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Erin Burnett Outfront
Maxwell Offers To Testify Before Congress, But Lists Demands; New Details About Gunman Who Killed 4 Inside Manhattan Skyscraper; Russian Offensive Intensifies, Kremlin Takes "Note" Of Trump Deadline. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired July 29, 2025 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:23]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
The breaking news, Trump says Jeffrey Epstein, quote, stole young women from the Mar-a-Lago spa. One of those girls was Virginia Giuffre, a well-known Epstein victim who just committed suicide. This comes as Ghislaine Maxwell offers to testify to Congress.
Also breaking this hour, new details about the gunman who killed four people in midtown New York. The football player leaving behind a note claiming that he suffered from CTE. His high school football coach is my guest.
And Putin's full-on offensive in Ukraine, defying Trump's calls for a ceasefire, as our reporter on the ground says the mood in Ukraine has shifted significantly.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, we begin with breaking news. Ghislaine Maxwell says she's ready to speak. Jeffrey Epsteins accomplice says she will testify before Congress. But -- and the but is big -- she has a list of big demands. Immunity questions in advance. The list goes on.
And in a moment, we're going to speak with the top Democrat on the committee that has asked for her testimony. Will the committee cave and grant Maxwell some of these wishes or not? But this comes as Trump talks publicly about one of Epstein's most prominent accusers, giving new details tonight as to why his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein ended.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He took people, and because he took people, I said, don't do it anymore. You know, they work for me. And he took -- beyond that, he took some others. And once he did that, that was the end of him. I didn't like -- when they steal people, I don't like it.
(END AUDIO CLIP) BURNETT: Trump was then asked if one of those people that Epstein stole from him was an underage girl at the core of the Epstein case, Virginia Giuffre. She was one of the most outspoken Epstein accusers, and she worked at the spa at Trump's Mar-a-Lago before Epstein hired her.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
REPORTER: Mr. President, did one of those stolen, you know, persons that include Virginia Jeffrey?
TRUMP: I don't know. I think she worked at the spa. I think so. I think that was one of the people. Yeah. He stole her. And by the way, she had no complaints about us, as you know, none whatsoever.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BURNETT: Trump saying Jeffrey had no complaints about her time at Mar- a-Lago. Of course, she recently died by suicide after a life recovering from what happened to her with Jeffrey Epstein. Giuffre publicly alleged that Epstein trafficked her and forced her to have sex with his friends when she was 17 years old. According to the court document filed by Giuffre and her civil lawsuit against maxwell, this is the document here. Giuffre claimed that Maxwell, quote, approached Ms. Giuffre while Ms. Giuffre was an underage minor working at the Mar-a-Lago country club and recruited the then minor Ms. Giuffre to go to the house of Jeffrey Epstein.
Later on in the court document, it notes Giuffre was taken on Epstein's private planes on numerous occasions and traffic nationally and internationally for the purpose of servicing Epstein and others, including Maxwell, sexually. Now, the court document notes that Giuffre was 16 or 17 at the time.
Now, of course, among those Giuffre accused was Prince Andrew. The infamous photo you see there of Giuffre, Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell was taken around that time. Prince Andrew paid Giuffre a settlement. Queen Elizabeth stripped her son of his royal standing and military titles as a result of the Epstein affair, even though he has repeatedly denied Giuffre's accusations.
But again, Giuffre died by suicide just three months ago because of what unfolded in her life. She died just in April. So, it is fair to expect that Trump would very clearly know in the context of her death and all of the Prince Andrew coverage, that her central role in the Epstein case, whether she was one of the employees Epstein stole from him or not, as Trump said today, quote, I don't know. I think she worked at the spa before eventually backing his way into yeah, he stole her.
Trump is continuing to muddy the waters, and of course, he could change all of this. He could release the Epstein files. He could fight tooth and nail against redactions of the men's names in there for full transparency. But that is not how he's handling it so far. He at first tried to say that the reason for his falling out with Epstein, with whom he spent a lot of time, didn't matter. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I did have a falling out a long time ago. The reason doesn't make any difference.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Well, that was then. Now he says that there is a reason, and it was because Epstein took Trump's employees.
[19:05:01]
Okay. But on that very basic point, there is something that just doesn't add up that is worth mentioning right now. So, see, Epstein took, as Trump says, the 16 or 17-year-old Giuffre from Trump's spa in the year 2000. So, if that is why Trump ended his relationship with Epstein, then that relationship would have ended in the year 2000. Except it didn't.
In 2002, Trump told "New York Magazine", and you remember this, he said, I've known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He's a lot of fun to be with. It's even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side, no doubt about it. Jeffrey enjoys his social life.
