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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Trump Says, Severe Consequences If Putin Doesn't Agree to End War; House Judiciary Democrats Pen Letter to Bondi About Maxwell Transfer; White House Says, National Guard Presence in D.C. Expanding Tonight. Rural Health Clinics May Be Forced To Close Due To Provision In Trump's Megabill; Soon: Taylor Swift's Podcast Episode Of "New Heights" Premieres. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired August 13, 2025 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper.

This hour, President Trump is promising, quote, severe consequences if Vladimir Putin does not promise to end the war against Ukraine during his summit in Alaska, what might those consequences look like and what else is the President saying about another potential meeting, this one with Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine?

Plus, the White House says to expect a, quote, significantly higher National Guard presence on the streets of Washington, D.C., tonight as President Trump's takeover of Washington's law enforcement takes shape. But what exactly will that look like for residents and for tourists, and might he target other cities next?

Also, as we wait for a judge's ruling on whether we'll see any grand jury transcripts in the Jeffrey Epstein case, an attorney who has represented nearly 20 of Epstein's many victims joins me live ahead.

And are you ready for it? We're just minutes away from the release of Taylor Swift's podcast with her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and his brother, the Super Bowl champion, Philadelphia Eagle, Jason Kelce.

[18:00:03]

Are we finally going to get more details on her upcoming album, a release date, a single perhaps? What gives?

The Lead tonight, President Trump warning Russia will face, quote, severe consequences if Putin does not agree to end the war with Ukraine. This comes on the heels of the White House appearing to downplay expectations for any sort of major peace deal announcement on Friday. They're characterizing Friday's meeting in Alaska between Trump and Putin as a, quote listening exercise by President Trump.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins is at the White House for us. And, Kaitlan, what else did President Trump say about this upcoming rather high-stakes summit?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It is high stakes, Jake. And the president didn't indicate what those severe consequences could be if Putin does not agree to end this war. Obviously, there have been no indications that the Russian leader is prepared to do that, as we've seen him continue to strike Ukraine in recent days and weeks, something that the president has complained about publicly and has created a lot of the dynamics going into this meeting.

The question is what the outcome looks like and what we could see as a result of this sit between Trump and Putin, the first of Trump's second term on Friday in Alaska. And one thing he raised today, Jake, was if the meeting goes well and he hears what he wants to hear from Vladimir Putin is this idea of having a trilateral summit with Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy.

Listen, to what he told reporters about what conditions though would need to be matter what he would need to hear from the Russian leader before that could happen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: if the first one goes, okay, we'll have a quick second one. I would like to do it almost immediately. And we'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy and myself, if they'd like to have me there.

Now, there may be no second meeting, because if I feel that it's not appropriate to have it because I didn't get the answers that we have to have, then we're not going to have a second meeting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: I should note Jake, those comments you heard from the president come after he had an hours-long phone call this morning with European leaders and President Zelenskyy on the line.

Zelenskyy, for his part, has been pushing for more sanctions if Putin doesn't agree to end the war, if nothing really comes out of Friday's sit-down between Trump and Putin.

But, Jake, two other notable moments that happened there that maybe could kind of foreshadow what we might see on Friday. One, the president was asked if he could convince Putin to stop killing Ukrainian civilians. And he basically pointed to the fact that he has urged Vladimir Putin to stop striking Ukraine in previous conversations, and yet the Russian leader has continued to do so, basically not listening to him.

And, secondly, he was asked about that New York Times reporting yesterday about Russia breaching a federal court system here in the United States sealed court filings and whether or not he would confront him about that when they do come face-to-face on Friday. Trump said he might bring it up, but he basically made the case, Jake, that very quickly that, yes, of course, Russia hacks, he said the United States does as well, and he argued the United States does it better.

Though, obviously, of course, key questions about what exactly is going to come up in this meeting on Friday and what tone President Trump takes with him during that sit-down.

TAPPER: Kaitlan Collins at the White House, thank you. And Kaitlan and I are both hopping on a plane and heading to Alaska for the special coverage of the Trump-Putin summit that begins on Friday morning right here on CNN.

Before then, don't miss Kaitlan on her show, The Source with Kaitlan Collins. That airs tonight at 9:00 Eastern on CNN.

