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The Lead with Jake Tapper

White House Renews Effort To Remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook; Don Lemon Seeks To Dismiss Charges Stemming From M.N. Church Protest; Se. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Is Interviewed About Sen. Cassidy Backs Blanche For AG, Likely Saving His Confirmation; The U.S. Economy Unexpectedly Lost 23,000 Jobs Last Month; Now: Democrats Hold Unity Rally After Bitter Michigan Primary; Friends Of Nolan Wells To Return To Horn Island, Conduct Private Investigation. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired August 07, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KASIE HUNT, CNN HOST: All right, thanks to my panel. Really appreciate you all being here. Have a great weekend. Thanks to you at home for watching as well.

Please do have a great weekend. And don't forget, you can spend part of it with The Arena tomorrow. The Arena Saturday airs at noon and again at 4:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. I would love to have you just join us.

But of course, don't go anywhere. Jake Tapper is standing by for "The Lead."

Hi, Jake. Happy Friday.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Kasie, are you too young to have known who Casey Kasem was?

HUNT: Of course not, Jake.

TAPPER: OK?

HUNT: He's a legend.

TAPPER: He's a legend. I'm not going to tell you who, but somebody here was doing case in case him impressions before we came to --

HUNT: You don't have to tell me who -- yes. No, actually, I am --

TAPPER: I'm not going to tell you who.

All right. We'll look for more next week in "The Arena."

HUNT: OK, Have a good one.

[17:00:52]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: They say if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Does that also go for target perceived political opponents? The Lead starts right now.

The White House is at it again, trying to fire Lisa Cook as a Federal Reserve governor two months after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowed her to keep her job. The fine print giving the Trump administration an avenue to proceed. Lisa Cook's attorney, Abbe Lowell, will be here on The Lead. We're going to also ask him about the prosecution of our former CNN colleague Don Lemon.

Plus, a critical Republican holdout clearing the way for Acting Attorney General Tod Blanche to lose the temporary title. Senator choked up while announcing his decision as another Republican spells out why she is voting no.

And the July 4th disappearance of Mississippi teen Nolan Wells. Three teens thought to have been with him that day are lawyering up. What their attorneys say about conducting their own investigation into how Wells died after a boating trip with friends.

Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. We're going to start on our Law and Justice Lead. And the Justice Department twice today accused of using the law to punish President Trump's critics. Case number one today, Don Lemon, our former colleague here at CNN.

In January, you might remember, during all that horrific mess in Minnesota, the Justice Department charged Lemon with two federal crimes. They accused him of conspiring to violate constitutional rights and violating the FACE act, which prohibits intentionally interfering with someone's First Amendment right to practice religion. The charges as -- such as they are, stem from Lemon's presence at an anti-ICE protest inside a Minnesota church earlier this year. Lemon, who pleaded not guilty in February, has repeatedly said that he was there as a journalist covering the protests, not as an activist. In fact, he said this during his live stream of the disruption.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON LEMON, FORMER CNN ANCHOR: I'm just here for -- I'm not -- I'm just here photographing.

I'm not part of -- I'm not part of the group. I'm just here photographing. I'm a journalist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Today, Lemon's attorneys, led by Abbe Lowell, have moved to dismiss the charges, arguing they violate the First Amendment and are part of President Trump's campaign to seek retribution against his political enemies. Trump, after all, has been attacking Don Lemon since at least 2016. In 2018, the President called Don, who has provided critical coverage of the president for more than a decade now, he called him the dumbest man on television.

In a separate legal fight, Lowell told CNN today the White House is renewing its effort to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, another one of his clients. Cook has not followed Trump's orders to vote to lower interest rates, choosing to remain independent in her decision making, which, by the way, is her job. Trump initially tried to fire Cook via Truth Social last year, alleging she had committed mortgage fraud. Cook fiercely denied the claims and sued the administration. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that firing a Fed governor over social media denied Cook her constitutional due process, allowing her to temporarily keep her seat while her lawsuit against the Trump administration moves forward.

So let's bring in the lead attorney in both of these high profile cases, Abbe Lowell. He represents Cook and Lemon.

