White House Punts To DOJ On Releasing More Epstein Files

23:47And the reason I know that is because I actually helped pass this law, because the last time I was denied entry to this facility was six years ago under the first Trump administration. And I said, this is crazy. A member of Congress should have access to a federal facility in her or his district. So we passed a law that specifically says members of Congress have immediate access to these facilities without any notice having to be provided. The administration unlawfully denied me yesterday, which, of course, begs yet another question. Why does this administration desperately want to impede congressional oversight?

24:20What are they hiding? We know there's a lot of abuses. We know there's a lot of violations of due process. We know they don't want people to know what's going on in these facilities. What do you make the argument that your visit was unannounced, as you note, and also on a Sunday? Well, that's the whole point, actually. The whole point of these unannounced visits and why we actually crafted the law the way that we did was because we learned over the last six years that when you announce visits, they dress it up, they clean it up, there's the whole dog and pony show, you get a very different look.

24:50And remember, Congress says, hey, next week we're coming to visit you all. You get a very different look to what's going on. And that happens at military bases. that happens at VA hospitals, that happens at ICE immigration facilities. It just happens. So we actually crafted a law that said, nope, oversight is really important here. We're going to actually carve out a legal excerpt that says unannounced visits under law. That's why we did it. And of course, that seems to be why this administration also wants to violate the law by not allowing us to do that because they don't want us to see what's going on.

25:24Democratic Congressman Jason Grove, Colorado, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Also on our Law and Justice Lead, any moment, former Louisville, Kentucky police officer Brett Hankison will be sentenced for his role in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor. Hankison was convicted on one count of abusing Taylor's civil rights last year after firing several shots through her bedroom window during a police raid. This is back in 2020. None of his shots hit her. It was gunfire from other officers that killed her. Let's bring in CNN's Jason Carroll. Jason, do we know what's happening right now in the courthouse?

25:54Well, Jake, as you know, cameras are not allowed in that federal courthouse in downtown Louisville. But what we have been hearing is the judge that's overseeing this sentencing, that is Judge Rebecca Jennings. She's been hearing from witnesses on both sides. She's been hearing from those who have come forward to testify and give their support to Brent Hankinson. She's been listening to those people throughout the afternoon. She's also going to be hearing from those who are going to come forward and talk about how much Breonna Taylor meant to them. That is expected to be also this afternoon. One of those people expected to speak to the court is Breonna Taylor's mother.

26:35So that is what's been going on this afternoon. Again, we've been waiting for this sentencing, waiting to hear what type of sentence the judge will issue here. As I'm sure you've heard, the DOJ has recommended that Brett Hankinson serve just one day in jail, essentially serving no time for what he has been accused of here and what a jury found him guilty of. And as you know, a jury did find him guilty of violating Breonna Taylor's civil rights. The DOJ then coming forward and pointing out that, as you mentioned, Brett Hankinson did fire many shots that day back in March, more than 10 shots entering Breonna Taylor's apartment.

27:21But none of those shots actually struck Breonna Taylor. And it's for that reason, in part, the DOJ is recommending just one day, saying in part, Hankinson did not shoot Mrs. Taylor and is not otherwise responsible for her death, going on to say that counsel is unaware of another prosecution in which a police officer has been charged with depriving the rights of another person under the Fourth Amendment. Now, in response to that, very quickly, as you can imagine, Jake, the family just heartbroken when they heard about what the DOJ was recommending here, saying, quote, this sets a dangerous precedent when a police officer is found guilty of violating someone's constitutional rights, sending it saying that it sends the wrong message in terms of a message that white officers can violate the civil rights of black Americans with near total impunity.

28:14And so this judge overseeing this has been hearing from both sides all afternoon, waiting to see what her final decision will be. All right. Well, let me ask you, Jason, what happened to all the other officers involved? Well, there were several officers that were involved with that controversial no-knock warrant that night back on March 13th of 2020. Miles Cosgrove and Jonathan Mattingly, those were the two officers whose bullets struck Breonna Taylor. they have not faced any federal charges in connection with her death. There were some officers who were indicted with putting together that, again, that controversial no-knock warrant.

28:54Their cases are still outstanding at this point. But what is so upsetting to Breonna Taylor's family is that none of the officers involved in that no-knock warrant have been charged in any way with her death. All right, Jason Carroll, thanks so much. Some really sad news today about actor and musician Malcolm Jamal Warner, probably best known as the character Theo from the sitcom The Cosby Show. Jamal Warner drowned while on vacation in Costa Rica, his family says. What investigators are now telling us about his death? That's next.

29:36International lead, that was Malcolm Jamal Warner. He rose to fame as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show. And we got sad news. He passed away on Sunday. He was only 54 years old. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister is in Los Angeles. Elizabeth, what happened? This is so, so sad, Jake. A true accident and sudden death. Malcolm Jamal Warner drowned during a family vacation in Costa Rica yesterday. Investigators there saying that he was pulled out by a current And beachgoers went to try to resuscitate him, but it was too late. Now, so young, Malcolm Jamal Warner, just 54 years old. He has an eight-year-old daughter, Jake.

30:20It is just so tragic. I spoke to a source this morning who did confirm this sad, sad news of his passing. And I just want to highlight what a phenomenal reputation he had in the industry. I spoke to someone this morning who worked very closely with him. And, of course, they are absolutely heartbroken. They are shocked. His family is shocked. His fans around the world are shocked. But something that keeps coming up is just how wonderful he was to work with. And, Jake, I actually met him back in 2016 when he was promoting the show The People vs. O.J. Simpson. He played Al Cowlings in that, of course, who drove the white Bronco in that infamous scene.

