DOJ Says it Will Abide by Court Ruling to Pause “Anti-Weaponization” Fund

24:26It is a surreal but now all too familiar ritual. Health care workers painstakingly disinfect the coffin of the latest suspected victim of the Ebola virus at Bunia's General Hospital. As family members look on in anguish, unable to get close to their loved one, torn apart by grief and consumed by fear. Oh my father, why God? This woman cries. Oh God, this is my only father. As the dead are carried out, new potential cases are arriving. At the entrance to the hospital, everyone's temperature must be taken. So this is the room where they take people who are found to have a fever. There is a woman in there now.

25:24Obviously, they don't know if she has Ebola or not, but they're going to keep her here until they do more tests and get a better sense of what's going on. At a makeshift coordination center inside the hospital, Dr. Richard Cajon and his team are working round the clock to keep up with an outbreak they say is out of control. They agreed to show me and photojournalist Alex Platt what they're up against. We are now getting ready to go into the so-called red zone of this hospital. That is the area where all suspected Ebola patients are put. And there is a lot of protective gear, unsurprisingly, that one needs to wear to go inside.

26:08Bundy Bujo is a strain of the virus that few were expecting. There is no vaccine and no cure. The doctors write our names on our backs so they can recognize us. And then it's time to go in. At the moment, patients are treated in hastily constructed tents. 30-year-old Gloria is a lab technician, one of dozens of healthcare workers believed to be infected.

26:43Earlier, we met her sister waiting outside for news. Your sister, she will wait for the moment she can kiss you again. Do you want to say something to your sister for you? A massage? Do not be afraid, she says. But it's impossible not to be scared. Some of the patients here are in very bad shape. How do you stay strong when you're seeing this? For me, it's our humanity, you know. Your humanity. Yeah, yeah, it's our humanity. When people are suffer like this, like that, you know, I feel it. I feel it. So it was in coma. Yeah. It's a goal I confirmed. Ten-year-old Meshak is still very weak, his mouth ravaged with blisters from the virus.

27:44He asked the doctors for a banana. an encouraging sign. Slowly, slowly, Dr. Kajan warns him. His condition is improving, but he has a long way to go. He wants to lay down? Let's help him lay down then. They lay him down in the corridor while his room is disinfected. Nothing about this situation is okay. But these doctors are doing everything they possibly can. As we walk to another ward, a familiar sound in the distance.

28:29You can hear the cries of a family for claiming the body of their loved one. This is a scene that's playing out here multiple times every single day. This is a temporary ward for suspected cases. Patients lie waiting for test results that are taking up to a week to process. So this is the situation that health care workers really want to avoid and are racing to put a stop to. You have five patients in the same room, all of them suspected of having Ebola, but doctors can't be sure. They can't rule out the possibility that one person in here may not have Ebola. And then, of course, there's a strong chance they could contract it.

29:17Every exit from the red zone is as careful as the entry. Protective equipment must be sprayed down with chlorine and methodically removed. We were in there for maybe half an hour, and I could barely stand up by the end. It's incredibly tiring, really hot. You're sweating so much. You're thirsty. I just, like, help us understand the kind of stamina that you need as a doctor to be going in and out of that red zone multiple times every single day. It's really hard. We have to stand strong for those patients. and otherwise you know situation will be really very very bad. That 10 year old boy, that's hard to see.

30:13The first day you know he was really bleeding, a lot of diarrhea and shock you know so you have to get a way to give IV fluid is not really easy so and for me you know like ICU doctor when you have a situation like this, it's very hard to just say, I have to stop because I'm tired. On the outskirts of the city, the family we met earlier is burying their father, 72-year-old farmer Papa Babona Baudouin. The burial team forms a cordon around his grave, The mourners forced to grieve at a distance. The final cruelty of this vicious virus.

31:07And Jake, it's really hard to overstate just how heroic these doctors and health care workers are. Dr. Richard Cojan, who you saw in our piece there. This is his sixth Ebola crisis that he is responding to here in the DRC. And he said the challenge with this one, Jake, is that they are playing catch up because it is an unusual strain. When people were presenting themselves early on into clinics, they weren't showing up and testing positive for Ebola. And so it took doctors weeks before they understood that in fact this was Ebola. Now they are desperately trying to limit the spread, but truly they are doing God's work and they have a long road ahead of them, Jake.

31:55Larissa Ward and the Democratic Republic of Congo for us. Thank you so much, really appreciate that. Amazing report. Coming up next, the politics lead, main Democratic Senate candidate Graham Plattner doing some damage control, a sexting while married scandal, complicating his campaign if voters were already iffy on him. Might this be the controversy that turns them away or no, not at all?

32:43and$50 ,000 cash. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Did you say$50 ,000? Can we join? All new Battle on the Beach, Monday night at nine on HGTV. You 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 design and we start today. Oh, wow. You're not just gonna steal everything. Surprise! Ready to get your house pressed? For real. A little dated. It's time to turn this over to us. You guys gotta get out of here. Gotta get out of here. Crasher's series premiere Monday, June 8th at 10 on HGTV.

