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Kushner, Witkoff Meet With Putin In Moscow Ahead Of Ukraine Visit; Interview With Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL); Mistrial In Lindsay Clancy Case; Iranian Woman Faces Deportation To Africa; Attorney Says Detained Woman Cooperated, Has No Criminal Record; Associated Press: LSU Leaves Former Pros Off Opening Week Roster; WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert To Retire At End Of Year. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired September 05, 2026 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:00:30]
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York.
Tonight, a renewed effort to end Russia's war with Ukraine. A U.S. delegation meeting with President Vladimir Putin today in Moscow. You can see the handshake there. This delegation includes U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner.
They're set to head to Kyiv next. But the duo have made multiple trips to Moscow during the war. This will be their first time traveling to Kyiv though.
Russia said it had agreed to pause strikes on Kyiv for three days to coincide with Kushner and Witkoff's trip, though not on the rest of Ukraine.
Previous diplomatic efforts to end the war have stalled, and U.S.' attention has largely turned to Iran, where today in the Gulf region, the U.S. struck three Iranian tankers. Central Command says this was in retaliation for Iran firing at U.S. Navy vessels.
But I want to bring in CNN correspondent Julia Benbrook, who joins us now from Basking Ridge, New Jersey, where the president is tonight.
So, Julia, what are we learning about the Trump administrations renewed push to end Russia's war with Ukraine?
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is a bit of a shift in focus here as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner -- they're making this trip. We know that they had meetings at the Kremlin and that those lasted for roughly three hours.
The key area of focus here during these talks were potential ways to bring the now-years' long war to an end.
And as the U.S. delegation made this trip, there was an agreement between both Russia and Ukraine. They both said that they would halt the attacks on the cities where these negotiations were taking place for three days.
But as you pointed to, this trip to Moscow is just the first step here. The two are expected to travel to Kyiv tomorrow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that that trip would be taking place.
And this visit to the Ukrainian capital, this is the first for the envoys, as the country has been seeing just a barrage of Russian missiles in recent weeks.
And President Donald Trump had previewed this trip, he is spending his weekend here in New Jersey. But he spoke in the Oval Office about it yesterday.
And he said that he was sending great negotiators to this. Essentially, they would see what they could get done during these talks.
He also pointed to the complicated nature of this conflict. And that's notable because when he started his second term, he said that ending this war would be easy. In fact, it would be one of the easiest and that it would happen very quickly after he started this term.
He is now saying that he and his team have some ideas for peace in these talks. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No. We have an idea for peace. Look, I said late wars. Most of them were supposed to be, in my opinion, more difficult than Russia and Ukraine. It's a personality problem in Russia-Ukraine. You have President Zelenskyy and President Putin, they truly hate each other. Do you know what hate is? They have serious hate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BENBROOK: And previous rounds of discussions to try and come to an agreement for lasting peace following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine stalled last winter after multiple rounds mediated by the United States.
Some of the key sticking points that no doubt remain top of mind included a focus on territory as well as security guarantees, Omar.
JIMENEZ: All right. Julia Benbrook, really appreciate the reporting.
I want to bring in now Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois. He serves on the House Intelligence and Oversight Committees.
Congressman, really appreciate you being here.
I want to start on Ukraine because you were there recently as part of a congressional delegation trip to Europe. And I wonder, do you believe the conditions exist now for a deal to end the war in a way that they haven't previously?
REP. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI (D-IL): Yes and no. On the one hand, I think on the battlefield, Ukrainians have held more than their own, thanks to their incredible drone strategy.
[17:04:44]
KRISHNAMOORTHI: The Russians are not able to take any more land from Ukrainians at the front lines.
On the other hand, the Ukrainians' missile defenses have been depleted. And the reason for that is because America's missile defenses are depleted and we don't have the Patriots and other interceptors to provide to them, either directly or through our partners in NATO.
And so because of that, Putin views us as weak. They view Ukraine as weak. They see our obsession with Iran and the depletion of our munitions, along with the depletion of our military leadership because of the political purge that Pete Hegseth and Trump have engineered, as lowering our readiness and making us more vulnerable and just less credible as negotiating partners and, by extension, the Ukrainians as well.
