Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Leaving White House

21:54In Fortune's case specifically, again, still a lot of questions here, but that expected autopsy is expected to at least offer a little bit of clarity into what happened here. But again, police haven't said much. They haven't offered any public suspects to this point and as the mayor has pointed out and emphasized that they are proceeding with caution as they investigate this film yeah a lot of unanswered questions please keep us posted as you learn more omar men as always my friend thank you well coming up the controversies surrounding the wnba hitting a breaking point how indiana fever's star player caitlyn clark came to her beleaguered coach's defense stay with us

22:39The perfect lunch combo. That first bite of your favorite sub, followed by ice-cold Pepsi. Add a couple of friends, and now that's next level. Suddenly, the laughs get louder, the stories keep flowing, and the food tastes better. Because Pepsi brings out more flavor, more fun, and more of the moment. Food deserves Pepsi. Grab a Pepsi Zero Sugar today.

23:04Two major stories top our sports lead. First, in a stunning twist, Jared Kushner's younger brother and former Disney CEO Bob Iger are buying the Los Angeles Lakers for a record$12.5 billion with a B dollars. Second, Indiana Fever's head coach Stephanie White is fed up with her and her team having to deal with conversations on anything but WNBA basketball. They know that. It's a shame that we can't have an opportunity to talk about what great basketball they're playing. The hate, the fear-mongering, the divisiveness, the stuff that's trying to hijack our league will not win. Every day these women put their ass on the line.

23:47I will always stand by them. Everybody else can go to hell. White also defended her handling of a flagrant foul on Fever Guard Sophie Cunningham. Cunningham's, of course, been at the center of an anti-trans debate that's been looming over the WNBA. Here to discuss this stunning Laker deal is CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan. She's also a sports columnist for USA Today and, most importantly, a former Ottawa Hills Green Bear fellow, Ottawa Hills Green Bear. Christine, I'm going to be honest with you. There is generational talent like we've never seen before on the floor for the WNBA right now.

24:20And the league just feels like an absolute mess. The Fever fans actually booing the coach at the start of last night's game against the New York Liberty. This is what Fever superstar Caitlin Clark had to say about it. I hated that our fans booed her before the game. That made me a little sick. to be honest. And you can disagree in this and that, and I get it. It's professional sports. People are going to boo, but like at the end of the day, that's our head coach and we're going to ride for her and we're always going to have our back and it's never going to tear our locker room apart. The headlines are about that.

24:50They're not about Caitlin Clark breaking her own record for most games with 20 plus points and 10 plus assists in a season in WNBA history or how Clark and four of her teammates had double figures. What do you make of this moment right now? phil as you know i've been covering the wna ba caitlin clark wrote a book about uh this incredible time in women's sports and caitlin clark herself uh so i've reported a lot on this over the last couple of years and it's a league that is clearly uh it's going through growing pains and the indiana fever are like a major league team in a sport and a league that basically was ignored for decades by the mainstream media and so when that happens obviously lots of fans come in, lots of interest, and everything is picked apart in a way that it never was before.

25:35Stephanie White, the head coach, is also a broadcaster. She's basically Miss Indiana basketball, went to Purdue, won a national title there, player of the year, fever coach before, again now, a very experienced person. When she goes off, you know that she's upset and that it's pretty bad. On the other hand, Caitlin Clark, when she said what she said, as you know, She also said, we were not going to lose this game. They beat the New York Liberty, a big game for them. They won the last seven of 10 games, the Indiana Fever on a roll, as you said, if anyone cares about the basketball part of it. But the Indiana Fever did win.

26:08And I've covered a lot of men's teams over the years, a lot of sports, mostly men's sports. And sometimes where there's controversy and where you can get fired up, like a locker room speech, a team will go on a run. And if the Indiana Fever end up in the playoffs, a big, well, they will, a big run, maybe even have a chance at the title. They'll look back at this moment as one of the defining moments in terms of just literally having had it and Caitlin Clark saying enough is enough. We're going to win this game no matter what. We're going to win it for our coach. But there are, as you said, tons of issues underlying this, societal issues.

26:40Almost anything that people want to talk about society, they put it like a blank canvas on the WNBA. And that certainly is a huge headline and will be, I'm sure, for the next few months. Why do you think that is? The whole anti-trans debate that was sparked over the course of the last couple of weeks, there's not a single transgender athlete in the WNBA. But where is the WNBA commissioner, the leadership, the PR team in trying to kind of wrest control back here? You nailed it. Kathy Engelbert, a top official executive at Deloitte, a woman in a man's world, the kind of woman that we celebrate. I've known her forever.

27:16It pains me to say this, but she has been missing in action basically throughout these last three years, which I would call the Caitlin Clark era. I know that makes people angry, but it's true. The TV ratings, the attendance, every part of it is increased exponentially because of Caitlin Clark's arrival in the WNBA. And as you know, from covering all the stories you have over the years, where there is no leadership, where there's a vacuum, what enters that vacuum? Anger, aggression, nonsense, you know, controversy. And that's what we're seeing. Leaders have to lead. And, you know, the WNBA right now seems rudderless.

27:52And frankly, it's felt that way to me with my reporting since the book, since Caitlin Clark's rookie year. They were totally unprepared for what was happening. And now here we are looking at the remnants of a rudderless, leaderless league. I've thought several times that your process of reporting the book and the book itself was a leading indicator of a lot of stuff that we've seen over the course of the last couple of weeks. Before I let you go, I do want to ask about this major NBA deal because I quadruple-ticked or took, took, took, one of the two at the price tag here. Former Disney CEO Bob Iger, younger brother of Jared Kushner, who's Trump's son-in-law, are buying the LA Lakers for a record$12.5 billion.

28:31The Lakers were just sold a year ago to Mark Walter. What's happening here? Yeah. Well, this team of Kushner and Iger were looking at buying an expansion team in Las Vegas. And literally, according to reporting by ESPN and others, within the weekend, it all changed. And they said, why aren't we looking at an existing franchise? What about the Lakers? Both men live in L.A. Both love basketball. And so they just threw an incredible amount of money at Mark Walter. Mark Walter also owns the Dodgers, and he is under investigation. So there's some federal investigation. There's some things that he's dealing with as well.

