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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Crowded Field On New York Democrats Look To Succeed Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY); Note Tied To Nancy Guthrie's Disappearance Said She Had Died; DOJ Withdrew Subpoenas Targeting Washington Post And Wall Street Journal Reporters; Families Honor Children Linked To Social Media Harms; Olympic Gold Medalist Takes Climate Change Crusade To Congress. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired June 23, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN HOST: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Phil Mattingly in for Jake Tapper.

This hour, it's election night in America, and all eyes are on a series of high-profile races in New York.

[18:00:04]

How much power does the Kennedy name still carry? Will a Mamdani endorsement help candidates topple the Democratic establishment? We're live on the campaign trail in moments.

Plus, a tearful plea from NBC Anchor Savannah Guthrie today as new reporting emerges surrounding the disappearance of her mother, Nancy. Sources say a note sent to media outlets days after she went missing, that investigators believe is from the kidnappers, claim Nancy Guthrie was dead. A former FBI agent will join us with her analysis ahead.

Also, there's a new bipartisan push for more guardrails to protect kids online, including on video games and social media. I'll be joined by two moms who are leading the fight and turning their grief into action.

And the most decorated American cross country skier in history is on Capitol Hill this week on a mission to protect future Olympic Games from dwindling snowfall and rising temperatures. Jessie Diggins will join us live in studio.

The Lead tonight, high-stakes primaries are happening in Utah, South Carolina, Maryland, and New York. And we start with the Big Apple because that's where a slew of high-profile Democratic House primaries are taking place, including an open race to replace retiring Democratic Congressman Jerry Nadler for New York's 12th Congressional District.

Some notable names include Jack Schlossberg, George Conway, New York Assemblyman Micah Lasher, and Alex Boris.

We start things off with CNN's Jeff Zeleny, who is in New York, where polls will close in a few hours. Jeff, what have you been seeing there? JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Phil, there are three hours left of voting here in the 12th Congressional District on the Upper West Side of New York, and people have been streaming in here. Now, there's actually a line, which we have not seen all day long, but, again, people coming here to vote after they've finished work.

And most of the races we cover in a midterm election cycle are about control of Congress. That is not this. Of course, New York is deep blue, there's no doubt. But what flavor of blue, what ideological leanings of blue, that is what is being decided here. It makes it so interesting and so fascinating.

The brand-new mayor of New York, of course, in his sixth month on the job, he is endorsing in three key races here against two Democratic incumbents. That is something we very seldom see. So, we're keeping an eye on those tonight. And right here in the 12th, of course, this is to replace and to fill the shoes of Jerry Nadler, the longtime member of Congress who served 17 terms in Congress. He retired, so this is a wide-open race.

And, yes, you mentioned the name of Kennedy. This is going to test the power of the Kennedy family name because, of course, Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy, is on the ballot here. We will see if he is able to hold up and emerge as one of the leaders.

But it's also a very competitive race with Alex Boris. He's a New York assembly member. And he's really testing the strength of artificial intelligence. He's been reining in this regulation in the estate capital here, and that has made him a target of these companies, so millions of dollars have been spent against him. So, this is one of the key races here.

But above all, the mayor's endorsement and his power of what type of Democrat is going to be elected is going to be so important here. But for the next three hours at least, New York candidates are still -- or voters are still voting here. Of course, all eyes are going to be on the votes when they start coming in after 9:00. Phil?

MATTINGLY: Jeff, one of the reasons you've long been one of the best political reporters in the country is you, gasp, talk to voters about what they're thinking about and what they're think -- what they want here. What are you hearing on the ground there from voters?

ZELENY: Well, there's no doubt that affordability is one of the central concerns. Obviously, it's been playing out in every single election that we have covered. But here in New York, it's also several other issues. Israel has been front and center in this race as well. Of course, that is one of the reasons that the mayor has been using for his endorsements against a Dan Goldman, for example, a sitting member of Congress.

So -- but talking to voters, again, the cost of living and the wanting to see something different in Washington. The Trump agenda, the Trump administration comes up again and again. And George Conway, we should point out, is also running for Congress in this seat. We talked to him just a little while ago and he said, look, he has no regrets for putting his name in the hat. He was not protecting victory at all. But he says that he believes Democrats still need to stand up to the president.

So, all those things are on their minds, but affordability not a surprise, probably leads the pack of answers that we've gotten today. Phil?

