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The Lead with Jake Tapper

NYT: Inside White House Crisis Meetings Over The Epstein Files; Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Is Interviewed About Lawmakers Question Bill Gates Over Epstein Ties, Sen. Collins Targets Platner After He Wins Maine Senate Primary; Trump On Iran: We'll Be Hitting Them Hard Again Today; Police Recordings Obtained By CNN Reveal Rep. Max Miller's Ex- Wife Detailing Abuse Claims, Which He Denies; Communities Across The U.S. Fight Rise Of Data Centers. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired June 10, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

KASIE HUNT, CNN HOST: All right. Thanks very much for my panel. Really appreciate you all being here. Jodi Kantor, thank you so much for being here today.

JODI KANTOR, NEW YORK TIMES CORRESPONDENT: Thank you.

HUNT: I really appreciate it. And don't forget Jodi's book is "How to Start: Discovering Your Life's Work." I really do recommend it. It's quite a lovely way to start your summer.

All right, Jake Tapper is standing by for "The Lead." Hi, Jake.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Don't be jealous that I'm going to the game tonight, Kasie.

HUNT: Of course I'm jealous. Why wouldn't I be jealous?

TAPPER: I don't want -- I don't want you to be jealous at all. OK? Don't be jealous.

HUNT: Have fun.

TAPPER: Thank you.

HUNT: I can't wait to see your Kicks. You have a great collection. I hope you --

TAPPER: I will be wearing them well. And you'll be able to see my feet because --

HUNT: Choose (ph) them well.

TAPPER: -- I might be on the floor.

HUNT: That's right.

TAPPER: Anyway, Kasie, we will look for more tomorrow in "The Arena."

HUNT: All right. See you tomorrow.

[17:00:41]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: One of the richest men in the world took questions today about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. The Lead starts right now.

And that man is billionaire Bill Gates, who was front and center on Capitol Hill today pressed on his interactions with the now dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. While the New York Times is revealing a freak out at the White House about Epstein, how top Trump officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance initially reacted to the Epstein files last year and tried to contain the fallout. Plus, quote, "we're going to hit them hard," that new threat from President Trump to the Iranian regime after a whirlwind 24 hour strikes from both sides in between promises of a peace deal, a well sourced journalist is here with what the back and forth is and where it stands now. And just hours away from Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.

And Stephen A. Smith will be here on The Lead. He'll talk about the hoops game, but also he's going to add on to his own war of words with President Trump.

Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. We're going to start in our Law and Justice Lead today. Two big new developments on the matter of the Epstein files. One, billionaire Bill Gates telling Congress that Jeffrey Epstein was, quote, "working to use information about my infidelities," unquote, to pressure Gates to reengage with him after their business contact had ended, which sounds a lot to me like blackmail.

But we're going to start with the eyebrow raising report today detailing a "White House freakout," that's in quotes. "White House freakout" over the Epstein files last summer. This New York Times article is drawn from reporting done for the new book "Regime Change," which comes out in roughly two weeks. It's by New York Times White House reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.

Here are some of the highlights of today's excerpt, on July 17, 2025, about a year ago, a chunk of Trump's top officials who you see listed on your screen, led by the vice president, filed into the White House Situation Room without the commander in chief, without President Trump, they were trying to figure out how to regain control over the growing ugly narrative that the Trump administration was at the very least complicit in a cover up for the crimes of now dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and other predators in his orbit. Ten days earlier, the Justice Department and FBI had released their nothing to see here memo saying that their review found no client list of the powerful men to whom Epstein had allegedly trafficked girls, underage and women. Vice President Vance reportedly told the group this is a huge problem and he argued that all the Epstein files should be released. The report says, quote, "Vance had also floated to colleagues an extraordinary P.R. gambit that the White House enlists Tucker Carlson to interview Epstein's longtime girlfriend and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell in prison. It might help the President if Maxwell was willing to state that Trump had not been part of any wrongdoing with Epstein."

Spoiler alert, Tucker did not get that gig. You will note, however, that the goal here, as stated, seemed to be to get Trump cleared by Maxwell, who is a criminal with questionable credibility, to say the least. The task of the interview ultimately went to then Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who Trump has now nominated to be full time attorney general. Cut to August 13, 2025, the Epstein scandal still raging. A similar Situation Room meeting is convened where the conversation turns to what allegations might be in those files about the president.

