Source: Bondi Answered Questions on Ghislaine Maxwell in Interview

26:11We have reproductive health care professionals who have been threatened by people that seek to violently block clinic access, that the fund would return money and pay money to people that have been found to violate federal law and being convicted. We have a city and then, of course, a protester and a pro-democracy voting group. So it is such a diverse coalition. And what all of these plaintiffs have in common is the harm that they're currently experiencing, the threats that they're experiencing. And then, of course, as you said, the belief and the knowledge that this is unlawful. All right, Sky Perryman, thank you so much.

26:46And coming up, we talk to an astronaut about that massive explosion involving the Blue Origin rocket and what that blast could slow down, how it could slow down future missions to the moon.

27:06Comedian Craig Ferguson is going coast to coast to unpack what it really means to be an American today. What could possibly go wrong? Craig Ferguson, American on purpose. New series premieres May 30th at 9 on CNN and next day on the CNN app. Oh, just my type. Babe. Oh, me in the house. Welcome to the highest competition of the summer. Hey, hey, hey, hey, take me to the beach. Three amateur renovation teams paired with a top HGTV mentor will transform three beach houses into a life-changing opportunity. To win$50 ,000 cash. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Did you say$50 ,000? Can we join? Season premiere Battle on the Beach, Tune first at 9 on HGTV.

27:54That is crazy and not normal. In our out-of-this-world lead, an explosive reminder that rocket tests don't always go well. This was last night at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Blue Origin was test-firing the engines on its new Glenn rocket. No liftoff was planned. No astronauts were aboard, fortunately, and nobody on the ground was hurt. But we're left with tons of questions as we watch this truly crazy video of this fireball going into the sky. So let's put our questions to former NASA astronaut Garrett Riesman. Thank you so much for coming on. I mean, just watching that, let's play a slower version here of the rocket's ignition.

28:42and you can see the flames at the bottom of the rocket's engine start. But then seconds later, right here, it's on the screen, there seems to be an explosion higher up and then everything blows up. Does that seem significant to you? Yes. I concur with the fellow taking the video that that was crazy and not normal. So it happened very quickly and it made quite a big blast. You know, I don't think we've ever had a rocket with that much explosive force detonate on the pad, maybe in U.S. history. I heard estimates as high as a kiloton, which is almost 10 percent the power of the atomic bomb that was dropped during World War II.

29:26So we're talking about a massive explosion. And what would something like that do to the launch pad and the support equipment around it? And it really is remarkable. No one was injured or killed in this, right? Right. What we do whenever we're doing operations like this, we're very careful to evacuate everybody to a safe distance. And that blast zone is something we calculate to make sure that nobody gets hurt. And obviously it worked. The safety protocols worked in this case. So, yeah, but you would expect a lot of damage to the pad. And that's a big concern because it's the only pad that this rocket currently has to launch from.

30:03There's no other there's no pad B, if you will. But I was a little bit encouraged by the fact that today we saw some still photos from a drone where it looked like the damage wasn't quite as bad as I had feared. So there was a lightning tower that was completely destroyed. There was a transporter erector that was also completely destroyed and mangled. But a lot of the other hardware, the tank farm looks OK. The main hangar there looks like it would stood to blast. So surprisingly, it's actually in better shape than I had feared. Yeah, that is a surprise. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns Blue Origin, and this new Glenn rocket named after late astronaut John Glenn is designed to lift heavy payloads.

30:44Both Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX are competing to produce a rocket that will help NASA land people on the moon. How do you think last night's accident could impact the moon program? Wow. Well, it is going to be a severe impact and in several ways. So first of all, this rocket was going to launch the Blue Moon Mark II lunar lander, which was something we desired to have in place for the next Artemis mission, Artemis 3. The plan was to send up a crew in the Orion spacecraft and dock not only with the Blue Moon Mark II, but also with the SpaceX Starship, which is having its own issues. And now it looks like it's highly unlikely that with the announced time of doing this within the next year, that that will likely happen without this rocket.

31:36Because you need this new Glenn rocket to get that blue moon Mark II up to low Earth orbit for Artemis III. They might proceed just with SpaceX if SpaceX is ready. But their plan B has now got a very big question mark. Yeah, for sure. Garrett Reisman, thanks so much. My pleasure. And President Trump just weighed in on the ruling from a federal judge ordering his name be taken off the Kennedy Center. Our political panel is standing by to react. That's next.

32:14In our politics lead, President Trump is now responding to the judge's ruling today that he cannot add his name to the Kennedy Center. The judge also blocked the planned temporary closure of the year's long renovation. Trump responded to this and said in part, based on the fact that the radical left Democrats care more about opposing your favorite president, me, than saving a dying performing arts center, almost all of which lose large amounts of money throughout the country, we are going to be working with Congress to transfer this failing institution back to them so they can make a determination as to what to do with it.

32:47My panel joins me now. Terry Moran, you up first with that face. It's a rare retreat. Yeah. He just wants to slap his name on it because he's him. He's the president. He gets to do what he wants. The judge said no. The Kennedy Center was named by Congress through the passage of a law. If you want to change that name, you go to Congress and get a law passed. Now, I think the last thing Republicans want to do is demonstrate to their voters that they care more about slapping Trump's name on the side of the Kennedy Center than helping their constituents with the real problems of their lives. But who knows?

