Covering Conflict: Strikes, Politics, and the Global Stage

24:51illegally. A Homeland Security official told CNN that van was seen on Monday near the address of one of those targets. And that's when they tried to stop the vehicle. The source says the van was registered to Salgado Aroha, who agents determined to be in the country illegally. They say he tried to evade arrest as agents attempted to conduct that traffic stop, accusing him of ramming an ICE vehicle with his vehicle. Then in Dallas, we're learning new details today about an Afghan man who died in ICE custody. Mohamed Nazir Pakdiwal fought alongside U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan. One day after arriving at a detention center back in March, Pakdiwal died of an allergic reaction.

25:33And we're only learning how he died because of his death certificate, which lists the manner of death as an accident. I want to bring in Pakdiwal's brother, Nasir. First of all, I'm so sorry for your loss. The Dallas County Medical Examiner is ruling it an accident. What do you make of it all? Thank you so much. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak about my brother. My brother was Mohamed Nazir Paktebol. He was much more than a headline. He was a loving husband, a father of six children, a brother, a person who stood alongside American troops in Afghanistan and fought alongside with them.

26:13So thank you for that. His death certificate lists the date of injury as March 12th. But your brother wasn't taken into custody until March 13th. What do you make of that? There's been a lot of question about that because my brother, he was arrested on March 13. But when I read that news that it says March the 12th, March the 12th, we were sitting together. That night, we had a lunch, a dinner together. And it's kind of confusing that they're putting wrong information on their certificates and not providing me what exactly happened to him. Your brother had asthma, I'm told, and your brother's wife, Ziba, reportedly tried to give him an inhaler while ICE was taking him into detention, but ICE would not accept it.

27:02Is that true? that's exactly the truth my sister-in-law she called and asked that uh muhammad nazir pakteval is dealing with hazma a little bit and he's using inhaler which is you can purchase over the counter in any store which was not provided by the medical or doctor unprescripted by anyone was you can choose anywhere you want in any uh store and he she was rejected and she uh they didn't listen to her and they just grabbed him and put him in the car and drove away. Why did they take him into detention? He was in the country legally, right? Exactly. He was vetted, then evacuated by the American troop from Afghanistan.

27:46He was not here illegally, crossed the border. He was evacuated when the previous government collapsed to the Taliban and he was still impending. He applied for the asylum and his case is still under and pending and we did not receive either he did not receive any rejection any letter from the ucis and that's the question that i've been looking for to someone answer me why did they arrested my brother for what reason why did they take him into custody why didn't they allow his wife to give him an inhaler and how did he die exactly that's the question not just me every war veteran needs to know every american american people the great people of this nation needs to know my family needs to know his children his wife needs to know my siblings needs to know why did he die in that custody in less than 24 hours i don't know how many innocent people the trump administration's immigration enforcement has to kill before Republicans in Congress start to ask some serious questions.

28:53But I hope at some point they're going to do their job. Nasir Pakdewal, thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you for having me. Coming up, a firsthand account on the condition of a Republican senator who used to be the Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell. He's been in the hospital for more than three weeks now, and there's been very little explanation as to why. Plus, the video featuring baseball star Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies ended up being sent to a VIP FanDuel user, one with a gambling addiction. Stay with us.

29:27Hi, 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. Zero 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.

29:56May slow when network is busy. See terms. In our politics lead, do voters have the right to know more about the health of Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky? He has been in the hospital for three weeks, his office says. Neither he nor his team are explaining exactly why he's there. The 84-year-old has faced a series of health issues in recent years, including suffering from a concussion and broken ribs after falling in March 2023. Also that year, he froze mid-sentence during two separate news conferences. This week has been good bipartisan cooperation and a string of...

30:45Thank you.

31:14I want to bring in someone who says he recently spoke with Senator McConnell, former senior advisor to him, Scott Jennings. Scott, thanks so much for joining us. So you said McConnell called you on Tuesday. You said that you spoke for about 17 minutes on a wide range of topics. You said his voice sounded strong. He seemed to be keeping up with the news. Can you tell me why he hasn't been more transparent with his constituents about what's going on, what's wrong with him, when he'll be back to work, and why he hasn't released a video of him talking to his constituents. Yeah, I did talk to him Tuesday.

31:48And the answer is no. I can't tell you why. I could speculate, which is that he's always been pretty guarded about his own health issues, whether that has to do with some of the videos you showed just a moment ago or anything really throughout the course of his life. And so that's just been his general disposition. A lot of politicians handle it differently, but that's how he's chosen to handle it. My personal view is that they do need to actually have a little more transparency with the people of Kentucky. I counseled him and his team as such. Frankly, I'm a voter in Kentucky and have been friends with Mitch McConnell since I was a teenager.

32:28So it pains me when I think he's hurting. But I do think when you're in a position of public life like he is, some information is a good thing. And that hasn't been out there. My belief is I think the Senate goes back in on Monday. I'd be shocked if they didn't put out an update on him by Monday about whether he's going to be able to go back to the Senate next week. And I should say, I don't know whether he is or he isn't. I'm not sure whether he's made that decision or not. Have you spoken with him since Tuesday? I have not. I have been in touch with the staff. In fact, I was speaking with some of his senior staff today and I know he was actually meeting with some of his staff late this afternoon.

