Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Trump Administration Has Been Planning To Deploy The National Guard In Chicago For Weeks; GOP Governors Send National Guard Troops To Washington, D.C.; Texas Republicans Approve New Congressional Map; Both Menendez Brothers Denied Parole In Parents' Murders; Israel Hostage Families Urge Netanyahu to Secure Deal; Ukrainian Keeps Its Culture Alive in the Face of Aggression; Troop Deployments Part of Administration's Hardline Immigration Goals; Sexually Explicit Italian Facebook Page Shut Down. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired August 24, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:00:38]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

The Trump administration is planning to expand its use of the National Guard on U.S. streets. We'll tell you which city is the next target.

Meanwhile, many Democratic governors and mayors are standing firm against the administration's immigration crackdown. We'll get how they're responding to new demands from Washington.

And Ukraine marks 34 years of independence under the cloud of Russia's war. We'll talk with one author-turned-soldier about the fight to keep the country's culture alive.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: President Donald Trump is looking to continue his immigration crackdown and expand his so-called anti-crime efforts. And on Friday, after previously deploying National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., he suggested that Chicago will be next. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENT: After we do this, we'll go to another location, and we'll make it safe also. We're going to make our country very safe. We're going to make our cities very, very safe. Chicago is a mess. You have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent. And we'll straighten that one out probably next. That will be our next one after this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now, two officials tell CNN that the White House has been planning to send the National Guard to Chicago for weeks. It's not clear when the deployment would start or how many troops would be sent. Chicago's mayor calls the potential move unlawful. He says he hasn't heard from the White House, but speaks regularly with the state's governor about possible federal actions.

Any deployment in Chicago would look more like the deployment in Los Angeles rather than in Washington, and that's because the president has more leeway in the U.S. Capitol. And the president is getting help with his D.C. takeover from several Republican-run states. Their governors are deploying National Guard troops to the nation's capital to assist with what Trump calls a crackdown on crime. But some of those states have their own challenges with crime at home.

CNN's Marshall Cohen has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: There's a lot of talk. There's a lot of spin on this topic. But the numbers don't lie. So, we took a very close look at the FBI violent crime statistics for last year. So, we are coming to you from Washington, D.C., where there are 2,000 National Guard troops in this city right now. About half of them are from the D.C. Guard. The other half come from these six states that have Republican governors and are sending troops here, Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

When we looked at the data, we found that there are actually 10 cities in these states that have a higher crime rate than D.C. Look at this. Cleveland, Toledo, Memphis, Tennessee, they were number one in the country last year. Nashville, Charleston, the capital of West Virginia, and then two more down in Louisiana, Shreveport and Lafayette.

By the way, Shreveport is the home district of House Speaker Mike Johnson, the top Republican in Congress. If this wasn't bad, it actually gets worse. Look at the murder rate. I want to compare the murder rate in Washington, D.C. to Jackson, Mississippi. Last year in D.C., 27 homicides per 100,000 residents. That's not good. But it's better than this. 77 last year in Jackson, Mississippi.

They were number one in the country. And it's stats like these, which is why social justice groups, criminal justice reform groups, Democratic lawmakers and Trump critics have argued that this whole deployment in D.C. is just a show. It's a pretext. It's not based on the data. If you really want to crack down on the most violent cities, you need to be looking elsewhere. That's the criticism.

But here's the pushback. We reached out to all of the governor's offices and they defended their actions. Ohio, they told us that, look, the president asked for our help.

When the president asks, we heed the call. And they pointed out that they have sent troops from their Ohio National Guard when Democratic governors and Democratic mayors and Democratic presidents have also asked for their assistance. And then down in Mississippi, the governor's office told us that they thought it was ridiculous to suggest that they can't do two things at the same time.

They said they can help out President Trump here in D.C. while also tackling crime at home. And they would point out that they believe the stats in Jackson, Mississippi, by the way, are looking a lot better this year than last year.

