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CNN This Morning

President Trump Files Lawsuit Against Wall Street Journal Owner Rupert Murdoch; Former Sports Illustrated Model, Who Dated Epstein And Accuses Trump Of Groping Her, Says The Two Men Were "Best Friends"; Colorado Dentist Accused Of Poisoning His Wife With Arsenic, Cyanide; Rubio: "Every Wrongfully Detained American In Venezuela Is Back In Our Homeland"; NPR, PBS To Lose More Than A Billion Dollars In Government Funding; Coldplay "Kiss Cam" Moment Sets The Internet On Fire. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired July 19, 2025 - 07:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:00:42]

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning and welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is Saturday, July 19th. I'm Danny Freeman, in for Victor Blackwell.

First, President Trump is suing The Wall Street Journal for a stunning amount of money over their report on a birthday letter Trump allegedly wrote for Jeffrey Epstein. We'll break down the lawsuit and the mixed reaction from the president's supporters.

Plus, public radio stations are rushing to find new financial lifelines after Republicans cut funding to PBS and NPR. We'll speak to the leader of a major public radio station on the potential impacts.

And millions across the U.S. are dealing with heavy rain and flash flood threats. We're tracking it all. Plus, emotional testimony in the trial of the Colorado dentist, accused of fatally poisoning his wife with a protein shake. We'll tell you what the couple's daughters revealed they were asked to do by their father.

And you've probably by now seen this viral video of the tech CEO spotted at a Coldplay concert with another company executive. Well, the company they work at has seen it too, and they are taking action.

We begin with The Wall Street Journal owner Rupert Murdoch and several journalists now caught in the crosshairs of a libel lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump.

That lawsuit is seeking almost $20 billion, all for their story saying President Trump gave a birthday letter and a lewd drawing of a woman to Jeffrey Epstein back in 2003.

Now, the president denies he wrote it. And House Speaker Johnson, for the moment now, is backing him up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): The president and I talked about that ridiculous allegation this morning. He said it's patently absurd. He's never drawn such a picture. He's never thought of drawing such a picture. And he said, did you see the language of this bogus, supposed communication or card or something I supposedly sent to Epstein. He said, I don't talk like that. I don't think like that.

They are literally making things up. And he is so frustrated by it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Now, this lawsuit was filed within hours of the Department of Justice moving to release grand jury testimony in the Epstein case. The Trump administration faced blowback from supporters after releasing a memo stating there was no evidence, Epstein kept a client list. Lawmakers are now also asking for more information.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MELANIE STANSBURY (D-NM): You guys are so weak that you won't even vote to release the files.

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): Mr. Speaker, the American people, Republicans, Independents, Democrats want the Epstein files released.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: So, the case leaves the Trump administration walking a fine line of silencing debate while trying to keep supporters happy. CNN's Kristen Holmes explains.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Trump promptly filing that lawsuit, Friday against The Wall Street Journal and News Corp, following that article the day before, about a letter given to Jeffrey Epstein, alleged letter that President Trump denies this from him for Epstein's birthday.

And this is something obviously he said he was going to do, but the timeliness of it, the fact that it happened so quickly, just goes to show you how angry President Trump was about them publishing this story.

But overall, the sentiment inside of the White House had shifted when it comes to this story. They really spent the last two weeks on the defensive. Everything was a push back to not only journalists and Democrats, but also to their own loyalist base, who have been so angry about the way that this Epstein case has been handled.

Now what we're seeing is a slow drip, drip, drip of Trump, kind of trying to appease his base. He obviously asked the attorney general to unseal the grand jury testimony, but there are still a lot of questions, even from some of his biggest supporters, as to what exactly this means.

They still believe there is going to be redactions, and generally speaking, his base believes there is still far more files or information about the investigation that needs to be released.

As of now, we saw President Trump, we tried to ask him questions all day long about this. He ignored any questions about Epstein, clearly not wanting to talk about it, but he did feel free posting about it. One of the things that he did say, put this on Truth Social: "If there was a smoking gun on Epstein, why didn't the Democrats, who controlled the 'files' for four years, and had Garland and Comey in charge, use it? Because they had nothing."

