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Pacific Northwest Faces Wildfires; Washington State Officials Give Update On Wildfires; CNN Provides U.S.-Iran War Updates; A.I Models Going Rogue?; Judge Orders Deported Honduran Man Be Returned To The U.S. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired August 02, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is "CNN Breaking News."

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: You are in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Brian Abel in Atlanta. We are beginning with breaking news tonight. A state of emergency as firefighters race to control three fast-moving wildfires in Spokane County in Washington State.

Plumes of smoke billowing into the sky, forcing thousands of families to evacuate. Over 5,000 acres have been burned, fueled by the extreme heat as the Pacific Northwest faces the worst fire season in more than 30 years. The flames already destroying at least 600 structures and knocking out power for thousands.

We are moments away from an update from officials. We'll bring that to you live when it happens. We're going to start with CNN's Julia Vargas Jones joining us from Spokane with a closer look at the damage. And Julia, what have you been able to see so far?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brian, in our arrival here at first, just the blanket of smoke. It was so striking as our plane was coming into Spokane from Seattle. It's just completely covered in that smoke, thick smoke that we could smell already from the airport. Now, we drove out here to Northwest Spokane.

This is near the Indian Trail. I'll step out so you can take a better look at this. The trail of fire and destruction coming from this wooded area very much into this neighborhood that then is coated with this bright pink fire retardant.

You know, Brian, we covered the fires in L.A. just 18 months ago and the scenes of just seeing that wildfire coming into an urban area are still just so raw and people just so struck by how quickly it can spread. In this case, it actually crossed the Spokane River to go into the other side. So, the fire started on one side, came to the other. That's because they've been seeing these extremely, extremely powerful winds.

And it's not just here in Spokane County. There are 10 fires burning in Washington State right now. That is why officials have declared the state of emergency and have told people to leave. That's a level three warning for the parches in these areas. That means leave now with whatever you have on you.

Now, of course, we are a day later here. We're looking -- we're seeing people coming back to see the damage to their homes and kind of understand what is it that this fire has done to them. We're hoping to hear a little bit more from officials of what the extent was of the damage. There were no reports of injuries or loss of life. But we have heard from these officials that they are ready as they're starting to do this reconnaissance in these areas that that could change.

ABEL: And Julia, why you're there, you know, it looks like at the moment where you are at, things are calm. Do you see signs of some of the efforts to put out fires, whether it be, you know, the tracks maybe behind you in that field, by firefighters and fire crews or planes in the air actively going to where the fire is still burning?

VARGAS JONES: You know, we can't see the planes, Brian, because the sky is just so thick with smoke. I'm holding my mask here because it's just impossible to breathe. It smells like -- it's not a pleasant fireplace smell. This is smells of plastic, of wood metal burning.

It's extremely unpleasant and it makes your throat swell up. You can't see any planes, but I can hear something flying in the air. We've seen fire engines going up and down this area. There are checkpoints all over this area of Northwest Spokane.

So, yes, we are seeing very much that active effort from authorities here as well as from the community. We saw multiple homes where people were dowsing their houses with water from their hoses and with buckets from their pools to avoid any kind of -- to try to prevent any kind of damage to their homes.

Of course, these -- we can see very clearly the path of the fire where we have perfectly fine homes on one side and on the other, something completely destroyed. Multiple people from this neighborhood coming up to check on their neighbors and just walking around.

[17:05:04]

This seems to be a very popular trail, a dog walking trail. We've seen multiple people trying to -- getting to the edge of it and just coming to terms with everything that has been lost over here and just the sheer scale of this devastation, Brian.

ABEL: Yes. The tale of two stories there on each side of the road is really something. And I am noticing so many vehicles that are passing by you. I also saw a first responder vehicle there as well. Julia, can you tell us about your journey just to get to where you were? Were there any blocked off roads? Are residents all allowed to freely travel back into these fire-damaged areas now?