MATTINGLY: Jeff Zeleny, a very big night in New York. Thanks as always, my friend.

My panel is back with me now. Karen Finney I was trying to describe this primary night to somebody earlier and I said, it's like Democrat on Democrat violence on some level, which is, like, Mike Dubke's favorite line here.

MIKE DUBKE, FORMERTRUMP WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Yes.

KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Maybe tension.

DUBKE: I love that.

[18:05:00]

MATTINGLY: So, there's a lot of different dynamics. Jeff did a great job of laying them all out.

FINNEY: Yes.

MATTINGLY: What are you looking -- what are you watching tonight? What's interesting to you?

FINNEY: I think what's most important is who has the winning message because that should be top. That is communication that every Democrat in this country should be paying attention to in terms of -- I think I heard Jeff talk about it, you know, affordability, housing, healthcare costs. Those are the top issues we keep hearing about.

But what will be a little bit different between these Democrats is how they would accomplish that. And so I think paying attention, what are voters saying, what is resonating with voters, I'm more interested in that than the labels between, you know, I know Mike and my Republican friends like to throw around the, oh my God, Democratic socialist. Okay, but we should all be paying attention to what is that telling you about the mood of the electorate?

Because I'll tell you the other thing we keep hearing, and it's why you had some Trump/Mamdani voters, is who's going to get something done? Who's not going to take any crap and is going to get in there and just get it done? It's part of why Mamdani, frankly, was appealing to some voters, because they thought, you know what? Let's give somebody else a try.

MATTINGLY: It's a really smart point, Mike, because I think people assume Republicans on nights like this are, like, feet up, popcorn, and don't get me wrong, that certainly happens. But there's also something to learn from every race or from every primary night. What do you want to learn from tonight?

DUBKE: So, Jeff had a line in there, what shade of blue, and I was just looking up, what shade of blue matches your vibe. And I think that actually encapsulates what we're talking about tonight.

Karen is absolutely right. They're going to find out a lot about what, I think for Democrats, are going to find out a lot tonight how the party should go forward to take on not just for the rest of the midterms, but also to run for the presidency in 2028.

I'm more interested, though, in looking to see if some of these power centers shift within the Democratic Party. So, Mamdani decided that he was going to endorse in Congressional races and state legislative races, but not in his own city council races. And that was an interesting choice, so AOC came in. We're going to see if that type of Democratic socialism matters.

And I take your point very well about how one governs but I think some of the issues are going to come to the forefront today, and we'll see where that is in New York. But that's not going to be the argument in Utah. That's not going to be the argument in South Carolina. We've got other primaries that are going on. And then Maryland, the Democrat-on- Democrat violence that I love is this Trone, -- what's the congressman's --

MATTINGLY: David Trone.

DUBKE: Trone, yes.

MATTINGLY: Yes, because you can't go 30 seconds without seeing --

FINNEY: Without seeing an ad, without seeing an ad.

MATTINGLY: $1 million of ads that have been spent.

DUBKE: $25 million to get his old seat back, because he decided to take a foray and run for the Senate.

FINNEY: Yes.

DUBKE: You know, it's that far.

MATTINGLY: It's the most amazing thing of watching two people who weren't endorsed by Hillary Clinton talk about how much Hillary Clinton likes them.

FINNEY: Loves them.

MATTINGLY: And I don't -- like, it's just commercial after commercial.

DUBKE: And as a Republican we're excited to find out that there's a district that Hillary Clinton's name means something for all the sudden. FINNEY: Oh, stop.

MATTINGLY: Oh, don't trigger Karen this early in the show.

FINNEY: Oh, come on.

MATTINGLY: Okay. So, I do want to ask, New York Democratic Congressman Dan Goldman also facing a tough primary challenge from former city Comptroller Brad Lander. Lander is backed by Zohran Mamdani. We'll talk about, more about that in a bit. But first, Congressman Goldman addressing a Brooklyn coffee shop which apparently banned him over his defensive views on Israel.

Deleted posts from Poetica Coffee referenced the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, saying to Goldman, quote, we don't need your money. It's probably coming from AIPAC anyways. And, quote, do you see how it doesn't taste like genocide juice? Are you still having a hard time telling the difference?

