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U.S. Could Sanction China, Iran's Main Trading Partner; U.S. Supreme Court Hands Donald Trump A Win On Mail-In Voting; London's Support For Ukraine Heightens Tensions With Russia; Firefighters Make Progress Containing Wildfire Near Reno; Tornado in France Destroys Homes, Injures Dozens; U.S. Removes Syria From State Sponsor of Terrorism List; Trump Administration Proposes $103,000 Fee for H-1B Visas. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired August 25, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:38]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, the U.S. and Iran trade warning shots as the global economy faces more pressure from their war.

Plus, CNN speaks with migrants deported from the U.S. to one of the most dangerous countries in the world.

And who were the men climbing out of sewers in New York City? Investigators maya have a clue.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Iran's leadership is firing back at the U.S. after the White House's so-called economic D-Day against Tehran turned out to be a, "Warning shot for its trading partners."

On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Secretary threatened new sanctions on countries refusing to cut economic ties with Tehran. Iran's top negotiator dismissed the announcement as bluster and says Washington is not in a position to limit Iran's economic relations. The country's finance minister is accusing Washington of waging economic terrorism against Iran and says Tehran is ready for any sanctions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALI MADANIZADEH, IRANIAN FINANCE MINISTER (through translator): They have made every effort during this period. They have tried to test the resolve of the Iranian people and the country's officials, and they have failed every time. Apparently, they have now decided to try another failure. We have long been expecting these days, and were well aware of the plans they had. The government has a two-year plan and is fully prepared and has been prepared for these developments. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Secretary Scott Bessent also said, "Any entity that facilitates money laundering on behalf of Iran will be removed from the U.S. dollar system. He did not name any country specifically, but experts tell CNN that China, India, Turkey, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates could be most at risk of U.S. action. Secretary Bessent also would not say if China, Iran's main trading partner, would be subject to these sanctions. CNN's Kevin Liptak had this question for Bessent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: You described this as an economic D-Day, but D-Day wasn't a threat of an invasion, and the U.S. didn't give a timeline to Germany. So, why not impose the sanctions today?

SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: Well, we are giving everyone the opportunity to remedy bad behavior. Why would I want to blow up the global financial system? We believe that it is important to level set and give people a cure period, but they should know that that will move very quickly and that we are serious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Joining us live from Beijing, CNN's Senior China Reporter Simone McCarthy. Good to have you with us.

So, Simone, Bessent didn't name China specifically when he threatened nations that do business with Iran, but China is, of course, the largest buyer of Iranian oil. So, what has been the reaction in Beijing, if any, to these U.S. economic threats?

SIMONE MCCARTHY, CNN SENIOR CHINA REPORTER: Well, China, Rosemary, really, as a tenant of its foreign policy, defends its right to trade with any partner it wants for regular trade, and it also has long decried unilateral sanctions against other countries leveraged by the United States, in Beijing's words.

Ahead of Bessent's presser on Monday, China's foreign ministry did specifically say that sanctions and threats were not a solution to this issue, and they also vowed to protect China's, "Legitimate rights and interests."

Now, let me break down a little bit more how this works. As you mentioned, China is the largest buyer of Iranian oil. The way that that takes place is a highly filtered and complex network. As we understand, essentially these are private, so-called teapot refineries in China that import Iranian oil, process Iranian oil, but they are small and privately owned, and really outside of the U.S. dollar network, which insulates them from sanctions.

Now, what analysts say are the pressure points here is that not just these refineries, but also banks, other entities, shipping companies do have certain upstream ties with China's state-owned enterprises.

[02:05:11]

So, if the United States does decide to go after some of those entities, then that could be what puts pressure on China's financial ecosystem.

Let's hear what Secretary of State Bessent had to say about that earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just said moments ago that no one is above U.S. sanctions. What specific secondary sanctions or penalties is Treasury prepared to levy against Chinese banks and shipping firms if they do not comply?

