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Laura Coates Live

Courts Tell Trump Admin To Fund Food Benefits; FBI Thwarted Halloween Terror Attack; Jeffrey Epstein Investigated For Money Laundering Before Plea. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired October 31, 2025 - 23:00   ET

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

[23:00:00]

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: All right. Not that, not that. Don't listen. It's really delicious and perfect for the season. Scan the Q.R. code on the screen for the pumpkin lasagna rolls recipe. You won't regret it.

Thank you so much for watching "NewsNight." You can catch me any time on your favorite social media X, Instagram, and TikTok. "Laura Coates Live" starts right now.

LAURA COATES, CNN HOST AND SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, the courts say this is what emergency funds are for. Emergencies. Two judges telling the Trump administration they've got to fund food benefits even with the government shutdown. Plus, a thwarted terror plot. The FBI director says a Halloween plot has been foiled. Well, thank God. But 15 hours since that announcement, we're pretty scant on details. And later, can you believe there's a Jeffrey Epstein investigation you did not know about? We've got the reporter who uncovered a years-long money laundering probe. Tonight on "Laura Coates Live."

You know that phrase, trying to make a dollar out of 15 cents? Well, it's a reality for 42 million Americans tonight. First, faced with the cruelty of the rug being pulled out from underneath them with their SNAP benefits in jeopardy. And now, with tonight's news that the government has only kicked their pain can down the road.

Let me break this down, okay? SNAP benefits average about $187 a month per recipient. That means it costs the feds about $8 billion each month, and Congress has to replenish that with appropriations. There's also an emergency fund in case there are any shortfalls. And that's what states were asking the federal government to use.

Within an hour of each other, two federal courts agreed in two separate rulings. Federal judges in Rhode Island, in Massachusetts, telling the administration that they've got to tap into those emergency funds to at least partially cover food stamp benefits. Now, this is the figurative 15 cents part of that dollar. Now, usually, the administration fights a ruling it does not like. And to be clear, it does not like this ruling. But the administration says it will comply.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN HASSETT, DIRECTOR, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: We're about to use emergency funds from the Department of Agriculture because of a liberal judge ruling that we disagree at the law on. But then we don't have our emergency funds in case we have a hurricane or we have an emergency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: This is also an emergency for many people. And really, there are -- well, there's probably two main problems here. First, even with the emergency funds, it will only cover part of November. It won't cover December. So, if the shutdown drags on, the money runs out.

Now, optimists in Congress are hopeful the shutdown will end before it's time to pay the piper. But with no negotiations and no real trust between the two parties, there is no end in sight. It only means one thing for SNAP recipients. It's only a matter of time until you're okay for now becomes what now.

Second main problem, President Trump is saying, yeah, they'll comply, but not so fast. I mean, literally. He'll release the funds, but only after he's got appropriate legal direction from the court, saying tonight, even if we get immediate guidance, it will unfortunately be delayed while states get the money out. Translation? The November payments will be delayed.

And tonight, just as one in eight Americans stare down a possible food crisis, can we talk about the meanwhile? And it's a big Mara (ph) Meanwhile. The president is wining and dining guests at Mar-a-Lago for Halloween. And according to the White House, the party was apparently inspired by "The Great Gatsby" with a theme of -- quote -- "a little party never killed nobody." Interesting theme for those who've actually read Fitzgerald's novel. I'm guessing the spread that we're seeing isn't covered by $187 per recipient.

Then there's the other meanwhile. The president back on his renovations, sharing a whole lot of pictures of a newly-marbled White House bathroom. It's gorgeous. Look at it. Seven posts on his Truth Social page want you to confirm it. Seven posts, to be precise. But just one, one post about SNAP benefits. So, this is the one-seven.

[23:05:00]

Can I do a third beat (ph) meanwhile? Third one, okay, great, because this one is for Congress. They're MIA. In fact, they're actually gone for the weekend. But that's not topping the blame game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Donald Trump, Republicans, and the administration should not be weaponizing hunger and jeopardizing the ability of more than 42 million Americans, including 16 million children, to put food on the table.

