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Laura Coates Live
U.S. Hits Iran with New Strikes; Trump Downplays Rising Costs Amid War; NYT: Epstein Files Caused Freakout Inside the White House; Trump Rips Platner; Knicks Pull Off Historic Comeback to Win Game Four of NBA Finals. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired June 10, 2026 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TARA SETMAYER, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, THE SENECA PROJECT: Everyone should experience the beauty, the glorious Jersey Shore. And it is, people give Jersey a bad name, but the Jersey Shore is a wonderful place. It's my happy place.
[23:00:09]
Everyone should eat Zeppoles, get a slice of pizza, do a couple of fist bumps and sing some Bon Jovi karaoke, and eat disco fries at two in the morning.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: All right, Horace. Jersey Shore.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: Having just taken the family on a Route 66 trip, I heartily recommend it. Go to Seligman, Arizona, and you'll be amazed at the Americana you see.
PHILLIP: All right, everyone, thanks very much. Thanks for watching "NewsNight." Before we go, special programming note, our "Summer Fridays" are back here at "NewsNight." We will take the show on a field trip to the "Food Network." We'll be broadcasting from the test kitchen, and we'll have some food and drinks, lively conversation as well, starting this Friday. Don't miss it. Meanwhile, "Laura Coates Live" starts right now.
LAURA COATES, CNN HOST AND SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: President Trump hits Iran with new strikes and threatens more tomorrow if Iran does not agree to a deal. Is this how he gets an agreement or how the war gets bigger? Plus, inflation hits its highest level in three years. And Trump says the thing no one wants to hear, I love the inflation. The president also labels Graham Platner a thug and a pig. A former GOP senator is making the character argument and telling Democrats, back Susan Collins. Tonight on "Laura Coates Live."
All right, we've got fast moving breaking news tonight as the U.S. carries out a wave of new strikes against Iran. Iranian leaders claim they're shutting down the Strait of Hormuz to all ships in response. And now, the risk of returning to an all-out war, it's higher than it has been in weeks.
The president says Iranian officials called him while he was in the Situation Room tonight and told him to stop the bombing. He also said to Fox News that if Iran doesn't agree to a deal, he will -- quote -- "bomb the 'S' out of them tomorrow night." Trump put it in slightly different terms earlier today while in the Oval Office. Either Iran can sign or the U.S. will keep striking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We hit them hard yesterday. And we're going to hit them again hard today in case you miss it, in case you don't turn on your television set. And we'll see what happens with the deal. All they have to do is they have to start signing a paper. It's fully negotiated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Now, Trump has been floating a potential deal. I mean, over and over and over again. Somewhere in the ballpark of three dozen times. And today, there was a new reason to ask how critical that deal really is. Economic data showing the fastest price hikes since 2023. But the president did not flinch or show signs that it's weighing on him. Instead, he said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Are you concerned, Mr. President, about the latest inflation number which came out this morning? Could that be --
TRUMP: No. I love it. The numbers look great. You know what I really love? I love the inflation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: OK. Now, look, I know Trump is no stranger to provocative answers. But loving, loving the inflation? Well, that's an all-time headscratcher, isn't it? I can't think of anybody who loves inflation. They're saying you love surge pricing because everyone wants to get into Madison Square Garden. Even the Biden White House admitted inflation was a problem coming out of COVID. It just waved it away as transitory. And you'd think that that's still fresh in people's minds, right? Because it is. A chart like this would give Trump some cause for concern. Annual inflation rising to a three-year high. That's more than four percent. But Trump has been saying for weeks that sticker shock isn't going to change his approach to the war. And when it comes to Iran, your wallet ain't his concern.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): How much longer will Americans continue to see these high gas prices?
TRUMP: Well, they're not very high.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): To what extent are American financial situations motivating you to make a deal?
TRUMP: Not even a little bit. I don't think about American financial situation. I don't think about anybody. I think about one thing. You cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.
You want to see the world exploded. You want to see a problem. And this is peanuts. And I appreciate everybody putting up with it for a little while.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: I want to begin with retired major general, Randy Manor, and senior director of Iran Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Benham Ben Taleblu. Glad to have both of you here as we are seeing this fast-moving news tonight. I mean, Benham, the president tells Fox News that the bombings will continue tomorrow night if Iran does not agree to a deal.
[23:05:02]
Does that pressure actually have the effect he wants on Iran?
BENHAM BEN TALEBLU, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF IRAN PROGRAM, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: In the short to medium term, in my view, absolutely not. I think the Islamic Republic is going to double down. This is about face saving and saving their own head. They have two short-term goals right now, surviving and preventing Donald Trump from getting a victory image.
