El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Democratic Primary

24:14Before we get to Murkowski and Cassidy, I wonder if you could just tell me, are you surprised that ultimately, even after all their concerns were expressed, outgoing Senators Tillis of North Carolina and Cornyn of Texas, both of whom have butted heads with Trump in the past, that ultimately they both voted to go forward with the Blanche nomination, even though it doesn't seem as though that that anti-weaponization fund that they oppose so much is necessarily actually truly dead? I mean, I was disappointed. There's an immense amount of intimidation coming your way if you're a Republican senator and you defy the president.

24:49We saw what happened to Cassidy. We saw what happened to Cornyn. We saw what happened to Joni Ernst when she was the one who could have made the difference on Hegseth. And Cornyn asked really brilliant lawyerly questions that revealed that even if the Justice Department said they wanted to get rid of the weaponization fund, it was a binding contract so that the other party, namely President Trump, could disagree and keep the weaponization fund. So I'll say I was disappointed, but they are, among my colleagues, two of our best senators. And so right now it's down to Murkowski and Cassidy, both of whom have butted heads with Trump in the past, both of whom have been subject already to these intimidation tactics.

25:33Cassidy lost his reelection contest, as Cornyn did. Have you talked to either one of them? No, I haven't. I mean, they know where I stand, and they have to make their decision. Tell me what you hear when people, I mean, you know, we all know President Trump goes on Truth Social, or he gives remarks in the Oval Office. I guess he doesn't do that many rallies anymore. And badmouths people, comes up with nicknames for them, etc., etc. and we've seen him chase people like Jeff Flake and Bob Corker out of this party, or out of the Senate at least. What is the intimidation? Like, what happens to these people?

26:07Well, the fact is that Trump really stirs up the base, and there's enormous peril. Some members get retired. That's what Tillis did. Some members get defeated. That's what happened to Cornyn. So there's a real-world reality. But you're bringing up something that really is an indictment of the Senate itself, Because whatever intimidation any of us face, and I say this as a Democrat, so I'm not on the receiving end, so it's with some humility. But we have some constitutional responsibility where advice and consent is one of them, taxing authority is another. Most members are against the tariffs, but we look the other way when the president is doing it.

26:44And on advice and consent, especially with Blanche, the real question is will he be the people's lawyer or the president's lawyer. And that weaponization fund made it very clear he works for the president. Interesting. Let's turn to the future of the Democratic Party following Dr. Abdul Al-Sayed's primary win in Michigan last night, or I guess it was called this morning. This is almost certainly a must win state for Democrats. If you want to take back the Senate, normally it's not a concern. Normally you have a candidate who even Alyssa Slotkin barely won, but she still won over Mike Rogers in 2024.

27:22before. Al-Sayed now faces former Congressman Rogers. I want you to take a listen to what outgoing Democratic Michigan Senator Gary Peters had to say earlier today. We have to come together and understand that whatever differences existed between Haley Stevens and Abdul, those are very small compared to the difference between Abdul and Mike Rogers. And we're going to make sure our Democratic Party comes together in Michigan and reach out to independent voters to win the race. Are you going to endorse Al-Sayed and are you worried at all about his ability to attract the all-important independent voters of Michigan?

27:59Well, number one, I am going to endorse him because the voters of Michigan endorsed him. His defeated opponent, Haley Stevens, endorsed him. Senator Peters endorsed him. So it is really important to us to get unified. But second, if I had any advice for him, he won the primary, he's got to win the general. And he's got to speak to the concerns of everybody, not just the Democrats who voted for him in the primary. So any candidate going into the general election on the Democratic side, I think whether they're on the progressive wing as he is or the moderate wing, has to go to the through line for us in this campaign, and that is about affordability for people who are working hard and can't pay their bills, young people who think the system isn't working, and they're right.

28:43You know, there's an incredible wealth disparity, enormous wealth in this country, but the top 1 % have wealth equal to the bottom 90%. So if he is talking to Republicans who didn't vote for him, but expressing his concern about the well-being of their children, about their ability to pay the rent, pay the bills, keep their community hospitals open, that's where there can be unity. not just talk about unity. It's unity around our common commitment to the well-being of working Americans. Senator Peter Welch, Democrat of Vermont, thanks so much for being here. I appreciate it, sir. This hour, President Trump is in Las Vegas.

29:21His remarks are supposed to be about the economy. That's what the White House wants him to talk about. We'll check out to see if he stays on message. That's next.

29:35people are making a lot of money no tax on tips and it's great the democrats created the worst inflation in 48 years they had the worst inflation i inherited those high prices just so you understand i inherited them president trump they're out west speaking in las vegas just moments ago he's trying to promote his economic agenda and draw a sharper contrast with Democrats as Republicans fight to keep control of Congress in November's election. His trip comes as voter frustration with the economy grows and Trump's approval rating is hitting record lows. Let's bring in the panel. Sure, Michael, we played two, you know, relatively on-message clips from President Trump.

30:15What'd you make of it all? Look, I think the president is right to focus on the economy and the economic pain points of most Americans. That's been a big contrast for many of my friends on the Democratic side in the, what, 40-plus special elections they've won over the past 16, 15 months, give or take. And so I think the recognition that a lot of Americans, specifically independents, have said, hey, you're focusing on everything else but this. You need to return to this in order to try to pull some of those people over to the finish line come November, I think is incredibly important. I think the next step, though, is the tangible.

30:47When will people start to see some real results. And I think that's why the president has been trying to resolve this conflict in Iran, because he recognizes that there is a direct through line to the conflict there. The president there is still blaming Democrats for the economy almost two years later. Yeah. And he continues to use numbers that are just not true. Inflation is higher now than it was when Biden handed him the economy. And in terms of what he's talking about in Nevada. I talked to some culinary workers before this, and they're calling what's happening in Nevada the Trump slump. They don't think the taxes on tips is effective.