Clearly, this is now a new talking point here.

[07:05:00]

But I will tell you one thing. After that article came out on Thursday, we have seen a coalesce, a circling of the wagons around President Trump in a way that we hadn't seen before.

But whether or not that last that is the question. Kristen Holmes CNN, the White House.

FREEMAN: All right. Thank you, Kristen.

A woman who briefly dated Jeffrey Epstein, meanwhile, accuses Trump of groping her in the 90s, is reacting to the renewed focus on Epstein and Trump, saying, the two men did, in fact, have a close friendship.

Stacey Williams is a former Sports Illustrated model who dated Epstein in the early 90s. She says the alleged assault happened outside Trump's office in Trump Tower in 1993, when she was in her 20s.

Now, she says she believes it was an attempt by Trump to show off for Epstein. Here is some of what she told CNN last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STACEY WILLIAMS, DATED JEFFREY EPSTEIN IN EARLY '90s: They were best friends. You know, I dated Jeffrey for a period of more or less, I think, about four or five months. And the only friend that he would mention every time we saw each other or had a phone conversation was Donald. And he would share a lot of anecdotes, plenty of anecdotes. And yes, they were -- they were very close, and they were up to no good.

That was his bro. That was his wing man. I was dating, Jeffrey. He was always talking about Donald. It was his bestie and everything. And he was joking about how Donald thought I was hot, and Donald thinks I'm this, or whatever, right? You know, once wants to talk to you, and he was telling me this as we are taking a walk down Fifth Avenue one day.

And he said, let's stop in and see him at his offices. So, we went up to his office in Trump Tower, and within a couple of minutes, Jeffrey -- Donald was outside of his door, and his hands were all over me. They were on my breasts, they were on my butt, they were on, you know, my hips, up and down while the two of them just kept having a normal conversation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Now, Williams publicly accused Trump of groping her back in October 2024, the closing weeks of that year's presidential campaign.

Trump's campaign denied he groped Williams. Now, when she first made the claims public in 2024, CNN spoke to three friends of Williams, who each said that she told them about the incident with Trump and Epstein back in 2006, in 2015, and in 2018 respectively.

All right. Joining me now is CNN political commentator and Republican strategist, Shermichael Singleton. And former federal prosecutor, Shan Wu. Thank you both for joining us early this morning to talk through all of this Epstein saga that keeps on going. Shan Wu, I actually want to start with you, if that's all right, just to talk about this latest development on the legal side.

Now that the justice department has asked the judge to release this grand jury material, can you explain what might happen next, and frankly, what the likelihood is that we might see any of this testimony?

SHAN WU, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, you have to redact it if judge grants it, and the judge may grant it. I mean, there is a pretty conservative strategy in how much grand jury testimony when released, because the purpose of the grand jury materials being secret is to protect people's reputations and protect witnesses who might be harmed by it.

So, obviously here, if there are victims, particularly under Asian ones, you have to keep that quiet. But the standard that the judge is going to weigh, given that the Maxwell case is over, his assistant, Ghislaine is in jail for it, and also Epstein himself is dead, so there can't be any compromising of the case against him. It's going to be a question of the public interest, and very strong public interest.

So, the judge may release that, but Pam Bondi, DOJ, is going to have a lot of control over what they are asking to release. So, whether we'll get a full picture of everything in the grand jury investigation, that's pretty unlikely, although, the judge is likely, I think, to probably grant some of that request.

FREEMAN: Shermichael, the DOJ memo that basically said, nothing to see here regarding Epstein came out on July 7th. And we, the president, many of President Trump's supporters have not been able to stop talking about it for basically two weeks straight.

Is transparency from, perhaps, this grand jury testimony, will that be enough to stop at least Trump's base from talking about the story?

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: It depends on what's in it, right? I mean, for some people, it may be enough to sort of satisfy that curiosity.

As Shan just stated, if there are significant redactions, then, for others, they are going to say, well, yes, this is a little bit, but we want to see a bit more. That's sort of a part of the conundrum with this. It was sort of a campaign promise that the president made to be transparent about this issue, and now, you have a lot of people asking about it.

