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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Trump: Would Consider Declaring National Emergency To Extend Takeover; Trump Warns Of "Severe Consequences" If Putin Doesn't End War; Texas Dems Weigh Returning To End Redistricting Standoff. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired August 13, 2025 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: --I mean, the potential market for this would be huge.
LANE BROWN, NEW YORK MAGAZINE: Absolutely. People spend millions, hundreds of millions, probably billions on hair loss treatments. And so, if this were the thing that could actually reverse hair loss, then I think they would have a hit on their hands.
COOPER: Yes.
BROWN: Yes.
COOPER: Lane Brown, it's fascinating article in New York Magazine. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.
BROWN: Thank you for having me.
COOPER: That's it for us. The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: President Trump says the White House is in charge of D.C., as he suggests to reporters, it might stay that way for quite some time.
I'm Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.
On night three, the White House says that President Trump's federal takeover of law enforcement, here in Washington, is now shifting into high gear. We're told a significantly higher number of National Guard troops are hitting the streets, across D.C., and that the operation will now run around the clock, as the President himself says, we should expect this to last.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're going to need a crime bill that we're going to be putting in, and it's going to pertain initially to D.C. It's almost -- we're going to use it as a very positive example. And we're going to be asking for extensions on that, long-term extensions, because you can't have 30 days. 30 days is that's -- by the time you do it, we're going to have this in good shape.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The President there indicating one, that other cities should take notice of what's happening here in D.C., and two, that he wants longer-term control over Washington than the 30 days that he has right now by law, before he has to go to Congress to get an extension. Or, does he?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well, if it's a national emergency, we can do it without Congress.
We're going to do this very quickly. But we're going to want extensions. I don't want to call a national emergency. If I have to, I will.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Of course, the law says he has 30 days before he's got to go to Congress. Whether or not he's planning to test the limits of his power remains to be seen tonight.
But it is clear that for the President, when it comes to his latest move, he has heard the criticism over it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: That's a good thing. Already they're saying, He's a dictator. The place is going to hell, and we've got to stop it. So, instead of saying he's a dictator, they should say, We're going to join him and make Washington safe. But--
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: --they'll say, He's a dictator, and then they end up getting mugged.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: If you notice the background, as the President was speaking there, he was at the Kennedy Center, here in Washington, where the new self-appointed Chairman took to the mic with this announcement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The 2025 Kennedy Center Honors. It's going to be a big evening. I've been asked to host.
I said, I'm the President of the United States. Are you fools asking me to do that?
Sir, you'll get much higher ratings.
I said, I don't care. I'm President of the United States. I won't do it.
They said, Please.
And then, Susie Wiles said to me, Sir, I'd like you to host.
I said, OK, Susie, I'll do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The President referencing his Chief of Staff there.
And when it comes to what he'll be hosting, there are five legends that make up this year's honorees. Singers George Strait, Gloria Gaynor, and the glam rock band KISS. Plus, Broadway star, Michael Crawford. And the actor, Sylvester Stallone.
The President says he personally approved each of those honorees, and even turned some of the suggestions down for what he described as being too woke or too liberal. Instead of the committee, which has traditionally selected the honorees. The President said he picked five that he likes.
And of course, all this is coming in this backdrop of his continued Washington takeover, coming not just what is happening here with the police force, in Washington, D.C., but also yesterday's announcement that the Trump administration is going to review the Smithsonian museums, to make sure they say that the exhibitions align with the President's vision of American history.
My lead source on the Trump takeover of the Kennedy Center, and really D.C. itself, is New York Times White House correspondent, Maggie Haberman, who is also the Author of "Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America."
And Maggie, tonight, I think, when it comes to what's happening in D.C., with the National Guard, with the police force, and this federal control that the White House has authorized here. I wonder what you've been hearing from officials and sources, inside Trump world, about how long this could go on for.
MAGGIE HABERMAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: It could go on for a while, Kaitlan. And I think it remains to be seen, in terms of how many arrest numbers we're looking at, what it looks like in a few weeks.
[21:05:00]
They are very happy, and I'm sure you're hearing the same thing, with a lot of the coverage around it. They are happy that there has been widespread criticism from Democrats. You saw the President talking about that.
Crime is not at all in D.C., what he is saying it is. But it is true that there is a lived experience, for a number of residents in the city, where the city feels unsafe, in certain neighborhoods and on certain blocks, and it has become a more pervasive problem since the coronavirus pandemic.
And so, he is addressing something that you do hear people, in Washington, talk about. And it creates a set of imperfect choices for Democrats who, if they oppose it, very vocally (ph) as some of them are? Although not Mayor Bowser of D.C., at least not as loud as some of her colleagues. But if you oppose it? You sound as if you're tone- deaf to concerns that residents have. If you capitulate to it, then you're seen as capitulating.
