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U.S. Troops Head to Portland; Deadly Crowd Crush; Humberto Now a Category 5 Hurricane. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired September 28, 2025 - 03:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, whether you are here in the United States or somewhere else around the world, you are now in the CNN Newsroom with me, Ben Hunte in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you with me.
Coming up on the show, why U.S. President Donald Trump is deploying troops to another Democrat-controlled city.
A political rally turned deadly in India, the latest and what authorities say led to a crowd crush.
And Hurricane Humberto becomes the second Category 5 storm of the season. Ahead, what areas are expected to feel its effects.
Welcome. U.S. President Donald Trump is intensifying his spat with Democratic-controlled cities, ordering troops to be deployed to Portland, Oregon. Mr. Trump says the troops will help protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, which he claims are under siege by domestic terror groups. This all comes as ICE facilities have been targets of protest and after a shooting at an ICE compound in Dallas that killed one detainee and injured two others.
CNN's Kevin Liptak has more for us from the White House.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: There's no question that the president's decision to use U.S. troops in Portland is an escalation of his push to deploy the U.S. military on U.S. soil. It's followed a pattern. You've seen it in Los Angeles and here in Washington, D.C., the president targeting Democrat cities and states for this move that really pushes the boundaries of domestic use of U.S. troops. And the president wrote on Truth Social that at the request of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to provide all necessary troops to protect war-ravaged Portland and any of our ICE facilities under siege from attack by Antifa and other domestic terrorists. I'm also authorizing full force if necessary. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Now, there are a lot of unanswered questions here. One is what full force means when the president refers to that on Truth Social. He also didn't lay out a timeline of when this would happen. He didn't say what type of troops these would be, whether it's National Guard or active duty U.S. military. And he didn't lay out his legal rationale. You know, the U.S. law sharply limits the use of U.S. troops for domestic law enforcement purposes. And it has set off quite as sharp debate over the U.S. military's expanding foot here at home, and so a lot to learn going forward.
Now, the president has selected Portland. There have been ongoing protests at an ICE facility about two miles from downtown Portland. They have been mostly peaceful, but there have been some violent clashes. Some federal officers have been injured. There have been arrests related to assault when protesters erected a prop guillotine outside the building. Homeland Security called it unhinged behavior.
We have heard the president sort of foreshadowing these moves over the last several days. He said in the Oval Office on Thursday that, quote, we're going to do a pretty big number on those people in Portland that are doing that. He called them professional agitators and anarchists.
Now, leaders in Oregon and Portland have been speaking out against this move. The governor of Oregon, Tina Kotek, said that she has had conversations directly with President Trump and Secretary Noem and that, quote, I have been abundantly clear that Portland and the state of Oregon believe in the rule of law and can manage our own local public safety needs. She says there is no insurrection, there is no threat to national security.
We heard in a similar vein from the mayor of Portland, Keith Wilson, who said that the number of necessary troops is zero in Portland and any other American city. He goes on to say that the president will not find lawlessness or violence here unless he plans to perpetrate it. And even before the president made this announcement, you heard officials from the state suggesting that this could potentially be an effort to try and goad protestors into conflict, the Democratic senator from Oregon, Jeff Merkley, saying not to take the bait.
And so certainly a lot at stake here, but also a lot to watch for in the days and week ahead as this move really comes into fruition.
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Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.
HUNTE: Donald Trump is accusing former FBI Director Christopher Wray of lying about FBI agents' presence during the January 6th, 2021 Capitol uprising. The allegation comes just days after charges were brought against another former FBI director, James Comey.
Regarding Wray the President claims without evidence that the FBI secretly placed agents into the crowd at the Capitol to act as agitators and insurrectionists rather than law enforcement. Trump said this contradicts what Wray has repeatedly said, and he called it, quote, the January 6th Hoax.
