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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Trump's Midterm Message: Democrats Are "Godless Communists"; Pete Buttigieg Separated From His 4-Year-Old Twin Sons Overnight After False, Anonymous Allegation; TMZ Receives Unverified Note Demanding Bitcoin For Hidden "Video" Of Guthrie And Her Kidnapper. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired June 26, 2026 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: And that can keep the paparazzi out. Of course, Taylor and Travis do not want photos leaking out of this event.
There's also underground parking which could discreetly bring in all of the famous A-list wedding guests. Again, that keeps the paparazzi out but, more importantly, can keep the venue safe and secure from any security threats.
Now, of course, no one other than Taylor and Travis actually know where this wedding is happening, so maybe it won't happen at Madison Square Garden at all. We will have to wait and see.
Erica.
ERICA HILL, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: We will be watching very closely.
Elizabeth, thanks.
Thanks to all of you for joining us tonight. I'm Erica Hill.
The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts right now.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: Tonight. With new strikes against Iran, a housing bill still unsigned, and control of Congress on the line. The President is rolling out a new attack line against the, quote, "Most serious threat to our country since its existence."
I'm Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.
And as we come on the air tonight, right now, Iran is claiming that its military has struck U.S. Army positions in the region. Right now, we've seen no confirmation of that from the United States' side. And of course, Iran has lied or exaggerated about its attacks in the past.
But here's why this matters. Because this claim is coming after the United States unleashed its first air strikes since the two countries signed that memorandum of understanding, nine days ago. It was an understanding, which was supposed to cool things down as two sides were trying to hash out a peace deal.
Right now, CENTCOM is saying those strikes that they did conduct and carry out today are in response to that Iranian drone attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
Vice President JD Vance, who has been leading the peace talks for the United States' side, said, quote, "Violence will be met with violence."
His boss had hinted this afternoon that strikes were coming, although he spent a lot of the day rolling out a political message that he has been workshopping ahead of the midterm elections.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: These are not social Democrats. These are hardcore godless communists. They're godless communists. All communists are godless. They don't believe in God. This is the most serious threat to our country since its existence, in my opinion, 250 years ago. This is a major threat to our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That was the President, while addressing Christian conservatives and referring to House primary victories that happened this week by Democratic socialists here in New York City, who have been backed by the New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
While Democrats themselves have been wrestling with what Tuesday night means for the direction of their party. Socialism, much less Democratic socialism, is not communism.
Still, the night of New York primaries, that night, you saw the President, he stayed up past 02:30 in the morning. At one point, he posted, quote, "America the Beautiful will NEVER be a Communist Country."
Today, he laid out a prediction that borderlined apocalyptic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It's happening right now in New York and California. But you'll start living in squalor. You'll live in squalor. There will be no food. There will be no housing. There will be no military. There will be no law and order. There will be no nothing. There will be no nothing. You will be a third-world inhabitant in every way, and everyone will suffer or die. You'll suffer or die. That's what happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Suffer and die, the President says.
The House Speaker, Mike Johnson, offered up his own attempt at framing the importance and what is on the line this November. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): If we were to lose the midterms, heaven forbid, these Democrats, y'all, impeachment is not even the big concern. They will turn every committee of Congress into an investigative body, and they'll go after the President's family, the Cabinet, his donors, and friends. Half of you in this room will be targeted. I run the protection program, I'll take care of you, OK? We're going to win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The question tonight is, can the House Speaker and the President's own advisers convince the President that he needs to continue to focus on the midterms.
A lot of this week, as you saw here on THE SOURCE, was spent clashing with his own party, when it comes to the Iran war, over that voting bill that he's demanding but doesn't have enough Republican votes on. Instead of focusing on issues like affordability, including, of course, his refusal to sign that bipartisan housing bill until he gets the election bill first.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: We're doing very well with Iran. They've been decimated. And we're making a deal with them, and we'll see how that all goes.
COLLINS: Mr. Secretary.
ON SCREEN TEXT: Monday, June 22.
TRUMP: We also fixed the Reflecting Pool. In fact, if you go over there right now, it looks very good.
[21:05:00]
They put, somebody said, fertilizer in the water. If you put fertilizer in the water, you get algae.
And it'll be back to health pretty soon.
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
ON SCREEN TEXT: Tuesday, June 23.
COLLINS: President Trump's claims about Iran's ballistic missile capability just aren't adding up. One of his stated goals was to destroy Iran's missile capability in its entirety.
TRUMP: We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally obliterated.
COLLINS: Then, as the war continued, the President argued that the U.S. was close to achieving that goal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you?
COLLINS: At the G7 Summit in France, he made the stunning case that actually Iran should be able to have ballistic missiles.
TRUMP: I mean, they have to have some because, other people have some. They got to have some.
COLLINS: Now the President is back to claiming that Iran's missile capability is gone entirely.
TRUMP: Now we're leaving Iran with no navy, no air force, no anti- aircraft, no missile capability, no nuclear program.
COLLINS: The President is digging in on that unproven claim that vandals caused the damage at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
TRUMP: Somebody went in with a knife and cut it. They cut it up good. And then they cut it 200, 350 foot slip in the form of lots of little slips.
