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Ex-CDC Official: RFK Jr. Never Briefed by Agency on Measles, COVID, Flu; RFK Jr Names HHS Deputy Jim O'Neill as Acting CDC Chief; Minneapolis Mourns Victims of Catholic School Shooting; Police: Locked Church Doors Likely Saved More Lives; Hearing Ends with No Ruling in Fed Governor Lisa Cook's Challenge to Trump Firing Her; Obama Aims to Rally Democrats with New Video Message. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired August 29, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

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[15:01:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Under New Management: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tapping a new person to lead the CDC at a time of great upheaval for the agency. What we know about the pick and what this could signal for the country's vaccine policies.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Plus, Obama is Back: The former president is rallying Democrats nationwide and holding calls with rising stars in the party. Will his reemergence energized Democrats heading into the midterms.

And Controversial Canvas: The Pentagon is reportedly restoring a portrait, a really big one, of Confederate General Robert E Lee to the library at West Point, three years after its removal was ordered by Congress.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SANCHEZ: You After a week of turmoil at the CDC today the agency has a new leader. HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. naming his deputy Jim O'Neill as the Acting CDC Director. He takes over for ousted chief Susan Monarez, who reportedly butted heads with Kennedy over vaccine policy. Her firing led to several other top officials resigning and protests. Some of whom worry about who Kennedy is listening to as he develops health policies that impact all Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. DEMETRE DASKALAKIS, FMR. DIR., VACCINES & RESPIRATORY DISEASE, CDC: I Think that another important thing to ask the secretary is has he been ever briefed by a CDC expert on anything, specifically measles, COVID, flu. I think that people should ask him that on - in that hearing That's number one. So, the answer is no. So, no one from my center has ever briefed him on any of those topics.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: With us now to discuss, Dr. Jeremy Faust. He is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Harvard Medical School, also the Editor-in-Chief of MedPage Today.

Doctor, thanks so much for being with us.

How are you viewing the shakeup at the CDC?

DR. JEREMY FAUST, ASST. PROFESSOR OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL: Boris, this is an extraordinary time for our nation's health. Secretary Kennedy actually is going to become a huge liability not only for the safety in the - of our children and our communities, but for the President. President Trump's big legacy was getting us out of the worst part of the COVID pandemic with Operation Warp Speed which brought us safe and effective mRNA vaccines in record time. President Trump really has - can take some credit for that and people in his own administration said, you know, maybe that vaccine only saved 12 million lives as if that was a talking point against vaccines. It's just amazing.

So, what I think is happening now is the replacement of experts with ideologues who have, for decades, been waiting to dismantle the vaccine apparatus of our country and we can't stand for it.

SANCHEZ: And what's your reaction to hearing that Secretary Kennedy has never reportedly received a briefing on measles or COVID-19?

FAUST: That Is appalling. We want expertise. We do not want ideology. We want to hear all sides. This administration talks about transparency. But when Dr. Daskalakis says that his team never was asked to brief the Secretary or the President, and in fact they asked and were spurned, that tells you they're not doing the thing they claim to be doing. They claim to be listening and to be transparent, but they're actually doing the opposite. They're deciding ahead.

Look, Secretary Kennedy went on to social media to try to throw shade at a major study out of Denmark that really put to bed any questions about any links between vaccines and a lot of neurological conditions. And Secretary Kennedy took a time out of his day to try to undermine that work. He doesn't have the expertise to do that and on top of it, he was dead wrong.

So, the fact that we have a nation where Infectious diseases is not a leading cause of death, that's a 20th century accomplishment, a 21st century legacy, and it's possibly going to go away.

[15:05:07]

We don't want to see this place look like 1950 where people died of polio all the time.

SANCHEZ: Well, to that point, our reporting indicates that Dr. Monarez, the former CDC director clash with Kennedy and his team specifically over vaccine policies. And her resignation ultimately had to do with this impending announcement that seeks to draw links between immunizations and autism despite to what you were just saying zero robust evidence that shows a link between the two. Ultimately, what do you think this announcement is going to mean for public health? Can it be trusted?

