Two Dead, 15 Others May Be Missing in Grand Canyon Flash Flood

23:30I think it shows a misplaced priority, specifically of this administration. So I would not be surprised if someone like Pete Hegseth says, well, maybe I should run for president. Why not? They're putting all the secretaries out on the road. Like, that's just part of what's happening. But the Secretary of Defense is always meant to be apolitical and is never meant to be a part of the campaign apparatus. And this is particularly unusual with what we have seen Pete Hexel do. It may be unusual, but here's what we know isn't unusual. You have a vice president who ranks and registers very well with young men.

23:57You have a secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who could have an opportunity to solidify the 44, 46 percent of Hispanic voters that Trump got in 2024. And I'm speaking of the Hispanic diaspora, that is, where there will be a sense of pride in voting for someone with a similar kinship. And so we have a very competitive group of individuals who will absolutely, I predict, run for president. Maybe even Ted Cruz may throw his hat in the ring. Compare it to someone like a Gavin Newsom, where the taxes are to the roof, where companies are leaving the state, where homelessness is out of control. I'll see your Republicans and up you 20 Democrats.

24:3120 terrible Democrats, huh? That's your opinion. 20 terrible Democrats. I'm getting over here, my mom. Okay, I want to ask you something. This is my personal obsession. The president weighing in on data centers. Like if you are involved in anything, if you work in D.C., odds are you have clients. If you work on campaigns, odds are you're pulling this, you're hearing about this. Everywhere you go, this has become the issue. Trump posting on Truth Social, on data centers, that if they want to end up being backwards and poor would be the rationale for not pursuing data centers. Adding, quote, China could not be happier with this anti-data center movement.

25:06this is a complex and fascinating issue that has become very simplified and extraordinarily political what's your read on it right now it's amazing to me that has become front and center and the fact that people are even talking about it on on certain campaigns i'll be honest with you i don't think a lot of america really understands data centers what they do where they are they just know that they have politicians talking in their ears hey they shouldn't be in your neighborhoods hey they're hiking up your i actually i actually have to disagree with you on that because I think Americans are actually very tuned into data centers.

25:35And if you look at the ads that are running across the country right now, I mean, Greg Abbott in Texas, the governor of Texas in November said Texas was going to be the epicenter of data centers and AI growth. Today, he has walked back that pledge because it is such a toxic issue. I do think there is a real conversation. Like we can't just pause the AI race. Like we are in it. We have to innovate. We have to continue to grow, but it has to be done in the right way within communities. And I, well, I don't, I don't think Americans are tuned off to this. I actually think they are very tuned in to this debate right now.

26:10Sabrina, to address the rising cost that a lot of Americans have complained about, but this is going to dictate the next paradigm shift for the global economy and military might. Is that going to be the United States of America or China? And I'm not certain that anybody sitting at this table wants to live in a reality in 50 years, whereas the Chinese, that's leading the next frontier for the next two centuries. Look, I'm not sure what a paradigm shift is, but I'll tell you this, they don't like it taking up all the gas electricity in your neighborhood. Right. Chuck defines paradigm. Not even knowing he did it.

26:40All right, everybody stand by. We have two Texans on the panel. It's not my choice as an Ohio State guy. It just happened. We need to talk about, though, the state's race for the U.S. Senate, including Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General, pushing back on reports that he claimed not one, not two, but three primary residents. We're back in a moment.

27:02In our politics lead, Texas Attorney General and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton is responding to reports that he and his former wife claimed three houses in Texas as their primary residences. It's noteworthy because the Trump administration is using similar circumstances to claim Trump critics such as Letitia James, Adam Schiff, and Lisa Cook are committing mortgage fraud. Here's Paxton yesterday on Fox. When we bought a new house, we moved our primary residence to a house. So both were dictated by the Constitution. And then they changed the Constitution. They got rid of that requirement that you have, as a statewide office, that you have to have a residence or you have to live, whatever that means, in Austin.

27:42So this idea that somehow that's fraudulent, they, of course, aren't following Texas law. Chuck? I'm glad you're from the meat first. As the top lawyer in Texas explained it, it makes sense now, right? Look, I'm not a lawyer, but I have hired a lot of lawyers. Let me just leave it at that and tell you that, hell, I didn't even understand what he was saying. But what I do understand is when you run a TV ad, back to ad makers, we were talking about ad makers off air. If you're an ad maker like some folks at this table, me, you take that and you go, Well, I only own three houses, and James Tallarico owns one house.

28:17Who do you think more aligns and can understand the hurt that you're going through every single day? When you have the attorney general who's been impeached by his own party, who stole a man's pen, who stole another man's wife, like I'm saying, this is about cost and corruption, and this is why James Tallarico is in this race. Mark, one of the things that I've heard constantly from Republicans, many of whom are acknowledging, like, this is not what we wanted, and a lot of them love John Cornyn, so I'll grant them that, even if you want to stipulate, are looking around saying, look, we have so much to use on James Tallarico.

28:44We have just reams of video that we can use over the course of the last five years. And yet they see this the next day and they're like, come on, man. Like, where does this go for Paxton and his team? Yeah, it's not helpful because this is time when he could be defining James Tallarico and how bad he is for the state of Texas. Because people know who Paxton is in the state. They don't know who Tallarico is yet. And so he could be spending that time and money saying, look, he is bad. He should not be elected. But instead, he's talking about, you know, three houses and Lord knows where. Do you feel like, sure, Michael, the Paxton team can get it together?

29:17Oh, we have to. I think to Mark's point, this is an opportunity to define him. There are some real structural issues with James Tallarico's campaign. Now, I know Chuck's going to disagree with me here, but I'm principally looking at black voters in particular. You have 34 percent of black men voted for Trump in 2024. Now, most of them, all of them may not vote for Kim Paxton. Some will. Some may stay home. Some may not vote for Telerico at all. That's a real vulnerability there. And then you have the Jasmine Crockett, Representative Crockett dynamic here. And so if I'm Ken Paxton, I am targeting those more conservative minority voters with some of his more weird, bizarre religious views and saying this is a guy who does not necessarily register with your principal beliefs.

