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Minneapolis On The Eve Of Five Years Since George Floyd's Murder; More Than 100 NSC Staffers Put On Leave; Trump Threatens Steep Tariffs on E.U. And Apple; Trump's Image Of Dead "White Farmers" Came From Congo, Not South Africa; Police Investigating Vandalism At Three Austin Mosques; DOJ Investigates Fatal Shooting As Act Of Terrorism, Hate Crime; Controversial Technology Used To Find Escaped New Orleans Inmates; Teens Help Rescue Family From Garage On Way Home From Prom. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired May 24, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: According to a French media report, the festival used generators to ensure todays screenings were held. The closing ceremonies just ended with Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi taking the top prize for his film "It was Just an Accident."

All right. In next week's episode of "SEARCHING FOR SPAIN," Eva Longoria takes viewers to Galicia, a hidden gem on the country's northwestern coast. There she explores the history and the fresh seafood, beef and produce that this remote region is known for.

Be sure to tune in to an all new episode of "EVA LONGORIA SEARCHING FOR SPAIN" next Sunday, 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN.

All right. Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Minneapolis and this entire country facing a solemn and unsettling milestone tomorrow. It has been five years since George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. Video of Floyd's death showing him taking his final breaths under the knee of Officer Derek Chauvin triggered rage at the time and demands for police reform.

While George Floyd is being remembered, Trump's Justice Department is now announcing that it will end police reform agreements and halt investigations into major departments, including Minneapolis.

CNN's Sara Sidner is in Minneapolis covering this story for us.

Sara, you were there five years ago. You followed it throughout. Talk to me about how people are thinking, what they're feeling today.

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, I think there is concern about what the administration is doing. They see this as rolling things back but there's also a lot of hope and there is a lot of love and care. But there are still demands. And that's one of the things they don't want to lose. They want people to remember not just George Floyd, but to remember all of the people who were killed unjustly.

And their names have been written in paint here on the street, here across the street. And it goes all the way down the street. Everyone from Philando Castile, Jamar Clark, all the top three here were killed in the Minneapolis, St. Paul area. At the very top, it says "Justice for," and then it names all of these names, Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor, you know, Michael Brown. People want people to remember what happened, what they saw on television with their own eyes, the injustices that they experienced in their homes, and then that brought them out to the streets to ask and demand change.

And the change they want, they say, is very simple. They want to make sure that the police are policed, and that the police do what they are charged and paid for to do, which is protect and serve. And so in this neighborhood, there are people from all over the city and all over the country who have shown up here to remember what happened to George Floyd, but also to demand that change still continues to happen, to make the country a better place.

They see the Trump administration, for the most part, as something trying to roll back the very changes they feel were desperately needed. But I do want you to see what the memorial looks like five years on. And look, you're hearing music. You're hearing people celebrate being together as a community, and there's no other community like this where a killing happened, where everyone saw it, and there is a memorial that still stands this large.

And it's because this community demanded that people still see this, and this is in the face of the city and the world. This is the place where George Floyd had his last breath, and you can see where his body laid. You are now seeing all of these yellow roses there. Jeremy Harlan giving you the real picture of why people come here because it's been kept up by this very community where it happened, a community that is still in mourning for this family, knowing that they will never, ever get over what happened here.

But they're also here to let people know that communities can do things together and make demands and come together to try and fix the ills of society. Now, I do want to let you hear from Marquise Bowie, who is with Agape. They have been here from the beginning trying to make sure that this community is safe, trying to police this community themselves. You can see people with their Black Lives Matter signs, but listen to what Marquis has to say about what has happened five years on here and the work that still needs to be done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUISE BOWIE, ACTIVIST: Today is a great celebration and uplifting George Floyd but day to day it seems like nobody really cares.

[15:05:04]

This is five years later and we haven't got any new programs. We haven't gotten any new resources and funding for the people that are out here on a day to day basis seems like a struggle specifically for the black men that own property and businesses right here. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: So that is the piece that people in this community want to see. They want to see the socioeconomic uplifting of the people in this neighborhood where there are businesses, there are black owned businesses, there are people of color who are running the businesses and living in the neighborhood. And it is a very mixed neighborhood, by the way. A lot of people have this idea of what this neighborhood is. Very mixed neighborhood. The people here, though, do believe that things still need to be worked on.