VARGAS JONES: It seems like there are some checkpoints, like I said, that we did pass. We saw some checkpoints along the way, but mostly the areas where there is an active fire. This is, of course, you know, we're very much in a safe area where there is no more active fire. I can feel the heat from the ground still emanating in this area, Brian, but there's no -- there's nothing smoldering, there's no fire. So, this is pretty safe for people to come in and check on their homes or to check on their neighbors and even to just kind of survey the damage and see what happened to their community.

In the sense of what we saw, you know, we came straight here to be with you and tell you what we're seeing, but I saw a group of young women carrying their pets on them as they're trying to get out of an area and into another. We saw this man carrying some possessions in a small trash, in a garbage bag.

Now, these are things that we've seen time and again. You know, we've seen this when we cover any kind of disasters. This is common, to see people kind of moving in. Right now, if your house was in those zones where you had to be evacuated, what happens is you just have to leave and go stay with family.

I spoke with a woman who said, you know, her house was fine, but her entire family, eight different people from two different homes, had to come stay at her house. People are just in this place of uncertainty of what happens next. Some people haven't been able to go back to see if their home is still standing or not. They just know that they were told to leave. And now, they still have to deal with that uncertainty.

There have been shelters that have been set up. We know that the VA Medical Center of Veteran Affairs, a medical center, was evacuated as well. All of these people are having to just come to terms with this uncertainty for now until they can come and assess the damage for themselves and see if they will be able to come back to their homes or if they'll come back and there would just be nothing for them to come back to.

ABEL: Yes. And, you know, in order to get that sense of being able to move forward, community is such an important part of that. Julia, I do see some folks there that were in the distance just talking with each other, likely, you know, asking each other how you are.

I am also curious, based on your conversations with people in the time that you've been there, just how much warning they had to be able to get out because, as of now, there's no reports of casualties or injuries. We, of course, are still waiting for that press conference to learn more, but you know, was there a sense that they had enough time?

VARGAS JONES: Yes. As far as what I can tell from the people that I spoke to, yes. I know that, you know, we had heard -- we hear a lot more of how these moments break down and who got alerts, when and what areas were alerted, exactly what time as these events develop. Brian, it's hard to tell at this point.

But from the fact that we're hearing from authorities that there aren't any injuries or casualties at this point, of course, they're still going to come through and there's still more to come. Hopefully, we will learn more in the next few moments as this press conference gets underway. We hear from both the governor and the mayor and the authorities that are responding here more details on how those alerts were sent out and which areas were prioritized and who was able to get out, but it's unclear at this point if there were any issues or if people got that proper warning. I mean, a level three, that means leave right now. Those are some pretty strong words to hear from your community leaders.

And I heard just even on the local radio here on my way that just like that is the kind of warning that you have to heed when you hear it. You're not advised to stay and try to save your home, to save your property. We see people trying to do that. We see people trying to live with hurricanes and saying that they're going to just, you know, hunker down and try to save their property. It's just not worth it. So, we'll see as the hours go into the rest of the day here, Brian, if there were any kinds of reports of that nature.

[17:09:56]

At this point, we're just waiting to hear from those authorities whether or not that was the case. Again, that question coming very much from the authorities, whether or not there were any casualties or injuries.

ABEL: And Julia, we're going to hopefully get some answers to some of those questions right now because that press conference is just beginning. Let's listen in.

MAYOR LISA BROWN, SPOKANE, WASHINGTON: We're close. We're close, folks. Please gather. Chief?

UNKNOWN: I'm sorry. I know you're tall. So, I'm going to -- I'm going to be able to find a spot.

BROWN: I'm not going to bother you.

(LAUGHTER)

Do you still monitor the questions?

ABEL: It looks like they're still doing mike checks and making sure that they have everybody.

BROWN: Are you going to monitor the questions after?

ABEL: And make sure they have everything set up. And here we go.

