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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Tupac Shakur Murder Trial Begins; Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) Ignites Personal Feud Over Trump's Aide; A Who's Who Of The Clown Show; USDA: 4-Plus Million Americans Without Food Aid After Snap Cuts; Jellyfish Surge Hits Several East Coast Beaches. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired August 17, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

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

This hour, the Tupac Shakur murder trial finally underway in Los Angeles, nearly 30 years after the hip hop legend was killed in a drive by shooting.

[18:00:00]

Duane Keith Davis was accused of orchestrating the murder as an act of revenge. We're going to break down what the first witnesses said today on the stand.

Plus, it appears Georgia Senator John Ossoff has gotten under President Trump's skin by taking a jab at one of the president's closest, but little known, aides. So, who is Natalie Harp and why is she now being name dropped on the campaign trail?

Also, it's the final hours of campaigning ahead of the next round of primaries, and we're digging into one race that a Republican operative called the who's who of a clown show. But is one of those passengers about to drive straight to the nation's capital?

And a warning for anyone planning a beach trip for the end of summer or Labor Day, hordes of jellyfish taking over some beaches on the East Coast. Thousands of people have been stung just in Ocean City, Maryland this month. And the Ocean City Beach Patrol captain is here to explain what's going on.

The Lead tonight, two high-profile murder trials, one involving a hip hop icon, the other a Massachusetts mom. First, the murder trial center centered on one of hip-hop's biggest unanswered questions, who killed Tupac Shakur? Nearly 30 years after the rapper was gunned down in Vegas, a jury is hearing the case against the only person ever charged in his killing.

Opening statements began today in the trial of Duane Davis. Prosecutors say Davis orchestrated the 1996 hit on Shakur and retaliation because of an attack on Davis' nephew. Davis was indicted in 2023 after detailing his involvement in the deadly shooting in a book and in interviews such as this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the chicks was like, Tupac, Tupac. He was like a celebrity, like he was in a parade.

He wouldn't even have been out the window. We went in everything. He pulled up. I was in the front seat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who shot Tupac?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just came from the backseat, bro.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Davis now says that those accounts were false and it was all just an attempt to make money.

Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, the defense began its case in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, the mother accused of strangling her three children in 2023. Clancy says she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis at the time.

Today, jurors heard from Clancy's mother and sister for the very first time. Clancy's mother testified about her daughter's state of mind leading up to the killings and one moment she found to be disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA MUSGROVE, LINDSAY CLANCY'S MOTHER: One particular evening that was disturbing to me.

She was afraid to be alone and she actually asked if she could sleep with me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did she indeed sleep with you on that occasion?

MUSGROVE: She did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Our CNN Correspondents Josh Campbell and Brynn Gingras are tracking these trials. Let's begin with Josh, who's in Vegas for the Tupac Shakur case. Josh, what did the prosecution and defense argue in their opening statements today?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, you and I have covered a lot of criminal cases. It is not often that you hear a defense attorney stand in front of a jury and accuse his own client, and forgive my language, accuses his own client of peddling, quote, bullshit. But that's exactly what the defense attorney did here, essentially laying out their strategy.

And what they're having to contend with is that although Duane Davis has pleaded not guilty to being involved in the murder of Tupac Shakur, after the incident he did a series of media interviews. He even wrote a book in which he described some of the details from that night.

He also had previously met with law enforcement, including the FBI, under what was some type of immunity agreement involving another case in which he said that he had, on that night here in Las Vegas, near the strip, had handed a firearm to his nephew who was seated in the backseat of a car as they pulled up along Shakur's car, and his nephew opened fire.

The strategy now is to say that was all false. He didn't mean any of that. And what he's saying, essentially, the attorney, and what Duane Davis has said in his own words, he was simply trying to make money off of this story. Whether that's something the jury will ultimately buy, we will have to wait and see.

For their part, the prosecution is indeed using Duane Davis's own statements as part of the key evidence that they are laying out in this trial. We'll see where it goes. We've already heard a number of witnesses that were there that night, including law enforcement officers who were responding. It's still going on behind me, today's testimony. But, again, this is going to come down to what do jurors actually believe, Duane Davis's own words or what his attorney is saying now.

Again, as I mentioned, he has pled not guilty. So much of this will be about witnesses and word of mouth because this was 30 years ago. We didn't have the same type of forensic technology that we have today. There aren't ubiquitous security cameras on the streets of most metropolitan areas. There's no footage of the actual shooting itself that night. So, again, a lot will come down to witnesses. We'll see how this lands with the jury, Jake.

