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Hulk Hogan Dead at 71; Deputy AG Blanche Meeting Today With Ghislaine Maxwell in Florida; GOP-led House Panel Votes to Subpoena DOJ for Epstein Files. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired July 24, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:01:13]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": We do have breaking news, as wrestling legend Hulk Hogan has died. Ahead, we'll take a look at the larger-than-life personality that made him not just a crossover star, but also a household name.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Plus, a meeting today between Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, as Congress demands answers from the DOJ with some new subpoenas. And going down to South Park for the 27th season leads to a new mountain of controversy for the show's parent company. We'll show you how the comedy went scorched earth on topics from Paramount to the president. We're following these developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to "CNN News Central."

DEAN: We begin this hour with breaking news. Legendary professional wrestler Terry Bollea, better known as Hulk Hogan, has died. Officials in Clearwater, Florida say he died of a cardiac arrest this morning. He was 71 years old.

KEILAR: Hogan rose to super stardom in the 1980s as one of the biggest names in pro wrestling, the biggest. He was popular in the ring and that launched his career in Hollywood, but he was not without controversy as well. CNN's Stephanie Elam has more on Hulk Hogan's life and legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HULK HOGAN, AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER: Since I'm the number one in professional wrestling, everybody wants to jump on the bandwagon, man.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The legend who became Hulk Hogan was first drawn to wrestling as a fan. A young musician named Terry Bollea, whose height and enthusiasm got noticed by the wrestlers he met.

HOGAN: And they said, man, if you could gain some weight, you get in a little better shape, you got a little charisma there, you know, you might be able to hit any of us. ELAM (voice-over): Bollea received his stage name 'Hulk' after fellow wrestlers noticed he was bigger than Lou Ferrigno, the bodybuilder who played the Incredible Hulk on TV.

HOGAN: We've got hundreds of thousands of Hulkamaniacs. We're going to make Woodstock a backyard barbecue, brother.

ELAM (voice-over): Hogan was not a graceful wrestler, but he was skilled in getting the audience on his side. He became an overwhelming crowd favorite, riding a huge wave of popularity he called Hulkamania.

HOGAN: For me, you can turn your TV on, on some weekends, and catch 10 saturating hours of Hulk Hogan or more. So, I spent a lot of time in front of the camera.

ELAM (voice-over): Hogan's pride in his work got him into legal trouble. In 1984, during a talk show appearance, comedian Richard Belzer asked Hogan to try a wrestling move on him. Hogan put Belzer in a real sleeper hold, causing him to pass out and collapse onto the hard studio floor. Belzer ended up with a deep cut to the back of his head.

He filed the lawsuit against Hogan and the World Wrestling Federation, which was settled out of court. But Hogan's star continued to rise, presenting himself as a healthy, family-friendly, flag-waving patriot

HOGAN: Train, say your prayers, eat your vitamins, be true to yourself, treat your country, be a real American.

ELAM (voice-over): The peak of his wrestling career came in WrestleMania III when he defeated Andre the Giant with a body slam.

HOGAN: Look at this.

(CROWD CHEERING)

ELAM (voice-over): Out of character, Hogan admitted that his level of stardom couldn't last forever.

HOGAN: They're excited as heck to see you, and it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, and thank God, it's still happening. What if it wasn't?

ELAM (voice-over): Eventually, Hogan's wrestling stardom did fade and was tarnished when he was forced in court to admit he had used steroids. Hogan tried to rebrand himself as a reality TV star, the overprotective dad to two kids in "Hogan Knows Best."

[14:05:00]

HOGAN: If we're dysfunctional, we're a normal dysfunctional family.

ELAM (voice-over): But that family image was rocked after his longtime marriage ended and a video later leaked online, showed him having sex with a married woman. Hogan sued the website, Gawker, for invasion of privacy. The case ultimately bankrupted Gawker and ended with a $31 million settlement for Hogan.

HOGAN: I think we made history today because I think, we protected a lot of people from maybe going through what I went through.

ELAM (voice-over): In the ring, on TV, or even in the courts, Hulk Hogan was a compelling entertainer who fulfilled the celebrity dream he had for himself.

HOGAN: When it's in your blood, you'll do about anything to make it and get the job done.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Let's go to CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister now. And Elizabeth, what more are you learning about the circumstances of his death?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: So, police in Clearwater, Florida just held a brief press conference and they said that there are no signs of foul play, no suspicious activity suspected here. They said that they responded to a home just shortly after 10:00 a.m. That is where they found Hulk Hogan with "a serious medical related issue." He was then transported to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead just after 11:00 a.m.

