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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Vance Urges Supporters Not To "Get Disengaged" Over Iran War; Trump Hints At U.S.-Iran Talks Over The Next Two Days; Oversight Committee Working To Reschedule Bondi Deposition. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired April 14, 2026 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: We knew they had entered the capsule. But to see this, it's just so like human and real.
ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: I was in suspense, watching on TV. And what a great moment, to just unify us, to bring us together. Something, forget about politics, everyone can get behind this--
COOPER: Yes, well--
HONIG: --and cheer for them.
COOPER: We are glad they're home with their families.
HONIG: Sure.
COOPER: That's it for us.
The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: Tonight, lawmakers are back in Washington. And as some Republicans are starting to feel the heat over President Trump's war in Iran, one of them is going to join me live here on set.
I'm Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.
Fresh off a whirlwind trip to Islamabad, where 21 hours of talks with Iranian negotiators failed to produce a deal with the United States. There are already talks, tonight here in Washington, about a potential second round of those negotiations, which we are told would be again led by the Vice President, JD Vance.
Tonight, as he was on the road here at home, the Vice President made a direct plea to this administration's supporters for patience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JD VANCE (R), U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I recognize that a lot of young voters don't love the policy that we have in the Middle East. OK. I understand that.
I also know that we've secured the border. We've lowered housing prices now for eight months in a row, and there's going to be more to come beyond that. We've made America energy dominant, which has lowered electricity costs and things like that. We've made it so that we have the lowest murder rate in a 127 years.
I'm not saying you have to agree with me on every issue.
(APPLAUSE)
VANCE: I'm not saying you have to agree with me on every issue. What I'm saying is, don't get disengaged because you disagree with the administration on one topic. Get more involved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And as the Vice President makes that plea, President Trump himself said, quote, Something could be happening, over the next two days in Pakistan.
As Vance made clear, he doesn't believe actually getting a deal will be easy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: Honestly, after 49 years, there's a lot of, of course, mistrust between Iran and the United States of America. You're not going to solve that problem overnight. But yes, I think the people we're sitting across from wanted to make a deal. And I know, the President of the United States told us to go out there and negotiate in good faith. That's what we did. That's what we're going to keep on doing. So, you never know, though.
ANDREW KOLVET (ph), TURNING POINT USA SPOKESPERSON: Yes.
VANCE: Right? I mean, I've sat across from United States senators that I thought I agreed with, and you know, you don't know what those people, right? I won't say who. You can guess. But I feel very good about where we are
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Right now, as the clock is ticking down on the President's ceasefire that he announced last week, the U.S. military says there are more than 10,000 service members and 12 American ships blockading Iranian ports. That move is intended by this administration to force the Iranians back to the negotiating table. It's a blockade that they believe could be disastrous for Iran's economy, if it works as they intend.
But experts have also warned, it could amplify the war's impact here at home as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN DENHOLM, CHAIRMAN DESIGNATE, INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER OF SHIPPING: If it continues, we're going to have a real problem. Fuel price is already high. It's going to get worse. We're going to have shortages of petrol, shortage of diesel, shortage of Avgas, shortages of fertilizers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Those kinds of concerns have been dismissed as temporary by the President, and his Energy Secretary says not to worry about them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Are you worried about gas prices right now?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: No, no. This is--
REPORTER: Why?
TRUMP: This is a short excursion into something that should have been done for 47 years.
CHRIS WRIGHT, ENERGY SECRETARY: But the disruption of oil, temporary disruption of oil, through the Straits of Hormuz, that's what the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is for.
MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX BUSINESS ANCHOR: Do you believe the price of oil and gas will be lower before the midterm elections?
TRUMP: I hope so. I mean, I think so. It could be, it could be or the same, or maybe a little bit higher, but it should be around the same. I think this won't be that much longer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That last answer is not what congressional Republicans who are on the ballot in swing districts want to hear exactly, especially with the midterms less than seven months away.
New York Republican Congressman Mike Lawler had a town hall on Sunday in his home district. It's an area that Kamala Harris narrowly won in 2024.
[21:05:00]
And The New York Times described the event this way, saying: What unfolded over the next two hours was an at-times combative session marked by frequent interruptions; competing bursts of applause and jeers; and repeated attempts by Mr. Lawler to justify or distance himself from President Trump's handling of the war in Iran. It captured how the conflict has created a worst-case political scenario for members of his party in the run-up to November's midterm elections, in which the party is fighting to maintain its minuscule majority.
My lead source tonight is none other than Congressman Mike Lawler, who is one of the few Republican members of Congress to actually hold a town hall, and hear from voters, during the recess.
So, I will note that, because a lot of your colleagues have not been holding town halls. I assume you knew you were going to hear a lot from them on the Iran war. Were you surprised by what you heard from voters in that town hall? REP. MIKE LAWLER (R-NY): No, not at all. This is the 15th town hall that I've held since being a member of Congress. The third this year. I have one more that I'm going to do.
