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Pam Bondi to Testify in Closed-Door Hearing on Epstein Files; Treasury Plans $250 Bill with Trump's Face on It; Farmers Pivot to New Crops as Protein Craze Hits Stores. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired May 29, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: What are you going with, again?

[06:00:02]

MARIBEL ABER, CNN 'MONEY MATTERS' CORRESPONDENT: OK. I'm none of the above, Brad.

SMITH: None of the above, wow.

ABER: I'm O.G.

SMITH: Wow, all right. We'll have to find a different beverage for you to enjoy on this Friday.

Maribel Aber, thank you so much.

All right. Excellent. Well, that does it for CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, everyone. I'm Brad Smith. CNN THIS MORNING with Audie Cornish starts right now.

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Just hours from now, Pam Bondi faces questions about the Epstein files. What could she reveal?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've been trying to talk to them. We -- we are tired of asking to speak to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: And Blue Origin's hotfire test turned into a hot mess. A new rocket explosion on the launch pad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPENCER PRATT (R), L.A. MAYORAL CANDIDATE: I need to step up for my community and for Los Angeles and stop this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Three candidates locked in a tight L.A. mayor's race just days before the primary. Could Spencer Pratt actually win this thing?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROWD NOISES)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Things turned violent overnight in New Jersey. Police and protesters clash outside an immigration facility.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: No living person can be on U.S. currency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: If so, then why is Trump's face about to be on the $250 bill?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who are we covering for? Like, you were willing to lose your job to cover up for these people. What do they have on you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Jeffrey Epstein survivors have questions for Pam Bondi. Will they actually get their answers today?

Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish, and we're going to start there, with the former attorney general heading to the Hill today.

Pam Bondi is going to sit before a House Oversight Committee in a closed-door hearing to discuss the handling of the Epstein files. And there are a lot of questions about these redactions.

For instance, what happened to the supposed list and how the administration went from "all the names must be released" to "case closed"?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAM BONDI, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: People in that report are still fighting to keep their names private. Sean, they have no legal basis to do so.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The DOJ may be releasing the list of Jeffrey Epstein's clients? Will that really happen?

BONDI: It's sitting on my desk right now to review.

We have released 33,000 -- over 33,000 Epstein documents to the Hill, and we'll continue to follow the law and to have maximum transparency.

I'm a career prosecutor, and despite what the ranking member said, I have spent my entire career fighting for victims. And I will continue to do so. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Joining me today in the group chat, Danielle Bensky, Epstein, survivor; and Elliot Williams, CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor.

Danielle, thank you so much for being here.

DANIELLE BENSKY, EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: Thank you for having me.

CORNISH: I want to start with Elliot, so the audience knows what we're dealing with. Is Pam Bondi under oath? How legal is this, so to speak? Just tell us about this process.

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: There isn't a ton of process and only because, when Congress has hearings, depositions, transcribed interviews, or whatever else, the rules are quite open-ended.

So even the very question, Audie, that you asked of whether she's under oath is something that's negotiated. James Comer, at least as far as I saw recently, the chair of the committee, did not answer the question as to whether she'd be under oath.

Now, I will note, making a false statement to Congress, whether you're under oath or not, is still a federal offense. So, I think we get hung up on the oath question a little bit.

CORNISH: Yes.

WILLIAMS: But it's still a crime if she lies.

CORNISH: I want to understand the stakes.

WILLIAMS: Yes, yes.

CORNISH: And for you, Danielle, unfortunately, you've become a vet at these hearings, right?

BENSKY: Yes.

CORNISH: You've become -- you've seen various incarnations of this.

BENSKY: Yes.

CORNISH: Do you believe Pam Bondi has stood up for victims?

BENSKY: No, not at all. I think, if anything, she didn't even give us baseline humanity when we were there the last time. She could not even turn around and give us just that moment. And she had three opportunities to turn around and see us. And she didn't take a single one.

But it's such an interesting point, because I think the -- like, the fact that these interviews are transcribed, not under oath, and that we won't be able to get into the room as survivors. I think that there's something that we want to hear the inflection in the voice. We want to see what her reactions are.

You know, we want to take this in for ourselves and be able to really understand what happened. These are our lives in these files, and they've been outed. I mean, our government released nude photos of underage and of young girls.

