Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Trump-Backed IndyCar Event Takes Over National Mall; Trump Fires Back At Canada As Trade War Escalates; U.S. Expected To Announce "Toughest Sanctions" Against Iran; Nevada's Fast Growing "Hawk" Wildfire Forces Evacuations In Reno. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired August 23, 2026 - 13:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:20]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Happening right now, take a look at these live pictures of D.C.'s IndyCar track where you see President Trump and the first lady. President Trump in moments is set to actually wave the green flag to start the grand prix. And just moments ago, the president and first lady did wrap up a ceremonial lap around the track in the Beast. There's much more on all of this straight ahead.

And we're following the dueling war of words between the U.S. and Canada. The president holding firm on imposing a 50 percent tariff.

Plus, Iran's president says his country is in a full-scale war as fresh sanctions loom. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent set to hold a press conference tomorrow after pledging to apply measures that have never been seen on Iran.

And later, breaking news out of Nevada, where a fast-moving wildfire has prompted a state of emergency. Video shows thick plumes of smoke in and around Reno.

(MUSIC)

WHITFIELD: All right, the big race is nearly underway in Washington, D.C. Thousands are gathered around the National Mall as 25 IndyCars speed past some of the most historic landmarks in Washington on a converted racetrack. President Trump kicking off the day, taking a ceremonial lap around the mile and a half track before dropping the green flag, signaling the start of the 250-mile race, the first of it's kind car race in D.C., capping off a series of America 250 celebrations that President Trump has been heavily involved in this summer.

CNN's Brian Todd is joining us now along the route.

You are ready with your headphones on because it's going to be very loud, and you're surrounded by a lot of people who look very enthusiastic about it all. BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fredricka. They are very

enthusiastic. I'm surrounded by a lot of people who are first time racegoers. That's very exciting.

As you mentioned, the presidential limousine, the Beast with the president in it just did a lap, right? Here we are at turn four, one of seven turns in this race. Very tight turns, I might add. That's going to be challenging for the drivers, but it's just a great day. Great weather here. A lot of people very excited to be here.

We've had flyovers from military planes, from B-2 stealth bombers to fighter jets to Apache helicopters. They just finished one flyover just a second ago. We actually had Air Force One do a flyover just a short time ago.

We're going to raise our camera so you can get kind of a view of the track, the race not underway just yet. It's going to start in just moments, 1:00 Eastern Time, the official start time. But they're a little bit delayed here. But that's not really an issue. We're going to see these race cars come by here any minute now.

Now my photojournalist, Manny Climaco (ph) and I are going to take a walk just to show you what it's like to navigate the crowds. We've talked to several people as they've been coming in today.

Most people have told us that it's been very smooth trying to get past the checkpoints, the security, et cetera. That no really long lines. You know, the -- one fan told us that you go through two checkpoints, one to show your tickets and then one to clear security.

But he said it was very smooth. People here having a good time. I'm here with Liz Eustace and Chris Richardson, race fans here.

You -- Chris is -- you've been to several races, you said, okay? Liz, you have not.

Okay. Got to get your impression first time. How do you -- how do you like it?

LIZ EUSTACE, VIRGINIA RESIDENT: This -- I saw the warm up and it was so cool. I didn't think I was kind of like, oh, they're just cars running. But the speed they're going, it was so freaking cool. And I got goose bumps. I got all shaky. It was really cool.

TODD: And now, you're a veteran, Chris. You've been to some of these races. What do you think? What stands out to you about this particular one?

CHRIS RICHARDSON, WASHINGTON, D.C. RESIDENT: It's a road course and that's always fun. You know, a road course on my own home roads. I definitely love that. And just having a point of reference for how fast they're going on these city streets is insane. It's like inhuman.

TODD: I was just going to ask you guys what strikes out to you? To me, it's the noise and the speed. What about you? EUSTACE: I think it's the speed, but also being able to see the cars

and being able to see them clearly, but going, passing by, you kind of computing the speed but never seeing that speed. Before in my life, I've never seen something go that fast in front of me before. And so that was just like, whoa, how to process that? It was very interesting. The show. Yeah.

TODD: Man, if you want to raise your camera, were just going to show that procession.

EUSTACE: It's so great.