[05:05:08]

Marshall Cohen, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: President Trump is praising Texas lawmakers for approving a new congressional map. He took to Truth Social, calling it a huge victory for his America First agenda. It's designed to give Republicans five additional seats in the House of Representatives. Texas Governor Greg Abbott is expected to sign it into law later this week.

California is responding to the new Texas map. Democrats there passed their own new congressional map. And if voters approve it in November, it would give Democrats five more congressional seats, offsetting Texas.

CNN's Arlette Saenz has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The Texas Senate gave its final stamp of approval on a redistricting bill that could reshape the landscape for the 2026 midterm elections. The bill passed the state Senate in the early morning hours of Saturday and now will head to Texas Governor Greg Abbott for his signature. He's expected to sign it early next week.

But really, this represents a major victory for President Trump and the Republican Party as they are trying to pick up an additional five U.S. House seats here in Texas. And Republicans have been very blunt about why they are pushing these redistricting plans. Take a listen to state Senator Phil King, a Republican on the Senate floor.

SEN. PHIL KING (R-TX): I'm convinced that if Texas does not take this action, that there is an extreme risk that that Republican majority will be lost. And if it does, the next two years after the midterms, there will be nothing but inquisitions and impeachments and humiliation for our country.

SAENZ: Texas Democrats who had fled the state to try to block this bill for two weeks had no other legislative options left to prevent this from being passed. Now, Democrats are turning their attention to the courts, hoping that the court system will step in to block these maps from going into effect. But already this map, even before it was passed and signed into law, it's already impacting the 2026 midterms here in Texas.

There's Congressman Lloyd Doggett, who represents a district right here in Austin. He announced that he would not seek reelection if the courts do not block these maps. That part of that is because a congressman from a district just south of here, Greg Casar, said that he would now run in Doggett's district after his own district is essentially eliminated to become a more GOP-leaning district.

So, there's a lot of big questions going forward for Democrats about how they are going to handle this, whether they will continue to seek a reelection in their districts or perhaps decide to retire. But at this moment, this really represents a major victory for President Donald Trump, who has also vowed to push other states to consider their own redistricting options as well.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, Austin, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The Trump administration may renew its attempt to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia in the coming days, this time to Uganda. His lawyers received a preliminary notice required by a federal judge just minutes after he was released from custody in Tennessee. His lawyers say the government tried to cut a deal in which he would plead guilty to two charges, then be deported to Costa Rica, where his family could easily visit him.

But if he refuses to plead guilty, he risks being deported to Uganda. Abrego Garcia's attorneys call it a vindictive move on the part of ICE and other agencies. The attorneys added their client has until Monday to accept the government's offer.

After decades behind bars in California, Lyle and Erik Menendez were denied parole this week. The brothers admitted to the notorious murders of their parents in 1989, although they couldn't persuade the parole board to release them. They still have a faint hope of walking free, as Jenn Sullivan reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENN SULLIVAN, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): A crippling blow in the brothers' fight for freedom. Erik and Lyle Menendez both denied parole this week. Friday, Lyle Menendez appearing virtually for his parole hearing. His denial coming 24 hours after his brother Erik was also denied parole. The two brothers were convicted of murdering their parents inside their Beverly Hills home. The bodies of Jose and Kitty were found with multiple bullet wounds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They shot their parents to make it look like a mafia-style killing, shooting their dad in the back of the head. They reloaded a shotgun and shot her at point-blank range.

SULLIVAN: During Lyle's parole hearing, he said there was zero planning and the decision to buy guns had been, quote, "somewhat impulsive and for emotional protection and also the biggest mistake."

The brothers have long said they killed their parents out of fear after a lifetime of abuse and shot them in self-defense. Now, in their 50s, Erik was 18 and Lyle 21 at the time of their parents' murder. They were later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In May, their sentences were reduced, making them eligible for parole. But this week, both brothers were found to be a moderate risk to public safety and denied release.

[05:10:14]

MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: That was a caution flag to the parole board.

SULLIVAN: There will be an internal review by the full parole commission, which can take up to a 120 days. Then California Governor Gavin Newsom has 30 days to reverse, approve or modify the decision if he chooses to. But he could act sooner.

