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Testimony Resumes In Tupac Shakur Murder Trial; Megachurch Pastor Thinks He Can Turn Kansas Senate Seat Blue; Now: Sen. Kelly, Gabby Giffords Campaign For Ossoff In Georgia; Sen. Jon Ossoff Slams Trump Over Rising Costs: "It Was All A Lie". Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired August 18, 2026 - 12:30   ET

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

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[12:30:51]

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, the murder trial of hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur is back in session. Prosecutors allege the defendant, Duane Davis, didn't pull the trigger in Shakur's death, but that he orchestrated the attack. Among the pieces of evidence they are talking about, references from Davis's memoir, an audio of Davis talking about his involvement in the murder. His defense maintains that all of his past comments are, quote, "full of crap."

Joel Anderson is a senior staff writer at The Ringer and co-hosted the podcast "Slow Burn: Biggie and Tupac." Thank you so much for being here. So you -- when you were putting your podcast together, that was the time when Duane Davis's memoir was released. I know you reached out to him. Can you share what his response was and how or if that informs how his defense is presenting or defending him right now?

JOEL ANDERSON, SENIOR STAFF WRITER, THE RINGER: Yes, sure. So I reached out. It would have been December of 2019. This is the final days of producing this podcast. And my -- one of my -- one of our production assistants had given me the number and I give him a call, tell him who I was. I was surprised he picked up the phone and he goes, hell no, OK? Basically.

And he said a few other words that I probably shouldn't repeat here on CNN. But my understanding and what he told me was that, look, I don't do these for free, right? And I couldn't promise him any money. That's just not the journalistic standard that we were working with at Slate. So I knew that I was going to probably not be able to talk with him.

And it didn't help that I had also spoken with the detective that had kind of landed him in all this mess. So, you know, but it was good to hear his voice on the phone. Like I was surprised that he had picked up his phone. But yes, there was -- unless I had some cash, he wasn't going to talk to me.

BASH: But what does that tell you? It's not that he didn't want to participate. He didn't want to participate unless you were willing to pay him. What does that tell you about where he is now? And what his attorneys are arguing about all of the things that he said, including in his memoir about his involvement in this murder?

ANDERSON: I think that he's a desperate old man who was suffering from cancer. So I think that that, you know, that sort of characterizes some of his response there, that he needed money really badly. I mean, think about it. I mean, he'd been a fairly prolific drug dealer for a number of years and then he had to go to prison a couple of times. That kind of took him out of the game.

And then he, you know, suffered with all these health injuries. He needed to make money some sort of way. And so he has this great story that he could capitalize on. And I think that he thought that he was protected by the law at this point.

He's like, well, nobody's ever come after me after all this time. They're never going to charge me. Even people that initially worked on this investigation said there will never be any judicial closure in this case. So I think he had a sort of a false sense of confidence that I can use this story now to help fund my lifestyle. And so he just went ahead and talked with whoever was willing to pay him enough to do it.

BASH: As somebody who dove into this case the way that you did in this fantastic podcast, are you surprised that he was charged?

ANDERSON: Oh, absolutely. Well, I mean, obviously not now, but when it happened at the time, I was, because they -- I mean, we're -- you know, at that point, it was 25, 26 years since the murder. So you're thinking, OK, well, nobody's ever going to be brought to justice on this. And even the people that worked the case thought that.

But I think a couple of things changed for Keffe D -- and I call him Keffe D, not Davis -- but one of the things that changed is that he moved. He moved from California to Nevada in that time. So that put him sort of in more legal peril, because that's where the case was active.

They ended up getting new law enforcement, a new sheriff came in, and that put him in more legal peril. Somebody who was motivated to solve the case. And then he just kept running his mouth about it. You know, like, yes, I mean, I think maybe if he had done maybe a few fewer interviews, maybe it wouldn't have antagonized as many people as it did.

But he's making a real big show of like, I was involved in this guy's murder and nobody's ever going to do anything about it. He even says that near the end of his memoir. So I think he took a little bit too many chances to -- down the stretch here.

[12:35:12]

BASH: Joel Anderson, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Maybe you'll come back as this trial goes on.

ANDERSON: Oh, I would love to. Anytime.

BASH: OK, thank you. And up next for decades, Kansas has been known for ruby red slippers and ruby red electoral maps. But for one fifth generation, wayward Kansan son, 2026 is the year for Democrats to cry no more? Stay with us.

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[12:40:00]

BASH: No one in Kansas with a D next to his or her name has come within 10 points of a Senate seat or the White House since Jimmy Carter lost by seven points 50 years ago. Even Ted Lasso might struggle to believe a Democrat could win his home state. But a megachurch pastor from the Kansas City suburbs thinks he can change all that.

And Reverend Adam Hamilton joins me now. Thank you so much for coming on. I really appreciate it. So just to give a little bit more historical context to our viewers, Democrats haven't won a Senate race in your home state of Kansas since 1932.