There change is necessary, but they feel that they can sort of do it here if they can get the help of the city, of the state, and they have not a lot of faith in the federal government right now with Donald Trump at the helm -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Sara Sidner, thank you so much. We'll check back with you.

All right. And now to a significant staff reduction at the National Security Council. Sources say the Trump administration has put more than 100 NSC officials on administrative leave as part of a restructuring under interim National Security Adviser Marco Rubio, who is also the U.S. Secretary of State. The staffers were informed of their leave late Friday afternoon in an e-mail. The NSC typically serves as a critical body for coordinating the president's foreign policy agenda.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is near Bedminster, New Jersey, where the president is spending the weekend.

Julia, what more can you tell us about how people were notified?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An administration official tells our team that this e-mail came on Friday, the Friday before this long holiday weekend, after 4:00 p.m., about 4:20, to be exact. And in that e-mail, they told those that were being dismissed that they had about 30 minutes to collect their belongings and leave. And then if they were off campus that day that they could write in and coordinate a time to come pick up their things, and also to drop off devices.

Now, the subject line of this e-mail, Fredricka, read, your return to home agency, indicating that most of those affected were detailed to the NSC from various departments and agencies. An official speaking with our team, though, said the way this all played out, how quickly it happened before this holiday time, they called it both unprofessional and reckless. And as you mentioned, the NSC plays a key role in coordinating the president's foreign policy agenda.

And it is staffed by foreign policy experts from various U.S. departments. They have played a diminished role under Trump, and that is likely to reduce even further following these overhauls. Now we do know that more than 100 staffers were placed on administrative leave, and among those who were placed on leave were career officials as well as political hires even during the Trump administration.

WHITFIELD: And the president also on Friday threatened the E.U. now with more tariffs. Tell us more about what can be expected.

BENBROOK: This back and forth on tariffs, turning them on, turning them off, has really become the norm. But I think that this social media post that came early Friday morning caught a lot of people off guard, and in it he announced a 50 percent tariff on goods coming from the European Union starting on June 1st. And he cited a lack of effort on their part when it comes to current trade negotiations. He wrote, quote, "Our discussions with them are going nowhere." Then later in the day, while he was signing executive orders and speaking with reporters, he escalated that message, saying that there's not really a deal to be done here, that the deal is going to be that 50 percent tariff on European goods.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's time that we play the game the way I know how to play the game. I'm not looking for a deal. I mean, we've set the deal. It's at 50 percent. But again, there is no tariff if they build their plant here.

Now if somebody comes in and wants to build a plant here, I can talk to them about a little bit of a delay. But, you know, while they're building their plant, which is something I think that would be appropriate, maybe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Now E.U.'s trade chief did respond to that announcement, saying that any sort of a deal between the E.U. and the U.S. would have to be done in mutual respect and not threats. This was not the only big tariff announcement that Trump made yesterday. He also demanded that Apple and other smartphone manufacturers start to move production to the United States or face a 25 percent tariff.

WHITFIELD: All right, Julia Benbrook, thanks so much.

All right. Let's talk more about all this. In addition to threatening the E.U., President Trump demanded that Apple and other smartphone companies move production to the U.S., or else face 25 percent tariffs.

[15:10:09]

I want to discuss this now with Mary Lovely, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Mary, great to see you. I mean, earlier in the week, you told CNN that moving iPhone production to the U.S., you know, could only be done at a very high cost to Apple and to U.S. consumers. So, I mean, what's changed in production possibilities since the last time iPhone was actually produced or put together in the U.S.?

MARY LOVELY, SENIOR FELLOW, THE PETERSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS: Well, it's worlds away. Apple has a global supply chain, and it does certain functions in the lower wage countries. These are functions that can be done in countries that have lower skilled wages workers than we have in the U.S., have different forms of infrastructure than we have in the U.S., and certainly the most important difference is the lower labor costs.

