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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
U.S. Launches New Strikes In Iran; Platner Drops Maine Senate Bid, Clearing Way For New Nominee; President Trump Abruptly Switches Back To Old Air Force One As He Departs Turkey. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired July 08, 2026 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: --now this, of course, follows a very tumultuous time for The Kennedy Center. They are likely heading into a big board meeting, next week, where they have certainly been the subject of a lot of news headlines and a lot of controversy. And as the Center's president really laid out to board members in advance of this next week, there are options here that they will be discussing what the path is going forward.
But as of now, Anderson, that tarp does still remain on The Kennedy Center.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: All right.
Sunlen Serfaty, appreciate the update.
That's it for us. The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now. I'll see you tomorrow.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: And as we come on the air tonight, we're following several breaking stories at CNN.
Graham Platner has now officially dropped out of that high-stakes Senate race in Maine, and a race that could decide control of the chamber come November. The Democratic nominee has just put out a video, a few moments ago, succumbing to intense pressure from his own party, after an ex-girlfriend of Graham Platner's accused him of rape, an allegation that he continues to deny in this new video tonight.
We'll let you hear from Platner himself, and we'll talk to one of the Democrats who is hoping to replace him on the ticket as well this hour.
First, tonight, though, the United States is launching new strikes against Iran for the second night in a row, as President Trump has declared that ceasefire, quote, "Over," less than a month after he signed that deal with Iran at the Palace of Versailles.
Explosions have been heard in several coastal cities across Iran this evening, as our sources are saying that the United States military targets include missiles and drones that could be used against American assets in the region, as well as targets that are near the Strait of Hormuz that could threaten and disrupt shipping.
Right now, Iran's promised retaliation, in response to these new strikes from the United States, appears to have started as well. Sirens are warning of an incoming threat, both in Bahrain and Kuwait, according to the authorities there.
And just a few moments ago, as the President is on Air Force One, he confirmed those new U.S. strikes in Iran as he was flying back from the NATO summit in Turkey.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We just hit them very hard. And I say we hit them 20 to one -- every time they hit us, we're going to hit them 20.
REPORTER: Are we returning to full-scale military conflict, sir?
TRUMP: I don't know -- I don't know. We'd win it very quickly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now the full extent of tonight's strikes remains unclear to us, as we're still talking to officials and looking at images from the ground.
President Trump did make one thing clear today at the NATO summit, is that those negotiations with Iran are not going well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Is the ceasefire over? Is the ceasefire done? Is the MOU dead?
TRUMP: It's a very interesting question. To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum. You know what scum is? They're scum. They're sick people. I'll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don't see it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And tonight, as we're monitoring the latest on the strikes on Iran, there's also major new questions about why President Trump flew to Turkey on his new Air Force One, that is the jumbo jet that was gifted to him by the Qatari government, and faced much controversy here in Washington, but then the President left Turkey on the old version of Air Force One.
The new Qatari plane had been sent ahead of the President's departure from Turkey, to a military base in the United Kingdom, which the President claimed was so U.S. troops could check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We have it going to Europe to a couple of bases, actually one in particular, but it's going to go to a couple of bases, stop, so the soldiers can see it because, it's truly magnificent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And then we saw this scene tonight, the President on the tarmac, in the United Kingdom, walking, after he deplaned from the old plane to the new one, before continuing his journey home. It's a remarkable and odd situation, especially given how much the President has bragged about his new plane and recently called it the greatest commercial plane ever built.
Fast forward to tonight, when the President posted this photo, to say that U.S. service members were very excited about the tour, and he argued, seemingly in response to major questions about why he had changed planes, that there was, quote, "Virtually no deviation of flightpath."
One source raised questions about this very change to CNN today, about the capabilities in the new plane in international settings.
As reporters tonight were pressing the President about why they changed planes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: You're saying there wasn't a security concern?
TRUMP: No, no. Why would there be?
We sent it a little bit early so that we could let them see -- the base -- the whole base came out and saw the plane, and then we landed.
REPORTER: Do you think -- do you know why they had us close our window blinds? That was not usual.
TRUMP: No. Well yes because you're, you know, I mean, probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleazebags that we have to deal with.
REPORTER: So you think that Iran was possibly thinking--
TRUMP: Well, I mean, if they ask you to close your windows, probably they feel that way. They didn't ask me to close mine, but if they did, I would have done it. These are sick people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:05:00]
COLLINS: We begin tonight with one of the best-sourced reporters. New York Times' White House correspondent, Maggie Haberman, who is the co- author with Jonathan Swan, of the new book, "Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump."
