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Illinois Governor Says, Trump Deploying Troops to Chicago Would Be an Invasion; Judge Blocks Attempt to Deport Guatemalan Children in U.S. Custody; Giuliani Recovering from Injuries After Car Accident in New Hampshire. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired September 01, 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: The president warned Chicago, we are coming, as the White House plans a major immigration enforcement operation that could come any day. Thousands of troops could be headed to the city.

And after a doorbell prank, an 11-year-old boy shot and killed. Police say murder charges are possible.

And the terrifying moments a child is seen walking on monorail tracks or a monorail track. We will show you what happens next.

Kate and Sara are out. I'm John Berman with Bianna Golodryga today. This is CNN News Central.

Is there a crackdown coming to Chicago? This morning, President Trump increasing his threats to send National Guard troops to America's third largest city. And escalating his feud with Democratic governor -- with the Democratic governor of Illinois, with dozens of shootings reported in Chicago over the Labor Day weekend. The president warned Governor J.B. Pritzker, quote, he better straighten it out fast or we're coming. The governor says he has had no communication with the Trump administration about any plans to send troops, and he used a word to describe the possibility, invasion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D-IL): No one in the administration, the president or anybody under him has called anyone in my administration or and me have not called the city of Chicago or anyone else. So, it's clear that in secret they're planning this, well, it's an invasion with U.S. troops if they, in fact, do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Multiple sources of told CNN the Trump administration is planning a big immigration enforcement operation in Chicago as soon as this week. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says there are plans to add more resources to ongoing ICE operations in the city and other locations in the coming days. But Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has now signed an executive order instructing local police not to assist in any federal immigration cracked down.

Let's get right to CNN's Whitney Wild in Chicago this morning with the latest. So, what is the status this morning, Whitney?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: John, the expectation here based on sources that CNN has spoken with is that this enforcement action is going to kick off sometime within the next few days. The expectation is that resources are going to be deployed to Chicago at least by the end of the week, and that includes armored vehicles. It possibly includes actual boots on the ground presence here.

The expectation, John, is that this is going to look more like how it played out in Los Angeles, not how it looked in Washington, D.C. and in Los Angeles. This was an immigration effort and the role of the National Guard was a peacekeeping effort, the administration had said, so that the Immigration and Customs of Border Patrol agents could carry out their law enforcement duties effectively and safely.

Meanwhile, the city here and the state government here is scrambling to figure out what they can do ahead of time to try to head this off. And while leaders here admit that there's no lawsuit they can file preemptively, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has laid out, as you mentioned, an executive order that reaffirms and direct city offices on what to do. And there you have the crime stats here. That is so important because law enforcement here, the federal, the state and local officials here have been leaning on this idea that Chicago is not a disaster, but an instead it is a success story because, as you just saw, there were double digit drops in major crime categories. That's very difficult in a city of this size, especially in Chicago, which had a stubborn history bringing down crime in an effective way.

Back to Brandon Johnson's executive orders, they direct city officers and city officials to figure out what legislative and legal means they can take to try to stop this. It reaffirms the Chicago Police's inactive role, meaning the Chicago Police will not work with any of these federal officials on any of these actions related to this immigration push, this federal surge here. Let's hear more from Mayor Brandon Johnson, who said plainly why he thought it was important to sign this executive order before this enforcement effort kicks off.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON (D-CHICAGO, IL): I do not take this executive action lightly. I would've preferred to work in a more collaborative approach.

But, unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of time. We have received credible reports that we have days, not weeks, before our city see some type of militarized activity by the federal government.

[07:05:01]

This is an erratic, impulsive administration, and it is not always possible to understand and know exactly how he will move.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: This executive order also urges federal law enforcement not to wear a mask, to wear a body camera and demands that the White House stop this effort. Unlikely either one of those things will actually happen. John, it'll be a lot of focus on Chicago this week. Whitney, wild. Great to have you there. Thank you very much. John?

There will be a lot of focus on Chicago this week. Whitney Wild, great to have you there. Thank you very much.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, hundreds of Guatemalan children remain in the United States after a federal judge blocked a late night attempt to buy the Trump administration to send them back to their home country. Multiple airplanes were already loaded up with minors who had arrived to the U.S. unaccompanied, one lawyer telling CNN that many were woken up in the middle of the night, terrified and confused about what was going on.

The judge who blocked the effort to remove the children called the government's actions in the wee hours of a holiday weekend, quote, surprising. The government now has until Friday to provide evidence that the children's parents or legal guardians actually requested that they be returned to Guatemala.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is tracking all of this for us. Priscilla, what more are you learning?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, these are children who lawyers say were fleeing conditions back at home, which is what caused so much alarm when this effort by the U.S. government and the Guatemalan government got underway.

