Trump’s GOP Purge Continues as Paxton Ousts Sen. Cornyn

26:52We would have been better off as a party had he gotten out much sooner. But yes, that was certainly a moment where many of us were scratching our heads. I had obviously seen him fairly recently in better condition than he appeared in that debate, but he never recovered from that performance. And obviously some of the future interviews he gave didn't clear up all the questions either. Democrats have hopes for the midterms right now because of high prices. President Trump only has a 37 % approval rating. I would be remiss if I didn't point out that Democrats as a party only have a 20 % approval rating.

27:32What's gone wrong with your party? Why do so many Americans look at your party? And I know it's different reasons. Some Democrats are dissatisfied because they don't think you guys are tough enough. But, I mean, that's a horrible approval, right? Yeah. And listen, I mean, I talk a little bit about this in the book, which is that, you know, his corruption is the story. I mean, we've never seen a president who is stealing this brazenly from the American people. But let's just be honest. The public kind of thinks both parties are corrupt. And they worry that the only difference here is that we're seeing Trump's corruption and we don't see Democrats corruption.

28:01So if we want to make people believe that we're serious about tackling corruption, we can't just be talking about his corruption. We have to admit that the whole political system is corrupt. People feel crappy in this country in part because they feel powerless in their politics. They think corporations control both parties. So if I was running the Democratic Party, I'd say, let's be for some big, bold ideas to unrig the democracy. Let's be for a constitutional amendment that bans corporate, billionaire, and anonymous money from our politics to show that we're serious about cleaning up our own shop just as much as we want to take on his corruption.

28:37And I think that would also message to people that we're serious about making them feel more powerful in their democracy, which is part of what has created this crisis, this spiritual crisis in this country. So you start the book with a very interesting and revealing anecdote. It's about your son Ryder, who's a hockey player. He's 14. 14. And he plays in a league that is owned by a group of venture capitalists. Basically private equity. Private equity. And they won't let parents film their kids on the rink, on the ice, because they want to control, they want to sell it. That's right. They sell the video.

29:17using AI, whatever. I mean, it's a horrifying thing. Can I ask you, have you done anything about it? Have you legislated? Have you written a law? Is there any way to tackle that? There certainly is. And so I've introduced legislation with Chris Deluzio in the House of Representatives that would ban private equity companies from owning youth sports leagues. So there is a legislative remedy here. But it is how I lead the book because it speaks to something broader, which is that everything in our country not nailed down has become a commodity. I mean, youth sports is literally being bought up and sold back to parents as a product.

29:58What's a more important ritual as a parent than filming your kid's game so that the grandparent can watch? And yet that now has a price on it. This spiritual unraveling that happened in the country long before Trump is due to a bunch of different factors, but one of them is the sense that everything has been commoditized. You can now make money off of people being killed in the Middle East through these prediction markets, and that just feels soulless. There's something broken in our economy. We should protect more things from profit. We should protect the most dangerous products when it comes to how our kids interact with them and build a sense that we care about each other, instead caring only about investor returns.

30:39You say there's a political realignment available to someone willing to capture it. I understand what you mean by that in terms of like the populism out there. Bernie Sanders sometimes is able to get into that. You remember we saw in 2016 people who voted for Sanders and then voted for Trump. There's something there. You wrote, so then why not us? Meaning why not Democrats? Why does the Democratic Party not take the necessary steps to bring together traditional progressives and disaffected conservatives to create a new coalition. Voters chose Trump because they wanted a revolution, but my party doesn't yet seem completely ready to seize this moment.

31:09That is tragic, unacceptable, and worth having a fight over. There are definitely going to be people out there wondering, are you pitching yourself? Are you suggesting that you want to run for president and lead that effort? No, I don't know what I'm going to do. I guess what I'm trying to do with this book is to challenge my party, but the whole country to be involved in more than just an electoral fight, because there is something broken about our culture and our economy in which we don't care about neighbors, the common good, as much as we used to, and just the technologies have corrupted us.

31:42And if we don't fix that, then just winning an election isn't going to be good enough. You know, it's interesting. I've actually had a couple of my friends who I definitely know are running for president in 2028, call me in the last 24 hours or send me texts in the last 24 hours to say, wow, you've really kind of captured something. You've created a language around something that people feel here. I think it's really important that this be part of the debate. Maybe that's the service that I can provide is elevating the conversation so that we're not just talking about tax credits or GDP or unemployment, but we're actually talking about the things that make people feel so lonely and so powerless in their lives, which end up having unifying solutions to them rather than partisan and divisive solutions.

32:25All right, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut. The book is called Crisis of the Common Good, the Fight for Meaning and Connection in a Broken America came out yesterday. Congratulations, Senator. We're going to get more reaction to that new head turner from former First Lady Jill Biden and compare it with what she initially said right after that debate. Stay with us.

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33:37Of course, this is what she said the night of the debate. Joe, you did such a great job. You answered every question. You knew all the time. Did such a great job. My panel joins me now. Alex, obviously, full disclosure, you and I co-wrote a book about Joe Biden's decision to run for re-election and everything that happened afterwards. So, I mean, the first lady was not saying, and the campaign was not saying the night of the debate, that was so bad the first lady thought he was having a stroke. In fact, they said that he actually won the debate and that Donald Trump lost the debate. In fact, they yelled and screamed at any reporter and other potential Democrats that suggested otherwise.

34:22When any sort of senator, when any, you know, people, former Biden aides said publicly that that was concerning, they said, no, no, it actually wasn't. And that wasn't just like spin the night of the debate. Since the 2024 election, you've had senior Biden aides go up to Capitol Hill and claim on the record before Congress that he didn't really think the debate was that bad. It was just one bad answer. And now you have the First Lady being like, no, it wasn't one bad answer that she thought he may have been having a stroke. And she's never, ever seen him that way before. Now, we talked to over 200 people for our book.