I enjoy engaging with my constituents on these issues. Whether they agree with me or not, it's important for me to hear from them, and them to hear from me about why I believe, frankly, that what the President has done, with respect to Iran, is the right decision.
The fact is, this is a terrorist regime that has been in effect for 47 years. They have been in pursuit of a nuclear weapon. They are responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans. And they were building up a ballistic missiles program at such an alarming rate, that it would have been almost impossible to stop them from getting a nuclear weapon with the 60 percent-plus enriched uranium that they possess, if we did not take action.
And so, the President had a very specific and strategic objective, which was to go after their ballistic missiles program, their drone capacity, their naval fleet, take out the leadership of Iran, the Ayatollah, the clerics, the leadership of the IRGC. That, in large measure, has been accomplished. We do have air superiority over the country currently. The objective--
COLLINS: So, do you think the war could be ended then? I mean, if--
LAWLER: I do think -- I do think the objective of sending the Vice President to Pakistan to negotiate. We will see how these negotiations progress.
You're talking about the remnants of a regime that's trying to negotiate without real leadership. The current Ayatollah is nowhere to be seen.
COLLINS: Well actually--
LAWLER: Many people report that he is in a coma.
COLLINS: Actually, JD Vance said yesterday -- I mean, I've actually heard that from the administration. But Vice President Vance said, they had to go back to talk to the Ayatollah, that they could not make a deal--
LAWLER: They have to go back to--
COLLINS: --without him.
LAWLER: --the remnants of their leadership in Iran, and hopefully get approval on some of these red lines that we have laid out, inclusive of the fact that they have to turn over the enriched uranium, that the Strait of Hormuz needs to be open. So, these are outstanding issues.
But you have a temporary ceasefire in place. And from my vantage point, the President did something that Republicans and Democrats said needed to be done for decades, and he was the first person to actually be willing to take action. COLLINS: Yes, I've heard you say that.
I think the question for voters, and for Republicans who are on the ballot this fall is, is this war making it harder to win reelection for Republicans, to maintain your majority here in Washington?
LAWLER: Well, look, if you look at the 2026 midterm cycle, versus 2018, for instance, the fact is, there are 14 districts on the ballot in which Donald Trump got above 50 percent that Democrats hold, and 13 seats that he got below 50 -- 50 percent that Republicans hold. That is far different from 2018, when there were over 40 seats that Trump got below 50 percent that Republicans hold.
COLLINS: Yes, but there's this war happening.
LAWLER: So, the--
COLLINS: Does it make it harder?
LAWLER: No, look, the President made--
COLLINS: You don't think the war makes it harder for Republicans to--
LAWLER: I don't. I don't.
COLLINS: --to maintain their majority?
LAWLER: And I'm not worried about the political consequences of a righteous decision.
The fact is that the Ayatollah and this regime needed to be eliminated. The President made a very difficult but necessary one, last summer, when he struck Iran's nuclear facilities. He made a difficult but necessary one when he went after their ballistic missiles capability.
People are talking about the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's control of it, and the blockade that they created. What would happen if they had a nuclear weapon, trying to exhort -- extort the U.S., Europe, and others in the Middle East? This is a major problem that needed to be dealt with. He made a tough decision.
From my vantage point, the war will come to an end. Oil prices will come down. That is critical.
COLLINS: OK. But can I just -- I want to clarify what you're saying there.
LAWLER: We saw core inflation is at 2.5 percent. That is something that is below when Donald Trump came in office. We like--
COLLINS: We want to -- and I want to clarify--
LAWLER: Yes.
COLLINS: --one thing that you're saying there, which is that -- I mean, you're saying the war will end, gas prices will come down. We don't know when, and we don't know how quickly.
[21:10:00]
You're saying that if a Republican loses this fall, because of this war, that you still ultimately think the war was the right decision?
LAWLER: I think removing the threat of the Ayatollah and a terrorist regime that is responsible for the deaths--
COLLINS: So yes?
LAWLER: --of thousands of Americans, that was pursuing a nuclear weapon for the expressed purpose of killing Americans and Israelis? Yes, I do think that was a just decision by the President. And from my vantage point, I think the American people will see that, as this war comes to an end, as oil prices come back down, and as you actually have peace and stability in the Middle East.
COLLINS: You just mentioned inflation. Obviously, we saw what the prices looked like in March. It was up 3.3 percent from a year earlier, obviously much higher.
There was an ad that you ran in 2022, when President Biden was in office, and inflation was one of the biggest issues he was dealing with. I would believe that you would argue, this ad was pretty effective.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Biden's ramped up Washington spending has given us the highest inflation in 40 years. Biden's disastrous energy plan has resulted in punishing gas prices. The only way to stop Biden's failed agenda is to stop sending back to Washington the Biden enablers who support it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: I mean, inflation is up, higher now than it was when the President took office, and gas prices are almost a $1 higher. Arguably, a Democrat could run that message against you. Could they not?