And so, for me, as a strategist, if I were advising the White House on this, and the president in particular, I'm looking at this from two different lanes here, Danny. I'm looking at trying to appease the base.

[07:10:01]

But then, I'm also considering variables of if we release this and we don't release enough of it, then, you still have curiosity. If we release too much of it, then you may inadvertently embarrass some people that that's not a part of the intended consequences. And so, this is a bit of a challenge, but I will say this Danny, that Wall Street Journal article does present a unique opportunity to coalesce the base around the president, to try to strategically move the needle in a different direction.

And that's something that, again, if I was a strategist involved and engaged with this, that's something that I would probably put more of an emphasis on, to try to move the needle in a different direction.

FREEMAN: Well, Shermichael, I want to stay with you on this for a second, because I was talking with another guest in the last hour about this. You know, I think it was Steve Bannon who said to CNN, we're on offense now. Right? Because of this Wall Street Journal story, in particular.

SINGLETON: Right.

FREEMAN: But a reporter I spoke with in the last hour said that congressional Republicans, at least those who are trying to get a resolution passed about transparency and Epstein on the House floor, they are still committed to this. So, do you think Bannon is correct that there is a new sense of unity because of this Wall Street Journal story?

SINGLETON: Oh, absolutely. And members in the House may be focused on this a little bit, but when phone calls start to ring and it's their base, and wait a minute here, why are not you standing behind and supporting the president? I think that their mood and temperament will change pretty quickly.

I mean, the Wall Street Journal writes this article, they don't release photos of this alleged little doodle that the president allegedly made. They didn't really say, well, we heard this from this person, and we verified the claims of this individual. There are a lot of legitimate questions, Danny, to ask.

Even if you don't like Donald Trump, to say, well, hey, if you guys are going to publish this, can we at least verify the veracity of these claims? And so, again, if you're advising Trump, you are part of the White House, you're talking to Bannon, you're talking to Laura Loomer, you're talking to all of those very ardent supporters to try to make sure that everyone is in sync on the messaging, so that they can then in turn communicate to the base, and put that pressure on Republicans to coalesce and protect the president.

FREEMAN: Well, Shan, meanwhile, we have this new lawsuit that Trump has filed against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch's larger company for libel here. What's your take on this? Does this lawsuit, as it stands for $20 billion stand a chance in court?

WU: Stands a really poor chance in court. I mean, the legal standard is going to be actual malice, meaning, that it have -- they the plaintiff Trump, has to show that the journal either knew it was all false, published it anyway, or they acted with reckless disregard, didn't bother to even do rudimentary fact checking on it.

And to Shermichael's point about the not showing the photo, rather, the drawing, that alone isn't going to carry the day.

The thing is, with Trump, though, I mean, first of all, the legal standards don't seem to matter to him and his legal team very much. And, you know, it's one that Shermichael's boxer to figure out the political strategy behind him, wielding the lawsuit this way.

As a legal matter, ridiculous lawsuit should get dismissed right away. But he has had a tendency, because he's in such a unique position. I mean, being the president of the United States, wielding DOJ, in this case, a private citizen, at the same time taking the public stance of suing for the libel.

It's highly ahistorical to be able to do this. So, the legal standards really against him. But, I think, the case is nonetheless, has legs for just because of who he is. Now, I'm not sure his legal team and him, yes, again, really not thinking through the legal strategy or not caring about it more accurately.

He is the one who has the burden of proof. He has to sit for the depositions. There is some Supreme Court ruling saying the civil case could get stayed, although he brought the civil case while he's president of the United States. He'll have to sit there and talk about his relationship with Epstein. I really got a doubt he wants to go through that.

And finally, I mean, there is no way the Wall Street Journal did this without having just an army of lawyers vetted. There has been reporting that they were going based on evidence that deals we already looked at. So, I think they're going to be a pretty solid ground, legally speaking. Right?

FREEMAN: Well, I think both to the political element that Shermichael was talking about and to what you're talking about, Shan, I think that there is a possibility that The Wall Street Journal is also not done reporting out this story. So, but either way, we're not done talking about the story.

