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Erin Burnett Outfront

Police: 2 National Guardsmen Shot, Appeared To Be "Ambushed" Near White House; Trump Pushes To Keep Troops In D.C. And Deploy 500 More After Shooting; White House Facing Backlash Over Witkoff Coaching Russians In Leaked Call. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired November 26, 2025 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:26]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

Breaking news, a targeted attack. Two National Guardsmen shot in Washington, D.C., both now in critical condition. New video tonight from just moments after the brazen shooting.

Plus, a new emergency motion. The Trump administration asking a federal judge to keep the National Guard in D.C. following the shooting, a deployment that a judge just ruled is illegal.

And nothing to see here. The Kremlin is downplaying the shocking leaked transcript of a call that revealed Trump's own special envoy and longtime friend was coaching Russia on exactly how to strike a deal with Trump.

Let's go OUTFRONT.

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SCIUTTO: Good evening to you. I'm Jim Sciutto, in for Erin Burnett.

OUTFRONT tonight, breaking news -- ambush. New video just in of what officials are calling a targeted attack on two National Guardsmen deployed in Washington, D.C. You can see in this video here, police administering CPR to one of those guardsmen as he lays on the ground as the camera pans, you can see a second guardsman, also surrounded by police.

The shooting took place less than half a mile just north of the White House, as you see on the map there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFERY CARROLL, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT CHIEF, METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: At approximately 2:15 this afternoon, members of the D.C. National Guard were on high visibility patrols in the area of 17th and High Street Northwest, when a suspect came around the corner, raised his arm with a firearm and discharged at the National Guard members.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SCIUTTO: It's our understanding tonight that one of the guardsmen was hit in the head. Both are said to be in critical condition. Officials say the suspect is in custody, though not cooperating with authorities.

Shortly after this brazen attack, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the president is ordering 500 more National Guard troops to the nation's capital. That on top of more than 2,000 already deployed there. President Trump, who is in Florida for the holiday, also vowed that the gunman will, quote, pay a very steep price for the attack.

Our Brian Todd is live at the scene. Evan Perez, in D.C. with new reporting, Kristen Holmes traveling with the president in Florida.

Brian, I want to start with you. I wonder what you're hearing from eyewitnesses on the scene tonight.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. Jim, we did talk to one eyewitness a short time ago. A lady who said she heard the shots. She was nearby. She heard the shots being fired. She turned around and she saw several people administering CPR to one of the victims. She could not really make out which victim it was or who the person was who was getting treated, but that's what she saw.

And that was actually occurring just behind us here, over my right shoulder. Our photojournalist Albert Luton is going to kind of go in there. These are uniformed D.C. Metropolitan Police and Secret Service officers here. The shooting occurred just beyond where they are in the foreground. That's 17th and I Streets northwest. That is where, according to Jeff Carroll, the executive assistant police chief of Washington, that's where the shooting occurred. It's near the Farragut West Metro Station. According to Jeff Carroll, the gunman, quote, came around a corner, raised his firearm and discharged the weapon.

Law enforcement sources did tell CNN that the guardsmen did engage in gunfire with the suspect prior to being shot. So, there could have been kind of a chaotic scene there as the shooting was going back and forth. Some National Guardsmen then were able to subdue the alleged gunman. And then, according to at least one law enforcement source, the gunman was taken away on a stretcher.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has called this a targeted shooting. But as for a motive that is unclear right now. We asked that of Jeff Carroll, the executive assistant D.C. police chief, and Kash Patel, the FBI director and the mayor, as they were kind of walking away from a news conference. You know, I just said, any information that you can give us on a possible motive, they just kind of shook their heads and walked away.

We are told by a law enforcement source that the suspect is not cooperating with law enforcement at this hour, Jim. That is what we can tell you right now. They did move a, a tow truck in place there, but we were told that is just to provide some additional lighting for the shooting scene behind me.

SCIUTTO: Yeah, and it's early in the investigation. Often takes some time to determine a definitive motive.

Brian Todd on the scene, thank you.

Evan Perez is in Washington. I know, Evan, you've been speaking to law enforcement sources. What are they telling us about the investigation so far?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, it is early in this investigation, but one of the things that obviously is driving this is the fact that these were two federal agents or federal officers, rather.

[19:05:08]

These are federal officials. These are National Guardsmen here deployed by the president as part of that contingent that has been here for, for a few months now. And so that is why the FBI is very much involved. There are agents from their counterterrorism section. There are other agents here from the -- from the Washington field office who are all working this this, this investigation, as Brian pointed out, they don't yet have a motive for the suspect is not cooperating.

