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Epstein Survivors To Speak Out At Rally In D.C.; Xi, Putin, Kim Make Defiant Show Of Authoritarian Strength In China; Bond Hearing For Man Charged With Killing Child Who Rang Doorbell. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired September 03, 2025 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:31:18]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We are standing by to hear from many of Jeffrey Epstein's accusers this morning very shortly on Capitol Hill. We're going to hear from some of them speaking publicly for the first time.

Overnight the House Oversight Committee released more than 33,000 pages of Epstein-related records from the Justice Department. Critics say, though, it's not enough and most have been already public. These critics want the release of all the files and some in Congress are now trying a maneuver to force a House vote -- a House vote. It's very much in play. House Speaker Mike Johnson doing what he can to block it.

Let's get right to CNN's Arlette Saenz for the latest on this. Good morning, Arlette.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

An emotional scene is expected to play out on Capitol Hill in just a few hours when survivors of Jeffrey Epstein speak out at this press conference hosted by Congressman Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie. They are part of that bipartisan duo pushing for the full release of the Epstein files -- an issue that has really driven a wedge at times between President Trump and his own party.

Now this press conference on the Hill comes one day after six survivors of Jeffrey Epstein met for over two hours with members of the House Oversight Committee and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Members said that this was a very emotional and informative meeting. One congresswoman was seen leaving that meeting in tears.

Now members said that these survivors talked about how they want more information released but they also want to make sure that private details are kept secure. And our colleague Randi Kaye spoke with some survivors about their concerns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN-LISA JONES, SURVIVOR: Is there video footage from my own stuff that happened to me?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yeah.

JONES: Is that -- are they all sitting on that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

JONES: Child pornography?

ASHLEY RUBRIGHT, SURVIVOR: When the FBI or the government -- whoever is going through all the files -- I'm like, do they see me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now the House Oversight Committee, last night, released more than 30,000 pages of documents that had been turned over by the Justice Department. This included things like flight records, court filing, and other redacted documents. Democrats immediately after said that many of these documents were already made public.

And for Khanna and Massie, they say that this is not enough. They want to move forward with that plan to try to force a vote on the House floor. They will need 218 members to sign on. If all Democrats agree, that will mean they need six Republicans -- and so far, they have a total of four.

Now the White House, last night in a statement to CNN, said, "Helping Thomas Massie and liberal Democrats with their attention-seeking, while the DOJ is fully supporting a more comprehensive file release effort would be viewed as a very hostile act to the administration."

Massie says that his work is not redundant, and they are hoping that this press conference will really help shine a light on the human impact of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes.

BERMAN: I'll tell you; we're going to be watching this fight to get two more Republicans to sign on. Whether or not the president can stop it will be fascinating to see.

Arlette Saenz for us. Thank you very much -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And joining us right now are CNN political commentators SE Cupp and Scott Jennings. Guys, thanks for being here this morning.

There's the politics of this, of course, but what Arlette's getting at and what today seems to be putting the focus on anew is the victims --

SE CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Um-hum.

BOLDUAN: -- and the people who were actually hurt by Jeffrey Epstein. I mean, we -- I think we have a picture of it, and we can put it up. Nancy Mace, Republican congresswoman from South Carolina who has spoken out about how she was, herself, raped as a teenager -- she left in visible tears from meeting with these victims.

I mean, what impact do you think -- and this just has been talked about for a very long time at this point -- the Epstein files.

CUPP: Um-hum.

[07:35:00]

BOLDUAN: What impact do you think hearing from the victims on Capitol Hill will have in this 'release the files-don't release the files' thing that continues to go on in Washington?

CUPP: I mean, ideally, in theory it would have a big impact because the thing that's gotten lost in the politicization from both sides of this issue are the victims. They have always been lost in this conversation --

BOLDUAN: That's a great point.

