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Canada Hits Back After Trade Talks Collapse; Manhunt In Massachusetts For Wife Of Slain Police Officer; AIPAC Spending Fuels Tensions In Michigan Senate Race; Florida Deepens As A Red State After Decades As A Swing State; Tearful 5-Year-Old, Father Detained By ICE In Texas; Puerto Ricans Struggle With Water Rations Amid Drought; Spectators Gather In D.C. For Trump-Backed Grand Prix Event; Supreme Court Allows White House Ballroom Construction, For Now. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired August 22, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:00:34]

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Isabel Rosales in Atlanta.

New tonight, Canada retaliating against the United States' tariffs after trade talks fell apart between the two North American neighbors at the 11th hour. Canada's prime minister says it will match U.S. tariffs, quote, "dollar for dollar: starting September 8th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: In recent days, the United States proposed new terms that were uneconomic, unfair and undermine the net benefits for Canada, and called into question the reliability of any deal. In short, they asked too much and they offered too little.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: The deal falling apart means President Trump's tariffs are now in effect. That's 50 percent tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods.

CNN correspondent Julia Benbrook joins us now.

Julia, certainly a mess. What is the Trump administration saying about all of this?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The big takeaway here is that there is no deal here. And this really does reignite this trade war between the United States and Canada.

President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had been in direct contact, as well as several top trade officials from both countries for about a week now. This was after Trump had put a three-day pause on the tariffs, and

both sides had expressed optimism about coming to an agreement ahead of that new deadline.

In fact, just hours before everything fell apart, Trump said that things were moving along with Canada and that the United States and Canada should be able to come to an agreement.

But now that 50 percent tariff on roughly $20 billion worth of goods from Canada is in effect, and Canada has vowed to match that dollar- for-dollar starting on September 8th.

So both sides looking to place blame on the other. And both are saying that some changes at the very end of this really had an impact and upended the deal.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said that there were some demands. There were some walk backs of other commitments from Canada that really unraveled what had been a delicate balance in recent days.

While he was speaking with Fox News earlier today, he also said that there are not any plans right now to restart these talks. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIESON GREER, U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE: It's hard to say. We don't have new talks planned with the Canadians. We're moving forward with measures that respond to Canadian retaliation.

Remember, President Trump has introduced a trade policy to reshore American production, protect American jobs, two countries have retaliated against the United States -- the People's Republic of China and Canada.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: For his part, Carney says the United States failed to meet Canada's objectives and that some last-minute changes to the agreement made them question the reliability of any sort of a deal here.

He also said that there were some suggestions that the United States would look to limit Canada's trade deals with other countries. That was one area of concern.

Now, Trump himself has not commented directly on this at this point on the dollar-for-dollar vow that Carney made. We have reached out to the White House for more details.

ROSALES: And Julia, there's not too many countries, especially an ally that is -- has pushed back against Trump in this way. So when we're looking at the overall relationship between the United States and Canada, what does this mean?

BENBROOK: It's been delicate for a while now. We know that this has been an area of focus for Trump throughout his second term. These tariffs have been on and off. We've seen this go back and forth, and specifically with Canada, the United States' neighbor, longtime important ally.

But these tensions do seem to be rising again. Some really strong words from Carney there as he explained why this deal was not going forward from their side.

ROSALES: Yes, and it's certainly sparking a lot of patriotism on the Canadian side, certainly this back and forth with the U.S.

Julia Benbrook at the White House, thank you.

[17:04:44]

ROSALES: Well, a desperate search is underway in Massachusetts as police hunt for a woman that they believe is connected to the death of her police officer husband.

Worcester police have issued an arrest warrant for Karen Solomon, this is her picture right here. They're describing her as armed and dangerous after her husband, Kurt Solomon, was found dead.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is following the story, and she joins us now.

Gloria, we just got ahold of that new 9-1-1 audio. Anything important? What could we hear in there?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly, we at least have confirmation that police Officers identified the person who placed the call as Karen Solomon.

But first, Isabel, let me tell you about the search that's been going on, because this is going on in the past four days, and police have closed down local beaches, parks, recreational areas as they deploy several resources including K-9 units, divers and police officers on foot, all scouring the area looking for evidence and looking for Karen Solomon, the woman who now appears to be at the center of this mystery.

