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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Trump's Red Card Phone Call Stirs Political Storm Around World Cup; Mourners Pack Tehran's Streets for Supreme Leader's Funeral; Russia Bombards Ukraine with Missiles on Eve of NATO Summit. Suspect In Charlie Kirk's Killing Appears In Court; White Nationalist Group Marches In D.C. On July 4; Mallory McMorrow Drops Out Of Michigan Democratic Senate Primary. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired July 06, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

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KASIE HUNT, CNN HOST AND POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: All right, Jake Tapper is standing by for "The Lead." And, of course, Jake, you have a major interview coming up on your show.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN LEAD WASHINGTON ANCHOR: Just got back from Maine. We interviewed Jenny Racicot, who is accusing Graham Platner, the Democratic Senate candidate in Maine, of having raped her five years ago. So, a very emotional and serious interview coming up. Thanks so much, Kasie. We are going to look for more tomorrow in "The Arena."

HUNT: Thanks, Jake. See you soon.

TAPPER: If Team USA loses tonight, President Trump says he'll say the match was rigged. Was he joking? "The Lead" starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I understand sports really well. Really well. All I did, I asked for a review because I didn't think it was a foul. And, you know, again, I'm good at this stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: President Trump running interference, getting FIFA to reverse its decision that banned a player on Team USA, and igniting questions about integrity of the tournament. Did he just score an own goal? Plus, Iranian streets packed with people mourning the former Iranian leader but nowhere do we see his successor, the late ayatollah's son, Mojtaba Khamenei. What CNN is seeing and hearing on the ground in Iran today. And brand new, incredibly disturbing claims against Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner. A woman who dated him a few years ago is saying much more than she has ever said before. She now accuses Platner of having raped her. Hear what she told me in an exclusive T.V. interview today as Platner himself releases his own new statement, vehemently denying her claims.

Welcome to "The Lead." I'm Jake Tapper. We are going to begin in our "Sports Lead." Growing controversy after President Donald Trump intervened in the World Cup on behalf of Team USA. All eyes on Seattle where Team USA is set to play Team Belgium tonight in the World Cup round of 16. Team USA was prepared to play this match without one of its star strikers, Folarin Balogun. FIFA had suspended Balogun for reasons we'll explain in a moment.

But yesterday, FIFA surprisingly reversed course, meaning that Balogun is eligible to play for Team USA tonight. This reversal came shortly after President Trump called the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, and asked FIFA to review the decision. Today, President Trump described that phone call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: All I did was ask for a review. I didn't say you have to do this. I didn't think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled. I can't tell him what to do, but -- and I don't believe he made the decision. I think it was a committee that made the decision, and they made the right decision. We're going to have a full team and Belgium is going to have a full team.

And you know what? If they beat us, then they can be really proud. The other way, if they beat us, we'll say it was -- I say it was rigged just like the election was rigged in 2020.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: A lot to unpack there, starting with the fact that the 2020 election was, of course, not rigged. Donald Trump lost fair and square, and we're still talking about it six years later. So, let's look at how this all went down in the last day.

During Team USA's match against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday, Balogun stepped on an opponent's ankle. It looked like an accident, but his foot raked down on the defender's leg. Balogun was given a red card, sent off from the game, then FIFA pointed to a rule that stated he would also be suspended from the next match. There was no real mechanism for U.S. soccer to appeal.

But yesterday, after Trump called the FIFA president, Infantino, asking for FIFA to review the decision, FIFA postponed the one-match ban for a year, making Balogun eligible to play tonight. And hours later, Trump celebrated on Truth Social, writing, "Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!" -- unquote.

Now, many people in the soccer world do agree with the president and believe that the red card against the U.S. was a bad call, but you can also simultaneously think that the president of the United States getting involved is not a great idea either, and it is raising all sorts of questions about whether political interference played a role in FIFA's decision to reverse course. Infantino has spent years trying to get in Trump's good graces, not coincidentally. Remember the FIFA Peace Prize? Remember that? Created last year? Trump, of course, was the first recipient. Talk about a man who stands for nothing but peace. This followed his complaints about not getting the actual Nobel Peace Prize.

Infantino addressed his call with Trump in a long statement, writing -- quote -- "I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA's independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold" because there's nothing Infantino knows better than principles.