TODD: I got -- Chris, I got another quick question for you. As we see some of the military bands who were in a parade earlier going -- going by, that means they're getting ready to wrap up the preliminary festivities here and getting ready to race. And the race is going to go on for probably about two hours, maybe longer if there are crashes.

Okay, Chris, I do have to ask you, as a D.C. resident, as am I. we've all been dealing with road closures, traffic snarls.

[13:05:03]

Talk to us about that. Has it been a headache or not so much for you?

RICHARDSON: I mean, traffic in D.C. is terrible all the time. Yeah. You know, there's when there's football, there's worse traffic. When there's a game, there's work traffic. I don't care about either of these things. I just like racing.

So, I'm willing to put up with it to, to have more racing. And the last time there was that was a Cadillac grand prix. And they shut that down. So, I just want to see more of it.

TODD: Okay, cool. Thank you guys for talking to us. Enjoy the race. Thank you very much.

EUSTACE: Good to see you, too.

TODD: Okay, Fredricka, there's your scene. The race is going to start momentarily. We'll be here throughout and you know, hey, let's -- let's get racing.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's go. All right, Brian Todd, we'll check back with you. Thank you so much.

All right. let's talk about the race and all that it brings. Joining me right now, Juliette Kayyem, a CNN senior national security analyst and former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. Also with us, CNN presidential historian Tim Naftali.

Great to see you both. Thank you so much for being with us here on race day.

So, Juliette, you first, you know, many measures have to be taken, you know, to get this city ready and obviously get the security in place for something like this. We know that manholes were sealed. It's a 1.7 mile route with seven turns. There are viewing stands as we're looking at live shots right now of the viewing stands.

This is a colossal security challenge with so many moving parts. So, you know, what are you envisioning here as you've got Metropolitan Police, Secret Service, Capitol Police and so much more involved.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Right. And you have the -- you have the drivers. So, you have -- there is a tremendous focus on driver safety as well, because you want them to not crash. So, look, this has been done before. There's this whole political backdrop. I'll let Tim talk about it, about Trump and, and sports in D.C.

But, you know, cities open up for these kinds of races. Las Vegas most famously now has a formula one through the streets of Las Vegas. it's at nighttime so as not to disrupt the strip that much. And then and then it reopens. But a Sunday in a city is better than almost any other time. And there is a tremendous focus on the footprint of safety.

So exactly what you said, Fred, you know, it's going to be -- it's the Secret Service that's in charge. They would have called, you know, they would have called this sort of a SEAR 1, which is the top level of security. D.C. police, national guard and others to build this thing.

Things like, for example, what you said, you know, the street, the -- to make sure that nothing flips out when a, when a car passes it so that you can protect not just the president, but all the spectators. So, look, we -- this is done before the president owning it in this way gives it a, I think, less than ideal vibe.

But I think it's important that -- that the safety apparatus is rigorous. And the only challenge really is honestly, is that this is the first time D.C. has done it. And the first time anything is done, always, always raises the potential for unknown risks and unknown threats.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. Tim. I mean, the race is traveling through all the most historic sites of the nation's capital. it's around the National Mall. It's in front of the U.S. Capitol, up and down Pennsylvania Avenue. What stands out to you about this IndyCar race through the heart of D.C.? Yes, Washington has a beautiful relationship with sports and sporting events, but this is very unique.

TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Well, there's a long history or at least in the modern era of, of presidents and race car events, but they have been NASCAR events. And, Juliette was saying is an important part of the answer to this, which is it is easier because NASCAR events are smaller to provide the kind of security for a president than is true at IndyCar events.

Presidents have wanted to go to the Indianapolis speedway, but the Indianapolis, the Indy 500 is the largest in-person sporting event in the United States and would require levels of security that this -- apparently, the Secret Service cannot actually achieve.

So, if you -- if the president can't go to Indianapolis for the Indianapolis 500, you bring an Indy car event to Washington, D.C., which is a city perfectly suited to protecting president. So, in many ways, what we're seeing here is the sort of logical progression of a relationship between President Trump and Roger Penske, who owns the indy car circuit and has owned the circuit since 2019, when the president made him and offered him and gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

So the president very much wanted to go to Indianapolis in 2025, but it was not possible. So Indianapolis came to him.

