US Politics
LA protests live: Marines to take to Los Angeles streets Thursday as Newsom slams ‘stone cold liar’ Trump
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The 700 Marines deployed by the Trump administration to Los Angeles are expected to be on the streets later today or Friday. They will support up to 4,000 National Guard troops in protecting federal property and agents, including on immigration raids.
In an interview with The Daily podcast, California Governor Gavin Newsom said the deployment, supposedly to restore order amid unrest sparked by ICE raids, was “theater, madness, unconstitutional.”
The governor and Mayor Karen Bass say the presence of troops has exacerbated tensions. Protests have been ongoing for six days.
Newsom called President Donald Trump a “stone-cold liar” after he claimed he spoke with the governor about federalizing National Guard troops and questioned his mental acuity.
Trump posted this morning that Los Angeles was “safe and sound for the last two nights,” despite continued unrest, saying it was due to the National Guard, despite their limited role, and the Marines, who are not there yet.
Police officers on foot and horseback dispersed crowds Wednesday evening in downtown LA before enforcing a curfew for the second consecutive night.
Protests have flared up in at least 37 cities since last Friday, The Independent has found. More are scheduled for today.
Here’s what you need to know this morning
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James Liddell12 June 2025 11:09
Trump again claims unrest in LA caused by ‘paid professionals’
President Donald Trump again baselessly claims that those causing unrest on the streets of Los Angeles amid protests against his immigration policies are “agitators … paid professionals … insurrectionists, troublemakers.”
He says Attorney General Pam Bondi will determine if they are paid, stating that he believes they are.
Oliver O’Connell12 June 2025 18:43
ICE is using a tracking app to identify people who can easily be deported
Mike Bedigan has the details.
Oliver O’Connell12 June 2025 18:36
What I can say is we should not have local judges determining foreign policy or national security policy for the country.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth deflecting when asked if he would follow the courts if they ruled against troop deployment in Los Angeles
Oliver O’Connell12 June 2025 18:22
LA man faces 8 years in prison for ‘spitting at an ICE agent’
Omar Pulido Bastida, 41, was charged with assaulting a federal employee on Tuesday, June 10, after being charged earlier this year with being in the country illegally after he was already deported, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Oliver O’Connell12 June 2025 18:12
I don’t feel like a king. I have to go through Hell to get stuff. … We’re not a king at all.
President Donald Trump when asked about this Saturday’s “No Kings” protest
Oliver O’Connell12 June 2025 18:03
LAPD reports fewer arrests during Wednesday night’s curfew
During the second night of curfew in downtown Los Angeles, police reported 71 arrests for failure to disperse and seven arrests for curfew violations, NBC LA reports.
There were two arrests for assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and one for resisting a police officer. There were no reports of arrests for vandalism and looting.
The LAPD reported more than 200 arrests from Tuesday into Wednesday, most for unlawful assembly and curfew violations.
While protests and unrest are being characterized by some as a citywide issue, the curfew area is a 1-square-mile section of downtown Los Angeles, within a city that encompasses 500 square miles and has a population of 4 million.
Oliver O’Connell12 June 2025 17:54
Trump triples down on Newsom call by again referring to different conversation
President Donald Trump claimed earlier this week that he spoke with California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday. When Newsom said the call didn’t happen, the president insisted it had by showing a call log from the preceding Friday.
Trump is still insisting that he is right.
Here’s Justin Baragona with the details and how it was spun on Fox News:
Oliver O’Connell12 June 2025 17:39
Texas deploys 5,000 National Guard troops ahead of planned protests
Texas Governor Greg Abbott says over 5,000 Texas National Guard members have been deployed across the state ahead of planned weekend protests, in addition to 2,000 Texas Department of Public Safety troopers.
The governor said in a statement: “Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we’ve seen in LA.
“I deployed over 2,000 Texas DPS troopers and over 5,000 Texas National Guard soldiers across the state to assist local law enforcement response to these protests and to maintain law and order.
“Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be arrested and held accountable to the full extent of the law.
“Don’t mess with Texas – and don’t mess with Texas law enforcement.”
Abbott had not previously detailed how many guard troops he had mobilized and his statement did not detail where the guard troops were sent. Some troops were seen at a protest Wednesday night in downtown San Antonio near the Alamo. More protests are planned in cities such as Houston and Austin as part of the national “No Kings” demonstrations scheduled for Saturday.
Oliver O’Connell12 June 2025 17:24
Watch: Trump repeats claims LA would be burning without troops
President Donald Trump is again repeating his claim that without his deployment of troops, Los Angeles would be “burning down right now.”
The troops are guarding a small number of federal buildings, and the Marines have yet to arrive.
Trump also reiterated his claim that he had the military divert water to fight the wildfires that hit parts of Los Angeles in January.
California’s Department of Water Resources said at the time: “The military did not enter California. The federal government restarted federal water pumps after they were offline for maintenance for three days. State water supplies in Southern California remain plentiful.”
Oliver O’Connell12 June 2025 17:12