LAWLER: Core inflation is at 2.5 percent. And the reason you focus on core inflation is because sometimes there are short-term economic volatilities, like the situation in the Middle East, or obviously a difficult weather during the winter, which does cause a spike with energy prices.
Energy prices prior to March 1st were below $3 a gallon for gasoline, the first time in five years. So, we have brought that down. Core inflation is lower than when Donald Trump took office, at 2.5 percent. In addition, we passed the largest tax cut in American history, putting--
COLLINS: But to people who are complaining more for the gas right now-- LAWLER: --putting dollars -- putting dollars back in the--
COLLINS: --did they understand that argument?
LAWLER: --back in the hands of hard-working Americans. In my district, the average person is getting over $4,000 tax refund, as we speak, because I fought to lift the cap on SALT. So, I am easing prices. We have already cut housing -- we have already cut housing--
COLLINS: Yes, but they could have had that, and not be paying a $1 more in gas, right?
LAWLER: --we have already cut housing costs in half from where they were during the Biden administration.
COLLINS: But to my point, they could have had those things that you're mentioning there--
LAWLER: We have brought down--
COLLINS: --those accomplishments. But if this war had not started, and it wouldn't be in the place that it is now, they wouldn't be paying a $1 more for gas when they go fill up?
LAWLER: Right, but many of you were arguing that gas wasn't low enough prior to the war.
COLLINS: I never argued that. Wait. I never argued that.
LAWLER: The fact is that we have brought gasoline down--
COLLINS: Who argued that? I never -- OK--
LAWLER: We have brought gasoline down significantly.
COLLINS: I never argued that.
LAWLER: No, we have.
Many people have said it was not down far enough.
COLLINS: Who -- who argued gas was not cheap enough?
LAWLER: The larger point, Kaitlan, is that we brought gasoline down. It has gone up because of the short-term volatility of the war. It will come down when this war comes to an end. They are in the process of a ceasefire and a negotiation.
You're negotiating with a regime that has never negotiated in good faith. It is not going to be resolved with the flick of a finger. It is going to take time--
COLLINS: Yes.
LAWLER: --and that's what we are working through. COLLINS: I want to ask you about a letter that you wrote today to Democratic senator, Ruben Gallego, who was a friend of Eric Swalwell's. He seems to be saying he's not anymore. And you wrote about their personal and professional relationship, as you described it, and said that he should release all communications between himself and the alleged predator. Those are your words. And you say, As a strong advocate for releasing the Epstein files, it is only right that you adhere to the same standard.
He has denied knowing about these allegations against former Congressman Eric Swalwell.
Why did you write that letter? And what is the Epstein standard that you're talking about?
LAWLER: Look, we passed legislation through the House, that every Democrat advocated for, that Republicans advocated for, and ended up passing. I think there was only one person who voted against it. We set a standard to release every record, every document, every allegation made, so that there would be full transparency.
You have somebody in Ruben Gallego, who was best friends with Eric Swalwell, who traveled with him, who was his National Chair of his campaign, both for President and Governor.
If you're telling me that you had no knowledge? Then you should have nothing to hide, and you should release every text message, every email, every photo or video exchanged, and let the American people see. Hold yourself to the same standard that you want to hold everybody else to.
As members of Congress, if your objective is to come down to Washington, cheat on your spouse, go get laid, abuse your staffers? You do not belong here.
[21:15:00]
And as the Senator from Arizona, who is his best friend, if he has nothing to hide? Then own it, and be very clear and transparent.
COLLINS: Congressman Mike Lawler, thank you for joining us tonight.
LAWLER: Thank you.
COLLINS: And up next here. I should note, if you're still counting, speaking of lawmakers being back here in Washington, the Department of Homeland Security has now been shut down for 59 days. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill right now are basically at a standstill over how to fund it, and a critical roadblock is how immigration enforcement will be implemented and funded going forward.
The President's Border Czar was out front at the White House today, Tom Homan, and I asked him about where those negotiations stand right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: Mr. Homan, you've been involved in the negotiations on Capitol Hill to get ICE funded. What is the latest on that with House Republicans who don't like what the Senate has passed so far?
TOM HOMAN, WHITE HOUSE BORDER CZAR: Look, I've sat down in several meetings and they say they want to reform ICE. They don't want to reform ICE. They want to shut ICE down. They want to take -- they want to change their policies through reconciliation. They want to take their authorities away.
For instance, they want, you know, put in language about sensitive locations. And ICE says, Well, what's the problem with sensitive locations? You can't name one instance -- and that's why I told them, Give me one instance we arrested somebody inside of a church. Give me one instance we arrested somebody inside of a hospital or an elementary school. It hasn't happened.
Now, reason we don't have that policy is because if you're a significant public safety threat, or you're a significant national security threat, there should be no sanctuary for you. But the only people that violated the sanctity of a church was Don Lemon and that crew. It was them that violated.
So, I'm not willing to give up ICE's authorities. They crippled the agency -- it was crippled for four years under Joe Biden. So you know, if they don't like what ICE does? Change the law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: He later said, after that, in response to our follow-up questions, that he has not been involved in the negotiations over the last two weeks.
