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Erin Burnett Outfront

New Details On Trump's Secret Plane Switch Amid Iran Threat; Dr. Reiner: "Trump Has Not Looked Well & We Should Know Why"; Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Leaving White House; Report: Multiple Sailors Try To Jump Overboard U.S. Carrier. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired August 12, 2026 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:25]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

Breaking news, new reporting tonight from "The Washington Post" on Trump's Air Force One bait and switch. The reporter who helped break the story to the entire world is here OUTFRONT with more new details. As "The New York Times" photographer on board the Air Force One Trump -- that Trump ditched is also OUTFRONT tonight.

Plus, we have been kept in the dark too long. That is a quote from Dr. Jonathan Reiner, who is Dick Cheney's cardiologist. He's a regular on this show. And he has some very important and big questions about Trump's health tonight as he's calling out the White House. Dr. Reiner is OUTFRONT.

And "The Military Times" tonight reporting that multiple sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on an extended, extended tour due to the Iran War have attempted to throw themselves overboard. What is really going on?

Let's go OUTFRONT.

(MUSIC)

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

And OUTFRONT tonight, we begin with the breaking news from "The Washington Post". They have new reporting right now about the Secret Service's decision to usher Trump from Air Force One to a secret jet just before leaving the NATO summit in Turkey. Now, we know it wasn't just Trump who was moved from Air Force One to this second smaller jet via the catering truck.

Also along for the ride, some of Trump's most trusted allies, the ones who are the closest to him emotionally. I mean, you've got Natalie Harp, Trump's executive assistant. She was there. She's known for, you know, printing the positive press for Trump that he wants, also reportedly one of the only people who posts for Trump on Truth Social at all hours of the day and night.

According to the book "Regime Change", Harp has left Trump adoring letters in his personal spaces, including one which reads, quote, "You are all that matters to me." The book goes on to say, and I quote, "Trump had taken to telling his staff that Natalie was the only one who loved him as much as his wife and kids. All of you will go off and make money, he would say. She'll never leave me."

So, she was with him on the catering truck. Also, there was Dan Scavino, Trump's deputy chief of staff. He has, of course, been with President Trump for more than a decade.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN SCAVINO, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF: This man has the heart of gold. He fights every day. He's going 24/7. He loves everybody in this room.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Now, in addition to Mr. Scavino, there was also Walt Nouta. Now, does that name ring a bell? It should. He's the former Trump White House valet turned director of Oval Operations, Oval Office Operations. He was known as Trump's body man.

You see him there in May 2023, adjusting Trump's collar at the Saudi- backed LIV golf tournament. But the reason you may remember his name is not just his -- the fact that he's always present, it was that he was indicted as a co-conspirator in Trump's classified documents case. So, he was also chosen to go on the catering truck.

This is just really important when I mention those names because it's very notable that they went with Trump and others did not. Who was left behind to fly with the press? who were none the wiser, of course, about a security threat that made the president abandon the presidential plane.

Well, on that plane from the president's team were Stephen Miller, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, along with other top aides, and the entire White House press poll, right? That was Air Force One.

Now, when you think about that, right, so Trump leaves on a catering truck with Natalie Harp and Dan Scavino and Walt Nauta, Marco Rubio stuck on what was Air Force One. It's no wonder that Rubio didn't want to talk about Americans being at risk on Air Force One. when he was confronted about it yesterday, at the time, no one knew he was on the plane.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Mr. Secretary, did you put Americans at risk by having them flying Air Force One with a summer threat? How persistent is the president?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Well, no wonder he smiled and just turned away, didn't want to say anything, because he was aware at the time that he was left on Air Force One. Now, a source tells CNN that the threat to the jet, the Air Force One, was possibly coming from a shoulder-fired missile, that that's what they thought the threat might be.

Now, according to The New York Times, someone in the vicinity of the NATO summit had been spotted with that very same missile. So they had connected the two dots, and they saw it by the airport.

This whole story gives new meaning now to this, something the president said months ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news. And I don't mind that so much. I don't mind. I don't mind that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Well, in this case, actions mirror words.

[19:05:03]

OUTFRONT now, "The Washington Post" reporter who broke this major story, Dan Lamothe.

And, Dan, obviously, you've been breaking so much on this. I know you have new information tonight. What are you learning?