[13:10:00]

WHITFIELD: Right. So Penske came to the president, said, hey, this is a pretty good idea. What do you think? And the president obviously has helped make it happen that, in concert with a number of events that this president kind of commandeered and helped plan to celebrate 250 this year. You had the fair taking place on the National Mall, Tim, as well as the UFC fight at the White House.

So, this is kind of, I guess the -- this is the finale event, this grand prix for what the president has planned for this 250th celebration.

NAFTALI: Well, yes. And there are a number of ways to look at this. First of all, it's really cool for a city to have a grand prix event, whether that grand prix event is an IndyCar race or a formula one race brings lots of money to a city. There are a number of cities in north America that absolutely love to host these events.

So, on the one hand, for the Washington, D.C., this could economically be really a great event, despite all the hassles it presents.

On the other hand, there's the issue of the president and the 250th anniversary of our great country -- actually anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the extent to which the president makes it about himself as opposed to about us and our great national experiment. And we -- historians and Americans will be debating this forever.

But Indy events are national events, all kinds of Americans who vote in all kinds of different ways absolutely adore the Indy circuit. So, this is not really a Trump sport. This is an American sport.

How the president manages it today, the kind of messages and signals that's up to him. But the fact that there's an IndyCar event in Washington, D.C. should be something to be celebrated, because it is one of the great sports of this country.

WHITFIELD: So then, Tim, as I'm listening to you then, I mean, who do you see? I mean, you're a presidential historian. When you look at this event, who do you see this event for? You know, who is it crafted for from the -- you know, point of view of you as a historian, how you will assess this having happened under the direction of this president?

NAFTALI: Well, here's the thing about presidents. We want them because they are our bald eagle, right? We want them to represent the things we care about. So yeah, there are some people who don't care much about IndyCar racing, and there are others that do.

And it's a cool thing that the president cares about the sport you care about, whether it's baseball or football or even hockey. So, it's not the fact that the president is there that is necessarily political. it's how the president manages it.

The president always has the opportunity to speak for all of us. The very fact that a president attends an event is not in and of itself political. It's what they say and how they act. So again, IndyCar racing is a great sport. How President Donald J. Trump manages and acts today when Indy comes to him, is up to Donald Trump. He can turn the event that is national into partisan, but that's up to him.

WHITFIELD: Okay, Juliette, I know you had something to say. We're going to take a short break, but you can see also the race is underway. The green flag has been dropped. We didn't get to see it from our vantage point, but you obviously can see the cars whizzing by at. They're going to be reaching 180 miles per hour in some cases.

This is a turn that they're taking here. And then there will be a straightaway where they will actually reach, that 180 miles per hour.

Juliette and Tim, stay with us. We're going to take a short break right now, and then we'll continue our conversation in and around this race.

Also coming up, a new salvo in the newly reignited trade war between Canada and the U.S. What President Trump is now saying after negotiations fail and new tariffs are imposed.

Plus, a fast-moving wildfire is racing through Nevada, forcing evacuations near Reno, and a state of emergency has been declared. The latest on the fight to get that fire under control as it moves toward homes. More homes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:18:55]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

Live pictures right now of Freedom 250, a grand prix in the Indy Car race is underway there in the nation's capital. These 25 cars will take some 147 laps in and around the nation's capital. There live pictures.

And you see the president of the United States, along with the first lady there. Just moments ago, they dropped the green flag as an indicator of getting the race underway. Also, they're in the company of thousands of spectators there who have lined the streets, they're lined the course that's weaving in and around the National Mall over the two days of this racing event.

And of course, there were several flyovers. This one included ahead of this spectacular race now underway.

We'll continue to monitor the race throughout the afternoon.

Meantime, other news, we want to bring you a trade war between the U.S. and Canada is ramping up today.

[13:20:00]

President Trump lashing out in an overnight social media post saying, quote, "Canada wants the benefits of being a state without being one. They have also charged our great farmers for many years massive amounts of tariffs, no more."

The dispute escalated after tense trade talks collapsed Friday night. That's when President Trump imposed 50 percent tariffs on $20 billion in Canadian goods. Canada responded by announcing retaliatory dollar for dollar tariffs on steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment and other goods.

This week will mark six months since the start of the war with Iran, and tomorrow Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to announce new sanctions on Iran. What he has called the toughest sanctions in history.