One official reportedly raised the subject of a disturbing but unverified accusation against Trump that had come to light in case filings unsealed in 2023 and that included e-mails sent to a journalist by Epstein victim Sarah Ransome. Apologies in advance for some of the blunt language and visuals it will in part, we are going to edit some of it just because we don't need to go into all of it. You can read the New York Times story if you want more.

Ransome claimed, quote, "Ransome claimed that she knew a girl in Epstein sex trafficking ring named Jen, who said she had sex with Trump. Ransome also claimed that Jen had told her that Trump had a predilection for nipples," unquote. It goes on into more graphic and disturbing details. Again not corroborated allegation.

The New York Times report also notes that Ransome's credibility was not uncomplicated, given that she had made another claim, that she had footage of prominent men having sex with young girls in Epstein's ormit -- orbit. And Ransome later retracted that claim, saying she was fearing for herself and her family if she went forward.

[17:05:08]

Again, just to underline, these are all unverified allegations. Trump has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing in any sort of court of law. He denies any wrongdoing. But Trump officials were concerned about this allegation resurfacing. If the Justice Department released all the Epstein files in its searchable library, which they only did, by the way, after being compelled by Congress.

Now, here's how some of the Situation Room debate went down. According to this Times report by Haberman and Swan, quote, "The vice president said he thought the president would be OK with releasing the nipple related documents, arguing that Trump had been accused of worse. "I think we should put it out," he said. It would cause people to say we're going further than we need to. Trump White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles quickly responded that the president would not, in fact, be OK with it.

It was a point no one wanted to continue debating."

Now, this story summed up the White House dilemma, as the report put it, quote, "Piles of accusations were impossible to disprove and equally impossible to make go away. Every door they opened led to another room and in every room were more claims from more women," unquote. Also today on the Epstein front, we're witnessing another result of the release of these Epstein files because billionaire Bill Gates testified before Congress today about his dealings with Epstein. Gates told members of the House Oversight Committee he had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. So why did the committee want to hear from Gates? Well, the Epstein files release revealed a degree of philanthropic coordination between Gates and Epstein that was more detailed than previously known. Plus, perhaps more importantly, a series of graphic, again, unverified allegations.

One involved two draft e-mails that Epstein appears to have written himself in 2013 claiming that he had facilitated sexual encounters for Gates and helped Gates obtain medication to hide a sexually transmitted disease from his wife, his then wife. The allegations, again, unverified, uncorroborated. There's no indication the message was ever shared with Gates that that message in the draft file or anyone else, frankly. And Gates has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing in any sort of criminal proceeding.

Gates has strongly denied these claims, but he said today Epstein threatened unsuccessfully to pressure him to use what he knew about his infidelities, quote, "In addition to many lies that he layered on top," excuse me, "to reengage with Gates after they had cut out -- he had cut off contact."

Let us discuss all of this With Julie K. Brown, a Miami Herald journalist whose reporting exposed many of the Epstein horrors.

Julie, let's get your take on everything you just heard. Does it -- did this answer any questions you've had about what the Trump administration was thinking behind the scenes here?

JULIE K. BROWN, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, THE MIAMI HERALD: Well, it sounds like there was some desperation going on and they didn't really know what to do. They were just kind of just spitballing and saying, let's try this, let's try that. And of course, we now know that one of the things that was suggested was that they use Ghislaine Maxwell in an effort to, you know, take the spotlight off the Trump. And they did, in fact, you know, as we know, Todd Blanche did interview her in jail and then moved her to a cushier jail after interviewing her. So some of what they did anyway they did carry out.

And, you know, it just strikes me that they are trying to, you know, put out a lot of fires here all at one time. And I don't think that they did a very good job of it.

