Remembering Civil Rights Leader Rev. Jesse Jackson

25:42Reverend Jackson actually met with Reverend King shortly before he was killed. The photograph right after King was shot at that motel, you see Jesse Jackson in the photograph. What legacy does Reverend Jackson leave behind specifically in the area of civil rights? In civil rights, he was a motivator as much to the point. He got people involved or engaged in the first place and reminded them that they had a responsibility to be patriots and to participate in making our country better. And that inspiration did not fail him over the years. That's what fueled his campaign for president in 1984 and 1988.

26:28Reverend Jackson appealed to Americans of all sorts of races and backgrounds and ages. I want to play a clip from his 1972 visit to Sesame Street. I may be small, but I am somebody. I may make a mistake, but I am somebody. I am somebody, a popular refrain recited by Reverend Jackson. What does it tell you about him? um it tells me what i think what inspired me that he was a man of the people who saw no divisions he wanted to bring people together in behalf of the higher values the higher angels of our nature abraham lincoln once called so and and and he he did that in a way that appealed to people all over the world and all over this country and all over the world um and so people got a sense of possibilities.

27:27And at the end of the day, that's what being an American is about, believing in the possibilities of this country. And Jesse Jackson was a patriot in that regard. He always believed and he inspired others to believe as well. Ambassador, Senator, trailblazer in her own right, Carol Mosley Braun, it's always an honor to have you on the show. Thank you so much. It's my pleasure to be here. Thank you for having me. Up next, a major departure at the Department of Homeland Security under the leadership of Secretary Christine Ohm. Stay with us. I got news for your ears. The podcast. I am your host, Michael Ian Black.

28:09When I misbehave, I usually have a sense of guilt about it, right? They don't have that. They obviously don't have that. It seems like that, right? It definitely seems like that. Like someone like Lutnick will just blatantly lie to an interviewer, as we've seen. And then in the Epstein files comes out and he's like, I met that guy once. Was like, he's a disgusting pig. Gross. He's gross. Awful. Haven't seen him since 2005. And it turns out they're in business together. They're literally in business together. Have I Got News for Your Ears releases new episodes every Wednesday. Don't miss an episode.

28:41Follow us wherever you get your podcasts. In our politics lead, as public outcry grows over the Trump administration's aggressive immigration crackdown, one of its most vocal and staunch defenders is stepping down from her post. A Trump official tells CNN that Tricia McLaughlin, top spokesperson for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, is going to leave her post next week. Her departure follows multiple high-profile shootings in Minnesota that called into questions the department's credibility. My panel joins us now. Former Congressman Dent, in addition to being a vocal defender of the agency, she was, apart from Secretary Noem, the most visible.

29:18She would frequently appear on networks to champion Trump's immigration agenda. What do you make of her departure? Well, it's pretty hard to defend the indefensible and explain the inexplicable, particularly with the recent events at DHS. I was on the Homeland Security Committee back in the day when we had serious Homeland Security secretaries from Tom Ridge to Michael Chertoff to Napolitano, you know, to Jay Johnson and John Kelly, people who believed in civil liberties. And here we have, you know, DHS leadership, you know, saying things that are contradicted by video evidence. And so I don't know how she can stay in that job.

29:54I mean, she might want to have a life after DHS. And so the more that she's out there having to say things that are blatantly false, can't do her any good professionally. And again, who wants to be in that position? Well, that's everybody in the Trump administration. If you were a spokesperson in the Trump administration, it is very hard, especially with what they want you to talk about, to kind of come out with the facts. And any good spokesperson has to talk to reporters all of the time so they can get out the facts. I think that looking back at DHS and this administration overall, I think there's two things.

30:26One, there's a problem with honesty. We saw it in the last Trump administration, not giving out the full facts. I do think that whoever is a Democrat or whoever comes after Donald Trump, they do need to think about how to get more people out there more often and voices, but truthful voices. So I do think there's something to learn about this administration, but lying to the press, not one of them. So a recent Marist PBS NPR poll found that Americans' approval of Trump's immigration policy, which used to be strong, continues to fall. 65 % of the American people polled say the ice crackdown has gone too far.

31:01So do you think that Trisha McLaughlin's departure has anything to do with the administration listening to these numbers? And in combination with Kristi Noem and Greg Bovino kind of like being pulled out of Minnesota and Tom Homan going in, is this an attempt to bring the temperature down? Yeah. I mean, I think that it's one of the things the White House is struggling with is that they need to figure out how to change their overall strategy and messaging is part of it. And when you have the White House running an agency, running DHS from the White House, running DOJ from the White House, that is never good for anyone.

31:38But then that also means that somebody has to leave when there is a problem and the White House doesn't have confidence in that agency. This is what I think that you're seeing now. Yeah, we have been told that Trish McLaughlin had plans before to leave, but then she may not be doing her. I mean, she may be told by the White House what to do. And that happens a lot. And I know that's happening at DOJ right now, where the White House is dictating the messaging strategy. If you're at an agency and the White House is dictating your messaging strategy, why would you stay? Republicans had an advantage on the immigration issue.

32:06They successfully secured the border, but given the events of how they've gone about enforcement through ICE and CBP and the professionalism and leadership problems within the department, they need to make changes. It's pretty clear that's what this is all about. They've had to drag in Tom Homan. Whatever your opinions of Tom Homan are, I think we can all agree he's a professional who's experienced in this field. And she is a casualty of all this. But I don't think, Trisha, I mean, I'm not here to defend anything the DHS has said. But when I think of being lied to, I don't think of Trisha McLaughlin.

