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Erin Burnett Outfront
Trump "Celebrating The Biggest Bill Ever" After Narrow Vote; Trump On Putin Call: "I Didn't Make Any Progress... At All"; Lawsuits Details Wrongfully Deported Man's "Torture" In Brutal Prison. Aired 7- 8p ET
Aired July 03, 2025 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:27]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
Breaking news, Trump's big, beautiful win. The president touting his massive bill that is now headed to his desk, while Democrats warn there will be enormous consequences to pay.
Also breaking, a stunning admission from Trump about his call with Putin. Did the president get any closer to ending the deadly war?
And, torture. The Maryland father who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador revealing the horrific abuse he says he suffered at one of the world's most notorious prisons -- from severe beatings, to being stripped naked.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia's attorney is my guest.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
Good evening. I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, breaking news, President Trump taking a victory lap tonight, just hours after the House passed his gigantic tax and immigration bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're sort of celebrating like the biggest bill of its kind ever signed, and it's going to make this country into a rocket ship. Biggest tax cut in history. Great for security. Great on the southern border.
Immigration is covered. We covered just about everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: What Trump failed to mention is that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will leave almost 12 million Americans without health insurance. That bill, now heading to the president's desk, where he is expected to sign it tomorrow on the Fourth of July, Trump's self-imposed deadline. The bill passing with a razor thin vote. The president could only afford to lose three House Republicans. He lost two, including Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie, who said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): Well, it looks like the big bills going to pass, but it wasn't beautiful enough for me to vote for it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: But enough Republicans did vote for it, giving Trump a major legislative win. But Democrats, well, they see it as a loss for millions of Americans. Just listen to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who spoke on the House floor for a record eight hours and 45 minutes before the vote.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), MINORITY LEADER: Our job is to stand up for the poor, the sick and the afflicted, the least, the lost and the left behind, every day Americans. That's what Matthew teaches us. And that's not what's happening in this one big, ugly bill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Jeffries' marathon speech surpassing Kevin McCarthy's previous record of 8-1/2 hours used to delay a vote on President Biden's Build Back Better bill in 2021. Jeffries and Democrats see political opportunity in the passage of a bill that, according to polls, is unpopular with Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFRIES: So, I know that there are people concerned with what's happening in America, but understand what our journey teaches us is that after Project 2025 comes Project 2026. And you will have an opportunity to end this national nightmare.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Jeff Zeleny is traveling with the president. He joins me OUTFRONT live in Des Moines, Iowa.
And, Jeff, it took Trump a lot to get this bill passed. How big of a win is it in his eyes?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, it is the biggest win that President Trump has seen, not only in these short almost six months in office, but during his first term as well. He summed that up as he was leaving Washington in route to fly here to Iowa, saying, I think I have more power now.
That, of course, is to be seen. But one thing that is clear, this is his Republican Party. Democrats believe so too. That's why now the passage of the bill in the House of Representatives really rang the opening bell for the 2026 midterm elections.
So, there is no question this is a major achievement for President Trump. But Democrats also see it as an opportunity, at least politically speaking, for them. So now the race is on to define this bill, to litigate what is inside this bill.
But as for the victory lap, President Trump has been long planning to come here to Iowa to kick off the America 250 celebration. I'm told the celebration he is playing a deep part in a very big interest in over the next year. It's going to be a effectively the Trump show of America's 250th birthday.
But, Brianna, the irony cannot be understated here. President Trump began his political rise in Iowa ten years ago this summer, right here on the very grounds of the Iowa state fair, where his helicopter arrived and he was giving rides to children.
[19:05:07]
It's when Republicans started to take him seriously.
Well, today, they absolutely do, of course. But many of those campaign trail promises about extending tax cuts and lowering taxes for others, removing taxes on tip and overtime, he made those pledges and now it will be signed into law.
However, it's the Medicaid cuts. It's the social safety net programs that effectively have been -- will be -- receive a shortfall because of the need to pay for other parts of this bill that will be also a key part of his legacy.
But tonight, at least, the president, were told, is going to be talking about the virtues of this bill. And, Brianna, he's scheduled to sign it tomorrow night at the White House and an Independence Day ceremony with the flyover, I'm told -- Brianna.
KEILAR: All right. Jeff Zeleny is live for us in Iowa, thank you.
