Return to Transcripts main page
CNN News Central
Texas Governor Asks for Removal of Democrats; Chris Sununu is Interviewed about the Redistricting Fight; Catherine Zeta-Jones is Interviewed about "Wednesday". Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired August 06, 2025 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:33:01]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, the governor of Texas is asking the state supreme court to remove the Democratic caucus chair from office from the Texas house because he and other Democrats fled Texas to block a vote on redrawing the Texas congressional map.
President Trump also weighing in, accusing Democrats of abandoning the state.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Should the FBI get involved?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, they may have to. They may have to. No, I know they want them back. Not only the attorney general, the -- the governor wants them back, if you look. I mean the -- the governor of Texas is demanding they come back. So. a lot of people are demanding they come back. You can't just sit it out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: All right, let's get right to CNN's Ed Lavandera in Austin, where now the president says maybe the FBI should get involved, Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, we've been talking for the last several days about how this situation here continues to escalate and really things continuing to head that way, John, as the governor, Greg Abbott, saying that he has requested from the Texas Supreme Court that the chairman of the Democratic caucus, Gene Wu, who's a representative from the Houston area, be removed from office, and then also Ken Paxton, the attorney general, who is also saying that the lawmakers have until Friday before they go to the courts here to have them removed. Described them as jet-setting runaways and that they are rogue lawmakers and, on that basis, and saying that they have essentially vacated their seats.
Now, Democrats vehemently are pushing back against this. They described this as bluster, hollow threats that they're -- that the -- the Republican governor and attorney general don't have a legal leg to stand on here in this particular situation. This is what Gene Wu told CNN last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENE WU (D), CHAIR, TEXAS STATE HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS: What we're looking at is a governor who is conspiring with a disgraced president to use unconstitutional, illegal, racial gerrymandering to destroy our communities.
[08:35:02]
I have a duty to respond to that. I have an obligation to do everything I can to stop that, using every legal means necessary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: John, every indication we have so far is that Democrats are not going to come back despite this Friday deadline. Friday is also the -- the next time that the Texas House of Representatives is going to try to reconvene and make a full quorum. And again, all -- every indication we have so far is that by then Texas Democrats will not be returning to Texas. There's a little under two weeks left in this special legislative session. And what we've heard repeatedly from Democrats is that they're willing to stay away from this legislative process, at least that long.
John.
BERMAN: Yes, circle the calendar, Friday, big day.
All right, Ed Lavandera, great to have you there. Thank you.
Jessica.
JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: And joining us now is former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu.
Governor, good to have you here in studio this morning.
CHRIS SUNUNU (R), FORMER NEW HAMPSHIRE GOVERNOR: You bet.
DEAN: We're listening to Ed Lavandera walk us through all of that. And I'm just thinking, if you're an American sitting at home absorbing all of this news and you see what's happening in Texas, and then you see, you know, Democratic governors threatening to retaliate, all of it together, it seems as if this war over redistricting has broken out. It's always been political.
SUNUNU: It -- yes.
DEAN: But, at the same time, do you think it's -- it's OK for people to be like, this seems like a power grab?
SUNUNU: So, I -- this is what divides us, right?
DEAN: Yes. SUNUNU: This is why America is so frustrated. And it's not just the redistricting issue, it's many, many years of complete polarization, complete political divide. And you're right, the vast majority of Americans don't like it on either side. I think the Democrats are wrong for saying, yes, I'm just not going to show up to work and do our job because, you know, are we going to set a precedent where every time you're going to lose a vote you have legislatures all across the country leaving their states? I mean, and then, obviously, on the Republican side, it's 2025. Why are we redistricting now? I don't mind when states redistrict. I think gerrymandering is a real problem.
DEAN: That's typically done every 10 years.
SUNUNU: Every ten years.
DEAN: Right.
SUNUNU: So, you know, the step out of precedent there shows that, look, it's wrong on both sides. It doesn't look like it's going to get resolved really anytime soon, which is quite interesting and unfortunate because, again, everyone's looking for things to bring us together.