32:42I think of Bovino and Noam and Stephen Miller saying things that we could see were completely contradicted by video or contradicted by, I mean, there was just an incident last week, I think it was, with the incident where they claimed they had been attacked with shovels in Minnesota. And then in court, they had to back away. And now they're looking into whether the ICE agents lied to them. I mean, that's not Tricia. That's kind of a higher level of problem. I totally agree with that. But again, I get back to this. I just remember all the previous DHS secretaries, all very distinguished backgrounds, you know, an appellate judge, you know, former governors who who were very serious in their jobs.

33:24And I think Kristi Noem, she's been out there saying a lot of things, really much about the optics and the visuals, you know, rather than the guts of that work. And we stood up that committee in the 2005 session for the first time, the Homeland Security Committee. And we took that really seriously, oversight. And we were very careful not only to go after terrorism, which was the issue at the time, but also to make sure that we were respecting civil rights, that we were not, you know, doing things to abuse the Muslim community. We were being very careful. And I feel like right now there's just no control there.

33:58There's just wild statements calling Ms. Good, you know, a terrorist. You know, crazy. From the White House, mainly. Yeah. So on Thursday, President Trump is heading down to the Georgia district of former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene to talk about affordability. Early voting is already underway in the crowded race to replace Greene, who resigned in the middle of her term in January. And then we should also note the president endorsed former district attorney Clay Fuller earlier this month for the seat. What do you make of this all? Well, the fact that he's talking about affordability in Georgia when the cost of living in Georgia has gone up significantly, the average person in Georgia is paying about$1 ,000,$2 ,000 more now than they were before.

34:43And we are seeing that throughout Trump's policies, Georgians are hurting. And so I find it interesting. I also think that this is just one of those instances. And if you heard Trump talk about this, of course, he's not going to be able to go to Georgia without talking about Marjorie Taylor Greene. So while this is affordability, we know that he cannot control himself. He cares about loyalty. He cares about people defending him. And the fact that Marjorie Taylor Greene went out against him, I think will be a major focus of his speech because he just doesn't understand how someone can go out and say something like that.

35:18This isn't about voters. This is about getting back at Marjorie Taylor Greene. So Marjorie Taylor Greene obviously started out as one of the most loyal members of Congress and then broke with the president on some of the issues, especially the Epstein files. Well, yeah, look, the president is going down into a ruby red district in North Georgia. And if he's going to go anywhere, he might as well go there. Don't send him to a swing district. Send him in there and let him bash Marjorie Taylor Green. Let him endorse his preferred candidate. That's what I think this is about. I'm not sure that this is going to have a whole lot of impact.

35:50I'm not. Again, I agree with you, Soshi. I don't think he's going to stay on message. I think he is going to. What a risky bet you're taking there. He's not going to talk about affordability, the number one issue. I'm sure he'll mention it, and then he'll get on to what he really wants to talk about, which is how he was betrayed. And this new guy is going to be much better. Yeah. But, I mean, just quickly, if there is a more MAGA candidate than Clay Fuller, like, I mean, it's possible that the district won't go for Trump's preferred candidate. Well, and we're seeing that all over the country right now, where some of these candidates and Trump's preferred candidate isn't necessarily coming out on top.

36:25That's why just yesterday or two days ago in Texas, he doesn't want to make an endorsement in that race just yet because he doesn't know who's going to come out on top. And that means a lot to him, not the race. It's whether or not he picks the winner. He likes all three of the Republicans running in that race. Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. The Epstein files exposed her friendship with the dead pedophile. Now, companies linked to the former Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, are shutting down. That story's next.

36:58In our worldly today, major, major new fallout for a British royal mentioned repeatedly in the Epstein file. Six companies linked to Sarah Ferguson, the former duchess of York, and the ex-wife of former Prince Andrew, who has been disgraced in this scandal. Companies are now shutting down. As CNN royal correspondent Max Foster reports, messages appear to show Ferguson and Epstein kept a long friendship well after Epstein's crimes were publicly known. Six companies listing Britain's Sarah Ferguson as sole director are set to shut down as the Epstein firestorm rolls on. The former duchess and her ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are under renewed scrutiny over their ties to the late financier after Epstein pleaded guilty to prostitution charges involving an underage minor.

37:46Last year, Ferguson's spokesperson said she'd cut off relations with Epstein, quote, as soon as she was aware of the extent of the allegations against him. DOJ files suggest otherwise. Epstein's crimes were publicly reported in 2006, the year he was also first arrested. The latest tranche of files released by the Department of Justice revealed the depth of Ferguson's friendship with the late financier, with one email thread discussing a lunch date in Palm Beach. This was 2009, just five days after Epstein was released from jail after serving 13 months. It'll be myself, Beatrice and Eugenie, Ferguson tells him, referring to her daughters at the time aged 20 and 19 years old.

38:35Cannot wait to see you, she tells Epstein in a subsequent email. Another exchange between Epstein and his assistant shows that he paid more than$14 ,000 to fly the Duchess and the two princesses to the US on that trip. Just days later, Ferguson thanks him for being the brother I've always wished for. And the following year, she goes as far as saying, you're a legend. I'm at your service. Just marry me. Then in March 2011, Ferguson publicly apologises for being associated with Epstein, saying in an interview, quote, I appore paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf.

