18 Days in Minnesota: Chaos & Coverups After Renee Good Killing

26:24Yeah, some of those prosecutors came to think that Bovino was actually there to incite a riot. That was their concern. And that's why one of them said after that phone call January 12th, someone else is going to get killed. Minnesota Democratic Senator Tina Smith, thank you so much for joining us. Already there is immediate fallout from this special investigation here on The Lead. How Democrats warned this could potentially threaten the nomination of Todd Blanche in terms of his promotion to get the permanent job of attorney general. And later, the major screw-up that led to more than 6 ,000 non-U.S.

26:56citizens on New Jersey's voter rolls. Does this error prove in any way Trump's point that there needs to be more election security? We're going to talk to a New Jersey Democrat.

27:14I'm Adi Cornish. I'm Ari Shapiro, and it's Engagement Party. It is Engagement Party. And we get to talk about what we're obsessed with, what we're engaged with, what we need to process with a friend. Your favorite, Love Island. Young people are actually gathering in person, in public places to watch it as if it were, I don't know, the World Cup or something. Yeah, yeah, the takes are coming in hot and fast. But not as hot and fast as the takes coming in for Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. which is crazy because this movie, it's only just now coming out. Follow Engagement Party. Wherever you get your podcasts.

27:52I'm CNN tech reporter Claire Duffy. This week on the podcast, Terms of Service. Are virtual wallets on the way to replacing the classic billfold? And as a tech reporter, I cannot help but wonder what are the risks of storing so much personal information in one place on our phones? Thankfully, Consumer Reports investigative reporter Lisa Gill spent months trying to answer those questions. She joined me to talk about her own digital wallet journey and how to keep your financial data as secure as possible. Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet, and Apple Wallet tell you that they do not hold funds. They merely facilitate a transaction.

28:33Your information is stored on your phone, not with them. PayPal, Cash App and Venmo actually do hold funds. And they, in my mind, act a lot more like a bank. Listen to CNN's Terms of Service wherever you get your podcasts.

29:06Good and Alex Preddy in January 2026 in Minnesota. Our investigation came up during a forum earlier today by Senate Democrats talking about Trump administration attorney general nominee Todd Blanche. A former federal prosecutor said Blanche's decisions are eroding public confidence in the government, specifically did mention the efforts to halt or interfere with the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office investigation and the Minnesota local investigation into the shooting deaths of those American citizens, good and pretty. Democratic Senator Cory Book of New Jersey, who chaired that forum and is on the Senate Judiciary Committee, joins us now.

29:45Senator, tell us more about the forum and about your reaction to the reporting. So many of the orders that were roiling the prosecutors in Minnesota who ultimately resigned were coming directly from the office of then Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Well, first of all, the forum was interesting to me because you had career professionals from Peter Carr, who as a career was appointed by George W. Bush, worked for Orrin Hatch, as well as Perry Carbone, who is a career prosecutor who knows Blanche. All of them said that what happened in Minnesota was completely out of line with what is standard practice to be opening up a civil rights investigation.

30:28They said there should be no impeachment of these individuals. There simply should have been a standard procedure for an investigation in line with what the state operations are doing. But this is so wildly out of the norm of what the DOJ does in a case like this, that it really indicates that this was political decisions being made and trying to find ways to subvert not only an honest investigation, but really subvert the truth and shade it in a way that really supported what the Trump administration's case was that they were trying to make, which is clearly, to me, violative of what is really public safety and justice.

31:09I guess the question is whether or not the fact that a lot of this was because of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanchard, or at least from people in his office, I guess the question is, do you think Republicans will find that troubling? obviously Democrats do. We just had Tina Smith on and you're here. But do you think that Tom Tillis, John Cornyn, that this will bother them potentially? Well, first of all, Jake, at risk of insulting you, there's no question this was coming from Blanche's office. These were directives from Blanche, clearly. And he was, again, yet another example of him subverting the standard practices for his political aims.

31:52So that's clear. Now your second question is really the question of the month, is will my Republican colleagues continue to look the other way, even when you have people like Tom Tillis saying, if I see even a whiff of the politicization of that office? Well, there's no whiff. You are straight up in the pigsty breathing in the filth of the way this man has been operating the Department of Justice. He's up for a position that we already have a body of evidence of how he would act in that position because he's been the acting director conducting these political prosecutions, trying to shield the president, trying to give him unjust deals that exonerate him from any tax criminal liability that he might have.

32:37This is clearly an agent of the president's interests and not the rule of law. While I have you here, your home state of New Jersey is making a lot of headlines right now because the Democratic Governor Mikey Sherrill revealed that during the previous administration of Governor Phil Murphy, some 6 ,600 non-citizens were added to the voter rolls mistakenly. And about 400 of them voted in recent elections. Governor Sherrill says she's taking steps to make sure this doesn't happen again. How did this happen? Well, first of all, it's unacceptable. Voting integrity is the bedrock of our democracy. And here is really a governor stepping up and doing the right thing, taking responsibility.

33:19The buck stops with her. She's taking action. And the first thing she did was open and transparent and accountable to the people, putting it out there. And now she's running her own investigation. This is how it should work. We have a voting system in which millions, in fact, hundreds of millions of votes are being cast every single year. and we should have public officials that are willing to stand up, get to the truth, correct any irregularities, or in this case, 400 people who should not have vote voting. What I'm really concerned with right now is just seeing the way that the Trump administration is trying to weaponize this to advance their horrific bill that would pull authority from the states to run their election and put it under him, our nation's biggest ever election denier.

34:05That is insanity. The Constitution clearly says that elections reside with the states. And in New Jersey, we have a governor standing up and correcting the problem. New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker, thanks so much for joining us today. We appreciate it. Thanks for having me, Jake. Much more on that big story in New Jersey, that error in the voter rolls. Does the revelation help build Donald Trump's case for that SAVE Act? And the online attack by progressive Democrats in Congress that seem to go after the wrong Jewish guy named Josh. Stay with us.