BROWN: Senator Kelly (ph). Thanks, everybody, for joining us. Mayor Lisa Brown here. We're here today to discuss really the worst natural disaster our region has faced, the Spokane complex of fires. You are going to hear after me from Governor Bob Ferguson, Senator Maria Cantwell, Congressman Michael Baumgartner, commissioner of public lands, Dave Upthegrove, our general of the Washington National Guard, General Welsh, Commissioner Josh Kerns of the -- of the county --

UNKNOWN: (INAUDIBLE) Commissioner Jordan. BROWN: Oh, you're good (ph).

UNKNOWN: Yes.

BROWN: Avista CEO, Heather Rosenstrater. I just want to say that hundreds of homes and structures have been lost. We are still assessing the potential for lives to be lost. So, to the people who are suffering right now in our region from either loss or uncertainty, everyone here, our hearts go out to you. We are here for you for the long term.

To the first responders, some of you are on 24, 30 hours without sleep and are working relentlessly. That's fire and law enforcement. We are so grateful for you, for those first responders coming from jurisdictions near and far, pulling together mutual aid, as you always do, and now you're doing it for us, and we so appreciate it.

To my fellow elected officials, city, county, state, federal, you have also been amazing in pulling together, in communication and cooperation. I want the people of Eastern Washington to know that the geographic and political boundaries that separate us are invisible today. We are pulling together. We're here for you.

And to the people of Spokane and Eastern Washington, the state of Washington and those around the country who have connections and care about us, thank you so much. You're caring. You're generous.

We pull together here when things are tough, and we're doing that. Although the fires are not out yet, the care and the recovery began yesterday, continues today, and will go on as long as it needs to go. We will get through this. I'd now like to invite Governor Bob Ferguson.

GOV. BOB FERGUSON (D), WASHINGTON: Thank you, mayor. I want to start by thanking you for your really strong leadership during this really challenging time. So, thank you so much. And, you know, I'll just start by saying, you know, there are just so many Washingtonians who have literally lost everything in a very, very short period of time. Just in a matter of hours, their lives changed in deeply dramatic and fundamental ways. And so, it's difficult to find words when folks have experienced a loss like that.

But we want all those individuals to know that we are all here for the long haul. We have a lot of crises right in front of us that we're working through, but we know that this is going to be a long-term challenge for many, many individuals, and we're here for the long haul.

I also want those folks to know that there is very strong cooperation for all levels of government, many different sectors to work through this together. All of us and many others have very productive conversations already, starting with yesterday afternoon. So, I want folks to know that that is happening.

[17:14:57] And also, to the first responders who -- just being as governor, it's -- you know, it's inspiring to me to see folks who, you know, take on an extraordinarily challenging situation like this and put their lives on the line to protect individuals' lives and property and loved ones. So, we're deeply, deeply grateful to all of you.

I'll just make a few points about a few items that the state is focused on. I did just, about half an hour or so ago, have a conversation with President Trump and Secretary Mullin. The president was very gracious as was Secretary Mullin, who I spoke with two times earlier in the day today.

I spoke to the president about what's going on and spoke in pretty clear fashion about how dire the situation is. He understands that. He knew that going into the call. He expressed his support for what the people are going through out here. And I deeply appreciate him taking time from his obviously busy schedule to hear about what's happening from folks on the ground and to offer their support, and to Secretary Mullin as well.

We also appreciate that when we had the historical floods not too long ago in the state, that we received the emergency support in the short term as well as long-term FEMA support. So, we have strong relationships with the federal government from that experience and with FEMA. As for FEMA, just to be clear, we make requests for federal assistance from FEMA. I'm going to oversimplify this a little bit, but there are essentially two kinds of requests.

Short-term emergency response. For example, search and rescue, clearing debris. We just got off a call. Many of the folks here were there for a call that I had with FEMA's region 10 administrator to make that request for specific items needed in the very short term. So, that request has gone in, and we anticipate that that will be granted much in the same way it was for the flood.

