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L.A. County D.A. Says, No Parole for Menendez Brothers Until They Come Clean; Federal Judge Bans Alligator Alcatraz from Taking New Detainees; Soon, DOJ to Provide Epstein-Related Records to House Committee. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired August 22, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, Erik Menendez denied parole. Today, his brother, Lyle, will face his own panel to ask for a second chance himself nearly 36 years after they murdered their parents.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are on Epstein file release watch. At least some will be turned over to Congress today. New reporting on just how forthcoming the Justice Department will or will not be.

And then new high octane video, Coast Guard crews race to the rescue of a hiker found clinging to the side of a mountain.

Sara is out. I'm John Berman with Kate Bolduan. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: And there is breaking news in one of the most infamous murder cases in the last several decades. Today, Lyle Menendez goes before the California Parole Board to make his case for freedom. It was just yesterday though parole commissioners denied the same request essentially for release for his brother, from his brother, Erik Menendez.

Both were convicted for the 1989 murders of their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion. After a years-long battle, the board rejected Erik's bid for freedom, saying that he has not been a model prisoner, and also citing several violations while behind bars.

The Menendez brothers argued that the killings were committed in self- defense. They have long said that alleging years of abuse by their father and saying that their mother knew about it, but turned a blind eye. But the L.A. County district attorney says that the two lied about their motive and have not accepted responsibility for their actions.

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NATHAN HOCHMAN, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: If and when the Menendez brothers finally come clean and say that those lies that they've been telling for 35 years are just that, they're lies, then at that point we believe they'll be qualified for parole. Until that happens, we believe they're not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Joining us now, CNNs Jean Casarez on all of this. Let's start with yesterday and this big decision overnight. How did the parole board -- how did they explain how they came to this decision.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So much to this. First of all, the murders focused in on the burglaries that Erik had done the year before, and then also the murders, saying that you were of age. Domestic abuse in your household, you could have gone to police. You could have gone to the loving family you have. You could have just left, but you didn't. And there was no imminent risk of your death that night. He pointblank asked him, did you do this in self-defense? He said, no. Erik admitted no. Then the mother, he said, killing your mother was devoid of any human compassion. She was a victim in your home also.

Next, focused on continued criminal behavior in the prison, first of all, cell phones illicit cell phones. Now, he said people on the outside are not going to understand this, but to have a cell phone from the outside and to hide it and to have other members of the inmate community hide them for you while you are teaching them during the day about reunification in society, rehabilitation of criminals, and you are having them hide your cell phones, that's the height of hypocrisy. Also, during his time in prison, he participated in a tax fraud scheme with a prison gang, and you willingly joined that. You weren't pushed to do that. There were also some issues of drugs.

But then he got into a very interesting point. He said there are people on the outside who support you so much in getting released. We don't know if those are the celebrities that have come out, but he did say it makes you wonder if you lied to them. And there were letters from prison correctional facility members that said you were the model prisoner. And we're concerned about those letters.

BOLDUAN: So, that is what they said to Erik. What is -- does that have bearing on Lyle's request in his appearance now before the parole board today?

CASAREZ: In part because the murders, the burglaries, very similar. Let's look at the conduct in prison. Lyle just last year had an illicit cell phone that he was using. Several years before that, there was misuse of state phones.

[07:05:01]

There was contraband that was taken into the prison given to him, so the prison officials didn't know, but there are not as many violations inside of prison as with Erik. So, it's a different set of individuals. Different commissioners, we believe, today will be looking at it, but it was ten hours yesterday.

BOLDUAN: Yes. I was reading that normally it's just maybe a couple hours that these hearings last ten hours yesterday.

CASAREZ: Four times as many as usual.

BOLDUAN: Let's see what happens today. Thank you so much, Jean. John?

BERMAN: All right. More breaking news overnight, a major ruling against the controversial migrant detention center in Florida, known as Alligator Alcatraz, a federal judge ordered much of it be dismantled. The judge issued an injunction barring the facility from taking in any new detainees and ordering officials to remove new construction. This all stems from a lawsuit filed about the detention center's environmental impact on the Everglades.

Let's get to CNN's Isabel Rosales with the very latest. So, what does this ruling mean? What did they find exactly?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, good morning. This preliminary injunction marks a major victory for these environmental groups who have sued the state of Florida and the federal government so long as it holds up on appeal. The attorney for one of these groups that brought the lawsuit described it to me over the phone as essentially a shut down by attrition.