Let's go down to CNN's Fred Pleitgen who's in Moscow, Russia. And, Fred, how is Russia, how is the Kremlin reacting to President Trump warning of severe consequences if he does not -- if Putin does not agree to a ceasefire?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Jake. Well, I think the Russians are very well aware of the fact that there could be risks involved in that summit that is going to take place there in Alaska with President Putin and, of course, U.S. President Donald Trump as well. But they're saying as little as possible about all that before the summit takes place. That's something that the Kremlin has actually told us, saying every word could be expensive, as they put it.

At the same time, the Russians coming out today, and this is the form of the spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry and saying once again that, for them, this upcoming summit is not only going to be about the conflict in Ukraine, but about other issues away as well, accumulated issues, as the Ukrainians -- as the Russians have said. They're saying that they also want to talk about a reset of U.S.- Russian relations and possible better business relations in the future. So, for them, they think that the agenda could be broader.

There's one other thing, Jake, that really caught our eye also about the foreign ministry spokesman's statement. He also said that the Russian territory, as he put it, is enshrined in Russia's Constitution, which seems to pour cold water on some of the things that President Trump has said about territory possibly being swapped. The Russians, of course, since 2022, have claimed that those four Ukrainian territories, Kherson, the other ones as well, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia, that those are all Russian territories as of now, not just the parts that Russia holds, but the entire administrative body.

So, it's going to be interesting to see whether or not Vladimir Putin is going to be willing to compromise on that issue certainly what the Russians are telegraphing today is a pretty hard line on the territorial issue.

[18:05:04]

Jake?

TAPPER: Fred, is Russia reacting at all to anything that Zelenskyy has said today, including calls for sanctions to be increased?

PLEITGEN: Well, you know what? They actually are. And they were generally talking about the summit that took place today, that virtual summit with the Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin, of course, with the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, but then speaking also to other world leaders, including President Trump and the Russians call that insignificant. And they essentially said that they believe that those countries are trying to get in the way of this diplomatic process that they believe has started between President Trump and Vladimir Putin.

So far, of course, the Russians have also not reacted at all to President Trump saying that he might want a three-way summit if the first summit goes well. They generally have said that any sort of talk of a trilateral meeting or a direct face-to-face meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy is something that Putin is not completely averse to. But the Russians have said things are still pretty far away from that happening.

So, it's going to be interesting to see whether or not Vladimir Putin and the U.S. president come to some sort of agreement on all of that, but, certainly, the Russians also seem to be in that mode that President Trump was speaking about, about this being a feel-out summit for them.

At the same time, of course, they are saying that Vladimir Putin is very much boosted by what they see as significant battlefield gains over the past couple of days, one Russian commentator on T.V. here saying that Russia is going into the summit as a winner. Jake?

TAPPER: Fred Pleitgen in Moscow, thanks so much.

Let's bring in former US Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder. He's now president emeritus of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Pardon me.

So, Mr. Ambassador, I want you to take a listen to President Trump's warnings to Russia earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Will Russia face any consequences if Vladimir Putin does not agree to stop the war after your meeting on Friday?

TRUMP: Yes, they will. Yes.

REPORTER: What will the consequences be, sanctions, tariffs?

TRUMP: There will be -- I don't have to say. There will be very severe consequences. Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Do you believe him?

IVO DAALDER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: Well, no, frankly, because it's not the first time that President Trump has threatened very severe consequences. He, in fact, detailed just a few weeks ago tariffs of 100 percent more sanctions and other measures that he was going to take last Friday. And what happened on Friday, rather than implementing those pressure points, which were necessary, he agreed to have a one-on-one meeting with Vladimir Putin, an indicted war criminal who's been indicted for war crimes at the International Criminal Court, who started a war, not only just in 2022, but actually in 2014 when he illegally seized Crimea and invited him to come to the United States, of all places, in Alaska, a place that used to be Russian, of course, and the United States bought from Russia back in the 1870s.