The three things -- the three reasons why Washington is so stalled are gerrymandering, a lack of campaign finance reform, there's too much big money in the system, and a lack of term limits, because these guys overstay their welcome, right?
The states have a power here in terms of deciding where those districts are, but it has to be done the right way. But, again, the law also allows them to do it. And sometimes you're in the majority and sometimes you're not. I -- I -- again, I'm the only governor in the country that never signed a redistricting bill in 2020 because they all came with a little too much gerrymandering. And I think it's just a really bad precedent. So --
DEAN: Yes. And we have the president of the United States pushing on them to do this. And he said yesterday, in his words, we're entitled to five more seats in Texas.
SUNUNU: Well, both sides are -- are throwing gasoline on the fire, right? They -- they want this to be as spectacular of a show as possible, because they're going to raise a ton of money on it. I mean the Democrats in -- in Illinois are going to raise a ton of money on this kind of national political outrage over this issue. The Republicans are likely going to kind of do the same. You have retaliation. Gavin Newsom trying to crowbar his way into any national story that he can. So, oh, California's going to get into the mix.
And so, when I hear the California piece, I go, boy, now we're talking about retaliation and precedent everywhere. Nobody wants this.
DEAN: Yes.
SUNUNU: Nobody wants any of this. America just wants the system to be -- to be fair. And the biggest problem you're going to have is, when you gerrymander districts, it discourages people from voting on both sides. Republicans will say, oh, well, we have this district lined, you know, lined up, so I don't have to waste my time and go vote. Democrats will say, well, Republicans have the district, so I'm not going to go out and participate on -- on our side either. And then folks down the ballot, they say, well, I guess all the Democrats are coming out for this congressional race or that -- or Republicans on that race, so they don't participate.
It really pushes the -- the participation only to the extremes and disenfranchised everybody in the middle. So, it's just a -- this is playing out nationally, but -- just in Texas, but it really can have huge implications if you start seeing the tit for tat all across the country.
DEAN: I want to ask you about something else that's driving the news this morning, which is our reporting about this meeting, this dinner party that's going to happen at the vice president's official residence tonight.
SUNUNU: I want to be at that party.
DEAN: It's going to be interesting, isn't it, because they're going to have the A.G., the deputy A.G., the chief of staff, all going to be there trying to figure out what to do about Epstein. And we now know they have these some ten hours of Todd Blanche's discussions with her recorded.
SUNUNU: Yes.
DEAN: They're thinking about releasing them. Should they release them?
SUNUNU: Absolutely. Look, I think they have to rip the band aid off and release everything. It's all going to come out. We're all going to figure it out at some point. The Trump administration has the opportunity to live up to, you know, what -- what they said they were going to do and just rip -- rip the band aid off and open it -- it all out.
And so, I mean, I -- I think that's what's happening. I think there's probably some very interesting information given in those interviews. You saw her now being transferred to another facility. So, clearly, they were happy with the interview that -- that took place. And now they're going to have yet another discussion.
And now that this has been made so public that the discussion is happening -- happening, they're -- they're setting a real expectation.
[08:40:06]
I mean, how do they have this discussion and then not release a lot of information off of it, right, because the expectation is built up, not just with the -- the conservative base, but really with all Americans. It's both sides. This isn't actually a political issue at all. Every American wants to know that there isn't a -- the haves and the have nots. The elitists get protected and everyone else has to play by a different set of rules. This is the administration's opportunity to open all that up and --
and really clear -- clear the decks, if you will, and set a precedent that this stuff isn't going to be tolerated anymore.
DEAN: And if transparency, as you say, is the fix to all of this, it is interesting then to see -- I want to play a clip from President Trump yesterday when he was asked about Maxwell by our colleague Kaitlan Collins. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Were you aware of and did you personally approve the prison transfer for Ghislaine Maxwell that your Justice Department (INAUDIBLE) --
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I didn't know about it at all. No, I read about it just like you did.
