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Race to Find Survivors; Trump Orders Renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America"; "Butcher of Bosnia" Dies; Nepal Police Say Dam Has Burst, Urge Residents To Seek Safety; Texas Couple On Bucket List Pilgrimage Among The Missing; Tate Brothers Appear In Federal Court For Bail Hearing; ICE Arrests Asylum Seeker Who Has Told She Could Be In The U.S. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired August 28, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello, wherever you are in the world. You are now in the "CNN Newsroom" with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you with me.

Coming up on the show, the frantic race to find survivors continues at this hour after catastrophic floods bury parts of the China-Nepal border as the death toll rises and officials warn of another possible flood event. U.S. President Donald Trump taking it upon himself to rename Lake Ontario, much to the disdain of Canada, as a trade rift between the North American neighbors grows. And ICE is ramping up its immigration crackdown efforts at U.S. airports. The details, coming up.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Ben Hunte."

HUNTE: Welcome. Police in Nepal say the death toll from the catastrophic flood has risen to at least 469 people. Three deaths are also reported across the border in China, but more than 1,300 people are still remaining missing. Nepal's Prime Minister says authorities are operating at full capacity as they focus on search and rescue efforts and helping the affected families.

New analysis has found the wave of water, mud, and earth travelled nearly 14 miles in just six minutes, slamming into towns at speeds of up to 120 miles an hour. Thousands of security and emergency teams are being deployed to the flood zone.

This video you're seeing shared on Chinese social media and geo located by CNN shows the moment that a large portion of a glacier broke off along Nepal's border with China, causing a devastating avalanche and landslide. The person who posted the video says he heard the sound of the glacier fall around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday morning and thought it was a military exercise.

The collapse was so strong that it was initially reported by the U.S. Geological Survey as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake. Nepal's prime minister says 573 people have been rescued on Nepal's side of the disaster. Chinese state media say authorities have suspended rescue efforts near the border for fear of another landslide and floods in the area. They had reported progress in reaching people there initially. Hundreds of tourists and residents were evacuated from the Chinese side.

Nepal's government is offering free medical treatment for flood victims, so is the Kathmandu Medical College, which has sent a team of doctors and medical officials to the disaster zone.

U.S. President Trump says America is ready to send help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We've called Nepal, and we've offered any help that they need. They don't have a very good relationship with Nepal. That was brutal. That was mud and water as a mixture. Nobody has ever seen anything quite like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: CNN's Mike Valerio is tracking developments for us and joins me now from Beijing. Good to see you, Mr. Valerio. Can you just tell us what is the latest on this massive search and rescue operation? What's happening right now?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, we're watching to see, Benny, if there's secondary danger from a lake that is formed by landslide debris and whether or not there are any cracks in that lake that potentially sends water down into the core rescue site.

So, we have video of the lake that's formed. Control Room, let's put it up on the screen. So, this has led China to suspend its search efforts about 10 kilometers away from this lake. This is the area that has seen so much of the damage where we had that border crossing site that was hit by a wave of water. So, now, because of the landslide debris, there's a river running through one of these valleys, right? So, landslide debris essentially clogs the river system. Water accumulates in this new sort of bathtub that is formed.

[02:05:00]

And the danger now, Benny, is that there could be cracks in that debris lake that is formed, sending water where rescuers want to be able to access. Again, the core of this disaster site. So, that has led China to suspend part of its search efforts there.

Chinese state media has said because this barrier lake is continuously starting to overflow, it is highly likely, this is a direct quote here, highly likely to trigger new disasters such as flash floods or debris flows. So, it is extremely dangerous to head to the key search and rescue areas.

So, what are they going to do? They want to try to construct some sort of spillway at the bottom of this lake, this barrier lake, to relieve some of the pressure. But they need to have teams. They need to have equipment to start measuring the water velocity, how quickly the water is flowing in, how quickly the water is rising in this barrier lake.

But it has been impossible -- it has been impossible for teams to get to where they need to go because of the instability of this landmass. So, bottom line, this could portend a secondary disaster. It is slowing search efforts on the Chinese side. The death toll figures on China's side haven't moved from where they were yesterday. Pretty low figures.

