Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

DOJ Turns Over "Thousands Of Pages" Of Epstein Records To House Oversight Committee And Release Maxwell Interview; At Least 5 Killed, Dozens Injured In NY Tour Bus Crash; Texas GOP Approves New Maps As Partisan Redistricting Race Escalates; TX Dems Vow Legal Fight Over Redrawn Maps After Returning To Capital; California Voters To Get Final Say On New Redrawn Maps. U.N.-Backed Group Declares "Man-Made" Famine In Parts Of Gaza; Judge Bans Migrant Detention Center From Taking New Detainees; Wildfires Erupt In The West As Dangerous Heat Intensifies. Aired 12p-1p ET

Aired August 23, 2025 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: -- to register to vote. Well, after our look at Afghanistan this hour, it's vital to remember not to look away, even from what's happening on our own democratic doorsteps.

And that's all we have time for. Don't forget, you can always find our shows online as podcasts at CNN.com/audio and on all other major platforms.

I'm Christiane Amanpour in London. Thank you for watching and see you again next week.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and thank you for joining us. I'm Isabel Rosales in for Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour with new developments and new questions in the expanding Jeffrey Epstein saga. On Friday, the Justice Department releasing the long-awaited recorded interview with Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. It includes 377 pages of transcripts from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's two days of talks with Maxwell.

She weighed in on several outstanding questions from behind prison walls, where she's serving a 20-year sentence for trafficking underage girls with Epstein. Maxwell went out of her way to shower praise on President Trump, who was once friends with Epstein. And she does not believe, she says, that Epstein committed suicide in prison.

Despite this unprecedented and lengthy interview, she didn't implicate anybody, including herself or Epstein, in any wrongdoing and maintains Epstein didn't have a client list.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: During the time that you were with Mr. Epstein, and even in the 2000s when you were around less frequently, you never observed, or you never saw any sort of list or black book or a list of individuals who, you know, linked to certain masseuses or --

GHISLAINE MAXWELL, CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER: Absolutely no.

BLANCHE: -- anything like that?

MAXWELL: Absolutely no. There is no list.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ROSALES: Critics of Maxwell's responses are quick to point out that these are the words of a convicted sex trafficker and a woman who appears to be seeking a pardon from President Trump. Her interview was released as the Trump administration is trying to tamp down any conspiracy theories about the financier and his death. These tapes came on the same day the Justice Department turned over some of the Epstein files to the House Oversight Committee.

CNN's Julia Benbrook joins us now live from the White House. Julia, what more can you tell us about what we're learning from this interview?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I want to take a quick step back just to add some extra context here. In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi had hyped up some soon-to-be-released documents and even suggested she had a so-called client list setting on her desk. Then months later, the Department of Justice and the FBI released a memo saying it had not found a so-called client list incriminating associates of Jeffrey Epstein, and that inflamed years-long conspiracy theories, some have which -- some of which have been promoted by members of this administration.

But as this topic, the Epstein files, continues to loom over the administration, the White House has looked for ways to get ahead of the story. And officials who spoke with CNN have said that releasing this audio and the transcripts of this interview with Maxwell is a part of that effort.

Now, the interview was conducted by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is also President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer. Now, during the interview, he asked Maxwell specifically about the relationship between Trump and Epstein, as well as the photos that the two of them have been seen in together. Maxwell said that she believes that they did have a friendly relationship in social settings, but that she had never seen the President in an inappropriate setting.

Take a listen to part of that exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

MAXWELL: I actually never saw the President in any type of massage setting. I never witnessed the President in any inappropriate setting in any way. The President was never inappropriate with anybody. In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BENBROOK: Now, throughout the interview, she did take moments to flatter Trump, saying that she admired his extraordinary achievement of becoming president and that she had always liked him. It is important to note here that leading up to this interview, one of the big questions was, what, if anything, Maxwell was hoping to get from the Trump administration?

Back in 2021, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Recently, she was transferred to a lower security prison camp, one that, as a sex offender, it appears she would not be eligible for without a waiver. That move happened several weeks ago, but the administration has still not provided specifics of how that happened. Isabel?

ROSALES: Julia Benbrook, thank you so much for your time.