CUPP: -- because Epstein was always such a political figure. And so people wanted to get the Clintons or the Obamas, or Bill Gates, or Donald Trump in this investigation. The victims have always come last.

So you'd hope but I don't -- I don't have that kind of optimism because politics has so corrupted this story and even from people like Mike Johnson saying the reason we can't release it all is we've got to protect the victims. That's important.

And I'd believe that more if we didn't just watch the Trump administration move Ghislaine Maxwell to a minimum security prison and have her corroborate Trump's innocence by dangling a pardon, which does nothing for victims. I'd believe this more if there was interest in victims then and there really just hasn't been.

BOLDUAN: You know, the line we -- what we have heard from the president at points has been this -- the files are a hoax from the president himself. And I was thinking just about that and having heard President Trump say that, and how that doesn't apply to today, right? Like, I'm not saying that he is questioning the victims. I'm saying that just like that kind of political statement, that doesn't fly today when we hear from these victims.

I mean, do you think there hits a point with the push hearing from the victims -- the victims have said they want the documents out as well -- that the -- what I think can candidly be seen as DOJ dragging its feet in releasing documents at the very least -- that it hits a point of no return? Like, it's not OK at some point if they really want it released.

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, HOST, "THE SCOTT JENNINGS SHOW" ON SALEM RADIO, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Well, a few things.

One, I agree with much of what SE said about the victims. They have agency. They should be listened to. They are being listened to. I'm interested in what they have to say today.

BOLDUAN: Yeah.

JENNINGS: And the political fight over this has obscured their stories.

BOLDUAN: And I mean, it's hard to talk about these two things at once --

JENNINGS: And -- yeah.

BOLDUAN: -- but it is all mashed up.

CUPP: Yeah.

JENNINGS: And I -- and I think the fact that they get to come in and talk and answer questions and tell their stories is a good thing. I think the fact that the House Oversight Committee has collected over 30,000 documents from DOJ is a good thing. I think apparently, the fact that those documents were gone over and details that needed to be redacted were redacted, I do think that's a good thing.

I'm sure not all these victims agree about how public they want these things to be. There may be some disagreement in the group. But overall I think the sentiment of listening to the victims and getting them agency over their own names --

CUPP: Story, yeah.

JENNINGS: -- their own names. You know, like, if my name is in a document and I want it out I think they should be able to ask for that. If they don't, I think they should also be able to ask for that. I think it's also good for them to know what the government has. I mean, if my name --

CUPP: Um-hum.

JENNINGS: If I had been in their situation --

BOLDUAN: That's a big question with some of these victims.

JENNINGS: -- they don't know what's in these documents and they deserve to know. So I do think there's a lot of questions here that can be resolved by just listening to the victims.

I do think on the political piece -- I mean, look, Thomas Massie and Donald Trump hate each other. Ro Khanna wants to run for president. I mean, there are political motivations for why these two guys are doing this because they want to continue to pick at Donald Trump.

But I think ultimately --

BOLDUAN: But can't those two things be run along the same path though? Like, you could have --

JENNINGS: Well --

BOLDUAN: -- you could have a political reason to do it and it's also --

JENNINGS: Sure. BOLDUAN: -- the American people want to see them released, too. Like, it's a thing.

JENNINGS: Sure, but Ro Khanna wasn't interested in this until five minutes ago, let's be honest -- and no Democrat really was interested in it during the Biden years either. So I think Americans do see the politics in it. But that doesn't mean that the victims should not be listened to every step of the way about what would be best for them and what would make them feel like they had agency over their own stories.

BOLDUAN: A turn here but it's something I wanted to ask you about. We were talking about it. Just so everyone knows we were talking about it off-set -- is that there's been a lot of talk about President Trump's health in the last few days.

Axios has a headline on this: "Trump Rumors? Speculation that President Trump was sick or dead took on a life of its own over the Labor Day weekend, lighting up liberal feeds with conspiracy chatter that spread far beyond the fringe."

