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European, NATO Leaders to Join Trump-Zelenskyy Meeting; Israelis Hold Nationwide Strike to Demand a Hostage Deal; Migrant Detention Centers Face Legal Test; 2028 Dem Presidential Hopefuls Need to Step Up Now; Summer of Screams Where Horror Films Creep into Theaters. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired August 17, 2025 - 20:00   ET

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

[20:00:28]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York.

New tonight key European leaders preparing for a show of force in Washington. Take a look at the roster expected as President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy get ready to meet over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Now, people familiar with the planning tell CNN tomorrow's major gathering will be broken into two parts. First, Trump and Zelenskyy are expected to meet along with their delegations. Then they're going to join the other key leaders at a larger group session and lunch in a format like that.

Now, tomorrow's meeting comes after Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Alaska. Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, says that meeting yielded progress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE WITKOFF, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY: We agreed to robust security guarantees that I would describe as game changing. We didn't think that we were anywhere close to agreeing to Article Five protection from the United States, in legislative enshrinement within the Russian federation, not to go after any other territory when the peace deal is, you know, codified. Legislative enshrinement in the Russian federation, not to go after any other European countries and violate their sovereignty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Let's bring in CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak, who is with us now.

Kevin, how is President Trump approaching tomorrow's meeting?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and this meeting came about when the president spoke aboard Air Force One with Vladimir Zelenskyy as he was returning from Alaska, inviting him to meet here at the White House, but also saying that he could bring some guests. And then the Ukrainians worked with the Europeans to put together this quite large delegation of leaders.

And it will be, I think, quite a consequential moment. I don't remember a previous time when so many top leaders came to the White House quite at such short notice, which does give you a sense, I think, of the urgency that these leaders feel in trying to bring about an end to the war in Ukraine, but also the alarm really being, in their view, sidelined potentially at how that end comes about. And so the objective for these leaders is to, one, try and get on the same page with President Trump, but also learn more from him about how he sees this deal working out.

And you heard Steve Witkoff there describing Article Five type security guarantees for Ukraine once this deal ends. Article Five, of course, is the clause in the NATO charter that says an attack against one is an attack against all. There are a lot of uncertainties around what that exactly means, in particular, what the U.S. would contribute to such a guarantee. President Trump has been pretty explicit that he doesn't foresee U.S. troops going onto the ground in Ukraine.

And so what these leaders and what Zelenskyy wants to learn from the president is how exactly the U.S. plans to contribute to that going forward. I think the fear among the European leaders is that this meeting will result in President Trump trying to pressure Zelenskyy into agreeing to some of the conditions that Putin has laid out for part of this peace deal, namely, that Ukraine give up some of its territory.

They're very eager to sort of prevent the kind of explosive scene that we saw back in February, the last time that Zelenskyy was in the Oval Office. But clearly it will be very, very important meeting for them tomorrow here at the White House.

JIMENEZ: Kevin Liptak, appreciate the reporting.

I want to bring in former U.S. ambassador to NATO, Ivo Daalder.

So, Ivo, how should Zelenskyy be approaching tomorrow's meeting with President Trump?

IVO DAALDER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: He needs to be firm in his stance, which is that there cannot be a negotiation about territory or all the conditions to end the war as long as the shooting continues. The idea of a ceasefire, which was originally proposed by President Trump, remains the central element of how we start the process. We stop shooting at each other, and then we sit down and negotiate. So that's point number one.

Point number two is to make sure that everyone leaves this meeting agreed on the strategy going forward. That means an agreement that President Zelenskyy will now have discussions with President Putin directly, perhaps President Trump would be part of that, but so should the Europeans, which is why it's important that they are coming. And they also have to be very clear about what it is that they're trying to achieve, which is that there cannot be any change of borders by the use of force, and that there has to be very serious, significant security guarantees for Ukraine if the fighting is not only to end for a little bit, but to end forever.

