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Troops in D.C. Start Carrying Weapons Two Weeks After Taking Over Police; DHS Secretary Noem Says, Abrego Garcia Being Processed for Deportation; Officials Say, At Least 20 People Killed, Including Several Journalists, in Israeli Attack on Gaza Hospital. Aired 10- 10:30a ET

Aired August 25, 2025 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:00]

PAM BONDI, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, any moment, President Trump is expected to sign an executive order over cashless bail as he looks to expand his crime crackdown to other cities.

And more breaking news, back in ICE custody and being processed for deportation, Kilmar Abrego Garcia surrenders to immigration officials just days after he was released from a facility in Tennessee. The latest in his legal fight.

Plus, wildfires, forcing evacuations in California and Oregon, how rising temperatures are fueling the flames there.

And you U.S. Open meltdown, why a former champion unleashed his frustration with his racket.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Pamela Brown. Wolf Blitzer is off this morning, and you are in The Situation Room.

And at any moment, President Trump is due to sign a controversial executive order in the Oval Office. It aims to eliminate cashless bail for suspects under arrest in Washington, D.C., and other cities. It's all part of the president's crackdown on crime and the nation's capital. He's trying to expand that crackdown.

Also new this morning, National Guard troops patrolling Washington Streets. They are now carrying weapons. This is an escalation of President Trump's military deployment there.

And the President says Chicago is likely the next city to see National Guard troops mobilized. Two officials tell CNN the Trump administration has been planning for weeks to deploy National Guard troops there, and the president says, other Democrat-run cities could follow despite historic drops in crime.

And we are following all the latest developments. CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House, Whitney Wild is in Chicago, and Zachary Cohen is right here in Washington. Alayna, first to you. What are you learning about the President's plans for Chicago?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. Look, I mean, I think it's clear, Pamela, that President Donald Trump and his team here have been kind of reveling in what they've seen with the federal surge of law enforcement officials here in Washington, D.C. And we've heard the president in the past argue that he wants a potentially D.C. to serve as a model for other cities, namely Democratic cities across the country to try and crack down on crime. But now we're actually learning that they are making plans to do so. And he did say on Friday that Chicago was next on his list to send National Guard troops and make, you know, other federal law enforcement officials kind of present on the ground.

I actually pressed him about this, Pamela, on Friday in the Oval Office and specifically if his team is taking concrete steps to do so. Take a listen to what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: You said Chicago might be next. Are you making -- have there been concrete steps that the administration is taking to do that? Or what are other cities as well?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I haven't spoken to him. He's grossly incompetent. I haven't spoken to the mayor. When we're ready, we'll go in and we'll straighten out Chicago, just like we did D.C.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, Pamela, what he said there, and he was, of course, taking the opportunity to criticize Chicago's mayor, Brandon Johnson, calling him incompetent, but he said they are not yet taking concrete steps to do so.

What I'm hearing from my conversations with people here at the White House is they have been making plans, as we reported, for weeks to potentially send troops to Chicago but they're still working through some of the dynamics of that. And so this idea of concrete steps they are arguing haven't really been taken yet, but those plans are being worked on.

All to say, he's also looking at several other cities that they might want to do this, right? He's mentioned Los Angeles, he's mentioned New York City. We saw him kind of trade barbs back and forth with Maryland's governor, Wes Moore, over Baltimore.

And so I think if anything, we're going to see this administration ramp up. This strategy, not do anything to rein it in.

BROWN: All right. Alayna Treene from the White House this morning, thanks so much.

And over in Illinois, the state's attorney general says he will file a legal challenge if President Trump deploys National Guard troops there. Chicago police are reporting a significant drop in homicides and shootings compared to this time last year. Officials in Illinois say, mobilizing National Guard troops amounts to an abuse of presidential power.

[10:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON (D-CHICAGO, IL): What he is proposing at this point would be the most flagrant violation of our Constitution in the 21st century. The city of Chicago does not need a military occupation.

KWAME RAOUL, ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL: It's another step towards authoritarianism that he's operating as a dictator. Turning the military against these American citizens in in cities on American land is unprecedented and it's unheard o.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: CNN Law Enforcement Correspondent Whitney Wild is in Chicago with the very latest. Whitney?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Pamela, the question here is whether or not this deployment is going to look like Washington, D.C., where the dynamics are very different, where, you know, the federal relationship with the city is very different, or is this deployment going to look more like Los Angeles? And the early read is that this deployment will look more like Los Angeles. As we know, that deployment has been challenged by Governor Gavin Newsom. There is not yet a court ruling on that.

And so the question here is whether or not these surrounding states, so Republican governors, say Missouri, say Indiana, if they want to send in their National Guards into Illinois, which would be a non- consenting state, if that would be legal. So, that's a big question that leaders are asking here.

