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Fed Chair to Speak to ECB; Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) is Interviewed about Anti-Semitic Attacks; Evan Handler is Interviewed about "And Just Like That." Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired July 01, 2025 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:31:41]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, any moment now Fed Chair Jerome Powell will speak to a European Central Bank panel. This a day after President Trump publicly criticized him with a handwritten letter chastising him for keeping interest rates higher than dozens of other countries. It's really the latest attack by the president, who's called Powell a fool and a numskull for not lowering rates.

CNN's Matt Egan is with us now.

So, this is sort of like a new twist to what the president's attacking.

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, it -- it is. And look, I mean the White House is intensifying their pressure on the Federal Reserve and broadening out that attack beyond just Fed Chair Jerome Powell to include the entire board. And so, Trump went so far as to write that handwritten note to Powell yesterday, arguing that Powell is costing America a fortune by keeping interest rates too high. That message included a list of 34 global central banks that have lower interest rates than the Fed. And Trump argued that the U.S. should be at just 1 percent interest instead of 4.5 percent. So, much, much lower.

He also posted a note on Truth Social, and he said that "Jerome 'Too Late' Powell, and his entire board, should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen to the United States." "The board just sits there and watches, so they are equally to blame."

And it's not shocking that Trump is attacking Powell, right? He's been doing that on deeply personal terms all year using some names that if my kids said them, they'd probably be in a time-out, right? But he's also now attacking the broader Fed board. And this is the most extensive comments he's made to date about Powell's colleagues.

And it's noteworthy because this is a consensus driven organization. Powell, he takes the questions, he takes all the heat, but there are a number of different officials, there's seven officials in total that sit on the board. Five other Fed officials who vote on interest rates. And they spoke unanimously in June by refusing to cut interest rates and keeping them steady because they are concerned about what Trump's tariffs are going to do to inflation.

But, you know, it's not just Trump. Some other officials in the administration are also taking aim at the Fed. Take a listen to what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said yesterday.

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SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY: We have seen no inflation from tariffs. If we do, which we don't have to, then there'd be a one-time price adjustment. Nothing is more transitory than that. So, you know, team transitory, having failed the American people in '22, they seem a little frozen at -- at the wheel here.

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EGAN: Now, economists, they do think that the inflation rate is going to start to go up because of tariffs. And Powell, he's noted that some goods, electronics, computers, have gone up in prices likely because of tariffs.

I should note that the market is only pricing in a very low chance of a rate cut at the next meeting in July. Just a 19 percent chance. But there is growing confidence that the Fed is going to be able to start cutting interest rates at the meeting after that in September, but we have to wait and see. And you can imagine that the president is going to continue this criticism of the Fed.

BERMAN: Yes, you can bet on that. All right, Matt Egan, great to see you. Thank you very much.

EGAN: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, it's been one month to the day since that anti-Semitic firebomb attack on a peaceful gathering in Boulder, Colorado. And we've now learned an 82-year-old woman has died from her injuries. The first death in that attack.

[09:35:01]

The governor of Colorado joins us next.

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BOLDUAN: Tragedy in Colorado. One of the victims of the anti-Semitic firebomb attack in Boulder last month has now died. The first death from that attack. The DA's office says that 82-year-old Karen Diamond died as a result of the severe injuries that she suffered. Prosecutors say now charges against the suspect, a 45-year-old man from Egypt, will now include first-degree murder. He is facing more than 100 charges after allegedly attacking a peaceful gathering of people just showing support for the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

[09:40:04]

Joining us right now is the Democratic governor of Colorado, Jared Polis.

Governor, thank you for being here.

That peaceful gathering that turned into such a horrible tragedy was exactly one month ago today. And now Karen Diamond has been -- had been fighting for her life ever since. What does this death do to the community now, mean for the community now, and what do you think should happen to this man accused?

GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): Well, first, condolences to the family, the loved ones of Karen Diamond. What a -- what a horrific anti-Semitic attack. The other survivors, recovering. I've talked to some and met with some.