BESSENT: Every country, every entity should know that they should be prepared to face U.S. sanctions, and no one is above this. We are going to hold everyone accountable, and this is economic asphyxiation of this regime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCCARTHY: So, you can see, certainly Bessent again not wanting to point fingers at specific countries as the U.S. leans into that quiet diplomacy.

But at the same time here in Beijing, I believe there is a sense it's fair to say of confidence that Washington may not want to go too hard on the Chinese financial system, and there's a few reasons for that, Rosemary. One of them, obviously, is that we have the U.S.-China summit coming up, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping expecting to travel to Washington or to the United States next month, and that's an important meeting because the two could negotiate further that that tariff truce that they have.

And then, of course, China also has its critical minerals, rare earths, that it has a real chokehold on that global supply, which is another piece of leverage that it has.

So, that's not to say there's no way for them to work together, but we certainly need to watch in the weeks and months to come how that actually ultimately evolves. Rosemary.

CHURCH: Simone McCarthy, joining us live from Beijing. Many thanks.

Joining me now is Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, professor of economics at Virginia Tech. Appreciate you being with us.

DJAVAD SALEHI-ISFAHANI, ECONOMICS PROFESSOR, VIRGINIA TECH: Nice to be with you.

CHURCH: So, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had a warning Monday for countries and companies that do business with Iran, saying they'll do so at their own peril. He's promising harsh new sanctions, but providing no timeline or specifics, and not mentioning China by name, even though that country bought more than 80 percent of Iran's oil exports last year.

So, what's your response to these U.S. economic threats?

SALEHI-ISFAHANI: Well, actually, it was very interesting. You know, I've been working on these sanctions for a couple of decades, and I've been watching what is being said, and I could not see what is new. The Treasury Secretary made a big effort to make this seem very different from the previous efforts, like maximum pressure. I mean, if maximum pressure wasn't the maximum, what was left out?

I think a lot of people are going to ask what is the actual policy? What are the actual penalties? I remember banks that were fined $10 billion for dealing with Iran. I think it was HSBC and Barclays. What else can you do to change the level of these sanctions, which have really entered into what you would call diminishing returns, the big stuff which was cutting Iran out of the SWIFT banking system, that has been there now for nearly decade and a half, preventing Iranian ships from getting insurance. Those are big items that work very well.

CHURCH: I want to talk about that, Professor, because I want you to describe the current state of Iran's economy and how much more pressure that country can sustain in light of this newly threatened U.S. economic warfare.

SALEHI-ISFAHANI: Well, since President Trump left the previous agreement, the Obama deal signed with Iran, the economy has done pretty badly. Although it's not what you would call falling apart or collapsing. All it means really that there hasn't been much growth.

Living standards of Iranians has gone back to what it was 20, 25 years ago. So, a lot of economic growth has been lost. Those are the impacts of sanctions.

[02:10:03]

What it hasn't done is to get the Iranian leadership to change their mind about their policies vis-a-vis the United States. The people used to put a lot of pressure on their government to compromise with the U.S. There was, as you -- as you know, several large-scale demonstrations in which Iranians protested their economic conditions, but also pointed to the reasons why the conditions were bad, namely why was Iran not compromising with the U.S.

But since the attacks began over a year ago in June, that part of the story has changed. I find that Iranians who used to blame their own government for their conditions, they are now more likely to blame U.S. and Israel.

CHURCH: So, Professor, how likely is it that these newly threatened U.S. sanctions will force Iran back to the negotiating table to end this war if the economic pressure becomes too great, and how much more leverage could Iran use over the Strait of Hormuz?

SALEHI-ISFAHANI: Well, you know this additional stuff that has come since Obama sanctions, since Trump maximum pressure are effective. You have had a war bombing for 50 plus days, and then the blockade. These are new, and it's very difficult now to tell whether this is going to be more of the same, or that the damage done to Iran's factories, to roads and bridges, is going to create supply shortages, and the blockade, which is a real thing, because Iran imported maybe 80 percent of its stuff through the Persian Gulf through the ports. If the ships can't disembark, supply is going to become worse.