If you had a knife, you can't even cut it. So strong. It is beautiful. Sealed.
COLLINS: All eyes are on New York, where the polls have just closed in several marquee primary races, and what could be a major test on where the party is headed, come November.
I'm going to do something a little unusual here.
Not many candidates are on CNN when they hear this music.
(MUSIC)
COLLINS: But we do have breaking news, and we can now project that Brad Lander will defeat the incumbent Congressman Dan Goldman in the Democratic primary.
What is your first reaction to this?
BRAD LANDER, (D) NEW YORK CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Well, thank you. First of all. Obviously, I'm thrilled. I did not expect to be on air when the race was called.
These are the fights that matter to us. And all I can say is I promise to go out every single day, and fight for my constituents and the values that they have.
ON SCREEN TEXT: Wednesday, June 24.
TRUMP: I think we had a really great meeting. For the most part, we have a really well-unified party.
COLLINS: Hey, Mr. Secretary, right around here. Keep going. Keep going. MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: That he thinks he can reach.
Yes, please.
COLLINS: Thank you so much for being here.
Last week, at the G7 Summit, the President actually made the case for Iran to have ballistic missiles, saying that if Saudi Arabia has them, so should they.
Do you agree that Iran should have ballistic missiles?
RUTTE: We always had a consistent position as an alliance with the United States, all the 32 nations, that Iran should never get its hands on the nuclear capability.
This country exporting chaos, exporting terrorism.
COLLINS: So, what about ballistic missiles?
RUTTE: I really want to focus on the -- on the nuclear capability.
COLLINS: I think a lot of those Republican senators thought that the President was coming in there today to give them an earful about the SAVE America Act.
The President was much angrier about the war powers vote that passed last night. Republicans had crossed the aisle and rebuked him, essentially by voting for that. And so, he spent the majority of that lunch focusing on the war powers vote, getting into that shouting match with Senator Cassidy.
The President is standing firm against signing that housing bill, which his own team argues would make a big difference for millions of Americans.
When the President first announced that he was not going to be signing this bill today, what was your first reaction?
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): I thought it was some kind of joke.
For the first time ever in American history, this bill says, Private equity, stay out.
Democrats and Republicans said, Here's something that would help in my community. And that's what we did.
ON SCREEN TEXT: Thursday, June 25.
JOHNSON: Hey, everybody.
There is a frustration the President has expressed about the unwillingness of Senate Democrats to do anything that follows commonsense.
TRUMP: The lovely country of Iran, it's a beautiful place. Would anybody like to go there? We're going to be taking some of their money, and we'll spend it, and we're going to be buying wheat, soybeans, and corn, a lot of it.
COLLINS: Was more than three hours at the White House, enough time for House Speaker Mike Johnson to convince President Trump to sign that bipartisan bill he's refusing to put his name on.
Do you think United States' farmers are actually going to benefit at all from unfrozen billions of dollars that could potentially go to Iran?
REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): The President, the Vice President, and their supporters are, I think, the expression is, doing their best to put lipstick on a pig.
The Iranian regime is not known for their truth-telling either. But no, of course they're not going to use this to strengthen the American farm sector.
[21:10:00]
COLLINS: The wins that we saw this week from several Democrats, including races here in New York. We've seen the response. Especially more establishment Democrats were ousted in those primaries.
HIMES: Inside both parties, you're going to have a more moderate and pragmatic wing, and then you're going to have some people that are a little bit explosive.
For these members who have been newly nominated to be the Democratic candidates, Be bold, be bold. But remember that boldness without the action that gets you a congressional majority, is worth nothing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And on that note, my political sources are here tonight, including the former Democratic Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio; and the Trump-endorsed Republican nominee for governor of New York, Nassau County Executive, Bruce Blakeman.
And thank you both for being here.
Mr. Mayor. When you hear what Congressman Jim Himes is saying there. He was saying what works in Brooklyn might be work there -- even though he was critical, a lot of the language that some of the candidates this week had used -- the one this week had used. But he's saying that that's not going to work when it comes to building a House majority. Do you think he has a point?
BILL DE BLASIO, (D) FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: I think it's fair to say people judge you by what you get done. And right now, we have Mayor Mamdani, for example, who is following through on his campaign commitments, major steps towards universal child care, for example, the rent action that was taken this week to freeze the rent for a couple million New Yorkers. So, that's when you take the ideas, the big, intense, passionate ideas, and you put them into action, and people feel it. So, on that level, I agree with Himes.
But there's something else going on here. The public is looking for change, they're looking for fundamental change, and they want to know candidates are on their side. So for example, a candidate who's willing to say, Yes, the wealthy are not paying their fair share in taxes, they need to pay more? That is a candidate that can get through to the American people.
It doesn't mean they're going to get that legislation passed instantly. But they're showing a direction that people desperately feel because, the status quo, the economic status quo, is not working for the vast majority of Americans.
COLLINS: And Mr. Blakeman, you commented on the races that happened this week, including one in particular.
