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Erin Burnett Outfront

Trump's Call With China's Xi Could Be As Early As Tomorrow; Musk Goes On Multi-Post Tirade Over Trump's Agenda: "Kill The Bill"; Ukrainian Lawmaker: Trump Giving Putin "Green Light" To Attack; U.S. Charges Chinese Nationals With Smuggling Biological Pathogen. Aired 7- 8p ET

Aired June 04, 2025 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:33]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

The breaking news, the phone call that Trump's entire trade war is riding on could come as early as tomorrow. This is Trump takes on the Fed president for bad jobs numbers. We'll speak to the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis next.

Plus, Trump announces to the world that Putin is about to attack Ukraine, revenge for Ukraine's massive air assault. So, what's he about to do? A Russian investigative journalist right now living in exile is our guest.

And a Chinese couple charged with trying to smuggle a dangerous biological pathogen into the U.S., capable of decimating crops and poisoning humans.

Let's go OUTFRONT.

(MUSIC)

BURNETT: Good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.

OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news, the phone call that Trump's trade war is now riding on. The highly anticipated call between President Trump and China's President Xi Jinping could happen as early as tomorrow. And Trump desperately needs a deal because tonight is his self-imposed deadline for every other country to put out their best and final offer on trade deals.

And that deadline is about to come and go. At this hour, we've heard nothing from the White House when it comes to how many countries have responded to this reminder, as they call it, to countries that Trump has been up until now, threatening, obviously, and insulting for months.

Keep in mind, this is the same White House that has been promising major deals any day now for a long time, right? April 2nd was liberation day, as Trump calls it, and then on April 25th, he told "Time Magazine", I've made all the deals. I've made 200 deals. We'll, except for at that point there were no deals. And on April 28th, Trump's treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, went on

television to say this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY: I would guess that India would be one of the first trade deals we would sign. So, watch this space.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Well, when would I say that was? The 25th, April? We're still watching this space. No trade deal yet, that the White House has announced there.

So, then a couple days later was May 1st. Trump's top economic advisor, Kevin Hassett, comes out and says this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN HASSETT, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL DIRECTOR: I think it's more than 20 now where we actually have hard offers on the table. I'm sure there'll be news by the end of the day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: There was no news at the end of that day, and there is still no word on those 20 -- as he said -- hard offers. And then there's this promise, which we heard again, this time from Trump's trade adviser, Peter Navarro.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER NAVARRO, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR COUNSELOR FOR TRADE & MANUFACTURING: We're going to run 90 deals and 90 days is possible. We've got 90 deals and 90 days possibly pending here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Possibly pending. Well, we don't know what those are because now they've said, you know, they want all these best and final offers because there haven't been any. So, we've got 34 days left, 34 days left.

Could there be deals that we don't know nothing about? Well, that is possible. Of course that is possible.

But the one deal that has been announced such that it was a deal was met with massive fanfare. And that's the agreement with the U.K., a deal that is incredibly sparse on specifics. When it was announced, even with no specifics at all, Trump held an event in the Oval Office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm thrilled to announce that we have reached a breakthrough trade deal with the United Kingdom. Great deal for both countries. It really is a great thing. It's a very large deal, very big deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: We still have no word, by the way, if that deal has been signed or even what is in it. And just to state the obvious, if nobody knows what is in a trade deal, it can't be a deal because nobody can actually go ahead and comply with it because they don't know what's in it, right? I mean, it's sort of a circular whole conversation.

So, the silence about tonight's deadline to have all of these offers put out speaks volumes as of now. We'll see. We'll see what comes in here in these next hours. But the self-inflicted trade war continues to cause big problems for the economy.

Just today, Dollar Tree warned that Trump's tariffs cost the company an additional $70 million, and a new employment report shows U.S. firms are now hiring at the slowest pace in two years. Only 37,000 jobs created last month. That is down from 60,000 the month before.

And Trump is responding by lashing out at the Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, posting on social media, ADP number out. That is a jobs number that's widely followed. "Too late" Powell must now lower the rate.

Well, the president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis is going to respond to Trump in just a moment.

But there's more data out there. If you're looking for homes -- I mean, this is an incredible situation. Home sellers are outnumbering buyers by 34 percent. That is the biggest margin in 12 years, a dozen years, according to Redfin.

And there are now growing questions as to whether the economic data that we are even getting from the administration, from the United States government, which is the gold standard for data that people trust around the world, that's why our markets are so important. They're wondering if it's actually accurate.

