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Trump's Domestic And International Policies Face Tests This Week; Netanyahu Speaks with Trump About Plans To Take Over Gaza; Governor Abbott Warns Standoff With Dems Could Last Years; Interview With State Representative James Talarico (D-TX); Texas Dems Remain Out Of State To Keep Vote From Happening, British-Born Syria Aid Worker Left In Limbo; Detainees At Controversial Facility Describe Conditions Inside. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired August 10, 2025 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:19]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean here in New York.

A major week ahead for President Donald Trump. The president sitting down with Russian president Vladimir Putin Friday as he tries to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine. It will be the first time in a decade Putin will step foot on U.S. soil, and the talks could have major consequences, not just for Russia and Ukraine, but for the world.

Here at home a trial begins tomorrow over the Trump administration's deploying of the National Guard in California over the objections of California's governor, Gavin Newsom. And that's happening as the president says he wants to mobilize federal law enforcement in Washington, D.C.

Joining us now, CNN senior political commentator and former senior adviser to Mitch McConnell, Scott Jennings, and CNN contributor and "New York Times" journalist Lulu Garcia-Navarro.

It is great to have both of you on this Sunday evening as we look ahead to what will be a big week, kind of no matter how you slice this.

Scott, I want to start first with you. Do you think that meeting with Putin in Alaska and at this point, at this moment in time, although they say the door is open, but Zelenskyy not planning on being there at this moment? Do you think that setup is correct?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, something has to happen here because the only way this war is going to end is through a negotiated peace settlement, and somebody has to bring these two guys to the table. And so President Trump meeting with Putin, maybe it's the first thing that happens, and then maybe they get both of them together shortly thereafter.

But somebody has to take the first step. So I have -- I pray for the end of this war. I think the killing, everybody wants the killing to stop. And somebody, President Trump, has been trying to bring that about. I have low expectations for Putin, frankly, because he's obviously strung the president along, and he probably is beginning this negotiation with unreasonable demands. But I have high hopes for what President Trump can do.

He's already negotiated the end to like seven conflicts this year already, and he clearly has peace on his mind. So I'm going to give the president some latitude here to deal with Putin and try to bring these two parties together eventually to bring an end to this war, even though I think Putin here is -- he's a bad actor, frankly, and is prone to, you know, trying to drag this out and be unreasonable at least at the outset.

DEAN: And Lulu, look, to those two points that Scott just made, Putin does have these extreme demands of keeping these two pieces of Ukraine that he says he'll stop the war, but only if he gets to keep that land. And again, to what Scott just said, a lot of people have said that President Putin has been able to string President Trump along here and kind of draw this out without having to really give anything up. What do you think?

LULU GARCIA NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think this is going to be a very interesting meeting because, you know, in some ways this could be viewed as a reward for some of Putin's bad actions, right? I mean, he's coming to U.S. soil. He's being invited by the president of the United States. And he hasn't had to give any concessions. He hasn't had -- he hasn't had to give anything over for that.

At the same time, of course, the Europeans, which are, you know, America's very close allies who are directly affected by this conflict, and, of course, President Zelenskyy of Ukraine are very upset that Ukraine isn't part of these discussions. And so the concern is, will the president sort of make concessions on Ukraine's behalf? (INAUDIBLE) this conflict, and so I think there are many questions around this meeting.

But I agree with Scott wholeheartedly that, you know, Putin has shown himself to be a bad actor, and so caution is the name of the day.

DEAN: And so as we wait, again, that's happening Friday in Alaska, I want to take us to California, where tomorrow the hearing begins in this case of California suing over President Trump using the National Guard, deploying the National Guard in California back in June when those anti-ICE raid protests were happening.

Lulu, what's on the line here and how might this shape the administration's use of federal resources to replace law enforcement going forward?

GARCIA NAVARRO: This is another one of those really important cases that defines the limits to federal authority, presidential power, and the way that the Trump administration has sought to use it. If you think about in the past, it is very unusual for federal forces to be deployed in the manner that they were during these California -- during the California unrest. And so this is trying to sort of determine if that is legal and if it can be done again. [19:05:05]

And as we look at the Trump administration talking about what they're thinking of doing here in D.C. as well, deploying of FBI agents, et cetera, et cetera, I mean, this will have big repercussions going forward because President Trump could then decide at any given time to put, you know, federal forces on the streets of American cities and that is pretty unprecedented.

