Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Russia Launches Second-Biggest Air Assault Of Ukraine War; U.S. Envoy: Russian Attack Threaten Trump's Peace Effort; How To Help Children Cope With Anxiety After Tragic Events; Two Children Killed, 18 Other People Wounded In Attack; U.S. Ending Low-Value Package Tariff Waiver for Good; Modi, Putin, Xi to Meet in China Amid U.S. Pressure; Government to Shut Down "Alligator Alcatraz"; Migrant Speaks Out About Arrests Captured in Viral Video; CDC Staffers Cheer on Top Officials Who Resigned in Protest; Life-Threatening Bacterial Infections Surging; Preview of the MTV Video Music Awards. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired August 29, 2025 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:30]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York City. Wherever you may be watching, welcome to CNN Newsroom.

Ahead in the next hour, Russia launching one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine as hopes for an immediate end to the war grows slimmer. And we're learning more about the shooter who opened fire at a Minnesota Catholic school. And one student recounting the moments that she first started to hear those shots. Plus, cases of a life threatening bacteria on the rise in the U.S., why scientists are pointing the finger at climate change.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from New York, this is CNN Newsroom with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: Well, in the hours ahead, a Ukrainian delegation is expected to meet with U.S. officials right here in New York for talks on ending the war with Russia. And this comes just two weeks after President Donald Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and one day after Moscow launched its second largest air assault of the entire war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Europe must clearly define the security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any peace deal. He made those remarks while speaking to a group of European leaders on Thursday. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is casting doubt on whether there will ever be a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): We have some tasks that we can only solve together. Unfortunately, this includes the ongoing war of Russia against Ukraine. We have to deal with this topic again today and this before the background of the fact that there obviously will not be a meeting between President Zelenskyy and President Putin different from what was agreed between President Trump and President Putin last week when we were in Washington together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And the U.S. envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, he says that the massive assault on Kyiv earlier Thursday threatens President Trump's efforts to end this conflict. President Zelenskyy said that the attack clearly demonstrate that Russia's war goals have not changed despite Putin claiming that he is ready for peace. Officials say drones and missiles killed at least 21 people and damaged a European Union office. The E.U. chief condemning the attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: I'm outraged by the attack on Kyiv also hitting our E.U. offices. This was the deadliest drone and missile attack on the capital since July. And as you can see behind me on the screen, it was an attack also on our delegation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: CNN's Melissa Bell has more on the deadly strikes and the search and rescue efforts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kyiv under attack once again with Russia unleashing over 600 air attack weapons on the Ukrainian capital, killing more than 20 people, including at least four children, in what appears to be the second biggest aerial attack since Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine. Video from a Kyiv resident shows her apartment in complete shambles after the drone struck one floor below hers. Her father had to knock down doors to get out and prevent her from suffocating from the smoke. Footage from the ground shows families huddling for safety as missiles fall on buildings across the city.

Search teams still digging through the rubble around buildings, hitting the strike. With the full extent of the damage seen still being assessed, families are still searching for their loved ones.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When I came out, everything was covered in dust and smoke. I looked up, the roof was gone and the floors from the fourth to the first were completely destroyed. As of now, my wife hasn't been found.

BELL (voice-over): Some of those damaged buildings belonged to the European Union and the British Council. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calling the strike a clear response from the Kremlin to calls for ceasefire talks and for diplomacy between the two countries. Russia says it is still interested in peace talks, but its so called special military operation is still ongoing, a conflict that continues to shake Kyiv residents.

[01:05:07] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): God forbid anyone ever has to go through this. You know, my worldview has changed. You realize that you survived, that you're alive, and that alone is already something.

BELL (voice-over): Melissa Belle, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: To Washington now. And Charles Kupchan, he's a senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations. It's so good to see you. Thank you so much for your time.

CHARLES KUPCHAN, SENIOR FELLOW, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Good to be with you.

SANDOVAL: So look, we did see the second biggest air assault on Ukraine since the start of the war. And this happened just less than two weeks after President Trump actually met with Putin during that Alaska summit, Charles, so what should we -- what should that tell us about the effectiveness or perhaps the lack of it that came out of the -- out of the summit in Alaska?