BRUCE BLAKEMAN, (R) NEW YORK GOV. CANDIDATE, (R) NASSAU COUNTY, NY EXECUTIVE: Yes.
COLLINS: And this is what you said about the outcome.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAKEMAN: And Brad Lander, he's a disgrace. He's anti-American, he's anti-Semitic. Even though he's Jewish, this guy would be a camp guard in the concentration camp if he could. He's a disaster. He's terrible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Brad Lander is Jewish. Do you stand by that comment?
BLAKEMAN: I certainly do. I mean, this is a guy who embraces people who will not admit the atrocities that occurred on October 7th. He stands with people who say, River to the sea, basically to eradicate the Jewish state of Israel. He is someone who denigrates people who feel the same way that I do, that Israel should have a right to exist as a Jewish state. So, yes, I think he's either a collaborator or he's a coward, and either one of them is unacceptable, in my opinion.
COLLINS: But he believes that Israel has a right to exist. I mean, he's Jewish.
BLAKEMAN: Well--
COLLINS: And you're likening him to a Nazi?
BLAKEMAN: No, I don't believe he believes that Israel has a right to exist, I think -- as a Jewish state. He's never said that. He basically feels that it should be sorted out some way with the Palestinians. Listen, the Palestinians--
COLLINS: His own opponent called him a Zionist. I mean, that's what Dan Goldman said about Brad Lander.
BLAKEMAN: Well, that's his opinion. My opinion is he's not a Zionist. He's somebody that denigrates the Jewish state, and he stands with people who would seek to harm--
COLLINS: What has he said criticizing Jewish people?
BLAKEMAN: Well, he stood with people who support the Palestinians who attacked on October 7th. He stands with people -- he stands with--
COLLINS: Yes, but what has he said -- you said he's criticized Jewish people.
BLAKEMAN: Wait -- wait a second.
COLLINS: What has he said that it's critical of Jewish people?
BLAKEMAN: He stands with them, and he's with them. He says that he's -- he believes in Palestinian human rights, but he doesn't talk about Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. And he also -- let's talk about some of the other things that he says.
COLLINS: But he does believe that Israel has a right to -- that there has a right to -- for a Jewish state.
BLAKEMAN: He talks--
COLLINS: I think the question though--
BLAKEMAN: He talks about genocide in Gaza, when there was no genocide in Gaza. What you had was you had a military action with military objectives on the part of Israel. Take that in contrast to Hamas, which raped women, cut off babies' heads, and shot people that were unarmed. So, when you compare that, there's no moral equivalency.
COLLINS: But in what instance -- well, I mean, talk about a moral equivalency. You're likening him to a Nazi guard.
BLAKEMAN: Well, he's a collaborator.
COLLINS: That seems like a false moral equivalency. Does it not?
BLAKEMAN: He's -- he's -- no, no, he's a -- he's a collaborator. There's no question in my mind, he's either a collaborator or a coward.
COLLINS: And what is that distinction?
BLAKEMAN: You know--
COLLINS: I saw you said that to your -- to The New York Times. What is the distinction in likening someone to a Nazi--
BLAKEMAN: Well you know what -- the collab -- well you have to know--
COLLINS: --concentration camp guard to that?
BLAKEMAN: --the World War II history, you have to know about the Holocaust, and the collaborators were people who were Jewish who would identify Jewish families-- COLLINS: No, I understand.
BLAKEMAN: --Jewish children that were in hiding.
COLLINS: I understand the facts. I'm saying, what is the difference in the distinction you're making in terms of Mr. Brad Lander?
[21:15:00]
BLAKEMAN: The distinction I'm making is that the fact that he is Jewish has nothing to do with his positions. As a matter of fact, being a Jewish person, a Jewish public official, it should be his responsibility to speak out and speak the truth. The State of Israel is a democracy. They have human rights. They have an independent judiciary. They have religious freedom. Those are all things that you don't have in Palestine.
COLLINS: But criticizing--
BLAKEMAN: In Palestine, they take--
COLLINS: Criticizing the Israeli government--
BLAKEMAN: In Palestine, they take people who are gay and they throw them off buildings.
COLLINS: Criticizing the Israeli government is not saying that Israel doesn't have a right to exist.
BLAKEMAN: If you only criticize Israel. You know, there was a 120,000 African Christians who were murdered over the last two years, and nobody said anything about that. But they could criticize Israel. Nobody talked about the thousands of people who are being killed by Iran each and every day.
COLLINS: I think you're changing the subject.
BLAKEMAN: They only sing out loud Israel. If Israel is your only issue--
COLLINS: Sir, I appreciate--
BLAKEMAN: --you're an anti-Semite.
COLLINS: I appreciate the strawman argument there. This idea that we're not talking about Iran is just not true. He has criticized Hamas.
BLAKEMAN: What's not true about -- about Iran?
COLLINS: He has -- he has -- well you're saying that he -- you're saying--
BLAKEMAN: They're not killing innocent people?
COLLINS: You're saying that people aren't covering that. We are covering that. That's not related to you saying--
BLAKEMAN: I'm not talking about CNN. I'm talking about Brad Lander.