Giving up to the president as early as tomorrow and being motivated by strikes that were slightly increased in intensity compared to the previous night is a victory image that this regime is keen ideologically, politically, and strategically, despite it being weaker than ever, to not give the U.S. commander-in-chief.
COATES: That's an interesting term, victory image. I wonder, Ben, if they are considering, obviously, the election calendar the United States has because, clearly, a president would want to seize upon that image going into elections. They're keenly aware?
TALEBLU: They're aware, but I think they're more aware of the two other Ms that are motivating the president. Maybe midterm is more for the White House and the Republican Party. It's media and markets. And the war the regime is really fighting is the narrative war, is the media war, about, you know, framing this into a much larger anti- Trump, a much larger anti-American debate, and a debate that could actually handicap the future of U.S. foreign policy against much stronger adversaries like China, like Russia in the years moving ahead.
COATES: Really important analysis there. General, I mean, the IRGC insists that the strait is closed in response to this latest round of attacks. And then Trump's former national security advisor, John Bolton who, of course, they have interesting relationship, he says the United States should forcefully, it's his words, reopen the strait. What would that look like? How risky would that be?
MAJ. GEN. RANDY MANNER, RETIRED MAJOR GENERAL, U.S. ARMY: It's extremely risky and it's not really possible. It's important to understand that the Iranians are in far more powerful position than they were before the war started. They actually realized that they have the United States economically on the ropes militarily, even though we are a very powerful military, the most powerful on earth.
The reality is we are having a very, very tough time to be able to deal with all of the drones and with all of the missiles. The reality is we had two --
COATES: Wait. Why are we having a tough time with that given our --
MANNER: A great example -- a great example is we had two airmen, two 82nd Airborne pilots in the water for two hours. That's unheard of. They should have been rescued by a helicopter in under 30 minutes. The area is so small. The problem was we probably did not have air superiority, and they were concerned that we would actually lose more helicopters instead of sending in a boat. There's a lot more to this story that makes it very difficult.
So, here's the situation. They control the strait. The United States would be -- it would cost a tremendous amount of manpower and of ships and aircraft to be able to do it. We are already down one quarter to one-third of our munitions. It will take at least two to four years to replace them. In contrast, the Iranians can still produce missiles and drones and use them to, quite frankly, hold us hostage as well as the economy of the world.
COATES: And yet, I found this very interesting today, as so many people did, when the president revealed that the United States military was secretly helping to move over a hundred million barrels of oil. And that's through the Strait of Hormuz, I should note. And he thinks this is why the price of oil has not spiked to over or to 250.
So, does that give Iran now, knowing that he has either articulated this or it has been revealed to them in some way, is the new reason to clamp down and capitalize on their weaponization of the strait?
TALEBLU: I'm not sure because the Islamic Republic is in its own hardline media as of tonight, saying that the strait is permanently closed. Previously, they had alleged that they had set up a toll booth and would force other countries to pay in crypto or cash or other means to be able to get their vessels through.
In this debate over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran and America are actually less important than this other third party, which we don't talk enough about, which is private shippers, private insurers, the people who actually own and insure the tankers and the commodities on the tankers.
COATES: What leverage do they have --
TALEBLU: They don't have leverage.
COATES: -- on these two powers?
TALEBLU: They don't have leverage. They're stuck in between the two. But the one real way we'll know the strait is fully open or fully closed is by the behavior of these ships. If they feel confident enough to come and work with the U.S., great. Prior to Trump telling us this story, I think it was reported that about 70 vessels had been escorted out as part of some secret mini-mission. That was not as public as Operation Project Freedom.
I do think now that the president has said this, perhaps there might be more of a target if Iran wants to escalate on the backs of these vessels. But we'll have to wait and see if the president makes good on this threat tomorrow first.
COATES: General, walk me through your thoughts on what you're looking for in the next 24 hours.
MANNER: I think that these attacks by the United States will continue, and they'll be escalated. It's rather interesting that the -- to the downing of one Apache helicopter, the United States attacked over a dozen sites, perhaps even as many as two dozen sites. That's absolutely an escalation.
[23:10:00]
And then, of course, the president is now going all in again to say that he's going to continue the attacks. So, the question is going to be really how long will this be. I don't see any end to this because the president -- his own ego is getting in the way of finding a way to deal with the nuclear issue rather than -- quote, unquote -- "how the Iranians do what he wants," which is not -- he has no influence on them, quite frankly.