33:26And our politics lead. Some new challenges today for Democrats in their quest to retake the Senate. Exhibit A, Graham Plattner. That's the populist firebrand challenging Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins. Now, over the weekend, there were multiple reports, starting with The Wall Street Journal, that his wife, Amy Gertner, told a campaign aide last year that her husband had sent sexually explicit messages to a number of other women. This was earlier in their marriage, which is relatively recent. Now, since those reports surfaced, Plattner has attempted some damage control. Take a listen. It's no surprise to me that the establishment media outlets are just going to run gossip instead of wanting to talk about the things that actually matter in this race, which are the material realities that the Mainers are working with.

34:20And here is Plattner's wife. I find it really shameful that there's a group of media outlets and people who are willing to spread gossip instead of talking about real issues that Graham is is running on. Back in January, after a previous controversy, our own Maniraju asked Plattner if we in the media or the public should brace for any more scandalous information about him to break.

35:00Are there other skeletons from your past that still may emerge in this race? No, my life is not very complicated and there is not anything else coming. My panel joins me now. So, Adrian Elrod, what do you think about his defense that, A, and his wife's defense, A, this is just gossip, this isn't about what he's running on, and this is the establishment out to get him? Well, look, Jake, I think it's less relevant what I think. I think it's more relevant what the voters in Maine think, and they're the ones who are ultimately going to make this decision. I mean, look, Graham Plattner was recruited into this race.

35:39He didn't seek out wanting to be a politician. It was not something that he wanted. He was recruited by local people who wanted to see somebody with authenticity and somebody who had his background, who they really thought, if you're going to take down Susan Collins, you need somebody who's not establishment, somebody who kind of comes out of left field and has an interesting history and also an interesting and effective way of telling stories and sounding authentic to voters, which he is. And that's one of the reasons why he's caught fire. So at the end of the day, I think voters will decide.

36:05I mean, look, Jake, I'm not going to sit here and defend a man, you know, sexting with other women when he's married. But I think at the end of the day, this will be something that voters decide. And right now they are frustrated with Susan Collins. Prices are high. Is this something that they are going to decide is not worth it? That will be up to Maine voters to ultimately decide. What do you think? Voters can forgive a mistake. This is a pattern. This is a pattern of a guy who continues to lie over and over and over again. Well, the Nazi tattoo first. He said, oh, I didn't know what it actually was.

36:39It turns out he knew what it was several years ago. That's true. I don't think it is true. Then when Manu and even The New York Times, our Lulu Garcia asked, is there anything else? Absolutely not. My record squeaky clean. I want to focus on the issues. What was he going to say? And what happens a week later, we find out that this guy is sexting 12 women. And you have to presume that none of these ladies will come out and give an interview. Is there more to come? I think Democrats are looking at this and thinking this is a massive mistake. And when you look at local reporting, local reporters are talking to Democratic voters in the state of Maine.

37:12They said, I don't want to vote for this guy. This isn't the ideal candidate. He doesn't have my values, a party that says believe all women. The last poll showed two points up on Susan Collins. You may not like Susan Collins, but she's independent. She's the type of Republican who doesn't always vote with the party. That gives the president a lot of headache, as we all know. But she's someone who's tried and true, and the voters of Maine know where she stands on most issues. That's not the same for Graham Plattner, Jake. So here's what Plattner told the New York Times. I'm certainly an imperfect person, and I certainly went through my struggles, which I'm sure we'll talk about.

37:48But I also know for a fact that I've never been close to money. I've never been close to power. I don't think anything I've ever done has been outside of the realm of what people do when they struggle. So this is how he talks about these issues or, you know, reddest posts that don't really hold up to the light of day for a Senate candidate, theoretically, the Totenkopf tattoo, etc. And he kind of argues like, look, this is just who I am. I'm a fallible guy, but I'm one of you. I mean, that's his argument. Look, again, I go back to what I said earlier. This is up to the main voters to decide. I will say this, Jake.

38:28I think that Democrats, national Democrats, if we continue to have these purity tests on candidates, we're not going to ever win back races. And I think when you look at somebody like Graham Plattner, who, yes, was not recruited by Chuck Schumer, but was recruited by local people who said, if we're going to beat Susan Collins, we need somebody like you to take her on. And he caught fire and he's still running 10 points or so ahead of Susan Collins. So it will be up to the main voters to decide. And again, the purity test that we tend to deploy among national Democrats for the candidates that we support.

38:58We've got to stop doing that because otherwise we're going to get people who are picture perfect and are not always going to be representative to the voters that they seek to represent. I'll just add really quickly here, Jake. You and I both know every single day you're talking about a crisis and not the issues of voters. That is a net negative to the campaign. And I don't see a way out here. So let's move on to another topic that Adrienne will love. Former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden went on NBC. She was asked if she regretted urging her husband to run for reelection in 2024. Take a listen. As I look back, would I want to put Joe through the hurt and the pain that we felt during that time?

39:35Never. Never. I mean, it was so hurtful. What do you think, Sir Michael? I mean, her answer is the question, would you recommend again that he run for re-election? And the answer is no, because it hurt him so much and hurt me so much. Sure. Look, let me just before the politics. I'm a human. We all saw the present age. I hope to God that I'm blessed to live until 80 and still do what I like and enjoy. And hopefully I still have the physical strength and mental stamina to do so. So I want to say that first as a human side of this. And I don't want to dismiss what we all saw occur to the president, because it happens to all of us if we live long enough to age.

