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Interior Secretary Burgum Faces Criticism Over D.C. Beautification Focus; El-Sayed Slams FOX News Host For Focus on Culture Wars Over Affordability; Trump Warns Canada to "Fall in Line" or Face "Far Worse" Consequences; Residents in Gary, Indiana Struggle for Two Weeks Without Power. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired August 25, 2026 - 08:30   ET

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

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT -- about President Trump's use of the Interior Department through executive order to carry out his beautification projects.

[08:30:07]

Some of the sources say that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has become the administration's point person on these efforts, taking a very unusual hands-on role, down to decisions about staffing levels, for maintenance work for these beautification projects.

As one former official said, previous secretaries had bigger fish to fry. And really, you're looking at that number there, roughly 300. Well, that is the extent of the Interior Department's focus on the president's beautification projects.

We know that nearly 300 members of the National Park Service Incident Management Team, those are employees who usually respond to emergencies and disasters, including wildfires, that impact national parks.

Well, many of them have been -- close to 300 of them have been pulled from parks from across the country, including parks as far away as California and Alaska, to serve and support the president's beautification projects here in Washington.

Traditionally, you know, Interior secretaries, their portfolios include managing public lands, conservation, energy production. But in recent months we have really seen Burgum increasingly become this public face of the president's beautification agenda, as well as the America 250 activities.

We should note, Kate, that we reviewed more than 500 of Burgum's social media posts. More than 70 percent of them promoted the president's beautification projects and America 250. Only a handful, about two, focused on issues traditionally associated with the Interior Department, like the Colorado River, even at a point where many of the reservoirs out west have reached these record lows.

I did speak with one Acting Deputy Interior Secretary, Laura Daniel. She said this as she observes all that is happening here at her former agency. She says, "When I look at what he is spending his time on, it's only the things that are important to the president that does not equal the job he is supposed to be doing on behalf of the American people."

Of course, the Interior Department rejecting that criticism, arguing that the secretary can focus on more than one issue at the same time. His spokesperson, Katie Martin, saying, quote, "Anyone critical of making our capital safe and beautiful should have their heads checked."

Kate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Rene Marsh, thanks so much for your reporting. Really appreciate it.

John?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right overnight, Michigan's Democratic Senate candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, went on "FOX News." Host Jesse Watters pressed El-Sayed on his stance on sex changes for minors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSE WATTERS, FOX NEWS HOST: So, Abdul, you're a doctor, right?

ABDUL EL-SAYED, (D) MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: I am.

WATTERS: So, you think it's okay for a parent to slash his kid's thing off? You think that's OK?

EL-SAYED: I mean, do you -- so do you really want to have this conversation? Are you circumcised?

WATTERS: Yeah, yeah, but I mean, that's a personal question, doctor.

WATTERS: OK. So, you probably should want to move on. You probably should want to move on. Yeah, I'm just saying.

WATTERS: Is circumcision different than castration?

EL-SAYED: I think it's a problem -- it's a problem that you think that you get to decide what happens between a parent -- a doctor and a patient. And I'm just saying that, yes, circumcision is surgery on a kid's ding-a-ling.

So, if you really want to bring that up, you can.

WATTERS: OK.

EL-SAYED: I just think you guys are really selective about how you want to talk about these things.

WATTERS: That's wacky.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BERMAN: All right with us now, Ayesha Rascoe. She's the Host of NPR's "Weekend Edition Sunday" and "Up First."

It's great to see you this morning. This was, you know, a heated exchange on a number of topics. And just broadly speaking, what do you think El-Sayed gets out of going on "FOX"? How does that help him in his campaign in Michigan?

AYESHA RASCOE, NPR HOST, "WEEKEND EDITION SUNDAY" & "UP FIRST": Well, I mean, I think the idea is you're going into kind of hostile territory. And you're showing, I think at this point, people want to fight her. They want to -- you know, they want to see somebody. I'm talking about the Democratic base. They want to see somebody that's really willing to kind of take it to those who are on the right. They don't want that kind of passive, you know, just, you know, we're just going to get things done. They want to see some fight.