39:20Except that, in private, she appears to apologise to Epstein for publicly denouncing him, calling him a supreme friend. Ferguson's spokesman told British media this email was sent in the context of advice the Duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats. Now, publicly available documents show that in the past few days, six companies which list Ferguson as the sole director all filed an application to strike the company off the UK's official Companies House Register. It's not clear exactly what services those companies provided or whether they were active at all. We reached out to Ferguson's representatives multiple times for comment on the exchanges seen in the Epstein documents.

40:06CNN has also requested comment from Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Max Foster, CNN, London. And welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour investigators say DNA from gloves found near the home of Nancy Guthrie does not have any matches in the national DNA database. So what does that mean for the search to find Savannah Guthrie's 84-year-old mother? We're going to go live on the ground in Tucson in moments. Plus, CBS is pushing back on allegations. It blocked Stephen Colbert from airing an interview last night with Texas Democratic candidate James Tallarico, who's running for Senate. But Colbert says the network was bowing to pressure from Trump.

40:47We'll dig into the accusations. Also, So an environmental disaster now turning into a partisan fight as millions of gallons of sewage spill into the Potomac River outside D.C. What is the risk for Americans living up and down the East Coast nearby? We'll ask an expert ahead. And forget Charlie's Angels. Today we've got the Blade Angels. Team USA's three women figure skaters taken the nice this afternoon in their quest to score the country's first medal in this competition in 20 years. Our teams are on the ground in Milan, Cortina, with the results.

41:23The lead tonight, the DNA on the glove found near Nancy Guthrie's home is being sent for genetic analysis. Not just DNA, genetic analysis, a law enforcement source now tells CNN. This is after the glove's initial DNA test returned. No matches in the FBI's national database. The genealogical process, or the genetic process, utilizes DNA samples from public systems, websites like 23andMe or apps like Ancestry that you might have used to map your own family tree. All this as the search for the 84-year-old mother of Today Show anchor Savannah Guthrie reaches day 17 in Tucson, Arizona. CNN's Avanderas in Nancy's neighborhood where law enforcement was seen just a short while ago.

42:05Ed? Hi, Jake. Well, we saw some activity here at Nancy Guthrie's home. A man walking into the home and leaving wearing plastic gloves, carrying a bag. We saw in surrounding homes as well, officers working on what appears to be a camera and a light on the corner of a home. We've asked investigators what this was about. They said that they're simply following up on various law enforcement work. So that's the extent of what we've seen. Significant because it has been several days since we've seen this kind of activity kind of buzzing around this particular neighborhood as well. But right now, Jake, really the focus has been the disheartening news that we got today with the lack of a DNA match in this.

42:47You talked about, or the FBI has talked about, these gloves that were found that matched what the suspect was wearing in that front porch video that was released last week. And there had been some hope that perhaps that DNA found in that glove would match the DNA of the unknown person here at the Guthrie home, and that would provide an investigative lead. But investigators say not only did the DNA sample from those gloves not appear in the criminal database, but it also does not match the DNA that was found here at the home. And as you mentioned, the DNA here that's found at the Guthrie home is being sent off for that genealogical analysis.

43:25And that kind of analysis has been fruitful in other investigations and has helped investigators find suspects in other high-profile cases. But again, all of these kinds of things take a great deal of time. But for now, it's been another disheartening day in the investigation and the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie. Jake? All right, I'm Lovandere in Pima County, Arizona. Thank you so much. Let's bring in two experts with FBI experience. Mary Ellen O'Toole, a former FBI senior profiler and special agent, and also with us, Jason Pack, a retired FBI supervisory agent. Jason, let me start with you.

43:57How key could a genealogy service, a genealogical service such as 23andMe or Ancestry.com, how example could be this to cracking open the case? Well, I think it's going to be really important, Jake. Even FBI squads and field offices around the country have a person dedicated to this particular tactic. So the FBI Phoenix Division has somebody that does investigative genealogy. So does larger field offices like Los Angeles. So they can call in as much help as they need to come and start the process here. I've been told that they've already been doing this for several days, so they're well ahead of the process.

44:34But things like this can start wide and get a DNA match, and then you have to do genealogical research yourself. In Tennessee, you would find Billy Bob's third cousin and get down to Billy Bob officially. So that's what they're trying to do to kind of narrow the pool once they are able to get a hit here, hopefully. Mary Ellen, what does it tell you about the suspect that the DNA on that glove had no matches in the CODIS database? Well, it tells me two primary things. Number one, the DNA of the individual on that glove, that person had nothing to do with the abduction of Nancy. Or number two, the person whose DNA is on that glove is not in CODIS.

45:18And that means that that person has never been arrested. In some states, it's arrestees and people convicted, but has never been arrested and or convicted of a violent crime. But the absence of a criminal record does not mean that criminal behavior is absent. So it just means that the person was not put into CODIS as a result of a conviction. Jason, the DNA from the glove also did not match DNA found at the Guthrie home, you know, after they already ruled out family and related. So the sheriff's department says the DNA found at the property is being analyzed and further testing needs to be done.

46:00This is non-family DNA found in the house. If the DNA from the house does show up in CODIS, what could that tell us? Well, if the DNA from inside the house shows up in CODIS, then you should have a suspect there because that person would have been in CODIS as a result of a criminal conviction or an arrest. So that would be really what they're looking for. Separately, they'll compare the evidence found in there with other leads that they're getting, either tips or digital evidence that they're compiling right now. And Mary Ellen, Walmart is working with investigators to identify whoever purchased that backpack.