So, I think that they will continue this, as long as they think is necessary. The problem is, Kaitlan, it's going to become very hard for people to believe official crime statistics that they're being given, and we'll see what that looks like.
COLLINS: Yes, and it's also tying and having national Democrats defend what Democrats, here in Washington, have done, which is not always popular.
HABERMAN: Right.
COLLINS: I mean, the actual district itself, not just Capitol Hill.
HABERMAN: Correct.
COLLINS: Do you think that he's serious when he suggests that he might do this in other cities in the United States?
HABERMAN: I do. I mean, I think that -- first of all, I think that, for the most part, I think the lesson over the last 10 years is that when he floats something, yes, sometimes he won't do it, but oftentimes he is just softening the ground to get to it. I do think it appeals to him.
I don't know that taking over, say, New York necessarily appeals to him, for a variety of reasons. New York is a very complicated city. He would be looked at, in a different way, because it's his hometown, I suspect is in his head.
But I do think that he would be open to doing this elsewhere. There are -- we'll see how this experiment goes. Washington is relatively small, in terms of being a major city. Other cities, this could be more complicated in.
COLLINS: Well, and I also when he -- he was talking about having to go to Congress, about, basically, for people who aren't tracking this as closely as we are, after the 30 days, which now he's on, you know, he's got 28 days left--
HABERMAN: Right.
COLLINS: --he'd have to go to Congress to continue the federal takeover of the police force, here in Washington, to get -- to get authorization for that. Today, he seemed to suggest that maybe, in his view, he doesn't, if he declares--
HABERMAN: Right. COLLINS: --a national emergency.
HABERMAN: There's a very wide number of issues on which Trump has said there is some kind of a national emergency in play, when a lot of evidence would suggest otherwise.
President Trump has always taken the approach to power, long before he was a candidate, Kaitlan, that if you have powers before you, you are wasting them, if you don't use them, even if you have to create sort of a circumstance by which you are grabbing them.
And so, there -- the administration has been criticized for emergent -- using emergency powers for a number of instances, where they have been -- it's not clear there is an emergency, or it's clear there isn't one. I don't -- I wouldn't be surprised at all, if he declares an emergency. He said he doesn't want to.
COLLINS: Yes.
HABERMAN: We'll see.
COLLINS: Well, and speaking of your -- the view of that mindset of having power in front of you and not using it. I mean, this is much bigger than just what is happening in D.C., with the police force--
HABERMAN: Yes.
COLLINS: --the National Guard being deployed on the streets. They're expanding that tonight as what we've been told by the White House.
He was at the Kennedy Center today. The other day, he was calling it the Trump/Kennedy Center, saying, Whoops. I mean, the Kennedy Center. Obviously, he's handpicking these nominees and these honorees that are -- that are going to get honored, later on this year.
I wonder what you make of that, plus the Smithsonian, just this wide lens of what exactly he has been undertaking, the last few weeks.
HABERMAN: Look, the narrow lens, in terms of the Kennedy Center Honors, and specifically, say, Gloria Gaynor, who's obviously, a very talented musician, but it feels like, to some extent, an extended Trump rally playlist.
The broader sense, to your question about culture. He is trying, not just to leave an imprint on the type of culture that exists in Washington, D.C. and in the rest of the country, but he is trying to control what that could be.
Now, what his supporters will say is, when it comes to the Smithsonian, It's just a review, they haven't done anything yet. But they actually have done a lot of things, across the board, in other ways, that suggest exactly where their head is.
And so yes, this is a -- they have long -- the Trump administration and Republicans have long complained about Cancel culture, quote- unquote. But they are now imposing a different kind of cultural control.
COLLINS: Yes. Obviously, we're following all this really closely, when it comes to what's happening here in D.C. We'll see what happens, as we're watching the National Guard here tonight.
Trump is leaving Friday, to go to Alaska. He's going to be meeting with Putin, the first time they've met face-to-face--
HABERMAN: Yes.
COLLINS: --since he took office this time.
I wonder what you're hearing from people, about the real expectations for that meeting, if they think it's going to look like Helsinki did, or what their -- what their expectations are.
HABERMAN: This trip is coming together very much on the fly, Kaitlan. I'm sure you're hearing the same thing inside the administration.
[21:10:00]
There is a lot of slapdash effort, and I don't mean that in a denigrating way. I mean, they really are having to rush this, because it came about very suddenly and much more suddenly than people expected, and it's in Alaska where there are not a ton of accommodations.
There's been a lot of questions about, why isn't the President planning on overnighting there. I think it's because he doesn't want to stay at the hotels that are there. He tends to really like his own properties, among other reasons.
