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Erin Burnett Outfront
Bill Clinton Testifies; New Iran Warning; Why Are Americans Loving JFK Jr. And Carolyn Bessett Right Now? Aired 7-8p ET
Aired February 27, 2026 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:29]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
Breaking news, Clinton's Epstein deposition. The former president facing questions about his relationship with the late convicted sex offender for more than six hours. So, what did he say? And what did he say about Trump's relationship with Epstein?
Also breaking this hour, U.S. officials warning Americans not to travel to Iran. And if they're there and want out, they have to leave today, as the president inches closer to a possible war.
And back in the spotlight. Why are ads for Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's head band and Google searches for riding your bike in a suit soaring? We'll tell you why there's so much buzz around the late couple.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
(MUSIC)
BURNETT: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news, former President Bill Clinton just finishing more than six hours of questioning about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The oversight committee, which conducted the deposition, now has not released full details of what Clinton said.
But we do know, according to two sources, that the former president did address multiple photos of him released in the Epstein files, including this one which shows Clinton in a jacuzzi with a woman whose face was redacted. The former president was asked if he had sex with the woman, according to the sources. He said he didn't.
But the fact that he testified does set a major precedent, right? He's a former president. It opens the door for a former and current President Trump to be questioned under oath, as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): Before this, we had the Trump rule. Trump defied, as all of you know, a congressional subpoena with the January 6th committee. He said presidents don't have to testify. Now we have the Clinton rule, which is that presidents and their families have to testify when Congress issues a subpoena
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And President Trump seems well aware of the precedent the Clintons are setting. So far, he has not taken questions from the Oversight Committee.
I mean, just listen to Trump today when Kristen Holmes asked him about Clinton being questioned.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't like seeing him deposed. But, you know, they certainly went after me a lot more than that. I don't like, I like -- I like him, and I don't like seeing him deposed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Interesting. We should note Trump, of course, hasn't been accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein. As for Clinton, he, like Hillary Clinton, who testified yesterday, was defiant in his prepared remarks.
He said: No matter how many photos you show me, I have two things that, at the end of the day, matter more than your interpretation of those 20-year-old photos. I know what I saw and more importantly, what I didn't see. I know what I did and more importantly, what I didn't do. I saw nothing and I did nothing wrong.
Now sources tell CNN Clinton was also asked about his name appearing on Epstein's flight logs and Epstein's name appearing in Clinton's White House visitors log. There's a lot to ask about. We don't know what he said about those things.
But we do know that he came to Hillary Clinton's defense after she finished six hours of testimony yesterday saying, "You made Hillary come in. She had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein, nothing. She has no memory of even meeting him. She neither traveled with him nor visited any of his properties. Whether you subpoenaed 10 people or 10,000, including her, was simply not right."
MJ Lee is OUTFRONT. She is live in Chappaqua, New York, which is where the Clintons testified from.
And, MJ, you know, Hillary Clinton was very questionable. Bill Clinton, of course, is an important person, should have answered questions, did answer questions, as should others who have not. What more are you learning about what happened behind closed doors today?
MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL ENTERPRISE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Erin, two back-to-back Clinton depositions. And today could not have been more different from yesterday. And we are learning a lot of new details tonight about the kinds of questions that Bill Clinton received from lawmakers behind closed doors and how he answered those questions. For one, he was shown multiple photos, we are told by sources, where
he is with women in the Epstein files, and each time was asked, did you have sex with that woman? And we are told that he said each time he did not. That, of course, includes that jacuzzi photo that we have all seen, where he apparently said that he didn't remember or know who that person was.
He was also shown and asked about many other references of him in the Epstein files, including flight logs where his name is listed, and the multiple White House visitors logs, where Epstein's name is visited.
Now interestingly, he apparently told lawmakers that the first time he remembers meeting Epstein is in the early 2000s on Epstein's plane.
[19:05:03]
Now, we also know that the former president was asked many questions about the current president, Donald Trump. And this is one interesting and notable detail, Erin, that we are just learning tonight Clinton apparently described a conversation that he had with Donald Trump in the early 2000 at a golf tournament, and Clinton apparently told lawmakers that Trump described a falling out that he had with Jeffrey Epstein over a land deal. And he said to Clinton, as he recalls it, "I am not friends with him anymore."
Now, after this deposition wrapped up, I did ask Chairman Comer whether he had definitely learned new information about Comer, about -- excuse me -- Epstein's crimes and sex trafficking ring. As a result of this deposition and he said yes, not as much as I would have wanted, and that he is very much set on bringing in additional individuals to be questioned. Of course, we are only going to have the full picture, Erin, when the transcript and the videos are released.
