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Hakeem Jeffries And Jared Kushner Secretly Meet; Growing Tropical Storm Moke To Impact Storm-Weary Hawaii; Nevada's Fast-Moving Hawk Wildfire Forces Evacuations; IndyCar Roar Down D.C. Streets For Freedom 250 Grand Prix; Many Communities Fight New Data Center Construction; Democrats Descend Down Communist Path; Piker Travels To Cuba in Name Of Humanitarianism; Duane Davis Addresses Judge as Week One Of Testimony Ends; Report Sheds Light On Possible Military Insider Trading On Polymarket; Monaco Bomb target Speaks To CNN. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired August 23, 2026 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:28]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much for joining us here in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Erica Hill in New York.

And we begin this hour with new reporting from CNN about a private meeting that took place between two high profile figures, President Trump's son-in-law and close adviser Jared Kushner and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. A source telling CNN the two met in New York several weeks ago to reportedly discuss key issues that the White House could potentially collaborate with Democrats on. Immigration, housing, the cost of living among those issues.

For more on the reporting, CNN correspondent Julia Benbrook joins us now.

So, Julia, important to note, of course, Jared Kushner is a special envoy we often hear, but is not making the day-to-day decisions. What more do we know about this meeting?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. But he is President Donald Trump's son-in-law. He is a top adviser to the president. So there's still a lot of attention on this sit-down. He had a meeting in the last several weeks, this took place in New York, with the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries. And we know that the two discussed how in the future the White House and Democrats might potentially work together.

Some of the top topics included immigration, housing, the overall cost of living. This meeting was first reported on by "The New York Times," and Jeffries in a statement to CNN, he commented on the overall relationship with the administration, saying this, in part, "The American people want bold change, and that's what House Democrats will deliver," adding, "In every conversation that we have with the Trump administration, we will continue to make it explicitly clear that the affordability crisis is not a hoax and nothing short of transformational policy change is acceptable." Now, a source familiar with the matter tells me that during this

meeting that Kushner suggested that Jeffries meet with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles at some point as well. She, of course, is very involved in the day-to-day here at the White House. And the timing of this draws attention because were just 10 weeks away from the midterms. So it raises the question, is this some sort of an acknowledgment that there could be a shift in dynamics on Capitol Hill?

House Speaker Mike Johnson is already pushing back on that, expressing confidence that Republicans will maintain their majority. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): I know Jared is a smart guy and he hedges bets. But I'm telling you what, you better not bet against the House Republicans. I know Jared has interests and lots of other things going on. He's not really directly involved in the admin, at least in the day-to-day in the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: And at this moment, Republicans hold a razor thin majorities in both the House and the Senate. We have reached out to the White House for any more information on this meeting that took place -- Erica.

HILL: All right, Julia. Appreciate the update. Thank you.

We are keeping a close watch on Hawaii. The state facing another tropical threat less than a week after Hurricane Lala. Tropical Storm Moke is now the closest it's been to Hawaii's coast and could dump several inches of rain on the Big Island and Maui today. That is threatening a number of the communities who were already hit hard last weekend, and they are still pulling together as they try to not only recover from that last storm, but prepare for this one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MYRA AULD, HOPE DIAMEND MINISTRIES: We have a team that's out at Costco today that went shopping first thing this morning as soon as they opened up. So there they went -- drove from Ocean View to Kona to go get provisions. They're on their way. We had a family this morning from our church, one of our team cooked up a bunch of pans of spaghetti so they'll have some hot meals there. So we have it coming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Angela Cifone from our CNN affiliate KITV is joining us now with the latest from Honolulu.

ANGELA CIFONE, KITV REPORTER: We are back at Kilauea Point, where we were for Hurricane Lala as we track Tropical Storm Moke. And as you can see, it is raining. But literally two seconds ago it was sunny outside. So we are keeping track of the different changes that were seeing throughout the day. But we step out of the way because you can see here that the waves are not as big as they were last week.

These skies are a little bit darker right now, now that it's raining, but there is little to absolutely no wind, which is something we're really thankful for because as we know, we have those power outages. People are recovering from Hurricane Lala still. So there's so many things that that wind could really make difficult. So we're very grateful for this wind that is not really coming right now.