Your campaign celebrated record turnout during the primary, but of course, Democrats are still very outnumbered. Another data point, for every 100 GOP primary voters there were 66 Democratic primary voters. So how are you going to overcome that registration deficit?

ADAM HAMILTON (D), KANSAS SENATE CANDIDATE: Yes, well, that's a great question. So we're going to win, Democrats. We're going to run a moderate independence and moderate action. We're going to win mostly unaffiliated or the independents and many of the Republicans. So I'm traveling across the state.

As I visit with Republicans, they're saying the same things. They're saying we're frustrated and tired by the high cost of things. We recognize that there are policies that have been put forward in Washington that are causing pain for farmers, for ag. So the tariffs, the war in Iran, they're both really having a significant negative impact on people across the state.

And I'm running as an independent minded or a centrist or a moderate Democrat. I'm running to work with Republicans to fight for them and with them, along with Democrats and Independents, to do what's best for our state. And people are ready for change. They're really hungry for change.

So the other day I had a -- I was at a gathering of 65 people. About 45 of them were Republicans. And by the time we left, they said, we're all in for you. And I hear that over and over and over again from people across the state.

BASH: When you describe yourself as an independent-minded Democrat, what does that mean?

HAMILTON: It means, first of all, that I'm willing to listen. So I listen to people on both sides of the aisle. I pastor a church. Our church has 24,000 members. 9,000 of them are Republicans, 9,000 are Democrats, and 6,000 are Independents.

And when I talk with them, when I tell people, you know, I love Republicans. I have 9,000 Republicans I've pastored and loved and cared for. I care about the things they care about. And the same is true with the Democrats. And I've spent my ministry, 38 years, bringing people together as opposed to dividing them.

And so, when I think about being an independent-minded Democrat, it means I'm listening for what's best for Kansas. I'm going to be a champion for the people of Kansas. And I'm going to work together, Republicans and Democrats, to solve problems and to help -- really to help address the needs of the people in our state.

BASH: You know, one of the trends this election year, and it's specifically happening in the states surrounding you, is that candidates who are maybe more in line with Democrats are not running on the Democratic slate. They're independents. Why did you choose to run as a Democrat and not an Independent?

HAMILTON: Yes. Well, first of all, you know, our political process is still pretty binary. So, you know, I like the idea of being an independent, bringing people together, but I think you need a party (ph). And what we -- what I found here in Kansas was if I were taking that route running as an independent, I'd basically felt I was the race to our Republican Senator Roger Marshall.

And I couldn't stand the thought of six more years of that. I vote Democrat most of the time. I love the things that Democrats stand for, especially here in Kansas. So, you know, we're going to be a different kind of Democrat in Kansas than, say, in New York or somewhere else.

And our, you know, our democratic -- so our senator -- or, excuse me, our governor is Laura Kelly is a Democrat, but she works across the aisle. The same is going to be true to me. I'm going to be that kind of Democrat that works with the Republicans. I care more about what's good for the people of Kansas than I do about, you know, what any national, you know, any national party is claiming.

BASH: You talked about your church and why you think you can bring people together across the aisle in large part because of the way that you can talk to people, not just because of your Christian faith, but because you obviously feel like you can connect with them. I want to ask you about one of the issues there, and that is for farmers. There is, -- you can tell me, but it seems as though that there is a big challenge for Democrats to --

HAMILTON: Yes.

BASH: -- make an argument to rural voters that it's OK to elect them. But perhaps this year might be easier than in the past because of the affordability issue that you talked about, because farmers have been hurt by the Iran war and by tariffs.

HAMILTON: Yes.

BASH: But what do you say to them, not just about why you think that the Trump administration and Roger Marshall have been bad, but why you would be better?

HAMILTON: Yes. So, first of all, the policies have been, you know, had a devastating impact for farmers and for really small businesses across the state of Kansas, people who are low income, struggling with paying for their health insurance. You know, we have -- you know, over and over again.

[12:45:07]

But here's what I've said, is I'm going to go to Washington to be a champion for you. Our current sitting senator doesn't live in Kansas most of the time when he's not in Washington. He doesn't listen very well. He doesn't seem to be championing being their champion.

What I've heard again and again is it feels like Roger Marshall, almost as though he was hired by the White House to be their spokesperson, as opposed to hired by the people of Kansas to be their champion. So when we talk about what's going on in Kansas, we've got another sitting Republican senator who's doing a pretty good job for the people of Kansas.

But the folks have found Roger Marshall's not doing a good job for them, standing up for policies that hurt them. And I've said I'm going to be a moderate Democrat. I'm going to work the Democratic side of the aisle, and I'm going to work with Jerry Moran on the Republican side. We're going to fight for the people of Kansas, stand up for what's good for them.