JIMENEZ: You know, you mentioned Ukraine's drone production and drone use here. I know, while in Ukraine, you also visited a drone facility and learned about how they were adapting that new technology in this way on the battlefield.
Do you believe there are lessons that the U.S. could take from Ukraine's approach here? And I guess, do you believe the Pentagon would be willing to hear them?
KRISHNAMOORTHI: We absolutely could take a page out of the Ukrainians playbook with regard to their drone strategy. They have managed to basically produce countless drones while under attack by the Russians in their factories and their military industrial complex, which they've built very painfully and over the last four years into a very effective production complex.
The Pentagon needs to learn from them on not only the use of drones, but also the production of these drones. However, unfortunately, the leadership that has been previously tasked with basically adopting and learning these strategies from Ukrainians has been sacked by Pete Hegseth as part of his political purge.
And so we are now doing the opposite of what we should be doing, which is learning from the Ukrainians instead of going a different direction. And as a consequence, again, worsening our military readiness.
JIMENEZ: You know, I want to also ask you about the war with Iran, because the Trump administration is trying to ramp up economic pressure on countries that were still doing business with Tehran.
Of course, though the largest trading partner is China, no Chinese banks were listed in these new sanctions. I wonder how you assess China's relationship with Iran. And what do we know about their level of assistance in that war?
KRISHNAMOORTHI: It's a very good relationship between the two of them. The Chinese purchased 90 percent of Iranian oil. And as you know, Iranian oil revenues make up the bulk of their overall budget.
And so the Chinese are providing an economic lifeline to the Iranians. And I think that at this point, the fact that we are not willing to do anything with regard to the Chinese banks or the way that they are purchasing Iranian oil, gives the Iranians tremendous leverage.
And at the end of the day, the reason why this illegal and unconstitutional war is going nowhere is because there's no military resolution possible, which we now know after six months of fighting and seeing this military quagmire get worse.
But we also know that the Iranians have tremendous economic leverage on us because they control our energy supplies and the price of oil.
And so my constituents seeing $4 and now $5 gas have had it. They want this thing to end. They want this war to end. And that's the way that we should be approaching this, so that we can then go back to focusing more of our attention on Ukraine, as well as the Chinese threat in the Indo-Pacific theater.
JIMENEZ: We've also seen diesel hit a record high all-time amid this war as well.
You know, speaking of the U.S. here, we've got -- we're less than two months until election day for these midterms. And again this week, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin refused to rule out the presence of ICE agents at polling places, essentially saying they could be deployed if there were specific threats, for example.
But Chicago, parts of which you represent, has been the subject of severe and significant ICE crackdowns during this administration. What is your message to constituents who might be worried about this heading into this election season?
KRISHNAMOORTHI: I can understand their concern. I mean, we can see when Secretary Mullin is not willing to rule out the use of ICE or DHS agents at polling places, when they see the president using the USPS the Postal Service, in the way that he's doing to weaponize mail-in balloting and to potentially suppress votes.
[17:09:51]
KRISHNAMOORTHI: And we also see the DOJ announcing that they might deploy a thousand, quote-unquote, "election monitors", which to many people seem like people who will not be there to protect the right to vote, but to intimidate voters, I can understand why my constituents are very concerned.
And, you know, Chicago in particular has been kind of targeted by the Trump administration in numerous unfair ways. And I can see why people would be concerned about the Trump administration targeting them and this area and my constituents as part of an election crackdown as well.
Because that's the only way at this point, I think, Trump sees himself being able to salvage the elections. We have to make sure that people vote early, and we put a check on the president. And at the same time conduct free and fair elections this November.
JIMENEZ: All right. I talked about the election day being months away, but I guess election season is already here and North Carolina, is already casting mail in votes.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, really appreciate you being here. Thank you for taking the time.
KRISHNAMOORTHI: Thank you, Omar.
JIMENEZ: All right. Still ahead, what happens now that the Lindsay Clancy case has been declared a mistrial? We're going to talk to a retired judge who's going to join us after the break to discuss the possible next steps.
Plus, an Iranian woman in ICE custody is fighting against being deported to a country which she has no ties. We'll explain.
