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Quest Means Business
Private Invitation to Meet Trump Raises Ethics Concerns; Update on Shooting of Two Israeli Embassy Staffers. D.C. Shooting Suspect Expected to Appear in Court Soon; Trump Administration Bars Harvard from Enrolling Foreign Students; Tax and Spending Bill Expected to Add $3.8 Trillion to U.S. Debt Aired 4-5p ET
Aired May 22, 2025 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:09]
JIM SCIUTTO CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: There it is, as always close to four o'clock, closing bell on Wall Street. Stocks
have given up their gains in just the final hour of trade. Those are the markets today and these are the main events.
Investigators expect hate crime charges to be filed over the killing of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington. The U.S. Ambassador to Israel,
Mike Huckabee joins me.
The Trump administration bars Harvard from enrolling any international students.
And top investors in trumps meme coin have a special dinner with the President tonight.
Live from Washington, it is Thursday, May 22nd. I am Jim Sciutto in for Richard Quest today and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
Good evening to you.
At any moment now, the suspect in the killing of two Israeli embassy staffers will appear in federal court. Sources tell CNN that Chicago
resident, Elias Rodriguez is expected to face hate crime and other federal charges.
As he was being detained, he chanted "Free, free Palestine!" Witnesses tell CNN the suspect said he, "did it for Gaza."
Friends and family are mourning those two young victims, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky. Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. says they were a couple
who were about to be engaged.
And the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee tells me that antisemitism that led to last night's shooting is an "absolute disgrace." I spoke with
Ambassador Huckabee about those killings, as well as about U.S. negotiations with Iran and the war in Gaza. He tells me the U.S. would not
object to Israel striking Iran in an effort to defend itself.
I began by asking him whether Israelis are now unsafe in the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE HUCKABEE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL: They shouldn't be, but the level of antisemitism that we've seen that has grown like a contagious disease, I
certainly would feel that way if I were Jewish. And I think it is an incredible, absolute disgrace to the United States of America that a level
of antisemitism has arisen in major campuses, on city streets throughout the country and it is time that all of us stand up with our Jewish friends
and say no more.
This has got to stop because the rhetoric leads to the kind of actions that we saw last night and it is demoralizing. It certainly has had been a gut
punch here in Israel among the Israeli population. And, well, it should, because it is indicative of a world that's lost its mind.
SCIUTTO: Does this indicate to you as well that there needs to be more security at events such as this? Is that a sad, but necessary step to be
taken?
HUCKABEE: Jim, until we have more morality in our culture where people respect each other and respect people that disagree with them, then yes, we
are going to have to put more security.
The ideal would be that we have more civilized people living in the world, sharing the world with others, recognizing that violence like this,
especially attacking a young couple who are completely innocent, who have done nothing to anyone except try to bring peace, both of them working on
peace initiatives for all things, and yet they are gunned down in cold blood by somebody screaming "free Palestine" who probably hasn't a clue
what he is even screaming.
I am sure he has never been to the region. I am sure he has no idea what he is screaming for and if he is supporting Hamas, he is supporting a
murderous group of savages who mutilated and massacred over 1,200 Jewish people on October the 7th of 2023.
SCIUTTO: I want to, if I can, go on to another topic. CNN reported earlier this week that U.S. Intelligence indicates that Israel is making
preparations for a potential strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Are Israeli officials communicating to you, to the U.S. their planning and preparations?
HUCKABEE: We certainly are aware of what the Israelis are at least preparing for, but it is not that they have made a firm decision. I think
they recognize that they face an existential threat from Iran. They faced it for 46 years. And now that the Iranians have pushed toward getting a
nuclear weapon, they don't seem to be willing to dismantle it, which is what the President has demanded they do, get rid of nuclear enrichment.
[16:05:00]
They are not doing this for bringing energy and energy supplies to their people. They are doing this for weaponization. And they've said for 46
years that first, it is death to Israel, then its death to America. Israel is the appetizer, we are the entree.
And if Americans think that this is not about us, then they're living under a rock somewhere, not understanding that all of this time, the Iranians
have never ceased to say that their ultimate target is America.
SCIUTTO: I do want to get to the status of U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations, before I do, as relates to potential military action by Israel against
Iran, do you believe that Israel might decide to strike Iran over any potential U.S. objections?
HUCKABEE: I can't imagine that the U.S. would object to a sovereign nation defending itself against what they perceive to be a legitimate existential
threat to their very lives. And really, let's remember, 700,000 Americans live in Israel, that's more than in any foreign country other than Mexico.