COATES: General Manner, Benham, thank you both so much. As I mentioned, President Trump is embracing that new inflation report. Speaker Mike Johnson says his comments were taken out of context. But former Trump loyalist turned critic, Marjorie Taylor Greene, well, she sees it differently.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, FORMER GEORGIA REPRESENTATIVE: The president campaigned against Joe Biden because of the inflation that happened while the Democrats were in control back in 2022, 2023. But here, the president say today that he loves inflation is absolutely outrageous. And that's a punch in the gut to every single American that is struggling to pay their bills, struggling to pay grocery prices, and struggling to basically keep up while their credit card debt is mounting and mounting.
You know, it's pretty hard to take from a billionaire president when he says he loves inflation brought on the American people because of a war that he decided to pursue. And, you know, that one is going to come back and bite him. He basically just handed the Democrats a great big campaign ad for the 2026 midterms.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: With me now, former Democratic congressman from New York, Joe Crowley, and Republican strategist Jeff Burton. Gentlemen, thank you for being here. I got to go right to this, Jeff. I mean, Trump ran against inflation. I mean, this used to be the big story. He called it Biden inflation. You heard him talking about this. Why say he loves it?
JEFF BURTON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I would have definitely not used those words. I won't speak for the president himself. But I know that the president and Republicans are laser-focused on helping the American people. They're worried about -- they're not worried about sound bites. They are worried about gas prices, the overall economy, their jobs, and the cost of groceries. And that's what Republicans in Congress and the president are laser-focused on.
COATES: But, you know, the war impacts all of these. That's part of the issue that people are looking at. And people are connecting the dots of all these things.
And in an interview with the New York Post, the president says, again, he loves the inflation numbers because -- quote -- "despite the fact that we're in a war, the numbers are much lower than anticipated, and when we're out of that war, the numbers will be at lower numbers than they were even before it started."
I mean, it could be worse, could be better. This isn't particularly, you know, encouraging. Can it be for American families?
JOE CROWLEY, FORMER NEW YORK REPRESENTATIVE: This is a very unpopular war.
COATES: Yes.
CROWLEY: So, to add insult to injury, people don't like the war we're in. They don't understand why we're in this war. And the president really has never come clean with the American people as to why we are here, how this started in the first place.
But, you know, there's -- I think, Jeff, you're familiar with this adage, political adage, if you're explaining, you're losing. And the president did lot of explaining today, calling up a reporter to say, that's not really what I meant.
You know, he said what he said. It will be used against Republicans. No question about it. I think, Laura, what's more to the point, it really demonstrates the real disconnect between this president -- and I'm not saying it's unique. Presidents before, they don't know what the price of gasolines is. They're never driving a car anymore. They're not actually shopping for themselves. But I think they're informed by their staff as to what's really happening out there. But this really shows the divide between this president, his mega wealth, and his distance between the working men and women in this country, and how they're struggling right now to make ends meet.
COATES: There -- I mean, yes, I agree that presidents are going to be our touch for the everyday American, even when they run as an outsider, as he certainly tried to do. But Jeff, I mean, it's hard as a strategist to try to figure out how to correct what he is saying and put it in the words of something that's helpful to the American families who want to be voting for what they want. I mean -- but he then goes a little bit further. He would ask if 4.2 percent inflation would be the peak. The president said he thinks it would be. I mean, is it a mistake to try to put a marker on it?
BURTON: I think that's definitely the hope and it's hope of all Republicans that that's the case and there's a quick end to this conflict in Iran. To Joe's point, it's clear why we're there, and it's to avoid a nuclear Iran. And that affects all of our enemies, China, Russia, and our global economy. It is all 100 percent connected.
But we haven't seen -- we've seen this from President Trump for 10 years now, where he's saying these sound bites. The American people know. You see thousands of people still at his rallies everywhere he goes, more than any Democrat has gotten for both presidential races. He's in touch with these -- with the Americans. He's in touch with what they need. Right now, he's having to make a tough decision on our security and safety because it is all connected, like I said.
[23:15:02]
CROWLEY: But this is not the first time he has fumbled on the issue of affordability. He ran on affordability. Some would suggest he actually won because he was speaking to those issues. But he has done nothing to address those issues. The price of gas has gone up. The price of food -- eggs may be down, but the price of beef is way up. The price of other produce is way up. You know, putting healthy meals on the table has become incredibly expensive for the American public. And, you know, a gallon of milk is $6 to $10, depending where you're living.
I was just out in California. I couldn't believe the price of gas was over $6 a gallon. That may be something that someone like a Donald Trump or even myself can absorb. I don't like it, but I'll absorb it. You know, the average person out there on the streets, they cannot absorb that.
BURTON: And I will say the cost -- I live in California. The cost of gas in California is high because of the state taxes, not because of anything with the federal government.
CROWLEY: They'll shut down refineries for a lot of reasons.