So, why -- if pressure points is necessary, why not do that now before you have conversations with Vladimir Putin rather than afterwards? So, no, I don't believe that we're going to see a lot of pressure. He's said all along that what he wants is a one-on-one meeting that he thinks, Trump, that he can actually solve this problem, only he and Putin can solve this problem. That's what this meeting is going to be about, and we'll see what comes out of it.

TAPPER: In his call with European leaders today, President Trump said he will not negotiate Ukrainian territory with Putin. This is according to two European diplomats familiar with the call. But President Trump has already complained of getting, quote, a lot of bullshit thrown at him by Putin. You seem to think that he shouldn't be meeting with Putin face-to-face. Why do you think he is?

DAALDER: Well, because the first and biggest interest that Donald Trump seems to have is to get that Nobel Peace Prize by claiming that he is the only one who can end conflicts that others can't end. He's been spending a lot of the time talking about his unique capacity of ending all these wars that he never started and wasn't a part of but that only he can solve. And I think he knows that the only way to get an end to any war is to talk directly with protagonists. He's willing to do that now with Putin because Putin is holds the key to the end of this war in his hands. It's after all Putin who started the war, and it's only Putin who can end it.

I think that's why he's meeting with him. He is not meeting with him to help the Ukrainians or to do or to make sure that European security and indeed American security is (INAUDIBLE). I think what he's doing is he's trying to find a way to (INAUDIBLE) he's the one who hit a big deal.

TAPPER: A European official says that the threat of these secondary sanctions against Russia is on if the talks in Anchorage, Alaska, fall through.

[18:10:00]

Do you think more sanctions would force Putin to back off or might it make him more defiant?

DAALDER: I think more sanctions could help in increasing the pressure, particularly if those sanctions are imposed on some, because that's the country that is actually importing a lot of oil and gas. And it's providing critical technologies that allowed the Russians to continue to produce material that are used to fight the war against Ukraine. But I don't see President Trump sanctions or tariffs on China just agree to extend the tariffs for another 90 days. And as a result, I think, again, the European and Ukrainians think that this meeting will lead to more pressure, I think they're going to be disappointed.

TAPPER: All right. Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

The White House says more national troops will be deployed on the streets of Washington, D.C., tonight. We're going to check in with CNN's Brian Todd to see what he is seeing and hearing on the ground.

Plus, I'm going to be joined live by the mayor of Oakland, California, as President Trump threatens to expand his federal takeover to other cities.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

TAPPER: New today in our Law and Justice Lead, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are demanding answers in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi about Epstein Associate Ghislaine Maxwell's unusual and abrupt transfer to a minimum security prison in Texas from a tougher prison in Tallahassee, Florida. This as another Epstein victim joins the calls for more transparency from the Trump administration in an interview with CNN's Randi Kaye.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALEY ROBSON, EPSTEIN VICTIM: So, I'm in a hostage situation right now with our government. I am. You got -- the government has me in a position where I can't continue my healing journey because I have to process and address every day what's going on in the media, and they won't rip off the band aid and just unseal everything that needs to be public.

TAPPER: Joining us now to discuss his attorney Jack Scarola. He has represented nearly 20 of Jeffrey Epstein's victims in court and has spent 18 years litigating cases against Epstein. Jack, thanks for joining us.

Is what Hailey said, similar to what you're hearing from other victims right now about this sudden rise in public interest about the case and feeling in this kind of no man's land in terms of wanting justice and not getting it?

JACK SCAROLA, ATTORNEY FOR EPSTEIN VICTIMS: The need for transparency has been something that the victims have been talking about for 18 years. The cover-up of Epstein-related information began in September of 2007, and it has gone on continuously since then.

TAPPER: Earlier this week, a judge rejected the Justice Department's bid to unseal the Maxwell -- the Ghislaine Maxwell grand jury materials. The judge said in his opinion, he referenced, because so much of the information the Justice Department was asking to be disclosed was already publicly available. The judge said that the Justice Department's request could be seen as a diversion rather than as transparency. Is that how you look at it? Were they just attempting a diversion instead of pushing for real transparency?

SCAROLA: There is no question whatsoever, but that efforts to unseal grand jury testimony are nothing but a diversion. The grand jury testimony is not going to disclose any information whatsoever that is not already well-known and well-documented. But there are alternatives that are readily available to the federal government that could make a difference. There is an 85-page prosecution memorandum that was drafted in 2007 that contains substantial details with regard to the Epstein investigation that could be released tomorrow if the Department of Justice were really interested in transparency.

