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National Guard Troops in D.C. Now Carrying Weapons on Patrol; Now, Kilmar Abrego Garcia Attends Rally Ahead of ICE Check-in. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired August 25, 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]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, the National Guard, some, ordered to start carrying weapons in Washington, D.C., as President Trump threatens to send troops to Democratic-run states to fight crime.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: and we are standing by to hear from Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man who was unlawfully deported to El Salvador, as his lawyers learned, he could be sent to Uganda unless he accepts a plea deal today.

And an outburst on the tennis court, the U.S. Open brought to a standstill after a photographer stepped on the court sending a star player into a meltdown. We'll get into that later on.

Kate and Sara are out today. I'm Omar Jimenez with John Berman, and this is CNN News Central.

BERMAN: And breaking overnight, members of the National Guard now carrying weapons on patrol in Washington, D.C., the move marking a major escalation in President Trump's federal takeover of policing in the nation's capitol. And now he is threatening to deploy the troops to more American cities and states run by Democrats, including Baltimore, despite statistics from the mayor's office showing a 17 percent drop in violent crime from last year.

The president has now fired back at Governor Wes Moore of Maryland who invited him to Baltimore for a public safety walk. Trump responded by saying, Moore needed to clean up the city's, quote, crime disaster before he would go for a walk there. The president also threatened to withhold funds to replace Baltimore's collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.

And the president already said, Chicago will be the next city he would target for a federal deployment. Two officials have told CNN the Trump administration has been making plans to send the National Guard there for weeks. Police there have reported a 23 percent drop in violent crime from last year.

Let's get right to CNN's Alayna Treene at the White House for what appears to be, you know, we're on the cusp of an expansion here. ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Absolutely. And part of this, John, is the Trump administration is loving what they're seeing happening in Washington, D.C. They are -- the images of the National Guard troops in this city, of, you know, the federal agents from ATF, DEA, FBI, the list goes on, deployed throughout the city to help with this. Even though we're seeing -- you know, we have seen, and we should note, since August 12th, about two weeks ago, when the president first issued this as being a national emergency or a citywide emergency, I should say, and ordered these troops to be mobilized in D.C. There has been a moderate drop in crime.

But one of the biggest things we've actually seen as a result of some of these actions has been widespread immigration rates, and really a real significant ramp up in some of the deportations we have seen in this city, but to get to what he's ordered and what we've seen now with the National Guard troops.

So, now we've seen them beginning to carry weapons, like we should note it's, you know, unclear how many of them are actually carrying weapons at this point and how long this is going to continue. But this is a significant escalation from when the president first ordered this emergency in this city. At first, we had heard the Defense Department say that they were not going to be armed, that they're not going to be carrying out arrests. Now, we're, of course, seeing them, a lot of them, starting yesterday, having their sidearms with them as part of what this administration, this White House is saying, being a peacekeeping mission, really trying to still allow some of the other federal agents to do the work.

But this all comes after we also saw Pete Hegseth, his secretary defense, ordered this last week, ordered that national troops could be carrying these weapons.

And I would notice as well, it's not just the D.C. National Guard that is currently in Washington, D.C. There's also more than 1,900 troops from the National Guards in West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Ohio, Louisiana, and Tennessee, who were called upon to help with this mission that the Trump administration has been rolling out.

BERMAN: And what are the plans going forward, perhaps, for other cities in other states that, oh, just happen to have Democratic governors?

TREENE: Right. I mean, it's very clear that the cities that the president is looking at targeting next. All are Democratic-run cities. And, look, this comes as you said it, but we have some reporting that the Trump administration had been planning for weeks now to mobilize troops to Chicago.

[07:05:00]

That's really where the president has his sight sat next.

