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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Trump Warns Iran "Will Pay" For Killing U.S. Troops; Trump Says New Air Force One To Be "Maxed Out" After Security Concerns; History Of ICE Officer Connected To Maine Shooting Raises Fresh Questions About Agency's Recruitment. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired July 20, 2026 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's no cameras in court because it's federal court, so we don't have any video from there.
But the Tate brothers are expected to remain in custody through at least Monday when the lawyers are back in court. And according to their lawyer, they are being held in solitary confinement.
And as you know, with this extradition process, it could last months, depending on how many challenges there are. And in the end, it could actually be up to Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to decide the fate whether or not the extradition will go ahead.
And one important note, as I mentioned, the Tate brothers are big Trump supporters. According to one source talking to CNN, they said that apparently people on their side, the allies of the Tate brothers, have been reaching out to people in Trump's orbit, trying to gain support, find support, and hopefully help them. But we are told that the President has no plans to intervene in this extradition process.
JOHN KING, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: Randi Kaye, thank you so much.
And the news continues. "THE SOURCE" starts now.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: Tonight. President Trump says Iran will pay for killing more U.S. troops over the weekend. Is diplomacy with Iran over?
I'm Brianna Keilar in for Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.
As we come on the air, President Trump is making clear the current mission in Iran is retaliation. As the U.S. bombs Iran for a 10th straight night, sources say mediators floated another 10-day ceasefire, but, quote, Right now, President Trump is focused on making Iran pay for violating the last agreement.
Today, the President posted, Every time Iran kills an American Soldier, they will pay for that killing many times over.
Three American service members were killed over the weekend. Their deaths mark the first American fatalities from Iranian fire since March. And after being accused of slow-walking the information, tonight, the Pentagon says that nearly 100 U.S. troops have been injured in just the past two weeks.
Over the weekend, 25-year-old First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan and 19-year-old Private Isabella Gonzales were killed in an Iranian missile attack on an air base in Jordan. And the Pentagon says another U.S. service member was killed during a quote, Controlled detonation of an Iranian drone in northern Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We feel very badly, but you know those great people, those great patriots, who are out there fighting that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Iran has been very, very badly damaged. They've lost everything almost militarily. They've got very little left.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Iran apparently has enough left to target U.S. bases in neighboring countries. Enough left that more U.S. fighter jets are being deployed to the region.
The President's own comments illustrating the competing claims that even some of his biggest supporters now struggle to make sense of.
17 American lives have been lost. And the Pentagon's disclosure that nearly 100 more Americans have been hurt in recent weeks, coming after criticism that it did not publicly disclose many of those injuries as they occurred.
And that comment from the President that we just played is hardly a one-off. Trump has repeatedly insisted that Iran poses virtually no threat at all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Tonight, Iran's navy is gone; their air force is in ruins; their leaders, most of them, terrorist regime they led, are now dead.
We have many ways we can win, but we've already won militarily. They have very little -- they have very little left.
We wiped out their navy, their air force, their radar, their leaders. We wiped out everybody.
We're blowing everything away, and we're going to end that war very quickly.
They have no navy left. They have no air force left. They have no anti-aircraft equipment left. No radar left. No leaders left.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Lieutenant Feehan and Private Gonzales died in a missile attack barely a month after the President defended allowing Iran to keep its missile program.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They have to have some because other people have some. You got to have some.
Somebody said, You shouldn't give them one -- you shouldn't let them have any missile.
I said, Well, what am I going to do? Am I going to let Saudi Arabia have missiles, but they can't have them?
Yes, sir.
Can't -- doesn't work that way, you know. It doesn't work that way.
And missiles aren't the problem. Missiles are -- they hurt a little location, but they don't blow up the planet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Iran, in the meantime, is expanding its targets in the region. U.S. positions in seven Middle East countries have been attacked since Thursday night, which, again, seems to run counter to the President repeatedly saying this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They want to make a deal so badly.
They want to make a deal so badly, but we'll see what happens.
They want to make a deal so badly. We'll see what happens.
They want to make a deal so badly.
They want to make a deal so badly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:05:00]
KEILAR: Those contradictions are perhaps why even some of the President's most vocal supporters are starting to say things like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX NEWS HOST: I don't understand how it's possible that Iran has the capabilities to fight this way and continue to try to lash out at Gulf countries and U.S. military bases. Because the U.S. has obliterated Iran's military, and the President continues to reiterate that.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KEILAR: My lead source is a CNN Global Affairs Analyst who served in senior national security positions under Presidents George W. Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden. Brett McGurk is with us this evening.
Thank you for being here.
With the President now focused on retaliation here, do you expect the fighting to intensify significantly?
BRETT MCGURK, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST, FORMER MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA COORDINATOR, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: Yes Brianna, I'm deeply -- I've worked on this off and on for 20 years, these issues, negotiating with Iran, conflicts with Iran. I think this is the most difficult predicament I've ever seen.