I should note, the Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, says the process of funding ICE and Border Patrol with just Republican votes could start here in Washington next week. We'll keep you updated on what we're hearing from White House officials on that front.
Up next here for us. Iran apparently appears to be digging up its missile launchers that were trapped by U.S. strikes. What does John Bolton, the President's former National Security Advisor have to say about that, and the ceasefire.
And the Vice President's portfolio is still growing. Talks on Iran. His party's midterm efforts. And also, he was heckled today by a college student over this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: Jesus Christ does not -- I agree. Jesus Christ certainly does not support genocide. Whoever yelled that out from the dark. He certainly does not. I think that's pretty easy. I think that's a pretty easy principle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible).
VANCE: OK, so -- so here's a guy. Let me just say this. This is a guy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, President Trump is teasing a second round of talks with Iran just one week before the United States' ceasefire is set to expire. He told the New York Post, quote, Something could be happening, over the next two days in Pakistan. That's where the talks faltered, over the weekend, after 21 hours, and prompted a U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, with the U.S. Navy now trying to prevent ships from entering or exiting those Iranian ports.
Officials say that at least six merchant ships were forced to turn back around today, though there is some tracking data that shows several Iranian-linked ships have managed to pass through.
In Washington, the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, launched diplomatic efforts on another front of this war that is underway. Israel and Lebanon holding their highest level talks right now here in 40 years.
My source tonight is CNN's Barak Ravid, and Axios' Global Affairs Correspondent.
Barak, between that meeting today on Lebanon and Israel, it didn't produce a ceasefire there. Though, they talked about being hopeful. On a second round of talks with Iran. What are you hearing from your sources on the likelihood of this?
BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL & GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST, GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT, AXIOS: Well, first, I think the meeting at the State Department, I'm not saying it's not important, it is, but was mostly a photo-op.
I think the main issue to see is whether the Trump administration will be able to force Netanyahu to stop -- to agree to a ceasefire in the coming days. I think that, that would be a key issue.
Because I think that the Trump administration knows that if it wants a deal with Iran, there will have to be some sort of a regional component. And the Trump administration wants any ceasefire in Lebanon not to be connected to an Iranian dictation or demand or pressure, but to be something that is a result of direct Israeli-Lebanese negotiation.
So, I think the Trump administration's interest is to have this ceasefire even before it has any kind of deal with Iran. That's number one.
COLLINS: Yes.
RAVID: Number two. For now, a meeting, a second meeting between Vice President Vance and the U.S. negotiation team, and Speaker of Iranian parliament, Ghalibaf, and his negotiation team, hasn't been scheduled yet. It could be scheduled.
I think when Trump said this morning that it might happen in the next two days, I think it's clear that it's not going to happen in the next two days. One day is over. And it's a 20-hour flight to Pakistan. So, doesn't seem to me that anything will happen in the next 24 hours.
[21:25:00]
But we have until April 21st to do another round of negotiations and try to get a deal. I'm not sure it's enough time, but I also don't get the impression that President Trump has a lot of appetite to extend the ceasefire.
COLLINS: Yes, and we'll see, because that is a key question, one week from today.
Barak Ravid, thank you for joining us with your reporting.
RAVID: Thank you.
COLLINS: Also here tonight is the former National Security Advisor for President Trump, Ambassador John Bolton.
And thank you, sir, for being here.
Because we -- you hear what Barak is saying there, about the likelihood of -- or we'll see what happens with these talks.
The President told Fox Business today, in an interview, that he believes the war is close to being over.
Does it seem like it is close to being over, in your view?
JOHN BOLTON, FORMER TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Well, not in a way that's satisfactory to the United States.
I do think Trump has wanted out of this for quite some time. It's palpable in the way he discusses it. He just can't figure out how to do it in a way that he can declare victory with a straight face.
I don't think in the near-term you can declare victory until we have militarily cleared the Strait of Hormuz, such that Gulf Arab oil can get out. I think it's the right thing to do to blockade ships going to and from Iran. But I think what's critical to demonstrate, that Iran is not the hegemon in the Gulf, is that we have to make it safe for the other oil producers to get their oil out, which will have a material impact, I think, on the global economy. And while shutting Iran's exports down certainly have a material effect on their economy too.
COLLINS: Well, I mean, you are arguing, you think the ceasefire is a mistake, that Iran could regroup during this.
There are new satellite images today, they were reviewed by CNN, that appear to show Iran digging at the entrance of missile bases, where the launchers -- their missile launchers are trapped, because of the strikes from the United States and Israel.
Do you think this is something that they could potentially access during this ceasefire period? Or what's your sense of these images?
BOLTON: Well, I think that's what they're certainly trying to do. I mean, we've got intelligence reports that indicate that the administration's claims of success, particularly against missile launchers, may have been overly optimistic.
The silver lining here is, let them dig them out. Let them bring them out. I assume we're going to be watching all these very carefully. As they bring them out, we destroy them, then we can close the tunnels again.