40:14That said, I just find it hard to believe that the first lady wasn't aware, Jake, that the president was having some some issues. Yeah. And to try to hide that, I think, is unfortunate and it's not good for the American people or for Democrats. So CNN got an early copy of the book, which doesn't come out until tomorrow. And in her book, this this paragraph caught my caught my eye. If you knew Joe Biden well, you know that if he actually got to the point where he wasn't capable of doing the job, he would step down. Certainly, if he exhibited cognitive impairment, I would not hesitate to say so.

40:45His staff would not hesitate to say so. But he was nowhere near that point in the summer of 2024. There's a lot in there. What do you what do you think? First of all, do you do you believe any of that? Look, I traveled on the campaign trail with him, Jake, and I saw somebody who certainly showed his age sometimes because campaigning is hard. But I also saw somebody who went from stop to stop, rally to rally and brought the energy to the room. So I think, again, when you're campaigning for president and you're 80 years old, it's a little bit different than when you're 45, 50 years old and running for reelection or running for the first time.

41:23I'll finally say this about Dr. Biden. look, I know her well. I respect her dearly. She deserves to tell her truth and to tell her story of what she saw during that time. And she's doing that now with this book. Just wish she was honest in the midst of all of this. Thanks to both of you. Really appreciate the breaking news tonight. The Justice Department says it will abide a judge's order that paused that so-called anti-weaponization fund,$1.776 billion, after a lot of pushback from Republicans as well as Democrats. So what are those Republicans saying now? CNN's Manu Raju chasing them down the halls.

41:58We're going to check in with them next.

42:07And welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, what Republicans are saying tonight about the Trump administration standing down for now on its plans to create this$1.8 billion fund to compensate those who claim they were wrongly targeted by a previous Democratic administration. And plus, election denier Tina Peters is out of prison, already back to making baseless claims about potential cheating in future elections by the Democrats, of course. And is this the year a Democrat becomes a U.S. senator in Iowa? And in California, will a former MTV reality star become the next mayor of Los Angeles?

42:43The primaries we'll be watching tomorrow.

42:53This is CNN Breaking News. Welcome to The Lead. We begin with our Law and Justice lead. This afternoon's announcement from the Justice Department that it will, will abide by a judge's ruling to pause the creation of that$1.776 billion fund meant to compensate those who say they were wrongly targeted by the government in the past. These include individuals who beat up cops as they tried to stop the election from happening. A statement to CNN from the Justice Department says, quote, the Department of Justice disagrees strongly with the decision, but that same letter concludes by saying the department will abide by the court's ruling, which is, of course, the law.

43:31Let's begin with our correspondents who cover both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. Caitlin Collins, to you first. What are you hearing from the White House about why the Trump administration is backing down, at least for now? I mean, Jake, we've been talking with officials at the White House about this ever since the fund was first announced, and they were completely caught off guard by the level of blowback that they got from Republicans on Capitol Hill, not often a place of criticism for this White House. And that has only continued, Jake. And on Friday, we heard that the fund was all but stalled, basically, because of those court decisions saying you can't disperse money, you can't do anything with this, you can't appoint people to the commission.

44:09Basically, no work on this fund could happen. But Jake, to be clear, as this is now hitting a point today where the administration is signaling that they plan to drop it, though, you know, we have not heard that directly from the president himself. So always take it with a grain of salt until it's confirmed from the president himself on this front. But they're signaling that they are going to drop it, Jake. But this was never going anywhere anyway before these court decisions happened. They were struggling to get people to name as commissioners who are going to have to put their name on paying out these funds to people who are going to be applying for them.

44:39And as the administration made clear, people who were convicted around January 6th and for crimes related to that were certainly able to apply of that. So this was really facing severe pushback anyway from the White House or for the White House politically before legally it was facing this pushback from the courts and not one, but now two different judges who have intervened here, the one in Virginia and another one in Florida that might kill this fund altogether. And so the White House had been understanding that that was coming, that they were seeing those signals in the pushback. And so, yes, they are saying that they are abiding by the court decision on this.

45:13That's why it's not moving forward. But Jake, I was hearing behind the scenes, it wasn't really moving forward anyway. And that was because they are facing such severe pushback on Capitol Hill from senators who were saying, you're not going to get your immigration funding passed if this bill is not dropped. And the question, of course, is whether or not that statement today saying that they will abide by the court decision is enough for the Republican senators who want to see it dropped altogether. And Manu, Congress is back from the memorial break. Opposition to the weaponization fund declared this important immigration spending bill, the Senate just like went home because they were so frustrated.

45:47Where do things stand now? Yeah, it's still uncertain, Jake, about whether or not that this statement alone will be enough for President Trump to see that major immigration proposal go through. That was tens of billions of dollars in funding for ICE and for Customs and Border Protection, a central priority of the president, really perhaps the last big legislative agenda that could pass before the November midterms. But it has all come to a halt because of the president's decision to move ahead with his weaponization fund. A number of Republicans said that it needs to be dropped, killed altogether before they can vote to proceed to this measure, or threatening to try to kill it through the process, the actual bill, when and if this does come to the floor.

46:31The big question is going to be whether or not there will be enough Republicans who will vote to begin debate. That is what the Senate GOP leader, John Thune, is now assessing behind the scenes, talking to his members about whether this statement that they will abide by this court ruling will be enough to ensure that there'll be no more than three Republican defections to begin debating this proposal. But I can tell you, in talking to a lot of Republican senators in the aftermath of this Justice Department statement, a lot of them have more questions. A lot of them say that they need to investigate this more fully and are not committing yet to voting yes.