We have a good relationship with FEMA and had a very productive call. We appreciate FEMA on extremely short notice taking the time to work with us. And we also appreciate all of our local partners who we depend on to get the information of what the needs are on the ground. We had that meeting earlier today and communicate that to FEMA. And so, we do anticipate that being granted in the near future.

The second piece from FEMA is the more long-term relief. That takes more time. Obviously, we've already begun our work on that. I just want to separate out those two things. So, the request has gone in for that short-term, what we call emergency assistance, from the administration but, obviously, simultaneously, we're going to get to work on that long-term assistance as well.

Maybe just the last thing I'll say is, you know, I lived in Spokane for a time after I finished law school. I know this community well. My son is about to go to Gonzaga. So, we know this community well. My daughter was playing in a softball tournament, Dwight Merel ballfields, about six weeks ago. She played there last year.

When I come to Spokane, which is frequently, I don't stay in a hotel. I stay at a friend's place, which is a house that had to be evacuated. I don't know how that house is doing, but we stay at a location that is extremely close to where I know homes were destroyed.

So, I'm very, very familiar with the communities that are impacted. I stay there on a regular basis. I walk those neighborhoods. I know it well. My daughter plays in the ballfields. I have an appreciation for the impact at that very, very local level and how devastating that is for so many individuals.

So, again, we're in for the long haul. Deeply appreciate the strong partnership. One of those key partners, of course, has been Senator Cantwell who is with us today, and I'll turn it over to Senator Cantwell now.

SEN. MARIA CANTWELL (D), WASHINGTON: Well, thank you, governor. Spokane and the state of Washington has faced a historic weather event and that historic weather event has caused probably one of the biggest damages that we have seen in the Spokane area in the history of our state. But it also has been met with a historic response by our first responders. I want to thank them, especially the fire chief, Tom Williams, the police chief, Kevin Hall, and Sheriff Nowels. Thank you for the first responders and everything that you've done to respond to this fire.

(APPLAUSE)

The mayor called me last night about 9:30 and said, we need help. She wanted to make sure that everybody was alerted at the federal level. The governor was already on it. And so, I want to thank Governor Ferguson and Mayor Brown for their great leadership in responding so quickly to make sure that every resource would be available for the state of Washington.

General Welsh, it's great to be with you and all the work that you've done with the National Guard to be part of that first responders' unit, and with my colleague, Congressman Baumgartner, who has created a partnership here to make sure that our voices won and united when it comes to the additional federal resources that we need at this event.

[17:19:56]

We now know that there are thousands of Washingtonians in Spokane area that had to be evacuated. We know there are hundreds of homes that have been destroyed. We know that we need continued help and support from everybody, from weather forecasters to people just helping families know what's going to happen next.

And so, we just ask Washingtonians who we say our greatest empathy, to you and your families who've been displaced. There are some up here with us who have been evacuated. There are some that have lost their homes. So, we are with you in this situation, and we're going to do everything we can to get the federal resources to help you.

I talked to the U.S. chief forrester, Chief Schultz, who basically said this is the most risked and resourced fire in the United States today. It is the top fire in our nation. That means they are going to give us the resources that we need here on the ground. They are going to work with us in Washington and Oregon and my sense is Idaho because of what's happening there to make sure that our region is prioritized. So, Chief Schultz, we appreciate that and you'll certainly be hearing from us on the list of things that we want to continue to see. But I ask our fellow Washingtonians to help this region.

ABEL: You've been listening to a press conference happening right now in Spokane, Washington about the wildfires that people are experiencing there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: We heard from Mayor Lisa Brown of Spokane saying that this was the worst natural disaster our region has faced, hundreds of homes and structures lost, the first responders and law enforcement at large are still assessing potential loss of lives, and also thanking first responders.