[19:05:03]

However, this could change throughout the rest of this Sunday. But right now we are holding on to what we have. And that is not a lot of wind. Excuse me, but there is that rain.

Now we are expecting it to slow down and then increase throughout the day. We could get up to 15 inches of rain, so we are seeing it starting to stop already. So that's looking good. But we are expecting to get at least eight to 15 inches of rain here. And with that saturated grounds already, it's going to be difficult. It could really make things dangerous, especially on the south side in Pahala and Naalehu.

So we are going to keep track of that. Power is still out for so many people on the south side. We're going to go check out all of those stories as well. But as of right now, I'm not as soaked as last week and things are looking up as we continue tracking Tropical Storm Moke. We're going to keep you guys updated throughout the rest of the storm and hurricane season here at Kilauea Point.

Angela Cifone.

HILL: All right. Our thanks to Angela for that report.

We do have some breaking news we want to share with you. Authorities now believe the uncontained wildfire burning in northwest Reno was caused by human activity. We've also learned six people have suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Officials have been asked -- have been asking some 90,000 residents to leave now before it is too late.

Some new video to show you coming in to us here shows these flames rapidly spreading along a Nevada hillside. Washoe County remains under a state of emergency. This fast-moving Hawk Fire really exploded. It's now covering more than 13,000 acres at zero percent containment. Several structures have burned. Thousands are without power.

Hillary Schieve is the mayor of Reno and joins us now.

So, Mayor, can you just bring us up to speed in terms of what you know at this hour? Are we still at zero percent containment?

MAYOR HILLARY SCHIEVE, RENO, NEVADA: Yes. Thank you so much, Erica. Right now we are at zero percent containment. But people should also know that that doesn't mean that we're making headway, which is good. Overnight they really did a phenomenal job. The firefighters just held the line and that's what we really need them to do. Right now the wind has been fairly calm, which is obviously in our favor. But you know, we start to get later into the day and worry that they

will pick up. And as you know, fire can create its own weather. And so it can get extremely erratic. But we are very lucky because we have a type one emergency management team that's here now. Governor Lombardo signed our emergency declaration, which is fantastic. So it really brings in a ton of resources. The National Guard is now here.

We have all jurisdictions on scene with over 1,000 firefighters here. We've just been just so grateful for the response that we've had. And so we're just doing everything we can to keep our residents safe. We have over 42,000 residents right now evacuated, looking at another 45,000 or so, you know, residents that may need to be evacuated. So we are all hands on deck here.

HILL: Those are massive numbers. You know, 42,000 who have already evacuated, another 40,000 being asked to do so. Where are they going?

SCHIEVE: Well, right now we have the Red Cross who has been phenomenal. And we have a massive convention center here. So we are standing that up. And there are thousands of people that are coming. And, you know, Reno has one of the best communities. People are opening their hearts, their doors every which way for our animals, you know, family, friends, loved ones. And the generosity has just been outpouring.

Remember, we are also very lucky to be sort of in a very tourist centric city. So, you know, there are hotels that are doing a lot on the ground as well. And so we're lucky that we have some of this capacity, but you know, that's why it's so important to get on top of this fire as quickly as we can because we want to make sure that we are saving, you know, all the lives that we possibly can and making sure that everyone is safe.

I think the other thing that people may not realize is we are just coming out of the Bug Fire. So when you have two catastrophic events back to back, it gets pretty extenuous.

HILL: Yes, it can, especially for all the crews fighting that fire. I was speaking with the fire chief last hour. I mean, you were talking about how they were able to get a handle on some stuff overnight. The nighttime has been, though, more of a challenge, right, than we've seen because it just -- the conditions haven't changed every time in the way that they would like. You talked about the resources you have. I know you've got a lot going on.

Are there further reinforcements or anything else that you need in this moment that we should know about?

SCHIEVE: Well, we have been so lucky. Nevada is very, very connected to our federal partners. All of our federal partners. Step in, got FEMA grants, been connected constantly with the governor.

[19:10:01]

Everyone is doing what they can. We have very strong National Guard. I just -- you know, I feel blessed as a mayor that I get this kind of support. I know not a lot of cities do get this kind of support. And so it's just been all hands on deck. Everyone has been working together. What do you need? What do you need? Residents are, what do you need? What do you need? That's the wonderful thing as we all come together in a big way in the big city when we need everyone the most.