But if you consider the scene, right, the investigators have video some very good video of exactly how this happened. It happened just outside of the metro. The metro station there, just south of the park, Farragut Square.

And what the scene that it shows is a person who approaches these guardsmen who did not even see him coming and appears to raise the gun and fires immediately. And so, what that suggests, according to the investigators, is this was targeted. This was somebody who was perhaps searching, you know, for National Guardsmen or some other type of official to go after.

And so that's what is driving this investigation, certainly from the FBI standpoint. And we anticipate that we're going to learn more certainly in the coming hours, about exactly who they believe he is and what may have driven this this shooting today -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: Evan Perez, thanks so much.

My panel joins me now, including John Miller, long history himself in law enforcement Juliette Kayyem, Charles Ramsey.

We are getting, John miller, another clip of new video. This was shared on social media showing. And I'll let this play out for a bit here. What appears to be a struggle? You can see we've deliberately blurred out the body of what might be a victim there as well, but it does look like a struggle law enforcement on top of someone there trying to secure that person.

As Evan was saying, and as we reported earlier today, the suspect who is in custody is not cooperating with law enforcement.

John, as you're watching this play out, what do you see there? JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND SECURITY ANALYST: It

appears you've got a struggle to separate a suspect from one of the guardsmen. The victim there to get him in custody. You can see the broken glass at that bus shelter which was shot out during this exchange of gunfire. And on the far end of that bus stop, which you can't see in the current frame, it appears the other guardsman is down on the ground and being tended to by what appears to be a group of Secret Service uniform division officers who patrol that area as part of the outer perimeter of the White House.

SCIUTTO: There was some earlier reporting that one of the guardsmen was hit initially. In another, guardsmen attempted to get behind that bus stop to protect -- to protect himself. Let me ask you. Youve, of course, been talking to sources. I heard you hear as we went air, talking to sources. You have some new information about what's known about the suspect.

MILLER: So, the FBI believes they know the identity of the suspect. They are backtracking through all that information to make sure they have the right person. But the person they are focused on is a 29- year-old immigrant who lives in the state of Washington, and they're developing the when he came in and from where and the rest of that, as we speak. But I think as the night develops, we're going to hear some more of that.

SCIUTTO: Okay. Charles Ramsey, tell us what police at this stage will be focusing on, not just on this investigation, but I imagine on the security of other law enforcement in D.C., right? If you have there already describing this as a targeted killing, seemingly specifically targeting National Guardsmen, if I'm a National Guardsman in D.C. or a member of uniform law enforcement, I imagine I'm concerned about safety at this point.

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I mean, everyone will be on high alert, you know, and I don't know if it's clear whether or not obviously, its National Guard that was shot, but did he shoot because the National Guard or is that the first uniform he saw and shot? But clearly, he was targeting someone. In law enforcement or military, whatever it was.

But yeah, there's heightened alert. And not only in Washington, D.C. but remember, tomorrow, you've got Thanksgiving Day parades all around the country New York, Philly -- I mean, all over the place.

So anywhere you have any kind of gathering of people, those police agencies are going to be on high alert and perhaps even enhancing security around those kinds of things. I mean, that's what you typically do, even though one isn't really related to the other, you don't want to take any chances at all.

SCIUTTO: Juliette, a D.C. police official said the guardsmen performing what are known as high visibility patrols.

[19:10:03]

I live in D.C., I see the guardsmen as I drive to work every day. It strikes me. And it struck others that largely it's a physical, visible presence there. And there have been open questions in D.C. about their law enforcement role.

But when I asked this question, because when I see them, they seem to be quite casual, right? Standing around, talking to each other. Do we know anything about what their security posture was prior, and how they might have been communicated to about any potential risks?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Right. And that is the perfect question to ask at this stage. I was saying to someone earlier today, neither at peace nor at war. We have deployed the National Guard, the president has for a mission that even the National Guard does not know what it is.

How are you going to -- what are your metrics? What are your standard operating procedures? What are your rules of engagement? All of this is being litigated in the backdrop as we as we reported, the case of a court found it unconstitutional yesterday, the Trump administration is referencing this shooting today to appeal it.

But the problem of mission readiness does not get solved by more military. It gets solved by determining what's the mission. And I think one of the challenges that the National Guard has been having is that is that, you know, that that this has been politicized so much that they that the mission, the, the military mission, it's hard to define right now.