Mr. Lowell, thanks for joining us. The Supreme Court ruled only on procedural grounds, not on whether the mortgage discrepancies would constitute legal cause for her to be removed. And that, I guess, left the door open for the White House to try again. So did you see this coming?

ABBE LOWELL, LISA COOK'S ATTORNEY: Well, I did see this coming. Look, if you know anything about President Trump, I think you started your segment by saying if at first you don't succeed, he doesn't take no for an answer, whether the no is an advisor or the Supreme Court of the United States. So this is not a shock. You also mentioned something about what Lisa Cook did in her independent way.

Let's be clear. I don't think this is a coincidence, Jake, that the president decided to write this letter after waiting five weeks after the Supreme Court ruled on the day that Lisa Cook said in her job that to deal with the issues of rising inflation and a terrible jobs report, the Fed might have to consider raising rates when what President Trump wants them to be lowered. So let's start with the premise that the timing is a little suspicious.

[17:05:06]

Having said that, you're right to point out that all Lisa Cook has been doing is her job that the Supreme Court said that the Federal Reserve should remain an independent economic entity, that does not sit well with President Trump.

TAPPER: Obviously, the matter of her mortgage has not been adjudicated, but the White House letter claims there's sufficient reason to believe she made false statements on mortgage documents, and it gives her 21 days to respond to the allegations. Will she respond? Where do you see this going?

LOWELL: Let me state first that every allegation in this letter, as was the allegations a year ago, do not amount to what the courts and what the Supreme Court put in its opinion about what the law says are grounds to remove a Federal Reserve Board governor for cause. Let's start with that. Every allegation doesn't amount to cause. Let's also point out that notwithstanding their allegation, I can unequivocally state that there's not a chance that Governor Cook committed mortgage fraud.

Having said that, we will respond in the time that we were provided. It will be a thorough response. It will have documentation. It will make sense to people when they see it. And it will also come to the conclusion, as has been the parameters, that there is no grounds to remove her for the allegations in this letter under the law that says she can only be removed for cause.

TAPPER: Former CNN anchor Don Lemon is also your client. Today your team moved to dismiss the charges stemming from his presence at an anti-ICE protest inside a Minnesota church. He said, even during the livestream, that he was there as a journalist, not as a participant. You argue that he's the target of a vindictive prosecution, but that is a high legal bar to clear.

LOWELL: It is a high legal bar. And like so much else in this last year and a half of this administration, the Trump administration has made that bar lower and lower. You've reported the case of Abrego Garcia in which his case was thrown out because of a judge ruling that there was vindictive prosecution. The case against Don Lemon, in terms of showing vindictive prosecution, has to be even stronger because as you pointed out, the president has been going after Don and ridiculing and trying to take him out for 10 years and his ability to find an excuse to do so, when, as again you point out, Don made extraordinarily clear that his job that day was as a journalist. And think of the ramifications of journalists being charged with when they're covering other people accused of wrongdoing, you wouldn't be able to get very far.

Think of all the stories that reporters have done actually covering people breaking the law. That doesn't make the reporter part of the alleged crime. That said, there are two aspects to what we did. You pointed out vindictive prosecution. It's a high bar.

We think we make that pretty easily under the facts that are spelled out in our multiple page. Secondly, we are attacking this as being exactly what you said. This statute isn't passed to cover the events of what Don Lemon did covering the news. And if it is, if they apply it, it is squarely unconstitutional under the First Amendment's protections for journalists and the media.

TAPPER: Another of your clients is the Southern Poverty Law Center or SPLC. That's also in the news today because a federal judge rejected its motion to dismiss the fraud and money laundering charges against the SPLC by DOJ, ruling that the SPLC failed to provide objective evidence of vindictive prosecution. How do you respond to that?

LOWELL: I don't want to mix all three cases because they all stand differently. What I can say about the SPLC, which is this opinion that just came out, is that I think that what we put forward was that you don't have to have a 10-year history of attacking a person, a reporter, or an entity like the SPLC to meet the requirements of vindictive prosecution. The judge seems to suggest that, number one, it has to be in the immediacy of the charges themselves. And also that if the individual prosecutors aren't the ones to have been vindictive, then it might not meet that, as you call it, a high bar.