Now, as we just heard Stephanie Elam go through his incredible career and life there, this really is an icon, not just of sports, but of entertainment. Hulk Hogan, he really propelled wrestling into homes and he made this mainstream. And yes, wrestling is sport, but it's really entertainment. He became a Hollywood star. He did this before The Rock, before John Cena. He was able to parlay that wrestling career onto the screen and become a movie star.

Now, we also know that he was involved most recently in politics. We all remember at the RNC when he got up there and ripped his shirt off. That was definitely one of the biggest moments of the RNC. We see that here and President Trump, he actually has just posted on his Truth Social. I want to read you what he had to say about Hulk Hogan.

He said, "We lost a great friend today, the Hulkster. Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way -- strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart." He went on to say that he entertained fans from all over the world and the cultural impact he had was massive. He went on to give his condolences to his family and he said that he will be greatly missed. Now, I do just want to note that actually, just two days ago, Hulk Hogan had inked a new TV deal and I only bring that up because that indicates that this death was sudden and unexpected. He was very active.

He was on his social media just a day ago and again, doing business deals just this week. So, a sudden death for an American icon. But as you said, not without controversy. One of the things that he will be known for is when he sued Gawker very successfully, when they published that sex tape, and he won that case. And that was a huge scandal, but also a huge media story.

DEAN: Yeah. All right, Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you so much for all of that. For more on Hulk Hogan, let's bring in a veteran wrestling journalist, Kenny Herzog. Kenny, thanks for being here with us this afternoon. I just first want to get your take on this and what you are hearing from the wrestling world about this news of his sudden death.

KENNY HERZOG, VETERAN WRESTLING JOURNALIST: Well, of any celebrity passing in recent memory, this is the one that had my phone sort of proverbially blowing up the most. And it definitely made a big impact on me, that was complicated, and I think it's complicated for a lot of wrestling fans because as you're reporting, described he was the icon of icons in sports entertainment, a.k.a. professional wrestling, while at the same time Terry Bollea, the real man, could be a little more polarizing in some of his choices and some of the things that were revealed about him over the years.

But already, you don't have to go very far on social media to see every single person who's affiliated with professional wrestling, past or present, mostly commenting about just how large his legacy and influence in the context of the wrestling business loomed.

KEILAR: Yeah. And he wasn't just a wrestler. I mean, that of course is what made him iconic, but he had some memorable acting roles. He had a very memorable reality show with his family at one point. Can you talk about how his success in sports entertainment more broadly opened the doors to Hollywood for him and also, maybe even others?

[14:10:00]

HERZOG: Yeah. There's no equivocating that. Without Hulk Hogan, regardless of what anyone thinks of the sum total of the man, Terry Bollea, without Hulk Hogan, there is no The Rock becoming the world's most famous actor. There is no John Cena crossing over into mainstream entertainment or Dave Bautista, et cetera, crossing over into mainstream entertainment the way he did.

Vince McMahon certainly had a vision with the WWF, now WWE, for making professional wrestling part of the national mainstream entertainment picture. But, Hulk Hogan was his vessel and his muse, and became the face and avatar of professional wrestling when it started really hitting its peak as popular entertainment in the '80s and on through the '90s. And now, here we are today.

DEAN: Yeah. And, we were just watching some video. He notably spoke at the RNC in support of Trump this past year in 2024, and it was a real key moment at that convention for the people that were inside, for the people that were watching. How did his fans from wrestling, from film view his foray into politics?

HERZOG: Well, there is certainly a clip people can look up on YouTube from one of his most recent appearances at a live televised WWE event, where he came out, in part to promote a beer that he had branded and in part to kind of just do the ceremonial thing he does for the fans, where he recites the kind of greatest hits and catchphrases of Hulkdom. And he was met with a less than pleasant response.

This happened at a couple of arenas where he appeared recently, both in and outside of the States. So, you could say that for the contemporary fan who's attuned to the politics of things, that was met with a lukewarm reception, but there's a huge cohort of wrestling fans who go back decades and decades for whom that does nothing to taint or minimize the importance that he held to them as the real kind of singular mount -- if there was a Mount Rushmore of wrestling, to a lot of people, it just is Hulk Hogan's face.

KEILAR: Yeah. Kenny, can you talk about how sudden this was, what people in the community knew or didn't know about whether he was ailing?

HERZOG: No, I definitely have plenty of contacts in the wrestling world and around the wrestling world, and among journalists who cover wrestling, and I had not heard anything whatsoever about him being in any kind of failing health. That being said, 71, and I don't mean this to sound crass, but in professional wrestler years, 71 can very quickly become 80, 90 because of the toll that the sport really does take on their bodies over the course of a long career, which is almost unlike anything, even frankly, comparable to a football player's career because wrestlers can keep going in the ring for decades and decades, maybe even against their own best interests.