COATES: Look, it costs $9 for a pound of ground beef. I'm just telling you. I mean, taco Tuesday is a whole different (INAUDIBLE). I'm thinking about it right now. And that's just one of the factors of it. But I do go to the grocery store, unlike any president of the United States.
But let me turn to this because the reflecting pool is living rent- free in the president's mind, even as we're talking about all these issues. I mean, he signed a DHS funding bill. And while he was doing it, he was talking about the renovation for like seven minutes, guys. Listen to some of the highlights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: We have a safe city there. We also have a beautiful city. We had 22 fountains. Every one of them didn't work. In 1922, it was built. It was called the reflecting pond or the reflecting lakes. So, we sandblasted the surface. We fumigated it. We took out 11 dumpsters, big dumpsters full of garbage. When you have something that's 2,500 feet long, this tremendous expansion, who would think of this? Only person that doesn't like me.
We did a much bigger job than originally planned because once we put that in, it looked so good. The sidewalks outside didn't look good anymore. Now, we're doing a new surface on the World War II fountain because the surface is so bad. But everybody is looking at that reflecting pool. They can't believe it. It reflects. We used a dark blue.
That's where Martin Luther King made his great speech. And they say he had a million people. I had more people than him. But they said I had 25,000 and he had a million. But I'm not going to argue with Martin Luther King.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: So, why? I mean, you look at this and your point earlier was he made a very clear argument to the American people about the war. He's making a more clear, persuasive discussion about the reflecting pool than he was ever forthcoming initially about the war. Why is he so fixated on this?
BURTON: It's who he is. He's a builder. And when --
COATES: Now, he's the president, though.
BURTON: Yes, but you don't separate the person from the office. He can fortunately multitask in the administration and multitask many things. You look at D.C. couple years ago, you couldn't walk down the streets of D.C. There were members of Congress -- Democrat Henry Cuellar from Texas got carjacked in Navy Yard just less than two miles from the Capitol. It was dangerous. Joe, you know that. It's --
COATES: There's a lot of states. I was a prosecutor. I hear your point.
BURTON: Absolutely.
COATES: The United States --
BURTON: But you look at the beautification of our Capitol. It is a signal to the rest of the world and it was decrepit. And that's part of this and that's who the president is. But, unfortunately, that's not the only thing that he's focused on. It was a very concise message. I think that most -- many Americans have had their eighth- grade kids come and visit, and they certainly do.
CROWLEY: He actually hijacked his own press conference.
COATES: Right. CROWLEY: Instead of talking about the immigration bill, he's talking about building. This is like the Roman Empire and "The Hunger Games" coming to Washington, D.C.
BURTON: But --
CROWLEY: They're going to have an ultra-fight, a vicious fight on the White House lawn, and that's like "Gladiators." And they're going to have car race like a chariot ride. It's like the Holy Roman Empire, the Roman Empire, not the holy one, the Roman Empire right here in D.C. today because of Donald Trump. He sees himself as an emperor.
BURTON: Joe, no, he does not. And Republicans would not let that. But --
CROWLEY: They are letting him be the emperor. There's no doubt about it.
COATES: There you go. And this because you made the reference. I'll just do a thumbs down. There you go. Because I like the gladiator. There you go.
(LAUGHTER)
Joe, Jeff, thank you both so much. Still ahead, stunning new reporting about the freak out inside the White House over the Epstein files. Situation Room meetings, shouting matches with F-bombs and finger pointing. Could the revelations now add a new problem for Todd Blanche's bid to become the attorney general officially? Plus, Bill Gates testifies before the House committee investigating the Epstein files. What he had to say? Congressman James Walkinshaw was there for the testimony, and he'll join me on all of it, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: The Situation Room is usually reserved for the most classified and the most sensitive operations. And, apparently, that includes damage control from the Epstein files. "The New York Times" reports the Trump White House used the secure bunker to hold at least three meetings last summer to deal with the Epstein fallout.
These weren't small strategy sessions. The Times reports these meetings were full of cursing and finger pointing among the attendees. Vice President J.D. Vance was at the table, head of the table, senior White House staffers, then Attorney General Pam Bondi, and FBI Director Kash Patel. They were all there.
And Trump made it clear he wanted the files buried, apparently. So, according to the Times, all of them put their heads together to try and manage the crisis and protect the reputation of one President Trump, even if he was not accused of a crime. In fact, "The New York Times" reports that Vance made a pitch seemingly tailor-made for the president.
[23:24:56]
He suggested that Tucker Carlson should interview Epstein's longtime girlfriend and convicted sex trafficker, Ghislaine Maxwell, to clear Trump's name. The deputy A.G. at the time, Todd Blanche, ultimately, as you know, interviewed Maxwell. But there were some in the administration that thought those transparency efforts didn't go far enough.
