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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Investigators Searching For Answers In New York City Mass Shooting; Maxwell Offers To Testify Before Congress But With Conditions; Two Top Aides To Testify In Biden Cognitive Probe; U.K. P.M. Starmer: Britain Will Recognize A Palestinian State Unless Israel Agrees To Gaza Ceasefire; Study: Diet & Exercise Changes Can Slow Mental Decline. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired July 29, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

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[18:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to the Lead. I'm Jake Tapper.

This hour, the New York Police Department is sending teams to Las Vegas to search for answers at the home of the man who murdered four people in a Manhattan office building last night. What we're learning about the note, the gunman left behind and about the four victims, innocent, taken way too soon.

Plus, Congress responds after Epstein accomplice Ghislaine. Maxwell offers to testify but demanding major conditions. So, what comes next?

Also, the Trump administration moves to revoke the EPAs ability to make rules to prevent -- protect you from climate pollution. If successful, they would strip away the federal government's most powerful tool for trying to control planet warming pollution, fighting climate change. The explanation from the EPA and the impact this could have on every single community, coming up.

And a brand new study from the Alzheimer's Association shows that you can slow your cognitive decline as you age. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here to walk you through the brand new study and what you need to know and how you can apply this to your everyday life.

The Lead tonight, the many unanswered questions after the horrific mass shooting in New York City. A man carrying what police describe as an M4 assault-style rifle walked into a Manhattan high-rise, apparently intending to target offices of the National Football League inside the building. He did not get to the NFL, but he killed four people before ultimately killing himself.

A little while ago, New York City police officers lined the streets outside the medical examiner's office as the body of Officer Didarul Rule Islam, the Bangladeshi American police officer killed in the shooting was moved from the medical examiner's office to a mosque in the Bronx.

CNN's Jason Carroll is near the site of the shooting in Manhattan. Jason?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, we are learning much more about the suspect involved in all of this. Police say that Shane Tamura actually had two mental health episodes, one in 2024, another one in 2022. In addition to that, Jake, he was arrested for trespassing at a hotel casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, back in 2023.

But in addition to all that, he also had a license to carry a concealed weapon. And so police investigators now learning much about the suspect as their investigation is now well underway.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (voice over): Tonight policed thousands of miles away from the Manhattan crime scene positioned outside the shooter's Las Vegas home as investigators try to learn as much as they can about Shane Tamura and his motive for carrying out the deadly attack. The New York Police Department is sending two teams to Las Vegas.

JESSICA TISCH, NEW YORK POLICE COMMISSIONER: To conduct interviews and execute a search warrant at Mr. Tamura's home. They will also visit the gun store where he legally purchased a revolver on June 12th using a Nevada concealed carry permit.

CARROLL: Neighbors outside the suspect's home stunned to hear about what had happened.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not something you really expect to see, so, yes, it's a real shock.

CARROLL: The 27-year-old worked here at the Horseshoe Casino as a surveillance department employee. Police have uncovered some of his movements in the days before the shooting. He left Las Vegas in his black BMW on July 26th. He traveled through Colorado. The next day, Nebraska and Iowa. Then on Monday, July 28th at 4:24 P.M., he was in Columbia, New Jersey, before he entered New York City.

TISCH: Surveillance video shows a male exit a double parked black BMW on Park Avenue between 51st and 52nd Streets, carrying an M4 rifle in his right hand.

CARROLL: As for his intended target, the early investigation suggests Tamura was headed to NFL headquarters at 345 Park Avenue. He used the wrong elevator bank. These pictures obtained by CNN show some of what investigators found inside his car, including a nylon rifle case and a Ziploc bag filled with ammunition. Police also recovered a revolver and Zoloft, an antidepressant medication.

TISCH: According to our law enforcement partners in Las Vegas, Mr. Tamura has a documented mental health history.

CARROLL: Police found a suicide note in his back pocket where he alleges he suffered from CTE, a brain disease linked to repeated head trauma. The note saying in part, you can't go against the NFL. They'll squash you. Adding, study my brain please. Tamura did not play in the NFL. He was once a promising high school football player in Southern California, described by a coach in a 2013 local newspaper article as lightning in a bottle.

