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Democratic Run Cities Brace for Federal Crackdown; Benjamin Weber is Interviewed about the Federal Crackdown; Trump's Move to Reshape the New York Mayoral Race; Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) is Interviewed about Russia. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired September 08, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Member of the Ukrainian parliament. Again, Kyiv suffering one of the worst attacks it has since the war began, both on government building and civilian infrastructure and homes. Thank you so much for being with us. Please stay safe.

A brand new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking this morning, the immigration crackdown escalating. New cities, all run by Democrats. The latest targets of ICE raids. And as the border czar is warning cities -- more cities across the country should expect action.

And break -- more breaking news. We're learning new details about the deadly shooting at a bus stop in Jerusalem. Gunman opening fire, killing at least six people, injuring -- seriously injuring several others.

And the four-year search for a father on the run, living in the wilderness with his three young children, ends in a deadly standoff.

I'm Kate Bolduan, with John Berman. Sara is out. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BERMAN: All right, it is Boston today. Will it be Chicago tomorrow? For some time now we've heard that Chicago is being targeted for a major immigration enforcement operation. Protesters there took to the streets in opposition. The borders czar, Tom Homan, confirmed to CNN that a crackdown is coming. He says there are plans to send federal immigration agents to Chicago and do it this week. Homan spoke after President Trump posted an A.I.-generated apocalypse now inspired image with the message "Chicago is about to find out why it's called the Department of War," though the president later said he's not going to war with Chicago despite the post that said he basically was going to war with Chicago. And he said that a decision about moving forward will come in a day or two.

Let's get right to CNN's Priscilla Alvarez for the very latest on when and where.

Priscilla. PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, this has been under

discussion internally for weeks I'm told, both targeting Chicago and Boston, two Democratic-led cities that the administration has often criticized because of their so-called sanctuary policies. Policies that limit their -- the local police department's cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Looks a little different in each of the cities, but all the same, they have both come under fire by senior Trump officials.

It's not the first time that immigration arrests have happened there. In fact, in the early days of the Trump administration, they did enforcement (INAUDIBLE) in Chicago. They've continued arrest over the course of the last few months. And in May, there was a major operation in Massachusetts.

But what the planning includes now is more major enforcement. That includes a larger federal presence. As one source described it to me, it's essentially Los Angeles on the road. It's that playbook of having those expanded operations with many more federal agencies. And then, down the road, if necessary, pulling out the National Guard.

Now, Tom Homan, the White House border czar, had weighed in on the president's comments over the weekend, or rather his social media posts, about war in Chicago. And here is how he described it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, BORDER CZAR: Look, I think his words are being taken out of context. If I said we're going to war, we're going to war with the criminal cartels. We're going to war with illegal aliens, public safety threats that rape children, that raped citizens, that committed armed robberies, that -- that distribute narcotics that kill Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: Now, Governor Pritzker called this, quote, "not normal." There has been immense pushback from Democrats. And while the administration has arrested people with serious criminal convictions, what the data has shown is that many of those who are arrested are actually here on immigration violations, who don't have a criminal record or serious convictions. And that is where some of these operations can become dicey because even if they go into these cities with a target list, people who are public safety and national security threats, they're also arresting those around them, dredging up the number of people arrested in each of these cities.

So again, this has been discussed and planned internally for weeks now. They have been sending personnel and armored vehicles up to Chicago, similarly bolstering their presence in Massachusetts for what the department is calling another operation in attacking the mayor's sanctuary policies there.

So, all of this is expected to continue to ramp up in addition to their rhetoric as they fan out across the country.

BERMAN: Priscilla Alvarez, for us in Washington this morning. Priscilla, thanks so much for your reporting.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And let's focus in on Boston and what's happening there. Joining us right now is Benjamin Weber, a member of the Boston city council.

Thank you so much for being here.

What is known, what have you heard in terms of operations enforcement that has happened so far in Boston? How many people have been taken into custody? Who are they and where are they now?

[09:05:00]

BENJAMIN WEBER, BOSTON CITY COUNCIL: Well, I mean a lot of this is shrouded in secrecy. And I think it's part of the plan. It's baked into it to spread fear. And among our people and Boston residents.

In terms of the numbers, you know, again, we're not sure. We have people who sight ICE around the neighborhood. What we do know is that, you know, many of the -- a majority of the people being detained are these so-called collateral arrests of people who have no criminal record whatsoever and they're being scooped up and -- and put into detention.