47:03Some of them, like Senator Lisa Murkowski, a key swing vote, said that this needs to go all together. So we'll see ultimately how this comes down, Jake. But that's a big level of frustration for Republicans who wanted this passed before they left town for the Memorial Day recess. But they left town because of this being dropped in their laps and because of their demands for this to be dropped altogether. But the question now is, will this statement go enough to ease those concerns, Jake? I'm also joined here in studio where I have the rare privilege and distinct honor of being joined by former Deputy Assistant Attorney General and the George W.

47:35Bush administration, Tom Dupree. Tom, the fund suffered two major defeats in court last week, as been alluded to already. First, the ruling in Virginia, then a second judge in Florida who oversaw Trump's initial suit against the IRS,$10 billion he sued for. In light of today's decision by the Justice Department to pause, do you think those challenges may succeed? I think these challenges will move forward, and I think there's a fairly good chance of success. And look, the administration has a serious legal obstacle here in that you now have a universe in which two separate federal judges have basically sunk their teeth into this fund.

48:07They are looking at it, whether or not it complies with the law, whether it was an appropriate resolution to the settlement of the case that Trump himself had brought against the IRS. So you've got two federal judges hitting pause, which I think in many respects may actually be a bit of a favor to the administration because it gives them political cover to go, as they have now done, to the Hill and say, look, we're going to respect the court's rulings. You know, we'll take down the temperature a little bit. these rulings will be in place for at least a few weeks, meaning there can be no disbursements, nothing can happen with the fund for at least a few weeks.

48:35But even after that two-week period expires, my strong sense here, Jake, is that these judges are not going to let this go, that they, in my judgment, are ultimately going to say there are serious legal problems with the fund and they are not going to allow disbursements to be made from it. No, they should put it before Congress. They should have the House and Senate vote on it if they think, if they're so confident, it's a great idea. And we should also just note, Tom, Some part of the Justice Department statement says this fund was open to anybody who was weaponized, targeted, persecuted, whether they were Democrat, Republican, conservative, independent, or otherwise.

49:08First of all, I don't know how much I believe that. They were setting up a five-person team and President Trump was going to, you know, James Comey was not going to get any of this money, right? Michael Cohen was not going to get any of this money. But this certainly leaves open the possibility that people who beat up cops and were pleaded guilty and went to prison for it and then were pardoned by Trump could get some cash. It sure does. And look, that is one of the many aspects of this fund that really gave significant heartburn to conservatives. You know, those of us who cherish the rule of law, who don't think that people who beat up cops on January 6th should be getting taxpayer money.

49:41So I think that the administration is frankly doing the right thing, and at least for now, taking this off the table. Of course, the proof will be in the pudding whether or not they try to reinstall this later. But in my judgment, and I think a judgment that's shared by a lot of folks on the Hill. This is seriously ill-advised. This is not how taxpayer money should be spent. This is not appropriate use of United States dollars. All right. Thanks so much. One and all. Appreciate it. Caitlin, of course, is working on new reporting for her show. That's The Source with Caitlin Collins. Her guests tonight include Democratic Senator Michael Bennett of Colorado.

50:11That's tonight at 9 Eastern on CNN. A live look in Newark, New Jersey tonight for 11 straight days. We've seen protests outside the Delaney Hall Immigration Detention Center. We're monitoring the scene there tonight. But first, we're going to go to Iowa and California. There are big primary races tomorrow. Plus, in Maine, we're going to talk more about that big dilemma for Democrats after yet another scandal has been unearthed and reported about Senate Democratic candidate, Senate Democratic candidate Grant Plattner. This one is sexting while married. Will voters look past it? Will they care? We're back in a moment.

50:52It's still primary season in our politics lead. Let's have the music, please. The election music. This is me and election jam. Yes. Primary election season is in full swing. Tomorrow, voters are going to head to the polls across six states in these here United States. Then again next Tuesday in four other states. Some of tomorrow's biggest races are happening in California. Voters there will narrow down candidates for governor and Los Angeles mayor. More on the tight races in L.A. in a sec. But we're going to start with next week's Senate primary race in Maine. Because over the weekend there were new revelations about Democratic candidate Graham Plattner and his extramarital sexting, allegedly.

51:32Which is further complicating Democrats' hope of winning back the Senate because they want to take out Republican Senator Susan Collins. And now Plattner's wife is speaking out about this and how this is just gossip. CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more. So, Jeff, there's been a lot, a lot of drama coming from Plattner's campaign. And this is a must win race if Democrats want the Senate. it. Jake, it definitely is. I mean, mathematically speaking, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for Democrats to win control of the Senate without winning Maine. And this is why. Susan Collins is the only Republican member of the Senate who's up this year, who's effectively from a blue state, a state that Kamala Harris won in 2024.

52:16That's why Democrats have placed so much hope in Maine. But at the same time, so much scrutiny is coming on Graham He's an oyster farmer. He's never been in politics before. He's endured one sort of self-induced controversy after another. The latest, as you said, is a weekend of revelation about him sending sexual messages to a woman while he was married. Well, his wife is pushing back on all of this, saying that those are not the issues that voters are concerned about. I find it really shameful that there's a group of media outlets and people who are willing to spread gossip instead of talking about real issues that Graham is running on.

