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Heated Argument Erupts at U.S. Open Over Unspoken Rule; Costliest U.S. Natural Disaster Katrina Hit 20 Years Ago Today; Ukrainian Delegation Meets U.S. Envoy Witkoff in New York; Trump Mandates Classical Architecture for Federal Buildings. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired August 29, 2025 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

JONATHAN FAHEY, FORMER ICE ACTING DIRECTOR UNDER TRUMP: ... policy issues talking about illegal immigration, the harms of it, and the particular legal issue is just can this person get a fair trial if these things are said? And typically courts rule in favor of free speech and say the jury is presumed to be fair and impartial once they've been chosen. But I think that this is sort of a side issue because now that Mr. Abrego Garcia is in ICE custody and the judge in Tennessee basically relinquished custody of him by putting him on bond. So I don't think he will ever get back to that Tennessee court because he's going to be deported either to Uganda or somewhere else, at least based on my understanding. Although he has some claims coming up, asylum claims and things of that nature.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: We'll see what happens. Jonathan Fahey, we very much appreciate you coming on and sharing your perspective.

FAHEY: Good. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: So plenty more news to come on NEWS CENTRAL. Stay tuned. We'll be right back.

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[14:35:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: American Taylor Townsend is back on the court tonight after a heated exchange with her U.S. Open opponent on Wednesday. Instead of just a quick handshake at the net, Jelena Ostapenko appeared to scold Townsend after losing their second round match, telling her American opponent she has no class and no education.

A lot of folks weighing in on this, including Naomi Osaka, who called the Latvians comments one of the worst things you can say to a Black tennis player in a majority White sport.

Joining us now for more insight is CNN World Sport anchor Patrick Snell. Patrick, their clash stemmed from the breaking of a sort of unspoken rule in tennis. What can you tell us about this?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN ANCHOR, WORLD SPORT: Yes, Brianna, this is certainly becoming really one of the biggest talking points of the tournament so far. The fallout continues in a big way. Really concerning scenes, I think that's fair to say on Wednesday night at Flushing Meadows.

There was an angry confrontation between Townsend and Ostapenko, who is a former French Open champion. Now, according to the Latvian player, her frustrations originated when Townsend, she alleged, did not say sorry after being helped by a net cord during a point. Now, for context here, players from an etiquette perspective always typically acknowledge it or even apologize as well if they win a point via, as in won the match in straight sets.

But the two players then getting into really heat, Ostapenko said the American player had no class and no education. Reaction from other players has been swift in coming in. Let's hear now from Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAOMI OSAKA, 4-TIME MAJOR CHAMPION: Obviously, it's one of the worst things that you can say to a Black tennis player in a majority White sport. I think it's ill timing and the worst person you could have ever said it to. And I don't know if she knows the history of it in America.

COCO GAUFF, 2-TIME MAJOR WINNER: I think it was a the moment thing. And I think Jelena was probably feeling emotions after she lost. I do think that that shouldn't have been said, regardless of how you're feeling.

ARYNA SABALENKA, WORLD NUMBER 1: I think she just sometimes can just lose control over her emotions, which are pretty tough. And I really hope that one day she will figure it her -- herself and she will handle it much better.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNELL: Now, in an Instagram post, Ostapenko has denied any element of racism. And as for Taylor Townsend, Brianna, she's playing again, as you mentioned, later on this evening in round three against number five seed Mirra Andreeva. So we'll keep an eye on all the latest developments on this. Back to you.

KEILAR: All right. We'll be looking for that, Patrick. Thank you very much -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: 20 years ago today, Katrina became the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. The hurricane struck the Gulf Coast, killing nearly 1,400 people and causing about $125 billion in damage. The city's levees failed, causing floodwaters to wipe out miles of neighborhoods.

CNN correspondent Randi Kaye joins us now live from New Orleans. Randi, what does the city have planned for today in remembrance?

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been a pretty busy day here, Boris, in the city of New Orleans. It's hard to believe that 20 years ago today, this city was nearly 80 percent underwater. So certainly a lot of changes in the last 20 years, a lot of improvements.

But as far as today goes, there was a moment of silence and the reading of names of those lost in the lower Ninth Ward. That was one of the hardest hit areas of -- after Katrina. That's where the levees broke and flooded that entire area.

And then most of the morning we've been waiting for this second line, as they call it, which is basically a jazz funeral. It should be coming to this area very, very soon. This is the area where it ends. And then there's going to be a rally here.

But everything in New Orleans is a party, as you know. And I even spoke to one musician who said we can turn a funeral into a party.

But today is really a celebration for the city, for even those that they lost. It's a tribute to the city, a tribute to the power of the people here. Music is a big part of that. It's part of the fabric of the city. It's really what a lot of people leaned on after Katrina to try and bring things back together. So we'll wait here for the rally.

And I also should note there have been big improvements, Boris, in the levee system here. They built a massive 1.8 mile surge barrier to protect the city of New Orleans as well -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Randi Kaye, live for us in New Orleans. Thank you so much.

Still to come, President Trump's chief negotiator sitting down with Ukrainian leaders today trying to find a path forward for peace with Russia.

We'll be right back.

[14:40:00]

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KEILAR: The Ukrainian delegation is in New York today meeting with U.S. officials a day after Russia launched its second biggest air assault on Ukraine's capital. They met with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff this morning. They were also scheduled to speak with Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says the death toll from the overnight attack in Kyiv has risen to 25 and that it includes at least four children.

European leaders are accusing Putin of sabotaging peace efforts. The Trump administration just approved a weapon sale to Ukraine worth more than $825 million.

Let's talk about this now with Ivo Daalder, the former U.S. ambassador to NATO. He's currently a senior fellow at the Harvard Belfer Center.

