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Erin Burnett Outfront
Ukraine: Russia Unleashes "Massive Attack," 17 Blasts In 20 Minutes; Speaker Johnson Calls For Epstein Files Release; "Sounded Like Lightning": Flames Shoot From Plane's Engine. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired July 15, 2025 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:19]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
The breaking news, a massive attack rocking Ukraine tonight. Stunning what we're watching after Trump gave Putin 50 days to end the war or else.
And Trump reportedly asked Zelenskyy, quote, "Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow?"
Also breaking, House Speaker Mike Johnson is now calling for the DOJ to release everything on Epstein. The attorney general for Trump resisting. Of course, the same person who had said she had that Epstein list on her desk. Is Pam Bondi hiding something?
And terrifying video tonight. Flames streaking from the right engine of a Boeing 737. What happened?
Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, we do begin with breaking news. There is a massive attack underway in Ukraine.
So far, we understand at least 17 explosions in a matter of minutes. Seventeen explosions across the city, one of the largest cities in Ukraine tonight. According to officials there, most of the strikes are targeting a civilian area in Kharkiv. The attack coming as stunning new details are emerging about a phone call, a phone call between President Trump and Zelenskyy.
Now it is the "Financial Times" that obtained much of this information, and they are reporting that Trump asked Zelenskyy on this call. This is what the "FT" says, "Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? Can you hit Saint Petersburg, too?" The "FT" says this is according to multiple people familiar with the call, sources who tell the "FT" that Zelenskyy then responded, "Absolutely. We can, if you give us the weapons."
Now, people briefed on the call which took place one day after Trump spoke to Putin, said that Trump spoke about, quote, making the Russians feel the pain. So, with all of this, Trump, of course, was asked about this today.
Here's what he's saying publicly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Should Zelenskyy target Moscow or deeper into Russia?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, he shouldn't target Moscow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: All right. Well, that's what he's saying publicly. Privately, of course, could be a different matter.
Sources tell CNN that despite Trump's public comments, he has not ruled out giving Zelenskyy new offensive weapons, offensive weapons that Ukraine has long requested and previously been denied, like joint air to surface standoff missiles. Now, those missiles, perhaps not the range for Moscow or Saint Petersburg, but they do go about 230 miles. And what that would do for Ukraine is put possibly 30 Russian additional air bases, 30 at risk.
So, Russia tonight is responding and they're responding by going right there all the way to the jugular, as they have done in other moments of great tension. And that is by threatening nuclear retaliation.
Listen to this clip from state television in Russia that was uncovered by the journalist Julia Davis. She closely monitors Russian propaganda. Here's what she found.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Right now, they're considering giving them long range weapons that can strike Moscow and Saint Petersburg. What is Trump doing? He says it isn't me.
We understand that this is a lie. It's America. Therefore, we should clearly understand that we have to conduct a retaliatory strike against America and American forces. Yes, this is nuclear war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Mincing no words there. This is nuclear war. Straight to that threat.
And when it comes to Trump's threat to Putin, the Putin has 50 days to end the war or face massive sanctions -- well, that is being met with a public shrug in Russia.
Here's the foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Fifty days. It used to be 24 hours. It used to be 100 days. We've been through all of this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And longtime Putin ally, top Russian security official now, Dmitry Medvedev posted, "Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn't care."
Well, moments ago, Trump was asked about why he believes Putin will suddenly care and will suddenly change everything in 50 days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: A lot of opinions change very rapidly, might not be 50 days. It might be much sooner than 50 days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: But again, this is all public versus private. Russia can say that it doesn't care. And maybe there's truth in it, but part of the reason there could be some truth in that is because so far, Trump has not followed his words with actions so far. I mean, in January, Trump posted online, if we don't make a deal and soon, I have no other choice but to pull high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States.
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Forty-four days later, on March 7th, he posts, I'm strongly considering large scale banking sanctions, sanctions and tariffs on Russia until a ceasefire and final settlement agreement on peace is reached. Well, time went by.
Here's Trump on April 27th.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Do you trust President Putin?
TRUMP: You know, in about two weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Of course, nothing happened after any of those prognostications and nothing happened after that two-week time period. There was no sanctions, no tariffs, not then, not in January, not in March.
But then again, here was Trump in May.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Do you still believe that Putin actually wants to end the war?
TRUMP: I can't tell you that. But I'll let you know in about two weeks. Within two weeks, we're going to find out very soon -- we're going to find out whether or not he's tapping us along or not. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Well, of course, that was six weeks ago. And now Trump has put out a new deadline of 50 days.
And tonight in Kharkiv, the world is getting a small taste of what Putin is capable of. Those explosions that I just talked about rocking the city, 17 of them, the massive ones happened in the period, just those of 20 minutes. So, gosh, you think about what happens in 20 minutes. Think about how many thousands of people will die in the next 50 days if 50 days is a real deadline.
