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Number Of Missing Drops To Three From 57 In Kerr County After Texas Floods; Harvard, Trump Admin To Face Off In Court Amid Funding Battle; Mexican Migrant Arrested And Beaten By ICE Released From Custody; Americans Weigh In On President Trump's Performance. Aired 4- 5p ET
Aired July 20, 2025 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: I mean that moment --
LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I mean, Queen, that was just iconic.
WHITFIELD: That was it.
FRANCE: That was it.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
FRANCE: I mean, we could stop right there, but there were so many.
WHITFIELD: Right.
FRANCE: There were so -- I mean, there was, you know, Mick Jagger and Tina Turner. There was Phil Collins, like we mentioned. Bono, Baby Bono, as we just saw. So there were just --
WHITFIELD: So cute.
FRANCE: It's so cute.
WHITFIELD: I mean, I'm like, oh, what a baby.
FRANCE: So cute. But there were -- there were so many people performing. So many major stars and so many people watching. So it just -- it was a moment. And I'm so glad. And the program that we have is just amazing.
WHITFIELD: I love it.
FRANCE: It captures the spirit.
WHITFIELD: And I love it that all of these performers, I mean, they did it. They knew what it was about, and it was important they were on board. But I don't think any of them really knew how incredibly iconic, how transformative it would be for cause doing thing for -- something for a cause and what it was to perform before big audiences.
FRANCE: Absolutely. And it was a different time.
WHITFIELD: Incredible.
FRANCE: It was a different time. And people, this was a way for people to come together because, again, like I said, it was before social media. So it was an opportunity for everybody to have something to talk about. Water cooler talk, like, did you see Live Aid? Did you see what happened? Because there were hours of performances and so many massive stars. So just good music. We love good music.
WHITFIELD: So cool. I know. We love that.
FRANCE: Yes, we do.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Good music, good performers. Awesome. Good, Lisa Respers France.
FRANCE: Love you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: So happy you're here. Thank you. Love you back.
FRANCE: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Appreciate it.
All right. A new episode of "LIVE AID: WHEN ROCK AND ROLL TOOK ON THE WORLD," airs tonight, 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN.
Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
All right. We're following new developments in Texas this weekend. Kerr County officials have drastically revised the number of missing people from the catastrophic flooding earlier this month from 97 now down to three. The city of Kerrville said many of those who were initially reported missing are now accounted for and verified as being safe. The historic flooding killed at least 135 people statewide over the Fourth of July weekend, including 37 children.
CNN correspondent Julia Vargas Jones has more now. She's joining us from Los Angeles.
Julia, what's the latest on the recovery efforts of those remaining three?
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, locals are saying that it's thanks to those days of tireless follow-up, phone calls, cross-checking names and coordination across multiple agencies. In a statement, the city of Kerrville said, quote, "Through extensive follow-up work among state and local agencies, many individuals who were initially reported as missing have been verified as safe and removed from the list."
Now, it's important to note that those listed as missing, they weren't campers or local residents. According to County Judge Rob Kelly, there were mostly tourists in the area for the Fourth of July holiday, so their families have not heard from them and that's why they were reported as missing. And it made it especially difficult for officials to track who was actually lost.
Now the focus is on those three people that remain missing. And Kerrville city manager called the response extraordinary, saying, quote, "We are profoundly grateful to the more than 1,000 local, state and federal authorities who have worked tirelessly in the wake of the devastating flood that struck our community. Thanks to their extraordinary efforts, the number of individuals previously listed as missing has dropped from over 160 to three."
Now, those teams of thousands of volunteers, they're still, Fred, combing through 60 miles of Guadalupe River through thick mud and flood debris. And that is a painstaking process, I have to say, both delicate and complicated, because those teams first need to look by hand or bring cadaver dogs to then bring in those machines that we've seen in some of the video that can handle a larger swath of the river.
And those search and rescue teams are looking for people that could be under a lot of debris and gravel, rocks, you know, tree limbs and the sort. In the last county meeting, which was on Monday, the sheriff said that that search could last for months. And granted that was before this new revised number was announced.
Now, Fred, I have to say there's still a lot of anger in that community. Many questions about the levels of preparedness, the lack of alerts and how the floods caught so many people off guard, including those local authorities. Kerr County is expected to host a public meeting Tuesday for residents and families affected by the disaster.