(CROSSTALK)

SINGLETON: Any --

FREEMAN: Yes, yes. Last word, very quickly, Shermichael, we got to go. SINGLETON: Yes. Just really, really quickly here.

FREEMAN: Yes.

SINGLETON: Politically, even if they are not done talking about this story, the significant amount of pressure that the White House and Republicans who are in support of the president will place on anything that Rupert Murdoch owns, from The Wall Street Journal to the Fox, to Fox News, to Fox Business, will absolutely feel the brunt force of those viewers, who they obviously need.

(CROSSTALK)

FREEMAN: Yes. Right.

SINGLETON: So, they need to be very careful here from a business perspective, because you can see a significant decrease in viewership, which really obviously impacts Rupert Murdoch's bottom line.

[07:15:06]

FREEMAN: Again, I think we're going to be very much going into another week of talking about the story quite a bit more.

Shermichael Singleton, Shan Wu, thank you both so much for getting up early this morning. Appreciate it.

SINGLETON: Thanks, Danny.

FREEMAN: Switching gears now. Millions of people are dealing with the threat of flooding this weekend, as strong storms move across the Midwest, rising water is already hitting some communities hard, and more rain is on the way.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar joins me now. I mean, again, it just seems like every part of the country is getting its spin cycle of brutal rain and flooding.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. And we talked about this, you know, the last hour, it's the amount of rain that's expected today, in most areas maybe about two inches. That alone doesn't sound like a lot of rain, but it's the fact that you have to keep in mind, it's on top of what they've already had for days and days, and in some cases, even weeks. So, it's the accumulation total that's really the big concern here.

Now, with the heaviest rain right now is stretching across portions of Iowa and into Illinois. We even have a flash flood warning in effect across northern Iowa, just from the sheer volume of rain that has already fallen. You have several areas under flood watches for today. A lot of that is really in anticipation of the amount of rain that is expected to come through the remainder of the day today and through the evening hours.

But anywhere, if you are looking for the potential for that excessive rainfall, you are going to find it shaded on this map in either green or yellow. Yellow, indicating a slightly higher risk than the green area. But look at this. You're talking more than 250 million people under at least a level one or level two, potential for that excessive rainfall. And a lot of that is due to the rain that's really going to develop later this afternoon across portions of the Midwest and the Ohio River Valley, and then stretching into the mid-Atlantic as we go later on into the day, especially the evening and overnight hours.

But it's going to be multiple rounds that you can see through here. So, for a lot of these places, it's not just going to be one and done. You're going to have several rounds of these rain showers, and some of which could bring some very heavy rainfall.

FREEMAN: And again, it's wild when you show that image of half the country covered in either yellow or green.

CHINCHAR: Yes.

FREEMAN: Wild. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much, as always.

Still to come, tension and emotional testimony in the so-called protein shake murder trial. We have the stunning testimony from one of the defendant's daughters.

Plus, the Trump administration is celebrating the return of 10 Americans released by Venezuela in a prisoner swap with the U.S. We'll tell you what we know about the deal coming up.

And a male tech CEO caught on a giant screen snuggling with a female department head has been placed on leave.

We have more on that kiss cam controversy, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:22:12]

FREEMAN: The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is mourning the loss of three deputies today. Three veteran members of the agency's arson and explosives unit were killed in an explosion at a training facility on Friday, in what is believed to be an accident. Law enforcement sources tell CNN that an explosive device was recovered at a residence on Thursday, transferred to the training facility and later detonated as the officers prepared to disable the device. An investigation into the official cause of the blast and the origin of the device is now underway. And fallen officers have been identified as Detective Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Detective Victor Lemus, and Detective William Osborn. Officials say this marks the agency's largest loss of life since 1857.

And this just into CNN, more than 20 people are injured after a vehicle drove through a crowd in Los Angeles. Officials from the Los Angeles Fire Department say an unknown vehicle crashed into the crowd around 2:00 a.m. local time. First responders estimate that at least four to five victims are in critical condition.

We have shocking new testimony in the case of Colorado dentist James Craig, who's been accused of fatally poisoning his wife back in 2023. One of Craig's daughters took the stand on Thursday and revealed her father had asked her to help create a deep fake video of her mother, requesting deadly chemicals.