MIKE JOHNSON, SPEAKER OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: You can have children who will go hungry beginning this weekend when those resources dry up. They rely upon that. And yet the democrats continue with their political games in Washington. DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I want to help Democrats and Republicans. But when talking about SNAP, if you look, it's largely Democrats. They're hurting their own people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Democrats and Republicans get snapped. So do children who haven't actually declared any party. They can point all the fingers they want. And they will. But the bottom line, SNAP benefits run out at midnight. And there's no plan to fund them. There are kids right now who might have more candy in a bag than food in the cabinet.

So, instead of speaking with yet another, I'm going to call it a plan- less politico, I'm going to center the conversation around the people who are affected by the lack of a plan.

Wendy Hoe and her son, Jujuan Bowens, are here with me now. You know, Wendy started working at 14 years old. She's now retired from the workforce but takes care of Jujuan full time. And she credits food benefits for helping provide a stable life for her family. Wendy, thank you for being here. Jujuan, you as well. Wendy, can you just describe what this last 30 days has been like for you?

WENDY HOE, SNAP RECIPIENT: Torturous. Um, you know, at first, it was fear. Then it became anger because I see how he is ruining, um, this country. It's like we're being pit -- you know, put in a pit against one another. And it's -- it's horrible. People are saying, you know, how food stamps are not important, we should all get a job.

COATES: Hmm.

HOE: You know, that, um, we're lazy, things like that. And I get very angry when I hear that because, like -- like you said, I've been working since I was 14 years old. I have three children. I've taken care of them myself. And even with employment, sometimes, it was difficult to put food on the table. The only thing that really made it easier for me is because I'm a great cook. So, I come up with things. And Jujuan, you know, he's also a good cook. So, we can manage certain things.

But not everybody can do that. What about the people who are elderly? I'm elderly now, but there are people so much older than me that, um, have disabilities where they can't move. They can't get up and cook. They can't go out.

JUJUAN BOWENS, SNAP RECIPIENT: Disabled.

HOE: Yeah, exactly, disabled.

COATES: What are the -- how does your mom -- when you -- when you think about what she is saying right now, the anger, first, it was fear and wanting to provide, are you scared, too? Are you angry?

BOWENS: I am. I am, uh, scared and angry, too, because if he takes food stamps and benefits, what else is he going to take?

HOE: Uh-hmm.

COATES: Wendy, you know, there has been some court rulings that are looking to have the emergency funds and resources tapped into. We're told it will not be enough to make full payments in November. Those might be delayed. And then the can is kind of just kicked down the road for the what's next. Um, what is your message to lawmakers who are hearing the pain this is causing? Must be aware of what it does to some 40 plus million Americans. What do you want lawmakers to know tonight?

HOE: I want them to know that they're hurting the American people. It's not just, um, you know, my race, it's every race that's on the planet that depends on these benefits, that depend on being able to feed their families. We're not people that just want to sit around and just collect food stamps and welfare. That's not who we are. Most of us are hard-working people. We're good people.

COATES: Yeah.

HOE: And all we want is what we deserve. Those benefits that I get right now, I've worked all my life for them. So, there's no reason why anyone should say, I'm taking these away from you. That's not what the American people are supposed to get. We're supposed to receive what we worked for.

BOWENS: Especially since it helps us keep our lights on.

[23:10:00]

HOE: Exactly. He's 100% right. And I want to tell you, this young man right here is very intelligent, but he's also autistic. And it is difficult for him to find employment. He has been working his butt off. Every single day going out, looking for employment, because that's what he is used to see. I don't have to tell him to do it. He's used to seeing that. And it bothers him that I still take care of him --

BOWENS: It does.

HOE: -- even though I tell him --

BOWENS: It really does. I want -- I want to work for myself. I don't want her taking care of me no more.

HOE: Yeah. I tell him that all the time. Don't worry about it. You know, that your day will come. You're going to get something. But it still bothers him.

BOWENS: It does.

HOE: And -- and it's not fair.

BOWENS: It really does.

HOE: It's not fair. So -- BOWENS: Because she's supposed to be relaxing. She shouldn't have to constantly worry if I'm going to be okay or not. That's supposed to be up to me now.

COATES: Hmm.

BOWENS: She -- she did enough of that already.

COATES: I see such love between the mother and son that you are. And I see the pride. I understand where it comes from. I can feel the hurt that both of you are feeling right now.

HOE: And let me tell you something. He works. Even though he's not working now, he helps me take care of the household.

COATES: Uh-hmm.