Here's Goldman on CNN last night. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DAN GOLDMAN (D-NY): It's a reflection, I think, of a sad state of affairs. The idea of accusing someone who you don't know of, you know, supporting a genocide, I mean, it's crazy. It's crazy. Now, I may disagree as to whether or not there's a genocide, but come on. We're better than this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Karen, now the Justice Department is investigating this, but just kind of taking a step back at the dynamics here.

FINNEY: Yes.

MATTINGLY: What was your take on it?

FINNEY: Well, free speech anyone? I mean, come on, we're going after a coffee shop? Look, AIPAC has become very contentious, and it is one of the factors in a number of these primaries, particularly in New York.

And as we know, I mean, it has become also a big issue here in the United States for American Jews who have concerns about, you know, yes, retaliate after October 7th, but then have concerns that it went too far. And you should be able to voice that opinion without being accused of being an anti-Semite.

Now, I'm not -- I don't know specifically what the congressman may or may not have said in the context to these folks in this coffee shop, but I do think, you know, we've got to find a better balance in how we talk about what has been happening in the Middle East because it was alarming to see the destruction of Gaza and the impact on children and families. Not to say that October 7th was, in any way -- you know, you can say, I do not support terrorists, but that doesn't mean I think bombing innocent children is a good idea either. [18:10:05]

MATTINGLY: Do you think the Democratic Party figures out a way to unify on this particular issue? Because this seems like a rupture that is --

DUBKE: Oh, I don't know. I think this is one of those that --

MATTINGLY: It even grown since '24 and is going to grow further.

DUBKE: I think this is one of those issues that could divide the Democratic Party. I think some of the other issues, what I found interesting, we were talking about this earlier, of some of the other special interest groups that are involved in these primaries, especially on the tech side, whether it be A.I. money or crypto money, it's really -- those are non-partisan independent expenditure groups.

What they care about is their own particular issue, and they're making major investments in these races, and I think that's something else that we're going to see. You're going to have the pro-A.I. and the anti-A.I., not Democrat, Republican, but within the parties themselves. So, this will continue to grow.

FINNEY: And actually, in some of these instances, and this actually in New York 12 happened, so the pro-A.I. group tried to spend money against Boris, but it actually helped him. So -- because he was able to say, look who's coming after me.

So, it's interesting to see how these groups, as they are trying to advocate for their issues, and AIPAC had a similar impact in New Jersey.

MATTINGLY: Yes.

FINNEY: So, how it's playing out is another thing we should be paying attention to throughout the primary.

MATTINGLY: No, the money's been fascinating, this stuff. I do want to ask, Brad Lander, one of the three House contenders Mayor Mamdani is backing, hoping to unseat Democratic incumbents. Karen, if Mamdani's political capital turns out to be successful, does that prove to the Democratic establishment that he's the direction voters want?

FINNEY: Not quite. I mean, it's New York City, and New York City --

MATTINGLY: What do you need, Karen Finney?

FINNEY: Look, I think, again, when we think about the future of the party, I think it's important to listen to what voters are telling us. And if voters are saying, Here's what we like about Mamdani, look, we also have the, a primary in Maryland, as you mentioned. I think pretty safe that Wes Moore is going to be okay. But part of what voters like is that he is saying, cut through the red tape and get shit done.

And that is, I think, what we should be paying attention to. What are voters telling us about what they want, how they want us to govern, and how they want us to move this country forward, in addition to the policy issues that they care about?

DUBKE: Well, and we've seen that across the board. This, on both the left and the right, this is an anti-incumbent year. I think all the forces that brought Trump back in '24, they're still there. They're still percolating under the surface. But we're going to see more of that as we go forward in both the Democrat and the Republican Party.

MATTINGLY: Yes. Every one of these nights is a data point that kind of gets us further into understanding what those dynamics actually are.

Karen Finney, Mike Dubke, I appreciate you guys. Thanks so much for your time.

Well, President Trump reacting today to new reporting that a note connected to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie said she died shortly after disappearing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Is there any hope that the FBI and investigators find her?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I hope they find her. I mean, Savannah's gone through a rough, that family's gone through hell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: What else we're learning about the search for Guthrie nearly six months after she disappeared.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

MATTINGLY: In the Law and Justice Lead, one of the notes sent to media outlets in February connected to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today Show Anchor Savannah Guthrie, said that she had died shortly after being abducted, but her kidnappers did not mean to kill her. That's according to multiple law enforcement sources briefed on the ongoing investigation.