BOLDUAN: That gets directly to my next question, because you heard the border czar, we were just playing a little bit of what he had said yesterday, that -- who they are going after, they're going to war with the criminal cartels with dangerous criminals.

Is that what you are seeing at all in Boston?

WEBER: It just -- it's a completely false narrative of Boston. It's the safest city in the country. Our crime stats are the lowest they've ever been since they started keeping stats in 1957.

I live -- you know, just a little bit about my district. Boston has nine districts. My district includes an area where a lot of Boston police and firefighters live. It also includes the largest Dominican community in the city. And, you know, we live together. The reason why, you know, this, you know, that our cooperation with each other is why this is the safest city in the country. And I just completely reject this notion that, you know, somehow we need ICE or -- or Secretary Homan or Tom Homan to come in and save us.

BOLDUAN: The Justice Department has sued the city over the city's policies, you know, sanctuary city policies. This lawsuit was filed last week. Is -- how is the council going to respond, or how is the city, in general, going to respond to this?

WEBER: Well, very soon, after President Trump was elected, the Boston city council reaffirmed the Boston Trust Act, which is our version of a sanctuary city policy. And, obviously, our mayor has stood up for the city, gone down to D.C. and -- and done battle in Congress. I am -- I'm proud to stand by our mayor, who is standing up for the

sanctuary for our sanctuary city policy. And really, I -- you know, I'm an attorney. I don't think the -- the lawsuit has any merit. The same lawsuit that Attorney General Pam Bondi filed in Illinois was recently thrown out because, under the Constitution, we're allowed to control how our local law enforcement is used. We are not allowing our resources to be used for, you know, immigration actions. And that is, you know, courts for forever have said under the Tenth Amendment of the anti-commandeering doctrine that that's our right.

BOLDUAN: The president has threatened, in different ways, either having to do with what he says is a crime rate, or having to do with immigration enforcement, that things could -- that things could be taken further just like across the country in general, and sending in the National Guard could be a step. Sending in federal law enforcement in a -- in a -- in a -- in a broader way, like what we've seen in D.C., and some of what we have seen in part -- at times in Los Angeles.

If he does that, what do you think the city will do? What do you want the city to do?

WEBER: Well, you know, a lot -- I mean, the most common question I get is still, you know, I want speed bumps on my street to slow down traffic. But -- but now, the second most common question I get is, what are we going to do if the National Guard is deployed here? And some folks are hoping that our police department will sort of stand in the way. You know, I don't see that as a possibility. What I see is, you know, all of us uniting and standing up against what would be an armed invasion of our city. You know, unfortunately, echoing, you know, the -- the American Revolution, you know, what we have here in Boston. And, you know, I -- I really hope that --

BOLDUAN: You do think it would be akin to an invasion of your city?

WEBER: I -- I -- there -- there's -- there's no -- there's no other way to look at it, especially after the -- the decision in California, Gavin Newsom brought that lawsuit, and the judge said that that this -- using the National Guard in the way they did in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act. It would be the same here. Deploying armed soldiers against U.S. citizens and U.S. residents where there is just no reason to do it. I really hope that the city -- I know my council colleagues, I know the mayor, I know the attorney general and the governor here are going to stand up alongside our residents here.

You know, I really hope that we have a unified, you know, peaceful demonstrations where we can show that, you know, they're not needed here and, you know, we're not going to be used as sort of, you know, a scapegoat for whatever they're trying to accomplish there in D.C.

[09:10:12]

BOLDUAN: Benjamin Weber, of the Boston city council, thank you for your time.

John. BERMAN: All right, breaking overnight, at least six people dead,

several others seriously wounded after two attackers opened fire on a bus stop in Jerusalem. The Israeli police say they've arrested a resident of east Jerusalem they suspect was involved in the attack. Police say the two gunmen were killed by return fire from a security officer and a civilian. The prime minister visited the site and vowed to hunt down those responsible. Video shows chaos as civilians ran from the gunfire. People got out of their cars to flee to safety.

President Trump's influence in the New York City mayoral race maybe not having the impact he thought it would. This morning, what current Mayor Adams is saying about his future.

