Garcia: Epstein Doc Redactions “Absolutely Breaking The Law”

26:23But look, I think the focus, of course, for us in New York has to be on defeating Kathy Hochul. She's the single worst governor in the country and has been an abject disaster on the issues that matter to New Yorkers, from affordability to public safety, housing, energy, health care, et cetera. So we'll see what comes of this. But before I kind of wrap my head around it, I'm going to take a little bit of time. Republican Congressman Mike Lawler, thank you. Merry Christmas to you. We've had you on the show a lot this year. We really appreciate your taking our questions. Thank you so much. We hope you have a great holiday with your family and best wishes for 2026.

27:05Thank you, Jake. Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to everyone. We'll stay with the breaking news. The Justice Department released at least some of its files on dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. An attorney for some of Epstein's survivors is going to join me next.

27:26Back with our breaking news in our Law and Justice lead, as the Justice Department has released some of the files it has on dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, though not all of them. Let's discuss with Jennifer Freeman, an attorney and advocate for Epstein's victims. Jennifer, OK, so at least some of the many Epstein files are out right now. And let me just reiterate, there are a lot of redactions. We all want the victims' names to be redacted. It does seem a little more than that has been redacted, though. How are you feeling? How are the Epstein survivors feeling? It's so interesting, Jake, and thank you.

28:02It's good to be with you again. And it's so interesting because today, I believe, is a day of triumph and tragedy for Maria Farmer and so many of the other survivors. Why is that happening? It's a triumph because the Epstein Files Act was passed and the files have been, at least some of them have been produced. And some of the information is out. But most importantly, what we were able to find, it's very preliminary, our review, but we were able to find, And I think we also emailed it to you. You may not have seen it yet. A document from the FBI in 1996, just as we've been saying for years now, that Maria Farmer reported Epstein and Maxwell's crimes to the FBI in 1996.

28:50and had the government done their job, over 1 ,000 victims would have been spared and 30 years of trauma avoided. So this is a real triumph for Maria because of that, because she's finally validated, and it's really a triumph for the survivors. But it's also tragic because 30 years have passed, and there is so much that could have been done, but nothing was done. I have a comment from Maria, if I can read it to you. Yeah, please. because she just saw it all through. And this is from her. This is amazing. Thank you for believing me. I feel redeemed. This is one of the best days of my life. Of course, it's mixed with the fact that I'm devastated about all the other girls like Virginia who were harmed because the FBI didn't do their job.

29:40I'm crying for two reasons. I want everyone to know that I'm shedding tears of joy for myself, but also tears of sorrow for all the other victims at the FBI. So just to be clear, and this, by the way, I mean, this is significant and it reminds me, by the way, Jennifer, it reminds me how we lost Jennifer's signal, but it does remind me, I should just note, of the fact that there was a whistleblower who called the FBI in the early days of the Larry Nassar, Dr. Larry Nassar, who molested and assaulted so many gymnasts, including so many members of the Olympic, the USA Olympics gymnast team. And the FBI didn't take that seriously either.

30:23Our thanks to Jennifer Friedman. We hope we get that signal back. Coming up next on the lead, NBA coach Steve Kerr. He's talking about further restrictions on guns or gun control in America after yet another traumatizing week. Stay with us.

30:43What is that? Oh, yeah, it's a World Cup holder. Like the soccer tournament World Cup holder for the world. Fits every car, holds every cup. It has a Carvana logo? Carvana made it. They buy and sell cars, so they made a car cup holder. So, uh, got any good cups lately? Used to. Just couldn't figure out where in the world to put them. The World Cup holder. Brought to you by Carvana. Proud sponsors of the World Cup holder. Sign up today to win yours at Cup-Holder 2026. Not authorized or endorsed by FIFA. Not a real product. For parody and fair use purposes only. Hey there! It's Wayfair here, where delivery and setup are as easy as a few taps on your phone.

31:19You're relaxing in an old hammock, scrolling Wayfair's app, when you spot it. A brand new patio set. Next thing you know, Wayfair delivers it right to your patio and sets it up. Oh, you need a new grill too? Alright, Wayfair's got you covered! With Wayfair's room of choice delivery and fast expert setup on qualifying orders, life gets a little easier. Visit Wayfair.com or the Wayfair app. Way fair, every style, every home. And we're back with our national lead, the suspect that officials say is responsible for the Brown University killings. And the murder of an MIT professor ended last night when that suspect was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

31:55So the manhunt is over, but obviously not the trauma. For some Brown University students, the trauma of surviving a mass shooting will live on, and so will the mourning for their two peers killed in Saturday's attack, as well as the eight others wounded. 19-year-old Ella Cook was killed. She was known for her bold, brave, and kind heart. She was an accomplished pianist. She volunteered at church. Then there's 18-year-old Mukhamid Aziz Umersikov, known for being driven and conscientious and disciplined. He wanted to make a positive impact in the world by becoming a neurosurgeon. And as I said, nine others were injured in the attack, eight with gunshot wounds.

32:33As of today, all six survivors still in the hospital are in stable condition. My next guest has been speaking out about the need for further restrictions on gun ownership, in his view, for years. He's the head coach for the Golden State Warriors. Steve Kerr joins us now. Steve, thanks so much for joining us. So after the Brown shooting, you came out right before a game. You used your platform unprompted. You called for common sense gun laws. You noted that responsible law-abiding citizens have every right to own a gun. You challenged people to think, what if something like this happened to their child or their family member?

