In short
The episode focuses on the FBI investigation into the alleged assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, including new evidence and a reported online confession. It also covers political fallout over alleged internet radicalization and heightened security concerns for lawmakers, plus separate news on U.S. strikes against alleged Venezuelan drug-cartel vessels, and Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks.
Guests (backgrounds)
- John Miller, CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst; former FBI Deputy Director Andy McCabe.
- Ambassador Ivo Daldor, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO; senior fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center.
- Professor Rachel Van Laningham, retired U.S. Air Force JAG officer; co-associate dean at Southwestern Law School.
- Congressman Mike Lawler, New York Republican.
- (Also featured: CNN’s Danny Freeman from Utah; CNN national security correspondent Natasha Bertrand; plus on-air discussion with other political guests.)
Key claims
- Tyler Robinson (22) allegedly confessed in a Discord chat before surrendering; FBI Director Kash Patel says DNA links Robinson to the gun/towel and screwdriver.
- Patel previously tweeted a suspect was in custody, then walked it back.
- Trump claims political violence is driven more by the left and says the shooter was radicalized online.
- Debate over whether U.S. lethal strikes on cartel-linked boats are legally justified.
- Kremlin says no progress on U.S.-Russia-Ukraine talks; Ambassador Daldor argues negotiations are unlikely.
Notable examples
- Discord messages referencing “UVU,” DNA on a towel wrapped around the rifle, and a recovered deleted note.
- Incendiary device found under a Fox TV van in Salt Lake City.
- Trump’s reported second strike on a Venezuelan boat carrying cocaine/fentanyl.
- Russia drone strikes reaching NATO-member Poland; discussion of a possible NATO no-fly zone over Ukraine.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VODetails of the Charlie Kirk Assassination
0:40 to 2:42
Discussion on the alleged confession of Charlie Kirk's assassin.
“A message reportedly from the suspected assassin in the Charlie Kirk murder.”
Political Violence and Reactions
2:47 to 3:45
Exploring the political implications of the assassination and Trump's comments.
“I was telling the world what the FBI was doing as we were doing, and I'm continuing to do that.”
Investigation Updates on the Suspect
3:52 to 5:48
Updates on the investigation into Tyler Robinson and his motive.
“Chilling new messages revealed by The Washington Post about the suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination.”
Community Reactions and Mourning
5:48 to 7:16
Community reactions to the assassination and insights into the suspect's background.
“According to the governor, Robinson moved very far left in recent years.”
Insights from Law Enforcement Experts
7:16 to 9:11
Expert analysis on the investigation and potential motives.
“much let's bring in john miller who is cnn's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst and former FBI Deputy Director Andy McCain.”
Increasing Security Concerns
9:11 to 14:00
Discussion on rising security concerns following the assassination.
“In fact, Jake, one of the big intelligence gaps here in the picture is where did he go from being the kid that his family knew to being the individual who was behind that rifle, allegedly, last week?”
Addressing Crime in Major Cities
14:00 to 15:21
Discussion on crime in St. Louis and Chicago and FBI efforts.
“You've floated potentially going into St.”
Radicalization and the Internet
15:21 to 16:05
Exploring the role of the internet in radicalizing individuals.
“to your FBI is investigating the potential role of left wing organizations in the assassination.”
Narcotics and Maritime Operations
16:05 to 18:01
Details on intercepted Venezuelan boats and drug trafficking.
“It looks like he was radicalized over the internet and it's radicalized on the left.”
Parental Responsibility in Monitoring Youth
18:01 to 19:16
Discussion on the importance of parents monitoring their children's internet use.
“But maybe by talking about it a little bit, it won't happen.”
Show all 36 chapters
Federal Response to Crime in Chicago
19:16 to 21:03
President Trump discusses potential federal intervention in Chicago.
“And they're meeting kids online who they think are kids and they can be anywhere in the world and talking to them.”
Economic Implications of Social Media
21:03 to 22:56
Discussing the impact of TikTok and youth engagement in politics.
“It's been a great tune with TikTok, for example.”
Military Actions Against Drug Cartels
22:56 to 24:23
Analysis of U.S. military strikes against alleged drug cartel vessels.
“And, you know, I think that'll confirm things up.”
Legal Authority and Military Strikes
24:23 to 28:06
Examining the legality of U.S. military strikes against non-state actors.
“and whether they could know for sure who was operating that boat and whether they were, in fact, even members of a drug cartel.”
Legal Justifications for Military Action Against Terrorism
28:06 to 30:05
Explore the legal frameworks regarding U.S. military actions against organizations labeled as terrorists.
“Obviously, we discussed a lot of issues like this during the Obama years when he increased the use of drones to strike individuals like Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born, I believe he was, al-Qaeda cleric.”
The State of U.S.-Russia Relations
30:05 to 31:37
Examine the stagnation in negotiations between the U.S. and Russia following the Trump-Putin summit.
“Also in our world league, it's been exactly 30 days since the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.”
The Need for NATO's Defensive Measures
31:37 to 34:34
Discuss the implications of establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine in response to threats from Russia.
“I think the mistake, original mistake, was made by President Trump to invite Vladimir Putin to come to the United States to meet him with the red carpet on U.S.”
Trump's Comments on the Charlie Kirk Assassination
34:34 to 35:09
Analyze President Trump's remarks regarding the suspect in the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
“Moments ago at the White House, we heard President Trump speak about the suspect in that horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk.”
Political Fallout from the Assassination
35:36 to 39:24
Investigate the diverse political reactions and discussions surrounding the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
“Initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy.”
Consequences of Political Commentary
39:24 to 42:00
Explore the ramifications for public figures making controversial statements in the wake of violence.
“or the words that you like or the opinions that you like.”
The Consequences of Political Violence
42:00 to 44:21
Exploration of the reactions to the political climate following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
“Yes, not consequences in terms of firing.”
Debate on Political Rhetoric and Accountability
44:35 to 51:08
Discussion on the responsibility of politicians to use language carefully and the impact of rhetoric on violence.
“We're turning to our politics lead at long last.”
Security Concerns in Wake of Violence
51:08 to 56:00
Insight into the security measures being discussed in Congress after recent political violence.
“And I would just implore all of my colleagues, and yes, Republicans right now are in the majority.”
Security Measures for Lawmakers
56:00 to 57:18
Learn about the plans being developed to enhance security for members of Congress following recent violence.
“And what exactly is the plan to help secure 435 members of the House, 100 senators, and most of these members do not have security details?”
Political Violence and Rhetoric
57:18 to 59:31
Discussing the role of political rhetoric in inciting violence, particularly from right-wing figures.
“He said he had no issue, no fault for Donald Trump at all.”
Condemning Political Violence
59:31 to 1:03:20
Congressman Jason Crow calls for bipartisan condemnation of political violence and highlights dangerous rhetoric.
“Justice, Homeland Security and throughout this government to identify, disrupt, dismantle and destroy these networks and make America safe again.”
Gun Violence Crisis in America
1:03:20 to 1:04:40
Exploring the epidemic of gun violence in America and discussing potential policy responses.
“There was a school shooting in your home state of Colorado, Evergreen High School, less than an hour after Charlie Kirk's assassination.”
Trump's Upcoming Visit to the UK
1:04:40 to 1:08:45
Insights into President Trump's scheduled state visit to the UK amidst political controversies.
“Just days after these massive anti-immigration protests in London over the weekend, President Trump is now headed to the UK.”
Manhunt for Homicide Suspect
1:08:45 to 1:10:00
Details on the ongoing manhunt for a suspect involved in a domestic homicide case in New York.
“Caitlin Collins, her show before she travels to London with President Trump.”
Manhunt for Suspect Anthony Beechand
1:10:00 to 1:11:54
Learn about the ongoing manhunt for Anthony Beechand and police efforts to locate him.
“They are looking for 53-year-old Anthony Beechand.”
Potential Media Merger Insights
1:11:54 to 1:14:44
Explore the implications of a potential merger involving major media companies.
“Coming up, the possible bid that could be in the works right now that could upend the media business and the news business and the entertainment business and have an impact right here at CNN.”
Political Reactions to Charlie Kirk's Assassination
1:14:44 to 1:17:49
Discuss the differing political responses to the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
“And if you remember, the last time CNN was sold, when AT &T bought it, it was held up by the Trump administration for almost a year in litigation.”
Addressing Political Violence and Rhetoric
1:17:49 to 1:24:00
Delve into the rising political violence and the rhetoric surrounding it in today's politics.
“And I'm sorry to all of my conservative friends who knew Charlie.”
Discussion on Hate and Influence
1:24:00 to 1:25:52
Explore the factors contributing to hate in individuals and societal influences.
“Have we really forgotten what the hell the Nazis actually did?”
Vaccine Mandates and Public Health
1:25:52 to 1:29:05
Analysis of the implications of ending vaccine mandates in Florida.
“Just moments after a measles outbreak, what a top health official in Texas fears most.”
Consequences of Vaccine Mistrust
1:29:05 to 1:30:19
Understanding the impact of political influence on vaccine confidence.
“Kennedy Jr., is doing a lot and has been for decades to undermine confidence in vaccines.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00That refresh you've been putting off until the right deal came along? It's here! Wayfair's Black Friday in July sale is happening now, so you can finally get the style you've been waiting for for less. Get up to 80 % off area rugs and up to 60 % off outdoor and bedroom furniture. Shop Wayfair's huge selection of styles and find the piece to fit your style, budget, and space. Plus, free shipping! Black Friday in July ends July 27th. Shop today at Wayfair.com. Wayfair, every style, every home. Did Charlie Kirk's killer confess in a Discord chat? The lead starts right now. Quote, I'm sorry for all this.
