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25:34I bought it from Carvana. You what? Yeah, great price. I even have seven days to love it or return it. So there's no... No, no buyer's remorse. More like buyer's rejoice. I guess I'll let myself out. Congratulations. I mean it. Buyer's rejoice. Buy your car today on Carvana. Limitations and exclusions may apply. See our seven-day return policy at Carvana.com. And our Law and Justice lead major new interviews on the show today concerning this week's big court case, the sentencing of Brian Koberger. He's going to serve life without parole for the killings of four University of Idaho students, Madison Mogan, Kaylee Gonsalves, Zana Karnotel, and Ethan Chapin.

26:13CNN's Gene Kassaris is in Moscow, Idaho. And, Gene, you just spoke with the lead investigator and the police chief there. Yes, the lead investigator for the Idaho State Police Lieutenant, Darren Gilbertson. He went to Pennsylvania and he was the first one to speak to Brian Koberger after he was arrested. He said that it was surreal waiting at the barracks for him to walk in and suddenly be eye to eye with the person they were searching for. He also was the lead on processing the home on that Sunday. He said that Zana Karnodal's room had the most blood of all. And finally, that phone of Brian Koberger, he said that they processed it.

26:55And as far as photos, there were some unusual things that people may not even believe. Take a listen. You collected an active phone that he had. What did you find on that phone? When we actually had the physical phone and we were able to do the extract of it, we didn't gain a lot from it. We know that he was clearing a lot of his devices and wiping things from them. We know that he used VPNs. But we also did find screenshots and pictures of news coverage. On the case. Correct. It has been said that there were pictures on his phone of groups of young people in Moscow and that Matty, possibly Kayleigh, were in some of those photos.

27:44Is there any truth to that? No, no truth at all. To this date, we have never found a single connection, anything, between any of the four victims or the other two surviving roommates with him. No pictures, no texts. Documents that have not been public have now been made public. And Zana Kernodil found on the floor over 50 stab wounds, many of them, much of them defensive. Can you explain that? She fought. She fought back. And she fought hard. After November 13th, he's never in Moscow again. never even comes back. He stops using his debit card, his credit cards. He starts only using cash. Video and surveillance that we would collect and pick up after that then, he's often wearing gloves.

28:32Very strong changes in behavior. I also asked him about Kaylee's face because we have learned it was unrecognizable. I said, could that have been his fist? He said, no, it was something else. I said, what about the marks in her mouth? Was she bound and gagged? She was not bound and gagged. Well, the marks, were they from the knife? No, something else. But they don't know what that is. Jake? All right, Jane Casares, thanks so much. Let's bring in Bill Thompson. He prosecuted the case. Bill, so many people, including, of course, most importantly, the families, are just asking why. Why did Koberger commit these murders?

29:12Authors James Patterson and journalist Vicki Ward have a brand new book out called The Idaho Four. And in it, they write about Koberger's membership in the incel community. I'm going to read you just this one excerpt. Quote, Becky is a term used in the manosphere chat groups that Brian is familiar with. Brian knows all about incels, that is involuntary celibates. Incels are members of a movement of frustrated men, all virgins, that sprang up on 4chan in 2014, just hours after Elliot Roger committed mass murder and then suicide, unquote. There's the insinuation that maybe these murders were rooted in misogyny.

29:49What do you make of that? Well, I haven't read the book. The murders themselves, we don't know the true motive. I don't know that we ever will. And I don't know that that's something that the criminal justice system can produce. I have heard what you've talked about as far as the rumors. I am not familiar from our investigation with that kind of information. So I don't know where it came from or how legitimate it is. The father of one of the victims, Kaylee Gonsalves, will be on AC 360 tonight at 8 Eastern. Kaylee's brother spoke after the sentencing about the plea deal you negotiated. It was to get a conviction for the murders, but it took death penalty off the table.

30:39Take a listen. Despite the magnitude and brutality of the crime, the prosecution chose to accept a plea deal behind closed doors without trial, without ever consulting our family in any meaningful way. In fact, we learned from the plea deal had been finalized from an email from the prosecution team. Not in person, not with warning, not with respect. What's your response to the families upset, not just with taking death penalty off the table, but how they were dealt with? We certainly recognize and I respect the feelings of the Gonzalez family. We actually spoke with representatives of all four families about the possibility of a plea offer before one was ever made.

31:26That was done on the Thursday and Friday before the weekend where the plea agreement was reached. So it's not quite accurate to say that they were never, well, it's not accurate at all to say that the families were never consulted. We know that some of the family members of the four different families do not agree with the resolution. We also know that a number of family members strongly support the resolution we were able to reach. And in the end, it was our conclusion that to accept guilty pleas as charged to all five counts with stipulated fixed life sentences and a waiver of appeal was the best outcome we could hope for for this case.

32:16It gives certainty, accountability, and it gives closure. It takes the risks of trial out, not to say that we had questions about the quality of our evidence. We would have convicted him at trial and we would have ended up with decades of appeals further victimizing the families for years and years. So we made, it was our responsibility to make a decision, to make the decision. Ultimately, it's my responsibility as the county prosecutor. And I believe that we made the best decision. recognizing again that not everybody agrees with it. I appreciate that. I respect their feelings. Is it possible to make as a condition of a plea agreement such as this a requirement that the defendant explain why he did the crime, why he committed it?

33:07Well, there's nothing in our law that could compel a defendant to do what you've described. And frankly, from our experience, and Judge Hippler commented on this as well at the time of sentencing, there is no reason to trust anything that the defendant says because he is going to minimize his own involvement. We have no way to test the truth of what he shares. And in our experience, defendants who are trying to minimize actually victimize the families and the survivors even more by making things up and trying to control the narrative. Here we have his admission under oath that he did what he was charged with.