34:46In our politics, President Trump seizing on what Democratic Governor Mikey Sherrill calls a, quote, software glitch, a glitch that allowed nearly 400 non-U.S. citizens to vote in elections in New Jersey. He posted, quote, a crooked election system, save America. New Jersey governor forced to admit hundreds of foreigners voted in elections after Dems claimed no problem, unquote. Here now is New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat. And Congressman President Trump says Congress needs to pass a law requiring people to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen posted, quote, just one illegal vote cancels out the vote of a U.S.

35:25citizen, unquote. What do you say to those who argue that what happened in New Jersey under Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, proves the president's point? Well, first of all, there was clearly an issue here. And our new governor, Governor Sherrill, is on top of it. I mean, immediately took action, went back and said, where was the problem? Is going to take those people off the rolls and is dealing with it. But obviously, the key is to make sure we don't have these kind of technology glitches. And I think, Jake, the one thing that no one's talking about is the company, Idemia, which is behind the software that screwed this up where the glitch was on, is actually all over the federal government and doing work in places like Department of Homeland Security on CBP for facial recognition.

36:08The TSA pre-check, you know, when you go to the airport, you get those TSA pre's. They do. They run the software for that. So the question is, is our national security safe with them at the helm actually designing all this software? And that's one of the questions I wrote to the GAO about today and to Office of Management and Budget and said, are we doing an audit of where this company is all over our government and making sure that there are not other glitches we should be worried about? That's a great question, but you oppose the SAVE Act and Trump would say, were he here, this is why you need voter ID?

36:43Well, no, there's one thing to have, and a lot of states do have voter ID when you show up to have some sort of voting. The problem that Trump wants to do is the registration side, making it nearly impossible for lots of people to be able to register who are citizens, to be able to register to vote. The multiple IDs you need, you need passports, you need birth certificates. We're doing everything possible to make it difficult for people who are citizens to vote. That's the beef that a lot of us have. It's the way this whole thing is designed, is intended to actually take people off the rolls who have a right to vote and make it difficult for them to vote.

37:17And we should be doing more to promote voter access and participation for citizens who, of course, have a right to vote in our country. And it's one of the most sacred rights. We booked you to talk about this New Jersey voting thing that we reported on yesterday. But since then, this bizarre thing happened on Twitter or X that I want to ask you about. You posted something on social media about DSA, Democratic Socialists of America members, being socialists trying to hijack the Democratic Party. Congresswoman Summer Lee, who I think is a member of DSA, in any case, she's certainly a progressive.

37:52She posted, quote, what about Democrats who sign bombs and vote to drop them? I guess she thought she was talking about you doing that. And you wrote back, you know, that's the other Jewish guy named Josh. Right. You're referring to Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro, who when Zelensky. Well, let me just let me let me just continue to tell the story. Anyway, so she was actually talking about Josh Shapiro, who signed artillery. He signed artillery, by the way, in Pennsylvania with Zelensky that's being used to, of course, beat back the Russians who are killing Ukrainians. Yes, that is accurate. But apparently, unbeknownst to her, Congresswoman Ilharin Omar, who's also in the Progressive Caucus, she chimed in and she posted, quote, He signed the bombs, meaning Shapiro, signed the bombs that you voted to be dropped.

38:52Hope this helps. I guess she thought that Shapiro had signed bombs in Gaza. I don't know. I assume so. I assume it was some sort of anti-Israel thing, which would be typical for her rant. Then you noted on social media that she also voted for the same bill, which armed Ukraine, not Israel. And you posted the voting thing. what is going on why all this i mean first of all what's your take on the fact that apparently congresswoman summer lee was confusing you with her own governor i think she's from pittsburgh right and you're and two jewish guys named josh but two very i mean i i can't make any sense of it what do you think what do you think it says it's too rich right i mean i i mean what do i think.

39:40I think that she confused us, and I don't understand how she did it. And what's crazy is, to your point, why reflexively she and Representative Omar were so opposed to it. Why? Because they presumed it had something to do with the U.S.-Israel relationship, so they're reflectively against it, and so they decided to attack, ironically attacking support for Ukraine, which is something that I believe they think is a good thing, and obviously making sure that Ukraine has the weapons to defend themselves and, of course, to fight back against Putin and his dictatorial march in Ukraine. So I'll just tell you this, the DSA, which I know they're affiliated with, and the socialist movement overall, which I don't believe is part of the Democratic Party.

40:33The Socialists are trying to hijack the Democratic Party. But part of this, part of their core values is just let's be against anything on Israel, you know, and it's obviously gotten worse and spread to just being against, in a lot of cases, anything to do with Jews in America. So it's very concerning. It's obviously, you know, I spoke out about it. You know, I was, you know, Representative Omar said, I hope it helps. And I hope my clarifying for her that she voted for it helps her. I guess it's a good thing they didn't rope in North Carolina Governor Josh Stein or Hawaii Governor Josh Green. The four Josh governors, exactly.

41:12A lot of anti-Joshism going on. Thanks so much for joining us. A lot of anti-Joshism. I'll see you, man. Okay, I had a ripple of court rulings about guns in America, specifically what are called assault weapons. My next guest covers the gun industry. He believes bans on assault weapons will not exist by this time next year.

41:55straight down Broadway, past the bodega. Their lilies are trending on Instagram. Just saying. Hey Meta, am I forgetting anything else? How about setting a calendar reminder for next year? Meta glasses, available in more than 20 styles. Hi, Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Are you looking for a beach read this summer? May I suggest your big wireless bill? It's got suspense, mystery, a slightly flat emotional arc, and a shocking twist where you realize you've been overpaying the entire time. Fortunately, though, Mint's story is better. Every plan,$15 a month, even unlimited. That's it. Happy ending.