33:21He couldn't get them to do most things. Yeah, it is interesting. What do you think, C.W.? I guess we'll die a quiet death. Look, I think it's noble to try to renovate the Kennedy Center. I thought it was straight. I knew, look, anybody who was looking at this clear-eyed knew the second he slapped his name on it, it was going to be temporary at best. Either there was going to be a legal injunction or when the Democrats got in, they were going to take it off. It was temporary at best. And Donald Trump likes to do this. Always push the legal limit, push it, push it. And then when the final court decides, it's sort of over and he lets it die.

33:52But it's kind of surprising because this was a district court judge. I mean, they could fight this in the court. He probably knew it wasn't worth the squeeze. Yeah, well, I didn't mean to interrupt you. I think he sees that the biggest political problem he has right now is that people who voted for him in 2024 thought he was going to work on bringing prices down and they don't feel like he's doing that. And so every minute that he spends focused on vanity projects, like putting his name on the Kennedy Center, he's illustrating to people that he's not focused on the things that matter in their lives.

34:21So I'm a little surprised to see him take such a sanguine response here. But the politics dictate that that's the right thing for him to do. And one thing that the judge's opinion reveals is that Congress didn't stand up for itself. This is an obvious case. This is a basic principle of law and not a peep out of it. Not a peep out of this vandalism, this act of vandalism that they just kind of went along with because they're so afraid of it. And it took some district court judge to say, no, if you look at the law, this is pretty obvious. Yeah, he said it's clear as day or something like that, that Congress should be the one to decide this.

34:56I want to talk about something else, and that is what's happening in Texas and what we're hearing from Senator John Cornyn. Now, we've seen some of these senators who have lost, right, who Trump went up against now being more open with what their real thoughts are. And Senator Cornyn posted a not so subtle take on how he sees the GOP primary race that he just lost to Attorney General Kim Paxson. And he did it by way of an old fable. Let's read this fable. Story time here on The Lead. Here it goes. A scorpion wants to cross a river but cannot swim. So it asks a frog to carry it across. The frog hesitates, afraid that the scorpion might sting it, but the scorpion promises not to.

35:36It goes on to say, Midway across the river, the scorpion stings the frog anyway, dooming them both. The dying frog asks the scorpion why it stung, despite knowing the consequence, to which the scorpion replies, I am sorry, but I couldn't help myself. It's my character. Is Trump the scorpion here? What do you think? Well, at first, actually, I thought the scorpion was Paxton and the Texas GOP was the frog. And then I remembered it dawned on me, wait a minute, Donald Trump told the snake story on the campaign trail for years. And it was the same thing, just reworded. The woman found a wounded snake, nursed it back to health, and the snake bit it and said, why did you trust me?

36:18I'm a snake. So then it begins, oh, wait a minute, he's talking about Trump. And look, at the end of the day, whether or not Paxton wins or not is actually kind of besides the point. because it's going to cost so much more money to get him there. And that will mean Donald Trump will have to crack open the pocketbooks of his PACs, which he has been very reluctant to do. All Republicans hope he does so, but there's a lot of cautionary tales here that if we don't want this to be the crazy, crazy race that we think it might be, people are going to need to pay up because Ken Paxton can't raise the dime.

36:49And James Tallarico, for his part, the Democrat, Texas Senate hopeful, he said he raised$3 million in the 24 hours following Ken Paxton and becoming the GOP nominee. That's not a small chunk of change. No, it's not. And as challenging as Texas is demographically for Democrats, the combination of a uniquely damaged nominee in Ken Paxton and a talented guy like James Tallarico, and the president's overall approval rating across the board being at about 37%, this is a moment where Democrats might be able to make a play here in a way that they haven't in years past. And I think the fundraising point is important because Tallarico is able to raise money.

37:28He excites a lot of the Democratic base, even outside of Texas, frankly, which is where a lot of these candidates raise money. But, you know, you also have in Paxton somebody who can't tap into traditional Republican donors the way John Cornyn did. Cornyn was a prolific fundraiser. And so not only do you have Paxton, you know, carrying around a lot of baggage that's going to be front and center in this race, but Republicans have also cut themselves off from a huge line of fundraising that they've previously been able to tap into with John Cornyn. The Republicans overall and Trump-related groups are about$200-plus million in the green.

38:05The DNC is in the red. Look, I worked on the Lindsey Graham 2020 race, and I remember every Democrat from San Francisco to Boston wrote maxed-out checks to Jamie Harrison. I saw junk poll after junk poll saying Jamie Harrison was very close, And then a week before, oh, my gosh, he's up four on Lindsey Graham. Election, he probably, Jamie Harrison broke every fundraising record up until that point. And then what happened on Election Day? Lindsey Graham won by over 10 points. Why? Because you can put lipstick on a pig when it comes to progressivism, but conservatives in the South still won't bite.

38:40And Lindsey Graham was the biggest lightning rod aside from Donald Trump that year, and it didn't pay off. Do you think this could be another example where there's a lot of hype around Tallarico? Well, it's Texas, and it's a long shot. But he's doing something very, very different, I think, which is sort of trying to find a way forward in our politics. A lot of what we're hearing, all these Republicans, as soon as they lose their primary, they find their spines again, right? And they start addressing, they tell the truth about what they actually believe in and what they think. I think that's a shame.

39:11Hallerico, it seems to me, is at least trying to find a way past the venom and the outrage and the constant trolling and the constant at least get to a point. And that stands in stark contrast with Ken Paxton, who is that in spades. I think one of the things we'll find out about in Texas is, is that yesterday's political style? It feels stale to me. I think people are exhausted with the constant barrage. You know, what Katie Miller and the Democrats' social media manager did. I think people are sick of it. And Paxton versus Tallarico is that contest as well. There's this new CNN piece out today that looks at Tallarico's efforts to win over black voters who strongly back Jasmine Crockett.