According to a report in "The Wall Street Journal" late today, economists are starting to question whether the inflation numbers are even accurate coming out of the U.S. government. And they say that is because of staffing shortages are affecting the government's ability to conduct the massive monthly survey upon which the jobs data is based.

And the administration is also worried about the optics that Trump's trade policies could add to the nation's deficit. Which is why, according to "Politico", the administration delayed and then redacted a key economic report. They write, quote, the politically inconvenient data prompted administration officials to block publication of the written analysis normally attached to the report because they disliked what it said about the deficit.

Now, that report projected a $49.5 billion deficit when it comes to major farm commodities like cotton and livestock. And to just state the obvious, you know, there's been a long time where people look at, say, economic data out of China and say, oh, the government gooses the numbers. You can't trust them.

So -- and that's why their financial markets aren't as deep as those in the United States. And now we're seeing that very same behavior out of the Trump administration.

Kristen Holmes is OUTFRONT live outside the White House.

And, Kristen, Trump has been talking about this upcoming call with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping. I know you have some new information on this. What are you learning tonight?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erin, look, there are very few details about when exactly this call is going to be. And I'm told that this is intentional, that both China and the U.S. are incredibly wary that this could still fall through at any moment. Now, part of the reason why it's been so hard. This is my colleague Kevin Liptak and I reporting, to get Xi Jinping on the phone is because the Chinese officials are incredibly wary of Donald Trump's negotiating style.

We've talked to a number of former officials who say that every time they've sat down with the former president or, excuse me, with the Chinese president, that its heavily scripted, that there's a lot of really not leaving anything to chance. And they've been watching these meetings with Donald Trump kind of devolve on camera. We saw the meeting with Zelenskyy, the meeting with the South African president, which seemed like almost an ambush, attempts to humiliate or embarrass these various world leaders. And that's just not something that Chinese officials are ready for. And they don't want to put their leader in that same position.

So, as you noted, we do believe that this call is on the books. It is scheduled to happen as early as tomorrow. One of the things that we know that Donald Trump is going to be bringing up administration officials telling me that he has been very upset with the pace of critical minerals being exported out of China. They believe that Beijing is intentionally slowing that process down after those talks.

We're also told that this conversation is going to be somewhat of a level setting conversation, that there really is a belief within the administration that China needs the United States, that they rely on the United States. Obviously, we've heard Donald Trump say this publicly a number of times. And so, that gives these officials somewhat of a feeling that they have some leverage going into these conversations.

Now, one other thing I want to quickly point out to you, because you mentioned this when you were leading into me, is this fact of this deadline? I have asked the White House on a number of occasions, how many countries, which countries have met that deadline? We still have no answers on that or any upcoming or pending trade deals -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right. Kristen, thank you so very much from the White House.

And OUTFRONT now. Neel Kashkari, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

And I so much appreciate your time, President Kashkari.

So, I want to read again some of what Trump said on social media about the Fed chair, Jerome Powell. He said: "Too Late" Powell must now lower the rate. He put that part all in caps. He is unbelievable. He adds three exclamation points.

Europe has lowered nine times and he puts that in in capitalization. Would there be, you know, a lot of questions one could ask from this, but let's just go with the very basic point that he's making. Would it be the right thing to do to lower interest rates right now?

NEEL KASHKARI, PRESIDENT & CEO, FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF MINNEAPOLIS: Well, you know, Erin, first of all, thanks for having me. Weve had inflation running above target, high inflation for four years. We've made a lot of progress in bringing it down, but we're not all the way back down to our 2 percent target where we need to get to.

So that's one big factor of, hey, let's be careful. We don't want inflation to take off. We know that tariffs push up prices.

The other side of that is the labor market is showing some signs of slowing. But it's been remarkably resilient. You know the unemployment rate is hanging in there at 4.2 percent. And so, when I look at the economic data, the economy is seeming like it's pretty resilient so far.

[19:10:02]

And so, for me, right now is the time to get more data, see how the tariff negotiations shake out before we reach any firm conclusions about the direction of interest rates.

BURNETT: I want to ask you about the data, and I want to ask you about the tariffs. But let's start with the data, because there's a report tonight in "The Wall Street Journal" that says that there are some economists that they've been talking to that are questioning the accuracy of U.S. inflation data that's coming out right now, and they're questioning it because they say that there are staffing shortages at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, right? That puts this data together in the Trump administration. And that's -- that's making them question the data, questioning how resilient it is.

I mean, are you confident right now in the U.S. government\'s economic data? I mean, do you think you're getting the real inflation numbers?