31:26They don't think that anything he talks about on the economy is credible. When you have the president, in his own words, saying the affordability crisis is a hoax, when you have him saying, I don't care about Americans' economic situation, when you have him focused on a war that no one wanted and no one needed and they're spending billions while they rip health care from the big, horrible bill from millions of Americans. He's just not credible when he talks about the economy. And we all know he can go off on a tangent in a second. And that's probably what he'll do. There was a really unusual thing that happened on Twitter today.

32:01And my staff has no idea that I'm bringing this up. So there's not going to be any graphics for this. All right. So Matt Walsh, who's a conservative like podcaster or something, he basically said, and I'm paraphrasing all of this because I'm unprepared for it, but I do remember it. He basically said the affordability, like the prices of food are just way too high and we need to, the Republicans need to focus on that and stop talking and we need to get, stop these forever wars. And then somebody with talking points, is that what it's called? Talking points USA? Not talking points, turning point, turning point USA, turning point USA basically said amen.

32:34And a student told me today that he's paying$20 for a burrito and it's crazy. Then Mark Theason, who is a conservative columnist for the Washington Post, who's supportive of the war in Iran, said something like, cry me a river, the burritos are included in your meal plan. Now, here's the part of this that's important. J.D. Vance comes in and attacks Mark Theuson, attacks the guy who's basically defending the Trump administration. He says, you know, if you've met Mark, you know he has, it doesn't look like he's ever missed a burrito or something like that. Like it was a fat joke. But what is interesting about it is it seemed to, and I'm reading into, there's a lot of amateur psychology I'm about to do.

33:12It seemed to be J.D. Vance saying, no, I agree with these guys. We need to be focused on affordability and not Iran. Well, it's true. Look, traditionally, I supported the conflict because I'm a traditional old school Republican. I recognize the threat of Iran, particularly with the connection to China. And I thought there was a legitimate message to communicate to the American people to make that case. We're beyond that point. I recognize the data. Most Americans say, sure, Michael, I get all the theory behind it. I get the long-term approach, but right now, I really don't want to hear that. And I think that's what the vice president recognizes, Jake, is that there are a lot of Americans, including in our own party, who are saying, hey, we support you guys.

33:49We elected you because we wanted a return to Trump first administration after four years of Biden, which was a disaster, and we're not seeing that. And so I think the vice president, looking forward to 2028, but also looking at the now, recognizes that in order to build a stronger conservative coalitions, particularly if you want younger voters, you have got to address those pain points of the economic issues. So do you think that you're Michael and I are reading too much into a cheap fat joke or is there or is there something going on? I don't know about the there. I mean, what's going on there is that I think Republicans like J.D.

34:21Vance are worried and they rightly should be worried. There was a recent poll that came out. I think it was Reuters Ipsos that said for the first time, I think in months, if not years, Democrats are more trusted on the economy than Republicans. That's pretty surprising. Well, and so that's where you are seeing how the desperation of American families. That happened with immigration, too, which has always been a Republican strong point and always been a Trump strong point, especially after he basically shut down illegal immigration on the southern border because of Minnesota and these images we see.

34:55All right. Let me turn to something else. Now, my staff, thank you for indulging me. beautiful, loyal, brilliant staff. All right. The U.S. Attorney for D.C., Jeanine Pirro, is on thin ice with the White House. President Trump criticized her decision to drop charges against former Olympian David Hearn, who was accused of vandalizing the reflecting pool. Yesterday, President Trump said he had not decided whether or not he's going to fire her. But here's what the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, said today.

35:22Hypothetically, if the president chose to fire a United States attorney, it turns out he's allowed to do that because he's the president of the United States. The D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office's body of work, they are doing a phenomenal job. Now, does that mean that every case goes exactly the way that President Trump or I want or U.S. Attorney Pirro wants? I mean, of course not. It doesn't. So I think that what you've seen play out in the press with respect to President Trump and U.S. Attorney Pirro, it's all out there already. He's defending her in his way. Yeah, Look, I understand why this was a big deal for the president, particularly the political optics of it.

35:59But I think attorney Piro looks like it's a bullshit. I think she looked at the evidence and she went to the president with that giant box and said, look, Mr. President, I get it, but I can't send attorneys before a federal judge and just make up something. I just cannot do that. And I think the president may not always like some of those things. But as Todd made very clear, she has an obligation to not put the president and his administration in a bad predicament by trying to move forward with a case where the evidence isn't frankly there. So I see this differently. I see her as protecting the president in many ways by not moving forward with a case that just didn't have any legs.

36:35It's a little bit too late for that because her credibility is shot. And what's so ironic is I was on this air talking about this a couple of days ago and I said that she should be fired. The president agrees with me, but for completely different reasons, right? And the fact of the matter is judges have said they don't trust attorneys that come before them from the Department of Justice because they have all presented shoddy evidence. They don't trust these attorneys when they're saying this. What is that saying? But in this particular case, can we both agree the right decision was made here? Well, finally, but at the beginning, remember, she did a press conference talking about all the evidence and when it didn't exist.

37:13It made her look like a fool. Blanche said Trump is extraordinarily focused on making this country safe, and does that mean he's going to publicly and privately make sure that everybody in his government, not just DOJ, but everybody in his government is doing that, yes. I don't think the American people should look at that as some sort of threat to me or warning to me, making the argument that you just basically make. So he's taking a bigger view of what you just delineated. Yeah, and look, I think that is the correct view. Politics is complicated. We have, what, 90 days or so until a midterm election.