39:54And Crockett's spokesperson said in a statement to CNN, the Democrats need to make tough decisions on where to prioritize spending, saying, quote, do they invest in a Texas long shot or double down in states where they've won statewide, such as Alaska and Georgia? What do you think about that? I actually think that's a very clear headed way of thinking about where Democrats should put their resources. Now, obviously, she's got some personal ax to grind, given the outcome of the primary there. And that's understandable on a human level, I suppose. But look, Texas is a tough state for Democrats.

40:27It is absolutely true that Hispanic voters who came over to Trump in 2024 are coming back toward Democrats. And it may be that Tallarico is able to animate some of those voters and get over the finish line in what looks like is going to be a really, really tough year for Republicans. But Democrats need to make tough choices about where they can win. If I were making decisions about where to put money, I would also look, I would take a really hard-nosed look at where Democrats think they can win. So I actually, you know, there'll be a lot of, she'll get a lot of blowback for saying that. And obviously the personal component of it is, you know, maybe less than gracious.

41:03But as a strategic matter, she's not wrong. Maybe she has a point in her view. All right. Thank you all. Great discussion. Well, gas prices are high and Americans are feeling the economic squeeze because of the war with Iran. So could that be coming to an end soon? President Trump spent hours in the Situation Room. What we know about his closed-door meetings up next.

41:32This is CNN Breaking News. Welcome to The Lead. I'm Pamela Brown. And for Jake Tapper, the lead tonight, we're waiting to hear the results of today's White House Situation Room meeting to discuss a possible deal with Iran. In a lengthy true social post before the meeting started, President Trump again listed his demands. And at the top of this list, quote, Iran must agree that they will never have a nuclear weapon or bombs. Hormuz straight must be immediately open. No tools for unrestricted shipping traffic in both directions. By the way, a line about Iran agreeing that it will never seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons also is in the first paragraph of President Obama's 2015 agreement with Iran, which Trump tore up.

42:14Now, a spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry tells Iranian state television that Washington and Tehran are still in contact, but a memorandum of understanding between the two nations has not yet been finalized. So let's bring in CNN's Caitlin Collins, who's been keeping tabs on all of this. And Caitlin, we were just talking about the fact that President Trump had said he was going to let us know what his decision is. And that's not happening right now, right? Yeah, there was this meeting in the Situation Room today. We know the vice president, J.D. Vance, was there, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, obviously, along with other top officials.

42:45And the president had previewed his list of demands, as you just noted there, Pamela. The main ones, of course, that they don't want Iran to be pursuing a nuclear weapon, that they also want to deal with the enriched uranium. The president noted in his Truth Social post that other matters which he described as of lesser importance had already been agreed to between the two sides. But obviously it's the big issues that they need to come to an agreement on. And so the president said in his post that he would be making a final determination shortly. Maybe he has behind closed doors, but they have not disclosed to us what exactly that determination is and if the president has made any decision at all.

43:22We know that he had been weighing that 60-day extension of the ceasefire where they would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, lift the United States blockade on Iran, and then basically sort out those thornier, much thornier issues later on during that 60-day period. And so that remains to be seen if the president is in fact doing that. He's remained behind closed doors at the White House today while meeting with his top aide, so we haven't heard from him directly on this. And he is planning to stay at the White House this weekend, so we will see if any of that changes. But obviously, these are the big questions that are facing the White House in terms of where exactly this war is headed next.

43:58And certainly they are feeling the external pressures. They were looking at the inflation numbers yesterday here in the United States. They've been watching gas prices rise over the last several months. And every day that ticks by is a day that gets closer to the midterm elections in November. And the president said the other day in the cabinet meeting he doesn't care about the midterms, but certainly the Republicans that he's on the phone with quite often certainly do, Pamela. Definitely weighing on them. And Caitlin Collins, thanks so much. And everyone, be sure to watch Caitlin's show later tonight.

44:25The Source with Caitlin Collins tonight. She'll have an inside look at the UFC event coming up at the White House tonight at 9 Eastern on CNN. And with us now are CNN Political and Global Affairs analyst Barack Ravid, along with former Deputy Director of National Intelligence and retired Army Lieutenant General Karen Gibson. Barack, I want to start with you because you have sources throughout the Middle East. And I'm wondering what you're hearing about this meeting that happened today in the Situation Room and just where everything is with this potential deal. Well, I want to be very careful because I think these are very sensitive and crucial moments at the moment.

45:05And I think there's quite a good chance that over the next 24 hours, there will be a decision, maybe even later today. And I'm not sure this decision has been made yet, but I'm told from several sources that this is very much on the table. and I think if there's one thing that President Trump has been thinking about, or as he has been told in the last few days, according to U.S. officials, is that even though a deal will not be perfect, the alternative, that's at least what the president's been told, the alternative is another six to 12 months of the Strait of Hormuz being closed with all the implications for the global economy and for the U.S.

46:05economy. And I think this is one of the main things that the president was and is thinking about when he's making the decision. And General Gibson, I want to bring you in on this because the Strait of Hormuz is clearly key, right? Will the U.S. military be tied up, either clearing mines from the Strait of Hormuz or making sure ships can pass through safely potentially? So I think the U.S. military will remain deployed in the Gulf in some number for quite a while. I mean, first, if we're talking about a 30-day period to open the straits and to clear the water of any mines, as well as, you know, our very presence there and the combat power that we present both in terms of naval and air assets is a key part of the deterrent effort and part of our leverage that has compelled Iran to come to the table.

