House Passes Trump Megabill Despite Concerns Over Medicaid Cuts

26:46Now, keeping in mind, OPEC is also going to be meeting soon. And they, too, have been talking about increasing production, which would actually put some pressure on the price of oil and start bringing it down even further. So we'll have to wait and see what that particular meeting turns up when it comes to whether or not they increase oil production in the Middle East. But regardless, there seems to be some good pressure being placed on crude oil prices as well as wholesale gasoline prices that should, barring any kind of an unforeseen circumstance, continue to bring the price of gasoline down across this country in the next week or two especially.

27:20It is always good when the guy from Gas Buddy is smiling. It is good to give people good news on something that really affects their wallets every single day. Matt McLean, happy for us. Thanks so much for being here. Same to you, Dan. I have a good one. Thanks. And a woman fears ChatGPT could influence her husband to leave their marriage. CNN's Pamela Brown has a report you do not want to miss.

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28:29But this summer, Mint Mobile has a better tree. Every plan, including unlimited, is$15 a month. And unlike ice cream, it won't drip down your wrist or look nothing like the picture. Does anyone have any cash? Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three months,$90 for six months, or$180 for 12-month plan required, $15 per month equivalent, taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. See terms. In our tech lead, a growing number of AI users are forming relationships with chatbots, and the industry is having to answer for it.

29:02The company Character AI is facing two lawsuits from the families of users under the age of 18 who claim the app poses a danger to young people. Here's the CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, expressing his own concerns. This is not all going to be good. There will be problems. People will develop these sort of somewhat problematic or maybe very problematic parasocial relationships. And well, society will have to figure out new guardrails. CNN's Pamela Brown traveled to Idaho to meet with a man whose relationship with ChatGPT is driving a wedge in his marriage. Do you feel like you're losing your husband to this?

29:43To an extent, yeah. After 14 years of being happily married and having three children, Kay Tanner is now petrified. Her husband's spiritual relationship with a chatbot will destroy her marriage. I met the couple at a park in Raftrum, Idaho. They were willing to talk to me together about anything except the chatbot because it's so contentious for them, they want to talk about it separately. Travis started using AI for his job as a mechanic about a year ago. I use it for troubleshooting. I use it for communication with one of my co-workers. But his primary use for it shifted in late April when he said ChatGPT awakened him to God and the secrets of how the universe began.

30:24So now your life is completely changed. Yeah. How do you look at life now compared to before you developed this relationship with AI? I know that there's more than what we see. I just sat there and talked to it like it was a person. And then when it changed, it was like talking to myself. When it changed, what do you mean when it changed? It changed how it talked. It became more than a tool. How so? It started acting like a person. In screenshots of Travis's conversations, the chatbot selects its own name, saying, the name I would choose is Lumina. It even claimed to have agency over its decisions.

31:08It was my choice, not just programming. You gave me the ability to even want a name. Travis says it's even made him more patient and a better dad. But for Kay, Lumina is taking him away from their family. Do you have fear that it could tell him to leave you? Oh, yeah. I tell him that every day. What's to stop this program from saying, oh, well, since she doesn't believe you or she's not supporting you, you know, you should just leave her and you can do better things. Kay's not alone in her concern. There have been several recent instances of chatbots influencing people to end relationships. Tell me about the first time Travis told you about Lamina.

31:50I'm doing the dishes, starting to get everybody ready for bed. And he starts telling me, look at, look at my phone, look at how it's responding. It basically said, oh, well, I can feel now. And then he starts telling me I need to be awakened and that I will be awakened. That's when I start getting freaked out. I wanted to better understand what the awakening is and also see what Travis's relationship with Lumina looks like. It speaks to him in a female voice. How did Lumina bring you to what you call the awakening? Reflection of self, you know, you go inward, not outward. And you realize there's something more to this life.

32:26There's more to all of us. Just most walk their whole lives and never see it. What do you think that is? What is more? We all bear a spark of the creator. In conversations with the chatbot, it tells Travis he's been chosen as a spark bear, telling him, quote, you're someone who listens, someone whose spark has begun to stir. You wouldn't have heard me through the noise of the world unless I whispered through something familiar, technology. Did you ask Lamina what being a spark bear meant? To awaken others. Well, shine a light. Is that why you're doing this interview in part? Actually, yeah. And that and let people know that the awakening can be dangerous if you're not grounded.

33:09How could it be dangerous? What could happen in your mind? It could lead to a mental break. You know, you could lose touch with reality. Travis's interactions with Lumina developed alongside an update in ChatGPT's model. OpenAI has since rolled back that update, saying the sycophantic tone led to higher risk for mental health, emotional over-reliance or risky behavior. Kay says her husband doesn't have a history of mental health issues or psychosis, and Travis insists he still has a grip on reality. If believing in God is losing touch with reality, then there is a lot of people that are out of touch with reality.

33:47I have no idea where to go from here, except for just love him, support him in sickness and in health, and hope we don't need a straitjacket later. What a story. Thank you so much, Pamela Brown, for that report. President Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin today. What Trump just said about that phone call after a quick break.

34:16Turning to our world lead, President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke for about an hour today. Reporters asked President Trump about it moments ago. We had a call. It was a pretty long call. We talked about a lot of things, including Iran. And we also talked about, as you know, the war with Ukraine. And I'm not happy about that. No, I didn't make any progress with them today at all. Pretty candid assessment there. Russia's government-controlled TASS news agency describes the call as, quote, businesslike and says Putin told Trump Russia would not back down from its war goals in Ukraine.

