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Extreme Heat Fuels Wildfires in California's Napa, Central Oregon; National Guard Troops in DC Now Carrying Weapons on Patrol; Trump Vows Crime Crackdown Similar to DC in Other Democratic-Run Cities; Kilmar Abrego Garcia Taken into ICE Custody Moments Ago; Trump to Welcome South Korean President to White House. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired August 25, 2025 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: ... and you can kind of see the flames, the smoke, all of the stuff in the background. Just again, this has been the scene across both of these states the last few days. Here's a look at both of those fires.

The one in Oregon is only 0 percent contained. We do not have any containment yet there. The one in Northern California is only 11 percent contained.

Now the heat that has really been sticking around is what's been making a lot of these conditions worse, especially for the firefighters. And you still have several of these heat alerts across portions of Central California. This is likely to last at least another day or two before those temperatures start to scale back again.

Again, you can see triple digits in Fresno, still very warm across portions of Arizona and the desert Southwest. But even the Pacific Northwest, a place that you don't typically think of as being overly hot, they are dealing with temperatures at least 10 to 15 degrees above where they normally would be. And that's what's making those conditions so difficult for the firefighters across portions of Oregon.

They also have a lot of these heat alerts in effect, not just in Oregon, but also stretching into portions of Idaho as well as Washington. But we will finally start to see a cool down by the end of the week.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Allison Chinchar, thank you very much for that.

We've got a lot of new information coming in, a brand new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, the National Guard in Washington, D.C., now carrying weapons as they patrol the streets as President Trump ramps up threats to send troops to other cities to curb crime. Plans underway for weeks for Chicago to be next. Also breaking at this hour, Kilmar Abrego Garcia just turned himself

into immigration officials. He's speaking publicly moments beforehand, checking in with ICE. He is now facing another deportation, this time possibly to Uganda.

And new this morning, another SpaceX test launch scrubbed the issue that kept the Starship rocket grounded. We'll get into all of that.

Kate and Sara are out today. I'm Omar Jimenez with John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BERMAN: And breaking overnight, the National Guard is now armed on the streets of Washington, D.C., as President Trump prepares to potentially expand his military deployment to other U.S. cities. New images of Guard members carrying side arms on patrol in the nation's capital after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave the OK. And now the president has his sights set on Baltimore as he's feud with Maryland's governor, a Democrat, Wes Moore, heats up.

That's despite statistics from Baltimore's mayor's office that shows a 17 percent drop in violent crime from last year. Governor Moore invited President Trump to join him for a public safety walk in Baltimore. The president responded by saying not until you clean up the, quote, crime disaster there. And he threatened to withhold funds to replace Baltimore's collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The president had already signaled that Chicago could be the next city he would target for a federal crackdown. Two officials have told CNN plans have been in the works for weeks to send National Guard there, though Chicago police have reported a 23 percent drop in violent crime from last year in Chicago.

Let's get right to CNN. Zach Cohen in Washington for the latest, Zach, what do you see?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, John, a notable shift here from the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who indicated last week that National Guard members here in the nation's capital would start carrying their service weapons. And we're now seeing officially that taking place. Notably, too, this is happening as a lot of kids in D.C. are starting school today.

So it's really an interesting juxtaposition. I mean, it's not just handguns or sidearms. We're seeing a CNN reporter last night saw several National Guard members carrying long guns or rifles as they were patrolling the streets of one of the popular dining districts here in D.C.

So, look, this is part of a bigger plan. As you just mentioned, the Trump administration is looking at expanding the number of cities that the National Guard could be deployed to Chicago, New York, among those that have been discussed, Baltimore. Notably, these are all Democrat led cities.

And look, this is as we're seeing a surge of National Guardsmen here in D.C. as well from other states. We're seeing about 2,000 additional Guard members from states like West Virginia, states like South Carolina, Louisiana, Republican led states sending their National Guard to help with this initiative by Donald Trump to try to crack down on crime here in D.C. And look, we did an analysis of government data and it does show that there's a moderate drop in reported in reported crime since August 12th. That's when this federal takeover of D.C.'s law enforcement took place. But more importantly and interestingly, there has been a surge in arrests of immigrants since that -- since that date happened. And we're going to expect to see maybe potentially similar trends in other cities as well as the National Guard potentially could move in there and try to do a similar type of mission that we're seeing here in D.C.

[08:05:00]

BERMAN: Zach Cohen for us in Washington this morning. Zach, thanks so much -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: Lots to talk about here. Joining me now is Aubrey Sparks, the legal director for the ACLU in West Virginia. The group has filed a lawsuit to block that state from deploying National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. Thank you for taking the time.

So the lawsuit challenges the deployment as exceeding the governor's constitutional and statutory authority. Just tell me about the basis for this lawsuit. Why did you believe it was necessary?