I hope the White House is begin to clearly delineate what the mission is to ensure that something like this could happen any time. We know that. But they're not on a base and they're not at war. They're on American streets, and we need to protect our National Guard when we deploy them.

SCIUTTO: No question.

Charles Ramsey, you, of course, led police departments in two cities, including Washington, D.C., the administrations immediate reaction tonight is to request 500 further National Guardsmen to be deployed.

If you were leading the police department in D.C. right now, would that be your first request? More National Guardsmen?

RAMSEY: No, no, it wouldn't be. And 500 additional guards are not going to do anything in terms of preventing what just happened. It wouldn't have stopped what happened. It's not going to prevent anything in the future.

You put National Guardsmen in a bad position. Now you've got them serving as law enforcement. That's not what they're trained to do. It's just not.

And it's a big difference in terms of the training. And I'm not trying to blame anybody, and certainly they're just doing what they're asked to do. But I mean, you've got to really stop and think about what it is that you're trying to accomplish. What is the mission?

I mean, I was in D.C. last week, and -- a bunch of National Guard there just standing around.

SCIUTTO: Yeah.

RAMSEY: I mean, you know, what is it that you really want them to do? And if it's a law enforcement role, what kind of training have you even provided to them?

Now, anything like this could happen to anybody. So I'm certainly not saying that they did anything because they didn't do anything wrong. But this guy just walk up and just he could have just shot anybody like that. But it just shows you the dangers that are present whenever you're in a role of -- law enforcement role.

I mean, cops deal with it on a regular basis, and we've got a wall in D.C. with 24,000 some odd names of officers who have been killed in the line of duty.

So, you put them in a bad position, especially if you didn't give them the training.

SCIUTTO: Yeah. And what their posture is, I see them quite casual every day as well.

RAMSEY: Right.

SCIUTTO: John Miller, you and I have talked many times about the way New York City is with a web of cameras watching every inch, particularly of downtown, particularly post-9/11. This is quite close to the White House.

I imagine police are going to have a pretty good visual record, perhaps even already of the lead up to this moment.

MILLER: I mean, there are few places on the planet earth that have more camera coverage than that. That zone around the White House, government buildings, bank buildings, private buildings. There's cameras everywhere.

Because the suspect was captured on the scene rather than seeing which way did he run? They're going to see. Which way did he walk from? They're going to reverse that process and take him as far backwards in that process to see. Did he come out of the Farragut train station? If he was on the train, they'll exploit those cameras.

Where did he get on? License plate readers? If his car made it to D.C.? Which of those did he take?

They will. Probably based on my experience, be able to document him backwards quite a ways to see, you know, the origins of his travels through the city that day.

SCIUTTO: And as you said at the top of the program, police do believe they've now identified the suspect. And were hoping for more details as we move forward.

John Miller, Juliette, Chief Ramsey, thanks so much to all of you. OUTFRONT next, our breaking news continues.

[19:15:00]

Next, we're going to speak to a witness who was actually walking towards those National Guardsmen when the shooting happened. What exactly did he see and hear?

Plus, how did someone leak the exact transcript from what was intended to be a private call between Trump's special envoy and an adviser to Vladimir Putin? The Kremlin says it has an idea.

And ICE arresting the mother of Karoline Leavitt's nephew, and she now faces the possibility of deportation. Her attorney is my guest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Breaking news, we have new information into CNN about the gunman responsible for shooting two National Guardsmen in D.C.

[19:20:03]

John Miller is back with me. John, you said the information will be coming quickly. And here it is. What do you know?

MILLER: Well, this individual appears to be from Washington state. It appears that he immigrated here into the United States in 2021 as part of the operation to bring Afghanis who had worked with or assisted the United States government over into this country, as Afghanistan was beginning to fall.

SCIUTTO: The special immigrant visa program, SIV program.

MILLER: Right, exactly. This was the allies welcome program. He applied for asylum under that program and was granted that asylum in April of this year. Although he's been here, it appears since 2021.

So that sets this in a -- in a place where the FBI is going to be looking at what was the vetting that was done prior to his arrival here, when he settled in Washington. What has his been what has been his activities here in the United States? What brought him to Washington? How long has he been there? But it's going to give them a better direction at this point as they try to get from who is this individual which they believe they've established to what is his motive.

