Cornell Gang Rape Allegation Puts Focus on Campus Sexual Assault

0:00This briefing is brought to you by Easter Seals Disability Services. Real belonging begins with all of us. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile, the message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything goodness world stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying no judgments, but that's weird. Okay, one judgment. Anyway, give it a try at MintMobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 for three month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required, intro rate for three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra, see full terms at MintMobile.com. This is CNN breaking news. Welcome to the lead on Pamela Brown in for Jake Tapper, who is on assignment, and we start with the breaking news and the law and justice lead, a public hearing happening right now in Ithaca, New York, home to Cornell University. Students, faculty in the community all invited, and many are voicing their outrage over the university's handling of the alleged 2024 Chi-5 fraternity gang rape

1:03of a former student identified as Jane Doe. And this comes as we learn several new details about this case, warning much of this new reporting is disturbing. Our Jake Tapper confirmed Snapchat messages allegedly exchanged between fraternity members also include a photo of the accuser in a room at the Frat House. Snapchat messages also include graphic messages. And in one, one person asked, quote, shop still open? A source close in the investigation told CNN a more thorough criminal investigation might have recovered other photos or videos before they disappeared from Snapchat. And there are also new documents from Cornell University's private 2024 Title IX investigation. The New York Times obtained these documents and sources are confirming some of the contents to CNN, such as a text that Jane Doe allegedly sent to one of the fraternity members, including that she was assaulted in October 2024. She wrote, let's be clear that 90% of what happened that night was not consensual.

2:04I was given more key than I can remember, she said, using slang for ketamine she continued. And I know that I told you I felt uncomfortable and I didn't know anyone in the room. And according to the Times, the documents show that four days later Jane Doe went to an emergency room in Ithaca and requested a rape kit. CNN Jason Carroll has more on these new findings and the host of new questions they now raise. Cornell University under increased scrutiny following a report that a crucial part of the school's internal investigation omitted Jane Doe statement, I can say with 100% confidence, I was raped. That allegation not included in what the university handed over to the district attorney. The comments said to me is that there's like a moral feeling. People are just like really frustrated that it's taking a whole lawsuit for these people to be held accountable and that for the survivor to get the justice that she deserves. Students reacting to a New York Times report

3:04which revealed the school gathered more than 1,000 pages of materials from an internal investigation in 2024, which included a transcript of campus police interviews with Jane Doe, interviews with Chi-Fi fraternity members, accused of sexually assaulting her along with emails and text messages. The Times report says Jane Doe spoke for hours to a Cornell police investigator as well as an investigator for the school's title nine office. According to the Times, the transcript of their conversation stretches about 120 pages. The DA telling CNN Wednesday we never received it and still don't have it. It was not part of what Cornell provided to us. We got the six page statement and nothing more, except the Snapchat video. The Snapchat was allegedly sent from Chi-Fi members asking others to join in on the alleged assault. Cornell's investigation also revealed Jane Doe documented her injuries. Two weeks after the 2024 incident,

4:05she went to an emergency room for a pelvic exam. She also went to the school's health clinic for treatment of a urinary tract infection, telling a doctor she had contracted the infection in a traumatic way. The material reviewed by the Times showing Jane Doe went to police after she saw online comments about what happened to her that night at the Chi-Fi house saying members were gang-manging. Jane Doe saying that's kind of when I came to the realization that I had been gang-raped, gang-assulted, whatever you want to call it, that's what happened. Cornell's investigation revealed Jane Doe plan to go back to the Chi-Fi house the following week after the alleged assault for a Halloween party. Her attorney telling CNN it was all part of processing what had happened. She was still in the denial stage. She could not accept what had happened to her. And Pamela right now, I'm outside a building here on campus where a student assembly is taking place.

5:05And during this assembly, students here will have the opportunity to make public statements. They're expected to make public statements about the case, but I can tell you just from talking to so many students here on campus, they're expressing a great deal of frustration. Frustration directed at campus. Please direct it at administrators who they feel as though have been basically absent in terms of addressing this issue publicly in front of students. Pamela. And on that note, Jason, do we know if the university president will be there? No, the university president not expected to be here. And in fact, I mean, I think that's one of the criticisms many of the students have here on campus. They're still waiting for the university president. And others from the administration to come forward and publicly address many of the deep concerns that students have here on campus, Pamela. All right, Jason Carroll, thank you so much. I think we'll be right back. Well, my next guest says that she was drugged and sexually

6:08assaulted at a University of Texas Austin fraternity party back in 2014. After learning state law made prosecution extremely difficult, she turned to advocacy, running 29 marathons before turning 30. And at one point, dropping to her hands and knees, crawling 13 miles to raise awareness for sexual assault survivors. Her efforts pushed Texas lawmakers to pass the Summer Willis Act, which says consent is absent when someone knows or should know that another person is incapacitated or impaired. Sexual assault survivor and advocate Summer Willis joins us now. Summer, thank you so much for coming on. You have spoken publicly about the systemic failures you have faced as the Cornell investigation unfolds so publicly and with details that echo your own experience. Just for us when to ask how you're doing. It's been a really tough week in the survivor community,

7:10not just because what happened to Jane Doe is horrific, but also because these stories happen again and again all over the country. And nothing's really changed regarding the laws. And so it's gonna keep on happening again, unless we all come together. So it's been heavy. Yeah, and in Texas, you actually helped change the law there with your advocacy, but in New York, the Tompkins County District Attorney says the voluntary intoxication exclusion constrained his office for bringing criminal charges because he says Jane Doe voluntarily consumed the alcohol and drugs. Now she says she was pressured, but you've spent years trying to close that same loophole in New York. Why do you think change has been so much harder there? And with this Cornell investigation back in the spotlight, are you hearing any new willingness from lawmakers to act? Yes, I honestly do not understand

8:16why it's so hard to pass a bill that says intoxication does not equal consent. I think our society on a whole agrees with the morality that what happened to Jane Doe is a rape, but her laws haven't caught up. New York is one of 23 states that has this intoxication loophole. So I'm really hoping that governor, Hocal can be a champion and put this bill addressing that's that we've been trying to pass for the last decade on her state of the state priority so that finally, if a young college woman or anyone is voluntarily intoxicated, she still has an opportunity at justice. Cornell is also facing questions about how it handled this alleged incident. What concerns do you have about the university's response

9:18and what it should have done differently? I mean, I think it raises serious questions that they knew about this. And it wasn't until national media started covering this story that they decided to do anything about it. So we really need to start holding universities more accountable. And some of the men we know from the reporting, they were expelled or suspended. There were varying levels of punishments from the university. Why wasn't that enough in your view? Because of the definition of consent, because if we don't update our consent laws, a very similar thing happened to me 12 years ago, but because one person handed me a drink, I voluntarily took and another person raped me.

10:18It didn't count because unless we close these loopholes, your rape has to have very specific, your rape has to have a very specific story, if you will, or framework. And so in New York, it's only if it's super physically aggressive, if you were basically drugs and there's one more instance, but it's so hard. I think only one person of perpetrators actually face any real criminal consequences. All right, Summer Willis, thank you for coming on. We appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me. And given the gravity and nature of the story, we want to remind folks trying to navigate a similar crisis, there are people who can help at the Rain Network, short for rape, abuse, incest, and national network, reach them anytime at rain.org with two ends or call 1-800-656-HOPE.