33:52We would have never had that if we'd gone to trial. Why do you think he did it? I don't know. I don't know that we'll ever know. And I can tell you early on working with the behavioral experts, the profilers, if you will, from the FBI, they told us that in a case like this, it's likely that we would never know the real reasons for why it happened. And even if the perpetrator shared those, it's likely that they would not make sense to anybody else. It would be something that had significance only in his own mind. So we knew going in that the likelihood of being able to understand exactly why he did this wasn't real.

34:38Bill Thompson, thank you so much. Appreciate it, sir. You're very welcome. Coming up next, the Super Bowl scandal that has more than 100 current NFL players facing hefty fines tonight. Stay with us.

34:55And our sports lead flag on the play. Tonight, the NFL is fining about 100 players and some NFL employees for reselling their Super Bowl tickets for above face value. Let's bring in former NFL player Dante Stallworth. Dante, you've played in the league for 10 years. How often do players resell tickets like this for profit? This has been going on for a while, Jake. I think now that the NFL has really tightened its policies is now that you're seeing this come to light more often. But when I was playing in the NFL back in the Stone Age, I think it was common practice. It was kind of a question of, you know, which guys are going to get tickets because we were only allotted two.

35:37We had to pay for the two tickets, but some guys would pay for those two tickets and then go and sell them. And that's not been a secret. It's been an open secret in the NFL for a very long time. But now with that, they're finding players and threatening to suspend players. I think that'll calm down a lot. So most of these players are, you know, millionaires, most of them. The lowest paid NFL player makes, I think, three quarters of a million dollars a year. What drives a player to do this to try to profit off it? I mean, I can certainly understand selling them face value, giving them to a charity, you know, give them to your brother or whatever.

36:13But like, why profit? Yeah, I think that happens. Sometimes it happens where players do give as gifts to family members, friends. But you know what? It was just the culture, I guess. It wasn't like you're making tens of thousands of dollars off of each ticket. but you were still profiting, right? And I think now it's become more of an issue, really. I think the players should be okay with the league being upset and fining the guys for that because I think the big problem is really the IRS. And when that starts to become a problem, then I think players will recognize it as a much bigger issue than it has been in the past.

36:45So the players being punished here are going to be fined one and a half times the face value of the tickets they sold, and they'll face a two-year ticket ban unless they're playing in the Super Bowl. Considering that most resale tickets went for more than double their face value, something I learned the hard way when I was looking for tickets to take me and my son to the Super Bowl, do you think the fine in the band will be enough to deter this from happening in the future? I think so. I think the fact that then the NFL could probably, I'm not sure if the exact rules passed your first offense, but if you have a second offense, the NFL could implement something to where, you know, you're suspended for a certain amount of games, maybe one game or something like that.

37:23They could implement that because it's been a league policy since 2011, which was the last collective bargaining agreement. I'm sorry, the first collective bargaining agreement where that prohibition started. So the NFL is taking more steps now to kind of really clamp down on that. But I think it will deter players. Players, they haven't been named, and I don't think they will be named, but players don't want that. They don't want that on their resume, and I think that will kind of stop a lot of that really, to be honest. All right, Dante Stallworth, always great having you here. Thank you, sir.

37:52Appreciate it. As millions brace for extreme heat this weekend, why warmer temperatures can contribute to your body aging faster. You'll want to hear this one. It's next.

38:05Our law and justice lead now. Today, disgraced former Republican Congressman George Santos of New York reported to federal prison to start his seven-year sentence on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Santos pleaded guilty last summer to the schemes related to his 2022 campaign that also resulted in his expulsion from Congress, which is a rare event. Santos appeared on a number of podcasts this week to say farewell for now, to share his fears about prison, to express remorse for his crimes, and to, of course, express hope for a last-minute pardon from President Trump. In our health lead, this summer's extreme health isn't just miserable, it's taking a hard toll on our bodies.

38:47New research shows high temperatures can even affect how we age. Let's bring in CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard. Jacqueline, tell us what exactly is happening to our cells in extreme heat. Jake, this new research shows that extreme heat can actually accelerate aging in our cells. And that's because extreme heat can stress the body. So your body is working overtime to cool itself down when you are in high temperatures. And researchers came to this finding when they looked at data on more than 3 ,600 adults. These are adults ages 56 and older. The researchers looked at blood samples taken from the adults.

39:27They looked at the climate where the adults lived. And the researchers found, Jake, that the adults who lived in places that experienced at least 140 days of extreme heat each year, those adults aged up to 14 months faster than those living in places with fewer than 10 extreme heat days each year. And the researchers measured extreme heat as being greater than 90 degrees Fahrenheit. But Jake, the researchers say this really shows how the climate, the environment can impact your biological age. biological age refers to how well your cells and tissues function. And that was a major finding in this study, Jake.

40:11For people living in those areas with extreme heat, what can they do to slow the aging process? It comes down to being mindful of the time you're spending in the extreme heat. Definitely be outdoors when it's cooler in the day and avoid the hottest parts of the day. But also, Jake, separately from that, there are things we can all do to slow aging. Number one, exercise regularly. Number two, eat a healthy diet. Maintain a healthy weight. Don't smoke. Smoking accelerates aging. Limit your alcohol intake and get quality sleep and regular sleep. Try to go to bed around the same time. Wake up around the same time.