But I'm very, very fortunate that all of our federal partners, our local elected officials, all work really well together, especially in catastrophic incidents like this.

HILL: You know, I noted just before we came to you, authorities have said they do believe this was caused by human activity. Is there any further indication as to whether that was intentional?

SCHIEVE: Well, we don't know at this moment. It's certainly under investigation. But I think people forget that 90 percent of fires are created by humans. And, you know, especially in dry conditions during summer. And we've been in red flag warnings. It is a very, very serious event. And so we're continuing to investigate it to find out exactly what the cause is. And, you know, we take that extremely serious and we will hold anyone accountable.

But I think for cities across the country, especially if you are in these wild land fire areas, it's important to message that most of these are caused by humans. And so we have to continue to message that we've got to keep communities safe by letting them know it's unacceptable when we're causing these fires, you know, ourselves.

HILL: Mayor Hillary Schieve, we really appreciate you taking the time to join us. Thank you.

SCHIEVE: Thank you so much, Erica.

HILL: Still ahead here, the first ever IndyCar race through the heart of the nation's capital appears to have been a success. So does this perhaps mean Washington now has an unquenchable need for speed? A look at today's events and what could be to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:16:45]

HILL: For a few hours this afternoon, the roars of race cars and fans could be heard across Washington, D.C.. More than 100,000 people, including the president and first lady, gathering today in the nation's capital for the first ever IndyCar race there. The Freedom 250 Grand Prix wrapped up a series of events over the weekend celebrating the nation's 250th birthday.

Brian Todd was there, and he has all the details.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erica, all told, this race lasted a little less than three hours, but for most of the people out here, it was an all-day experience because they had to get here fairly early through the checkpoints to get to these spots.

This is one of the choice spots, really, to watch this race. This is a general admission grandstand for, A, lots of people packed in here, people filing out over here. This is the racetrack right by turn four. This is one of the most popular places to watch this race today.

Over here we have more grandstands which were packed. And the suites, these suites cost between $200,000 and $250,000. So those were presumably bought up by corporations and other entities like that for some of their dignitaries and VIPs. There was one set of suites over here, and then one by the starting and finish line. That was where President Trump watched the race from, where he dropped the green flag earlier and where some other people were watching the race from.

Overall, it looked like a real success. Everybody we talked to seemingly had a great time. Here are some perspectives from some of the people who were here for the preliminaries yesterday, and for the main race today. Just about what the fan experience was like for them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: I'm here with Liz Eustace and Chris Richardson, race fans here.

Chris, you've been to several races, you said, OK. Liz, you have not. OK. Got to get your impression. First time, how do you like it?

LIZ EUSTACE, INDYCAR FAN: This -- I saw the warm up and it was so cool. I didn't think I was kind of like, oh, they're just cars running. But the speed they're going. It was so freaking cool. And I got goose bumps, I got all shaky. It was really cool.

TODD: And now you're a veteran, Chris. You've been to some of these races. What do you think? What stands out to you about this particular one?

CHRIS RICHARDSON, INDYCAR FAN: It's a road course and that's always fun. You know, a road course on my own home roads. I definitely love that. And just having a point of reference for how fast they're going on these city streets is insane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: So all told, this whole thing was in the works for actually about a year. The organizer Bud Denker, the president of Penske Racing, had this as a brainchild starting last summer. He ran into some bureaucracy regarding his plan to put some of this track right by the Capitol and on the Capitol grounds. He ran into so much bureaucracy and partisanship on Capitol Hill that he was almost ready to scrap this whole race.

But he was convinced to maintain the race, to try to just redesign the course somehow. So he brought the course away from the Capitol grounds and then back down here, more centered toward the center of the National Mall. So that's where this really took place. 1.7 miles around the Washington Monument, near the foot of the Capitol, but not on the Capitol grounds near the Air and Space Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and then kind of circling around Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues. Pennsylvania Avenue was like the main drag of this course. That was

where it was wide enough to have the pit stop area, but it was just incredible.

[19:20:04]

The logistical operation to put all this together, they started it in mid-July, you know, breaking down some of these -- some of the equipment and getting it here, putting it up, closing roads to do that. They think it'll take until maybe at least the end of the last week in September to clear everything out. So all told, it's going to be about a two month long operation to stage this race -- Erica.

