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Wall Street Journal Reports, Racy Letter Bearing Trump's Name was Given to Epstein; Trump Administration Shuts Down LGBTQ-Plus Youth Suicide Hotline; House Passes $9 Billion in Funding Cut Overnight. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired July 18, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

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JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump trying to move on from the Epstein scandal, but could a newly released report put him right back in the middle of it? CNN This Morning starts right now.

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SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): I mean, why don't we just release it and deal with it? If it's embarrassing because it's not substantive, that's fine.

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DEAN: The White House pushing back hard on a story about a letter reportedly from the president to the convicted sex offender.

Another big win for the president as the House approves billions in spending cuts, the changes you could soon see.

And, first, you got to keep your shoes on. Now, airport travel could get even smoother, as the liquid limit change TSA could be considering.

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REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): This is brutal, cruel, and stupid.

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DEAN: Return to Alcatraz. Outrage grows as the administration considers reopening the original prison.

A bizarre twist in the protein shake, murder trial, the deepfake, the victim's husband, allegedly requested to cover his tracks.

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STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT: This is all just going away.

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DEAN: The late show was Stephen Colbert canceled, and the reason why is stirring up some controversy.

It is 6:01 here on the East Coast. Look at that pretty sunrise here in New York City. A live look on this summer Friday. Good morning everyone. It is Friday, July 18th. Thanks so much for waking up with me. I'm Jessica Dean in for Audie Cornish this morning, and this is CNN This Morning.

Happy birthday, and may every day be another wonderful secret. Those are the words Donald Trump wrote to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday. That's according to the Wall Street Journal. The letter reportedly bears Trump's signature, along with a hand-drawn image of a naked woman. The president responding to the journal saying, quote, this is not me. This is a fake thing. It's a fake Wall Street Journal story.

The president went even further on social media adding, quote, I told Rupert Murdoch it was a scam that he shouldn't print this fake story, but he did, and now I'm going to sue his ass off and that of his third rate newspaper.

Now, the story comes as the president searching for an off-ramp to the controversy over the Epstein case, which began last week when the DOJ revealed they weren't going to release any additional information, and that infuriated a lot of the president's own supporters.

But the president may now be throwing them a bone, ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all pertinent grand jury material from the investigation there.

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REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): There's no daylight between the president and house Republicans on transparency. And he's been very clear that he wants all credible information, credible evidence to be turned over to the people so that the people can decide. We trust the American people and their judgment and we are for that. The president is for that and there's different ways everybody expresses the same truth.

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DEAN: All right. Joining us now in the group chat, Lulu Garcia Navarro, CNN contributor and New York Times journalist, Noel King, co- host and editorial director of Today, Explained podcast, and Rob Bluey, president and executive editor of The Daily Signal. Good to see all of you. Good morning to all of you.

Rob, let's start first with you. The president is forcefully pushing back on this, denying this reporting outright. He obviously wants to sue The Wall Street Journal. What's your take? Do you believe him?

ROB BLUEY, PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE EDITOR, THE DAILY SIGNAL: Well, Karoline Leavitt went a step further and she said that they wouldn't even show the president the image, the writing. So, the Wall Street Journal apparently doesn't even have it in its possession. So, I think that there are legitimate questions that the White House is raising about whether or not this is a fake document. Now, we don't know. I don't have any inside intel. But I will say this I support Mike Johnson and what he has said about making these documents public. I think that it's important for the American people to decide and see with their own eyes what the government has in its possession. And I hope at the end of the day, the president realizes that that is what he campaigned on, that is what he will deliver.

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Oh, come on. I just want to say, I mean, the idea that this is a fake document coming from The Wall Street Journal and their editor, Emma Tucker, that Rupert Murdoch, whose Fox News is one of the most -- the biggest supporters of this presidency, that he would publish something that wasn't rock solid, is absolutely -- you know, it belies incredulity.

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And so I do not believe that this is fake. And I think it's going to cause an enormous problem for this president. Why? Because at every juncture, all fingers have pointed to Donald Trump in the Epstein matter. He had a relationship with Epstein. We know that he had a relationship with Epstein. And now this actually proves perhaps that this relationship went far beyond what the president himself has admitted to. And so it does cause a big problem.

This has captured the popular imagination. You know, almost 70 percent of Americans believe that there has been some kind of cover-up. This is not a red issue. This is not a blue issue. This is an issue about power, the abuse of power, and this man who was at the center of a terrible sex trafficking ring and the fact that the president of the United States might be implicated in that.

