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CNN International: "Like Hell": Deported From U.S. To One Of World's Most Dangerous Countries; Supreme Court Backs Trump Order To Curb Mail Ballots; U.S. Supreme Court Hands Trump A Win On Mail-In Voting. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired August 25, 2026 - 04:30   ET

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

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[04:30:33]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. The Trump administration's immigration policy, it involves so- called third-country deportations, which is when migrants are sent from the U.S. to countries other than their own.

Well, just months ago, ICE sent their first deportation flight to the Central African Republic, which is one of the most dangerous countries on earth. CNN's Isobel Yeung traveled there to investigate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Asena 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 UN agencies, has managed to meet with these migrants. So, we're here trying to track them down.

YEUNG (voiceover): At 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: Yes. No Internet, no electric, too much of mosquito. Everybody have malaria.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The police detained us and then demanded money from us. Since that day, we have not loft the building.

YEUNG (voiceover): 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. 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, there's armed groups operating here.

YEUNG (voiceover): 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 (voiceover): 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 UN 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 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 a knock on the door just to see if they answer.

[04:40:20]

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 PO at state.gov, the email I gave you. That's where you can find -- YEUNG: You are just going to ignore us and pretend that email never came? All right, thank you.

YEUNG (voiceover): 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 advisor 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 the Central African Republic. I mean, this is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, as you know.

FIDELE GOUANDJIKA, SPECIAL ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT OF CAR: I do not believe the government could be corrupt. I would not want to think for a single second that the Americans of Donald Trump are acting as corruptions.

YEUNG (voiceover): 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: 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 (voiceover): 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. America, one of the best country in the world, and I say it's okay now I'm safe, and I can make one new life here. I know if I was in Iran, they going to kill me.

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

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

YEUNG (voiceover): Isobel Yeung, CNN Central African Republic.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And our thanks to Isobel for that report. A quick note that an extended version of that story will be available on CNN All Access. You could stream it starting today.

And there is still much, much more ahead here on CNN Newsroom, including a dramatic day in the trial of Massachusetts mother Lindsay Clancy, who's accused of murdering her three young children.

After the break, the controversial testimony that prompted the defense to request a mistrial.

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[04:42:10]

SANDOVAL: Well, a little more than two months before the high-stakes midterm elections, the U.S. Supreme Court is giving Donald Trump an early win in his effort to restrict mail in voting. The court's conservative majority upheld part of the president's executive order from back in March that was challenged by states where Democrats are in charge. The order gives the Homeland Security department and the U.S. postal Service unprecedented new roles in the running of elections. DHS would have to compile state specific voter eligibility lists, and the U.S. Postal Service would impose new mandates on states that want to send ballots through the mail.

The President has long baselessly railed against mail in voting, calling it corrupt and fraudulent, even though he does it himself. And these are major challenges, these major changes, I should say. And it's unclear exactly how long they will actually take to implement, but it's clear that they are already injecting plenty of confusion and uncertainty into the voting process.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIE HONG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: The practicalities are big issue here. I mean, we have, what, 70 days between now and the midterms. It's going to be really difficult a for that rulemaking process that was just alluded to go through completion by the Postal Service and then for litigation to make its way through the courts in time for the midterm. So even though this is a big win for the Trump administration, I think it's unlikely that the full thrust of this executive order, if any of it gets implemented between now and November.

But certainly, the legal battle is not over. First of all, there could be challenges to that rule when, if and when the U.S. postal Service promulgates it. And then these cases can go back up the courts. If, in fact, the states can show there is harm, if the states can show that their functions being infringed on, if the states can show that people are being wrongly excluded from voting lists, then this can come back.

This is not necessarily the final word. The Supreme Court was explicit about that. But the Supreme Court said for now, the states have not been able to show the type of harm that's going to make us come in and pause this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: In Massachusetts, prosecutors began presenting their rebuttal case against Lindsay Clancy. She's the woman accused of killing her three children in 2023. But testimony from one of the prosecution's medical experts brought Monday's proceedings to a dramatic halt. CNN legal correspondent Jean Casarez explains.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN LEGAL CORRESPONDENT: On Monday afternoon, the defense, who has never asked for a mistrial, did just that on the record. Keith Redington said he didn't want to do it. He was debating, Lindsay's been through so much, but he said he had to. Here's the basis for that.

The expert witness psychologist on the stand, Kirk Heilbrun, testified that and it's part of the evidence that as she was killing her children, she said, "Go to God, baby. Go to God." And so, when he was talking with her and assessing her at the hospital, he asked her, you were raised Catholic and this was a serious suicide attempt. Do you realize that in the Catholic religion that is a mortal sin? Objection. That was in front of the jury.

[04:45:14]

And so, the judge denied the mistrial. But when the jury came back in after this argument, he instructed them, you disregard it. But this witness on the stand gave a different perspective. Now, he's a prosecution witness, but he testified that when Patrick came home that night, that Patrick said, what happened?