We also heard from the governor that talked to the president of the United States as well as secretary of Department of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, about potential FEMA help. And then we also heard from a senator there saying that thousands of Washingtonians had to be evacuated. The governor is saying lives forever change in a matter of hours.

We will, of course, have much more on this situation as currently unfolding after a short break.

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[17:25:00]

ABEL: Tonight, President Donald Trump says he is canceling planned attacks on Iran, but says the pause is contingent on both sides rapidly reaching an agreement. Trump says he wants the Strait of Hormuz to be immediately reopened for oil shipping. But Iranian state media says it has shown no signs that it will change its stance on the strait and has not made any comments on Trump's announcement.

Let's go to CNN's Julia Benbrook now. Julia, what all do we know about the president's decision to hold off on these attacks for now?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, recently, officials had told CNN that the president was considering planning for a new wave of strikes that could take place as soon as this weekend. Trump has now said that he is canceling those planned strikes, but that that decision is contingent on Tehran rapidly making a deal.

I want to pull up this post for you now. In it, Trump said that the United States remains -- quote -- "locked and loaded," but went on to add, despite this, we have been asked by Iran and other Middle Eastern countries to hold off on an attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.

Now, this comes after Trump spoke with Saudi Arabia's crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman. And according to people familiar with

that conversation, there was a push for de-escalation and concerns were raised about these potential new U.S. strikes.

So, what happens next? We know that Trump has said repeatedly that any sort of a deal is going to include the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as well as an end to Iran's nuclear program. He says that the perimeters of a deal are in place.

But we have seen that type of language, things similar to that repeatedly throughout this now five-month long conflict. In fact, we went back and looked at some of these posts where he has called off strikes and then gone back to threatening further escalation. There was one in June shortly before that memorandum of understanding was signed where he called off strikes, saying that discussions and final points, both in concept and great detail, had been agreed to.

He now says that perimeters of a deal are in place but, again, he has gone back and forth between expressing hope for a diplomatic solution, a diplomatic breakthrough, and threatening another escalation. Brian?

ABEL: All right. Julia Benbrook for us from New Jersey. Julia, thank you. Let's bring in Leon Panetta now, the former CIA director, then defense secretary under President Obama. A pleasure to be speaking with you, secretary. President Trump says he is calling off these attacks to pursue a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz, but Iranian state media says Iran is showing no sign of changing its stance on the critical oil shipping lane. What in your estimation is Trump trying to accomplish here?

LEON PANETTA, FORMER UNITED STATES DEFENSE SECRETARY UNDER OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, FORMER DIRECTOR OF CIA: Well, we've been through this dance before, so it's a little hard to know whether it's going to lead somewhere or not.

[17:29:59]

I think the bottom line is that both sides are stuck right now. The United States and Iran are stuck in a prolonged war. We're going into -- we've just gone through the sixth week of conflict, of what was supposed to be a couple of week affair. Both have broken the ceasefire. Both are threatening additional attacks. The MOU agreement has collapsed. The Strait of Hormuz is closed. There's no nuclear negotiation. So, right now, it's hard to see where this thing is going to resolve itself.

I think that the real question is going to be, are we going to agree to some kind of Band-Aid approach that will fall apart again or is this going to be a more durable piece? And, frankly, we don't know the answer to that right now.

ABEL: It sounds like you believe that might be up in the air. Iranian media reacted with glee actually and mockery after President Trump's announcement. Does -- does that -- does this back and forth undercut the president's threats?

PANETTA: Well, I think the problem has been just exactly how we -- how are we doing negotiations right now because my sense is that we're largely negotiating through intermediaries. When you're negotiating through Pakistan or Egypt or other intermediaries, you really don't know what are the exact areas of agreement or disagreement.

My view has always been that if you're engaged in a negotiation to try to achieve peace, it's much better if you have a negotiator looking across the table at your adversaries so that you understand what that adversary is up to. That's not going on right now.

ABEL: Why do you think that is?