BURNETT: Yeah, absolutely.
All right. MJ Lee, thank you very much. You've been covering all of this and the Epstein files.
And OUTFRONT now, Democratic Congressman James Walkinshaw, he's with us as he sits on the Oversight Committee and was inside the room for the depositions of both Bill and Hillary Clinton.
And, Congressman, I appreciate your time. So now that you've heard President Clinton, do you have more questions about what he knew and when he knew it? Do you believe that he told the truth today?
REP. JAMES WALKINSHAW (D-VA): Well, President Clinton testified for six hours today as both Democrats and Republicans who were in the room have confirmed. He answered every question openly and transparently I would say that to date, everything President Clinton has said publicly has been consistent with information that's in the files and other information that's public. So, there are no inconsistencies in President Clintons statements. And I'm going to sit down and go through the transcript again with everyone else over the next couple of days when its released but my perspective is that he's been consistent. BURNETT: All right. I want to play something that your Republican
colleague, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, said. And this goes to the heart of how in the world did Jeffrey Epstein get so much money and have all these people around him? Right? Just the big questions there.
So, she just came out and said it after the Clinton deposition. I wanted to play it for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ANNA PAULINA LUNA (R-FL): I do believe, and I'm sure some people on this committee also believe, that Jeffrey Epstein was an intelligence asset and running some form of a honeypot operation. I do believe that President Clinton, as well as Secretary Clinton, were potentially targets of that operation and we will leave it at that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Do you agree?
WALKINSHAW: Well, I think that's a legitimate line of inquiry for our committee and for the investigation. I don't share the congresswoman's certainty about that. I know that's a topic of great interest, especially in some corners of the Internet. I think -- I think we should pursue it. I don't think we learned anything today that lends additional evidence to that theory, but it's certainly worth considering and continuing to pursue.
BURNETT: So, Democrats are now arguing and I will say, I think this is fair to argue. Right? You got Bill Clinton going. He's a former president. He goes and testifies. Does that set the precedent for another president to testify?
Okay, it seems it does. Right? Apples to apples. So, we're talking about President Trump.
Do you think that your committee will ever hear directly from the sitting president?
WALKINSHAW: I do believe we will whether it will be in this congress or a future congress, I don't know, but I do believe that at some point in time, President Trump will have to answer questions under oath about Jeffrey Epstein. And you know, I mentioned President Clinton being consistent with the public record in terms of the statements he's made. Donald Trump has been inconsistent with the public record, with statements that he has made.
There are documents in the files that have been released, some of which are still illegally redacted, that contradict parts of Donald Trump's story, with respect to Jeffrey Epstein. Chairman Comer revealed a piece of conversation in today's deposition where President Clinton was asked about President Trump and Epstein. And I think when the transcript and video is revealed, there will be a lot of interest in the rest of that line of question and conversation that will shed some more light on inconsistencies in President Trump's story BURNETT: All right. So, I think we're all very eager to see that and
to understand exactly that. That is because what we have that came out today about Clinton talking about Trump was about basically Clinton agreeing, you know supporting Trump's version of events, which is that he and Epstein had a fall out over a land deal before allegations against and -- were public -- allegations Epstein were public.
[19:10:16]
So, I guess I'm curious. Clinton saying, look, we were on the golf course in early 2000, and he told me he's no longer friends with Epstein. Now, you know, it does come on the heels of Trump today saying of Epstein -- I mean, of Clinton. I don't like seeing him deposed, you know, basically taking his side as a president of not wanting to be in that room.
Did you find Bill Clinton's defense of Trump's version of events with Epstein to be credible?
WALKINSHAW: Well, I think I would disagree with you a little bit. The story that President Trump has told about his falling out with Jeffrey Epstein is that Epstein was, quote, stealing Mar-a-Lago employees, right? Including Virginia Giuffre, who was a child at the time. President Trump has said repeatedly that's why he kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago. I read a document that's illegally redacted by the department of justice that gives a different version with respect to Trump kicking Epstein out or actually never kicking Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago. So I don't think --
BURNETT: Well, he's on the membership logs after he said they were no longer friends. I mean, that's --
WALKINSHAW: Yeah, yeah. That's right. So and I think again, when you review the transcript and compare that to what President Trump has said about Mar-a-Lago and Epstein, there are some inconsistencies there that I think the committee will have to pursue. And I think ultimately, President Trump needs to explain that. And other pieces of this story under oath.