OUTFRONT now, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna. He is a member of the House Armed Services and Oversight Committees.
Congressman, certainly I know you oppose him, but President Trump is certainly an effective political messenger.
What is to say that he can't sell this legislation to the American people, despite what polling is saying about the bill right now?
REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): Brianna, I don't want to get into the bickering or the politics. I'm just saddened by the Medicaid cuts and the cuts to the Affordable Care Act. Let me explain just three things that are going to happen.
They're no longer the same level of subsidies for the Affordable Care Act. That means people who are getting insurance on the exchanges in the Affordable Care Act, their premiums are going to go up in my state, maybe even double. Second, private insurance premiums are going to go up because
hospitals are going to have to charge private insurance more, given the Medicaid cuts.
And third, a lot of people are going to lose health care in hospitals, are going to close. And that's just sad. And we need to fight to reverse it.
KEILAR: So, I do want to listen to what some of your colleagues across the aisle said after they passed this bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE LAWLER (R-NY): This is a big win for Americans across the country.
REP. LISA MCCLAIN (R-MI): We passed actual transformational legislation, legislation that will impact every family.
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I can tell you that this bill is going to be a great thing for everybody around the country. This is jet fuel for the economy, and all boats are going to rise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: How do you counter that?
KHANNA: Well, by showing Americans what's going to happen, I think instead of being in Washington, we need to show up. When a rural hospital closes, we need to show up when a family says their insurance premiums went up.
In terms of the tax cuts and this idea that that's going to spark business investment, we know that's not true because they extended the 2017 Trump tax cuts. The Fed did a study about that. That did not increase business investment. In fact, what was found is that the corporations used that for stock buybacks or to pay down debt. So we've basically given tax breaks to the wealthiest 60 percent of the breaks go to people earning over 220,000.
And it's come at the expense of taking away food assistance, taking away health care. And the people who are most affected when you take away health care and food assistance are often the kids. So, it's just sad that we've enacted this policy.
KEILAR: Major cuts to Medicaid, as you mentioned. Trump has denied in the past, nearly 15 million people in California relying on Medicaid cuts to SNAP, as you mentioned, that food assistance.
What can California do on the state level to compensate for the cuts?
KHANNA: Well, it's going to be difficult, but I think we need to be willing to raise taxes on the wealthy so that we can support our hospitals, so that we don't have to make cuts to Medi-Cal. But it is challenging for all states, and all states are going to have to make difficult decisions.
But it's important, Brianna, for people to understand this doesn't just affect people who are on Medicaid, which are a lot of folks. It's also going to affect private insurance. The biggest way that hospitals get reimbursed is Medicaid. When they get less money for Medicaid, that means they got to build private insurance more.
Well, guess what? Private insurance premiums are going to go up. And this is unfortunately going to become very evident. You can't spin facts. And when people see they voted for Donald Trump to bring down their cost of living, and when they see their health care premiums are going up, I don't think they're going to be happy.
KEILAR: We saw Hakeem Jeffries in a very visible display today on the House floor for several hours. What else will Democrats do to capitalize on the unpopularity of the bill?
KHANNA: I think it's less about politicians speaking, less about me doing interviews like this and more ordinary Americans telling their stories. You know, we need to show, not tell.
We've got to show up where hospitals are being affected. We've got to show up where premiums are going up. We've got to show up and tell the story of families who were using these benefits to survive and what impact it's having on our kids.
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You know, the biggest investment we can make in America's future is our children. And you have a poverty trap. When people lack health care, when they lack food assistance, that ultimately deprives America's kids of the future they need.
KEILAR: Congressman Ro Khanna of California, thank you so much for being with us.
KHANNA: Thank you, Brianna.
KEILAR: OUTFRONT now, former Congressman Max Rose and Charlie Dent.
Congressman Rose, you just heard what Congressman Khanna says. He thinks Democrats need to do or not do, sort of emphasizing the real people's stories here since the bill has been passed and is about to be signed into law. What do you think?
MAX ROSE, FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN: Look, think about it this way -- Donald Trump put all of his political capital behind this bill. He controls the House, the Senate, just won the presidency. And despite that, the bill is underwater right now, resoundingly, because the American people are smart and they see what is glaringly obvious.
Hospitals are going to close as a consequence of this. Costs will go up. Human suffering will go up. More people will go without food and health care. And the political implications of this are being felt in elections in 2025, because 2026 is still a while's away. We see in the gubernatorial races in Jersey, as well as in Virginia.
Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill, both with extraordinary service backgrounds running against this bill and ringing it right around the Republican opponents' necks, because even at the state level, these folks, these Republican candidates are fully owned subsidiaries of Donald Trump, even when he leads destructive, disastrous bills just like this.
KEILAR: Congressman Dent, Trump is elated. We're going to see that we expect tonight in Iowa. He's got this signing ceremony tomorrow.
But what does history show us about how this might play out politically? Certainly, in the near term?
CHARLIE DENT, FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN: Well, in the near term, Republicans have a real challenge is that a lot of people just don't know what's in this bill. I mean, I've seen the polling on this. So those who do know what's in it, obviously, it's viewed unfavorably, but most people don't know what's in it.
So, Republicans have to do a lot of explaining. And of course, in politics, when you're explaining, you're probably losing. And the challenge, I think for Republicans, they put too much in this bill. The whole point of the exercise was to extend the 2017 tax cuts, but they did much more in terms of Medicaid, SNAP, you know, cuts to SNAP. Also, there's energy provisions, border provisions, student debt issues here as well, student loan issues.
So, there's a lot in here. And people just are confused by it. And so, I think right now, they have a real problem trying to explain this because the tax changes largely benefit people on the higher end of the income scale. And a lot of the cuts affect people on the lower end of the income scale.
And that's the fundamental problem. When you combine that with, you know, the upcoming midterm election dynamics and Republicans are going to have a tough road to hoe.
KEILAR: So, some of the cuts that do help the working class, though, Congressman Rose, include this no tax on tips or overtime. Do Democrats need to walk a fine line between criticizing this bill? You know, totally, but not appearing to be against things that are really popular with working class voters they've lost to Trump?
ROSE: Oh, absolutely not. This bill didn't go far enough on those counts. What, $25,000 for tips, $2,500 for overtime? Democrats should run on, you know, doubling, tripling those numbers, because I'll tell you something -- when Donald Trump was running in this most recent presidential campaign, he wasn't bragging about these tax giveaways to the wealthiest amongst us. He wasn't bragging about dramatically increasing our debt.
He was talking about making sure that things get more affordable and easier for working people, such as with these policy provisions. But in the end, this bill is only a pittance giveaway to them. Democrats should say we're actually going to go deep on those policies, and that's why they deserve to have the reins of power.
KEILAR: Congressman Dent, many Republicans in the House and Senate. You know, they said they had issues with the bill, but we watched and one by one, almost all of them fell in line and voted for it. There were only two House Republicans and three Senate Republicans who voted against the bill. President Trump tonight said it wasn't hard getting the other skeptical Republicans on board.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think when you go over the bill, it was very easy to get him to a yes, no deals, no deals. What I did is we talked about how good the bill is. I mean, that's a deal. I guess, when you think about it.
But obviously convinced them. But it was not hard. This is a great bill.
(END VIDEOI CLIP)
KEILAR: Do you think it was as easy as President Trump said it was to convince those reticent Republicans to vote yes?
[19:15:04]
DENT: Well, I was not at all surprised that many of the Republican members on the far right of the political spectrum who expressed a lot of concerns about the bill or opposition to the bill -- I'm not at all surprised that they folded, melted and capitulated to the president there. The president was going to he could have bullied them, threatened them with primaries, and that would bring them into line.
What I was more surprised by is that there were not more pragmatic, moderate members who recognize the electoral risks they're facing, particularly those in swing districts where the presidential bullying and threats really won't have much of an impact because their problems aren't in the primary, their problems are going to be in the general election.
And, of course, House Republicans are at great risk of losing that majority. And those majority makers are the ones who I was surprised there weren't more people like Brian Fitzpatrick, who does represent one of those districts, standing up and saying, hey, these Medicaid changes are going to really hurt in our districts. That's what surprised me.
The fact that the right wing, you know, folded should surprise no one.
KEILAR: Max Rose, Charlie Dent, appreciate you both. Thank you.
OUTFRONT next, breaking news, President Trump, with a surprising details tonight about his call with Putin. Are the two any closer to peace in Ukraine? Plus, claims of being stripped naked, beaten, forced to kneel for
hours. Tonight, we're hearing about the horrific abuse the Maryland man who was wrongfully deported says he suffered at one of the world's most feared prisons.
