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What We Know with Max Foster

Sources: Gaza Ceasefire Deal Could Be Reached In Next 48 Hours; Former FBI Chief Comey Pleads Not Guilty To Federal Charges; Trump Calls For Chicago Mayor, Illinois Governor To Be Jailed; Major Airports Facing Staffing Issues & Costly Delays; Lecornu: Macron Could Nominate New PM In The Next 48 Hours. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired October 08, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:28]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Positive signs coming out from the Gaza ceasefire talks in Egypt.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

Sources are telling CNN a Gaza ceasefire agreement could be reached within the next 48 hours. That's as two -- that's from two Israeli sources close

to the talks going on in Egypt, saying a deal is very close.

Now, the U.S. delegation, led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner, joined those discussions on

Wednesday.

CNN's Nic Robertson is with us now from Cairo.

What are we hearing from the Palestinian side there, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, we're hearing from them that things have been going positively. They've talked about

wanting the release of certain Palestinian leaders from jail as part of the exchange for the release of hostages. We have heard from Israeli sources

that one of those they've wanted released, Marwan Barghouti. And there was another have been we've always understood to be a red line for Prime

Minister Netanyahu and their sources in Israel, saying that these senior political figures that Hamas has named here are not going to be released or

very, very unlikely to be released, that has not put the overall talks off track.

What we understand has been discussed, the names of the Palestinian prisoners, details on them, the hostage release, the living, and also the

deceased. And on that point, sources in Israel say that they understand that Hamas and other groups do not know all the locations of all the

deceased hostages. This is also something that was known previously and doesn't appear to have knocked the talks off track.

And another key thing that we understand has been discussed is the ceasefire line, where the IDF would set a ceasefire line. When it was

agreed and the hostages were going to be released. Of course, this is a ceasefire line that would be expected to move further back when there was

an international stabilizing force to come in and fill in, and take over that responsibility of stability and security.

The details about that stabilizing force, the details about Hamas needing to get rid of its weapons, that it won't have a political future. All those

other or many of those other 20 points that President Trump had in his plan, we haven't heard anything about them. But the optimism and the fact

that so many key leadership figures in terms of the negotiations are in place and a couple of other Palestinian groups are joining the talks in

Sharm el-Sheikh, is creating this sense of momentum and apparently positivity that that some part of this could get done.

I think at this stage, though, its probably worth stressing if something gets done by in the next 48 hours is anticipated at the moment, it might

just be on those key issues of hostage release. Palestinian prisoners, and the precise ceasefire line and not details, not nitty-gritty details, if

you will, on the other points in the plan -- Max.

FOSTER: What's your vibe, though, Nic? Because you've covered so many of these moments before, we never get there.

ROBERTSON: That -- that this is -- looks and feels like before, that it's been close and then gets derailed. Except for the momentum, except for

figures like Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, the Qatari prime minister, Turkish head of intelligence there, who's a key confidant, by the way,

President Erdogan, Ron Dermer, key confidant of Prime Minister Netanyahu, leading his delegation. Of course, Egyptian intelligence as well.

I think the fact that they're all there and we continue on this through this third day of talks to have this positive vibe, this message of

progress. It feels more real, but it would be just as real if it fell by the wayside and staggered off track for any one of a number of tiny

details. But it does feel different, I have to say that.

FOSTER: Okay, good to know. Nic, thank you so much.

From ally to enemy, from FBI director to federal defendant, the long and twisting tale of James Comey's relationship with President Donald Trump

took another dramatic turn today as the former FBI chief was arraigned in a federal courtroom.

[15:05:03]

Comey pleaded not guilty to two charges -- lying to Congress and obstruction of congressional proceedings. Trial has been set for January

the 5th. Critics say the charges against Comey are little more than political retribution from Donald Trump. Trump came into office in 2017

praising Comey, but soon soured on the FBI director. In recent weeks, Trump has openly pressured the Department of Justice to indict Comey, even

replacing a U.S. attorney who refused to bring charges with another who would do his bidding for him.

Now, Comey's lawyer says he will move to dismiss the charges on the grounds that Trump unfairly influenced the prosecution.