[20:05:11]

So there's a big agenda that president Zelenskyy is coming to bring, and I hope that he can convince President Trump to support it.

JIMENEZ: And how does this set of -- how do these set of European leaders now attending, which of course is different from the last time Zelenskyy came to the White House, how does their presence influence how tomorrow plays out, and certainly how any solution is actually able to be implemented?

DAALDER: Well, two things. One, I think it becomes much less likely that President Trump will treat President Zelenskyy in the way that he did last February, which was really to denigrate him, to cite the line, false line that the war was started because of Ukrainian behavior, not because of Russian behavior, and that the Europeans are going to be there as a means to say, no, no, no, wait a minute. This is something where we all have agreed that the problem here is Russia's attack on Ukraine and that the end of this war requires Russia to make sacrifices and to make changes.

We cannot have a situation in which the only demand is being made on Ukraine. We have to make a demand on Russia, which started this war and cannot succeed. So that's point number one. Point number two is the Europeans are critical both to the implementation of any agreement, because it is them who are going to provide most of the financial, military and security backing of Ukraine because the United States, under Donald Trump, has made clear that it is not going to do that with regard to sending weapons, with regard to economic reconstruction.

Indeed, a deal that the president has reached with Ukraine would have Ukraine pay for American past aid through critical minerals and others that can be extracted from Ukraine in the future. So Europe is critical to any implementation of the deal. And indeed Europe is critical to continuing the pressure on Russia, which the United States has not willing to do, and to continue to arm and support Ukraine, which the United States is no longer willing to do.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, I wanted to get your perspective on this because I was just talking to a former U.K. ambassador to Russia, Sir Tony Brenton, and how he sort of framed this to me. And I'm quoting him here. "What is very likely to happen is they will settle on the existing battle lines." And he also said, "It doesn't give Russia what it wants," as Marco Rubio has said. It doesn't give Ukraine certainly what they want because they lose a fifth of their territory. But it is a sensible place to end.

I wonder how you assess that statement. Is that a likely scenario here, and if so, what are the implications of sort of freezing the battle lines where they are as we hear, Russia may have floated during either the summit or in later conversations.

DAALDER: Yes. I don't think that the Russians are interested in freezing the battle lines. They want all of the Donbas. They've made that very clear. That means all of the territory of Donetsk, which has been at the center of a fight, not just since February 2022, but since February of 2014, when the Russians first invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea and started to disturb by supporting separate elements in the Donbas.

I think the question of a freeze and an end, a temporary ceasefire that may become permanent, is something that would depend on what else is going to happen. The most important thing is if the 20 percent of territory that is currently occupied by Russia will remain at least de facto in Russian hands, what will happen to the other 80 percent? Will Ukraine be able to join the European Union? Will Ukraine be able to join NATO? Will Ukraine be an independent, sovereign country that can decide its own future by itself?

Will Ukraine be able to have the strong military capabilities it need? Will Ukraine have the security guarantees hopefully through membership of NATO, but if not that, in other ways? Those are the questions which will at least be as important as where the battle line is going to be drawn at the end of the fighting. And there's too much focus on territory and too little focus on what the real reason for this war is, which is that Vladimir Putin wants to control, subjugate Ukraine.

He wants to make sure that Ukraine's future is decided in Moscow, not in Kyiv. And Vladimir Putin also wants to reset the post-Cold War, order where NATO moved east in order to have former countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union and indeed part were occupied by the Soviet Union, wanted to be part of NATO.

[20:10:05]

He wants to revise that. He wants to go back to the 1980s. That is what this is about after all. Sergey Lavrov, his foreign minister, arrived in Alaska with a T-shirt with the Cyrillic name of the USSR, CCCP. That is what this war is about. It's not about territory. And that's, I think, one of the problems that the president doesn't seem to understand and Mr. Witkoff, his special envoy, doesn't seem to understand. It's about who controls the independence and sovereignty of a sovereign country in Europe called Ukraine.