33:06about a few issues going on over at the Senate. And truthfully, it sounded to me like somebody who was preparing at some point to go back to work. Now, whether that means go back to work soon or go back to work eventually, I don't know. But I do know he was meeting with his staff today and getting some briefings on a few issues. Yesterday, the governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, sent a letter to McConnell's office asking him to fully update Kentuckians about his health. He wrote, quote, as public office holders, we have made a commitment to our constituents to do our best to represent them and to always be transparent.

33:36I believe this requires clear communication about one's ability to serve, unquote. McConnell's already missed some pretty high profile votes on housing affordability, Iran war powers. Do you think he's going to be able to finish out his term, which which ends in a few months, ends in January? Well, based on what I know today, the answer is yes. And as you pointed out, his term is coming to an end. His career is coming to an end. He's not running for reelection this year and he's got just a few months left in the Senate. And based on our conversation the other day, I know he's got a few votes and some issues regarding national defense coming up that he's quite interested in.

34:11So based on what I know today, yeah, I have every reason to believe he's going to finish out his term and intends to go back to work at some point. Now, I don't know that the decision has been made on when that's going to be. But, yeah, I would expect him to to go back. And there are also some things he's going to do at the end of his career, I think, here that denote his time as Senate Majority Leader. I know, for instance, there's a portrait that they'll eventually hang in the Capitol and some other sort of ceremonial type things, which I know he's been quite interested in. So, yeah, I think he's going to finish his term.

34:40And I think, frankly, Jake, all the speculation about him being dead or being a vegetable or being an organ failure, I mean, all that's not true. I mean, I've spoken with him and I've spoken to people who have been meeting with him over the last few days. So I think all that speculation could be put to rest. But I think it's frankly, I think it's up to them to tell the people of Kentucky when he's going back to work. I hope they do that by Monday. And I believe that they will. Yeah. I mean, I don't disagree with you on the wild speculation, but that stuff tends to thrive when there isn't transparency.

35:11I couldn't agree more. I agree with you. Scott Jennings. Thanks so much. Appreciate it. Yes, sir. Turning now to our sports lead, a FanDuel customer is suing the betting app, claiming that its VIP perks resulted in a gambling addiction that lost him nearly two million dollars. As Terry Thompson's financial situation grew more desperate, his FanDuel VIP host was plying him with gifts such as champagne, tickets to see his beloved Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl twice. And according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, this personalized message from Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper. Hey, Terry, what's up, brother?

35:47Hey, man, your host, Brittany from FanDuel. We wanted to make sure your Thanksgiving was extra special. So I just wanted to hop on here and wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving. Tell me I said hello. I appreciate all the support through the years. And I just hope you have a great day. Enjoy it. And we'll see you soon. Bye. The Philadelphia Inquirer's David Gamacorta joins us now. And David, we should just acknowledge up front that you and I are Philadelphia Phillies fans. And this is not a fun story to report on, but we're professionals as well. The customer, Terry Thompson, claims he spent nearly$19 million on FanDuel and lost nearly$2 million because of all these wagers.

36:25Quote, he alleges that he covered his losses by taking out second and third mortgages on his home, which later fell into foreclosure and then sold his shares of an investment company that he had run for two decades, unquote. Now, we reached out to FanDuel for comment on this story, and a spokesperson told us, quote, FanDuel employees are trained to recognize and flag signs of problem gambling and offer resources and tools, and we continue to review and strengthen our policies, unquote. I'm not sure that I believe that statement. How did things become so dire for Terry Thompson? Well, Terry's lawyers allege that when he began using some of these products offered by FanDuel and DraftKings, specifically micro betting, which allows you to bet on almost every single play of a game, he spiraled into addiction.

37:07And as his losses mounted, he began to resort to desperate measures to try to continue funding that addiction. So the video from Bryce Harper is shocking. And And just to emphasize, there's no evidence that he has a partnership with FanDuel. There's no evidence he knew about Terry Thompson's addiction. His agent, Scott Boris and the Phillies and Major League Baseball, all declined comment to you and your story. They didn't respond to us ahead of this segment. Do you have any idea how this video came about? Well, as you mentioned, we tried reaching out to everybody connected to Bryce Harper. and we went as far as sharing that video with his agent, Scott Boris, and with the Phillies and with Major League Baseball.

37:49And we're asking for the kind of clarity that you're talking about. And unfortunately, none of them were willing to comment to us. The Major League Baseball policy on gambling and sports betting has shifted quite a bit since the days of Pete Rose's lifetime ban in 1989, to mention another former Philadelphia Philly. Is Bryce Harper's video against policy? Is it against team ethics or anything? You know, I've read through the policy closely, and I don't see where this particular video would be a violation of what players are allowed to do in terms of engaging with sportsbook companies. But, you know, we consulted with a number of different experts, and each of them felt that the idea of this just raises ethical concerns about the overlap between professional sports, athletes, and gambling entities.

38:38And in this case, VIP bettors, who by definition are wagering large sums of money often. Yeah. And look, it is important to explain the context of Major League Football, Major League Baseball. All these leagues used to shun gambling in every way. And then they just ultimately the teams, the team owners, et cetera, and the leagues realized there was so much money and that this was going to happen anyway. They decided to get a piece of it. But what do we we don't know why Bryce Harper would have done this. I guess there's an innocent explanation that's possible. He has a relationship with somebody and they were he was told, hey, this person's sick.

39:20I mean, what do you think is behind this? Well, I think at this point, it's probably incumbent on Bryce or the Phillies or his representatives to to offer more of a detailed explanation of what happened here. But I mean, to your point, I went back and reviewed a deposition that Bud Selig gave back in 2012 when he was baseball's commissioner. And at the time, he was vehemently opposed to the idea of there being widespread legalized sports betting and any sort of overlap with baseball. He thought that it would lead to the ruination of the game. And clearly now we're in a very different time and a different era.

