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Erin Burnett Outfront
Soon: Senate Votes To End Longest Shutdown In U.S. History; Judge Quits Over Trump; Baseball Betting Scandal. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired November 10, 2025 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:27]
ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
The breaking news, the Senate about to vote to end the shutdown as the House gets ready to race back to Washington to vote. So, is there really an end in sight? I'll speak with one top Democrat who says his party just surrendered.
Plus, a federal judge with 40 years on the bench calling it quits over President Trump, saying he is a threat to democracy. Judge Mark Wolf is my guest.
And the breaking news, it is being called the worst Major League Baseball scandal since Pete Rose. There is new fallout this hour. Bob Costas is here with the latest.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
(MUSIC)
HILL: And good evening. I'm Erica Hill, in for Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news, a vote to end the shutdown in U.S. history may be inside. The senate is expected to vote soon on a measure to reopen the government.
Now that vote taking place after eight senators broke ranks with the Democrats to support funding the government.
President Trump giving the deal his vote of confidence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Do you personally approve of the deal that's happening right now on Capitol Hill?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If it's a deal I heard about, that's certainly, you know, they want to change the deal a little bit. But I would say so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: That Senate deal does not include Democrats original demand to extend Obamacare subsidies, only a vote in the Senate by next month to extend the subsidies, which are set to expire January 1st.
Tonight, House Speaker Mike Johnson, though, is refusing to guarantee a House vote on health care.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLP)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST, THE LEAD: Would you bring it up?
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKE OF THE HOUSE: Well, the bill that's going to pass the Senate --
TAPPER: No, to extend the subsidies, that later vote?
JOHNSON: I can't commit to anything that hasn't even passed through the Senate yet.
TAPPER: Will you have a vote on the issue as your 13 Republicans, frontline Republicans, people that are that you're the speaker because of them?
JOHNSON: Yes.
TAPPER: They're in districts that are vulnerable.
JOHNSON: Sure.
TAPPER: Will you have a vote so they can vote?
JOHNSON: The very people that you were citing in the letter believe we have to have real reform.
TAPPER: So, you're not committing to bringing up a bill that deals with the Obamacare subsidies before they expire?
JOHNSON: I'm not committing to it or not committing to it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: So, Democrats, in many ways right where they started, and that has a lot of Democrats fuming tonight.
One congressman telling "Axios", it's complete B.S. Congressman Ro Khanna writing on X, Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced.
All of this coming as the fallout continues for Americans. More than 2000 flights today canceled, more than 7,700 delayed. President Trump threatening air traffic controllers who are at a breaking point, as we know and have not been paid for the past 41 days yet, are still required to show up for work.
Trump, writing: All air traffic controllers must get back to work now. Anyone who doesn't will be substantially docked, adding, I'm not happy with you now.
Since the start of the shutdown, a number of air traffic controllers have called out. Many have retired, resigned. Others have been forced to take second jobs if they can, to make ends meet.
And it's only getting worse. American Airlines says it will now cut 200 flights tomorrow. United slashing 269 flights tomorrow. Southwest, 115. As for Delta, it canceled more than 450 flights on Sunday and says to expect more in the coming days, which also means that the House members who were given the last five weeks off by speaker Johnson, are now in danger of massive flight delays and cancellations, travel disruptions as they scramble to get back to Washington to vote on the Senate bill should it pass tonight.
Manu Raju is OUTFRONT live on Capitol Hill.
So, Manu, how close are we at this point to ending the longest shutdown in history?
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESOPNDENT: Very close. After weeks of infighting and after back and forth between the two parties, and really no negotiations at all, the last ditch deal cut last night, now poised to get approved by the United States Senate in just a matter of a couple of hours here. Right now, the Senate is powering through a series of amendment votes that are all expected to fail, ultimately moving on to the final passage and passage really by the narrowest of margins, 60 votes in the United States Senate is the magic number in order to overcome any attempts to derail the package.
It has eight Democrats who have voted to advance the package last night. We expect that same number to hold and that will get them to that 60-vote threshold. Even though there are -- there's fury in the Democratic ranks over the deal that was cut here. Not just to keep the government open, but because it does not include an extension of those Affordable Care Act subsidies, was the chief Democratic demand at the onset of this fight?
Ultimately, the deal that these Democrats did agree to was for that separate vote on health care to occur in the second week of December, no later than then in the Senate.
[19:05:03]
But there's no sense of whether that could actually pass the United States Senate. It actually seems unlikely to pass the Senate. This is a bill that Democrats will draft, let alone getting a vote in the United States House, where Mike Johnson is not giving any assurances. But the Democrats who are supporting this plan say, look, we had no choice here. Donald Trump made very clear he is not moving forward with Obamacare subsidies extension and that they needed to move on reopening the government.