COLLINS: --that Brad Lander would be a camp guard in the concentration camp if he could.
BLAKEMAN: Yes, well, listen, I think a collaborator and a prison guard are the same thing.
COLLINS: But he's Jewish, and you're saying that if he could, that he would help kill Jewish people?
BLAKEMAN: Kaitlan, can you understand the fact that the fact that he is Jewish, he has a responsibility to speak up and say the Jewish state has a right to exist.
COLLINS: And he said--
BLAKEMAN: They have a right to self-determination.
COLLINS: But he has said that, sir.
BLAKEMAN: No, he hasn't said that.
COLLINS: Yes, he has.
BLAKEMAN: And he stands with people who want--
COLLINS: Brad Lander has said that Israel has a right to exist.
BLAKEMAN: He stands with people, and he's endorsed people who say, From the river to the sea.
COLLINS: Brad Lander has said--
DE BLASIO: Kaitlan--
BLAKEMAN: Chevalier says the River to the sea. Chevalier who he--
COLLINS: We're not talking about her. We're talking about Brad Lander right now, sir.
BLAKEMAN: But he stands with her. They are together.
COLLINS: We're talking about Brad Lander.
BLAKEMAN: Exactly.
COLLINS: And you said that he's like a concentration guard -- concentration camp--
BLAKEMAN: So you don't think there's guilt by association?
COLLINS: I think that likening something to the Holocaust is pretty off limits.
BLAKEMAN: Not for me.
COLLINS: I mean, clearly--
BLAKEMAN: Not if it's true.
COLLINS: I mean, but Brad Lander responded and said--
BLAKEMAN: Look, both my parents--
COLLINS: --standing up for Palestinian human rights--
BLAKEMAN: Both my parents--
COLLINS: --doesn't make me any less proud to be Jewish or serious about fighting anti-Semitism.
BLAKEMAN: That's what he says. That's not what I say, and that's not what the majority of Jewish Americans say.
So, the fact of the matter is, both my parents were World War II veterans. My mother joined the army. OK? We believe in freedom. We believe in religious freedom.
Brad Lander is somebody who I believe is antithetical to Jewish principles, and he is a critic of the State of Israel, but not a critic to any other nation.
COLLINS: He's a critic of the Israeli government.
BLAKEMAN: Well, you and I are going to have to agree to disagree on this.
COLLINS: He's criticizing Prime Minster Netanyahu's government.
BLAKEMAN: We'll have to agree to disagree.
DE BLASIO: Kaitlan, I've known Brad Lander for several decades, and he's extremely proud of his Jewish faith, and he's devoted to his community. And he believes that the State of Israel has taken a horrible direction and has done things that don't fit Jewish values, and he's seen the slaughter of innocent families and children, and that is not consistent with Jewish values, and what's happened to the Palestinian people is what he's objecting to. It doesn't make him any less proud to be Jewish.
Bruce, you owe him an apology. To compare anyone--
BLAKEMAN: So, you think there's a moral equivalency between October 7th--
DE BLASIO: No. To compare--
BLAKEMAN: --and the Jewish people being able to protect themselves from being attacked--
DE BLASIO: Bruce-- BLAKEMAN: --unprovoked, bombs, missiles going in, rockets going into Israel, each and every day, and attack on people who were left-wing Jews at a concert, raped--
COLLINS: No one is defending that, sir.
BLAKEMAN: --people going into people's--
COLLINS: You're making an argument that's not--
BLAKEMAN: Brad Lander is--
DE BLASIO: Bruce--
BLAKEMAN: Brad Lander is apologizing--
COLLINS: You're responding to an argument that's not made here.
BLAKEMAN: --for the people who feel--
DE BLASIO: He is not.
BLAKEMAN: --that Israel doesn't have the right to defend itself.
DE BLASIO: Bruce, he's not.
COLLINS: You're responding to an argument that's not been made.
DE BLASIO: First of all, just do the right thing and apologize to him because, to compare anybody to an official of the Nazi regime is unacceptable in our politics. This is a guy who is proud of his faith. He thinks -- in fact because he's Jewish, he would like to see the State of Israel conform to the values that he believes are part of the Jewish faith, of being compassionate to people and fair to people. And what he saw Netanyahu do, in his view -- I'm not speaking for him--
BLAKEMAN: I would not apologize.
DE BLASIO: --I'm interpreting. He believes that what Israel did went against Jewish values, and he stood up and said, in the name of humanity, this has to stop. Now, for him as a proud Jewish person--
BLAKEMAN: What has he said about the Palestinians? What has he said about Hamas?
DE BLASIO: He also, I'm quite certain, does not believe in violence against the Jewish people from Hamas either. You--
BLAKEMAN: Well he doesn't say that. He doesn't say that, Bill.
DE BLASIO: Bruce, you don't know that, so don't even say it. Come on.
COLLINS: Everything you're saying he hasn't said, these are all statements that he has said.
BLAKEMAN: Yes, I do know-- DE BLASIO: You've looked at everything he's said since October 7th? Look, the vast majority of us on October 7th said that was a horrible--
BLAKEMAN: Yes, I did my research.