40:51These are all things we can do to hopefully maybe add some years to our lives, Jake. All right, Jacqueline Howard, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Just moments ago, President Trump was asked straight up, was he briefed that his name was in the Epstein files? Trump said no. No, that contradicts what sources have told CNN and many, many other outlets. So what now? We're going to go to CNN's Chief White House Correspondent, Caitlin Collins, next.

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42:21Welcome to The Lead, I'm Jake Tabber. This hour, Ghislaine Maxwell apparently answered every question, her attorney says anyway, but did she tell the truth? The woman sitting in prison convicted of grooming children for sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein? met with Justice Department officials for a surprise second day today. What do we know about the questions asked? What do we know about President Trump said today about a possible pardon for her? Plus, he worked for President Bill Clinton, former Trump fixer Michael Cohen, and Harvey Weinstein. So you could say Lanny Davis knows a little bit about scandal.

42:53So how would he advise President Trump to handle the Epstein drama? Lanny will join us live in moments. Also, breast cancer rates are on the rise. Doctors fear that alcohol could be a big reason why. What medical experts are saying now about the disturbing trend and how you can lower your risks. And CNN gets rare access to the iconic Goodyear blimp. Travel through the skies with our own Pete Monteen, who even got a chance to pilot the blimp as it marks a major milestone.

43:26The lead tonight. Is there a potential pardon or commutation or some sort of deal in the works? for notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's top aide, Ghislaine Maxwell. Well, the Justice Department today is wrapping up a second surprise meeting with Maxwell, convicted in 2022 for her role in recruiting and grooming and even participating in the sexual abuse of minors with Jeffrey Epstein. Her attorney outside court said she once again answered every single question and broke down her appeal to the Supreme Court. Let's bring in CNN senior justice correspondent Evan Perez. Evan? Well, Jake, we expect, obviously, that this idea of a pardon is going to obviously keep, you know, be part of this story, in part because the president himself was addressing this morning when Kevin Liptapp asked him the question this morning before he left for Scotland.

44:19And because, obviously, Ghislaine Maxwell wants to get out of prison, she is continuing to insist on her innocence. and she does have an appeal that on Monday we expect that there's going to be a brief filed before the U.S. Supreme Court. So this issue of whether Ghislaine Maxwell's testimony or her questioning over the last couple of days is in any way connected to an effort to perhaps get her a pardon or a commutation, of course, is going to be part of the story in the days coming forward. Now, we heard from her attorney, you know, after the end of the questioning today, about a half a day of questioning.

44:56Here's what he had to say about how this went. The government at the time promised her that, promised Jeffrey Epstein that any potential co-conspirators would not be prosecuted. President Trump is the ultimate dealmaker. He knows that a promise made on behalf of the government should bind the government. So clearly, you know, David Marcus is trying to appeal to the president, making clear that in the past, back in 2007, the Justice Department, he says, promised that no associate of Jeffrey Epstein would be prosecuted. And of course, thereafter, they did go after Ghislaine Maxwell. And he says that's one reason why this conviction should not continue to stand, Jake.

45:43Evan, has the Justice Department said anything officially about these two days of meetings, about what's being discussed, about any of the substance here? No, we heard from Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general. One of the things he said was in the coming soon, they're going to, when it's appropriate, they're going to say what the substance of this was. We don't know what the questions were, and even, Jake, what the terms of these two days were. And so the question remains whether anything that Ghislaine Maxwell provided in the last couple of days is useful for the Justice Department for help perhaps to investigate further?

46:24Is there something else that the deputy attorney general believes needs to be looked at before deciding whether to move on from this? CNN's Evan Pettis, thanks so much. Meanwhile, President Trump has touched down in Scotland for his five-day private visit to his golf resorts, but even overseas, he cannot escape questions about the Epstein files.

46:48No, I was never, never briefed. Saying he was never briefed. Let's bring in CNN's chief White House correspondent, Caitlin Collins. Caitlin, this new comment from the president directly goes against reporting from CNN, The Wall Street Journal and many others that he had been briefed back in May by the attorney general. And Jake, I should know, after CNN and The Wall Street Journal and others reported that very fact. White House officials did not deny it, and neither did the Justice Department. Instead, they actually confirmed it on background and said yes, that our reporting and others was accurate, that the president was told during a briefing with the Attorney General Pam Bondi and other top DOJ officials a few months ago that his name was included in the Epstein documents.

47:28Now, obviously, we've made clear time and time again that doesn't necessarily mean anything. It certainly doesn't mean wrongdoing. We don't really know how substantive these references to President Trump are in those in those documents. But the White House confirmed it, Jake. They said that, yes, that was accurate. And they described it as a standard briefing that the attorney general was doing. So that's why it makes it all the more notable to hear the president out there now saying, no, he was not briefed on that. Obviously, maybe he has a different recollection, but certainly given the high interest from his own team on this, his MAGA base, as we've seen how they've erupted over how his administration has handled this.

48:03That seems to be something that one would recall, given just the importance of this. And so, obviously, Jake, this comes as the president has been outraged by the coverage of this. Today, he repeatedly said that people should stop talking about the Epstein files, and if they're talking about it, it only should be in regards to former President Bill Clinton or others that have also been named as in these documents or in birthday greetings to Jeffrey Epstein. Jake, it really just speaks to this moment that we're in, where we're seeing the president denying a briefing that we have confirmed that he got and the White House officials did not deny.

48:36And also, as his deputy attorney general has been meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell, with no clear outcome of what that meeting is going to result in, Jake. I mean, the president was asked about potential pardons today by my colleague Kevin Liptak this morning. Then again, he said tonight that it was not the time to be talking about that. But he's not ruling it out, Jake. And it's very clear that is what her team is interested in here, because that's really the only thing they're seeking, either a pardon or a reduction in the sentence that she's currently serving. Michaela, and this has now been nearly a month of nonstop questioning about Epstein for Trump.