Kristen Holmes is OUTFRONT live outside the White House.
So, Kristen, you know, you know, I lay out that history because it matters in terms of how serious this threat is. What are you learning about Trump's plan and about how he really sees Putin right now?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Erin, I mean, I think the thing to point to is, yes, this has been a long game of President Trump, almost seemingly defending Putin at various times, asking he's being strung along and then also giving these kind of arbitrary deadlines of two weeks. But one thing that has changed over the last several months has been President Trump's perception of Vladimir Putin and perception of the relationship that he once believed that they had.
And we've really been watching that unfold in real time. As he has grown increasingly frustrated. I mean, one of the things he was asked today was that he was asked about what he says to Putin behind closed doors on the phone, and he said that Putin says he wants peace, but then never acts on it.
This is a change that might actually lead to President Trump doing something. And that's what we're hearing from allies of his particularly war hawks, people who really have been wanting him to enact these sanctions on Russia is that his growing frustration might actually lend them to doing something.
And one thing to make clear here, these tariffs that he's talking about in 50 days, they aren't tariffs. They aren't going to be on Russia themselves. We do so little trade with Russia. It wouldn't matter.
It's on these intermediary countries that do big business with Russia and the United States.
So, the hope there is that even if this is just a threat that these other countries are going to be wanting Putin to come to the table to negotiate. But whether or not that works remains to be seen, particularly when you're watching these officials in Russia kind of shrug off Trump's comments.
BURNETT: All right, Kristen, thank you very much. Of course, all gets complicated, right because buyers of Russian energy are looking at China and India in the middle of trade negotiations with the U.S. Matthew Chance is on the ground in Moscow.
And, Matthew, you know, we just played the official government response to Trump's 50-day threat right from Lavrov. And you heard the state media probably saw it yourself going straight to nuclear threats.
But you're there in Moscow, so you're -- you're talking to people who live there. What do they think? Do they have any concern here and think that Putin overplayed his hand or not?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yeah. I mean, I think that many Russians are genuinely disappointed with the statement from President Trump with his, you know, kind of commitment to sanctions after 50 days and with his commitment to providing more weapons to Ukraine because they've been told by state media for many months now that he's a friend of Putin, he's a friend of the Kremlin, a friend of Putin. He sees the world from Russia's point of view. He sees what Russia's interests are and that, you know, he can be trusted.
But now, people in the street are talking about him as being sort of unreliable, emotional things like that. Also, they've been told through state media that, you know, Trump was sort of bent on delivering peace to the region and of course, peace on Russia's terms.
But that's not what they see when they hear of President Trump saying that Patriot missile systems, perhaps offensive weapons as well, are going to be sent to Ukraine, and he's being sort of treated and seen and portrayed a bit more as a sort of warmongering figure.
That's something that's reflected. It sort of comes from state media, but it's also reflected back on state media as well.
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One little caveat is that there's a lot of discussion in Russia, in the newspapers and on television, controlled by the Kremlin, about how this is all really being controlled by NATO, by Europe and the Ukrainians. They're sort of forcing or influencing President Trump to do this.
And so, it kind of leaves the door slightly open for President Trump to be rehabilitated in the eyes of Russians in the future -- Erin.
BURNETT: Yeah, we'll see which way it goes.
All right. Thank you so much. Matthew Chance is in Moscow tonight reporting on the ground.
OUTFRONT now, retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, who served as commanding general of U.S. Army Europe; Alina Polyakova, Russian foreign affairs expert; and Max Seddon, the Moscow bureau chief for "The Financial Times".
Max, let me start with you. The reporting from "The Financial Times", obviously so central to the
story today, the new reporting that Trump asked Zelenskyy on a call whether he could hit Moscow, whether he could hit Saint Petersburg, what more are you learning, Max, about the call and how this came about?
MAX SEDDON, MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF, FINANCIAL TIMES: Well, really, Erin, this was all precipitated by the call that Trump had with Putin the day before. And from what we understand, it went very badly from Trump's perspective, he was very unhappy with Putin, who basically told him that he wasn't interested in the various deals that the Trump has tried to put on the table, sending his envoys to Steve Witkoff to meet Putin several times. And he was going to press on with, with his offensive and keep pushing to win the war, the invasion of Ukraine. And he started three years ago until he achieves what he refers to as the initial goals have all been accomplished.
And this -- this seems to have frustrated Trump so much that he that he called Zelenskyy the very next day. And that is what led to this -- to this announcement. So what you're really seeing is months of gradual frustration building up that Trump had with Putin to the point where it was just a few months ago, it looked like the U.S. was taking Russia's side in the war, and now it's agreed to arm Ukraine to cause more, more pain to Russia. It's a real, complete 180 from Trump.