I mean, again, that comment, including the comment about younger side, was said about Epstein two years after Epstein took the underage Giuffre from Mar-a-Lago. So something doesn't add up. And at a time when Trump's base is demanding transparency, Trump's explanations up to this point have been anything but.
Alayna Treene is live at the White House to begin our coverage tonight.
And, Alayna, I know you've been talking to your sources there. What are you learning tonight?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, well, one thing, Erin, about all of this is that the White House and this is from my conversations, even just from moments ago when I was catching up with the White House official, they are acutely aware and very closely tracking all of the attention this is getting. And it's not just the president's team and top advisers that are closely tracking this. It's the president himself. He is very keenly aware, I'm told, of all of the attention that this Epstein case is getting, how his administration is handling it, but also how it's playing.
And so that's also, I think, just, you know, behind the scenes kind of influencing some of what we're hearing from the president.
Now, I will say the White House does feel like this story has largely died down, particularly from its fever pitch, where it was dominating every single hour and everything, every comment and question that the president was getting. But they also recognize that this is going to come up again. You know, when I talk to sources about what we were hearing from Ghislaine Maxwell's attorneys today, they said, look, we know that when the subpoena comes back, when the house is back in session, this is all going to come up again.
And so, they are strategizing behind the scenes about how to ultimately try and deal with this. Of course, it's been now a month, the majority of a month that we've seen this really ongoing, but they're still trying to formulate what that response is going to look like.
Now, I will say as well, in some of my conversations, a lot of people here at the White House and essentially all of these conversations I'm having with Trump administration officials, they do believe that the steps that the administration has taken thus far, and the president directing the attorney general to unseal some of the grand jury testimony, I'd note that that is unlikely to be decided until the end of August.
But then also, of course, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche interviewing Ghislaine Maxwell over a period of two days. They think those are steps in the right direction, because the goal as of now is to try and show as much transparency as they can, and also to try and dispute some of what was laid out in that memo from the Justice Department, which was that this was case closed. Clearly, the case isn't closed, but we're still waiting to see exactly what that looks like, Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Alayna, thank you very much.
And now with me, Barry Levine, author of "The Spider: Inside the Criminal Web of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell". Extensive reporting over decades on the topic.
Ryan Goodman, our legal analyst OUTFRONT of "Just Security". And Tara Palmeri, who has reported extensively on Epstein and Maxwell and had many conversations, extended conversations with Virginia Giuffre.
So, Barry, you're here with me. Youve studied this case so closely. All right. I just laid out something you were talking about as you were sitting down here, that if hiring away the then 16- or 17-year- old Virginia Giuffre from the Mar-a-Lago spa was the reason for the falling out, the timeline doesn't add up because that was 2000, and Trump made those comments about Epstein to "New York Magazine" in 2002.
But you say that the timeline here is even more skewed than that.
BARRY LEVINE, AUTHOR, "THE SPIDER: INSIDE THE CRIMINAL WEB OF JEFFREY EPSTEIN & GHISLAINE MAXWELL": It is even more skewed, Erin. I mean, we know that a year after the "New York Magazine" comment about Jeffrey being a terrific guy, that he took part in that birthday book that "The Wall Street Journal" pointed out.
And research shows from investigative reporting from "The Miami Herald", that Jeffrey Epstein was actually still on the Mar-a-Lago membership logs up to 2007. Okay? So Trump was still getting money from Jeffrey Epstein up until 2007. He was still -- Jeffrey Epstein's -- was still paying for his membership at Mar-a-Lago, according to "The Miami Herald". And that, of course, is a year after Jeffrey Epstein's arrest in
Florida in 2006.
So, despite --
BURNETT: So if he kicked him out for being a creep.
LEVINE: Yes.
BURNETT: That would have even been a year after that would have been established through a legal suit.
LEVINE: Correct. And there's been other explanations from Trump over the time. There was a fight over a real estate deal about a mansion that was in foreclosure, that both he and Jeffrey Epstein were going after.
We also heard that Mar-a-Lago member told Trump that his daughter was questioned by Jeffrey Epstein.
[19:10:01]
So there's been a variety of excuses that and reasons why they had that falling out.
BURNETT: So, Tara, you met Virginia Giuffre. You knew -- you know, you knew her as part of your reporting. And she is at the center of this. When I talk about that picture that I showed of her and Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Anybody watching the show tonight has seen that picture before, right? And everybody knows the price that Prince Andrew has paid. He denies the allegations, but he paid a settlement, and he lost his royal standing.
I want to play for you again, Tara, how Trump talked about Virginia Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein today.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
TRUMP: He stole her. And by the way, she had no complaints about us, as you know, none whatsoever.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BURNETT: Of course, I'm sure that the Epstein documents would show that to be the case if he puts that out there, right? He could put that out at any point.