JIMENEZ: A lot to look for as we head into this meeting. And of course, what actually emerges from this meeting with Zelenskyy, the United States and European leaders as well.

Ambassador Ivo Daalder, really appreciate the time and perspective. Thanks for being here.

DAALDER: My pleasure.

JIMENEZ: All right. Meanwhile, it is the middle of the night in Tel Aviv. The streets are quiet now, but earlier today they were filled with anger and desperation.

These are protesters who held a nationwide strike demanding their government strike a deal to bring home the last 50 hostages being held in Gaza for nearly two years now. The so-called People's Strike shut down roads, businesses and public transportation. Organizers say hundreds of thousands of people turned out. And there are reports three dozen of them were arrested.

Oren Liebermann has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Organizers say some 300,000 protesters have come out to Hostages Square, which is in front of me, a little bit down this road here and all the surrounding streets. Although we can't get a perfect sense of that number, you can see the crowds here around me easily. Thousands cramming and blocking the streets here, holding not only Israeli flags, but also the yellow flags of hostages, holding signs, wearing shirts that say, "Bring them home now."

This is the culmination of a day that organizers have called for, a grassroots, nationwide strike that began early this morning at 6:29 a.m., the exact time that the October 7th attack began. It started this morning with road closures across the country, and from there it spread and grew, leading towards protests, demonstrations, many of them led by hostage families and some of the freed hostages themselves. One led a march through the streets of Tel Aviv to get to this spot right now.

And although you can see some people making their way away from Hostages Square, which is the focus of all this, others making their way toward Hostages Square for the main event of this evening. Protesters say this is just the beginning, a demand to end the war. Without excuses, without any reasons. A comprehensive end to the war to bring home the remaining 50 hostages. That has been the call we have heard from so many of those we've spoken with throughout the day. And you can hear the energy they have brought all the way from early this morning until this very instant going what looks like late into the evening.

Now, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, some of his far-right allies have tried to dismiss this, saying it strengthens Hamas and doesn't bring an end to the war any closer. This is something that we've heard categorically rejected by the protesters we have spoken with. They believe they have to call on, push and demand from their government to bring and get to a deal, to bring home all of the hostages as soon as possible.

They see the new military operation announced by the security cabinet just days ago as a threat to the hostages' lives and a threat to the country itself.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, in Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: All right. Thank you, Oren Liebermann, reporting from Tel Aviv.

Still ahead, dangerous high surf and life-threatening rip currents expected along the East Coast this week as Hurricane Erin strengthens in the Atlantic. We're going to have an update on where the storm is now. Plus, the Trump administration's efforts to ramp up immigration arrests could hit a roadblock this week. The lawsuits that could shut down the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center. We're going to talk to an immigration attorney after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:18:41]

JIMENEZ: We're following Hurricane Erin as it churns through the Atlantic. Erin now weakened to a category three with sustained winds still topping out 125 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center says it could quickly strengthen again as it moves north and west. This is some of the path here. It's tracking to stay far off the eastern shoreline, but does bring a high risk of dangerous rip currents for East Coast beaches. Something to keep an eye on.

Also tomorrow, a federal judge in Miami is going to hold a hearing over the controversial new detention facility in the Florida everglades that the Trump administration has called "Alligator Alcatraz." Attorneys for the detainees claim their clients' civil rights are being violated. And this comes just days after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the state is preparing a second makeshift detention center called "Deportation Depot."

CNN's Rafael Romo has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: "Alligator Alcatraz" is currently facing two lawsuits. One was filed by environmental groups who are opposed to such a facility being built in the middle of an ecosystem like the Florida everglades. The other one was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and Immigrants' Rights Advocates. A federal court in Miami will hold a hearing on Monday in the ACLU case, which focuses on two allegations, lack of access to legal counsel and violations of due process for migrants detained at the tent facility.

