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Michigan Police Identify Suspect In Mass Shooting At Latter-Day Saints Church; Mayor Eric Adams Drops Out Of NYC Mayor's Race; Congressional Leaders To Meet Trump Tomorrow As Shutdown Looms; Trump Says Gaza Deal Is Near Ahead Of Netanyahu Meeting; Larry Ellison's Move Toward The Right And Trump; Reshaping The Education Department. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired September 28, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:26]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean here in New York. And we are following several breaking stories tonight.

An urgent search for answers in Michigan, where police say a gunman killed two people and injured several more after attacking worshipers at a service for the Church of Latter-Day Saints. Plus, New York Mayor Eric Adams officially abandoning his fight for reelection, potentially clearing the path for the last few remaining candidates. And the clock is ticking as Democrats and Republicans remain deadlocked on a deal to keep the government funded beyond this week.

So let's start first there in Michigan, where we just learned the name of the man police say went on a shooting rampage at that Church of Latter-Day Saints in Grand Blanc Township this morning. Two people were killed, at least seven others hurt, including children. And you see a massive fire set at that church as well, which they are still looking into. A lot of questions about that fire.

The now dead gunman has been identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford of Michigan. They believe the shooter at some point during that attack did set that fire where hundreds had gathered to worship this morning. Police say they, in their words, neutralized the suspect within minutes of the initial call of that shooting. They also said there will be another police update in roughly two hours from now.

Let's go now to CNN's Julia Vargas Jones, who has been following this story.

Julia, look, we heard from them about an hour ago. They didn't have a lot more details besides the name of that shooter and an update on those injured. But there are still a lot of questions around this, including around the motive. And also if there are any more victims who we have not identified yet because of the component of the fire in that church.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, that is exactly what authorities are doing right now. We're hearing from law enforcement sources that evidence technicians are inside the church now processing that scene after that fire was already extinguished. That's according to a law enforcement source and Josh Campbell -- CNN's Josh Campbell.

Now, they are still working to determine whether or not there will be additional victims due to that fire, Jessica. So that number of victims could still go up. We also learned in that press conference a little bit more about how that shooter -- how it all went down, really. But we learned that within less than 30 seconds, there were officers already responding on the scene. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF WILLIAM RENYE, GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN: That call came out at 10:25 a.m. and 57 or 32 seconds. We had officers on scene at 10:25 and 57 seconds. The suspect, again we're in the preliminary stages right now, was neutralized at 10:33:44 in the parking lot of that church.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And now, just to remind our viewers, Jessica, the way that this played out was that there was a truck that went through the front doors of the church. Then that suspect, that shooter walks out of the truck and starts shooting like one of the key questions that we still have not have an answer for is how was it that that fire began?

Now, investigators said that they do believe that it was set intentionally by that shooter. And they did find an explosive device on that church property earlier today. That is why we also saw a bomb squad activity via CNN affiliates on the ground there.

Now, we saw great activity of bomb squads, also in a residential area nearby, raising more questions of whether or not there were any other explosives there, if authorities have found any other traces of explosives as they conduct this investigation. They are saying that they are conducting a physical search of his residence and they're working to obtain search warrants for digital media as well to try and piece together, Jessica, why this attack would have taken place by this person. What was his connection to this place and why now? Why today?

DEAN: Yes. And just underscoring again, hundreds of Americans at their place of worship being attacked, killed, injured, here in the United States on a Sunday.

Julia Vargas Jones, thank you so much for that. We really appreciate it.

Back here in New York City, the city's mayor, Eric Adams, says he is dropping out of the race for reelection with just five weeks to go before election day here. He blamed a lack of fundraising and what he called constant media scrutiny for suspending his reelection campaign.

[18:05:06]

But he had really dragged in all of the polls. There are questions now that with him out of the race, might that be enough to shake up a dynamic that has seen Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic socialist, leading former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, and a Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa, for months now. Mamdani, of course, surprising the political establishment back in June by soundly beating Cuomo in that Democratic primary.

Let's bring in Gloria Pazmino.

Gloria, there were a lot of questions and rumors and thoughts surrounding, will Mayor Adams get out, will he not. He had said he was staying in just a month ago. What happens now?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Jessica, it was a really long, convoluted dance of, will he or won't he, over the past several weeks here in New York City with the mayor himself several times denying that he was going to exit the race. But really, it's sort of a stunning end for a mayor who, when he was first elected almost four years ago, described himself as the future of the Democratic Party in the United States.

