White House Defends Iran Agreement Amid Criticism

23:32I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of the Chasing Life podcast. We're talking to Dr. Alexander Moskop. He's author of the book called The End of Migraines, and he's the founder and director of the New York Headache Center. He's going to tell us why headaches hurt, what's really happening in your head, and what you can do about it. What is the first thing you sort of recommend then in terms of lifestyle? So sleep deprivation is number one and people are busy not getting enough sleep. That's probably part of the reason headaches have gone up just because we're getting less and less sleep. You're right. Diet is a very important factor as well.

24:08Lowering your carbs can definitely help. Three out of four migraine sufferers suffer from reactive hypoglycemia which means you eat something sweet or carbs, sugar goes up and then plummets. Listen to Chasing Life, streaming now, wherever you get your podcasts. Our sports lead begins with something you don't see every day, what they used to call a ticker tape parade down the high-rise canyons of lower Manhattan. Today, it was 40 ,000 pounds of shredded paper floating down on the NBA champion Knicks, New York Knickerbockers, if you want to use the official terminology, and about 2 million onlookers.

24:46Nick star Jalen Brunson and his family were on the float displaying that championship trophy. New York Mayor Zora Mamdani presented the team with keys to the city to go along with the millions of fans' hearts the team already won. It has been fun to watch. Well, now to our national lead and something else you don't see every day. All four living former U.S. presidents and first ladies together in one place. The Clintons, Bushes, and Bidens were in Chicago to celebrate the opening of President Barack Obama's Presidential Center and Library. They were joined by a mini-galaxy of musical stars, including Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Eddie Vedder, Springsteen, Stevie Wonder.

25:25They were a lot. You could look across the crowd and spot dozens of regulars from the Obama administration, as well as presidential wannabes. The current president, he wasn't there, wasn't even invited, but he seemed to be on lots of minds. For us to give it now, After all this country's been through, to cynicism and division would be a betrayal of our founding ideas. A betrayal of our faith. And I remain convinced that the overwhelming majority of Americans feel the same way. That as unsettled as we are, people aren't looking for perpetual anger and division. They are looking for fairness and common sense and mutual respect that deep in our gut, we want to find a way to turn towards each other again, not further away.

26:23Also in the crowd today with CNN's Jeff Zeleny, who I would term, I think, rather fairly a regular of the press corps throughout the rise of Obama and into his presidency in Des Moines and Chicago, the Times. Jeff, with that context and kind of what you've witnessed in parallel to this former president, what struck you about today's ceremony? Well, Phil, it was classic Barack Obama in every way, every major speech we have seen him given, many of which are chronicled back in the museum behind me. even starting with that speech that really put him on the national stage 22 years ago in the 2004 Democratic Convention, talking about the commonality, talking about how his story fits into the story of America.

27:07Now, of course, that is complicated. This entire museum and the argument of hope and change is complicated by what came after the Obama administration. That, of course, is the Trump administration. So for the last 10 years, Donald Trump has effectively overshadowed the Obama legacy in some respects. It contributes to his sort of stronger favorability ratings. There's no doubt every president looks better in the rearview mirror. George W. Bush, a key example of that. But listening to the former president here, as he was being celebrated for his past, he was urging and imploring his supporters and a larger audience to be sure to look ahead to the future.

27:47He said, don't wallow around in nostalgia. Nostalgia is basically longing for something that was as opposed to thinking about what could be. And that is the point of this entire Obama Presidential Center here. It's really over 19 sprawling acres in Jackson Park on the south side of Chicago here. It's a museum to be sure, but it's much more than that as well. It's a community center with gardens, a basketball court, a Chicago Public Library branch. So what the Obamas are trying to do is encourage the next generation of leaders. But the reality check on this here is that there is a very divided America.

28:23There's no doubt about that. But his favorability rating, Phil, in our new poll out this morning, 57 percent, the highest favorability rating of every former president here. That's driven, of course, by Democrats, but also by independents and even some Republicans. One in five Republicans have a favorable view of him. So it was a moment of American history here. The first presidential museum to be open in 13 years. The last one was 2013, the Bush Library in Dallas. So anytime you see effectively a gathering of the former President's Club, it's very notable. And even more notable, obviously, the one who was not here and not invited.

28:59Yeah, the implicit split screen and that. It was a heck of an event to watch, Jeff Zeleny. You've seen so many of them chronicling it better than most, maybe anybody. Jeff Zeleny in Chicago, thanks so much. Well, a new book reveals President Trump's obsession with redecorating the Oval Office, including how he used super glue to try and hang some gold decorations. That's next.

29:28In our Politics Lead, CNN is learning new details from the upcoming book, Regime Change Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, from New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, including this anecdote about Trump's hands-on approach to his golden makeover of the Oval Office, Quote, one morning, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt walked into the Oval Office and found Trump, quote, clutching a tube of super glue and attempting to affix gold decorations to the marble fireplace mantle, according to the book. CNN's Jamie Gangel has been reading through a copy obtained by CNN ahead of its Tuesday release.

30:04And of course, Jamie got a hold of the book. Jamie, did the president's handiwork surprise anyone in his inner circle? No, I actually thought that was maybe the most interesting part of it was that when they discuss talking to other aides, they say, as he was known to prefer his own aesthetic handiwork to anyone else's, the sight of the president squeezing glue onto gilded appliques and mounting them on the wall himself surprised no one in his inner circle. I mean, honestly, I'm not either. Like, there's a level here where I'm just like, yeah, it kind of sounds like it. So how do you unsee this, then take it to the next level of was he gluing other things all over the place?

30:52There is now a very hot text chain. How did he get the super glue? And from one person at the archives, I heard that White House curators are now thinking about how do you get super glued off the memo? I got four kids, man. Let me tell you, they got a job ahead of them. Okay. I also want to ask, the book also details how the president sees himself compared to notorious world leaders like Napoleon, Stalin, Mao, even Hitler. Explain. Right. So this is, frankly, an extraordinary story. First of all, the book, more than a thousand and interviews, three years of research, covers the first 14 months of this term.