DEAN: Noelle, like to Lulu's point, which I think is an important one, this has captured people's attention, imagination, however you want to describe it. It is something a lot of people out there are talking about. What is it about this? It doesn't seem like the president, and I think he's acknowledging this by now, saying, release everything you can, but he wanted it to be done and people just on both sides pushed back, even people in his own circle, Laura Loomer, Charlie Kirk, others who've been critical over this particular case.

NOEL KING, CO-HOST AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, TODAY, EXPLAINED PODCAST: I think Americans really -- I think Americans are primed for a conspiracy theory, right? Part of the reason that President Trump was elected was that many Americans feel like there is a deep state that is working against them, a government that is keeping secrets that they should -- you know that they should be privy to. And President Trump campaigns on the idea that I am not part of that establishment, I'm not part of that corrupt establishment. You can count on me to tell you the truth.

And for a long time, that really worked. The problem is he is so deeply enmeshed in this at this point that even if -- I mean, I don't know whether what The Wall Street Journal has is real or fake, but I trust The Wall Street Journal's reporting. The president does not have an off-ramp at this point. I think he's going to be surrounded by this for another couple weeks at least until more information is released to the public.

And even then, I mean, you ask yourself like, at what point are people going to be satisfied that they've heard the whole truth? That's a pretty tricky thing when you're dealing with a conspiracy, right? These things, it's hard for them to die out.

DEAN: And The Wall Street Journal reporting indicates this letter was sent in 2003. Donald Trump did this interview with New York Magazine in 2002. There was a profile on Epstein, and this is what he said about him in 2002. Terrific guy, Donald Trump booms from speakerphone. He's a lot of fun to be with. I've known Jeff for 15 years, terrific guy. He's a lot of fun to be with. It's even said he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it, Jeffrey enjoys his social life.

Rob, what does the president do now around all of this? What's his next move?

BLUEY: Well, first of all, I'd like to point out that Bill Clinton and others who had connections to Jeffrey Epstein of all said that they've severed -- they severed ties with him after the allegations came out and he was charged with the crimes. So, I do think that it's important for us to acknowledge that it's not just Donald Trump. There are others, high-profile political figures, that had a relationship or friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, first point.

Now, second point, yes, I agree with all of you that the release of this information and that being more transparent with the American people is a good thing. After all, this White House has promised to be the most transparent in history. And so putting forward this information, by the way, including this letter, this supposed birthday letter that The Wall Street Journal, again, has not disclosed, no one has seen it, not even the president of the United States has seen it and was given an opportunity to respond to what the Journal is alleging.

DEAN: All right, everyone, stay with us. We've got plenty to talk about. We're just getting started.

Coming up on CNN This Morning, new overnight, the House passes a White House request to claw back $9 billion from the federal budget. How those funding cuts could impact you.

Plus, President Trump's new health diagnosis after noticing swelling in his legs.

And as we mentioned, first it was keeping your shoes on, now you could be able to bring a bigger bottle of shampoo with you. More changes could be coming to TSA.

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KRISTI NOEM, DHS SECRETARY: My goal would be that some days someone could walk into an airport, walk through a scanner, and go right to their airplane.

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DEAN: 13 minutes past the hour, here is your morning roundup. The Trump administration has officially shut down the LGBTQ Youth Suicide Hotline. The 988 lifeline will remain open, but the specific branch for queer youth is no more.

It was created in 2022 and gave callers under the age of 25 the option to speak with LGBTQ-trained counselors.

If you are traveling through the airport, there could be another change for you. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says the amount of liquids allowed inside your carry on could be changing. Now, right now, it's limited to 3.4 ounces, no word on when this change could become official. Earlier this month, TSA ditched its shoe- removal policy.

One Chicago teenager has a lot to celebrate. He was accepted to more than 80 universities and received $8 million in scholarships.

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18-year-old Aaron Williams says it's all thanks to years of hard work.

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AARON WILLIAMS, RECEIVING $8 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIP: All the hours of me applying for these scholarships and having to log them on school links and just putting in effort and having the community to support me and guide me through this whole process. It's kind of relieving to know that it actually paid off.

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DEAN: The high school graduate plans to attend Northern Illinois University, where he will major in electrical engineering.

Still ahead on CNN This Morning, the only Catholic Church in Gaza bombed overnight. This as new polling suggests a stunning number of Americans are turning on Israel's war in Gaza.

Plus, President Trump gets his victory over PBS and NPR, as the House approves major cuts to public broadcasting. Who are these going to hurt the most?

And a good morning from St. Louis, beautiful.

We'll be right back.

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[06:20:00] DEAN: Public media stations across the country now stand to lose more than a billion dollars in federal funding, this after the house voted to roll back those already approved federal dollars late last night. It's a move that could force hundreds of local NPR and PBS stations off the air. PBS CEO Paula Kerger said in a statement, quote, the cuts will significantly impact all of our stations, but will be devastating to smaller stations and those serving large rural areas. The move also includes more than $8 billion in cuts to U.S. foreign aid programs.