31:06And he was just so lovely, Jake. So truly a life gone too soon. And obviously he was best known as Theo on The Cosby Show. But he went on to do other roles later in life. Not many child stars do. I know he also became a musician. What was his larger impact on the entertainment industry? You know, a huge impact on the entertainment industry, of course, starting with The Cosby Show. And that, of course, is what he will be remembered most by. The Cosby Show was a true cultural force on American culture. Remember, Jake, this was a different time. Today, everybody is watching Netflix and Hulu and watching their own shows on their own schedule.

31:52But when the Cosby Show was airing, everybody in America was watching it at the same time. You had tens of millions of viewers watching this. So everybody knows who Malcolm Jamal Warner is. Everybody felt like Theo Huxtable was their own brother. And it wasn't just those who watched it during the Cosby Show's run during 1984 to 1992. It was also future generations. I remember watching reruns of the Cosby Show on Nick at Night. So I watched this and it was part of my childhood. And you make a great point, Jake, that not many child stars are able to continue, but he did. He was a TV star most recently on a medical drama on Fox called The Resident.

32:35Yeah, he was good on that. I saw him on that. He played this very arrogant physician. Couldn't be more different from him in real life, by the way. Yeah, no, I met him once. He was a really nice guy. Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you so much. Appreciate it. also on our national lead. The FAA is now investigating after the pilot of a Delta regional jet had to make a hard turn to avoid colliding with a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber. The pilot apologizing to passengers in the moments after this close call, saying the bomber was sort of coming at us and that, quote, nobody told us about it. CNN's Brian Todd reports.

33:11All right, here she comes, the venerable B-52 straddle fortress. A B-52 bomber flying over the North Dakota State Fair, but around the same time, a commercial plane full of passengers is trying to land at the nearby civilian airport. For those of you on the right-hand side, you probably saw the airplane kind of sort of coming at us. The pilot is almost chillingly matter-of-fact as he talks about the harrowing close call that just occurred. It caught me by surprise. This is not normal at all. The Delta Airlines regional jet, operated by SkyWest Airlines, on Friday flying from Minneapolis to Minot, North Dakota.

33:47The B-52 flyover was advertised for 7.40 p.m. local time, which was roughly the same time the SkyWest plane was landing. The fairgrounds, just a half mile from the civilian airport. The commercial pilot said the control tower told him to turn right, but that's when he says he saw the military aircraft.

34:17Sorry about the aggressive maneuver. This audio was captured by passenger Monica Green, who said the flight was getting ready to land when she felt the plane jerk. But it was such a hard U-turn to where we were going kind of straight and then went pretty sideways. I'd be looking out the window and just see straight grass. I wouldn't be seeing the horizon anymore because we were so sideways. The video of the flyover appears to show a plane turning sharply in the distance. However, it's impossible to tell if this is the SkyWest plane. It's the latest of several incidents between military and civilian planes.

34:49In March, a collision alert sounded in a Delta jet flying out of Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington as T-38 military jets flew over nearby Arlington National Cemetery. Those planes came within five seconds of colliding. And in January, a close call turned deadly when a military Blackhawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet collided near Reagan National Airport, killing 67 people. Why are we still having so many problems de-conflicting military and civilian flights? Well, there's enough blame to go around on both sides. The military could do a better job dealing with the civilian side of the equation, letting them know when they have special occurrences, when they've got missions that conflict into the civilian airspace.

35:38And on the civilian side, there is a shortage of air traffic controllers. The system is overstressed. The FAA now says it's investigating this incident. The control tower involved in Minot is not a tower operated by the FAA. It's operated by a contractor, Midwest ATC, who declined to comment on the incident to CNN. Jake? All right, Brian Todd, thank you so much. Appreciate it. The locals are pushing back about too many tourists overtaking their towns. You've likely seen the protests on your social media feeds. The message behind some of these demonstrations is next.

36:18Our world lead now in an effort to fight what's called over tourism in Barcelona, Spain. The city is shutting two of its cruise ship terminals, the closure impacting Europe's busiest cruise port. It will take effect next year and brings the number of operational terminals in Barcelona down to five. It's part of a wider effort to deal with the pressures of over-tourism in the Spanish city, where there's been an increase of local protests against mass tourism and overcrowding. Over-tourism also causing strife in Mexico City, where another protest against unaffordable housing and gentrification took place over the weekend.

36:54Many local residents say they're getting pushed out of their neighborhoods due to skyrocketing rental prices and an influx of remote workers from different countries. CNN's Valeria Leon reports from Mexico City, where officials are looking at ways to prevent locals from being displaced.

37:13In Mexico City, anger over housing costs spilled into the streets again Sunday. It was the second protest in less than a month, part of a growing movement against gentrification that's been building in the past year. Many came with signs blaming foreign money for driving up rents and pushing locals out of their own neighborhoods. They suddenly can't afford to live in the area anymore, this man tells me. They have to move farther away to places that are even more vulnerable. With housing out of reach for many Mexico City residents and a visible influx of tourists and digital nomads in some of the capital's most desirable neighborhoods, foreigners have found themselves in the eye of the storm.

37:59We demand a law to defend our roots, a law that defends housing as a common good. Protesters insisted the march was peaceful. We just want to express how we feel. We're not here to do anything wrong. We're here to prevent that. But the contemporary art museum, inside Mexico's most prestigious public university, was vandalized. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the violence. For some actions we don't agree with and we will never agree with, Sheinbaum said. A small group, just a tiny part of one of the demonstrations entered University City, broke the windows of a bookstore and burned books.