An 87-year-old fights off a robber trying to grab his Rolex.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:15:38]

BERMAN: This morning, President Trump's attempt to influence the race for New York City mayor may be backfiring. The incumbent, Eric Adams, denying plans -- denying that he plans to drop out of the race. That's amid reports that Trump aides were talking to him about a possible job with the administration, which would have cleared a path for former Governor Andrew Cuomo and, in theory, keeps Zohran Mamdani maybe from winning this November.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is here.

A lot of machinations, but maybe we ended up right back where we were on Friday.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And what's really interesting about it, John, is that, you know, you think about why Trump would want to get involved with this and what Republicans think about it. And the fact is, Republicans, including many whom I have spoken with, have said that, actually, Mamdani would be kind of ideal for their purposes, right? Already we see Republicans using Mamdani as sort of the national face of the Democratic Party, and he would be a perfect foil to run against in the upcoming midterms. So, for many good -- many Republicans who are watching this, they kind of want him to win because he makes a perfect foil.

But Trump has sort of twin interests and loves here. I've also heard from some people in Trump's orbit who say that the president is hearing from a lot of people here in New York City, including many who are involved in real estate, which is where we know he made his name, his money and his fame, that they're really concerned about Mamdani, who wants to freeze rent, stabilize apartment rents, who wants to tax the wealthy. So, these are things that people are really worried about and in the president's ear about. And that is where this whole idea that they would help clear the field for Andrew Cuomo came about.

The problem for now is that Eric Adams, at least publicly, is saying that he is not going anywhere. And what you have in the background of all of this now is Trump appearing to meddle in this election, something that New Yorkers really don't want to hear? And certainly, you know, still, New York City, a place that even though this is the president's hometown, he remains deeply unpopular here. So that's working to Zohran Mamdani's advantage. He is saying, look at Trump, look at the billionaires trying to control this election. We have to make sure that they don't do that. And you have to support me. So, there's definitely a world where this actually perhaps even drives more supporters to his campaign.

BERMAN: Yes, we'll see. I mean Mamdani's not shying away from it. He's like, you know, bring it on. Donald Trump, please, get more involved in this race.

PAZMINO: Exactly. Yes.

BERMAN: Nice to see you, Gloria.

We should note that Andrew Cuomo, who, again, we talked about as maybe, in theory, being a beneficiary if Eric Adams were to leave the race, he'll be on CNN a little bit later this morning.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: President Trump's patience seemingly wearing thin. Is he finally serious about putting new and brutal sanctions on Russia?

More cities also coming up. More cities are coming. President Trump is ramping up threats of immigration crackdowns. Only Democratic cities, of course, are on the list.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:23:13]

BOLDUAN: On the heels of Russia's largest ever aerial assault on Ukraine, and with no sign of a peace deal in sight, President Trump is signaling once again that his patience has run thin and possibly, maybe, he's reached the point of moving ahead with a new round of sanctions that could cripple the Russian economy, saying that he -- when asked by a reporter, saying he's ready to move on to a second phase of sanctions now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am not thrilled with what's happening there, I will tell you.

I believe we're going to get it settled. But I am not happy with them. I'm not happy with anything having to do with that war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Russia's attack yesterday involved more than 800 drones, four ballistic missiles, nine cruise missiles, according to Ukraine's air force. The strikes hitting homes and a government building in Kyiv. For the first time, an infant was killed in this attack. So, what now?

Joining us now is the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Democratic Congressman Adam Smith.

Thanks for being here.

I have now heard more than one member of Ukraine's parliament speaking out after this attack, making a direct connection between the China summit hosted by Xi Jinping last week and this attack from Russia. Now one of them saying, "it's no coincidence because we can notice, and see very easily, that each time when the Kremlin dictator Putin had meetings with the Chinese leader Xi, there was some escalation or the war started."

Do you see a direct connection like that as well?

REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA): Well, not necessarily. I think what's really happening is Russia is in trouble at this point. Their attacks in the east of Ukraine have stalled. They're taking on appalling casualties. Meanwhile, their economy is in trouble. Inflation is up. The debt is out of control. Because of Ukraine's attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure, they're actually having to ration gasoline in Russia.

[09:25:03]

They're not able to pay the conscript as much -- conscripts as much as they used to. So, they're struggling to find the cannon fodder they need to continue this fight. And so, they're lobbing a ton of missiles at Ukraine trying to project that strength.