MARRIS: They also have a clemency petition. That's a process where the governor could step in at any time.

SULLIVAN: Even if the parole board's recent ruling stands, the brothers could get another shot at parole in 2027.

I'm Jenn Sullivan reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Palestinians in Gaza are bracing for Israel's planned military takeover. Hundreds of thousands of people are preparing to evacuate as Israel continues to bombard the enclave's largest city. New video shows smoke rising just hours ago after escalating Israeli strikes and shelling.

An attack on Deir al Balah destroyed homes and buildings. Gaza's Ministry of Health says at least 61 people were killed in the enclave on Saturday, and that includes three children, according to Palestinian state media. CNN has reached out to Israel's military for comment. Residents in Deir al Balah say the IDF warned them to evacuate before the attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOUSEF MITWALI, WITNESS: Our message to the world, what shall we say after people were killed? Destruction. All the world sees what is going on in Gaza. It's a genocide. No homes, no buildings, no food, no drink, no life. We only have the breath.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Israeli hostage families joined protesters in front of Israel's military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Saturday. They again urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure a deal with Hamas that will end the war and bring the hostages home. A brother of one of the hostages says Netanyahu should accept a temporary ceasefire proposal that's on the table. It would include the release of 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 others.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) YOTAM COHEN, BROTHER OF HOSTAGE NIMROD COHEN: Netanyahu can bring home the hostages who are enduring Holocaust-like conditions. But instead of accepting the deal, he is racing toward the conquest of Gaza. He repeatedly places obstacles in the way of an agreement and then blames Hamas. But anyone who truly wants to bring the hostages home does not launch a ground invasion of Gaza. Anyone who truly wants a comprehensive deal does not set impossible conditions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Thousands of Australians took part in nationwide protests today against Israel's war in Gaza. Palestine Action Group told "Reuters" that more than 40 protests were held across the country with large turnouts in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

All right, joining me live from London is CNN's Nada Bashir. So, Nada, let's start with those protests. Take us through what we saw.

NADA BASHIR, CNN PRODUCER: Well, look, we've been seeing regular protests being held in Tel Aviv and across other cities in Israel from family members, representatives of the hostage, organizing these large-scale protests and rallies. In fact, last week we saw huge strikes taking place across several industries, trying to put pressure on the Israeli government to do more to secure a ceasefire agreement that ensures the safe release of the hostages held captive in Gaza by Hamas. And that is certainly what we saw yesterday in Tel Aviv.

Again, huge turnout, protesters trying to put more pressure on the Israeli government, particularly as the Israeli military prepares to double down on its renewed military offensive on Gaza City. And, of course, this comes as we continue to hear questions swirling around the status of the ongoing ceasefire negotiations being pushed forward by mediators. We know that Hamas has agreed to a ceasefire proposal that is currently on the table.

Israeli officials have yet to agree to that proposal, despite the fact that officials tell us it is very similar to the proposal that was put forward by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. And, of course, there has also been mounting backlash from the family members and representatives of those hostages following some troubling remarks made by the U.S. President Donald Trump.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: What they had to go through is incredible, but so now they have 20, but the 20 is actually probably not 20 because a couple maybe aren't around any longer. It's a terrible thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Now, there has been some backlash questions around the information and intelligence available to the U.S. President with regards to the status and condition of the hostages held captive. We did hear from Prime Minister Netanyahu's hostage coordinator, who said in a statement shared with those family members that according to the information that Israel has currently, there is no change in the information that had been provided to those family members.

[05:15:00]

Twenty of the hostages are alive, according to Israeli officials, still despite those comments made by the U.S. President, two said to be in a critical condition. But again, the messaging that we've been hearing from the Israeli Prime Minister is that there is no change at this current point in time in Israel's war goals. They want to demilitarize Gaza, destroy Hamas, secure the release of all hostages, not the phased proposal that is currently on the table.

And ensure security control over the Gaza Strip. And this is, according to Israeli officials, including the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, all part and parcel of why they have decided to renew this military offensive on Gaza City.