39:56And these partnerships exist and they're quite significant. and I think are going to be a key part of the negotiations that are coming up and actually I think are underway now between Major League Baseball and the Players Union. The next contract they have, I think we'll have language that deals with how much players are allowed to engage with these companies. Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas. David Gambacorta, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Coming up, a story only on CNN. Epstein survivors say Leslie Groff, the former assistant of the dead pedophile, lied to Congress about them. And they're explaining exactly how one of the survivors is going to join us here on The Lead.

40:36You ever have somebody offer to come home with you from the hardware store? I am giving away a room makeover. Where's the catch? Three days to complete this renovation. You have no say in the design, and we start today. Oh, wow. You're not just going to steal everything. Surprise! Ready to get your house packed? For real. A little dated. It's time to turn this over to us. You guys got to get out of here. Got to get out of here. Crashers, all new Monday at 1030 on HGTV. Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, Democrats in Maine are scrambling. They're officially on the clock to find a new Senate candidate after Graham Plattner said he was going to suspend his campaign.

41:18At least four people have already jumped into the Democratic race, but there are still so many questions about how this process is going to proceed how a winner will be chosen. We're going to go live to Maine for the latest in this crucial contest. Plus, a CNN exclusive, multiple Epstein survivors say the dead pedophile's longtime assistant lied to Congress. One of those survivors is going to join me ahead to explain. I'm also going to get reaction from a lawmaker who was inside the room during that testimony. Also, a top Republican is demanding answers from FBI Director Cash Patel about his spending.

41:50Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, wants to know how many personal flights Patel has taken on FBI planes and whether he's paid the government back for any of those trips. Is Patel willing to give Congress those answers, though? And the former Olympic athlete accused of vandalizing the reflecting pool appeared in court earlier today. Greeted by a crowd of supporters before pleading not guilty, David Hearn still faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. What his lawyers said today about why they believe he was charged. That's ahead.

42:24The lead tonight, the race is on again. Maine Democrats now have less than three weeks to find a new candidate to replace their embattled former Senate nominee, Grant Plattner, who announced that he will be suspending his campaign in a more than 11 minute long video last night in which he took no ownership for any of the scandals, blamed the Democratic establishment for his collapse and denied the allegation we brought to you on Monday that he had raped a woman that he had dated five years ago, Jenny Rassacott, or that he'd been violent or abusive with a different ex-girlfriend whose interview we brought you on Tuesday, Lindsey Fifield.

42:58Already, there are four Democrats vying to take Plattner's spot on the ticket. But this messy process to figure out which one could face Republican Senator Susan Collins in just a few months in November, well, that's just getting started. CNN's Arlette Saenz gets us started tonight from the great state of Maine. Democrats in Maine facing a summer scramble in the race for Senate after Graham Plattner's rapid downfall. We are suspending campaign operations. More than 48 hours after Jenny Rassikot told CNN he raped her in 2021, an allegation Plattner denies, he stepped aside from the race in an 11-minute video taking aim at the Democratic Party establishment.

43:40We live in a political system that is not built for normal people. It is a system that is built structurally to make sure that movements like ours cannot flourish. That if they begin to succeed, they can be crushed. The Democratic Party now in an 18-day sprint to find a new nominee. I wish he had done it sooner. Now what's important is finding his replacement, the right person to beat Susan Collins. Later this month, the Maine Democratic Party plans to host a nominating convention as the field of potential replacements is growing crowded. Nirav Shah led Maine's COVID-19 response and initially secured the most votes in the Democratic primary for governor in June, but came in second after ranked choice voting.

44:29For too long, this race has been about the challenger rather than about the incumbent. And starting today, this race will be focused on one thing, which is a referendum on Susan Collins and her enabling of Donald Trump's worst instincts. Two other Democrats who ran for governor are also in the mix. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who lost to Republican Senator Susan Collins in 2014, and former state Senator Troy Jackson, a progressive who is now creating some distance from Plattner after campaigning with him this year. Would you welcome Graham Plattner's support and endorsement, or do you worry that that could drag your candidacy down?

45:10Yeah, I mean, I don't, I don't want it. And it's, you know, it's, it's unfortunate, but I just don't want it. Jordan Wood, a former congressional candidate also now in the race, along with Maine brewery owner Dan Kleban. People are rightfully pissed off. We need a change in Washington. We need someone from the outside. Whoever emerges from this process will have less than four months to wage a campaign against Susan Collins, the only Senate Republican running for re-election in a state former Vice President Kamala Harris won in 2024. Does having to find a candidate so last minute complicate Democrats' chances in November?

45:48No, because this is a wave against Trump. I think it's really unfortunate and disappointing the situation that Maine is finding ourselves in. Democrats in particular need to come together and really focus on the issues and what is important for people. Now, Plattner has suspended his campaign, but he still technically needs to file a notice that he is withdrawing his name from the ballot. Plattner, in fact, told a staff on a private call on Wednesday that he intends to do that on Monday, which is actually the deadline for him to drop out. There's still really no explanation why he is waiting so long at a time when Democrats are really eager to close the chapter of this saga and start focusing on electing their new nominee.