This has been tough on the Jewish community, not just in Colorado, but -- but nationally because people want to feel safe in our neighborhoods, in our communities. I'm very proud to say that the Boulder community, just the weekend after this terrorist attack, was able to pull off their most successful Jewish festival in downtown Boulder ever, with more than double the normal attendance. So, there's a lot of resilience here as well, as we find that message of hope out of these horrific anti-Semitic acts.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And now he will be facing, in addition to everything else, a first degree murder charge as well. I know you will be -- everyone will be watching the wheels of justice moving as he faces that.

If I could -- one of the things that we've been watching all throughout the morning --

POLIS: Yes --

BOLDUAN: Go ahead, Governor.

POLIS: Yes, I was going to say, there's enough charges to make sure that he, you know, never sees the light of day there with -- when you can't -- you know, when you take Molotov cocktails and flamethrowers and attack people in a mall, you're going away for a long time.

BOLDUAN: And caught on video in multiple -- from multiple angles as well.

One of the things we've been watching all throughout, well, the night and the morning is the Senate debate over the president's mega bill. You have been very outspoken in fighting against, especially what the Medicaid cuts and provisions mean for your state. The analysis that came out about the Senate bill is that it's going to cost more, add more to the deficit, and leave more people without health insurance than the House version.

What's your view on where this is headed?

POLIS: Well, as you indicated, balloons the deficit and fiscal irresponsibility like never seen before at the national level, throws millions of people off of health care. But just as perniciously, it raises health care costs for everybody who buys insurance commercially because when you throw that many people off their insurance, their cost of care, the uncompensated costs, since they no longer have an insurer, is passed along to those of us who have to pay for insurance.

So, this is a disaster in the making. I really hope that they start fresh and create a better product that actually reduces the deficit and doesn't throw people off health care.

BOLDUAN: We will see. We're watching it as we speak.

One change that the Senate actually passed this morning in an amendment is it strike -- it strikes the language that was in the bill that would have blocked states from enforcing their own A.I. regulation for ten years. Top A.I. execs wanted that moratorium in place because they think the patchwork of state regs they would be facing means that the industry would get buried under 50 different rule -- rulebooks, if you will. Colorado helped lead the way in fighting this moratorium. Why is that, Governor? How important is this, the outcome of this?

POLIS: Well, I was hoping to see some kind of moratorium, whether it was two years, five years, ten years, because these issues need to be dealt with nationally. You can just imagine the chaos it would create if different products couldn't be sold in these states without these different labels.

A.I. is embedded in so many things. It has to be regulated by the United States Congress. You effectively, in the real world, can't have all these different versions of products that are embedded in everything. It could be from your television, to your alarm clock, to your -- to your Rumba that might be cleaning your floor. And we have to figure out how to do this nationally, just as the EU has done this nationally.

BOLDUAN: But do you trust -- I mean, you -- you were -- you were once there and you know how slow Congress can act when it comes to how fast technology advances and how slow Congress acts to regulate it. Do you really trust that they -- they can get ahead of this in the right way?

POLIS: Well, they -- they have to. It's not a -- it's not a -- it's not a "if they" it's a -- it's a "when." And I do think that's why a shorter moratorium, five years, two years, would certainly be better than ten because Congress functions best under deadlines. They did it with intellectual property with the digital millennial property -- property -- Digital Millennium Copyright Act, that DMCA, that allows all of the great content sites to -- to operate YouTube, so many others. And they need to do it, of course, with A.I., which is really embedded in so many products.

So, we need a national system for doing this. A state-by-state patchwork is bad for consumers.

BOLDUAN: What do you think of the -- the resurgence of the Elon Musk, Donald Trump fight? Now Elon Musk is threatening that any Republican or any lawmaker, I guess, who would -- who votes and votes for it, "they'll lose their primary next year if it is the last thing that I do."

And now President Trump, this morning, has literally basically said, I'm going to maybe like sic DOGE on him to look at the subsidies that he's getting.

[09:40:10]

I mean, from the outside looking in, what do you see -- what do you see in this feud?