Israeli troops said to be surrounding Gaza City already. But it's important to underscore, once again, this is an area where some one million Palestinians are believed to be. They are being ordered once again by the Israeli military to evacuate, to move to so-called safe spaces in the south.

But again, these are overrun camp cities, makeshift camp cities. These are areas that have been targeted in the past. There is simply no safe zones for these civilians.

And this comes as the hunger crisis in Gaza continues to worsen, as not enough aid is still being allowed into the Gaza Strip. And, of course, off the back of that troubling U.N.-backed report confirming that there is now famine in parts of Gaza.

Kim?

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, appreciate those updates. Nada Bashir, thank you so much.

Ukraine's president says losing the war isn't an option, as the country marks its Independence Day. Still ahead, his powerful message to the country as it fights to keep its independence in the face of Russia's aggression. That story and more coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:20:27]

BRUNHUBER: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country won't lose its war with Russia as it marks 34 years of independence from the old Soviet Union. In his address this morning, he told the country what it takes to be free from occupation. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Today, independence is forged on the battlefield. Independence shields the skies each night. It saves lives in hospitals. It extinguishes fires. Independence does not sleep, working around the clock at defense enterprises, because it is so important that our warriors have everything they need that independence has everything it needs to defend itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And messages of support for Ukraine are coming in, including from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is in Kyiv. And we're showing you live pictures as he is addressing folks in Kyiv right now. He said Canada will be with Ukraine every step of the way as the country fights for its sovereignty.

And President Trump sent a letter praising what he called Ukraine's unbreakable spirit. He also said the U.S. supports a lasting peace that respects the country's dignity and sovereignty. Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union on August 24, 1991. But, of course, the holiday comes as Russia seems more determined than ever to take back control of its smaller neighbor.

Well, Ukraine's Independence Day is also a time to take stock of the country's fight to keep its cultural identity alive. Extinguishing that is as much a goal of Russia's taking territory.

So, for more on this, I'm joined by author and now soldier Artem Chapeye. He's the author of the book published earlier this year, "Ordinary People Don't Carry Machine Guns: Thoughts on War."

And Artem joins me from Kyiv.

Thank you so much for being here with us. Really appreciate it. This is Ukraine's third Independence Day since Russia's full-scale invasion began. So, what's the mood there in Kyiv? How does celebrating this day feel different now?

ARTEM CHAPEYE, UKRAINIAN AUTHOR AND SOLDIER: I would say that now we feel like the day of independence is personal for us. Because independence was not granted, was not given to us by anybody. Now we actually have to fight for it.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, you're literally fighting for it. I'm curious, as a writer and someone serving in the army, as one of those so-called ordinary people carrying a machine gun, as referencing your title, and specifically you're a pacifist turned fighter. I mean, what -- have you been learning about yourself throughout this experience?

CHAPEYE: Yeah, you're right. I considered myself a pacifist. I translated Mahatma Gandhi into Ukrainian. And as I'm writing, actually, in the book, I am explaining the choices. There are times when petitions or going on hunger strikes just won't help. You can see how going on hunger strikes never helped even the Russian opposition.

And we understand that should we be reconquered, there would be a lot of torture. There would be a lot of repression, including, as you mentioned, the culture. That's what Russia is trying to do. Now that Putin is now -- there has been a court issue for Putin's genocide, specifically for trying to re-educate young Ukrainian children whom he deported from Ukraine to Russia. So, we realize that should we fall, which we hope we never would, there would be a lot of repression, including to Ukrainian culture, but also to all of the people.

And there would be a lot of arbitrariness. And so there is no option for us to forfeit or to negotiate something like, you know, giving up our independence in return for anything. We should fight. And we are really exhausted. And we really appreciate all the people in the world who understand that our fight is about not getting re-colonized, that our fight is not somebody's proxy or joining some organization. These are only just means.

Our aim is to actually be free to make our own mistakes. Let's put it that way. I understand that Ukraine is not perfect, but we have to have the right to make our own mistakes. And we have to make our own choices.