And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He wrote me beautiful letters and they're great letters. We fell in love.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: That was Trump during his first term, talking about North Korea's Kim Jong Un. But now it seems the two may have fallen out of love. So, what happened?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:21:16]
KEILAR: Breaking news, no progress. President Trump just moments ago saying no progress was made to stop the war in Ukraine during a nearly hour long phone call with Vladimir Putin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I didn't make any progress with them today at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Trump not saying much more about the call, but the Kremlin has shared plenty, including the. Putin said he won't stop fighting in Ukraine until the, quote, root causes of the conflict are resolved. This, despite Trump telling Putin to end the war, quote, as early as possible.
Kristen Holmes is OUTFRONT at the White House.
Kristen, what more are you learning about the substance of what they discussed?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, I think it's pretty clear that the call did not go as planned for two reasons. One, if you think about the last call that the two leaders had, it was 2-1/2 hours. This one was nearly an hour, so much shorter.
But two, President Trump tends to like to put out some sort of readout of what was talked about in these calls. And we've heard almost nothing from the White House or President Trump. The only reason why he answered it there when he was talking to reporters is because he was directly asked what they talked about on the call.
He said they talked about both Ukraine, which he said he was unhappy about, and Iran. And then he was asked specifically, did you make any progress when it comes to the war in Ukraine? And he said, no, I made no progress at all. And that's about it from the United States side.
Now, as you said, we've gotten quite a bit of information from the Kremlin side in particular, that President Trump asked to end military engagement in Ukraine as soon as possible and that Putin essentially rebuffed him, saying that he wasn't going to be doing that because that doesn't align with their, quote/unquote, goals. And then the Kremlin clarifying that their goals meant that Russia was not going to back down.
This call comes at an interesting time for a number of reasons. One, we heard President Trump when he was speaking at NATO about the conflict in Ukraine and about Vladimir Putin really using the most candid terms that we've heard yet. He said that it was possible that Putin was trying to get more territory beyond just Ukraine. That was the first time that President Trump has admitted that, although others in his administration have.
He also said that it was proving that the Russian president was incredibly difficult to work for -- work with, much harder than he thought it was going to be to end this conflict, that he was surprised at how hard it was to deal with Putin.
So that was kind of the most a realist version of the relationship and of his view of Putin that we have seen yet. It also comes at a time that the United States and the Pentagon has suspended or paused at least some of the munitions that we were sending to Ukraine.
Now, President Trump, we are told by the Kremlin that this didn't come up in the call. President Trump didn't mention it. He also pushed back on the idea that we had paused any kind of support that we were giving Ukraine.
To be clear, the Pentagon has confirmed that some shipments have been paused. However, they do push the narrative that not everything that was being sent to Ukraine has stopped going to the country.
KEILAR: Kristen Holmes, thank you so much for that. Live for us from the North Lawn.
OUTFRONT now, Seth Jones, he's been talking with senior U.S. officials about the situation in Ukraine. And Andrei Soldatov, a Russian investigative journalist who is currently living in exile. He co-wrote the new book, "Our Dear Friends in Moscow: The Inside Story of a Broken Generation".
So, Seth, we just heard from the president. He had this call. Not as long as other ones he's had with Putin, didn't make any progress. He's not happy.
Where does this leave Ukraine?
SETH JONES, PRESIDENT, DEFENSE & SECURITY DEPARTMENT, CSIS: Well, Brianna, this is not a surprise at all. Putin has been dragging his feet since this war began, and certainly since Trump has been in office about peace negotiations. In fact, the real irony is we're seeing this week increased strikes by the Russians against civilian sites in Ukraine, which has killed civilians.
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We've seen a push in areas around Sumy. And then at the same time this week, there's reports out of the Pentagon right now that the U.S. has halted some weapons, including PAC-3 and Hellfire. And, of course, the great irony there is that this is more likely to undermine a peace deal rather than to help it.
So, the administration has been pushing Putin to cut a peace deal. And, A, there's been no interest. And b steps like withholding aid to Ukraine aren't likely to help. They're likely to make the situation worse, and reinforce Putin digging in.
And that's kind of the situation we're in right now.
KEILAR: Embolden him.
And, Andrei, when you hear that Putin told Trump that Russia won't stop fighting in Ukraine until the root causes of the conflict are resolved, translate what Putin is saying there and who is his audience, really, for this phone call?
