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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Trump Wants National Guard Unit Trained for "Public Order"; Trump Says He Spoke to Putin Again; Outrage After Deadly Israeli Strikes on Nasser Hospital; S. Korean President Meets with Trump; Judge Blocks Abrego Garcia Deportation for Now. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired August 25, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. And you're watching
"The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, South Korea's leader, heaps praise on President Donald Trump at the White House telling him he is the only person who can
improve ties with the north. A judge orders Kilmar Abrego Garcia to remain in the United States as he challenges a potential deportation now to
Uganda. We're going to hear from his legal team. And a Medvedev meltdown at the U.S. Open. Rage and repercussions after a photographer prompted a
racked smashing response.
First, President Trump says he looks forward to meeting again with North Korea's Kim Jong Un this as New South Korean President Lee Jae Myung
visited the White House. The U.S. president also said he would like to own the land in South Korea, where the U.S. currently has military bases.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: They'll lease us land. There's a big difference between giving and leasing. And maybe one of the things I'd like
to do is ask them to give us ownership of the land where we have the big fort. You know, we spent a lot of money building a fort and there was a
contribution made by South Korea, but I would like to see if we could get rid of the lease and get ownership of the land while we have a massive
military base.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: He wants South Korean land. Nearly 30,000 U.S. troops are currently stationed in South Korea, as many U.S. troops are around the
world, they don't tend to own the land there. Mike Valerio is live in Seoul. Mike, I wonder how South Korean public politicians are responding to
the U.S. president saying he wants its ally, the U.S. ally to give the U.S. some of its territory.
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, I think that, first of all, Seoul here, that is one of the least of their concerns, and I say that only
because of how this summit started, just about an hour and a half before South Korea's president, Lee Jay Myung, made his way into the Oval Office.
There was a post on Truth Social where the U.S. president wrote that South Korea perhaps had a purge or a revolution going on. And then, he said in
the Oval Office meeting that that was a misunderstanding.
So, based on that, moving past that, the South Korean public pretty much hasn't had a chance to respond to the fact that the U.S. president, Donald
Trump, is saying, you know what, I want this land. That's something that can be saved for discussion for another day. They're just breathing very
much a sigh of relief. This was not a Zelenskyy 1.0 visit to the Oval Office or a Ramaphosa visit when it was a Trump ambush that certainly
throughout the script. So, that was an idea thrown out by President Trump.
And also, what was on the menu of discussion was whether or not the number of U.S. troops here on the Korean peninsula are going to be reduced. Right
now, 28,500 is the approximate number, but there's discussion within the Pentagon, discussions within the political quarters here in Seoul about
whether or not there's going to be a certain number of troops, Jim, that are moved to other military bases around the region as the U.S. tries to
change its positioning, shift some troops to be better able to respond to China should there be any provocation towards Taiwan in the near future.
That did not come up. So, that is another discussion that will be held for another day.
North Korea though, was certainly an item that was both leaders singing from the same hymnal, so to speak, with the South Korean president, Lee Jae
Myung, saying, hey, you know, I pretty much want you to build Trump Tower, a Trump golf course in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. So, I can go
there, golf there, and we can start things anew with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un.
For what it's worth, the North has rejected all diplomatic overtures, but both of these presidents have a strong initiative to get back to the
negotiating table, unfinished business with Kim Jong Un as far as President Trump is concerned, and this president here in South Korea wants to make
his mark as a president of reconciliation between North and South Korea.
[18:05:00]
So, it was raised, we heard from a press briefing a couple minutes ago, whether or not Kim Jong Un could possibly be invited to APAC, the Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, that's happening October 31st and November 1st. Could you imagine that, Jim? A Blockbuster summit potentially
with Xi Jinping, Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un, and President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea, all meeting in the southern part of this great country coming
together to forge a new agreement in terms of economic trade deal with China and some new chapter when it comes to nuclear negotiations with North
Korea.
So, certainly stay tuned. That was something that was raised during this meeting. But I can tell you, certainly a huge sigh of relief that that post
on Truth Social early in the morning, D.C. time, did not derail this summit, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Well, I'm sure a relief there. Mike Valerio, thanks so much. A major signal today from President Trump that he plans to expand the
military's role in domestic law enforcement across the U.S. In addition to here in the Capitol Washington, he signed an executive order directing the
defense secretary to create specialized National Guard units, which will, quote, "be trained" to ensure public safety and order in the nation's
capital. Those units will also be trained to quote, "assist in quelling civil disturbances nationwide."