46:59From what I understand, you know, of course, we haven't seen the full document yet, but it sounds more like sequenced de-escalation in a framework for negotiation as opposed to a full and final peace deal. And until we are much closer to what that full peace deal looks like, with the finer points worked out for both the nuclear program as well as reopening the straits, I think we'll need to leave the strong military presence there for that coercive leverage. And earlier this week, Barack, President Trump was insisting more countries sign on to the Abraham Accords, which would improve relations with Israel.

47:33Do you see that happening, especially if Israel continues attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza? Well, the answer is twofold. First, this will definitely be a key issue for President Trump after the war with Iran ends. It's going to be a priority for him to try and expand the Abraham Accord, especially get a Saudi-Israeli peace deal. At the same time, Israel is going for an election in three months, which means that it's going to have an interim government that cannot really take any decision. and any country in the region, even if it wants to normalize relations with Israel, will not do it ahead of an election when he doesn't know which kind of government will be in place after the election and doesn't want to take any steps that will be seen as an interference in the Israeli election.

48:29So I think while this is going to be a big priority for President Trump and he's going to continue pushing it, I hear it from numerous people around the president. At the same time, I think we will not see any breakthrough on that before there is a new government in Israel after the election. All right. General Gibson, I have another question I wanted to ask you just on what Iran is saying. There is this top Iranian official that warned earlier today that Iran does not intend to transfer its stockpile of enriched uranium abroad. Meanwhile, President Trump maintains that Iran needs to hand it over to the U.S.

49:07How much of a sticking point do you anticipate this becoming? So I think it's a great question. I think, as we've kind of talked about here, there are really two, in fact, frankly, three categories of things that need to be negotiated. One, the ostensible reason that we entered the war to begin with, and that is to put curves on the nuclear program. That'll be very complicated. There are a lot of issues related to sequencing and processing and really sticking points like the highly enriched uranium or suspending enrichment of other uranium that you've mentioned that there's no way that's going to be resolved, I think, within 60 days.

49:42The second broad category are those things related to navigation and commerce, whether it's Iran effectively closing the Straits of Hormuz as well as our own NATO blockade. I think that's what's going to get negotiated first. And that will be more important. and it could take some time to come to an agreement regarding the highly enriched uranium. The third category are things related to missiles, proxies, drones. We're not hearing a lot about those recently, and those may or may not be included. All right, General Karen Gibson, Barack Ravid, thank you both. Also in our world lead, Romania blames a Russian drone for injuring two people in their apartment early today.

50:20Romanian defense officials say Russia was attacking a nearby Ukrainian port when the explosive-laden drone crossed the border and hit the apartment building. Romania's president calls it a serious incident and ordered the expulsion of a Russian diplomat. The strike also drew swift criticism from the European Union, NATO, and the U.S. And here in the U.S. right now, live images right outside the Delaney Immigration Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey. For eight straight days now, we've seen crowds right outside protesting conditions inside that facility. Just ahead, the tense scene, authorities are hoping not to see a repeat of.

50:57Plus, in just hours, longtime Democratic Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina is hosting his 34th annual world-famous Fish Fry. It's often a gathering spot for presidential hopefuls. And is a guest headed there tonight planning to run in 2028? I'll ask him up next.

51:22In our politics lead tonight, it's a fixture among Southern Democrats, Congressman James Clyburn's world-famous fish-frying Columbia, South Carolina. And attendees may be ready to party more than usual, given the event is happening just days after Trump's failed efforts to redraw the state to help Republicans this fall. But before the fish gets fried up, guests will gather for the Blue Palmetto Dinner, an annual party fundraiser that often showcases potential presidential contenders. My next guest is tonight's keynote speaker at the event, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. Hi, Governor. Nice to see you.

51:56So can you give us a preview of the message that you plan to deliver to Democrats tonight? I am excited to be in South Carolina tonight, the state that said no thanks to Donald Trump's redistricting and yes, please, to another term for Jim Clyburn, such an impactful, important and powerful voice in the U.S. House of Representatives. Tonight, we're going to talk about how we have to fight for the future of this country, not just against the excess and unlawful activities of Donald Trump, not just against the failed Trump economy, but about a vision for America where the American dream is still possible, where if you work hard and play by the rules, you can not only afford to pay your bills at the end of the month, you can take your kids on that same vacation your parents took you on.

52:41You can afford a home before you're 40 years old, which is the average age for first-time homeownership right now. You can feel safe in your community. You can believe in the public schools that you're sending your kids to. And you know you're traveling on safe roads and bridges throughout the country. There is a path for Democrats. And I'm so proud of Southern Democrats, which after not being invested in, after being overlooked, we have scrapped our way back to the table with three Southern Democratic governors, two southern U.S. senators with another to come in Roy Cooper. It's exciting, and we are seeing huge turnout all over the South by Democrats.

53:18And, of course, South Carolina is a crucial state, right? You're attending the 34th annual Fish Fry there. This is an event known to attract many presidential hopefuls in years past. Have you made your decision about a presidential run but just haven't announced it yet? Where are you? No, I haven't. I've got a full year of serving as the head of the Democratic Governors Association, where we are going to change the map. Now, I've been campaigning with Doug Jones in Alabama, Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, and today I'm in South Carolina. We're going to win where people aren't expecting. And so it's so critical to make sure that we go everywhere, that we fight everywhere.