And then later, the controversy over two players who were in NFL training camps and are now trying to return to college football with LSU in the season opener kicking off tonight.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
[17:11:29]
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JIMENEZ: Massachusetts prosecutors are going to now need to decide whether or not to retry Lindsay Clancy after a judge declared a mistrial over a deadlocked jury.
The 36-year-old mother doesn't deny strangling her three young children to death back in 2023, but her defense team argues she shouldn't be held criminally liable because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.
Prosecutors say she was in control and knew what she was doing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIMOTHY CRUZ, PLYMOUTH COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Cora, Dawson and Callan -- this was and has always been about getting justice for those three little babies. Children were murdered, and it's our job to seek justice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is Lindsay ready for a second trial?
KEVIN REDDINGTON, LINDSAY CLANCY DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Lindsay is very, very, very strong. She is a very, very intelligent young woman, very emotionally invested, and just a tragic -- she's a classic example of a tragic person. Her life is a tragedy.
And she was robbed by this man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: Now, the man Reddington is referring to is who he identifies as the one holdout juror. So more than a month of gut-wrenching testimony, seven days of deliberations, the family witnesses and attorneys are all back at step one.
So joining me now is retired Massachusetts superior court judge Jack Lu. So, Judge Lu, I just want to start with, were you surprised by the mistrial here?
JACK LU, RETIRED MASSACHUSETTS SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE: Well, I suppose I was a little bit surprised by the mistrial. Once we knew the general shape of things near the end of the trial, it's hard to really be surprised.
But I thought, even with the statement that they could not agree that they would come through with a unanimous verdict. So I am surprised by the mistrial.
JIMENEZ: So now, I guess the question is -- everyone's asking will the district attorney retry this case? And assuming that the building blocks are being put in place to do so, what goes into making that decision?
LU: Well, I'll give you the short answer first. Unfortunately, it is almost a certainty that the prosecutor is going to come back with the same first-degree murder charges that he originally brought. That's unfortunate. I wish he would reconsider.
And if I'm wrong, I'll be pleasantly surprised. But I will not be surprised.
Any trial lawyer will examine what happened during the first trial to see what they could have done better.
I imagine that the prosecutor will correctly perceive that this was a stunning defeat for the prosecution, since it was apparently 11 to 1 for acquittal. So let's hope that is a lesson that is well-learned by the prosecutor in this case.
They'll also fine tune some things about in-court performance and actual trial strategy and dynamics. Those are all small details.
JIMENEZ: You know, you talked about the 11 to 1 breakdown here. Part of how we knew that was sort of the I mean, it was the open discussion of it in court -- in court, particularly from the defense where the defense attorney, Reddington, verbally targeted that one holdout juror, identifying him as a male juror. Obviously, only three men on the jury.
But do you think that was appropriate for the defense attorney to do that in the way that he did it?
[17:19:47]
JIMENEZ: I just wonder your reaction, as that juror really did seem to be a part of court proceedings in the last stages there.
LU: I don't fault anything that Mr. Reddington did. He's a wonderful lawyer and a wonderful person. And I don't fault him with disclosing any of this openly. And I actually think that's a good thing.
But when he says that person let us down, he's dead wrong. That person, as far as we know, was a sincere participant in the legal system. There was a hung jury. That's justice. We did not get a result.
Justice is not a result. Justice is a process, a difficult, emotional, complicated and really kind of textured process. That holdout, my personal opinion to the extent it matters, is I was hoping for an acquittal by reason of insanity, but that one holdout juror voting for guilty did their job and should hold their head high, as should every single juror, because they did justice by being hung. I'll say it again. They did justice by being hung.
And Mr. Reddington is just being a little bit unfair. Well, I'll say it plainly -- he's being a lot unfair to that single juror that held out. He's a wonderful lawyer and a wonderful person, but he's dead wrong on that issue.
JIMENEZ: And as you mentioned, I mean, this is very much a part of the justice system. And we've seen it play out in many different forms.
You know, Reddington did say, though, Friday as well, that that moving forward, it's going to be difficult to find jurors who aren't aware of this case if we end up going into another case as well. How does that factor into or potentially complicate things as well in the event of a retrial?
LU: It's really a small complication to get an impartial juror, even if they've received lots of information about the case. That's not really a problem. We do that all the time.
The big problem is what we're seeing now developed before our eyes in Massachusetts and nationally really is social media contagion taking over or attempting to take over the legal process. And that's a problem.