DAN LAMOTHE, PENTAGON REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Yeah, "The Washington Post" will be reporting very shortly that the threat, the threat string that raised all these concerns and prompted these extraordinary actions came from information shared from Israel. The CIA had low confidence in that information, but given the threat, given the seriousness of the issue, given the long running concerns about Iran's interest in going after the president, they put all of this in motion while they were flying. We've also learned that -- that took up with these planes. There were armed escorts, multiple F16s, that flew with right off the wing tips and at least for a portion of that journey. So even more involved in trying to keep the president safe than even we knew on Monday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: When you talk about that fighter jet escort, so you talk about the new reporting that I know you're about to break about the knowledge of the threat came from Israel.

So, how imminent, how specific was the nature of this threat against the aircraft that the Israelis shared?

LAMOTHE: Yeah, I mean, I think that's the interesting thing with this is that this was all put in motion. The threat sounded very specific and alarming and concerning, but they didn't have high confidence in it. So how do you handle that? That's an internal discussion to have.

And it seems where people landed is they wanted to make sure the president was taken care of, but others, Secretary of State Marco Rubio among them, made the judgment call to stay on the first plane, the actual Air Force One plane.

BURNETT: So I want to ask you about that, follow up on Secretary Rubio in just one second. But it sounds like what you're saying is that if someone had seen this person with a shoulder-fired missile, whoever saw that or reported that, that information about that shoulder-fired missile came from the Israelis. There was, in a sense, a game of telephone.

LAMOTHE: I'm uncertain if that level of detail, as it has been reported by some other outlets, is accurate. But I have separate reporting that also raised a concern about there being a credible threat on the aircraft. Certainly, a missile would be one kind of credible threat. I'm just not sure if it was the only one.

BURNETT: Right, okay. So when it came to Secretary Rubio, I just want to, you know, we just played him a moment ago right when he was asked about it yesterday. And at the time, many were not even aware that he was on the plane, right? And he sort of walked away from it.

But he was on the decoy plane. He was left behind there. Obviously, we mentioned that the president had brought others with him, Dan Scavino, Natalie Harp, Walt Nauta, onto the catering truck, but Secretary Rubio of State on Air Force One.

Do you know what he knew and when he knew it?

LAMOTHE: I don't know when he knew it, but I knew that he was aware of this threat stream and basically made the judgment call that he felt OK where he was. I don't know about all of the other individuals and planes. We have previously reported that not all officials on that plane knew all of these details, so it's a bit muddled and really what you're left with is part of the cabinet on one plane, part of the cabinet on the other plane, not everyone on each plane knowing and really the government and the military and the Secret Service and everyone else involved trying to keep both planes safe.

BURNETT: Yes, okay, but a lot of questions here because the president saying he just did what the Secret Service says, but it sounds like you're saying the secretary of state could make his own decision about which plane to go on. I just want to be clear if I'm understanding that correctly. I'm also curious, you're saying Marco Rubio made the decision himself to stay on the plane, so obviously he gauged the threat to not be something that he thought was going to kill him.

But was he aware that the president got on another plane? And I know you may not know the answer to all these questions. So, Dan, I apologize, but I'm just sort of asking you what I'm thinking.

LAMOTHE: That's right. I don't have that level of detail. But we are clear that he himself was aware of the threat that had been passed and felt comfortable where he was.

BURNETT: Right, right, which I think just I'll state the obvious everyone watching, there's a lot of significance in what you're reporting here, but among the significant takeaways is that the secretary of state could make his own decision which just raises questions about, you know, the president and whether he could or couldn't or he did what Secret Service said. I just -- I'm raising the obvious question here.

And there are so many unanswered questions, Dan, as you've been breaking so many parts of that. What is the biggest unanswered question you have right now about all of this?

[19:10:02]

LAMOTHE: I mean, I think -- I think you're kind of on it, right? It's the question of how many people knew, how many people had a decision had, you know, actually. You know the ability to decide versus, you know, kind of being assigned to seats. You know, in this case the protectee was the president first and foremost, but you have multiple cabinet officials here. Obviously, they are protectees as well.

So, this is -- this is a complex operation where with multiple people that the government is you know has high -- high interest in protecting you know and you know just given them the messy nature of this, you know, they pulled it off but then kept it secret for a month.

BURNETT: Right, right. And of course, again, the obvious, if something being presented as imminent and grave to the level that the president of the United States has to get on the plane and get off on a catering truck and then be snuck back on and come off as if he never left, that sends a very different picture about what the nature of the threat is than Marco Rubio saying, I knew about it and decided -- I'm fine being on the plane. It just sends two different messages and raises a lot of questions.

All right. Dan Lamothe, thank you so much. I mean, thanks to your reporting, we're able to ask these questions and to know where we are on this. So thanks so much to you and your entire team for breaking all of this.

