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CNN This Morning
Witkoff Meets Hostage Families As Outrage Grows Over New Video; Trump Tells Schumer To "Go To Hell" As Senate Heads Home After Failed Attempt To Strike Deal On Nominees; Jack Smith Under Hatch Act Probe After Trump Allies Raise Claims; Two Associates Charged, Manhunt Continues For TN Murder Suspect; Thousands Of Catholics Gather For Jubilee Event With Pope Leo; Second Miner Found Dead After Collapse At A Copper Mine In Chile; Volcano Erupts In Russia For First Time In 600 Years After Quake; New Trump Tariffs Expected To Go Into Effect Thursday; Speedway Classic Suspended By Rain, Will Resume Today; WAPO: Democrats Struggling To Move On From 2024 Election. Lawmakers Not Hearing Much About Epstein During Town Halls; Sean Combs Pardon Might Be Difficult Says Trump; Kids' Summer Vacations Ending Too Early. Aired 7-8a ET
Aired August 03, 2025 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[07:00:47]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN This Morning. It's Sunday, August 3rd. I'm Victor Blackwell.
Here's what's happening this morning. There is anger in Israel after Hamas released a photo of a hostage looking emaciated and in a fragile state. Now the pressure is building on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to get the remaining hostages home.
Negotiations over a plan to confirm some of President Trump's nominees devolved into blaming yesterday. The President ultimately told Senate Minority (technical difficulty) to go to hell.
And take a look at this video out of Russia. A volcano erupted for the first time in 600 years. It sent ash into the sky.
Plus, it was the first Major League Baseball game ever played in Tennessee. And Mother Nature just refused to play ball. The highs and the rainy lows of the Speedway Classic is coming up.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And speaking of rain, we've got storms, we've got wildfire smoke, and we also have something brewing in the tropics. We'll take a look at all of those topics coming up.
BLACKWELL: We're starting this hour with the U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East meeting with families of the hostages held in Gaza. Steve Witkoff told the families his first priority is getting the hostages released all in one group. That's according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
As demonstrators protested in Tel Aviv, outrage has grown over the video of Hamas they released of one of the hostages. And we've got to warn you that this video is disturbing. It shows one of the hostages in a very delicate state, clearly emaciated. We're deliberately not showing the full video, but his family approved this image being released.
CNN Reporter Barbie Latza Nadeau joins us now with more. So there is mounting pressure on the Prime Minister there to bring these hostages home. What do you know?
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yes, you know, I mean, there are still 50 hostages of which only 20 are thought to be alive. And so it's a very delicate situation. And you can just imagine the angst those families of those missing hostages, especially those who think their loved ones are alive, are going through when they see these images.
Now, we've seen so many images of the starving children and the starving Gazans. And now to see this, it just puts added pressure both on the Israeli government but also on the U.S. government because a lot of people think that President Donald Trump does have some power to persuade Benjamin Netanyahu to do something.
Now, Steve Witkoff, as you said, you know, said really wants to bring these hostages home. He met with the hostage families for about three hours on Saturday. He also spent five hours in Gaza on Friday. And he went to one of the U.S.-Israeli distribution centers, one of these aid centers where so many people in Gaza have been killed and injured as they wait for aid.
It's a complicated situation. But seeing this image of this hostage has made it a lot more painful for those families, Victor.
BLACKWELL: Understandably.
Barbie Latza Nadeau for us there. Thank you so much.
President Trump took direct aim at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer yesterday, told him to go to hell. Schumer, Senate Majority Leader Thune, and the White House have been engaged in this intense negotiation to get some of the President's nominees confirmed.
Schumer requested federal funds be released and that Trump agree not to push another legislative package that would cut federal funding. The President responded on Truth Social last night and wrote this, "Tell Schumer, who is under tremendous political pressure from within his own party, the radical left lunatics, to go to hell. Do not accept the offer. Go home and explain to your constituents what bad people Democrats are and what great job the Republicans are doing and have done for our country."
Democrats have been slow walking Trump's lower-level nominees, forcing Thune to keep the Senate in session over the weekend. They've all now gone home without reaching a deal to confirm those nominees. A federal watchdog has launched an investigation into former Special Counsel Jack Smith, the man who led the criminal cases against President Trump. At the center of it, possible violations of the Hatch Act. Now, that's a rule that limits political activity by government employees.