He called himself the Biden of Brooklyn. And so much has happened in the last four years that ended up leading to the moment we are in now. The unraveling of his reelection campaign. And we can say that it started more than a year ago when the mayor was federally indicted and accused of corruption charges by the Department of Justice, and since then, we've seen repeated allegations of corruption by members of his inner circle.

Now, as you mentioned, the mayor made the announcement that he was leaving the race by posting a video on social media talking about many of his accomplishments over the last four years, but saying that he had been unable to raise enough money. That media scrutiny about whether or not he would leave the race for his reelection was just essentially not letting him catch fire.

And Eric Adams does deserve some credit. You know, the city is the safest it has ever been. There's a record number of low homicides, low shootings. But this was a mayor who could not get out of his own way and could not get his messaging out there. So now the question is whether or not this is going to help former governor Andrew Cuomo at all, right? The theory here was that if Eric Adams dropped out of the race, support would coalesce behind Cuomo.

But the reality is that Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, has gotten a lot of support and has continued to grow his support, at least in the most recent round of polling. He also just issued his response to the news a short while ago with his own video on social media, which I want you to take a listen to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK MAYORAL CANDIDATE: And to Andrew Cuomo, you got your wish. You wanted Trump and your billionaire friends to help you clear the field. But don't forget. You wanted me as your opponent in the primary, too. And we beat you by 13 points. Looking forward to doing it again on November 4th. Hope you're well. (END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now, Jessica, it's videos like that one that helped Zohran Mamdani get so much attention in the primary, and we are seeing how he is going to be messaging now that Eric Adams is out of the race. He has been saying that Cuomo is President Trump's chosen candidate in this election, and we've heard the president himself say that he believed a person should drop out of the race, and that the field should narrow.

And we've heard the president speak well about Cuomo saying that he believes he's the better candidate. So that seems to be the focus that Mamdani's campaign is going to take. Now we'll see how Cuomo responds in the next several weeks. But I can tell you for sure it's going to be a sprint from here until November when the general election takes place -- Jessica.

DEAN: Certainly. Gloria Pazmino, thanks so much for that.

In just three days, a government shutdown will happen if they don't reach a funding deal in Washington. The Departments of Defense and Homeland Security are among the first to agencies to post updated plans on how they're going to function if that does indeed happen. Tomorrow, top congressional leaders on both chambers are set to meet with President Trump at the White House to try to get a deal. But right now, Democrats and Republicans are both doubling down on their take that it's the other side that needs to give in.

Let's bring in CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak, who joins us now.

Kevin, there was a meeting on the books. The president had canceled that. Now there is another meeting on the books. What more are you learning about tomorrow?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And just the fact that this meeting is now occurring could be seen as a good sign. But listening to all parties in this talking today, there's really no indication that any of them are budging off their positions. They remain very dug in. You heard John Thune, the Senate majority leader, saying that the ball is in their court, referring to the Democrats.

[18:10:03]

You heard the Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, saying that it's up to them. So both sides of this saying that the other side will need to blink if they're able to reach a deal.

And just to remind you of what the dynamics here are, Republicans want to pass a clean extension. Current funding levels that would last for seven weeks. Democrats want to use this opportunity to open negotiations on health care. There are certain tax credits in the Affordable Care Act that are expiring at the end of the year, and they want to use this opening to try and extend them.

We did hear from a White House official today that said that the president is meeting with Democratic leaders at their request, to give them an opportunity to commit to common sense and vote for a clean CR. So not backing off his position there.

Listen to a little bit of how the Republican leader in the House and the Democratic leader in the House sort of framed these talks earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Look, I'm not going to get in front of the president and tell you what he will do. But I talked with him, you know, a couple of times, even yesterday. And I'm telling you where his head is, he wants to bring in the leaders to come in and act like leaders and do the right thing for the American people.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Our view going into the meeting is that we want to find bipartisan, common ground, to find a spending agreement that avoids a government shutdown and actually meets the needs of the American people in terms of their health, their safety, and their economic well-being.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: Now, whether this is all posturing ahead of this meeting tomorrow remains to be seen, there is a sense that Democrats in this current political environment are under so much pressure to stand up to President Trump and stand up to Republicans that they could potentially be more willing to go ahead with a government shutdown than perhaps they were previously. But certainly there will be blame to go around if this transpires, you know, it will be felt in services that are provided to the American people.