As Dan said, some of this about to post imminently here on "The Washington Post".

And now I want to go to Doug Mills, "The New York Times" photographer. He was on that Air Force One decoy plane flight from Turkey to the U.K. He took the crucial photo of the plane on the tarmac that you see here.

Why is this crucial? Because you see something in it that you really probably never thought about until this story as a focus of a picture like this, which is the catering container that Trump was apparently secretly moved in.

So, Doug, you have been covering presidents for decades. You've been on clandestine flights before, obviously in and out of war zones. So this, though, was different because you didn't know what was happening. You and your colleagues on the plane, you know, you were on the decoy plane. How does that make you feel?

DOUGLAS MILLS, NYT PHOTOGRAPHER ON AIR FORCE ON DECOY PLANE: Well, I mean, in hindsight, yes, it was disturbing to think about it now. And even at the time when they told us to put our shades down on Air Force One before departing Turkey, that was a little bit concerning because the only other time that's ever happened to me was when President Obama went into Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan and we had all the lights off on the plane, shades were down and we were completely dark and they told us ahead of time that that's what they were doing. They even confiscated our phones.

So, this felt very similar, but we didn't know all the facts going into that day, and we didn't know what was going on.

BURNETT; So, obviously, you talk about going into back room with President Obama. Your job involves moments like this, and I know you've signed up for that. You also, of course, were there in Butler, Pennsylvania, for the attempted assassination. And just so everyone knows, I mean, you won the Pulitzer Prize for your photos of that moment, which truly are now part of history, right? There's no one who doesn't know the photos to which I'm referring as we show them to people now.

So, you know any president is always a target. And this president, we have seen that tangibly more so than many others. So, you and the other reporters on the plane, when you're told to lower your window shades. So, and you talk about that happening in Bagram.

I want to just play something that Trump said after the flight, okay, when he was asked specifically about that issue with the window shades, that moment. I'll play it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleazebags that we have to deal with. They didn't ask me to close mine, but if they did, I would have done it. But if I go, you go, right? So perhaps someday you want to change professions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: I'm curious, Doug, I guess in that moment, but also now knowing what you know, the context around what he said. Your reaction to his saying that.

MILLS: Well, I mean, obviously looking back at it now when he spoke about, you know, the window shades when one of the reporters asked him, you know, what did you think when you had to put down the shade yourself and he said, well, they didn't tell me to do that. And I -- in hindsight, I think back on that like, wow, if he didn't -- why did they just put our shades down and not his shades up in the front of the plane? So that was kind of a red flag to me mentally.

But yeah, I mean, I felt like, obviously, we were -- we were a decoy and in that moment we didn't know all the things that we -- you know, all the facts that we know now. So, it is kind of -- you know, it's alarming. But yes, this is what we sign up for.

I've heard a lot of chatter on you know social media about. You know whether we should be doing this kind of you know if you're not up for this job, get out, find another profession. Yes, we sign up for covering the president. We know that this president has had more attempts on his life than any other president, and he talks about it openly.

[19:15:02]

And he talks about the fact that he is a target. And so, I think all of us who are covering the president realize that going in and we see the extra measures. We see the visible Secret Service, you know, all the snipers and everything, you know, it's much more, you know, much larger footprint now than it ever has been before security wise.

BURNETT: Yeah, and I guess it's just interesting, you know, Dan Lamothe's new reporting that Marco Rubio knew and opted to stay on the plane you were on, which is interesting because it -- it does run counter to such an imminent grave threat that you had to sneak the president off on a catering truck.

By the way, maybe that's why they had to put your window shades down, right? Because they didn't want you to see the catering --

MILLS: That's exactly right.

BURNETT: -- canister, whatever you want to call it. Yeah.

So, I know you took a photo when you got on the plane, when you were going to the plane. And it looks essentially here, just a bunch of journalists bordering the plane is what it looks like, right? Carrying briefcases and small bags, not unusual, but I know it stands out to you.

As in hindsight, there's a sign here that something was up. What stands out to you here?

MILLS: Well, I mean, I think yes, as you pointed out, Erin, when we drove up to the in the motorcade and it was a motorcade, there was probably 50 or 75 cars and by the time we got to the front of the plane, I had taken those pictures of the catering truck on the backside of the plane as we were, you know, motoring up and I was shooting pictures through the van that we were driving in.

And once we got up and looked out and saw the president was already on board. That kind of also said to me something's going on. You know that because typically in a foreign country he makes a point of waiting in the car for the press to get up underneath the wing. He may -- he says goodbye to the staff that's -- that handled the trip and this was a summit. You know, sometimes the ambassador there might have been the president of Turkey being there to say goodbye.