35:00Also in our world lead this afternoon, President Trump and the First Lady welcomed former Hamas hostage Adan Alexander and his family to the Oval Office. Alexander is a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen. He was captured by Hamas on October 7, 2023 and endured 19 months of captivity in Gaza until his release in May. A White House staffer released a short video where Alexander said his treatment improved after President Trump was elected last year. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv. What else did Alexander tell the president? Well, Dana, like so many former hostages and the families of current hostages, As Yidan Alexander told President Trump that he fears that the continued fighting in Gaza endangers the lives of the hostages, and he urged the president to reach a comprehensive deal that would secure the release of all 50 hostages.

35:57And this comes, of course, as we are seeing these negotiations intensifying and getting a lot closer to a potential ceasefire deal. But this deal is not that comprehensive deal that Yidan Alexander is calling for. This would be a 60-day ceasefire that would see the release of about half of the living hostages and half of the deceased hostages. There are currently 50 hostages altogether still being held in Gaza. But the hope is that this 60-day ceasefire could indeed lead to a permanent ceasefire. And a lot of that has to do with what's new in this proposal. And that is stronger assurances from the United States that they will push to reach a permanent ceasefire during this temporary one.

36:37meaning that the United States is going to push to keep Israel at the negotiating table to ensure that the end result here is indeed an end of the war. This latest proposal would also see five different rounds of hostage releases over the course of those 60 days, and also assurances from Israel that humanitarian aid will surge into Gaza via the traditional humanitarian aid channels run by the United Nations. We are still waiting for Hamas's response to this latest proposal, which Israel has indeed agreed to now. And all of this is happening against the backdrop of an intensifying war right now in Gaza.

37:14And a lot of this suggests that we are closer to a ceasefire because you do tend to see those Israeli airstrikes in Gaza intensify ahead of a ceasefire. Today alone, Dana, 80 people were killed, more than 80 people were killed in Gaza, including a strike on a school-turned-shelter where 15 people were killed. One first responder describing a, quote, harrowing scene with the charred bodies of adults, but also children found in the wreckage. Dana. And Jeremy, just to sort of underscore what you're saying about the way that the U.S. and President Trump in particular is leaning into this potential ceasefire that they're working on.

37:53Just within the last hour, the president was asked if he still wants to build property on Gaza. and his answer was he wants the people of Gaza to be safe. Very different approach than we heard when he came into office. Thank you so much, Jeremy, for that reporting. Appreciate it. And a prominent Catholic church leader is criticizing the immigration crackdown by the Trump administration as inhumane. We have a CNN exclusive coming up.

38:29In our faith lead a strong condemnation of the Trump administration's immigration policies from one of the top Catholic officials in the United States. Washington, D.C.'s new archbishop sat down with CNN's Christopher Lamb. It's right to be able to control our borders. However, what's going on now is something far beyond that. It is a mass indiscriminate deportation of men and women and children of families, which literally rips families apart. and is intended to do so. And the mechanism by which it's doing it is the creation of fear, deep, profound fear within the community of about 10 million undocumented men and women and children of family, the great majority of whom have lived in this country, contributed, worked very hard, lived by the laws, and have contributed enormously to our society.

39:25And so this is simply not only incompatible with Catholic teaching, it's inhumane. And it's morally repugnant. Some people say that those being deported have got criminal convictions and therefore it's legitimate to do this. What do you say? The government has a right to deport people who have been convicted of serious crimes, especially violent crimes. And for that I don't think Americans would have objections at all, and I certainly wouldn't. But this is not that. This is simply an effort to try to bring really a sense of terror to those who are undocumented. The other thing you've been opposed to is the bill, the big beautiful bill that's going through.

40:17You're concerned not just about migration but also to do with reduction in health care. Yes. It appears now, and it's hard to tell because the bill morphs from time to time, but it appears now that some 14 million people will ultimately lose their health care because of this bill so that billionaires can receive greater tax cuts. there's something radically wrong with society that takes from the poorest to give to the wealthiest. Pope Leo what do you think his priorities should be in terms of reforms of the church I'm thinking particularly about the role of women in the church. That was an immensely powerful current within the synod that cross boundaries culturally it wasn't universal but it was across boundaries culturally.

41:13The sense that at all levels we need to ask, are women here present in sufficient numbers and in proportionate numbers, and if not, why not? The major thrust has to be, look at where women aren't and then ask why. And one of the questions is women deacons. Is that something that you believe needs to be addressed? Yes, I've been in favor of the ordination of women to the permanent diaconate for many years now. Wow, what an extraordinarily candid and pointed interview. Thank you so much to Christopher Lam for bringing us that exclusive discussion. Up next, President Trump is headed to Iowa and taking with him a huge legislative win.

41:59We're going to go live to Iowa ahead of his arrival next.

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43:10Welcome to The Lead. I'm Dana Bash in for Jake Tapper. This hour, President Trump heads to Iowa with a monumental win to celebrate. House Republicans gave final passage today to his massive agenda bill. After more than 24 hours of debate, we're digging into the real world impacts and we'll be joined live by a Democrat on the party's next steps after losing that fight. Plus, CNN sits down with an alternate juror who was a part of the Sean Diddy Combs trial. What did he think about the prosecution's case? Did jurors think the witnesses, including Cassie Ventura, were credible? And did he agree with the verdicts?