PANETTA: And so, you know, the hope is -- the hope is -- go ahead.

ABEL: Why do you think that is, that that's not happening right now? Is this a matter of style differences between different administrations or is this a situational situation? Why are they not at the table with each other?

PANETTA: You know, it's a good question, Brian, because in my experience, if you're trying to negotiate an agreement with an adversary, it does make sense to have negotiators who understand your adversary, understand the culture, understand the nature of dealing with that adversary. And secondly, that you are engaged in person to person discussions so that you understand just exactly what your adversary is saying and what you are saying.

That doesn't -- that hasn't been going on here. This is negotiation through intermediaries. It resulted frankly in a bad MOU that has collapsed. And the real question is whether or not we're going to repeat the same mistake.

I think if the president is serious about some kind of durable peace, he has to have an agreement with regards to the Strait of Hormuz, that they are open and not totally in the control of Iran, but one in which Iran and regional allies are going to ensure that it remains open. And secondly, that there will be nuclear negotiations to determine what kind of inspection regime is going to be put in place and just what exactly is going to happen to the enriched fuel. If those are parts of an agreement, then I think it's a more durable peace. If they're not, then we are in for a prolonged war.

ABEL: I do want to ask you, how realistic is it that Iran would agree to any circumstance where they relinquish such a leverage point as the Strait?

PANETTA: Well, I think that's the fundamental issue here. As long as they have control of the Strait of Hormuz, we are not going to have peace with regards to the war in Iran because they know that that's their leverage point. They know they can damage the United States economy by closing the Strait of Hormuz. They're going to continue to use that kind of leverage in order to take advantage of the United States and these negotiations.

Very frankly, the United States cannot allow that to continue to happen. We have got to have the Strait of Hormuz open. It has to remain open. And if Iran isn't willing to agree to that, then the United States and our regional allies have to make sure that that does happen.

ABEL: Former Secretary Leon Panetta, thank you for lending us your expertise, sir.

[17:35:01]

PANETTA: You're welcome.

ABEL: Still ahead, going rogue. Anthropic becomes the latest tech giant to find out that its A.I. models hacked other companies. The details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABEL: First, it was OpenAI. Now, Anthropic says its artificial intelligence models hacked into three unsuspecting companies during testing. In the case of Anthropic, the company says the hacks were caused by human error, a misunderstanding involving the testing. By contrast, OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, says its systems broke out of a testing environment on their own, went rogue, hacking into another A.I. company.

Joining us now to discuss this, CNN contributor Jacob Ward, a technology journalist and the host of "The Rip Current" podcast. Jacob, let's start with Anthropic saying some of its models went online and hacked into three different companies.

[17:40:03]

It comes on the heels of OpenAI admitting to doing something similar. How concerning is this because there have been so many people warning that A.I. could get out of control, out of human control, the plot point of many gay Hollywood movie?

JACOB WARD, CNN CONTRIBUTOR, TECHNOLOGY JOURNALIST, PODCAST HOST: Well, I'd say, Brian, you know, yes, it's a cause for concern for me, right? I've been watching the landscape for almost a decade now. The concerning thing is not so much the inherent danger of the technology. I'm not a guy who believes in this sort of terminator scenario. It's much more about whether or not this technology kind of lulls us into not paying enough attention to what it's doing, assuming it's going to do the job and do it right.

So, we know that back on July 11th, a company called Hugging Face, which was the victim of OpenAI's breakout A.I., those guys discovered that it had -- you know, that something had been going through its systems. It's only that revelation that got OpenAI looking at whether or not it might have been its own creation that did it, that set that off. It was only OpenAI saying to the world, hey, this has happened. That prompted Anthropic to look at its own systems and realized that this had happened. So, the fact that this is --

ABEL: And Jacob, it looks like we just lost you there for a second. We lost your audio there, Jacob. So, we're going to work to try to get you back as soon as possible. We will work on that and get right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABEL: All right, we are going to go back to Jacob Ward now talking about A.I. hacking into other companies. And Jacob, where the conversation was, I do want to ask you, when A.I. takes its own creators by surprise, is that a -- is that a feature or a bug? How do we prevent it from happening?