[17:05:05]

Today, FIFA denied an appeal from Belgium, saying Belgium is not a party to the proceedings because the decision happened during a game they were not playing in. The Belgium Federation slammed FIFA and the team's coach called this move a joke. It casts a pall over the whole thing, of course.

Let's discuss with Colby Hall. He's a media analyst and one of the founding editors of Mediaite. Also with us, Darren Lewis, president of the U.K. Sports Journalism Association. And Colby, let me start with the article, your title of your latest Substack. It's called "Trump Just Ruined the World Cup for Team USA." You say Trump's intervention puts team -- first of all, you agree it was a bad call.

COLBY HALL, MEDIA ANALYST, WRITER, CONSULTANT, FOUNDING EDITOR OF MEDIAITE: I do think it was a bad call.

TAPPER: But you said that Trump's intervention puts Team USA in an impossible position because if they win with Balogun on the field, people will not accept the win at face value. And some are even calling on foe Balogun to sit out tonight's game. Do you think he should sit it out?

HALL: No, he shouldn't. In fact, Balogun handled this beautifully on Friday. He spoke to the press and said, I don't agree with the call, but I accept the decision, and it's just a hardship that we'll have to face. And anyone that follows football or soccer knows that bad calls are part of it. And I think this is --

TAPPER: God's hand in that.

HALL: Exactly right. There's a long list of bad calls that teams have just had to live with. But, you know, this is the leader of the host nation putting his thumb on the scale. And I feel terrible for Team USA, who I'm cheering for and I want to win today. But now, they have an asterisk against any win that they have, and they don't deserve that. And the fact that President Trump literally got involved is unprecedented and really looks like cronyism and corruption. And the players of Team USA deserve much better than what Trump has provided for them.

TAPPER: And Darren, a source tells CNN that the red card actually triggered a full court press involving White House World Cup Task Force head, Andrew Giuliani, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and other Trump administration officials to lobby FIFA to overturn the suspension.

Is there any sort of precedent for this in major global sporting events and what are the future implications?

DARREN LEWIS, CNN SENIOR SPORTS ANALYST: Jake, we saw some things up so well just there, but there isn't any kind of precedent in professional football, certainly not in my time covering the game or in the last 60 years, especially for a world leader appearing to boast that they have intervened in a disciplinary process like this. I've watched you cover many moments like this, Jake, in a political arena where the president's interventions, shall we say, have sparked controversy and concern.

Well, they've sparked a flurry already of attempts to have other red cards overturned. England had one last night. They are appealing against that. France had won a yellow card, actually, for one of their star players, Michael Olise. They, too, are appealing that.

And that is the big problem with this decision because what they have done, they have opened the gates for all sorts of claims and people suggesting, well, you've done it for them, why can't you do it for us? And the entire bedrock of integrity that the game has been founded on, it's now under threat.

TAPPER: Yes. I mean -- and President Trump, we should note, Colby, doesn't have to say, do this. It's like the -- well, no one rid me of this turbulent red card kind of thing. You know, he makes it clear that he doesn't like something. And then it's just people out there know what to do, right? Let me -- let me --

HALL: It would be a real shame if something happened to that World Cup final of yours in New York.

(LAUGHTER)

TAPPER: Right.

HALL: That's going to be the same thing.

TAPPER: Yes. Donald from Queens, you're on the air. So, this is not the first time, we should note, that FIFA has delayed punishment for red card offenses. Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo was able to play his opening World Cup game because FIFA deferred two matches from a three-game ban he received in November. Couldn't someone point to that and say, look, this has happened before, maybe not with the influence of the most powerful leader in the world, but still?

HALL: Well, it's somewhat different because in this instance, President Trump openly boasted about getting involved, right? And also, this is in the middle of the World Cup and in the middle of the game. You know, the thing that drives me the most nuts is that there has been so much goodwill about America in this World Cup.

TAPPER: Yes.

HALL: It has been whether it's Lawrence, Kansas embracing Algeria or Scotland and Boston's love affair or these influencers going around --

TAPPER: Yes.

HALL: -- and you interviewed them like --

TAPPER: Yes.