46:31Arlette signs in beautiful Portland, Maine. Quite a change from those Wilmington, Delaware live shots you used to do for us. Thank you so much for joining us. It is. I'm from Philly. I'm allowed to say that. The panel joins me now. So, Karen, sources tell CNN Plattner intends to file the paperwork to formally end a Senate bid on Monday. So he hasn't actually officially dropped out yet. The deadline is is the Monday. He gave no explanation for waiting till Monday. But a person close to the campaign warned against reading into the delay, telling CNN it's over. He's done. I don't really know why he's waiting till Monday, but the campaign is basically disbanded.

47:04What do you think? Are you worried at all that he might not pull out? actually? I'm not worried that he won't pull out, but I think it's pretty typical, like this pattern that has now emerged about him. And, you know, the video, the tone of the video last night was so disgusting. It was so inappropriate. You know, he won't ever do this, but he actually just, the people of Maine, people who volunteered in his campaign, people who donated to his campaign, they deserve an apology from him and frankly, from his consultants who didn't do their job in helping to vet him up front. They won't do that either because they're also a little smug and that's okay.

47:39But look, I have total confidence in the main Democratic Party. The party chair, I think, has handled this quite well. He was able to put together a process fairly quickly. I believe today the goal is to put out the requirements so the candidates know what they have to do to be able to qualify for the nominating convention and that by the weekend, they will be putting out the rules for the nominating convention. And so they're moving the process along as best they can. And I think they're working quite quickly and smoothly. And Corrine, so on Monday, I spoke with Jenny Rassica, who accuses him of rape.

48:13He denies it. Tuesday, I talked to Lindsay Fifield, who accuses him of violence. Again, he denies it. But one of the things they both talked about was his self-pitying nature, his narcissism, how he never does anything wrong. and well here's a little bit of his Platiner farewell video see if this lines up with what they described I just want you to think about like what you would do as a regular person in a position where a much larger world large forces were working against you personally to accuse you of the worst thing that a person could do, and it was not remotely true. Those in power who have the ability to do so are using these allegations as an excuse to take away all of the things that we need to run a campaign.

49:12This is incredibly difficult because I know that some will think it's an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not. We're not doing it because of the allegations. We're doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power. As far as I can tell, the large forces working against him are two incredibly traumatized ex-girlfriends who only very reluctantly came forward. Very reluctantly. And let's step back here. This guy was anointed by Bernie Sanders. He had Elizabeth Warren's stamp of approval, both until, obviously, this very disturbing allegation came out.

49:46But this is not as if you were fully on your own here, fully building this movement all by yourself. Now, I will say the campaign reports to have, I believe it was 15 ,000 volunteers. There are a lot of people now who have been left out and they want their voices heard. And in that video, instead of representing them, instead of representing Maine voters and Maine democracy, it was just about himself. And it feels and it has felt all along that it has always been about Graham Plattner. Because, again, we've known since October that this guy was a liability. And now, you know, his campaign is over, hopefully over.

50:21The paperwork hasn't been filed, but his campaign is over. And now you have Democrats jumping in and jockeying for a spot as this nomination convention looms. And the conversation is still about Graham Plattner. In that video, you've made this point before. He doesn't even mention Susan Collins. And so it's going to be an uphill battle for those Democrats to get to focus back on the general election race. while Susan Collins is sending out press releases about opening new IRS tax centers to help constituents and doing her constituent services. Yeah. And Jeff, how did people on the Plattener campaign take this video, this incredibly narcissistic, self-pitying video?

50:58Look, I'm told there was a divide on this, that he had an all campaign staff meeting last night at the very same time this video was released. He taped it late afternoon. And I'm told that there was a divide among his advisers, that he was urged to be more gracious. He was urged to sort of be healing. He did not take that advice, obviously. But talking to one of his staffers, who's just sort of fed up with all this, he said it's all about him and ego, not an answer of humility, which is obvious. But even more than that, I think the more troubling thing was there's a huge divide in the Democratic Party overall, obviously, but also in Maine.

51:36And he did nothing to try and heal that. In fact, he poured fuel into those divisions there. And so going forward, many Maine Democrats hope that he goes away, but they still want to capture the enthusiasm behind his candidacy. So the interesting thing about him not filing his paperwork until Monday, I'm told by his advisors, I asked, like, what's going on here? And they said, don't read anything into it. It's just simply a paperwork thing. But the reality is his campaign is over. He has no money. Yeah. And his support has just evaporated. So it gives some candidates a little bit of time here as well.

52:14But Susan Collins in all of this, he did mention her very briefly in it, but he didn't dwell on her at all. But I talked to a Susan Collins aide today as well, and they wanted to run against Graham Plattner. Of course. They were very eager to run against Graham Plattner. So this is a crapshoot here. For the next 15 weeks, she'll be running against an unknown person as well. So once the dust settles, if it settles, this will be an interesting race. Yeah, so Jeff, as Democrats embark on this two-week spring to pick a new nominee through this nominee convention, many details about the process have not even been announced.

52:51What have you learned about this convention? I mean, as Karen was saying, it's going to become clear by the weekend, likely. These candidates are going to have to qualify in some respect. There's about a half dozen in there now. Again, most of them have run for governor, the primary that just ended last month. So there's going to be a county convention and then a state convention. There are 16 counties in Maine, probably 600 or so people will come together. And it'll be like a mini version of the Republican or Democratic national conventions that we see. It may be messy, but I mean, otherwise, like, how would you do this?

