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Liz Stein and Jennifer Freeman are Interviewed about the Epstein Case; Trump Sticks by RFK Jr.; Michael Ian Black is Interviewed about "Have I Got News for You." Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired September 04, 2025 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: These calls from many within the president's own party, people like Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Nancy Mace, all of them calling for the administration to not only be more transparent, but to release all of the files.

We heard from the victims yesterday, many of whom are coming forward for the first time to share that they want this, too. And that's putting an immense amount of pressure on this White House to do more.

Now, despite all of this attention, of course, that is being put on the Epstein case and what the Trump administration can do to be more transparent here, the president has continued to refer to this as a Democratic hoax. He said it in the Oval Office. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: From what I understand, I could check, but from what I understand, thousands of pages of documents have been given. But it's really a Democrat hoax.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, a few things to point out there. One, we heard from the victims yesterday saying this is not a hoax. These are real people. These are real things that had happened to them.

But I'd also remind you as well that so much of why this has become such a problem for this White House is because people in the president's own party, but also in his administration, people within the top ranks of the FBI, the vice president, all of them were fueling some of these conspiracies around Epstein. So, that's part of why there's so much pressure on him.

And I can tell you as well, John, that I know from my conversations with people here in the White House that they had recognized that they needed to do something and try to get ahead of this. I'd say, you know, starting in the beginning of August they were trying to be more proactive. That's part of why you saw them release the transcript and the audiotape from the Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's interview with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

But again, so many people are saying this is not enough. And particularly, I think, hearing from these victims specifically, the public pressure is mounting. A question is whether or not they will actually try to do more to give these people what they want.

All right. Again, hearing from them, I think, is so important.

Alayna Treene, at the White House, thank you very much.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And joining us right now is one of the survivors speaking up, Liz Stein, and her attorney, Jennifer Freeman.

Thank you both for being here.

Liz, seeing so many of you together in public and -- and speaking out, do you think this has had an impact? Do you think it is changing the course of where this has been headed?

LIZ STEIN, EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: Well, we certainly hope so. That's why we all gathered in Washington. I think that for so long we've all been telling our stories independently. And we came together in Washington, really so our collective voice could be heard. And I think that we were successful in accomplishing that yesterday.

BOLDUAN: For sure. And now hearing that, as my colleagues were just -- just discussing, that -- that -- that survivors are coming together to say that if more information is not released, or all the information that -- that should be released is not, that you all will compile your own list of people confidentially who enabled Jeffrey Epstein. And then we hear from members of Congress that they are prepared to read those names aloud on the House floor, would you like them to?

STEIN: Well, I think there are a few things to consider in all of this. I think that maybe we know parts of each other's story, but we don't know the minutia. And so, I think that in all coming together in Washington this week, we're willing to look for commonalities in our stories. But I don't think that people understand the risk that we would be at if we released a list of names.

So, I know that the survivors are willing to do whatever they're able to, to pursue justice and cooperate in whatever ways they can, but we also have to take into account what our personal safety is here.

BOLDUAN: Yes, I mean, the -- the trauma you have suffered for so many years, and then to add what this would mean is -- is a huge consideration.

And, Jennifer, I was going to ask you, if Liz and others would name names themselves publicly, what -- how concerned are you about their safety or legal ramifications?

JENNIFER FREEMAN, SPECIAL COUNSEL OF MARSH LAW FIRM: I think that is an idea that needs to be given some more thought. I am very concerned about existing safety of survivors like Liz and so many others who we represent and who we don't represent. And it's -- I think it's really a very concerning idea to pursue this.

And this is not something they should have to do.

BOLDUAN: Correct.

FREEMAN: This is something that the government should be doing. It is not something that -- a responsibility that should be placed on the survivors. And that is another example of how the government has simply just failed them over and over and over.

[08:35:05]

BOLDUAN: Liz, on this question of safety. After so much attention on this -- this week on seeing your faces together, being out there and speaking out together, are you concerned -- are you concerned about your physical safety? What are your concerns now?

STEIN: I think there's a risk for anyone in speaking out publicly. And so, I, you know, I think that we always need to be cautious and really be thoughtful in what were saying to the public. I think that there are things that we'd be willing to talk about behind closed doors in confidence. But I think that this is a very high-profile case, and I think that you -- you never know how someone's going to react to what you say. And I think that we all have to be careful because the -- the fear of being pursued or -- or harmed in some way is -- is very real for us.