We're studying that and seeing what we can do. But I will also say this, that come time for this trial, which right now is going to be in October, we still remain incredibly confident that what they charge against an institution that's been protecting civil rights for 50 years will be proven not to be true. They did not commit bank fraud. They have not committed donor fraud. All they've done is protect people and the rights, whether it's to vote, whether it's to have access to facilities.

We will be able to show that in a court of law.

TAPPER: Abbe Lowell, thank you so much. Appreciate your time, sir.

LOWELL: I'll see you again.

TAPPER: Breaking news on the Senate floor, a vote expected any day now, possibly as early as this evening, to confirm Todd Blanche as U.S. attorney general. The dramatic announcements today leading up to this moment.

[17:10:02]

And right now, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is in Michigan where he moved a few years ago. A slew of other 2028 presidential possibles are also dropping in. Why Michigan and why now? That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: In our Politics Lead, Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, could be confirmed as the next official United States Attorney General as early as tonight or possibly tomorrow. Unless, unless just one Republican senator goes rogue or has a last minute change of heart, which is quite unlikely. Blanche today locked in the deciding vote. We think Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who had appeared ambivalent but then appeared to get emotional while announcing his decision to vote yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): I'll be criticized for this vote. What's new? But the people of Louisiana can be assured that I worked hard to understand the issue and to make the right decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:15:07]

TAPPER: Cassidy's support for Blanche is a real puzzler to observers for two reasons. The first reason being that Cassidy had publicly stated he was very concerned about the weaponization of the Justice Department, and he addressed this on the Senate floor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASSIDY: When former Attorney General Bill Barr endorsed Mr. Blanche, he said Mr. Blanche will run the department as effectively as anyone can under President Trump. Barr specifically addressed the allegation that Mr. Blanche would be a yes man for the president. He said that any attorney to represent a client well has to have tough conversations and confront a client with difficult truths. That because of his previous attorney client relationship with President Trump, Mr. Blanche would be precisely the person to push back on President Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: And if you believe that, I have a Lake Pontchartrain Causeway bridge to sell you. Because there is literally no evidence of Blanche, once Trump's personal attorney in the Stormy Daniels case, ever standing up to President Trump. Not with the prosecutions of the likes of Don Lemon or Lisa Cook or James Comey or Letitia James. Not with how Blanche handled the Epstein documents, which even Vice President Vance says was mishandled. Not with how Blanche office pushed Minnesota prosecutors to go after Renee Good and her spouse after an ICE agent killed Good, which led to numerous prosecutors resigning from the U.S. attorney's office in Minnesota. Not at all with anything that we can detect.

Now the second reason many were surprised by Cassidy's decision is that politically, he doesn't need to vote for Blanche. Cassidy is a dead man walking. He's already out of a job. He lost his bid for a third term in May in a stunning but expected defeat after two primary challengers, including one specifically backed by Trump, finished ahead of him.

Now, if you're getting deja vu, Cassidy was also the deciding vote to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health and Human Services Secretary last year despite Cassidy's major reservations. Cassidy is a doctor and RFK Jr. is the opposite of a doctor. That turned out not so well. Cassidy later accused RFK Jr. of constructing public health policies, quote, "upon a foundation of lies," unquote. And still his vote for RFK Jr. was not enough to put him in Trump's good graces and save his job, because Cassidy was one of only seven Republican senators, you might remember, who voted back in 2021 to convict Trump in the impeachment for inciting an insurrection during the end of Trump's first term.

So as of now, when this comes to Blanche's confirmation, Maine's Susan Collins and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, they're the only two Senate Republicans planning to vote no. Because of Senator Mitch McConnell's absence for health reasons, Blanche nomination theoretically could be derailed if just one other Republican senator flips to a no. Again, that is extremely unlikely. But that is the outcome a group of Epstein survivors is working toward right now. They're trying to convince any one of three GOP senators they're targeting that Blanche's mishandling of the Epstein files should be seen as disqualifying. I'm going to talk to one of those Epstein survivors in the next hour.

Joining us now to discuss, Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California.

