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Hundreds Of Incoming Howard Students Dropped Weeks Before Classes Start; Trump Warned Against Escalating War; Growing Police Misuse Of Flock's License-Plate Reader Cams; New Tariffs Could Drive Consumer Prices Higher; Massive Wildfires Scorch Parts Of France and Spain; The Okefenokee Swamp Now A UNESCO World Heritage Site; D.C. Prepares For Freedom250 Grand Prix. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired July 26, 2026 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Applied a little bit more to these places of scholarship that they need to, you know, be on the ball and meet some of these deadlines so that students can, you know, carry out and live out their dreams and their aspirations here.

ISABELLA WILLIAMS, HOWARD UNIVERSITY STUDENT: Yes, I would say honestly it is standard practice for scholarships to release around early to mid-August. I do think that this was a little bit of a miscommunication between the scholarships, the students and Howard University as a whole. I did personally make sure that I reached out to the financial aid office before all of this. I told them that I submitted my documentation through our platform called Backpack, that I had all of my scholarships submitted, and I had that they would be released in August.

And they said that I did not have to enroll in a payment plan whatsoever because they had documented that I had external scholarships. So I wouldn't blame the scholarship foundations, but I would say that Howard University needs to be a little bit more cognizant of the way that things are set up and how it affects their students. I understand that they need to make sure that we're paying for things, but if we give our proper documentation, then I think we should have been all squared away and it shouldn't have been such an issue, especially this close to school starting.

WHITFIELD: I love that you've also turned this into a lesson for yourself, and you said you've learned a lot about yourself and the value of perseverance. I'm also going to be talking to the interim president, Wayne Frederick of Howard University, in about 30 minutes from now. He might be watching now, but I'm wondering, you know, if you kind of have some advice or an appeal that you'd like to make to Howard University president about this process, what you've endured, perhaps advice or, you know, on the road ahead for other students or other classes to come?

WILLIAMS: Yes. Well, first of all, I would like to say thank you to him for trying to do his best. I know that this has been really hard on Howard University, and sometimes we're a little understaffed, so it's a lot to take care of. My biggest piece of advice would be to take care of us like we're your kids. These are 17 and 18-year-olds that are trying to figure out their life. A lot of us are moving very far away. We're doing what we can, and we're doing what we need to.

There also has been some e-mails that certain students didn't get. Some people didn't know about the payment plans or about the way that we had to have certain things set up by July 10th or different dates until June. So making sure that there's a lot of communication between the Backpack platform and the bursar's office and the financial aid office is really pertinent to making sure that your students are set up and that Howard University is set up for success.

WHITFIELD: All right, Isabella Williams, something tells me that -- and you're moving in like now, right?

WILLIAMS: I'm here actually, yes.

WHITFIELD: I should have asked you to, you know, take us on a tour of your dorm. Hey, congratulations. Something tells me that however many years that you were at Howard University, you're going to love it, enjoy it, and make the most of it because already you are demonstrating to have done that thus far.

Isabella Williams, thank you so much. All the best to you. Thanks for being with us as well.

And again, we're going to have the interim president of Howard University, Dr. Wayne Frederick, join us live in the next hour.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

WHITFIELD: Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. It's an enormous disaster. That's how one man describes the wildfires in Spain as we continue our breaking news coverage of the massive fires scorching parts of France and Spain. New video of firefighting planes scooping water from a reservoir near Madrid, where Spain's interior minister says more than 30,000 people have been evacuated. Fire crews are using hoses to battle flames as helicopters drop water alongside a hill there.

And in France, many people are waiting for news on their homes as temporary shelters. Wildfires there have left ashes and rubble after more than 200 homes were consumed by the flames in several towns west of Bordeaux.

We're covering the wildfires from both countries. CNN's Melissa Bell is in Bordeaux, France, and Pau Mosquera is near Madrid.

Melissa, you first. French authorities have issued new evacuation orders now?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, 55,000 people were evacuated overnight from Saturday to Sunday, Fredricka, because this fire is far from being under control. We had the opportunity to see today how the firefighters are trying to contain it. Again, very far from being done, it continues to spread because they've had these winds that have pushed in the sort of southeasterly direction, leading to those new evacuations. And it's very difficult to see how they're going to get to the end of this. This is a fire that is so much bigger in its scale and its ferocity than anything we saw here four years ago, when this particular part of the world was also devastated by wildfires.