11:19All right, in a world-leading brand new video, shows moments inside that terrifying flight as a copilot attacked the captain and then tried to hijack the plane. Up next, here from a mother who was on that flight. And then later, President Trump's fight to keep his name on the Kennedy Center and the dramatic change in donations when the president's name was first put on the building. We'll be right back. Linton is pretty amazing at helping you grow your small business. We cannot make your email response time faster. We can help you sell market and hire in one place. We cannot help you find space for your three desk drinks. Why do you have three? And while we can't help you find the perfect volume for your presentation video, Linton can help you find the perfect audience for your business. Grow your small business on Linton. Learn more at linkedin.com slash small business.

12:21The real cost of a break-in isn't your valuables. It's the feeling that your home stopped being safe. Simply safe keeps danger away from your family with three layers of protection. One, smart AI cameras and live US-based agents help stop intruders before they break in. Two, we sound the alarm at points of entry. Three, our agent's request emergency response. Play and starting around a dollar a day. Right now, get 60% off your new system with professional monitoring at simplysafe.com slash Spotify. Dr. Deterrence plans starting $49.99 a month. Visit simplysafe.com slash licenses for alarm license information. All right, 24-hour world lead. We are now hearing from one of the 174 people on that terrifying flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel. About two hours into the flight operated by fly Dubai yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a radicalized pilot attacked the captain, stabbing him in the cockpit while trying to take control of the plane. I want to bring in Lital Shahar. She was on that flight along with her four daughters.

13:21Wow, first of all, how are you doing? Exhausted. It's been very tough timing. And only today, me and my daughter started realizing what we've been through. And everything that was happening and like connecting the dots. So yeah, it's tough. But we are okay. I'm so glad you're okay, but I'm sure it's going to take a while to process what you went through. When did you first realize something was terribly wrong? Immediately when the lady started screaming that the pilot is stabbed and that she sees lots of blood, you know, where Israel is? Unfortunately, we are alert to the situations and we're so used to it. Immediately, all of us understood it's a terror attack on our plane.

14:21And what did you do? You're sitting there with your four daughters and at that point, what did you do? I just started praying. First of all, I told them that we're in God's hands now. We need to pray. We need to believe we have to stay strong. And calm ourselves in any way. You know, we were sitting in a row. So I didn't know where to put my hands. Who should I hold in their hands? First, who needs a hug? It was crazy moments. Really horrifying situation. I don't wish anyone to go through something like that. Oh, I don't either. It's, I mean, it's any plane passenger's wore a nightmare, right? And then this is happening and the plane suddenly dropped. What was that like? Describe that feeling. Oh my God, you see the end. You just, you just see your life. I mean, I was shocked. I said no.

15:22It's too early. It's not my time. It's not our time and definitely nothing that way. We just, we felt that the end is coming. You, I've heard that from other passengers. They thought for sure they were gonna die. Yes. Yeah, when I'm saying the end, sorry if I was not clear. I prefer not to use those words because I'm so traumatized. But when I said we saw the end, we, I meant we saw the death. That's the end. Well, fortunately you and everyone else are okay. The pilot is recovering. What did you say? Yeah. And by the way, this is video on the screen of the pilot getting medical care. What did you say to your daughters, especially your youngest, just five after you realized you were all safe? What did I tell her? What did you tell your daughters? Like the plane drops. I told you. And then you were able to land and everything was okay. So, how did you say to them? I told her that there was a bad guy on the plane

16:24that wanted to do something bad. But luckily, God is with us and kept us all alive and saved us. And just hugging her and kissing her all the four of them. I still, as you said, we're still processing it. I don't know what it will take. I don't know if we'll need a therapy. I don't know what it will be. Also, myself, I was on automatic working. You know, I was just hoping. I just did the best to make sure that my daughters are safe and want to be panicked. Yeah, you really go into mom mode and want to protect them. I imagine, wow, little Shihar, thank you for coming on. And I hope you seek whatever help that you need as well as your daughters. It's just horrible that you had to go through that, but I'm glad you're okay. Yes, thank you so much. Thanks, Tiffany. Stay. You too. Well, nearly nine months since the deadly shooting of Renee Good and Minneapolis at the hands of an ICE agent,

17:25we're hearing from Good's partner for the first time. What she is saying about her family's brand new effort to get justice. Starting a business can seem like a daunting task. Unless you have a partner like Shopify, they have the tools you need to start and grow your business. From designing a website, to marketing, to selling and beyond, Shopify can help with everything you need. There's a reason millions of companies like Mattel, Hines, and all birds continue to trust and use them. With Shopify on your site, turn your big business idea into, sign up for your $1 per month trial at Shopify.com slash special offer. We file these two lawsuits today to put officials on notice that we have not forgotten. In our law and justice lead, the family of Renee Good and American woman shot and killed by an ICE agent earlier this year is now suing the US government and several top Trump officials.

18:26It's also the first time Renee Good's partner, Becca, has spoken out publicly since we're killing. I don't hate the people who took Renee from us, but what I want them to understand, every single day they get to look at their children and their wives and their sisters and know what they took from our family. They took a mother away from her children. They know that and they will carry it forever. CNN's Whitney Wild was there for today's news conference in Minneapolis, so tell us more about the two lawsuits and what Good's partner had to say Whitney. Well, Pamela, these two lawsuits, detail exactly the moments that led up to this shooting and both of them alleged that Renee Good never posed any real risk to those agents who were on the ground, including the agent who opened fire, a man named Jonathan Ross.

19:26What the lawsuits also allege is that through this interaction that the agents involved violated numerous DHS policies, they certainly violated Minnesota State Law and the Constitution. The first lawsuit is a Federal Torque claims act. That's being filed against the United States government. The second lawsuit is much broader and it gives more context to the shooting with a timeline that actually goes all the way back to November of 2025. And the theory of that lawsuit is really that the Operation Metro Surge was ill-conceived. It was reckless and a death like Renee Good's death was the predictable outcome of such a reckless operation, Pamela. As you said, and as you just heard, this was the first time we heard from Becca Good. She gave a very emotional statement. She did not take any questions, but she spoke at length about what her life is like now. She has a six-year-old son with Renee.

20:27She says that they're going to have to go through Halloween, that little boy's favorite holiday, without his mother, that she got him ready for first grade without his mother, Renee. And she described how different their life is now, how much has been lost, let's listen more to Becca Good. She was the center of my universe and living without her is like trying to live without the sun. And you don't know how much light something gives you until it's gone. Think about how the kids are growing up without their mama. And I'll grow old without the love of my life. What happened to our family should not happen to any family regardless of who you are, who you voted for or what you believe. Today we are taking a step to build the world Renee would have wanted. Pamela, the Trump administration is responding, saying that they intend to vigorously defend these baseless lawsuits. And then the White House spokeswoman also pointed to remarks

21:28that the president had made to CBS News in January, in which he said, I love all our people. I bet you that she under normal circumstances was a very solid, wonderful person. But you know her actions were pretty tough. In that same interview, President Trump went on to defend ice saying that the job of those federal agents had become very difficult. Pamela, there continues to be an investigation here at the state level. So the search for accountability here in Minneapolis continues. Back to you. All right. Whitney Wilde in Minneapolis, thank you. A Florida congresswoman says she made a surprise visit to an immigration detention center, what she saw, and what she says needs to change up next. LinkedIn is pretty amazing at helping you grow your small business. We cannot make your email response time faster. We can help you sell, market, and hire in one place. We cannot help you find space for your three desk drinks. Why do you have three? And while we can't help you find the perfect volume

22:30for your presentation video, LinkedIn can help you find the perfect audience for your business. Grow your small business on LinkedIn. Learn more at linkedin.com slash small business. In our law and justices, the Supreme Court has agreed to take up another consequential immigration case. This one is over whether it's legal for the Trump administration to deny bond hearings to people who entered the US illegally and hold them in detention centers. A policy that breaks from decades of practice and is led to a staggering increase of detained migrants from just under 38,000 at the end of the Biden administration to more than 65,000 this past summer. Join us now is Democrat from Florida, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, good to see you, Congresswoman. So you just made a surprise visit to an ICE facility at Miramar, Florida. After a whistleblower report showed these horrible images of overcrowding and overflowing porta-potties, what did you see when you went there?