FAUST: The fact that Dr. Monarez laid it on the line for vaccines made her stock in public health circles rise astronomically. We did not necessarily all know who Dr. Monarez was. There's some history of people saying that she was a strong scientist. But quite frankly to become the Acting CDC Director, and then the president's official nominee, really raised questions especially because she was acting director at the agency during a period of incredible censorship in the early days of this administration.

So, the fact that once she was confirmed, she was willing to go to bat for our nation's kids over vaccines and for our nation's vulnerable populations who need access to care. That told me that she was someone who we would have liked to have seen served, because she would serve the American interests. It's about the country, not about any one man's ideology.

We've all been saying USA not RFK and it's a slogan, and I'm not a slogan guy, but quite frankly, that's what the moment calls for. We have to put public health in front of ideology. And for the first time that I've ever seen the opposite is happening at the highest levels of this government.

SANCHEZ: Dr. Jeremy Faust, we'll leave the conversation there. Always great to see you.

FAUST: Thanks so much.

SANCHEZ: Brianna.

KEILAR: We are learning some new information about the victims, the survivors and the shooter who killed two Catholic school children who were attending an all-school mass in Minneapolis. The families of 10- year-old Harper Moyski and eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel releasing statements painting a heart-wrenching picture of their loss.

Harper's parents describe her as a loving big sister whose, quote, "laughter, kindness and spirit touched everyone who knew her."

Eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel's father says his son loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sport that he was allowed to play.

Let's get the very latest on this investigation from CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst, John Miller.

John, authorities say they've gathered hundreds of pieces of evidence already in this case. What are you learning?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, they're going from a very fast-paced investigation, multiple search warrants, three locations, four counting the church, and hundreds of pages of material. But as we go into the weekend, we're making that turn where this is going to slow down. Now, don't mistake that for this investigation is going to be short or is almost over. It's just that now that they've done the physical searches, they've gathered the paper documents and the videos, the rest of this is going to be about getting into those electronic devices, getting into whatever has been retained from gaming platforms or instant messages or direct messages from others to determine was any of this discussed online, was there - were there other people who knew, was there any clue to this. That'll be a longer arduous process. In some cases, they'll have to either obtain passwords or crack into devices using other technology. That'll take a while.

KEILAR: And, John, this tragedy is of course a sad reminder of how religious schools in particular face specific challenges in this era of school shootings. What can you tell us about that?

MILLER: Well, that's true. I mean, if you look at some of these school shootings, you'll see in 2023 the Covenant School shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, by a former student. Children killed there, staff members killed there. In 2024 in Wisconsin, you see the shooting that happened at the Abundant Life School, also attached to a religious institution, two killed there. And now this in Minneapolis.

And what you have is the conundrum between the culture of the church, which is always open to all, that is one of the tenets of religion, to welcome all comers, all believers and the security needs of a school, where they have - some of them have accessed Homeland Security funds from the federal government to enhance that security in these days.

But one of the things we saw in Minneapolis was what happens when you transition from the school into the actual church, the religious institution, where one is fairly locked down and the other is fairly open.

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But yet we're reminded in this case, once the mass started, the doors outside were locked, which probably kept the shooter in a position where the shooter had to shoot through the windows, as opposed to probably what his - the original plan was, was to go inside and do it there. So, still a dark reminder that this could have been worse.

KEILAR: Yes, certainly something to think about.

John Miller, thank you. Boris.

SANCHEZ: Today, President Trump's efforts to seize control of the Federal Reserve and influence interest rates saw its first day in court. A federal judge weighing whether the Fed Governor Lisa Cook can stay on the job as her lawsuit against her firing plays out. President Trump announced Cook's dismissal earlier this week citing allegations of mortgage fraud. CNN's Katelyn Polantz joins us now.

Katelyn, what happened in court?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, today there wasn't a resolution, and there may not be until as early as Tuesday. That's when the judge is going to have more arguments before her on paper and could make a decision on whether Cook can keep showing up to work or if Trump can actually remove her right now. That's something, even just as an initial question in this case, that could very well be appealed.