Because Iran is determined to use its power, drones and missiles, to control the Strait of Hormuz, and they will target ships. And when we hit them back, as I think we should do, if they're targeting commercial shipping, they will then target our bases.
And they target Brianna, our living quarters. And this isn't new. This is what they do. Before all this, Christmas Day, 2023, we had a grievously wounded American from an Iranian drone fired by an Iraqi militia living quarters in Erbil. January 2024, targeting living quarters in Jordan. Before all this, this is what they're doing. They have this very advanced missile and drone capability that they built up over the last decade, and they're using it.
And so, we are in this predicament. So, what -- I mean, I think it's a time to step back a little bit. There's been so much controversy about how we got into this and everything else.
But you know, we did have a deal, an MOU, on June 17th. The President signed it. Not the most well-crafted MOU, I have to say. But I've talked to the mediators, and there was an understanding that whatever might have been said in the paper, ships would pass uninterrupted. That was the understanding. And Iran targeted two ships and killed an Indian sailor, and we then hit back, and then this whole thing escalated. The point is, we had a deal. I think Iran violated it. Even if there was a disagreement over an article, you don't -- you don't then attack two commercial ships.
So, the point is, this is the moment to step back a little bit and get some allies with us. We are all alone in this.
KEILAR: But I keep -- I keep hearing you--
MCGURK: We're all alone in this.
KEILAR: --I hear you say that--
MCGURK: Yes.
KEILAR: --and you're not the only one, that does not seem to be the avenue -- that's not the door the President keeps choosing. MCGURK: Listen, you can keep going down the path you're going down and keep digging. But this is an international problem in the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranians are doing things, and now the Houthis as well. Again, they did this before too. Targeting an international passageway. In the Red Sea situation, we developed a coalition.
It's really hard work. What I know is, if you're trying to do it all by ourselves, it'll continue to be an Iran-U.S. tit for tat, and that ultimately I think plays to Iran's asymmetrical advantage. So, I'm just -- you know, what could we do that'd be different? You really try to get some allies with us.
Because -- and again, the President had -- he signed an agreement at Versailles. There's some irony to the historical symbolism to that. But Macron was there clapping, everybody, this is great. Well, we had an agreement. We really tried to de-escalate, and Iran said, No, we don't like the way it's going, and they and they targeted commercial -- two commercial ships. So, that's what kicked this all off. And so, there might be an opportunity to bring some allies with us. Again, that's kind of one card I would see.
Otherwise, to your point, yes, this is now in a tit for tat. I'm sure we're developing targets. I'm sure the Iranians are in their bunkers thinking about targeting us. And this is going to continue.
I was at this desk early in the summer. I said, I think we're heading into a very long hot summer. And here we are in the middle of it. I don't -- I just don't see the off-ramp.
KEILAR: Because you're describing the situation where Iran, not liking what it's seen with the traffic in the Strait hits vessels. The U.S. retaliates. Iran is hitting U.S. service members. And the President is making it clear how he wants to retaliate.
What's the role for Congress in all of this?
MCGURK: Well, two things before -- yes, Iran believes right now that its pressure on us, its military pressure on us, is giving them leverage on whatever the deal might be. And President Trump believes that the military pressure on Iran is giving him leverage on whatever the deal might be. Both are locked--
KEILAR: It's a cycle--
MCGURK: Both are locked in.
KEILAR: Yes.
MCGURK: For Congress, it's a time to ask questions.
And another thing, nobody is talking about -- this is a moment, I think the President should be talking to the American people. Look, here's the situation. Here's what we're working to do. That's what presidents do, kind of old-fashioned in this regard, Here's what we're trying to do. Secretary of Defense. The Chairman, Brad Cooper, who's a terrific CENTCOM commander, who's in the thick of this. You know, this is what happened in the last month, and here's our objectives and what we're trying to try to achieve. So, we can understand what we're trying to do.
[21:10:00]
Because I'm thinking about our people out there. I've been in those bases, been in those trailers. And our minds have to be on that. And I think the American people need to hear from our civilian leadership of what we're working here to do.
KEILAR: Yes.
MCGURK: It's important, and I hope we can get some friends with us.
KEILAR: We're seeing the stakes certainly this past weekend.
Brett, thank you so much for your insights. Appreciate it.
MCGURK: Thank you.
KEILAR: Part of the challenge with trying to square the President's claims with the reality of what we're seeing in the Middle East, is that the Pentagon has not held a press briefing in two and a half months. And since then, the ceasefire and the memorandum of understanding have come and gone.
The Defense Secretary has not explained the military strategy behind the renewed air strikes. The Department hasn't answered detailed questions about the deaths of three American service members.
In fact, the last time that Secretary Hegseth faced the media, he issued this declaration about the Strait of Hormuz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: As a direct gift from the United States to the world, we have established a powerful red, white and blue dome over the Strait.
American destroyers are on station, supported by hundreds of fighter jets, helicopters, drones, and surveillance aircraft, providing 24/7 overwatch for peaceful commercial vessels except Iran's, of course.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: According to British monitors, two vessels were attacked just yesterday off the coast of Oman and the UAE.