TAPPER: And, Brynn, you're following the Lindsay Clancy trial.

[18:05:00]

Emotions high in the courtroom earlier as the defense called Clancy's sister and mother to the stand. Tell us more about their testimonies.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jake, I mean, this is the first time we're hearing from the closest members of Lindsay Clancy's, specifically even her mother, who said she would text back and forth or call back and forth with Lindsay multiple times a day leading up to those killings that happened in January of 2023, talking about her health.

And she told jurors how she noticed it was deteriorating. Her sister did the same thing on that day, basically saying she saw Lindsay losing weight, how she would constantly be having concern over her medications that she was taking. And there was one moment, you mentioned the one about her wanting to sleep with her mother in her bed when her mother visited her house in Duxbury, but another moment where she made a confession in the kitchen of her home to her mother and her ex-husband, Patrick Clancy. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MUSGROVE: I remember her being nervous. I remember her say, I just have to tell you guys something. And then she told us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did she tell you? MUSGROVE: She told us that she had thoughts of harming the children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS: And jurors were left with that exact ending of the mother before they took a lunch break, Jake. And then when it picked back up court, prosecution then had a chance to cross-examine the mother there, talking about -- really picking apart the text messages that she would send to her daughter, saying, you sound to be doing much better, and, you know, how is everything going, did you sleep well, sort of these interactions that the prosecution was picking apart.

Now, the defense called -- started its case, rather, after the prosecution spent weeks calling more than 70 witnesses to the stand, from law enforcement to medical professionals to Lindsay's ex-husband, Patrick Clancy, wrapping up its case. The big question still remains, Jake, is Lindsay Clancy going to take the stand? We don't know that answer quite yet. But, of course, we're going to stay tuned to it.

TAPPER: And, Josh, back to the Tupac murder case, this trial is happening in Las Vegas. Nevada trials are unique in that jurors are allowed to question witnesses after cross-examination. Did we see any of that today?

CAMPBELL: We did indeed, and you're spot on. That is what is so fascinating about the process here in the state of Nevada. Oftentimes, what happens is when you have a case that's before a jury, they'll take copious notes, and then toward the end, if they have a question about the instructions that have been given to them by a judge about particular evidence, then oftentimes a question will then be submitted at the end. Here, as you mentioned, in real time, after each witness, we're seeing the jury actually ask their own questions.

Now, to be sure, up to this point, again, this is day one, no big major questions, kind of aha moments that we've seen so far. They've asked about the direction of vehicle travel and whether someone saw bullets being fired, that kind of thing, nothing that actually illuminated anything that we didn't already suspect. But that will be interesting to watch because that gives us insight into what are these jurors actually thinking and which potential witnesses are they going to hear from that they want to hear more from. That will be certainly interesting to watch.

Now, oftentimes, also we'll see jurors emoting throughout a trial. We haven't seen any of that yet. Again, we're talking about day one. Their focus, their attention has been on the witnesses, and we'll see if that obviously continues. This is expected to last several weeks. And then, again, as I mentioned, we'll see what they ultimately decide, whose word they actually buy here.

TAPPER: Josh Campbell, Brynn Gingras, thanks to both of you.

President Trump says he's reducing military exercises with South Korea, a key ally in the region, just hours before they were set to begin. His reason? His, quote, very good relationship with North Korea's dictator Kim Jong-un. Is that really going to make the U.S. safer?

Plus, today, a judge effectively postponed the state murder case against Luigi Mangione. We'll explain why, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:10:00]

TAPPER: In our World Lead, President Donald Trump today is defending his decision to scale back longstanding joint military exercises with U.S. ally South Korea, in part because he thinks South Korea should be doing more to help the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We have 39,000 soldiers over there, guarding you from Kim Jong-un, your next-door neighbor. And you're not going to help us on a very easy military operation in Iran? That's strange.

I'm making it much safer. You see, I'm actually making it much safer.

Kim Jong-un has always treated me with great respect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Okay. So, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has always treated Trump with great respect, got it.

You know what else Kim Jong-un has been doing? He's been politically backing Iran amid the U.S. war against Iran. He's been infiltrating American companies and leveraging A.I. and vulnerable Americans to earn millions of dollars. He's been supplying Russia with weapons for Russia's war against Ukraine. He's been continuing North Korea's ballistic missile testing and nuclear program. And, of course, he's just been generally repressing his own people.