We've seen it happen when Trump has removed other members of independent agencies, and the appeals courts have largely let him do that. Is the Fed different though? That is going to be a big question here, because it's the independent central bank of the U.S., it has so much to do with how the American economy is doing at any given moment, and it is an agency that the Supreme Court has carved out and said it's a little bit different than others.

But much of this case, Boris, it's going to turn on the question of what does for cause mean when Donald Trump says he wants to fire you. You can only remove a Federal Reserve governor like Lisa Cook in this instance for cause. Trump says he had enough cause because there are allegations by members of his administration saying that (INAUDIBLE) mortgage fraud, the Justice Department should look into that, which they are now doing. There is not a resolution on whether there was anything like that. And in court, we didn't really get any firm answers on exactly what the Justice Department is looking into there, and her attorney says this is all unproven. She's barely even had a chance to stand up for herself or respond to this. But that question of for cause, that's about how much role does the judge play here. Justice Department says not much at all, they shouldn't define it, or does the President get to determine what that means.

SANCHEZ: Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much for watching that case for us.

Still, former President Barack Obama calling on Democrats to stand up and fight back against Republicans' efforts to redraw congressional maps.

Plus, Israel declaring Gaza City a dangerous combat zone as it works to take over that area.

And later, a stark warning on the twentieth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, why former FEMA leaders say decades of progress are being dismantled. That much more coming your way soon.

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SANCHEZ: Former President Barack Obama is stepping back in the game when it comes to rallying Democrats ahead of next year's midterm elections.

KEILAR: He took to social media slamming Republican efforts to redraw congressional lines to keep their grip on Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hey, everybody. It's Barack and I am here with my good friend, Attorney General Eric Holder, because we're facing an existential threat to our democracy and we need your help. If you want your voice to be heard in next year's midterm elections and beyond, help us meet this moment and preserve our democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: We're joined now by Chuck Todd, former host of "Meet the Press," now host of "The Chuck ToddCast."

Chuck, I wonder what you make of this. What is Obama's calculus? Why is he choosing now to weigh in? And what does it say about the state of the Democratic Party and who's leading it?

CHUCK TODD, HOST, THE CHUCK TODDCAST: Well, look, he's very close with Eric Holder and this, you know, Eric Holder has actually been, for a long time, been working on trying to sort of get politics out of redistricting. That's what his organization has been focused on. Of course, now, this is an entirely different project as it - as they go in reactive mode to what happened in Texas.

But this is simply about money, Brianna, first and foremost, for a couple of reasons. There's a lot of donors that have been sitting on the sidelines on the Democratic side of the aisle. A lot of donors upset with the leadership of the Democratic Party. There's not a lot of confidence in the two congressional Democratic leaders right now, Jeffries and Schumer. They've had trouble raising money. The DNC has had a massive amount of trouble raising money.

The person with the most credibility in the Democratic Party right now is the former president, is Barack Obama. It's not Joe Biden, it's not Kamala Harris, right? So, that's the biggest thing, right? They have to start to really raise money. This ballot initiative in California, in order to get voters to approve their redistricting, we're probably looking at one hundred million dollars minimum, and the opposition already has money in the bank. And I was talking to some sources about this story yesterday, there's already direct mail pieces to say vote no on this opposition.

So, the opposition is already well-organized, already spending money. So, first and foremost, this was about trying to get some donors off the sidelines. And Barack Obama is the most credible Democrat that there is to talk to those folks.

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SANCHEZ: And this redistricting effort, I mean, it's all geared toward the midterms. I wonder what it says to you that now 14 months out, Democrats are looking to what is an established elder, but someone who's not necessarily a major motivating force when it comes to the future of the party. Is that likely going to be a problem come November of next year?

TODD: Look, it would be even worse if they didn't have him, right? Imagine if there wasn't a popular former president they could tap into. You're not wrong in that, you know, he doesn't say the future, it says the past. All of those things are true. But I think he is also a reminder of the last time Democrats were successful at organizing. The last time Democrats were successful at having a leader or having a messenger.