37:41The president sometimes wears his emotions on his sleeves. We know that. We talk about it a lot on this show. But again, she's been very loyal to him. I think you keep loyal people around who are going to make the right decisions to keep you in the best predicament. Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. One day after his explosive interview here on The Lead, hear what Republican Congressman Max Miller told CNN today about his political future. And Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards, hear what the House Ethics Committee calls substantial evidence of him repeatedly making unwanted advances for two of his female staffers.

38:13Plus, an online shocker and TikTok influencer shot dead during a live stream. The details on this one next.

38:25In our world-lead celebrity gossip blogger, Perez Hilton shocked fans when he appeared to harm himself on a TikTok livestream. Authorities received multiple calls from concerned viewers and were able to safely get Hilton to a local hospital in Miami. Meanwhile, Mexican authorities are investigating whether the livestreamed murder of a prominent TikTok influencer was a cartel-related execution. Police say the attack may have been related to his posts about criminal groups. CNN's Isabel Rosales has the details on a warning. Some of the content of this report is disturbing. This is 23-year-old Cesar Gastelum streaming live on the social media platform TikTok with two friends.

39:08They're all dressed as delivery drivers outside a fast food chain for what seems like a benign prank. Seconds later, this motorcycle stops near the group. The shooting took place in Culiacán, the capital of Mexico's Sinaloa state. Authorities there say Gastelum was killed in the incident and that a large police operation is underway. Gastelum had nearly 600 ,000 followers on TikTok and was known mostly for his comedy videos. Fellow social media star Alejandro Fierro was one of the two friends with Gastelum when he was shot. He'd been posting on his own Instagram ahead of the live stream and was among the first to pay tribute to Gastelum.

39:46In a powerful message, he said he couldn't make sense of it and was heartbroken. Castellum's case is not unique in Mexico. Little over a year ago, another influencer, Valeria Marquez, was also live streaming when a man entered her beauty salon, shooting and killing her live on social media moments later. Authorities said at a press conference they believe her murder was possibly linked to Ramón Ángel Álvarez, known as El R1, who was arrested last week in an unrelated drug case. He's the leader of Los R's, a criminal group linked to the Jalisco New Generation cartel. Mexico's attorney general's office said he has an attorney and has not been charged in connection with the murder.

40:31It's unknown if the cartels are behind Gastelum's assassination. Multiple groups are extremely active in Sinaloa. The actual perpetrators and, if applicable, the mastermind must be arrested. And the reason behind this tragic homicide must be uncovered. Isabel Rosales, CNN.

40:53Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, a behind-the-scenes scramble for Republican leaders tonight as they try to deal with serious allegations against multiple lawmakers in the Republican Party. Speaker Johnson dodging questions about Congressman Max Miller after his CNN interview as another Republican accused of truly bizarre and inappropriate behavior. Congressman Chuck Edwards drops his reelection bid, but keeps his job. And then there's the embattled Congressman Corey Mills, also under an ethics investigation. We're breaking down all of the latest details. Plus, a new chapter in the fight over the Epstein files.

41:28Today, New Mexico sued the Justice Department for not sharing the unredacted documents as it investigates a ranch that Epstein owned inside the state. New Mexico's attorney general joins me live ahead to discuss also the final votes are being tallied after a crucial election night, which saw the progressive pull out a narrow win in the Michigan Senate primary over the Democratic establishment. And now the general election is already heating up with new ads and some harsh words between the candidates.

41:56The lead tonight, serious allegations piling up against House Republican congressmen. Allegations that threaten to put the party's narrow majority at risk in November. Ohio Republican Congressman Max Miller told CNN in a phone call this afternoon he's not going anywhere as he faces even more pressure to drop his re-election bid after our extensive live interview last night. Miller defending his decision to keep campaigning in his Cleveland area district amid ugly abuse allegations from his ex-wife, Emily Marino, the daughter of Republican Senator Bernie Marino, also of Ohio. Those allegations emerged amid the Miller's divorce and custody dispute over their two and a half year old daughter.

42:34And Congressman Miller says the allegations are false. I then played Lauren Fox three separate audio videos, three separate audio videos of my daughter saying, I do not want to go to mommy's. I do not want mommy's and I do not feel safe. Your ex-wife stated to police that your child told her in the days leading up to the discovery of the injury, quote, daddy, kill you. Jake, I wish you could talk to my beautiful baby girl. She can't string together sentences like that. she's two and a half years old she doesn't have the ability to articulate any of what you just said that is an entire fabrication of the truth i have actual video actual documentation but didn't you just tell me that you just told me that she had said that she was scared to go to mommy's house she is and i have video of it but now you're saying that she's not capable of saying daddy kill you i mean it seems like she's either because able to say one but not the other that doesn't make sense.

43:36The reaction from Republicans last night was not overwhelmingly positive for Congressman Miller, to say the least. In texts to CNN, one GOP strategist said, I mean, what the absolute F was that? A GOP aide on Capitol Hill said, I had a feeling this wouldn't go well for him, but it's actually much worse than bad epic disaster. Brian Poindexter, who is Miller's Democratic opponent in November's general election, told CNN in a statement, quote, if all the allegations against Congress Miller prove to be true, Max Miller should be in jail, not worried about retaining a seat in Congress. Sources telling CNN that President Trump privately believes Miller cannot win re-election.

44:13But Miller says Trump only told him it would be a tough race, but did not explicitly say that he should drop out. Trump was asked about Miller again this morning. You can be commenting on Representative Miller. I hope he's able to work it out. I feel badly for him. Miller told me yesterday that Speaker Johnson is standing by him. Johnson finally broke his silence about these dire allegations against one of his members in an interview released this morning by Politico making mention of the House Ethics Committee investigation into Miller launched yesterday at Miller's own request. I think what Max is suggesting there is that I've been intellectually consistent, always have, since before I became Speaker and certainly over the last almost three years.

