Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Trump Demands $500 Million from Harvard; Cabinet Meeting Turns into Praise Fest; Angie Peacock is Interviewed about the Burning Man Festival; Donell Harvin is Interviewed about Shooting Hoaxes. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired August 27, 2025 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:31:43]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, President Trump making it clear he's not looking to negotiate, calling on Harvard to pay $500 million to get its federal funding back. Here's what he told his education secretary, Linda McMahon, at yesterday's cabinet meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We want nothing less than $500 million from Harvard. Don't negotiate, Linda.

LINDA McMahon, EDUCATION SECRETARY: All right.

TRUMP: They've been -- they've been very bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CNN's Betsy Klein joining us now from Washington.

So, Betsy, where do things stand right now for Harvard?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly very telling comments there, Erica. And President Trump laying out his terms as he calls on Harvard to pay up $500 million to restore their federal funding.

Now, the Trump administration has argued that this is about cracking down on anti-Semitism on college campuses across the country. But Harvard, so far, has been the only school to fire back in court. And so it has really become the epicenter of a much broader fight over academic freedom, campus oversight, as well as federal funding.

And Harvard has been one of the Trump administration's biggest targets. Finding an agreement between these two parties has so far proven so elusive.

But in the meantime, the Trump administration top officials finding new and creative ways to put pressure on the school, including by targeting patents.

I want you to listen to comments from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick at yesterday's cabinet meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD LUTNICK, COMMERCE SECRETARY: I mean we just have a blast, you know, because Linda's hitting Harvard and -- and she says, what can we do? And now we send them a patent letter and we'll hit them again. So, we're having fun together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Now, this also comes as we are waiting on a federal judge in Boston to issue a ruling on Harvard's effort to restore its federal funding. Harvard has asked for a ruling by September 3rd, an expedited ruling, because it says that that is the date when some of these cuts to their research will be made more permanent.

And also, all of this comes as the Trump administration has secured deals with other schools, like Columbia, paying the U.S. Treasury $200 million, as well as Brown University offering $50 million to Rhode Island workforce development organizations.

It also comes as negotiations continue with Cornell and Northwestern Universities. And the Trump administration is seeking a whopping $1 billion from UCLA. That is something that the school's leadership say -- says will devastate that university, Erica.

HILL: Betsy, appreciate it. Thank you.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, this morning, a new record, we believe, for the longest White House cabinet meeting ever. And much of the time devoted to round robin soliloquies of praise for the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's an honor to do this job under the president's leadership.

STEVE WITKOFF, SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE MIDDLE EAST AND RUSSIA: You are the single finest candidate since the Noble Peace -- this noble award was ever talked about.

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Thank you for your leadership, for your boldness, for your clarity, for common sense.

TULSI GABBARD, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: This is just such a great opportunity, really, to recognize your leadership.

SEAN DUFFY, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: It's pretty great to celebrate Labor Day with -- with a builder who loves labor.

SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY: You have saved this country by making it the best place in the world to do business again. LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER, LABOR SECRETARY: You are really the

transformational president of the American worker, along with the American flag and President Roosevelt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:35:02]

BERMAN: And honestly, that could have been much longer. We could have put even more in there.

With us now, CNN political commentator Alyssa Farah Griffin and former chief of staff to then Vice President Mike Pence, Marc Short.

Marc, you -- you guys were both in the White House during the first administration. Why do cabinet officials feel like they have to do this when they go into a meeting? Why?

MARC SHORT, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: I don't know why that, John. I do think we focus a lot on sort of the flattery that they're giving the president. But I don't think we focus enough on how much the president understands ratings and how many actual networks covered his whole cabinet meeting for an inordinate amount of time. And so, he keeps driving attention to himself, which -- which I think is -- he's actually really smart at.

BERMAN: I get it, but, Alyssa, you know, what do these -- and you -- I'm sure you've talked to some of them, these people who go out and say these things in this meeting, how do they feel about it afterwards?

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean, I can't speak to this particular cabinet and how they feel. But listen, I do think Marc makes a really important point here, which Donald Trump is the executive producer and president. This is somebody who's thinking about how what he's doing plays on TV. And he wants to juxtapose himself to the previous administration where he and his team made a lot of criticisms. They were -- you know, you didn't know where they were. Biden was in the basement. What are they doing? He makes it a point to be seen virtually every day. You can't get away from Donald Trump if you're an American, for better or worse.

And so, I think showing this full cabinet meeting and showing people telling what a good job he's doing, he sees it as effective.

