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The Situation Room

Alcohol and Blood Pressure; Russia Escalates Strikes on Ukraine; Menendez Brothers Face Parole Board. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired August 21, 2025 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Joining us are CNN's Nick Watt and Jean Casarez.

Let me start with you, Nick. What stood out to you the most from what we just heard from Nathan Hochman?

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the DA of Los Angeles continuing with his line that, until they show insight, until basically the Menendez brothers admit in public that they murdered their parents for the money, he will not be satisfied.

Now, I just want to pick up one little thing. He talked about that risk assessment that they were deemed in this preliminary report to be moderate risk. Now, the stats would suggest that prisoners who are deemed to be at moderate risk, only about 20 percent of them will actually get parole.

So that is a crucial number to look at. That is a crucial fact that he brought up there. You know, it is fascinating. The previous DA, Hochman's predecessor, he was the one who was pushing for this resentencing, which has allowed all this to happen. He lost the election to Hochman. Hochman has taken a much firmer stand on this.

And he said that the boys haven't shown any insight. I mean, it was interesting. At the resentencing hearing, Erik did say this. He said: "I committed an atrocious act against two people who had every right to live, my mom and dad."

But for Nathan Hochman, the DA, that is not enough. He will still argue that they should remain behind bars -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Interesting.

Jean, what jumped out to you from what we just heard from the Los Angeles County district attorney?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think him focusing on the act of responsibility, admitting responsibility for so many lies. I mean, he didn't even recite all the lies that were said at the time. It shows that's going to be the emphasis before the Parole Board, I think, with the prosecution, because that is exactly why Sirhan Sirhan was not paroled several years ago. Now, according to the California Department of Corrections, here's

what's going to be looked at today inside that parole hearing, which we will not have privy to, but later on we will be able to see the transcript. They will determine if the incarcerated person, Erik, today is going to be an unreasonable risk of danger to society, to the community.

Also, they're going to look at the criminal history. And they -- of course, the criminal history is significant here. How the prison has changed since coming to prison. Self-control at the time of the offense. That's interesting to think about right there. Institutional behavior, personal change, and then a plan for the outside.

But when you look at the criminal history here and the facts -- and I think we have the picture of that den area, because they came in -- their parents are on the couch watching television, and all of a sudden they come in with their pump shotguns, and they had gotten a buckshot because the bird shot they got wasn't enough, so the next day they had gone to the store to get the buckshot.

And if you look closely and you see the blood everywhere, you will see exactly what the district attorney was talking about, the shot to the back of the head of the father, the shot to the two knees, trying to designate this was a mafia hit. Their mother was groaning on the ground after the shots into her. She was alive, so they all -- they went outside, they had to reload, they came back in, shot again.

And then she died. An important point here, there's two victims, and it's not a singular murder. It's double homicide. And the reason that they told their psychiatrist initially why they shot their mother was she was going to be a witness, she was going to see what they'd done to the father.

And so the justification there was not even self-defense. But the parents didn't have any weapons on them, and that's the issue that Nathan Hochman was focused on too, that -- the self-defense aspect. And the defense in the second trial focused on imperfect self-defense, that, in their mind, maybe it wasn't reasonable, but they thought their parents were going to kill them.

But the facts just really never came out that was the case.

BLITZER: Interesting.

Nick, as Jean just mentioned, one name that apparently keeps coming up and discussing the Menendez brothers is Sirhan Sirhan, the man who assassinated Senator Robert F. Kennedy back in 1968.

WATT: Yes.

BLITZER: Why do you think he's relevant potentially here?

WATT: Well, he is relevant because the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, denied his parole. And Governor Gavin Newsom has that power here as well. In California, the Parole Board makes this recommendation. There is then 120 days where the legality and the facts of that are assessed, and also 120 days in which Governor Gavin Newsom can either agree with the Parole Board or not.

It is finally up to him. So this is really a recommendation today. And Sirhan Sirhan was denied that. And as Jean said, that was in large part due to the lies he was alleged to have told. So that's why Sirhan Sirhan is relevant here.

[11:35:03]

And, listen, there is a political tinge to this case, no doubt. As I mentioned, the previous DA and the new DA in Los Angeles disagreed. Governor Gavin Newsom, who has a very high public profile across the country, he will be the guy who has to make the decision. He will be the guy who has to answer questions on why he made his decision.

So a little bit of politics there, but the Sirhan Sirhan gives us an indication of the power that the governor has here. But, listen, the important thing to note is, we are not going to see a Menendez brother walk out of prison in the next couple of days. This is just another part of the process, a huge part of the process, a critical part of the process.