Now, given the painful consequences that were building for the American public. But they are furious that fury from the left, who are saying that they should have fought harder, they should not have given to President Trump at this moment. It's a debate and divide that is going to continue to play out as this bill works its way through the Senate tonight and then through the House as soon as Wednesday, leading to the government reopening -- Erica.
HILL: All right. Manu, we really appreciate it. Thank you.
And OUTFRONT now, Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres of New York, joining us here in the studio.
I could see out of the corner of my eye you shaking your head during part of my news reporting there as he was speaking. You have said that this is a surrender by your party. This does look, though. If it passes the Senate tonight, it will be headed to the House.
Does that mean you're a definite no on voting to end the shutdown?
REP. RITCHIE TORRES (D-NY): I'm a definite no because I see it as a raw deal for 24 million working families who are about to see their premiums more than double. Democrats like me have been fighting to lower health care costs for the American people. The purpose of our fight was not to get a procedural vote in the Senate, but not in the House. The purpose was to get a substantive result, the extension of the health care tax credits for 24 million Americans.
This so-called deal does not guarantee the extension of the health care tax credits. In fact, it guarantees that Republicans will vote against the extension, which is the exact opposite of what Democrats were fighting for.
HILL: You talk about voting for it. As we heard from Speaker Johnson. He's reiterating what we've heard him say in the past. He will not guarantee that even if this even if this does happen in Senate, he refuses to guarantee that it would make its way to the House floor.
Let me ask you, out of curiosity, if it were to come to the House floor, do you have a sense of how many of your Republican colleagues might vote for it?
TORRES: Hard to say. But, you know, the Republican Party is no longer a traditional political party. It's become a cult of personality around Donald Trump. So, I would never underestimate the ability of Donald Trump to impose his will on the Republican Party.
The question is, is there going to be hemorrhaging on the Democratic side? But I get the sense that there's an overwhelming and widespread sense of betrayal and disappointment.
HILL: So, do you think there will be hemorrhaging?
TORRES: I think at the margins.
HILL: Among your party?
Okay. As we look at where things stand, Senator Angus King was very clear about how he got to this point, right, independent of Maine, talking about the moment. Here's how he frames it. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ANGUS KING (I-ME): A lot of collateral damage was happening. People's lives were being hurt. If the tactic isn't working and there were no prospects that it was going to work, then let's move on, not make a lot of other people suffer in order to get a goal that wasn't attainable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: He said, this is the best you were going to get. How long do you think the party should have held out?
TORRES: Except we got nothing. Nothing but an empty promise. And if you think an empty promise is a win for working families, then you're dangerously delusional.
And keep in mind, Donald Trump is a bully. And if we allow ourselves to be bullied by Donald Trump, it will only embolden him further. The strongest response to Donald Trump is to stand up to him, not to surrender unconditionally.
And I find that decision, especially baffling in the wake of the 2025 election. Like, why are we acting as if Democrats just lost the election? Democrats had overwhelming victories in New Jersey and Virginia. The American people, the outcome of the election was a resounding rejection of Donald Trump on the issue of affordability. So instead of bailing out Donald Trump politically, we should hold them accountable.
HILL: What does this done to your party? Because coming out of that election, your party seemed pretty united. How divided is the party, if at all, today, in the wake of this deal?
TORRES: I think we remain overwhelmingly united in defense of affordability and defense of democracy and resistance to Donald Trump. And there were only a few defectors. I mean, the overwhelming majority of congressional Democrats see the agreement for what it is, which is a raw deal for working families.
HILL: In terms of this deal. A lot of a lot is being said about Senator Schumer, the minority leader, tweeting, he is, quote, no longer effective and should be replaced. Rashida Tlaib, quote, Senator Schumer has failed to meet this moment and is out of touch with the American people.
Do you agree with them that its time for Senator Schumer to step down and be replaced?
TORRES: Well, first, I mean, Senator Schumer voted against the agreement. But second, I feel as a Democrat, it's more useful to attack the deal rather than individuals. I think, you know, too much infighting only plays into the hands of the Republicans.
HILL: So, what happens now?
TORRES: We have to keep fighting. But I do feel were on the right side of history. And, you know, the American people communicate messages to elections and the message of the latest election is that Donald Trump is failing catastrophically on the issue that matters most to most Americans, which is affordability. HILL: Congressman Torres, great to have you the studio. Thank you.
TORRES: Always a pleasure.