And it seems to have been triggered by his personal relationship with Putin going sour.
BURNETT: Which is fascinating. I guess. You know, the great man theory of history, that it is their personal relationship that could have turned this if it turned.
General, I mentioned those -- those missiles that could go just over 200 miles, that would put 30 Russian air bases within striking distance of Ukraine. That obviously would be dramatic in and of itself. That doesn't even assume that they would get those offensive weapons that would allow them to strike as far as Moscow or Saint Petersburg.
What would such weapons do to this war?
LT. GENERAL BEN HODGES (RET.), FORMER COMMANDING GENERAL, U.S. ARMY EUROPE: Well, I imagine, Erin, that the Ukrainians would go after those factories that make the Shahed drones. They would go after airfields from which Russian aircraft take off and launch Kinzhal missiles against innocent Ukrainian civilians. This is the concept of killing the archer instead of trying to intercept all the arrows. So, if you can hit the place from which these attacks originate, that's much more efficient than trying to shoot down hundreds of drones every night.
BURNETT: So I like that analogy. The archer, not the arrows.
Alina, we heard Russian state TV. Julia Davis had highlighted the clip, right, where Solovyov says already this is nuclear war. Basically, Trump can say that he's not the one saying this, but we know that's lies. America, this happens. We're going nuclear.
And one of -- another one of Putin's top TV propagandists, Alexander Sladkov, posted on social media. And I quote him, Alina, Trump's trying to scare us with missiles. It is Trump who should be scared. Everyone is trying to push us to turn Kyiv and Lviv, which is in western Ukraine, into Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
So, Alina, I mean, this is -- there's no ambiguity here. There's no -- I mean, it's straight to nuclear war and Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Why are we hearing those nuclear threats right now?
ALINA POLYAKOVA, RUSSIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS EXPERT: Well, Erin, I think it's very obvious why we're hearing those is because even though publicly, Russian officials are pretending they don't care what the U.S. president says or what the United States does in its support for Ukraine, or putting economic pressure on Russia, of course, they care.
And one telltale sign for that is when we see these kinds of nuclear threats that are being funneled through Russian state media, the propagandists you just mentioned, it means that inside the Kremlin, they feel very insecure and very uncertain about what the United States might do.
And I think they feel like they are probably misplaying their hand with President Trump, where they had a huge opportunity to probably strike a deal, and they've missed out on that. And now they're probably afraid that President Trump will take action this time. And I think this is a good thing.
BURNETT: So, Max, when you talk about that, you know, the relationship between Trump and Putin going sour is perhaps what sparked this seeming 180 turn.
[19:15:06]
There was another thing Trump said today that stood out. I wanted to give you a chance to put some context on it, he said. Okay, sure, 50- day deadline, but he's on, quote/unquote, "nobody's side".
I mean, how do you interpret that, Max? I mean, obviously, just to be clear here, there is a side that invaded Ukraine and caused the largest land war in Europe since World War II and has fought it unrelentingly ever since, right? That is the side of Putin.
So, when Putin hears he's on nobody's side, does that mean anything to him?
SEDDON: I think it just shows to Putin that Trump's approach to this has been really, really chaotic. And it's not been very clear to anybody throughout this process what the U.S. actually wants to accomplish other than just having any kind of deal, just for the sake of saying that you have the deal and regardless of how -- how well it holds up. We saw that with the initial deal that Steve Witkoff struck in Gaza, which did not exactly stand the test of time.
And for Putin, by contrast, even though you have these two leaders of the world historical significance and there's this great affinity between them. Putin is someone who is thinking very much in the perspective of history and great powers. And this is what seems to have led him to decide that he was going to choose winning the war over trying to do some sort of rapprochement with the U.S., because you see that Trump is very unpredictable. He can do a 180 on a dime. And, you know, what Lavrov said was, was not exactly inaccurate there.
BURNETT: Yeah.
SEDDON: And it may only be around for a few years. Whereas Putin is thinking in terms of centuries in terms of what he wants to accomplish in Ukraine.
BURNETT: Right. And perhaps why even a peace deal on the terms that Trump had offered him, which was pretty much anything anyone would have thought he wanted, wasn't good enough.
General Hodges, I know that two weeks, six months, 50 days, who knows what it is. But right now, it's 50 days. How much damage can Putin do in 50 days, given where the war is?
HODGES: Well, we are seeing tonight, right now what they can do. And you know, this attack tonight is another example of how little respect the Kremlin has for the United States and for the administration and so when our president says, you know, when 50 days, then Putin hears, okay, I've got seven weeks where I can do whatever the hell I want, and not worry about sanctions or anything happening and knowing that we'll probably get kicked down the road again as well.
So, 50 days, I mean, imagine Ukrainian civilians getting killed every night for the next. Now, seven weeks.