DE BLASIO: --we saw a horrible massacre by Hamas. It was unacceptable. It was terrorism of the worst kind.
And at the same time, we can say what Netanyahu's government has done to innocent Palestinian people is also unacceptable. You can say both those things.
BLAKEMAN: They haven't done anything to innocent Palestinian people. They're defending themselves. It's the Palestinians--
COLLINS: So, just to be clear, this is not a -- this is not a--
BLAKEMAN: Wait. Excuse me, Kaitlan. It's the Palestinians that hide bombs and ammunition and weapons under schools, in hospitals. They put their people out there--
COLLINS: Mr. Blakeman, no one--
BLAKEMAN: --as shields.
[21:20:00]
COLLINS: Mr. Blakeman, no one on this set is defending Hamas.
BLAKEMAN: Then don't.
COLLINS: I'm asking you about your statement, likening a Jewish politician to a Nazi concentration camp guard.
BLAKEMAN: I think as a Jewish politician--
COLLINS: And you're saying you stand by it and you don't need to apologize for it.
BLAKEMAN: --he had a responsibility to speak the truth.
COLLINS: Is that right? Is that right that you do not--
BLAKEMAN: And I don't think he speak the truth.
COLLINS: Is that right that you don't need to apologize for it?
BLAKEMAN: I don't think that he is someone who supports the State of Israel. I think that he blows with the wind. I think he's totally malleable. So, I think that he is a collaborator.
COLLINS: So, do you plan to apologize for this statement, sir?
BLAKEMAN: I am not changing my statement.
COLLINS: And when you say collaborator, you mean a Nazi collaborator?
BLAKEMAN: He is a collaborator with people who want to harm the Jewish people. Yes, I will admit to that. That is my statement against him.
COLLINS: Mr. Blakeman. Mr. Mayor. I'm not sure we can continue this segment further. But thank you both so much.
Up next. We are learning about a hoax that targeted the former Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, that led to officers to separate him from his children for 24 hours.
Also tonight, TMZ says it's gotten an email from someone claiming to have video of Nancy Guthrie after she was kidnapped. The Founder and Executive Producer of TMZ will join me right after this with the new information.
[21:25:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, the former Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, says a false, politically-motivated report to the Michigan police led to him being temporarily separated from his 4-year-old twins.
According to Buttigieg, a Michigan State Police officer and a Child Protective Services worker both came to his home, after they got an anonymous report alleging that he posed a danger to his children. He said, the authorities arranged forensic interviews for his young twins and instructed him not to be alone with them until those interviews were complete.
Buttigieg writes tonight, quote, "I am a reasonable man. I try to keep as calm and low-key as possible. But I cannot describe the mix of rage and sadness that I feel at the idea that someone brought our children into this. They are four years old. Four. They do not know or care what a Democrat or a Republican is... For God's sake, they are just kids."
Joining me tonight is CNN's Senior Law Enforcement Analyst, and the former FBI Deputy Director, Andrew McCabe.
And Andy, I mean, it's pretty stunning to read this, that Pete Buttigieg was separated from his children for 24 hours until those interviews could be conducted, and he had no idea what this allegation was in those -- in those period of time.
Only when he sat down with the officer and the CPS worker, they were told, An anonymous caller had contacted CPS. The caller said that he had spoken to a woman who claimed to have met me at a conference in Alabama, where she said I told her that I had committed unspeakable violent crimes, and the caller believed my children were still at risk. That was all.
I mean, Buttigieg goes on to say he was never in that town in Alabama. This obviously never happened. When you look at this, and you hear about this, is it that easy for a call like this to be made, and a parent to be separated from their children, as he was?
ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST, FORMER FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR: You know, it's striking, Kaitlan, and it's almost excruciating to read because, you don't learn that part of what was the -- you know, what were the circumstances of the call that led to this visit from the authorities into the very end.
And my hats off to Secretary Buttigieg for having the courage to reveal all this publicly.
But you know it's a -- that's a tough question to answer because, every state, and oftentimes counties and cities have different authorities that are responsible to check in on children, when a complaint or information has been received, and the regulations around that are very different, state to state.
I have to say that getting -- reading the details of what the complaint was, it was so specious. The police officer indicated he thought that it was political, it was secondhand hearsay. It seemed like maybe a few questions about, Have you ever been to this conference, or have you ever been to this town in Alabama, at the front-end might have been enough to resolve their concerns. But again, I don't know what sort of requirements and policy there are in Michigan -- in the State of Michigan for these sorts of visits.
COLLINS: Yes, and he defends the officer and the CPS worker, says, you know, they're obviously doing their jobs here, and their jobs are incredibly serious to protect children who are facing real and serious danger and threats.
But when you read this, he started out by talking about swatting, which happens to politicians, celebrities all the time, where someone calls 911, says something heinous is happening at this address, and people show up, guns blazing, thinking that that is happening, and in reality it's just to terrify that target. I mean, I just wonder what it says to you about the political landscape in this moment.