But we're not going to see that leaving shot, I mean, maybe not for a few years. And the other thing that's interesting is, when the Parole Board makes their decision today, if they deny, they will also then make a recommendation of how many years they should wait before they are up for parole again.

And also, don't forget, Governor Gavin Newsom also has the option to grant clemency. And the brothers are also trying for a new trial, based on some evidence that has come to light in recent years that backs up their contention that their father was a sexual abuser. So they have a number of irons in the fire, as it were, a number of ways they're trying to get out.

But, yes, the Sirhan Sirhan gives us an indication as to maybe where the governor would stand on this, but also just gives us an indication of the governor's power in this.

BLITZER: All right, excellent, excellent analysis from two reporters who have been covering this Menendez story for years.

Nick and Jean, thanks very, very much.

And we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:41:12]

BLITZER: There's breaking news coming out of the Middle East. Watch this.

New video this morning shows an Israeli strike on the Deir al Balah area in Gaza. Here, you can see people running as smoke fills the sky. Two Israeli officials tell CNN that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to approve plans for Israel's offensive on Gaza City at a special meeting in Southern Israel later today, that despite widespread international opposition to the planned Israeli takeover.

And there's other news we're following, breaking news on the war in Ukraine. Just after Russia launched its biggest attack in more than a month, the Kremlin now accusing Ukraine of not being interested at all in peace. Here's the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): The Ukrainian regime and its representatives are commenting on the current situation in a very specific way, directly showing that they are not interested in a sustainable, fair and long-term settlement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says Russia launched 574 airstrikes, drones, specifically, and 40 ballistic missiles overnight on Ukraine, killing at least nine civilians. The strikes hit as far west as the city of Lviv, just about 40 miles from the NATO nation of Poland.

The former NATO supreme allied commander, General Wesley Clark, is joining us right now.

General, thanks so much for joining us.

After hearing what Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said there, do you think Putin is just playing games right now with the U.S.?

WESLEY CLARK, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Certainly.

Wolf, it's a three-fold strategy by Russia. The diplomatic part of it is to stall so that the ground offensive can gain more ground. They have got -- the third phase of this is shaping up in Zaporizhzhia. It may launch around the 1st of September, and its aim is to cut off Ukrainian access to Odesa and possibly to seize Odesa. That's the ground.

And then, in the air, they want to demoralize the population and take out any significant targets, industrial targets, air bases, whatever, and then use diplomacy to stall, so they have got enough time. At some point, of course, President Putin will want to stop the war, at least temporarily, to get sanctions relief, get more technology in, sell oil again to the Europeans, but not now.

He wants to let his military do the job. And he's holding the West hostage by continuing to suggest just one more thing, let's talk one more time, blaming Zelenskyy and so forth. It's a strategy.

BLITZER: What do you think, General, the significance of the timing of the latest Russian massive drone and missile attacks against Ukraine is all about, what, just a week after Trump and Putin met in Alaska?

CLARK: Well, I think the intent is to continue to put increasingly greater pressure on the population and the government in Kyiv and throughout Ukraine.

It's to convince the West that it's hopeless to try to reinforce Ukraine, to give them assistance, that to convince the West and leaders in the West that the war is basically over, that Kyiv needs to just face reality and surrender the territory, et cetera.

[11:45:01]

But Putin -- that's one arm of it. But, Wolf, he's intent on continuing this fight. He wants all of Ukraine. Let's not fool ourselves about this. He's not looking for a peace agreement until he gets all of Ukraine.

BLITZER: President Trump posted this to his TRUTH Social media Web site, and I'm quoting him now: "It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invader's country. It's like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offense. There is no chance of winning. It is like that with Ukraine and Russia."

And he goes on to say that: "Former President Biden would not let Ukraine fight back, only defend," a direct quote. What's your reaction to that? What does that tell you about where peace talks stand?

CLARK: Well, I first -- it's an accurate statement about the Biden administration. They really were restraining Ukraine and holding back weapons and so forth. And I think the war could have been over had Biden and his team given Ukraine the weapons they were seeking more promptly and in greater numbers.

But as far as where it stands right now, President Trump has continued to say this really isn't his war. But it is. It's America's war. It's Europe's war. It's a war for democracy and freedom. If we believe in that, it's our responsibility to help the people of Ukraine.

And so, ideally, yes, give them the means to strike back. And that needs to come now. Now, President Trump set up a system where the Europeans can buy these weapons. But, look, this is not about money. This is about democracy and freedom. If it were up to me, get those weapons over there. Let's set up a payment system later.

