U.S. Officials Rush To Finalize Details Of Alaska Talks

25:28If they think all they have to do is wait it out until November, December, they're wrong. I'm going to do this for the next two years and they're going to have to basically take up residency in Illinois. They might as well start voting in Illinois. Well, let me ask you just this final question, sir, as a bigger picture item, which is what's unusual about this is that you're attempting to do it in 2025, as opposed to waiting till the end of the decade as normally is when the redistricting takes place. You've explained the Supreme Court decision that led you to do this. But what's going on, obviously, is not happening in Texas.

25:59It's not happening in a vacuum. We have Democrats in California and New York and other states saying, well, if Governor Abbott does this in Texas, we're going to add five Democratic seats. Are you not worried at all about a redistricting, gerrymandering arms race going on? And theoretically, is it not just better for voters to be picking their politicians instead of politicians to be picking their voters through gerrymandering? Well, to be clear, listen, all those big blue states, they've already gerrymandered. Look at the map of Illinois. Look at the map of California, New York and Massachusetts and so many other blue states.

26:41They gerrymandered a long time ago. They got nothing left with regard to what they can do. And know this, if California tries to jerrymander five more districts, listen, Texas has the ability to eliminate 10 Democrats in our state. We can play that game more than they can because they have fewer Republican districts in their states. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, don't be a stranger. Thanks for popping by. Really appreciate it. Thank you. Today, a federal judge rejected the Justice Department's request to unseal grand jury materials in the Ghislaine Maxwell case. It's the judge's strong words for the Trump administration and their request.

27:20That's next.

27:27When you're 7-Eleven's hottest fire chicken sandwich, people think you're intense. Well, yeah, I'm hot! Oh, yeah, intense. Want to see if you can handle the heat? Then try me. With pickles or spicy mayo and jalapenos. Oh, and it's all just$4.99. That's a deal almost as hot as I am. Almost. Sweet? No. Spicy? See for yourself. $4.99 and only at 7-Eleven. Valid through 825-46. Participating stores only while supplies last. Visit store for full terms. This podcast is supported by Anthropic, the public benefit corporation behind Claude. Everyone's got a hard question about AI. Your job, your kids, where it's going.

28:09Anthropic was built to surface those questions and share what it finds along the way because there's hope in hard questions. Ask yours at claude.ai slash Spotify and keep thinking. That's claude.ai slash Spotify.

28:27In our law and justice lead, a federal judge earlier today rejected the Trump Justice Department's request to unseal grand jury materials from the sex trafficking case against Ghislaine Maxwell. In a scathing opinion, Judge Paul Engelmeyer writes, Quote, contrary to the government's depiction, the Maxwell grand jury testimony is not a matter of significant historical or public interest. Far from it, unquote. Let's bring in some legal experts to discuss. Former Trump White House attorney Jim Schultz, former federal prosecutor Elliot Williams. Elliot, the Justice Department would have had to clear a really high bar to allow the public release of grand jury materials.

29:04Was this opinion from the judge and the tenor of it, because it was pretty scathing, was it a surprise at all to you? It was not a surprise. this is probably the least surprising judicial opinion any of us have read, Jay. You know, let's be clear. Our laws in America are quite vague in this wiggle room. Often the laws governing grand jury secrecy are not vague. They are quite clear. There are very limited circumstances under which grand jury materials are ever released publicly. And let's be clear, this just ain't it. And the judge said that quite clearly today. This is just not, the fact that the internet is clamoring to hear this information does not hit that high bar of releasing grand jury materials.

29:43And Jim, Judge Engelmeyer alluded to the unfamiliarity that Justice Department officials to him seemed to have with the very materials they were asking to unseal, given that so many of the details in the documents they were asking to be released were already public knowledge. He writes, quote, a member of the public appreciating that the Maxwell grand jury materials do not contribute anything to public knowledge might conclude that the government's motion for their unsealing was aimed not at transparency, but at diversion, aimed not at full disclosure, but at the illusion of such, unquote. How do you think that is going to sit with those who have been demanding more about the case?

30:23A judge is basically saying this was all just kind of a red herring anyway. Yeah, I mean, they clearly asked for information. They you know, the Justice Department was under no illusion that they weren't going to get it when they filed this. As Elliott said, it's a huge bar to get over to get over the hump to try to get these things released. And I think the focus here, I keep bringing it back to it has to be about the survivors. Right. And that's the most important issue of the day is how does this impact survivors? Grand jury secrecy is definitely there to protect witnesses and protect those folks that need the most protecting so that people will feel like they can come forward and testify.

31:05So, yeah, the judge smacked them down pretty hard on this, but I don't think it should come as any surprise. Elliot, the judge mentions in his opinion that a number of the survivors and the victims of Epstein and Maxwell wrote letters in favor of the materials being unsealed. But he says that those victims seem to be of the mistaken belief that the grand jury documents would reveal new information. What options do the victims have at this point if they would like to see more information released publicly? Well, there can certainly be more information released publicly, just not grand jury materials.

31:38There is there is information probably in the possession of the Justice Department, Jake, that is not protected by law in the way that grand jury materials is. Now, that's up to the attorney general and the deputy attorney general and others. Quite frankly, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the prosecutor of the case, whom I would note, did not have a say in this motion to unseal materials. But they can decide which of their files, if any, they can disclose. But to be clear, grand jury materials are just not the type of materials that would ever be released in a case like this. And, Jim, the judge overseeing the request for grand jury documents and materials in Epstein's case has not yet ruled on the motion.