Savannah Guthrie made a plea for more information on the air this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC NEWS HOST: I'm not involved in our coverage but I can't pretend I'm not here. And so since I am, I want to just take the opportunity to ask people to really -- to beg people to come forward. Somebody knows something. And this is a news story today that is on your radar, but this is the life that my sister lives, that I live, that my brother lives, that our extended families live, that our children live every day. And we are in agony, and we cannot be at peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MATTINGLY: Bryanna Fox joins me now. She's a former FBI agent and now a professor at the University of South Florida. Bryanna, I see you shaking your head, like, that's just absolutely heartbreaking.

Just to start, CNN and a Tucson, Arizona station had known of the contents of this note. Law enforcement requested the media hold off reporting those contents. It's now been nearly five months since the disappearance, and this investigation is still ongoing. What do you make of these reports coming out now?

BRYANNA FOX, FORMER FBI AGENT: Right. Well, I mean, we actually gain a lot of information, but it's all predicated on the idea that what we're hearing is actually true. So, we're hearing really secondhand. We haven't seen the note ourselves, and we've learned presumably, if this is accurate, that Mrs. Guthrie has passed.

Now, it's really interesting that a kidnapper would share that, especially because it is also being reported that there wasn't a subsequent ask for money.

There were some specific words also used that I think were really interesting, but all of this is to say, you know, we're learning more about this kidnapper now that we have this new information. This is something that law enforcement already knew. But now that it's out in the public, it could help people to try to identify somebody that sounds more like this person who's writing this note.

MATTINGLY: Now, the family did respond to this particular note on February 7th with a video. Here's a clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUTHRIE: We received your message, and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: As you look at this now with the new context, what comes to mind?

FOX: Right. Well, when I first saw that video, I mean, the first thing I and some others have thought was, you know, it sounds like that Mrs. Guthrie had passed, just the tone, the demeanor of the family.

[18:20:04]

There was a lot of speculation about it, but of course, I and many others did not want to come on air and say something like that and hurt the Guthrie family with no information. We didn't know this. But now I think some of our speculations are shown that they were actually accurate.

I think also, you know, it's important to say that this kidnapper wanted the family to know that. That could be indicating some type of sadistic motive, some type of revenge against the Guthries or Savannah in particular. Or it could say something completely different, that this is somebody who has empathy, who's trying to, you know, make good on, you know, a very bad situation.

That would lead me to think that there's an accomplice. Maybe it's a female, because that tends to be a more female type of behavior.

MATTINGLY: Law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation say this note is one of two they believe are legitimate. Tell us, how do they verify something like that?

FOX: This type of, you know, like basically validating a ransom note when it wasn't left at the scene is extremely difficult. The type of things that you would look for is something that only the kidnapper would know. While there have been reports, again, we don't know the accuracy, that, you know, they referred to an Apple Watch or a floodlight in the backyard, both of which people could know from watching all of the media coverage of this case.

The third thing that most recently was reported was they described what Nancy Guthrie was wearing that night. That also, you know, I'm not entirely sold on because how else would anyone know what she was wearing if she got changed into her bed clothes and went to bed?

So, you know, we can't really authenticate these notes because they weren't left at the scene. If they were left at the scene, we would think the only person who could have left them there is the kidnapper. But this was sent by, you know, either email or through the website at the -- a news report, news outlets. You can't really know who sent it. And it was so far after, there was a lot of news reporting, we can't really for sure authenticate it.

MATTINGLY: So, this case has been going on for almost five months at this point. No person of interest, no suspect named publicly. In hindsight, why do you think there hasn't been much to advance it, even with the initial flood of public tips?

FOX: Yes, we were really optimistic in those tips, and I still am. I think in these types of cases, that is exactly what breaks them open, and that's why I think Savannah leaned into that. She said, here's another opportunity to get more tips. There's certain language in that note that I think is unusual, saying, you know, she's back with nature, not with God, not with her maker, back with nature. What kind of person, you know, would say that? That's unusual, so I think it is worth somebody thinking about, do I know somebody who would say that? Those are the type of things that could break open this case.

Other than that, we're waiting on forensics. There wasn't much that they found, and those are the really the main things that break open a case. But we still have hope, and there is a lot left to be done.

MATTINGLY: Yes, and certainly praying for the whole family.

Bryanna Fox, always appreciate your time. Thank you.