33:04and would they be willing to stand up to their representative to ask for more? Now, I just want to ask, technically, on this issue, not the larger issue of shootings in America, on this shooting, police said the suspect in the Brown shooting, he used a 9mm firearm, a handgun. He had no criminal record. Is there a kind of gun control that you think could have prevented this shooting? Or are you just talking about it in general? I'm talking in general, Jacob, because what we're trying to do is minimize the deaths and minimize the violence. And we know that common sense gun safety laws actually do that.

33:42In fact, the states with the five strongest gun safety laws have a 75 percent reduction in gun death rates compared to the five with the weakest gun safety laws. So we know a lot of common sense regulation will reduce deaths. And that's what we're trying to do. I mean, there's there's there's going to be people who slip through the cracks. I just think that the main thing is to put this out front and center and and understand that the vast majority of Americans agree with me, whether they're Democrats, Republicans, gun owners, non-gun owners. Most people in this country, 80 percent, according to polls, want common sense gun safety laws.

34:29We need to talk about it. Do you ever get any pushback from the NBA or from any of the advertisers or sponsors of the Golden State Warriors or the NBA for your advocacy on this issue? No, no. The NBA has always supported me on this issue. The league constantly gives players and coaches support in the social issues that we speak out on. And it's been really a wonderful thing to work in this league and receive the support that I do. For those Americans who don't know, those viewers who don't know, your father was assassinated by a gunman in 1984 when he was the president of the American University in Beirut.

35:11So unfortunately, you have firsthand knowledge, firsthand understanding of what it's like to lose somebody in a shooting. Everyone grieves differently, of course. What advice do you have for the survivors or the families who have lost a loved one due to gun violence or those who are traumatized from all the shootings, especially the one most recently at Brown? Yeah, well, this is the main reason for my involvement in this movement, because I feel that pain firsthand. And it's not something that you ever get over. But with the support of your family and and friends and actually grieving and going through that process, you do heal.

35:54And that's my advice is to to be together with the people you love and grieve together. But it never takes away the loss that exists. I think about my dad, my dad every day, and he never saw me play in the NBA. Never met his my my wife, you know, his grandkids. It's there's so much loss. And I think that's the number one thing that people out there, if they're watching, need to think about is it's it's the loss. It's the human loss that is happening. And we can't look the other way. We have to actually look straight at the loss that's happening and understand there's so much we can do to reduce gun deaths and gun violence in this country.

36:34I think a lot of people just throw their hands up and say there's nothing we can do. That's not true at all. There's plenty we can do. Steve Kerr, thank you so much. Really appreciate your time today. I appreciate it so much. Thanks, Jake. A busy afternoon, bound to be a big night of breaking news with the Justice Department releasing some of its documents on Jeffrey Epstein. We're also just getting word that the U.S. has launched strikes in Syria in response to two American soldiers killed earlier this month. That breaking news just coming in right now. We're back in a moment. We'll be right back.

37:16Some breaking news in our worldly, the United States military today has struck dozens of targets in Syria. Targets, they say, are tied to ISIS. Two officials say it's retaliation for that recent attack against American troops there that killed a civilian interpreter and two U.S. service members from the Iowa National Guard. Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard. Now, partner nations, including Jordan, joined the U.S. in these strikes on ISIS targets today. Hundreds of American troops remain deployed in Syria as part of the United States' longstanding mission to combat ISIS.

37:50In our Politics League, just one day after voting on it and as questions of legality swirl, the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts was actually unveiled, physically unveiled. The Board of Trustees voted allegedly unanimously yesterday to rename the arts institution. The Congress designated a memorial to President Kennedy after his assassination. LBJ did that in 1964. My panel joins us now. So, Ashley, that didn't take long. I have to say, like, I'm still not even sure that this is legal, because according to the statute, it doesn't say that the Board of Directors gets to change the name of the Kennedy Center.

38:29Okay, so I think you're asking me that because I'm on the symphony board, so I've been on it for a long time and very involved in the Kennedy Center. But listen, I don't know if it's legal yet, but the bottom line is they did it, and so how do you undo it? And I'm assuming that if we have a new president in three years that they'll probably undo it. Yeah, President Kennedy's niece, Carrie Kennedy, has said that in three years and one month or whatever it is, she's going to be up there with a chisel taking down the name. Do you think this is an issue Democrats should be talking about at all, or is it just kind of a sideshow?

39:06It's more about what does this issue represent to the American public, a sense of hubris, a sense of selfishness. If we're all raising kids in this environment, do we raise them up to say, hey, you know what? Be selfish. Stomp on other people so that you can promote your own name. Get as much wealth as you want. Who cares? Just all for yourself. That's what you're trying to talk to the American public about. What his governing ethic of wanting to put names on his building, enrich himself, is at the expense of a lot of people who are otherwise struggling out there and he's not thinking about. So a political bombshell this afternoon, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who, you know, earlier this year she was going to be U.N.

39:38ambassador. Then President Trump withdrew her name and she wanted to be back in leadership. And then that didn't happen. Then she's going to run for governor. And now she says she's suspending her campaign for governor and she's not going to run for reelection to the House. What's going on? I don't know. And I saw this. I mean, Elise and I go back to the Bush days, and I don't know. But I think there's probably something there. She's too ambitious. She has a bright future. So let's see if she gets appointed to something. So, go ahead. We're just a few weeks away from where she was fighting with the Trump administration.

40:14She could have won, by the way. Possibly. She doesn't seem to think that. I think she would have stayed in the race and continued on. My sense was that she saw the writing on the wall. this is not going to be a good cycle for many Republicans. And putting a lot of energy and effort into races, these are hard. I mean, they take a lot out of people. And if you're going to go do it, you have to feel committed to a path that you could win. I don't think she saw it. And President Trump didn't endorse her. There's a Nassau County executive, Brad Blakeman, I think is his name, and he's also running. And President Trump was asked about Stefanik, who, you know, she has been very loyal to President Trump.

