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Attorney Of Victim Of Jeffrey Epstein Says His Client Upset By Epstein Associate Ghislaine Maxwell's Move To Minimum Security Prison; Authorities In Tennessee Involved In Manhunt For Suspect Accused Of Killing Four People; Protestors Hold Demonstration In Tel Aviv After Hamas Releases Images Of Emaciated Hostages; President Trump States Two U.S. Nuclear Submarines Moved Into Tactical Positions Near Russia; Ten-Year-Old Ukrainian Boy Killed In Russian Strike; President Trump's Announces Addition Of $200 Million Ballroom To White House Grounds. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired August 02, 2025 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you get a call from Bob?
MADONNA, SINGER: I got a letter from Bob, because bob doesn't have my phone number.
BOB GELDOF, LIVE AID ORGANIZER: I wrote to her. And I got back a very mad letter. It wasn't dear Bob. It said so.
MADONNA: I just said, exactly what is it you're doing? Are you fundraising? No. Well, what are you doing? We're consciousness raising, but consciousness raising for what?
GELDOF: What's going on? How is this going to work, really?
MADONNA: And then he, you know. Did elaborate on about the G8.
GELDOF: It noodled around in her head.
MADONNA: And then I thought twice about what it's all about, and the pressure that it's going to put on the world leaders who are meeting in three days to decide whether to remove debts. That's the most important thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right, the final episode of "Live Aid, When Rock N Roll Took on the World," airs tomorrow, 9:00 p.m., right here on CNN.
Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
President Trump says he wants to, quote, release everything in the Jeffrey Epstein files. But he adds that he doesn't want to hurt or implicate people who are not culpable in any of Epstein's crimes. This comes as victims express outrage after Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, was moved to a low security federal prison camp in Texas on Friday. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Epstein's crimes. The family of victim Virginia Giuffre, releasing a statement saying the transfer, I'm quoting now, "smacks of a coverup," end quote, writing "Ghislaine Maxwell is a sexual predator who physically assaulted minor children on multiple occasions, and she should never be shown any leniency."
They add that "This is the justice system failing victims' rights before our eyes. The American public should be enraged by the preferential treatment being given to a pedophile and a criminally charged child sex offender," end quote. This sort of prison transfer is relatively uncommon for inmates convicted of these kinds of sex offenses. The Justice Department has not provided a reason for the transfer, but it comes just one week after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Maxwell. Here's what President Trump said about potential pardons for Maxwell last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is clemency on the table for her in exchange for testimony?
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: I'm allowed to do it, but nobody has asked me to do it. I know nothing about it. I don't know anything about the case, but I know I have the right to do it. I have the right to give pardons. I have given pardons to people before, but nobody has even asked me to do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: CNN's Ed Lavandera has more on Maxwell's transfer to the lower security prison in Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the first things you notice when you arrive here at the federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas, is that much of it is not surrounded by tall fencing with razor wire. Most of it is surrounded by a simple black metal fence that you would see in many residential neighborhoods across the country.
And that kind of gets to the point here, that this is a minimum security facility. We are told that there are more than 600 female inmates at this facility. And it's also, we should point out, very unusual that Ghislaine Maxwell was transferred here. This is a facility, a prison camp that usually houses inmates that are considered to be low risk, not a flight risk, and also to be nonviolent.
But there are a number of high-profile inmates at this particular location in Bryan, Texas. One of them, including Jen Shah, who was a cast member of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City," and also Elizabeth Holmes, who was executive in the blood testing company Theranos and part of a high profile criminal trial just a few years ago. But this facility has areas for outdoor recreation. There's an area
underneath some oak trees in the shade where inmates can sit in benches and chairs. They're simply surrounded by one chain with signs that say out of bounds if you go beyond that area, and it literally sits right at the entrance into the prison camp.
Federal prison officials have not explained the details and the specifics of how Maxwell was transferred from a facility, a more secure facility in Tallahassee, to this one here in Texas. They have not explained that, but for the moment, Ghislaine Maxwell is one of the most high-profile inmates here at this prison camp.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Bryan, Texas.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Ed Lavandera. Joining us right now is attorney Eric Lerner. He represented Epstein victim Jennifer Araoz, who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexually assaulting and raping her when she was a teenager. Great to see you, Eric. So what is the Araoz family's reaction to Maxwell being transferred to a lower security facility in Texas?