POLIS: I see, get your popcorn, folks. You know, this is -- this is some interesting stuff. But I -- Elon Musk absolutely has a point that originally, of course, some of the Republicans set out to reduce the deficit. Instead, they're increasing the deficit more than ever before, leading to greater national debt than ever before. That's the main issue he's been fixated on.

I agree with him on that issue. I think there should be a federal balanced budget amendment. We, at the state level, balance our budgets every year. We make the cuts when we need to. The federal government is going further and further out of balance, indebting ourselves and a future generation.

So, on this particular issue, Elon Musk is right. I hope that Congress heeds his call.

BOLDUAN: We will see. Hope springs eternal, I guess.

Governor, thank you very much for your time today.

John.

BERMAN: And get your Roomba, according to the governor there.

BOLDUAN: Watch -- protect your Roomba at all costs.

BERMAN: Protect your Roomba.

All right, just a short time ago, as Kate just said, President Trump threatened that DOGE could eat Elon Musk. Musk replied, it's so, so tempting to escalate their feud. What happens next, as we may be seeing new signs, as in the last few minutes, that the president's sweeping domestic agenda might pass through a stalled Senate.

Also, "And Just Like That" star of the hit HBO show joins us next.

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[09:50:58]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, and just like that, they're back, Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte. And now Lisa and Seema are handling new revelations and fresh drama in the third season of the "Sex and the City" sequel "And Just Like That." A note, CNN and HBO Max share the same parent company.

Here's a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are all the same?

EVAN HANDLER, "HARRY GOLDENBLATT" ON "AND JUST LIKE THAT": Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Harry. Harry! Harry!

HANDLER: Ah, hi, honey. What -- what -- what are you doing here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm buying Lily a "life isn't over" gift. What are you doing here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Harry.

HANDLER: Oh, boy. Oh, boy, oh, boy, oh, boy, oh, boy, oh, boy. Ah, I did not want you two to ever meet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, Harry, do you want to tell her or should I.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me what? And bear in mind, I cannot hear any more bad news.

HANDLER: Bonnie is my personal shopper. She picks out all your gifts. Birthdays, anniversaries, Hanukkah. Bonnie, I would like you to meet your wife, Charlotte.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, hello.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: And there you have it, the nervousness.

Joining me now is one of the stars of the show, Evan Handler, who plays Charlotte's husband, Harry, as you heard, Harry, Harry, Harry, what are you up to?

First of all --

EVAN HANDLER, "HARRY GOLDENBLATT" ON "AND JUST LIKE THAT": If you're going to keep a secret from your wife, let the worst of them be that you have a personal shopper who buys all their gifts.

SIDNER: A personal shopper. I mean --

HANDLER: Yes.

SIDNER: Fashion has been a big part of this show.

HANDLER: Sure.

SIDNER: Is it still?

HANDLER: I think more than ever. Yes. If -- if you see some of the outfits, see them strolling around Manhattan doing casual things in couture --

SIDNER: Yes.

HANDLER: Designer. Harry, however, is usually not a part of that. I -- I have pretty -- I wouldn't say drab. They're fine suits. But it tends to be pretty much a suits or a little home leisure wear.

SIDNER: Understand it. Now you have a personal shopper, so maybe those things will change.

Charlotte and Harry are one of the most well-known, most beloved. A lot of people say goals. You have couple goals. They look at you -- you as a -- as a real couple in the series.

Give us a taste, though, of how things have evolved for this couple.

HANDLER: Well, you know, they came together in such an unusual way. Charlotte, I think, was set up as the woman with the most rigid sense of what a man should be and what her man would have to be like. And I think it was a brilliant choice on behalf of the writers to bring on Harry, who didn't fit most of those. And to see how she was able to adjust or not, to a man who was, in his heart and behavior everything she wanted, but maybe not in appearance and -- and -- and accouterments.

So -- and -- and -- and you -- you got to see her value system at work. And I think they've been able to endure for those very same reasons. Yes.

SIDNER: How have all the characters -- this is putting a lot on you this morning, I know you've flown in from London.