Listen, it's definitely not going to be for his opponents, but I think there's a lot of people who tune in who think this is a president who's getting things done, and this is a cabinet who supports him.

BERMAN: So, again, it was on for a long time yesterday. They talked about a lot. One thing they didn't talk about was a -- it was a fairly sizable announcement the president seemed to make out of the blue overnight, which is that he's talking with Congress about a new crime bill, Alyssa. And we've got no details about this, but talk to us about what he sees here as a potential opportunity. GRIFFIN: So, listen, I think ahead of the 2026 midterms, Donald Trump

has clearly set up crime as a top issue. In the past he's outperformed Democrats by being perceived as tough on crime. I think that's why he's picking fights with some of the most prominent Democrats in the country, Gavin Newsom, J.B. Pritzker, Wes Moore. Also a lot of 2028 contenders, frankly. He wants Democrats to be arguing there is no crime problem in America's major cities, and he's going to be saying, we're Republicans, we're showing up and we're trying to do something.

Now, how we do that, whether -- whether we federalize the National Guard, I think there's a real debate to be had about that. But I also think this decision that he's going in front of Congress speaks to the fact that he cannot just indefinitely deploy the National Guard in American cities. He's going to have to do some kind of congressional action. And what it will look like is an open question.

He's walked away from the police reform bill that he did in his first term. This may look very different. It may be a lot more about the heavy-handing of police. And that may be what his base wants. But, really, I don't think there are any details at this point.

BERMAN: You say he can't do more with the National Guard. I'm not sure he agrees with you. I think he thinks he can do a lot more with the National Guard around the country.

She brought up -- Alyssa brought up Wes Moore, the governor of Maryland. Marc. I want to play a little bit of how Governor Moore responded to some of the things the president said. He was on last night with Kaitlan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. WES MOORE (D-MD): The president seems to be obsessed with me. You know, today he called me a "beauty." And when I first met him, he just talked about how I was a good-looking guy. And now he just continues to make -- make -- make statements that are just flat out false about our state's largest city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, what about that from a political perspective? I mean, Wes Moore, clearly someone who may have national aspirations here. And we're seeing other Democrats sort of handle it the same way.

SHORT: I think for -- for them, for him, for Gavin Newsom, it's great to have Donald Trump as a foil. And for Donald Trump, it's great to have them as a foil. I think they both understand it lifts them up to have Donald Trump as their -- their nemesis and their target.

But look, there's -- there's not going to be a comprehensive crime bill. We have a one seat margin in the House. The reality is that we have had one real piece of legislation so far this entire year. They're going to be focused on trying to keep the government funded. But it's great politics for the president because he puts the Democrats on the defensive, he puts the Democrats saying, we actually don't want a crime bill. We actually say that D.C. and Chicago are safe. And so, it's a great juxtaposition for the president to have the Democrats double down and say they don't want a crime bill if he announces he's going to try to push one through.

BERMAN: So, you say there's not going to be a crime bill. You say there's been one big piece of legislation.

What the president was, until I guess yesterday, calling the big, beautiful bill, inside this cabinet meeting, I don't think we have the sound right now, but he basically said that name is gone. Really? Because it hasn't -- hasn't landed with the American people. What is it out there -- when President Trump acknowledges that something needs to be called or sold differently, there -- he must be seeing something there. What is it you think he's seeing?

SHORT: He probably is. I mean he's great at the marketing side of it. But I actually think also, John, that the labor market continues to soften. And I think that that's really more an impact of his trade agenda than the one big, beautiful bill.

[08:40:04]

But regardless, I think there's concern inside the White House about the economic numbers they see coming out the second half of this year. And so, let's talk about DEI. Let's talk about crime. Let's talk about the things that, you know, divide us and basically put Republicans, give them an upper hand against Democrats.

BERMAN: Alyssa, what about that? What about -- I guess we're going to get jobs numbers next week. Whether or not the administration believes them is a, you know, a different story. But what if there is increasing softening in the economy, in the jobs market? What do you think the president will lean into more?

GRIFFIN: Yes, that's the biggest challenge that the -- that the White House is facing at this point. Listen, the economy is not where it should be. I think there's a reason, to Marc's point, that there's been a focus on other issues leaning into border enforcement, leaning into crime issues he did run on, and that are top issues for him.

But as a result of the tariffs, you saw some of these earnings calls from last quarter. Businesses are not where they should be. They're not hiring more. They're not hiring more Americans. They're not making long term investment plans. And that's kind of the opposite of what Trump was running on, which is just rebuilding this heart of American manufacturing. So, it's a real issue.