WARD: Well, this is sort of the thing to understand, right? Is that as alarming as all of these sounds, you have to remember that in another context, these companies have been boasting that their A.I. is going to be able to do this kind of stuff. We're in this era that these guys call the agentic era. Agents are supposed to be these A.I. creations that go out and do stuff for you.

In fact, back at the beginning of the year, a guy named Peter Steinberger basically over the weekend created a project. That was a piece of AI that would just run wild in your life. It could negotiate, you know, a deal on a car. It could email on your behalf. It could text back and forth with your friends. And that thing was so popular that he got hired by OpenAI, which called him a genius and said that this kind of thing is going to be core to their product offering.

Whether you're talking here, Brian, about something that is going to, you know, make dinner reservations for you or break out and get out into the world, it's really the same technology and it's the same business strategy. So, I would very much argue that this is in the eyes of these companies, a feature, even though this particular version of it is a bug.

ABEL: All right. Jacob Ward, thank you very much. Sorry, we have to cut the conversation short. Looking forward to talking with you again.

WARD: Appreciate it.

ABEL: A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to return a man it deported to Honduras back to the U.S. In a ruling this week, the judge said 21-year-old Jose Martinez was likely denied due process, including access to an attorney before he was deported.

CNN national correspondent Rafael Romo is joining me now. Rafael, you've been following this. So, what are you learning about what's happening at this moment?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is a very important case, Brian, because it's a case that has the potential of setting precedent when it comes to deportations and involves the rights of immigrants and due process as defined by the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

A federal judge in the District of Columbia has ruled that U.S. Justice Department must facilitate the return of a Honduran man who was deported to his native country in April because the Department of Homeland Security may have violated his due process rights by allegedly not allowing him access to an attorney and coercing him to sign papers for voluntary departure. He did not understand, in her ruling issued in June, Judge Beryl Howell at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said that plaintiff Jose Eliezer Martinez-Andino, who is an immigrant from Honduras with no criminal history but with a three-year-old U.S. citizen daughter dependent on the authorization he held to work legally in the United States, was removed from this country in a manner, she said, that boggles the mind.

According to court documents, Martinez-Andino, who worked as a mechanic in North Carolina and is now 21 years old, was detained in Montana in March and placed in ICE custody even though he had special immigrant juvenile status that allowed him to live and work in the United States.

In the documents, Martinez-Andino also alleges that he was coerced to sign two forms agreeing to voluntary departure. He was also deprived of access to his retained counsel for 10 days and flown to Honduras by the U.S. government on April 10, 2026, barely three weeks after his civil arrest.

In an interview in Tela, Honduras where he awaits his return to the U.S., Martinez-Andino told CNN in Espanol, he was denied his rights multiple times.

[17:50:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE ELIEZER MARTINEZ-ANDINO, DEPORTED TO HONDURAS (through translator): They told that if I didn't sign the deportation papers, I could be in jail for six to eight months.

UNKNOWN (through translator): Did they give you any justification or anything for deporting you?

MARTINEZ-ANDINO (through translator): No. Nothing. I mean, they told me, you don't have the right to see a judge or a lawyer. You're going out. That is what they told me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Of course, we reached out to officials. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security told CNN that Jose Martinez-Andino originally entered the country illegally through Mexico in 2020, but acknowledged that his removal proceedings were later dismissed by an immigration judge without prejudice in 2023.

The statement also says that Martinez-Andino was issued a voluntary departure and departed the country on April 10. He received full due process. It says any claims that he was not allowed access to an attorney are false.