There's a 53-page indictment that was drafted by the federal government detailing Epstein's crimes, describing the conspiracy and conspirators who were involved in those crimes that has never been released, that could be released tomorrow if the Department of Justice were really interested in transparency. There are transcripts, presumably, of the interviews that were conducted with Ghislaine Maxwell that could be released tomorrow if the Justice Department were truly interested in transparency.

And if there were really an investigation that were directed at determining what this cover-up is all about, why it began, Alex Acosta would be at the very top of the list of individuals to be interviewed because it is well-documented in Acosta's own words that he actively participated in concealing the circumstances of the sweetheart deal that Jeffrey Epstein received back in 2007, and he was the individual who signed off on an absolutely unprecedented non-prosecution agreement that granted immunity not only to Jeffrey Epstein but to specifically named conspirators that worked along with him to abuse hundreds of children.

TAPPER: So, let's talk about this Acosta deal. Alex Acosta was the U.S. attorney in Southern Florida for the Bush administration at the time.

[18:20:05]

He later worked as the secretary of labor for Trump in the first administration. So, this all started in 2005, the law enforcement part of it, 2005, the stepmother of a 14-year-old girl reported to police that her stepdaughter had been molested by a wealthy man. That ultimately led to Epstein's arrest, although Epstein had been tipped off before the cops showed up, so computers were missing.

In 2006, Epstein was indicted in Palm Beach County by a grand jury, but the prosecutors only went after him on a single prostitution charge, and that led to this deal of the century where he ended up only serving 13 months in prison. A lot of it, he was out on work release. He only really was in prison at night, then followed by house arrest. Why? Why was he so coddled? Did you ever get any meaningful answer to that question?

SCAROLA: No, there never has been a meaningful answer to that question. There is no question but that the local prosecutors in Palm Beach County had identified and documented the abuse of over 20 victims by Epstein and others. Why they chose to present a case to the local grand jury at all is a question that has never been answered since, in the ordinary course of events, criminal charges under those circumstances could have been directly filed by the state attorney himself. That wasn't done.

There was a case presented to the grand jury that did not come anywhere near reflecting the full magnitude of Jeffrey Epstein's criminal conduct. And the local investigating authorities the chief of police of the town of Palm Beach was so upset by what went on that he is the one that went to the fed -- excuse me, that went to the federal government and said, something needs to be done about this. And that's when the federal investigation began.

But the federal investigation got shot down by Alex Acosta. It was terminated in spite of 85 pages of prosecution memorandum. Alex Acosta agreed that the ongoing federal grand jury investigation would be terminated and outstanding grand jury subpoenas would be withdrawn. No one has ever been able to explain why that occurred or why Epstein was given the sweetheart deal that he was given that extended the non- prosecution agreement, not only to Epstein himself, but to others named and unnamed.

TAPPER: Yes.

SCAROLA: That's an extraordinary provision. That doesn't happen.

TAPPER: And it's bizarre that the House of Oversight Committee did not include Alex Acosta in their list of individuals that they're going to sit down and interview, including former U.S. attorneys, former FBI directors, former President Bill Clinton. It's unusual.

Attorney Jack Scarola, come back soon and let's talk more about this. Thank you so much for your time.

SCAROLA: You are welcome. Thank you for the attention being paid to this matter. It needs it.

TAPPER: With more members of the National Guard flooding the streets of D.C., how long will this go on? We got a hint of that today from President Trump, what his next steps could look like. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

TAPPER: Our National Lead now, the presence of National Guard troops is expanding in Washington, D.C., as President Trump is urging Congress to pass a crime bill and also extend his federal takeover of the Washington, D.C. Police Department.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: So we're going to need a crime bill that we're going to be putting in. And it's going to pertain initially to D.C. It's almost -- we're going to use it as a very positive example. And we're going to be asking for extensions on that, long-term extensions, because you can't have 30 days.

