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CNN This Morning
Erik Menendez Denied Parole, Brother Lyle's Hearing Today; Judge: No New Detainees Can Go to 'Alligator Alcatraz'; NFL Fans Debate Male Cheerleaders on Vikings Cheer Squad. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired August 22, 2025 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: To be the world's oldest living person turned 116 on Thursday.
[06:00:06]
Ethel Caterham celebrating the milestone with her family in Surrey, England. She has three granddaughters, five great-grandchildren.
Caterham was born in 1909, the second youngest of eight children, according to Guinness World Records. She has said one of the keys to long life is making friends through a hobby you love.
Maybe it could be karaoke.
Thanks so much for joining us here on EARLY START this Friday morning. I'm Erica Hill in New York. Have a great day and a great weekend. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: A federal judge orders the Trump administration to stop sending migrants to Alligator Alcatraz. But the battle may not be over.
CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are being held at Alligator Alcatraz in horrifying conditions.
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CORNISH: So, could a new ruling spell the end for the marshy MAGA detention camp?
And parole denied. Erik Menendez ordered back to prison. Will his brother, Lyle, suffer the same fate later today?
President Trump's photo op with the National Guard in D.C. What he told them about surging troops to other U.S. cities.
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LAURA LOOMER, INFLUENCER: To the hostile takeover of the Republican Party.
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CORNISH: She has the ear of the president. Now far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer wants to, in her own words, "make McCarthy great again."
And male cheerleaders in the NFL. Two of them made the squad for the Minnesota Vikings. But not all the fans are in step.
An iconic symbol of pancakes and country-fried steak is no more. Why some people are losing it over the new Cracker Barrel logo.
It is 6 a.m. here on the East Coast. Here is a live look, a gorgeous look at the Capitol. President Trump was seen out in D.C. last night. We're going to talk about that more in a few minutes.
But first, good morning. It's Friday, August 22. I want to thank you for being here. I'm Audie Cornish, and here's where we begin.
In just hours, Lyle Menendez will go before a California parole board in hopes of freedom. His brother Erik asked for the same thing yesterday but was denied.
Both were convicted of murdering their parents in Beverly Hills in 1989. They've been locked up ever since. And this week, they hoped that would change. The D.A. is not sounding sympathetic.
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NATHAN HOCHMAN, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: They had a preplanned alibi to see "Batman: The Movie" and actually tried to buy tickets after the murders to prove their alibi.
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CORNISH: If both brothers end up being denied parole, the focus shifts to California Governor Gavin Newsom. He's separately considering a clemency request.
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GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: There are a lot of other people in prison that don't get any attention, that don't even get in front of the parole board, that don't have advocates, that don't have Kim Kardashian making phone calls. And so, it's, you know, it's trying to balance all that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: OK. So that's why we're going to bring in CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams.
Elliot, good morning.
ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Good morning. CORNISH: So, we care about this case, because it was one of the most
consequential in the public consciousness back in the -- the pre-kind of cable news era, just before O.J. Simpson. And it was eye-opening for people who were watching cases on TV.
WILLIAMS: Right.
CORNISH: What's interesting about why it's come back now?
WILLIAMS: Well, because of this push for clemency for these individuals. Many, many years have passed. It's been since 1989. And I think, because of questions of, No. 1, serious allegations of sexual abuse that happened in the household, the Menendez brothers have become more sympathetic figures. No. 1.
No. 2, pop culture has picked them up in the form of --
CORNISH: Yes.
WILLIAMS: -- documentaries and specials.
CORNISH: And the wider culture cares about assault --
WILLIAMS: Assault.
CORNISH: -- or abuse issues in a very different way.
WILLIAMS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and all of the above. And finally, the Internet. People have picked up the story, and it's become popular on TikTok and so on.
And so, in a way, you know, coupling with this world of 24-hour news that started in the 1990s, right as this was taking off, and the passage of time, I just think there's been more focus on this case.
CORNISH: There's also the clemency --
WILLIAMS: Yes.
CORNISH: -- aspect of it, right? Where now, all of a sudden -- maybe under the Trump administration, we've all seen clemency in very different circumstances.
Now, you see Newsom trying to say, Look, well, wait a second. I don't think I need to weigh in on this.
What do you read in how this is being talked about?