29:57Do you want this person representing you? I think a lot of people would say no. Doesn't mean they'll necessarily vote for Kim Paxton, but it does create a window for Paxton to see a pathway to victory. Sabrina, to Mark's point, people know who Kim Paxton is in Texas. And he got the nomination in spite of that, because of that in some cases. The Tallarico campaign also brought up the real estate issue in his first TV attack ad. Watch. Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in Texas. Since taking office, Ken Paxton's net worth has increased 7 ,000%. He now owns 15 homes, while most Texans can't afford one.

30:36It feels like what we heard one ad maker allegedly, except 15, and said, three to one. But again, I think the issue is, you know, Schmarco makes a point. It's not the people that they're going after. Your coalition has to be bigger than just Democrats in Texas to win this race. Is that the message that wins that coalition? I actually, I mean, yes, because Tallarica, what he's talking about is the disconnect of how can Paxton, like, will understand his constituents. This is someone that has been enriching himself in office. It's the same argument that you can make about the Trump, you know, kids himself enriching themselves while they've been in office, while you're paying more for grocery bills, more for electric bills, your, you know, your gas prices are higher.

31:15And so I do think that argument does resonate with people. But to your point, you can't just be against Trump. You can't just be against Paxton. You have to be for something. And I actually think Tallarico, you know, there's another candidate running for governor, Gina Hanosa. They've been making the real case of what we're going to do for Texas. And I think that is resonating. And one of the things, whether it being data centers or affordability, that keeps coming up. And I think those issues do resonate with voters. Can I just also say that I think this is a really interesting race because this is a race that Republicans should not have to spend in.

31:44And yet they have such a flawed candidate with Ken Paxton that they are going to have to pull his body over the finish line because they're going to have to spend so much money. And I think if if Democrats flip the Senate, it will be because we have great candidates and a singular endorsement of Ken Paxton. Real quick play because this tees up perfectly like the truth teller of all truth tellers, Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana. We appreciate you as reporters because you just say what you're thinking, including this. Listen. We in the Senate don't have the money budgeted for Texas. We need help from the president.

32:18The president says he has$850 million in his campaign accounts. That's a lot of jack. I'm hoping that the president's going to spend$100 or$200 million in Texas. But he hasn't committed to it yet. But in the meantime, we've got a race. Almost as good as his comments on Lane Kiffin the other day. Is he right? Is that kind of the reality here of like, MAGA Inc.'s going to have to drop eight, nine figures? A boatload of money. It's going to take a lot to get Paxton across the finish line. But at the end of the day, it's a competitive race. And that's what was ultimately going to have to happen. I think...

32:58It wouldn't have been competitive, I think, with John Cornyn. Or as competitive. In this environment, I think so. Now, we can hem and haw over that. Cornyn didn't get a good share of the electorate in the runoff. But at the end of the day, history is not on Tallarico's side. I think it's been since 1988, since Senator won statewide. Or statewide, that's right. Won a statewide race. So you're going to have to have, and if you see polling, I know we've talked a lot about polling and where Paxton is, the governor is up. And so you're going to have to see huge numbers of split ticket voters in order for Tallarico to pull this across.

33:34Let me just say this real quick. Yeah. Paxton, not, everybody knowing Paxton, that's not true. Not everybody knows. He goes, he's never had to run a general election. He's run a lot of primaries, but he's never had to run an election to everybody. So he's only running within his party because it's a red state. And to Sherbuckle's point about reaching everybody, what the campaign's doing is really special. And I worked for Ann Richards in Texas. I've done a lot of work in Texas. There's a lot of voters that align with Tallarico around a number of different things. A, you have this group of people who think he's a nice young man.

34:00You have another group of people who are like, somebody's finally calling out the corruption. and they feel good about that. Then you have other groups of people, whether they're black, brown, and I push back on the black thing. We can have a separate conversation about that. But this vote, this mail, these digital ads, and the ground game, the ground game, which is key in the black neighborhoods and the brown neighborhoods, that's something that's really different in the perfect environment. And see, this is an interesting strategy to me. And Chuck, you corrected me if I'm wrong. You're involved with the campaign.

34:25It seems the strategy is predicated upon heavy turnout among the Latino community. There's been a lot of flaws. Some have launched against Republicans because of how we have handled immigration. You have a pool of black voters. Maybe you pull in some disgruntled independents, and then you see a mathematical path to victory. You correct me if I'm wrong. Cost and corruption, and keep your eye on Republicans who aren't Trump Republicans. I'm not surprised. Because there's a lot of them who still feel really bad about what happened to John Cornyn. I mean, the math works. I've got to be honest, the math works.

34:53And they're moving over to Tallarico because there are people that are in the John Cornyn camp that are moving over to Tallarico. The best thing that could happen for Paxton is for Tallarico to keep opening his mouth. But we've got to define it. I think the best thing for Tallarico is Paxton keeps opening his mouth. I've got good news. We've got like 65 days. We can just have this conversation over and over again. But as long as it's with you guys, I will actually be learning something, which I appreciate. Thank you guys very much. Appreciate you. Well, up ahead, the final stages of two high-profile cases in court.

35:17Why prosecutors keep name-dropping Sean Diddy Combs in the Tupac Shakur murder trial. Plus, we'll go live to Massachusetts where day three of jury deliberations just wrapped in the Lindsay Clancy trial. Stay with us.