CNN's crime and justice correspondent Katelyn Polantz was inside the courthouse today.

I mean, are the -- is the administration losing confidence in the case, or are they still gung-ho?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Max, the prosecutors here, the Justice Department, Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. attorney who was

installed just days before the indictment of Comey, took it through the grand jury herself. She's a former personal lawyer to Donald Trump. They

aren't ready to go. And they told the judge that much today. A lot of what today was about, it was Comey's opportunity to first appear in court and to

plead not guilty to those two charges, which he did. But much of what today was about is that road to trial.

So, the trial itself is set for January 5th. But we got a roadmap of what needs to take place between now and then. There will be several different

motions or requests to the court that the defense team, Comey's team, asks to have the case potentially dismissed. They're going to challenge how the

prosecutors have handled things, how the grand jury was used, the government's conduct more generally, which they say is outrageous. They're

also going to challenge Lindsey Halligan herself.

But the prosecutors here, one of them stood up in court and said to the judge, we're still wrapping our own hands around the discovery, meaning the

evidence in this case, so they're not ready to go either. And the other thing about this is there's a question of whether there will be classified

material used in this case. That's important because it's the sort of thing where the federal government, the Justice Department, can hem and haw about

what they want to actually bring into the case.

It will ultimately be their decision if they want to declassify the documents they need to use in this case, and how quickly that takes how

long that takes to happen. That's going to be up to the Justice Department as well. But the judge indicated he's not one that is interested in

dragging these out. He's a judge that doesn't believe this is an overly complicated case. And he said, quote, I'm not going to let things linger --

Max.

FOSTER: In terms of Comey's confidence, he's using this, isn't he, in a way to, you know, really go up against Trump? Could there be a backlash for

Trump that Comey says things in court that, you know, he can -- he can speak quite freely there, can't he. And that, you know, will resonate.

POLANTZ: He can. But he's not. He walked into court today making no comment. He walked out of court also making no comment. And the lawyering

that is being done by his defense attorney, Pat Fitzgerald, he's a very practiced and storied former member of the Justice Department, now in

private practice. So, this is not a legal team that is going to be undisciplined.

And nor will Comey. He even in presenting himself to the court, was just very composed, standing in a way where he was very, very quiet. He was not

nodding his head. He wasn't really reacting to things in the courtroom.

That was something that Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. attorney sitting at counsel's table, was doing more nodding at the judge, looking around. And

so, watching how Comey conducts himself, it is an important thing for us to do because, as he was told today, anything he says in court can and could

be used against him in further proceedings.

But of course, his team made clear they're going to want to use what the Justice Department and the Trump administration has said publicly about

this case. Trump himself saying he wants Comey to be indicted. That's going to be something that they try and use against the prosecutors as they try

and get it tossed.

So, it's going to be up to the judge ultimately.

FOSTER: Yeah. Fascinating. Katelyn, thank you so much.

President Trump now threatening to jail Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.

This as he pushes ahead with plans to deploy troops to Democrat-led cities. Pritzker, who has called the deployment an unconstitutional invasion,

fought back by asking what else is left in the path of full-blown authoritarianism.

Here's how Mayor Johnson responded earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON (D), CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: This president is unstable, unhinged, a double minded individual that, quite frankly, is a threat to

our democracy. And it's certainly not the first time that Donald Trump has called for, the arresting of a Black man unjustly.

[15:10:05]

I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay firm as the mayor of this amazing city, which was voted nine years in a row, the best big city in America.

And we're going to defend all of Chicago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)(

FOSTER: Kevin Liptak live from the White House. How -- how seriously do you think Trump is about, prosecuting the mayor?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I think the president is aware of what the sort of weight of his rhetoric is here. You know, the

president has threatened legal action against a lot of people in the past. It hasn't always sort of come to fruition. But certainly, when you look at

what's happening with James Comey, as you were talking about with Katelyn Polantz, this is sort of a theme of the president threatening to use the

levers of power to go after some of his political rivals.