32:14That's the Epstein case. But does this opinion today on Maxwell's case have any influence on what might be decided there? I think it does. If again, it's the same burden that they have to get that they have to sustain in order to get these documents. I've just lost some audio. Unless there's something. OK, I'm sorry. Keep going, Jim. unless there's some compelling reason they're just not going to get it so i i i don't think i i don't see a difference in that case i think it's a distinction without a difference this judge was very clear that there was no information going to lead to any additional charges i think you're you're likely to see the same thing in the in the in the epstein case so i i think we end up in the same place all right jim schultz elliot williams thanks to both of you we're getting new details from investigators after an explosion rocked the steel plant in pennsylvania search and rescue crews are digging through the rubble, looking for at least one missing person.

33:14We're going to have a live update from the scene ahead.

33:20Our role in now, the Israeli government and the Israeli military are facing a fierce international storm of criticism after intentionally targeting and killing five journalists in Gaza, journalists affiliated with the Al Jazeera News Network. The Committee to Protect Journalists says that 186 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, 178 of them Palestinians killed by Israel, the committee says. Now, Israel insists it has unequivocal proof that correspondent Anas al-Sharif led a Hamas cell that was responsible for rocket attacks on Israeli citizens and IDF troops. Here's CNN's Nada Bashir.

34:06On Monday, mourners gathered in Gaza, carrying the bodies of Palestinian journalists killed in a targeted Israeli strike late Sunday night. Among them, journalists from the international news network Al Jazeera, including prominent Palestinian journalist Anas Al Sharif. Al Sharif had become a much respected household name in the Arabic speaking world and beyond, delivering live news coverage around the clock from across the Gaza Strip, risking his life on a daily basis to continue his work, documenting the daily horrors inflicted on the people of Gaza. Al-Sharif was in a tent with other journalists marked with a press sign near the entrance of the now-destroyed Al-Shifa hospital when he was killed by an Israeli strike, according to the hospital's director.

34:56Al-Jazeera also confirmed the deaths of their staffers Mohammed al-Krika, Ibrahim al-Zahir, Mohammed Nufal and Mu'min Alawa. The news outlet issued a statement describing the attack as a desperate attempt to silence voices ahead of the occupation of Gaza. The Israeli military had previously accused Al-Sharif of leading a Hamas cell. The military claimed Al-Sharif joined Hamas in 2013 and accused him of leading a Hamas cell that advanced rocket attacks against Israel. The IDF said they had unequivocal proof of al-Sharif's link to Hamas, posting an undated photo, apparently showing him with slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and publicising images of documents that include personnel lists, terrorist training courses, phone directories and salary payments.

35:46CNN cannot independently verify the documents. Previously, al-Sharif had vehemently denied the allegation that he was affiliated with Hamas, In a statement shared on social media, the reporter said, I am a journalist with no political affiliations. My only mission is to report the truth from the ground as it is, without bias. The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression had also previously denounced the, quote, unfounded accusations by the Israeli military, describing Israel's claims as a blatant attempt to endanger his life and silence his reporting on the genocide in Gaza. The UN official also cited growing evidence that journalists in Gaza have been targeted and killed by the Israeli army on the basis of unsubstantiated claims that they were Hamas terrorists.

36:38According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 186 journalists have been killed since the beginning of the war in Gaza. In the minutes before he was killed, El Sharif, who was also a father, separated from his two children for months while reporting, shared this message on social media. If this madness does not end, Gaza will be reduced to ruins. Its people's voices silenced, their faces erased. And history will remember you as silent witnesses to a genocide you chose not to stop. Nader Bashir, CNN, London. And our thanks to Nader Bashir for that report. There's a new push for more security preparations as the U.S.

37:20prepares to host the World Cup next year and the Olympics in 2028. Next, CNN's Pete Mantine gets a look at new drone technology that could help stop bad actors.

37:35In our national lead, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently announced new rules that could clear the way for drone deliveries across the United States, even beyond an operator's line of sight. But as drone technology grows, so do security concerns, especially with the World Cup and the Olympics in the United States on the horizon. CNN aviation correspondent Pete Monteen shows us now the systems being tested to stop a drone threat before it can hit its target. You're good to go. You can launch. Copy. This is what it looks like when drones are flying where they shouldn't and are about to be taken over.

38:13This demonstration by Israeli company Defend Solutions comes as drones are taking off as a tool of war. They are a threat for airports, they are a threat for critical infrastructure. CEO Zohar Halachmi says even off-the-shelf drones can now be easily outfitted to drop grenades or carry explosives, like during the Ukrainian attack on Russian air bases in June. It is the latest concern of lawmakers on Capitol Hill, as they're calling for greater coordination from federal agencies to protect large events like the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. With minimal skill, bad actors can use these drones to launch attacks or create chaos.

38:54Potential for a coordinated drone attack on an airport, seaport, or mass gathering is a credible and growing threat. Here, Defense System uses an antenna to detect radio signals emitted by drones from the moment they take off, feeding information back to a command center in real time. You essentially just create your own no-drone zone. Correct. It's a no-fly zone. First, a demonstration of a lone, unfriendly drone flying into our airspace. The system detects the drone, then with the push of a button, takes control, sending the drone to land in a predetermined spot. So this is our unfriendly drone here?

39:31Next, a demonstration of multiple hostile drones in the air at one time. what's called a drone swarm. It looks like they're all coming towards us now. Once again, the system pulls the drones into its metaphorical tractor beam, setting them down in a safe zone and providing the location of the drone operator, whose controls have gone dark. The pilot has no idea that we're doing this. Defense says this is based on the science of attacking computer viruses, filtering out good and legal drone users from malicious ones. Even the Federal Aviation Administration has tried this system, and similar technology from other companies during a series of tests this spring.

40:09I can assure you that government's focused on making sure that we get the technology right and we get the security right. The cost to buy this system? Hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. Defend calls it a small price to pay to protect against a growing threat in our skies. Why not just shoot it down? Because it's really dangerous. What you would like to do is to take that in the safest and controlled way as possible. drones are such a new threat that there's another problem rules and laws are struggling to keep up now and members of congress say the federal government has limited authority to disable malicious drones leaving what they call a glaring gap in our national preparedness major sports leagues like the nfl and major league baseball are pushing congress to give them more authority over drones and in june a maryland man pled guilty to flying his drone near an nfl playoff game when he knew he shouldn't have.