53:59I mean, I was reelected by five points in a state that Donald Trump won by nearly 31. won. I'm living, breathing proof that Democrats can win anywhere and we should be fighting everywhere. And right now, I think it's incumbent on a governor from a state like mine to try to speak reason into this chaos, to remind people that when I sue Donald Trump, it's not because he's a Republican president and I'm a Democratic governor. It's because his policies are hurting hardworking American people. That's a message you're going to hear tonight, not just from me, but from everybody that is at this dinner, that is at that fish fry, that's just crying out for a better America that can work for everyone and that's not attacking anyone.

54:37For some listening, it might sound like you're running for president. I know you say you have a year, but that's not a decision you just kind of wake up and make. Can you give us any sense of where you are as it stands today? Well, I'm mainly excited in what I'm seeing throughout not just the South, but all over the United States. I mean, I think that we're going to flip Iowa and that Rob Sand is going to be the next governor there. Amy Acton is running ahead in Ohio. Nevada, and Georgia are in play. So what you're seeing is us working really hard in 2026 for whoever the candidate is in 2028 to change the map, to widen the margin of error.

55:14I mean, think about if Katie Hobbs is not reelected as the governor of Arizona, we have an election denier there, what 28 looks like regardless of who the candidate is. So I am focused on these absolutely critical elections. In the end, I care more about this country than I do about any title for myself. And tonight, just excited to pump up South Carolina Democrats to show them that anything is possible, to show them that we can elect Democratic governors anywhere in this country. I'm going to talk about Senator Elizabeth Warren and her sway over your party. Axios is reporting that Warren, one of the most influential leaders in the progressive movement, is being publicly and privately courted by Democrats eyeing presidential bids in 2028, a sign they're trying to build up their lefty credentials.

55:59You're one of the Democrats that Axios is reporting met with Warren in recent days. What can you tell us about that meeting? I'm not trying to build up credentials anywhere. Elizabeth Warren is somebody who reached out to me after my first big win for governor, and we've stayed in touch ever since. I don't believe that this party should have this side or that side of the party, which everybody's trying to always pit against each other. I think everybody is their own unique person and leader, and we can share certain things that we can work on and sometimes we can disagree. Senator Warren and I both agree in early childhood education is important and should receive more funding from the federal government.

56:37That idea that regardless of whether you're a Democrat or Republican or an Independent, you want your five-year-old to show up at kindergarten, kindergarten ready. And then there are lots of issues that we should not only be able to work with Senator Warren on, but also cross the aisle. Things that aren't bipartisan but nonpartisan. and a good job, being able to see a doctor in your own community, safe roads and bridges, good schools, public safety in every community. Those are things that aren't left or aren't right. And those are a lot of the things I've talked to Senator Warren about. And she also wants to be helpful.

57:07And that's not pushing any this issue or that issue. She wants to be helpful in places where more Democrats can win. And I welcome that support. Centrist critics argue that Senator Warren has pulled the party too far left. Do you believe that your party has pulled itself back to the middle if it wants a shot of winning back the White House? Well, I believe we've got to be a party that more people want to be a part of, and that's got to allow for some disagreement. But the core of the Democratic Party has to be about restoring the American dream, that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can get ahead of making sure that people believe that the system is not rigged and can still work for them, that They can live a good life.

57:48You know, Donald Trump promised he'd bring down prices. They'd make people's lives better, and he's done anything but that. His tariff policy has raised prices on everything. His war in Iran has raised prices on gas and diesel, raising the prices on everything. His big, ugly bill is going to decimate rural health care and thus raise the prices on everything health care. People are out there feeling betrayed. And the Democratic Party, all it has to be is a party that agrees that we work hard every single day to make life just a little bit better for all our American citizens. I want to ask you, just talking about making life better, you know, there's a lot of talk about AI.

58:23I cover it extensively on my show. I know the lead does as well. I'm filling in for Jake Tapper. And so I wanted to ask you about plans in Kentucky, our home state, to build what will become Kentucky's largest AI data center in the Northeastern part of the state. And as I'm sure you're aware, These data centers are becoming increasingly unpopular among voters. Do you think it's important? Why do you think it's important for this controversial project to proceed? And what more are you doing to protect Kentuckians from losing their jobs in this age of AI? Well, I think there's two pieces on AI. You know, the first is what it's going to be used for, which doesn't necessarily have to do with data centers.

59:06And that does need regulation by the federal government. We need to make sure that it doesn't cause mass layoffs. We need to make sure that it doesn't impact our national security, that it doesn't allow people to hack our bank accounts and other private information. On the data center side, we evaluate every single project about whether it's going to be good or bad for a region, and we talk to the people of that region about it. For me, no data center is going to get any of my support unless it pays for all its own power, all of it, even the new means of generation. They've got to solve the water issue because it has to be environmentally friendly.

59:42They have to pay their fair share of taxes in some regions. The property tax coming off of these could double the budget for the county school system. It could allow for major raises and reinvestments in areas that are struggling and could help counties invest in other areas to create other jobs or attract health care. And the last piece is the end users, the owners of these data centers need to get in the community, convince people that they will be an everyday part of it, that they will be an important company, not just somebody who is taking up land, that people are worried about the water, but that is actually going to be a long-term partner.

