Lawyer: Fed Governor To Sue Over Trump’s Attempted Firing

25:31It created a scene right out of the Book of Revelation, swallowing highways, neighborhoods, and the downtown skyline. The massive dust storm left 60 ,000 customers without power, an hour of grounded flights, and major wind damage. The Haboob comes after a weekend dust storm in Nevada that blew through the Burning Man Festival. Let's go to CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar. Allison, how unusual are these Haboob? Jake, during monsoon season, it is not uncommon to have these dust storms known as Haboobs. take a look at the time-lapse video behind me. You can start to see that giant wall of dust rushing into the city of Phoenix there, but once the dust begins to settle, then you start to see the raindrops, and that's because this came from a thunderstorm in the general area causing this haboob.

26:19So we take a look at what an actual haboob is. So here you can see the parent thunderstorm in the background, and oftentimes you'll get outflow or the very strong winds from the thunderstorm that rushed down to the ground and it will pick up the dirt, the sand, anything down there, churning it up and sending it thousands of feet into the air, which unfortunately can lead to zero visibility on the roads if you happen to be driving. So let's break down what actually happened yesterday. This is about 5 30 p.m. local time in Phoenix. This is the thunderstorm in question. Now the temperature at this time was still in the triple digits.

26:53Winds may be roughly about 20 miles per hour. But you fast forward just 15 minutes as that storm gets closer, the temperature has now dropped into the 90s. Winds are also starting to pick up around 60 miles per hour. Then you go a few minutes later, the temperature is now down to the mid-70s with wind gusts of 70 miles an hour. So not only did we see those winds increase, but the temperature has now dropped 35 degrees in just 30 minutes. We do anticipate more showers and thunderstorms in the forecast for the remainder of the evening tonight, not just for Phoenix, but for much of the desert southwest.

27:28All right, Allison, thank you so much. I appreciate it. And our health lead, losing weight could potentially come in the form of a single pill with no injections needed. Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical that makes the injectable drug ZepBound to treat obesity, has a new GLP-1 pill for weight loss. After releasing positive trial results, the company says it's planning to request global regulatory approval this year. The pill's side effects are similar to that of GLP-1 injectables, including nausea and vomiting. Coming up next, the repeated calls about active shooters on college campuses that turn out to be fake.

28:05The difficult task for authorities investigating these crimes. That's ahead.

28:15In our national league, what should be a moment of excitement and joy for students and parents across the country has, for many, too many, turned to terror. Over the last week, at least nine colleges and universities received fake threats of active shooters in what law enforcement is calling a frightening new trend. Just today, the University of Arkansas, West Virginia University, the University of Kentucky, and Central Georgia Technical College, all of them were swatted situations where police rush in and clear an area in response to fake calls about shootings on the campus, shootings that are not happening, thankfully, but still it is terrorizing the communities.

28:55Villanova University, the University of South Carolina, and the University of Tennessee also all experienced similar calls in recent days. Let's bring in CNN security correspondent Josh Campbell. Josh, what in the world is going on? Well, you know, a sad reality in this country is that students and teachers have to deal with school shootings, but now they're also having to deal with these terrifying hoaxes that are coming in this latest wave. As you mentioned yesterday, six alone. This current wave started last week whenever reports of shots were being fired came in at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga.

29:30Officers responded to reports that someone had opened fire a few hours later at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, a very similar report. Again, these cause widespread chaos. They prompt a massive police response as authorities try to determine if they're actually dealing with a gunman. Take a listen here. We're getting some of the reaction from some of the students, including this law student at Villanova, who described what happened. A lot of law enforcement on the scene. They were looking for the shooter or the perpetrator in the building. But, you know, it was definitely a scary scene and, you know, they did a great job of getting everyone out.

30:07What was the phone call like with your parents? Were they freaking out? Absolutely. They were very scared, but they were very grateful I was OK. And I'm just very lucky. So obviously the good news, it didn't happen, but these can often cause injuries as people are fleeing. And obviously they can be very dangerous. To that end, local law enforcement, they're vowing to try to get to the bottom of who may have been responsible for these latest incidents. Take a listen here to the district attorney there just outside Philadelphia. My office, Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI, we're all going to work to try to get to the bottom of who might have done this.

30:42Because if this was indeed a cruel hoax, this is a crime. And we will track you down if it's the last thing we do. Now, Jake, you and I have covered so many of these. But one thing that's worth noting is that not only have there been injuries, but there was also a man who was shot and killed in one of these past incidents. when police arrived, mistook him for an actual threat. So although these are hoaxes, they're very dangerous. It's not incredibly new, this crime, even if this trend is spreading. But you say it's evolved with new technology. What do you mean? Yeah, you know, this goes back decades.

31:16It started people going after celebrities. I've talked to law enforcement experts who say that certain motivations have changed. Sometimes it's people just trying to get attention. Sometimes it's they're acting on some kind of grievance. But the through line that's making it difficult for investigators now is that a lot of these actors are using voice over Internet. They're spoofing their numbers. And so they're taking pains to try to mask their identity. However, law enforcement has noticed certain trends. And this is information they're pushing out to agencies across the country. Look at some of these indicators.

31:48If it's only one call of an active shooter that's coming in to police, that could be a red flag. We know in this day and age, so many people flood 9-1-1 whenever there's an actual incident. Also, if the person is calling a non-emergency line rather than 911, that could be a signal that they're using that voice over Internet, which often can't access the 911 system. And then the last thing they've seen is that oftentimes the caller's tone doesn't match the urgency of the moment. Someone might be very subdued in their voice, but they're saying that there's a shooting happening in front of them. All of that said, these people continue to evolve.