35:34The breaking news on our law and justice lead. The jury in the Lindsay Clancy trial is done deliberating for the day. Jurors began deliberations last Thursday on whether Clancy is criminally responsible for killing her three children in 2023. CNN Jean Casares is outside the courthouse in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It's Jean, three days, 17 hours of deliberations, still no verdict. What's your sense on the ground right now? And no notes, no questions today that we know of. And the jury asked to leave this afternoon. Well, I wanted to be in that courtroom and I watched the jury come in. I'm just going to give you the facts because we don't know what they're thinking, what they're doing.

36:10But they filed in. They were stoic, serious, focused. I did not see them at all look at the defendant. They didn't look at the gallery, and they have been looking at the gallery a little bit. But one female juror in the back row, I had a very clear view. She went to her seat, still standing as they're filing in. She took her hand, and she went like this, and she looked at the ground, and then she went like this, looked at the ground. Very serious, and then sat down, continued to look at her lap. The judge started to speak to the jurors. They looked up, just looked at him. No facial expressions, and normally they're a little animated to talk with the judge, who's so nice to them.

36:46nothing today. Then they stood up. He said, we'll see you tomorrow morning, nine o 'clock. They turned, they filed out, no interaction, no smiles with each other at all. And they were gone. That's what I saw in the courtroom today. And Jean, you caught up with Clancy supporters outside the courthouse today. What are they telling you? Well, there are a lot of female women that are very focused and supportive of Lindsay Clancy. And they sit right outside in the courtyard and they just sit all day waiting for something to happen. And my producer and I, Sarah, we went and we spoke with some of them.

37:23It was very enlightening to hear what they said. And their main focus is the medical system. They let Lindsay Clancy down. Take a listen. Mental illness is a problem in the United States. And I look back at what happened to Andrea Yates and to now there's been no improvement. And I I also feel that this trial never should have happened. If someone's coming in complaining of psychosis, I mean, it's a psychiatric emergency. In that perspective, as a health care provider and just seeing how broken our system is, Lindsay's case, you know, she raised a lot of red flags to putting this woman behind bars.

38:00It's just going to cause more suffering and it's not going to bring the children back. And of course, the prosecution says otherwise there should be some accountability because three young, beautiful children were not allowed to lead their life and that there should be a conviction in this case. So, Phil, tomorrow morning they are back here, 9 o 'clock sharp, to begin another day of deliberation in this case. And, Gene Casares, we will certainly be checking back with you again tomorrow. Thank you, as always, for the great reporting. And breaking in Las Vegas, jury deliberations just started in the Tupac Shakur murder trial.

38:35Dwayne Davis is accused of plotting the 1996 killing near the Las Vegas Strip. In closing arguments, prosecutors again brought up Sean Diddy Combs, reminding jurors Davis once did security for Combs. Earlier this month, prosecutors played an interview in court in which Davis said Combs agreed to pay him$1 million to kill Shakur and Suge Knight, but never paid up. Combs has always denied involvement in Tupac's killing. Today, prosecutors also described Davis as a shot caller, saying his crew, quote, went hunting for Shakur. As for Davis detailing the shooting in a memoir, prosecutors say jurors should consider that an admission.

39:11Davis' defense says the writings were embellished. In closing, the defense repeatedly questioned the integrity of evidence and inconsistencies in the initial investigation.

39:24Welcome to The Lead. I'm Phil Mattingly. In for Jake Tapper. This hour, the rush is on to find hundreds of missing workers believed to be trapped in tunnels after Nepal's catastrophic flooding last week. Rescue crews and international specialists are searching around the clock. In moments, CNN's Anderson Cooper is on the ground in one of the hardest hit areas. Plus, another search and rescue operation back here in the United States after flash flooding at the Grand Canyon killed two people with a dozen others still missing. And more rain could pummel the area today. CNN's Ed Lavendera is live at the Grand Canyon ahead.

39:57Also, it's the final hours of campaigning in Massachusetts, where an 80-year-old senator is hoping to survive a challenge from a congressman who says it's time for new leadership. What do the voters think? And they're known for making millions of people laugh online. But now, the Holderness family is sharing one of the toughest things they've gone through, hoping their struggles can help others moving forward. The Penn Holderness is here to share their story ahead.

40:28The lead tonight. Rescue teams continue to scour the ground in Nepal for any sign of the more than 4 ,000 people still missing after last week's devastating flood. Officials in Nepal and China recording a death toll topping more than 950 between both nations. The search is being watched worldwide. Families and friends everywhere from there on the ground in Nepal to right here in the U.S. are desperate to learn the fate of loved ones who disappeared in that wall of water six days ago. Crews now are battling inclement weather, debris and remaining flood water as recovery efforts continue all under the risk of further flooding.

41:04Nepal police today were shoveling away mud and sand by hand from inside a local hospital. Zinnan's Anderson Cooper made it to one of the first towns hit by the deadly flood. This is the town of Sapru-Bessi or what's left of the town, I should say. This is all that's left of the once bustling market district in the town. All of this area and all the way down to the river, down this hill, would have been businesses and homes. People lived here. There was a lot of commerce. The border with Tibet is just about 18 miles from here. And there was a very important road from that border area all the way down to Kathmandu that ran through this town.

41:46But that road now is wiped out. It's stunning to see it up close. I don't even think the camera can really capture just the scale of this. It looks probably just on camera like some dirt field. But this isn't, you know, we talk about water and this flood that came down. And yeah, there was a lot of water in it. But look, this is, there's rocks in this. There was boulders. There was vehicles. everything that the sludge picked up from further upstream. It's like concrete, essentially. And it just covers everything. If you walk out into this area, you can tell by my shoes, you'll just sink in it.

42:33It's like concrete quicksand. This was once a destination spot for Hindus and Buddhists on religious pilgrimages. They would come here, also trekkers from all over the world. There's 15 Australian trekkers who have been reported missing in this area, as well as dozens of other foreigners. It's not clear how many people died here in this town. Anderson Cooper, CNN, Sapru Presi. Anderson Cooper in Nepal, thank you. Anderson will have much more of his reporting from on the ground in Nepal during AC360 tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern. Well, a five-year-old girl whose dramatic rescue from the rubble was captured on video has now been reunited with her parents.