53:24I mean, there simply is no other mechanism to do this. So there will be a lot of campaigning going on for the next couple weeks. There might be debates. There might be town halls. But again, the people who are running, most of them are pretty well known to the main voters because they were just on the ballot. Can I tell you what I would have done if this had been made? Or what I would have recommended for him? You know, I reject these allegations, but obviously I need to own some stuff in my past. I've become too much of a distraction. The most important thing is defeating Susan Collins and whoever the party picks.

54:01We need to have a good process. Whoever the party picks, Democrats need to rally behind that person. I will do everything I can, as Joe Biden said, whether it's endorsing or against them, whatever. And honestly, he could have preserved his political future a bit if he had done that, if he'd shown an ounce of grace. A thousand percent. And guess what? If his team had done their job up front, having been in those conversations with candidates, when you're talking about the kind of stuff that's out there, they could have had a conversation about this much earlier on. And it could have gone down much differently.

54:33Look, I think, again, the main Democratic Party is doing the best that they can in a short period of time to make it fair and open. And I hope what they do after Monday, let's not talk about Graham Plattner. If I were them, I would stay focused on our job is to defeat Susan Collins. Final word, last word. Look, I think it's going to be really important. And I'm really glad that the Maine Democratic Party has put this structure together. It's not as if they could have done a whole other vote. But as long as Maine voters' voices are being represented in this, that's what really counts. Because they've been stuck with a really bad pick for a very long time.

55:07And voters deserve better. The red flags were there. Yeah, there could have been a process two years ago. But that's a whole other story. Thanks to all of you. The mediators are scrambling tonight to get the U.S. and Iran back to the negotiating table after both sides exchanged strikes. Iran firing upon U.S. bases in the region. We're going to get the latest from CNN's Caitlin Collins at the White House next.

55:28Breaking news and our world-lead sources tell CNN that mediators are working to get the U.S. and Iran back to the negotiating table as this renewed fighting further degrades the ceasefire agreement. The last two days has seen waves of U.S. strikes and Iranian attacks on other U.S. military bases in the region. The latest attacks fresh overnight. Seeing as Caitlin Collins is at the White House. And Caitlin, the president seemed very frustrated by Iran yesterday. What can you tell us about his mindset? Where does this go next? Yeah, Jake, he was posting pictures about those strikes that happened overnight from the United States.

56:01Over 170 targets in Iran struck by U.S. forces in the last 48 hours or so. Jake. And obviously that's a big uptick ever since the ceasefire went into place. But even before that memorandum of understanding was signed and the president was making clear why the United States was doing that. It was after Iran had fired at those ships that were going through the Strait of Hormuz. And he says that that ceasefire is all but over basically. And while we have not heard from the president today since he returned from that trip to meet with NATO allies at the summit in Turkey, obviously we've seen that he has been having conversations about exactly what is happening in the Middle East behind closed doors, including a phone call that he had with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today.

56:43It's not surprising, Jake. They talk a lot and they've spoken virtually every day since this war started several months ago. But this comes amid some tensions between the two of those leaders in terms of the direction of this war and where it should go next, given obviously Israel did not sign on to that memorandum of understanding with Iran. And the White House doesn't often issue readouts of the calls between the president and other world leaders anymore. That typically used to be standard practice for the White House, not just this administration, but others. But we did get a readout from the Israeli side who said that the president told Benjamin Netanyahu was keeping him apprised of what the U.S.

57:20moves were in the Gulf right now. And so it's unlikely, as the president said yesterday, that the United States is going to return to full-scale war like we saw in the early days of this. He simply doesn't have the appetite for it, and neither do Republicans on Capitol Hill who have been talking to the White House about this war. But obviously, as oil prices are being disrupted by this and all of these changes are happening, that is something that the White House is keeping front and center, Jake, as there are real questions about whether or not this is going to become the status quo here in the state of normalcy with these strikes happening, you know, intermittently after the United States isn't like something Iran does in the Strait of Hormuz or if the president can fully bring this to an end as he had promised.

58:00Caitlin Collins at the White House for us. Thank you so much. Don't miss Caitlin on our show, The Source with Caitlin Collins. Her guests tonight include one of the Democratic candidates now running to replace Graham Plattner on the ticket, Dr. Nirav Shah. That's tonight at 9 Eastern on CNN. A top Republican is demanding answers from FBI Director Cash Patel over his use of government planes and taxpayer dollars. Those details next.

58:26We're following two big stories in our Law and Justice League today. former Olympic canoeist David Hearn pleaded not guilty after being charged with damaging the reflecting pool. Meanwhile, just up the road on Capitol Hill, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, is demanding answers from FBI Director Cash Patel about Patel's use of government aircraft and the purchase of BMW vehicles for FBI agents. Joining us now, CNN's Caitlin Polance and Annie Greyer. And Caitlin, let's start with the reflecting pool case. Walk us through what happened today and what comes next.

58:58Super short court hearing today and the case, the basics of it are is that Davey Hearn, the former Olympic canoeist, three-time Olympian, he went to the reflecting pool, he put his hand in, and the U.S. Attorney's Office says that he allegedly pulled out a pricey bit of that blue liner on the bottom worth about$1 ,000 or more, about two square feet of it, and that was enough damage to cause him to be charged with a felony. Now, this, though, has become the political allegory of the entire summer for the Trump administration because his supporters say he's the scapegoat for a botched renovation of the reflecting pool that Donald Trump really wanted, and they're trying to pin him with something far more than they should as the Justice Department.