HANDLER: No, I can handle it. I'll speak for all men. I'll speak for all television characters. Anything you need. I'll -- I'll --

SIDNER: Excellent.

HANDLER: I'll speak on behalf of the women. Just, you know, whatever -- whatever you want me to.

SIDNER: How different are the characters? They are now in their 50s and 60s in this sort of follow up to -- to "Sex and the City," where they're in their 20s and 30s and you sort of see them progress.

HANDLER: Well, I think one of the interesting things about "And Just Like That" is that it's -- it's a different show. I mean you had this 22 minute, very fast, snappy sitcom and now you have a 44 minute dramedy that brings a lot of different things into play, a lot of different tone, a lot of different scenes, new characters. So, I just don't -- they're the same characters, but it's not the same show. So, I think it's a different view and -- and -- and a kind of broader palette of -- of their lives.

Obviously, with age coming into play and -- and the -- the issues from being in their 30s and just wanting to find partners to age, illness, lost relationships, raising kids, all that sort of stuff. SIDNER: I do want to ask you about the controversy. There's always

controversy, right? But there's some controversy swirling around this. Some people don't like it. Some people are complaining about this, that and the other. But you've gotten renewed for a second season, so clearly the viewership is there.

How do you deal with it?

[09:55:01]

HANDLER: Well, the third season is now airing. We --

SIDNER: Yes.

HANDLER: I don't know if there will be a fourth.

SIDNER: How do you deal with -- with seeing some of that come at you?

HANDLER: The way I deal with the controversies, I stay out of it, and I keep my mouth shut. But that's something I've learned over time.

SIDNER: You know, John Berman is a -- is coming into view. I can --

HANDLER: It's a ladies show. It's for the ladies. And I'm along for the ride. That's --

SIDNER: I can hear him coming into the show going, that's a great idea. I think I shall also try that.

HANDLER: It's a good line. I've never used it before but --

BERMAN: Well, duh, that's good advice.

BOLDUAN: Let it apply. That's probably the key to a good marriage.

HANDLER: Michael Patrick King is going to be very proud of me for (INAUDIBLE).

SIDNER: It is very impressive.

Just lastly, your character is going through something really serious on the show, prostate cancer. Three hundred and thirteen thousand people, the American Cancer Society says, will be experiencing that this year alone.

HANDLER: Right. Right.

SIDNER: What -- what is your message and -- and how did you play that part of your --

HANDLER: I -- my message is my own personal story, which you're probably familiar with. My -- I had acute leukemia, which was considered incurable when I was 24 years old.

But as far as the show and Harry, again, this is a show about three women, you know, and -- and -- and I don't -- I don't think the show is going to go in the direction of -- of delving deeply into Harry's medical journey. It's going to be more about, how does this affect a couple? How does this affect a woman whose partner has asked her not to tell anyone? What -- what -- what are the implications for a relationship when someone makes a request like that, which is reasonable on his part, but may be untenable for -- for the partner.

And these are all the things when you mentioned the hundreds of thousands of people dealing with it and any diagnosis --

SIDNER: Yes.

HANDLER: These are the things that come up, just as all kinds of things come up in any long term relationship. And I think that's what the show means to explore is -- is -- is those kinds of things for the people who have watched these characters for so long and --

BOLDUAN: I mean, I feel like you and I have had a long-term relationship. It's like --

SIDNER: That's the thing.

BOLDUAN: That's how -- how long --

SIDNER: You feel it's a million (ph).

HANDLER: It's about how long a lot of my relationships were until I met my wife. You know, I feel like we're at a bar already. I want to be here and I want to really get into it now. We can --

BOLDUAN: Let's do it. It would make our show even better.

SIDNER: We're ready, I think.

Evan Handler, thank you so much. Harry, Harry, Harry.

HANDLER: Thank you.

BERMAN: They were all for Harry's story, by the way.

SIDNER: Yes, we are.

BERMAN: The spinoff.

Appreciate it.

All right, thank you all for joining us today. Of course, don't miss "And Just Like That." This has been CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "THE SITUATION ROOM," up next.

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