42:29Zero tears. Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three months,$90 for six months, or$180 for 12-month plan required. $15 per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra. Initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. See terms. In our law and justice lead for the very first time, an appeals court has struck down a New Jersey state ban on semi-automatic weapons classified as assault weapons, as well as high-capacity magazines. The ruling comes as AR-15s are back on sale in the Commonwealth of Virginia after an injunction blocked a state ban there.

43:01In the next term, the U.S. Supreme Court is going to hear challenges to similar bans in Connecticut and Cook County, Illinois. My next guest is confident that by this time next year, bans on assault weapons will be gone because the U.S. Supreme Court will say that they're unconstitutional. With me now is Stephen Gutowski, a firearms reporter for The Reload, who our viewers know very well. So thank you so much for being here. The U.S. Supreme Court expanded gun rights in two rulings last term. Why are you so confident AR-15 bans will be gone by this time next year? Yeah, I mean, normally I wouldn't come out and make this kind of definitive.

43:36No, it's unlike you. Yeah, but I will say we already know for sure where four of these justices stand on this exact kind of law, where we have four that have said they don't think it's constitutional under the Second Amendment. So really the only question is whether they can get a fifth on their side. And as you just mentioned there, a lot of the rulings that we've seen from the Supreme Court on Second Amendment issues, the conservatives have all gone in the same direction. Right. The majority of the majority has all been in the same place on all of these rulings. So you also have an expert consensus from people across the ideological spectrum who study the Second Amendment closely.

44:14We did a piece of the reload where we asked half a dozen of them and they all came essentially the same conclusion as well that the Supreme Court is likely to strike down these laws. Why would it be unconstitutional? Most people think that states and cities have a right to enact some restrictions and I guess the idea when this was passed into law in 94 on the federal level was that these guns are very lethal and can theoretically kill a lot of people at a lot of time, even though they're semi-automatic, not automatic. Why do you think that they will find it unconstitutional? It really goes back to their first landmark decision on the Second Amendment back in 2009, the Heller decision, where they found that D.C.'s ban on handguns was unconstitutional because they used the standard that handguns are in common use for lawful purposes and therefore can't be restricted in the way that D.C.

45:12was doing that. And if you take that same logic and apply it to these AR cases, you're very likely to come to the same outcome because of how popular these restricted weapons are. Not to mention most of the killings in this country are by handguns, not by ARs, right? Sure, yeah. I mean, certainly ARs have been used in some high-profile mass shootings, but even if you're just coordinating off to mass shootings, CNN uses the Gun Violence Archive for its tracker, and most of those shootings involve handguns. And then, yeah, just generally, as far as murder statistics go, handguns are also more common there.

45:45And as we just mentioned, the court has already said that handguns can't be restricted for that reason, just for the general fact that they're used in crimes. So it's unlikely the Supreme Court is going to come down and say you can restrict AR-15s for similar reason. Interesting stuff. Thank you so much, Timon Gutowski. Good to see you. The big story tonight, a special investigation here on The Lead, looking into those 18 days surrounding the January killings of Renee Good and Alex Preddy at the hands of federal immigration officials in Minneapolis. Coming up, I'm going to talk to two people close to Alex Preddy, who was killed six months ago this Friday, and get their reaction to what they see as a complete lack of justice or accountability.

46:24Stay with us.

46:33Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, President Trump wrapping up an appearance in Georgia today, but without a Republican he has endorsed by his side. No photo op with Congressman Mike Collins, who is trying to unseat Democratic Senator John Ossoff amidst all sorts of accusations of anti-Semitism in Collins' ranks. We're going to talk about the state of Republican politics with another high-profile candidate, Congressman Byron Donalds, who's in a fight of his own to become the Republican nominee to be governor of Florida. We're also tracking Tropical Storm Bertha at this hour. It's making landfall just hours ago in Louisiana.

47:09The system is headed west, but could fuel major flooding hundreds of miles away on the East Coast. Also, the attempt at a cleanup today from New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdadi one day after he acknowledged she does not have the authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on alleged war crimes. And a shocking discovery in France. Another person tied to Jeffrey Epstein, oh would you know it, found dead. This time a modeling recruiter who introduced young women to the dead pedophile. What that recruiter told CNN just weeks before this grisly discovery.

47:49The lead tonight is CNN exclusive. It's the lead special investigation. It's called 18 Days in Minnesota. We looked into the chaos and the lies and the cover-ups surrounding the days between the killings by immigration agents of Renee Good and Alex Preddy. Six months later, still no charges against anyone involved in those shootings. The Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies have been criticized as over-aggressive. That's still unchanged, lying about violence committed by federal agents as happened in January. That's still happening. Federal authorities breaking from precedent, stopping cooperation with local authorities, looking into those killings of U.S.

48:27citizens. And the initial language from Trump officials, describing good and prettiest domestic terrorists, lying about what happened on the scenes. Well, that still lingers. Here's the pretty family attorney, Steve Slisher. After he was killed, the Trump administration told lies about him. Kristi Noem, the secretary of DHS, said he had been brandishing a weapon. He hadn't. Stephen Miller said things. Trump said things. What was that like for the family? It was heartbreaking. No matter who is in charge, whatever administration, what we expect, what the American people have the right to expect, what the citizens of this state have the right to expect is that the government is going to do their job and that they're going to be transparent and they're going to be honest.