38:42But these protests reflect more than a single march. The city's housing tensions have been escalating for years. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of foreign remote workers or digital nomads have relocated to Mexico City, pushing up demand for housing in some of the city's most attractive areas. And where demand is high, prices soar. And as Mexico City prepares to co-host the 2026 World Cup, officials promise an inclusive event for all. But for many locals, the worry is that the event's global attention and investment could speed up the very changes they're protesting. Valeria León, CNN, Mexico City.

39:28And our thanks to Valeria León for that report. My next guest represented one of the most prominent victims of the now-dead pedophile sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The mountain of evidence that the Justice Department has, likely, should a judge grant the request to release more than just the grand jury transcripts. I'll get this attorney's take next.

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40:33Score up to 70 % off during their Labor Day clearance on furniture, area rugs, mattresses, and more. Plus, surprise flash deals you can't miss. Whether it's one room or the whole house, Wayfair has pieces for every style and budget. Shop Wayfair's Labor Day clearance now through September 7th at Wayfair.com. Wayfair, every style, every home. Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, the White House is responding to questions tonight about why President Trump has not ordered the FBI to release the full Jeffrey Epstein files, just as CNN is learning new information about the president's strategy in his$10 billion lawsuit over a story in the Wall Street Journal regarding a letter that he supposedly wrote in a Jeffrey Epstein birthday book, though the president denies that.

41:20Plus, today marks one year, one year since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, and now his son Hunter, well, he's got a lot to say about it. And President Trump putting pressure on multiple professional sports teams, demanding that the Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians change their names back to the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Indians. How the teams are responding and what the president says may happen if one of them doesn't follow through.

41:56The lead tonight, the gears of justice slowly grinding as President Trump seeks some distance from the Epstein file's fallout. Federal judges in New York and Florida are currently reviewing a request from the Justice Department to unseal grand jury testimony from Jeffrey Epstein's criminal sex trafficking case, a process that could take months, if not longer, before a decision is reached. But even if the Justice Department's request is granted, President Trump acknowledged it might not be enough to satisfy all those demanding more transparency. Posting over the weekend, quote, Quote, even if the court gave its full and unwavering approval, nothing will be good enough for the troublemakers and radical left lunatics making the request.

42:34It will always be more, more, more, unquote. In actuality, of course, it is his own MAGA base demanding a lot of this. But let's talk about this with CNN chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid. Paula, give us an update on where the Justice Department's request stands as of right now. So the request is in and now it's up to the judges overseeing these requests to determine what happens next. But we shouldn't expect any high profile public hearings because we're talking about confidential information. Part of why this is confidential and so sensitive in this case is because some of this information involves victims and accusers.

43:12So we expect the judges will likely allow those parties to weigh in, give input as they make this decision. but it is possible that we really won't hear much about this until the judges make their final decision on whether they actually want to release any of this material. And President Trump's lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal officially has a judge. It is not Trump appointee U.S. District Court Judge Eileen Cannon, who ruled so favorably in the case involving classified documents. Who is it? So the winner of this is Darren Gales, a judge appointed by President Obama back in 2014. I want to note, though, even though, of course, we know President Trump makes a lot of who appointed a judge.

43:52This particular judge has a bipartisan resume when it comes to appointments. He previously had appointments to state judgeships from two Republican governors. Interestingly, this is not his first time handling a Trump related lawsuit. He also oversaw Trump's lawsuit against his former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, where Trump sought five hundred million dollars in damages, alleging that Cohen violated his attorney-client privilege. You may remember Trump eventually abandoned that right before Cohen's lawyers had a chance to question him under oath. So this judge, he knows what he's getting himself into.

44:27So you've been talking to some outside legal advisors for Trump about this libel suit. Now, look, I'm no lawyer unlike you. It just seems to me like a can of worms, like the discovery process. He's going to have to release information. He is going to be cross-examined. What are his advisors telling you? They describe it as a, quote, roll of the dice, right? They moved very quickly on Friday to file this lawsuit. And this is a really high bar for someone who's the president of the United States to succeed on a claim like this, because part of what is analyzed is your ability to respond. How big a bully pulpit do you have, right?

45:01He has the biggest in addition to the other claims that he's making. And even though this lawsuit, it has many similar claims to those made against other media outlets like ABC and CBS, his advisors are aware that you're dealing with something very different here. You're dealing with Fox News and Rupert Murdoch. And Mr. Murdoch is not someone who is known to shy away from a legal fight. And as you noted, the biggest risk here, though, is the discovery process, all the things that could come out during the course of this litigation. So we'll be watching to see, is this just a political stunt? Was the president just blowing off steam or is he truly committed to seeing this litigation through.

45:41All right, Paula Reid, thanks so much. For more on the White House reaction, let's bring in CNN's Jeff Zeleny. Jeff, reporters pelted White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt with more Epstein questions today. That's because there are so many questions that remain, so many questions that are unanswered. And the president clearly has been trying to do everything he can to change the subject. Over the weekend and early this morning, just posting a litany of things that are totally unrelated to what the White House and most normal White Houses do. However, the White House press secretary was saying the onus today is not on the president, but it's on the Department of Justice.

46:20The president has said if the Department of Justice and the FBI want to move forward with releasing any further credible evidence, they should do so. As to why they have or have not or will, you should ask the FBI about that. There are reports that President Trump or the FBI agents going through the Epstein files were told to flag President Trump's name if it came up? Is that something the president was aware of or something that he directed those agents or the Department of Justice to do? I don't believe that's something the White House was aware of. You'd have to ask the FBI. And that was a very interesting exchange there.