CNN's Will Ripley takes a closer look at Trump's relationship with North and South Korea.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Kim Jong-un and his daughter smiling at the circus. North Korean state media showing them celebrating in Pyongyang this weekend. At the same time, President Trump was posting this picture with Kim, saying, despite the unfriendly look, Kim Jong-un and I get along great, relationship Trump is now invoking to make a major change on the Korean peninsula, ordering the Pentagon to substantially reduce annual military exercises with South Korea, based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong-un, Trump says, adding the exercises are costly and send a totally inappropriate and hostile signal to North Korea.

The moves are fueling speculation Trump may be laying the groundwork for renewed diplomacy with Kim. CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR: This is kind of a shocking development by the president.

[18:15:00]

We'll see if he has some reason beyond what he stated. But, certainly, this is not the way to handle a region of the world that really expects reliability from us.

RIPLEY: For decades, North Korea has demanded these drills stop, calling them rehearsals for invasion and war. For the U.S. and South Korea, they serve a very different purpose, training their forces to fight together on the ground and in the air.

There's a reason the allies stay ready. In 1968, North Korea seized an American spy ship, the USS Pueblo. One American was killed. 82 more were held captive for nearly a year. In 1987, North Korean agents bombed a South Korean passenger jet. All 115 people aboard were killed. Then in 2010, the South Korean warship, Cheonan, sank near the North Korean border. 46 sailors died. An international investigation blamed a North Korean torpedo.

Pyongyang denied it. Months later, North Korean shells raining down on Yongpyong Island. Two South Korean Marines and two civilians killed, both nations blaming the other for exchanging fire, all on a peninsula where the Korean War never formally ended. And the North Korean military Trump faces today is far more heavily armed, with Kim's teenage daughter rumored to be his likely successor, as he expands his nuclear and missile arsenal.

Kim's military is also more battle-tested, Fighting for Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia wants another 30,000 North Korean troops, warning Moscow is helping Kim learn modern warfare. Kim has even built a memorial for those killed with room for many more graves.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY (on camera): Jake, as you know, President Trump has tried diplomacy with North Korea before. After their 2018 Singapore summit, he suspended major exercises. Kim never gave up his nuclear weapons. Now, Trump is scaling back drills before Kim has even agreed to talk. Could this be a new opening for diplomacy, or a concession before negotiations even begin? Jake?

TAPPER: Well, Ripley in Hong Kong, thank you so much for that report.

The U.S. Supreme Court just handed President Trump another loss today, a $5.6 million loss. Those details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:20:00]

TAPPER: Our Law and Justice Lead now, the U.S. Supreme Court declined for a second time to hear President Trump's efforts to overturn a 5.6 million dollar verdict after a jury found that President Trump had indeed sexually abused and defamed writer E. Jean Carroll during an encounter in a New York department store in the mid-1990s.

Here now, CNN's Kara Scannell. Kara, so, is President Trump finally going to have to pay E. Jean Carroll or does he have any other legal options?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's essentially run out the line on his legal options here. And the Supreme Court had initially first said they weren't going to take this case up on appeal in June. And right after that, the judge overseeing the trial had permitted the transfer of $5.6 million, that was the judgment plus interest that Trump had already put forward. He allowed that to go to E. Jean Carroll.

Now, Trump's lawyers said that was improper and they asked an appeals court to slow that down because they wanted a second chance at the U.S. Supreme Court. Well, now today, the U.S. Supreme Court is saying that they are not going to reconsider Trump's effort to have them hear this appeal. And her lawyers, E. Jean Carroll's lawyers, say now this whole fighting over the money is now moot because Trump's lawyers had agreed that they were really just waiting for the Supreme Court to weigh in here. So, it looks like E. Jean Carroll now has this $5.6 million unrestricted.

But there is that second appeal from that separate judgment of $83 million where the jury found Trump defamed her. Trump's lawyers have already asked the Supreme Court to take that up, but it's really not clear how soon they'll act on that. Jake?

TAPPER: And, Kara, another big development earlier today in the New York State murder trial of Luigi Mangione. Tell us what happened.

SCANNELL: So, the trial was set to begin on September 8th. It is now effectively postponed because, as we reported on Friday, Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges and admitted to murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. His lawyers immediately moved to have the state case dismissed on double jeopardy grounds. Today, the judge issuing an order with this briefing schedule.

Now, he will give the Manhattan District Attorney's Office until October 9th to file their opposition to that. Mangione will have time to respond. And then the judge saying the next court appearance in the state case will be on December 10th. That is just eight days before he will be sentenced on the federal charges.