And ahead of that announcement, Iran's hard line security chief warned neighboring gulf countries against supporting any new economic restrictions. He said if they do, Iran will, quote, "not allow a single drop of oil to pass through the Persian Gulf," unquote, or the Strait of Hormuz. Some oil tankers have been passing through the strait, but traffic this past week was just 20 percent of pre-war average.

All right. Coming up, IndyCars roaring through the streets of the nation's capital. We'll take you back there live with a look at the impacts of this unprecedented grand prix race and other high profile events promoted by the White House to mark America's 250th.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:26:02]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

Enthralled would be the word I described to see the president there and the first lady right there alongside the IndyCar track. They're watching the race, as is everybody else there. Some 150,000 spectators have now lined the streets of Washington that have been turned into an IndyCar raceway. It's been a pretty jam-packed morning.

Before the race, you had a military flyover and the presidential lap with the Beast taken around this racetrack, the Freedom 250 Grand Prix is now officially underway. That was the route that the Beast took earlier today and now underway is the race 25 IndyCars racing past some of the city's most historic landmarks at speeds of up to 180 miles an hour.

President Trump kicked off the day by greeting the drivers and taking that ceremonial first lap in the presidential limo. And he also then dropped the green flag, signaling the official start of this race.

CNN's Brian Todd has been there throughout all weekend long, because it really was a two-day event, even though today was the big race, there were some other preliminary races yesterday.

So, what have you been hearing from the many folks who came from far and wide to be a part of this historic race?

TODD: We've been hearing, Fredricka, that they're nothing short of just thrilled to be here. Let's first show you the cars coming by here. This is turn four. These guys tend to come by in tight bunches.

Check it out. They're taking this corner very tight. And then they swing wide. And you can just get a sense there of the sheer speed and the noise. Check that out.

See, they all come in. They usually come in a tight bunch of several cars. They take it tight, then they swing wide. That's part of the thrill here. Out of a sense of the crowd. They're like five or six deep as another car comes by here, five or six deep on each side.

But it's really been not much of a hassle for people to walk around and get to a spot where they can view this thing. So, and you and I'll have Manny go to his left here and show you the crowds across the street there on the other side of Constitution Avenue. There they seem to be a little bit more heavily bunched over there, maybe six or seven layers deep there. But either way, able to get a pretty decent view of this.

There's a gentleman here with his son. Oh, he just left. But anyway, he was holding his. Here he is. He's going to hold his son up here. His son is seven years old. It's his first race.

He's not holding him up now, but because his son, his son just got a better view. There he is.

But anyway, so, Fredricka. Yeah, this has been really a lot of fun. And you can just kind of see the energy, these cars as they go by. It's just really cool.

Now, one of the things we can, we can also tell you is that that's the National Gallery of Art right there. Over to your left, the National Gallery of Art and other museums did what they call a vibration study. So, once they did that, they figured out what they needed to do to secure their collections from the vibration and from getting damaged. So, the National Gallery of Art and some of the others, I don't know whether they nailed down their paintings extra tight or not, but they did take measures to ensure the safety of their collections, including surrounding some of the sculptures there with boards and fencing and things like that. Just kind of protect from the vibration.

We have a shot of the of the straightaway, the starting and finish line. That's where President Trump dropped the green flag. We have another camera over there, as you can see that that's where some of the suites are. Now these suites, I got to tell you, each suite is $200,000 to $250,000 apiece. So, if your company is able to afford that and you can go, you can be, you can at least act like a high roller while you're watching this.

But for the rest of these people, Fredricka, admission was free, but you did have to get tickets via a lottery, which were told after the lottery opened in May. It sold out pretty quickly.

[13:30:00]

They were expecting about maybe 100,000 people each day for this event, maybe a total of $300,000 -- excuse me, 300,000 people for all the events kind of combined. So just a lot of interest in this, a lot of energy here, a lot of excitement. And we got a couple of hours more of racing to go.

WHITFIELD: Right. I can see the excitement around you. You know, people don't have to wait very long before they get a glimpse of one of the, you know, the cars coming around. I mean, we're talking about over 140 laps of this, you know, mile and a half track.