So, look, I think it's - it cuts both ways, right? It's absolutely an indictment on the current leadership of the Democratic Party, no doubt about it. But, you know, imagine not having him at this point, right? They already don't have - I mean, Nancy Pelosi does not have the same pull with donors that she once did. She's sort of kind of on the sidelines, kind of not, right? But, in fact, in some ways, she's hampering Jeffries' ability to be the leader of the House Democrats still. So, you throw all that together.

Look, I do think you're right. It doesn't - it isn't a great picture for the Democrats that they have to go to their past like this. But that's the situation they're in. And, you know, what's worse for them is if they don't win the House in the midterms, if they can't succeed in this sort of economic climate, in this likely political environment that should favor them with the turnout situation. So, you know, this is a throw everything at the wall because they have to figure out how to win the House in '26.

KEILAR: Yes. And we've heard from some of them, they're so worried about these registration losses. As you said, donors have been sitting on the sidelines. Now, there's these questions about, you know, where are voters, where's the energy, because if they're going to overcome whatever gains Republicans get in redistricting, they really have to get people enthusiastic, right? I mean, is there a lot of internal concern that they may not be able to do that?

TODD: Well, I think that's why the Democrats floated this idea of a midterm national convention, which of course Donald Trump read that and said, hey, we should do that, too, right? So, I guess it's good news for all of us in the daily news environment in that we may have these two big national midterm conventions. But I think that has a lot to do with it, is that Democrats are trying to figure out how to remotivate some voters, how to rebrand themselves, look for big moments. I think they are still struggling to break through in this new media environment, you know, in this very fragmented media place that we all live in.

So yes, I mean, I think these are issues for them, which is why they're thinking about things like a national midterm convention.

SANCHEZ: I want to get your thoughts on something that former President Obama recently posted. It was an Ezra Klein podcast. And this article, quote, "Trump Is Building His Own Paramilitary Force." Obviously, an urgent sounding message, and what he said alongside Eric Holder, obviously a call to urgency as well, an existential threat toward democracy. But does this meet the moment in your eyes, given, you know, that it's just a podcast and it's about fundraising?

TODD: You know, it's interesting here in Trump 1.0, Barack Obama bit his tongue a lot, right? He made the decision to sort of follow what George W. Bush did, right, who rarely ever spoke out about Obama's presidency at all. And in fact, in many cases, they ended up striking up a pretty cordial and personally friendly relationship, certainly the Obamas and Bushes, Michelle Obama and George W. Bush for sure.

And even in the first term, right, I think Barack Obama didn't want to be front and center, thought the other Democrats should be front and center anyway. I think the message that he sent was quite striking. And you're right, it's sort of like - it was almost like a call to arms, right? It was one step away from saying, hey, you know we're - you know, I hate using this phrase, but the country politically is in a cold civil war, right? You know, it is blue versus red. There's no room for nuance.

I think that, you know, you see in the way the Democrats have decided to say, well, if you can't, you know, if you can't beat them sort of on your principles, right, saying, hey, let's have nonpartisan redistricting, well, if they're going to do it, so are we, right? So, there is this us versus them mentality. It was interesting to see the president engage in that. I understand what he's concerned about with ICE in particular, because I think that was the specificity of his comment there.

But it does come across as sort of how close are we to having, I mean, we have two sets of rules in the states.

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You're going to be able to get certain - you've going to be able to get a COVID vaccine in a blue state, but you might not get one in a red state.

Like, we're starting to have almost two different Americas here, two different visions of the way things look. And instead of trying to persuade each other, we're going to retreat to, you know, our red states or our blue states and try to create, you know, create the vision that we want to have. It's both understandable but also a troubling observation by the former president.

SANCHEZ: Yes, troubling times.

Chuck Todd, we appreciate the Miami Hurricanes paraphernalia in the background, though.

TODD: Well, dude, it's a big weekend, man. (INAUDIBLE) you know ...

SANCHEZ: Yes.

TODD: ... you know, I - call me a convict all you want here, buddy, but it's a big weekend for it.

SANCHEZ: We appreciate it. This guy gets it.

Chuck Todd, thanks so much.

TODD: Thanks.

SANCHEZ: Still to come, Israel recovering the remains of two hostages as its military ramps up a major new assault on Gaza City. We have the very latest from the region.