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Erin Burnett Outfront

DOJ Asks Judge To Release Grand Jury Testimony In Epstein Case; Father Of U.S. Marines Beaten; Viral "Kiss-Cam" Video. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired July 18, 2025 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:28]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

Breaking news, the Department of Justice asking a federal judge to release grand jury testimony in the Jeffrey Epstein case. But will it answer any real questions?

This as Epstein's ex-girlfriend tells OUTFRONT about an alleged incident involving Trump and Epstein in Trump Tower.

Plus, he's the father of three U.S. marines. And in this video, he's punched repeatedly by ICE agents before being detained. Tonight, his son speaks out about why he feels betrayed by his government.

And video seen around the world, that kiss-cam from the Coldplay concert. And tonight, the company that employs both people on that Jumbotron has launched an investigation.

Let's go OUTFRONT.

Good evening. I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Erin Burnett.

OUTFRONT tonight, breaking news, Trump's Department of Justice asking a judge to release grand jury testimony in the Jeffrey Epstein case. This comes after members of Trump's base staged a mutiny over his attorney general's failure to release the so-called Epstein files. The move may temporarily quiet some of the MAGA uproar, but it's unclear what the grand jury transcript could actually reveal. It's not a complete record of the investigation, just enough to get an indictment.

And the judge has to agree to release it, which could take time, potentially a long time.

The DOJ is making the request as Trump filed a defamation suit against his old friend Rupert Murdoch. Trump is asking for at least $10 billion in damages against a guy that Trump spent years praising.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My very good friend Rupert Murdoch. There's only one Rupert.

I even got a call from Rupert Murdoch, who I have a lot of respect for.

The legendary Rupert Murdoch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Trump taking this action after the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal published a letter to Jeffrey Epstein bearing Donald Trump's name, containing a drawing of a woman's body with breasts and a Donald signature in the place of pubic hair.

The message reads in part, "Happy birthday and may every day be another wonderful secret."

Trump claims the letter is fake, saying in part, quote, I don't draw pictures." Although he did draw pictures that were auctioned off during his first term in office.

Trump's closest allies, though, are coming to his defense. His vice president, who has been curiously silent on the Epstein saga after previously calling for the release of documents posted on social media, quote, "Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump?"

To be clear, he is talking about this Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Grab them by the (AUDIO DELETED).

BILLY BUSH, TV HOST: You could do anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Evan Perez is OUTFRONT out in Washington.

Evan, what does Attorney General Pam Bondi say in this new filing asking to release testimony in the Epstein case?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, they're citing the public interest for asking a judge in Manhattan to release the testimony that was gathered as part of this investigation, these charges in 2019 against Jeffrey Epstein, sex trafficking and other charges, that is, before he committed suicide in prison. This was a filing. It was just four pages that was filed with the signature of the attorney general, Pam Bondi, and Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general.

I'll read you just a part of what it says. It says, "The public interest in the Epstein matter has remained, given this longstanding and legitimate interest, the government now moves to unseal grand jury transcripts. -- transcripts associated with Epstein."

And it also goes on to cite, Brianna, another case in in Florida, in the state of Florida, if you remember, he was prosecuted or he got a plea deal in that case in the state of Florida. And in that case, the judge released some of the grand jury testimony there and said that the Epstein case, the facts around the Epstein case tell a tale of national disgrace.

Now, that is what the Justice Department cites as part of the reason why this this information should be made public. We should note that traditionally, grand juries secrecy governs all of this. It's not usually released, but judges are known to do so. In the case of public interest.

And this is something, of course, that's going to take some time because judges typically want to also get the input of any victims. Anybody who has been named in that testimony whose privacy needs to be protected under federal law.

KEILAR: And, Evan, also breaking tonight, Trump filing a lawsuit against the owner of "The Wall Street Journal" after "The Journal's" story about a letter that is signed by Donald to Epstein. What can you tell us about that suit?

PEREZ: Well, the president is now filing this lawsuit in the southern district of Florida in Miami, and it is a citing both libel and slander as part of the reason for this, this action. And he's requesting, Brianna, $10 billion in damage plus additional punitive damages.