HILL: Appreciate it.
OUTFRONT now, Jamal Simmons and S.E. Cupp.
So based on where we are in this moment, we're waiting for this vote to happen. Is the shutdown really about to end?
JAMAL SIMMONS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It looks like the shutdown is about to end. I would hate -- the timing of this for Democrats is just horrible because as the congressman just said, we just came off of a great election. The American public in New Jersey and Virginia, and even in New York city said they wanted affordability and they were willing to show up in contrast to Donald Trump.
And I'm sure a lot of these voters, particularly in New Jersey, showed up because they really didn't like what Donald Trump was doing. The tragedy here is there were nothing but bad options for the Democrats, nothing but bad options. I mean, it's a sketch.
One quick alternate future, Donald Trump has been leaning on this issue of the filibuster and leaning on Republicans on the filibuster. Right now, the establishment Republicans are saying no. Imagine 30,000 people, 30 million people in airports during Thanksgiving holiday, unable to get to where they need to go at any great speed, putting pressure on those Republicans to then cancel the filibuster.
So, now, you've canceled the filibuster. Donald Trump uses the filibuster, the filibuster, to then open the government. He reopens the government. Democrats get absolutely nothing. He looks like a savior for having opened the government.
That would be the worst of all possible outcomes. I think we have to make sure, that in all the worst outcomes, Democrats try to protect something, which is that now Republicans own this issue of health care and the fact that they don't want to subsidize health care for American public and the cruelty of Donald Trump when it came to taking families and putting SNAP benefits on the table against these families.
HILL: Does that make this sc the right deal for the American people?
S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Listen, I understand the frustration in the Democratic base today, but Democrats are not ever going to win this fight because they underestimate the Republican and Trump's capacity for cruelty and ability to withstand the bad optics and the terrible realities of how much pain this inflicted on American people. They were never going to swerve first. They were never going to flinch.
So, at some point you have to say, okay, what's best for the American people? And so, I think the short term pain for Democrats as everyone's discussed, Democrats are angry at Democrats. And that's not a place you want your party to be in as you're looking ahead to midterms.
That will fade. Democrats will return to being angry at Republicans. And the good news for Democrats is the majority of the country is angry at Republicans. They're angry at Trump's economy. They're angry at tariffs. They're angry at ballrooms and banquets while people are having trouble paying for gas and food and finding jobs. They're angry at the right people.
Democrats need to suffer the short term pain of not getting anything they wanted out of this for some long term gain. And I think there is long term gain. I think when Democrats stop being mad at Democrats, they'll realize, okay, Democrats did what they had to do in the moment to end this pain and suffering.
And now they're hanging Republicans out there. Republicans are the ones that owned the shutdown. Republicans are the ones that now own this health care issue. Republicans might be taking away your health care benefits. They did their best, but they were never going to win this fight. It's just not an equal fight.
HILL: I do want to ask you, we could keep talking about this all night, but I do just want to get your take on. I was surprised, but not surprised by, I should say, but intrigued by some of the more recent developments that were seeing between Marjorie Taylor Greene and President Trump. So more of those coming today, right?
So, you have the Georgia congresswoman today criticizing Donald Trump's meeting at the White House with Syria's new president, saying, basically, it is time for him to focus on America first. He is spending way too much time on foreign policy.
Here's what the president had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I don't know what happened to Marjorie. She's a nice woman, but I don't know what happened. She's lost her way, I think. But when somebody like Marjorie goes over and starts making statements like that, it shows she doesn't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: In response, Greene telling CNN, quote, I haven't lost my way. I'm 100 percent America first and only.
What do you make, S.E., of this increasingly public split?
CUPP: Well, there's a lot going on behind the scenes that people might not understand.
HILL: That's why you're here --
(CROSSTALK)
CUPP: I'll tell you. I'll tell you.
HILL: Yes.
CUPP: So, Marjorie Taylor Greene really wanted to run for Senate in Georgia. She also really wanted to run for governor in Georgia. Behind the scenes, Trump and the Trump administration completely put the kibosh on that. Not happening. It's not your time. You're not the right person for this.
She feels personally offended by this because she was a very loyal Trump defender and supporter. We all remember during the speaker battle, she holds up the phone. He's on the phone with me. Look how much power I have with the president.
She feels really slighted, and I think she's taken the governor off and said, I'm going to do me now. The fact that doing me now sounds like sensible, fine.
[19:15:00]
Let's not forget who she is. She's still doing her. This is still about, I think, personal preservation here.