44:58This applies equally to Republicans and Democrats. We don't take disciplinary action against members for allegations. Will you tell him to drop out? No, I will tell Max what I tell everyone. These are serious allegations. We have to allow this process to play out. It's just begun. Next, there is North Carolina Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards, who, while you were sleeping in the dead of night at 3.32 a.m. Eastern, announced on social media, quote, after much prayer and reflection, I've decided to withdraw from my reelection campaign. I will complete my current term. A Twitter post that made no mention of the House ethics investigation into Edwards that concluded on Monday with a report that found Congressman Edwards created or fostered a quote, hostile work environment by failing to adhere to the spirit of rules prohibiting sexual harassment of and unwanted advances to House staffers.

45:50He did so, the report said, with quote, persistent, unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers in his office. The current and former staff members in Edwards' office who spoke to the committee say they felt these two women were treated differently while creating an environment where they and their colleagues were uncomfortable. Edwards showered them with lavish gifts, designer purses, jewelry, guns, a robotic vacuum, a KitchenAid mixer. In interviews with the committee, the women named specific interactions with Edwards that in their view went beyond the pale, invites to private dinners, late night personal texts, and in one case, a conversation about strip joints in Washington, D.C.

46:32The congressman had brought one woman on a trip to New York City for a political event where they stayed an extra day for his birthday, quote, for which he had planned a helicopter ride, dinner, and a Broadway show, unquote. The congressman brought the same woman to a White House holiday party and asked her which flowers she preferred. She said she was, quote, quote, okay, without flowers, thank you. He proceeded to buy her flowers anyway. The congressman was apparently having quite the holiday season. Just a few days later, he offered in a text message to his second female staffer to, quote, skip votes to help her decorate her Christmas tree, to give him, quote, the opportunity to spend a little more time with her.

47:09That staffer told the committee that the congressman arranged for a singer to serenade her at a birthday party with an Ed Sheeran song, leading her to tell a friend she didn't think the congressman saw her as just a daughter figure and that she was, quote, scared, low key. The Ethics Committee also points out that its investigation was not the first time the women's concerns had been brought to him. A senior staffer testified that she had spoken to the congressman about his behavior on behalf of both of the women back in May 2025, after which the committee received evidence. The congressman began blaming other staffers for getting in the way of his relationships with the two women.

47:47The congressman had also deleted many of the messages that the committee says were central to its investigation, although he had voluntarily produced others. For example, the congressman was not able to provide his version of this photograph of the 30 pints of ice cream he sent to one of the female staffers' homes one night. Quote, a little something that I once heard might help cheer one up, unquote. Congressman denies his behavior was intended as sexual or romantic advances, according to the report, which also found no evidence that he'd actually engaged in sexual activity with either of the women.

48:19Spokesman for Edwards' campaign says the committee's finding, quote, completely exonerate Representative Edwards under the House rules governing sexual misconduct or harassment, unquote, and that its conclusion showed the congressman, quote, did not violate federal sexual harassment law, unquote, as a result of his actions, which led to both of these women ultimately choosing to end their careers in the House. The committee is now recommending the congressman be censured. Hear with me now, Congresswoman Teresa Ledger Fernandez from New Mexico. She's the chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus. Congresswoman, Congressman Edwards no longer running for re-election.

48:57His staff, you heard them say that he's now been exonerated. You believe that the censure idea doesn't go far enough. Why not? All a censure is, is you stand on the floor of the House and the censure is read aloud and then that's it. These two women suffered years of sexual harassment. Yes, it came with gifts and blue and pink handguns, but they've lost their jobs. And I think Representative Edwards needs to lose his job as well. And he should resign. And we should, if he doesn't resign, force a vote so that he will be expelled. And this is one of the issues that I have raised needs to be fixed in our ethics process, because, as you know, I'm leading the effort to reform the sexual harassment and the culture of sexual harassment in Congress right now.

49:52I want to turn to Republican Congressman Max Miller. Your statement called his and his team's behavior in the last few days bizarre and unnerving. and the accusations against him. Textbook examples of abuse. This is against his ex-wife, allegedly, not staffers. Congressman Miller denies the accusations. He says he's staying in his reelection race. Tell me what you think about all this. So we have a pattern of abuse that Max Miller has clearly engaged in. That kind of domestic abuse is often preceded by abuse. But there's a difference between whether you should be criminally charged, what's happening in your marriage, and whether you should continue to serve in Congress.

50:38Serving in Congress is an incredible privilege. And somebody who is the accusations and allegations, not just by one, but three different women, your father-in-law calling you to step down, Republican senators calling for you to step down and resign, you should step down and resign. and he should. Listen, I have called for Democrats to step down, to resign, or to be expelled. Graham Plattner, Eric Swalwell, as well as Republicans. I'm the one who brought the expulsion motion so that we could remove Tony Gonzalez. I think that men like this don't deserve to serve in Congress. And we do not have the process right now to be able to force that.

51:22That's some of the reform I'm working on. But in the meantime, he should have the decency of resigning. You heard earlier Politico ask Speaker Johnson if, as he always says, and Johnson is right, he's very consistent, he says he's going to let the process play out in reference to the ethics investigation. And earlier this year, he and other House Republican leaders did call on Gonzalez to drop his reelection bid the same week that a House Ethics Committee investigation was launched into an affair, Gonzalez, acknowledged she'd had with a staffer who later took her own life. So even though he says he's been consistent on the Gonzalez issue, it's not really true.

52:06Well, Speaker Johnson is just worried about his margins. And that's why we need to take politics out of this and say, what is right and what is wrong? And in this instance, the American public, we are sick and tired of men of power abusing women and not believing the women, right? It is no longer the case like it was with Trump in 2016. Since then, the Epstein files, those amazing survivors have woken up America to say, we are sick and tired of powerful men abusing women, and we're going to call a stop to it. And we need, you know, Johnson needs to recognize that this process isn't going to work in time, because an ethics investigation, sadly, takes too long.