CNN's Julia Benbrook takes a closer look at the claims.
[07:05:05]
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: United States Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal agency tasked with enforcing several rules, including the Hatch Act, has confirmed to CNN that it is investigating Special Counsel Jack Smith for alleged Hatch Act violations essentially investigating the investigator.
Now, this news was first reported by the New York Post and later confirmed by our team. The rule that he is accused of violating is not a crime, and the responses to employees that violate it can vary significantly. This investigation comes just days after Republican Senator Tom Cotton took to social media, saying that Smith's legal actions were, quote, "nothing more than a tool for Biden and Harris campaigns."
Now, Smith, of course, has been in the headlines a lot over the last several years, as he led criminal probes into then former President Donald Trump's handling of classified documents, as well as alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election. Now, both of those cases were ultimately dropped when Trump was re-elected, but he has long been a target of Trump's frustration. Smith resigned from his role at the Department of Justice just about a week before Trump started his second term.
Traveling with the President in New Jersey, Julia Benbrook, CNN.
BLACKWELL: We have new details in the murders of four people in Tennessee. Authorities say they've now arrested two associates of the suspected killer who's still out there somewhere. Twenty nine-year olds Tanaka Brown and Giovante Thomas are charged with accessory after the fact to first degree murder. But the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is not saying what evidence led to those charges.
This case started to unfold Tuesday when a baby girl was found abandoned in her car suit in someone's front yard. And hours later, police found her parents. 21-year-old James Wilson, 20-year-old Adrianna Williams, dead, along with two other people.
CNN's Rafael Romo has those details.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor, good morning. What officials in Tennessee say they want people to know right now is that the suspect is still at large and could be dangerous. Court records show the suspect has a criminal record that includes a 10-year sentence for a 2013 aggravated robbery. And the concern for officials in Tennessee and the public is that he's still at large. The vehicle of the suspect was believed to be driving a white 2016 Audi, was found unoccupied in Jackson, Tennessee. That's more than 70 miles away from Tiptonville, where the bodies of the victims were found. The suspect has been identified as 28-year-old Austin Robert Drummond by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
He is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs 190 pounds and has brown hair, blue eyes and a goatee, according to the TBI. Drummond is accused of killing four relatives of a Tennessee baby who was found abandoned alive in sweltering heat on Tuesday in a car seat in what authorities describe as a random front yard near the Dyer County community of Tigrett, nearly a 40-mile drive southeast of Tiptonville, where the bodies were found.
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DANNY GOODMAN, 29TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY GENERAL: We are dealing with an extremely violent individual. This was what we would think is an isolated incident. It's not anything to where we think the community is in danger because of a person who may be out here randomly targeting people because we don't think that's the case at all.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
ROMO: District Attorney Danny Goodman also said the victims were all from Dyer County and they suspect the suspect knew all of them. He also confirmed that two of the victims, 21-year-old James Wilson and 20-year-old Adrianna Williams, were the parents of the baby who was found abandoned in Dyer County. 38-year-old Cortney Rose and Braydon Williams, a teenager, were also killed.
TBI Director David Rausch says it appears the suspect, even after allegedly killing four people, had some compassion for the baby.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
DAVID RAUSCH, DIRECTOR, TENNESSEE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: Yes, they brought attention when they dropped the child off, brought attention. There were people nearby and so brought attention to those people to come and get the child.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
ROMO: And finally, Victor, the U.S. Marshals Service and TBI are offering a joint $15,000 reward for any information leading to Drummond's arrest.
Now, back to you.
BLACKWELL: Thank you so much.
This morning, Pope Leo led his biggest event yet. He celebrated mass with more than a million young Catholics just outside Rome. It's been nicknamed Catholic Woodstock. Crowds packed the field, they waved flags and chanted "Long live the Pope" as he urged them to go out and share their faith. Jubilee event wrapped up a week-long celebration aimed at energizing young Catholics around the world.
There's new information coming in about a deadly mine collapse in South America. A second miner was found dead in Chile yesterday after Tuesday's collapse at one of the world's largest copper mines.