34:51We talked to a lot of people that said they had seen him that way before and have seen him that way after. Behind the scenes. Behind the scenes, yes. Yeah. What's your reaction? I mean, I understand wanting to defend your husband and protect him from bad press or just protect his health and all those things. But at the end of the day, I think that it's a little bit self-serving. I think that she's promoting a book. And so while not having seen the entire context of this interview that she gave, I do think it's a way of kind of cushioning what was a reality on the set was that Joe Biden was struggling to answer questions.

35:21And then in the debate rally, you're saying, great job, you answered the questions. Is that the parameter we have? Is that you just answered questions? Like, way to go. And I think about it in terms of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump of where we're putting the, you know, kind of scale of what's acceptable for the commander in chief who's in charge of so much that they can't comprehend one question. It's a problematic answer, I think. Chuck, do you want Democrats want to be talking about this right now? Look, I will tell you that Joe Biden wasn't the only one that was scared and shocked that night.

35:49I was, too. And every other Democratic operative who wasn't working on the campaign because we were like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. We were told everything is cool. And this obviously is a problem. And that's when all of us freaked out and everybody's like, we've got to change. We've got to figure it out. Not me particularly. But folks out there saw what all of us thought might have been happening. And the other point of this for Democrats, and this is important for all you Democrats at home, is that I see the same things now when I see the president currently fall asleep in a meeting in the Oval Office where we've been taught this lesson once already.

36:17We should be reliving it again with what we're living through now, I think. You know, it's an interesting point because yesterday the White House, in order to combat coverage and concerns by CNN about President Trump's health, let's be honest. I mean, like he has health issues. We don't know what they all are, but he's got the bruises. He's got the swollen ankles. He does appear to be falling asleep. We have covered this at CNN. So they took screenshots of different anchors, you know, like me included, with our eyes closed, like making fun of us, like as if that's what we're talking about. And that's not what we're talking about.

36:48We're talking about times that President Trump appears to be asleep. It's very deflective. And I think it's again, I understand there's a job to be done by the White House to protect the commander in chief. Right. They're going to push back on any bad press. They're going to push back on reports that he is looking weak because not only does it impact his approval here in the country, but on the world stage, it could be seen as a risk and a security concern to have him looking so weak. But the same token, if the same people were so concerned and talking about Joe Biden being compromised as president, you know, auto pen Joe, whatever they were calling it, I think that you can't then be so hypocritical.

37:19And this failure to be objective and this failure to recognize when there is a real concern here, you've got a president who is obsessed with his name being on every building in this city, but not telling us enough about what's going on in Iran, not telling us what a timeline is about when this affordability, this golden age of America is going to actually hit people that aren't named something Trump. You know, I think there's a real concern here for everyday Americans that's not being addressed. What do you hear from your White House sources and others about President Trump and his health? I mean, obviously, one of the things that we, one of the reasons we wrote this book is because we don't think it should happen again.

37:55Presidents should disclose everything about their health, every medication they're taking, the result of every test, why tests are not being given, right? I mean, like Biden never got the cognitive test. What are you hearing about Trump? I mean, they're all very much on message internally. And you are surrounded by a lot of people similar to Joe Biden that all have a lot of affection and love for their current principle. But that can also distort your reality field. The fact is that Donald Trump is older on his inauguration day than Joe Biden was on his. He is going to be the oldest president ever if he makes it to this term.

38:31And he has never, ever, going back to 2015, has never disclosed the truth about his health, all the medications he's on, everything. And so that should be concerning. Let me take it a step further. We can take this. If you decide to run for public office, I've been running campaigns a long time, whether you're a city councilman or a congressman, we have two congresspeople right now who we don't even know where they are, a Democrat and Republican, bipartisan, who may be sick, maybe not sick, could be hurt. We don't know. But we should know because we pay our taxes. Yeah, Frederica Wilson, Democrat in Florida.

39:02And the guy in New Jersey 7. Tom Kane in New Jersey, yeah. And you can't just disappear for months at a time. You can. You can, apparently. You shouldn't be able to disappear for months at a time. None of us can leave our jobs for months at a time and still get paid. So just to put a pin on this before we turn to the next subject. Are you surprised, Alex, that there has not been more of a public reckoning? We just heard Democratic Senator Chris Murphy say and obviously that Joe Biden shouldn't have run for reelection. That's actually not a lot of Democrats have said that. Because I think Democrats just want to yada, yada, yada their way forward and just look forward and act like 2024 did not happen.

39:39But if you don't reconcile with, because it wasn't just that Joe Biden hid what was happening. Other Democrats saw him behind the scenes and decided not to say nothing because they didn't see it in their political self-interest. And a lot of those political incentives still remain today in both parties. Do you think that that's one of the reasons, it's so hard to quantify these things, but Democrats as a party have a 20 % approval rating. Trump is unpopular at 37%, Democrats are at 20%. Do you think what happened with Biden and all of that is one of the reasons? And it's obviously not the only one, but one of them.

40:09I think that's a piece of it. And also we live in an age now where this thing just gets information to everybody so quickly. And then folks get fed an algorithm that's just about that thing. And then it just swells and it's hard to stop it. Not saying that that's an excuse for Democrats. Democrats need to learn a lesson from Donald Trump. And that is there's an anxiety in the American electorate. And we've got to show up sincerely and honestly and talk about their pain if we're ever going to win their trust back to win elections. I think that has started by being anti-Trump. But now we have to say what we're for.