He's claiming to be exonerated. Some of my Republican colleagues today have said President Trump is exonerated. The only way for him to exonerate himself is to sit down under oath and answer every single question truthfully and fully.
BURNETT: And that should not be a partisan thing to say, by the way right? I mean, it just shouldn't be. It should just be the way that's the way that it has to be for anyone. And there are others who should be answering questions. And those files as well.
One of them, may be Howard Lutnick, obviously, the sitting commerce secretary. Your committee chairman is suggesting he may call him in for an interview. You know, Lutnick, of course, said publicly that he went to Epstein's New York home once with his wife when they were neighbors, and he found him to be so depraved. He was so disgusted that he never hung out with him again. He said this to "The New York Post". We played it a lot of times. Then it turned out that the files showed that to be untrue and then
Lutnick testified to the senate that he actually had been to Epstein's island once, Do you want to hear more from him?
WALKINSHAW: Absolutely. Secretary Lutnick should have been in talking to our committee when the files revealed that he had been lying about the extent of his relationship with Epstein. It's clear now that we have the votes on the committee to subpoena Lutnick. Its only because that became clear that Chairman Comer is now saying hell bring him in. Chairman Comer has resisted bringing Lutnick in, but now that it's clear there's Republican support on the committee to bring him in and we have the votes, I do think it will happen.
And look, the challenge with Lutnick is he's in the same position as Trump. He said he had no relationship or a very limited relationship with Epstein. The files and other public documents reveal that's a lie. Donald Trump is in the exact same situation. So, if Lutnick is going to testify and Republicans on our committee support Lutnick coming in, they should support Trump coming in.
BURNETT: Yeah, well, that would be apples to apples.
Thank you very much. I appreciate your time, Congressman.
And KFILE's Andrew Kaczynski is OUTFRONT now. He has been poring through those Epstein files since they were released. And every day we find more.
You have had incredible impact powerful people have been held to account because of your reporting, and you have reporting on Lutnick that I want to get to in just a moment because Congressman Walkinshaw was talking about him.
But first, Bill Clinton, where you've done extensive reporting on him prior to the files and now reading the files. To the best of your knowledge, is everything that the president said in his deposition such that we know it without the formal transcript today true?
ANDREW KACZYNSKI, CNN KFILE SENIOR EDITOR: Yeah. Well, I was about to say that we have not seen we testified for six hours. They said, so we haven't seen everything that he said. But what I have seen that we've reported, for instance, that he says he first remembers meeting Epstein on one of those 2002 trips when they went to Africa that very well could be true. Epstein did go to the Clinton White House in the 1990s. He did go to a fundraiser in 1995 that Clinton was at.
But, you know, these events are often there are many people there. You shake the hand with the president sometimes you get a picture with the president. It would not surprise me if Bill Clinton had not made the connection between him and Jeffrey Epstein until he went on those trips to Africa.
What he said about Hillary Clinton not knowing Epstein very well could be true because Hillary Clinton was elected to the senate in what, 2000? Bill Clinton starts the Clinton Foundation, the Clinton Global Initiative, does all those trips with Epstein. She's a senator at the time. She's not around for those Epstein interactions.
[19:15:00]
So, again, that that very well could be true also.
And what he testified about the land deal is something that has been reported before. Now, we also, as the congressman said, there is contradictory accounts where Trump says I kicked him out because he was poaching women.
BURNETT: Poaching employees of the spa, yeah.
KACZYNSKI: But what we previously had thought based on reporting before that was they were both bidding on a house in Palm Beach and Trump beats Epstein. And apparently this got very contentious. And that's where we at first heard that they had had a falling out. So, if Trump -- Bill Clinton says that Trump told him to, that that would match a little bit of the reporting that we've seen.
But I really would be interested in hearing is if he was asked questions about his relationship -- the Clintons' relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell, because, as we know, she was very involved in the Clinton Global Initiative. She was getting dinners with Clinton all the way up to --
BURNETT: She was at Chelsea Clinton's wedding.
KACZYNSKI: She was at Chelsea Clinton's wedding. She vacationed on a yacht with Chelsea Clinton in 2009, and such -- much of this happened after those first allegations were made public in 2011 against Ghislaine and Epstein. And I want to it would be interesting to hear how Clinton explains that, how he didn't know and why they kept a relationship with the Ghislaine maxwell for --
BURNETT: Of course, the other weddings at Epstein -- well, he didn't go to Chelsea Clintons, obviously, at that point.
KACZYNSKI: He did go to Trump's, though, 1994
BURNETT: Trump's -- multiple Trump weddings.
KACZYNSKI: I think just one.