And the problem, is that these policies, these dates, these numbers, these weapons, none of them are connected to a strategy. The president is repeating the same mistake that the last president made, which is to they are not clearly identifying the objective.
What did it what is it were trying to accomplish in Ukraine? Negotiations are not an end state. A ceasefire is not an end state. What are we trying to accomplish?
And of course, it should be the end state, should be that Russia lives inside its own borders.
BURNETT: Right.
So, Alina, when Lavrov says -- talking about there -- how the time frame keeps changing, we've been through all this and Medvedev says Russia doesn't care, but it sounds like they do care.
POLYAKOVA: Well, they absolutely care. The United States for the Kremlin, for Mr. Putin has been enemy number one since Putin basically came to power. So there's no question to my mind or I think to, to most people, that everything the United States does is watched very, very closely. And I think when Lavrov makes that comment, you know, he's not just
talking about Trump. And, you know, the inconsistencies that we've seen with this president on various issues, he's talking about the full scope of U.S. presidents, where we have a reset here. We have, you know, more of assertive response there. And it's just constant back and forth.
And I think the truth is that we haven't had a policy or strategy on Russia for a very, very long time since basically the end of the Cold War. And Putin is sitting back and he says, you know, next time I'll have a different guy, and I'm still going to be here, exactly, to Max's point.
BURNETT: Right. Still there until, of course, he isn't.
Thank you all so much as that attack unfolds in Kharkiv as we speak.
Next, we have breaking news. The Republican revolt over team Trump's handling of the Epstein files is growing. The House speaker is now calling for Pam Bondi to put it all out there. More Republicans joining in.
Plus, Trump playing favorites in his dangerous trade war. Wait until you hear the reason as to why he is going to slap 50 percent tariffs on Brazil.
[19:20:07]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I believe it's a witch hunt and it shouldn't be happening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And breaking news released from duty. The Pentagon finally withdrawing 2,000 National Guardsmen, the ones who were sent to Los Angeles against Governor Newsom's wishes. More than a month after protests ended, more than a month. Taxpayers are paying for them to be there, away from home.
Tonight, they're finally headed home.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Breaking news, House Speaker Mike Johnson tonight calling for more transparency in the Epstein investigation.
[19:25:02]
It is a significant move, and it will surely put more pressure on President Trump and Attorney General Bondi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: We should put everything out there and let the people decide. Pam Bondi, I don't know, when she originally made the statement. I think she was talking about documents. As I understood it, they were on her desk. I don't know that she was specific about a list or whatever, but she needs to come forward and explain that to everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: She did, of course, say that there was a list on her desk.
But Johnson is not the only Republican speaking out tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RALPH NORMAN (R-SC): I think that the American people need to see what's in there. And that's not hard to understand. Across the board, government is supposed to work for us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Republican Congressman Thomas Massie also just calling on the Trump administration to release all of the Epstein files. But Trump just moments ago is saying there's nothing to see.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I don't understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody. It's pretty boring stuff. It's sordid, but it's boring. And I don't understand why it keeps going.
But credible information, let them give it. Anything that's credible, I would say let them have it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Sordid not usually seen as a synonym for boring, but perhaps in this case. But why not let everyone judge for themselves?
OUTFRONT now, the Democratic congressman, Marc Veasey of Texas. He just introduced a resolution demanding the DOJ and FBI release all unclassified records in the Epstein case.
And, Congressman, I really appreciate your time tonight. And I was just saying sharing some of the Republicans now calling for more transparency. Mr. Massie, speaker Johnson and others. In your conversations, are more Republicans going to be joining your effort to get all this information released, especially now that Johnson has come out and said he supports transparency?
REP. MARC VEASEY (D-TX): Yeah, I mean, they should, you know, and I think about Donald Trump when he was running for reelection in 2024, you know, and his big slogan was promises made, promises kept. It should be promises made, promises not kept. And I don't put that much faith in these Republicans. And the reason why I say that is that we had a procedural vote today on the House floor, where they could have forced the release of those fouls, and they chose not to.
And so, they talk a big game. It's like the Freedom Caucus. They're always saying that they're not going to be for this and that and the other, because it's going to make the deficit go higher, but then they end up caving at the end.
BURNETT: Yeah.
VEASEY: I mean, at the end of the day, these guys always cave. And so I'm not counting on them. But at least you know, we're moving in the right direction with them saying that the files need to be released. But you know, it's going to, you know, be time for them to put up or shut up and put some legislation on the House floor soon, and we'll see if they do it.
BURNETT: So, you know, Trump said that Bondi should release any information she finds to be credible. Obviously, the finds to be credible are the -- is the operative term there.