[14:05:03]
ERIC LERNER, ATTORNEY FOR EPSTEIN VICTIM JENNIFER ARAOZ: Well, hi, Fredricka, and thank you for having me today.
The Araoz Family is outraged. Jennifer has been speaking to other survivors all week, and they can't understand why somebody, why a convicted sex trafficker like Ghislaine Maxwell would be transferred to the lowest level of security in our prison -- the lowest level security prison in our federal system, where prisoners could literally walk off the facility. And they can't understand it, and they're very upset about it.
WHITFIELD: The family of Virginia Giuffre, who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexually abusing her as a teenager, released a statement expressing outrage after President Trump claimed Epstein stole Giuffre from Mar- a-Lago when she worked there. What do you make of Trump's comment zeroing in on that, as well as Giuffre's family reaction?
LERNER: Well, I mean, you know, I had the privilege of getting to know Virginia. She was there for Jennifer after Jennifer came forward on national television. And Virginia was a deeply compassionate person committed to fighting for justice for all survivors. And she inspired many in the community. And her passing is a tremendous loss to everyone who knew her. So I think the family has a right to be outraged by language like that. It's at, you know, at best it's insensitive.
WHITFIELD: You said Jennifer Araoz, your client, has spoken to other victims of this operation by Epstein and Maxwell. What is it they want revealed today, either by Ghislaine Maxwell, if she decides to, you know, reveal any more, or what would they want revealed from this Epstein file? How would it be helpful to their plight? LERNER: Well, they want it revealed by the justice system releasing
what they have. The justice system clearly has Jeffrey Epstein's emails, JEEVacation@gmail.com. Google has it and the justice system has it. Those emails would reveal a lot of what is being looked for.
They, you know, the Justice Department confiscated over 70 computers, hard drives, iPads, his cell phones. So release what they have. But getting names from Ghislaine is not worth giving her a pardon or giving her an easier sentence.
So Jennifer and the other victims she spoke to would like me to strongly advocate against any pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell and highlight that such a move would be seen as a slap in the face to all survivors. And Jennifer would like to invite the president to meet with survivors like her so he can understand the pain they've been through and why a pardon should not be granted under any circumstances.
WHITFIELD: Has that invitation been conveyed other than right now on the air? And if so, what's been the response?
LERNER: No, this is the first time that invitation has been made.
WHITFIELD: OK. And how are you hoping to make sure that the president receives this invitation if he's not watching right now, but perhaps he is. And what do you think the adequate response will be? How will that meeting -- what do you envision in that meeting potentially taking place?
LERNER: Well, we hope to get the message out today. We hope that this will be reported on, and we hope that the president is watching. And, you know, if it's not reported on or the president isn't watching today, we're going to keep talking about it and we're going to keep speaking about it.
And I believe he has a very smart group of people around him. And there's no reason -- Jennifer is also from queens. So they can relate to each other. And she's a New Yorker. She was recruited from a high school down the block from Epstein's home. She, you know, she -- none of her accusations involve anybody in Trump's circle. It's purely Epstein and Maxwell. And I think that they could talk one on one, and she could really explain to him face-to-face what she's been through and what the other survivors like her have been through, and how under no circumstances should a pardon to Ghislaine Maxwell be considered.
WHITFIELD: Is it your feeling or is it Jennifer Araoz's feeling that moving Maxwell to the lower security facility is potentially a prelude to leniency in her sentence, even though the president has said, even as early as last night, no one has come to him about clemency.
[14:10:07]
He realizes he has the right to do so if he were to consider it but I'm not really considering it right now. I mean, he kind of covered all the bases. But what do you suppose Jennifer Araoz, or even you, would convey to the president, if, indeed, you have an opportunity, along with other victims, to speak with the president?