46:50When our Kristen Holmes asked Caroline Lovett about this, she didn't say a no. And what they're talking about is something that Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, he reported and said in letters that he was told that FBI agents were told to flag any time that Trump's name was mentioned. So her answer there was quite interesting. But look, the bottom line to all of this, conservative lawmakers on Capitol Hill, some are calling for Pam Bondi to come to testify. This just isn't going away because there are so many unanswered questions here. But unusually, the president did not have a public schedule today.

47:25He did not speak about this out loud. He does have one tomorrow. It's hard to imagine him not answering or talking even more about this. And, of course, he's been even fueling the fire by continuing to file lawsuits and other matters. So, look, it's only Monday, and it's hard to—I think the White House can escape this for the rest of the week. Yeah. All right, Jeff Seleney, thanks so much. Let's talk right now to David Boies. He represented one of Epstein's most prominent accusers, Virginia Giuffre, who accused Jeffrey Epstein and his partner and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell of raping her when she was 16 and 17, grooming her to have sex with several powerful men, including Prince Andrew, who did agree to a settlement with Giuffre, though he denied the allegations.

48:09David, thanks for joining us. I want to ask you about the settlement that your former client, Virginia Jouffre, who died by suicide in April, the settlement she reached in her lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell. Journalist Julie K. Brown notes in her book, Perversion of Justice, quote, nearly every part of the lawsuit had been sealed by the federal judge, meaning that unless someone challenged the judge's decision, nobody would ever learn the names of the prominent people involved or the scope of Epstein and Maxwell's operation, unquote. You were part of her legal team, obviously. You headed Jufres' legal team.

48:43You're obviously not legally allowed to talk about it since it's sealed. But would you be in favor of a judge unsealing that information so we can find out more about other predators who might still be out there? Yes, I would. And Virginia Jufres, during her lifetime, took the position that all of that should come forward, with the possible exception of if you have victims whose names are included, that those should be protected. But except for the very limited excision of names of victims, Virginia's position and our position has been consistently that all that should be revealed. So Virginia has passed away, unfortunately, died by suicide.

49:32Jeffrey Epstein is no longer with us as well. He died in prison. The fact that those two individuals are dead, does that change anything in terms of the unsealing of this information? Or is it is the fact that that Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell and they're still out there? Does that change it? Yeah, the fact that both Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia have passed does not really change things. The ceiling still has to be reviewed by a judge. And much of what was included has been revealed. Much has not been. But a good deal of what was sealed has been made public. but a great deal of what exists has not been made public.

50:21And when you're talking about the files, remember you're not talking just about civil files or just about files from the grand juries. You're also talking about files from the Justice Department's own investigations, both back in 2006, 2007, 2008, and more recently. So Julie Brown spoke to Virginia Giuffre and your client told her, quote, I'm not going to stop until all these girls get justice. What do you think justice looks like for all these girls? I think one thing that justice looks like is to understand the scope and the scale of what went on. Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell could not have operated on the scope and scale that they did for decades without the help and support of a great many people.

51:11Those people have not been held responsible. There are people that the Justice Department knows, that the Justice Department has declared to be co-conspirators, that the Justice Department has never gone after. And this is not a partisan issue. This is a failure of every Democratic and every Republican president. The only time that we had A real effort at justice was when Mr. Berman was the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York. Unfortunately, he was replaced, and the prosecution really didn't go after any new people after that. But there are many, many people who participated in this sex trafficking, who contributed to sex trafficking, who made it possible, that have never been held to account.

52:08And that is, I think, a terrible failure in justice, a terrible failure of our justice system. One of the things that I think some prosecutors have been surprised by is the fact that the Ghislaine Maxwell did not cooperate with prosecutors and name names of not just the lower level co-conspirators that you're talking about. And I'm not saying they shouldn't be brought to justice. They should. But I think what people really want to know is who are the powerful men that took advantage of these young women and in some cases girls? Do you have any insight into why Ghislaine Maxwell didn't name names in exchange for a lighter sentence?

52:52I really don't. It was an amazement to me that she and her lawyers did not cooperate early. When Jeffrey Epstein died, it was clear that the next person to be investigated was going to be Ms. Maxwell. And why she did not cooperate at that time is a mystery to me. she obviously felt that she was somehow going to be able to defend herself in court how how she could have felt that given the evidence against her was something I never understood all right David boys I have many more questions but I'm going to have to say goodbye and we'll have you back thank you so much really appreciate it thank you take care what President Biden's son Hunter is saying in a brand new podcast interview about the Democrats who called for his dad to drop out of the 2024 race and what he's blaming for President Biden's catastrophically horrific debate performance.

53:57That's next.

54:04In our politics lead one year ago today, President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. This, of course, followed his disastrous debate performance and internal Democratic pressure for him to drop out. Today, his son Hunter made headlines of his own in a more than three hour long interview on a podcast touching on a number of issues, including the 2024 campaign. He vehemently defended his father while revealing a new detail about the debate. I know exactly what happened in that debate. He flew around the world, basically, the mileage that he could have flown around the world three times.