But, Tara, you met her and you talked to her. She died by suicide earlier this year, so we're not going to hear from her with all of this now, back in the in the center stage, died in April. What's your reaction to what he said?
TARA PALMERI, HOST, "THE TARA PALMERI SHOW"; "THE RED LETTER" AUTHOR ON SUBSTACK: I think it's disgusting. He's talking about stealing a person like they're a Rolex. I think she would be horrified if she was alive to hear that. And I didn't just talk with Virginia. We traveled all over the country together reporting her story, cooperating it because so many people have tried to discredit her for so many years, since 2011, since she so bravely came out and told it.
And I found her to be very credible. You know, we made sure in our podcast, "Broken: Jeffrey Epstein", that it was not a single source project. And we found witnesses to corroborate her story, which sounds so heinous to be a sex slave for two years that no one could actually believe it.
And it's sad to me that in her death, she couldn't be there to say her experience with Donald Trump, which actually is not a terrible one, but that he's using her right now for political purposes. And she hoped that he would help her actually.
BURNETT: She did. Okay. So what did he say -- she say to you about him, right? I mean, he's saying, you know, okay, she worked at the spa at the time. She was 16 or 17. Epstein hires her.
Epstein, obviously just -- I want to be clear here -- is not in the hospitality business. So why he's hiring a 17, 16 or 17-year-old masseuse from a spa. I just -- I'm just going to put that out there. But what did she tell you about Trump? Since we don't have the Epstein files, at least she talked to you.
PALMERI: Right. I mean, her interactions with Trump were limited, but she met Trump through Epstein. It wasn't the other way around. It wasn't like Epstein stole Virginia from Trump. As if Trump knew this employee at Mar-a-Lago was actually Ghislaine Maxwell, the woman he's considered considering pardoning who found her in the ladies room, a place that Jeffrey Epstein could not be -- in the female spa.
And she saw Virginia reading a book on how to become a masseuse. And she said, I want to become a masseuse. And she said, let me take you. Ill teach you how to be a masseuse. You can be a traveling masseuse for a wealthy man. Then she brought her back to Jeffrey's home, and she was the one who took off Virginia's clothes and molested her.
And this is the woman they're considering pardoning. But, yeah, Virginia met Trump through Jeffrey, and that's -- that is how the story. That is what she has told me consistently.
And I actually just called another survivor who was with me while we were doing this reporting. And I was like, this is your recall. This is what you recall that Virginia said to you as well. And all of the victims that have spoken to each other about this, their lawyers, they all have the same account about Virginia's interaction with Trump.
It had nothing. He had no issue with it. And she was the timeline again. 2000, 2002 was when she was being trafficked. Trump remained friends with him until 2004.
BURNETT: Right. And of course, as Barry's pointing out on the -- on the membership log of Mar-a-Lago, you're saying, according to "The Miami Herald", until 2007. So, Ryan, what stands out to you about what Trump said as today?
RYAN GOODMAN, FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL AT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE: So in some sense, it sounds like he's maybe trying to get ahead of what might be in the files that he had knowledge of what was going on, because he's now admitting he had knowledge of it, but he's trying to say that's why we broke up.
But I think it's very damaging that if he had knowledge of it at the time. Just to underscore how important Giuffre is as a victim, she is one of the central victims in the prosecution of Ghislaine maxwell.
BURNETT: Who is serving 20 years.
GOODMAN: Yes.
BURNETT: Twenty years.
GOODMAN: And in the June 2022 sentencing hearing, Judge Nathan actually says because of this victim, I'm enhancing your sentence. It's that much of a significant statement on the presidents part to say, oh, and I was aware of that at the time.
If he had instead said, oh, I'm aware of it from the court documents, different story, then he's okay in that regard. But I think that's a very potentially bad situation for him to be in.
BURNETT: So, do you think that there is more we don't know about what Trump knew in these files? Barry?
LEVINE: Oh, I do think so. And it may not necessarily be black and white that there's wrongdoing in terms of a molestation of a of a victim.
[19:15:04]
It may just be --
BURNETT: Of course, no one's ever alleged that.
LEVINE: Of course, no one's ever alleged that. And no law enforcement has gone after that.
But there may be very embarrassing details that he doesn't want out right now.
You know, just about his behavior with these women and these girls that Jeffrey Epstein may have introduced him to. Again, this is a man who we know there's been 26 or 27 allegations of groping and other sexual misconduct against him. He was found liable in the E. Jean Carroll case, sexually liable for assault.