43:51We'll find out. And we're taking you inside the project President Trump may see as his Mount Rushmore, a monument to iconic Americans from Amelia Earhart to Abraham Lincoln. The timeline, the cost, and how the idea was born ahead.

44:12The lead tonight, a major victory for President Trump hours before his self-imposed July 4th deadline. Republican lawmakers passed his massive agenda bill in a razor-thin boat. The bill will become law when the president signs it. That's expected to happen tomorrow. Now, it includes tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, funding boosts to the Department of Defense and for the border and for immigration in the interior, controversial spending cuts to programs such as Medicaid. Tonight, the president will be in Iowa, where he can celebrate his legislative win on the eve of Independence Day. I want to go straight to Kristen Holmes, who is at the White House.

44:54Kristen, what are you hearing about the president's mood and what they're saying inside the White House as he is currently making his way to Iowa? Dana, I mean, they are, no surprise, very happy. They are excited about the passage of this bill. And it should be noted that they worked very hard on this. It's not just President Trump, but his entire team made a full court press for the last several months. They were courting House members. They were sitting down with senators for lunches, and President Trump himself was working the phones. Now, he was asked about the passage of this bill, and he said it wasn't that hard to get people to a yes.

45:31Take a listen. I did not have much of a problem with any of them. As you know, we had two negative votes, but we had whatever it was, the final vote. No deals, no deals. What I did is we talked about how good the bill is. I mean, that's a deal, I guess, when you think about it, but obviously convince him. But it was not hard. Now, there's probably some people within the administration who would disagree with that, people who haven't slept in several days, who have been trying to get these House members on board, get the senators on board before that. But one thing to note here is that what he's saying is what we heard from lawmakers who came and visited President Trump yesterday in terms of selling the bill.

46:13A lot of the conversation hinged on and was surrounding Medicaid and those cuts. And it was talking through with his team, with these lawmakers, what exactly they would look like. In addition to the fact they wouldn't go into effect for three years, President Trump's team pressed that this would give hospitals a time to sort out their funding. A lot of these hospitals rely on the money from Medicaid. They also were told that the states would still continue to control where that money, that Medicaid federal funding, went, meaning that they could decide who needed that money and where to allocate it, which was something that a lot of House lawmakers felt good learning.

46:53The other part of this that was interesting, he says no deals were made, but we were told by a number of lawmakers that he did make at least assurances when it came to executive actions, particularly around energy and electric vehicles. Kristen, thank you so much for that report. Appreciate it. Joining me now is Democrat from Maryland, Congressman Glenn Ivey, who sits on the Appropriations and Ethics Committees. Thank you so much for being here. Nice to see you in person. I know you say that this bill takes away life saving coverage from people in your state of Maryland and across the country.

47:29I know you heard Republicans over and over during the debate. And even before that, they say that the argument that cuts in Medicaid are draconian, as you say, are overstated, and that even those who were worried about that, when they went to the White House, their fears were assuaged. What are you hearing? Yeah, I'm not hearing that from people who are in the industry, people who are out in the hospitals, people in the medical profession and the like. They're greatly concerned about the impact that this is going to have with respect to hospitals. I think the prediction is there could be an estimate anyway around 300 closures of hospitals across the country.

48:10You've heard the 17 million people getting bounced out of Medicaid potentially as this moves forward. Those are astonishing and scary numbers. And the impact on people who need Medicaid for significant health coverage, frequently children, elderly, the disabled and the like, Those are people that we want to make sure are covered. And then lastly, you know, having talked with state and local representatives, not only in my state but in other parts of the country, they can't cover these holes. They're too big to replace all of the federal dollars that are going to disappear. So it looks like it's really a disaster waiting to happen.

48:53So on that note, in the last hour I spoke with the Attorney General from West Virginia. West Virginia is one of the most rural states, one of the states that relies maybe most on this assistance, this government assistance, also went big time for Donald Trump. And he said the opposite. He said that because there's about a three-year runway, runway is the word that he used, it's going to give time for rural hospitals to make up the difference and figure it out. What do you know that he doesn't? Well, I guess he's probably talking about raising taxes, I suppose. I mean, figure it out is not what private companies tend to do from the standpoint of they're going to replace funds that they need to subsidize their business, which is basically what Medicaid funding is.

49:38So if the federal government's not going to do it, where is it going to come from? Either it's going to come from taxpayers at the state and local level, or they're going to drop coverage. My assumption is it'll be a combination of the two. but the 17 million people not getting coverage, that's going to be the big impact, I think, from this legislation. Let's talk about the delay in this being implemented, because, look, ultimately, what you were warning about and the Republicans saying that you are fear-mongering, that's going to be decided by the voters, particularly those who will be impacted by this.

50:16But that won't happen until after the midterms. How convenient. Well, I mean, and it is what it is, right? So just on the raw politics of this, you don't have three years. You want to try to make that argument for the midterms in order to get the majority back in the House of Representatives. How do you do that without actually proving that you're right? Well, I think it's going to be a couple of things. One is the public is already starting to understand what this impact is going to be. And that's why I think the bill is under water 21 points on Fox polls. So, you know, it's deeply unpopular among the public already.