29:11So another, basically he's made, what,$2.5 billion, excuse me, billion with a B, in the year and a few months that he's owned the team. And it is stunning. People are shocked. The insiders in the NBA, they're all surprised. It shows, obviously, the incredible value now of sport franchises and how much people want to get in and want to be there, want to be owners. And that's what we're seeing, obviously, Bob Iker, for years, and known, of course, for ABC and ESPN and Disney. And so a major player in the sports world forever. And Kushner, of course, as well, a major investor and very, very rich person.

29:50So they can do it. They're going to do it. And because it's L.A., there are all eyes on it and headlines that otherwise maybe we wouldn't see in different franchises. I love that. Like just over the weekend. Why didn't we think of that, Chris? We like we just we missed our opportunity next weekend. We'll figure we'll go by the Cowboys or something. Christine Brennan, always appreciate you, my friend. Thanks so much. I feel you too. Thank you. Well, President Trump keeps saying he supports bringing back the so-called anti-weaponization fund to the tune of$1.776 billion. Attorney General Todd Blanche was pressed on whether that fund is truly dead.

30:21His answer is next.

30:29The perfect lunch combo. That first bite of your favorite sub, followed by ice cold Pepsi. Add a couple of friends and now that's next level. Suddenly, the laughs get louder, the stories keep flowing, and the food tastes better. Because Pepsi brings out more flavor, more fun, and more of the moment. Food deserves Pepsi. Grab a Pepsi Zero Sugar today.

30:55In our Law and Justice lead, we take you to New York, where plea negotiations are ongoing for Luigi Mangione, who faces charges in the December 2024 fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Sources tell CNN that talks between Mangione's legal team and federal prosecutors are fluid and may not result in a resolution. Now, this all comes ahead of a hastily scheduled hearing the judge set for this Friday. CNN's Kara Scannell has been covering every aspect of this story. What are we learning right now, Kara? Well, Phil, sources tell us that Luigi Mangione's team is in plea negotiations with federal prosecutors, and this hearing has been set for Friday.

31:29But the sources caution that this could fall apart. No deal is certain, and there's certainly a lot that can happen between now and Friday. What is interesting is that this hearing was set at the request of prosecutors and Mangione's lawyers. They asked the judge for a conference. That is now scheduled for Friday. And it all came about just hours after Mangione appeared in state court yesterday, where the judge finalized that jury selection in the state case will take place on September 8th. So certainly developments on the federal side could impact the state case, and representatives for Mangione and the U.S.

32:03Attorney's Office have declined to comment on these developments. Can I follow up on that? What would happen to the state case if there's a deal reached with the feds? It really is going to depend on what Mangione pleads guilty to if ultimately he does. And that question will arise because in New York state, there's a double jeopardy law that says you can't be tried for the same crime twice. Mangione was charged with federal stalking charges that led to the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO. And in state court, he's facing a murder charge for allegedly murdering the CEO. So whether there is daylight between what he pleads to and how they overlap in those cases, we'll ultimately decide whether the state case can go forward or whether it is covered by double jeopardy.

32:43But I expect we are going to see some litigation over that unless state prosecutors are satisfied. But again, this is all going to come down to Friday to see what ultimately happens if a deal is reached and exactly what Mangione admits to. Phil? Kara Scannell, great reporting as always, my friend. My panel joins me now. Kaylin Pullence, there were talks in June about a potential plea deal that fell apart. Why would this time be different? Well, Phil, this is just how it works whenever there's a trial date on the schedule. And we are not too far away from a state trial date for Luigi Mangione. September 8th is what Kara was just reporting.

33:16The federal trial date isn't until January 5th. But if there is going to be a resolution for him and he is a defendant, may want to potentially plead guilty and come down to have some sort of control of what the outcome would be, somehow make a negotiation on what his sentencing may look like. But this is a really interesting moment for the Justice Department. Where do they fall? Are they letting the state prosecutors take the lead or are they the ones that want to clear the state prosecutors away and get a plea on the books for them? It really is a question of how it would affect the state case, but this is one of those moments where you just have to watch the docket day by day to see what's going to happen.

33:58The plea talks are in negotiations. Anything can happen. Things can go off the rails. Something could happen very secretly that we learn about later. and it all could spill out into court, which we know there's a lot of supporters of Mangione as well as people watching this case very closely planning to go to court this Friday to see what happens. Yeah, it seems like a huge couple of days ahead. Elliot, Mangione previously pleaded guilty in both cases. Reminder that in the Southern District of New York, he faces federal stalking charges. And in the state case, he faces second degree murder and weapons charges.

34:30A guilty plea to federal charges, as Kara was just alluding to, could trigger New York's double jeopardy law. Explain to me what I just said. And it's more than New York's double jeopardy law. Now, he pleaded not guilty. Not guilty. Sorry. Not guilty. A critical, but just slight error. Fairly important. It's not just New York state law. It's the Constitution of the United States. This concept of double jeopardy. Someone cannot be tried twice for the same offense in two different jurisdictions. And if he's convicted or at least pleads guilty to, say, homicide under federal law, he can't then be prosecuted by New York state.

35:00The Constitution forbids that. So that's something to keep an eye out for. There's just a lot of things to keep an eye out for if, in fact, he pleads guilty. It's number one. Just remember, there's nothing remarkable about a guilty plea. I think something 97 or so percent of federal cases end up pleading guilty. So this is quite common. The problem is that state prosecutors have a huge interest in sending him to jail as well. So if he does plead and if the feds are working out a deal here, state prosecutors are probably going to seek, number one, as Caitlin and Kara were saying, on some different charge than what they want to prosecute him on, number one.

35:31And number two, to ensure that he gets the highest sentence possible and isn't just getting a sweet deal. One more set of parties who really has a lot to say here is the family of the victim. They will have a right to weigh in on any guilty plea. They have a right to object to it and at least say that, wait a second, justice will not be served as evil if this person plead guilty. So there's just a lot of things to keep an eye on between now and Friday with the federal. I want to switch topics, but just real quick, are they all talking to one another right now? They likely are. I would, I would, it would be malpractice if the federal and state government were not talking to each other just because these are such important cases for the public.

36:03Okay, so another topic. Today, Attorney General Todd Blanche was asked to confirm once again that the president's anti-weaponization fund is officially dead. He emphatically insisted that it was, but then he decided to continue speaking and said this. Yes, the president feels very strongly, as do I, that there were people who were victims of a Department of Justice that was absolutely weaponized. And he feels very strongly that that he would want to make them whole, as do I. But it will not be through the anti-weaponization fund. Kaylin, he could have just stopped after like two sentences and then just decided that he wanted to say that too.