41:02Jake, that was sort of a fluke. But the real thing here is this, that the CEO of Defense showed me you can buy a lot of this stuff to make a malicious drone, even on Amazon. It's a scary Wild West out there. I am grateful, but I am still amazed, you and I were talking about this, that nothing bad has happened, significantly bad has happened with this technology. And in terms of members of Congress, I mean, they're still using AOL dial-up members of Congress. They don't know what's going on with drone technology. Pete Muntean, Thanks so much. President Trump says he's taken over D.C. to fight crime in the nation's capital.

41:32How will local leaders respond? Well, I'll ask one of them next.

41:58Almost as hot as I am. Almost. Sweet? No. Spicy? See for yourself. $4.99 and only at 7-Eleven. Valid through 825-26. Participating stores only while supplies last. Visit the store for full terms. This podcast is supported by Anthropic, the public benefit corporation behind Claude. Everyone's got a hard question about AI. Your job, your kids, where it's going. Anthropic was built to surface those questions and share what it finds along the way. because there's hope in hard questions. Ask yours at claude.ai slash Spotify and keep thinking. That's claude.ai slash Spotify.

42:43Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, President Trump making good on his threat to take over D.C., announcing that he's placing the local police department under federal control and deploying National Guard troops in the nation's capital. But is this all legal? Are city leaders going to fight back? We're going to talk to a member of D.C. City Council in moments. Plus, President Trump says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could attend the Putin summit on Friday in Alaska, but he says he doesn't think it would make a difference in reaching any sort of peace deal. So will Zelensky get an invite?

43:16And when are we going to learn more details about the summit? Also, investigators are trying to figure out what caused an explosion at a Pennsylvania steel plant earlier today. At least one person was killed, 10 others injured. And emergency workers are searching the rubble for one person who is as of now unaccounted for. We're going to go live to the scene ahead. And an update to a story we've been following for months here on The Lead. The fight to save the dying manatee population that inhabits Florida's Indian River Lagoon. A federal judge ordered the state to take action in May. Has any progress been made?

43:52And The Lead tonight. President Trump has taken control of the Washington, D.C. police force. Today, the president declared a public safety emergency in the nation's capital and said he is activating 800 National Guard troops and threatening to bring in the U.S. military, all to address crime, which President Trump says is out of control in Washington, D.C. Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged out maniacs and homeless people. and we're not going to let it happen anymore. We're not going to take it. Citing a study from the Rochester Institute of Technology, the White House today said that D.C.

44:33has the fourth highest homicide rate in the country or did in 2024. We should know while President Trump is clearly upset about crime in D.C., he did not appear to be upset earlier this year when he pardoned about 1 ,250 January 6th convicts, many of whom had beaten police officers. CNN's Jeff Zeleny is at the White House. But first, let's turn to CNN's Brian Todd, who's outside the D.C. police headquarters. Brian, what are D.C. officials saying about all this?

45:02Well, Jake, according to sources who spoke to CNN, neither Mayor Muriel Bowser nor the police chief, Pamela Smith, were aware that this announcement was going to be made until it was made by the president this morning. They, of course, had gotten hints at this, that the president had threatened to do this, that he threatened to deploy the National Guard and to take over the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in the days before the announcement, but they did not get wind of the actual announcement until it was actually happening. Mayor Muriel Bowser was still fairly reserved in her criticism of this move during a news conference this afternoon.

45:34She did point out that the chief of the police force here in D.C. at the spot where I'm standing, Pamela Smith, is still the police chief and that the 3 ,100 police officers in this city still work under her. Mayor Bowser did say that she believes President Trump's view of D.C. is, quote, shaped by his COVID-era experience during his first term. Now, Bowser acknowledged that just past the pandemic, just post-pandemic, they did have a spike in crime in D.C. Crime rates were spiking around the year 2023, but have since gone down considerably, according to the Metropolitan Police. But the closest thing that Mayor Bowser came to an actual direct jab at the president was right near the end of her news conference, when she talked about possible worst-case scenarios.

46:18Take a listen. I'm going to work every day to make sure it's not a complete disaster. If we lose communities who won't call the police, that could be a disaster. What would be a disaster if communities won't talk to the police, if a crime has been committed and could help solve that crime?

46:41And we're also getting the first real pushback today from the D.C. City Council. who, like the mayor, was silent about this pretty much for days until today. We have this from Councilmember Matt Fruman. He said this is a sad day for the District of Columbia and a sad day for the United States of America. In his words, quote, any attempt to place the military on our streets and displace the leadership of our increasingly successful police department would not be constructive. Also, Councilmember Charles Allen said this is an extreme, outrageous and dangerous move for the city and for the safety of its residents.

47:12Jake? Jeff Zeleny, why is the president focusing on this today? Well, Jake, this has been something that President Trump has long focused on. Crime has been really part of his public life throughout his years in New York City, certainly running for president and now serving as president. And frankly, it was the largest exercise of presidential power that we have seen. Nothing has changed in terms of crime. In fact, it has been going down. But a few things have changed. One of them, of course, are the challenges that are mounting for this president. The economic reports have not been good. There's a new inflation report coming out tomorrow.

47:48Obviously, Jeffrey Epstein has been hanging over the administration as a challenge. The Russia meeting that's coming up on Friday also is not guaranteed to go well. So this is something that the president likes to talk about. He painted a dystopian but also somewhat a deceptive view of life in the nation's capital. But again, this is something that he has often referred and a return back to this well again and again. We saw it earlier this year in Los Angeles, sending the National Guard there. But Washington, D.C., of course, is not a state. So because of the 1973 home rule, the president is allowed to federalize the police force.