I actually asked him about this in the Oval Office on Friday because he brought this up and I said, are there concrete steps that you are taking at this moment to have troops be sent there? Listen to what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: You said Chicago might be next. Are you making -- have there been concrete steps that the administration is taking to do that, or what are other cities as well?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I haven't spoken to him? He's grossly incompetent. I haven't spoken to the mayor. When we're ready, we'll go in and we'll straighten out Chicago, just like we did D.C.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, as you heard him say there, that they haven't made concrete steps yet. He hadn't talked to Chicago's mayor yet about this, though. He went on to criticize him, but that when they're ready, they'll be sending them. He also brought up New York as a potential other city.

And as you mentioned, John, keep an eye on Baltimore because we did see the president and, you know, Maryland's governor, Wes Moore, trade, a lot of barbs back and forth yesterday about all of this. It's very clear though, I think the bottom line here, of course, is that president likes what he's doing in Washington. He has said it could be a model for other Democratic cities. And now we are learning that that's exactly what they're planning to do.

BERMAN: Alayna Treene at the White House this morning, Alayna, thank you very much. Omar?

JIMENEZ: Well, John, let's talk about Chicago, because Illinois' attorney general says the state is going to prepare a legal challenge if President Trump follows through on plans to send the National Guard to Chicago.

Now, the president's push comes as Chicago City leaders say there has been a significant drop in crime in the city. Just last month, for example, Chicago Police say homicides dropped 35 percent and shootings dropped 26 percent compared to the same time last year.

I want to bring in CNN's Whitney Wild in Chicago. So, Whitney, how is the city and how are city leaders responding to this possibility?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Omar, given the context that they believe that Chicago represents a success story and the ability to bring down crime, they are shocked but not surprised, I mean, especially because Attorney General Pam Bondi has made clear that cities and states with these sanctuary policies, which limit local law enforcement from working with federal agents to enforce immigration policies would be a target for the National Guard. Again, shock but not surprise here in Illinois.

As we know, Omar, and as, you know, we've previously reported, this plan has been you know, in the works for weeks to send the National Guard to Chicago. It is not clear how many troops are coming here. It is not clear when, but leaders here are firing back immediately. Governor J.B. Pritzker said plainly, there is no emergency that would warrant this. The Illinois attorney general says plainly, they will fight this in court. Here's more from the city's mayor, Brandon Johnson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON (D-CHICAGO, IL): What he is proposing at this point would be the most flagrant violation of our Constitution in the 21st century. The city of Chicago does not need a military occupation. That's not what we need. In fact, we've been very clear about what we need. We need to invest in people to ensure that we can build safe and affordable communities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: The Illinois attorney general stressed that they welcome partnerships with federal law enforcement, but they are opposed to any deployment of the National Guard. And he said that the idea that the National Guard would be deployed here without any communication, any partnership with local leaders here represents authoritarianism.

So, very strong words from leaders here. Again, this is a Democratic- led state, is a Democratic-led city, so no surprise that they are firing back as aggressively as they are, Omar.

Finally we reached out to the Pentagon. They had no comment. And then, Omar, I'll leave you with this. As Alayna brought up, there were many states who allowed their national guards to be deployed in Washington, D.C. The dynamics there, as you know, are very different.

And so the question here is this going to look more like Washington, D.C., or is this going to look more like L.A. And the read from our sources, our great reporters in Washington who've been reporting this out, is that this is going to look a lot more like the National Guard deployment in L.A. But the question is whether or not these surrounding states, like, let's say, Missouri, Indiana, Republican-led states, can utilize our National Guard and send them into a non- consenting state like Illinois. That is the big question here. We expect to learn more about this as the day unfolds. Omar?

JIMENEZ: All right. I know you'll be on top of it. Whitney Wild, I really appreciate the reporting. John?

BERMAN: All right. Breaking this morning, Kilmar Abrego Garcia set to report to an ICE detention facility this hour. His attorneys say the Trump administration may deport him to Uganda.

Defiant protesters fill a crosswalk with colors outside the Pulse nightclub memorial where 49 people were massacred at that gay-friendly establishment. The state of Florida, they painted it over.