CNN has previously reported no undercover FBI agents were at the Capitol during the January 6th riot, and that's according to a Justice Department watchdog. At least 39 people have been killed as a crowd surged to see the actor turned politician, Vijay, at a political rally in Southern India. Saturday's event was held in support of elections in the state of Tamil Nadu to be held in 2026. Vijay was already a hugely popular movie star before starting a political party in 2024, and has drawn some absolutely massive crowds.
CNN's Will Ripley has been following the story for us from Taipei, and he is joining us now. Thank you so much for being with me again, Will.
This news is awful, still absolutely terrible. What are authorities saying about how all of this happened?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are just a lot of serious questions, Ben, about how so many people would've been able to go to an event that was designed for possibly less than half the crowd size that ended up turning out how did the police and authorities not know that there was going to be an influx of people given that Vijay, who's one of India's most famous Tamil language actress, he's a huge star, particularly in this region of Southern India, where he's been a household name filling movie theaters for the better part of the last 30 years.
Authorities knew that people were going to be coming. They were going to be excited to see them. They would bring their families, including their children, and yet you had an area, supposedly they were given permission to hold this event that could fit around 10,000 people and an estimated turnout of 25,000 to 30,000 people with only about 500 police officers.
So, was it an issue of not enough crowd control? Did they not have the right barricades set up to allow people easy and safe exits if things got too packed? And then you can see in the video also, there's this issue of the moving vehicle and perhaps the crowd's trying to all follow the vehicle, everybody trying to move in to get closer, and that's how you have this horrific result with, you know, at least 39 people killed.
There are some people that are literally clinging to life at hospitals right now. And among the dead you have at least nine children, four boys, five girls. I mean, the people who are smaller are the ones that often fall victim in these crowd crush situations. I've covered too many of them, frankly, Ben, in my time here at CNN, I remember Shanghai on New Year's Eve, South Korea and Seoul on Halloween, in Indonesia was at a football match.
And the one thing that all of these crowd crushes have in common, and they share that with this event in India, is that you had a very excited group of people, you know, whether it be a holiday, whether it be, in this case, a celebrity turned politician. And everybody wants to get closer. Everybody wants to get a closer look. There's this crowd herd mentality that sets in. And then the problem is that if the right safeguards aren't set up, this horrible thing can happen. And a lot of very hard and serious questions to come in the days and weeks ahead on this, Ben.
HUNTE: Yes. And thank you for reporting on it for now. We'll speak to you again later, Will. Thank you.
Voting is underway in Moldova's Parliamentary election. Polls opened about three hours ago as voters began casting ballots for 101 members of the legislature. The pro-European PAS party has a governing majority, but it's facing a challenge from the opposition, including the pro-Russian patriotic bloc. The polls will close at 9:00 P.M. local time.
Russia has launched a massive drone and missed our attack on Ukraine, including on the capital, Kyiv. This video you're seeing here captured by CNN shows a projectile being intercepted not long ago. Anti- aircraft fire has been ringing throughout the city since early morning. Dozens of people have been wounded across Ukraine, including 11 in the Kyiv region.
Independent monitors say it's one of the largest attacks since the full scale war began, and it prompted Poland to scramble fighter jets in its airspace as a precaution.
More European nations are reporting unidentified drone sightings over airports and military bases. On Saturday, police in Denmark said they spotted drones near the country's largest military base and around other military installations. Officials in Norway are investigating potential drone activity near its main base for F-35 jet fighters. And flights at Lithuania's main airport were delayed on Friday due to possible drone sightings there too. NATO member nations are on high alert after verified incursions of Russian drones into Polish and Romanian airspace.
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Ukraine's president says Moscow is quote, testing Europe's capabilities. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also says his Air Force helps shoot down dozens of Russian drones headed for Poland earlier this month.
And Germany's government too says it will look into amending laws to allow its military to shoot down suspicious drones in certain cases. The country's interior minister says it will do what it takes to protect people and critical infrastructure.
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ALEXANDER DOBRINGT, GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER: There is a threat that can be classified as high as far as drones are concerned. This is an abstract threat, but very concrete in individual cases.