[12:05:08]

Joining me now to talk more about these developments is Nima Rahmani, he is a former federal prosecutor and the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers. Nima, thank you so much for your time and for being on the show. Let me start by getting your big takeaway from this interview.

NIMA RAHMANI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Isabel, I agree with the critics of Ghislaine Maxwell. She's a liar. She's a convicted sex offender. She recruited and groomed young girls for her pedophile ex- boyfriend. So I don't believe her.

Now, it may well be true that President Donald Trump and Bill Clinton had nothing to do with Epstein's sex abuse. But this is more of a situation of a broken clock being right twice a day than anything of substance coming out of Maxwell's mouth.

ROSALES: And as a former federal prosecutor, what do you make of the Justice Department's decision to interview Maxwell in the first place? And have it been done at such a large upper scale in the chain of command?

RAHMANI: It's not typical where the number two person at the Department of Justice is conducting the interview. But I do believe it is important for the Department of Justice to follow through on its promise to make the Epstein files public.

So to the extent that Pam Bondi, the Attorney General, and Todd Blanche, the deputy, did make these interview recordings public, I think that's an important first step in making the Epstein files public. I do credit the House Oversight Committee for getting their act together in a rare moment of bipartisanship, subpoenaing individuals and documents.

But if anyone is to be believed, it's former Attorney General Bill Barr, who essentially said the same thing. He's someone who's actually credible. Ghislaine Maxwell is not.

ROSALES: Well, in that interview, Maxwell also said that she does not believe that Epstein committed suicide. We have a quick sound bite. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

BLANCHE: Do you -- so you think he did was -- he did not die by suicide, given all the things we just talked about?

MAXWELL: I do not believe he died by suicide, no.

BLANCHE: And do you believe that -- do you have any speculation or view of who killed him?

MAXWELL: I -- no, I don't.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ROSALES: Now, this is sure to fan the flames of the already numerous conspiracy theories about Epstein's death, but it doesn't appear that she has any facts or evidence to back up these claims. What do you make of it?

RAHMANI: Well, Isabel, you know, there's certainly a lot of people who are watching that don't believe that Epstein committed suicide and that he was killed. Obviously, Maxwell would have no direct information about this being in prison herself.

So the question is, what's the purpose of all this? Obviously, it seems like she's trying to butter up the current President for a presidential pardon. She sees that her Supreme Court appeal has little to no chance of success. She's arguing that she was covered by Epstein's non-prosecution agreement.

End of the day, anyone who's listened to this recording, do they really believe that Ghislaine Maxwell saw nothing, knew nothing? Jurors didn't agree, and I know the American public doesn't agree either.

ROSALES: Yes, and I think the question, the biggest question that most people have from these documents is how much can we believe about what Maxwell is saying? She's convicted of very serious crimes, and it seems from some of your prior answers there, you don't believe she has credibility there. But is there not an avenue here, a path, where more discussions can be a better thing for transparency?

RAHMANI: No question. I mean, we know that there's plenty of information in the Epstein files that may be credible. We're talking about witness interviews, the FBI 402 memoranda. There were terabytes of data, 62 devices seized from Epstein's homes when they were raided.

So we know that evidence exists because it was the subject of discovery disputes both in Maxwell's criminal case, as well as some of the civil litigation like Virginia Giuffre's against Prince Andrew. So that evidence is out there. It's in the DOJ files.

We're not talking about the grand jury material, a very small subset that has to be secret and sealed, and the judges have ruled that it can't be disclosed. There's plenty that can be. So hopefully after the House conducts its investigation, we start to see more of this information finally being made public after Bondi and the DOJ had told us they'd be releasing it for many, many months now.

ROSALES: The Epstein files, a topic that has at times been a thorn to the side of this administration, and certainly a topic that is not going away anytime soon.

Nima Rahmani, thank you for your time.

RAHMANI: Thanks, Isabel. We'll talk soon.

ROSALES: Well, we're following breaking news. Right now, at least five people are dead and dozens are hurt after a tour bus with 52 passengers crashed in Western New York. It happened near Pembroke, about 40 miles east of Niagara Falls.

[12:10:07]

This bus, look at these pictures, terrible. This was headed back -- this bus was headed back to New York City at the time. Officials say that the driver got distracted and lost control over correcting and then rolling over onto the interstate.