Secretary Hegseth will have to answer questions about the war tomorrow because he's set to testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee, and the administration wants Congress to approve tens of billions of dollars in emergency funding to pay for the war.
My next source will be among those questioning the Secretary. Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon.
Thank you for joining us.
SEN. JEFF MERKLEY (D-OR): Well, you're welcome. Good to be with you.
KEILAR: So, putting aside, for the moment, that Democrats object to how the President got into this from the beginning. How do you get out of this? You can't just walk away from it, and the U.S. is where the U.S. is. How do you get out of this?
MERKLEY: You know, we are trapped in a terrible position. Because the answer should be that if our goal was to remove the nuclear materials? That had to be done through negotiation. Of course, that was done before. That was the JCPOA that Trump tore up.
What Trump thought is our overwhelming military advantage that he believed we had would be so much that Iran would simply say, Sue for peace, surrender, and we would be able to kind of dictate the terms. That proved to be absolutely false. And as we see, Iran's able to sustain the ability to attack sites throughout the Middle East despite the pounding they've been taking.
KEILAR: So then, what do you do?
MERKLEY: So, it really does come back to diplomacy, having to be the answer, over the nuclear materials, but also on reopening the Strait.
There was a trade-off that the two nations came to, in which we said we will lift your embargo on the Iranian port, you open up the Strait. But none of the details were worked out. So, the kind of the careless and hapless fashion that Trump went into this war was also careless and hapless negotiation over that set of 14 points. The details were not laid out in a way that the two nations had a common understanding, and so here we are, way back in it.
KEILAR: Senator, Hegseth on the Hill tomorrow. He is asking -- the President has asked Congress for $67.1 billion to cover the cost of the war. Is there anything that Hegseth can say tomorrow to get you on board with that?
MERKLEY: Very little. This is an unconstitutional war.
And it is the Founders who said that the question of war must be placed with Congress, not with the executive because it's always the executive in the history of governments that is most prone to, most interested in war. So therefore, here in America, where we're not going to have a dictator, we're not going to have a king, and we're concerned about the misuse of military forces, it has to be Congress. And so, this president now, for the second time, has violated the Constitution, this war of choice.
And certainly there is very little he could say that could convince me that we should now fund this illegal, unconstitutional assault.
KEILAR: I'm assuming you don't think that just packing up and going home right now is an option--
MERKLEY: I do not-- KEILAR: --though, right?
MERKLEY: Well, I do think that there is a deal the administration has to find. They came close in that initial stage. But without the--
KEILAR: So diplomacy--
MERKLEY: --without -- yes, without all the factors worked out between the two nations. We're going to have to get into the details in order to resolve this.
KEILAR: For months, we've heard warnings from some of your colleagues, Republicans, at least one Democrat, that the Pentagon's munitions and funding have been badly depleted.
If you do not -- if Democrats do not get on board with, or at least some, with funding this effort. What do you say to American troops? They're there. They don't have a choice.
[21:15:00]
MERKLEY: Well, the President doesn't have to be maintaining this bombardment that he's now executing.
And by the way, we now have reports of hospitals being hit, schools have been hit, and now most recently, basically desalination plant that serves villages. I do want us to emphasize that not only has this whole episode been so poorly planned, but now the administration seems to be wandering into the territory, we don't have the details, of potential war crimes, when you start hitting desalination.
Listen, this was framed as Operation Epic Fury.
KEILAR: What will help you determine -- are you going to--
MERKLEY: It has been Operation Epic Failure.
KEILAR: Are you pressing Hegseth on that tomorrow?
MERKLEY: Well, I will be.
KEILAR: And what is -- what is the dividing line on that? How are you -- how do you determine if it has crossed that line? You're raising that concern.
MERKLEY: Well, wouldn't it be wonderful if the administration would actually provide information to Congress and to the press? I think you noted a few moments ago, it's been two and a half months since there's been a briefing at the Pentagon. We have not had a single oversight hearing in the Committee on Foreign Relations. Not one. So, the details are being deliberately obscured by the administration, and that's really unacceptable in a democratic republic where Congress has these responsibilities.
KEILAR: So, what recourse do Democrats have?
MERKLEY: Well--
KEILAR: If you're getting creative, I mean, what do you do?
MERKLEY: Well, if you are in the situation where the President refuses to seek authorization, and Republicans refuse to pass and enforce, if you will, a War Powers Resolution that says, Mr. President, stop, you're violating the Constitution, you have to come to Congress.
And the power you have is the power of the purse, and that's why it's important that we exercise that power. It's the only way to back up our constitutional responsibility, and force the administration to recognize that it's on a thin line here and it needs to resolve this. It needs to be engaged in the detailed negotiations.
It came -- and the outline was close. Right? The outline was: Look, we are going to lift our blockade, you lift your blockade, and then we'll negotiate the details over nuclear materials. They have to re-find that path, but do so in a responsible fashion.