So, effectively, no trial now in the state court until this issue of double jeopardy is resolved. And, ultimately, whoever is on the losing side of that judge's order could appeal. And it's possible the district attorney's office may drop this after Mangione is sentenced.

TAPPER: Kara Scannell, thanks so much, I appreciate it.

A colorful cast of characters, all competing against each other for a chance to serve in the U.S. Congress. We're going to break down all of the Republicans running in one specific Florida district. And just wait until you hear who they are and what their credentials are. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

TAPPER: And we're back with our Politics Lead, cue the music, please, the CNN election jam, you know I love it.

Tomorrow we're going to see yet another night of high-stakes primaries across America Including one particular house race in Florida, but I can't wait to tell you about, one Republican operative called it a who's who of the clown show, as a cast of conservative mainly carpetbaggers compete in the race for Florida's 19th district near Naples.

Just this weekend President Trump through his coveted endorsement to Catalina Lauf, who has run for Congress before in Illinois in 2020 against former, Illinois State Senator Jim Oberweis, he's not -- Trump did not endorse him. Oberweis is now also on the ballot tomorrow in Florida's 19th.

There's also Ola Hawatmeh, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for Congress as well in New York, and then became an adviser to Indiana Republican Congresswoman Victoria Spartz.

Two embattled Congressmen from other states, of course are also vying for the nomination. Do you remember North Carolina's Madison Cawthorne, the youngest member of Congress at 26 years old before he was voted out following a rather chaotic single term in Congress in which he claimed people in Washington were inviting him to orgies and doing cocaine in front of him?

He's running in this race too. Chris Collins from New York, remember him? He was sentenced to 26 months in prison for playing a role in an insider trading scheme. President Trump, Of course, pardon Collins two months into his sentence. He's running in this Florida race, too.

We also can't forget Turning Point USA's-backed candidate John Strand his resume includes Former international underwear model and a year in federal prison tied to his involvement in the January 6th attack on the Capitol before being pardoned by President Trump. Candidate Jim Schwartzel's a local Florida broadcasting mogul He's running ads on his TV and radio stations January 6th attack on the Capitol before being pardoned by President Trump.

[18:30:04]

Candidate Jim Schwartzel's a local Florida broadcasting mogul. He's running ads on his T.V. and radio stations, deriding the parade of out-of-towners and promoting his own campaign. The seat is currently open since current Congressman Byron Donald's is running for governor, but Donald's has not endorsed anyone, so it's still anyone's guess which of these characters could win the chance to mount a political comeback tomorrow night.

For reaction, I'm joined in the studio with the panel. Melik quite a cast of characters. Who would you vote for in that Republican primary? MELIK ABDUL, GOP STRATEGIST: Byron Donald's.

TAPPER: Byron -- but he's not running. He's not running. Well, that's a little protest there from you.

ABDUL: Yes, these are -- this isn't something that really is on the GOP's radar. You noted that they do have a number of carpetbagger candidates, but it's just not something one of the racist that's really looking at. We're really trying to see what happens with Byron Donalds, whether or not he ends up making it to the primary and raking it through the primary, to the general and ultimately becoming Florida's first black governor. And it looks like he has a very good chance of doing that.

TAPPER: Do you think he's going to win the primary?

ABDUL: Oh, yes. Oh, I mean, against James Fishback? Yes, he's going to James Fishback.

TAPPER: So, let's turn to the story of the day here in Washington. President Trump is attacking Georgia Senator John Ossoff because Ossoff over the weekend said this about the president at a campaign event.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JON OSSOFF (D-GA): While the sailors on the Lincoln fight his war, while he fruitlessly drains our munitions and oil reserves, the president sleeps through his meetings. He golfs. He trades stocks. So, he doesn't want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defensive flying pals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: All right. The part that was really I think at issue, he wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie under apparently defensive flying pals. Who is Natalie? I hear you cry. Natalie Harp is one of the president's most trusted personal aides. She frequently travels with him. She's there what's called a body person, just like always there with the person. It's a tradition here in Washington, D.C.

Their relationship was part of the book "Regime Change" that reported that Harp leaves admiring notes for President Trump all over the place and credits the president for saving her life in her battle with cancer by signing the 2018 Right to Try Act, which allows for experimental medications to be used before full FDA approval. She credits the president there are questions as to whether or not the treatment she got actually is because of the Right to Try Act, well, it doesn't matter.

Here's what President Trump said about Senator Ossoff's comments when asked earlier today by CNN's Kristen Holmes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: I mean, Pee-Wee Herman, Pee-Wee Herman lookalike. No, I would much rather do other things. It's a -- we're building a great facility here. We're fixing the White House that hasn't been taken care of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Okay. So, he didn't respond to the Natalie Harp, but he responded to that he wants to build his ballroom part of it. What do you make of that?