This is -- this is a question that requires resolve on the part of the President. Now, whether he thought about that in advance or not is highly unclear. But it's a mistake at this point to look for an easy way out.
I think the government of Iran has been badly damaged. I don't buy the argument that the regime is still intact, is still functioning. I think it's clearly been set back. President Pezeshkian was quoted in the press today, saying, it would take 12 years to get Iran's economy back to the point where it was on February the 28th. And where it was on February the 28th was in the cellar. So, we've had enormous impact, and this is not the time to pull back.
COLLINS: Can I ask you, just as someone who worked closely with President Trump, when he was in the Oval, the last time. You were in the Situation Room with him.
I mean, as we've been watching, he's lashing out at the Pope after he's said, you know, and was critical of the war in Iran, and said that there should be peace in Iran.
He lashed out last week, saying a whole civilization will die tonight in Iran, before calling on -- calling off his threat and implementing this ceasefire.
Last night, we had Marjorie Taylor Greene on, and she was saying that she worries about the President's mental stability because of things like that.
As someone who worked with him, what is your view on that?
BOLTON: Well, I'm not a shrink, so I don't -- I mean, I don't -- I don't know what purpose it serves by saying he's a narcissistic sociopath. I mean, that's not the issue. The issue is he doesn't know what he's doing.
And I think a lot of the behavior shows the panic that he's in, that he can't see a way out of this. For whatever reason he thought it would be easier than it was. I can't believe he wasn't told that by the Pentagon and others, told that they would try and close the Strait of Hormuz, told that they would go after the Gulf Arab countries. He apparently either didn't listen or didn't believe it, and now he doesn't know what to do. So, I think a lot of this is panic more than anything else.
COLLINS: Well, I mean, I think people might hear that and say -- you know, you say he doesn't know what he's doing.
I mean, he is the sole decision-maker, pretty much, when it comes to what happens next in this war, in terms of the United States' moves here. I mean, everyone is kind of waiting and listening to him, whether it's, Can they have 20 years of enrichment? Can they -- before they can enrich? Can they do this? Can they do that?
I mean, for you to say that he doesn't know what he's doing, I think is probably pretty alarming to some people.
BOLTON: Well, I don't see that as much different from the first term. He does not think in strategic terms. Contrary to what his supporters say. He does not play three-dimensional chess. He sees international affairs through the prism of his personal relationships. So, when he thinks the Pope is attacking him, his immediate reaction is attack the Pope.
[21:30:00]
None of this is part of a bigger picture. These communications are not part of an overall communication strategy. And in fact, what he did at the beginning of the administration was eliminate a good part of our ability to communicate our point of view into Iran, which would be very helpful to be doing right now.
COLLINS: Can I just ask, what would you have said to the President, if he was attacking the Pope, over what he said about Iran, if you were the National Security Advisor still?
BOLTON: Stop.
COLLINS: On that note. Ambassador John Bolton, thank you for joining us here tonight.
BOLTON: Thank you.
COLLINS: Up next. A new message tonight from the Vice President JD Vance to unify his party ahead of the midterms. My political sources will discuss next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:35:00]
COLLINS: As Vice President Vance spoke tonight, at a Turning Point USA event in Georgia. The Group's CEO, Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk who was assassinated last year, was not there, and she was expected to interview him.
Vance on stage said that Erika Kirk had faced, quote, Serious threats ahead of the event and decided to opt out for her safety. He later addressed how polarized politics is, and how it's affecting the Republican Party, and why, he argued, the Republicans should come together ahead of the midterm elections this November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: The real problem is not a person who disagrees with you about this or that, foreign policy or domestic policy issue. The real problem is the person who killed our friend, and anybody who defended the people who killed our friend.
And we got to keep our eye on the ball and recognize that those who want to kill conservatives because they have the wrong viewpoints? We need to defeat those people. We need to unite with each other and actually fight together, to defeat the real enemy that's out there.
Starting in a few months, we're going to have primaries that are over, we're going to have candidates on the ballot, and we're all going to need to get out there and work hard, because the people who want to kill Donald Trump, the people who want to throw Donald Trump in prison, the people who murdered our friend, and then the people who celebrated it afterwards? Those people were trying to achieve political power. We cannot let them, and we have to unite to make sure that doesn't happen.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: I want to bring in my political sources who are here tonight.
Karen Finney is a former senior adviser to Hillary Clinton.
And Shermichael Singleton is a Republican strategist.
Shermichael, what do you make of the message there? Is that what Republican voters, what Trump administration voters, need to hear?
SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yes, well the party certainly needs to unite.
There a lot of fractures right now in the coalition. Karen and I have been talking about this throughout the day. You have some folks who aren't very happy about the conflict in Iran. You have some people who aren't happy about the Epstein files. You have some people who aren't happy about the President going after the Pope. I mean, there are a number of things that people on our side just aren't quite on the same page.