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REP. RANDY FINE (R-FL): We don't need to be funding PBS and NPR, let alone with debt financing, and we shouldn't be sending money all over the world to do silly things that don't benefit the American people.

I simply cannot justify borrowing money from my kids and grandkids to keep these stations in existence.

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DEAN: Advocates say for the millions who rely on public media, it could change what they see, they hear and learn every day.

I want to bring back in our group chat now. Thanks guys for sticking with us. Let's start first -- Noel, I just want to start with you. We just heard from Randy fine there making the argument that the deficit is what it is. He can't, in good conscience, keep supporting this, when the deficit is so high. What do you say to him?

KING: I grew up in rural America and NPR was what we turned on when we wanted to learn if a snowstorm had blocked the roads, it was what we turned on if we wanted to know what was happening in really local politics. I'm not talking about what was happening in New York City. I'm from Central New York. If we wanted to know what was going on in our neck of the woods, we would turn on WAMC, right?

So, I understand what Representative Fine is saying. I really do. I wonder how much he's hearing from his constituents who maybe value this service, who may value NPR or PBS, and maybe none of them do. And that's the really tricky part here. I think NPR's new CEO, Katherine Maher, has done a very good job of explaining that. Rural stations provide news to people in rural America who can't get it elsewhere.

But I think maybe one of the things that we are failing to realize is when you start cutting local media, you don't get it back. It's not that someone's going to come along and create, you know, a brand new radio station in Central New York so that my mom can figure out what's going on with the weather and with the roads and with local politics. She will -- you know, she'll have to rely on whatever's coming in from New York City.

So, I don't know, I think this one is a real loss and it's really partisan, and I do understand the Republican argument here. But if NPR, if these stations go away, I just don't think they're going to come back. And I think I think that's a bad thing. DEAN: Yes. And, Lulu, President Trump has always talked about cutting funding to NPR and PBS. Where do you think the line is in terms of actual fiscal responsibility, like what we just heard, what we were talking about, or is this more targeting different journalism outlets?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So, I'm a former NPR host. I worked for NPR for 17 years for full transparency. So, this is obviously a subject very close to my heart. You know, NPR and the funding that was there allowed me to cover the Iraq war for many, many years at great cost. And that was a public service to all Americans because, you know, when we think about what public media does, it is therefore the public good, right? The idea is that you are providing news and information that is, you know, not beholden to an algorithm, not beholden to a political party, it is independent. That is why the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was an independent entity, which provided these funds through Congress.

And so to Noel's point, I do think that this is a loss, and I do think this is another attack on the free press. You know, this is, I think, a bigger project than simply attacking NPR and PBS. It is about attacking the media at large.

DEAN: Rob, what do you think broadly? And also too, what about this piece? I'm thinking about Noel and her mom and snowy streets, but also recent Texas flooding. You know, just there's so many parts of America that are rural and are out there and reliant on this information for their safety. How do you kind of square all of that? Where should they be looking for that?

BLUEY: Well, I'd like to see all media outlets flourish, including NPR and PBS. I just think that they can do so without relying on taxpayer funding. And as somebody who started my own news organization, The Daily Signal, and has had to come up with creative ways to find funding for it, I hope that NPR and PBS can now look to the private sector in order to fund some of the journalism that Lulu and Noel were talking about.

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At the same time, we have $37 trillion debt in this country. We have to start chipping away at this, or future generations are not going to be able to afford all of those things that our parents and grandparents and us have been able to do. And if we don't get this under control, there will be dramatic consequences to the American people.

And this is only $9 billion. What happens when we start cutting more funding? This is what I mean, how difficult it is to get anything done in Washington and why I think we should still give credit to Elon Musk for pointing out some of the waste fraud and abuse in our government.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I'm just laughing because, of course, the big, beautiful bill massively increased the federal deficit. So, I don't think that this administration can talk about trying to reduce funding or even Congress. This was, as Noel pointed out, purely partisan. It fell along partisan lines. This is something that the Republicans have wanted for quite some time because they view, I think, erroneously that NPR and PBS are biased against them. And, again, I believe that this is an attack against a free press.

DEAN: All right. Group chat, stick with us. We have more to discuss.

Still to come this morning, Stephen Colbert canceled by CBS. Was President Trump behind that?

Plus, a team from the White House visits the notorious prison, but is reopening Alcatraz feasible? We'll talk about it.

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PELOSI: This notion of turning Alcatraz back into a prison was the stupidest initiative coming from this administration.

This is brutal, cruel and stupid.

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