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Erin Burnett Outfront

"Real Anger": Gunman Went On Anti-Mormon Tirade, Says Local Candidate; Washington Post: Military Leaders Raising Concerns About Hegseth's Strategy; NYC Mayoral Candidate Mamdani Responds To New Trump Threat; Trump: U.S. "Obliterated" Iran's Nuclear Enrichment Capacity. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired September 29, 2025 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:22]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

Breaking news, a mystery motive in the deadly Michigan church attack. Tonight, we're learning more about the suspect and his politics. As OUTFRONT speaks to an eyewitness on the scene.

And, the man favored to be the mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, is here on the latest twist in the race, Trump calling him a communist, and whether Obama will endorse him.

Plus, the Iranian foreign minister is my guest live. Why are Israelis getting recruiting calls from Iran's intelligence agency?

Let's go OUTFRONT.

BURNETT: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.

OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news -- hunt for a motive. Police tonight chasing down leads in the deadly attack at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints building in Michigan. Investigators trying to understand what led a man to a building full of worshipers, hundreds of people, in fact, were inside the church at the time of the horrific attack, and officials are now saying that there were also IEDs, improvised explosive devices, found at the scene of the attack.

What we know right now, in a sense, a miracle, horrific outcome. People died, but with hundreds inside. And you look at those flames, it is incredible in one sense, four people are dead, eight others injured. Horrible, every one of those. But miraculous that there were not many more. The shooter was killed in a shootout with police.

And one man running for a local city council seat actually says he interacted with the gunman about a week before the attack, which is really crucial because he's able to talk about a conversation so recently. He says that in that conversation, the gunman expressed hate for the church.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRIS JOHNS, CANDIDATE FOR BURTON, MICHIGAN CITY COUNCIL: He did make the statement that Mormons are the antichrist, which is a shocking statement. And again, this is somebody you're just meeting for the first time. There was anger. I mean, it was a longstanding anger that I just -- I'm speculating. But what he did took planning. It also took real motivation and real anger to ultimately do what he did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Well, tonight we are learning more about the gunman, 40 years old. He was an Iraq War veteran, and he used an assault rifle during the attack. A social media photo from 2019 shows the gunman wearing a Trump shirt and a video outside the gunman's home shows a Trump-Vance campaign sign on his fence.

Now, so far, we haven't heard from the president or anyone in the administration about this shooting.

OUTFRONT spoke with eyewitness Tony Deck, who lives right near the church. He told us what he saw when he arrived on the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY DECK, EYEWITNESS TO CHURCH FIRE: I've been around large fires, but nothing quite like this. You can see the -- and feel the heat from that fire. And I was probably 50 feet away, and I could feel the heat coming off of it. Yeah. And the roof was -- and it was a pretty tall church to start with. It took the roof out fairly quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Michael Yoshida is on the ground for us tonight in Grand Blanc, Michigan.

And, Michael, what is the latest that you're learning?

MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erin, tonight, the road leading up to the church remains closed. As a law enforcement source tells CNN that the search for victims in the rubble. That's over with no additional remains found today. That job complete, but the work is far from over for investigators, as they still are trying to figure out what led that gunman to open fire on hundreds attending a Sunday morning service.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHIEF WILLIAM RENYE, GRAND BLANC POLICE: Evil -- this was an evil act of violence. That's exactly what this was.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): Tonight, the investigation into the deadly attack that killed four people and left eight others injured at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, continues, with police now saying everyone has been accounted for.

REUBEN COLEMAN, ACTING SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, FBI DETROIT DIVISION: The FBI is investigating this as an act of targeted violence, and we are continuing to work to determine a motive. YOSHIDA (voice-over): Authorities confirmed for the first time that

improvised explosive devices were found at the scene by a bomb squad after discovering a suspicious item found on church property.

COLEMAN: In the past 24 hours, our investigative squads and specialty teams have been out all-night exhausting leads, some of which have been coming in from the public via tips.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): The attack started just after 10:00 Sunday morning. Investigators say the gunman rammed his pickup truck into the front door of the church, in Grand Blanc Township then began shooting at worshipers with an assault rifle before setting the building on fire.

Police say the 40-year-old gunman, Thomas Jacob Sanford, an Iraq war veteran, died in a shootout with police eight minutes after the first emergency call.