[07:10:06]
Officials are looking into whether an earthquake or mining activity triggered that collapse. Rescuers are still trying to reach three other missing workers.
A volcano in Russia's Far East upper -- erupted this morning for the first time in 600 years. A volcano sent a massive ash cloud nearly 4 miles into the sky. Time to say the eruption may be linked to last week's earthquake that triggered tsunami alerts across the Pacific.
No communities are in danger right now, but the volcano's aviation alert level is at orange. That indicates a higher risk of aircraft or risk to aircraft, I should say.
For weeks, the U.S. has been baking in the heat, the thick humidity. You felt that it's like a nice damp sweater all day. But we're getting a brief break from that stifling heat.
CNN's Allison Chinchar joins us now. After days in the 90s and some above that, a little break.
CHINCHAR: A damp sweater.
BLACKWELL: A damp, that's what it always feels like, a damp sweater.
CHINCHAR: An uncomfortable analogy, but I also understand where you're coming from.
BLACKWELL: Immediately, you know what I'm talking about.
CHINCHAR: Yes, I know exactly what you're talking about.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
CHINCHAR: Yes, it has been. Again, it's summer. We know it's supposed to be hot. But for some of these areas, it has just been sweltering for weeks. So now we're going to finally get a little bit of a break. Even if it just lasts a few days, we'll take it.
Anything is better than just continuing on with a lot of that oppressive heat. It's all thanks to this cold front right through here. All that blue you see on the map, those are the cooler temperatures that are coming back down across some of these areas. So, again, we're going to continue to see these temperatures, at least for some spots, that will last at least a few more days.
Take a look at this. Atlanta, high of 74. Nashville, also into the 70s. Even some other cities in the south. The 80s, slightly warmer, but way below where they normally would be. Both Raleigh and Charlotte, normally this time of year, around 90 degrees. They are going to be in the 80s. And then take a look at this. Charlotte getting all the way down to 77 by Tuesday. Again, nice relief from those temperatures. Washington, D.C., for example, average high of 89. But look at this. Every single one of the next seven days is actually going to be below normal for a change.
Chicago, you are going to start to see those temperatures going back up at the end of the week. But at least for the next few days, it is going to be absolutely fantastic temperature-wise. The caveat is you are also going to have to deal with wildfire smoke. All of those Canadian wildfires, we've had a wind shift, and it's now pushing all of that smoke down across portions of the Midwest, including Chicago.
But now we're starting to see that shift a little bit more into the northeast. So we didn't have these alerts yesterday across the northeast, but now you've got quite a few stretching from Maine all the way back through upstate New York. And the thing is that wind is not going to shift all that much in the next 24 hours, so we're likely going to see those linger at least until Monday of this week.
BLACKWELL: All right, Allison, thank you.
All right, another round of tariffs set to kick in this week. We'll break down what items could be affected this time.
Plus, a soggy mess for baseball fans watching the first-ever game at a NASCAR track. We'll have an update on the Speedway Classic.
And now kids are going back to school. Is the summer vacation too short? Parents say no. Kids probably say yes. We'll get into it with our morning roundup a little later.
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BLACKWELL: President Donald Trump announced new tariffs. They go into effect Thursday. It gives countries a few more days to try to negotiate new deals. CNN's John Lawrence takes a look at how this affects everyone.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JOHN LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Consumers across the globe are given fair warning. Expect to see higher prices.
NATASHA SARIN, ECONOMIST: What we are seeing in the economy is that the tariffs are really starting to bite.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): On Thursday, the Trump administration's revised trade policy goes into effect. It includes a 10 percent tariff for countries where the U.S. exports more than it imports. Nations that have a trade deficit with the U.S. will see a 15 percent hike. And 26 countries, including Brazil, face levies that reach 50 percent.
STEPHEN MIRAN, COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS CHAIR: People know what the lay of the land is now, both on the trade front and on the tax front. And so, you know, we expect, you know, we expect things to get materially stronger from here now that our policies are starting to sort into place.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): As for the U.S., economic analysts say Americans are going to be picking up some of the tab from these worldwide tariffs.
SARIN: The result of these tariffs is that the average American household is going to face price increases of around $2,400 per family.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): The National Retail Federation reports nearly 70 percent of back-to-school shoppers in the U.S. hit the stores early in an attempt to save money.