0:42A message reportedly from the suspected assassin in the Charlie Kirk murder. What else was written? As the FBI director himself reveals new details about other evidence, including DNA evidence. Plus, exactly one month ago, President Trump and the American people literally rolled out the red carpet for Russia's Vladimir Putin. What the Kremlin is saying today about the chances of a next step towards Russia ending its war against Ukraine. But first, the New Deal just announced to save TikTok in the United States. How much different might the wildly popular social media app look just to keep its operations going in the U.S.?
1:27Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. We're going to start in our Law and Justice lead. The suspect accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk appears to have confessed to the murder in an online chat before turning himself in. That's according to The Washington Post breaking news this afternoon. The Post reports that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson sent a series of messages to a small group chat on the online platform Discord. One of them says, quote, hey guys, I have bad news for you all. It was me at UVU yesterday. That's Utah Valley University. I'm sorry for all this. The post then says Robinson told the group that he would be surrendering shortly.
2:08And he thanked the group for, quote, all the good times and laughs. All this as FBI Director Cash Patel is revealing even newer details about the assassin, the alleged assassin, ahead of his court appearance tomorrow. Patel says there's a note that the suspect allegedly wrote and that the suspect's DNA evidence is connected to the gun, the rifle used in the killing. Patel also defended his initial social media post shortly after Charlie Kirk's murder, saying that a suspect was in custody, a claim that he had to walk back less than two hours later. Could I have worded it a little better in the heat of the moment?
2:44Sure. But do I regret putting it out? Absolutely not. I was telling the world what the FBI was doing as we were doing, and I'm continuing to do that. And I challenge anyone out there to find a director that has been more transparent and more willing to work the media on high profile cases or any case the FBI is handling. Meanwhile, despite the fact that political violence has been targeting both Democrats and Republicans in recent months and years, President Trump said this. It's not on the right, like some people like to say on the right. The problem we have is on the left. And when you look at the agitators, you look at the scum that speaks so badly of our country, the American flag burnings all over the place, that's the left, that's not the right.
3:30Important fact, at least according to all studies that we know of, most political violence in the last several years has been committed by people on the right. We'll get into more of the political fallout and heightened security fears following Charlie Kirk's horrific assassination. Let's start with CNN's Danny Freeman, who's in Utah, where this investigation is centered. Chilling new messages revealed by The Washington Post about the suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination. 22-year-old Tyler Robinson reportedly writing, quote, Hey guys, I have bad news for you all. Going on to say, quote, It was me at UVU yesterday.
4:07I'm sorry for all of this. The Washington Post reporting the message appeared to be a confession to friends in the social and gaming app called Discord and sent Thursday night just hours before Robinson's arrest. The news coming as the New York Times reports that Robinson joked in Discord messages that a quote doppelganger was trying to get him in trouble when investigators released photos of the suspect. Also today, FBI Director Kash Patel announced DNA evidence connects Robinson directly to the crime scene. I can report today that the DNA hits from the towel that was wrapped around the firearm and the DNA on the screwdriver are positively processed for the suspect in custody.
4:50But law enforcement officials are still working to understand what may have driven this young man to allegedly open fire on Charlie Kirk. My job as FBI director is not to speak to motive, is to speak to the facts. And that's what I'm going to do. Investigators are focusing in on a potential note that Robinson may have written prior to the shooting. Director Patel says it was destroyed. We have evidence to show what was in that note, which is, and I'm going to summarize, basically saying, the suspect wrote a note saying, I have the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it. Another area of interest and help to authorities so far has been Robinson's roommate.
5:29The roommate was a romantic partner, a male transitioning to female. This partner has been incredibly cooperative, had no idea that this was happening, and is working with investigators right now. Officials are still investigating whether the roommate relationship may factor into a potential motive. Robinson lived and grew up here in southwest Utah in a conservative family, acquaintances told CNN. According to the governor, Robinson moved very far left in recent years. These are the facts that are being presented to us. Family discussions, parents, this is what they're saying.
6:07In Robinson's hometown Sunday night, his community mourned Kirk, while processing that the suspected assassin was a neighbor. It's really hard. You just can't imagine someone from around here doing something like that. Sherry Staley Tate's family has lived here for five generations and told us Robinson went to school with her daughter. I said, well, how would you describe him? And she said, I would describe him as, you know, those kids that are, they're kind of too smart, that they're not common sense smart. Here, Sherry and the community praying both for Kirk and the Robinson family. I just felt it in my heart because that's just not what happens here.
6:50It's naive of me, but it's not what happens here.
6:56now jake all eyes are on tomorrow when we're expecting to hear for the first time really from prosecutors and also expecting to see robinson make his first court appearance and i'll say that utah officials say that they expect a lot more information to be released to the public once robinson is formally charged here in the state jake all right danny freeman in utah thanks so much let's bring in john miller who is cnn's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst and former FBI Deputy Director Andy McCain. So, John, The Washington Post put out these Discord messages which appear to show the alleged assassin confessing to having murdered Charlie Kirk.
7:30Tell us more about this and what your sources are telling you about the ongoing investigation. So these messages come from a Discord chat server where the alleged shooter and his friends, some of them friends from high school who played assorted games together, would meet to do the gaming and shoot messages back and forth to each other. When the pictures of the shooter came out, you know, in that server, in that chat room, people said, hey, that looks like you. And he said, yeah, that was my doppelganger. They kidded back and forth about it and there was some kind of good-natured play on his part.
8:12But just after his father contacted law enforcement, after recognizing his son from the pictures and getting his son, we are told, allegedly, to admit to being the shooter, he went back to the computer, went on with that group and said, you know, I have some bad news for you. That was me at UVU. That combined with other elements, Jake, whether it's the DNA that Kash Patel tells us is on the towel that the gun was wrapped on or the pictures or the other evidence. You know, all of these things come together to paint a pretty strong picture of what we believe prosecutors will present tomorrow in court.
8:52And John, some of what we know about the shooter includes that he got good grades. He got a four-year college scholarship. He left after one semester, enrolled in a technical college for an electrical apprenticeship program. He seems to have come from a close-knit family. Do we have any ideas of now what radicalized him to commit such a horrific act? No. In fact, Jake, one of the big intelligence gaps here in the picture is where did he go from being the kid that his family knew to being the individual who was behind that rifle, allegedly, last week? And as the FBI has a chance to go through his material, including his electronic material, that means they're going to be able to interview a lot of people, as we did interviewing people in his life who said things like he was mostly quiet and didn't let a whole lot out in terms of conversation or opinions, except occasionally.
9:49But that will become a richer picture over time. one of the things recovered from a hard drive that had been deleted was the note that Kash Patel referred to. The FBI's CART team, the Computer Analysis and Response team, actually recovered the deleted document because it had not yet been written over in other data. So we'll keep learning as they go through that material. Andy McCabe, today on Fox, FBI Director Patel defended his initial tweet shortly after Charlie Kirk was killed where Patel said that a subject was in custody. He's likely to face a lot of questions about his handling of this investigation when he testifies on Capitol Hill later this week.
10:30What do you think are the prognosis for Patel weathering the storm? I think he'll weather the storm. I mean, he still has, we haven't heard any really particularly loud comments, negative comments about him coming from the Hill. And so I think he'll weather that storm. But with respect to his really unconventional and unhelpful tweet early on in the investigation, I guess I heard his comments about it today. And I guess my response would be, well, you wouldn't be on television defending having made that tweet if you didn't make the tweet in the first place. The fact is, FBI directors of every administration, certainly every FBI director I've worked for, are very, very careful about the subjects they weigh in on.
11:21And I can't think of one who would ever have chimed in on releasing specific investigative updates about an ongoing case, much less an ongoing case of this magnitude. It was really just poor decision making on his part. It did not go well. I think he's been rightly criticized for it, but I expect it'll probably blow over. And John, just two days after Kirk was assassinated, an incendiary device was found under a local Fox TV news van in Salt Lake City. It's about 40 miles north from where Charlie Kirk was assassinated. Two people are now under arrest. Do you sense we've arrived at a place now where law enforcement agencies across the country are on high alert?
12:01I think we arrived there a long time ago, Jake. If you look at the kinds of things that have been happening starting on the first day of this year with the terrorist attack in New Orleans, school shootings in Minneapolis, politicians being gunned down in their front doors, the Charlie Kirk shooting, the pace of this, which used to be something that was every month or every other month, is now every week or every other week. Something is definitely wrong with the idea that our public discourse has now become a discourse that is spoken in violent acts as opposed to discussions. All right, John Miller and Andy McCabe, thanks to you.
12:42Ahead, overwhelming calls for more security due to increased threats in the wake of last week's assassination of Charlie Kirk. But first, some breaking news from President Trump, who just confirmed a brand new strike on a boat that he says was carrying narcotics and drugs through cartels from Venezuela headed to the U.S. We're going to show you the video he just released and talk about it next.
13:10President Trump is taking questions from reporters at the White House right now. Let's listen in. I started to scream when I got into a restaurant, oh, you know, something with Palestine. And I said, well, I'm doing a great job for peace in the Middle East. I should get lots of awards for that, right, with the Abraham Accords and everything else. But a woman just stood up and started screaming. And she got booed out of the place, too. the people there were a lot of people in the restaurant i went there to show how safe and it was safe i mean the woman is just a mouthpiece all she was she was a paid she was a paid agitator and you have a lot of them and i've asked pam to look into that in terms of rico bringing rico cases against the criminal rico because they should be put in jail what they're doing to this country is really uh subversive yeah mr president can i ask you one of the crime Mr.
13:58President, can I ask you one on Charlie Kerr? You've floated potentially going into St. Louis. You mentioned you want to go into Chicago next. Could St. Louis be out to Chicago? It's going to be around there someplace. Yeah, we've got to save St. Louis. We've got to save these cities. This isn't like, you know, we're going to do something. We have to save St. Louis. We have to save Chicago. I know all about Chicago. I have a great, beautiful building. I'm so proud of it. But, you know, you get less proud when you see all the crime. When they announced two weeks ago, 11 people killed, this is over a weekend.