So, let's dig in a little deeper into this ruling from Judge Kathleen Williams who ordered that three things, three major things, that essentially Florida must stop bringing in any additional detainees, so no more detainees that are not already within the facility, and then no additional construction. She ordered another pause, another freeze on adding expansion to the site.

And then this major part, no later than 60 days from her order, so this brings us to October the 20th, all lighting, fencing, sewage, generators, gas that were installed to support this facility, all of that must be removed.

Here's an important excerpt from her ruling. She says, the court is relying on programmatic attrition of the camp's population within the next 60 days. So, she's conceding right there in the order that effectively this shuts the site down. We also got this response from one of the environmental groups, the senior attorney. She said this. We are so relieved. We feel we presented voluminous evidence that is presented in her order, showing this was the right decision to protect the environment and the interests of Americans in the Everglades.

And then in response to CNN's request for comment, we did get this very short statement from the communications director for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. They responded with only this, the deportations will continue until morale improves.

John, in an additional filing, Florida made it clear they do plan to appeal.

BERMAN: Isabel, very quickly, this is not the final step in the legal process. There's more to come here?

ROSALES: Correct. This is just a preliminary injunction, again, a consequential one that effectively shuts down the site within 60 days. But the plaintiffs still need to present evidence and argue the merits of this case that environmental laws were violated, that this is a danger to the sensitive area of the Everglades.

BERMAN: All right, we'll be watching. Isabel Rosales, thank you so much, big ruling overnight.

All right, we're standing by for Epstein files to be released to Congress any minute, but which files? How many? And will the public ever see them? Can we expect last-minute twists here?

And then President Trump promises to expand his federal crime crack down to other parts of the country and to improve the grass in Washington because he says he knows more about grass than any human being in the world. He actually said that.

And then the Cracker Barrel controversy or nontroversy, this thing seems to have exploded overnight. Why online activists are so upset about a missing old guy in a chair and why is this sending the company stock tumbling?

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[07:10:00]

BOLDUAN: In just hours, the Justice Department is expected to begin handing over to Congress records related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. The deadline for this material came and went earlier this week. DOJ, saying they needed more time to ensure any reference to victims is redacted after the House Oversight Committee announced its plans to make the files public. But what is DOJ going to hand over? How much and, really, when?

CNN's Katelyn Polantz is tracking this for us. And, Katelyn, the original ask was for all of the Epstein files to be turned over. That is not what they're going to be getting today. So, what are you hearing is going to happen today?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, we're waiting to see exactly how much of a disclosure this is that would deviate from what the Justice Department has had in the public before, both in the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell and then in their own public releases. So, that question, this will be Epstein files that the Justice Department turns over to the House Oversight Committee. We know that much. But are these all of the Epstein files, what people refer to as the bigger picture, what was collected by the FBI?

We know that the subpoena, the House Oversight Committee sent to the Justice Department for these records, it does cover everything, like you say. It covers all of the documents and communications in the cases of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. It even covers the information that led to that 2007 non-prosecution agreement of Jeffrey Epstein in the Southern District of Florida. And it also covers documents and communications related to the death of Jeffrey Epstein in jail in 2019 as he was awaiting trial.

[07:15:06] In the past, the Justice Department has said they were releasing files, but it ended up not satisfying people who wanted to see the full breadth of the thousands of documents the FBI has because so much was already released previously in the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell. So far too, we know that House Oversight Chairman James Comer, he is a Republican, he said that he's going to be working with the White House, so I'd call this a friendly subpoena. He also says that there's going to be redactions, that we should be expecting that and the House Oversight Committee is going to make sure there isn't sensitive information about victims specifically, especially victims' names that would be out there.

One document that we haven't seen, though, that no one's seen is what Ghislaine Maxwell told the deputy attorney general in an interview a month ago. That would be new. And that's one thing I'm looking for. Kate?

BOLDUAN: And we don't know if that is going to be part of it, right? We don't -- they were -- I remember them talking about they were slow walking, doing anything because there were still transcript -- maybe getting the transcript ready of that interview, right?

POLANTZ: We're not sure what will go over to the House Oversight Committee. Again, a friendly subpoena, so if the Justice Department doesn't want to release it, they may not. But there are new things here that we could be seeing if the House gets it and decides to release it publicly.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. All right, Katelyn's on top of this for us today. Katelyn, thank you so much. We will see together.

It's also this, devastating, cruel and callous. That is how Orlando's mayor is describing the state's removal of the Rainbow Memorial crosswalk outside of the Pulse Nightclub. That crosswalk was painted in 2017 to commemorate the 49 people who lost their lives in that horrible mass shooting at the gay nightclub in 2016.

