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Trump Asks Supreme Court to Intervene in Fight Over White House Ballroom; Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty in Federal Court, Admits Shooting CEO; White House to Let Private Firms Conduct Foreign Cyberattacks; Lake Mead, Nation's Largest Reservoir, Hits New Record Low. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired August 14, 2026 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: President Trump is attempting a new legal maneuver in his battle to build a White House ballroom. The president now asking the Supreme Court to step in and allow construction to move forward after lower courts ruled that he needed approval from Congress to proceed with the project.

Let's go to the White House with CNN White House senior reporter Kevin Liptak, who's been following this for us. So Kevin, talk to us about this legal plan from the White House.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and the administration's lawyer here, John Sauer, the Solicitor General, is making a series of arguments about why this project needs to go ahead. One is that it's too far gone to essentially stop work now. He says it's 65 percent completed, that they have a crew of 250 people working 20 hour days, seven days a week, that the construction is already completed five stories down, that it's completed 70 feet in the air, and that stopping it now could potentially pose risks if there's a big gust of wind, if weather erodes what work they have been done.

So that's one of his arguments. The other is related to national security, and you have seen how the administration has sort of shifted the argument for the ballroom from the initial rationale, which was to have a space to hold state dinners. It's been moving steadily towards this national security reasons, constructing this bunker underneath, and he says that this is necessary and that it would make the president, quote, much less safe if the ballroom isn't allowed to continue.

[14:35:00]

And the other argument he's making is essentially trying to rebut directly what the plaintiffs in this case have been arguing, which is that the president doesn't have the authority to make this scale of change to the White House. And what Sauer wrote is that quote, "The president of the United States of America is not a tenant, but rather the sole elected head of the executive branch, and Congress has authorized him to renovate, secure and protect the White House and its grounds, as other presidents have been allowed to do without exception." And it was interesting looking through this filing. It also contained some new renderings of this project with new details of it that we hadn't seen before. And so, for example, one shows what looks like a lobby of the ballroom.

You see it there with the presidential seal inlaid into the marble floor. You also see on the pediment of the door a gold eagle sort of above those columns. So new details of this project that we hadn't seen.

Now, if the Supreme Court doesn't intervene, work will have to stop on this a week from today, on August 21st. Obviously, the Supreme Court has weighed in on a lot of executive authority questions for the president, but none has been so personally important to the president himself than this ballroom.

SANCHEZ: A lot of gold, as I guess is to be expected. Kevin Liptak from the White House. Thank you so much -- Brian.

BRIAN ABEL, CNN HOST: We turn back to our top story now. Luigi Mangione pleading guilty to federal charges, admitting before a judge that he stalked and fatally shot United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a New York sidewalk in 2024. Mangione, at one point, describing how he printed a 3-D gun and silencer with the intent to kill Thompson.

The judge asking Mangione if he understood that he now faces the possibility of life in prison. Mangione responding, yes. Sentencing is set for December.

And with me now is retired New York State Supreme Court Judge Diane Kiesel. And Judge, stunning words from Mangione in court today. What's your reaction to what unfolded?

DIANE KIESEL, RETIRED NEW YORK STATE SUPREME COURT JUDGE: Well, my reaction is I'm quite surprised. However, from a defense standpoint, I fully understand why the defendant took the plea that he did. It could stave off state charges.

It could prevent him from spending life in prison. And a federal facility might be a more palatable place to spend many, many years as opposed to a state penal institution.

ABEL: But Judge, why plead guilty now in this moment?

KIESEL: Well, I think it's because looming ahead of Mr. Mangione and his legal team is a trial that was supposed to start shortly after Labor Day. And if they were going to pull the plug, now was certainly the time to do it. And as his lawyer said immediately after the plea, she's filed a motion now with state court to stop the proceeding on double jeopardy grounds.

Whether she will prevail on that is an open question.

ABEL: OK. And Mangione's team has filed a motion with the Supreme Court of New York to dismiss the state case. How do you see the defense's concerns about double jeopardy? KIESEL: Well, I wish I could be more definitive on this answer. But the right answer is it depends. You cannot be charged and convicted -- you can be charged, but you can't be convicted of the same crime twice, either in the same jurisdiction or by dual sovereigns.

What you have to look at, though, to make that determination is what the defendant pled to and what he's charged with in the other jurisdiction. So in federal court in New York, he pled to two different counts of stalking.

In state court, he faces murder in the second degree charges. He faces gun counts. Now, if it weren't New York, other jurisdictions, you might simply look at the fact that the crimes are different and say no double jeopardy.

But New York has an interesting wrinkle. New York has a two part test. New York looks at whether, despite the fact there are different elements, was this all part and parcel of the same conduct, which I think makes it harder for the prosecution to go forward with this case.