MCCABE: Yes, it's just such a horrible statement about where we are. And you know, I guess you have to say, like, this is a -- there's a limited number of people that are doing this. But those people are really, have gone so far over an edge with their partisanship that it's, I don't know, that you come back from that.
I can say this as someone -- I've experienced this very personally, I've been swatted several times, my family's endured the fright and the terror that comes from having a police response at the house. Fortunately, my local sheriff's office is amazing at how they handle these things, and they -- and they do it in as low-key way as possible.
[21:30:00]
But it's, when it happens to you, you realize the level of just antipathy and anger and deviousness there is out there, obsessing on these targets, and reaching out to try to interfere, to try to create fear, to try to harass you, to try to harass your family and the way that you live your life. It's just -- it's just so despicable, it's hard to even imagine. But it happens very often, and it's just another aspect of this toxic political climate we live in that I guess we have to get used to.
COLLINS: Yes, it's atrocious and awful that it happened to his family, or to anyone's family, that it could happen to them.
Andrew McCabe, thank you for joining us tonight.
MCCABE: Thanks.
COLLINS: Up next here on THE SOURCE. It has been nearly five months since Nancy Guthrie was taken from her Arizona home. TMZ just got a new email from someone claiming to have video of her and the people who kidnapped her. Their founder, Harvey Levin, who read that email, will join me right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:35:00]
COLLINS: It has now been more than a 145 days since Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show anchor Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing.
Tonight, there is a potential development in her kidnapping. Because TMZ says they've received a letter from someone claiming to know who Nancy's kidnappers are.
The outlet says the individual who sent the letter writes that they have, quote, "Video of the 'main guy' and Nancy," and that they have, quote, "A phone stashed in a secure location... What it contains is my definition of delivering them on a silver platter, a short video of the main guy with nancy the day that was probably her last, pictures of both involved, names and addresses and age."
Now, the author references a, quote, "Old Bitcoin address" and an alias that matches a previous demand letter, and is also asking for one Bitcoin which is roughly $60,000.
I should note that CNN has not independently reviewed or verified the note that was sent to TMZ. TMZ doesn't have proof that whoever sent this, of course, is telling the truth.
In the nearly five months, since Nancy's disappearance though, investigators have been pouring through the Guthrie family home, through miles of neighborhoods in her area and wilderness, troves of surveillance footage, most notably that video of the masked subject the night that she disappeared. The heartbreaking reality is that neither Nancy Guthrie nor her abductor or abductors have been found.
My source tonight is the TMZ founder, Harvey Levin.
And Harvey, I'm so glad to have you here. Because you obviously released this video. And since you released that video, you were asking for screen grab. A screen grab is proof. Have you heard anything new since then?
HARVEY LEVIN, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, TMZ: We have. So, we received this email from this gentleman. By the way, we've gotten a dozen emails from this person that began days after the kidnapping, and it is the same person because we know that from the Bitcoin address.
So, we got this latest email early this morning, and I -- we have no way of communicating him via email. It's a one-way street. So, I did a social media post, and essentially said, Look, it's pretty clear to me because, we've referred these over to the FBI every time we get them, that they think you could be a fraudster. So, come up with something, a screen grab.
And he must have seen this because, a couple hours later, he sent another email, saying he would not do that because, he believes the metadata would track them to him, and he fears these kidnappers. At least this is what he's saying that -- you know, from the beginning he said he has some close association with these people, although he insists he's not involved, and says that he's afraid they are going to go after him. And he doesn't even want to access the Bitcoin account, he says, until they catch the kidnappers. But he would not -- he would not send us or send anybody a screen grab. He just would not do it.
So, Kaitlan, we don't know. I mean, we've referred it to the FBI. They tell us they are still looking to figure out who this guy is. And they said they've made progress. They told us that this week. But it's hard to figure out whether he's real or fake.
COLLINS: I mean, I know that you've consulted lawyers. I mean, you've talked to the FBI. Is there anything else that the FBI wants this person to produce that would be able to help them know if it's real, beyond if a screen grab is not something they feel comfortable sharing?
LEVIN: They didn't ask us to do that. We just felt, Hey, you know, everybody -- this is so unresolved, both, at the FBI, and certainly we can figure it out, that we figured this would be a way.
Now, I will tell you that a month ago because, I don't know, I've -- I've always had a feeling this guy could be real, for various reasons. I don't know that, but I had a feeling. So, I contacted somebody that we've been dealing with at the FBI, and said, Look, what if we do a documentary, and we actually pay the Bitcoin and see where it leads, and we'd obviously keep you involved?
And they told us, That's interesting, let us run it up the flagpole.
And then I contacted them a couple days later, and they said, Look, we're still thinking about this, so don't do anything yet. And then we kind of got ghosted for a month, and we made a half dozen calls, and they never returned it. We got a call a couple of days ago from the FBI, and they said, Look, don't do anything. We are -- we have made progress, that's what they said, in trying to figure out who this person is. So, they seem to still be looking.
COLLINS: So, they just called you unprompted this week and said that they had made progress?
LEVIN: Well, I had made six phone calls that were unreturned, and they called, presumably to return that.