Now, a number of motives could come up there. One could be that he was disenchanted in the United States, another could be that he was angry at the U.S. military or felt betrayed and came upon people in uniform when he traveled to Washington. Or it could be something altogether different.

SCIUTTO: In other words, you're saying that part of the question will be as to whether there was a vetting failure prior to his admission into this country. And again, early in the investigation, we have no information to indicate that you're saying that will at least be a question that they're asking.

MILLER: Yeah. And I mean, we know the vetting process was rushed. We know the vetting process was flawed. We know on the back of the vetting process that they identified a number of people who they then went to look for and do further investigation into.

We don't know if any of that is the case in this instance, but we now know a little bit of a richer picture about who they believe our suspect is and where he comes from.

SCIUTTO: Yes, and always with the proviso that this is early information.

John Miller, thanks so much.

OUTFRONT now, Ryaan Aqid, he was a witness to this shooting. He's been visiting D.C. for the holidays, and he joins us now.

First, Ryaan, it's good to have you on this must have been a very shocking thing for you to witness this evening. As I understand it, you were walking back to your hotel when you heard shots.

Tell us what you heard and what you saw.

RYAAN AQID, DC SHOOTING WITNESS: Yeah. Thank you for having me. I checked in maybe an hour before the shooting happened. I walked to potbelly just to grab a sandwich. And actually on the way there, I saw two National Guardsmen. I didn't connect the dots before because, you know, I didn't know that it was National Guardsmen who were shot.

But I remember crossing paths with them right outside Farragut. And then after getting my sandwich within, I would say 30 seconds of me leaving the place and walking to Farragut. I think I was right by Chase -- Chase Bank. I heard two shots. Then I heard four shots consecutively.

I wasn't exactly sure what was going on. I was a little scared. The people around me didn't seem, you know, they weren't really ducking, but it just seemed like they were trying to find a building to hide behind. And, you know, I hadn't seen the shooter from the from the vantage point that I was in.

It took me, you know, five to 10 minutes after the shooting actually happened and after I realized what was going on, to actually walk to the police officer. And then that's when I saw on the left side. I think there was a man pinned on his stomach. A couple police officers surrounding him, and then that's when I realized it was right in front of the hotel that I was in.

SCIUTTO: So you're saying you believe you walked by the National Guardsmen who were targeted right before the shooting?

AQID: I can't say if they were the two National Guardsmen that were shot or not, but I can say for certain, I did walk past two National Guardsmen right outside Farragut Square when we were crossing the crosswalk. SCIUTTO: Understood. And you say you did, in addition after the

shooting, in addition to seeing the guardsmen who were shot on the ground, you saw law enforcement struggling to get control of the person who you believe was the shooter. You saw that taking place

AQID: I think I heard about a lot of resistance, but by the time I got there, I -- it seemed to me that, you know, law enforcement had it under control. I saw police cars going left and right, even behind me. I saw helicopter above me. I saw, I would say, five or six ambulances within two to three minutes of the shooting. I didn't see any resistance personally, but you know, my impression was that, you know, the law enforcement handled it -- handled it well, and I felt -- I didn't feel too, you know, out of control at the moment.

[19:25:09]

SCIUTTO: How quickly between when you heard those first shots, did you see a law enforcement response?

AQID: I think I mean, I think within -- within a minute and a half of hearing the shooting, I saw a police car racing to the scene. And then I would say a couple seconds after that, I saw many more police cars.

I wouldn't say I heard, you know, the resistance, as soon as the shooting happened. I'm not sure how -- how long after the shots were fired was the guy, you know, restrained on the ground. But I would say it was fairly quick. I can't remember the exact details.

SCIUTTO: Listen, it's hard in the stress of the moment, Ryaan. We're glad that you're safe. We're sorry you had to witness this. And we appreciate you joining us this evening.

AQID: Thank you, sir.

SCIUTTO: OUTFRONT next -- OUTFRONT next, our breaking news continues. The Trump administration has made a last-minute move just tonight to try to keep the National Guard in D.C. after a judge had called that deployment illegal.

Plus, Russia is offering up an explanation as to exactly how a transcript of a cozy call between Trump's special envoy and the Kremlin was made public.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:30:33]

SCIUTTO: Breaking news, the Trump administration has filed an emergency motion to keep the National Guard deployed in D.C. This after two service members were shot in the nation's capital. A district judge ruled just days ago that the National Guards presence in the capitol is unlawful.

President Trump responded to today's incident on social media, saying in part, quote, "The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen will pay a very steep price. God bless our great National Guard and all of our military and law enforcement."