HALL: -- discovering ranch salad dressing. And sadly, this has turned the world back against the USA because of Trump. And again, I go back to the Team USA doesn't deserve this animus. They didn't do anything wrong here. Neither did Folarin Balogun. It's the way that Infantino has revealed himself to be open to this naked corruption, whether it's Ronaldo or Balogun and Trump here.

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TAPPER: Darren, how do you think the fallout from Trump's intervention might be impacting the mindset the Team USA players have right now ahead of this huge match? I mean, I can't imagine that it wouldn't be in their craw.

LEWIS: Well, that's the sadness of this entire situation, you know, Jake, because the USA is so much better than the Belgians. I think they'd have won even without Balogun in there with their dynamism and their energy and their manager who's exceptionally in Cup competitions.

And how do I know? Well, I was on the beat here, his beat here in England, when he took Tottenham Hotspur from the Premier League to the final of the European Champions League final. And now, Colby says, if they do go on to win, they'll be recrimination, which is a real shame for the U.S.

TAPPER: Darren Lewis, Colby Hall, thanks so much for being here. Breaking news in the "National Lead," dangerous flash flooding in the northeast. See the terrifying moment when part of a roof of a store in New Jersey caved in. Plus, CNN on the ground in Iran for day three of funeral ceremonies for the former Iranian leader. Hear some of the extreme language heard from activists in the crowd. Stay with us.

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TAPPER: In the "National Lead," dramatic new video just in. Part of a roof collapsing at a BJ's wholesale club in New Jersey. The ceiling crumbling down inside the store, what appears to be the bakery department. Officials say 27 people were inside the building when the collapse happened, and two people were trapped for a time but that, thankfully, no one was seriously injured. This does come as severe weather, including flash flooding, is sweeping throughout the Northeastern United States. Topping our "World Lead," you're looking at mourners filling the streets of Tehran, Iran today for slain Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral. Many are vowing revenge for the US- Israeli airstrike in February that killed the ayatollah and his family. Images on state media show people ripping U.S. flags and throwing stones at images of President Trump.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen was in the boisterous crowd in Iran's capital. CNN operates in Iran only with the permission of the government, as is the case with all news media in Iran, but CNN maintains full editorial control of its reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is as close as you're going to get to the casket of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as several of his family members who were killed in that joint US-Israeli airstrike on February 28th. As you can see, as we stand here, the atmosphere is extremely charged up. Many of the people here, and it's a big, big crowd, are screaming "death to America," and they're vowing revenge, both against the United States as well as President Donald Trump and, of course, against Israel as well.

The government has certainly brought out people in force here. They say they expect several million people to come out on the streets and to witness this, as the casket is now making its way through Tehran, to then at some point be brought to other cities in Iran and Iraq and its final resting place in the east of Iraq, in Mashhad.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Thanks to Fred Pleitgen for that report. President Trump is just hours away from heading to the NATO summit in Turkey. Coming up next, how Russia's latest strikes on Ukraine renew major questions for the NATO alliance. Stay with us.

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TAPPER: In our "World Lead," in just a few hours, President Trump will board the new Qatar-supplied Air Force One, an unconditional $400 million gift from a foreign government, which he will likely keep for himself at the end of his term and about which no Republicans in Congress have any questions, apparently. Anyway, he'll board it and make his way to the NATO summit in Turkey.

The agenda is clear. Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine desperately needs more missiles to defend itself for its Patriot system after Russia evaded Ukraine's air defenses last night and pounded the Ukrainian capital with ballistic missiles, killing at least 21 people, including an entire family found dead buried under rubble.

CNN's Kristen Holmes is in Turkey's capital for us. And Kristen, Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin apparently spoke on the fourth of July?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And according to the Kremlin, it was an incredibly long conversation. Now, President Trump said that he offered to help Putin end the war, although it can't be told to me by any U.S. officials what exactly President Trump would or could commit to in this bilateral meeting that he's having with Zelenskyy. Now, here's how President Trump described at least part of the call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think we're getting much closer than people realize. And President Putin wants it to end, I will tell you that very strongly. Good call. And President Zelenskyy actually wants it to end now. And we're going to be going to NATO, and we're going to be talking about it. I think we're going to get it -- I think we're going to get it ended.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, this is something President Trump has been saying for some time. We talked to White House officials who said he understands the urgency. He wants to get this done. But again, I can't get any understanding as to what, if anything, President Trump would actually agree to in terms of aiding Ukraine. We know that's what these European countries are going to be pushing for during the summit.