Now, it really picked up pace late Saturday into the early morning hours of Sunday. What happened, according to notices that I have seen that were provided to shelters and attorneys was these shelters were told late Saturday to prepare the kids that fell under this criteria, these Guatemalan kids, for discharge within hours, giving them snacks, their personal belongings and medications. Meanwhile, the attorneys were similarly told in those hours that their clients would be returned to Guatemala.

Now, one of those attorneys spoke to me and said that her client was woken up in the middle of the night and was being prepared to be sent back to Guatemala. And this is what that attorney said to me, quote, the reaction when you explained what's happening is disbelief. They're very scared. They all say they're afraid to return to Guatemala for different reasons. They were literally taken out of their beds in the middle of the night on a holiday weekend.

Now, these are children who are in U.S. government custody. They're there because they're waiting to be reunited with U.S.-based family while they go through their immigration proceedings, where it is determined by an immigration judge if they have protections in the United States. It's a population of the immigrant community that does have special protections, according to U.S. law. And it is part of the basis of the lawsuit that was filed against the Trump administration for this effort. That lawsuit again filed really in the early morning hours of Sunday. A federal judge blocking the removals around 4:00 A.M., and during a hearing yesterday made the point that she was woken up herself around 2:00 A.M. yesterday while all of this was ongoing to block these removals.

And, ultimately, that is what she did on a temporary basis. The administration pushing back on that with White House Deputy Policy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller saying, quote, the Biden judge is effectively kidnapping these migrant children and refusing to let them return home to their parents in their home country.

And, Bianna, this is where it gets complicated. It is true that there are some children in U.S. custody that sometimes ask to be returned to Guatemala. And when they do, they have to go before an immigration judge so that they understand the decision they're making because these are children whose ages really cover the gamut. And there are other children who are fleeing conditions at home, who are trying to seek protection in the United States, which, again, makes this entire effort so questionable for the attorneys who are representing them. But, ultimately, Bianna, last night, the government, the U.S. government, worked to get these children who were already on planes on tarmacs back to the shelter where they were waiting to be reunited with family here in the U.S. as these proceedings are ongoing.

GOLODRYGA: Yet another legal battle for the Trump administration. All right, Priscilla Alvarez, thank you.

At least 800 people are dead and more than 2,000 have been injured after a 6.0 earthquake rocked Afghanistan on Sunday. This morning, rescuers are still trying to reach some of the victims in remote regions in the eastern part of the country. Now, some of the injured have been flown to hospitals as the United Nations rushes in emergency aid.

Entire villages are flattened and rescuers are scrambling to reach remote communities. Many have been cut off because of landslides and destroyed roads. Officials fear the death toll could rise even higher. It's a tragedy.

And a doorbell prank turns deadly. Police in Texas saying 11-year-old boy was shot and killed after ringing a doorbell and then running away.

[07:10:00]

We'll have the latest on the investigation.

And new this morning, nine former and acting directors of the CDC say that Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is, quote, endangering every American's health. We have their dire warning ahead.

And terrifying moments caught on camera as a child walks across a monorail track at an amusement park. We'll show you how bystanders rescued him.

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[07:15:00]

BERMAN: This morning, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is recovering after a car accident in New Hampshire. His head of security said the vehicle was hit from behind at, quote, high speed. This happened Saturday evening. The 81-year-old was taken to a nearby trauma center with injuries.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino here with the details, which I have to say are a little confusing.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, totally, you're right. The details what led up to the car accident, all of it coming together is somewhat interesting and a bit puzzling if you ask me. But we have heard from Rudy Giuliani's head of security saying that he is recovering in the hospital, although he did have some pretty serious injuries, including a broken vertebrae.

But he says that they were at a baseball game in New Hampshire over the weekend. They left the game, they were driving on the highway. And while they were driving, they were flagged down by a woman who they say was the victim of a domestic violence incident. They pulled over, tried to help her. They called 911. And Rudy Giuliani's head of security who was traveling with him said that they waited until police arrived.

Once police arrived, they got back in their vehicle, back on the highway, and it was at that moment that they were struck by another vehicle driving at high speed from behind.

Now, this vehicle was being driven by a 19-year-old woman. Rudy Giuliani was severely injured, like I said, broken vertebra, scratches and an injury to his arm. But we have heard from his spokesperson that he is in good spirits and making a recovery.

So far, there have been no arrests, no one has been charged. And it sounds like they were saying that this was just an issue of being at the wrong place at the wrong time in terms of this car that was traveling at high speed that struck him from behind. It looks like the former mayor and President Donald Trump's former personal attorney is making a recovery.

We heard from Rudy Giuliani's son who posted on social media talking about his dad, thanking everyone for their prayers and for everyone that's reached out, he said, it all means the world. And it looks like the former mayor is making -- expected to make a full recovery. But we're waiting to see if there's going to be any more investigation about exactly how this car accident unfolded and if anyone might be at fault.

BERMAN: Yes. Again, the injuries do sound serious. The sequencing of events laid out by Giuliani and his team, again, you know, strange.

PAZMINO: Yes.