And I think what you see the president doing today is really creating an intersection of two of the prevailing strains of his entire presidency. One

is threatening action against those he views as his opponents, whether it's Democrats, whether it's James Comey, whether its people who have gone after

him in the past. And the other is this really sort of ramped up use of federal officers and the military in Democrat-led cities around the

country, which he claims are, quote, hellholes that he claims are sort of become overrun with crime.

And you hear the president even talking about the potential of using the insurrection act, this centuries old law that allows the president to use

the military on domestic soil for law enforcement purposes. If the courts block his use of the national guard in some of these cities, that would

really be an unprecedented move. It's one been decades since the president actually invoked it. The last time was in 1992.

It's also -- would also be the first time in modern history that the president does it against the express wishes of local leaders. And so, you

see how these two strains are kind of coming together as the president goes after people that he views as standing in his way -- of standing in the way

of these deployments across the country.

I should say we're getting ready now to hear from the president at a roundtable that's focused on antifa. That's the far-left anti-fascist

movement, and it's almost certain that we'll hear him continuing to discuss these efforts there. His attempts to use his federal power to crack down on

crimes in these cities.

Antifa is a group that he is often blamed for some of the lawlessness, particularly in Portland, where he is in this ongoing battle in the courts

and with the state and local leaders there to enforce immigration law and to carry out immigration raids. And so, you can kind of see that coming to

a culmination, but almost certain to hear more from the president on this in just a few minutes.

FOSTER: It's interesting, isn't it? You must be interested in some of the language as well, coming from Pritzker and in particular, almost using the

same language as Trump throwing it back at him. How effective is that? Is that strategy? Because it is a lot about the language and the

communication, isn't it?

LIPTAK: Yeah. And it's also about the politics. J.B. Pritzker is someone who is considering a run for president in 2028, trying to elevate himself

on the national political stage. And certainly, at the moment, if you're a Democrat, the move is to position yourself squarely against Donald Trump

and to try and come up with a tactic and an approach that kind of equals his in terms of force and strength.

And so when you hear him say, what else is on left on the path to full blown authoritarianism, you do hear him kind of speaking to the concerns of

so many Democrats around the country, which is that President Trump is sort of waging war on Democratic norms in the country, but also that so many

Democratic leaders, particularly in Washington, aren't being forceful and effective in trying to check what the president is doing. So, I think

that's part of what Pritzker's strategy and objective is here, but certainly also he feels strongly that Chicago one is not a crime ridden

hellhole, which is what President Trump has been talking about.

And two, that he needs to do everything he can to sort of exert what authority he has as governor of Illinois to try and push back on some of

the president's tactics.

FOSTER: Kevin, thank you so much, as ever from the White House.

The U.S. government shut down now into its second week, and U.S. -- the U.S. Travel Association reports its industry is losing about $1 billion a

week. A huge figure, of course, as fliers could experience even more delays at airports across the country as they face shortages of air traffic

controllers. Over the past few days, there have been issues at major cities like Chicago, Houston, Newark and many others.

Here's what travelers passing through Chicago had to say about delays and safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Through the last flight to leave Atlanta to come back to O'Hare. So, we knew we were going to be delayed, and we didn't know when

we were going to get here, actually.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On a plane, unfortunately, I found that my flight to Cleveland been pushed back for 2-1/2 hours. So, I'll be here with you a

little longer today.

[15:15:01]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know there's been some instances of planes coming really close to each other, or having to circle, or things getting delayed,

and I'm on a work trip right now, so -- concerns me about being safe and also about getting home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean is in Washington.

Many of these air traffic controllers apparently calling in sick. Do you expect it to get worse, this shortage?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max, the good news is we have seemingly dodged the bullet today, knock on wood. No major staffing

issues causing flight delays imposed by the FAA today. There is an FAA teleconference conference call taking place right now. There were airports

on the list earlier today. The list of concern at least the Newark approach control facility responsible for low altitude flights descending and

ascending from Newark Liberty International Airport, was on that list for the morning shift. They were concerned about short staffing there that has

now dropped off the list, not near as dramatic as what we saw yesterday, including a lot of places where we typically don't see staffing shortages.