So, information has been very slow to trickle out of this region. So, this is certainly a setback, but rescuers being extremely cautious because this area, incredibly, incredibly unstable, Benny.

HUNTE: OK. Mike, thank you for the update. We appreciate it. I'll speak to you again later, I'm sure. Thank you for now.

VALERIO: Thanks, Ben.

HUNTE: And for more on this, let's bring in David Fisher. He is the head of delegation for Nepal at the International Federation of Red Cross. He joins me from Kathmandu. Thanks for being with me. What are you hearing from your teams about what's going on in some of the worst-hit areas?

DAVID FISHER, HEAD OF DELEGATION FOR NEPAL, INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF RED CROSS: Well, our teams have been there since the early hours of the disaster, joining volunteers from the Nepal Red Cross Society who live in these communities. They are continuing their emergency work.

So many people have lost their homes, have lost everything that they own in the world. Many people have taken refuge in schools and government buildings. So, Nepal Red Cross has been organizing hot food for them, safe water, blankets, mattresses.

We're sending out trucks every day in small amounts. But we're, of course, very, very concerned about this new risk of an additional flood. And part of what the teams are doing are disseminating these warning messages along with the authorities. The authorities have been working very hard to restore road access to Rasuwa, which is critical.

These people have been reached, of course, by the Nepal Armed Forces only by helicopter with very, very limited relief supplies. We have very little sort of clear notion about the extent of the damage and the needs there, but it's a balance because the work in this line area may be putting people at risk.

HUNTE: The scale of this disaster has grown dramatically. What have you learned about the resources that are still required to deal with the impact of this?

FISHER: Well, it's clear that it's going to take quite a long time to heal from this massive disaster. The emergency relief phase is going to last for quite some time, particularly since there are so many people that we have not even yet been able to reach.

Initial assessments are only now starting in Nuwakot, which is to the south of the district that was first hit by the flood. But this has wiped out not only homes, but businesses. It has destroyed a major artery of commerce between China and Nepal.

Many people will have lost any means of livelihood. They will need not just help for the next day, but for their full recovery. So, the federation on its side has just launched a global appeal, looking for solidarity to support the immediate life-saving needs and, of course, the long-term recovery of the affected population.

HUNTE: I'm hoping you are still there, so I'm just going to keep on going and let me know -- yes, you are still there for us. Roads and bridges have been destroyed in so many areas and some communities do remain. Can you just tell us about how Red Cross teams are actually getting aid into those communities that have been cut off?

FISHER: So far, we've been able to access communities in Nuwakot.

[02:10:00]

We have teams on the ground. As I said, there's a district branch that was already there, was already able to provide water and some supplies even right immediately after the water hit. But we still have no access, unfortunately, to this road to Rasuwa. We are waiting. We have our items, but we need road access to get there.

And the Nepal Red Cross is not only experienced with providing relief, but also with reconnecting families who have been separated by disasters. But for that, of course, they need to be able to access the people affected. So, we are told that authorities expect that the road will be completed today, and we will finally be able to enter.

HUNTE: Well, of course, this is absolutely awful, but we're so grateful for your time, and thank you to your teams that are working on the ground there. That's David Fisher with the International Federation of Red Cross. Thank you. There is much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom."

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[02:15:00]

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HUNTE: Welcome back. President Trump is threatening to further escalate his trade war with Canada if the United States' northern neighbor does not back down. In the past week, the U.S. imposed 50 percent tariffs on billions of dollars-worth of Canadian goods. Canada responded with matching retaliatory tariffs.

On Thursday, after trade negotiations between the two countries collapsed, President Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as "Lake America" effective immediately. The president has the authority to determine how the U.S. government refers to geographic landmarks, but he cannot force other countries to adopt the new name.

In response, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on social media that the name dates back more than 400 years, making it older than the U.S. and Canada. Mr. Carney also wrote that Canadians will call it Lake Ontario then, now, and always. That's a quote.