I don't think anybody knows the level of pressure that's going to come in the next few months. And after that, even if you knew the pressure, it's very hard to tell whether Iranians are going to turn against their governments in the middle of -- middle of this crisis. You have to realize that Iranian government now is seen pretty much as the only savior. It used to be that they thought President Trump was going to be the savior, but that's gone now. The government has financial support, gives income support to poor people, it manages a series of stores, grocery stores, and I think it will take a lot for people to hitch their wagon to U.S. and say, you know, hell with the government and change loyalties.

What is going to happen? I think their lives are going to become harder and harder. But I don't know of any instances in history where people surrendered because the kitchen table was empty.

CHURCH: Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

SALEHI-ISFAHANI: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: President Trump is escalating his trade war with Canada with promises of more economic pain. On Monday, he warned that if Canadian leaders do not, in his words, fall in line, then the consequences would be far worse. The U.S. president is threatening to double tariffs on Canadian cars and car parts to 50 percent That's on top of the 50 percent tariffs he placed on many Canadian goods over the weekend, after negotiations fell apart. Canada blames the collapse on U.S. officials demanding last-minute and unfair trade terms. Prime Minister Mark Carney is promising to match Trump's levies dollar for dollar, but he says his country is willing to return to trade talks if the Trump administration has, "The right attitude."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: There is a mutually beneficial deal possible here, but it has to be one that respects Canada's sovereignty, that respects our independence, that uses our complementary strengths to build something better, not tear apart for short-term gain. That's the offer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Canadian leaders, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford, say they're not bowing to Donald Trump's insults and personal attacks. The president called Canada, "One of the worst nations in the world to deal with, and he accused the country of ripping off the United States." Ford did not mince words in his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) [02:15:02]

DOUG FORD, ONTARIO, CANADA PREMIER: No, some -- I've been in this game a lot longer than he has. I got skin on me like an alligator, and you think an insult from him hurts me? Well, bring it on, buddy. I'm ready. Bring it on.

You know something? I've dealt with guys like you my whole life, and guess what? You all become losers because you're a loser.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you worried when you hit back that way that you are making Ontarians and Canadians vulnerable because he is such an unpredictable figure?

FORD JR.: We have two choices, Siobhan (ph). We either roll back and let him take over our country, watch the steel sector bleed out, watch the auto sector bleed out, the auto part manufacturers bleed out, all the manufacturers bleed out. That's his game, but we aren't going to play his game.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: French President Emmanuel Macron is working to strengthen ties with Saudi Arabia. He welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Paris for a two-day visit. They agreed to build a $7 billion amusement park near Paris, financed by a Saudi investment group. Mr. Macron's office said they also plan to discuss regional issues, including coordination between France and its Gulf partners, and peace in the Middle East.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of President Trump's efforts to restrict mail-in voting. The Homeland Security Department and the U.S. Postal Service could soon get huge new roles in determining who can pop their ballots in the mail. CNN's Kristen Holmes reports from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The officials that I'm talking to say they view this as a win. Now there are a few complications that everyone is watching closely. One, if this is even going to be possible to implement before the midterms, there are a couple of sticking points here that have many people wondering if this can actually go into effect. Particularly when you look at the U.S. Postal Service part of this, there was actually a separate lower court decision that put a hold on this.

So, there's likely going to have to be more legal action that is brought before the U.S. Postal Service can actually hit the ground running. The other part of this is what exactly this looks like. There should be no mistaking, this is providing federal oversight into the election process, a process that has largely always been constitutionally given the rights to the states would now have this oversight component from Department of Homeland Security from the Postal Service, Department of Homeland Security, they are allowed to almost immediately begin compiling these lists of, "Eligible voters." Now, the other thing to look at here is this argument that the Supreme Court justices made when they wouldn't actually touch the legality of any of this, essentially saying that everything that had been presented was just hypothetical, and so, if it hadn't gone into effect, they hadn't actually started the process. There was no legal ground for these states to stand on because none of that had actually happened yet.