40:37What do you think? I think the circle around Joe Biden was too tight and too small and insulated. And Donald Trump is about to have the same exact problem. If people are unwilling to recognize the reality in front of us that he is not doing great, you're going to have the same exact problems you had under Joe Biden, where people were just lying and covering and protecting and not being honest to the American people. All right. Thanks one and all. President Trump was also a big winner in the Texas elections, but the president brushed that off today. Why he said he doesn't care about the midterms.

41:03Huh. Plus the other issue that asks his attention. That's next.

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42:06the costs astronomical. But some fans have been misled about what they actually were buying. New York Attorney General Letitia James is here ahead. Plus, 11 people now presumed dead after a chemical tank ruptured in Washington state. The tank contained 900 ,000 gallons of a mixture called white liquor, which can cause severe burns. It's creating treacherous conditions for the crews trying to recover the victims' bodies. We just got an update from authorities. We're going to bring you those details.

42:41The lead tonight, President Trump is making it clear he will not be rushed into a deal to end the Iran war. He's expressing confidence in the status of negotiations, while also threatening to resume the fight if an agreement cannot be reached. Iran is very much intent, they want very much to make a deal. So far they haven't gotten there, we're not satisfied with it, but we will be. we will be either that or we'll have to just finish the job. They're negotiating on fumes. Today, the White House is expressly denying the authenticity of a draft memo of the deal that Iran's state broadcaster released details of.

43:20CNN's Matthew Chance is in London. CNN's Elena Treen is at the White House for us. And Elena, let's start with you. President Trump appears optimistic about a deal. What else did he say at today's meeting? Yeah, optimistic, but I'd argue, Jake, less optimistic, actually, than we've heard him in recent days. I think, really, the rhetoric from the president on the state of these negotiations from the cabinet meeting was essentially that he wants to seem, in many ways, not over-eager. I think he's trying to push back against the impressions that he knows some people have, that he is over-eager and maybe rushing into a deal with Iran.

43:55He argued today that he's not in a rush. He actually had this one moment when he said, you know, he believed that the Iranians thought that they could outweigh him, knowing that the midterms are just months away. I want you to listen to how he put it. They thought they were going to outweigh me. You know, we'll outweigh him. He's got the midterms. I don't care about the midterms. Look what happened last night. That was the prelude to the midterms. People understand it. They know that, very simple, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. So, Jake, my take on this is I think he's trying to argue that he's not going to be pressured, at least politically speaking, into making a deal with Iran.

44:34Of course, I think it's hard to believe as well that Republicans' chances and their political viability in the November midterm elections is not weighing at all on him as he makes this decision. But, like, some other things I think that were fascinating that we heard from the president today. One, he argued, you know, on this one issue of highly enriched uranium. This has been a red line for the president consistently throughout this entire ceasefire. He did show in recent days that he might be moving on that issue, perhaps allowing another country to go and to retrieve it. But he said today that it would be a nonstarter for either China or Russia to go and retrieve that.

45:12He also talked about the Strait of Hormuz, of course, another key part of all of this. And he essentially said that Iran can never control it. And he pushed back on this idea that was announced by Iranian state media today, that Iran would continue to have control over it even after it would be properly reopened. He essentially said that it belongs to international waters. So push back on that a bit as well. All to say, I think, a little less rosy of a picture of where negotiations stand on this potential framework deal with Iran than it had been just a couple days ago. And Matthew, the White House says this draft memo being negotiated between the U.S.

45:51and Iran that was released by Iranian state media, they call it a complete fabrication. What are some of the details in that report? yeah jake they call it a complete fabrication but frankly this this framework for a memorandum of understanding that was broadcast by iranian state television i mean in parts it reads it reads pretty realistically i mean one of the clauses says that the u.s will lift its blockade of iranian ports i mean that blockade was imposed on the 13th of april the united states has you know intervene to stop more than 100 vessels so far. I mean, clearly, if the war's to end, the United States would have to lift that blockade.

46:30Another clause said that Iran would try to make sure that traffic through that strategic Strait of Hamuz return to pre-war levels within 30 days. That's certainly something that we know has been discussed as well. But it's that other issue, the issue of traffic being controlled by both Iran and Oman, which is the country just opposite Iran, which has a coastline on the Strait of Amooz. President Trump, as we were just hearing, really pushed back on, basically sort of rejecting that kind of arrangement where Iran would have any control over it at all, and Oman would have any control over it all, basically warning a man not to interfere, saying that Oman will have to behave or will blow them up, or will have to blow them up.

47:17Extraordinary threat being made to a country which, remember, is a close partner of the United States. They've got a strong military alliance. And those kinds of words are not going to endear the White House to other Gulf states, Arab states in the region as this crisis develops. Matthew Chance in London, Elena Trin at the White House. Thanks to both of you. Joining us now to discuss CNN Global Affairs analyst Brett McGurk. Brett, we've been in this, we're close to a deal position now for a long, long time. I mean, President Trump says they're close to a deal all the time, but also giving like mixed messages about like, well, but if they don't do it, like, you know, I don't have to do the deal.

47:59From what you've seen, how close do you think the U.S. and Iran are to any sort of agreement to end the war? I think it's good the president said he's not in a rush because I don't think we're close at all. I mean, I'm just, I'm watching kind of what's happening and what the Iranians are doing. The easiest part is this first phase of trying to negotiate, which is basically just open up the Strait of Hormuz. So we'll lift our blockade, we'll let ships go through, Iran can trade its oil, kind of status quo ante, but even that is extremely difficult. As Matthew just said, the Iranians are insisting that they're gonna control the strait.

48:28So they'll say what ships can go through in their new system, which we can't accept, and the President today said we can't accept. As we are negotiating to open the strait, Jake, the Iranians were laying mines in the strait. just two days ago, and that led to a military exchange, a very one-sided military exchange. So that's not a good sign. Moshe Taba Khamenei, the new supreme leader, has not been seen, but he came out with a written statement yesterday, basically doubling down on, not surprising, because the regime is still very much intact. They have consolidated power, but doubling down on their ideology, their philosophy, saying we're committed to the end of Israel within 25 years, what his father said, and getting the Americans out of the Middle East.