LERNER: Yes. So, you know, I spoke to Jennifer last night, and her concern and the other survivors' concern is that it is a prelude to a pardon. They believe that toward the end of his term that he will pardon her, and they are very concerned about that. It would, you know -- they would suffer everything they've suffered all over again if that occurred. And I think that the president should take the time to hear from the actual survivors before he considers doing anything like that.
WHITFIELD: Eric Lerner, great talking to you, attorney for Jennifer Araoz, one of many victims of this enterprise carried out by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Appreciate your time.
LERNER: Thank you for having me.
WHITFIELD: All right, now turning to Tennessee, where we have new details in the manhunt for a suspect accused of killing four people. Authorities just released this photo of a second vehicle that they recovered during their search. Investigators also say warrants are out for suspect Austin Drummond, charging him with four counts of first- degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, and other charges related to the killings. CNN correspondent Rafael Romo is here with more on all of this. What is the latest?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: It is very important to mention that this development is significant in the investigation, but the reality is that the suspect is still at large, Fred. And what officials in Tennessee say they want people to know right now is that the suspect is -- he remains at large and could be very dangerous. Records show the suspect has a criminal record that includes a ten-year sentence for 2013, aggravated robbery.
And the concern for officials in Tennessee and the public is that he is still on the loose. The vehicle the suspect was believed to be driving, a white 2016 Audi, was found unoccupied in Jackson, Tennessee. That's more than 70 miles away from Tiptonville, where the bodies of the victims were found. This the suspect has been identified as 28-year-old Austin Robert Drummond by the Tennessee bureau of investigation. He is five feet, ten inches tall, weighs 190 pounds, and has brown hair, blue eyes, and a goatee, according to the TBI.
Drummond is accused of killing four relatives of a Tennessee baby who was found abandoned alive in sweltering heat on Tuesday in a car seat in what authorities describe as a random front yard near the Dyer County community of Tigrett, nearly a 40-mile drive southeast of Tiptonville, where the bodies were found.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANNY GOODMAN, 29TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY GENERAL: We are dealing with an extremely violent individual. This was what we would think is an isolated incident. It's not anything to where we think the community is in danger because of a person who may be out here randomly targeting people, because we don't think that's the case at all. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: And District Attorney Danny Goodman also said the victims were all from Dyer County, and they suspect the suspect knew all of them. He also confirmed that two of the victims, 21-year-old James Wilson and 20-year-old Adrianna Williams were the parents of the baby, who was found abandoned in Dyer County. Thirty-eight-year-old Cortney Rose and Braydon Williams, a teenager, were also killed. TI director David Rausch says it appears the suspect, even after allegedly killing four people, had some compassion for the baby. Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID RAUSCH, DIRECTOR, TENNESSEE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: Yes, they brought attention when they dropped the child off, brought attention. There were people nearby, and so brought attention to those people to come and get the child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: And finally, Fred, the U.S. Marshals Service and TBI are offering a joint $15,000 reward for any information leading to Drummonds arrest. But again, they're saying if you see him, just call 911. Do not approach him.
WHITFIELD: That's right. All right, Rafael Romo, thanks so much.
All right, coming up, a protest today in Israel after propaganda video is released showing emaciated Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very caring, very bright boy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: -- in Ukraine, a family is in mourning after their ten year old son was killed in a Russian airstrike. The number of children killed in the war continues to grow.
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[14:19:20]
WHITFIELD: All right, new today, protesters held an emergency demonstration in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square. It followed the release of videos from Hamas and Islamic Jihad that showed emaciated Israeli hostages, one of them juxtaposed with images of starving Palestinian children. The protest also coincided with a visit to Hostages Square by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.
CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau is covering the story for us. So Witkoff was in Gaza yesterday, now in Tel Aviv today. How was his visit received?
[14:20:00]
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Well, you know, he spent about five hours inside of Gaza on Friday. And because no western journalists are allowed in there and they didn't take any journalists with them, it's hard to say what he saw exactly, if it was sort of a curated version of what's going on there, or if he actually saw some of the desperate scenes that we've been getting out of there. He went to one of the U.S., Israeli based aid points, where they've been distributing lots of meals, and he spoke highly of their work they're doing there.