43:17Manisha was trapped beneath the wreckage for 60 hours after she was swept away from her home during the flood. Her father tells CNN's Will Ripley about seeing her again.

43:30Her face wasn't recognizable as there were multiple wounds. Her condition was serious, wounds and blood all over. After seeing the video of her, I could confirm it was my daughter. She was on oxygen in Dunce Medical. She was being kept like that on the day. What is it like as a father to look at a video like that and see your daughter in that condition?

43:57Now in that.

44:05She's my child. That's it. That's all I have to say.

44:19I just can't speak.

44:24I want to bring in Krishna Sharma. He's originally from Nepal, now lives in Virginia with his wife, who has a number of extended family members still missing since the flood. Krishna, just to start, I'm terribly sorry that you and your family are experiencing this. What can you tell us about your loved ones that are still unaccounted for and what they were doing at the time of the flood? Thanks for having me, Mr. Phil. It's a pretty hopeless situation there since it's been passed six days and the five members of my wife's extended family members have not been found yet. They're missing from a place called Gatte Kola which is about 10 or 15 miles away to the north from where Anderson Cooper was sitting and these families were from London, Australia, back in Nepal and they are missing and it's very unfortunate.

45:25We, yeah, I mean, it's pretty hard, heartbreaking. I can't even imagine. Is there any way to get information? Who have you been able to get in contact with as you've been through the last six days? The relative of mine who runs a tracking agency called Himalayan Glaciers, that was the one who had booked the pilgrimage for 47 nationals from across the world, including the United States. And out of 47, seven were the crew members from the pilgrimage glacier site itself. And the rest of the 40 were from different countries. And some of them happened to be our relatives. And they're all missing. and then the last time they were in contact were from the hotel called Hotel Kailas.

46:28It's on the way from Sabravesi to Timuray, which is about 1.5 kilometers to the north. And they were on their way towards Rasuagadi, where there is a Nepal-China customs. And from there, they were on their way to go to Mount Kallas, which is the pilgrimage site for the Hindus. And this is the peak time for the people to go there. And I've also got information from other news sources and my family members that there were almost 80 buses that are still missing. and in which there were pilgrims from India and from Nepal because they wanted to be on that full moon day on the foot of Mount Kailas to get this thread called, in Nepal it's called Dori, Bandhani.

47:24So this is kind of the holy site for the Hindus, the abode of Lord Shiva. and they're missing and we're losing hope and we're praying that they would one day, you know, soon they would come back alive and surprise us. You talk about potentially losing hope, obviously the prayers, and we share in the prayers for your loved ones who are missing. What have the last six days been like, you know, from the initial learning about what was happening to kind of where you're at now emotionally as you hope for some good news? We were hoping that their whereabouts would be found out pretty soon, as soon as the water levels go down and the rescue and recovery efforts are underway from Nepal government.

48:24But the frustrating part was Nepal government did not take or accept the foreign assistance. For example, in 2015 earthquake, when the country reeled under tremendous disastrous situation, including the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue and Los Angeles County Fire and Rescue and other squad missions were underway. and then they quickly recovered a lot of people. But this time the Nepal government did not allow any foreign rescue missions to go to the sites and then rescue the people who were and still are stranded in a very difficult situation and are fighting for their life under a very difficult situation.

49:20And we hoped that that would happen, but this didn't happen. And now we have heard that Nepal government has now allowed. But I think that's very, very late. And that was very frustrating. A lot of families could have seen their loved ones alive if the rescue operations were allowed. So I really hope that Nepal government, although we would say that it is able to do anything it wants to do. But in these difficult situations when they do not have their technical know-how or, you know, skilled manpowers or, for that matter, the technology or even the machines, if they do not have that, they should not have hesitated to seek help from the foreign countries.

50:12And that didn't happen. And that's very frustrating. I can only imagine, again, our thoughts, our prayers are with you and your family. as you await word from your loved ones. Krishna Sharma, I appreciate your time. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Phil. Thank you for having me. Well, House Speaker Mike Johnson pressed by reporters today on whether he supports Congressman Max Miller's re-election bid despite Miller facing allegations of abuse from his ex-wife. Hear the speaker's answer next. Plus, the U.S. Supreme Court handing down a ruling this afternoon on whether President Trump can continue to build the White House ballroom as lawsuits try and block that work.

50:48That's ahead.

50:57Breaking news on our politics lead. A top civilian leader in the Department of Defense is out. Sources telling CNN Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Trump. The news first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Kristen Holmes and our colleague Kevin Liptec wrote the story for CNN. Kristen's now live at the White House. Kristen, people want to not recognize the name, but Dan Driscoll is a big deal for a lot of different reasons. Why is he resigning? He had had months of friction. We had been reporting that this could be a possibility for quite some time. In fact, we actually had stories months ago about this underlying friction that hadn't quite spilled over yet.

51:31At that time, the friction was coming from the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, towards Dan Driscoll. But in the last several months, it appears as though that friction has been two-sided. This was something that was expected. I was told by one source there was no surprise here that he submitted his resignation, although I will tell you that I talked to other members of the administration who said they were hoping that he would last a little bit longer just as this continuation of this Iran war is playing out right now. We did get a statement just seconds ago from the White House, so I'm going to read it to you.

52:02It says, Secretary Driscoll has been highly effective in advancing President Trump's agenda to make America strong again at the Department of the Army by providing outstanding leadership during historic military operations, restoring an emphasis on readiness and lethality, assisting with negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and more. The United States Army is more powerful than ever thanks to his work alongside the commander chief and secretary of war. Again, all of this coming as there have been these underlying tensions between Driscoll and Hegseth. Driscoll was viewed as widely popular within the administration.