And I think the Vice President is right. This is a consequential election coming up. We know that history is automatically not on our side. Then you factor in the President's approval ratings, Democrats winning special elections? They have an advantage. And so, the question for us is, how do you minimize that advantage as much as possible on the House side, and then you have a number of Senate races that are also a challenge for us.
COLLINS: Yes. Well, and earlier, he was saying, If you like us and you're just not unhappy -- you're unhappy with the Iran war, and what's happening in the Middle East, think of all the other things we've done that you do like. I mean, I think that's a real question of, if that is something that brings -- energizes voters or generates turnout.
KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, SENIOR ADVISER, HILLARY CLINTON'S 2016 CAMPAIGN, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, DNC: But so far, I think what we're seeing on the Republican side is they're not energized. They're not.
Instead, they are disappointed or angry. And it's on multiple fronts, right? It's -- we've talked about young men, particularly around the war. It was a big issue in 2024. People are unhappy with the economy. People are unhappy -- I mean, Shermichael went through the list.
And so, it's so interesting, because if he would just do a little bit, I don't -- I'm not here to give them advice, but like--
SINGLETON: Please, Karen, give us some advice.
FINNEY: If they just--
COLLINS: Might take it.
FINNEY: If they just tweak some things just a little bit to make it easier on people, they would be in so much better shape.
But look, Donald Trump's a narcissist. So, to him, he's not on the ballot. He doesn't really care. And he doesn't talk to voters the way that--
COLLINS: But it will affect him should they lose.
FINNEY: It will, yes, it will. However he's--
COLLINS: His life will not be fun--
FINNEY: It's very different--
COLLINS: --if Democrats are in charge on Capitol Hill.
FINNEY: Yes, very true. But it's so different when you are dealing with constituents, when you're hearing from people how mad they are, and you're -- and members are getting questions like, What did you think of Donald Trump likening himself to Jesus Christ? And that's not what you want to be talking about in a midterm year.
SINGLETON: And just quickly, I think Karen's making a really good point. We haven't seen the President out there in a while, having a big rally, talking with his voters, maybe doing some campaign stops. I think that will be beneficial for the President to kind of see where middle-America is, where some Independents, voters currently are, in terms of how they view his presidency thus far. That might help him shift some positions.
FINNEY: I actually -- I actually think that would be worse, because--
SINGLETON: You think so, Karen?
FINNEY: Because he will go out there, he will lie. He will say, It's the greatest economy ever in the history of everything, and he will talk about all the things. I mean, we've seen this movie before, where he tries to say how great things are, but then people know in their own lives, it's not great. I mean, even that little thing they did yesterday with their -- or is it today -- with the DoorDash?
SINGLETON: I think--
COLLINS: Yes.
FINNEY: Trump went out and said, She got $11,000 back. And then when she went to the North Lawn and did interviews, she said, Actually it was more like three or four, which still, that helps. But the -- but the reality for so many people right now is that's helping at a time when everything else is more expensive.
[21:40:00]
COLLINS: Well, and also that event--
SINGLETON: And getting out the bubble, I think would help.
COLLINS: --that event was supposed to highlight no tax on tips, part of that policy.
SINGLETON: It's a good thing.
COLLINS: But instead, it actually -- I mean, his answer on -- on saying that he thought the picture was depicting him as a doctor, not Jesus Christ--
FINNEY: I mean--
COLLINS: --might have overshadowed that a bit.
But you mentioned the Pope, and the attacks on the Pope that the President has been making.
Vice President JD Vance, who's obviously a Catholic, talked about that yesterday, but then also spoke about it today. And listen to the two different ways he spoke about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: Even when there's disagreement, I like it when the Pope comments on questions of immigration, I like it when the Pope talks about abortion, I like it when the Pope talks about matters of war and peace, because I think that at the very least, it invites a conversation.
It would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of, you know, what's going on in the Catholic Church, and let the President of the United States stick to dictating American public policy. (END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Do you think that was clean-up?
SINGLETON: I mean, look, the Vice President is in a really tough predicament. I mean, he's a devout Catholic. You certainly don't want to go against your boss, that being the Commander-in-Chief. So, I understand maybe the schism that might exist there.
That said, though, I mean, like I grew up in the South, Southern Baptist, I'm of the opinion that the church should not become the world. I think the church should model what the world should be.
And so, in that regard, if I were in the Vice President's position, I would tell the President, Hey, you did offend a lot of people. Sometimes we make mistakes, or we do things in error, and it's OK to come out and say, Hey, I shouldn't have done this, I apologize, and move on.
FINNEY: As a Catholic, it's beyond offensive what he did. But more importantly, it was interesting to see, so it was up, and then it was down, and now they're trying to play clean-up around it.
But what about that how immoral that is. And we've seen so many moments from this president where he has -- you know, we call them, norms. But he -- I mean, to say he thought he was a doctor? Come on, nobody buys that.
COLLINS: Wit the orbs out of his -- out of his hands.
FINNEY: Right.
COLLINS: Can I ask? Because to the point about the Vice President.