I think she wants to run for president, which would also put her out of step with the Republican regime, which I think is waiting for Trump to anoint his heir apparent, not Marjorie Taylor Greene to step out of line and said, well, I'm going first. So, it'll be really interesting to watch. But there's personal grievances, like everything in MAGA guiding this public feud.
SIMMONS: Erica, it seems like this is a fire that's spreading, though, right? It started with Marjorie Taylor Greene talking about the Epstein files and wanting Donald Trump to release the files.
HILL: That's right.
SIMMONS: Right? And then we move from the Epstein files to this talk about, well, the affordable care act subsidies. We want the subsidies so that people can keep their health care. We can't afford health care. And the Republicans are going to own this health care problem.
And now, it's moving to foreign policy. This is not a contained fire. This fire is spreading between the two of them. And we'll see what it consumes next.
CUPP: Well, I know who's going to win. Not her. Not her.
SIMMONS: We'll see. You know, she's the second most popular fundraiser in the Republican in the Republican Party. We will see which way the voters and donors break.
HILL: There you go. Watch this space.
CUPP: Watch this space.
(LAUGHTER)
HILL: Thank you both. OUTFRONT next, a scathing attack on Trump by a Reagan appointed judge
who has been on the bench for 40 years, that judge now resigning so that he can speak out freely and offer a warning. Judge Mark Wolf is my guest.
Plus, puppies, private gym time, customized meals, a whistleblower now revealing the shocking perks convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is getting in prison.
And our KFILE uncovering social media posts that a top Democratic candidate thought he had deleted for good. Those posts now coming back to haunt his Senate campaign.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:21:06]
HILL: Tonight, a federal judge is resigning after 40 years on the bench because of what he calls President Trump's existential threat to democracy and the rule of law.
He warns Trump is, quote, using the law for partisan purposes, targeting his adversaries while sparing his friends and donors from investigation, prosecution and possible punishment, writing, "Silence for me is now intolerable".
OUTFRONT now, former federal Judge Mark Wolf.
Judge, it's good to have you with us tonight. No longer silent, we should say. Why now, sir?
MARK WOLF, FEDERAL JUDGE WHO JUST RESIGNED: Erica, thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you and some of the American people. I think now, because there's really an unprecedented threat to the rule of law and American democracy in our fundamental ideal of equal justice under law, you put your finger on parts of my "Atlantic" article that are quite important to this observation.
One, the president has openly directed the Department of Justice to prosecute his perceived enemies, even though professionals in the department may not think there's a proper basis to do so. And there are no efforts to investigate possible corruption by people in his orbit, potentially including himself. This is not equal justice. It's utterly unequal.
And, we're proud to say often that we have the longest, democracy in the history of the world. But that should remind us that every other one failed. And unless people who have the potential to do something, to try to contribute, advocate for the rule of law and for democracy and impress upon the American people the importance of supporting the courts and insisting that the president obey court orders and the law. Our democracy is in great peril.
HILL: You talk about the ways that you have seen the president flouting the law. Paraphrasing here, you began your career. It's important to note in public service near the end of Nixon's presidency, which you also write about, and you draw some lines between his action and President Trump in your piece in "The Atlantic", do you believe the country in this moment is in more peril right now? Can this -- can this genie be put back in the bottle?
WOLF: Well, I believe that the country is in more peril than it was when I was a 28-year-old lawyer in the Department of Justice, as an assistant to the deputy attorney general in 1974, and the excellent Honorable Attorney General Edward Levi in the Ford administration.
President -- Watergate substantially involved corruption of the Department of Justice with the president, President Nixon, directing his attorney general, also his campaign manager, John Mitchell, to punish his enemies and to take care of people who made improper payments for his benefit. But President Nixon did that secretly, covertly, in occasionally because he knew those things were illegal or improper.
But now we see President Trump doing them openly and regularly. At a pace that is unprecedented in American history and is very damaging. As I said to the rule of law, which is the foundation of our democracy.
HILL: In response to your resignation and to the piece that you wrote for "The Atlantic", the White House tells CNN, quote, "Judges that want to inject their own personal agenda into the law have no place on the bench."
[19:25:09]
Here's the reality. With over 20 Supreme Court victories, the Trump administration's policies have been consistently upheld by the Supreme Court as lawful, despite an unprecedented number of legal challenges and unlawful lower court rulings and any other radical judges.' The White House says that want to complain to the press should at least have the decency to resign before doing so. So, you did resign so that you could speak out, as you write very clearly.
The fact that the White House is pointing to the Supreme Court, though, in its response. Do you see the role of the Supreme Court as having changed in this moment?