40:45And President Trump said something like, I like Brad Blakeman and I like Elise Stefanik. He wasn't going to throw, he wasn't at least as of now throwing his weight behind her. But listen, she had like six months that she looked at this. So again, I think she's very calculating in a good way, which we all need to be professionally. And let's just see what happens. But I was surprised, 100%. Yeah, it's a shock. Speaking of endorsements, Erica Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, is already looking ahead to 2028. She's made her endorsement for 2028. We are going to get my husband's friend, J.D.

41:23Vance, elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible. I've never really seen an endorsement for like within the first year of vice presidency. What do you what do you make of it? Well, I'm happy that I'd like to run against him, quite frankly. I think he will not be very popular right now. I'd like to see a Democrat stand up and be a compelling candidate against him. I think if you're going to do it, you have to refuse corporate PAC money. You have to be a candidate. I think we have a case for Medicare for all. Fight for the integrity of working class people because that's J.D. Vance's shtick.

41:57You know, hillbilly elegy. I think there's going to be a really good case to make for a Democrat who says, I want to connect with working class people and I have an agenda to do it. So I'm really excited that that contrast is there for us. Can I just ask you, who do you see picking up the Bernie Sanders mantle? He's not running going to run. He's made it pretty clear. Bernie Sanders picks up the Bernie Sanders mantle. Who might be people like him? Obviously, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez joined him on the fight oligarchy tours. And you do have her as someone who has refused corporate PAC money, who doesn't come from wealth.

42:24I think is one of the least wealthy members of Congress. And I think you need that integrity to take on power. People who are willing to do it. There's other good progressives, Ro Khanna. There's a number of others. I want a very competitive primary, to be honest with you. Do you think J.D. Vance is the one to beat? Like, I mean, like, is this going to go to him, do you think? Or do you think this is going to be a judge? I think that this, let's go back to Ron DeSantis. Let's go back to Jeb Bush. Jeb Bush? Well, no, I'm just saying, like, if you're like the front runner at the beginning, like, it's like a bad...

42:52I thought you were asking for him to run. No, I'm just saying, like, do you want to really be the front candidate three years out? Do I? I mean... Well, are you running for president? I don't know. I mean, like, if... No, I'm not. But the idea of not having competition is... I could think... Okay, but that's not true. I mean, like, there's, like, three years out, there's going to be much more competition. I would not want to be the endorsed candidate three years out, is my point. Well, he is now, at least when it comes to Erica Kirk. And Jeb Bush was too. Not for Erica Kirk, though, but I hear what you're saying.

43:25Thanks, everyone. The breaking news, the Justice Department finally releasing some of the files on dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Not all, some. What CNN is uncovering as we go through what is out there, that's next.

43:42Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. For this hour, the just released documents related to the investigation of dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. They include several never-before-seen photos of former President Bill Clinton with Epstein, although we're not sure when the pictures were taken. Our CNN teams are pouring through the files. We're bringing you the latest updates as we get them. Plus, another story of heroism emerging from the tragic shooting in Australia on Sunday. What we're learning tonight about the brave police officer seeing exchanging gunfire with one of the Bondi Beach attackers.

44:12despite being outgunned and outnumbered. Also, President Trump hitting the road tonight, set to speak in North Carolina in just a few hours. But if the economy is really doing as well as President Trump says, why is he in a battleground state on a Friday night just before Christmas? And we're sending you off into this last weekend with Before Christmas with a real treat. Paul Rudd is here to preview his upcoming movie, Anaconda. And he's dishing on what it was like to work behind the scenes with some of the other funniest people in Hollywood.

44:46Well, late tonight, the Justice Department releasing a trove of files on Jeffrey Epstein just hours ahead of tonight's deadline. Thousands of photos and videos and documents from inside the world of the notorious pedophile and his co-conspirators. Our CNN team is combing through it all right now and will bring you the latest updates as we have them. Lots of it has been redacted by the Justice Department for the privacy and safety of the victims. There's a lot of stuff that has been redacted that is not because of the privacy and safety of the victims, obviously. Of note so far, several never seen photos of former President Bill Clinton with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

45:23Although it's unclear where or when the photos were taken. Were they taken before Maxwell and Epstein were charged with anything? That's a big question. CNN has reached out to a spokesperson for Clinton about the photos we should know. The former president has never been accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing related to Epstein, and a spokesperson has repeatedly said that Clinton cut ties with Epstein long before Epstein was arrested in 2019 and did not know about the crimes. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche says the Justice Department received no orders to redact President Trump's name or anyone else's name from the files.

45:58There's no effort to hold anything back because there's the name Donald J. Trump or anybody else's name, Bill Clinton's name, Reid Hoffman's name. I would give the order. President Trump has certainly said from the beginning that he expects all files that can be released to be released. And that's exactly what we're doing. Deputy Attorney General Blanche also says this batch was just the first and much more is to come. That's not, of course, what the law passed by Congress and signed by the president last month mandates. Let's get right to CNN's Caitlin Polantz. Caitlin? There are many redactions here, but there's also just so many documents to be going through, including many, many photos that the Justice Department is releasing.

46:43Some of this was framed up quite explicitly by Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general from the Justice Department. He wrote a letter to Congress, and in that letter, he disclosed a couple things. One, he is saying on the second page of his letter to Congress that there is no information that the Justice Department has uncovered in this review of hundreds of thousands of pages of the Epstein files where it believes there could be a new investigation against someone who has not previously been charged specifically, meaning Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell. well. So don't expect there to be any new allegations or charges coming from what we see here today.