But no, none of that happened this time. He went up the steps and was on there before we ever got out of our cars. So that was kind of, you know, in hindsight that was another red flag that even in the moment again, it was unusual. And then once we got up on the plane and you know, shades have to go down. There were just a lot of questions throughout and now in hindsight, you know, as one of those things as a reporter photographer, you know that we probably should have been asking more questions about because a lot of things didn't fit.

BURNETT: Right, right, the order of operations, right, not working. And maybe when you have that catering truck, maybe he's inside it, right? You don't have X-ray vision, but you don't know.

MILLS: Right.

BURNETT: All right, thank you so much, Doug. I appreciate your time, and thank you for taking the time to talk to us.

MILLS: My pleasure, Erin. Thank you.

BURNETT: All right. And next, new and serious questions tonight about President Trump's health. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, who was Dick Cheney's cardiologist, says Americans have been kept in the dark too long about Trump's bruises, swelling, and his apparent struggles to stay awake. Dr. Reiner joins us next.

And a sudden shakeup inside the White House. One of Trump's closest aides, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, is stepping down. So why now?

And incredible images tonight of a rare total solar eclipse. Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is our guest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:22:33]

BURNETT: Tonight, growing questions about President Trump's health. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, who advised the George W. Bush White House, has just published a scathing op-ed in "The New York Times" in which he writes, "I was Dick Cheney's cardiologist. Trump has not looked well, and we should know why."

Dr. Reiner will join me in just a moment, but he writes in this op-ed of Trump, quote, "He said, large bruises on both hands, swelling in his legs in episodes when it appears that he's struggling to stay awake. He's also had advanced imaging performed for unclear reasons. We have been kept in the dark too long."

Dr. Jonathan Reiner is OUTFRONT now.

And, Dr. Reiner, what prompted you to write this op-ed at this particular moment?

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, the president doesn't look well, and he hasn't looked well for much of the last year. He has perhaps the most consequential job on the planet. And the history of the presidency is replete with examples over and over again of various White Houses completely obscuring the health of presidents facing very consequential illnesses.

Grover Cleveland in 1893 had cancer surgery on a boat on the East River. Woodrow Wilson had a catastrophic stroke, which left him really incapacitated for the last 17 months of his presidency. And in the last administration, there were major concerns. about the health of President Biden and how forthcoming the Biden White House was in the health of Mr. Biden.

So, I'm concerned. When I watched the president, as you outlined, he's had multiple very visible ailments. And it's really not hard to see. He's one of the most photographed people ever to hold the -- maybe the most photographed person ever to hold the office of the presidency.

You know, he has these really obvious bruises on both hands that just will not go away. He's had really very severe swelling in his legs. And maybe most disturbingly to me, for the last several months, he has fallen asleep in the Oval Office and in other very public venues over and over and over again. And we have never seen this before.

BURNETT: Can I? I just want --

REINER: Yeah?

BURNETT: I just want to jump in on that because I wanted to ask you about that. I just want to show people some images.

[19:25:00]

We're looking at one of them now. That was an Oval Office event this week where he struggled to stay awake.

And since the CAT scan that he had in October 2025, he's exhibited sleepiness in the middle of the day. at least I'm just talking about when these images come and he's signing orders and stuff off in the middle of the day. We're showing a lot of them.

Numerous times, right? It's a regular thing, in fact, so regular people don't even comment on it. You write about it. Has the president's medical team identified the source of this issue and how are they addressing it?

You say it's one of the things that's most concerning to you. Can you talk about why? How serious of a problem could this be if someone is just regularly dozing off in the middle of obviously important events in rooms full of people?

REINER: You know, if you come to see me in my clinic and while you're talking to me, I pass out, you'll probably -- you'll probably find another doctor. If you had to worry that your pilot in the cockpit was going to fall asleep during landing or takeoff, you would probably not fly on that airplane.

So why is it acceptable in this country at this time, in this perilous time, for the president of the United States to have a really dramatic problem staying awake? During the announcement this week of the executive order changing the vaccine policy in the United States, with Secretary Kennedy literally screaming next to him, speaking very loudly next to him, the president appeared to fall asleep.

With the head of NIH on his other side speaking, right by his ear, the president appears to fall asleep.

So, there are a lot of things that can cause increased daytime somnolence in people. Probably the most common is sleep apnea. If the president has sleep apnea and it's been identified by his team, it's not being adequately treated. And it's just obvious that it's not being adequately treated because if he is sitting at his desk and he is not speaking for five minutes, his eyes are closed.