49:08What are you hearing the conversations are like behind the scenes at the White House? It's funny, Jake, to watch how this has evolved in terms of when this was initially coming out, I was in the cabinet room when the president was so dismissive of questions to Pam Bondi about this, saying he couldn't believe people were still talking about Jeffrey Epstein. And we've seen how the White House thought, oh, it's going to die down. It's not going to be a big story. The president is often pretty successful at changing the narrative when it's something like that that's dogging his administration. He's been unable to shake this, Jake.

49:37It's not just, you know, from media reports or from Democrats who are focusing on this. House Republicans have been consumed by this. They all got sent home by the House speaker because of it. And I think that's one thing that had flabbergasted White House officials that I spoke with was to see how much this was just out of control. And still, the fact that we are weeks later here and they are still answering questions on this and aren't really anticipating it going away anytime soon. Yeah, because there were, it's not, you know, people talk about conspiracy theories versus conspiracies. Like, there actually was a horrific sex crime, sex trafficking ring by Jeffrey Epstein and Glenn Maxwell that involved kids.

50:14He actually got a sweetheart deal and a plea in 2008. and there are dozens, if not hundreds, of these girls, now women, who want justice. I mean, that's all just factual whether Donald Trump has anything to do with it or not. Kaitlin Collins, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Kaitlin is working on new reporting for her show, The Source, with Kaitlin Collins. You should look for that tonight at 9 o 'clock Eastern. Right here, only here on CNN. See you then, Kaitlin. Let's bring in Bill Brennan, former attorney for the Trump Organization. Bill, President Trump said this morning he's not thought about a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell.

50:47Why would a pardon be a good idea at all? Well, I don't think it would be, Jake. And I think there's an erroneous assumption on the part of many people that the meeting that took place over the last two days was initiated by the Department of Justice. I don't know who did it, but I can tell you from 38 years of practicing criminal defense law in the federal court system, I would bet serious money that this meeting was initiated by the defense. You know, this this what I believe to be an erroneous assumption that the only shot Ms. Maxwell has is some type of clemency commutation or pardon is not correct.

51:31There is a rule of criminal procedure, Rule 35B, and it fits into this scenario perfectly. It's for someone who has protested their innocence and proclaimed their innocence, went to trial, gotten convicted, and then said, wow, I'm facing 20 years. It's time to really tell the prosecutors what they want to know. And I think that's what's been going on the last couple of days. I think that the defense requested this meeting. I think that because Todd Blanchard, anybody in the government, can't just waltz into Ms. Maxwell's cell and say, give it up. She has a right to remain silent and she's got a pending appeal.

52:14She has a Fifth Amendment right, generally and specifically. So I think that probably there's a hope that she gets a 35, which is a means of reducing a sentence. And I think when her attorney said today, you know, look, deals were made way back when and she got prosecuted and shouldn't have. That's probably part of his direct appeal. I think he's playing every card he can play. But, you know, this is who asked whom to the prom. Right. I believe the defense requested this. Well, either way, it's unusual. You will acknowledge that the deputy attorney general is the one going down to Tallahassee to meet with this person.

52:55I will acknowledge that and I agree with that. I won't agree that the meeting itself is unusual if it occurred under the scenario that I presume it did. To have the number two man in the DOJ go down is unusual. But when you think about the high profile nature of the case, the fact that the president knew this individual at some point, and this is his former attorney who he trusts, And also, I think the line prosecutor that handled Ms. Maxwell's trial is no longer with the DOJ. When you plug all those factors in, it's not that unusual. And, you know, this parsing of the response today in Scotland about, well, this isn't the time to talk about pardons, and parsing it into, well, does that mean there will be a time?

53:43I think that is a waste of time. If we look just at the immediate past president, he said unequivocally, repeatedly, that he wouldn't pardon his son. And in the last six hours of his presidency, he pardoned his whole family. Yeah, I mean, yes. Well, let me ask you. There are thousands and thousands of documents having to do with the Epstein case. It's a horrible case. It's a horrific case. No doubt. Horrible. Terrible. No doubt there are there's lots of hearsay in this documents. There's lots of document and lots of documentation that would just raise more questions like the financial stuff. Do you think would you like to see as many documents as possible released as long as the names of the victims and the witnesses are redacted?

54:33Under your question, as long as it doesn't further victimize the victims. Absolutely. You know, Jake, I was thinking about this. I don't know what's in those files. We know that the president knew this man until he had a falling out with him and threw him out of Mar-a-Lago. But in the criminal law, there's a jury instruction that says mere presence or mere association is not any evidence of criminal behavior on the person's part who's simply merely present. You know, this is what I was thinking about today, Jake. You and I are both Frank Sinatra fans. Yep. When he testified before the Nevada Gaming Commission, when his license was in jeopardy because he took a photograph with some alleged underworld figures at the Westchester Theater, during that testimony, which is televised and available on the Internet, he showed photographs with Ammar Sadat, Menachem Begin, President Reagan, Mother Teresa, you know, Harry Truman.

55:26Knowing somebody is not enough. If the president's name comes up because he knew him and we know that he didn't know him, that's evidence of absolutely nothing. Of course. No, he knew lots and lots and lots of people. There's there's innocent names in those files. There also might be some people who are guilty of something. We don't know. We don't know what's in them. Bill Brennan. Absolutely. Always good to see you. And it's important to remember you mentioned that sweetheart deal. It's important to remember. And he did. Epstein. Epstein hit the lottery in 08 when he got that slap on the wrist.