We're going to do this very quickly, but we're going to want extensions. I don't want to call national emergency. If I have to, I will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Brian Todd's in D.C. Brian, are you seeing a larger number of National Guard troops on the ground?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are seeing a larger staging presence here, Jake. And we are told by a White House official that starting tonight there will be a significantly larger National Guard presence on the streets of Washington, D.C.

As I mentioned, this is a major staging area. My photojournalist, Andrew Smith, and I will kind of go down this fence line here and show you what you're looking at. This is the National Park Police Facility in the Anacostia section of Washington, D.C. You can see National Guard Armored humvees right here. We are told that Guardsmen and other federal agents have been staging from here for the last couple of nights. You can see Metropolitan Washington Police vehicles here. We have seen FBI personnel coming in with Kevlar vests and weapons, and one taking a rifle out of his vehicle.

Now, the National Guardsmen, we're told, will not be carrying firearms on their person but they will have them in their vehicles ready if need be.

You can also see kind of a command control center over there where those temporary communication stanchions are. And you can see some personnel gathering over there. We have seen several jurisdictions represented here, including the Capitol Police, the Metro Transit Police, again, the FBI and others.

Now, according to a White House official, Jake, there were 43 total arrests last night in the district. That official saying that that was double the number from the previous night. And, significantly, the official told us that with those 43 arrests last night, the total number of arrests as of last night surpassed more than 100 since this operation began last Thursday, August 7th.

[18:30:10]

Now, among those arrests were one for homicide, 33 firearms violations, seven narcotics related charges, and several other charges.

Again, we're told that, again, the National Guard presence will be significantly larger tonight. The White House official who we spoke to said the National Guard though will not be arresting people. They are here to make the environment safer for other officers, and we're going to see what the task force comes up with tonight. We've been fanning out with them for the last couple of nights, and, again, the National Guardsmen will be making themselves much more present, at least visibly here in Washington tonight.

TAPPER: All right. Brian Todd, thanks so much. I appreciate it.

Let's discuss this now with the mayor of Oakland, California, Barbara Lee, former congresswoman. Madam Mayor, President Trump said his crime bill will initially focus on D.C. How concerned are you that what the president is doing in Washington, D.C., where he does have rights, because D.C.'s not a state, that he'll attempt to do so in other cities, including Oakland?

MAYOR BARBARA LEE (D-OAKLAND, CA): Nice being with you, Jake. Well, of course he called out Oakland in that speech that he gave. But let me just tell you we're working with our allies and our coalition and our partners to make sure that if, in fact, he decides to militarize and occupy, Oakland will be ready. We'll not allow these acts of provocation to accomplish his goals.

Let me tell you, first of all, no one in Oakland knows Donald Trump in his playbook like myself. Remember, I served four years in Congress when he was president and also was sitting on the floor, Jake, you may remember on January 6th when he sent his people into try to thwart the peaceful transfer of power.

And so we're not going to allow this militarization and occupation of Oakland. Our crime rate, quite frankly, is going down 28 percent, violent crime homicides down 24 percent. And, finally, I'll just say in those cities, he called out, it does not go unnoticed that these cities have large populations of black and brown people, first of all. Secondly, the crime rate is --

TAPPER: Oh, we lost. Well, there you are. There you are again. Is she back up or not? We're having some control issues.

We don't. Okay. We're going to -- we've obviously have some comms issues. We're going to squeeze in a quick break. If we can bring back the mayor, we will.

In the meantime, our small business series is also coming up with a shoe designer and manufacturer who says that her business is being suffocated by Trump's tariffs. What is the company's message to lawmakers? We'll find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:35:00]

TAPPER: Hopefully, the communication gremlins have been disposed of. Let's bring back Oakland, California Mayor Barbara Lee.

Madam Mayor, President Trump, as you noted, singled out your city of Oakland earlier this week. Let's roll that clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We have other cities that are very bad. New York has a problem. And then you have, of course, Baltimore and Oakland. We don't even mention that anymore. They're so far gone. We're not going to let it happen. We're not going to lose our cities over this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: This is obviously in the context of the president sending the National Guard to reduce crime in Washington, D.C. What's your reaction?