32:22I mean, just think about this sinister attribute of this whole thing. Jake, a lot of these callers will now call in and then play the sound of fake gunshots in the background. So again, law enforcement, their job is to try to stop a threat if it's there. Causes chaos and it's certainly dangerous, as I said. Have authorities had any luck with making any arrests? As difficult as they are, we have seen some arrests take place. The FBI, under the past director Christopher Wray, created this task force with law enforcement agencies across the country, again, trying to help them determine if there's a swatting incident in their jurisdiction.

32:55Could that have been related to another one? Is this the same perpetrator we're dealing with? There have been international arrests that have been made with the FBI working with its foreign partners. And just to talk about how severe some of the consequences are, there was a teen here in California that was arrested this year. He was just sentenced to four years in federal prison for making calls just like this. Josh Campbell, thanks so much. Coming up, the pressure from within, massive protests today demanding that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agree to a proposal to free the hostages, the Israeli ambassador to the United States will join us ahead.

33:35A serious moment in our world lead now. On this date four years ago amid the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, a terrorist in the crowd at the Abbey Gate, which is a civilian gate into the Kabul airport, detonated a suicide bomb, And that blast killed 13 members of the U.S. military, including 11 Marines, one soldier and a Navy corpsman. And along with the ensuing chaos, about 170 Afghans were killed. Afghans who were desperately trying to flee from the Taliban takeover. They also were killed. Some of the Gold Star families were at the White House yesterday. President Trump signed a proclamation commemorating the sacrifice of their loved ones.

34:14And two of those Gold Star moms are with us now. Christy Shamblin is the mother-in-law of U.S. Marine Sergeant Nicole G. You might recall Nicole G. from her Instagram post we're showing right now. It's her holding an Afghan child, and she wrote on Instagram, I love my job. Also with us is Paula Knauss-Self, the mother of U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Christian Knauss, who is 23 and originally from the state of Tennessee. Thank you both for your sacrifice and your willingness to talk, especially on today, a horrible, horrible anniversary. Let's start with you, Christy. Tell us about Nicole. What do you want our viewers to know about her?

34:50What do you want them to remember about her? She was a ray of light and embraced the attitude that a positive mental attitude could cure all of your problems. She was a constant source of encouragement for her fellow Marines and for her family and loved ones. And she would want to continue that encouragement. Paula, tell us about your son, Ryan. Ryan lit up a room as his brothers in the armed forces told me. He could walk into a room and see the positive in something. It showed his maturity as he grew older and wiser in being a team player. And one thing that's just remarkable about Ryan was that he used his brains with his brawn in all of this.

35:45And so the psyops unit was perfect match for him. Both of you were at the White House yesterday, along with other Gold Star families, when President Trump signed this proclamation honoring your loved ones. Christy, what was that like? It was really amazing. It was a moment I'll never forget. To have their names echo in the halls of the White House was spectacular. And Paula, what was it like for you? Well, I'm just appreciative that we finally have a president who is not going to allow the tragedy of our children or the tragedy of all of the events that happened in the ensuing August 26, 2021 debacle to be swept under the rug.

36:34And it is great to hear that there's a continued push to see justice for these children. The presidential proclamation is unusual. in addition to the well-deserved words of praise for your loved ones. It also had some very pointed criticisms of the former president, President Biden. Do you two or any of the Gold Star families, do you ever hear from any members of the Biden administration? And let me start with you, Christy. Never. Not once. Never. Paula? Of course. back in 22 and Memorial Day. It was a sad time when President Biden and I met face-to-face in the White House. And it was one of the most saddest moments of my life as a mother.

37:25Coming face-to-face with him, his first words out of his mouth as I walked across to meet him was, I can understand if you're angry. Well, I'm glad he did because America wasn't forgetful of what was happening also. And as I grieved as the mother in front of him, he had no sympathy or empathy on such an incredible day as Memorial Day to just show a little kindness. And I always have said it was such a character mark for him to have not at least had empathy and sympathy at that moment when a mother's crying in front of him on Memorial Day at his invitation to be there. You mentioned that the investigation is ongoing.

38:09The U.S. military did conduct two reviews of the bombing, and those reviews concluded that it was a lone bomber carrying out the attack, dismissing reports of gunfire at the time. The Pentagon also said that the members had not previously seen the suspected bomber ahead of the attack, but they believe they had originally because of conflated intelligence reporting. Christy, are you satisfied with the conclusions of the two investigations so far? I'm not satisfied so far because it doesn't give us a path forward to make sure this never happens again. We don't get to bring our heroes back. We don't get that choice, but we want to make sure this never, ever happens again.

38:47And you have to learn from your mistakes. And first, you have to acknowledge those mistakes were made. Paula, next year remark, five years since the attack. There are sure to be even more events to mark the anniversary. Do you all, do you Gold Star families, do you keep in touch? And how do you cope with the passage of time and all of this? It's such a horrible anniversary. Well, it's been four years. And there are times when the White House will call on behalf of the president and his cabinet to bring us together so that they can say, hey, we haven't forgotten you. We haven't forgot your children.

39:27We know them by name and we will never forget what happened so that we do not allow that to happen again in our administration. And I know one of the masterminds, so to speak, of the terrorist attack is currently in Virginia. And he will be tried for killing for his role in that horrible, horrible, that horrible day. Christy Shamblin and Paula Knauss-Self, thank you so much. And please know that we have not forgotten your loved ones either. And everybody watching right now, I'm sure, has nothing but love and support and prayers for you. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. And love you, Christy.