[19:05:00]

A Marine Corps spokesperson tells CNN Sanford served as a sergeant and was awarded several medals for his service from 2004 to 2008. Social media accounts linked to his family show he was married with at least one child, a young son, and investigators say he had been arrested for burglary and OWI, or operating a vehicle while intoxicated in the past.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just doesn't make sense. You know, if you're a good human being, you don't pick on churches and schools, and it's just disturbing to tie all that together.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): While the motive remains under investigation, the White House says the attack appeared to be motivated by religious hatred.

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Based on my conversations with the FBI director, all they know right now is this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): A city council candidate, Kris Johns, says he spoke to Sanford just days before the attack while campaigning in his neighborhood.

JOHNS: He asked me about, what do you think about guns? And I said, I support the Second amendment. And that was really where the end of that was.

And after that, it really took a very sharp turn into he goes -- the next question was, what do you know about Mormons? It's extremely odd question.

I mean, I've hit probably close to 7,000 doors so far. And we -- there's people out there who have very sharp views right or left. Those are expected. But religion has really been a topic that's not been addressed on the doors, and especially a very pointed question like that. (END VIDEOTAPE)

YOSHIDA (on camera): And today, we learned it wasn't just those inside the church walls and in this neighborhood that were impacted by this shooting and fire. Medical residents at a nearby hospital, they had to treat family and friends who arrived injured, needing care. Just another example of the trauma inflicted upon this small, close knit township, a community now looking to heal. And like so many across the country, waiting for an answer as for why this violence happened here -- Erin.

BURNETT: Michael, thank you very much, on the ground in Michigan.

And I want to go now to the Michigan Democratic attorney general, Dana Nessel.

And I appreciate your time so much. Attorney General.

Have you learned anything new about the shooter's motive at this time?

DANA NESSEL (D), MICHIGAN ATTORNEY GENERAL: Well, like the gentleman that you've interviewed, and as is indicated by the White House, you know, it appears as though this suspect had extreme ideology against the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints. So, it seems as though there's a great deal of animus against the LDS community.

BURNETT: So, you know, I want to play again, a clip of what that man running for city council said that the shooter told him just days before the attack. Let me just play that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: He did make the statement that Mormons are the antichrist, which is a shocking statement. And again, your -- this is somebody you're just meeting for the first time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Do you know more about why or what caused such deep animus?

NESSEL: Well, you know, there's been some speculation involved from those who are investigating the case. Just to be just to be clear, the FBI, the ATF are the lead agencies on the case and not my department. So, I think we're going to be finding out a lot more as time continues.

But I will say this, first of all, you know, we have a small but mighty community of LDS members here.

BURNETT: Yeah.

NESSEL: People might remember that George Romney is a former governor here. He's actually the architect of the Michigan modern constitution, and he was a leader in the civil rights movement.

And so, you know, we have a proud history of embracing the LDS community and our heart certainly grieves for them. But we've done a lot in our state to try to combat this sort of extremism. You know, we have passed a new hate crimes law, a new institutional desecration law. And we also have extreme risk protection orders, which are red flag laws.

And I wish that that gentleman had thought to perhaps contact law enforcement and just voice -- express perhaps some concerns that he had, maybe this situation could have been prevented.

BURNETT: We do know of a couple of things here in terms of politics, unfortunately, in this world we live in. You know, there was a photo posted on social media of the shooter in 2019 and that he's wearing a Trump shirt. We do have video outside his home that shows a Trump- Vance campaign sign on his fence.

Now you know, those things can be true and have nothing to do with this, obviously. But do you have any knowledge as to whether politics played any role in the shooting, in who he targeted?

NESSEL: Yeah, I mean, I can't speak to that at this time, except for, of course, what the investigation is starting to reveal. But I think it's clear that, you know, this has all the hallmarks of a hate crime. And I think that as the investigation continues, we'll find out more. But what concerns me greatly is this, you know, we need to make sure that we are working in partnership with, of course, our federal counterparts as well as our state and locals to be able to combat this type of domestic terrorism.

[19:10:11]

And I'm frankly worried that the federal government is diverting some of their attention away from that as they veer towards prosecuting more and more immigration cases, many of which, of course, are not as high level as what we're seeing in terms of a threat to the public. But clearly were seeing more cases of domestic terrorism, and were trying our best to combat that as a state.

BURNETT: Attorney General, I appreciate your time, and thank you very much for taking the time to talk to me.

I want to go straight to Mary Ellen O'Toole, former FBI profiler now.