And Maggie, obviously, as the President was at the summit today, talking about Iran, talking about why these new strikes are happening, which Iran right now is responding to in the region. Obviously, something that the United States' Gulf allies are not happy about. It's surreal to think of the last time he was meeting with world leaders, I mean, he was touting this understanding -- memorandum of understanding he had with Iran. Now he's in this moment where he's saying their leaders are sickos, that they're scum, that they basically can't negotiate with them, and that the ceasefire is over.
MAGGIE HABERMAN, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES, CO- AUTHOR, "REGIME CHANGE": There's a couple of things that are striking about -- well, there's many things, Kaitlan, that are striking about today.
But one is, you know, Jonathan and I report in our book, at length, about how the President took the country to war, this particular war. There is nothing more consequential that a president does, really, I mean, are very few things, but this is among the most major decisions of this presidency for him.
And he did it on a gut impulse, and he thought it was going to be quick. And what you are seeing now, and have seen almost every week since, is the fallout from that decision, where he was warned by advisers of what could happen, although nobody made an aggressive case, except for the Vice President, against it.
You're now in a situation where, as you said, he was talking about how there was regime change, or you know, these people are much easier to deal with, or they're more reasonable, just a couple of weeks ago. And now, They're sickos, and they're scum and I don't want to deal with them.
He's also never made a case about this war, and why it is continuing, in any meaningful way to the public, you know? All of the objectives they stated that they wanted to accomplish really haven't happened. And whatever dents they have made in, say, ballistic missiles capability for Iran, that clearly has not been long-lasting.
So, he is now in this situation where Iran is making very clear they're not going to stop. And the one thing that the U.S. took away today, in addition to the strikes that the U.S. is engaging in, they canceled the oil waivers for Iran. But Iran has already had a chance to make a fair amount of money on those in the interim.
And so, it's hard to see what the U.S. has gotten that is a benefit so far from this war, but there you have it.
COLLINS: Well, it's also remarkable, you know, when this was signed three weeks ago, less than a month ago, the Vice President, JD Vance, who's been a key negotiator, was talking about -- he described it as how cool it was to talk to the Iranian leadership. They thought, they're getting this chance. They talked about these economic opportunities.
But you speak to Iranian experts, and they say, That is not fundamentally the number one driver for an Iranian regime that for decades has operated, with this idea of survival of their regime.
I mean, it does raise questions about what they thought was going to happen three weeks ago, and if they predicted this moment, privately, behind closed doors.
HABERMAN: There's nothing in our reporting that has suggested that they thought this was all going to turn.
In terms of the Vice President, you know, he's in a bit of a different situation than, say, Steve Witkoff, who had been trying to negotiate with the Iranians last year, and who was himself in a difficult position because, he would say something in these negotiations, and then the President would say something different publicly, which is not unusual for this president, and the people who are leading his teams overseas.
But Vance did not support this war. He was very vocal about this with the President. It cost him with the President. President got irritated with him. So, for Vance, he has never been as hawkish as much of the Republican base historically has been about Iran. I speak to people who support the President, whose view is he never should have stopped attacking in the first place.
But you are correct that they have approached this as if it is a conventional negotiation with a partner that has sort of similar interests as the U.S. does, ultimately economically and militarily. And that's just not the case.
COLLINS: You write a lot in your new book with Jonathan Swan about the President's second term, what this has looked like, his aging, what staff has said about that, your reporting on that.
When today there were moments where he was saying, the Islamic Republic of Japan, instead of Iran. He was calling President Zelenskyy--
HABERMAN: Right.
COLLINS: --while he was sitting right next to him, President Putin, and then correcting it, talking about a phone call he was having with Putin.
When you heard those moments, and you saw that, what happened while he was in Turkey, what stood out to you based on your reporting?
[21:10:00]
HABERMAN: So, it's interesting, Kaitlan. I mean, one of the areas that is the hardest to report on, as we all know, and the biggest black box for Trump, and really not an area of huge success for Jonathan and me in this book, is Trump's health. It is one of the most secret areas in his life.
Long before he became president, that he has always been very, very guarded about his health. He's very -- you know, he considers illness to be weak. He is always concerned about getting sick.
What I took from that is he is -- was -- appeared tired. And again, I'm surmising the same way everybody else is looking at this. What we did learn in our reporting was, yes, his sleeping hours are odder. He is certainly taking more of these short-hop, long-distance foreign trips than he has in quite some time. He just turned 80. He has the same chronic venous insufficiency condition around his ankles that we've all talked about. He goes to Walter Reed more often with less information being released.