49:10This is their driving ideology. So like Iran has not changed. And I just don't see the stars here lining up for a deal. So I've been saying this consistently through this crisis. I think we are pretty much where we have been. And I don't see a diplomatic way out of this right now. And even if you get the straight open, Jake, and Iran is then selling its oil and has that economic windfall, the idea that in phase two, they're going to do the nuclear side of this is even more unlikely. So I think we're pretty stuck. I think we're stuck and we're in a snail bait. So Matthew just read the thing that the president said about Oman.

49:48That's this shorter term plan that would let Iran and Oman control the strait in order to allow traffic to begin. And I'm going to run the clip and I just want people to remember Oman is a close U.S. ally. Okay, let's hear from the president. The strait's going to be open to everybody. It's international waters. Nobody's going to control it. We're going to watch over it. Oman will behave just like everybody else, so we'll have to blow them up. They understand that. They'll be fine. What's your reaction to that? I watched that live and thought maybe he misspoke and thought he meant to say Iran, but the State Department has now put that out as a statement.

50:31Oman is a close partner of the United States of America, believe me. They're close friends of ours. We do a lot with Oman. And that type of language, not only is it not going to go down well with Oman, but within the GCC and the Gulf states, they will rally around each other. So I just think that is really unnecessary. Now, it is true that the international passageway of the Strait of Hormuz needs to remain an international passageway, as it has been, and we want to get back to that status quo. So there can't be some condominium oration between Iran and Oman. But the way to deal with that is you call the Omanis.

51:03They're close partners of ours. Don't you think the Omanis were just trying to solve this problem that is crippling the world economy? Yes, yes, yes. And I know the foreign minister of Oman, I actually know the sultan, I spent a lot of time in Oman. I've been in Oman negotiating with the Iranians a lot. So anyway, that's not helpful. But that type, that just suggests to me, Jake, we're not close to a deal. Yeah. If we were on the breakthrough of a deal, you'd see the rhetoric decrease. Yeah. We're so far away that we're actually threatening to blow up Oman, one of our allies. Brett McGurk, thank you so much.

51:33I really appreciate your time and expertise, as always. President Biden is suing the Justice Department. He's trying to stop them from releasing audio recordings and transcripts of conversations he had with his ghostwriter of his memoir, Conversations from 2016 and 2017. Does he have a case and why do Republicans want these files out there?

52:01And our politics lead former President Joe Biden is suing the Justice Department. The lawsuit filed Tuesday morning is an attempt to block the release of recordings and transcripts of then former Vice President Biden's private conversations with the ghostwriter of his 2017 memoir. The materials were originally obtained by Special Counsel Robert Herr during his investigation into Biden's mishandling of classified documents during the Biden presidency. That investigation. Let's bring in CNN's Paula Reid. Paula, why does the Justice Department even want to release these documents? Well, it depends who you ask.

52:36Some people would say it's about transparency. The Heritage Foundation has been clear in a separate case that they want these because they believe that these tapes will reveal that there were indications of Biden aging and memory lapse as far back as these tapes, which is 2016-2017. But this is part of this larger ongoing debate between the Trump administration and the Biden camp about how much privacy a former president, or in this case, it's really about his time as vice president, is due. And in a filing last night, Biden's lawyers wrote, quote, every American, including a sitting or former vice president, has a right to privacy in the personal conversations he has had within his own home.

53:15And when the U.S. Justice Department obtains that private information through a criminal investigation, the Justice Department bears a particular responsibility to protect it from disclosure. But as you know, there is no love lost between the Trump administration and the Biden administration, particularly when it comes to the Justice Department. On another matter, hundreds of press releases, speaking of transparency from the Justice Department, this is the opposite of transparency from the Justice Department. Hundreds of press releases that detailed the charges against the January 6th Capitol rioters.

53:46They've been wiped from the Justice Department's website, including one press release about a man who's currently facing a child solicitation case. The man pleaded guilty to attacking police with bear spray and a metal whip during the riot. Why is the Justice Department hiding this guy's press release? I'm choosing my words carefully, but my disgust for that kind of crime is considerable. Reasonable. So in the DOJ's statement here, they're not being quiet about it. They are, quote, proud to reverse the Justice Department's weaponization under the Biden administration. So going back to this tit for tap in the Biden administration and the Trump Justice Department saying, I mean, they're on the record for why they did this.

54:32We will do everything in our power to make whole those who are persecuted for political purposes. This includes stripping DOJ's website of partisan propaganda. OK, I got to tell you, I've covered DOJ for over a decade. That website, that is a true sort of a historical record of all the things the Justice Department has done, even if your sentence has been commuted or you've been pardoned. Most of the people who were prosecuted, convicted, pleaded guilty on January 6th. It's surprising to me that they'd take the press release off, right? Because those are official documents. That's what happened.

55:00That's what the jury decided. The judge decided. The individual pleaded to. But here, they're calling it partisan propaganda and loudly bragging about the fact that they pulled down these documents. And just a reminder that we're talking about a guy who pleaded guilty to attacking police with bear spray and a metal whip. And the Justice Department is painting that guy as a victim of a partisan witch hunt. Unbelievable. They might also get money soon, too, right? All these people are eligible to apply for that anti-weaponization fund. I was already in a bad mood. You didn't need to. Sorry, Jake.