HILL: All right. Brian, really appreciate it. Thank you.

Ahead here, more and more communities now pushing back on proposed data centers. Politicians also doing some 180. We'll take a look at the latest massive project that is now suddenly been canceled.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:25:11]

HILL: We are now just weeks away from the midterm elections that will, of course, determine the balance of power on Capitol Hill. One issue a number of candidates are having to answer for right now is the creation of these massive A.I. data centers. They're drawing outrage from voters across the country and across the political spectrum. A number of politicians tapping into that grassroots backlash.

And it's been an interesting week. And frankly, several weeks as we've seen a bipartisan 180 in many cases when it comes to these facilities. President Trump, however, remains a big fan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If the Republicans are against the data center, that's OK with me. If I were a community, I would want the data center. It means jobs. It means income and it means lower taxes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Rafael Romo has been looking into this. A number of cities really fighting back now against the construction of these data centers. So you recently visited one small town in Georgia. Quite an uproar there.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. That's one great way to describe it, Erica, because data centers have prompted a national debate that has been raging for a while, a debate that is heating up as we approach the midterm elections. And here in Georgia, the city of Lovejoy, population 13,000, consider a proposal that would have included a 15 building, 403 acre data center campus that would have been located between two schools and several residential neighborhoods. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the type of contamination that comes from a data center.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: That proposal generated such a public outcry that city officials and the developer canceled the data center plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN WORRELL, LOVEJOY, GEORGIA RESIDENT: We don't need something like that within our community right here. Yes, it's come across as a very negative thing. I think many people are against it, and I'm one of those people as well.

KENISHA CLEMONS, LOVEJOY, GEORGIA RESIDENT: This is a place to have families grow, not data centers.

TINA CORIA, FOUNDER, CONSERVE HENRY: We're not against data centers. We're against data centers in our communities. That's not what we came here for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Lovejoy Mayor Marcy Flewellen told me that she's happy that consensus was reached on what's best for her residents. A recent Gallup poll shows 71 percent of Americans oppose the construction of data centers in their community. About a dozen states have proposed data center building moratoriums, and New York has recently enacted one. Four other states have taken up similar bills, but they failed to get enacted.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott told ABC this morning A.I. companies should have done much more to make their case before unveiling plans to build data centers in local communities in his state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R), TEXAS: They didn't do their job to get the support of people in local communities. Gaining the support of people in local communities is essential. They have not been working in collaboration with local governments, and so they basically dug their own grave for the problem that's been caused for them. And that's why they got the backlash they deserve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: In spite of the opposition Shelly Palmer, a professor of advanced media at Syracuse University, says data centers are here to stay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHELLY PALMER, CEO, PALMER GROUP: The velocity of data is increasing and will always increase. There is no version of the world where there's less data tomorrow than there is today. Every time you pick up your smartphone, every time you sit down at a computer, every time you do practically anything, swipe a credit card, data centers are involved. In order to make data actionable to turn it into something tangible and valuable, you must process it. And that happens in a data center.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And to put it all in perspective, Erica, the United States had more than 5400 data centers at the end of last year, according to Stanford University's A.I. index report. That number is set to nearly double because data research center Aterio found A.I. companies have announced plans for nearly 4,000 additional data centers.

Now back to you.

HILL: That is a lot. 4,000, and I'm sure they will come with lots of commentary.

Rafael, really appreciate it. Thank you.

Still to come here, the first week of testimony wrapping up in a trial 30 years in the making. What we're learning about the defense strategy for the man accused of orchestrating the murder of legendary rapper Tupac Shakur.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:34:06]

HILL,: The trial of the man accused of setting, accused of orchestrating the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur just wrapping up its first week of testimony. Duane Davis shocking the court by speaking out for the first time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DUANE DAVIS, FORMER COMPTON GANG LEADER: They keep giving up my address. They broke in my house, vandalized my house, vandalized my wife's car. You know what I'm saying? Because they keep giving out our address. Now, they gave out my sister's address. This stuff is wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've heard it's going on both ways that there's...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: So, you heard Davis there. He says his family is being threatened and harassed after his address and phone numbers were presented in the prosecution's exhibits.

