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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Tensions Flare Between Police, Protesters As L.A. Unrest Spreads. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired June 10, 2025 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Welcome back to Early Start, a union leader whose arrest gained the attention of Washington lawmakers has been released from federal custody. His name is David Huerta. He was arrested last week when officers were executing a federal search warrant at a business in L.A. Well, he's been charged with conspiring to impede an officer during the protests that we're seeing still in Los Angeles now four days in. U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and California's Democratic senators wrote a letter to federal officials about Huerta's arrest. See him after he was released there.

He's now urging protesters to remain peaceful as the conflicts in parts of Los Angeles continue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID HUERTA, PRESIDENT, SERVICE EMPLOYEES INT UNION CALIFORNIA: Nothing will be resolved with violence. Violence begets violence. We need to be able to have -- our movement needs to be one of nonviolence. Our movement needs to be one that we hold each other accountable to creating heaven on earth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Let's get you more now on the release of David Huerta and the ongoing protests in Los Angeles from CNN's Jason Carroll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A peaceful scene Monday afternoon after a weekend of violence, protesters gathered in downtown Los Angeles in support of union leader David Huerta, one of dozens arrested during an immigration raid on Friday. Huerta accused of trying to block federal agents from accessing a work site, an allegation the union denies.

ARACELI MARTINEZ, DEMONSTRATOR: We oppose strongly the violations of the rights of all people, not just the immigrants, but all us Americans are being affected by this because they come for them and we're all next.

CARROLL (voice-over): Downtown L.A., heavily guarded, has been declared an unlawful assembly area. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, they're removing the -- woo.

CARROLL (voice-over): Over the weekend, hundreds of protesters clashed with local law enforcement and the National Guard after ICE raids at the Fashion District and a Home Depot near downtown Los Angeles. Cars set on fire, temporary shutdown of the busy 101 freeway and a massive police response.

And this moment where a reporter was shot by a rubber bullet. L.A. mayor, Karen Bass, told CNN deploying the National Guard was unwarranted.

KAREN BASS, LOS ANGELES MAYOR: It's an escalation that didn't have to happen. Why were there raids? You know, we had been told that he was going to go after violent criminals. It wasn't a drug den, it was a Home Depot. And you add on to that the National Guard and it felt like fuel for a fire that was unnecessary.

CARROLL (voice-over): And California's governor took to X writing, "We are suing Donald Trump. The illegal order he signed could allow him to send the military into any state he wishes. This is an unmistakable step towards authoritarianism that threatens the foundation of our republic. We cannot let it stand."

ROB BONTA, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: An order that abused the federal government's authority and violated the 10th Amendment and federal law, an order that skipped over multiple rational, common sense, strategic steps that should have been deployed to quell unrest and prevent escalation.

CARROLL (voice-over): The immigrant community of Los Angeles also has this message for President Trump.0

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are part of that immigrant community that has made L.A. great, that has made the state of California the fourth largest economy on the world today. So we have a message for President Donald Trump, get the National Guardsmen out of here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: CNN's Jason Carroll reporting there. I want to bring in now Richard Johnson, who's a lecturer in U.S. Politics at Queen Mary University of London. He's coming to us live from Oxford.

How are you doing this morning?

RICHARD JOHNSON, LECTURER IN U.S. POLITICS, QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON: I'm doing well, thank you. Thanks for having me.

SANDOVAL: Of course, it's our pleasure. Let's dive right into what's often being described now as sort of this perfect political storm here, you have Trump's immigration policies and a city made up of many, many migrants in a very vocal and resilient migrant population now choosing to speak out. Richard, do you think that what we're seeing play out in parts of Los Angeles for four days now, do you think that was bound to happen? JOHNSON: I think it was bound to happen based on the moves that the Trump administration has made. I mean, what we're seeing play out in real time is a real test of the boundaries of presidential power and federal power in the states. There is an acceptance in the courts for a long time that the Constitution does give the president limited powers to deploy troops, but only to protect federal workers and federal workspaces and federal buildings. And part of that is because it's limited by a law called the Posse Comitatus Act from the 19th century.