He goes through the lawsuit, goes through about 20 pages, citing -- "The Wall Street Journal" not only publishing this information, despite the president talking to them and telling them that it was not his signature. It's not his message that was included in those letters and also notes the wide circulation of this, of this, this, this article in "The Wall Street Journal".

It is a lawsuit against Dow Jones and company, against news corporation, against the reporters who wrote that article, and against Rupert Murdoch himself. So, we'll see whether this goes forward. You remember, of course, yesterday the president posted on social media that he can't wait for Rupert Murdoch to be deposed in that case, of course, as you know, in a civil lawsuit like this. The president himself will open himself up to some of that, some of that, some of that treatment in court because his association with Epstein will become part of that case as well.

KEILAR: Yeah. Evan Perez, thank you so much for that great reporting.

And OUTFRONT now, Ryan Goodman, our OUTFRONT legal analyst, we have former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson, and also Barry Levine, author of "The Spider: Inside the Criminal Web of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell".

Ryan, DOJ just asking a federal judge to make this public, this grand jury testimony in the Epstein case. When and if this judge releases this, will the public learn anything potentially useful?

RYAN GOODMAN, FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL AT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE: So, it's first an uphill battle to get a judge to release grand jury materials, especially because this doesn't really fit any of the statutory or regulatory reasons that a court would do that. The court would have to find that it has inherent powers, very unusual. And then at the end of the day, I don't think it's the material that

the public really wants. The public wants to know what other individuals were involved in sexual abuse of minors. It's probably not in these grand jury materials. The grand jury indictments, in fact, are very limited to Maxwell and Epstein's abuse of minors and do not mention other individuals.

So there's every likelihood with those indictments they weren't even presented with that. I think the real material that the public wants is in the DOJ's offices. It's not what was presented to the grand jury.

KEILAR: Yeah, I see Gretchen and Barry, both of you, nodding to that.

So, Barry, talk about some of that other information that would not be contained in grand jury testimony.

BARRY LEVINE, AUTHOR, "THE SPIDER: INSIDE THE CRIMINAL WEB OF JEFFREY EPSTEIN & GHISLAINE MAXWELL": Of course, Brianna, the transparency is really what all of us want here. And there's over 100,000 pages of documents of FBI files. And, of course, as he was just saying, the grand jury testimony is really limited to what the indictment said was the period of time from 2002 to 2005, when Epstein abused women in Palm Beach, at his mansion there. And in New York.

We're looking for the complete transparency of all the files so we can learn about the interviews that had been conducted over the years by the FBI. We can learn the details of the autopsy report after Jeffrey Epstein's death behind bars. I'm particularly interested in his primary accuser, Virginia Giuffre. She had named 6 or 7 prominent individuals who she said she had been trafficked to.

Did the FBI try to corroborate any evidence related to these men? Are there interviews with any of these men? Are there interviews with any associates?

There has to be a great deal of information in those files that could help us understand the two decades of sexual abuse of more than 1,000 victims.

KEILAR: Gretchen, whatever is released, I mean, you would expect a lot would be redacted from victims' names, to accusers' names to people who may have been accused, but nothing at this point is founded. Right? I mean, you can't just put the names out there in these legal filings of people accused, but it's not -- it's not a found -- it's not, you know, if its potentially baseless, there's a problem there.

So how is the part of Donald Trump's base that really wants to see this information going to be placated by seeing this stuff?

[19:10:08]

GRETCHEN CARLSON, FORMER FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Yeah. You know, I think that that this raises a really important question about whether or not Trump putting out another potential fake news story is going to actually gin up the base again. You know, Trump doesn't strategize about many things, but we saw this happening earlier this week. We know "The Wall Street Journal" reached out to him on Tuesday. By Wednesday, he was saying it was a hoax and that this was all up to the Democrats.