WOLF: Well, the president there is an unprecedented number of emergency appeals on the shadow docket to the Supreme Court. There's an unprecedented number of executive orders and other actions of the president that are prompting lower courts to -- in meaningful numbers, find that those actions on a preliminary basis, find on a preliminary basis that those actions are unlawful.
They very quickly get to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court without much briefing, without argument, without reasoned decisions, has been setting aside a very high percentage of those. And if it turns out that at the end of a case, those preliminary decisions by the Supreme Court are not their final decisions because they haven't the facts haven't been developed. The law hasn't been well developed. And the usual ways its going to be impossible to put Humpty-Dumpty back together again. I think the supreme -- if the Supreme Court ultimately finds that
USAID was improperly, illegally abolished, people will have died, people will have been denied medical care around the world. And people who worked at USAID doing very important work will be dispersed. So, the idea of removing these temporary restraints, where the threat of irreparable harm, to the plaintiffs and the people that they serve is so great, I think is a very, unique in unprecedented role for the Supreme Court to be playing.
HILL: Judge Mark Wolf, we appreciate you taking the time to join us tonight. I know you said that you hope that in speaking out basically, your voice will be amplified, perhaps creating a tidal wave. We will be watching to see the results. Thank you again, sir.
WOLF: Thank you.
HILL: Up next here, Jeffrey Epstein's former accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, getting pampered in prison. A whistleblower now claiming Maxwell is eating personalized meals. And that's not all. She's also getting time to play with puppies and more.
Plus, exclusive reporting you will see first on OUTFRONT, our KFILE uncovering social media posts. A Michigan Democrat running for Senate thought he had deleted, posts about defunding the police that could come back to haunt him in that race.
And the breaking news. We're watching the senate at this hour. They are about to vote on ending the shutdown.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:33:01]
HILL: Tonight, Epstein accomplice Ghislaine maxwell preparing to ask Trump to commute her sentence. That is according to Democrats in the House Judiciary Committee, obtaining new information from a whistleblower who's also exposing the concierge style treatment Maxwell has been receiving at the minimum security prison camp she was moved to in Texas. Of course, that move coming after she met with Trump's DOJ.
Congressman Jamie Raskin saying in a letter to Trump that maxwell, who is serving a 20 year sentence as a reminder for child sex trafficking, is being waited on hand and foot. He says Maxwell's meals have been customized, that they are delivered directly to her cell when she wants private meetings, the warden personally arranges them, providing an assortment of snacks and refreshments for her guests.
She is personally escorted to the exercise area after hours and gets to enjoy recreation time in staff only areas and guards even instructed an inmate who trains puppies to become service dogs to provide one to Maxwell so she could play with the puppy. That's normally not allowed.
So just to remind everyone here, Maxwell was suddenly and without explanation to this prison camp moved after two very secretive meetings with Trump's DOJ.
OUTFRONT now, Ryan Goodman, OUTFRONT legal analyst, and Barry Levine, author of "The Spider", which is about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
So, Barry, you have followed this so closely for so many years. Just how significant would it be in this moment should Trump commute Ghislaine Maxwell's sentence?
BARRY LEVINE, AUTHOR, "THE SPIDER": Well, I have to say, Erica, this is devastating news for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. To even hear that this is in motion is disgusting. But you have to remember that the Supreme Court last month wouldn't hear her appeal, and they didn't give a reason for that. But they dropped that.
So, this is really her last chance. She's only served a little more than five years, and she has a sentence until 2037. So, she needs if she wants clemency. This is the only way to get it.
[19:35:00]
HILL: So, this could be her only hope to get released early. It's important to also remind people that she and President Trump go back decades, right? So, we have some pictures of them I think partying together when Trump was best friends with Jeffrey Epstein.
Fast forward to today, the president has been asked, of course, and has not ruled out a pardon. Here's a reminder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well, I'm allowed to give her a pardon.
I know I have the right to do it. I have the right to give pardons.
I haven't heard the name in so long. I can say this that I'd have to take a look at it.
REPORTER: But she was convicted of child sex trafficking.
TRUMP: Yeah. I mean, I'm going to have to take a look at it. I'd have to ask DOJ.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Ryan, what do you think the chances are?
RYAN GOODMAN, FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL AT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE: I think they're more likely than not., based on the timeline and based on the president's own statements. He says these kinds of words when he will, in fact, pardon somebody or commute their sentence.
And the timeline is one in which it did seem as though the DOJ kicked into high gear when it was clear that Congress was going to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell. And then since then, and after the immediate meeting with the deputy attorney general, which is strikingly unusual, they move over to this minimum security prison. Now, we get the reports from the whistleblower that's revealed today that she's getting this incredible concierge service within the minimum security prison, and she's preparing her commutation application.