52:38He is somebody who is very close to Vice President J.D. Vance. They attended school together. He was considered as part of Vance's inner circle at times. So this in itself is just a major move, particularly given the fact that this war with Iran is not only still ongoing, but we obviously just saw strikes as recently as in the last 24, 48 hours. But again, he has submitted the resignation. The one thing that we are not clear on at this time is how long he's going to stay in that post before officially vacating. Of course, just a reminder of one of the things that we reported earlier this year was the firing of the Navy secretary as well.

53:18Again, amid all of what we have seen between the United States and Iran. Kristen Holmes, great reporting as always, my friend. Thank you. Well, now outward to our Law and Justice lead. House Speaker Mike Johnson today defending embattled Republican Congressman Max Miller. Take a listen. Do you support Max Miller's reelection? I have supported Max Miller's reelection. You still do? Yes, and he has been a great member of Congress. He has some issues in his personal life he's working through. The House Ethics Committee is looking into that and any implications it may have. The House is back. That means Manu Raju is back.

53:52Miller, of course, faces domestic abuse allegations from his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, which he denies. But Miller is also facing another legal fight, this one involving former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham. Miller appeared remotely from his office in Washington, D.C. today for a hearing tied to a lawsuit Grisham filed against him, accusing him of violating a settlement agreement. CNN's Lauren Fox was in the courtroom today and joins us from Cleveland. Lauren, walk people through what happened here. Yeah, Phil, today instead of campaigning or instead of being focused on business in Washington, Max Miller was zooming into this courtroom today for several hours as he was questioned by both his lawyers and the lawyers of Stephanie Grisham about what transpired over this settlement agreement that was reached back in 2023.

54:43Now, Stephanie Grisham sued Max Miller just a couple of weeks ago, alleging that he violated this agreement in interviews that he has had trying to defend himself against allegations of abuse by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno. Allegations we should note that he denies and that he also had violated their settlement agreement in a May 7th post on X. Now, repeatedly, Max Miller told the courtroom that he does not manage his Twitter account, that that is done by his staff, that he is not someone that even has Twitter or X on his phone. But certainly this is something that continues to be an issue. And the judge actually ordered a preliminary injunction, Phil, barring both parties from disparaging each other in public and ordering both Stephanie Grisham and Max Miller to take down Post on X.

55:36So this is an ongoing court case. This is something that is going to continue. But obviously this just shows that as so many members are sprinting toward the midterms, Phil, Max Miller is dealing with not just that custody battle for his daughter, but also now this fight over that settlement agreement from 2023 with his ex-girlfriend Stephanie Grisham. Yeah, certainly not what the Speaker would like his members to be doing right now, despite still supporting him. Lauren Fox in Cleveland, Ohio. Thank you, my friend. Appreciate it. Well, President Trump giving an update on the war with Iran today after the U.S.

56:08launched military strikes for the first time in more than a month. So should we expect another escalation? That's next.

56:21And our world lead for the first time in a month. The hot war between the U.S. and Iran is back on. At least, it was back on for a day. On Sunday, the U.S. launched strikes on Iranian rocket launchers in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran retaliated, firing missiles towards U.S. bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. This afternoon, President Trump characterized the U.S. action as, quote, limited, adding, we can still smack them. Joining us now, Congresswoman Madeline Dean, a Democrat from Pennsylvania on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Congresswoman, really appreciate your time. Our CNN analyst colleague, Barack Ravid, reported President Trump is considering additional, also limited, strikes on Iran in the Strait of Formos as the U.S.

56:57becomes more concerned about Iran rebuilding radar and air defenses to target U.S. ships more accurately. What's your read on this kind of latest restart of sorts? Well, to me, Phil, thank you for having me. We're back in D.C., and I'm hoping that somehow Congress musters up our constitutional authority to say to the president, no, no more. He has opened this war without a plan, without a strategy, and now we see it. We had a month-long almost calm. Obviously, the agreement is null and void. Nothing came of that, the memorandum of understanding, and now some additional strikes. further weakening our military readiness.

57:46So I'm very concerned about it. And what it shows is that the president doesn't have a plan. Mr. Hegseth doesn't have a plan. And sadly, what the reporting shows, they're not listening to our military admirals, generals, and those who know best. My colleague CNN global affairs analyst, Brett McGurk, who served as a presidential envoy very well-known, wrote this in a CNN analysis. analysis. The earlier acts in this war were mired from the U.S. side by shifting and ill-defined objectives, widely creating positions, and inconsistent statements. But this act seems different. The U.S. military has a clear objective enforcing the blockade on Iran and facilitating the movement of commercial traffic.

58:23This is the first time since the war began. The U.S. now has the upper hand, not Iran. What do you think? I wish it were true. It just doesn't seem to be true to me at all. I'm a member of the foreign affairs. I'm also a member of the appropriation. So we're watching again in terms of our readiness. When the president does not have a plan and does not say what it is his objectives are, the objectives have been shifting from day one. It doesn't seem to me that it makes a lot of sense that after a month's long non-striking, we're striking again. You saw that the straits are not open. Let's say the basic facts.

59:00Straits are not open for ease and access of transfer and trade. That's causing Americans to pay more for gas, for goods, for groceries, you name it. The president doesn't have a plan, and Mr. Hegseth doesn't have a plan. And, sadly, our allies are well aware of it. I've had the chance as a member of Foreign Affairs to meet with our ambassadors from the region, from Jordan and the GCC. And of course, they are working together desperately to make sure that they are protecting themselves and their lands and their terrains, but they are worried too that the president doesn't have a plan for this war.

59:38The American people, we were just in district. You know I served Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Berks County, Pennsylvania. This is a most unpopular war. We've lost 18 service members dead. We have 700 wounded. And this has cost hundreds of billions of dollars as Americans pay more for everything, and the president goes on with his corruption. I wish the president would listen to the admirals and generals and come up with a plan to and actually use diplomats real diplomats. I wish Marco Rubio had stepped up to the plate as secretary of state. But of course, that hasn't happened. And the president's not relying upon real diplomats.