So, I think that's what he gets from it. I also think, though, it's difficult because Michigan is a swing state. And so, he's not just appealing to the Democratic base. And so, when you start talking about trans issues, that's an issue that oftentimes will alienate some voters.

And so -- and I don't know, I don't know if it's ever good for a politician to be talking about circumcision and, you know, ding-a- lings and things like that. I think that's -- when you get to that place, I don't know who is really benefiting.

BERMAN: Yeah, it used to be the Social Security was the third rail of politics. Now, it might be something, I'm not going to go anywhere near that. You know, he did on occasion try to, whatever question was asked.

[08:35:00]

RASCOE: I know, yeah, I'm sorry about saying the word, yeah.

BERMAN: No, no, no. For the most part, what he tried to do is shift the questions to sort of bread-and-butter issues, right? Say, you know, this doesn't help with affordability. This doesn't help with rent. This doesn't help with healthcare costs. The question is, will those issues outweigh some of the social issues?

RASCOE: I mean, that's -- I think that's the main question of the midterms, right? Because you do have some very real, you know, the kitchen table issues where people feel like they are not able to get ahead, right? Like they feel like they are struggling and that politicians are not helping.

But we have seen that social issues in the past can still play a very large role. I mean, I think part of it is convincing people that not only can you help them with the pocketbook issues, but that you understand their values, right? And that they don't look at you as extreme. And I think that's what El-Sayed is trying to thread that needle. BERMAN: As long as we're on the subject of Abdul El-Sayed, "Politico's" whole lead today in the playbook was El-Sayed's Piker problem, as in Hasan Piker. It has to do most recently with comments that Hasan Piker made that I want to play here and people can judge them for themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HASAN PIKER, LEFT-WING INFLUENCER: If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone's going to come around and take action, not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, this caused something of an uproar and El-Sayed did put out a statement. Remember, Piker is someone that he had campaigned with and met with in Michigan. El-Sayed's statement is, my commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own daughters. Antisemitism is a scourge and we need to address it in all its forms. And I stand against any rhetoric that puts the community at risk. But I want to be crystal clear, nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople."

And there are critics who suggest this isn't enough separation. He's not doing enough to condemn Piker here. Can he go on like this for 60 days without coming out more strongly on this, do you think?

RASCOE: I mean, I think that this is going to be continually, you know, thrown in his face. I mean, when you're -- I think as a candidate, right, you want your name to be front and center, not someone else's. Like when you're constantly having to answer for someone else who is not in your campaign, that is not a good look for you. Like you want to be front and center.

So, I do think that he's going to have to draw some sort of bright line and try to make it so that the story is not about someone who's not a part of this campaign, right, because he's the one that's on the ballot. So, I think that this is a huge problem for him.

BERMAN: I think that's a really smart way of looking at it.

Ayesha Rascoe, great to see you this morning. Thanks so much for being with us. I really appreciate your insight.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Just this morning, President Trump taking a new jab at Canada, suggesting the U.S. is considering renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America, as tensions between the two sides continue to rise.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says that Canada is willing to return to trade talks if the U.S. comes to the table with, quote, "the right attitude" after the two sides failed to reach a deal over the weekend. The U.S. imposed 50 percent tariffs on $20 billion worth of goods,

with President Trump threatening to double tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks, automotive parts and steel to 50 percent starting January 1st.

Canada is preparing to retaliate with dollar-for-dollar tariffs beginning next month, with Carney saying that when it comes to retaliation, nothing is off the table.

Joining me now is the former Premier of Quebec, Jean Charest. Thank you so much for being here. Let me first ask you, is the U.S.-Canada relationship forever damaged because of Trump's economic war with Canada, these new tariffs?

JEAN CHAREST, FORMER QUEBEC PREMIER: The relationship we have with the United States is a people-to-people relationship first, Sara. And we, like Americans, we get along well with our American neighbors and friends. We're allies. And I don't think that will ever change, and notwithstanding what happens at the political level, whether it's at the Canadian political level or the American political level.

The issue, though, will be one of trust as we move into the future. And obviously, that trust has been lost because of the decisions of the Trump administration.