So I think, unfortunately, I want to be very guarded in my words because I think it could be very traumatizing to victims to hear this. But I think a fair assessment is that it looks like the trajectory that we're on.
HILL: It is -- you mentioned some of the details. We mentioned some of them off the top. I just want to reveal a couple more of what we learned. So the letter also says that she uses the guards as her, quote, personal secretary, that the warden herself is directly helping Ms. Maxwell copy, print and send documents related to her application for commutation, going on to, say, one of the top officials at the facility has complained that he is sick of having to be Ms. Maxwell's B word.
It goes back to the why of the special treatment and why this is happening. Barry, and why would she get all this special treatment?
LEVINE: Well, listen, you have to understand that she sat down with Todd Blanche, and she just gave a glowing review about Donald Trump. And she also said made a point several times in this, quote/unquote, interview that she witnessed no misconduct involving President Trump. And during his days, when he was friends with Jeffrey Epstein.
So, to some degree, that puts her right in right in the catbird seat. And also, you have to remember that for President Trump, he's looking at this through his own lens. First of all, Maureen Comey, who was recently fired, was one of the prosecutors. And there's no love lost between the president and her father. So that obviously could play into this.
And also, you have to understand, he takes things from his own personal perspective. Let's think back after the "Access Hollywood" tape, there was two dozen women who made accusations against him for sexual misconduct and harassment. Each and every one, he said, was a hoax or was politically motivated. And he ended up saying, "I am the victim in this."
So how he looks at someone's sentence compared to what he's gone through is going to play into this. And certainly, you know, they have a relationship in Ghislaine Maxwell going back at, you know, the only comments he made at the time of her when she was arrested in 2020, he said he couldn't say anything. You know, wrong about her.
So, you know, I -- again what Ryan said about traumatizing the victims in this case. But I fear that this is moving forward and it would be an absolute tragedy if this happens.
HILL: You mentioned the meeting with Todd Blanche, right. And so all of this we should point out, as we've been discussing this move to this minimum security camp, prison camp came after that meeting. Everything we\re seeing the meeting in July. House Democrats, right, so Ghislaine Maxwell, as you point out, was
asked about her friendship with not just the question she was asked about Epstein. And talked about the president. I just want to play a little bit of that praise that she has when it comes to President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GHISLAINE MAXWELL, EPSTEIN ACCOMPLICE: As far as I'm concerned, President Trump was always very cordial and very kind to me. And I just want to say that I find -- I admire his extraordinary achievement in becoming the president now. And I like him. And I've always liked him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: It's fascinating to have that be part of the interview, number one. But number two, the fact that House Democrats are now asking Deputy A.G. Todd Blanche to testify and not just testify, but testify in a public hearing, Ryan. What is riding on that testimony?
GOODMAN: I think what's definitely riding on the testimony is whether or not there is a underlying quid pro quo. Was there an agreement of some sort, tacit or explicit, with Ghislaine Maxwell, that has given her all of these extraordinary benefits that I've never in my life seen a sexual offender receive for either her saying positive things about the president or not revealing other incriminating information about whomever -- maybe the president, who knows?
[19:40:14]
But that's, I think, the lurking concern. I'm sure that's the concern. It's already been stated by some of the victims, and that's the kind of tick tock that they could ask of Mr. Blanche. Like, when did you first communicate with her attorneys? Did you know that there was a subpoena coming for her? And that's when you communicated.
When was the arrangement made to move her to this minimum security prison? Was it only after your meeting with her? All sorts of things that I think could be very revealing, including asking him directly, and then he has to decide whether or not to be candid with the Congress.
HILL: We'll see if it happens. Really appreciate you being here tonight. Thank you.
LEVINE: Thank you, thank you.
HILL: OUTFRONT next, the exclusive KFILE reporting, uncovering deleted social media posts belonging to a top Democrat who is running for Michigan's open Senate seat, a candidate who has Bernie Sanders' backing. His attacks on police, though, could have a big impact on the race.
Plus, the fallout growing after what is being called the biggest scandal since Pete Rose. Legendary sportscaster Bob Costas is OUTFRONT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:45:49]
HILL: Tonight, the race for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat is shaping up as a major battleground. And one candidate's social media history is raising some new questions. Abdul El-Sayed, a Detroit a former Detroit public health director and progressive star, is locked in a three way primary fight with Congresswoman Haley Stevens and State Senator Mallory McMorrow.