CNN's Leigh Waldman is live in Buffalo, outside of one of the hospitals where the victims were taken. Leigh, what have you learned?

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Isabel, it's good to be with you. We know the victims were transported to at least four regional hospitals, including the one that we're at here at the Erie County Medical Center. 24 patients taken here being treated for a variety of issues.

We heard from medical professionals here and they say the injuries range from head, internal injuries, broken bones. Some of the patients taken have been declared medically stable at this point. We know many of the passengers on this bus, ranging in age from just one years old to 74 years old, many of them were not wearing seatbelts.

This was a scenic tour of Niagara Falls. They're on their way back to New York City when this crash happened. What we're hearing from law enforcement investigators at this point is that the bus was going at top speed, there was no collision, but the bus driver got distracted, lost control, and then that's when we saw the rollover happen.

Take a listen to the moments right after and the calls over the scanner and what medical professionals here had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a tour bus with 52 passengers, mostly foreign speaking. We have people ejected and people possibly under the bus at this point.

DR. SAMUEL D. CLOUD, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, ERIE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER: This is probably the most trauma patients we've had from one incident in my career here in Buffalo.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over 25 years.

CLOUD: Over 25 years.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

WALDMAN: Now we do know that in addition to all the first responders who were on that scene there trying to care for these patients, some of whom got ejected or trapped underneath that bus, they also had to bring translators to the scene because there were many people who didn't speak English, people from the Philippines, from China, also from India being cared for there.

There was a reunification center set up not far from where we are right now, about a 20 minute drive. They're closing that down now after hearing that most of these patients have gotten in contact with family members, but they're providing aid there.

Let's talk about that bus for just a moment. It was taken off of the highway. The investigation is still ongoing. It was told to the state police barracks and Batavia to be further investigated. They've determined that the driver was not impaired. There was no mechanical issues with the bus itself.

This investigation is ongoing, Isabel.

ROSALES: Just a terrible, terrible incident.

Leigh Waldman, thank you for your reporting.

Well still ahead, breaking news.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're getting 18 ayes, 11 nays. House Bill 4 is finally passed.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ROSALES: A nationwide redistricting race is intensifying after Texas Republicans approved new congressional maps that could give the GOP more House seats.

Plus, famine declared in parts of Gaza. U.N.-backed group now warning that the man-made crisis is likely to spread.

And a major ruling effectively shutting down the controversial migrant detention center that the Trump administration calls Alligator Alcatraz, but Florida already has a backup plan. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:18:09]

ROSALES: Welcome back, and breaking news. Early this morning, the Texas Senate approved new congressional maps drawn to give Republicans a possible five-seat advantage in next year's midterm elections. (BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're getting 18 ayes, 11 nays. House Bill 4 is finally passed.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ROSALES: You're watching right here the final legislative hurdle for the redistricting plan. Democratic House members, however, they have vowed that the fight is not over, saying that they will wage a legal battle over these new maps. The response follows their 15-day protests, where we saw them leaving the state, which denied the required quorum needed to hold the vote.

CNN Correspondent Arlette Saenz joins me now from the Texas Capitol. Arlette, what is the next step in this lengthy battle?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isabel, the Texas Senate gave its final stamp of approval in the early hours of this morning to this redistricting bill, and now it will head to Texas Governor Greg Abbott for his signature. It's expected he will sign this bill into law early this week, and at that point, this bill really is set to reshape the 2026 midterm landscape.

What Republicans have done here in Texas is try to create five seats that would be more favorable to Republicans in those midterms. They are taking a look at how Trump had performed in these districts and essentially reshaping them to adhere more closely to the President's performance back in the 2024 election. And Republicans have been very blunt about their plans.

Take a listen. This is State Senator Phil King speaking on the Senate floor yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

PHIL KING (R), TEXAS STATE SENATE: I'm convinced that if Texas does not take this action, that there is a extreme risk that that Republican majority will be lost. And if it does, the next two years after the midterms, there will be nothing but inquisitions and impeachments and humiliation for our country.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

[12:20:21]

SAENZ: Now, Democrats who had fled the state for two weeks to try to delay passage of the bill really had no legislative tools available to stop this from being passed. So now Democrats will turn their attention to lawsuits that they will be filing in the courts. They are hoping that the judicial system would step in to block these maps from going into effect.