The president was even asked about it in the Oval -- in the Oval and he spoke to it, dismissing it and saying he's fine. We know there is a health issue that he has been dealing with that is a health issue of someone of his age.

Are you concerned about his health?

JENNINGS: No, because I talked to him on the phone yesterday. For 40 minutes I talked to the president and interviewed him, and we had a wide-ranging conversation. And, you know, he sounded fine to me.

He covered a lot of topics. The things that were on his mind were tariffs, primarily. He was worried about the Supreme Court case that's coming up. He talked a lot about foreign affairs. He talked about immigration and talked about his political opposition.

I mean, look, what I'm worried about are people making irresponsible statements and wish-casting about the president's health.

[07:40:00]

I watched a video yesterday of Tim Walz speaking in front of a group saying, "Well, we thought we were going to wake up to some great news, but it turns out he's still alive. But don't worry. One of these days we'll wake up to that news."

Now that is the governor of Minnesota, the Democratic candidate for vice president wishing for -- wish-casting the death of the President of the United States. I don't care how much you hate your political opponent, wishing death upon them and joking about it means you're a broken-brained SOB, and that's what he is.

CUPP: Can I just say --

BOLDUAN: Was it inevitable that people were going to question his health -- not Tim Walz? Was it inevitable given the campaign -- given what Trump said about President Biden in the campaign and given his age that this was going to become a thing?

CUPP: Well, sure -- but yes. But what Scott's talking about is very different and I want to agree that it's disgusting and gross. And leaders -- political leaders should not foment that among the electorate.

Now Donald Trump foments it all the time, OK, so he is not --

BOLDUAN: Yeah.

CUPP: -- like removed from this conversation, but that doesn't mean that Democrats need to join in. It's gross.

Putting that side, it's also really stupid. Democrats have got to get their heads around the fact that an agenda is going to be thing that beats Donald Trump. It's not going to be an untimely death. It's not going to be -- he's not going to hang himself. It's not going to be Epstein. They have got to do the work of coming together with an agenda to compete with his, period, full stop. That's messaging, candidate, and policy conversations.

So all of these -- like, Deus ex machina -- what's going to help -- what's going to save us is just delaying and prolonging the inevitable thing that you have to do -- work.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you, guys. Thanks for doing the work.

CUPP: You, too.

BOLDUAN: OK.

JENNINGS: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: John.

BERMAN: We've been looking at these remarkable pictures coming out of China. The military parade there that includes these visits from foreign leaders -- adversaries of the United States -- Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un right next to Xi Jinping.

Now, for Kim, it was also something of 'take your daughter to work day.' There has been a photo of Kim as he stepped off the armored train in Beijing. The young girl seen right by him with a bow in her hair is believed to be the daughter. I'm not sure I see the bow in the hair, to be completely honest there. This would be her first public trip outside of North Korea and she has been described as Kim's potential successor.

Let's get right to CNN's Mike Valerio in Seoul with the latest on this. Good morning, Mike.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

You know, it's a dark bow to be fair. So if you go on cnn.com and if you enlarge the picture, the bow is there, I promise.

And why this is important is because this signifies that when we're talking about Kim Ju Ae, who could be the potential successor for Kim Jong Un, this is conveying to the world that he is maintaining this relationship with Xi Jinping for the long-term, signaling to the world that this isn't just a short-term thing. That here is potentially my successor and that this relationship, newly supercharged -- it's going to be a force to be reckoned with for the long run.

So why this story matters, John -- why what we have seen over the past couple of hours matters to us here on the Korean Peninsula and certainly to everybody back home in the United States is because this imagery, John, conveys that North Korea is stronger than it has ever been before. There's never been a time where North Korea has been so enthusiastically embraced by both China and Russia at the same time.