[04:35:12]

There are other exceptions to that, and one is that the president can federalize National Guard troops. But the law says pretty clearly that the federalization of National Guard troops shall be ordered through the governor. So you need the governor's cooperation. And in 2005, after Hurricane Katrina, President George W. Bush wanted to federalize the National Guard of Louisiana and the governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Blanco, a Democrat, said, no, thank you. And President George W. Bush respected the governor's wish and decided not to federalize the National Guard of Louisiana.

And here we have another set of circumstances where a governor has said to the president, I don't want you to federalize my National Guard. And the president has ignored Governor Gavin Newsom. And so we are now in new constitutional waters. The likes we have not seen since the civil rights era of the 1960s, which is a very different set of circumstances.

SANDOVAL: Yes, it was just yesterday morning speaking to another member of academia and speaking about how the Trump administration has really made it a priority to try to restore states powers on other issues. However, in this particular case, really going contrary to what the state has requested. But that's another conversation that we can keep going on about.

I want to talk a little bit about where polling stands right now, especially on the issue of immigration, since Trump is essentially in a defining moment because -- against the backdrop of Los Angeles. We've seen in several recent polls that Americans largely approve of Donald Trump's program to find people who are in the country illegally. However, we have seen the numbers shift slightly now when it comes to his approach that he's deploying, especially for those who do not have a history of violent crime. What do you think that these pictures, these images out of parts of Los Angeles and other parts of the country as well, will do that for the general voting public ahead of a midterm off on the horizon?

JOHNSON: Well, the polling on this is so fascinating because it really is, as you say, about the way in which this issue is framed. As a kind of general theoretical matter if you pose to people, should the president be enforcing America's immigration laws, you get quite high levels of support for that, much higher support than, say, President Trump's approval rating, right? So you're getting people who aren't natural Trump supporters who endorse that principle. But then when you ask people, do you think that President Trump is approaching this in a fair way? Do you think that he is removing people who should be removed? Then you start to see support for it fall. And also I think when you start to ask people about certain groups who might being targeted, then you see different levels of variation. And I think that the confrontational nature in which the immigration law is now being enforced will have a downward effect on that support for what -- for what President Trump is doing. Because although people do want to see the laws enforced, they also are very uneasy about a sense of a government that is stepping beyond its authority, particularly when you bring into this really important dynamic of the American system, which is federalism and the relationship between federal power and the rights of states.

SANDOVAL: Richard Johnson, really appreciate your insight. We'll keep watching this.

JOHNSON: Thank you very much.

SANDOVAL: Our pleasure.

[04:39:07]

Negotiators from the U.S. and China, they are gathering in London for another round of trade talks. Still ahead, the hard lines both nations seem to be drawing around valuable assets.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: Back to our top story this morning, the protests in Los Angeles over federal immigration rates and U.S. President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard clashes between protesters and police continued Monday evening with officers ordering people to clear the streets. CNN teams seeing officers using flashbangs and rubber bullets for crowd control and protesters in turn throw water bottles at police. President Trump has ordered an additional 2,000 members of the National Guard be deployed to L.A. to support immigration agents, and that's in addition to the 2000 already deployed without the consent of California officials.

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones spoke to one local reverend who is leading a peaceful interfaith demonstration on the ground against the Trump administration's immigration policies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. EDWARD "EDDIE" ANDERSON, MCCARTHY MEMORIAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH: I'm here with the interfaith delegation from Plou (ph) and L.A. voice, Black Latino, Jewish, Muslim, pastors, we're all coming together because we understand that nonviolent direct action is the way that we win this moral victory.