55:57But it's important to remember that is many, many years before Donald Trump was actively in office anywhere. As far as I know, he was a Democrat at the time, Donald Trump. Bill Brennan, thank you so much. I think he was. Appreciate it. My next guest says most, if not all, of the information in the Epstein files is probably going to get out, whether President Trump likes it or not. So how would crisis manager Lanny Davis suggest that this White House handle the growing scandal? I'll ask him.

56:30And our politics lead, I'm starting to get the impression that President Trump doesn't want you to think much about his previous connections to Jeffrey Epstein, as evidenced by weeks of trying to change the subject. His comments to reporters earlier today, for example. People should really focus on how well the country's doing, or they should focus on the fact that Barack Hussein Obama led a coup or they should focus on the fact that Larry Summers from Harvard, that Bill Clinton, who you know very well, and lots of other friends, really close friends of Jeffrey Summers, should be spoken about because, you know, Jeffrey Epstein should be spoken about and they should speak about them because they don't talk about them.

57:16They talk about me. I have nothing to do with the guy. So I'm not sure if that worked in getting people to change the subject, but let's bring in crisis manager and attorney Lanny Davis. He served as special counsel to President Bill Clinton. During the impeachment, he represented Trump's former fixer, Michael Cohen. He's an expert on crisis communications. And Lanny, I am old enough to remember the book you wrote in 2002, after the Clinton years, after you advised that president. And he did, you know, he was impeached but not convicted, and he went on to leave office fairly popular. That book was called Truth to Tell, and the subtitle is the most important part.

57:54Tell it early, tell it all, tell it yourself. And I assume that's advice you would give to President Trump today? Yes, because it's coming out anyway. And no matter what President Trump does to change the subject, at some point, those files are going to get released. I would have said to him from day one, hold the press conference, tell the attorney general, bring over the files and hand them out in the press room. And then if you want to say anything about your name being in those files, just say, I knew the guy. I thought he did terrible things. I'm sorry that my name comes up in the same context.

58:30Well, he doesn't say sorry, but he may never say sorry, but he at least acknowledges what he knows is coming out anyway. And by the way, that's a one day story as opposed to what he's now doing. Well, he does seem to be dragging it out. And he has been instructing people, House Republicans, and then you just saw him instructing reporters or whoever. Don't talk about this. Talk about X, Y, Z. Does that ever work? So I don't blame him so much because everybody has that instinct. You try to change the subject if it's bad news. It's an instinct since your mom caught your hand in the cookie jar to deny something that you're going to sooner or later have to admit.

59:08So it's not going to work. Every time he says, let's talk about somebody else or something else, it just reminds everyone he's got something to hide. It's not going to be terrible. His name comes up in those files. If he had just said that in the beginning, you and I wouldn't be having this conversation. Yeah, I mean, we should know. First of all, Jeffrey Epstein knew lots of people, including Bill Gates and Bill Clinton and others. Donald Trump tried to name some of those people today. Also, just because he knew them doesn't mean anything untoward happened. And also, even if people are saying things in the files, it could be hearsay.

59:41It could be false. We don't know. We don't know what's in there. You know Todd Blanche. He represented Donald Trump when you were representing Michael Cohen in the Hush Money case. What do you think of him as a lawyer? And what do you think about him as Deputy Attorney General meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell? Well, first of all, as a lawyer, I respect him. He's a great lawyer. I've only met him a couple of times. He's doing his job for the president of the United States, so I have no criticism of what he's doing. I still ask President Trump, why not just tell the attorney general, go release the files and let's get this over with, and then Mr.

1:00:18Blanche wouldn't be interviewing anyone. We wouldn't be talking about it tonight. I would like to mention that there are young women who are the victims. Yeah. And those are the young women who are reliving those nightmares because of this being an extended story, and we should be worried about them too. And those women got the short end of the stick for any number of reasons, but also when Jeffrey Epstein got this sweetheart plea deal in 2008, they weren't even told. They weren't even notified, even though there is this, you know, victim's bill of rights. And the prosecutor said that's because they were federal prosecutors and they don't have to do it for a state charge.

1:00:55But I know a lot of them right now, at least according to Julie Brown, who did so many great reporting on this from the Miami Herald, are really worried that another Epstein associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, is now going to get some sort of sweetheart deal. They don't want her pardoned. They don't want her being treated as a victim. And they're suffering the memories right now as they keep hearing about this. And at least the president of the United States and myself and everybody else should remember what happened to them and the consequences they're paying for the rest of their lives. Yeah, well, one of them, perhaps the most outspoken one, Virginia Giuffre.

1:01:30Right. who was, you know, she brought lawsuits and such. She took her own life in April. I mean, you know, the crimes took place 15, 20 years before. I mean, these are unbelievable, painful experiences. I think one of the things, one of the reasons I am willing to have the, assume the best faith, I think that a lot of people want these files out there because they think that there are a lot of people that got away with crimes and they want them exposed. and I see no reason why that shouldn't happen. Well, again, just as a professional, not political, President Trump has a lot of things to say about his record, a lot of important issues.

1:02:11I'd like to just bear witness to what's happening in Israel, to dying and starving children. Yeah. And I'm a very pro-Israel Jewish American, and I wish that could be our topic. And that's the next block. We're going to be covering that. And I'm not supposed to say anything critical about Israel. the way I was brought up, but now I am saying, taking a chance here of changing the subject, but it's on my mind. But that's what President Trump should be focused on. And this file issue is simply prolonged because he didn't follow the advice that is a hard, hard advice to take. If it's bad news, if it's something in there that he's worried about, it's hard advice to say, Mr.