I also think it's why he continues to bring up firing Jerome Powell, the Fed chair. I think he needs a foil. He needs somebody that he can blame sort of the sluggish economy on. So, I think it could be any number of issues that he's going to focus on in the meantime. But the economy is one of the top issues voters trusted him on. And I think he owes it to the public to show that he's got a plan and that the indications we're seeing are something that are reversible and he's able to take some steps to improve the course that the country is on, because it's not where we should be. BERMAN: Marc Short, Alyssa Farah Griffin, thanks for letting me join

in on this like 2017 reunion, a reunion of the 2017 Vice President Mike Pence office there. It's been fun for me. Appreciate it.

Erica.

HILL: The parents -- the parents of a missing seven-month-old boy in southern California are now charged with murder. More than a week ago the mother told authorities her child was kidnaped when she was changing his diaper outside of a store, but officials say that is just not true. The boy has still not been found. Authorities do believe he's dead. The couple has also been charged with filing a false police report.

Grammy Award winner Cardi B testifying in the civil assault trial against her in Los Angeles. The rapper is being sued by a security guard who claims that Cardi physically assaulted her at a doctor's office in 2018. Cardi B denies touching her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARDI B, GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING RAPPER: You're recording me. Now you're following me. Like, back up. And she's like, I can do what I want. It's like, no you can't. Like, you can't do whatever -- you can't do what you want. And that's when we started arguing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Cardi B claims the security guard was recording her, as you just heard, when she went into the doctor's office. And that recording was happening without her consent. The rapper was pregnant at the time.

New this morning, Bruce Willis' wife sharing an update on the actor's health as he continues his battle with dementia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMA HEMING, BRUCE WILLIS' WIFE: Bruce is still very mobile. Bruce was in really great health overall, you know, it's just his brain that is failing him.

DIANE SAWYER, ABC NEWS: But the language is --

HEMING: Yes, the language is going. And, you know, we've learned to adapt and we have a way of communicating with him, which is just -- just a different -- a different way.

SAWYER: Were there days that would he -- it would be Bruce again?

HEMING: Yes. I mean we still get those days. Not days, but we get moments.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: In 2022 it was announced Willis would be stepping away from acting due to cognitive issues after he was diagnosed with a brain disorder affecting communication.

Well, toss the tomatoes here. The 80th annual tomato food fight festival taking place in Spain. Right now, some 22,000 people there to celebrate by, how else, diving into 120 tons of overripe tomatoes. The only rule here, you go to squash the tomato before you toss it so that no one gets hurt. Safety first here, people. By the way, the tomatoes are not edible, we're told. They're only grown for the festival. And so you can really get the lycopene in there. It's very for your skin, John.

BERMAN: Yes, the second rule of the tomato festival, you don't talk about the tomato festival.

HILL: Fair point.

BERMAN: All right, so Burning Man attendees, they are having deja vu, getting hit with serious rain and dust storms, bringing back memories of 2023. We covered this extensively. Heavy rain stranded tens of thousands of people in the Black Rock Desert. Last night they had to close the gates, barely two days after a severe windstorm whipped through the festival. More bad weather could be on the way.

Angie Peacock at Burning Man right now, and she joins us live.

How bad have the conditions been?

ANGIE PEACOCK, BURNING MAN ATTENDEE: I mean, it's like 2023 all over again, honestly.

BERMAN: And so what has it done? How do you deal?

PEACOCK: We have water sitting -- yes, we -- well, everybody's kind of stuck in their camp, or wherever they were, when the storm hit. I know there's been some brave souls that have walked through the mud, collected mud as they gone -- as they've gone.

[08:45:04]

You cannot ride your bike in this. It's sitting pond water just sitting there. And so, we're kind of stranded wherever we are.

Our camp is safe. Everybody's in really high spirits and we're just kind of waiting it out.

HILL: So, Angie, Erica -- this is Erica, along with John here.

So, as you're waiting it out, and you said it feels like 2023 all over again. I mean did 2023 change the way that you prepare now for Burning Man in case it were to happen again?

PEACOCK: I mean, I -- I took -- I just thought, I need to bring food just in case something happens because of, like, rations, you know, they can't get the trucks back here. So, our kitchen is very stocked and we're prepared. But one of the principles of Burning Man is radical self-reliance. So, you have to bring what you need. You cannot count on other people to have stuff for you. So, just a thought. BERMAN: Yes, lots of mud, wet, kind of gross. Then you had that --

that dust storm. I mean that seems to be a little bit of a different twist on the whole thing. Talk to me about what that was like.