Now, prosecutors dismissed those claims. Davis is facing a one count of murder in Las Vegas for his alleged involvement in Shakur's fatal shooting. CNN's Josh Campbell has more. JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Week one of the trial of the man accused of taking part in the murder of legendary rapper Tupac Shakur is complete, and the star witness so far, the defendant's own words. Duane Davis has pleaded not guilty to allegations that he helped orchestrate Shakur's killing.

In a 2008 police interview, prosecutors played for the jury. Davis claimed the shooting of Shakur and rap producer Suge Knight near the Las Vegas strip nearly 30 years ago, was done out of retribution.

Davis said his nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, had been beaten up earlier that night by Shakur's entourage. Hours later, Davis, Baby Lane and two others spotted Shakur and night driving and pulled up alongside.

[19:35:39]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OFFICER: You did a U-turn, so, then you pull alongside of it. You guys are in the car. So, you hand the gun to the back seat?

DAVIS: Yes, I gave it to Dre and Dre was like, "no, no." And Lane's like, "Give it here."

OFFICER: Lane starts blasting, then you say, Suge looks over, he sees you.

DAVIS: Yes. I see a bullet going to Suge's head, I thought he was dead. I thought he was dead. He must have scraped him or something in the head or something.

OFFICER: So, Tupac's Trying to jump in the back seat, and what's Suge doing? Just Ducking?

DAVIS: Ducking. He couldn't really duck because he was too big, you know?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: A Las Vegas medical examiner testified about the wounds Shakur received.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He died of gunshot wounds of chest and abdomen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, do you have an opinion as to the manner of death?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what is that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Homicide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: The jury also viewed video clips from a 2018 documentary entitled "Death Row Chronicles". Davis was interviewed for the show and provided a moment-by-moment explanation of how the shooting happened. While a recreated dramatization was displayed on screen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS: When we pulled up, I was in the front seat. Happen to see my friend, Suge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said the shots came from the back, Big Dre Orlando, who shot Tupac?

DAVIS: Going to keep it for the code of the streets. It just came from the backseat, bro.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: In his police interview, Davis also claimed that disgraced rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs offered a one-million-dollar bounty to have Shakur and Knight killed. Allegations that Combs has repeatedly denied.

He has not been charged in connection with this case. Now, despite past comments by Davis describing his role in the shooting, he and his attorney now claim he made it all up and was merely trying to make money off of his stories

Of course, a major question that will decide his fate, which version of the story will the jury ultimately believe?

The trial is expected to last several more weeks. Back to you.

HILL: All right. Our thanks to Josh for that reporting.

Criminal Defense Attorney Elyse Hershon joins us now. Elyse, when we look at this one week of testimony down, what stands out to you so far?

ELYSE HERSHON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Good evening, and thank you for having me back on your show. So essentially, this is a little bit less than a he-said, she-said, this is a he-said and believe-him case by the prosecution. And they're playing his own words, the defendant's own words and using his own words against him, we heard that 2008 interview with LAPD. We heard from one of the interviewers, former LAPD detective Dupree, and he basically testified believe this interview. So, that was pretty strong evidence.

HILL: And he said one of the reasons that he was saying, you should, that he believed him right in that moment is because this also involves Duane Davis or Keffe D, involved his nephew, and he felt he wouldn't have put his he wouldn't have lied about his nephew. But there are a lot of questions to about the witnesses, which we're learning because so many people who were there on that night actually aren't alive to testify. HERSHON: Exactly, this is a problem with a cold case such as this. I've worked on several cold cases in my career as criminal defense attorney of Massachusetts, and a lot of the eyewitnesses and witnesses are no longer here. They've either passed or moved on, memories have faded. Even the original investigators missing a lot of the people that worked there. And we know back in the 90s, there's not a lot of surveillance.

It was before cell phone videos were being taken. So, all of the investigation that happened is old. Its old procedure. Its older people, and not one other person in that car is still alive that, Davis says was with him.

HILL: You point out, with the prosecution is trying to do here, right, to use Duane Davis' words. Davis' attorneys were clear from their opening statement that nobody should believe their client, that he's a serial liar. You can't trust anything that comes out of his mouth, right? He's gone back and forth about he was there. He was not there. The book. He was trying to make money. Prosecutors say he's the mastermind. I mean, who do you see, which narrative, I should say, do you see emerging at this point? I know its early days.