FINNEY: Yes.
COLLINS: And, obviously the last Vice President faced a lot of scrutiny. People obviously believed--
FINNEY: Yes.
COLLINS: --she had political ambitions. Obviously, we know that now.
FINNEY: Yes.
COLLINS: Vance is seen as the heir apparent, I mean, we'll see what happens, in 2028.
SINGLETON: Yes.
FINNEY: Yes.
COLLINS: But -- and lately, between the fight with the Pope that the President has now put him in the center of, he went to Hungary and stumped for Viktor Orban--
FINNEY: Yes.
COLLINS: --who lost his election, after over a decade in office.
He was in Pakistan over the weekend.
There are still real questions about what's going to shape out with this. MAGA allies say they're turning on Vance over that really dumb move, as they described it. I mean, you see the headlines here, and you see, he is in a high-profile position, getting way more scrutiny now.
FINNEY: And he's being put in positions where he's set up to fail. Let's be honest.
And remember that the Iran talks, the first time took a very long time, and there was long periods of negotiation. We don't even see anyone who is part of the team who has the cultural competency to be negotiating this. You have two real estate people, and the Vice President, who has very little experience on foreign policy.
So, I think he's being set up to fail. I presume he thinks this is good for him to raise his profile. I suspect, there's a little bit of a competition between him and Marco.
SINGLETON: Yes, that's possible, for sure.
Look, you got to give the Vice President a realistic portfolio. He's a younger guy. He cares a lot about technology entrepreneurship. Have him working on domestic issues, targeting young men, targeting young families, I think that's where he would excel well.
COLLINS: Yes, I mean, back to Kamala Harris being in charge of the border.
FINNEY: Yes.
COLLINS: Obviously, that was something that--
SINGLETON: How did that work out?
COLLINS: --at least her--
FINNEY: And maybe don't talk about the Holy Father, because that is blasphemy.
COLLINS: Karen Finney. Shermichael Singleton. Great to have you both here tonight.
Up next. Democrats are going after former Attorney General, Pam Bondi, for dodging their subpoena to be deposed today in the Epstein investigation. The top Democrat on that committee who still wants her to testify will join me right after this.
[21:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: Today, the ousted Attorney General, Pam Bondi, was a no-show for her deposition on the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. And tonight, the House Oversight Committee says it is working to reschedule that deposition.
The Justice Department says that despite that congressional subpoena, that Pam Bondi does not need to appear anymore, since she is no longer the Attorney General, after she was fired by the President nearly two weeks ago.
But the top Democrat on that committee disagrees, and is actually threatening to hold Pam Bondi in contempt of Congress. Robert Garcia wrote today, This subpoena applies to her regardless of her title. She must appear before the Committee, and if she continues to ignore the law, Oversight Democrats will move forward with contempt proceedings immediately.
Congressman Garcia is my source tonight.
Obviously, she didn't show tonight. So, do you plan to move forward with those contempt proceedings now?
REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): We do.
And look, I think we have heard from Chairman Comer that he's somehow negotiating with her private counsel, which we've tried to contact. There has been no contact from Pam Bondi or any of her lawyers to the committee on the Democratic side. So, she's completely ignored the request of the Chairman, of a Republican chairman, James Comer, now for weeks. She has not come in.
Today was the date that we had to hear from her. The survivors are waiting. The public has demanded answers. And she's defied the subpoena. And so, we are moving forward with contempt charges. If that gets rescheduled in the next day or so, we'll obviously consider that. But she needs to come in. The subpoena is legally binding, whether she is the A.G. or not.
[21:50:00]
COLLINS: So, you'll give her 48 hours for them to reschedule? Is that your timetable?
GARCIA: Well we are -- we are writing up the contempt charges now. And if we hear that, she is working to reschedule that -- you know, her subpoena -- her subpoena and her appearance? Then we'll obviously consider that.
But right now, there's no indication. She has not communicated with us that she's actually going to come in. She's legally obligated to come in and answer questions from the committee under oath. She continues to choose to not do so. So, there's no other -- there's no other reason here but -- than go ahead with contempt.
COLLINS: Yes. What do you make of the administration's argument that, Well, she's no longer the Attorney General, so she doesn't need to come in and sit for this deposition. Which is why you wanted to talk to her in the first place.
GARCIA: That's bogus. I mean, first, we talked to former A.G., Bill Barr, we've talked to former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, we've talked to a bunch of former officials that has really nothing to do -- if she's an important part of the investigation, which we believe she is. She led -- she led the, what we believe is a, coverup, going on at the White House. She would not even bring survivors in to meet with her. 50 percent of the files have still not been released. She has got to give us answers.
COLLINS: Well, on those files being released. We actually heard from the person who has taken over for her in the interim period, the former Deputy Attorney General Todd -- he is the Deputy Attorney General, Todd Blanche, now Acting in that position.
He said this about releasing those files.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL HEMMER, "AMERICA'S NEWSROOM" CO-ANCHOR, FOX NEWS CHANNEL: You have the authority to go ahead and release more. Do you not? And you have the authority to go to Congress perhaps?