We are witnessing an armament race, an arms race between drone threats and drone defense. We must prepare ourselves for this, a race that we must not lose, and this is why we need to upgrade our technology.
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HUNTE: Political pressure is mounting on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as his military push into Gaza City shows no sign of letting up. Israel's military says it's intensifying its airstrikes, and working to neutralize explosive devices before sending troops further into Gaza City. Palestinians say at least 96 people were killed on Saturday alone. Mr. Netanyahu says Hamas remnants are holed up in the city, and he's pledging to keep fighting until Israel, quote, finishes the job.
Israeli strikes are forcing more people to flee Gaza City. This video you're seeing there shows a long stream of residents heading out of the city on Saturday. They joined more than 320,000 others who have already fled, according to the U.N. One evacuee says the strikes have been so intense that leaving was the only thing his family could do.
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RAMI AL-HASSI, DISPLACED GAZA CITY RESIDENT: There were airstrikes from the quadcopter, shellings from tanks, from the ships also, and targeted all the houses. We didn't have other options. We had to leave without clothes. We don't have blankets or clothes or anything.
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HUNTE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in a tough spot as he prepares to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday. Mr. Trump says he's optimistic that his latest peace plan for Gaza could work. However, Israeli far right Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is now urging the prime minister to reject that plan. Far right ministers have threatened to topple the Israeli government if it ends the war. But Israel's opposition leader Yair Lapid says he'll give Mr. Netanyahu political cover if he accepts a hostage deal and stops the fighting.
As Larry Madowo reports, there are protesters in Israel and all around the globe who also want this war to end.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When Benjamin Netanyahu meets President Trump on Monday, he will be under pressure to do a peace deal, not just from President Trump, but also from hostage families in Israel and from the international community.
On Saturday, you've seen massive protests in different parts of the world, thousands turning up in Cape Town, in Berlin, in Liverpool, in Stockholm, all calling for an end to the war.
Benjamin Netanyahu insists that he has to finish the job. That's what he told the U.N. General Assembly in this defiant speech. He brought visual aids, as he always does. He had a Q.R. code that took you to atrocities committed in October 7th, and he rejected any calls for a Palestinian state. He said giving the Palestinians a state so close to October 7th is similar to giving Al-Qaeda a state near New York after 9/11.
But on the international street, that public opinion has moved away from Israel. Listen to this one protester in Liverpool.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LYNN HANCOCK, PROTESTER IN LIVERPOOL: I am here to support Palestine. And I am sick of the genocide that we're all watching on -- well, on our screens, on T.V. and nothing being done about it. The government is still selling arms to Israel. People are starving. It's just not acceptable. They said never again. Well, for two years, this has been going on. It's intolerable, absolutely intolerable.
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MADOWO: Prime Minister Netanyahu will have seen some of that international isolation before his speech at the U.N. General Assembly. Many delegates walking out in protest, and that's why you also see these protests around the world, from Cape Town to Stockholm, to Berlin, to Liverpool. Many on the international streets just do not want this war to go on.
I spent the past week in New York speaking to diplomats from around the world and my sense was that Israel has lost the international community. Global public opinion is firmly against Netanyahu on this. And that's a backdrop for his meeting with President Trump on Monday. President Trump says they're very close to doing a deal. He said on Truth Social that there is enthusiasm to find a long lasting piece in Gaza.
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He said that he's presented this 21-point plan to the Middle Eastern community over the past four days, and he will keep doing so for as long as it's necessary to bring an end to the conflict. But he's got to convince Netanyahu to do that deal.
And Netanyahu is under pressure from every direction. Whether he will finally agree to that deal that President Trump wants or the rest of the international community wants will be determined after this meeting Monday.
Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.
HUNTE: Okay. Cyber criminals are targeting some of the U.K.'s most vulnerable population, nursery school children. The cyber security authority is calling the reported incident deeply distressing. All of those details when we come back.
See you in a bit.