Kristen Holmes is OUTFRONT from West Palm Beach, near where the president is tonight.

And, Kristen, appears that the administration has a continuing legal fight on its hands over the National Guard deployment there, which they now want to expand. I imagine this is a legal fight the administration welcomes.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: They do welcome it. And now they think they have reasoning to back it up. I mean, they have always thought -- and this is from speaking to White House officials -- that they were in the right, that they could eventually win this case. But now, you're going to see them pointing to this shooting of essentially military members in the street point blank as proof that they need more military presence, more National Guard presence in Washington, D.C.

You heard Pete Hegseth saying, this is to ensure that the city stays beautiful and safe. And I spoke to a number of Bowser's administration officials, as well as various D.C. law enforcement, who said that they were expecting this to happen. They expected that President Trump would use this basically as a -- the next step in bringing more National Guard to Washington, D.C. So something to keep in mind there.

But I can tell you, Jim, I mean, the White House is watching this incredibly closely. They are not only just watching the logistics of what happened, trying to figure out who the suspect was, but they're looking at motive. Was there motive directly politically related to what happened?

We know that having the National Guard in D.C. and in various other large cities has become somewhat of a political flashpoint. In addition to that, was there any reasoning or was it part of the motive to have this shooting occur so close to the White House?

Of course, President Trump is not there, and President Trump is well protected. But this was this some kind of symbolism.

And you're really seeing what the White House's concerns are and what they're doing reflected in this whole of administration response. They have been very careful and brought in really the top guns on all of this to try and make sure that their response is solid and locked up, because they are all very invested in what happened on the streets of D.C. today.

SCIUTTO: Kristen Holmes, thanks so much.

OUTFRONT now, Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia of California. He's the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee.

Congressman, thanks so much for taking time this evening.

REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): Sure thing. Thank you.

SCIUTTO: First of all, let me ask you your reaction to seeing a shooting tonight. Two guardsmen in critical condition shot in the nation's capital on the eve of Thanksgiving.

GARCIA: Obviously, it's horrifying just to see the images, but also just having obviously known and knowing a lot of guardsmen in the National Guard, not just in D.C., but here, back home, the incredible service to our country and to community should always be at the forefront when we're thinking about the work that they do.

And at the same time, you have two of them now in critical condition right before the holidays. So, it's horrific. I'm glad that we're making progress in this case. And to understand actually what happened here.

I imagine in the days ahead there will be a lot of information coming out of law enforcement and the FBI, and certainly, Congress will be fully briefed as to motive. Why? Why in that location and a little bit more, of course, about this person that committed this horrific act.

And so, it's our prayers and of course, completely thinking about the families and the entire guard family.

SCIUTTO: Your district is located within Los Angeles County. Like D.C., we should note there is a National Guard presence there. Do you believe that members of the National Guard who are deployed should be concerned for their safety? This evening, following an attack such as this, which, of course, law enforcement is saying was targeted?

GARCIA: Look, I think that any member of the military National Guard, any member of law enforcement, is always concerned for their safety and should be. The folks that are serving are doing so because they believe in their country and their community. And so that's something that they are well trained on. But no one should have to fear for their life in the way that this happened.

[19:35:02]

And this type of attempt, not just to harm and kill, but also clearly to make some type of statement. And I think that is something that obviously the guard and those that are on the ground, not just back here at home, but in D.C., are clearly monitoring. I think it's also important at this moment is that we get all of the facts. There is a lot of information coming out.

Obviously, we know that information travels fast. People need to wait for the authorities, understand what is happening. I think the mayor is going to be an important and key player in reassuring the city to ensure that people are safe. I think right now, of course, in talking to folks in Washington, everyone right now is thinking about just the condition of the two guardsmen.

SCIUTTO: No question.

Let me ask you this because as you heard us reporting, Trump is now asking for 500 more National Guard troops in D.C. this even after a federal judge determined that the existing deployment is illegal. You know, the national battle that's taking place, including in the state of California, over the president's decision to deploy troops such as these.

Do you believe deployments like this and an expansion of the one in D.C. right now is helpful? Do you think that makes the cities safer?

GARCIA: Look, I'm not sure that expanding another 500 troops is the right call. I think that's something that we also need to assess.

Look, I think the first person you need to ask that question to is the mayor and local authorities, because at the end of the day, National Guard should be brought in to assist states. In this case, the district to assist mayors when they believe there needs to be additional support on top of local law enforcement and police that are on the ground.