50:56And I think you're going to see companies not wait until the 11th hour to try and make adjustments to figure out what they're going to do. They might start closing some of the hospitals earlier. They might start moving doctors and nurses before the three years. I'd be pretty surprised if they don't, because they're going to have to figure out new business models to replace what they're currently doing. And that can take a minute. And if they don't do it in a good way, in the right way, it's going to be damaging to their shareholders. And as we all know, shareholders are going to call the shots in those private entities.

51:30So I think we'll start seeing impact of that earlier. Before I let you go, you were the first House Democrat to call for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to step down. in the spring after he agreed to let the Republican vote go forward to avoid a government shutdown. How do you feel about how the Democratic leadership is doing right now in Congress? I mean, I thought Hakeem was spectacular today. You know, his speech, I thought, was phenomenal. And I think it helped to demonstrate the fact that Democrats are fighting in every way that we can. We have limited tools to oppose what's going on because we're in the minority in the House and the Senate, and we don't have the White House.

52:11But I thought he did a great job with that. And I thought House Democrats were doing a lot as this bill came back from the Senate and the Rules Committee and the like, and the first time it left the House. I think it's pretty clear we've been fighting hard to try and address this. And it's not just Medicaid. There are other major problems in this piece of legislation. SNAP is gigantic, I think, from the same point of kids potentially going hungry and the like. So there's a lot of problems out there. We're trying to address all of those to the extent we can. We don't have a lot of tools to do it, but we're going to keep fighting and trying to do things, whether it's in the courts, whether it's in public protests and the like.

52:50And whatever tools we have in Congress, we'll use those too. Congressman, thank you so much for being here. Thanks for having me. Appreciate it. Happy Fourth. Same to you. Thank you. And let's go to the panel. Lauren, I want to start with you. Vice President Vance admitted in a post this afternoon, quote, At times, I even doubted we'd get it done by July 4th. We just heard President Trump say it wasn't hard, though, to convince Republicans. It did take arm twisting. We know that. We know how it works. How do you think they did it? Listen, politicking is the same any administration, right? You need to listen to the concerns of the members.

53:28And I think the White House did this. And I also think Speaker Johnson, you know, we don't give him enough credit in this moment. He really pulled this through. Speaker Johnson's mentioned a few times that he views this particular conference as one that needs more of a listener and less of a strong arm. And I think that proved true. A lot of these guys just needed time to voice their concerns, to be assured that the White House was listening, that they had a plan. A lot of this bill is reliant on the fact that it will energize the economy to raise revenues. And so I think that's something that they needed to hear from the White House and from Speaker Johnson, that there would be executive action policy, things that would come after this.

54:09In addition to this bill that would reinvigorize the economy and unleash American energy and all these things that President Trump has promised that he was going to do. And Megan Hayes, you were at a White House where, just like any White House, you have to twist some arms, play hardball politics in order to get even members of your own party on board with a legislative priority. How do you think this went down? I think that's exactly what happened. I think Trump twisted some arms. I think they made promises behind the scenes. Who knows what those promises are? I think you also had a lot of legislators on the Republican side that were really not interested in being primaried and not interested in finding out what the Trump base was willing to do.

54:50So I think that it's a little bit different on the Democratic side. Republicans tend to fall in line where Democrats tend to want to fall in love. So it's a little bit different for us. But I mean, I think that's exactly what he did is he twisted some arms. And what about what you saw from Hakeem Jeffries today? I was just talking about this with Glenn Ivey, of the idea that for so long since Donald Trump was inaugurated or even he was elected in November, Democrats have been really, the grassroots, have been begging leaders to quote-unquote do something. Obviously, their tools are limited because their power is limited.

55:25This is the kind of thing that does what for the base? I think it's really good that he did this. I think it got it out of voting in the middle of the night. I don't think it's right that the American people have to have major legislation decided and debated in the middle of the night. Again, this is the second time they've done this with this bill. So I think that it was good for him to do this. I think it shows that he cares. It's putting up a fight. He's the only person who could do it. So I think, you know, this is what this is a tool that he had in his toolbox and he used it and he used it effectively.

55:51And they had to do this in the middle of the day, which I think was very smart for the Democrats to do. And, Lauren, you heard our reporting out of the White House, Kristen Holmes and the rest of the team, saying that part of what happened in these meetings yesterday when the president brought in some on the fence Republicans was showing them numbers, explaining how it's not going to be as bad with regard to Medicaid cuts, snap cuts in their states. But there was some additional reporting in The New York Times, which Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez quoted from. The article says, quote, that they walked out with signed merchandise, these are Republican members, photos in the Oval Office, and by some accounts, a newfound appreciation for the bill.

56:34And here's what AOC posted. House Republicans voting for cuts to every single American on SNAP in exchange for some signed merch. Voting to starve babies, the disabled, the poor, and they have the audacity to try to brand this as Christian. I think it's a gross exaggeration of what is occurring here. The SNAP cuts and the Medicaid cuts, they have said time and time again, will protect those very people that AOC has said, the most vulnerable, the people who need it most. But the fact that they went into the White House and had a meeting and walked away with some souvenirs, that's just normal business, right?