TAPPER: Todd Blanche, who was then the deputy Attorney General and now is Trump's nominee to be full time official attorney general, Blanche also reportedly in this report, he raised the possibility that Maxwell's lawyer might expect something in return for an interview in which she cleared the president of any wrongdoing. And in this meeting, the White House counsel laid out several options, including a pardon or reduced sentence. And a lot of people in that meeting strongly disapproved. The report says the deputy chief of staff, James Blair, said, quote, "We can't offer Ghislaine Maxwell anything. A, I don't know why we would. And B, if we gave -- if we give Ghislaine Maxwell any sort of break whatsoever and then she turns around and says nice things about us or says nice things about us and we give her a break, it will undermine the entire point of her saying good things. That will feed the conspiracy theory, period. If there's nothing for her to say that hurts us, we shouldn't have to offer her anything," unquote.

What are your thoughts on that?

BROWN: Well, it sounds like there was a couple of voices of reason in that room, but ultimately they didn't prevail because in fact, that's what Blanche did. You know, he kind of squeezed out of her. If you look at the transcript of him asking her questions, he was specifically steering her in certain directions. And then when he got what he wanted, he quickly changed the subject.

It was clear he wasn't interviewing her like a real detective or investigator would. He was interviewing in order to get certain things out of her. And one of those things that apparently this conversation is revealing is that they wanted her to say nice things about Trump, essentially.

[17:10:05]

TAPPER: James Blair is a smart guy. I mean, he knew that if she got anything, which she did, she got this much nicer prison and of some accoutrements in that prison that other prisoners reportedly aren't getting. It would look fishy. And boy, it looks fishy.

The New York Times article based on the new book ends with this quote, quote, "The Epstein crisis had exposed something that some of Trump's closest advisers spent months refusing to see. The president could break institutions, redirect the federal government against his enemies and bring the world's richest men into the Oval Office bearing tribute. But he could not, it turned out, make Jeffrey Epstein disappear," unquote.

Trump has been able to evade so many scandals, so much accountability. Why do you think this has hit somewhat different?

BROWN: Well, because the root of this whole sex trafficking was children. And I just think that no matter what side of the political fence you are on, you know that that was wrong, that the idea that he got away with abusing so many young girls and manipulating the criminal justice system the way that he did. I mean, nobody should be able to do that to get out away with crimes like that. And I think that, you know, it strikes home with a lot of people that this was a real travesty of justice, especially for his victims who were treated shabbily, they were treated like they were prostitutes. So I think everybody -- this is one story I think everybody can agree on to some degree.

TAPPER: Yes. Julie K. Brown, thank you so much as always for your expertise and for your reporting.

We're going to talk more next about billionaire Bill Gates confirming his marital infidelity. He's telling Congress that Epstein tried to use that information to get back in his good graces. I'm going to talk to a lawmaker who was in the room for that testimony. And later, the sprawling rise of data centers in the U.S. and the fears that come with them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a southern wind today. All that would be blowing right over this, our houses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: How the fight back in some communities has even turned violent. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:16:11]

TAPPER: Back with more on our Law and Justice Lead billionaire Bill Gates today testifying behind closed doors before the House Oversight Committee as part of its investigations into the crimes of now dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Gates telling the committee he had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes.

Joining me now, Democratic Congressman of Ro Khanna of California, who's on the House Oversight Committee, was in the room for Gates's testimony earlier today.

Congressman, thanks for joining us. What were your biggest takeaways from Bill Gates's testimony? And what unanswered questions do you still have?

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA), OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: I found him cooperative and I found him to be pretty credible. The sad thing is he basically admitted that he carried out a relationship with Epstein, even after he knew that Epstein had been convicted of a sexual crime. And the reason he did it is he said Epstein knew a lot of billionaires, a lot of donors, and he wanted to raise money from them for his philanthropies. And this just shows some of the moral bankruptcy at the time where it's not that Gates committed any illegal act, but he was willing to overlook the sexual crime to raise money for his charities.

TAPPER: Did he ever attend, as far as, you know, any of these parties where there were these underage girls or women who were being trafficked? Was there any -- I mean, he has admitted Gates to infidelities, but I don't think he's admitted to infidelities, to cheating on his wife with any of the women who were trafficked by Epstein, right?

