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Sources: Trump's Top General Seeks Off-Ramp From Iran War; Interview With Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL); Senate Votes To Confirm Todd Blanche As Attorney General. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired August 08, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: She even teamed up with her fellow 2018 CNN Hero, Ricardo Pun-Chong who provides free housing and support for sick children and their families while they undergo medical treatment in Lima, Peru.

When Amanda learned a child in his program needed a wheelchair, she wanted to help.

AMANDA BOXTEL, TOP TEN 2018 CNN HERO: She has cerebral palsy and she was in a stroller. She has been in a stroller for her whole life. It is time, don't you think, for her to have a wheelchair, to call her own?

Look what we have for Delaska (ph).

DR. RICARDO PUN-CHONG, 2018 CNN HERO: Thank you so much.

With this new wheelchair and with her surgery, she is going to have a better life.

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BOXTEL: We are truly giving the gift of mobility for free or next to nothing to help our community get upright and walking again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: To learn more about Amanda and Bridging Bionics, go to cnn.com/heroes.

Another hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

[18:01:15]

JIMENEZ: All right, welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I am Omar Jimenez in New York.

New tonight, Iran is issuing a list of demands for the United States. Iran's National Security chief says the U.S. needs to complete the list of requirements before the Strait of Hormuz will open again for oil shipping. The demands include the U.S. withdrawing military forces and permanently ending the war.

But this comes as Iran and Oman signal that a deal could be in reach, but threats of a wider war continue to permeate across the region.

Meanwhile, sources tell CNN, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, has privately told top Trump advisors that the U.S. needs to find an off ramp from this war.

I want to bring in CNN's Julia Benbrook, who joins us now with more on this new reporting. So, Julia, what are we learning about this?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine, has privately warned other top advisers that the United States needs to look for an off ramp from this war with Iran. That's because the military operations that are on the table that escalate this conflict could backfire, and that air power alone is limited when it comes to fully addressing President Donald Trump's objectives with this conflict.

People who spoke with CNN said that Caine has expressed these concerns with other key officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance.

Some say that he has been less direct when it comes to Trump himself, carefully conveying the potential downsides of the military options. Now, we reached out to Caine's team for any sort of comment. They said that they would not discuss confidential conversations between him and the President, the Secretary or other top officials, and then also said that they would not comment on what they categorized as agenda driven categorizations of those conversations by sources who are not privy to them.

A White House official did respond to some of our reporting, saying this: "General Caine is an incredible asset to President Trump's National Security team and the overwhelming success of Operations Epic Fury, Midnight Hammer and Absolute Resolve speaks for itself.

The General always provides accurate, unbiased information and a host of options to the commander-in-chief who ultimately makes decisions based on what he feels is best for U.S. National Security.

This comes, there are reports of a dwindling munitions stockpile. This was a key topic of conversation at a recent Cabinet meeting that took place at Camp David. And while Trump has admitted that some of these are, "tighter supply" than when the war with Iran started, he has also insisted that they have access to enough that they can continue fighting if that is what is needed.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: we have certain types of munitions that are very powerful that we have unlimited -- virtually unlimited supply. We have others where it is a little bit tighter and we are getting them in on a daily basis.

We always want more. We have to have more. We have other things maybe come up, maybe come up and maybe don't come up. Hopefully nothing else does come up, but we are in very good shape. We have literally massive amounts of ammunition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[18:05:06]

BENBROOK: And just taking a look back, it has now been nearly six months. We are approaching the sixth month mark since those first joint U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran took place.

At that time, we heard Trump throw out a number of predictions for how long this could last, from a couple of days to a couple of weeks.

Now, as this drags on, in an interview earlier today that aired on Fox News, Vice President J.D. Vance said that he wants to make it clear that we are in the middle of the game here, that this is not over.

JIMENEZ: All right, Julia Benbrook, appreciate the reporting.

I want to bring in now to discuss this more. Florida Republican Congressman Cory Mills. He is an Army combat veteran, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Armed Services Committee.

Congressman, I just want to start with this with this new reporting that Joint Chiefs Chair General Dan Caine, has privately made it clear to other top advisers that the U.S. should have possibilities ready for an off ramp from the Iran War.

I just -- even reporting aside, do you agree that the U.S. needs to have a way or ready, I should say -- a way to get out of this conflict, I should say, before it escalates further.