Prosecutors argue, Craig used cyanide and other poisonous toxins in hopes of covering up his wife's murder as a suicide. Craig has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including first degree murder.

CNN's Whitney Wild has more.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Two of James Craig's and Angela Craig's children testified this week. It was their two daughters, and they gave this highly intense, very emotional testimony that did two things. First, it really brought Angela Craig to life.

One of the daughters said that Angela Craig was her best friend, that they were making plans. And she talked a lot about how Angela Craig struggled, but no more than anyone else. And the other daughter testified about a letter that James Craig sent her, asking her to create a deep fake video. These two testimonies are really crucial for a couple of reasons.

Again, the first is that it brings Angela Craig to life. It shows the jury how much she was loved, how much she was adored, how much she had in front of her. And then, finally, this -- these witness testimonies also detail key pieces of evidence that the prosecution is using against James Craig.

And really, what this witness' testimonies do is poke holes -- the prosecution believes, poke holes in James Craig's central defense, which is that Angela Craig was suicidal.

So, the first daughter testified, again, that they were very close, that they were making plans. And then, the second daughter testified in very great detail about a letter he sent her asking her to create a deep fake video. The instructions that James Craig gave to his second oldest daughter were to buy a laptop, to get a private Internet browser, to go on the dark web, to use a prepaid Visa card for what he called this project.

[07:25:09]

And then, create a deep fake video that would make Angela Craig look like she was asking James Craig to purchase the chemicals that ultimately led to her death. We're talking about arsenic, cyanide, tetrahydrozoline, which is the active ingredient in eye drops.

And then, what he wanted her to do was, again, create this video. It was supposed to look like it had been taped several weeks before her death, and then, burn it to a thumb drive that the daughter was supposed to tell investigators she had just found in a bag, and then, destroy the laptop.

And this daughter testified that this letter left her feeling confused. She was upset. She felt a range of emotions. And again, this is a very central firsthand account of evidence that the prosecution thinks completely refutes James Craig's allegations that Angela Craig was suicidal, which, as we know, will be central to his defense.

This is a case that is sure to be highly emotional. We expect it to last weeks, and we will bring you the very latest as we have it.

Whitney Wild, CNN, Chicago.

FREEMAN: Whitney Wild, thank you very much for that report.

Still ahead, Congress has sent President Trump a bill to cement into law billions of dollars in DOGE cuts. We'll tell you what the cuts could mean to services many people rely on.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:30:50]

FREEMAN: New this morning, 10 U.S. nationals are, "free and back in our homeland. That's according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who gave an update just last night on a just completed large-scale prisoner swap with Venezuela. In exchange for the wrongfully detained Americans, officials say two planes carrying 252 Venezuelans, who were deported to that El Salvador mega prison were sent back to their native Venezuela.

CNN reporter Camila DeChalus has been following all developments and joins us now. Camila, what can you tell us about this pretty massive swap?

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Danny, we are told that this took months in the making to really make this prison deal, and this was going to happen a few months ago, but it was really in these last few days that they made it to the finish line.

Now, the state department tells us that at this point in time, all the wrongfully detained Americans are now freed and back home. But a really important thing to know is that this includes people like Lucas Hunter, who was just kite surfing back in January in Columbia, and we are told that his family spoke to CNN, and there were reports that the Venezuelan body patrol guards really coerced him back in the country where he was wrongfully detained and held there.

But another really big headline in this news is the fact that this really ends and closes a chapter, one of a really controversial policies that Trump implemented back in March, when he deported more than, or actually really deported more than 200 Venezuelans back to El Salvador, where they were then held in a very mega prison back there in El Salvador, and that is when he used that wartime authority, and this caused a lot of controversy and a lot of legal action to take place against the White House over how he did this, in his handling of really deporting Venezuelans back to El Salvador.

FREEMAN: Camilla DeChalus, thank you very much for that update on a very important story breaking overnight. Appreciate it.