36:40Why? I was in disbelief listening to this because he spent about a minute before that saying every single way he was not having the anti-weaponization. In my Senate hearing, in my private conversations, in my phone calls. Yes, and that is exactly what the pressure has been on him to do. And then at the very end of the question, he says, I don't know why you guys keep asking me about it. Specifically, he said, this seems like a super fun story to not let die. That must be why the press keeps asking. But then he says, the president wants to make them whole, as do I. So the question out there, the how to make people whole, if it isn't an anti-weaponization fund, there's still a huge pot of money that the Treasury Department, the U.S.

37:21government, sits on and can distribute as they please if there are settlements for claims that people make outside of this anti-weaponization fund they were setting up. There are ways that January 6th rioters still could be paid. There are ways January 6th rioters right now are in court trying to sue the Justice Department to get money, trying to claim that they were harmed in some way and deserve money from the federal government. watching how that money is distributed is going to be harder because it's not collected as and branded as part of an anti-weaponization fund. But sure sounds like that's some that is something that Blanche may be interested in looking into if he wants to make people whole that the president would also want to make people whole.

38:08The question is going to keep staying out there as long as it isn't. We're not doing this. Yeah. In any way. Yeah. Caveat. We definitely want to still do this basically. Okay. One thing, because I have you here, I want to ask you, the judge ordered the Kennedy Center to pay$250 ,000 to a performer who canceled their show after Trump's name was added to the building. Is this the start of something we are going to see a lot of? It's not. And I don't want people to get too alarmed by this. What happened was they essentially sued him for breach of contract because he did not want to show up at the event.

38:39The challenge was there was no contract in the first place. So his argument was that the administration just sued me to harass me, and he is recovering the$250 ,000 of what he claims his legal fees and expenses were. That's right. They sued him over breaking a contract that didn't exist. Well, it technically was not signed. They presented him with a contract to be at their 2025 Christmas celebration. He didn't do it, didn't sign it. They sued him for breach of contract. And in the process of that, he says, well, this cost me$258 ,000, I think, was the dollar amount. That's what he's recovering here.

39:14All the big picture here to pull back, Phil, this is really about an administration that really has not been shy about filing lawsuits against people that disagree. And this was somewhat of a political moment of not wanting to show up at the Trump-Kennedy center. He was sued. We are seeing more of this though. Judges sanctioning lawyers for taking a route in court that they wouldn't normally take. Yeah, it's going to be fascinating to watch going forward. You've got to sign the thing for it to count, I think. That's my legal. No, necessarily. Don't stop. Stop it. Just let it ride. Let it ride.

39:47Oral contracts. Oral contracts. That'll be our after show discussion. Contracts law. Elliot, Kalen, thank you, guys. Appreciate you. Well, today, CNN's Nick Payton-Walsh sat down with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev. Here's Zelensky's message to President Trump next.

40:11of your favorite sub, followed by ice cold Pepsi. Add a couple of friends and now that's next level. Suddenly, the laughs get louder, the stories keep flowing, and the food tastes better. Because Pepsi brings out more flavor, more fun, and more of the moment. Food deserves Pepsi. Grab a Pepsi Zero Sugar today.

40:32Now to our world lead in the war in Ukraine. Russian ballistic missile strikes are increasing as Ukraine's supply of Patriot missile interceptors runs short. seen as Nick Peyton Walsh is in Kiev and sat down today with Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky. Are you out of interceptors now? Do you have none left? No. I will explain to you how it works. So this year we have two and a half times less interceptors than we had in 2025. First. Russia has two times more ballistic missiles per month than they had before. We pay 100 % to Americans. I have the package from the United States and then my personal involvement, it doesn't work either way.

41:27It's my personal talks, meetings and phones, phone calls each day. With everybody I try to exchange something to missiles. This year I'm asking American partners to sell me 5%, 5 % of missiles, what they have in their stocks. If they sell us 5%, we will go through the winter and save people's lives. If they can sell us 10%, we will destroy all the Russian ballistic missiles. And has that request been answered yet? Have you had a clear indication as to whether you... The answer is for today is next. I have 1%. This is in what I live each day. From 1 % to 5%. I have some months and a million phone calls and anything else.

42:36What can I do? I do some things which I can't even share. It doesn't mean that it's out of the law. No, but I can't speak about it. kind of a startling sign really of a president there wartime president spending hours every day simply trying to explain or coerce at times allies to give him the interceptors that save lives here every single night look kiev like every ukrainian city deeply on edge because sometimes some nights they seem to intercept no russian ballistic missiles that come in waves of dozens the deadliest month in July since April 2022 for Ukrainian civilians. The shortage because of the US war with Iran, a global shortage, but it's being felt here utterly acutely.

43:24Ukraine was kind of told by President Trump they get a license to make their own patriot interceptors, but that's in doubt. President Trump changes mind, it seems, and they're really unsure how they might get that to happen, but they need interceptors right now, tonight, frankly, to protect civilians here. Just a remarkable clip. Nick Payton Walsh, really important interview. Thanks so much.

43:49Welcome to Lead on Phil Mattingly. Jake Tapper is on assignment this hour. Consequential primary elections with major midterm implications. The Democratic establishment surging back in Wisconsin, narrowly defeating a Democratic Socialist candidate. But progressives scored big wins in other races. We're breaking it all down with our political veterans. Plus, Colombian officials warn the so-called golden window is closing the first 72 hours after an earthquake to reach people buried alive. The U.S. now sending a disaster response team to try and aid in the efforts. We're live on the ground in one of the hardest hit areas ahead.

44:23Also, it's the latest installment of our series, AI, Friend or Foe. Tonight, we're joined by the man known as the godfather of artificial intelligence, Jeffrey Hinton. He thinks the U.S. government is not capable of handling how quickly AI is evolving. Hear what he thinks needs to happen right now to reduce the threat.