So, he was already preparing his base to not believe the story that was going to come out in "The Wall Street Journal". Then you add into it that the story really wasn't this massive expose that some people were talking about. And so now, you've had some of his influencers, like Laura Loomer, who has a lot of power, saying that its fake news.

So, I tend to believe that this will work to coalesce the MAGA base, to come back behind Trump. The interesting twist here could be if the judge denies the release of this grand jury information, then the base is going to say, why is Donald Trump and why is Pam Bondi not releasing the millions of other documents that they could release right now? So I think there's still a lot to be seen about what's going to happen.

But I think "The Wall Street Journal" story has probably coalesced the MAGA base behind Donald Trump.

KEILAR: Yeah. Well, let's talk about that a little bit, because, Ryan, this lawsuit that Trump just filed against "The Journal" and Robert Murdoch, is it a smart filing by Trump then.

GOODMAN: I'm not so sure it is, especially because when "The Wall Street Journal" reported the story last night, they said that they were already told by Trump's side that they were threatening to, that Trump's side was threatening to sue "The Journal". So one would expect that "The Journal" did all of its homework before publishing.

So that's just at least an assumption I'm working with. Thinking about this case. And then it could seriously backfire. It could backfire in so many different ways. It could backfire because "The Journal" might be shown to have done its homework. The actual photograph, the image could come forward, which apparently has, according to the journal, Donald Trump's signature, which would be pretty hard corroboration for somebody to try to avoid that.

And on the other hand, Donald Trump, as Evan said, might very well himself be deposed about the events that would corroborate whether or not this was, in fact a truthful event as to what occurred and what was submitted under his name to the Epstein birthday album.

KEILAR: Gretchen, Trump has made a lot of threats to sue. He's filed a lot of lawsuits. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'm suing them for doing that.

I'm suing the country over it.

We will be suing in Nevada.

I'm suing Pulitzer. You don't know this. We're filing one on "60 Minutes".

I should be suing her for defamation.

I actually told my lawyers, I said sue them anyway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: But not a lot of people might have guessed, Gretchen that he'd do it to Rupert Murdoch.

You worked, of course, for a Murdoch-owned outlet for a long time. You sued Fox. You said Murdoch fostered a culture of misogyny, toxicity.

Are you surprised that Trump did this? And how do you think Murdoch might react?

CARLSON: Yeah. I'm shocked. I mean, up until a few hours ago, I would have told you that I didn't think he was going to do this. But, you know, he's been successful with ABC and CBS and bribing law firms to give him free services. So, I do think that the gloves are off now.

I think that this presents a conundrum for both Murdoch and for Trump. So for Murdoch, here's a situation -- Trump was not Fox's pick to be the candidate in 2016. Pretty sure he also wasn't their pick this last time around. And so, Murdoch, I think, likes to prove and poke Trump with his power. And we've seen "The Wall Street Journal" more in the second term come out against Trump.

Up until now, we have not seen Fox News do the same, right? They've been avoiding this story. The card that Murdoch has is that he can tell Fox News to start covering these stories.

So that's also his conundrum, because the last time that that happened, all the viewers went to other outlets. So there's risk for Murdoch in that scenario.

But for Trump, there's also a conundrum, because if Murdoch decides to tell Fox to start covering these stories, that's a huge risk for Trump.

So, they both have a lot to lose in this scenario. The only other thing I would add is that this is how Trump operates. He threatens to sue. He does. And again, is this just a call out to his base that I'm going to sue everyone for alleged fake news.

KEILAR: And I wonder, Barry, what do you think? As were looking forward here again, back to the documents. What kind of thing would be most damaging and keep this story going?

And we should note Trump has raised this idea that a lot of the Epstein files, some of the Epstein files may be made up.

[19:15:05]

So, there is sort of some cover he's run for himself on that. But what kind of thing would be most damaging?

LEVINE: Well, I think the most damaging thing would be, of course, if there was any accusations whatsoever, including him. Thus far, he has not been accused of any wrongdoing. And, you know, I spent a great deal of time interviewing victims and digging into -- into thousands and thousands of pages of files, and I didn't come across anything in any police reports or other lawsuits involving him.