We're going to help address the issues that have been caused by the tariffs. So with a tweet and a tariff, farmers can find a trade agreement that took 10 years to negotiate has just gone up in smoke. Or we find the average cost of living for people in Kansas is up $250 a month because of the tariffs and the cost of the Iran war.

This is not good for anybody here. They all know. This is -- we've got to do better. And then they're just frustrated by the polarization we find in politics out of Washington, the bullying, the indecency, children, you know, cut from their stamp benefits.

BASH: Right.

HAMILTON: People are saying we have to do better. And we will do better (ph).

BASH: Well, you would definitely be making history if you, as a Democrat, won for the first time in almost 100 years. We will be watching that race.

HAMILTON: Yes.

BASH: I appreciate you coming on. Adam Hamilton, thank you.

HAMILTON: Thank you so much for having me. Have a great day.

BASH: You too. Coming up, the ballot says 2026, the buzz says 2028. This hour, two Democrats fueling presidential chatter hit the campaign trail together. And we're going to take you there live.

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[12:51:18]

BASH: Welcome back. You're looking at live pictures of a event in Georgia where two people are being introduced. One is the Democratic senator running for re-election, Jon Ossoff. Another will be Mark Kelly, the senator from Arizona. The official business is the 2026 midterm election, which is happening in November.

But the 2028 subplot is very obvious. Both Ossoff and Kelly are generating Presidential buzz, fueled in part by their proven knack for getting under President Trump's skin. Case in point, on Sunday, Ossoff took a dig, many digs, at the President and name-checked his executive assistant, Natalie Harp.

Here's the comment that lit the fuse and some of the back and forth since.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JON OSSOFF (D), GEORGIA: He doesn't want to do the job.

CROWD: No, no.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lazy.

OSSOFF: He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yesterday, Jon Ossoff said that you'd rather travel with your aide, Natalie Harp, and build the ballroom than do your job as President. What is your response?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Who say that?

HOLMES: Jon Ossoff?

TRUMP: You mean Pee-wee Herman? Pee-wee Herman lookalike?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You specifically mentioned her and I just wonder why?

OSSOFF: Well, I've heard this particular aide referred to as his security blanket. And I think we could say that about any number of the senior aides in the White House. They're not telling him what he needs to hear. They're telling him what he wants to hear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Kristen Holmes, first and foremost, that question and other questions that you asked of the President were, as always, excellent. And, you know, we applaud you for doing real journalism at the White House and continuing to do that.

On this whole question of Ossoff, it is interesting the way that he, the Georgia senator, has found ways to specifically not just break through the noise, but to do it by getting under the President's skin. And in this case, it worked probably more than he thought in his wildest dreams.

HOLMES: Yes, under his skin, under the White House's skin. So there's a couple of things going on here. One, you have to remember Trump has a history with Ossoff, which is Ossoff likely would not have won his race in Georgia and been senator if Trump hadn't inserted himself into that Senate race, got David Perdue spun up about the 2020 election, which people did not want to keep talking about, and essentially lost the race.

And many Georgia voters blamed President Trump at that time for the fact that Perdue lost. So already starting point is President Trump does not like Jon Ossoff, neither does his team. But I understand the Democrat Party really parade him out in this kind of soft launch.

And I know he says he has zero interest in running in 2028, but it's not lost on everybody in the Republican Party that at a time in which the Republican polling numbers are in the tank, President Trump's approval numbers are in the tank.

The entire country, at least 74 percent, according to our poll, is angry about the war in Iran that he is going to lash out at a potential contender for 2028, and particularly one who has figured out a way to needle him --

BASH: Exactly.

HOLMES: -- in a specific way that actually impacts him unlike anything we've really been able to see before.

BASH: Well, exactly. And the sort of Natalie Harp of it all got the most attention. But if you watch the rest of his speech, which I know you were there, it was much more focused on the issue that voters care about, which is affordability. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OSSOFF: -- just to lower prices on day one. And I want the President's remaining supporters to hear this because it was all a lie.

CROWD: Yes.

OSSOFF: Under Donald J. Trump, it costs more than ever to stock your fridge.

CROWD: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir. OSSOFF: To power your home, to make a cup of coffee, to buy school supplies for your kid or a tractor for your farm. So say it again with me now, Atlanta. Enough --

CROWD: Enough --

OSSOFF: -- is enough.

CROWD: Enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:55:21]

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: So, yes, enough is enough has become a mantra of Ossoff on the campaign trail. And what I think is so interesting is even when he's criticizing Donald Trump or his opponent, Mike Collins, he brings it back to the affordability message. He says because they are doing these bad things, whatever they may be, they are therefore not focusing on the issues that are more important to you, like prices at the gas pump or the grocery store.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: There's no doubt. I mean, Ossoff is someone to watch for November, but he has to win in November, otherwise, the 2028 talk is moot.

BASH: Yes, very good point. Thank you all for being here.

Thank you for joining Inside Politics. CNN News Central starts after a quick break.

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