54:42He's 81 years old. He's tired as shit. Give him Ambien to be able to sleep. He gets up on the stage and he looks like he's a deer in the headlights. Here with me now, Democratic strategist Karen Finney and Axios reporter Alex Thompson. Alex, of course, is my co-author in our book about Biden's decision to drop out of the race and hide his deterioration. It's called Original Sin. I should disclose, Hunter had some stuff to say about you and me, Alex, in this interview. But we're not going to make this panel about us because he had a lot to say about a lot of more important people than you and me.

55:12What do you make about this new detail about the Ambien being a part of this? Well, the fact that we didn't know it beforehand, even though that the doctor had been public about trying to say what Joe Biden was on, what he was taking, the fact that we did not know that the president of the United States was on Ambien. I'd also imagine it is very difficult to do the proverbial 3 a.m. phone call crisis when you are on Ambien in the middle of the night. I think it's really striking. Now, we haven't heard from the doctor. But the fact that the president's own son said that the president was on Ambien the weeks before the debate is a telling new detail about the president's abilities at the time.

55:47And he's still saying that his father should have stayed in the race and still could have won. Yeah, you know, look, I'm not going to defend or, you know, whatever Hunter said. He has a right to his own feelings. Look, I think it's pretty clear that it was going to be hard for anyone to win in 107 days, period, full stop. And certainly I've mentioned this to you before, the data that I was seeing, President Biden just was not consolidating the base. But here's what I would say about this. You know, there's this happening. There are these autopsies or reviews happening. What I hope my party is focused on is let's have a hard conversation and a hard look at what happened and how do we make sure it doesn't happen again.

56:32So some of the should he have gotten out this month or that month, I'm less concerned about that than I am about what was being done to make sure we won, period, full stop. OK, well, here's an autopsy of what went wrong from Hunter Biden, a tirade he goes against Democrats who he feels wronged his father. James Carville, who hasn't run a race in 40 years, and David Axelrod, who had one success in his political life, and that was Barack Obama. And that was because of Barack Obama, not because of David Axelrod. And David Plouffe and all of these guys, and the Pod Save America guys, who were junior speechwriters on Barack Obama's Senate staff, who have been dining out on the relationship with him for years, making millions of dollars.

57:22The Anita Dunns of the world, who's made$40,$50 million off the Democratic Party, they're all going to insert their judgment over a man who has figured out, unlike anybody else, how to get elected to the United States Senate over seven times. What do you make of it, Alex? The most striking thing is that he attacked Anita Dunn, who, by the way, helped steer his father to the Democratic nomination in 2020. Also was in the White House for the majority of those four years until basically she was driven out because of this risk with Hunter Biden. She is also set to be interviewed by the House Oversight Committee in the coming weeks.

57:58Anita didn't want him to drop out either, by the way. A hundred percent. I read it in our book. It is striking. Hunter is clearly establishing himself as the carrier of the family's grievances and is also completely obliterating the fiction from last summer that Joe Biden was doing sort of the honorable thing. Joe Biden was driven out of this race by the elites of the Democratic Party, and Joe Biden, his entire family, deeply resented. Some of the strongest words were directed at actor George Clooney, who we should note, is one of the most prolific fundraisers in the history of the Democratic Party, period, full stop, who did call for Joe Biden to drop out after the debate in a New York Times op-ed.

58:41Yeah. President Trump, President Biden. What do you have to do with anything? Why do I have to listen to you? What right do you have to step on a man who's given 52 years of his life to the service of this country and decide that you, George Clooney, are going to take out basically a full page ad in the New York Times to undermine the president? He also said that Clooney is not an actor, but a brand. I should note that Clooney has won an acting Academy Award. Yes. Anyway. Look, it was so here's the thing, though. It was it was pretty I think we were all pretty shocked to see someone of George Clooney's stature write a piece and call for a president to step down.

59:19I mean, that would be news no matter who we were talking about. Clearly, Hunter's angry. I mean, there's a lot of F-bombs in that. And, you know, look. I think, again, to me, the most important thing is and it's interesting, like with the autopsy news that's been out there. And even some of the texts going around after this interview, people are like, OK, so what happened to the money? People want some transparency around the money that was raised. How is it spent? And we still lost. I think there is a lot of empathy for Hunter and for Joe Biden. Well, for Joe Biden. Well, but for Hunter, the fact that he's defending his father.

1:00:00I'll put I'll put it that way. Can I tell you the quote that I think we're going to see the most? And it's one where Hunter Biden gives his take on illegal immigration, because that's the one that seems to have gotten the attention of Republicans and conservatives the most on social media. And the way that they are depicting it is this is the Democratic position on illegal immigration. Can we roll that clip?

1:00:27You have to talk about and realize that people are really upset about illegal immigration. F*** you. How do you think your hotel room gets cleaned? How do you think you've got food on your f***ing table? Who do you think washes your dishes? So his message for anybody who says that people are really upset about illegal immigration is F*** you. Who do you think washes your dishes? Well, this is exactly why Democrats, I'm assuming including Karen, are not exactly thrilled with Hunter Biden popping his head up and do not believe that Hunter Biden is the most effective communicator for the Democratic Party right now.

1:01:03He also, later in that interview, said, if I were president in 2028, and that just really made a lot of heads explode. He also talked, by the way, about invading El Salvador to get the undocumented people who had been deported to El Salvador. But can I just say, who cares what? I actually just don't care. I mean, again, I'm more focused on, and I think most Democrats... Somebody cares, did you give a three-hour YouTube? Yeah, and look, he's unplugged. I love when people are unplugged. Maybe he should do his own. I do. I think he should do his own autopsy. But again, given what is happening in this country, I'm more worried about how we move forward, sincerely.