47:23The second thing that he's saying is that transparency, the act says there can be some exemptions to what is revealed publicly, things like victims' names blacked out, some other types of information, foreign policy, sensitive details, things about ongoing investigations. Blanche says the Justice Department, they're going to be holding back even more than what the law specifies. He writes that there are things that fall under attorney-client privilege, deliberative process privilege, work product privilege, the sort of thing that are discussions internally within an administration or with others that may be the sort of thing that Congress didn't want to have held back that the Justice Department believes they can keep private.

48:05He writes, although the act broadly categorizes items required to be produced, the act does not include language expressly requiring the department to produce privileged materials. So let's watch and see if there are Democrats, especially on Capitol Hill, that take issue with that. That's the sort of thing that there could be much litigation over to try and get more out of these documents that are being posted on the Justice Department website now. Now, the last thing, Jake, on page three of Blanche's letter, he talks about the scope of the group of victims and people whose names are redacted and whose faces may be blacked out in this compendium.

48:46He says that the Justice Department reached out to representatives of victims and asked for others to come forward. In all, there are 1 ,200 names of victims and their relatives who are redacted. And any other information that would identify those people in these files, including their images, that too is going to be redacted. So that's what we're looking at here. A lot taken out by the Justice Department and a lot more to come. Jake? I want to bring in CNN's Chief White House Correspondent Caitlin Collins. Caitlin, the White House is claiming maximum transparency. And I see a number of administration officials tweeting out the picture of Bill Clinton in the hot tub with Epstein.

49:29Do you think that what we've seen so far is maximum transparency? Well, I mean, Jake, they're touting that, but they did not mention in the statement they put out alongside this release tonight that their hand was forced on this by two lawmakers on Capitol Hill who led the way on this and then obviously had a few Republicans join with them to succeed in having this bill become law. And I'll tell you, Jake, that we are seeing response to Caitlin's point there already from a Democrat who helped author this bill. Ro Khanna is responding tonight saying that what the administration has released fails to comply with the law that he and Thomas Massey authored here, which is what led the way on that discharge petition.

50:05He talks about how in one document he says 119 pages of grand jury testimony was completely redacted. And Ro Khanna is saying that does not comply with the law as they stated it and as they are demanding what has to be released by that law that the president himself signed after it was passed by the House and by the Senate. And it doesn't comply. And so that's the question here of how they're going to seek to take that up, what the next steps are. They had been threatening legal action if they didn't get everything. And Ro Khanna seems to be saying that they know for a fact they did not get everything in part of this release.

50:38And so that's the question in terms of what happens next here, as Todd Blanch was laying out in his letter, that they still have more stuff to come before the end of the year. But you're right, Jake, from the political perspective here, obviously there have been demands for this information to be out there, not just from lawmakers on Capitol Hill, but from some of the survivors themselves. I've spoken with a bunch of them who said they wanted this information to be released. The White House has spent the last two hours since this came out highlighting those pictures of former President Bill Clinton alongside women whose faces are redacted or Ghislaine Maxwell or other prominent figures, including Jeffrey Epstein, in these images and in this release.

51:16Obviously, they're using that even though Bill Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing in this. And he's denied knowing anything about Jeffrey Epstein's heinous crimes and said that he didn't talk to him actually for the last 20 years before his death. But whenever there's a picture of the president or anything like that, they obviously use it and downplay it and also point to his denials as well, Jake. And so, you know, one thing that I talked to Ro Khanna about previously was he said, we don't care if it's a Democrat or Republican. Everything should be released. It's not a political basis.

51:45they want any powerful figures who were in Jeffrey Epstein's orbit to be known. And so that's still the question of the full extent of what this release today looks like. All right, Caitlin Collins and Caitlin Polance, thanks so much. And don't miss Caitlin on her show, The Source with Caitlin Collins. Tonight she's going to be joined by Democratic Congressman Rohana, who's on the House Oversight Committee and was one of the two lawmakers that authored the bill that required today's release of Epstein documents. That's tonight at 9 Eastern only on CNN. Joining us now is Annie Farmer. Annie and her sister survived Epstein's abuse.

52:15She's now a licensed psychologist. Also joining us is Lauren Hirsch, the National Director for World Without Exploitation. Annie, it's a heavy day, a momentous day, but a heavy day, a heavy week. How are you feeling? There is a lot of anxiety coming into today for many of us survivors that have been involved in this process, but I have to say it has been an emotional day in a way that I was not expecting. You know, my sister Maria Farmer reported Epstein and his crimes in 1996. We've been saying that over and over again. And part of what was released today was an official FBI form, and I think it was an FD-71, dated September 3rd, 1996, with my sister's, some of my sister's report.

53:08It was labeled under child pornography and it described Epstein stealing photos of myself at the age of 16 of my younger sister who was 12 at the time. And just to see it in writing and to know that they had this document this entire time. And how many people were harmed after that date? It just, you know, we've been saying it over and over, but to see it in black and white that way has been very emotional. I'm with Maria today. I know she felt a tremendous amount of relief and redemption, but also sorrow in thinking about people like Virginia Roberts-Jouffray, who are not here to see this and be a part of really forcing the government to be transparent, finally, about this case.

53:52So Annie, just so people know, this is the document that you're talking about. It is the 1996 complaint that your sister made to the FBI about Epstein. She alleged that he stole nude and partially nude photographs of her underage sisters constituting child pornography. And as we know, law enforcement failed to act on that complaint in 1996. She's followed up on this. She sued in response. You sued over what you experienced. Maria in a statement has said, this is amazing. Thank you for believing me. I feel redeemed. This is one of the best days of my life. Of course it's mixed with the fact that I'm devastated about all the other little girls like Virginia who were harmed because the FBI didn't do their job.