Let's take India, for example, where Apple has been expanding. The wages in India are one-tenth of what they are in the U.S. so the question is, how does the president expect that Apple is going to build phones in the U.S. that will be bought by the U.S. population and yet somehow be able to pay a living wage to those workers?

WHITFIELD: Right. Because Americans are not likely to try to work in the same kind of wages that are being offered there in China and in India, where these iPhone production has been taking place. So what's it going to cost then Apple in order to offer wages that are commensurate with what the American expectations are and move production to the U.S.?

LOVELY: Well, the president hasn't specified what part of the production, you know, chain he wants moved to the United States. If we take, for example, assembly, those labor costs would increase about 10 times. And someone in the United States is going to have to bear the burden of that. So it could be people who buy iPhones. This is everyone who buys information technology from companies to individuals, or it could be Apple profits, which means that lower returns for everybody in their 401(k)s.

So either way what we are going to find is the only way to make iPhones in the United States is by basically locking the American consumer behind a tariff wall and forcing American households to pay exorbitant prices for their technology.

WHITFIELD: So if Apple is the target now, is it Samsung that's next? I mean, anyone else who's making, you know, cell phones?

LOVELY: Yes. He would have to place tariffs on anyone else who's making cell phones. Otherwise Americans would simply turn away from Apple and move to Samsung or other phones. So that's what I mean by saying we'd be locked behind a tariff wall. I think we also need to consider whether these are the types of jobs that we want. The president has talked a lot about, you know, forcing foreign companies to produce in the United States, to force investment into the United States.

We have to ask whether the types of jobs that he's imagining for Americans are the type of jobs that Americans think will pay them a wage that they can live on and offer a path, a growth path that they think is sustainable for the future. I think making things in which the U.S., you know, really has no comparative advantage, that is, these can be done in lower wage countries, is simply not a viable future for the United States.

We need to be having advanced jobs in other ways that are going to pay wages and have a future for American workers.

WHITFIELD: So as soon as the president made that announcement of, you know, yesterday, the markets, you know, reacted quite immediately. I mean, what are you seeing as the long term implications? Because just when the markets seem to get a little bump in recent weeks, now it's back, you know, down. I mean this can't go on but for so long, right?

LOVELY: Well, unfortunately the president seems to be enjoying the current, you know, turbulence. It seems in some sense to thrive on the turbulence, which is really quite perplexing to many of us since stable policy is a key feature or factor in making the U.S. an attractive place for foreign investment. And, you know, we shouldn't, you know, avoid the fact that the U.S. has been major destination for investment worldwide and is the second largest exporter in the world.

So we are a successful economy. It doesn't seem to make any sense to have policy that shifts from one day to the other and makes firms wonder, should I invest in the United States? Will policy change right underneath me? Will the rug be pulled out from under my business plans? What about tariffs on the things that I need to import into the United States to produce? What about retaliatory tariffs that would come when the president threatens major markets like he did recently with the European Union?

[15:15:07]

So it makes the U.S. a much less attractive place for foreign investment, not a more attractive place.

WHITFIELD: All right, Mary Lovely, lovely having you. Thank you so much.

LOVELY: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: I know you hear it all the time. Couldn't resist. All right.

LOVELY: OK.

WHITFIELD: Just days after President Trump claimed to show evidence of white farmer genocide during a controversial meeting with the president of South Africa, new reporting from Reuters shows the images he shared at the Oval Office meeting came from the Congo, not South Africa, as he claimed.

CNN's Larry Madowo has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump claimed this was dead white farmers in this image of body bags. But Reuters now confirms that that was not from South Africa at all. They say that is a screen grab from a video shot by Reuters video journalist in February in Goma. That's in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It showed humanitarian workers lifting body bags after a deadly assault on Goma by the rebel group M-23.