31:36And in March, Maggie and Jonathan Swan go to the Oval Office for a formal sit-down interview with the president. He's very proud about some presidential historian has given him this document, which he says shows he's more powerful than Hitler and Stalin and Attila the Hun. I'm not sure why you would want that comparison. And he's proudly reading it and showing it to them. And they can't figure out who the presidential historian is. And they start searching. Name doesn't show up. But the president had said that this historian was a friend of former Hall of Fame golfer Gary Player. So they search Gary Player, the historian.

32:25The historian is Gary Player's former caddy and confidant. Again, tracks on some level.

32:40Is that why he was so angry? He attacked them at one point. So actually that attack came, I believe, a few days before the sit down interview. And I spoke to someone familiar with the meeting and they said the meeting could not have actually been more cordial. Trump was in cell, cell, cell mode. So maybe that attack was a precursor to intimidate a little bit. All I know is that I'm very much jealous you've read the book. I can't wait to get my hands on it. There are no other reporters I have higher respect for than Maggie and Jonathan. It's going to be great. I want to bring, we should note, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan will be here on the lead next Wednesday.

33:23Jamie, stick around. I want to bring my panel in. And Mo, just kind of, there's been elements of this book that have been coming out. It's probably the most highly anticipated book in Washington this year. Maybe I've heard in a long time. Your reaction to, Jamie was actually really good at walking us through this in a way that brought, was anxious at points, excited at others? What do you think? I mean, the level of ridiculousness of some of these anecdotes is off the charts, even by today's standards. But you do see a through line, right? Like, and it's not a through line that we're not, you know, that we're unfamiliar with.

34:03It is Donald Trump makes everything about himself, right? I love the gold-plated stuff, the superglue stuff. The AI-generated ads for the midterms write themselves, right? Where here's a guy who, at a time that most Americans are struggling, high price of gas, high price of groceries, is sitting in the Oval Office, rather than dealing with that, taking a tube of superglue to put more gold surrounding him. Like that is exactly the choice Democrats want people to be thinking about when this election comes. Yes. Yeah. OK. You're very good at politics, but even I could see it. Yeah. That would be effective.

34:50Donald Trump, just like us, loves arts and crafts. Right. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. OK. So the book also lays out this exchange between President Trump and his OMB director, Russ Vogt, about then Fed chair Jerome Powell, who Trump was trying to push out by making his life miserable, threatening lots of things, eventually a DOJ investigation. In the book, the book quotes Trump from a staff meeting, quote, I want to bust his effing balls, honestly. What about that effing building? Can we stop it? Can we stop construction? I just want to bust his effing balls. F him. Trump asked if they could stop construction.

35:24I'll look into it, Vogue said. No, don't look into it, Trump replied. bring me a plan. Jamie, it was clear in public comments and social media posts that Trump wanted Powell out. That adds a lot of context to the sequence of events that we saw in this time period. Right. So I think what's clear from their reporting here is an aide told Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman at the time that Trump actually was not going to fire Powell, but he was going to quote, torture him as much as possible. And you see the setup behind the scenes. And there are other stories throughout the book. Look, we've picked a couple of these very colorful stories to tell.

36:10But this goes behind the scenes at meetings, people that he was going to go after, like Chris Krebs. I'm being moved, but I'm back. And you really get a sense of of how haphazard, but how mean he is in some of these situations. Maura, what's your read? Kind of both what Jamie's reported here, but also I think some of the expectations, other excerpts we've seen kind of into this rollout. On the book itself, I'm also looking forward to reading it. I didn't think that I'd ever be on TV talking about Attila the HUD, but here we are. Supergluing gold in the Oval Office, though. Parts and crafts. But I think, again, it's all these different things.

36:50is it one points to me that the focus is very much on himself. And members of Congress who are looking at re-election, this isn't going to impact them. How does this help them, right? They can't talk about this to their constituents and talk about the big wins that they want to put on the board when the president's sole focus is on decorating, which we know that's a big part of it. To me, I read this as Donald Trump wants to have some legacy. He just turned 80 years old. The window for legacy post-presidency that many presidents also enjoy, he has limited time to do that, to build that. So he's putting his name on everything.

37:21He's really focused on leaving a mark in that way. But what he's not focused on are the things that he promised to be during his campaign. And Republicans in Congress have to reconcile with that and decide whether they're going to stick with following what Trump says and does and go along with it. Or if they're going to remind their constituents that they were elected by them and they represent those people. And so there's a decision that they need to make for themselves. It's such a good point. There is a self-preservation mode that politicians tend to morph into right around August, September, maybe July.

37:50And we're hitting that point. I want to turn back to Chicago. We were just talking to Jeff Zeleny about former President Barack Obama, the opening of his library. He was joined by former presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden, and their wives, first ladies, for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center. President Trump was not invited. It's very rare for the current president to gather with their predecessors. Was it a missed opportunity? I'm not sure what anyone would have gotten out of it had Donald Trump been there. But it was so fascinating to watch this event, especially thinking about the one that's going to happen in a couple of weeks for the America 250 celebration.

38:31This was the launching of a beautiful new center that has Barack Obama's name on it. It's supposed to be all about him. He used his speech to unify and talk about the American ideal. Donald Trump has already said he wants to turn the one in a couple of weeks into a Trump rally. The event that's supposed to be the unifying event that brings everyone together behind an American ideal is going to be about him. But it's just such an interesting dichotomy of politics as it was once practiced not so long ago versus how it seems to be practiced now. But it's also a slight to the people who put together these America 250 events.