DEAN: And, Scott, I do want to ask about whether you think that is an appropriate use of those federal resources. Lulu did mention the D.C. piece of this, which is that Trump wants to use federal law enforcement to police or to try to crack down on crime in Washington, D.C.

Do you think that is an appropriate use of those federal resources?

JENNINGS: I do, actually. I think it's a disgrace that our nation's capital is crime ridden. I think it's a disgrace that tourists and visitors come to Washington, D.C., and they don't feel safe. I think it's a disgrace that, you know, roving bands of teenagers are riding, you know, hundreds of dirt bikes around Washington, D.C., shooting guns, shooting off fireworks. And you have these roving bands of carjackers.

It's a disgrace. This is our national capital. You shouldn't have to feel that way, whether you live there or whether you're visiting on the streets of Washington, D.C. It's a unique place because it's a federal district. It's not in a state. And there I think -- I think the president, you know, has rightly decided that something has to be done. You know, it has a very high homicide rate when you compare it to other world capitals.

And so I'm anxious to see how far he wants to take this. But frankly, I think for the people who live there and the people who visit there, they're going to welcome extra police presence on the street. That carjacking that happened to the White House staffer the other night, you know, there were a couple of cops sitting there. Had they not been sitting there and witnessed that, I don't know what would have happened to that poor kid. He got beat up by 10 people, a 10-person gang.

And so I think the more patrols you have, whether it's park police or whoever, the safer people will feel going around our nation's capital.

DEAN: And, Scott, you spent a lot of time --

GARCIA NAVARRO: Can I just --

DEAN: Yes, because, Lulu, you're in D.C. And like Scott, you spend a lot of time there. I want to know what you think. Yes.

GARCIA NAVARRO: Yes. I talked to a lot of people in D.C., and obviously I'm a resident of D.C., and I think there's really grave concern about deploying federal forces that aren't trained, FBI agents who should actually be looking at federal crime on the streets of the Capitol. Of course, all crime is terrible. You know, that very weekend that that gentleman was assaulted, which, of course, is awful. You know, a family of four was shot and killed in northwest Tennessee. One person was killed and two people were injured in a shooting in Fargo, North Dakota.

I mean, crime is a problem that I think every American deals with and is faced with. And I think what I understand from talking to a lot of Americans is that they don't want to see this politicized in the way that it seems to be, that Democratic cities get sort of called out, people that are friends of the president, get special treatment. All of a sudden federal forces are called on to police the entire city. I think people want real solutions for the crime that they see every day in their cities, whether they're rural or whether they're, you know, in the nation's capital. And so that's what I think is most concerning.

DEAN: I am curious, Scott, about that question of do you think this is politicized? Because if you think about where these have been deployed, L.A., which is a blue state, California, obviously Gavin Newsom and Donald Trump have their own thing going on with each other. And then in D.C., which is a very Democratic city. Do you think this has become politicized?

JENNINGS: Well, I think California and D.C. are two different cases because one is a state and one is a federal district. Washington, D.C. is just a different place because it is a federalized district. It's a special place that doesn't exist in the way that other states and cities do. So that's number one. But I do think, number two, in a lot of blue cities, they exist in a state of lawlessness.

I mean, we have blue cities all over this country and blue states that have sanctuary laws where they have encouraged illegal immigration. I mean, that's the problem in California, is that illegal immigration has been welcomed and coddled. And then when you go in and try to enforce federal law, there was, you know, all sorts of unrest and violence and mayhem on the streets. And so that was a situation brought about by the local officials there trying to resist I think the enforcement of federal immigration law.

In Washington, D.C., everybody who lives there and everybody who visits there on a regular basis knows it's not safe. It is not safe. And there's even a discussion in the ranks of the police department there, I think one guy has been put on suspension because they've been downplaying the crime statistics there to try to give people a false sense of security. So I don't think this is political.

I think it's about safety. And in the case of California and other blue states, I think it's about the enforcement of federal immigration laws that are on the books. And you have Democrats in those places trying to resist that. I do not understand it.

DEAN: Lulu, I want to give you the last word on this. I just want to note. Yes, I just want to note really quickly that D.C.'s just -- D.C. has said and has shown the statistics that crime is down year to year there. Just for a little context here, but, Lulu, you can have the last word there. [19:10:10]

GARCIA NAVARRO: Yes, just the last word is that crime is down. As a resident here, crime, of course, as I've said, is terrible anywhere in the country. I don't think it needs to -- the federal government needs to come in and send people who really don't know how to police and deal with civilians to make sure that everything is OK.