Here's what we know about Karen Solomon. She is known in the community as an advocate for mental health for first responders. She's facing an arrest warrant after her husband, Worcester police officer Kurt Solomon, was found dead inside his home on Tuesday.

Now we have images of Karen from a doorbell camera where you can see that she is wearing shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops. And police say that this was minutes after police responded to a call from the home where her husband was found.

We have obtained dispatcher audio of that call, as you said, Isabel, and you can hear the officers responding to the call and trying to reach the person who made the call, who they say is Karen Solomon.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is the caller a male or a female?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a female. Her voicemail on her phone says it's a Karen Solomon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's visible blood inside the building. Inside the bathroom in the back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now police have declined to discuss the details of that call, but Solomon, in the meantime, has been charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

She is 58 years old. She is considered armed and dangerous. And police are asking anyone who may know anything about her or her whereabouts to call the police department.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF PAUL SAUCIER, WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS POLICE: We will not stop until we find her Either way, here or somewhere else. And we want to bring closure to the Solomon family.

Kurt was a hell of a guy. He was an awesome police officer and an awesome person. And he's going to be truly missed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Officer Solomon was a 31-year veteran of the police department. He was also an army veteran. He was a father to two sons.

Police say he was fatally injured with a sharp object, although they have declined to provide further details as they say this investigation is still underway, Isabel.

ROSALES: Yes, what a bizarre and certainly serious situation with police there saying and then warning that she is to be considered armed and dangerous.

Gloria, I know you're going to stay on top of this. Gloria Pazmino, thank you.

Well, still ahead, allies of Mike Rogers reportedly asking AIPAC to not advertise for him in the tight Michigan Senate race. How it might affect his chances in November.

Plus, a five-year-old boy clings to his dad as they are detained by ICE.

And later the water crisis in Puerto Rico. Hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens are dealing with rationing for the last three weeks. We're going to explain more on that.

Right now, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

[17:08:34]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSALES: Welcome back.

New reporting today highlights a point of tension in the Michigan Senate race, a substantial campaign spending by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. Axios' Alex Eisenstadt reporting that allies of Republican nominee Mike Rogers have asked AIPAC not to advertise on his behalf.

AIPAC spent more than $30 million through its super PAC trying to defeat now nominee Abdul al-Sayed in the Democratic primary.

We're joined now by senior political reporter for Axios, Alex Isenstadt. Alex, thank you so much for joining CNN NEWSROOM.

Let's start with allies of Rogers. They still want AIPAC involved, but not the group's name front and center. What is the thinking here behind this strategy?

ALEX ISENSTADT, SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER, AXIOS: Sure. So, the thinking here is that AIPAC has become kind of a toxic brand in American politics. And if you look at public opinion polling, more and more Americans are disapproving of Israel and its conduct in Gaza.

And so what that's creating is a dynamic where politicians are worried that if AIPAC comes out and supports them, it can create backlash.

And so what you've seen happen over the last few months, including just this last week in a congressional race in California, is candidates that AIPAC opposes, or candidates that AIPAC opposes are ending up winning actually, these primaries.

[17:14:46]

ISENSTADT: And so its striking that you have a Republican candidate like Mike Rogers, who is a staunch -- lifelong staunch, supporter of Israel. His campaign basically telling them, look, we don't want your name front and center here. It's going to potentially hurt us in this general election in Michigan that could decide control of the Senate.

ROSALES: And what is it like from AIPAC's side? Have you heard anything about them? Are they happy not to have their name attached to the advertising?

ISENSTADT: Sure. So the Michigan Senate race is a hugely consequential race for AIPAC.

Abdul el-Sayed the Democrat running against Mike Rogers, has been a staunch critic, an outspoken critic of Israel, and AIPAC really wants to target him, even though AIPAC doesn't usually play in general elections. And so AIPAC last week, their chairman spoke with Mike Rogers in Los

Angeles, and the next day they decided to pull an ad that they had already cut that was going to be targeting Abdul el-Sayed.

And so from everyone I've talked to, AIPAC is not too happy about this development. They were ready to go. They were ready to spend potentially tens of millions of dollars in this race.

And they're not happy about being told that their name shouldn't be front and center in this race.

ROSALES: Yes. You mentioned el-Sayed, who attacked the group's spending against him in the Democratic primary. What is your understanding of how that argument shifts for a general electorate?