I don't know whether any of that relates to what we saw today. But I do know that him referring to the Islamic Republic of Japan, and calling Zelenskyy, Mr. Putin. I mean, there are people who are going to say, Well, he was trolling Zelenskyy. And there certainly are times he has done that, but it sure didn't look like that today.
COLLINS: Well, and Maggie, you mentioned the President and these trips. One thing that was bizarre about today is there is nothing the President has talked about more, maybe beyond the renovations, than this new Air Force One that he has, the Qatari-gifted plane. He just started flying it last week. He's only taken it on a handful of trips. And he flew it to Turkey.
But then he announced that he was sending the new plane ahead to a military base, and he would take the old Air Force One, which he has denigrated and said was, an old plane, out of date, embarrassing to meet with world leaders flying on that plane. He flew that back to Turkey from the United -- from Turkey to the United Kingdom. And there was even video of him walking from the old plane -- we're showing that now -- and getting on the new Air Force One.
When he says it's just for troops to tour it, is that something that you buy?
HABERMAN: It's a little hard to believe that this is the only reason that that happened, for all of the reasons you suggested. My colleagues, I believe, are reporting -- and my colleagues, Tyler Pager and Shawn McCreesh, have been in Turkey covering this summit, and my colleagues are reporting, I believe, that the Secret Service had concerns about what could happen.
And I don't want to mischaracterize their reporting because, this is still all developing. But it does raise questions about what exactly this new Air Force One, which was gifted by Qatar to the U.S., and then will be given to President Trump when he leaves, how equipped it is with the kind of defense systems that the current Air Force One is.
This plane was rushed into circulation because President Trump wanted to fly on a new Air Force One because the two that he had commissioned during his first term weren't going to be ready for a variety of reasons, some Boeing's fault, some an issue with how contracts were renegotiated. But when you rush something.
I mean, when Jonathan and I reported in The Times that they were looking at this Qatari plane, lots of people told us they could not imagine a scenario where it could properly be fitted with its defense capabilities, in time to protect a president, to do what Air Force One has to do.
And so, my question is, despite the hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars that were already spent to retrofit this plane for security, what remains?
What stood out to me about today, other than the oddness of the two planes, is the pool report, as they were taking off from Turkey, said they were told to keep their blinds down, and Trump got asked about that on the new Air Force One today.
And at least in my experience, you have those blinds down when you are on a potentially dangerous flight, such as when presidents have gone into Iraq, or when military air flight would go into Iraq during the war.
The President said, No, no, no, there was no threat, but then said something about, Well, yes because, there's the bad people, and I think he used some -- a slur as well, or a curse word. But he seemed to be saying both things, Kaitlan.
So, I have to assume the reporting that there was a concern for safety is correct. And I also understand why he doesn't want to broadcast that. But this is a related complication of this war.
COLLINS: Yes, and -- yes, I mean, two things on that. The only time, you're right, that reporters have been asked to put the shades out, or they were required to, is when he went unknown into--
HABERMAN: Right.
COLLINS: --into a war zone to meet with troops on Thanksgiving, he did in his first term. Other moments like that. Obviously, the reporter said that happened.
HABERMAN: Right.
COLLINS: The President said, well he wasn't asked to put his window shade down on that flight from Turkey to the U.K. on the old plane.
HABERMAN: Right.
COLLINS: And you mentioned the security concerns.
This is what the President said just a week ago about the plane and its capabilities.
[21:15:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They just completed it. They made it appropriate for a president, that means the security and all of the different bells and whistles they put on. Very complex stuff.
Frankly, we couldn't build a plane like this because we wouldn't be willing to spend the kind of money necessary. They spent top dollars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: It's just hard to see the President switching planes, especially, less than a week after he started flying on it and--
HABERMAN: Right.
COLLINS: --and doing that for anything other than a reason that would be quite serious. I mean, when he was asked about it earlier at the press conference, and if it had to do with security concerns, he brought up threats from Iran against his life.
HABERMAN: That didn't seem to be a coincidence.
And the one -- you asked about the health issue. I mean, the thing that we do say in the book is, among other parts of this that we wrote about, is just that whatever thin filter he once had in his life is often gone these days. I think we all see that in his public appearances. And that seemed like one of those moments, where he was saying something that was clearly related to whatever was happening. There are threats on his life again from Iran. It isn't just because of this war. It dates back to when he ordered the drone strike against General Soleimani.
And again, he has -- he has always been more hawkish about Iran than most of his current aides, certainly, and more than a lot of his base understood. But there is now this situation where there is something different being said by the U.S. government, sometimes hourly, but certainly daily, or every few days, and the public has a right to understand exactly what is happening.