DEAN: All right. Scott and Lulu, always a pleasure to see both of you. I really appreciate it. Thank you.

JENNINGS: Thank you.

DEAN: And as President Trump prepares for Friday's talk with Putin, we've learned Trump spoke today with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Israel's plans to take over part of Gaza. What it could mean for the leaders' relationship.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:15:27]

DEAN: New tonight, President Trump speaking with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Netanyahu's office, the two discussed Israel's plans to take over what Netanyahu is calling Hamas's last two remaining strongholds in Gaza, including Gaza City and the central camps.

CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger is joining us now.

David, always good to see you. Thanks for being here with us. There has been condemnation --

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Great to see you, Jessica.

DEAN: You too. Both internationally, also from inside Israel, we saw those -- the regular Saturday night protests getting much bigger last night. Hostage families calling for a nationwide strike. How would you assess where we are with all of this? And what happens next now that we know Netanyahu is planning to move forward with this?

SANGER: Well, Mr. Netanyahu certainly is planning to move forward with it, but it looks like he's slowed down his schedule some. And that may indicate that he's recognized he's walked himself into a bit of a corner here. First of all, the plan has been condemned by every one of the major or most of the major Western nations and allies of Israel other than the United States.

He has focused on taking back Gaza City, which would mean that in the next few months, under his schedule, he'd have to displace upwards of a million people, Palestinians who are there. But there hasn't been as much discussion about how this is going to facilitate feeding people, ending the starvation that we have seen taking place there. And of course, if Israel is the occupying authority inside Gaza, which by its own declaration is, it's responsible for making sure that everybody is fed just under international law.

It's interesting that you've seen some other countries, including the French, call for a temporary international force to take over there, focusing on getting food to everybody.

DEAN: And I'm curious about the Trump of it all, as well, knowing that they spoke today. What kind of impact might the president have on any of this?

SANGER: Well, you know, with President Trump, it's always a little bit difficult to figure out where he is truly standing. For the first months of his presidency, he said almost nothing about the growing starvation in Gaza. Then a few weeks ago, as the video began and other pictures came out and reporting came out about the extent of it, he became quite focused on it and said the United States was going to get food in there. But we have not heard him object, at least publicly, to the Netanyahu plan.

Now, of course, you have to also remember that while Netanyahu is hearing from those protesters you mentioned on the streets and from some in the United States, certainly from the Europeans, on the right he's been criticized for not moving fast enough, that Israel needed a faster, more brutal approach to wiping out Hamas.

DEAN: I also do want to ask you about a new story you have in "The New York Times" this morning, talking about this Trump-Putin summit that's going to happen in Alaska on Friday, and the fears that Ukraine has over its future. What did you find in your reporting?

SANGER: Well, you'll remember, Jessica, that during the Biden years, the phrase was nothing about Ukraine, no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine. And where this was headed at least, until a few hours ago, was that President Zelenskyy would not even be in Anchorage or wherever in Alaska they end up holding this. We think it's likely to be near Anchorage anyway.

Now we heard from Vice President Vance that there's a possibility that Zelenskyy would be invited, but that he would only get involved in this discussion after President Trump and President Putin talked. That makes perfect sense except there is a concern among the Ukrainians, understandable given their relationship with President Trump, that the president may give away some of their land or make concessions that they're not prepared to go make about their country.

[19:20:09]

And then, of course, that sets up Zelenskyy to face off against both President Trump and President Putin. And that's, of course, exactly where Putin is trying to get this, to try to split the European or the NATO alliance on this issue. And that's why you've seen so many European leaders stand up even today, and say that Russia cannot be given land, that it is not currently holding. DEAN: Mm. And then you have this idea -- that is a huge question. And

there is this idea, too, just more immediate, of Putin being back on American soil for the first time in 10 years. What is the significance of that?

SANGER: Well, the first piece of significance is that Putin was pretty well isolated after the invasion of Ukraine. The Europeans wouldn't talk to him. The Americans wouldn't deal with him, and so forth. The U.S., both in the Justice Department and the State Department, was actually collecting evidence for war crimes prosecutions against Russians, particularly for the massacres in Bucha and elsewhere. Those operations have been dismantled by President Trump. And now President Putin is being invited to American soil. American soil that used to be Russian soil, which is, you know, adds to the complication of this.