53:09So, look, Jake, it is very much an open question. What matters anymore in today's politics? if something like this would actually cause voters to not consider him. But the majority of voters in Maine are women. And this has been a central issue sort of hanging over this. And you'll remember just a bit of history here. The governor of Maine, Janet Mills, was recruited by Chuck Schumer to a run against Graham Plattner because they were concerned about things in his background. Well, she has suspended her campaign, but she told a Portland newspaper that, look, my name is still on the ballot next week.

53:42I haven't dropped out. So seemingly offering an alternative to any voters who may have an issue with a Plattner. The bottom line, this gives Democrats some heartburn here because, again, Maine is central to their plan. But that is one of the reasons we're also here in Iowa, because if Maine becomes a problem, it is states like Iowa that could create a difference for Senate Democrats, Jake. And Jeff, you're in Iowa ahead of tomorrow's primary. Two Democratic candidates are looking to, they're competing. They want to be the nominee to try to flip a U.S. Senate seat. This will be the first time since 2008, theoretically.

54:20Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican, is retiring. Why are Democrats optimistic about their chances in a state like Iowa, which you and I have seen go from purple to red in recent years? It absolutely has. I mean, Barack Obama obviously won it in 2008 and 2012. But since then, Donald Trump has carried it three times. However, one thing that Democrats are pointing out, in the first midterm election of the Trump first term in office back in 2018, Democrats won three House seats here. And there is a confluence of issues from the Trump tariffs, rising fertilizer prices, a true farm crisis going on here.

54:59That is giving Democrats an opening, perhaps. And not since 1968 has there been an open seat for governor and Senate at the same time, as well as the competitive House races. So that's why the Senate race tomorrow, a very interesting Democratic primary here between Zach Walls, a state senator, and a state representative, Josh Kurek. The issues are largely the same, but it's really on the powers of their biography here. They've really captured the imagination of Iowa voters. But a question, can Democrats win in a state like Iowa? We'll find out in November, but there's no doubt Republicans are so concerned about this.

55:32They've already said they will invest$30 million to build up the Republican candidate in the fall. But again, all these states are interconnected here. But problems in Maine could mean the Iowa seat and seats like it are more important than ever. Jeff Zeleny in Des Moines, Iowa, thanks so much. Tomorrow is also a big primary day in California, as I mentioned. Voters are sorting through crowded races for both governor and Los Angeles mayor, among other races. CNN's Alex Michelson reports from L.A. now on this extremely tight three-way race for mayor, where the candidates are polling nearly neck and neck.

56:08The candidates making their last minute pitches. No time for amateurs. Hello, sir. Thank you so much for coming out here. I have a track record of delivering for renters. The race to lead America's second largest city is tight. With an unlikely candidate that's propelled the race into the national spotlight. This is where I live. You think this guy wants to sit through city council meetings all day? Incumbent L.A. Mayor Karen Bass is facing challengers from her left and her right, including city council member Nithya Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, and Spencer Pratt, a registered Republican previously known as a reality TV villain.

56:44The mayor's race is officially nonpartisan, meaning the candidate's party identification is not listed on the ballot. If no candidate gets over 50 percent in Tuesday's election, the top two vote getters will face off in November. This is a wide open race. A UC Berkeley LA Times poll shows a close contest between Bass, Raman and Pratt. I recently sat down with all three. If you had to pick one word that separates you from your opponents in this race, what is that? Courage. Truth. Experience. Collaboration. I'm sorry, I had to throw in another. The 2025 Palisades fire still looms large, where 12 people died and nearly 7 ,000 structures burned, including Pratt's home.

57:32If they didn't burn my house down, I wouldn't be running for mayor. At the time of the fire, Mayor Bass was in Ghana. It was a horrible, horrible moment in my life. Despite days of high wind warnings forecast for L.A. The point is, I wasn't here when my city needed me, and that is a profound regret. Oh, I was in Ghana. Oopsie daisies. Like, no, you should have resigned. Rahman says she decided at the last moment to challenge Bass in part due to the city's response to homelessness. I share the frustration that I see across the city that so many Angelenos are feeling right now. When you talk to Jake Tapper in 2023, you said that your goal was to end street homelessness in L.A.

58:15by 2026. How are you so off? I didn't anticipate some of the bureaucratic barriers that I would expect. For the last two years, the mayor's office reports L.A.'s homeless count has shown a decline. Last year's count reported a roughly 18 percent decrease in street homelessness since before she took office. You promised that it would go away 100 percent. Right. So why should people trust you that you're going to be able to get to the 100 percent? Because let me just tell you, for the first time, we've had a decrease at all. And what does the next four years look like? A absolute overhaul and reconstruction of the system to deal with homelessness.

58:54Pratt wants to build a facility outside of L.A. and require L.A.'s homeless to go there for drug treatment. It's going to be somewhere where people will go and they go, thank God for Spencer. This is the greatest thing in the United States of America. Pratt's direct-to-camera social media videos. And we need change. And AI clips created by his supporters are redefining L.A.'s political norms. In one AI-generated fan video, Pratt is Batman, Mayor Bass is the Joker, and residents are throwing tomatoes at her. His social media is now taking on a violent turn. Coming from the lady who allowed 12 people to burn.