WILLIAMS: Right. So, this -- clemency can be offered to anybody for the acceptance of the responsibility of their crime, the passage of time, or just society saying, Look, we don't believe that you should have gotten this punishment that you had gotten.
I think what Gavin Newsom is teasing here is that this is -- was a vicious killing. Setting aside all of the allegations of what might have happened to the Menendez children -- boys, you know -- CORNISH: Yes.
WILLIAMS: -- in their household, was a vicious killing. No. 1.
No. 2, the spending and lifestyle that they -- that they engaged in with the money that they got from their parents afterward.
[06:05:03]
CORNISH: But it's almost relitigating for the public --
WILLIAMS: Yes.
CORNISH: -- all the factors that put them there in the first place.
WILLIAMS: All of that. Yes.
CORNISH: All right. You guys -- first, Elliot, stick around, because there are actually more legal things that we're going to talk about today.
Another big story. Florida's Alligator Alcatraz, that temporary migrant detention center, being ordered to essentially shut down.
So, there was a ruling issued last night where a federal judge said no new detainees can be brought to the site in the Florida Everglades. And the order finds the center was built in violation of federal environmental laws.
Now, everything brought in to support the project -- We're talking fences, generators, sewage equipment -- that's all got to go. And the judge acknowledged the order basically makes the site unusable as a detention center, within the next 60 days.
The state of Florida says they're going to appeal the ruling. And the governor's office said in a statement to CNN, quote, "The deportations will continue until morale improves."
Joining me now in the group chat, Jackie Kucinich, CNN political analyst and Washington bureau chief for "The Boston Globe"; Rob Bluey, president and executive editor of "The Daily Signal"; and Antjuan Seawright, Democratic strategist.
Jackie, can I start with you? Just -- this was kind of a -- a victory for DeSantis, for Trump to get this thing up and running. So quickly. Is this a setback?
JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It seems to be. We'll see how the legal challenge plays out.
But listen, it's not only -- this has also been copied -- right? -- around the country. Different situation in terms of where they are. But the Cornhusker Clink, wasn't that the one this week? And I think there's another one --
CORNISH: Yes. KUCINICH: -- that has similar alliterative.
But the fact that this has spawned others. This isn't isolated just to Florida.
CORNISH: Yes.
KUCINICH: So, what -- what implications will this have? And this is a unique situation because of where it is. It's in the Everglades.
CORNISH: It's an environmental coastline.
KUCINICH: Exactly.
CORNISH: Yes.
KUCINICH: But -- but that also will be interesting to watch in terms of the humanitarian concerns having to do with this.
CORNISH: Yes. For activists, is this much of a win? It's an environmental thing, not some principle of the conditions for the detainees.
WILLIAMS: I think for activists, it is a win because of the fact that the public doesn't quite know that it was a rather technical decision based on the permitting process for setting up Alligator Alcatraz that actually led to the judge's ruling here.
People will hear this and think, Oh, the immigration fight. Clearly, Donald Trump has lost this. And, you know, this is a moral victory.
CORNISH: Yes.
WILLIAMS: You know, again, that's muddying what the issue -- the issue is here there was no environmental review done of the land prior to building Alligator Alcatraz, which in any government contract or any government building, you know, is a necessary step in the process.
CORNISH: OK.
WILLIAMS: So, again, it's a technical process ruling. Not --
CORNISH: So, we got a legal answer. We got a moral answer. I'm coming to you guys for the political answer, because there was money in the Big Beautiful Bill to build more temporary detention centers, these pop-up centers.
I think a lot of governors think it's fun and sexy to have a clever name and make sure it sounds foreboding, which --
ANTJUAN SEAWRIGHT, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Absolutely.
CORNISH: -- which this one effectively did. But politically, how much longer can you push in this direction?
ROB BLUEY, PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "THE DAILY SIGNAL": Well, you've heard the border czar, Tom Homan, talk ever since January about how they needed more resources. And that's one of the reasons --
CORNISH: And they got it. Just so we're clear.
BLUEY: That's one of the reasons why they pushed so hard to get the one big --
CORNISH: Yes. Yes, they got all that money.
BLUEY One Big, Beautiful Bill. Yes. So that will -- I have no doubt that President Trump is going to make sure that immigration remains the front and center of priority of his administration, even if there are setbacks like this, as Elliot knows.
I mean, Trump is moving so quickly. He's -- in -- in many of these cases that the courts are playing catch-up. And I think that that's maybe what you see in this particular situation.