BOLDUAN: Have you faced threats?

STEIN: I have in the past, yes.

BOLDUAN: The president, Liz, saying, even after you all spoke out, saying that he believes this is a Democratic hoax, still. How does that make you feel?

STEIN: I think that logistically it would be impossible to gather this large of a group of women who did not know each other before. Most of us had never met. Some people had. But I think that it would be impossible to compile a group of women this large who have these common themes and common threads in their stories. So, it feels incredibly invalidating for us to hear that this is being called a hoax, to be told that, you know, this is all in our imaginations. You know, I don't know that the American people think that we're a hoax. And I think that's what's important to us.

BOLDUAN: Well, you are not a hoax. You are not a hoax.

STEIN: No, I'm not.

BOLDUAN: And it also shouldn't be on you and so many other women to have to speak up and defend yourselves when you have been failed over and over again by -- by so many people in many administrations, Democratic and Republican, that it is not even -- that it is not even close to political in that front. Jennifer, you've been with Liz through this whole journey and fight.

Do you see this week as a turning point? I -- I -- I almost hope -- I almost hesitate to say it because I don't want to -- it -- I'm sure Liz has faced false hope upon false hope that accountability would be coming.

FREEMAN: We are very hopeful that this is a very big step in -- towards accountability, which is critical, really critical, because the government, over a series -- a span of some 30 years has failed these victims, through five administrations, beginning as early as the Clinton administration in 1996 when Maria Farmer, one of the other survivors, came forward, went to the FBI, brought her story, told them about Epstein, told them about these young -- these girls and young women, that there was sex abuse going on, that there was child pornography going on, and that there were other -- there was other wrongdoing going on.

As many -- as many who have problems and see child -- see crimes against children come forward, as they should, to the -- to law enforcement. And what did law enforcement do? They failed them. They did absolutely nothing, which is why we have brought a lawsuit against the federal government to finally try to achieve such accountability. Since this is just -- it -- it's -- it's distressing. It's really distressing. Had the government done their job, some 1,000 -- over 1,000 victims could have been spared, and some 30 years of trauma could have been prevented.

We brought our lawsuit on behalf of Maria Farmer, and we are pursuing claims against -- for Liz and many other survivors and any other survivors who want to participate in this venture, because it's very important. Accountability is key.

BOLDUAN: It matters. No -- it doesn't matter how many years later.

Jennifer, thank you so much. Liz, thank you.

STEIN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: It is -- it is very nice to meet you and see you.

STEIN: Thank you.

FREEMAN: Yes, thank you.

BOLDUAN: John.

BERMAN: All right, this morning, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. about to face tough questions about the chaos and confusion at the CDC, and really the entire health apparatus under his leadership as the calls for his resignation grow louder.

[08:40:08]

Here now CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten.

You know, Harry, it's interesting, all morning long I've been saying, Secretary Kennedy could be the most embattled member of the cabinet. Fact check me here.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: No, I think that's a false. That's a false. That's a Daniel Dale fact check for you. False on that.

What are we talking about here? Net favorable ratings of key Trump officials. Look at this, RFK Jr. ain't exactly popular, but he's the most popular of all the key officials that we have recent polling on. Pete Hegseth, his net favorable, minus 14 points. J.D. Vance, minus 11. Marco Rubio, minus ten. RFK Jr.'s at minus seven, but minus seven beats minus ten, beats minus 11, beats minus 14. So, no, RFK Jr. is not a drag on President Trump. He's not the most embattled. In fact, he is the most popular official in Trump's cabinet, at least according to the polling.

BERMAN: It is interesting, though there have been calls for his resignation among some people in the CDC. But I was -- this was surprising to me to see these poll numbers here, which is why I welcomed the fact check from you.

Another thing in the news has to do with Florida, where they're trying to overturn all vaccine mandates, including vaccine mandates in school for children. What do the polls tell us about that?

ENTEN: OK, this, to me, is one of the most interesting and, in my opinion, most troubling trend lines that we have seen. OK, vax kids against infectious diseases. The government should require it. You go back to 1991, it was 81 percent, OK. Then we go to 2019 at 62 percent. Look at where that number fell to by 2024. It was just 51 percent. That is a 30 point drop from 34 years ago. My goodness gracious. Now, a bare majority say that the government should, in fact, require kids to be vaccinated against infectious diseases. Amongst Republicans, it's the opposite. The majority say the government shouldn't require it.