55:32I didn't mean to poke the bear. Spoke the bear spray. Today we learned that the former Attorney General Pam Bondi has thyroid cancer. She's now recovering from treatment. Obviously, we all wish her well in her recovery. You recently spoke with her. How's she doing? Yeah, we reached out to her about these reports this morning. She confirmed that she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer after leaving the Justice Department in April. She was replaced by her deputy acting attorney general, Todd Blanche. She has undergone treatment, including a surgery just a few weeks ago. She says she's doing well, even though she continues to recover.

56:04But look, Jake, this has been a really difficult year for Bondi. She has this cancer diagnosis shortly after she's fired from being attorney general. She has seen a lot of controversy, especially over her handling of the Epstein file. So this continues to be a really difficult year for the former attorney general, and it may get worse before it gets better. On Friday, she is expected to sit for a deposition with the House Oversight Committee to answer questions about the widely criticized handling of the Epstein files. Yeah, and obviously, just to reiterate, everybody's thoughts and prayers are with her with her battle against thyroid cancer.

56:38Paula Reid, thank you so much. There is a recovery mission underway tonight for nine people missing after this disastrous chemical tank rupture in Washington state. what we're learning about a potential cause. That's next.

56:57Our National Lead Now recovery efforts are underway for nine missing workers after a deadly tank rupture at a Washington state paper plant. Today, authorities confirmed that two people have died and the nine employees unaccounted for are presumed to be dead. Let's bring in CNN's Nick Watt. Nick, what are officials in Washington state saying about this operation? Yeah, listen, Jake, they say that early this morning, this moved from being a potential rescue operation to a recovery operation. They're still trying to locate the bodies of those nine people who are missing. Now, yesterday, 10 people were taken to the hospital.

57:33One of them was a firefighter treated and released. Two of those people have since died. So right now we've got two confirmed dead, nine more missing and presumed dead. Now, the representative, the local rep from the area called what people have seen. She said that they were unthinkable horrors. Now, here's what happened. That huge tank that you're looking at there, that had about 900 ,000 gallons of something called white liquor. This is an extremely caustic, extremely strong alkaline that is so potent. They use it at this plant to basically break wood chips down to pulp. So imagine what happens when that comes into contact with a human being.

58:17The people in the hospital are dealing with burns, breathing issues, eye issues. The other complicating factor here, Jake, was that a fire hydrant was also compromised. So you had a lot of water along with about half a million gallons of this white liquor sloshing around inside that plant. The fire chief said at some points emergency workers were in water that was waist or chest deep. That's contaminated water, highly toxic water. So right now, what they're saying is this is going to be a very slow and deliberate operation to find those bodies and to treat them with dignity. Nick, what are you learning about the two confirmed victims in this tragedy?

59:00Well, so far, we've got a name for one of them, Gilbert Bernal. His daughter has confirmed on Facebook that he passed away. She called him a one of a kind grandfather. I really can't picture our lives without him. But listen, this is a small mill town, less than 40 ,000 people. This plant's been there for 50 years, more than 50 years. About 500 people work there. So, so many people in that town, Jake, will know somebody who was lost in this tragedy. Horrible. Nick Waugh, thank you so much. Appreciate it. The World Cup is set to start in just a few weeks. But the sky-high ticket prices are setting off another investigation before the first match even begins.

59:39those details next.

59:46In our sports lead now, the biggest soccer games in the world are coming to your hometown and you can't watch, that is, unless you can shell out some serious cash. Official World Cup match tickets are going for upwards of$11 ,000 with resale reaching as high as$2 million. These outrageous prices led New York and New Jersey to launch investigations into FIFA just weeks before the games are set to begin. Attorneys General Letitia James of New York and Jennifer Davenport of New Jersey released a statement today announcing they have subpoenaed FIFA, seeking information about its ticketing practices for the eight World Cup matches set to take place in New Jersey.

1:00:26CNN's Bryn Gingrass joins me now. Bryn, what do they expect to find? Yeah, look, they're looking at how many tickets were allocated for these different games. Not only, Jake, in New York, New Jersey Stadium, MetLife as we know it here, of course, but also if a New York, New Jersey consumer bought tickets at a different stadium for the World Cup, they want to know more about that as well. So they have a very wide scope of this investigation that they're looking into. And look, Jake, I talked to a fan who's based in Washington state and actually said he hopes his attorney general takes some similar action.

1:00:56But he basically told me this story about how he went online, waited in a queue for 12 hours to get World Cup tickets in Seattle, finally got to a point where he could pick his two seats. He said there are pretty good seats on the side of the pitch, not behind a goalpost. Waited another five minutes to check out, finally paid$515 each for those tickets. And then when he got the confirmation, his seats were in a completely different area of the stadium. These are the kinds of stories that were put out in the press. And what the New York attorney general's office said to me basically was they heard about these stories and now they want to know more.

1:01:31Why did this happen? How did this happen? Did they break any laws? And they actually aren't the first attorneys general to take action. California also has put into an inquiry with FIFA for similar questions, you know, wondering what sort of disclosures are given to these buyers before they purchase tickets. So there's a lot of questions that are outstanding here. And the big question for fans, as I talked to one, is will there be any recourse? Will there be any restitution? Of course, the games start in just a couple of weeks. FIFA at the moment is saying that they have no comment on these investigations that are now opened.

1:02:04But the fans are telling me that they're just happy someone is at least on their side, because what they're dealing with is really just taking away from the whole entire experience. All right, Bryn Gingrass, thank you so much. And joining me now to discuss is New York Attorney General Letitia James. General James, thanks for joining us. So exactly what information are you seeking from FIFA? So first, let me just tell you that this is the most expensive World Cup game in the history of World Cups. And so many fans are really excited that the World Cup is coming to this region. But unfortunately, FIFA has engaged in this ticketing scheme and these high priced tickets.