At the time, the big one had taken about 13,000 hectares. This one, already 42,000. And the point about its spread is that it has taken or headed towards small towns and villages to the west of Bordeaux, which has led to these massive evacuations, the largest here in France since World War II.

[16:05:11]

It is 220,000 people so far who have been displaced. And when you see what they're battling, it isn't simply the heart of the fire where the flames are spreading, these sort of whirlwinds that are described, the fact that it is creating its own wind and proving particularly ferocious. But even in those parts where we were today, where it began four days ago, the ground is so hot, so smoldering, that you can see flames picking up every time again, pushed again by the wind.

So civilians are now involved. These are people who have been reached out to, anyone who had a tractor or a pickup truck that they could mount water on. We met so many people today who were out there just doing what they could to protect their homes. So a catastrophe on a scale that France hadn't seen before in terms of wildfires. We've been hearing from France's interior minister today who said that already this year it is 115,000 hectares that have been burned by wildfires -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes, incredible. And the video is astounding as well.

All right. Thank you so much, Melissa Bell. We'll check back with you.

Let's go near Madrid now, and Pau is there.

Pau, two major wildfires in that country outside of Madrid. What more can you tell us?

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's it, Fredricka. And we are pretty close to one of those wildfires. We're right now at San Martin de Valle de Iglesias, which is a town located 60 kilometers west of Madrid. And over the last days, they have seen the blaze from pretty close. This is why the authorities have decided to lock down the entire town, and at least --

WHITFIELD: All right. Apologies. We've lost that signal with Pau Mosquera there outside of Madrid. Of course. We'll update you as we learn any more about how these blazes are being fought there in both Spain and France.

All right, we're also following new developments in the war with Iran. Today, a U.S. source tells CNN military operations with Iran are currently on a hold. That pause comes as we are learning new details about a key White House meeting President Trump held on Friday focused on the war. A U.S. official and a source familiar with the matter tell CNN that Vice President J.D. Vance and Joint Chiefs chairman General Dan Caine warned the president about potential consequences of escalating the conflict.

The source -- the sources rather say Caine gave Trump his military options. But he also expressed concerns about further depletion of the U.S. munitions stockpile and other possible negative implications of ramping up the war.

CNN's Betsy Klein is joining us right now from the White House.

Betsy, what more can you tell us about this meeting?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Right, Fredricka. This could go down as one of the more consequential meetings of this five-month long conflict with Iran now, but President Trump huddling with top advisers and Cabinet officials on Friday to discuss options for an escalation in this war with Iran. But after that meeting, two consecutive nights without strikes, after 13 days of attacks. Now, one U.S. source says that military operations are on a hold as they give the diplomatic discussions some time to play out.

We heard earlier today from U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz addressing that pause. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE WALTZ, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: I've spoken with Secretary Hegseth. What the president is doing right now, as we've seen all along, is giving some talks, some space. Talks are ongoing. They're happening at every level from the more technical aspect of it all the way to the highest levels of course within both the Iranian government and the U.S. government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Now, in that Friday meeting, two sources say that both Vice President J.D. Vance and U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, raised concerns about the possibility of an escalation. And we've heard President Trump telegraph the possibility of massive attacks for weeks now. That could be attacks on critical infrastructure, things like roads, bridges, as well as that key oil hub of Kharg Island. And doing so, some have warned, could constitute war crimes.

But one of the other concerns that Caine raised during that meeting, according to one of the sources, was the U.S. munitions stockpile. We heard from Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell. He says in a statement, quote, "We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests."

Now, sources say that in that same meeting, other concerns were raised to the president, including the possibility of massive civilian casualties in Iran, the concerns about a refugee crisis, potentially, as well as this conflict spilling into a broader regional conflict.

[16:10:11]

Now, there are few people at this point in the president's inner circle that believe that the escalation options the president has been presented are going to yield the results that he is hoping for. So he's plotting a path forward with all this information. We'll wait to see what happens tonight -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Betsy Klein, at the White House, thanks so much.