KUPCHAN: You know, I think you can sort of see take -- I think you can get two takeaways. One is that the Russians are trying to improve their position at the negotiating table by showing that they can keep taking the fight to the Ukrainians, keep killing Ukrainians, bringing down infrastructure. And secondly, it raises a broader question about whether Putin is negotiating in good faith and has any real interest in bringing this war to an end anytime soon. And after these several weeks, this flurry of diplomacy, one really have to -- has to ask whether Trump is making any progress or whether Putin is just playing for time, going through the paces of diplomacy, but really has no intention of ending this war anytime soon.

SANDOVAL: To your second point, we heard from the president's -- from President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, recently say that he felt that Putin wants to end the war, but still that strike tells us otherwise. But the reality is we don't necessarily know what's happening in these backchannel conversations that are taking place. So there could be some strategy there, albeit with real lives on the line. Is President Trump perhaps emboldening Putin, you think, to continue with these strikes by continuing to extend his deadline for Russia?

KUPCHAN: You know, on some level, I think Trump is emboldening Putin because he's said, hey, here's the deadline. If you don't stop these attacks and negotiate in good faith, I'm going to hit you with sanctions, I'm going to hit countries that buy Russian oil with new tariffs, I'm going to start giving more aid to the Ukrainians. But he isn't yet ready to use more coercive pressure against Putin. And as a consequence, the signal that's being sent is, hey, keep coming. We're not going to stop you.

And I do think that Trump in the big picture is doing the right thing by trying to end this war. Ukraine is not winning. The Russians are chipping away at Ukrainian territory. But if he's going to convince Putin to stop, he's got to turn up the heat. And that means tighter economic sanctions and a clear signal to the Ukrainians that Trump is going to give the Ukrainians the weapons that they need to stop Putin. Putin will stop when he is stopped, and that's going to take a lot more weapons.

SANDOVAL: Where did the Europeans fit into all this, Charles? I'm wondering if you could just explain for our viewers around the world perhaps what they're thinking right now, how they're approaching and how they're watching these ongoing negotiations at the trilateral level. What hope should the Ukrainians have that their European allies will continue to support them and hopefully bring things to a peaceful end whenever that may happen?

KUPCHAN: You know, I think that the Europeans are playing Trump well. It may not be pretty. It may not be easy, but coming over to the White House with Zelenskyy and flattering Trump and showing that there's unity, I think is the right thing to do. And that's because the Europeans don't want the United States to walk away from the table. They don't want to be left in a situation where it's on their tab alone to help Ukraine survive.

And as a consequence, they're hugging Trump. They're encouraging him to stay in the game, to keep the negotiations going. Yet there's no clear sign that Putin is going to meet with Zelenskyy, that Putin is going to pick up the offer for a trilateral dialogue. And I do think that Europeans are panicked on some level, and that's because there's a war going on not far from the border of NATO, not far from the border of the European Union, and they don't know where Putin is going to stop.

[01:10:01]

And there are a couple of things that just show the level of anxiety. Number one, there is a bill that's moving forward in Germany to reintroduce conscription. That's a big deal. Another thing that I heard just in the last few days I was in Hamburg, Germany, some of the residents of the city told me that wealthy Hamburg residents are buying apartments in Spain in places that are far away from this war because they're not sure whether Germany may end up being the target -- the next target of Putin. That just gives you some sense of how much this war is rattling European publics.

SANDOVAL: It tells us more of those far reaching fears just beyond the conflict zone. Charles Kupchan, thank you so much for your insight and taking the time. We'll certainly monitor along with you what the next phase brings. Thank you.

KUPCHAN: Good to be with you. Bye-bye.

SANDOVAL: We are learning new details about Wednesday's deadly school shooting in the U.S. State of Minnesota, including the names of the two children who were killed during the rampage. Ten-year-old Harper Moyski and eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel were each identified by their families, both were killed after a shooter opened fire Wednesday at a mass for students at Annunciation Catholic School in the city of Minneapolis. Eighteen other people were injured during the attack. One student who was in the church during the shooting said that people quickly hid under the pews while others started to run to various parts of the church. They also said that it felt like the gunfire grew more intense.