And so, at the end of the day, those are decisions that should be made by local law enforcement that are on the ground at local and state level. And so, for the president to order additional National Guard, whether it's in D.C. or in other states, without that input and discussion, I don't think is the right approach.

And so, I think in this case, there's still a lot of information that we need to gather and understand. Is this the only person that was involved or are there other others? And so I think before a full assessment can be made, that local authority input, really understanding what the danger is of D.C. at the moment. But look, I think that generally speaking, just calling in National Guard without that input, I think is not the right approach.

SCIUTTO: Congressman Robert Garcia, thanks so much for joining us tonight. We do wish you and your family a happy Thanksgiving.

Also tonight, the White House is facing growing backlash against Trump envoy and longtime Trump friend Steve Witkoff after the bombshell report of a leaked phone call, which showed Witkoff coaching the kremlin on exactly how to curry favor with Donald Trump. The Kremlin spokesperson responded today saying, quote, "There is nothing so terrible there."

But the call is raising major concerns about Witkoff's motivations ahead of his visit to Russia next week.

OUTFRONT now, Gabrielius Landsbergis, former foreign minister of Lithuania, of course, a key ally of Ukraine, member of NATO, key ally of the U.S.

Thanks so much for joining this evening.

GABRIELIUS LANDSBERGIS, FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER OF LITHUANIA: Thank you for having me.

SCIUTTO: First, a very basic question. You've been foreign minister. You've had a lot of sensitive phone calls. I'm sure in your time, conversations with both allies and adversaries.

Would you ever have such a phone call on your phone, on WhatsApp? In effect, an unsecured line on such a sensitive topic? LANDSBERGIS: Well. Definitely not with Russians. We've been advised a

number of times ever since, probably 2014, I remember the first time that we've been advised not to bring any phones, any personal phones, any personal electronics on our travels to Russia. Back then, I was a member of European Parliament working on the E.U., Russia report and was supposed to travel to Moscow, and there was no idea, you know, that that anybody would suggest that, you know, talking or using any, any personal devices with Russians.

Everything is being recorded. Everything is being taped. And as they say, will probably be used against you.

SCIUTTO: How about the content of the phone call? Here, the envoy of the U.S. president advising a key Russian official on how to, it seems, move. The president even advised him to call -- advised Putin to call President Trump before Trump met Zelenskyy in quite a key meeting in Washington.

Did you hear in that conversation in this transcript, a U.S. envoy seemingly on Russia's side to some degree?

LANDSBERGIS: Well, you know, it's not a big surprise that Russians are trying to find you know, whoever would be listening to them, whoever would be amicable to their to their goals. And if they find a person that they would consider, you know, their friend, quote/unquote, they will -- they will use that immediately.

[19:40:02]

That has, you know, that has happened in the past. It's not the first time.

The main goal for Russians is to present, to be able to legitimize basically what is nominally their plan, their idea, the way that they see security in Europe, the way that they would like to see Ukraine going forward as not theirs. Right. So, this is their big win. This is what they're trying to achieve here. And you know, and probably they thought that they are getting their way.

Now, it's very important to push back on this because the plan that Russians presented in no way guarantees peace as sustainable, fair peace that President Trump has promised to Ukrainians and everybody who voted for him.

SCIUTTO: Understood. But let me ask you this. Let's set aside Russia's intentions here. Did you hear from Witkoff, either wittingly or unwittingly, pushing an agenda in these peace talks that favors Russia over Ukraine? You're an eastern facing country. It's the Baltic states that are quite concerned about Russia's intentions going forward. Did you hear the words of an ally in the U.S. that's backing your interests, backing Ukraine's interests or Russia's?

LANDSBERGIS: Well, I mean, it's probably the biggest prize that Russians could get. Is that the western country, a major western country they adversary basically, you know, for the decades of, of Cold War and after would legitimize their plans their idea of, you know, of conquering independent countries. I truly hope that this -- this is not going to happen.

And I can tell you, you know, it's not a big secret that there are a lot of, you know, nervousness in Europe, a lot of nervousness in eastern flank because if that plan were to be legitimized, if that would become a new modus operandi that is accepted by the world, you know. So, you know, the only question that would be remaining, who is next on Russia's agenda? You know, where Putin's aggression would turn further?