[20:20:03]

The complaint filed last month in the U.S. District Court of Southern Florida in Miami specifically states that, quote, "Defendants in this case have blocked detainees held at the facility from access to legal counsel. No protocols exist at this facility for providing standard means of confidential attorney-client communication, such as in-person attorney visitation and phone or video calls that are available at any other detention facility, jail or prison."

The right to an attorney is guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution in criminal cases regardless of the legal status of an individual. Eunice Cho, the ACLU's lead counsel in this case, says beyond the harsh conditions detainees face at "Alligator Alcatraz" that she says she has never seen at any other detention center, there are fundamental rights that are being violated.

EUNICE CHO, SENIOR COUNSEL, ACLU NATIONAL PRISON PROJECT: What we're seeing is that Florida state officials are rounding people up and in many different and very disturbing ways, and eventually taking these individuals to "Alligator, Alcatraz." And they're being held of course without, you know, honoring many of the very basic constitutional rights to be able to speak to counsel, to be able to petition for release from custody. And, you know, "Alligator Alcatraz" cannot end up being a black hole where people disappear.

ROMO: Of course, we reached out to the Department of Homeland Security about these claims. In a statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that, "Any allegation that illegal aliens at 'Alligator Alcatraz' do not have access to attorneys is false. The facility maintains a physical space for attorneys to meet with their clients. Additionally, Florida established an email address for attorneys to submit requests to speak to the specific illegal aliens."

The ACLU lawsuit names Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and her entire department as defendants, as well as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, his executive director of emergency management, Kevin Guthrie, and other officials.

We also reached out to the state of Florida for comment on this, but there has been no response so far.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: All right. Rafael Romo, appreciate it.

I want to bring in immigration analyst and CNN opinion writer Raul Reyes, who joins us now.

So, Raul, there are currently two lawsuits against the detention center facing rulings this week, one centering on human rights violations and another on environmental concerns. Which one do you think will be more effective in its case, or be more significant in whether these facilities can operate?

RAUL REYES, CNN OPINION WRITER: For me, I think the one that will be more significant in terms of whether these facilities are able to operate will be the ones stemming the challenge brought by environmental groups, which already has produced a stop order on any new construction in "Alligator Alcatraz." The facility is still operating, but they just -- the state of Florida cannot continue to expand it.

But what both of these cases have at their heart is a question, basically of control of who's in charge. So -- and that matters because Florida is opening the state-run detention facilities. But normally immigration law enforcement, detention, all of that is under the jurisdiction of the federal government. So we have that inherent clash of jurisdiction right there. The state of Florida and the U.S. government say that it's -- that it's permissible under what's called a 287-G agreement, which lets the federal government delegate certain immigration responsibilities of the state.

The question is, how much responsibility can be delegated? Who ultimately bears responsibility and authority for these detainees? And all of those issues matter so much because other states are watching what Florida is doing. We know that states like Texas, Mississippi, South Carolina, they have all expressed interest in opening their own version, say, of "Alligator Alcatraz." So how this case plays out in Florida could really have a national impact.

JIMENEZ: You know, you said last month when the detention center was just getting started, quote, "'Alligator Alcatraz' is not a joke. It is a dehumanizing political stunt that puts immigrant detainees at genuine risk of harm or death." Do you still think that's true based on what you've seen?

REYES: Right. Oh, absolutely. We have the -- reporting out of conditions in "Alligator Alcatraz" has been very limited. But what we have seen is extremely troubling. First of all, about 70 percent of the detainees in "Alligator Alcatraz" do not have any criminal convictions. And just in general, no matter who is president, conditions in immigration detention are never great. They're usually abysmal. You know, whether it's President Obama, Biden or President Trump. That's a starting point.

[20:25:02]

But what we have seen, especially in the types of people who are in "Alligator Alcatraz," they are pregnant women, high schoolers, asylum seekers, DACA grantees, and at times, even U.S. citizens. These are -- and these are people who may or may not have even had their day in court. And this is all coming, ironically, at a time when the public seems to be turning against the president's overall immigration agenda.