[21:40:00]
COLLINS: Do you see any coincidence between the person sending this message now, who, as you noted, has emailed you guys half a dozen times or a dozen times, the same week that it was publicly reported that there was a note saying that Nancy Guthrie had died early on in this investigation?
LEVIN: I think there's a direct connection. We hadn't heard from this person in several months, and I think because it -- came back in the news that this person resurfaced because, there's clearly interest in it. He wants this Bitcoin, that's pretty clear, and I think he must have seen that this was a window for him because of all the attention.
Yes, look, it seems to me, and stop me if you want, just that I -- I've been looking at this, and we received the first ransom note, and it was very specific that this person wanted $4 million, and if they didn't produce the $4 million by the deadline, it became $6 million, and if they didn't produce the $6 million by the deadlines, they would kill Nancy Guthrie. They've said it. They said it that way. That's stark.
And then the second note, which was revealed this week. You know, we know that the reporter from that Tucson station said, there was nothing in this email about ransom money.
And it feels, at least to me, like whoever kidnapped Nancy Guthrie figured this is an easy payday, and we'll release her and get all this money. And then, she dies on their watch, and then it becomes a murder case because it's felony murder, and they freaked out. Because they sent this note, that second note that surfaced this week, and they never asked for money, and they have completely gone radio-silent since. So, it feels like they didn't know what they were getting into when they got into it, and then suddenly she dies, and they freaked out. That's--
COLLINS: So--
LEVIN: --that's the way I see this thing.
COLLINS: You had suggested to the FBI paying when you suggested this idea of a documentary. Now that this person has reached out again and has asked for one Bitcoin, which is about $60,000.
LEVIN: Right. COLLINS: Is that something you're considering doing?
LEVIN: No, I mean, we're not going to do anything without the FBI saying yes. We don't want to interfere in this investigation.
And frankly, I don't understand the thinking. Because sometimes, it seems to me they discount this person. But then I look and they -- you know, they've contacted our IT team numerous times, trying to figure out how to get to this person. So, I'm getting mixed signals, and we're not going to get in the middle of this.
We've just offered it as a possibility. But until they say yes, if they ever do, we're not going to do anything.
COLLINS: Every time it seems that you get this outrage that seems credible, ever since Nancy Guthrie went missing, you've obviously been in contact with the FBI, as you've made clear.
Is there ever a moment, Harvey, where you get information or you get something, you relay it to the FBI. But how do you weigh knowing what to release publicly? I mean, just obviously, as you know, this is such a devastating moment for the Guthrie family, but also out of concern of worrying about encouraging people who don't know anything who might be looking for a payday. How do you decide what to go public with?
LEVIN: Yes, I mean, look, we talk about it. But I will say that we've had a reg -- we've had regular contact with the FBI, and especially, at the beginning, for the -- you know, the whole time that this was in the news, when we received these, we would talk to the FBI, and they would say, Release certain things, sure, release and other things don't, and we didn't.
There were actually -- there was one time when somebody from the FBI called and said, Look, do a social media post and say that if you are faking this, if this is fraud, we will catch you, we will prosecute you, you will go to prison. And they asked me to do that, and we did.
And then the person responded by saying, This is not a fraud. I know that it's against the law if it is, but it's not.
COLLINS: Wow.
Harvey, obviously, please keep us updated if you hear anything else from this person or from the FBI. And thank you for joining us tonight.
LEVIN: You bet.
COLLINS: My next source tonight has a warning for the Democratic Party, but also a plan. Ken Salazar is going to join me on what he says the Democrats got wrong in 2024 and how to fix it before the next election.
[21:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: Our CNN team in Washington captured these photos, and you see the heavy presence here, of National Guard members, D.C. police officers. They're all patrolling the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
It's a show of force that comes as the President and the Justice Department alleged that vandals tampered with the renovation project that is underway there.
And the President now says those repairs will not be done in time for America's 250th birthday celebration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The Reflecting Pool is so beautiful. They tried to destroy it, they had cut it up with a box knife and tried to destroy it. And it's in great shape now. They're terrible, they're vandals. They've caught six of them, I guess, maybe more. They've got others in line to be caught. But we just inspected it. We'll fix it right after the Fourth of July.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:50:00]
COLLINS: While there have been several vandalism arrests, we have yet to see evidence of a massive gash that the President claims is the reason that blue material that they had just added is already peeling off.
On this tonight, my source was the Secretary of Interior under President Obama, and also served as a Senator from Colorado, Ken Salazar. His new book, "Borderlands: My Fight for an Inclusive America" is out July 28th, and I highly recommend it.
I want to ask you about the book. But just given your experience as Secretary of the Interior, which is who's dealing with this right now, Doug Burgum, and your own effort to fix the Reflecting Pool when President Obama was in office, and the millions that y'all spent. What do you make of what's happening right now?
KEN SALAZAR, FORMER OBAMA INTERIOR SECRETARY, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO, FORMER COLORADO ATTORNEY GENERAL, AUTHOR, "BORDERLANDS," FORMER U.S. SENATOR (D-CO): Kaitlan, the National Mall is America's front yard, and as Secretary of Interior, you're the custodian of America's heritage.