KASHKARI: Well, we look at a lot of different data sources. And so, we want the best possible data we can get from the U.S. government from the official sources. But then we also have data that we collect at the Federal Reserve. And we also talked to businesses large and small, and labor unions all around the country to try to piece together what's actually happening in the U.S. economy.

And so, I'm confident that we will be able to make the appropriate decisions for the economy. Having said that, we want the best possible data we can get from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So, I hope they're able to deliver their best work going forward.

BURNETT: Yeah. And when you say they're best -- I mean, are you -- are you worried about these staffing shortages?

KASHKARI: Well, of course, I mean, we want -- we rely on this. The official inflation data is paramount importance to us as we analyze the path of the economy. So, I hope that they are able to be fully staffed so that they can produce their best data and their best reports.

But I just want to echo to you and to your -- to stress to you and to your audience that we look at a lot of different data sources, and I'm confident that we will have the data that we need to make the appropriate decisions for the economy overall.

BURNETT: Right. And I guess, and I'll tell you what I'm hearing, is it's good that you have all those different sources, right? But it's not good that we -- that there's these questions coming out of BLS, whether its staffing related on that data, that shouldn't be the case. It's unfortunate that that's were even in such a position.

On the trade side of things, Trump gave a deadline of today for countries to submit their best offers on the trade deals. And we don't know the results of this. We haven't heard anything of any deals at this point.

But we do know, really, that there aren't a lot of trade deals on the table. Weve been told there would be a deal, another deal, another deal, and none have happened as of yet. How much longer can the economy sustain this uncertainty?

You mentioned its resilience, but the clock is ticking.

KASHKARI: Yeah, it is. And businesses that I talked to have basically said that they're on hold. I had lunch today with a manufacturer that manufactures some domestically, some abroad. They're trying to decide how do they restructure their supply chain, but they don't know where these trade deals are ultimately going to land. Do they bring things all the way back to America or do they move it to another country? Do they keep it where it is?

So, a lot of businesses are on hold, and that ultimately is an overhang for the economy. And the longer it goes on, the bigger negative effect it has on the economy. Some businesses have said that they're running scenario planning for workers. They will eventually have to let go if the uncertainty persists for a lot longer.

So, I'm hopeful. I mean, I'm -- fingers crossed that we have short term resolutions to this trade uncertainty, but from the Fed's perspective, we really need to wait and see what happens.

BURNETT: And then, you know, that fear, of course, is bled into the markets. I know in the bond market, Ray Dalio said we should be afraid of the bond market. Jamie Dimon was very blunt about it the other day. I don't know if you heard him say this, Neel, let me just play what he said. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIE DIMON, JPMORGAN CHASE CEO: You are going to see a crack in the bond market, okay? It is going to happen. And I tell this to my regulators, some of you who are in this room, I'm telling you it's going to happen and you're going to panic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Do you think he's right?

KASHKARI: Well, these are -- these things are hard to predict. Certainly, it's worth noting that the bond market and the stock market seem to be sending very different signals. We try to understand what they're each saying.

The stock market seems more optimistic that trade deals will come together. The bond market seems like it's more focused on longer term fiscal issues and the fiscal trajectory. That's the domain of the Treasury and the Congress to sort out.

But we at the Fed know that we have our job to do, which is get inflation all the way back down, keep the labor market strong. Hopefully both of those two things at the same time. And then, you know, pay attention to what the other parts of the government are ultimately going to do.

BURNETT: All right. Neel Kashkari, thank you so much. Very much appreciate your time tonight.

KASHKARI: Thank you, Erin.

BURNETT: And OUTFRONT now, Gene Seroka, he is the executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, which is the busiest port in the United States. Although that's an odd thing to say these days, Gene.

So, you know, we're trying to figure out what's really going on here. I know you've seen a significant drop in ships at your port. What are you seeing?

GENE SEROKA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PORT OF LOS ANGELES: Good evening, Erin.

Your timing is so important.

[19:15:00]

We've hit fresh lows here at the port of Los Angeles over the last week. We've averaged five ships per day in port. This time of year, it should be about 10 to 12. And subsequently, job orders for dock workers are down 50 percent over the last two weeks.

BURNETT: So, that's employment. Those are -- that's cold, hard jobs you're talking about. But just to be clear, you're talking about a drop of more than 50 percent in the amount of what's coming into your port.

And, Gene, just to -- just to be really black and white about this, the stuff that would be coming into your port that we are now getting half as much as you usually get is stuff like what? What are the general things that are usually on those container ships?

SEROKA: Generally, Erin -- furniture, footwear, toys and clothing. Seasonally, we've blown right past summer fashion. Now our eyes are set on back to school and that product should be here on the docks right now. Then Halloween to follow.