MEGHAN HAYS, FORMER WHITE HOUSE DIRECTOR OF MESSAGE PLANNING UNDER PRESIDENT BIDEN: I mean, I'm not sure John Ossoff said that was untrue or a lie, so I think that's part of this here. But I think the fact that he even has to respond to this in general is a problem for Trump. I mean, he doesn't see it's a problem, but the Republican Party does. They are laying out all the things and all of the corrupt ways that President Trump is running the White House and running the country. And I think that's going to be a problem come in November.

I think we're seeing it with the cast of characters in Florida. Candidate selection matters. I'm not sure they're going to be successful there. And having Trump's endorsement, someone like Donald Trump, I'm not sure helps him either. So --

TAPPER: So, Melik, Republicans are very upset about this because they think that Jon -- well, you explain.

ABDUL: Well, it's not what Republicans think. We know the reason that Natalie Harp's name is mentioned. Now, he gets to do this whole too cute by half thing, and it's a wink and a nod.

TAPPER: Ossoff.

ABDU: Yes, Ossoff. What he's talking about is this longstanding rumor that Donald Trump is having a relationship with Natalie Harp. That's what he's referring to. So, this whole Harp thing that the media is now picking up on, it's really consistent.

So, you asked about how do Republicans feel about this, we've been here before. We saw what happened during the Bush administration, where these were the salacious rumors that Condoleezza Rice was having a relationship with then-President George Bush. We saw with Melania Trump having to sue the Daily Mail because they called her an escort. We saw it with Sarah Sanders, Huckabee Sanders, when the comedian, Michelle Wolf, talked about her ashes being makeup.

We've seen this over and over again. The only thing that Natalie Harp has done has been an assistant to Donald Trump. And we've seen over and over again, when it comes to the left, when it comes to Democrats, and when it comes to even media, they are willing to ignore all of these type of misogynistic and sexist remarks against Republican women or those who are aligned with Republican men. That is what this is about.

TAPPER: Just to interject one second, Meghan, and then you can say whatever you want to say, there is no evidence that I know of that there is any relationship between President Trump and Natalie Harp beyond a professional one, other than she obviously does feel like he helped save her life. Okay, full stop, go.

HAYS: I mean, I do think that's fair. But I don't think that saying what he is saying is untrue. She follows him everywhere he goes. He does want to build a ballroom.

ABDUL: But why mention her name at all? Why mention -- out of all the people around Donald Trump --

HAYS: Because her name is mentioned in a book. But also you're talking about someone who's trying to keep the sexual harassment and sexual assault.

ABDUL: The reason that her name is being mentioned because of this rumor that there is a relationship between Natalie Harp and Donald Trump. That's why I'm saying Ossoff gets to do this wink and a nod. Well, I didn't really say this. He's feeding into the narrative, because he knows that that's the conversation out there.

HAYS: Come on, everybody's fed into the narrative that Joe Biden was too old and didn't know his name. And that's also untrue.

ABDUL: Okay.

HAYS: So, I mean, if we're going to call a spade a spade, you've got to be honest here. That's not --

ABDUL: I mean, if you listen to Democrats, Joe Biden was pretty much like Saquon Barkley out there. And we know that that wasn't true.

HAYS: This is ridiculous.

ABDUL: Yes, it is ridiculous for him to say to attack this young woman. It is absolutely ridiculous. And Democrats need to condemn it. But, again, we know why they don't condemn it for all of the reasons that I said before.

TAPPER: I will just note that the White House response was very furious, attacking reporters who asked about it. And the White House spokesman, Davis Engel, posted, quote, John Ossoff is a cringeworthy feminine theater kid cosplaying as Barack Obama. Nobody gives a shit what this lightweight loser says, unquote.

ABDUL: Cosplaying as Barack Obama, because that's exactly the conversation. Like look at Jon Ossoff. He's no Barack Obama, much like there is no one like Donald Trump.

HAYS: If nobody cares what John Ossoff is saying, why are you so passionate about it? Why is the White House responding?

ABDUL: I've already articulated what the problem that I have with it. It is the inconsistency. It is the hypocrisy of Democrats, media when it comes to Republican women. That is what all of this is about. Because if those attacks, and this is the same group of people, by the way, even though I didn't feed into it, this is the same group of people who, even if you mention, even if you mention Willie Brown out of San Francisco in his relationship with Kamala Harris, they thought that there was heresy.