She's on the ground, but she was in and out of consciousness. The evidence has shown. But she said, I tried to commit suicide. He said that that's very odd because since she had an hallucination, evidence is showing 18 minutes. She would have said a voice was telling me to kill the children. I was being commanded to kill the children. And he thinks the other perspective here is that she wanted to commit suicide, but she didn't want to leave her children alone. It was a kind thing that she actually did, even though she knew right from wrong.

And he cited another example.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIRK HEILBRUN, PSYCHOLOGIST WHO EXAMINED LINDSAY CLANCY: If one of us were to learn, and we had no doubt in our mind that the Holocaust was coming tomorrow, and we thought that was going to be awful. And I can't -- I can't live through that. And so I'm going to take my own life.

If I had children, the question might come up. Do I take them with me? Do I take their lives as well? Now, I'm not saying that I would definitely do that, but what I'm saying is that it would come up as a possibility.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CASAREZ: This prosecution witness will continue testifying on Tuesday, and as was said in open court, it is believed closing arguments in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Lindsay Clancy will take place on Wednesday. In Plymouth, Massachusetts, I'm Jean Casarez for CNN.

SANDOVAL: And 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 the rapper's family.

Well, Davis first said yes, but later changed his mind, insisting that 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.

Firefighters are finally making some progress against a massive wildfire that's burning near Reno, Nevada. The Hawk fire is now 27 percent contained. It started on Saturday and has already burned more than 15,000 acres, destroying at least 32 home homes and injuring several people. While some evacuation orders have been lifted or downgraded, there are tens of thousands of residents who are still being told to be ready to leave their homes. Many have turned to some of these local shelters and are encouraging others to do the same.

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LAUNA BRINTON, EVACUEE: From what I understand, there's a couple people left at the apartment complex because they had no place to go, and I was telling another person that lives there, well, tell them to come to the convention center. I mean, I would not want to be in the line of fire.

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SANDOVAL: And there's still much more ahead here on CNN Newsroom, including some strong support for FIFA's struggling president. Why a player who was one of the world's best at one point is now backing his president.

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[04:52:36]

SANDOVAL: What recent weeks, it looked like Gianni Infantino. His days as FIFA's president were numbered due to his botched attempt to give private investors a stake in future football World Cups. Well, a plan that set off global outrage. But Infantino still has some strong supporters.

There's some questions now. And among them are Samuel Eto'o, who was once one of the best players in the world and now runs Cameroon's football federation. He spoke to World Sports Amanda Davis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SAMUEL ETO'O, AFRICAN FOOTBALL LEGEND, (voiceover): I don't think that

President Gianni Infantino was wrong. I think all these things are happening because of the timing. There's an election coming up where Gianni Infantino is standing. All of this has happened because there's an election coming up.

That's all there is.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORTS: We have the letter from UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC from August 10 saying, "Trust is broken through deception." When an individual places himself above the collective, about duty being abandoned. I mean, is that not your assessment?

ETO'O (voiceover): Listen, I don't want to make any comment on others' political positions, but I want to talk about actual fact.

DAVIES: But is this not, at this moment, an issue of whether or not the FIFA president Gianni Infantino crossed the line and whether or not he is putting football first or putting himself first?

ETO'O (voiceover): To what extent do you mean that the President is putting himself first? I need to understand what you mean by that. The President's job is to take football further, to make all of the nation's grow. That's the role of the president of FIFA.

And for each of the federations, their role is to develop football. I don't think at all. President Infantino wanted to put himself forward. He made a proposal.

The 211 members were supposed to sit down, debate the issue, and let the majority win. But I am convinced that the voices that were raised, those are not the voices of the majority.

DAVIES: But is the point here not the fact that this project was taken so far down the road that it wasn't up for discussion, it wasn't up for debate, and it wouldn't have been until it was almost too late.

[04:55:16]

ETO'O (voiceover): There was a need for debate. I would agree with that. We should have talked about the question, talked about whether it's a good thing or not. President Gianni Infantino has changed football.

He has given opportunities to nations that didn't have them to participate in the most beautiful of competitions, the World Cup. A Salud. The courage he had to withdraw this project, even though, for me personally, this project is not bad. It is even very good for the African nations because it would allow us, should allow us, if it went all the way through, to truly compete with the big nations.

DAVIES: So just to reiterate, you would like to see the FIFA Forward Enterprise revisited as a model.

ETO'O (voiceover): It's about majority rule. I think it's important that we should bring all the federations together to debate together. I remain convinced that for us as Africans, this project was something that could have been incredible. It should have reset the balance of power in football to ensure that our talent doesn't disappear and end up playing for other nations.

DAVIES: So your goal is to get this FIFA forward enterprise back on the agenda for a proper discussion.

ETO'O (voiceover): Our administration has its rules and it will bring a motion before FIFA to have this project reexamined.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And thank you so much for watching. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. Our coverage continues with CNN Headline Express in a moment.

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