KRISTIN SILBERMAN, NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER: I'm definitely seeing an increase in the prices. We're trying to get ahead of time because we don't know what's going to happen.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): I'm John Lawrence reporting.
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BLACKWELL: All right, the MLB had big plans for its first-ever game at a NASCAR track with Mother Nature. She's like Salt Bae, just like --
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Nope, nope. The Atlanta Braves, the Cincinnati Reds, they were ready to start their engines at one of NASCAR's most iconic venues, Bristol Middle Speedway in Tennessee, projected to be the largest attendance of any game in MLB history. A record 85,000 tickets sold. Game was supposed to start at 7:15 Eastern, but here comes the rain. It's raining cats and dogs.
[07:20:04]
Two-and-a-half-hour rain delay. People wearing ponchos. There was some singing in the rain. Eventually, they yelled, play ball. I checked out the score at 10:00 p.m. last night. They were still in the first inning victory.
BLACKWELL: Wow.
WIRE: Well, eventually in the first, Reds take a one-nothing lead with a soggy slap shot from Austin Hays that popped through a puddle past Austin Riley. He was diving into the swimming pool that was there at the base path. The single and the left scores a run. The Speedway Classic suspended just a bit later and will resume at 1:00 p.m. Eastern today.
Many questioning on social. If this was an option from the get-go, why did they even try to play the game in this monsoon to begin with? Even the Weather Channel tweeted out, "Us watching the Braves and Reds play in the rain like" -- what?
All right, coming up later in the hour, we have some more highlights for you, including from the WNBA where we had a baby crawl that gave us all the feels, and this little babe right here decided she was going to stand up and take her very first steps mid-race.
BLACKWELL: No.
WIRE: Look at her waddling her way to proud mama. Yes, baby.
Dad got to walk her off the court holding a very cool new toy, Victor. More sports later in the hour.
BLACKWELL: Oh, man, what a moment is that. You're there in the middle of the floor, and you know what? I'm just going to walk.
WIRE: Oh man.
BLACKWELL: Forget this crawl.
WIRE: Oh Victor, yes, I don't know why.
BLACKWELL: All right. Next in our morning roundup, we are digging into the job market. Headlines say it's still strong, but one group in particular is being forced out at an alarming rate. We'll hear from our panel about that after the break. What could be fueling those numbers?
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[07:26:08]
BLACKWELL: Democrats might be ready to move on from their 2024 defeat, but the main players in last year's presidential election, they're still out. They're not stepping back. WABE and NPR News Political Reporter Rahul Bali, Attorney Lisa Bonner, and Afrotech Publisher Drew McCaskill, they are all with me now. Welcome to the Roundup.
Let me start with you, Rahul. And, you know, we saw the former vice president out this week on Colbert. She's got a new book coming out. The president, former president, was out this week as well, speaking to a group of judges. Are elected Dems ready to move on and they refuse to give up the spot?
RAHUL BALI, WABE/NPR NEWS POLITICAL REPORTER: I think that's a great question. We're trying to, you know, figure out on both. And this is happening both at the state and local level and national level is, first of all, Democrats are trying to figure out what's next. Like, what's the focus in 2026 and maybe even 2028?
Look, here in the state of Georgia, I covered state politics. One of the most common questions I get is, is Stacey Abrams going to run for governor again? It's one of the most common questions that I get.
And what do I get? Some people are like, no, I don't want to see her run again. And then a whole different group of people are like, oh, I want to see her run again. You're having the same thing around the vice president and around other key Democratic officials and names.
BLACKWELL: Drew, what do you think?
DREW MCCASKILL, PUBLISHER, AFROTECH: Listen, I think -- this might be a little bit of state the obvious here, but I don't think the Democrats have a personality problem or a policy problem. They've got a communication problem. They're superstars in their bench right now. They're all speaking in dissertations, like they're at a grad school presentation, right?
I think the opposition has done really well with these one line zingers and three sentence policies. And they're winning. The thing I think that the difference between the two parties is that the DNC has to look at this, is that they are at the nuclear option. They've got to coalesce around a couple of super leaders and promote them and support them unilaterally.