But even before this bill is signed into law, we are already seeing some shakeups within the Democratic caucus for the U.S. House here in Texas. Representative Lloyd Doggett, who represents the 37th District right here in Austin, he has announced that he will not seek re- election if the courts do not block those maps, if they let them go into effect.

He's represented this area for 30 years. Congressman from an area just down south of here, District 35, Congressman Greg Casar had said that he planned to run in this 37th District. That would have set up a potential primary clash between these two Democrats, but Doggett announcing that he will go ahead and retire if these maps go into effect.

So there's still a lot of big questions for other Texas Democrats who hold U.S. House seats, how they plan to approach this. But this really -- moment really represents a major victory for President Trump as he is hoping that the House -- the Republicans will be able to hold on to the House majority for the second half of his second term in office. And the President is encouraging other GOP states to consider their options to pursue redistricting as well.

ROSALES: Arlette Saenz, thank you so much for that report.

California lawmakers have responded to this move by Texas by approving their own new congressional maps. But there's a hurdle in Governor Newsom's plan, Gavin Newsom's plan. The new maps will require a statewide election on November 4th.

I'm joined now by Julia Wick, political reporter with the Los Angeles Times. Julia, thank you so much for being with us.

Back in 2010, California voters created an independent redistricting commission precisely to avoid partisan mapmaking. Implementing Governor Newsom's new maps will require, as we mentioned, a statewide election in November that will be to approve a constitutional amendment.

I want you to listen to the governor just before Thursday's signing of these bills.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: I'm eager to sign a bill that no other governor in U.S. history has ever signed, a bill that will put the maps in front of the voters. We'll be the first state in U.S. history to, in the most democratic way, submit to the people of our state the ability to determine their own maps. That simply has not been done.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ROSALES: Democrats say their redistricting plan is both a direct response to Texas and a more democratic process since voters are going to have the final say. Julia, what is the gamble here for the Democratic Party and how big of a hurdle is this November vote?

JULIA WICK, POLITICAL REPORTER, LOS ANGELES TIMES: Absolutely. So it is a real high stakes, potentially high reward, but also potentially big loss gamble for Governor Newsom right now. Californians have voted twice in the last two decades for independent redistricting. This is something that our state holds really, really dear.

But the argument Newsom is making is that basically it's time to fight fire with fire. Democracy is under attack. And the only way to kind of hold up the crumbling institution of democracy is to counter Texas's gambit. In terms of how big of a hurdle it is, so recent polling from The Times and Berkeley showed that about 48 percent of voters do support this measure.

A little under a third would say no, and about 20 percent were undecided. So that's a decent place to be as a starting point. But one thing you should know about conventional wisdom with these kind of ballot propositions is it's hard to get people to yes.

And that's not just for redistricting, that's for any yes or no ballot measure. The default for people is no, typically, if they don't kind of know much about it. So it is -- it's a hard kind of tactic ahead and it's going to be an incredibly expensive special election. Hundreds of millions of dollars are going to be poured into these campaigns.

ROSALES: And you mentioned fighting fire with fire. This stuck out to me from one of your latest articles. You wrote, citing the Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin. He said, "We're not bringing a pencil to a knife fight. We're going to bring a bazooka to a knife fight. This is not your grandfather's Democratic Party."

Do you think this is a sign of what's to come beyond California?

WICK: You know, I think it's a sign of -- California is always sort of, you know, California sneezes, the nation catches the cold. This is where the future happens first.

[12:25:06]

And I think at a moment where Democrats have really been post-2024 election in the wilderness, trying to figure out their next moves, trying to figure out what people want to see from the Democratic Party, at a time when they've really been criticized for seeming ineffective, Newsom is betting this is what they want to see.

And I think that it's possible other Democrat governors are really going to follow suit, but I think we're going to see if it works or not. And, you know, we'll see in November.

ROSALES: Yes, I heard from so many Democratic voters in town hall saying, we want them to fight, stick up for us more, to the point that you were making.

WICK: Exactly.

ROSALES: Now, five California Republican lawmakers could see their seats at risk if these new maps take effect. We're showing right now a graphic of these five lawmakers. Republicans say that their best shot at stopping this is over at the ballot box. What steps are they taking, Julia? WICK: Yes. So there's going to be a massive campaign to try and defeat this measure. Even -- and how it works in California is the assembly -- sorry, the state legislature worked to put this measure on the ballot even before they had voted to put it on the ballot. California voters, including myself, were already getting mailers arguing against the campaign.