And at the state level, Governor Greg Abbott is now calling for a special legislative session for tomorrow, where the agenda will be strengthening flood warning systems, improving the emergency communications as well as allocating relief fund for all of Texas Hill Country -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Julia Vargas Jones, thank you so much.
For more perspective on how this is impacting the community and first responders, I'm joined now by Kelly Harris, a licensed counselor with Warriors Heart, plus, Mike Marotta, a former police officer and the executive director of Warriors Heart.
[16:05:09]
Good to see you both.
MIKE MAROTTA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WARRIORS HEART: Thank you for having us on.
WHITFIELD: So, Kelly, to you first, you know, how are you feeling? How are the people that you're talking to doing and feeling?
KELLY HARRIS, LICENSED COUNSELOR, WARRIORS HEART: Thank you, Fredricka. It's been a long couple of weeks and we are here supporting our first responders as needed. We've been down by the river. We've been on the phones. We've been near them, supporting them as they're ready to talk.
WHITFIELD: And then, Mike, the fact now that officials are saying there are three remaining missing, as opposed to the 97, that the number was for those missing. You know, among first responders and those who are part of this effort, including yourself, you know, is that -- does that bring you relief or is there another feeling that you have?
MAROTTA: Great question. And I want to begin by saying first, thank you, and I also want to say, you know, heartfelt condolences to everybody affected by the tragedy. You know, it's great news that we've gotten it from 97 to three, but the work isn't done. And so what I can tell you, having been a first responder, is there is still absolutely a wide range of emotions that they're experiencing.
There's still absolutely a sense of hope. I know the ops tempo was high and our first responders are very much still out there doing the work and probably in some ways starting to feel the effects be now on the other side of this and starting to question what it is that they saw and what it is that they've experienced and gone through. So very much still in need of a lot of support from the community.
WHITFIELD: Is that like a PTSD?
MAROTTA: You know, so, yes, absolutely. So PTS, post-traumatic stress is definitely going to be something that you're going to see because what I am saying is the tragedy of today is going to be the crisis of tomorrow. And like the sheriff said, it's going to be months, the recovery effort is going to be months. Some of these responders will experience the effects of this years after the flood waters have receded. Everybody has been recovered. Funerals have been had. People will still be feeling the effects of this emotionally.
WHITFIELD: Yes. And then, Kelly, I mean, looking for dozens of victims. I mean, many of them were children. What kind of toll does that take, really in the midst of the searches, let alone afterwards?
HARRIS: Great question. So there's three phases that we see after major events, natural disasters. The first one is rescue, which was right at the beginning, and that was finding. They're now currently in the second, which is search and recovery, trying to recover anything and everything to help the families. And we're going to be going soon into the debrief, the post. So this is where everybody stops focusing and searching and now starts to talk and process. What did you see? What did you hear? How are you doing? How are your teammates doing?
WHITFIELD: And Mike, your organization, you know, calls itself last responders for first responders. Explain what that means.
MAROTTA: Absolutely. And we wear that title proudly. Like I said, what they're feeling right now is a sense of hope and mission. And everybody is very much in the work as this thing kind of goes through the different phases. People are going to start to feel the effects of this, and that's where organizations like Warriors Heart and in a number of other support systems are going to step in. And now we're going to have to prop folks up because, how do you make sense of a loss of life of that many children, of this many people, at any one time?
It's incredibly difficult, and it's going to require an entire community of help and support. And Warriors Heart is proud to say that we will be there to help them pick up the pieces.
WHITFIELD: Well, incredible work that you're both doing.
Mike Marotta, Kelly Harris, thanks to both of you. You know, and continued blessings on your continued work and all the emotional and physical tolls that it continues to take.
MAROTTA: Thank you, Fredricka.
HARRIS: Thank you.
MAROTTA: We appreciate you having us on.
WHITFIELD: Glad you could be with us. Thank you.
All right. Meantime, heavy rains triggered flash floods across parts of Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., prompting dozens of water rescues on Saturday. Pretty unbelievable to see a flash flood emergency was declared over D.C. and parts of Maryland, as officials urged residents there to stay off the roads. That's the highest level of flood alert, and it also affected more than 220,000 people in the area.
[16:10:01]
Cars in Washington were left stranded, in fact, with entire streets submerged, as you see right there. And then in Maryland, firefighters pulled a couple from their vehicle after being trapped in the rising water.
All that while summer temperatures are also expected to reach scorching levels in the Midwest and southeast this week.