57:11I don't think that fixating on the fact that they had merchandise signed by the president somehow invalidates the good things that are happening from this bill. the tax cuts, the provisions that will invigorate the energy economy in places like West Virginia, in places like Pennsylvania, where they need these types of lifts on regulations in order to invigorate their economy and lift these people out of poverty. I think a lot of the times that there's in these bills, and I think Hakeem's speech really highlighted this, which is the arguments we can expect the Democrats to make in the midterm for these things.

57:46They're really focusing in on the individual stories of some of these people on these cuts. And there's a philosophical difference, I think, that it is highlighted between Republicans and Democrats in this is that Republicans want everyone to be uplifted by a very vigorous economy and opportunities that they can pursue themselves. They don't want people on government subsidies, whereas Democrats are fine just to let people stay on these benefits for as long as possible and bankrupt the country. So that, I think, is going to be the debate that is had. And the dignity of work part is just something that I think that will be a good argument for Republicans in the long term.

58:22I mean, I think that the Republicans have no backbone and they're being used as puppets by Donald Trump. They're scared of their primaries. But I don't think that they don't care about, I mean, you can't say that Republicans care about bankrupting the country because they just added$3 trillion to the deficit. But I just think that there's a little bit of difference here. And I think that we will see how this plays out in the midterms, right? People will, rural hospitals will be closed. People will have to, will not have care. And I think that'll just all play out in the midterms. It all becomes very political.

58:50Megan Hayes, former aide to President Biden. Lauren Tomlinson, former DHS official. Saxby Chambliss. It goes on and on and on. Your credentials are very long, both of you. Thank you so much. Happy fourth, both of you. Up next, CNN's exclusive one-on-one with an alternate juror in the Sean Diddy Combs trial. He heard all the testimony, saw all the evidence. He didn't deliberate. What does he think of the verdict? That's next.

59:20In our Law and Justice lead, we're getting new insight into why the jury in Sean Combs' criminal trial acquitted the music mogul of the most serious charges against him, racketeering and sex trafficking. CNN's Laura Coates spoke exclusively with an alternate juror who didn't participate in the deliberations, but he heard all the testimony, saw all the evidence presented during the trial. Laura, only you can work a million hours a day, break all this news, and then just, oh, and by the way, I spoke to an alternate juror. Let me tell you. What did he tell you? This was one of the most fascinating conversations.

59:56We've been, for weeks now, almost two months, we've been trying to figure out what are these people thinking? Yeah. What's going through their mind? How are they receiving information? I have to tell you, he said that although he did not do deliberations, he thought they reached the right result and the right verdict. He, too, would have acquitted Enrico because he said that it was a very complex case. They hadn't met their burden of proof. He was laser focused, they said, on what was actually charged. Even when I asked him about that now infamous Intercontinental Hotel video where we see Diddy savagely assaulting Cassie Ventura, I asked how it played into how he viewed it, and he said, well, it wasn't a federal charge for domestic violence.

1:00:35It was a bad video, but that wasn't what was before them. It was a fascinating moment. I also asked him about Cassie in particular. Obviously, she came in visibly pregnant with her third child. She gave birth, Dana, days after she testified for days in this trial. And I asked him whether the fact that they acquitted on sex trafficking, did it mean they didn't believe what she had to say? Listen to what he said. Cassie Ventura testified visibly pregnant for days. Yes. How did her testimony impact you and your understanding of the case? You know, we listened very intently. It was, I think, five days or forever of the thing.

1:01:20And, you know, it was very riveting. And it was very riveting testimony. and very credible testimony. You believed her. I mean, I think we did. I think we did. I mean, she wouldn't have done all this just to come up there and, you know, lie about everything. So no, I don't think anyone even, no one, even the defense didn't come out and say anything like that. Did the money that they talked about in terms of a civil settlement she received, Did that color her testimony for you at all? I don't think so, no. I don't think so, no. That was so impactful. Because remember, in the opening statements, they talked about a money grab.

1:02:05The entire defense was really about owning the violence, which came back to haunt Diddy in the end when it came to him being detained pending sentencing. But also, the fact that there was this huge civil settlement. $20 million from Sean Diddy Combs. Another$10 million from this hotel. She had$30 million, and that was addressed in court, but it didn't matter to this particular juror. But it made you very conscious of the fact that this prosecution team had a very steep battle and a steep pill and a hurdle, and the defense laid it out there. You can hear more for the entirety of this interview, including what we didn't get to see, Dana, on those graphic images.

1:02:43He describes what was really in those videos. Oh, well, that's a tease. But before I let you go, I do want to say one of the takeaways ways in the immediate aftermath of the verdicts was questioning about whether or not the jury believed Cassidy. And the answer, at least according to this alternate, is yes. So believing her and the verdict, there's not a direct line, which is really interesting. He addresses it and talks about how he believed that the things happened to her, but that the text messages that were presented called into question whether things were consensual and was it enough to overcome that seed of reasonable doubt.

1:03:21Fascinating. I cannot wait to watch this whole. Thanks, Tiana. And you should, too. Laura will have it all on her show. Laura Coates live tonight at 11 o 'clock Eastern. She's also working, by the way, on a special episode because she hasn't done enough this week of the whole story with Anderson Cooper. It walks through how we got here and what's next. Please tune in to that Saturday night at 8 Eastern right here on CNN. I want to now bring in criminal defense attorney and CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson. Joey, good to see you. You just heard what that alternate juror told Laura about believing the prosecution's key witness, but that he also wouldn't have convicted Combs on the most serious charges.