The president left the door open to sending troops to Democrat-led cities such as Chicago. The governor of Illinois made it clear exactly how he
feels about that prospect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JB PRITZKER (D-IL): This is not about fighting crime. This is about Donald Trump searching for any justification to deploy the military in a
blue city, in a blue state, to try and intimidate his political rivals. Find a family who's enjoying today sitting on their front porch and ask if
they want their neighborhoods turned into a war zone by a wannabe dictator. Mr. President, do not come to Chicago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: CNN's Brian Todd joins me now. He's outside Union Station here in D.C. where a number of those troops have been stationed. Can you explain to
us, Brian, exactly what National Guard troops are doing in terms of law enforcement, or is it largely a visible show of force?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, we do have new reporting on what they'll be doing regarding law enforcement. First, I'm going to show you
the first visuals that we have of our reporting that the National Guardsmen are now carrying firearms in the City of Washington.
Just over my right shoulder, our photojournalist, Jay McMichael (ph), is going to zoom in on these two National Guardsmen. They're from Louisiana.
You can see on their right-hand sides, they're carrying pistols. Now, according to a joint task force spokesperson, some of the guardsmen are
carrying M4 long rifles, but the majority of them are going to be carrying M17 pistols like the ones that you see here. These gentlemen here from the
Louisiana National Guard.
Now, according to that joint task force spokesperson the Guardsman will only be using their firearms for, quote, "personal protection," meaning
self-defense. They will not be using them for policing. But the president, as you mentioned in your intro, Jim, did sign an executive order today
tasking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with establishing specialized units of the National Guard that will deal with quelling public order -- public
disturbances.
So, the National Guard could in fact be doing some actual police work, although we're told they will not be using firearms to do that unless
they're needed for self-defense. I caught up with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser earlier today, and I asked her response to the reporting that the National
Guard are now carrying firearms in her city. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MURIEL BOWSER, MAYOR OF WASHINGTON, D.C.: I don't have anything more to say than what I have said. I don't believe that troops should be policing
American cities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: And I spoke with two aids to the mayor right after that and they told me they confirmed that Mayor Bowser has spoken to the leaders of other
cities where President Trump is considering sending the National Guard to, that she has spoken to them about what's happening here in D.C. and what
they can expect. They would not characterize the specific nature of those conversations or even name the cities, but she has been in touch with other
mayors about what's been going on here.
We can also tell you, Jim, that according to a White House official, there have been more than 1,000 arrests made in the city regarding this law
enforcement surge as a result of the surge since August 7th, that includes 86 arrests on Sunday night, those arrests include six known gang members,
according to a White House official, and the official says that more than 110 firearms have been seized since August 7th. Jim.
[18:10:00]
SCIUTTO: Brian Todd, thanks so much. President Trump says he has spoken to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, once again about the ongoing war in
Ukraine. Trump added that he is frustrated with Russia's continued bombing attacks on Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Every conversation I have with him is a good conversation, and then unfortunately a bomb is loaded up into Kyiv or someplace, and then I'd get
very angry about it. I think we're going to get the war done. It's tough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: And Kyiv Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy celebrated Ukraine's Independence Day alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney,
as well as the Trump administration's Russia-Ukraine, envoy. President Trump sent his own message of support to Ukraine writing that the U.S.,
quote, "believes in your future as an independent nation."
Joining me now is Yehor Cherniev. He's a member of Ukraine's parliament and the chair of the Ukrainian delegation to NATO. Thanks so much for taking
the time.
YEHOR CHERNIEV, MEMBER, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT AND HEAD, UKRAINIAN DELEGATION AT NATO'S PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY: Hi. Hi.
SCIUTTO: So, first it, it's more than a week since Trump met Putin in Alaska. Prior that meeting, he said that there would be severe consequences
if Russia did not agree to a ceasefire. Of course, Russia did not agree to ceasefire. It continues to bomb your country. What's your reaction? Did the
U.S. fail Ukraine?