46:35How long could it take for a national retailer to find that information? And is that something that a perpetrator would be thinking about and maybe disguise their tracks while they do that? It could take a while, but I'm confident that they are giving it priority because this case has gotten so much attention and they should give it a priority. it depends on whether or not the offender thought ahead that far to think what if they track my clothes back to walmart and then they can go back and see the day that i bought it and then get the cameras some people do think like that and this is an offender that may have not been perfect at everything but there certainly was evidence of pre-planning so they may have thought enough ahead to not buy everything on the same day or not use the same walmart and that will make it a lot more challenging for investigators to go back and attempt to track it.

47:30But they will probably be successful if there's something there. I mean, he has evaded detection for 17 days. Jason, investigators are using something called a signal sniffer, working with the manufacturer of Nancy Guthrie's pacemaker to try to locate her pacemaker. How well does that work? Well, I think it's a new technology and it works pretty decently, but I think you have to be pretty close to the signal. So it's looking for Bluetooth signals. I don't think it's looking for a pacemaker specifically, but just a signal emitting from the area. So I think you saw the helicopter flying low and I think it had to get as close as it could.

48:09It also can be attached to vehicles too. So I wouldn't be surprised if there's been some ground searches with the same piece of technology as well. But if a helicopter is going over a house, I mean, every house probably in that neighborhood has Bluetooth. My phone has Bluetooth. I mean, how are they are they able to discern what is Bluetooth from a pacemaker versus what's Bluetooth from a phone? I think each Bluetooth signal has a unique ID. And so they should be able to take any Bluetooth signal, look at those IDs. And then if they have to go to the residences close by or wherever the signals were to eliminate that, you'll have what's left over.

48:47Mary Ellen, the sheriff said they've cleared the members of the Guthrie family, including people who have married into the Guthrie family as suspects. This is after processing all their phones or computers, their homes or vehicles. Why do you think so many influencers, YouTubers, etc., people who don't necessarily have investigative experience, rushed to accuse members of the family? I think one of the reasons that people do this, quite frankly, is when you see a case like this on television, oftentimes it's portrayed as being a family member. And I think if you don't have that kind of investigative background where you know that every time a case like this happens, whether it's a child kidnapping or an adult, you eliminate the family first and foremost as people that have been around that person.

49:42and then you move on. But again, if you don't work in the field, if you don't have that kind of experience, there seems to be a natural assumption that the people closest to the individual obviously are the ones that have to be responsible. And sometimes that's true, and maybe more times than not it's true, but it's certainly not always true. And in this case, the elimination was important to announce to the public so that they could begin to move on from that theory. Yeah, there sure are a lot of people with megaphones being pretty reckless in their accusations. Mary Ellen O'Toole, Jason Pack, thank you so much.

50:16And if you out there have any information that could help investigators in this case, you can call the Pima County Sheriff's Department at 520-351-4900 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. You can also reach the agency online at tips.fbi.gov. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is explaining her interactions with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell while also accusing the Trump White House of a, quote, continuing cover-up. That's next.

50:47International lead U.S. Capitol Police just released these images of a man they say charged at the Capitol today with a loaded shotgun dressed in tactical gear. They identified him as 18-year-old Carter Camacho from Georgia near the city of Atlanta. Capitol Police say he drove a white Mercedes SUV near the Capitol, jumped out and started running toward the building with that loaded gun. Officers searched his vehicle and found a helmet and a gas mask inside. He faces several charges. We'll bring you updates when we know more about that situation. Our Law and Justice lead comes with a big helping of politics on the side because next week, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be questioned separately in the House Oversight Committee's investigation of the dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

51:28In a brand new interview with the BBC, Secretary Clinton says that they have nothing to hide. She insinuated that the Trump administration does. What we're seeing, I think it's fair to say, is a continuing cover-up by the Trump administration. In fact, when the attorney general testified last week, it was quite a scene. So there's something about this administration's attitude toward this, which I think really leads us to conclude they have something to hide. We don't. We're joined now by Democratic Congresswoman Becca Ballant of Vermont. Congresswoman, thanks for joining us. So cover up, that's a strong term.

52:13Do you agree with former Secretary Clinton that there is a quote continuing cover up by the Trump administration about Epstein? It is a strong word. And what's so difficult right now, Jake, is all of the indications that we have from this administration is that they're not interested in being transparent. So it does lead us to believe that they are covering things up. What those things are, we have to continue to push for. Look, when you had the attorney general coming before the judiciary committee the other day, she was not prepared to answer any questions whatsoever and spent her entire time deflecting, attacking.

52:51She claimed over the weekend that they have released as many files they're going to release. We know that there's about 3 million files that still have not been released. I've talked repeatedly to the survivors who've said they're looking for their own documents in the file release and they haven't been released. I was asking her pretty direct questions about whether she was going to ask Howard Lutnick about his ties to Epstein, couldn't get a straight answer. So if you don't want people to accuse you of being part of a cover-up, then answer the questions, be more transparent. According to photos and video and documents reviewed by CNN in 2013.