ISENSTADT: Yes, it's a great question because what el-Sayed did against AIPAC it works in a Democratic primary that's dominated by liberal voters who we know are disproportionately more likely to be critical of Israel.

The question is, does that approach work as well in a general election in a swing state like Michigan? We know that operatives from both parties say that general elections, especially in manufacturing-heavy states like Michigan, are more likely to be decided by how voters feel about the economy.

But the Rogers campaign believes that AIPAC is kind of a tricky thing here, right? Because if you look at Michigan, it has one of the highest numbers of Arab-Americans of any state. And so in a race that can be decided by 10,000 -- 20,000 votes, potentially maybe even less, every vote matters.

And so the Rogers campaign is being really cautious about what they see as AIPAC's potential involvement in this campaign.

ROSALES: Do you think there's other candidates that could adopt a similar strategy in other key states, or, as you mentioned, does it just make sense for Michigan due to their larger population of Arab citizens?

ISENSTADT: Yes. So I don't -- yes, I don't get the sense AIPAC is necessarily looking at playing in other general elections right now. Michigan's kind of a unique case just because Abdul el-Sayed is the Democratic candidate, and he has made opposition to Israel.

He's been so outspoken in it. And AIPAC and pro-Israel activists worry that if he goes and he gets into the Senate, he will become a really loud voice in the Senate for cutting U.S. aid to Israel and taking other steps against Israel.

And so Abdul el-Sayed has really been a special case to AIPAC, a real race that they are specifically -- particularly interested. And that's why they aren't happy about this ask for them to scale back their involvement.

ROSALES: It's a race so many are looking at right now. Alex Isenstadt, thank you so much for helping us break this down. Appreciate it.

ISENSTADT: Thanks for having me.

ROSALES: Thanks.

And in the Florida Senate race, nobody is more thrilled with Democrat primary results than the Republicans in the state.

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten runs the numbers to explain why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY ENTENT, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Hey there.

You know, look, this past week on Tuesday, Florida held its primary. And there was a big surprise in the Senate Democratic primary for that special Senate seat.

And that was that Angie Nixon won that primary. And it was a surprise because she was going up against Alex Vindman, who was far better known nationally. But also the fact that Angie Nixon is a Democratic socialist.

And you know what? I think Republicans in Florida are saying. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Because that is basically -- that nomination has taken that race off the board.

Just take a look at this. Ok, the Florida special Senate race ratings. On Monday, you take a look at the average of all these race ratings, it was likely Republican. Now it is solidly Republican. Republican chances going up through the roof in Florida.

But the truth is that Republicans have had a pretty gosh-darn good run in Florida. And I'm not quite sure it necessarily matters too much who is going to be nominated.

Because, you know, I remember when Florida was a swing state that Democrats would compete in, right? Barack Obama won it in 2008 and 2012. Hillary Clinton was quite competitive there in 2016.

[17:19:52]

ENTEN: It's no longer a swing state. It's no longer a purple state. It's a red state now. And you can see it right here.

Ok. The Florida Party registration edge, you know, you go back to 2016 when Hillary Clinton was quite competitive. Democrats led in party registration in Florida by three points.

Look at where we are now, though, and look at where we are in 2024. In 2024, by the time that Donald Trump was easily winning another term in the White House in Florida, winning that state.

Look at this. It was Republican plus eight. Now it is Republican plus 11 points. What a massive change from where we were in 2016 when Democrats had the party registration edge in Florida. So that Florida Senate race moving more towards the right in the

Republican direction. That's just part of a larger trend.

But Florida Senate is not the only place where Republicans are probably going to do well in federal elections come this November. You can see it in the House ratings as well.

Now, there was a redistricting that happened in Florida, but it's just part of, again, a larger trend of Republicans continuously doing well in Florida and actually doing better over time.

Take a look here. U.S. House seats in Florida, GOP pickups this year. We're talking about 2 to 3 seats possible, 2 to 3 seats possible, again aided by redistricting, but no doubt part of a larger trend of Florida moving further and further to the right.

Now, here's the real problem, though, with Florida moving further and further to the right, right? We're not just talking about a state like Wyoming that has only three electoral votes.