KEILAR: Big day tomorrow on the Hill. We'll certainly be watching your committee as they question the Secretary.
MERKLEY: You bet.
KEILAR: Senator Merkley, thanks for being with us.
MERKLEY: You're welcome.
KEILAR: Still ahead. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani says his office is still looking into whether he can arrest Benjamin Netanyahu the next time he visits the city. And now, President Trump is responding.
But next, the White House is racing to upgrade President Trump's Qatar-donated Air Force One, after administration officials discussed the need for the President to avoid flying it in high-threat areas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It has a lot of capability. But as I understand it, in about a month or so, they're going to send it to have it be maxed out. So, they're going to be sending it, and they'll have it be maxed out. It'll take about a month.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Tonight, sources say the White House is scrambling to quickly upgrade President Trump's new Air Force One, the $400 million luxury jet gifted by Qatar, already retrofitted with military upgrades, and Trump's handpicked interiors.
Stepping off the luxury jet on his way back from yesterday's FIFA World Cup final, the President explained that the plane will be taken out of service in order to be, in his words, Maxed out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It has a lot of capability. But as I understand it, in about a month or so, they're going to send it to have it be maxed out. So, they're going to be sending it, and they'll have it be maxed out. It'll take about a month.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: The President unexpectedly ditched the jet during his return from a NATO summit in Turkey, earlier this month. At the time, Trump insisted the swap was not for security reasons, but so that U.S. service members could check the plane out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: What was the security concern that caused us to change planes?
TRUMP: We sent this one in so that the air force base here -- it was on the same exact line. So, if you saw -- did you see the picture with--
REPORTER: We did, we did.
TRUMP: --hundreds of people -- hundreds of people -- let me see that. Oh, yes. We can't see it too well but there are hundreds of people out there.
REPORTER: So you're--
TRUMP: So they want to see. So they came a little bit early, and we switched planes.
REPORTER: So you're saying there wasn't a security concern?
TRUMP: No. No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Despite Trump now appearing to publicly acknowledge the plane needs additional security enhancements, it's not being taken out of service just yet. As a source tells CNN that Trump is still expected to use the new Air Force One for domestic trips and potentially even international travel before the upgrades are complete.
My political sources are here now.
Former senior adviser to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign, Karen Finney.
And former Trump campaign adviser, David Urban.
All right, David. So, should this plane have been maxed out before? Because the safety of the President is paramount. Did he rush this plane for July 4th?
DAVID URBAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN ADVISER: Yes, Brianna, listen, when I read about this initially, way back in the Wayback Machine, I was under the impression that the plane would only be used for domestic travel to begin with, right?
Because the threat, as you, I'm sure, well aware, domestically is far significantly less than it is when you're leaving Turkey, which borders Iranian airspace, right? So, I thought originally, the plane was only going to be used domestically, and then I was surprised to see the President take it all the way to Turkey.
[21:25:00]
I do think that there are obviously significant capabilities in a -- you know, the -- the plane itself -- the new planes are about $5 billion a copy at this point, right? So, there are significant enhancements and upgrades that are made to these 747s to keep the President incredibly safe under a wide range of circumstances, and clearly, they didn't have all the bells and whistles on this plane.
You know, the Air Force has bought -- just to be -- so people are aware. The Air Force has also purchased a few 747s from Lufthansa actually, to help bridge the gap until they get the new ones done, so.
KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, SENIOR ADVISER, HILLARY CLINTON'S 2016 CAMPAIGN, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, DNC: Right.
URBAN: There's going to be a little bit of time here. There's going to be some glitches. But we want the President safe. We want the next president safe. So, I'd like to see the thing get maxed out before he gets back on it again.
FINNEY: But can we just say -- of course, we want the President safe, David. That should not be in question. But you're sort of ignoring one of the key pieces about this. This is the plane that the Qataris gave to him, that we've now spent -- some estimates were at the time it was going to be about a million -- a billion dollars -- excuse me -- to retrofit this particular plane in order to make it meet the safety spec.
So, I think the President knew when he lied about, Oh, they're just taking it over to the air base to show it to the troops because they wanted to see it. I mean, come on, nobody was buying that. Because it's an acknowledgement that we have to spend more taxpayer dollars to again get this plane even more up to spec. He could have been using the two planes that are already in service. At least what we were told is that he -- he wanted something fancier, he -- and I think it just goes back to this point.
It is reasonable when you elect a President to think that they are more concerned -- they're supposed to be focused on your concerns and your needs and delivering for you, and not delivering for themselves and making money off the presidency and having fancy planes and a slush fund for criminals, and nicer bathrooms in the Lincoln Bedroom, and all of the things that he's spending our taxpayer dollars on. While he tells us, we can't have child care, we got to close -- you know, we can't lower healthcare costs, we can't -- there's all these other things. I think that's what is going to make people enraged about this.
KEILAR: Is he at risk of that, David? Because the new Air Force One, it needs more time in the shop. We also have some new video. I think you've probably seen pictures of it. The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool today. There's some workers checking it out.