And why that matters for not only us Americans but for the Trump administration in Washington, D.C. is if you're President Trump and you're trying to re-engage Kim Jong Un at the nuclear negotiating table, after what we've witnessed today -- Kim Jong Un standing side- by-side with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin -- you have to think -- and observers and political analysts are certainly telling us this -- what incentive do you have as Kim Jong Un to come to the negotiating table if you are so strongly embraced by these two powerful countries, Russia and China?

So a little bit more before we go. What this parade sought to do -- it was trying to, on the part of Xi Jinping, to convey to the world that this is a cadre of nations -- about 26 in all -- that are not afraid to challenge the United States and Western democratic world order. So this is imagery that is circulating around the world. These three leaders trying to convey that their relationship is supercharged as they go on a new path forward, John.

BERMAN: All right, Mike Valerio for us this morning in Seoul. Mike, thank you very much.

With us now, Admiral Jame Stavridis, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and now partner of the Carlyle Group, an international investment firm. Admiral, great to see you here in person.

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST, FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER, PARTNER, CARLYLE GROUP: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: So we've been watching China for the last several days.

STAVRIDIS: Yeah.

BERMAN: Xi Jinping having all these meetings culminating in this parade. And I have to say in almost every picture I've seen of him he's been smiling.

STAVRIDIS: Yeah.

[07:45:00]

BERMAN: And my question to you is this display that we've seen --

STAVRIDIS: Yeah.

BERMAN: -- you know, why? Why is this man smiling?

STAVRIDIS: Ha! He's smiling, I would say, for four reasons.

Number one, he's feeling really good about his military. It's show-off time. I will make the point it's not an experienced combat military but he's pretty proud of those photos.

Number two, he loves the way Russia and China are joining together. It's like the Jerry McGuire line: "You complete me." These are two countries that really kind of fit together geopolitically.

Number three, He's very happy with how he's presenting an alternative to the United States of America. That Shanghai Cooperative Organization has 40 percent of the world's population.

And then finally, not mentioned in this morning's reporting but who was there all day yesterday -- the leader of India, the most populous country in the world.

Xi has a lot of reasons to smile on this morning.

BERMAN: I wonder if Modi said, "You had me at hello" --

STAVRIDIS: (Laughing).

BERMAN: -- when he arrived in China to meet with him.

But to that point -- and India really gets to this point -- so much of the U.S. strategy the last several administrations has been about isolating China.

STAVRIDIS: Yes, absolutely.

BERMAN: This does not look like China feels isolated this morning.

STAVRIDIS: Not in the least. And if you want geopolitics 101 in the 21st century watch my hands. Democracy -- so United States, NATO, Japan, South Korea, Australia. Over here, authoritarian nations -- Russia, China, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba.

Who is down here in the middle? It's that global south led by India. Our strategy ought to be to pull India toward us. At the moment we're kind of pushing them away.

BERMAN: And it was what the strategy was over --

STAVRIDIS: Absolutely.

BERMAN: -- two administrations. Now they do feel alienated there.

Let's talk about Vladimir Putin for a second --

STAVRIDIS: Sure.

BERMAN: -- who also, I should note --

STAVRIDIS: Oh.

BERMAN: -- has had quite a smile on his face --

STAVRIDIS: Oh, oh.

BERMAN: -- the last few days.

STAVRIDIS: Yeah.

BERMAN: To the extent that he's buddying up and cozying it up to Xi Jinping right there in China -- you know, to the extent that he's operating at all in the international sphere, what kind of pressure does he actually feel to do what President Trump claims he wants him to do on Ukraine?

STAVRIDIS: Less and less, and the reason is because of what you see on display there. He is seeing alternatives. A year ago at the SCO China kind of scolded him. India said war is not the way. Boy, what a difference a year makes. And as a result of that Vladimir Putin has a little bit of a bounce in his step as well.