So in this tiny land, you have 700,000 Americans who are living right here in Israel. Every other day, we all have to rush to shelters. Today at noon,
here in Israel, the entire embassy had to clear out. Go to the shelters. A Houthi missile was fired from a medium range and headed toward us, so we
waited and thank goodness, the Arrow Defense System was able to intercept it and keep it from having catastrophic damage on people and property.
SCIUTTO: I can relate, I was there during the Iranian missile strike in October. But just for clarity, should I take that as an endorsement by the
U.S. of potential Israeli military action against Iran?
HUCKABEE: I think the President is the one who will make any particular decisions about our role or our position on it. I am simply saying that as
the ambassador who lives here that the U.S. has always been respectful, that any sovereign nation, including Israel, has a right to defend itself
and protect itself. And the President is the one who said that Israel -- that rather, Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. They can't have
enrichment, they can't have reactors and centrifuges and all the things that go toward a weaponization. That's the President's words, not mine.
And I have come to find President Trump usually means what he says, and he says what he means.
SCIUTTO: As you know, there is another round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks planned in the coming days. Do you believe a deal is still possible, given
even the public pronouncements from, for instance, the Iranian Supreme Leader saying he does not believe a deal is likely?
HUCKABEE: We can always hope for it. We would always like to believe that after 46 years, the Iranian regime is going to say, maybe we'd be better
off acting like civilized human beings and not threatening Israel and America with death. Let's hope that happens.
But, Jim, I mean, we've looked at this for a long time. We listen to what the Supreme Leader says. He certainly isn't offering conciliatory words
this week. If anything, he is offering more threats, more obstinance, more sense of belligerence toward the reasonable request and demand that he give
up aspirations to be a nuclear power.
SCIUTTO: I want to ask now about the Israeli military operations inside Gaza. AXIOS reported earlier this week that President Trump himself wants
Israel to wrap it up as relates to those operations and is growing impatient. Is that your view as well, that Israel should limit these
operations?
HUCKABEE: I think everybody wants the war to end, but they don't want it to end with Hamas claiming a victory. Here is what the President has made very
clear. He has said repeatedly, Hamas has no future in Gaza. They are not going to govern Gaza. They are not going to be able to stay in Gaza. It
doesn't get much clearer than that.
So when he says he wants the war to end, you have to also remember that when the war ends, Hamas is no longer a part of it.
First, get all the hostages home. Not some of them, all of them. But the reason they're not home now for almost 600 days is not the Israelis, nor is
it the Americans. It is Hamas. They are the ones who have held these people for all this time and tortured them and brutalized them and abused them and
kept them in these hideous tunnels. It is Hamas that is causing this war to drag on and on and I think the President is expressing his frustration.
But people shouldn't read into it that he is upset with Israel. They should read into it that he is upset with Hamas because they're the murderous
savages that massacred and mutilated these innocent people on October 7th.
SCIUTTO: I want to talk now, before we go about the condition of civilians inside Gaza. Many Gazans are now showing evidence of starvation. We spoke
to the leader of the aid group, ANERA, who has found signs of starvation through their testing in some 40 percent of the people there.
I wonder, is the degree of suffering of civilians in Gaza, is that acceptable to you? Is that acceptable to the U.S.?
[16:10:22]
HUCKABEE: Oh absolutely not. It is not acceptable to anybody.
I will tell you who else is not acceptable to, it is not acceptable to the Israelis and they have been blamed for all of this, but I go back to the
fact that people are starving because Hamas has held their people as well as our hostages, they have held them in this incredible hold for all of
this time.
And there are food trucks that have been moving into Gaza over the past several days by the hundreds. Everyone wants to see humanitarian aid. There
is a stand up of a massive organization called the Gaza Humanitarian Fund. And in addition to that, there are other longtime providers.
The tragedy is you have organizations like the U.N. that says we are not going to participate because we don't like the method through which the
food is going in. Jim, I find that disgusting.
If you really care about feeding people, why do you care what kind of truck takes it in there? And the point is that the GHF is taking it in without
the IDF controlling it or distributing it. They provide, obviously, the necessary security on the perimeters of the war zone, but these are
humanitarian efforts and everyone ought to get behind it. Governments, individuals, NGOs and the U.N.
SCIUTTO: Part of the U.N. criticism has been, as I understand it, that it forces displacement inside there. The plan as put out there by this
alternative aid proposal, I suppose the question is, do the facts of the situation and the fact that there was a long delay with no aid trucks going
in indicate to you that Israel at least shares responsibility for the humanitarian situation in Gaza right now, given that the Israeli Prime
Minister has said Israel wants to control security there.
HUCKABEE: They have to control security there. That's not an option. If they don't, then they are going to be seeing more of their own people
massacred and more torture toward the hostages.