KHANNA: Yes. And he was very clear. I asked him point blank, did Epstein ever introduce him to any women underage or just women who he had affairs with. And he said absolutely not. And he said he never was on the island and that Epstein did not in any way facilitate any of his affairs. TAPPER: Three of the fours House -- three of the four House Republicans who joined you to force the release of the Epstein files are soon no longer going to be in office. Obviously, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene quit after she had a falling out with Trump. Thomas Massie lost his seat after he had a falling out with Trump, and Trump endorsed his opponent. And now Congresswoman Nancy Mace is leaving. She ran for governor in South Carolina.

She finished fifth in the Republican primary. Obviously, Trump supported the woman who won. There were obviously different factors contributing to all these exits, but Mace has made it clear that she thinks the Epstein episode cost her politically. I guess Lauren Boebert is the only one left right now. Are you concerned about losing any other Republicans who were allies in pushing transparency for this?

KHANNA: It's sad to me that they paid that price. I mean, some people in my own party sometimes criticize me when I say that they showed a lot of courage, but the reality is they did. I mean, Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene literally gave up their seats. And I believe Nancy Mace, that it hurt her among Republicans. And all of them stood with survivors.

Look, I got $1 million or so spent against me because of my work on Epstein and also calling for a billionaire's tax. I got 62 percent of the vote and a Democratic challenger got 6 percent. But I'm running in a Democratic constituency. But being a Republican taking on Donald Trump was a act of political courage.

TAPPER: Let's turn to the main Senate race. Last night, Graham Platner was won the Democratic primary despite multiple scandals, including that New York Times report last week where three of Platner's ex- girlfriends accused him of unsettling behavior and at least in one case, physically threatening behavior. He denied anything physical.

You actually campaigned with Platner. You are a big supporter of his. You've been clear that you believe these women. So I guess two questions. One, why are you still backing him if you believe these women?

And two, just to head you off at the past, Republican Senator Jeff Flake wrote an op-ed in today's Washington Post, and he said Democrats are, quote, "just wrong to think that these things," meaning Democratic legislative priorities are a check on Trump, "that these things matter more than character."

[17:20:15]

KHANNA: Well, I do think character matters, but Graham has been pretty open that he served two tours of duty. He had Post Traumatic Stress disorder. Now, there are a lot of people who have Post Traumatic Stress disorder or serve, as you know, Jake, who don't have toxic relationships and don't make misogynistic comments. But he says that he was in a dark chapter of his life. He became an alcoholic, and there were years of acting in ways that he really regrets. And he asked for grace and redemption. And he thinks he's a changed person, a transformed person. I believe him, and I believe that he is now focused on ending the wars that he fought on, the war in Iran and other wars, and he's focused on giving people health care and creating economic equality. But it's for Maine voters and other people to assess him and see, is he a changed man and has he taken account for his past?

TAPPER: As of now, Maine's Democratic governor, Janet Mills, has about 20 percent of the vote. She had been running and then pulled out of the race because she couldn't compete with Platner, so she suspended her campaign. She stayed on the ballot, though. You know, that's about a 20 percent protest vote. And you can extrapolate that that could make it harder for Platner to defeat Senator Susan Collins in November.

Take a look at this new ad. This is just a taste of what Platner is going to face from now until Election Day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Susan Collins doesn't have a Nazi tattoo, and she doesn't have an account on a notorious predator's paradise app. Graham Platner did for years, and this was his profile picture. Oh, gosh, please, please get that off the screen. Anyway, Susan Collins, a senator we can be proud of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: I mean, that's pretty tough. And it's only June.

KHANNA: Well, the question is going to be, are Maine voters going to care more about a person's imperfect past if they say that they're redeemed and changed, or are they going to care more about where they stand and. And where they stand there's a gulf of difference between Susan Collins and Graham Platner. Graham Platner is against these foreign wars in Iran. Susan Collins sat there and watched it happen without opposing it.

Susan Collins voted to confirm Kavanaugh, who basically was responsible for the Dobbs decision in rolling back women's rights. Graham Platner supports a woman's right to choose. And Graham Platner has said we should tax billionaires and go after billionaires for standing up for the working class. Susan Collins voted to give tax breaks to the billionaires and took away people's health care.

I really believe ultimately that's what the election will be decided on. And Graham getting 70 plus percent of the vote. That was seen as a pretty big showing. I mean, he's running against a sitting governor who was playing cute saying, oh, you can still vote for me. This guy hasn't been elected to anything.