So, the other thing to keep a close eye on is if this does in fact get to the point where they're implementing it, particularly the Postal Service, for example, and then you start to see some of the effects of this. Then you're going to look at more legal action that's going to tie this up.

This could cause mass chaos in terms of what this actually looks like around the midterms. But legal experts that we're talking to say it's unlikely that this can go into effect before the midterms.

What I watch closely, though, is the White House pushing for that, and how they try to expedite this process? Well, we're hearing these legal experts saying, look, there's a lot of roadblocks here for this to actually be implemented before the midterms. That's something the White House wants to happen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: There is much more to come here on CNN NEWSROOM. The U.K. plans to grant Ukraine access to secret cruise missile technology. Still ahead, an update on what emerged during the prime minister's visit to Kyiv.

And crews are gaining ground against the massive wildfire near Reno, Nevada. We will have latest on their efforts and the tens of thousands of people still under evacuation orders. Back in just a moment.

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[02:23:34]

CHURCH: Paris is showing solidarity with Ukraine on its 35th Independence Day. Crowds gathered around the Eiffel Tower Monday night to watch as blue and yellow lights illuminated the landmark, many in attendance carried flags and flowers in support of the anniversary.

Meanwhile, in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine reportedly carried out a prisoner swap on Monday. Both sides traded 10 people each, according to Belarusian state media. CNN is unable to independently verify this exchange, but Belarus has hosted similar swaps in the past.

Ukraine is also marking its own independence by deepening its alliance with the coalition of the willing leaders, including the U.K. Prime Minister, gathered in Kyiv. Promising to boost Ukraine's air defenses and begin full-scale military exercises in October.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANDY BURNHAM, BRITISH PARLIAMENT MEMBER-ELECT: I am determined that we will work together to deliver the support you need, Mr. President, stronger than ever. That means not just air defense, but stopping Russia launching their missiles in the first place with sanctions that cut off their military supply chain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Andy Burnham co-chaired the meeting in Kyiv as part of his first overseas visit since taking office last month. While there, he also announced the U.K. is granting Ukraine access to classified Storm Shadow cruise missile technology. CNN's Nic Robertson reports on the deepening tensions between London and Moscow.

[02:25:16]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: This comes at a time, and we'll think back to the day, the 20th of July, not long ago, when Andy Burnham was stepping over the threshold in Downing Street, becoming prime minister. That was the day a Russian naval frigate in the English Channel fired warning shots near a pensioner couple who were sailing their yacht in the area. The very next day, the Russian ambassador to the U.K. withdrew from the country, and there's been a sort of a drumbeat coming from Russian officials warning Britain of consequences of supporting Ukraine.

And Burnham here, in his first overseas trip, remembering his first international leader to host in London was President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. Going to Ukraine to make very, very clear, he's not going to be intimidated by Putin. He sees the way to bring the war to an end in Ukraine, to put economic pressure and military pressure on Russia. Those missile components that he's giving the blueprints for-they're designed to have longer range, highly accurate cruise missiles that can bust through bunkers, tear through ammunition depots, pushing Russia effectively further away from the front lines in the war of Ukraine.

So, this is an effort combined with the Europeans, and that was the point of having this coalition of the willing conference call there while he was in Kyiv today as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The mayor of a town in Haiti says dozens of people have been killed in a gang raid near the capital Port-au-Prince. The violence happened in Kenscoff, a town that's seen frequent gang attacks over the past few years. The office of Haiti's prime minister condemned what it called a heinous attack, and said security forces were on high alert. But residents say they feel abandoned by the government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We live in humiliation. They have nothing for us. They do nothing for us. The blood of the population does not stop flowing in Kenscoff. The prime minister has to say something for the people in Kenscoff now. We cannot take it anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Firefighters are finally making progress against a massive wildfire burning near Reno, Nevada. While some evacuation orders have been lifted or downgraded, tens of thousands of residents are still being told to be ready to leave their homes. CNN's Josh Campbell has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Here in Reno, Nevada, authorities announcing significant progress in the so-called Hawk Fire, which has burned more than 15,000 acres, cost tens of thousands of people to have to evacuate. Authorities say that that went from zero percent containment now up to 27 percent containment, and that's because we've seen this Herculean effort by authorities here tackling the fire on the ground as well as from the air. This one area you can see behind me is indicative of that progress. Specifically, look at that red line that you can see running horizontal. That is from the fire retardant that has been laid along that area by aircraft coming in one after another. Some of those aircraft coming in even from the neighboring state of California in order to provide resources.