But there is a -- there is an uncertainty about what this will look like. There is a lot that has not been shared. It very much could end up looking like Helsinki. We don't know what it's going to look like, in terms of translators. We don't know what it's going to look like, in terms of a one-on-one. We don't know what it's going to look like, in terms of whether there will be a press conference or whether that will be broadcast. There's a lot of questions still.
COLLINS: Yes, and questions about if that press conference does happen, if it's a joint press conference, like they did in Helsinki or solo.
HABERMAN: Right.
COLLINS: Maggie Haberman, we'll obviously be covering it all closely with you. Thank you so much for your excellent reporting tonight, as always.
And I should note that as we talk about what's happening here in D.C., and we're watching this federal takeover intensify, in the nation's capital tonight. My next source has served inside the Metropolitan Police Department for more than a decade.
Officer Daniel Hodges defended the Capitol, on January 6th, as rioters attacked him, as we've all seen in those horrific videos. And I should note, he is joining me tonight, in his personal capacity, and not on behalf of the MPD.
But it's great to have you here.
Because, I mean, you know the streets of Washington so well. I wonder what you make of what we've seen with the National Guard, being out on the National Mall, being in Georgetown, being on these streets, what you've seen so far.
OFC. DANIEL HODGES, METROPOLITAN D.C. POLICE, INJURED DEFENDING CAPITOL ON JAN. 6: Right. I personally haven't seen the Guard out here. But I did serve in the Virginia National Guard for six years. So, I know that soldiers are trained to fight and win wars.
So, the baseline of soldiers' training is to close with and destroy the enemy. They are not trained in law enforcement. They're not trained to conduct traffic stops. They're not trained to mediate family disputes. So, what they're doing here is pretty unclear to me. I think they're just going to stand around, and be visible, so that it looks like they're doing something.
With regards to the federal partners, you know, more hands are always great. But they're -- by and large, they're investigators. Their work is behind a desk. They don't have the saturation of experience in street work that would make them really super-useful in fighting crime out here.
And the final part of this federalization is just the change of, I guess, leadership to someone in the federal government. And I mean, do you really think Pam Bondi has some keen insight into deployment of urban law enforcement resources that our own law enforcement leaders don't have? I just don't see how that's going to be helpful either.
COLLINS: So you don't really see what they're trying to do here is what it sounds like.
HODGES: No. No. I mean, D.C. has crime, no doubt, but it's not -- it's not a war-torn hellscape, like Trump is making out to be. And I don't understand how any of this is supposed to help anything.
COLLINS: How would you -- that's a great point you make there. Because I think what we've heard is the numbers aren't as bad as Trump and officials are saying they are. But that doesn't mean that the numbers aren't bad, and that the crime doesn't exist here in Washington. And that people want that to be changed.
I wonder, what do you think should be done differently than what the federal government is doing right now?
HODGES: Well, the federal government actually has the power to help us out. The first thing they could do is allow us to spend our own money.
Right now, Congress has made it, so that we can't spend like up to -- we got a billion dollars budget deficit in D.C. And I believe the Senate signed something saying that we could spend it, but that's -- the bill has been sitting on Mike Johnson's desk, and he's not doing anything about it. He dismissed the House early, so that he could protect Trump from Epstein.
Also, FEMA cut federal -- financial assistance to D.C. by like, 44 percent, for that's -- that's money that we need, that could be used to help fight crime.
COLLINS: So you basically, you think there are things the federal government could do. It's just not what is happening right now?
HODGES: Sure, yes.
COLLINS: One question, and I wonder if this has been -- I don't know how this has affected, or if it has affected you. But who is calling the shots at MPD right now has been a question. We were trying to ask the White House this yesterday.
Because in the executive order, it says the President, then Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and then the DEA chief, who was just sworn in a few weeks ago, who is a lifelong DEA agent, certainly knows his stuff, but is now doing dual roles.
Is that your understanding that the DEA chief is in charge?
HODGES: I'm just a patrol officer, the bottom level, bottom rung. So really, I just look at my sergeant, look at my watch commander, to do what they tell me to do. Nothing -- nothing -- nothing I do is going to get up that high. But what we've been told that everything's the same on our end, so.
COLLINS: So, so same structure as before all this?
HODGES: Correct.
COLLINS: I want you to listen to something that the U.S. Attorney, here in Washington, Jeanine Pirro, had to say today.
[21:15:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANINE PIRRO, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: As part of his effort to fight crime, he's bringing in our federal law enforcement partners like FBI, ATF, DEA, or Park Police, everybody to help the Metropolitan P.D. fight crime. And the President's message to the criminals was, If you spit, we hit.