40:07The term unprecedented coming up yet again to describe actions by the president. This time his efforts could have massive implications for the U.S. economy and your money. We'll get into that next.

40:42Thank you. with Adyen. Learn more at adyen.com. Join us for the next episode of D &V's Maritime Impact podcast. This time I speak with D &V's shore power expert, Hilde Bursta, about how shore power is shifting from a local emission solution to a strategic priority for ship owners. What are the biggest barriers to adoption and what needs to happen next? To get the answers, search for Maritime Impact on your favorite podcast platform. Stay tuned. Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, President Trump's attacks on the Federal Reserve entering a new phase as he defends his decision to try to fire one of the Fed's governors, Lisa Cook.

41:27And now Cook's lawyer says she is going to file a lawsuit against Trump challenging her removal. But how much of any of this is about Cook's alleged misconduct and how much is about Trump wanting to control the Fed? Plus, blocked highways and burning tires in Israel today as protesters Israelis call for a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would secure the release of the remaining hostages. Are negotiators anywhere near an agreement? We're gonna talk to the Israeli ambassador to the United States live. Also, President Trump makes a new demand of Harvard University, a demand to the tune of half a billion dollars.

42:03That's a billion with a B. Harvard, the only school so far to take on the White House in court. But after Columbia University and Brown University both settled. Will Harvard cave next? And he knows how to ball, she knows Aristotle, and now Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey are engaged. We're diving into the Instagram announcement that broke the internet with more than 10 million likes in just the first hour.

42:30The lead tonight, President Trump defending his decision to try to fire Lisa Cook, a governor of the Federal Reserve, saying he soon expects to have a, quote, majority at the seven-member Fed. It's Trump's most significant escalation in his pressure campaign to remake the central bank, which is supposed to be independent. But Lisa Cook is digging in, saying she has no plans to resign, as her lawyer says they plan to challenge the president in court, setting up a legal battle that is likely headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. CNN's Kaitlin Collins is live for us at the White House. Kaitlin? Yeah, Jake, the president today basically making clear that even as Lisa Cook and her attorney are bowing to fight this, that he is planning to move ahead and try to basically reshape the Federal Reserve Board more to his liking, more with people that share his ideology and his worldview, and even says he has some names in mind for who he might put on that board.

43:17Of course, the question, Jake, is if there is even going to be that opening and what the status of that is right now after the president said yesterday that he was attempting to fire her. The view very much here at the White House is that he will ultimately be successful in that, But that still remains to be seen, given she is vowing to fight it in court. But, Jake, all this centers around allegations that are being made by allies of the president, a referral to the Justice Department over mortgage applications by Lisa Cook. And I want you to listen to what President Trump had to say today in a very lengthy cabinet meeting about this very move.

43:54She seems to have had an infraction, and she can't have an infraction, especially that infraction, because she's in charge of, if you think about it, mortgages. And we need people that are 100 percent above board. And it doesn't seem like she was. Now, obviously, Jake, she's been pushing back on that and saying that she is very much going to rely on any court's decision here of what that could look like. They're going to be fighting this in court and likely a lawsuit is going to be coming very soon. And when it comes to the Federal Reserve's actions, the question as this is playing out in the court is, do they treat her like she is a member of the board.

44:28How does that happen? They basically said today, Jake, that they are going to basically abide by any court decision and essentially wait to see how all of that plays out. And Caitlin, the president is also suggesting an aggressive effort in his push to reduce crime here in Washington, D.C. Yeah, Jake, I want you to listen to what the president had to say about that today during his cabinet meeting. And then on after you hear what he had to say about this, we can talk about the obstacles that he would likely face if they try to push ahead with this. Anybody murder something in the Capitol, Capitol punishment, Capitol, Capitol punishment.

45:05If somebody kills somebody in the Capitol, Washington, D.C., we're going to be seeking the death penalty. Now, immediately, Jake, when the president said that, anyone who lives in Washington knows it is typically the D.C. Superior Court that handles any of these murder cases. Capital punishment is not in the city's code. But of course the president's ally, Jeanine Pirro, is in the D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office here and she certainly could try to seek that. I think one real question is if they do try to move forward with this and we'll obviously wait to see if that looks like is what juries in Washington would do.

45:40Because historically when you talk to legal experts and as our team at CNN, including Caitlin Pullins, has done, that is something and has been a major obstacle for them to try to get over. Even if the jury votes unanimously to convict someone, actually getting to capital punishment has proven to be quite difficult. But it just kind of speaks more, Jake, to the president's effort to have this federal takeover of Washington and to be in charge of how the city is handling that, as he was speaking at length today about not just that, but also potentially going into other cities with the National Guard as well.

46:10All right, Kaitlin Collins, thanks so much. And don't miss Kaitlin on her show, The Source, with Kaitlin Collins. Her guests tonight include the Interior Secretary, Doug Burgum. That's tonight at nine o 'clock Eastern, only on CNN. CNN's Phil Mattingly is here with us. Phil, walk us through the magnitude of this decision by President Trump to try to actually remove a sitting Fed governor, nominated by President Biden, voted on, confirmed by the Senate. No president has ever even tried to do this before. Since the Fed's creation in 1913, this has never been moved on. This action has never been taken.

46:42We don't really have much precedent for it even being weighed by any president up to this point. And I think what's critical to understand about why this is such a big deal is what this would mean if the president is able to actually get this done. Now, before we get to that point, Jake, I think it's pretty important to note that there are a number of roadblocks in place. This is very clearly the president's clearest path that he's had up to this point. He's talked often about the potential for firing Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell. Didn't ever have cause to do so. Even if he did, it was kind of legally dubious.