As you and I have talked about before May, that we just closed out, is usually the time where orders go into factories in Asia for the all- important year-end holiday seasons. I'm not seeing that happen right now.

BURNETT: So, is it fair to say -- I mean, where are we in this process? You know, when the tariffs on China were 145 percent and then Trump cut them to 30 percent. And, you know, things have been all over the map. But any kind of reprieve that some would have expected we're going to get that we would have gotten from that. You're saying you haven't seen it.

So, are we at a point where were not far away from there being shortages of certain things, or prices going up sharply for what is here?

SEROKA: We're cutting it close. And realistically, what we'll probably see are fewer selections on store shelves and online buying platforms, and likely higher prices.

And you're exactly right that with this flow of cargo now were coming up really close on some very key arrival dates that aren't happening. And as a leading indicator to the U.S. economy, we see this activity three months before the ground. Truth happens here on the shores, and it's slow.

BURNETT: And so, you're saying that in three months we're going to -- we're going to see it. So, you're going to see it at back to school in prices. You're going to see it on shelves. You're going to see shortages.

So, Gene --

SEROKA: That's right. And the slowdown of cargo --

BURNETT: Yeah.

SEROKA: Yeah, the slowdown of cargo ships, Erin, will hit the East and Gulf Coast in several weeks' time, due to the longer transits they have. So, this story is not complete yet.

BURNETT: Right. Well, you're the canary in the coal mine, but you are the biggest port. You know, when we see the deadline today, it's tonight, right? We haven't heard anything about anybody coming to Trump with their best and final offer, right? Thats what the Trump administration said that they had to receive by today.

Again, we haven't heard of any of them yet. But how long can you wait for these trade deals, Gene?

SEROKA: They can't happen fast enough, Erin. And we've also got the other deadlines of China's negotiation, that 90 day reprieve that you started off at the top of the show with. That's August 11th and the rest of the world is July the 8th.

And that's what businesses continue to tell me. They've still hit that pause button because this runway is so short. They're not putting in new orders. Inventory levels now will be watched very closely as they start to decline.

BURNETT: Gene, thank you very much. Really, really important. And thank you that, you know, laying all this out and giving us those facts. Thanks.

Gene Seroka live from the port of Los Angeles, largest port in America.

And next, kill the bill. That's the message tonight from Elon Musk as he is trying to kill what Trump calls a "Big, Beautiful Bill" Elon sees as grotesque. Is Trump's former first buddy now becoming the biggest problem Trump has?

Plus, Biden's former press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre revealing that she has left the Democratic Party. Wait until you hear why.

And Trump and Putin speaking for 75 minutes, nearly an hour and a half as Ukraine tonight accuses Trump of giving Putin the green light to strike them, a Russian investigative journalist who's on Putin's wanted list is OUTFRONT tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:23:52]

BURNETT: Breaking news, Trump just wrapping his speech at a White House celebration for his political appointees, touting what he says the administration has done so far. So amazing like if you had said this a month ago when you thought about where was J.D. Vance, and every single appearance had Elon Musk in it.

Tonight, there was no mention of Elon Musk. There was no mention of DOGE. Musk, of course, is on a warpath right now. He has posted an onslaught. We counted at least 47 total posts and reposts in the past 30 hours. Obviously, that's more than one per hour. We can do basic math here.

All of them trashing, trashing Trump's big bill that covers his entire domestic agenda. It's about way more than spending. And Musk is urging his more than 220 million followers to, quote, call your senator, call your congressman. Bankrupting America is not okay. Kill the bill.

There is no ambiguity here. Now, when it comes to the math, Trump's bill would increase the national deficit by at least $2.4 trillion. That's according to the CBO's new analysis out today. That's their analysis of version passed by the House.

There's other numbers that say up to 4 trillion.

[19:25:00]

But let's just go with that very conservative estimate.

The vast majority of Republicans, though right now, are still standing in lockstep with Trump against Musk.

Manu Raju is on Capitol Hill talking to them tonight OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He had been one of President Trump's loudest allies.

ELON MUSK, TECH BILLIONAIRE: The chainsaw for bureaucracy.

RAJU: But now, Elon Musk is becoming a major GOP problem as he lashes out at Trump's sweeping policy bill, angering Republicans as they labor to get the votes.

REP. ELI CRANE (R-AZ): Why wasn't he talking about this before the bill, right? And that's what frustrates me. Hey, if you're going to be in this fight, be in this fight when we need you because we needed him.