And part of what President Obama and I decided to do was to be part of an inclusive America, and telling the story of all of America on the Mall. So, the Martin Luther King National Memorial, the Belmont (ph) House that celebrates the women's suffrage movement, all that was part of telling America's story.
What this administration is engaged in is the opposite of that. What they are doing is engaging in this project of erasure, trying to erase our history and our heritage as Americans, and they're trying to do it right in the front yard. The Reflecting Pool is part of that. The East Wing of the White House is another part of it. The renaming of the Institute of Peace, what happened with the Kennedy Center, all that is a very deliberate concerted effort to erase the real story of America, and it's wrong.
COLLINS: Well, and the President points to past efforts to fix the Reflecting Pool. He says under Biden. I don't think they really tried to do under Biden. Obviously, under President Obama, you certainly did. Is it fixable, or is it just as it is because it's a pool in Washington? I mean, what's your sense of the problem here?
SALAZAR: Well, it's fixable, but it requires a tremendous amount of investment and work. When I came into Interior, the National Mall was essentially an abandoned place in so many ways. I wrote the executive order on the National Mall, the secretarial order, on how it gets managed.
So, preserving the grasses for baseball, making sure that there are areas for heavy equipment and the like. That's the planning of what we ought to be doing with the National Mall, which is our front yard for the United States of America. But yet, what's happening now is the exact opposite of that.
COLLINS: You know, and obviously you talk about in the book what you describe as Trump's erasure. You also talk about your own party and what you think that they have gotten wrong, what you think that they can do, going forward in 2028. You talk about the border, obviously under President Biden, and what that looked like. What do you think is the biggest lesson that Democrats need to learn?
SALAZAR: Democrats, my party, and I'm a proud Democrat, we have to be -- find a way, a new way forward. We have to be bold. We have to do things that we haven't done in the past. And so, we need the right kind of leadership that's going to secure our country, that's going to save our planet, and that's going to end the wars that we're seeing all around the world, and not start those wars.
So, in each one of those, it's a major agenda, but we have to be bold in what we do. We need to secure our country by securing, yes, our borders, by establishing a new system of migration, by developing the kinds of relationships with law enforcement and supporting our police that's appropriate, that protects civil rights, but also brings our law enforcement along, with respect to training and community policing. Those are the kinds of things that we have to do.
Saving our planet. Kaitlan, if you think about how warm our world is today, we are on a fever in this world. And the work that we've done -- that we have done globally, what I try to do in Mexico and the United States and Canada is about saving our planet. It's an existential issue for all of us. We need to be bold about that, and we need to create unity--
COLLINS: Yes.
SALAZAR: --in tackling those kinds of issues.
COLLINS: Well, and I mean, in the opening of your book, you talk about the last administration, in terms of -- you talk about being bold, and what Democrats need to do. You said that even if Vice President Harris had beaten President Trump, that you intended to resign. You talked about all of the things that were swirling in your mind. You said, opportunities squandered through inaction, mistrust, political malpractice.
What is the one thing you think the Democrats need to do differently, going forward?
SALAZAR: So, the new American alliance really needs to be formed, and we need to get the United States of America, and that means Republicans, rural Americans, people from throughout the country, to understand that we're in this together with the rest of the Americas.
We can't solve our problems, whether it's renewable energy, and the new energy frontier, or it's conservation, or whatever we're doing, without having the United States, Canada, and Mexico working together.
So, I went to Mexico, Kaitlan because, I went to transform the relationship and to create durable legal frameworks around this. Fortunately, we weren't able to do it because, there wasn't the political will or courage in Washington, D.C. But we need to have that courage, and I hope it comes in 2026, and I hope we see it in our presidential candidates in 2028.
COLLINS: We shall see.
Ken Salazar, thank you for joining us.
SALAZAR: Thank you.
COLLINS: The book is "Borderlands: My Fight for an Inclusive America." As a reminder, it is out July 28th.
Thank you for joining us tonight.
SALAZAR: Thank you very much.
COLLINS: Really appreciate your time.
SALAZAR: Thank you.
[21:55:00]
COLLINS: Up next. It is time for Source Code. We'll give you the number at the center of a story in the news. Can you guess the story? Tonight's Source Code is 1.3 million. Back in a moment with the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight's Source Code is 1.3 million. That's how much the National Park Service is reportedly paying to refurbish President Trump's walk from the residence to the Oval Office along the White House colonnade. Tonight, The Atlantic's Michael Scherer is reporting that he obtained budget documents actually showing part of that cost. Just to repave the walkway with granite cost taxpayers, quote, $689,232.
But back in March, you'll remember, the President told CBS News' Ed O'Keefe, he was paying for it personally.
[22:00:00]
In a response to The Atlantic's reporting, a spokesperson for the Interior Department said, quote, "The National Park Service has not only been focused on beautifying the district for the 250th celebrations in our nation's capital but has also been working on many deferred maintenance projects throughout the country." Especially in Washington.
Thanks so much for joining us here tonight.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts now.