Today, a little bit different situation. He was in Tel Aviv and he met for about three hours with families of the hostages, and he expressed what he said U.S. President Donald Trump's priority was, which is to bring those hostages home. And he's hoping for an all or nothing sort of cease fire negotiation, which is to say, all 50 of the remaining hostages, 20 of whom we understand are still alive, need to come back all at once.
And he expressed to those hostage families that the priorities are to bring the hostages back, to hold Hamas accountable, and then finally to, you know, help the people of Gaza. So, you know, there's still a lot yet to understand in terms of what he'll take back to the United States and take back to Donald Trump. But his visit there was certainly listened to by those hostage families. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right, Barbie Latza Nadeau, thank you so much.
All right, coming up, parts of the country that experienced scorching temperatures this week are now seeing a big cooldown. But there are concerns this dramatic change could bring flooding to some areas.
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[14:25:50]
WHITFIELD: All right, here in the U.S., the east is enjoying a much- needed cooldown this weekend with temperatures dropping about 20 degrees below average. And with that, however, comes rain and flood threats. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar has more on what to expect this weekend.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, this cold front right through here, that's what's ushering in all these cooler temperatures. See all of the blue here on the map, that indicates areas where the temperature is actually below normal for a change, even though ee are well into August. Some of these areas even starting to see a little bit of purple as we head into the latter half of the weekend.
So you look at some of those high temperatures for today, a lot of these areas in the 70s and 80s, many of which would normally be into the 90s by now. Take Charlotte, for example. The average high this time of year is 90 degrees. They will only be 76 today and barely into the 80s over the next few days. Raleigh very much the same. Every single one of the next few days is expected to be in the low 80s, despite the fact that their average high this time of year is 90 degrees. Another area, Atlanta. Average high of 90. Take a look at this --
several days here in the 70s. In fact, Sunday and Monday barely getting into the 70s. Now it comes with a chance of rain. And that's what's helping to keep a lot of those temperatures on the cool side. So that rain is going to be a concern, especially across portions of the south where it already has very saturated ground, especially from Texas, all the way over to the Carolinas.
Now, where you see the yellow blobs on the map here, this is where we have that slight risk for excessive rainfall. Again, several of these areas like Houston, New Orleans, and even portions of Gulfport, Mississippi are already dealing with a surplus of rain so far this summer. So even adding something simple to say, one to three inches of rain on top of that saturated ground just exacerbates any flooding conditions for these areas.
And you can see throughout the afternoon and the evening hours already having a lot of those storms fire up. They will continue through the overnight hours, especially across the southeast and the central plains. As we go into Sunday, more rain is going to be expected, so this is going to be the thing. It's going to be a multi-day event. So again, even though most of these areas likely only to pick up one to three inches of rain, it's on top of what they've already had the last few days and overall this summer that's leading to that potential for flooding.
WHITFIELD: All right, Allison Chinchar, thanks so much.
All right, still to come, as Russia expands its summer offensive, a high profile visitor is expected from the U.S. We'll discuss next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:32:58]
WHITFIELD: All right, at least two people were killed after Ukraine struck several targets in western Russia local officials there said. The Ukrainian military said oil facilities were among the targets that were hit. The attacks come as the U.S. and Russia head toward a potential showdown. President Trump says he would impose sanctions on Russia if no deal is reached with Ukraine by next Friday.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is headed to Russia after visiting Gaza and Israel. I want to bring in now Ivo Daalder. He is the former U.S. ambassador to NATO and senior fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center. Ambassador, great to see you.
IVO DAALDER, SENIOR FELLOW, HARVARD'S BELFER CENTER: Glad to be here.
WHITFIELD: So how do you envision a Special Envoy Witkoff to be most influential with Russia right now?
DAALDER: Well, the way to be influential is to come to Russia and say that it needs to stop. It needs to stop now, the war, and then it needs to engage in serious negotiations that recognize that the United States backs a sovereign and independent Ukraine. The one thing that Russia wants is a Ukraine that is subservient to Russia, to make clear that that is not something the United States can accept, and that if that doesn't happen, if the war doesn't end and serious negotiations don't start, that the United States will join its allies in putting major sanctions on Russian oil, including reducing the oil cap that the Europeans and Canadians now want to reduce to about $45 a barrel from the $60 a barrel it's been. The United States has not been willing to do that.