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Studies have shown CTE in former football players, though it is more common in pro athletes.

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, NEW YORK CITY: The motive appeared to be connected to the shooter's belief that he was suffering from CTE and he was an ex-NFL player, those items just don't pan out. He never played for the NFL. And so we're still unraveling this terrible shooting that took place in the city.

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CARROLL (on camera): So, again, Jake, so many questions about the suspect involved in all of this. But many people here in the city thinking about the victims, those five victims, including the fallen officer. You showed some of the images there. I want to bring some of those up again, as the body of Didarul Islam was transferred there in the Bronx. Poignant moments as some of the officers saluted as his body was being transferred. Again, he was 36 years old, the father of two, and his wife was pregnant, expecting their third child. Jake?

TAPPER: Just horrifying, absolutely horrifying. Jason Carroll in New York, thanks so much.

CNN's John Miller is a former deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism for the New York Police Department. John, what are your sources telling you about the investigation right now?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, they're focused on, was anyone else involved? Did anyone else know anything? So far, it appears that he was acting alone and that that is not the case. But there's also the issue of the gun. He purchased the 357 Magnum in June, but the other gun was purchased in Nevada before that, by a year or two. And that's the weapon that was used here.

It starts with a lower receiver. That's basically the mechanics that contain the parts where you would place the magazine with the ammunition in where you'd install a trigger. It is basically the guts of the gun. You would build behind that the other parts.

So, that was purchased by a former or a coworker of his at the Horseshoe Casino, a security supervisor he worked with, and apparently came into his possession. So, one of the people they're looking at is this individual, Rick.

You will also note on the suicide note, he writes and I quote, tell Rick I'm sorry for everything. It is possibly a sign that he understands that when they trace this rifle and it comes back to a legal purchase made by Rick and that he understands that may cause problems for his former security colleague. But that is one of the people that has been interviewed by the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. And the two teams coming out from New York City, the team of detectives and FBI agents from the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the team of NYPD detectives from homicide are both looking to talk to the same individual about how that gun part that became this weapon came into Tamura's possession.

TAPPER: So, I mean, it just -- you look at the image of the, of this, of the shooter, of the murderer just walking in broad daylight with an M4 assault-style gun walking into this building. And the first question is, how on Earth did no one stop him? But maybe that's a naive question, but what do you think?

MILLER: Well, I mean, how many people are going to confront a guy who's walking right past him with an assault weapon except a law enforcement officer? And when he came through that lobby, Jake, the first thing he did was he spotted that law enforcement officer and he targeted him.

And, you know, his target was the NFL. We now understand that the only NFL employee that he actually shot was passing by the police officer. And, you know, when you look at the security video, I'm told, you see the police officer go down and the NFL employee go down at the same time. Then he took the elevator to the wrong floor and may have believed that this whole building was the NFL building. But he ended up in Rudin Management, the building's management company, a big real estate management company.

And then the other video, I am told, shows he goes hunting through the hallways until he encounters that victim, and then other people are barricaded and hiding and eventually he takes his own life.

TAPPER: What a world. John Miller, thanks so much. I appreciate it.

If you or anyone you know is considering suicide, please dial the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The number to text is 988, or if you or someone you love needs help, 988. There is help for you. There is love for you.

Turning to our Politics Lead, Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, doing 20 years for sexually trafficking kids, is offering to testify before Congress, but she has some demands, some conditions.

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She wants immunity, for example. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer subpoenaed Maxwell to testify next month, August 11th. Maxwell's lawyers initially wanted her to invoke her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, but then they offered to cooperate with Congress. Comer has since said he is not going to grant her immunity.

Joining us now to discuss, Kaitlan Collins, our friend, and the anchor of The Source, our chief White House correspondent, and so much more, who broke this news. Kaitlan, what are some of the conditions Maxwell's lawyers are laying out in demand in exchange for her to testify? KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, you mentioned the big one there, which is immunity and that seems unlikely to go anywhere with Republicans in Congress who have made pretty clear that that is not something that they believe should be on the table for Ghislaine Maxwell to sit down with them. She did get partial immunity, remember, when she sat down with the Deputy Attorney General behind closed doors for about nine to ten hours. But to do so in front of Congress, we were seeing lawmakers just say they don't really have the appetite for that, and that includes the house oversight Chair James Comer.