LEE: Well, first, he's fear mongering and he is not leading with facts as we are. The crime rate in Oakland, California, in my city, where I serve as mayor, has come down significantly, about 28 percent, homicides down 24 percent. Do we have a ways to go? Do we have more work to do? Yes.

But let me just say also, it's not lost on anyone that the cities that he is calling out, first of all, have large numbers of black and brown people. Secondly, the crime rate is going down in all of these cities. Thirdly, they're all headed by black mayors. Now, what does that say? What does that picture paint? So, we all know who he is.

Also, let me just say here in Oakland, for example, we have a Department of Violence Prevention and Ceasefire, and we're working with the police department, and that is why our crime rate is coming down. If this president wanted to help cities instead of militarize and occupy them to provoke a reaction, what he would do would be fund these violence prevention efforts that will help us with our continuation of the trajectory of reducing crime.

His motivations, we all know, it's outrageous and we're going to keep fighting and we're not going to allow the militarization of our city.

TAPPER: Your state's governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom, announced that there's going to be a news conference tomorrow with other legislators seemingly to lay out California's redistricting plans in response to Republican leaders in Texas doing the same. Do you support this gerrymandering tit-for-tat, Texas creates five more Republican seats, California creates five more Democratic seats?

LEE: Absolutely. And, Jake, it's not really a tit-for-tat. We're trying to save our democracy. And what this administration is doing is trying to dismantle our democracy. And so what the governor is doing is fighting for the entire country, as well as California because we're on the edge. I mentioned earlier, I was sitting on the floor of the House of Representatives on January 6th. I know this playbook and this is what they're about.

And so, yes, we have to fight to protect our democracy. And if they're going to come out and try to destroy it, then we have to fight to protect it, and this is one way to do that.

TAPPER: All right. Oakland, California Mayor Barbara Lee, good to see you again, Madam Mayor. Thank you so much.

LEE: Nice being with you.

TAPPER: It's time for our Business Leaders series where we talk with small business owners from coast to coast about the impact of President Trump's tariffs. Highline United, that's a footwear designer and manufacturer based in Dedham, Massachusetts.

[18:40:02]

The company produces wholesale shoes for a number of brands, as well as under their own label, which is called Ash.

CEO Marina Rosin Levine, did I get that right?

NARUBA RISUB LEVINE, CEO, HIGHLINE UNITED, LLC: You got that right?

TAPPER: I got it right, is here with me now. How are tariffs impacting your business?

LEVINE: They're crippling our business.

TAPPER: How so?

LEVINE: We started with tariffs already baked into our product because we import everything from China, Vietnam, and also other countries. And then the tariffs went up during the first administration, then they went up again with the fentanyl tariffs that came in. And then at a certain point, the tariffs hit nearly 150 percent with footwear. Our margin is tiny. So, as soon as the tariffs went back down to about 47 percent, we used that opportunity to bring in our products, but there's no margin in the footwear anymore.

TAPPER: Have you had to raise prices?

LEVINE: We're selectively raising prices. You know, Jake, I think the story is not so much about the consumer experience right now. It's about how we're holding our prices on most of our products because we already experienced during the 2018 tariff increase that consumers pushed back. So, right now, we're holding, we're trying to keep our market share knowing that there's no money in the shoes.

TAPPER: Yesterday, we saw inflation stayed steady. Prices did not go up. In some businesses, they did, but, generally speaking, the average stayed steady. When do you think we're going to see, as Americans, people like you just say, I can't do it anymore, I'm either going to go out of business or I'm going to have to raise my prices, and prices go up, when do you think that is going to happen? Is that like fourth quarter, first quarter of next year? What do you think?

LEVINE: I think first quarter of next year.

TAPPER: People are just holding off and as long as they can?

LEVINE: Yes. And then, you know, we're going to -- that's as long as we know we can hold out.

TAPPER: And if you could say anything to President Trump, what would you say?

LEVINE: I would say that I'm surprised that he hasn't created a carve-out for footwear. You know, his family has made a lot of money prior to his first administration in the footwear industry. His daughter, Ivanka Trump, started her fashion empire with licensed footwear, and they know what it means to produce overseas versus here. There is no production here. And if we are to live -- if we are to create footwear production in the United States, by the time that happens, we're going to be out of business.