REP. CORY MILLS (R-FL): Well, I think that what the Joint Chief of Staff is looking at is all contingencies, whether the negotiations go well, whether the actual ceasefire agreement holds or whether or not it falls apart. I think that the Secretary of War is very prepared to continue to go forward and hit key and strategic areas, to go ahead and weaken the IRGC and continue to denigrate their capabilities.

I think Secretary Marco Rubio and Vice President Vance are ready to also go forward with any type of negotiations and also looking at any type of a bilateral agreement utilizing some of our allies or partners in the region, but I think that President Trump ultimately is right in being able to go ahead and say, if you don't want to agree to this, that we are going to continue to take the necessary actions to ensure the safety and security of those in the region and the Americans that are around there.

So, you know, the President is really about America, Americans and American interests and I think that having contingency, though, is just a very smart play on all avenues. We can't just continue to make this an Iraq or in Afghanistan, which it is not where it is a 20-year invasion, trillions of dollars and thousands of lives. America is not prepared to go into these types of conflicts and I don't think we have to and this president has shown that whether you look at the elimination of Maduro in Venezuela, or whether you look at how he has handled certain things like Qasem Soleimani or Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi.

So I think that we are seeing a different way of providing world peace through the peace through strength mechanism that President Trump has set forth.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, obviously, whatever happens in this war will be weighing heavily in the minds of voters as we head into the midterms as well. And I want to talk about the midterms, because this week, two Republican members of the Florida delegation, as I am sure you have seen, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna and Congressman Mike Haridopolos, they have endorsed your Republican challenger candidate, Ryan Elijah, writing: "We need leaders in Congress who serve with integrity and unwavering commitment to the people who sent them there," which implies you don't have that.

What is your response?

MILLS: Well, look, I lead the entire state of Florida out of 28 congressional districts and constituent services, bringing over $107 million back. I have one of the most constitutionally conservative records in Congress, and ultimately, I have the trust and the support of President Donald J. Trump having been endorsed now three different times.

I have the endorsements of Medal of Honor recipient, Master Sergeant Earl Plumlee, as well as from tremendous amounts of local leaders, to include the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Brian Mast, and even the closest ally to President Trump, Congressman Ronny Jackson.

You know, the reality is, is that I've continued to lead that's why I am the Chairman of the Oversight Intelligence in only my second term and that's why I've continued to go ahead and pass more amendments on the Armed Services Committee when it comes to the National Defense Authorization Act than almost any member that sits there.

So I think that I've demonstrated not my leadership capabilities. I've demonstrated as a U.S. Army combat veteran from the 82nd Airborne Division, as a Bronze Star recipient, and as the only member of Congress who has rescued almost 400 Americans out of Afghanistan and Israel and Haiti when everyone else sat back, I ran into fire to make sure that we could go ahead and get people to safety.

Same thing with hurricane rescues, whether it is in Western North Carolina or whether it is in Florida, doing more than what FEMA did before they could even get on the ground. So I've demonstrated leadership, integrity, and honor, and the President sees that, as does others.

JIMENEZ: Which is a lot of what voters will weigh. But, you know, you're also in the middle of a House Ethics probe tied to a number of allegations, including that you allegedly assaulted a woman you were in a relationship with, which I know you have denied; that you threatened to release sexually explicit images and videos.

MILLS: Well, not only did I deny, well --

JIMENEZ: Well, let me just get through this and then, yes --

MILLS: Let's just back up and say, it is a little bit of a misleading question.

JIMENEZ: -- I will get your response.

Well, you -- not only did you deny it, MPD didn't charge you with it, if I am guessing what you were about to say, because I was about to say that in a second.

MILLS: And also no probable cause and also, the case was closed.

JIMENEZ: Understood. But I will point out in one second if you let me get through the question, is that on top of that, which we will come back to, the allegations were that you threatened to release sexually explicit images and videos of another woman after a relationship ended, and that you may have entered into or held contracts with federal agencies while serving as a member of Congress, which is in violation of House rules.

[18:10:10]

That is what the House Ethics Committee, among other things is considering right now in this investigation that's ongoing.

MILLS: Right.

JIMENEZ: You deny wrongdoing in all of that, as we talked about, you weren't charged in the MPD situation, but do you really think it is worth risking your district in a general election if voters don't see it that way?