And so he had subpoenaed Ghislaine Maxwell for her testimony next month in front of Congress. Her attorneys have responded in a letter today saying, one, they want that formal immunity. Two, Jake, they want the interview, the deposition to not happen at the correctional facility where she is serving her term. They cite the potential for leaks inside this letter that I received today. Third, they believe that she should get those questions from the committee in advance.

And, Jake, what they said in the letter, her attorneys that, quote, surprise questioning would be both inappropriate and unproductive. So, they basically want to know what the lawmakers would ask her before she sat down to actually answer those questions, they say, because she has to do so much prep in order to get ready for those questions, Jake, but obviously to get those in advance and not being able to go off-script. It would seem to be something that members of Congress should go up against.

And then last, Jake, and this is obviously a notable one, they said that this deposition and interview with Congress should happen only after her appeal to the Supreme Court is finished. Remember, she is appealing that conviction, the sentence that she's serving right now, for sex trafficking up to the Supreme Court and that could be months, Jake, before that testimony happens if they wait until that issue is resolved before the Supreme Court and whether or not they weigh in on this matter. Obviously she's gone to other courts and now has taken it up to the Supreme Court.

And so, really, Jake, when you look at all of this put together, she is basically saying, yes, I am willing to come and sit down and speak with Congress, but I need all of these things in exchange for doing so, including immunity, or, they note at the end of this letter, Jake, that if she got clemency from President Trump, then she would be willing to go and sit down. So, basically, saying questions in advance, immunity, or a pardon or reduction in sentence from the president of the United States before she'd be willing to go and sit down with Congress.

Obviously, as you noted, the House Oversight spokesperson said earlier, this idea of granting her immunity is not on the table for them right now.

TAPPER: It just seems so arrogant. It's like Beyonce demanding her own trailer at Farm Aid. I mean, you're a convicted sex trafficker, a little humility.

Kaitlan Collins at the White House, thanks so much.

Don't miss Kaitlan on her show, The Source with Kaitlan Collins. That's tonight and every weeknight at 9:00 Eastern only on CNN.

We're going to have much more on these major developments in the Epstein saga ahead as a key Congressional committee rejects Ghislaine. Maxwell's demand that she testify only in exchange for immunity.

Plus, what I'm learning about two top Biden aids that are set to appear before the House Oversight Committee tomorrow behind closed doors as Congress investigates the former president's cognitive decline.

Stay with us.

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TAPPER: Back with our Politics Lead, Ghislaine Maxwell offering to testify before Congress under certain conditions, including Congressional immunity and getting the questions ahead of time, the immunity request was denied.

Let's bring in our experts. Kate, it is clear that the drumbeat is not dying down. Listen to what Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana told Manu Raju earlier today.

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SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): It's not like senators want to go back home and just lay around. They want to go back home and answer their people's questions about the reconciliation bill and the rescission bill and what they think about, frankly, the Epstein files. That's all anybody seems to want to talk about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: The Epstein files is all anybody seems to want to talk about. It's not going away for Republicans. Are Democrats using this effectively against them?

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think there's no question that the most political damage being done to Donald Trump and the Republicans are by the Republican base, not by the Democrats. Now the Democrats are, I think, driving this in a way the Democratic Party is looking for some energy, looking to so show some fight. And I think that, you know, doing that and continuing to look like they are pushing Trump and the Trump administration, putting his feet to the fire, I think that does something for their base.

But, ultimately the political pain on this is coming from Republicans and the Republican base who've said, you know, you've been throwing us red meat about the Epstein files for years, and now you're in a position to make them public and you're not willing to do it. And we've seen this has continued to be a problem. I think, you know, Johnson tried to bring the House into recess in order to sort of dissipate this, but there's a very long history of August recess turning the temperature up on issues, not down.