All right. Still to come, look at the cost of the war in Iran. Closer to home as the world oil market continues to be influenced by traffic issues in the Strait of Hormuz. And up next, A.I. powered cameras designed to fight crime, accessed by some officers, police officers to track people in their personal lives. The new concerns about misuse of the surveillance technology.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:15:36]

WHITFIELD: All right. Thousands of automated license plate readers are set up around the nation to capture license plate numbers and data. According to a nonprofit law firm police misuse of these readers is growing. Multiple law enforcement officers are being accused of using them to run unauthorized personal searches.

Here with me now is CNN national correspondent Rafael Romo.

What is going on here?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, from a purely law enforcement perspective, it sounds like a great idea, right? Because it expedites the location of vehicle or potential suspect.

WHITFIELD: To have the tool.

ROMO: Right, to have the tool to find them. But apparently there's been some abuse. And let me tell you about it because this is something that is getting a lot of people very concerned. There has been a series of cases nationwide involving the alleged misuse by law enforcement officers of automated license plate readers or ALPRs that were originally designed to locate vehicles and drivers potentially involved in a crime.

Here in Georgia, Fred, employees of multiple law enforcement agencies have been accused of misusing Flock safety and other ALPR systems. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed a police dispatcher supervisor in Conyers was arrested Wednesday after it says a GBI investigation revealed she had access to the system more than 30 times between April and July for non-law enforcement purposes.

Earlier this month, the GBI also said it arrested five, five, former Albany Police Department officers as part of another investigation into the misuse of their access to the Flock safety system. Officials say the Albany Police Department requested the GBI to investigate the officers following an internal audit of the Flock license plate reader camera system, so they were being proactive. Earlier this month, a former Milwaukee police officer was sentenced to 12 months of probation and a $500 fine after pleading guilty to attempted misconduct in public office as part of a deal.

Detectives investigating Officer Josue Ayala found he secretly used Flock to learn the location of his romantic partner 124 times, and that partner's ex 55 times, according to a February criminal complaint.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW TORBENSON, DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY, MILWAUKEE COUNTY: With that position of trust, Mr. Ayala was given tools to investigate crime, and one of those tools Mr. Ayala used for his own personal reasons.

MICHAEL STEINLE, AYALA'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Every time there's a misuse of Flock by a police officer, Mr. Ayala's picture is on the news as a result of this.

JOSUE AYALA, DEFENDANT: I mean, as you heard, I dedicated 11 years of my life to law enforcement targeting violent offenders, making a difference in the community, and I don't offer that as an excuse, but I just wanted to -- don't want that incident to reflect the person who I truly am and have been.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Fred, you may ask, how common is this? Well, the Institute for Justice says its ongoing review of media reports and public records, quote, "has identified at least 28 cases nationwide of officers allegedly abusing ALPR data to stalk romantic interests, with the bulk of those incidents happening since 2024," meaning in the last two years. And nearly all of these officers were criminally charged and lost their jobs, either by resigning or getting fired.

Most of these systems are made by Flock Safety, the largest, ALPR company based here in Atlanta, which says its network includes more than 120,000 cameras across 49 states. Flock CEO and co-founder Garrett Langley told CNN in an interview the company last month launched an audit assistant tool that alerts an auditor to abnormal uses of its system.

So again, they're doing something about it.

WHITFIELD: Sure.

ROMO: But when you think about 28 cases since 2024.

WHITFIELD: In a very short amount of time.

ROMO: Yes, it's becoming a big problem.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Well, thanks for revealing it. ROMO: Of course.

WHITFIELD: Rafael Romo, appreciate it.

All right. Still to come, more than 500 incoming Howard University students were unenrolled just weeks before classes are to begin. The university's president joining us live to explain what happened and what is being done to address this.

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[16:24:15]

WHITFIELD: All right. Earlier, we brought you the story of hundreds of incoming Howard University students who were unenrolled just weeks before classes were to begin. The university says those students failed to meet a payment deadline earlier this month, leaving more than 500 soon-to-be freshmen and other upperclassmen scrambling after their enrollment was canceled.

Well, joining us right now to respond is Howard University's interim president, Dr. Wayne Frederick.

Dr. Frederick, always good to see you. But a whole lot of students have felt a lot of extra anxiety about what's happening and receiving an e-mail and notification that they're being unenrolled. I mean, help us understand the university's point of view. What happened here?