PEACOCK: Well, everybody here that are people that have been coming for years or decades said that was the worst they've ever seen it. And I was out in it when it happened. And honestly, it scared me. I mean, I'm a former combat veteran, but things were flying through the air. Things were getting dropped. I could hear it. And I was like, get in the van immediately. And I kind of panicked when it happened because I couldn't see, like the visibility went down to like 10 or 15 feet. So, I kind of stood there and waited and waited till some dust cleared a little bit and saw my vehicle and then I just went straight to the vehicle and got in.

Everybody in our camp that were in tents, they got into our shipping containers so that it was safe, kind of like a storm shelter. But there was definitely things flying through the air. The wind was very strong. We did not expect that. All the models we were looking at said 35 miles an hour. And we found out later it was like 55. So, it definitely caught us by surprise. We will probably prepare in different ways in the future.

HILL: You mentioned the models you were looking at. I know that you tend to look at a lot of models while you're there in the desert, for a sense of what's coming. All that being said, all the preparation, you're experience, as you noted in Comet (ph), has there been a moment where you thought, maybe this isn't worth it?

PEACOCK: No, it's always worth it. It is. I know people don't understand Burning Man so much, but the community, just the weirdness, the authenticity, the music, the art, it is worth it, I promise. And I will tell you that this makes our community stronger because we get to know people more because you can't go anywhere. But then it makes the party better. So, when -- once the wind and the rain is done, Burning Man will begin and commence and we will have the time of our lives. It is worth it, I promise.

BERMAN: Yes, you can't really get close to somebody until you spend time with them in a shipping container.

HILL: It's true.

BERMAN: That -- that's what they say.

HILL: It's a fair point. Yes.

BERMAN: That's what they say.

(CROSS TALK)

BERMAN: But what kind of communication --

PEACOCK: Eating beef jerky and peanut butter. Yes.

BERMAN: What kind of communication do you get, and has there been, and is there now? I mean I guess there is some possibility for more weather.

PEACOCK: We're all listening to Burning Man radio. So, they have pretty good coverage and they tell us like, hey, the storm's coming in 20 minutes, get back to your camp. So, as long as you're tuned in to BRC radio, you can hear what's going on.

I also have friends at the airport, so they've been texting me, like, you -- are you guys good? You know, check on everything. So, we've been really prepared, like probably more than 2023 because we've -- most -- most of us have -- at our camp have been through it. So, we've definitely been checking things.

BERMAN: Listen, Angie Peacock, thanks so much for being with us. We're so glad that you still enjoy and are having a great time out there and your enthusiasm for it really shows. So, thanks for joining us.

HILL: And Berman's excited for the invitation for next year.

BERMAN: Yes, she was like, people don't get it. I mean --

PEACOCK: Yes, come on. I --

HILL: It is hard to -- I agree, I've never been either. So, road trip.

Angie, thank you.

PEACOCK: Let's go. Come on. (INAUDIBLE).

Thank you so much.

BERMAN: You have to double the size. I need a double wide if I'm going out there.

HILL: A double wide shipping container?

BERMAN: Yes.

HILL: We'll get right on that.

BERMAN: Yes.

HILL: I'm sure it's going to make it through the corporate overlords. No problem.

Out with the old. In with the new. And then, hey, you know what, let's go back to the old again, shall we? Cracker Barrel making an about face, ditching that new logo you see there after days of intense backlash, including from the president himself. The company announcing, you know what, we'll listen to you, people. We're scrapping that new minimalist logo. We're going back to the classic "old timer." Cracker Barrel stock, important to note, also fell more than 12 percent in the days following the reveal of the redesign, which was actually part of a $700 million transformation plan for the chain.

Colleges across America are dealing with a string of fake active shooter threats, sparking panic and FBI probes.

And after a string of disappointing failures, SpaceX pulling off a successful test flight of his starship rocket. Elon Musk hoping one day that's the rocket that could carry humans to Mars. The mission itself lasting about an hour, ending with the spacecraft simulating a landing in the Indian Ocean.

[08:50:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a buoy. There's a splashdown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Students and teachers in one Virginia town are thanking their school crossing guard for keeping them safe for the past four decades.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right there, baby. Good job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Sharon "Diane" Hawkins flashes a smile and a kind word for the students at Salem Church Elementary School. She has even been seen handing out gloves, school supplies, or a goodie bag for students and their younger siblings.