And, you know, I spoke with one of the IndyCar, you know, representatives yesterday who talked about, you know, the real challenge here for the drivers, because this is a very lengthy event, usually an Indy -- IndyCar race is about 150 miles. This one is 250 miles. So, you all are going to be there a while watching these laps.

TODD: That's right. Now, what were told is that the event, Fredricka, normally would last about two hours, and this thing started at about 1:15, so it may end about 315, 3:30 p.m. but if there are crashes, that's going to obviously extend it. If there are crashes and they have to, you know, wave the red flag to delay this a little bit, luckily, nothing has happened so far, but that could also delay it.

But again, that's not too long. When you think of covering 250 miles and 147 laps around this thing, that's -- that's -- that's -- the race is going to be over in the blink of an eye pretty much.

WHITFIELD: Well, lots of excitement, even though it sounds kind of tedious when you think about it that way. But at the same time extra exciting there in the nation's capital.

All right. Brian Todd, we're going to check back with you.

I brought back now Juliette Kayyem, a CNN senior national security analyst and former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. Plus, CNN presidential historian Tim Naftali, helping to put all this in context.

I mean, Brian is there in the thick of it all. But, you know, there are other dynamics that come into play here, Juliette and Tim, to get this a underway and what the history books will say about this event.

So, Juliette, let's -- let's pick up where we left off when we talk about security, I mean, securing the president. We're looking at the president, the first lady there in one of the viewing boxes. I mean, that's one thing to secure, you know -- you know, security for them and the cabinet. But now add all the elite drivers who are out there of these 25 IndyCars, their assets, you know, 140,000 spectators. The airspace is closed. Even though we saw some flyovers for this event.

I mean, it may be inconvenient to a lot of folks there, but all of this is really necessary and critical. Help underscore why

KAYYEM: Well, basically, the way that a race like this through a city I know a lot about this planning, in terms of these automobile races within cities requires a certain division of governance and safety protocols.

So just to be clear, the president has been in a box, essentially two boxes this entire day. So, the Secret Service knows how to do this. This is a secure zone where we're watching him right now. The car was secure when he -- when he did the lap in the Beast was a secure zone. So, he -- it wasn't like he was walking around or he was just, you know, milling with the crowd.

He has been in a secure safety perimeter the whole time. There is, of course, risk to him at every moment. We know that.

NASCAR owns -- it's interesting. NASCAR actually owns the racetrack. They are the only people who can make a decision about whether the race goes forward or not. As we heard about, there's red flags, yellow flags, but they're basically in charge of driver and driver safety.

And then you have Secret Service, D.C., National Guard, museum security, as we heard from Brian, everyone on the outside protecting in particular, protecting the crowds from crowd crushes. Obviously random events like guns. So, this is complicated.

What I want to make clear to people is, and I experienced this with FIFA, in terms of the safety side is, you know, we tend to, in the political space or the news space, like sort of focus on Trump, you know, I mean, basically he's irrelevant. This was an event in which, you know, NASCAR is wildly popular in the United States.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Indy, this is Indy, though. But yes.

KAYYEM: Yeah.

WHITFIELD: NASCAR are popular, too, but this is an Indy race.

KAYYEM: NASCAR is. So it's F1. Exactly.

But, you know, he's a sort of bit player in the -- in a -- in a sporting event. We saw this with the World Cup.

You know, we, a lot of us would focus on what Trump was doing, but you would talk to people at the games, they had no idea. They were just having a good time. They love being together and watching this competition. And it looks like that's -- D.C. is following suit in that regard.

[13:35:01]

WHITFIELD: So, Juliette, more on the security while D.C., you know, city government proposed that today's event be designated as a national, you know, special security event, you know, a status that you that is usually reserved for the nation's highest profile and highest risk gatherings. The race did receive this special event assignment -- assessment rating of level one, which is just below a national special security event. What are those differences you know, about some, you know, real minutia here? I mean, what, what, what is this distinction really mean?

KAYYEM: Yeah. So, it's just a level of distinctions that come out of the Department of Homeland Security. SEAR 5 to SEAR 1 is for normal, not normal events is for various events. And then as the higher or the, you know, the closer you get to one the more federal resources, including what's called a federal court officer are provided to state and locals, in other words, to supply information, things like we've talked a lot about drones, you know, if there's a no fly zone, you know, only the feds really can monitor it.