CNN's Allison Chinchar has the latest forecast -- Allison.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: More than 50 million people are under some type of extreme heat alert across much of the eastern U.S. for much of the upcoming week. Now we start with Monday. You'll see a few pockets here of the orange color, but as we progress this map forward, you'll start to notice that orange area really starts to expand.
And especially into some newer areas like the northeast, the mid- Atlantic, and the Midwestern portion of the U.S., where those temperatures are really going to be on the rise, especially by the back half of the week.
Let's take a look at some of these temperatures. Tallahassee, for example. It's summer. We know it's normally warm. Their average high this time of year is 92. But they're going to be in the upper 90s for the next couple of days before we finally start to see those temperatures dropping back just a little bit. Here's another look at Dallas, for example. The average high this time
of year is 96. We are going to be flirting with triple digits by the end of the week. Now, interestingly enough, Dallas, Texas, has actually not hit 100 degrees so far this year, even though some cities way farther north actually have, including New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, all hitting those triple digits back in June. But this is likely to change as Dallas is forecast to hit those triple digits by the end of the week.
They're not the only one that's going to see those temperatures well above average. Saint Louis, for example, normal high this time of year of 90, we're going to be looking at nearly 10 degrees above average for the back half of the upcoming week. And even northeastern cities also looking to see those temperatures jumping up.
New York's average high is about 85. They'll be pretty close to that the next few days, maybe even perhaps slightly lower than that. But once we get into the back half, that's when we start to see those temperatures rise into northeastern cities as well.
WHITFIELD: All right. Allison Chinchar, thanks so much.
All right. Harvard versus the Trump administration. A key hearing is set to happen this week as $2 billion in federal funding is on the line. The big concern from Harvard scientists over the future of research at the university.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:17:02]
WHITFIELD: All right. Tomorrow, the ongoing legal fight between Harvard and the Trump administration is set to heat up. Both sides are heading to court as the nation's oldest university tries to restore billions in federal grants. School leaders say the money was frozen after it refused to comply with a White House demand to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
I want to bring in now CNN's Gloria Pazmino. She's been covering this for us.
Gloria, why is tomorrow so notable for Harvard and the administration?
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, you know, so many of the faculty members as well as some of the experts that are involved in the lawsuit, which will be heard on Monday, told me that for them this is much more about the funding of -- that's been frozen by the Trump administration about the research that is now at risk, about all of the work that may not get done by the university and others like it if the Trump administration continues to cut its funding.
They say that they believe this is a fight over their academic freedom. And on Monday, they hope to prove during oral arguments that the freezing of the funds for Harvard University was unconstitutional.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PAZMINO (voice-over): It's the next major step in the Trump administration's fight against Harvard University.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think we're going to probably settle with Harvard. They want to settle very badly.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Oral arguments are expected Monday. Federal District Court Judge Allison Burroughs will hear from Harvard's legal team and lawyers for the Department of Justice. The beginning of a critical battle to restore more than $2 billion in federal funding after the White House froze the funds last spring.
TRUMP: We spend more money on higher education than any other country, and yet they're turning our students into communists and terrorists. We can't let this happen.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Monday's hearing could mark a turning point in the administration's ongoing attacks on higher education institutions.
ANURIMA BHARGAVA, CRIMSON COURAGE, COORDINATOR OF HARVARD ALUMNI AMICUS BRIEF: What we're seeing here is basically an attack on Harvard. The goal is to narrow our ability to think, to teach, to voice, to learn in a way that is open, that promotes free inquiry and discussion.
TRUMP: Pause or funding freeze.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Days after taking office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order increasing enforcement efforts against antisemitism on school campuses. The administration also targeted dozens of colleges and universities. It threatened to cut Harvard's critical research and funding grants unless it met a strict list of demands, including ending diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, hiring new faculty and making sweeping changes to international student programs.
Harvard responded with force, suing to restore its funding and accusing the administration of using unlawful tactics, saying the cuts and demands, quote, "cut at the core of Harvard's constitutionally protected academic freedom."
[16:20:04]
Funding cuts are already being felt.
BHARGAVA: We're seeing those research projects about Alzheimer's disease, about what is it that we -- how do we do surgeries in a way that are actually going to save people's lives. Those research projects, those efforts that have been going on for years, if not decades, are being stopped in their tracks.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Harvard faculty says the future of scientific research is on the line.
RYAN ENOS, PROFESSOR, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: The big picture question is whether we will be rewarding research to where, based on scientific merit, or whether a university follows the political ideology of the president and his administration.