But Bondi has downplayed this. I mean even though she's the one who said, right, that the list -- the client list such that whatever that is was on her desk, she's now saying this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAM BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Today, our memo speaks for itself and we'll get back to you on anything else. I haven't seen all of his statements today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: The memo is the memo that says, hey, don't worry about it. Theres nothing here. It was suicide and there's nothing else you need to know about all the rest of it. And anybody else involved.
I guess we just ask it to you this this way, Congressman, directly. Do you think that she, Pam Bondi, is hiding something?
VEASEY: I absolutely think that Pam Bondi is hiding something. And it's crazy if you think about Pam Bondi, you think about Dan Bongino. He has a nationally syndicated show that used to play on in Dallas Fort Worth all the time on one of our AM radio stations. Kash Patel and of course, President Trump, for the last two years, they have been whooping and hollering about the fact that there are files that are being hidden by the Biden administration, and they need to be released.
Now they're in charge, they're the dog that caught the car. They have the absolute power to release these files, and they just won't do it. And to me, it seems like that this is just another example of Trump looking out for some -- some billionaires or some or some people in power that he's friends with that absolutely do not want these files released.
So do I think she's hiding something? Hell yeah. I think she's hiding something.
BURNETT: So, Trump says that the Epstein files were made up by Democrats. Thats what he said today. I'll play -- I see the look on your face, sir. I'll play it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: You know, these files were made up by Comey. They were made up by Obama. They were made up by the Biden -- you know, we -- and we went through years of that with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: I mean, obviously, Epstein was investigated and federally charged during Trump's first term. And the people, the powerful, rich and powerful people that Epstein spent a lot of time with, certainly make it important for people to understand what really happened here.
[19:30:04]
But what do you say to him when he says, this was all made up?
VEASEY: I think that is ridiculous and crazy that he's saying it's made up. First of all, this -- that's all they talked about. Again, Trump, Bondi, Bongino, Patel, that's all they talked about the last couple of years were these files. And now, he's saying it's all made up. So, is what he's saying is his 2024 campaign rhetoric was just all BS and made up?
That he -- they -- we deserve to see these files that has -- the administration absolutely should release these files immediately so the American public can see them because they are the ones that have been making a big deal about this. And now, they -- he just wants to say, oh no, this just needs to go away. There is nothing there. Theres nothing to see.
That is absolutely insane. This woman, Giselle (ph) Maxwell, she's in jail right now. She's in the penitentiary because of the things that Epstein did. So there's something there. And Congress needs to investigate it.
We have a -- we have the duties under the Constitution -- prescribed by the Constitution for us to exercise our legislative authority and oversight, to do what's right by the American public and have these files released.
BURNETT: All right. Well, thank you very much. And to your point, I just want everyone to remind everybody, Ghislaine Maxwell is in prison, 20 years for sex trafficking underage girls for Jeffrey Epstein. Just so everyone understands here, it's got to keep being said how horrible and disgusting this is and how important it is to know.
Congressman, thank you so much. I appreciate your time.
And obviously, President Trump making it clear he wants the Epstein story to go away. At this point, he is privately urging his followers to move on from Epstein files. But many with the loudest megaphones in MAGA are not listening.
And Brian Stelter is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRAVIS, CALLER FROM SOUTH DAKOTA: I feel really betrayed, and I feel really, really angry.
MATT WALSH, HOST, THE MATT WALSH SHOW: Millions of Americans are not satisfied with what we've been told.
ALEX JONES, RADIO HOST: This is a giant fiasco.
TRAVIS: This is not what I voted for.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST (voice-over): Some of President Trump's most loyal supporters are not letting up on the subject of Jeffrey Epstein.
MEGYN KELLY, HOST, THE MEGYN KELLY SHOW: We are owed more than a two- page memo being like, there's no "there"| there. Now move on.
STELTER: Conservative influencers like Matt Walsh are vowing not to.
WALSH: We want justice, and we're not going to drop the subject until we get it.
JONES: Hello, everybody.
STELTER: Conspiracy theory boosters like Alex Jones kept up the pressure today, stoking fears of a cover up while expressing hope that Trump will put out more information. His guest was Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): I really encourage everyone that continues to ask questions. You know, this has been the first fracture in Maga, and we don't want this to happen anymore.
STELTER: All of this poses a political challenge for a president who has, up until now, enjoyed an almost supernatural power to persuade his base.
TRUMP: Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?
STELTER: Trump's bafflement turned to frustration as he became the target of twisted conspiracy theories about the dead, convicted pedophile, and some loyalists did follow the lead of his weekend Truth Social post, telling people not to, quote, waste time and energy on Jeffrey Epstein.
BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS HOST: Now to the latest in the battle within the Trump administration.
STELTER: This was Fox's one and only segment about the controversy yesterday.
Plus --
CHARLIE KIRK, FOUNDER, TURNING POINT USA: I'm done talking about Epstein for the time being.
STELTER: Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk said he was moving on.