Of course, it will have to go through appeal, but I don't think that Trump and the governors in the states, and certainly, those Republican members of Congress, are going to take their foot off the gas. They know that deportation is a high priority for their base.
CORNISH: And there's money on the table. Why leave it there? Right? If you're a governor, you can get some of that to build something in your state.
SEAWRIGHT: Well, what's true is these Republican governors always will fall in line with the MAGA extremist agenda. And immigration was the reason why candidate Trump was elected in 2016. And part of the reason why he was reelected in 2024.
So, it's a red-meat right-wing issue for the base. So, this just feeds the base.
I think the activists and those who believe are on the right side of history should take a win with a win, but I have zero confidence, as we get further up the legal system, because Trump ideally controls the courts.
And so, if we get to a Supreme Court scenario, which I'm sure DeSantis will push for, then I think that, at the end of the day, it will work out the way the extremists want it to.
Because even in my home state of South Carolina, where I don't think immigration is such an issue in the same way that other states may view it, we've even had our governor insist that he's going to want to build a facility.
CORNISH: OK, group chat, stick with me. We've got a lot more to talk about this hour.
Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, redistricting moves ahead in California. How the voters could get the final say.
Plus, Cracker Barrel's new logo. Is it a simple rebrand or something more? And over the rainbow. A crosswalk honoring mass shooting victims is
suddenly removed.
[06:10:12]
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PATTY SHEEHAN, ORLANDO CITY COMMISSIONER: It's just ham-fisted. It's authoritarian, and it's wrong.
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CORNISH: It's 15 minutes past the hour, and here is your morning round-up.
President Trump was out in D.C. with federal officers as his administration's so-called takeover of the city enters its second week. The White House claims hundreds have been arrested since the start of the operation.
[06:15:09]
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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're not playing games. We're going to make it safe, and we're going to then go on to other places. But we're going to stay here for a while.
J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: We hope that people see what we're doing in Washington, D.C., and follow our example all across the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: President Trump also says he will expand his takeover to other high-crime cities.
California Democrats passed a trio of bills on its congressional maps, backed by Governor Gavin Newsom. It will ask voters in November in a special election to replace the state's current maps with new ones. The goal is to net Democrats five U.S. House seats.
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NEWSOM: We'll be the first state in U.S. history to, in the most democratic way, submit to the people of our state the ability to determine their own maps. That simply has not been done.
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CORNISH: Meanwhile, in Texas, the state Senate will reconvene this morning. It adjourned last night without voting on the Republican redistricting bill. And in Orlando, this rainbow sidewalk was a symbol of LGBT pride and remembrance. And it has been removed. City crews took away that rainbow crosswalk near the Pulse nightclub site that was in honor of the attack there.
Forty-nine lives were lost in that 2016 mass shooting.
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SHEEHAN: And this met all the criteria. Now they're trying to say, Well, we changed the criteria. No, you don't get to arbitrarily change the criteria. There's a process. We were denied our process to appeal the removal of this. And it's just -- it's just ham-fisted. It's authoritarian, and it's wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: The Florida Department of Transportation said in a statement that cities must comply to federal mandates, not allowing crosswalk markings and pavement surface art associating with, quote, "social, political, or ideological messages."
And Cracker Barrel changing its look for the first time in nearly 50 years. The new design drops the iconic man and barrel, keeping the familiar yellow and brown scheme.
Cracker Barrel says the update reflects a fresh chapter for the brand. Critics are calling it "woke." Others say it's just modern.
And after the break on CNN THIS MORNING, some football fans fired up. But not about the players. Male cheerleaders causing a stir. But why now?
Plus, she was Prince's "Purple Rain" costar. Why she's now suing the late singer's estate.
And good morning to a much calmer Virginia Beach this morning. Hurricane Era [SIC] -- Erin, now a Category 1, having passed to the North.
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[06:22:03]
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The confident style, athleticism, and passion for dance that it takes to be on the Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders.
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CORNISH: OK, by now you've probably heard all the reaction to those male cheerleaders on the Minnesota Vikings cheer squad. They're challenging stereotypes about who can dance, with those gravity defying flips, and who can't.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know what it feels like to feel that somebody doesn't support you for simply doing something that you enjoy. And so, it's been really a pleasure to be on a team that has multiple boys where we can fall back on each other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Some fans, however, are expressing some outrage. They include a senator and former college coach.