What I think is missing in this discussion is that Israel put an enormous level of food in place in the early part of march before they shut down the
supplies going in, and then people need to remember the reason they shut down the food going in is because Hamas was stealing it.
And when they stole it, then they sold it on the black market. They took the profits. They built more bullets and bombs, and they killed more
people.
So one of the prerequisites that President Trump has put in place, which to me is the only right way, is to say the manner of distribution has to be
the most effective so that the food gets to hungry people, but it does not get into the hands of Hamas that will steal it and then exploit it for
their own purposes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Our conversation there with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
Returning now to the subject we began with, the killing of those two Israeli embassy staffers. Chicago law enforcement authorities were
searching the suspect's apartment.
Whitney Wild is in Chicago and joins me now live.
What are we learning, Whitney, about the suspect and what, if anything, they discovered inside his home?
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: We don't yet know what they might have taken out of this address that's associated with Elias
Rodriguez. We are hoping to hear more from law enforcement today following his first appearance in court.
But what I can tell you, Jim, is that we are trying to really put together this pattern of life. And, you know, certainly law enforcement is doing
that. We are doing that at CNN.
What we are doing now is combing through social media that is linked to Elias Rodriguez. And what we have found is that there was this X account
that appears to be linked to Elias Rodriguez. Law enforcement is investigating whether it was written by Elias Rodriguez, and it was posted
shortly after the shooting and it is important, Jim, because it seems to justify some of these actions.
For example, the letter that was posted referenced armed action as a valid form of protest called Israel's Actions in Gaza Genocide. Here is just one
quote to help put into context the significance of this letter that was posted again shortly after the shooting: "What's more," this is again a
quote from that letter -- "What more at this point can one say about the proportion of mangled and burned and exploded human beings whom were
children," the letter said. "We who let this happen will never deserve the Palestinians' forgiveness."
So certainly a piece of significant writing as law enforcement is combing through all of this evidence associated with Elias Rodriguez. There are a
couple of things that law enforcement is doing at this moment. Certainly, they are trying to rule out if there is any other threat at this point.
They say, absolutely not.
[16:15:05]
Further, they are trying to figure out if anyone else is associated with this crime. We have no reason to think that there is, but that is a
standard question law enforcement asks in the aftermath of a horrific crime like this.
And then further again, I was talking about this pattern of life. That's what law enforcement is focused on, so what they are going to do is look at
everywhere he went, everything he touched, everything he said to try to figure out how this crime was committed and why.
Some of those details, you know, are simply not going to be available to us for quite some time. We are hoping to learn more from law enforcement
today. Law enforcement hoping some of those answers are right here on the north side of Chicago, in a neighborhood called Albany Park, Jim, to put
this you know, in greater perspective, you know, from a local perspective, this is a dense neighborhood.
This is a rich neighborhood. This is an ethnically diverse neighborhood. And by rich, I mean rich culturally, this is a vibrant neighborhood. It is
a communal neighborhood. And again, that really helps sort of put into context what it is like here in this neighborhood that is simply rocked by
what they have seen.
We spoke with one person who said that they were his neighbors, who was shocked. He says that the door to Elias Rodriguez's home had a Hello Kitty
sticker on it. He is absolutely stunned that someone that he came in contact with on a pretty regular basis could now be accused of such a
horrific crime -- Jim.
SCIUTTO: Whitney Wild, thanks so much for those details.
Well, a sharp escalation in President Trump's battle against Harvard University and other education institutions here in the U.S. The
administration is now barring Harvard from enrolling any international students, that's thousands of them today.
We are going to have a report from the White House about this step right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: A new report from the Trump administration is blaming a rise in chronic diseases on processed foods, pesticides and pharmaceuticals. The
Make America Healthy Again Commission, MAHA instead of MAGA, released its findings just hours ago.
The group led by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is presenting them to the President now. Those are live pictures there. Trump has asked the
commission to overhaul U.S. government health policies.
Health advocates and other groups have raised concerns about some of Kennedy's claims.
The President is also escalating his fight with Harvard University. His administration has revoked Harvard's ability to enroll any international
students.
[16:20:07]
The Department of Homeland Security says the school's existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status in this country. The
administration says it is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and it says cooperating with the Chinese Communist
Party.
Harvard says the move is illegal and is pledging to support its foreign students.
Jeff Zeleny is at the White House.
And, Jeff, this is, of course, one of many means that the President has used to target Harvard in particular, but also other universities now.
I mean, are they expecting a legal challenge to this?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there certainly will be a legal challenge to this, Jim. There is no doubt about it. I mean,
Harvard says that this is unlawful and this will go to the courts, like so many other Trump administration policies have done and it will be litigated
in the court of law.