Florida is becoming a more populous state. It is becoming one that has increasing power in politics. Florida electoral votes. You know, you go back to the 1990s when Bill Clinton was winning there in 1996, right? Look at that. It had 25 electoral votes.

You go to the 2000s, 27 electoral votes; you go to the 2010s, 29 electoral votes; the 2020's, 30.

And now, as we look forward to the 2030s, the projection is something like 32 electoral votes. If you're Democrats, you don't want to be losing ground in Florida, but you're doing exactly that.

This is great news for Republicans. They are gaining ground in a state that they really can put in their electoral column and make their chances of winning presidential elections far better.

The Florida special Senate race, just more emblematic of a state that is racing to the right.

Have a good weekend. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSALES: Harry Enten, thank you.

Well, still ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, a five-year-old clings on to his father as they are picked up by ICE and sent off to a South Texas Detention Center. The fight for the child's release, that's next.

[17:22:31]

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ROSALES: Some lawmakers are calling for the release of a five-year-old boy who was detained, along with his father, by federal immigration agents in Texas. This video right here shows the boy crying as he clings to his dad's

handcuffed hand. The child and his father were taken into ICE custody after a traffic stop in Austin last weekend.

CNN's Rafael Romo joins me now. And Rafael, certainly an image that has gone viral, that video of him clinging to his father there and crying. What are you learning about all this?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, for sure, Isabel.

Well, a spokesperson for the family told CNN the father and son, who are both undocumented, said they were on their way to a soccer match in Austin, Texas when they were pulled over in a video that, as you mentioned, has gone viral.

The five-year-old boy, identified by his family as Liam Tadeo, appears to be crying as he tried to hold the hand of his handcuffed father being escorted to an unmarked vehicle.

According to family spokesperson Sara Garcia (ph), Liam was getting ready to start kindergarten this week in Austin. She also said that both the father, Victor Martinez Nieto, and his son are undocumented immigrants from Mexico and remain in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention.

The case is drawing comparisons with another detention that also impacted a five-year-old boy in suburban Minneapolis in January. You may remember this, Isabel.

Liam Conejo Ramos was wearing a blue-knit bunny hat when a masked federal agent held the handle of the boy's Spider-Man backpack before he and his father were transported on a plane to the Dilley Detention Center in Texas, the same facility where the other boy is now held.

In an interview with CNN affiliate, Univision, the mother of the boy detained with his father Sunday in Austin, and who asked not to be identified, said she remembered that Minneapolis case after her own son was detained.

Univision happened to be at her home when she spoke with her son, who remains at the Dilley Detention Center.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIAM: I love you so much and I miss you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you so much too. And I miss you so much, my love.

Don't despair, my love, ok?

Liam: Ok.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you so, so much, my love.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMO: Texas Representative Greg Casar, a Democrat, spoke about Liam's case in a video posted on his Facebook account.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. GREG CASAR (D-TX): His name, just like the name of the little boy from Minnesota, is Liam. And Liam should be starting kindergarten this week. But instead he's sitting in a trailer prison right now in Dilley, Texas.

I'm calling for the immediate release of Liam, the immediate release of all of these kids, and for the closure of the Dilley trailer prison.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:29:52]

ROMO: In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said that Victor Martinez Nieto, whom it called an illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested last Sunday during a vehicle stop in Austin, Texas and had illegally entered the country around March 2022 near Laredo, Texas.

The statement goes on to say that "On November 15, 2025, ICE arrested Martinez Nieto in Hutto, Texas. He accepted voluntary departure and was removed from the country on February 12, 2026, Martinez Nieto illegally re-entered the country at an unknown time and place after being removed. Martinez Nieto and his son will remain together in ICE custody pending removal."

DHS also said that the daily detention center is retrofitted for families and that children held there have access to teachers, classrooms, and books. Isabel?

ROSALES: Yes. So, now, the secondary Liam in detention custody.

It's interesting to see, Rafael, with cases like this involving children, how you can see on social media drawing a lot of heightened tensions, even from both sides of the aisle. So, I know that this will not be the last that we hear about Liam.

ROMO: Yes. For sure,

ROSALES: Thank you, Rafael.

Hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans are in a severe water crisis, as more than half of the island deals with extreme drought conditions.