BERMAN: Strange and, obviously, we need to find out more about that. Gloria Pazmino, thank you very much. Bianna?

GOLODRYGA: All right. New this morning, a man has been found dead at the Burning Man Festival in the Nevada desert. Officials are now investigating this as a homicide. We don't yet know his identity.

The local sheriff's office said the body was found lying on the ground on Saturday in a pool of blood. Officials cordoned off the area and interviewed festival goers. The sheriff's office said that it appears that this is a, quote, singular crime.

And new this morning, a young boy has died in Houston after being shot while playing a ding-dong ditch doorbell prank. Police say the 11- year-old was with a group of children ringing doorbells Saturday evening when they knocked on one home. Witnesses said someone came out of the house and started chasing after them and shooting as they ran away. Police say the boy was shot in the back. He was rushed to the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds and he died on Sunday.

CNN affiliate KHOU reports that a man at the home was questioned. Police say the circumstances don't appear to support self-defense and a murder charge is likely.

All right, ahead for us, Climate Activist Greta Thunberg sets sail to try and bring aid to Gaza. The effort to break through Israel's naval blockade.

And the late summer heat blanketing millions along the West Coast. When will it let up? We'll tell you after the break

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BERMAN: All right. What a start to the college football season, including a nail-biter late into the night.

CNN's Coy Wire is here. Coy, I actually don't think I remember a better beginning to a college football season.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, John. Good morning to you. Number six Notre Dame and number ten Miami in a sensational Sunday night showdown. Watch this catch. Hurricane's new quarterback Carson Beck Finds C.J. Daniels up the scene. This is unreal. Check this man's hands for super glue, jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring touchdown. Let me just replay this the entire second. Beck went 20 for 30 with two touchdowns.

This was a top ten slugfest, but with a game tied about a minute ago. Miami Kicker Carter Davis becomes the Hurricane's hero, game winner from 47 yards out. Keynes pull off the upset win 27-24.

To the U.S. Open, 29-year-old American Taylor Townsend and Czech Barbora Krejcakova battled in a second set that went on 98 minutes. The tiebreak alone was the best, taking 25 minutes. The 139th ranked Townsend eventually lost a set and match. She had gained favor with tennis fans after defeating former Roland Garros Champ Jea1/4ena Ostapenko, who accused her of having no class and no education. Townsend had this to say about her inspiring run.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAYLOR TOWNSEND, TIES CAREER MARK BY PLAYING IN FOURTH ROUND AT A MAJOR: I am proud of myself. You know, I don't think that I've ever put on a performance like this. And even when I had gone deep in some tournaments or played well, it's always was like, oh, okay, she's just on a run. And I think that, you know, more than anything I gained the respect of, you know, everyone in the tennis world, you know, and put a lot of my competitors on notice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:25:03]

WIRE: All right. This is video you have to see. 22-year-old, five- time major champ Carlos Alcaraz stunning the sporting world again. This defies descriptions, a baffling behind the back shot that left his opponent, Arthur Rinderknech, bamboozled. Alcaraz is a magician. He's now the youngest man in the open era to reach 13 Grand Slam quarter finals.

Aaron Judge has handed out another verdict, and once again it reads home run. The Yankee cranking his 43rd home run of the season, tying legendary catcher Yogi Berra for fifth most homers in Yankees history, 358 big flies now for the big guy. Yankees fall to the White Sox 3-2, but Judge continues his rise in Bronx Bombers lure (ph).

Finally, a speedy story that has our resident Red Sox super fan, John Berman on the edge of his seat, Jarren Duran put the ran in Duran. His line drive rattling round the famous Fenway triangle, Duran put the pedal to the metal, blazing those bases, hooking it home, and then he gets hyped.

John, like you were -- I know you were watching this yesterday. It's his first ever inside the park, home run scoring three runs. Sox topped the Pirates 5-2 with a dazzling display of speed and sheer determination. Look at that smile on Berman's face, baby.

BERMAN: I can watch it again and again and again. It was the scream afterwards. It was really thrilling. You could see how psyche was, and I know you've seen inside the park home runs before. What made this one kind of special was it wasn't really a misplay. It just got back to the wall. And Jarren Duran is so fast that they couldn't catch him. I mean, they couldn't get him. It was the quickest trip from home to home all season long. People measure this guy.

WIRE: Incredible. And who was it ahead of him there, John? He said I felt like I was going to pass him. I was kind of waiting to make sure I didn't get slowed down there. He's a burner, man. That was awesome.

BERMAN: And he now leads Yogi Berra, by the way, all-time in inside the park home runs, just saying, you know?

Coy Wire, thank you very much for that. All right, new video shows the moment rescuers pulled a pilot to safety after his plane crashed into the ocean. We will show you that video at some point.

And a warning from former leaders of the CDC, they say, Health and Human Service Secretary of Robert Kennedy is endangering every American's health.

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[07:30:00]