53:27This is years after Ghislaine Maxwell was publicly accused in civil lawsuits and press reports of helping Jeffrey Epstein groom in sexually abused minors. She was an honored guest at the prestigious Clinton Global Initiative Conference. Listen to what Secretary Clinton said when the BBC interviewer asked about the Clintons' links with both Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Do you regret the links that there have been? You know, we have no links. We have a very clear record that we've been willing to talk about, which my husband has said he took some rides on the airplane for his charitable work.

54:05I don't recall ever meeting him. Did you ever meet Ghislaine Maxwell? I did on a few occasions and thousands of people go to the Clinton Global Initiative. So it to me is not is not something that is really at the heart of what this matter is about. What's your reaction? Well, this particular issue with the Epstein files and lack of transparency has gone back for several presidential administrations. This is not just the responsibility of the Trump administration. This has been mishandled from the beginning. I have met with survivors who say that they were abused by Jeffrey Epstein in the 90s and went to authorities and nothing came of it.

54:57We certainly have the sweetheart deal that was cut with Alex Acosta. It is continuing to be a situation where these survivors have not gotten justice from anyone around them. And from my perspective, I don't care where the evidence goes, whether it is Republicans or Democrats who are being held accountable. I want the truth to finally be out. And I want people to understand that this was a very extensive network of rich, well-connected people that were perfectly happy continuing to have relationships and business relationships with somebody who was a registered sex offender. Yeah. Let's talk about the hearing with Attorney General Bondi because you're on the House Judiciary Committee and things between the two of you got a bit heated.

55:51We're just going to air a little bit of this now. With this anti-Semitic culture right now, she voted against a resolution condemning. Oh, oh, oh, oh. I just want to be clear. Do you want to go there, Attorney General? Do you want to go there? Are you serious? Talking about anti-Semitism to a woman who lost her grandfather in the Holocaust. So Attorney General Bondi was specifically referring to a vote you made against a bill that would have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism, which you said, quote, would equate protected political speech with unprotected discrimination.

56:32Were you surprised that she brought that up? Well, in retrospect, I'm not surprised. At the moment, I was surprised. But now that we know that they were actually tracking our searches on the Department of Justice computers, and I want people to understand when you go to try to search the Epstein files, there are only four computers for 435 members of Congress. they give you a discrete, well, they don't give it to you. They log you in. And even at the time, I thought that was very strange. And it's clear to me that they were keeping track of what we were looking at. They knew I was in the files for Howard Lutnick.

57:10And the only conclusion that I can come to is that they were going to use this as some ammunition against me because Howard Lutnick is also of Jewish descent. But that is just a theory that I have based on how the hearing went and how she seemed to be using the so-called dirt that she dug up on all of us. I wish that she had spent more time preparing to answer our questions than try to find gotcha moments. But in terms of her accusation of me being anti-Semitic, it's completely and totally outrageous. And once again, she took up critical time in that hearing, attacking us instead of doing right by the survivors who were sitting there in the room with her asking for her to apologize for the disastrous rollout of the files.

57:58And I think it has something to do with their surveillance at DOJ of what we were searching. Former Vermont Congresswoman Becca Ballant, a Democrat, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it. Thank you, Jake. As millions of gallons of raw sewage spill into the Potomac River. Politicians are fighting over who's to blame and who's responsible for cleaning it up. But what about the very real pressing health dangers? That story's next.

58:33In our Earth Matters series, President Trump taking to truth social again today, calling on the leaders of Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. to fix the major wastewater water spill in the Potomac River, saying, quote, if they can't do the job, they have to call me and ask politely to get it fixed. This after a back and forth with Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who released a statement saying in part, quote, since the last century, the federal government has been responsible for the Potomac interceptor, which is the origin of the sewage leak. For the last four weeks, the Trump administration has failed to act, shirking its responsibility and putting people's health at risk, unquote.

59:08Since the pipe collapse last month, D.C. water says almost 250 million gallons of sewage overflowed into the river, with some environmental groups suggesting that number could be as high as 300 million. As a point of comparison, other recent major spills, such as the 2017 cross-border wastewater spill near San Diego, reached 230 million gallons. Or the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill dropped 210 million gallons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Joining us to help understand this is the University of Maryland Assistant Professor of global environmental and occupational health, Dr. Rachel Rosenberg-Goldstein.

59:47Doctor, thanks for joining us. So all the other spills took place in the ocean. Does the smaller area of a river make a wastewater spill like this even worse? That's a great question. So what we're really concerned about is the potential for people to interact with the sewage and the bacteria that can be contained in the sewage. And so there's much more interaction, especially as we see seasons change and temperatures start to increase of people interacting with the Potomac River. Until recently, the Potomac was frozen from the cold. So what effect might that have on containing a spill? Exactly.

1:00:28So we were still detecting bacteria in the Potomac River, both at the site of the spill, but also up to nine miles downstream from the spill towards Georgetown, even a week after the original spill. So we're seeing high levels of E. coli, which is a fecal indicator bacteria, but we're also measuring pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus. And we know that we're able to detect these bacteria even when it's been freezing, but we also know that bacteria prefer warmer temperatures. So we are concerned about following this as we move into a change of seasons, as we start seeing temperatures rise. Is Governor Moore correct that until recently the federal government was in charge of this?

1:01:15So we've really been focused on water testing and understanding what the water quality is and focused on trying to help the public understand what the risks are. Okay. D.C. gets its drinking water from the Potomac. So should we here in D.C. be worried about drinking or bathing or brushing our teeth with the water coming out of our pipes? So right now, what we understand is that upstream of the spill is where drinking water is taken. So, so far, we have no reason to be concerned about our drinking water. What we're most concerned about is people who interact with the Potomac for recreational uses.