Then Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino repeatedly warned that Trump's MAGA base was furious and believed the White House was covering up the severity of the scandal. The Times reports Bongino warned -- quote -- "This is going to be President Trump's Iran-contra."
I want to bring in Congressman James Walkinshaw, a Democrat from Virginia. He sits on the House Oversight Committee which is, of course, investigating the Epstein files. Congressman, thank you for being here. This is pretty extraordinary, to think this is happening, and then using that room to hold meetings on the Epstein scandal. Well, will you be asking any of the people who were involved in that meeting, active participants, it seems, to come before your committee?
REP. JAMES WALKINSHAW (D), VIRGINIA: What we learned today with this reporting is that this cover-up was directed by the highest levels of the White House. The vice president himself, as you said, sitting at the head of the table orchestrating this cover-up to protect Donald Trump from embarrassment or worse with respect to the Epstein files. And Democrats on the Oversight Committee want to talk to everyone who is around those tables.
I want to mention Pam Bondi. Pam Bondi came before our committee and was asked specifically about conversations she had with folks at the White House about decisions to release the files, decisions to redact certain files. She refused to answer those questions before our committee. It's one of the reasons we have demanded that she be under oath in the deposition for the world to see, not in a behind closed- door transcribed interview, which is what the Republicans gave her.
COATES: That was one of the biggest frustrations for people, not to have even the oath for somebody who was a former attorney general of the United States, obviously. And I just wonder what the panic, which obviously triggered these meetings, what that reveals to you about the concerns within the department and abroad?
WALKINSHAW: I've always been perplexed by how desperate Trump and the Trump White House have been to prevent the files from being released, to prevent information from coming out about Epstein. And we now know that there are many, many connections between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, and that Donald Trump has repeatedly lied to the American people about it. He said he never flew on Epstein's planes. The files revealed he took four flights on Epstein's plane. He said they didn't have a relationship. We've heard from some that they were best friends at times. Time after time after time connection between Trump and Epstein that Trump has lied about it.
COATES: Yes.
WALKINSHAW: What else is there that we don't know?
COATES: A good question. I have one about Bill Gates, though, as well because you did hear today from the Microsoft founder who voluntarily testified about Epstein. I mean, he denied witnessing or knowing about any criminal conduct from him. But he did say quote -- "I learned Epstein had become aware of sensitive information about my personal life, including the fact that I had been unfaithful in my marriage. These affairs had nothing to do with my interactions with Epstein, but they were painful for my family." He says he's a victim of blackmail. Do you see him as a victim?
WALKINSHAW: There is no question that Jeffrey Epstein was working towards blackmailing Bill Gates. He used the information that he gained about the affair Gates was involved in. He began providing payments to the woman that Gates was involved in, then asked Gates to reimburse him for those payments, to try to create a money trail. He wasn't ultimately successful in bringing that blackmail to conclusion, but he was moving in that direction.
And this is really important because in July of 2025, the Department of Justice released an unsigned memo saying there was no evidence that Epstein had blackmailed anyone. Now, technically, perhaps, that was true, but the files revealed even then that Epstein used blackmail, tried to use blackmail against Bill Gates. Who else has he tried to blackmail? The Department of Justice led by Pam Bondi at the time shut that conversation down in July of 2025.
COATES: Any trust that Todd Blanche, if he leads it, will continue that conversation?
WALKINSHAW: Zero. Zero trust. I mean, Todd Blanche has said publicly, there's nothing more to see here, and we all should move on. That's his position. He says that to the American people. He says that to the survivors of Epstein's crimes who are still demanding transparency and accountability.
COATES: Congressman James Walkinshaw, thank you for joining.
Up next, Trump going after Graham Platner in Maine as Democrats start to rally around his Senate campaign. Scandal and all. My next guest says it's a mistake because he has seen his party make the same one before. Former Republican U.S. Senator Jeff Flake is going to join me, next.
[23:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: President Trump just waited on the tensed Senate race happening in Maine. He confirmed he's fully backing Republican Susan Collins while acknowledging the two haven't been best friends. As for her Democratic opponent, Graham Platner, the president had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: And what's that thug that's up in Maine? He's a thug. And they're trying to make excuses for him. I mean, he's worse than any human being that has ever run for office probably because he's just an outright pig. He's like a pig. I watched him a couple of times.
[23:35:00]
He's like a pig.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Platner's campaign has been plagued by several scandals in recent weeks. But today, a number of Democratic senators made it clear they are still standing by him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: Platner won a resounding landslide victory. And I think the message is that in Maine, and in fact throughout this country, people really are sick and tired of status quo politics.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D), MASSACHUSETTS: He has asked the people of Maine to judge him based on the work he has done since then.