But I think that if we find that there were indeed prominent individuals that he knew that took part in this sex trafficking. And the fact is, we may never learn the names of those third parties, they very well could be redacted if we ever get a hold of all of the transparency and all of the all of the information. But the question will be, did the feds, did the FBI, did they look the other way, and did they not pursue cases against these individuals?

And I think that would be certainly most damning. And also, of course, anything related to do with rumors about Jeffrey Epstein's connections to intelligence. That, of course, is a huge question. And if there's anything in there related to that, that he worked with either the U.S. government or another country's government. That, of course, would be rather sensational.

KEILAR: Yeah, a lot of questions that some people have raised, and we appreciate you.

Barry Levine, Gretchen Carlson, Ryan Goodman, thanks to all of you.

LEVINE: Thank you.

KEILAR: OUTFRONT next, Jeffrey Epstein's ex-girlfriend speaks out about an alleged incident involving Trump and Epstein at Trump Tower. She is my guest next.

Plus, this disturbing video sparking outrage. A marine veterans' father here in the U.S. since the '90s, being punched repeatedly by ICE agents. The marine veteran is OUTFRONT.

And new details about what happened behind the scenes at CBS that led to the sudden cancellation of Stephen Colbert's show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:21:38]

KEILAR: Breaking news, Jeffrey Epstein's ex-girlfriend speaking out tonight. Stacey Williams, a former "Sports Illustrated" model who dated Epstein in the early '90s, has spent time with Epstein and Donald Trump together. In one disturbing alleged incident, which Williams went public with last year before the presidential election, Williams says Trump groped her in front of Epstein at Trump Tower in 1993.

Here's what she told our Sunlen Serfaty when she first broke her silence. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STACEY WILLIAMS, FORMER EPSTEIN GIRLFRIEND: The second he was in front of me he pulled me into him and his hands were just on me and didn't come off. Then the hands started moving and they were on the, you know, on the side of my breasts, on my hips, back down to my butt, back up, sort of. Then, you know, they were just on me the whole time. And I -- sorry, I froze.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Williams also claimed that Epstein and Trump looked at each other and smiled during the alleged incident, which Williams says she now believes was coordinated and, quote, some kind of weird, twisted game.

Trump denied Williams's allegations through his campaign at the time, which said in part, quote, it's obvious this fake story was contrived by Kamala Harris's campaign, and Stacey Williams is OUTFRONT now to speak out for the first time since the uproar over Trump's handling of the Epstein case.

Stacey, thank you so much for joining us tonight.

As you know, Epstein is dominating the news once again, and his relationship with Trump is under scrutiny. While you were dating Epstein, can you tell us how close these two men were?

WILLIAMS: They were best friends. You know, I dated Jeffrey for a period of more or less, I think, about 4 or 5 months. And the only friend that he would mention every time we saw each other or had a phone conversation was Donald. And he would share a lot of anecdotes. I have plenty of anecdotes. And yeah, they were -- they were very close and they were up to no good.

KEILAR: And how did Epstein talk about Trump? Sort of. What was -- what was the quality of those anecdotes and how he described him?

WILLIAMS: Well, I -- he -- there was a time when he mentioned that he had to check in on him because he was unwell and very upset about something that had happened. I remember because he was late to pick me up and he was explaining why he was late.

They were just, you know, it was such a long time ago, but it was just part of that was his -- that was his bro. That was his wingman. It was clear.

I'd hear about Ghislaine, and I'd hear about Jeffrey. And I met Ghislaine in his house. She would come wafting in and out, the home in New York. So, he was clearly just someone that he talked about all the time.

And again, you know, I really -- I met Jeffrey the second time and we started dating based on the introduction, the reintroduction that happened at the Plaza Hotel at a Christmas party in 1992 that Donald Trump threw, or they were very, very close. KEILAR: So, let's talk about this incident, alleged incident in 1993,

where you say that Trump groped you in front of Epstein.

[19:25:06]

I do want to note that CNN has spoken to three friends of yours who confirmed that you told them about this alleged incident over past decades.