Republicans hate Trump, right? They do. Then they have consistently hated him. But they -- one thing that they're willing to do is that they will get ready to get behind him 100 percent, no matter if he insulted their wives, their kids or whatever the case was. And he delivered for them, you know, the House, the Senate and three really young Supreme Court justices.
BLACKWELL: Yes. I will say the polling shows that Republicans love Trump. At least that's what they term (ph) in pollsters, right? They love Trump.
Lisa, let me come to you. And one of the issues that is separating or at least has separated the President from members of his base is the issue of Jeffrey Epstein and those files. And from a legal perspective, we saw that Ghislaine Maxwell is now in a minimum security prison camp. Are you concerned that it comes right after the Todd Blanche interview that all of a sudden she's moving from one prison to another?
LISA BONNER, ATTORNEY: This entire Ghislaine Maxwell-Epstein file is an absolute disaster. The messaging of it, the handling of it, the DOJ stepping in is unprecedented. And then surreptitiously moving her from a maximum security prison to a basically a camp is very disturbing.
The messaging is off. And this is one thing that might be the Achilles heel for Trump. I'm hoping so, because there seems to be nothing else that is going to knock him off that Republican pedestal. And I'm hoping the fact that we cannot get any straight answers, that this appears to be a cover up, that there is no reason on God's green earth why she is moved to a minimum security prison.
This woman is on record as being a worse offender than Jeffrey Epstein. She was the trafficker. She was one who participated. She has been convicted of some of the most horrendous crimes. And they are treating her like she is the gift.
And they are -- and she might be Trump's gift, but I don't think that anybody is really going to believe the messaging. So the messaging is off, the optics are off, and the entire situation is troubling.
BLACKWELL: Right. BALI: And here's where the politics comes into, because people have asked, hey, so what is the politics of all this? And the politics of it is, there could be Trump voters who stay home over this issue. And in a close election, those voters could make a difference, especially with that group of voters who may follow some of the popular social media influencers and some of the popular podcasters who are also frustrated with this issue. That's the politics of this.
BLACKWELL: You know, but here's the thing, is that we're hearing this from the Nick Fuentes, we're hearing this from the Candace Owens, the conservative talk show host and those influencers. But what our CNN political team has found is that at these Republican town halls, the voters are not bringing this as issue number one. So, how do you differentiate between those who have the mic those who have the votes on how important this is?
DREW MCCASKILL, CULTURE AND ECONOMICS CONTRIBUTOR, SIRIUSXM AND PUBLISHER, AFROTECH: I think the opportunity really is with talking to low income rural and urban voters about actual, like tabletop issues, right? Like they are not -- they're not talking about at their households every day this -- the Epstein files. I think the thing that that -- particularly Democrats should do is let the Trump White House, the DOJ, cable news, all fight out the Epstein files.
And what people who actually want to win their seats and keep their seats, congressional leaders, they need to go and road show the fact that this big beautiful bill is going to come along with really big, ugly tax bills, really big, ugly healthcare bills, and really big ugly grocery bills, and have those conversations.
What those town halls prove is that voters are starting to see a sea change in what it looks like in their wallets, in their pockets every day. And this Epstein thing is great for television, it's great for the news cycle. It'll probably help shave off some of those swing state voters, but talking about those tabletop issues, that could really make a difference in the midterms in those swing states.
BLACKWELL: Rahul, let me ask you about this. We learned this week that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will be winding down. You obviously a WABE/NPR political reporter, so this is something you certainly want to bring to the table. This is the result of that $1.1 billion clawback of federal dollars.
BALI: Look, this has been a -- let me give you my quick spiel because I've been doing this a lot. People are asking me what's going on. Look, to explain the public media business model, because a lot of people -- a local radio station, like mine, like WABE, we raise money from our listeners, the community, and we get federal funding. We turn around and spend that to buy an air, all things considered, an air morning edition. That's how the business model works.
By losing -- and in our case, we're losing 13 percent, $1.9 million, we're going to have to make decisions on what program we can buy in air and also what we do on a local level with a local news department, with our 22 journalists. So, that's what local radio stations are having to deal with, is making those decisions of what to air. Who to staff.
And so, look, what I tell people is if you're a listener of public media and you don't donate, maybe now's the time to do it.