TAPPER: Well, that's -- I mean, one of the reasons -- the president says he's doing this for two reasons. One is to have fairness in world trade and the other one is to bring manufacturing back to the United States. Has this resulted in anyone manufacturing shoes in the United States so you can buy them?

LEVINE: You know, the footwear industry is a hundred billion dollar industry here. 90 percent of that is produced outside of the United States. We simply don't have the skill set to produce shoes here. The Footwear industry is very labor-intensive. That's why there are so many licensing partners and production facilities to do it outside. You know, most people aren't -- don't have the skill set in the United States anymore. And if footwear is produced here, the retail cost of that would be at least $300.

TAPPER: And where should people go if they want to help you out and buy some shoes?

LEVINE: They should go to us.ash.com.

TAPPER: U.S. dot A-S-H dot com.

All right, you can stop for Highline United's brands on their website.

Marina Rosin Levine, thank you so much for being here, really good to see you.

LEVINE: Thank you so much.

TAPPER: A court hearing is scheduled for tomorrow as a number of rural health clinics say they may have to shut down because of provision in President Trump's so-called One Big, Beautiful Bill Act. We're going to take you to one of those clinics as it treats some of America's most vulnerable, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:47:55]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Off to Maine now we go on our health lead. It is a group of health clinics in rural Maine that could be forced to close soon unless a legal injunction is extended. At issue specifically is a provision in President Trump's One Big, Beautiful Bill Act that prohibits certain clinics from accepting Medicaid funds if they provide abortions outside of cases of rape, incest, or when a woman's life is in danger.

Maine Family Planning, which is a nonprofit that provides not only abortions but primary care to thousands of people on Medicaid, is hoping that a court will intervene.

CNN's Meg Tirrell filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They call it Health on Wheels. This mobile clinic covers hundreds of miles across the state of Maine, every week, bringing healthcare directly to those who may not be able to get it otherwise.

Today, they're taking us along for the ride.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is our kind of our typical start of our day.

TIRRELL: A soup kitchen in Waterville. A town of about 17,000 just north of the state capital Augusta. The mobile clinic is part of Maine family planning, a network with 18 other locations that's provided reproductive health care and other services to those in the state for more than 50 years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are doing appointments here today. If you need to be seen for anything, peace of mind testing, wound care, a little bit of primary care, that type of stuff. Happy to get you in if you want to do that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Thank you.

TIRRELL: Many of their patients, especially those served by the mobile clinic are on Medicaid.

ELLEN TARASCHI, NURSE PRACTITIONER, MAINE FAMILY PLANNING: Primarily, it's folks who are underserved is kind of maybe the best word to use. Folks who may not have other options due to lack of transportation, lack of insurance. So we are able to provide care to folks who can't get care otherwise.

TIRRELL: But last month, their ability to keep serving Medicaid patients was dealt a blow because of a provision in the Trump administration's so-called Big, Beautiful Bill focused on abortion.

Maine family planning provides abortions, which are legal in Maine, until fetal viability. The law prohibits certain clinics that receive more than $800,000 in annual Medicaid reimbursement, and which provide abortions from receiving Medicaid funds for a year for any health care services.

[18:50:09]

I mean, I guess if you stopped offering abortion, you could continue to accept Medicaid. Is that ever in the consideration?

SHASTA NEWENHAM, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, MAINE FAMILY PLANNING: We refuse to compromise the services for our patients. We offer a lifechanging care, lifesaving care. And we're just not going to give up on that.

TIRRELL: The practice says it already never used Medicaid funds for abortion under longstanding federal law, but the new law has put its ability to continue at the same level into question. GEORGE HILL, PRESIDENT AND CEO, MAINE FAMILY PLANNING: We are now, as

of July 4th, ineligible to receive Medicaid reimbursement. However, that has not stopped us from providing direct care and continuing to provide direct care to Medicaid insured patients. We don't know how long we can continue to do that, but we're going to continue to do it as long as we can.

TIRRELL: In Waterville, like many communities in rural states, primary care facilities have been closing, making Maine family planning services more essential.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are HIV home test kits.