The polling we saw earlier this month from the Pew Center says that 55 percent of Americans, a majority of Americans, do not want more detention centers built. But that's happening, and that's going to be fueled exponentially by the big, beautiful bill that the president signed earlier this summer provides for $45 billion more -- $45 billion additional for more immigration detention centers. So this is where we are. These lawsuits will go a long way as to determining whether we will see more expansion of these type of facilities.

JIMENEZ: Raul Reyes, really appreciate the time and perspective. Thanks for being here.

REYES: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: All right. Meanwhile, Ukraine's president visits the White House tomorrow, giving President Donald Trump another chance to change the course of the war. Will it go smoothly or end in another tense exchange? We'll get into the details coming up.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:30:31] JIMENEZ: Let's take a closer look at tonight's top story. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due at the White House tomorrow for talks with President Trump. His last visit ended in a very public disagreement with the president and vice president. Some of it played out in front of the cameras as you can see here. But this time he's coming flanked by several European leaders.

I want to get some perspective on tomorrow's meeting with CNN military analyst, Colonel Cedric Leighton, who joins us now.

Thank you for being here. Now, look, while this diplomacy is happening, obviously the fighting continues. What is your assessment of where things stand tonight and how does that impact Zelenskyy's position tomorrow?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good evening, Omar. Yes, the way this is playing out right now is that the Russians are continuing their offensive operations. So as we speak with each other tonight, we've got the Russians attacking places like Odessa in the south, Kharkiv in the northeast, and along the front lines in the east. So the Russians are not interested at the moment in engaging in a ceasefire or preventing any of their offensive operations from going forward.

So what this really means is that they want to continue to gain as much possible territory as they can. They also want to put a lot of pressure on the Ukrainians and put them in as weak a position as they possibly can for any future negotiations. So the Ukrainians are going to be put if the Russians have their way in a very difficult position. But what can happen is that the Ukrainians can potentially stop some of the advances like they have in the east, and they can potentially do some other things that could prevent those kinds of Russian goals from being achieved.

JIMENEZ: You know, strategically, one of the reported stated goals for Russia is over the Donbas region to the east of Ukraine. Can you just tell us why that region is so important to Putin?

LEIGHTON: Yes, well, basically it's because it's an economically viable region. At least it was before the war. One of the key things that exists there, of course, natural resources. We heard a lot a few months ago about rare earths that President Trump was very interested in. And he had that agreement with the Ukrainians on that. Well, the Russians want a similar possible agreement with the U.S. or other parties for rare earths in that area.

It's also more traditional materials have been mined there, and it's an industrial area. So in the Donbas region, especially in the Donetsk Oblast, they had about a 10th of the population of Ukraine was living there before the war started, before these latest hostilities started. So a lot of that has been moved. A lot of the people that live there have been moved out, but there's still over three million people that live under Russian occupation there, and about 300,000 that are under Ukrainian control.

That's a significant part of the population. And it also has a cultural significance for the Ukrainians, as well as for the Russians. So that's one of the main reasons why the Russians want to control this area. The other thing is that the Russians want to have a springboard from a military standpoint. If they take over basically four different cities, they will be able to potentially move forward into other parts of Ukraine should hostilities begin again.

And that's really why the Russians want this area. They've got military reasons and they've got economic reasons to do that.

JIMENEZ: And there is this question, no matter what deal is reached in principle, there's this question of security guarantees, and it's likely why it's important to have these European leaders alongside Zelenskyy because they would be involved, along with the U.S., most likely in implementing any of those security guarantees. But I wonder for you, what is the reality of what that would look like, especially if Ukrainian NATO membership has been this red line for Putin to this point?