ANDREI SOLDATOV, RUSSIAN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Well, it certainly doesn't look like Putin is really interested in peace, especially now when his army is still making some advances on the battlefield. And yet the country Russia got really, really tired of the war. And there is a feeling of depression, especially in big cities. And Putin needs to respond to that.
And the way he responds is to trying to sell to the domestic audience the idea that Russia is getting back as a superpower, something the country lost back in the Cold War, and the phone call with -- in conversation with Trump already serves this purpose.
KEILAR: Seth, one thing not mentioned on this call was the critical weapons like air defense missiles that Trump abruptly stopped supplying Ukraine. You mentioned that Trump was actually just asked about that. Let's listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're giving weapons, but we've given so many weapons. But we are giving weapons, and we're working with them and trying to help them. But we haven't. You know, Biden emptied out our whole country, giving them weapons, and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: So, initially, he denies it, but then ultimately he signals the U.S., yes, is actually withholding weapons. And this is coming amid this Russian onslaught.
What does suspending the weapons assistance mean to Ukraine's actual ability to fight? JONES: Well, it certainly doesn't help. It doesn't help when there
are incoming Russian ballistic and cruise missiles and incoming drones. Brianna. It also doesn't help when the U.S., when the Ukrainians need to fire a range of munitions at Russian positions. But there's this line that were hearing from some administration officials that the U.S. can't provide aid to Ukraine because it needs them in the Indo-Pacific with China, or potentially in the Middle East with Israel.
And the reality is that the U.S. industrial base right now is struggling. That's a Pentagon problem, in part because the defense budget that the administration just pushed in has the U.S. budget at less than 3 percent of GDP, which is lower than at any point in the war right now. So, the problem is not this back and forth between Europe and in the Indo-Pacific. The problem is an industrial based one, which the administration does not look like it wants to tackle right now.
And there's this sort of false narrative, I think, Brianna, that the U.S. can somehow choose between countering the Russians and focus on the Chinese, when in fact, those two actors actually are close allies.
KEILAR: Andrei, Putin reportedly pitched a cultural exchange and joint ventures in energy and space exploration, ideas that Trump was open to, according to the Kremlin, Trump wasn't rushing, obviously, or the White House wasn't rushing to put a readout of this. When we got it, it was finally from the president.
How should Trump read this when Putin is saying this kind of stuff? Is Putin just wasting Trump's time?
SOLDATOV: Not exactly. Because the main audience for this kind of messaging is Russian audience. We all remember from the Cold War that this is exactly the language we heard back then. That was the time when Russia was a superpower, and that was the Soviet Union. And we had all kinds of cultural exchanges and programs with the United States, and the country was respected and mattered. And that is exactly why Putin mentioned Iran, because he wants to show to the world and to the domestic audience that Russia still matters internationally.
KEILAR: He's signaling certainly what he's interested in.
Andre, Seth, thank you so much to both of you. Really appreciate it.
And OUTFRONT next, for the first time, the only known person to leave El Salvador's brutal prison, the only one, revealing tonight what he says he suffered inside the attorney for Kilmar Abrego Garcia joins us next.
[19:30:04]
Plus, Senator Trump? Out of his whole family, hear who the president thinks should join him in D.C.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KEILAR: Tonight, tortured. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland father, wrongly deported and locked inside one of the world's most feared prisons, revealing shocking allegations of abuse.
[19:35:01]
He says it began just minutes after this moment -- his arrival at El Salvador's terrorism confinement center, or CECOT, a place shrouded in secrecy and known for its brutal tactics. In a new federal court filing, Garcia, describing a nightmare stripped, naked, beaten, forced to kneel for hours, guards striking anyone who moved.
And in just two weeks, he says he lost 31 pounds. Garcia is believed to be the only person ever to leave CECOT.
Our David Culver, who twice over the past year was granted unprecedented access to the prison, will join us live in just a moment with what his sources are saying about these new allegations.
But first, one of the lawyers who detailed Abrego Garcia's account of torture in that new filing, joining us now, Rina Gandhi, an attorney for Garcia.
So, Rina, we're hearing this account Abrego Garcia sharing it directly with your team. What stands out the most to you?