After the break, one of the lawmakers pushing for help joins us to talk about what needs to be done to fix this problem. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:35:55] ROSALES: Welcome back. The severe water crisis in Puerto Rico is leaving residents scrambling to find and conserve water. Hundreds of thousands of residents are in their third week of mandatory water rationing. Many are relying on showering, using buckets, using bottled water for cooking, putting off laundry, cleaning, and even flushing toilets, as lakes and streams are shriveling to record lows.

Governor Jennifer Gonzalez has said it is unknown how long these measures will remain in place.

Let's bring in Puerto Rico's resident commissioner in Congress, Pablo Jose Hernandez.

Thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate your time in discussing this very important issue. And listen, we are in this third week of rationing, but for a lot of Puerto Ricans, they have been experiencing this for months. Even before the drought, we saw the Superaqueduct, the pipeline leading into San Juan and other metropolitan areas that had leaks.

So, for some people, this insecurity with water has been a thing that has happened for months. What are you seeing on the ground? What's catching your attention?

REP. PABLO JOSE HERNANDEZ, RESIDENT COMMISSIONER, PUERTO RICO: I'm seeing a lot of people anxious and frustrated.

And as you were mentioning, there are two droughts going on at the same time. There is a drought that's the consequence of lack of rain. We can't control that. But there is a drought of incompetence and mismanagement, and I think that's what has most people upset.

You were just mentioning the super aqueduct that broke in the summer. That's not because of a drought. That's because of more than a decade of mismanagement, lack of supervision, and lack of maintenance. And I think, that's what's making this drought and this rationing drive people -- make people more impatient, making people more impatient than prior droughts and prior rationings.

ROSALES: You mentioned that with El Supertubo, as it's known, that big pipeline, that this is an infrastructure problem. This has been a long time coming. I did speak with Carlos Pesquera, who is the former governing party secretary of transportation, and also has been appointed by the governor as an advisor on the water crisis. And he told me this: these are challenges that accumulated over decades. They cannot reasonably be attributed to one administration or one period of management.

What do you say to that, and who do you put the blame on?

HERNANDEZ: The governing party has been in power for the last 10 years. In 10 years, you can either fix the problem or make sure it's a lot better. And what we are seeing today is that it is actually a lot worse. And even Mr. Pesquera, who I respect tremendously, he was an excellent Secretary of Transportation almost 30 years ago, acknowledged that the Supertubo had not been revised in over, I think, it was since 2013.

So, this administration, prior administrations, all from the same party, all the same people have failed to provide adequate maintenance, and Puerto Ricans are paying a price now.

But look, instead of focusing on the blame, and even though accountability and responsibility is important, we have to talk about how we are going to fix this. And I think, we are not pulling all the levers we have in order to fix this.

ROSALES: And speaking on that, you did write a letter, formally asking the Department of Agriculture to declare a state of emergency in Puerto Rico. You also wrote a letter to the governor, Jennifer Gonzalez, asking her to press Trump to declare a major disaster declaration because of this drought. Have you heard back?

HERNANDEZ: We haven't. We haven't and it's incredibly frustrating, because if the governor requests a major disaster declaration from President Trump, and she is the one who has to do it by law, we would be able to unleash many resources that FEMA already has stored in warehouses on the island. We would be able to unleash a lot of assistance from the Small Business Administration for small and medium business owners on the island that are affected by the rationing. And if the USDA issues its own emergency declaration, we'd be able to assist hundreds or thousands of agricultural workers who are currently suffering as a result of the drought.

[17:40:07]

So, that's why I'm saying, not -- we are not pulling all the levers. We are not doing all that can be done, and people are suffering as a result.

ROSALES: Yes, and just on Thursday, the U.S. government declared a drought disaster for nearby the U.S. Virgin Islands, but still not for Puerto Rico.

Let me ask you this: Tourism is a large part of Puerto Rico's economy. I mean, just this weekend we're seeing the wrap up of Bad Bunny's world tour right there in San Juan. Should people still plan to travel to Puerto Rico for the upcoming holidays? Do you worry about that impact to the economy?

HERNANDEZ: Tourism is not being as affected as other areas, because of the rationing. I know of tourist areas that are not under the rationing plan, and I think, that's on purpose. But businesses that serve tourists are being affected.