So the first message to Putin is that he's back in at least the good graces where it can deal with the U.S. Now, look, you don't solve problems like this by not talking to your adversaries, but it is interesting that they could have and didn't pick the traditional Cold War neutral ground of, say, Geneva or Vienna.

DEAN: Yes, it is interesting indeed.

David Sanger, always good to see you. Thanks so much. We appreciate it.

SANGER: Great to see you.

DEAN: Straight ahead, take two in Texas, as Republican lawmakers there will try once again tomorrow to hold a vote on new congressional maps that could give the Republicans an edge in next year's midterm election. Up next, we're talking with one of the Democrats who fled the state to block that plan about how long those Democrats will hold out and what might come next.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:26:47]

DEAN: The redistricting fight in Texas is growing. The state's Republican governor today warning there may be no end in sight to the standoff with Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R), TEXAS: This could literally last years because in Texas I'm authorized to call a special session every 30 days. It lasts 30 days, and as soon as this one is over, I'm going to call another one, then another one, then another one, then another one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: But nearly a week after Texas Democrats left the state, they're also showing no signs of backing down. CNN's Leigh Waldman is joining us now.

Leigh, what are people in Texas say about this?

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, people in Texas are upset about how this special session has essentially been hijacked for this redistricting fight. We have to remember it was initially called in response to that devastating flooding that happened in the Texas Hill Country on the Fourth of July, 130 -- more than 130 people died, including children.

Now, the special session was supposed to address a number of issues, including introducing legislation to have early flood warning detection systems put into place, improve communication issues that popped up during this devastating flood, and also to provide relief funding for the communities and for the people who are most impacted by this flooding. There's only been two hearings on this topic.

Most other hearings have focused on this redistricting fight. Texans that we spoke to are understandably upset.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAT DIXON, LIVES IN TEXAS: Calling a special session when there's a flood that kills people, that's appropriate. When you hijack a special session to rig the next election, that's inappropriate.

RANDY SIMBRO, LIVES IN TEXAS: Whatever it takes, let's go steal an election and rig the districts in our favor in a way that makes it impossible for other candidates to oppose them. That's what we're seeing here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALDMAN: Now, after the Democrats left the state, GOP leaders have introduced -- have escalated the talks here to try and get them to come back. The Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, asking the Texas Supreme Court to remove 13 absent House Democrats from their offices, asking California and Illinois courts to step in and enforce these civil arrest warrants that we've seen introduced, and also asking the Texas Supreme Court to remove Representative Gene Wu from his position there.

Dustin Burrows says that they are reconvening on Monday, and he is urging Democrats to come back to the state so they can establish this quorum -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Leigh Waldman with the latest. Thank you so much for that.

Let's bring in Texas Democratic House Representative James Talarico. He's one of the lawmakers who is in Chicago right now in an effort to break the quorum in this redistricting fight if the governor makes good on this threat.

It's great to have -- great to have you on here. We really appreciate your time tonight. I'm just curious, how long can this go on? And is this a winnable fight for you all?

STATE REP. JAMES TALARICO (D-TX): Well, you know, we've been receiving all kinds of threats from Texas Republicans. Greg Abbott is threatening to remove us from our duly elected positions. Ken Paxton is sending out tweets, asking his followers to hunt us down. And then we got a bomb threat at the hotel where we're staying this past week. But we are not backing down because this is a lot bigger than us. It's a lot bigger than any one politician or any one political party.

[19:30:10]

This is about whether the people -- the people of Texas, the people of this country, Democrats, Independents and Republicans alike can change their government with their votes, whether they can hold powerful elected leaders accountable and, you know, there's a stark difference here, because Texas Republicans are willing to disempower the people to hold on to their positions; Texas Democrats are willing to lose our positions to empower the people.

DEAN: And we heard Governor Abbott in that clip just before you joined us, saying that he is authorized to call a special session every 30 days. But when this one is over, he'll call another one and in his words, another one and another one and another one. So practically, how do you fight back against that?

TALARICO: Well, we're taking this one special session at a time. We can get all -- we can get lost in all kinds of hypotheticals but I do know that they are -- they're getting a lot of pressure on their side. We've seen Republicans in other states, some of them in blue states, talking about how this is wrong, talking about how mid-decade redistricting attempt at the direct request of the most powerful man in the country, how that sets a dangerous precedent going forward.