48:24So that's what he did, declaring it an emergency. But Jake, he's also declared some other emergencies and used that authority. It's unclear if this actually is an emergency. There's no doubt there is a high crime here in Washington and in other major cities as well. But the stats show it's actually falling, not going up. Yeah. And Brian, earlier this year, the acting U.S. attorney, Ed Martin, was claiming that President Trump's leadership meant that violent crime was down in Washington, D.C. As Jeff says, obviously, you know, major cities in the United States, there's there's a lot of crime, a lot of violent crime.

48:59But give us a fact check here. Is D.C. as dangerous as President Trump portrays it? It really does not appear by any measure to be as dangerous as the president portrays it. He really has portrayed this city ever since that former Doge member was attacked a week ago Sunday. The president has portrayed this as a city under siege. I think that almost any resident and anybody you talk to would disagree with that. Crime is down considerably, according to the police department. And just the stats that they cite overall. assault with a dangerous weapon down 20 % from a year ago, robberies down 29 % from a year ago, the big stat that they cite violent crime down 26 % from a year ago, both the mayor and the police saying that violent crime is at 30-year lows in this city, Jake, and you get a sense from residents here this is not the city under siege that the president portrays it.

49:49All right, Brian Todd and Jeff Selenie, thanks. Let's bring in D.C. City Council member Brooke Pinto. She represents Ward 2, which includes Georgetown and the National Mall. She also chairs the council's committee on public safety. So you heard the police's stats, which show the crime is down. That doesn't mean it's not still high, but it's down. The White House put out a fact sheet that says, quote, yes, D.C. crime is out of control, and they have a bunch of statistics from the, I think it's the Rochester Institute of Technology. One of those statistics says last year, D.C.'s homicide rate was 27.3 per 100 ,000 residents.

50:24that's the fourth highest in the country. So this is, I mean, this is a conversation that does require some nuance. The crime rate could be going down, but still be way too high, right? Right. And look, nothing is more important to me than the safety and well-being of district residents and visitors who come here as the nation's capital. And that's why in 2023, when we had these crime surges, as the chair of the Council's Committee on Judiciary and Public safety, I put together a hundred piece intervention piece of legislation called Secure DC. And we came together as a council with the mayor, the attorney general to drive down crime that has since that time, since 2023, violent crime has decreased by nearly half.

51:10So there is more work to do, certainly. And that's what we're committed to doing locally. So Janine Pirro, who is now the U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. She argues that D.C.'s laws are weak and allow even those who have been convicted of serious crimes to avoid major repercussions. Take a listen. The D.C. Council has given the judges the ability to give probation on shootings. And so then it's up to them. All of these things, the Youth Rehabilitation, Incarceration Reduction Act, and now they want to seal records. So if we work hard and we get a conviction, they want to wipe it out. She also complained about if a crime is committed by somebody who's 14, 15, 16, or 17 with a gun, you can't try them as the way she would like to, I presumably as an adult.

51:59What do you think of the specific criticisms of some of the D.C. laws? So I am in agreement that there were a lot of gaps in our system. And that's what my bill, Secure DC, was really about, was filling some of those gaps. So we gave more discretion to judges to hold violent offenders pre-trial. We increased penalties for carjacking and for gun-related offenses. We changed the composition of the sentencing commission to make sure that it was more balanced. The council just passed my latest bill, Peace DC, in June, to build on that success and fill some more of those gaps. So as a lawmaker, I am always open-minded to looking at our legal landscape and filling those holes and making sure that we have laws that provide for the safety and well-being of district residents.

52:43Well, address, if you would, what she specifically called out in terms of not being able to try. If a 16-year-old commits a crime with a gun, that young man still gets tried as a juvenile. She wants to change that, presumably. Do you disagree? Well, I believe that whatever age you are that you commit a crime, whether you're a juvenile or an adult, there should be accountability. We have a different system for juvenile prosecutions in D.C. that's handled through our D.C. elected attorney general, and then our adult prosecutions are handled through the U.S. Attorney's Office. So both of those prosecutorial routes should lead to accountability.

53:20Now, the U.S. Attorney does have the discretion to bring some cases against juveniles as adults, and that is exercised with somewhat regularity. So these claims that this can never happen is not true. There's a Washington Post-Char School poll conducted between April and May of this year showing that D.C. residents are not pleased with Mayor Bowser's handling of two key issues brought up today. On reducing crime, only 38 % of the citizens of this city believe Mayor Bowser is doing an excellent or good job. 58 % say bad job. It's worse on homelessness. 27 % say she's doing an excellent or good job compared to 67 % who say she's not.

54:00Do you disagree with the majority of the citizens of the District of Columbia? Well, I believe that crime and homelessness are two of the most pressing challenges that we face here in D.C. and we have made tremendous progress by working together over these last several years. I talked about some of the progress we've made with violent crime. When it comes to homelessness, we started a new model in Ward 2 where I represent of transitional housing to get people moved off the street into transitional housing while they await permanent housing. I believe that every person has the right to live indoors.

54:33We should not have people living outside in Washington, D.C. Even if they want to? Even if they want to, but there is a process to get people placed indoors with dignity. It does not mean we just say no homeless people can be here. All right, Disney Councilmember Brooke Pinto, always good to have you here. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Coming up, so many unanswered questions about the upcoming Trump-Putin summit on Friday in Alaska. First of all, where in Alaska is it going to be held? How long is it going to last? Will Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine be included? We're going to go live to Ukraine next.

55:09Well, we're going to have a meeting with Vladimir Putin, and at the end of that meeting, probably in the first two minutes, I'll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made. How will you know that? Because that's what I do. I make deals. That's what he does. He makes deals. And our world lead officials are rushing to finalize the logistics of Friday's Trump-Putin summit in Alaska. As of now, only limited details have been announced, including the city, the venue where the two world leaders will meet, and more. Our officials are also working out what topics are going to be allowed to be discussed.