49:20The statements that were made by the then Secretary of Homeland Security were false. They were, again, cruel. And this was the most difficult thing for the family to hear right after, aside from the mere fact of the death of their son, the very fact of his death, but then to disparage him in this way with statements that were just demonstrably false. Joining us now are two people who knew Alex Preddy before January 24th, when he was killed by Border Patrol and Customs and Border Patrol agents and officers in Minnesota, Sarah Meisner and Travis Vanden Heuvel. Travis, let me start with you. You were a friend of Alex Preddy's.

50:05what's your reaction to our investigation and what you what we just heard from his attorney and and the lies that were told about Alex Preddy brandishing a weapon going there to assassinate people and on and on yeah thanks Jake and thanks for everything your team's doing to bring the truth out in this story I first met Alex when we were in fifth grade and knew him through middle school and high school, kept in touch. And to hear him labeled a domestic terrorist, unfortunately, was par for the course with this administration. But to those of us who knew him, we knew that it couldn't be further from the truth.

50:46He was just such a kind, loving person. He had an infectious smile. And I can't imagine, given how angry I was, what it must have been like for his family and close friends to have heard the character assassination that happened just after he was murdered. Sarah, after Freddie was killed, which is six months ago Friday, a video came out of Alex working as a nurse in the intensive care unit at the Minneapolis VA. I should acknowledge I have a bias. My mom was a nurse at the Philadelphia VA. I know how hard that work is, and I know people don't go into that line of work for the money or the fame.

51:30Your dad was a patient of Alex's. Tell us about him and what's been your response to all of us. Yeah, thanks to Jake for all you're doing with this story. And I, as well, I didn't know Alex nearly as well as Travis, but I, the short time I did, he was, Like you said, so warm, kind, wonderful, and helped me and my family feel like we were really well cared for. He was like the perfect nurse. And I just can't. I feel like we're in a time when we're calling evil good and good evil. Like it's just not fair and right and just. So I'm here to show his character. It's true that he was a wonderful person.

52:16Travis, Alex put his body on the line to protest what was happening in Minneapolis. His last words were, are you OK, when immigration agents pushed a woman onto the ground. And after that happened, six agents swarmed him and a couple of them put 10 bullets in his body. Do you think he would do the same thing again, knowing how his attempt to help that woman ended up resulting in his death? There's not a doubt in my mind he would, Jake. from the time he was very little all the way up through the career and the profession that he chose, Alex was always a helper. He was always someone who stood up for the people around him.

53:01He had a strong faith, and I absolutely believe he would do this all over again if he could. You used the term, look, helper, which reminds me of the Mr. Rogers, the famous Mr. Rogers saying, look for the helpers, look to the helpers. Sarah, the prosecutors in Minnesota and others in Minnesota that I spoke to who were involved in the case or involved in the case of Renee Good and worked in the US Attorney's Office, Minnesota and resigned. They're stunned and appalled that no charges have been brought in either investigation into Alex's death or Renee Good. But in particular, Alex's death, one of the former prosecutors said to me that was a summary execution.

53:43And six months later, here we are, no charges, no explanation. What do you make of all that? And what is that like for you as somebody who cared about this person? It's absolutely unjust. And I agree with the prosecutor. It's just not, it's sad. And so I just want to help make sure that we are doing what we can to make sure that But the frustration, like you said, is minuscule probably compared to the family. And the bit I knew of him when he was this ICU nurse for my dad and the caring I had felt from him during that time was immense. So I just extremely appalled myself that this hasn't happened yet.

54:32The justice hasn't happened yet for either Rene Goethe or Alex. Travis, is there anything, I mean, obviously, it doesn't matter, like, if you said to President Trump, please provide justice, et cetera. Like, I don't think, I mean, based on what his administration, the lies they told about Alex Freddie, I'm not sure he'd be listening. But do you think that your governor or your senators or other people in power who are sympathetic with what you think about Alex Freddie, do you think they should be doing more? I'm not blaming them, please understand. But do you think they should be doing more? Sure.

55:09I absolutely think they should be, Jake. And beyond that, I think law enforcement has a vested interest in speaking out. I'm the son of a former sheriff's deputy who spent 27 years protecting people. And I've seen firsthand how the actions of a few bad officers can spoil the reputation that all law enforcement has. And I think there are law enforcement professionals throughout the country who saw what happened and the lack of accountability for what happened. And it would be in their best interest as well as ours to speak up and speak out and hopefully bring justice to this situation. Sarah Meisner and Travis Vanden Heuvel, thank you so much for joining us today.

55:51We really, really appreciate it as we get ready to mark this tragic anniversary, six months since the death, some would say execution, of Alex Preddy. six months ago on Friday. Thank you for joining us. Thank you. Thank you. Look for much more of this special report, complete with exclusive interviews online. You can find that right now, the very top of the page at CNN.com. Coming up next on The Lead, we're going to talk to Republican Congressman Byron Donalds. He's going to talk to us about his race for governor, what he makes of some of the attacks coming at him from the right and the left. Stay with us.

56:31In our politics lead, one of the most dramatic races this election cycle is the Florida governor's race, specifically the Republican primary set for next month. Congressman Byron Donalds is backed by President Trump, but does not have the endorsement of the current Republican governor, Ron DeSantis. DeSantis hasn't endorsed anyone in that race. And that has left something of a vacuum and room for people like James Fishback, a 31-year-old racist insurgent who has gained national attention. Despite a troubling legal history, limited financial support, and obviously horrific views, Fishback has called Donalds a DEI Republican who would, quote, turn Florida into a Section 8 ghetto, unquote.

57:10He said this on CNN in November. The word slave means you are controlled by someone else. That's it. Byron Donalds is a slave to his corporate donors because he does their bidding. It's actually not what the word slave means. But in any case, joining us now, Florida Republican Congressman Byron Donalds. Congressman, thanks so much for being here. So according to polls, you are by far the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. Why hasn't Governor DeSantis endorsed you? I'm not quite sure. I think that's more a question for the governor. But what really does matter at this point is that Republicans are coalescing around my campaign to be the Republican nominee to be Florida's next governor.