BURNETT: Yeah.

REINER: He's not getting enough sleep and he has to sleep. And untreated sleep apnea can lead to, you know, really important cardiac issues. It can precipitate or worsen cognitive disorders.

And we need the president of the United States to function effectively and it's hard to see him doing that when he falls asleep really at a moment's notice.

BURNETT: I want to ask you about one other thing that you've pointed out is very significant, which is the visible swelling that we have all seen in Trump's legs, right? It's in photos, everybody's seen it. And that actually led to a medical evaluation last summer, an unscheduled one. The president's doctor did not document any swelling at a physical a few months ago, right?

So, some people might think about that, laypeople, and say, oh, OK, the problem went away. But you write, if that's true, his swelling would be by definition acute and not chronic. And that discrepancy actually could lead you to a worse outcome?

REINER: So, the issue there was last summer, these photographs surfaced a really obvious swelling in the president's legs. The problem was that three months earlier, during his first annual physical exam, his physician, Dr. Barbabella, documented that the president had no edema, no swelling in his legs. And then just a few months later, he now has massive swelling, which by definition would now be acute since he didn't have it before.

And that's a different diagnostic concern. You know, there are issues, there are cardiac issues, there are kidney issues that can cause that. The president's swelling has been described as chronic venous insufficiency, which is very common. And if he has that, I hope he has that, because that's really a benign issue that you see in older people.

But if indeed he didn't have any swelling three months before and now he has this, what appears to be sort of massive swelling of his legs, that's a much bigger concern.

BURNETT: Yeah.

REINER: But that has not been addressed by the White House. Really none of these issues have been adequately addressed. His bruising -- his left hand isn't bruising from vigorous handshaking.

And his daytime somnolence, that was completely omitted from the president's last physical exam. It's an apparent finding. I mean, anyone who watches the president can see this. And it's distinctly not normal, but it's become normalized. Oh, the president is just asleep. BURNETT: Yeah.

REINER: It's not normal. And it really needs to be addressed.

BURNETT: No, it's not. It's like we're all sort of lobsters in boiling water, right? It's sort of the bar of what would cause people to say there's an issue has changed because we've become sort of inured to it.

Dr. Reiner, I appreciate your time and thank you very much.

REINER: My pleasure.

And next, a surprise shake-up inside the White House tonight. Late today, Trump's trusted aide Karoline Levitt said she's out. But Trump making it clear he's not cutting ties with his press secretary. We've got the new details on what's happening here.

And a troubling report about the USS Abraham Lincoln breaking tonight.

[19:30:01]

"The Military Times" reporting multiple sailors have tried to jump off the ship amid reports of severe food shortages and a lack of toothpaste, deodorant, and soap. This is the United States of America and one of its prized carriers. This is -- it's a stunning story, and the reporter who broke it will be OUTFRONT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Breaking news, President Trump in a surprise announcement saying White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is stepping down pretty much right away, end of the month. Trump saying Leavitt is doing so to spend more time with her family and serve as one of his, quote, "top outside advisors".

Now, Leavitt, of course, is the youngest ever White House press secretary. She's earned a reputation as one of Trump's fiercest defenders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: President Trump is back, and the golden age of America has most definitely begun.

[19:35:00]

Of course, the president supports peaceful protests. What a stupid question.

President Trump does not bluff, and he is prepared to unleash hell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: And Leavitt has earned Trump's admiration for her combative presence. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Isn't she great? Is Karoline great? When she gets up there with that beautiful face and those lips that don't stop, pop, pop, pop, like --like a little machine gun. She's got no fear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Gretchen Carlson's OUTFRONT now, along with former Democratic Congressman Jamaal Bowman.

Gretchen, so you know, the timing here is obviously interesting, you know, she just had a child she came back from maternity leave, and she says this is about her decision to stay with her children and to be the mother that she wants to be. What's your reaction to all this, the timing, really, and the quickness with which it's essentially a two- week notice for her leaving the White House?

GRETCHEN CARLSON, FORMER FOX NEWS HOST: Yeah. This is a huge blow to the Trump administration. I mean, for all practical purposes, whether you like Karoline Leavitt or not, she was an incredibly effective communicator for President Trump. And what I find very alarming here is that there's no replacement being announced.

And so, she is leaving. I mean, usually when somebody of this caliber in the Trump administration, being one of the most effective communicators for him, is gone, the idea that they're not announcing somebody to replace is very stunning to me.