Meanwhile, investigators say that the shooter had a, quote, "deranged fascination with previous mass shootings." Police have not been able to identify a specific motive for the attack yet. So far officials have recovered approximately 116 rifle rounds from the site of the shooting. Investigators say that suggests that the shooter likely reloaded multiple times. And this comes as the Minneapolis police chief says the procedures at the church likely help save lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF BRIAN O'HARA, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT: We believe that the church doors had been locked yesterday morning and that's a procedure that they had in place. So this coward committed this act by shooting from outside the church through the windows into the church. The shooter was never able to get inside of the church because the church doors were locked. And so we think that action in and of itself, in addition to what we will believe will be countless stories of heroism from children, from staff members, from parishioners, all of that combined ensured this tragedy was not far worse --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: CNN Shimon Prokupecz sat down with a student at that school. Her name is Chloe. At just 11 years old, she survived the shooting. Listen as she describes the terrifying moments inside the church as those shots rang out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHLOE FRANCOUAL, WITNESSED SHOOTING: So my mind, for some reason keeps on replaying that exact scenario when the teacher started -- like the teacher was in the middle of saying our prayers and then we heard just one shot -- it felt I smelt smoke before everything, but I heard one shot. I thought it was a firework like everybody else. The second shot was just everybody just covering their ears. The third shot was when everybody started ducking low and all these shots were like slow. Until the fourth shot, it started getting faster and faster and then that's when everybody took into action.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: What was -- what was that action?

FRANCOUAL: When some kids, they hid under the pews the whole time and some ran off to the pre cave room. That's what I did. And in the pre cave room, we -- everybody started to help, especially the kids and all the older buddies. We all started to help, like putting tables on the doors, locking the doors, putting all this stuff on the doors as much as we could.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SANDOVAL: So let's discuss how children and parents can deal with the emotional and psychological trauma that's left after school shootings. Joining us from North Carolina is Dr. Robin Gurwitch. She's a psychologist who has experience dealing with kids who've actually suffered this kind of trauma.

Doctor, so good to have you. Thank you so much for joining us.

ROBIN GURWITCH, PH.D. PSYCHOLOGIST: Thank you for having me. I wish it were under different circumstances.

SANDOVAL: Absolutely. And ma'am, before we touch on how to cope and heal, can you offer some thoughts from your perspective on the stories of heroism that we've heard from witnesses and the children themselves, as you just heard a few moments ago, and how they reacted? I mean, some of them ducked into the pews. I heard from one hospital official today talk about a student using their body as a shield. I mean, this level of bravery, of resilience, I mean, is this typical for an 11-year-old?

[01:15:21]

GURWITCH: I think, you know, to quote Mr. Rogers (ph), look for the heroes, look for the responders, look for the helpers. And I think that is a testament to families that have instilled in their children values of how do we take care of others, how do we reach out and support others? So I'm not surprised that you're hearing that from children, from parishioners, from first responders that were there so quickly.

SANDOVAL: Yes, I think we can all turn to the wisdom of Mr. Rogers during this time. On that topic that we wanted to tackle, how can parents help their children instill a sense of safety again? And we have viewers from around the world, so perhaps students in Europe and beyond who see what took place in Minneapolis and may have those concerns that this could potentially happen on their campus. What do parents tell them?

GURWITCH: I think it is imperative that parents actually talk to their children about what happened to find out from them what do they know, what do they understand, and how is this making them feel. We can't promise it will never happen. We've learned conversation is very helpful. It lets children know my parents will talk to me about the hard stuff. But this is also an opportunity for families to talk to their children about what are the values that we want to put forward, what are the -- what are our beliefs and what are actions that we can take and what is being done, I think that's also very critical.

What is being done in our communities, in our schools, in a variety of settings to help keep you as safe as we can?

SANDOVAL: Dr. Gurwitch, what are some of those signs, though, of any psychological trauma or struggle that parents should be on the lookout for when they know that their children are not OK?

GURWITCH: Sure. We know that children are going to have a variety of reactions. We heard from Chloe that she keeps replaying things in her mind. That's very typical after they've been through a traumatic event. We may see problems with sleep, problems with concentration and attention, and learning new materials.