14:33I think they said 38 people shot and 11 people dead. And then you watch Pritzker get up and say, we've got crime under control. And I will say that Cash and the FBI did a good job with a very light force. They went in and for about four months, Cash or so, they've been working on keeping crime down. They have brought the numbers down a little bit. But those are the easy numbers. You know, the first 20, 25 percent of these numbers, that's where it gets. Then you have to bring in the big forces, right, which is what we always intended to do. But I think the FBI has done a very good job in particular Memphis and Chicago.
15:09They burned down a little bit like 20 percent and 25 percent. I guess it's not so little, but we have a long way to go. We think Chicago is going to be next and we'll get to St. Louis. And New Orleans. We want to get to. to your FBI is investigating the potential role of left wing organizations in the assassination. I'm wondering if you think if Charlie Kirk's assassin worked alone or if he worked with I don't know. I mean, I can tell you he didn't work alone on the Internet because it seems that he became radicalized on the Internet. That's just by watching what same things that you're watching and hearing.
15:47It looks like he became radicalized over the Internet. And And it seems like he has wonderful parents, brought in a wonderful neighborhood, smart guy, great boards, great marks, great student. And then something happened to him over a fairly short period of time. It looks like he was radicalized over the internet and it's radicalized on the left. He's a left. A lot of problems with the left and they get protected and they shouldn't be protected. But as you understand, I think very well from the tone of your question. Thank you very much. On Venezuela, what can you tell us about this Venezuelan boat that was taken out?
16:28And do you plan to provide proof that these were narco-terrorists who were on their way to the U.S.? Well, we have proof. What you have to do is look at the cargo. There was, like, it's spattered all over the ocean. Big bags of cocaine and fentanyl all over the place. And it was. Plus, we have recorded evidence that they were leaving. We've recorded them. And it's very careful because we know you people would be after us. We're very careful. The military has been amazing. And General Cain showed me a little while ago the clip. But you can actually see it. But you don't have to see it because we have recorded proof and evidence.
17:05We know what time they were leaving, when they were leaving, what they had, and all of the other things that you'd like to have. But we have noticed that there are no ships in the ocean anymore. We're seeing that there's like no ships. no, you know, when the first one we went, there were hundreds of boats. Now there are no boats. I wonder why. Meaning no drugs are coming across, probably stopping some fishermen to, I mean, to be honest, if I were a fisherman, I wouldn't want to go fishing. Just a nice, let's take a little trip because I'd say, man, if they, maybe they think I have drugs downstairs.
17:40I don't want I think the fishing business probably been hurt, but no, there are literally no boats. This was a boat and we were surprised to see it. Now, what does that mean? That means there's no drugs coming by sea, but they do come by land. And you know what? We're telling the cartels right now, we're going to be stopping them, too. When they come by land, we're going to be stopping them the same way we stopped the boats. And you'll see that. But maybe by talking about it a little bit, it won't happen. If it doesn't happen, that's good. But they killed 300 ,000 people in our country last year.
18:15And we're not letting it happen anymore. And then on Israel, did Bibi Netanyahu speak to you directly to alert you that Israel was going to be striking Hamas? No, he didn't. How did you learn a bit? Same way you did. Go ahead, please. You mentioned that the shooter was radicalized online. I think so. that you know by the way when I say that that's my opinion I think he was radicalized online based on what they're saying do social media companies bear any responsibility for that I'm gonna have to ask I don't know I'd ask Pam that question I don't know if you or Todd could give an answer that somebody has to bear some responsibility you know and President Trump I've always told parents you gotta watch what your kids are doing on the internet what they're doing online what they're listening to what they're reading they're all online they're all on their phones all the time Parents have got to monitor that because this starts when you're young.
19:10This starts when you're young, when you listen to these groups, when you watch these shows. And parents have got to just be vigilant. So sure, that's part of it. And they're meeting kids online who they think are kids and they can be anywhere in the world and talking to them. And yeah, they are being radicalized. You know, he went bad and he just went bad very quickly in a sense because he sort of led a very normal life. a life of, you know, great education, schools, everything else. But somewhere along the line, something happened. Yeah, please. Thank you, Mr. President. How will you send a national guard into Chicago without the cooperation of the governor and the mayor?
19:48Well, if they do cooperate, that's good. If they don't, it's not going to matter to us at all. You know who wants to help us? Police Department. They have no respect for the governor. They have no respect for the mayor. they respect us and we found that in Washington you know we haven't had total support in Washington from government as you know from everybody I don't want to say the mayor because she was better than most but we haven't had great great but we have had great support from the metropolitan police they're like brothers of these people they're really like brothers you see that they work together.
20:24And so if the governor wants to support, as I said to Bill, it's going to be his proudest moment. What he's going to do, the governor of Tennessee, what's going to happen with Memphis. And three, four weeks, we'll stand together and we'll say, look at this. The crime has almost disappeared, maybe completely disappeared in Washington. They don't even know how to record it because it's down so much. You know, they've never heard. I heard 87 percent is down. I said, really? Who are the 13 %? Because it's more than that. It's actually more. Hard to believe, right? You're going to have the same results in Chicago.
20:59And we hope we have the governor's help. But if we don't, we're doing it without him. And I'm just saying, Mr. President, you had the framework. It's been a great tune with TikTok, for example. Will China continue to have a stake in the company? Well, we haven't decided that, but it looks to me, and I'm speaking the presidency on friday for confirmation of that and you know frankly more importantly a big deal and uh we've had very good meetings as you know we were in europe our people scott besant and jameson or jameson greer and others and it was a very big meeting with china and you know they're treating us with respect we treat them with respect too but it was very successful and on top of it We have what could be a very good deal.
21:48Don't forget, I've had more people say, could you try to keep TikTok alive? I use TikTok. I mean, I have to admit it in the election. And look how I did with you. No Republicans come close. I blew everyone away. You know, if you look back not so long ago, Romney, he got like 7 % of the youth. I got like eight times that amount. I got tremendous numbers of youth. By the way, I want to say Charlie helped me. And Charlie was the one. Get on TikTok. He used to say to me, get on TikTok. Charlie was unbelievable. So probably, and I did, I had somebody named TikTok Jack. And he'd put that camera. He said, just a real quick statement, sir, like 10 seconds or less.
22:34They didn't like anything over 10 seconds, but it worked. But Charlie is the one that really, and my son, Baron, also. And I have to say, Don, Eric, the whole group, it's important. And it can maybe even bring us closer to China. We had a very good meeting with China. I was surprised. I didn't expect it to that extent. And I'm going to speak again with President Xi on Friday. And, you know, I think that'll confirm things up. All right. President Trump there paying homage and remembering Charlie Kirk, the MAGA activist and podcast host, who was a big supporter of his, talking about how Charlie Kirk helped him with TikTok.
23:19This is after President Trump signed a presidential memorandum establishing a task force to send federal law enforcement agencies into Memphis, Tennessee. It is unclear when that stepped up enforcement will begin. We will continue to monitor the president's comments. And if there's any news, we will bring that to you. But let's get to the breaking news that the president referenced in our world lead. You heard him there. He was asked about his announcement that the U.S. military hit, exploded, hit with a missile, presumably a boat allegedly being used by Venezuelan drug cartels. This is the second one in recent weeks.
23:53The president posting this video appearing to show the moment that the U.S. military hit this boat. CNN national security correspondent Natasha Bertrand is here with me. This is now the second such strike by the U.S. on alleged drug cartel vessel. Tell us more. We really don't know a whole lot. Just like the first strike, we don't know, for example, what kind of munition was used. We don't know for sure how the U.S. was able to get the intelligence about who was actually on this boat and whether they could know for sure who was operating that boat and whether they were, in fact, even members of a drug cartel.
24:31There is a lot that still needs to be disclosed about these military operations against these boats that are in the Caribbean, because even when they were briefing Congress last week, the Department of Defense, they were not able to definitively tell lawmakers and staffers that the targets of these operations were definitively members of that drug cartel that the president has designated as a foreign terrorist organization, Trenderagua. The whole argument that the administration is making here is that because these are alleged members of that drug cartel and because they were designated as foreign terrorist organizations, the president therefore has the authority to carry out operations against them.
25:09But we don't know, even from President Trump's tweet today or his post on Truth Social, just who these people were in this boat. But the U.S. military has said repeatedly, and so has President Trump, that these operations are going to continue. The U.S. just sent 10 F-35 fighter jets down to Puerto Rico. They are conducting exercises with the Marine Corps down there as well. Clearly a lot of attempts to send a message here to the Venezuelans as well. But as you can see, this kind of kinetic action has not stopped. And there are a ton of questions surrounding the legality of that, particularly because as of right now, the president is really leaning on his article to authority as president to carry out these kinds of attacks.
25:49but experts are saying, look, we're not in an armed conflict with Trendara Agra, with these drug cartels, so what really is the authority there to conduct these kinds of lethal operations against these people? Yeah, you heard the president talk about how drugs have killed so many Americans, and the other day I think he even used a figure like 300 million Americans, which of course would be almost every American dead. Obviously he misspoke, but beyond that is the question about the legal authority. does that count in the kind of combat that Article 2 authority is supposed to be for? Natasha Bertrand, thanks so much.
Read the full transcript
26:24Let's bring in Professor Rachel Van Laningham, retired U.S. Air Force JAG officer or military attorney. She's now a co-associate dean at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. Professor, I guess the simple question is, are these strikes legal? Who determines who's on these boats? It's not like he's taking out a military group that is posing a direct threat to the United States as we traditionally understand it. Thank you, Jake. Thanks for having me. The lack of transparency by the administration when they're using lethal force in the American people's name in a very unique manner is deeply troubling.