AUBREY SPARKS, LEGAL DIRECTOR, ACLU WEST VIRGINIA: Absolutely. Well, even though governors have broad power to use the Guard, that doesn't mean that they have unlimited power. And our state law specifies that if you want to send members of the Guard outside of state bounds, you can only do that under a specific list of circumstances.

And so the argument that we're making is that none of those circumstances have been met here and that it's inappropriate to send the Guard outside of the state of West Virginia.

JIMENEZ: You know, you've called this deployment a political stunt. I guess, do you believe there is any circumstance in this deployment, or otherwise, it sounds like there may be some scenarios in this deployment or otherwise, where they actually would be able to help with, let's say in this case, violent crime?

SPARKS: Yes, well, I think that, you know, if you imagined a Venn diagram of things that were bad policy and things that were illegal, oftentimes our lawsuits sit in the center of that Venn diagram and this is, you know, no exception. I think that this is bad policy for a lot of reasons. But even if it was good policy, it doesn't matter if you're doing it in a way that violates the law and violates your authority to run the Guard and manage their, you know, location under the state.

JIMENEZ: You know, as you know, West Virginia isn't the only state deploying National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. sort of as part of this directive. Do you know, are there similar efforts being pursued by the ACLU in some of those other states? Or is West Virginia kind of where you all plan to fight this frontier, so to speak?

SPARKS: Well, I can't speak to what other state ACLUs are doing, but I can say that West Virginia has sort of a unique history. You know, courts don't rule on purely academic questions. And so in a lot of states, there haven't been times where their courts have ruled on their state law about the limits of military power in the state.

But in West Virginia, we have, because of the labor uprisings from the 1910s and 1920s, that gave our state courts an opportunity to figure out what are the limits of military power in the state of West Virginia. And so our state is pretty uniquely situated to be able to answer these questions now because we've answered them in the past.

JIMENEZ: I wonder just based on the work that you've done at the ACLU or otherwise, you know, you have this dynamic where now you have West Virginia, for example, sending National Guard troops. You have other states sending troops as well to help with sort of a federal directive coming straight from the White House at this point. Does this type of dynamic worry you at all?

SPARKS: Yes, absolutely. I mean, if you want to look at the states that could use resources in their state, West Virginia is one of them. I mean, we're only a few hours drive from D.C. in some places, and yet some of the counties in West Virginia have a life expectancy of 65, and we have places that are still mucking themselves out from catastrophic floods. And so the idea that we're going to send some of the very limited resources that we have to a situation that doesn't need those resources brought to bear on it just is pretty galling in the context of what's happening in our state.

JIMENEZ: And just before we go, what do you hope is the, I guess, resolution of the lawsuit? What are you asking for here that should be amended?

SPARKS: Yes, well, we want clarity from the judge on what the law is. So a declaration about what is and isn't illegal. And then for the governor to comply with that law is the short-term goal.

I think the long-term goal more broadly is that democracy isn't self- actualizing and it doesn't protect itself, and you can have death by a thousand cuts. And so even if this one small-ish thing isn't what makes the difference, we want to make sure that people in power know they're being held to account.

JIMENEZ: Aubrey Sparks, I appreciate you taking the time. Thanks for being here.

All right, just ahead, he was just reunited with his family, and now the father deported to El Salvador faces deportation again, this time potentially to Uganda. Hear his message this morning to his supporters. We'll have that coming up.

And today, President Trump hosts the president of South Korea at the White House. We'll tell you about the two critical issues that will be discussed in just hours. And the search for a missing 7-month-old baby intensifies over the

weekend after the parents were arrested on suspicion of murder. Details ahead.

[08:10:00]

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BERMAN: All right, we do have breaking news behind me or right there on your screen. You can see an attorney for Kilmar Abrego Garcia speaking live in Baltimore. He just said his client, again, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, has been taken into custody by ICE.

Let's get right to CNN's Priscilla Alvarez in Baltimore for the latest on this, Priscilla, bring us up to speed here.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, this is all unfolding right now. His attorney, Abrego Garcia, is telling the crowd here that he has been taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

To give you a sense of the timeline here, Abrego Garcia entered the building behind me just before 7:30 a.m., along with his attorney, his wife, family and community organizer. They went into the facility, passed through security until they went up into the elevator bank.

[08:15:00]

So we're now looking at around 45 minutes, and his attorney is back out here and says that, again, Abrego Garcia has been taken into ICE custody again. Remember, it was only earlier this year that he was taken into custody before his wrongful deportation to El Salvador.

Now, the big question moving forward is, what happens next? Where will he be deported?

There was a plea deal on the table by the Trump administration for him to plead to federal charges and to carry out a criminal sentence and then be deported to Costa Rica. Or, the Trump administration said, be deported to Uganda, a country that he has no ties to, but something the Trump administration has resorted to often, meaning deporting individuals to these so-called third countries.