1:02:48And so we issued subpoena, I, along with the attorney general of New Jersey. And we are seeking information with regards to the pricing, the ticketing and the marketing that they are engaging in because they are accountable, obviously, to consumers. And I have a responsibility and a duty to protect consumers. And we have been reviewing media accounts, which indicate that from October 25th to November 26th, FIFA has raised the price of tickets for 90 of its 104 games, their matches to almost 34 percent. And the final game at Giant Stadium has increased to the tune of where ticket prices are at four thousand dollars.

1:03:39And I've heard from consumers and I've read media reports. And so it was it's incumbent upon me to look into this and to investigate. And so we issued subpoenas to get some answers. So I don't have to tell you that investigations can take months, if not years, while the World Cup is going to start in just a few weeks. Realistically, will you be able to have achieved anything by when the games start? We'll probably get some information, but we are, this is a long game. And so what we are seeking, if in fact they have violated the law, if they've engaged in deceptive business practices, we are looking for, you know, perhaps some reimbursement to consumers as well as some injunctive relief, some behavioral changes going forward so that this does not happen to consumers again.

1:04:32You know, It's also important that we determine whether or not they're using dynamic pricing or some other scheme to increase the prices, whether or not they're looking at algorithms or personal data of individuals. Again, this is the most expensive World Cup in history, despite the fact that, you know, so many individuals are purchasing these tickets because they're really excited about the World Cup coming to this region. But it is unacceptable that FIFA use misleading ticketing schemes and change prices for consumers who desperately want to see these games. Your counterpart across the country, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, sent a letter to FIFA a few weeks ago about potentially misleading ticket prices.

1:05:16Have you talked to him or any other attorneys general across the country other than the New Jersey attorney general? We're speaking to a number of other attorneys general across the country, including my good friend Rob Bonter of California. And obviously we will share notes and make a determination as to whether or not what our legal options are going forward. But at this point, it's just fact finding. So on the on the subject of ticket prices, congratulations. If you're a Knick fan, I assume you are. And yeah. Yeah. So the Knicks are making their first appearance in the finals since 1999. According to resale sites, retail resale sites today, a ticket to a Knick game is going to cost at least three thousand dollars for one ticket to one game.

1:06:00Are you worried about that, about any potential fraud or corrupt sales price practices in that case? Or is this just a matter of meeting the market where the demand is? So, listen, we are looking, obviously, at all ticket schemes, be it the Knicks, be it the World Cup, be it FIFA. At the end of the day, our responsibility is to consume or to ensure that they are being treated fairly. And if and if, in fact, we uncover if there's any complaints with respect to the ticketing schemes at the Knicks games, obviously, we will look into that matter as well. President Trump says he's planning on going to one of the Knicks games.

1:06:40You hoping to say hi while he's in town, while he's courtside, maybe pop over? We welcome the president of the United States to a Knicks game. You also recently sued two crypto companies over their prediction markets, essentially saying that they're running unlicensed gambling operations. And one of those companies, Coinbase, responded by claiming that these markets are regulated by the federal government, not the states, as it should be. And President Trump, he seems to agree with that. He posted on Truth Social yesterday that, quote, we cannot have scum like Chris Christie, Letitia James, Tim Walls, and J.B.

1:07:14Pritzker setting the rules. I guess that's a slam against state regulation as opposed to federal regulation. What's your response? New York gambling laws are clear. And these companies are running unlicensed gambling operations. And I have a responsibility and duty to ensure that these prediction markets conform with the law and we are not preempted by the federal government. And so we will continue our litigation and we will respond to the lawsuit that has been filed by the Commodities Future Trading Commission. And I would hope that the President of the United States obviously would use more respectful language.

1:07:52New York Attorney General Letitia James, thanks so much for joining us on The Lead today. Appreciate it. Thank you. A Republican congressman faced a flood of criticisms during a town hall last night. Is this a larger sign of voter unhappiness with the Republican Party? Our panel is up next.

1:08:14And our politics lead a stunning new admission from former First Lady Jill Biden when asked about her husband's disastrous 2024 debate performance against Donald Trump. Take a listen. Were you horrified as you saw it unfold? I wasn't horrified. I was frightened. Because I had never, ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never. Or since? Yes. You've never seen him like that? Never. No. What happened? I don't know what happened. I mean, as I watched it, I thought, oh, my God, he's having a stroke. And it scared me to death. My panel joins me now. Doug, oh, my God, he's having a stroke was not the reaction, the official reaction of the Biden White House or the Biden campaign.

1:09:06Here's Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary at the time. This is six days after the debate, what she had to say. So he had a cold and you all heard directly. You heard you heard from him during the debate. He had a hoarse voice. Many of you reached out to me and my team and some other members of the White House asking what was going on. We confirmed that he had a cold. We already talked about this in the last panel, but I did want to give you an opportunity to comment. Yeah, look, Joe Biden said that he did a great job after the debate. And the reality is, I remember watching that debate very clearly.

1:09:39Before Joe Biden even said a word, I saw his face and said, this election's over. And I think that's the reaction that a lot of voters had. And ultimately, it goes to why we're exactly where we are right now. It was a terrible moment for the president. So let's talk about where we are right now. Turning to 2026 politics, Republican Congressman Mike Flood of Nebraska, a safe Republican district. He faced a barrage of boos and criticism at his town hall yesterday. The many points of contention, including Trump's one point eight billion so-called anti-weaponization fund, the Epstein files, the White House ballroom and much, much more.

1:10:13Here's a little sample. do you think that under president joe biden's four years in the white house if if president trump was in the epstein files it would have been released do you think do you think illegal immigrants should vote in our elections we pay for it by making by making decisions

1:10:45So your solution is to tax the rich. So you can't judge much by who turns out at a town hall. But is there something there about the mood of voters? Every day we're in the field talking to voters, swing voters in California, Maine, Texas. And this sentiment that you're hearing, we pick up in focus groups. We pick up in polling. There's an anxiety. There's an anxiety that actually, excuse my language, flooded Trump into office. The same thing has not went away. We've carved over it. Democrats will make excuses about this. Republicans will say this. But the electorate has been left out of all these conversations.