We're going to back the police to the hilt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: As someone who lived through January 6th, I wonder what it's like for you to hear that?
HODGES: Yes, it's sure would be nice if they backed the police then, right? That was an actual emergency that they could have activated the National Guard for, is sending them to back us up, when we were trying to protect the Capitol, protect the Vice President, protect Congress. But Trump sat in his little chair and watched us get beaten, on Fox.
I had someone try to gouge out my eyes, I had someone beat me in the head with my own baton. But apparently, that wasn't a national emergency. It's interesting that spitting is now something that we can use to justify the extreme blatant -- use of force.
I don't -- I don't understand how these people oscillate between these value systems. They're supposed to back the blue, and then they -- they abandoned us on the 6th. But now that it's convenient for them, politically, they're all about it. It's -- they don't have a consistent ethical framework.
COLLINS: Do you think it's hypocritical?
HODGES: Yes, absolutely.
COLLINS: Officer Daniel Hodges, it's great to have you as always, even in your personal capacity. Thank you for joining us tonight.
HODGES: Thanks, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Really appreciate you.
We'll continue tracking what is happening here in Washington, with that expanded presence, I should note.
And also up next, what the President said today, his warning to Vladimir Putin, ahead of that summit in Alaska, in 48 hours from now, as the Ukrainian president is drawing his own red lines for those talks.
Plus, the question that led Chuck Schumer to answer this way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): No f**king (bleep) way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, President Trump has a warning for Vladimir Putin, if the Russian leader doesn't agree to stop his war in Ukraine when they meet in Alaska, 48 hours from right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Will Russia face any consequences if Vladimir Putin does not agree to stop the war after your meeting on Friday?
TRUMP: Yes, they will. Yes.
REPORTER: What will the consequences be--
TRUMP: Yes, there'll be consequences.
REPORTER: --sanctions, tariffs?
TRUMP: There will be -- I don't have to say. There will be very severe consequences. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The President declining to go into detail there on what those consequences could be. Though, he previously threatened new sanctions on Moscow and a deadline to end that war, at least agreed to. That came and went last week without any repercussions, as they were planning this summit in Alaska.
The President spent the morning on the phone, with European leaders, and the Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, ahead of Friday's summit. And our European sources tell us tonight that the President's message was that he'd push for a ceasefire, and also avoid striking any unilateral deal with Putin that involves negotiating Ukraine's territory.
And Zelenskyy, after that call, had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE (through translator): Everything about Ukraine will be discussed with Ukraine. We have to get prepared for a three-sided format of the conversation. There should be a ceasefire first, then security guarantees, real security guarantees. And by the way, President Trump expressed his support for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: My source tonight was the Deputy Secretary of State under President Biden, Wendy Sherman, who's among the last American diplomats leading talks with Russia, on the eve of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
And so, it's great to have you here, just given your experience in this area. I wonder what you heard coming out of that meeting, with the European leaders and Zelenskyy today, and if you think that they should be optimistic about what Trump can achieve on Friday.
AMB. WENDY SHERMAN, FORMER DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE, FELLOW, HARVARD BELFER CENTER: Well, it was very nice to hear that the President, and the leaders, and President Zelenskyy, all came out with the same message, that We're on the same page, that we want to ceasefire first, security guarantees are critical, and nothing about Ukraine should be decided without Ukraine.
That said, Kaitlan, we've seen this movie before, where the President criticizes President Putin, and then finds a reason to back off. As you pointed out, he said sanctions were coming in 50 days. Then he said sanctions were going to come, or severe consequences, in 10 days. And President Putin, in his very wily, smart way, years of experience, said to Steve Witkoff, Let's have a meeting instead. And so, he's pushed off those severe consequences. He's gotten his one-on-one meeting. He thinks he understands, better than President Trump does, what needs to happen here. And I don't think for one minute, Vladimir Putin wants anything but to own Ukraine.
COLLINS: So, what would your advice be, going into a meeting like this, to President Trump?
SHERMAN: Well, I do agree with what you and Maggie Haberman were discussing, which is, this has been put together very quickly. Usually, when you have a meeting like this, there have been weeks of preparation, down to the finest details. That hasn't happened here.
I think it's fine, if President Trump goes to truly listen and really understands what Putin wants here. But I think instead, what's going to happen is other agenda items are going to end up being put on the table, things like critical minerals, and the Arctic, and trade, and Russia coming back into the G7.
And I think that President Trump believes that he can be transactional with Putin. He can say to Putin, Here, if you will really do this ceasefire, if you will come to peace, then you can have all these benefits.