And there was another legislative win for the Trump administration this week, as he signed off on his $9 billion DOGE cuts package. Roughly $8 billion will be moved from foreign aid programs and the remaining money taken from the corporation for public broadcasting, which helps fund NPR and PBS. It's a move that really could have a ripple effect nationwide, especially in more rural communities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR HOGSTROM, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, PBS KANSAS: We have done absolutely nothing wrong. We have not produced biased, one- sided programming, because that is against our philosophy and our policy. We produce balanced local programs, we broadcast the national programs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Here to discuss this news is the president and CEO of New York Public Radio, LaFontaine Oliver. Thank you so much, sir, for joining us this morning after a challenging week, I'm sure.

I want to start here. David (PH) focus from NPR, put out an article on Friday, analyzing essentially how we got here, noting that until recently, public media had wide public and bipartisan support. What happens to really put them in the crosshairs of this administration?

LAFONTAINE OLIVER, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO: Yes, thank you for that question.

You know, there was a recent Harris poll that talked about the fact that two thirds of Americans agreed that support for public broadcasting was important. And even in that poll, it included both Republicans and Democrats. And so, there is been long standing bipartisan support for the work that we do, especially when you consider small and rural communities, where oftentimes the public broadcaster, that being the public radio station or the public television station, it might be the sole source of local news and information in that community.

And so, there has been this long-standing bipartisan support, and I think we're disappointed at this point today, that, that support has not been there for us during this rescission act.

FREEMAN: Can you talk a little bit more about just how big the umbrella is when it comes to what public broadcasting is? I mean, I was listening to a story earlier this week that was talking about a member station in Alaska that does, you know, community-oriented things, just as much as, you know, yourself in New York.

[07:35:01]

I mean, what is -- how important is public broadcasting across the country?

OLIVER: Yes, I would say, you know, it is -- it is not a luxury. It's a -- it's a lifeline. And there is such diversity in the programming that you hear and see across the country. You know, WNYC in New York, you may hear us reporting on the energy and excellence that comes off of our concert halls and stages or Broadway shows. But in the Pacific Northwest, you know, you may hear about, you know, fishing communities. Or in Iowa, you may hear about farming. You may hear about local sports.

The diversity of what we cover on in public media is tremendous because we are really the last locally owned, operated and controlled media in this country, and we do a wonderful job of reflecting the needs of our local community. So, it's devastating that this funding will no longer be there to support the needs of these local communities.

FREEMAN: LaFontaine, can you give me a sense of what might happen first now? When these cuts ultimately happen, what might be the first thing that some communities notice may be missing?

OLIVER: Yes, you know, it's hard to say. I think, we are all waking up, you know, still a couple days later and assessing what the damage will be. But I suspect that part of what we will see is that some local stations will shutter. Now, how soon that will happen? I'm not -- I'm not clear on that, but I think we will start to see local voices silenced. You know the fact that the federal appropriation, you know, cost $1.70 per taxpayer, and was leveraged at the local level to create this network of stations that represented every congressional district across the country.

It is scary to think about a future where some of those stations may not be able to continue to broadcast, or they may have to make tough choices about the content that they are able to put on the air, the staff that they are able to employ, and all of that really speaks to their ability to serve the local communities.

And so, I think first you will start to see stations wave a red flag and say, you know, hey, how are we going to operate, especially in smaller and more rural communities?

FREEMAN: Just quickly, can you just emphasize that a little bit more? Because, you know, I live in Philadelphia. I have WHYY, it's a robust station, member station there. I know yours is as well. Are rural communities really going to take larger hits than some of these bigger city stations that have perhaps more resources at their disposal?

OLIVER: Absolutely, you know, we are all going to take a hit. But really, when you think about many of these communities that may not have the member or the philanthropic support locally there to support and undergird their work. We know that they will be -- they will be the first that will be impacted during this.

The other thing I would just point out is, you know, I believe it's, you know, some 12 percent of the stories that you hear reported nationally on NPR, on the news magazines like "Morning Edition" and all things considered. You know, those reports come from local communities. So, even sort of the national broadcast will be impacted by this as well.

FREEMAN: LaFontaine Oliver, thank you so much for getting up early and sharing your perspective on what I know is a hard week for you and your colleagues. I really do appreciate it. OLIVER: Thank you.