So I think we need to be patient and give a little bit of grace. If our students may struggle in school in these first few days and months afterwards, or if students are worried in other places, we may see that happen. So recognize that this may be there. The good news is, the very good news is if we provide the emotional support and ideas of how to cope, the majority of individuals, including children that have been through something that no one should experience, will actually do OK in the long run.

SANDOVAL: Dr. Gurwitch, we've seen one too many occasions --

GURWITCH: It take forever.

SANDOVAL: No, absolutely. Absolutely. I was going to say, doctor, we've seen one too many occasions where, which isn't the case in this last one, but where a member of the student body may carry out that violence. And oftentimes there are some signs.

GURWITCH: Right.

SANDOVAL: So sort of looking at the other factor here, what should parents be on the lookout for any disturbing signs that perhaps their child may be having some violent thoughts. And obviously, it's very easy to understand that many parents may be in that mentality of, no, it's not my child, but what if.

GURWITCH: Unfortunately, we don't have an absolute here do this or don't do this, and that's going to shine the light. I think one of the most important things that we know is that children, students, teenagers, adults that feel a connection to other people do better overall in terms of mental health. It helps with how they -- how they interact with others, it helps with how they heal, it helps with resilience. So one of the things that we would want to do is make sure that students feel that connectedness, that students feel that there's someone they can trust, that they can reach out, then they can talk to others. So for students that don't have that kind of support system, that don't feel that they belong, that don't feel that there is anybody that they can trust or turn to, we need to be particularly mindful and how do we reach out and support those students so that no student feels completely adrift and alone.

[01:20:37]

SANDOVAL: Yes. The anger, the social distancing, so many factors that the parents should be on the lookout for according to what we've heard from experts such as yourself. Dr. Robin Gurwitch, as you mentioned at the top, I'm so sorry that we're speaking under these circumstances, but it's such important information, I think that parents around the world hear after this latest tragedy in the United States. Thank you so much for your time.

GURWITCH: Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. SANDOVAL: Of course.

Well, still ahead here on CNN Newsroom, fleeing for safety, residents of Gaza City pack up and head south as Israel steps up its military campaign. What the U.N. secretary general is saying about the attacks. Also, European leaders calling Iran's nuclear program a threat to international security. What they're planning to do about it and how Tehran is responding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:25:59]

SANDOVAL: Israel is wrapping up its military campaign to take over and occupy Gaza's city. Tanks and planes, they pounded the outskirts of the city on Thursday. The IDF says that it has dismantled several Hamas tunnels and destroys -- destroyed what it calls terrorist infrastructure. The attacks sent residents fleeing as Israeli drones dropped leaflets warning people to head south. An Israeli military spokesperson says the evacuation of Gaza's largest city is inevitable.

The U.N. Secretary General accusing Israel of blocking humanitarian efforts and also of using starvation as a method of warfare.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY-GNERAL: Unbelievably, civilians are facing yet another deadly escalation. Israel's initial steps to military takeover Gaza City signals a new and dangerous phase. Expanded military operations in Gaza City will have devastating consequences. Hundreds of thousands of civilians, already exhausted and traumatized would be forced to flee yet again, plunging families into even deeper peril. This must stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Germany, France and also the U.K. they say that Iran's nuclear program is a clear threat to international peace and security. So they're starting the process of reimposing sanctions on Tehran. The so called E3 countries, they accuse Iran of not complying with the 2015 nuclear deal which restricts uranium enrichment and also allows for international inspections. Iran has condemned the move, calling it provocative, unnecessary and a warning of appropriate -- and meanwhile, the country is actually warning of appropriate responses. Tehran has repeatedly said its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and it plans to build more nuclear energy plants.

Russia's president heading to China for a key meeting. Ahead we'll explain what's at stake when Vladimir Putin joins Chinese President Xi Jinping at a major summit this weekend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:33:15]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York.

Well, if you're among the Americans who love to shop online for cheap goods from overseas, you may be in for some major sticker shock. You see, for years, the U.S. has waived tariffs on package shipments valued at less than $800. But that exemption, well, it expired 90 minutes ago.

And Donald Trump says that that change is expected to be permanent.

Anna Cooban explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: De minimis -- it's a term you may be hearing a lot today. It's Latin for something lacking in significance or importance.

