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The Situation Room

Judge Says, Trump Admin's Use of Military in L.A. was Illegal; Push for Release of Epstein Files Escalates on Capitol Hill; Putin and Xi Trade Warm Praise in Beijing Summit. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired September 02, 2025 - 10:00   ET

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

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, escalating pressure. Today, bipartisan lawmakers are meeting with Jeffrey Epstein's victims and their attorneys as they demand the files be released.

And desperate search for survivors. Right now, rescuers are digging through the rubble after an earthquake decimated Afghanistan, killing more than a thousand people.

And why are men and boys falling behind in education in the workforce on social settings? My Situation Room special report is just ahead.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Looking ahead, looking forward to that.

Thanking a, quote, dear friend, Russia's Vladimir Putin lavishes praise on China's Xi Jinping amid a warm welcome to Beijing, and new details emerging now on what they discussed.

Plus, quote, it should alarm every American, end quote, those words from nine former CDC leaders warning about HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. One of them will join us live. That's coming up.

And later, Belichick bombs, a huge loss for the Tar Heels and for Head Coach Belichick's college debut.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in The Situation Room.

And we begin with the breaking news. A federal judge has just ruled that both President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated federal law by using the U.S. military in Los Angeles this summer.

Let's go live right now to CNN Crime and Justice Correspondent Katelyn Polantz. Katelyn, what is the judge saying?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Judge Charles Breyer in the federal court in California says, using the military as a show of force in an American city like Los Angeles this summer, that's illegal and it's not going to be allowed in California going forward under this ruling today from this court. What the judge points out is that there were immigration protests when there were -- this, and -- to that. The National Guard was sent in by the president and by the defense secretary as a show of a national police force with the president as its chief. What the judge says is not legal here is deploying the National Guard and Marines for months at a time for the -- military presence in an American city that already -- law enforcement capabilities.

So, what is being stopped by the judge going forward in California is the federal government sending military into other cities, potentially San Francisco, Oakland, in California, to do domestic law enforcement. So, what the judge writes here is, evidence at trial in this case established that defendants the Trump -- systematically used armed soldiers whose identity was often obscured by -- vehicles to set up protective perimeters and traffic blockages, engaging crowd control, and otherwise demonstrate a military presence in and around Los Angeles. That sort of show of force, arrests, apprehensions, searches, that's not going to be allowed anymore in the state of California. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Katelyn Polantz reporting for us, thank you. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Wolf. Happening today, the House Oversight Committee is planning to meet with Jeffrey Epstein survivors and their attorneys for a private meeting as the panel works through how to make information surrounding Epstein public. A bipartisan duo from Congress is also collecting signatures to force a vote on the release of the Epstein files. House Speaker Mike Johnson recently spoke to CNN about the Justice Department's interview last month with Epstein accomplice and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.

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REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): She has no credibility. She's been convicted for sex trafficking, okay? But we are for maximum transparency. The Epstein files, I've been seeing this for years, we've been intellectually consistent from day one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: All right. Let's go live now to CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju on Capitol Hill. Manu, what are you learning this morning about this meeting between the House Oversight Committee and Epstein survivors?

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the latest in two major efforts that are planned to intensify this month on the Epstein matter.

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First on the investigative front, the House Oversight Committee, Republican- led House Oversight Committee, has issued an array of subpoenas, asking for documents from the Justice Department. They have received some documents from the Justice Department. They've also subpoenaed the Epstein estate for documents and also asked for a range of deposit from Republican and Democratic officials alike. Some Republican officials have already come in to be deposed, including the former Trump attorney general, Bill Barr. Others subpoenas have gone out, including to Bill and Hillary Clinton.

We expect a voluntary interview to take place with Alex Acosta, who cut a plea deal back in 2007 with Jeffrey Epstein has been a big question about all of this, and then today meeting with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking, both Democratic and Republican members on the House Oversight Committee plan to meet with them. We expect to hear from Democrats in a press conference after that.