And, Mary Ellen, you know, when you hear the attorney general speaking here, obviously, there's a lot that we do not know. But, you know, she's talking about that. She wishes that the gentleman who did that interview might have had the foresight to raise a red flag because of some of the extremist laws that do exist. Red flag laws in the state of Michigan.

What do you think?

MARY ELLEN O'TOOLE, FORMER SENIOR FBI PROFILER: Well, I think that certainly would have been a way to prevent this. However, that really does require that the individual that sees something or witnesses something assumes the worst outcome. Or if it's a person themselves, they have to kind of make this self-assessment. Hey, there's something wrong with me. I better do something with my firearms and get them out of the house.

So that -- that jump to saying something like this can happen, or there's something terribly wrong with me is oftentimes a hurdle that's way too far for people to take.

BURNETT: Right? Well, I mean, even where the laws exist, every one of these cases is a place, right, where somebody didn't do that or, you know, didn't repeatedly do it.

The shooter did seem to have planned this out, as the gentleman indicated, right? I mean, he rammed his truck into the church. He started shooting. He set fire to the building. He planted IED devices, right? There were many layers to this.

What does this level of planning signal to you?

O'TOOLE: Well, the planning is always significant. And in this case, I think it was very significant. The planning did not occur just the day before the incident. The planning preexisted probably by weeks, if not months. And that planning also probably included, travel to the -- to that church to figure out where do I drive my truck? How do I enter the church? What do I do? How many people will be there at the specific time where its maximum lethality?

And the thing that is very striking to me is when I see this kind of planning and this effort to injure and kill so many people, this is what I call a mission-oriented offender. It's almost as though they're on a military mission to kill and hurt as many people as possible, and they're willing to lose their own life over it to accomplish maximum lethality.

It's a term I've used for many years, but it does seem to describe that offender who is motivated and intends to carry out the worst crime that's possible no matter what the risks are to other people or to themselves.

BURNETT: All right. Marianne, thank you very much. I appreciate your time.

And next breaking tonight, "The Washington Post" reporting top military leaders, including the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, are raising serious concerns about Hegseth's strategy at the Pentagon. His top military leaders around the world are flying right now to that mandatory Pentagon meeting tomorrow.

Plus, the man favored to win the New York mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani, Trump calls him a communist. Excuse me. Hear his response.

Plus, also --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have ended seven unendable wars.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BURNETT: We'll ask the foreign minister of Iran whether he gives Trump credit for ending Iran's war with Israel. He'll be here, live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:18:28]

BURNETT: Breaking news, "The Washington Post" right now reporting that military leaders, including the new Joint Chiefs chairman, are raising serious questions about Pete Hegseth's Pentagon strategy. This is hundreds of the nation's top military leaders are on their way right now physically, in person, leaving their important posts around the world to a mandatory Pentagon in-person meeting called by the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth. And what is, of course, going to be called the Department of War.

Very little is known about the meeting. Even the military brass invited apparently do not know what exactly is on the agenda, even though, of course, they're landing in hours.

One White House official telling CNN, quote, it's meant to be a show of force of what the new military now looks like under the president.

Now, a defense official told CNN that it has been made very clear to the generals and flag officers summoned by Hegseth that if they can't attend, they need to provide an extremely good reason for their absence. And now, we're learning that the president will also attend tomorrow's meeting.

All right. OUTFRONT now with new details, Tara Copp of "The Washington Post", who first broke the news of the mystery meeting. Also with us, OUTFRONT legal analyst Ryan Goodman.

So great to have you both with us.

Tara, you have new reporting out of the Pentagon and all of this just breaking now here. What are you learning?

TARA COPP, WASHINGTON POST PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Erin. Yes. On the eve of this unprecedented gathering of generals, my colleagues and I have new reporting that many of the officers who will be in attendance tomorrow have serious concerns with the upcoming National Defense Strategy that the Hegseth team is currently drafting and has sent out to the combatant commands and sent out to military leaders throughout to get feedback on.

[19:20:05]

A lot of that feedback has been that it is too extreme of a change, too extreme of a departure, not only in the tone we've been hearing from multiple officials that the tone of kind of the introduction is far more partisan than in years past, and also the strategy which will significantly pull back from allies around the globe, from Indo- Pacific, from Europe, Africa, in order to really focus on homeland defense. BURNETT: I mean, it's pretty incredible to think that that this would

be happening and that there would be so many who clearly feel this way.