Senator, what are you hearing in the Senate? Is there any chance that any of the other remaining Republicans that are being targeted by these Epstein survivors might change their mind?

SEN. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): I think it's sadly extremely unlikely. I'm really not sure who these candidates would be. I think Cassidy was the one remaining vote in question. But I certainly hope the victims are successful in persuading a couple more senators to do the right thing.

To me, it's simply not an adequate argument, as we heard from one of my colleagues today, to say, yes, he's got bad judgment on this and bad judgment on this, and these are problematic things that he's done. But if we don't refuse him, or if we do refuse him rather, then we'll get somebody worse. That just doesn't resonate with me. It used to be the case when you got a nominee who is unfit for office, you would reject them and you would say to the president, send me somebody qualified. That hasn't happened here.

And given the long list of malfeasance and malfractions (ph) of Todd Blanche, the Justice Department is really hard to wrap your head around. He's weaponized the department. He created a slush fund for the president. He's used the president to go after -- use the department to go after the president's enemies. One thing after another. And there's simply no reason, as you pointed out, to believe he's going to be any different once confirmed.

Indeed, he may have even more license to carry the dirty work of the president once he's got the confirmation behind him.

TAPPER: Let's play something Senator Cassidy said on the floor when he was defending his support for Blanche.

[17:20:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASSIDY: Mr. Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this. But the choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche. It is between Mr. Blanche and another acting attorney general who may not run the department effectively under President Trump and who indeed may not be as good as Mr. Blanche.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So what do you say to that argument? That Blanche is probably, he -- I'm paraphrasing Cassidy, but he's basically saying this is the best Trump is going to put up.

SCHIFF: Well, it will be the best that Trump puts up if the Senate says we're OK with this. You can send us people who abuse the department, who use it to go after the president's enemies, who mishandle sensitive investigations like the Epstein investigation, who cover up stuff that would implicate the president, who publish the names and faces of victims. You can accept him because somebody worse may come along. No, you tell the president this person has demonstrated their unfitness for office. We won't confirm him.

Send us something better. Certainly there are lots of conservative lawyers out there the president could choose who would not turn the Justice Department into this kind of protection racket for the president.

TAPPER: It's kind of incredible when you think about it, how much of a cause celeb the Epstein files were before 2025. And now you have a number of these victims of Epstein and his disgusting web of creeps and rapists, victims saying, please don't confirm Todd Blanche. He has not abided by the law when it comes to the Epstein files. He was rude to us when we finally met with him, which he only did because that was the way to get Senator Tillis' vote. And it's like all these people who had claimed to have cared about Epstein's victims can't hear, don't care.

It's just -- it's just something I thought of right now.

SCHIFF: No, you're absolutely right. There was a time when, at least rhetorically, they gave support to these victims. We don't hear any of that now, which is quite tragic. There was a time also when the folks that are confirming him now or poised to do so were decrying weaponization of the Justice Department under that well known partisan Merrick Garland. OK, that was a total fiction.

But you would think if they cared so passionately about having a Justice Department that wouldn't operate because of partisan or political considerations. They would be so upset with Blanche's running of the department. I mean, we're in a weird world when Jeanine Pirro dismisses a case and wants to dismiss a case against someone because there's not enough evidence and she's on the right side of things. And Todd Blanche is defending the president if he decides to fire her. What kind of a leader is that for the department that says, yes, the president has every right to fire a prosecutor who won't bring a prosecution because the evidence is flawed?

That's a terrible attorney general. And there's just simply no rationale for accepting him except I don't know what, fear of the president and when you're no longer facing an election, even that doesn't make sense.

TAPPER: Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California, thanks so much.

A gruesome scene in Thailand today. Five teachers killed, more than 30 people injured by a teenage gunman. CNN on the Ground in Thailand, new details on one of that country's deadliest shootings. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:27:55]

TAPPER: In our World Lead a deadly school shooting in Thailand where authorities say a 14-year-old boy killed his grandparents, then opened fire at his school, killing five teachers, injuring at least 30 people, then turning the gun on himself. CNN's Ivan Watson is in Bangkok, Thailand for us.