And then, separately, the legislative push, that is being led by two members, a Republican, Thomas Massie, a Democrat, Ro Khanna. They are going to begin the process today of trying to bypass Congressional leadership and try to force a vote in the full House to compel the release of these documents.

Republicans need -- Massie needs about a handful of Republicans signatures in order to bypass Speaker Mike Johnson, who has so far resisted efforts to have a vote on the full house floor to call for the release of these documents, but expect that to intensify this week in the aftermath of this meeting and as this investigation begins to take shape. Pamela?

BROWN: All right. Manu, thanks so much. Wolf?

BLITZER: And there's more news unfolding this morning. Two of the most powerful leaders in the world are fortifying their alliance and their challenge to the U.S. The Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, is in Beijing meeting with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping. This morning, the Chinese president referred to Putin as his, quote, old friend, and Putin praised his, quote, dear friend, for a summit aimed at deepening their relationship.

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VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: I thank you for the warm welcome extended to our entire delegation. Our close communication reflects the strategic nature of Russia-China relations, which are at an unprecedentedly high level.

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BLITZER: The North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un, is also in Beijing. This is a photo of him being greeted by officials only moments after arriving by train. He'll be attending a huge military parade along with two dozen heads of state, including Iran's president.

We have a lot to cover right now. CNN's Marc Stewart is in Beijing. Marc, the parade is just a few hours away. What's the goal of all of this?

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. Wolf. It's just after 10:00 in the evening, of course, that parade starting first thing tomorrow morning. I think the thing to look forward to here is the symbolism. The symbolism is going to be the story.

Later in the morning, we will see Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un, all standing together in front of China's Tiananmen Square, as we see Chinese military vehicles, weapons, even airplanes flying overhead, all sending this message to the west, putting it on notice, sending this message to the world that China can be the leader of a new world order, and that many of these western-inspired alliances, such as NATO, appear to be outdated.

This is a big deal. People are going to stay home from school. People are staying home from work. Flights have even been canceled. It's going to be a major event in this city of around 21 million people. So the optics are going to be strong.

And finally, Wolf, you did mention this meeting today with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, again, strengthening and symbolizing their friendship together. We did hear an announcement of a new gas pipeline by the Russians that could fuel -- that could support fuel coming into China. This is yet another example of the strong kinship between the two nations. China has yet to condemn Russia for its invasion in Ukraine, and it continues to be a very big customer, if not a leading customer of Russian oil.

So, Wolf, when we talk about this no limits friendship between Russia and China, evidence today that it is still very strong, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Marc Stewart in Beijing for us, Marc, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: New this morning, really disturbing, Wolf. A Texas man is now facing charges in that deadly shooting of an 11-year-old boy who was playing ding-dong ditch. The 42-year-old suspect was booked into jail just this morning.

Let's go live now to CNN's Ed Lavendera. Ed, what more are you learning about the suspect and these newly filed charges?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have confirmed through court records that the man charged with this murder is Leon Gonzalo Jr. As you mentioned, he's 42 years old.

We still have not heard officially the name of the 11-year-old victim, but according to Houston Police investigators, this incident happened just after 11:00 P.M. on Saturday night.

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Police say that a group of kids, including this 11-year-old, had been going through the neighborhood, knocking on doors, ringing doorbells, and running away as a prank. And that is when the suspect came out of a home and started firing at the group of kids. The 11-year-old was shot multiple times in the back, and later was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Investigators had been saying over the last few days that they did not believe that this suspect could claim that this was an act of self- defense, that the shooting had taken place some distance from the home. The child was also, apparently, we were told, shot in the back. So, all of that, you know, investigators were kind of giving us clues that they believed that so far the evidence had led and would lead them to a charge of murder. And that is indeed what we're seeing unfolding here at this time.

It's not clear when this suspect is going to make an initial court appearance. Presumably, it might happen at some point today, but we just don't know yet exactly when that is going to happen. But now, several days after this horrific shooting incident, a 42-year-old man, Pamela, is charged with the murder.