But some people may not quite agree with that. You see, President Donald Trump has scrapped the so-called de minimis exemption, a rule that has allowed products worth $800 or less to enter the United States from all around the world without crucially paying import tax.

That exemption has allowed low-cost goods like clothes, makeup, home decor, really anything that you can think of, to flow into the U.S. relatively easily. And helped fuel a booming global e-commerce industry like these brands here.

And as you can see here, over the last decade this number has grown significantly. And that is partly why Trump. is ending this de minimis exemption. It's to help discourage Americans from buying overseas and incentivize home-grown manufacturing.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection estimated that over 1.36 billion shipments entered the U.S. during the last financial year under this de minimis exemption. And that more than 4 million were processed every single day.

[01:34:42]

COOBAN: Sellers will face different tariffs depending on which country they are in. They'll face an $80 tariff if a -- per item for -- if they're in a country with an overall tariff rate of 16 percent -- below 16 percent, and an up to $160 tariff per item if they're in a country with an overall tariff rate of between 16 and 25 percent. And then a brutal $200 per item tariff if they're in a country with an overall tariff rate above 25 percent.

Right now, for example, Brazil and India have a 50 percent tariff placed on most of their goods flowing into the United States. Sellers may decide to pass those extra costs onto U.S. consumers, and that means that those late-night impulse purchases will come with an even bigger dose of morning regret. Or they may simply not arrive at all.

Postal services around the world, including in Japan and Australia and across Europe, have temporarily suspended shipments to the United States. That's because some say they are simply unsure of how to navigate the new system. How do they make sure the tariffs are paid? What paperwork is needed? And it's not yet clear when these services will be back up and running.

For now, Americans wanting to indulge in some retail therapy will simply have fewer options.

Anna Cooban, CNN -- London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: A key gathering at a summit in China bringing together three major world leaders, each under pressure from the U.S. Chinese leader Xi Jinping will be hosting more than 20 world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. It's expected to begin on Sunday in Tianjin.

Indian leader Narendra Modi will also be in attendance. This will be his first trip to China in years. It's an opportunity for the three to strengthen ties amid tariff threats and other political pressures coming from the United States.

CNN's Ivan Watson with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Three world leaders whose countries dominate the map of Asia are about to meet in China for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. But looming over this Eurasian gathering will be the elephant not in the room.

YUN SUN, CHINA PROGRAM DIRECTOR, STIMSON CENTER: For this particular summit U.S. may not be at the table, but U.S. is always present.

WATSON: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make his first trip to China in seven years.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We did it with India.

WATSON: Days after Trump slammed a 50 percent tariff on Indian exports to the U.S.

China and India's relationship cratered after a series of deadly clashes first erupted along their disputed border in 2020.

JOE BIDEN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So welcome again, Mr. Prime Minister. We have a big agenda.

WATSON: For decades, Washington has been grooming India as a democratic counterbalance to China. But that suddenly changed in July when Trump called India a dead economy and announced his punishing tariffs, insisting it was a penalty for buying Russian oil.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: India needs the support of the United States and with that support no longer assured or in fact almost gone, Mr. Modi had no option but to go and cut a deal with President Xi. WATSON: Meanwhile, Russia's president will stand with his old friend

Xi Jinping again shortly after Trump rolled out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

TRUMP: Thank you very much, Vladimir.

I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin.

WATSON: But Trump's on again, off again overtures to the Russian strongman unlikely to impact Russia and China's so-called "no limits" partnership.

Analysts say the glue that binds these once hostile neighbors ever closer is their shared perception of the U.S. as a threat.

SUN: For Washington, the traditional term that has been used is how do we break the Russia-China collusion? Well, it's a catch-22 because your desire to break their collusion is the reason that they collude as a first place.

WATSON: In 2022, just days before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Putin and Xi called for the creation of a new world order.

The U.S.' biggest global competitor is now capitalizing on Trump's chaotic diplomacy.

SUN: The message here that we have seen China emphasize is China represents credibility. It represents stability. It represents policy predictability.

WATSON: Expect Xi to use this summit to present a Chinese-led alternative to a world long dominated by the U.S.

Ivan Watson, CNN -- Tianjin, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: The White House says that it will be complying with the judge's order to shut down the Florida immigration detention center, referred to by the administration as "Alligator Alcatraz". But it will also be fighting the decision in court.