[05:25:01]

BRUNHUBER: On the cultural aspect, I mean, throughout this war, I've talked to, you know, singers and archivists who are -- who are you know, capturing and saving photos. And there's this recurring idea that I think Ukrainians are becoming, you know, not just more patriotic, but also more interested and invested in their own culture. Are you finding that?

CHAPEYE: Yeah, that's very true. I know mostly about literature, being a writer. And there seems to be like a boom in book publishing, regardless, or maybe in spite of the war. Of course, one of the reasons is because we do not import Russian books anymore. And many people, including myself, we now see that the Russian literature that we were taught to be so great is largely imperialistic. Like if you reread them, they're very imperialist.

I think that maybe more often translations all those derivatives towards Ukrainians, the Poles, the Jews, all the minorities, the Caucasian people from the Caucasus region. Now, we realize that that was something we tried not to notice. And now I can feel as a writer, like there's more and more interest in Ukrainian literature specifically.

I think that also goes for the rest of the culture, but that's what I can feel like there's more books being sold, more books being read. So, I think Russia actually managed to make Ukraine more independent, even in its thinking. So, this is like very ironic or sarcastic, but thank you for making us more independent.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, obviously it comes at such a -- such a huge cost, but if there is any positive to come out of it, certainly that is one thing. This is happening in the context now of a recent Trump-Putin summit. They're talking about potentially down the road, a summit with Putin and Zelenskyy. Talks of perhaps a peace deal, certainly coming from Donald Trump. Is there any sense of hope now that this will be the last independence day for Ukraine being spent under Russian bombs?

CHAPEYE: I would put it this way. There were some people that kind of wanted to believe Trump, but as I'm writing in my book, which I mostly at American intellectuals, and even more specifically at Ukrainian liberal and left-wing intellectuals, I'm being left-wing myself, that Ukraine is not anything like a U.S. proxy that some people want to believe. And I also want to address the global audiences of it.

We feel that regardless of all the Trump's seemingly chaotic U-turns, maybe he has some vision, but from here, to me personally, it looks like chaotic U-turns. Ukraine is just doing its thing regardless, absolutely regardless of whether there is support from the Trump administration or whether Trump seems to support Putin.

Of course, many people in Ukraine were kind of outraged by the fact that a person, specifically Putin, who is a war criminal, according to the Hague court, is being accepted on the U.S. soil. And not only them, many Ukrainians, I think more than Russians, I'm sorry, many Ukrainians more than Americans were very much outraged at the image of American soldiers like kneeling to put a red carpet for the war criminal.

I think that was something that went bad for American dignity, for the dignity of the U.S. army. For some reasons, Ukrainians pay more attention to it, maybe because we are a country at war. But we will continue doing our thing as long as we can, I think, regardless of whether negotiations will bring us.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Listen, I really appreciate hearing from you on this. What is such a proud day, a bittersweet day, maybe for so many Ukrainians in Ukraine and around the world. Thank you so much, author and soldier Artem Chapeye. Thank you for joining us. Really appreciate it.

CHAPEYE: Thank you for inviting me. And thank you for your support.

BRUNHUBER: Well, as the U.S. president threatens to send more federal troops to democratic cities, administration officials admit it's part of their hardline anti-immigration goals. We'll get a perspective from a legal expert coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:33:06]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Let's check some of today's top stories.

The Trump administration is threatening to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda. He was served notice of the possible action just minutes after being released from criminal custody. Now he could face an ultimatum, either plead guilty and be sent to Costa Rica or face the unknown with possible deportation to Uganda.

Ukraine's president says his country won't lose the war as it marks its Independence Day. He spoke as Ukraine's allies offered messages of support, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is in Kyiv. U.S. President Donald Trump sent a letter that praised what he called Ukraine's unbreakable spirit. President Trump suggested Friday that he would send National Guard

troops to Chicago and sources now tell CNN that the White House has been planning the move for weeks. It's not clear when the deployment would start or how many troops would be sent, but Chicago's mayor calls any such action unlawful.

The president says his D.C. takeover is intended to crack down on crime, even though violent crime there was at its lowest level in decades. The city saw a moderate drop in crime after federal agents and troops were deployed. What it did see was a massive surge in immigrant arrests.