59:47The Representative Jamie Raskin in Maryland, Democrat. He serves in Congress in the district that Hearn lives in and knows Hearn. And so he released a lengthy statement here. Listen to the words he's choosing. Davey Hearn would never desecrate a federal building or landmark, whether we are talking about the White House, the reflecting pool or the Kennedy Center. Davey would never try to alter, bulldoze or redesign federal property or buildings without explicit congressional authority and direction. Davey is an honorable and law-abiding citizen who has won real giant prizes, including eight world championships.

1:00:24It is only a matter of time before an impartial judge and jury recognize this case has been built on Kafkaesque arrests, a Kafkaesque arrest or Orwellian charges. Clearly, there's some reading between the lines there where they're trying to say, this guy touched the reflecting pool, you're charging him with an indictment. But there's Donald Trump putting his name on the Kennedy Center, taking all of the water out of the reflecting pool, putting this stuff down, drawing the line between the two. And Annie, when it comes to FBI Director Cash Patel, what is Senator Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, what is he asking for?

1:00:57He has very specific questions for Patel. He wants Patel to list every flight that he has taken on an FBI aircraft and say how much those flights cost, make clear which flights were for personal use, which were for government official use, And if they were for personal use to to say whether he is paid, reimbursed those flights back. And Grassley is also asking about the purchase of these BMW cars and wants Patel to make a cost benefit analysis, explain why those cars were more cost effective than, let's say, a Chevy Suburban and wants to compare the pricing of those two cars. Now, Grassley didn't publicize that he sent this letter to FBI Director Patel.

1:01:37Senate and House Judiciary Democrats who are conducting their own investigation to Patel's spending habits were the ones who uncovered this letter. And it shows that a Republican chairman who has oversight of the FBI, of Patel's agency, has similar questions about these spending habits of the FBI director, which has come under scrutiny. Now, in his letter to Patel, Grassley mentions, though, this is something that he has asked of many FBI directors in the past, regardless of party. What will happen next if Patel doesn't comply, if he doesn't give the answers as requested by Grassley? So that's really up to Grassley how far he wants to push this.

1:02:16This letter was dated May 5th, and Grassley gave Patel up until May 19th to respond to his series of questions. Now, we don't know if Patel has responded directly to this letter, but the FBI has publicized since his reporting that they are defending Patel's spending habits, arguing that he has cut more waste, foreign abuse than any other FBI director in the past. But Grassley has to make a decision here. Does he want to renew this voluntary request for information? He could go as far as subpoenaing this information if he really wanted to. It's just a question of calculation. How much of a political risk and trouble does Grassley really want to go through here?

1:02:52All right. Andy Gray or Caitlin Polance, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. Coming up next to CNN exclusive, multiple Epstein survivors, say the dead pedophile's longtime assistant lied to Congress. One of those survivors is going to join us next to explain.

1:03:07CNN exclusive in our Law and Justice League today, some survivors of the dead pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, say that his former longtime assistant lied to Congress when she testified behind closed doors last month. Leslie Groff told lawmakers she never met any of the girls and young women who provided massages to Epstein, and that she didn't know anything about their backgrounds, including how old they were. But in interviews with CNN's MJ Lee, multiple survivors say that Groff had access to their passport information, documents that clearly listed their dates of birth. They described meeting Groff in person and being paid directly by her.

1:03:44Lawyers for Leslie Groff did not respond to CNN's request for comment. We should note that Groff has never been criminally charged in connection with Epstein's crimes. Joining us now, one of the survivors taking issue with Groff's testimony, Marina Lacerda. Marina, before we begin, I know this topic must be horrible to talk about. How are you doing? I'm doing good. I'm doing good. And we will continue to fight. You told CNN that you first met Epstein in 2002, just shy of turning 14, and that you did interact with Leslie Groff directly over the years. Tell us more. that is correct and in fact it's weird that she has said that she has never spoken with any of the survivors or has met with us in order to get to Jeffrey Epstein in order for you to even speak with Jeffrey Epstein you had to go through Leslie Groff so I find that very very hard to believe that she never spoke to us and she has met myself quite a few times and has handed me over envelopes with money with Broadway shows.

1:04:51We have definitely met and we have definitely spoken. What was your reaction when you when you heard what she had told the committee? You know, I was in shock because this is the only person that we were expecting to go up there and to bring true accountability to this whole cover up. And it's just it's really sad that she wasn't able to just be completely honest about it. Are there any other interviews by the oversight committee that you've heard about that concern you?

1:05:29You know, I mean, there are some interviews, I think, that they're lining up that will be coming up. I haven't heard much or I've heard some. I don't want to jump to conclusions here, but I think there are some interviews coming up. As a survivor, what do you and other survivors need to see from the oversight committee as they continue their investigation? We really, really need to see investigations. You know, we need to see investigations actually to be, you know, to start here. We have no investigations that haven't started yet. We have all these names that have been released on the Epstein files, co-conspirators, along with perpetrators, and yet not one investigation.

1:06:13We also need to see, you know, we have Todd Blanche coming up, you know, turning to be or, you know, acting as the attorney general, but also going to be the attorney general. And we are hoping that everybody will vote no on this. Blanche has failed the survivors all along. He's responsible for the failure of the redact of our information to protect us, but also responsible for failing to investigate the co-conspirators and the perpetrators. So we need everyone to stand with us on this. And as for, you know, Leslie Groff, we really hope if there's any, you know, anything coming up that's involving her to have to, you know, at least be honest, just have some accountability, you know.