I know you're reporting that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Dan Caine -- Trump just named him earlier this year -- that he is actually raising concerns. What do you know about that?

COPP: A few weeks ago, he provided his concerns and feedback to both Hegseth and to the top Pentagon policy officer, Elbridge Colby.

The concerns that we have heard and that multiple officials have told us about are that it is too much of a departure from the past and to try and recenter the strategy on what has guided the military over at least the last decade. This is the primary strategy planning document for the military. It shapes whether aircraft carriers get a priority in funding or whether, you know, our force posture in Europe is changed or significantly reduced.

And there seems to be a sentiment in the building that this is to pull back in order to fund Golden Dome and to really reposture the forces around the U.S. and the Western hemisphere.

BURNETT: Golden Dome missile defense. I mean, Ryan, you were counsel in the Pentagon. So, you know, you -- looking at this, all of this -- and this meeting tomorrow, right? In the context of Tara's reporting that they're all showing up in just hours here. Mandatory meeting come from around the world. No video.

Better have a good reason for your -- the very clear message behind that, if you can't attend. You're saying that some of these military officers may need advice from lawyers before they walk into that room. Why so?

RYAN GOODMAN, FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL AT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE: That's right. So, it's an extraordinary meeting in which they're not even told what they're going to be discussing. And the national security risk of bringing all these people in to the United States means that something very significant might be about to occur. So, they need to seek legal advice because they could become under pressure from Secretary Hegseth or the president himself.

They have an oath. Their oath is very specific because of their status, which is that they swear an oath to the Constitution. If they're asked to do something that is in violation of that oath or swear, some kind of allegiance or agreement with something that's more of a policy that they'd be having hesitation over because of legal concerns, like use of the military and U.S. domestic streets and cities. They should seek legal advice because to be -- to speak out against the secretary of defense or the president can come with serious costs. The legal advice would not necessarily be provided by military lawyers. They may even need their own lawyers.

BURNETT: And I will just say, Tara, you know, it's what's so fascinating in all of this is all of your reporting -- you know, under the rules that the Pentagon wants to put out wouldn't even be allowed because you're not allowed to publish anything that they don't approve in advance.

I mean, it is just pretty stunning, I think, to put that context out of how crucial it is to see reporting like yours. And that there is a real direct push from the Pentagon to prevent that.

What more are you learning about the meeting itself, Tara?

COPP: Initially, the chairman, Caine, was supposed to be the one introducing Hegseth, who was going to be speaking to the troops. And when the president decided to join, that has significantly changed how this meeting will go. Obviously, it will be the president first, and the president's remarks and then the secretary's speech. They had a rehearsal earlier today at Quantico, a run through, if you will, that Hegseth attended.

And at this point, it seems like the focus will be on the president. He is the commander in chief of those forces, whereas before this was going to be an event that really showcased the defense secretary.

BURNETT: Right. And so, Ryan, what does that say to you that now it's an event that has shifted to showcase the president in the context of what you just said?

GOODMAN: I think it's a hugely important moment. And what the president says to them has high stakes. And, for example, they can't say anything that's contemptuous of the president. And even if they were to say in the moment I stepped down or I will not go along with this, and here's why.

BURNETT: Yeah.

GOODMAN: Even as a retired officer, that could be a concern for them. So, I think that the stakes are enormously high if that's the direction it goes. If it just ends up being a pep talk or about new strategy, that's a different matter. But it seems unusual to bring everybody there just for that.

BURNETT: Right. They would usually -- they have highly secure video communications to do things like that.

GOODMAN: Yeah.

BURNETT: All right. Ryan, Tara, thank you both very much. I appreciate it.

And, Tara, thanks so much for sharing your amazing reporting.

And next, Zohran Mamdani, the man favored to be New York City's next mayor on Trump's threats to take funding away from America's biggest city and the fact that the president won't stop calling him a communist.

[19:25:00]

Plus, is Iran's successfully recruiting Israeli spies? Hundreds of Israelis say they've received calls from Iranian intelligence. What's going on? Well, the foreign minister of Iran will be here live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Tonight, Trump threatening to withhold federal funding from New York city if Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani wins in November, posting after the current mayor, Eric Adams, abruptly dropped out of the race, that Mamdani is going to, quote, have problems with Washington like no mayor in the history of our once great city.

[19:30:10]

Remember, he needs the money from me as president in order to fulfill all of his fake communist promises.