TAPPER: Yes. And, Lauren, talking about the red meat, here's some of the red meat being thrown by the attorney general, Pam Bondi, just this year.

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PAM BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL: What you're going to see, hopefully tomorrow is a lot of flight logs, a lot of names.

Everything's going to come out to the public. The public has a right to know. Americans have a right to know.

There are tens of thousands of videos of Epstein with children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: At the end of the day, isn't this entirely a self-inflicted wound by the Republicans?

LAUREN TOMLINSON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yes, I think so. And, you know, that's why I think it's really important that Trump get ahead of this, you know, Congress is doing their own investigations. You've seen the Oversight Committee and others make a lot of comments about this want to force the issue. They want to do the interview with Epstein's --

TAPPER: Maxwell.

TOMLINSON: Yes, with Maxwell. But, ultimately, Trump needs to get ahead of this. They need to go ahead and disclose what they're going to disclose or give a very good reason on why they are not.

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I think it would be fair to say that we don't want to release the videos because it is going -- for example, these videos show horrible sexual exploitation. So, that's something that is easy to explain to the public. But what they're not doing is explaining why they're not releasing these files and then why they are not redacting these files to protect the victims.

And I think, ultimately, answering that question will satisfy a lot of the base, because it is a lot of -- the Republican base that's really upset about this, the MAGA that has been waiting for this type of transparency and this accountability for people in power. I think it's a theme of taking on the elites, taking on people in power, taking on corporations, people who hurt the working class. And that is what is ultimately hurting this, not necessarily the details of the Epstein case, the fact that they feel like these people are not being held to account. TAPPER: Well, Congressman Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, he's been out there trying to make this part of a larger argument for Democrats. Like, look, Donald Trump stands with the elites. He's not what he said he was, and then obviously turning to Medicaid and anti- trust laws, et cetera, et cetera. I haven't seen Democrats other than Ro Khanna do that effectively, but do you think that is going to happen?

BEDINGFIELD: I would hope so. I mean, I think that is certainly the more effective way for Democrats to make the argument. I think what Ro Khanna has been doing on this is smart. I think, you know, ultimately, the aim here to Lauren's point is less about the details of the case, although certainly the fact that Donald Trump is being so unwilling to be transparent raises a lot of serious questions about whether there is potential criminal activity on his part. We don't know, right? We don't know that.

But, politically, I think the more effective case for Democrats is to really -- you know, to pierce this veil of authenticity that he's had for the ten years that he's been on the public stage.

TAPPER: Yes. And speaking of the House Oversight Committee, Lauren, this week in the investigation into President Biden and his cognitive skills and all that and his deterioration, they're interviewing the two top Biden aides outside his family, Steve Richetti and Mike Donilon. And this is something that obviously Republicans are much more eager to talk about than the Epstein files or at least some Republicans. Do you think this actually -- this continued story is a problem for Democrats or is it old news?

TOMLINSON: No, I think it's a continued problem because again, it's, you know, kind of to your point about the authenticity. Authenticity is a huge issue with voters right now, and it's something that they want from their politicians across the board. The Democrats suffered horrible reputational issues because of Biden's cognitive decline and the cover-up that they associate with that decline. So, I think keeping this in the news and exposing any further staff cover-up is an important line of attack for Republicans, especially in places like North Carolina and others where you're going to have very competitive races in the Senate.

And it's going to be important for the Republicans to be able to tie these members to the Biden administration, to the national party, to the cover-up, to the inauthenticity of the Democratic Party.

TAPPER: Do you agree? Is it going to hurt Democrats?

BEDINGFIELD: Look I think there's no question Republicans are going to try to keep it front and center. It was a political drag on the Democratic Party that, to argue anything other, I think, is foolish based on everything that transpired. However, I do think Republicans are going to struggle to make this feel relevant to voters at a time when Joe Biden is not president of the United States and Donald Trump is president of the United States and is making decisions that are, you know, leading to people losing their healthcare or leading to prices being higher. I mean, you know, I think people don't feel -- are not going to feel the urgency and the intensity around this that the Republicans would like them to.