27:04It sure looks like the president on his own accord is deciding to kill people, extrajudicial killings outside of an armed conflict, outside of war. And there's a binary here. The president can use lethal force, can kill people either because they're posing an imminent deadly threat against Americans or American interests, or were at war and that the president has properly identified them as being a member of an armed group, either a military or some type of terrorist organization for which he has authority to designate that we're at war against from Congress and is killing them based on their status.
27:45And we really don't see evidence of either. He has declared that these individuals were members of some narco-terrorist organization, which is a criminal organization, And he's not applying criminal law that is the standard law enforcement use of force regarding why not just arrest them, why not detain them and prosecute them in the U.S. court of law. Right. Although the president did declare Trenda Aragut a terrorist group, a narco terrorist group in February, I suppose that that would be the justification for treating them the way that we the United States treated ISIS or al Qaeda. Obviously, we discussed a lot of issues like this during the Obama years when he increased the use of drones to strike individuals like Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born, I believe he was, al-Qaeda cleric.
28:38President Trump says the strike was in international waters. What is the jurisdictional argument there? Could he make the same argument anywhere in the world? Well, he can make an argument that we're at war against this group, but Congress didn't give him the authority just simply because he declared them a foreign terrorist organization that were actually in an armed conflict and therefore using law of war authorities. There are peacetime law authorities that exist, and he's exceeding those. The authorization to use military force that Congress passed in the wake of 9-11 was stretched by concurrent administrations, but it was stretched against groups such as ISIS that are engaged in kinetic lethal operations against U.S.
29:18allies and U.S. interests. These drug cartels, there's been no evidence that, yes, the drug problem and fentanyl poisoning over the American people is atrocious. It's a national security threat, but it's a criminal problem. If we start just killing our way out of criminal problems, I don't see an end to that whatsoever. And so the president cannot make up authorities, whether or not it's here in the United States or internationally. Peacetime law enforcement authorities applied in those international waters unless we're at war. And I have not heard Congress say that we are at war against this organization, despite President Trump's labeling of them as such.
29:51They can be arrested, prosecuted, but not just murdered in cold blood. And that's what the president is doing in our name. All right. Very interesting stuff. Fascinating debate. Professor Rachel Van Landingham, thank you so much for your time. Really appreciate it. Also in our world league, it's been exactly 30 days since the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska. The Kremlin today said there's been no progress, none, toward a new trilateral summit among Russia, Ukraine, and the United States. You might recall 30 days ago the red carpet was literally rolled out by our service members for Vladimir Putin in Anchorage.
30:24President Trump warning ahead of time of serious consequences if Putin did not agree to an immediate ceasefire. Not only did Putin not agree, since that red carpet, Russia had bombed Kiev on August 28th, the second biggest aerial attack on the Ukrainian capital since the start of the war. 23 people killed, including three children. Buildings belong to the European Union were hit. Then on September 7th, Russia launched its largest ever drone assault in Ukraine, hitting government buildings for the first time. And just last week, of course, Russia drones flew into Poland, which is a member of NATO.
30:58They were shot down by NATO fighter jets and air defenses. All this as Russia claims that it is making gains on the front lines in the Donetsk and Zaporizhia claims that Ukrainian President Zelensky calls, quote, misplaced. Let's bring on Eva Daldor, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO and current senior fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center. Ambassador Daldor, in his statement today, the Kremlin spokesperson indicated not only has there been no progress towards a meeting among the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia, he said there was a, quote, pause in the negotiation process regarding the war. Do you think this is ever going to happen?
31:32I'm afraid it's going to be a long time before we see serious negotiations. I think the mistake, original mistake, was made by President Trump to invite Vladimir Putin to come to the United States to meet him with the red carpet on U.S. soil. This is an indicted war criminal who's been indicted for removing 20 ,000 children from Ukraine. He met him. He sat down with him for three hours. He said there were all kinds of agreements and major breakthroughs. But what we really know happened is that Vladimir Putin took a measure of Donald Trump and said, Trump is not going to hurt me. He's not going to impose sanctions.
32:14He's not going to help Ukraine. I can continue to do this war in the way that I want to do. And he has escalated ever since. And so you mentioned the escalation, the drone strikes on the European Union headquarters, drone strikes and missile strikes on a U.S. factory way into in the west of Ukraine. The targeting of the prime minister's office and other government offices. And then most astonishingly, sending with full intent 19 drones across the border of a NATO country, Poland, in order to test the alliance, whether it could defend itself, which it did. and secondly and probably more importantly whether it could uh would remain united and it didn't because the president of the united states said this is probably a mistake it was no mistake uh and i think that true that putin has decided he can fight this war and the united states will let him and president trump in fact uh in recent social media posts has said that the war was Biden's and Zelensky and also suggested that Ukraine started the war.
33:18Poland today suggested that NATO establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine to protest against Russian drones. This obviously after the Russian drones went to Polish airspace last week were shut down. What do you think of that idea of a no-fly zone over Ukraine? I think the idea of NATO protecting itself far forward to make sure that whatever missiles and drones are coming towards it, that those be hit over Ukraine, is a good idea. I think the time has come for NATO not only to defend itself against those missiles and those threats, which we now know possibly can hit NATO territory, but at the same time to provide some kind of protection to the Ukrainians who are facing massive barrages of missiles and drones each and every night against their cities, killing civilians and all kinds of things.
34:10Defending against those drones is not getting involved in a war against Russia. It is just helping Ukraine, making sure it can defend itself against an attack against the war that was started not by Mr. Zelensky, not by Mr. Biden, not by anybody else except Vladimir Putin. He started it. He knows how to end it. It can end tomorrow if he stops shooting it and withdraws his troops from Ukraine. And a reminder, an open invitation to not only President Trump and Vice President Vance, but to Secretary of State Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to come on the program to give the different point of view from what we just heard from former U.S.
34:47Ambassador to NATO, Ivo Dallar. Thank you so much, Ambassador. Moments ago at the White House, we heard President Trump speak about the suspect in that horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk. He said the 22-year-old in custody appeared to have been radicalized online. We also need to discuss the heightened security environment for lawmakers in the wake of the killing. We're going to do all that next.
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35:42This week on the podcast, Terms of Service. Are virtual wallets on the way to replacing the classic billfold? And as a tech reporter, I cannot help but wonder what are the risks of storing so much personal information in one place on our phones? Thankfully, Consumer Reports investigative reporter Lisa Gill spent months trying to answer those questions. She joined me to talk about her own digital wallet journey and how to keep your financial data as secure as possible. Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet and Apple Wallet tell you that they do not hold funds. They merely facilitate a transaction. Your information is stored on your phone, not with them.
36:25PayPal, Cash App, and Venmo actually do hold funds. And they, in my mind, act a lot more like a bank. Listen to CNN's Terms of Service wherever you get your podcasts. Back with our politics lead in the partisan fallout after the Charlie Kirk assassination. We have guests from both parties here. Gentlemen, I want to note here that Vice President J.D. Vance hosted the podcast of his friend, Charlie Kirk. I want to play something that the vice president said. And while our side of the aisle certainly has its crazies, it is a statistical fact that most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the far left.
37:10All right. So I was curious as to what he was referring to. and the vice president's office sent me this YouGov poll that suggests it says it's true that liberal Americans are more likely than conservatives to defend feeling joy about the deaths of political opponents. 16 % of liberals say it's unusually or always acceptable. 24 % of those who say their ideology is very liberal. 10 % say they're very liberal, not very liberal. And it's only 4 % of conservatives, 7 % are moderates. So that's what he was referring to. I should also note, just in the definition of what most of the lunatics in American politics means, that if you look at a 2021 study in criminology, criminal justice, law, and society, the overall prevalence and deadliness of far-right extremism far outweighs out of the far left.
37:57And same thing with the 2022 study from the Maryland Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, that right-wing and Islamic extremists are a bigger threat in the United States. So I guess it all just depends on how you define and lunatics. Does this serve anybody to be talking about which side is worse? No. I'll tell you this. I've done this for 35 years. I've run campaigns a long time. I've earned all this white hair on my face. And I'll promise you, I'll promise the Americans out there. There's been crazy folks out there for a long time, but the Internet has really amplified it to a whole nother level.
38:29It's my job. People pay me money every day to beat Republicans. That means I don't want anything to happen to my friend. Sure, Michael, it's my job to have a debate about policy and try to hope my side wins. What you're seeing on the internet, and I think what the vice president's alluding to, is there's people out there that I don't think are associated with either party, but factions of something on the internet that are saying hateful and horrible things on the internet that they should not be saying. And we should have an open debate. And what disappoints me the most is that the vice president can take this opportunity to say, let's figure out what we have in common and talk about that.
39:01Look, I'm a bit surprised by the number of people that I have seen on social media, hell, even my own personal social media, applauding the murder of Charlie Curry. You mean people you follow? Oh, yes. And I have unfollowed people, unfriended people on Facebook. And look, everyone's entitled to their freedom of speech, but to celebrate someone being murdered is just disgusting and gross to me. And I think people sometimes forget, Jake, the idea of freedom of speech isn't to just defend the freedoms or the words that you like or the opinions that you like. It's also for the most abhorrent, if it is your perspective that someone else's views are abhorrent.
39:35It's to defend that as well. And the question for me becomes, for many of the people that I've seen on social media, if you want to say certain conservatives shouldn't have a right to certain phrases or certain themes, orally speaking, that is, in terms of defending that, then what's to stop someone 10 years, 20 years, 30 years in the future to say, you know what, your progressivism goes too far. And people don't consider that. Without question, there's a lot of just insanely hateful stuff of people celebrating the murder of a fellow human being. On the subject, though, of being able to speak your mind, I mean, I guess freedom of speech is not freedom of consequences, right?