Now, I should point out, this does depend a little bit on question wording. The polling out this morning says that the government should encourage it, but encourage it is very different from requiring it. And when it comes to requiring it, the American public has become increasingly skeptical of the idea that, in fact, the government should require kids to be vaccinated against infectious diseases.

BERMAN: And I want you, Harry, to talk about the political environment surrounding the health apparatus in this country right now, because I'm about to talk to David Urban, our friend David Urban, a Republican, who I guarantee you is going to say something to the effect of that there's no trust anymore, or that trust has fallen among public officials when it comes to health.

ENTEN: Yes, this, to me, if you're a public health official, this is perhaps the most worrying statistic that you should see. Look at this. Look at this. How well masks and vaccines limit Covid. Public health officials lied. They lied. In 2022, it was 45 percent. Look at where that number is now. 55 percent of Americans believe that public health officials lied about Covid masks and vaccines and their effectiveness. So, yes, there's a lot of problems. I think David Urban is going to have a lot to chew on in this upcoming segment, John.

BERMAN: All right, Harry Enten, thank you very much for that.

With us now, CNN political commentators, the aforementioned David Urban, and Maria Cardona.

Mr. Urban, why are you smiling? To what extent am I Nostradamus here? How -- what is the warning you would give people?

DAVID URBAN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: (INAUDIBLE).

BERMAN: Go ahead.

URBAN: You're like the -- you're like -- you remember Johnny Carson, the amazing Carnac. That's what your -- you remind me of.

Listen, John, here's -- here's -- the fact of the matter is, we all live through Covid. We all remember, you know, stand six feet apart, wear a mask or you'll all die. Kids -- we're not going to send kids to school. We're going to -- the people who were least vulnerable we probably harmed the most during Covid. The United States has about 5 percent of the world's population, a little bit less than 5 percent, yet we accounted for over 15 percent of Covid deaths in the world during -- during that time period afterwards. And so, I think the American public, we all lived through it.

Listen, this is just like the Joe Biden presidency. The American people watched and knew what was going on. They knew Biden wasn't fit. And yet everyone told them they were. The American people are a lot smarter than people give them credit for. And I think they are really, really suspect now of anything coming from the government having to do with health. Vaccines or otherwise. And that should be troubling to everybody.

BERMAN: Staying on the issue of health for a moment, I don't have the soundbite, but Secretary Kennedy -- not secretary, Senator Kennedy from Louisiana, no relation to Secretary Kennedy, he -- he spoke last night and he was asked about Secretary Kennedy's leadership at HHS. And what he basically said, and I'm paraphrasing here is, you know, it's a hot mess. Like, say what you want about his policies, but right now it's a mess there, and it's all coming to a head very shortly. They're going to be moving on more vaccines.

So, Maria, you know, what would you say about his, and I'm putting this in quotation marks, leadership.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Oh, my goodness. There is none. And I think that one of the reasons why the public doesn't have trust in public officials is because somebody like Robert F. K. Jr. has been made the head of Health and Human Services.

[08:45:12]

This is a man that has absolutely no expertise in the science, in the medical field and he -- we -- we all know that he is one of the biggest conspiracy theorists in the world. And the fact that he was made head of HHS and that thousands of HHS and CDC employees, people who are civil servants, not political ideologues, civil servants, focused on the research and the data and the science and the medicine have called for him to resign. The fact that so many researchers and medical doctors and experts from the CDC have walked out because of his policies should infuriate and scare us all, because this is a huge hit to public health.

And so, I think that the numbers that Harry has underscored are very concerning. But the reason that they are there is because people like Donald Trump on down have attacked experts in public health. And let's not forget that the vaccine, the Covid vaccine, saved millions of American lives while the president, Donald Trump, in his first term, was hiding the fact that this vaccine could save lives, even while he was the one who made it come to market really quickly.

So, all of these contradictions and all of these attacks on public health and the medicine and the research and the science are what is making those numbers so bad. And it is also what is putting Americans in danger.

BERMAN: Look, we'll see what questions he faces at the hearings today.

I want to change subjects very quickly, David, if I can here and get to the issue of Jeffrey Epstein, because you now have this juxtaposition. And I think Kate, who just spoke to -- to an Epstein survivor, really highlighted it well. You have President Trump, you know, any time he's asked, calling it a hoax, calling it a hoax. And we just heard Liz Stein, who's just one of the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein, say, you know, I'm not a hoax.