TAPPER: They did actually have a relationship.

ABDUL: They did have a relationship.

HAYS: But I also think that Republican women have sat here and attacked AOC for freezing her eggs.

ABDUL: What about it?

HAYS: So, why -- like why is that okay, and it's not --

ABDUL: I stand on principle. I'm not okay with Republicans doing it. I'm not okay with it.

TAPPER: Let me ask you a question. I have seen people say, this is an indication that Jon Ossoff is -- speaking of Barack Obama -- is not of the when they go low, we go high school, which is what Michelle Obama said, I think, in 2020, 2016, I forget, whatever. But like a lot of Democrats are like, forget that. We're going to fight fire with fire, et cetera, et cetera. We're going to play dirty, or whatever, however you want to interpret it.

HAYS: Yes. Where did -- but where did that method get the Democratic Party, right? It got us another four years of Donald Trump, where we have not seen the same reactions from Republicans. And I just think, do I agree with the narrative and politics? Do I think -- as a former White House staffer, would I wanted my name out there? No. Was it? Yes, all the time. This stuff happens. This is sort of you become a public figure, this is what happens. And I'm not calling public figure when you're a staffer. It's not the same. I get it. But you're out there. And this is the kind of things that happens.

And when you write him notes, and when you're in a book, you put yourself up. And I think that's the problem here. So, either all staff is going to be off limits, like families off limits, or they're not. And I just don't think, Donald Trump doesn't have anyone off limits. So, I'm just not sure Jon Ossoff should have to play by the same rules.

ABDUL: That sounds like a whataboutism.

TAPPER: All right, thanks to both of you. I really appreciate it.

A political newcomer is trying to unseat a congressman who's held his job for 25 years. Past challenges against this Democratic congressman have failed. Is this year going to be any different? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

TAPPER: Back in the Politics Lead, experience versus generational change. That's the divide playing out among Democratic voters all over the country, but we're going to take a look right now at Massachusetts' Eighth Congressional District where the race appears to be tightening between 25-year incumbent Congressman Stephen Lynch and his challenger, political newcomer, lawyer and voting rights advocate, Patrick Roath, ahead of their September primary.

Patrick Roath joins me now. Patrick, the last time Congressman Lynch received a primary challenge was 2020, three cycles ago. He still secured more than half the votes. Why do you think the voters in your district want change now?

PATRICK ROATH (D-MA), U.S. CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Totally, Jake. Thanks for having me on.

Look, look what's going on in this country. Look at what has happened to all of our institutions and look what's happening in Democratic primary after Democratic primary. There's so much appetite out there for change right now. People are frustrated with the status quo. They do not like what they see from the Democratic establishment class and they are ready for people to come in who have a different perspective, who bring a different orientation to the job and treat it like a mission.

And that's what this is about. You know, Congressman Lynch is someone who's been in Congress for 25 years, hasn't had an in-person town hall since 2019, takes corporate PAC money, voted against the Affordable Care Act, joined the Republicans on the Laken Riley Act last year. Look, that is not what people want anymore and this is a time, I think, where lots of voters are looking for new choices.

TAPPER: Lynch is 71 years old, you're 39. Also in your state, 47-year- old Congressman Seth Moulton is challenging 80-year-old Ed Markey. Is part of your campaign about passing of the torch that the Democrats have been lagging on? Is it just about age?

ROATH: Well, no, it's certainly not just about age. You know, that race is going on in Massachusetts, but across the country, we see lots of this. It's actually about a lot more than age. I mean, look, I think people are excited to get a different generation in there. You know, I'm a new dad, so childcare, for example, is a top issue for us and something I talk about a lot, the solutions to try to get more affordable and even universal childcare is super important to me. It's important to this district. That's one example.

But, you know, I don't even really bring age up that much. It is about the vision that you are going to try to bring to the Congress. It's about your record if you've been there for 25 years. It's about the things you're going to focus on and whether you're ready to go down to Washington and actually fight.

[18:45:04]

Age might be a part of that, but it's far from the only thing that's going on in this race.

TAPPER: We see your generation or a younger generation of Democrats winning in primaries, where there's a very active youth vote, where there's a very active DSA, I don't think you're a DSA candidate, but still, they tend to go with more progressive candidates. And it sounds like you're casting yourself as more progressive than Congressman Lynch do.

Do you -- will that be a factor tomorrow?

ROATH: Oh, of course, two weeks from tomorrow, though. We're --

TAPPER: Two weeks from tomorrow. I'm sorry.