PAZMINO (voice-over): In a statement, the White House said the administration's goal is to prevent antisemitism and DEI on Harvard's campus, adding, quote, "We are confident that Harvard will eventually come around and support the president's vision, and through good faith conversations and negotiations, a good deal is more than possible."
As the fight between the administration and Harvard continues, some faculty members and experts see the administration's focus on antisemitism as an excuse.
BHARGAVA: This is a battle about power. I think that this is really about this administration trying to take down cathedrals of power around the country that are not their own.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
PAZMINO (on-camera): And Fred, students are in the middle of their summer break. But time is of the essence. In fact, Harvard has asked the judge in this case to issue a decision soon, in fact, by September. That is when the university says they would have to file their paperwork in order to close out critical grant funding -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Gloria Pazmino in New York, thank you so much.
All right. Carmaker Tesla in court over its autopilot technology after yet another deadly crash. The debate over whether it's to blame.
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[16:26:15]
WHITFIELD: A U.S. Marine Corps veteran is speaking out after he says his father was beaten and arrested by masked ICE agents in Southern California last month before being released. Alejandro Barranco told CNN that his father, Narciso Barranco, is recovering and undergoing medical checkups after being released from detention. The family says that Narciso never attacked ICE agents and are calling the arrest an injustice.
CNN's Veronica Miracle spoke with the family.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The father of three Marines whose arrest shocked a Southern California community is now out of ICE custody. But his future in the United States remains uncertain.
Narciso Barranco spent nearly three weeks in a detention center after his violent arrest was caught on camera in Orange County, California. The 48-year-old landscaper was working outside of an IHOP in Santa Ana on June 21st when Barranco's son says masked agents tackled his father to the ground. Those agents caught on camera punching Barranco in the face and head. The Department of Homeland Security defended the actions of the
agents, pointing to video that they say shows Barranco resisting commands and trying to evade officers, saying he swung a weed whacker directly at an agent's face.
Authorities say he assaulted the agents, but his son says he was only charged with being here as an undocumented resident. Barranco's son says his father's shoulder was dislocated during the arrest.
Barranco is undocumented but has lived in the United States since the early '90s and has no criminal record. Arrests like this one, impacting people across the U.S.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Businesses, people full of joy are replaced with sadness, fear and terror.
MIRACLE (voice-over): His family says he's applied for the Parole in Place program, which allows undocumented relatives of the military to stay in the United States.
Veronica Miracle, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Veronica, thanks so much.
All right. Today marks six months since President Trump took office for his second term. And this morning or today, rather, in a Truth Social post, Trump celebrated his accomplishments, saying, in these six months he, quote, "Totally revived a major country." But brand new CNN polling shows Americans are divided on Trump and his policies, and the poll offers a new warning sign for Trump on his signature policy of immigration.
Just 42 percent of Americans now approve of how he is handling immigration, with only 40 percent approving of his policy on deportations specifically.
CNN's Julia Benbrook is joining us right now.
Julia, what more can you tell us about this new polling and how this administration plans to deal with these issues moving forward?
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you pointed out there, Fred, the president's approval ratings currently sit at around 40 percent for his handling of both immigration in general and deportation specifically. This new CNN polling shows that a rising majority believe that Trump has gone too far when it comes to deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. While that number stood at 45 percent back in February, it now stands at 55 percent.
But let's dive into some of the other details. The other questions here. 53 percent oppose increasing the budget for Immigration and Customs Enforcement by billions of dollars. Nearly six in 10 oppose efforts to end birthright citizenship. A 57 percent majority also says they oppose plans to build new detention facilities capable of holding up to 100,000 undocumented immigrants.
[16:29:29]
And then 59 percent of Americans oppose arresting and detaining undocumented immigrants who have resided in the United States for years with no criminal record.
Now, some extra context on that point. A CNN review of government data found that most immigrants taken into ICE custody, between last October and May, had no serious criminal convictions.
In an interview that aired earlier today on CBS, acting ICE director, Todd Lyons, detailed the administration's sweeping deportation efforts. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TODD LYONS, ACTING DIRECTOR, ICE: ICE is always focused on the worst of the worst. One difference you'll see now is under this administration, we have opened up the whole aperture of the immigration portfolio. Meaning that if you're here illegally and ICE goes out and arrests someone, that is released from a sanctuary jurisdiction or one of their home country, and you -- an ICE officer finds other individuals with them who are in the country illegally, we're going to take them as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BENBROOK: Now, ICE is about to get a big funding boost. Set to receive $75 billion from the President's sweeping agenda bill, the so-called one big, beautiful bill. It's an unprecedented amount of cash for an agency that has historically been underfunded.