So, we don't know that behavior that went on behind the scenes. And there may be some things in documents that could be embarrassing, but we'll have to wait and see. BURNETT: We'll have to wait and see and see what, see what we get. And
of course, what if maxwell testifies and what that actually even means.
All right. Thank you all very much.
And that is the big question here, whether the House Oversight Committee is going to give in to any of Ghislaine Maxwell's very significant demands in exchange for her testimony. The top Democrat on that committee is OUTFRONT next.
Plus, police widening their investigation into the gunman who carried out the deadliest shooting in New York 25 years. That shooter was a running back in high school, and he claimed that a note in his pocket, apparently, that claimed he suffered from CTE. His football coach is OUTFRONT.
And as Trump gives Putin a new 10-day deadline to end the war in Ukraine, we're going to take you to the ground as Russian troops are swarming through the eastern part of the country.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:20:57]
BURNETT: Breaking news Ghislaine Maxwell is offering to talk. Epstein's ex-girlfriend and the accomplice who is serving a 20-year sentence in connection to Epstein's sex crimes says shell testify before Congress. That is a major development, but it does come with crucial caveats -- as I indicated, huge demands.
Her attorneys are saying she will testify only if she's given immunity because she's appealing her conviction to the Supreme Court. They say she has to be given the questions in advance. They say that she has to be allowed to do the interview outside the prison where she's being held in Florida.
It comes after the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed maxwell to testify in less than two weeks. So, the decisions here have to be made very swiftly.
And OUTFRONT now, one of the people making them, Congressman Robert Garcia, top Democrat on the Oversight Committee.
And, Congressman, I appreciate your time.
So, what are your thoughts on this right now if we go through these? Immunity, will you give her immunity in exchange for her testimony?
REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): Well, look, first, we're working very closely with the house majority on the committee. So, Chairman Comer and we're talking, we're actually communicating directly, of course, with Ms. Maxwell's team.
The issue of immunity is likely going to be off the table. I agree with Chairman Comer. That's not something that we fully want to do at this time. Other things are being negotiated.
But at the end of the day, she's not going to set whatever terms she wants. She has been subpoenaed to come before Congress, to the Oversight committee, will negotiate some of the finer points of that. But it's incredibly important that not only does she come before the committee in a bipartisan way, which we're working on, but that at the same time, Comer also sends out the subpoena for the full release of the Epstein files and documents. Both are incredibly important.
And remember, Ms. Maxwell is not necessarily a credible witness. She's someone that's committed horrific crimes. So, all of that has to be taken to consideration.
BURNETT: And of course, perjured under oath, perjury.
But let me ask -- okay. So, you said a couple of things. I want to follow up quickly. One of them is this issue of the Epstein files and the subpoena, because the oversight committee voted overwhelmingly to subpoena the Justice Department for those files.
Congressman, of course, as you're pointing out. Chairman Comer said he would move to quickly sign and deliver the subpoena. He still hasn't, but it sounds like you're talking to him. And that it is constructive. So, do you have any concern about him not having signed and delivered it yet or not?
GARCIA: Well, there's always concern when it comes to I think, the Republicans posture on this issue. They're clearly trying to hide something for Donald Trump. But we've been working with Chairman Comer. Weve been communicating. Our teams have been communicating today. We are under the impression -- we've been told -- that that subpoena is going to be issued here in the -- in the days ahead. Certainly, if it is not, we are going to raise the alarm and push back.
But he is mandated under law and under the committee rules to send out that subpoena. The more important piece of this is when he sends out that subpoena. We have requested the Democrats on the committee that he asked for a 30-day window so that all the documents, videos, files, we know there are significant amounts of materials that they come to the committee within 30 days. And that's going to be very important.
So particularly when Mr. Maxwell and others get to -- are going through the deposition, we can corroborate information that's going to be critical.
BURNETT: Right, okay. So now on her, I just want to make sure I understand two things. You said you're working with the Republican majority. It sounded like you said. So I just want to make sure I am clear that you've agreed that you will not grant her immunity, but that other things are under discussion as possible.
And I don't do those include giving her the questions in advance, things like that. But just I want to make sure that I'm understanding you right. On the immunity issue. GARCIA: Yeah. Look, on the immunity issue, the final call is made by
the House majority, to be very clear, I think Chairman Comer is working. We're all working together. They have already indicated that they are not inclined to give immunity. And so, we support that decision.
And certainly, we do not support giving her the questions ahead of time. And somehow providing her all of the space she wants to have. As you know, this deposition, after this appeal to the Supreme Court.
And that's ridiculous. I mean, that could take months and months and months. We need to see and be in front and get that testimony from her immediately, in the next few weeks.
[19:25:04]
We have been discussing a mid-August date for that, and that's what we still expect and are hoping that Chairman Comer will push the committee.