ROATH: A little more time.

TAPPER: Sorry about that. Yeah.

ROATH: Yeah, no. No problem. You scared -- you scared me for a second.

TAPPER: Sorry.

ROATH: Well, look, it's funny, I get called young on programs like this. I'm 39, right? Like I'm a dad. I've been a practicing lawyer for a long time. I'm not that young, in normal terms. In congress terms, I am because of the age of how many of the members who have been serving for so long.

You know, I'm not -- I'm not myself a Democratic socialist, but like, you know, look at those candidates who are winning and what they're talking about. They're talking about getting corporate PAC money out of politics, corporate money, period. They're talking about fixing our politics so they're more responsive to the needs of working people, tangible, serious, material things we can do to help people on child care, on universal health care, right, on housing.

Those are the issues we need to be discussing. And they are the ones who are forcing that conversation. And in this district, I mean, look, I hope I drive younger voters out, but I'm much more interested in just making sure younger voters are part of the process and check in and believe and have some hope for this country. You know, that's my background as a voting rights guy, trying to get young people involved. And it's so important to do that.

TAPPER: All right. Patrick Roath, Democratic candidate in Massachusetts' eighth congressional district -- thanks so much.

ROATH: Thanks, Jake. This is great. I really appreciate it.

TAPPER: In our money lead, more than four million Americans have lost access to food aid through SNAP benefits. And experts warn that's just the beginning. When President Trump signed his so-called Big, Beautiful Bill into law last year, which included historic cuts to safety net programs including SNAP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported about 42 million Americans were receiving food stamps.

As of April of this year, the USDA estimates that number is down to 37 million people. Without a reliable source of food aid. Millions of Americans, many of them children, are forced to rely on community aid, through services such as food banks. Joining us now is Natalie Jayroe, who runs one such food bank in

southern Arizona.

Natalie, thanks for joining us.

Have you noticed an increase in people coming to the food bank after these cuts?

NATALIE JAYROE, CEO, COMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA: Yes. We've noticed a huge increase and actually started with the government shutdown, but it's increased over that time up to a 20 percent increase in people needing our aid. But 120 percent increase in children requesting our services during the summer. When we do some summer snacks for children and passes out at libraries and other summer camp organizations.

TAPPER: Are you confident in your organizations ability to provide for these people? Do you have enough funding? Do you have enough food?

JAYROE: I am confident that the community will step up. I am not confident in my food sources. Our story started for food banks across the country when we received a 50 percent cut in the USDA foods that we were getting. You may recall that there was a cut in all discretionary funding and that cut the USDA food. That makes up about 25 percent of our distribution in half.

We've gone to local retailers and donors and volunteers and asked for more help. And our community is always is stepping up.

TAPPER: What advice do you have for anyone out there watching right now who's struggling because they don't have those SNAP benefits anymore?

JAYROE: I think please stop by a local food bank. You can. There are 200 Feeding America food banks across the country, but we work through 60,000 agencies. I would suggest you find the local food bank. We can tell you where the nearest organization providing aid is.

We run a lot of programs like mobile distributions. We have a lot of donated food from grocery stores, and we're finding new ways to distribute that. As I mentioned to you, we work with children in the summer and we do school pantries during the school year. We're working to do more home deliveries for people that can't leave their homes. So, we're always searching for more ways. So please get in contact with us.

And in addition, we have staff that will help you walk through that SNAP process. Because here in the state of Arizona, part of the challenge is the bureaucratic slowdown that's occurred for people that are trying to get the benefits that may be eligible.

TAPPER: If you could talk right now to President Trump or any other lawmakers in Washington, D.C., about all of this, what would you say?

JAYROE: What I'd say is compassion is good policy. I think for everyone when I talk to everyone, Republican Democrats, we meet with all members of our delegation. They cover the whole strike. We meet with and work with all kinds of volunteers. They all agree that they don't want anyone to go hungry.

[18:50:02]

We throw away a third of everything that we process prepare in this country, so there's no need for anyone to go hungry. And it's a very American solution to get that into the hands of people that can help.

And for SNAP in particular, it's such an economic benefit, particularly in our rural communities. And our rural grocery stores are struggling like everyone else with inflation.

So, the SNAP program, which food banks cannot replace, is hugely beneficial. And it helps our farmers, it helps our retailers, especially in rural areas, and it helps people in need.

TAPPER: Natalie, thank you so much and thanks for what you do.

JAYROE: Thank you so much. Thanks for covering this important issue.