MILLS: Well, that's the difference because, you know, being on the ground here, you know, I actually do interact with my constituents on a daily basis. I actually do go out.

I did three different events yesterday, I do events every single week, and I have the actual pulse of the voters and what they are doing and they realize that the same thing happened to President Trump with false allegations and accusations before his elections, the same thing where they tried to say that there were 71 different federal indictments against him when they were utilizing lawfare with Judge Merchan.

The reality is, is that I've never been found guilty of a single thing. Ive been accused of a lot, but never found guilty. And the reality is, the MPD closed the case with no probable cause. They did it on the actual day of the call.

Regarding the -- you know, sexually explicit videos, that's also never been actually levied and or even brought to court. That was something that was accused. And so the whole point is that there is an easy way to make accusations and allegations, but let's look at the facts. Facts are, I've never been found guilty of any criminal or civil charge. I am not under any open investigation for such when it comes to this.

So I think that's the key takeaway here. You can be accused of a lot, but we are a rule of law, innocent until proven guilty. And I've never been found guilty or having open investigations at this time.

JIMENEZ: I just want to point out that the House Ethics Committee mentioned that, but also said a decision not to bring charges is not a finding of innocence or no wrongdoing in their minds. You know, criminal threshold is very different than ethical threshold.

MILLS: Of course.

JIMENEZ: But those --

MILLS: Yes, I actually even questioned the Ethics Committee and I talked to Speaker Johnson about this. I said, it is interesting that the Ethics Committee think that they overrule law enforcement who found no probable cause, not to mention that Ed Martin, who was the Acting Attorney General at the time for D.C., even came back and called it a mop up job and one of the most corrupt things he had ever seen from MPD, and that was his exact statement on The White House lawn.

JIMENEZ: Well, have you heard from Speaker Johnson or Republican leadership? Have you heard from Speaker Johnson and Republican leadership who either have expressed concerns to you that your primary could be in danger or have urged you to even drop out?

MILLS: Not at all. Actually, Mike Johnson has continued to be as the Speaker of the House, supportive and even said that he supports me. I am a strong member. I am a very good member.

I talked to him last week and he knows that were ahead well and ahead in the double digits in the polls and we are looking good, and so I just think that there is a lot of fear mongering because we are -- I flipped this seat in 2022 from the Democrats. It is the third lowest Republican seat in the district, but we always have a strong showing, always going well above what the Cook PVI has ever turned out.

JIMENEZ: You did flip it, but there is a new map in 2022, I should point out, too. But then you won pretty handily in 2024, just getting that out there.

You know, one of the things that --

MILL: My map luckily didn't change.

JIMENEZ: Well, we will see. There is always time for that, you know, these maps change every year it seems like.

Look, your primary opponent, Ryan Elijah, I know you talked about having the support of your folks. He raised roughly five times more than you last quarter. And look, you are the incumbent. You are still always in the driver's seat by default. But have you ever considered dropping out at all to unite around a candidate like Elijah, for example? So there is a better chance in many people's minds that Republicans keep this seat?

MILLS: Well, you see, you just pointed out one of the key elements which is that everyone thinks that fundraising is key to everything which is why we need campaign finance reform and I have actually pushed for that.

But I am actually a self-funder, so I don't go out knowing that we have a lot of people who are working very hard and trying to take money out of their pockets. I've continued to try and go ahead and fund our race to continue to get things ahead, and it has worked and it has been successful every time.

If you look at our FEC report, I've put about $2.4 million into my races over the course of this time that I've been in office, and we will do what we need to continue to put in more, because I am here to put money into the American people's pockets, not take it out of it.

JIMENEZ: And, Congressman, just before we go, look, you're not the only member of the House facing pressure to drop out or to reconsider your running. Chuck Edwards in North Carolina eventually did say he wasn't going for reelection after a House Ethics Committee recommended a censure for him.

But Max Miller of Ohio is also facing abuse allegations, which he denies, but he said he is not dropping. Have you spoken to him at all about what he is going through?

MILLS: I have not spoken to Max. And, you know, again, that's a family issue. That's not something that I am willing to even comment or waver in on. I think that that's between him and his family, and whether the Ethics Committee picks it him, it is between him and the Ethics Committee to provide all the facts and findings.