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SEN. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-AL): I would like to ask the ownership of the NFL and the commissioner, what the hell are you doing? If you're going to be woke, and you're going to try to -- to de- -- you know, take the men out of men's sports, then you're going to have a huge problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: The cheerleaders, unbothered by the backlash, posting on Instagram, "Wait, did someone say our name?"
Joining me now, former NFL player R.K. Russell and author of "The Yard Between Us."
R.K., thanks so much for being with us this morning.
R.K. RUSSELL, FORMER NFL PLAYER: Of course. Thank you for having me.
CORNISH: So, one thing about this backlash that has been wild is just the sheer number of male cheerleaders who are already on multiple teams.
So, we came up with a graphic here. They include my own home state, the Patriots. You got New Orleans on here, San Francisco I mean, this is a lot of teams.
Why do you think this particular video and these particular cheerleaders became some sort of problem for people?
RUSSELL: Yes. I mean, let's be clear. Male cheerleading is not new. It's not new to sports. It's not new to football. It's definitely not new to the NFL. We've had male cheerleaders for some time now. We've had male cheerleaders perform in games as big as the Super Bowl.
What the issue here particularly is we are in a time now in this country, with this current administration, where representation is the problem.
Backlash is not happening because they're male cheerleaders here. Backlash is happening, because people feel as though their idea of masculinity isn't being represented, that the idea of what it means to be a man is being expanded in a way that they don't feel comfortable.
And sports, like Christian nationalism and like many things in our country, is being weaponized against people who do not conform to -- to the standards of what it means to be a, quote, unquote, "man" in this day and age.
CORNISH: At the same time, like, it's football. And that's sort of how I think of how football culture is. I know that you've been an advocate for LGBTQ inclusion in sports. You've been recognized for that.
But I don't know what that has been like, even before. Never mind now, in this moment, when people are reasserting their ideas of masculinity.
[06:25:09]
RUSSELL: Yes, it's been a tough road. I think as an athlete, especially at the height of -- of -- of your game and in the biggest stage in the world, there's a lot of pressure on you.
But I want to say for me, being the first NFL player to come out as bisexual back in 2019, the challenge has always been so much deeper than the NFL, the locker rooms, and even than my teammates.
The challenge is what we teach young people when they're first coming up in sport. There are so many, few queer athletes in the United States today in the male leagues, anyway, the male professional leagues. There's currently no out players at the professional level.
And it's not something where queer players get to college or get to the pros and then decide to drop out. No, it's something where we are teaching young people and young queer people, and especially our young boys, that to be an athlete, you have to be a certain type of boy. You have to be a certain type of man.
And if you do not fit that narrative, if you do not fit that expectation, then you don't belong here. And that's just not true.
The pressure to be masculine, to present a certain type of way, goes so much further beyond than the pressure to just be good and talented and hardworking and dedicated to your sport.
CORNISH: Can I run a thesis by you? Which is that I feel like maybe people were fine with cheerleaders, male cheerleaders, lifting people up, being strong.
And there was something about seeing them dancing that hit the ear of, say, Tuberville, who we heard earlier, the wrong way.
RUSSELL: Definitely. I think you're spot on. I think when -- when a male cheerleader still fits in that category of being strong and being big and being muscular, I think that is still OK. That that does not rub up against what -- what the -- the -- I want to say standard, but really narrow tradition of what a man is.
But when you see men dancing and flipping and being -- being athletic and agile in that way, that all of a sudden, doesn't fit right. I mean, we can look at the sports landscape in our country now to this
day. And the sports that are most praised as the most -- the toughest, the most violent, the most -- the most masculine are those where brute force, where strength, where even violence and aggression are king.
We don't really champion our ice skating, and our acrobatics, and our gymnastics, and our synchronized swimmers and these things as much as we champion these -- these more "gritty," quote, unquote, violent, aggressive sports.
And we see that not just through sports, but we see that through our culture, as well.
CORNISH: OK, former NFL player R.K. Russell, thank you for your time.
RUSSELL: Thank you. Thank you for having me.
CORNISH: Straight ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, we return to the case of the Menendez brothers. The first, Erik, denied parole. Later today, Lyle will also meet up with that parole board.
We're also going to talk about Laura Loomer being called the Joseph McCarthy of the Trump era. And frankly, she's fine with that.
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