HOE: He knows everything. He can take care of a household by himself now. And that's what he does. And I need the help because I retired, because I have, uh, mental health and physical health issues. So, a lot of stuff is on him. And I prefer him to just to go out and work, not to be stuck in the house taking care of his mother. That's not -- you know, that's not right, but --

COATES: I think everyone needed to hear what you had to say. And I hope the right people are listening to the good people who are saying it. Wendy and Jujuan, thank you.

HOE: Thank you.

COATES: I want to bring in someone who knows a thing or two about government shutdowns, former Alabama Republican Congressman Mo Brooks, who served in Congress during the longest shutdown in U.S. history during the first Trump administration. And by the way, that shutdown was 35 days long. Do you realize we could tie that number on Tuesday? Surpass it by Wednesday?

Congressman, thank you for being here. I mean, the president has spoken out tonight after that judicial ruling. Um, he says he wants some clarification on how he can use those emergency funds for SNAP benefits that clearly are needed for 40-plus million Americans. Is there really a delay in being able to distribute this?

MO BROOKS, FORMER ALABAMA REPRESENTATIVE: Well, we're talking about the federal government, we're talking about state governments --

COATES: Uh-hmm.

BROOKS: -- and it's inherent in those kinds of organizations that things tend to go a little bit slower than they should, less efficient than they should, and probably with too much fraud, waste, and abuse than there should be.

So, it wouldn't surprise me at all if it's going to take some amount of time, I don't know how much, for the money from the federal government that the judges today ordered to actually get into the hands of the individuals who are entitled to assistance in the form of SNAP.

COATES: What do you say to those people who are, who can't really stomach that uncertainty? The limbo is devastating.

BROOKS: Well, you know, you want me to get into all these different welfare benefits that we have in United States. And, quite frankly, we as a people are fairly kindhearted, and we try our best to take care of those and to assist those who are unable to take care of themselves. But there are also a lot of people who are able-bodied and could get a job, and it's inconvenient or it's a hassle, they don't want to do it, and they're also getting some form of welfare.

And I don't want to debate the merits or the merits of any particular system except to say this: As best you can, don't rely on any government for your livelihood. Always have money set aside, food set aside, so that there is some kind of natural emergency by way of example or a dysfunctional United States Congress and Washington, D.C., you are able to persevere through those hard times.

COATES: Well, congressman, you can imagine the luxury of what you describe for so many people who, you know, the idea of living paycheck to paycheck precludes the opportunity to be able to save. When you've got dependents, whether it's the sandwich generation of elderly parents and young people they're taking care of or disabilities or an effort to get gainful employment in an area where the industries just are not present, you know there's a luxury in that.

[23:14:55]

And so, what do you tell the people who are -- who are listening right now and saying, yeah, you know, I want to work, I'm not some hyperbolic stereotype of yesteryear that has been told and is a lie? What do you tell those people who actually are entitled and looking at Congress and saying, I need to eat, I need to have my children eat, I don't want to be a political pawn? What's your message to them?

BROOKS: Well, if we're going to get past the merits and the merits of people who are entitled to these welfare benefits, and that's a very difficult determination that has to be made, and get to the politics of what's going on in Washington, D.C. --

COATES: Let's get there.

BROOKS: I hear these Republicans speak and I hear these Democrats speak. And I'm being bipartisan here, okay? Generally, the Democrats are saying the truth about the Republicans and the Republicans generally are saying the truth about the Democrats, but neither one of them are telling the truth about themselves. There is no reason for this shutdown to be taking place.

The Democrats could solve it by voting for a continued resolution as is traditionally the way this kind of shutdowns are ended. The Democrats could do that if they wanted to. And on the Republican side, they have the White House, they have the House of Representatives, they could have the United States Senate. If they are really committed to avoiding a shutdown, they could do so without any help from a single Democrat.

COATES: Let's talk about that because the president mentioned -- excuse me. I was getting right there. You and I were -- were headed in the same direction. We're on the same path. Let's stop. Because the president is calling on the Senate to trigger the nuclear option and kill the filibuster in order to open the government. Now, the majority leader in the Senate, John Thune, is against it. And the House speaker, although it's not a part of what they do, as you know, the House speaker, Mike Johnson, Johnson had this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNSON: We don't have that in the House, as you know. But the filibuster has traditionally been viewed as a very important safeguard. If the shoe was on the other foot, I don't think our team would like it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: So, who's right? What would you suggest? You've been in Congress. You're looking from the outside now.