It appears that fire retardant did its job because you can see beyond that the black areas, and to be sure there is some cloud cover. But you can see those black areas known as burn scars that come right up to that area.

Now, what does that mean for residents, including the Somerset neighborhood behind me? Well, they've been allowed to return home. Again, there were tens of thousands of people that were urged to evacuate today. Authorities announced that the number in the serious zone has gone from about 43,000 down to about 23,000, so the number is going in the right direction. Take a listen here to an update officials gave on Monday.

RICHARD EDWARDS, CHIEF, TRUCKEE MEADOWS FIRE DISTRICT: To date, we've had four civilian injuries and three firefighter injuries, and our damage assessment teams made their way out into certain areas yesterday. The areas that they were able to canvass. They did discover 32 destroyed homes and six damaged homes, and we expect those numbers to increase as damage assessment teams are still out in the field assessing other areas right now.

CAMPBELL: Now we've been talking to a lot of people at shelters that were set up around the Reno area as people evacuated. Some of them going with only the clothes that they had on them, as authorities urged them to get out. Some people had their pets with them. Some people had their children with them.

Obviously, they were hoping for the good news that authorities presented today. Making progress, of course. People here are waiting. The wind conditions right now appear to be at a static level.

Officials hope that in the coming days they will see additional progress, and that this will end up going in that direction when more people can return home.

Josh Campbell, CNN, Reno, Nevada.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:30:00]

CHURCH: New video shows the moment a tornado tore through a village in southwestern France, injuring at least 26 people. Authorities say nearly 3,000 households lost power and hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed.

The tornado formed beneath a powerful supercell thunderstorm. France's National Weather Service had warned that severe storms could bring wind gusts of up to 120 kilometers or about 75 miles an hour.

There's much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom" including the story of several migrants deported by the U.S. to a country in Africa that's considered one of the world's poorest and most troubled places.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How are you all doing here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doing here? Like hell.

YEUNG: Like hell?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:35:22]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, for the first time in nearly half a century, the U.S. government has taken Syria off its list of state sponsors of terrorism. Syria landed on the list back in 1979, when the U.S. accused then-President Hafez al-Assad of backing terror groups.

The designation stayed, but put his son Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted by rebels two years ago. Getting off the list will help Syria reconnect to the global economic system, which would boost investment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AHMED AL-SHARAA, SYRIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Today, Syria is shaking off a dark burden and tearing out a painful chapter of its past to embark on a path of development, reconstruction, and rebuilding. Great people of Syria, you have done it again. The sanctions have been lifted and the restrictions removed. I ask God Almighty to help us serve you. I extend my deepest gratitude to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and to all the friendly and supportive nations that stood by us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The Trump administration is trying a new approach to raise the application fee for H-1B visas. Previously, the fee was roughly $3,000, but the newly proposed price tag sits at just over $103,000. Some 65,000 H-1B visas are available annually, offering foreign specialists with college degrees a renewable three-year residency. There's also an additional 20,000 visas reserved for those with advanced degrees.

But the Trump administration argues the program is overused and prevents companies from hiring Americans. This comes just months after a district judge voided President Trump's executive order seeking to impose a similar $100,000 fee.