Can you tell me more about what happened that day, and particularly how Trump and Epstein interacted?

WILLIAMS: Yeah. And before I get into the details of what happened, which, you know, obviously, I told you guys and I've shared with multiple outlets the specifics of the assault that happened. I want to point out that I was polygraphed before I did all of this. By one of the most renowned examiners in the world.

Michael Wolff has hundreds of hours of interviews with Jeffrey Epstein, where Jeffrey confirmed to Michael what the two of them did to me long before I came out and told you all of this. So those are two critical data points that you need to have. And now, I'll walk you through what happened.

I was dating Jeffrey. He was always talking about Donald. It was his bestie and everything. And he was joking about how Donald thought I was hot. And Donald thinks I'm this or whatever. You know, one wants to talk to you. And he was telling me this as we were taking a walk down Fifth Avenue one day and he said, let's stop in and see him at his offices.

So, we went up to his office in Trump tower and within a couple of minutes, Jeffrey --Donald was outside of his door and his hands were all over me. They were on my breasts. They were on my butt. They were on my hips, up and down while the two of them just kept having a normal conversation.

I don't remember exactly what was in the conversation. Again, this was, you know, were talking '90. This is '93 now. It was something about -- it was irrelevant. It was like, oh, Stacey's career is on fire. She just did "Sports Illustrated" again, you know, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And they were back and forth, smiling and grinning and carrying on a conversation while Donald ran his hands all over me.

And you know, when that happens in broad daylight in someone's office and an assistant's walking back and forth, you're in shock. If it happens in a dark alleyway. Right. You defend yourself. But when it's hidden in its brazenness like that, which is Donald Trump's forte, you know, you go into shock.

So, I froze and it was over very quickly. It was a few minutes and then we got back in the elevator and Jeffreys energy had changed.

He was -- he was like seething. He was enraged. He wouldn't make eye contact with me. And then we got out on the -- we got out on the street on Fifth Avenue, and he looked at me and he just started yelling at me, saying, why did you let him do that? And he was so enraged.

And I remember thinking, like, why did I? I felt like I was coming back into my body at that moment. And I was confused. So that's -- that's the story of the assault.

KEILAR: And I do just want to note, Stacey, that Trump has denied these allegations, which you are well aware of. And I know at times you've referenced videos which we have not confirmed the existence of, but I know that you felt that this was coordinated, later, when you look back on it. What was it that made you draw that conclusion?

WILLIAMS: Well, I had I was sort of known in the industry for being somewhat combative with, you know, photographers who would expose themselves or do inappropriate things or even guys who would touch or harass on the streets and Jeffrey was aware of that.

And I think he was excited. I think the gist in my mind, given what he knew and the way it played out, was, hey, I you know, I'm going to deliver this person to you who's actually not going to let you get away with what you do. And I did, because I froze.

Like I said, when it's hidden in its brazenness like that, you freeze and you know, he's a master of that. So, I mean, he talked about it, right? He talked about grabbing on the "Access Hollywood" tape.

KEILAR: And tonight, if you're aware, President Trump has filed this libel lawsuit against "The Wall Street Journal" over its reporting that there was this note bearing Trump's name as a signature and an outline of a naked woman that was included in a 50th birthday album for Epstein in 2003, a note that also depicted an imaginary conversation between the two men.

And part of it reads, quote, Donald saying, we have certain things in common, Jeffrey. Jeffrey, yes we do. Come to think of it, Donald, enigmas never age. Have you noticed that? Jeffrey is a matter of fact, it was clear to me that last the last time I saw you. And then finally, Donald, a pal is a wonderful thing. Happy birthday. And may every day be another wonderful secret.

Trump called that letter fake. He said it was out of character for him because he never wrote a picture or drew a picture in his life.

WILLIAMS: You just have to laugh.

KEILAR: Wrote a picture I think he said.

WILLIAMS: No.

KEILAR: It's not his kind of language.

Based on your time with both men, does that sound out of character to you?