52:47And there will be a blackout period where after about September 4th, the ethics committee will not release any information or any findings. So that is clever by far on Max Miller saying, let's let the ethics process work out. Well, it won't work out before November, and it might not even work out before the end of the year. So we need to act. And I'm hoping that the American public, by listening to what's happening here, to seeing Max Miller himself, Max Miller is pretty damning when he speaks, right? And that we say, no, enough. And I think public outrage goes a long way. And I am outweighed and I think the American public is too.

53:30So thinking about Congressman Edwards and how he seemed to think he was quite the Romeo, I was reminded of a similar incident that happened back in 2018 with a Congressman Murphy of Pennsylvania who also wrote a letter to a staffer suggesting that he thought she was his soulmate or something like that. And I want to play something for you that CNN's Caitlin Collins, who was only 25 at the time, it was eight years ago, said to me on our show, her message to members of Congress and similar ilk. Let this just be a message to all of the grown men out there that the younger women who work for you do not want to date you.

54:10They do not want to be your soulmate. They do not want to go to ice cream with you. They do not want to be your partner. And when they start dating someone else, you cannot get angry with them for that and try to pay them money to cover it up. That is just a lesson. I should not have to say that to people. I'm a 25 year old woman. I shouldn't have to say that to anyone that when a woman goes to work, they don't want to date their boss. She shouldn't have had to say it then and we shouldn't have had to replay it again today. But why is what's going on on Capitol Hill where all these deluded old men think these young women want to date them?

54:41it's ridiculous because these are brilliant young women whether you're a republican or democrat you go there because you have a belief right you have a belief in whatever your values are whether the democrat or republican you want to work on you know reform tax reform or the environment they are there to do a job and men and women there are a couple of instances right there was a woman who after a woman congresswoman who was forced to resign, should do their job. It is not a dating fool. And we cannot let the smart young women and men who work on Capitol Hill be abused in this manner. And that's why we need to make sure that there are actual consequences.

55:21I am proposing that if there is an ethics investigation that comes out, that you don't just have a censure, but that A vote is triggered. You should lose your committee assignments. There should be a vote if it's extreme like it was for Gonzalez and Swalwell as to whether you should be expelled. And that is the due process. We do need due process. And the ethics committee serves in that role. But this is not a place where you need to go and find your soulmate. This is a place where you're supposed to go and serve the public. And it is in the public good for you to behave. New Mexico Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez, chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus.

56:00Thank you so much. Appreciate your time. You heard the Democratic argument, but how will Republicans deal with this mess inside their own house? Are there ongoing talks about forcing any of these House Republicans to resign? I will ask a Republican congressman not accused of anything, I should note. That's next. Plus, there's a new investigation tonight into how a commercial plane full of passengers got too close to the military helicopter carrying President Trump. Those details ahead.

56:31And we're back in the politics lead. Republican Senator Bernie Marino of Ohio is reacting to our interview yesterday with his former son-in-law, Congressman Max Miller, Republican of Ohio, about the accusation that he abused Marino's daughter, Emily. Miller denies the claims, which have become increasingly more public throughout their custody battle and divorce. I wish he cared about figuring out how to solve his family issues as much as he cares about his political career. This has obviously been atrocious. You know, someday we're all going to have to explain this to this little girl, what happened.

57:08Hopefully she understands it had nothing to do with her. Why do you care so much about this job? I would give up everything in my life for that little girl. And I just wish that he felt the exact same way. Let's talk about this with House Republican Nebraska's Congressman Mike Flood joins me now. Congressman, let me start by saying that I know nothing about you that, you know, disqualifies you in any way. And I'm sorry that I'm asking you about your colleagues who have all sorts of controversies. But you're always game to take a question and we're always interested in your point of view. Your colleague, Congressman Miller, says he's not going anywhere in his reelection race or in his job.

57:45What do you think? Is that wise? Now we just lost Congressman Flood after I said all those nice things. Bad situation for everyone involved. We're breaking to see a two-year-old being caught in the middle of this. We lost you, and now you're back. I was a family law attorney for more years than I care to remember. I have been in courtrooms. I have offended clients that have been trying to get their custody. I have helped mothers that have been victims of domestic violence. I rewrote the law in Nebraska on divorce, pushing mediation over confrontation in court. What I'm really sad about is it's heartbreaking to see a two-year-old being caught in the middle of such a public dispute.

58:26And I would imagine both parents in this situation can't stand that because what's really important right now in the Miller family is that two-year-old daughter that is caught in the middle of this. And as Americans, we have to acknowledge that these confrontations happen in courtrooms and at apartments and homes and police deal with stuff like this all the time. But that's why we have a court system. That's why you can't get in front of a jury in Nebraska. This decision's made by a judge, and I'm sure it's the same in the state of Ohio. So I think this process has to play out. I think it's heartbreaking to watch.

59:03Max is a colleague. I met his wife that he's now divorced at the beginning of orientation. I enjoy dinner with them. I enjoy talking to them. but I can tell you this belongs in the ethics committee. Do you hear me? Because I was having trouble talking to you a second ago and I think I need to talk to your governor about broadband in Nebraska. Can you hear me, sir?

59:30I can now hear you. Did something happen there? No, if you can hear me now, that's fine. You can hear me now?

59:40I think we're going to. I can hear you. I can hear you. All right. I'm just going to ask you one more. I don't know what's going on with the broadband, like I said. Speaker Johnson says he wants the ethics committee to let the process play out. As you know, that can take a very, very long time. It can take months. We just saw Congressman Chuck Edwards. That took months, even years. The investigation to Congressman Corey Mills is still ongoing. He's facing allegations of assault and that he threatened to release sexually explicit images of an ex-girlfriend. There's a judge's order in that case.