They are firing back aggressively, Pamela. I think the sentiment here is that there is shock, but not surprise. Attorney General Pam Bondi made very clear that areas with the so-called sanctuary city laws, which limit local law enforcement's ability to work with federal law enforcement to enact these immigration policies, to enforce these immigration policies. She had said plainly they were going to be a target for the National Guard.

So, again, I think there's, there's some shock here that it's going to happen, but they are not at all surprised. At this point, the leaders here are in lockstep, they are all vehemently opposed to this. They plan to fight this in court, Pamela. Governor J.B. Pritzker saying plainly that there is no emergency that warrants this. Attorney General -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul says that he is watching the case in California very closely. You will expect, and certainly we expect a very swift legal action here once they have a better sense of what this deployment is actually going to look like.

Leaders here are saying that they have not yet spoken with their -- you know, with anybody in the federal government to get a sense of when this is going to happen, how many troops are going to be deployed. We are reporting this out. We also don't know when it's going to happen, how many boots on the ground we will actually see here in Chicago. So, those are some of the major questions.

Pamela, finally, I'll leave you with. This we've reached out to the Pentagon. There is no comment out of the Pentagon yet. And then, really, finally, I'll leave you with this, you know, final piece of information that lo leaders here are really leaning on, which is that they believe that Chicago represents a success story in bringing down crime. There have been double digit drops in many major categories, almost all of the major crime categories, including shootings and homicides. Pam?

BROWN: All right. Whitney Wild, thanks so much.

And in Washington, commuters arriving for work, kids going to school this morning, well, they are seeing National Guard troops now carrying weapons. The directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth marks a policy shift. The Pentagon had earlier said that National Guard members could be armed if the circumstances warrant it.

So, let's go live now to CNN Senior National Security Reporter Zachary Cohen. Is there any indication, Zach, that the circumstances warranted this move?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Pam. I think it's really notable that this order came directly from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, rather than the secretary of the Army or any of the commanders in the D.C. National Guard. And Hegseth is somebody who has been really leaning into the optics of this National Guard deployment in recent days. We saw him joined the vice president at Union Station for that photo op with Guardsman at Shake Shack.

But, look, ultimately, there's no indication at this time that their mission has changed, or that a change in their mission has prompted this decision to have them carry their weapons. In fact, that's incredibly important to note because, as of now, they're simply playing a support role in this federal crackdown on crime in D.C. We've seen a slow escalation though of this mission in the days since it started. We obviously now have about 2,000 troops from other states who have been deployed to D.C. to help as part of this.

And I want to note too, it's not -- it appears it's not just sidearms that these troops are carrying. One of our CNN reporters witnessed National Guard troops carrying long guns or rifles at a popular dining spot here in D.C. just last night.

So, it'll be interesting to see how this -- if this continues to escalate from this point forward and how it may be is replicated in other cities around the country.

BROWN: Yes, we're watching that closely. Zachary Cohen, thanks so much.

And breaking news, Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been taken into immigration and customs enforcement custody again and is now being processed for deportation. As you may recall, he made national headlines this year when he was unlawfully deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration.

[10:10:03]

Well, now, Abrego Garcia, who faces human smuggling charges, could be sent to Uganda as soon as this week pending his trial in January. He spoke right outside the Baltimore ICE facility in Spanish just before turning himself in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Regardless of what happens here today --

KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA, MARYLAND MAN UNLAWFULLY DEPORTED TO EL SALVADOR: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- in my eyes, checking, promise me this.

GARCIA: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Promise me that you will continue to pray, continue to fight, resist and love, not just for me, but for everybody. Continue to demand freedom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Let's go live now to CNN's Priscilla Alvarez in Baltimore. Priscilla, what are you learning about Abrego Garcia's fate?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is still very much uncertain, Pamela. But to give you a sense of what unfolded this morning within really the span of an hour, we saw Abrego Garcia here. He spoke to the crowd, as you just played there. And then he went up the steps embracing his wife as he was entering the building, looking up to the sky multiple times. And then once they were in the building, embracing again before he went through security with his attorney, went to the elevator banks and then up to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for his mandatory check-in.

Well, only 45 minutes or so after entering that building, his attorney departed and told the crowd that he had been taken into immigration custody.

That was the expectation going into today. Trump administration officials have repeatedly said that if he were to be released from criminal custody, he would be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The questions remain, however, where will he be detained, will it only be here in Baltimore or will he be moved, which does happen often with detainees. But perhaps the biggest question is where will he be deported? The Trump administration had offered a plea deal that if he were to plead to federal charges, he would carry out his criminal sentence here in the United States and then be deported to Costa Rica. If not the Trump administration said he would be sent to Uganda.