The NSSE is truly reserved for a, a sort of massive event that would be high risk. Maybe politically focused, like a July 4th or like a presidential inauguration, Super Bowl gets it. Maybe it shouldn't, but it -- I think in a weird way, it was probably smart not to give this the NSSE because then Trump isn't sort of like the focus of the event. The real vulnerability, you know, lies in the residents of is for the residents of dc, for spectators and of course, for the, for the drivers. And i, I don't know why that decision was made, but those distinctions, what comes with them is just sort of the level of federal overlay.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. All right. Tim, I wonder if we can also focus on money, resources, messaging because, you know, this event taking place after thousands of lost federal government jobs, some Washingtonians, you know, feel pretty beat down. So, is this kind of uplift, you know, a first ever IndyCar race through D.C., you know, that helps elevate this president or administration or, you know, the city in which people live and work call the nation's capital?

NAFTALI: Well, the -- the American people have been fed a diet of disinformation about the nature of our federal civil service. Our federal civil service and yes, I, yes, I was part of it for a little while, but I'm not anymore. But I, my experience in the few years that I was part of the federal civil service is that the people who dedicate their lives to our civil service are great Americans for the most part, and they are engaging in public service.

I don't know whether the president even thinks twice about the effect of DOGE on the civil servants in Washington, D.C. What I do know is that Washington, D.C. is a great city. And if people can enjoy this sporting event for what it is, then that is a shot in the arm in a good way, a nice bit of energy, good energy for the city. What it -- what effect it will have on the federal service -- civil service, I don't know. But let me just say one other thing about history. History is not going to remember this event at all if the president next week doesn't do something about the trade war with Canada and doesn't deal with the new challenges in the Gulf, in the Strait of Hormuz, both parties are talking about affordability. Canadian aluminum is cheaper to make because Canadian energy costs are less than American aluminum and Canadian softwood lumber is preferred by American builders over Georgian lumber. Ask Bill Pulte.

If you want cheaper housing and more affordable housing in America. You need to have a trade relationship that is mutually beneficial with Canada. So, the president this weekend will be only remembered for the Canadian U.S. trade issue. Not this particular IndyCar race. If the president doesn't do something soon with Ottawa.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, let's leave it there for now. I want to bring you back. We have lots more to talk about. As this IndyCar race, Freedom 250 continues there in the streets of Washington, D.C.

Juliette, Tim, thank you so much. We'll see you again very shortly.

NAFTALI: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Also coming up, former Vice President Mike Pence is in Ukraine seeing the effects from the war with Russia up close and meeting with President Zelenskyy. He says -- Pence says the U.S. must offer more support to Ukraine to end this war

[13:40:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: If we give them what they need, they're going to secure their sovereignty and a peaceful and just future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. To some other news now, Nevada's governor has declared a state of emergency in Washoe County as a fast moving wildfire forces evacuations around Reno. The Hawk Fire has exploded to more than 10,500 acres and zero percent containment.

[13:45:02]

Dry conditions and gusty winds are complicating containment efforts, with about 400 firefighters working to extinguish the blaze. Residents are being urged to stay vigilant. Officials say some structures have already burned.

And in the southern U.S. potentially record-breaking heat is coming as part of another round of scorching temperatures is underway. Roughly 60 million people are under extreme heat risk in areas including Texas, Louisiana and many of those cities in those states are up to 15 degrees hotter than normal for this time of year.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar has a look at the forecast, straight ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: More than 60 million people are under those extreme heat alerts because of the record breaking temperatures expected for several states, not just today, but even as we head into Monday and Tuesday of this week. Forecast high temperature today in Dallas, 107, 101 in Houston. Same thing in Oklahoma City.

But even as we push this forward into Monday, you'll notice those temperatures remain very, very hot, many degrees above where they normally would be this time of year. And it's going to be that prolonged effect really for many of these cities.

Take Dallas, for example. The average high this time of year is 95. So, we get it. It's summer. It's supposed to be hot, but every single one of the next seven days is expected to be in the triple digits.

So yes, it's hot, but it's above average type of hot. Not to mention the humidity is going to make that feels like temperature even warmer. here's a look at Oklahoma City, 91 for the average high. That location this time of year. Again, several days in the triple digits. But even when we get our cool down per se on Wednesday, with the temperature of 95, that's still several degrees above where they normally would be this time of year.