You know, if he believed that there is a green light for him, you know, would he go for NATO country? Would he -- would he try to continue in Ukraine or choose another country? So, we have to stop him there, you know, and Ukrainians are doing a great service to the free world to, you know, to everybody who is who is worried about Russia's ambitions and actually not just Russians, right?

So, there are other countries that would probably like to follow Russia's suit.

SCIUTTO: No question. I heard quite similar for years when I was in Latvia. Of course, your neighbor, just a couple of weeks ago that we are next, they often say.

Former foreign minister, thanks so much for joining us tonight.

LANDSBERGIS: Thank you so much.

SCIUTTO: OUTFRONT next, ICE has arrested the mother of Karoline Leavitt's nephew. DHS claims she was in the country illegally. Her attorney disputes that. And he joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:47:05]

SCIUTTO: Tonight, a woman with a close tie to the White House has been arrested by ICE. The mother of Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's nephew is now facing deportation. Bruna Caroline Ferreira was arrested earlier this month while driving to pick up her son, whose father is Leavitt's brother Michael. Homeland security says Ferreira, a Brazilian native, was in the country illegally and overstayed a tourist visa that expired in 1999. Her attorney says she was a DACA recipient and in the process of becoming a U.S. citizen.

Ferreira's attorney, Todd Pomerleau, is OUTFRONT now.

First, tell us about this arrest. Arrested on November 12th near Boston. How did it play out?

TODD POMERLEAU, ATTORNEY FOR DETAINED MOTHER OF KAROLINE LEAVITT'S NEPHEW: How it played out is like many other days, it was around noontime, she was leaving her home to go pick up her son, Michael. He lives in southern New Hampshire, about 35 miles away from where Bruna lives. And she's being characterized as somebody who never sees her son. She sees him regularly. He's lived with her. So, she lives in an apartment complex. So, when she walked out of her home, at first, she thought it was a traffic stop because a vehicle pulled up, and then she was surrounded by three or four unmarked vehicles, and people got out of the cars with masks over their faces.

SCIUTTO: That's the standard operating procedure. We've heard so many stories. Do you believe her arrest was entirely random?

POMERLEAU: No.

SCIUTTO: Tell me why.

POMERLEAU: Because she was surrounded by four unmarked vehicles, clearly from ICE. She watches the news. She sees people with masks over their faces. And that's how immigration and customs enforcement rolls these days. But what was strange about it is when they approached her, they asked her for her driver's license. So, at first, it was kind of like, why are you asking me for my driver's license? This doesn't appear to be a traffic stop.

Then they asked her if she had her license. She said it was in her purse. Then they asked her if she was Bruna, and she said, why are you asking me that? Then they immediately arrested her. They took her to a police station in the Boston suburbs, and they took her to New Hampshire. Then they took her to Vermont, and now she's sitting in Louisiana.

SCIUTTO: So, you're raising questions about why she in particular, beyond her immigration status, was targeted for arrest?

POMERLEAU: Yeah. The arrest violates the Constitution. We see this daily with this administration as people are approached. To asking, show me your papers, I'll show you the Fifth Amendment. We have a right to remain silent on U.S. soil, regardless of our status.

Yet, she was she appears to have been targeted. She was surrounded. This is a person who owns two businesses. She has an 11-year-old son.

Yes. She had a relationship with Karoline Leavitt's brother. And it didn't work out. They were engaged for a while. They had a child together. They thought they were going to get married.

She has no problems with Leavitt family. She literally picked Karoline to be the godmother of Michael Jr. over her own sister.

SCIUTTO: Tell me about her immigration status. She entered the country in 1999.

POMERLEAU: Correct?

SCIUTTO: Under what circumstances and what followed?

POMERLEAU: So, she came here at six years old on a tourist visa, which is a lawful entry into the country. And under the immigration laws, you can't violate that. Yes, the government is claiming she violated the visa, but a six-year-old isn't responsible for breaking the law. A six-year-old such as her would only be responsible for being in a visa violation status six months after her 18th birthday. By then, she already had DACA, which is a lawful process.

[19:50:02]

But DACA doesn't lead to a green card. And now she's in the middle of applying for her green card, which she's been waiting for, for 27 years. And then she gets sandbagged by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It's taken from her child right before Thanksgiving.

And just be thankful that Immigration and Customs Enforcement doesn't ruin your family's holidays, because that's what has happened to her. It's unconscionable. It's deplorable.

We need a justification for this abuse of power, and we're going to get an answer when we go to federal court.