39:08It's a bipartisan commission that's been working for years to celebrate our country's big anniversary. And so he's hijacking it in a lot of ways. I want to play some sound from Michelle Obama, who I think we've talked a lot about the former president's speech, where there were some implicit kind of nods to the current president. and maybe some slights to the current president. I don't think the former first lady was implicit in anything she was trying to say here. Take a listen. The lies about your birthright, your faith, your patriotism, the outrage when you stated the biological fact that if you'd had a son, that he too would be black.

39:46You were doing the people's work, rescuing our economy, expanding health care, ending a war, ordering the Bin Laden rate, saving an auto industry, winning a peace prize.

40:04There should be like a camera on W anytime Michelle Obama is speaking. It has to. It's like, yeah, we need to do that. She closed that speech saying, quote, a lasting legacy isn't a name on a building. What do you think of that? I think it's very poignant. I think it speaks to what Trump's doing. He knows that this is the only way he can leave his legacy, that he has control over, because beyond that, I think what is very telling is what he hasn't done. And what she's pointing out, I think also juxtaposing that with what happened with the UFC fight and the comments made about Michelle Obama, the former First Lady, I think it was important for her to say something about that in a way that was dignified.

40:43I don't know that Donald Trump particularly cares, but his legacy, in fact, it's pretty obvious what he wants versus what the American people are expecting from presidents. I think we all have a clock on when truth socials are going to start rolling out at some point. Appreciate you guys all very much, Jamie. As always, great reporting. A Republican senator is calling President Trump's Iran agreement the worst foreign policy blunder in decades. How the White House is defending it despite all the bipartisan blowback. That's next.

41:17Welcome to The Lead. I'm Phil Mattingly. Jake Tapper is on assignment this hour. The White House has now briefed top lawmakers about the specifics of its agreement with Iran as a growing force of Democrats and Republicans criticized the terms. What CNN is learning tonight about the next phase of negotiations with the regime. Plus, New Mexico lawmakers meeting today about their investigation into the dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and a property he owned in the state called Zorro Ranch. One of the state representatives leading that probe will join us live ahead to explain the new subpoenas they issued and what they're hoping to learn from that information.

41:53Also, this afternoon, President Trump presented three American heroes with the Medal of Honor, including retired Army Major Nicholas Dockery. When Dockery's unit was ambushed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, he ran through enemy fire, killed terrorists who were trying to drag away an injured soldier, and performed life-saving medical aid. We are honored to have him joining the show to share his story and how he's using his time post-service to help others.

42:23The lead tonight, Vice President J.D. Vance says people just need to, quote, have a little bit of faith in the president as questions mount about the new U.S.-Iran agreement. Some of the loudest detractors from inside the Republican Party. Texas Senator Ted Cruz railed against the framework's$300 billion economic fund for Iran. adding Trump is getting, quote, really bad advice, while Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana called it, quote, the worst foreign policy blunder in decades. This afternoon, President Trump sought to clear up any lingering confusion, posting, quote, we expect a complete ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israel.

43:00We start things off with CNN's Zach Cohen. Zach, you have some really great new reporting about kind of the fragile state of these next steps forward. What are you learning? Yeah, Phil, a lot of the criticism around this memorandum of understanding has been about the secrecy behind it. And we're learning new details tonight about secret proposals that the U.S. and Iran have been working on that are really geared toward how to implement those 14 points in the document that was signed this week. And that includes details about how to address concerns about Iran's nuclear program going forward. Now, Vice President J.D.

43:33Vance today in the White House briefing room effectively confirmed that these proposals are what administration officials have been referring to as, quote, gentlemen's agreements. But he also confirmed to our Christian Holmes that some of these proposals are, in fact, written down on paper. And take a listen to what Vance said when he was questioned by Christian Holmes earlier today. Whether they're written down or spoken, this is why we structured the deal that we did, because we don't trust words. We trust action. Words don't matter, ladies and gentlemen. We're about verification. So words don't matter, according to Vance, But the words in that signed memorandum of understanding very much matter and have prompted a lot of criticism, as you mentioned, from members of Donald Trump's own party.

44:15Republicans voicing significant concerns, even as they've received their first briefing from top administration officials on the negotiation with Iran today. And we're learning from a source, too, that in that briefing with top lawmakers, select top lawmakers, Republicans really pushed administration officials on this idea, this question of whether there are any, quote, side deals happening in addition to the memorandum of understanding that's been released publicly. My understanding is that administration officials really dismissed that idea, but did acknowledge, as Vance did, that there are some documents that haven't been released publicly.

44:49And that includes a alleged letter from the Iranian government to the IAEA, the Nuclear International Watchdog, inviting them to start their inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities, start to try to locate and figure out how to deal with Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium and invite American nuclear experts to participate in that process. So while there's still a lot of questions about this process, what happens next, there do seem to be a lot of developments happening behind the scenes. And that is a source of consternation for Republicans and Democrats alike. Yeah, no question about that.

45:22Zach Cohen, great reporting as always. Thanks so much. Well, joining us now, staff writer for The Atlantic, Tom Nichols and Kim Dozier, CNN Global Affairs Analyst. Thanks to you both for joining. I want to start with something that I think maybe hasn't gotten as much attention as we've all tried to figure out what gentlemen's agreements actually mean, what's in writing, what's not in writing. And that's what the vice president said when asked about Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's relationship. Listen. Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time.

45:55And he happens to be the head of state of the world's superpower. If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world. Kim, I think what I found most striking about that, look, there's been disagreements that have spilled more and more into the public of late. That was really overt. It was very different from the usual kind of back channel frustrations or, hey, we'll call you. But we're not going to talk about it publicly. That was very clear. Well, speaking just as clearly as some Israeli politicians speak, look, he was mostly he was pushing back against members of the cabinet on the far right who he believes are not being grateful enough.