Talk to me about what you have now, this -- this split screen. Is this something that the -- that Republicans at the White House wants, you know, Donald Trump versus Epstein survivors?

URBAN: Yes, John, I don't quite understand what's going on with this whole -- with this -- with this situation. Look, I've always been for radical transparency. I stand with all the other folks that want to see everything disclosed that can be disclosed without harming victims anymore. I think the big question here, and it's always -- and I've asked this repeatedly, and I'm not quite sure why the House isn't doing this, but the question here is the non-prosecution agreement, which was -- which was agreed to in 2008, which kept Jeffrey Epstein out of federal prison and federal prosecution. He pled guilty to some state charges, which are much lesser, and served a, you know, in county jail rather than federal prison. Why aren't those career prosecutors, why haven't they been asked to testify and explain their rationale behind that non-prosecution agreement? Why haven't we heard from the former U.S. attorney there, Alex Acosta, on this issue? I think that's really the nub of this -- of this crisis. We can get to the answers.

I think, look, I think making more documents available is not really going to get anything. It's -- it's hard to prove, disprove a negative. I don't know if there's any smoking guns there. But I do think one of the things that everyone is really missing here is, why aren't we talking to the people who cut the deal in 2008 to -- to set this gentleman on a path that was not appropriate. He should have been prosecuted to the full extent of the law. He wasn't. And the question is, why not? And I think those people are best suited to be able to answer that question, yet we haven't heard from them.

BERMAN: No, but it is good to hear from some of the survivors and their perspectives, like that conversation Kate just had.

CARDONA: Yes.

BERMAN: David Urban, Maria Cardona, thank you both so much for being with us.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Thank you, John. Absolutely.

This morning, investigators are looking into what caused a popular streetcar to derail in Lisbon, Portugal. At least 17 people were killed. Nearly two dozen people were injured. Look at this video. You can -- listen to the screams. You can hear people -- like, people -- hear the people. And people were desperately jumping out of the train. According to a local -- to local media, the tourist streetcar went off the tracks, plummeted down the street, and crashed into a building. It happened during the evening commute Wednesday. A police officer was able to pull a three-year-old German boy alive from the wreckage, though the boy's father was killed and his mother is in the hospital and said to be right now in critical condition. Portugal, today, is starting three days of mourning over this horrible tragedy.

Actress Demi Moore is speaking up to defend her ex-husband, Bruce Willis', wife, after she faced backlash over how she's handling his medical care. We've got more on that coming up.

And rescuers spend hours crawling through a drain pipe to rescue a stranded dog.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:53:50]

BOLDUAN: (INAUDIBLE). This morning we have newly released body cam video of police in Florida arresting Chuck E. Cheese in July. Yes. And horrified children and their parents looking on.

Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Watch out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't resist. Do not resist. Don't -- let your hands go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does this come off, man? Does -- is that -- does this just come off the top? I don't want to hurt you. All right, there you go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm work here. I'm just doing my job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I understand you work here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) is this about?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Do not resist, Chuck E. Cheese. Do not resist.

The man inside the suit was charged with credit card theft and fraud. There was a woman who accused him of stealing her card, told police that she was actually in the parking lot of the arcade, about to confront him when they moved in. The arrest affidavit says that the officers found a credit card with the woman's name on it in Chuck E.'s pocket.

Stop it.

But the man in the suit claims that he never used it. He's out on bond. Quite a mouse.

Actress -- actress Demi Moore, the ex-wife of Bruce Willis, is coming to the defense of the actor's current wife, Emma Heming. Heming has faced criticism over her decision to move Willis out of the family home and into a facility where he can get 24/7 care during -- as he is battling dementia.

[08:55:09]

But Demi Moore tells Oprah Winfrey in her podcast, it was -- it was the right thing to do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEMI MOORE, ACTRESS: I have so much compassion for Emma in this being a young woman. There's no way that anybody could have anticipated, you know, where this was going to go. And I really think she's done a masterful job. She has been so dedicated to, you know, forging the right path. She's had, you know, equal amounts of fear and strength and courage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: So, there's this also. If only dogs could talk. A 17-year-old Shih Tzu named Meatball would have a lot to say. He was missing for 30 hours. Finally found and rescued by emergency crews in Louisiana deep in the drains beneath his owner's home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just kept going. We persevered through a lot of spiders, a lot of crawling, backache.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just relieved that he was alive and we was able to find him, because I didn't realize it at first but then he told me in the culvert that he was deaf and blind, so he couldn't hear us calling him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Crews tracked him using the air tag on his collar, but it wasn't giving him an exact location. After they found him, they were -- we are told that he was given lots of hugs and a very long bath.