TAPPER: Yes. And we should note that President Trump said he was going to end the Russia-Ukraine war on day one of his presidency, which is 532 days ago. So, everything is on schedule except 532 days late. This summit has the potential to be rather explosive, though. Kristen, tell us why.

HOLMES: Yes. I mean, Jake, President Trump said he doesn't even want to go. The only reason he's actually coming is because it's being hosted by Turkish President Erdogan and he considers him a friend. I was told that it was implied to his team by many different officials that it would be considered rude or inappropriate for him not to come. It would be kind of a shun to President Erdogan at a time when many believe that there is a good relationship between Turkey and the United States.

But it's not just that. There are so many other reasons. President Trump has continued in private to angrily blast NATO. And publicly, we've seen it spill out, saying they weren't there to help the United States during the war with Iran which, of course, is still ongoing. But there is a ceasefire. The European leaders have pushed back, saying they weren't given any heads up that there was a war even happening.

And then, of course, there is the Giorgia Meloni of it all, the prime minister of Italy, who President Trump said begged to take a photo with him during the G7. She denied that. And then he doubled down over the weekend, saying maybe he needed a restraining order against her. Obviously, another recipe for some pretty intense tension.

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TAPPER: All right. Kristen Holmes in Ankara, Turkey. thank you so much. And joining us now to discuss, former NATO ambassador, Nick Burns. Ambassador Burns, thanks for joining us. So, even if Ukraine secures more Patriot missiles at this NATO summit, that's not going to end the war. In your opinion, is the war any closer to ending now than it was after that failed Trump-Putin summit in Alaska?

NICHOLAS BURNS, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR, NATO: Jake, it doesn't seem to be and that's because President Putin is obsessed with a victory over Ukraine. Ukraine has gotten the better of him. It's interesting. Zelenskyy has cards. You'll remember in the Oval Office a year and a half ago, the president said, you don't have any cards. Well, he does. And that's Ukraine's extraordinarily effective use of drone technology to get at strike at Moscow, strike at St. Petersburg, strike at fuel depots.

But the problem Ukraine has, and Kristen was right to point it out, is that they don't have enough Patriot missiles to intercept those ballistic missiles that have been raining down on Kyiv and the other Ukrainian population centers.

And, you know, we ran down a lot, that supply of missiles in the Iran war, unfortunately. Obviously, we've got to build up our own stocks. But I think the number one customer on our list should be Ukraine because they're fighting for their lives and to protect innocent civilians. That's the number one issue at this NATO summit.

And I sure hope that President Trump will change course here and decide he's going to support the Ukrainians and the valiant Ukrainians and their valiant leader, Zelenskyy.

TAPPER: I'm sure you've seen this new reporting in "The Wall Street Journal" about Europe's fracture with the U.S., including details from a candid meeting between European leaders at the beginning of the year, where Belgium's prime minister said, according to "The Wall Street Journal," that Europe risks becoming a -- quote -- "miserable slave to the U.S." "The Wall Street Journal" continues -- quote -- "Hours passed as people talked over each other in a conversation with such seismic implications it seemed surreal: In its 250th year, had America, protector of Europe, now become a threat?" -- unquote.

What do you think, ambassador? Do you get the sense that European leaders have not only given up on the U.S., but they think that the United States is a threat to them?

BURNS: Well, you know, President Trump did threaten multiple times just this calendar year, earlier in the year, to invade Greenland, a NATO ally. Greenland is the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. And President Trump has also repeatedly questioned whether Canada should be a sovereign country. So, you can imagine what this has done to the bonds of trust. And, Jake, that's what NATO's really all about. I was there on 9-11 when we were hit hard. And the allies led by Canada and Denmark and Germany and Italy came to our defense on 9-11. We invoked Article 5 of the NATO Treaty for the first time ever to defend us. All those allies went into Afghanistan.

So, I think when they hear what the president is saying, when they see that the United States is actively considering drawing down our American troop presence in Europe at a time when President Putin is threatening Romania, Poland, the Baltic allies with drone technology of his own, this is a time for the United States to stand up with our allies. It's vital for us. It's not charity.