President Trump held up that blog post from American Thinker, a conservative online magazine that wrote about that conflict in Goma in eastern DRC, as well as racial tensions in South Africa. The managing editor of American Thinker told Reuters that President Trump had misidentified the image. The White House has not responded to CNN's request for comment. But

the South African police minister released the latest statistics of crime in South Africa, where there were thousands more murders between January and the end of March 2025. There were 12 murders at farms, but only one of them was a farmer, and the police minister did not mince his words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENZO MCHUNU, MINISTER OF POLICE: We have respect for the people of the United States, and we have respect for the president of the United States, President Donald Trump. But we have no respect for his genocide story whatsoever. It is totally unfounded and totally unsubstantiated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: The South Africans are now battling to correct the impression created by President Donald Trump and many on the right who claim this conspiracy theory of a genocide of white farmers in South Africa. They're having to do this because that moment in the White House went viral. Everyone in the world is talking about it, and they're a little frustrated that it seems to paint the wrong impression of the situation in the country.

As the agriculture minister said to other White House, they have a rural safety problem, not necessarily the murder of white farmers, specifically in the country.

Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Still to come, we're tracking the cool start to the summer, unofficial start of the summer for New Yorkers and millions of other Americans this holiday weekend. The unseasonable forecast up next. Plus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your house is on fire. Your house is on fire. It's on fire.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know. I know. My dad's phoned the police.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got to get -- you guys got to get out. Yo, yo, get out. Come on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Turns out they were heroes. They were on the way home from a prom. A group of teens saving a family from their burning home. And they'll join us live this hour to tell us all about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:23:13]

WHITFIELD: All right. The holiday weekend is set to be one for the record books. AAA says more people will be traveling over Memorial Day than ever before. We're talking about more than 45 million Americans venturing more than 50 miles from home. A vast majority of them are expected to travel by car. A spokesperson for AAA shared these tips for staying safe on the roads.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AIXA DIAZ, AAA SPOKESPERSON: You want to leave as little to chance as possible because there are so many things you can't control when you're on the road. Other drivers, construction, the weather.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, that weather. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam has the latest holiday forecast.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: If this was the middle of February and we're talking about a Nor'easter across New England, we'd be also mentioning over a foot of snow for some of these coastal locations. But it's the end of May so a completely different type of weather pattern. But it is certainly bringing cool, damp and breezy conditions to many of the locations across the northeast through this extended holiday weekend.

So Portland, Maine, Boston, Massachusetts, into Burlington, upstate New York could see those on and off again showers. One thing is for sure, this is going to lock in below average temperatures for many of the locations across the northeast. Places like the Big Apple down to Philadelphia towards the nation's capital, we're running 5 to 15 degrees below where we should be this time of year.

Also want to give you a heads up on the potential of a flash flood risk going forward throughout the Central and Southern Plains, as well as the Ozarks. Look at all the rain lighting up our future-cast radar going forward. We could pick up anywhere from four to locally six inches of precipitation right through Memorial Day. So heads up, Little Rock into Oklahoma City, Dallas.

Of course, with the cool weather in place, we stay below average anywhere you see these shades of blue and purple extending east of Denver all the way to the nation's capital.

[15:25:04]

Temperatures will remain below average going forward into the early parts of next week. Enjoy.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll try. Thank you, Derek.

All right. Still to come, new details into the vandalism of three mosques in Austin, Texas. One caught on surveillance video.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [15:29:48]

WHITFIELD: All right. Police in Austin, Texas, say an investigation is underway after three local mosques were vandalized. Security footage captured the moment a masked man spray painted symbols on the outside of one of the mosques Thursday night. Now police there are patrolling all mosques in the city.

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones is joining me right now.

Are they getting any closer to a suspect?

JULIA VAN JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, no arrests have been made yet, Fred. Those mosques were targeted around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday. One of them near the University of Texas. The suspect, as you said, was wearing a mask, appears to be a white male and allegedly defacing these mosques, including spray painting one of the imam's office doors. Different symbols there including what we can see in the video a Star of David.

That community is reacting. They're saying that they respect the symbol as it is associated with -- religious symbol associated with the prophet, but that using it to deface a place of worship is vandalism and they say a symbol of Zionism. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAIMAA ZAYAN, CAIR OPERATIONS MANAGER: I've seen an increase in Islamophobia, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian sentiment since October 2023. It's a shame. It's a shame to target worship places.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: According to the Council on American Islamic Relations, there are more than 60,000 practicing Muslims worshiping in the two dozen mosques in the Austin area -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And the Council on American Islamic Relations in Austin says this incident does reflect, you know, a broader pattern that they've actually been observing across the state?