And so, this is a bipartisan cause. We are fighting for free and fair elections for every single Texan, every single American, because politicians shouldn't be choosing their voters. Voters should be choosing their politicians.

DEAN: And we are seeing some blue states. I'm thinking of California at this point, potentially getting in on this redistricting fight. It's almost, as we've called it in the last hour, a redistricting arms race of sorts. Is retaliating in this way, is that the appropriate way forward for Democrats?

TALARICO: Well, if one side cheats, the other side has to respond, unfortunately. And I'm hoping that Texas Republicans decide to walk back from the brink here because no one likes a cheater. Certainly, Texans don't like cheaters. We don't like them in our relationships. We don't like them in sports. We don't like them in politics.

And by redistricting in the middle of the decade when we're supposed to do it at the beginning of every decade, that is just blatant cheating. It's like two football teams coming out of the locker room at halftime, and the team that's ahead says they suddenly want to change the rules in the second half because they want to win the game. I mean, all of us would be throwing food at the television if that happened in a football game, why would we expect anything less in our politics and in our government?

DEAN: And we heard from our colleague, Leigh Waldman, was just talking about she talked to some Texans about the fact that this all -- the special session was originally called for flood relief legislation following these horrific deadly floods that happened in Texas and that just has not been resolved. That's obviously on hold right now. What happens to those people who need this help and to people you might be trying to protect from this happening down the road?

TALARICO: Well, this is very personal to me. I have family that lives out in the Texas Hill Country. I spent a lot of my life in that part of the state. It's a beautiful part of the state, and we are still mourning the loss of life from those horrific floods, including the loss of those beautiful children.

And so, we should be coming back to the Capitol to talk about how to get those victims and their families the relief they deserve, and how to prevent a tragedy like that from ever happening again. I mean, that's the real emergency here. But what Greg Abbott and Texas Republicans are doing is using those victims as leverage to pass these rigged maps and steal the next election.

And it's just -- it is cynical politics at its worst. Its why people hate politics. It feels like rock bottom, and it's something everyone, regardless of your political party, should reject.

DEAN: Before you go, I do want to ask you, I know there have been reports you're considering stepping into this Senate race as a Democrat. Have you made a decision on that?

TALARICO: I haven't, you know, I was elected by about 200,000 people in Central Texas to fight for them at the State Capitol. That's what I'm doing, even though I'm not at the State Capitol, I'm fighting for my constituents and their right, their God given right to have a say about their destinies and that's done at the ballot box.

And so, I'm going to do this job until I, you know, before I start applying to other jobs.

DEAN: But I don't know, it sounds like it's an open door potentially.

TALARICO: Yes, hopefully we can stop this power grab in Texas and protect people's rights at the ballot box. And then I'll look at other ways I can serve beyond this.

DEAN: All right, Representative James Talarico, thank you so much for your time tonight. We really appreciate it.

TALARICO: Thank you.

DEAN: And yes, coming up, left in limbo, a British aid worker is essentially stranded in Syria after the U.K. revoked his citizenship and now finds himself unable to come home. That's ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:39:38]

DEAN: The people of Syria are witnessing a new era in their country, now that Bashar al-Assad is gone. But a British born man who went there more than a dozen years ago to help Syrians fight Assad is now unable to return home and that's because the British government is revoking his citizenship, accusing him of links to Al-Qaeda. It's a charge he denies. And there's a strange twist to his story, CNN's Clarissa Ward explains.

[19:40:04]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Since 2012, British aid worker Tauqir Sharif, known to many as, Tox, has been a fixture in Northern Syria, one of thousands of foreigners known as Muhajirin, who came to Syria to participate in the uprising against the brutal dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad. We sat down with Tox for breakfast at his home in the City of A'zaz by the Turkish border.

WARD (on camera): Were you always an aid worker? Were you involved in the armed component of the uprising as well?

TAUQIR SHARIF, A PAKISTANI AID WORKER KNOWN FOR HIS ACTIVITY IN SYRIA: So I would say I was always a humanitarian.

WARD (on camera): But you're like smiling while you're saying that.

SHARIF: Because a humanitarian encompasses many things, right, saving lives. So sometimes in order to save lives, you have to, you know, fight and defend people. So, what I say that I'm an all-out fighter. No, that wasn't my, you know, bread and butter. I wasn't fighting in battles every single day. But during the course of this conflict, I had to fight. And that was because I had to defend people that were around me. I had to defend aid that was being delivered to, you know, oppressed people. And I'm not shy about saying that.