And I think it's interesting politically in Washington. The great majority of Republican members of the Senate and House support NATO. And it's President Trump that has veered us off course. This is an important summit for him to signal that we're going to stand with the Europeans this time.

TAPPER: Ambassador Nick Burns, thanks so much for your time. We really appreciate it. Coming up, troubling new claims made on the record, on T.V. against Maine's Democratic Senate nominee, Graham Platner. A woman who once dated him gave CNN, gave me an interview to tell her story. She says that Platner in 2021 raped her. Platner himself released a video statement vehemently denying the claims. The woman detailed her claims in a T.V. exclusive interview with me, however. Look for that, coming up. But first, the series of hearings that could set the stage for the trial of the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk. Stay with us.

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TAPPER: In our Law and Justice Lead, a multi-day preliminary hearing started in Utah today for a 23-year-old Tyler Robinson who's accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk last September at Utah Valley University. Kirk's parents were seen entering the courthouse today as well as his widow, Erika Kirk. She was there too face to face with Tyler Robinson for the very first time.

Over the next five days, prosecutors are expected to preview evidence against the 23-year-old as the judge considers whether there's enough evidence to send the case to trial. CNN's Nick Watt is outside the courthouse for us in Provo, Utah. Nick, what went down in court today?

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, it is a pretty snug courtroom. As you mentioned, just a couple of miles away from where Charlie Kirk was shot. And inside Erika Kirk, her family, Donald Trump Jr., his entourage, and of course, Tyler Robinson, the 23-year-old man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk. We are basically getting the prosecution putting forward evidence to persuade the judge that there's enough evidence to take this to a full trial.

Looks a bit like a trial today. You got witnesses, cross-examination. The first witness was a campus cop who was on duty that morning, heard the shot, saw Charlie Kirk's lump, and then found what he described as a sniper's pad on the roof where Tyler Robinson is believed to have been. He described that there's gravel on the roof and he saw indents where an elbow would have been, where a knee would have been, where a foot would have been for a sniper in a prone position ready to fire.

[17:35:10]

He also said he found a screwdriver nearby which the prosecution says has some DNA on it that ties it to Tyler Robinson. Basically you then have the defense at every turn playing defense, every even photograph that the prosecution wants to put into evidence to bolster their case. The defense is saying we object because we don't know for sure who exactly took this photograph and when it was taken. So that's been the rhythm and will I imagine be the rhythm for much of the week.

Now remember, there's a lot of evidence here. There were 3,000 people who saw Charlie Kirk shot. A lot of video, lot of witnesses, lot to go through. Jake?

TAPPER: And as we mentioned, this is a multiday hearing. Give us a preview of what we can expect to hear over the next few days.

WATT: Well, one of the things that we are all waiting for is a taped deposition of Charlie -- of Tyler Robinson's roommate slash romantic partner. There were messages before, during and after the incident that the prosecution basically say is tantamount to a confession. Just after the shooting, the roommate messaged Tyler Robinson and said, you weren't the one who did it, right? The reply came from Tyler Robinson. I am, I'm sorry. I had enough of his hate.

Tyler Robinson now facing death. The judge will decide end of this week or maybe he'll take a little bit more time to decide whether there's enough evidence to take this to a full trial and a jury. Jake?

TAPPER: All right, Nick Watt in Utah for us. Joining us now, CNN anchor and CNN chief legal analyst Laura Coates. And Laura, you've been diving into this case all day and you're going to be breaking it down for viewers on our all access platform all week. What were your biggest takeaways from day one of this hearing?

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: The number one question I keep getting from everyone is, why are we at this stage, wasn't there a grand jury? Well, actually in Utah they use this particular system as a way to try to figure out if there is probable cause. Normally you have a grand jury when a felony is involved and that grand jury will be convened and tell you if there's enough for the prosecution to go forward. In Utah it's different. It's this preliminary hearing.

So oddly enough, he hasn't even entered a plea of guilty or not guilty at this point in time. And that's why you've got this particular so called mini trial. How it's different however, is this is about probable cause, not beyond a reasonable doubt. They have to show sort of a 51 percent as opposed to beyond a reasonable doubt. And it's enough for the judge to be able to go forward with a trial. But they are getting quite a preview, aren't they? As Nick Watt has explained.

But they need not provide all the information they just enough to show that they believe that this particular defendant caused the death of Charlie Kirk.