TODD BLANCHE, ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL: No. We have released everything. So listen, we reviewed 6 million pieces of paper. What we released was anything associated with the Epstein files. So there -- we are not sitting on a single piece of paper.
HEMMER: Nothing?
BLANCHE: Nothing that should be released.
If we didn't release it, it's because it was not responsive to the law and therefore not part of the Epstein files.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Is that true?
GARCIA: No, because -- I mean, first of all, he either doesn't know the law or is lying.
There are two legal documents that are critical. One is the Transparency Act and the law that was passed by Congress, which he's referring to. The second of this is the subpoena for all of the documents and the entirety of the Justice file -- of the Justice Department files.
That law, those documents, they have not been responsive to. And it doesn't include the clauses that are in the law that he's using to not release the rest of the documents. He owes us half of the documents. We're not going to stop till we get them all.
COLLINS: There's a lot of drama happening on Capitol Hill, especially -- I mean, in both parties. But what has kind of ignited this was what happened with California congressman, Eric Swalwell, who was running for governor in your state. He has now officially resigned as a member of Congress.
And I know you put out a statement, last week, after he was accused of sexual assault, saying that, There is no place in our country or the Democratic Party for those who abuse women and girls.
One thing we keep hearing is that this was kind of a known rumor on Capitol Hill. Did you know about these allegations, had you heard about this, regarding Eric Swalwell?
GARCIA: I mean, no. I mean, certainly -- I mean, absolutely not. As it relates to rape and abuse? No.
I mean, look, I think what was shocking to us, in California, is here's someone that we knew was a part of our delegation. He obviously had -- you know, he had a profile of someone that took on Trump. And for him to have done what he did, and I believe these women, is disgusting.
Now, we were going to expel him if he didn't resign. And Tony Gonzales should absolutely -- again, I'm glad he resigned, because we were going to expel him.
And the fact that there are folks saying that, Oh, they knew this, or they suspected? I think that's wrong. If we suspect somebody is actually hurting, raping, abusing women, their staff members? Those people should be called out and there should be investigations, and that matter should have been sent to the Ethics committee.
So, it is really hard to understand, as someone newer to Congress, it's really hard to understand how this person abused women for so long.
COLLINS: Senator Ruben Gallego says he didn't know anything about this. Do you believe him?
GARCIA: I mean, I do -- I take the Senator at his word. I mean, look, I think Senator Gallego, I think, addressed his friendship with Eric, and I can't imagine how horrified he is, and just the level of trust that was broken. I'm sure that's the way anyone that knew Eric well feels.
I mean, Eric -- I didn't know Eric super-well. It wasn't someone that I was personally close to. But he was a member of our caucus and delegation. And so, I'm disgusted by what he did, that should have no place in the Congress. And if he didn't resign, we were going to expel him.
COLLINS: Congressman Robert Garcia, thank you for joining us here tonight, as always. Appreciate your time.
Up next. Obviously, everyone knows how much President Trump loves Diet Coke. He's talked about it a lot. There's a red button on the Resolute Desk, so that he can have one delivered when he wants one in the Oval Office. Now, one of his top officials is revealing his healthy theory that he has behind Diet Soda.
[21:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Make America Healthy Again starts TOMORROW. Remember that, the 2024 Don Jr. post that showed the President and his team, including the anti-fast food champion, RFK Jr., surrounded by McDonald's? Well, for some, tomorrow is still coming, apparently.
As he was speaking to the President's son, Dr. Oz shared, the President actually likes to replicate that scene that you see there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEHMET OZ, ADMINISTRATOR, CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES: He'll hit the red button.
DONALD TRUMP JR., AMERICAN BUSINESSMAN, PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP'S SON: Yes.
OZ: And then comes the Diet Soda Pop, which is--
TRUMP JR.: Yes.
OZ: --your dad argues that Diet Soda is good for him, because it kills grass if poured on grass--
TRUMP JR.: Yes.
OZ: --so therefore it must kill cancer cells inside the body.
TRUMP JR.: Yes.
OZ: So, he'll try to -- please -- I'm not even going to argue this right now.
TRUMP JR.: Yes. Yes.
[22:00:00]
OZ: You know, and we were on Air Force One the other day, and I walk in there because he wants to talk about something, and he's got an orange soft drink on his desk.
TRUMP JR.: Fanta. He drinks Fanta.
OZ: Yes. That's what--
TRUMP JR.: Yes--
OZ: I don't want to say the brand name on podcast.
TRUMP JR.: Yes--
OZ: He's got Fanta on the desk, and I say, Are you kidding me?
So, he starts to, like, sheepishly grin, he goes, You know, this stuff's good for me. Kills cancer cells. And then he tells me, It's fresh-squeezed, so how bad could it be for you?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: To be clear, Fanta is not made with freshly-squeezed anything.
Thank you so much for joining us here tonight on THE SOURCE.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts now.