55:38Although President Trump hopes to yield significant progress towards ending the war in Ukraine, he is going to do that without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky present for that conversation. At least that's the plan as of now. Nick Payton-Walsh is in Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine. And Nick, Ukrainian President Zelensky says Russia is definitely not preparing for any sort of ceasefire. What has been his response to being left out of the summit? Yeah, I mean, President Trump held out the possibility he would call Zelensky after his meeting with Putin, maybe even arrange later for the three men to meet in some capacity.

56:16But Zelensky from the start has been very clear that nothing can occur without Ukraine, about Ukraine, without Ukraine. And today kind of went on the informational offensive, saying that the information they're getting, their intelligence, suggests, in fact, Russia's not preparing for peace. Instead, it's actually preparing more offensive operations. Indeed, there have been some alarming reports by open source analysts suggesting that in some parts in the east, Russia has made significant progress in just the last week, causing alarm bells to ring. Look, Zlensky's also had quite a lot of support from European allies who've demanded the same unconditional immediate ceasefire that the US originally proposed with Ukraine months ago, and that being the starting point for negotiations, and also, too, a European statement has insisted that the current contact line is essentially frozen as the starting point for negotiations.

57:07Could there be swaps? It's something, really, that Trump has talked about in terms of territory going back and forth between Russia. Always hard to know, indeed, what Russia could potentially give back to Ukraine of Ukraine. but also to Germany's leader, Friedrich Merz, now arranging a call for Wednesday between himself, European leaders, and President Trump, presumably to shore up Europe's position ahead of the Alaska meeting, Jake. So you just talked about this land swap idea that the president, President Trump, talked about. Has Ukraine weighed in on that? Yeah, look, I mean, this has always been an absolute no for Ukraine, The concept of giving voluntarily land that Russia has not occupied by force to Russia as part of a deal.

57:52That seems to have emerged during US special envoy Stephen Wyckoff's visit to Moscow. Different permutations emerging. Some suggestion potentially that there hasn't been a full understanding of Russia's position, which appears to be very maximalist still, essentially wanting all of Ukraine. In fact, President Trump suggested he was one of the people who still thought that Russia wanted all of Ukraine when he spoke today. So a lot still riding on that. But the idea we've been seeing ourselves today, traveling around the very areas of the Donetsk region, Kramatorsk, Slovyansk, towns that are full of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, bustling a normal life there.

58:30Yes, air raid sirens on very often, massive damage done. But tens of thousands of people there who think it's frankly surreal that two men in Alaska on Friday from America and Russia might decide whether they all have to pack up and leave and hand over their homes to Moscow. Very far-fetched to Ukraine's government. Almost absurd when you stand in those areas yourself, Jake. All right, Nick Payton-Walsh, who's in eastern Ukraine for us, thank you so much. Stay safe. Let's get some analysis from our experts now. Jeff, let me start with you, Jeff Edmonds. How do you think Zelensky feels right now?

59:02I mean, he's been trying to hold his cards close to his vest, I suppose, but it does seem as though he would be worried. That's right. He's playing a careful game. here in the sense that he wants to keep U.S. support. So he doesn't want to upset President Trump in the same way you had the fallout with the Oval Office. But at the same time, I mean, he has the president of Ukraine and responsible for Ukraine and its sovereignty and needs to do what he has to do to protect Ukraine. And so I think it probably does feel rather surreal that he wouldn't be in the conversation. And I want you to take a listen, Rebecca, to what J.D.

59:34Vance, Vice President Vance, said just yesterday. I think the president and I certainly think that America, we're done with the funding of the Ukraine war business. We want to bring about a peaceful settlement to this thing. We want to stop the killing. But Americans, I think, are sick of continuing to send their money, their tax dollars to this particular conflict. But if the Europeans want to step up and actually buy the weapons from American producers, we're OK with that. But we're not going to fund it ourselves anymore. That's rough stuff. I mean, there's a lot of, like, blaming Ukraine subtextually in that.

1:00:10What do you think? Well, it's interesting because Vice President Vance used to oppose even selling American weapons to Europeans who would give the weapons to Ukraine. So it's nice to see him now take President Trump's position, which is that the United States still has a strong interest in seeing a strong... A little silver linings from you there. A little silver lining. I will also say there was recent polling done by the Vandenberg coalition just last week that 87 percent of Trump voters still understand that Russia poses a threat to the United States. So I'm not sure which piece of the coalition the vice president specifically talking about.

1:00:41But Americans understand that Ukraine security is related to NATO security. NATO security is related to American security. You want to have good trade deals with Europeans. You have to have a strong and peaceful Europe. And that means a strong and secure Ukraine. So, you know, I think that Ukraine is in a better position than we were a few months ago. And it's hard for Zelensky, I think, to be quiet, but it would be good for him to kind of just let this play out a little bit. I'm not confident that Putin is even going to concede anything at all. So it's good just to let this kind of summit play out.

1:01:09Yeah. And what is there that would suggest that Putin is going to concede anything? I mean, he, by all accounts, like he's winning in some areas. Right. And it doesn't seem like President Trump and Vice President Vance particularly like Zelensky or support him in this venture. I mean, what's in it for Putin to concede anything? There really isn't anything for it. The most important thing I think to consider is that this is not about land. I think a lot of people presume that it is. It's about the demilitarization, the denazification of Ukraine. It's really about Ukraine's sovereignty. And if it's not about land, you're not going to get to peace through a land deal.

1:01:48I think that's the most important thing. And then second, you know, to Zelensky's point, Ukraine has a vote in these negotiations. And if this isn't something they're going to go along with, even if they don't have U.S. support, that doesn't mean they're just going to capitulate. You know, it's interesting. I was talking earlier with Jill Dougherty, a former CNN Moscow bureau chief. After Zelensky seized, I'm sorry, after Putin seized Crimea in 2014, they, I mean, it was a fake election, but they did have this plebiscite, right? They did have this, OK, we're going to have the citizens of Crimea vote on this.