1:00:15He denies wrongdoing. Should there be more pressure put on your colleagues who are distracting from what you would rather talk about, like no tax on tips or whatever? I mean, I understand you want the process to play out in a court of law, but shouldn't there be a higher standard for the behavior of members of Congress? I mean, that's what the congresswoman that we were just talking to said, that whether or not you're guilty or innocent in a court of law, it should be a higher standard to be a member of Congress.

1:00:53Well, I think it is a higher standard as a member of Congress. I think the question that you're really posing is, does the system move fast enough to deal with allegations like this? And I know the members of the Republicans on the Ethics Committee, and I know some of the Democrats that are on there as well. And it is a really hard committee to serve on. Michael Guest from Mississippi. Good job, but you've got to go through the process. Can it be sped up? I'm not aware of the process enough to know if it can be sped up. But I do know that, you know, removing somebody from Congress, removing somebody from their committees is a pretty major action that can be.

1:01:36In their district on both sides, when I've been presented with these issues, when it involves a Democrat, you need to know I was one of four members of the House that chose not to censure a Democrat because the ethics committee hadn't rendered a decision. So I'm I'm that doesn't answer the public's question as to why it doesn't go faster. If there's a way to move this along a little bit faster and some due process rights so that members can present evidence and they can confront some of the evidence that's been raised against them. I think that's a good idea. All right. Nebraska Republican Congressman Mike Flood, thank you so much.

1:02:17all those tens of billions of dollars that taxpayers spend on broadband and what the hell's going on? Iran says there are no negotiations happening with the U.S. right now, despite President Trump's claims that, quote, very good discussions are underway. Amid the back and forth, Iran reportedly also is executing dozens of people for protesting against the regime. It is a horrific tragedy. Is there any way to stop it? That's next.

1:02:49In our world lead, executions and death sentences handed down by the Iranian regime. The United Nations says at least 56 people have been executed in Iran on what are called national security related charges since March 19th. 27 of those cases, according to the UN, were linked to the anti-regime civilian protests earlier this year. Human rights groups believe that Tehran has ramped up the executions under the cover of conflict. Let's say the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding signed in June omitted anti-human rights protections, which has allowed Iran to intensify crackdowns and executions.

1:03:25Here to discuss is a familiar face, Iranian-American journalist and activist Masi Alinajad. Masi, what's your reaction to this in general? We're going to get into some of the specific individuals in a second. To be honest, very heartbroken, because I'm in touch with a lot of people inside Iran, the relative of those who have been executed. They cannot believe that the whole world stopped talking about them, because the execution machine is still working, never sleeps. But as you see, barely media leaders, international community, talk about the mass executions. You remember yourself that President Trump said that the Islamic Republic promised him to stop executing protesters.

1:04:14That was a big lie. And now it is it's it's beyond sad that teenagers are being hanged in public. And there is no TV inside Iran, no media inside Iran talking about the concern of the family members who are actually waiting for their beloved one to be executed very soon. Human rights officials say Iran publicly executed two men last week. The Iranian regime claims that the men were involved in the killing of four police officers during last year's anti-government riots. You say a third man was supposed to be executed that same day, but wasn't. Tell me about these three men. Yes. Amir Hussain, you just showed the picture.

1:04:54It's very heartbreaking. He had a disability as well. He was a young protester who demanded freedom. But what happened to him, they arrested him. They forced him to confess to crime that he never committed. And he was not alone. He was with Abul Fazer Sepahi. Both of them, Jake, were hanged in public. Yes, in 21st century, they actually brought the crowd, people, to watch them being hanged. And what breaks my heart, they brought their family members. Instead of giving them privacy, they brought them in public. They forced them watching their beloved one being hanged while they kicked the chair and they killed them.

1:05:42The family members, the mothers were standing right there. Yes, Ali Reza, the cousin of Abul Fasipahi, before walking him.

1:05:56Yeah, it's OK. I understand. Before walking him to be executed, he got heart attack. And they rushed him to hospital, not because they wanted to save him, but to actually keep him alive, to hang him. And his mother and his sister wrote on their Instagram that they wish they never get well, or they even wish that he was dead in January because they cannot see their beloved one being hanged. I cannot believe, Jake, that I'm talking about public hanging in 21st century on your show. And this is happening. And forget about, like, you know, the brutality and the barbarism in Iran. What actually breaks my heart, that that became like a new normal.

1:06:51And the Western leaders do not even talk about it. I'm sure that President Trump, yeah, he shared a picture of Irfan Isfandiari and Gul Mohammadi, Afghan citizen who was in Iran. His crime was literally keeping, like opening a door for those protesters who were running away from security forces. For showing such compassion, they both were executed. But President Trump shared their picture after when they were executed. it. I want him and I want every single leaders who hear me share the stories of those who are waiting to be hanged, who are on the death row. And there are dozens of them, Jack.

1:07:31If I have time, I really want to name them. I want to tell their story because to me, this is not about politics. This is not about right wing and left wing. This is not about Republican and Democrat. This is about people, teenagers, who are literally begging the rest of the world to hear their voices to save their lives because they don't want to be hanged. Masi, Alina Jan, we will have you back and you'll tell some more stories. But can I name at least one of them? Sherwin is only 17 years old. He is in prison. He received death sentence and he was forced on TV when he asked the interrogator what is Mohareb means.

1:08:07He didn't even know what Mohareb means. The interrogator said, waging war against God and you deserve to be killed. Sherwin is only 17 years old and he is asking for help. Everyone listening to this shared a story and help him and demand the Islamic Republic to stop hanging innocent protesters. Thank you so much, Jake. Masi, you post it again on your Twitter page and I will retweet it and our people will and everybody watching will retweet it as well. Thank you. You're always giving voice to voiceless people. I really appreciate that. Thank you, Masi. We'll be right back.