I think the first one came Wednesday or Thursday. So Charles Munger is one of the big opponents. Arnold Schwarzenegger has also really come out against it. And we have yet to see how much money is going to be poured into it, but it's going to be a lot.

ROSALES: And not enough time ever to talk about all of this, but I do want to get to one of your latest reports. You wrote about this new Southeast Los Angeles County congressional seat that has emerged from these new maps. And you wrote the following, "Behind the scenes, consultants, lawmakers, and would be candidates already are jockeying for position in the newly competitive or vastly redrawn districts that may soon exist across the state."

And then you added that political watchers are bracing for a, quote, "full-on feeding frenzy." We are months ahead, Julia, of this issue of the maps even getting in front of the voters. Are these politicians getting over their skis here?

WICK: Well, so here's where it's kind of tricky. And to me, this is one of the most interesting parts, kind of simultaneously to this bloody fight happening over redistricting. There's a sort of subterranean fight happening where people are getting in place to run these campaigns for districts that frankly don't exist yet.

But I think they would be silly not to, because this is the time when people are typically running campaigns. You know, these -- should these maps pass, the primary is going to be in June, 2026. That's really soon. So they sort of don't have a choice, but it is kind of a crazy parallel track happening right now.

ROSALES: All incredibly interesting. And we're going to have to see what happens, not just in Texas, not just in California, but many other states that are also proposing their own redistricting.

Julia Wick, thank you so much.

WICK: Thanks for having me on.

ROSALES: Well, a devastating U.N.-backed report says that parts of Gaza are now officially experiencing a man-made famine. Exactly what it says and how Israel and the U.S. are reacting, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN HOST: Welcome back. New video shows the moment an Israeli rocket slammed into central Gaza. The strike hit an area where people are likely to seek shelter when Israel's military begins its expected assault on nearby Gaza City. The attack follows a report published by a U.N.-backed initiative on Friday that says parts of Gaza are officially experiencing a, quote, man-made famine. With us is CNN's Nada Bashir. Nada, what is that report saying?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is certainly a distressing and damning report from the U.N.-backed initiative, declaring and confirming that there is now famine in parts of Gaza, particularly in the Gaza governorate, which includes Gaza City, which is the focus of Israel's renewed military offensive that you were just describing. But, of course, the risk that has been warned and sounded the alarm of over the last few months, but also in this report, is that that could certainly continue to spread across the Gaza Strip.

Now, we've been hearing those warnings for some time now, for months even, from U.N.-backed initiatives, from humanitarian organizations on the ground and health officials, that the starvation and hunger crisis in Gaza could lead to famine. Months prior, of course, this U.N.- backed initiative had placed the entirety of the Gaza Strip at phase four, at emergency level. Now phase five, of course, is that famine level that has been confirmed in parts of the Gaza Strip.

Take a listen to this impassioned statement from the U.N.'s humanitarian affairs chief, Tom Fletcher, yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM FLETCHER, U.N.' UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: Please read the IPC report, cover to cover. Read it in sorrow and in anger. Not as words and numbers, but as names and lives. Be in no doubt that this is irrefutable testimony. It is a famine, the Gaza famine. It is a famine that we could have prevented if we had been allowed. Yet food stacks up at borders because of systematic obstruction by Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:35:08]

BASHIR: They had there, Tom Fletcher, describing this as irrefutable testimony, but the findings of the report have been rejected by Israeli authorities who have described the report as being one-sided, that it relies on data provided from Hamas and fails to take into account an uptick in the amount of food supplies, water and medical aid being allowed into the Strip.

We've also just in the last few hours heard remarks from the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who has just said that the United Nations should declare itself, in his words, corrupt and incompetent. But of course the findings of this report really reflect and echo the warnings that we have been hearing from U.N. agencies and other humanitarian organizations and of course really mirror the harrowing images that we ourselves have seen coming out of Gaza of many struggling to find any food to survive and of course the distressing images of emaciated children that we continue to see.