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HUNTE: Welcome back. British media are reporting that a nursery chain in the U.K. is the latest victim of a cyber criminal enterprise. The U.K.'s National Cyber Security Center calls the incident deeply distressing. Data, including photos, addresses, and names of more than 8,000 children has been stolen.
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The hackers published some of the stolen photos and profiles from the Kido nursery group on the dark web, and are demanding ransom money from the company.
London's Metropolitan Police says the investigation is in the initial stages and no arrests have yet been made. CNN has reached out to the Kido Nursery Chain for comment.
Well, let's keep talking about this. I'm joined now by Information Security Specialist Mantas Sabeckis. He's in Lithuania. Thank you so much for being with me, Mantas. How are you doing?
MANTAS SABECKIS, INFORMATION SECURITY SPECIALIST: Thank you, Ben, for having me. I'm doing well. But unlike this, it's pretty, pretty alarming considering the sensitivity of data.
HUNTE: Yes. So, let's get into it. What do we know so far about the scale of this breach and what kind of data has actually been stolen?
SABECKIS: Yes. In this case, we are dealing with incredibly sensitive information, which includes children's names, their birthdates, parents' contacts, even their home addresses, and even photographs of children.
Unlike a stolen password that could be changed, or credit card that could be blocked, the leaked photo or personal detail will stay online forever leaving the lasting psychological scar. With this kind of data, criminals could impersonate parents, exploit children's identities, or even attempt physical targeting. The emotional impact on families is huge and could be risk of long-term misuse. It's very serious.
HUNTE: This case is obviously so disturbing because it involves nurseries and children. Why are childcare and education institutions such attractive targets for hackers?
SABECKIS: Well, childcare and education providers rely heavily on digital systems to share updates, billing photos with parents. In reality, it is the most -- don't have the resources or expertise to secure the data properly. And hackers knowing this, they see these institutions as easy targets holding sensitive information. The payoff for attackers is high because of the data is so personal and emotional pressure on victims is intense while the oversight and regulation are weaker than the other sectors.
Because of this, nurseries aren't seen as critical infrastructure. They tend to invest, lessen the cyber security, fewer audits, under- resourced I.T. teams, which leaves them really exposed for these attacks.
HUNTE: And when children's data is exposed, what are the longer term risks compared to data leaks involving adults?
SABECKIS: So, this -- like this have some ethical and social consequences, for sure. This is really the lowest lows of even for cyber criminals. I mean, children are uniquely vulnerable. The data breach like this could mean identity theft risks and physiological stress that could follow them for years, sure. And apart from that, it also loses to trust between parents and institutions that meant to take care of those children. And, yes, this is basically the consequences.
HUNTE: Some parents reacting on social media are just terrified at the moment. What immediate steps do you think they should be taking to protect themselves and their families?
SABECKIS: Yes. So, there are short-term and long-term mitigation and response that could be done in the short term. Personally, I would suggest for the affected nurseries and education to inform families. Of course, they already know. Later on, we need to make sure that those systems are secured. And, of course, the independent investigation must be made from their part to know why this have happened.
But in longer term, the governments need to enforce stronger protections. I mean, this could mean mandatory security standards for schools and nurseries, regular audits and meaningful consequences when those are not met.
Above all, the children's data should be treated as highly sensitive and we need some laws and systems to reflect that, sure.
HUNTE: Okay. Well, let's leave it there. Thank you for now, Mantas Sabeckis, I appreciate it.
SABECKIS: Thank you.
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Protestors clash with police in Lima, Peru on Saturday. The protesters are said to be upset over corruption scandals, economic insecurity, and rising crime. They're also angry of the country's political leaders. Peru's president has an approval rating of 2.5 percent. The country's Congress is at 3 percent. More than a dozen police officers, protesters, and journalists were injured in similar clashes last week.
Fans of popular film and television franchises have set a new record in East London. You are looking at what Guinness World Record says is the largest gathering of people dressed as film and T.V. characters. 874 fans of franchises like Star Wars, Bridgeton and James Bond came together on Greenwich on Saturday for the record. The group was dressed head to toe as their favorite characters, including Darth Vader, Batman, Queen Charlotte and James Bond.