FREEMAN: All right. Coming up, we are learning more about that couple caught on a kiss cam and hiding their faces. You've probably seen it already. Why it led to the man in this viral video, being placed on leave, though, from his job. That's coming up, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:43:40]

FREEMAN: The CEO of tech company, Astronomer placed on leave after a Coldplay concert moment put him in the spotlight.

Andy Byron was caught with a fellow executive during a kiss cam moment, but as soon as they realized they were on camera, they pulled apart, and it appears things got a little uncomfortable after that. You've probably seen this video already.

CNN's Polo Sandoval has more on who they are and how social media has been reacting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): What was caught on a Coldplay kiss cam --

CHRIS MARTIN, COLDPLAY'S FRONTMAN: Woah, look at these two.

SANDOVAL (voice over): Is playing on repeat around the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kiss --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Caught out --

MARTIN: Woah, look at these two.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In a moment, these lovers won't ever forget.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody on the Internet talking about that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

SANDOVAL (voice over): You have no doubt seen that moment captured on a Jumbotron during Coldplay's concert near Boston earlier this week. A man and a woman embrace, but quickly and awkwardly separate once they realized they are on camera at a sold out 60,000-seat stadium.

The band's frontman, Chris Martin, offered a theory that's fueled speculation and scandal online.

MARTIN: Woah, look at these two. All right. We're OK. Oh, what? Either they are having an affair or they are very shy.

SANDOVAL (voice over): He is Andy Byron, CEO of New York-based tech company Astronomer.

She is Kristin Cabot, head of human resources, according to Astronomer's web site.

[07:45:01]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What would H.R. say? Oh, hang on, she is H.R.

SANDOVAL (voice over): Neither Byron nor Cabot have publicly addressed their surprise concert cameo. The company's Friday statement reads in part, "Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability. The board of directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter, and we will have additional details to share very shortly."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been watching it. It's on like every feed of my Instagram, of my Facebook. It's crazy.

SANDOVAL (voice over): The viral moment continues to give way to parodies and comical reenactments.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's embarrassing, you know? It's like nobody's got a private life anymore.

SANDOVAL (voice over): And if it's merch you're after, Rolling Stone already offering a lampooning list of what to wear to totally blend in at a Coldplay concert with products including novelty disguise glasses and a camo tee.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The thing is, like, he shouldn't have done it. And that's it.

SANDOVAL: What about you? What did you think of it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're going to do something bad, do it well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

SANDOVAL: Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: Wise words, I guess.

Still ahead, a stunning start to the WNBA All Star Weekend. Coy Wire has your highlights in sports.

Plus, a new episode of the CNN original series, "BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB". follows Joe Hunt's ascension as the leader of the Social Investment Club. But a series of high stakes decisions pushed the "BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB" into dangerous territory. Here is a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel that he was a real good friend. I mean, a real good friend, in which he would do anything for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Joe Hunt wanted Jim Pittman to be his right arm to manipulate people in a harsher way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe pretty quickly begins to introduce Jim as the BBC's head of security. Jim only seemed to really respect Joe, but all the rest he saw as dweeby white kids.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, he got to drive nice cars and go out to fancy meals, and he had expensive suits paid for, and, you know, he had a pretty good life with the BBC.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: A new episode of the CNN original series, "BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB", airs tomorrow night at 10:00 right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:51:45]

FREEMAN: All right, it is WNBA All Star Weekend, and things are off to an exciting start, and who better to walk us through it than Coy Wire? Hi, then, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. I got my WNBA ball at home, practicing with my daughters.

The hometown crowd there in Indianapolis, they probably would have been bummed that click Caitlyn Clark missed this due to an injury, but the fans still got quite the show. The Liberty had double the fun in the skills challenge. Natasha Cloud blistering ahead with some bounce passes through a big old prop.

And how about this for a distraction? Draining three pointers over a swinging lightsaber contraption. Cloud catches the 2025, skills challenge title, edging out the Storm's Erica Wheeler with just 1.1 seconds to spare in the final round.

Now, the Liberty sharpshooter Sabrina Ionescu becomes just the second player ever to win the WNBA three-point contest multiple times. Ionescu with a phenomenal final round, scoring 30 points, hitting 11 consecutive at one point.