RAJU: Musk waited until Tuesday to put out his most scathing criticism, calling the measure a disgusting abomination, saying shame to those who voted for it. And today, continuing his attacks, giving ammunition to the bill's GOP critics who say the bill would balloon the national debt that has already grown in additional $16 trillion since 2017.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): The new spending in this bill actually exceeds all the work he did to try to find savings, so I can understand his disappointment.

RAJU: Musk putting GOP supporters on the defensive.

He says you're basically saddling this country with unsustainable debt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, he's right, the debt is unsustainable.

RAJU: After the House passed Trump's bill by just a single vote, the Senate GOP now debating changes to the massive bill, which includes a major overhaul of the tax code and federal spending cuts, including to programs like Medicaid and food stamps, all as the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office today estimated the House bill would raise federal deficits by $2.4 trillion over a decade and leave nearly 11 million people without health insurance.

Yet GOP supporters argue it would raise revenue through economic growth.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: We're not buying the CBO's estimates. I don't think that's right.

RAJU: Speaker Mike Johnson spoke for half an hour with Musk on Tuesday and thought they were on the same page. Later, Johnson said. Musk, the owner of Tesla, was objecting to electric vehicle tax incentives due to be phased out under the bill.

JOHNSON: That is going away because the government should not be subsidizing these things. I know that has an effect on his business, and I lament that.

RAJU: Do you think that Teslas what's driving this? Is that what you're suggesting?

JOHNSON: I'm going to let others draw their own conclusions about that.

RAJU: GOP leaders are facing pressure from Senate moderates like Lisa Murkowski, worried about quickly phasing out green energy tax breaks and cutting back on Medicaid.

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): Weve got some work to do to make sure that Alaskans are not going to be negatively impacted.

RAJU: Yet if Murkowski gets her way, it could cost support from House hardliners who are pushing for deeper cuts.

REP. CHIP ROY (R-TX): So, if the Senate wants to go that direction, then this bill is -- I mean, it's not even close to passing. So, they need to go further or the bills dead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU (on camera): Speaker Johnson did indicate that Donald Trump was concerned and upset about what he saw from Elon Musk post on X, but he said that it was bill he believed would ultimately still become law. He told reporters. He said he has the largest platform in the world referring to Musk, he said I'm sure that has an impact, but it's not going to change the trajectory of the legislation -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right, Manu, thank you very much. So, let's go now to our panel here.

Max Rose, former Democratic congressman, and Shermichael Singleton, Republican strategist.

Congressman Rose, so you hear Manu. Trump is not happy. I mean, 47 posts and 30 hours. And each one is a new level of Defcon. I mean, there is no ambiguity. In fact, he's saying he wants to primary any Republican. And Musk has been funding all the Republican primaries. I mean, this is a real a real threat.

Trump's been publicly silent, except for one thing. He posted a screenshot today of a post by Musk. That was a week ago. One week ago today, Musk posted this. So Trump reposted today. Musk post was: I would like to thank President Donald Trump for the opportunity.

It seems to be thinly veiled, but I mean, this bill is Trump's entire domestic agenda. It's not just -- it's not just an outrageous amount of spending, right? It's whether contempt in judges, it's A.I., it's everything.

MAX ROSE, FORMER DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN: It's everything. This is very embarrassing not just for Trump, but for the entire Republican leadership.

Look, when Musk was in government for four months or so, he was a disaster of a wrecking ball, firing tens of thousands of veterans, trying to find any cuts where he could. But he did have a goal in mind, which was to make government smaller, to address the deficit. He exacted a lot of cruelty and suffering in the process, but that was his goal.

And then he sees it all thrown away with this massively fiscally --

BURNETT: By multiples it's thrown away.

ROSE: This is -- this adds trillions of dollars to the deficit. And yet again, what we see from the Republican Party, this has been the story for this whole century. They run as these fiscal hawks. They're so responsible. And then they get the reins of government, just like Bush did, Trump and the round two, because he did it in round one. They just add to the deficit.

[19:30:03]

And it's irresponsible. But it also shows, yet again, they are lying to their voters.

BURNETT: Trump had already set a record for single term deficit debt, adding in his first term.

Shermichael, you know, hearing from a lot of Republicans, they're trying to downplay Musk's influence, right. Speaker Johnson saying Musk is, quote, not going to change the trajectory of his legislation. But you disagree. You disagree with Republicans who are trying to say Musk is not moving the needle here?

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah, I disagree 100 percent. I mean, I think whatever final version of this bill we ultimately see and that's ultimately passed, it will not be, in my opinion, what Republicans barely got across. I think Elon Musk went into this believing that financial management is not just about good sound policy, but it's about stewardship.