WILLIAMS: What, are you kidding me? I know what they were up to together. It happened to me. I was polygraphed.

I have the post-assault postcard with a love note. So, I have the receipts. Where are Donald Trump's receipts? Where are they?

I know what they're up to together. And I know what that means. It's very clear. It wasn't baking or fishing.

KEILAR: Well, Stacey Williams, I really appreciate you taking the time to speak with us tonight. Thank you so much.

WILLIAMS: Thank you.

KEILAR: And OUTFRONT next, the father of three U.S. Marines seen here in this video, punched repeatedly by ICE agents. One of his sons will join me next.

And it is literally the video that's been seen around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Caught out in a moment, these lovers won't ever forget.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: And tonight, the company that employs the two individuals is now investigating.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:35:54]

KEILAR: Tonight, ICE is begging. The Department of Homeland Security pleading with former ICE agents to come back to work, offering up to $50,000 to rejoin as the agency struggles to meet President Trump's quota for arrests and deportations.

This comes as a U.S. marine veteran is speaking out about this disturbing video here. In it, you see masked ICE agents repeatedly punching his father, who is a California resident who's been in the U.S. for more than three decades. I'll speak to that marine veteran in just a moment about his father's arrest and detention.

But first, Veronica Miracle is OUTFRONT with more on this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The father of three marines whose arrest shocked a southern California community is now out of ice custody. But his future in the United States remains uncertain.

Narciso Barranco spent nearly three weeks in a detention center after his violent arrest was caught on camera in Orange County, California. The 48-year-old landscaper was working outside of an IHOP in Santa Ana on June 21st when Barranco son says masked agents tackled his father to the ground. Those agents caught on camera punching Barranco in the face and head.

The Department of Homeland Security defended the actions of the agents, pointing to video that they say shows Barranco resisting commands and trying to evade officers, saying he swung a weed whacker directly at an agents face. Authorities say he assaulted the agents, but his son says he was only charged with being here as an undocumented resident. Barranco's son says his father's shoulder was dislocated during the arrest.

Barranco is undocumented but has lived in the United States since the early '90s and has no criminal record.

Arrests like this one, impacting people across the U.S.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Businesses, people full of joy are replaced with sadness, fear and terror.

MIRACLE: His family says he's applied for the parole in place program, which allows undocumented relatives of the military to stay in the United States.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MIRACLE (on camera): And, Brianna, we've taken a look at ICE data that shows all of the people that they've detained this year. And as of about 58,000, as of all of the 58,000 people that they've detained, more than 71 percent of them have no known criminal convictions -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Veronica Miracle, thank you for that report.

And joining us now is Alejandro Barranco, whose father was arrested in that video. He is a marine veteran. And he also has two brothers who are still active duty marines.

Alejandro, thanks for being with us.

We see this video. ICE agents punching your father in the head repeatedly. He was detained then for more than three weeks.

How is he doing tonight?

ALEJANDRO BARRANCO, U.S. MARINE VETERAN WHOSE FATHER WAS ARRESTED BY ICE AGENTS: He's doing a little bit better, but he's still traumatized. He can't sleep. He has a lot of headaches. And he's still there. Still pain in his shoulder.

KEILAR: And DHS, as you are well aware, and we mentioned, says that your father was resisting arrest, that he attacked ICE officers with a weed whacker. What has your father told you about what happened that day?

BARRANCO: Yeah, he told me that he didn't know who they were. He was scared. They never presented any type of warrant. Never said they were there for him. He was immediately surrounded and ended up running away. KEILAR: And what did your dad tell you about what it was like when he

was detained? How was he treated? Did he have a sense of what was happening?

BARRANCO: No, not really. He didn't know. I mean, there was guns pointed at him. He was being OC sprayed, chased. He didn't know what to think of it.

KEILAR: You said some sprayed. Can you explain that?

BARRANCO: Yeah. He was sprayed by like a mace or OC spray. Doesn't know really what it was, but it got all in his eyes and he couldn't see.