54:35I'm crying for two reasons. I want everyone to know that I'm shedding tears of joy for myself but also tears of sorrow for all the other victims that the FBI failed. Looking at this document I can feel I'm sure just a fraction of the emotion you feel because you think of like if only they took this seriously how many innocent girls would not have been harmed if only they took this seriously. But it is vindication. It is something, right, Annie? Oh, it's huge. Yeah. I mean, and I still have big questions about whether it was, you know, did they not take it seriously or were they protecting Epstein because of whatever relationship he had with the government, right?

55:18Like, there's just so many questions and why we hope for, again, more transparency. But yes, this is really, really significant to many of us. It reminds me also of the young woman who went to the FBI and complained about Dr. Larry Nassar at Michigan State, who was molesting all those gymnasts and was also not taken seriously. Think of all the pain that could have been avoided. Annie, some of your fellow survivors have not been happy with the way that the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have been releasing information and photographs, not necessarily with enough of a heads up for the survivors, sometimes with context, important context missing, et cetera.

56:00I imagine it's kind of triggering to not be given proper warning. What are you even hearing from other survivors about the way that these documents have been released by Democrats on House oversight? Yeah, I mean, I'd say, actually, I'd like to speak more broadly because I think that's similar to how things were released today. You know, just the government, I'd say, has not done a good job of communicating with victims throughout this process. You know, we did not know what to expect from today. I don't think it would have been difficult from someone from the DOJ to reach out to prepare us a little bit more about how this was planned to be rolled out.

56:40But we had no information, and we are literally just learning of things like everyone else. And that goes as also is true for, you know, some of the things that have come from the House Oversight Committee. And there has been communication. And I think they have made some efforts to to try and rectify those processes because, yeah, it is triggering. And there's just a way in which it's hard. It's hard to focus on anything right now with all of this going on. I think many of us are just are feeling really on edge and worn out. It's, you know, we have regular lives. People are trying to, you know, go to doctor's appointments, take care of their children.

57:15do regular life holiday things. And it's just a serious wait to always not know what's coming next. So I think there are things like victims advocates for a reason. I know the government employs them. I don't understand why no one is using them right now. I hope you feel the support of the American people behind you, Annie, because so many of us are just behind you all the way. Lauren, how do officials in Congress and the Justice Department and strike the right balance when it comes to protecting the survivors and their identities, while also releasing as much information about this case as possible to the public?

57:51Because some of the documents we're seeing released are just 100 pages of redaction. And obviously, I don't want the names of survivors released, but like 100 pages of redaction, that's a lot. It sure is, Jake. I think the survivors have been really clear about what they want to see. I think they have said that they want all of the files released and they want redactions for victim identifying information. That's very different than document after document after document of full redactions. And they also want to see the names of people who have caused harm on both sides. They don't care if they're names of people who represent the left, the right, the center.

58:41They don't care for them. This is not about politics. This is about pain and this is about people. And so it's really time to expose those who have caused tremendous harm and begin holding them accountable. Lauren Hurst, thank you for your presence and your advocacy. Annie Farmer, to you and your sisters, I mean, sending you all the love and support from me and my staff here at CNN, as we have. Thank you, and I hope you're able to have a Merry Christmas. Thank you so much, Jake. We'll have much more on the Epstein Files release as our team digs through the documents. I'm going to be joined live by the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, which is also investigating Epstein, of course.

59:22Plus, we're learning new details into how Reddit and A Good Samaritan helped investigators identify and track down the suspect in that deadly shooting at Brown University. Those details next.

59:40In our National Lead, new details on how two manhunts for ultimately the same suspect came to an end. Investigators now focused on uncovering a motive after finding the suspect in both the Brown University shooting and the murder of an MIT professor. And the suspect was found dead at a storage facility in New Hampshire. As CNN's Danny Friedman reports for us now, crucial tips from a custodian and a post on Reddit helped break the case wide open. Our Providence neighbors can finally breathe a little easier. Tonight, relief across New England as two manhunts came to a dramatic close. The man, suspected of opening fire on a Brown University classroom and killing an MIT professor, identified as 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente, found dead Thursday evening in a storage facility in New Hampshire with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

1:00:36It was all about groundwork, public assistance, interviews of individuals, and good old-fashioned policing. After hundreds of tips and several leads, police got two big breaks. First, a Reddit post flagged to investigators, which read in part, I'm being dead serious. The police need to look into a gray Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental. That was the car he was driving. Then this person, who investigators said was in proximity to their suspect on the day of the shooting, came forward with key details, including information about the suspect's voice, his appearance, his car, and even a confrontation where the man asked the suspect, your car is back there.

1:01:19Why are you circling the block? According to a police affidavit. I remember last night watching his interview and he blew this case right open. He blew it open. Once they had the description of the man and the rental car, pieces started to fall into place, including a connection to the murder of MIT professor Nuno Loreiro outside of Boston. There is a video footage of him entering an apartment building in the location of the professor's apartment. The car was eventually found abandoned in New Hampshire at a storage facility where Neves Valente rented multiple units. There was evidence that was observed from outside the car that matched our crime scenes, meaning mask, clothing, satchel, which you can see on that video.

1:02:05Inside one of the units, authorities recovered two 9mm Glocks, high-capacity magazines, and a bulletproof vest. The suspect was a Portuguese national who once went to Brown more than two decades ago, but didn't graduate, and who studied at the same Portuguese university when the slain MIT professor was there, but it's still unclear if the two knew each other. Law enforcement officials tell CNN they do believe Neves Valente targeted Lareiro, but do not believe he specifically targeted any of the victims of the Brown University shooting. But Providence's mayor telling CNN Friday they're not done searching for a motive.