CHERNIEV: Well, I think it's quite obvious that Putin is not ready for any negotiation in -- and is not interested in negotiation and reasonable
compromise. At the same time, President Zelenskyy said that he's ready for meeting, to start negotiation with Russia, bilateral, trilateral, it
doesn't matter.
So, it seems that Putin just is trying to drag out time and to avoid new sanctions from the U.S. And, you know, when he tries to convince our U.S.
partners and the European partners that Ukraine will fall in months or two months, he has no ground for this because he's, you know, widely announced
summer offensive was failed, and he has no significant results on the ground.
At the same time, Ukraine destroying -- is destroying their refineries and they have a problem with their oil and the fuel in -- and they have --
that's why they have a problem with their economy. So, I think Putin is not ready for any negotiation, but he tries to avoid the sanctions. That's why
he tries to convince that he is in negotiation still. But we don't see any results.
SCIUTTO: Does Trump help Putin inadvertently drag this out by delaying further sanctions? Because every week or two, there is a new week or two
deadline for Russia to act.
CHERNIEV: I hope that U.S. administration clearly understands what consequences of the delay lead to -- these consequences lead to the death
of our people, to another bombing of our civilian cities. And I hope that this decision will be made because, unfortunately, Putin understands only
the language of power. Any negotiation, any concession, any appeasing of the -- of this dictator will not lead to the effective result. Only
pressure and pressure on economy of Russia. This is the main pillar that helps Russia to wage this war.
SCIUTTO: You have said earlier that territorial concessions are an issue, in your words, on which compromise cannot be found, and that the
recognition of occupied territories is impossible. The Trump administration has said repeatedly that Ukraine will have to give up, land, some land to
achieve peace. How do you reconcile those two positions? Do you believe it's possible for Ukraine to enter into negotiation where it gives up no
territory?
[18:15:00]
CHERNIEV: You know, it's strange to start a negotiation with the trading of our territory, of the territory of victim. You know, it's not an
exchange the territory of Ukraine to territory of Russia. Putin tries to convince that he will not seize more territories and this is will be the
trade off from his side and that's why we have to just give up our territories and more of that give up our people and betrays our people who
still live, and this is hundreds of thousands people who live in Donetsk region. So, that's why we don't see. And the absolute majority of
Ukrainians doesn't support this idea.
So, I don't see really the possibility to do this. Again, having in mind that Putin spent 11 years to try to seize the whole territory of Donetsk
region. And that's why because he couldn't do this, he tries to trade off and to get it without the fight. I think it will never happen.
SCIUTTO: Yehor Cherniev, member of the Ukrainian Parliament, thanks so much for joining. And as I often say, given where you are, we wish you
safety as well.
CHERNIEV: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Well, Israel is now facing international condemnation after a devastating attack on a hospital in Southern Gaza. The Palestinian Health
Ministry says at least 20 people were killed after back-to-back Israeli strikes on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Among the victims, five
journalists. The leaders of France and Germany, as well as the U.N. secretary general have condemned the attack. The Israeli prime minister has
called it, quote, "a tragic mishap." Paula Hancocks has more. And has so often with stories from Gaza, I need to warn you, the images are
disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A rush towards Gaza's Nasser Hospital after an Israeli strike Monday morning. Emergency response
crews, health workers, and journalists can be seen on live television on a damaged staircase. A television camera is held up. Reuters says a
photojournalist working for them is killed. A white body back is carried away, and then a second Israeli strike.
Smoke hides the staircase from view. When the dust settles, five journalists and four health workers are among more than 20 killed.
Palestinian journalists who form the backbone of international coverage of this war, working with AP, Reuters. and Al Jazeera among others. Israel
does not allow international media to enter Gaza beyond restrictive embedding with its military.
A double strike, just minutes apart. The second impact killing workers rushing to help casualties from the first.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just to be clear, if it is a double tap that is considered to be a war crime. This attack which we believe was deliberately
intended to take out, the camera, the camera being used by Reuters, cameraman, he was killed in the first attack.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Israel's military says it, quote, "carried out a strike in the area of Nasser Hospital, but does not target journalists or
civilians." The chief of staff has ordered an inquiry into the attacks. The IDF adding it, quote, "acts to mitigate harm to uninvolved individuals
while maintaining the safety of IDF troops."
