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U.S., Canada Race To Reach Deal Ahead Of Midnight Tariff Deadline; Maryland's Haitian Community Paralyzed As Trump Admin Ends TPS; Charter Plane Crashes In Western Alaska, Killing All Eight On Board; Fishermen Survive Five Days Adrift At Sea On A Cooler; Prince Harry, Elton John Hit With Bill After Losing U.K. Tabloid Case; Grand Prix Racing Takes Over D.C. Streets For America's 250th. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired August 21, 2026 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:00]
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": We'll bring you more as we get them from the courtroom.
Still to come, tonight is the deadline to reach a trade deal with Canada. But not all leaders in Canada are optimistic. One is coming, one of them saying they can't make a good deal with a bad person. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ERICA HILL, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Right now, top negotiators for the U.S. and Canada are here in Washington, racing against the clock as they try to finalize a new trade deal. So you may recall that earlier this week, President Trump postponed his threat to impose a 50 percent tariff on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods just hours before it was set to take effect.
Last night, Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney confirmed both sides have until the end of the day today to hammer out the final details. As the sides are touting progress, though, back in Canada, some local leaders are pushing back in this moment.
Manitoba's premier, Wab Kinew, pulling no punches, saying, quote, "Everybody knows the American president by now. He's erratic, he's irresponsible, and he's not to be trusted."
[13:35:00]
Adding, "That's why I say you can't make a good deal with a bad person because who's to say it's not going to be undone." Joining us now is Peter MacKay, former Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
It's good to have you with us this afternoon You know, it's worth pointing out it's a renewal, but the U.S. and Canada currently have a deal, the USMCA, formerly NAFTA, of course, which was re-negotiated during President Trump's first term. If the president of the United States is no longer honoring that deal, would you trust Donald Trump to honor any deal that may get hammered out today? PETER MACKAY, FORMER CANADIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Well, that's the quintessential question, is how long will the deal last? I think it bears revisiting as you just did the importance of this long- standing Free Trade Agreement that we've had between Canada the United States, bringing billions of dollars to both countries. We're seeing goods going back and forth across the border quite seamlessly when one thinks about the logistical challenge and the length of these supply chains.
This is a critical deal for both countries with so many jobs, so much economic impact at stake. And I think the pressure that's being brought to bear, quite frankly, on both governments is what has led us to this impasse that we've been living in for some time now. So we're down to the wire, I think everyone understands the stakes are high, and we want to believe that this agreement will in fact be honored. But time will tell and quite frankly, confidence has been shaken certainly in Canada.
And I think it's fair to say that a lot of American consumers and American companies are suffering as a result of this challenging time.
HILL: From a Canadian perspective, what do you see as Canada's leverage in this moment?
MACKAY: Well, look, I mean all of this is being played out in real time by negotiators and in our case, we have Dominic LeBlanc, Jamieson Greer on the other side of the table, and other officials, quite frankly, as well. Janice Charette, a very experienced negotiator, and there is a lot of give-and-take. The auto sector, steel, aluminum and lumber have been an issue that the American negotiators have been pushing hard against and thus, the threat of further tariffs, up to 50 percent.
In Canada, we still have cards to play, but I mean, I'm not going to negotiate on behalf of my country, but I can say that energy, potash in terms of the necessity for fertilizer, all of the goods previously mentioned are all necessary to use the phrase so often invoked to Make America Great Again. This trading agreement, this exchange of goods and services is very important for the growth of a North American economy.
And I would just reiterate that we should in fact be working closer together with all of the geopolitical forces at play, particularly what we're seeing in the Straits of Hormuz off Iran.
HILL: What do you mean by that? When you say working together more closely and specifically invoking the Straits of Hormuz, what would you like to see?