1:02:18And it was a joke and it wasn't real and it was illegitimate. But there was at least the pretense of that. There's no pretense even here. They're just talking about giving land, like not like, well, let's see if the people of Donbass want to be part of Russia. No. And there's also a question about how much control Russian military, the military campaign has even succeeded. So we know that there is now Russian control over Crimea, but the rest of the territory is still an active war zone. And so this idea that you can sort of swap land that may be more taken and held by Russia versus Ukraine. I mean, we don't have any kind of facts on that point either.

1:02:48So, you know, I think that we haven't even gotten to a ceasefire yet. President Trump has been clear sequentially he wants a ceasefire. And then we can get into details about how we get to sort of even a frozen conflict, make sure Ukraine can stop further Russian aggression. Ukraine has agreed to a ceasefire and has since March. It's just been Russia that continues this assault against Ukraine. Is it not true that, let's say that Vice President Kamala Harris had won and she was doing a peace deal right now or trying to end the war, that no matter what, there was going to be some sort of land concession that Ukraine was going to have to make?

1:03:22I understand that you're saying this is bigger than geography. But in order to bring about peace, Ukraine was going to have to concede some land, Democratic or Republican president. Do you agree with that? I think so, especially at this point. It's become pretty clear that the Ukrainian military cannot retake all of the land that Russia has taken. So if there was a case where Putin actually was interested in leaving the current government in Kiev in place, allowing Ukraine to defend itself, and was content with the land, which he wouldn't be, then you would obviously have some kind of demarcation there, and Ukrainians would have to cede something.

1:03:58I just don't think that's a reality in this. All right. Jeff Edmonds and Rebecca Heinrichs, thanks to both of you. And noting, I will be in Alaska on Friday to anchor CNN's special coverage of the Trump-Putin summit. So looking forward to that 35-hour flight. Last hour, I spoke to Texas' Republican Governor Greg Abbott about his party's push for redistricting in the state. He accused state Democrats of failing to do their constitutional duty. So I'm going to talk to a Texas Democratic Congresswoman, Jasmine Crockett, next.

1:04:337-Eleven's hottest fire chicken sandwich. People think you're intense. Well, yeah, I'm hot! Oh, yeah, intense. Want to see if you can handle the heat? Then try me. With pickles or spicy mayo and jalapenos. Oh, and it's all just$4.99. That's a deal almost as hot as I am. Almost? Sweets? No. Spicy? See for yourself. $4.99 and only at 7-Eleven. Followed through 825-26. Participating stores only while supplies last. Visit store for full terms. This podcast is supported by Anthropic, the public benefit corporation behind Claude. Everyone's got a hard question about AI. Your job, your kids, where it's going.

1:05:15Anthropic was built to surface those questions and share what it finds along the way, because there's hope in hard questions. Ask yours at Claude.ai slash Spotify and keep thinking. That's Claude.ai slash Spotify.

1:05:34Today, Texas State House Democrats intentionally skipped yet another day of this special legislative session in Austin, Texas, in an effort to stop Republicans from redrawing congressional maps. These new maps could add five new House Republican seats. Last hour, I spoke with the Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, who slammed Democrats for taking this standoff into week two. What these Democrats have done, they have turned their back on the people of the state of Texas. For one, it is gutless for Democrats to cut and run. That's anti-Texan. Ever since the time of the Alamo, Texans have stood and fought their ground.

1:06:13Here Democrats are fleeing like a bunch of chickens. Average Texans who are watching this show, they have to show up to work. If they don't show up to work, they could get fired. These Democrats think they are above that. With me now, Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett of Texas. And Congresswoman, just to remind our viewers, you were a member of the Texas State House back in 2021. You're in the U.S. House now, but you were a state legislator. And you were part of the crew that fled the state in an attempt to block voting restrictions in Texas. What do you make of Governor Abbott's argument that that is not what Texans do?

1:06:49It's gutless. It's cut and run. You're fleeing like chickens. You need to show up to do your job the way most Texans do, etc. What's your response? The only weakling in this equation is the governor himself. It's not Texans that elected the governor to the governor's mansion that asked him to do this. It is the criminal that is currently serving in the White House that begs for him to do this. So let me tell you something. I can guarantee you that Gene Wu's district has not called in and said that he is not representing them or their voices. In fact, it's just the opposite. And I know that my governor may not have practiced law too recently, but I would like to inform him if he cares to know that our Texas Constitution specifically provides for being able to break form that is in our Constitution.

1:07:41So as far as I'm concerned, these folks that decided that they were going to break quorum are more Texan and more American than the governor and the president himself. There is some critical items on the special session agenda flood relief for Texas Hill Country, where more than 100 people died over the Fourth of July weekend. What's your response to those Republicans who are blaming Democrats for holding up this relief by not showing up and allowing a quorum? Yeah, so first of all, those Republicans should show up and do their job every single day. They're the ones that knew that this area had flooded before, yet there were not provisions in place.

1:08:22In fact, one of the representatives for that area voted against a bill that would have allowed for additional monies for infrastructure in that area. The local electives in that area decided to reject money from the Biden-Harris campaign. I can tell you one thing about Democrats is that we show up for everybody. Once we are elected, then we understand what it is to govern and we don't pick winners and losers based upon your political affiliation. Unfortunately, the local electeds fail those people. And unfortunately, their state electeds fail those people. But I will also say that it wasn't flood relief that they brought to the floor quickly.