Certainly federal workers will be affected. And you heard the White House last week warned that more layoffs could be in the offing if this government shutdown moves forward. But Chuck Schumer seemed to shrug off that possibility today, saying they're doing it anyway.

DEAN: Kevin Liptak, with the very latest from the White House. Thank you so much for that.

Let's talk more with Larry Sabato. He's the director for the Center of Politics at the University of Virginia. He's also the co-author of "Campaign of Chaos: Trump-Biden-Harris in the 2024 Election."

Larry, good to see you on this Sunday evening. OK. So if the government does indeed shut down, there is so much talk about which party will get the blame, and the Democrats say it will be the Republicans. The Republicans say it will be the Democrats. Is it that clear cut?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CENTER FOR POLITICS: No. There'll be plenty of blame to go around as your correspondent suggested. However, the objectives are so different for both parties, and one party is likely to reach their objectives faster than the other party. And which party is that? The Republican Party. Why? Because their goal and President Trump's goal is to eliminate as much of the government that he doesn't like as quickly as possible. And this gives him another opening to do so.

Remember, one thing, Jessica, if it were up to Donald Trump, he would be perfectly happy to spend the rest of his term governing by executive order and with the government shut, and essentially Democrats in a powerless position, he's going to do what he wants, whether it's constitutional or not, and he has the backing of both Houses of Congress, a narrow majority, and he has the backing of the Supreme Court in the vast majority of cases. So in my view, he's actually in the catbird seat.

So why are the Democrats doing this? Because Democratic rank and file are furious at their leadership. They blew the 2024 election. They have governed in a way that is easily described as hapless during this second Trump term. And they want to see some fight. They want to see some anger, even if it doesn't produce much. Now, you know, how long will this go on? And there's always a chance of a miracle tomorrow in their meeting. I'll believe that when I see it.

But assuming we go ahead and have a government shutdown, this one is probably not going to end very quickly. I mean, you have 35 days of a shutdown, a record during Trump's first term, and he's being even more aggressive, shall we say, in his second term.

DEAN: Yes. And look, Democrats have a list of things they want, chief among them is extending these health care subsidies. If they're able to get that, is that -- is that a big enough win for them? Do you think they will see that as a win?

SABATO: I think most people, most Americans would see that as a win, but they'll compare it to the cost of a shutdown, whatever that is. I don't think the Democrats are likely to get it just because they're meeting tomorrow with Trump.

[18:15:03]

And the Republicans have very little incentive to give it to him -- to them before they get this extension. They want some weeks to discuss that so that President Trump will have more opportunities to set the stage so that Republicans will do even better in the negotiations. So, again, I think Democrats are doing what they have to do because their rank and file is not going to permit them to just cave again.

But the Republicans are going to get what they really want, which is a smaller government, more controversy that pleases Republicans, and President Trump's ratings are not going to fall much below where they are now. He's in the low 40s. He's occasionally been in the upper 30s. He's in the low 40s in job approval. And that's pretty much his floor.

DEAN: And as these -- as Republicans and Democrats are hashing this out, we have some new polling that came in this week that shows more voters are identifying as independents, some 44 percent by CNN polling estimates. And in that new polling, we broke in that broad group into some subgroups, those who align with the party on an issue but not a name. The disappointed middle. Here they are, the upbeat outsiders, the checked out voters.

But all of those people identifying themselves as independents and more and more people doing that. Why do you think that is?

SABATO: Well, Jessica, a large majority of them actually picked a party and they vote for that party regularly. We call them hidden partisans. But why do they say they're independents and more of them than in many years beforehand? Because politics in this era has a terrible reputation. It's an invitation to an instant argument. And just by committing to Democrats or Republicans, people around you, family, friends, others you encounter, will prejudge you about lots of different things. So the easiest way to sidestep it all, and it has some social cachet to it, is to say, I'm an independent. It isn't the way they vote. It's behaviorally not true, but it avoids arguments for the moment.