MACKAY: Well, I would like to see Canada and the United States get to a deal and recognizing that we have a war that's ongoing in Ukraine. We have seen a lot of volatility in energy prices as a result of what's happening in Iran. We have seen huge spikes in energy prices and yet, here in North America between Canada and the United States, we have the largest energy supply in the world. We can also do more on, you know, other forms of energy including hydro, including other Important work around critical minerals, which are required by both our militaries, the security cooperation at NORAD. These are all empowering for our two countries.
HILL: There's been something that maybe doesn't get as much attention here in the U.S. depending on where you live, but I know is certainly well known in Canada, the suspension of U.S. alcohol sales, which may sound like a little thing, but I know it's a particular irritant, we've been told, for the Trump administration. Carney has been urging the provinces to resume some of those sales to help secure the deal. Do you think that would make much of a difference?
MACKAY: Well, I can tell you it has been an irritant.
HILL: Yeah.
MACKAY: I mean we hear about it frequently, not just in these negotiations. The tricky part is that it does fall under provincial jurisdiction, just as you have state jurisdiction in the United States, and governors and in our case premiers don't always agree or walk in lockstep with our federal government. In this case, what I can tell you in the last few days is that there appears to be essentially agreement amongst premiers, but for one, that they will put the American alcohol back on the shelves.
The bigger question to be very honest is will Canadians buy it?
[13:40:00]
HILL: Yeah. Well, that's a separate issue, right?
(CROSSTALK)
MACKAY: That is to say, given the reputational harm and some of the anger, that is a separate issue. You're right. But it is -- it is a real consideration and I think, you know, the reputational harm, the ability to get back to where we were, will take a little bit of time.
But like fights in the family, they can be ferocious, but then we can obviously make up and try to get back to normalizing relations, which is in our mutual interest.
HILL: So you are clearly not giving up on the relationship just yet. Peter MacKay, appreciate you joining us. Thank you.
MACKAY: Absolutely not, my pleasure. Thank you.
HILL: Still ahead here, a look at how President Trump's immigration crackdown is impacting families and businesses in one Maryland town where advocates say a number of people are simply afraid to leave their homes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:45:24]
SANCHEZ: The first group of deportees arrived in Haiti on Thursday after the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for 350,000 Haitians. More than 160 people landed in the nation, which has been under a state of emergency due to gang violence and crime.
Here in the U.S., the impacts of the new policy are being seen firsthand. In Maryland, members of the Haitian community say they are experiencing empty stores, vacant restaurants, even abandoned children.
CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has that report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHELLE CHARLES, OWNER, GLORY CARIBBEAN EXPRESS: Nothing. Nobody come over. Nobody buys anything.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Business for Michelle, a U.S. citizen who emigrated from Haiti, has plummeted. Her customers, primarily Haitians, have gone into hiding over fear of Ice, leaving her store, which was bustling only a few weeks ago, largely dormant.
CHARLES: My freezer are empty right now. I tried to cut down. I shut two freezers down. Because --
ALVAREZ: When did you make this decision?
CHARLES: Last week.
ALVAREZ: Freezers are right now --
CHARLES: You just have to do what you have to do.
ALVAREZ (voice-over): In Salisbury, Maryland, around 10 percent of the population is Haitian. Now, they're the target of ice operations.
CHARLES: We used to be, you know, together everywhere. Now, like they took my brother, you can't be, like, in a group, three, four people. You feel like you're going to get arrested.
ALVAREZ (voice-over): The tipping point happened in late July, when the Supreme Court effectively allowed the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians. A day later, Michelle's brother, who previously had TPS, was detained by ICE.
CHARLES: Oh, here's my brother.
ALVAREZ: Oh.
PHONE NOTIFICATION: Maurice Pannot (ph) is calling you from Winn Correctional Center.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello?
CHARLES: Hey, Mr. Mau (ph).
ALVAREZ: Has anybody spoken with you in the facility? ALVAREZ (voice-over): Maurice (ph) told us that he was asked to sign papers with the promise of money if he were to leave the U.S. Maurice, who had previously applied for a green card, was arrested by ICE at this garage, where he worked, about five minutes down the road from Michelle's store.