23:31Well, Pamela, thanks for having me. I was just at the Miramar ICE check-in facility to do a surprise unannounced visit two months ago. When I was there two months ago, there were 70 men packed into a holding cell that they never leave. The lights are always on. They were wall-to-wall people, very tiny space, you know, 10 by 12 maybe, a toilet in the corner of the room and just gross overcrowding. This is a facility that is not at the detention center. It's only approved for 12 hours of holding until they transfer someone, but essentially they are detaining so many immigrants that they're even using places that were never designed to have a long-term detention as those facilities. That picture you're showing right there is the Sally Port, where they had hundreds of detainees shackled in leg irons, which I learned yesterday. They are no longer there,

24:31and that just shows you the oversight has worked. The whistleblower coupled with the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee unannounced visits like mine, they basically told me that they were able to pressure the DC ICE supervisors to help them get detainees out faster. But it's not because they're detaining fewer people. Instead, they're shipping people further away from their family members, so they aren't holding them as long. And there was a court order that has said that they can't hold people there for more than 12 hours. Yet I know they still are. I asked someone a couple of people in Spanish yesterday how long they had been there, and at least two of them said six days. And they acknowledged that they were holding people, some people there longer than 12 hours. So they're breaking the law. So you say they're breaking the law. You've been pressing Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen, Florida Governor, Ron DeSantes, and others about the conditions

25:33at a different now closed facility in the Everglades, known as alligator alcatraz, after there was this Inspector General report released on September 11th, that found detainees were kept, quote, small metal enclosures. Are you going to push for an investigation on these facilities and to these facilities if Democrats win the house? When Democrats win the house, and I expect we will win the house because of things like this, the fact that costs are exploding out of control. The momentum is with us in Florida. We're gonna pick up seats that no one expected us to. We just had our first month of more voter registration by Democrats than Republicans first time in 68 months. And that's because people are fed up and tired of Republicans caring more about the wealthy and the fortunate and not about working folks and people who are just in the country trying to make a better way of life for them and send their families. Pamela, the conditions I saw yesterday were disgusting, even though there were fewer people there,

26:33which resulted from the oversight. There was sludge and dirt. I asked them to remove the detainees from the holding cell so I could get a closer look. There was a broken faucet skewing water out of the top. I mean, dirty blankets on the floor. Clearly no one's mopping. They don't get to change their clothes on a regular basis all because this is not a detention facility. And so they don't have to follow the detention standards. And so it's like a vicious cycle. They're not a detention facility. They don't have to follow the detention standards, but they're still detaining people and holding them there for days. So this is an illegal, as a facility being used unlawfully, treating people like you would people, you're torturing and we have to bring it to a stop. I want to talk more about the midterms here because you decided to run in Florida's 20th district after the rare mid decade redistricting. This 20th district is a deep blue seat represented by black lawmakers for decades.

27:37Congressional black caucus chair, Congresswoman Yvette Clark told Politico in August, it was a quote, painful situation to quote, have a beloved colleague who made a decision basically to run in a district where historically there's been CBC representation. And she said, I know that the community has been really disrupted by it. What do you say to that? Well, I'm very grateful and thankful that I won the Democratic primary. It was a five-way Democratic primary. I got 45% of the vote. I won the majority of the vote in the majority of black precincts all across district 20. And there's a reason for that. It's because I know the people in district 20 and they know me, I'm a brown-ured girl. I've represented brown-ured for my whole adult life. I didn't air drop myself into this district. I've represented nine of the 14 cities. And what happened is that Republicans here in Florida led by DeSantis and Trump, rigged our congressional map, came into Broward, blew up our congressional districts

28:38in the smithereens because we're the bluest county in the state. And they wanted to diminish Broward County's political power. I was not going to allow them to do that. The Democrats have done so. I'm going to allow them to deal right away. They've officially not. We did that in response to this term. But exactly. But then Democrats followed suit. Pamela, when we take over the majority, we will pass legislation to prohibit gerrymandering. What Republicans did violates our state constitution. The voters put constitutional amendments called fair districts that prohibit the kind of political and anti-income and gerrymandering that they did here. They were, they cynically blew up our districts so that they could artificially try to win elections. That they know they would lose otherwise, like they're going to lose anyway. Because they have made life too expensive with housing, healthcare, groceries, gas, and utilities. That's what I heard all across congressional districts when I knocked on doors and made phone calls. I just hung up with some voters who are supporting my

29:40reelection because they know I fight for them. They know I've gone to back for them for decades. And I'm going to continue to show up and fight for them always. All right, Democratic Congress of Mendebi Wasserman, Shulter and Florida. Thank you so much. Appreciate you coming on. Thanks Pamela. All right, right now President Trump is back in Texas and we're sending by for him to speak and didn't Texas, just north of Dallas. Today, we're also getting a new transcript of his recent interview with Time Magazine, what he said about his initial timeline for the war in Iran lasting four to six weeks, but now in month number seven. Guess who he's blaming? Our panel will weigh in next. Ryan Reynolds here from Mendeb mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistance assistants

30:41switch you to Mendeb mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mendeb mobile.com slash switch. Up front, pay mental $45 for three month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra, feeful terms at mentmobile.com. Shack here, what's it like to buy a car from Carvano 100% online and get it delivered to your door? Let me tell you, your car is here, Mr. Shack. Thank you, Mr. Carvano guy. Can't wait to take it for a spin. Only the best for you, Mr. Shack. Hey, have you always been so big tall and handsome? Not always, I was six, 10 once. Seven days to love it or return it, Mr. Shack. Not that I would. You never do. No, I never do. So buy your car today on Carvano. Delivery fees may apply. See our seven day return policy at Carvano.com. All right, in our politics lead, President Trump just hit the stage in Texas, but in a new interview with Time Magazine, part of his message on the Iran War's original end date, my beginning loss, time asked,

31:42do you think the American people misunderstood that? I feel like most people heard you say four to six weeks. Trump said, no, I think the press, I'm not going to let them know. Well, it was the other way around. Obviously, President Trump told our Jake Tapper in a phone interview on March 2nd, quote, I don't want to see it go on too long. I always thought it would be four weeks and we're a little ahead of schedule. Trump said the same thing on camera later that day and in many more times in the coming weeks. And we have right from the beginning, we projected four to five weeks. We estimated it would take approximately four to six weeks to achieve our mission. The U.S. would be gone or done with the war in two weeks. I think we two through weeks. Maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer to do the job. You know, I did say that. I thought it would take four to six weeks. All right, well, here we are. How many weeks later? We explained it months later. And now he's taking to true social.

