trump's government isn't protecting our communities. They're traumatizing our communities, and that seems to be the entire point.
California will keep fighting. We'll keep fighting on behalf of our people, all of our people, including in the courts. Just yesterday, we filed a legal challenge to Donald Trump's reckless deployment of American troops to a major American city.
Today, we sought an emergency court order to stop the use of the American military to engage in law enforcement activities, across Los Angeles. If some of us could be snatched off the streets, without a warrant, based only on suspicion, or skin color, then none of us are safe.
[21:40:00]
Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves. But they do not stop there. Trump and his loyalists, they thrive on division, because it allows them to take more power and exert even more control.
And by the way, Trump, he's not opposed to lawlessness and violence, as long as it serves him. What more evidence do we need than January 6th. Ask everyone, take time, reflect on this perilous moment. A president who wants to be bound by no law or constitution, perpetuating a unified assault on American traditions.
This is a president who, in just over 140 days, has fired government watchdogs that could hold him accountable, accountable for corruption and fraud. He's declared a war, a war on culture, on history, on science, on knowledge itself. Databases, quite literally, are vanishing.
He's delegitimizing news organizations, and he's assaulting the First Amendment. And the threat of defunding them, at threat, he's dictating what universities themselves can teach. He's targeting law firms and the judicial branch that are the foundations of an orderly and civil society. He's calling for a sitting governor to be arrested, for no other reason than to, in his own words, for getting elected.
And we all know, this Saturday, he's ordering our American heroes, the United States military, and forcing them to put on a vulgar display to celebrate his birthday, just as other failed dictators have done in the past.
Look, this isn't just about protests, here in Los Angeles. When Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard, he made that order apply to every state in this nation. 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. This moment, we have feared, has arrived. He's taking a wrecking ball, a wrecking ball to our Founding Fathers' historic project. Three co-equal branches of independent government.
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. The Founding Fathers, they didn't live and die to see this kind of moment. It's time for all of us to stand up. Justice Brandeis, he said it
best. In a democracy, the most important office, with all due respect, Mr. President, is not the presidency, and it's certainly not governor. The most important office is office of citizen.
At this moment, at this moment, we all need to stand up and be held to account, a higher level of accountability. If you exercise your First Amendment rights, please, please do it peacefully. I know many of you are feeling deep anxiety, stress, and fear. But I want you to know that you are the antidote to that fear and that anxiety.
What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty. Your silence. To be complicit in this moment. Do not give in to him.
COLLINS: That was a blistering speech there, from the California governor, Gavin Newsom, responding, after days of back-and-forth between his state, and Los Angeles specifically, and the White House and President Trump, including comments that the President has made, saying that if he was his border czar, he would have Governor Newsom arrested, something that the Governor there invoked.
As he was essentially referencing not only what we've been seeing play out in Los Angeles, which he was plenty critical of, including Trump bypassing the governor there, to deploy the National Guard, also sending hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles.
He also invoked the fact that he had implied having him arrested, the President's upcoming military parade, that he's having here in Washington, his fight with Harvard.
And he warned other states, in that speech that, quote, Other states are next. He said that Donald Trump is not opposed to law, that -- lawlessness, and he invoked what happened on January 6th.
He also addressed what we've been seeing play out, over the last several nights, in Los Angeles, and condemned the violence and the vandalism. He pointed to the hundreds of arrests that have played out, so far, already, in that city, and said that they are working through video and compiling additional cases, as he thanked the Los Angeles Police Department for the work that it's done so far, and said it was needless to have the National Guard also deployed there.
[21:45:00]
Those were notable comments, coming from the Governor, after a vicious back-and-forth between President Trump and Governor Newsom, as he has repeatedly criticized the job that Newsom has done, and said if it was not for him, sending in the National Guard, that Los Angeles would be burning to the ground.
I want to bring in CNN's Priscilla Alvarez back here with me.
Also, our Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst, John Miller.
But Scott Jennings and Kate Bedingfield, I want to start with you. Because Kate, obviously, to hear what we just did from Governor Newsom, he went far beyond just what has been happening, in terms of Los Angeles and the protests there, and how the President and the White House have responded. I mean, he essentially was attacking everything that has happened, over the last several months that Donald Trump has been in office. He said, The moment that we feared has arrived.