LEIGHTON: Yes. So that might be one of those things that could happen in the distant future where Ukraine actually gains full NATO membership. Personally, I think they certainly earned it in terms of their ability to fight and their ability to integrate their forces into Western military concepts. But the other part of this is, of course, the Ukrainians want to have some degree of security, as you alluded to.

And if they get that degree of security, if they have those security guarantees, they would basically look like a mutual assistance pact between, say, the United States and Ukraine, Great Britain and Ukraine, France and Ukraine.

[20:35:07]

In essence, it would be separate from the NATO structure, but it would have the same kind of protections if the Ukrainians get their way, that you would enjoy if you were a full-fledged NATO member.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Colonel Cedric Leighton, appreciate the time and perspective as always. Good to see you.

LEIGHTON: Good to see you, too, Omar. Thank you.

JIMENEZ: All right, meanwhile -- of course.

Meanwhile, Democrats are facing an identity crisis as polls continue to show voters aren't happy with the party. Coming up, we're going to talk to former Biden senior adviser John McCarthy about why he thinks this is not a messaging problem.

Also tonight, a new CNN Original Series, "AMERICAN PRINCE JFK JR.," explores a story and lasting legacy of John F. Kennedy Jr. In this week's episode, John Jr. launches "George," a first of its kind magazine mixing pop culture and politics, featuring superstars like Cindy Crawford and Madonna. And despite the intense glare of the paparazzi, manages a secret wedding ceremony to Carolyn Bessette.

The latest episode of the CNN Original Series, "AMERICAN PRINCE JFK JR.," airs tonight at 10:00 p.m. only on CNN.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:40:36]

JIMENEZ: Tomorrow California Democrats are going to start their process to try and get congressional maps approved by the state legislature before it will ultimately go before voters in November. Governor Gavin Newsom this week vowing to fight fire with fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: They want to rig these elections, and they want the power that gerrymandering provides because they know what Donald Trump knows. He's going to lose the midterms.

Wake up, America. This is serious moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: We're joined now by former senior political adviser to President Biden, John McCarthy.

Good to see you. Newsom is one of seven governors you highlighted in a new piece for "TIME" magazine on the future leaders of the Democratic Party. I think fair to say, Governor Gavin Newsom has been pretty front and center in terms of taking on the Trump administration in regards to lawsuits, social media. This redistricting fight as well.

What is your take on the significance of this redistricting fight Newsom is making? And is it a fight he can win?

JOHN MCCARTHY, FORMER SENIOR POLITICAL ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: Well, the fight itself is really important, but it's even more important to talk about, for the purposes of the future of the Democratic Party, how he's doing it. And let's be fair and call it what it is. The Democratic brand is in a crisis. Voters are telling us time and time again that the issues that we are saying we care about aren't the ones that they care about.

They're saying that our leaders are lethargic, that they don't do anything, that we become the party of the status quo. Just a few weeks ago, the "Wall Street Journal" even said that in my lifetime, this is the lowest the Democratic Party's favorables have ever been. So the fact that people like Governor Newsom and Governor Pritzker are fighting back in unconventional ways, they're showing that they're using the power they've been given to do something.

It's pushing back on the very notion that Democrats have become the party of do nothing. So the way he's doing it is really what matters here.

JIMENEZ: And look, you make the argument in this "TIME" piece that Democratic presidential hopefuls need to be stepping up now, even though, you know, we haven't even gotten to the midterms just yet. But who are these people that you believe should be stepping up now? And why do you believe they should be doing it at this stage in let's call it a pre-pre-presidential election cycle?

MCCARTHY: Well, if we're going to win in November in New Jersey and Virginia and the midterms the following year, we fundamentally need to change who people think of when they think of the Democratic Party. That's why these leaders need to step up today. The conventional wisdom is that you kind of sit back for a little bit and say, well, I'm happy with the job that I have now. You know, it's not my time yet. And then you quietly start going to the early states.