JONES: Yes, not just in Texas. CAIR says that in 2024, nationwide, they've received a record number of complaints of Islamophobia, pointing to this concerned trend they say has now less to do with religion and more with political viewpoints. But Austin Police Department is saying that they strongly encourage their community to come forward and report any kind of suspicious activity.

They're also saying that this is part of their ongoing efforts from the city to ensure that a community there is safe, valued and where everyone feels respected. Also saying that hatred is not tolerated in Austin.

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Vargas Jones, thanks so much.

We're also following developments surrounding the fatal shootings of two Israeli embassy staffers. The alleged gunman is in custody facing federal murder charges. Interim D.C. U.S. attorney Jeanine Pirro said, quote, "We will add additional charges as the evidence warrants," end quote. Dozens of people gathered earlier in the week in front of the White House to mourn and honor the victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been a lot. It's been really, really heavy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sad. I'm terrified. I'm angry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was absolutely devastated. And I decided it was very important to show up and show support.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Brian Todd is learning how the case is being investigated as an act of terror and a hate crime.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have new information now on the investigation into the shooting. According to a law enforcement source and another source familiar with the matter who spoke to CNN, the suspect Elias Rodriguez wore a digital video recording device on the night of the shooting. It was recovered from his backpack when he was taken into custody. Now, according to our sources, it is not immediately clear what was captured on the video.

We have also gotten information on how the attack unfolded. Some very chilling information that we have to warn viewers is a bit disturbing. According to court documents citing surveillance footage viewed by the police, the suspect, Rodriguez, allegedly walked past the two victims before he then turned to face their backs and then fired several times on Wednesday night during the attack.

After they went down, according to the court documents, he went toward them, leaned over them with his arm extended and fired several times. Then, again, according to these documents, as the female victim, Sarah Milgrim, tried to crawl away, Rodriguez allegedly followed behind her and fired again. Then, as she began to sit up, he appeared to reload his firearm and allegedly shot at her again.

Some very disturbing detail, and that is according to court documents charging him, citing some police viewed surveillance footage. As to the charges that the suspect faces, they include, at the moment, first-degree murder, the murder of foreign officials, the discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm, and that last one does carry the possibility of the death penalty.

We're also told by sources that hate crime charges could come later in this investigation. Now, as far as the pursuit of the death penalty, the interim U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro, has said that it is far too early right now to determine whether authorities are going to seek the death penalty in this case. He has not yet entered a plea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Brian Todd, thanks so much.

All right. Coming up, a seventh person arrested, accused with helping the fugitives in that New Orleans jailbreak. New details on the technology police are using to track them down.

[15:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. We're following new developments in the New Orleans jail break. Authorities have arrested a seventh person in connection with the escape of 10 inmates a little more than a week ago. The number of arrested accomplices now surpasses the number of captured escapees. And now police are using new facial recognition technology to find the remaining five inmates.

[15:40:04]

CNN's Clare Duffy explains how it all works.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yes, this facial recognition technology has already been involved in locating two of the five inmates who have been recaptured since that Friday jailbreak. Of course, the city is hoping that it will help them find the other five inmates that remain at large.

Now, what's interesting about this is that these facial recognition cameras are not actually operated by local law enforcement. They are run by a nonprofit called Project NOLA. Project NOLA has 5,000 cameras around New Orleans. 200 of them have this facial recognition technology.

I spoke with Bryan Lagarde. He's the executive director of Project NOLA, and he declined to tell me what A.I. model, what third party company provides the technology to do that facial recognition. But he said, essentially, how it works is that they take law enforcement, be on the lookout alerts. They pull the photos of wanted suspects out of those things like crime scene surveillance images, mug shots. They plug them into their system, and then when their camera spots one of those people on the street, law enforcement will get an automatic alert.