47:14He believes he has cause. He can move forward on this. there is a very real and completely unprecedented legal fight that's about to play out. If he wins that legal fight, then you have the issue of actually confirming your nominees. One has already been appointed, needs to go through Senate confirmation in September, Stephen Myron for the open seat that opened up at the start of August. Then you have your second nominee. How do Senate Republicans deal with that? We don't actually know yet. Yes, they have a majority. Yes, they traditionally do what Trump wants them to do, including on nominees.

47:44But Federal Reserve of Independence is something many of them talk about often publicly as important, but also privately acknowledge they are uncomfortable about the direction that this has all gone. So you have to get two nominations through, be able to move forward with that in the near term. Then he would have a majority. That majority, Jake, though, their ability to reshape the Fed, not just on interest rate policy, but on Federal Reserve presidents, on budgets, on operational structure, all of that with a majority can pretty much go however Trump wants. All right, Phil, thanks so much. Really appreciate it.

48:16Let's talk about this with my panel right now. Hey, guys. Hey. So we haven't heard much from Republicans about this attempt to remove Lisa Cook from the Fed. But Republican Congressman Don Bacon of Nebraska, who is retiring and has been emerging as something of a critic of the president in his retirement, he told Politico, quote, it would be one thing if she was found guilty, but she is entitled to due process. this is his way to gain control of the Fed. Mike, do you agree? I think financial fraud is cause, but Don Bacon's absolutely correct. There's been an allegation that's out there. She hasn't been charged with the allegation.

48:58These charges have to be proven. But even if it is brought, DOJ brings the charges forward, I think there is an argument that there's cause there because it goes directly to what she oversees. I mean, financial fraud is cause. So Semaphore's Burgess Everett posted, quote, individual senators have a lot of sway over the Fed. Just one Republican on the Senate Banking Committee could jam up any attempt to replace Lisa Cook in committee. But Eva, do you think there's any Republican appetite to challenge Trump on anything? So far, we haven't seen a lot of courage from Senate Republicans in terms of wanting to take on the president.

49:38But I think that historically, at least Republicans who were in power or had power before, like Senator Mitch McConnell, they were concerned about the long game. And we might see some of those voices emerge because Trump may win this particular battle, but this precedent is is not great. And what happens when Democrats take back power? I mean, they are changing the rules of engagement so dramatically for institutions and systems that historically were not supposed to be imbued with this level of partisanship. And President Trump was asked if he's weaponizing government to go after people he disagrees with by digging into his mortgages.

50:16You have this person at the Federal Housing Agency who has found, who's made allegations against Cook, against Senator Schiff, against Letitia James. it's not difficult to imagine a President AOC, because Democrats right now are like literally saying, OK, we're just going to do whatever Republicans do. Turn around and spare play. Absolutely. Here's what Trump was asked when he said if he's weaponizing government. Take a listen. No, they're public. I mean, you can find out those records. You can go check out the records yourself. And if you did your job properly, we wouldn't have problems like Lisa Cook.

50:51So I guess my question is, do you think President AOC comes into office and starts using the IRS or federal mortgages or whatever to pick apart different people, the Fed replacing them, etc.? I mean, Republicans will be like, oh, this president's fine. We allowed it so President AOC can do it. Yeah. Well, no, they wouldn't like whoever it is. Let's not just put that on AOC, any kind of Democratic. No, of course not. But Democrats are getting to the point where they're feeling like, you know what, if you're not going to play by the rules, why are we playing by a different set of rules? Although what concerns me is that the rules happen to be the Constitution of the United States, which happens to say innocent until proven guilty.

51:34Donald Trump actually got that benefit. So before we all, you know, arm our weapons, let's find out whether or not any of this is true. Here's the thing, though, that I think is a bigger problem and what I hope Democrats will focus on. absolutely let this legal case play out. It's in the courts. Let's do that. But what this really says, there's a different trend here, and that is Donald Trump doesn't actually know how to fix the economy unless he can control all the levers. So he's now replaced the person who's telling us the truth about the labor statistics. He wants to control the Fed, presumably so he can tell them what to do.

52:09The lower interest rates. Yeah. But however, whether or not, though, that may not necessarily be in the best interest of the economy. That may not necessarily show the truth about the impact tariffs are actually having on the economy. And so the point is, what concerns me more is he doesn't know how to fix this. He just knows how to rework the decks on the Titanic like you would if you owned a company where you get to say to your shareholders what you want to say regardless of what's really going on. What do you think? Well, there's so many things that you brought up in that. One, on your first answer and to your question, Harry Reid unleashed something very similar with judges years ago, where you had the unintended consequences.

52:53And then it was chipped away by Mitch McConnell even more. Absolutely. So, I mean, there is historical precedent to this. And I think it's a very good point. On the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we had a head of that division that had an 85 % correction in May of just this year from her preliminary numbers to other numbers. She was not doing a good job in the short period of time that she was there. There were multiple massive corrections. So each one of these points is - Which is not that unusual, by the way. It is unusual, the extent of the corrections. One, two, three percent was norm, is a norm.

53:30And she had 30 % one time, 85 % in May. And we can check those numbers when the fact checkers want to fact check me. Come on, James. But my point is, I think you're overreaching a little bit by saying that he wants to have all levers of the economy. Of control. Of control. He wants to control the information. I think this really does revolve around the singular issue of our interest rates are too high in this country. They're much higher than the rest of the industrialized world. And Donald Trump is known to try all different things to get his question. Regardless of the impact. I want to talk about one other thing that President Trump is pushing, which has to do with sending National Guard troops into cities to address crime.