59:30I don't want this injected into my politics, and I hope Angelinos stand up on June 2nd and reject it. So voting is underway at vote centers like this one behind me in Baldwin Hills. Tomorrow, the last day to vote. But counting in L.A. can take a while, up to three weeks, and often the result can change. Remember, last time around there was a mayor's race. Bass and her opponent Rick Caruso were tied on election night. Three weeks later, when they were done counting, Bass won by 10. So just because we see a result tomorrow night does not necessarily mean that's going to be the person that advances, Jake.

1:00:10All right, Alex Michelson in Los Angeles. Thanks so much. In Newark, New Jersey tonight, authorities have new barriers up as they try to keep the peace there outside of the Delaney Hall Immigration Detention Center. You're looking at the scene right now. The federal charges against a man who, say, they say showed up there last week. Plus, the well wishes from President Trump to a Cuban-born immigrant recently released from the notorious Alligator Alcatraz detention center in Florida.

1:00:46In our national lead, live pictures now outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey. Crowds are gathering for the 11th straight day to protest what's been described as inhumane conditions inside the facility. The Department of Homeland Security denies those allegations. Last night, protesters and federal agents clashed despite a mandatory 9 p.m. curfew imposed by New York's mayor that led to several arrests. Today, we're learning a protester is facing federal charges related to his involvement in last week's protest. According to the FBI, a 27-year-old Brooklyn man allegedly threatened to assault and murder the ICE officer and the officer's family.

1:01:26According to that complaint, the same ICE officer had hit the man twice in the leg with a baton during a physical altercation. Sticking with the theme of immigration in our national lead, an unusual welcome home post over the weekend from President Trump brought our attention to the story of a Cuban-born immigrant who recently was released from the notorious Florida detention center nicknamed Alligator Alcatraz. Justo Betancourt came to the U.S. from Cuba in 1990. According to court documents, he was granted lawful status several years later, but following numerous criminal convictions, including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, an immigration judge ordered his removal in 2020.

1:02:08Ultimately, again, according to court documents, he was granted supervised release because he could not be sent back to Cuba. He was allowed to live his life and occasionally check in with authorities. But last October, during one of those routine check-ins, ICE arrested him. And they unsuccessfully tried to deport him to Mexico and then finally put him in Alligator Alcatraz. To a large degree, Betancourt is free today, thanks to the efforts of his daughter, Arianne Betancourt, who joins us now along with her father. Justo, como esta? How are you doing now? I try to do it more better every day, you know?

1:02:48Yeah. I don't feel very well about the moment. I heard that you had a mini stroke. Is that right? In custody? Right. Yes. Yes. How was the recovery? It take time, you know. I put it the best I can do it for feeling more better and coming while not my personal, you know? Arianne, tell us about how your father was detained and your fight to get him home. He was detained during a routine immigration check-in in October of last year. He was taken to Alligator Alcatraz immediately. Immediately, he spent almost a month there before they took him to Chrome. He spent another five, six weeks in Chrome, was taken to Texas where they tried to deport him, brought him back, and then took him back to Alligator Alcatraz where he spent the additional four and a half months that he was detained.

1:03:53And Arianne, over the weekend, President Trump posted this. Welcome home to Justo Betancourt, whose daughter Arianne fought very hard to free her father from Alligator Alcatraz. Enjoy your freedom together, President Donald J. Trump. What was your reaction when you saw that? How did the president know about this case? I've gone out of my way to bring attention to what's happening inside of Alligator Alcatraz and as well as to inform myself of the similarities in other detention centers across the country. I mean, we're seeing civil unrest because of the policies in place, because of these detention centers, because of the detentions, because of just the whole immigration system currently.

1:04:39me. And I kind of made it my life's mission to bring these injustices to light and to make sure that the people who were in these detention centers weren't treated like less than were being forgotten or lost in a system. Justo, tell us about the conditions in alligator Alcatraz. What's it like in there?

1:05:13Tough conditions?

1:05:31to move, you know, go to the party. Yeah. It's crazy, you know, it's crazy. Whatever I say, you know. Some time people believe, some time I believe it, but I pass, and that's a real, you know, what the people say. Arianne, tell us - But the animal you have in the house, you take care more or better when the people take care of. Arianne, tell us what your father has told you about Alligator Alcatraz with the conditions in there. I think at the beginning, he was trying to save me from what he was actually being subjected to. And once I started connecting with other families and I started hearing the horror stories, I kind of had to confront him and be like, hey, what's really going on in there?

1:06:17And, you know, little by little, he would tell me things, but he wouldn't really give me a full picture. But through my work with the worker circle, I connected with more and more families. and within maybe a month and a half, I had a full picture of how people were made to walk from one tent to the other, the torture boxes, the isolation, the punishments, the lack of food, the lack of medical care. I knew a small part of it based on what my dad was experiencing. And once I connected with other families, I realized this was a much bigger issue than was being addressed. And then I started traveling.

1:06:57I went to Broadview, I went to Minneapolis, I went to DC, and anyone who I connected with who had a loved one detained was complaining of the same inhumane conditions. So then I realized it's not just an alligator Alcatraz issue, this is the standard throughout all of these privately ran detention centers in this country. Gusto Anirian Betancourt, thank you so much for telling your story to us. We really appreciate it. Muchas gracias. I had the mysterious money that flowed into the campaign of Maureen Galindo, or remember the anti-Semitic Texas House candidate. My next guest followed the money trail of this mysterious so-called progressive group that backed her.

1:07:38What he learned next.