ABEL: Let's just say that that state murder trial does continue, Judge. It's slated to start on September 8th. What does everything he walked through in federal court today mean for that?

[14:40:00]

KIESEL: Well, not good news for him there because he was, I believe he was sworn when he told the federal judge that he committed this murder. So it's a sworn statement against interest. It could be used against him in court.

I seriously doubt, however, that this case is going to go forward in September. The defense has filed a motion. I think people are going to have to file a response.

Justice Carro is a thoughtful judge. He's going to want to look at all the law. He's going to want to look at the facts and I think make a determination as to whether jeopardy does indeed attach.

The sentencing is set in federal court for December the 18th. If I were representing the defendant and maybe even if I were the prosecution, I might consent to putting -- handling the motions first and dealing with the trial after December the 18th.

ABEL: We will see how the judge handles everything in that sentencing. Diane Kiesel, thank you very much for your expertise.

KIESEL: Thank you.

ABEL: All right, coming up in a major policy shift, the Trump administration is now allowing U.S. companies to conduct cyber attacks on foreign cyber criminals. But experts say it could come with legal risk for those firms.

[14:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Now to the major policy shift by the Trump administration that at least one cyber security expert fears could backfire. President trump has signed a memorandum empowering private companies to conduct cyber attacks on cyber criminals abroad. Supporters say it could allow government agencies to focus more on nation states like Russia and China.

Skeptics, though, fear it will create so called cyber privateers with no clear mandate or direction from the government. Let's get the latest from CNN cyber security reporter Sean Lyngaas. Sean, walk us through what this means.

SEAN LYNGAAS, CNN CYBERSECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Boris. I mean, this is reflects a long time frustration that people in the cyber security community have had that the government is not doing enough to crack down on cyber criminals like there's been these rampant attacks costing billions of dollars to the U.S. Economy, shutting down critical infrastructure.

Trump administration is now saying, look, let's try to use private sector expertise to hit back at the hackers. The only challenge here is it's really uncharted territory, both legally and policy wise. Who is going to be the first company to step up and potentially be liable for any damage they inflict on corporations overseas?

So it's a really fraught issue. One person compared to privateers, sort of like pirates on the open sea. There everyone agrees that that there must be more to be done to rein in these cyber criminals. But whether this is the answer is really to be seen.

They're creating this program under the Department of Justice and Department Homeland Security, where vetted companies will be able to conduct these operations. But we already have our intelligence agencies. Our little law enforcement agencies already doing a lot of hacking on their own.

It's already hard enough, experts say, to de conflict. So when the NSA is doing something, CIA is doing something. Now you've got when a say Fortune 500 companies involved.

That's a lot of cooks in the kitchen. So TBD on how it works in practice and TBD if there's going to be lawsuits in response.

SANCHEZ: Almost certainly there's going to be some kind of lawsuit, perhaps court action. Sean Lyngaas, thank you so much for that reporting -- Brian.

ABEL: Let's check some of the other headlines. We are watching this hour. An American missionary who was held captive in Niger for nine months has been released to U.S. Officials, according to the missionary organization he worked for.

Kevin Rideout was kidnapped from outside of his home in Niger's capital city in October of 2025. According to the New York Times, which first reported his release. Rideout was in FBI custody and in good health, citing an unnamed U.S. official. The FBI declined to comment when contacted by CNN.

And a person aboard a ship in Norway has been slapped with a $5,000 fine for waking up a sleeping polar bear. The incident happened earlier this month when the vessel was sailing in a fjord in northern Svalbard. The region's governor says passengers saw the bear sleeping on land, and one person then sounded the ship's foghorn, causing it to wake up and move away.

It is illegal in Svalbard to unnecessarily disturb, lure or pursue polar bears, which have been protected under international law since 1973.

Also, construction workers strike actual gold in Belgium. They were working on the sewers under an old brewery when they discovered a walled off wooden chest filled with all of this loot that you see here.

49 gold bars and dozens of gold coins valued at an estimated $10.4 million. It remains unclear who buried the treasure in the first place or who now owns it. Officials say they inventory the gold and safely stored it in a high security vault.

And to keep treasure hunters away, police warn the construction site has been fenced off -- but I'm not sure that will do the trick -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: So in the 1990's, sports scandals fueled the headlines and athletes became superstars. Michael Jordan built a dynasty while the Buffalo Bills showed how heartbreak could define a decade. The '90s, though, may be best remembered as the time when the stars of the 80s faded away.

Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A whole bunch of new heroes came along for the nineties. It's true in tennis. You talk about Lendl, you talk about McEnroe, Connors, you know, Martina Navratilova.

You know, they stayed as long as they could. And now Monica Seles and Sampras and Agassi, you know, are beginning to take over.