And this kid having the time of his life at a ball game, just make sure to breathe, my friend.

[07:10:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right. Happening now, we're looking at live pictures. This is happening at this moment. That is Kilmar Abrego Garcia speaking at a rally in Baltimore. This comes before he has a mandatory ICE check-in. He was released from a Tennessee prison on Friday. Minutes after he was released, the Department of Homeland Security notified his lawyers that he could be deported to Uganda unless he accepts a plea deal today that would have him deported to Costa Rica instead.

[07:15:02]

Again, he is speaking at this event as we speak.

Let's get right to CNN's Priscilla Alvarez, who is in Baltimore for the very latest. Good morning, Priscilla. What are you hearing?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. This is a dramatic legal saga that is now here at the footsteps of the Baltimore Federal Building, where, as you mentioned, Kilmar Abrego Garcia will be checking in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He has been speaking. He arrived with his family just before 7:00 A.M. as other advocates also spoke.

And now he was thanking his family, the community organizers, and recalling how he spent the last few days. He was very under the radar, he and his family, here and Maryland before checking in with ICE first thing this morning.

Now, I have spoken with his attorney who expects that he may be detained today. So, he will likely -- while they have said they're not sure what's going to happen, they do not anticipate that he will be leaving this building later today, rather that he will be detained. That is something that Trump administration officials has said multiple times they intended to do if he were released from federal detention.

And that is exactly what happened in Tennessee on Friday. He was released. He has been offered a plea deal and that plea deal includes that he would plead to two federal charges, carry out a sentence here in the United States, and then be deported to Costa Rica. If he were not to take that, the administration has said that he could be deported to Uganda, a country that he has no ties to and something the administration has relied on often in cases of deportation.

Now, his attorneys are contesting this because they say that this is retaliation for him challenging his wrongful deportation back in March to El Salvador. Now, the next steps here have some guardrails, and that is because of a federal judge in Maryland earlier the summer who said that they need to be provided, he needs to be provided at least 72 hours of notice of where exactly he'll be deported so that his attorneys can contest that deportation if necessary. This, for example, would be the case for Uganda.

Now, the question may be, why not to El Salvador? Well, he is still has that withholding of removal, which bars it from being removed to El Salvador, which is why these other countries have cropped up. So, we will see what happens for the rest of the day. But as of now, his attorney tells me if he expects that he will be detained today. John?

BERMAN: And those chants behind Priscilla, you can hear right now, Abrego Garcia just finished speaking at this rally in Baltimore. Priscilla, great to have you there following all these steps. Omar?

JIMENEZ: Well, this morning state troopers are standing guard at the crosswalk outside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Sunday, dozens of protesters came back to the site to recolor it in rainbow colors with chalk. Now, Florida officials had repainted it in black and white last week. The rainbow crosswalk paid tribute to the 49 people who were killed at a mass shooting at the gay nightclub in 2016. Florida and the Trump administration had banned the use of street markings that, quote, are associated with social, political, or ideological messages or images, and does not serve the purpose of traffic control.

Florida State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith, the first openly LGBTQ Latino official elected to the Florida State legislature, condemned the rainbow crosswalks erasure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STATE SEN. CARLOS GUILLERMO SMITH (D-FL): They illegally vandalized city property without providing the city of Orlando notice or getting their approval to remove this rainbow crosswalk that was painted here not only to remember the lives of the 49 mostly LGBTQ people of color who were murdered here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now, community activists say they are going to keep coming back to recolor the crosswalk in memory of those who were killed.

Also this morning, dozens of people are still recovering from the deadly tour bus crash on Friday in Western New York. State police have released the names of the five passengers who were killed. The youngest was a 22-year-old Columbia University student from China. We're also starting to hear from some of the survivors. One described the chaotic moments when the bus suddenly flipped.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GAO GAO YU, BUS CRASH SURVIVOR: I started screaming. This bus like in few seconds lost control, start to shaking like a boat left and right and then flipped. We unbuckled ourselves, climb out of the windows.