1:02:43We won't give up in trying to answer those questions. I think the Providence community, the Brown community, really needs to know that in order to get true closure.

1:02:58And Jake, one last thing I'll add. We actually just got new information about when the authorities believe that the suspect here actually died. According to the Office of the Medical Examiner for New Hampshire's Department of Justice, They estimate that Nevis Valente actually died back on Tuesday, December 16th, which means he may have been dead for two full days in that storage facility before police ultimately found him. Jake? Oh, wow. Danny Freeman in Providence, Rhode Island. Thanks so much. Another tragic scene this week, of course, was the terrorist attack on Australia's Bandai Beach, an act of horrendous anti-Semitic terror.

1:03:33Coming up next, a closer look at some of the heroes, including bystanders and a police officer, who helped that tragedy from being even worse.

1:03:46in our world lead a big reward today for the brave bystander who wrestled a gun away from one of the bondi beach shooters while still in the hospital ahmed al-ahmed received a check worth 1.6 million u.s dollars all donations from people around the world wanting to show their support another brave soul exchange gunfire with the second attacker and cnn's linda kincaid Reports now for us on the Bondi Beach cop being hailed a hero.

1:04:15This is the officer who bravely helped end the Bondi Beach massacre, while the gunmen looked the other way, focused on shooting at the crowd gathered to celebrate Hanukkah. This officer, in plain clothes and armed only with a handgun, moved in to take out the father and son attackers. Named by Australian media as Detective Senior Constable Cesar Barraza, a 15-year veteran of the New South Wales Police. In videos showing different angles of the same moment, we can see how the final minutes of the attack unfolded on Sunday. Here you see the father, Sajid Akram. First, he's tackled behind by an unarmed bystander, father of two, Ahmed Al-Ahmed, who wrestles a rifle from him.

1:05:05Then, as he moves away, someone throws something at him. One minute later, he's rejoined his son on the bridge. From behind, we see Detective Barraza moving in, taking a defensive position near a tree and taking aim. And then it's too graphic to show, but 50-year-old Sajid Akram is shot and falls to the ground. His son, Naveed, returns fire in Barraza's direction. before the young suspect gets taken down by another bullet. It's unclear if Barraza also fired that shot. Analysis of the footage shows Barraza was located nearly 150 feet away from the gunman. A tough shot on a handgun for even the most experienced marksman.

1:05:57Back in 2009, a young Barraza appeared in a reality TV show called Recruits. My name is Cesper Raza, I'm 26 and I want to be a police officer because I hate crime. Total dedication shown again 16 years later. The detective seen here as colleagues give CPR to the attacker. While he's not been officially named by police, he has been applauded for his action. I am incredibly proud of the officer who's been identified as I am of every police officer who was there on that day. As the investigation continues, we've heard more and more stories of selfless bravery. People putting their own lives on the line to bring the attack to an end.

1:06:37Fifteen people were killed and the surviving gunman now faces 59 charges, including murder and terrorism. The detective's actions have been credited and have left a lasting mark on Bondi Beach and the people he swore to protect. Linda Kincaid, CNN. And our thanks to our friend Linda Kincaid for that report. My next guest is the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee and said today he would explore legal action if the Justice Department did not release all of the Epstein files. So what does he think of today's release? We'll ask ranking member Congressman Robert Garcia of California next.

1:07:18In our Law and Justice League today, the co-author of legislation requiring the Epstein files release, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California, He says he's, quote, disappointed with what the Justice Department has made public today, which is not all of the files. His Republican counterpart, Congressman Thomas Massey, agrees, posted on X just moments ago, that the release, quote, grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law, unquote. Joining us now, Democrat from California and the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Congressman Robert Garcia. So, Congressman, you posted on X saying that you and your team are doing a major review of the documents, adding, quote, it's clear that this is not a full release.

1:07:57What stands out to you of what's been released or what has not? Well, first, I think we should be very clear. This is absolutely breaking the law. I mean, they have not produced actually what they were required to do, which was all the files by today in a way that was searchable for the public. And that is not what's the case. What we have essentially is one, we have a group of documents that have already been released to the public. And so there's could be even more than half the documents we're reviewing right now have already been released. This includes court documents. It includes public video that's already been released to the public.

1:08:33It includes other civil case documents that are in there. The prison footage from Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell's testimony. And all of that information, including about 33 ,000 pages that were initially released to the Oversight Committee, are all in the public record. That already does not count for new information. Then we have of what appears to be new, including some photos and other documents. Those are highly redacted. And we don't really have any explanation as to why they've been redacted or what is actually there in those documents. And so we have right now are what we're seeing is not transparency.

1:09:10This is not what the law passed. This does not mean the subpoena that the Oversight Committee has in place. What it is, it is defying the Congress and, quite frankly, defying what the president signed into law in releasing all of these files. And so the review will continue. They're now saying they're going to try to get these documents over the next few weeks. In our initial estimation, and again, this is just this is our estimation right now. It could be that we're only getting about 10 percent of what the DOJ likely has. And of that 10 percent, five percent of that has already been released.

1:09:45And the other five percent is highly redacted. So we're getting very little so far. We hope to get more in the days ahead. But this is Pam Bondi. Donald Trump should release all the files today and immediately. There's a lot that's been redacted. The White House seems to be arguing that what's been redacted is just to protect the names of the survivors.

1:10:06Look, I think we have to obviously see what that what the redactions actually are. At the end of the day, redacting names of survivors and victims absolutely should be the case, and I'm hopeful that they've done that in a way that's responsible. At the same time, we don't know what else is being redacted there. So we've got to also talk to folks that we know have worked to put these documents together. We have to ensure they're not just redacting the names of those that could have been either co-conspirators or names of men who have abused women and girls. So that information is going to be critical in the days and the weeks ahead.