TAPPER: Up next, the beach is open, but you're going to have to share the ocean with jellyfish. Thousands of beachgoers are getting stung this summer, so why so many jellyfish? And how can you avoid getting zapped?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:55:24]

TAPPER: In our national lead, if you're looking at your TV right now, no, that's -- that's not trash in the water. That's not trash. Those are -- those are jellyfish and quite a few of them.

They've been spotted across several popular East Coast -- East Coast beaches this summer, jellyfish. This includes Ocean City, Maryland, where reports of about 2,000 beachgoers suffering jellyfish stings in the past few weeks. The weeks-long surge forcing some visitors to skip the water altogether.

Joining us now, Ocean City Beach Patrol Captain Butch Arbin.

Captain, you've previously said that in the last 54 years, this is the worst. You've seen it for this period of time. What is causing the surge in jellyfish in Ocean City?

CAPTAIN BUTCH ARBIN, OCEAN CITY BEACH PATROL: Well, there's really three factors. The first factor has to do with the warm water. You know, the solar heating of the surface water is there. But we've not had a very turbulent ocean.

So, the cooler bottom water is not being mixed to kind of cool it down. That's another factor without the rough surf and without the currents, the jellyfish are not being broken up. They're not being washed away. And the third factor is, you know, there's been a drought, a drought on the east coast since the fall. So, the salinity, the amount of fresh water going into the bay and

into the oceans is not as much. So the salinity is kind of high, which is right in the range the jellyfish like.

So warm water, lack of current and wave action. And then the salinity, those factors.

And when I say the worst, it they come every year, but they're staying. They were here longer this year than they typically have been.

TAPPER: And the videos of the jellyfish, at least the ones I've seen, jellyfish are really close to the shore. Not even chesty, but ankle deep. Some jellyfish just seem to be washing up on the sand. Are jellyfish related first aid cases also at a record high this summer?

ARBIN: Well, yeah. What happens is, you know, there are 300,000 people on the -- in Ocean City on a, you know, any given day or weekend. And so, when you say we've -- you know, it's 10 miles of beach, we're one of the largest beaches. So, we're talking about along the entire beach.

And those are people walking up to the guard saying, hey, what's in the water? What stung me? We're not talking about medical emergencies in most cases, just people getting the irritation of being stung or, or just feeling something in the water.

TAPPER: So, you're going to need to clear this up because there are a lot of viewers watching right now who think, well, if I ever get stung by a jellyfish, then I'm just going to have my friend pee on the area where I got stung. True or false?

ARBIN: Yes. Thank you, Cheers or, "Friends". Yeah, they're the ones -- that is false.

In fact, the information, one of the best sources right now is the national poison control center. There are lots of varieties of jellyfish. And what you can do for one variety may not work with another.

What we're seeing are what we call sea nettles. You don't want to use vinegar. You don't want to use fresh water. What you want to do is wash it off with seawater. If you have any tentacles on you, which usually doesn't happen, you pick them off.

And what we're suggesting and what the poison control says is mixing baking soda with sea water into a paste and put that on.

Most people that get stung do not need to seek medical treatment. If you have breathing difficulty tightness in your chest, any of those symptoms, then you might want to seek medical care. But most people don't.

People are requesting EMS to be looked at. Those people aren't going to the hospital. They're refusing treatment. And then in a few hours, it starts to subside. And the one thing you can do is the hottest shower or bath that you can safely stand will help with some of the pain.

TAPPER: Okay. Hot showers and then also a concoction with baking soda and seawater. But no pee, no urine and to -- in defense of "Friends", I'd heard that rumor years before that show ever came on the air.

Butch, are you concerned that this increase in jellyfish this summer is going to become the new normal? Because some of the things you're describing, drought conditions, you know, heat, some of that might be here to stay because of climate change.

ARBIN: Well, in this case, the biggest factor for us has been we had, you know, the Atlantic Ocean, the Atlantic basin has a lot of tropical activity. We haven't had much this year.

When you get a lot of wave action, first of all, it breaks up the jellyfish and it moves them away with the current. Also, it's like when you put hot water in the bathtub, you usually swirl it around with your hands to mix the cooler with the warm water.

TAPPER: Yeah.

ARBIN: The cool bottom water is not being mixed with the top. So, I don't know if it's going to be here to stay if we get rough surf.

TAPPER: All right. Captain Butch Arbin, thank you so much. And you all heard him out there. Do not pee on the jellyfish sting.

You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, X, and on TikTok @JakeTapper. You can follow the show on X and Instagram @TheLeadCNN.

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"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.