Air traffic control facilities in Houston and Dallas and Indianapolis and Atlanta and Philadelphia, the list was very long, including some major

airports, specifically that had problems in their control tower. Chicago O'Hare was short staffed in the tower that led the FAA to implement delays

there. About a quarter of all flights delayed into Chicago O'Hare yesterday, and at Nashville International Airport, a really interesting

case where the approach control facility was unstaffed there. Instead, controllers in the tower and the Memphis Center taking over that

responsibility.

I want you to listen now to one of the exchanges. The air traffic controllers in Nashville had with some of the pilots there yesterday.

Listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're low staffed all the time. This is very rare. We have four controllers in the building, and we went to the tower, VFR tower

only at a level 10 airport in National Air Space, which is absolutely insane. But it has to happen at some point. You can only work so many

planes with so many people.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: Maybe the most dramatic version of this Monday night, the Hollywood Burbank International Airport, went into a condition called ATC

Zero due to low staffing there. That means that facility went completely dark. Pilots essentially having to see and avoid one another instead of

having the watchful eye of controllers there.

Remember, according to the union of air traffic controllers, NATCA President Nick Daniels says this is not some sort of -- sort of coordinated

sick out effort that controllers are really pushed to the limit right now, 11,000 of them still working essentially without pay. And there is already

a nationwide controller shortage.

So, all it takes is for just a handful of them to call out sick for them to implement these delays by the FAA. Their last paycheck comes in next

Tuesday, Max. But that is for work that these controllers already completed before this shutdown began. So we'll see how deep this gets as time goes

on.

FOSTER: Yeah, incredibly difficult, isn't it? How are they supposed to budget? But, Pete, thank you so much.

Coming up, turmoil continues in France over a new budget deal there. Will lawmakers come to an agreement? We'll get reaction from the editor in chief

of "Strategic Europe".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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FOSTER: The outgoing prime minister of France says President Macron could nominate his replacement within the next 48 hours. This, as the country's

political parties battle to pass a budget for 2026. Sebastien Lecornu spoke a short time ago on French TV. His comments come just days after his

resignation, less than a month into his role.

So, what we want to know is what will French President Emmanuel Macron's next move be?

Joining me is Rym Momtaz. She's the editor in chief of Carnegie Europe's blog "Strategic Europe".

Thank you for joining us.

This will, I think, be his seventh prime minister in two years. And they're going quicker all the time, aren't they? I mean, some people are describing

it as a tactic for him to stay in power, but he's going to give it another go.

Will it work? I mean, it didn't work last time. Will it work this time?

RYM MOMTAZ, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF CARNEGIE EUROPE'S BLOG "STRATEGIC EUROPE": Thanks for having me, Max. Isn't that the question we're all wondering

about?

Listen, I think that right now, he has one of these big choices that he has to make, which is also going to affect his legacy. Is he going to finally

make a compromise and appoint a prime minister, maybe from the left? Not necessarily. The socialist party, but that will allow some stability, a

little bit more predictability in a country that has now become foreign markets around the world, a very unstable and unpredictable country, and

that is affecting and actually weakening Europe's, you know, geopolitical abilities, at a moment when Russia is increasing its hybrid warfare against

Europe. So, a lot on the line here.

FOSTER: Yeah. So, his options are, resign, which he's obviously not going to do. He could hold an election, couldn't he? But I saw in this interview

that the outgoing prime minister said that the majority in parliament is against a dissolution of parliament. Why is that?

MOMTAZ: Yeah. So that's what the currently resigned, very ephemeral prime minister, who only lasted about a day, said, the majority doesn't want snap

elections. Because the reality is calling snap elections today won't change anything. It will lead to the same parliament that we have today, which is

a deeply fragmented parliament where the biggest party is Marine Le Pen's far right, Rassemblement National. And then you have basically the center

that will lose seats and the left, depending on whether they end up in a grand coalition on the left or whether they split into two formations, end

up in second place.

That doesn't resolve the fact that there are -- there's no majority and there's no way to agree on a budget, which is why today people don't want -

- I mean, at least the parties right now don't want snap elections when it comes to the resignation of Macron, he is not going to resign. I mean,

truly, he is determined to serve out his term.