54:10Really interesting moment on that other channel. I don't forget. It's MS something now, but it's Joe Scarborough. We know him. Morning, Joe. He had the mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, on his channel, MS. What is it now? MS Now. And I'm not trying to be cute. I really forgot the name. MS Now. And there was this really interesting moment. Let's roll that. Would you also like to get federal funding to help put 5 ,000 more cops on the street in Chicago? Would that help drive down crime? Well, look, policing by itself is not the full strategy. Do you believe that the streets of Chicago would be safer if there were more uniformed police officers on the streets of Chicago?

54:55I believe the city of Chicago and cities across America would be safer if we actually had, you know, affordable housing. I just need a yes or a no. Look, we are working hard to make sure that our police department is fully supported. I don't believe that just simply putting out an arbitrary number around police officers is the answer. This is a fight President Trump wants to have, and answers like that I think are part of the reason why. Well, I disagree. I don't think that this issue of public safety has to be a liability for Democrats. I think in my conversation with voters, it's actually going to be more of a liability for Democrats if they don't stand up to Trump.

55:33And what's not being discussed enough is some of the interventions that President Trump is trying to reverse, like eliminating cash bail, like a separate track or restoring a different track for juvenile offenders. Democrats historically championed those because those systems caused undue harm to certain segments of the population. And so reversing their policy positions is not necessarily the answer. Even if some voters agree with them, I think that they get more credibility when they stand on principle. So this doesn't have to be a liability for them. All right. Thanks, one and all. Coming up, the estate of Jeffrey Epstein is now on the clock.

56:12The turnover documents to the House Oversight Committee. What questions might those records answer or prompt? I'm going to ask a lawyer who represented multiple Epstein victims. That's next.

56:25In our law and justice lead, the estate of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has less than two weeks to hand over a trove of documents to the House Oversight Committee. Epstein's will, his financial documents, a reported collection of letters gifted in the so-called birthday book for Epstein, Epstein's non-disclosure agreements, and any information that could be part of a potential clients list, all on the list, all to be turned over. Let's bring in Jack Scarola. He's an attorney who has represented nearly 20 victims of Jeffrey Epstein and spent 18 years litigating cases against him. Jack, thanks for joining us.

56:58So the House Oversight Committee is also finally going to interview former Labor Secretary for Donald Trump, Alex Acosta, who was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida back in 2007, 2008, when he negotiated that sweetheart deal with Epstein. I want you to take a listen to what Epstein survivor Liz Stein told me. She wants to learn from that interview with Acosta. Take a listen. Why, if he was being investigated by the FBI, why was he able to only have to face one charge, a state charge, and no federal charges? And so I think that what I would really like to see and what I hope for is transparency.

57:37with Mr. Acosta. What do you or any of the victims you've represented want to hear from Acosta? I think the one question that was identified in that interview is an important question, but it is not by any means the only important question. Not only was Jeffrey Epstein given an incredible sweetheart deal, but he was provided with a non-prosecution agreement that immunized named co-conspirators and unnamed co-conspirators from federal prosecution for any crime that they may have committed up to the time of the execution of that agreement. That's an incredible, unprecedented and totally unjustifiable concession to a criminal defendant that has never been explained.

58:40And I don't know how it could ever rationally be explained. In addition to that, the terms of that agreement were actively concealed from the victims when federal law required them to be informed of the agreement and to have an opportunity to be heard about it. Those are questions that need to be explained. And Alex Acosta, if appropriately questioned by someone who is prepared and knows what the answers should be, conducts the interview and the interrogation of Alex Acosta. Well, on Friday afternoon, the Justice Department released the transcript of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's interview with Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.

59:31Would you describe Todd Blanche the way that you said you hoped an interviewer would be equipped to interview Alex Acosta that same way? And what were your thoughts after reading through the transcripts? I would not describe Todd Blanche that way. I have read every word of two days of interviews with Ghislaine Maxwell. Those interviews resembled more a choreographed dance than the interrogation of a convicted child molesting conspirator and an accused perjurer. This was not an effective interview by any means, but simply a platform for Ghislaine Maxwell to rewrite history. What's one question you would have asked had you had a chance?

1:00:33There are a lot of questions that I would have asked had I had the opportunity to do that. But principally, I would have confronted her with the testimony that was presented against her at her trial. And we have a situation where the person sent to interview Ghislaine Maxwell is known to be the president's criminal defense lawyer. That criminal defense lawyer was there on behalf of an individual who walks around with a pocket full of get-out-of-jail-free cards, which he has demonstrated a willingness to distribute freely. Who could possibly believe that under those circumstances, Ghislaine Maxwell is going to remember anything whatsoever?

1:01:30However, that is disadvantageous to the man with the pocket full of get out of jail free cards. It isn't going to happen. And she needed to be confronted about that motive and never was. Jack Skrola, thank you so much. We'll have you back. Always insightful. Really appreciate it. Protests filling the streets of Israel today, demanding an immediate ceasefire and hostage release deal. Where do negotiations stand right now? Well, the Israel ambassador to the United States will join me next in studio. Stay with us.

1:02:06I've just recorded the first episode of our new season talking about the state of play for the IMO's net zero framework in the wake of the just concluded latest MEPC meeting. The big question I hear again and again is what happens next and how quickly. In this episode, I unpack what's moving, what's stalling, and what that means for future decisions and timelines. Search for Maritime Impact on your favorite podcast platform. Stay tuned. Our world lead takes us to Israel. An estimated hundreds of thousands of protesters flooding the streets today to demand the release of the hostages still being held by the terrorists of Hamas in Gaza.