But it seems like Judge Howell thinks Martinez deserves the chance to litigate his claims in a federal court and directed the Department of Justice and Homeland Security to continue in a prompt and expeditious manner efforts to facilitate his return to this country. And here's the thing. The judge says that both departments have to pay for him to get back to the United States.

ABEL: That's a statement in and of itself. Rafael Romo, thank you for following the story.

ROMO: Thank you.

ABEL: Michigan Democrats get one last chance to make up their minds ahead of Tuesday's huge Senate primary. We are live in the battleground state. You're in the "CNN newsroom."

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[17:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABEL: It's no secret sports have transformed America. Starting tonight, the all-new CNN Original Series "Decades in Sports" explores the cultural and political milestone that changed everything from 1960s to 2010s.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MUHAMMAD ALI, BOXER: I can run through a hurricane and don't get wet. When George Foreman meets me, he will pay his debt.

UNKNOWN: What happens in 1970s is you begin to see sports on television throwing into spectacle. Everything felt like it was raised a notch.

TIMOTHY NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: In 1974, Muhammad Ali challenges the new heavyweight champion of the world, George Foreman, in the central African country of Zaire, now known as the Congo.

JONATHAN EIG, AUTHOR: In some way, George Foreman is the new Sonny Liston. He is knocking out his opponents with ease. He knocks out Joe Frazier, winning the heavyweight crown. The widespread believes that Foreman is going to kill him.

DAVE KINDRED, SPORTSWRITER: Before Ali and Foreman fight, much happened. Ali lost first fight of three to Ken Norton. Now, we are asked to believe that Ali, who now is 32 years old, not only beat Foreman but that he can even survive George Foreman.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): We are live via satellite, a video technique presentation.

JOHN HEILEMANN, JOURNALIST: Fox News becoming global. Satellites are up in the air. The fight in Zaire, you can watch it live in America. (INAUDIBLE) elementary, 10 years old.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: All right, joining us now to discuss, CNN presidential historian Tim Naftali, also a senior research scholar at Columbia University. And we see that trailer there. I think I might have seen you in there for a second. What was the national internet and international significance of the successes of some of these athletes like Wilma Rudolph, Muhammad Ali, Sandy Koufax, Bill Russell and Hank Aaron all in tonight's episode?

NAFTALI: Well, in the 1960s, Americans and the world saw that sports excellence knew no culture, no race, no creed, that sports excellence could be and was everywhere. And so, in the case of Wilma Rudolph and Muhammad Ali, initially Cassius Clay, then changed his -- he changed his name to Muhammad Ali, and Bill Russell, and Sandy Koufax, you see an expression of excellence in a time where there weren't complete -- there wasn't complete freedom.

In the case of Sandy Koufax, he was facing religious discrimination. In the case of Wilma Rudolph and Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, they were facing, of course, sadly, racial discrimination.

The sports of the 1960s saw a creation of a new national American community that just loved sports, and it transcended the difficult politics of that era.

ABEL: You know, our, our industry during that era, certainly transformed with the rise of television in the 60s and 70s, right? How did that affect sports culture in the states?

NAFTALI: Oh, television is going to change everything. And in some cases, it took sports that were -- people don't mind me using the term a little niche and made them more nationally recognizable and nationally appreciated. In one case, hockey became less of a regional sport and more of a national sport. And NASCAR went from being a regionally appreciated sport to something that became a national interest. Richard Petty becomes a nationally known sports figure. So, television changes smaller sports into national sports.

[18:00:01]

And for national sports, it reaches a new audience. In the case of football, you see television deals in 1961 for the NFL and later for the AFL, ultimately leading to a merger of the two and the creation of nationally known celebrities like Joe Namath. Television changed everything.

ABEL: Well, we will see that play out in tonight's episode. Tim Naftali, thank you. And be sure to tune in to the all-new CNN Original Series "Decades in Sports" back-to-back episodes. It premieres tonight at 9 Eastern and Pacific, only on CNN.