1:07:46In our Money in Lead, new details about how a powerful Republican operative inserted itself into a Democratic House primary in Texas by posing as a progressive super PAC. You remember Maureen Galindo? She was the sex therapist who vowed to put Zionists in basically a concentration camp, a nice detention facility, and also make it a castration processing center for, as she describes, pedophiles, which will probably be most of the Zionists, unquote. quote. Her anti-Semitism quickly garnered national criticism, but also she and her candidacy got a windfall of money from a super PAC called Lead Left.

1:08:28Now, Lead Left sounds like it would be a progressive PAC, but my next guest followed the money and found that it's anything but. Joining us now, Judd Legum. He's the author of the substack Popular Information, which I recommend. So, Judd, who is behind Lean Left? Well, it was a mystery for quite a while. But when you look at where they're registered, which is a Staples store in Tallahassee, I looked at all the other committees that had registered at that Staples in Tallahassee. There's only two. And both of them were connected to the treasurer of the Congressional Leadership Fund, which is the super PAC of the House Republicans.

1:09:15And it's a man named Caleb Crosby. He has a whole compliance firm that works with Republicans. And one of the entities that shares a address with this lead left entity was the super PAC who supported Ron DeSantis during the 2024 presidential primary. And the treasurer of that PAC was an employee of Caleb Crosby. And then the same thing goes with the other entity that was registered at the very same address, another operative who has worked with Caleb Crosby, who's a major figure in the House Republican super PAC. So CNN reached out to Crosby for comment today. We did not hear back from him. Obviously, if he reaches back, we will share his views.

1:10:11lead left still out there, still presenting itself as a progressive entity. The website reads that it's, quote, stands against mega extremists who will infect our country with Donald Trump's agenda, unquote. Now, you discovered that lead left has intervened in other Democratic primaries. Tell us about that. Well, it's really a whole network of super PACs. There's another one called Real Change PAC, which is in New Jersey, which is in Maine, attacking Democratic candidates, usually ones that are perceived as ones that would be strong in the general election. And that PAC is linked to a very prominent D.C.

1:11:00Republican communications firm, Cavalry. when you registered for their website, not anymore, but initially, you got a confirmation email from a Cavalry email address. And Cavalry is also a major vendor of the Congressional Leadership Fund. The Congressional Leadership Fund spent about$10 million with Cavalry in the 2024 cycle. Now, Maureen Galindo ultimately lost the primary to her opponent, the runoff, Johnny Garcia. Democrats launched an aggressive push to oust her and also bring attention to the fact that they said she was backed by Republicans up to mischief. What did this primary teach us in any way about the upcoming midterms and also just the issue of anti-Semitism and the issue of Israel and Zionism?

1:11:58Well, I think it's being used clearly as a political tool. It seems that this money was being spent by Republican forces, not because they supported her, but because they wanted to use it as leverage. I think it suggests, in my view, that perhaps we're all not taking the issue of anti-Semitism as seriously as we can. We're just using it to achieve political ends. Well, it's great reporting. And Judd Legum, thanks so much for coming on. Really appreciate it. I always read your stuff and it's good to have you on the show. Well, thanks so much for having me. Today in Colorado, election denier Tina Peters walked out of prison and right to the Steve Bannon war room.

1:12:45Here are the baseless claims she made about possible cheating in future elections. That's next.

1:12:57In our Law and Justice League today, election denier Tina Peters walked out of a Colorado prison earlier today, thanks to Democratic Governor Jared Polis granting her a controversial commutation that made her eligible for parole. A little background here. Peters, as you may recall, is a Republican, a former Mesa County, Colorado clerk. She was convicted in 2024 of state felonies for conspiring with fellow election deniers to allow them to breach her county's voting systems. This took place in 2021, long after the election was over, but presumably was in hopes of, quote unquote, proving Donald Trump's baseless 2020 voter fraud claims.

1:13:35The governor's decision is deeply unpopular with Colorado's Democrats. The state party censured him and Peters is, shall we say, unrepentant, judging by her appearance today on Steve Bannon's War Room show. Take a listen. I know that the Democrats are going to cheat and and no one's really addressing the problem that the basic that I that I spent my time in prison as retribution for. And that was exposing the the election machines. that allow the votes to be flipped. Wow, a lot of untruthful statements there. Joining us now is Colorado's Democratic Secretary of State, Jenna Griswold. Please address the claims that Ms.

1:14:26Peters makes in that clip that we just heard about Colorado's voting machines, flipping votes and the rest. Absolutely false. And I think the fact of it is, She gets out, immediately goes on Bannon's show and continues to push out the lies and falsehoods she's been pushing for years. And make no mistake, these lies have been used to fuel conspiracies, but also fuel the threat environment. And Jake, I also think that her comments shows she has absolutely no remorse. Granting clemency to her was a grave injustice to Colorado, our democracy and election workers all across this country. It was a bad idea.

1:15:08And I am hoping for the best. But Tina Peters shows herself time and time again. She has no remorse. And if I would guess, she would do her actions again. So you're on the front lines of the election denial movement. And you believe that her release, her commutation will embolden that movement. So what now do you think? Well, we keep on doing what we're doing. Colorado is one of the strongest states for elections in the entire country. That will not change because Tina Peters has been released. We have multi-factor, multi-layers of election security. I've led bill after bill with our legislature, increasing our security posture, including, by the way, having a bill put into law after Tina Peters breached her system to make it absolutely crystal clear it's a felony to breach systems.