CNN's Kristen Holmes has been closely following this story and filed this report from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We've seen President Trump take this approach before. He's needling this country after these trade negotiations fell apart. But he was asked specifically in the Oval Office why he would take this approach with an ally, someone we've done business with, somebody who is considered a friend of the United States of America. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The Canadian officials have treated us very badly. They're nasty people. People, oftentimes, they'll ask me, who's the worst to deal with on trade? And I said, that's easy, Canada. They are the worst. And they feel entitled. And we just can't have that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And now, we have heard from Prime Minister Carney, who has responded to this in a post on X. He talks about the origin of the name, saying that it means the lake is beautiful, the lake is big. But he also needles President Trump and America back, saying, we know that America is changing their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms. Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario then, now, and always. Clearly not backing down.

It certainly doesn't seem as though there's going to be any kind of impasse here between the two sides. The big question had been whether or not they could bring everybody back to the negotiating table before September 8th. That is when those retaliatory tariffs come into play from Canada.

And those are going to be very harmful to Americans across the board, but they're specifically going to impact Americans and small businesses in states that President Trump and Republicans are hoping for wins in those November midterms, namely, if you're looking at the Senate map, Maine, which they're hoping Susan Collins can cling to her seat there, New Hampshire, which they thought is a potential for a pickup for Republicans, as well as Michigan, same thing, they think it's a potential pickup for Republicans. They are trying to hold on to the majority in the Senate.

And these three states are all states that do an enormous amount of business with the northern neighbor. They border the northern neighbor. We know this is going to impact them the hardest first before it even impacts the rest of Americans.

So, there's a lot of anger within the Republican Party that he is re- bringing up this tariff war at all, restarting this trade war with Canada.

[02:20:03]

But then, on top of that, this idea that he's continuing to needle, to try and kind of bully Canada as this process continues. Again, it's not really clear what the end game is, whether or not he believes, his administration believes, that this is something that could bring Canada to the table, but it certainly seems, at least from Carney's response, that things are at a standoff.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Qatar is pushing for a resumption of diplomacy as talks between the U.S. and Iran remain stuck in the mud. Qatar says its prime minister held talks in Tehran on Thursday and called for a return to the negotiating table. He spoke hours after the White House said there are no ongoing negotiations with Iran and that President Donald Trump keeps all options on the table.

The meetings also focused on the emerging deal between Iran and Oman that could potentially reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The two countries are moving to set up a temporary shipping route in the waterway, but details are yet to be finalized.

Meanwhile, Mr. Trump remains vague about his campaign to strangle Iran's economy. The White House has threatened to sanction Iran's trading partners. That's if they don't stop doing business with Tehran. But the president refused to say on Thursday if he discussed the matter with foreign leaders or if he could sanction banks in China. That's Iran's biggest trading partner. The U.N. says it's concerned about the fallout from all of these.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANE DUJARRIC, U.N. SPOKESPERSON: I think the assessment is that this conflict, even in somewhat of a frozen kinetic phase, continues to do a lot of harm to the region, continues to do a lot of harm to the global economy. I think the secretary general is concerned about any new measures, any additional rhetoric that we see that could lead to an escalation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Ukraine is reeling from a wave of daytime Russian strikes that targeted cities across the country. Officials say one person was killed when a drone struck a shopping center in Kharkiv. That's Ukraine's second largest city. The strike happened around lunchtime, leaving three other people injured. Employees and shoppers were quickly evacuated amid fears of a second strike. The capital, Kyiv, was also targeted, with Russian strikes hitting several warehouses and sparking a massive fire. Ukrainian officials say two people were wounded as the attacks continued for hours. The strikes came after Ukraine has been targeting warehouses of wild berries. That's Russia's largest online retailer.

A car explosion reportedly killed a Russian military serviceman and injured his wife, too. Russian media report the man who died was a lieutenant colonel. His wife was rushed to hospital. Russia's investigative committee says it has opened a criminal case into the explosion but it did not identify the person killed as military personnel.

The man known as the "Butcher of Bosnia" for his crimes during the Balkan wars is dead. Ratko Mladic died in prison in The Hague where he was serving a life sentence. The former Serbian military leader was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity, and other atrocities committed against Bosnia's Muslim and Croat populations during the war.