46:42It's also a sign of the White House's frustration with Israel. They thought Israel would be easier to manage than this. And then Netanyahu had to come out in a public address this week and tell his people, I am not going to withdraw from Lebanon. I'm not going to pull away from the threat. We're going to protect you. And he also griped about, you know, here in Israel, everyone says that Trump is telling me what to do. And in the United States, everyone thinks that I'm telling Trump what to do. I'm doing what's good for the state of Israel. So I think that's what you're seeing in Vance's public remarks, some of that frustration also boiling out.

47:20Yeah, it'll be fascinating to see kind of how it continues to play out, roll out. We'll see very fraught dynamics on that space. Tom, you had a great piece. There was one kind of portion of it that really struck me last night when I was reading it. And I want to read you the quote. Trump more than ever is unable to fathom what's happening in the world around him and has been reduced to turning all of his previous statements upside down. A regime that was once the epitome of evil is now a reasonable partner. Nuclear material that once represented an existential threat to America might now sit in Iran forever.

47:52Syria and Iran and Israel and Lebanon will now do things that they would never do just because he wants them to. The president posted today a ceasefire is still the ultimate goal here. What is Trump's version of peace at this point? Well, part of the problem here is that Trump's version of peace requires other countries to just be basically wholly owned subsidiaries of Trump, Incorporated. He doesn't think of other people and other states as independent actors that have real interests. He only thinks in terms of what matters to him, what's good for him. and he's constantly flummoxed when other people simply refuse to cooperate with the Donald Trump show.

48:41And it's not surprising, the conversation you just had with Kim, it's not surprising that the Israelis who, you know, and I have to say, I don't shed a whole lot of tears for Benjamin Netanyahu, who I think maneuvered himself and his country into this terrible situation. But it's understandable that when the president of the United States makes a deal with Iran, who is a dedicated enemy of both countries, and then tries to obligate the Israelis to do what that requires when they're not part of the negotiation, well, of course, they're going to push back. And Trump just simply cannot comprehend when other people won't play the part that he has scripted out for them.

49:23When that happens, he gets frustrated, he gets humiliated and embarrassed, and so he just rewrites reality. Now the Iranians are reasonable people, they care about their country, they can have missiles, everything's going to be fine, because it's the only way he knows how to deal with it when the rest of the world won't cooperate with it. Yeah, the seamless inversion of very clear red lines or points of interest is kind of wild to watch and see and play back, which, again, was part of why I found that piece so striking from Tom. Kim, J.D. Vance was asked today to clarify how the MOU and the structure of the negotiations going forward are different from President Obama's Iran deal, the JCPOA.

50:05Here's what he said. The Gulf Coast Coalition loves this deal because they think that it makes Iran weaker. They hated the Obama deal because they thought that it made Iran stronger. They know more about this and they have more to lose than anybody, including the United States of America. So I trust their judgment. Kim, not to nitpick, but like Gulf Coast Coalition, not what it's called. Not what it stands for. Is that really the main difference in your sense? You know, you can't yet compare the two because the Trump deal is not yet done. Yes, it front loads a lot of cash in order to get the straight open.

50:46And it promises this$300 billion investment fund. But look at other investment funds that the Trump administration has set up. The Gaza Rebuilding Fund has$17 billion promised to the$70 billion that's needed. but it's empty because the talks to solve that situation haven't gone forward. We're in a situation now where these technical talks, all the tough stuff has been left for the technical talks between Iran and the U.S. We will likely never see the day when that investment fund sees the light of day. Important point. Kim Dozier, Tom Nichols, really appreciate you both. Thanks so much. Well, up next, we're proud to be joined by one of the heroes who received the Medal of Honor at the White House, Major Nicholas Dockery, who even in retirement is finding a way to help others.

51:32Stick with us. It's a conversation you just don't want to miss.

51:44In our national lead, President Trump, awarding the Medal of Honor to three members of the Armed Forces in a ceremony this afternoon at the White House. Retired Major James Capers, Jr. and Colonel John W. Ripley, who was awarded posthumously. and U.S. Army Major Nicholas Dockery, who served as a platoon leader in Afghanistan. At one point during a patrol, his platoon was ambushed by enemy forces. Under intense fire, Major Dockery repeatedly crossed open ground to rally his soldiers, fought his way to those who were trapped, managed to rescue an unconscious soldier, and bring him back to safety.

52:21He signaled enemy positions with smoke grenades, allowing American gunships to come to the platoon's rescue. Major Dockery, you were the last man to depart the battlefield that day, and you left it a legend and a hero. We proudly award you the Congressional Medal of Honor. Jake Tapper sat down with Major Dockery earlier this week ahead of today's ceremony. And joining me now is Major Nicholas Dockery. First of all, Major, congratulations. The nation's highest military honor. Tell me, what does this symbolize for you? Thank you, Jake. This is a tremendous honor. I think anybody that enlists in the military may think one day they find themselves in a situation like this.

53:13And when you do, you certainly never know that it's going to be a Medal of Honor-like situation. You don't even know how you're going to respond, really. I really don't. I'm still working with it right now. So maybe in a few days, maybe I can come back with a better answer to that. But right now, I'm just incredibly humbled and gracious that I even found myself in the position I am today to receive it. And I'm especially thankful for all the people that I served with, soldiers that were there, fought along with me. And I'm just really thankful. Wait till you get to go to your first Medal of Honor convention.

53:45I got to go to one of those a few years ago, and it's like you're in a room full of heroes. It's amazing. Since leaving the military, you've started a foundation to address mental health. Tell me about that. Why is that issue important to you? I did. I really appreciate you sharing that or asking me about that. I think we're at an exciting time with mental health in terms of how much support in general people have for addressing mental health. And just how much candor people have. People talk about it in a way they didn't 10 years ago. That's exactly right. And I think that if you just collectively look around the country, people are finally identifying the fact that they're comfortable with addressing it.