Ivan, what more are we learning about the victims and the impact this is having on the community?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a devastating impact, Jake, because this is a high school with some 3,000 students, boys and girls. And if you see the footage that the police have released to us of heavily armed officers going up through the stairwell trying to evacuate terrified, frightened children, just devastating, devastating ordeal and experience. We -- actually, it hits very close to home because we have a producer here in Bangkok named Karla Cripps whose 17-year-old son goes to this very high school. He was fortunately away at a sports event when this rampage took place. But she spoke earlier to us about what it was like for the community and for her son.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARLA CRIPPS, CNN PRODUCER: My own son, I'm sorry to say, he said one of the casualties was one of his own favorite teachers. So it's been a really hard day for all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: So in addition to the teachers and the students who've been hurt and killed in this massacre, the police made the grisly discovery when they went to the suspected shooter's home that his grandparents had been shot and killed apparently hours before the violence erupted in the school. So a community absolutely reeling from this senseless violence. Jake.

TAPPER: What more do we know about the suspect and the investigation?

[17:29:52]

WATSON: Right. Well, the prime minister of Thailand was at the school hours after the shooting. He says that this was a 14-year-old boy, a student at the school, who after shooting at everybody, then fired upon himself and was then discovered to have at least 30 unused ammunition rounds. The police have seized computers and electronic devices from the home where the two grandparents were killed. And they say that there is evidence that the suspect was researching mass murder incident.

We've actually spoken to his father who is of course in shock. Both his parents and his son dead in one morning. And the father says yes, his son is guilty but had never exhibited any signs of violence. The prime minister says the boy was under immense pressure to perform at school. His grandmother was a schoolteacher. So there are questions about gun safety and of course, mental health after this terrible tragedy. Jake?

TAPPER: All right, Ivan Watson, thanks so much.

A new jobs report dropped today. Sadly, it was not a good jobs report. What the latest numbers reveal about the State of the U.S. economy and President Trump's claim that it's the greatest economy ever by far, which is of course false.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:35:37]

TAPPER: Wish I had better news for you in our Money Lead, but the July jobs report is in, and to be charitable, it's subpar. The U.S. lost 20,000 jobs, 23,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It fell short of the 95,000 new jobs economists had expected to be added. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate ticked down slightly from 4.2 percent in June to 4.1 percent in July. Here to discuss is economist Justin Wolfers. And Justin, you describe this jobs report as a big kick in the guts. What does it signal to you?

JUSTIN WOLFERS, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY, UNIV. OF MICHIGAN: It signals that we almost had enough good news that we thought we could believe that things were running along at an A minus, sort of A level. And what we learned was not just that July was weak, but the previous two months were weaker than we'd previously thought. So we're out of the A range and we're down now at B or B minus. And this is an economy with a lot of grade inflation, too.

TAPPER: So Kevin Hassett, the director of the National Economic Council, he downplayed July's negative job report on "Fox" this morning. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN HASSETT, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: Weakness in this number were really just two things. Government workers and a sort of rebound from all the employment we got from the World Cup because the World Cup was ending. If you throw out the World Cup of the government workers, we actually had a number that was about plus 100,000.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So the World Cup lasted well into the third week of July. Are the job losses last month bigger than just the loss of seasonal jobs? What did you make of what he said?

WOLFERS: What I made what he said. I could tell that Kevin was smiling there, because Kevin was lying. That's the tell. Look, the number was much weaker than anyone on Wall Street expected. And if in the White House they're perfectly happy with an economy bumping along the bottom, that's between Kevin and his boss. This was not just the World Cup at all. In fact, the World Cup, it just wasn't that big. A bunch of the games are in Canada, a bunch are in Mexico.

And most of the stadiums were small. So small that in Michigan we'd call them small stadiums. So, no, this is much more worrying than that. And there was never a run up in employment from the World Cup at all. The last two months have been weak as well. So what we're at is an economy that's barely grinding anything out.

TAPPER: Not to take away from your economic expertise, but we should just note that you teach at the University of Michigan, which has the biggest stadium in America. So I just want to acknowledge that, that the Big House is super big. I'm not disagreeing with your point, but.

WOLFERS: It's big and fantastic, too. Let's just get that in there.