BURNETT: Just -- okay.
KACZYNSKI: Not the one with Melania 2005. So, it's post friendship being over.
BURNETT: The friendship being over as we understand it.
Okay, so the Epstein files have this photo that was briefly removed by the Justice Department. This is the one that appears to be Howard Lutnick in the blue linen shirt with Epstein on the private island. Now, Epstein -- Lutnick addressed this recently during a senate hearing because he had said to "The New York Post", you know, I went to the house and I never would see the guy again. This picture is obviously post that.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD LUTNICK, COMMERCE SECRETARY: I did have lunch with him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation. My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies we had lunch on the island. That is true for an hour, and we left with all of my children, with my nannies and my wife all together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Okay, here's the thing about this, okay? Lutnick made a claim that Epstein was a neighbor, and he and his wife went over and were invited over by Epstein. They met Epstein in 2005. And, you know, they get a tour of the house. Okay?
And here is what he told Miranda Devine in the unforgettable interview, at least for me. Here's what Lutnick said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUTNICK: I say to him, massage table in the middle of your house. How often do you have a massage? And he says, every day and then he, like, gets like weirdly close to me and he says, and the right kind of massage. And in the six or eight steps it takes to get from his house to my house, my wife and I decided that I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again.
So I was never in the room with him socially for business or for even philanthropy. If that guy was there, I wasn't going because he's gross/
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: How do you say all those things?
KACZYNSKI: With such passion.
BURNETT: With such passion and such detail and such visceral disgust and lay it out? I wouldn't be with him socially, not true. For business, not true. What? What is that?
KACZYNSKI: Okay. So here's what we know about this photo. So, this photo we found it was on the Justice Department's website on January 29th or January 31st, 2026. It was accessible there. Then it's taken down that we initially saw this yesterday on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, and this link is not online. There its noticed people online start saying that looks a lot like Howard Lutnick, members of Congress start saying Howard needs to answer questions about this.
The link is then restored after only after people bring this up okay? Only after people bring this up. After I've reached out to the Justice Department, to the Commerce Department, to the White House. This link is then restored late. BURNETT: So it's almost as if someone thought they could just remove
it before anyone noticed it. I'm not saying they did.
KACZYNSKI: We don't know -- but it's definitely possible.
BURNETT: Interpreted that way.
KACZYNSKI: And then its put back online. I think the statement that they gave to us said that they were it was part of a batch of images that were pulled for review and is -- that are being uploaded with necessary redactions on a rolling basis. No files are being deleted. They said it was part of a batch of files that were flagged for nudity. I mean, obviously, there's no nudity in that photo.
That is what they said. That is what they told us. Lutnick has not addressed this but obviously this, you know, we have the fact that he said he went to the island, we know because there's an email where he talks about going to the island. Now we have this purported photo of him on the island. It does not what he said before the photo. What he what he told the committee those things obviously can't be, you know, the same.
BURNETT: All right. Andrew Kaczynski from KFILE, thank you very much.
And next, the breaking news, new and urgent warnings tonight for Americans in Iran. Officials say they need to leave immediately as the president hints he's close to making up his mind on striking.
Plus, Trump also breaking his silence on Congressman Tony Gonzales, who is facing growing calls to resign after allegations he had an affair with a staffer who later killed herself.
And Savannah Guthrie with a new message tonight for the person who took her mother now offering $1 million cash. We've got new details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:25:04]
BURNETT: Breaking news, President Trump hinting he may be close to making up his mind on an American military strike on Iran. A war, a strike or a war that could be just hours away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: And now we have a big decision to make. You know that. Not easy not easy. We have a very big decision to make we have a country that's been for 47 years blowing peoples legs off, arms off, the face. They've been knocking out ships, killing people, lots of people. Not only Americans, lots of people. It's been terrible, 32,000 people killed over the last two or three months. I'd rather do it the peaceful way, but they're very difficult people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Trump also saying he's unhappy that Iran is not giving the United States everything it wants during nuclear talks. But the Omani foreign minister tonight with very significant comments to Margaret Brennan, saying that Iran has agreed to, quote, never stockpile nuclear material. It is a major concession. It is a shift from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Trump's comments, though come as Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned no American should travel to Iran for any reason. And just hours after the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, told embassy staff if they want to leave the country, they must leave today, which was a very inflammatory comment.
All of this is sources tell CNN there is no U.S. intelligence that Iran is building missiles that could soon hit the United States. That's a really big deal. Even though Trump himself claimed that in the State of the Union, to support a possible strike.