SCIUTTO: She's being detained in an ICE facility in Louisiana. This is, again, standard operating procedure to take them in effect, from a place like Massachusetts to a state where they might get a more friendly, legal treatment here.

You just spoke to her. What is she saying?

POMERLEAU: She's crying. You know, she wants her son. This is a hardworking woman. She's been here living the American dream. She's living in a draconian nightmare. Now, she's locked up in a jail cell thousands of miles away from her family.

It's very difficult to even access an attorney. She said the women in the facility are far worse off than her. And they're praying together. She just cares deeply about Michael.

She wants to be in his life as she's always been. She's being treated like some kind of castaway. They're acting like she doesn't care about her son, that she's not part of their life.

She's part of the Leavitt family's lives. You know, you have to be. I mean, Thanksgiving. A lot of people have divorced parents still got to get their get together around the holidays. And that's what she's been doing for years.

She regularly sees her son. Yes, he does live with the father right now. And she told me that she wants him to have his dad time. He's an 11 11-year-old boy. He's going through puberty.

He needs to have his father in his life, just like he needs to have his mother in his life. And they should all be together for this holiday. And unfortunately, she's sitting in a jail cell in a for- profit prison on taxpayer dime.

SCIUTTO: In a different state.

Todd Pomerleau, thanks so much for sharing her story.

POMERLEAU: I appreciate it. Thank you so much for having us.

SCIUTTO: Coming up next, a special report on what might become the future of travel in this country. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:56:24]

SCIUTTO: And finally tonight, the future of how we could get to Thanksgiving dinner.

One startup in Virginia is on the cusp of revolutionizing travel, pushing ahead with flying taxis, taxis that don't need a full runway. And I spent the day up close with the team that could bring air travel to your backyard.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO (voice-over): What if you had a plane that could take off and land in a space not much bigger than your backyard? I got to see for myself.

SCIUTTO: Wow, that was quick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's pretty fast.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): This is Electra's ultra short, meant to compete in the new flying car craze that is a relatively cheap to operate aircraft that can get you from pretty much anywhere on the map to pretty much anywhere else.

MARC ALLEN, CEO, ELECTRA: And we can save them half the time, right? I mean, half the time you spend in a commercial airplane, or on the road or in a train, this will get you there twice as fast.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): How does it work? The science is pretty crazy. It's eight electric motors don't just move the plane forward. They generate their own airflow over the wings, which in the physics of flight then generates their own lift for the aircraft.

ALLEN: You experience something very few people have experienced. The airplane is going super slow. The wing thinks it's going super fast because we're just accelerating all of this air over it, and then some really unique design structures just rises right up. So the wing just lifts the airplane up at about 150 feet of ground.

SCIUTTO: You create your own lift.

ALLEN: You create your own lift. And then you just fly on that lift like an airplane.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Because the plane creates its own lift. We took off at just about 30 miles an hour, about the speed of a racing bicycle, something of a nod to the bicycle building Wright Brothers, who invented the worlds very first flying machine.

From the air, you get the feeling of floating, sort of like taking a ride on a drone.

(CROSSTALK)

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Plus, it's a hybrid with turbo generator, charging batteries that run the prop, sort of like a flying Prius. And less fuel means a lower cost per mile than helicopters and many flying cars. The idea of the Ultra Short is to solve another problem with flying cars. While they can take a passenger or two, the Ultra Short can take multiple passengers and cargo and go as much as ten times as far about 250 miles.

Electra already has more than 2,000 planes ordered, mostly from airlines and the U.S. military, with even the ambition to replace the military's workhorse transport helicopter, the Black Hawk.

ALLEN: A lot of military applications because the military has the same problem we all have, they need to go from where they are to where they want to go and imagine a bombed out runway. How do you get an airplane in with fuel, with munitions, supplies, food, spares? You can't. And if you're in the ocean you can't take a helicopter hundreds of miles.

This airplane flies like an airplane arrives like a helicopter. That bombed out runway, no problem.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): The $10 million price tag for the larger commercial model means most of us can never dream of owning one. But for the military, airlines and other transport companies, perhaps a new taxi for the skies.

ALLEN: That's the idea of direct aviation.

SCIUTTO: Right.

ALLEN: That's the new era of air travel

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: And we have a special Thanksgiving morning tomorrow here on CNN. Join us for live coverage of the biggest parades across the country. My colleagues, John Berman, Erica Hill and Sara Sidner are live starting at 8:00 a.m.

Thanks so much to all of you for joining us.

"AC360" starts right now.