OUTFRONT now, New York state assemblyman and Democratic nominee for New York mayor, Zohran Mamdani.

And I so much appreciate your time, Assemblyman.

And President Trump has just spoken out on Eric Adams getting out of the New York mayor race. And he told "Reuters", called him on the phone and said, I think that gives Andrew Cuomo a much better chance. I do welcome it.

How wide is your lead as you see it over Cuomo now that Adams is out?

ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE: I think the race is fundamentally the same as it was in that New Yorkers are not as concerned as to who is on the ballot, but rather what's on the ballot. And they're tired of this record that they've seen over the last four years, where Eric Adams has raised their rent, where he has slowed down their already extremely slow buses, where he has overlooked the very neighborhoods he promised to protect.

And they know that Eric Adams's record is Andrew Cuomo's agenda, and they want to turn the page on that. And that's what our campaign actually presents.

BURNETT: So, Eric Adams, we know, met privately with Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff earlier this month, is our understanding and that one of the topics was possible opportunities in the Trump administration, one of which possibly could be ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Why do you think Adams dropped out now? We are essentially one month from election day.

MAMDANI: I have to be honest with you. I think it's a fool's errand to try and understand what Eric Adams does and why he does it. What I think is clear, though, is whether were speaking about Adams or we're speaking about Cuomo, we're speaking about supposed leaders who are willing to put their own personal ambition before the needs of the people they're supposed to serve.

New Yorkers are right now under attack from an authoritarian administration in Washington. Donald Trump has ushered through legislation that will throw them off their health care, take SNAP benefits away from them, all in service of the largest wealth transfer this country has seen.

And instead of fighting back against that vision, instead of fighting for New Yorkers, these politicians are looking to get on the phone with Donald Trump to see what it is that they could broker together.

BURNETT: Do you think that there is some sort of a deal between Trump and Adams?

MAMDANI: I can't speak to that. All I can tell you, though, is that, you know, Donald Trump. Trump is clearing the way for Andrew Cuomo because Donald Trump knows that Andrew Cuomo will clear the way for Trump's agenda. And New Yorkers are tired of that agenda. They want someone who's actually beholden to the people of this city, not to the White House.

BURNETT: So, Trump's trying to say there's -- there's money behind this. He's threaten you on social media, he said. And I'm going to just read it because he just posted it today. He's going to have problems talking about you with Washington. Like no mayor in the history of our once great city. Remember, he needs the money from me as president in order to fulfill all of his fake communist promises -- promises. He won't be getting any of it. So, what's the point of voting for him?

So, the number this year from the federal government is $7.4 billion to New York City. Are you okay if New York city loses that?

MAMDANI: No. We will fight for every single dollar that the city currently receives from the federal government. And I look for examples across this country that showcase the best way to respond to Donald Trump's strengths is not collaboration. His threats, rather, it's responding with strength.

And what we see in California is an attorney general of the state has estimated that for every dollar they spent on lawsuits against the federal governments threats to withhold funding, they won more than $30,000 in what would otherwise have been lost. And so, we will take that same approach.

BURNETT: You visited a synagogue last week over the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, to bridge a divide with the Jewish community that you have had. And in that synagogue is "The New York Times" notes, they were among the very first to call for a ceasefire right after the October 7th attacks. The rabbi and the service actually called Israels war in Gaza genocide, which is something, of course, you have done as well.

Many voters, though, who care deeply about this issue, who are Jewish, vehemently disagree. They see all this as deeply antisemitic. They see you that way.

And Congressman Jerry Nadler, who supports you and is Jewish, says bluntly, obviously, he ought to be trying to reassure the Jewish community. The community is very divided, basically, on age lines. Do you feel the need at this point to reassure the Jewish community in any more or different way than you have?

MAMDANI: You know, I feel the need to earn the support of each and every New Yorker, and that includes Jewish New Yorkers who may have concerns about our campaign or our agenda, and to reassure them as to the focus of this campaign is to deliver for every New Yorker. And what I find, especially now in the high holy days, this is a time when Jewish New Yorkers, especially with Yom Kippur, will reflect, will atone, will do the hard work of looking inward. And I think that our politics, our city could do much, could do very well, frankly, to emulate those lessons and actually to be able to reflect upon what has worked and not worked in this city.

And I was really privileged to be at that Rosh Hashanah service. I had an older Jewish woman come up to me and give me a sticker that said, reject the smear campaign, join the smear campaign.