44:46The lead tonight, Democrats are taking stock and making money moves after last night's primary results. In battleground Wisconsin, moderate Democrat David Crowley narrowly won over Democratic Socialist-backed candidate for Governor Francesca Hong. While in the race for Minnesota's Senate seat, progressive candidate for governor, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, pulled out a decisive win over centrist Congresswoman Angie Craig. And nearly 30-year U.S. House incumbent from Connecticut, John Larson, was unseated by a lot by 47-year-old former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin. We're going to talk to him in just a minute.

45:18But first, I'm joined by CNN's Arlette Saenz in studio, off the campaign trail. You've been talking to your sources all day. It's hard to figure out like one definitive narrative of what happened last night. What are you hearing from Democrats? Well, Phil, the mixed results in Wisconsin and Minnesota show that there's really no clear consensus among Democratic voters about the direction that the party should take. In many ways, this has really been the summer of progressive pushes. But voters in this battleground of Wisconsin show that there is a limit to that. David Crowley, who had dropped out of the race a month ago only to get in about 10 days later, was really able to mount this last minute push to ensure that Francesca Hong, the Democratic Socialist, was not able to win in the governor's race.

46:03Crowley was aided a lot by the state's current governor, Tony Evers. But I think that the very close margins, not just in Wisconsin, but also in Michigan, show just how divided the party is. And there are still very sizable chunks of the party who do feel this should go the progressive way, others feeling it should go the more moderate establishment way. But right now, the task for Crowley and people like Abdul Al-Sayed in Michigan is trying to bring the party together. And we heard a bit of that from Crowley last night or this morning, actually, after the results were called. We may not agree on every policy.

46:38We may not use the same labels. But we all want safe communities, strong schools, affordable health care, good paying jobs, and a brighter future for all of our children. Now, in Minnesota, there was a much more decisive victory, and that was for the progressive, the Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. Minnesota is a more blue-leaning state than Wisconsin is. But what's interesting about that race is that it's really one that also hinged on local issues. Immigration enforcement became such a flashpoint in Minnesota in the early years of the second President Trump term. And Flanagan was really effectively able to use Congresswoman Angie Craig's vote with Republicans on the Lake and Riley Act as a key messaging point in this campaign, which ultimately proved successful for her.

47:23But really, these contests don't really give a clear picture of what Democrats want. We may get some more answers about that come November in these midterm elections and then, of course, in 2028 as well. It's as if these races are unique on some level. And you've been reporting that out throughout the entire time. All right, I want to turn to the thing that makes campaign reporters happy, which is that they have reasons to go down to Charleston for the next couple of weeks and eat great food. The Republican outcome in the race to replace the late Senator Lindsey Graham, there is going to be a runoff.

47:51What do we expect? Yeah, well, Darlene Graham, who was appointed to fill the remainder of the term for her late brother, she emerged from this primary on top with the help of President Donald Trump. But it wasn't enough to win her this primary outright. Right. She is going to face off against Congressman Ralph Norman in just about two weeks in the runoff there. But there's real questions about whether she will be able to coalesce Republicans, whether Trump can get her over the finish line. Darlene Graham, the senator, has never held elected office prior to being appointed to this seat. So there's a lot of challenges that are facing her going forward.

48:27But this will be a big test of the Graham name, but also of President Trump's clout in that state. No question about it. It's good to see you back off the road. briefly. Arlette Saenz, as always, thanks so much. One of the breaking news in our national lead in what appears to be another shocking confrontation with immigration and customs enforcement officers and a U.S. citizen. This one just outside of Washington, D.C. On Monday, Carolina Molina posted a video from her confrontation in Falls Church, Virginia, that quickly racked up thousands of views. Take a look. Yeah, you recorded us. You almost ran us over.

49:00I did almost ran you over. You almost ran us over. Stop playing. You're so full of ****. Stop playing. You are full of s**t. You're not funny. You're not funny. I will arrest you. Keep it up. I'm a legal citizen. Keep it up. I don't care. Oh, my goodness. We have to try to lock you up. Okay. For what? Because she's the one that tried to run us over. Run you over when? I got recording. I got dash cam. I got dash cam. That's a lie. And here's two parts of that dash cam footage she mentioned when she first saw the officers and when she was stopped. You a**. You're f***ed up.

49:41Are you really? Are you following us? No, I'm not. Are you following us? I'm actually leaving cards. I'm leaving cards. Just so you know, you need to stop following us, all right? This is your warning. Stop following us. Yeah, you recorded us. You almost ran us over. I didn't almost ran you over. You almost ran us over. Stop playing. CNN's Shimon Prokopez joins me now. Shimon, we're now learning from Molina. What else did she have? we're not hearing from Alina. What else did she have to say? Yeah, look, I mean, Phil, the bottom line is this is just another incident in many that is raising a lot of questions over the tactics that are being utilized by ICE officers all across the country.

50:15You know, we've seen horrific situations in Chicago. We recently saw a death in Maine, all involving car stops. And here yet again, we have another situation where an ICE officer just so quickly, the first thing he does here is pulls out his gun as he approaches Melina. She described what was going on that day, and then she defended her actions, describing why she pulled her phone out and started recording and why perhaps it could have saved her life. Take a listen. I decided to bring out my cell phone and record, and that is when it feels like the situation changed. It feels like then he started planting the seed of you are trying to run us over.

51:03She was trying to run us over, et cetera, et cetera. And that is not the case. I was actually trying to leave. And you can really feel that once they realize, once that ICE officer realizes that she is filming them, it starts to deescalate the situation and they pull back Phil. Shimon, what have we heard from the Department of Homeland Security about this? So, yet again, it's kind of similar to what we always hear in these situations. They are defending these officers, and they ultimately give them justification for what they did here and how they stopped her and how they blocked her and then ultimately pulled out their weapon.

51:40And they say that on August 10th, on Monday, while ICE was conducting targeted immigration enforcement in Falls Church, Virginia, an anti-ICE agitator began to drive her car in circles around our ICE officers and then attempted to harm officers by weaponizing her vehicle against them. All in an attempt to help the legal aliens get away. Now, from the video that we have seen that she has released, the dash cam video and the video that she recorded on her cell phone, you don't see any of that. And of course, DHS has not released any video. So based on everything that we can see in the video that we have, everything that the Department of Homeland Security is claiming here is not backed up by the video, certainly, that she provides.