1:02:49President, you should be the one to put this out yourself. So that's the advice. And it's hard advice to take. Those victims deserve justice. Lanny Davis, thank you so much. We are going to be covering that issue right after this commercial break. We're going to be talking to somebody with UNICEF and we have a report from the region. Coming up, the struggle to get these trucks packed with food and supplies into hunger-stricken Gaza, where people are dying of hunger. Why can this aid not get in? We'll tell you more.

1:03:25seem like a daunting task unless you have a partner like Shopify. They have the tools you need to start and grow your business. From designing a website to marketing to selling and beyond, Shopify can help with everything you need. There's a reason millions of companies like Mattel, Heinz, and Allbirds continue to trust and use them. With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into... Sign up for your$1 per month trial at shopify.com slash special offer. Evening. Buyer's remorse. Buy a new car? I'll be moving in. Let's get started. Sorry, I think there's been a mistake. I bought it from Carvana.

1:04:03You what? Yeah, great price. I even have seven days to love it or return it. So there's no... No, no buyer's remorse. More like buyer's rejoice. I guess I'll let myself out. Congratulations. I mean it. Buyer's rejoice. Buy your car today on Carvana. Limitations and exclusions may apply. See our seven-day return policy at Carvana.com. In our world lead, tens of thousands of Israelis protested in Tel Aviv this week, calling on the Netanyahu government to end the starvation of the Palestinian people in Gaza, as new images illustrate the dire hunger crisis, man-made in the region. Here's CNN's Jeremy Diamond, and a warning.

1:04:42Some of the images in this report are quite disturbing.

1:04:48As starvation tightens its grip on Gaza, the most vulnerable are the first to find themselves in its clutches. Amid months of Israeli restrictions, three-year-old Mohammed weighs just 13 pounds. His cries speak to all that he is lacking. Mohammed suffers from a muscle disorder, but with physical therapy and the right nutrition, his mother Hadaya said he was healthy, active, and could sit upright. Not anymore. His small body has shed six pounds in short order. If there's food, we eat. If there isn't, we have no power except to rely on God. Some days we go one or two days without eating. Gaza's hospitals are filled with babies like Mohammed and worried mothers like Hedayah, who are doing all they can to prevent their babies from becoming the next statistic.

1:05:41At least 54 people have starved to death in Gaza just this week, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. It's impossible for women to breastfeed without food. How is a mother supposed to build immunity? There seems to be no end in sight to this misery, at least not anytime soon. Gaza ceasefire talks that would have surged humanitarian aid now faltering. In its place are only the smallest flickers of hope. The World Central Kitchen has been able to reopen some of its kitchens. And facing global outrage, Israel agreeing for the first time in months to authorize airdrops of food aid into this ocean of despair.

1:06:25Amid those images of starvation that we are seeing in Gaza, this is one of the largest anti-war gatherings that we have seen in Israel. And you can see behind me the people who are reflecting what is happening in Gaza, people who are dying while trying to get food inside Gaza or simply not being able to get food at all. Many here are Palestinians with Israeli citizenship. Because it was important to raise our voices in front of everyone and to show that we're always here and we always stand for Gaza. And we want this to end, the world to end. There are also Jewish Israelis here, part of a small but increasingly vocal minority who believe Israel's actions in Gaza are criminal.

1:07:12I think also people are starting to realize what's being done in their name. And things are starting to leak into the Israeli media, which were hidden away. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Sachnin, Israel. And our thanks to Jeremy Diamond for that report. Let's bring in Joe English. He's a communication specialist for UNICEF. Joe, Israel, the government is now saying that they're going to allow airdrops of food into Gaza. The UN, of course, warns that airdrops are dangerous, also expensive. We see images of aid sitting in Gaza. Why is that aid not getting to the Palestinian people who need it? What is preventing it from going?

1:08:03We're having audio problems with you, Joe. Hold on one second. We're going to squeeze in a quick break and then we're going to come back to Joe to get that important interview done. We'll be right back. Thanks for bearing with us. In our health lead, breast cancer rates amongst women are on the rise. Doctors say alcohol could be the reason why. CNN medical correspondent Meg Terrell sat down with an expert and a breast cancer survivor to learn more about the risks and what they want every woman to know. Every time I'd go to, like, the, you know, the center, the cancer centers, I was young. Like, I was, like, by far, you know, younger than everybody by, like, 20 or 30 years.

1:08:46Alicia Korber found out after her first mammogram at age 44 that she had breast cancer. Wow, how is this even possible? Like, I'm healthy, I'm young, I take care of myself, I work out. I do all the things that you assume you're supposed to do. Testing showed she had no elevated genetic risks for cancer, so Korber and her doctor discussed what environmental factors could play a role. He mentioned one that surprised her, alcohol. I feel like alcohol is socially part of everyone's life. Going out with family, going out for dinner when you're at home, having a glass of wine while you cook, working in the city, and possibly going out for drinks after work with friends.

1:09:22When you're young, you don't think that that's something that could potentially have a long-term effect on you when you're older. Her doctor, Sam Nardello at Tufts, says Korber is not alone. It's so socially acceptable to have a couple cocktails on the weekend, but we don't really attribute that to the real risk that it is. A Surgeon General Advisory in January sounded the alarm. There is a causal link between alcohol and seven types of cancer, including breast cancer and colon cancer. But what is also clear is that the majority of Americans do not know about this link between alcohol and cancer.