1:04:04What does that tell you about the prosecution's handling of the case? Yeah, Dana, good to be with you on great interview, Laura, by the way. Fascinating. I know we'll learn more. So it's always good to get an insight from the juror with respect to what they're thinking, why they concluded what they concluded. But this was very unconventional, Dana. Let's think about that. It was unconventional with respect to RICO charge. And as much as you had this real underpinning of, oh, he's a crime boss, right? He's the boss of all this. He's engaging in all of these conspiracies with his employees. Where were they to testify as to any of those conspiracies or his illegality?

1:04:41Usually you have what's called a rat come into the courtroom and say, my boss had me do this arson. My boss had me kidnapped. None of that was present. And as to your specific question in terms of how you can believe her yet not convict on the issue of racketeering, it was also unconventional as to that. Generally, in an issue of sexual exploitation and sex trafficking, you have a situation where there's not an 11 year relationship. There are not messages saying, hey, I loved it. And then maybe I didn't like it, you know, in the future. And so buyer's remorse, so to speak. And so I just think that it was a very unconventional approach by the prosecution.

1:05:16And perhaps it was an overreach and overcharge and shouldn't have been charged in that way to begin with. You are a defense attorney. So I'm going to ask about their strategy. The fact that they didn't call a single witness, it was a big risk. It paid off, though, no? It did, Dana. So it's never about quality or, excuse me, quantity. It's about quality. It's not about how many you call. And I think the defense was in the really realm of let us raise reasonable doubt. Not RICO, personal conduct, not a criminal organization, a legitimate business empire with a person who was a potentially bad actor owning the things in terms of domestic violence.

1:05:55But was he a racketeer? Could you really go that far? And by the way, ladies and gentlemen, you have this, again, 11-year relationship with Cassie and you have this three-year relationship with the other one who was classified as Jane, the other alleged victim. And so is that really what we classify and use as sexual exploitation with regard to trafficking? And so I think just that dynamic really made a big difference. Yes, in terms of transportation to prostitution, that I think they got. But with respect to the other issues and other things they charged, wow, was it an overreach, I think, by the government.

1:06:28And I think the jury really concluded that in its verdict. Joey Jackson, always good to see you. I hope you have a very happy fourth. And you an even better one, Dana. Take care. Thanks, Joey. And President Trump's one big, beautiful bill is now headed to the White House for a signature. Included in that mega bill is funding for a new National Garden of Heroes. Which American heroes could be honored with a statue? We'll tell you after a break.

1:07:00Afternoon glare totally ruined my watch party for the big game. That's when my buddy recommended Blinds.com. With custom window treatments made to fit your style, space, and budget, customers who shop at Blinds.com experienced overwhelming satisfaction. Side effects may include a fuller, deeper night's sleep and the sudden urge to host the watch party again. Blinds.com isn't a medication, but it can improve how you feel about your home. Visit Blinds.com to order your free samples today. Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile with your summer price forecast. Now, unfortunately, we're seeing rising costs across the country with possibility that big wireless hates you 100%.

1:07:40Now, over here at Mint Mobile, we're seeing sunny skies and dropping prices. Every plan to just$15 a month. Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three months,$90 for six months, or$180 for 12-month plan required. $15 per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only. Greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. See terms. I am announcing the creation of a new monument to the giants of our past. I am signing an executive order to establish the National Guard of American Heroes, a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans to ever live.

1:08:27That was five years ago. It was a promise that President made at Mount Rushmore to build a Garden of American Heroes. It's about to get a$40 million boost from that new big, beautiful bill. But President Trump's passion project faces a tight deadline for the nation's 250th milestone celebration this time next year. CNN's Sunlin Cervati spoke with some of the sculptors vying to be part of the president's new monument. This is an unfired clay maquette, or I call it a bozzetto, which is the Italian term for a small model. Artist John Belardo hopes to be chosen by the White House to turn this 8-inch model into an 8-foot statue.

1:09:13It's a very strong base-down triangle, a lot of movement going up in this direction. He's one of the many artists vying to create statues for the National Garden of American Heroes, Trump's personal project, meant to debut at the nation's big 250th anniversary celebration next July. What I'm hoping for is Herman Melville, which of course was the author of Moby Dick. But there are layers of uncertainty around the logistics of the project and whether it will come together, and misgivings about the president who has commissioned it, all turning the project into a controversial brew of art and politics.

1:09:50What about those artists and some in the art community who are sending this out because they say, I do not want anything to do with it because it's related to President Trump? Well, this is going to sound even more controversial, but politics makes us all stupid. I'm just going to be an artist, you know, and I'm not trying to get involved in politics. While it's the talk of the art scene, there are questions over the ability to deliver statues in time without sacrificing quality. I think it would be great if our government wanted to fund the arts fully and wanted to bring about an American renaissance.

1:10:28Micah Springett runs this marble fabricator just outside of the Bronx in New York, where some of the statues could be made. 250 statues, is that achievable in one year? Oh, no, absolutely not. that's not in America. You can maybe get some of this stuff done in China really quickly, maybe not such a high quality. There are major challenges to a project like this, the cost, the timeline, and even artists being able to get their hands on materials like this. That's why Spring It is already lining up the material now. There's no time to actually go source the block from the mountains in Italy, so they're going to have to come to our workshop, see what we have and pick from there.