And by the way, actually calling early presidential elections won't change anything because the new president won't be able to call new parliamentary

elections. So, he'll still have to deal with a very fragmented parliament. The only way out is doing something that is antithetical to French

political culture, which is making compromises and building coalitions based on a program and based on you know, negotiated, deals about the

budget, about the fiscal situation like every other European has been doing for a long time.

FOSTER: But we say this every time, don't we, when he appoints another prime minister and then he gets someone that they don't like, so he's not

got a great record.

MOMTAZ: Yeah. And I mean, so, of course, this is kind of like the stereotype of France where they're constantly trying to behead the new

king. Whoever the new king is. But the problem is, right now it's becoming really costly for the country. It's becoming costly because without a

budget, it's a real problem. It's becoming costly because with a France that is this dysfunctional Europe can't go ahead with its big, important

defense projects.

For example, it can't raise money on the markets in order to fund these big defense projects that it needs in order to meet the geopolitical moment and

the attack and threat from Russia. So, the stakes are extremely high. And one has to say that there hasn't been this much instability and

unpredictability in France in decades. I mean, we are in a very unique, historic situation.

FOSTER: Rym Momtaz, really appreciate your analysis. It's difficult to know where it's going to go, isn't it? Thank you so much.

Still to come, prosecutors target one of Trump's political enemies. More on the case against former FBI Director James Comey, who was arraigned on

criminal charges today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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FOSTER: Our top story former FBI chief James Comey was arraigned in a federal court today. Comey has pleaded not guilty to two charges -- lying

to Congress and obstruction of congressional proceeding. His charge has been set for January 5th.

The Department of Justice honed in on Comey after an all caps directive from President Trump on social media. He rallied against Comey and other

political foes and ordered his attorney general, Pam Bondi, to go after them. Critics say the president is weaponizing the justice system.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): It is what Donald Trump has said it is. I've never seen anything like this where he is literally going on Twitter to try

to command his attorney general to do his bidding and go after his political enemies. Donald Trump is saying these things. We should believe

him that this is what he's doing right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: What we don't know is, will the government's case stand up in court?

Joining me now is CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, John Miller.

Thank you so much for joining us. I mean, a lot of people saying this is -- this case is undermined because its politically motivated. But will the law

consider that?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, the law is going to be forced to consider that, Max. And I say that because,

you know, you have the specter of James Comey, the former FBI director, being a political target of Donald Trump's. That would be suggestive.

But beyond that, Donald Trump kind of helps that argument a great deal when he puts out a tweet in all capital letters on his Truth Social, directed in

front of a large audience of everybody on that platform, directed at the attorney general, saying, I want this guy indicted. He wants Comey

indicted. He wants the attorney general of New York state who sued him, indicted. He wants a member of Congress who's on the committee that

questioned him, indicted about election.

So, he kind of put it out there that this was an order to the U.S. attorney. The U.S. attorney wouldn't charge the case and quit, or was

fired. He appointed his personal lawyer as the new U.S. attorney, someone who had become a White House aide after being an insurance lawyer in

Washington -- in Florida. And then she became the prosecutor and then indicted the case. But this is going to be a real uphill battle.

FOSTER: Okay, John, thank you so much. We're going to leave it there just because we've got Donald Trump actually speaking at the White House.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But just about everybody is included. It's never happened before. Nothing like that has happened

before. And our final negotiation, as you know, is with Hamas. And it seems to be going well. So, we'll let you know if that's the case. We'll be

leaving probably on Sunday, maybe Saturday, maybe a little a little later than Saturday evening. But that seems to be our schedule.

It should be clear to all Americans that we have a very serious left wing terror threat in our country. Radicals associated with the domestic terror

group antifa that you've heard a lot about lately. And I've heard a lot about them for ten years. And other far-left extremists have been carrying

out a campaign of violence against ICE agents and other officials charged with enforcing federal law.

In Chicago, anarchists have surveilled at least four local ICE facilities and posted diagrams of the buildings online, meaning nothing but bad,

accompanied by photos of specific ICE agents that they're targeting. One in particular, who's a top person and a great person, a great patriot.