JIMENEZ: Understood.

Republican Congressman Cory Mills, appreciate you taking the time. Thanks for being here.

MILLS: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: All right, meanwhile, a late night on Capitol Hill ends with President Trump's former criminal defense attorney now becoming Attorney General of the United States.

And is all fair in love and war? We are talking about black widow marriages reportedly targeting vulnerable Russian troops. We will bring you that story.

Plus, an NFL legend finally makes it into the Pro Hall of Fame and reveals a shocking diagnosis. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: After weeks of uncertainty, Todd Blanche will now become the next Attorney General of the United States.

Senate Republicans narrowly confirmed the former personal lawyer of President Trump, with only two Republican senators opposing, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski.

The final vote was 50 to 49.

[18:20:07]

Now, Blanche's confirmation to officially become the nation's top law enforcement officer follows concerns he could surrender independence of the Justice Department to the President.

Sources tell CNN that Blanche will focus on bringing cases that highlight what Trump claims were instances of Justice Department weaponization against him and his allies, and his supporters as well.

Joining us now to discuss is former U.S. Attorney and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Harry Litman.

And Harry, I just wonder, are you at all surprised the Blanche nomination went through, especially after Trump -- President Trump had threatened to pull Blanche's name and resubmit it next year?

HARRY LITMAN, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Well, obviously it was a nail biter. I did think what Trump was doing was last minute brinksmanship and the actual reasoning given by the final holdouts like Cornyn and Tillis and Cassidy in particular, struck me as very make way -- not very cogent at all.

So, you know, it was nip and tuck, but no, I am not surprised. He has rammed through many controversial nominations by the skin of his teeth and this was one more of the same.

JIMENEZ: You know, Blanche was already running day-to-day operations and leading meetings, even as Deputy Attorney General. He obviously had a broad scope. But what will change now that he has been officially confirmed?

LITMAN: Look, the first thing is more of the same. You mentioned concerns that some people have. These aren't concerns. It is a proven record.

They ratified an Attorney General who is not only willing to bring cases against political enemies or just strangers like David Hearn, but champions the ability of the President to do this under the Constitution. It is really as antithetical to what the DOJ is supposed to be about. It just goes to the marrow.

So there are many, many problems with him, including the viability of the slush fund, et cetera, but this core point that he will bring reprisal prosecutions, it is a shameful day for the Senate and for the DOJ.

We know what he is going to do, and now, it will be more of the same. JIMENEZ: You know, an appeals court ruled that President Trump is unlawfully constructing that massive new ballroom at The White House and President Trump says he is going to immediately appeal to the Supreme Court. What do you see happening here? And how long could this legal process take? It is not like the Supreme Court is waiting around for every policy disagreement at a whim.

LITMAN: No, but they are waiting around. They will move even in the summer, quickly, on so-called emergency orders. So it is a shame this one as well will be played out without oral argument and briefs.

Here is the big point to make. I think on the --there was a hundred pages of the two judges and a very long opinion by the other -- I think this is going to focus on standing. There is the question, the National Historic Trust, do they have standing to challenge the building? Under current law, Omar, they do, but the Supreme Court, many conservatives have chafed at this. Its so-called Esthetic Standing where you just really don't like it.

It is solid under the law now, but they can change it. I fear this may be the vehicle for doing it. Otherwise, really, there is nothing to quibble with, with the Court of Appeals decision, and it ought to stay the way it is.

JIMENEZ: I am hitting you legal rapid fire here because --

LITMAN: Yes, bring it! Bring it! Bring it!

JIMENEZ: -- I want to obviously ask you about -- yes, let's do it. Let's do it!

LITMAN: Yes.

JIMENEZ: Because President Trump also called on U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to revisit her decision to drop the vandalism charges related to the Reflecting Pool, and just from a legal perspective, can she do that, especially after admitting that the renovation of the pool was botched?

LITMAN: She can try, but its already a debacle. It would be a debacle on steroids. The luckiest thing that will happen to her is if the court agrees with the defendant, David Hearn, and dismisses it with prejudice, and she can say, sorry, boss, I did my best.

They have already said he is innocent. They have already said they got it wrong. There is nowhere to go that any judge and this judge in particular will permit. The case, for all intents and purposes, is over. But man is she between a rock and a hard place with maximum leader saying, go back there.