1:08:59It was absolutely focused on bringing together a bill that would decimate people's voices, black and brown voices, which make up a majority of the state. That is what they decided to do. They had an opportunity. They did not force forward with a bill on flood relief. Instead, what they pushed forward with was redistricting at the will of the attorney general who said this was about race and Donald Trump. The Economist magazine looking at this gerrymandering arms race that appears to be on the brink of breaking out in the sense that if if Texas does it, the Democrats in California and other states say they're going to do it.

1:09:40The Economist says Democrats are likely to lose the redistricting war if both sides abandon principle. A draw is possible, but Republicans face fewer obstacles. Is this gerrymandering arms race really worth it if Democrats still are going to end up on the losing side of the numbers? Governor Abbott said to me today that if California adds five Democratic seats to offset the five Republican seats that might come from this redistricting, he'll just add five more Republican seats. He said it will be 10. Yeah, so here's my attitude. We may lose the battle, but we will absolutely win this war. That is what I'm saying.

1:10:19Right now, when it comes to our base, they want to see a fight. They don't want to see us just lay down and say, OK, well, the Republicans want to do whatever they want to do. They want to minimize voices. They want to systemically get rid of those black electives. Because when I look at the numbers and to be clear, Florida is already in this thing. We know that Texas is in this thing. We know that they're putting pressure on Indiana as well as Missouri. So here's the deal. They have already decided that the only way that they can win because they have failed policies is by making sure that they can cheat their way.

1:10:54And while they're cheating their way, the only way that they can do that is while they also at the same time violate the Constitution as well as the Voting Rights Act and make sure that it's people of color. We're talking about them going after Clyburn in South Carolina. We're talking about them going after Andre Carson in Indiana. We're talking about them going after Reverend Cleaver in Missouri. We're talking about them going after Amelia Sykes in Ohio. We're talking about them coming for three of the four black representatives that we currently have in the state of Texas. So don't tell me this isn't about race when they are clear about who it is that will lose the most when it comes to having their say-so on the federal level.

1:11:31They are absolutely systemically making sure that they roll back all that was fought for, bled for, and died for as relates to those that came before us. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, Democrat of Texas, thank you so much. Appreciate your time. Thanks, Jake. Emergency workers are digging through the rubble looking for at least one person who remains missing after a horrific explosion at a Pennsylvania steel plant earlier today. We're going to go live to the scene for an update next.

1:12:02Internationally, at least one person has been killed. One is missing and 10 others have been injured after an explosion at a Pennsylvania steel plant earlier today. Officials at the Clarendon Coke Works plant say the plant is now stable. They're trying to figure out what happened, what caused the explosion. CNN's Gabe Cohen is on the scene of that blast in Clarendon, Pennsylvania, just outside Pittsburgh. Gabe, do they have any idea how this might have happened? Jake, really, at this point, they don't. And we heard an executive from U.S. Steel a little bit earlier tell media that as far as they knew, the area where this blast happened, the area of this steel mill, was in good working condition as of this morning.

1:12:42And so investigators are here on the scene and they're going to try to figure out exactly what went wrong here. And this has been a very active search and rescue scene throughout the day. Just a little while ago, officials said that there is still that one person who's unaccounted for somewhere inside that facility in the blast zone. They believe they know where that worker is, although they said they're not exactly sure and they're still working to be able to pull them out. We have seen a lot of first responder vehicles, ambulances going inside and out. So very much an active scene here, Jake.

1:13:13We know that five of the 10 injured people have been released from the hospital at this point. That is good news late this afternoon. But we're also learning a little bit more about the individual who died here today. I just spoke over the phone with his sister who confirmed that it was Timothy Quinn, her brother, a 39-year-old worker here, a father of three, who she described as someone who lit up the room, said he loved his three children. He was the caretaker for his mother. She described him as her best friend, a great person. And she was quite frustrated by the lack of communication that it took hours for her to learn that it was her brother who was killed here.

1:13:54She actually came to the scene searching for answers a few hours ago and spoke with some of the local affiliates here. Here's a bit of what she said. My dad worked at the steel mill for 42 years, and he would be disgusted in what the situation is right now. Accidents happen, but families, that's brothers and sisters, it's a stronger union. They need communication with these families.

1:14:21So, Jake, obviously you can hear the frustration there, and we will see what this investigation turns up in the days and weeks ahead. But as I said, still very much an active scene as those first responders work to find that last person who's unaccounted for. Gabe, should local residents be worried at all about toxic fumes or anything that's been released into the atmosphere? Yeah, so we did hear officials from Allegheny County earlier say that they had told all residents who live within one mile of this facility that they needed to close their windows and their doors and make sure that their HVAC systems were not pulling in any outside air because they were worried about the potential for toxic air essentially from this explosion getting into people's homes.

1:15:06Although they said at this point, there's no evidence that's happening. Gabe Cohen, thanks so much. Our small business series takes us to North Carolina next, where a startup born from the COVID pandemic is struggling under the weight of Trump's tariffs. Are they having to raise prices on their customers? That story's next.

1:15:26New today in our Money Lead, multiple reports say that President Trump has signed an executive order to extend the tariff truce with China by an additional 90 days. which brings us to our Business Leaders series, where we talk to small business owners coast to coast to see how Trump's tariffs are affecting them. Sour House is a startup that was born from the sourdough starter craze during the COVID pandemic. They started selling tools specifically for sourdough bakers. Co-founder Eric Fabian joins me now from Asheville, North Carolina. Eric, where do you manufacture your products and how are tariffs impacting your sales?

1:16:04Sure. Hi. Yeah, my name is Eric Fabian. I'm the CEO of Sour House. We make tools for sourdough homebakers. We design them here in the United States and we manufacture them in China. We sell them through our website, sourhouse.co and at retailers around the world. And the tariffs have been a significant impact on us. We started this idea five years ago now during COVID and with an idea I had for a device that would just help people keep their starter, their sourdough starter warm so they could bake better bread. And since then, we've started creating jars, like easy to clean jars for your starter bowls, different kinds of things.