32:43He's going on the defense of any state. And I stated numerous times that it would take four to six weeks to get rid of the Iran nuclear threat. And I did it one night. The rest of the time is just to make sure it stays that way. That's just simply not what he said. Brad, what do you make of this? Well, if you've ever built a house, or remodeled a house, you've probably had your builder tell you, we'll be done in about two to four weeks. And Trump at his heart, he says, in the Time Magazine article, I'm more builder than a politician. And so I think it's instinctual for him to say, this is about to be wrapped up. And the timeline is going to always slip just like it does with most builders. And I think also the Iran taking advantage of the straight of war moves, well, that's something American military planners have always expected they would do. I think the Trump's desire to undo that be very cautious about how he's undoing it has made it take a lot longer than it would. You could have undone that with the cost of a lot more lives faster. And I think his patience with that

33:44has made it take a lot longer. But I mean, we have now heard reporting that even from the beginning, there were doubts about what now presented to him, which maybe at the time that was part of what the four to six weeks may have been based on. But even from the get go, there were people who doubted the veracity of what they were being told. And so, but at this point, I don't think Americans care if you said four to six weeks in the beginning or 10 weeks in the beginning, it's where we are right now. It's the impact that it's having right now on gas prices, on diesel. It's the economic pain. And it also contributes to something where he keeps saying it's been every two weeks, every two weeks. Oh, we're near a deal. They want to deal. They want to deal so bad. I just don't think people believe him anymore. And if you look at sort of the AP poll that came out today and just people not just saying they're dissatisfaction, but how much worse things are than what they thought it was going to be, he just really squandered any credibility that he had with people and that goodwill that he had

34:45from those who voted for him initially. The first time the interview started to ask him about the Iran War, he brought up our colleague, Caitlin Collins, who is a phenomenal reporter. Instead of addressing the question at hand, of course, the poll show that he is an unpopular president, the prices are rising. Do you think he is just trying to deflect and rewrite history on this? Well, sure, Joe Biden assured us for four years that everything on the economy was good and everything on the economy was trending bad for much of that time. So that's the nature of the presidency. You want to kind of coach up the public. I do think it's not necessarily helpful for the midterms to do it that way. I think it'd be better for Republicans in the midterms if he said, look, we're making progress. We inherited a mess. You elected us to fix the mess. We're working on it. It's not working as fast as we would, but you got to stick with us. I think sort of starting where the public is would be better because many on this, the economy are great. Stop market's great, unemployment's low. Erning's are up. Like there are a lot of things in the economic figures that are good, some other things are bad.

35:45So I think he needs to meet the public where they are. I mean, bad gas prices always bad politics, right? Just period. Diesel prices are definitely causing us a problem in the midwest. But I think there's room. The Democratic parties at an all-time low, people don't really want to go back to the Democrats, but the president has to make a case why that would be worse. Although people are saying they're more enthusiastic to vote for Democrats, then they are Republicans. And we're actually better than we were and so higher than the Republicans. I'm not saying that's good for anybody. But nothing good in the third. Nothing bad. No, no. Do you think the Democrats, it's more about not liking Trump than Democrats offering up something that the Gibbs voters confidence that they can lower the prices? You know what, though? I think it's both because if you look at some of our candidates, they are so passionate about their states. I'm thinking of, and I can't remember her name, woman running for Senate in Arkansas, had to sell her family farm 150 years her family owned that farm. And she had to make the decision to sell it. She understands what farmers and Arkansas are going through.

36:47Mary Potswell are running in Alaska, talking about some of the issues that the fishing industry and what that does on their local accounting. I mean, in each of these places, I think our candidates are making a strong case for lower in cost, but understanding and listening to what people are telling them. That being said, if we should win in November, I want, at my message to our Democrats is, you have an opportunity that people can just fall in love with you. You have an opportunity to show that you can make government work and don't wander it. I want to talk about something else that Trump said. He was talking about his Supreme Court justices that he put on the bench. And he said he was unhappy with them after they struck down his tear of policy this year. There was this exchange after he said, he regretted dominating them. He said, the interviewer said, you mentioned the word loyalty a moment ago. Is that what you want from your Supreme Court picks? And then Trump said, I do like loyalty, yeah. Time said, I do like my narration, by the way. Is that what you want from your Supreme Court justices?

37:47And Trump said, no, I don't want loyalty. I want good decisions. I think the three Supreme Court justices are the very best thing about the Trump, either Trump administration. I think that voters who picked him in 2016, remember control of the Supreme Court was a stake. There was one seat open, there were four liberals and four conservatives. And there was a big part of why voters picked him. I can prove it. I was working hard on that justice campaign. So I think he's wrong about that. And I hope over time history will treat it as such. Yeah, look, we're all frustrated at times with the Supreme Court. But what you saw on that interview was, he takes everything personal. It's about him. They voted against him. No, they didn't. In theory, they're supposed to be voting for the Constitution. All right. Many thanks. Appreciate it. Up next, CNN has obtained internal documents raising the curtain on the troubled finances of the Kennedy Center. And things changed dramatically when Trump took center stage. We're going to tell you about that right after this quick break.

38:49You're listening to a quick ad. You know what else is quick? Selling your car on Carvana. Just putting your vehicle information and we'll give you an offer. And don't have to do that. I'm done. No hassle. No negotiation. No guy from an online listing lowball in you. Which means, by the time I'm done explaining this, you could have basically done it. Still haven't started? Hey, better late than never. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pick up fees may apply. And our National Lead President Trump is refusing to take demolition of the Kennedy Center off the table. He told Time Magazine he is not committing to anything. The president who appointed chairs to the arts institution himself calls the landmark building in terrible shape and says only he can save it as employees are notified of a safety review. And he's gearing up for a court battle as canceled shows and slumping ticket sales

39:52fuel talk of a temporary renovation shutdown. Join us now is CNN's Sunluncer Body. So you have tamed Sunlun these internal Kennedy Center documents detailing its finances. What do they tell us about the state of the institution and what changed after Trump took over? Well, he tells us an awful lot, Pam. These are over 100 pages of internal presentations, financial records, really showing the dire financial situation of the Kennedy Center over the last two years between 2024 and 2026 and really show these internal deliberations and presentations trying to address the financial situation that was growing, worsening, lining up to President Trump's involvement. And that is what is significant here. Specifically, I want to show you this one slide from the documents after the Kennedy Center board to added President Trump's name to the facade of this building back last year in December, they looked at the 42 percent plunge in gifts to this arts institution as well

40:57as 100 percent over 100 percent drop in donation pledges compared to the previous three months. So that showed a real one-to-one drop in gifts and pledges of money to this institution that lined up to when he put his name on the side of the building. The documents certainly show large the financial pressures that all arts institution endured since the COVID era. But it shows that the situation worsened under President Trump. In this slide, it shows in a presentation about the Center in May 2025, the first bullet point there, acknowledging point blank, quote, it was out of cash that certainly significant. And it showed also that the financial health of this building is deteriorating over time, and the preliminary numbers show a deficit of over $16 million through the last fiscal year and projected to grow to $23 million in 2026. So Pam, we have spoken over the last year about the worsening financial picture, but these

42:00internal documents really lay it out. It's startling to see that over the course of this two-year period, over the course of when President Trump has been involved, they've been very aware of the strains of this building. And quickly, Trump and his allies argue that his involvement in the Kennedy Center's future is the best hope for raising money. What did these documents show about that claim? Well, it's really startling here because it really broadly refutes that assertation. It refutes the argument that this institution needs Trump and Trump himself as someone that they have argued has the financial ability to raise money for this building, has the one to hold together the resources to save this building. That's something we saw as you noted in that time interview, an interview where he repeated only, I can save it, but these documents really do show otherwise. And notably, Pam, a spokesperson for the Kennedy Center, we went to them with these documents and everything that they outlined.