52:25And most importantly, it's the fact that this ICE officer pulled his—the first thing he does, Phil, he comes out of that car and he grabs his firearm and he comes towards her. At that point, the car is stopped. She's blocked in. What is the justification here in pulling the weapon in such a way, pointing it at her face? I mean, inches from her face. And anything could have happened at that moment. And certainly there are local leaders and some of the political figures there in Virginia that are calling for investigations and accountability. Yeah, certainly more answers needed from DHS. Shimon Prokopez, great reporting as always, my friend.

53:01Thank you. Thank you. Well, there is plenty of heartache in Colombia as rescuers comb through the wreckage of a devastating earthquake. But there's also hope we'll bring you incredible rescue moments caught on camera next. Plus, one of the most visible members of the Trump administration is leaving the White House. We'll discuss just ahead.

53:25Back in our politics lead in last night's primary results, it's not just an ideological divide in the Democratic Party. There's also the age factor. Last night, 47-year-old former Hartford, Connecticut Mayor Luke Bronin made waves by unseating handily the 78-year-old incumbent U.S. Representative John Larson. Larson played up his nearly 30 years of experience in the House, insisting he was best positioned to deliver for Connecticut, even after he suffered a seizure during a February 2025 floor speech. Joining us now is Luke Broman, a U.S. Navy veteran, served as a senior Treasury official during the Obama administration, also former mayor.

54:00Luke, really appreciate your time. I've got to be honest, there were rumblings here. Obviously, you had some big-name surrogates and endorsements over the course of this campaign. But it's the scale, I think, of the final result that I've been kind of slack-jawed by throughout the course of the day. What message do you think it sends? I think it sends a message that Democrats recognize that we're in a different kind of moment right now, that, you know, we're in a crisis as a country. We have a president who is out of control. We've got an economy that's broken to most people. I need to see a Democratic Party that's bringing a whole different kind of energy to this fight right now.

54:36And that's being a lot clearer and bolder about the issues that we're fighting on. You know, stop in this the crazy corruption that we're seeing and then really build an economic agenda that gets at the heart of what people are feeling every day. You know, the cost going through the roof on everything from health care to housing to electricity and keep going down the list. And I think people want to see Democrats who are able to be out there with a clear, powerful message and the energy to carry it everywhere they can and build a different kind of movement. Do you see this or do you think this should be kind of a blaring warning sign to an older generation of Democratic politicians, not just in the House or in the Senate, but also who may be considering a run in 2028 for president?

55:16look what i'd say is i i just think we'd be a stronger party if more of our leaders recognize that part of leadership is knowing when it's time to pass the torch that you know we we and that we can't be for democracy and not for competition what what produces a stronger party is one where people compete to see who's the most effective at building a coalition building a movement carrying the message i think we've got to be a lot more open to change a lot more open to new voices. And it's really important that we recognize that when everything is at stake and when things aren't working, we cannot just keep doing the same thing.

55:48You were criticized during the campaign from Congressman Larson for taking donations from what he said, quote, dark money billionaires being too pro-corporate. If you win and you're from a very blue district, you'll be received by progressive Democrats who are also having their own successes in these primary campaigns. How do you fit within the party right now? I think everybody's trying to identify everybody in a very specific camp or column within the party in this fight that's playing out right now, where do you kind of see yourself? First of all, let me just say, I did not take a single dollar of corporate PAC money in this race, and I've pledged not to take corporate PAC money in any future race.

56:26And my whole career has been about fighting for fairness. You know, in the Obama administration, I was part of the team that helped to create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to protect Americans from getting ripped off. and in Afghanistan, served on the anti-corruption task force. And then for eight years as mayor, fought to lift up a struggling city that a lot of people had given up on. And I think that the heart of the issue right now is we all know we need to make big changes on, again, everything from healthcare to fixing our tax code. So billionaires are actually paying what they owe to making it possible for young people and seniors alike to actually afford a place to live.

57:03But if we're going to do any of those things, we have to build a Democratic Party that is strong enough to do it. And that means a party that recognizes that we need a lot more Democrats out there making the case, not just preaching to the choir, going anywhere, everywhere, every single day to build a coalition and build a movement. Do you think that by the time the midterms play out, there will be a unified party? We all love covering the battles and the intraparty warfare. there's certainly been plenty to cover over the course of the last couple of years. Do you feel like there will reach an outcome where the party coalesces when this is all over?

57:40You know, people keep asking me, you know, how are you going to get party unity? I'm going to be really concerned about party unity this time in 2028, because we better all be 100 percent behind whoever our nominee is. But right now, I'm more worried about party energy. I'm worried about the fact that there are so many young Americans who have just given up on our politics. There's so many people who used to vote for Democrats and right now don't believe that the party is focused on the issues that they feel in their lives right now. And so I want to see a big competition of visions and voices battling it out and finding those areas where we can push aggressively to make changes now.

58:18And again, to me, the immediate stuff is we've got to stop the damage that this president is doing, you know, from the reckless war that's driven up costs to the crazy tariffs that have driven up costs and go down the list. And then we need to lay out an agenda, that we are building a movement to support on everything from health care to housing to build an affair or tax code and not be so cautious and shy. We need to get out there on offense and push those ideas with clarity, with courage. And I think if we do that, then we're going to be able to do more than just ride the backlash to Trump this cycle.

58:51I think we're going to be able to win the White House and the Senate and the House in 2028. But the key thing right now is we've got to bring a whole new energy to that fight. And I'm fine with a lot of different voices as part of that effort. For anyone who wasn't aware prior to last night, I think everybody's pretty aware now, Connecticut Democrat candidate for the House of Representatives, Luke Bronin, congrats on the big victory. Thanks so much for your time. Thanks for having me.

59:25turning out to our world lead as rescuers comb through collapsed buildings more than two days after columbia's deadly and devastating earthquake anything even finding the little kitten you see there alive in the rubble bringing cheers and renewed hope today cnn's david colver and his team made it to one of columbia's major cities cali where hope is one of the many things desperately needed. We're headed now to a southern part of Cali where we're told there are active rescues underway, including just a few hours ago where someone was pulled out alive. You can hear people still right now. Well, they won't pass up.

1:00:00Okay. He said you can still hear people. So let's go see. Just handed us masks. They said, please put these on because they're worried about asbestos and anything else is in the air that we're also seeing some of this dust. We've been told what we're looking at here was an apartment building that was about four stories high. You can see the rooftop pool, the blue tiles over there, now about a story and a half up in the air. So it has totally pancaked down, collapsing into the basement of this apartment complex. Looking into the collapsed rubble, Harold Valencia recognizes something. You can see your dad's mattress.