RINA GANDHI, ATTORNEY FOR KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA: I think for me, what stands out is the distinction between how he was treated initially when he got there, and once it became clear that his case was going to be a big deal, and he got moved, think about those who are there improperly, just like him, who have not been called attention to and have not been moved.
KEILAR: Tell us a little bit more about it, that it got better?
GANDHI: Well, as described in the filing and by him, the abuse that he suffered improved in the Centro detention center, the secondary location he was moved to.
KEILAR: So, he claims that he was denied bathroom access and was forced to soil himself that he was kicked and hit so much that he had visible bruises and lumps on his body.
Have you been able to verify what Abrego Garcia is telling you?
GANDHI: At this time, we've spoken with him and we leave it to government investigators to determine otherwise, but I believe my client.
KEILAR: You've now detailed this in 40 pages in court filings. What does Kilmar Abrego Garcia hope will come from sharing his story?
GANDHI: I think it's incredibly brave to share this kind of information, knowing and hearing that our government has clearly stated they intend to send him back. I am very grateful for him sharing this information and how it may help many, many others. KEILAR: He said that he saw others in nearby cells violently harming
each other, that he heard screams from people throughout the night. How is he handling this now?
GANDHI: I think we can only hope for his safe release here in Maryland with his family and seek the comfort of his family and professionals. I cannot imagine how difficult it will be to live through that and how much help he will need and support from the community.
KEILAR: As you mentioned, the president is threatening to send him back. Is he worried that's going to happen?
GANDHI: I think we all have to be worried about that. This government has shown that they're willing to ignore court orders, and I do not think that we should rest easy and assume that that is not a possibility.
KEILAR: Rina Gandhi, thank you so much for being with us.
GANDHI: Thank you for having me.
KEILAR: Let's go now to our David Culver, whose groundbreaking reporting is directly cited in that latest court filing first reported on OUTFRONT.
David, uncovering how prisoners are confined for nearly 24 hours a day, deprived of any time outside their cells and denied access to books, what are your sources telling you within El Salvador's government? And do they worry about these details surfacing?
DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: First publicly, Brianna, it's not surprising, but they're not making any comment on this. What I'm hearing from folks who are close with the leadership and President Bukele in particular, is that he's really unfazed by anything that comes from international attention that may be negative towards or towards how prisoners are treated there.
I mean, they're used to it in many ways, but at the same time, his focus is on keeping that allegiance and alliance with President Trump. And he has sustained that so far.
Now, what is really interesting to me is, is they admit that they have taken people who are innocent into custody. They've told us that.
And President Bukele has admitted that. He says thousands of people, more than 7,000 was the latest count that I've heard. And they have released those individuals. Basically, they excuse it as collateral damage and trying to clean up the country and turn it around.
The harshness is also something they're very proud of. And people in El Salvador are as well. They say that's how you really end this brutality of ms13 that had its grip on the country.
What stands out, though, and you were talking about this with Rina is the level of torture. And that is something that really changes from a strict disciplined, militant-like order to a state of abuse.
[19:40:00]
KEILAR: This is Abrego Garcia's account of what happened, how he was treated when he was there. You have been granted rare, unprecedented access to court twice this year. Youve reported extensively on it.
Is what he's talking about tracking with what you have heard about the general treatment of inmates there?
CULVER: So you mentioned the 40 pages of that filing. I went through the 40 pages and I focused really on that conditions. And you mentioned that one example where he said from 9:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. in the morning, he was forced to kneel. If they moved at all, they were beaten. He then soiled himself because they weren't allowed to use the restroom. He describes hearing the screams throughout the night.
Now, you got to remember, this is a facility that we've shown, and you're probably some of the images, the 24/7. They have lights on, too. So those -- those were pretty haunting and chilling to hear.
What stands out to me is we have heard from the prison director directly who toured me through there not once, but twice, and he made it very clear that that prison guards are in control. And this seems to contradict that, because if prisoners are going after each other, they're supposed to be sent to solitary confinement, and that's supposed to stop right away.
But it seems as though from this account, from this filing, it was continuous.
KEILAR: And he is believed to be the first person ever released from CECOT, right? We don't get accounts because people don't get out to give them.
Do you think these revelations could put pressure on Trump officials to stop endorsing CECOT? And also international pressure on Venezuela for how they are doing this?
CULVER: If you look at the relationship between President Trump and --
KEILAR: Pardon me, El Salvador, David.