URBAN: Yes.
KEILAR: We know that it's been drained again.
Is he in jeopardy of having it look like some of these big important projects to him kind of become these taxpayer money boondoggles, when people are very concerned about affordability right now.
URBAN: Yes, listen, people should be concerned about affordability, right? It's a real -- it's a real thing in America. But I think that we can do many things at once in this country. I think we should be talking about -- I think the administration does talk about things. I'd like to see them talk about it more. I'd like to see the President talk about more of the certain things they've accomplished and how they're going to -- what they're going to do to keep driving down prices. Right?
I do think the Reflecting Pool, as anyone's been in Washington D.C., for years and years and years, has been in a state of disrepair. Somebody needs to figure out what to do with it. Whether it was the last president, this president, or the next president. It's been a mess, it needs to be cleaned up.
I've spent significant time in D.C. recently. You walk around -- I will say that the President has done -- and the administration, the cabinet, the Department of Interior, they've done a nice job of cleaning up our nation's capital, where--
FINNEY: Downtown, David. Not in my neighborhood. Downtown.
(CROSSTALK)
URBAN: --Democrats, Republicans, Independents--
FINNEY: Downtown.
URBAN: Well, on the Mall--
FINNEY: Not in some of our neighborhoods, my friend.
URBAN: Well, on the Mall. Well, he's not responsible for the entire District of Columbia.
But the federal government has done a really nice job of cleaning up. If you come into the train station, the fountains are working. And so, if you're a visitor to our nation's capital from anywhere in America, and people come, as you know, school children come, and there are busloads of people. When I was there, the Mall was packed with people visiting for the Fourth of July and for the holidays. I think Americans deserve to see a capital that's nice and clean, and should reflect the best of America.
And so, whether it was -- if that was President Clinton or President Obama, I'd say Bravo. Our nation's capital needs to be cleaned up.
And listen, we do need to address affordability in America. But we should still try to take care of the things in our nation's capital that needs to be taken care of, and shouldn't look run down and shabby. Just, I think two things can be true at once. We can do both.
KEILAR: Let's talk about a little bit more about the plane and one of the offshoot stories of it, which is that last week, sources told CNN, the President was embarrassed and angry when it became public that the plane was not equipped enough to be flown home from Turkey.
The administration has since, according to The New York Times, subpoenaed four of their reporters who reported on this story. Sources tell us it led to this extraordinary leak investigation. This has really upset him in particular.
How are you seeing that?
And then I'm curious to get David's reaction.
[21:30:00]
FINNEY: It certainly seemed from the outside, based on what we know about him and what we've seen, he was embarrassed that he looked stupid. I mean, he looked -- nobody believed him. I don't think unless you were a small child that he that -- that we've had to fly the plane to another air force base overseas because the troops wanted to see it? I mean, it was pretty clear there was something else going on.
And it goes to this thing where if you're going to -- it's like your mother tells you when you're dating somebody if he's going to lie to you about the small things, watch out. I mean, it's like he's lying about something so simple, even -- and the Reflecting Pool is another example of that. Why not just say the truth and bear the consequences?
KEILAR: David, why is he so upset about this in particular to the point--
URBAN: Yes--
KEILAR: --where it almost is creating a bigger story here?
URBAN: Yes, well, Brianna, listen, I think it's not so much to do about that. I think it's more to do about leaking classified information about the capabilities of the aircraft.
Your husband was in the military. I know you take things in the military very seriously. When people -- when people leak highly sensitive classified information about the capabilities of a system that's designed to keep the president safe, I think that's a big, big problem. And I think that the administration and others deserve to understand, try to figure out who's leaking that to the media. That's not something you want our foreign adversaries or bad people finding out, like, Here are the weaknesses--
KEILAR: By subpoenaing the reporters though, just to be clear, David?
URBAN: --here's how you could attack the president.
FINNEY: And their families.
URBAN: Well, well, yes -- no, no, listen, I understand -- listen, ask Barack Obama. He did a great job going after the Fox people for just the exact same kind of thing.
I don't -- I don't like doing it. But if you're leaking highly classified information that's putting people's lives at risk, I think you need to try to figure out a way. I don't know how you get that information. You got to squeeze and try to make it uncomfortable for people on both ends. Shouldn't be revealed in the first place.
KEILAR: All right. Don't go anywhere because up next, the Democratic divide over Israel. How one Senate candidate responded when asked if there's room in the party for Democrats who support U.S. aid to Israel.
[21:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Tonight, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani says he is still looking into whether he can order the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he steps foot inside the city.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, THE NEW YORK TIMES HOST, "THE INTERVIEW": Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is perhaps planning to visit New York for the U.N. General Assembly.
You pledged during your campaign, and after you won, to order his arrest to comply with the International Criminal Court warrant.
What will happen if he comes in September?
MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI, (D) NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK STATE: Look, I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. He's a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court. And what you will find is that is an opinion that is held by many, purely because of what his actions have wrought over these last many years. Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that's what we will do. But we won't be writing our own laws to that end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: But President Trump says that will not happen. He posted today, quote, "Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America."