ROSALES: Yes, and as you say, Nada, this report making official what we've all seen for so long now, the testimony from people on the ground, whether it's charities or non-profits to the people living under these conditions, now all made official. Nada Bashir, thank you. Still ahead, the controversial migrant detention center that many in the Trump administration call Alligator Alcatraz could shut down before Halloween. Now Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is doubling down on detention centers in his state. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:41:13]

ROSALES: Just in to CNN, a new lawsuit now challenges Florida's authority to detain people at a migrant detention center, which the Trump administration calls Alligator Alcatraz. The case from immigrants rights advocates, including the ACLU, focuses on the state's use of 287(g) agreements. Those are the agreements that allow individual state and local officers to help with a narrow set of immigration enforcement tasks.

They are subject to training and to close supervision by federal officials. It does not, however, allow them to set up independent detention operations. Now, all of this comes following a major ruling involving that very same migrant detention center in the Everglades. A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction ordering much of it to be dismantled before Halloween. And the facility can no longer take in any new detainees. All of this stems from a lawsuit filed about its environmental impact. And of course, the state is appealing.

Eve Samples, the executive director of Friends of the Everglades, one of the plaintiffs in this lawsuit, joins me now. Eve, thank you so much for your time and for being on the show.

EVE SAMPLES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FRIENDS OF THE EVERGLADES: Thank you.

ROSALES: Eve, Friends of the Everglades was founded back in 1969 to stop the construction of a major airport near the Everglades National Park. Your group was successful then and now more than 50 years later, another environmental victory on this very same site where the makeshift detention center now sits. What do you make of this full circle moment?

SAMPLES: It's really a remarkable moment for us. We were founded by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, who crusaded for the creation of Everglades National Park, and in 1969 created Friends of the Everglades to prevent a massive airport from being built at this very site. That opposition triggered, interestingly, an environmental impact report that led to a different course of action.

So that project was halted after a single runway was built out there, and that is the runway that exists today. And before mid-June, it was a lightly used training runway until this mass detention center was built. So what we heard from the court this past Thursday in an 82- page ruling really spoke to our origin story, spoke to our passion about protecting the Everglades, and also reflects that the government has to follow the environmental rule of law.

And when our government leaders don't do that, they have to be held accountable, and they can be. So we're -- we're hopeful. This is a preliminary injunction, more work to do here. The state has already appealed, but we're very hopeful and encouraged in this moment.

ROSALES: Yes, and this is a big order from Judge Kathleen Williams, which essentially shuts the site down before Halloween, about 60 days from now. But as you mentioned, the legal battle isn't over. This was a preliminary injunction, meaning that you guys still need to argue and provide evidence on the merits of this case. And the state certainly isn't backing down on even this latest ruling either. Here's Governor Ron DeSantis. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): We got news last night that we had a judge try to upset the apple cart with respect to our deportation and detainee processing center down in South Florida at Alligator Alcatraz. I just want to just say this was not something that was unexpected. We knew that this would be something that would likely happen and we will respond accordingly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: What is your response to the governor there who has gone after this judge, Kathleen Williams, before because she gave him some ire on a different immigration law, even holding the attorney general of Meyer in contempt in that case? What do you say to the governor and what he just said?

SAMPLES: I think that the judge's 82-page ruling presents a very compelling case for her decision to grant this preliminary injunction. She went into great detail about the evidence presented during four days of hearings in court in this case, including evidence that 20 acres of new asphalt were laid without any environmental review, that high-intensity lighting was installed in the middle of habitat for the endangered Florida panther, which is a nocturnal species, again with no review.

[12:45:24]

And she also quoted Harry Truman at the opening of Everglades National Park in 1947 and pointed out that leaders of all political stripes have supported the Everglades. So I think the 82-page ruling really speaks for itself and -- and the governor is deflecting from that.

ROSALES: We only have a couple of seconds here, but I want to get to this. Florida may have a -- may have been bracing for this unfavorable ruling. The state recently announced a new immigration detention facility to the north of the state that they dubbed Deportation Depot. It's actually going to be located at a prison that's been vacant for years due to severe staffing shortages. Do you think that this was their backup plan because of this case, your case?