Well, the Trump administration's immigration policy involves so-called third-country deportations, when migrants are sent from the U.S. to countries other than their own. Just months ago, ICE sent their first deportation flight to the Central African Republic, one of the most dangerous countries on Earth.

CNN's Isobel Yeung travelled there to investigate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was so scared. I was crying, and I said, I'm not going out.

YEUNG (voice-over): Asana (ph) thought she'd find safety in the U.S. She says she fled Turkey after facing death threats. But then she became one of thousands that the Trump administration has deported.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First, my hands and with my belly like this and my foot.

YEUNG: So they handcuffed you and shackled you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

YEUNG: And you still didn't know where you were going?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know where I'm going to. I said, where we are going, tell me. And he said, I don't know, maybe Central Africa. And I was in shock.

YEUNG: Have you ever heard of Central African Republic before?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

YEUNG: So we are here in Bangui, in the Central African Republic, trying to find out what happened with this ICE deportation flight that took place this summer, going from the U.S. to here. We know that this flight happened in the shadows of secrecy. As far as we know, no one apart from U.N. agencies has managed to meet with these migrants.

So we're here trying to track them down.

YEUNG (voice-over): 8:58 p.m. on June 11, 18 migrants from all over the world were brought to Alexandria Airport, Louisiana. They say they were handcuffed and shackled. Several claim they were severely beaten. Two of the migrants say they were forced into a full-body restraint, like the one seen here in a demo video. A U.S. official called the allegation a flat-out lie and denied anyone was beaten.

The maker of one such restraint said it's a last resort tool intended to promote safety and prevent escalation. Nearly 20 hours later, after a refueling stop, the plane touched down in Bangui, Central African Republic.

YEUNG: Maybe I can just start with, where are you from originally?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm from Georgia.

YEUNG: You're from Georgia?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Egypt.

YEUNG: Egypt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Afghanistan.

YEUNG: Afghanistan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Iraq.

YEUNG: Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jordan.

YEUNG: Jordan. So all different countries. How are you all doing here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doing here? Like hell.

YEUNG: Like hell?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. No internet. No electric. Too much mosquitoes. Everybody's had malaria.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The police detained us and then demanded money from us. Since that day, we have not left the building.

YEUNG (voice-over): The U.S. State Department warns people, do not travel here for risk of kidnapping and terrorism, and advises those who must to leave behind a DNA sample so they can be identified by their family.

[02:40:00]

YEUNG: A lot of the migrants have told us that they are terrified to be here, and you can understand why. I mean, this is a country where there's been an ongoing civil war that's still taking place. But even here in Bangui, there's very high rates of violence, very high rates of criminality, and very high rates of, you know, these armed groups operating here.

YEUNG (voice-over): I asked the police about the migrants' claims that they are part of the problem.

YEUNG: Some of the migrants here that I've spoken to say that when they go outside, the police stop them and ask them for cash and threaten them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, those police officers are checking who those people are. I don't believe they're asking them for money.

YEUNG (voice-over): Very little is known about what terms the CAR government agreed to with the U.S. But what we do know is that on May 18th, just one month before the first deportation flight, State Department diplomats traveled here to meet with the president. For the past decade, the U.S. has given just a few million dollars per year to the U.N. migration agency IOM's operations in CAR.

But this year, that figure shot up to $85 million. An additional $50 million was committed to the CAR Humanitarian Fund. We asked the IOM about the money they're receiving. They did not respond to our specific questions, but told us that IOM has a long-standing presence in the CAR and they're receiving funding from a range of donors.

But this is at a time when the Trump administration has been slashing billions of dollars in foreign assistance.

YEUNG: We have been trying to get a hold of any U.S. officials to talk about what's been happening and why and how they've sent these migrants here because they are ultimately the ones responsible. I mean the State Department have emailed back saying, as a policy, we do not discuss diplomatic negotiations or funding mechanisms and the U.S. embassy staff have not been replying to us, but we're going to try and knock on the door just to see if they answer.

So we just have some questions about the migrants that were brought here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All questions have to go through them. I'm not authorized to answer any questions.