1:09:54And data show women have been drinking more over the past few decades. Researchers say the trend is most evident in women with higher levels of education and could be driven by having kids later and by more marketing of alcohol to women. Doctors worry this could be leading to more cancer diagnoses. Breast cancer rates have been rising by 1 % a year. Over a quarter of a million women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. And that's too much. That's way too high. 44 ,000 of them, there's a direct correlation between alcohol and them developing the breast cancer. Better detection could also be playing a role in rising breast cancer rates.

1:10:31Nardello notes it's not possible to know if alcohol is the direct cause of anyone's cancer, but he recommends cutting back. What about if, you know, you went to college in the 2000s and everybody was drinking a lot, and as a 40-year-old you're like, uh-oh, I should stop now. Does that help reduce your risk? It does help reduce your risk. And that's nice to hear. There needs to be more research on what that is, but I'd say it's never too late. The latest research suggests that risks for breast cancer rise even with one drink a day, the longtime recommended limit for women in the U.S. As a result of her diagnosis, Korber says she's made some big changes.

1:11:09I know it's difficult when you're working and you've got young kids and you take your health and put it kind of to the backseat. And having this conversation and hearing more about the sergeant general's warning, I think ultimately consuming less alcohol just makes a whole lot of sense. And we are expecting the U.S. dietary guidelines, including for alcohol, to be updated at some point this year. It's unclear as of now exactly what they'll say. Jake? All right, Meg Terrell, thank you so much. We'll be right back. Turning back to our world lead, Joe English, the communication specialist for UNICEF, joins us again.

1:11:47His audio issue is hopefully fixed. Joe, I was asking you about these images. First of all, the horrific images of people starving to death in Gaza. But then we also simultaneously do see images of AIDS sitting in big containers, not being taken to the people who need it. Why not? What is stopping them? Yeah, Jay, good to be with you. Look, I think there are no words that I have that can do anything as powerful as the images that we're seeing of these young children, 18 months old, with their ribs showing. And one of the misconceptions, I think, is that when the UN, when we talk about our issues, our challenges in terms of accessing people, that it just stops at the border.

1:12:25But that's not the case. As well as getting aid into the Gaza Strip, we also need to be able to get aid across the Gaza Strip to children, to families, many of whom are so weak now. and that means that we have to you know we have to coordinate with the with the authorities and when we call on parties to the conflict we're not just calling on a single party we are calling on all parties all actors to allow us to do our job and that means allowing fuel in allowing critical communication supplies in so that our convoys can do their work safely and de-conflicting roads you know when any of us see the images of ghaz you can understand why it can take up to 20 hours for what should be a simple aid delivery to take place.

1:13:06Is it only because of the Israeli authorities or is it also because of Hamas? Is it also because of other groups? Who is saying, obviously the Israelis are preventing aid and gas and other things from getting into the country, but once it's in there, is it just the Israeli military stopping the transfer or is it other groups? no it's a combination of factors you know and we've been clear on this from from the get-go you know yes we need to coordinate with the Israeli authorities all of our missions are coordinated with them many of them are either delayed or denied but it's also the parties you know on the ground it's also you know communities desperate communities who are often overrunning supplies before they can get to the areas where there's the most need but the way to address all of this is to allow aid in at scale so that communities aren't as frustrated, aren't as desperate.

1:13:59And the UN laid out just this week a 30-day plan. And as part of that, we believe that if aid is scaled up and we're able to reach people where they are, we can reach 98 % of the target audience of malnourished children. 98 % in 30 days. You know, we have to be allowed in to do our jobs. Tell us what you're hearing from your UNICEF colleagues on the ground in Gaza. Jake, it's absolutely heartbreaking. I cannot think of another situation, and I've done this work for quite a while, where I've spoken to my colleagues and they are hungry. They go to bed hungry, they wake up hungry, they go to work trying to save the lives of malnourished children hungry.

1:14:38You know, in these images that we're seeing, this should not be happening in the 21st century, and it certainly shouldn't be happening somewhere where plentiful food is just a matter of miles away. I mean, the picture of 18-month-old Mohammed, as I said, with his ribs. I've got twins not much older than that. And I think any parent can imagine just the absolute impossibility that their parents are feeling. You know, one of the joys of being a parent is watching your child grow, watching your child, you know, their chubby little faces and watching your child waste away in front of you and having to make the choice of, you know, potential death or injury in terms of going to some of these distribution sites or watching your child, you know, the energy fade from their eyes in front of you.

1:15:19It's an impossible choice. It's just awful. Joe English from UNICEF, thanks for joining us today. We really appreciate it. Thanks, Jake. We do have some breaking news on our Law and Justice League, a source telling CNN that Jeffrey Epstein's convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, was granted limited immunity to talk to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. What does that mean? Let's bring back CNN's Paula Reed. Paula, what does it mean? What do we know? So this is the least surprising thing we've learned about these meetings. You would never sit a client across from the Deputy Attorney General of the United States without some form of protection.

1:15:54Here she received what we expected, which is limited immunity, which means depending on what she says to them, if she exposes herself to any potential legal jeopardy, she cannot be charged. Now it's limited because it does not cover lying to the FBI. Lying to the FBI, law enforcement, that is a crime and this cannot protect you from that. Now her lawyer insists she answered all her questions truthfully and all of these answers can be corroborated. But this again, this is standard operating procedure. Jake, it's one of the few details we've gotten out of this whole arrangement, but you would never ever put a convicted client who is appealing their case across from the Justice Department without this in place.

1:16:32All right, Paula Reid, thank you so much. And we're going to look for much more on this story coming up on Aaron Burnett, coming up at the top of the hour, just a few minutes away. Our Small Business Series takes us next to Ohio, and a company dedicated to helping you get the most out of your shoes. How have tariffs impacted their prices? That's next.