But all of that discussion of critical minerals and so forth, it'll mean nothing if Ukraine is defeated. Even Karl Rove has said recently, he said, look, President Trump's got to realize this is the game. He's in it. It's about his future, and we can't afford and he can't afford to lose.

So I hope this is an indication President Trump is going to change the policy, really put the pressure on Putin that needs to be there. Otherwise, it's going to drag on. And Putin still thinks he's winning. No talks until he's convinced he's losing will ever make headway.

BLITZER: General Wesley Clark, thanks so much for joining us.

CLARK: Thank you, Wolf. BLITZER: And coming up: cutting out the alcohol to cut down your

blood pressure. Dr. Sanjay Gupta will join us with new guidelines from top medical groups, information you need to know.

Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:52:17]

BLITZER: This morning, we have a SITUATION ROOM health alert. There's new guidance from a pair of leading cardiology groups about how we should all be managing our blood pressure.

And to make sure we're up to date, we're paging Dr. Sanjay Gupta right now. He's CNN's chief medical correspondent. There, you see Dr. Gupta joining us right now.

Explain this new guidance for our viewers, Sanjay.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think the headline of the guidance is that we need to identify blood pressure earlier and treat it more aggressively. That's really what came out of this.

People generally know blood pressure numbers; 120 over 80 or below, that's considered normal. 120 to 129, that's considered elevated. But if your blood pressure is 130, that is now considered hypertension and that requires it to be addressed. It used to be 140. So they're saying we need to pay more attention at earlier numbers.

First three to six months if your blood pressure gets to 130 is all focused on lifestyle, maintaining healthy weight, reducing salt and also eliminating alcohol and more exercise, obvious sort of lifestyle changes. But if that doesn't work, then three to six months later, Wolf, they are saying to recommend medications at that point.

To give you a little bit of context, Wolf, it was -- last time, it was 2017 when they made changes to the blood pressure guidelines. But if you apply these new guidelines, about half the country, Wolf, has hypertension now that potentially should be treated.

So a lot of people don't know it because it's sort of an invisible thing, but getting your blood pressure checked really important.

BLITZER: I'm old enough to remember, Sanjay, when there was a time when it was said that having a glass of wine, for example, was good for your heart. What has changed?

GUPTA: I think there's been this drumbeat away from that for some time.

But I will tell you, even going back to the 1800s, Wolf, there used to be these op-eds in "The New York Times" with people arguing about whether or not alcohol was good for you. So it's been a constant source of debate. But I think back in the early '80s, when we started to see people who were drinking alcohol had increased rates of cancer, heart disease, things like that.

In the early '90s, I think is when you're talking about where there was this thing called the French Paradox. Hey, the French are eating all this fatty food, they smoke and they still are healthier. Maybe it's the wine. I think over the last 30 years we have kind of gotten away from that.

And now they're saying, look, if you fall into that blood pressure range, especially, 130, again, being the number, you need to avoid alcohol. Only about half the country, 54 percent of Americans, now say they drink, Wolf. I don't know if that surprises you or not, but about the same percentage say even a drink a day is considered something that would be associated with poor health.

So there's been a huge attitude sort of change towards alcohol, and it's really been concentrated on younger people. So younger people are less likely to drink than younger people were 20, 30 years ago.

[11:55:02]

BLITZER: And even if you have a glass, let's say, of white wine, of pinot grigio, during dinner, that's considered now unhealthy?

GUPTA: They say that no amount of alcohol would be considered healthy.

Look, I'm a pragmatist. I think, for a lot of people, a little bit of alcohol is probably OK. But what I generally say is that people used to say, hey, look, I'm doing this for my health, starting drinking or drinking in pursuit of good health. I don't think that people believe that anymore.

Is it problematic? Probably not at that small dose. But if your blood pressure, again, is higher than 130, eliminating alcohol, not just reducing it, will probably go a long way towards bringing your blood pressure under control.

BLITZER: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, as usual, thank you very, very much.

And don't forget, this is for our viewers, to scan the Q.R. code on your screen and head to CNN.com to send us your questions. Dr. Gupta will be back with us tomorrow, and he will have answers. That will be tomorrow.

And, to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning. You can always keep up with us on social media @WolfBlitzer, @PamelaBrownCNN. I will see you back here tomorrow morning, every weekday morning 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

"INSIDE POLITICS WITH DANA BASH" is coming up next. She will be interviewing former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. That's right after a short break.