1:10:40But we also need to be clear at this moment, I've been on the phone with Jamie Raskin and the judiciary team most of the day. And we agree, we're going to likely have to take legal action if the Trump administration continues to stonewall, continues to not provide us full transcripts. And clearly they don't have a real interest in transparency. The searchable bar that they've included that's supposed to be searchable for the public is not even functioning correctly. And so this is not a real release. This is continuing a cover that's been going on now for months. Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia of California, thank you so much.

1:11:13Appreciate it, sir. We're just a few hours away from President Trump speaking in the key battleground state of North Carolina. He's already hinted that the economy is going to be a focus of his remarks tonight. Is it going to be the same message Americans heard from the president at the White House earlier this week? Our panel weighs in. Stay with us.

1:11:37Our politics lead now. Today at the White House, President Trump announced drug price agreements with nine pharmaceutical companies, dubbing it most favorite nation. I'm going to call in the insurance companies that are making so much money and they have to make less, a lot less. And maybe we can have reasonable health care without having to cut them out and let it all go awry. Interesting. So tonight he's staying on message with affordability with a speech later this evening in North Carolina. My panel joins me now. Mike Dubke, he's tackling drug prices. He's talking about going after insurance companies.

1:12:17There is, of course, this looming problem that is about to happen with the Obamacare premiums, the subsidies about to expire. Yes. And 24 million Americans are going to be impacted in a matter of days. But yes, and we can talk about that. But these are two separate issues. So on drugs. That's all health care. It is all health care. But, you know, there's hospitalization. There's insurance. There's drug pricing. I mean, there's a lot that goes into health care. But this Trump Rx and getting the number of drugs that are going into the system down at lower prices. I mean, even Mark Cuban, who had a very similar idea to this, was praising the president on this.

1:12:59So I think that's good. The other part of this was the announcement of the billions, the millions of dollars that they're going to put into the American health care system, the pharmaceutical industries. And then they're adding ingredients into the strategic reserve. So there were more parts to this. But I think I think this is a good thing for for the United States. I think it's a good thing. The question is, who is going to benefit and what and when? Because these the subsidies are expiring soon and those bills come due in January. And for a lot of people, they're going to have to be deciding, can you have health insurance or not?

1:13:34And so is lowering these costs, is bringing in the insurance companies, how is that going to affect you if you're a family of four, you're a working class family, and you've decided, hey, we can't afford to have the same kind of coverage. So sure, it's good. But as always with Trump, the devil will be in the details. Yeah, I mean, I guess the issue, though, of course, is that affordability is going to be the big issue of next year. President Trump is doing, he's taking it on in his way. And I guess the question is, if you have rising prices, the Democratic option seems to be have government help subsidize for people who are having trouble affording it.

1:14:11President Trump seems to be jawbone the industry leaders and try to get them to bring prices down. And raise wages. I mean, let's remember what the Trump tax cuts, the no taxes on tips and overtime. Senior citizens are going to benefit from the legislation passed this summer. So, I mean, raising wages at the same time is a way to help Americans and the affordability. I'm just saying different ways to address it. Absolutely. Something else I want to bring up, there's a lot of infighting in the Republican Party right now. and it was on full display at a Turning Point USA conference. Ben Shapiro took the stage when it came to this prevalence of anti-Semitism on the right.

1:14:53It exists on the left, of course, as well, but on the right. And Ben Shapiro named some names. If Candace Owens decides to spend every day since the murder of Charlie Kirk to spew absolutely baseless trash implicating everyone from French intelligence to Mossad to members of TPUSA in Charlie's murder or a cover-up in that murder, then we, as people with a microphone, have a moral obligation to call that out by name. So no, Tucker Carlson, it is not an excuse to go silent on Candace's targeting of TPUSA. The same holds true of Megyn Kelly, a person I consider a friend, characterizing Candace as a young mother and thus shying away from condemning her actions or feeling me about them.

1:15:38What's your take? He's not wrong. I mean, I don't know what else to say. There's no room for anti-Semitism in the Republican Party on the right or in the Democratic Party or on the left. He's not wrong. Sure, but I wish we could be more broadly taking on bigotry. We shouldn't do anti-Semitism. We shouldn't be, you know, demonizing gay people. How about let's not, you know, Islamophobia? How about let's deal with, you know, racism and bigotry and sexism? Like, let's say that that's hate is bad generally. And I completely agree with you. But again, I wish we could broaden that conversation. And I would welcome more Republicans to that conversation more broadly.

1:16:16Yeah, I don't know why I want to make a joke about the Coast Guard thinking swastikas were not so bad, but now really bad, but not so bad. But then really, I mean, this is a this I'm I'm in agreement with you. This is kind of a ridiculous conversation that we're having. But I think Ben Shapiro calling out, standing on that stage and calling people out, that's that's it takes it takes someone standing up and calling it out in public, I think, to move to move the ball. Well, it's a brave thing to do because you then have are going to get a lot of flack back. Exactly. We covered yesterday top aide to Mamdani resigning because of some hideously anti-Semitic posts and social media from years before.

1:16:59Vice President J.D. Vance posted about it. He retweeted comments made by this woman who has since resigned, for she had said, it's important white people feel defeated. And he said something like, you know, people are, it's amazing how much we're just getting used to language like this. But let's not forget that while Vance takes issue with this, I know friends on the right who are like saying like, why is J.D. Vance, remember he defended the Doge employee who said, let's normalize Indian hate, saying, like, let's not ruin this young man's life for that. He said the young Republican leaders who sent racist and anti-Semitic messages on that text, Jane Politico covered.