So, I want to be optimistic and look ahead. And Americans should know that the decisions we make are because of President Trump, where we continue to have a very deep respect for the American people.

SIDNER: Prime Minister Carney pledged to match the U.S.'s tariffs dollar-for-dollar starting September 8th, with roughly 70 percent of Canadian exports coming to the United States, after the U.S., of course, imposed that 50 percent tariffs on those 20 billion worth of Canadian goods. Can Canada handle that kind of economic strain?

[08:40:16]

CHAREST: It is a cost on our economy, and tariffs are not good news for anyone. The issue here, Sara, in relation to Canada and the United States, what differentiates us is that our economies are just totally integrated. And we are the biggest suppliers to Americans of energy, for example, oil, gas, electricity, energy that you very, very much need, especially with the development of data centers.

But our economies are so integrated, Sara, that it does not make sense to put a tariff in the way of that economy. And a tariff is a tax on American consumers. It's inflationary. It means higher interest rates. It's bad news for everyone.

And as Canada retaliates, we are also very aware that this is going to be a cost for our economy. We know that. We're aware of that. But we are put in a position where we have no other choice than to stand up for ourselves, for our country, our sovereignty, and respond.

SIDNER: Look, this may seem petty, but I do want you to be able to respond to what the President put out this morning on his social media, that he is considering changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America. He did this very thing with an executive order when he was battling it out with Mexico over another tariff dispute there. What do you make of this?

CHAREST: Well, Canada has millions of lakes, Sara. If he wants to start changing the name of lakes, I mean, it'll be a lifetime project for him. But that being said, it does say something about our relationship that it's more than just about tariffs or auto parts.

The amount of issues that we have, you know, issues between both countries on the management of water between both our countries, is absolutely vital to the economic interest of both countries. And whether it's the environment, whether it's national defense, whether it's critical minerals, our relationship is much more than just about the tariff story. And that's why Canadians are so disappointed and, frankly, reacting with some emotion to the President's statements about 51st State.

When he says that, Sara, it's as though he's telling us in Canada, you don't exist, you don't count, and we're going to take you over. So, put yourself in our shoes. I mean, the reaction is emotional.

At the end of the day, though, what is in both our interests is that we sit down and that we work out an economic relationship that has in the past been to the great, great benefit of both our countries. And that's where Canadians want to end up.

SIDNER: Jean Charest, we are out of time, but I noticed you're in Louisville, Kentucky, that has a huge economic juggernaut that goes to Canada, which is bourbon.

CHAREST: Yes.

SIDNER: And Canadians have demanded that those things be taken off the shelves and aren't buying. So, right there shows you where some pain can be meted out to those in the United States.

Thank you so much. Appreciate your time this morning.

Kate?

BOLDUAN: Thousands of people in Indiana still without power after big storms hit two weeks ago. Why and what officials are now doing in the face of growing frustration from exhausted residents?

And a jersey worn during Michael Jordan's legendary 1998 finals run is up for grabs and it could go for a record setting number.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:47:50]

BOLDUAN: The man charged with murder in the killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur says that he thinks Tupac was, quote unquote, "an ignorant kid in the prime of his life doing stupid stuff."

Duane "Keffe D" Davis said in a recording that the rapper should have stayed in his lane. Davis has given several conflicting accounts about what happened the night that Tupac was shot. Yesterday for the first time we heard why he confessed to his role in the killing in a deal with police.

Listen:

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, why -- why did you agree to tell your story after all these years?

DUANE "KEFFE D" DAVIS: I agree to tell my story?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah to us. I mean I know why you told your story to police.

DAVIS: Saved my life and I was really facing the jail penalty. And (bleep) I just didn't save my life. I'll say though my whole crew life. They put down like 48 indictments. All my big hitters, all my homies, all my family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: That was in an interview with BET for a documentary. Davis has pleaded not guilty and now says his previous statements were exaggerated or just flat out not true.

Joining us now is attorney Lisa Bonner for more on where the impact all of this has. It's good to see you Lisa. What do you think of his explanation to these documentary filmmakers on why he's talked to investigators so much and said so much in the past that's now being brought up? What is this due to the confession that's at the center of this case?