SEN. ADAM SCHIFF (D), CALIFORNIA: He won the nomination. That was the decision of Maine voters, and I respect that decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: My next guest argues that's a mistake. He's out with a brand- new op-ed for "The Washington Post" titled "Why Maine Democrats Should Back Susan Collins."
Former Republican senator from Arizona, Jeff Flake, joins me now. Senator, welcome. You are calling on Democratic voters and politicians to reject their own candidate in Maine and back a Republican instead. Why?
JEFF FLAKE, FORMER ARIZONA SENATOR: Because it's the right thing to do. And in the end, I'm confident that Maine voters will do that. I don't think that this is the end of the scandals. I think we'll hear more. The question is, will Democratic leaders encourage them to do the right thing?
My party hasn't always done the right thing in the past. I would argue we did the wrong thing in 2016, did the wrong thing in 2024. But there are times when we did the right thing.
In 2017, when Jeff Sessions resigned from the Senate to be part of first Trump cabinet, that left a vacancy. And Republicans nominated in Alabama Roy Moore when he was credibly accused of pursuing teenage girls. And republicans came out ultimately and did not endorsement him, withdrew their endorsement. I actually wrote a campaign check to his Democratic opponent, and his Democratic opponent won. You know, two years later, you know, Republicans reclaimed that seat, but Republicans did the right thing. There are other examples as well.
COATES: And yet, many would argue they are too far and few and far between in order to talk about purely voters looking at the sort of moral high ground complex. But I want to read you something to that point --
FLAKE: Right.
COATES: -- "The Washington Post." A "Washington Post" reader commented on your very piece. "Taking the high road got us two terms of Donald Trump. Time to win elections instead of virtue signaling." You are arguing that character, character matters more than winning elections.
FLAKE: Yes.
COATES: But what is your response to Democrats who are fed up with that mindset?
FLAKE: I would -- I'll try to find what they're talking about, that, you know, pursuing character got us Donald Trump. Certainly, Republicans should have done better, but Democrats weren't part of that. So, I would argue.
Another case, in early 1990s, David Duke was the Republican nominee in Louisiana for the governorship. President Bush at that time said, no, we shouldn't back the Republican, it's bad for the brand, certainly not who we are. And several Republican senators as well endorsed the Democrat who had a bit of, you know, a scandal of his own. In fact, there are bumper stickers of the time saying vote for the crook. It's important. And Republicans backed the Democrat.
Now, that has been a long-held tradition where you didn't used to be so partisan, and it shouldn't be so now. In the end, if Democrats continue to support Platner and he wins, I would argue that in the end, that's to the detriment of the Democratic Party. Democrats have always said that we stand for -- you know, hearing women and whatnot. But here, they say, well, that's not as important as electing this man because he'll beat the Democrat -- I'm sorry, he'll beat the Republican. And in the end, it may be a short-term victory, but long- term, it's bad for the Democratic Party.
COATES: What about the argument that many Democrats will say, why should Democrats have to be the ones to take the higher ground while Republicans seem to be thriving beneath the earth?
FLAKE: Well, I wouldn't argue that we're thriving. I'm a conservative. I'm straining to find a conservative principle that we're achieving with this president. So, no, I would argue that we haven't seen many successes on our side, if you're a conservative, at least. Yeah, we have power right now, but what is that getting us?
And in the end, political pendulums swing, and they'll swing wildly. I would just argue for the Democrats, if you elect character, if that is foremost, in the end, long term, you'll be better off at achieving the principles that you want to achieve. [23:40:03]
COATES: A really thought-provoking piece. Thank you, Jeff Flake. I appreciate it.
FLAKE: Thank you.
COATES: All right, breaking news out of NYC. We're live outside of MSG where the Knicks have just claimed game four in historic fashion and are now just one game away from winning it all. Reactions from the garden right after this.
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UNKNOWN (voice-over): -- operate at the top one-on-one.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Brunson gets it, fires up a three. Shot no good. The tip-in is gone! It's gone! It's gone! With 1.2 remaining, Knicks take the lead!
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COATES: Follow your shot, the old age principle. Breaking news because New York Knicks followed their shot, taking game four against the San Antonio Spurs in a wild finish and a huge, I mean a huge comeback.
[23:44:58]
The Knicks sank a bucket to put them ahead with one second to go. They have been behind by as much as 29 points. Their comeback now the biggest in NBA Finals history. Now, they're up three games to one. Game five heads back to San Antonio on Saturday.
I want to bring in CNN -- maybe on Friday. Let me bring in CNN's Mark Morales outside Madison Square Garden. Mark, what is the mood there right now?
