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Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) is Interviewed about Putin; Trump Now Loves Crypto; Questions about Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus; Adam Healy is Interviewed about Violence Surrounding Crypto. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired May 28, 2025 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

MARC LIPSITCH, DIRECTOR, HARVARD UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR COMMUNICABLE DISEASE DYNAMICS: Lies about vaccines and happens now to be secretary of Health and Human Services, making unilateral recommendation and putting the CDC's authority behind it. You note that there was no one from CDC on that -- on that Twitter video.

This is not how you make public health recommendations if you're a serious country. This is how you make bad advice. And -- and people have to find ways of getting good advice.

CDC's website, when I checked it last night, still had its old, good advice up. And -- and, you know, I look to the CDC and will continue to look to CDC for advice. But when there's this kind of political interference, I think we have to find other sources of good advice. And if this continues and goes into other -- other parts of public health advice, then -- then people are going to have to find sources, such as high-quality state health departments and other countries.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Wow, quite a moment we are in. Something that I think a lot of people feared, especially when they watched Robert F. Kennedy over the years and his confirmation hearings.

Marc Lipsitch, thank you so much for coming in. I really appreciate it.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, shocked with electric wires, dangled over a balcony, hit with a gun. New claims about the alleged kidnaping and torture of a cryptocurrency trader.

And this morning, at least five people are dead, six people missing, after a deadly blast at a chemical plant.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:35:34]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, Russian sources tell Reuters that Vladimir Putin wants key concessions from western leaders for him to end his war in Ukraine, including this, lifting a chunk of sanctions and demanding NATO must stop expanding eastward.

Now, this comes as President Trump is considering moving ahead with new sanctions on Russia as he grows increasingly furious at Moscow for stalling on a ceasefire in Ukraine. The president warning Putin on Truth Social that, if it weren't for Trump, "lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia," adding, Putin is "playing with fire."

Joining me now, Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks of New York. He is the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Thank you so much for being here this morning, Congressman.

Let's go to this first, the -- the reporting that Putin wants a pledge in writing to stop allowing countries to join NATO in the region and a chunk of sanctions lifted on Russia. Is this a negotiation that the U.S. should consider?

REP. GREGORY MEEKS (D-NY): It's a nonstarter, and it's time that President Trump gets serious about this.

You know, I think that when he -- all he does is talk. And we know that Vladimir Putin was stalling during the other election, waiting for Trump to see what happened in the election. And once Trump was in, new -- knowing that he could do whatever he wanted to, because Trump said that before the election, let Russia do whatever they want.

There is no pressure on Russia at all. And I think it's time for the United States Congress to step up, because many of my Republican colleagues, for example, Sara, I heard them all through the Biden administration supporting and wanting to get more weapons into Ukraine so that they could defend themselves. And when that was happening, Ukraine was actually winning the war.

But all along what Putin wanted to do was buy time and allow Trump to come in and do nothing so that they could do all that they wanted to do. And that's what's happening here.

SIDNER: Yes.

MEEKS: I have a bill in the House that I hope my Republicans join that will stop it. It sanctions Russia and it gives aid and weapons to Ukraine.

SIDNER: Do -- do you think, though, that you are starting to see a turn here? I mean Trump has been complimentary to Putin in the past. But now he says, you know, bad things haven't happened to Russia because of Donald Trump. What do you hope that means for Trump's plans for U.S. involvement in Russia's war in Ukraine?

MEEKS: We've seen, since he's been president, and we've all seen also before he was president, all talk and no action. You know, they talk about, you know, strength. You see no strength. All I hear is talk lately. And that talk is very weak. And the bombing and the killing and the destruction of property in Ukraine continues. And then you hear this announcement about NATO not expanding. Well, that's what he wanted -- one of the things that he wanted in the beginning was to dissolve NATO because then he could continue his rant across Europe, taking territory, like he did with Crimea before, like he did in Georgia and others.

And what happened under Joe Biden was the -- the NATO alliance got stronger. And for the first time Finland and Sweden decided to join NATO for their own protection, to stop the aggression and the taking of property that Vladimir Putin has led since he has taken charge of the Russian regime.

SIDNER: Yes, I mean, it was clear that his whole point of starting this war, which was unprovoked, was to stop Ukraine from trying to join NATO.

I want to switch gears here to Trump's fight with Harvard. He and -- and his chosen head of the task force for -- to combat antisemitism, Leo Terrell, says, his fight with Harvard is all about anti-Semitism, and that fight is going to include more universities.