The devil may wear Prada, but apparently she doesn't mind Dolce and Gabana. Actress Meryl Streep was at Dolce and Gabana's show in Milan on Saturday. Streep and actor Stanley Tucci were in front row seats and the pair are filming the sequel to the film, the Devil Wears Prada.
Streep arrived in character as Miranda Priestly, a fashion magazine's editor-in-chief. Tucci plays the magazine's art director. Dolce and Gabbana officials say the scene was filmed for the sequel.
Okay, well that's all I've got for you for now. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. For our viewers in North America, I'm back with more CNN Newsroom next. And for our international viewers, it's Next Big Trip. That sounds exciting.
Stay with CNN. See you in a minute.
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HUNTE: Hello again. Welcome back. I'm Ben Hunte.
Let's take a look at today's top stories. U.S. President Donald Trump is deploying troops to Portland, Oregon, to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities. The president claims they're under siege by domestic terror groups. This all comes as an ICE facility near Portland has had nearly constant protests throughout the summer and after a shooting at an ICE compound in Dallas.
Donald Trump has accused former FBI Director Christopher Wray of lying about FBI agents' presence during the January 6th, 2021 Capitol uprising. The allegation comes just days after charges were brought against another former FBI director, James Comey.
Officials say at least 39 people had been killed, more than 50 injured when a crowd crushed a political rally in India. The popular Tamil actor turned politician, Vijay, was speaking when the massive crowd surged that caused the tragedy. An investigation is underway.
An Iowa School superintendent detained by ICE is now an administrative leave from his job. ICE detained Superintendent Ian Roberts on Friday. Authorities say he's in the U.S. illegally and faces weapon possession charges. But members of the school community have come to Roberts' defense insisting he was a good leader for their school system, and that is the biggest one in Iowa.
CNN's Julia Vargas Jones has more for us.
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The decision to place the superintendent on a paid administrative leave came just a day after he was detained by ICE, what locals called a beloved superintendent that not only served the 30,000 children in his district but also inspired them with his history of being a former Olympian, having competing for his country home of Guyana in the Sydney Olympics of 2000, but the Department of Homeland Security calling him a criminal alien, saying that he was a public safety threat, saying that Roberts entered the United States in 1999 on a student visa and then was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May of 2024.
They said that also Roberts was in a possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash in a fixed blade hunting knife when he was arrested. It is a violation of federal law to be in possession of firearms and ammunition when you do not have status in the United States, but it is unclear what his status was at the time. He was arrested, the Department of Homeland Security said, as part of a targeted enforcement operation, and he fled as Immigration and Custom Enforcement officers approached him.
But then on Saturday afternoon, the school board chair, Jackie Norris, saying the school board was unaware of any order of removal. And they said, of course, there was a background check that was conducted prior to his hiring as superintendent. She said that they hired a private firm to carry out the background check and that the state also certified him as superintendent in 2023. She added that Roberts filled out all of the necessary paperwork, all the documents when he applied for the position, asserting that he was a U.S. citizen and then an FBI background check raised, no flags when he was being hired.
She also nodded to his long career as an educator that included positions in New York City, in Baltimore, in Washington, D.C., and St. Louis, and she urged her community to push back against hateful rhetoric. Take a listen.
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JACKIE NORRIS, CHAIR, DES MOINES PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD: DMPS is cooperating with requests for information from the state of Iowa authorities and will continue to do so.
Finally, we all need to cool down the rhetoric. We should promote true discourse and facts, not spread misinformation meant to divide us.
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JONES: Earlier, the school board has said that they had been notified of a firearms offense when they hired Roberts, and that had to do with a hunting rifle violation. The Iowa governor, Kim Reynolds, also said that she was made aware of this arrest and that she is in contact with federal authorities.
Now, the school district said that they still had not been formally notified of the arrest by ICE, and that they had not been able to speak to him since his detention on Friday morning. An attorney for Roberts, Alfredo Parish, to CNN, that he spoke with Roberts on Saturday morning and that he sounded good.