What we're learning tonight about a secret legal fight between the Trump Justice Department and The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. We'll explain next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

MATTINGLY: In our National Lead, the latest on President Trump's pressure campaign against the news media. CNN has learned the Justice Department withdrew subpoenas targeting reporters with The Washington Post and Wall Street Journal over a national security leak investigation.

CNN Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter joins me now. Brian, there's still a possibility the subpoenas will be reissued in the future.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes.

MATTINGLY: What are The Washington Post and Wall Street Journal saying about this?

STELTER: Yes, this is a big deal because this is one of the most severe steps that the government can take against newsrooms, sending a legal order forcing reporters to cough up anonymous sources. And the stories that were being investigated, or at least the leaks that were being investigated, involved stories about President Trump's planning for the Iran war, about what he was being told in advance, about what he was being warned about the risks of going to war.

So, these were very serious leaks that were coming from inside the administration, that the Justice Department was pursuing, apparently pursuing the leakers. The government says it was never pursuing the reporters, but I've talked to reporters who've been on the receiving ends of these before, and when you receive one of these subpoenas or you believe you're about to be subpoenaed, you feel like you are being the target. You feel like you're being the target of the investigation.

So, in this case, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal were fighting behind the scenes for months to try to get these subpoenas killed, and we learned today, for the first time, that those news outlets were successful, that the Justice Department did withdraw those subpoenas.

Now, why did that happen? Maybe because they were able to figure out the possible alleged leakers in some other way. We don't know. But the point here is that from President Trump on down, his own personal anger about leaks led the Justice Department to start these investigations and to consider subpoenaing journalists from the Journal and from the Post.

Here's what The Washington Post said in a statement today about how serious this was and is. Quote, the unwarranted subpoena of our reporter, Ellen Nakashima, was another sign of the government seeking to compel journalists to become instruments of its investigations. We will continue to stand fully behind the journalism of The Washington Post and fight all efforts by any administration that violate our First Amendment rights. The Journal declined to comment today, but last month, it said the DOJ was trying to stifle and intimidate essential reporting, and it said it would just keep doing the work.

MATTINGLY: Brian, reporters actually had a chance to ask Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche about the withdrawn subpoenas. Did he say anything?

STELTER: Yes, that's right, and he defended the practice, arguing that this is in line with what past administrations have done.

[18:30:04]

And that is true to some degree. When the Obama administration, when other past administrations went down this road, they were denounced by press freedom groups, and we've heard the same denunciations today from the likes of Reporters Without Borders, calling this a new low by the Trump administration in its pressure campaign.

But Blanche also said -- he made a comment today saying that -- I'm just trying to pull up my notes here as I put it in the wrong place. He talked about this being something that was not targeting the reporters directly, but was instead trying to target the leakers, and he said the administration will continue to pursue anyone who leaks classified information.

So, that is the stance from the government. This is a necessary step. But in this case, the Journal and the Post are relieved, at least for the time being, that its reporters did not have to actually testify. That's the good news for news organizations in this case.

But as you mentioned, Phil, there's always a chance the government will come back around and try again with these subpoenas. It would be an extraordinary step and another infringement on press freedom.

MATTINGLY: Yes, no question about that. Brian Stelter, as always, my friend, thank you.

STELTER: Yes.

MATTINGLY: Well up next, we've got CNN exclusive reporting. A U.S fighter jet pilot shot down over Iran describing a shocking sight in the moments before ejecting from his aircraft. Those details in moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:35:00]

MATTINGLY: In our World Lead, in April, a U.S. fighter pilot was shot down over Iran, ejected himself, and looked up to see a swarm of drones moving in unison, like jellyfish. Sources tell CNN it could mean Iran's drone capabilities are far more advanced than the U.S. Intelligence Community originally thought. One person familiar with the F-15 pilot's briefing described it as, quote, real alien shit. Joining us now, former Deputy Director of National Intelligence and CNN National Security Analyst Beth Sander. Beth, this particular pilot was concussed because he'd been shot down in a friendly fire incident earlier in the war, but says he did in fact see the Iranian drones operating together like this. What are the implications here?

BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So, other than this being entertaining to talk about, because it is interesting --

MATTINGLY: It really is. No, it's really interesting.

SANNER: I mean, it's interesting, right?

MATTINGLY: Yes.

SANNER: It would mean a significant jump up in Iran's capabilities.

So, idea here is, you know, we all have been to -- we've seen like the Olympics in Beijing, where we see like these things moving in unison, right? That is not this. Those are pre-programmed, individually programmed drones. This is where you have almost like a living organism.