So this situation does mark a win for Project NOLA. But this technology is not without controversy. Critics have for years raised concerns about law enforcement use of facial recognition because of issues like individual privacy. And we've also seen a number of false arrests in other cities because of inaccurate matches by facial recognition systems. In particular, people of color are most at risk from the failings of this technology because we know from research that facial recognition systems are worse at identifying women and people of color than, say, a white man.

But when I asked Lagarde about these concerns, he said that Project NOLA really is a community endeavor. He said that they place their cameras on private homes, businesses, schools and churches with the agreement of those property owners and that they could take the cameras down at any time if they disagree.

Clare Duffy, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, you may have seen this incredible video of two teens rescuing a family from a fire. We're going to speak with the teens live next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's on fire.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know, I know. My dad phoned the police.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got to get -- you guys got to get out. Yo, yo, get out. Come on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:46:56]

WHITFIELD: All right. And now this incredible close call. And it was caught on video. A group of teenage passersby saw fire at a residence and then sprang into action, saving the family inside. Four New York teens were on their way home from their junior prom when they saw a garage engulfed in flames. And they didn't hesitate. As you can hear it right now and see, they went to the front door of the house to make sure that nobody was inside, but there was. Take a look at what happens next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your house is on fire. Your house is on fire. It's on fire.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know. I know. My dad's phoned the police.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got to get -- you guys got to get out. Yo, yo, get out. Come on. Get out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. I mean, the family representative is saying the two girls and the father and the dog all made it out safely because of these two remarkable young men that we're about to talk to. Real heroes here, Aiden Kane and Tyler Sodja. They're with us now.

You all are amazing, and you've got to be recognized many times over for your bravery. Thanks so much for being with us to tell the story.

So, Aiden, you first. What in the world happened here?

AIDEN KANE, HELPED SAVED FAMILY FROM BURNING HOUSE: So basically, it was prom night. We ended up leaving a little bit early to come here to One Genny and get something to eat. And then we ended up leaving and decided to go to our friend's house. And on the way there, we saw a huge garage engulfed in flames. Like we were just astonished at what was happening. We ended up running up to the house and making sure no one was in there. And it was a really crazy night definitely.

WHITFIELD: I mean, you all seem to not hesitate at all, Tyler. I mean, this is very dangerous. I mean, we're looking at the video. That was a seriously, you know, big fire. Tell me about your instincts to just go in there, knock on the door, start yelling, and really get their attention.

TYLER SODJA, HELPED SAVE FAMILY FROM BURNING HOUSE: You know, it's -- you kind of just have to react. And we did react, and we were able to get everybody out and make sure that no other damage was done. And, you know, it's like fight or flight. You just have to do it. And we didn't think twice and we're glad we were there because there was no one else really around. So we're glad we were there because we don't know if the family would have gotten help. But we're just grateful.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And then, I mean, it was a big fire and I know it was very hot even though were looking at the distance between the door that you're banging on and, you know, that garage, I mean, at what point, you know, Aiden, were you even thinking about your own safety if at all?

KANE: I mean, not really, because, to be honest, the fire was fairly like a good distance away, but definitely I felt the heat all the way over there from the door, and especially because like the garage ended up exploding multiple times. There must have been like propane tanks in there or something, but it was insane and it was pretty scary. But I was just worrying about getting those kids out at first.

WHITFIELD: Oh, and you did. I wonder, Tyler, for a minute, were you looking at this fire and thinking, there's no way somebody is actually in there.

[15:50:00]

SODJA: It was, I went up to the fire and I was trying to see if there was anyone in it, like screaming. And I made sure there was no one in there. And then as I backed up to go to the actual house to get the people out, it kind of exploded, like right in front of me. It was like making all these popping noises, and I didn't, I didn't -- there was no one in there at the time, but I didn't think there was anyone in the house. But there was when Aden went to knock on the door to get them out.

And then it kind of really kicked in, like, this is real and this is happening. And then it was just surreal. But we're glad that we were able to get the family out. WHITFIELD: Oh, we're glad, too. And I know that family is really glad.

Was it kind of surreal for them, too, Tyler, for the family? I mean, were they a little bit in disbelief? Like, how could this be happening, we're not sure if we believe you, but oh, yes, we're going to believe you, this is the real deal?