Jeremy Diamond is OUTFRONT tonight in Jerusalem.
And, Jeremy, what are you hearing about how close a possible strike is? I mean, you know, if you go online, you see a satellite images, and the bombers are here and they moved here and, you know, and they make it sound as if it's happening any second. But what are you actually hearing when it comes to the facts?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this hour, Erin, in the region, there are a number of indicators pointing to the potential, at least for imminent U.S. strikes on Iran. And that's for a number of reasons. All of the components of the U.S. military buildup that's been taking place over the course of the last month.
They all now appear to be in place. That includes two carrier strike groups, dozens of fighter jets, including about a dozen F-22 stealth fighter jets that have been positioned at an Israeli air base for what seems to be the first time ever and then you've got this email from the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, not just authorizing staff to leave the country, but also saying in all caps that if they want to do so, they should do so today.
Similar steps were taken at the U.S. embassy in Beirut earlier this week where staff were also evacuated and a number of other countries are now issuing travel warnings for Israel and other countries in the Middle East pointing to this buildup of tensions and also some of these countries that may have been briefed on intelligence that were simply not privy to.
What we don't know at this stage is whether or not President Trump has actually made a decision. And that's why, looking at his comments earlier today is quite informative. I mean, you can hear the president wrestling with the issue, talking about the fact that he's not getting everything he wants to get out of Iran so far, noting that he prefers diplomacy, but also making clear that sometimes military action is necessary.
Ultimately, we know that there are talks scheduled in Vienna technical talks on these U.S.-Iran negotiations scheduled in Vienna on Monday. Whether or not we actually get there, though, still seems to be an open question -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Jeremy, thank you very much in Tel Aviv tonight.
I want to go to Karim Sadjadpour, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment now.
And, Karim, you know talking to your sources all day -- I mean, you know what I'm talking about when I say, if you go to social media, you know, it's as if it's a second away. That's been true, though, for days when you look at what you see there. So again, when it comes to the facts, what your sources are telling you, what where are we right now?
KARIM SADJADPOUR, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT: Erin, it really changes day to day based on some of the statements coming from the president. And I think one of the reasons why it's not clear to us is that it's not clear in the presidents head what his objectives are, what are the objectives of negotiations? What are the concessions he's hoping to get from the Iranians? What would be the objectives of military action?
I think there is a broad consensus, both in Washington and in the region that the likelihood of military action is much higher than the likelihood of a deal, but it changes day to day. And you know, meanwhile, 92 million Iranians are waiting to see what their fate is going to be.
BURNETT: I mean, you know, look, Trump's made it clear that he's not happy with how negotiations with Iran are going, right? And I mean, Karim, in a sense, it's not really a negotiation, right? He said, give me everything I want or else.
So, you know enter in the Omani foreign minister. He's a really important player. He's been the middle man in negotiations. He's at the table every time, in all of the pictures, right?
He just went on with Margaret and said that Iran has agreed to no longer stockpile enriched uranium.
[19:30:03]
Now understanding that in the past, what Iran has said is not necessarily what Iran has done. They have never said this before. They have never put this on the table, okay? Is this a big concession?
SADJADPOUR: It's not yet clear, Erin, whether the Omani foreign minister is actually speaking the exact words of Iran's supreme leader. The Omanis obviously want to avert a conflict, given that they're in the blast zone.
But, you know, I follow this very closely, and it's not clear to me what the president's objectives are. In the past, Secretary Rubio has said that the U.S. has four main objectives in negotiations. It's not only zero enrichment, nuclear enrichment, but it's also curtailing missiles, curtailing Iran's regional proxies like Hezbollah and the Houthis, and human rights, treating its people better. But when the president speaks on this topic, it changes day to day.
BURNETT: Yeah.
SADJADPOUR: So, if it's not clear to me, I'm not sure how clear it is to the Iranians.
BURNETT: True. And then also those things that you list, if they were even to be formal objectives, which I know Rubio is saying doesn't make them right, doesn't make them to be. That's not something you do. You know, with just some sign of quick strikes and we're done. That's just not -- that's not a list that you accomplish with that.
You mentioned missiles, though, on the list, Karim. And during the State of the Union, you know, that sort of Colin Powell moment, President Trump made a claim about missiles and Iran's development of missiles as a potential justification to go to war. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They've already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they're working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Former leader of Sweden, Carl Bildt, took that on, head on, saying it was false. And sources tell CNN that that claim that Trump made is not backed up by U.S. intelligence, that there's no intelligence currently suggesting Iran is pursuing an ICBM program to hit the United States.