[16:25:00]

DR. WAYNE A.I. FREDERICK, INTERIM PRESIDENT, HOWARD UNIVERSITY: Sure, Fredricka. First, let me start by apologizing for any distress that we may have caused, and I recognize that, with it being so close to school that that certainly caused some people some significant distress. And so for that, I apologize. And I certainly take full responsibility for that.

Having said that, this is part of what universities usually do, and especially a university like Howard that has a high demand. We had not received communication or complete documentation from that group of students. And so we felt it was our responsibility to let those students know that we would -- we will be disenrolling them so that we could plan appropriately for the fall. We have to hire adjunct faculty. We have to make sure that dorm rooms are signed and ready to go.

And most importantly, Fredricka, just two months ago, we were asking our community to donate money to help students graduate. And so starting with a good financial plan is important. Our graduation rate is not 100 percent, and that gap is primarily due to lack of finances. And we have limited resources that we're trying to stretch as much as possible.

WHITFIELD: Is this unusual or does this happen almost every year that you've got a number of students who are relying on, whether it be financial aid or scholarship funds, that all have to meet the university imposed deadlines, but then somehow don't meet them? Was this an anomaly or is this something that happens on a regular?

FREDERICK: It's not unusual, but it's not something that we have been as strict about. So we have really allowed students to show up without paying us to carry balances beyond what is appropriate. And as a result, if you look at our retention rate, it has consistently gone down. So our four-year graduation rate as a result is just about 70 percent. And so that gap, that 30 percent of students who don't finish, I would easily say that about 80 percent to 85 percent of them, it's primarily because of finances.

Even when they have academic issues, because they're stressing about finances and trying to work, et cetera, and it starts with how they come in. And if we have them, making sure that they have the complete financial package together, et cetera. And we certainly could have done a better job of communicating it. We did send out a lot of communications, but, for example, I think people misunderstood what we meant by 50 percent.

The bill is $60,000. If you had $40,000 worth of aid, people felt they made the threshold. We meant the outstanding balance after the $40,000, which is $20,000. And so we wanted people to pay us 50 percent of that $20,000 left. And that's an example where we could have actually put in, you know, some numbers as an example and showed, you know, people exactly what we were referring to as well.

WHITFIELD: So last hour, we talked to an incoming freshman, Isabella Williams, you know, who was simply elated.

FREDERICK: I saw that.

WHITFIELD: You did. I mean, she is just glowing her excitement about her days ahead at Howard University. But she was devastated, right, to receive that notification that she was being unenrolled. And she, too, you know, explained she had all these scholarships lined up. And in many cases, those scholarship, you know, groups didn't meet the deadlines. But listen to what she told us. I know you were watching, but listen again to what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAMS: I did personally make sure that I reached out to the financial aid office before all of this. I told them that I submitted my documentation through our platform called Backpack, that I had all of my scholarships submitted, and I had that they would be released in August. And they said that I did not have to enroll in a payment plan whatsoever because they had documented that I had external scholarships.

So I wouldn't blame the scholarship foundations, but I would say that Howard University needs to be a little bit more cognizant of the way that things are set up and how it affects their students. I understand that they need to make sure that we're paying for things, but if we give our proper documentation, then I think we should have been all squared away and it shouldn't have been such an issue, especially this close to school starting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Yes. And I did ask her at the end of the interview, you know, words of advice that she might have for you and leadership at Howard University, and she said communication has got to be improved. So for her, things are working out. I mean, she's very outspoken and a lot of people, you know, heard her and now she is actually there scholarship money and all that is meeting the deadlines. And she's now, you know, a freshman who is in her dormitory.

But will things work out for the majority of these 500 other students who got that notification, you know, that they were unenrolled?

FREDERICK: Yes. First, let me say, I thought Miss Williams was gracious, and I certainly welcome her advice. It will not, Fredricka. The vast majority of students who we did communicate with do not have the resources and are unable to pay us unfortunately. And so while this could have been more targeted and more specific, it would have helped.

[16:30:00]

And on the issue of the scholarship foundations, we're not holding the scholarship foundations accountable. People disburse money to us at different times, even as late as November for the fall semester. But what we needed on the front end was confirmation and verification that those scholarships would come in. As you can imagine, if I -- if we had a student coming in and they said they had a $20,000 balance and it would be covered by a scholarship from their church, if we don't have documentation of that, we're taking the same risk on.