So, think of the reason they call these swarms, if we've ever -- you know, you can visualize a bee swarm, right? It like literally is moving in unison together, versus like a flock of geese, where if one drops out, you know, there's just a hole in the V formation. They're not really moving in unison.

So, the only two countries that we know of that have this capability to do this kind of A.I. autonomous swarming is China and us probably. And so, you know, it would be a huge deal, and they wouldn't probably be able to do this on their own.

MATTINGLY: That was my next question, is where did they obtain this tech? And are you surprised, if this is something they have, based on the briefing from the pilot, that the U.S. wouldn't have been aware of it beforehand?

SANNER: Yes. I mean, I would be surprised, although, you know, we have used new technology in this war that no one has seen before. So, you know, war does bring out the best of your tech, but I am a little skeptical, I think, about this report.

So, you know, I just think that it's quite possible that a pilot who was shot down twice within 30 days and was reporting this after a concussion, and you're moving so fast in an F-15, and drones, especially if this is, like, kind of almost like a barrage, almost like a barrier, they wouldn't be moving. You could be moving past these so fast or into it, that maybe he didn't see what he thought he saw. So, we don't know, but it will be investigated.

But I think this idea of like a minefield where literally we've used this since, you know, World War I think, where we put balloons up, right, and that would create a barrier. And China today uses balloons on these tethers to protect installations. So, if we could do this on a swarm of drones that could then move and respond and be autonomous, that would be a pretty big deal and a bad deal because you don't know that they're there.

MATTINGLY: No, it's a great point. I do want to shift gears since I have you here. The mass firings at the office of the director of National Intelligence, CNN's Manu Raju caught up with Republican Senator Thom Tillis who said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-CN): My guess is based on his past experience, it's just going to be another hot, steamy pile of dog shit.

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Should he dump Pulte?

TILLIS: I've staked myself out on Pulte. I think he's incompetent sycophant and not the right person to lead DNI, and you're undermining ultimately what the confirmed administrator should be doing. He's going to inherit what I believe is going to be a mess left behind by Pulte and the distrust for this guy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: I think one of the questions that I've had throughout is, look, there's the Pulte piece of this, which pisses off a lot more people than Thom Tillis on Capitol Hill. But there has long been, I think a shared view, and sometimes it's not just partisan, that, okay, DNI maybe is different than what it was initially put into statute for.

SANNER: Yes.

MATTINGLY: There's shift, you know, Susan Collins who helped create the DNI has said she wanted it scaled back.

SANNER: Yes.

MATTINGLY: Not to what Bill Pulte's doing, but what's the balance there between going too far here and endangering U.S. intelligence, and maybe there are some things that need to change?

SANNER: Well, the difference is twofold.

[18:40:00]

One is just the capacity of that organization. They've already lost 50 percent of their workforce, and now we're talking about hundreds more and a process where that's not organized. So, this comment about this could be like a more DOGE whatever could be, you know, how this turns out.

And so the problem, and like I've said, maybe we should turn this case, it won't be called the DNI anymore, it'll be called DNR, meaning do not resuscitate. Because it will become so completely void of people and of competent people that it can't actually produce anything or do anything of its mission.

But I think that the second thing here is that, you know, instead of using this process to actually do a review and think about what those missions are, instead we take a risk of firing people who actually are doing important things. You know, like NCSC, an organization no one's heard of, the National Counterintelligence Security Administration, or Center. These people are responsible for counterintelligence, meaning when China or Russia comes in and tries to steal technology from U.S. companies, this organization has the authorities to go and meet with those companies and warn them and help them.

Who else does that? No one else really can do that.

MATTINGLY: Yes. It seems like a valuable expertise in some ways.

SANNER: Every time I come on, I'll give a different anecdote.

MATTINGLY: Thank you, as always, I appreciate you. Alien shit, don't ever forget about it. That was just a great quote.

Beth Sanner, as always, my friend, thank you.

Up next, we'll be joined by two mothers who are using their grief to try and help power their families by pushing for restrictions on how kids use the internet. Their new mission ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:45:29]

MATTINGLY: Today marks Social Media Victims Remembrance Day. Across the country, families are honoring children whose deaths have been linked to harms on social media platforms. Families, lawmakers, advocates gathering for what organizers say will be the largest public memorial yet as Congress prepares for renewed scrutiny of tech companies.