Well, according to the person familiar with the case, he is not accepting that plea deal. So, it's still unclear where exactly he'd be deported. But this is what his attorney had to say about the approach the Trump administration is taking to this question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON SANDOVAL-MOSHENBERG, ATTORNEY FOR KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA: The fact that they're holding, you know, Costa Rica as a carrot and using Uganda as a stick to try to coerce him to plead guilty to a crime is such clear evidence that they're weaponizing the immigration system in a manner that is completely unconstitutional.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: Now, Uganda is the latest example of the Trump administration using far-flung countries to deport some individuals from the United States. The attorney had also gone on to say that they are filing and have filed a new lawsuit to contest Abrego Garcia's detainment, and deportation. So, we'll see how that case similarly unfolds here in Maryland.

But, again, it is just the latest and what has already been a dramatic legal saga with still open-ended questions as to what the fate of Abrego Garcia will ultimately be and where he'll ultimately be deported. But, certainly, his attorneys maintaining that the way that the Trump administration has approached this case from the very beginning has been one of retaliation, and one in which they have not followed the processes as they have been dictated.

And on that front, Pam, I will also note that a federal judge earlier this summer said that the attorneys have to provide at least a 72-hour notice of where Abrego Garcia will be deported so that they can have the opportunity to contest it. So, there is a process that is set to unfold here, but how exactly it happens, well, that remains to be seen.

BROWN: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, thanks so much.

And new this morning, new video shows the chaotic scene at a hospital in Southern Gaza after an Israeli strike.

Let's go live now to CNN Correspondent Paula Hancocks and Abu Dhabi. Paula, are we learning anything about why this hospital, where there were journalists, that's targeted?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, the information we have at this point is that there was a double strike on this Nasr hospital in Southern Gaza. We understand that there were just a few minutes in between both of those strikes. So, after the first strike where we understand a Reuters camera and a Reuters cameraman was targeted, or at least was killed.

We see footage of a number of emergency workers, rescue workers and also journalists rushing to the scene. Now, we see one individual holding up the camera to show what has been targeted. We then see a body bag being taken down the stairs by rescue crews.

Now, just minutes later, we see, once again, a strike impacting those who were working to retrieve casualties, just a destroyed staircase on the outside of the building.

[10:15:12]

It's also an area, we understand, where journalists had live shots, where they were overlooking at an elevation of Khan Younis.

Now, we have asked the IDF about this particular double strike. They say that they do not target journalists per se. We do know that at least four journalists were killed in this particular incident. They also say they are starting an initial inquiry as soon as possible, but they did carry out an attack, a strike in the vicinity of the Nasr hospital.

Now, this is coming under condemnation from journalist protection groups. We also know at least four emergency workers were killed in this incident as well. At least 20 in all have been killed. Now, it is chilling footage showing those coming to help the first casualties also becoming casualties themselves. Pamela?

BROWN: All right. I want to ask you about something else too, Israel launched these strikes on Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen yesterday. Tell us more about that attack.

HANCOCKS: So, this did happen in the early hours, and we understand that it targeted a military site near the presidential palace compound. The first time we understand, or at least one of the first that that has been impacted. Also two power plants, a fuel storage site were impacted.

We're hearing from Israel the reason that this is a significant response from them is that there was a new type of missile that the Houthis had fired towards Israel, that it did have submunitions in the warhead itself, kind of like a cluster bomb, so that it was designed to have a greater impact when it hit the ground or when it hit its target, so, potentially, a far more deadly weapon that had been fired against Israel.

Now, we heard from Houthi-run television, four people were killed in the Yemeni capital in Sanaa and about 67 were wounded. So, this is an ongoing issue that we are seeing between the Houthis and Israel. The Houthis say they will stop when there is a ceasefire in Gaza. Pamela?

BROWN: All right. Paula Hancocks, thanks so much.

And happening now, thousands are under evacuation orders as dangerous wildfires expand across the west in California's wine country. The Picket Fire is burning right there near Napa, with only 11 percent containment. And then you go further north, the Flat Fire is tearing through Central Oregon.

So, let's go live now to CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar. Allison, these fires are being driven in large part by a sweltering heat wave. Is there any relief in sight?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: There is, but, unfortunately, Pam, not until the very end of the upcoming week. So, we still have several more days to really get through these incredibly hot temperatures, and that's not really going to help, especially with scenes like this that you see in California, because those extreme temperatures make it very difficult for a lot of the firefighters that are out there battling these blazes, and not just in California, but also here in Oregon as well. Take a look at some of the imagery behind me, this coming in from Oregon. Again, you can see the flames in the background, the bright pink and red colors into the sky from those sunrises and sunsets because of the proximity of those wildfires.

Again, both of them are relatively large fires, but the Oregon one, 0 percent contain. The Picket Fire in California, not much better, but at least they've got some containment, at least getting a grip on those fires.