So keeping them impartial is a bigger challenge. But getting impartial jurors is not a problem.
JIMENEZ: All right. Judge Jack Lu, I appreciate the confidence and I appreciate the expertise. Thank you for being here.
LU: You're welcome.
JIMENEZ: All right. Now, as Judge Lu just mentioned, the trial sparked a flurry of social media speculation. And CNN's Tom Foreman delves into the world of online sleuths. Take a
look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CRIME QUEEN, SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT CREATOR: You have to put it all together. And when you do, the questions become very simple. Is Lindsay physically capable of doing what they're accusing her of?
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: True crime fans like Crime Queen, court watchers and amateur sleuths like VSED 19 are flooding social media.
VSED 19, SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT CREATOR: Lindsay Clancy did not strangle her kids and we may now have proof of it.
FOREMAN: With a torrent of commentary on the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, the former nurse who has admitted to strangling her three children even as her lawyer says she is not criminally responsible because she was experiencing severe postpartum psychosis.
A top theory: she did not kill her children at all. Her then-husband, Patrick, did. Among those who have made that argument, a TV actress and reality star who later deleted this post.
LISA RINNA, ACTRESS: But that isn't what a woman would do. They don't strangle.
FOREMAN: Testimony and video showed Patrick was not even in the house when the children were killed and his wife tried to kill herself.
His attorney issued a statement saying in part, "The facts are indisputable. Patrick Clancy has suffered an unspeakable and unimaginable loss, compounded by patently false, defamatory and injurious public statements."
DAVE ARONBERG, FORMER STATE ATTORNEY, PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA: There is evidence that she was taking these severe drugs, and she had this psychosis and she had insomnia, and she was crying out for help.
FOREMAN: Some Internet detectives have latched on to the idea of prosecutors or medical professionals hiding information about Lindsay's care and mental issues.
The New Yorker's Eren Orbey has an idea about what's driving that.
EREN ORBEY, CONTRIBUTING WRITER, THE NEW YORKER: The fact that Lindsay was roundly revered as not just a great mother, but an authority on infants, a well-regarded labor and delivery nurse, made her a kind of potent symbol for advocacy.
FOREMAN: And on it goes, ideas about outsiders sending secret signals to jurors, theories about inherent sexism against the accused woman's defense, and uproar over the whole notion that Lindsay Clancy just couldn't help herself.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[17:24:45]
FOREMAN: And so this case has become a profit magnet for public interest and commentary. And with the latest developments, there is just no sign that is going to let up any time soon, Omar.
JIMENEZ: All right. Tom Foreman, really appreciate the reporting.
Coming up, a woman who fled from Iran to the United States now finds herself in ICE custody facing deportation to a country that she doesn't have any ties to.
We're going to have more on that legal battle next.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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JIMENEZ: An Iranian woman who fled to the United States after converting to Christianity is now facing deportation to the Central African Republic, a country to which she has never been and doesn't know anyone.
[17:29:51]
JIMENEZ: CNN's Rafael Romo spoke with her and joins us now. So, Rafael, where is she being held?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Excellent question, Omar. Well, since June 22nd, 2025, imagine this, she has been held at a detention center here in Georgia, and the detained Iranian woman asked CNN not to reveal her name out of fear that her family in her home country may face persecution, and also, because she is afraid that she may face retribution from immigration authorities here in the U.S.
According to her attorney, the 21-year-old woman has been held for 14 months by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, located south of Atlanta.
Last month, she received a document stating that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security intends to deport her to the Central African Republic, a war-torn country she has no ties to.
"I don't know from where the order came that they needed to send me to the Central African Republic, and I had to sign a paper," the Iranian woman told me over the phone, and I was so shocked -- so shocked. I was scared, and I kept telling them that I wouldn't know what to do in that country. This is making me crazy, she said.
Her attorney, Martin Rosenbluth, told me his client entered the country legally through the Mexican border in 2024, but won what is known as a withholding of removal case, which used to mean she could stay in the country. Rosenbluth also told me her arrest at her apartment here in Atlanta in June of last year was completely unnecessary, because she had been fully compliant with immigration authorities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN ROSENBLUTH, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: They handcuffed her, they shackled her, and they took her to the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.