BURNETT: So let me ask you one other thing, because I know you sent a letter, Congressman, to the lawyers for Epstein's estate. In that letter, you requested a copy of the book that "The Wall Street Journal" reported on, right? They say the book of letters given to him for his 50th birthday. You know, one of them said to have his name and the outline of a naked woman, a crass drawing.
So in that -- the status of this letter, do you know that the lawyers for Epstein's estate have this book in their possession? Have you received any response about this?
GARCIA: So, we are in communication. We do know that the Epstein estate is in possession of the book, as well as the note that's inside this book. We also -- it may be that the DOJ has also a copy of this note that's -- hasn't been fully confirmed, but we understand that that may be the case. What's really important is that the Epstein estate hands over this book and this note, which of course, we know Donald Trump is disputing that he has written. And so, we are working, actually, Congressman Khanna and I are working together on getting that information.
There's other information that the Epstein estate might have that we're also working through. And so, our call to everyone that has information is clear. If you have information that's important to this case, we want to hear it, we want to understand it. And we'll be reaching out to a variety of different folks to get as much information as possible.
BURNETT: All right, Congressman Garcia, I really appreciate it. Thank you so much for being so forthright here on all of these questions and clearing up a lot. Thank you.
All right. Harry Enten is OUTFRONT with me now.
So, Harry, you have been looking at Trump's numbers on Epstein. Okay? And interesting, Alayna Treene was saying a few moments ago from the White House that there was a feeling among those around Trump that this is dying down a bit, and they expect it will come back, but that they think it's dying down. Is it?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: I don't know if its dying down, but I think what's so interesting is that any poll that we look at traditionally speaking on any issue, the vast majority of Republicans are with Donald Trump. They approve of the job that he's doing on a particular issue. The Epstein case is the complete counter example.
I mean, take a look here. GOP approval of Donald Trump, immigration, 85. The economy, 74. Foreign policy, 74. Trade, 72.
Look at the Epstein case, 35 percent of Republicans approve of Donald Trump on this issue. Less than half any other issue. And this is, I think, the warning sign for Donald Trump and the Republican Party at this point on this particular issue, the base is not with him, at least just yet.
BURNETT: Right. And does it right. And of course, there's always the yet, there's always that possibility. There's also in his mind is he saying, well, those other things will outweigh this. This will eventually if I wait it out, go away.
I mean, it's unclear, but it does come down to it seems like from your reporting on what the base cares about, the idea of a, quote/unquote list.
ENTEN: Yeah, I think this again gets at the reason why Trump's approval rating on this issue is so low. What do Republicans actually believe the government may actually be hiding? Well, how about a potential client list? The majority of Republicans believe that the government is, in fact, hiding Epstein's client list. How about information on Epstein's death?
Again, you see, the majority of Republicans, Republicans. This is not the overall electorate, though the overall electorate agrees. This is Republicans, 55 percent who believe that the government is hiding information on Epstein's death.
So, this all goes back to the idea that Republicans are very skeptical of what's coming out of the government at this point with the concern of the Epstein case.
BURNETT: Right. And, of course, the fact that all of those ideas were put out by people who are now central and Trump world -- Dan Bongino, Kash Patel, others.
All right. So, the big question is, will this make a difference when it comes to votes? And I know we're a far way out, but right now, how do voters feel? Is this a motivating issue?
Tell me something I don't know.
ENTEN: I'll tell you something that you don't know, Erin Burnett, and that is midterms are all about enthusiasm from the voters. Voter turnout. What do we see right now in terms of extremely motivated voters on the
Democratic side versus the Republican side? Look at this, 74 percent of Democrats at this point say they're extremely motivated to vote in the midterms. Just 54 percent of Republicans say they're extremely motivated. If that holds on midterm day come 2026, bye-bye to the Republican majority in the House of Representatives.
BURNETT: Yeah. All right, Harry, thank you.
ENTEN: Thank you.
BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next, breaking news, new details emerging about the Midtown Manhattan gunman, including his claims of having a brain disease from playing football, his high school football coach joins us next.
And as Putin unleashes another deadly spree of drone attacks across Ukraine, Ukraine is using low tech to weaken the effect of the Russian attacks.
Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Extraordinary low tech bit of invention here to counter the high tech problem of drones that have redefined warfare in Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:33:54]
BURNETT: Breaking news, new details about the gunman who killed four people inside a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper. As the NYPD widens its investigation, sending two teams of detectives to Las Vegas, where the gunman lived.