In July, approximately a dozen antifa aligned militants stormed the ICE facility in Texas and then lured officers out of the building before firing

dozens of rounds at police. They were crazy, frankly, shooting one Texas officer in the neck. And in Portland, Oregon, antifa thugs have repeatedly

attacked our officers and laid siege to federal property in an attempt to violently stop the execution of federal law.

Everything we're doing is very lawful. What they're doing is not lawful, and what the governor and the mayor of, as an example, you could say, of

Portland and you can say certainly of Chicago is not lawful what they're doing, they have to be very careful.

[15:35:00]

In addition, two weeks ago, a radical left terrorist in Dallas conducted a sniper attack on a local ICE facility, killing two people and leaving

behind a note that read, hopefully this will give ICE agents some real terror. That's bad.

This attack came the very same month that Charlie Kirk was assassinated by a far left extremist who inscribed the words, "Hey fascists! Catch!"

Meaning catch the bullet onto the bullet shelf itself.

The epidemic of left-wing violence and antifa inspired terror has been escalating for nearly a decade. At universities, antifa has organized

riotous mobs to attack campus speakers. I see it all the time, and these are -- these are agitators anarchists, and they're paid.

And you'll find that out. You'll be finding it out very soon. You should see what we have on these people.

These are bad people. These are people that want to destroy our country. We're not going to let it happen.

They've used armed gangs to assault local police in cities nationwide, and they have attacked journalists reporting on their crimes. So, the

journalists that reporting their crimes.

Don't worry. You're very safe. I hope that's not going to turn you around. But they have been very threatening to people. But we're going to be very

threatening to them, far more threatening to them than they ever were with us. And that includes the people that fund them.

Probably some of the people I know, some of the people I dine with. But if they do, they're in deep trouble. So, we're going to be looking very

strongly at the people that are funding these operations.

When you see the signs and they're all made out of a beautiful, beautiful paper, beautiful, nice, stiff, very expensive paper with beautiful wood

handles, all the same, all the same color. They come from very expensive printing machines. These are not people that write out their signs and

abasement that believe in something. These are paid anarchists.

At least three of these courageous journalists have personally been victims of antifa attacks. Andy Ngo has been repeatedly beaten by antifa thugs for

his work in -- and Andy is a very serious person, too. I have to tell you. I've been watching him for a long time.

Is Andy here? That's what I thought. Hello, Andy. I thought that was you. You're looking better than you do out on those streets, huh?

Look. Much better. It's nice to have you. You feel a little safer here, I think maybe. Well, not that safe because you have them. You have to worry

about that. But thank you very much.

Andy Ngo has been --

FOSTER: President Trump hosting a roundtable on antifa and how to deal with that. You heard some words on that just there. He did say ahead of

that on the Middle East talks, they're going well, he said. They're very close.

And, you know, they're penciling in for him to fly over at the weekend, presumably to announce whatever deal comes out of this, if indeed the deal

does come. But progress, momentum seems to be going in the right direction.

But I want to go back to John Miller, our chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, to talk about antifa, because Trump talks about it as

a group, doesn't he? But wouldn't you describe it more as an ideology? There's lots of different groups, lots of different people, lots of

different ideas. There's no leadership to go for. Is there?

MILLER: No. And this is something that has been studied on every level. When I was in the New York City Police Departments Intelligence Bureau, we

looked long and hard at antifa to try and figure out, did it have a shape? Did it have a leader? Did it have a particular source of funding? The FBI

did the same.

What almost every law enforcement agency has concluded is, as you said, Max, it is an ideology and it's an ideology that is spread among multiple

disparate groups and individuals. Why is that? It could be just because it's difficult to organize an ideology, or it could be because it was

deliberately constructed to be intangible enough to make the very kind of thing that the president is talking about hard.

If you're prosecuting al Qaeda. It had a leader. It had a deputy leader. It had a structure of managers. It had a headquarters. The same with ISIS.

Antifa has been very amorphous. So, what he's talking about, which is going after the leaders of antifa, will be a challenge going after the funders of

antifa may reveal people who funded groups involved in demonstrations that matched antifa ideology. But it's not going to be simple.