TAPPER: All right. Thanks to both of you. I appreciate it.

The massive reversal from the Trump administration today as it moves to revoke the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to make any rules about climate pollution. That's next.

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TAPPER: In our Earth Matters series today, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, described a major move by the EPA as the, quote, largest deregulatory action in the history of America. The Trump administration is seeking to revoke the EPA's ability to make rules about planet warming pollution from fossil fuels. If successful, the repeal would basically strip the government's most powerful way to fight climate change and at what cost.

We're joined by CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir. Bill, what is the likely impact of today's announcement?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, if it's successful, it would strip away the government's ability entirely to regulate tailpipe pollution, smoke stack pollution, the biggest contributors to manmade climate change, we know now you can prove it in a seventh grade classroom. That burning carbon dioxide makes things warmer. It makes the atmosphere warmer. The storms get stronger, the droughts longer. It's has a devastating effect. The scientific consensus is agreed upon around the world, but now it seems the Trump administration, in sort of a kill shot towards climate regulation, is undoing the very underpinnings of this.

The Endangerment Clause goes back 16 years. It was mandated by the Supreme Court. It gives them the right to do this. Stripping it away would make all these regulations, you would guess, go away. That seems to be what Zeldin is going for. They just put out this report to back up this move written by a handful of people who are notorious in climate science for their fringe views, trying to downplay the risk of climate change. At the same time, they've buried peer reviewed science from the world leading scientists and all agencies across the U.S. government right now. So, it seems like they're trying to codify science denial and make it that much harder for any future administrations to do something about manmade global warming.

TAPPER: And this comes as we see increased examples of extreme weather fueled, at least in part by manmade climate change. Lee Zeldin says that he's just trying to balance economic growth with environmental protection.

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What do you think about that?

WEIR: Well, I mean, economic growth and carbon has been decoupled for years now. The American economy grew even as fracking brought down the cost of carbon and as we switched away from much dirtier coal. You know, China has done the same thing. It's been proved around the world.

Texas leads the nation in solar and wind and battery installations, not because they're climate woke, but because that's the levelized lowest cost of energy in the world right now at the utility scale, much cheaper than gas and coal. If you're building a new power plant today, almost 90 percent of the projects in line are renewable energy right now.

So, Lee Zelin has made an incredible about-face on the climate phase in his career right now, and this is one for the record books.

TAPPER: All right. CNN's Bill Weir, thanks so much.

Let's look more into the science and politics of this with Zealan Hoover. He's a former senior adviser at the A PA during the Biden administration. And let us also extend as we can right now, an invitation to EPA Administrator Zeldin to come on the show to talk about this perhaps tomorrow.

So, what do you think the impact of this decision will be? What happens if the federal government stops making rules to combat climate change?

ZEALAN HOOVER, FORMER EPA SENIOR ADVISER, BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: Jake, thanks for the opportunity to be here today. It's really an abrogation of EPAs responsibility. Congress gave EPA under the Clean Air Act a clear mandate to regulate pollutants that endanger public health or welfare.

And that's what this endangerment finding is. It is a robust analysis that has been in place for well over a decade now as establishing that climate change does impact human public health and welfare. And they are attempting to roll that back because that is a way to kick the legs out from underneath all of these critical regulations that protect public health by going after climate pollutants in the power sector, the transportation sector, aviation sector.

And so it is really an effort to circumvent the regulatory process. They do not want to have to articulate why they want regulations that are anti-public health and pro-pollution. And so they're trying to skip that process by undoing this so-called endangerment finding.

TAPPER: So, you just heard Bill refer to the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court case, Massachusetts versus EPA, which said the agency had the authority to regulate carbon dioxide and methane and other greenhouse gases as pollutants under the Clean Air Act, which is law. And that led to the EPA establishing carbon limits for vehicles, for power plants. Those are limits that the Trump administration says are simply too costly and unworkable. What's your response to that?