BROOKS: Sure.

COATES: Take us inside.

BROOKS: We're a republic. That means that majority rules. And the people we send to our elected bodies, in this instance, we're talking about the United States Congress, of the House, the Senate, the majority in the House should rule and the majority in the Senate should rule. And those people who are in the minority, if they don't like what's being done, then do a better job of representing the interests of the people of the United States of America and become the majority after the next election.

COATES: So, you would kill the filibuster?

BROOKS: Well, I would kill it with respect to must-pass things like federal government spending items. Okay?

COATES: Can you have it both ways?

BROOKS: Well, there's a tremendous amount of damage. There's a tremendous amount of damage that's being done when you have these government shutdowns.

On the other hand, I can see a more reasoned argument for keeping the filibuster with respect to efforts to change public policy, to change federal statutes, because if nothing happens because of a filibuster, you know what we got? We got the laws that already on the books.

So, there is no damage done. There might not be some gain achieved, but there is no damage from the filibuster killing what I might think is a good public policy measure. But some of my colleagues, former colleagues, think it's not a good public policy measure. But that's an entirely different arena when you're talking about a filibuster rule with respect to public policy debates versus spending bills that have to be passed.

You know, it has been almost three decades since the United States Congress passed the appropriation bills that are supposed to be passed by September 30th to fund the federal government. Three decades. That is a total and abject failure of the United States House of Representatives, of the United States Senate, and it's bipartisan because neither party will do what is necessary to be done to prevent this kind of mess from reoccurring. And that's unfortunate, but that's who the people sent to Washington.

COATES: Gosh, imagine, if it's hard for members of Congress to balance a budget, how is the everyday person who needs benefits to do so? Congressman, thank you so much.

BROOKS: Bingo! It's tough!

COATES: Point taken. Up next -- thank you so much. Up next, the FBI director posting this morning about an alleged terror attack being thwarted. But the details have been thinned since the post. What do we know? Why the silence now? Let's talk about it. And ahead, the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein that you didn't even know about.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COATES: A reference to Pumpkin Day, a visit to a gun range with AK- 47s, and a group chat online discussing an ISIS-inspired attack forcing the FBI to intervene and arrest multiple people, including minors in Michigan. That's according to two law enforcement sources speaking to CNN.

FBI Director Kash Patel alerting the public on social media, writing, "This morning, the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested multiple subjects in Michigan who were allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend. More details to come."

But that post is over 15 hours ago. And still, no further details have been made public. The FBI was seen searching homes in Dearborn, Michigan today.

Joining me now are two prominent law enforcement veterans, CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller and former chief of homeland security and intelligence for Washington, D.C., Donell Harvin. Glad to have both of you here.

Let me first start with you, John, because it has been 15 hours -- first of all, thank God that this plot was thwarted. I cannot imagine. None of us want to. But imagine what? What more do we know?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, not much more.

[23:25:00]

As you described it, this came with the director of the FBI's tweet this morning and the raids on numerous locations, people taken into custody. Right now, we are still uncertain as to how many of those people will be charged, who may be released, depending on what they said in interviews and how they reviewed the evidence.

But, you know, as a former U.S. attorney in Washington, you know when a case is spinning up and they decide that the risk factor has become too high and they take it down immediately, deciding in 24 hours, we're going to fold this up and bring these people in. A lot of the things that are prepared, the detailed writing of the affidavits and the complaint and so on, haven't been completed in advance. So, those wheels have been turning all day. We may see a federal complaint describing the information tomorrow. That may be Monday. Still haven't seen one today.

But the idea that they went to the gun range, they were talking about the Halloween holiday, no specifics about an attack, but I think the FBI's conclusion was the risk factor is getting too high, we'd love to run this investigation for another month, but we're going to have to fold it up because we don't exactly know what might occur in the next 24 hours.

COATES: Donell, talk to me about the type of threat. We're talking about the investigation that would be ramping up. I mean, you hear the phrase inspired or ISIS-inspired attack. It sends shutters down one's spine.