TAPPER: The evidence presented this week is expected to include a videotape statement by Tyler Robinson's former roommate. Court documents describe the roommate as Robinson's romantic partner and "a biological male who was transitioning genders." Is part of this to show that Charlie Kirk's anti-trans rhetoric was part of the killer's motive?

COATES: Remember, motive is why someone did something. A prosecutor has to prove that they did something. But motive can be helpful in trying to build one's prosecution, albeit unnecessary to paint a bigger picture for the jurors to try to figure out, was there a plan? Was it intentional? The more you can show motive contextually, the more you can show this wasn't some sort of an accident. There was an intent. There was planned opportunities to do this.

And that videotaped deposition from the former roommate is going to be so critical not only of the probable cause, but if this were to go to a full blown trial and they were to have that evidence come in which expects to do so, it also shows the communication between the two, the equivalent of almost a confession by this defendant as he described the reasons why he had done so.

But ultimately, remember, the prosecution need not prove the motive. But it will be very instructive for people who are trying to understand the why. Not the least of which includes his family.

TAPPER: And former Utah Valley officer, Chris Bagley, testified today about an empty gun holster he found on the ground just moments after the shooting. Robinson's defense pressed him on that. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened to that holster?

CHRIS BAGLEY, FORMER UTAH VALLEY OFFICER: I have no idea.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you ever take custody of it?

BAGLEY: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you ever tell anyone else to take custody of it?

BAGLEY: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just left it on the grass?

BAGLEY: I did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was it ever fingerprinted to your knowledge?

BAGLEY: I have no idea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What do you make of that and the defense's cross examination as a whole?

COATES: So they're likely trying to avoid the death penalty, of course, they're also trying to undermine and chip away at the investigation that led to their client as the defendant in this matter. This is a very seasoned defense team. The lead counsel, of course, having been the head of the public defenders in Provo, San Diego, as well as Salt Lake City.

[17:40:12]

She's fresh off a very high-profile case of Kouri Richins, who is the mother who was accused and now convicted of having killed her husband and then writing a children's book. She is a very, very formidable defense attorney. But their whole defense is going to be about sloppy detective work, sloppy police work.

They're going to try to make the case -- claim, excuse me, that this so-called sniper pad was not a true investigative lead, and that what he found on the ground would be attached to a pistol. When that particular witness talked about having heard a rifle be used, they're going to have to present some DNA evidence throughout the duration of this preliminary hearing as well to connect the dots to this defendant.

TAPPER: All right, Laura Coates, thanks, thank you so much. I appreciate it. And as a former prosecutor, Laura, of course, has a unique perspective on the case. You can look for more coming up on her show, Laura Coates Live, tonight on CNN at 11:00 p.m. Eastern.

Coming up next, exactly who are these masked cowards cosplaying and marching through the streets of D.C. on the 4th of July, pretending to be tough guys. We'll tell you, coming up.

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[17:45:42]

TAPPER: In our Politics Lead, a shocking 4th of July image from Washington, D.C. this weekend. It's going viral. It's a black woman riding the metro alone, strong, amid a crowd of cowardly white masked men. That crowd was part of a group that calls itself the Patriot Front, though they're not patriots and they won't show their fronts.

One of America's most active white nationalist groups, hundreds of them marching in the nation's capital Saturday, injecting their brand of racist, anti-Semitic, xenophobic extremism into Independence Day celebrations. Let's bring in my panel. Jamal, Saturday's march was a large demonstration, and Metropolitan Police say the group's presence did not result in any incidents. What's your reaction to all this?

JAMAL SIMMONS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, Jake, it feels like the vibe right now makes this feel a little more expected. I mean, it's not as shocking as it may have been just a few years ago to have this happen. Obviously we had January 6th, we had Charlottesville, but this is -- this feels like something in today's Washington where the government is not really out to stop this kind of thing in a way it was just a few years ago.

TAPPER: So, Noah, I want to get your take on something that the Interior Secretary, Doug Burgum, told Dana Bash yesterday when she asked about this. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUG BURGUM, INTERIOR SECRETARY: In America, free speech is allowed, and this is by the whole spectrum of things. There are protests on the mall that people say things that I think are irreprehensible about President Trump, and yet they're allowed to go on because of free speech in our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Yes, we have free speech, but I think a lot of people were disappointed that Interior Secretary Burgum did not condemn the group and its anti-Semitic racist views.