COLLINS: And do you believe that she is (INAUDIBLE) --
TRUMP: It's not a very uncommon thing, I -- I --
COLLINS: Do you believe that she's credible to be listening to? Your deputy attorney general sat down with her recently.
TRUMP: Well, he's -- let me tell you, he's a very talented man. His name is Todd Blanche. He's a very legitimate person. Very high -- I just -- a very highly thought of person, respected by everybody. And I didn't talk to him about it. But I will tell you that whatever he asked would be totally appropriate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Can you believe the president didn't know they were going to move her?
SUNUNU: Yes.
DEAN: Why?
SUNUNU: No, I -- yes, look, there are certain -- I think what is happening here is they're saying, look, Mr. President, if you notice, he's not at the dinner tonight. He's not part of this discussion right now.
DEAN: Well, it's like plausible deniability, right? Yes.
SUNUNU: A little -- at this point I think he's saying, look, you guys figure out what's best to do. Keep me out of it over here. Whatever you decide, it -- you know, we're going to -- we're going to follow through with.
So, yes, and -- and I've had discussions like that as a governor with my team. Sometimes you're like, look, you guys figure it out. I don't -- as soon as the governor or the president gets involved, it gets overly political, there's personal things involved. You don't want that.
DEAN: But it's also not fully transparent, right? I mean, I do think people just want people to come clean on all of this.
SUNUNU: Thats -- that's what everybody wants at the end of the day. And I think that was the administration's intention. And, frankly, they're over lawyering it. Well, if this piece of information goes out, maybe we can't prosecute that person down the line. And what if the -- stop thinking about it. Stop being lawyers and just do what you said you were going to do, open it up. We're going -- we're all going to find out anyway, right, at some point.
DEAN: We'll see.
SUNUNU: And, listen, we're (INAUDIBLE) the Kennedy files that get buried forever. We're all going to find out. Rip the band-aid off and let's move on.
DEAN: Governor, thanks for being here.
SUNUNU: You bet.
DEAN: Good to see you.
An ex-employee for the Miami Heat charged with allegedly stealing and selling millions worth of game worn memorabilia.
And the hit Netflix series "Wednesday" is back today, and so is the matriarch of the Addams family, Morticia Addams. Oscar winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones joins us live in studio to talk about what to expect in season two.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:47:38]
DEAN: This morning in "The Good Stuff," a sign of respect captured on a Ring door camera going a long way for one veteran in Texas and leading to an unlikely connection.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILLY MILES, ARMY RANGER VETERAN: I cannot tell you what it means because it's -- it's that powerful for a small child to understand what she's saluting. I'm telling you, it -- it made me proud.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: This 11-year-old girl was passing out business cards for her father's lawn care company when she paused at his door to salute. After checking his Ring camera footage, the veteran then called her dad, telling him, quote, your daughter is amazing, and leading to this meeting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILLY MILES, ARMY RANGER VETERAN: I hugged her neck and told her how proud I was of her, while -- while I was bawling. So --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: A former Miami Heat security guard has been charged with stealing millions of dollars' worth of memorabilia from the team. The most notable item? A LeBron James NBA finals jersey that the security guard allegedly stole and sold online for $100,000. That same jersey eventually sold for more than $3 million at auction. The FBI is currently handling the investigation.
Twenty-one people are suffering food poisoning in Florida after drinking tainted raw milk. Florida officials not naming the milk producer, but they say sanitation practices at the farm are, quote, "of particular concern." Florida allows the sale of raw milk as long as it is labeled as pet or animal food, and that designation limits regulations of sanitary practices on the farms that produce it. Six of the 21 patients are children under the age of ten.