JIMENEZ: Also this week, as we continue this legal rapid fire here, President Trump pushed back against two major Supreme Court rulings against first, Birthright Citizenship. He signed two executive orders limiting so-called birth tourism and birthright citizenship.

What do you think will actually come of these executive orders, especially when you stack them up against what the Supreme Court has already said on this?

LITMAN: They're going down, and you asked exactly the right question.

[18:25:08]

The court said in its opinion. Look, it is very clear in the Constitution, if you're born here and you're subject to the laws here, then you're a citizen and there are like diplomats' kids actually, you know, they can rip up parking tickets.

But these other categories he is trying to add in like birth tourists or children of terrorists, they may be unpopular groups, but they absolutely are subject to the laws of the United States, meaning if they are born here, they are citizens. There is already a problem with him trying to do anything as an executive, really, it falls to Congress. But this first one is going nowhere.

The second one is a little confusing, and we don't know how it will be implemented, but the effort to actually expand the groups who are not covered by the 14th Amendment is going to crash and burn.

JIMENEZ: All right, Harry Litman, our rapid fire round champion running uncontested. Appreciate you being here.

Good to see you!

LITMAN: Likewise, Omar. Thank you.

All right, still to come, we are following a lot of news this evening, including Russia's black widows. We are talking about women accused of marrying Russian Army recruits in order to claim payouts if they are killed in war.

This is reporting you're only going to see on CNN.

Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:55]

JIMENEZ: Overnight in Ukraine, two grandparents and a three-year-old died after Russian airstrikes hit buildings near Kyiv; three others were injured.

Ukrainian officials said Russia struck three locations near the capital. In the capital itself, fires were reported in two districts, and these attacks come as Ukraine struggles to bring down Russian ballistic missiles.

Meanwhile, in Russia, controversy is growing around the so-called black widow scams, especially women allegedly entering sham marriages with soldiers to claim death benefits if they are killed.

CNN's Matthew Chance has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A mass wedding of Russian soldiers before their packed off to the front lines.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I want to shake your hand and thank you for not running away, for not being scared.

CHANCE (voice over): But not all marriages are for love.

Russian military wives get thousands of dollars compensation if their husbands are killed in action, and officials say ruthless scammers dubbed "black widows" and now tricking vulnerable recruits into wedlock.

The father of Maria, from St. Petersburg, died after being shot in Ukraine last year. She told me she only found out her dad had joined the Army after he was killed, and only then did he had any wife.

CHANCE (on camera): How did you feel when you found out that your dad had gotten married just days before he went off to war?

MARIA, DAUGHTER OF RUSSIAN SOLDIER (through translator): It felt unreal. When I was being issued the death certificate, they asked if he was married. I said no, but they told me he was. I never even managed to contact the woman. I simply didn't know what to say to her because I suspected it was a scam.

CHANCE (on camera): It's just one suspected case in a growing number scandalizing Russia.

With the war in Ukraine now in its fifth year and casualty rates at catastrophic highs it's hard to imagine there are people out there marrying vulnerable men and encouraging them to join the military just so they might financially benefit if they're killed on the front lines.

No wonder there's outrage across Russia at the spread of these "black widow" scams.

CHANCE (voice over): There are numerous allegations of recruits honey trapped before dying on the front lines, even marrying on their death beds in hospital.

This woman who married a soldier 10 days after meeting him, then posted images of herself with other men, was branded a "black widow" in the Russian media and denied compensation when her husband was killed before their divorce went through. She denied any wrongdoing, saying the allegations had blackened her name.

But there's growing public anger at how cynical some Russians have become about the war, the Kremlin calls its special military operation.

(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE speaking in foreign language.) CHANCE (voice over): "If I want an apartment, where am I supposed to get the money?" The host of this podcast asks. "It's simple." The guest who's a real estate agent, responds, "Find a man serving in the special military operation. And when he's killed, you get eight million rubles," she laughs.

The podcasters were prosecuted and forced to apologize: A rare intervention by the Russian courts.

Back in St. Petersburg. Maria takes us to the block where her dad's old apartment has now been sold off, convinced he was also scammed out of his home.

CHANCE (on camera): Do you know who the new owner is?

How long? How many years did your dad live here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE speaking foreign language.)

CHANCE: Five years.

This is it. It's open.