Joining me now are two mothers who turned unimaginable loss into a national movement.

Kristin Bride lost her son, Carson, to death by suicide in 2020 after enduring cyberbullying on Snapchat.

Amy Neville lost her son, Alexander, to fentanyl poisoning after he purchased what he believed was a prescription pill through Snapchat.

Kristin, Amy, I am extraordinarily grateful for your time. And I think I want to start with the same question to both of you.

Kristin, starting with you. Today's about remembrance. What should people know about Carson?

KRISTIN BRIDE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE CARSON J. BRIDE EFFECT: Carson was our bright light in our family. He was our funny guy. He had a great sense of humor and had gotten really great at acting. And we have a very large hole in our family, having lost him six years ago today.

AMY NEVILLE, MOTHER OF ALEXANDER NEVILLE: And Alex was a brilliant, beautiful, intense boy who just loved learning about the world around him, always full of big ideas, and always wanted to share those ideas with other people and educate them on things from the Civil War, Egyptology, or Pokemon cards.

MATTINGLY: Kristin, in just a few years, you've helped build Social Media Victims Remembrance Day into a national movement. What does this moment mean for you? Where does the fight for stronger protections for children online go from this moment?

BRIDE: Well, six years ago, I felt completely alone. People were not talking about the harms online. And I felt like it was my fault. But the more I spoke out, the more I realized that this was happening to families across the country. And that together, we have created a movement and created awareness, which is what this day does as well, for online harms.

MATTINGLY: Amy, I think for parents watching, for the parent asking you this question right now, because it feels like there has been a pendulum shift of which I know you guys have played a major role in. What is the message you want parents to hear from you?

NEVILLE: You know, you're absolutely right. With the trial verdicts we recently have had, that pendulum shift is happening and it's happening quickly. The court of public opinion is swiftly changing from blaming parents to realizing that these big tech companies, these billion dollar companies, do not have our children's best interests at heart. They really only care about their bottom line.

And I think that parents, you know, I hear it all the time that my kid would never do that. But the reality is we just don't know what our kid is going to do in these spaces. Their brain is developing. Things are happening really fast. They want to be treated with more grown up and with more cloud as they're going through their teenage years.

And these bad actors, these nefarious people on these platforms know how to do that. They know how to lure our kids in and groom them into doing things that we never thought they'd do before. And that really goes for everybody. This isn't just a specific demographics problem. This is everybody's problem.

MATTINGLY: To that point, Kristin, what does real accountability for companies look like?

BRIDE: Real accountability is that they can be held liable in the courts for their dangerous product designs, and that there's legislation that restricts them from designing these products to addict our kids and create harm.

MATTINGLY: Amy, one of the big questions I've had, this is a rare area of bipartisanship at various moments on Capitol Hill. Do you feel like Congress has listened to families like yours and responded in a meaningful way? NEVILLE: They definitely have been listening to families like our and they were responding in a meaningful way. But now it sure feels like Meta and other tech companies have gotten their hooks into various people and we're seeing the tide start to go back and we need everyone's help in this. We need to start calling out what it is that we're seeing happening in Congress.

We heard Blumenthal today talk about keeping the duty of care in the Kids Online Safety Act, and that is a non-negotiable for us.

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Those things have to stay if we're going to have any type of meaningful legislation going forward.

MATTINGLY: You guys are essential, critical voices. What you've been able to accomplish has been extraordinary. I'm so grateful for your time. My prayers are with both of you, your entire families.

Thank you so much, Kristin Bride and Amy Neville.

NEVILLE: Thank you.

BRIDE: Thank you.

MATTINGLY: Well, Jessie Diggins may have stepped away from competing after becoming the most decorated cross-country skier in American history, but now she's turning her focus into making sure athletes can compete for generations to come. That's next.

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MATTINGLY: In our Earth Matters series, Europe is in the grip of a dangerous and record-breaking heat wave with temperatures soaring. Dozens of deaths have been linked to the extreme conditions. And today, France recorded its hottest day since record-keeping began.

Schools are closing, and heat alerts are in effect across more than 20 countries.

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Scientists warn Europe's rapidly warming climate is making music extreme heat events more frequent and more severe. Forecasters say even more temperature records could fall in the days ahead.