1:06:59So we still they still haven't released the Justice Department still hasn't released all the Epstein files. There are more to more than two million documents that have not seen the light of day. Do you think we're ever going to see them? We have to see them. We have to see them. Todd Blanche cannot go around saying that there's nothing more to see and that we have to stop talking about this. And there are duplicates or, you know, I can't even think of any more of excuses that has come out of his mouth. and to even turn around and say we have met with the survivors. He has not met with the survivors.

1:07:31He has not met with any of us. And there are other files out there that need to be released. It's just insane that there's all these excuses why the rest of the files haven't been released. If they're duplicates, just release them. We will figure that out for ourselves. Marina Lacerda, thank you so much. In light of this reporting from MJ Lee, the House Oversight Committee told CNN that the committee is currently reviewing Ms. Groff's transcript against the available evidence. Joining us now is a member of the Oversight Committee, Democratic Congressman James Walkinshaw of Virginia. Thanks so much for being here, Congressman.

1:08:02So Leslie Groff, just to get people up to speed, she helped manage nearly every aspect of Jeffrey Epstein's life, from appointments with women to meetings with powerful individuals. And all the evidence laid out in the millions of Epstein files released by the document talks about a lot of this. It's a federal crime, of course, to knowingly and willfully make false statements to Congress. if you've I mean it sounds I mean like what we just heard is evidence that she lied to Congress I guess if the committee looks into it what then what what do you do do you charge her with lying to Congress well we could absolutely refer those charges to the Department of Justice no question about it I think what we need to do now is bring Ms.

1:08:45Groff back in for a deposition under oath and In my view, that should be public so the world can see, the country can see, the survivors can see Ms. Groff's testimony and decide for themselves who they believe. The courageous survivors like Marina there or Leslie Groff, who was Jeffrey Epstein's right-hand assistant for many years. Do you trust Todd Blanche and the Trump Justice Department if you were to bring charges or refer the case, refer whatever allegation you make to the Justice Department? You think they'd actually bring charges? I do not. And look, the Justice Department should today reopen the Epstein investigation based on what our committee's investigation has revealed.

1:09:29We know the FBI never interviewed key figures, the lawyer, the accountant, some of the assistants, those closest to Epstein never interviewed by the FBI. We know that new allegations have come to light as a result of our investigation. Sarah Kellan, who came in and made new allegations that need to be fully investigated. The DOJ should reopen that, interview those who need to be interviewed, prosecute those who need to be prosecuted. Bob Garcia, who's the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said that, quote, Leslie Groff knew what was happening in Epstein's inner circle, which is why Chairman Comer should have required her to testify under oath.

1:10:10Why are these witnesses not testifying under oath? I don't understand. You know, the precedent was kind of set when Chairman Comer allowed Pam Bondi to come in for a closed-door transcribed interview rather than a public under-oath deposition. And I think now Chairman Comer's in a box because he didn't require Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of the United States, to be under oath in the deposition. Harder for him to require private citizens like Leslie Groff, Leon Black and others to come before a deposition under oath. He set a bad precedent there with Pam Bondi. But these folks need to be under oath in a formal deposition.

1:10:52Can you explain to our viewers why the Justice Department has not followed the law that President Trump signed that all of the Epstein files with redactions of the names of the survivors and victims? Why they leave their first? Why that hasn't been done? More than 2 million documents still not released months after the law went into effect. Redactions of people whose names should not have been redacted, possibly perpetrators. Not redactions, lack of redactions of survivors and victims. I mean, am I wrong that the Justice Department is breaking the law that President Trump signed? I believe you're absolutely right.

1:11:32I went to the DOJ and saw some of those illegally redacted documents that were clearly redacted not to comply with the law, but to protect Donald Trump from further embarrassment. I don't have a good explanation. Todd Blanche says that the unreleased files are duplicative. He's not required to release files that are duplicative. My view is release them. Let the American people decide whether they're duplicative. Is there something in the law saying that you don't have to release files that are duplicative? No, it doesn't. He's made a subjective decision that A, those files are duplicative, and B, he doesn't have to release them.

1:12:08I hope he's asked that question at his confirmation hearing. New Mexico's Attorney General Raul Torres says the Justice Department is withholding critical information related to Epstein's Zorro Ranch in New Mexico. Some Epstein survivors, including Shante Davies, the late Virginia Giuffre, have said that the ranch is one of the places where they were sexually assaulted. Torres is arguing that the lack of cooperation from DOJ is eroding the state case. Well, New Mexico deserves tremendous credit for doing what the Department of Justice is not willing to do, which is reopen this investigation based on the knowledge that we now have.

1:12:42Look, this has been a cover up. You know, I have to say it. The Trump administration, the Department of Justice under Pam Bondi and Todd Blanche have executed a massive cover up here. I continue to have questions as to why. We know more and more about Donald Trump's relationship with Epstein. He's clearly embarrassed by that, doesn't want information to come out about that. But we have to do right by these survivors. The Department of Justice has to end the cover-up and stop stonewalling. What repercussion is there if the Justice Department of the United States is breaking the law? Well, a future Congress, perhaps one that's controlled by Democrats, could pursue contempt charges against Justice Department officials who are failing to comply.

1:13:24with the law. We can use the funding process, the appropriations process in Congress to compel the Department of Justice to comply with the law. But right now we have a Republican Congress that is blocking those efforts from moving forward. All right, Congressman James Walkinshaw of the great Commonwealth of Virginia. Thank you so much. Our politics and sports leads collide next. Why some lawmakers sent a letter to the WNBA today about Caitlin Clark.