1:02:48Burning tires, blocking highways, demonstrating their mounting anger over the lack of a deal to end the war and bring those hostages home. Today, Israel's security cabinet meeting ended with no major decisions. This is nearly a week after Hamas reportedly accepted the latest ceasefire proposal from mediators from Qatar and Egypt. CNN's Oren Lieberman takes us to Israel right now, where many are placing the blame on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The fires on the roads burned as hot as the anger on the streets. Across Israel, protesters blocked major highways, burning tires, shutting down traffic.

1:03:25This sign in Tel Aviv says we're stopping everything until everyone returns. The demonstrations marked the beginning of what organizers called a day of struggle, demanding an end of the war and the return of the remaining 50 hostages held in Gaza. Yudhiko and son Nimrod is among the 20 hostages believed to be alive.

1:03:52ANTHONY FAUCI,

1:03:58President, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a two-hour security cabinet meeting Tuesday afternoon. But according to two sources familiar with the discussion, the latest ceasefire proposal was not on the agenda. This is a shame. This is beyond words. There are no words to describe this government anymore. This government should be dealing with one and only thing, ending the war and bringing back the hostages. On Monday, President Donald Trump said in the Oval Office there's a diplomatic push underway to end the war. But one day later, he walked that back. There's nothing conclusive, but hopefully we're going to have things solved very quickly with regard to Gaza and also with regard to Ukraine and Russia.

1:04:38It's a promise these protesters have heard too many times to believe. Even so, Edith Ohel, holding a sign with the face of her hostage son, Alon, says it's up to Trump. We still need the United States to be with us. We still need Trump's administration to push to it and make sure that all the hostages return. I think he has the power to do it. I think he has the power to talk to Netanyahu and tell him about how urgent it is. Organizers say this isn't a one-time protest, and in addition to the weekly Saturday night protests we have seen that appear to have grown in size over the past recent weeks and months, they will plan continued protests and disruptions to let the government know, and frankly, to let the world know that they are calling for a ceasefire to end the war and bring home the remaining hostages.

1:05:28It was President Donald Trump who said just a couple of days ago that there might be a conclusive end of the war in the next two to three weeks. That is something that people here desperately want to believe. Jake.

1:06:04agreed to. So what is the holdup and can you guarantee that the remaining 20 hostages who are still alive will come back to Israel soon? Well, we can't guarantee that the 23 hostages will come back soon. They're being held by Hamas. We can guarantee that we're going to do everything in our power to get them out. We started this, there were 255 hostages being held by Hamas. Under Prime Minister Netanyahu's leadership, 205 have been released through negotiation and through military pressure. We've never achieved any release of hostages without military pressure alongside with negotiations. So this is under discussion.

1:06:40We're looking at what the possibilities are for a ceasefire, a temporary deal. But at the same time, it has to be very clear. This war ends when Hamas ends. We need to see this war end where Hamas is disarmed, where Gaza is demilitarized, and all of our hostages are out. None of this, as the president has said repeatedly, none of this drip-drab kind of thing, a few hostages now, a few hostages later. If we are not careful, what's going to happen is we're going to get a few hostages out now and we're never going to see the rest of the hostages again. So the Arab League several weeks ago called for Hamas to surrender and to no longer be in charge of Gaza, right?

1:07:22Whatever happened to that? Has there been sufficient pressure on Hamas from the Arab League to achieve that, to end this war? Well, it was a great declaration by the Arab League, and I think that is a very positive development overall for the Middle East, which probably is a result of our taming and degrading Iran and the extremists in the Middle East. But no, they haven't applied the necessary pressure, if they could. The interesting thing is that we've seen this before. We're both old enough to remember when we defeated the Palestine Liberation Organization in Lebanon in 1982-83, and Hamas's predecessor, Yasser Arafat, left.

1:08:00He laid down his arms and left by boat. This is the same thing that can happen today. Hamas has to leave. We're not going to go back to a situation like on October 6th when the country was being held hostage. We cannot have a situation where the country is being held hostage by jihadis living at our border. But what is the holdup? Like why, I mean, if this agreement, as we're told, basically is 98 % of what Israel agreed to a month ago, Hamas has agreed to it, why isn't this been agreed to so there can be a ceasefire? Well, isn't this interesting? I mean, the answer is in your question itself.

1:08:34The 2%. If Israel agreed to it two months ago, what happened? Where was Hamas? Obviously, something's changed in the ingredients. And Hamas is moving in such a way so that they remain standing. Okay, they've reconstituted themselves through the lull in the fighting. They've reconstituted themselves. They've moved up to 25 ,000, 30 ,000 fighters. They are now regrouped in an area of 25 % of Gaza. That has, and that's where the hostages are. And that remaining 25 % has to be completely disarmed. We want to see Hamas out. Because otherwise, the country's going to go back in a situation where we're going to be held hostage again.

1:09:14We can't do that. So Netanyahu, the prime minister... Excuse me one second, Jay. Under a situation when we were held hostage on October 6th, 1 ,200 of our people were slaughtered. We can't go back into that scenario. I understand. Let me ask you about the horrific events from yesterday. Prime Minister Netanyahu called the Gaza strike that killed five journalists. He called it a tragic mishap. You posted on Twitter, or Axe, quote, President Dwight Eisenhower once said, war is a grim, cruel business, a business justified only as a means of sustaining the forces of good against those of evil. War is especially grim when fighting a death cult like Hamas.