And there was no need for it. She was fully cooperating, and she is 20 years old. I mean, she is a child. She is a kid, and they arrested her in this brutal manner and took her to the Stewart Detention Center.
ROMO: Did she have a criminal background?
ROSENBLUTH: No, sir. Nothing at all. And what -- and again, I know -- I know, I have said this. But, I mean, she was fully cooperating with ICE. She was doing everything she was supposed to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: During our telephone interview, I asked the Iranian woman why she fled Iran in the first place, and she told me the following: "I left Iran because I converted to Christianity. I was born a Muslim, and I converted to Christianity, and we had some problems with the IRGC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, so I had to leave the country."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSENBLUTH: She converted to Christianity from Islam, and in Iran, that is a death sentence.
So, I mean, she came here because she didn't have any choice. I mean, she came here because she was in fear of her life that she would be killed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: Rosenbluth said they're trying to block ICE from sending her to the Central African Republic, even though she won her asylum case and proved that it was unsafe for her to go back to Iran.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security told CNN the following: "If an illegal alien chooses to file a claim in court refusing to go to their home country, we are required by law to find a safe and secure nation for them to go to. To be clear, a pending application does not confer legal status in the United States."
According to Rosenbluth, an immigration judge has granted a state of removal and a motion to reconsider, Omar, which means his client cannot be deported before September 17, when she is scheduled to have a hearing.
Omar, back to you. JIMENEZ: All right. Rafael Romo, really appreciate the reporting.
All right, we are following a lot of news today, including if you're sports fans here. Ready for some football. College teams taking the field today with one coach and his new team under more scrutiny. We are going to get into all of those details coming up. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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[17:38:27]
JIMENEZ: For a lot of folks, today might be considered a national holiday, because we were talking about the kickoff of the 2026 college football season. And for most teams, and especially down in SEC country, there is a controversy brewing, raging hotter than a crawfish boil for you, Louisiana folks.
As LSU considers using two players who, for a short time, spent time this summer at NFL training camps, and this all stems from a rule change the NCAA put in place to give college football players five years of eligibility. And both of those players had left school when this rule change happened. A Louisiana judge allowed these two to return to school, even though it's against the rules to have pros on college rosters.
LSU is about to play its first game tonight against Clemson. And according to the Associated Press, LSU and its head coach Lane Kiffin decided late last night to not include those two players on the roster submitted for tonight's game.
So, a lot to get into here. CNN Sports Dana O'Neill joins us now.
So, what is going on here?
DANA O'NEIL, CNN SPORTS WRITER: What is going on? I mean, everywhere else, like you said, it's college kickoff season today in Baton Rouge. It's college chaos.
I mean, so much is going on. We basically have a tussle between Lane Kiffin and all the powers that be at LSU versus the SEC, and sort of maybe really all the people who are stalwarts of college athletes.
The decision to withhold the two players wasn't easy, but he thought it was in the best interest of LSU's program.
[17:40:02]
So, that's where we are right now. It is a -- I would say hour to hour, day to day situation. And of course, they have a big football game tonight, as you said, against Clemson. I mean, this is a big game for LSU.
JIMENEZ: So, then, what would be the considerations for these two players to get on the field in the coming weeks, potentially? What would Lane Kiffin be weighing, for example? O'NEIL: Well, I mean, they are eligible to get on the roster at any point because they are enrolled in school. They cannot, however, practice with the team unless they are on the roster. So, it's a little bit of a catch 22 in terms of their readiness and their ability.
He is -- he is weighing essentially what sanctions the SEC might bring. He basically said today that he didn't know what the ramifications would be if he put them on the roster because the SEC plans to appeal the judge's decision.
They have gone on record. Greg Sankey has been very outspoken, saying this his league is against this, and everybody in the league is against this. They have talked about everything up to expulsion, probation, financial penalties. You know, negating the games that they play.
And two attorneys general, one in Oklahoma and one in Georgia have suggested that they threaten, you know, to expel LSU from the conference if they do that. So, there is a lot at play right now, and it's kind of like a who is going to blink first.
JIMENEZ: And to that point, I mean, you mentioned the huge financial penalties that LSU could face. What are we talking here? And can you just contextualize a little bit the unprecedented nature of where we are right now in terms of SEC enforcement, NCAA football, kind of just this situation overall.