CNN's Nic Robertson has more for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN (through translator): Don't be afraid. No one will do anything to you.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): This is how the world will remember Ratko Mladic, calming crowds of civilians ahead of the biggest mass murder in Europe since World War II, a genocide he engineered and would go on the run for a decade and a half before being captured and brought to trial.

It was July 1995 in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica. The country's bloody civil war was in its third year. Mladic commanded the Bosnian Serb army. His forces brutally slaughtered more than 7,000 Muslim men and boys from Srebrenica. Mladic's central and blood-soaked role in the breakup of the former Yugoslavia began years earlier. A frontline commander in 1991 spearheading Serb forces against Croatia. Over the previous three decades, he'd risen rapidly through the ranks of the Yugoslav army.

[02:24:59]

But it was Bosnia's battlefields that made him hero to many Serbs, defender of their dwindling fortunes. He was born in 1943 during the Nazis' World War II occupation, close to the crucible of much of his later killing, Bosnia's capital Sarajevo.

(CHURCH BELL RINGING)

He grew up imbued with Serbian ideology of orthodox Christian faith and defense of ethnic kin. He got his chance in May 1992. Bosnia's Serbian political leaders picked him to head their forces. Bosnia's Muslim leaders wanted independence for Serbs to remain part of Yugoslavia. Mladic laid siege to Sarajevo.

(EXPLOSION)

Shelling and sniping its poorly prepared civilian population. More than a quarter million people died in the course of the three-year war, leading to charges of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity against Mladic.

When peace came in 1995, Mladic went on the run. In the early 2000s, he was still drawing an army pension in Belgrade. There were reports of sightings, rumors of arrest, a stroke, even suicide. But eventually, in the summer of 2011, he was captured living on a Serbian farm with a cousin.

UNKNOWN (through translator): I am General Ratko Mladic.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): At last, he was brought into the dock in the tribunal in The Hague. His right arm appeared limp, almost useless. During the hearings that followed, he would complain of fatigue and illness, citing past heart problems. But Mladic remained combative and uncooperative.

UNKNOWN: Mr. Mladic, if you --

ROBERTSON (voice-over): He was removed from court during his sentencing, shouting it was all lies. In November 2017, he was convicted, handed life in prison for genocide and crimes against humanity. His death ends one of the darkest chapters in Europe's recent history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: There is much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom." We'll get a closer look at rescue operations underway along the China-Nepal border, and we'll hear the grim assessment from a doctor who has joined the efforts. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:32:17]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news coming in to CNN, Nepali police say they have received information that the dam on the Chinese side of the border has burst. This follows the catastrophic flood that has killed at least 469 people. Authorities in China have been warning that a dam created during Wednesdays landslide could breach and could cause more flooding downstream, unleashing further destruction and endangering search and rescue efforts.

Meanwhile, Chinese state media report that China has suspended flood rescue efforts near the border with Nepal because of those same fears. Here is how a doctor in the flood zone described some of the challenges that emergency teams are now facing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YASHODA KHADKA, DOCTOR VISITING DISASTER SITE: We don't know what is inside there. We need to wait for the rescue and evacuation part, and I cannot even imagine what the situation had been here yesterday and the aftermath, as you can see here. So definitely, there are many people missing and some of them might be buried inside there. Some of -- we don't know. I cannot explain

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: CNN's Will Ripley is in Kathmandu, where hundreds of people are waiting and hoping to find their missing loved ones

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm here at the Teaching Hospital. It's one of the busiest medical centers here in Kathmandu. It's also the main intake point for flood survivors and also for the bodies of flood victims.

So you see this table here? This is incredibly busy right now. More than 1,200 people have registered names of loved ones who are missing. And if we go over here, there's another concrete pillar with a much, much shorter list of just about 31 names.

These are people who've actually been identified, who are survivors, who are being treated here at the hospital. Family members are waiting, hoping that more survivors will be brought in. But obviously, you see the difference between all of the people here with loved ones who are missing and the incredibly small number of names of those who've actually been identified as survivors.