CHANCE (voice over): Behind the broken door, the new occupants insist it was a legitimate sale and that they never even met the seller.

It means the money and the widow, just like Maria's dad, are now long gone.

Matthew Chance, CNN, in St. Petersburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[18:35:09]

JIMENEZ: Thank You, Matthew Chance for that reporting. Again, you'll see it only here on CNN.

All right, meanwhile, still to come, hundreds of thousands of Haitian migrants suddenly losing their legal status. The new ruling ending deportation protections and how it could impact not just those migrants, but the communities they live in as well.

We will talk about it coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:09]

JIMENEZ: This week, a federal judge ruled the Trump administration can move forward with ending deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitian migrants. The Temporary Protected Status program, specifically applied to Haitian migrants who fled their country amid political unrest, and on the heels of natural disasters. Many of them fear going back to Haiti. But now they may have no choice. In recent days, some Haitians have even been called into ICE offices to be fitted with ankle monitors rather than place them in detention.

So I want to bring in the Executive Director for the Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield, Ohio, Viles Dorsainvil.

And Viles, what are you hearing from community members right now?

VILES DORSAINVIL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE HAITIAN COMMUNITY HELP AND SUPPORT CENTER IN SPRINGFIELD, OHIO: Yes, what I hear is that they have been receiving letters from DHS to report to ICE Detention Center, whether in Cincinnati or in Westerville. So hundreds of them have been receiving those letters and once they get to those facilities, they interview them asking them a bunch of questions about themselves, about their families and also ask them if they want to be deported and just offer them this $2,600.00.

And once they normally finish to answer all of those questions, they just put an ankle monitor on them.

JIMENEZ: And so on that last point, when did that start? When did you start hearing or I don't know if you've actually been seeing community members coming to you with ankle monitors on?

DORSAINVIL: Yes, the past two weeks, we've been bombarded with people in our centers because, you know, they cannot drive by the fact that, you know, the drivers' license were expired. And they need two things now to get to those facilities. They need transportation and they need interpretation.

So the Center has been helping them with those two needs to get to those interviews. So, at some point in time, we have to ask a volunteer to come to the office to help us because so many of them have been coming to our office for this type of needs.

JIMENEZ: And have migrants come to your center with some of those ankle monitors? I mean, how did you sort of first find out or hear that that was happening?

DORSAINVIL: There was one of them who called me telling me that he received a letter and he does not understand what is the content of the letter and I asked him to come to the office, and when we looked at it, we told him that this is a letter for you to report to an ICE facility for a check-in in Cincinnati. And he went there and we were able to provide him with transportation and interpretation.

So after coming back from this interview, we were asking him what was happening and it was at that particular time that he told us how the interview went and told us that they put an ankle monitor on him.

So we believed that it would have been only him or a few other folks, but after, there have been hundreds of them with this and last Sunday, I was at the ICE facility Center with some attorneys to see how that went. And when we got there, the attorneys were asking the agents not to put the ankle monitors on the folks by the fact that they know where they live, when they ask for them, they show up, they have court hearing down the road.

But those agents told the attorneys that they have to put it because it is an order from the top. They do not have any other reason not to put it on them.

JIMENEZ: So when you talk about orders from the top, we've also heard from DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who is warning Haitian migrants to either self-deport or DHS will come after them. What are you telling migrants right now who just aren't sure what to do?

DORSAINVIL: So we will leave it at their discretion, but we know the question of the $2,600.00 is just a hoax. There is nothing true about it. I've been in touch with the folks who wanted to be self-deported in Haiti, and I never heard one of them say that they got that money that they promised to them. And the second thing is that it is like putting them in more danger into the hands of those gang members back home when they know that they are coming home with that money.

[18:45:13]

They would automatically become a target.

So not only they did not receive any money, but the promise itself put them in danger when they get home.

JIMENEZ: And as you were talking, we were sort of showing the economic impact of many of the Haitian migrants in the United States, even as this the deportation enforcement goes on there, including there in Springfield, where I've been many times and where you have seen firsthand.

Viles Dorsainvil, appreciate you taking the time. Thank you for being here.

DORSAINVIL: Thank you. Thank you so much.

JIMENEZ: Of course. All right, everyone, we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:50:29]

JIMENEZ: It was a bombshell week in court in the trial of a Massachusetts mom accused of murdering her three children.