We were lucky we survived, but it's just awful feeling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: And the investigation into what caused a crash is ongoing this morning. The NTSB is assisting New York State Police in this. Investigators have ruled out driver impairment and mechanical failure. They're now looking into whether the driver was distracted. All right, we're following a lot of news this morning, including still ahead, another major medical group is sending out its own guidance for COVID vaccines in a break with the CDC.

And let's talk some sports because what is all that racket? The dramatic display on the court at the U.S. Open, some usual suspects involved, but we'll talk about it.

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BERMAN: Golf fans around the world this morning are breathing this sigh of relief and are really thrilled. Tommy Fleetwood, who's had so many issues getting over the finish line, winning at the PGA. Guess what? He did.

CNN's Coy Wire here with the latest. Honestly, good for him.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. Finally, right, John. Tommy Fleetwood came to the Tour Championship here in Atlanta with 163 starts on the PGA tour. 163 times, he came up Winless, 163 times, you think he had his hopes of becoming a PGA winner would dwindle, but he never gave up. And on the 164th of the 10th, Tommy became that PGA Tour winner.

The 34-year-old letting out this cathartic roar after shooting 268 in Sunday's final round. He finished 18 under for the tourney, winning the Tour Championship and the cool $10 million prize. Here he is with our Don Riddell after the win.

[07:25:01]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY FLEETWOOD, CLAIMS FIRST CAREER VICTORY ON PGA TOUR: It has not really sunk in yet, but I think there's definitely some relief there. There's some pride. There's joy. There's a lot of things. I think that a lot has gone into the story that has been me chasing that first PGA tour win. And, yes, it's been an amazing place to do it, it's been an amazing day and, yes, very, very happy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: 13 seed Daniil Medvedev on the verge of being upset in the first round at the U.S. Open. A photographer walked around during a Benjamin Bonzi serve. Chair umpire let Bonzi have a do-over, and Medvedev goes McEnroe, screaming into a court side mic at one point. But the umpire wanted to go home early because he gets paid by the match, not by the hour. The crowd is loving it.

Medvedev ultimately lost and took it all out in his racket. Poor racket and the poor court side bench. That was a perfectly fine racket, John Berman. And he got -- gave it quite the whooping for about two minutes straight. Oh, he is not done. He's going to go for more me. Medvedev has now lost in the first round at three straight grand slams.

Cal Raleigh, AKA, Big Dumper, needed one home run to tie Salvi Perez for most home runs in a season by a primary catcher. He did that in the first against the A's. Next at bat, why not go ahead and scratch that record, Sir Mix-a-Lot. Baby got back, way back. Big Dumper makes MLB history, 49 home runs on the season, his ninth multi-home run game of this season, most in franchise history. 11-4 is the final. Don't want none unless you've got home runs, son.

All right, finally, whose kid is this and how can we get an interview, John? The toddler doesn't even need to talk. We just want to see him do more of this going, absolute beast mode on a bag of popcorn at that Mariner's game. Not sure he even saw either of Cal Raleigh's homers. He's just chowing down on a bag of popcorn that's as big as him.

BERMAN: Yes. I got to say what I'm drawn to here is it was right here. Is he going to wash it down with an ice cold Coors Light after he is done there? You know, it makes the mouth so dry. You got to have a big sip after you're done.

WIRE: Got to wash it down and then you have a great nap afterwards.

BERMAN: That's right. That's right. All right, we should put out a legal disclaimer here, Coy, so we don't get in trouble for advocating --

WIRE: Yes, you're not encouraging. Yes.

BERMAN: No. Have a juice box instead.

Coy Wire, thank you very much for that.

WIRE: Got it.

BERMAN: All right. This morning, small businesses scrambling as they prepare to be hit by a tariff for the first time.

And their legs might be tiny, but their dreams, oh, so big. Inside the high drama of the International Corgi competition.

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