WHITFIELD: All right, Allison Chinchar, thanks so much.

All right. Coming up, a race through the heart of Washington, D.C. It's underway right now, but is disrupting life for some people who live and work in the area. When we come back, we'll take you back out to the racetrack with a look at how this event will be remembered.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:51:46]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. Live pictures of the Freedom 250 IndyCar race Grand Prix that's taking place through the streets of Washington, D.C., 25 IndyCars whizzing past national historic sites there. You hear them, and then you see them. There they go, whizzing by at about 180 miles per hour on some straightaways, taking seven very tight turns.

President Trump is also in attendance there with the first lady. You don't see her right now, but you did see them alongside one another there. And about 150,000 spectators who also have poured into the nation's capital to take in this race.

Back with us now, Juliette Kayyem, Tim Naftali.

I want to get your final thoughts as we kind of wrap up this hour, as we've been watching live pictures of the race underway.

And, Tim, you know, it's bigger than the race. But the president, you know, wants to be remembered for doing things no one has ever done before. We hear him say it all the time. I mean, the list is long, you know, trying to just here are a few things just in the nation's capital -- you know, trying to rename the Kennedy Center, you know, tearing down the east wing. Here are some of the images of some of his projects in the nation's capital -- building a ballroom.

You know, how is his revamp of Washington, D.C., potentially going to shape his legacy, Tim?

NAFTALI: Well, I think -- I think we have to -- we don't have time to take each one individually, but I want to make a couple of comments about how you might think about these.

WHITFIELD: Uh-huh.

NAFTALI: Every president has the right to make changes in the family part of the White House. When they make changes in the more public part of the White House, historically, they have had to involve Congress, and they've involved later advisory groups. This president has chosen not to do that.

Presidents also have not sought to reshape all aspects of Washington, D.C. The triumphal arch is a particularly unfortunate presidential obsession because it's going to affect the very important and historic connection between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. And there's a reason why you have a bridge there without these towering columns. It's because of that organic relationship. That -- so that's something that should involve other people.

And secondly, congress decided there would be only one memorial to John F. Kennedy and that it would be the national cultural center, which had been the funding for which started in the Eisenhower administration. The Kennedy Center is the only memorial that John F. Kennedy in D.C.

And why, John -- and why Donald Trump wanted to put his name on a memorial center that had been selected to memorialize one president is beyond me. So, I would say all presidents have the opportunity to make Washington a better place. All presidents have the opportunity to do unprecedented things. But some of the choices this president has made are surprising, and I would argue, deeply worrying.

[13:55:02]

WHITFIELD: And memorializing the relationship between the Kennedy White House and the Fine Arts. And that is part of the birth of that Kennedy Center.

So, Juliette, your thoughts on this. I mean -- you know, there is -- there has been a process, right, of all of these things. And it's sometimes not just for face value, but there are security reasons why all of these measures are in place KAYYEM: That's exactly right. And I think, you know -- look, I don't

want to jinx it. So far, so good. Obviously, there was a lot of effort put in. This is part, as Tim was saying, you know, part of Donald Trump's sort of footprint on D.C., culturally with the, with the, you know, all the different statements, the mall and everything else.

This is another piece of that, but different. And that's how I want, you know, the audience to leave it. Look, you know, these events are going to exist without Donald Trump or the previous president or future presidents.

I mean, one of the things that I think is what animates a lot of Americans who may not be as political as all of us watching is this sense of, I think, community building. And it's often called fandom. It is something that brings people together. Most people watching this are not thinking of Donald Trump, are not thinking of the controversies. They're thinking about a race.

And most Americans, when they go home are thinking about gas prices and the Iranian war. The World Cup will continue in Brazil next year. The L.A. will hold the Olympics in 2028. These things continue. And I think they bring people together.

Donald Trump is trying to make it about him. But I think were kind of seeing once again, you know, there's a resiliency in these efforts that goes beyond whatever a certain president wants.

WHITFIELD: Well, so glad you, Juliette Kayyem and Tim Naftali, were able to join us for our special newsroom coverage here in the 1:00 Eastern hour. Thank you so much on this Sunday.

We'll be right back as we enter the 2:00 Eastern hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)