1:00:18Now, those are non-negotiable to me, and there are things that not only will we get commitments on up front, but we will follow through and monitor. All right, Governor Andy Beshear, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Thanks for having me. A live look in New Jersey right now. Now, this is right outside the Delaney Immigration Detention Center in Newark. You see authorities there as crowds gather again tonight, protesting conditions right inside the intense scene we saw there last night and what's expected tomorrow.

1:00:56Internationally, you're looking at live pictures right here outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey. For eight straight days, we've seen demonstrations amid a week-long hunger strike reportedly being carried out by detainees over inhumane conditions. The protests at times erupted into heated clashes with ICE agents, including last night. CNN's Gloria Pasmino reports from right outside the detention center. Well, Pamela, the crowd of demonstrators has actually been significantly smaller throughout the day here today, and part of the reason for that is there's actually checkpoints that have been established around the perimeter of Delaney Hall to try and keep the traffic under control here.

1:01:38Only trucks are being allowed in to try and keep congestion down. New Jersey Governor Mikey Sherrill announcing several measures earlier today. She is deploying the state police to take over for the ICE officers that have been guarding the entrances to Delaney Hall for the past few days. That's where we have seen a lot of the confrontations, a lot of the violent confrontations into the evening hours taking place. So we are expecting the state police to take over operations here. ICE officers are expected to be giving up these posts. State police and local police will take over. And there will also be the creation of specific protest zones.

1:02:21People will still be allowed to gather, but they are going to be told exactly where to do it. This is all ahead of a demonstration scheduled for Saturday. This is expected to be a pro-ICE demonstration. So officials acknowledging that things could likely escalate between tonight and tomorrow with that protest that is planned. So significant public safety measures being put into place. And again, the governor directing state police to take over for ICE officers. Pamela? All right. Our thanks to Gloria Pasmino there. And a retired judge is joining us next. Next, we're going to get his reaction to his role in a new legal order that just came down against President Trump's$1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund.

1:03:05We'll be back.

1:03:13In our law, Justice Lee, two major rulings today on the Trump administration's$1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund. Today, a federal judge temporarily halted the administration from moving ahead with plans to create that fund, which the administration says is to compensate victims of what they call government weaponization. And just moments ago, the federal judge who oversaw Trump's unprecedented lawsuit against the IRS ordered him to respond to claims that he committed fraud on the court. That order stems in part from a legal effort brought by 35 retired judges who asked a federal court on Wednesday to reverse course and reopen the lawsuit.

1:03:53So a lot going on here on the legal front. And I want to bring in one of the judges challenging the fund. And these two cases I just mentioned, Judge Vogel, former retired Judge Vogel, they're related, right? So tell us more about these two major setbacks for this fund and what you make of these rulings. Well, let me say the first case, the one in Florida that Judge Williams in Florida just ruled on, that was a case where President Trump sued the Internal Revenue Service claiming that they had improperly released his tax returns. He sued them for$10 billion. That case was settled before there was any actual litigation of the case.

1:04:40There was a complaint filed, but there was no response to that. And the settlement involved the creation of the fund that you just described, as well as immunity of the president from any past audits or findings of any misfiling or anything like that, both on his own part or his family or his related business entities. the problem is I think from the standpoint of the judges who challenged it and I was in that group is that it really wasn't a controversy if you go back to the constitution in article three which sets up the federal courts it says that the federal courts are there to adjudicate cases or controversies that's where there's actual disagreement between parties as to the merits of a legal matter.

1:05:31What happened in this case is that the president was directing both sides of the case. He was his own defense, obviously, because he was one of the parties, but he also was giving instructions to the Justice Department, at least that's what we believe happened, so that the president's wishes were being respected on both sides of the case and the creation of the settlement fund that you just described was done without any actual case or controversy for the federal court to decide. In addition to that, the fund that was created is one that ordinarily you would think would be something that Congress would be responsible for creating.

1:06:17The role of procreating funds is a role of Congress, not of courts. Congress certainly could if one thought that it made sense to create a fund like this to compensate the people who were intended to be compensated. Congress has the power to do that. But what happened is that there was a settlement reached where both sides of the case were essentially represented by the same people, and that was not fully known to Judge Williams. And so the motion that we brought before her was to acquaint her with that background and give her a chance to review the matter. And she's going to do that. Let me jump in here.

1:06:57And in terms of the Trump administration, as you know, its argument is this has been done before. The Justice Department put aside money for Native Americans who didn't get federal subsidies. That is what they're arguing. But bottom line is, what is your ultimate hope here with the outcome? Well, I mean, I think most of us who signed this motion didn't do so for policy reasons. I'm not taking a position as to whether a fund like this should be created. I may have a view about it, but I think as a judicial matter, the question here is really one of process. The concern is that there was not litigation.

1:07:34I mean, in the cases that you're describing and that the administration is citing, there were contested proceedings. There were plaintiffs. There were defendants. The government was on one side. The plaintiffs were on the other side. And the settlement resulted from a resolution of a contested matter. That's what courts do. The courts settle cases all the time. And sometimes settlement funds are created. So to that extent, they're right. But what was really different about this is that there really wasn't a case of controversy. There were the same people on both sides of the case with a practical matter.

1:08:09That's what we're concerned about. So it's a process issue. And I think we have a whole range of judges who signed this motion. And some people are much more sympathetic to the people who would be served by the funds than others. But I think that's irrelevant. But it's, I think, an unconstitutional use of the courts because you don't have a case of controversy. I would ask you about something else very quickly. A federal judge today blocked the Kennedy Center from temporarily closing its doors and ordered officials to remove Trump's name from the Kennedy Center. Not long ago, the president signaled that he may actually be backing down on the takeover posting, saying, we are going to be working with Congress to transfer this failing institution back to them so they can make a determination as to what to do with it.