NOAH ROTHMAN, SENIOR WRITER, NATIONAL REVIEW: This doesn't seem especially hard, and you're still protecting free speech even though you say that this is reprehensible speech that nevertheless needs to be protected. Nobody needs to protect speech that everybody appreciates. This group is anti-American explicitly. It says democracy has failed this great nation. It's also sort of anti-Republican, big R, Republican.

The masking, it seems like they had missed the debates on the right over the extent to which permissive masking.

TAPPER: Right.

ROTHMAN: Is licensed to engage in criminality? But these guys, they seem to revel in how apart they are from the mainstream conversation. I hope they enjoy how marginalized they've made themselves.

SIMMONS: You know, you can't be pro-white supremacy and pro-democracy at the same time. Things are in direct conflict.

TAPPER: They explicitly want a white ethno-state. I mean, that's what they call for. So let's turn to politics more specifically. The Democratic Senate primary in Michigan got a little bit more intense. On Sunday, Mallory McMorrow dropped out, narrowing the field to two. It's a must-win seat for Democrats. Voters -- Democratic voters will now decide between Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens, more of an establishment figure, and former state health official Dr. Abdul El- Sayed. He's a candidate running from the Bernie Sanders wing of the party.

Does El-Sayed have a chance, a better chance of beating the Republican, the likely Republican nominee, former Congressman Mike Rogers? What do you think, Jamal?

SIMMONS: Well, it's a two-stage process, right? I'm on the phone with some of my friends. I'm from Michigan. Some of my friends who are working in the state right now in politics. El-Sayed does have the momentum on the ground when it comes to activists. However, Haley Stevens does have the money and the attention and the ability to now garner support. McMorrow hasn't endorsed anybody, so her supporters are still out there. So we don't know exactly which way they'll go. As one person told me today, it's a jump ball to see what will happen.

Against Mike Rogers, this could be the state, I will say this as a Democrat, this could be the state that surprises the country. You could end up having Mike Rogers win the Senate race in Michigan and Sherrod Brown win the Senate race in Ohio. Like we could end up seeing something very different happen on Election Day than maybe many people suspected six months ago.

TAPPER: How do you see the race, the Democratic Senate, specifically the primary?

ROTHMAN: Yes, so "The New York Times" alleged, not me, "The New York Times" alleged that when the bottom really fell out for McMorrow, who was a rising star in Democratic politics when resistance was the name of the game, fell out when she criticized El-Sayed for campaigning with Hasan Piker, an influencer who has specialized in saying inflammatory things like accusing one anti-Hamas individual of being a pig dog, of saying that the United States deserves 9/11, of saying that he prefers Hamas over Israel, et cetera, et cetera.

[17:49:59]

She tepidly criticized that, and that was where the bottom falls out, which is why it doesn't matter to me that McMorrow is out of this race. The problem is within the Democratic Party's primary electorate. This is what they want. This is what they're going to get. And coupled with the news that we're getting from Maine, it seems like the Democratic primary voters are subordinating what they understand to be good sense and character in order to elevate individuals who channel their passions, and that's a big mistake.

SIMMONS: Well, actually, that's going around, right? The Republicans have been doing that for about a decade. The question now is, people don't trust the establishment. They don't trust the institutions. So for those Democrats who are more establishment Democrats, they need to listen to this. They need to figure out how they can become more vociferous argumenters for the outsider's view about changing the establishment and changing the institutions with policies that fit more inside of the kind of 40 or 35-yard lines of Democratic politics, small-D, Democratic politics, where we can all agree.

And we don't yet see, I think, the more establishment, centrist Democrats having that kind of a voice where they put their chest in it a little bit about taking on the institutions.

TAPPER: Do you think that Mike Rogers, assuming he becomes a Republican nominee, will have an easier time beating one of these Democrats more than the other?

ROTHMAN: I think he'll have a marginally easier time against El- Sayed's candidacy. That is not to say that this is a year that's going to favor Republicans, and it's definitely a swing seat that could go either way. But if Mike Rogers' campaign was choosing the candidate that they would go up against, it would not be the establishmentarian Democrat who's won competitive races and competitive districts before.