JB.

BERMAN: I'm just happy for him. He looks thrilled with being a part of this story like this.

BOLDUAN: I'm -- I -- I'm still stuck on Chuck E. Cheese. But --

BERMAN: All right, so a new season of the comedy quiz show "Have I Got News for You" is coming to CNN this Saturday, hosted by Roy Wood Jr. with team captain Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black.

BOLDUAN: (INAUDIBLE).

BERMAN: The show will continue to serve up smart, silly and edgy opinionated takes on the news of the week. This week's guest will be Representative Jasmine Crockett and comedian Dave Foley.

With us now is one of the team captains of "Have I Got News for You," actor, comedian, star of the Superman franchise, comedian Michael Ian Black, which is all true. Everything I just said is 100 percent true.

BOLDUAN: You only speak truth.

BERMAN: I only speak truth.

First of all, while Kate was reading the story about Chuck E. Cheese, I saw you just, like, laughing.

MICHAEL IAN BLACK, TEAM CAPTAIN, "HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU": Oh, I lit up.

BERMAN: It's like material for the show.

BLACK: Well, I mean, it's -- you know, I was waiting backstage and you got RFK, serious stuff. You've got Jeffrey Epstein, serious stuff. And then you've got Chuck E. Cheese and a Shih Tzu named Meatball. And I'm like, OK, my segment's coming up. I got it.

BOLDUAN: You're like, oh, wait, I'm waiting for my -- for my hit (ph).

BLACK: Wait, I just want to point out to your viewers, I was reading the teleprompter, along with Kate Bolduan, and the dog's name was not mentioned in the teleprompter.

BOLDUAN: I do research.

BLACK: You -- I -- I was like, she really knows what she was talking -- she knows it's name, Meatball. I was very impressed.

BOLDUAN: Berman will say it is -- it is almost a scary level that I over -- I over read on things and I under read on others, as you can tell.

BERMAN: So, for the few people, the two or three people out there who have not seen the show, "Have I Got News for You," how would you explain it?

BLACK: It's the news of the week, and we make jokes about it. I mean it's pretty simple. And we pretend it's a game. And so there's captains and there's a host, and we -- and we're competing. But it's just jokes about the news. And I think -- I feel like after a long week of the news, a few jokes are probably OK.

BOLDUAN: What are you most looking forward to this season?

BLACK: Oh, I have a crush on Jasmine Crockett. So, she's coming on this week, and I'm looking forward to just going -- kind of going like this.

BOLDUAN: Legit, that is one of my favorite faces that you actually do.

You -- I'm glad you disclosed that, because that is a required disclosure. If you have a crush on someone, you full disclose.

BERMAN: You got a podcast -- every day. Have I got this right? You got a podcast coming up now tied to this, which is, "Have I Got News for Your Ears."

BLACK: For your ears, yes.

BERMAN: Talk to me about that.

BLACK: So, you know, there's the -- there's the mothership, "Have I Got News for You."

And, you know, it's a British show. It's been on in England for 35 years, 36 now. And so we're the -- we're the domestic version of that. And now we're adding on.

So, much like I'm the star of the DC cinematic universe, I'm also the star of the hignifiged (ph) cinematic universe because I'm hosting this podcast now.

BERMAN: So, I have -- I have -- I have boy children, and I myself am a boy, I have seen Superman. I'm a giant fan of Superman. I watch peacemaker (ph).

BOLDUAN: And you know that there are lots of things that I don't see. I haven't seen "Star Wars," which I'm in trouble for.

BERMAN: So, I guess -- so -- so, Michael plays the -- the television -- he's like the television newscaster in the Superman DC franchise.

BLACK: Yes. BERMAN: You know, and -- and it's really convincing. You're kind of a jerk.

BLACK: I -- I play a newscaster based on a real life newscaster.

BOLDUAN: Who's your inspiration?

BLACK: I don't want to name names.

BOLDUAN: Why?

BLACK: Tucker Carlson.

And so, yes, most of my character is just me doing this to camera, which is just what Tucker does.

BOLDUAN: Have you -- did you ever want to be a journalist or in news?

[09:00:00]

BLACK: No. No. Because I don't want to do research. I don't want to have to think too hard about stuff. And I -- and I don't want to be serious.