1:01:39All right. Karen Finney, Alex Thompson, thanks to both of you. Breaking news in our law and justice lead just moments ago. Former Louisville, Kentucky police officer Brett Hankinson was sentenced for his role in the 2020 shooting of Breonna Taylor. CNN's Jason Carroll has the details. Jason, what is the sentence? Well, we're just now hearing that the sentence has been made. It is 33 months in prison. It's a little bit more than two and a half years. In addition to that, three years of probation, Jake. It was touch and go there for a while. It took the entire afternoon for the judge overseeing this case to arrive at this decision.

1:02:14The federal judge overseeing this heard from those in support of Hankinson, also heard from those in support of Breonna Taylor. Now, the judge, Rebecca Jennings, compared this to other officers that she has sentenced in the past. Should be noted that the probation office had recommended that Hankinson serve anywhere between 11 and 14 years. So this sentence, far less than that, again, 33 months. The defense has already said, Hankinson's attorneys have already said that they plan to appeal this judge's decision. You can see some of those who are waiting outside federal court there in downtown Louisville.

1:02:56Again, the Department of Justice, a few eyebrows raised here when they had recommended that Hankinson serve just one day for his role in violating Breonna Taylor's civil rights. Obviously, the judge did not listen to that. Hankinson will remain out on bond for the time being, unclear when he will have to turn himself in. But the final say here in terms of sentence, 33 months, three years probation. All right, Jason Carroll with the breaking news. Thanks so much. Coming up, how Republicans in Texas are moving forward with President Trump's plans for his party to stay in power in the midterms. That's next.

1:03:40This episode is brought to you by Nordstrom. For 125 years, Nordstrom has been part of your story. The stylist who found the perfect outfit for your big interview. The first pair of walking shoes for your one-year-old. The tomato soup you shared with your sister at the cafe. These are the moments that make Nordstrom, Nordstrom. Big or small, we're here for all of it. celebrating 125 years with new moments still add. Discover it all in Nordstrom stores and at Nordstrom.com. Cozy season is ahead and you'll be spending way more time inside. Is your home ready? Don't worry. With Wayfair, you can upgrade your space without breaking the bank.

1:04:20Score up to 70 % off during their Labor Day clearance on furniture, area rugs, mattresses, and more. Plus, surprise flash deals you can't miss. Whether it's one room or the whole house, Wayfair has pieces for every style and budget. Shop Wayfair's Labor Day clearance now through September 7th at Wayfair.com. Wayfair, every style, every home. In our politics lead, the Texas state legislature returns today for a special session taking on several complex issues. part of the agenda includes potentially throwing out their current congressional maps and drawing new ones in an effort to increase the number of House Republicans in the U.S.

1:04:59House of Representatives. Texas currently has 13 House Democrats, 25 Republicans. Joining us now to discuss former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger. You have a very unique perspective on this, Congressman, because you were screwed by Democratic redistrictors in 2021 in Illinois, and your seat was basically just taken away. And now you live in Texas, where Republicans are going, they've already redistricted a lot in a pretty crazy way to make it as Republican as it is. And now they want to do it even more. What do you make of this new Republican redistricting effort? They want to get rid of as many as five House Democrats with new seats prior to next year's midterms.

1:05:42Yeah, look, by the way, I got hit with it twice. So in 2012, they drew me out of my district and I won a member member primary. And then, you know, 2021. And it's crazy. But anyway, look, it's dumb. First off, I never even it never even crossed my mind that you could do like a mid 10 year redistricting, because as most people know, this is supposed to be every 10 years with the new census. This is actually how you break democracy and representative democracy is when you decide that you can't go to the people and make the case. You have to instead gerrymander these districts. And now every Democratic state is going to be under pressure to have a midseason gerrymandering of theirs.

1:06:23And it's this like cascade of stuff just breaking down and people losing faith in the system. Look, if Republicans are worried that they're going to lose the House in 2026, maybe go out and pass bills America wants or maybe say things Americans want to hear. That's a novel idea. But that's how you actually win a majority, not reopening stuff and drawing like thin little slivers to dilute Democratic populations. The worst gerrymandering offenders, the worst states are almost entirely Republican, except for Illinois, which is really bad. And you could argue parts of Nevada, too. But you're right.

1:07:01I mean, in California, they have an independent commission to do it to try to make it as fair as possible. But Gavin Newsom's talking about redistricting in the same way that Texas is going to do it. And former Texas Congressman Beto O 'Rourke said this is what Democrats need to do to counter Republican redistricting. Take a listen.

1:07:19I think it's time that we match fire with fire. I think Democrats in the past too often have been more concerned with being right than being in power. We have to get serious. We have to be absolutely ruthless about getting back in power. So whether it's Texas, California, New York or elsewhere, do you think redistricting is more of a risk for one party than the other? Yeah, I mean, look, I understand the perspective, and I understand even Gavin Newsom saying, well, if Texas is going to do it, then we need to redo it. Because, again, it's like you don't want to unilaterally disarm. But the thing that concerns me is that the reaction to Donald Trump and what I believe is authoritarianism on the right ends up being some version of authoritarianism on the left.

1:08:05And we need to do exactly what the right has done. that shatters a pro-democracy coalition and you end up with a very fraction, fractioned country. I think, look, I think doing things in the political system the right way is going to retro and be cool again someday. Cause I think people are sick of this. And so I do worry what the cascading effects to this are. And, uh, I don't think America is necessarily ready for it. What are they going to redistrict now every six months, every one month, every time they use AI to find another district they could make? Uh, it's, it's nuts. So meanwhile, in the Trump administration's latest tactic, seemingly trying to change the subject from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal today, the Justice Department said that they're, quote, fully committed to transparency, unquote.