43:01They say that it continues to work through post-pandemic shifts in audience behavior seen across the performing arts industry and ticket sales. Pam. And my parents are Foddy, great reporting. Thank you so much. Welcome to the lead on Pamela Brown and for Jake Tapper. And this hour, President Trump is on his way to Oklahoma for his second event of the day aimed at rallying Republicans ahead of the crucial midterm elections. It is part of what the White House is billing as an aggressive campaign schedule for the President and the Vice President. So does that signal the administration is getting more worried about what Republicans odds? Plus, there are still so many unanswered questions today about why a pilot allegedly attacked his captain and tried to seize control of a flight yesterday as Rayleigh Prime Minister Benjamin Nanyahu says the suspect, quote, underwent Islamist radical indoctrination. CNN is in Israel tonight with the latest details. And also the state of Alabama reaches a landmark deal with TikTok over claims the app,

44:05harm children and teens, the company, agreeing to pay at least $100 million in institute new safety protocols for young users. The Alabama Attorney General joins us live to walk us through some of those changes. The lead tonight, President Trump is on the trail with just 33 days to go until midterm election day with visits to reliably red Oklahoma and Texas tonight, which he says, is to thank Republican voters for their support. Moments ago, it is rallying in Ditton, Texas. Trump was pushing voters to support Republican Senate nominee Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Take a listen. It's such a big race. It's such a big race. And I want to just say that he's been a friend of mine for a long time. One of the most loyal people when I was being hit by the radical left, very hard, harder than very few people could have withstood it.

45:07I was being hit. Ken Paxton was at my side more than anybody. And I have to always remember that because he could be a pain in the ass sometimes. I'll be honest. Is he here, by the way? Oh, there he is. Good. I didn't even know he was here. Here tonight, he'll head to Durant, Oklahoma, where he'll head lying in R&C midterm rally. CNN, Julia Benbrooke is on the ground there. Julia, what are we expecting to hear from Trump? Well, President Donald Trump has said that he is really going to hit the campaign trail. He's going to pick things up over these next several weeks. And a source familiar with midterm planning tells me that that all starts here in Durant, Oklahoma. And that gives us a little glimpse into the strategy here. This is an area where Trump has dominated. In fact, during the last presidential election, he had the majority of votes in all 77 counties here in Oklahoma. So as you mentioned earlier today, when he was pressed on why focus in on some of those

46:10red states, he said that he wanted to include them as a way to thank them for some of the sweeping victories that they have delivered to him. Now, one area of focus in all of this for his advisors is turnout. He has said himself. He wants voters to pretend like he is on the ballot to get out there and vote. But some close to him have privately acknowledged. Some advisors have privately acknowledged that that turnout can go two ways, especially right now as Trump's approval rating is at an all time low. It can motivate his base to get out. It can also motivate Democrats to get out and vote as well. Now we're going to see him here in Durant, Oklahoma. This is southeastern Oklahoma in just a matter of hours. And then he is tomorrow expected to speak in Mobile, Alabama. A GOP official tells us that those two stops are kind of an outlier here that he is going to be going to some more battleground focused areas.

47:12And while a schedule is still being worked out, we do expect him to spend some time focused on Florida, Texas, Michigan, and Ohio as he hits the trail. Tonight he is going to likely be pushing for the Republican candidate for governor, Mike Maisy. He has endorsed him. Maisy narrowly won the nomination and he'll be facing off against the Democratic nominee Cindy Munson here in just a matter of weeks. All right, Julia Bendbrook and Oklahoma for us on the campaign trail. Thanks so much. And speaking of the midterm elections, new early voting data compiled by CNN shows a trend that we've seen in polls also more long. There are emerging signs of a Democratic advantage in the midterm. CNN's on board minutes following the numbers at the Magic Walls of Tom. Walk us through not just what you're seeing, but also what you're hearing from early voters. Well, what we're seeing is that the early ballots cast are way up and they're going even higher. And over in Fairfax, Virginia today, I saw an early polling place that was just buzzing

48:14with activity. Lots of people coming and going all day. And when we ask some of them, why are you voting early? Some of them said, well, because they're fearful that election day could be chaotic. Yes, I do. Absolutely. Yeah, it's, well, I don't have to take a seriously. It's real. It's there. The sense that people might try to disrupt it on election day. Well, I think they will. But, you know, I think that for the most part, the voting people of America, they're going to go and they're going to do it regardless. One of the reasons that I came out early because I don't want to risk the day of election when there could be shenanigans going on and a stress and pressure of that. Now interestingly, when you talk about Donald Trump meeting with the people who support him out there, look at the reaction that is occurring in a broader sense from the many, many people who do not support him. He is right now not much approved of President in this country, greatly disapproved of.

49:14So look at this. In pre-election ballots, requested in Iowa, Republicans down 11%, Pennsylvania down 3%, Maine down 2%. If you go over to the Democrats, hold a different equation. With the Democrats, the numbers are decidedly up 13% in Iowa, 4% in Pennsylvania, 4% in Maine. And if you go to the return of the ballots, the casting of the ballots, look at Pennsylvania, they're compared to 2022. 78% return. The Republicans over here, nothing like that. They are at 19% in 2024, 26% but trending down to about 14% right now compared to 78% for the Democrats there. North Carolina, that's a little more balanced out. But still, if you look at it, you see what's happening over here with the registered Democrats. Yeah, they're not a whole lot, they're both lower, they were in 2022 at this point, but they're up here. And if you look at Republicans, again, they are down from where they would have been. And in Virginia, it's a really interesting number to look at here.

50:16In counties where Kamala Harris won by more than 20 points, 78% up in ballots cast. In counties where Trump won by more than 20%, only 61%. A lot of ways you could explain this, a lot of things could be involved. But yeah, this matches up perfectly to all the polls we've been seeing that say, most Americans, the vast majority do not think Donald Trump is a good president, and midterms tend to be referendums on the sitting president, Pam. Sure do. All right, Tom Foreman, thank you so much. All right, let's talk with Democrat Johnny Garcia, who is running for Congress in Texas, 35th congressional district right near San Antonio. Thanks for coming on. So this district is one that has been targeted by Republicans and Texas's newly redistricted map. Cook Political Report shows that the district had existed in 2024 that Trump would have won it by 10 points. You are confident that this race will swing in your direction. How much do you think Trump has to do with that?

51:17Absolutely, it has to do with everything in this district. They thought that this was going to be an easy win for them, rejoining it to favor a Republican. We've been able to make sure it backfired at every single level along the way. And here we are just 33 days out from the midterm election and making our opportunity to win back the House majority, even that much more of a reality what they thought. They were going to do was silence Latino and minority voters by redrawing this district. These are the same Latinos that are coming back, the same folks that are fed up and frustrated with high gas prices, not being able to go to HB to buy their groceries, not being able to pay their utility bills with the wages that they're bringing home. But more so than anything, these are the same folks that aren't able to make it to Sunday to buy their barba coa and big red. And unfortunately, it's getting a whole lot harder for this district to just do the everyday things that they were used to doing before this administration took place. And we're also seeing in my district, in my opponent, who I'm running again, who has pledged fully that he's just running to be another wingman for Donald Trump, another

52:18wingman for Senate and House Republicans. And we've also gotten to see what a Congress full of Republican, yes, men and yes, women have gotten us higher costs at the grocery store, higher costs with your prescription medications and ultimately higher costs at the gas pump. And this is why we're seeing a big shift in congressional district 35. So polls certainly show that voters are not happy with prices right now. There's a new poll from the Associated Press that shows 82% disapprove of the way Trump is handling costs of living issues. What specifically would you do to bring costs down? We have to end these tariffs. Look, when I'm speaking to folks in the district, it's not only families that are telling me they're feeling the pinch when they go to the grocery stores. It's the business owners. It's the folks that have barbecued restaurants that are telling me it's getting harder to put together a barbecued plate in Texas. It's more for the brisket. It's more to put beans on the plate. It's even costing more for the styrofoam plate to serve the brisket on. And they're not able to bear the burden of these tariffs.