Well, from extreme heat to not cold enough, a delegation of Winter Olympians and leading climate scientists took to Capitol Hill today, meeting with lawmakers from both parties to push for action to protect winter sports, snow-dependent communities, and the future of winter itself. Among them was four-time Olympic medalist, the most decorated cross-country skier in American history, Jessie Diggins, fresh off her final Olympic Games, now retired, she's turning her focus to climate advocacy.

And Jessie joins me now in studio. Thanks so much for joining me. I really appreciate it. You spent 15

years racing in the snow around the world. What changes did you see? Like this was visible to you. You could see the change. What were they?

JESSIE DIGGINS, FOUR-TIME OLYMPIC MEDALIST: Oh, I mean, we saw it and also we felt it. And as skiers, we feel that first, right? Like I like to say, we're the canaries in the coal mine. We noticed the winter changing because that's what our livelihood depends on and that's what we know and we breathe skiing and we want to inspire future generations and have them get to do it too, right?

So when we notice it changing, that's really concerning and that's really scary for us. And I would say we saw it venue to venue across all of Scandinavia and Europe and places that you would think would have incredible winters like our World Championships and Trondheim was really, really rainy. And that's really concerning. That's at the end of February up in Norway.

And then we were in La Clusaz, France, years ago, and I have this picture of this ribbon of snow on a grassy field where there is mud, and you know, you have to put down carpets so that the fans don't track mud all over the trail because they're standing on grass in a field in February in the high mountains, and this is the venue that is going to host cross-country skiing at the next Winter Olympics.

MATTINGLY: I think why this is so valuable is you are the eyes into how acute this is. Like, this is happening. This is not a thing that may happen. This is not something that's happening in the future.

How do you get that across to people when you're talking to them, maybe who've got a million other things going on, and you're trying to land the message of like, hey, this is not a future thing. This is a now thing.

DIGGINS: I mean, we talk about what we're seeing. You know, we're out there on the snow or lack of snow, and we talk about our experiences. And then what's wonderful about Protect Our Winters is we also come in with climate scientists who can also say, look, here's what we're seeing on our side. And it's not just what we're thinking. These are the facts.

And so we just talk about those experiences and why it matters to us. I want to make sure that future generations, that my great-grandkids can go build a snowman or go sledding or learn how to cross-country ski, and all of these kids that I've spent a lifetime of skiing trying to inspire so that they can be healthy and active outdoors. All these families, I want them to be able to have access to this and to have clean air, clean water, and a healthy planet.

That's important to me. So that's what we leave with.

MATTINGLY: It's a complex moment for climate change, I think, in the policy space, because of Republicans, Democrats, and who's in power right now. How receptive have lawmakers been on Capitol Hill? DIGGINS: I mean, I would say our meetings have gone very well. It's -- we're looking for bipartisan solutions because at the end of the day, we're on the same team here. We're on the same planet. We all want the right to breathe clean air. And I think everyone sits down and says, all right, look, this is a problem. And hey, we may differ a little bit on how we want to go about solving it. But I think that's why we're starting to have more and more conversations on how do we bring people together and move the needle quickly enough.

MATTINGLY: What's your ultimate? We've got a minute left. What's your ultimate outcome here? What do you want to achieve?

DIGGINS: Well, I want everyone watching this to know that there are actions you can take, right? Like at home, the most important thing you can do as environmentalist this year is vote. You can use your voice and you can join organizations like Protect Our Winners, right? Like you can learn about how you can be engaged and active and know that you have power.

You have a voice and you can speak for the mountains and public lands and places that don't have that voice, right? And then in our meetings, we just want to keep planting that seed of like, hey, let's take action together. Let's make it bipartisan. Let's find solutions and hopefully those seeds continue to grow.

MATTINGLY: You're optimistic?

DIGGINS: I am. I am. I'm an eternal optimist for sure. I think I have to be because the alternative is to bury your head in the sand while the world burns. And I think we have time. We have solutions.

We know that we need to protect public lands. We know we need to move towards clean energy. We have the technology to do it, and we just need to find leadership willing to get us there.

MATTINGLY: It's really awesome to meet you in person. Thank you so much for coming in. I told you I was screaming way too loud in your last race, so thank you very much, Jesse Diggins. Appreciate you.

And I hope you'll join me for my new video series, "CNN Breaks It Down". We're tackling the most pressing questions in business and politics. You can find the episodes on cnn.com/watch. You can follow this show on X and Instagram @TheLeadCNN.

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"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts now.