DEAN: That's so interesting. You used the hidden partisan and look, we had some people that again, we -- in some of the groups that we had that they really agree with the party on an issue, just not the name. Kind of like what you're saying as well. So I guess that begs the question, how many real independents are there? That still is -- it sounds like a harder thing to find.

SABATO: Yes. And people in my field argue about it constantly for years. Personally, I think the hard independents we're really talking about 6 percent to 10 percent of the -- of the entire electorate. That's it. The other 90 percent have made a party choice. Now you've got a few of them at the green level and libertarian and so on. But the vast majority of people are either Democrats or Republicans, regardless of what they tell you.

DEAN: That is so interesting. And so what might that mean as we look to the midterms? Is that anything new or different, or does the midterms kind of going to play by the same rules that they typically do?

SABATO: I think there's one difference. Yes, it's true that in most midterm elections, it's a question of which party is more upset, which party is angrier, which party will turn out at the higher level. That is absolutely true. It's going to be true in 2026. I think the government shutdown will have something to do, even though it's more than a year away from the election with which party's angrier, and we'll just have to see.

You know, you can be angry and depressed, which makes you less likely to vote. But if you're angry and energized, you're the ones who are going to dominate the polling places and the winners.

DEAN: Yes. All right, Larry Sabato, always good to see you. Thanks so much.

SABATO: Thank you, Jessica.

DEAN: Still to come, President Trump is promising something special ahead of his crucial talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House tomorrow. Netanyahu does not appear to be fully sold on the Gaza peace plan that the Trump administration is trying to push.

We will break all of that down when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:23:40]

DEAN: Less than 24 hours from a key White House meeting, President Trump saying something special is coming on Gaza. Tomorrow, he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though Israeli officials cautioned Netanyahu does have reservations about the president's proposed 21-point peace plan. That plan calls for the release of all remaining hostages within 48 hours of a deal being reached. It also recognizes aspirations for a Palestinian state.

Let's bring in former State Department Middle East negotiator Aaron David Miller.

Aaron, good to see you. I am curious your thoughts on what is on the line when the president and Benjamin Netanyahu meet tomorrow. As Barak Ravid and I were talking yesterday, it seems like Netanyahu is at this fork in the road where he either goes with Trump and against this far- right piece of his government, or sticks with those members of his government who are really hardliners on this.

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: Yes. I mean, I think you laid out the dilemma, although, you know, Jessica, from our previous conversations, this is rarely a black or white decision point. The last couple of years would suggest not only have they been bloody, but they have turned out more gray than black and white. And the week after next is the beginning of the third year of this war. It's extraordinary. It's a tragedy.

[18:25:00]

I think that the prime minister came here, the speech, he's a very good communicator, but he really only has a constituency of one. Aside from his right-wing coalition partners, he's trying to persuade Donald Trump. And I think the real question to me is how much can Trump abide? How willing is he to create a make or break moment for Benjamin Netanyahu? He's got to clear whatever plan he tentatively accepts or not, with his security cabinet, with the full cabinet. So you're not going to get a black or white ending from that -- from that meeting.

And some of the points of this plan do in fact run across his coalition and his constraints. So again, how tough is President Trump? How frustrated, how annoyed is he with Benjamin Netanyahu? We'll find out I think in less than 24 hours, or not, actually, if Trump doesn't want to press and try to force a decision.

DEAN: How much leverage do you think the president has here?

MILLER: Fascinating question. On paper, an extraordinary amount. Conditional restrict U.S. military assistance to Israel. Joe Biden didn't do that. Introduce your own Security Council resolution or vote for someone else's highly critical of Israel. And isolate Israel in international fora. Joe Biden didn't do that. Recognized unilaterally as much of the world has done a Palestinian state. Joe Biden didn't do that.

I can't conceive, frankly, Jessica, of Donald Trump, who fashions himself to be the pro -- the most pro-Israeli president in human history, using any of those levers on Netanyahu. What he can do is make it unmistakably clear to Netanyahu and to the public, the American public, he owns the Republican Party. You're not going to get much pushback from them. And the Democrats, many of whom are willing to be very critical of Netanyahu's policies. He can make it very clear and repeatedly clear that the U.S.-Israeli relationship is being mishandled by Benjamin Netanyahu, and that tactic, which Bush 41 and Jim Baker used with Yitzhak Shamir, ultimately led to Shamir's defeat.