The judge says the facility must wind down operations over the next two months. The order, stemming from a lawsuit that was filed by environmental groups as well as a Native American tribe concerned about the facility's impact on the environment. Florida's governor has also vowed to fight the judge's order.

[01:39:50]

SANDOVAL: According to an email exchange obtained by CNN, a top Florida official says that the controversial immigration detention center will likely be empty in a matter of days.

And a migrant who was deported from the U.S. to Mexico is speaking out to CNN about how federal agents treated him and his brother during their arrests in the U.S. State of Connecticut. It was all captured on video that went viral. And some of those images may be disturbing to some.

Here's CNN's Maria Santana with their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't do that. You can't do that.

MARIA SANTANA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 42-year-old Leonel Chavez captured his own arrest in Norwalk, Connecticut. He says he was driving to work with his brother Ricardo on the morning of August 15th, when federal immigration agents surrounded his truck demanding they get out.

He says the agents gave no explanation before they smashed his window, cut his seatbelt, and shocked him with a taser.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you looking for?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of the car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?

SANTANA: Speaking from Mexico, Leonel shows us the scars left by the taser. But he says the wounds run much deeper.

LEONEL CHAVEZ, MIGRANT DEPORTED TO MEXICO: I'm screaming because I'm scared. But after that, trying to pull me up and like I said, the seatbelt on the place they cut the seatbelt and just pulled me out.

SANTANA: After being detained for about a week in a Massachusetts detention center, he was deported, forced to leave behind his family and the life he built in the United States.

CHAVEZ: I don't feel home like, because all my life is in the U.S. I miss my kids. I miss my wife, my church, my community.

SANTANA: Leonel says he was just 17 years old when he moved to the U.S. He started his own masonry business, married an American citizen, and has three U.S.-born children.

He says he has worked with an attorney over the years to file for legal status, but was never able to get his papers.

I could see in one video how proud you were when your daughter graduated college. What is it like being away from your children and your wife and knowing that you may not be part of more big moments like that?

CHAVEZ: It's sad. It's sad because my son is graduating this year and my daughter, too for high school and my son for college. But after that, I leave in everything God's hands.

SANTANA: Leonel says his brother, who had been in the U.S. since 2008 was also deported. In images shot by a passerby, Ricardo can be seen running from an agent who shocks him several times after he falls to the ground. With his face bloodied, Ricardo is then handcuffed.

That video of his brother's arrest has drawn questions from officials in Connecticut. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum, went further calling it a possible human rights violation.

But in a statement to CNN, the Department of Homeland Security said their agents followed protocol and used only the minimum force necessary. They also called Leonel an illegal immigrant with a long criminal record.

Court documents show Leonel has several decades' old misdemeanor convictions, mistakes he says were made in his youth.

CHAVEZ: That's my in past, like in my teenage years, you know. After maybe 25, I do everything right and try to be a better person.

SANTANA: He now longs for the day he is reunited with his family in the only place he's ever called home.

CHAVEZ: I love America. I love U.S.A. because I got all my family there, all my, like I say, all my friends, families, church. Sooner or later I'll be back. But I got to do the right thing, you know? Legal, straight everything so I can start a new life.

Maria Santana, CNN -- New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, a shakeup at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has staffers lining the streets in the city of Atlanta. What the Trump administration did to anger so many of these health professionals.

[01:44:04]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: A shakeup at the U.S.' top public health agency is drawing a vocal response from staffers that you see there. They lined up outside of the Atlanta headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to cheer on four top officials who turned in their resignation.

They're protesting the Trump administration's firing of the CDC director, Susan Monarez who reportedly clashed with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR., U.S HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: I cannot comment on personnel issues, but the agency is in trouble and we need to fix it and we are fixing it. And it may be that some people should not be working there anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Sources telling CNN the deputy Health and Human Services secretary, Jim O'Neill, is expected to serve as acting CDC director. Well, cases of life-threatening bacterial infections, they are surging

in parts of the U.S., and scientists say that climate change is likely to blame.