1:16:04But the threat environment continues to be very high. We've seen high turnover of county clerks in a large part because of the threat environment. The people who are in these positions now, they know what is coming. They're true patriots. And we're going to guarantee a great election for every Republican, Democrat and unaffiliated voter in the state of Colorado. The Justice Department says that they're now going to push the pause button on President Trump's$1.8 billion of so-called anti-weaponization fund. Vice President Vance over the weekend said he thought potentially Peters would be eligible for the fund.

1:16:40What's your take on that and also the fund's existence itself? These guys are so corrupt, it's almost unimaginable. The fact that Tina Peters gets out in itself is a slap in the face to the justice system. And I think really sends a message to Trump's followers that if they break the law, they may get off just as long as they're doing Trump's bidding. So that's very dangerous. But to layer on top of it, the fact that Trump wanted to pay people who broke the law to further his mission. It's a level of corruption that I think we have never seen in this country. Americans need to continue to speak out, to fight back, and just know we are winning this large fight against Trump's power grab.

1:17:29We just need to stay focused and get through this dark time in American history. Colorado Secretary of State Jenna Griswold, a Democrat. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. Coming up, the celebrity poker tournament that evolved into a star-studded weekend, benefiting a very important cause that's become dear to me. We're talking about the big slick. That's next.

1:17:57In our sports league, the goat is back, according to the World Tennis Association. After four years of retirement, Serena Williams is returning to tennis, accepting a wildcard invite to play doubles next week at London's Queens Club tournament. The star teased her return in a new Nike ad. Watch.

1:18:30I gotta change my number. That ad ending with the cut line there. Good news travels fast. The Queen's tournament director told TNT Sports that Serena will team up with Canadian tennis star Victoria Mboko. Serena's team has yet to confirm if she will also play at Wimbledon later this month. In our pop culture lead, you may have heard me talk about The Big Slick before. It's a celebrity fundraiser benefiting pediatric cancer research. It's been taking place in Kansas City for the last 17 years. In that time, it has raised more than$34 million to support these kids. It's a terrific event. It brings joy and hope to those of us who need it the most.

1:19:11It's an annual charity event unlike any other. It's called the Big Slick, and it brings together Kansas City's most famous names and many of their friends for a very important cause. The weekend is a fundraiser. There are hundreds of donors from the Kansas City area and beyond, to be honest. These lovely people are giving money to Children's Mercy Hospital, and the excuse is that they're paying to mingle, but the truth is they just want to be part of this special place and this special charity. Now in its 17th year, the event was originally a poker tournament hosted by Rob Riggle, Paul Rudd, and Jason Sudeikis.

1:19:50They're now joined by fellow hosts David Koechner, Heidi Gardner, and the very funny Eric Stonestreet. I came on as a host, so I've been coming for 15 of the 17 years. You started in 2000? Jake, I can't do math. I'm a dumb actor. Two years after it started, damn it. And what started as a modest poker tournament is now a weekend-long fundraising extravaganza that's raised more than$34 million over the last 17 years. It's so much bigger now. It's huge. It's huge, and it wouldn't be this without the support. I mean, Kansas City just shows up for us. The fundraiser typically includes softball at Kauffman Stadium on the same field where the Royals play.

1:20:35A big highlight of the weekend is the Saturday Night Big Slick concert and auction. Let's hear it for your Big Slick hometown heroes for tonight. This year featuring a slew of performers including Steel Panther and Stephen Wilson Jr. Even some comedians or comic actors such as Richard Kind regaled us with their musical talent. But as is the case every year, the most important part of the weekend for all of us visiting with the patients of Children's Mercy Hospital and their parents. Can I get a high five? Yeah. This year, the Big Slick raised$4.2 million for Children's Mercy, giving new hope to families enduring cancer, a heartbreakingly underfunded area of medicine.

1:21:18I never know, Jake, when I'm going into one of those rooms what I'm going to say. And I'm never at a loss because they inevitably make it easy for me and teach me something in the face of their mortality. And the support is making a difference. Thank you so much. Children's Mercy is celebrating 125 years of putting children first, serving more than 230 ,000 kids regardless of need in a single year. All right, everybody wait and say Big Slick! Big Slick! It's a truly wonderful event and cause great people. Kansas City is amazing. Can't wait to go again next year. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Fred's X, and on the TikTok at Jake Tapper.

1:22:01You can follow the show on X and Instagram at The Lead CNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can watch the show on the CNN app. Turn it over now to Aaron Burnett. Aaron Burnett out front starts right now.

1:22:16From the descendants of history makers involved in the Louisiana Purchase to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, discover the untold stories of American expansion in the CNN original series, This Land, premiering June 7th on CNN. Hey, I'm Anderson Cooper. On my podcast, All There Is, we explore grief and loss in all its complexities. As Ken Burns said on an earlier podcast, the half-life of grief is endless. Mariska Hargitay knows that very well. Jane Mansfield was killed in a car crash in 1967. Mariska was in the car with her. After decades spent coming to terms with her past and wanting to learn more about the mother she doesn't remember, Mariska has made a remarkable documentary called My Mom Jane.

1:23:00Our vulnerability is our greatest strength and our greatest connector. And so in telling the story, I don't feel vulnerable. I feel free. We all have a story and you never know what somebody else carries. Talking grief, building community. That's what the podcast is all about. This is all there is. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.