But that kind of way that we used to do things is no longer helpful. In fact, it's actually hurting us. We need new people to step up and change the brand of the party because if you ask these people who are out there running in these states right now they will tell you that the Democratic Party is an albatross around their neck. It's not an asset in their campaigns.

You know, I worked at the White House for the last four years and have been on and off of presidential campaigns. And the good news is, I will tell you, the leaders in our party who are sitting on our bench now are not just good, they're exceptional. I mean, look at New Jersey and Virginia, just this upcoming November, which is going to be the first time that voters have the chance to go into the ballot box and send a message to Donald Trump.

You know, we have leaders like, you know, I'm a Jersey guy. Right here, you know, Mikie Sherrill is a fighter pilot. She's a veteran. And these are going to be the new faces of the party that are really going to make a difference and redefine who we are and what we're fighting for.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, as you've talked about, CNN polling has showed opinion of the Democratic Party slowly declining over the last three years. And when you talk about sort of this Democratic Party perception problem, how -- what do you believe is going to be the most significant factor in turning that around? Is it fights like this, redistricting fight or Democrats in Texas choosing to flee the state to stop a quorum?

I mean, what is the roadmap to turning that perception around?

MCCARTHY: You know, there's the issues that you can talk about and the way in which you talk about them. On the issues that we talk about, there are tons of column inches that are being spent right now about the tension in the party that exists between the left and the center, but really what the Democratic Party needs is a return to normalcy. We need to start talking about things like costs and the issues that everyday families are struggling with. And we need messengers who are able to convey that.

The great thing about the Democratic bench right now is the full breadth of talent that we have. We have Mamdani in New York, who is an incredible leader who seized in this moment, this incredible media surge, and is out there talking about affordability. [20:45:00]

But then you also have these governors who are sitting in office today, like Josh Shapiro and Wes Moore and Phil Murphy, and Governor Pritzker and Governor Newsom. Each and every one of them serves a different part of our country and is finding ways to change the way that were thinking about the Democratic Party today. So if we're going to be able to kind of raise these numbers up and make the Democratic Party an asset in an election, we need to start thinking about the names that I just mentioned instead of the leaders of the past.

JIMENEZ: John McCarthy, appreciate the time and perspective. Thanks for coming on.

MCCARTHY: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: All right. Still ahead, we can call it the summer of screams, right? Let's just call it the horror film genre might be the secret formula for Hollywood to make a comeback at the movies. Maybe. Let's talk about it next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:50:07]

JIMENEZ: The entertainment industry is mourning the loss of British actor Terence Stamp. His family told Reuters that Stamp died this morning at the age of 87. The actor famously played arch villain General Zod in "Superman" and "Superman II." He started his film career playing the titular role in 1962's "Billy Budd," which earned him an Academy Award nomination.

In a statement, his family says Stamp leaves behind an extraordinary body of work, both as an actor and as a writer, that will continue to touch and inspire people for years to come.

All right, let's talk the box office this year because a horror film currently dominating the box office. Zach Cregger's "Weapons" once again scaring away the competition, coming in at number one for a second straight weekend. We should note the film is distributed by Warner Brothers Discovery, the same company that owns CNN. Here's a short clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mrs. Gandhy's room was totally empty, and you know why? Because the night before, at 2:17 in the morning, every kid woke up, got out of bed, walked downstairs and into the dark. And they never came back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: I couldn't have done the voiceover much better. Creepy sitting here. It's the second time this year that a horror film has dominated at the box office. Remember, Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" has brought in $45.6 million in its opening weekend back in April. Joining us now to talk about this is journalist and film critic

Brandon Pope. He's the author of "The Screening Room" Substack.

Good to see you, Brandon. So let's talk about horror real quick. What is it about horror films that's getting people off their couches and back into theaters here?

BRANDON POPE, PRESIDENT OF CHICAGO NABJ: Hey, what's up, Omar? Good to be here with you. Look, man, it's the time for horror right now because people want connection. And what better way to connect with people than being in a dark theater with everybody jump-scaring and being scared, you know, just ready to get out of your seat, right? Everyone loves that. But also people love the discussion.