57:55And the reasons why are actually quite clear. Number one, I have a strong background in the finance industry, 17 years banking, insurance, financial services. I know economic policy. I served four years in the statehouse, obviously six years up here on Capitol Hill, having President Trump's full support, but also our former governor, Rick Scott, most of the members of the congressional delegation, most of our sheriffs in our state. And we've been focusing on the issues of affordability, property taxes, insurance, the cost of building housing, the ability to build it more efficiently, not having government waste a lot of time and resources to lower construction costs.

58:30And that's really resonated with the people of Florida. What does it say about the state of politics today that a guy like James Fishback, who's just an unrepentant racist, I don't even understand where this guy comes from. I'm watching my words. That he even is part of the conversation. Well, I think, look, online, we've all seen it. Anybody can try to get notoriety or try to get clicks and likes, but that's really more the algorithm feeding in some small corners. We actually look at that campaign and mostly ignore it because it's online, but it's not really been relevant anywhere else in Florida.

59:09And I believe the polling actually reflects that when you look at any average that's used. And also, even if you look at the prediction markets, like he's really nowhere to be seen. And so we've just been focused on the people of Florida, the Republicans of Florida. And if you look at our party, how it's made up. The people of our state, they want to make sure that we're addressing all of the economic issues affecting Florida, but prepared to keep Florida the free state of Florida, because people have come to our state to chase that Florida dream. They like it. They want to continue to see it going.

59:36Let me give you a preview of what's likely going to be happening after you likely win the primary. You are running against a former Republican, now Democrat, Congressman Dave Jolly, or you likely will be running against him. He's not yet the nominee. He's pushing for a moratorium on building data centers in Florida, all this AI controversy. He says you were bought by too many special interests. And Politico does report that you, quote, received big contributions, five and six figure, from multiple developers that are pursuing or previously proposed data center projects in Florida. And there's also millions of dollars in ad buys from a pro-AI super PAC.

1:00:12You say as governor you would protect, you would keep the law that protects the water and power grid. you've heard the complaints from people who live near AI centers about the noise, about the pollution, about the low water pressure. How do you reconcile your concern for Floridians with their concerns for what happens with these AI data centers? As I've traveled the state, I've been in 60 of our 67 counties campaigning all across Florida. I know the concerns that Floridians have, and I understand those concerns. But here's what I found. What happened in Northern Virginia, where they were put in data centers right next to residential homes and to apartment complexes, we're not going to do that in Florida.

1:00:51Here's the other thing that we found. Governor DeSantis and the legislature put into law Senate Bill 484. By law in Florida today, your utility rates will not go up because of a hyperscale data center. And if a hyperscaler is built, you have to get a consumptive use permit from our water management districts. Our water management districts in Florida are tasked with protecting Florida's aquifers, freshwater resources, and other water management in place in our state. We're going to keep all those protections in place. And so what I found when we tied this conversation with voters in Florida, if their utility bills aren't going up, you protect water resources and the beauty of Florida, and you keep it away from people's homes, I think then people are okay with some development.

1:01:33The last thing I'll tell you, Jake, we can only really build maybe four of these in the state of Florida. Florida has five gigawatts of excess power on our electric grid, five gigawatts. So you can't build 100 in Florida. We don't have the excess power. The reason why they're building 100 of them in Texas is because these data centers are actually getting some of the natural gas out of Texas, right out of the ground. They're using turbines to power them. We don't have that ability in Florida. And we are not going to make sure we're going to make sure that the electric grid is protected. And we're going to make sure that Floridians are not paying the price for these data centers.

1:02:07Quickly, if you could, I want to ask you about Trump's approving a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that could lead to the kingdom enriching its own fuel for civilian reactors without adopting international oversight. Israel, obviously, wary of this deal. And there are a lot of observers who are concerned that this could spark a bigger arms race in the Middle East, a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. What do you think? This is the first I'm hearing of the deal, actually. So I'm not quite sure of the details. You're focused on Florida. I'm very focused on Florida. But what I will tell you, though, is that nuclear energy, the ability to have cheap, readily available basal power, that's our technology.

1:02:44We created it. actually here in the United States, it's our regulatory system that we put in place actually stops the United States from building out some more modular nuclear reactors, which would lower the electricity costs for all Americans, whether you live in Florida, live in New York or anywhere else in our country. I think if they're going to do an energy deal with Saudi Arabia, I think there's probably some room to make sure that they're not enriching that material in order for it to be weapons grade. But there are other reactor designs that do not use plutonium or uranium. And so you could still have the nuclear effect for power purposes without having it to be used for weapons grade purposes.

1:03:22So I think there's a lot of details in this agreement that have to be flushed out. But I'm fully confident, especially considering the fact that the president has been very clear about not wanting the Iranian regime to have nuclear weapons. I'm quite sure in this deal that there won't be weapons that'll be borne by the Saudis. You know, I've moderated two Florida governors debates. Ask, Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis if they think I was fair. I'm just saying. You trying to do a third? I'm just saying I've done it and ask Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis if they think I was fair. Thank you so much. Good luck to you in your primary.

1:03:51Thank you. Republican Congressman Byron Donalds from Florida. In our world lead a stunning discovery in France. Another person tied to Jeffrey Epstein found dead. This was a modeling scout who spoke with CNN just a few weeks ago about introducing young women to Epstein. You can hear him explain it posthumously. That's next.