[21:25:00]
But I believe, unfortunately, that Putin believes he gets Ukraine. And if he can't have all of it right now, he wants the four areas, even where he has not taken all of the territory. That means thousands, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians will flee, because they will be terrified of being under Russian control. I cannot see that happening.
COLLINS: You have been in the room with President Putin. You know what it's like to deal with him. You were in that meeting that Secretary of State Kerry was in, back in 2015, I believe it was a four-hour meeting. What is it like in the room with him?
SHERMAN: He's very smart. He didn't have a single piece of paper. Foreign Minister Lavrov and one other official was with him, along with a translator. That meeting went on for four hours, after Secretary Kerry had had a four-hour meeting with Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister.
And Putin really shows his KGB spy instincts. He's very much in control of those meetings. He can be very charming, clever, smart, informative. But more than anything else, he's in control.
COLLINS: One thing that--
SHERMAN: And John Kerry is not a slouch (ph).
COLLINS: Yes. Well, one thing that the President was asked about today, in terms of negotiating with Putin and trying to get a message across to him was, Can you convince him to stop killing Ukrainian civilians, who have obviously died in droves as a result of this horrific war?
This is what Trump said to the reporter who asked that question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Sir, when you meet with Vladimir Putin, Friday, in Alaska--
TRUMP: Yes.
REPORTER: --do you believe you can convince him to stop targeting civilians in Ukraine?
TRUMP: Well, I'll tell you what, I've had that conversation with him. I've had a lot of good conversations with him. Then I go home and I see that a rocket hit a nursing home, or a rocket hit an apartment building, and people are laying dead in the streets. So, I guess the answer to that is no, because I've had this conversation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: What'd you make of that answer?
SHERMAN: I made of that answer, I hope he remembers that when Putin is all friendly, and chummy, and trying to create that warmth again that he had with President Trump. I hope he remembers his own words that Putin tells him one thing, and then does another.
At the same time, it was pretty chilling to hear the President of the United States say, I can't stop you from killing all of these people.
COLLINS: Yes, it was a comment that stood out to me as well.
Ambassador Wendy Sherman, it was great to have you tonight. Thank you for joining me.
SHERMAN: Thank you, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: And as we've talked about how quickly this summit was put together, I should note, it's going to be happening at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, that is in Anchorage, Alaska, this Friday.
And we've heard from White House officials who say the military base was really the only place that they believed in the state that could meet the security requirements that are obviously quite high, for a major occasion, like this one. It's a summit that would normally take months to plan. This time, it came together in days.
And just a few hours ago, this evening, the Treasury Department had to issue a license, to basically temporary authorize Putin, and the sanctioned Russians who are going to be traveling with him, to land in Alaska. To show you the lengths they have to go to, to make this meeting happen, here in the United States.
My source tonight is the Anchorage mayor, Suzanne LaFrance.
And it's great to have you here, Mayor. Because I think, some people might want to know when you found out that Anchorage was hosting this summit.
MAYOR SUZANNE LAFRANCE, ANCHORAGE, ALASKA: Hi, Kaitlan. Thank you so much for having me here.
I found out on social media. Since that time, my office -- I found out, along with everyone else, I think, on social media. But since that time, my office has been coordinating with the Governor's office, the White House, and our military partners, on the municipality's role and details around the visit.
COLLINS: Do you feel prepared for Friday?
LAFRANCE: I do. And as mayor, that's my focus, is to ensure that we're ready for this visit. And our teams, again, have been coordinating with the White House, and the Governor's office, and military officials, to ensure that we're prepared for not only the summit and the official visit, but for the hundreds of visitors that we're expecting to come to Anchorage, in the next couple of days.
COLLINS: Yes, obviously you're not alone. You've got Secret Service, the White House, there's a lot of advanced planning and staffers that obviously have been putting this together, and doing a lot of work on this.
[21:30:00]
What would you say is the biggest challenge, though, when it comes to hosting something this high-level? Because it's not just high-level. It's also an incredibly sensitive meeting with a world leader who -- Putin really can't go to a lot of places without the fear of even being arrested.
LAFRANCE: Right. And, as the local official, I am not -- I am not privy to all the operational details. I can tell you that I know it's very hard, right now, to get accommodations, and we're in the middle of a tourist season still, and hotel rooms are hard to come by.
COLLINS: Yes, they certainly are. We can attest to that personally, in the White House press corps.
Anchorage Mayor, Suzanne LaFrance, it's great to have you on. I know you've a lot going on, and a big few days ahead. Thank you so much for coming on tonight.
LAFRANCE: Thank you so much for having me.
And I just add that anyone visiting Anchorage, if you go to Anchorage.net, you will get some helpful information for planning your trip.