In the '90s, there was also the changing of the guard in the NBA when the Bulls finally got over the hump against the Detroit Pistons.

[14:50:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 1991 Eastern Conference Finals is the end of an era where a great team in NBA history who's been to the finals three straight years is now being dispatched. The Pistons in mass, all who could walked off the floor without shaking the Bulls hands.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SANCHEZ: And who can forget the 1997 Florida Marlins, the World Series champs. Be sure to tune in a new episode of Decades in Sports air Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, only on CNN.

Coming up, the nation's largest reservoir hitting a new low with the ongoing water crisis at Lake Mead means for tens of millions of people in the Western U.S.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:55:00]

ABEL: There's a new worrying sign in the climate crisis. Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir, has fallen to a record low. It's a critical part of the Colorado River system, which provides water to about 40 million people across seven Southwestern states and helps generate hydroelectric power throughout the region.

CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the voters who still love Lake Mead, reminders of the mega drought are all around. The bathtub ring, which shows the high water mark from the mid eighties, is now almost 19 stories tall. Old sunken boats and worthless drinking water intakes get more exposed by the day.

WEIR: They couldn't have imagine when they built this the kind of mega drought that would drop Lake Mead by 70 percent. That used to be the water intake tower.

WEIR (voice-over): A satellite time lapse shows how much of the nation's biggest reservoir has disappeared in the last 25 years. Mead, 27 percent full, while Lake Powell only 23 percent and dropping. Together they keep 40 million people alive in seven states, which have never agreed on how to share.

While the dry lower basin states of California, Nevada and Arizona have volunteered to make cuts, Doug Burgum's Interior Department could force much steeper ones, especially the junior rights holder Arizona, where water is needed to make everything from copper to microchips to most of the nation's winter vegetables.

GOV. KATIE HOBBS, (D) ARIZONA: I would argue that all of those things are not just important to Arizona's economy. They're important to the national economy.

WEIR (voice-over): And Governor Katie Hobbs seems willing to fight for their share all the way to the Supreme Court.

HOBBS: We are very hopeful that it will align closely with the proposal that we put forward the three lower basin state proposal, and nobody wants to end up in court. But this is a critical situation for Arizona, and I'm going to use every tool available to me. We have set aside millions of dollars to fight in court. If that becomes necessary, I hope it doesn't. But we're not at that point yet.

WEIR (voice-over): Utah is among the upper basin states refusing to offer new cuts, even as St. George has some of the cheapest water and highest per capita use in the West. And that's not even counting this private surf ranch with wave and wakeboarding pools for 56 homes and another similar development under construction.

WEIR: You can surf in the driest county in Utah. How can you justify that? Whether they're pulling it out of a brackish aquifer or it's private water. How is that a good look for Washington County?

ZACH RENSTROM, GENERAL MANAGER, WASHINGTON CO. WATER CONSERVANCY DISTRICT: So unfortunately, like other communities, certain things were approved years and years and years ago, and we're kind of dealing with those. Since then, we have completely changed all that rules, but not just a surf lake, but a data center or a golf course. We've implemented this very strict policy now of large water users.

WEIR (voice-over): Zach Renstrom is trying to get his very conservative county to copy Las Vegas, where nearly every drop of Sin City's wastewater is captured, cleaned and put back into Lake Mead. Thanks to the foresight of leaders like Pat Mulroy.

PATRICIA MULROY, FORMER CEO, SOUTHERN NEVADA WATER AUTHORITY: I mean, the minute you accepted climate change is a reality you had to accept that this day was coming. And if you're in the water business, you hope for the best and plan for the worst.

WEIR (voice-over): She thinks Burgum should be using more carrots and sticks to get the states to agree and proposes desalination plants in California for irrigation so farmers could give their shares to thirsty cities and wildlife habitats.

MULROY: To put the states through the pain and anguish of having to go through another round of cut discussions. I would put that off. But where I would put my energy is I would put the states together and empower a body or a group in the lower basin and upper basin to look at ways to augment this river system.

I mean, we have stayed away from desalination, and it blows my mind. You can't conserve your way out of this. You can't cut your way out of it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WEIR (on camera): Countries like Israel and Singapore have sort of mastered desalination. It can be expensive up front. It can create a lot of brackish wastewater, which is harsh on environments on the coast.

So there's resistance there. But it's amazing to see sort of a woman who is the champion of conservation say we can't conserve anymore. Too much of the water is gone. We've got to come up with new sources somehow using technology. And it's not just water, Brian, it's electricity. Glen Canyon and Hoover Dam generate about one point -- enough power for about 1.6 million homes when the water is really high, but it's less than half that when it's this low. So that means higher electricity bills for people. This drought means higher crop prices for everybody. So this is a trickle effect.

The biggest hope is that this El Nino will ...

END