And it was sudden. You know, as you say, like, we both had children and continued to work. I mean, it's somewhat odd to come back from maternity leave and then say you're leaving. And she's only 27 years old. I mean, she was the youngest White House press secretary ever. And the idea that she would now leave, unless money is just being, you know, offered to her beyond belief, it just seems strange to me for a couple of different reasons.

BURNETT: Right, right. And I understand the point you're making, right, with the leave itself to come back and had been settled back in. And then, and there's no doubt this is sudden, right?

CARLSON: Yeah.

BURNETT: It's sudden. It isn't a six months notice. And that's extremely unusual in a situation like this.

And, Jamaal, Trump is losing a very forceful defender, right? We played some clips there. And the timing of this is, you're right, coming into the midterms. And you've got a real issue with the war in Iran and the communication about that war, the situation with the war, obviously not good. The economy, real concern among voters.

So what do you think about the timing?

JAMAAL BOWMAN (D), FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN: Well, Trump has always had very high turnover in his administrations. I mean, it happened during the first administration. It's happening this administration. It happened, you know, on "The Apprentice" and in his real estate dealings over the course of his life. He's always had high turnover.

But you're right, she has been a fierce fighter for Donald Trump, like, one of those ones that has always been forceful, has always been unyielding, and someone who's been a huge mouthpiece for him. And so, it's harmful to the GOP. This is harmful going into the midterms.

But listen, if she wants to spend more time with her family, you know, God bless her, that she has the space to go ahead and do that. And to the point of the resources on the outside, absolutely.

And I would also say that, you know, there's a lot more flexibility outside of governing than there is inside. I can speak from personal experience. So, if she is still going to be an advisor to the administration, she can be very effective on the outside to Donald Trump and to the Republican Party.

BURNETT: Right. And of course, that's what they say the role is going to be.

You know, Gretchen, to the point of the timing here Leavitt came back about a month ago after her maternity leave for her second child and she was actually asked last year by Megyn Kelly about the growing MAGA embrace -- embrace of traditional wife, right, the trad wife.

Anybody know the trad wife movement, right? About people you know staying home and a woman's role and all of this which you can see is a very vocal silo on social media.

She was asked about it. Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEGYN KELLY, PODCAST HOST: Now there's, I think, a good thing, which is like the restoration of valuing so-called traditional moms.

LEAVITT: Right.

KELLY: And that's great. The women who take care of their kids full time, most of my best friends are doing exactly that. But it seems like in the right, there's like some, a bit of a shift toward like, you can't do what Karoline's doing. That's actually like an unsafe or a dangerous or a bad choice for families, for children, which I reject wholesale, but you hear it more and more.

LEAVITT: Yeah.

KELLY: Do you hear that? And what do you think of it?

LEAVITT: I would reject that it's a bad choice. Is it a tough choice? Absolutely. As a mother, you want to be with your child 24/7. I would reject that you can't be a good mom and be good at your job. I think you can do both.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BURNETT: You know, this is a really fascinating exchange there, Gretchen, okay? And what Megyn's referring to is real, right? That there has been a complete rejection in certain political circles of women who choose to have children and also have work in the workforce, okay?

So when you think about that conversation, and now we're in this moment, what do you think?

CARLSON: Well, first of all, I honor Karoline Leavitt for actually speaking what I believe, which is you can do both, and I think what you believe as well. I mean, we're both mothers, but we had very storied careers and continue to have careers.

So, I applaud her for saying that she doesn't consider herself to be a trad wife. However, the entire MAGA movement that she defends believes a lot in the trad wife situation.

And if you asked a question, if the next question would have been, do you think women should be paid the same amount as men? I don't know what the answer would have been. Or do you think that women get paid only 70 cents on the dollar to every man for the same job? I'm not sure what the answer would have been to that.

So, it's a very interesting dichotomy to me. Again, hats off to Karoline Leavitt for being 27 years old and having one of the most powerful jobs in the nation. I just think it's odd that she's leaving.

And one other thing I want to make sure that I point out is that of all those exits of Trump administration officials, they're usually because Trump gets rid of you and fires you. I do not believe that that is the case in this situation. He was very happy with Karoline Leavitt.

BURNETT; Yeah, it seems extremely, extremely happy -- Jamaal.

BOWMAN: Yeah, I just want to quickly add, I wouldn't take advice from the MAGA sector of our political establishment as it relates to what a woman should do with her family or her career. MAGA, they don't know what the heck they're talking about most of the time.

BURNETT: All right. Well, I appreciate both of you. Thank you very much.