Now, New York and other cities run by Democrats are on the president's radar, but New York is on track for the lowest number of shootings and murders in its recorded history.

Los Angeles, where National Guard troops were deployed this summer, was already on pace for its lowest homicide total in 60 years, but Attorney General Pam Bondi made it clear that the law enforcement takeover in the U.S. Capitol is also part of the administration's hardline immigration goals.

Meanwhile, a judge ruled Friday that the administration can't withhold funds from cities because they have policies that limit cooperation with immigration efforts.

All right, for more on this, I want to bring in Raul Reyes, who joins us now from New York. He's an attorney and CNN opinion writer, as well as an immigration analyst and "USA Today" contributor.

[05:35:07]

Good to see you again early this morning. Thanks so much for being here with us.

So, we're seeing this dramatic standoff between the Trump administration and these so-called sanctuary cities, so what's really at stake here for these local communities?

RAUL REYES, CNN OPINION WRITER: Well, just to be clear, when we talk about sanctuary cities, we're talking about jurisdictions, whether it's a state or a city, that they do not hinder federal immigration enforcement, but they do not help federal immigration enforcement either.

I just I just want to say that because there's often a misconception that these cities are somehow a haven for undocumented people. So, what we're seeing with the -- with these -- you know, these threats against cities and the deployment of the National Guard is basically the federal government, in a sense, trying to usurp some of the power of these Democrat-led cities and even states like Washington State.

That alone is unusual because in the U.S. generally, the Republican Party and conservatives, they favor a role, a much more diminished role, for the federal government. Here, under the Trump administration, it's something of the opposite, where the administration is sending troops and planning to send a National Guard to major cities to exert potentially the maximum amount of presidential authority over these -- over these cities.

BRUNHUBER: So, on the legality of this, I mean, the Attorney General is threatening to cut federal funding and even take over police departments, but as I noted earlier, a federal judge just blocked some of these funding threats. So, how significant is this legal victory for cities, and what does it tell us about the administration's power here?

REYES: Right, this was a very significant legal ruling, although it's certain to be appealed. This -- what was at stake here was millions, billions of dollars for cities across the country in terms of funding held by the federal government. The Trump administration actually tried to withhold funds in this manner the first time around, during the first Trump administration, and they failed then.

So, this is really their second attempt to do so, and it's very ironic when you look down at the list of which -- funds that are being -- potentially that the government was trying to hold back, because it includes things like 800 million to cities for crime fighting and violence prevention.

It's also, this whole scenario is very unusual when you look at the broader context, which shows that this summer, really, Americans have changed their minds, in a sense, about the administration's immigration policies. You know, 79% of D.C. residents oppose the National Guard and troops being sent to their city, and nationally we're seeing, like from the Pew Center, 54-55% of Americans say ICE has gone too far with their raids, immigration enforcement, that -- that they disapprove of it.

So, in a sense, it's very easy to see these legal tests and the deployment of troops in major cities as something to please the MAGA base, the conservative base, to put Democratic leaders on the defensive. And some observers say it's also an attempt to distract media attention and the public's attention from ongoing, very serious ongoing matters, like the Jeffrey Epstein investigations, that scandal, some of our potential economic woes, and our international crises in places like Ukraine and Gaza.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah --

REYES: So, some people do see these efforts as an attempt at deflection away from larger crises facing the administration.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, certainly. And that's what many Democrats will say. And, you know, these leading Democrats and Democratic cities keep sort of fighting back through speeches, demonstrations, and so on. But it sounds like the courts are actually where they're winning. Is litigation becoming their most effective strategy against this federal pressure, do you think?

REYES: Right. For better or for worse, litigation does seem to be the most effective way that states and cities can fight back against the administration. I mean, it's fine for their own voters and constituencies to hold rallies, to -- to -- to lead demonstrations, or to send, you know, letters to Congress.

But with this administration, which has really doubled down on its immigration priorities and its plans for mass deportation, and the more military deployment of the military on domestic soil, it seems that lawsuits, although they are very time consuming in terms of resource, will be and have been and will continue to be their most effective way of pushing back.