I want you to listen to what Terrell told Fox News yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEO TERRELL, SENIOR COUNSEL, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR CIVIL RIGHTS: Unlike the previous administration, expect massive lawsuits against UC (ph) system who still practice on the East Coast, on the West Coast, in the Midwest. Expect hate crime charges filed by the federal government. Effect -- expect Title 7 lawsuits against those individuals who are not being protected simply because they're Jewish.

[08:40:04]

This is going to stop. We've got a full front of activity in the courtroom. We're going to meet them in court. And one other fact that I cannot disclose, we are going to go after them where it hurts them financially.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: So, when you hear that, is this fight, in your mind, really just about antisemitism, as the Trump administration, for example, tries to stop international students from attending Harvard?

MEEKS: Absolutely not. All of America, and all of the good people in America are against anti-Semitism. We will stand and speak out, you know, as -- as well as America did when we saw universities stopping black folks coming in during the civil rights movement. We will stand and make sure the right thing is done.

This is not about that. This is about retribution. This is about individuals, as we've seen again and again, universities, law firms, any individual that Trump perceives to be his enemy. It's about retribution. It's about him wanting to be a king.

This is a danger and a violation of the Constitution of the United States of America, which does give individuals the freedom of speech and the freedom of standing up and -- and educating individuals in the -- in the manner that they see fit. This is not about anti-Semitism.

And I think that if you look at the numbers of individuals and -- that Harvard has helped, when you look at the research with preventing and looking at health care issues that will save lives. When you look at how we bring scholars in, that makes America stronger. They get educated in the United States of America. They -- many of them didn't want to stay, or previous to Trump wanted to stay in the United States of America so that they can continue to build and share the American dream with us. That's who -- what we should be about, not by Donald king trying to stand and look like a king and say, this is what I want. This is against me. And so, therefore, I'm going after you.

Clearly, that's what he's done. He wants to follow the model of Vladimir Putin, not destroy the aggression of Putin and the aggression of Putin with reference to all kinds of institutions in Russia. He wants us to be similar to that. He's trying to destroy our institutions, of which is the fabric of America.

SIDNER: Representative Gregory Meeks, thank you so much for coming on and expressing your concern here.

John.

BERMAN: All right, shortly this morning, Vice President J.D. Vance will speak at the Bitcoin 2020 Conference in Las Vegas. The president's sons, Don Jr. and Eric, will also attend this event. The president and his family stepping ever deeper into the crypto world.

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is here.

You know this segment could be titled like, how Donald Trump and his family learn to love crypto, right?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes.

BERMAN: Both politically and financially here.

Let's talk about in general the politics of -- of crypto. How has it changed over the last ten years?

ENTEN: Well, this is one of the trend lines in American politics and just American society overall that makes you go, wow, crypto has become part of the mainstream. What are we talking about here? The belief that crypto should be legal.

Back in 2014, it was just 38 percent of Americans. Look at this shift. Hello. It is now 55 percent of Americans who believe that crypto should be legal, compared to just 38 percent who believe it should, in fact, be illegal, at least most of the time. So, this is a big part that's playing into Donald Trump's play here is that the American public has shifted tremendously on it, going from just 38 percent who believe it should be legal to now 55 percent who believe it should be legal in 2025.

BERMAN: All right, crypto people. How have their politics changed? ENTEN: Yes, how have crypto people? Part of this is Trump loves people

who are loyal to him, right? This is something we've seen time and time again. Trump's margin among crypto voters compared to overall, in 2020 he did four points worse among crypto voters than he did overall. He lost them. But take a look at 2024. Whoa, that's a huge shift. He did 19 points better among crypto voters than he did overall. Won them rather easily. So, part of Donald Trump getting into bed with crypto owners is that they like Donald Trump and therefore Donald Trump loves crypto owners.

BERMAN: It's possible that -- that he saw fertile ground there, which is, you know, he went in, he asked for their vote. He got it. He told them what they wanted to hear.

ENTEN: You got it.

BERMAN: How is he doing in crypto beyond politics?

ENTEN: Yes, OK. So, you know, we spoke about the fact that the American public believes that crypto should be legal. We've spoken about the fact that crypto voters have been loyal, have shifted over to Donald Trump. But it's also that Donald Trump's family is making a ton of money on crypto. Trump family paper gains from crypto, get this, nearing $1 billion. We're talking from mining. We're talking from their own coins.

The bottom line is, the Trump family saw an opportunity to go into crypto, to make a lot of money from crypto, and that is, in fact, exactly what they have done. And Donald Trump is one of the people who has been responsible for bringing crypto into the mainstream, because it's been good for him politically, but it has also been quite good for him and his family financially.

[08:45:10]

BERMAN: Yes, sometimes it is hard to find that line between those two either.