An Israeli security official with knowledge of an initial inquiry says forces identified a camera on the roof the hospital they claim Hamas was
using to monitor Israeli forces. Authorized to strike the camera with a drone, the IDF instead fired two tank shells, the source says, the first at
the camera, the second at rescue forces.
Mariam Abu Dagga, 33 years old, worked for AP and other outlets throughout the war, most recently highlighting the impact of famine in Gaza. In this
recent video, she says, I can't describe how tired people are, how sad or how hungry they are. It's been two years of this war on Gaza, they can't
handle anymore.
She spoke to CNN last year about her concerns for her safety, saying when a journalist is targeted, all other media question when it will be their
turn. At her funeral Monday, her family mourns a death they had feared for the 22 months of this war. Mariam has a son, her cousin says. He went
abroad with his father at the start of the war. She was waiting for the war to end so she could see him again.
An injured journalist working for Reuters says he went to check on his colleague after the first strike, but saw he had been killed.
[18:20:00]
There were journalists, patients, nurses, civil defense on the stairs, he says. We were directly targeted. A 22-month war, which has been the
deadliest ever for journalists.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: The suffering in Gaza continues. I will have more just after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." Checking the action on Wall Street. Weakness across the board for us, stocks with the Dow retreating from its
newest record highs. Intel finished lower after warning that the U.S. government has just announced 10 percent stake in the company. It could
pose risk to its business, particularly international sales. President Trump said Monday that Intel is just the start. He says The White House is
looking to take further stakes in multiple public firms.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this the new way of doing industrial policy?
TRUMP: Yes, sure it is. I want to try and get as much as I can. And people come in and they need something. In the case of Intel, it was interesting,
but I hope I'm going to have many more cases like it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: I want to try to get as much as I can, he says. Jeffrey Lacker, the former president of the Richmond Federal Reserve, warns of the dangers
of governments taking big stakes in business.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY LACKER, FORMER PRESIDENT, RICHMOND FEDERAL RESERVE: It's fine for the U.S. to take an equity stake in a company, but to exercise the leverage
over corporate decision making is the kind of thing that in the long run is not good for an economy. I think we've seen that internationally, countries
that go down this road of extensive state ownership, of private corporations don't usually have good results. This is the kind of
nationalization that the Republican Party, you're correct, used to rail against.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: And yet, here we are. Also, today shares of coffee firm JDE Peet's rallied almost 17 percent on news it's being bought out by Keurig
Dr. Pepper in a deal worth some $18 billion. Keurig shares tumbled on the news. Shares of Danish firm Orsted fell 16 percent after the U.S.
government ordered it to stop work on a wind farm off the coast of Ireland, which was close to 80 percent done, all this amid President Trump's ongoing
attacks on renewable energy investments. He's got a particular problem with wind energy.
[18:25:00]
Multiple European Postal Services are now suspending shipments to the U.S. amid the imminent end of which known as the de minimis exception. Until
now, packages worth $800 or less could enter the U.S. duty free. Friday, that exemption goes away. I spoke earlier with Victor Negrescu. He's the
vice president of the European Parliament about what impact that will have.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTOR NEGRESCU, VICE PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: This is really disruptive for small businesses especially artisans that were shipping
small goods to the U.S. What is difficult right now for postal offices in Europe is to really understand how to comply with the new regulation that
is going to enter into force. Basically, they need to collect the taxes and we don't know how to do that. In the same time, the postal services need to
transfer those taxes to U.S. authorities, and this has not been defined yet either.
So, right now several postal services in different countries, in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, France decided to stop shipping. When we refer here
to merchandise, that comes from European businesses. So, they are not stopping the private shipments. But nevertheless, this will have an impact.
When we speak about the dimension of this impact, we speak about basically millions of parcels or postal items that are traditionally being sent from
Europe to the U.S. This will have an economic impact, but will also have an impact on people sharing items or exchanging items, which is quite common
for U.S. citizens doing that with European counterparts in order, also, for instance, to exchange on common hobbies or habits. So, this will certainly
have an impact. So, we need you to wait for clear explanation from the U.S. side.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Coming up on "The Brief," South Korea's new leader meeting with President Trump at the White House. Trade very much high on the agenda.
We're going to break down how that conversation went and what we could expect next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. Here are more international headlines we're watching today.