But there is no doubt the White House is aiming to send a message through Harvard to other universities. Harvard, of course, is the most renowned and
wealthiest universities here in the U.S., and indeed around the world. And by sending this message, clearly trying to send a signal to other
universities as well. But it also would affect Harvard's bottom line.
Of course, international students are widely known to pay full tuition much more than U.S. students often do, and the number of international students
makes up a significant part of the Harvard student body. Some 27 percent of students, about 6,700 or so in the last academic year.
So, it is unclear exactly where this will go from here. But the Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is making this announcement, and she says
that the Student Exchange Visitor Program will be ended. The accreditation will be taken away. And the White House, just a short time ago issued a
statement of their own saying that international students are studying here in the U.S., it is a privilege, it is not a right.
So we will see where this goes, Jim. But definitely, the latest escalation that's gone from a curriculum to funding now to international students writ
large.
SCIUTTO: And to your point, by blocking international students, that's an enormous financial cut to the university as well.
Jeff Zeleny at the White House, we will continue to follow those legal challenges, of which there are many.
Well, President Trump's sweeping tax and spending cuts package is now in the hands of the U.S. Senate. House Republicans approved what President
Trump has called the big, beautiful bill last night by a single vote. That bill extends the 2017 tax cuts and slashes programs such as Medicaid and
food stamps.
It would still push the U.S. as well, even deeper into debt. That was a problem for some Republicans. In the end, however, Speaker Mike Johnson was
able to get them to come around and support the measure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Today, the House has passed generational, truly nation shaping legislation to reduce spending and permanently lower taxes
for families and job creators, secure the border, unleash American energy dominance, restore peace through strength, and make government work more
efficiently and effectively for all Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: He says, cut spending, in fact, the bill is expected to add another $3.8 trillion to the national debt over the next decade or so. That
number comes from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the CBO, which typically scores these bills.
Even so, there was little reaction on the bond market. By the end of the day, the yield on ten-year treasuries barely moved. It has, however, been
climbing recently, partly over concern about the lack of U.S. fiscal discipline.
Stocks closed mixed. The Dow gave up its gains from earlier in the day by the end of trading. The S&P and NASDAQ also finished just about flat.
Phil Mattingly is with me now.
And Phil, you know, watching the drama leading up to this, there was so much will they or won't they. But I have to say, my gut, having seen this
before like you was that kind of feels like the votes are going to come around. They did. They did come around.
I guess the next question is, is the Senate going to be able to pass this in similar form?
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF US DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim, your read was very similar to mine. There was a point last night where I was, all
right, this is going to happen. It is just a matter of when and I think in large part because Republicans view that there is no alternative here.
This is the cornerstone of President Trump's legislative agenda. This is the cornerstone of his entire economic agenda and for Republicans, this is
something they campaigned on, something White House officials said President Trump has made clear in private conversations, not just to House
Republicans, but to Senate Republicans as well.
This is why we won. This is why we have control of Congress. Now, we actually have to do something with it. And I think the kind of binary
choice that the White House is framing here is important to keep in mind as we move into the Senate process.
Obviously, there are a handful, a small handful of senators who have been willing to buck President Trump, very different than the House conference,
but most of them, actually all of them support tax cuts in general. They have some concerns about the spending cuts to the Medicaid program in
particular.
[16:25:20]
But in terms of the general pathway, are supportive of the direction of things and that's where the binary choice matters. This is a yes or no.
This is a do you allow the 2017 tax cuts for individuals to expire, or do you extend them framing from not just the White House, but from Republican
leadership as well, that should, when you talk to White House officials, push them to an eventual yes vote. I think the real question right now,
Jim, is what you pointed out, the bond markets right now, how markets are reacting.
As you know well, the bond market gets a vote here, too. And yesterday they were signaling -- the market was signaling not quite there yet as
Republicans were falling in line.
And so I think White House officials right now, the economic team grappling with how to address that, if they need to address that and what needs to be
said and done over the coming weeks to ensure that it doesn't disrupt what will be an arduous process over on the Senate side.
SCIUTTO: Yes. No question. And listen, you know, they are watching the numbers. They're doing the math and they are saying, it is going to add to
the debt, no matter what we hear up on the Hill.
Phil Mattingly, thanks so much.
Well, two people are dead after a business jet crashed right into a California neighborhood early this morning. We are going to give you the
latest on the investigation into the cause and just look there at the destruction left in the wake. That will be when we get back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Hello, I am Jim Sciutto. There is more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in just a moment when we are going to be in San Diego, where a community has
been devastated after a plane crashed into a residential neighborhood.
And a star witness in the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs. Rapper, Kid Cudi takes the stand.
Before that, the headlines this hour.