KIRK: I'm going to trust my friends in the administration.
STELTER: But today, Kirk said those quotes were taken out of context.
KIRK: We're not moving on.
STELTER: Kirk hearing from his fans saying the grassroots is fired up about this and demanding answers.
KIRK: You are not letting this story go. I know that.
STELTER: Kirk, expressing confidence that Attorney General Pam Bondi and other Trump officials will provide more info despite the signal last week that the DOJ and the FBI view the matter as closed. At a Tuesday press conference about fentanyl, Bondi dodged a question about Epstein.
PAM BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Nothing about Epstein. I'm not going to talk about Epstein.
STELTER: So while some right wing media outlets are moving on, these conspiracy theories about elites abusing kids are still swirling online and on the air.
TRAVIS: People like me will not stop talking about this. If we do not stand up for the children of this country, we have nothing.
STELTER: But this is why conspiracy theories fester. The government says there is no evidence of a so-called client list. This means listeners have been swallowing lies for a long time.
BONDI: It's sitting on my desk right now to review.
STELTER: Commentators like Glenn Beck say they want and need some sort of closure.
GLENN BECK, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: I want to believe in the good. So help me. But I don't know how you prove a negative. How do you prove there is no evidence?
STELTER: Trust the government and fall in line? Or continue to fight for answers? That is the rift on the right, one that even President Trump can't easily fix.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[19:35:03]
STELTER (on camera): And these conspiracy theories, they're not like a fire that can be extinguished, Erin. They're more like nuclear fallout. You can try to minimize exposure, try to avoid the area, but radioactivity does not disappear. You know, 15 years ago, Trump was pushing the birther lie. Fifteen
years later, some people still believe it. And I suspect 15 years from today, some people will still buy into these grandiose Epstein theories.
BURNETT: Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, at this point, I think, why not? Let everybody see it.
All right. Thanks so much, Brian.
And next, Trump all but admitting that he's using the trade war to help out the man known as the Trump of the tropics. Wait until you see this completely personal. When it comes to a tariff.
Plus, what has California Governor Gavin Newsom fired up right now when talking about Trump?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: That's what I don't like about this son of a bitch. I don't.
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BURNETT: Tonight, Trump playing favorites with his trade war. It's personal now. The president on defense about the whopping and rather sudden 50 percent tariff threat in Brazil just sort of came out of nowhere. And it's hard to track the tariffs to be honest. But this one did stand out, even amidst a whole lot of strange things.
Part of his answer when asked why 50 percent of Brazil was because Brazil is prosecuting the current government, his former ally, Trump's former ally, the former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro.
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Bolsonaro, referred to as the Trump of the tropics because he had aligned himself so closely with Trump. They were, you know, politically connected but also personally connected.
So, when Trump was asked why this 50 percent tariff threat on Brazil, he actually answered the question. Listen to this.
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TRUMP: Because I'm able to do it, nobody else would be able to do it.
President Bolsonaro is a good man. I've gotten to know a lot of prime ministers and presidents and kings and queens, and I know him, and I'm pretty good at this.
President Bolsonaro is not a dishonest man. He loves the people of Brazil. He fought hard for the people of Brazil. He negotiated trade deals against me, for the people of Brazil. And he was very tough. And he was tough because he wanted to do a good deal for his country. He was not a dishonest man. And I believe it's a witch hunt and it shouldn't be happening.
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BURNETT: And so, 50 percent tariffs on Brazil?
Well, Steve Bannon, Trump's former adviser, in an interview with one of Brazil's main news sites, put it very directly. He said, quote, stop the trial against Bolsonaro and we will reverse the tariffs. Well, Bolsonaro is being prosecuted for attempting to stage a coup. Just to be clear here, I'm not going to relitigate the case, but obviously, you should know the reason.
OUTFRONT now is Senator Amy Klobuchar.
And, Senator, I appreciate your time.
So, you heard Bannon stop the trial. We reversed the tariffs, and you heard Trump's whole answer to, why did you put this 50 percent out there? And he goes through an entire long thing which ends with, its a witch hunt against Bolsonaro, and it shouldn't be happening.
What do you make of this that you could be seeing 50 percent tariffs just because Trump doesn't like a lawsuit in Brazil?
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): Okay. So, first of all, it's not enough for him that he's messing around with the rule of law here, that he's pardoning people who beat up police officers in the United States Capitol. Now he's messing around with another criminal justice process in the country of Brazil, and taking and slamming them with a 50 percent tariff.
If you ever wondered what these tariffs are about, they're about him. They're not about the American people. He has created chaos over 100 times he has changed his tariff.
But the real question is, what does it mean to you at home? Brazil seems a long far away. Canada does not seem as far away. What does it mean to you? Well, it is a $2,800 tax on every family.