1:04:13Interworldly, a new twist tonight in an investigation linked to Jeffrey Epstein, a person with longstanding ties to the late convicted sex offender. Well, he's turned up dead. CNN's Melissa Bell has more. A French model recruiter linked to Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead at his home in the suburb of Colombes near Paris, according to prosecutors. Daniel Syed had been the subject of renewed scrutiny in the wake of the latest releases of the Epstein files by the U.S. Department of Justice. For over a decade, he'd arranged for the late sex offender to meet several models. CNN's Katie Paul Glaze recently interviewed Syed, who said he'd had no reason to believe that two women he'd recommended to Epstein had been harmed by him, even though those two women told CNN that they were indeed abused by Jeffrey Epstein.

1:05:03My work with him has been strictly professional. I never doubt that, because I never heard anything from anyone who introduced him who came back to me, that they had a bad situation with him. Ziad said he believed that Epstein was a casting director for Victoria's Secret and for a modeling agency. CNN has found no evidence to support that claim. I didn't know a lot about him until when he comes to Paris and I told you again, he said he pays his due to the government. So for me, he's free, man, he's clean. He was such a powerful person and how can I not trust him? Epstein ties to the modeling industry are part of ongoing investigations, including a criminal probe launched this year in Paris involving Siad, according to the city's chief prosecutor.

1:05:59Now, Siad's lawyer has pointed to the stress that the man was under due to the unbearable waiting and, I quote, the stigma cast upon him. Siad's lawyer's statement also calling for respect for his loved ones as they mourn, adding that he died and was innocent. Siad himself was also facing accusations of abuse. A model accused him of rape when she was working in France in 1990. Siad had also denied that accusation. His death certainly marks the latest macabre twist in the Epstein saga and a reminder of the ripple effects, of the revelations from the Epstein files and of the fact that they are far from over.

1:06:39Melissa Bell, Siena in Paris. And our thanks to Melissa Bell in Paris for that report. Breaking news. The Trump administration is launching its 12th straight night of strikes on Iran, this after President Trump's threat today, vowing to destroy Iranian bridges and power plants, even those in or around Tehran, if Iran dares to continue to strike ships in the Strait of Hormuz. We're going to see how this plays out tonight. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

1:07:09In our politics lead, we shine a spotlight on Michigan, where the Democrats' identity crisis is on full display. Two very different Democratic candidates are seeking the nomination to replace retiring Senator Gary Peters. Congresswoman Haley Stevens is something of a moderate with a track record of winning in red turf. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive, is backed by Senator Bernie Sanders. This is all forcing a decision for the voters, difficult for some, and one that is difficult for Democratic officeholders. Let's turn now to an expert on all things Michigan, Congresswoman Hillary Scolton of Michigan, who has endorsed Congresswoman Haley Stevens in the Michigan Senate race.

1:07:51So I have to say, Congresswoman, thanks for being here. Abdul Al-Sayed, Dr. Al-Sayed seems to have a lot of energy behind his campaign. You recently were quoted saying, quote, Abdul has a problematic record with women. What did you mean by that? You know, if you look at the things that he has said, not even just in the context of this race, Jake, but going back to his campaign with Governor Whitmer, there is a uniquely sexist bent to the things that he has said about women. He said that Congresswoman Stevens couldn't string two sentences together, that she was sort of an empty vessel. When comparing her and her other female Democratic primary opponent, Mallory McMurrow, he said essentially there's no difference between the two candidates.

1:08:37One just has better comms and more charisma. It's one thing to attack your opponent because of the substance of their issues. It's another thing to engage in what are deeply, deeply sexist attacks. Going back to his race with Governor Whitmer, he said she was bought and sold for by her dad's company, essentially comparing her to property with no ideas of her own, a successful two-term governor who many talk about as a potential presidential candidate. So that's what I meant by that. He's also had a number of former staff members who have come out against him saying that they were mistreated by him and discriminated against in the workplace.

1:09:18So that's what I meant. This race is so consequential, Jake. When you look at it, I think about it as considering who's on your team, right? You look at Haley Stevens, and a lot of people like to try to say, oh, she's got sort of establishment candidates behind her. Well, she's got the current U.S. senator who wants her to replace this seat, Gary Peters, right, who has been known as the workhorse in the Senate, right, one of the most effective members of the Senate. Haley Stevens, also one of the most effective members of Congress right now. And then let's consider who's on Abdul Al-Sayed's team, right?

1:09:56He's been endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders, who also was supporting Graham Plattner, who had a deeply problematic record with women, credibly accused by multiple sources of sexual assault even. Rape in one case. Rape in one case. Abdul, I'll say it, and Graham Plattner campaigned together. They fundraised together. Another thing that I find potentially even more concerning than some of the sexist comments are some of the things that Abdul has said and gone out of his way to associate himself with when it comes to what some might see as deeply un-American comments. You know, choosing to campaign with Hassan Piker, who said America deserved September 11.

1:10:43Sure, he went on to disavow those comments, but I'm telling you, nobody on my team would ever, you know, come even close to making a comment like that. So will you not back him if he wins the primary? Will you not support him? You know, Jake, I think that it's really important to make a clear distance from yourself and these comments. And that's exactly what I've been doing in this race. I cannot, I will not even come close to being associated with comments like America deserved September 11. Well, he would say, Dr. Syed would say, well, I didn't say that. And I don't think that Hassan Piker said it.

1:11:19And I don't agree with everything everybody I campaign with says. But here's the critical point on that, Jake, is that he might say that, right? And sure, I give him credit for disavowing it after the fact. But the reality is he also didn't have to choose to campaign with Hassan Piker. To me, that's a nonstarter. Saying something like America deserved September 11, call me a patriot, Jake. But, you know, saying never forget still means something to me, right? 2 ,977 people lost their lives on September 11. In the one year following September 11, 180 ,000 men and women signed up to serve our country to protect us after what happened that day, many of them my age.