1:08:49But the topic is the Hillary Clinton email investigation. I don't know if you heard that, but what what is your response? It's like reaching into the bucket of old tricks and seeing if they work again. We'll probably hear about Hunter's laptop at some point. We may hear about U.N. helicopters from the 90s because they're out of ideas. Look, I mean, America is not falling for this. You know, they'll be able to try to change the subject. But it's not even it's not like the Democrats were the ones saying release the Epstein files and the Republicans are like you're weaponizing. This was all a Republican thing until all of a sudden Donald Trump puts out two huge truth socials in complete panic that this is actually a thing.

1:09:30And then it becomes a Democratic hoax. So I'm sorry. I know they want to change the subject, and usually they've been pretty good at it. I don't think that's going to be the case in this one. Former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger, good to see you. Thanks so much. Our Small Business Series takes us to Indiana next in a company that creates products to help you defend yourself and your family. How have tariffs impacted their products? Are they raising prices on customers? That's next.

1:09:57We're back with our Business Leaders series where we talk to small business owners from coast to coast about the impact of President Trump's tariffs. Many are feeling uncertain, some are optimistic. Berna Technologies from Fort Wayne, Indiana, develops non-lethal self-defense tools for both civilians and law enforcement. Their products include gun alternatives called launchers and pepper sprays and body armors and personal alarms. CEO Brian Gans joins us now. Brian, thanks so much for joining us. So your company started preparing for the possibility of tariffs ahead of the 2024 election. Can you tell us what the last few months have been like for your business as you tried to transition more of your sourcing to the United States?

1:10:40Yeah, Jake, first, thank you very much for having me on. That's correct. We saw the tariffs coming and we started transitioning last year. At that time, about 32 percent of our components that go into the launchers were made in the United States. But we had dual sources for everything. And as we started to ramp up, we've achieved 92 percent of the components that go into our launchers are actually now made in the United States. We also had our ammunition factory in South Africa. and we packed that up lock, stock and barrel and we moved it to Fort Wayne. We opened up a second factory in Fort Wayne and we now produce 100 percent of our ammunition here in the United States.

1:11:27So has this I mean, obviously, that's a lot of money to put into, you know, to move move a manufacturing plant to Fort Wayne. Have you had to raise your prices? What's what's been the repercussions of all this? Well, first off, we were manufacturing overseas for a reason. It was less expensive. Right. But it was less expensive in terms of hard costs. In terms of soft costs, what we found is by manufacturing in the United States, we're, of course, significantly shortening the supply chain. We're getting stuff much quicker. Our freight rates are lower. Frankly, our quality is higher. You know, we were in the position before where you'd get a container with bad parts.

1:12:10What do you do when the supplier is 10 ,000 miles away? So we've seen soft costs that somewhat offset the higher hard costs that we had. In one case, we've raised our prices. But one of the questions that I get a lot is, you know, who's paying the tariff? And although technically the importer pays the tariff, it really depends on the negotiation between us and our supplier. So in those cases where we are bringing things in with tariffs, generally it's split between ourselves and the supplier, sometimes between ourselves, the supplier and the customer. But it's very, very rare that any one party picks up the whole tariff.

1:12:51Are you thinking about the tariffs as a long term part of our economy or a temporary short term part of our economy when you plan for future growth in your company? Well, first off, let me just say I moved to factory, so I hope it's not short term. As you pointed out, we make non-lethal guns. If our devices fail, people die. So we are very, very serious about what we do. Since we started doing this six years ago and we've developed this market, we've sold close to 700 ,000 of these weapons in the last six years, we've seen competitors start to produce products in China and bring them to the United States.

1:13:34Now, they are making products in China and selling them for less than we can make them here in the United States. So although they are inferior products, although, you know, we've tested them extensively and we're very concerned about people using them, when you're selling them for a third of what our product costs, you are getting some portion of the market. And frankly, it's madness. We were very, very pleased to see these tariffs, particularly on China, on some of these competitive products, because it's very difficult for us to compete on price when we're producing here in the U.S. All right.

1:14:11Berna Technologies is based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It's spelled B-Y-R-N-A, if you're going to Google them and buy yourself something. B-Y-R-N-A. And you can find them online. Brian Gantz, great having you on. Thank you. Jake Tapper, thank you very much. Great to be here. My next guest has a unique take on the concert scandal that has taken over the internet and led to a CEO's resignation. Stick with us.

1:14:44We're back with our pop culture lead in the fallout over the concert canoodling. Seen around the world, astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigned from his job after he was exposed, warmly embracing the company's HR chief, Kristen Cabot, a woman who was decidedly not his wife, on the Jumbotron at a Coldplay concert. And now Coldplay's frontman is giving crowds a friendly warning about cameras used during their shows. Joining us, Kat Rosenfield. She's a culture writer for the Free Press. So, Kat, a lot of people have been laughing about this story, taking a lot of pleasure in it. Why do you think it's gone viral?

1:15:17Why do you think so many folks are talking about it? I think that you have two levels of thing happening here. One is that, of course, everybody loves a good public shaming in the social media era. And this one particularly invites that type of reaction because everybody and everything involved is something that people love to hate. You know, you have CEOs, you have HR representatives, you have Coldplay. And so there's that. There's also the fact that unfortunately the way this incident played out and the fact that it was captured on video made it infinitely memeable to the point where on the one hand you have the shaming but also you have this element of it that's kind of passed into myth.