[19:35:03]

It was a sticker of a bagel and why she was supporting our campaign. And I'm looking forward to attending a number of services for Yom Kippur with Congressman Nadler as we continue to bring this message to each and every Jewish New Yorker across the five boroughs.

BURNETT: So Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting the White House as we are talking today, he addressed the U.N. general assembly here just a few days ago in New York.

Now, the international criminal court has a warrant out for his arrest. They say that he -- they accuse him of crimes against humanity. You have called, as I mentioned, Netanyahu's actions in Gaza genocide. It's going to become not just a rhetorical, but a question rooted in reality.

If you are mayor, as mayor of New York, you will oversee the next U.N. General Assembly, right, if you're mayor. Will you abide by the International Criminal Court? Will you have Prime Minister Netanyahu arrested if he's here?

MAMDANI: Look, I've said time and time again that this is a city that believes in international law. This is a city whose values are ones that deserve to actually be reflected in our commitments. And I think that our city should uphold the warrants the International Criminal Court issues, whether it be for Benjamin Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin.

And also, I am not Donald Trump. I will follow the laws as they are, as opposed to bend them to my own will. So, we will pursue every legal avenue to ensure that that accountability is present. And the reason for that is that the context we are speaking about, you know, this is a man who has orchestrated a genocide that has killed one Palestinian child every hour for close to two years. This is someone whose conduct I hear about from New Yorkers across the five boroughs. And they come to me with a horror at what they have witnessed.

And for some New Yorkers, a horror as to what they have lost. There was a Palestinian New Yorker who spoke to me about losing 85 members of her family, who were all killed by the Israeli military in Gaza. It's unconscionable.

And a mayor's responsibilities to the people of this city, but it's also an opportunity to show your values as a leader of this city.

BURNETT: So "The New York Times" reported that Trump spoke with Cuomo on the phone actually, last month -- and about the mayoral race.

Now, Cuomo denied this conversation took place. But this is "The New York Times" reporting. And as I pointed out a few moments ago, Trump has been very clear on who he backs. But it actually goes further than that, right? He has attacked you personally and publicly like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's not a socialist. He's a communist. Okay? This is not a socialist. This is a communist.

I don't like to see a communist become mayor. I will tell you that.

I call him my little communist. He's my little communist mayor.

We should never be in a position where we're talking about a communist.

We're going to end up with a communist mayor. It's not even believable. My beautiful New York. I think if a communist takes over New York City, I think that's -- that's a gift to the Republican Party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Last time you were on this program, you were unequivocal in saying you do not like capitalism, but Trump, just in those remarks there, I counted, called you a communist eight times. Are you?

MAMDANI: No, I'm a Democratic socialist. I've said that time and again, and I think it reflects the fact that whereas those critiques, whereas that identity would have been enough for Donald Trump in the past, now he doesn't even want to use that because he knows that the message of my politics is one that is connecting with New Yorkers across the five boroughs. It's a message of dignity in each and every person's life.

And what we're seeing in these clips, and what we're seeing in what Donald Trump says, is he's going through the many stages of grief. First, it's denial that this could ever take place. Now its acceptance. And still, through it all, he is looking to use every tool at his disposal to help Andrew Cuomo become the next mayor of the city.

BURNETT: So, the word Democratic socialist, and I put it in the context of the conversation you and I had when you said you had real issues with capitalism, that context is important.

Our Isaac Devere is reporting about your recent call with President Obama, and he reports, Obama reminded the Democratic nominee for New York mayor how many would be watching to see if a Democratic socialist could pull off running the nation's largest city, and how many critics would be waiting to pounce if it went wrong.

What do you think about that? And do you expect that he will endorse you and will stand with you before election day?

MAMDANI: I can't make any predictions as to endorsements. I can say, however, that I've been proud to receive the endorsements I've received thus far from Governor Hochul, from Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins of the state senate, who will be key in enacting our agenda and working together in Albany.

And what I found is that this vision of a Democratic -- of Democratic socialism, its one that often comes back to what Martin Luther King said decades ago, a vision of, call it democracy or call it Democratic socialism. There must be a better distribution of wealth for all of God's children in this country.

Here in New York city, wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, one in four are in poverty, 500,000 kids go to sleep hungry every night. It's untenable to live with this kind of a divide. We have to actually have a politics that puts working people first.

And I think to this question of being under the microscope, you know, to be the mayor of New York City is a responsibility that you must fulfill.