Danny can do that. Right, Danny?

FREEMAN: Yes. Sometimes.

WIRE: Now, listen to this. She says she's giving away her $62,000 winnings, including half to Mystics rookie three-point shooter, Sonia Citron. Listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SABRINA IONESCU, NEW YORK LIBERTY GUARD: I told Sonia that I would give her half if I won when we were sitting on the bench. As being like the only rookie, and, you know, she was nervous, and I was nervous for her like, you know, and so, I obviously have to hold up my end of the bargain. So, half is going to go to her. I got to text her and let her know that I'm going to give her half of it.

Just for participating like that takes a lot of courage to be able to do that as a rookie, and what she did, and I was really proud of her. And then, the other half will go to my foundation to continue to be able to give back in communities that mean a lot to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: How awesome is that? The SI20 Foundation.

All right, the 153rd open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, was at the mercy of the weather in round two. But nothing could blow world number one, Scottie Scheffler off the course. Three-time major champ, was on one. He had an epic second round. Sheffler making eight birdies in a seven under par round of 64. He's never finished higher than seventh at the open, but he is one stroke clear of the pack. They are already underway over there. Scheffler tees off around 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

Now, you want to see your play of the day. Put down your coffee and look at this. An absolute laser from the Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr., facing the Yankees, throws a runner out from all the way in rice field without even bouncing the ball, and he made it look so nonchalant.

Danny's over here, his jaws on the floor right now.

One of the best throws we've always ever seen, right? All stars showing nobody safe running the bases when he's on the field. And at one point, it looked like he held up on his shoulder, like he was shooting a rocket off it. That's justified. Braves win, seven to three. Incredible stuff.

You must have seen that.

FREEMAN: I saw it last night. I was watching it. That was so insane, especially, because the Yankees were so caught off guard. Like the manager was checking the phone, saying, like, oh, can we review this? And they are like, no, no, no.

(CROSSTALK)

WIRE: No. Like, dude should have slid. He thought he was just going to roll into third place.

FREEMAN: No. No, not today.

WIRE: No, he's gone.

FREEMAN: Not --

All right. Coy Wire, thank you so much.

WIRE: Yes.

FREEMAN: All right. I got one more story that's one of my favorites of the day. When Erie, Pennsylvania's minor league baseball team plays tonight, they'll take the field under a new name and mascot. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take me out to the --

[07:55:01]

Buy me some peanuts and cracker. I don't care if I ever get back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: OK. So, for tonight's game and three others, the Erie Seawolves will play as the moon mammoths. The temporary rebranding is part of a promotional collaboration with HBO's "Last Week Tonight, with John Oliver".

Cheering on the team, and the crowd will be the team's temporary mascot, Fuzz E. Mammoth, you see him right there. He is a giant purple mammoth in an astronaut's helmet and moon walking boots.

Now, you see, in May, Oliver announced he wanted to do a rebrand of a minor league baseball team. 47 teams replied and want to do it. "Last Week Tonight", airs on HBO, also owned by CNN's parent company.

I mean, look how -- look how much fun that is. That would --that would be cool.

WIRE: I just love how it was so ominous, sounding, and looking at first. And then, Snuffleupagus comes out.

FREEMAN: Right, right, right. You're right.

I think it's great, you know? We got to -- we get one for us too.

(CROSSTALK)

CHINCHAR: Yes.

FREEMAN: Like a CNN mascot.

WIRE: I think I would have, instead of moon mammoths, you could just go on the full moons. That --

(CROSSTALK)

FREEMAN: Coy, Coy Wire. Coy Wire.

WIRE: Listen, our producer tells me --

(CROSSTALK)

FREEMAN: We got to move on. We got to move --

WIRE: You talk about minor league mascots.

FREEMAN: We've got to move on.

WIRE: OK. Go ahead.

FREEMAN: The new I have seen in THIS MORNING WEEKEND starts right after the break.

(CROSSTALK)

WIRE: You save me.

FREEMAN: I got you, Coy.

WIRE: Other (INAUDIBLE)

FREEMAN: Yes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)