1:16:55And we're back with our Business Leaders Series, where we hear from small business owners about the impact of President Trump's tariffs. Proof Culture, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is a one-stop shop for all my fellow sneakerheads out there. Their products include shoelaces, storage boxes, crease protectors, and much more. Founder Richard Brown is with me. Richard, I am coming to you from a room full of sneakerheads, my crew here. What part of your business is being impacted by tariffs specifically? Yeah, first, hey, just thanks for having me on the show, Jake. It's really an honor and a privilege, especially to be with my tribe with Sneakerhead.

1:17:32So thank you. My business is impacted in every which way, right? The reality is in this trade war, my business is collateral damage. It's introduced chaos and unpredictability into my business, which makes it really difficult for me to plan. I feel like I'm right now running a small business, like working a job and you don't know how much your paycheck is going to be week to week. Sometimes 10 % comes out for income tax. Sometimes it's 50%. And how do you run your household like that? But what if it's 150 % right now you're operating in a deficit and you've got to make some really tough decisions, whether it's laying people off or, or shutting your doors.

1:18:15How are you weathering the costs? Have you had to lay people off? Have you had to raise prices? so i have had to lay people off um as far as prices you know i take a lot of pride in the fact that we have not raised our prices but the reality is those prices that cost it shows up in different ways i either um i i have to delay um products that i want to launch or jobs that i wanted to create this year uh that's on hold um and you know more frustratingly um is you know My dream opportunity, my dream partnership with my very own Cleveland Cavaliers, I've had to delay it because I just don't know how much my goods are going to cost when they arrive.

1:18:56So it's not just about raising prices. It's also about the reality of opportunities and growth being on home. Obviously, President Trump has made it clear that one of the reasons he's doing this is to bring manufacturing back to the United States. I don't even know the answer to the question about sourcing products in the United States. What kind of options are there for you? I've tried. I've found some manufacturing that makes products similar to what I have or close enough that I might be able to establish my supply chain there. And the reality is they can't make it at the quality that I need and or the cost is higher than my customers are willing to pay.

1:19:40But more often than not, they just can't make the quality that I need. They're not set up to make my products. I even tried moving my supply chain to Mexico. Yeah. And that wound up being a really painful experience because, you know, I worked on it for months. I anticipated the tariffs coming. And then the reality is I looked up one day on the news and I saw that our free trade situation changed. And, you know, I got products that were quality that I really couldn't sell to my customers. And I wound up with the tariff bill. All right. The brand one more time for anybody that wants to support our friend Richard Brown here.

1:20:12Proof Culture. They're located in Cleveland, Ohio. Proof Culture. Richard, thank you so much for joining us. Hey, thank you, Jake. Internationally, 10 ,000 planes and more than half a million people in Wisconsin this week for the world's biggest air show. CNN aviation correspondent and enthusiast Pete Monteen got rare access to one of the most recognizable aircrafts. Welcome aboard. Thank you. How's it going? Good. Good. I'm about to do something pretty cool and very rare. I think I'm one of the only reporters to ever take a flying lesson in the Goodyear blimp. You nervous? A little bit, yeah.

1:20:53This is totally different than what I'm used to. So don't judge me too hard. I'm at the world's biggest air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. There are 10 ,000 planes here, three quarters of a million people. The busiest swath of airspace in the world right now. You can see down there, that's the North 40. That's where I'm camping with my plane. And maybe the biggest and most unique flying machine here is the blimp. All right, so when you're ready, I'm going to give you the controls. OK, I'm ready. So you have the controls, right? I'm going all over the place. You're serious. Yeah. This is a hoot. It feels like I'm driving a bus.

1:21:31You put in the controls, and then you're going to wait, and wait, and wait. And then it does something, and then it does a lot.

1:21:42This is the 100th anniversary of the Goodyear Blimp, which is maybe the most successful aerial advertising campaign of all time. Would you like to see some of the maneuvers the ship can do? Heck yeah. So you can make a blimp, wave, and just rock back and forth like a boat, right? So I just did an air show maneuver in the blimp. You did, yep. Cool. Lower the nose down, close to 30 degrees of pitch. Okay. I feel like I'm looking straight down. But you're going up, right? Fine. You want to try a 360-degree spin? Sure, yeah. Okay, yeah. So you're just going to go all the way left. Yep. There you go.

1:22:26And then if you get a sink, you're adding some thrust to the left. A little more power. It's kind of like turning an elephant around. I mean, for such a huge thing, it's pretty maneuverable. It is. took it for granted. It looks like the blimp is so graceful and fumbling through the air, but it's really, it's quite the flyer. I'm surprised. It's fun to fly. Yeah, it's totally fun to fly.

1:22:52Okay, so the blimp is clearly the star of the show here, Jake, at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in Wisconsin. Probably the 20th time I've been here, but the first time that two Goodyear blimps have been here over the skies of Wisconsin, two of the three that are based here in the U.S. My friends are white hot with jealousy about this. They're so sick of hearing me say the blimp is very maneuverable, not very responsive. The bottom line, and I have the shirt to prove it, blimping ain't easy. Yeah, it's hard out here for a blimp. Pete Monteen, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Coming up Sunday on State of the Union, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vaught, Republican Senator Mark Wayne Mullen of Oklahoma, and Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona.

1:23:39You will see me Sunday morning at 9 Eastern and again at noon here on CNN on that show. Until then, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, and on the TikTok at Jake Tapper. You can follow the show on X at the lead CNN. If you ever miss an episode of Lead, you can listen to the show once you get your podcast. Aaron Burnett out front starts now. I'll see you Sunday morning.

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