CULVER: -- President Bukele, they -- no. No worries. Yeah. And President Bukele is really focused on keeping that relationship intact.
So, I don't think, you know, I think what you're going to see here essentially, Brianna, is they're going to say Abrego Garcia is lying. This is one person's account. Don't believe it. He's a criminal.
Bukele has even called him a terrorist in the oval office twice when he was sitting with President Trump. And they're going to likely stick to that labeling. Now, to your point, this is the only person that we have ever heard from who has left CECOT. In fact, Abrego Garcia in this filing, Brianna says as he stepped off the plane, he said he was the first person on March 15th to land in San Salvador and to be escorted off the plane. He was told by a prison guard, once you enter CECOT, you never leave.
And so that was what he was expecting. And that's what we have always heard. So, to hear his account is certainly unusual, and it's rare, and it's really an opportunity to understand what it's like behind bars there.
That said, I don't think this is going to dissuade them from how they're currently moving forward with this. I mean, you look at that filing and it does suggest that they're pushing forward to keep this facility going.
What is interesting, though, Brianna, is that the fact that they admitted lowering the basically the security that he was in and moving him to another prison, that is significant because you do not take gang members, as they tell me, out of that prison and put them in this lower prison.
That suggests he is not a gang member. And it really kind of contradicts what the government is saying here. Also, by the way, they said eight others were in his cell who were determined not to be gang members, that, according to the filing. The question is, where are they?
KEILAR: Very good question, David Culver. As always, thank you so much for your reporting on this.
And OUTFRONT next, a Trump in congress, perhaps the president making clear tonight which family member he wants to be the next senator from North Carolina. Plus, on again, off again, Trump claimed he had a close relationship with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. But now, Kim apparently rejecting his letters. So, what happened?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:48:20]
KEILAR: Tonight, Senator Trump?
All eyes are on President Trump's daughter in law, Lara, who is being floated as a possible Republican candidate in the election to replace North Carolina's retiring Senator Thom Tillis. This comes after her husband, Eric Trump, recently talked about the possibility of creating a political dynasty within the Trump family.
Dianne Gallagher is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In battleground North Carolina, the 2026 Senate race is already underway, with Republican Thom Tillis choosing retirement over reelection, President Donald Trump, weighing in early on his preferred replacement.
TRUMP: Somebody that would really be great is Lara. She grew up there, but they live in Florida. She's a great person, Lara Trump. I mean, that would always be my first choice.
GALLAGHER: The president effectively freezing the potential GOP field as other Republicans wait for his daughter-in-law's decision.
JONATHAN FELTS, NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: President Trump is the most popular figure in the Republican Party anywhere in the universe. And so, if he endorses someone in that primary, that person will be the GOP nominee.
GALLAGHER: Lara Trump, addressing the possibility of a Senate run in North Carolina, something she also considered in 2022 on Fox News Radio.
LARA TRUMP, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S DAUGHTER-IN-LAW: To be fully transparent, I would love to do it. I mean, it is something that if it works out and the timing works and it works out for my family, it is absolutely something that I would consider doing.
GALLAGHER: Despite never having run for office, North Carolina GOP strategists point out she's no stranger to the campaign trail.
FELTS: I mean, she's a strong candidate. A lot of folks just really don't --
GALLAGHER: She's never been a candidate.
FELTS: She's never been a candidate. But she's campaigned extensively in North Carolina. She really connects well with voters. They see her as one of them.
[19:50:00]
They don't see her as an outsider. They see her as a local girl made good.
GALLAGHER: The 42-year-old Fox News host has been a frequent Tar Heel State surrogate for her father-in-law. Born and raised on the Carolina coast around Wilmington, Trump graduated from North Carolina State University, but she currently resides with her husband Eric, and their two young children in Florida, where she expressed openness to filling the Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio just a few months ago.
L. TRUMP: If I am asked, I would love to consider it.
GALLAGHER: Lara Trump saw her political profile elevated during her father in law's 2024 campaign, serving as co-chair of the Republican National Committee, with his backing, and delivering a high profile speech at the GOP convention.
L. TRUMP: I'm asking you to vote for the Donald Trump that I call my father-in-law. GALLAGHER: Facing a tough senate map in next year's midterms,
Democrats see North Carolina as a prime pickup opportunity. The party is waiting on a big name of its own, the popular former governor, Roy Cooper.