[19:40:03]

It's also an opportunity to actually serve New Yorkers who are being pushed out of the city, and to show an example of what life could be like.

BURNETT: Do you feel when you have a conversation with Barack Obama or other leaders of the Democratic Party, Chuck Schumer, other others, and Hochul has endorsed you? I understand Nadler's endorsed you.

But on that line, also, business leaders in the city who consider themselves to be big Democratic donors. Do you feel that they are taking you at this point seriously? Like you could win and that they are listening to you? Or do you feel that they are not taking you seriously, and that they are dismissing you as a communist?

MAMDANI: I would say that they're taking me seriously, and the most accurate measure of that is the time that is being spent. The choice to actually have those meetings, to have those conversations. It's reflective of a fact that this is a campaign that is ever expanding in its coalition.

You know, the reason I sit before you is the Democratic nominee. It's not because of any endorsements. It's because of the fact that people across the city work to make this moment possible. We had 52,000 volunteers in the primary. Today, we have more than 70,000. They're knocking on doors every single day with a message of affordability. And I've been proud to have meetings with those who will join our coalition to actually enact that agenda.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Assemblyman. Appreciate your time.

MAMDANI: Thank you so much for having me.

BURNETT: And next, Trump's claiming again today that the U.S. destroyed Iran's nukes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And we obliterated Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Iran's foreign minister joins me live next.

And Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Saudi Arabia's crown prince teaming up again, this time in a stunning $55 billion takeover of the massive video game company behind the Sims and Madden.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:46:25]

BURNETT: Breaking news, President Trump unveiling a 20-point peace -- Gaza peace plan and claiming that the nearly two-year war is close to over, and saying something much bigger could follow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: At least we're at a minimum, very, very close, and I think we're beyond very close. It's just a part of the bigger picture, which is peace in the Middle East, and let's call it eternal peace in the Middle East.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: The peace plan requires Hamas to release all Israeli hostages, living and dead, within 72 hours, and would establish a temporary governing body to run Gaza, called the board of peace, led by President Donald J. Trump.

OUTFRONT. Now, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

And, Foreign Minister, very much appreciate your taking the time tonight.

I know you've been in New York for the U.N. General Assembly. So, President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu have agreed to a 20-point peace plan in Gaza. Hamas has not yet agreed to this deal.

Have you seen it? And do you think Hamas should accept it?

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, thank you, Erin, I'm so glad to be with you tonight. Well, Iran has always advocated for an end to the genocide in Gaza.

And I think it's the responsibility of all states to help, you know, to end these crimes in Gaza. Well, there has been more than perhaps 100 different plans in the past eight years regarding this conflict in the Middle -- in the Middle East.

I think the only plan can sustain which recognize and respect the rights of Palestinians for self-determination. And I -- we are just waiting and watching if that is going to happen.

BURNETT: Have you seen this peace plan or been able to advise Hamas on it at this point?

ARAGHCHI: Well, we just saw it this afternoon and we are waiting to see what would be the reaction of Hamas and Palestinians regarding this plan.

BURNETT: Trump also talked at length about Iran and its nuclear program today, Foreign Minister, I'm sure you're aware, including a specific mention of the American bombing of the Iranian nuclear facilities this summer. And I wanted to play that for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And we obliterated Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity, making it impossible for them to have a nuclear weapon, which they would have had probably in about two months from then.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Is this true, Foreign Minister?

ARAGHCHI: Well, actually, we never wanted nuclear weapon, and we proved that when we, you know, signed the deal in 2015 with the so- called P-5-plus-1 countries U.S. included, we concluded that deal in 2015, in good faith, and we implemented that deal. And when the U.S. withdrew, there were no justification for that since there were reports after the -- after reports by the agency confirming Iran's full compliance to that deal.

And I think we have proved that that we -- we don't want nuclear weapon.

In 2025, in May and June, again, we approached by Trump administration for nuclear talks, and we accepted and we had five rounds of negotiations, and we had already set the six rounds for 15th June, when two days before that, Israelis attacked us and the U.S. joined.

[19:50:11]

So two times, we had a very bad experience with, with the United States. Once we made a deal, they withdrew. And then this year, we negotiated and they attacked us again. In the current -- in the -- in the past week, I came to New York with very fair, balanced, constructive proposals to make a deal, in order to you know, find a diplomatic solution for this problem. But that was also rejected by U.S. and Italy. And they went for a snapback and, you know, have made this problem even more complicated.