54:24How we go about that isn't exactly clear yet. But one space that we're focused on is working to support organizations that are using alternative and experimental therapies. Oh, like psilocybin? Evidence-based approaches. Yeah, that's one. We're exploring that. We haven't completely committed to it, but it's an exciting place to be right now. I know the government's just allocated a lot of money to investigate that and research, which certainly needs done. But our focus right now is addressing the organizations doing the hardest work in that space at the Nicholas Dockery Foundation. And we're a grant making organization that works on scaling and funding and developing them to address some of the hardest issues.

55:02Depression, anxiety, events related to trauma and suicidality. So I think that this is probably the most exciting place we've been here, and the changes are going to be tremendous in the coming years. How much progress do you think that the country has made in prioritizing mental health specifically for veterans? I think that we've made an appropriate response. And not that we could have done more. I think it's moving at a pace that is appropriate, given the need to really understand what we're addressing. I think we have a tendency now to lean a lot into medications or one quick silver bullet, but this is something that takes time, and people need to come back to understanding how to address these issues.

55:45I like to put it in the most easiest way, to think about the coldest you have ever been. And when you get really, really cold, it causes you to completely freeze, like depression or anxiety or just thoughts of suicidal ideation. And that is the point where we want our organization to step in, is to help people come out of that frozenness. Because when you're in that point, when you're that cold, it's hard to move. It's hard to focus on anything but survivability. You can't think about anything else. Nothing else. And anybody that's been in that point knows that they just need somebody to help them out.

56:16And that's what we want to help be. So I just want to show you this for conversation purposes. So this is a bracelet I wear every day. Yeah, it's the eight guys who died at Kambau to Opos Keating in Afghanistan in October 3rd, 2009. But there's a ninth guy on there, Ed Faulkner Jr. He died of an overdose a year later. And one of the soldiers said to me, he won't be the last. And sadly, he wasn't. Other guys from that same deployment, from that same attack, I can think of at least one other who took his own life. So it is a lifelong struggle for a lot of these guys. Yeah, I hear you saying it. I have chills.

56:54I have two of my own friends. I know anybody that's going to hear this broadcast knows that. They never know how to respond. It's always who you least think, and then at the same time, it's who you most think it's going to happen to. And I think collectively, since we're conscious as a country that this is an issue, this is part of what I feel is this abandoned community service and leadership where people that can do something should do something, which is the primary fueling motivation that I've had for being in this space. It's so special that you're using your platform as the most recent Medal of Honor recipient to talk about these issues.

57:30We're honored to have you here. Thank you, sir. Thank you so much. Medal of Honor recipient, Major Nicholas Dockery. Congratulations again. Thank you. We're getting breaking news about the upcoming trial of Luigi Mangione, what his attorneys just told the judge about his defense. That's coming up.

57:53In our politics lead important new developments in what's been a year-long controversy over where and how the Trump administration deals with undocumented immigrants who are swept up in its raids. Today, the New York Times reported the Department of Homeland Security, in a major reversal, now plans to sell or transfer to other government agencies the 11 warehouse facilities it purchased at a total cost of a billion dollars in order to convert them to immigrant detention facilities. The Times article says facilities in Michigan and New Jersey are among the ones being offloaded. I'm joined now by New Jersey Governor Mike and Cheryl.

58:28Governor, I appreciate your time. I was just reading through your statement with the joint statement with the attorney general. There's a lot of, I think, details and information that we're still trying to figure out at this point. What can you tell us about kind of what you've been told, what's happening here? This warehouse never made sense. It's a warehouse. The road it's on doesn't have the capacity for the traffic that 2 ,000 detainees would create and their families and the workers there. It doesn't have the sewering to handle that capacity. Right now, it's a warehouse with only two bathrooms.

59:01They wanted to put about 2 ,000 people there, as I said. So it never made any sense, but it was going to cost the town a lot of money, which is why in a bipartisan way, we went to court. We've already blocked this for more environmental review. So really, getting rid of it for the federal government, getting rid of it is the only thing that really makes sense. Have you heard from DHS at all? I remember talking to Michigan officials when they were dealing with a very similar thing, and they were like, we have not heard anything. We are going to win in court, but no one is talking to us about anything.

59:30Has that changed now that there's a new DHS secretary? No, again, I think we're in the same spot. We're already winning in court. We've already blocked construction. And so I think we'll continue to do that. We're not stopping our court case because of the New York Times article. We're going to keep plowing ahead and make sure that thing never gets built. It's, you know, it's so kind of what we see this administration doing again and again and again, costing working people money. This would have cost the town of Roxbury huge sums of money to put in place the sewering and the roads they would need.

1:00:02And there's no benefit. And at the same time, you know, we're seeing again and again the people that seem to make money are Trump and his cronies. We see it in something like this. We saw it when he... Trump tried to block the Gateway Tunnel construction money. He laid off about 1 ,000 workers who were already on the job. We went to court and we fought that back. We see ICE agents on the ground en masse. That's illegal here in New Jersey. So, of course, we're in court again because the Trump administration doesn't follow the rule of law. Again and again and again, he completely ignores the things like public safety, like the affordability crisis that make a difference for the people of New Jersey.

1:00:37That's why we're fighting back. I should note CNN reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for reaction to the Times article. The agency gave us this statement, quote, From day one, DHS has remained singularly focused on removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from the United States. and is always evaluating the best methods to do so. These heinous criminals, once arrested, should be removed at lightning speed, not housed on American soil at the taxpayer's expense. DHS is moving swiftly to utilize existing detention space with our state and county partners. Governor, the emphasis on existing, I think, lays quite bare.