40:15So people say things and they get fired. There are two people in the media that I just want to talk about. MSNBC fired political analyst Matthew Dowd and issued an apology after he said on air, quote, quote, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which ultimately lead to hateful actions, basically seeming to, although he later apologized and denied he meant to say this, seeming to blame Charlie Kirk for what happened to him. And Karen Attia, says the Washington Post, fired her as global opinions editor for a series of social media posts, one of which said, quote, part of what keeps America so violent is the insistence that people perform care, empty goodness, and absolution for white men who espouse hatred and violence.
40:54She hadn't referenced Charlie Kirk by name, but she also said to a commentator that, quote, refusing to tear my clothes and smear ashes on my face in performative mourning for a white man that espoused violence is not the same as violence. The Post declined to comment on personnel. I don't even know why that was necessary to say. Just just don't say anything. If you have nothing positive to say about Charlie Kirk, maybe you do not like any of the positions that he took and argued for. That's that's perfectly fine. Our system permits that. But don't say anything. This is a guy who was literally murdered for giving his opinions.
41:27And again, I go back to my initial premise. What's to stop someone else from saying her writings went too far? Or Matthew Dowd's commentary went too far? Or my commentary on CNN goes too far? Who's to stop someone from saying that? Well, I mean, obviously people thought they went too far because they both got fired. But I mean committing violent acts of kill stuff, is my point. And we certainly don't want that. But again, I beg the question, if you're going to open this Pandora's box of saying this person's words went too far. Who's to stop the next person from saying your words go too far? And no one's considering that.
41:58And just to clarify, you're saying words go too far, therefore violence is coming to them. Yes, not consequences in terms of firing. Chuck, it isn't just people in the media, obviously. We've been seeing this all over. Teachers, nurses, this and that. Delta Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines have suspended workers for social media posts about Charlie Kirk being assassinated. On Saturday, the Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, posted, quote, American Airlines pilots who are caught celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk have been immediately grounded and removed from service.
42:28We heal as a country when we send the message that glorifying political violence is completely unacceptable. American Airlines simply says hate related or hostile behavior runs contrary to our purpose, which is to care for people on life's journey. What do you think? I think it's a fine line. I disagree with everything that Charlie Kirk stood for. And I talked about it for an hour on my podcast of how you could do that. He did what was right, Charlie Kirk did. He would go to the square of a university or a town square and have debate with people, not have fisticuffs, but have word debate. Let's talk about your difference and your opinion and mine.
42:58What these private companies are doing, though, with folks who I think that what these folks are saying is deplorable in every sense of when you celebrate somebody's death. But again, I am not a scholar of the Constitution, but I'll tell you that there's been a lot of conservatives in my life, no matter what outlandish things conservatives might have said online, would defend free speech. That's why I think this is a slippery slope. I mean, I would defend free speech, but I would also say when you see teachers, nurses, doctors taking these positions, if you're a conservative, then conservatives are not wondering, well, if I go to see my medical professional, will they give me the same care?
43:31If I'm sending my children to school to be educated, will I assure that the educator is going to be objective and not biased in educating my child over the child of a liberal parent? That's what conservatives are considering here. The other thing is it puts their employers in a tough spot because they're a corporation with a public brand, whether it's a school or an airline. Stick around. We're going to have you back in the next hour to continue the conversation. I want to continue the conversation with a congressional Republican. He's been in on meetings about security in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination.
43:59And we're going to bring him in on this next.
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44:39A big name Democrat, statewide Democrat in New York is endorsing New York mayoral nominee, Democratic nominees over on Mamdani. The governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, came out for Mamdani over the weekend, writing in the New York Times, quote, affordability has long been my top priority as governor. And it is the number one concern I share with Mr. Mamdani. Like we said, Hochul is the very first big-name New York Democrat to back Momdani. Neither House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries nor Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer are yet on board. Joining us now is New York Republican Congressman Mike Lawler.
45:13Congressman, I presume you're not here to endorse Momdani. What do you make of what you're seeing on the Democratic side in your state ahead of the New York mayoral election. Why do you think Gillibrand, Schumer, Jeffries have not endorsed Mamdani? Well, in the case of Leader Jeffries and Leader Schumer, I think it's because they recognize in swing districts in New York and across the country and in the states that will determine control of the Senate, Zoran Mamdani will be a uniquely unpopular face of the Democratic Party as mayor of New York City. I mean, he will make Bill de Blasio look like Margaret Thatcher.
45:56So the fact is you have people like Tom Swasey already coming out and saying they will not support Zoran Mondami, even though he represents a district that includes part of Queens in New York City. And, you know, obviously pushing back against the idea of having a socialist. And that's not my words. That's his words. He calls himself a socialist. who espouses views of defunding the police, shutting down prisons, wanting government-run grocery stores, banning private property ownership. These are stated policy positions. Now, he may try to backpedal and softpedal some of these positions in the final stretch of the mayoral campaign, but these are clear positions and views that he has long espoused and talked about extensively during his time in elected office.
46:51Let me take the opportunity to extend an invitation to Mr. Mamdani to come on the lead. We've been trying to get him on now for quite some time. Come on in. The water's warm. Moving on to other issues, Congressman. Obviously, after the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk, I have to imagine there are a lot of security concerns in addition to just the emotion, the fraught emotions so many people feel. What is the mood like up on Capitol Hill? Well, first, let me express my condolences to his wife, Erica, and their two beautiful children. You know, I have a three-year-old and a 10-month-old. And last week when I watched the video and saw what happened, I mean, it really just made me nauseous on a human level.
47:37But, you know, also as a father, to see that these two children are not going to have their father, all because he was allowing for and promoting the free exchange of ideas and robust debate in the public square. That is what our country was founded on. That is the view and the ideals that this nation was built on to allow for a free exchange of ideas, freedom of speech, freedom of religion. And he was murdered for it, brutally assassinated in the public view. And every American, regardless of your political affiliation, should be outraged by that. In the same way we should be outraged at what happened in Minnesota with the death of the former Speaker or the attempt to burn down the governor's mansion in Pennsylvania or the assassination attempts against Donald Trump.
48:34It is unacceptable. And, you know, to all of my colleagues, you know, the old adage goes, when you point the finger, there's three pointing back at you. All of us have a responsibility to recognize our own rhetoric and the words that we use to describe the opposition. You know, right now, obviously, Republicans have complete control of Washington. And some of the words that have been used from fascist to racist to we're at war and we need to fight it in the streets with weapons. I mean, enough, enough. Everybody has to recognize, duke it out on the merits of the ideas. Duke it out at the ballot box.
49:15Stop dehumanizing each other to the point where individuals are taking action because you tell them that if they don't take action, our democracy is over. It's enough already. It's got to stop. I mean, I have heard, and I don't feel like I need to get into any names other than President Trump, but I have heard a lot of Republicans saying that this is entirely a left-wing problem. You just obviously pointed out that it's not with the attempted killings of Governor Shapiro and the successful horrific killings in Minnesota of the legislators there. What are your thoughts on the fact that there are a lot of big-name Republicans saying that this is entirely a left-wing problem when obviously it's not.
49:59This seems, first of all, it's a problem on the extremes. It's radicals on the right and left. But second of all, this really does feel like a national problem given just the sick celebrations of Charlie Kirk's death we're seeing online as well. Look, I think obviously you can go incident by incident and each side can point the fingers and say the other is responsible. My point is that across this nation, We need to do a better job of uplifting the debate and the discussion. Every elected official in this country, from Congress to the president, all the way down to dog catcher, has a responsibility with the words that they use and the way that they talk about these issues and the way that they talk about the debate.
50:44We need to have robust debate. That's why we have a democracy. That's why we have a constitutional republic. If we all agreed on everything, then there would be no reason to have this type of government. You could just have a dictatorship. But that's not what we, the American people, want. And so we duke it out. And sometimes your side wins, and sometimes it doesn't. But the bottom line here is everybody needs to take accountability. And I would just implore all of my colleagues, and yes, Republicans right now are in the majority. And so Democrats feel this urge to obviously speak out and push back against decisions that are being made here.
51:21But all of us collectively have a responsibility to recognize the words that we use. Stop calling everybody a fascist. Stop calling everybody a dictator. Duke it out in the public domain with respect to the ideas and the policies, and then take it to the people for a vote. But beyond that, stop with these calls for violence or action or we're at war and we need to use weapons at the bar fight. If you go look at some of the rhetoric that has been used over these past nine months, it's horrific. It's got to stop. Congressman Mike Lawler, Republican of New York, thank you so much for your time, sir.
51:58Appreciate it. Thank you. This is CNN Breaking News. The lead tonight, breaking news, new online posts from the alleged Charlie Kirk assassin, revealing an apparent confession as the nation reels from this moment of particularly nasty political rhetoric following the killing of the MAGA podcaster and organizer. President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, FBI Director Cash Patel insists that Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin was influenced by left-wing ideology. Today, Patel went on Fox, a highly unusual move in the middle of an active investigation. Here's what FBI Director Patel said about the suspected assassin.
52:37He had a text message exchange. He, the suspect, with another individual in which he claimed that he had an opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and he was going to do it because of his hatred for what Charlie stood for. In contrast, Utah's Department of Public Safety Commissioner told CNN he did not want to get ahead of the investigation. He declined to offer details on the case, but he noted, quote, a lot more information will come out tomorrow when official charges are filed against 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, the alleged assassin. Synan's Ed Lavender is at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
53:11Ed. Hi, Jake. Well, as that information is coming out, we also have new information being reported about a possible confession, essentially, to this crime by the 22-year-old suspect. The Washington Post is reporting that according to two of its sources, that just hours before Tyler Robinson was taken into custody Thursday night, he texted a group chat on the Discord app saying, quote, Hey guys, I have some bad news for you all. It was me at UVU yesterday. I'm sorry for all this. And also would go on to say and thank his friends in that group chat for the laughs and the good times over the years.