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They had a good conversation, but they still needed an opportunity to review all the documents in this case.
Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Los Angeles.
HUNTE: Margaret Wong is an immigration lawyer. She's joining us from Cleveland, Ohio. Margaret, thanks so much for being with us. How are you doing?
MARGARET WONG, IMMIGRATION LAWYER: I'm very good and thanks for inviting me.
HUNTE: You're so welcome. It's good to see you here.
Let's get into this. Just this week we've seen ice arrest, a prominent school superintendent. We've seen agents tackle and arrest a grocery worker and an ICE agent pushed a woman to the floor after her husband was detained. There have been so many moments, but have any of them really surprised you over the past few weeks?
WONG: It's horrible. In the past few weeks, the law change every day on just few weeks ago, President Trump and Homeland Security came out with all undocumented people and all people who were paroled into America, it doesn't matter when, it's mandatory detention.
So, my advice to all listeners is anybody like us who looks different, who acts different, make sure you drive very carefully. Do not go close to an airport, no highway. They're all over the place, outside courthouses, not just immigration courts, but also municipal courts, commonplace courts, any courts that you can go pay a traffic ticket or even when you're a victim of crime and you're reporting a crime, it's just really bad out there in the last few weeks.
HUNTE: People are very scared, really, really scared. When ICE agents do make arrests, how much discretion do they have themselves when they're being violent with the public? Is that because they actually want to, or are there orders coming from the top to do so?
WONG: Oh, it's coming from the top. I've talked to them. They also started a new program allegedly to protect children, and they have ice agents who are not trained in the field to check welfare. Their reason is on to do welfare checks. That means the children are not being trafficked, children that were separated from families, that guardians are well fed and is going to school.
But I asked to ask ICE agent, I said, you know, because most of these children's, their parents or mother or father or guardians are undocumented. So, who's going to bring these children to court or to ICE office or even at home and not be afraid that you pick them up? In fact, one of our lawyers, when we went to court with a young youngster alone, and the judges were yelling at us, saying then how dare you just bring an unaccompanied child to court, because the parents are scared. Nobody dared to bring the child to court so we did. So, it's really bad out there.
HUNTE: And while you are mentioning all of that, we've also seen videos of ICE officers without I.D., sometimes hiding their faces, many times they're in plain clothes. Legally, are they allowed to do this?
WONG: They can do anything they want. I mean, you know, years and years ago when I first started to practice, we used to, you know, social together. We used to talk, we used to write, you know, notes and say, this is a good case. You know, you may want to approve this, but if I were you, I would not want to approve that case.
But now it's like, it's totally -- and also years ago, immigration is run by DOJ, Department of Justice. Now, it's run by Homeland Security, which is weird because Homeland is for terrorism, it's for protection of U.S. citizens. So, really have nothing to do with people who are not born here. So, the whole mission have changed on the protection or unprotection of people who's here in America, be it rich, poor, young or old, undocumented or documented.
HUNTE: The Trump administration is pushing to end birthright citizenship. Things do keep changing all the time. But from the current legal standpoint, could that really happen?
WONG: Not in my lifetime, and I've been here for a long time. I don't think it could happen or should happen. Of course, who am I to say it should not happen? The 14th Amendment is very clear that people born in America are naturalized in America remains and is American citizen.
So, what is American citizenship? It's where you can get a passport. So, a passport means that you can travel around the world, around the country, is a real I.D. That's American citizenship. One thing great about American citizenship is, for example, I go to China, China have to issue me a visa even though I'm Chinese.
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But in America, if you go to Canada and become a Canadian citizen, Canada cannot ask you to take away your American passport, but America also would not let you or ask you to take away your Canadian passport. That's one thing great about being an American.
HUNTE: Yes. Well, Margaret Wong, there's so much to talk about. I'm sure we're going to need to do a part two in the future because things are going to change again and again anyway. So, until then, thank you for now. I appreciate it.