DONELL HARVIN, FORMER CHIEF OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Absolutely. We had an ISI-inspired attack on January 1st in New Year's Eve down in New Orleans. ISIS is still a very effective foe. Although they're not physically here, they don't have a physical infrastructure here, they are able to very effectively radicalize people globally. And in this case, radicalize individuals, it appears, within the homeland. Also --

COATES: How does one -- we don't know anything about this case, but talk to me generally speaking about how that radicalization occurs. What is the vehicle?

HARVIN: So, the first thing you need for radicalization, and we talk about this in class all the time, is some type of grievance. And so, ISIS has been effectively, over the last decade or so, they're really the first people to start doing online radicalization with memes and high-definition videos, first-person shooter type of action things, really geared for young adults, young male adults.

And so, what they do is they hone in on the grievance that these individuals may have, and there's a whole list of grievances you can possibly have, and they start radicalizing, bringing people up this radicalization chain into the ready to mobilize to violence.

COATES: John, we heard from the FBI director on social media. We all know the FBI need not tell the world anything about their ongoing investigations, but he chose to do so. And yet there seems to be a lack of details from FBI channels as well. Does it surprise you that he spoke about this at all?

MILLER: It doesn't surprise me. You know, Donell and I kicked this around earlier today, which is this is a Kash Patel thing.

COATES: Hmm.

MILLER: He is, and he says this himself, I am the most transparent FBI director, you know, so far in history. He likes to get out front with the information. Now, to argue against it, prosecutors weren't ready, agents weren't ready, he details weren't ready. But in his favor, you'd have to say multiple raids were taking place inside an insular and small community outside Detroit.

This was going to get into the press. People were going to wonder what it was about. Rumors would take over. You could argue in favor of, let me say what this is, let me say what I can, and we'll get back to you with more later.

As we go forward with this, we're going to learn things. We're going to learn that they were talking to people overseas in more than one country, in one country where ISIS has had a stronghold before. We're going to learn that they had discussed a plot to travel to New York City, to ride the Staten Island ferry, to visit Rockefeller Center, to watch the sunrise over the Statue of Liberty, a one-day trip together. One has to ask, was that a bonding, a mission with a group? Was that a reconnaissance for potential terrorist attack? The discussions around it were all, let's do tourist stuff and let's do stuff that's free. So, it may just have been a team building exercise among friends --

COATES: Wow.

MILLER: -- but it certainly caught the attention of the FBI, which then caught the attention of the NYPD, and they'll be looking at that, too. So, a lot of dimensions here.

COATES: How about the age of the suspects, Donell? Some are just teenagers, as young as 16. We also know there is a female who's part of the probe. What does that tell you?

HARVIN: It tells me that this is a new face of, you know, radicalization and terrorism. When John and I were involved in this, I mean, I started this 20-something years ago, John a lot longer than me, these individuals were in their 20s, middle-aged individuals, and that's because they had to physically be with each other, right?

And so, with the online threat, environment is created as an environment where very, very young people can interact. We see this with 746 network and a lot of these nihilistic groups.

[23:30:01]

They're touching younger and younger people. And we're seeing that with this case, apparently. COATES: A lot more to learn. Hopefully, people are safe even tonight. Thank you. John and Donell, thank you both.

MILLER: Thanks, Laura.

COATES: Now, you know about the sex crimes investigation with this person. But did you know about the 18-month long money laundering investigation into Jeffrey Epstein? The reporter who got the documents is going to join me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COATES: A new bombshell report from Bloomberg reveals the scope of the investigation to Epstein may have been actually much, much larger than we previously knew.

[23:35:02]

Reporters obtained a trove of, get this, 18,000 emails from Epstein's personal Yahoo account. What did they find? That Epstein was not only under investigation for sex trafficking, but for potential money laundering.

You may wonder, why is that important? Well, former deputy chief told Bloomberg -- quote -- "If that investigation had continued, prosecutors may have been able to identify other individuals and institutions that facilitated his sex-trafficking operation."

With me now, one of the investigative reporters who broke this story, investigative reporter for Bloomberg, Jason Leopold. Also here, former federal prosecutor, Alyse Adamson. Glad to have both of you.

Jason, I got to know more about this because we knew a lot about the sex trafficking, the sweetheart deal that Alex Acosta, who was then the U.S. attorney down in Florida, gave in 2008. But he told Congress he did not remember any potential financial crimes being part of the investigation. Then your reporting suggests otherwise. So, what do think Acosta actually did know?