1:13:52And our sports lead hard fouls against the Indiana Fevers. Caitlin Clark are catching the attention now of some House Republicans. They're demanding accountability from the WNBA over what they say are attacks on Clark. House Republicans issuing this letter to the WNBA commissioner on Tuesday, quote, if discrimination or retaliation is occurring and creating a hostile work environment, We support any appropriate investigation by the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Here to discuss CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan. She is the author of On Her Game, Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports.

1:14:31So, Christine, these Republicans are suggesting that these fouls of Caitlin Clark are racially motivated. And obviously we've seen similar chatter on social media. Is there any credibility to that? No, there's no, I have no evidence of that per se. Now, our eyes can show us that the last one, which of course was the fist to the throat, a picture that I think will be a part of WNBA conversation for a long time is Caitlin Clark is lying on the court. Alyssa Thomas has, she kneed her in the groin and then she, her fist is. You were showing the picture right there. Yeah. That is clearly, Alyssa Thomas is a black woman.

1:15:13Caitlin Clark is a white woman. Last year, there was a player, Marina Mabry, a white woman, Jake, who basically came into Kaitlin Clark like a freight train and knocked her over. It looked kind of like a pinball. That happened in a game last year. Another white woman, J.C. Sheldon, who has a history with Kaitlin Clark because they played against each other in the Big Ten. Sheldon at Ohio State, of course, Kaitlin Clark at Iowa, had poked Kaitlin Clark in the eye. Going back to the rookie year, you had Kennedy Carter, who's a black woman, hip checking Caitlin Clark, cheap shot. And of course, the Dijoné Carrington story with Dijoné Carrington, she said accidentally hitting Caitlin Clark in the eye and Dijoné is black.

1:15:58It's 74 percent black league. You're going to have black players. You have white players, clearly. So, no, I don't think you can make this racial. Two of those four, five stories I just told you about were white women. Yeah. Caitlin Clark, after the Alyssa Thomas incident last month, said it's the refs that need to do better. Do you agree? Yes, absolutely. They are part time. And I think this is something that a lot of people don't realize. The WNBA referees are part time. And Caitlin Clark said last week that she said, let's pay them. Let's have them be full time. And I think that's something that whatever in terms of what's going on with Congress, I think we can all agree that the WNBA referees are not doing a good job.

1:16:38So one of the, you know, cheap seats criticisms of this all is Kaylin Clark comes in. And I think it's fair to say there's been a groundswell of interest in WNBA because of her. And this is a league where a straight woman and a white woman coming in and being the superstar might understandably provoke resentment from players who are neither white nor straight. Is that fair at all? Dr. Harry Edwards, you may well be aware of him, civil rights advocate, a black man, the man behind the 1968 Mexico City Black Power protest salute by the two U.S. sprinters back in 68. Harry Edwards, I interviewed him for my book, and he loves Caitlin Clark.

1:17:26And what he told me then, and it sadly applies now, is that the WNBA did not, basically failed its players, did not prepare them, not because they're damsels in distress. Of course not. They're strong, tough, Title IX athletes. They've graduated from college. But because this was so unusual, the workplace situation, Jake, 74 % black league. In the book, I say about a third gay, we don't know for sure. Kaitlin Clark, white woman, obviously straight, as you said, comes into that league. And the WNBA was completely unprepared for this moment. These are the words, again, of Harry Edwards. And I think they're instructive because what should have happened, which should be the next question, what he said was have seminars, have Zoom calls.

1:18:10He would have been happy to talk to players. These are the women. I've covered the WNBA and women's basketball since the 90s. These are the women, again, majority black league, that never got the attention they deserved. Right. From the white, male-dominated mainstream sports media. And now the spotlight is on them because, of course, Caitlin Clark, who's a terrific player, logo threes, chucking it from the parking lot. The passes, the pace, everything about her is the leading scorer, male or female in NCAA Division One basketball. Now, here she comes. And this is a workplace situation that, as Harry Edwards says, is something that could have been anticipated.

1:18:45Unfortunately, never was. And now here we are three years, three seasons into it, Jake. And some of these exact same issues are still there. Yeah, and just to be clear, I'm not justifying anything. I'm just trying to understand why this might happen. Christine Brennan, as always, fascinating having you here. Thank you so much. Your favorite summer berries and salads might be to blame for a parasite outbreak that causes, let's say, some uncomfortable moments at the BBQ. Some advice on what to avoid. That's next.

1:19:19Our last lead started our health lead. Cases of the gut-churning parasite that causes debilitating bouts of diarrhea are climbing. 1 ,200 of the 1 ,400 cases of kleiosporiasis have been reported in Michigan. At least 40 people have been hospitalized. The good news is it does not pass from person to person, but you can get it from eating contaminated food or swimming in a pool with the parasite. Experts say stay vigilant about cooking vegetables and washing produce and even consider avoiding high-risk foods such as raspberries and basil and salad mixes. And our pop culture lead Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler has died at the age of 75.

1:20:06She was best known for 80s power ballad, Total Eclipse of the Heart.

1:20:27The statement on Tyler's website says her family and her team were heartbroken and she passed away last night unexpectedly. Erin Burnett out front starts now. See you tomorrow.

1:20:42This is CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam, thrilled to introduce the new CNN weather app. Be prepared for anything with comprehensive coverage from real experts like me. Download the CNN weather app on iOS today.