Moments ago, the New York mayor, Eric Adams, revealing that there's disturbing surveillance video of the 27-year-old gunman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ERIC ADAMS (D), NEW YORK CITY: It was very, very, just painful to watch how someone could just randomly shoot everyone he came in contact with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: As we learn, he had two encounters with Las Vegas metro police before the attack. And as police say, a quote, associate purchased part of the gun that Tamura assembled before the attack. Sources telling CNN that there was a three-page handwritten note found in the shooters back pocket, claiming that he suffered from CTE, requesting to, quote, study my brain.
Shimon Prokupecz is OUTFRONT. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D), NEW YORK: Our city and our state are grieving right now.
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The investigation into the deadliest shooting in New York City in 25 years, now stretching across the country as authorities try to understand who the shooter was and why he did this.
[19:35:03]
ADAMS: We are sending two teams to Las Vegas, one to execute a search warrant and the other to look at the two firearms and guns that were recovered.
PROKUPECZ: Authorities have identified the shooter as 27-year-old Shane Devon Tamura of Las Vegas. He drove across the country. They believe he started his journey last week and arrived in New York just hours before the shooting on Monday.
JESSICA TISCH, NEW YORK POLICE COMMISSIONER: According to our law enforcement partners in Las Vegas, Mr. Tamura has a documented mental health history.
PROKUPECZ: Security footage shows Tamura entering the lobby of 345 Park Avenue, opening fire on an NYPD officer, then spraying the lobby with bullets. He killed a security guard and then took the elevator to the 33rd floor, killed another person there, and then shot himself in the chest.
Photos surfaced today showing office workers barricading doors to protect themselves as the chaos unfolded. In his car, investigators found Ziploc bags of ammunition, additional loaded magazines for his rifle, a loaded 357 Magnum pistol, two cell phones, cannabis and antidepressant medication, a three-page suicide note was also found on the suspects body, in which he complained of suffering from CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, something often associated with football players who experience repeated head trauma.
He wrote, quote, "Study my brain, please. I'm sorry." And then expressed anger towards the NFL.
ADAMS: The motive appeared to be connected to the shooters belief that he was suffering from CTE, and he was in ex-NFL player. Those items just don't pan out.
PROKUPECZ: Though the shooter did play competitive football in high school, he never played for the NFL and the NYPD said he had no nexus to the league. The NFL had offices on the fifth floor in the building where the shooting took place, but the gunman seemed to unknowingly bypass the elevator bank that would have taken him to their offices.
But that didn't stop him from taking four lives.
NYPD Officer Didarul Islam was a father of two and expecting his third child with his wife next month.
Wesley LePatner was a senior executive at Blackstone and considered a role model for young women.
Aland Etienne was an unarmed security officer and devoted father of two, according to his family.
And Julia Hyman was a recent Cornell graduate who worked for the owners of the building.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PROKUPECZ: And, Erin, the building behind me, 345 Park Avenue, where all this occurred yesterday, is now boarded up. The front of that building. They came in today. Theres shattered glass. So, they boarded all that up.
Crime scene investigators from the NYPD have been on scene here since yesterday. Over 24 hours later, they're still here. And tonight, the city is preparing for a vigil at Bryant Park in just about 30 minutes.
And as far as the officer, the funeral plans for that officer are underway. Family members and friends have been gathering at a mosque in the Bronx, and we'll have more on that in the coming days.
BURNETT: Shimon, thank you.
OUTFRONT now, Walter Roby. He was the gunman's former high school football coach.
And, Walter, I really appreciate your time.
I mean, I just -- as yesterday unfolds and all of a sudden, you know, whether it -- whether it was -- when you saw the image or you heard the name, I don't know which -- at which point you realized you knew the shooter.
What was your reaction when you first heard that the shooter was identified as Shane?
WALTER ROBY, NYC SHOOTER'S FORMER HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACH: It was total, total shock. My heart just went out to definitely to the families, to the victims. I pray that God just received them.
I actually learned of it from a news organization. I was coming off the football field from practice when my phone was, you know, just blowing up. So then when I answered the phone, it's when I realized what they were speaking about.
And so, I had to really recall, you know, his name for a minute. And then once I recalled, it was just complete shock.
BURNETT: Wow. So you got a phone call from someone wanting to talk to you about him, and you realize.
ROBY: Yeah. BURNETT: So, I know you coached him, you know, his senior year in Los
Angeles at the Granada Hills Charter High School. And we're showing images from him back at that time. What do you remember about him?
ROBY: I just remember that he was a quiet leader, a hard worker, very athletic, gifted. He could run the ball very well. Real shifty, cut on a dime.
Never a problem for me, I was his position coach. I just remember he's a soft spoken, you know, coachable kid. Meaning that if you ask him to do something, he was definitely willing to do it.