Now, he's raised more than $3.5 million, has earned the backing of Senator Bernie Sanders, his biggest vulnerability, though in the race, may be his own words from a few years ago.
KFILE's Andrew Kaczynski is OUTFRONT.
So, what did you find in terms of these words?
ANDREW KACZYNSKI, CNN KFILE SENIOR EDITOR: Well, that's right. And before launching his senate campaign, what we found was that he deleted thousands and thousands of tweets, some of which were supporting the defund the police movement. I want people to look at some of those posts that we found here. One deleted post he wrote, most major. U.S. cities spend way too much on police departments to police poverty, and way too little on public schools, health departments recreation. Departments, and housing to eliminate poverty. Fixing that is what the defund movement is all about.
And another tweet that we found, he described police as, quote, standing armies. We deploy against our own people and even at the time in 2020, maybe he realized defund the police wasn't as popular of a slogan because he proposed rebranding it. The refund movement. And then in this tweet, he argued that cities should take money from police. But he said refund schools and public services. All of those posts deleted before launching his Senate campaign this year.
And what's interesting is it wasn't just in those tweets. He also made those comments in public forums. Take a listen to him in 2020.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: And when we talk about the question of, quote/unquote, defunding the police. It's a question of asking, how do we right-size government away from the racist ideologies that have led us to investing in war material for policing rather than public health for children?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: So, there it is. And we should point out, too, he was briefly a CNN political contributor. Full transparency there.
When it comes to Michigan voters, how are they responding to these newly resurfaced comments? KACZYNSNKI: So, we don't know how people are responding to the stuff
that we uncovered yet. It will be interesting to see how that plays out in the race. But one thing that is interesting is that, you know, even in 2020, defund the police was not a very popular slogan when he was embracing it. And we dug up a couple poll numbers to look at that, one of which is this poll from "Axios" from April 2021, which showed just 27 percent of Americans supported the defund the police movement, 70 percent opposed.
And then in July 2020, we actually found a fox news poll that was just of Michigan voters, and it gave opinions of how they felt about police and actually, 82 percent of Michigan voters had a favorable opinion of police. You see, just 13 percent were unfavorable. And since then, you know, these numbers have stayed consistent for years. It's a very, very unpopular slogan.
We did reach out to his campaign. We asked, how are you squaring this? We saw you deleted your tweets. They did not address the deleted tweets, but I'm going to read what they told us.
They said, "Dr. El-Sayed has always supported investing in community safety, including law enforcement, public health and mental health to make Michigan community stronger. Any implication otherwise is misleading."
HILL: All right. We'll be continuing to watch to see if the voters do respond. What they have to say about that.
KACZYNSKI: All right.
HILL: Andrew, I really appreciate it. Good to see you. Thank you.
OUTFRONT next, bombshell allegations rocking Major League Baseball. Pitchers accused of rigging the game for a big payday. Bob Costas is here with the fallout.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:54:07]
HILL: New fallout tonight in what is being called baseballs most explosive scandal since Pete Rose. Major League Baseball and its sports partners now limiting wagers to $200 on individual pitches effective immediately after Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were both indicted, accused of rigging individual pitches in MLB games to benefit bettors, a scheme prosecutors say could carry up to 65 years in prison if they are convicted.
Now, all of this, of course, unfolding as the NBA is also engulfed in its own betting scandal spanning four teams and also four mafia crime families.
OUTFRONT, now Emmy Award-winning sportscaster Bob Costas.
Bob, I'm so glad you're here for this one tonight. It's good to see you. We look at this. I'm blown away by the story on a number of levels.
But we look at what was happening. So, they were allegedly these two players allegedly texting from the dugout during games, agreeing to throw specific pitches, right? That would help bettors. I think it was win as much as $27,000 on a pitch, even trying to mask a wire transfer payment as if it was for a horse.
[19:55:06]
BOB COSTAS, EMMY-AWARD WINNING SPORTSCASTER: Yeah, some of the particulars get complicated, but the essence of this is prop bets.
Whether it's the NBA, the NFL, or MLB, because it's so much easier to do. You don't have to throw the game. These guys could easily rationalize, okay, I'm going to throw ball one. And the guys I'm in cahoots with, whether I'm profiting and maybe they were or I'm just trying to help out a friend in an ill-considered way. I'll throw a ball one, I'll come back and get the guy out. It's not going to have any effect on the game. I'm not throwing the game.
Prop bets are really where the danger lies. Jontay Porter a year or so ago in the NBA on the Toronto Raptors. Not a star player. So maybe the over/under on how many points he would score in a game was, let's say 7 or 8. He comes in the game, he feigns an injury. He comes out with 3 or 4 points or gets in foul trouble, doesn't really affect the game that much, flies under the radar.