53:56What is really stark about this, Jake, is that this message came just two hours before he was taken into custody, which is about the time on Thursday night authorities were releasing the surveillance footage of the suspect running across the rooftop of the building here on this campus. And then just hours, just shortly before his father started reaching out to a family friend who would eventually lead to his arrest by 10 o 'clock Thursday night. Ed, two people were arrested in Utah after an explosive device was found under a Fox TV news van in Salt Lake City. What are you hearing from local officials about this shocking act?
54:33Well, this incendiary device was found Friday night at the vehicle of the local Fox affiliate. Friday night, as I mentioned. Federal authorities say that two men have been arrested. They were tracked down to a neighborhood about 45 minutes away from Salt Lake City. But clearly, this troubling incident with tensions so heightened at the moment. But the device did not, it lit, but it did not go off. It did not go off as intended. But by all accounts, it was an actual incendiary device that, if it had gone off properly, might have inflicted some serious bodily injury. Jake? Horrifying. At Lavender in Utah, thank you.
55:14Now to Capitol Hill. In moments, Speaker Mike Johnson is going to hold a prayer vigil for Charlie Kirk inside Statuary Hall. As the White House talks about trying to bolster security for members of Congress, along with members of the judicial and executive branches, adding$58 million to the upcoming government funding bill. Let's get right to CNN's Manuraj. You spoke with Speaker Johnson today. What did he have to say about the safety and security issue? Well, he's trying to reassure a lot of members who are very nervous about their own personal security when they go back home to their home districts, when they campaign publicly, when they meet with voters in public settings and they have outdoor events.
55:50He wants to reassure those members that they have support from within the leadership of the House. But the question is, are the resources there? And what exactly is the plan to help secure 435 members of the House, 100 senators, and most of these members do not have security details? Now, what Johnson did tell me that he does plan to try to tie funding for the executive security for executive branch officials, judicial branch officials, and lawmakers to this must-pass government funding bill to keep the government open by the end of the month. They're still trying to hammer out the exact details of the scope of that plan.
56:30But he wanted to tell lawmakers that they plan to move on this. And he also told reporters that they would do everything they could to ensure lawmakers security. Listen. I want everyone within the sound of my voice to understand. Members of Congress are safe. They will be kept safe. They have security measures now at their residences. And personally, we can always enhance and do more and do better. And I think everyone's looking at that soberly right now after this unspeakable tragedy that befell our friends. And there's also a lot of debate and discussion about President Trump's own handling of all these issues of political violence, these episodes that have happened increasingly over the last several years.
57:11I asked Johnson if Trump should also condemn what's happened to Democratic politicians and violence that's happened on the right flank, not just on the left flank. He would not go that far. He said he had no issue, no fault for Donald Trump at all. But I did ask Lisa Murkowski, the Alaska Republican senator, about Trump's handling of this issue. He said she said that we should condemn all violence, left or right. Violence is violence. Manaraj on Capitol Hill. Joining us now, a Democrat from Colorado, Congressman Jason Crowe. He's on the House Intelligence and Armed Services Committee. He also served as an Army Ranger.
57:46Congressman, you've been posting on social media saying that right wing personalities such as Alex Jones, not to mention White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, even President Trump, are also inciting violence. What has been, how has that message been received? Obviously, Republicans are, many Republicans, not all of them, but many Republicans are saying this is just a left-wing problem. It was a horrible tragedy last week, last week, Jake, a horrible tragedy. Every American and every elected official and leader must unequivocally condemn political violence, the violence we saw last week, the violence we saw last year, and the threat of violence right now.
58:28So what we need are leaders who are willing to do that and not just say that they're willing to do that. Your prior guest, Mike Lawler, said all the right things. He said we need to condemn it. We need to condemn it on both sides. That is right. But the silence is deafening coming from Republicans who are unwilling to call out Donald Trump's very dangerous rhetoric right now where he's calling Democrats a domestic terrorist organization, calling us enemies of the state, calling us traitors. That is making things much worse. Take a listen to Stephen Miller talking to Vice President J.D. Vance. Vance was guest hosting Charlie Kirk's podcast earlier today.
59:06Take a listen. The last message that Charles sent me was, I think it was just the day before we lost him, which was that we need to have an organized strategy to go after the left wing organizations that are promoting violence in this country and I will write those words onto my heart and I will carry them out. It is a vast domestic terror movement with God as my witness we are going to use every resource we have at the Department of Justice, Homeland Security and throughout this government to identify, disrupt, dismantle and destroy these networks and make America safe again. What was your reaction to that this afternoon?
59:44We should know Trump mentioned that Antifa is one of those groups? Well, this is exactly what I'm talking about, Jake. This is exactly what I'm talking about. What we need is we need the condemnation of political violence, the condemnation of what happened last week. Everybody should be doing that. But what Stephen Miller and Laura Loomer and Donald Trump and others are actually doing is they're using this tragedy in this moment where we need leadership and unifying of Americans. They're using it to now target free speech. They're using it to target political dissent and to crack down on their political opponents.
1:00:18Pete Hegseth is doing it. They have a witch hunt at the DOD looking for service members that are saying things that they don't like or that they might disagree with and going after them with the UCMJ. You heard Stephen Miller just say exactly what he's going to do. You know who he's talking about? He's talking about Democrats. He's talking about progressive organizations. He's talking about nonprofits. They are using this as an excuse to crack down on dissent, and we cannot be silent about that. Hegseth said that anybody celebrating a political assassination doesn't belong associated with the Pentagon.
1:00:55Yeah, I actually would agree with that. I think a service member celebrating an act of violence and a political assassination is antithetical to military service. I would never disagree with that. But that's not what they're doing, right? They might be doing some of that. But what I am seeing, what I am hearing from directly from service members, directly from my sources at the Pentagon and other places, they are going on a hunt for people with political opinions that don't match their own, people that might disagree with the president or have different political views. And that is what's dangerous.
1:01:30And that is what I'm not going to be quiet about because it is a dangerous, slippery slope that every American should be very concerned about. Here's something that Donald Trump Jr. said on Fox. It is not going both ways. It is going one way. It's coming from those aligned with the Democrat Party. The hate has been fomented by those in the Democrat Party. And you can probably play hundreds of hours of those clips. It's not both ways. It is simply one way. And anyone who's saying otherwise should be thrown off the air. What's your reaction to that? Well, it's simply not true. They're simply lying, right?
1:02:13Everybody should condemn insightful, hateful rhetoric, period. The difference being, I don't hear leaders of the Democratic Party right now spewing hateful, violent rhetoric. But I do hear that rhetoric coming from Stephen Miller. I do hear it coming from Laura Loomer. I do hear it coming from the White House. And that is wrong. And it's worse and very wrong right now when it's coming from the seat of power, the most powerful place in America. And that's what we need to stand up against. So, again, I join my colleagues in condemning violence and calling it out in all of its form. It doesn't matter whether it's coming from the left or the right.
1:02:49But then you actually have to do the thing. Then you actually have to call out when somebody says something that's wrong. You have to name their name and you have to call them out and say, this is not OK. You are not leading. You are not lowering the temperature in the room and you are dividing Americans, not bringing them together. And again, I will not be silent if they attempt to use this to crack down on political opponents as a outright power grab to try to do something that reduces the guardrails of our democracy. Nobody can be silent about that. There was a school shooting in your home state of Colorado, Evergreen High School, less than an hour after Charlie Kirk's assassination.
1:03:26The ADL Center on Extremism says that the shooter was fascinated with previous mass shootings and expressed neo-Nazi views online. What are you hearing about this investigation? Do you think this is part of a bigger pattern? What we know is extremism is on the rise throughout America. You know, I represent a district that's been devastated by mass shootings, by gun violence, Columbine, the Aurora Theater shooting, STEM school, Arapahoe High School. You know, we had the Boulder shooting, the Club Q shooting just to the north and south of my district, and now this. It has been tragedy after tragedy for Coloradans.
1:04:01And what I can say is we have a gun violence crisis in America where we have over almost 40 ,000 Americans die every year as a result of gun violence. And we don't have to have that, right? That's a policy choice to have that because we know there are things that won't prevent every shooting, right? policy never stops every problem, but it can greatly reduce it and keep our kids safe. And as a father, I am gravely concerned about the country and the society that we are going to be handing to our kids and our grandkids because of inaction and people's unwillingness to do very simple things to keep our kids safe.
1:04:38Democratic Congressman Jason Crow of Colorado, thank you, sir. Just days after these massive anti-immigration protests in London over the weekend, President Trump is now headed to the UK. Tomorrow, we're going to run down the big issues on his agenda next with CNN's Chief White House Correspondent, Cailin Collins. Plus, the fine print on the deal just announced that allows the popular social media app TikTok to keep operating in the U.S. Stay with us.
1:05:06And our world lead President Trump is set to receive one of the highest honors given to foreign leaders from the government of the United Kingdom. And that is an official state visit. This week, President Trump will travel to London. He will meet with King Charles and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. A rare second show of pomp and circumstance following Trump's first term visit with Queen Elizabeth six years ago. Let's bring in CNN's Caitlin Collins, who will be part of the White House press pool covering this trip. That's fun. Caitlin, Trump's pretty open with his admiration for the royals, stating, well, I first became aware of it back when all of a sudden Princess Diana was single.
1:05:44But tell us more. Which he actually wrote about in a book of his once, about not having the ability to court Princess Diana. But yeah, Jake, I mean, his fascination with the royal family has long been known. That is why the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, when he visited the Oval Office for the first time earlier this year, he came bearing this invitation for the second state visit for President Trump. He touted it and called it unprecedented. Obviously, Trump, the first U.S. president to have not one but two state visits. And so we'll get to see this on display this time. obviously it's going to look a lot different because last time he talked about Queen Elizabeth and the joy of meeting her.