Now, on Friday, jurors heard from two psychiatrists who treated Lindsay Clancy before the killings. CNN's Jean Casarez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Friday was a very important day in the Lindsay Clancy trial because this is the first time that actual providers took the stand and testified as they treated and assessed Lindsay Clancy from September of 2022 through middle of January of 2023 and they testified that they assessed her, they observed her, her demeanor, what she said, prescribed medications for her. And the first to take the stand was Dr. Alia Goodheart. She was from McLean Psychiatric Hospital, and on December 31st of 2022, they received a patient from Massachusetts General Hospital via ambulance. It was Lindsay Clancy and after being admitted, there were numerous assessments of her. But Doctor Goodheart was her lead psychiatrist.

A few days later is when she actually met with her, and she said that Lindsay Clancy was medically stable, that there was no apparent suicidal risk at all, that what Lindsay was saying was that it was hard for her to sleep, that she felt numb and that she couldn't sleep without medication, but the medications were giving her side effects and the diagnosis from the psychiatrist, major depressive disorder without psychotic features.

Well, on cross-examination, the defense asked, you know, she had been to so many doctors since September, did you go back and get her other medical records to see for yourself? Watch the reply.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Attorney Did you look at her records?

DR. ALIA GOODHEART, MCLEAN PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL: I did not have access to them.

ATTORNEY: Why not?

GOODHEART: They aren't in the same medical record system.

ATTORNEY: Well, the same medical record system is just so that you have access to MGH, you have access to Brigham and Women's Hospital because it is all part of some big computer information access you have.

What about other health care providers? Can you get access to their records?

GOODHEART: Not immediately.

ATTORNEY: And Lindsay was very, very cooperative with you guys, wasn't she?

GOODHEART: Yes.

ATTORNEY: Did anyone ever ask her to sign a HIPAA release for anyone to get access to Nurse Practitioner Gelada's records?

GOODHEART: No.

ATTORNEY: How about Psychiatrist Tufts' records?

GOODHEART: No.

ATTORNEY How about Nurse Practitioner Paul's records?

GOODHEART: No. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Probably the main psychiatrist for Lindsay Clancy, Jennifer Tuft's, took the stand in the second half of the day. She testified that she first saw Lindsay Clancy in September of 2022, and the last visit was January 23rd, 2023. That is basically 24 hours before she killed and strangled her children.

She testified that on that day of January 23rd that Lindsay was depressed, there was no question about it, that she had anxiety, just as she did in the first visit, that she said it was difficult to get out of bed in the morning, but she would force herself to do it.

But she did assess and find at the end of that visit that she was not a danger to herself and she was not a danger to others. And once again, about 24 hours later, maybe a little bit more, she strangled her children and tried to commit suicide.

Jean Casarez, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: All right, Jean Casarez, appreciate the reporting.

Up next for us, a three-time Super Bowl winner, surprising revelation when entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame today. We will talk about it.

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[18:58:58]

JIMENEZ: NFL legend, Drew Brees headlined the 2026 class Pro Hall of Fame football class enshrined in Canton, Ohio today. San Francisco 49ers legend, Roger Craig finally got his gold jacket more than 25 years after he first became eligible.

Now, Craig was the first player to ever record a thousand yards rushing and receiving in the same season, and he helped the 49ers win three Super Bowls in the 1980s.

But today, Craig revealed that he is battling a brain disorder, which his doctors believe may be related to his 11 years in the NFL.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER CRAIG, PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE: Today, there is another chapter I want to share. I've been diagnosed with vascular dementia that my doctors believe may be related, at least in part, to the concussions I experienced during my career.

I want people to know this diagnosis doesn't define me. I am still Roger Craig.

If sharing my story helps even one family or one former player, then it is worth it. (END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now, symptoms of vascular dementia could include confusion, trouble finding words, and organizing thoughts along with difficulty paying attention and slowed thinking.

Now, craig noted, he initially dismissed those early symptoms as normal aging, but as you just heard, he hopes sharing his story could help encourage other players to seek help when something doesn't feel right.

Now, we are talking about the Hall of Fame inductions. In addition to Brees, Craig was joined in Canton by new Hall of Famers, Larry Fitzgerald, Adam Vinatieri and Luke Kuechly, as well.

All right, another hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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