JASON LEOPOLD, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, BLOOMBERG NEWS: Well, we spoke to Alex Acosta's attorney, who said he just didn't recall. And in addition to that, he said it would not be unusual if a prosecutor was pursuing this financial crime investigation. But he did say that he did not recall. This took place 20 years ago. He said that he -- he allowed his -- his prosecutors to proceed with the investigation.

But are -- you know, the documents that we have, our -- our reporting shows these documents that we have from Epstein's personal Yahoo account, which include emails and his attorney's correspondence, show that Alex Acosta was copied on these discussions revolving around money laundering, which has remained shrouded in secrecy until we reported this story.

COATES: I mean, Alyse, Acosta's attorney told Bloomberg -- quote -- "Back in 2006, the Southern District employed over 200 attorneys and, at any given moment, conducted countless investigations. Although Mr. Acosta approved the terms of the Epstein matter, he did not direct that investigation or any investigation, for that matter."

Well, then, bring that home to the point Jason just raised about him being CC, which you could probably be CC'd on some things. But, obviously, this is a very important investigation. Does it pass a smell test?

ALYSE ADAMSON, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Now, Laura, I mean, again, it's -- it's hard because this was many years ago, and we don't know what was in his mind. What I can tell you is this: This was a very big investigation, and we also know that there was a campaign, right? To make this case go away. It ultimately resolved in a non-prosecution agreement, which is very, very, very rare. If not, never happens in cases of sex trafficking.

So, personally, I do find it hard to believe that with such a significant case, where we know a lot of folks worked on it and we know now that Mr. Acosta was CC'd, that he wouldn't have been aware of what his line attorneys, those are the rank-and-file attorneys working under him, were actually investigating, the scope of the investigation.

COATES: I mean, money laundering is a very significant and memorable investigation, frankly, especially if you say that this could have led to, in some way, identifying other people who may have facilitated the crime that he does remember discussing.

Jason, you write that Epstein's legal team launched a pressure campaign against prosecutors investigating the money trail. How effective was that campaign?

LEOPOLD: It's hard to say from this correspondence how effective it was. But in these letters, it was in the context of the larger investigation, the sex crimes investigation that was taking place. But they had lodged a number of prosecutorial misconduct complaints --

COATES: Hmm.

LEOPOLD: -- against these -- against these prosecutors, essentially saying that they improperly broadened the scope of -- of the investigation to include money laundering which -- by the way, this money laundering investigation went on for 18 months. It started in February of 2007, and it did not end until Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to the state charge of sex crimes charge in Florida.

COATES: And just so we're clear, Jason. Tell me what you were seeing, the kinds of documents.

[23:39:58]

You're saying that Epstein himself was aware of money laundering investigation and corresponded with people about it?

LEOPOLD: Yeah, Epstein was corresponding with his attorneys. He was incensed about this. He was incensed when he found out, when his attorneys found out, that in August of 2007, that -- when negotiations over this non-prosecution agreement stalled, that the lead U.S. prosecutor, the assistant U.S. attorney, Maria Villafane --

COATES: Uh-hmm.

LEOPOLD: -- had expanded this into a money laundering investigation. And they tried to get that essentially scuttled by lodging these complaints with the U.S. attorney's office and main justice. Top officials, they want a complete review of this case.

And I do want to make one -- one point here, since you noted it, about Alex Acosta. This -- this afternoon -- excuse me, James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight --

COATES: Uh-hmm.

LEOPOLD: -- and Government Reform Committee, he sent a letter to Acosta's attorney asking if Acosta wanted to clarify his testimony last month where he said, I don't recall this --

COATES: Hmm.

LEOPOLD: -- you know, financial crimes investigation. Ultimately, his attorney responded with the same statement, you know, that -- that you read, that he gave to us in our reporting.

COATES: Uh-hmm.

LEOPOLD: But I thought that was notable, just the fact that --

COATES: It is.

LEOPOLD: -- you know, that the committee reached out.

COATES: Alyse, you seemed to be intrigued by that as well, the idea of, obviously, a congressional oversight committee is on a criminal investigation. But they often can be symbiotic in their approach. What does this tell you, that Congress is still intrigued? Does it impact at all some larger investigation knowing, of course, that Epstein himself is dead?