The man suspected of shooting and killing two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington, D.C., is soon expected to make his first court appearance.
Israel's ambassador to the U.S. says Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were about to be engaged. Sources tell CNN the suspect is expected to face
hate crime and other federal charges.
President Trump's Make America Healthy Again, MAHA has released its first report, spearheaded by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the report
says that poor diet, environmental toxins, unhealthy habits and pharmaceuticals are contributing to a rise in chronic illnesses,
particularly among children.
The U.S. Treasury has unveiled its plan to phase out the penny, the $0.01 coin actually costs more to make than its worth, so mints will phase out
their production and pennies will eventually be taken out of circulation. Cash purchases will then have to be rounded up or down to the nearest
nickel.
[16:31:12]
And just in to CNN, officials have just announced charges for the suspect in the killing of those two Israeli embassy staffers. Elias Rodriguez will
face two counts of first-degree murder. Rodriguez is making an initial appearance at a Washington, D.C., federal courthouse this afternoon.
Organizers are calling it the most exclusive invitation in the world. A private dinner with President Trump at his golf course just outside
Washington, D.C. To attend, you have to be one of the top 220 investors in the president's own meme coin. The dinner raises serious ethics concerns.
Critics highlight the potential for foreigners to secretly buy access to the president.
My next guest has been looking into who is likely to attend this event. Crypto researcher Molly White says most of the top Trump coin holders
appear to be based outside the U.S. That includes nearly all the VIP guests who've also been offered a private White House tour. White says the top
investor is likely Justin Sun. He is a crypto billionaire born in China.
Molly White, cryptocurrency researcher, who also edits the newsletter "Citation Needed," which takes a look at the industry. Thanks so much for
joining.
MOLLY WHITE, INDEPENDENT CRYPTOCURRENCY RESEARCHER: Thanks for having me.
SCIUTTO: So first, let's look at the dinner tonight. The dinner reflective of who tends to own the Trump meme coin, you're saying, and that is
foreigners.
WHITE: Well, it certainly is as of the leaderboard that was published showing the list of people attending. 72 percent of the wallets on that
leaderboard appear to be likely outside of the United States. Investors based offshore, buying cryptocurrency through exchanges that are not
available to U.S. investors.
SCIUTTO: You have noted that there are multiple ways this coin enriches Trump and his family members. We should note that not only does Trump have
a meme coin, so does his wife Melania. And that is both in terms of trading. They get fees off trading the tokens, but also it makes them more
liquid. So I imagine they could sell their own holdings.
WHITE: Right. So Trump and affiliated entities started out with 80 percent of the supply of this meme coin, which they can sell over a gradual period
of time. And so the more interest there is in this token, the more the price goes up, the more they're going to be able to sell those tokens, and
the more they're worth on paper, at least, in terms of Trump's holdings.
And then, as you mentioned, anytime there is a spike in trading, just trading activity, that generates trading fees and some of those go to Trump
affiliated entities as well, which are active in the liquidity provision for the Trump meme coin.
SCIUTTO: Then you put another layer on top of that that the Trump, well, Trump is going to start his own platform for trading crypto, which I
imagine he would then make additional revenues off of trades on that?
WHITE: Yes, I mean, Trump's crypto involvement is extremely widespread at this point. He has the World Liberty Financial platform, as you mentioned,
which is a crypto trading platform. He earns 75 percent of the protocol revenues from that. He owns a majority stake in the company. He has
additional exposure to crypto through his Truth Social platform, which is expanding into cryptocurrency ETFs, and has spoken about launching its own
financial platform.
He has the meme coins. I mean, he has basically an endless list. And then when you get into his family, some of his sons have recently gotten into
bitcoin mining. And, you know, the conflicts of interest are quite widespread at this point.
[16:35:07]
SCIUTTO: I mean, when you do those numbers, 80 percent, he's got 80 percent of the Trump meme coin and 75 percent of the revenues from the platform
they're going to debut. I mean, in the simplest terms, the president of the United States has created his own currency, which he trades in and also
owns most of it. And you're saying the leaderboard of folks who buy most of it are foreign?
WHITE: Correct. Yes. I mean, we're talking about likely foreign nationals who have spent tens of millions of dollars on Trump meme coins to attend
this dinner. You mentioned Justin Sun. He's since confirmed that he will be attending the dinner. He has previously invested $75 million into the World
Liberty Financial token, so he had already contributed a substantial amount of money to a Trump affiliated entity.
And again, Trump makes 75 percent of that revenue. So that goes directly to him. And we saw shortly after that investment that an SEC case, an
enforcement case against Justin Sun alleging fraud, was dropped. He previously was hesitant to even come to the United States because of
ongoing investigations. And now he is going to be the top VIP at the Trump meme coin dinner.