1:01:14The Times story is on the mark here. I think your reaction to kind of how they're framing things right now, which seems to be a pretty significant shift. Like every other statement from the Trump administration, it's filled with misinformation. So they're not focused on housing the worst of the worst. In fact, at the private detention facility here at Delaney Hall, that is not for high-level criminals. In fact, most of them are nonviolent offenders. Many of them showed up for their court dates, were going through the process legally, and got picked up by ICE and thrown in Delaney Hall. We had 18-year-olds in there.

1:01:46We got them out. We had pregnant women in there that weren't getting medical treatment. Luckily, we got them out of there. I mean, these are just people who are working, many of them going through the process the right way, that were scooped up and thrown in a private detention facility. So, again, that statement doesn't even hold water. Even as they're defending their decision, it doesn't make sense. And we're seeing it, too, with, you know, just the Iran war. I sat on the House Armed Services Committee. And so here Trump couldn't even come up with a plausible excuse for getting into a war, things like saying he was going to have regime change, he was going to get rid of the nuclear weapons, He was going to get rid of the missiles.

1:02:20And at the same time, he's done none of that and somehow acts like this is a great deal. It sounds like we're going to have to spend$300 billion rebuilding Iran as everybody else pays more money for gas prices. Again and again and again, we're seeing an administration that doesn't care about working people. Trump said he loves inflation. Guess what? I don't love inflation. The people of New Jersey don't love inflation. And we're going to keep fighting for a better opportunity and better future for our kids. New Jersey Governor Mikey Sherrill, breaking news. Really appreciate you popping up with us in the conversation.

1:02:50Thanks so much. Thank you. Well, first, it was algae. Now, blue material is peeling off the bottom of D.C.'s reflecting pool. Yes, the same pool the Trump administration just finished renovating. CNN South Foreman is there with a live look next.

1:03:13We're back with the politics lead. The Interior Department says the nanobubbler technology has killed the algae already growing in the Lincoln Reflecting Pool since President Trump's more than$14 million renovation, reopening last week. Saying in a post that the National Parks team is now vacuuming up the rest of the bottom of the pool, quote, just like the destroyed Iranian Navy resting on the bottom of the Persian Gulf. On top of that, CNN crews have now seen blue material is peeling off the bottom of the pool. My panel joins me now. What a fun topic. What a fun topic. What do we even say? You know why?

1:03:55Like, these are the things that, like, I genuinely don't care about. But the fact that the White House, the administration, the Interior Department genuinely do, I think is significant at this moment in time when there's a lot of more important things going on. I think that it's pretty disgusting for the Interior Department because what they're what they were kind of making this sort of analogy to me between what our soldiers and some of those who actually died, what they went through in comparing that to scraping the algae off the bottom of a pool. I'm the rest of the renovation project, the restoration project or beautification project.

1:04:32I think it is an excellent idea. People misunderstand and assume that this is a D.C. responsibility. It has long been a federal government responsibility. So Donald Trump is doing what the federal government has always done. But we're seeing now because they rushed this pool project by not flushing it initially, we're dealing with the algae. And now you're seeing that this is peeling. If they had done a job where over a longer period of time, instead of rushing it, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Adrienne, I hate to do Adrienne. I really hate to do her job here. What he just said. That's what I'm going with.

1:05:07Yes. Seconded. So we have some more information. The company that just did renovations on the pool, including painting the bottom blue, says it's coming back to do renovations. Do you think Democrats are like, apparently Democrats don't need to highlight. We just, Malisa's going to do it. I was going to say, spokesperson here. One of the things that I'm always struck by in these moments is like, there are so many things. Yeah. That Democrats could focus on, attack on. And I think sometimes that's a pretty significant superpower for the president. That like, it's hard to pick one. Well, what do you go with exactly?

1:05:37Should this be one? Well, no, well, you just hit the nail on the head. I mean, if we followed every single sort of disastrous thing that Trump does on an almost daily basis, then you're not actually talking about the issues that are important to voters who are going to ultimately decide what happens in the midterms. And those issues are affordability and ridding the government of corruption, or at least reducing corruption as much as possible. Those are the two big issues that are driving the midterms. Sure, you can put this under the umbrella of, you know, corruption because Trump is not focusing.

1:06:07He's putting money into something that is not manifesting itself the way it should, and he's using taxpayer dollars irresponsibly. But ultimately, I mean, this is where Trump can be relatively effective, where he wants us to kind of like throw our eyes off the curveball and focus on something that is not what the American people are caring about. This is, I think, another line or another demerit under his numerous demerits of ineffective governing or doing something too hastily or too fast. But ultimately, if you're the average voter, ordinary American, sitting out there in America trying to decide who you're going to vote for in the midterms, I don't think what's happening on the reflecting pool is going to decide that for you.

1:06:43So again, I think it's important that Democrats, you've got to pick your battles here. And I think on this one in particular, look, there will be oversight in Congress that, of course, will happen. But in terms of what we are choosing to really focus on as Democrats, we've got to focus on the issues that ordinary, everyday Americans are focusing on. And that's their pocketbook. Yeah, I'd point to the governor of New Jersey, who I was just talking to, who won in an off year, talking about affordability, affordability, affordability. And we were just talking about affordability, affordability. She knows what she's doing there.

1:07:11OK, so new records uncovered by the publication Notice show just last week the White House quietly shifted more than$350 million that was allocated for the Secret Service to now fund Trump's ballroom. Malik, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including Republican Senator Tom Tillis, saying this isn't right. Appropriators always very territorial on these such things. What's your take on this part? So people can they're going to fact check me on this. And so I don't know if there is a direct connection. But remember the McDonough, the parliamentarian, she, when they tried to actually put some funding in there, she said that the way that they actually put the funding into the bill, that they couldn't do it.

1:07:51So because it involves like other agencies. You're trying to draw me into a bird rule rabbit hole discussion? Well, I'm just saying. Hell yeah. Control room is freaking out right now. But I'm saying I'm thinking that this is what it sounds like, because what she said, the parliamentarian said that because other agencies like Secret Service and other agencies are involved in the project, that you have to have separate funding out of those particular agencies. I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but it was already understood, at least from the Senate parliamentarian, with the last bill that they tried to put through Congress, that they had to get money from taxpayers.