And I think in part, he does indeed feel a bit betrayed. He thought a lot of these Republicans really wanted to cut spending. They really wanted to find waste, fraud and abuse. And I think as someone who runs several incredibly successful companies, he's now come to the epiphany that there are some Republicans who are very similar to Democrats. They want to just keep spending and expanding government however they can. I've written about this ad nauseam over the years. It's one of the

faults that I think Republicans have yet to sort of rectify within our party. And there are a lot of hardworking Americans who are saying, if I have to balance my budget every single day, why in the world can't the individuals we elect to represent us in Congress not do the same thing with the federal budget?

They're not doing so. Elon Musk putting this pressure may change things, and I think that would be a good thing.

BURNETT: Yeah. Yeah. Well, they're not even trying. And he is -- he is going Defcon. I mean, we'll see. This is -- this is going to be amazing to watch.

Congressman, the other context today there was another big headline that caught my attention. I'm sure it caught yours. Okay? If you haven't read this everybody get ready. You're going to want to read it. But listen to us first.

Karine Jean-Pierre, Biden's former White House press secretary says she has left the Democratic Party. She is now an independent, and in fact, she is writing a book titled "Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House Outside the Party Lines".

Okay. She was a press secretary for years. I was with her at meetings in the White House. This is a big statement.

ROSE: It's really actually pitiful. It's not a big statement, and it has ramifications well beyond what she is doing. What she's doing is very clear. She's a mercenary who needs to find --

BURNETT: So, she's pitiful, not the Democratic Party?

ROSE: No. Look, the Democratic Party absolutely has room to improve, but she's showing us why they have room to improve. For years, she stood up there as the voice of the Biden administration. And then she turns around, turns her back on everything she said.

The Democratic Party has to work on its -- on a trust factor. And this certainly does not help. But I just want to make it clear, she's looking for her next employment. But here's what I would say just to close it out, there's a phenomenal group of candidates running in '24. It looks just like 2018 all over again, veterans, service members and all the like. And they are really beginning the process of rebuilding trust between the American people and Democrats.

BURNETT: So, Shermichael, you know, you heard Max describe the situation as pitiful. Look, you've known Karine Jean-Pierre, and I know you've known her personally for a long time.

SINGLETON: Yeah.

BURNETT: So, so what did you think when you saw this today?

SINGLETON: I just -- I don't think it looks good. I think the congressman is correct. I mean, it brings the trust -- whatever trust level Democrats had, maybe down to zero. I mean, she was the face and voice for the previous administration. She was the one towards the end, coming out almost regularly saying that the president was in tip top shape, that the president was making judicious decisions on behalf of the American people.

And what we have now found out, which I already knew from Jake Tapper's book, was that it wasn't true. And so, I think her credibility is really going to suffer here more than what it suffered over the past four years.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you both very much.

ROSE: And Elon can start a new party.

BURNETT: Well, that would be -- that would be an interesting party.

All right. Next, the breaking news. A top Ukrainian official accusing Trump of, quote, giving the green light to Putin to attack Ukraine after Trump revealed Putin's war plans.

Plus, not something you see every day. We'll tell you what he was looking for in that store as his friend, a second elephant, waited outside.

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[19:39:05]

BURNETT: Breaking news, Ukraine calling it Trump, quote, giving a green light to Putin to attack them, a senior Ukrainian official tells our Jim Sciutto that just moments ago, after Trump announced to the world that Russia is about to retaliate against Ukraine, the president of the United States revealing details of his long 75 minute phone call with Vladimir Putin in a post that Trump actually deleted.

But then he reposted it an hour later. We're unclear what the issue was or what he thought the issue was, but he says that the Russian leader told him after Ukraine's devastating strike on the Russian Air Force, that there is no chance of a ceasefire.

Now, today's call marks Putin's first direct response to the attack, although, I suppose we should call it indirect because Trump is the one messengering it. Trump called it a, quote, good conversation, saying that Putin's message couldn't have been clearer. Trump tells us about the conversation, saying, quote, President Putin did say and very strongly that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields.

[19:40:01]

The president of the United States -- let's be clear, not only announcing Putin's plans for retaliation, and not condemning them at all, calling them a counterattack. This is new video is into OUTFRONT of key moments from the actual strike on those airfields. Ukraine's drones delivering that stunning blow to Russia. They obliterated, we're told, 41 of Putin's planes on the ground there. Let's just be clear. This is -- these are military targets. It's

unmistakable that they are. These are the planes that Putin uses to drop bombs on civilians in Ukraine.