1:09:46But I do wonder, at this point, 18 months into it, with so much of Hamas degraded, so much of Gaza destroyed, so many unnecessary or so many tragic, innocent people killed, the killing of journalists, the killing of aid workers, children starving to death. This is not what you are trying to achieve, you argue, but it is happening anyway. Is it worth it at this point? Are you not afraid of what Israel is doing? And also the status of Israel. Many supporters of Israel are worried that it's becoming a pariah. Many supporters of Israel don't have to face what we face in the Middle East. Look, you've got to ask yourself a question.

1:10:26A country that's capable of taking out the control of all of Iranian airspace in 72 hours, allowing for the B2s of the United States to come in and obliterate the nuclear weapons operations in Iran, is not capable of ending this war sooner? Of course we are. But it's because we're taking precautions that no other country has ever taken. No other country has had to face a situation of 450 miles of terror tunnels under an area that's 24 miles long. We're dealing with a ghoulish, fiendish organization that's not only hiding behind civilians, but is using civilians as cannon fodder. They enjoy this.

1:11:07This is a death cult. They say this. You have to read their stuff. They're a death cult that appreciates the fact that people die. So they put them out in front. They want to see as many people die. By the way, the numbers that you're quoting are Hamas Ministry of Health numbers. I mean, that's like saying that MS-13 officials are issuing statements. The only number I quoted was the five journalists. Well, you know, we're talking about, you said, the many noncombatants, the many civilians. You wouldn't dispute that in 18 months Israel has killed thousands of innocent people. I'm not saying you're trying to, but you have.

1:11:39We're actually doing everything we can to avoid it like no one else in the past has. And some experts actually say we have the lowest noncombatant ratio to combatants that have ever existed in modern warfare. My only point is that it's too many. It's too many. We want to end this war. Let's get this war over with. Put the pressure on Mr. Qatari, Mr. Egyptian. Come down and say to Hamas, this is enough. Okay, get out of there. You're not going to get any more support. You have to understand that, you know, Hamas leadership is sitting in Istanbul. Where the hell is Mr. Erdogan? Why are Hamas leadership sitting in Qatar right now?

1:12:15Why is the international community not saying the leadership of Hamas is being closed down, period? So they're there. They're leading this campaign of delegitimization of Israel. It's very PC now. You know, Israel's responsible for genocide. Israel's responsible for apartheid. Israel kills children. Everybody kind of jumps on the bandwagon. We don't. We do everything we possibly can. My own son was killed because we do not kill innocent civilians. He went in on foot into Gaza and led the troops at the beginning of the war. He was killed when he went into a Hamas booby trap. If we were doing what we're being accused of doing, maybe he'd be alive today.

1:12:51And so many of our soldiers that have died are being alive today. And the demonstrations you showed are only half of the demonstrations. The other half of the demonstrations are families of soldiers who are saying to the prime minister, You have to end this war with a defeat of Hamas because otherwise we're going back to October 6th. Before you go, Mr. Ambassador, the name of your fallen son? Moshe. Moshe. May his memory be a blessing. Thank you for being here. I appreciate that, Jake. Thank you so much. And I hope that the war ends soon. I do too. Thank you. Ambassador Leiter, thank you so much.

1:13:20We'll be right back. And we're back with our Business Leaders series where we hear from small business owners from coast to coast about the impact of President Trump's tariffs. Some are in favor. Many are, frankly, struggling to cope. Content Bookstore in Northfield, Minnesota has been an independent bookstore for 11 years, employing 16 people. It also has a dedicated space for children's books and children's toys called Kids Content. An owner, Jessica Peterson-White, joins us now. Jessica, which of your products are you seeing impacted by the tariffs directly? Well, toys, games, puzzles, and like stationery and gift products are by far impacted the most.

1:13:57We are starting to see some price increases in the book world as well. Though books are generally published by really big companies that have a little more time and space to absorb those margins. So it's a slower burn with books. Have you had to raise prices for customers or limit stock or eat the tariff cost? What have you been doing? Yes, we've done a little of all of those things, unfortunately. The tariffs are creating an unprecedented level of chaos and expense for my business and for my customers. I have one example here of a chaotic thing that happened that's creating a big hole in my inventory.

1:14:35So we carry these little Bestie bottles that come from Canada. They've been a great seller for us. I placed an order to restock them at a trade show that I was at in June. And then they weren't ready to ship yet in June. And they come from Quebec. And about three weeks ago, I got an email from the company that was going to ship them to me saying, hey, your order's ready. can you send us the payments? We can ship them out. And at that point, the tariffs would have been, I think, 30 % from Canada on that order. And then I would have, in addition, had to pay the carrier FedEx or UPS brokerage fees on top of that, that might've even been more than the tariffs themselves.

1:15:15So this item here, we used to buy it for$15 and then we sold them for high quality stainless steel water bottle for kids. And they're adorable. They all have different little animal heads. And with the tariff surcharge, we would have, in order to maintain our margin and keep our lights on and make payroll, we would have had to raise the price to over$40 for this item. So I had to cancel the order because I don't think my customers are going to pay that for this product. And that's just one example of so many things where the tariff price increases are killing the product for us. And then creating a hole in our inventory where I have to scramble and find something else that my customers are going to buy.

1:15:56Northfield, Minnesota has two colleges. Are you seeing your customers' behavior start to change when they come shopping for books or toys? Yeah, well, there are a lot of things that are changing. I do think that customers are becoming more price sensitive and we're trying to adjust our assortment accordingly, which is extra difficult right now, given that nine out of 10 invoices on my desk show a price increase compared to what we were paying in January. either just a permanent price increase on the product or a tariff surcharge that's 10, 20, sometimes 30 % on the invoice. So customers are starting to notice that.