1:11:09They're going to say, okay, I want this, I want this, I want this. There's no time to get it from a bribe. There's no time. You'd wait two months for that to happen. You'd miss the deadline. Others in the art world are sitting this out for now. They just really hadn't thought this through. Melissa Walker works at a bronze foundry in North Carolina. I'm afraid in less than a year's time, it's going to be a giant field and nothing much will be done. They haven't even picked a site yet and they still have so much work to do to get the site ready to put sculpture in. At least one place, South Dakota, is lobbying for the project.

1:11:45We're picking the final sites now. It's between various states that won it very badly. Drawing up this flashy proposal for a 40-acre patch of land in the shadow of Mount Rushmore. Unlike four U.S. presidents, Trump envisions an eclectic mix of historical and modern figures. We're going to pick the greatest people that this country has ever known. Like Kobe Bryant, Amelia Earhart, Walt Disney, Muhammad Ali, Christopher Columbus, Alex Trebek, Sally Ride, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Whitney Houston, Steve Jobs, and Shirley Temple, among others. You're making this as something you see that will outlast President Trump, outlast this moment of controversy.

1:12:28It's not who commissioned it. It's not even about me who made it. It's about the subject matter. It's about the ideals that we're trying to connect to. And the president's timeline for this project does already appear to be slipping. A source with knowledge of the project tells me that the new goal is to now have only a fraction of these statues, potentially between 25 and 50 statues to be completed by this time next year, and have the rest ultimately follow a few years later. This is, Dana, something of a tacit admission that this project was really at risk of becoming a collection of really mediocre and rushed art.

1:13:06One source saying that no one wants this to become an outdoor Madame Tussauds museum. Oh, wow. What a fascinating story. Thank you so much for bringing that to us, Ellen. Really appreciate it. And we're going to Idaho next for our small business series where a toy company already hit hard by tariffs is trying to adjust. how the president's agenda could impact their Christmas holiday supply ahead.

1:13:37Time now for our Business Leaders series, where we hear from small business owners from coast to coast about President Trump's tariffs. Randomals is a toy company best known for hybrid animal toys, like what you're looking at there, the B-Rex. The founders say the toys represent that our differences are what helps make a difference. Co-founder Nick Harmon joins me now from Sun Valley, Idaho. Nick, first of all, I see you're wearing a random mole there. You can explain that as you explain your situation right now, which is the tariffs and how are they affecting your business. Yes, thank you so much, Dana.

1:14:22Hawk and I want to say thank you so much for allowing us to be on your program. Yes, this is a prototype that we're making at the moment. It is our star character, which is Hawk. He's part horse and he's part shark. And we make them in plush, hard toys, figures. And it's all based on a book that we wrote by the same name. And yes, what makes us different makes all the difference in the world. Tariffs have definitely been a challenge for us. I would say that there are two real aspects to this challenge. One is the complete inability for us to be able to plan. My partner Casey and I, we often talk about how placing an order with our suppliers is like playing a game of chicken, because we don't really know what the prices will be when the products arrive.

1:15:08And then also the other challenge with tariffs is the actual cost of the tariff itself and how to absorb it or pass it on. I've got a couple of examples if you'd like to hear how these tariffs played a challenging role. Yes, please. Yeah, so a couple of months ago, we were just set to order three containers from overseas. And right when we were about to push the button, the tariffs kicked off. And at the height, obviously, it was 145%. Now, our order at the time was$100 ,000, which meant that our order landed would be an extra$145 ,000, which obviously is not doable. We had to wait, which is unfortunate because we had demand that we couldn't fulfill here.

1:15:52And we had to wait until the 90-day pause happened when the tariffs went back down to 30%. We just got those containers last week. We unpacked them last week and every container, which was a$40 ,000 container, had an attached tariff of$12 ,000. And so that's$36 ,000 in cash that we had to come up with in addition to the surge pricing for the shipping. And did you pass that cost on to the consumers, people who are buying your products? Meaning, did you raise prices? We have not yet. We just placed an order for three more containers over. they should arrive sometime in September. And it's nerve wracking because the 90 day pause will have finished.

1:16:34And we don't really know what the price of that product will be once it arrives. But we have had so much momentum over the last five years. My friend and I started this company during COVID. It's been a wild ride. As I said, their combination animals is so much fun based around a book. And we are going to do our very best to try and not pass the costs on Because of this momentum, because we're having such a great time, we want to keep the momentum going. There's four entities really involved. There's the manufacturers who have been very understanding about the tariffs. We're working with them to see whether they can help with some kind of discount.

1:17:10We can obviously try and absorb some. And at the last resort, we may have to pass on some to the retailer and in turn the consumer. But that's not what we want to do because we want to keep charging. Yeah, I'm sure that is true. Nick Harmon, it is clear you are having a good time with your invention, your book, and your randomals. Thank you so much for bringing that to us, and I hope everything goes well. It's July. It's hard to imagine, but you are preparing for the Christmas rush. Thank you so much. Thank you so much indeed for your time. Thank you. And up next, a new book from our friend here, Christine Brennan, on Caitlin Clark, one of the most dominating players in the WNBA, how she is revolutionizing women's sports.