Final point here, by the way. If I were advising Vladimir Putin, and I assure you I'm not. I'm, in fact, sanctioned by Russia. I'm very proud of that. I would say to President Putin be careful what you wish for with China because you are ultimately going to end up as a very junior partner in that relationship. Xi is smart. He's manipulating Putin. But yes, at the moment, Putin's feeling pretty good.

BERMAN: I have to say Putin may already be the junior partner to an extent that he doesn't even realize now.

STAVRIDIS: (Laughing).

BERMAN: Admiral Stavridis, it's great to see you in person.

STAVRIDIS: Thanks.

BERMAN: Thank you very much.

STAVRIDIS: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: Kate.

BOLDUAN: New details about the 11-year-old who was shot and killed while playing a doorbell prank. This morning the man accused of killing him is due back in court.

And it is a crash that you definitely don't see every day. A suspected drunk driver slams into a homemade monster truck.

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[07:52:45]

BOLDUAN: Happening today a bond hearing for the man charged with murder in the shooting death of a young boy who simply rang his doorbell and ran away. Prosecutors plan to ask the judge to set bond for 42-year-old -- that man right there -- Gonzalo Leon Jr. at $1 million. Leon is charged with the murder of 11-year-old Julian Guzman. Police say Leon opened fire on the boy and the boy's cousin who were playing a prank, ding-dong ditch, late Saturday.

The district attorney now tells CNN that the boy had no weapon and that he was shot in the back -- an 11-year-old boy -- from at least 20 feet away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN TEARE, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, HARRIS COUNTY: There's nothing to suggest that he was taking anything. He was running away. He was doing what 11-year-old boys do. He was playing pranks on the neighbors, and it cost him his life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Here with me now, CNN legal analyst and attorney Joey Jackson.

So now you've got this case and now --

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Yeah.

BOLDUAN: -- this begins. And here's -- the thing about it -- I mean, it goes without saying. This resonates with everyone --

JACKSON: Oh, yeah.

BOLDUAN: -- because it is a timeless childhood game that we all played gone horrendously wrong and should not -- these types of things should not happen.

JACKSON: Absolutely.

BOLDUAN: The D.A. says a self-defense claim in this case will not apply -- ain't gonna work. What do you think?

JACKSON: Yeah. I mean, from the initial indications, Kate, it doesn't appear that that's the case. Now why? Just unpacking this. Listen, kids are going to play and people certainly have a right to defend their homes, but I think there may be a fundamental misunderstanding about what that means.

Now, getting into self-defense. Of course, you have the right to defend yourself. How? Number one, you have to be in immediate fear of death or serious physical injury in order to do that. And the law recognizes if you're in that immediate fear you can. Number two, the response in terms of your defense has to be proportionate to any threat posed. Number three, you have to act reasonably. And so you ask yourself the question, Kate, in response to your

question: "Will self-defense work here?" It's problematic.

[07:55:00]

Then you take it our from that. Let's fan it out a bit different, all right? You look at this issue called the Castle Doctrine.

BOLDUAN: Yeah.

JACKSON: What does the Castle Doctrine mean? It means that a person has a right to certainly defend their home or any place that they lawfully are -- their vehicle, place of business, et cetera -- and that you don't have a duty to retreat. That means -- and it's really in most jurisdictions that's the case where you have this Castle Doctrine. In other jurisdictions you do have the ability to retreat. If you do have the ability to retreat --

BOLDUAN: Um-hum.

JACKSON: -- safely you must do so.

But that's different from what we just heard the D.A. -- the district attorney say when you have a person who doesn't have weapons. It's a little boy 20 feet away from you. Where's the immediacy of the danger? And that's the issue here.

BOLDUAN: So is that the key issue that this -- there's so much to learn.

JACKSON: Yes.

BOLDUAN: I'm saying this early.

JACKSON: Yes.

BOLDUAN: What do you think in this specific case, these specific circumstances --

JACKSON: Yeah.

BOLDUAN: -- that this is going to center on?

JACKSON: So here's the issue.