1:16:32And I think they're also, some of our customers are tightening their belts and are aware that the economy is changing and are spending less money. The interesting thing for us, I think, is that on the other end of the spectrum, we're a bookstore and we have a lot of new customers coming to us right now, actually, who have recently decided that they're not interested in helping to fund Jeff Bezos's wedding. And so they're coming to us instead to buy books and other things that they would normally want. We lost you, Jessica, but you can shop at Content Bookstore in Northfield, Minnesota, or on their website, Content Bookstore, Northfield, Minnesota.

1:17:15Jessica Peterson White, Thanks so much. Coming up, it's the announcement out of our wildest dreams. Not, no, it's not Jeff Bezos' wedding. It's Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey. They are engaged. What we're learning about the proposal, the ring, the possible wedding timeline of this American royalty. That's next.

1:17:37So I was like, if this guy isn't crazy, which is a big if, this is sort of what I've been writing songs about wanting to happen to me since I was a teenager. Okay, that's sweet. And our pop culture lead, that's Taylor Swift talking about the beginning of her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelsey. That clip less than two weeks ago on his and his brother Jason Kelsey's New Heights podcast. And now the big news, the two are officially engaged. And honestly, best of luck for a lifetime of happiness to you two crazy kids. We at the lead here, we're all unrepentant Swifties. Let's bring in CNN's Lisa Raspers, France, and Melody Chiu, the executive editorial director at People.

1:18:21Lisa, I know you predicted this just a few weeks ago. So tell us, how are Swifties taking the news? Well, Jake, I feel bad for any employer that has Swifties working for them. They got no work out of that employee today. The Swifties are going crazy. I mean, the cat lady announced her engagement on National Dog Day. So come on. I mean, the Swifties are there over the moon about this news. They're super excited. And now we're having conversations about what are we wearing to the wedding, Jake? Well, I haven't been invited, but congratulations. Melody, you have interviewed Taylor Swift before. What do you think it is about her and Travis and their engagement that might even transcend just music and athletics?

1:19:02sex. Absolutely. I think they're just, despite being two of the biggest stars in the world right now, they're just so relatable. You root for them. Their joy is infectious. You want to celebrate them. And she is exactly what you see. Like you said, I've interviewed her and she is exactly that person. And you just want her to find love. And she did. Just for the, I root for them. I don't root for him in the Super Bowl, but I do root for them as a couple without question. Lisa, if you to guess now, when do you think we're going to see a wedding? Do you think this is like a summer engagement for a summer wedding next year?

1:19:35Yeah, I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon because we have to keep in mind that Taylor has a new album coming out on October 3rd. He has a little thing called the NFL to play for. So I don't think we're going to see a wedding anytime soon, Jake. And Melanie, as was just noted, Taylor's about to drop this new album. Travis is about to start a new season. Do you see the hype around this couple trailing off anytime soon, or is it just going to get even bigger now that they're actually engaged? Oh, no. There is no stopping them. They are on top of the world. I think he is gunning for that Super Bowl ring, and she is going to break all the records, and then we'll hear wedding bells, like Lisa said, maybe in the offseason next year.

1:20:18Lisa, I have to say, that rock is big. I don't know that it's as big as a Super Bowl ring, but it's pretty close. Yeah. Reportedly, he designed that ring and he did good because that ring is something else. It is. It's gorgeous. It is utterly gorgeous. They even got good wishes from President Trump in the cabinet room earlier today, Melody, which is not a small thing, but considering the fact that she is, you know, famously a Democrat and not pro-Trump. Do you think they, at this point, they might even transcend politics? I think so. And like you said, they, she and Trump have had a history. And the fact that even he came around and offered congratulations, not, yeah, not expected today.

1:21:05All right, Lisa France and Melody Chu, thanks to both of you, really appreciate it. Coming up next, why President Trump is now demanding$500 million from Harvard University. That's next.

1:21:22Our last leads start in our Law and Justice lead tomorrow. A federal judge will consider how Kilmar Rhegar Garcia's case to avoid deportation will unfold. Deportation to Uganda. The hearing comes just two days after a district judge barred immigration officials from deporting him while he challenged the Trump administration's plans to deport him to Africa. In our world lead, Australia is kicking out the Iranian ambassador after Australia's intelligence agency concluded that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was behind at least two anti-Semitic attacks on Australian soil. Both arson attacks, one in October 2024 targeting a kosher restaurant in Sydney.

1:22:02Another last December where two masked assailants threw liquid into a synagogue in Melbourne then lit the liquid on fire. Thankfully, no one was injured. In our national lead, President Trump is calling for Harvard University to pay a$500 million settlement to restore its federal funding after the fight over how they handled anti-Semitism on campus. Harvard is currently the only university challenging the Trump administration in court. A judge is expected to rule in the case any minute. In our sports lead, Cadillac revealed its Formula One team for its inaugural season, signing Grand Prix winners Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas on multi-year deals.

1:22:43Both drivers, with multiple wins under their belts, are returning to the grid after being dropped from their previous teams at the end of the 2024 season. You can follow the show on X at The Lead CNN. If you ever miss an episode, you can listen to the show once you get your podcasts. Aaron Burnett Out Front starts now. I'll see you tomorrow.

1:23:04i've just recorded the first episode of our new season talking about the state of play for the imos net zero framework in the wake of the just concluded latest mepc meeting the big question i hear again and again is what happens next and how quickly in this episode i unpack what's moving what's stalling, and what that means for future decisions and timelines. Search for Maritime Impact on your favorite podcast platform. Stay tuned. Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Now, I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited premium wireless for$15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made$15 bills.

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