Overnight Wednesday, the crosswalk, as you can see, it was painted over. Hours after people used their own chalk to color in the lines, once again, saying that this is bigger than just colors on the street.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To try and erase 49 people over some agenda is insane.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a message of solidarity from the community and that's why it cuts so deeply.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: In June, Florida's Department of Transportation issued a memo prohibiting crosswalk markings associated with social, political ideological messages that don't serve traffic control. Then a month later, the transportation secretary told governors that intersections and crosswalks must be in their --in -- how they deemed it, kept free from distractions and political banners.

President Trump suggests that federal law enforcement agents and the National Guard could be coming soon to a city near you.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're going to make it safe and we're going to then go on to other places.

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BOLDUAN: And the news that moved to Chicago Bears quarterback to tears.

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TYSON BAGENT, CHICAGO BEARS QUARTERBACK: It's certainly a weight a weight off my shoulders and my family's shoulders, and --

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BERMAN: All right. New this morning, I am filing a workplace grievance for like six straight days we've been reporting again and again on how great the Yankees are. They're winning, yay.

Well, this morning, after a dramatic loss to the Red Sox overnight, like a crushing loss, not a peak. Instead, we have a story about the Giants beating the Patriots in a meaningless preseason football game.

Let's get right to Andy Scholes for this dramatic report. Andy, please take it away.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: John. We considered talking about the Red Sox big win at Yankee Stadium, but in the end we decided it was going to be a football Friday. And let me just start my segment by saying the Giants look like they're going to be much improved this season. Only problem is for them, they do have the toughest schedule in the entire NFL.

But one thing is for sure, they have lots of quarterbacks. Russell Wilson's going to be their starter. But first round pick Jaxson Dart, he has looked great in the preseason, threw this dart for a touchdown in the first quarter. But on the next drive, Dart was scrambling and instead of sliding, he takes this hit, he fumbles his head, bounces off the turf. Coach Brian Abel told him when he came to the sidelines to slide and Mom was also asked about in the stands.

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KARA DART, JAXSON'S MOTHER: I tell him every game yes, that's a common conversation, but, hopefully, you know Dave will can talk some sense into it. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, mom wants him to slide. Dart left the game after that, but did clear concussion protocol.

And the Giant's hero, Tommy DeVito, he played the entire second half. He's fourth on the depth chart right now, but he looked great. He threw three touchdowns, only three incompletions. Giants won 42-10.

Elsewhere, the Bears signing undrafted quarterback Tyson Bagent to a reported two-year, $10 million extension to be Caleb Williams' backup. Bagent was undrafted a few years ago. And it's been quite the journey for Bagent. He grew up in West Virginia and played college ball at the division two level at Shepherd University.

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BAGENT: You know, a lot of people don't know this, but, you know, my dad is my -- he's my right hand man. And he didn't even have running water until he was in high school. So, there's definitely a lot of things that -- and people that I could -- that I think I could certainly help. I don't really know anybody back at home with any money.

So, yes, it feels good. I mean, it's certainly a weight off my shoulders and my family's shoulders and, yes, it definitely means a lot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes. Congrats to Tyson on that new contract.

And fun fact, Tyson's dad, Travis, 28-time arm wrestling champion.

[07:25:00]

And, John, during the segment, H.R. got in my ear, and to get ahead of any workplace grievance, we are going to show Roman Anthony's big two- run home run in the top of the ninth inning, Anthony making his debut at Yankee Stadium, had three RBIs in the game, including that monster home run right there, as the Red Sox got the big win against the Yankees.

BERMAN: All right, well we have --

SCHOLES: Are you happy now, John?

BOLDUAN: Why are you being so nice to him? I thought we had an agreement, Andy. You're not allowed to be nice to him. He can handle it.

SCHOLES: Hey, you know, yes, someone got in my ear and said, you know what, we got to make Berman happy on this Friday.

BOLDUAN: I thought the H.R. grievance was me beating Berman in the arm wrestling contest. That was -- I thought that was what the problem was --

BERMAN: That was the best arm wrestling movie since Over the Top, was Sylvester Stallone, by the way.

All right, Andy Scholes, thank you. We have an out-of-court settlement. I appreciate it.

All right, so what about the victims? Any minute now the Department of Justice could hand over some Epstein files to Congress. We still don't know which files, but we're hearing new comments on what Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's victims think about this.

And divers recover giant ancient statues and artifacts, more than 2,000 old -- 2,000 years old. Look at that. I'm not sure what that is, but it's 2,000 years old and it was found deep under the sea.

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