No Israeli prime minister can bungle this relationship. Whether Trump is prepared to go even there, however, is unclear to me.

DEAN: Right. And then, as far as the plan itself, how important are those details? How set in stone do they have to be? Or is this about them agreeing to a plan more broadly?

MILLER: No, I think we're really past the days when you can reduce the day after plan for Gaza in three pages, call it a day and we'll get to the details later. No. If Trump is serious about this, he's going to have to ask three questions and come up with answers. Who or what is going to govern Gaza? Who or what is going to guarantee security in Gaza? And who or what is not only to provide humanitarian assistance on a regular and predictable basis, but who is going to pay for it, politically and economically, the billions of dollars that are going to be required to reconstruct Gaza?

No. If this is serious, it's got to get down to serious negotiation, and you have to assume president can't do this by himself, that the men and women of his administration, which, frankly, my judgment, haven't demonstrated a whole lot of competency in the national security space, are going to -- are going to be the engines that they're going to have to drive this train. So it's complicated. They're heavy lifts. And I mean, again, I don't like making predictions.

Even if you had an in-principle commitment from Prime Minister Netanyahu, you're talking about weeks if not months before you and I, and normal humans, could agree that the war in Gaza has ended. You also have to get Hamas's agreement and key Arab states as well.

DEAN: Right. And then so that last piece of it is also what I wanted to ask you about, because the Hamas of all of this, also key Arab states buy-in to all of this. What are the chances of that? And what's the state of play from that perspective?

MILLER: Right. It's fascinating question. On Hamas piece, Hamas is going to be asked not only to demilitarize, but to essentially accept some sort of exit out of Gaza. Senior leaders dismantling of the military infrastructure, and what remains. Basically to write itself out of any influence in Gaza. And they would take a hit in the West Bank as well if they agreed to any of this. As far as the Arabs are concerned, Trump is going to want them to pay for this.

[18:30:02]

He's going to want them to provide security forces for a stabilization force to maintain security. Hard for me to believe that you're going to be able to deploy Emirati or Indonesian forces in Gaza who are prepared to kill Palestinians. And if the Israelis are still there, as they will be, to prevent and preempt any hostile action, the Israelis may be killing Palestinians while this Arab stabilization force is also engaged in maintaining law and order.

It's really, really a tough lift. It requires political will. It requires diplomacy. First step, it requires Trump to make an unmistakably clear to the prime minister of Israel that this war that has gone on entering its third year cannot, repeat, cannot go on for another year. Hostages have to come out. Hamas has to be disarmed. These are really tough questions in a politically fraught set of circumstances for Prime Minister Netanyahu.

DEAN: There is a lot on the line tomorrow.

Aaron David Miller, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

MILLER: Thanks, Jess. Appreciate it.

DEAN: We are getting new details into CNN on that deadly shooting and massive fire inside a church just outside Detroit. We're going to give you those new details when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:35:46]

DEAN: This just in to CNN. A law enforcement source telling CNN investigators are already at work trying to identify a possible motive in the shooting and fire this morning at the Church of Latter-Day Saints outside Detroit. Two people we know are dead, eight others injured. Right now, investigators are conducting a physical search of the suspect's home. They're working to get search warrants for any of the digital media that could shed light on why this tragedy happened. What motivated the shooter?

According to a source, the exhaustive investigation is now including dozens of law enforcement personnel from all across Michigan. We're going to continue to keep our eye on this. We are expecting an update from authorities at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and we will bring that to you.

We are also tracking Tropical Storm Imelda that formed over the Bahamas earlier today and is now headed for Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. The storm has shifted and is not expected to be as damaging, but the southeast coast still preparing for a lot of heavy rain, possible flooding, and it's coming right at Imelda in the -- in the Atlantic, ready to cross to Hurricane Humberto. They are looking to cross paths there. That could change things up, for sure.

Chris Warren joining us now.

Chris, what do you got?

CHRIS WARREN, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, Jessica, here's what you're talking about right here. Imelda and Humberto. And it's rare to have two tropical systems like this so close together, especially near the United States. You just don't see it very often. And there is a way they can interact. We think that is part of what's going on and part of what is going to be saving us the worst of the worst in the southeast and Florida.