WONG: Thank you.
HUNTE: As the clock ticks down on a possible U.S. federal government shutdown, Senate Democrats are planning to hold a conference call on Sunday for a strategy discussion. Leaders of both parties are expected to visit the White House on Monday hoping to strike a deal before the Tuesday deadline. U.S. President Donald Trump canceled a Thursday meeting with Congressional Democrats. It's led to a stalemate over the current government funding plan. Federal workers are bracing for a possible shutdown that could lead to mass layoffs.
CNN's Camila DeChalus tells us what's at stake in the negotiations.
CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Congress is once again barreling towards a government shutdown with both Democrats and Republicans blaming each other on why they have not ironed out a deal yet. Now, Republicans on their end, they're really pushing to pass a spending bill that keeps the current spending levels and does not include any policy changes while Democrats are making it clear that they will not support any spending bill that does not provide language, that includes extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire by the end of the year.
Now, there's a lot at stake here. Earlier this week, the White House Budget Office sent out guidance to federal agencies telling them to prepare for mass firings if a potential government shutdown does happen. And this will not just impact federal workers. It'll also have a drastic impact on federal agencies, like the IRS and National Parks, and it'll also disrupt small businesses, healthcare access and programs that provide services to veterans nationwide, and also on a global level as well if a deal is not reached in time. HUNTE: Well, earlier, Republican Congressman Carlos Gimenez, spoke of CNN, and here's what he said when asked if he would support the idea of mass layoffs.
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REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ (R-FL): Mass layoffs for the sake of mass layoffs, no. But if you had to lay off people because a program is being eliminated or that that is not a priority program, then yes. What I'd love to do is, hey, get those people that are going to be laid off there and fill in some of those other places where there are retirements, okay, that are happening. So, there is a way to do it without actually laying off, even though you'll say, hey, we're laying you off. Yes, but look, we're going to shift you over to another department where we have openings because people retired. You should have such a massive workforce that you can probably get that done and it wouldn't be that difficult.
But, again, I'm not in the inner workings of the administration. I'm just telling you what I would do if I were there, because that's what I did when I was mayor of Miami-Dade.
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HUNTE: Rescue crews are searching for missing people after deadly flooding in Arizona. Coming up, a look at the devastation that hit the region in the wake of Friday's severe storms. See you in a bit.
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HUNTE: Four people are dead and an unknown number are missing after devastating flashfloods hit Arizona. Three people in the town of Globe died after heavy rains hit on Friday night and into Saturday, and one person was found dead near a vehicle trapped in high waters. Rescue crews are working to find people who are still unaccounted for.
Hurricane Humberto is now the second Category 5 storm of the Atlantic hurricane season with maximum sustained winds near 260 kilometers or 160 miles per hour. It's in the ocean and is not considered a direct threat to the U.S., but it is generating dangerous swells that have begun to affect parts of the Caribbean and are expected to wash up the U.S. East Coast starting on Monday. Forecasters say Humberto will likely remain a powerful major hurricane for several more days.
Forecasters are also monitoring tropical depression nine between Cuba and The Bahamas that could become a Tropical Storm Imelda in the coming hours. A tropical storm watch has been issued for portions of Florida's east coast.
CNN Meteorologist Chris Warren walks us through the possible outcomes of all of these weather systems.
CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All along much of the southeast coast, everyone needs to pay attention with what's going on in the tropics. Couple areas we're watching a strong hurricane, and then what is expected to eventually be a hurricane as it approaches to the southeast coast.
Now, where exactly it goes, everything's still on the table. During the day on Saturday, models were trending a little bit more offshore, but that's not a guarantee yet. Things can change. There's a lot of time between here and here. And it's likely to linger here a little bit longer. So, could it come into the coast, if possible, could it kind of hang out around here? Also possible. And then it's also possible that goes out to sea.