CORNISH: This is when they were in their active transparency, required by law --

BENSKY: Yes.

CORNISH: -- released many documents that suddenly were not as redacted as well as they were.

BENSKY: Or over redacted. Right. Their actions just made no sense.

CORNISH: Now that Bondi is testifying in a personal capacity -- and I want to start with you, Elliot, first. No longer attorney general. Does that alter things? What she can say, or even her demeanor, as Danielle, you know, had hoped to see.

[06:05:12]

WILLIAMS: Right. Under no circumstance can she -- and this is what's going to be the real tricky and sticky point here -- can she reveal deliberations or secret things within the Justice Department, whether she's appearing as an individual or in her capacity of attorney general?

And I understand that -- that representatives from the Justice Department will still be there to ensure that she doesn't wade too much into Justice Department deliberations or whatever.

Now, that said, you know, members of Congress can still hold her feet to the fire somewhat and say, well, what was behind your thinking when you did "X"? Why did you say, "X"? What was behind the way you behaved in this manner?

And even if that's not opening the door to conversations she had with the attorney -- the deputy attorney general, whatever else at the time, there's still valuable information to be had.

CORNISH: Yes.

WILLIAMS: And it's very sensitive. And quite frankly, does she take the Fifth on any of this?

CORNISH: Right.

WILLIAMS: And she -- which it is not out of the question that someone comes into that room and, you know, and pleads the Fifth and doesn't choose to answer some questions that she thinks might incriminate her.

CORNISH: Now, Danielle, you've watched Democrats play through this a bunch, again, right? We've watched Republicans, but we've watched -- also watched Democrats try and perform this excavation of information. BENSKY: Yes.

CORNISH: We're going to have House Oversight Democrat James Walkinshaw on later today. What would you like him to ask?

BENSKY: Yes.

CORNISH: What is -- what is the thing you wish Democrats would be doing better this time around?

BENSKY: Yes. I think the question has always been about process for us, because we don't know the process of the redactions. Of course, we don't know why the release happened the way it did.

I know my lawyer worked with another lawyer. They were given -- the DOJ was given a list of 350 names to be protected. And of course, then not only were they not protected the first time, but three times -- three iterations down the line, and our names were still out there.

And so, you know, redactions were an issue. Of course, we know over- redacting and under-redacting the release itself.

And investigations. At the end of the day, all any of us have ever wanted was an investigation. And now, we're seeing E. Jean Carroll be investigated, a survivor. She's -- there's a criminal investigation that's being launched into her. And yet, we haven't seen a single investigative lead even be followed within the --

CORNISH: Yes. We should say E. Jean Carroll, it's a little different. She also went through a civil process, which is a different standard of law and guilt.

At this point, are you exhausted? And I don't mean that facetiously.

BENSKY: Yes.

CORNISH: I mean, this process does not seem to be bearing fruit. But tell me if I'm wrong.

BENSKY: Yes.

CORNISH: Tell me if yes, you're doing it; and you're feeling, you know what? Every day we do this, it's still worth it.

BENSKY: I think we -- you know, the survivor sister community really does motivate each other. And I think we are now looking to go to the state level to make real change.

And so right now, we're looking at a law that buying sex from a 15- to 17-year-old girl is looked at as a misdemeanor in New York City right now.

So, we're looking at, like, if the FBI and the Department of Justice won't help us, let's at least go to the state level and find some reform there and start, you know -- and then we can build up, hopefully, from there. So, that is hopeful: to be on teams who are really lobbying for new

work.

CORNISH: Yes. And you guys all got a bunch of newfound talents here, in terms of walking the halls of Congress and, you know, doing this kind of conversation.

So, I appreciate you for coming on.

BENSKY: Thank you so much.

CORNISH: Elliot, stick around.

Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, Trump wants his face on a new piece of currency. And there's a little bit of a backlash over the plan to print a new $250 bill.

Plus, there was a massive explosion. It's a Blue Origin rocket that blew up during a ground test.

And clashes overnight because protesters are still outside that ICE facility in New Jersey, where detainees are reportedly having a hunger strike over conditions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:13:13]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BESSENT: I -- I don't think that the -- there's anything untoward about having the president of the United States, the person who was president of United States, on the 250th anniversary bill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defending a plan by the White House to put President Trump's face on a new $250 bill, of course, to commemorate America's 250th birthday.