[04:45:02]

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But you are aware the National Guard is here, ICE, USCIS are in charge of the people that were detained in those raids. They're not working in collaboration with the LAPD, right, so they are not under LAPD custody. What are you -- what are you trying to get from --

ANDERSON: What we're trying to get is to talk to the ICE agents and demand so we can give them our demands. And we're also trying to make sure that they know that we will not take it anymore in Los Angeles, that we are standing together, united, the labor community, the faith community, we're all together in this. And we want ICE out of our city. We want the federal government out of our city. And we are going to say shame every time someone comes through here that's trying to take away our people.

JONES: I want to ask you a question. You seem to be with a group that is very peaceful, you've been chanting, you've been singing, you've been praying out here. What is your take on the violence, on the depredation of public property that has been taking place in Los Angeles?

ANDERSON: It is a small group of people. It is agitators. It is what Donald Trump wants to see in our city. He wants to escalate the violence. But most majority of Los Angelenos are just here because they lost their loved ones, because their father was taken away, because their mother's taken away, because kids are in kindergarten and had a graduation and are scared about their parents to be home. So most Angelenos are standing up. That's what they're supposed to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And tracking headlines elsewhere, including Israeli forces that intercepted the aid ship Madeleine as it sailed toward Gaza in an attempt to break Israel's blockade and deliver humanitarian supplies. Israel's Foreign Ministry says that those aboard the ship, including activist Greta Thunberg, were detained and underwent medical examinations. But now some crew members are set to leave Israel. CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us live from Abu Dhabi with more.

Paula?

PAULA HANCOCKS. CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Polo, we know for the case of the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, she has already been deported from Israel. The Ministry of Foreign affairs putting out a photo of her on the plane, saying she was heading back to Sweden via France. Now, they have also said that all activists will be sent back to their home countries if they sign a deportation release and agree to that. There are some that potentially will not sign that. And then they will have to go in front of a legislative, a judicial authority so that they can authorize the deportation.

Now, this was a flotilla which a vessel -- which set sail well over a week ago now. It was intended to break the blockade on is -- on Gaza. This is what the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said. And they said that in the early hours of Monday morning, the Israeli military intercepted this vessel and they then towed it to the Israeli port of Ashdod where the activists, according to Israeli authorities, underwent a medical examination and were then taken to the airport to be sent back to their home countries. Now what the activists are calling this is illegal, the same as Amnesty International. They talk about the unlawfully boarding of Madeleine and it came under assault under international waters. We're hearing something very different from Israel. They say that they had acted in accordance with international law.

Now, this isn't the first vessel we have seen. We have seen a number of them over the past, since 2008, really, trying to get humanitarian aid to Gaza and also to try and break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Back in 2008, a couple of these ships got through and managed to reach Gaza, but there has been -- since that time, many that have not got through. In fact, in 2010, there was a deadly incident on board a ship that was trying to get to Gaza and the Israeli military got on board and as a result, 10 activists were killed, a number of Israeli soldiers were injured. So this particular flotilla did end peacefully, but it did end without reaching Gaza.

The coalition saying that they had food on board, they had baby powder, baby formula, medical supplies. Israel has confiscated those supplies and they say that they will get them to Gaza themselves, saying there is a certain way of getting aid in. But this certain way of getting aid in has been criticized by the United nations, by all humanitarian aid groups on the ground in Gaza, saying it is simply not enough that we've heard from OCHA, one of the U.N. Departments saying that people in Gaza are starving. The U.N. also saying the number of children in Gaza with acute malnutrition is rising. Paulo?

[04:50:00]

SANDOVAL: Yes, that interception, not surprising, but nonetheless extraordinary when you see it play out on video. Thank you for bringing us that, Paula. Appreciate you.

Ukraine says that at least one person is dead following an overnight Russian drone attack on Kiev and the southern port city of Odesa. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the strikes, quote, one of the largest attacks on his country. Air raid sirens blasted for hours in the Ukrainian capital according to a CNN producer on the ground. The attacks damaged or destroyed a number of civilian targets across both cities, including a maternity ward in Odesa.