LISA BONNER, ATTORNEY: Good morning, Kate. Well, in the context of his why talk now, it really comes down to the consistency of the narrative that he is continuously told. He did not begin with the BET documentary. It goes back to a 2008 proper statement and then a 2009 police interview and then repeated interviews and media discussions where he talked about the narrative, placing himself there, gave details of the night of the shooting, the gun handoff, the drive-by, who was where.

[08:50:08]

So, this plays into the prosecution's narrative that he was the shot caller. And this again is consistent across the board.

So, it does not bode well for the, quote-unquote, "star witness" that Davis is. And so, it gives the prosecution a lot to work with.

BOLDUAN: Sean Combs keeps coming up in testimony and recordings and just there's a lot of discussion around him. He's not charged obviously. In this, he's not on trial here. Do you think he is significant to this case?

BONNER: Well, I do think his name is significant in here because of two things. One, again, he is not named in this case, but it does lend itself to the motive. And we've heard time and time again that this shooting was retaliation for the death row, bad boy feud, and the beat down, if you will, of Orlando Anderson, Keffe D's nephew, and that the shooting was retaliation. So, that's the first instance.

And the second instance is the connection to the alleged bounty that was offered. There was Zip Martin who was part of the bad boy camp and who allegedly handed the gun to Keffe D and who placed it into the backseat.

So, it does, you know, play through that narrative and that connection of bad boy, Sean Combs, Zip Martin. And again, it plays into the gang activity that is in the prosecution's case against Keffe D in the larger context of murder. So, it is -- it is important in that -- in that sense, in establishing motive and connection.

BOLDUAN: It's unique -- one of the many things unique here in this trial is that the jury is asking questions of witnesses on the stand. Sometimes even it seems questions that the attorneys themselves aren't asking. How do you think that is impacting the trial?

BONNER: Well, it definitely shows that the jury is present, that they are listening, that they are asking questions in real time at the end of each -- at the end of each closeout of the defense's case, excuse me, at the close out of the defense's questioning. So, it shows that they're present, they're listening, they're taking notes, that if there's some information that they want to be filled in, that they are going to close that gap and close that circle before they move on to the next one. So, it definitely shows that they're listening and paying close attention and really invested in the outcome and providing a just -- a just defense -- excuse me, a just verdict in this case.

BOLDUAN: Lisa Bonner, thank you for your time.

You can watch live coverage on CNN All Access of this trial streaming on CNN.com/watch, as well as HLN and Amazon Prime.

Sara?

SIDNER: All right, thank you so much, Kate.

Today marks two weeks, residents in Gary, Indiana have gone without power. Two weeks in the dark, no AC, closed schools, empty grocery store shelves. That is a grim reality for thousands following a devastating storm that caused widespread damage there in Indiana.

The utility company NIPSCO says power is expected to be fully restored today. But residents have been struggling in the heat for what feels like a lifetime.

And in a city where the majority of residents are black, it leaves many questions. What would it take and why would it take so long to restore power?

Joining me now is the mayor of Gary, Indiana, Eddie Melton. Thank you so much for being here early this morning with us. The storm hit on August 11th. Today is exactly two weeks later. Are there still some people without power in your community?

MAYOR EDDIE MELTON, GARY, INDIANA: Yes, I've received an update probably about an hour ago that 2,400 people are still without power to this very moment. And like you mentioned, it is hitting that two- week mark now.

SIDNER: What explains this? I mean, give me some sense when we hear two weeks. Look, we have seen powerful hurricanes come through states like Florida and cities that have been restored within a couple of days. What is taking so long?

MELTON: I don't think we have a full explanation as of yet, but I do know that based off the wind speed of 99 miles an hour of a wind that has never hit that record in the state of Indiana before. And Gary received the brunt of that.

Now, the entire northwest Indiana has been without power. The wind brought heavy rain that flooded out many parts of central Indiana. So, the state of Indiana is suffering, but the Gary residents, we all have been enduring a power outage that lasted too long.

SIDNER: Give me some sense of whether you think that there is another factor besides the fact that this was a very powerful storm, that it did hit Gary, Indiana hard. Does race play a role? Because the number of residents there who are black is higher than any community around.