O'NEIL: Yes, I mean, look, we have seen change in college athletics in speed time in the last couple of years with the advent of the House settlement, right. Players are getting paid. All kinds of things are changing quickly.
But this feels like a monster change. You know, professional athletes going in and trying their luck at the NFL, in the NBA. If you continue, you know, expand this, and then, trying to come back if they don't make a roster.
This is a game changer because then you can basically say, oh, we'll go give it a shot, and you come back and forth roster spots. It's for this group of players because, you know, the NCA changed the fifth- year eligibility rule.
But this is unprecedented, and it's also unprecedented in sort of the fight between the school and the conference.
I mean, Lane Kiffin likes to push the envelope, heaven knows. But this is pushing it even for him. To sit here and stand kind of against his entire conference, after all the chaos he can, you know, created last year, leaving Ole Miss.
I'm very curious to see what happens because at some level, this isn't just a football decision. It's an LSU chancellor decision. It's an LSU athletic director decision. You are choosing as an institution to kind of thumb your nose at the conference that helps pay for all of your, you know, your payouts and all your buyouts you are getting from that football money, it comes from the SEC. It doesn't come from just your ticket donors. So, this is going to get interesting.
JIMENEZ: And just when Lane Kiffin probably thought it was time to just focus on football, here we go. We got all this. Dana O'Neil, really appreciate you taking the time. Thanks for being here.
O'NEIL: My pleasure. Thank you for having me.
JIMENEZ: I want to also bring in CNN sports analyst and USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan. She is also author of the book, "On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports."
So, Christine, first, I just want to ask a little bit about LSU here because we were talking about LSU players whether they will play after participating in training camp, but it's not just an issue in football, basketball. We have seen it where it's also had -- they have also had to watch those lines of being evaluated at the pro level while retaining eligibility at the collegiate level.
And while the SEC is the one enforcing things in the LSU sense, do you believe the NCAA has a good handle on this part of the game?
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: No. No, Omar. They don't. And you know, as Dana said, this is a monster, and it is kind of swallowing up all of college sports.
You know, we have talked, you and I. You, of course, played college sports. I've followed it for years. You know that we know we are in the Wild West with NIL, name, image, likeness, transport, all that. Well, this is the Wild West on steroids.
And this is, as you said, it's not just the NFL and college football players; it's also the NBA. Frankly, it's the WNBA.
Anyone and -- any sport that has a professional league that then a college athlete could come back from that league. That's in play.
Volleyball, there is a professional women's volleyball league. Lacrosse leagues. Where does it stop? And I think, that's the issue we are going to be looking at more and more. That's the concern of the SEC, of the Big 10, of all the four major conferences that are all in lockstep, saying no, you cannot do this.
If you have played pro, if you have taken a pro contract, then, you cannot come back because the slippery slope. OK, in this case, you feel for these two young men, and there is what? 40. I think, Omar overall, who are wanting to come back now to college because of this being the first year of the five years of eligibility.
[17:45:01]
So, you understand that situation.
But what about someone who has played two or three years in the NFL, or the WNBA, or the NBA, and now, they want to come back? Where does it stop? And you have got these local courts, LSU in Louisiana. You've got judges in these localities who want to help their teams. It truly is chaotic. It's a mess, and we have never seen anything quite like it in college sports.
JIMENEZ: You know -- no, it really is. I mean, a lot of eyeballs on exactly how this LSU situation plays out for a whole number of reasons.
You know, earlier this summer, you and I spoke about WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelberg, and whether you thought she would -- she would last much longer, and you said no, and here she is now announcing she is retiring at the end of this year.
But one writer described it as a transformative and tumultuous tenure under her leadership. The league has ballooned financially, become a pop culture darling in some circles, but it's also been dogged by some controversies.
And I wonder for you, for someone who's followed this league so closely, what do you think her legacy will be here?
BRENNAN: It is a mixed bag. They have a $3.1 billion media contract, a new one, that goes for the next 11 years. That's a huge win.
The salaries have just soared from about a minimum of 65,000 or so to a quarter of a million is a minimum now.