The one thing to note too is that for a lot of these areas, it's not the typical place you'd see the heat. Look, we expect the desert southwest to be a very hot place. You don't really think of extreme heat in Oregon or into portions of the Pacific Northwest, like in Seattle, for example. But a lot of these areas are looking at those temperatures, 10, even 15 degrees above where they normally would be this time of year.

Now, I will point out, you'll see here we've got some moisture showing up on the radar. And while this is absolutely fantastic news, I want to caution because most of this is not actually going to reach the surface. It's going to evaporate. Now, some of it will, and we hope that it does, especially near the area where the fire is located, so that will kind of help some folks out.

But the other concern is that this, these could be dry thunderstorms, meaning that you don't get the benefit of the rain, but you unfortunately get the additional threat of lightning, which could spark some new fires on top of what they're already trying to battle.

BROWN: Yes, that's unfortunate.

Allison Chinchar, thank you so much.

And coming up right here in The Situation Room, SpaceX success, thousands of pounds of supplies are now on board the International Space Station. More on the mission just ahead.

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[10:20:00]

BROWN: Breaking news, Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody again and is now being processed for deportation. That's according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The Maryland man who had entered the U.S. illegally was unlawfully deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration this year, making national headlines. Well, now, Abrego Garcia, who faces human smuggling charges, could be sent to Uganda soon as this week.

Joining us now to discuss his former Southern District of New York prosecutor Mimi Rocah. Hi, Mimi. Good to see you.

There has been so much legal back and forth over Abrego Garcia. Can you just explain how we got to this point today in which he could be deported again?

[10:25:03]

MIMI ROCAH, FORMER WESTCHESTER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Yes, great to see you, Pamela. So, as you said, definitely a lot of back and forth. The latest sort of twist in all this and how we got here today is that a judge ordered that he be released from custody after he was first wrongly deported, then he was brought back. He faced criminal charges at that point, which, you know, was the reverse order of how things usually happen. Usually, it's charges and then deportation. Here, it was deportation, come back, face charges. And now a judge said that he could be released under those charges.

But while he's facing those charges, he now basically was offered a plea deal where he could plead guilty and sort of voluntarily deport to a certain location, or not plead guilty and be deported to a different, less desirable location. And that's sort of where things stood today when he went to report for his immigration proceeding and, according to his attorney, was detained again and presumably will now likely face another deportation.

BROWN: Why should the average person care about this case?

ROCAH: That's a great question. I think it comes down to whatever people's views of Abrego Garcia. I mean, he is now facing criminal charges and those will either be proven or not proven in terms of his membership and participation in a gang. But the issue here is that even the worst criminals in our country, even people charged with the most heinous crimes, have something called due process, which sounds really abstract, but it's something that protects every one of us. No matter your background, your race, where you're from, it guarantees that you receive fair process. It's just about fairness. And Mr. Abrego Garcia, at least initially, did not.

The whole system here has been sort of inverted, where he was deported first, as I said, and then facing charges, and now is still being targeted in a way that seems more disproportionate to sort of his individual case. It seems like the government is really focused on getting rid of this in a way and making him go away because it's created a headache for them. So, again, you know, I think it just -- it comes down to do we want fairness for everybody in this country when it comes to the criminal justice system.

And I think the answer to that has to be yes, given how our system is designed and that's why we should care what happens to Mr. Abrego Garcia. BROWN: And legal scholars say, look, even though he is in the U.S. illegally, he still gets due process rights. Not maybe the same as a U.S. citizen, but he still has rights, per the Supreme Court.

So, do you feel like his rights, in your view, we're still being violated? I mean, I know you said early on, but right now in this process, what do you think?

ROCAH: Well, I think, look, he has lawyers who are bringing claims about selective prosecution, which is a, you know, technical, legal term, as you know, where they will either be able to convince a judge. I think they have -- it's a hard claim to bring, but it is -- there are a lot of facts there for them to argue that he is being targeted in a way that is disproportionate and unfair and unequal to sort of his conduct. And the reasons behind that, you know, may or may not come out, may be revealed through that process, but that will be litigated in court.

The other question is whether it's fair for them to say, if you plead guilty, you know, we'll deport you to this place that isn't so bad, but if you don't plead guilty, you're going to go to a worse place. Again, a judge will be the one to decide when and if the time comes that he does plead guilty or that he is sentenced after a trial or is acquitted. A judge will say whether or not that is coercive in a way that is illegal.

So, I certainly think if you look at this case as a whole, there is a lot of unfairness here that should concern us deeply and there's a lot that will be litigated in the courts.

BROWN: I just want to follow up on what you mentioned, that the administration offered to deport Abrego Garcia per his lawyers to Costa Rica instead of Uganda in exchange for his guilty plea.

[10:30:01]

This is what his lawyer is saying is a carrot and Uganda is the stick, he says. How common is this sort of plea deal in cases like this?