My political sources are back, along with my legal source, Elie Honig.
So, Elie, give us a reality check here. Can Mamdani have Netanyahu arrested?
ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST, FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NY, FORMER STATE & FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Absolutely not. It is utterly ridiculous for the Mayor of New York City to even suggest that he might have the authority to order the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu or any visiting foreign head of state.
First of all, the Mayor of New York City has zero law enforcement authority. He does not tell the Manhattan D.A., the NYPD, who to arrest, who to indict.
Second of all, this warrant that we're talking about here was issued by the ICC, the International Criminal Court, which we are not signatories to here in the United States. So, that warrant, issued by the ICC, has zero legal effect here in the United States. In fact, we have a federal law here in the U.S., passed 24 years ago that says, if necessary, the President can send military troops to pull our people and our allies out of the ICC. So, that warrant has zero impact.
And third, and finally, Brianna, the Constitution is quite clear that the conduct of foreign diplomacy, foreign affairs, is entirely up to the federal government. It's certainly not up to local and county governments in New York City or elsewhere.
So, I know the Mayor is having his best lawyers look at this right now. Let me save them some time. You do not have the authority to do this.
KEILAR: All right, Elie. Very clear on that.
URBAN: Elie, I think -- I think -- yes, Brianna, I think it could have taken him about that -- took Elie about five seconds probably to look that up, I mean.
KEILAR: Well, doesn't we -- and we needed Elie's opinion on that.
URBAN: Mamdani is a joke -- it's a joke.
KEILAR: Well, Elie, thank you for letting me borrow you to answer that all-important question to kick off this panel. We're going to see you again a little later here in the show to talk more about some other issues.
But OK. So legally ridiculous, as Elie points out there.
FINNEY: Yes.
KEILAR: So then, why is Mamdani doing it?
FINNEY: Wait, do politicians do politics? I mean--
KEILAR: Oh yes. Tell us about his political angle here.
FINNEY: I think he might have said something about this on the campaign trail.
So, when I heard the question, I was listening to the interview yesterday, and when I heard him say it, I was like, Oh, he's just trying to placate the people who, when he's made this promise on the campaign trail, that's a thing politicians do. I did think it was interesting that he made the point that he's not going to. It was a little dig at Donald Trump actually--
KEILAR: But what's the thing, though, joking about--
FINNEY: Well--
KEILAR: --imprisoning someone?
FINNEY: I think--
KEILAR: Because that doesn't always fly when the shoe's on the other foot.
[21:40:00]
FINNEY: Well, and it doesn't -- and it's interesting. Well, a couple things. Number one, that he would arrest Netanyahu.
Obviously, Bibi Netanyahu is not very popular in New York. Period. Full stop. And certainly, actually, even not among the Jewish community in New York, which is interesting. And again, I separate that out from how you feel that is Israel and Palestine. Netanyahu himself is very unpopular.
So, that was a campaign promise he made, which it sounded more to me like he was trying to say he would keep good on that promise if he -- if he could. Obviously, the minute he said it, I thought, I don't think, brother, you have any -- that authority to do it.
But turns out there's politics in politics. And interestingly enough, it was interesting that he felt the need to clarify and said, But I'm not going to create a new permission or law for myself in order to do it if it doesn't already exist, which felt like a little dig to Trump, actually.
KEILAR: David.
URBAN: Yes, he looks like a clown. He just looks like a clown. I mean, there's no ifs ands or buts about it.
He's a smart guy. He understands what he's doing. Seems antisemitic to me. He is -- I mean, not even a trope. I mean, the guy's not even trying to hide his antisemitism here. He's saying, I'm going to arrest that -- I'm going to the -- the leader of the State of Israel is a war criminal and should be put in jail. I mean, it's just -- it's a joke, Brianna.
FINNEY: David--
URBAN: The guy's not serious on this.
KEILAR: Can--
URBAN: And listen, I just think it's -- look, Democrats do this at their own peril. They're going to continue to run candidates who are far, far to -- listen, there is legitimate discussion to be had on how Israel conducts the war and what they've done in Palestine and lots of things. But to say that you're going to lock up the President of Israel as a war criminal is just -- it's not serious. And so, it denigrates the discussion and makes it look like a joke, makes him look like a clown, and anybody wants to talk about it, not serious.
KEILAR: And--
URBAN: I mean, the Senate candidate in Michigan--
KEILAR: Well that's let's -- let me--
URBAN: --I think you're going to bring it up in--
KEILAR: Let's talk about that, David. Because our colleague, Jake Tapper, asked the Michigan Senate candidate, who's progressive, Abdul El-Sayed, about the Mayor's comments on Israel, and if there's room in the party for Democrats who support Israel and work with AIPAC.
And Karen, here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDUL EL-SAYED, (D) MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: Well, Jake, I'll tell you this: There's always room in the tent for folks. And I'm for human rights. I'm for equal rights to peace, dignity, and self- determination. Whatever you think about the right of Israel to exist, I wonder if they have a right to our tax dollars.