CHARLES: That's basically where they took him.
ALVAREZ: What was that moment like for you, getting that phone call?
CHARLES: Nervous beating, because he's been here for more than 20 years. And then something happened like that, and he hasn't prepared for it. It's happening suddenly. Everything changed.
ALVAREZ (voice-over): The economy here depends in large part on Haitians. They work at the nearby poultry plants, among other industries.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like the goat meat.
ALVAREZ: Oh, really? Yeah. All right, I'm going to give it a shot.
ALVAREZ (voice-over): Restaurants, once frequented by Haitians, are examples of a community paralyzed.
ALVAREZ: So how have you experienced that switch just turning off?
DR. MARIE D. BERNARDETTE FOUCHE, FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SAFE HARBOR CIRCLES: I cannot find words. It's like a nightmare. I have two men actually who reach out, asking me if I would be willing to sign the standby guardianship for their kids.
ALVAREZ: Have you gone to homes where children --
BERNARDETTE FOUCHE: Yes.
ALVAREZ: didn't -- their parents didn't make it back?
BERNARDETTE FOUCHE: Yes, we had to visit them. We have to step in.
ALVAREZ: How old are they?
BERNARDETTE FOUCHE: We are talking about a four-years-old. Dad was taken. We are talking about another girl, she just turned three. Dad was taken.
NATALIE SAINT-PHARD, OUTREACH DIRECTOR, SAFE HARBOR CIRCLES: It's a ripple effect. When you decimate one group or you disrupt one group, everything that that group touches also gets affected.
ALVAREZ (voice-over): That's true for Michelle. Her business and her brother's future are now uncertain.
ALVAREZ: So how are you thinking about tomorrow and the next day and the next day?
(CROSSTALK)
CHARLES: We don't know what tomorrow will be. Tomorrow, we just put the faith in God.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALVAREZ (on camera): The Trump administration says that Temporary Protected Status is just that, temporary. The Department of Homeland Security told CNN that Maurice had been the target of an enforcement operation after illegally entering the United States on three separate occasions.
They went on to say that he does not have lawful status to stay in the country, and that, quote, "He will remain in ICE custody pending removal." Now, DHS says that people can self-deport, but Haitians, particularly those who have been here for decades and legally living and working in the U.S., say that they have nowhere to go back to, given that their country is still grappling with unrest. Back to you.
[13:50:00]
HILL: All right, Priscilla, thank you for that. Let's get you caught up on some of the other headlines we're watching at this hour. Eight people are dead after a charter plane crashed in Alaska. That flight had departed from Anchorage. It went down at Cape Newenham. It's an Air Force airstrip. The cause is under investigation.
We do know the National Weather Service has said that the conditions were foggy and there was low visibility at the time of the crash. The plane was a Cessna like the one you see on your screen. It was operated by Security Aviation. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it had chartered the flight and that two of its employees were among the victims.
A really remarkable story of survival. Two fishermen managed to survive five days adrift in the Pacific Ocean inside that large blue cooler that you see on your screen there. They had no food, no water. The Mexican Navy found them 150 miles off the coast after their fishing cooperative sent out a distress call saying it had lost contact with the men.
It's not clear how their boat became disabled. The good news? They were saved. Hoisted to safety, airlifted to port. We're told they have received medical treatment and have also since been reunited with their families.
A British court ordering Prince Harry, Sir Elton John, and others to pay millions to a tabloid newspaper. This is after the group lost their case against the publisher of the Daily Mail, a judge ruling there wasn't enough evidence to support allegations that the tabloid had illegally gathered information for stories. So the group now has to cover much of the tabloid's legal fees. That first payment, $13 million.