[01:49:46]

SANDOVAL: Infections of vibrio have increased 800 percent in the eastern U.S., according to the CDC. These potentially deadly bacteria, they are found in coastal waters and can be spread through contact with an open wound. It can also be spread through certain foods, like consuming raw shellfish.

Scientists say that warming waters and rising sea levels are contributing to the increase.

Earlier I had the chance to speak about this topic with Professor Rachel Noble from the University of North Carolina. She explained how people can be exposed to this bacteria and how you can protect yourself.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RACHEL NOBLE, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA: People can encounter this through coming in contact mostly in the warm summer months.

So warm summer months are going to favor three things. They're going to favor an uptick in the growth of the bacteria in those brackish waters. So those mixed freshwater and saltwater environments, which is where vibrios thrive.

If you think about it, those are also tend to be shallower water environments than the open ocean and that means that they get warm from the sun, they get warmer than say the deep ocean would.

And so the second thing that happens in the summertime is we have an uptick in recreation. And so fishing and exposure. And so really, you have a situation where it's almost like a perfect combination.

And the final thing is that most people can actively prevent vibrio infections by being careful about recreation in these brackish water and marine systems, if they have an open wound. And ensuring that after they have a lovely time at the beach, the recreation, a fishing trip maybe, you know, are out with some friends that they come back and make sure that any open wounds, even a small cut like from a fishing line are, well-washed and then even treated with hydrogen peroxide, which is an excellent treatment for vibrio.

And so -- so really it's a -- it's a preventive -- the preventive strategy is the best strategy.

SANDOVAL: So essentially as you mentioned, the existence of these microscopic threats is not new but something about the conditions in which they're thriving, that there have been recent changes there.

Health officials are -- seem to be tracking an increase in vibrio cases in states all along the U.S. coast. Here in New York state, for example, I saw, according to health officials, that cases have tripled. Health officials in Massachusetts also recording cases they're describing as extremely rare, in the waters off of Martha's vineyard.

So Rachel, it seems that scientists are linking now this trend to climate change. Do you agree? And if you could maybe potentially explain the correlation there.

NOBLE: I would definitely agree. We actually published a paper about ten years ago now that looked at an increase in the vibrio concentrations including vibrio vulnificus, this species that does cause the wound infections.

And we're already seeing an increase, as of the publication date, which is -- which was roughly around 2016 or 2017 in a local estuary for which -- the Neuse River estuary for which we have 30 to 40 years of regular monitoring data, and we have about 10 to 15 years of vibrio monitoring data in that estuary. And that was -- allowed us to do a decadal study that saw that increase.

And so there's a couple of factors going on. Number one is really a shift in the estuaries, not across the board, but a shift in some estuaries towards a slight trend in -- a slight overall trend in warming.

And what that means is that the bacteria that favor those warm conditions are going to be able to double or reproduce faster. So two becomes four, four becomes eight. But even if you shift that for the bacteria by a doubling time of just a minute or two, that has a profound impact.

The second is that I think that we've all seen post-COVID and kind of in the last few years just an uptick in outdoor activity.

And so I also surmise that we have an increased level of exposure because there's a lot of people that are getting out to do a lot of different things including swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding.

And so our coastal recreational numbers are kind of -- they've been steadily increasing for those kinds of primary and secondary contact.

SANDOVAL: Rachel Noble with the University of North Carolina, thank you so much for letting us tap into your expertise and helping us better understand this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Well, get ready to watch one of music's biggest nights of the year, just over a week away. Ahead, see which stars will be shining at this year's MTV Video Music Awards. And also you can vote on the winners.

[01:54:41]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANDOVAL: Fan voting is now open for MTV's 2025 Video Music Awards. The show will be featuring a star-studded lineup of performers including Doja Cat, Sabrina Carpenter and Post Malone. Lady Gaga currently topping the list of nominees, she appears whopping 12 categories, including Artist of the Year.

Mariah Carey will be honored with the video -- with the Video Vanguard Award this year, and rap legend Busta Rhymes will be receiving the inaugural Rock and Bells Visionary Award. The MTV Video Music Awards happen on September 7th.

From the entire team, want to thank you so much for watching the last 60 minutes with me. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York.

CNN NEWSROOM continues with my colleague Kim Brunhuber picking things up in Atlanta.

[01:57:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)