And more importantly, to start shipping weapons to Ukraine at an accelerated rate. The president has now said that he's willing to do so, but only if other people pay for it. If what is happening in Ukraine is a security challenge to the United States, or at least if you want to communicate to Russia that it is a security challenge to the United States, you've got to get serious about helping Ukrainians.
[14:35:01]
WHITFIELD: Is the message serious enough that President Trump says he's ordered two U.S. nuclear submarines to be moved into tactical positions closer to Russia? I mean, is that threatening enough? Or, in your view, what does that signal at a minimum?
DAALDER: You know, I think I think it demonstrates the president has a thin skin. He doesn't like it when people call him out, as the former Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, did. He's known as an attack dog in the last few years, has emerged as someone who threatens nuclear war on a whim. The best thing to do is to ignore it, not to play the same game.
And when it comes to submarines, those are our most secure nuclear deterrent. They are secure because nobody knows where they are. And therefore, signaling that you're moving them, that you're repositioning them and that you're moving them closer to Russia, gives Russia more information to find out where those submarines are. The one thing you don't want to happen is to find -- to allow anybody to know where these submarines are.
I think this is a dangerous game. It's not the kind of pressure that I think we should be pushing on Russia when it comes to Ukraine. Threatening nuclear war or anything like that is far too serious a business that this president and President Medvedev would be well to stop doing.
WHITFIELD: Yes, excellent point. You're not supposed to know where the U.S. nuclear submarines are at any time. They are elusive for a reason, or are supposed to maintain that that demeanor.
So the special envoy, Steve Witkoff, he was in Gaza yesterday, Tel Aviv today. Why does it take the special envoy Witkoff's eyes and account in Gaza for the president to believe that famine is happening there and that conditions are bad? What do you see behind this, or that mission?
DAALDER: I mean, Steve Witkoff is playing an extraordinary role, a role few people have played in the U.S. government as basically the eyes and ears and, at times, mouth of the president of the United States. It's clear that President Trump trusts Steve Witkoff observations. He trusts him as a negotiator. It's why he has put him in charge of negotiating an end to the war in Gaza, unfortunately, not very successfully, to negotiate a deal with Iran. Again, unfortunately, not very successfully. And to get a deal between Russia and Ukraine to end the war. Again, unfortunately, not very successful so far.
Any one of these jobs is beyond the capacity of a single human being to do. These are incredibly difficult, intensive jobs that require detailed knowledge of what is happening. To have one person dealing with the three most difficult negotiations is truly something that we have never seen before, and it is therefore not very surprising that there isn't a lot of progress. I mean, there is this sense that the president has that deals can be struck in in minutes or in hours through direct talks between leaders.
That's just not how it happens. These conflicts reflect real political differences. They reflect deep-seated political differences. They're not solved in an hour. They're not solved because the president says they need to be solved. They get solved because a solution is found that both sides prefer to continue the conflict. That isn't the case in Ukraine and Russia. It's not the case, obviously, in Israel and Hamas, and it isn't the case in Iran. And that's unfortunate. The search for peace is elusive, and if you have one man trying to do it all, you're not likely to succeed.
WHITFIELD: Ambassador Ivo Daalder, always appreciate you. Thank you so much and your candor and experience. Appreciate it.
DAALDER: My pleasure.
WHITFIELD: All right, the United Nations says more than 700 children have been killed in Ukraine since the war began. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh brings us the story of a ten-year-old who died on a visit to his grandmother's house. And just a warning, parts of this report are disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When wars kill for years, names bleed into lists without faces, but each loss still burns a black hole in the worlds they left behind.
Tymur was age 10. He was visiting his grandmother in Kramatorsk. He really wanted to see her when a 250-kilogram Russian bomb hit her top- floor home. It was 4:40 a.m. on July the 22nd, and Tymur slept alone in the spare room.
Toys flipped up on the roof. His mother, Nastia, had left them together that night and was due to take Tymur home to Kyiv the next morning.