1:00:36Which is that one that he's showing right now. Have you heard anything? Is there any movement? I've been here for two days and we don't hear anything. Harold flew in Tuesday from his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and he isn't the only one here doubling as a first responder. And how old are the two people still missing, roughly? Late teens. Teenagers? Yes. And a brother and sister? Yep. How do you even process this moment? There's no way to process it. Like, you don't process it. You're just here, Dylan. Like, if you're home, maybe you may have to find some way to cope with it. Like, there's no time to process this type of stuff.

1:01:12Like, you have to be here helping. Otherwise, there's nothing else to do. Here in Cali, Colombia's third largest city, with a population roughly the size of Houston, Texas, even folks working at hotels, or taxi drivers even, are splitting their day between their actual work and helping with rescues. Motivated by scenes like this, a man handing off a baby boy from within the rubble, dust-covered and struggling to breathe, but he's alive. You can see the head of the baby. A piece of the... You saw the baby's little head. He's not a first responder. He works in a bank and he was just around the corner.

1:01:54And rushed down the street where the collapse and rescue is still underway for several others. And he says, he goes there and he hears, What did the voice say? When I say, The voice says, I'm here, I'm here with a baby. Brian and several others immediately go in. Over the course of three to five minutes, they're able to pull the baby out. ¿Y cómo está el bebé en este momento? How's the baby right now? Según lo que me he dado cuenta, el bebé está estable en estos momentos. Stable condition right now, as well as the dad. La última información que recibí fue que estaba desaparecida la mamá. The only thing is that the mom is still missing.

1:02:34More than 130 miles north, we watched on for hours as this close-knit community dragged huge slabs of concrete from this collapsed apartment in Pereira. All of these folks are volunteers.

1:02:48Late in the evening, their hands reached a 32-year-old woman, clinging to life. Her stepmother held vigil there for more than 24 hours. She tells us her daughter suffered heart failure and shattered nearly every bone imaginable, but says she's hopeful she'll make it. From that same wreckage, someone's beloved pet also pulled out alive. Back here in Cali, this moment, reality briefly surfaces for Harold. I'm trying to... What are you going to do? I'm going to go. I'm going to go. And Phil, you could tell in that moment, Harold had to compartmentalize and not fall into the emotions and the reality of what he was looking at, but had to revert back to just work mode and figure out how he could do anything, really, to try to move some of that wreckage and rubble to get to his dad.

1:03:39It's interesting. When I first saw him, I was confused when folks said that he doesn't even live here. In fact, he lives 30, 40 minutes from me in South Florida. But he flew in like so many others from the States who have family here, and he looked from far away as though he worked part of the first responders and a work crew. He was directing traffic and trying to tell crews to go from one side to the other. And yet he told me afterwards that that's just the reality. You come in and you have to do it yourself sometimes. Extraordinary stories in the midst of complete tragedy. David Colvery, you and your team are doing remarkable work from Columbia.

1:04:10Thank you very much.

1:04:15So what happens when your artificial intelligence agent stops taking direction or goes rogue? I'll ask the godfather of AI about the pitfalls next.

1:04:32We're back now with our series, AI, Friend or Foe, where we discuss the benefits and risks of this emerging technology. From writing emails to packing databases, artificial intelligence is capable of a frighteningly wide array of tasks. So what do we do when it stops taking directions? Nobel Prize winning computer scientist and the man often called the godfather of AI, Jeffrey Hinton, has a few ideas. Dr. Hinton joins us now. Dr. Hinton, really appreciate your time. I have to start off with what we've seen just over the course of the last couple of weeks. Three cases of rogue AI agents, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta hacking into other organizations' systems.

1:05:08I'm curious if you think this is kind of the first real indication of the loss of control concern you've warned about in the past, or if this is something less problematic. It's actually a combination of two things. The first thing is that the companies were a bit sloppy in containing the AIs. So that wasn't to do with the AIs. That was the companies being sloppy and having security flaws that the AIs could discover. But the second thing is that once these AIs had escaped from their sandboxes, they had intentions. They were built to try and do things, to try and hack into systems. And they intended to do that, and they achieved that.

1:05:53So the real scary bit of this is that AI agents try and do things. They have intentions to do things. And if you have AI agents out there, they won't always do exactly what you expect. You've been very far out in front about warning about where this could all go, going as far as to say, quote, 10 to 20 percent chance that artificial intelligence will wipe out humanity. Have you seen anything that has made you pull back on the kind of worst case scenarios here? or is it the opposite? Let me first say that anybody who estimates probabilities like that is really just making a wild guess. They're just giving you their gut feeling.

1:06:33There's no real good evidence to base that on because it's all so new. We've never dealt with anything like this before. So that's just a sort of gut feeling. One thing that has made me a little less scared in the last year or so is the idea that we might be able to create AIs that care for us more than they care for themselves. So there's really two ways to survive. One is to retain power over the AIs. And I think that's going to be very difficult when they're much smarter than us. They'll find it easy to escape our control. The other is to build them so they care more about us than they do about themselves.

1:07:10We still have control. We could still do that. But the big companies are focusing on making them smarter and smarter without worrying about all the other aspects of a being. You don't want beings that are just smart. If you're going to coexist with them on this planet, you want beings that care about you too. It would seem that balance runs headlong into what has become a geopolitical race on some level between the U.S. and China, where companies are advocating for moving faster and further on the grounds that the U.S. needs to have this before anybody else can, or China needs to have this before anybody else can.

1:07:45How do you balance that, given the competition that exists? I think this idea of dominance just won't work when we eventually develop AIs that are much smarter than us. At present, the big companies would like to kind of sell you the idea, we're going to have AI assistants that are going to be extremely smart and are always going to be under our control. I'm not convinced that's feasible. I think it's much more likely if we try and do that, they will escape control. And this is one of the first examples of that. I think we'd be much better off saying we're creating a new kind of being, a kind of being that's never been before.