1:08:55I have no interest in continuing what could be a hopeless journey into Never Never Land. What's your reaction to that? Well, I think the president is right that this is something that is within the power of Congress. That is exactly what the judge who heard the case said, that the name of the Kennedy Center was created by an act of Congress. It is pretty clear to him that the only way to change the name of the Kennedy Center is by an act of Congress. And there are other aspects of the legislation having to do with the board that governs the Kennedy Center, that no matter how strongly the president or anybody else feels, they have to comply with the statute.

1:09:41They have to comply with the law. And I think that's essentially what the order said. It didn't say you couldn't ever rename the Kennedy Center. It didn't say you couldn't repair the Kennedy Center. It didn't say you could make changes to the governance of the Kennedy Center. But this is within the purview of Congress. It's not something that the president or someone else in the executive branch can just decide to do. And in that sense, there's all, Yeah. All right. We have to leave it there. Judge Jeremy Fogel, thank you so much. And just ahead, the growing list of iconic names and music pulling out a plan to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday right here in Washington.

1:10:19We'll be back to discuss. Stay with us.

1:10:30and our politics lead brett michaels and martina mcbride are the latest in a wing the wave i should say a music stars dropping out of a concert celebrating the country's 250th birthday on the national mall this summer rock star brett michaels explained his decision on Instagram, quote, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agree to be a part of. Michaels also raised safety concerns for him, his band, family, and fans. And country singer Martina McBride posted she was pulling out after she was, quote, presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event, but that turned out to be misleading.

1:11:13They join rapper Young MC, the Commodores, and Morris Day and the Time, who have all dropped out of this event. Here to discuss is the panel. There's also some that are sticking so far, and that's Vanilla Ice, by the way, which we were just talking. We were like, throwback to the 90s here. Which is my high school day. They're still going? Yeah. I mean, exactly. We were getting Vanilla Ice songs in our head here. We're going to get to him in just a second, But I want to go to what the spokesperson for this event said in response to this wave of artists withdrawing today in an interview with The Hill.

1:11:46Take a listen. It is inherently nonpolitical. It is a celebration of our country. I don't think there's anything partisan about America being around for 250 years. So, Ashley, what is your reaction to these artists like Martina McBride and Bret Michaels who are saying, look, we were given this opportunity and we were told it was nonpartisan and then it changed. And Bret Michaels was a contestant and winner of Trump's Celebrity Apprentice, by the way. I did not know that. Good fun fact. Am I right about that, guys? Let's just double check. But, you know, I talked to some of the team a little bit earlier about the Freedom 250, and this wasn't supposed to be partisan at the end of the day.

1:12:31And it makes me a little sad just because it is supposed to be a country for the 250th anniversary. However, what's happening was once they were announced, obviously they got significant backlash. And so from them as artists, I'm sure they're weighing are they isolating 50 % of the country by doing something like this? And but by the way, now that they canceled, they're isolating the other 50 % of the country. Well, it also is it just kind of a sign of the times like nothing is nonpartisan now? I mean, it seems like you can't even breathe without it being political. Yeah, although it's, I mean, it's interesting because there's Freedom 250, which is affiliated with the Trump team.

1:13:10I mean, they set the organization up. There's also America 250, which was supposed to be the nonpartisan organization organizing celebrations for the 4th of July. So, you know, I think the, and I don't know, but it sounds like there may have been some intentional blurring of those lines when the teams reached out to these artists to try to convince them to perform. So it is, I agree broadly, it is, you know, this should be a celebratory moment for the country. And it's unfortunate that politics has infected it. But, you know, this was the way the Trump team intentionally set up Freedom 250. And so I think these artists felt like they, you know, they weren't leveled with.

1:13:52And so they didn't want to perform. Or it's bad staffing on their part. Or it could be. It could be. It could be, although certainly, you know, I have worked with celebrities who participated in Democratic events and the Democratic convention. And, you know, there's often a lot of back and forth with artists and their teams. It's a very intensive process. But, you know, yes, due diligence should have certainly been done on the staff side. But there should have been transparency on the Trump team side as well. Well, one artist who is not backing out so far, at least, is Vanilla Ice. And he posted this on Instagram.

1:14:28I'm super honored to do this concert with everybody. We're going to bring back the 90s. Oh, actually, we can listen to it. I'm super honored to do this concert with everybody. We're going to bring back the 90s. Put your dancing shoes on. You'll be happy. Trust me. It's all about enjoying the great times of 250 years, man, from George Washington to now and all the presidents and everybody in between. This is a magical event that's going to happen and very rare. So much better hearing from him than my rendition. He's aged pretty well. Yeah, right? I agree. Side note, he does. I think a lot of us are like, wait, he's still going and he's going to perform?

1:15:12Wow. Well, I mean, the 90s renaissance is having a moment. So I think Vanilla Ice and his team probably saw a moment to seize the opportunity, seize the business opportunity. By the way, my haters always say I have a 90s hairdo, so maybe I will be able to do that. If that's all you get from the haters, I would take that and run with it. I know what they're talking about. Exactly. I mean, haters are going to hate. Exactly. All right, so let's start with something else, and that is what's happening in South Carolina right now. Congressman Clyburn's world-famous fish fry. That's tonight. It's a key destination for Democrats winning a possible White House run.