1:01:54So people who are taking boats out, people who, when the weather warms up, might want to physically get into the water. You mentioned E. coli, but your team recently published a report that it's not just E. coli, that there's also the bacteria MRSA or MRSA detected at extremely high levels in the water. What's the process of removing these bacteria from the water? How long does it take? That's a great question. So we definitely, we're looking not just at E. coli, but also, as you said, MRSA, it's an antibiotic resistant bacteria. This is the bacteria that we're most focused on in our lab. We know that antibiotic resistant bacteria can be present in wastewater.

1:02:36So we wanted to go to see if these bacteria could also be present in the Potomac at the site of the spill, and we did unfortunately find them there. It's really important to understand what happens to these bacteria over time, that we continue to monitor the river, both over time, but also downstream so we can see what's happening with the bacteria. Dr. Rachel Rosenberg-Goldstein, thank you so much. Appreciate your time and expertise. Coming up, we remember the life and legacy of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, a towering figure in the civil rights movement and American politics, CNN anchor Abby Phillip, who literally wrote the book on Reverend Jackson.

1:03:12She joins us next.

1:03:21International lead. We are remembering today the incredible life and legacy of Reverend Jesse Jackson, who died earlier at 84, a man who rose from very humble beginnings to become a towering figure in the civil rights movement and who helped reshape U.S. politics through his activism and his two campaigns for president. Let's discuss with CNN anchor Abby Phillips. She is the author of the excellent biography of Jackson that came out last year. It's called A Dream Deferred, Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power. I cannot recommend it enough. Abby, thanks for joining us. So Reverend Jackson sought the Democratic nomination for president in both 1984 and 1988.

1:03:59He came pretty close to winning the second time around. I want to play a little bit of his 1983 presidential campaign announcement speech. Take a listen. I rise to declare that I can and announce to you this day my decision to seek the nomination of the Democratic Party for the presidency of the United States. We challenge the Democratic Party to respect all of its constituency. We will have a negotiation. Blacks, women, Hispanics, workers, Indians, Chinese, Filipinas, we must come together and form the Rainbow Coalition. We need each other. Rainbow Coalition. How successful was Jackson in achieving a Rainbow coalition?

1:04:57Yeah. I mean, I think that, in a lot of ways, the shape of the Democratic Party that we know it today is created by Jesse Jackson. These campaigns created a true coalition that is exactly what Democrats, if they're trying to run for president, they're trying to run for some kind of statewide or nationwide position, they have to contend with all the constituent groups. And one of the things that Jesse Jackson did was not only did he go around and talk to all of those different groups, whether it's Asian-Americans and Arab-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, but he brought them into the process. He taught them how to use the rules.

1:05:36After his two campaigns, he put them in positions of power at the DNC and in government. And that really changed the face of the Democratic Party. It actually put those people in the driver's seat. They weren't just constituents whose votes Democrats needed. They were the people also helping to run the party. And I think that's one of the biggest contributions that he made. In March 1988, Reverend Jackson came from behind and won the Michigan Democratic Caucuses. This is what Reverend Jackson said at the time about that. Take a listen. There is a wave of hope sweeping across our nation. There's a growing sense that we the people can win.

1:06:19In Michigan, in the final analysis, it was the message, the soul and the authenticity of Jesse Jackson versus money and technology. And we the people prevail. It's so interesting to hear him speak after having read your book, because you write about how after he won the Michigan Democratic primary, it was the first time he actually thought he might actually become president. Yeah, you kind of almost see it in his face there as he's speaking. I mean, this was a moment of tremendous importance in that campaign. It was the first time that a lot of the Democratic establishment really had to contemplate what it would be like if Jesse Jackson were the nominee.

1:07:01But it was also the first time that Jesse Jackson had to contemplate that, where they were in his campaign offices talking about cabinet positions and who would be up for what and how they would actually run a government if they were to win. And so, you know, Michigan was such a big deal because it was—first of all, it was a caucus state at the time, and no one expected him to win. And not only did he win in the urban centers in Detroit, but he also won outside of there, in rural areas, in college towns. And that became, I think, a recipe for how an outsider candidate could really break through the establishment.

1:07:45And you saw something similar happen with Bernie Sanders, as in some of these caucus states, he did something very similar. He did fairly well in urban areas, but he also did well in college towns and in rural areas. And that's how he shook up the establishment. Yeah. And what's interesting about what Jackson did that Bernie Sanders replicated in many ways was it was a working class message, working class whites, working class blacks, working class Latinos. And I remember a cartoon, you and I have talked about this before, about a Michigan, a Reagan Democrat in Michigan. And it was like Reagan, Reagan, bumper stickers, and then Jackson, because he actually had an appeal to some of those white working-class voters.

1:08:32LISA DESJARDINS, Yeah, he certainly did. And he went out of his way to try to appeal to them, going to factory floors and talking to union workers. And, you know, I was rereading his 1988 campaign speech earlier today, and there's a part of it where he's going into his biography talking about the humble beginnings that he had in South Carolina, being born to a teen mom in a small house with an outhouse in the back. And he says, I'm a working person's working person. And that's why I understand you, whether you're black or you're white. his argument was that, unlike a lot of the other people who tend to run for president, he didn't come from money.