1:08:25So that was already there. The taxpayer portion of it isn't new to me at all. If we've learned nothing else, it's that the OMB under Russ vote, they can get very creative very quickly. And there's nothing people can do about it. This seems to be the case there. OK, President Trump posted today about Utah's decision to move towards an all mail-in ballot format, similar to Colorado's. He wrote, in part, all mail-in ballots dishonestly handled are a big advantage for the Democrats, whose only road to victory because their policies are so insane is cheating. Utah's lieutenant governor responded today saying, quote, we can be a super majority Republican state and vote by mail.

1:09:03The reason Utahns have been primarily voting by mail for more than a decade is because our most rural counties asked for it. Eventually, all 29 counties opted in because it's secure, works well, is less expensive, and voters love it. Adrian, a Democrat has not won a statewide race in Utah. I don't think since 1996 is what we've got. It's actually just second behind Texas with the longest GOP winning streak in the country. Republicans do really well in a lot of states with vote by mail. Yeah. Kind of like that's how they took over Florida. A lot of voters who voted for Trump. The president votes by mail.

1:09:40What's the president worried about here? Look, I think he, I don't know. I think that he has been harping on vote by mail for a long time. He's been saying it's fraud for a long time. Of course, the three of us on this panel and many of your viewers know that this is not fraud. this is a very effective way for rural voters and people who are traveling to vote. I mean, I vote by mail in Washington, D.C. But look, here's the bottom line. I spent three hours today watching President Obama's library grand opening in Chicago. It was a beautiful moment of bringing our country together. There were both Democrats and Republicans there.

1:10:12Obama was talking about inclusivity, bringing this country together, the message that he's been driving so much for so long about hope and unity. And then we get this garbage from Trump. So I think it's an ultimate contrast. People are sick of this. It's not normal for a president of the United States to try to disenfranchise voters across the country. This is not normal. And I think the contrast could not be more clear. Malika, I think we joke a little bit, but like Republicans need mail-in voting to win. I remember talking to people in Pennsylvania, people in a bunch of states back in 24, like begging the president to stop.

1:10:49And eventually the RNC kind of got him to stop. He's obviously gotten back into it. Is there a tangible risk for Republicans related to this? Because the president's supporters believe him. And if they don't want to come out in a midterm year, which is already going to have a lower turnout, what happens? I'll give you a great example of what that looks like. John Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, because in the special election in 2021, Georgia voters were being told, you don't even need to worry about this election because it is stolen. Donald Trump was pushing the stolen election theory, which as we know, they haven't been able to prove at this point.

1:11:25So we ended up with Raphael Warnock and John Ossoff because Republican voters did not turn out in that special election at the same levels as Democrats. We're seeing now that Democrats are more motivated. I do think that there are a lot, even for a John Paxton in Texas, there are things that Republicans have to work with. But Donald Trump is going to Donald Trump, you know, whatever that is. Donald Trump is going to do Donald Trump. But it is frustrating to members of the party who are really looking at midterms and trying to really kind of solidify the gains that we've had. And who invest millions into ABEV Chase operations.

1:12:00And they're good at this. They're doing an early vote mail-in ballot. Like all Republicans do it, all Republicans benefit from it, and that includes Donald Trump, irrespective of what he says. Okay, I do want to get to this before we go. There's a fight Democrats are having over the future of the party. Today, Congressman Ro Khanna, who's considering a potential 2028 presidential run, endorsed Elijah Manley. He's one of four Democrats running against Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who jumped districts to run in a historically black district after state Republicans redrew congressional maps. Conor posted this quote, quote, Elijah Manley refuses corporate money and opposes genocide.

1:12:35He understands the economic struggles people in his district face because he has to overcome them himself. I'm proud to endorse Elijah for Congress because we need leaders with his character and resolve in Washington. Now, Osmond Schultz has been in Congress since 2005. She's a former DNC chair. Adrian, again, a House race. I feel bad for Hakeem Jeffries trying to navigate this one on some level, But does this have significant, a broader significance in terms of how the party's thinking through future? Look, a couple of things. Number one, I mean, you just laid this out perfectly. This is a challenging situation because of redistricting and what the Republicans have done in Florida.

1:13:11Now, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz is in a majority minority black district. She decided to run. She didn't have to. She just decided to. That's her own decision. But this is going to be a challenge for her. Now, from Congressman Ro Khanna's perspective, I mean, he can endorse whoever he wants. I mean, we are a big tent party. He's the kind of person who is going to endorse, you know, someone who's a little bit far to the left. He's sort of in the Bernie Sanders progressive wing of the party. This endorsement does not surprise me one bit. It also wouldn't surprise me if Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz gets a bunch of members of Congress to endorse her who have known her for a long time and have worked with her.

1:13:43So we'll see how it goes. Really great points. By the way, you gave demerits out. You were a vice principal today, along with your many other comments, which I couldn't let go of throughout the course of this conversation, which was great. Thanks to you both. I appreciate it. Well, New Mexico lawmakers sending out multiple subpoenas as part of their investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and crimes that may have been committed at his ranch in the state. One of those lawmakers joins me live next to share what they've learned so far and what comes next.

1:14:16To break your news in our law and justice lead, Luigi Mangione's attorneys have just announced they will withdraw their plan to argue a psychiatric defense in Mangione's murder trial. Mangione is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. I want to get straight to CNN's Kara Scannell in New York because, what is this, like 24 hours? It's a reversal. Explain what's happening here. So it is. And in the words of one former prosecutor, this is stunning and bizarre. It was just yesterday that Mangione's lawyers indicated that they would move forward with this psychiatric defense, where essentially Mangione would admit that he had committed the murder, but did so in a state of extreme emotional disturbance.