1:00:19He's relying upon his son in law and another real estate guy to try to cut deals. This is no way to run a country, no way to run a war. than the president is showing himself to be farcical and feeble at all of it. Democratic Congresswoman Madeline Dean, as you noted, you're back on Capitol Hill. We'll see if any action takes place in the House floor behind you. Appreciate your time, ma 'am. Thank you. Thank you. Up to 15 people are unaccounted for after flash floods swept through the Grand Canyon and more storms are possible tonight. We'll go live to the scene for an update next.

1:00:59Internationally, the urgent search continues for up to 15 people missing in the Grand Canyon. After a flash flooding there killed at least two people. And we now know the identity of one of the two hikers killed in this flooding. That would be John Giusti, a Texas chiropractor. His family confirmed his name, saying two men who were with him still are missing. They apparently were on a, quote, dream trip, spending two nights at the bottom of the canyon fishing and exploring. CNAD's Ed Lavendera is on the scene. Ed, tell us what you're learning about this tricky search and rescue operation. Well, it has been.

1:01:34And at some points throughout the day, it has been hampered by the weather. But for the last couple of hours, it has been clear there is still a flash flood watch in effect. And the warning signs are out here. This is one of the main trails that would lead you down into the area 3 ,000 feet below from where we are right now. But it kind of tells the story about the extreme weather conditions, the unsafe trail conditions. that the trail is impassable, the bridges and the trail are non-existent, and there's no water, there's a pipeline that was wiped out by the floodwaters. But, you know, this is the path many of those people who were in this area might have started out either on the southern side of the Grand Canyon here, or some people did start off on the other side, on the northern side.

1:02:16But, Phil, what we've heard repeatedly from people who have been evacuated and witnessed the dramatic flooding over the weekend is just how terrifying the experience was. Many people thought that they were going to die. They heard some people describe the roaring sound of the floodwaters coming, that they knew it wasn't thunder, but they didn't quite know what it was as they started panicking and getting terrified of what was barreling down through these canyons down into the Colorado River area. So those search and rescue efforts are continuing today, we are told. We have not gotten an update on how that has gone today.

1:02:53There are still, as far as we know, 15 people unaccounted for or missing. Obviously, the hope is that perhaps those people are stranded or stuck in some place where they obviously there's no cell phone communication down there. So that makes communicating very difficult. But, you know, that is the hope that this remains a search and rescue operation as we await word. So far, two people confirmed dead with that tragic news. But those those efforts are continuing. There were the bridges that many of the pedestrians used to kind of on the hiking trails. Many of those wiped out just a great deal of work that needs to be done to get down there, way down there, the very depths of this canyon to find those missing people.

1:03:36Phil? Ed Lavendera with the latest update from the scene. The Grand Canyon flash floods. Please keep us posted as you learn more, my friend. Thank you very much. Well, turning now to our Law and Justice League. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for President Trump to continue construction of the massive new White House ballroom while legal challenges proceed. I wanna get straight to CNN senior legal analyst, Ellie Honig. Ellie, I feel like I've seen some version of this headline more than one. Like, walk me through this decision and what it means. Well, Phil, this is the big decision.

1:04:05This is a five to four ruling where the five justices in the majority were five of the court's six conservatives. Importantly, the Supreme Court did not reach or rule on the actual legality or illegality of the ballroom construction. Instead, what the majority said today is we don't even reach that because as a threshold matter, we find that the plaintiffs here cannot establish standing, meaning they can't show that they stand to suffer concrete specific harm. Now, the plaintiff here is the National Trust for Historic Preservation. That's a nonprofit. And they base their standing argument on the claim that one of their members, who happens to be a professor, sometimes walks through the area and would suffer aesthetic, cultural and historical damage.

1:04:49And the Supreme Court simply says the majority, that's just not enough. That's not concrete enough. That's not specific enough. So they never reach the merits and they say it's unlikely this lawsuit will succeed. Therefore, we are not going to block the construction, which can continue now. What was the kind of central thesis of the dissenters on this? Well, the dissenters say, first of all, this is illegal. This is up to Congress to authorize this type of project and spending. And then they also take issue with the standing analysis. And I should say, by the way, the dissent here was the three liberal justices plus Chief Justice John Roberts.

1:05:25And essentially they say on the standing point, we've said in other cases that there can be standing if there's some sort of aesthetic injury. And they talk about other prior environmental cases where the court has said there can be standing based on somebody losing the ability to view nature or to view certain animals. And so why is this any different than that? But it's a numbers game and five to four is how it came out. So is this over? Uh, as a practical matter, it's probably over for now because two and a half weeks ago, the government, the white house said that construction was already 65 % complete.

1:06:01Presumably it's farther along now. Somebody else could still try to sue, but it's gotta be somebody who has standing. I can't readily think of who might have standing and that's going to take time to go through the courts. But Phil, all of this underscores, where is Congress? Congress could have authorized this. They could have prohibited it. And yet they've done nothing. So while Congress sits on the sidelines, the courts say this party doesn't have standing. And as a practical matter, this ballroom is very likely going to be built. The most important point. Ali Honig, as always, you made it.

1:06:32Thank you, my friend. Appreciate it. Thanks, Bill. Well, handpicked conservative military influencers are infiltrating the rank and file of the Pentagon. Our panel is here next.

1:06:49In our politics lead, the Washington Post is reporting that the Pentagon secretly installed several conservative military veterans with large online followings into special government roles. Sources telling the Post the influencers, quote, amplify Defense Secretary Pete Hegg says viewpoints and attack those who scrutinize the Trump administration. The Pentagon spokesman declined to comment to the Washington Post on this story. My panel joins me now. Shermichael, administrations work with the media opportunities and messaging opportunities they have. I think the thing that sticks out to me on this is having SGEs that aren't publicly identified moving messages.