KATE BEDINGFIELD, FORMER BIDEN WH COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I think he's using this moment to channel some of the energy that there -- a faction of the Democratic base wants to see from Democratic leaders. I think this is the kind of thing that people who feel frustrated that the Democrats are not taking on Trump more directly, this is exactly the kind of thing they want to see.
Now, I think the question here, though, more broadly, for Democrats, politically, is, Is this an effective message? I think, at the end of the day, what is -- you know, we know that the larger argument about Trump's lawlessness, about abuse of power, it can resonate. I thought it was very effective, the way he called out Trump's hypocrisy around protecting law enforcement and January 6th.
But we also know from the election that we just saw transpire in 2024, that this argument about democracy, it doesn't hold the kind of urgency, in people's lives, across the country, that it does for some who are the kind of most vocal champions of the Democratic Party. And I think Democrats have to reconcile that.
So, when Gavin Newsom has an opportunity, to command national attention, as he does right now, and to take on Trump directly, there is an opportunity there, to go back to the economy, to go back to what people across the country are feeling in their day-to-day lives. And I think that is the -- that is the challenge, from a political messaging standpoint, the Democrats have to reconcile here, and find a way forward on.
COLLINS: Scott Jennings, you saw and heard Governor Newsom condemning what President Trump has been doing in office, not just in regards to Los Angeles, but also overall. He also condemned the violence and the vandalism that we've seen playing out, in Los Angeles, amid these protests, and said, it's not acceptable.
What was your take on that speech?
SCOTT JENNINGS, FORMER SR. ADVISER TO SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's amazing to me. First of all, this guy is the governor of a state, and it has got one of its most important cities burning, on his watch, and he's out here launching a presidential campaign.
I mean, there's no other way to listen to what happened, and not conclude that he just launched his presidential campaign, on top of this lawlessness that's going on in California. He governs a failed state. He sits atop of a failed state. And he sits, I guess, at the leadership, right now, of a political party, that's wanting to coddle the illegal invasion of our country, that's causing what's happening.
It's not particularly controversial for Donald Trump to enforce federal law or immigration laws. And yet, to Democrats, and to Gavin Newsom, it's an affront to them for the President of the United States to enforce federal law. I mean, he went down a litany of things that have nothing to do with what's happening in California.
All that's happening in California is that a bunch of foreign nationals have occupied large swaths of the United States. One city is burning, and the President of the United States is trying to bring order.
That's all that's happening, when we get this litany of complaints from Gavin Newsom about everything, about how much the Democrats in California have failed. I don't think it's going to resonate with the American people. I think it's going to look opportunistic, and people are going to wonder why in the world is the Governor of California complaining about Harvard, when one of his cities is on fire.
COLLINS: But Kate, I mean, the criticism -- well, a lot of those protesters have been peaceful, I should note, as we're watching what's happening in L.A., Scott, just to put a point on what you said there.
But Kate, what we had heard from Democrats here in Washington earlier, like Senator John Fetterman, saying, that Democrats needed to have a stronger response. They needed to condemn the violence, what was happening.
I mean, the Governor did that there, and also was heavily critical of the immigration efforts by the Trump administration, saying that Trump is going far beyond what they promised on the campaign trail, to go after criminals first.
JENNINGS: Yes. Gavin Newsom was extremely critical of any protesters who were violent, in that speech. He dedicated a chunk of the speech to asking people to be peaceful, and to criticizing those who were being violent.
And I think you've seen that across the board, from Democrats, who have -- I think, the idea that Senator Fetterman sort of put out there that Democrats haven't been criticizing the violence is just not true. It's just not borne out by what Democrats have been saying.
[21:50:00]
I do think, across the board, I take his point, his larger point, that people need to feel that Democrats want to see peace here. They want to see peaceful protests. They want to see order. They're not against the idea of law enforcement protecting their communities. We know that people want to see their communities protected. And Democrats do need to make clear that they support it.
But I think it's -- it would be impossible, and an inaccurate assessment, to watch what Gavin Newsom just said, and suggest that he was somehow condoning -- condoning violent protests, when he quite clearly said the opposite. COLLINS: Priscilla, just on what he was saying at the beginning, he was accusing ICE, and the Trump administration, of using unmarked cars of arresting and detaining gardeners, seamstresses, dishwashers. He said that Donald Trump has employed a military dragnet across Los Angeles, talking about, essentially how the immigration efforts are being carried out.