ANASTASIYA CHAICHENKO, TYMUR'S MOTHER (through translator): He said he wanted to stay. I said, "No, son, we're going. We're definitely going." Then, at that very moment, I wasn't at home, unfortunately. I don't know why or how, what forces took me away from it. But I should have been with him. And I blame myself very much for that.
WALSH (voice-over): Tymur grew up in war, born in 2015, when Vladimir Putin was also annexing towns while talking peace.
His father Yevgeny, playing with him here, was killed fighting the Russians near Lyman 26 months ago.
When Nastia's sister rang at 5:00 a.m., she sensed it meant more loss and at first, hung up, didn't want to take the call.
CHAICHENKO (through translator): She said, "They took mom away. And they're searching for Tymur under the rubble." From that moment on, I felt like I was in a dream.
WALSH (voice-over): At the scene, rescuers had pulled Tymur out. And here: their desperate efforts to resuscitate him.
CHAICHENKO (through translator): It was like a new breath of hope when one of the soldiers came out and said that he had a pulse and they were resuscitating him. And for those 40 minutes while they were pumping him, I prayed to God to give him life. But the miracle didn't happen. And I couldn't go up there. I went straight to my mom at the hospital.
WALSH (voice-over): Tymur was the only one to die that night and is buried on the edge of Kramatorsk, where the graves are ready for more. And the skyline, often loud.
Nastia remembers their last moment together.
CHAICHENKO (through translator): You know, it was such a very warm last moment with him. We went crazy. I showed him how I used to give him massages when he was a baby. We laughed. And that was it.
TYMUR GRIGORENKO, KILLED BY RUSSIAN STRIKE (through translator): I wish you a beautiful love. I wish you a happy family.
CHAICHENKO (through translator): He loved all the animals very much and kids. At home in Kyiv, he has two pet rats waiting for him. He loved them madly. He constantly called me and asked, "Mom, did you clear their cage? Did you feed them? Do they have water?" Very caring, very bright boy. Very.
WALSH (voice-over): As towns fall and deadlines pass, remember Tymur Grigorenko, aged ten, who knew only war, whose teacher said he spoke up when girls were picked on, who had two pet rats, and who really wanted to stay with his grandmother on the night a Russian airstrike killed only him as he slept.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kramatorsk, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[14:48:19]
WHITFIELD: All right, growing outrage after President Trump's announcement that he is adding a $200 million ballroom to the White House grounds. Critics are slamming the project's expensive price tag, with some lawmakers saying the president should bring the plan before Congress.
CNN's Brian Todd gives us a look now, a closer look at the project and how this would not be the first major addition to the people's house.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Trump has long been fixated on leaving his own personal imprint on the White House grounds. His latest project will cost about $200 million, he says.
TRUMP: They wanted a ballroom at the White House for more than 150 years.
TODD: Construction begins next month on a grand ballroom at the White House which will resemble the ornate Donald J. Trump ballroom at Mar- a-Lago. There will be gold and crystal chandeliers, according to the renderings, gilded Corinthian columns, a coffered ceiling with gold inlays, gold floor lamps, and a checkered marble floor. Three walls of arched windows will look out over the White House South Lawn.
LINDSAY CHERVINSKY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GEORGE WASHINGTON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY: It's certainly a departure from the historic elements of the rest of the state floor of the White House.
TODD: The president and his team characterized this as a necessary addition to the White House, which has often hosted major events in a temporary tent that Trump calls a disaster, especially when it rains.
TRUMP: People are slopping down to the tent. It's not a pretty sight. The women with their lovely evening gowns, all of their hair all done and they're a mess by the time they get in.
TODD: This is certainly not the first ambitious addition or renovation to the White House. In 1902, Theodore Roosevelt undertook an extensive remodeling which relocated the president's offices to the West Wing. In the late 1940s, Harry Truman basically had to gut the entire infrastructure of the White House.
[14:50:03]
TIMOTHY NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: What Truman did was he oversaw the restoration of a White House that was falling apart. It was so weak that one of the legs of Margaret Truman's piano broke through the floor in the residence of the White House.
TODD: First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy brought in historic furniture and fine art.