1:16:04The physical comedy of these people sort of pulling away, turning their backs, diving out of frame is very very easy to remix and so you have people having a lot of fun with that. Do you think you touched on this when you talked about CEOs, but do you think that that is, how much do you think that is fueling this? The idea that maybe there's something populist about bringing down a CEO and his HR director, like would this have caught on as much if it were like a dentist with his secretary? Do you know what I mean? I don't know. Everybody hates a cheater, right? And so I think that probably the response in combination with the fact that the entire scene played out the way it did probably would have been the same.

1:16:49But the fact that it's a CEO, the fact that these are perceived to be wealthy people, it does make it to the people who are participating in this. I think for them, it makes it probably extra delicious. Yes. You had a different take. You wrote in Free Press, quote, when we take joy in the distress and ruination of other people, we make monsters of ourselves, unquote. Explain what you mean a little. So the thing about public shamings is they are useful tool, right? We use this tool, shame, to punish people who transgress, who violate the bounds of the social contract, who we're in community with.

1:17:25But that offers a limiting principle. You don't want to do anything too terrible to somebody who you know you're going to still have to see around town after. You're going to have to live with this person together afterward. Once you turn this from something that is community-based and is about enforcing social contracts and that nobody really enjoys doing, and you turn it into a spectator sport that is global and always on, and you can participate in it from anywhere in the world 24 hours a day, what drives the dynamic changes significantly. And you have people who are driven by bloodlust, driven by sadism, driven by a desire to perpetuate harm and who were delighting in the distress they're causing and who never have to be held accountable for that in any way because it's strangers.

1:18:12Yeah. And of course, we know that this kind of schadenfreude and shaming can have horrible effects, especially when the social media involved has to do with children. Kat Rosenfield, as always, interesting, interesting, provocative article. Thanks for coming on. Thanks for having me. President Trump's now threatening the future of a new sports stadium here in Washington, D.C. He wants the Washington Commanders to change their name back to the Washington Redskins. And he's going to use his power to force that. Those details ahead.

1:18:50And our sports lead, the White House, says President Trump is serious about blocking the Washington Commanders from being able to build a new stadium in Washington, D.C., unless the team changes their name back from the Washington Commanders to the Washington Redskins. The president was serious, and it's part of the art of the deal, part of his negotiating skills. As you know, sports is one of the many passions of this president, and he wants to see the name of that team change. The team dropped its old name in 2020 after decades of criticism from various Native American groups and activists. Here's Tom Forman.

1:19:26The commanders are being blitzed by the commander-in-chief, who is demanding the team change its name back to Redskins, insisting with no evidence our great Indian people in massive numbers want team owners to make the switch immediately. You want me to make a controversial statement? I would. I wouldn't have changed your name. This isn't the 1960s. It wasn't okay to use the N-word back then, and it's not okay to use the R-word today. To be sure, when the D.C. team's racially charged name was dropped in 2020 after years of protest, many fans were unhappy. I just spent over$700 less than probably a month ago redoing all this.

1:20:09But last season, the commanders romped to their best record in decades. Approval for the new name shot way up in a recent Washington Post poll, with most now in favor of commanders, including the team owner, who said... I think it's now being embraced by our team, by our culture, by our coaching staff. And so, you know, we're going with that. But that was before Trump said if he doesn't get his way, he might upset negotiations on a multi-billion dollar deal to move the commanders from Maryland back to the District of Columbia. It's unclear if or how he can do that. And for the moment, D.C. officials are focusing on what they can control.

1:20:51We need to complete our part so that the team can get to work, so that local businesses can get hired, so that we can start earning the tax revenue that will come when we deliver the Commander Stadium. Trump is also calling for the Cleveland Guardians baseball team to go back to their old name, Indians, which changed a few seasons back amid what Trump is characterizing as a period of runaway wokeness. Times are different now, he wrote on social media. Owners, get it done. I've got to say, if I were the owner of the team. Still, in 2013, when President Barack Obama weighed in on the D.C. team name.

1:21:32I'd think about changing it. Trump mocked him. Presidents should not be telling the Washington Redskins to change their name. Our country has far bigger problems. Focus on them, not nonsense. Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington. Our thanks to Tom Foreman for that report. Finally, from us tonight, we remember legendary D-Day veteran Jake Larson. Staff Sergeant Larson was the last survivor of a unit who stormed the beaches of Normandy in an invasion that led to Europe's liberation from the Nazis. Every one of us was prepared to give our life, to kick Cutler's ass out of Europe. And we did. We lost quite a few, but I lost friends.

1:22:22Everybody lost friends. But we were soldiers. We were prepared to give our life. Later in his life, Larson became finally known as Papa Jake on TikTok. Hey, TikTok fans, Papa Jake here. Larson began sharing his World War II stories with younger generations and gained more than a million followers. Jake Larson's family says he was cracking jokes until the very end. He was 102 years old, an American hero. May his memory be a blessing. Erin Burnett Outfront starts now.

1:23:09Cozy season is ahead, and you'll be spending way more time inside. Is your home ready? Don't worry. with Wayfair you can upgrade your space without breaking the bank score up to 70 off during their labor day clearance on furniture area rugs mattresses and more plus surprise flash deals you can't miss whether it's one room or the whole house Wayfair has pieces for every style and budget shop Wayfair's labor day clearance now through September 7th at Wayfair.com Way fair, every style, every home. Traditional home security only alerts you after a break-in. And that's too late. SimpliSafe is changing that.

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