It would be the outsider who's not really very well vetted, who has a tension for saying things that are inflammatory, that enliven a very narrow sliver of the electorate, passionately committed supporters, nevertheless turns off other elements of the electorate. So yes, Mike Rogers is going to have a better time against El-Sayed, marginally.

TAPPER: Do you disagree?

SIMMONS: I think it's a weird year. I think it's a weird year. And we don't know how any of these things sort out. The anti-Trump fervor that exists is very big. The price problems that people are having where they can't afford their day-to-day lives, that is very significant. We just don't know how this is going to turn out on Election Day. But I will tell you, Michigan is in play. And anybody who thinks that this is something Democrats are going to be able to win should pay more attention to what's happening on the ground.

TAPPER: Do you think in any way, Noah, that President Trump, for instance, having dinner with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes, has set precedents where Dr. El-Sayed, I'm not comparing Hasan Piker to Nick Fuentes, but they're both controversial and polarizing, that it kind of has just changed the way that people look at these things?

ROTHMAN: It's possible not to defend the President's conduct, because I think he has a tendency to, again, subordinate that kind of discretion to anybody who flashes a smile at him or bats her eyes at him. That's not something that lends itself to steady leadership. However, I don't think Democrats are modeling themselves on anything the President has done, or saying that the President has given us some kind of permission structure to be our worst selves. They wouldn't admit that to themselves, nor would they, I think, behave that way in public.

What they're responding to is organic enthusiasm from their base voters that all of us can see, that all of us can sense in the water. It's not something that, I don't know if they can thread the needle that you're describing. How is Chuck Schumer going to say, well, we need robust policies that channel progressive enthusiasm, when what voters want is somebody who's going to attack Israeli supporters in anti-Semitic terms, who's going to say, this is what Hasan Piker did, this is what "The New York Times" said, the bottom fell out of Macron's campaign.

SIMMONS: I don't think that that's the issue in this particular race. I think the questions are about the cost questions, taking on the establishment. And yes, it is a problem that they also have these anti-Israeli, or in some interpret, anti-Semitic views. That is a problem. But for the most part, Democrats just want somebody who's going to take on the establishment and mix things up in Washington.

TAPPER: Yes. I mean, I think you guys disagree. You see the same phenomena. You say they're doing it despite it, and you're saying they're doing it because of it. Thanks to both you. Appreciate it. [17:53:51]

Coming up next, an important T.V. exclusive. Earlier today in Maine, I spoke with a woman coming forward with brand new, incredibly disturbing claims on the record against Maine Democratic Senate candidate, Graham Platner. She says that Graham Platner raped her in 2021. It's much more than this woman has said before. And Platner is responding, releasing his own new statement. He vehemently denies the claim. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Our Pop Culture Lead now, new pictures coming in from the wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, giving us a glimpse of the star studded affair. Let's bring in CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister. Elizabeth, tell us more. What can you show us?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right. So as you know, Jake, this event was shrouded in secrecy. Only Taylor Swift can have an event at Madison Square Garden and keep all eyes out. But here are some new photos. As you see, this looks like a red carpet that was constructed from everything we hear. You couldn't even imagine that this was Madison Square Garden when you walked in.

This is where the guests arrived. Now, why were they able to get a photo? Because there was a strict no cell phone policy. Well, Jake, let's zoom in. Look at the top of this staircase and you will see this is actually where the guests and we're talking some of the biggest A- listers from Jennifer Lopez to Brad Pitt, they all had to check in their phones here and give them up, which is why we didn't see many pictures from the night.

But we also have our first look at the flowers. One of the wedding guests who is a sister of one of the Chiefs players, there she is. She claims that she actually caught the bouquet. That's quite a moment to catch Taylor Swift's bouquet. And you see they're very understated, whimsical, white and pink flowers. We hear that Madison Square Garden was transformed into essentially a fairy tale garden party.

And then guests were given a gift. They were given handkerchiefs. I believe we have a photo and you see the handkerchiefs. There's actually one of her song lyrics and it says the dates. So obviously we're waiting for more to come from this, Jake. The big picture is when are Taylor and Travis going to share their first wedding photo? I am dying to see the dress.

[18:00:01]

TAPPER: All right, Elizabeth Wagmeister thanks so much.