SCIUTTO: Good lord. I mean, next question would be who's minding the store, right? Who's regulating this? You had mentioned the Genius Act, which has
been proposed by some Democrats, which would put some, I guess, oversight of crypto in general. But there are no ethics regulations or regulators or
lawyers who are saying to the president, you can't do this?
WHITE: Well, there certainly should be. I mean, there are ethics regulations in the, you know, presidency as well as other parts of the
government that should be prohibiting this activity. I mean, it is plainly illegal to accept cash for influence if you're the president, if you're any
other member of government. There are foreign emoluments restrictions that prevent the president from accepting bribes from foreign nationals.
There's any list of ethics concerns and laws that should be preventing this. We've just not seen much interest in actually going after that. As
far as the cryptocurrency sector, the Securities and Exchange Commission was previously the primary regulator in that world. But we've since seen
under Trump the SEC be defanged essentially with the outgoing commissioner stepping down. A new commissioner dramatically reducing the extent to which
the SEC is even interested in going after cryptocurrency.
We've seen similar changes in the Department of Justice with a memo directing the Department of Justice to deprioritize enforcement of
cryptocurrency crime, dismantling the Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team. So all of the watchdogs essentially have been called off, and there are very
few left who are willing to go after this type of corruption.
SCIUTTO: Yes. Remarkable.
Molly White really do appreciate you walking us through this.
WHITE: Thanks for having me.
SCIUTTO: Coming up, we're going to be in San Diego, where a jet crashed into a residential neighborhood. We're going to be on the scene coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:41:32]
SCIUTTO: According to a 2023 report titled "The State of Nature," the United Kingdom is one of the planets most nature depleted countries with
habitat loss and climate change taking its toll on biodiversity. Today, on "Call to Earth," see how a pioneering project in the U.K. is working to
counteract those trends with the help of a long lost wooly giant.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In this unassuming patch of forest known as West Blean and Thornden Woods, a unique and unexpected
conservation project is underway.
CRISTINA JUAN, RESERVE MANAGER, WILDER BEAN: So we're in Kent right now in the southeast of England, and most people probably wouldn't expect a bison
in the southeast of England. But just over here, through the fence, this is where we have eight bison roaming around.
STEWART: The European bison, the continent's largest land mammal, once roamed in vast herds across much of Europe. But much like its American
relative, hunting and habitat loss decimated their population.
PAUL WHITFIELD, DIRECTOR GENERAL, WILDWOOD TRUST: Bison came this close to complete extinction at the end of the First World War, and all that was
left was a tiny population in zoos and private collections.
STEWART: Reintroduction programs have since helped their numbers rebound, with multiple reports estimating around 7,000 are now roaming free in
countries like Spain, Poland and Romania. But here in the U.K., bison hadn't been seen in the wild for 6,000 years. In July 2022, as part of a
project called Wilder Blean, that all changed.
WHITFIELD: I've had a dream about having bison out here in the Blean for more than 10 years now, acting as ecosystem engineers and changing the
habitat.
STEWART: Three females from Scotland and Ireland were the first to be released here.
WHITFIELD: Since then we brought in a bull from Germany and they've been doing exactly what we wanted them to do, which is to breed naturally and
create this very strong family herd.
STEWART: But it wasn't as simple as releasing the bison into the woods and off they go. The organizations involved had to first install 14 kilometers
of fencing to adhere to the U.K.'s Dangerous Wild Animals Act.
WHITFIELD: Bison are gentle giants. They're big, powerful, majestic animals. But actually they're not dangerous. Legally, they're classified as
dangerous wild animals. But a bison is no more dangerous than a cow.
STEWART: The hope is that the reintroduction of this keystone species will not only help boost their numbers, but equally help to revitalize this
landscape.
PAUL HADAWAY, DIRECTOR OF CONSERVATION AND ENGAGEMENT, KENT WILDLIFE TRUST: So all of our habitats in the U.K. would have had grazing animals on them
at some time in their past history. That's what's shaped the landscape that we live in.
JUAN: In a dynamic woodland where bison are coming in and they're smashing up the place and they create that bare ground, which means new stuff can
grow, that's really when the magic happens. You get lots of new young trees growing and they sequester much more carbon.
STEWART: Other habits like stripping bark from a tree, may seem harmful, but it's these types of actions that benefit other species as well.
HADAWAY: But what this does is it creates a deadwood component within the ecosystem here, which is really, again, hard to replicate with human
activity. And what you get then is massively good invertebrate habitat for things like lesser spotted woodpeckers, which this is a national stronghold
for.