1:11:23And they feel as gas prices go up, daycare goes up, utility bills. My utility bill in D.C. used to be$150 a month. It's$300 a month. And I got a good job. Regular folks out there are struggling at such a level. And we said this earlier in the segment. They blame Democrats, but they also blame Republicans. Republicans just happen to be in charge of everything right now. And do you think that's part of why Ken Paxton won yesterday and beat John Cornyn? Oh, absolutely. And ultimately, it's not because of Donald Trump's endorsement. Trump endorsed him because Paxton was clearly going to win. The Cornyn team would have told you that, you know, at least privately.

1:11:58It certainly helped. It helped. It's always the best endorsement you can get. But sometimes Trump endorses a candidate and they win. Sometimes they lose. I think we overrate Donald Trump's hold on the Republican Party. The reality is the base has a hold on Donald Trump, not the other way around necessarily. So you you consult for James Tallarico? Yes. So he's the Democratic candidate. And like, obviously, you see Republicans are there. I mean, Paxton in his acceptance speech, low T Tallarico, Talafrico, Tofu Tallarico. I mean, they are painting him as weird, woke guy that doesn't represent Texas.

1:12:38That's a real risk, don't you think? And it's definitely a strategy. Does it motivate people to come vote for a Republican? That's the risk they're taking. And it might as a strategist. But as I talk to people across Texas, they're more worried about what I just talked about. And folks who really care about who eats meat instead of the price of meat are folks that are already a Republican. People in the middle are like, look, I don't care about all this social S-H-I-T. I care about who's going to bring down the prices of things. And I think that's going to be the head-to-head. You saw him today.

1:13:07He's going to kick off a tour talking about corruption. He's going to kick off a tour going across Texas and bringing this in. He's much different than Beto O 'Rourke. He's different in the way that he delivers this stuff. He's different in the way that he's accepting in of Republicans and other folks into the party. And I think that's what really makes him different. It's interesting also to contrast him with the guy who's probably going to be the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine, Graham Plattner, who is, for want of a better term, angry, feisty, a warrior and a veteran. Also, Tallarico has a much different approach.

1:13:41He's a Christian. He talks about theology. He's much more mild-mannered. What do you think about these two different Democrats? ads? Look, it shows the stretch of the party. Planner obviously came from nowhere to really garner all this attention. And the newest poll has him leading Susan Collins by, I think, nine or 10 points. It's a very different candidate. He's going to face a barrage of attack ads, no doubt about it. But one of the challenges of having Paxton win over Cornyn is a lot of money is now going to be spent on television in Texas that might have been better spent for Republicans in North Carolina, in Maine, Ohio, and so forth.

1:14:18I think that it's easy to see that Paxton may be the most corrupt politician in the history of Texas. He was impeached by his own party. There's going to be a lot of mudslinging on each side, but ironically enough, I don't think it's going to come from James Tallarico. He's really out meeting people. He talked about this yesterday. There's a lot of people who come up to him in his selfie line and tell him, I'm a Republican, kind of like they're in the witness protection program, like they don't want folks to know. I think that cuts across more than all of this culture war versus whatever this other thing could be.

1:14:46What do you think about the midterms? What do you think that it's going to be? I mean, obviously, it's May. So who knows what's going to happen? But if things continue as they are now with high prices, affordability, high gas prices, Trump's popularity in the in the 30s, are Democrats without question going to have a good night? I think they definitely take back the House, but they should learn the lesson that Republicans learned the hard way in 2022. You had Ted Cruz and Kevin McCarthy and so forth promising a red wave a year in advance. And then the red wave wasn't big enough. It had to be a red tsunami.

1:15:18And the reality is we had a good election night, but because we overpromised and underdelivered, Democrats got to throw the victory party. And so as I see Democrats now starting to talk about waves, I would caution them, learn the lessons that Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz learned. Do you think the Senate is actually in play for Democrats? I mean, they'd really have to run the table, not only Texas, North Carolina, Maine, Ohio, Alaska. I mean, a lot. A lot would have to happen. Beto O 'Rourke lost the race in Texas by just three points against Ted Cruz. I looked this up today, Jake.

1:15:50Gas on the day that he lost in Texas was$2.10 a gallon. Today it's$4.10 a gallon. Folks like to drive big trucks in Texas. I think that's the difference in lots of states around the country. Ken Paxton's success does give Republicans hope that the president might wade into the Republican runoff in Georgia, which has pitted Derek Dooley against Congressman Mike Collins. Do you think that Trump is going to insert himself? Obviously, Mike Collins has been a big MAGA guy, for better or for worse. Donald Trump has inserted himself in Georgia politics enough. It's cost three Senate races. We remember Herschel Walker and we don't remember his campaign fondly.

1:16:25I think the best thing for the president to do would be to stay out of this. But that's not how he operates. He just guaranteed he's going to get involved. That's exactly what's going to happen. Thanks to both of you. Really appreciate it. The U.S. Supreme Court is allowing black coaches to move forward with their lawsuit against the NFL. Former NFL wide receiver Dante Stallworth is here to react to that story next.

1:16:51Back in our sports lead, a lawsuit against the NFL can be taken to trial. It involves accusations of systemic racism. On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and other coaches to sue the NFL for allegedly discriminating against black coaches. I want to bring in CNN senior legal analyst Ellie Honig and former NFL wide receiver Dante Stallworth, who's here with me in studio. Ellie, first of all, walk us through the legal basis of the ruling. Yeah, Jake, when Brian Flores and other coaches first sued the NFL, alleging racial discrimination back in 2022, the NFL's response was great, but you don't get to go to actual court.