No one knew who he was a year from now. And he's beating a sitting governor with 70 plus percent, I think is a pretty strong showing.

TAPPER: Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California, thanks again. KHANNA: Thank you, Jake.

TAPPER: So breaking news on the Money Lead. The Dow suffered its worst day in months. Sharp drops for the S&P and Nasdaq as well. These declines on the heels of today's inflation report. We're going to try to make sense of all of this and your money next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:27:38]

TAPPER: We've got some breaking news in our Money Lead. Take a look at the market close from the last hour. The Dow tumbling by more than 900 points. That's the biggest drop since October. The S&P and Nasdaq taken a fall as well. Let's bring in David Goldman with the CNN Business team.

Dave, explain what's behind this drop. What are we looking at here?

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, well, you know, we learned three things today. One is that AI is really expensive. The other thing that we learned is that inflation is rising. And then the third thing is that we might, you know, have more activity in -- military activity in Iran. Well, you knew all three of those things, so the markets are acting a little strange.

And if you take a look, the Nasdaq, that's the tech index, that's the one that is starting to fall really significantly. And we saw this starting on Friday and then the last day, and then this week, it's really been ramping up. Tech stocks are starting to fall, and that's dragging the whole index down. And then we had that inflation report, 4.2 percent over the course of the past year. We knew that that was the estimate.

The estimate. So why are they down? It started when Trump said, well, we might have to pick up the pace in Iran a little bit. And that dragged the Dow and the S& P500 down. But the thing that I want to point out is oil really isn't moving all that much, right?

It's just up 2 percent Brent, which is the international standard. That's up 1.6 percent. Really not a huge move. And this suggests that the market knew that we might have more military activity in Iran. This is something that Trump has said for a while, and that the stock market, that's the one that has three different factors that are weighing down.

I think that investors are just looking for an excuse to sell today.

TAPPER: So on that inflation report, take a listen to what President Trump had to say, to the reaction that it rose by more than 4 percent for the first time in, I guess, more than three years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I love the inflation. You know why? Because as soon as this war is over -- UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it is.

TRUMP: -- it's coming down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you can't --

TRUMP: It's going to come down like a rock.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: He loves the inflation.

GOLDMAN: He loves the inflation. You know, there's not much to love in this report. There's one saving grace, which is that energy was 60 percent of the reason why prices rose over the course of the last month. And core inflation, that was up only 2.9 percent. We can deal with that.

[17:30:13]

The Federal Reserve is going to look at this report and they're going to say, yes, we pretty much knew that this was the case. But here's the thing, President Trump also said that prices are going to start falling like a rock as soon as they get out of Iran.

First of all, when are we getting out?

TAPPER: Right.

GOLDMAN: We keep hearing two to three days --

TAPPER: Two to three days. Two to three days. Yes.

GOLDMAN: -- we're not there. And then the other thing is that we don't have a strategy to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. And until that happens, we're going to start hitting these critical lows in the oil market. That's when things get really ugly. And that's when prices that we were just talking about, those start to rise again.

TAPPER: Well, I can only speak for myself. I don't love inflation.

GOLDMAN: No.

TAPPER: David Goldman, thank you so much.

We have more breaking news, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth just moments ago backing up the President, threatening U.S. strikes on Iran tonight, saying the U.S. will be hitting Iran hard. What else we're learning from the Trump administration, next.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[17:35:18] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We hit them hard yesterday. We're going to hit them again hard today. In case you miss it. In case you don't turn on your television set. And we'll see what happens with the deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: That from President Trump earlier today. Just one day after saying a peace deal with Iran was imminent. This escalation nearly 24 hours after the two sides began trading retaliatory strikes. The U.S. says its actions were in self-defense in reaction to Iran downing a U.S. Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz Monday night.

Let's go straight to CNN political and global affairs analyst, Barak Ravid. Barak, moments ago, Secretary Hegseth spoke about a secret mission to move oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: The idea of running ships through the Strait of Hormuz, it never stopped. It just went underground to the tune of over 100 million barrels that have moved through and more in the middle of the night, protected by the United States in a way that Iran can't stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: That claim, such as it is, echoes something that Trump said earlier today. He said the U.S. controls the Strait of Hormuz in a social media post. What do you make of this?

BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL & GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, first, Jake, I can confirm now from a senior U.S. official that the U.S. strikes on Iran have started something like 30 minutes ago. The strikes are more or less in the same scope as we saw yesterday when it comes to the number of targets that are expected to be attacked. And I think it will happen, as we saw yesterday, several waves of strikes over the next few hours.

TAPPER: You have some new reporting about the trigger for this latest escalation. What are you hearing?

RAVID: What I hear is that, you know, the trigger was in some ways the, you know, the downing of the U.S. helicopter. But in many other ways, it was a growing frustration that President Trump had over the last two weeks by the fact that he gave Iran a proposal on May 29th. The Iranians said, give us four or five days, we'll get back to you.

And it's been 12 days now and the Iranians still haven't gotten back with anything. And on Tuesday, several hours before the U.S. launched the strikes, the Qatari government, the Qatari mediators, tried to hold a trilateral meeting with U.S. and Iranian diplomats. The Iranians declined to show up.

Later that day, the U.S. tried again, two hours before the strikes, to get an answer from the Iranians. Do you agree to the proposal? Do you disagree? Do you have amendments? It got no response other than, if you attack us, we'll attack you back. And I think that from there, it was a very short road to the U.S. strikes you saw yesterday and the ones we're seeing now.

TAPPER: Today, the President said that the U.S. and Iran were really close to what he calls a meaningful deal. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: All they have to do is they have to start signing a paper. It's fully negotiated. We have a fully negotiated, but they're tapping and tapping. And I said, all right, let's give them a couple of more days. They're tapping because it's a meaningful paper.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Where do the talks stand right now?

RAVID: So I think on the one hand, President Trump is right that the Iranians are tapping because they haven't gotten back with a response. On the other hand, on May 29th, when President Trump convened the Situation Room and asked at the end of it for amendments in the text, the text was basically negotiated and agreed upon by his team and by the Iranian negotiators.

At that point in time, Trump tried to get the last achievement or the last victory out of this deal and asked for the amendments, which then, you know, generated another round of internal discussion within the Iranian government, discussions that until now haven't led to any decision. So I think that both sides are trying to get or have been trying for several weeks now to get their final achievement out of this deal.

And the result is that, you know, when they're still haggling over wording of the text, there are spoilers who are trying to undermine the negotiations and there are incidents on the ground that happen like the downing of the helicopter.

[17:40:08]

And all of those things show that the negotiations are not held in a vacuum, it's held in a war zone. And therefore, every day that passes gives more chances for spoilers to undermine those negotiations.

TAPPER: Barak Ravid, thank you so much. And CENTCOM confirming the news that Barak brought to us that the new U.S. strikes on Iran have begun. We're going to continue to watch this developing story tonight as it develops.

Also ahead, Ohio Congressman Max Miller, a Republican facing troubling allegations. CNN obtained police videos where his ex-wife details claims of abuse. Next, see those videos. The Congressman strongly pushes back and denies the allegations. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:45:02]

TAPPER: In our Law and Justice Lead, newly released police videos obtained by CNN shed light on abuse allegations made by the ex-wife of Ohio Republican Congressman Max Miller, including a claim that he once held a gun to her head while she was changing their baby.

Now Miller denies the allegations. The recordings are the latest development in an ongoing legal battle involving the former couple. With more details here's CNN's Lauren Fox.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ohio Representative Max Miller and his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, are locked in an escalating legal battle filled with allegations of abuse, a defamation lawsuit, restraining orders, and a custody fight. Now in police video newly obtained by CNN, Moreno can be heard describing some of those allegations against Miller to police. She made them in the course of a now closed police investigation into an injury her daughter suffered. No charges were filed. Among the allegations she described was an incident where she says he put a gun on her on New Year's Eve in 2023.

EMILY MORENO, REP. MAX MILLER'S EX-WIFE: I was changing the baby and I couldn't do that with the lights off. So I turned the light on and that made him upset.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So how did he react? You say he was upset. What was he doing or saying?