Is Roy Cooper going to run for senate?
MORGAN JACKSON, NORTH CAROLINA DEMOCRATIC CONSULTANT: So the governor is strongly considering the campaign for U.S. Senate and will be making a decision in the coming weeks.
GALLAGHER: Democrats also believe Trump's desire to play kingmaker could backfire.
JACKSON: When the president is the one person who chooses the Republican nominee, rather than voters, I don't -- I don't think that's a winning scenario for Republicans in 2026.
GALLAGHER: Talk of a Lara Trump run comes as other members of the family have stoked speculation about future campaigns.
Her husband, Eric Trump, telling "The Financial Times" in an interview this week that the political path for a family dynasty would be an easy one. Quote, "I think I could do it. I think other members of our family could do it, too," including his brother Donald Trump Jr., who recently teased a bid for office of his own.
DONALD TRUMP, JR., SON OF PRESIDENT TRUMP: So the answer is, I don't know. Maybe one day, you know, that calling is there.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GALLAGHER (on camera): So, the real question is, can Lara Trump, who lives in Florida, run for Senate here in North Carolina?
And the answer is state law requires a candidate to have party affiliation for at least 90 days before they can file voter registration, requires residency. So, she'd have to move here around September if she wanted to be able to file in December, when it opens up, Brianna.
KEILAR: All right. We'll be looking to see if that happens.
Diane Gallagher, thank you so much for the report.
OUTFRONT next, the roller coaster relationship between President Trump and Kim Kong Un. Gone are the days of those beautiful letters. What happened?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: North Korea showing off Kim Jong Un's new beach resort. State media releasing these images of North Korean swimming and tubing only problem there's not a tourist in sight.
These images, a far cry from the resorts that Trump pitched Kim in his -- this video during his first term, a term in which the two exchanged those so-called beautiful letters. But that relationship has soured. What changed?
Will Ripley is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With foreign policy setbacks piling up, President Donald Trump may be missing the good old days, pen pal diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
REPORTER: Has the president tried to resume dialogue with Kim Jong Un?
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president remains receptive to correspondence with Kim Jong Un.
RIPLEY: But that outreach might be hitting a brick wall.
CHAD O'CARROLL, FOUNDER, KOREA RISK GROUP: There were multiple attempts to deliver a letter drafted by U.S. President Donald Trump to the DPRK mission.
RIPLEY: Longtime Korea journalist Chad O'Carroll broke the story that North Korean U.N. representatives actively rejected Trump's letter, citing a high-level anonymous source CNN cannot independently verify.
TRUMP: He wrote me beautiful letters and they're great letters. We fell in love.
A great letter from --
RIPLEY: Trump shared 27 of those beautiful letters with Bob Woodward, revealing a relationship that unraveled in 2019. In his last known letter to Trump, Kim wrote, "If you do not think of our relationship as a stepping stone that only benefits you, then you would not make me look like an idiot, that will only give without getting anything in return."
Do you think the North Koreans and Kim Jong Un in particular, were happy to see some of the contents of those letters leaked to the press?
O'CARROLL: This is a good question. I think the leaking of that material could have been quite embarrassing for Kim Jong Un.
RIPLEY: U.S. officials typically use three main channels to reach Pyongyang, the U.N. mission, the CIA's back-channel, and the Joint Security Area at the DMZ. Right now, all three are silent.
What do you think the North Koreans are thinking as they look at all of this in the U.S.?
O'CARROLL: Trump creates chaos and then creates relatively superficial remedies. And from a -- from a North Korean perspective, that doesn't really make sense. There's not much to gain from that.
RIPLEY: Kim is now building his closest ties with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, sending weapons and soldiers to fuel Russia's war in Ukraine.
In this new season of global power plays, Kim has a new costar, apparently leaving Trump's letters unread.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY (on camera): President Trump recently claimed that the U.S. is in communication with North Korea, without elaborating. The fact is, Pyongyang may no longer see Trump as essential, with Kim needing Trump certainly a lot less than he did back in 2018 and 2019, analysts say.
Past Trump-Kim talks failed to lift sanctions or even achieve any major North Korean goals. And North Korea may also be waiting for the Russia-Ukraine war to stabilize before reengaging with Washington.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
KEILAR: Thank you so much for joining us.
"AC360" starts now.