So, you will find restaurants that are struggling, that they are filling up tanks for the days when they don't have water. Some businesses that have to shut down early because they don't have water. But I guess my message to the people who are planning to travel to Puerto Rico for holidays is that right now, tourism is not being affected. Hotels are still operating. Puerto Rico is still functioning as normally as it can within the circumstances.

But do not cancel your plans. In fact, if you did, you might hurt us even more.

ROSALES: And one last question: We don't have a lot of time here, but do you worry, or do you see a need for this 48-hour rationing of the water, two days on, two days off, to be increased to 72 hours?

HERNANDEZ: I'll leave that to the experts. What I feel is a deep frustration that we didn't act sooner because we have other areas that might soon have to enter a rationing phase. Who are saying, look, let's start with a 24-hour rationing in order not to have a 48-hour rationing if we don't have enough water in 60 days.

I feel that a lot of people are thinking, wow, if we could have begun saving sooner, this could be flowing a lot better today.

ROSALES: Congressman Pablo Jose Hernandez, thank you so much for your time.

HERNANDEZ: Thank you for paying attention to this issue.

ROSALES: Thanks.

Well, still ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, a fast and furious street takeover in the heart of the nation's capital. CNN is on the scene at the IndyCar Grand Prix event celebrating America's 250. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:47:17]

ROSALES: Welcome back. Qualifying races are underway on the National Mall for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in D.C.

IndyCar drivers speeding past some of America's most historic landmarks on the converted racetrack today before tomorrow's main event, which is a 250-mile race commemorating America's 250th birthday.

The Grand Prix is one of the final events hosted by Freedom 250, the Trump-backed nonprofit tasked with marking America's birthday with a series of events. You might recall these, which include the Great American State Fair and, of course, the UFC White House fight.

CNN's Brian Todd joins us now live from the National Mall. Brian, certainly loud out there. What's the atmosphere like?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isabel, it is exhilarating and surreal all at the same time being down here. It's really an incredible sight. Check this out. We are at Turn Four of this qualifying heat. You can see some of these guys taking these turns at incredible speeds. Just take a look at that.

Unbelievable. Turn four. It's one of seven turns here. Most of them pretty tight. I'm with Seve Concepcion, 22 years old from Connecticut. It's his first time here at an IndyCar race, but he is a veteran watcher of IndyCar on T.V.

Seve, you had a distinct impression of the way these guys are taking this particular turn. What stands out to you?

SEVE CONCEPCION, ATTENDING INDYCAR EVENT FROM CONNECTICUT: Yes. So, not everyone does it. But when they come into the turn, there is a depression in some of the corners, and if they hit that, you can see the car bounce, and then, the rear end slides out on the exit. This turn is really prolific. Some of the others not so much, but it's pretty cool to see.

TODD: Absolutely, Seve, thanks for talking to us. Enjoy the race. All right, thanks very much.

Now, I'm here with a couple who's here, D.C. residents, longtime D.C. residents, T.J. Collins and his wife, Jessica.

T.J. COLLINS, ATTENDING INDYCAR EVENT FROM D.C.: Hello.

TODD: Hey guys, how are you?

COLLINS: OK.

TODD: OK. First time in an IndyCar race. You've been living here for about 20 years.

COLLINS: Yes.

TODD: Just tell us your impressions, T.J.

COLLINS: Well, it's quite a summer to be in DC with all the festivities going on. One of my favorite things is just meeting all the people from across the country that I met here. So, and just our kids to be able to experience these things as well, you know. Being able to see the race, to see the Fourth of July festivities, you know, it's been a very neat experience for them. So --

TODD: Absolutely.

COLLINS: Yes.

TODD: An incredible summer here.

Jessica, what's your impression here? I have to ask you. You brought your 5 and 8-year-old boys here. Are they doing OK with the noise and all that? How are they faring?

JESSICA COLLINS, ATTENDING INDYCAR EVENT FROM D.C.: Yes, they have been enjoying it so much. They've been looking forward to it since this was announced. It's amazing. We live in this city. We are out here on our bikes, scooters all the time. And for them to see these cars with the backdrop of our national capital, it's just amazing.

TODD: What stands out to you? First time at an IndyCar race. What is it? The noise, the speed? What stands out to you?

[17:50:01]

J. COLLINS: I think it's the speed. Standing here at the corner, when they are turning, it feels like they are about to run into you, but then they make that turn and just keep going. It's pretty incredible.