BROWN: Just horrible. Ed Lavandera, thank you. Wolf?

BLITZER: So, painful indeed.

Also new this morning, a sour new outlook on the American dream, Americans are losing faith in the notion that hard work will translate to success, this according to a new poll from The Wall Street Journal.

For more, we're joined now by CNN Business and Politics Correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich, who's in New York. Vanessa, from the challenges of buying a home to just living well, what did this poll reveal?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf. This poll really revealed how Americans are feeling about their personal finances and about the broader economy. Essentially, this poll showed that Americans feel like they are just getting by and they are concerned about the outlook of the U.S. economy right now.

When asked how they feel about the American dream and whether or not it's still attainable, well, most of the respondents in this survey said that it once held true that the American dream was something that holds true, but not anymore. And part of that has to do with owning a home. That, for many, people is the American dream.

According to this survey from The Wall Street Journal, people do not feel confident that they are able to buy a home even if they wanted to. And then when this survey asked, what other things were people concerned with? Well, it revealed that the majority of people were really concerned just with the basics, buying groceries every single day, then talking about health, healthcare, and prescription drug costs, housing, as we just mentioned, and then interest rates, student loan debt and childcare costs. These are things that Americans are really concerned about every single day.

Now, when asked if they felt like they had a good chance of improving their living standard, most Americans in this survey about -- actually about 25 -- excuse me, most Americans there on your screen, yes, said that they strongly disagree with the fact that their living standards could improve. And especially in the next year, Americans did not feel like their living standards would improve. Most of the people in this survey said that they were working class or middle class. And a lot of people felt like they are worse off than their previous -- than previous generations, than their parents generations. Also in this survey, they were asked about the strength of the U.S. economy. Now, this was interesting because it did show that Americans do feel like the U.S. economy compared to other countries is strong, stronger, actually than just last year. But what does this all say, Wolf? Well, it really just shows that this is complicated, and that's because people's feelings are certainly complicated.

But economists are having a hard time understanding why people still feel like the economy is so bad. With at face value, the economy does look like it's pretty good, so much so, Wolf, that the Federal Reserve is looking to potentially cut interest rates later this month.

But this has really been a conundrum, Wolf, for many, many people, many economists and analysts out there. People feel like the economy is bad, even though it may be looking good. And that is a challenge, obviously, for politicians, especially presidents who are trying to make sense of all of it and trying to share their message that their policies are moving in the right direction when, clearly, according to this survey, to this Wall Street Journal poll, Americans feel like they're not doing so well and it's not going to get better anytime soon. Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes, that's very, very important. All right, Vanessa Yurkevich, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Wolf. New this morning, another dust storm blankets the Phoenix area. You can see just how massive the dust cloud is as it approached the city of Levine, Arizona yesterday. The National Weather Service warned residents there and all the way to Scottsdale to expect gust between 40 to 50 miles per hour.

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And it wasn't just dust but the Phoenix area also saw severe thunderstorms that forced a ground stop at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

BLITZER: Still ahead will be joined by a former director of the CDC as chaos consumes the nation's leading health agency.

BROWN: And then later, caught on camera, two rare sights spotted over the skies of Maine.

You're in The Situation Room.

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BROWN: Well, new this morning, the CDC is roiled by debate around COVID-19 vaccines. And now, President Trump is weighing in. The president posted last night that the public health agency is being, quote, ripped apart over the shots developed under Operation Warp Speed in his first term. He's also demanding drug companies prove the effectiveness of the vaccines to clear up this mess.

These are President Trump's first public comments about the CDC since its director was abruptly fired last week amid a dispute over vaccine policy.

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Joining us now to discuss is former CDC director in the Biden administration, Dr. Mandy Cohen. Thank you so much for coming on, Doctor.

You were among the group of nine former CDC leaders who published an opinion piece yesterday arguing that RFK Jr. is endangering every American's health. Someone may read that and dismiss it as an exaggeration. Why is it not?