And here's the thing about it: every time I come on CNN, you guys ask me the same questions about these theoretical rights of existence or whether or not I agree with the Mayor of New York.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: I didn't.
EL-SAYED: I'm running for Senate in Michigan. And in Michigan, people can't afford their basic needs. They don't get the healthcare they need and deserve. They're worried about the quality of their kids' school. And the question seems less to be about the interests of Michiganders than the fact of something happening 6,000 miles away. I'm running for Michigan Senate, and I want our tax dollars spent in Michigan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Karen, is that the right way for Democrats to handle this issue? FINNEY: I think it's the right way for him to handle it because he is -- I have watched. He does get asked that question a lot. And he, to his credit, focuses very much on cost and affordability and how to deliver for Michiganders. If he was not -- if his name was not what it was, I wonder if he would be asked that question so often.
KEILAR: David. Senator Elizabeth Warren--
URBAN: Well yes because--
KEILAR: Go on, David.
URBAN: I was going to say because, supporters, when they chant, From the river to the sea--
FINNEY: But he didn't do that.
URBAN: --that means they want to eliminate the State of Israel.
FINNEY: But he didn't do that.
URBAN: No, no, but -- but his supporters--
FINNEY: And Michigander -- people in, you know--
URBAN: --but his supporters do.
FINNEY: --Flint, Michigan aren't doing that.
URBAN: People in Michigan do. It's a fair--
FINNEY: No. No.
URBAN: It's a fair question for Jake to ask. And it's not--
FINNEY: Not all of them, David.
URBAN: And it's not answer -- he doesn't answer it.
FINNEY: My point--
URBAN: So, he tries to duck it, and make it about affordability.
FINNEY: Well--
URBAN: Just answer the question.
KEILAR: I think Jake actually said he didn't--
URBAN: That's all you need to do.
KEILAR: --he didn't ask it. That's what he was saying. I think he was--
FINNEY: Others have asked it. I've seen--
KEILAR: Yes. No, he's been--
FINNEY: --him get asked that question.
KEILAR: When he's pressed on it. Yes.
FINNEY: And his -- can I just say real quick? The point he's underscoring, though, it actually goes to the America First point that Trump used to make, which was -- which is, there are people who are saying, Why are we giving money -- if Israel says -- I mean, Netanyahu has kind of said, We don't need your money. So people are saying, Well, then why are we sending? You're saying we can't have child care and healthcare, and we're sending our money to foreign wars.
So, there's another element to this than just the issues around Israel and Semitism -- antisemitism in this country.
KEILAR: He's pivoting to like a populist argument to all this.
URBAN: Well that but -- yes, but that's right. But then you talk -- then the same people make that argument about Ukraine, where we need to stand strong. So, if you start looking, I mean, there's a -- it could peel back the onion.
FINNEY: And some people say -- and that's why some of the same people we shouldn't.
URBAN: Yes.
FINNEY: And that's why some of us are saying, Hey, how about Africa? Why don't we look at some of the other countries where we should ask ourselves, Why are we sending dollars to some of these places where we could be using that money to invest in our communities here at home?
KEILAR: Karen. And David. Thank you so much.
URBAN: Yes. Thanks, Brianna.
KEILAR: We'll talk at 10. We'll talk more.
Up next. CNN has learned troubling new details about an ICE officer connected to that fatal shooting in Maine last week. My legal source joins me next.
[21:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Tonight, a 43-year-old Army veteran is in custody, after authorities say he threw an incendiary device outside a New York City federal building and injured three people.
New video showing the moment the police say Andrew Arrabaca ran down a sidewalk in Lower Manhattan and dowsed the ground outside of 26 Federal Plaza with gasoline before lighting it there on fire and running away from the flames. Police say he then pulled out an airsoft rifle and fired five to seven pellets. Law enforcement officers were seen quickly moving in to arrest Arrabaca, who an FBI official said was also equipped with two axes, a hammer, a machete, and three knives, as well as a sign reading, ICE Off Our Streets. The FBI official added, Arrabaca, quote, Yelled derogatory terms to ICE as he was being arrested.
The federal building houses the FBI's local headquarters, ICE, and other government agencies.
[21:50:00]
Also tonight, just days after a CNN investigation uncovered troubling revelations about David Brouillette, an ICE officer connected to the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero, in Maine last week. One of Brouillette's ex-wives, Ashley, spoke to Erin Burnett, last night -- or tonight, I should say, as revelations of a troubling past raise new questions about ICE's vetting and training practices.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHLEY BROUILLETTE, EX-WIFE OF ICE OFFICER CONNECTED TO FATAL MAINE SHOOTING: I experienced severe domestic violence in my marriage with David throughout the whole year and a half that we were married. I experienced physical, emotional, mental, even financial abuse from him.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Do you believe he's someone who should be an ICE agent, armed ICE agent?