1:15:48And, Kate, I just interviewed Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and he told me this about his visit. Let's listen. Okay, we don't have the sound. So I will just tell you. Great. He started off talking about, you know, his pitch to Democrats and how, you know, how they want to help the country. But it very much sounded like a pitch from someone running for president. But he told me he hasn't yet made the decision. He's been saying that for a few months now, but obviously not closing the door. What do you think? Well, I wouldn't expect to hear from anybody a confirmation that they're running for president until after the midterms, certainly.

1:16:26Just from my view, why is that? Well, there can be some backlash. I mean, right now you've got people all across the country who are running for House and Senate races who are trying to raise money, who are trying to generate media attention and having somebody come in who is sort of big footing and trying to generate presidential excitement two years out. They're stealing a finite amount of money and attention resources by doing that. So I'd be stunned if you heard a Democrat get in before November. They also want to make a practical decision. They want to see what happens in November. They want to get the latest read from the electorate, sort of where they're going, how they're feeling.

1:17:08So I wouldn't expect anybody to say they're getting in. However, you can get glimpses, right? Of course. Who's attending this fish fry in South Carolina? Of course, and first quarter of next year will probably be when people start getting in. Yes, I would expect first quarter of next year. And look, no question, the fish fry for a Democrat, the fish fry is a must stop. South Carolina, although the primary schedule has not been set yet for 2028, South Carolina very likely to retain its early role in the primary process. Yeah, I mean, remember with Biden, it was critical. It was critical to Biden winning the nomination.

1:17:40And so I would expect every Democrat who's eyeing running for president to make their journeys to South Carolina, to talk to Mr. Clyburn. And so the fact that Andy Beshear is at this event certainly signals that he's doing some of that legwork. Just very quickly, just to pivot and talking about Republicans. So far, there's still no agreement on Iran, right? The president hasn't announced anything. And he has said repeatedly, Americans' financial situations isn't part of the factor here when it comes to Iran. But as we get closer to the midterms, what do you want to say as a Republican? So my national security background hat, I would say I'm happy my commander in chief.

1:18:17And I would say that this was Bush, Clinton, you know, anybody would say that we're not going to negotiate on national security based on a midterm election. but obviously that's hanging around everybody right now. And, you know, I just saw before we came on, there may be, you know, he may agree to this, the deal. And if he does, is that quick enough to get the gas prices down or not? I'm not sure. From the economists, they say it's going to take months, so we'll see. But I don't think that that's what he's thinking about. Okay. All right. That's not what others are thinking about. That's what he's thinking about.

1:18:54Well, I can tell you Republicans in Congress are totally thinking about it. All right, Ashley Davis, Kate Battingville, thank you both. Have a great weekend. And we are back with a rare interview with the head of the Smithsonian Museums and his personal touch on a new exhibit to honor the nation's 250th birthday, plus what he says about input on it from the White House. We're going to show all of this with our Renee Marsh right after this quick break. Stay with us.

1:19:25This Smithsonian Institution in D.C. is preparing for the nation's 250th anniversary. CNN's Renee Marsh got a sneak peek. Also, in a rare interview, she spoke with Lonnie Bunch, who heads up the institution. As the Trump administration seeks to influence how American history is presented, and with the president at the center of the celebrations, we asked whether that political pressure is shaping the exhibits. We're at the Smithsonian Castle. It's been shut down since 2023 for renovations, but it's temporarily reopening for the nation's 250th anniversary. And they have a special exhibit co-curated by Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch.

1:20:06The first time he's done this since becoming secretary and at a time where the Smithsonian is in the political crosshairs of the Trump administration. The new exhibit includes the desk Thomas Jefferson used to draft the Declaration of Independence, Amelia Earhart's flight suit, the original draft of Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech, and a model of the Statue of Liberty before it was built. We think of the Statue of Liberty about immigration. But if you notice, this was given because America abolished slavery. She's standing on broken chains. President Donald Trump looms large over plans for the celebration.

1:20:42But the historian and first black American to serve as head of the Smithsonian says the administration did not influence his picks for this exhibit. Was there any input from the administration on the exhibits? None whatsoever. The Smithsonian always does its own scholarship. And they didn't ask to have input? Nobody? Nobody said it? No, we don't do that. This is the Smithsonian. Trump has previously slammed the Smithsonian for what he calls woke ideology. Last year on social media, he said the Smithsonian is out of control where everything discussed is how horrible our country is, how bad slavery was.

1:21:21He ordered a review of Smithsonian exhibits through executive order in March of 2025. The administration asked for documentation from the Smithsonian for review. Where does that stand? We've given everything that's been asked, we've given and we wait to hear. The Office of Management and Budget, which is doing the review, did not respond to CNN's request for comment. My goal is that history is driven by scholarship, not partisanship. Renee Marsh, CNN, Washington. Our thanks to Renee. And she adds the Smithsonian relies on federal funding for 62 % of its$1 billion budget. The American Aspirations exhibit opens next week and runs through July 26.

1:22:00And the Smithsonian Castle will remain open until September. And coming up Sunday on State of the Union, Democratic Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey. That's Sunday at 9 a.m. and noon Eastern right here on CNN. Erin Burnett out front starts now.

1:22:39Premiering June 7th on CNN. I'm Daniel Dae Kim. I'm going to South Korea to figure out how this small nation conquered the world with its culture. Join me and meet the artists and creators behind the phenomenon. K-Everything. Now streaming on the CNN app.