And despite some of the reactions to all of this, that we've seen in this data, we are hearing from Homeland Security secretary, Kristi Noem. She said this after that funding was approved. That this would allow them to ramp up efforts even more, promising to come harder and faster -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Julia Benbrook, thanks so much.
All right. A big win just a short time ago for American Scottie Scheffler at the British Open. CNN's Patrick Snell joins us in moments with a look at this incredible performance.
[16:31:48]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, he's done it again. Golf's world number one, Scottie Scheffler, crushes the competition and clinches the win at the Open championship.
CNN Sports Anchor Patrick Snell is here. He called it yesterday. You said it was going to happen. He was on such a roll.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I get some things right occasionally. But, you know, --
WHITFIELD: You always get it right.
SNELL: He just looks so dominant, Scottie Scheffler. He had a four- shot lead going into the final round on Sunday, Fred. And guess what? He ended up with a four-shot lead. At one point, it was a seven-shot lead. Such was his dominance out there at Royal Portrush.
And he just looked so good. And for once, it wasn't raining hard and there wasn't any horrible winds. But he just played beautifully.
This is the very first hole. Look at this approach shot at number one. And look how the ball is almost magnetized to the hole there. He would tap that one in for birdie. Another birdie at five. It was all very straightforward, as I say.
He's got his hands now on the Claret Jug for the very, very first time. He did have a couple of issues on the bunker there. He actually took two to get out the bunker. He had a very rare double bogey. His first of the week.
But he had a short putt to clinch the title on the 18th. That's his fourth major title, Fred. As I say, his famed Claret Jug. And that is a rare display of emotion from him, I will say, because he's not known for his emotions.
Let's hear now from Scottie Scheffler, after winning the open championship on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER, AMERICAN GOLFER: I grew up waking up early to watch this tournament on T.V., just hoping and dreaming I would get a chance to come play in this championship. And, you know, it's pretty cool to be sitting here with the trophy. It's hard to put into words.
I have a tremendous amount of gratitude towards moments like these. You know, I've literally worked my entire life to become somewhat good at this game, to be able to play this game for a living. And it's one of the great joys of my life, being able to compete out here and to be able to win the Open championship, here at Portrush, is a feeling that's really hard to describe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: He's extremely humble, Fred. And he's only 29 years of age.
WHITFIELD: And he's only now one win away from a career grand slam. That's crazy.
SNELL: Yes, Rory McIlroy did it earlier this year. That's when the golfer wins all four big prizes. The majors in men's golf. He needs the U.S. Open. So, the U.S. Open for this year has already been played. But look at that video. They just want to break off. Because that's baby Bennett and wife Meredith. Absolutely gorgeous scenes.
WHITFIELD: So sweet.
SNELL: But, yes, he will go to next year's U.S. Open in New York. And if, if he can win that, he will have completed the career grand slam. And that would be absolutely magnificent.
And a cool note about the date of next year's U.S. Open. June the 21st. Not just Father's day. Look at this video. Not just Father's day.
WHITFIELD: Are you going to tell me it's near his birthday?
SNELL: But it's also going to be his -- wow, you nailed it.
WHITFIELD: I knew you were going there.
SNELL: You nailed it. His 30th birthday.
WHITFIELD: Oh, wow.
SNELL: So, what -- I mean, what a great story.
WHITFIELD: That would be incredible.
SNELL: If it happens.
WHITFIELD: What a birthday gift. What a Father's Day gift. All that.
SNELL: Yes. Nothing is ever given in golf.
WHITFIELD: What a gift.
SNELL: But that's just amazing.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
SNELL: And he's the gift that keeps on giving.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
SNELL: No question.
WHITFIELD: Well, you keep letting us know. You know? We're on the trail with him.
SNELL: Sure.
WHITFIELD: That was fun.
SNELL: It's a pleasure.
WHITFIELD: Patrick Snell, thanks so much.
SNELL: Thank you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Rags to riches doesn't scratch the surface, when describing the story of two 20 somethings who are now on the verge of global fame in the world of K-pop.
As CNN's Mike Valerio reports, their story begins in one of the most repressive countries in the world, North Korea.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boom, boom, boom, another night's out (?).