1:09:13He didn't have a silver spoon in his mouth. He came from regular stock. And that's one of the ways that I think he tried to connect to white working-class people. And he argued to them that it was the job of, you know, racists and others to try to divide people along racial lines, as opposed to uniting them on the economic issues that they had in common. Yeah. Abby Phillip, thank you so much. And I know you're going to have a lot more on Jesse Jackson's legacy tonight on Newsnight at 10 p.m. Eastern. We, of course, will be watching. Thanks for joining us. Thank you, Jake. Early voting starts today in an important primary in Texas.

1:09:49So why hasn't President Trump made an endorsement yet? Our panel weighs in. That's next.

1:10:00Our politics lead, President Trump, along with his predecessors, are remembering the legendary Reverend Jesse Jackson who passed away this morning at the age of 84. President Trump called him a force of nature. President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said he never stopped working for a better America with brighter tomorrows. President Joe Biden described him as a man of God and of the people. President Obama said we stood on his shoulders. My panel joins me now. Ashley, what impact did the Reverend Jackson have on paving the way for black politicians specifically, including your former boss, Vice President Kamala Harris?

1:10:33Oh, I mean, tremendous amounts of impact. I mean, not only did he give a permission structure, did he model the fact that you could have a black principal, but he also challenged Democratic Party and its rules to make room for and lay the foundation for Barack Obama and for Kamala Harris. But what I, you know, if we had to take a step backwards, for me, he's one of the most powerful brokers of his time, most influential power brokers of his time. Much of the political The political apparatus today and political environment today is catching up to what Reverend Jackson did in the 80s, you know, translating people's economic power into a political movement, i.e.

1:11:13Donald Trump, i.e. Mondani. He also took the civil rights movement into the boardroom and challenged Wall Street on greed as well as diversity 10 years before DEI and 10 years before Bernie did himself. And then I would say that the third sort of transformative aspect of his legacy was this laying the foundation for Barack Obama. He was situated perfectly between MLK and Barack Obama 20 years after MLK, 20 years before Barack Obama, and really translated the civil rights movement into machinery that actually made room for Barack Obama. So he was, you know, he was beyond his time and beyond his years in a lot of ways.

1:11:54Reverend Jackson was obviously controversial for a number of reasons. It was interesting today, DW, to see President Trump post so many photographs of himself with Jesse Jackson, a lot of them from the 80s, a lot of them from the 90s. And first of all, we should just note, Jesse Jackson had, he was, his attitude was he'll talk to anybody. Like, you know, he went to try to get people hostages home. He'll talk to the dictator of North Korea. He'll talk to you know, Muammar Gaddafi. So like talking to President Trump or then businessman Trump, not a big deal. But what do you make of the fact that Trump posted so many pictures of himself with Jesse Jackson?

1:12:34Yeah, look, I think whenever somebody notable dies and Donald Trump has an opinion on it, you don't necessarily know where that's going to go. But in the case of Jesse Jackson, Donald Trump really feels like he had a real genuine relationship with this man that spanned decades. Obviously, you talk about the photos he posted, but also in the note, you know, He makes note in there that the Rainbow Coalition was tenant in one of his buildings. He was a benefactor of those organizations for a long time. He helped raise money for those. There's clips that have been going viral on social media, especially in Republican circles, of Jesse Jackson introducing him at annual conferences of his and other events, praising the work he did to get more minority representation in those boardrooms.

1:13:19Those are not my words. They are Jesse Jackson's words. Back when Trump was a Democrat, but yes. But it's been a long time. And so I think the reason he had such kind things to say about him is because he knew him very well. And that means something. I also think he took a lot of plays out of Jesse Jackson's playbook. I mean, think about the, you know, what... The system being rigged kind of thing? Yes, the grievance sort of messaging framework, but also how he built a coalition. I mean, Reverend Jackson, the Rainbow Push Coalition brought together black, brown, gay, straight, an entire coalition that now is the backbone of the Democratic Party that was never built before.

1:13:54And it's similar to what Donald Trump actually did, going to the Bronx and talking to black men, asking what do you have to lose, and built this really big coalition that, again, broke with the norms of both of those parties. Let's turn to Texas, because early voting begins there today. In the Senate primaries on the Republican side, President Trump's endorsement would likely decide which of these three Republicans, current incumbent Senator John Cornyn, who's running for re-election, Republican Congressman Wesley Hunt and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will come out on top. But he's not endorsing any of them, at least as of now.

1:14:25Take a listen to what he had to say yesterday. I just haven't made a decision on that race yet. It's got a ways to go, and I haven't. He's a good man. John is a good man. I like all three of them, actually. I like all three. Those are the toughest races. They've all supported me. They're all good. And you're supposed to pick one. So we'll see what happens. but I support all three. So just there's interesting dynamics here, one of which is obviously the Senate Majority Leader John Thune wants him to endorse the incumbent John Cornyn. There's also a real fear among Republicans that if Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wins the primary, which he very well could, that really actually opens up the seat for Democrats to potentially be competitive in.

1:15:09Why do you think Trump is holding on endorsing? I think it's important to know, potentially be competitive. Potentially, yeah. Whether it's the Houston poll, the Emerson poll, whoever the Republican is is a likely favorite to win the election. Why is he holding out? He doesn't want to pick a loser. And I think Ken Paxton has been a strong ally of his from the beginning. He knows Cornyn as an institution in Texas, and he's been very helpful on Capitol Hill, and he likes Wesley Hunt. He doesn't want to pick a loser. I'm not saying he'll never endorse in this race. I just think he'll be closer to game day when he does it.