BURNETT: So that obviously doesn't fit with anything that just happened, right? So something happened. And I'm wondering, Walter, you know, that note in his pocket claims that he suffered from CTE, you know, the brain degenerative disease which can't actually be definitively diagnosed until after death with an autopsy.
[19:40:08]
So, we'll see if we get an answer to whether that's really the case. But, you know, you talk about him. I know he was a running back. There's pictures of his high school games. You know, we see him being tackled to the ground as is the norm.
So, you know, one time a local newspaper called him -- your team's biggest weapon on offense. But, you know, as you say, you were his position coach. So, given what you saw and how he played, would you be surprised to learn that he had CTE already at such a young age?
ROBY: I -- I really can't speak on that. I'm not medically, you know, I don't have the background to speak in that direction. I just know that the character, who he was and how he played and he played with, you know, a relentless attitude and, you know, go get it. I'll go do it. I can do it. So that's what I remember best.
But as far as from a medical standpoint, I don't have the background to even, you know, even have an idea of that direction or whatever.
BURNETT: So Dalone Teal (ph) is a former teammate of Tamura, as he tells CNN that he knew, quote, for a fact that Tamura did sustain concussions. And he added, he was an undersized guy. He's playing running back. But, you know, he had that dog in him. He wasn't afraid of contact whatsoever.
Now, obviously, Walter, you worked with him his senior year. So, this individual, I believe, was talking about him in earlier, earlier years of his high school playing experience. But do you remember any major, specific injuries or head injuries of any sort?
ROBY: The only injury I remember is an ankle injury that he sustained. I can't recall if it was the left or the right. Other than that, that's the only injury I was aware of and that I can recall, you know, ten years ago. So, the ankle injury is the biggest thing that stood out for me when I've been asked, what injuries do I realize, it was definitely the ankle. Other than that, you know, he came to us, like I said, his senior year, so I only had him for that one semester, if you will.
BURNETT: Yeah.
ROBY: So, anything before that, I really didn't have a history on it.
BURNETT: Right, right. Well, New York Mayor Eric Adams says that the shooter claimed in his note that he was an ex-NFL player. Obviously, he never played for the NFL. And police are saying now that he did have a documented mental health history. Obviously that's not something from what you describe that fits with what he was like ten years ago.
Do you have any recollection of any sort of mental health issues or challenges in the -- in the year you coached him in high school?
ROBY: No, I have set back and, you know, really thought about it when I had time last night and stuff. I don't recall. I only recall, again, the ankle injury. And then like I said, on the field, he was just a -- you know, he was a leader on the field. And that's what I realized, that this guy has something special.
Could he play, you know, at a college level? Absolutely. Did he have the aspirations? I can't recall if he did or not.
BURNETT: Yeah. Walter, thanks so much. I appreciate you sharing what you know. Thank you.
WALTER: Thank you.
BURNETT: OUTFRONT next, Putin defying Trump. Russian forces are now moving further into Ukraine, even as Trump is now demanding a ceasefire in ten days. Original timeframe had been 52 days. About a week or so ago. We're on the ground in Ukraine tonight.
And North Korea's Kim with a blunt warning to Trump over the country's nuclear weapons. But it's not coming from the Kim that you may think it is.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:46:44]
BURNETT: Breaking news, a full-on offensive from Putin, his forces moving quickly to gain ground in Ukraine. The Kremlin says it has taken note of Trump's new ceasefire deadline, which is now ten days from today. Take a note as they are storming Ukraine, new strikes killing nearly 30 civilians, including a woman and an unborn child and a maternity hospital.
Nick Paton Walsh is in Ukraine and says he has noticed a significant shift on the ground. The Ukrainian military leaders, who are once confident they would prevail, are now deeply pessimistic.
And Nick is OUTFRONT in Eastern Ukraine tonight in a story that you will see first here, OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The space left for Ukraine is shrinking from above, too, lined with fishing nets to protect cars from Russian drone attacks.
This is the road to Kostyantynivka, one of three vital towns in the east Russia is slowly encircling.
Extraordinary low-tech bit of invention here to counter the high-tech problem of drones that have redefined warfare in Ukraine.
If you live here, you still need to get home. And as we see on this Russian drone footage, the holes let Moscow's smarter drone operators in. One even lies in wait filming the other drone as it strikes.
The town lined with prey. A drone hit this van at dawn. The driver killed. Even if its explosives didn't go off, little has been spared here. Artillery grinding for months.
Well, something just flew in over our head there. But again when we move around this town, the clearer how more in the pincers it is of Moscow's summer offensive. But still, these bizarre signs of ordinary life trying to persist.