FOSTER: The risk, as well as, you, you know, you've just suggested from your law enforcement role is that actually identifying someone as antifa is

very difficult because they might be identified with a group, but have been to what would be regarded as an antifa event.

[15:40:00]

It could sweep up so many different types of people.

MILLER: Well, and I mean the risk here, Max, you put your thumb on it already is -- is this about prosecuting what he has designated as a

domestic terrorist organization? Full stop there.

There actually is no designation for domestic terrorist terror organization under U.S. law. You can designate a foreign terrorist organization, but not

a domestic one. But he has named it as that. But will other groups that are exercising largely First Amendment protected activities be swept into that?

This is the season of Donald Trump targeting political opponents. And we'll have to see where they go with this. Will there be charges? If so, against

whom? If so, alleging what?

FOSTER: It's an anti-fascist movement, isn't it? And it's taken different shapes over the decades, but, you know, it can be extreme. It does need to

be dealt with. But it also fits his political argument, doesn't he? Doesn't it? That the left is out to get him? The left is bad, and he's taking an

extreme element of it. And almost painting the entire left with the same brush?

MILLER: Well, since the assassination of Charlie Kirk, there has been a defined and, strong move from the White House, from Stephen Miller, the

president's principal adviser, from the president himself, to cast the left as left-wing radical lunatics. Some of the terms we hear coming from the

White House, from the president, from Stephen Miller. And to point with a broad brush, meaning all protests is somehow associated with this kind of

violence.

And, you know, in terms of antifa ideology -- listen, let's be clear. Antifa ideology is based on what they refer to as direct action. That means

property damage. That means attacking law enforcement. That means clashing in the streets.

That is part of the ideology. And that is illegal. But as you point out, when there is no structure to the group, it's going to be hard to figure

out where those lines are drawn unless you're charging specific individuals with specific violent acts.

FOSTER: John Miller, I really appreciate that. Having to think on your feet in response to that meeting.

It is ongoing. We'll bring you the updates as it's completed. Pam Bondi speaking there now.

Still to come, a man arrested and charged over Los Angeles deadly Palisades wildfire.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:40]

FOSTER: You like Domino's, then, do you, Sean?

Hello. Sorry about that.

It's the final moments of trade on Wall Street. Stocks edging higher, the Dow Jones ticking up ever so slightly today.

This is our business breakout. Domino's Pizza getting a new look, so you know. The company is having its first brand refresh in 13 years. It

includes a bolder logo with brighter colors, new employee uniforms and pizza boxes as well, as well as a fresh jingle.

Domino's says this is a makeover for the TikTok generation, designed to capture and hopefully hold on to customers short attention spans.

Denmark planning to ban social media for children under 15. The country's prime minister said many children find it difficult to read and

concentrate, blaming social media. But parents will have the option to approve social media use from the age of 13. Denmark's move follows a

similar ban in Australia.

And Cristiano Ronaldo is football's first billionaire. Bloomberg says the 40-year-old is now worth $1.4 billion. Earlier this year, he signed a new

two-year contract in Saudi Arabia worth $400 million. And that's tax-free earnings as well. He also has a deal with Nike and other brands, boosting

his net worth.

Now, Japan's favorite beer brand is brewing again, but beverage giant Asahi is still reeling from a cyberattack that halted production last week,

leading to shortages at convenience stores across Japan.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery, takes up the story for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Japan's biggest beer maker, Asahi, is running low on its most popular super dry. Why? A cyberattack. It's so

bad that the company had to temporarily shut down production at most of its 30 factories nationwide.

Asahi told us the factories themselves weren't hacked, but their order and shipping systems were leaving them unable to process deliveries. Asahi says

its first restarting production of one beer, the iconic super dry, and staff are literally taking orders by phone and fax and processing them by

hand.

There's still no timeline for when their systems will be fully back. The company says production has restarted at six of its facilities. Now,

obviously, this is a huge concern for loyal Asahi customers, who prefer the taste of the beer to others.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I think I'd feel a bit upset if supply runs out. Even if there are other options, Asahi super dry,

especially during the summer, is something many Japanese people go for.