1:17:30You have to arbitrate. If you look at the NFL's rules and NFL's constitution, the NFL argued, it said that's how you have to dispose of these cases. Now, the problem is the NFL's constitution actually doesn't give any rules or procedures for how the arbitration works. and the person who presides over the arbitration is, guess who, the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell. Now, a federal court of appeals looked at that and said, that is simply unfair. They said, it is arbitration in name only. Therefore, Brian Flores and the other coaches get to bring their cases in real federal district court. Today, the US Supreme Court said, we're not taking the case.

1:18:06Eight justices said, we're not touching it. And so the court of appeals ruling, that's the final word. And so the bottom line is, Now Brian Flores and these other coaches get to bring their cases in a real federal district court. And Dante, it's not every day you get to see the NFL possibly taken to trial, let alone for discrimination. What's your reaction? Yeah, I think it's really interesting. Brian Flores brought this lawsuit against the NFL four years ago, and it's gotten up to this point now where the Supreme Court pushed down that ruling. And I think with Brian and everything that he's done, simply as a coach, I mean, he's obviously more than qualified to be a head coach.

1:18:43One of the things that I always think about is that he gave Miami, in his last two seasons, he gave Miami their first back-to-back winning seasons since my first two years in the NFL, which was 100 years ago. It was 2002, 2003. But I think Brian Flores really now is in a good position because he's doing a hell of a job in Minnesota. He's a defense coordinator and has had top defenses there for the past couple years. So from a coaching standpoint, you can't deny that the talent is there. But the Rooney Rule was put into place to kind of mitigate some of these issues. Let me just interrupt for one second just to explain the NFL's Rooney Rule.

1:19:18The Diversity Committee adopted the Rooney Rule in 2003. The NFL says, quote, the committee's initial focus was on the historically low number of minorities in head coaching positions. The policy originally required every team with a head coaching vacancy to interview at least one or more minority candidates before making a new hire. So it was only about interviewing. But now the requirement is to interview at least two people of color and or a woman. But as of now, only three NFL head coaches are black. So I'm sorry to interrupt, but I want to explain the rule to people. Yeah. And I think since the since the Rooney rules implemented in 2003, I believe it was the NFL has made some amendments to that.

1:19:54But if these interviews just become kind of token checking the box interviews, then it really undermines the spirit of what the Rooney rule was initially about. And Ellie, does Brian Flores' record and success in coaching have an effect in the legal case here? You heard Dante's argument that Flores is more than qualified and brought the Dolphins to two winning seasons for the first time since 100 years ago when he was in the league. Yeah, absolutely. So Dante is correct, first of all, that one of the allegations here is that the Rooney rule is just in name only and doesn't actually get observed in any meaningful way.

1:20:30And yes, what the court will do is they will look at all the facts, the record that Brian Flores put up as head coach, the performance of his teams, and make a decision of was he treated differently and worse because of his race. And I should mention that two other black NFL coaches have since joined this case along with Brian Flores. And so they're making similar allegations as well. And Dante, when you talk with people still in the NFL or people who have left the NFL like you, do they still do they talk about systemic racism in the coaching? Yeah. And it's not just black coaches or people in the front office that are black.

1:21:05I've talked to a number of people over the past six years and I've had general managers who are now general managers, guys that I played under or played for that are that are telling me this is an issue that the NFL absolutely needs to take care of. And Ellie, going forward with this case, what risks does the NFL have now? So now the NFL has to face something that I promise you they're afraid of, which is discovery. That is the mandatory exchange of information that happens in federal court, but not in arbitration. And so that means that the parties will get to take sworn under oath depositions of the key people.

1:21:40On the other side, that could include depositions of league officials, of team owners of GMs and decision makers. And that means an exchange of internal emails and texts and memos. It is very revealing. It's always a risk for any large corporation to get to this phase of discovery. And that's where this is going next. If they get past that, when they get past that, then of course there's the risk of trial as well. And if it goes to trial, then this will be in the hands of a jury and heaven knows what kind of verdict they might come back with if they find the NFL liable. So the NFL, to be perfectly frank, is about money.

1:22:13I mean, that's what Goodell is about. That's what the coaches are about. That's what the general managers, well, the coaches are about winning. But that's what it's focused on. You think you're 100 years old. I'm 200 years old. And I remember when people would, when there were no black quarterbacks, because people thought, oh, they just don't have the, and there was just a different way that color commentators would talk about black players, natural skill versus white players. Oh, so smart, so strategic. Obviously, that's a thing of the past. Black quarterbacks are thriving. Just look at my good friend Jalen Hurts, who I've never met.

1:22:47But is it the same problem, do you think, that people just like, there's just some racist legacy as to why people are not hiring the coaches? Yeah, whether if it's a racist legacy or unconscious bias, I think it's definitely there. And that's a great point, Jake. I never thought about it from that matter. All right. Dante Stallworth, Ellie Honig, thanks so much. Aaron And Burnett Outfront starts right now.

1:23:19Hey, I'm Anderson Cooper. On my podcast, All There Is, we explore grief and loss in all its complexities. You have been, and I mean this so sincerely, the soundtrack to my healing. My guest on this episode is Chanel Jones. In January, she began hosting along with Jenna Bush Hager, Today with Jenna and Chanel. the fourth hour of the Today Show. In May 2025, Chanel's husband, Uche Oje, died from glioblastoma. When you hear other people share, it is healing, and you don't feel as isolated, you feel less alone. And so I feel like you've created this beautiful quilt of, like, nurturing our hearts, and so I am honored to be part of this quilt.

1:24:02Talking grief, building community. That's what the podcast is all about. This is all there is. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.