1:06:21His mother had a longtime fascination with her, and he talked about that back in 2018, saying, you know, if only his mother could see him making that state visit and visiting with the Queen and greeting her. Obviously, this time it will be different. He will be meeting the King and other members of the royal family, but expect a lot of the same pomp and circumstance that you saw the last time that he was there for a state visit. This is actually going to be held at Windsor, so it'll be west of London. There were a lot of protests last time when the president visited for that state visit, and so we likely will see that this time, though it remains to be seen given the location of where the state visit is going to happen.
1:06:56But yeah, this has certainly been a long fascination of his. Of course, Jake, you have to keep in mind the Brits have a political calculus here. Obviously, they're a government, and having this visit, you know, having warm relations with President Trump could only potentially benefit at them when it comes to trade or trying to convince him to see things their way when it comes to Ukraine. A lot of issues that obviously he'll be talking about when he meets with the British Prime Minister, that's set for Thursday. And there is going to be a press conference as well. I remember when I was White House correspondent during the Obama's first term, he gave Queen Elizabeth an iPod that contained all of his speeches.
1:07:32Oh boy. Good times. Kaitlin, the Epstein scandal could make things a bit awkward, just to be candid, because not just Prince Andrew as an issue there, but former UK ambassador to DC, Peter Mandelson, was fired just a few days ago after it was revealed that Ambassador Mandelson had some deep ties to Epstein, even called Epstein my best pal in that infamous birthday book that we saw last week. Yeah, Jake, to fire the British ambassador days before a visit like this is going to happen is obviously a huge headache for the United Kingdom to have him. He had had pretty good relationships with the White House, had worked to do so.
1:08:12But once those emails came out between the ambassador, Peter Mendelsohn, and Jeffrey Epstein, I mean, you could see him talking about his convictions and his sweetheart plea deal and how he believed how wrong it was. We actually heard from the British prime minister on that today. He said if he had known the extent of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, that he would have never hired him as his ambassador to the United States. And so obviously those were already known beforehand, but the extent of them not quite. And there was just so much furor over that, that he was eventually pushed out of that role.
1:08:42All right, Caitlin Collins, thank you. And of course, Caitlin will be on The Source with Caitlin Collins, her show before she travels to London with President Trump. It's tonight at nine o 'clock Eastern only on CNN. In New York right now, there is another manhunt going on, This one after the violent killing of a woman in her own home. The suspect is her boyfriend. The new details from police on this story, which is developing right now, next.
1:09:13Breaking news in our National League. There's a manhunt underway right now in upstate New York for an armed and dangerous suspect accused of killing his girlfriend in their home. The victim is 41-year-old Amanda Rodriguez of Co-Host New York. CNN's Randy Kay has been digging into this story all day. And, Randy, you spoke with the chief of police and the mayor today. What have you learned? That's right, Jake. As I was speaking with the mayor and the chief, they had just received information about the autopsy, which was underway today. And they did say that this has been ruled a homicide. They said that she died from extreme blood loss and a punctured aorta.
1:09:49The chief said that she was likely stabbed with something very sharp. They do believe this was some sort of domestic situation. Apparently, the woman's mother couldn't reach her. She asked a neighbor to go check on her daughter, and that neighbor found the woman dead around 9.15 a.m. yesterday morning. Now, this is a manhunt underway. They are looking for 53-year-old Anthony Beechand. Police are officially calling him a suspect. They found his truck in the town of Brighton. That's in Franklin County. That's just south of the Canadian border. It's in the Adirondack Mountains. It is a 2024 white Chevy Silverado.
1:10:21And what's interesting about this, Jake, is that this is 170 miles north of the town where this murder occurred, where this homicide occurred. So they were tracking him by plate readers. The chief told me this is new technology that they just got. That's how they were able to find his truck there in Franklin County. Here's a little bit more of what the chief and the mayor told me today.
1:10:45At the moment, his whereabouts are unknown. I mean, the police were able to track the movement of his vehicle. His truck was abandoned in rural upstate New York. It apparently ran out of gas. So New York State police in the area have been combing the area. We do consider him armed and dangerous. He is not to be approached. And if you believe you see him or you see him, to notify those authorities in the area. We also have the Forest Rangers and the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol involved. They are part of the efforts to make sure that he doesn't get through, whether his intentions are to go to Canada or just try and flee the area to some other location.
1:11:26And Randy, what do we know about this guy's history? And Jake, the concern is... Sorry. What we know is that they have never been called to the House, according to police, for any type of violent or domestic situation. And they also say that he doesn't have any record to speak of, as far as they can tell. But obviously, this is very surprising to them that this would have happened there. And certainly, Jake, very surprising in that town. They haven't seen seen a homicide there in decades, according to the mayor. Randy Kay, thanks so much. Coming up, the possible bid that could be in the works right now that could upend the media business and the news business and the entertainment business and have an impact right here at CNN.
1:12:06Stay with us.
1:12:10And our tech lead, the White House says a deal to keep TikTok operational in the United States has been reached. The Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Besant, announced today that a framework has been agreed upon and that President Trump and Xi Jinping will speak on Friday to finalize the deal. While the buyer of TikTok has not yet been revealed, the group is widely expected to be led by Oracle Executive Chairman Larry Ellison, who in January Trump said should buy the app. Let's go now to the money lead and reports of a potential merger that could put some of the biggest entertainment brands, including CNN, under one roof.
1:12:44It's a move that might transform the news and entertainment industry. Paramount Skydance is considering a deal now to buy Warner Brothers Discovery, which makes the future unclear for brands such as CNN and HBO Max and Discovery and DC Comics and Paramount entities such as CBS and Nickelodeon and many, many more. Matthew Bellany, a founding partner of Puck News, joins us. Matt, this all seems to be happening very fast. Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, not coincidentally the son of Larry Ellison, who we just mentioned, is already making a play for another giant media company after the bumpy merger with Paramount.
1:13:20What's the rush here? Well, the rush is they want to head off any potential other acquirers that might come along and want only part of the company because Warner Brothers Discovery is headed for a split. The cable networks like CNN and TNT are being split off from the good, they call it, side of the company, the growth side that includes HBO Max and the Warner Brothers Studio. And the Ellison family wants to buy it all right now because the thinking is once it's split, it may be more attractive for other buyers to just pick off the good part. So that's why it's all going real fast. Is there any chance that this might bump up against antitrust laws or is the fact that the Ellisons are in good graces with the current administration kind of make that moot?
1:14:13Well, Warner Discovery does not own broadcast networks. So there isn't the issue that delayed the Paramount sale, which was the licenses for CBS had to be approved by the FCC, which means Brendan Carr, the FCC chair, which means Donald Trump's person. And he gave them a very hard time. And it led to the settlement of that$16 million lawsuit. So that's not there. But there are other things that the Trump administration can do here, namely the Department of Justice, the FTC. And if you remember, the last time CNN was sold, when AT &T bought it, it was held up by the Trump administration for almost a year in litigation.
1:14:52And many people believe it was because Donald Trump doesn't like CNN. So when CNN is involved in a transaction, the Trump administration may take a separate look at it. This potential merger could create one of the largest entertainment companies in the world. What would be the impact when it comes to consumers? Would it drive up prices to watch movies, to watch programs, to stream? It could drive up the price of streaming in the sense that there would be more consolidation in the space and they may be emboldened to raise prices. But it also might be something where these companies would be better aligned to compete with the likes of Netflix and Amazon and these big tech players.
1:15:39If you're looking at an Oracle-backed Paramount Warner Brothers, that would mean HBO Max may be combined with Paramount Plus into one large service that could compete at that large, at that big level. And you might get your Taylor Sheridan shows alongside your HBO shows for one price. So consumer-wise, it's unclear whether there'll be that much impact price-wise, but offering-wise, it could be better. for the business of Hollywood, it would be pretty bad because it would take one big buyer potentially off the table for shows and movies. And that would mean a further contraction of Hollywood. All right, Matthew Bellany, thanks so much.
1:16:18Always great to have you on. Keep up the great work. Thanks. Breaking news on Capitol Hill. New images just in is how Speaker Mike Johnson leads a vigil for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last week. What President Trump in the last hour said about memorials for Kirk compared to those for other others who have been assassinated. Stay with us. Well, if the governor had asked me to do that, I would have done that. But the governor of Minnesota didn't ask me. Had the governor of Minnesota asked me to do that, I would have done that gladly. Continuing with our political lead, that was President Trump just in the last hour on explaining why he ordered flags flown at half staff to honor Charlie Kirk after his horrific assassination, but didn't do the same after Minnesota Democratic state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed back in June.
1:17:08Our political experts are here. I think I might know why Governor Walz didn't call President Trump to make that request. This is what President Trump said after the assassination of Melissa Hortman and her husband back in June. Take a listen. I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out, I'm not calling him. Why would I call him? He's a mess. So I could be nice and call him, but why waste time? I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out, I'm not calling him. Why would I call him? He's a mess. So I could be nice and call, but why waste time? That's a very different response than what we saw over the last few days, what we've seen from this administration when it comes to the death and assassination of Charlie Kirk.
1:17:47I think that what you're seeing here from the president is that, especially in his address this last week, he talked about not only Charlie Kirk, which was a terrible tragedy, horrific tragedy. And I'm sorry to all of my conservative friends who knew Charlie. And genuinely, let me just interrupt for one second. I genuinely loved him. I mean, I think. He did. Like Scott Jennings and Schermichael, other people who knew him, really, really shaken and upset. And upset. And it's horrific. He also mentioned Steve Scalise. He mentioned himself, which, again, that was a terrible attempt. And obviously, he was injured in that attempt.