There is going to be some impacts, whether it is going to be the heavy rain and wind in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina with what is again expected to be a hurricane. And with that, if it stalls, it could batter the coast and really make for a messy time, a dangerous time. Flash flooding is going to be a possibility. These two systems may interact, which could help push it away from shore, so both of them may be going away. But the tropical moisture that transport from here in southern latitudes up farther to the north, is going to be getting into parts of South Carolina. North Carolina, we'll have to continue to watch, Georgia as well. Flash flooding is going to be a big concern.
Some surge of possibility depending on how strong the winds are, how long the hurricane hangs out, close to the coast, but getting more than ten inches of rain over a couple of days likely going to lead to some flash flooding. Now just shore at this point, it looks like that more than ten-inch rainfall totals are going to stay. But if that gets a little bit closer or the system comes on shore, that's when we're looking at significant rainfall.
So, still way too early to say exactly where it's going to be going, because we're looking at, you know, early next week and even into midweek for the time period of this. And what we can say for sure as well, it is going to be dangerous at the beaches getting in the water. Rip current risk has increased for Sunday. It's looking high.
HUNTE: Okay. There's so much more ahead. Stay with CNN. See you in a bit.
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[03:50:00]
HUNTE: Welcome back. Nerves are frayed at this weekend's Ryder Cup, where top golfers from the U.S. and Europe are facing each other. Some irritated American fans have even been insulting the European reigning champs while they helplessly watch their favorites simply get wiped out.
CNN's Don Riddell reports.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: The Ryder Cup is basically over. Europe's record seven-point lead is surely insurmountable. The Sunday singles will be a coronation for the away team. Saturday's action was certainly eventful and emotional, tensions really bubbling to the surface at various points. We had players and caddies getting into a pretty heated argument, and some of the European players complained that they were receiving some pretty rude and offensive insults from some of the American fans.
All in all, it left a pretty bitter taste in the mouth.
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LUKE DONALD, TEAM EUROPE CAPTAIN: What I consider crossing line is personal insults and, you know, making sounds, you know, when they're trying to hit on their back swings or, you know, very close to when they're trying to go into their routines. That did happen a little bit. It's happened to other Ryder Cups too.
KEEGAN BRADLEY, TEAM USA CAPTAIN: You're always going to have a few people that cross the line, and that's unfortunate. I really was happy to see our players trying to quiet down some people that were like that. But, you know, part of it is our fault. You know, we're not playing up to the standards that they want to see, and they're angry and they should be.
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[03:55:01]
RIDDELL: It has just been an extraordinary day, and the European players have been incredible. Some of their biggest stars rose to the occasion, and then some players, like Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton, Jon Rahm, were incredible and they have further cemented their legacies as European Ryder Cup legends.
On the other hand, it's been an absolute nightmare for the American team. Seemingly nothing has gone right for them. And it couldn't have been any worse than it was for their world number one, Scottie Scheffler, who has dominated world golf over the last four years, but he has gone 0-4 in this Ryder Cup. He has finished on the losing side in all four of his matches so far, the first time that's ever happened to an American player. And the rest of the team must be thinking if he can't get it done, what hope have we got? The Americans have been totally outclassed and outplayed.
Back to you.
HUNTE: Britain is celebrating a foundational piece of railway history. Thousands of people gathered in Sheridan, England, to see a replica of locomotion number one, the train recreated the journey of the original from 200 years ago. It was the first steam-powered railway engine to run on a public railway.
That trip in 1825 ushered in a new age of transportation. It became easier, faster and cheaper for people and goods to move around Britain and around the world.
A rare phenomena in one of Earth's driest places, flowers blooming in the Atacama Desert after unusual rainfall in Northern Chile, where normally arid region is now covered by a colorful blanket of wild flowers. The so-called flowering desert has attracted tourists and scientists from across the country. It's so rare that only about 15 blooms have been recorded in the past 40 years. The peak of this year's event is expected to happen in the first half of October.
That is all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte Atlanta. I'll see you at the same times tomorrow. Don't go anywhere. There's so much more CNN Newsroom after this break. Kim, over to you. See you.
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