Yet today, Trump calls Ukraine's act an attack and is just acting like its completely normal and right for Putin to respond. No attempts by Trump's own account of the call. This is his account of the call to deescalate it.

OUTFRONT now, Kremlin target Andrei Soldatov. He's a Russian investigative journalist right now living in exile. He was declared a foreign agent in 2023. His website does remain blocked in Russia tonight.

And Andrei, you are the author of the new book, "Our Dear Friends in Moscow: The Inside Story of a Broken Generation".

So, Andrei, Putin tells President Trump, this is Trump's description of it, very strongly, that he will respond to Ukraine taking out the bombers that he uses daily to bomb Ukraine. Putin, then later to his cabinet, calls Zelenskyy a terrorist.

So, what do you hear there in terms of what retaliation the world should prepare for?

ANDREI SOLDATOV, RUSSIAN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Well, of course, this Ukrainian attacks was a big game changer, if not on the battlefield but for the way Putin sees Russian national security. And while he believes that he needs to respond, otherwise, he would look really weak. And he wants to look really tough.

The problem is that he doesn't want to provoke Trump. So, what he wants to do is to get Trump on his side and to help him see the situation his way, and apparently, it works.

BURNETT: Well, certainly, the way Trump relayed the conversation, Trump did not express that he had said anything would be wrong with Putin doing that. That is certainly the case. And just to point out, Trump posted it. He pulled his post back and then he posted it again.

So, Andrei, there's talk tonight also of a Kremlin led witch hunt, basically Putin looking for who may have possibly helped Ukraine's attack.

Do you have any idea right now, from your reporting, who the Kremlin is targeting?

SOLDATOV: Well, right now, the idea is, is to accuse the Ukrainians of being terrorists. And that was the message of Putin at the meeting with the ministers. The problem was that the attacks on armed forces coincided with his attacks on trains. So, Putin wanted today to talk only about trains. He never mentioned Ukrainian attacks on airfields, but nevertheless, he made his point that all Ukrainians who attacked Russia were terrorists. And that is, of course, a very strong signal.

BURNETT: So, Andrei, your new book. I've got it here, "Our Dear Friends in Moscow: The Inside Story of a Broken Generation". And in it, you know, you've got this empty wine bottle here on the front. I mean, you talk about a breakdown in Russia.

You write candidly about Putin's grip on the country, and you write about a moment that actually happened on Larry King. So, this may surprise a lot of people, Vladimir Putin actually went on Larry King.

And Larry King asked Putin about the Kursk submarine disaster, right? That -- that was -- that was that horrific disaster and tragedy in which 118 Russian soldiers on board were killed and that they had, you know, desperately were tapping on the edge, trying to be saved. And they died. It was a horrible thing.

Here's the exchange between Larry King and Vladimir Putin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, FORMER CNN HOST: What happened? You tell me what happened with the submarine.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It sunk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: And then there's this pause and then that smile. That smile. Andrei, you were watching that interview. You were in Russia with friends, and you write about the reaction in the room in your book.

And you write this. You write: Putin's answer shocked us, combined with his grin. It felt like the most cynical response that a president, a head of state, could possibly have to that state's failure to save its sailors. We could hardly believe what we'd heard him say.

And then you continue to talk about someone in the room. You write, then marina exploded. How dare this American ask Putin about Kursk in such a disrespectful way? Well done for Putin for cutting him off. That's our Saint Petersburg way. Tell him to go F himself.

And you say that night was probably the very first time it dawned on us that we didn't completely understand our friends. And now here we are. Andre, what is Putin's true standing right now in Russia, as you see it?

SOLDATOV: Well, unfortunately, it's pretty strong.

[19:45:00]

And it's built on the feeling which was shared by many Russians back in the late 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s, that the country was humiliated by the West, that the country needed a strong man to fix it, and to way -- as a way to fix it, is to stand well and to fight the Americans.

So we've been always having this. Hate and love relationship between Russia and the United States, because Russia wanted to have this status of superpower, and Russia could get this status only from the United States.

Lots of people understood that and still understand that. And it is, in a way, a basis of a huge support Putin still enjoys in the country.

BURNETT: Andre, thank you so very much. I appreciate it. And again, your book here, "Our Dear Friends in Moscow", everyone should know you can get it now. And it's truly excellent. Thank you so much.

SOLDATOV: Thank you.

BURNETT: And next, the breaking news: Trump just issuing a new travel ban. We're going to go through the countries on it. We've got these breaking details and incredible images tonight of an elephant raiding a store.

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[19:50:17]

BURNETT: Breaking news, President Trump just signing a new travel ban and Kristen Holmes is OUTFRONT live outside the White House with these breaking details.