1:12:04We went on to see over 58 ,000 Purple Heart veterans, almost 6 ,000 who lost their lives, right? It's important to focus on these facts because you're not just going to brush aside comments like that, right? Comments that are deeply, deeply un-American. And as people are talking about right now, like the rise of the DSA, it's not so problematic because they want better health care for people. You want better environmental protections. It's so concerning to a lot of people in West Michigan, I hear, because we're not willing to be tough on comments like that. You worry about the direction of your party.

1:12:43I absolutely do. And I think that condoning behavior like this from candidates like Abdul al-Sayed is taking us in a direction that we don't want to go as a party. You know, I don't need$20 million to study why, you know, young men stopped voting for the Democratic Party. You know, look at the message that we're sending to our veterans if we're willing to embrace or even brush aside comments like that. I would never stand on a stage or be at a rally with someone like Hassan Piker because he chose to say comments like that. Democratic Congresswoman Hillary Scolton of Michigan, thank you so much.

1:13:23Thank you. After campaigning on it as a candidate, New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani now admits he does not even remotely have the authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on alleged war crimes. Hear what Mamdani is saying about that today.

1:13:48And our politics lead New Yorkers are dealing with a case of whiplash in their city this week, all thanks to their mayor Zoran Mamdani. Mamdani ran on a campaign pledge that he would seek to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because of his actions and the IDF's action in Gaza. He backed down from that stance and released this video yesterday. It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does. And I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant. And I want to be equally clear. Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City.

1:14:24Mamdani was pressed today about what he would say to disappointed Palestinian New Yorkers. I understand it. Because we are talking about someone who has been charged with crimes against humanity. Someone who has visited the city on many an occasion and who has been welcomed by previous mayors. And I want to make it very clear that that welcome ends with me. My panel joins me now. Ashley, what do you make of all this? I'm not sure why you run on an issue that you didn't first vet to make sure you have the authority to do it. I mean, that's sort of - It was pretty clear he never had the authority to do it.

1:14:59That's why I'm like, why even run and give people the impression that you have the authority here? But I will say, put that aside, it is clear that Mandani is not the leader of the Democratic Party, but is leading the Democratic Party. He's ahead of where the Democratic Party needs to be, not just on the issue of affordability, but on the issue of Israel. If you look at the polling, polling for the first time ever, you have more Democrats sympathizing with the Palestinians over this Israeli. You've got 75 % of the Democratic Party that believes that we should not send any aid to Israel. You saw the vote that just happened last week within the Democratic Democratic caucus.

1:15:35So he really is leading the party closer to where voters actually are. And so that's my top takeaway. You know, this was sort of a misstep, but the reality is he remained very firm and had an authoritative posture about calling Netanyahu a war criminal. He didn't back down on that. And that's what the party responds to right now. He's clearly reading the tea leaves, but he's also standing firm on principles that I think the party's going to respond to. Just on that vote, I think it was like it was just short of 50 percent of the Democratic House that vote. It was close, but a majority of House Democrats still voted for it.

1:16:13But the reality is you look at the trend line. Yes. The trend is there. Absolutely. So he's ahead of every trend from affordability to Israel. And the Democratic Party is not confronting any either of these issues, especially not Israel. We're absolutely loving this. Mondani, I don't think that he didn't know what he was doing. He absolutely knows that the United States is not even I don't even think we're a party to the ICC at all. I absolutely believe that he knew what he was doing. And he was actually, to your point, he was leaning into the sentiment that many Democrats and the Democratic Socialists have as far as when it comes to Israel.

1:16:44The United States position on Israel, even now among Republicans, people are starting to at least evaluate it. But I think what Mondani is doing is something a little more sinister because there is an anti-Semitic strain within then the Democratic Party, and that is who he... Both parties, actually. Well, both parties, but that's who, but we're talking about Mondani, and that's who Mondani is talking to. We don't have elected leaders... But I guess I'm saying it's not sinister if that sentiment exists in both parties. But we don't have politicians who are actually taking the position of Mondani on the right.

1:17:15That is something that people are doing on the left. We're pretty in sync in support of Israel on the right. When it comes to the left, this is what he's leaning into. So let's look north of New York into Maine. There is a closely watched Senate race there and Republican incumbent Senator Susan Collins spoke with our Manu Raju today about Troy Jackson. Do you not know the name? Troy Jackson is the likely Democrat who will replace Graham Plattner as the Democratic nominee when they have their convention, the Democrats. Take a listen to Manu and Susan Collins. You had mentioned that you think he's in line with the socialists.

1:17:51Well, it clearly is. You can tell. Read his statements. He was Senator Sanders' lead for Senator Sanders' presidential campaign in Maine. He's a Bernie bro. So there might be a lot of energy with the DSA and there might be a lot of leadership with DSA leaders like Mayor Momdani. But in some of these close races, Republicans think that it's a liability for Democrats. No, I think that is a concern. I mean, because the way you win Maine is through independent voters. I mean, Susan Collins has had a stronghold on those voters and which is, you know, taking her to victory cycle after cycle. So so Jackson is going to have to figure out how do you appeal both to progressives, the left of the left, while not alienating those independent voters.

1:18:41So it's he's going to he's going to actually have a tough road to hoe. But I will say one thing, though, the death at the hands of ICE, the shooting and the death of the gentleman there in Maine change, I think, the trajectory of this race. I think it had a huge impact on Susan Collins. People are now protesting outside of her house. There's an awakening about her support around ICE. So I think that is going to be an issue she's going to have to actually contend with. And the Democratic Party is going to continue to put her lockstep with Donald Trump on the issue of ICE and all these other issues that we're seeing are polling poorly for her in the state.