Now, putting the image of a living person on U.S. currency is not legal, so it would have to be authorized by Congress. And the idea has not been well-received.

Hillary Clinton, for example, tweeting, "By the end of Trump's term, it will be just enough to buy one gallon of gas and a carton of eggs."

And of course, Democrats are piling on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK WARNER (R-VA): How much more evidence before we all realize that Donald Trump doesn't care about affordability? He doesn't care about your family. He cares about self-aggrandizement, whether it's ballroom, slush funds, his face on money, illegally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Joining the group chat today, Rob Bluey, president and executive editor of "The Daily Signal"; Noel King, co-host and editorial director of the "Today, Explained" podcast. And Elliot Williams, of course, our legal analyst, still here.

So, I want to start with you, Noel, because I feel like you -- you don't fly off the handle about things.

NOEL KING, CO-HOST/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, "TODAY, EXPLAINED": Never.

And there is a world of people who are, like, look at all the things his name is on. The Kennedy Center, the passports, the national parks passes. I actually have one of those.

KING: So, do I.

CORNISH: You do. Of course. And then there's the gold card visa program.

KING: Don't have one of those.

CORNISH: And then there's the Institute of Peace. So, I think that, for a guy who put his name on steaks, and hotels, and sneakers, this is, like, not a wild idea.

KING: It's not a wild idea. I get it. I get where President Trump is coming from.

I do think -- I mean, I have said on your show repeatedly that I think the economic messaging coming from the White House is really deranged.

[06:15:03]

And all this does is remind Americans that they don't have $250 to waste. And I really -- I do think that there -- there are better ways to do everything all the time, always.

But this is one where it just feels like, stop reminding us that we're broke, and that we feel broke. If President Trump came out and said, I'm going to give you all $250 with my name and my face on it, I don't know.

CORNISH: Yes. And Rob, in your notes, you were saying, Look, there was the idea of the trillion-dollar coin --

ROB BLUEY, PRESIDENT/EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "THE DAILY SIGNAL": Sure.

CORNISH: -- that the Barack Obama era, they were going to do to solve the debt crisis, which is an interesting argument, except we're kind of in another debt situation. Like --

BLUEY: Yes.

CORNISH: So, they haven't solved that. But to you, talk about that messaging part of it. Because what Noel said wasn't that this is just bad, but that it is reminding people over and over again what they don't have.

BLUEY: Oh, sure. I mean, this is a huge issue, as we've talked about many times. And you know my feelings on it, that the White House has a big issue to solve when it comes to convincing the American people that the economy is going to be better and on a trajectory --

CORNISH: Yes.

BLUEY: -- that's going to leave them with better personal finances.

I think that that's why it's so critically important. Congress can pass this bill. I'll be fully supportive of Joe Wilson's legislation to put President Trump on the bill.

CORNISH: But why?

BLUEY: Calvin Coolidge was on the bill 100 years ago.

But, Audie, what they need to do that's more --

CORNISH: But then someone passed a law that's, like, let's not do this. You know what I mean? It feels like there was a conversation people had where they were, like, let's not put living people on the money. We've got reasons for that.

And now we're just sort of like, nah.

WILLIAMS: Do you want the president's face on money? Like, and it's a sincere question I have. It's for supporters of the president. Is this truly what you want?

And I mean that. It's -- because, you know, even watching the secretary of the treasury talk about, well, it's the 250th anniversary. And yes, it's a special time.

Like, no, really. Do supporters of the president actually think that the sitting president of the United States ought to have his face on a dollar bill?

CORNISH: I think they think it's not a big deal.

BLUEY: Yes, I agree with Audie. Yes. No, I do --

CORNISH: I mean, maybe it'll be like the $2 bill. I don't have one of those, and I'm not worried about it.

KING: I have two. I have two.

CORNISH: It'll just -- that's fair. That's fair. Well, only people in his economy, maybe, will get this particular bill.

BLUEY: People love to collect things in our country. No, my kids especially. CORNISH: No, no, no, no. Let's talk about this. I went to the National

Archives with my kids over the weekend. And irony, '76 was the last time we had all of this, like, kitschy country anniversary stuff. Another time where the economy was not amazing. And because --

WILLIAMS: You know who wasn't on the bill in 1976? Gerald Ford, who was just -- guys, this is so utterly preposterous. It's not like of -- in a time in American history where we are firing data scientists, because they don't provide the president with the numbers that he wants.