And then that student ends up with a balance at the end of the semester of $20,000 with no way to pay it. And that's how we begin that unfortunate cycle that then puts that student on track to be stressed, you know, not able to complete classes well and unfortunately not able to graduate. And so, yes, we have to do a better job of how we communicate the information, I absolutely agree, but I want people to be clear that we were earnest in our ability here to try to communicate what we were doing and to try to get people to come in and get a really good start as they come in as well.

WHITFIELD: All right. Interim Howard University president, Dr. Wayne Frederick, we do appreciate you coming on. And that says a lot as well that you are willing to help come on and help clear the air and explain and answer to so many incredible students, just like Isabel Williams, who is now very happy to be on campus. Thank you so much.

FREDERICK: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, even as the war with Iran pushes prices higher, President Trump imposes sweeping new tariffs on imported goods. What it could mean for your shopping budget.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:36:17]

WHITFIELD: A fresh new round of tariffs are now in effect after kicking in on Friday. They cover almost every single U.S. import.

CNN Business senior reporter David Goldman takes us through the changes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: New tariffs are in place. They are going to sound a little bit familiar, 10 percent. Why does that sound familiar? Well, that has been the tariff that was in place for the past several months. Now they could go up to about 12.5 percent, depending on which country.

Now there are 60 different trading partners that are subject to this. That sounds like a lot and it is a lot because that covers 99.4 percent of all U.S. imports. If you are not one of these countries, you're pretty much not doing business with the United States.

Now, the old tariff regime had a problem. It gave us 10 percent tariffs on all goods that were imported into the United States. But because of the trade clause that it used, it only lasted for 150 days. And that has now expired. So something needed to replace that. And in effect is now Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act. What is this? Why is this so significant?

Because they are citing forced labor as the reason why the United States has the legal authority to charge these tariffs. Remember, the Supreme Court told President Trump that he cannot universally and unilaterally charge tariffs forever using emergency authorities. There needs to be a reason why. They did an investigation, and they're citing forced labor. Pretext? Maybe. But that is the legal authority that they think is going to stand the test of time.

There's more coming, too. This is just the beginning. Canada now subject to a 50 percent tariff on a number of goods, about $20 billion worth of goods. And Brazil also subject to 25 percent tariffs on most goods. Some exceptions like coffee and beef and things like that. But using these different laws, including one that dates back to 1930, the Trump administration believes that it now has the legal authority to get back to the tariffs that we had before the Supreme Court ruling, just using some different authorities.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. David Goldman, thank you so much.

All right. Let's get more on this with CNN global economic analyst Rana Foroohar. She is also global business columnist and associate editor at "The Financial Times."

Always great to see you even if the news isn't so good because this is frightening, isn't it? I mean, how will these new tariffs potentially impact the U.S. economy and everybody in their pocketbooks and wallets? RANA FAROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: Well, Fredricka, I mean,

it's coming at a time when a lot of Americans already feel that we're having a cost-of-living crisis. Inflation has been rising. You know, we've had the Iran conflict raising oil prices, the volatility, there, food prices. It's, you know, it's strange to me. Not only is it strange from a policy standpoint that the Trump administration is doing this at this moment, but it's strange in advance of the midterms because, you know, these are prices that are going to impact consumers.

They are going to impact voters. And, you know, it's really hard to see an upside. I would say one thing that seems to maybe be in play is the fact that the president wants to show that even with the Supreme Court saying, you know, you cannot have blanket tariffs, that he can still push these tariffs through. And by God, he will.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. And so remind us, I mean, who is actually going to pay these tariffs and how?

[16:40:02]

FAROOHAR: Well, 100 percent consumers are going to pay them. That's what a tariff is. You send merchandise into a country and the price is, you know, raised because the administration says we don't like this country or we don't like that action. So it's a way of waging a trade war, but consumers end up paying for it. And, you know, that's just the fact of it.

Now, that said, I think that there are some things that deserve tariffs. I think, you know, goods made with forced labor, goods that are coming from China with, you know, improper WTO rules, and so on and so forth. But, you know, slapping tariffs on adversaries and allies alike never been a good strategy, isn't a good strategy now.