So, you know, what's your reaction when you hear claims being made that at least as we understand it the intelligence says are not true?
SADJADPOUR: Well, the Iraq war is in recent memory for many of us, and obviously for many in Washington. So, I think these concerns about the president's lack of clarity are taken very seriously. In my sense and this is, I think reflected in polling. There's diminishing support for conflict, not only in the Democratic Party but among Republicans as well there's growing concern.
And so, I think this lack of clarity in the language, lack of clarity and objectives, concerns that some of the justifications for war are being embellished. In some ways, I think the possible popularity of this potential military action has gone down, Erin, what I think is interesting about this moment is that it's probably one of the few times in modern history in which the citizens of the country that maybe bombed the citizens of Iran are probably more supportive of a military attack than the citizens of the country that would do the bombing, citizens of the United States.
BURNETT: What an incredible thing to say. I mean, just such a simple truth, but how powerful it is when you put it in those words.
Karim, thank you. I appreciate you.
SADJADPOUR: Thank you, Erin.
BURNETT: And President Trump, next, telling supporters whom he would like to appoint as the next Supreme Court justice. So, he just spoke about that. Wait until you hear the name.
And Savannah Guthrie with the new message tonight to anyone, anyone who has information about her mom.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:37:52]
BURNETT: Tonight, Supreme Court Justice Ted Cruz -- well, you heard me. That could be his future, because if you listen to President Trump in Texas today, here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I'm thinking about putting them in the Supreme Court. He's the only guy I know. He'll get 100 percent of the Democrat vote, 100 percent of the Republican vote. They want to get him out of there. He is such a pain in the ass, but he's so good and so talented.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: OUTFRONT now, former Democratic Congressman Max Rose and former Republican Congressman Charlie Dent.
So, Congressman Rose, I mean, that was true Trumpian logic where, you know, you laughed because you had like 100 percent support and you're thinking, why? And then it's like, oh, he's got a point because okay but, you know, what do you think about that?
MAX ROSE, FORMER DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN: This is Ted Cruz's dream.
Now, next time Texas goes through some type of state of emergency, he can travel to a tropical island. There will be no political consequences.
BURNETT: To Cancun? Was it Cancun?
ROSE: He can stand ardently behind tax cuts for the wealthiest amongst us. No, it doesn't. None of that matters anymore. He doesn't even have to fake it governing for people.
This is obviously Ted Cruz's dream. But the reason why I think he is pushing Ted Cruz here is because what he is looking for is just a blind MAGA acolyte. He has upset yet again that the Supreme Court showed its independence.
So, this is also a massive critique of Ted Cruz, because he's saying, you're just going to blindly follow me.
BURNETT: Which Ted Cruz does, in some cases, though, I guess Trump has forgotten that he took the side of free speech when it came to Jimmy Kimmel, which, you know is worth mentioning.
Congressman Dent, you know why was Trump wearing his -- was not a MAGA hat? Well, I mean, it was, but it said Gulf of America. It was because of where he was standing, in Texas. He was there with the Republican candidates for Senate and this unbelievable senate race.
You got Senator John Cornyn was there, the attorney general, incredibly controversial in Texas, Ken Paxton, and Wesley Hunt, the congressman, they were all there. This is a nasty and personal race, right?
[19:40:02]
You've got Cornyn running ads against Paxton, talking about how many women he slept with. It's terrible.
Is this -- does this legitimately put Texas in question when it comes to a Senate seat for Republicans?
CHARLIE DENT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, there's no question that Texas is in play this cycle I'm not saying it's going to flip to the Democrats, but it's certainly in play. And Republicans would prefer a matchup between Senator Cornyn and Representative Crockett. That's what they would prefer.
But Republicans dread is a P versus Talarico race because Talarico probably better than Crockett, has an ability to win. Maybe some Trump voters, disaffected Trump voters in Texas because the Democratic nominee is going to have to win a lot of Trump voters in order to in order to win that senate seat.
So, right now, you know, I think Republicans are very, very concerned about this primary. Trump should simply just endorse Cornyn because he's clearly, in my view the strongest candidate in the general election. But that's not where the president is and by the way, you can see that Senator Cornyn's team and the National Senate Republican campaign committee are starting to dump the opposition research file on the head of Paxton. That ad they ran yesterday was about as subtle as a crowbar across the bridge of the nose.
I mean, these guys are -- they're really -- they're really pulling out all the stops right now. So, keep that in mind.
BURNETT: I think that ad goes down in history. I mean, I cannot think of a worse ad. I mean, and it's and being put out by someone in your own party, I mean, it's truly stunning. It is really stunning what you say, though, that the president still won't weigh in on this. Okay?