BLACKWELL: Is this existential for some of those smaller rural stations?
BALI: I think it's for all stations. Rural especially. But also, I mean, you know, some stations like ours, we don't get any other government funding. Other stations get like city funding or even state funding. Yes, this is a challenge for stations around the country.
BLACKWELL: All right. everybody stay with me. We've got more coming up as we continue this Morning Roundup after the break, including, is the summer break too short? All right. We'll be back.
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[07:35:00]
BLACKWELL: All right. Welcome back to the Morning Roundup with Rahul Bali, Lisa Bonner, and Drew McCaskill.
Let's start here with Sean Diddy Combs. The president was asked about a potential pardon for Combs. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Probably. You know, I was very friendly with him. I got along with him great and seemed like a nice guy. I didn't know him well. But when I ran for office, he was very hostile.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said some not so nice things about you, sir.
TRUMP: Yes. And it's hard. You know, like you, we're human beings. It's -- and we don't like to have things cloud our judgment, right? But when you knew someone and you were fine and then you run for office and he made some terrible statements. So, I don't know. It's more difficult. It makes it more -- I'm being honest, it makes it more difficult to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Lisa, that answer was about his ego. It had nothing to do with the merits of the case or the conviction. Let's put that to one side. But Combs, he wants this conviction thrown out. Explain the basis or the argument.
BONNER: Well, first of all, I just -- I want him to just sit down and just go away.
BLACKWELL: Diddy?
BONNER: Diddy.
BLACKWELL: Yes. BONNER: Just I've -- we've all had enough of him. He just needs to take his licks and just move on. However, the basis of his request is that basically he's saying that I engaged in amateur porn, which is protected under the First Amendment. No one else has been prosecuted under the Mann Act, which is not true under those circumstances.
[07:40:00]
And he says, listen, this should be tossed out. And if it is not tossed out, I would like a new trial that is focused solely on the evidence from the freak offs and the hotel nights, because I had a lot of spillover, which clouded the judgment of the jury. That is the legal basis of the case.
BLACKWELL: You think it goes anywhere?
BONNER: I do not.
BLACKWELL: OK.
BONNER: I do not. We are all collectively tired of him. I do believe the judge is tired of him as well, because Sean's legal team did have some legitimate arguments when they were asking for him to be let out on bail, they did because he -- they stated he did not have any priors. The issues that he was convicted on were overturned. However, the judge said, you are still a menace to society. It is clear that the judge believes that nothing has changed, that he is not learned his lesson. And I do believe that the judge who has been heretofore against him being released on bail is going to keep him in MDC until his sentencing on October 3rd, and I fully support that.
BONNER: All right. Drew, let me come to you on this. The president is now bringing back the presidential sports Fitness and Nutrition Council. And he put on it Lawrence Taylor, who is a former linebacker, also a registered sex offender.
MCCASKILL: Sex offender. Yes. I mean, listen, I am all for bringing back resources and to public schools and to get kids moving, but does anybody remember the heat that Michelle Obama took in 2010 for let's -- her Let's Move Campaign? I mean, Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh were on TV mocking her every day. Sarah Palin shows up at public schools with cookies talking, calling Michelle Obama, you know, the food police. And Michelle Obama had all these incredible programs and they did all these things with food security and healthy food and getting moving, and she did it all without bringing on a registered sex offender to help her promote it, right?
BLACKWELL: Well, in addition to the timing of going through all that's happening with the Epstein files, you -- he added this registered sex offender. I want you to listen to what Lawrence Taylor said at the announcement.
MCCASKILL: Scary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He's a little shy, but once he gets going, nobody can stop.
LAWRENCE TAYLOR, FORMER NFL LINEBACKER: Oh, no, don't, stop. I'm just proud to be on this team. I don't know why. I don't know what we're supposed to be doing, but I'm here to serve, and I'm here to serve you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Now, to be fair, I don't know what they're supposed to be doing either, but I'm not on the council.
MCCASKILL: Right. And can I also just say that the people that this -- the people of color that this administration pulls in to put out front for things, I feel that there's some strategy in that. And they are not pulling out the best and the brightest of us to do the jobs that we're talking about.
BONNER: They're pulling out the worst.