We just saw today, the consumer price index data come out and it is not pretty, up 2.7 percent, up from 2.4 percent in May.
And that is exactly what I'm seeing in the local grocery store. What my constituents are seeing, beef is up. You've seen these incredible problems with groceries for people, and you can see why.
He is literally taking out his own personal agenda, trying to help his friends and the American people are roadkill.
BURNETT: So, let's talk about the inflation numbers. They are up. They were -- they did come in as expected, okay? And they were at a five- month high, but it wasn't some massive surge. You know, Trump, of course, says there's no inflation at all. I guess he's referring to the fact that it was as expected. But obviously, as you point out, it was 2.7 percent.
Here's what he said about it today.
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TRUMP: There was very little inflation. As you know, the numbers were very good, very much inside the margin. So, we've had no inflation.
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BURNETT: Senator, are you surprised that the inflation has not been as sudden and as massive as many expected when Trump announced liberation day?
KLOBUCHAR: I think you're seeing an upward trend in prices, and maybe that seems like nothing to him because he's not going to the grocery store. But for people who are working hard, they are seeing the effects of this.
I just met with a small business owner this past weekend, 80 employees, not even that small, $140,000 more that she has had to pay. This is the kind of stuff we're going to see, because parts that you need to manufacture, you're going to see retaliatory tariffs. Our farmers are losing markets. They're drying up.
And he just keeps messing around to help his buddies in Brazil. This is not how you should run our economy up front and center should not be his friend in Brazil. Up front and center should be the American people. And certainly, we saw the same thing with the big, beautiful betrayal of a bill that they just passed where his buddies were up front and center.
[19:45:03]
Give them a bunch of tax cuts and the wealthy people and pay for it on the backs of regular people with Medicaid, with Medicare, and with what they did when it came to food assistance.
BURNETT: So, Trump has wanted interest rates to go down. That's been what he's been pushing for. And he's been, as you know, slamming the Fed Chief Powell, calling him stupid, as well as a lot of other things over this.
Now, Russell Vought of the OMB, Office of Management and Budget, a crucial player in the White House, said Powell's mismanaging the Fed. He cited the renovation of the Fed building. And that's really crucial, Senator, because if Trump wants to fire Powell, he needs cause.
And you don't get cause by saying, oh, I don't like what he's doing with interest rates, cause is mismanaging a renovation and losing taxpayer money, right? So, this talk of a renovation isn't just idle talk. And a reporter asked Trump if the renovation, which is $2.5 billion,
if Powell's handling of it is a fireable offense, and Trump responded, Senator, I don't know if you heard this, but he just responded, "I think it's sort of is".
What do you think?
KLOBUCHAR: That does not make the standard for how he can fire the head of the Federal Reserve. And how about his own mismanagement of the economy right now, where he is creating chaos by changing these tariffs 100 times, where he has created so much debt, added $4 trillion to the debt, $3 trillion in real money, another trillion in interest rates, so high that its triggered automatic Medicare cuts of $500 billion.
And what the chairman of the Federal Reserve is trying to do is to make sure that we don't go spiraling because of this debt and the inflationary pressure that his tariffs are causing.
BURNETT: Senator Klobuchar, I appreciate your time. Thank you.
KLOBUCHAR: Thank you.
BURNETT: And we have breaking news right now. The pentagon is releasing 2,000 National Guardsmen who had been sent to Los Angeles to deal with those ICE protests. They've been there for weeks, weeks since we left there. They're still there.
Plus, midair emergency. Flames seen coming out of an engine of a Boeing 737. And we have new details on exactly what happened in those terrifying moments.
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BURNETT: Breaking news, the Pentagon just confirming 2,000 California National Guard troops are being withdrawn from Los Angeles. Nearly five weeks after the anti-ICE protests ended. Of course, taxpayers footed the bill for those five weeks, as poor guardsmen couldn't come home.
The protests that Trump said he was sending troops in to quell, right? They ended five weeks ago, sending those troops against the wishes of Governor Gavin Newsom.
Let me just show you this video because I shot this video on June 10th in downtown L.A. that was the first day that I was looking around saying, there's a heck of a lot of National Guard here, and there are no protesters. At that time, there were no protesters, but plenty of National Guard. But those troops are only being sent home now, more than a month later.
It comes as Governor Gavin Newsom takes on President Trump over sending in the troops in the first place.
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NEWSOM: It's a weakness masquerading as strength. That's what I don't like about this son of a bitch. I don't. And forgive me, I know he's the president of the United States. Forgive me. I didn't -- you know, I -- yeah, he calls me new scum, you know? Come on. I mean, I had to explain that to my kid.
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BURNETT: It comes as new data shows Trump's signature issue, immigration may be starting to backfire.
Harry Enten is OUTFRONT now to tell us something we don't know.