We've seen the federal courts again and again, hold the administration at bay when it comes to overstepping the limits of their executive authority. But many of these cases, in my view, will likely go to the Supreme Court.

[05:40:14]

And with the conservative majority there, how they will rule is really an open question. But as we saw, you know, in the earlier story with Mr. Abrego Garcia, these issues can turn into quite lengthy legal sagas that are ultimately worked out in federal or even the highest court.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, we'll see in the next days and weeks how this may unfold in other cities --

REYES: Right.

BRUNHUBER: -- like Chicago and New York and so on. I'll have to leave it there, Raul Reyes in New York. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

REYES: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: A popular Facebook page where men posted explicit photos of women they know has been closed. Ahead, we'll go live to Rome to explain how it worked, who was targeted and what law may have been violated. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: An Italian Facebook page named My Wife has been shut down after an investigation by Italian police. Men used it to share intimate images of their female partners, sisters and unknown women, often without their consent. CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau joins us live from Rome.

Barbie, I mean, this is a story as bizarre as it is distasteful. Walk us through how this group operated and how all this finally came to light.

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yeah, you know, I mean, this group page was opened up in 2019 and there were nearly 32,000 members, mostly male of this group, and it was running quite openly. There are a lot of people who, you know, complained to both Facebook and to the Italian police about the existence of this page, and a lot of people taking screen grabs, especially groups that deal with women, protecting women from violence here in the country. And what happened was there was an Italian journalist, an activist who

started posting this and getting the attention of the police and finally of Facebook, who shut it down.

[05:45:07]

And what's difficult now to determine is if there is any criminality that will be able to be -- be charges, be able to be pressed against the law. There is a revenge porn law in Italy, but it's unclear if any of these postings actually will fall under that law.

There's of course defamation, there are privacy issues. You know, police right now have gathered all of the information about all the people who posted on it and who were members of the group, even though it's shut down. And they're trying to determine if any sexual assault occurred as a result of these horrific pictures being posted.

And some of the pictures were women, you know, sleeping in the nude. Some of them were women during sexual acts that were obviously not meant to be shared. Some women, you know, maybe sent us just a photo to their partner who then posted it.

And then what you see in many of these postings are comments where they're asking the person who posted it to further act, you know, maybe take a picture of her in this way, maybe do something to her. And then there's this kind of almost virtual conversation going on about what about the particular women.

Now we've seen, especially over this weekend, a lot of these women who have learned that they were pictures were posted, you know, trying to figure out what they can do. In many cases, their husbands or boyfriends said, "Oh, this is just boys being boys." And you know, don't take it so seriously. And no, nothing, you know, no one was harmed.

And there are a lot of women who are kind of trying to figure out what their rights are, you know, will they leave their husbands? What are the -- you know, do they have any rights criminally, but at the end of the day, Kim, you know, it will be the victims who have to carry the load on this, they're the ones who are going to have to press charges, they're the ones that are going to have to make the -- the -- you know, the call in terms of how far they want to go in order to carry this to the full extent of the law. So, it's very, very complicated on a lot of different levels.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, unbelievable and incredible response from those men, as you say, really appreciate it. Barbie Latza Nadeau, thank you so much.

Turning to one of our top stories, Ukraine is marking his 34th Independence Day and third since Russia's full-scale invasion.

Moments ago, we brought you this ceremony attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Well, we've also learned the U.S. Special Representative to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg was also there. President Trump sent Zelenskyy a letter praising what he called Ukraine's unbreakable spirit.

Trump's message comes days after he said he'll give Putin a couple of weeks to show he's interested in pursuing peace efforts. Well, that further extends his deadline for political consequences against Moscow after urging the Russian leader to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart in hopes of ending the war.

A blast of autumn like weather is expected in parts of the United States. We'll show you where it's going to cool down ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:51:51]

BRUNHUBER: Hawaii's most active volcano delivered a fiery overnight display on Friday before falling quiet again early Saturday morning. Kilauea sent lava fountains more than 30 meters into the air during this latest 12-hour eruption. That was its 31st eruption since December.