Still, family members we've talked to out here say they are holding out hope for a miracle, that their loved ones could be alive. And if they're not, they at least hope to be able to identify their bodies.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: An American couple who had completed a once in a lifetime pilgrimage in Tibet are now among the more than 1,000 people missing in this flooding. Deepak and Madhu Ahuja made the journey from Texas to Nepal as a celebration for Deepak's 60th birthday. They had planned to travel to Nepal and then India after finishing their pilgrimage.

Their daughters spoke earlier to CNN about the ongoing search for their parents.

[02:35:01]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHNA AHUJA, DAUGHTER OF AMERICANS MISSING AFTER FLASH FLOOD: The latest, honestly, hasn't changed too much in the past two days. We are still reaching out to both officials at the Beijing embassy, Kathmandu embassy and speaking to people on the ground there to see what the efforts are looking like to rescue and save our parents, hopefully, but haven't heard too much concrete information in the past day.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yeah, the connectivity is very tough, right? We're hearing that from our reporter on the ground.

A. AHUJA: Yes.

KEILAR; Shreya, throughout this trip, your parents have been in constant contact with both of you. They've been telling you where they were, letting you know they were okay. But again, that connectivity is an issue. Tell us about when you last spoke to them and what they told you.

SHREYA AHUJA, DAUGHTER OF AMERICANS MISSING AFTER FLASH FLOOD: Yeah, I was fortunate enough to speak with them last a few hours before they reached the border crossing. So that was 7:30 p.m., August 25th. My time, which would have been 7:30 a.m. for them, August 26th.

They were in Saga, China. They had just finished the pilgrimage. They were feeling really proud of themselves for having completed it. They were. They had just met the religious spiritual leader who leads the trek and felt very blessed at getting to meet him in person. And they were ready to come home. They hung up with me after saying that, hey, our tour group is going to head out to the border crossing. Given that it was night time, I went to sleep shortly after and thought nothing of it.

KEILAR: And, Ashna, the Chinese authorities are now warning about the risk. They're concerned about the possibility of this dam breaking that could lead to more flooding in that port area, the same area where your parents were last seen. Talk to us about your concerns about that and what you're hearing from officials about that

A. AHUJA: It's definitely a terrifying situation. I think, A, we know that the people on the ground are doing their best efforts, and we hope that they stay safe as they continue to do so. And for all of us waiting for family members' occurrences and whereabouts, we hope that they have been found and are at a hospital and are safe, as the weather continues to change in the region.

KEILAR: Shreya, it is -- it is amazing to hear you talk about them being so proud of finishing what was quite a feat for them. This pilgrimage, it's incredibly meaningful to them. As you said, they'd waited so long to make this pilgrimage as they're celebrating your dad's 60th.

We have a picture of him at Lake Manasarovar, which is at the base of Mount Kailash. You can see him here. He's actually meditating. Tell us a little bit about just more about this. This experience and what it meant for them to be seeking this out together.

S. AHUJA: I mean, this was definitely a testament of my mom supporting my dad and all his hopes and dreams. He wanted to do this trip before or, you know, right when he turned 60, he didn't know how his body would change as he grew older. And it's a pretty tough trek. So, they want -- he wanted to get it done. It was his bucket list

dream. And she was a little nervous about it. She didn't know if she could do it. But she really, really wanted to support him and make sure that he got the best 60th birthday possible. And that was her filming that video. She was -- she could see how happy he was just being there at the lake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: As people in Nepal struggle to cope with the deadly floods, concerns are growing about more flooding from possible thunderstorms in the next few days. And rescuers are worried that mudflow could turn into concrete.

CNN's Allison Chinchar has the forecast for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: One of the biggest concerns going forward is going to be the increased rain chances over the region. Now, not much has occurred over the last 24 to 48 hours, but it's what's anticipated in the next couple of days.

Another concern here, you can see this brand new lake that has formed off there in the distance. Now this was a river valley that flowed down through this region. But after the landslide, all of the rocks, boulders and even trees, you can see some trees down here that once used to be up there on the side of the mountain that fell down, effectively damming that river and creating a lake.

The problem is that lake is going to fill up as more of that water flows into it, and even fill up. Thanks to all of the additional rainfall that's expected over the next few days.