ADAMSON: Yes, I know, but I think, you know, Congress is very interested in the Epstein files, in the Epstein case now. We know public pressure has caused them to continue their investigation. So, I don't find it surprising now with this new reporting that they're digging in. I think their constituents are having them do that.

I do think it's interesting, though, that Comer would like him to clarify his testimony. What that signals to me is that, to borrow your phrase, it's not passing the smell test. Now that there seems to be this contemporaneous evidence that suggests that he might've known, he might want to add a little bit more context to what he said before.

COATES: Particularly these times when people are already investigating whether someone is honest to Congress. We'll see. Jason, Alyse, thank you both.

LEOPOLD: Thank you, Laura. ADAMSON: Thanks, Laura.

COATES: I think it's time for a Halloween haunt.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

Oh, here it goes again. Because, according to Harry Enten, many Americans believe in such things.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Uh! Uh! Uh!

(LAUGHTER)

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[23:45:00]

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

UNKNOWN: This is just -- I'm very confused. I -- I smell children, but I don't see children. I've -- I've lost my power!

UNKNOWN: Enough! Enough!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Don't mind me. I'm just enjoying the last moments of Halloween with a clip from the classic "Hocus Focus." You watching at home are probably riding a sugar high, dressed in your costumes after a night of trick-or-treating, ghost stories, and haunted houses. But here at "Laura Coates Live," something wicked this way comes, CNN's chief data analyst Harry Enten.

(LAUGHTER)

ENTEN: Happy Halloween, Laura Coates, from your favorite CNN data expert, Harry Joe Enten, and, of course, my dear friend joining me for this little spiel, Ronald. Yes, I've named the monster Ronald over my left shoulder. And, of course, since it is Halloween, the first thing we're going to discuss is candy. What are Americans' favorite Halloween candies?

Well, I got a nice little Reese's Pieces here. And not surprisingly, number one, Reese's Cups. Reese's Cups is number one. I always get confused between Reese's Cups and Reese's Pieces. It's actually Reese's Cups that's number one. Number two is M&M. Then what you get at number three is the nice Hershey's. You know, maybe you don't want some nuts in your nice Halloween candy like you might get in a Reese's Cups. And then number four is Snickers.

I love all of these, Laura. I don't know about you. I just love all the candies. In fact, I feel like maybe I should have one right here during this segment, if I could get this open. There we go. Let's see.

COATES: Harry --

ENTEN: I'm going to take a bite. It's pretty gosh darn good. Now, of course, this is what Halloween is all about. It's about candy. Do not be one of those people on Halloween who has a healthy snack. All right?

So, take a look here. Halloween activities for adults. What's the most popular? Passing out candy to trick-or-treaters at 33%. Look at what comes in here at 5%. Comes in at 5%, passing out healthy snacks. Look, I'm all about health, all right? I'm all about exercise. I'm all about running around. I'm all about eating your carrots, your celery, your spinach. But on Halloween, it's about enjoying good candy. That's what it's about.

Now, what else is Halloween about? Well, Halloween is about goblins, right? It's about spooky folks out there. And so, I was just interested to find out Americans who believe in the following things. Look at this. Ghosts. Thirty-nine percent of Americans believe in ghosts, Laura. Can you believe that? My good gracious.

COATES: Yes.

ENTEN: That's way up from the 70s when it was only about 11%. Witches. Huh-huh! That's not really a witch sound. I don't even know how to do a witch sound. That comes in at 24.

(LAUGHTER)

Vampires, though, just 9%.

[23:50:00]

So, I guess we're much more likely to believe in ghosts than believing in vampires. But I'd like to think we can all believe in some pretty gosh darn good tasting snacks. Oh my God! Uh! It's shaking me down! It's shaking me down! No! No! No! And I toss away the monster, and I toss it back to you, my dear friend. Happy Halloween.

COATES: Wow! I don't know what to say, Harry. I do believe in ghosts. I do believe in ghosts. I do, I do, I do, I do believe in ghosts. Hey, I believe in a victory, because breaking just moments ago, the L.A. Dodgers victorious against the Toronto Blue Jays clinching Game 6 of the World Series. It's a tie. So, who will come out on top? We've got the highlights ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COATES: The top five CNN heroes of 2025 have been announced. Here is a look at one of them. Tim Woodward rescues animals hoarded in homes and offers them a new start on life. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BARKING)

TIM WOODWARD, CNN HERO: We see animals living in conditions that I would have never imagined before doing this.