Which is a huge statement. Okay. And, Max, when it comes to Democratic side and Talarico. Right? When you heard Charlie talking about, well, they're scared of Paxton/Talarico. Okay.
Well, Kamala Harris has come out and endorsed Jasmine Crockett. Now she's obviously an outspoken firebrand, right? Harris went that way, not Talarico who is seen as more moderate. He is more moderate. Okay, which do you think is going to be a better candidate to flip the seat? I mean, this one could come down to the wire, and were just days away from the vote
ROSE: I know it's my -- my friend Charlie has a nice new haircut, but he has got to get a better political analysis in this in this situation here because --
BURNETT: It hurts, Charlie. It hurts.
DENT: Explain.
ROSE: It's a great haircut, but look, in this instance, my friend is wrong, okay? There is absolutely no reason to think that Jasmine Crockett has just as good of a chance if not better, of winning this statewide race as James Talarico, because the truth of the matter is, is that there are two things that matter in winning a race as contested, as contested as Texas won, it's certainly winning over persuadables. But the second is base mobilization and turning out irregular voters here
BURNETT: And you think she'll be better at that?
ROSE: There's absolutely no question she would be better at that, one could argue. Maybe Talarico would be a little better at the other
BURNETT: Disaffected Trump voter, as Charlie said.
ROSE: I mean like, look, we -- what we should not do as a party is just continue to do the same thing over and over and over again. So, it's not like the vice president is doing something that's crazy, and politically stupid here. There is a logic to that
BURNETT: Well, you know, Congressman Dent, I'm just curious also Trump's role. Well, go ahead, go ahead.
DENT: Look, I'm not saying Crockett cannot win. I just think Talarico, for a variety of reasons, will have a better time winning those crossover voters who are going to matter a lot more than the base, because the base is going to turn out, they're mad at Trump. We all get that.
But, you know, Talarico is a minister, his tone is very moderate. I think he's pretty progressive in many ways, but he's quite moderate in his tone. I can see why many Republicans and independents would -- who might have voted for Trump would find him appealing. I think it's that simple.
I think it's much more about winning crossover voters in a state like Texas, where there just aren't enough Democrats. The base isn't big enough to pull this wagon. They need to win Republicans, some Republicans and independents.
BURNETT: Yeah. Well, thank you both. And I will note, by the way, that Congressman Gonzales was there, right, who's accused of having an affair with a former staffer who then died by setting herself on fire, an absolutely horrific story. Republicans have called for him to resign. He's still running. Trump acknowledged him and he just said he's here, and congratulations. But he certainly didn't call him out. He hasn't pulled his support.
It's pretty stunning. Thank you both very much.
And next, the breaking news. Savannah Guthrie revealing new details of the family's million dollar reward in a desperate effort to have this case not go cold. And from headbands to black sunglasses and biking while riding a suit, if you remember that picture, Harry Enten here with the sudden surge of interest in everything related to the late JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:48:56]
BURNETT: Breaking news, Savannah Guthrie making a new push on social media to try to get information on her missing mom, writing please be the one that brings her home, and stating that her million dollar reward offer can be paid in cash and as the search for Guthrie is on the verge of passing the one month mark, the Pima County sheriff's office announced today it is refocusing resources assigned to the case.
NBC News also reports that the FBI says it has amassed as much as 10,000 hours of video in its investigation, up from the thousands of hours that CNN reported just a week ago about.
John Miller is here with me now.
John, I'll be honest, refocusing resources. It doesn't sound good. It sounds like a polite way of saying we're pulling back. Is that true?
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: I wouldn't read it that way, although it might be factually correct, meaning they may have fewer people as they have fewer leads for teams of detectives to actually go out on. But refocusing resources means there's a lot of elements in a case like this that can be very time consuming, that requires a different kind of meticulous effort.
[19:50:04]
You remember we saw those nights when they went out and they hit a house. They stopped a car.
BURNETT: Yeah, you had the SWAT teams ready to go. Yeah, yeah
MILLER: And that came with the sense of urgency that only really applies to a kidnapping, where you're going to go faster than you're comfortable with because, you know that victim may be being held in that house so that gives it the kind of speed and urgency, you know, as they come into what will soon be a month. The refocusing of resources is now they have a swell of new leads because of the million dollar reward.