BURNETT: And I understand --

ARAGHCHI: And the U.S. attacked --

BURNETT: Yeah. Sorry. Go ahead.

ARAGHCHI: May I explain? Yeah.

The U.S. attacked our facilities. Yes. Our nuclear facilities, our enrichment facilities have been destroyed and badly damaged. Seriously damaged. But the question is that military operation was not able to resolve this problem, you know, because the technology is there, we have not imported our nuclear technology from outside. We have achieved it by ourselves.

So, the technology is there. And a final resolution of this question, if there is any concern about our nuclear program, there should be a diplomatic solution. And we have been always prepared for a diplomatic solution. They tried military option. It didn't resolve the question.

Now, they tried the snapback again. It will not resolve this question. Only make it more complicated and more difficult to be resolved diplomatically.

BURNETT: And I understand the snapback just for anyone watching refers to a return of some of the punishing sanctions that had been Iran -- on Iran prior to the original nuclear deal. One thing I have never fully understood, Mr. Foreign Minister, is that if Iran wants the world to believe you on the nuclear weapons question, then a simple way to do that would be not to enrich uranium at a level any more than that required for nuclear power, which of course, Iran has refused to do.

Is that something you would commit to as part of this?

ARAGHCHI: Well, first of all, you mentioned a snapback in the Security Council. It's very unfortunate that Israel is doing genocide in in Gaza and killing 65,000 people. And, and the Security Council punish Iran.

It is a bitter irony. That the Security Council does not even condemn those attacks, those killings and genocide. But when it comes to question of Iran, it, you know, add more sanctions and punish Iran.

On the question of enrichment, well, I refer you to 2015 JCPOA or joint comprehensive plan of action. At that time, we agreed to reduce the level of enrichment in Iran to only 3.67 and some 20 percent enrichment, because we have a research reactor in Tehran, it is called Tehran Research Reactor, TRR, which is, you know, built by Americans before the revolution.

BURNETT: Yes.

ARAGHCHI: And it used to have 90 percent enriched uranium for as its fuel. We configurated it after the revolution and reduced it to 20 percent. That's reactor produces radioisotopes. And medicines needed for more than a million Iranians.

So, we are in need of enrichment. We need 20 percent enrichment for that reactor. And we need to enrich uranium because it is also our right. You have never gone, you know, we have never violated NPT. We have never violated international law in that regard. We only want to exercise our right.

BURNETT: Foreign Minister Araghchi, thank you very much. I appreciate your time tonight, sir.

ARAGHCHI: Thank you.

BURNETT: And next, Trump's granddaughter sells her new clothing line posing for photos from the White House lawn. Just how much is Trump's family profiting from the presidency? We're keeping a running tab.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:58:34]

BURNETT: Trump's son in law teams up with the Saudis again. Kushner's investment firm helping to fund a $55 billion deal to take the massive video game maker Electronic Arts private, along with the Saudi Arabian public investment fund. EA is behind games like Madden NFL and the Sims, and it is the largest buyout on record. It's a big deal.

Well, Kushner built deep connections in the Middle East when he served in his father in law's first term in the White House, reaped him a lot of money, right? A big fund, and Kushner continues to advise Trump's administration on the Middle East as his firm rakes in billions of dollars even now from the region.

And this comes as now Trump's granddaughter is facing questions about profiting off the presidency. Kai Trump posting a series of photos and videos taken at the White House to promote $130 sweatshirts that she is selling on her website with her initials, KT. The 18-year-old is more than 5 million followers across TikTok and Instagram, posting a video today on the White House lawn with a link to buy her merch. She was also seen wearing the sweatshirt as she appeared with Trump at the Ryder Cup this weekend on camera.

A White Official tells CNN there is no prohibition against taking pictures on White House grounds, nor is there a government endorsement of her product. So, there is no issue here.

But Dan Alexander at "Forbes" -- our viewers, of course, you know him well -- reports that Trump's family, all combined is now worth an estimated $10 billion, nearly doubling their net worth since the election. Think about that. Nearly doubling since the election.

And before we go, don't miss Jim Cramer of "Mad Money". He is going to be right here tomorrow night. Cramer and I, of course, go back many, many, many years, dear friends. And tomorrow together again talking shutdown, trade war and why -- well, why he was screaming in that video. Don't miss it. That's all coming up tomorrow.

Thanks for joining us.

Anderson starts now.