WHITFIELD: They create niches and complexity that all the other species need to thrive. They'll create these little dust bowls where they dustbathe
to get parasites off them.
[16:45:02]
And just that one little dust bowl will create a microhabitat for 100 other species. Suddenly, the Blean is full of thousands of dung beetles, but
again, it's food for other creatures and insects and reptiles. But also those dung beetles are literally taking the dung full of carbon and burying
it in the ground.
STEWART: For all involved, the pioneering project has so far proven successful, and they hope to inspire similar initiatives across the U.K.
and beyond.
HADAWAY: I think sometimes you've got to push the boundaries. We need to make people care and to be a bit more audacious. You've got to try new
things.
JUAN: The Wilder Blean project is really about showing we can do something about habitat fragmentations and all these issues and pressures that we
have. That there is a solution for it. It's a nature based solution.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Let's hope. Let us know what you're doing to answer the call with the hashtag "Call to Earth."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Well, U.S. authorities, including the U.S. attorney for D.C., are holding a news conference on charges for the suspect in the killing of two
Israeli embassy staffers. Let's listen in.
JEANINE PIRRO, INTERIM U.S. ATTORNEY FOR WASHINGTON, D.C.: Sarah Lynn Milgram of Kansas. In addition there are several felony firearms charges
for discharging a firearm in the middle of a violent crime and for causing the death of an individual through the use of that firearm.
Now, this investigation is continuing and as you can see, we have most of the stakeholders here today who will be given an opportunity to speak with
you. But what I want to be clear about today since this is the first time you're hearing from me is that this is a horrific crime. And these crimes
are not going to be tolerated by me and by this office. A young couple at the beginning of their life's journey, about to be engaged in another
country, had their bodies removed in the cold of the night, in a foreign city, in a body bag.
We are not going to tolerate that anymore. And I am not unaware, based upon my own background, of repercussions of this kind of case. This is the kind
of case that picks at old sores and old scars, because these kinds of cases remind us of what has happened in the past that we can never and must never
forget.
I want to mention one thing. The Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., where this young couple had been at an event, was built around a brick
building. That brick building was previously a synagogue called Adas Israel. It was one of Washington's first synagogues, a congregation that
was created in 1869 and Ulysses S. Grant, our president, actually attended the dedication of that synagogue. And so to this day, that synagogue in
that area remains a cornerstone of the Jewish community in D.C.
Let me also say that violence against anyone based on their religion is an act of cowardice. It is not an act of a hero. It is the kind of case that
we will vigorously pursue. Antisemitism will not be tolerated, especially in the nation's capital. Now we're going to continue to investigate this as
a hate crime and a crime of terrorism. And we will add additional charges as the evidence warrants.
[16:50:05]
So this charging today is the initial charge. Remember, we're less than 24 hours from the crime itself. And we are working furiously and diligently
with our partners behind me. We've got massive amounts of evidence that we are vetting, we are verifying and we are reviewing. This is the start and
not the beginning.
And finally, let me say this. President Donald Trump appointed me to this position. This is the nation's capital. We should all be proud of this
capital. And the president wants D.C. safe. And I and the partners behind me are going to do everything we can to make people proud of this city,
whether they're from this city, from the country, or from other parts of the world.
Thank you. Now I'm going to call on Mayor Muriel Bowser.
MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER, WASHINGTON, D.C.: Good afternoon. I'm Muriel Bowser, I'm mayor of Washington, D.C. I want to thank Judge Pirro for inviting us
today. I'm joined by the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department Pamela A. Smith, Metropolitan Police Department is the local D.C. police.
We are here to echo what the U.S. attorney has said that this crime will not be tolerated in our city. We're grateful for the partnership with our
federal partners. MPD and the FBI have worked hand in hand on this investigation and will continue to do so.
I also want to acknowledge our families in Washington, D.C. who are suffering and who are Afraid and fearful for what this act has done to
their sense of safety. But we know that feeling is represented around the globe.
Earlier today I convened a meeting with the Mayor's Interfaith Council, where we spoke with leaders of congregations and Jewish institutions across
D.C., as well as D.C. council members and the attorney general for Washington, D.C.. We heard our leaders reiterate messages of love and
solidarity with the Jewish community.
Sadly, we have had practice standing together as a community to fight antisemitism both in hate speech and in hateful acts. And so in this
moment, we stand shoulder to shoulder as one community, united in love, but also committed to justice for this young couple. I also had the opportunity
to speak with the Smalls family and Sonny Smalls is well known in Washington, D.C., and his family has poured decades of time and love into
making sure we have the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.
And one special aspect of that museum is that it celebrates local Jewish life. It focuses on D.C. Jews and how they have been a part of our culture
and building on the city that we love. So once again, our city stands with our community, working with our institutions to make sure we have all the
resources that we need to support them.