Just look at the difference between these two. Still a major hurricane has a symmetrical look to it, has that buzzsaw kind of look to it here. And meanwhile much more disorganized but starting to see more thunderstorms firing up around the Bahamas. Tropical storm conditions expected if not seeing it right now in the Bahamas with the heavy rain and the strong gusty winds. But this is Humberto. 145 mile an hour winds.

You shave off about 100 miles an hour. And that's what we have with Imelda. Now Imelda is expecting -- expected to become a hurricane either some point tomorrow night or into Tuesday. But the big thing here is that it is going to be making a hard right turn. And that is absolutely good news. Part of the reason it's going to be doing that is the fact that these two storms are so close to each other.

I want to show you what we're talking about with this. So there's Humberto right there and Imelda as it's continuing to form, and these circles kind of show you the organization of the storm. And notice there's a couple that go around both of them. These are lines of equal pressure. So you can kind of get a sense there's a little bit of a shared environment here. So this one is going to kind of help pull the other one away.

You've got that counterclockwise swirl going to kind of help pull it away. And that's what we're going to see. So that's why we're not going to get the worst of the worst. Just a couple of days ago it looked like we were possibly in for a very serious situation along the Carolinas, possibly even Georgia. But now heavy rain likely to stay offshore. That being said, both of these storms are going to generate a lot of surf and a lot of rough water rip currents.

Still going to be a very dangerous, if not life-threatening situation, but the heaviest of rain, in fact, if you look closely, you can kind of see how those big rain tracks here, Jessica, are going to stay generally offshore with localized flooding possible in the southeast.

DEAN: All right, Chris, thanks so much. We appreciate it.

From briefly dethroning Elon Musk as the world's richest man to leading the investor group that wants to buy TikTok for the U.S., tech entrepreneur Larry Ellison may be hitting his peak when it comes to his financial and his political power, and his relationship with President Trump is a big part of that evolution.

We're going to take a closer look at who Larry Ellison is and his role in this moment in time, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:44:10]

DEAN: This week, Oracle chairman and mega billionaire Larry Ellison is leading a group of investors who are set to take over most of TikTok's business in America. On Thursday, President Trump signed an executive order helping pave the way for that deal.

My colleague Hadas Gold did a deep dive into Ellison on how he cemented his place as one of the most powerful business figures in the world. Partly built on his relationship with the president. And Hadas joins us now.

A really fascinating guy and really just pivotal in this moment we're in. Tell us about what you learned, Hadas.

HADAS GOLD, CNN MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Larry Ellison is not one of those names when people think of the well-known billionaires that the everyday person might be able to list. But at 81 years old, he is poised to have a controlling hand in some of the most important media and social media companies that we have today. Now from A.I., big A.I. projects like the Stargate Project, they have big partnerships with OpenAI through his company Oracle, to, as you mentioned, TikTok, to also he is backing his son David Ellison's company, Skydance, their takeover of Paramount, which owns CBS.

[18:45:10]

Now, of course, Skydance-Paramount is reportedly potentially going to make a bid for Warner Brothers-Discovery, which is CNN's parent company.

So think about that. That's TikTok. That's potentially two major movie studios, two major media brands, and of course Oracle. He could have a hand in all of that and that would not have happened without the relationship that he has developed with President Trump over the years.

So a little bit of history. Larry Ellison co-founded Oracle in the 1970s. It started as a database company, but it's really evolved and is now at the forefront of this sort of A.I. revolution. It's often having these partnerships and it's kind of the backdrop for a lot of these A.I. companies, and that company may put him on those, you know, richest people in the world list starting in the 1980s.

So he's been a billionaire for a long time. But when you look at his politics, this is where it's really evolved. In the 1990s, early 2000s, he was a huge supporter of Bill Clinton. He joked about electing him to a third term. Then you get to 2016. He poured tens of millions of dollars behind now Secretary of State Marco Rubio's campaign. Didn't support President Trump or Hillary Clinton in that campaign.

Then in 2020, he did host a fundraiser for President Trump as one of his properties. But he did not attend. And that was very notable at the time. You know, hosting him at your property but not actually attending in person. That was seen as a clear message. But this is when he starts getting more and more involved with the White House. He joined the Coronavirus Task Force. Trump supported Oracle's first attempt to buy TikTok's U.S. operations back in 2020, and then in 2022, in the Republican primaries, he backed Senator Tim Scott.