MCCASKILL: Yes.
BONNER: And the most important.
MCCASKILL: Yes.
BONNER: Let's be clear about it.
MCCASKILL: And I think it speaks to how they feel about the black electorate, right? And the black people that they choose to push forward and they're saying something without saying it, and I'm hearing it loud and clear. I think a lot of other people should be hearing it too.
BONNER: We all are hearing it.
BLACKWELL: Rahul, this is something that, you know, as a parent, you've -- you are actually disappointed that the summer break is ending. Kids going back to school, you say, too early?
BALI: Monday.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
BALI: Tomorrow. You know, I mean, like, we would try to get kids back on sleep schedules. Look, it's not just that it's early, it's just been this whole shift over the years. I grew up here in Georgia. I remember graduating from high school in June -- in the middle of June. This past year my kids got out of school in the middle of May. OK. And now, we're going back the first week of August. There's some kids went back to school last week.
BLACKWELL: Yes, I went back after Labor Day.
BALI: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Yes. BALI: It's just -- it's the shift. I mean, it -- I think it shortens the possibility for vacations. You really can't take a vacation at the end of end of May, not until after Memorial Day. So, it's not as much, we're starting early. It's this weird shift where we've kind of moved to almost now middle of May and then the beginning of August for some parts of our country, like ours, and it's going to be hot now.
BLACKWELL: Now, who doesn't have kids, when the backs of school sales started, I was like, man, they're starting early. No, their kids are actually going back to school.
BONNER: 4th of July.
BLACKWELL: All right. So, some it might be in lunchboxes are the new Golden Sriracha Doritos. Those have come out. And Doritos, the makers, they say that this will now be -- oh, here. They're right here. This will now be the new --
[07:45:00]
BALI: So, you have them?
BLACKWELL: Oh, you have them? I come with gifts. Take one. Pass down.
BONNER: Oh, we got the big bag.
BLACKWELL: OK.
BONNER: We're going to be the envy of everybody.
BLACKWELL: So, they say that Gen Z loves sriracha? Yes. Right now. Gen Z loves sriracha, but they actually wanted to do something a little more complex instead of red, they've gone with yellow. That they say is layered.
BALI: You see --
BONNER: I like it.
BLACKWELL: This is delicious.
BONNER: I love it.
BLACKWELL: Oh, yes. I'm in for this.
BONNER: I think it's smoother than the nacho cheese. The nacho cheese has a really a little bite to it.
BLACKWELL: A little bite to it, yes.
BONNER: And yes. And this is --
BLACKWELL: I could see how this be the new cool ranch.
BONNER: This is a little corn chip. Yes. Yes.
BALI: See, I was going to compare this to spicy sweet chili. Do you eat those Doritos?
BLACKWELL: I don't, but this is good.
BALI: This is good.
BLACKWELL: All right.
BALI: My kid eats Doritos. This may be in his lunchbox Monday morning.
BLACKWELL: And it doesn't have the red artificial dye.
BONNER: It doesn't have the red dye.
BLACKWELL: Right.
BONNER: Win.
BLACKWELL: Win. Bali kids in the Bali household, you're welcome. All right. Raul, Lisa, Drew, thank you.
BONNER: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:50:00]
BLACKWELL: All right. Right now, parts of the southeast are getting hit with heavy rain and flash flood warnings are in effect. CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is back with us. What are you watching?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: So, I've got two separate areas that we're keeping a close eye on. One is across portions of the southeast, this other, which has a very strong line of thunderstorms sliding through portions of the Central U.S.
And so, this is where we have our biggest concern for flooding going through this -- the rest of the day today, especially where you see these yellow areas here, that's where the higher risk is going to be to have some of that excessive rainfall. You've got more that's going to develop this afternoon, especially as we get the sun out, kind of the heating of the day, especially across the Central U.S. and even portions of the southeast.
But notice that spin off there just off the coast of the Atlantic, that is going to be something we have to watch over the next 48 hours because that could end up becoming one of our next named tropical systems. It has about a 40 percent chance in the next 48 hours. And even if that one doesn't become something, we also have this section here, that has the potential late at the end of the upcoming week to become a named tropical system as well.