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are two North Korean defectors, who could be on the verge of K-pop superstardom.
[16:40:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can never go back, back, back.
VALERIO: Meet Hyuk and Seok, two 25 year olds who each escaped North Korea, when they were teenagers.
They're now living in Seoul, determined to launch the next K-pop band.
(on camera): You both have come so far from North Korea. What parts of your journey have affected your music the most?
HYUK, MEMBER, 1VERSE (translated): After coming to South Korea, I like writing down lyrics or phrases that I wanted to remember. A teacher saw me jotting things down and said, you seem to like writing. Why don't you try rapping?
SEOK, MEMBER, 1VERSE (translated): I liked music when I was in North Korea. I liked singing songs or lyrics about mothers. I also wrote lyrics of songs I used to sing.
VALERIO (voice-over): They're both members of the group, Universe (?). With bandmates Aito from Japan, Kenny from California and Nathan from Arkansas.
Seok and Hyuk have trained for more than two years now, united in a love of songwriting.
(on camera): What's a lyric that comes from a memory, and when you sing that lyric, it hits pretty deeply?
SEOK: It's in "Shattered."
(translated): In "Shattered", there's a high note part, who's going to save us now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who's going to save us now?
SEOK: That line reminded me that sometimes, we all need someone's help.
HYUK (translated): Our songs come from our own stories and experiences. They're like puzzle pieces we put together.
VALERIO: They already have more than 22 million likes on Tiktok and are planning to debut in America, perhaps even teaming up with U.S. artists down the road. Like we saw with Bruno Mars, for instance, and K-pop icon, Rose.
HYUK: (INAUDIBLE.)
VALERIO: If you two could collab with any American sensation, Ariana Grande, J.Lo, Mariah, who would it be?
HYUK (translated): I really liked Post Malone songs when I was younger. I'd love to work with him.
SEOK: The first person that comes to mind is Charlie Puth.
VALERIO: For Seok and Hyuk, taking a leap into the unknown from unlikely beginnings is something anyone can relate to. And through their music, they hope fans worldwide will find the same courage, daring to dream.
HYUK (translated): When those people see that we came from tough circumstances and managed to grow and share something with fans, I think that process itself can be meaningful and give others the courage to try.
VALERIO: Mike Valerio, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Wow, super fascinating. All right, coming up, demonstrators are arrested after shutting down a bridge just outside of Cincinnati. A look at some of the dramatic video as some say police crossed the line.
[16:42:46]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, we're getting a new look at the chaotic scene that immediately unfolded moments after a vehicle plowed into a crowd in East Hollywood early Saturday. This was the scene when first responders arrived. Debris. Blood. Injured people sprawled on the ground. And then, you hear a lot of yelling and confusion.
Cell phone video from the moments right after the incident shows bystanders actually yanking the driver, identified as Fernando Ramirez, out of the vehicle and then appearing to assault him.
Later, Ramirez was shot but police don't know by whom. Take a look at this. I'll warn you, some may find this video disturbing to watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the (INAUDIBLE.) Whoa. (INAUDIBLE) be careful, he's going to reverse. Yes. No. Chill (?). Chill. Chill. He's doing the reverse. He's going to reverse. Are you guys OK? Where's your friend? Is everyone OK? Oh, my god. Look, he's going to reverse. You -- hey, get (INAUDIBLE)
out of the way! Get out of the way, bro. He's going to -- he's coming back. Hey, get him. Get him. Get him. Hey. Hey. Bro, get that (INAUDIBLE.)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get your ass out here. (INAUDIBLE.)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my god, bro.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Wow, that's a lot. At least 30 people were injured in the incident. The 29-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, according to LAPD. Police are still looking for the suspected gunman.
A demonstration to rally behind a beloved chaplain quickly turned violent, when police and protesters clashed on a bridge between Ohio and Kentucky. And I want to warn you, some of the footage here is also very disturbing to watch.
At least 13 people were arrested this week as they showed their support for the Egyptian man, who was detained during a check-in with immigration officials earlier this month. CNN correspondent Rafael Romo is here to break down all that as unfolded. This sounds like a very complex case.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very complex. And then, on the one hand, we have the immigration case itself. And then, on the other hand, we have how people are reacting to it, Fred.
And at the center of this case is the arrest of Ayman Soliman, a 51- year-old Egyptian national who worked as a Muslim chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. According to the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, he is known as an interfaith Imam and was beloved for his steady presence at the site of ill children, parents and other caregivers.