DR. MANDY COHEN, FORMER CDC DIRECTOR (2023-2025): Well, I joined with former CDC directors that have worked for presidents going back to the 1970s under different parties, and this is a warning, saying this is different. What we are seeing right now is not business as usual. It is incredibly unprecedented, and we are issuing a warning to the American people.

And I'm heartened to hear the president talk about vaccines and all of the millions of lives that they have saved under his leadership with Operation Warp Speed, and we want to make sure that Americans continue to have access to effective vaccines.

BROWN: But now it seems like he's -- while he's praising it, he's also questioning it now. Does that concern you?

COHEN: Well, we -- I think this is a wakeup call for all of us to make sure we are heeding this warning that former CDC directors are making and to take action. The secretary is going to be in front of Congress later this week, and I hope they're going to ask him some hard questions about what is going on related to the evidence-based decision-making?

Now, look, we can all disagree on policy decisions, but we can't disagree on the science that goes behind them. And so I hope this is not just a call to Congress to act but also to the states, to make sure states are doing what they can to protect the health of Americans. And we know our medical professionals are working every day to do that as well. I want to remind folks to make sure you're talking to your doctor about how you can keep yourself and your family healthy.

BROWN: So, as you know, vaccine policy is a major point of contention between these former CDC directors like yourself and RFK Jr. As you point out, the current commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Marty Makary, is actually out with his own opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal and argues drug makers have not justified the need for COVID vaccines for people under 65 without certain health conditions to get it. What do you say to him?

COHEN: So, we have seen around the world that the United States is the only country that is narrowing the access to these vaccines. Now, other countries may say, hey, we, we want to prioritize those over 65. And those who are at highest risk, but the vaccine is available to everyone. And the fact that we narrowed that availability here in the United States is very out of step with where the rest of the world is.

And so we wanted to issue a warning as former CDC directors to say, this is unprecedented and we want to make sure that others like Congress, like states, like our medical professionals are stepping up to protect the health of our country.

BROWN: And Marty Makary in his op-ed said, look, if you still need the vaccine, you can get it off-label or doctor can prescribe it to you in certain circumstances. And he also points out that his agency's current regulatory framework around COVID-19 vaccines, quote, brings the U.S. in line with peer nations, like France and the U.K. And he continues that, although the world has moved on to a risk-tiered approach, some in the American medical establishment are maintaining their blind faith in a strategy of boosters for all in perpetuity. What is your response to that?

COHEN: Well, one, I do not agree that it brings us in line with the rest of the world. And, in fact, you can look at the way that our drug companies in the United States are asked to label the vaccines here is different than what they do elsewhere in the world. And I do think we should be prioritizing vaccines for those at highest risk. It is what we did during my tenure as CDC director as well.

But what was most important is to make sure that the science is driving the decision-making. And I think that is what is of greatest concern here. And what we are seeing by the firing of their own handpicked leader just three weeks after she got Congressional approval to -- and confirmation and seeing the resignation of senior leaders, these are tenured folks that were rebuilding the agency, learning lessons post-COVID, the fact that we lost that talent is incredibly concerning.

BROWN: Should RFK Jr. resign?

COHEN: Look, I think that is a question for the president, but I think you can see by the fact that former CDC directors all joined together. We are saying that we are very concerned about what we are seeing.

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We want to see a change. I think it's possible to right this ship, but it needs to be changed now. I think Congress with its oversight can do that. I think state action can do it. And I think the president trying to understand the data behind vaccines can do that as well.

BROWN: All right. Dr. Mandy Cohen, thank you so much.

COHEN: Thank you.

BLITZER: And coming up, it's the train that has carried generations of North Korean leaders, and now it's in China. The statement Kim Jong-un is sending with his 11th trip outside North Korea. We have that and much more. That's all coming up.

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BROWN: CNN happening now, look at these images of a landslide that has destroyed an entire village in Western.