BROUILLETTE: No, I don't believe that he's anyone that should be obtaining a job that requires any kind of weapon. Just the simple fact of like to just you know how he's done in his marriages. Even you know towards his own mother. As a teen, he has always displayed violent behavior. Very angry person. And I've said for years that it's only a matter of time before he hurts anybody. I've even gone as far as saying, if anything's ever happened to me, he'd be the one to look at.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Brouillette has denied accusations of abuse, while CNN has not independently confirmed which agent fatally shot Duran Guerrero.
Ashley Brouillette says he told her on a Facebook call, days later, that he was the officer who shot Duran Guerrero. One of Brouillette's daughters also said he told her he was the shooter, and a second ex- wife identified him as being on the scene.
Comes as more than three dozen senators are now demanding DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin answer questions about ICE's vetting procedures for new recruits.
My sources are here. CNN's Senior Legal Analyst, and former federal prosecutor, Elie Honig.
So, Elie, two ex-wives accusing this ICE agent in question of abuse per interviews and court documents. One filed for protection. We should note he denied her allegations. Ultimately, the court did not find he'd abused her.
Is this the kind of thing, though, that ICE should be looking at when it's hiring and vetting new recruits?
HONIG: So, Brianna, this underscores the problems I think with the way ICE has been recruiting, hiring, vetting, and training its agents.
Now, if you look at the data, ICE has more than doubled the number of street agents that it has in just the last year and a half. It was about 10,000 at the end of 2024. And now, they're at over 22,000. So, that's a massive and very quick increase.
At the same time, ICE has reduced its training requirements. Typically, law enforcement agents go through a four- to six-month training period. ICE has recently reduced their training period down to about 50 days, so really less than two months. And so, this is exactly the type of allegation, even if not proven, just the allegation alone, that ordinarily would raise red flags.
I can tell you, I hired dozens, if not hundreds, of law enforcement agents, especially in my time with the New Jersey Attorney General's Office. If this report had come back to my desk, I would have said: Absolutely not. We're not hiring this person. Way too risky.
KEILAR: Maine's Attorney General has announced his own investigation into this fatal shooting. How would that work if the state does find some wrongdoing?
HONIG: Well, there's a couple problems here.
First of all, who's going to control the evidence? When you have a crime like this, it's ideal if the Feds cooperate with state and local officials because sometimes there's only one piece of evidence. There's only one car. That's the key piece of evidence. There's only going to be one set of ballistics: the bullet, the shell casings, the gun itself. And so, there's a problem with who controls the evidence.
But more to the point. If a state-level prosecutor in Maine, let's say, were to charge a federal ICE agent with a crime that he committed in the course of his job, which this would be? There would be serious legal problems there. One of which is federalism, the idea that the Feds get to carry out federal business and the state cannot interfere with the Feds carrying out federal business.
So, that's not something that's been tried. There've been rumors about potential charges out of Minnesota, now maybe out of Maine, brought by state authorities alone. But I think legally, if you see state prosecutors try to bring charges against federal agents, for something they did in their federal job, there's going to be major legal obstacles to that.
KEILAR: That's a big theme for us tonight here on the show, right? We've talked about that for multiple issues.
HONIG: Indeed.
KEILAR: On that attack, this morning, on the New York City Federal Building. I know that's a building that you have been in and out of many times over your career. What does today's attack tell you about the legitimate threats that ICE is facing right now?
HONIG: Yes, if you understand what this building is -- I think the video we saw before is even more frightening. I mean, this is a building that thousands of people come into and out of every day. There is FBI there. There is ICE there. There's now U.S. attorneys there. There are civilians coming in and out. In fact, there was a naturalization ceremony that was supposed to happen in that building today.
I think we will learn about the specific charges against this individual soon. I expect them to include arson. You saw that video. I mean, the video is pretty clear. He's trying to burn down a federal building. Use of incendiary devices, explosives.
[21:55:00]
And also, the question to me is: Will they even charge a terroristic offense? Because if this person's goal was not merely to damage the building, or cause destruction, but also to influence or coerce United States policy, so things that ICE is doing? Then that could fall under terrorism as well. So this person is going to be looking at very serious charges, and the evidence appears to be overwhelming.
KEILAR: Elie Honig, thank you so much for being with us tonight.
HONIG: Thanks, Brianna.
KEILAR: And up next. The Source Code. We're giving you a number at the center of a story in the news. Can you guess the story? Tonight's Source Code is five. We'll be right back with the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[22:00:00]
KEILAR: Tonight's Source Code is five, as in five cups of coffee, which is about how much coffee is safe to drink per day, according to the American Heart Association. They say the latest research indicates consuming up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, about five cups of coffee, is safe for most adults and may be linked to cardiovascular health benefits, meaning lower risk of heart failure, heart disease, and stroke.
For those of you who can actually tolerate five cups of coffee, pack them in before 03:00 p.m. Some experts it's best to stop drinking caffeine at least six hours before your normal bedtime.
I am not most adults, in this case, I'll tell you.
Thanks for joining us.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT" starts now.
