Newsom speaks to California - and the country as a wholepublished at 03:49 British Summer Time 11 June

03:49 BST 11 June

Carl Nasman
Reporting from Los Angeles

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s ongoing battle with President Donald Trump - stretching back to the LA wildfires earlier this year - has been ratcheted up another notch.

In the governor’s view, his state is under siege by the White House: widespread immigration raids, threats to withhold federal education money, and now, several thousand troops deployed to Los Angeles against his wishes.

His televised address, which we've just covered on this page, was likely aimed at a much broader, national audience too.

And his message is this: if the president can wield his executive power in California, it could happen in your state too. This could be a politically defining moment for the California governor who has been rumoured to be eyeing the 2028 presidential candidacy.

With the Democratic Party struggling to find a strong leader after its election loss last November, Newsom could become the face of a renewed Trump resistance movement.

Newsom had a message for protesters - this is what people on the streets of Los Angeles are saying about the protests:

"Please, please do it peacefully" - that's Newsom's message to those protesting against Trump's immigration raids.

He notes that some protests have turned violent.

"Several dozen law-breakers became violent and destructive," Newsom says. "They vandalised property, they tried to assault police officers.

"I want to be clear about this: If you incite violence, or destroy our communities, you are going to be held to account," the governor adds.

Image source, Reuters

The California governor sounds the alarm bell over what he calls Trump's assault on democracy, saying his state "won't be the last".

"This isn't just about protests here in Los Angeles," he says. "California will keep fighting."

"This is about all of us - this is about you," Newsom says, addressing non-Californians in the US.

He also slams Republican politicians for failing to stand up to Trump. "Congress is nowhere to be found."

Newsom strikes a delicate balance between recognising the troops' values to the country and questioning their relevance in handling the LA protests.

"These are the men and women trained for foreign combat - not domestic law enforcement," Newsom says, referring to the National Guard deployment ordered by Trump, now numbering 4,000.

"We honour their service, we honour their bravery," he said, adding: "We don't want our streets militarised by our own armed forces - not in LA, not in California.

We now turn to a televised address by California Governor Gavin Newsom - and his first target is US President Donald Trump.

"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," he says.

Bass reiterated her sentiments from earlier in the day - that she wants Trump to stop the ICE raids.

"I think about the families who are afraid to go to work and go to school," she said.

She said she's heard of grocery store shelves being empty because people aren't coming to work to stock the shelves.

"We have to look at the contribution that the immigrant population makes to our local economy," she said. "When you frighten immigrants and they don't want to come to work, you are hitting at the heart of our local economy."

Image source, EPA

Asked if she would try to talk to Donald Trump, Bass says: "Actually I started that reach-out today."

"I'll keep you posted," she adds.

When asked about the financial damage to LA, the mayor dodges the question, saying "it's really hard" to estimate the loss arising from vandalism.

Then Nella McOsker, chief executive of the Central City Association of Los Angeles, who is also in the press conference, chips in, saying that the damage would be in "the millions".

"But I don't know ... what the total is," McOsker adds.

If you're just joining us, LA mayor Karen Bass is announcing a curfew for downtown LA.

In response to a question from a reporter, she says the widespread violence and vandalism of last night was the "tipping point" in her decision to institute the curfew, which had been in consideration for several days.

McDonnell now gives some more details of the curfew - it does not apply to residents within the designated area or those experiencing homelessness, nor credentialed media.

The curfew "is not about silencing voices", he says.

The mayor also gave more details about the curfew, saying it was only one square mile in size.

"What is happening in this 1 square mile is not affecting the city," she says, stressing it's not a citywide crisis.

Speaking now is LA police chief Jim McDonnell, who says the curfew is a necessary measure to save lives and safeguard property after consecutive days of growing unrest in the city.

He emphasised that people who break the curfew without exceptions (people travelling to work and media) will be arrested.

"Since Saturday we've seen a concerning escalation in unlawful and dangerous behaviour," he said.

He noted that 27 people were arrested on Saturday, 40 on Sunday, 114 on Monday and so far 197 today.

Bass says the curfew will be from 8pm tonight to 6am tomorrow.

Explaining the need for a curfew, she says there have been "significant damages" across the city.

"I will consult with elected leaders and law enforcement officials tomorrow ... we certainly expect for it to last several days."

We're now hearing from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell - this is the second time they've briefed reporters today.

Mayor Bass begins by saying she has declared a local emergency and brought in a curfew for downtown LA to stop vandalism.

As we wait for press conference to start, it has just been announced that California Governor Gavin Newsom will deliver an address a little later, scheduled for 21:30 ET (02:30 BST).

The press conference with the mayor is expected to start in a couple of minutes.

We're about to hear from LA Mayor Karen Bass, who is due to give a press conference updating on the raids, protests, and a potential curfew in Los Angeles this evening.

Stick with us here to read live updates, or click "Watch Live" above to stream Bass' conference yourself.

The California Attorney General, Rob Bonta, has explained why the state is suing the Trump administration.

Speaking on the BBC's Newshour programme, Bonta says: “The president can do lawful things, but he can’t do unlawful things: that’s our bottom line, he must follow the law.”

“The president can do lawful things, but he can’t do unlawful things: that’s our bottom line, he must follow the law.

"The statute they cite ... for purportedly deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles does not give them the authority they say it gives them. There must be a rebellion which there is not, there must be an invasion which there is not, or there must be the inability to enforce the laws and execute the laws of the United States, which doesn’t exist either.”

Bonta also told the programme: “The local law enforcement ... had all issues in hand.”

US spy chief Tulsi Gabbard has turned the heat up against the protesters in LA, calling them "violent criminal mobs".

"These are not the actions of 'peaceful' protestors. Violent rioters will be brought to justice," Gabbard, director of national intelligence, says in a post on X.

She adds: "Violent criminal mobs are rioting as they try to block (Trump's) efforts to deport illegal aliens in Los Angeles, assaulting law enforcement, issuing death threats to ICE officers, torching vehicles, and destroying property."

Carl Nasman
Reporting from Los Angeles

For the second time in three days, demonstrators have stopped traffic on the 101 freeway.

A cluster of dozens of people moved down a side street and climbed into oncoming cars. No one was hurt and California Highway Patrol quickly cleared them out.

One man attempting to vault over the middle divider and run into oncoming traffic was grabbed from behind and arrested by three officers.

A large group of officers are arresting the protesters with zip ties along an adjacent road.

The southbound lanes remain closed.

But there's yet more chaos around the Federal Building. Despite a heavy police presence, and police cruisers blocking several on-ramps to the highway, demonstrators managed to once again sow chaos.

On Sunday, a similar action led to hours of violence between authorities and crowds - leading to several arrests and some injuries among officers.