TODD: It's incredible to watch the turns.

All right, guys, thanks very much.

J. COLLINS: Thank you.

TODD: Enjoy it. Hope your boys can make it through it OK. Thank you very much. Thank you.

OK. Isabel, I mean, you can just see the energy, the vibration, the noise, the exhilaration. It's just really exciting being down here. They expect about 100,000 people each day for this race. Most of these people get in here for free, but you do need tickets. But those tickets were sold out a long time ago.

You had to get them by lottery. There are also suites available, almost 80 suites. Those cost $200 to $250,000 each just for a suite. But we are told those are sold out, sold out as well.

And Isabel, the -- you know, this isn't even the main day. The main day, of course, is tomorrow, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. President Trump, coming for that. He is going to drop the green flag. But before he does that, he is going to take a ceremonial lap around this course.

ROSALES: Hey, it looks like a lot of fun out there. You got to bring your ear protection, though. Look at Brian, exactly like that.

Brian Todd, thank you.

All right. Well, the Supreme Court says President Trump may continue working on the new ballroom at the White House, at least for now.

But the temporary ruling doesn't actually address the legality of the project. CNN's Kevin Liptak has more.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Trump scored a victory at the Supreme Court on Friday when the panel ruled that construction on his ballroom could continue. Now, this was a temporary victory. They did not rule on the legality of the construction, but they have said that they need more time to deliberate on those particular points, and they will allow the construction to continue while they continue to do that.

Now, President Trump is touting this as a major win. He said that the -- he was "grateful" for the decision of the United States Supreme Court. And he says that "The military slash ballroom complex being built on the hallowed grounds of the White House, which is so vital to national security, will be the greatest of its kind."

Now, you will remember, two lower courts had ruled that construction was illegal because the White House didn't have the authority to make this large a change to the White House grounds, and they said that it would require Congress for construction to continue.

What the White House argued is that, essentially, it was too far gone. That because the ballroom was 65 percent complete, that they had already built five stories below ground and 70 feet in the air. That essentially, it was too late to stop the construction now.

Now, President Trump has been traveling in South Carolina on a campaign swing. He also mentioned this victory. Here is what he said:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm in a very good mood tonight. I didn't mention this to Darline, because today we just learned that the big decision of the United States Supreme Court came down, and the military/ballroom, this beautiful, magnificent complex, being built on the hallowed grounds of our cherished White House, which is so vital for national security will be -- it's going to be the greatest of its kind anywhere that's ever been built and it's something that presidents have wanted to be built for over 150 years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: So, you hear there, President Trump using the ballroom during a campaign stop. It's not clear how much this issue is swaying voters, if anything. Many voters say that the president is overly focused on these projects and not necessarily on what they are focused on, namely the economy.

And so, this construction will continue. The court continues to debate and deliberate over what exactly the legalities of all of this is, but at least for now. That ballroom still continuing apace.

Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.

ROSALES: Kevin Liptak, thank you.

[17:54:01]

Well, still to come in the CNN NEWSROOM, President Trump's plea to South Carolina voters as he tries to push a GOP candidate across the finish line despite divided party lines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSALES: Welcome back. In Mexico and other developing countries, government health programs often do not provide wheelchairs or prosthetics for people living with amputations and other disabilities.

CNN Hero Kiko Trujillo is an engineer in Nogales who has made it his life's mission to help. And for him, it's not just his life's work; it's personal. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIKO TRUJILLO, CNN HERO: If someone is amputated, they have two choices, go home or go out in the streets and beg.

And the same goes for kids that are born with a neuromuscular disability that require a customized wheelchair. We need to help them. TRUJILLO (text): I don't know what your financial situation is, but I don't want that to worry you.

TRUJILLO: Nobody walks out of here without what they need.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).

TRUJILLO: I've been living on the border for many years. I come from a family of 11 brothers and sisters. One of my brother was born without his left hand. I took on industrial engineering, but I wanted to do something for my community.

I got a phone call from Dr. Duke (PH). He is a pediatrician. He said, I'd like to help people with disabilities. My brother came to my mind at that time.

[18:00:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is just a very resourceful guy. Kiko knows everybody in Nogales. We are a village, and everyone is kind of contributing to make things happen.