1:17:36They're being kids, even though some of them are, like, up to 40 years old. He's been pretty absent from this Candace Owens, Nick Fuentes debate. And we shouldn't want our kids talking like that anyway, even if they were just kids. It doesn't mean you can't say it's not appropriate. We shouldn't be raising our kids to think that's appropriate language. But I guess the point that my conservative friends are making is It'd be nice if he called that out when it's on the right as well as on the left. Absolutely. You agree. I agree. Radical agree. You are throwing things on this table in this holiday season that is...

1:18:07Well, you're agreeing. I'm just making an opportunity to... Let's talk about the Democrat autopsy. I was going to say, he really wants to talk about the autopsy. That's what I really want to say. I don't know what it says. No, neither do we. Neither do we. JB, release the files. Release the files. Release the files. Yes, radical agreement. Another thing we all agree on. Thanks, everyone. Merry Christmas to both of you. It's a little bit nostalgia, a whole lot of fun. The new movie Anaconda is coming out on Christmas Day. None other than Paul Rudd is joining us next.

1:18:41In our pop culture lead today, Anaconda, a new movie hitting theaters on Christmas Day. It stars Paul Rudd and Jack Black. It follows best friends who are set on recreating their all-time favorite movie, the cinematic classic Anaconda. which I'm sure you all know. And when a midlife crisis gives them the push they need, they head deep into the Amazon to commence filming.

1:19:25Paul Rudd, one of the stars of Anaconda, joins us now. Paul, I should say, this interview is my Christmas and Hanukkah present to my viewers, that they get to enjoy your presence. So don't disappoint, please. Well, thank you, Jake, but you've really let down your audience. This is not much of a present, but I appreciate it. So the movie looks hysterical. I wasn't given a screener, but it looks unbelievable. You and Jack Black, obviously, two of the funniest guys in the world. Is it as fun to film something like this? Or, I mean, I know comedy is not easy, right? So is it, was it a blast to film?

1:20:08It really was a blast to film. And also getting to work with Steve Zahn and Handaway Newton. We play a group of friends. Steve and I played brothers in a movie 30 years ago. And I love him. He's hilarious. He also worked with Jack in Saving Silverman years ago. And we met Tandaway, but we didn't really know her, but it was a really tight-knit group. But I'm such a fan, certainly, of Jack's. I remember seeing him in Bob Roberts. Oh, God, me too. Yeah. It was his first movie. And I remember going to the movie theater, and I was just entranced. I said, who is that guy? And I have followed Jack's career ever since, and I'm always curious as to what he's doing.

1:20:52I just think he is, there's no one like him. I actually saw the original Anaconda, I believe, going by memory now, that it has Jon Voight and J-Lo and Ice Cube. This movie is not a sequel. It's not a reboot. It's kind of its own experience. Tell me about what made you want to join this film. Was it the script? Was it Jack Black? Was it Steve Zahn? Like, how did this happen? I don't like this. I don't want to do it anymore. Well, you know, the director of this movie made a movie called The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. It was with Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal, and I loved it. I thought it was a really unique, original, funny movie.

1:21:33Nicolas Cage plays himself. And it starts to turn into a bit of a Nicolas Cage movie. It's a comedy, but it's a little meta. And I thought it was very clever. and when this, I read this script, it's like, ooh, these are the guys that made that movie. It had some of the same DNA. I hadn't, it was completely unique. This idea of a group of people wanting to do their own reimagining of a film they loved only to have the film start to happen to them as they're making it. It was so layers of meta comedy on top of layers and it was also kind of scary and it was sweet. It was just something that I hadn't really seen before.

1:22:18So I want to just thank you. It's been a tough year for a lot of people all over the world. And this is the second comedy that I've seen that you're providing the world. You did Friendship with Tim Robinson earlier this year, which was also quite hilarious. So thanks for that. I assume that was an enjoyable experience as well. That was great. You know, Tim Robinson is another person that I'm just such a huge fan of. And he's so funny and he's singular in his voice. And so that was another, I remember reading that and thinking, oh, I just want to see Tim Robinson in this movie and be able to get to, you know, be there and see it live and in person was a real thrill.

1:23:06So as I told you, you and I are in a text chain with two other fellows, Adam and Damon, where we constantly try to make each other laugh. And Adam and Damon had questions. I asked for them for questions. They are so obscene, I cannot read them. But you will have to weigh in on the chat. And I apologize to the viewers that I can't read those to Paul. It's probably for the best, but I'll be extra obscene in my answers. And I will reply on the chat. Anaconda hits theaters on Christmas Day. Paul Rudd, thank you so much. Thanks for all the joy you bring us. Well, I appreciate it, Jake. And let me just say thank you for all you do.

1:23:46You're really doing very noble, good work. And I appreciate you taking the time from your important day job to talk to an idiot like me about big snakes. Thanks, Paul. Appreciate it. Thank you, Jake. Tune in for something a little different on CNN tomorrow. Comedian Roy Wood Jr. hosted his A Very, Very, Very Merry Holiday Special featuring the United States Air Force Band, Comedian Craig Robinson makes an appearance. Singer Jesse James Decker. Look for tomorrow night at 8 Eastern on CNN and on the new CNN app. Then on Sunday on State of the Union, Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma.

1:24:27That's Sunday at 9 a.m. and noon Eastern only on CNN. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, threads, Blue Sky X, and on TikTok at Jake Tapper. You can follow the show on X and Instagram at The Lead, CNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can watch the show. On the CNN app, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year. Aaron Burnett Out Front starts now.

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