COLLINS: That is good to know. I'll be visiting that. We'll be hosting THE SOURCE, I should note, from Anchorage, tomorrow night. So, we will see you there, and everyone else.
LAFRANCE: Thank you.
COLLINS: And up next here, in Washington, I should note, from a surge in federal law enforcement that we've seen, to the overall and cultural institutions, the President has been putting his stamp on the nation's capital. One question is, where do Democrats fit into all of this?
Democratic congresswoman, Jasmine Crockett, is going to join me, right after this break.
[21:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, as President Trump is looking to extend -- to Congress, to extend his federalization of D.C.'s police force, beyond the 30 days that he's allotted by law. The Senate Democratic Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, had a blunt three-word response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AARON PARNAS, AMERICAN LAWYER, POLITICAL STRATEGIST & DIGITAL JOURNALIST: Would you grant it?
SCHUMER: No f**king (bleep) way. We'll go, we'll fight him tooth and nail.
Not only are we not going to approve it, but I have a feel -- there are some Republicans who don't like it either. This is, again, just a distraction. He's afraid of Epstein. He's afraid of all that. And we are not going to be dis -- you know, we are not going to give up on Epstein.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: My source tonight is Democratic congresswoman, Jasmine Crockett of Texas.
And it's great to have you back here, Congresswoman.
And when you hear what Chuck Schumer says there, do you really think, I mean, given Democrats are in the minority, that Republicans would not go along with a request from the President, to extend his federal takeover of the police, here in Washington?
REP. JASMINE CROCKETT (D-TX): I mean, I think that the Republicans could care less about the law or the Constitution.
I think what you heard from the Minority Leader is basically, Listen, no matter what he tries, then we will make sure that the courts are involved, and make sure we give out the information, which is the law.
The fact that he's taken over D.C., in the first place, invoking emergency powers? That basically is what he wants to do, his entire presidency. And frankly, the only emergency that we've had is the fact that he somehow made it back into the White House. That is how he decided that he was going to somehow initiate the Alien Enemies (ph) Act. It's how he decided that he was going to go about taking over D.C. It's how he decided he was going to invade the City of Los Angeles.
It is time for us to get back to actual democracy, which is not an emergency. Not to mention the tariffs. He's also invoked emergency powers, doing the tariffs. And the reality is that he is the only one that is creating the crisis.
COLLINS: Well, when -- if there is a vote on that, do you believe that some of your Democratic colleagues would say, Well, I might vote for this, given the crime numbers in D.C., while not as bad as the President says they are, are not great, and that, Democrats fear maybe looking soft on crime if they -- if they voted against something like that?
CROCKETT: I don't think so. I mean, we'll see. Obviously, we're on recess, and so I've not had an opportunity to speak with members about this.
But truly, this cannot be coming from the party of small government. I think we may even end up with some Republicans that will vote with us, because there is nothing that looks like big government, that looks more like big government, than what he's decided to do. So, I don't see that happening.
I mean, the reality is that he doesn't want, for any city or a state, that is controlled by a Democrat, to be controlled by them. Then he finds an exception to decide to just do whatever he wants to do. And in any other scenario, it's a matter of, Oh, small government.
COLLINS: Yes. And I think there's some questions of politically, how Democrats are handling this. The President was critical of that today.
But can I ask you, on the other thing we've been talking about, with you, is this redistricting fight that's been playing out, in your home state of Texas. And we're hearing from sources tonight that Texas Democrats are considering returning to the state, to end the standoff that's been playing out over this.
Do you believe that they should?
CROCKETT: I absolutely don't. I think that there may be some kind of confusion around reporting. I've not talked to too many members just yet, but I did call a couple of them.
I think that it's my understanding that the Speaker announced, maybe on (inaudible) he would end up ending the session, the special session early. And so, it wasn't supposed to end until the 19th. As of now, it's my understanding that if somehow they are not back in the chamber, by Friday, then he plans to go ahead and end this special session by Friday.
And I think that, right now, they're trying to figure out, What exactly are we going to do? If, for some reason, he prematurely ends this session, what is our next step? [21:40:00]
COLLINS: OK. So, your understanding is not that they're just coming back and prepared to just end the standoff, overall?
CROCKETT: No, no, no.
And just so that the American public understands, this bill did pass through the Senate, in Texas, and we saw all but two of the Texas State Senators walk off the floor. If all of them had walked off, that was enough to break quorum. It only takes a 11 in the Senate. And so Tuesday back, they decided to vote no.
But ultimately, if you start a new session, then you don't just get to say, Well, the Senate passed the bill. They have to start all over. It still has to make it through both chambers, during the same session.
COLLINS: Yes.
CROCKETT: So, we will see what happens. But I don't see them going back onto the floor before the end of this session.