And this new reporting that I mentioned a few moments ago, multiple sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is on an incredibly extended tour because of the Iran war, have tried to jump off, jump overboard. The reporter who broke the story and also talking about food shortages and a lot of shocking details, she's next.

And an incredible show in the sky.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

BURNETT: Many millions getting to see a rare total solar eclipse. It's just coming over places where a lot of people happen to live. Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is here to talk about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:47:03]

BURNETT: Tonight, a shocking new report that multiple sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have tried to jump overboard amid poor conditions and mental stress on the ship. This is according to new reporting from "The Military Times", which spoke to the wife of one of those sailors who says she's spoken to her tried to jump. He is now on a medical hold. "The Military Times", which is on board, and that sailors are running out of just basic needs, toothpaste, deodorant, soap.

This crew has been at sea for nine months amid Trump's war in Iran. That includes 250 consecutive days without setting foot on land, 250 consecutive days. That is a record.

OUTFRONT now, Natalie Oliverio. She is the "Military Times" journalist who broke the story and she is also a Navy veteran.

Natalie, I appreciate your time. I mean, the details you have in this story are -- are really stunning. I mean, my jaw drops. You know, we're talking about the USS Abraham Lincoln, and you're talking about things that I think people struggle to understand are happening in the U.S. military.

You've spoken directly with some of these families, and you're reporting on incidents involving sailors apparently trying to jump overboard. You spoke to the wife of one of them I know, and her husband served in the Navy for more than a dozen years, 13 years.

So, what have you --

NATALIE OLIVERIO, PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT, MILITARY TIMES: Thanks for having me here and for covering this story.

Speaking with in Ms. Loma, she is extremely worried and concerned about how her husband is actually doing and until she can be in front of him and see him with her own eyes, she's not really going to be able to answer that question, and facing the stresses that every military spouse faces when theirs is deployed as being a solo parent at home with three little kids. So not being able to have answers or direction is really challenging right now for her especially.

BURNETT: So, you know, look, these incidents are very disturbing. I mean, what would drive someone to be at a point where they would be willing to do that obviously is distressing to consider. But the families of sailors aboard the Lincoln are telling you about incidents like this.

They're also telling you about some of these other truly stunning details. The sailors are often hungry because there isn't enough food. The basic supplies, toothpaste, deodorant, aren't easy to get.

Now, back in April, you know, and this has been going on a long time. We talk about this ship 250 days in a row without setting foot on land, a record. So, this has been going on a long time. In April, Secretary Hegseth, you know, dismissed reports about inadequate food. He said it was fake news.

So, what's the reaction to the -- from the families that you're speaking to. They don't get to talk to their loved ones on board that ship that often. What's their reaction when the defense secretary calls this all fake news?

OLIVERIO: Confusion, hurt, lack of understanding.

[19:50:04]

They're constantly seeking some kind of reassurance or information. There's a lot of conflicting reports, a lot of different information, especially on social media within different groups and small community pages.

Those are the pages where organic conversations and relationships exist. Those aren't deep fakes or AI dupes being created. These are where families go to communicate. This is a lifeline for families who really never receive an instruction manual on how to handle your time when your loved ones deployed.

So, families are feeling left in the dark and all families are agreeing that it is absolutely unacceptable and unthinkable to imagine.

BURNETT: Well, it's unthinkable, I think, for any American to hear this reporting, frankly, and deeply disturbing to imagine that sailors who are serving this country, going 250 days without setting foot on land, nine-month deployment, would have food shortages or any-- it's upsetting.

So, we reached out to the Navy, Natalie, about your report, and they responded in a statement, and they said, quote, "We have not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship. We are not experiencing an uptick in mental health issues. aboard Abraham Lincoln."

I just wanted to give you a chance to respond to that.

OLIVERIO: My first question to that is an increase from what baseline? An increase, no increase from when? What does that measurement window look like? We did request deck logs and multiple FOIAs from the Navy, so hopefully we'll get those back and can review them independently.

But until we do, all we have is our firsthand reporting and accounts from these family members who are experiencing this and living it day after day.

BURNETT: Well, it's so important you're doing it. We're all grateful because it needs to have a light shine on it. I know, obviously, you're a veteran yourself.

Natalie, thank you very much, and I appreciate your time.

And next, the first solar eclipse in Europe in decades. So many people got to see it. Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: And now, something to celebrate tonight, a spectacular show in the sky, dazzling millions, many millions, hundreds of millions around the world. You're looking at a rare total solar eclipse visible in Europe for the first time since 1999. Day turning into night, the moon completely blocking the sun.

The path of totality, as they call that, stretched from northern Russia and across Greenland and Iceland before crossing the Atlantic into Spain and a tiny corner of Portugal.