Visitors flocked to the site to watch it in person and hundreds of thousands of people watched online. Visitors say the eruption sounded like a jet engine and they could feel its heat more than a mile away.

Weather conditions in Spain are improving but firefighters are still working to control 13 wildfires. More than 3,000 soldiers have joined the effort and other European countries have sent hundreds of firefighters, vehicles and aircraft.

So, far nearly 1,000 acres have burned. That's the largest area burned in Spain in nearly 20 years. While there is heat and fire danger for the western United States, things will cool down in the northern and midwestern states. CNN Meteorologist Chris Warren has your forecast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Serious heat and a fire danger here in the west. Meanwhile, welcome cool down on the way for a big portion of the country. But starting off with this red flag warnings posted for parts of central California and southern California conditions are perfect for fires to start unfortunately and even to spread and spread very quickly.

Heat helps dry things out. Grasses and vegetation more likely to burn if ignited this heat. Serious business heading up the I five corridor up into Oregon and Washington from the Willamette Valley up into the Puget Sound lowlands.

Heat alerts are in effect with a warning here across parts of the pacific northwest where some of the warmest temperatures so far this summer are going to be in place around 97 degrees. So, getting close to 100 in the Rose City there in Portland Medford triple digits on Sunday and staying in the nineties for the next couple of days.

Here's that cool down and welcome for so many here from the Midwest to the south over the coming days with that cold front this time of year, not making things necessarily chilly, but taking that hard summer heat edge off, right?

So, cool things down to the eighties in Atlanta, even Minneapolis by midweek going to be into the mid to upper seventies, whether that's tough to complain with here overnight lows though, may be getting a little chilly well below average there in Chicago. Expect those lows by midweek down into the lower fifties.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Well, there's a new tropical storm in the central Atlantic Ocean. Tropical storm Fernand is about 325 miles or 520 km southeast of Bermuda. Sustained winds are nearly 40 miles or 65 km an hour.

Storm is moving northward and is expected to move well east of Bermuda before heading into the north Atlantic. Fernand is forecast to grow stronger into Monday, nearing hurricane strength, but it's not expected to make landfall.

Well, this year's Bridgestone World Solar Challenge is now underway as cutting edge solar powered cars race across the Australian outback. During Saturday's time trials, teams showcase some of their most innovative technology, including new aerodynamic stabilizing fins.

[05:55:08]

The multi-day event began in the northern town of Darwin and will cover roughly 3000 km. By Thursday, teams are expected to arrive in Adelaide along Australia's southern coast. Event organizers hoping the competition keeps fueling sustainable energy solutions in the automobile industry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANNY KENNEDY, JUDGE, BRIDGESTONE WORLD SOLAR CHALLENGE: It's important to improve the cars we've got because for about 100 years, we really haven't upgraded them. You know, they've been blowing up petrol and turning pistons and this kind of crazy old school infernal combustion engine, which we also have learned more lately in the late 20th century is causing global warming. We've got to get off and just do better.

BRUNHUBER: SpaceX is preparing to launch its 10th test flight on Sunday for the most powerful rocket ever constructed. The starship mega rockets uncrewed prototype will attempt to deploy eight satellite simulators and relight one of its engines in space. Since its debut, the starship model has experienced multiple disasters.

The most recent flight in May saw the rocket spin out of control before a splashdown in the Indian ocean. SpaceX's goal for a starship include sending an uncrewed mission to mars in 2026 and returning NASA astronauts to the moon by mid-2027.

While Powerball players in the U.S. are out of luck, there's no winner in yesterday's drawing, so you can try again as the jackpot on Monday now climbs to $750 million. The lottery's grand prize has been unclaimed since May. The new jackpot will be the 10th largest in the game's history. Now, taken as a lump sum, a single winning ticket could claim $338 million. Winners would then have to pay the taxes, of course.

All right, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. For our viewers in North America, CNN THIS MORNING is next. For the rest of the world, it's NEXT STOP.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)