MORENO: He yelled at me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you remember anything he said?

MORENO: I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. And then -- so what happens after that?

MORENO: I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So when does the gun come into play?

MORENO: When I'm changing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what does he do?

MORENO: Holds it on me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Holds it on you? OK. Can you show me where he held it to you? No, hey it's OK. That's fine. That's fine. Like I said, that's a hard thing to talk about.

FOX: How do you respond to that allegation?

REP. MAX MILLER (R-OH): I don't have a weapon that's even easily accessible in my home like that. What we're dealing with, unfortunately, is something that many families go through, Lauren, which is a very nasty divorce. And in the process allegations get made that are completely fabricated and are not true.

FOX: So you're saying this incident never happened in any form?

MILLER: Not at all.

FOX: Do you have guns in the house?

MILLER: Always in the safe. Do I have weapons? Absolutely I have weapons. But are they always locked up? Absolutely.

FOX (voice-over): Miller told CNN that Child Protective Services came to his house on several occasions and never found any loose weapons in the home. Bay Village Police also told CNN that beyond their daughter's injury, there were "No other investigations that were initiated, are currently open, or are ongoing, related to Miller or Moreno." CNN also obtained the videos of Miller's interviews with police in Ohio, where he denied allegations of abuse and said Moreno struggled with mental illness.

MILLER: When she doesn't get her way, whether it's in court or she sees that I'm going through a tough time, my life gets even harder and compounded by more litigation. So, I mean, yes, I think that she's very manipulative and she has a history and she was diagnosed bipolar a long time ago.

FOX (voice-over): An attorney for Moreno denied that she has a bipolar diagnosis. The fallout from the divorce has been playing out against the backdrop of MAGA politics. Representative Miller is a staunch Trump ally, and his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, is the daughter of Ohio's GOP Senator Bernie Moreno.

MORENO: We had -- I was just, like, scared of him a lot, and that's why I left the house. I moved out.

FOX (voice-over): A judge recently granted mutual restraining orders, ordering both Miller and Moreno not to "Threaten, abuse, annoy, or interfere with each other." In another incident from June 2024, Moreno alleged in court that Miller threw hot water from a pan on her after she told him she wanted to separate.

MILLER: None of that happened more. This whole thing, the hot boiling water incident never happened. That is a complete fabrication and I stand by that.

FOX (voice-over): Miller filed a defamation lawsuit against Moreno after the allegations surfaced in the media and the case is ongoing. This isn't Miller's first defamation case against a former partner. He'd previously sued former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, an ex-girlfriend, for defamation after she'd accused him of abuse. He later dismissed the case.

FOX: I do want to ask you because you're running for re-election.

MILLER: Yes. FOX: And, you know, you are in a solidly Republican district, but what impact do you worry this could have on your re-election?

MILLER: My constituents, once again, they know who I am and they know who she is. And anytime that I've seen somebody go after personal drama and palace intrigue and allegations and fabrications, it's never a winning ticket.

[17:49:59]

FOX (voice-over): CNN asked Moreno for an interview. Her attorneys declined, saying, "The court issued a restraining order to both parties, and Emily is going to abide by it."

MILLER: At the end of the day, I understand that, you know, people want to tell, you know, their truth, but what's going on here is incredibly disturbing and wrong. Everything she says about me is what she does, and that is what somebody who suffers from a mental illness does. I am happy that I have started my litigation, and I am happy that I will be proven innocent at the end of the day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOX: And Jake, we should reiterate that Moreno's lawyer denied that she has a bipolar diagnosis. What me and my colleagues, Allison Gordon and Pamela Brown found with our investigative team was that court documents and police records show that the legal feud between Moreno and Miller escalated in the months after that February police investigation into their daughter's injury.

The civil litigation in the defamation case and the custody case is ongoing, and as you heard in the piece there, he is up for re- election, and the impact this legal battle could have on the campaign remains to be seen. Jake?

TAPPER: All right, Lauren Fox, thank you so much.