CHERVINSKY: Jackie Kennedy wanted the White House to be of museum quality when people came to visit. She wanted them to see the finest American art, furniture, but also to capture the history of the White House.
TODD: President Trump says the $200 million project will be funded by him and other private donors.
Trump's already replacing the White House Rose Garden with a patio but still keeping the roses. He also added a flagpole and a massive flag, and he's added his taste for gold to the Oval Office. Here's a comparison from just after last year's election to more recently.
CHERVINSKY: Most usually change out the carpet and the draperies and some art, but he definitely changed out more than is, I think, standard for presidents, and it reveals his preferences.
TODD: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the ballroom project is expected to be completed long before the end of President Trump's term. Trump himself offered to build a new White House ballroom when Barack Obama was president, and Trump says it would have been about half the cost of the current project. But Trump says he never heard back from Obama's team on the idea.
Brian Todd, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: OK, and as we almost had to break, CNN's senior data reporter and dog lover, Harry Enten, has some tips on keeping your pups safe and cool during this very hot summer.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICS WRITER AND ANALYST: If you're like me, you love your pooches. What have we got here? We got me with Chuckster right over here. How about me with Cody? A very young me with Cody over here. But it's so important during the hot summer months to keep your dogs cool, safe.
How can we do it? Well, how about this. Where dogs should be on hot days -- how about a nice shady spot outdoors? You can see this pooch very nicely covered by the tree. Or how about inside with air conditioning? It helps keep all of us cool.
Where should your dogs not be? Well, I'll tell you where they shouldn't be. They should not be in outdoor doghouses. Why? Because those can trap the heat. Those can trap the heat. And of course, limited time on the outdoor asphalt, because those can burn their cute little paws. We don't want those paws being burned. We want those paws in good conditions to go on those nice long walks.
What's the last piece of advice? Well, make sure that your dog has some cool, fresh water available. This little pooch right here has plenty of it, and he's a happy-go-lucky fella.
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WHITFIELD: All right, the final episode of CNN original series "Billionaire Boys Club" follows conman Joe Hunt's dramatic legal battle as he faced the death penalty for his suspected involvement in not one, but two murders. In facing his former associates on the witness stand, Hunt gambles with not only his freedom but also his life. Here's a preview.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dean Carney was disclosing a lot that Joe had always thought that Dean would keep secret. And so I'm sure it was devastating to know that his number one man could no longer be intimidated into silence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said that that he remembered the sound of a man's last breath leaving his body.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you describe the sound that he made for you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was kind of like a like an explosive gasp. And he said that the blood started seeping out. And they quickly wrapped him up in the bedspread and took him out to the car.
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WHITFIELD: Joining us right now to discuss is Randall Sullivan. He wrote the book, "The Price of Experience," that tracks the story of the Billionaire Boys Club and its leader, Joe Hunt. He also wrote an article for "Esquire" in 1986 that brought the dealings of the social investment club, as well as Joe Hunt, into the public eye. The story of Joe Hunt and the Billionaire Boys Club had barely been covered until you wrote about it in "Esquire" in 1986. So what drew you to this? Why did you feel like you wanted to delve into it?
RANDALL SULLIVAN, AUTHOR, "THE PRICE OF EXPERIENCE, POWER, MONEY, IMAGE, AND MURDER IN LOS ANGELES": Well, it was emblematic of L.A., and it was also emblematic of the 80s. And I spent the 80s in L.A., so it seemed like the story for me.
WHITFIELD: And it really was. I mean, in just opened the eyes of so many. So, you know, what was the, I guess, the reason for the fascination? Why is it that the public was so enamored?
SULLIVAN: Well, because it seemed to symbolize or be a lightning rod for everything that had been happening. The 80s were just peaking. I think it was the first time when people were starting to realize that, you know, the greed decade had consequences. This story was -- had been completely buried. Nobody knew about it, certainly on the east coast. So when the article came out in "Esquire," even I was startled by the impact of it.
WHITFIELD: Wow. So you were in the courtroom, right, for almost every day of Joe Hunt's two trials for the killings of Ron Levin and Hedayat Eslaminia.