Ambassador, I just think about it. Two weeks ago, what fanfare we saw in Alaska, here in Washington, D.C., and there really now isn't too much to show for it. What can these meetings today accomplish?

[14:45:00]

IVO DAALDER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: Well, importantly, this is, I believe, the first time that the Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is just meeting with the Ukrainians. He's flown to Moscow six times, has had extensive conversation with Vladimir Putin, but never had this kind of meeting with the Ukrainians.

Which is a good sign because, after all, this is not just a question of both sides having to stop the war. This is a question of understanding who caused the war and how it can end. Russia started this war, and the only way it's going to end is for Russia to stop the war.

And that should be the focus of every single effort that the United States is engaged in, whether it's providing weapons to Ukraine or putting real pressure on Russia. And this sort of evenhandedness that we have seen from the administration over the last eight months, including, importantly, in Anchorage first and then in Washington, just isn't going to work. Russia is the problem here, not Ukraine, so the pressure has to be on Russia.

KEILAR: What do you think the message is? Like, what do you think Putin, as he's watching Witkoff meet with Zelenskyy, what is he taking away from that? What should he be taking away from that?

DAALDER: Well, I hope what he takes away from that or what we are going to provide is a very deep, in-depth discussion about security assurances to Ukraine. Ukraine is not going to end the fighting. It's not going to settle for a ceasefire or a long-term agreement or even a long-term armistice unless and until it has the guarantees, real tangible guarantees, that its security will be guaranteed by other countries, by Europe, but also by the United States. So that, I think and hope, is what the discussion should be about.

Vladimir Putin needs to understand that his goal of subjugating Ukraine is not going to be achieved. It's not going to be achieved by war, and it won't be achieved through negotiations and peace, because the European countries and the United States have Ukraine's back. And until and unless Vladimir Putin understands that this war is going to continue.

KEILAR: Andriy Yermak, who's the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said on X ahead of the meeting, We believe that global pressure is needed to ensure Russia is genuinely ready to move toward peace and, in particular, to hold critically important leaders meetings for that purpose.

You've seen Trump, you know, he was saying he wanted a ceasefire. Then he backed off of that. Is there any way that there can be pressure on Russia without pressure for a ceasefire as there's an attempt at negotiations here?

DAALDER: Well, clearly, we need pressure because Russia needs to pay a price, and the cost of continuing the war needs to go up. And the President has indicated since February that he was going to put sanctions on Russia but of course has never done it in the past eight months. The Europeans have, but the United States has not.

Once there is pressure, it also should be clear what it is that needs to be done in order for that pressure to be released. A ceasefire might be a first step, but clearly an end to the war and a real peace, a peace that ensures that Ukraine remains a sovereign and independent country, able and willing to decide its own fate, and a peace that accepts that Russia has no say over the future of Ukraine is absolutely critical.

So that should be the message, a ceasefire and then an agreement in which Russia accepts the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, and that Ukraine decides on its future with regard to security agreements and the security alliances with regard to Europe and the United States, and indeed its economic future with Europe as part of the European Union.

Those are decisions for the Europeans and Ukraine or for the United States, Europeans and Ukraine to make, not for Russia. So that needs to be the message. You need to stop the war, and if you don't, we're going to increase the pressure on you until you find a way to do so.

KEILAR: Yes, and lately we've seen it kind of released a little bit. Ambassador Ivo Daalder, thank you so much for being with us.

DAALDER: My pleasure.

KEILAR: Still to come, the President planning to leave a lasting mark on how D.C. looks with his latest executive order.

[14:50:00]

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SANCHEZ: President Trump's quest to put a stamp on the nation's capital just went a step further. This week he signed an executive order mandating classical architecture for federal buildings. For those of us unfamiliar with classical architecture, think columns, symmetry, marble. The President cites the U.S. Capitol building as a model.

CNN's Betsy Klein joins us live from the White House. And Betsy, in this order, the President is also trying to get rid of another style of architecture. Tell us about that.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER AND WRITER: That's right, Boris. Presidents generally don't insert themselves into federal architectural policy, but this President does, seeking to place his mark, his taste, his style on Washington, D.C.

And one of the things that I've learned from observing and interacting with President Trump since 2015 is that he is so deeply attuned to his background in real estate. It is one of the things that makes him tick.

So President Trump on Thursday signing an executive order mandating that all federal buildings embrace classical architecture. And one of the key points of this executive order is that any building that does not must be run by the President. And that includes brutalist buildings.

[14:55:00]

And when we think of brutalist buildings, it's some of those iconic, geometric D.C. buildings like the J. Edgar Hoover FBI building, as well as the D.C. Metro system.

But this executive order is titled Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again. And it reads in part, quote, Applicable federal buildings should uplift and beautify public spaces, inspire the human spirit, ennoble the United States and command respect from the general public. In the District of Columbia, classical architecture shall be the preferred and default architecture for federal public buildings, absent exceptional factors.

Now, this applies to new buildings as well as any renovations and expansions. And it also comes, Boris, as President Trump is putting his mark on this White House.

We have seen him repave the White House Rose Garden and install umbrellas very similar to those at his Mar-a-Lago club. He has also placed adornments of gilded features in the Oval Office on the colonnade and in the Cabinet Room. And notably, we are about to see a major construction project as the president seeks to install a ballroom.

And I just want to give you a sense of the size and scope of this expected renovation that will start in the coming days. This building behind me, the White House Executive Mansion, it's about 55,000 square feet. The president's proposed ballroom, which is going to have all kinds of gold and gilded chandeliers and other features, is going to be 90,000 square feet.

So the president clearly here trying to apply his aesthetic vision.

SANCHEZ: Betsy Klein, live for us at the White House, thank you.

Still to come, is Barack Obama re-entering the chat? How the former president could be a key voice in an attempt to restore Democrats to relevance.

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