These movies breed, right? We're seeing such creativity happening with movies like the preview we just saw, Weapons," you know, "28 Years Later," these films have such creative vision. They have messages and people want to talk about them afterward. My group chat is popping right now about "Weapons" that people continue to go to the theaters and see what's happening with their theories of what's going on, and that gets people coming back and coming back and coming back. So it's a great thing for the cinemas right now.

JIMENEZ: Yes, I just saw "Weapons" a few days ago. There's a lot to talk about. We won't spoil it here, but if you see it, there are a lot of -- a lot of theories about how things went down.

Look, another film that's getting a lot of buzz, it's 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, the indie horror film "Together." I mean, when you look at what is, I guess, the formula in these types of films that maybe Hollywood can take a page from in other genres to get more people back in the theaters?

POPE: Yes, I think ultimately what it comes down to is creativity, right?

JIMENEZ: Yes.

POPE: I think people are over just going to a theater to watch a movie, unless it's got a reason to be in the theater on the big screen and see it. And so we're seeing with movies like "Together," like "Weapons," like "28 Years Later," like "Sinners," the cinema experience is being really emphasized here. We're talking about the techniques used to film these movies. We're talking about the script writing. We're talking about the acting performances.

When those things are emphasized, audiences want that. And so when you showcase that, you have to really see this on a magnified screen in the best quality, with the best sound, people are willing to invest in that, especially in an era where the streamers are really calling their name in the couch that calls, too.

JIMENEZ: I mean, look, you can't replace -- I'm not going to -- no shade to people's home setups, but I feel like you can't replace seeing "Sinners" in an iMax theater 70 millimeter or something like that. You know, outside of horror, you sort of look at the genre of movies that have typically done well, superhero movies. We're coming to the tail end of "Fantastic Four" and "Superman's" theatrical runs. "Superman," also Warner Brothers Discovery movie, our same parent company.

But how would you assess the health of movie theater movies and what has actually seen success this year in terms of -- in the context of years past?

POPE: Yes, it's really a fascinating time to kind of look at the health of movie theaters and what movies are actually doing well. You look at the top 10 grossers right now, it's a range. The "Minecraft" movie still the number one highest grossing movie of the year. The formula for that, you know --

JIMENEZ: You can't beat Chicken Jockey.

POPE: Chicken Jockey, the meme, right?

JIMENEZ: Yes, yes. Yes.

POPE: Like the viral meme, a lot of kids came out for that, right? But also "Lilo and Stitch" came in second. That's a family movie. "Lilo and Stitch," that's a property that Disney sells big on with toys and merchandise. "Jurassic World" in there as well. But then you look, four of the top 10 are superhero films.

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The superhero genre still has staying power. The conversation you see often with these movies now is their budgets are so high. We're looking at $300 million, $400 million that you see how much money they make in the end, $500 million. Not the same they used to make maybe post-pandemic or before "Avengers End Game." And so people are questioning how much staying power these movies still have.

But look, "Superman," great critical reception. "Fantastic Four," great critical reception. "Thunderbolts," the same thing. And the common theme for a lot of these movies is they have strong themes that people can identify with, right? We're talking about things that resonate like "Thunderbolts" is about, you know, finding the light in a dark time by relying on your friends. "Superman" is about optimism and humanity and kindness. "Fantastic Four," it's about family.

JIMENEZ: We need a lot of that --

POPE: And so a lot of those themes are universal and keeps people coming to the theater for sure.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Brandon Pope, good to see you as always. Thanks for taking the time. Let's do this more often.

POPE: Yes, sir. Thanks a lot.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

And thank you all for being with me tonight. I'm Omar Jimenez. Stay with CNN for back-to-back episodes of "AMERICAN PRINCE JFK JR." That starts right after the break.

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