TAPPER: I just want all my Ohio State fans to friends to get annoyed. Anyway, Friday's report signals that employers are pulling back amid higher prices and policy uncertainty, amid this war with Iran that continues. And the President spoke with "Punchbowl News" specifically about the war's impact on the economy. I want you to listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said yesterday gas prices, if, correct me if I'm wrong, they might go up again a little bit, you said.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, no. That's only if I have to do another hit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. So, I mean --

TRUMP: They'll only go down or if we make a deal, they want to make a deal. They want to make a deal. So we'll see.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because you're seeing that nervousness on the Hill about that.

TRUMP: It'll only go up if we have to do another hit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What's your reaction?

WOLFERS: Well, if the Strait of Hormuz were open, there would be a lot of tankers going through it. There'd be a lot of oil arriving in the United States. Gas prices would come down. But that's in pretend land. Back here in the real world, the Strait is closed, gas isn't getting through. We were just told by the President probably for about the 60th time that Iran is desperate to make a deal. And you and I fill up our tanks and we know reality.

TAPPER: Well, I have an electric car, but I hear you. Justin Wolfers, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

[17:39:18]

Who's who of Democrats are holding big events in Michigan these days? Pete Buttigieg is on deck there tonight. California Governor Gavin Newsom is right behind him tomorrow. Is this battleground state, the 2028 frontier? We're going to talk about that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Politics now, right now in Detroit, Democrats are holding a unity rally after Tuesday's divisive Senate primary campaign ended. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who is a relatively new Michigan resident, he's headlining the event. And he's not the only Democrat with an eye on the White House who's descending upon this key battleground state. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear was in Michigan Wednesday and plans to return next week. California Governor Gavin Newsom is set to hold several events in Michigan tomorrow.

As one former Michigan Democratic Party chair told "Politico," "Wednesday morning, the starting gun was heard and I believe was heard by many 2028 candidates." Here's the panel. So thanks for being here, Maria and Joe, as progressives and moderates clash on the direction of the Democratic Party. And we saw the results and it got pretty nasty in Michigan. Buttigieg, a resident of Michigan, he stayed on the sidelines. He did not endorse. Now he's, you know, trying to be the peacemaker type. What do you make of it all?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think that was smart. And I saw the podcast where he talked about why he's not endorsing. He said that he believes for himself he wanted to play an important role in bringing the party together. What I think is so interesting is that I actually think that the closeness of the race humbled Abdul El-Sayed a little bit, which is a good thing, because I think it focused both sides on how they both need each other.

[17:45:20]

TAPPER: He didn't win majority of the vote.

CARDONA: Right. Exactly. If it had been a blowout, you know, I think it would have maybe been tougher to bring everyone together. But I was really glad to see right after the election and in all of the unity rallies, the breakfast, there was that hug. He said great things about Stevens. Everyone is coming together, I think, in a very quick way, because Democrats understand the importance of this Senate seat, if we want to actually take over the Senate.

TAPPER: I imagine you see it a little differently.

JOSEPH MORENO, FORMER GOP STRATEGIST: Well, look, I think it's interesting that Buttigieg is the one making, kind of making the piece. So take this for what it's worth from one Republican, right. When I game out 2028, I look at the roster from the Democrat side. I'm not especially worried about AOC. I'm not especially worried about Kamala Harris. Gavin Newsom, maybe. I think his California record, yes. Pete Buttigieg, he's a contender, right?

He's smart. He's glib. He sounds moderate. And he's been around for a while now. He's not the new guy anymore. He's got a track record, whether you like it or not. So when the primaries start.

CARDONA: He's great on "Fox."

MORENO: He thinks he owns "Fox." I understand that we beg to differ, but he won't do great in South Carolina, But New Hampshire, Michigan, where he lives now, Virginia, he'll do great.

TAPPER: He won Iowa.

MORENO: He's a real force to be reckoned with. And so that's a guy that I say he's starting now. He's definitely running. He worries me a little bit.