1:15:41What do you think? And also, who do you think has of the Democrats, including James Tallarico, whose interview with Stephen Colbert was not aired last night because of equal time concerns, so-called. Who do you think is the strongest Democrat to win statewide, Jasmine Crockett or Tallarico? I think this race for Trump is about his legacy, not just holding and maintaining the Senate, but also who's going to further the MAGA movement. And so I think I think that's why his PAC has endorsed Paxton. And I think eventually he will endorse Paxton because Cornyn is an establishment institutionalist in a party that's filled with anarchists.

1:16:17But in terms of who's the best Democrat, I think Jasmine Crockett has the best shot at beating any Republican in that state. Well, because you look at sort of the base, the base vote voters who she needs to turn out. A large majority of them are black voters who in the Dallas, Houston and central Texas area are going to have an outside influence on not just the primary race, but also in terms of the general race. I think she's got the ability to turn out those low propensity voters if she can continue to catch fire, continue to fundraise. But then also here's the most important factor here is that more than 50 percent of the state of Texas, it's my home state, right now feel like the state is going in the wrong direction.

1:17:00They're feeling like the economy is working against them right now in the state of Texas. So right now the mood in Texas is one that I think is ripe for a Democrat to win. And I think Jasmine Crockett has the right formula to win that race. Truth serum, because I know you want the Republican to win. Which Democrat do you least want Republicans to face in Texas Senate? I'll take the polling's word for it. It's Tallarico right now. But I want Crockett to win. And the large part of the reason is this reminds me of the Tea Party era when we had so many layup elections. This is not a layup for Democrats, but it could be somewhat competitive.

1:17:36We blew it by going with the base in the movement candidate. And I think that's what Crockett represents. And I think it would be a mistake for the Democrats to do it. And I hope they do it. All right. Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. American figure skaters took to the Olympic ice this afternoon to try and do something the U.S. has not done in 20 years. So how did they fare? That's next.

1:18:01Finally from us, our sports lead. Mixed emotions tonight for Team USA's women figure skating team. The trio, dubbed the Blade Angels, qualified for Thursday's free skate competition. But now Alyssa Liu, Amber Glenn, and Isabel Levito all have an individual shot at meddling for Team USA. For the first time in two decades, that may be a challenge for Amber Glenn, who finished in 13th after bailing on one of her jumps. CNN's Coy Wire is in Milan with today's highlights. Coy? Hi, Jake. One of the crown jewels of the Winter Olympics, women's figure skating kicking off with the short program tonight.

1:18:38An American, Alyssa Liu, put herself in prime position for medal contention. After the last Winter Games, she took time away from the sport, traveled a bit, enrolled at college at UCLA, but decided to make a comeback. She told me ahead of these games that she loves fashion. She loves dancing. Therefore, she missed figure skating. She put up her season best routine. Her whole family was there to see it. Clearly, she needed that time away. She said ahead of the games that she didn't feel like her life was on the line anymore. She's currently in third place after the short program. Japan's 17-year-old Amina Kai is in the lead.

1:19:13Kaori Sakamoto, the three-time world champ also of Japan, is in second. Only one Japanese woman has won Olympic figure skating gold. It was 20 years ago here in Italy. Team USA's Alana Myers-Taylor, at 41 years old, Jake, winning Monobob. By four one-hundredths of a second, it's her fifth Olympic Games, her sixth career Olympic medal, but first gold. Oldest American woman ever to medal at the Winter Games. Tied for most medals, won by an American woman at the Winter Games. All while balancing being a mom of two young kids with special needs. Alana says she has school drop-off in five days, Jake.

1:19:51Her family, including her two young boys, were there to see it all. I hope they remember this visually, and I hope they were able to take it all in, that visual memory. Because obviously they couldn't hear everything that was going on. So I hope they were able to take it all in and really enjoy it. And then one day, you know, when they're a little bit older, they'll see it and they'll know that their mom was Olympic champion and they'll know what it means. Right now, I don't think they can process it and know what it means. But one day, I think they'll understand and appreciate it. Jake, I texted Alana after the big win saying, let's get you and the family up for an interview.

1:20:22She said, sounds good. But after I'm finished competing, she is focused. She'll compete in the two women bobsleigh. Heats begin later this week. All right, Koi Wire, thanks so much. What a great gig. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, ThreadsX, Blue Sky, and on the TikTok of Jake Tapper. You can follow the show on X and Instagram at The Lead CNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can watch the show on the CNN app. Aaron Burnett out front starts now. Take it away, Aaron.

1:20:56Hey, I'm Anderson Cooper. On my podcast, All There Is, we explore grief and loss in all its complexities. You'll hear deeply moving and honest discussions with people who have faced and are living with life-altering losses. My guest is writer, poet Megan Fowley, who was married to the poet Andrea Gibson. Andrea died last summer after a years-long battle with cancer. Is grief different than you thought it would be? Yes, it is. I don't think that I thought that I would be able to have as much joy as I've had. I guess if I wasn't able to find joy and laughter now, I would have missed the point of Andrew's messaging.

1:21:40Talking grief, building community. That's what the podcast is all about. This is all there is. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.