1:07:24What's your read on this? Well, look, I mean, we live in this nontraditional medium of communications. I certainly understand that as someone who previously served in the first administration under the president. that. I think there is a heightened level of experience that one would demand for individuals who fulfill these roles. I don't see that as a left or right thing. That's just me as someone who loves policy, who loves politics. So this is difficult stuff. We were just talking about the challenges of individuals who assume these positions and they have to deliver. And sometimes you have to deliver under environments and predicaments that you didn't quite expect.

1:07:57And so to appoint people who lack that experience, I wouldn't have advised if you want outside support, you can bring them in as informal advisors. There's a couple of different ways you can do this. You don't necessarily have to give them the standing that they have. And I can see how people could look at this with a heightened level of skepticism. Matt, I think that's the issue that I have. Every White House has calls with outside amplifiers, supporters, advocates who come on shows like this or have online followings. It's the idea that you're bringing them in as an employee, a special government employee, then not disclosing it.

1:08:29That seems to be a different level than it's been at before. With taxpayer money, no less. Yes. Right? Like, we're all on how many press lists a day and getting talking points. This should be free. And if you're paying for it, you need to disclose it. And I think beyond using taxpayer funding for it, we have to take a step back and look at they're using taxpayer funding for it while we're in a conflict in Iran. They have no exit strategy for it. And we're losing American troops. And because of the conflict, gas is now at$4 a gallon. And they have to go defend themselves in a midterm. So it's just like a political blunder that didn't even need to happen.

1:09:03Yeah, just disclose it. Or do it for free. I bet all those people would do it for free if you asked them to. That's the thing that I like. Just for the acts. This is very confusing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. OK, I want to turn to the divide between progressives and establishment Democrats, because we can't just focus on Republicans. Michigan State hopeful Dr. Nakhoul Said is under pressure from some Democrats to end ties with the podcaster Hassan Piker. Take a listen to what independent senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders thinks. like every other podcaster in the world he says dumb things uh that people should you know reject what i would say to him when i talk to him as i will shortly i'm sure stay on the issues that that impact working families in michigan none of us have podcasts that i know of um and so that clearly we wouldn't be the people saying dumb things on podcasts but that advice matt given the fact that it feels like every day since he clinched the Democratic nomination, Abdul Ayseed has been answering questions about one person in particular who does not live in Michigan as far as I know.

1:10:02What do you think of what Sanders said? I don't always agree with Senator Sanders, but in this instance, he's absolutely right. I think the reason that we see races across the Midwest, including places like Iowa, be competitive right now is because of where the economy is, the fact that people feel betrayed by this administration, and Republicans don't really have a plan. So every day that the Michigan Senate candidate is not talking about cost of living, is not talking about the economy, is not bringing it back to how people feel, he's losing. And so I think he should take Senator Sanders' advice and really focus on the kitchen table issues that we're seeing resonating.

1:10:35I actually agree with my new friend, Matt, who I just met in the green room. I think he's spot on. We want to shift him, Matt, from being able to focus on the tangible kitchen table issues that we know he has some advantages on. Why? Why? Because we understand that culture can sometimes move the needle. And every single time he's having to respond about Hassan Piker and why was he still campaigning with this guy, even though he knew some of his previous alarming comments in the past, and then he had no answer. He wasn't even prepared when the reporter asked him that. That to me gives a unique advantage to Mike Rogers that clearly also he was just not prepared for.

1:11:11And it's a difficulty, I would argue, for any campaign to figure out how do you respond in real time to a question about a friend and associate of the candidate who they might indeed actually agree with on a plethora of issues. Yeah. And you also had J.D. Vance, who's also in Michigan today, speaking on the Senate candidate. Take a listen. There's something about Abdul El-Sayed that is very, very evil. When I see Abdul El-Sayed campaign around this state with somebody who said that America deserved 9-11, What I see is a man who has sympathy and compassion for people who share his religion, but have nothing for people who don't.

1:11:54Matt, I think one of the questions that I have when I listen to that is, you know, Sanders saying, like, don't take the bait, don't go down this path. But he's calling the Democratic candidate evil. He is. And he's doing it to try and get them back off track. I will say that this is an example of where Republicans are in a tricky spot, too, right now. it's a risk to get on stage with J.D. Vance because again, gas is at$4 a gallon. We have the war in Iran. People are feeling the pinch. If you hop on stage with him, you're embracing those policies and you're losing independence and even some Republicans.

1:12:24If you stay off stage with him, you're not putting the MAGA coalition together that you need to win. So in some ways that he's being helpful and, you know, being inflammatory and saying all the stuff he's saying about him, which they're going to throw the kitchen sink of the candidates regardless. In other ways, him being in Michigan doesn't necessarily help them all that much either. You factor in some of the risks that Matt just mentioned and noted, but I think ultimately you continue to focus on this cultural difference with the Democratic candidate. And you continue to make him respond to every single thing his friend Hassan Piker had to say.

1:13:01And again, I think it's human nature to want to defend an associate. It's human nature to not want to throw them under the bus. And I think that's why you're seeing this different campaign that is a little bit about policy, but a whole lot about culture. We have seen in the past feel races have been won on cultural topics. There's no question about that. All right, Matt, because I have you here. There's one question I feel like hasn't gotten enough attention that I've been wondering about the last couple of months, which is Democrats have had a bunch of primaries play out and a bunch of upstarts.

1:13:27And the age issue obviously is hanging over everything since 2024. Massachusetts, the Democratic candidate running against the incumbent is somebody you used to work for, Seth Moulton, running against Ed Markey. It seems like Mark, he's got a pretty comfortable lead there in polling. I can't speak to all of the polling. Why is this different? Why does it appear to be different than what we've seen in other races? I will say that I've learned long ago in politics not to make predictions. Folks I've talked to. Mine was like November 2016. Folks I've talked to on the ground there thinks, you know, it's closer than it might look in data.