ENTEN: Yes.

BERMAN: All right.

ENTEN: Sometimes a little confusing, but Donald Trump is toeing that line.

BERMAN: Or not.

ENTEN: Or not.

BERMAN: We'll have to see.

ENTEN: Trying to.

BERMAN: Harry Enten, thank you very much.

Kate. BOLDUAN: Yesterday we told you about the news about Billy Joel and his rare neurological disorder. The legendary musician has now canceled all of his upcoming tour dates after his diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus.

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta back with us this morning to answer your questions that you submitted about it.

It's good to see you as always, Sanjay.

Let's start with the question from Robert from Maine. He asked simply and importantly, "what is the cause of hydrocephalus?"

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so hydrocephalus is a term that a lot of people have probably heard. They typically think about it in babies, maybe, water on the brain. That's what hydrocephalus often means to people.

But let me show you what the -- what it really looks like from a neural perspective. This over here, Kate, this is normal brain. And these black areas right in here, that -- those are normal fluid filled areas in the brain.

Now if you look over here, you can -- you can tell pretty easily that these areas are -- are greatly expanded. We're talking about right here. It can happen because you have fluid that's sort of circulating around the brain, around the spinal cord. That's happening continuously. And if for some reason that fluid can't circulate as well, fluid starts to build up here.

Now, it's called hydrocephalus in part because the pressure -- normal pressure hydrocephalus, because it's the pressure in here is not high. It's not actually pushing on the brain that much, which is -- which is something that's characteristic of this. Typically, it's associated with various symptoms, such as difficulties with walking, difficulties with memory, difficulties with bladder control. But that is basically what hydrocephalus is. That's what it looks like to a neurosurgeon.

BOLDUAN: And a lot of questions coming in about people whose family members are -- have the same diagnosis. One from -- Patty from Bradenton, Florida, she sent in this question to you, Sanjay. She said, "recently, my mom, 82 years old, has been diagnosed with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus. Next week she's having a spinal tap. Can you tell me if it will make things better?"

GUPTA: Yes. So, this -- this is really interesting. Again -- again, so sort of keep this image in your mind and you have all this extra fluid that's circulating around your brain and your spinal cord. It's that cerebral spinal fluid that's bathing it.

One of the things that she's asking about here is the idea of doing a lumbar puncture. So, let me just show you here. Lumbar puncture basically -- this is the spine. Lower back. Basically taking a needle, it looks like this, and sort of putting it between some of the bones and draining some of the fluid that comes from here. Now, when you drain some of that fluid, you're draining fluid from not just around the spinal canal, but also around the brain. You're draining some of the fluid that I just showed you over here. If that actually makes the patient better, if they improve as a result of that, their walking gets better, their cognition gets better, bladder control gets better, that's an indication that simply removing the fluid is the right approach for the patient.

It works quite often. I'll tell you, Kate, I -- I do that procedure a lot. And, you know, if you can get a good result just from doing the lumbar puncture, which is temporary, that's a good indication that a more permanent procedure is actually going to be a pretty good benefit to the patient.

BOLDUAN: That's really interesting. And there's other -- other approaches as well.

And Laura sent in a question to ask about her mom. She said, "what are the chances that my mother can get some or all of her mobility back with the brain shunt procedure?"

Sanjay.

GUPTA: Yes. So, again, and just keep in mind, the preface here is that patients often come in with symptoms of difficulties walking, difficulties with memory. Is this Alzheimer's? Is this Parkinsons? They get this scan. It shows this. And you could potentially do that shunt procedure which, OK, so here's the brain. You got the skull around that. We just basically take a drill and are able to drill through the bone. And then you take this -- this catheter and basically you're putting it through the brain into that fluid space over there and then subsequently draining that using -- using one of these catheters into the abdominal cavity.

So, you're essentially draining fluid from the brain into the abdominal cavity. It's a more permanent procedure. This is what it sort of looks like. And 70, 80 percent of the time, Kate, it works. Patients get better. And we certainly hope that for Billy Joel.

BOLDUAN: God, it also is a reminder, Sanjay, of just how amazing you are and the work that you do.

Thank you so much, Sanjay. It's great to see you.

GUPTA: You got it. Thank you.

BOLDUAN: And I'm sure that offers some help to all of those who are asking questions today.

GUPTA: Appreciate it.

BOLDUAN: Sara.

SIDNER: That is the breaking news, Sanjay is the absolute best. Wow. I love it when he brings all of those things with him to show us how it works.