[19:50:03]
Tatiana lives on the edge of town and is now carrying her stuff to safety.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't have anywhere to go. I live on the outskirts and went to feed my dog and it's heavy there. Really heavy. Everyone has left.
WALSH: Oddly bustling though, is the central market where you'll notice locals turn away from our camera.
How is it now? OK?
OK, so people here don't want their faces shown sometimes a sign that they're concerned the town may change hands or want simply not to be shown on television.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As you see. Glory to Ukraine.
WALSH: Calm for now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no calm today. They are shooting, of course.
WALSH: OK. She doesn't want to be filmed, either. The same story, really. And now we've just been told that a drone's been spotted which may have been surveying the area. So we're told we should leave now.
With the drones for every new idea, there's something newer.
Littering the battlefield now, this fiber optic cable, meaning that drones can't be jammed and are instead linked back to their controller through this tiny, tiny cord that can extend for tens of kilometers.
It is underground where they try to control the skies. Ukrainian commander Vasyl sees many Russians closing in and no new Ukrainians coming to help. This airstrike, as Ukrainian drone team targeted.
VASYL, 93RD SEPARATE MECHANIZED BRIDAGE: We have a critical shortage of personnel.
We hardly get any new recruits, the workload on the troops is very heavy. Ukraine has a lot of people but no one wants to fight.
WALSH: On the screens, a lone Russian is hit by a drone's grenade but survives and shoots at the next one, throwing his helmet as it flies in. He again survives but another comes and misses him by inches.
He takes off his armor and waves a shovel. Isolated, relentless agonies for both sides.
VASYL: We are tired. Everyone is tired of this war. And I believe that other countries are also tired of helping us. This war must end. That would be the best option.
WALSH: Moscow wants that, too. Just its ending is yet uglier still.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH: Erin, President Trump shortened deadline certainly heightens the urgency in which diplomacy could take place. But let's face it, given that Russia is clearly winning and winning in ways that could end up giving it a strategic change in its control on the front lines, do you see the Kremlin necessarily, urgently looking for a peace deal? Very few here people think that's going to be the case. And in three key areas, Russia is persistently advancing.
I have to tell you, I've not heard pessimism like what we've heard over the past few days of being here since the start of this war -- Erin.
BURNETT: Nick, thank you very much in eastern Ukraine, such important reporting.
And next, Kim Jong-un's sister telling Trump he must accept North Korea as a nuclear power and opening up about her brother's relationship with the president. This is incredible. You'll see Will Ripley's report next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:57:32]
BURNETT: Tonight, North Korea's Kim talking about President Trump. And it isn't the Kim you may be thinking. It's Kim Jong-un's powerful sister addressing her brother's relationship with President Trump for the first time in years, also making it clear that North Korea will not even discuss abandoning it's nuclear arsenal. Will Ripley is OUTFRONT with this special report. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: North Korea breaking its silence on Donald Trump. The messenger, not Kim Jong-un, but his powerful younger sister, Kim Yo Jong on the far right, believed to be in her late 30s.
This week in North Korean state media, she said her brother's relationship with President Trump is not bad, signaling talks with the U.S. could happen again, but only if the U.S. drops its demand for denuclearization and accepts North Korea as a nuclear power.
Kim's sister, also called South Korea the enemy, slamming their new president, Lee Jae-myung, rejecting any chance for dialogue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She exuded confidence. She exuded arrogance even.
RIPLEY: She's a major architect of her older brother's carefully choreographed image, like this recent meeting with Russia's foreign minister on one of Kim's yachts. She was also by his side when Kim met President Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His sister, who is always around him, kind of acts as his chief of staff.
RIPLEY: And Kim's enforcer. When South Korean activists sent anti-Kim leaflets north by balloon last year, she publicly defended flying trash filled balloons south, triggering cell phone alerts for millions. She also ordered the dramatic demolition of this border office, shared with the South.
Kim Yo Jong has been rising in power for years, promoted to the politburo, the senior body of North Korea's communist party. She represented her brother at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
Kim's sister is most known for her fiery rhetoric and fierce loyalty to her brother, one of the only people North Korea's most powerful person can trust.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY (on camera): So, this is interesting. This statement about Trump was only published on North Korea's international newswire, not on their state newspaper, that regular people actually read, which may be a sign that this is definitely to signal to foreign leaders much more than her own people.
And as for President Trump, he is going to be in this region heading to South Korea in October for APEC. He'll meet with China's President Xi. He'll meet with South Korea's new president.
So, when he's in the region, could they try to set something up where there's a fourth Trump-Kim summit later this year? We'll have to watch.
BURNETT: Yeah. We'll have to watch. It's incredible. All right. Will Ripley, thank you so much.
And thanks to all of you.
"AC360" starts now.