But when Tim Scott lost momentum, he stopped supporting him. But he did lobby for Tim Scott to be potentially President Trump's vice president. And then in 2025 for the 2024 election, he didn't publicly support President Trump. But then he didn't attend the inauguration. But if you remember, the day after inauguration, first full day in the White House, there is Larry Ellison standing alongside President Trump at the White House to announce that huge Stargate A.I. project, along with OpenAI and others.

And since then, he's reportedly been a very regular visitor to the White House. And Trump has heaped praise upon him. And think about all that he is involved in. That would not have happened without President Trump's blessing.

Now, I talked to Terry Sullivan. He was Marco Rubio's campaign manager in 2016, and he told me that one of the most interesting parts about Larry Ellison is how he went from being a very quiet, behind the scenes donor of super PACs. He was telling me that he was a really easygoing donor. He didn't request a lot of meetings with the principal or anything like that. He says it's kind of surprising and interesting to see how he's become much more vocal and much more of an active player on the scene.

But obviously, Jessica, that's paid off for him because without President Trump's blessing, I don't think you'd see him having his hand in all of these things, whether it be TikTok or Stargate or his son David Ellison's company potentially being able to successfully or having been able to successfully complete the Skydance-Paramount merger and now potentially even getting a bigger portfolio with maybe Warner Brothers-Discovery as well, Jessica.

DEAN: So fascinating. All right, Hadas Gold, great information there. Thanks so much.

We'll be right back.

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[18:52:44]

DEAN: The Trump administration is giving the Education Department a new focus, making schools patriotic.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has been following this story.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, we took a look at how the Education Secretary Linda McMahon is operating now over six months into her tenure. Multiple sources who work or have worked at the agency under McMahon, they describe her as someone who is largely a figurehead, someone who is not seen around the office very much, and someone who is just carrying out Trump's directive with, they say, little interest to education itself.

One person telling me, quote, "I can't tell you what her guiding principle is. She just seems to be more of a direction taker." And McMahon has this very, very unique task here. Her goal is to wind down the Department of Education, and she's done much of that. She's cut nearly 50 percent of the jobs and is moving these core functions to other parts of government. But at the same time, she's also making moves to put a MAGA inspired stamp on public schools.

Sources describe her as a vessel, a soldier, and carrying out Trump's cultural priorities through the department. The department, for instance, is moving to protect prayer in public schools and tie funding to patriotic curriculums. And they just recently announced they would partner with conservative organizations, including Turning Point USA, to put forward civic education in schools.

Education experts say this is creating a tension between what the Trump administration says it wants to dismantle the agency and to return control to the states. And also, this aggressive use of the agency to achieve other cultural goals, Jessica.

DEAN: Sunlen, thank you.

Actor Tony Shalhoub is taking us on a trip around the world to discover how bread connects us all. Here's a preview of his brand new CNN Original Series, "TONY SHALHOUB BREAKING BREAD."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY SHALHOUB, ACTOR: I'm Tony Shalhoub. This is a show about bread.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome.

SHALHOUB: And people. And how countless combinations of flour and water bring us together.

That's some fine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If Tony Shalhoub calls and says, I want to eat bread, what is the answer besides yes?

[18:55:06]

SHALHOUB: This is my first time in Sao Paulo. My first time in Brazil.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Being hipster sandwich using Acai in the bread.

SHALHOUB: It's not just flavor, it's memory and migration on a plate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To be a good pizza maker we have to understand bread making. It's about the amount of pressure of a pat on the back, assertive but --

SHALHOUB: But not assaulted. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My family is Jamaican, so we're bringing two

cultures together. Will it be beef patty croissant today?

SHALHOUB: Oh, yes.

There are more Lebanese living in Brazil than in Lebanon itself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's part of Brazil.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to Mary O's.

SHALHOUB: Oh, my. Bread into my mouth.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's very cute, isn't he?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's gorgeous.

SHALHOUB: No. Let's not go overboard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. You're handsome.

SHALHOUB: Wow. Wow. It's been really, really special connecting with all of you.

We're breaking bread. This is the best job I've ever had.

ANNOUNCER: "TONY SHALHOUB, BREAKING BREAD," premieres October 5th on CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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