53:20And it's why we have to get into Congress. We have to end these tariffs and make Congress be able to end what we're seeing across the board throughout the nation, higher costs. If Democrats managed to take control of the House, but not the Senate in November, would you be willing to work across the aisle to bring down costs for your constituents? Absolutely. Look, I've served my community as a sheriff's deputy for nearly two decades. During my time as a sheriff's deputy, I never asked dispatch whether that home house headed to was Democratic or Republican. I responded every single time like lies around the line. And we know in this midterm election cycle, lives are on the line. So I really quickly, and FEC report shows that a Texas pack has spent close to $131 million in supporting the Republican Senate candidate, Ken Paxson, against Democrat candidate James Albraco this week. How do you predict that race could impact down ballot races like yours? I mean, we're seeing this super pack spend the most against our top-a-ticket candidate, James Talarico.

54:21My race is right underneath as the second most targeted race in Texas. They're going to spend every little dollar that they can, throwing every trick in the playbook at us. But what they can't stop is the frustration that folks are feeling on the ground. And we know here in the next 33 days, we're going to see an overwhelming amount of folks come out and vote. And it's why I feel so confident I'm going to win this race. But only we're only going to be able to do so by getting folks to come out. And we're asking everybody that is able to help us across the finish line. Please go visit votejohnigarcia.com. Okay. Texas Democratic Congressional candidate, Johnny Garcia, thank you. And we should note we did reach out to the Republican candidate in this race. Their campaign did not respond. And up next, CNN's Jeremy Diamond sat down with one of the passengers who stormed the cockpit during yesterday's fly-to-by flight and helped restrain a pilot who was allegedly stabbing his captain. Here with this heroic passenger says what through his mind as this all unfolded.

55:25All right. In our world lead, incredible new details tonight about the attempted hijacking on a fly-to-by flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel yesterday. President Trump said today that he believes the attacker is linked to Iran, but didn't offer any evidence. As key questions remain unanswered, what was the co-pilot's motive in stabbing the captain? How did he get a weapon on the plane? And how was he able to come so close to causing a tragic disaster so close to Israeli air space? CNN's Jeremy Diamond sat down with one of the passengers who jumped into action. It's hard to imagine, but this family just survived a dramatic rush with death. Twenty-four hours ago, they were aboard that harrowing fly-to-by flight. Tali was taking her six-year-old daughter to the bathroom, which she says she suddenly heard strange noises coming from the cockpit.

56:28I mainly heard banging on the door, something you're not supposed to hear coming from the cockpit. The noises, a man's raised voice. Suddenly, she says, the cockpit door flung open, and she saw one of the pilots stabbing the other. At that moment, I realized that was it. It was over. I couldn't imagine any way we were going to get out of there. I just screamed. They're stabbing the pilot. They're stabbing the pilot. Help. I screamed and screamed. That's when Tvika, seen here in a bloodied white shirt, jumped into action, grabbing his daughter from the bathroom before rushing to subdue the attacker. I had my five screaming, and I had my daughters screaming. We don't want to die. Father, we don't want to die. And this, you know, this is, and I'm getting emotional right now as well. When you hear that your daughters are crying for help, you do whatever you can.

57:33And to help them. And that's what, that's the trigger that pushed me. Do you describe it as instinct? It's an absolute instinct. We were like jumping on three guys, and with hands, we were struggling with him. And I mean, this must have all been happening so fast. It's so fast, and adrenaline is so high, and I didn't know well. I was covered with blood from fighting with him. I don't know. Maybe it was injured. I don't know where, how? It was his blood. It was his blood, yeah. I was covered with blood. You know, I have some bruises here that I, only today I just noticed that this is the adrenaline, you know. When you are in this moment, you don't feel anything. You act like, like, actually a machine trying to solve, trying to control, trying to be

58:35efficient as much as you can. Zvika is one of three passengers who rushed toward the cockpit and took down the co-pilot before he could crash the plane. But they only managed to get in thanks to the quick thinking of the plane's captain, neat Mutscher, who managed to open the cockpit door. He is absolutely a hero. He is absolutely a hero, and due to his act, we are sitting here today. Have you ever been in a situation like this before? Never. Never. There were moments we thought this is the end of our life, and I'm glad that we succeeded making the change. Zvika's daughters are still processing there or deal, but Milly's opinion is set on her father. He is a hero, she says, and I love him. And Pam, the suspect still hasn't been publicly identified, but he was transferred today

59:40to the United Arab Emirates, as investigators and intelligence agencies are still trying to piece together what exactly were his motives, and whether or not this was an attempted act of terrorism. For Zvika and many of the other passengers on this flight, I spoke to them. It's quite clear. They do believe this was a terrorist act. Pam. All right, Jeremy Diamond, thanks so much. And a new interview, President Trump didn't rule out declaring a national emergency ahead of next year's midterms. I'll ask a Democratic member of Congress for his reaction up next. In our law and justice lead, new details are emerging from the initial 2024 investigation at an alleged gang rape at a Cornell University fraternity house. The New York Times reviewed more than 1,000 documents from the school's Title IX investigation, and the record shed light on what the accuser identified as J. Doe told her roommates immediately after the alleged incident.

1:00:41And roommate reportedly told investigators that Doe did not use the word rape or assault. And another said, I don't really remember her ever kind of citing that she had said yes to anything that occurred. The case has sparked national outrage and renewed questions about how universities handle sexual assault allegations. Here to discuss is Democratic Congressman Rhoq, Anna of California. Congressman, thanks for coming on. So first, I just want to get your reaction to these new developments. Well, it's horrific. We have a crisis of misogyny in our country. I mean, you have a student who was allegedly raped or assaulted by seven people in Cornell. The New York Times is reporting that Cornell sent over to the DA and edited and summarized report. Five of the students were not even expelled. And there was no criminal investigations. And what you have is a culture in this country where star athletes are protected, students

1:01:46are protected at universities, and people are not being held accountable for assault or rape. That's why Thomas Massey and I have been so passionate about going after the Epstein class because again, there was a situation of no accountability. You have said that universities often protect athletes and fraternity members. What would real accountability for the broader campus culture look like and what if anything can Congress actually do? Well, I reintroduced today the Campus Accountability and Safety Act. I had worked on this with Carolyn Maloney who when she was in Congress was a real leader on sexual assault on campus and protection of survivors rights. What it would do is require transparent reporting. What it would do is require universities to have a system that actually took survivors seriously on Mage Store that they had justice done. And right now you don't have that. You really have a lot of these campuses set up, setting up their own systems which are

1:02:50sometimes just downright hostile to survivors and other times dismissive. I want to turn to something else and that is this time magazine interview that it had with President Trump. And the reporter asked President Trump whether he plans to deploy ICE agents to polling places during the midterms. The president said quote, haven't thought of it. Ask whether he would rule out the clarity to save emergency ahead of the November elections Trump said quote, I don't rule anything out or end. We'll see. With the midterms just 33 days away, what do you make of those comments? He's desperate. He knows that people are tired of the war in Iran. He knows that food prices are up. Gas is almost four bucks and forty cents. Diesel is killing us. It's at six dollars and forty cents. It's one of the reasons that groceries are costing so much. So he knows he's losing and he's lashing out and I don't put anything past him. But here's what people should know. Anyone who does something illegal, if they are intimidating people at polling places,