MARK MORALES, CNN REPORTER: Well, when you talk about historic games, this is certainly one of them. And when you talk about the mood, I mean, you can hear it behind me. I mean, it's not just that everybody is happy, but you look at how the game went, and they went from being down an incredible amount, almost 30 points, to coming all the way down. And it's one thing to win, it's another thing to win in a huge comeback, and then it's another thing to come back and win on the last second shot.
And I'll give you a little peek behind the curtain to answer your question about the energy. We were watching the game on our phones. The original plan was to watch at the watch party. But since that was cancelled, there was no way to actually see. So, our delay on our phones is about maybe 10 to 15 seconds. But for the bar that's right next door, they were out, they were watching in real time. So, we were actually hearing the screams and the cheers before we saw it on our phone. So, that's how we knew that good things were happening in this game for the Knicks.
COATES: Wow!
MORALES: We actually heard the screams and the cheers before this actually happened.
COATES: I mean, we're watching --
MORALES: -- we saw it on our phones. So --
COATES: Yes, we're watching right now the reactions inside. You got people like Latrell Spreewell reacting. You got Marcus Camby reacting. You got Jerry Seinfeld with his chin on his chest realizing what just happened because most of the game, you had New Yorkers who look like they were hit by a bus right down, you know, Sixth Avenue because they were down by so many points, and then that comeback, unbelievable.
MORALES: Yes. What you had was the full gamut of being a Knicks fan for the last 30 years.
(LAUGHTER)
So, at the very beginning and for the first three quarters, you had same old Knicks. And the look that you saw on people's faces was here we go again. And this is actually a kind of feeling that you never really experienced.
So, I'm going to bring in a fan right now. This is somebody who was actually in the game. This is somebody a Knicks fan who actually watched this. Sir, can you tell us what that felt like?
UNKNOWN: It was the craziest game and the most -- I am emotionally drained. That was the best thing I've ever seen. Let's go, Knicks! Knicks in fire, baby!
MORALES: Why were you emotionally drained?
UNKNOWN: Down by 29. Down by 29. And we come back in the second half. That was crazy. But the whole crowd stayed in it. It was awesome. Awesome.
MORALES: Does that happen? Do they come back when they're down 29?
UNKNOWN: Yes, man. Yes.
COATES: Wow!
MORALES: That's the difference now, is that for the last 30 years, they didn't come back. And that's what's different about this team. And that's the -- that's what you hear when you hear these people cheering outside.
COATES: New Yorkers are going to be talking all night about this. Mark, thank you so much. I want to get more reaction from our sports expert tonight, L.A. Times op-ed columnist and host of the "LZ Granderson Show" podcast, LZ Granderson. All right, LZ, I mean, they were emotionally drained. That could describe everyone who was a Knicks fan all across the globe. They just pulled off the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history. All right, what Trump curse?
(LAUGHTER)
LZ GRANDERSON, OP-ED COLUMNIST FOR LOS ANGELES TIMES, PODCAST HOST, VISITING SCHOLAR AT WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY: You know, I don't know if it was a full-on Trump curse, and then you saw it being broken in the same night. You know, it was a tremendous game because it was a game of two halves, right? The first half was all Spurs. You know, they had -- they couldn't miss a single three-pointer. The youth was really showing. They were crisp, they were all over the court, and they didn't turn the ball over. They didn't turn the ball over until they scored a 60th point. So, they were clinging with the ball, they were hitting every shot, and their energy was all over the place. They're playing like a desperate team.
In the second half, I think they took their foot off the gas a little bit, but the Knicks never stopped fighting. And by the time the Spurs realized the Knicks hadn't stopped fighting, it was too late. Momentum had already swung. But the thing to me that's really sort of interesting is that, you know, there's this conversation about, you know, who could be the MVP. And there was criticism directed towards Jalen Brunson --
COATES: Yes.
GRANDERSON: -- for, you know, maybe shooting too much, trying to go for the MVP. You know, OG Anunoby, who had the tip in, is also the player that blocked De-Aaron Fox's shot. It was about 10 seconds left to set up that game winning tip in. So --
COATES: Yes.
GRANDERSON: -- I think, you know, (INAUDIBLE) by MVP has gotten a lot bigger after tonight.
COATES: Well, look, I want to go right to the court because you know who's over there? Omar Jimenez is inside the garden.
[23:49:59]
I got to hear you, Omar, who also, by the way, was a college basketball. I'm going to call you a star at this point as well. Omar, can you hear me?
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
COATES: You're on the court. Dream come true. Tell me what it's like inside.