SAMPLES: It's interesting. We have heard that detainees have been moved out of the Everglades Detention Center and we don't know what the intent was in opening this new space. But we think it speaks to the lack of consideration of alternatives. If there were other alternatives, why was this mass detention center and all the associated environmental harm built in this ecologically sensitive location surrounded by the country's first national preserve, Big Cypress National Preserve? So there were alternatives and I think the action there reflects the strength of our case.

ROSALES: Yes. Judge Williams called that out in her 82-page order saying that the state never weighed other options, other locations. Eve Samples, thank you so much for your time.

SAMPLES: Thank you.

ROSALES: Well, coming up, the Menendez brothers were both denied parole after decades in prison for the killing of their parents more than 35 years ago. Their bid for freedom isn't over yet. How they could still secure their conditional release. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:51:43]

ROSALES: Record-breaking heat is fueling dozens of wildfires across the West, including in California, Arizona, and Washington. New time- lapse video shows the fast-moving Pickett Fire in Napa County, California. Look at that. It has forced hundreds of people to evacuate, and fire is only 7 percent contained and has blazed through nearly 4,000 acres. Meteorologist Chris Warren has more on these dangerous conditions.

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is getting unbearably hot and dry for so many in Southern California and really much of the West Coast, but it's here in Central and Southern California where red flag warnings are in place, where conditions are perfect for fires to start and then spread. Here are the temperatures going to see inland areas into the triple digits, even closer to the water in Los Angeles. It's going to be close to 90 degrees.

There will be some showers and possibly some thunderstorms moving in for the afternoon hours this weekend. That could create some lightning and thus spark some wildfires, so that's something that we're going to watch. If fires do develop, they could spread very quickly. This heat, some of the hottest weather so far this summer, all the way up to the Pacific Northwest, dangerously hot from the Rogue Valley and in Northern California, all the way up to western Oregon, western Washington, where temperatures, keep in mind, a lot of people do not have air conditioning, temperatures in Seattle and Portland will be into the 90s, even triple digits, possibly later on today and still staying hot right into early next week for much of the Pacific Northwest, so dealing with some serious heat and doing their best to stay cool, I hope.

ROSALES: Triple digit temperatures there, just unbearable. Chris Warren, thank you.

Well, the CNN original series American Prince: JFK Jr., explores the story and lasting legacy of John F. Kennedy Jr. In the series finale, unrelenting media and paparazzi coverage rises surrounding JFK and his new wife Carolyn Bessette before the shocking tragedy that cut their lives short. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROLYN BESSETTE, JFK JR.'S WIFE: I only saw John cry one time and it was that summer, like really cry. We were at the beach and Anthony took his shirt off and you could see his chest was all marked up with scars from so many operations and he was pretty thin at that point and I don't know, I think the visual for John, he just like fell to the sand and just put his head and his hands and was really crying and thank God Anthony was a little ahead of him and the sound of the waves were -- were covering up the cries. But I -- I could see what was happening.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anthony, he was really the brother he never had and I think Carol was a real part of John and Carolyn's life because they were preparing to basically take on Carol as some extension of their -- their life. That whole month of June was really brutal for him.

BESSETTE: John was also trying to save his magazine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[12:55:00]

ROSALES: The series finale of American Prince: JFK Jr. airs tonight at 9:00 p.m. only on CNN.

Well, just ahead, billions of dollars at stake with America's big gamble, sports betting, how the booming industry is fueling a new generation of young bettors. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:02]

ROSALES: And a new episode of the Whole Story with Anderson Cooper. Nick Watt sits down with NCAA chief Charlie Baker to confront a disturbing trend. College athletes facing violent, sometimes even deadly threats from furious sports bettors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLIE BAKER, PRESIDENT, NCAA: Go sit behind a team, a college basketball team, men's or women's team, at one of the conference tournaments. Listen to the yelling and screaming that gets directed at them from there by bettors, stuff like, I know where your exit out of the building is. You cost me five grand, I'm going to kill you. We have at some of our championships put 24/7 police protection around some of our teams.

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT Over threats related to betting?

BAKER: Threats that were -- threats, yes, Threats from betting that were deemed to be legit.

WATT: You would like to just see it that you can just bet on who's going to win, who's going to lose.

BAKER: Yes. Yes.

WATT: And that's enough.

BAKER: That's enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: An all new episode of the Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, Sports Betting: America's Big Gamble that airs tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. only on CNN.