TAPPER: So Abdul El-Sayed, who won the Michigan Democratic Senate primary, is going to be facing off against Mike Rogers, former FBI official, former member of Congress, former CNN commentator, just like Abdul El-Sayed, the first CNN commentator versus CNN commentator, Senate race in American history, as far as I know. And Rogers, sensing an opportunity since it was such a contested and bitter primary and most Democrats who voted did not vote for Abdul El-Sayed. He won a plurality, but not a majority. He and his wife appeared in this video that I saw on social media. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE ROGERS (R), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: And to the vast majority of people across Michigan who do not want to throw their support behind a campaign filled with anger, divisiveness, calls for violence and the views that are out of touch with your values. Well, you have a home with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What do you think?

MORENO: I mean, look, we're the big tent party, right? I mean, you know, I mean, we want to appeal to everybody. I don't blame him for trying. I think that the fact that it was supposed to be such a blowout and it came to what, less than 1 percent.

TAPPER: Very slight. Yes.

MORENO: So, I mean, I can see the opportunities kind of, you know, pick up whoever didn't, you know, didn't go for the leading candidate. I'm not sure it's going to work. It's going to be very important Senate race. I'd give our odds best 50-50. But I can't blame him for trying.

TAPPER: Yes.

CARDONA: I agree. I actually think it was smart. I don't think the visual works. It seemed a little --

TAPPER: Getting a lot of mockery, a lot of mockery online about mom and dad finding your Playboy. Yes, but still yes.

CARDONA: Exactly. So, you know, doesn't really feel welcoming. But I don't think it's going to work because what he is trying to do, I think does nothing for the fact that Michigan voters across the board are mad at the issues of affordability and families can't make ends meet, the issue of health care and all of that can be put at the feet of Donald Trump. And Mike Rogers has been a rubber stamp, said he would be a rubber stamp to Donald Trump and that is what Democrats are going to focus on.

TAPPER: Twenty years ago, Joe, if I had told you that I was going to be, we were going to be sitting here and Michigan was going to be a jump ball Senate race and Georgia looked like it was going to go to the Democrat. You would have thought I was smoking something maybe 10 years ago, let's say. But I want to note that two Republican mayors in Georgia are breaking party ranks and endorsing Democratic incumbent Senator Jon Ossoff. Tifton's mayor tells "The Atlanta Journal Constitution," "Ossoff's been very good to South Georgia. And in my nonpartisan role as mayor, I have to look to someone who takes care of their constituents."

Valdosta's mayor and I apologize if I'm mispronouncing any of these places. Valdosta's mayor said, "I will take heat for this endorsement and it doesn't matter. There's no way I can turn my back on this relationship." These mayors are not household names. But given today's polarization and politics, it seems like kind of a big deal, especially in Georgia. No.

MORENO: Ossoff is running five to 10 points ahead. He has a huge fundraising advantage over Mike Collins. And both of these mayors, they're not up for reelection this year, but they are next year in an off year election. So I think this is more about selfish, self- preservation than it really is taking some sort of a stand against their own party.

[17:49:59]

TAPPER: OK. But you know what isn't Erick Erickson, another former CNN commentator, conservative radio host Erick Cerrit, and a Georgia fixture. And he, I don't think he's going to vote for Ossoff. But here's what he had to say on the Politically Georgia podcast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERICK ERICKSON, HOST, THE ERICK ERICKSON SHOW: You talk to Republicans in Houston county, very Republican part of the state. They know they can reach out to Ossoff and he doesn't care that they're Republican. If they need something, he's going to get it done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What do you think?

CARDONA: I think that is something that Democrats should look at and follow Ossoff's lead. I think one of the clearly important parts of this is that mayors, since they're always closest to the voters, for them the most important thing is constituent services, right?

If their constituents are happy, they're going to get reelected. I think senators should also be that way. One of the reasons why mayors are doing -- are supporting Ossoff is because Ossoff is being a good sort of constituent services for them.

TAPPER: So, but can I say something to push back on you a little bit?

CARDONA: Yes.

TAPPER: That message that you're saying, Democrats and Republicans working together, DSA folks attack Democrats. Not every DSA folk and not every Democrat. But there is a big part of the DSA and the Hasan Piker side and all that say not only should you not work with Republicans, not only should you not work with Democrats, I mean independents, you shouldn't even work with moderate Democrats. I mean they have a real like this is the wrong message kind of approach. You hear this, right? CARDONA: Yes. And I think they're wrong and I think they're in the minority. And that's why I think this unity issue that we're seeing in Michigan is so important because first of all, Republicans are going to try to smear Abdul El-Sayed with the whole DSA Communists thing, socialist thing.