[16:50:06]
ROMO: The Associated Press reports Asylum revocation proceedings started late last year, and Soliman's asylum status was reversed in early June. He was detained on July 9th during a check-in with immigration officials in Ohio.
In an interview before his arrest, Soliman discussed what it would mean for him if he's returned to his native country.
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AYMAN SOLIMAN, CHAPLAIN: If anything happens, just to (?) speak about me going back to Egypt for me is a death sentence. It's not -- I didn't come to America seeking a better life. It was escaping death. From the regime and his supporters.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMO: Soliman's arrest sparked a protest on Thursday that started peacefully, but quickly turned chaotic and violent when demonstrators decided to block the Roebling Bridge that carries traffic between Ohio and Kentucky. At one point, protesters tried to block an SUV that kept on moving, creating a very perilous situation.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE.)
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ROMO: One of the protesters on the bridge was later injured in a confrontation with Covington police, as officers were trying to disperse people blocking traffic on the bridge. This is what Brandon Hill, the protester, said about the confrontation.
BRANDON HILL, PROTESTER: Everything happened so quickly. I just know that I was fired at. I had shots on my leg. If there was an ask for an order to disperse, I personally didn't hear it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: But police say Hill not only ignored orders to disperse, but also tried to get a pepper ball gun from the officer who tussled with him. And moments later, appeared to reach towards a bag secured around his waist, which prompted the officer to reach for his own department- issued handgun. Hill denies trying to disarm the officer.
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BRIAN VALENTI, CHIEF, COVINGTON POLICE: What happened here wasn't a protest. It was -- it was an unlawful disturbance. We don't mess around on bridges. This is not an intersection. It's not on a park. It's not on a sidewalk.
This is on a bridge, you know, almost 100 feet above water. So, it's a very dangerous, precarious situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: Meanwhile, Fred, Ayman Soliman remains in Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention. As for why he was detained in the first place, Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, said on X that this Egyptian national was flagged on the FBI terror watch list. He had his asylum status revoked.
More than a dozen people were arrested in the protests at the bridge, including two journalists. But you saw the video there, Fred. Chaotic situation.
WHITFIELD: Indeed. All right, bring us more when you get it. Rafael Romo, thanks so much. We'll be right back.
[16:52:47] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. This week, we introduce you to the first CNN Hero of 2025, an Indiana woman helping incarcerated people improve their lives through creative writing. Meet Debra Des Vignes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBRA DES VIGNES, FORMER CRIME JOURNALIST (on camera): But when sheriff SWAT team members arrived at the home, no one was found inside.
I was a television news reporter, and I covered crime. I didn't really understand humanity as I should have as a young reporter in my early 20s. It wasn't until much later that the faces had stories and had names.
I decided to volunteer in a prison, because I was always inquisitive and curious about their stories.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this is one more reminder that inmates had no --
DES VIGNES: I saw the raw talent, and that's what led me to create this 12-week creative writing curriculum.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was convicted of dealing in a narcotic and dealing marijuana. I pretty much grew up on the streets. I lost my mother and my father, and my sister and my brother. And came to a crossroads and had to make a decision whether I was going to use that as fuel to do better.
DES VIGNES: Thank you for sharing that. Yes, I know that was heartfelt. We never excuse what they've done. In fact, a lot of them write about their remorse.
We're just giving them a sacred space where they can let their shoulders down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eventually, though, I began to confront my grief with a clear mind and an open heart, accepting the fact that no matter what I did or who I hurt, nothing was going to bring my brother back from the dead. I look forward to my Friday afternoons more than most days.
People just let their souls bleed out of their pens onto that paper. And for two hours a day, everyone can just truly be themselves. And we're like a small-knit family here. I plan on going into college and majoring in psychology when I get out, so I feel like this is a huge step towards that.
DES VIGNES: That's going to make me tear up. We'll end on that one. That was really powerful.
Some people would think it's a lock them up and throw away the key. If a lot of these prisoners are going to be released, then why not use writing as a tool to become better in the space that you're in?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Wow. Quite incredible. For more uplifting stories or to nominate someone you know, go to CNN.com/Heroes.
All right, the new CNN Original Series goes inside the notorious Billionaire Boys Club of the 1980s.
[17:00:03]
WHITFIELD: This week, follow Joe Hunt's ascension as the leader of the social and investment club.