SODJA: Yes, it was scary. I know when Aiden went up to the door, the girls were screaming kind of hysterically, and they just came running out to me and his girlfriend. He got them over to the street and then we went back for the father, and he was able to get him out, too. And it was kind of just really surreal. We were there on the sidewalk with the family, and they were just all happy to see each other, and the girls were definitely aware, and I'm glad they were.

And they came running out to us and we were just trying to comfort them the best we could, and they were really upset.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So, Aiden, what has it been like for you all since, you know, your heroic deeds? And then what is it like when you, you know, have since gone by that property, you know, in the daytime, seeing the destruction and realize, wow, what you all did?

KANE: It's been crazy. Like I've had so many people come up to me, it's unbelievable. Everyone from my school and I've even had like two or three strangers I don't even know, like, come up to me and like, say good job on what happened. And me and my friend Donato, which was the other person that was there, we ended up driving by the fire to like see the aftermath, and it was crazy, like the whole building was like burned down to a crisp and there was absolutely nothing left as well with a truck right next to it, too.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. So you guys sprang into action. You didn't hesitate. It sounds to me that you've got the ingredients to be first responders. Are you starting to think about those kind of career choices now?

KANE: I've always wanted to be a state trooper, like, my whole life, because my dad, he's been a police officer for a very long time. And this definitely like, goes to show that it's what I want to do, I feel like.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's wonderful. Well, it's in the genes, obviously. And so, Tyler, I mean, you guys were on your way home from prom. Please tell me you all still had a really good time at prom before all of this happened, too.

SODJA: Yes, it was a crazy night. Like, I'll never forget it. Prom is one of those experiences you'll never forget. Me and him had a very good time at prom. And just to leave prom and drive down the road and see that it was crazy. But it was definitely a night we'll never forget. And yes, we did have a lot of fun that night.

WHITFIELD: Oh, good. And in your suits, I mean, you all were quite dapper there in this prom photo. But you did not hold back. You definitely rose to the occasion on so many levels.

Aiden Kane, Tyler Sodja, thanks to both of you. Appreciate you. Congratulations. And job well done.

KANE: Thank you so much.

SODJA: Thank you so much. Have a nice night.

KANE: We greatly appreciate being here.

SODJA: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Glad having you.

All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:57:58]

WHITFIELD: This Memorial Day weekend, the nation pays tribute to those who died while serving in the U.S. Military. We would like to share with you video of a flag ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery. At the annual event, over 1,000 service members placed American flags at each of the headstones to honor every individual laid to rest there.

CNN photojournalist Nick Leinbach spoke with the soldiers as they reflected on this moving annual tribute.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. MAJOR JOHN KITZMILLER, U.S. ARMY: This tradition we're doing here today is something called Flags In where we place an American flag in front of every grave in Arlington National Cemetery for over 400,000 service members and their families.

STAFF SGT. JOSEPH MCHUGH, U.S. ARMY: It kind of makes me think about how small of a kind of a blip in time my career has been as vast as it may seem, I guess, in the grand scheme of things but then you come out here, you see the endless amount of years and the wars and the conflicts that we have been in, and how many soldiers we lost over the time.

SPECIALIST QUINISHA FELLS, U.S. ARMY: You know, we look at this and almost kind of take it for granted. But these people have laid down their lives. Their families have been there to support. And so this is just a, you know, a day where we can come out and just really honor them.

FIRST LT. NICHOLAS CHRISTENSEN, U.S. ARMY: It's something that everyone takes very seriously. Just the knowledge that we're often the last touchpoint that families will have with the military as they buried their loved one. And I think we take that responsibility very seriously to give it the correct sendoff and the proper sendoff to our comrade in arms.

KITZMILLER: No matter what is going on in the world that we will always honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women buried here.

FELLS: So I'm thankful and grateful. And I think as Americans, we should just really take the time to honor on this special day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And we're grateful for the service of those living and those past.

A special thanks to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country this Memorial Day weekend.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN NEWSROOM continues with Omar Jimenez.