I mean, if I was a fighter, if that was my gig where I was fighting and I was a military commander, I would be very proud of that.

WARD (voice over): We first met Tox in 2016, in rebel held Idlib Province.

SHARIF: We need to look at what do the people really want. And if the people are Muslims, this is not me saying it, if the people are Muslims and they want some form of Islamic governance, then it's important that we help them to establish that.

WARD (on camera): Is that what they want?

SHARIF: In my opinion, that's what I believe. WARD (voice over): One year later, Tox, was stripped of his British citizenship.

WARD (on camera): Why did the British government take away your passport?

SHARIF: That's the question that we all want to know the answer to.

WARD (on camera): What's the official reason that you've been given?

SHARIF: The official reason was aligned to a group that is aligned to al-Qaeda.

WARD (voice over): Tox, denies the charges, saying he has always maintained independence while pointing out that the former leader of al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is now the country's president.

WARD (on camera): Does it strike you as bizarre or maybe even unfair, surreal, I don't know, you choose the word that President al-Sharaa is leading the country. He's meeting with western leaders and yet you are not even able to go back to your home because you had your passport taken away because you were aligned with a group that was aligned with al-Qaeda, right, I mean, that's a tenuous, nebulous connection.

SHARIF: Yes, yes it said guilty by association with a degree of separation.

WARD (on camera): And association with a man who is now the president of Syria, so --

SHARIF: Yes, we had clear ties, someone who had clear ties, who was a part of al-Qaeda, is now legitimate. whereas people like myself are, you know, still in limbo, and of course --

WARD (on camera): And you're not the only one. I mean, there's --

SHARIF: Yes, there's others. Of course, I think hundred percent -- it is hundred percent unfair. But this is the world we live in, right? I mean, look, these are the these are the double standards and the hypocrisies of the West, right? You come out to help Syrians free themselves of oppression from Bashar al-Assad. You're stateless, you go and fight in the IDF, be a part of an army that is being accused of genocide, of war crimes and you can come back to the U.K., you have no questioning, you have no issues at all, no inquest. Those are blatant double standards and they are problems.

WARD (on camera): With that in mind, we see now Syria moving closer to the West. What was your reaction when you saw President al-Sharaa and President Trump meeting and not just yours, but like your community, let's say the other Muhajirin, the foreigners, and be honest.

SHARIF: Look, I think me, as a Muhajir, I'm a bit of an anomaly, so, my position is way more nuanced. Look, I understand that this was a political victory. It wasn't a military victory. So, concessions were going to have to be made, obviously, where people are upset is when it comes to the Israel-Palestine issue. Because obviously, signing the Abraham Accords and stuff like that --

WARD (on camera): As Trump actually asked President al-Sharaa to do.

SHARIF: Yes, that is something that people are obviously very upset about, not just Muhajirin. I think most Syrians and most people in the most people in the Arab world, you know, don't like the idea of that. The other thing that people are uncertain of is, okay, are Muhajirin going to be given citizenship, et cetera. What's their status going to be?

WARD (voice over): Syria has started absorbing thousands of foreign fighters into the Army, but many others remain stateless. While some hardliners grumble that the country is not moving in the right direction, Tox is more optimistic.

WARD (on camera): Driving around Damascus, there's billboards everywhere saying thank you, President Trump --

SHARIF: Yes.

WARD (on camera): -- lifting the sanctions, normalizing relations. Do you want to say thank you to President Trump?

[19:45:20]

SHARIF: Thank you, President Trump. I mean, look, I mean, its politics, isn't it? It's politics, right? Its politics. Again, I'm not a politician. So, you know, I mean, Trump said he's going to bring peace to the Middle East. Let's hope that the Palestine issue can be solved.

Syria seems to be in a better place. And, you know, if Trump had a hand in that and, you know, there was some good intention there, then you know what? Then that's a praiseworthy thing, right? But at the end of the day, politics is about power, right? And we'll see, only time will tell. Only time will tell where Syria is going to go.

WARD (on camera): Now, Tox's views are actually pretty moderate in the context of some of the more hardline foreigners inside Syria. I spoke to one westerner there who said that he felt outraged and ashamed by President al-Sharaa's meeting with President Trump. We did, of course, reach out to the U.K. Home Office as well to ask about Tox's case. They didn't give any specific details relating to him, but said simply, "deprivation of citizenship only happens after careful consideration of the facts and in accordance with international law, and always comes with a right of appeal."