COLLINS: Well, and that session was called by the Governor, Greg Abbott. And he responded to your accusation that Republicans, as you said, are trying to dilute the voting power of Black, Hispanic and Asian voters in Texas.
I want you to listen to what Governor Abbott said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): It would not be a day that ends with the letter, Y, if Jasmine Crockett didn't say something racist.
The problem that Democrats have in the State of Texas is Hispanics, Black voters and other voters, they have learned now that the ideas that Democrats stand for are contrary to the ideas that the Hispanic community and Black community stand for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: What's your response to the Governor?
CROCKETT: He doesn't even believe the words that are coming out of his own mouth.
Nor does the Department of Justice that decided to send a letter that specifically wanted to focus in on four minority districts. They wanted to focus in on Marc Veasey. They wanted to focus in on the seat that was represented by the late Sylvester Turner. They wanted to focus on Al Green. And they wanted to focus on -- I'm sorry, Sylvia Garcia.
So and he's the -- and they are the ones that invoked race. To be clear, I've been engaged in litigation with the State of Texas, since 2021, over the current maps, alleging that they were already in violation of Section 2. And the state's position, for the last four years, is that these maps have been race-neutral. And all of a sudden, they get a letter from the Department of Justice that says, No, your maps are so racially inflamed, fix it.
And now, somehow, they are looking to get rid of Marc Veasey's district. They are looking to get rid of Al Green's district. We only have a total of four districts that have somehow managed to elect Black people. And somehow, two out of four are disappearing.
So, this isn't about whether or not Black people or Latinos are now skewing Republican. What it's about is making sure that Black folk and Latinos do not have a say-so. Because what he's not talking about is the fact that when 95 percent of this state was grown because of people of color, we ended up with two new seats in the State of Texas. Yet we did not get any people of color seats. We got two new Anglo- majority seats. Now they're deciding, Let's add another two Anglo- majority seats.
So, in the past four years, they have somehow figured out that while we added 4 million people, and they were basically people of color, they ended up with four new majority Anglo seats? That's the issue.
COLLINS: Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, we'll see what Democrats in your state do next. Thanks for your time tonight.
CROCKETT: Absolutely.
COLLINS: Also this evening, I should note, there are new talks that are underway to possibly resettle millions of Palestinians out of Gaza, to an Eastern African country, as Israel says it is planning to escalate the war there. We'll have the latest on that and the hostage negotiations. We've got an inside source, who served as an unofficial mediator in all this.
[21:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, a top Israeli official is in South Sudan, as we are learning that the two countries are in talks to possibly resettle Palestinians from Gaza, to the East African country, a move that would force Gazans from one war-torn region to another. Six people familiar with the matter confirmed these talks to the Associated Press. Right now, it's still unclear how far they've advanced.
But this comes, of course, as the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has made clear, he wants to relocate much of the population before Israel takes over Gaza City. Or, as he put it in a new interview, "I think that the right thing," and I'm quoting him now, "to do, even according to the laws of war as I know them, is to allow the population to leave, and then you go in with all your might against the enemy who remains there."
This is coming amid a renewed push for a ceasefire and a hostage agreement, as sources tell CNN, a Hamas delegation was headed to Egypt, yesterday, to talk about those negotiations. My inside source tonight serves as an unofficial mediator between the Trump administration and Hamas. Dr. Bishara Bahbah is the Chairman of the Arab Americans For Peace, and helped secure the release of the hostage, Edan Alexander.
And it's so great to have you here, just given how much time you've spent in the Middle East, amid this war, and attempts to bring it to an end.
First off, what do you make of these talks, between Israel and South Sudan, right now?
BISHARA BAHBAH, CHAIRMAN, ARAB AMERICANS FOR PEACE, MEDIATOR BETWEEN TRUMP ADMIN. AND HAMAS: I think anyone who believes that the Palestinians are going to simply pick up and leave their land is delusional.
COLLINS: I mean, that could potentially include Netanyahu.
BAHBAH: He oh -- definitely, he's delusional, from my perspective.
[21:50:00]
Palestinians should stay where they are, in their homes. Nobody wants to take them anywhere. Nobody wants to take them. There is no country that's willing to take them. So, let them stay where they are, where they belong, in their ancestral homeland, while Gaza is being rebuilt, of course, assuming that we would have a ceasefire in the meantime.
COLLINS: Yes. How would you say, you think Palestinians feel about a prospect, like this one that's playing out, even though it's unclear how serious it is tonight?
BAHBAH: I mean, I can tell you also, there's a lot of pressure on Palestinians in the West Bank to leave. The expansion of settlements, Israeli settlers' attacks on people inside the West Bank. Nobody wants to leave. There's no place to go. The Palestinians have tried this.