The only way that people catch on is if there's an unusual amount of action on that particular outcome, or that particular player, and somehow they're able to flag it, but now it isn't just Vegas. Theres so many, BetMGM, and whatever it may be, there's dozens of them, it would seem. So, it's harder to keep track of what's happening.
HILL: Is this a bigger scandal then, than Pete Rose? I mean, that was a you know, that was a headline in "New York Magazine", right? The biggest thing since Pete Rose. But is it becoming bigger across the sports world?
COSTAS: Well, it can become bigger because it's everywhere. You can't avoid it. And the leagues are in league with gambling operations.
HILL: Yeah.
COSTAS: For years, they said it would be the undoing of sports, the integrity of our sport is the most important thing. And then when it became legalized and most of the states went ahead and legalized it, then the commissioners of all the sports did a 180 and said, wait a minute, this is a pot of gold and we can't ignore it, but it should be said that the rules remain the same. The rules in baseball that these guys violated were exactly the same as the rules that have been in place since the Black Sox scandal of 1919. The rules that got Pete Rose banned.
Now, Rose was banned because although he says and there's no definitive proof that we're aware of that he ever bet against the Reds? He did bet on games in which the Reds were playing and the spelled out penalty for that is lifetime banishment. If you bet on a game in any way that you're not involved in, then a year's suspension is the penalty.
HILL: Why do you think in this moment? And as you point out, I mean, it is -- it is pervasive. It is everywhere.
Anytime I watch a game, right, it is. I feel like every five minutes, if not, if not more. It's being mentioned. Why do you think these players would do it? I mean, especially when we're talking about these allegations with these two guardians players, it they're making some money. I mean --
COSTAS: Especially Clase.
HILL: Yes.
COSTAS: Now, Clase was not at the top of the salary scale, but the last three years prior to this one, when he was suspended with pay at midseason while the investigation was ongoing. The last three years prior to this, he led the American League in saves. Eventually, when he was eligible for free agency, he was going to become roughly a $20 million a year player. Why do people do stupid things?
HILL: Yeah. I mean --
COSTAS: Why do people --
HILL: The question that's as old as time, right?
COSTAS: Exactly. Exactly, why? What could you have been thinking? And possibly, you know, influences, friends, whatever it might be.
HILL: Do you think what we've seen, though, in the last few weeks and with, you know, this, this one just being the latest, this indictment, do you think that will change anything?
COSTAS: It ought to be a warning.
HILL: Yeah.
COSTAS: It ought to be a cautionary tale for everybody else involved. The minimum salary for a rookie in Major League Baseball is $750,000. The average salary now is about $5 million. Superstars make $20 million, $30 million, $40 million.
If you're just a decent player, you can make $12 million, $15 million a year. It isn't worth doing anything to jeopardize that. But why do people, especially young people, do foolish things?
HILL: Yes.
COSTAS: And the influences are everywhere. Like you said, it's everywhere.
HILL: But before I let you go --
COSTAS: Yeah.
HILL: -- gambling has become such a part now of sports as we were talking about. Right. You see it in every broadcast. The ads are everywhere you go. Not just on television.
Has it changed sports? Has it changed the integrity of these games?
COSTAS: Potentially. It can change the integrity. As we've seen with Jontay Porter and with Emmanuel Clase, it hasn't led to throwing games, but that could be the next step. But I think it also has changed for millions of fans the nature of the relationship. It goes from an emotional attachment to transactional.
And you hear about these players saying that they've received death threats. Their families have been harassed. All kinds of insulting stuff coming their way on social media, because people have money riding on this. It's so much easier to do now.
My dad was an inveterate gambler. He had to gamble with bookies who were connected to the mob unless he went to Vegas. Now it's everywhere. It's right in the palm of your hand.
But because of my personal experience with that and because of my general feeling, I always refuse to read the gambling come-ons when I was broadcasting a game.
HILL: Bob, always good to see you. Thank you.
COSTAS: Thank you, Erica. Good to see you too.
HILL: I appreciate it.
Before we let you go in earlier, KFILE, it did not include the full statement that we have from Abdul El-Sayeds' campaign. I want to bring you that in full now.
In a statement to CNN, campaign spokesperson Roxie Richner says that rather than defund police, Dr. El-Sayed is challenging government choices that defund food, health care and social services while militarizing agencies like ICE, in sharp contrast to Donald Trump's presidency, because real safety comes from investing in people, not in tanks and tear gas.
Thanks for joining us.
"AC360" starts right now.