HERSHON: It is early days, and we don't know if the defense is going to put on a case. Certainly, they're not required to, but basically the defense is saying, don't believe my client. Usually, they're saying don't believe police, don't believe this eyewitness.

This is a very different case. And the other thing about this case is it's all or nothing. So, it's either he was there, he did it, and he was what's considered a joint venturer in calling or basically setting up the murder so his nephew could do it to get back for an earlier fight they had, or he wasn't even there. The defense is saying, well, he wasn't even in Vegas at the time. There's reportedly someone on the witness list, Foxy Brown, who in Davis' book, he says, knew he was there.

So, is she going to testify? Is she going to put him in Vegas, or is that going to be a missing piece for the prosecution?

[19:40:39]

HILL: It is fascinating. The other thing I think, that has surprised a lot of people following this trial is the fact that in Nevada, jurors can ask questions during the trial. It's actually, I've learned this week it's more common than I think a lot of us realize. As an attorney, in your experience, how does that impact a trial?

HERSHON: We don't have that in Massachusetts. I think, you know, part of the grand jury proceedings jurors are allowed to ask questions, but only the prosecutor is there. The defendant isn't there, the defense attorney isn't there and it's just probable cause.

We're talking about somebody's life on the line. And the jury is allowed to ask questions. Certainly, they're going to have questions at the end. But the whole idea as a defense attorney, especially, you want the jury to have questions because that means its reasonable doubt and the prosecution didn't prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. So, if the jury is asking questions and they're being answered as the trial goes along, does it make it harder for the defense to succeed here?

HILL: It's interesting and they're asking really, really specific questions, right, clarifying some evidence, clarifying some of the statements. It's been a fascinating week one, more to come. Elyse, really appreciate it, thank you.

HERSHON: Thank you.

HILL: Still ahead here, there are new signs of possible insider trading on prediction markets. More than 100 accounts may have traded on top secret U.S. Military intelligence, that investigation next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:46:32]

HILL: A new report uncovers possible insider trading involving secret military information. A nonpartisan analysis revealed more than 150 accounts on the prediction platform Polymarket may have been using confidential military intelligence to bet on defense related events. CNN's Marshall Cohen has the details.

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: This insider trading stuff just keeps coming up over and over. So, just to give you the context here, war markets like these are actually illegal in the U.S., so, all the trades you mentioned occurred on Polymarket's international site. That site runs on blockchain, so, all the trades are actually public and trackable. And even though it does not tell us who is doing the trading, the data is still incredibly valuable. And the folks at the nonpartisan anti-corruption data collective did a deep dive.

They identified, like you said, more than 150 accounts that showed signs of potential insider trading on war markets, including markets about Iran. They said many of these accounts placed huge long shot bets and had a stunning win rate. You can see it on your screen 97 percent. And altogether, those accounts profited more than $8 million.

Now, to be clear, Polymarket is not accused of any wrongdoing. I spoke with a senior Polymarket official about these findings. They said they have already referred dozens of those accounts to the Justice Department and that criminal investigations are underway. CNN has reached out to the DOJ for comment on that.

Now, Polymarket says also that it is investing quite heavily on internal surveillance tools to prevent insider trading, just like this. And the company's founder and CEO, Shane Copeland, brought that up yesterday at an event right here in Washington, D.C., with the federal regulators that oversee prediction markets. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAYNE COPLAN, POLYMARKET FOUNDER AND CEO: We have someone here right now who is ex-FBI, who works full time at Polymarket, has built custom proprietary surveillance software on chain. I know this is live streams; people are going to be upset to hear that. But, you know, we talk with our partners Palantir, Chainalysis, and they're like, damn, you guys have this in-house. This is serious. You know, and were grateful to have that and we continue to invest more in it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: Looking at the big picture here, it's situations like these are exactly the reason why so many policymakers here in the U.S. are very alarmed about the explosive growth of prediction markets, 44 of the 45 state attorney generals are in agreement and pushing hard for more regulation of this industry. And there's also an increasing number of Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill who want to rein this in.

HILL: All right, Marshall Cohen, thank you for that.