So, a mother is calling for better safety measures after an octopus latched on to her son's -- her six year old son's arm at the San Antonio Aquarium. It took workers about five minutes to get the octopus off, leaving suction marks and bruises. The aquarium said the octopus displayed typical curious behavior. Now, the child's mother declined medical help. She disputed that, saying that while her son is fine and thinks the marks are cool -- wow, I mean, they are kind of cool. I got to say that -- she wants the aquarium to put staff there to supervise animal's interactions with guests.
You know, octopus has a beak, right? I mean you're getting off easy if it's just the suction, but beak is what scares me.
[08:50:03]
Jessica.
DEAN: No beaks for us.
They are creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky. And this morning they're back for season two. Of course, we're talking about the Addams family and Netflix hit show "Wednesday."
Catherine Zeta-Jones returns as Morticia Addams. Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHERINE ZETA-JONES, MORTICIA ADDAMS IN NETFLIX'S "WEDNESDAY": Still bringing a knife to a sword fight.
JENNA ORTEGA, WEDNESDAY ADDAMS IN NETFLIX'S "WEDNESDAY": You taught me everything I know.
ZETA-JONES: But I didn't teach you everything I know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: And with us now, Oscar and Tony Award winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.
We are delighted to have you. What a treat to have you here.
CATHERINE ZETA-JONES, MORTICIA ADDAMS IN NETFLIX'S "WEDNESDAY": I am delighted too because I'm -- I watch you guys all the time. I'm often worried about you in hurricane season when you're out there in the elements, you know.
DEAN: Oh, yes.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I appreciate the -- finally, finally someone's speaking up for me.
ZETA-JONES: I'm -- I'm sorry. I -- I do get a little concerned.
BERMAN: Thank you very much.
DEAN: We're going to have her check on you and make sure you're all right next hurricane season.
ZETA-JONES: (INAUDIBLE).
DEAN: But we're so excited to see you in season two. Season one, so fun.
ZETA-JONES: I --
DEAN: Just a -- just a great watch. And, you know, that really focused on Wednesday and her time at school. We saw a little bit of you guys and her family life. But it looks like there's going to be more.
ZETA-JONES: There is.
DEAN: What really drew you in on season two?
ZETA-JONES: Well, first of all, they -- they dangled the carrot in front of my nose season one. I kept saying to Tim Burton, really? There's not a crystal ball moment conversation I could do? Anyway, so season two, we are -- they -- they've written -- they literally have put our, you know, the Addams family, me, Gomez and Pugsley has a -- has a big story line seamlessly into Wednesday's story at Nevermore. And I have to say, I was thrilled. I -- you know, at this point in my career, being part of this phenomenon and -- and stepping into the shoes of such an iconic role as Morticia, I have so much fun doing this.
DEAN: I bet you do. And, look, we saw the swords there. It reminds me of Zorro a little bit.
ZETA-JONES: Yes.
DEAN: You -- you have some sword skills.
ZETA-JONES: I -- I do have a bit of a sword skill going on. Yes. And I was thrilled that I could find that again. And it was great because, you know, the -- as many parents know, the teenage mother-daughter relationship, it can be a little contentious. And that's very contentious in "Wednesday" too. And so we -- Jenna Ortega, who I adore, and I had so much fun because as -- as our characters, we play this verbal, emotional kind of duel. And then the writers put that into a physical form. And we just had fun.
BERMAN: Who's better? Who's a better sword fighter?
ZETA-JONES: Oh --
BERMAN: She's got a long way to go.
ZETA-JONES: (INAUDIBLE). Look, I'm -- I'm older than her, and I did two Zorros, and I'm going to -- I'm going to -- I'm going to flag it me. I'm sorry, I know.
DEAN: You've earned it.
BERMAN: But the thing that I love about this, and the whole concept is, you know, people think the Addams family, and from the very beginning, I actually think the focus is on the second word there, right, is on family. This is a story about parenting, which is a story that a lot of us sort of identify with.