President Donald Trump says he, "quote, "looks forward" to once again meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. President Trump made those
remarks alongside South Korean President Lee Jae Myung Young at the White House. President Lee says, the American president is, quote, "the only
person who could bring peace to the Korean peninsula."
In a U.S. court today, Mexican drug lord Ismael El Mayo Zambada pled guilty to racketeering and running a criminal enterprise. He's expected to be
sentenced now to life in prison. Prosecutors say Zambada and his former business partner, Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, turned the Sinaloa cartel into
the world's largest drug trafficking organization.
In the U.K., three people have died in a helicopter crash during a flying lesson. It came down on a field on the aisle of white. One person is now in
serious condition in the hospital. The cause of the crash, not yet known.
South Korea's president, Lee Jae Myung says he wants to work with the U.S. on manufacturing. His comments came during a meeting with President Trump
at the White House. The two nations recently reached a trade deal setting the U.S. tariff on most South Korean goods imported to the U.S. at 15
percent.
Joining me now is Wendy Cutler. She's a former acting deputy U.S. trade representative, current vice president of the Asia Society Policy
Institute. Wendy, good to have you back.
WENDY CUTLER, FORMER ACTING DEPUTY U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE AND VICE PRESIDENT, ASIA SOCIETY POLICY INSTITUTE: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: So, first on today's South Korea-U.S. meeting here, do you see a potential in this manufacturing agreement, particularly as it relates to
shipbuilding? Because we have seen in the context of several of these trade agreements promises of big business deals or investments where it's not
quite clear what the actual commitments are.
CUTLER: Exactly. The trade agreement between the U.S. and Korea was really rushed to conclusion right before the deadline, and as a result, there's
nothing in writing. Now, Korea announced that they were going to put aside a hundred million dollars towards a ship building fund, but there are no
details. However, in today's meeting, both sides did underscore how -- the importance of cooperation on ship building a priority industry for this
administration, particularly given how competitive China is in this sector and how the U.S. has just fallen behind. We need Korea's help to move
forward.
SCIUTTO: So, Korea is another country, U.S. ally, of course, like the E.U. who makes a trade deal under which the U.S. will impose tariffs on their
imports, but it will impose no tariffs on U.S. imports to its own country. I mean, by nature imbalanced. Why are these countries giving in?
CUTLER: Well, because access to the U.S. market is important. And these countries of other equities besides trade with the United States, they also
want to get on President Trump's good side. But for Korea, this was particularly difficult, because remember, Korea has a free trade agreement
with the United States where both sides have been committed to zero tariff treatment. So, Korea expected special and preferential treatment in these
negotiations, but found out it was treated just like any other non-FTA partner.
SCIUTTO: Where is U.S. credibility on trade? Now, I mean, for decades under Republican and Democratic administrations, the U.S. touted a free
trade approach. And by the way, it negotiated free trade agreements. I mean, Trump himself negotiated free trade agreements with, for instance,
Canada and Mexico, which he's now violating with his tariffs short-term wins. But does this erode confidence in America as a trading partner
longer-term?
CUTLER: Absolutely. And we're already seeing countries work with other countries all around the world to do deals among themselves that do not
include the United States. And what this will mean is the United States is going to be on the outside of these deals and won't get preferences.
[18:35:00]
The message to countries right now is you need to diversify. Don't be overdependent on the U.S. or you're going to be subject to this uncertain
tariff environment forever.
SCIUTTO: I mean, we saw the E.U., for instance, following making a deal with the US, tout this agreement with MERCOSUR, the Latin American nations
here. It strikes me that the Trump administration's bet is that the world needs the U.S. more than it needs them. And that therefore, yes, sure you
could try to trade with these other countries, but you're only going to get, say, the best A.I. software here in America. I mean, that's the
effective bet here.
So, can these countries actually replace some of the trade they do with the U.S. by making agreements with others?
CUTLER: Yes, and I think the key is the word some. Look, they're not going to like just abandon the United States and just trade with other countries,
but again, it's about balancing their dependence and hedging their bets. And that's exactly what we're seeing by Europe, by Japan, by Korea, by
India and other countries all around the world. That's the message they're getting right now.
SCIUTTO: So, is the WTO basically dead? I guess, I mean, it just seems like a might makes right trade policy at this point. Under Trump, are we --
I mean, sounds kind of 19th century to me almost, right?