1:16:47And we've been successful at it. You know, we make it our mission to help people bake more bread and to inspire them to bake more bread. And, you know, we've seen now people recommend our tools and cookbooks and, you know, folks like actress Kristen Bell, you know, you see on Instagram. She has our jars in our kitchen. And we've been real proud that we've been able to, you know, positively impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of bakers with our tools and with the educational content that we share. This all kind of came to a really difficult stop in the spring when the tariffs came into play.

1:17:23You have one of the devices next to you, do you? You can hold up to show people? Yes, this is a Goldie. It's designed for you put your jar of starter inside. It warms it up to 75 to 82 degrees where sourdough starter is very active. And, you know, sourdough bakers, they all have this jar of starter in their house somewhere. And so it's like a pet and they need to care for it. And it would just help them care for it better. And where are those manufactured? So we manufacture all the Sour House products in China. My co-founder, Jennifer Yoko Olson, is an industrial designer. We work to design all of our ideas here.

1:18:04And we create things from the ground up. These are not things that we're sourcing on Alibaba and kind of repackaging for the American market. These are custom-designed tools for the home baker. Yeah. And the tariffs have significantly raised the prices of those items? Yeah, we currently are subject to the 30 percent reciprocal tariff. But in total, we pay about 50 percent tariff on our products. And, you know, along with the tariffs going up and down, our prices go up and down. I think the biggest concern for us right now is honestly, though, the distraction of just like, you know, thinking about Trump and tariffs and all this stuff rather than focusing on helping our bakers bake better bread.

1:18:51So we'd really like to get back to it. And I think there's just a lot of, you know, uncertainty about the future. We don't know what the tariffs will be next year, but we want to give clarity on our pricing to both our direct consumers that come to our website and purchase from us, as well as our retailers who buy from us wholesale. Sourdough Bakers, you can find Sour House tools online. Eric Fabian, thank you so much for your time today. Appreciate it. Thank you. An update next on a story we've been following for months now in the fight to save Florida's manatees.

1:19:30In our Earth Matters series, an update to efforts to save the dying manatee population that inhabits Florida's Indian River Lagoon. CNN's Randy Kaye traveled to the manatees' home to understand the ongoing legal battle between wildlife advocates and the government of the state of Florida. A battle those advocates thought they had won until the state pushed back recently. We caution that some of the images we're going to bring you may be hard to watch. I think it's very disheartening. We shouldn't have the government fighting us on cleaning up the environment and saving wildlife. Katrina Shaddix and the wildlife protection group Bear Warriors United once again battling the state of Florida over protecting manatees.

1:20:11We recently saw firsthand where the manatees are starving to death in Florida's Indian River Lagoon, which stretches from Palm Beach County to Daytona Beach. The lagoon is where manatees come for the warm water, but in recent years, the northern end of the lagoon has been a death trap for them. All these homes along the lagoon that are on septic tanks are slowly leaking literally tons of nitrogen and phosphorus into the system. Marine biologist Peter Borelli says those pollutants are being released by septic tanks and water treatment facilities along the lagoon and are fueling algae growth in the water, which is causing the manatees' main food source, seagrass, to die.

1:20:49So this algae is reducing light down to the seagrasses, essentially smothering them and killing them. Between December 2020 and April 2022, more than 1 ,200 manatees died of starvation in this area. Now, Florida's Department of Environmental Protection is appealing a ruling a federal judge issued in the spring that the department violated the Federal Endangered Species Act. As a result, the judge temporarily halted the approval of any new septic tank permits along the lagoon. That ruling followed a 2022 lawsuit in which Bear Warriors United sued Florida's Department of Environmental Protection to help protect the manatees.

1:21:29They suffered immensely and for a very long time. There was lax leadership from the state of Florida over decades that allowed this problem to get worse and worse. The judge found a definitive causal link between Florida's Department of Environmental Protection wastewater regulations and the ongoing risk to manatees. Then, in May, he agreed to what was essentially a wish list from Bear Warriors United, things they wanted the state to fix, on behalf of the manatees. In addition to halting septic tank permits, Florida was required to submit a plan to monitor manatees' health and set up a supplemental feeding program for manatees in this lagoon.

1:22:06In its latest court filing, Florida's Department of Environmental Protection says it's not them, but Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that is responsible for wildlife issues, arguing the judge is insisting the wrong agency make the required changes. The FDEP is beating a dead horse. It's already been decided by a judge, you know, a federal court judge. We reached out to both the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, but neither provided a response to our questions. We're not going to stop until we convince the government to save the manatees from extinction.

1:22:42Are you hopeful the manatee population will come back here? Now that we won this lawsuit, we think we have a really good chance of working with the state to make sure the manatees don't go extinct on our watch. Randy Kay, CNN, Palm Beach County, Florida. And our thanks to Randy Kay for that report. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, ThreadsX, and on the TikTok at Jake Tapper. You can follow the show on X at The Lead CNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can listen to the show once you get your podcasts. Aaron Burnett out front starts right now.

1:23:15Hey, it's Mike Rowe, and it just occurred to me that ZipRecruiter has been sponsoring my podcast the way I heard it for the last 10 years. Consequently, I've agreed to sing their jingle at the end of this commercial in four-part harmony all by myself. Why would I do that? Because years ago, when the Mike Rowe Works Foundation was expanding and I was desperate to hire a few uniquely qualified individuals, I posted a job for free on ZipRecruiter, and I found the people I was looking for in less than 24 hours. It's that simple. Ever since, I've been telling my audience that ZipRecruiter got me the most qualified, most interested people.

1:23:50And now, I'm telling you. Post a job for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash zip, and watch what happens. That's ZipRecruiter.com slash zip. And now, here's their official jingle in four-part harmony. Build your team, build it sooner Meet your match at ZipRecruiter Try it free Go 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