ZETA-JONES: Well, John, what do you think of like the decades ago, this family came out of a comic book, and then it was, you know, the TV show, which I was -- it was syndicated in Wales, and I saw it. And then the wonderful movie. It's a -- it's the most modern family when you think of their values. It's inclusive. Quirkiness and being different is embraced. It's not quashed. It's not trying to match to a cookie cutter formality of what, you know, we're supposed to be as humans in this world. It's very individual.
So, I think that, hey, there's a lot of things that made season one such a huge phenomenon, but I think the core value of family is predominantly one of the -- one of the attractions on an international level, I think.
DEAN: Well, it's so universal, right?
ZETA-JONES: Yes.
DEAN: Everyone can identify with that. And I think in watching it too, the relationship, as you noted, between a mother and a daughter.
ZETA-JONES: Yes.
DEAN: And a teenage mother and a -- or a teenage daughter and a mother is -- is -- is certainly universal. And a lot of people experience that. And I think it's such a wonderful way to kind of examine that in -- in a different way than what we traditionally see on television.
ZETA-JONES: Exactly. And also for, I mean, we know this iconic image of Morticia. I think everybody from nine to 90, if they close their eyes, they can visualize who Morticia is. But you don't really get to know her. And throughout season two, these amazing storylines they created, you see her vulnerabilities. You see, you know that her strengths and -- and this wonderful relationship.
And then my mother comes into the mix, played by Dame Joanna Lumley, who (INAUDIBLE), is like, I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy. And she brings another element. So, you get these three very strong women and three very different ways of, you know, being and it's a -- it's a wonderful triangle of -- of emotion and contentious behavior.
[08:55:04]
BERMAN: What's harder for Morticia, or you, being a parent or being a kid?
ZETA-JONES: Sorry?
BERMAN: What's harder for Morticia, and maybe for you also, being a parent or being the child of someone else?
ZETA-JONES: Well, I think it's that old adage of trying to put an old head on young shoulders. You know, in our story, Wednesday has this power, ability, the psychic power, which her mother does. She's a raven, I'm a dove. So, I see things in a much more lyrical, brighter side, even though it's very steeped in darkness, and she's like, not into that at all. So, it's that adage of putting an old head on young shoulders. And I tend to do that with my own children, who are now grown, you know, young adults. It's my son's birthday tomorrow.
DEAN: Will you tell him happy birthday?
ZETA-JONES: Happy birthday, my -- my boy. I'm so happy to be your mama.
DEAN: Oh.
ZETA-JONES: And so it's that -- you know, we do tend to do that, but there's a part of me that is Catherine, as a parent, that tries to let go and make them find their own way. You have to make mistakes to be able to learn these things through life. And I've never tried to put them in a gilded cage. It's like, get out there and do, you know, see the real world.
DEAN: And --
ZETA-JONES: And I think Morticia is a bit like that. It's hard for her not to, you know, control or, you know, she needs Wednesday to find her own path, I guess.
DEAN: Yes. And that can be hard for all of us.
ZETA-JONES: I know.
DEAN: But -- but it's a beautiful story, and it's -- it's a lot of fun.
BERMAN: Yes.
DEAN: And, obviously, audiences love it. We're back for season two. And there's two parts of it this time.
ZETA-JONES: There's two parts. And then, actually, they've just officially set season three, which is --
DEAN: Oh, amazing.
ZETA-JONES: Very -- yes. I could do this --
DEAN: Congratulations.
ZETA-JONES: I could do this forever.
BERMAN: Congratulations.
ZETA-JONES: Morticia forever.
Catherine Zeta-Jones, thanks so much for being here.
ZETA-JONES: Thank you so much for having me.
DEAN: Really good to see you.
And again, "Wednesday" is streaming on Netflix right now.
BERMAN: All right, we do have some breaking news just in. We just learned that the meeting between President Trump's special envoy to Russia, Steve Witkoff, and Russian Leader Vladimir Putin, that meeting is over. Now, the big question, what is each side saying about that meeting? How much of a success was it?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:00:00]