COLLINS: So when Netanyahu calls it voluntary migration, that's not how they see it?
BAHBAH: Listen, there might be 20,000, 30,000, 50,000 people who have had injuries that want treatment, that would leave the Gaza Strip or the West Bank. But there is no such thing as voluntary migration. It's depopulating the historic area of Palestine from Palestinians. And that's not fair. Nobody is asking Israel to do the same.
COLLINS: When we hear, about this delegation, this Hamas delegation going to Egypt, to try to have ceasefire hostage talks. It's hard to put some -- a lot of stock into some of the talks, because it seems like they get so close and then they fall apart. I wonder what you make of this tonight, and what we should -- what we should expect from it.
BAHBAH: From what I hear, I mean, over the past four months, we've been talking about a temporary ceasefire, a ceasefire that would last for 60 days, potentially expanded to a longer period of time, if both sides are sitting at the negotiating table, during which 10 hostages would be released, X number of Palestinian prisoners would be released, Israel would withdraw to about one kilometer from the borders of Gaza.
However, right now, it seems like the emphasis is on looking at an overall deal, whereby all the hostages would be released, and the war would end permanently. Israel would withdraw from Gaza, and potentially, and which -- one would presume would be the demilitarization of Hamas and the exit of its military commanders out of Gaza.
COLLINS: Where do you put the likelihood of that happening, though?
BAHBAH: Something has to give. People are dying from hunger, people are dying from heat, people are dying from disease. There's nothing going into the -- into the Gaza Strip. Yesterday, a 107 -- 107 trucks went into Gaza. Gaza needs today, between 600 and 1,000 trucks a day.
COLLINS: Yes, so there's some going in, but clearly not enough. And I mean, we have seen massive pressure on Israel--
BAHBAH: Yes.
COLLINS: --to change that.
Does Hamas realize that? See that? I mean, how do they respond to that? Because that is always what we hear from Israel is, Well, they could -- Hamas could stop this tomorrow.
BAHBAH: Well, both sides could stop this tomorrow, you know? I'd be -- Hamas told me, just a few days ago, that they are willing to go back to the negotiating table, whether to negotiate a temporary deal or a full -- full-fledged deal. And now it seems that Israel is interested in a full-fledged deal. That's OK. We can do it.
But in the meantime, what I'd like to see is for the killing to stop, the starvation to end. While people are negotiating. Perhaps the United States would come in and say, OK, we're going to give you 90 days, or 60 days, whatever number of days, to finish this deal. In the meantime, there will be no killing and no starvation of people.
COLLINS: Yes, we'll see what happens. Obviously, great to have you, given your expertise in this.
BAHBAH: Thank you.
COLLINS: Bishara Bahbah, thank you so much for your time.
BAHBAH: Thank you for having me.
COLLINS: Up next here. We should note, moments ago, a million fans watched perhaps one of the biggest musicians in the world make an emotional reveal. We'll let you just listen to it for yourself, right after this.
[21:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: It seems that Taylor Swift might have broken the internet tonight, while we were on air, as her highly-anticipated debut on "New Heights," the podcast that is hosted by her boyfriend, Travis Kelce and, his brother, Jason Kelce, just hit a glitch tonight, leaving the 1.3 million people who were tuned in live, obsessively refreshing their page tonight.
As nearly two hours in to this podcast, Taylor Swift got candid about everything from her new album that she has announced on the podcast, which is titled, "The Life of a Showgirl," and drops in October, to her two-year relationship with Travis, and also how she finally became the owner of her entire music catalog, back in May, and what that felt like.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR SWIFT, AMERICAN SINGER-SONGWRITER: Rather than send lawyers or management, like in a big crew, I sent my mom and my brother, who I work with to L.A.
JASON KELCE, AMERICAN FOOTBALL CENTER: Very good (ph).
SWIFT: And they -- sorry -- they sat down, and they like -- this happens. And I don't ever really talk about it, because it's--
KELCE: Two (ph).
SWIFT: --they sat down with -- with Shamrock Capital, and they told them what this meant for me, like this is -- they told them the whole story.
[22:00:00]
I get a call from my mom, and she's like -- she's like, they -- they -- we did -- you got your music.
KELCE: Right.
SWIFT: And so sorry that this is -- it's literally been so long since this happened, like it's every time I talk about it. She was like, You got -- you got your music. And I just like, very dramatically, hit the floor, for real.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: A clearly emotional moment for Taylor Swift there.
Thank you so much for joining us tonight.
Tomorrow night, I should note, THE SOURCE will be live from Anchorage, ahead of the President's historic summit there, with Vladimir Putin.
For now, "CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts.