1:08:24But this isn't created by evolution. It's not created by competition. Well, it is now between the big companies, but it doesn't have to be. We could create this new kind of being to be very concerned about our welfare. We're still in charge, And that's what we should be focusing on. The responsibility for the creation of that kind of being, you know, the federal government isn't exactly known for being on the cutting edge of technology. Just listen to this interview with Congressman Jim Clyburn of South Carolina when he was asked by Chet GPT. Take a listen. No Chet GPT, no clog for you. Believe it or not, I didn't know what that was until about a week ago.

1:09:04Which way? Chet GPT or whatever it is. You didn't know until a week ago. Wow, I'm jealous. You've got yourself in the bubble. That may sound strange to you. I didn't know what that was. He went on to say that he could confidently legislate the issues because of his staff. I think the question is whether it's over at the White House, whether they're having these meetings, whether it's lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Do you think leaders, public officials are capable of responsibly handling the threat that could be posed here? It depends on which public officials. So I think people like Barack Obama might well be capable of handling this.

1:09:46He's not in office right now. I guess the way I follow up with that is current public officials. Do you feel like the current government is capable of handling this? The current U.S. government, I don't think is capable of handling it. I think it'll make a mess of it as it did with so many other things. It is certainly something we'll be watching going forward. Your input and expertise on this is always invaluable. Dr. Jeffrey Hinton, I really appreciate your time, sir. Thank you very much. Thank you. The breaking news from the White House this evening. Press Secretary Caroline Lovett is leaving.

1:10:23What she says the reason is, plus President Trump's response. That's next.

1:10:34In our politics lead, more on the breaking news after President Trump announced that Caroline Levitt will be stepping down as White House press secretary at the end of the month. Just moments ago, Caroline Levitt posted, quote, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House press secretary. I want to jump straight into the panel. Michael, President Trump says Levitt will become one of his top outside advisors since she's been one of the best White House press secretaries in the history of the office.

1:11:02What's your reaction to this? Yeah, look, she's been very loyal to the president and still did the job during pregnancy, came back early and look, she's going to spend time focusing on being a mom. And we all know here as fathers and husbands, I mean, that's a full time darn job. And so I salute her. I give her kudos and wish her and her husband the best of luck with their two kids and the new baby. I mean, the brevity of the time she was out before coming back in the midst of that job. It's almost like she was not gone. No, and by all accounts, she was still getting phone calls throughout the entire thing from the president.

1:11:35Mo, she did take a swipe, saying, always on message, at Democrats, quote, Our country is facing an existential threat from an increasingly extremist Democratic Party that seeks to destroy everything great about America. My fight is entering a new phase, but it's far from over. Yeah, I don't think this is the last we're going to hear from her. And you're right. She is always on message. She is one of his most dependable attack dogs, for better and for worse. You know, I think she leaves behind a complicated legacy at the White House, but a lot of that is because of her boss, right? The job of the White House press secretary traditionally has been to be an advocate for the president, but also to be an advocate for the press.

1:12:14I think she did one half of that incredibly loyally, and the other half probably left a lot to be desired. And to her credit, she did the one half that she did very well, better than I think most people could have imagined and better than most people have ever been able to do prior. You think about the first administration, she never had an issue with the president. There was never a point of contention, at least not publicly, that we're aware of. She was always on message, really advocating for and defending the president. And what I would argue are some very challenging moments that I think a lot of people would have struggled with, again, going back to the first term in defending certain policies and certain issues.

1:12:49So it doesn't surprise me for the president to say even on the outside, she will be an unofficial advisor. Yeah, there's no question she will stay in that key advisor group. All right. I want to turn to last night's results in South Carolina. Schmeichel, Senator Darlene Graham notched a first place finish in the special election to replace her late brother, Lindsey Graham, with President Trump's endorsement. It wasn't enough to avoid a runoff against Republican Congressman Ralph Norman. Today, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott endorsed Graham. fellow South Carolina governor Nikki Haley is behind Norman, who I believe endorsed her during the presidential campaign in 24.

1:13:21How does this end? I think she absolutely wins. I mean, the president's endorsement in a lot of red states is pretty much all you need. He's stated he's going to go down there and at least campaign with her once. I think that gets her across the finish line. Look, Northam is very popular in the state. An old Tea Party guy has been around for a very long time. But Nikki Haley's endorsement is not going to help him in a state like South Carolina when you consider where she stands among many of the rank and file Republican voters. And so this is going to be a shoo-in for her. Well, I think it's been interesting watching and listening Darlene Graham trying to kind of learn on the fly.

1:13:56Like she very clearly is well-respected. People know her well around Washington, but like this is brand new and has a pretty short resume. Here's what she said last night about kind of this path ahead. I've been accused of not being a politician, guilty as charged. I've already passed a major piece of bipartisan legislation through the Senate that meant so much to Lindsay, the Russia sanctions bill. Some politicians never get a major piece of their legislation passed, so I've already accomplished more in a few weeks than many do in decades. I'm not a politician and I get stuff done. That's a fairly decent message on the trail.

1:14:40The question is how believable will it be to South Carolina voters? I mean, she comes from a political legacy. She has the full support of the president. And she managed to get, what, 30 some plus percent of the vote? Yeah. That's it in the first round. It's not to say she won't win the nomination or go on to win the Senate seat. But I think that says a lot of South Carolina Republicans are saying, let's pump the brakes here. Let's not have a coronation. Let's see what you got, because we may not be sold yet. Yeah, I was surprised the field didn't clear. And then I realized it's South Carolina.

1:15:16A lot of big names came in. So we'll have to see what happens. All right, Mo, I got to ask you, I've been fascinated by the kind of turn from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over the weekend on woke one and how that was crazy. I'm paraphrasing here. Zoram Amdani was asked about that comment. Take a listen to what he said. Sometimes what you believe can change. It can develop. It can grow. I've made very clear that I do not believe in defunding the police, that I will not be defunding the police. It's an interesting rhetorical turn that I think addresses what a lot of people have been very concerned about.

1:15:54I think Bakari Sellers told me yesterday, I just want Democrats to stop being weird, which I think kind of tracks with a lot of the things that people are trying to get away from in Woke One. Do you think this works, this pivot? Look, I've long believed that, you know, one of the biggest attacks you can level against someone in politics is how they were a flip flopper. I've always believed voters don't mind that as long as you flip to the right place, as long as you flop to the right place. I agree with that. And, you know, if people do evolve, I mean, President Trump used to be pro-choice, you know, a long time ago.