CUTLER: Look, even before Trump, the WTO was drifting into irrelevance. It made sense, its rules made sense for many years, but frankly, now the rules
just don't make sense. OK? And the problem is, is that countries can't work together to modernize and update the rules. And so, I don't see the WTO
disbanding, I just see it becoming more and more irrelevant as countries work among either bilaterally or in groups of like-minded countries to
really advance their economic interests.
CUTLER: Can a putative future president, whether Democrat or Republican, turn the clock back and say, well, actually, we're going to be more like we
were in the past and have balanced trade deals and follow some sort of free trade principle here, or is this -- I mean, I guess are the gloves off?
CUTLER: Look, I don't think we're going to go back to where we were, but that doesn't mean we're going to stay where we are now either. I think
there is some market opening that we can do with like-minded countries and build supply chains on those products with those countries that we trust
and feel secure with. So, I think that's really the way forward versus talking about embarking on a new free trade agenda. I think that's very
passe now.
SCIUTTO: Wendy Cutler, thanks so much.
CUTLER: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Kajiki made landfall in Vietnam as a typhoon Monday, forcing more than 40,000 people to evacuate. The powerful storm uprooted trees and sent
ocean waves into the streets. At least one person was killed. Kajiki has since weakened, but is still pouring rain across Southeast Asia. Allison
Chinchar has more on what to expect.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The typhoon may just be remnants now, but it did cause quite a significant amount of damage across portions of
China that you can see here, lots of trees down, some streetlights, basically debris littering a lot of these roadways that you can see here.
Also, too, causing some damage across Vietnam where it just most recently made landfall. Again, the remnants are all that is left. And you can see
the storm has really begin to weaken quickly as it makes its way westward. It will continue to do so over the next 12 to 24 hours, but it's expected
to be a much weaker storm the farther it moves inland.
One of the bigger concerns has been rainfall with this storm. Looking at just the last 24 hours, you have several areas that have picked up a pretty
decent amount of rainfall, but now, we're going to be adding even more rain on top of it as the storm continues to make its way off to the west.
Widespread totals, that yellow color you see here, you're looking at about 50 to 100 millimeters, but in those areas where you see the orange and the
red color, now you're talking in excess of 150 or even 200 millimeters of rain before this system finally exits the area.
Winds are also going to be a concern, but those are expected to die down very quickly. You will still have some areas with wind gusts around 30 to
50 kilometers per hour, but that's really going to be in about the next six to 12 hours. After that, we really start to see the remnants of this storm
begin to finally fade away.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[18:40:00]
SCIUTTO: A new twist in the deportation case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The Maryland Father asked a U.S. federal judge to stop the Trump administration
for now deporting him to Uganda. What that judge ruled coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: A U.S. Federal judge says she will order officials to keep Kilmar Abrego Garcia here in the United States as he continues to challenge his
potential deportation now to Uganda. Abrego Garcia says that he fears persecution and torture if he is deported to the East African nation and
that authorities there could send him back to El Salvador.
Surrounded by supporters, the Salvadoran father of three turned himself into ICE Monday. It is just days since he was released from a jail in
Tennessee. He was sent there after being wrongfully deported to an El Salvador prison earlier this year. The administration admitted at the time
that wrongfully deported him. He is now being held at a detention facility in Virginia.
Todd Schulte joins me now. He's an expert on immigration policy. His organization, FWD.US, focuses on reforming immigration and criminal justice
here in the U.S. Thanks so much for joining.
So, big picture on Abrego Garcia. Clearly, this administration has taken a very particular interest in him, given all the many attempts to get him out
of the country. Do you have any sense of why? I mean, why this particular person?
TODD SCHULTE, PRESIDENT, FWD.US AND EXPERT ON IMMIGRATION POLICY IN U.S.: Well, I think there were about 250 men who were sent to CECOT, this kind of
foreign torture prison in El Salvador. There was this pushback. Now, he was not sent there by the Alien Enemies Act, but a lot of people were. But I
think the reason that you are saying this, all of government approach, not just to disappearing him, he was taken from an IKEA in Maryland without any
sort of due process, but this effort to first lie and say the United States had no ability to bring him back, to say that the United States couldn't do
anything to bring him back, there was this saying he was having margaritas with a senator who went down there.