Those are positives. But there have been a lot of negatives. And I have written about them, as you said, in the book, and of course, reported on them, spoken with you about the lack of anticipation, the lack of preparation for this moment in this -- in the league.
With all of the eyeballs, because of the arrival of Caitlin Clark. Also, that rookie class included Angel Reese, included the next year Paige Bueckers, and the popularity, but especially with Caitlin Clark. The T.V. ratings, the attendance, everything that has just blossomed.
And the -- and the WNBA with under Cathy Engelberg, being totally unprepared for the moment.
Cathy Engelberg also seeming as if she was almost paralyzed in talking about Caitlin Clark. And you know, I covered Tiger Woods the length of his career.
I could do imagine the PGA Tour commissioner not being able to say the name of Tiger Woods? Of course not. Or Roger Goodell not being able to talk about Patrick Mahomes, or previously Tom Brady.
And yet, Cathy Engelberg truly had problems even saying the name Caitlin Clark. I know people are saying, what is she talking about. This is absolutely true. 27 minutes of a press conference, a state of the game press conference in 2024 at the WNBA Finals, and she talked all about -- Cathy Engelberg did all about the advances, the incredible T.V. ratings, the attendance, everything because of Caitlin Clark, and she could not say the name Caitlin Clark.
That is a problem that the next commissioner has to understand the magnitude of this moment led by this one generational figure.
JIMENEZ: And whenever that, that commissioner is named or comes in, we will have you back. We will talk about what those new qualifications should be for Caitlin Clark, for A'ja Wilson, for some of -- all these stars that are really pushing, pushing the league forward, and at FIBA right now as well, which we will talk about next time. We are out of time.
Christine Brennan, good to see you. Thanks for being here.
BRENNAN: Thank you, Omar. Take care.
JIMENEZ: Of course.
Still ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM. Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with two of President Trump's envoys as the United States pushes to revive stalled talks to end the war with Ukraine. We'll bring you those details coming up.
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[17:53:13]
JIMENEZ: This week's CNN Hero is dedicated to tackling homelessness in Syracuse, New York. Andrew Lunetta is building tiny homes in his city, offering unhoused people not only safe shelter but stability, dignity, and support as they rebuild their lives.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREW LUNETTA, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, A TINY HOME FOR GOOD: We take for granted the stability that a home affords us. If you were to just imagine doing anything without a house, like, oh no, that's what I have to get first. That is where our tenants are coming from constantly.
A tiny home is a really, really solid model because it pairs this independent and also private living.
RHEA HOLMES, RESIDENT, A TINY HOME FOR GOOD: I wish people understood that the homeless population are still human. At any time, circumstances can change. I was living at my husband's grave for eight months. My whole life was turned upside down.
When I finally got to the end of the road and became out of my home, the only place that I felt was home for me was the cemetery where my husband was.
LUNETTA: In its simplest form, stable housing made it so Rhea no longer had to sleep in the cemetery.
HOLMES: Come in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi!
HOLMES: It's so good to see you. LUNETTA: The next step after that was long-term case management supports to help her address the things that hopefully she is not going to have to deal with anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am so proud of you.
HOLMES: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have got to help me out.
LUNETTA: Oh, man --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You all got me focus.
LUNETTA: Where a tenant moves in. They don't necessarily understand that they are being housed by this organization that cares a whole lot about them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, dude, you have been knocking it out of the park.
LUNETTA: So, when all of a sudden, we are knocking on their door, there is a little bit of like, well, this is different.
[17:55:05]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, buddy, you want to walk?
LUNETTA: But as time goes on, and I think that it's seeing that we mean it, it's really pretty profound some of those changes. This wouldn't exist without the tenants.
HOLMES: You a great leader, sir.
Peace is now what I have. It's like freedom to just exhale, like your nervous system is now able to rest.
LUNETTA: Let's go get this toilet fixed, shall we?
I still don't love being called a landlord, but it is true. That's what we are. And I think that what this population needs is landlords who care, and it's absolutely what we do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: For the full story about Andrew and A Tiny Home for Good, you can go to cnn.com/heroes.
All right. Still ahead, duct tape, zip tied. We are talking about the extreme measures taken to keep this unruly passenger -- I don't even know. Restrained here, during a mid-flight meltdown.
We are going to tell you what happened coming up. You are in the CNN newsroom.
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