[08:55:01]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHARON "DIANE" HAWKINS, CHESTERFIELD POLICE CROSSING GUARD: They're my children. When I start crossing them, they're kindergarten, and they go all the way up to the fifth grade. And after you see them every morning and every afternoon, you can tell whether they've had a good day or a bad day.

SYDNEY SYLVESTER, SALEM CHURCH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COUNSELOR: It's so important to see a friendly face as soon as you come to school. It sets the tone for your whole day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, the day before her 40th anniversary of school crossing guard, Hawkins was honored with a special presentation. The students said thanks with handmade signs. Hawkins says she's going to take the summer off and decide if she will return for one more year of service. But I just think that's wonderful. The first face you see there to have it be something so friendly must make such a difference.

HILL: And so great that she is being celebrated and honored for that. Turning now to what has become a frightening, frightening alert.

Chilling alerts. Active shooters. We're hearing about them. Alerts on the University of South Carolina's campus, that turned out to be fake. And not the only one. There's actually been an alarming wave of active shooter hoaxes at colleges across the country, and even a high school, as a new school year is getting underway. Last week at Villanova, two in a matter of days.

Take a look at this map, and it shows you just how widespread the hoaxes have become.

Joining me now to discuss, Donell Harvin, the former chief of homeland security for Washington, D.C., and a member of the faculty at Georgetown University's Emergency and Disaster Management Master's Program.

I mean, this is -- it is terrifying. And I've been speaking with a parent who was there at Villanova when that alert went off with her husband. Her son is a freshman there. Talking about the most terrifying thing she's ever faced in her life. This turns out to be a hoax.

Is there -- is there any way to know at this point who is behind these cruel hoaxes, as the president of Villanova called them?

DONELL HARVIN, FACULTY, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY EMERGENCY AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT MASTERS PROGRAM: I'm sure -- law enforcement is investigating. This is probably a federal case. That puts it in the purview of the FBI. But I'll tell you, these -- these were very sophisticated attacks. We've seen these over the last decade. They've grown in sophistication, particularly with technology.

These actors, sometimes they come from overseas. We've seen a lot of these what we call swatting attacks from overseas. And they can do what we call -- is called spoofing, which means they can actually make the 911 call look like the caller I.D. is coming from within the building they're calling about, which makes it almost impossible for a 911 call taker or dispatcher to distinguish a spoof or not.

HILL: Do we know why we are seeing more and more of these?

HARVIN: No. And the government hasn't told us yet. You know, this is, once again, a growing trend. We've seen almost a dozen in the last week. And what's really concerning for the law enforcement and homeland security community is that there's -- there's a number of reasons why this could be happening. One, it just could be some -- one kid, right, calling this in with the sophistication and the technology to do it. But it also could lend to -- itself to a pre -- what we call a pre-operational surveillance. They could be probing response capabilities in advance of an actual active shooter attack.

HILL: I have so many questions about this. You talk about how easy it is to spoof where the call is coming from now. There's the technology component behind it. There's also the response itself. So, maybe that's being monitored, to your point. It's certainly being monitored by those at the school. How the university responds. They have to take every threat seriously. How do you manage this, right, and legitimate concerns?

HARVIN: Well, if I was a university executive, I would be leaning into this and letting the student population know that these events have been happening and that they should take any calls to evacuation or active shooter as -- not as a drill, but as an actual incident.

Now, the problem with that is that, you know, there's a whole host of problems. You have law enforcement and you have first responders rushing to a scene that's -- that that may be false. And, you know, anything from vehicle accidents to just someone getting hurt or medical emergencies.

First day of class for me is today. I have three classes. I'm going in to teach today. And I'll be talking to my students about how to respond properly. They have to take these things seriously, unfortunately.

HILL: There's also a question of what -- what happens, if they are able to find whoever is behind these hoaxes. What sort of charges could they be facing? I mean is there a sense that any of that will, in fact, serve as a deterrent at this point?

HARVIN: Well, some of the high-profile ones I've followed over the last few years, we've had one individual that's phoned in hundreds of bomb threats. This individual is not even on our shores. And so, there's all types of extradition issues. That actual -- that actual individual is a minor as well. So, that makes that case even more complicated.

And so, you have people from not even within the United States calling these in, through sophisticated means, spoofing. It's called swatting. And it's very difficult.

I will tell you that the agency that's supposed to be responsible for helping organizations respond -- detect and respond to these things is CISA, and they're facing huge cuts from DOGE. In fact, the next budget cycle has them being reduced by almost half.

[09:00:02]

And so, what we need is more CISA, the cybersecurity critical infrastructure agency, and not less of these type of agencies and capabilities.