The target of recent bombing attack in Monaco tells CNN rogue Ukrainian intelligence agents may have been paid to assassinate him. It's a story you will only see on CNN. That's next.

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HILL: The target of a recent bomb attack in Monaco tells CNN rogue Ukrainian intelligence agents may have been paid to assassinate him. Vladimir Malakhov is now calling on authorities in Kyiv to step up their investigation. That blast seriously injured his partner and child. I do want to warn you; there are some disturbing images in this story. CNN chief global affairs correspondent Matthew Chance has the exclusive report.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's a glamorous playground for the super-rich. One of the worlds tiniest nations, Monaco promotes itself as a haven of wealth and tranquility on the picturesque shores of the mediterranean.

But one evening in June, as a Ukrainian-born businessman walked home with his family that carefully manicured image of security and calm was shattered, plunging the principality into violence and chaos.

CHANCE (on camera): Well, this is the exact place where the explosion took place. You can still see the impact of the shrapnel. The stucco plasterwork here around the door has all fallen off. And you know, if I lift up the tarp here, you can see the marble steps and the and the brickwork is all is all shattered.

We've also made contact with the target of the attack. And despite his grave injuries, he's agreed to speak out.

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(VADYM LERMOLAIEV speaking in foreign language.)

TRANSLATION: When the explosion went off. I saw my partner, Anna, lying on the steps with badly injured legs. My son was waving his bloodied arms and had burns across my whole body and was missing pieces of flesh.

I'm not a confrontational person. I've always tried to avoid any sharp conflicts. So, I don't understand the reason why this happened.

CHANCE (on camera): Theres a suggestion in Ukraine, and there are reports in Ukraine that this assassination attempt was linked to your involvement, alleged involvement in organized crime. How do you answer that?

(VADYM LERMOLAIEV speaking in foreign language.)

TRANSLATION: I personally have never in my life had anything to do with that. The Monaco police also asked me if my family could be involved, which was almost funny as everything I own is already registered to my wife and children.

CHANCE (voice over): But clearly someone wanted to send a message.

This is the face of the Bomber, a 39-year-old single mother from Ukraine, Anastasia Berezovsky. She even recorded herself planting the device in what investigators say was part of a complex international plot. They're still trying to unravel.

CHANCE (voice over): Well, these narrow twisting streets snaking through tiny Monaco are some of the most heavily surveilled anywhere in the world. There are more than 1,400 surveillance cameras basically watching everything anybody does. And a police officer for every 60 residents of the principality, the bombing appears to have been carefully planned to bypass all of that tight security.

CHANCE (on camera): At Monaco's Police Department is now under intense pressure to understand what went wrong.

(ERIC ARELLA, POLICE COMMISSIONS OF MONACO speaking in foreign language.)

TRANSLATION: Multiple theories are being explored. The police chief admitted, though he refused to elaborate or discuss the glaring connections with Ukraine E Kyiv court, those connections have become impossible to ignore. Two men are serving officer with Ukrainian military intelligence and a former security agent now stand accused of executing Anastasia Berezovsky, burying the Monaco bomber in a shallow grave after she fled home.

For the Ukrainian authorities fighting a bitter war with Russia it's a potentially embarrassing link that risks straining relations with its European backers.

Ukrainian military intelligence say the suspects are just criminals. But fueling speculation, Vadim Yermolayev is sanctioned by Ukraine for doing business with its Russian enemies, though he's ruling out any link to his bombing.

(ERIC ARELLA, POLICE COMMISSIONS OF MONACO speaking in foreign language.) TRANSLATION: I can't imagine it had anything to do with the Ukrainian sanctions against me, because that would mean our state is potentially engaged in extrajudicial executions. And I just can't believe.

CHANCE (On camera): After the bombing, you accused the Ukrainian security services of being behind it. Is that still your view?

(Eric Arella, Police commissions of Monaco, speaking in foreign language.)

TRANSLATION: That's not just my view; all the facts point to it. But I think this was a contracted hit.

Someone privately hired military intelligence specialists who know how to do this. And they took it on for money...

CHANCE (voice over): In both Monaco and Kyiv. Investigations are now in full swing to uncover the facts, including the possible role of Ukrainian guns for hire or rogue agents making one of the world's most glamorous enclaves feel a lot less secure.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Monaco.

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