1:14:51If successful, that could lower his potential prison time. But now today, 24 hours later, they have withdrawn that, saying that they are not going to move forward on that. There are no additional details. His lawyers have not returned our calls for comments. So there's nothing concrete to explain why they made this reversal. Today was the deadline for the lawyers to give the prosecution the name of their expert and other information about this defense. We don't know if that occurred or if this withdrawal came in first or if it was the trigger for it. I did talk to a former prosecutor, though, who was speculating that it could be after this hearing that Mangione himself changed his mind.

1:15:28It is ultimately his decision whether or not to move forward with this defense, or it's possible there could have been an issue with the expert or the expert's report. We don't know at this point, and it's not clear that Mangione's lawyers will ever have to explain that. I mean, one of the things that Mangione's lawyers had said in a sealed hearing previously is that she wanted it sealed because if this came out and they didn't go forward, it could potentially prejudice the jury. And now that issue seems to be a potential issue on the table. This trial is just three months away, Phil. Major issue.

1:15:57It's going to be fascinating to watch. Kara Scannell will be doing it for us. It's going to be a busy summer. Also in our Law and Justice lead, New Mexico's Epstein Truth Commission just released six of its first 14 subpoenas seeking records tied to the dead pedophile, the state's former governor, Bill Richardson, and Zorro Ranch, Epstein's private residence, for 26 years. The commission, established in February, is a bipartisan subcommittee of the New Mexico House that has been digging into Epstein's activities at the property. State Representative Andrea Romero chairs the commission and joins me now.

1:16:29I really appreciate your time. Just to start, we can now see six of the first 14 subpoenas that your commission has issued. Can you tell us what information you're hoping will come from? Yeah, so the subpoenas are really focused on the root information that will help us lead to the various people that we'd like to investigate. This gets us to a foundational informational level of his operations. So that way, when we actually have the individuals who are of interest to us in front of us, we know which questions to ask. We know what investigations have been done and we have the information to really go after the folks who we are seeking justice against.

1:17:15You're looking into the communications of former Governor Richardson and that he may have had with Epstein, including his time spent on Epstein's properties. Do you have any insight into what you've got so far or what you are expecting to get in the future? Yeah, so we're in the midst of compiling that information that goes back to the early 2000s. 2000s. There's a lot of records that we are currently overseeing and seeking out through the subpoena process. Many of these subpoenas are going out of state, so domesticating those and making sure that we can deliver those properly is part of why some of them are not publicly posted yet.

1:17:57But all that to say that this is about getting the record of truth established in New Mexico and ensuring that no stone is unturned for what it is that we will reveal to the public and what it is that we need to uncover here. I'm glad you make that point because people should know a primary goal of the commission is to determine if any other people in your state should be prosecuted for crimes they committed tied to Epstein and his ranch bipartisan. At this point, do you have a sense of any institutions or individuals that you believe committed crimes here? Well, that's already something that we're uncovering.

1:18:36So when we look at some of the banks that have already settled with the state of New Mexico after Jeffrey Epstein's death, you know, the Deutsche Bank, the JP Morgans of the world have already are part of our subpoena process. And so we're looking for that information. We know that the state has already settled with those banks. That's actually how our commission is funded. Now we want to get under the hood as to what actually happened there, why were these settlements made, and under what cause that they were able to do this. And so that's part of what we're trying to understand here. What you've been describing, I think, makes clear this is a methodical investigative process that is taking place right now.

1:19:15Walk people through kind of what the next steps are for this commission. So as we've been continuing to update the public about our progress, is really going into the various categories of interest, you know, the various crimes, but also centering survivors in the process, giving them an opportunity to come forward through this process. And in collaboration with the current criminal investigation with the New Mexico Department of Justice, providing the wherewithal for folks to come forward, but collaborating on that effort to make sure that if we can seek justice today in a court of law with the laws of New Mexico, we will do that.

1:19:53everything else falls under our purview to get the public information that they deserve, that over the years of Jeffrey Epstein's operations, we need to see that discontinue. So that's what we're trying to figure out here. New Mexico State Representative Andrea Romero, really appreciate your time. Thank you. Thank you so much. And we'll be right back.

1:20:24This Sunday on Father's Day, CNN's Jake Tapper is sitting down with Senators Mark Kelly, Tim Scott, and former Senator Mitt Romney to learn more about how their unique relationships with their dads helped shape their own approach to fatherhood. Here's a preview from Jake's conversation with former Republican presidential candidate and Senator Mitt Romney, in which he talks about his bond and admiration for his father, George Romney. He was there for the major events in my life, but communicated frequently and thoroughly how much he admired me and thought I had huge things in store. When I lost in 1994 to Ted Kennedy, he said, oh, this is just the beginning.

1:21:02My dad was insistent, oh, no, you're not finished. I became governor in 2003, so almost 10 years later. Yeah, and then the Republican nominee for president and then a very well-respected senator. I mean, he missed all of that. I hope he gets a chance to look in. But my guess is he's not looking back. He's looking forward on the other side. It's like, I'm sure Mitt's doing great. I'm going ahead. Is there any regret that he didn't get to see that? Or does it matter? No, I'd love him to still be part of our life. I think from time to time, what I would give, how much money I would give to spend a day with him.

1:21:43just, I mean, I don't think there's a limit. I would give, I'd give it all to spend a day and to have that chat. Be sure to watch this very special edition of State of the Union. That's Sunday at 9 a.m. and noon Eastern on CNN. You can follow the show on X and Instagram at The Lead CNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can watch the show on the CNN app. And remember that out front, search now.

1:22:15From the descendants of history makers involved in the Louisiana Purchase to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, discover the untold stories of American expansion in the CNN original series, This Land. Now streaming on the CNN app.