HOOVER: It's quite telling, Jake, that in the materials they put out today, they really emphasize the costs. Well, the cost that they were showing for the vehicles rule, for instance, is the same cost that the Biden administration put out last year. What they're not showing are all of the many benefits that the Biden administration had also calculated benefits like fewer kids ending up in the hospital with asthma, families spending less on gasoline because they have more efficient cars, savings attributed to lesser -- less extreme climate impacts.

So, yes, any regulation has costs and benefits and the work of an agency like EPA is to balance those. But you can't only have a conversation about the costs.

TAPPER: If Lee Zeldin succeeds in this mission, won't a future Democratic president and a future Democratic administration be able to bring back the EPAs rulemaking ability?

HOOVER: Well, first, I'm glad you said that if they succeed, because this will be challenged and they've really set an uphill battle for themselves because, again, they are trying to articulate a position in the year 2025 that climate change does not harm the economy, that climate change does not harm public health, which is really quite an extreme position to try to defend.

But if they are successful, if they do succeed in fending off legal challenges, then, yes, the next Democratic administration will have the opportunity to redo the endangerment finding. But that takes time, and that is time that will slow down work to tackle the most pressing causes of pollution in local communities.

And so, yes, it can be undone down the road, but at what cost at the time that it takes to address some of the most pressing pollution needs across the country.

TAPPER: All right, Zealan Hoover, thanks so much. I appreciate it. And, again, our invitation is extended to Administrator Zeldin to come in.

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Our small business series takes us to Illinois next, where a family- owned shoe company is warning that Trump's tariffs could cause their business and others across the country to close their doors. How they're working with lawmakers to try to change the tides, that's next.

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TAPPER: In our Money Lead, Procter and Gamble, the maker of Tide detergent and Charmin toilet paper, is hiking prices, they say, because of President Trump's tariffs. After a warning back in April today, Procter and Gamble revealed that those hikes are going to start next month because profits are going to take a $1 billion hit from tariffs.

And this brings us to our Business Leaders series, where we talk to small business owners from coast to coast about the impact of Trump's tariffs. Lori's Designer Shoes, for example, is a family-owned company that's been operating for more than 40 years in the great city of Chicago, and co-owner Matt Andre joins us now.

Matt, where do you manufacture your products and how have you been impacted by tariffs?

MATT ANDRE, OWNER, LORI'S DESIGNER SHOES: So, Jake, we're a small importer of record from the E.U. Our primary focus is handcrafted leather shoes made in Italy.

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The tariffs have affected us in so many ways, but most importantly, they create a crisis of cash flow for independent retailers, like Lori's Shoes. These costs --

TAPPER: Keep going. Sorry, keep going.

ANDRE: These costs are ultimately passed down to the consumer. There's no way around that. But more importantly, the skyrocketing cost of goods are worrying us. We're worried about our 35 incredible employees that we're able to offer health insurance and benefits to. And without immediate tariff relief, we're not certain we're going to be able to sustain that.

TAPPER: So, it sounds like you're considering layoffs, you have to consider layoffs. Have you had to raise prices? Have you eaten some of the costs? How have you dealt with it so far as of this day in July?

ANDRE: So, with our new fall assortment, yes, we do have to raise prices nominally. We are eating some of those increased costs. But consider our net costs on our imports are increasing by a whopping 30 percent just from last fall by the numbers on an annualized basis. Our cost increase will be anywhere from $150,000 to $200,000, equivalent to three or four full-time salaries in our company.

TAPPER: All right. Have you noticed the behavior of your customers changing at all on this economic environment?

ANDRE: Yes. The customer behavior has changed. They're much more apprehensive to buy. And on a micro level, just to illustrate, we have one of our Hero products. Our best selling boot last fall, my landed cost was $132. This fall, my landed cost is $174, nearly a $40 increase, a 30 percent net increase. So, while we're raising the cost $20 at retail, our costs have increased by more than double. So, for a retailer, tighter margins, lower volume concerned customers, it's a recipe for disaster.

TAPPER: It's a good-looking boot. Now, you've met with your lawmakers about these issues and there's actually work being done on a bipartisan legislation to talk about this. Tell us about that.