TIRRELL: The practice has been helping respond to an HIV outbreak centered about 50 miles away in Bangor, providing testing, prevention and help with treatment.

CARLA CARON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WATERVILLE AREA SOUP KITCHEN: Some have had --

TIRRELL: Carla Caron, who oversees the soup kitchen in Waterville, tells us what Maine family planning also offers is trust and community.

CARON: The medical health unit is having an impact and it can't -- it can't go away. It can't go away. Our communities need this. They need more of it, not less of it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TIRRELL (on camera): Last month, Planned Parenthood won a temporary block on the funding ban. Maine family planning has filed its own lawsuit, along with the center for reproductive rights and its day in court is tomorrow.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, a defendant in that lawsuit, told CNN it doesn't comment on matters in litigation, but in legal documents. It's fighting that request for an injunction.

TAPPER: All right. Meg Tirrell, thanks so much.

All the way to Maine for that story.

This next story is definitely better than revenge. The countdown is on, and the highly anticipated Taylor Swift podcast drops in just minutes. We're going to break down what could be in store for all you Swifties. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:56:35]

TAPPER: In our pop culture lead, Swifties, Swifties, I need you to stay, stay, stay for this segment. We are watching the countdown clock, but you already know all too well there are only four minutes left until Taylor Swift makes her podcast debut on "New Heights". The podcast, hosted by her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce and his big brother, the former Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagle Jason Kelce.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister is joining us now.

Elizabeth, what's the -- what's the big fuss? What's going on here? What did Taylor and the Kelce brothers have in store for all these -- this madness with the -- with the Swifties out there.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: It is absolute madness as you see. I'm in my orange. Everybody is celebrating.

Here's what I know for sure. What they have in store is the biggest podcast ratings of all time. This is just going to be massive.

And, Jake, I know that Jason Kelce is your favorite Kelce brother because of course the Eagles. But I have to tell you I'm now a huge Jason Kelce fan because he is Taylor Swift's ultimate hype man.

Now this morning they released a little teaser. And Taylor she is in on the joke. She knows what football fans say about her. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER: As we all know, you know, you guys have a lot of male sports fans that listen to your podcast.

TRAVIS KELCE, NFL PLAYER: Yeah.

SWIFT: And I think we all know that if there's one thing that male sports fans want to see in their spaces and on their screens, it's more of me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WAGMEISTER: See, she knows what we are all talking about.

Now, Jake, this is a really big deal. Not just because of her 12th album coming out, but also this is really the most insight we've ever gotten into Taylor's personal life and her relationship with Travis Kelce.

This is a big deal for her to be on her boyfriend's podcast, so everybody is wondering, what are they going to talk about?

TAPPER: Yeah, no, I mean it's a -- look, my wife and daughter care quite a bit about this relationship.

Could Taylor have any other surprises up her sleeve other than this new album?

WAGMEISTER: Absolutely. We don't know what they are, but let me take you through some Swiftie knowledge that your wife and daughter absolutely know. But I'm going to enlighten you, Jake.

So what you see here on your screen is what was on Taylor's website a few hours ago. So this is a golden orange door. Now, why is that important? Because there was an orange door on her Eras Tour. The second that Taylor announced that she was having her 12th album come out, the fans said, oh, my gosh, there was an orange door. This is her walking into her next era.

Now you see on the bottom there, there's four little lock boxes. So fans, including myself, think this means there could be four announcements. Does this mean that there is going to be a four-part Eras documentary? Does this mean that there are going to be four variations of the album?

And here's my four theories. I think we're getting the album cover for sure. Thats number one. I think we could get a release date of the album. Number two, number three. But I don't think likely. Travis engagement news maybe.

And number four, maybe we will find out what the first single is. And many Swifties are speculating. Will she be collaborating with Sabrina Carpenter?

TAPPER: Okay, it's like you're reading the entrails of a slaughtered beast or the stars. It's quite something. It's quite something to behold. Yeah.

WAGMEISTER: Look, Jake, you speak football, I speak Swifty, okay? So, we're a good match.

TAPPER: If you -- if you tell -- if you say so. If you say so.

Elizabeth Wagmeister. Thank you so much. I think I'm even more confused than I was before.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.