Clarissa Ward, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Clarissa, thank you.

And still ahead tonight, dozens of people in each cell, five-minute meals and handcuffs in the bathroom. What one man says he's experienced inside the controversial detention facility known as Alligator Alcatraz. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:51:33]

DEAN: Tonight, we are hearing new details about conditions inside a controversial Florida detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz, as the Trump administration calls it. It's being built in the Florida Everglades but a federal judge's ruling has halted that construction for now.

CNN's Rafael Romo spoke with some of the detainees who've been held at the facility. Rafael, what did they tell you?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, that they're not criminals and that they feel their rights were violated. When President Donald Trump traveled to the Everglades in early July for the opening of the migrant detention center dubbed Alligator Alcatraz.

He said the facility was intended to house, "The most menacing of migrants and some of the most vicious people on the planet," but based on testimonies from migrants who have been held there, immigrants' rights groups and some political leaders, the only mistake many of those held at Alligator Alcatraz have made is overstaying their visas.

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ROMO (voice over): It was meant to be a visit to his brother in the United States to mourn together the recent death of their mother. But Carlos Gonzalez says it turned out to be a nightmare that started with a traffic stop.

(CARLOS GONZALEZ speaking in foreign language)

ROMO (voice over): He says he was stopped for driving a car with tinted windows and detained. He says he had in his possession a tourist visa and his Mexican passport and driver's license.

After originally being held at a county jail, Gonzalez says he was eventually transferred to the migrant detention center in the Florida everglades, dubbed Alligator Alcatraz, where he claims he endured harsh conditions, including lack of toiletries, staying inside tents 24/7 with the lights on even at night, five-minute meals, up to 40 people per cell going to the bathroom with handcuffed hands and switching from hot and humid conditions inside the tents to cold when they turn the air on.

(CARLOS GONZALEZ speaking in foreign language.)

ROMO (voice over): "I see it as a form of torture to all of us there," Gonzalez said.

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said that, "On July 7, 2025, Florida highway patrol arrested illegal aliens Carlos Martin Gonzalez-Meza Cole and Oscar Alejandro Gonzalez-Meza during a traffic stop near Orlando, Florida. Carlos was illegally working in the U.S. while here on a tourist visa, and his brother Oscar overstayed his visa," adding that the vehicle they were in was unregistered and had 212 toll violations.

By the time he was stopped, Gonzalez acknowledges he had been in the country four months already because he was trying to get over the painful loss of his mother.

We have heard similar testimonies from relatives of migrants who have been held at Alligator Alcatraz, as well as immigrants' rights groups and elected officials. But White House Border Czar Tom Homan says detainees are treated with dignity and respect, dismissing claims that treatment at the Everglades detention center is inhumane.

TOM HOMAN, WHITE HOUSE BORDER CZAR: Bunch of crap. I was there. I walked through the detainee facilities. I walked through the medical facilities. I walked through the cafeteria. I had them show me what did you feed these people today? I saw the lunch, what they fed them. They ate better yesterday than I am eating today.

ROMO (voice over): Last week, a man speaking by phone from inside Alligator Alcatraz claimed he was on a hunger strike to protest conditions there, along with at least 11 others as reported by CNN affiliate Univision.

(PEDRO LORENZO CONCEPCION speaking in foreign language.)

ROMO (voice over): "I'm not eating another plate of food until my rights as a detainee are respected," he reportedly said.

(DAYMARIS HERNANDEZ speaking in foreign language.)

ROMO (voice over): His wife calls what he and others are going through psychological torture.

Officials at homeland security said the reports of a hunger strike inside the facility are false and called them unsubstantiated and inaccurate allegations.

Back in Mexico, Carlos Gonzalez reflects on the multiple days he was detained. A trip to heal from the loss of a loved one, he said, turning to what he calls an arbitrary detention and a violation of his human rights.

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ROMO: Jessica, last month, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the Trump administration over what it calls lack of access to legal counsel for migrants held at the detention center, as well as violations of due process.

The next hearing on that case is happening on August 18th at a federal court in Miami -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right, Rafael Romo, thank you so much. Up next, a big week ahead for President Trump. He's preparing for that high stakes meeting with Russia's president.

He's also teasing a big announcement on crime crackdown in the nation's capital as the redistricting battle continues. We're going to talk to ambassador Rahm Emanuel on the other side about it all. You're here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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