So, Kristen, what are you learning about the ban?

HOLMES: Yeah, Erin, just to be clear, were still going through all of the information that the White House sent, but we are told that this ban is going to restrict -- fully restrict access or entry into our country by 12 -- by 12 countries. It will also partially restrict entry by nationals at seven countries.

So, the 12 countries that are under restriction will be Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The seven countries with partial restriction according to this are Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

Now we are told that the expedited nature of this came after that antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado. Donald Trump had been considering another travel ban, but that really moved it forward and made it happen quickly.

Now, we did get a statement from the White House who said President Trump is fulfilling the promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm. These commonsense restrictions are country specific and include places that lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates or fail to share identity and threat information, Erin.

BURNETT: All right. Kristen, thank you very much, with that breaking news from the White House.

Also tonight, two Chinese nationals charged with smuggling a, quote, potential agroterrorism weapon into the United States. There's a 25- page criminal complaint from the Justice Department, which claims that the defendants wanted to study the biological pathogen at a University of Michigan lab. These charges are coming, obviously, at a incredibly and incredibly sensitive time between China and the U.S. as relations have deteriorated over Trump's trade war.

Josh Campbell is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two Chinese researchers charged with unlawfully smuggling a dangerous fungus into the United States. Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu are both facing a list of federal charges linked to the July 2024 incident, according to a federal criminal complaint filed this week.

Prosecutors say Liu smuggled fusarium graminearum without a permit into the Detroit Metropolitan Airport using a tourist visa, allegedly to study the fungus, in a lab at the University of Michigan, where his girlfriend Jian worked. The strain is described as a potential agroterrorism weapon in an FBI affidavit in support of the complaint. The FBI says it can cause disease in certain plants like wheat, corn, rice and barley, and is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year.

Toxins from the fungus can cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects, in livestock and humans.

DR. DONELL HARVIN, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: This type of material should not be smuggled in into any country. It doesn't matter whether the person had good intentions. If there's some type of mistake or mishap or release that could have catastrophic consequences.

CAMPBELL: Authorities have not said what the couple's intentions were in studying the fungus, and neither have been charged with attempting to use the material to cause harm.

Jian made her first appearance in federal court Tuesday and did not enter a plea.

YUNQING JIAN, DEFENDANT: My name is Yunqing Jian.

JUDGE: Okay, Ms. Jian, the reason you are here today in federal court is because a criminal complaint and supporting affidavit has been filed against you.

CAMPBELL: She is being detained due to fear of flight risk. Liu is not in custody and is believed to be overseas, according to prosecutors. The charges come as the Trump administration is cracking down on Chinese students studying in the U.S., especially those with alleged connections to the Chinese communist party.

In announcing the new charges, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Department of Justice has no higher mission than keeping the American people safe and protecting our nation from hostile foreign actors.

A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry responded.

LIN JIAN, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON: I'm not aware of the relevant situation. The Chinese government has always required Chinese citizens overseas to strictly abide by local laws and regulations. At the same time, we safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens overseas in accordance with the law.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: That was Josh Campbell reporting there.

And next, an elephant caught on camera raiding a store. And wait until you see what it actually made off with.

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[19:58:44]

BURNETT: Tonight, the elephant in the room. A large wild elephant in Thailand helping himself to snacks at a convenience store. He barged in as a second elephant, apparently his friend, was waiting outside.

Max Foster is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A sneaky trunk, the first sign of trouble for this shop owner in Thailand. A large wild Asian elephant known locally as Plai Biang Lek was feeling peckish and this unsuspecting store was its target.

Shop owner Kamploy Kakaew, seen clapping, told CNN she urged it to go away, but it, quote, just walked right up to the treats.

CCTV footage shows the elephant quickly stuffing its mouth with tasty snacks, scooping them up with its trunk. It was like it came on purpose, Kakaew said, adding I think it just wanted snacks.

The not so speedy raid lasted about ten minutes, with the cheeky male stealing about ten bags of sweets, along with dried bananas and peanut snacks. Fully inside the store, at one point, just its tail can be seen wagging as it faces away from the surveillance camera and hoovers up the snacks.

After grabbing a final trunkful, the elephant not so gracefully reverses out of the shop located close to a national park northeast of Bangkok. Thanks to the help of park rangers and Kakaew's coaxing. Back out. Go on, she urges.

The shopkeepers, seeing firsthand, an elephant never forgets. In this case, where the snacks are stored.

Max Foster, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: Is it nice to have a story like that?

Thanks for joining us.

Anderson starts now.