1:08:47Our law and justice lead Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general in jeopardy. Blanche can only afford to lose one additional Republican Senate vote. Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana remain undecided. Here's Senator Cassidy earlier today. I've got to be convinced that he is an attorney general who just happens to have once been President Trump's personal attorney as opposed to President Trump's personal attorney who is now the attorney general. I am very concerned about so-called lawfare, people being prosecuted, not for a valid reason, beyond somebody in high office being angry at them.

1:09:31Manu Raju is on Capitol Hill. And Manu, Blanche has already lost the vote of Susan Collins of Maine. Cassidy and Murkowski just met with Blanche. What happened? Yeah, it's more than an hour long in the basement of the Capitol. As I was outside that meeting, I caught up with both Murkowski and Cassidy right after they left that meeting with Todd Blanche. They both steadfastly refused to say how they would come down, what they were thinking, whether they were torn, whether they were undecided, simply saying that they had no comment. They did, Lisa Murkowski did indicate It was a, quote, good conversation.

1:10:09Cassidy called it a thorough discussion, but he would not express those same concerns that he expressed earlier or whether or not those concerns were alleviated. Both of them, of course, can be difficult votes for the president, particularly Senator Lisa Murkowski, who has broken with the president time and time again, someone who is often difficult to pin down. So it's uncertain where she may come down. Bill Cassidy, since he lost his primary earlier this year to a Trump-backed primary foe, he has been a thorn in the side of the president at times, Jake, but then he's often fallen in line, and the Republican leadership is betting that ultimately one of them will and that Blanche will get the job by week's end.

1:10:47Manu Raju, thanks so much. Concerns about Blanche go way beyond Capitol Hill, of course. New Mexico's attorney general is now suing Blanche and the Trump Justice Department, accusing them of stonewalling the state's Epstein investigation by refusing to hand over the DOJ's unredacted files on Epstein. The lawsuit is backed by multiple Epstein survivors who are demanding accountability. Now, New Mexico, as you may remember, they've been investigating allegations of illegal activity surrounding Epstein's property in New Mexico, known as the Zorro Ranch. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torres joins us now.

1:11:20General Torres, the state's investigation was brought up during Blanche's Senate confirmation hearing last month. Take a listen. Will you and your team continue to cooperate with the New Mexico Department of Justice and help it get the information it needs? Yes, we're continuing to work with them, and yes. Is Blanche lying? Well, Jake, the question implicated this idea that they're going to continue to cooperate with us. The truth is they've never cooperated with us. What we've heard from Todd Blanche, from Jay Clayton, and from others are these public representations to members of Congress and to the public that they're going to cooperate with our investigation.

1:12:07The fact is it's been 173 days since we first sent in our request to then Deputy Attorney General Blanche. We've requested at no less than 10 separate times to be given access to the unredacted Epstein files, the complete universe of files, so that we can advance our criminal investigation. He hasn't kept his word to members of Congress. He hasn't kept his word to the state of New Mexico. And that's why we filed the suit today in district court in the District of Columbia. But just to be precise about this, because lying to Congress is obviously illegal. He was asked, Blanche was asked, will you and your team continue to cooperate with the New Mexico Department of Justice and help the New Mexico Department of Justice get the information it needs.

1:12:50And he said, yes, we're continuing to work with them. And yes, is it true that they are continuing to work with you? It sounds like they've never worked with you. That's right, Jake. They've never worked with us. What has happened is we went to them discreetly. We asked for this information as a law enforcement agency. It's a very common practice for us to reach out to federal prosecutors and investigators and ask for the kinds of investigative files that are at issue here. They directed us to the District of New Mexico, which was odd. I will tell you, I'm a former federal prosecutor. I worked in that office and I knew full well that they didn't have the whole range of files that we were looking for.

1:13:34Nevertheless, we complied with their request. We went through the TUI process. We submitted a very particularized set of requests because As Zorro Ranch comes up over 13 ,000 times in the Epstein Transparency Act files, the problem is that most of those files are redacted. And so our investigators can't make use of them. And so, you know, the bottom line is they're not cooperating. They're stonewalling this investigation. And that's why we had to take legal action today. I'm just stunned because you're suggesting that he lied to Congress when he said that, you know, under oath. In a statement to CNN, the Justice Department said that they're not required to share the unreducted files and that victims' privacy outweighs the request.

1:14:15The DOJ also said, quote, New Mexico has provided no lawful basis to justify such sweeping disclosures. What's your response? Well, first, we've given them ample explanations for the status and the nature of our ongoing criminal investigation and how the information that they have will help us point in the direction of potentially co-conspirators, corroborating information, witnesses, and other evidence. With respect to hiding behind the privacy rights and interests of Epstein survivors, those same survivors came out today and called that excuse laughable. I agree with them. It's really just a smokescreen.

1:14:58At the end of the day, Todd Blanche has the authority to grant this access with a stroke of the pen. He was refusing to do it. And we are going to go to court and have our opportunity to argue to a judge to have them explain exactly why they continue to withhold this critical information. We're out of time. I'm taking a risk, but I would love just a yes or no answer on this. Is Todd Blanche in the Justice Department? Are they protecting pedophiles? At this point, they're not supporting survivors, and their obstruction is not helpful, and it's not enhancing the ongoing work that we have here in New Mexico.

1:15:33New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torres, thanks for stopping by. We appreciate it. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed may have just won his party's Senate nomination in Michigan, but that does not mean that other Michigan Democrats are necessarily rushing to endorse him. Will the party unite behind this controversial candidate? That's next.

1:15:54When I watch Abdul, he's full of shit.