But, Harry, this is crucial. So, Trump is betting big on immigration. His administration is, right? You see Homan out there all the time. Is there any deterioration in support for what's happening?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Absolutely there is. You know, you mentioned, immigration had been Donald Trump's big issue. It helped get him elected back in 2024. It was his best issue overall.
We look at the net positive approval rating back in early part of June, before, of course, all these protests, the ice raids actually started. You see it right there in your screen, plus five points on June 6th.
Look at what has happened to his net approval on immigration. It has gone down underwater now at minus three points and eight-point move tied, in my opinion, directly to the ICE raids. And then the protests. People do not like what Donald Trump's currently doing on immigration.
BURNETT: No. And that's a really fast move for something of that scale of eight points.
Okay. Now take this to what that could mean. Nearly half, 50 percent of Hispanic voters backed Trump in the election. It was a seismic shift in the Hispanic vote. And it has -- it could change politics in this country. So where do they stand? Where does that vote stand?
ENTEN: Yeah, you mentioned it. Donald Trump put up the best performance for a Republican candidate among Hispanic voters. Since we've had exit polls in 1972. But look at the net approval rating amongst Hispanic voters now versus where he was in the beginning of the term.
Look at this drop in early February. He was underwater, but only by 11 points, far better than he was doing during his first term. Now look at that, minus 28 points. That's a nearly 20-point drop. And I can tell you, you can tie that directly to his net approval rating on immigration among Hispanics, which was positive at the beginning of his term.
And now is way, way underwater, very close to his overall net approval rating with Hispanic voters. BURNETT: So this is where I say tell me something I don't know, Harry,
but I think I must preface it with -- you've already told me two things I didn't know. So you can just be done. No, I'm just kidding.
Tell me something else I don't know.
ENTEN: I'll tell you something else that you don't know. You know, we could be looking at the first year in a really long time in which the net migration is actually negative in this country. And what could that lead to? A massive deterioration in the GDP.
Trump's immigration policies could, in fact, lead to -- get this -- a loss of $94 billion on GDP. My goodness gracious.
BURNETT: All right. Harry, thank you very much.
ENTEN: Thank you.
BURNETT: And next new video showing those flames coming from the engine of a 737. New details on exactly what happened here.
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[19:57:37]
BURNETT: Tonight, terrifying moments, flames seen shooting from a plane taking off from LAX, Los Angeles. One of the 166 passengers on board telling CNN, quote, it sounded like lightning. It struck the plane or something had exploded. The plane did manage to land safely back at LAX.
It comes amid growing concerns about another dangerous trend, which is the dire shortage of air traffic controllers in the United States.
And Pete Muntean is OUTFRONT.
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PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a rare inside look at the epicenter of ending a chronic shortage of air traffic controllers that's burning out workers and delaying flights nationwide.
Here at the Federal Aviation Administration's Controller Academy in Oklahoma City, students spend months in classrooms and simulators before moving to on-the-job training at towers and radar facilities that are struggling to retain talent.
How bad is the shortage of air traffic controllers in the U.S. right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's at a full-blown staffing crisis.
MUNTEAN: The latest estimates say the FAA is short 3,000 air traffic controllers. The newest moves by the Trump administration include slashing the time candidates wait to be accepted here and giving them pay bonuses when they reach key training milestones.
SEAN DUFFY, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: We're thinking creatively on how we can supercharge air traffic control.
MUNTEAN: Changes, are working with the FAA just announcing enrollment here is now the highest it has ever been. The FAA says it rejects 90 percent of applicants, and of the students who do get in, 35 percent wash out.
Even still, instructors put me to the test.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel confident you can do this.
MUNTEAN: Thanks for the pep talk.
This high-fidelity control tower simulator is the same one used by academy students. First, I start out by reading from a script in front of me.
Twin Cessna 310 Mike November academy tower, enter left downwind runway, two eight left. I already feel my heart rate going up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, get ready.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Commander to two seven golf kilo, ready for departure.
MUNTEAN: Then the program throws more airplanes into the mix, to the point where I have to tell a flight to abort its landing. Citation three, papa november, go around.
Well, my first go around.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How does it feel?
MUNTEAN: Fine. Did I mess something up?
Finally, we are fully off script. Challenger 6585 Juliet at academy tower, runway two eight right, line up and wait. How'd I do?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You did really good.
MUNTEAN: Do you think I could pull this off if I came to the academy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll give you six more weeks and you'll be fantastic.
MUNTEAN: We kept this demonstration fun, though the FAA insists this is serious work in hopes of ending its major staffing problem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I don't want to, you know, persuade people to think that's next year. We still have our work cut in front of us, but we are absolutely moving in the right direction.
MUNTEAN: Pete Muntean, CNN, Oklahoma City. (END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: Pete Muntean is a very accomplished pilot.
Thanks for joining us.
"AC360" starts now.