And since he's come back, this, all of government approach to trying to bring these charges against him, that were kind of so specious that a Trump
administration and AUSA, a Trump administration prosecutor in Tennessee quit over rather bringing them there. And I think it's about demonizing and
criminalizing immigrants.
SCIUTTO: I mean, you have multiple steps here, right? So, they deport them to El Salvador, they admit wrongfully. They claim that they can't take him
back. Of course, they can. They do bring him back. Then they bring up these charges.
[18:45:00]
Tell us what's happening now where they seem to have said, try to get them to take a deal. We'll send you to Costa Rica if you admit to these charges.
Otherwise, you're going to Uganda.
SCHULTE: Right. So, again, this is somebody who's lived in Maryland. He's a father. He is a day laborer. He is somebody who is building a life here.
And people are entitled to due process. Since he's been returned, they have kept him incarcerated. They've tried to keep him away from his family. He's
been away from his family for all but three days over the last half year. And what they said recently was, if you are willing to admit to these
incredibly serious charges that, again, their own prosecutor would not bring one of them, that they would then send him to Costa Rica for
deportation, which I want to be clear maybe better than sending him to some other country. He could get refugee status there, but is not justice and
it's not the sort of immigration system that we should have in this country.
SCIUTTO: Is the law winning here, right? I mean, are the courts able to defend, I mean, let's just say due process? Because he's not the only one,
right, who has -- or it's been alleged that they have not been granted their due process rights to challenge deportation and other charges.
SCHULTE: Yes. I think we should all be outraged that if the United States government is bringing all of its power to bear, to terrify a family, to
bring people apart, whether or not that's immigrant families who are seeing, being torn apart here in Washington, D.C. where you're seeing a 10X
increase in ICE arrest, whether or not it's Kilmar, here, the idea that the president of the United States, the vice president of the United States,
the attorney general, all of these people are deeply invested in putting in place efforts to want to show the world that they can take this man from
his family, that does not feel like due process to me.
SCIUTTO: So, you have a federal judge now who has stopped this for now, but we've seen cases like this before. You know, federal judge, and then
either, you know, they lose on appeal or the Supreme Court, you know, rules the other way. What happens now in this case? So, there's going to be a
couple days. A federal judge warned the Department of Justice, you should not deport this person, but said, I want you to say back to me that my oral
direction is enough.
Because this judge had previously heard from the Department of Justice, the Department of Justice said, well, if it's not a written order, that doesn't
actually apply here. This is really dangerous stuff here not just for his family, but for so many people here.
SCIUTTO: And that's remarkable, because the judge, based on experience, and by the way, she's not the only one to experience this, is -- was
basically expressing in that moment, I don't want you to lie later about what I'm telling you. I want you to admit now you understand what I'm
telling you.
SCHULTE: This is not the sort of stuff that we are accustomed to seeing. This is -- the federal judges are not usually standing from the bench
having to tell the Department of Justice, I need you to repeat back to me you understand my order here.
SCIUTTO: Do -- is the Supreme Court as the final, what, line of defense or -- well, the final decision making -- maker here, is it effectively
endorsing the president's power to do what he's doing, either by delay or by its rulings and --
SCHULTE: Well, in this case, there'd been a 9-0 Supreme Court ruling actually saying the way the administration had acted was inappropriate. So,
we should start with that here. The president has extraordinary power that can be used for harm and that could be used for good in the immigration
system. And unfortunately, we are seeing it used too much for harm today.
But in this case, we want to be clear here, people have a right to go through a process. This is someone who has said he has a reasonable fear of
persecution. His attorney said that in the last 24 hours here. Now, I want to be clear, we think that we should build a different immigration system.
And in the meantime, even within that failed immigration system, though, that we are basically saying to this man who had hundreds of people show up
and rally for him today, you have to sign the stuff that you said that you've engaged in these awful acts here or else we're going to threaten you
between places, but neither of you should be sent to, that just, I don't think, is popular with the American public.
SCIUTTO: I mean, it sounds like duress, right?
SCHULTE: Yes.
SCIUTTO: I mean, almost meet meets the legal definition. Todd Schulte, thanks so much for walking us through it.
SCHULTE: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Still ahead, Medvedev's meltdown. The tennis star's dramatic departure from the U.S. Open. You could say he made quite a racket.