Coming up next, the A.I. boom fueling a fight against data centers across the U.S., and that fight has at times turned violent.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:55:28]

TAPPER: And we're back with our Tech Lead in the explosive growth of data centers in the United States. The count tops 100-plus in several states. Virginia far outpaces all the rest of these United States with more than 500 data center sites. While these centers might help with technology, they are certainly stirring emotional fights that sometimes even turn violent. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz traveled to -- throughout the country to this data center to see the defiance firsthand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RON GIBSON, INDIANAPOLIS CITY-COUNTY COUNCIL: One, two, three, four. SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ron Gibson counts the bullet holes in his front door.

GIBSON: Twelve, 13, 14, 15. And it was a sign that someone conveniently put up under the Indianapolis Coach's mat and said there's no data center.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Gibson is an Indianapolis city counselor targeted, he says, for supporting a data center in his community.

GIBSON: At some point that night after midnight, we heard loud banging on glass and glass breaking.

I didn't realize that my house had been shot up until daylight. And I saw this door and I could see through the door out. I mean, I could see daylight was coming through the door. Really touching to me was my son's Lego set was on the dining room table where the bullets went around. And I like to think about it. I wonder if he'd have been in that space at that time of night. Scary stuff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You better vote no. You better vote no.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): The political backlash to data centers has been fierce nationwide, aided by the rise and fear of artificial intelligence.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't need it. We need water.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): In Utah, residents are fighting a proposed 40,000 acre data center that when combined is twice the size of Manhattan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe this decision should be made after the election.

PROKUPECZ: So meetings like this in Union, Missouri are happening all across the country and really showing the fear and concern.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The burdens would stay local. The profits will leave town. We're asking you please stop this theft and rape now.

PROKUPECZ: What could a data center do to a community like this?

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): To find out, we traveled 850 miles from Union, Missouri to a place already familiar with data centers. Loudoun County, Virginia, outside D.C., this is Data Center Alley.

PROKUPECZ: Just in this area alone, there are over 200 buildings that contain data centers, some 50 million square feet, enough to fit eight pentagons.

BUDDY RIZER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LOUDOUN CO. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Having even one data center can double the amount of tax revenue. We've been able to build 30 some schools and 15 fire stations and six libraries.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): But not everything went right.

GREG PIRIO, LIVES NEAR DATA CENTER: It is like having constant jet airplanes flying overhead.

PROKUPECZ: Because you can hear it right now, right?

PIRIO: Yes, yes.

PROKUPECZ: Like, take a listen here, right? This is --

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): That hum you hear, that's coming from this, a massive data center just feet from these homes.

PROKUPECZ: What's it like when you're trying to sleep?

ETHAN DOUE, LIVES NEAR DATA CENTER: It's like a July 4th fireworks going on.

HARI DOUE, MOTHER AND HOMEOWNER: Last night, my son Lucas got up in the middle of the night and said he couldn't sleep and came into our room. So it is affecting their sleep and they have to go to school.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): There's another problem.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it was a southern wind today, all that would be blowing right over this. Our houses.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Diesel backup generators, when they're tested, they pollute.

PIRIO: Those are the days in particular that I feel irritation in my throat.

PROKUPECZ: How do you respond to them?

RIZER: It's a very unfortunate situation because when it was built and approved, it was intended to be on the grid. Then in 2022, we had Dominion tell us, well, we're out of power. They had already built and leased the building. So the only solution for them was the gas turbines. It is a temporary situation. Eventually the power will be delivered to the site, but that doesn't help them tonight when they're trying to get to sleep.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're opening a Pandora's Box that can't be closed.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Back in Missouri, they're fighting two proposed new data center campuses in Franklin County. Bill Hubbard's century old farm is next to one of them. Recent reports about a Georgia data center draining water from nearby farms has Hubbard worried.

BILL HUBBARD, FARM OWNER: They say they're not going to drill wells. All these guarantees, you know, 737s weren't supposed to crash.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): The company behind one of the campuses says they won't tax local resources.

ROMAN PASEWICZ, PROVIDENT DATA CENTERS: We're developing a closed loop water system, so it conserves water. We believe we could develop them in a conscious way, getting feedback from the community.

[18:00:07]

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Most here are like the Hubbards. They worry because the land is their life.

HUBBARD: This is home. There's no amount of money that could get me to sell this. No amount of money.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, Union, Missouri.

(END VIDEOTAPE)