WOODWARD (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE). Hi, mama.

WOODWARD: Their physical condition is incredibly debilitated. It can be very gruesome.

WOODWARD (voice-over): Your average shelter is used to taking animals in one or two at a time. We pull in large numbers of animals from a crisis situation. We'll work with law enforcement. They will designate us as an agent of law enforcement to go onto the scene to seize those animals.

WOODWARD: You're okay. See?

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Look at that smile.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Yeah.

WOODWARD (voice-over): We bring a very tight, trained team, including a state licensed forensic vet, vet techs, as well as an intake team and, of course, our trained handlers.

They're in five different pop-ups. We'll split them up two, two, and two.

We're kind of the midway point between where they came from and where they will find their forever home.

WOODWARD: We'll get you all fixed up.

WOODWARD (voice-over): So, for the time that they're in our care, we try to make sure that they are becoming healthier.

WOODWARD: What are you doing, huh?

And we try as best we can to prepare them for life in a home.

Yeah, you --

(LAUGHTER)

The change in the animals is always remarkable. They come out of situations where they have no trust. And then with time and attention, they begin to literally blossom.

You're getting out of here.

WOODWARD (voice-over): We've rescued well over 10,000 animals.

WOODWARD: Where is that tail at? WOODWARD (voice-over): My hope is that they have the best life possible and forget all about where they came from.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COATES: You can go to cnn.com/heroes right now and vote for Tim for CNN Hero of the Year or any of your favorite top five heroes.

It's almost midnight, and we've got some breaking news. The L.A. Dodgers are not going anywhere just yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Hernandez (INAUDIBLE)! Game 7 tomorrow night!

COATES: Pulling off a crucial win against the Blue Jays tonight to force Game 7 in the World Series. They will face the Blue Jays one last time tomorrow where the winner takes it all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Elex Michaelson is here live from Los Angeles with a big smile. You're at hometown. L.A. is coming up with a win. Everyone there must be celebrating. Tell me your prediction. Who's popping bottles tomorrow in the locker room?

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: I mean, of course, the Dodgers!

(LAUGHTER)

What am going to predict, the Blue Jays? Are you crazy?

COATES: You're right. You're right.

MICHAELSON: Yeah, it's going to be a depressing -- it's going to be a depressing night, and we all -- it's going to be horrible for us. I mean, honestly, the Blue Jays have played fantastic this whole series and in a lot of ways outplayed the Dodgers throughout the series. But the Dodgers coming up clutch when it matters tonight.

And with Game 7, you never know what's going to happen. Anything could happen in a baseball game. One bad inning, a couple bad pitches, and the whole thing changes. So, it is thrilling to have that happening tomorrow.

And the Dodgers would have a chance to repeat, first team to potentially repeat --

COATES: Yes.

MICHAELSON: -- since the Yankees with Derek Jeter.

COATES: The who? Just kidding.

(LAUGHTER) I had to. My husband is a Yankees fan. I'm messing with him right now.

MICHAELSON: Yeah.

COATES: But Elex, tell me, what else you have come up tonight besides gloating about the Dodgers win? I love it.

(LAUGHTER)

MICHAELSON: We got live reporting from Toronto and from Los Angeles on the World Series game. We've also got the mayor of Los Angeles. Karen Bass is here --

COATES: Oh, good.

MICHAELSON: -- live in studio, which we're excited about. We got the former transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, an exclusive sit down with him. And we've got a couple of comedians. Impressionist Matt Friend is here --

COATES: I love him.

MICHAELSON: Yeah, along with Roy Wood, Jr. as well. So, it's a packed, fun, crazy, kind of different Friday night or Saturday morning, depending on where you are --

(LAUGHTER)

[00:00:00]

COATES: I love it.

MICHAELSON: -- right here, "The Story Is."

COATES: I cannot wait to watch the show, that line up. You have me at Hello and Cracker Jack. So, anyway, Elex, thank you. Have a great show!

MICHAELSON: Thank you very much. Happy Halloween to you, Laura. Have a great weekend.