1:19:16What do you think? Well, they got rid of one guy who loves Nazi tattoos. And at least according to The Washington Post, they chose a guy who seems to have an anger problem. So I would love to see how that actually fares with suburban women. You can't count Susan Collins out. the last time they had her down about maybe six or seven points during the general election in 2020. She ended up winning by four. No, she ended up winning by a larger margin than that. Eight, I think. Against Sarah Gideon. Yep, about Sarah Gideon. This is the toughest race Susan Collins has ever been in. She's now polling below Jackson by three percentage points.

1:19:49Hold on. She's now polling below Jackson. He's had record fundraising in a matter of days, has raised over a million dollars. So he's got, according to what Bush would call the big mo right now, Now, that could all change, and if I steal one of your talking points, it's still quite early. Oh, absolutely. The oppo research, we haven't even done that yet. She's not done that work yet. But the reality is that she's feeling some heat in a way that she's never felt before. Let's turn to Georgia, because President Trump traveled to Marietta there to stump for his handpicked Senate candidate, Republican Congressman Mike Collins, who, by the way, didn't appear with Trump.

1:20:21He said he needed to stay in Washington to attend to legislative duties. Here was President Trump. the price now of eggs is lower than it was when we started right and many other things too and oil will be coming it's going to be tumbling down it was three weeks ago they thought we had a deal i said i don't think we have a deal with these guys they break every deal they make but i said you know but people thought the geniuses on wall street they came down really down and goes back up a little bit but it's going to come down maybe lower than when we even started. What do you think, Malik? President Trump talking about how great the economy is.

1:20:59Well, this is what President Trump is going to do. And hey, you can't blame Collins. The guy's busy. Congress is busy. That's why he can't be down there with Donald Trump. He's like, I don't want anything to do with the guy. But I will say that, you know, to the point of, you know, is it a good idea for him to campaign for Collins? As with any president, it depends on the state. Right. More likely it will help him at least in a place like Georgia or maybe Texas, then it will help Susan Collins in a main. So Mike Collins, Congressman Mike Collins, is running against incumbent Democratic Senator John Ossoff, who has really been very buzzy with Democrats because of his speeches and his questioning of Trump cabinet officials and such.

1:21:42How do you see him? Do you think that he's likely to be reelected, Ossoff? Oh, absolutely. I think he's incredibly talented. I think he's fearless. I think he has an ability to message in a way that no other Democrat has. And that message resonates across the political spectrum in the state of Georgia. So I think I mean, clearly, listen, Trump would not be there if he wasn't concerned about Georgia, if he wasn't concerned about Ossoff. I mean, also, I mean, completely fried him last week and about the president's speech on election integrity and drew it back to Georgia in a way that I think energized Georgia voters, especially black voters across the state of Georgia.

1:22:21So, you know, I think he's incredibly talented. But, you know, I caution the party to continue to stop elevating these guys as the next savior. Let him win his race. We need that seat. You know, but but, you know, give the man a break in terms of elevating him. But he's incredibly talented. And even his performance on the dais. It reminded me of Kamala Harris. People remembered when they talked about Kamala Harris running for president. They always remembered how she performed on the Senate dais. He's doing the same. You know, George is tough. Yeah. I think Asif versus. Asif probably is going to win that.

1:22:54Asif versus Herschel Walker. Asif still only won by one or two points against Herschel Walker, who's our ambassador to the Bahamas. Hello, Mr. Ambassador. We're all ready for our invitation. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Coming up, the notable faith of former Senator Ben Sasse as he faces his terminal cancer diagnosis. Stay with us.

1:23:17Time for our faith lead. Former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse reflects on the importance of his faith while faced with the imminent reality of his death. Last December you may recall he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer that had spread all over his body Doctors gave him just three to four months to live, but he is taking a miracle medication And he has outlived the prognosis I recently sat down with him and his family to talk about his faith and about coping with the thought of leaving This mortal coil I felt the heaviness of death being terrible and obviously not wanting your wife to go through being widowed or your kids to be orphaned to lose their dad.

1:24:08But I just felt at peace that death is real. I've always known we're all on the clock and to get a finite number felt horrible but not surprising. Your faith is, it always has been remarkable, but never more so, I think, as somebody who's long admired and covered you during this period, just your supreme confidence in what happens next and that you will see your loved ones again. And do you ever have any moments of doubt about any of it? I mean, let me just say, I envy it. I wish I felt that way. I think there are a lot of people probably watching who think, God, what a gift. I think death is wicked, but I don't think it's a surprise to any of us who reckon hard with a conscience that says, we're broken, this world is broken, things are not as they should be.

1:25:15So to your direct question, And no, I don't doubt it. You're, um, but I imagine selflessly you are sad for the people who love you. Even if you're confident you're going to a better place and that you will see them again. Yeah. There is that pain that you already acknowledged. A hundred percent. My wife and I have been married 31 years and have been, you know, good friends for a year and a half, two years, longer than that. I am sad for what she'll experience during a period of grieving and transition. She's a rock and so I'm not scared for her but I'm sad for her. When I think about my three kids, my oldest daughter is about to turn 25.

1:26:02Middle kid is 22. We are blessed that they are rooted and strong and this has been heavy but they're fine. I don't mean they don't whitewash it, but they're going to be fine. My son just turned 15, and he seems to be doing great, but I feel like a 15-year-old boy could fake it even if he wasn't. Sure, that's the whole gig. Yeah, yeah. I feel heaviest for him. I don't doubt the providence of this, that it will be fine, but I'm definitely sad that at, you know, who knows when. he's without a dad too young. You know, I was very blessed to be able to do this interview with Ben Sasse and his family.

1:26:51And you can see the whole interview on the whole story this Sunday night at 8 on CNN. Aaron Burnett out front starts now.

1:27:10Sports. Watch back-to-back premieres August 2nd on CNN and next day on the CNN app.