KEILAR: And does -- I wonder. And I think a lot of people have this question of you. You are a marine veteran.

[19:40:00]

Your family has such a commitment to the military. Both your brothers are still serving.

When you see how your father was treated, does it make you reflect differently on your decision to serve your country or do you separate these things?

BARRANCO: No, no, no. I separate them. I know the Marine Corps. I don't regret my service at all. I still love this country very much, but I do think that we're in bad times right now, and this needs to be fixed as soon as possible.

KEILAR: How did your dad see your and your brothers decisions to serve? And is he seeing it any differently after what's happened?

BARRANCO : No. He was really proud. He still is very proud. He -- we talked about it. He knows that the Marine Corps and us had nothing to do with this. This is just an uncontrollable thing going on right now.

KEILAR: And is he's in the process of applying for parole in in place. And next month he's going to be back in court for a hearing on a sustained charge. What is your hope about what is going to happen with him moving forward legally?

BARRANCO: Yeah, I hope that he can get that legal status. The polling place gets approved. The attorney has said that she doesn't see why it would -- it would not get approved. No criminal record. And I mean, the only thing they have against him is that he is here undocumented.

KEILAR: So I know you're planning to travel here to Washington next week to meet with Democratic lawmakers who are on the House Homeland Security Committee. What are you hoping to tell them?

BARRANCO: Yeah, just want to kind of explain a little bit more of my background and how it's a reflection of who my dad really is. If he was a bad person, I think I would be a bad person or my brothers would be bad people. But my father is very patriotic. He's very respectful. He's very kind.

And we ended up joining the Marine Corps because we were well -- we were raised like that.

KEILAR: Well, Alejandro Barranco, thank you for being with us. Thank you as well for your and your family's service.

BARRANCO: Thank you.

KEILAR: OUTFRONT next, it's the video that the world can't look away from.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Plus, Stephen Colbert's late night competitors rallying around him, telling CBS, F you after they canceled his show. We'll have new details of what led to that sudden announcement.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:47:09]

KEILAR: Tonight, the video seen around the world. The CEO of tech company Astronomer, now facing an investigation by the board of his own company after this viral moment completely exploded online, showing him on Coldplay's kiss cam cuddling up to another employee.

Polo Sandoval is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What was caught on a Coldplay kiss cam is playing on repeat around the world.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Caught out in a moment, these lovers won't ever forget.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE; Everybody on the Internet talking about.

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

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

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

All right, we're okay. Either they're having an affair or they're very shy. SANDOVAL: He is Andy Byron, CEO of New York-based tech company

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

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

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

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

SANDOVAL: The viral moment continues to give way to parodies and comical reenactments.

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

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

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

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

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

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. No.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL (on camera): Well, here at Astronomer headquarters in Manhattan, we still haven't heard any more from the board. They haven't really elaborated, Brianna, in terms of what the nature of that investigation actually is. What we do continue to see on the streets here and really around the world, is more interest in these two individuals who were embracing one moment, appearing to enjoy a concert, and then very quickly found themselves in the global spotlight, receiving some what appears to be unwanted attention, Brianna.

KEILAR: Certainly.

[19:50:01]

Polo Sandoval, thank you very much for that report.

Also tonight, some new details about CBS's sudden decision to cancel "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert". CNN learning executives weighed the decision while Colbert was on vacation earlier this month. Sources close to the network say the late show was losing money, and there was no apparent path to turn it around.

Colbert's late night competitors jumping in to defend him, Jimmy Kimmel posting, quote, "Love you, Stephen. F you and all your Sheldons. CBS, referencing the character Sheldon on "The Big Bang Theory" and its spinoff, "Young Sheldon".

Jimmy Fallon posting, quote, "I'm just as shocked as everyone" and joking, "I'm sad that my family and friends will need a new show to watch every night at 11:30."

President Trump, for his part, celebrating, quote, "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next."

The Writers Guild of America, which represents writers on "The Late Show", says it has significant concerns that the cancellation was a, quote, "bribe" to curry favor with the White House.