MONTGOMERY: And convenience stores, which are major sellers of the super dry, are bracing for shortages. 7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart all

told, CNN they've still got some super dry in stock for now. Lawson even said it's prepping backup products just in case.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: It's going to be a run on it.

Still to come, a popular country singer, Zach Bryan, response to criticism over his anti-ICE lyrics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:51:14]

FOSTER: A man has been arrested and charged in the deadly Palisades Fire that tore through Los Angeles in January, killing 12 and burning thousands

of homes. Officials allege the wildfire was started by 29-year-old Florida resident Jonathan Rinderknecht, who was living in the neighborhood at the

time and is believed to have watched a rap video which included objects being lit on fire in the days before the blaze.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL ESSAYLI, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA: The allegations in the affidavit are supported by digital evidence,

including the defendant's ChatGPT prompt of a dystopian painting showing in part a burning forest and a crowd fleeing from it.

The allegations are further supported by the defendant's cell phone, his false statements to law enforcement, and his behavior during the Lachman

Fire, which defendant is charged with maliciously starting shortly after midnight on New Year's Day of this year and which eventually became the

Palisades Fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: CNN's Veronica Miracle has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Investigators say they arrested 29- year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht in Florida, near his current residence. But they say at one point, he lived actually in the Pacific Palisades, about

one block away from a trailhead where that fire originally started. That's according to investigators.

They also say that Rinderknecht was driving for Uber the night they believe he started the fire and had actually dropped off two passengers in the area

and then went to that trailhead. Now, according to investigators, the original fire was called the Lachman Fire and it started on in the early

morning hours of January 1st.

And that fire ignited, they say, by Rinderknecht was quickly put out by firefighters and was not visibly on fire. However, it was smoldering

underground. That fire was burning root systems and the dirt for about a week. And then on January 7th, they say when winds came through very

strongly, it kicked up those embers and then created the explosive and deadly Palisades Fire.

Now, some clues that investigators have pointed to in their criminal complaint. They say that Rinderknecht was the only person in the area at

the time of the fire. They also say that on surveillance images, they have an image of his car near the trailhead, as that fire was starting.

So, what's next? Rinderknecht is due in federal court in Orlando, and investigators say he is facing a minimum of five years, up to 20 years in

federal prison for this felony charge.

Veronica Miracle, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Country music superstar Zach Bryan has responded to the controversy over his swipe at ice in a teaser of his upcoming single, Bryan

addressed the lyrics on social media, saying, quote, "When you hear the rest of the song, you'll understand the full context that hits on both

sides of the aisle. Everyone using this now as a weapon is only proving how devastatingly divided we all are."

The 29-year-old faced criticism from the Department of Homeland Security, no less, after releasing this song sample.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ZACH BRYAN, COUNTRY MUSIC SUPERSTAR'S NEW SONG: And ICE gonna come, bust down your door. Try to build a house no one builds no more, but I got a

telephone. Kids are all scared and all alone.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

FOSTER: In response to the single, Homeland Security posted a video of ICE agents arresting migrants to one of Bryan's hits.

Now, the Nobel Prize in chemistry has been awarded to a trio of researchers for the development of metal organic frameworks. Their work has been

likened to Hermione Granger's handbag in the "Harry Potter" series, if you know it, appearing small on the outside, large on the inside.

[15:55:01]

That's because the researchers developed frameworks that can store huge amounts of gas in a tiny volume, which can be used for things like

harvesting water from desert air or capturing carbon dioxide. Congratulations to them.

And finally, artist Bob Ross is known for his soft-spoken creativity on public television. Trees, clouds and birds became famous with his beautiful

art.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB ROSS, ARTIST: That's our secret. Okay? See, painting's fun. Should always make you happy. But a little more color on the brush.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: And now his paintings have been auctioned to help support public TV's -- public TV stations after the Trump administration's federal funding

cuts. The president of Bob Ross Inc. says this auction ensures Ross's legacy continues to support the very medium that made his art accessible to

everyone.

A total of 30 paintings will be sold at various auctions, if you're interested.

I'm Max Foster.

That's WHAT WE KNOW.

"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" up next.

END

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