CORNISH: Yes.

WILLIAMS: There are far bigger fights to fight. And I get it. This is not the thing to lose your mind over.

But if we really wanted a unifying figure on the 250th, Betsy Ross, you know, like, Dwight D. Eisenhower. There are people who could have been on that.

CORNISH: Betsy Ross. We're putting it a vote for Betsy Ross. OK, maybe we can put her on the $500 bill. Do you want to do that? You got to do that. All about the Betsys?

OK. After the break on CNN --

WILLIAMS: Oh, God.

CORNISH: I knew you'd like that. I knew you'd like that. The next thing we're going to talk about is protein maxing. Is it the new South Beach Diet or Atkins Diet or Paleo Diet?

We're going to talk about the growing obsession with protein everything and its effect on the farming industry.

And then thanks, but no thanks. Nearly all of the artists booked for the Freedom 250 concert series are bowing out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:22:50]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O'BRIEN, COMEDIAN/TELEVISION HOST: Everyone here today has a phone in their pocket that is algorithmically programed to celebrate you and you alone by making you the protein maxing hero of your own special journey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK, protein seems to be making it into everything these days, even the Harvard commencement address by Conan O'Brien.

I want to talk about this sudden obsession with protein maxing. We're wondering if it's actually going to start a shortage, because there's an explosion in protein everything: protein pasta, protein drinks, protein soda, protein cereal, protein Pop Tarts, yes, even protein Doritos.

And farmers are taking notice. They are dealing with crashing prices on their traditional crops because of tariffs and high fuel costs.

So, some are saying, quote, "Peas, lentils, and chickpeas have been a bright spot, due to the rising demand for protein-infused foods beyond traditional sources like meat, poultry, and fish." It's the latest story from Reuters.

So, I'm bringing in my friend to the group chat, Ari Shapiro, my co- host on the new podcast, "Engagement Party."

ARI SHAPIRO, CO-HOST, "ENGAGEMENT PARTY": Hi, Audie.

CORNISH: How are you?

SHAPIRO: Second episode drops today. So excited!

CORNISH: I know; it does.

OK, this was actually your topic on the show.

SHAPIRO: It was. Yes.

CORNISH: Because I don't try and max anything.

SHAPIRO: I don't max anything either.

CORNISH: I'm just -- I'm just trying to get by.

SHAPIRO: I just read about it. I see it on my stream.

CORNISH: So, why is this a thing?

SHAPIRO: Well, the first question is, are we facing a shortage? "The Atlantic" raised that question. Because most of the protein that's added to products comes from whey, which is a byproduct of making dairy, and whey has pretty much stayed flat in the United States.

CORNISH: Yes.

SHAPIRO: And as the demand for protein grows, the demand is outstripping the supply.

But I think the real question is, why is everybody suddenly obsessed with how much protein they're getting? And there's a combination of reasons.

Like, a lot of people are on GLP-1. More than 1 in 10 Americans. That makes people want more protein.

There's the political element, where the MAGA movement is really pushing people to eat steak every day, as RFK Jr. has flipped the nutritional pyramid. CORNISH: The MAGA movement. It's like the MAHA wing of the MAGA movement --

SHAPIRO: Yes.

CORNISH: -- really stresses protein. You're -- you're nodding at this. You have a little cheat sheet of an upside-down food pyramid that's out there.

BLUEY: I don't know. What's fine? What's the problem with just having some -- some --

SHAPIRO: Having some peanuts.

BLUEY: Yes.

[06:25:00]

SHAPIRO: My problem is just with, like, we don't need protein Pop Tarts. You want protein, dip some carrots in hummus. Eat a hard-boiled egg.

Like, there are foods that have protein in them. We don't have to go crazy.

CORNISH: Does anyone here want a hard-boiled egg? Hummus and carrots? And not bacon and eggs?

KING: Not a Pop Tart. Not a Pop Tart, Ari.

CORNISH: Protein Doritos were 100 percent not on my bingo card. And now it's the star in the center.

I feel like, Elliott, you're going to have thoughts about why this is a thing.