[19:55:06]

And here in the United States, millions getting at least a piece of the show with a partial eclipse across 26 states.

NASA using the rare event as a giant experiment, chasing the moon's shadow and studying the sun's. outer atmosphere, the corona, which is invisible normally because it's just simply too bright to look at.

Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is OUTFRONT now, the Hayden Planetarium director and author of the new book "Take Me to Your Leader: Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter".

And, Neil, I mean, incredible to witness this. I'm thinking back. I've only seen one total eclipse in my life, and I randomly stumbled on it on a beach in Tahiti at 5:00 a.m. one morning. It was sort of a transformational life experience.

What stands out to you from this one?

NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON, ASTROPHYSICIST: Well, what I liked most about it, I didn't see it. I was here in New York City where we only had a little itty-bitty part of a partial eclipse.

BURNETT: Yeah.

TYSON: But in Spain, it happened late in the day and so the eclipse is happening where you can still see some of your horizon be it -- you know, you know, water or trees or mountains or buildings and so that creates a kind of a romantic setting for that eclipse. The eclipse becomes not just a cosmic event in the top of the sky it becomes something that's participating in your life's environment.

And so, that makes it quite beautiful in that image there you see the sun setting. So, yeah, these are -- the setup of this eclipse is what I think made it particularly intriguing for so many viewers.

BURNETT: Yeah, I mean, I'm just thinking back to a conversation with the Artemis astronauts and just how, gosh, the poignant beauty and the fragility of our planet, and they were able to bring that home. It's moments like this that give us all just brief moments to try to glimpse that ourselves.

Now, I know that for NASA, it was an opportunity to study essentially the atmosphere of the sun, right? The corona, which even their telescopes can't look at normally because the sun's simply too bright. What do they actually learn in these few minutes of darkness, because that's really all it is, right? It's a few minutes.

TYSON: Yeah, yeah. So, yeah, in this case, the totality lasted between one and two minutes, not very long. Even as far as short eclipses go, it's not very long. Eclipses, a good eclipse is four to six minutes.

And -- but once the sun is completely covered by the moon, notice, by the way, that the sun is 400 times farther away than the moon, and it's 400 times bigger.

So, they become the same size on the sky. And that's what makes total eclipses on Earth spectacular. They even be spectacular to an alien because other planets with their moons don't have that configuration. We've got it here on Earth. And so, I'm quite proud of that as an Earthling.

The moon's shadow as it crosses the Earth will pass over waters and oceans and lakes and cities. In this case, it went right smack through Spain, and they hadn't had one in quite some time. Notice in these images, because the eclipse happened many hours ago, that you can see it's low on the horizon. It's gorgeous.

And right at that moment where it looks like a diamond ring, that's called the diamond ring effect. It's right where just the last little smidgen of the sun is visible, and you can still see the outline That's called the diamond ring effect. It's beautiful.

BURNETT: Yeah, it is amazing when you talk about that ratio of 400 and how others don't have it. I mean, it just raises all sorts of more existential questions, shall we say.

But the timing, Neil, is amazing, not just because you got the eclipse, right? Then the Perseid meteor shower is going to be peaking after midnight in the United States. People can see that.

Okay, so that's an incredible thing.

TYSON: The United States, all the more.

(CROSSTALK)

BURNETT: So now we're going to talk about the odds of -- yeah. So, how often do things two spectacular things like this happen at the same time?

TYSON: Well -- okay, so eclipse and a meteor shower, the value of having a total solar eclipse and a meteor shower is that the moon is not a factor because the moon is -- a new moon is -- and the lit side is facing the other direction which means that evening, there is no moon. BURNETT: So, we don't see it. Yeah.

TYSON: The moon can blot out so many of the dimmer meteors that might otherwise be visible to you.

Tonight is probably the most fun meteor shower of the year because it's in the summer and you can hang out late and it's best after midnight. You wouldn't do that in the winter. There's some winter meteor showers as well.

So, the Perseid meteor showers just sit back, look up, and drink in the cosmos.

BURNETT: Yeah, but I recently saw Hail Mary, Project Hail Mary for the first time, which was a whole new kind of awakening on some of this.

But all right, Neil, I appreciate you as always. It's wonderful to see you and thank you for helping us.

Just end on a more positive note than sometimes we get to do.

TYSON: Anytime we get an excuse to look up, I'm all for it.

BURNETT: All right, it's wonderful to see you, Neil. I appreciate you.

And of course, we appreciate all of you for being with us every night.

"AC360" begins right now.