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[18:50:00]
SCIUTTO: A big upset at the U.S. Open. Australian Open Champion Madison Keys eliminated in the first round by Mexico's Renata Zarazue. On Sunday
night, Russian tennis star, Daniil Medvedev, well, he smashed his racket after losing to Frenchman, Benjamin Bonzi. It was a long meltdown allowed
one, which began when a photographer came onto the court, you see it there, when his opponent was serving. That disruption led the chair umpire to give
Bonzi another serve in effect, putting him back on his first serve. That sparked this outburst from Medvedev. He was egging on the crowd as well. He
didn't give up.
CNN Sports Analyst Christine Brennan joins me now. I mean, Christine, first of all, big picture, we've all seen a lot of bad behavior on the tennis
court, including from Medvedev before, I might note. What do think of all this?
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST AND SPORTS COLUMNIST, USA TODAY: You know, I was keeping an eye on it, and then when I saw that all heck broke
loose, Jim, I immediately tuned in. And it was riveting. It was entertaining. Was it handled properly? No. Did the chair umpire allow
Medvedev to basically take over this match and have such a long delay, and as you mentioned, revving up the crowd, there should have been some penalty
for that. There should have been a warn -- at least a warning for that. It seemed as if that they wanted to give Medvedev his way.
And then it turned -- momentum completely turned, Bonzi was serving to win and all of a sudden, Medvedev wins that set. Then he wins the fourth at
love, and he looks like he's sailing. And then Bonzi gets another gear and comes back and does win.
But it was not a -- it was not the greatest moment for the U.S. Open. We have seen a lot of meltdowns. We've certainly seen a lot of bad behavior,
going back to Jimmy Connors and Ilie Nastase and McEnroe, maybe more known for Wimbledon, but all of this over the years, Serena Williams a few years
ago with her outbursts. But this one was right up there in the pantheon of what not to do, kids, when you're playing sports.
SCIUTTO: It's a bad -- I mean, given I got kids in youth sports too, I was thinking like, what is the example? Question, are refs, umpires scared of
the players? I mean, was the chair umpire here scared to challenge Medvedev?
BRENNAN: You know, I'd love to hear more from that chair umpire, and we might eventually, about what he was thinking. Because, you know, he's in
control. And if you're scared of the players, well, probably it's not the best job to be in charge of them, right. And, you know, there certainly has
been a change, and throughout society, right, and we let things go and we let our accepting things that we would never accept otherwise, in sports,
in life, in politics, you know, there's a lot going on, right.
But at the end of the day, this is the man in charge. And again, they just -- he let it get out of hand. There's no doubt about it. I think there's
some justice that people feel, Jim, Bonzi did come back and win. Because it certainly didn't seem fair to him that he had to wait, what, five, six
minutes as this outburst from Medvedev was going on.
SCIUTTO: Can there be post-match penalties? I mean, you see that in other sports as well for that, given -- I mean, is it entirely up to the chair
umpire?
[18:55:00]
BRENNAN: No, they can look at it and they may well have some kind of penalty or reprimand for Medvedev. They should. Here's the question for
tennis, for U.S. Open officials, for the -- you know, the men's tour, whatever, is this acceptable? Is this acceptable behavior? And I -- you
know, I would be the law-and-order candidate if I was running for president on office. I'm not. But -- so, I'm probably a bad one to talk to about
this, but I would throw the book at this guy. That's just -- and he's having a terrible year at Majors. Losing in the first or second round in
every major. He won the U.S. Open four years ago. But that's been a long four years. And he certainly did not distinguish himself. Medvedev did not
distinguish himself in any way, Jim, at all, except in a bad way last evening.
SCIUTTO: Yes. Yes. And the crowd too, who was cheering him on, we should note, at times. Christine Brennan, thanks so much.
BRENNAN: Thank you, Jim.
SCIUTTO: In today's Good Brief, Netflix's streaming sensation, K-pop "Demon Hunters" is now a surprise hit at the U.S. Box Office. A special
single along version of the movie was the number one film at the domestic box office this past weekend. The musical blends K-pop with demon fighting
fantasy and is now Netflix's most watched animated original film. The film pulled in an estimated $18 million over the weekend.
Thanks so much for joining me today. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
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