1:16:25And Republican voters who are anti-choice forgave him for that. So I think, you know, AOC is right. And I think Bakari was right. People right now are desperate for change. This isn't an ideological battle. They're desperate for change. They don't like the current administration. They don't like the direction the country's headed in. So they're willing to find another change agent as long as that change agent isn't weird, isn't strange. And so taking some of those past comments that some of these candidates like Francesca Hong made and saying, you know, mea culpa, I have moved on. That is not me now is the only thing that they can do.

1:17:05Yeah, this is strategically, this is very interesting to me to see how some of these very progressive candidates are realizing that more extreme positions just don't resonate beyond their ardent base and that they need to moderate on just enough issues to pull in enough moderates to be successful. That actually kind of worries me a little bit because that takes away from our ability to continue to hammer home the message of extremism, extremism, which absolutely resonates with independent voters. And for them to be quasi normal does, I would argue, give them the potential to be a little more competitive and tighter races.

1:17:39And so that's a little homework for me and other Republican strategists to figure out. I mean, AOC just dropping that dime in the middle of a Sunday show interview. I was like, oh, I was a bit surprised by that. It's not bad at what she does. Mo Schmeichel, appreciate you guys. Thank you very much. Well, up next, call it a variation on the theme of unintended consequences, how President Trump's national security tariffs are creating sour notes for horn players. We'll explain next.

1:18:08It's time for our latest installment in our Business Leaders series, where we look at the impact of President Trump's tariffs on U.S. businesses and consumers. Tonight's episode is especially timely for students getting ready for marching band season or people in community orchestras or anyone who likes to, I don't know, toot their own horn. Citing a national security threat, the Trump administration put stiff tariffs on the certain medals, including the medals used to make brass musical instruments. John Malenzak, the president and CEO of the National Association of Music Merchants, is here to, we'll have a brief moment of levity, sound the horn on what's going on.

1:18:44And I say brief because this is really serious. And we've had a lot of discussions about tariffs, the pros, the cons, who the protectionist idea works for and who it doesn't. Just to start, how will these new tariffs impact the price of trumpets, tubas, trombones, French horns? Yeah, thank you so much, Phil. We can say the National Association of Music Merchants tracks this very, very closely. As a former trumpet player myself, I'm happy to toot this horn. I can say definitively that the rule, the Section 232 rule that says 25 % tariffs that's being applied here or proposed will absolutely harm the American students, the American businesses, and the American instrument makers that supply the 25 million students who participate in music.

1:19:31You talked about marching band and back to school. We have 25 million students in this country that have participated in music making this school year. Already in the past 18 months, we've had a 27 % decline in instruments imports, 27 % less instruments. And that's on an average 13 % tariff paid. Can you imagine what another 25 % specifically targeting brass instruments will do? It's been devastating for our industry for the past 18 months. And we really do not see a national security risk with trumpets. I want to dig a little bit more into kind of what's happening with the industry. This isn't just about musicians and students.

1:20:06This is about manufacturers and retailers. Talk to us a little bit more about what this means for them. Yeah, thank you for bringing that up, because it takes a village to teach a student music and never a musician. And so there is an ecosystem. This isn't just about the manufacturer that uses a global supply chain to make an instrument. That's who pays the tariff, the American company that is paying the tariff. But it's about the retailer that they send that instrument to, the repair tech, the music teacher. These tariffs are spread around the industry. So this has impacted stock and retail. This has impacted prices across the board.

1:20:42It impacts the ability for a family and a student to decide, I want to play a musical instrument, and it's pricing families out. And that's really, really concerning because we have one of the greatest parts of America is our musical heritage. We lead the world in musical instruments. We lead the world in music education. There is no other country that even comes close to the music education system that we have in the United States. You go anywhere in the world, you hear American music. And that's all supplied through these manufacturer retail network. We lead the world in American music making and American music education.

1:21:18and we've done it forever with imported instruments. I mean, how many Renaissance paintings have you ever seen with an angel playing a trumpet? These instruments have been around for longer than the United States has been a country. We lead the world in music making with imported instruments. And so now to just change the price of them suddenly impacts the Americans who have made this music so popular. Just in the last 20 seconds we have left, if you could speak directly to the president, what would you tell him?

1:21:48American music making, the students and musicians that play music are a vital part of American culture. American businesses, American workers are supplying these instruments, and it is absolutely contributing to the 4.2 percent of our GDP is arts and cultural impact. And that's from the United States Bureau of Statistics. So please do not tariff these instruments because actually when we think about America first, America is first in music making. And so let us continue to be first unimposed by additional burden of tariffs. John Malinczak, president and CEO of the National Association of Music Merchants, really appreciate your time sharing your story.

1:22:25Thanks so much. Thank you so much. One of the greatest to ever play the game, announcing his retirement. The announcement tonight from Russell Westbrook up next.

1:22:41Our last leads start in our national lead. Two pilots were killed when a military attack helicopter crashed into a central Texas field earlier today. The crash also sparked a wildfire, forcing residents in the area to evacuate. The crew was based at Fort Hood. An investigation is underway. In our out-of-this-world lead, a longtime NASA astronaut who spent a cumulative 549 days in space is leaving the agency. Mike Fink and his crew had to return from the International Space Station early after he experienced a mystery medical emergency in January. He told the Associated Press he couldn't talk for roughly 20 minutes and is still not sure what caused it.

1:23:17Fink hasn't announced his next move. And in our sports lead, the NBA king of triple doubles. Brody himself walking away from the sport. Former MVP Russell Westbrook retiring after 18 seasons. He was electric, came into the league number four in the 2008 NBA draft. The NBA All-Star played for seven teams and holds the NBA record for most triple-doubles with 209. Here's to a well-deserved retirement. You can follow the show on X and Instagram at The Lead CNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can watch the show on the CNN app. Remember that out front. It starts now.

1:24:03My guests are David Frum and Danielle Crittenden. They're both journalists and writers who've been married for 38 years. They've had three children together, Miranda, Nathaniel, and Beatrice. Miranda, their eldest, worked as a journalist and model before she died unexpectedly. Parental death feels in the natural order of things. You lose a child, it not only upends the universe and your universe, but it was a grief with a capital G. There are those who are in grief and the rest of humanity I now call pre-grief because it's coming. Talking grief, building community. That's what the podcast is all about.

1:24:47This is all there is. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.