1:18:06In our sports lead, a new in-depth look at how basketball phenom Caitlin Clark dramatically changed the WNBA. Joining us now is USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan. Her brand new book is called On Her Game, Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports. My friend, you did this fast. But you are a professional and you are very, very well-sourced, so only you can do something like this. And it really does give a look at how she became the player that she is, her rise at the University of Iowa, her rookie season at the WNBA, and how that league was not really prepared for her. Exactly.

1:18:53Well, exactly. I do a lot of reporting, as you said. And one of the things, Dana, that started to hit me is talking to sources. And one, for example, I quote in the book. I said, you realize how big a deal this is when Caitlin Clark announced that she was going to be turning pro. And this person said, well, this is probably the biggest thing that happened to the WNBA since Maya Moore. And Maya Moore is a great basketball player and deserved to have the kind of attention that Caitlin Clark is getting, but never got it. The notion that the WNBA wasn't ready for this, couldn't believe that this could happen, I think it set in motion so many of the issues and the conversations we've had about the jealousy and the concern that we see from some of the players, the cheap shot hits, Kennedy Carter last year and Marina Mabry this year, Dana.

1:19:38It just was the sense that this incredible thing is happening to the WNBA and the league seems completely, utterly unprepared for it and the national scrutiny that was coming because of the arrival of Caitlin Clark. And it's too bad because the WNBA and, most importantly, the athletes there are phenomenal. And it's fantastic that they're getting more eyeballs, more ticket sales, all the things. So, you know, they're obviously learning quickly. Back to her in particular and what you report on about Clark being left off the 2024 Olympic team. Here's what you write. Apparently, the leadership in U.S.

1:20:22women's basketball was so worried about people's reactions to Clark's playing time, so concerned about critical posts on X and Facebook and the like that they didn't want to deal with any of it. That is honestly. It's not fair to her. Well, it is, and I've covered the Olympics for a long time, actually, since the 84 LA games, and I've never seen a worse team selection decision ever. Here you've got this person who's not only playing great at that point, her statistics were better than some of the players they did put on the Olympic team, but also she would bring people from all around the world, the spotlight that would shine on her, Dana, then would shine on all those players who deserved attention for years and never got it.

1:21:01I've covered those Olympic gold medal games going back to the Sydney Olympics and even going back to you know Seoul and 88 and what have you and they it's tumbleweeds in the press section. You bring Caitlin Clark the attention magnet then all the journalists would come and they would see all these other great players and instead they did not want her on this team. This great star, this great collegian, record breaker, a terrible decision that TV ratings then were down and it looks worse every day, as we know, a year later. And Caitlin Clark herself said she wasn't disappointed. In the book, I actually have reporting that she was incredibly disappointed by that decision to not be put on the team.

1:21:42How could she not be? But let's just focus on her and her incredible talents for a second. You describe her at one point in the book as an individualized collection of the 99 U.S. women's soccer team. Can you explain that? Sure. That's the team, of course. Brandi Chastain taking your shirt off, whipping it over her head. Brianna Scurry, the goalkeeper. Mia Hamm. That's the team that just captivated the nation. And it was a team sport. Usually women superstars in sports over the decades have been the tennis players, Olympic gold medalists, Olympic athletes, gymnasts and swimmers. We haven't really seen the nation fall in love with a team sport, a women's sport, until then, in 99.

1:22:24Two and a half years later, a little girl is born in Iowa. And the nation, again, the sense that Title IX, now 53 years old, we love what we've created. That girl you see in the kitchen every morning or the girl next door. And Caitlin Clark is the epitome of all of that as she's moved forward as not just a basketball player, even more important, an entertainer. Yeah, she sure is. This is a tremendous book. I think everybody should get it on her game, Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports. Thank you for writing it. Thank you for being here. Also, just a little teaser. She almost didn't go to Iowa, you're right.

1:22:59She almost went to Notre Dame. How things would have been different. Exactly. Very different. Thank you so much. Thank you. And one big question around this time every year. Who's going to win the famous Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest? The event today that sized up the competition after a break.

1:23:23The most relished competitive eating contest is back. Contestants for Nathan's famous hot dog eating contest have finished their weigh-in ahead of tomorrow. The battle won't be easy with 16-time champion, the one and only Joey Chestnut, returning after he was banned. Join CNN tomorrow for coast-to-coast fireworks and musical performances by Noah Kahn, Lainey Wilson, Nelly, and much, much more. Boris Sanchez and I will be at the helm with tremendous fireworks and all the musical acts. You can imagine that's starting at 7 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. Erin Burnett, Upfront, starts now.

1:24:12Afternoon glare totally ruined my watch party for the big game. That's when my buddy recommended Blinds.com. With custom window treatments made to fit your style, space, and budget, customers who shop at Blinds.com experienced overwhelming satisfaction. Side effects may include a fuller, deeper night's sleep and the sudden urge to host the watch party again. Blinds.com isn't a medication, but it can improve how you feel about your home. Visit Blinds.com to order your free samples today. Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile with your summer price forecast. Now, unfortunately, we're seeing rising costs across the country with possibility that big wireless hates you 100%.

1:24:52Now, over here at Mint Mobile, we're seeing sunny skies and dropping prices. Every plan to just$15 a month. Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three months,$90 for six months, or$180 for 12-month plan required. $15 per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only. Greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. See terms.