[08:55:13]

MELTON: My community feels that it has been overlooked. When the utility company put out their restoration times, my community feels that it has been overlooked. When the utility company put out their restoration times in the beginning of the storm and Gary was not included in that listing, it felt like it was an oversight, or we didn't know for certain, the public didn't know if the company was actually boots on the ground working.

So yes, a lot of folks feel like Gary has been left out and left in the dark and so much. The staffing and the capacity went from a couple of hundred linemen. Now we had close to a thousand linemen, that's 700 linemen with 300 vegetation crew members that have been in the city.

So, works is moving along, but the other factor that we have to talk about is the aging infrastructure. We know that the 99 mile an hour winds that poles have been snapped in half, transformers and transmission lines have been destroyed as well. So, it's going to take some time to repair and replace an entire grid for the city of Gary.

SIDNER: Can you give me a sense of what this has meant to the community members? There are still people, as you said, more than 2000 people still without power on 14 days after a storm. What has this done to them? Because everyone knows, OK, you're -- you know, your refrigerator, everything is going to spoil you. We won't have that. It is hot. Your air conditioning don't have access to that. But what are some other things that they are dealing with that we might not be thinking about?

MELTON: Yeah, my administration, we're doing everything that we can to raise the dollars to help people repair broken weather heads to their home, because even if their neighborhood is backed up with power, they still may not receive power to their home because the weather hit, which is typically the homeowner or the landlord's responsibility to fix.

So, we're working with our legacy foundation, which is our community foundation to raise the dollars to do that. In addition to the resources that the governor has made available, dialing 211, we're encouraging all residents to do that, to the access to $5,000 that's eligible.

I was able to speak with President Trump yesterday with U.S. Senator Jim Banks and urging the president to move federal assistance ahead as well as extremely important to return life back to normal for the residents of the city of Gary.

SIDNER: What did the president say to you in that conversation? Are you willing to share?

MELTON: He said he'll be working very closely with Senator Banks. He had Senator Banks give an assessment of his own perspective of the damage. He shared about the uprooted trees, the destroyed homes and destroyed cars.

So, our hope is that pretty soon we'll see some action moving with the federal government. But the city of Gary is not waiting. We're already going to start this week in cleaning up the debris and the process, hoping that we get reimbursed from FEMA, hoping our small businesses and our families will get reimbursed for lost food, lost wages, and so many other things that's been damaged in this storm.

SIDNER: Yeah. Mayor, thank you for talking to us. A lot of people know about Gary, Indiana, because it was the hometown of Michael Jackson at one point. And now hearing it in this context, where there are people that are left there, suffering for this long, doesn't seem right.

Thank you so much. Appreciate your time. And we'll check in with you again to see if everything has been restored soon.

John?

BERMAN: All right, the owner of the San Francisco 49ers was arrested in Ohio on suspicion of engaging in prostitution. Jed York was arrested at a trailer park for trying to pay $140 for sex. York pleaded no contest to charges of disorderly conduct and possession of criminal tools. He reportedly paid just over $1,000 in fines and spent one night in jail.

Police in Michigan rescued an elderly fisherman missing for nearly six hours. Officials say the 83-year-old's boat got stuck in a shallow area. The fisherman's wife told investigators that he left on the trip without his cell phone or flashlight. His boat had no lights, and he was not wearing his hearing aids. After hours of searching in the dark, the team heard his voice and saw a flame from his lighter. He was brought to shore without any injuries.

The jersey worn by Michael Jordan is up for auction, and it could become the most basketball jersey ever sold. It was worn during game three of the Bulls' 1998 NBA Finals run, when Jordan led the team to its sixth championship. In 2022, a jersey worn by Jordan during a 1998 Finals game that the Bulls actually lost sold for $10.1 million, more than double the initial estimates. And of course, this new one is from a game that he won, and we do believe it has been laundered.

A new hour of "CNN New Central" starts right now.

[09:00:01]

SIDNER: This morning, the Supreme Court gives Presidential Trump -- President Trump a procedural but significant win in his battle against mail-in voting. What does it mean for the midterm elections?