1:14:01And we've seen data all over the place this cycle. You know, to me, though, having worked for Seth, like you mentioned, he's always been someone who isn't afraid to be the man in the arena and step up and say what he feels. And the Boston Globe, who endorsed him over Markey this cycle, agreed that they need to be having this conversation about generational change in the Democratic Party. One of the organizations I work with, Majority Democrats, I would encourage everyone to go check out a video we have on our social media page about the gerontocracy. We cannot have a serious conversation as a Democratic Party about building a lasting coalition that can actually win if we're not passing the torch.

1:14:39Voters clearly told us that in 2024. And they're telling us that now with races across the country. We'll see what happens tomorrow. But to me, the point is that Seth stepped up to make this argument. And there are a lot of people who agree with him. We will definitely see what happens. One thing you can always be sure of, if you meet Shermichael anywhere, you will soon become his friend. That is the least surprising part. I appreciate you guys. Thank you very much. Well, up next, a deeply personal story from Penn Holderness. The Amazing Race winner is opening up about losing his mother to Alzheimer's and the final gift she left behind that could help other families facing the same devastating disease.

1:15:12Stay with us.

1:15:18Breaking news. You're looking at the scene in the heart of Times Square tonight after police officers shot a woman who they say stabbed at least two people this afternoon. The NYPD says their officers opened fire as she moved towards them with a knife. The two victims were taken to the hospital. The victims' and the suspect's conditions are unknown. Turning now to our health lead, Alzheimer's is one of the most devastating diseases families can face, slowly taking memories, independence, and ultimately the people we love. It's now the fifth leading cause of death for Americans 65 and older. Penn Holderness, whose millions of followers are familiar with his family's viral videos, parody songs, is remembering his mom, Mary Dameron Holderness, after her long battle with Alzheimer's.

1:16:00The Amazing Race winner sharing a heartfelt tribute and how her decision to donate her brain could help fight the disease. When she passed yesterday, Duke picked her up and they were able to collect her brain. She gave every bit of herself, literally. And I just wanted people to know that. Joining me now is Penn Holderness. And Penn, we are so sorry for your loss. But the first question I want to ask you is, you said something in that video that you were so motivated to talk about your mom and what a wonderful person she was. Talk about your mom. Tell people about her. She was the most giving, selfless human being on the planet.

1:16:43She spent, she could have had a super successful career. She decided to devote all of her life to raising two sons and to being a big part of my dad's church in her community. She was the most giving person who ever existed, and she lost the ability to make a lot of decisions or to really make any choices five years ago. She's been nonverbal since 2021 and advanced dementia for a long time, but this was her last gift that I'm sure she was very excited about, the ability to donate her brain to a disease research center here in North Carolina, where she could be part of the reason why people I won't have to deal with this absolutely crappy, crappy disease.

1:17:23And I believe your mom made the decision 30 years ago to donate her brain to Duke for Alzheimer's research. What do you remember about her making that decision? I mean, it's scary because, you know, three out of my four grandparents had dementia. And it's a highly genetic disease. I've been around Alzheimer's since the mid-80s when my grandparents first had it. So it was kind of the beginning of, OK, is this going to happen to them? and they told us all about it. They went and did some cognitive tests. They took blood tests at Duke and they kept in touch for all of these decades so that at the end, they'd be able to take all those data points that they have and combine them with a specimen.

1:18:02You said you actually cheered when Duke was able to pick up her brain. Take us into that moment. Tell people what you were feeling. It was my brother and I, we cheered, we cried. She's been in skilled nursing for a long time. And the staff, like we mourned, but then very quickly, you have to prepare the body. So, you know, we did that. We called Duke knowing that there's only a certain amount of time that you can be able to get that donation to make it so that it's able to work, to be viable. And when the van showed up and put her in there, my brother and I and all of the saints who work with Alzheimer's patients, we cheered and then we cried because it was a beautiful, beautiful final gift.

1:18:48And we all got to be part of it. And you mentioned the final gift, you know, after watching your mom live with this, what does it mean to know that her brain could now help researchers better under, will now help researchers better understand this disease? It means everything. And you asking me this means everything too, because we can tell more people about it. There There are these donation centers. The Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, ADRC, is nationwide. They have 36 studies and locations. It's not the same as being an organ donor on your license. You have to actually sign up for a study.

1:19:22There's also a place called the Brain Donor Project. So being able to do this and also get the word out that diseases like Alzheimer's, Um, we, we may like our children may not have this problem between the studies that they do and also the preventative neurology that doctors are now preaching as well for ways to keep from being more susceptible to Alzheimer's. So it, it, it meant everything. We only got about 30 seconds left. What do you think she would say today? Now that the donation has occurred? She'd be like, why are you talking about me? Why don't we talk about something? Like she doesn't ever want to glorify herself.

1:19:58She was so selfless. She might be terrified that there's all these beautiful pictures of her that are making me tear up right now. I hope she'd be proud of her son, and I hope she'd be proud of her other son, Dale, that we really, really were motivated to make sure that this got to the finish line, but it was all her, man. I have no doubt of the pride in both you and your brother, Dale, and what a hero your mother is. Penholderness, thank you so much for sharing your story. Thank you. Well, you can join me for my video series, CNN Breaks It Down. We tackle some of the most pressing questions in business and politics.

1:20:34You can find new episodes on CNN.com slash watch. You, of course, can follow this show on X and Instagram at The Lead CNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can watch the show on the CNN app. Aaron Burnett out front starts now.

1:20:51Go inside the sports moments that brought us together and made history. From the underdogs to the rivalries and the miracles. It sends chills down your spine. It's what sport was all about. The new CNN original series, Decades in Sports. Now streaming on the CNN app.