WHITFIELD: OK. So as we heard Canada being targeted with even higher tariffs. Is an all-out trade war with Canada potentially on the horizon?

FAROOHAR: Gosh, I hope not. Because, you know, that will, for starters, impact U.S. housing prices. Canada is a big exporter to the U.S. of lumber. It's a big exporter of power. You could see spot energy prices in the Great Lakes and the Midwest going up if there were an all-out trade war. It's just a bad idea. You know, the president has been trying to push this idea that America has all the leverage. Canada has none. No, not true.

And Mark Carney is the prime minister of Canada is a very, very tough nut. You know, he is taking a tough stand. And he's saying, we're not going to take this lying down. Canada is also trying to, you know, as you probably know, loop together new groups of middle powers, middle nations to really stand against the U.S. and anybody else that would endanger their economy.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right. Rana Foroohar, thank you so much. Have a great rest of your Sunday.

FAROOHAR: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, the Okefenokee Swamp could gain new international protections. A look at the push for UNESCO recognition of America's largest wetlands in Florida.

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[16:46:37]

WHITFIELD: All right, what does a 13th Century Buddhist temple, Mount Olympus, and Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp all have in common? They are the newest locations on UNESCO's prestigious list of World Heritage Sites. The committee is making its selections during a 10-day annual meeting underway now in South Korea.

The Okefenokee Swamp joins other treasured American designations like the Statue of Liberty and the Grand Canyon as number 27 and marks the first UNESCO site for the state of Georgia. The National Wildlife Refuge plans -- spans, rather, more than 400,000 acres across three counties in the state, and it remains one of the most intact wetland ecosystems left and is the largest blackwater swamp in North America.

I mean, pretty spectacular.

Joining me right now to discuss is Kim Bednarek, executive director of the Okefenokee Swamp Park and Okefenokee Adventures.

Kim, so great to see you. I mean, this is quite the distinction. I mean, so much work went into this designation. So tell us what the process was like. What was your reaction when you got the news yesterday? How meaningful is this?

So good morning, Fredricka, from South Korea. We're in Busan, South Korea.

WHITFIELD: Right.

KIM BEDNAREK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OKEFENOKEE SWAMP PARK AND OKEFENOKEE ADVENTURES: And it's early here so thanks so much. The news was it's truly spectacular. It's been a 44-year journey. So over four decades for the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge to be inscribed as the 27th world heritage site for the United States of America. The very first site to ever be inscribed for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Wildlife Refuge System. It spans the states of Georgia and Florida. So the first site for Georgia and the second site for Florida. So just amazing.

We had an incredible team that traveled to Korea from the U.S., scientists that led the dossier creation and then observers, folks from the organization, folks from both states, supporters and, you know, people who are absolutely passionate about the Okefenokee.

WHITFIELD: I mean, will this UNESCO designation and distinction, you know, help ensure, you know, commitment to help protect the wildlife and the landscape so that it continues to thrive? I mean, how is this distinction different from the designation already has as the National Wildlife Refuge?

BEDNAREK: Yes. So thanks. It's -- so it's already protected as a federal asset through the National Wildlife Refuge System. So it doesn't actually -- world heritage is really about inscribing the best of the best across the globe. So it doesn't add additional protections, doesn't change sovereignty. It really just says this is one of the most unique, spectacular ecosystems, natural sites.

It has what's called outstanding universal value. And so it really gets people to think about what it means for all of humanity, why we want to ensure that we keep it protected the way that it is, and keep it really well-managed as an intact ecosystem.

WHITFIELD: So then, even all that, you know, being said, then why has there been criticism? I mean, the Associated Press is reporting that there have been lawn signs, you know, urging, you know, keep the U.N., UNESCO out of the Okefenokee, and that has dotted roadways, as you, you know, across this 400,000, you know, mile span.

[16:50:14]

So I mean, why? And what have you done or has anyone done to kind of allay fears or concerns?

BEDNAREK: So one thing I've learned, you know, this has been a 44-year journey. I've been engaged with it for six years as the private nonprofit partner to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and really learned that there's not -- world heritage is not as well understood as it could be in the United States. And I think that's an incredible opportunity. So we have been working very closely in the communities around the Okefenokee, in both Georgia and Florida to educate the residents and both states about what it means and what it doesn't mean.