CBS's parent company, Paramount, needs sign off from the Trump administration to merge with media company Skydance. The sudden cancellation also raising questions about whether it has anything to do with Colbert criticizing Paramount's $16 million settlement with Trump over a "60 Minutes" interview.

This is what Colbert said about it on Monday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": Now I believe that this kind of complicated financial settlement with a sitting government official has a technical name in legal circles, it's big fat bribe, because this all comes as Paramount's owners are trying to get the Trump administration to approve the sale of our network to a new owner, Skydance.

(ENDVIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: The network says the cancellation was purely a financial decision.

OUTFRONT next, Elon Musk's Tesla in the hot seat in court today. But it was the billionaire's politics that divided the jury pool. We'll have those details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:56:41]

KEILAR: Tonight, Tesla on Elon Musk's flagship company in court, facing intense scrutiny over a deadly crash involving its autopilot system, Musk hasn't personally shown up in the courtroom, but he's been front and center in the trial.

Randi Kaye is OUTFRONT. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay, let's get the suction. Let's put him in the back. Come on, fast.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was the scene around 9:00 p.m. on an April night six years ago, after George McGee's Tesla slammed into a parked Chevrolet Tahoe in Key Largo, Florida.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You hit this car?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I slammed on my brakes and saw it.

KAYE: McGee said he dropped his phone while. Behind the wheel of his Tesla model S, which was operating on autopilot at the time. That system is supposed to accelerate, steer and brake on its own.

GEORGE MCGEE, TESLA OWNER: I was driving on cruise going through, and then I looked down and to get the phone I dropped. When I popped up and looked, I saw a black truck. It just happened so fast.

KAYE: His Tesla barreled right into this couple's car. They were on a date and had parked at the end of the road. The driver found Dillon Angulo bleeding on the ground and called 911.

MCGEE: I just ran into a car and the guy's unconscious.

KAYE: Later, paramedics found the body of Naibel Benavides Leon, a 22- year-old college student in the bushes. She had been thrown from the scene and died instantly.

The victims' families filed a joint lawsuit against Tesla after the crash. They had also sued the driver in a civil suit, which was settled. The lawsuit against Tesla claims the Tesla failed to detect the parked Tahoe directly in its path and drove into it at high speed. It also argues that Tesla's autopilot system was still in beta, meaning it was not fully tested for safety and was not designed to be used on roadways with cross traffic or intersections.

In a statement to "AP", Tesla said the crash had nothing to do with Tesla's autopilot technology, blaming it on a distracted driver. Also, in response to the lawsuit, Tesla denied nearly all of the lawsuit's allegations. Tesla warns owners in manuals that its cars do not drive themselves, and drivers need to be ready to take immediate action.

Elon Musk has long touted the autopilot feature.

ELON MUSK, TESLA CEO: The future is autonomous.

KAYE: Just this week, as the trial in this case got underway in a Miami courtroom, seating jurors proved challenging given their strong feelings about Musk.

According to "The Washington Post", one prospective juror had an issue with Musk's role at DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency. Another reportedly found it hard to ignore Musk's relationship with President Donald Trump. A third person said she felt Musk and Tesla were ethically compromised, the paper said.

CNN reached out to Tesla for a response to the lawsuit and jurors comments, but have not heard back. Tesla has taken a beating since Musk joined forces with Trump, despite their more recent falling out. Global sales were down a record 13 percent in each of the first two quarters of this year, and the company's financial outlook has worsened.

Earlier this year, hundreds of protests took place outside Tesla's showrooms across the country. In some cases, Tesla vehicles were set on fire.

A judgment against Tesla in this case could be a problem for the company, since not only is the company trying to convince people that its self-driving technology is safe, but it's also planning this big public rollout of hundreds of thousands of Tesla robotaxis across the U.S. by the end of next year. Tesla is promising those robotaxis will be powered by a much stronger self-driving technology.

They won't have anyone behind the wheel.

Randi Kaye, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Randi, thank you for that report.

And thank you so much for joining us.

"AC360" starts right now.