ANDRE: So, we have common sense policy asks that we're after, Jake. We're looking for narrowly tailored exemptions for sectors like footwear, where over 99 percent of the goods are produced overseas and there's a physical impossibility of producing here stateside. These exemptions for small businesses will not harm the broader trade goals of the administration but they will provide immediate relief for Main Street America.

TAPPER: All right. The business is Lori's Designer Shoes. You can find them in Chicago or online. Matt Andre, thank you so much. I appreciate your time, sir.

The announcement from the U.K. prime minister today that has Israel accusing Britain of rewarding Hamas, that's next

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TAPPER: In our world lead, new fallout from the ongoing starvation crisis in Gaza. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer just announced that the United Kingdom will recognize the state of Palestine this September, unless the government of Israel takes substantive steps to end what Starmer calls the appalling situation, unquote, in Gaza.

The Israeli foreign ministry says the British plan will harm efforts to reach a ceasefire and constitutes, quote, a reward for Hamas.

Also today, the Hamas controlled Gaza health ministry reported that the overall Palestinian death toll since October 7th, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, has surpassed 60,000. We should note that the Palestinian health ministry makes no distinction between civilians and Hamas militants.

All this comes as the IPC, which is a United Nations-backed initiative of 21 well-known aid agencies. The IPC is declaring a worst-case scenario of famine currently taking place in the Gaza strip.

And we're joined now by Ross Smith. He's the director of emergencies for the World Food Programme.

Thanks so much for joining us. What are you hearing from your crews on the ground in Gaza right now?

ROSS SMITH, DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCIES, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME: Yeah, thanks for having me on, Jake. We're seeing absolutely devastating scenes on the ground, as you've seen on some of the television images, you know, starvation for a large percentage of the population, we estimate a quarter of the population on the brink of famine, and up to 100,000 women and children in severe acute malnutrition.

So, these are -- for the teams on the ground. It's very, very difficult circumstances to work, both to see the devastation but also to -- the working conditions for our teams and our partners.

TAPPER: The World Food Programme, for whom you work. It's part of the IPC. That's a larger group that works on food security, and they just are issued that new alert claiming that famine is currently playing out in Gaza. What exactly does that mean that famine is playing out?

SMITH: Yeah. So there was an alert issued today by the IPC partners, which says that we are on the brink of famine in Gaza. So when they look at at how much is available for people to eat, they look at the levels of malnutrition, and they look at the levels of mortality.

And so, we are close to be declaring -- to declaring a famine in Gaza. We do not have all of the evidence for that. But certainly what our teams are seeing on the ground is definitely a famine situation.

TAPPER: And if nothing changes, what's going to happen? What's your worst fear here?

SMITH: Well, if we don't see sustained action, a significant scale up of humanitarian assistance, we will continue to see the really shocking images that you -- you see on your screens of women and children that are in dire need of medical assistance because they are starved and because they are malnourished.

So what we're asking for is really sustained commitment on the ground to have a surge of humanitarian response inside Gaza.

TAPPER: And the IPC has put out a list of recommended actions in addition to surging supplies and food, they want an end to hostilities. They want to ensure access for the delivery of humanitarian aid, protecting civilians, aid workers and infrastructure, restoring humanitarian assistance and restoring the flow of commercial goods.

[18:50:10]

Given the current state of the Israel-Hamas conflict, are any of those likely?

SMITH: Well, I mean, what we've been calling for, for some time, WFP and the rest of the humanitarian community is a ceasefire that will allow us to work effectively on the ground. And until we get a ceasefire or a ceasefire like conditions, we're going to continue to see what we see.

You know, what we need is that sustained as you -- as you indicated, those conditions there that sustained access to life saving assistance. And we need a much greater scale than we've had now.

We've had since Sunday over the last 3 or 4 days, we've had about 50 percent of what we've requested to move in prior to that, less than 10 percent.

TAPPER: So, our viewers see these heartbreaking images from Gaza. Is there an effective way that ordinary people, people just watching right now can help?