JIMENEZ: I got you. I got you. We are live in the middle of a celebration right now here in New York City. You can hear them singing in the crowd, "Empire State of Mind." Alicia Keys and Jay-Z.
I mean, people here cannot believe what they just saw, a comeback. They were down almost 30 points going into half time and somehow found a way to claw themselves back little by little as this game went on. I mean, they thought they were going to have this series tied up 2-2 going back to San Antonio. And here they are up now 3-1 on the precipice of doing something they have not done in more than 50 years to this point.
We saw Spike Lee just a few moments ago jumping up and down from his court sightseeing, then onto the court as well. You've got former players out here, too. And, you know, we were talking to players beforehand. I mean, many people in the crowd. Andre, how do you feel after tonight's game? Andre Iguodala. You know, players are just kind of coming by and coming through as they're sort of filtering off the court. Former player Andre Iguodala there.
But Laura, it's hard for me to overstate how silent it was here in Madison Square Garden in the first half, and then little by little, they woke up into a true explosion when OG Anunoby tipped it in in those final seconds here to go ahead and bring these Knicks up 3-1 in this series.
COATES: And now, they're to go to game five. This is incredible, Omar. You see the number of former Knicks -- I saw Spreewell. We saw Campbell out there. We can't be out there. You just saw (INAUDIBLE) as well. I mean, this is an all-city, all-boroughs in when it comes to the Knicks, especially after they lost in Madison Square Garden the other night.
JIMENEZ: Yes. And, you know, that's the incredible thing about this fandom that, you know, I'm just getting to know here, especially over this final run, that it's not just celebrities that you see, but in many cases, it's a big family environment, generations of fans, including former players as well who the Knicks clearly feel as part of their families. They are always showcasing the alums of players that have been here in years past.
And even -- I was talking to Spike Lee a little bit earlier this week, and one of the things that he was saying -- he's talking to also his friend, John Turturro. They've been going to games like these Knicks games since the 90s together. They have never seen a championship in their adult life. They saw one when they were kids. And over the decades, they've come back and come back as have so many others that have become familiar faces here. And now, while they're not quite there, they are one step closer.
And I think you can see that in all the smiling faces here. Nobody wants to leave right now. They were singing "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra earlier. You heard them sing "Empire State of Mind." It is a celebration here in New York as it is in many places across the city right now. Many bars, apartments, parks, anywhere, you name it, is in disbelief at what happened in this game.
COATES: I'm will get my Starks jersey out just to old time's sake. I'm just telling you that right now, Omar. All right, you see him, though. You have my number. You can relay it. Thank you. I have some questions. Thank you so much. I'll go back to LZ Granderson as well because look, I mean, LZ, it is huge, and I'm serious about (INAUDIBLE). So, I was one of original fans. I'm just putting that out there right now. Number three was my number. I am 5'3," whole thing.
Anyway, the Knicks now have a 3-1 lead in this series. This is the second game they have won in this series by one point. So, check your heart monitors, everyone. Does it seem like winning this title is their destiny right now?
GRANDERSON: It certainly feels that way, right? You mean, because even if you think about the series before, you know, against the Calves, the Knicks were down 20 plus points, and came roaring back and winning that game, ended up sweeping them. So, it's starting to feel as if it's destiny, right?
And I can't think of a better way, you know, for New York to bring in a championship than sort of like with this overall sort of cleansing that has been happening in the city, you know, over the last couple of years, Laura, when you think about the election of Mamdani, and just like the energy that's kind of like revitalized the city since then. This New York victory, if it is to come through, will be a nice sort of like chef's kiss to this moment.
COATES: But we can't discount the man known as the alien because they did come back. They came back hard and strong against OKC, right? You can't discount Wembanyama.
GRANDERSON: Let me -- let me tell you something. Chet Holmgren is not walking through that door. This is a different team. There are some grown folks in the middle for the New York Knicks. And Wemby has been filling those grown folks.
[23:54:58]
And he's not having the same sort of impact that he did in that series against Oklahoma City. What I saw was a young team that wasn't prepared and the pressure came. Now, that doesn't mean they can't get bounced back. But as the screws get tighter and tighter, I saw youth and youth. And that includes the (INAUDIBLE). So, it would be interesting to see how they bounce back when they get back home. They were just settled down. What we saw from OKC, we're not going to see that against the Knicks. (INAUDIBLE). They have to step up and help Wembanyama.
COATES: Wemby said this is what he's made for. But then, again, concrete jungles where dreams are made of. LZ, thank you so much. That's it for me tonight, everyone. "The Story Is with Elex Michaelson," a Lakers fan, is next.
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UNKNOWN (voice-over): Brunson gets it, fires up a three. Shot no good. The tip-in is gone! It's gone! It's gone!
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