1:18:23We don't know what the motive was of that shooter. We don't know that he was a lefty person in any sort of way. But, I mean, they're trying to frame everything as sort of there is only the right that has been potentially politically targeted. The reality is, though, is that when you look at the stats and when you look at the people who have been targeted, whether it was Melissa Hortman or whether it was Paul Pelosi or whether it was Gabby Giffords who is still living with those injuries now today, we have seen political violence that has been on the rise and not only political violence, but threats of violence.
1:18:57You see Eric Swalwell, he's had a number of threats. There have been other lawmakers who've received the threats and the Republican Party and Trump only believes that one side has received these threats. And I think at a time like this, it's really, to have your leader really only talk about one side is just not true. I will say, sure, Michael, after Paul Pelosi was attacked with a hammer, and, you know, he's never been the same. He's never been the same. I mean, he was hit in the head with a hammer several times, and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi talks very sadly and movingly about it's impacted him forever, and it will.
1:19:32There were a lot of conservatives, and I don't mean just like randos on Twitter, I mean, names that I'm not going to mention who are recognizable, making fun of it, laughing about it. I wouldn't make, I'm not you. No, no, I know. But in response to the point you're making, I'm like, I would make fun of it. And I think hindsight being 2020, I suppose, I think most of those people today, considering what happened to Charlie Kirk, would also say, you know, if I could go back and turn that switch off, I probably would. Because we're realizing that there are people out there who will take it too far.
1:20:06as it pertains to this type of violence. We've been talking on our network throughout today. I've seen a lot of the coverage. Members of Congress on both sides saying, hey, we actually want more protection. I think Congressman Tim Burchett out of Tennessee was saying that he's going personally to leadership, saying, what is it going to take? You guys have security. You guys have a personal detail. What's it going to take for the rest of the members of Congress to get that same detail? I think everybody's alarmed about this, Jake, on the left and on the right, in terms of wanting to tone down the rhetoric, but also keep people safe.
1:20:35And I think that's what the focus should be. And I think that's what the administration ultimately is going to probably try to do in terms of getting Congress to say, hey, let's tone it down. Let's also make sure we keep members safe and also keep the public generally safe. I want to take this out of the political arena for one second. Well, this is still somewhat political. But I saw a tweet from a group today that showed just individual members of the Democratic Socialists of America, individual social media posts, rejoicing. laughing, celebrating. I don't think that represents all of DSA, but it's pretty gross.
1:21:13And I don't know if this is because we're in an era where we're so siloed that people don't even have anybody in their circle that can be like, that's disgusting. Why would you say something like that? Almost like what Brian Kilmeade went through the other day when he said something pretty disgusting. Maybe, and he apologized for it, but maybe he doesn't have anybody in his circle to say, don't say that. Is it just that their social media exists and so people are just like sharing every thought that occurs to them? Or are some of us becoming worse people, do you think? I think that our politics is broken in that sense.
1:21:49And I do think that you have people on the right trying to blame the left and you have people on the left calling out the right. And I think that if you were to ask the vast majority of the center and just more broadly, the American people, they would want to hear their leaders talking about how all political violence is bad and speak out. Democrats speak out when something happens to Republicans and Republicans speak out when something happens to Democrats. But the reality is, is that has not been the case, I feel like, since January 6th. And when I was at the Justice Department, what we saw post-January 6th is a vast increase in threats to public officials, whether that be an elected official, whether that be an election worker.
1:22:30And it is just because the rhetoric overall has increased, I would say, from a lot of people. But also, we are siloed, and I do think our system is broken. Of course, what happened to Steve Scalise, Congressman Steve Scalise, and that far left winger shooting at the baseball field, that was before January 6th. That was during Trump's first term. What do you think? Is it social media makes it so that people just share these horrific views or people get radicalized because they see people demonizing others, they misunderstand? You think about this in a historic context. 150 years ago, you had members of Congress getting in gun duels, stabbing each other, fighting.
1:23:07I mean, literally on the floor of Congress. This was a commonality. I'll show you someday. Look at the stairs in the house where a journalist killed a member of Congress. I was not even aware of that. There was there's well, this is like in the 1800s, but like there's blood. Still there that they couldn't get out of the marble. But that's my point. We've had this moment in the history of our country. You go through the 60s. You had a lot of assassinations. Ronald Reagan attempted assassination in what the mid late 80s, I believe. 1981. 81, early 80s. And so we have seen periods of this. Then we, I think, saw a period of sort of calm and everybody just sort of forgot about how violent politics can be.
1:23:45And once again, here we are in a moment where one side, I would argue, as a conservative, I see a lot of people going after conservatives on the left, demonizing them in the rhetoric, whether it's fascists or not calling Trump a Nazi. I mean, seriously, a Nazi. Have we really forgotten what the hell the Nazis actually did? No, I agree. And so when you say that, Jake, you're insinuating to folks on your side that the other side is an existential threat to your existence. And the only way to preserve your existence is to do what some of these terrible. So one other thing I just want to bring up, I want you to take a listen to Trump senior adviser, Carrie Lake, at the vigil at the Kennedy Center.
1:24:22She's talking about the suspect. And again, like everyone, we're all looking for answers. Here's what she had to say. How does a 22 year old become so filled with hate? Five years earlier, I was told he was a Trump supporter. And we sent our kids off to college and they brainwashed him. I am making a plea to mothers out there. Do not send your children into these indoctrination camps. Don't do it. So, again, I'm not sure that Utah Valley University is an indoctrination camp. We're all looking for answers. But in some of these answers, I think there's more demonization, you know. Yeah, I know conservatives that go to that university.
1:25:07And I think the reality is that it is there are people out there that are have need mental health services and they never get it. And there are people out there, regardless of political affiliation, that have access to guns that shouldn't have access to guns and overall. And I think that trying to say that it is the way that a mother raised their child or putting them into a certain university or putting them around certain people. I don't think this is the case. I think a lot of this has to do with mental illness. I'll just quickly say most colleges and universities are bastions of liberal ideology.
1:25:39I'm a conservative. And most of my friends, when I was in college, it was not a norm. You didn't have a lot of conservative professors who were teaching conservative orthodoxy. It's gotten even worse today. But they don't promote violence in any way. Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. Just moments after a measles outbreak, what a top health official in Texas fears most. after watching Florida, another red state, work towards ending vaccine mandates, including for public schools. Stay with us.
1:26:09Our health lead now in the wake of the state of Florida announcing that they could be the very first state in the United States to end vaccine mandates. A new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Washington Post shows about 16 % of parents have delayed or skipped vaccines for their children. That's up 10 % from just 2023. Joining us now is a man whose state of Texas recently battled a measles outbreak. The director of health and human services for Dallas, Dr. Phil Wong. Dr. Wong, thanks so much for coming here. The reason we had you is because you co-wrote an op-ed for Stat News in which you wrote in part, quote, we worry about the consequences of an America where support for and access to vaccines comes down to one's party affiliation.
1:26:51Recent changes to vaccine policy at the federal level from more restrictive eligibility criteria to the firing of independent vaccine advisors appears to be based on changes in political leadership, not changes in science. Confusion and mistrust are running rampant and our families are caught in the middle. What can you do as a state leader in the health issue, in the health area, to fight this confusion and mistrust? Well, I mean, you know, we're trying to do everything we can to educate the public and build that trust with the community because, you know, getting the word out, these vaccines are safe and effective.
1:27:23They're why we've, you know, were declared measles eliminated in the year 2000. But people forget. And I was just talking to a bunch of retired persons at a church group, and they lived through that. And, you know, to talk about it, they said, yeah, I remember my brother got polio. And they remember the iron lungs. And we've been so successful, we don't see that anymore. And people start thinking, why do we still need these vaccines? But get that word out. The same poll from The Washington Post and KFF showed about 50 percent of parents said they had little or no confidence in federal health agencies to ensure vaccine safety and effectiveness.
1:27:58That's a shocking number, 50 percent. It is. I mean, it is incredibly disheartening, again, that it's changes in the politics rather than any of the science that are changing some of these guidance and recommendations. And there's confusion among the public. But I think that everyone in the public really wants the same thing as us in public health. We want what's best for the children. I mean, people forget before the vaccines, for instance, for pertussis, there were 5 ,000 to 9 ,000 deaths each year from pertussis or measles. We had 3 to 4 million cases, 48 ,000 hospitalizations, and 450 to 500 deaths each year from measles.
1:28:40Now we don't see that. unfortunately. I want you to take a listen to President Trump because he was asked about Florida's attempt to end vaccine mandates. And here's what President Trump had to say. You have vaccines that work. They're just pure and simple work. They're not controversial at all. And I think those vaccines should be used. And yet his Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is doing a lot and has been for decades to undermine confidence in vaccines. Right. I mean, again, the message should be consistent from the top and from the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
1:29:17What he says is so important. And to say otherwise really, you know, breaks the trust and makes people confused. And that's what we saw a lot in Texas also, these confusing messages where people, you know, get mixed messages. Should I get the vaccine or shouldn't I? There's a pretty big drop off in that poll among parents who say MMR, that's measles, mumps, rubella vaccines and polio vaccines are very important. But then they say COVID shots and flu shots are not. Is that an accurate assessment? No, it's not. I mean, and again, people forget what it was like at the beginning of COVID. I mean, there were the hospitals were overrun.
1:29:55I talked to the physicians that were caring for these patients in the ICU. We had, you know, running around, running out of those refrigerated trucks to take care of the dead bodies. And that's what it was like at the beginning. And And the vaccines were life-saving. We saved, you know, over a million lives from that vaccine. And now it's become so politicized people forget. All right, Dr. Phil Wong, thanks so much for being here. I really appreciate it. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, X, and on the TikTok at JTAP. Or you can follow the show on X at The Lead CNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can listen to the show once you get your podcasts.
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The FBI director reveals new details about evidence in the investigation into the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Plus, what the Kremlin is saying about the chances of Russia ending its war against Ukraine. Also, the new deal announced to save TikTok.
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