So, I don't know about the connection in terms of meeting with China. It is certainly the case that China and Iran and North Korea are working with Russia in this war. But I think it has more to do with Russia's desperation to try to keep looking like they can actually win this war.

BOLDUAN: Which some would say is a perfect opportunity to get Russia to the table by -- by further crippling their economy. I want to play for you what Trump is now saying when asked about more economic pressure on Russia through secondary sanctions.

Let me play this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Are you ready to move to the second phase of sanctions against Russia or punishing Putin?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes, I am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: "Yes, I am," he said when asked about it. Does -- does this or should this mean, do you think, that the Senate is now going to be able to move ahead and vote on this sanctions bill we've been talking about so much? SMITH: It should. But we've heard this from President Trump before.

Look, he has made this situation worse from the day he got elected by appeasing Putin. I mean he literally rolled out the red carpet for Putin in Alaska and didn't say a critical word about Russia or their invasion.

Meanwhile, we've had all the criticism of Zelenskyy in Ukraine. And Putin read that as basically a green light to keep moving forward in Ukraine.

Look, we have built an incredibly strong coalition, 53 nations strong. Ukraine has been fighting courageously. We have the opportunity to put Ukraine in a position to defend themselves strongly. And President Trump has passed on every opportunity to stand up for Ukraine and hold Russia accountable.

I hope that has changed at this moment. But we haven't seen any actual steps. Any -- even the rhetoric, you know, holding Russia accountable for this war. And it's so crucial because if Putin knows that the coalition will stand strong, Ukraine will have support. That is what is going to force him to the bargaining table. As long as he thinks it is still possible that he can take all of Ukraine, he'll keep fighting. We have to make it clear to him that that's not going to be possible.

BOLDUAN: You always say that you remain hopeful, but I'm gathering you're not holding your breath that this -- change in sanctions anytime soon.

SMITH: Certainly.

BOLDUAN: In the wake of the '24 election, you have been candid, and we've talked about, and what you think needs to be kind of -- Democratic Party figuring itself out and changing course. I just had the mayor of Detroit on, and he actually left the Democratic Party last year, now running for governor of Michigan as an independent. And he says that the Democratic Party, in his estimation, doesn't stand for anything other being against Republicans and against Donald Trump.

Let me play for you what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: But, Mayor, do you really think that the Democratic Party stands for nothing?

MAYOR MIKE DUGGAN (I), DETROIT: Again, if you were to watch your show for the last 24 hours, most of the conversation of Republicans is why they hate Democrats and almost all the conversation of the Democrats is why Republicans are bad and why Trump is bad. When are we going to get somebody to come out and say, here's my affordable housing policy. That's what I'm doing. Here's my plan to educate third graders. That's what I'm doing in the state.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BOLDUAN: What do you think of that?

SMITH: Well, he's -- he's completely wrong in one sense. All across this country there are Democrats talking about housing plans. You've got the mayor of San Francisco, the mayor of San Jose, who have made significant progress on dealing with homelessness. You've got, when Joe Biden was president, we had the Build Back Better plan. What Democrats stand for is economic opportunity and equality. We stand for the power of collective action to help people get ahead in this country.

There is no question what we stand for. We haven't been as effective at delivering that message and delivering on it. So, I don't buy into this notion that the Democratic Party doesn't stand for anything, is in some kind of disaster. It's just that we have a -- we have a large coalition that needs to figure out better how to work together, better how to deliver messages, and better how to deliver in the places where we govern.

My main criticism has been democratic, progressive governance in places like California, Oregon, Washington, New York City, has failed to really deliver because it hasn't focused enough on accountability and personal responsibility, in addition to helping people get ahead. The mantra should be, work hard, play by the rules, get ahead. Absolutely in this case, too many people in this country are working hard, playing by the rules and not getting ahead.

But we have to also focus on work, accountability, efficiency, effectiveness. We didn't do as good a job on crime and securing the border as we should have. We didn't have a strong enough message.

But look, I reject this notion, oh, the Democratic Party doesn't stand for anything. All we're doing is criticizing Trump. Well, part of what we need to do is criticize Trump because they're getting rid of vaccines, they're -- you know, we had zero job growth because of the illegal tariffs that are driving up costs.

[09:30:08]

Housing is up. Insurance is up.