WILLIAMS: Well, you know, it's -- the 1990s was fat.

CORNISH: Yes.

WILLIAMS: Everything was we have to get fat out of our diet. The 2000s became carbs. We've got to get carbs out of our diet.

Now, it's what we need more protein, I get it. And quite frankly, people who have lifted weights or exercised have known about this secret protein --

CORNISH: That's true.

WILLIAMS: -- this magic all along. I know, like, Rob Bluey, those lats wouldn't have jacked themselves on their own.

BLUEY: Right.

WILLIAMS: And -- but the point, but point being, it is an interesting sort of thing. But we see these arcs in how people consume, and what they consume for, and what the latest diet trend is. And this seems like the one today, right?

CORNISH: Yes.

BLUEY: But to Ari's point, I mean, RFK Jr. is also making it an issue, right?

CORNISH: Yes.

BLUEY: In terms of the guidelines that they're putting out from the federal government.

CORNISH: Yes. Which -- the new pyramid, which is now an upside-down pyramid. If you look at the top, it's sort of like butter, bacon, and whole chicken, and then a broccoli.

KING: There's a burger up there.

CORNISH: No, the broccoli is still there. But yes, it's a completely different setup.

OK. I want to talk about one other thing, which is kind of related to the economy. We've been talking about how people are dealing with the economy all week, frankly. And there is this -- this concept I'm hearing in the music industry, blue dot fever.

SHAPIRO: Yes. This is not a disease. This is -- this is --

CORNISH: Nice. Nice for this show.

SHAPIRO: This is when you go to buy a ticket for an arena show, and you see a sea of blue dots, meaning unsold seats. And there are a lot of artists that have just not been able to fill the space.

CORNISH: Yes.

SHAPIRO: And have been canceled.

CORNISH: Let me show you some of them. We actually went and looked for some of the headlines, and it was pretty brutal.

I think Meg Trainor was on there. I think Zayn Malik was on there.

SHAPIRO: Pussycat Dolls, Kiefer Sutherland.

CORNISH: Yes. So, is this an issue of they didn't have the demand for their supply? Is this an issue of they never should have been in a venue that big in the first place?

Like, what's the -- you know, Ari's in a -- in a music band. I should say this.

SHAPIRO: You know -- I sometimes sing with this band called Pink Martini.

CORNISH: He sometimes moonlights.

SHAPIRO: So, I have some experience behind --

CORNISH: As one is wont to do.

SHAPIRO: Well, look, from the perspective of the musicians --

CORNISH: Yes.

SHAPIRO: -- the costs of touring are skyrocketing. The buses, the hotels, the -- everything costs more.

CORNISH: The fuel for the buses.

SHAPIRO: So, in some situations, unless you can play a big venue --

CORNISH: Yes.

SHAPIRO: -- you just can't make the economics of touring work.

But then, if you ask the customers, they're not buying the tickets, because the tickets cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars.

And then, if you ask the execs of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, they say, It's not us. It's the resellers who are jacking up the prices.

But the upshot is the tickets aren't selling, the bands aren't playing, and the shows are getting canceled.

WILLIAMS: And anyone who's watched the Ticketmaster/Live Nation saga play out --

CORNISH: yes.

WILLIAMS: -- would say reasonably, ticket prices are getting expensive, because there's consolidation in the industry. There isn't competition among entities that are selling the tickets, and they're going up. I mean, that's --

CORNISH: And we should say it's New Jersey and New York A.G.'s who are filing suit or just investigating?

WILLIAMS: Investigating, I believe. But it's an antitrust question with Ticketmaster and Live Nation. It's not going away anytime soon. This has been percolating for years. And I think part of that's driving the cost.

CORNISH: OK, we have to let Ari go. He has to boil an egg. He has to get his fitness (ph) out.

SHAPIRO: I prefer poached.

CORNISH: Of course.

A new episode of our video podcast, "Engagement Party" -- hear that music? -- is out now.

And straight ahead, we have to turn to some news. I'm sorry. We were talking about what Jeff Bezos is dealing with: an explosion on the launch pad of a Blue Origin ground test. It didn't go as planned. No injuries.

But we want to bring you the reporting on that.

And then there's a 14-year-old from California who is the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion. And here's that $50,000 moment. We're going to bring that to you when we come back.

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