The barrage coming just hours after Russia and Ukraine announced a new prisoner swap that's underway, the two countries agreed on the exchange during peace talks in Turkey. Last week, Ukraine's president says that it involves the release of detainees under the age of 25 and also some seriously wounded. Our Fred Pleitgen with more.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Russians continuing their nightly aerial blitzes. The Ukrainians say that in this past night was the largest drone attack since the beginning of the full on invasion in 2022. Now the Ukrainians are saying that the Russians used 479 drones, but also that their surface to air forces managed to take down a lot of those drones before they were able to reach their targets. But one of the other things that we've also been seeing as part of these Russian drone and missile attacks that have been going on is that the Russians certainly are using some very heavy ordinance as well. The Ukrainians say that several Kinzhal hypersonic aero ballistic missiles were also fired.

Those are ballistic missiles fired from aircraft and then also a missile called the X22, which is a cruise missile with an extremely heavy warhead, that certainly also packs a punch. The Russians were saying that they were attacking a Ukrainian airfield, they say in retaliation for what they call terrorist acts by the Ukrainians. Possibly speaking about that big Ukrainian attack that took place this past weekend when the Ukrainians, of course, tried to hit several strategic aviation centers of the Russians and claim to have taken out several strategic bombers as well.

On the front lines, the Russians continuing apparently to advance, saying that they have now entered the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, which is in central Ukraine. That certainly is an alarming sign for the Ukrainians. The Kremlin was asked about this today and the Kremlin spokesman, Dimitry Peskov, he came out and he said that this was at least in part to create a buffer zone, as he put it. But certainly the Ukrainians are bracing for what could be a pretty big summer offensive by the Russians on various front lines in the east of Ukraine.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

SANDOVAL: All right, let's talk trade talks now between the U.S. and China as they're set to resume in London today. Negotiators are going to try to preserve a fragile 90-day truce after both nations rolled back tariffs last month. However, two key sticking points still remain and could complicate a path forward for both countries. The U.S. Restrictions on semiconductor technology and China's dominant control of rare earth minerals. CNN's Clare Sebastian following the developments in London, closely tracking those conversations.

Clare?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Polo. We're expecting to see the delegations arrive to roll through the gates of Lancaster House behind me. We're just about a stone's throw from Buckingham palace here in central London. We're expecting to see them arrive any minute now. Really talk set to get underway in the next hour.

This is the second day of talks. We heard some pretty positive noises coming out of the first day, President Trump saying that things were going pretty well, though admitting that it's not easy.

Look, as you say, there are two key sticking points on the table, we're not talking about tariffs in these talks as of yet. We're not talking about the U.S. trade deficit with China, which they are trying to fix, but they are talking about export restrictions on both sides. The U.S. wants to unlock large amounts of rare earths to be imported to the U.S. from China. These are minerals that are critical in the manufacturing of everything from cars, electric vehicles, all the way to defense. So extremely important for both the economy and national security.

And they are accusing China of slow balling approvals for the exports of rare earths. On the US Side, China really wants to see the U.S. lift export controls of some technology products, including microchips, that we know that from the U.S. side there are limits on how much they're prepared to do that for national security reasons that we do also know from several sources in the U.S. that President Trump has authorized his team, his negotiating team here in London to ease up on some of those restrictions. So we'll see at what happens there.

But it's clear there is a mood for compromise here and I think that will be part of what will be read as a success in these talks if they can get back to that climate of goodwill that we saw after that meeting in Geneva around a month ago when both sides agreed to reduce tariffs for a period of 90 days. The fact that they're coming to the table, the fact that they're talking, if they can build up some momentum and bring down the tension that has escalated over the past months, I think that will certainly be seen as a step forward in these negotiations. Polo.

[04:55:11]

SANDOVAL: Without a doubt, China has a valuable card to play, as you point out. Clare Sebastian, tracking those talks out of London, thank you.

I want to thank you for joining us in the last hour. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. I will be back with another hour of Early Start right after the break.

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