[08:50:01] All right, not snakes on a plane, but how about pigeons on a plane? There was chaos over the birds trying to fly free on an airline. You hear the screams there. That story ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, we are standing by as a crypto investor accused of kidnaping and torturing a man for his bitcoin password is expected in court. A second suspect in the case turned himself in yesterday. Prosecutors say the two men held the victim hostage for weeks, threatened to kill him and his family, and used electric wires to shock him.

[08:55:05]

This is just the latest in a string of violent attacks against crypto investors around the world.

With us now is Adam Healy, chief executive at the crypto-focused cybersecurity company Station70.

Adam, thanks so much for being with us.

Why do you think we're seeing an increase in these so-called wrench attacks?

ADAM HEALY, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, STATION70: Well, first, it's great to be here and talk about this important topic that seems to only be getting worse across the industry.

BERMAN: Yes.

HEALY: The -- the reality is, from a bad actor's perspective, this looks a lot like easy money. If you compare it against, say, a traditional bank robbery or even a convenience store robbery, there's a lot of risk. You have to show up. Maybe the police get called. Maybe there's a silent alarm. In one of these -- in -- in many of these issues that we've seen, that's not necessarily the case. And there's a much higher potential return for that risk in terms of potentially millions of dollars in crypto assets that these -- these targeted individuals may have access to.

BERMAN: You know, it's interesting, you're -- the types of robberies you're talking about, a bank robbery or safecracking. In this case you're not breaking a safe, you're -- you're breaking a person, because many of these types of attacks are to get the password, the bitcoin password, the key that people have. Sometimes they keep in their heads. Sometimes they may write it down somewhere. But only they know the way to unlock these millions of bitcoin.

So, how does that influence this type of attack?

HEALY: It's a very good question. And oftentimes I -- you know, I've been in security for over 20 years at this point. And oftentimes we talk about how the human is the weakest link. Whether it's a phishing email, or in this case access to the passphrase or the password or the private key for those crypto assets.

And being able to break a human is actually not as hard as oftentimes as breaking a safe or breaking some smart contract, or breaking some encryption. And that, I think, has led us to this path where we're at today where this is only getting worse. And many of the cases that have been reported in the media, for every one of them, there are probably an equal number that have been handled privately and not reported and -- and not identified.

BERMAN: Yes, that's really interesting and probably very true in this case. A lot of people probably want to keep this secret, incentivized to keep it secret.

So, your business is security here. And the word cybersecurity is in -- in sort of the title of your company. But this again is a little bit of a different thing. This is a physical security issue. How do you protect crypto people and their families in this world?

HEALY: Yes. Also a great question. The -- with -- at Station70, we have an upcoming retail product so an individual, kind of mainstream investor product this summer that will have some capabilities around wrapping wallets and security through duress protocols and some panic button like features.

But to your question, you're right, we're dealing with people. We're dealing with human vulnerabilities. People with families, as we saw recently in Paris, the -- the daughter of a crypto executive was targeted for kidnaping. These are very real problems. And from my perspective, and this is perhaps a little controversial to say, is, sure, you can have executive protection, your board can get engaged, they can mandate certain physical security safeguards for your executives or those with access to those crypto assets. But at the end of the day, you're your own first responder. You need to be aware of your surroundings. You need to have situational awareness. I've trained dozens of executives, both within crypto and outside of crypto over my 20 plus years in security, and that first step of being situationally aware, not going to places where you may be at risk, and really just being smart about your movements and, in the national security context, what we would say operational security. Where is your address available at? Where is your phone number available at? What's your social media footprint. Really getting serious about that from an individual perspective is your -- is your first line of defense and oftentimes your best line of defense.

BERMAN: Pretty frightening reality we're dealing with here.

Adam Healy, thank you so much for sharing your expertise.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Some of the other headlines we're watching right now.

Six people are missing after a large explosion rocked a chemical plant in China. Just look at the devastation that it brought. At least five people are so far confirmed dead. At least 19 people sustained injuries in the blast. The drone video really just shows what happened there. The plant develops, produces and sells pesticides, pharmaceuticals and chemical intermediates.

If flying these days was not already a wild enough ride, passengers and crew Sunday night had -- had to contend with pigeons. Pigeons on their plane. It was a Delta flight from Minneapolis that was then twice delayed because of these nasty stowaways, forcing the pilot to ask air traffic control to return to the gate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: You guys need any assistance, or are you all good?

There's a pigeon on the airplane and it won't go away.

That's a first for me. Wow.

Where is it on the airplane that it won't move? Is it inside the plane?

[09:00:01]

Oh, my goodness, that's -- that's insane.

Apparently a pigeon inside the plane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Air traffic control is like, honestly, we don't have enough to deal with.