We still don't have an answer on whether they would take this plea deal, but the attorneys for Abrego Garcia have repeatedly said that this deal was in retaliation for the attorneys challenging Abrego Garcia's wrongful deportation in March.

Now, there are some guardrails here because of a federal judge earlier this summer here in Maryland who said that he needed to be provided at least 72-hour notice of where he would be deported so his attorneys can contest that destination. So, there is still a process yet to unfold here, but the latest breaking news at this hour is that Abrego Garcia, who only moments ago was behind me with this crowd thanking the family and community organizers, is now in the federal building behind me where he has been taken into immigration and customs enforcement custody. That has been confirmed by the attorney.

But again, John, there is still a process yet to unfold here because the question still remains, where will the Trump administration deport him? That has been something that they have talked about often -- John.

BERMAN: Yes, and that's still something we need to learn over the next few minutes, maybe even hours, just so people know here. This attorney was speaking just at the end of the break. We'll re-rack the sound.

But when he said Kilmar Abrego Garcia was taken into ICE custody, there was a large groan from the crowd all around him there in Baltimore. Priscilla Alvarez, you are there. We'll let you get back to reporting. We'll check back in with you in just a little bit.

All right, thousands of homes across California and Oregon threatened by dangerous wildfires. Evacuations underway as firefighters now battle the flames during this dangerous heat wave.

And this is way bigger than a mere Bigfoot sighting. How about an entire Bigfoot festival?

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JIMENEZ: Happening today, the future of more than 28,000 U.S. troops in South Korea taking center stage as President Trump welcomes the South Korean president to the White House in just a few hours. It's actually the first meeting since the South Korean leader was elected to power in June. And the meeting comes as the U.S. demands that South Korea allow for more flexibility for American troops in their country.

That flexibility would allow U.S. forces to respond to China if needed. CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House. So, Alayna, what can we expect today?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, well, we're going to see South Korea's president coming to the White House around noon today, Omar. And you're right. I mean, this visit comes as there is a lot of uncertainty about the strength of the U.S. and South Korean alliance.

I mean, you look at the tariffs that the president has imposed on them despite the trade deal that it's kind of vague that the president laid out at the end of last month. But that is, of course, going to be one of the main topics for discussion today.

But there's also, of course, these demands for greater defense spending and a push for South Korea to pay more to have American troops on their soil.

Let me just walk through some of the top things I think are important for us to look for as these two leaders meet. You mentioned it, but what is the rapport going to be like? This is the first meeting between President Donald Trump and President Lee. He was only elected, President Lee, back in June. And, of course, it came after we saw the former South Korean president impeached over imposing martial law.

But the expected rapport between these two, will it continue to be a great kind of warm relationship as we saw the president, President Donald Trump, I should say, have with South Korea back during his first term in office?

But other things are the U.S. troop discussions. How much is South Korea actually willing to pay? And how much is the Trump administration actually going to ask for them to pay to have American troops in their country?

And also, of course, what could that look like if there is a potential attack on Taiwan, something I know has been discussed previously?

This idea as well of North Korean engagement. Both leaders have shown an openness to wanting to kind of resume talks with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-un not necessarily wanting to kind of open the door to that, but that's expected to potentially come up during this meeting today as well.

Then there's this idea of shipbuilding. We have been told, and this is according to our CNN colleagues in Seoul, that Lee is expected to give Trump a model of a 16th century Korean turtle warship.

And all of this as talks around having Korea and their involvement in U.S. shipbuilding and potential money there as part of this trade deal we saw, that is also expected to take center stage.

And look, I do want to go back to what we know of that trade deal that I mentioned. That is, of course, one of the key reasons for this meeting today. We saw the president actually announce at the end of July, once they had this trade meeting, that he was going to be welcoming South Korea's leader to the White House to further discuss, you know, how they can make more progress on trade negotiations.

And part of that is South Korea now faces a 15 percent tariff on imports, the U.S. imposing that tariff.

[08:25:00]

Of course, $350 billion is supposed to be invested from South Korea in the United States. And also, South Korea is expected to buy $100 billion worth of U.S. liquefied natural gas and other energy products.

And one of the things we also saw President Donald Trump kind of lay out and preview back in July when they struck this trade agreement, he said that essentially that South Korea had agreed to invest a large sum of money for their investment purposes and that that sum would be announced when the president of South Korea came to the White House.

So keep an eye out for any sort of announcement around a specific dollar amount for that investment as part of these trade talks -- Omar. JIMENEZ: A lot to watch for, including the dynamic between the two leaders in this meeting. Alayna Treene, appreciate the reporting, as always.

We've got a lot, too, that we're covering this morning, including ahead the new movement to have moms push back against Secretary Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again movement. We'll talk about it.

And Texas Governor Greg Abbott says he will swiftly sign the new redistricting maps into law. One Democratic congressman, though, now says if the courts don't overturn them, he may not seek reelection in his home district.

All that and more coming up.

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