TAPPER: Hasan Piker did campaign with him twice.

CARDONA: Yes. But he has said he is not DSA. He has said he is a capitalist. He has done a lot in terms of the issues that are important to voters. Again, everything goes down to the issues that are important to voters.

MORENO: Just as we're talking about two Republicans breaking ranks, I would say Democrats, they might be fighting short term. They're really good at coming together when it counts much more than us Republicans.

TAPPER: Really?

MORENO: So yes, I think that it's good. It's actually it's healthy, I think for them to have a sort of intra party discussion about where the future is. But at the end of the day I'm less concerned about them splintering than I am about figuring out what's the stronger message and then coming after us. And you're right. It's the economy that's always --

CARDONA: It is.

MORENO: That's what's going to be --

TAPPER: Your party's been pretty good at coming together. You control the House and the Senate and the White House. I mean, you're doing something right.

MORENO: Well, we get -- we're good at getting votes.

CARDONA: It hasn't worked for the voters.

MORENO: We're not great at getting along among economic numbers.

TAPPER: Maria Cardona and Joe Moreno, thank you so much to both of you.

Coming up, the brand new but unofficial investigation, trying to learn what happened to Nolan Wells, that Mississippi teen who went boating with friends on July 4th and turned up dead. Now it's the friends wanting to go back to the scene to see what they can find.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:57:03]

TAPPER: Our National Lead now, three teens thought to have been with Mississippi teen, Nolan Wells, before he disappeared are getting lawyers. Wells went boating to Mississippi's horn Island on July 4th. The friends came back. Wells did not. His body was found two days later on the shore of Horn Island. Now those friends say they want to go back to the scene and conduct their own investigation. CNN's Ryan Young has been following the story. Ryan, are these three friends suspected of anything by police?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No. And that's something that we should make very clear in terms of police have never really given us a clear definition of how or why or how they may be involved moving forward. We believe interviews have been done with all three of them, but they have not been accused of anything right now. In fact, we've never named the three teens because of that. But now that the lawyers have stepped forward and say they're all going to this island, we've decided to name them.

Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour all say they're going back out to this island to do their own investigation. Now, Horn Island, of course, is an area that everyone's been focused on after Nolan Wells went missing. You got to think about it, it's been more than a month, Jake. But at the same time, people have so many questions about how this case will move forward.

And on top of that, you also have to consider that not only has the sheriff gone silent in this case, but the D.A.'s office has gone silent as they continue this investigation. Let's not forget about that autopsy that we believe is in some sort of process right now and we're not sure, has it ended, has toxicology reports come back? But today's focus was going to be on that island.

Now, the attorneys put out a statement, but at the same time as we reached out throughout the day to figure out have they been to the island? No one has responded to CNN just yet. We would love to talk to these three men, but at this point, we're not even sure if they completed that investigation today on that island. Jake?

TAPPER: All right, Ryan Young, thank you so much.

Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, Todd Blanche could be confirmed as the next U.S. attorney general at literally any moment after securing enough Republican support for Senate confirmation. But Epstein survivors who say Blanche is a disaster are launching a last minute effort to try to convince just one Republican lawmaker to change his vote. So what are their odds?

Plus, President Trump says he deserves a 150 percent approval rating on the economy. Yes, he really said that, 150 percent. But his comments are coming just as the new jobs report is much worse than expected and gas still averages more than $4 a gallon. And Americans say they are struggling to pay their bills. Is the President choosing to ignore all of that data or does he really not think it's his responsibility?

And an Atlanta mother had multiple organs removed after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. But then her doctors came back and said it was all a mix up and she never had cancer to begin with. Hear her story and how the company says it's working to make sure this doesn't happen again.

[17:59:58]

We're going to start with our Politics Lead. And President Trump's apparent disconnect, possibly even delusion when it comes to his approval ratings and the state of the economy and what Americans want.