And with that, Judge, I'll turn it over to Chief Smith.
CHIEF PAMELA SMITH, WASHINGTON, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Chief Pamela A. Smith, the chief of police of the
Metropolitan Police Department. Let me begin by reiterating my condolences to the family and friends of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. I also
want to thank Mayor Muriel Bowser, Judge Pirro, and Director Jensen for their collaborative effort and support around this tragic incident.
What I also will say is that everyone at the Metropolitan Police Department is holding the family in their thoughts and in their prayers.
Our detectives have been working around the clock in close partnership with our federal partners, and this effort regarding this investigation has been
a collaborative effort. All of the agencies involved in this investigation have been coordinating seamlessly overnight. Members of the Metropolitan
Police Department's Office of Homeland Security Intelligence are working in partnership with the FBI to analyze the suspect's activity prior to the
shooting.
Around D.C. and I want to speak specifically to the community here in the District of Columbia. Around D.C., you will see an increased presence of
law enforcement officers around the community.
[16:55:05]
You will find us around our faith based organizations. You will see an increased presence around our schools and places like the D.C. Jewish
Community Center.
We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish community. I also met, along with Mayor Bowser, with some of our faith leaders. I was moved by their
desire to ensure that we keep our city safe and we keep our Jewish community members safe. And we are ready to support them in any way
possible as we move forward. Most folks in this city know that I take the relationships that we have with our religious communities very seriously.
I want to, again, express and remind the community that if you see something, say something. Please let us know any information that you
provide for us. We will utilize it in support of conducting this investigation.
I will now turn it over to the assistant director in charge of the Washington field office, Steve Jensen.
STEVEN J. JENSEN, FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Thank you, Chief. As the chief said, I'm Steve Jensen. I'm the assistant director in charge of the
Washington field office for the FBI. And I'd like to start by reiterating what Director Patel pushed out publicly that the tragic murder of these two
Israeli embassy employees outside of the Capital Jewish Museum last night was both an act of terror and directed violence against the Jewish
community, and it has the full and unwavering attention of the FBI.
The FBI, Washington field office, JTTF has been in lockstep with MPD and with the assistance of FBI offices across the country, we're continuing to
investigate and contact the subject's associates, his family members and co-workers. We are also executing search warrants for his electronic
devices, reviewing his social media accounts and all of his internet postings.
Regarding some internet postings, we are aware of some writings that are purported to have been authored by this subject. We're actively
investigating to determine both the authorship and the attribution of these writings if they belong to this subject or not. I'd like to thank our
partners in the U.S. attorney's office for bringing these significant federal charges in quick order within 24 hours or less than of the time of
this incident.
Make no mistake, this attack was targeted antisemitic violence, and it won't be tolerated. These significant charges are a step towards restoring
justice for the victims and their families. But our work is not done. The FBI will continue to pursue all leads and use all available resources to
investigate this attack. We join MPD in affirming that there is no ongoing threat to this community, and we're also seeking assistance from the
public. We do have gaps in this investigation currently. We know the subject landed in the D.C. area on May 20th, and that he was taken into
custody on May 21st.
We're asking the public, anybody who had contact with the subject, anybody who knew his whereabouts or where he was located during that gap of time to
contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or to submit an online tip at Tips.FBI.gov.
And with that, I will turn it back over to Judge.
PIRRO: Thank you very much.
JENSEN: Thank you, madam.
PIRRO: All right. We'll take a couple questions. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Yes. We had spoken to a witness who said that this was a private event, that it wasn't publicized. So is there any idea how he
actually knew about this and showed up at this specific event?
PIRRO: You know, that's something that we're investigating right now. I think that, Chief, you'd agree with me on that. That's the kind of thing do
we know? And --
JENSEN: That's still under investigation.
PIRRO: Yes, we're looking at that. There's a lot. Everybody, understand, this is fluid. It's happening now. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Madam U.S. attorney, you mentioned terrorism. Can you speak to any possible nexus to terrorism? And Assistant Director
Jensen, are you confident that this gunman acted alone? Is there any indication at this point that he was inspired? And then also curious if the
chief has any concerns about copycat attacks?
PIRRO: Well, first of all, let me say that we're going to continue, as I said, to investigate this as an act of terrorism and as a hate crime. And
as we do so, we will bring additional charges whenever those charges are warranted and provable. And I suspect, as we go forward, before we get to
the grand jury itself, that there will be more charges added. Yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Has there been any indication from the investigation so far that the subject was on the radar for the FBI or some other
investigative agency around the country? Was he involved in any activism that --
END