1:03:53if they are following orders that are illegal, we will hold them accountable once we win. They will be hold in front of our committees for subpoenas. They will be investigated and when the Democrats are in charge, we are going to prosecute people who broke the law. So in my view, people should think twice before doing things that are blatantly illegal and violating democracy. All right, Congressman Rocana, thank you so much. Appreciate you, Pamela. Thank you. The Alabama Attorney General joins us live next fresh off of his $100 million settlement with TikTok. We'll walk through the changes he says the app has promised to make to protect kids and teens. We'll be right back. In our tech, the state of Alabama has reached a landmark settlement with TikTok over claims the app, harm children and teens. The social media company will pay at least $100 million, potentially up to $300 million

1:04:57and set a two hour daily limit for young users. The deal also requires stronger H checks, overnight restrictions and tighter protections against harmful content and suspicious adult content. Contact, I should say. In a statement to CNN, TikTok says, quote, TikTok's priority has always been to the always been fostering a safe and positive space where people can be creative, discover what they love and connect with their community. This builds in our commitment and core objective to continually enhance our robust safety tools to protect teens. Join us now is Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall. This is a big settlement. Walk us through how you got there. Yeah, well, TikTok was only eve of trial. We had the opportunity in Alabama to be the first state of the nation to be able to set up forth the facts that we believe demonstrated very clearly, but not only were children addicted to the platform itself, but also that there are opportunities for harm that could occur as a result of being there. We're grateful for the fact that we were able to resolve the settlement and people talk about the money.

1:05:57The money was not the critical factor here. It was the structural change to the platform that not only makes it appropriate for kids, but gives parents additional controls they need to make sure they understand not only how their children are using social media, but also they have a lot of money. They have choices on what their children are doing. So let's talk about those changes. How will you hold TikTok accountable for actually following through on these requirements? I mentioned the two hour screen time limits, the age verification and so forth. Who is the enforcer here? Yeah, yeah. First of all, it's going to be the state of Alabama, and when we see other states come on board, which I hope, that we will with these similar terms, they'll be ultimately the appointment of an independent auditor. So look, we're going to be able to see very specific changes to that platform right away, particularly around daily use requirements, productive pauses that occur when kids are online, age assurance is going to be able to take place, and then TikTok has a responsibility to report to us both data and substantive changes they're making. You can give us the ability to be able to look behind the wheel and make sure those

1:07:01are occurring. But if you're ultimately not satisfied with TikTok's response, what are your options? Yeah, there's built in reforms within the settlement agreement itself for our ability to bring those back before a judge. If in fact, we believe they're in contempt of that agreement. Look, I think that we're going to see multiple AGs around the country have similar negotiations and discussions that we've had with TikTok, allowing a broader coalition to be able to come together. Meta stepped up. They've now led the platforms on being able to protect kids. TikTok has adopted that in Alabama. I expect you're going to see more of that coming in the near future. You also settled with Meta earlier this year. Your office said the company must, quote, implement a sweeping set of safety features designed to protect children on Instagram and Facebook. What more do you know about that in terms of how that is progressing? Have any new safety measures actually been put in place so far because of this deal? Yeah, Meta has begun doing what we've hoped the entire industry would do.

1:08:01And that is to ensure that we're keeping kids safe. They're going to make sure that they report to that independent auditor along with the respective states that are a part of that negotiating committee. We should see that same thing take place with TikTok. And what we hope following that is going to be similar changes with both SNAP and YouTube so that we can ensure across the platforms that kids are using the most that we know that they're using them safely and appropriately for their age and the content that they're seeing. Do you see any benefit for kids using social media? Oh, I think there's obviously things that kids can be enriched as a result of what's going on line. The concern is both the time in which that social media use is taking place. But also the fact that we know that kids are seeing harmful content. One of the more impactful provisions of our settlement with TikTok is the ability to great, to allow TikTok to be able to screen and report to parents where their kids are going, if there's potential harmful content that they're seeing and to try to do everything

1:09:04that we can to be able to keep kids safe. Look, parents continue to have a role here. We've not superseded that. We've given them additional tools to make sure their kids are doing what they want them to be doing and doing so in a safe manner. And you say that kids were seeing harmful content as part of this settlement. How do you define that and what kind of evidence did you have to reach this point? Yeah, there was significant evidence that we did in our investigation. Unfortunately, much of that is under seal. But yet you've seen independent reporting about sexualized conduct, children that have been abused and other content that was simply not age appropriate that kids had access to. That shouldn't happen. It's not going to happen under this settlement. And we have the opportunity to bring it to the attention of the judge. If in fact, we see it's not being complied with. And what do you say to parents who are still worried? Well, I think it's a good day that we're giving them more robust tools, additional tools that are going to be rolled out. We've already seen Medicare come to the plate. TikTok has done that with Alabama.

1:10:04And that we're also providing them with opportunities, both through limited use, as well as time restrictions that are occurring to give kids an opportunity to be enriched. Frankly, to be able to go out and play with their friends outside and do the things that we know contribute to a healthy well-being for kids across our country. Alabama, Attorney General Steve Marshall, thank you. And up next, New CNN reporting reveals Democrats are privately growing frustrated with Senator Bernie Sanders and they're urging him to invest more money to help get his favorite candidates elected. Our panel weighs in up next. All right, let's look at our politics lead. Now tensions are rising among Democrats who believe Independent Senator Bernie Sanders needs to spend more money for candidates who are in expensive midterm battles. According to nearly a dozen people familiar with internal conversations, top Democrats privately believe that the Vermont Senator and other left-wing groups are not investing enough to

1:11:06get them over the finish line, especially in Battleground, Michigan. All right, the panel is back with us, Karen. Let's kick it off to you first and talk about this. You had one Democratic operative involved in the Michigan Senate race. Say, it was absurd he's spending in a safe election referring to the Minnesota contest before showing up for Abdul El-Sahead. Is Sanders doing enough to support the candidates? He endorsed a Michigan in your view. He could do more, but I'll just say this every Democratic donor could be doing more because we are in a situation where the field, whether it's the governor's race, the House races, the Senate races, we need more money. We need full stop and we need our donors to get off the sidelines. I just hope that if Senator Sanders has more to give, more to do, he does it because you will feel bad on election day if we lose when a little bit of money could have made the difference. We have a lot of candidates where they're being outspent by such dramatic numbers. Someone like, I've do a part of the challenge too, is they're running a very racially tinge

1:12:08campaign using his full name all the time. And all this sort of negative misinformation, they need the resources to be able to push back. So, yeah, Sanders should be helping, but I want every donor doing the max. I'm speaking of the Michigan race, the latest Fox News poll shows El-Sahead and his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, locked in a tight battle. You see it right here, no clear leader. Brad, does that concern you given that there are only what 33 days left until the turn? No, I'm working on the Michigan race with outside groups and I can tell you that Republicans are very excited about us. One of the places where voter enthusiasm among Republicans and Democrats is at par and low propensity voters who Republicans this year challenge to get low propensity Republicans out to vote in Michigan, they're fired up. And so this is a race we have a great chance of taking away from Democrats, it's a Democrat seat. I think Republicans are thrilled at El-Sahead got the nomination. If Hailey Stevens is nominated, this race is probably not even on the board. But we have a great chance to win there. Going back to your first question, ideological groups like Bernie Sanders and his crowd, they

1:13:12love to just win the primaries and then hand the establishment party their nominee. We've had that on our side, the club for growth used to do it in house races like crazy, they'd get somebody nominated and dump them. And so make it somebody else's problem once they win the party. Do you see it that way? Well, look, I think it's important that Senator Sanders likes to play in the primary and then he's been asked different questions about the Democratic Party and say, well, I'm not a Democrat because he's an independent. OK, but if you're going to play in the primary, then be part of the general election and be part of bringing the change that you're talking about, otherwise, why are you playing in the primary? I agree. You've got to bring it all to me. You've got to bring it all to me. Bring it all to me. It might be a fifth column. It might be a fifth column. But the DSS. All right, I want to talk about something else. As you will know, President Trump backed Kinpacston for the Republican Senate nominee in Texas. And he continually has undermined him, even though he backs him. Let's listen to what he just said at this rally today. Such a big race. And such a big race.