So I think it's been an opportunity for education. And then we've had support from across the spectrum. The Trump administration, the State Department, our entire congressional delegation, Sonny Perdue is a two-time governor, most recently, Governor Kemp, Speaker John Byrne, Jason (INAUDIBLE), I mean, what an incredible group of folks to step up and support. And they wouldn't support anything that wasn't good for their state and for the United States of America. So, you know, it's really been a wonderful opportunity to educate folks on what world heritage is.

WHITFIELD: And then perhaps most importantly receiving support from the ancestors of the Muscogee Creek Nation, whose tribes lived in and around the swamp and whose language is where the swamp's name actually comes from. In what way did you receive their support and how meaningful was it?

BEDNAREK: Yes. So it's incredibly meaningful to respect the Muscogee Creek Nation. And so my colleague Tracy Reavis traveled with our delegation to Busan. And so we accepted the inscription together. That was on Saturday, just a couple of days ago, when it was inscribed and recommended by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. And so we really view this as an opportunity to work closely. It's their ancestral homelands. The Okefenokee is land of the

trembling earth, named by the Muscogee Creek Nation, and now managed by the National Wildlife Refuge System. And we're working together on making sure the public understands that. And it's been a real pleasure getting to know Tracy over these last five years.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Really fascinating. Congratulations, Kim Bednarek. Thank you so much for being with us. And I'll say good day instead of have a good evening.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Where you are.

BEDNAREK: Thank you so much. And please come visit the Okefenokee. Come see us.

WHITFIELD: It's on my list. I mean, my list is so long. But that is another one of those places I've got to get to soon.

BEDNAREK: All right. Excellent.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks, Kim.

BEDNAREK: Excellent. Bye-bye.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:57:43]

WHITFIELD: All right. Washington, D.C. will host its first ever high speed IndyCar race next month.

CNN's Isabelle Khurshudyan got a guided tour of the Freedom250 Grand Prix race track.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISABELLE KHURSHUDYAN, CNN SENIOR ENTERPRISE CORRESPONDENT: I'll be your racing driver today.

BUD DENKER, CHAIRMAN, FREEDOM250 GRAND PRIX: All right. Well, very good. We'll see how fast you are.

KHURSHUDYAN: Let's get started. Has D.C. ever hosted a road race like this before?

DENKER: No. This will be the first time we've ever seen a road race. A motorsports race in the nation's capital. I mean, it's so hard to do first of all. It's -- there's a lot of intrusion, obviously, putting up walls and barriers and bridges.

This track will go 1.7 miles, seven turns. We're on Third Street now, which is right in front of the nation's capital. It dissects the National Mall that's on our right here. And these cars on this street, this is about a third of a mile. Straight away it will be about 140 miles an hour.

KHURSHUDYAN: It is a little bumpier, probably, than what a race car driver would want to be going 180 miles an hour over. How much work still needs to -- we just went over a bump. How much work still needs to be put in on the roads to get this ready to be a race track?

DENKER: We don't want to have an absolutely, totally smooth surface here because the streets are never going to be that way. Right? Our drivers are used to having some bumps, and frankly, it separates the great drivers from the good drivers when you have that kind of technical differences. So there are some improvements we're going to make. Of course, the nation's capital, we just went by on Third Street is the obviously the most iconic figure.

KHURSHUDYAN: What did you think of my driving?

DENKER: Very good. A little slow for us, but pretty good.

KHURSHUDYAN: This is a big bet by IndyCar. Why do you feel like it's worth it?

DENKER: Fireworks are great. A UFC fight is fun. How about celebrating on these roads around our city with these iconic structure for racing around, celebrating our country's history?

KHURSHUDYAN: IndyCar did have some backlash recently over a "One Nation, One Race" T-shirt that got pulled. What happened there?

DENKER: That was my fault. You know, as we were designing and having people design T-shirts for us, you can imagine my thought of it was a race here in D.C. and the nation here. So I take the blame for that.

KHURSHUDYAN: What do you say to fans of IndyCar who maybe don't think you should be doing a race here under this administration?

DENKER: I don't have exclusive areas for the -- anybody that's in red or blue, it's come everybody here and nonpartisan has been the mission from day one.

KHURSHUDYAN: So this is a show car. Tell me about it.

DENKER: Yes.