So this was -- this was a, a surprise for sure. Although there is the kind of morbid note that 71 for a professional wrestler is actually, sadly, a bit of longevity.

KEILAR: Wow.

DEAN: Yeah. That is some good context. All right. Kenny Herzog, thanks so much for joining us. We really appreciate it.

HERZOG: Thank you, guys.

DEAN: Still to come, the number two at the Justice Department sitting down with Jeffrey Epstein's close associate and confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell. What we're learning about that meeting.

KEILAR: Plus, what a watchdog found after looking into what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared in a group chat and new reporting on the Trump Administration's efforts to rapidly deport migrant teens. We'll have that a much more coming up on "CNN News Central."

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[14:18:15]

DEAN: Today, an unprecedented moment in the Jeffrey Epstein files saga, sources say Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is meeting with Epstein's convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. The meeting happening as the president and his Justice Department have been trying to tamp down pressure for more transparency. CNN Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula Reid has been following this very closely for us.

Paula, there's a lot of questions about what exactly we can expect from today. What do you know? PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I have a lot of questions, Jess. I mean, we don't know much beyond the fact that they're scheduled to meet today. Deputy Attorney General has made it clear they want to see if Maxwell has any information that is relevant to their investigation. We know this comes at a very sensitive time for the Justice Department and the administration over its handling of releasing more evidence and more information as they had promised to do related to this case.

But, the first thing we don't know is what is the Justice Department, what is the administration prepared to offer Maxwell to get her to cooperate? This is a woman who's serving out a 20-year prison sentence. You got to come with something for someone in that position. The president could offer her a pardon, or a commutation potentially. We don't know what is on offer. But also, what does she have to share? Because this is someone who has had every incentive for the past several years to give the government anything of value in exchange for not having to serve 20 years in prison.

But even if she has something of value, there are still questions about her credibility that has come up in the context of this investigation. And this is also someone who is a convicted sex trafficker. And if you cut a deal with someone like this, that may not go over well with the people you're trying to appease. You're also expected to get some blowback from the victims in this case.

[14:20:00]

Now, representing the president and the administration here is his longtime personal attorney, now number two at the Justice Department, Todd Blanche. It is highly unusual for someone of that level of seniority to handle a meeting like this, but the one thing we can say about Todd Blanche is he has successfully navigated President Trump's legal problems. We saw this in the criminal context. We've seen this while he's been at DOJ very successfully. There are a few people who President Trump trusts to represent his legal interests as much as he does Todd Blanche, and this is someone who can navigate the potential landmines for Trump in this meeting.

But, what we're watching for, Jess, and what we're asking our sources is, is this -- is this anything of substance or is this just more theater to make it look like they're doing something to improve the situation?

DEAN: Yeah, that is a key question. Also, Paula, the House Oversight Committee Chairman, just a short time ago, saying he plans to move quickly with plans to subpoena the Justice Department to release all the files. So, what do we know about that? And do we have any insight into how DOJ might respond to this?

REID: So, the Justice Department has not commented publicly on how they will respond to this subpoena. Historically, the Justice Department does what the Justice Department wants to do, and rarely does it want to cooperate with Capitol Hill, with lawmakers. Look, they might be able to craft something here where they could provide some level of transparency, try to pass some of this off to lawmakers. But I think what the subpoena reminds people, or should remind people, is that the bulk of the evidence that has not been seen by the public, it is within the power of the Attorney General of the United States to release that.

Now, she has laid out a memo explaining why she is not releasing that, saying that much of it is redacted. She needs to continue to protect victims and some of the accused, depending on what is in there. And that there just wasn't enough evidence that her investigators found to file another case or additional charges. Now, after she released that memo, that's what kicked off really this controversy. They've gone and asked for grand jury transcripts to be released. That so far has not been successful. We're waiting to hear from a judge in New York.

But that's just a tiny portion of the evidence and the focus will continue to be, I think, from Capitol Hill, mostly because a lot of constituents are calling about this, this larger trove of evidence that's within the power of the Attorney General. It is unclear if she would respond to a subpoena and share any of this with lawmakers.

DEAN: All right. Paula Reid with the latest, thank you for all of that.

KEILAR: And for more on all of this, let's bring in Dave Aronberg. He's a former State Attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida. He has also known Pam Bondi for many years and worked as her Drug Czar in the Florida Attorney General's Office. We're also joined by Will Sommer, Senior Reporter for The Bulwark and author of " Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Reshaped the World."

All right, Dave, how significant, if we can just sort of, take a step back here and look at the fact that you have the Deputy AG visiting with convicted Ghislaine Maxwell. How extraordinary is that?