1:14:17And I want to just say that he's been a friend of mine for a long time. One of the most loyal people when I was being hit by the radical left, very hard, harder than very few people could have withstood it. I was being hit. Kinpacston was up my side more than anybody. And I have to always remember that because he could be a pain in the ass sometimes. I'll be honest. Is he here, by the way? Oh, there he is. Good. I didn't even know he was here. He's also talked about his looks and so forth. Why does Trump keep going after him if he wants to win this big race, as he said so badly? Well, it might be better off that Kinpacston is not at the Kinpacston rally, to be honest with you. Because this race needs to be about James Talleriko and not about Kinpacston. James Talleriko is far left of the Texas primary electorate. If Texans had a nominated a Hispanic sheriff's deputy for this seat, I would be really worried about it. But they did. They nominated a Unitarian from Austin, or at least someone with Unitarian Outlook, who

1:15:18is far, far left in the average Texan. And so the race for a public has to be very disciplined. It has to beat Talleriko. We have to dare Texas voters to vote for someone that radical. But is it also because you think Paxson is a bad candidate? Well, our party is divided. I mean, half the Republicans wanted John Corning, and they're not over it. And so therefore, the whole goal has to get those Corning voters to vote for Kinpacston. And I think this was a mistake nomination. I said it at the time. It was a $100 million mistake. John Corning would have been a much stronger candidate. But now we're, we have Kinpacston. And so the challenge in the campaign for the president is to get people to vote against Talleriko. All right. And Talleriko and the campaign is running, taking advantage of the opening to potentially win over some Corning voters, as well as build a pretty broad coalition in Texas. He's doing a good job. We'll see what happens there. All right. So let's head over to California now, because last night, my senior colleague, Jay Tapper and Dana Bash moderated a debate between the two gubernatorial candidates, Democrat Javier Basera and Republican Steve Hilton. And Basera really tried to tie Hilton to Trump as much as possible.

1:16:20Let's take a listen. All you ever say is Trump, Trump, Trump. No, let me. And that's nothing but an insult to every Californian who is desperate for something to change in this state. And all you're offering is more of the same. Your words, Trump, Trump, Trump, because he is your supporter. You chased his endorsement. That's all you have to say on every question. Karen, your thoughts? It's an important issue in this election at all these levels. Can you trust this individual to be independent of Donald Trump, particularly if you look at some of the impacts of the big ugly bill that are coming, where cost is going to shift from the federal government, like, like, snap costs, for example, to the state. So governors are going to have to make really hard choices. And do you trust someone to be for you, or are they going to be aligned with Trump? I mean, it's an important message for Basera to push. He's also been talking about his own agenda, but with Holtz and that is his big vulnerability.

1:17:21And that is a part of what you do in campaigns. You push the vulnerability of your opponent. And there is also this moment on immigration. Let's watch. Would you direct California law enforcement to assist the Trump administration's mass deportations beyond dangerous criminals? Yes or no? It's about enforcing the law. I mean, the federal law is, immigration law is obviously a federal matter. You seem to welcome immigrants who look like you, but deport immigrants who look like me. I don't need to stand here and listen to you say that you'll enforce Trump's laws, but you won't enforce California state laws. Brad? Well, you know, this is another example how Basera is trying to nationalize the race and move it beyond California issues. Voters can California or think the states on the wrong track. Gavin Newsom is not popular with swing voters right now in the state. They think he's trying to run for president and not trying to run California. And so Basera wants to move this election beyond Sacramento at every chance he gets. Immigration is one of those places where he's trying to move it beyond beyond that.

1:18:23He's a weak nominee. It's a good democratic year by all accounts, the many ways. And so I think Republicans were striving hard in California, but they certainly picked a weak nominee. What do you think he's weak? Hilton, yes, I do. All right, I kind of guessed that one. What about Basera? You know, look, I think Basera, I think he's a great candidate. I think he's doing an excellent job. Look, I do think though part of the challenge when you're a Democrat and you've and California's had a democratic governor for a long period of time, you do still have to talk about what will you do differently? And I have a group in California. So I know that energy is there. People want like, okay, what's next? And frankly, I think that's the mood across the country that we're also seeing. Or what, ready for what's next? So hopefully he will continue to make that case in the remaining days. All right, thank you both. Appreciate it. Well this afternoon we got an update on the condition of a death row inmate who survived two lethal doses when the state of Tennessee tried to execute her last night. Those details just ahead.

1:19:26All right, turning to our national list. We have a lead, a shocking scene in Tennessee last night when a woman sentenced to death survived two execution attempts. Chris a pike entered death row more than 30 years ago after she was convicted of the murder of her fellow student, Colleen Slimmer. But after years of legal challenges and two lethal doses of Pinto Barbodal, Pike remains alive in a critical condition. CNN's Ryan Young has the latest Ryan, what happened? Yeah, Pam, this new information that we've gotten from the lawyers in the last two hours or so really stands out to a lot of us when you think about Christopher Pike being in critical condition right now. But what the lawyers described and this process that took some quite some time for the state of Tennessee to try to kill her really played out in a way that no one expected. In fact, Christopher Pike herself believed her veins set her up for this not to work out because according to her attorneys, she has small veins.

1:20:29And at some point, she was even pointing to where she thought the people putting the needles in her arm should place those needles. She said she wasn't upset about the situation and she was comforting them, actually thanking them as they went step by step. But what we know is that second dose that was its minister to her took 40 minutes after that first dose was first administered. And according to some death row experts, this is the first time someone survived after a second dose was given. So the state of Tennessee has obviously already had some issues when it comes to execution in that state, but listen to her lawyers talk about exactly what happened last night. Last night, the execution team attempted to establish an IV line for an hour. I counted at least seven needles used in her left arm alone, one of which appeared to be bent when it was pulled from her arm after an unsuccessful attempt. The state continued its efforts despite the very complications that we had warned about

1:21:32in court months earlier. Yes, the governor of Tennessee, Bill Lee, has said that he wants a state investigation into what happened. He suspended all executions for the rest of the year in the state of Tennessee. But there are so many questions about how this will move for it. Now, we do know from people in the room, this was hard to watch. In fact, take a listen to a witness, talk about what they were seeing when they were trying to execute Christophe. She said that there was a spot that was burning and hurting and asked if that was normal. None of it was normal. I covered all the executions last year and most of the ones this year, we haven't seen anything like it. Over and over again, Christophe's attorneys talked about the fact that lack of dignity that was taking place in that room. Let's not forget the victim's mother was at this execution yesterday. We haven't had a chance to speak with her just yet. But so much pain in one room, people trying to figure out exactly what's going on and

1:22:34what the next steps will be. We now know Christophe's in critical condition, have no clue what will happen next. You all right, Ryan Young. Thank you. You can follow me on Instagram, app, ham, LaBround, CNN. You can follow the show on X and Instagram, app, delete CNN. If you ever miss an episode of lead, you can watch the show on the CNN app. And I'll see you back in the situation where with Wolf Wotzer tomorrow morning at 10 Eastern, Aaron Burnett, out front starts now.