What have you heard from sources in terms of what that's actually looked like?
ALVAREZ: Well, Trump's immigration agenda is ultimately going to be judged on two things. Numbers, which the President himself has said he wants to execute mass deportation. And also, methods, as was the case during his first term.
And what we have seen, over the course of the last few weeks, is that while the administration has publicly touted their immigration crackdown, and throw -- and released photos to that effect. Privately, I'm being told that officials are extremely frustrated. They don't think that the officers are doing enough to arrest immigrants, undocumented immigrants, in the United States. So, what does that mean? That means that they have to go after everyone and anyone in these various locations, and that speaks to the method.
So what the Governor was saying there, is something that immigrant advocates and including some former ICE officials, are concerned about, is just picking up people, in these various locations, including ones they're supposed to go to for check-ins, like immigration hearings, and their USCIS check-ins to arrest people. What does that mean moving forward, and ultimately, again, this is going to come down to the numbers and the methods and the ways that they'll be judged on that front.
COLLINS: And John Miller, on that comment that stood out to me, with Governor Newsom saying that the President is dragging a military dragnet -- that was the quote that he used -- across Los Angeles.
As you've looked at this, one thing that the President pointed to earlier today, in the Oval Office, when he was talking to reporters, are comments made by the Police Chief in L.A., saying they were overwhelmed on Saturday night, basically as part of his justification for what we've seen happen here.
What have you made of the response from the LAPD, compared to the military that has been sent in to L.A.?
MILLER: Well, I think that's a really important fact-check, because the President also said that, The National Guard got there and they brought order to it.
The National Guard did not bring order to it. The National Guard surrounded the Federal Building, and then became a focal point of protest, where the LAPD had to actually bring order to that.
The other thing is -- and I have a lot of respect for Scott Jennings. He's my friend. But L.A. is not burning. OK? Five self-driving cars were burned. A couple of police cars were set on fire. That's not good. But we can't use terms that evoke images from the 1992 riots.
What this is all about, I think Gavin Newsom's point was, we started with an idea that they would be rounding up criminals. And then when the numbers weren't delivering, what they were looking for, they started going into factories and big restaurants, and that's become a spark.
COLLINS: John Miller, thank you for that. That's helpful.
And of course, stay with us, as we are continuing to watch these moments, these protests that are happening tonight, in Los Angeles, and across the United States. We'll be back on the ground, and check in with our reporters, live, next.
[21:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: In just about one hour and two minutes from now, a curfew is going to go into place, in parts of Downtown Los Angeles, as the protests have continued to unfold there, for the fifth night.
CNN's Kyung Lah is live, on the ground, in Downtown L.A.
Kyung, we've been talking about, just what a small portion of L.A. is going to be under this curfew that is going into effect tonight. What have you been seeing on the ground, in the last hour, since Mayor Bass announced that curfew?
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, crowds are definitely thinning out. The crowd that I'm standing in here appear to be the last die-hards.
But let me tell you what they're facing and what we're seeing here on the ground. You can see these officers here. They are -- they are trying to prevent any protesters from getting near the entrance of the detention center. And then you could see another set of officers back there. This is -- this is just one small corner of law enforcement of the LAPD that is here in Downtown Los Angeles.
And so, what these officers are doing is, in about an hour, they are going to start executing this order, this curfew order. All these people that you are looking at, here on this corner that, if they are still around, law enforcement will arrest anyone who breaks this curfew. And the Mayor has been very, very clear, I'm going to quote her, You will be prosecuted. So, the hope here is that they will heed the order. It has been publicized. It's out on social media.
The LAPD has had a -- has had a long day. It's been many days, for these officers. And so, of these stragglers who are left, and I can tell you that as I look out here, there were many more protesters and demonstrators throughout this area, they are thinning out now.
[22:00:00]
COLLINS: Yes. Kyung Lah, we'll continue to check in with you. This protest or -- this curfew will be in place, I should note, from 08:00 p.m. Pacific until 06:00 a.m. The Mayor said she does expect that that curfew will stay in place, for at least the next several days. In part, she cited vandalism and looting as her justification for putting that curfew in place.
Our coverage continues, here on CNN, with "CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" up next.