1:16:03Wow, a little in-kind contribution for the El-Sayed campaign from President Trump. Colorful language from the President of the United States just moments ago. Reacting to Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive in Michigan, winning the Democratic primary in the U.S. Senate race. Let's jump right in with the panel. Let me just also take one moment to acknowledge that Mike Rogers versus Abdul Al-Sayed is the first CNN commentator on CNN commentator Senate primary in the history of the United States, as far as I know. As far as I know, both of them former CNN. I learn something new every day. Isn't that interesting?

1:16:35That's interesting. I had my staff go and see, like, were they ever on my panel at the same time? No, I don't think that's ever. Too much to hope for. Dismissed as coincidence? Jonah, today, Vice President Vance raised the prospect of El-Sayed running for president in 2028. Take a listen. The next administration, whoever, you know, God forbid you're going to have President El-Sayed in three years. We don't want him to undo all the incredible work that we've been doing when we've been taking out the fraudsters and saving the American people. They must be happy that they have a replacement for AOC that is not as loved as AOC, at least as of now.

1:17:18Yeah, no, I mean, I think he's, they're going to make him a national figure. Stevens, Haley Stevens, you know, his opponent in the primary, accused him of this kind of ambition from the beginning. So it's one of these things that was basically introduced by a Democratic primary opponent. And the Republicans are happy to pick it up and turn him into a boogeyman. And the thing is, is that Al-Sayed seems happy to cooperate with that. So we're going to he's going to be the new sort of face of the Democratic Party for a lot of Republicans. So we should note that he is the primary victor, but he did not win more than 50 percent.

1:17:54That's right. Of the of the Democratic electorate in Michigan because Haley Stevens was just a point or two behind him. And then there was like four percent that went to a different Democratic candidate who had already dropped out. But he has some work to do to unite the Democratic Party in Michigan and then to reach out and get independence. Is that a tall order, do you think? It is a tall order. There are about 800 ,000 voters that didn't vote for him that he is going to need to bring together. Because as you might remember, the last time that Mike Rogers ran, that was a very close race. Yes, Trump was on the ballot.

1:18:28and the environment is very different now for Democrats in terms of there's anti-incumbent sentiment and anti-established sentiment. And Trump is establishment now. He has 33 percent approval rating in a place like Michigan, and it is not helpful for him to be campaigning. I wouldn't think it wouldn't be helpful for him to campaign with Mike Rogers right now. But I do think he has to do work with the 800 ,000. How is he going to bring them over? The other thing is independence. You'll notice that in his speech, he talked about the auto workers. He is one thing that I think that the Democratic Party and al-Sayed are going to lean into are the fact that tariffs have really hurt Michigan and have really hurt manufacturing jobs.

1:19:09And so I do think that in terms of his message moving forward in the economy, he's going to need to have that economic message that he sort of promised. He has these taglines. Some of it is economic, but he's going to have to lean into the economy if he's going to want to gain those independents. He seems more populist than Mike Rogers. And populism in Michigan is a good play. Yeah, look, I definitely think he can win. Right. Trump's unpopularity is a real headwind and all that. Still, if you look at the demographics of Haley Stevens versus the demographics of Abdul Syed, I would rather the general election candidate have her demographics than his demographics.

1:19:51African-Americans, etc. She overperformed with African-Americans. She overperformed with non-college educated working class people. He overperformed with the barista socialist sort of white overeducated kids. and with Arab and Muslim voters, but there's a ceiling on how many Arab and Muslim voters there are in Michigan. They're not that big a block. And if you can't pull in the kinds of voters that Stevens attracted, that is going to be representative of a real headwind for him. And it's not a good sign that he didn't invite her to sort of participate in his victory rally today as a unify the party kind of thing.

1:20:31I think he's got real problems. So President Trump had something to say about Al-Sayed's challenge with Jewish voters, given his campaigning with Hassan Piker and some of the other things he said. He's a harsh critic of Israel, et cetera. Here's President Trump in Nevada. And now he's going around saying, no, I love everybody, I love, he doesn't love everybody. Put him in office, you're gonna find out what he loves. He doesn't love Israel. He doesn't love Jewish people. He hates them. It's gonna be, you're gonna hear that a thousand times from now until November. Yeah, and he's going to need to regain trust when it comes to Jewish voters.

1:21:11I will say he needs to stop campaigning with Hassan Piker. That needs to happen. I think Hassan Piker was one of his closers. It wasn't just that one time on the college campuses. And I think he is a vulnerability. And if we're looking at moving, like, 2028 moving forward, I think anyone who is campaigning with him, I think it's a massive vulnerability. I do think there is a separate issue of money in the race, And I think that it is fair that maybe one organization should not be spending$30 million against a candidate. That part, I understand. The Hassan Piker piece, I do not. We were talking about this a second ago.

1:21:44Michelle Goldberg of The New York Times did an interview with him in which she asked El Syed about the Congresswoman Skolten's legitimate concerns about him campaigning with Hassan Piker. And he really, honestly, he seemed to dismiss it. Yeah, look, I think he lives in a bubble. He's one of these guys, fish don't know they're wet. he's very comfortable on very left-wing college campus audiences and he thinks that's who the electorate is and it's not. All right, Sochi and Jonah, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. We'll be right back.

1:22:17International lead investigations are underway into how a commercial jet full of passengers got too close to the military helicopter carrying President Trump yesterday. Planes at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport are typically halted when the president lifts off from the White House in Marine One, but air traffic continued for a couple minutes afterward, according to a CNN review of air traffic control audio. Aaron Burnett out front starts now. I'll see you tomorrow.

1:22:48Go inside the sports moments that brought us together and made history. From the underdogs to the rivalries and the miracles. It sends chills down your spine. It's what sport was all about. The new CNN original series, Decades in Sports, now streaming on the CNN app.