DAVE ARONBERG, FORMER STATE ATTORNEY FOR PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA: Extremely extraordinary. I can't overstate it, Brianna. It's as if the number two executive at CNN was conducting this interview with me, instead of you. Like, what? Never happens. Also, he's not going to be knowledgeable about this case like the line prosecutors who actually handled her case, like Maurene Comey, but she was fired. But there are others who could do this, which makes me believe this is a lot about perhaps some politics involved, like maybe to protect the president to get a deal with Ghislaine Maxwell that she would get some immunity now and maybe a hidden part in the future, some sort of implication that she would be pardoned in the future if she comes out and says that the president is exonerated, was not involved in any criminal activity.

And by the way, there's no evidence that Trump was involved with any criminal activity, but his name appears in the files. His name was on that birthday card and Trump doesn't want to be anywhere near the smoke. That's why he's sending his trusted former defense lawyer, the number two person of the Department of Justice to go see Ghislaine Maxwell herself.

DEAN: And Will, you write Trump's allies in the media are kind of warming up to this idea of aligning themselves with Maxwell and that is something previously really unthinkable. Walk us through what you're seeing.

WILL SOMMER, SENIOR REPORTER, THE BULWARK: I mean, this is, as you said, it's so hard to imagine even a month ago that this would happen. I mean, this is a woman who is treated as -- seen as perhaps like evil incarnate by people who were interested in the Epstein case. She's the one person who has gone to prison over it in the United States. And yet, now, they're saying -- we're starting to see people like administration allies like Jack Posobiec start to say, well, maybe we could give her a deal.

And the reality is, because her case is on appeal, she would be nuts to speak to the Justice Department without some kind of immunity deal and possibly something that might reduce her sentence in the future.

[14:25:00]

But, these people in the right -wing media, they're laying the groundwork on Newsmax. They're saying, well, maybe she's innocent. Maybe she was a victim. So, they're really -- I mean, it's such a reversal. I mean, but we -- we've seen so many reversals from the administration and its allies on Epstein lately, but I think they're really preparing the audience to suggest that Ghislaine was a victim of overzealous prosecution, just like they think Trump was.

DEAN: Yeah. And David, as all of that is happening, there are these questions about just how serious of an attempt this actually is to get new information. Democratic Congressman Dan Goldman, who worked at SDNY, calls the meeting a delay tactics as it's "yet another effort to conceal the Epstein files." What do you think? Do you think this is a genuine attempt to release new information or is this more machinations to kind of control the story and try to get a handle on it?

ARONBERG: The latter, Jessica, because this story has spun out of control. It's not the crime, but the cover-up. We've learned that before in history. There's no evidence that Donald Trump committed any crimes here, but it looks like there's a cover-up in not releasing the files that everyone wants released. And now, they're going to a court to try to blame the judges for not releasing a redacted grand jury transcript that really people hadn't been called upon to release.

I mean, this is why -- Trump is trying to manage this by saying, you see, we're about transparency. We sought the grand jury transcripts, couldn't get that. And now, we're trying to get information from Ghislaine Maxwell, but it looks like they're trying to get information that would benefit the president. And that's why I don't think anyone is really buying into this.

Ghislaine Maxwell, mind you, is a liar. She was indicted for perjury back in 2020 for a civil deposition where she blatantly lied in 2016. So yeah, if you want to listen to her, that's fine, but whatever she says needs to be corroborated. And why is the number two person at the Justice Department doing the interview and not a line prosecutor who knows this case inside and out?

KEILAR: Yeah. And I mean, victims certainly do not feel that she's innocent. That is very, very clear in this. Will, how is Trump's base reacting to the president's claims that the Epstein files were made up by former President Obama and fired former FBI Director James Comey? I mean, has that kind of thing made them any less interested in getting these files released or trusting that they will find something they can put stock in, in these files?

SOMMER: I think there's still a huge amount of interest in this case. And this really gets into what we're talking about here, which is there are so many files the Justice Department has. If they wanted to learn more, they could re-interview victims. They could look at the files. Instead, the administration is trying to put everything on Ghislaine Maxwell because they know she's under duress. She'll say whatever. And she has a history of being unreliable.

And so, we've seen right-wing media people coming out and saying, well, Trump said Obama and Comey cooked up the files, so we can't trust anything in the files, which, given that The Wall Street Journal reports Trump's name appears multiple times in the files, is pretty convenient,

KEILAR: Certainly is. He has sort of laid the groundwork on that, that some things could be made up or not credible. Will Sommer, Dave Aronberg, really great to get your perspectives. Thank you.

Next, the Pentagon's own Inspector General has evidence that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did in fact share classified information in a messaging group chat, something he says he did not do. And South Park doesn't hold anything back, starting its new season, going after President Trump over his recent deal with the show's parent company.

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