YEUNG: Right. And is there is there anyone else we can contact at the U.S. embassy?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Bangui PD at state.gov, the email I gave.

YEUNG: You are just going to ignore us and pretend that email never came. All right, thank you.

YEUNG (voice-over): Eventually, the State Department did get back to us. They did not reply to any of our detailed questions but said the U.S. will use foreign assistance to support countries that help us achieve our immigration priorities. It's a tacit admission that the money is tied to the deportations.

The U.S. government does have a responsibility towards these migrants. Most of those we spoke to here have protection orders from American judges stopping the government from sending them to their home countries where they're likely to face persecution, torture or death.

Fidele Gouandjika is a special adviser to the CAR's president. He also hosts a local radio show.

YEUNG: As you know, nothing happens in this country without a little sweetener. It's a little bit difficult to believe that zero money was given by the U.S. to Central African Republic. I mean this is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, as you know.

FIDELE GOUANDJIKA, SPECIAL ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT OF CAR (through translator): I do not believe the government could be corrupt. I would not want to think for a single second that the Americans or Donald Trump are acting as corrupters.

YEUNG (voice-over): For Gouandjika, what's happened to these migrants is a sign of American cruelty.

YEUNG: When a powerful country like the U.S. comes knocking and asking for this help, is it difficult for a country like yours to refuse?

GOUANDJIKA (through translator): What saddens me about the United States, a superpower with all the resources, could keep these migrants there and they send them here to us instead. The United States is a superpower, but it is a power without a good heart.

YEUNG (voice-over): Perhaps most concerning of all are those who have nowhere left to run to, like this young pro-democracy activist from Iran who says she faced possible execution for partaking in protests. Initially, she was overjoyed when she arrived in the U.S.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was too much happy that America, one of the best country in the world, and I say it's OK, now I'm safe, and I can make one new life here. I know if I was in Iran, they are going to kill me.

YEUNG (voice-over): Earlier this year, Trump himself encouraged Iranians to keep protesting, promising help is on the way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every time I think they are going to protect me, but America not protect me. When they send me here, really I lose my hope again.

[02:45:00]

YEUNG (voice-over): Isobel Yeung, CNN, Central African Republic.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And our thanks to Isobel Yeung for that report. I should note that an extended version of her story will be available on CNN All Access beginning Tuesday.

Well, there's much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom." Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:50:12]

CHURCH: Emotions are running high in the trial of Duane Davis who's accused of ordering the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur.

On Monday, the jury heard an interview from 2017 where Davis was asked if he wanted to apologize to Shakur's family. Davis first said yes, but later said no, insisting he didn't do anything to the family. Shakur's sister could be seen glaring at Davis and tearing up before leaving the courtroom after the recording finished.

Well, there's much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom." We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, this is certainly something you don't hear about every day. Police are investigating a video of men crawling out of a manhole in New York. Now it happened right near Penn Station, the country's busiest transit hub.

And there have been similar videos around New York City just a few months ago in fact. Investigators believe people may have been hunting for anything of value that found its way into the sewer system.

I want to thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" with Polo Sandoval is next after a short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:58:57]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York. And ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," Iran says it's ready for new economic pressure that the U.S. is threatening. We'll have the latest on the Trump administration's escalating economic campaign.

And the trade dispute between the U.S. and Canada may be heating up again. We'll tell you why.

Plus, details on the British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham's trip to Ukraine and what Kyiv's allies are pledging as Russia steps up its attacks.

ANNOUNCER: Live from New York, this is "CNN Newsroom with Polo Sandoval."

SANDOVAL: Iran's leadership is firing back at the U.S. after the White House's so-called "Economic D-Day" against Tehran turned out to be a "warning shot for its trading partners." On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Secretary threatened new sanctions on countries refusing to cut economic ties with Tehran.

Iran's top negotiator dismissed the announcements as bluster and says that Washington is not in a position to limit Iran's economic relations.

[03:00:00]