Still ahead here, the nation's capital set to host the Freedom 250 IndyCar race this weekend. The high-speed spectacle, though, is also causing some concerns and a few traffic headaches.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:56:33]
SANCHEZ: This weekend, the nation's capital is going to, quote, "Let Freedom Rev." That's the slogan for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, which will take over the streets of D.C. in celebration of America's 250th birthday. Some 200,000 people are expected for the two-day event culminating in Sunday's big race. The Penske company put up more than $35 million to make it happen, and its president says that crews had to reshape some 49 manholes, smoothing them over with silicone to ensure the high-speed cars don't suck the covers off.
CNN's Brian Todd has much more on this first-of-its-kind event. Brian, racers on public streets going 180-plus miles an hour across the nation's most cherished monuments.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What could go wrong, right?
(LAUGH)
TODD: I mean, look, this is going to be very interesting. It's going to be a lot of fun. You and I were talking off-air about this. There's been a big disruption in the city.
SANCHEZ: OK.
TODD: A lot of people are pissed off about that.
SANCHEZ: Traffic.
TODD: And that's one of the things we have to talk about. But let's talk about just the kind of glamour of this race. This is an A.I.- generated animation of what the race can look like. Of course, this is a little bit glorified.
But look, it's going to give you an idea about how fast these guys are going to be going and some of the places that they're going past, the Capitol, et cetera, the museums, the monument. Let's talk about just some of the dimensions of this.
The track length, Boris, little under 1.7 miles. This is a very small course. We're going to show that in a second. Seven turns, and I can tell you, just about all of them are very tight. I was at one of them yesterday.
SANCHEZ: Yeah.
TODD: These are tight turns. They do this 147 times to go about 250 miles because that's symbolic of the 250th anniversary. So to get to the mileage, they got to do it 147 times. Top speeds of 175 to 185 miles an hour down Pennsylvania Avenue. Now we can show you this animated map that we've drawn up here.
And when we put this up, here we go. It starts on 3rd Street, left on Pennsylvania Avenue, and look at all those tight turns. Seven turns, all of them tight. I can tell you that. If you look at the pit lane, that stretch there, that is Pennsylvania Avenue. That's the stretch where cars are going to be hitting a top speed of about 185 miles an hour down Pennsylvania Avenue.
That was the only venue that was wide enough to have a pit lane. You see --
SANCHEZ: Yeah.
TODD: -- the pit lanes marked there? That's where the pit lane is, and that's where the racers are going to be at their top speeds. We have kind of a cool anecdote, Boris. Bud Denker, who's the Chairman of this race, he talked about this. He's been speaking to CNN for a few weeks as we prepare for this. He had a great anecdote about Thomas Jefferson, who had a race of his own 225 years ago.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUD DENKER, CHAIRMAN, FREEDOM 250 GRAND PRIX: Thomas Jefferson was a horseman. He actually had a horse race around the same areas that we're racing our track on. So 225 years later, here we are with more horsepower.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: Lots and lots more horsepower.
(LAUGH)
TODD: But here's one thing Thomas Jefferson didn't have to put up with. Here we go, Boris. Road closures --
SANCHEZ: Yes.
TODD: -- construction. Boris and I have been dealing with this for weeks because we both drive.
SANCHEZ: Yeah.
TODD: It's a pain in the ass.
(LAUGH)
TODD: Let's just put it -- I mean, it is really -- there are a lot of --
SANCHEZ: It's not easy to get around. Generally, with this, it makes it that much harder.
TODD: It really -- it does. I mean, Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue, two of the main drags, you've seen it.
SANCHEZ: Yeah. TODD: They're closed down. And this is a two-month process.
SANCHEZ: Right.
TODD: They started doing this in late July. It's going to take about until maybe after the first week in September for them to get all of this out of there. A two-month disruption in major traffic patterns. A lot of people in D.C. are unhappy about this, but a lot of people are jacked. It's going to be kind of a cool, you know.
SANCHEZ: I mean, it'll look pretty great when you see these amazing vehicles going through, again, close to the Capitol, the Washington Monument.