Well, at some point it's going to reach too much volume of water, and it is going to break through. We just don't know if that will occur over the next couple of days, or even perhaps the next couple of weeks. The amount of rain over the next couple of days is going to vary, but a lot of these areas could pick up 50 to 100 millimeters of rain, maybe perhaps as much as 150 millimeters total.

[02:40:04]

You're talking 4 to 6 inches just over the next few days. That is not uncommon for this area. Again, when you see a lot of that, especially up in those higher elevations where you get some of those higher total amounts of rain.

And as we mentioned, this is not uncommon. This is monsoon season right in the middle of monsoon season. August is the second wettest month out of the year. So this is the time of year you're going to get the rain showers. And not just rain, but heavy rain at times.

And that is also going to be a concern when we talk about rescue and recovery efforts, because all of this area you see through here, the mudflow that essentially went through it almost turns to concrete because it's not just water, it's not just mud. It's mixed with rocks and boulders and debris, like cars that it picked up along the way. And again, it just makes it so strong.

It also, however, is very unstable underneath. That's what makes it so dangerous for the rescue and recovery crews. You can't land a helicopter on it. So, this is going to be a concern over the next several days. And even perhaps the weeks as more rain is anticipated.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: For more information about how you can help Nepal flood victims, go to CNN.com/impact.

After two weeks of relative quiet for the hurricane season, Tropical Storm Dolly has formed in the Atlantic. The storm is well away from land at the moment, moving to the west at 40 miles an hour. Right now, there aren't any watches or warnings. In effect, its expected to dissipate on Saturday, and the remnants will bring rain to the Caribbean this weekend.

Parts of Spain are battling extreme weather and wildfire, too. Smoke was spotted rising from the Albufeira Natural Park in the province of Valencia on Thursday. Crews are working to put out a fire within a protected area of that park. Spain is facing a devastating summer wildfire season, fueled in part by consecutive heat waves all across Europe.

There is much more to come here on CNN Newsroom. An asylum seeker thought she had permission to be in the United States. Then immigration officers arrested her at the airport. When we come back, a new shift in immigration enforcement and the fear that that is creating. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:47:02]

HUNTE: Welcome back.

Controversial online influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate have appeared before a U.S. federal judge in Miami, Florida, for a bail hearing. The brothers are fighting extradition to the U.K., where they face rape and human trafficking charges. During the hearing, the Tates argued that they could not defend themselves in multiple legal cases while being held in federal detention. Both brothers denied the allegations against them. The judge has yet to rule on their request for bail.

CNN's Michael Yoshida has the latest for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Polarizing Internet personalities Andrew and Tristan Tate went before a federal judge Thursday as their attorneys pushed for their release in a bail hearing.

JOSEPH MCBRIDE, ATTORNEY FOR TATE BROTHERS: We remain hopeful this is a high and tall mountain that we must climb.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): A group of people, lined the sidewalk outside the courthouse, holding signs of support for the brothers. The Tates face a total of 59 charges in the United Kingdom, including rape and human trafficking. They both testified at the hearing, claiming they play characters online to gain attention and go viral.

MCBRIDE: Andrew and Tristan both got up there, and they testified because innocent men don't run from the process. Innocent men have nothing to hide.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): Prosecutors argue the Tates would pose a flight risk and threat to public safety if they were let out on bond.

MCBRIDE: They have never ran away from the law. They have leaned into the court process everywhere they go.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): The judge has not announced her decision in the bail request.

MCBRIDE: I've argued, I don't know, 40 or 50 bail hearings in federal court, and none of them have ever been eight hours long. And guess what? We're still -- we're not done yet.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): There's no formal date for the actual extradition hearing, but British prosecutors have until mid-September to provide official evidence to support extradition to the U.S. State Department.

I'm Michael Yoshida, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: The Trump administration is increasing immigration enforcement at airports all across the U.S., targeting a growing number of people who thought they were allowed to be in the country.

CNN's Shimon Prokupecz has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We all know this is unfair, though.

INDIRA VITIA, DETAINED BY ICE: It is unfair, and you know that.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): We were with Indy Vitia the day she went to have an electronic monitor placed on her ankle. It was days after she was released from ICE detention.

PROKUPECZ: I saw how upset you were when you came out.