SMITH: I think the best way is, is honestly is being aware of the situation, understanding the reality in Gaza, understanding what the situation and the facts are. And I think that is the most important thing that your viewers can do. We do have enough supplies sitting on the borders of Gaza to move in. We have more than two months worth of food assistance available right on the borders of Gaza that we can surge in immediately.

So, we have the supplies, we have the capacity, the knowledge, the expertise, the partners and what is happening and what you see on the screen now is completely avoidable. So, what we need is, is, you know, more awareness of this and ultimately more diplomatic action to allow us to work.

TAPPER: All right. Ross Smith of the World Food Programme, thank you so much.

SMITH: Thanks.

TAPPER: New groundbreaking research out today revealing ways that we can all slow down the aging process. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to come back on the show here to break it all down for us. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:56:14]

TAPPER: Some breaking news for you now, Air Force One has just landed at Joint Base Andrews, just outside D.C. President Trump returning from his weekend trip to Scotland. Next up, the White House in just a few minutes.

In our health lead, we can't avoid aging, but is there any way to slow down its effects? According to a brand-new study out today from the Alzheimer's Association, moderate changes to diet and increased exercise can slow cognitive decline in older adults.

Let's get to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent and author of "Keep Sharp".

Sanjay, break down what this study found for us.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: This was a very exciting study, and I think pretty inspiring, what the findings show for a lot of people who are concerned about dementia. So, the headline really has been that about 40 percent, so close to half of cases of dementia are likely preventable. That's a pretty extraordinary headline. I think for a lot of people, they believed you're going to be diagnosed with dementia. There's really not much you can do about it. There's not much you can do to prevent it or to reverse it.

And the data is starting to emerge that shows that's not the case. So, the study that we're talking about here was a U.S. based study that sort of replicated findings that we had seen in other countries around the world. Just over 2000 participants between the ages of 60 and 79. And they were cognitively doing fine. Not the greatest lifestyle, kind of sedentary lifestyle at increased risk of dementia.

And what they found was that when they put them through a structured program to try and improve their lifestyle, which included regular exercise, mediterranean diet, brain training, socialization, health monitoring, they had a significant improvement in terms of overall reducing the likelihood they would develop dementia.

They compare two groups a group that went into a structured sort of program, and a group that sort of did it on their own. They both improved in terms of actually reducing their likelihood of dementia. But the structured program, they did even better.

There was also another study that came out showing people who had already been diagnosed with cognitive impairment. Could they be actually changed as well? Improved. I did a documentary about this called "The Last Alzheimer's Patient", but the short answer is yes, even in people who had already been diagnosed with cognitive impairment, doing 20 weeks of a vegan diet, exercise, strength training, stress relief, online support sessions, they saw people whose symptoms either stopped, stalled, or even reversed.

I was worried about my own brain health. I have a significant family history of Alzheimer's disease, so I went through the program myself that Dr. Richard Isaacson had put forth, and I had a chance to talk to him just a few months into actually adopting those lifestyle changes.

Listen to what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. RICHARD ISAACSON, INSTITUTE FOR NEUROGENERATIVE DISEASES: Your numbers went from eh to now working faster and better than your age. And you're actually six years younger than your age.

GUPTA: Six youngers and --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: Six years back of brain health, I think that's sort of the point of these studies. We have a lot more control over the progression of potential brain problems than I think we previously realized.

TAPPER: All right. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much.

Sanjay is going to take your questions on this topic. Scan the QR code on your screen right now to submit a question. And Sanjay is going to be back later this week to answer some of your questions.

In our world lead, the Trump administration is set to burn $9.7 million worth of U.S. purchased contraceptives as part of the dismantling of USAID. These contraceptives are mostly long-lasting types of birth control. The earliest some of them are going to expire is 2027. It's not clear exactly when the supplies will be destroyed. The Belgian government is in talks with the U.S. embassy to try to find alternative solutions. Strange.

You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, and on TikTok @jaketapper. You can follow the show on X @TheLeadCNN. If you ever miss an episode of THE LEAD, you can listen to the show whence you get your podcasts.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts now. I'll see you back here on THE LEAD tomorrow, 5:00 sharp Eastern. See you then.