BOLDUAN: And also, can I just say just, like, on a rational, adult human being level -- like, talking about self-defense with an 11-year- old who is just playing --

JACKSON: Yeah.

BOLDUAN: -- ding-dong ditch and ringing your doorbell. I know that sounds completely disproportionate --

JACKSON: Yes.

BOLDUAN: -- unproportionate. I'm just -- these are the questions that will now be asked in court.

JACKSON: Of course, Kate, of course.

But the issue is, listen, we're in a day and age where people are very sensitive about their homes --

BOLDUAN: (INAUDIBLE).

JACKSON: -- and certainly people could be subject to attack, and you get that. But I think there's a distinction between someone forcibly trying to come into your home, someone approaching you, someone representing a dangerous to you and your family than someone ringing your bell and running away.

BOLDUAN: Right.

JACKSON: So that's what the case turns on. In the event that somebody has an immediacy of this fear, right -- you can defend yourself in acting reasonably. But you have to, again, act proportionally. And you ask yourself the question if somebody's going in an opposite direction, do you feel that way? And if the -- if the answer is no, then you have serious problems in saying you were just defending your home, your place of business, your vehicle, et cetera.

This has really gone amuck. It's troubling, it's problematic. And I think -- again, early indications -- there could be some serious problems in defending a case like this. It looks like murder.

BOLDUAN: Joey, thanks for being here.

JACKSON: Of course.

BOLDUAN: John.

JACKSON: Thanks, Kate.

BERMAN: All right. Idaho State Police just released hundreds of evidence photos from the quadruple murder case again Bryan Kohberger, the man who killed four University of Idaho students nearly three years ago.

The pictures were taken at his apartment and his office at Washington State University and showed dozens of books and papers about criminal justice. There are also photos of birthday cards he would have received just days after the killings.

Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and was sentenced to four life sentences, plus 10 years.

So impaired driver meet monster truck. The owner of the truck says he heard something that sounded like a rocket when he was in his house, then he ran outside, and this is what he saw. Apparently, a drunk driver had plowed into his monster truck. The car was wedged underneath the wheels.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DEREK "BARNEY" BARNUM, OWNER OF "PURE INSANITY" MONSTER TRUCK: He was coming up the road here and got underneath this tire and picked the truck up. The truck weighs 6,825 -- 6,825 pounds. So to lift my truck up that would take a lot of force to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The driver of the car is charged with DUI, reckless driving, and criminal mischief.

All right. New this morning a rare glimpse of a seismic/weather event in Hawaii's Kilauea volcano -- what scientists call a "Volnado." It's when the rising ash meets a whirlwind. the mix of hot and cold air creates the swirl. It's right there. That's what you're looking at right there.

BOLDUAN: No!

BERMAN: That's the volnado.

BOLDUAN: I was mesmerized by the lava.

BERMAN: That's the volnado. Hot lava. Kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes.

All right. This morning Cardi B likely feeling some vindication. A California jury found her not liable of assault allegations filed by a former security guard. Cardi B -- her colorful testimony became something of a spectacle in itself.

Elizabeth Wagmeister is with us with the latest. Good morning.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

Yes, her testimony did, indeed, become a spectacle. It went viral for all of her antics on the stand. But look, the internet didn't just love her, the jury also believed her. The jury deliberated for just about an hour, returning their verdict incredibly quickly. Cardi absolutely does feel vindicated.

Remember, this stems from a 2018 incident in which Cardi B got into some sort of an altercation with a security guard at her obstetrician's office. Cardi B said that the security guard was filming her with her phone. She had not yet announced her pregnancy. Of course, this was a private moment for her. The security guard was suing her for $24 million, John.

Take a look at what Cardi outside of court yesterday. She says don't come at me again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARDI B, RAPPER: With that being said, this time around I'm going to be nice. The next person to try to do a frivolous lawsuit against me, I'm going to countersue and I'm going to make you pay because this is not OK.