VITIA: You see a monitor and you see you're looking at the person that is a criminal. And I'm not a criminal.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Vitia is seeking asylum in the United States. She and her wife left Venezuela seven years ago. And in that time, she says she's done everything the U.S. government has asked of her.

Then one day, coming home from a business trip --

VITIA: I was getting into the jet bridge, four, six guys came out of nowhere and like in plain clothes and pushed me to a wall.

[02:50:02]

At this point I saw that I was being assaulted. I asked am I being detained, so they handcuffed me.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): The 47-year-old and her wife live with their dogs in Indianapolis where she has worked her way up from a warehouse assistant to her corporate role. As part of her asylum application, which was filed in 2019, immigration officials previously told her, quote, "You may remain in the US until your asylum application is decided." She's still waiting to be called for an interview.

After her arrest at Atlanta's airport, it would be hours before anyone heard from her.

VITIA: I was begging to call, to call my wife, to let her know what was happening. They finally allowed me to have that call. They said I had three -- five minutes, so I called my wife first. Quick one, the toughest call I had to make in my entire life.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): She was taken to a detention center in Lumpkin, Georgia, where she stayed for 21 days. The experience changed her.

VITIA: When we got there, there was the most inhumane treatment. They let us in the room that I will say was about 50 degrees. I was in T- shirt. They finally moved me to a cell at 11:00 a.m. the next day.

So, it was 14 hours in that hostile environment at 50 degrees and they finally 3:00 a.m., someone came to the door and I beg if they can give me a jacket, which they finally did.

PROKUPECZ: Did they ever ask you if you wanted to wave and just leave?

VITIA: They say we pay you 2,600 if you leave. Do you want to voluntary departure?

PROKUPECZ: What did you do? How did you get through it?

VITIA: What kept me sane? The love of my community. I talked to my girls daily, and they were -- I'm sorry -- they were reading the letters that all of my co-workers had for me. And that's what kept me sane, because I thought that I was going to lose my mind.

I'm a rule follower. I always have been. I have done everything that the government has asked me to do. And anyway, I was detained like a -- like a criminal.

I'm broken. That's how I feel. PROKUPECZ (voice-over): After nearly a month and dozens of letters, friends and coworkers sent to the judge, Vitia was released.

VITIA: Those centers are there for breaking down. And you decide to go. Even if your life is in danger, if you go to your country, but you'd rather be out of those centers.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): What happened to Vitia is playing out all across the country, as the Trump administration ratchets up immigration operations at airports.

JORGE GAVILANES, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY, PARTNER AT KUCK BAXTER: We've been describing the immigration system as broken for decades. Now it's just complete chaos.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): The Department of Homeland Security tells CNN, to be clear, they say, a pending application does not confer legal status in the United States.

GAVILANES: In fact, the government has given them a work permit to work, get a driver's license, and do whatever they need to do to take care of themselves while their application is pending. But now the same government is telling them, oh, no, you're not allowed to be here, which is contradictory.

PROKUPECZ: These ramped-up operations across U.S. airports by ICE officers even got an American citizen caught up.

JOHN PHILLIPS, DETAINED BY ICE: I was just living my life, kind of living in my little white guy world. Three guys jump out at me. I said, I'm an American citizen.

Now that this has happened, holy smokes, we have an agency of our government who is completely unfettered and unaccountable to anybody.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Phillips was released after ICE realized he was the wrong person.

For Vitia, she's still grappling with what happened to her.

VITIA: I won't let them -- they -- give them the credit to keep me broken. I will rebuild myself, and it will for sure grow up -- grow up stronger.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Thanks to CNN's senior crime and justice correspondent Shimon Prokupecz reporting, there.

We are just getting this breaking news out of Norway. The country's monarch, that's King Harald has died at the age of 89. The Royal House of Norway announced his death on its website. King Harald was Europe's oldest living monarch and Norway's ceremonial head of state since 1991. He will be succeeded by his son.

Again, King Harald of Norway is dead at 89 years old. We'll bring you more information as it becomes available.

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[02:57:23]

HUNTE: All right. That's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte.

There is more CNN NEWSROOM with me in just a moment. See you then.

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