BLACKWELL: All right. Allison, thank you very much. The Los Angeles Lakers inked a new deal with one of their star players. Cory Wire is here with more on that.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Back up the brinks truck. Victor, how would you like your salary to pay you $150,000 per day.
BLACKWELL: Oh, I'll take it.
WIRE: How about $6,200 every hour of every day for the next three years? Oh, my goodness. Lake show securing his superstar Luka Doncic with a three-year, $165 million contract extension. The deal includes a player option in 2028, Doncic posted on social, excited to keep working to bring championships to L.A. and make Laker Nation proud.
It's been a whirlwind for Luca. Lakers pulled off that blockbuster trade in February to acquire him from the Mavs. In the 28 games he played, he averaged over 28 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. But one of the coolest parts of this story, the Luca Doncic Foundation has already committed $5 million to help 77 young athletes around the world to help tear down the financial offenses that often keep talented kids from chasing their dreams. Luca building a behemoth of a legacy on and off the court and in the bank account.
WNBA, the Minnesota Lynx made history stomping the Aces by 53 points. The largest road win ever. 111 to 58 was the final. Kayla McBride scored 24. She hit eight straight three pointers. Nobody had ever done that. But major concern after this, their MVP candidate five-time All- Star Napheesa Collier leaving the game with an ankle injury after colliding with a teammate in the third, clearly upset by what she felt. She'll undergo testing and imaging to learn the extent of the injury. So, potentially crippling news there for the team with the best record in the league.
World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, in one of the most highly anticipated showdowns in sport. The greatest female swimmer ever, Katie Ledecky takes down rival and team phenom Summer Mcintosh of Canada, Australia's Lani Pallister as well in the 800-meter free she claims gold. It's Katie's seventh straight title. Longest streak by any swimmer ever in any event at the World Championships. I got to speak with her last week ahead of these championships, and she's just a machine. She sacrifices all the fun stuff to just be a swimmer full- time all the time. Pays off.
BLACKWELL: It certainly does. So, she wouldn't have any golden sriracha Doritos.
WIRE: She does not -- on the list.
BLACKWELL: Not on the list.
WIRE: Has this girl --
BLACKWELL: We haven't -- yes. Let's --
CHINCHAR: You're trying to kill me?
BLACKWELL: Why? It's a Dorito.
CHINCHAR: I don't do spicy.
BLACKWELL: Oh, it's not too spicy. It's sweet and tangy.
CHINCHAR: No, too spicy. Famous last words.
BLACKWELL: It's sweet and tangy.
CHINCHAR: You first.
WIRE: She's nervous.
BLACKWELL: I've already had one. Have one. Why you only have one? All right.
WIRE: These are too good. Look at her, taking a little nibble off the corner. Come on, Alli. What you think? Thoughts?
BLACKWELL: You know, you're the only person on camera right now? Oh, my.
WIRE: Can someone get her water.
CHINCHAR: My tongue is on fire.
BLACKWELL: Oh, is it?
CHINCHAR: I don't do spicy.
BLACKWELL: OK. I thought they were good.
WIRE: Yes, these are too good.
BLACKWELL: All right. The final episode of the CNN Original series, "Live Aid: When Rock'N'Roll' Took on the World" airs tonight. Here's a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you get a call from Bob?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got a letter from Bob.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A letter?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Because Bob doesn't have my phone number.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wrote to her and I got back a very mad letter. It wasn't, dear Bob, it said, so.
[07:55:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ELIJAH said exactly what is it you're doing? Are you fundraising? No. Well, what are you doing? We're consciousness raising. But consciousness raising for what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's going on? How is this going to work? Really?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then he, you know, did elaborate on -- about the GA.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It noodled around in her head.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then I thought twice about what it's all about, the pressure that it's going to put on the world leaders who are meeting in three days to decide whether to remove debts, that's the most important thing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: "Live Aid: When Rock'N'Roll' Took on the World" airs at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. All right. We're going to have to get Allison some water or something. It's not scotch --
CHINCHAR: My eyes are literally wondering right now.
BLACKWELL: Do you do black pepper on your food or --
CHINCHAR: They're just (INAUDIBLE) hair.
BLACKWELL: All right. Thank you so much for joining us. "Inside Politics Sunday with Manu Raju" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:00:00]