But these resources are going to be focused on we've got to go through 10,000 hours of video. We've got to go through all of these cars. We've got to figure out what these cars are. BURNETT: And in a sense, you say 10,000 hours of video and you think,
okay, well, I'm hearing about A.I. and how all the things it can do right now, so why isn't it just that A.I. can go through it? And I guess then I say to myself, ah, maybe it's because A.I. doesn't know what it's looking for.
MILLER: I think that's a very good observation because when you think of a video at 2:00 in the morning, you think of what a car looks like on a street with no streetlights. This is a good example. All right, so you have a pair of tail lights or a pair of headlights that you have on video.
Now, the FBI has people who will actually do the automotive version of facial recognition. They'll say that shape of tail lights could be any of these three cars between these years. Then where you do have license plate readers, maybe at highway entrances at similar times you would run that and say well, did any of those kinds of cars from those years go through and take that reader? What are the backgrounds on those people now?
The reader will give us a plate. Can we see if anybody has a criminal record for some violent crime? But that's what I mean by now. They're going into the meticulous stage. A case like this can turn on a dime.
BURNETT: Well, it can. And also, when everyone talks about all of this, well, whether its fingerprinting or DNA or genealogy, it only works if you're the kind of person who's committed a crime before, is known to law enforcement, is in a database of looking for right. You know that --
MILLER: But --
BURNETT: They have to have touched something to be recognized.
MILLER: The familial DNA can put you in the midst of people where you can find other indicators. It's very complicated but I can remember a case we had where I went to bed at 1:45 a.m. we had nothing. The phone rang at 5:30. They had a DNA hit, a fingerprint, a phone ping, and they were tailing a guy. And we arrested him.
BURNETT: And that's sort of night that I know Savannah is praying for every single night.
All right, John Miller, thank you very much.
And next, Harry Enten here breaking down Americas sudden fascination with RFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and what it has to do with, you know, that image you can't forget, right? He was the sexiest guy alive because he biked with his suit jacket on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:57:28]
BURNETT: Tonight, if it seems like JFK, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette are all over your social feeds and their images are popping up everywhere, it's because they are. The algo is doing it. And there's a reason people are fascinated in a new way over the last couple because of the popular new series FX and Hulu's "Love Story," JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.
And you see here the real couple on the left and the actors who portray them on the right. Let's watch
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. Sorry, is this a bad time?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's going on?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: JFK Jr. was just here to see Carolyne.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How old were you when you realize you were the son of a president?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think anyone's ever asked me that before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Harry Enten is OUTFRONT to tell us something we don't know.
Harry, is it great marketing, nostalgia or is the series really that popular?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: The series really is that popular. It's the number one show on Disney plus worldwide and I think it's because as my dear great Uncle Neil once wrote, love will keep us together. People love, love. I love Uncle Neil.
And I will note that we've also seen a very large interest in JFK, Jr. as well. Google searches for him are at the highest level that they have ever been. Look at that, up nearly 1,600 percent versus a year ago.
BURNETT: It's really incredible. And I don't want to belabor it. I know it's a hard day for you, and I'm sorry for your loss with Neil.
ENTEN: He loved watching you and me.
BURNETT: Oh, well, that is wonderful to hear. And he was you know, brought so much light to people's lives with his gifts.
Yeah. So as I said, I don't want to -- I don't want to belabor it, because I know it's a difficult day for you. Carolyn Bessette, she was, you know people loved her because of her. She was this classy, understated, you know, nothing flashy. Right?
That was the whole point. Her understated beauty. And now, there's ads promoting knockoffs of her black glasses, her minimalist handbags, her headbands from -- okay, am I going to say it right? C.O. Bigelow. Bigelow
ENTEN: Sure. BURNETT: Old school New York pharmacy. Her clothes are being
auctioned.
ENTEN: Her clothes are being auctioned. Look at the prices on the auctions for this stuff. I mean, this is crazy stuff that's going on here. I mean, we're talking about Prada coats, $20,000, Prada handbag, $7,000. We got a jacket there for $3,000. I wish I had that type of money to spend on that stuff. You look quite good in it, though, Erin.
BURNETT: Oh, wow. It wouldn't fit me. But it's beautiful.
So, tell me something else that I don't know.
ENTEN: I'll tell you something else that you don't know. You mentioned that image, right, of JFK Jr. on the bike with the suit. Look at this. Google searches for that again. The highest level of all time. When we're talking about bike plus a suit. Look at that up, 138 percent versus a year ago.
And thank you for your kind words about my Uncle Neil. Appreciate it.
BURNETT: Yes, well, I am -- I am so sorry for your loss. I know it's a difficult moment.
Thank you, Harry.
And thanks so much to all of you.
It's time now for "AC360".