The public doesn't necessarily have -- you know, there are understandable reasons why people who protect the President, in a situation like what happened today, whatever actually was happening, that they're not going to say everything in real time. They may not even ever be able to say all of it. That's sort of a different issue, Kaitlan, to my mind.
But what exactly is happening with this war, where things stand, planes that have disappeared, helicopters that have gone down, I mean things that happened that the administration has not announced, it's only happened after colleagues of mine or other outlets have reported on them, the public does have a right to know. That's what this is about.
COLLINS: Yes, absolutely. Especially a plane that they've talked about so much.
Maggie Haberman, as always, thank you for your excellent reporting.
The new book, "Regime Change," is out now.
Coming up for us here on THE SOURCE. We have more breaking news that we are covering. As Graham Platner has just dropped out of that critical Maine Senate race. My next source says he is ready to replace him.
[21:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: We are following breaking news tonight. As Graham Platner has announced that he is officially suspending his Senate campaign in Maine. It's an explosive announcement for the embattled candidate in one of the nation's most important midterm races that could decide which party is going to control the Senate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM PLATNER, (D) FORMER MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE: We believe that for the movement to continue, it can't be made. And for that reason, we are suspending campaign operations. This is incredibly difficult because, I know that some will think it's an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not. We're not doing it because of the allegations; we're doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power.
We did it the right way. We built a campaign. We engaged in electoral politics. We motivated people. We banded together. We did it the way that we were told we are supposed to make change, and we won. And now, they are not going to let us have it. Not if it's me. And so, we're suspending campaign operations.
I want to make clear though. I intend to file my paperwork to withdraw. The process needs to assure that what comes next is reflective of the Mainers, who on June 9th turned out and showed that they are desperate for a different kind of politics. It needs to be driven not from back rooms, but by the will of the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now, the collapse of his campaign comes days after a former girlfriend of his accused him of raping her in 2021, an allegation that Platner denies and did so again in that video tonight.
This comes, though, as the Maine Democratic Party has now approved a plan to hold a nominating convention to pick a replacement amid a growing list of candidates. My source tonight says he is in to replace Graham Platner on the ballot. Businessman and owner of the Maine Beer Company, Dan Kleban, is here.
And thank you, sir, for being here.
Obviously, you had announced that you were -- that you were in, as you put it earlier today, before Graham Platner had officially dropped out of this race. What was your reaction to what you heard from him tonight in that video, making it official?
DAN KLEBAN, RUNNING TO REPLACE GRAHAM PLATNER: Yes, well, thank you, Kaitlan.
That was actually the first I had had an opportunity to hear that particular clip. And look, I really do wish Graham the best. Doing what he did is not easy, putting yourself out there. But I am glad that he did step aside, and that the Maine Democratic Party has prescribed a process. It's a truncated process, albeit, not a perfect proxy for a full primary. [21:25:00]
But the people of Maine, I think, deserve a fair and open process that's free of meddling from anyone from D.C. or New York. I mean, we've been dealing, over the last 10 months, with scandal and folks meddling in our politics up here. And all the while, we've lost focus of what's really important, and that's defeating Susan Collins.
Susan Collins has enabled this president. As I'm a small businessowner and a father of two 15-year-old twins, I understand the pressures that Maine families are going under, and small businesses are having with tariffs and escalating oil prices. We just need to turn the page, and I hope we can do it in a way that unifies the party and brings people back together, and I hope to carry forward Graham's message.
There is no doubt that Graham tapped into something very real. People are rightfully pissed off because the system is rigged against them. They work hard, they play by the rules, and they still can't make ends meet. They can't afford their mortgage payment or their rent. They can't put groceries on the table.
COLLINS: Yes.
KLEBAN: They can't afford education.
And so, I do feel for Graham, and I hope that I can do right by his supporters.
COLLINS: Do you think that, that he should have a say in who replaces him?
KLEBAN: No. And like I said -- and I don't think he's even call -- I think -- I think -- I applaud him. I don't think he's even calling for that.
I think that people of Maine deserve a process here free of anybody putting their finger on the scale, and that's, again, I will say, that's people from D.C. or anybody else. And I think we need a fair and open process, determined by the Maine Democratic Party, and I think it's really, really important that whoever emerges here is seen as the legitimate nominee, and that's going to require that all voices are heard in one way, shape, or another.
COLLINS: Yes. Do you -- do you want Graham Platner's endorsement? Would you welcome it? Would you take it?
KLEBAN: No, I would not. I would not accept Graham Platner's endorsement.
But I would reiterate that I do agree with a lot of his policy positions, and I intend to be to continue to amplify a lot of the things that he was saying on the trail. That, when it comes to, again, the system being rigged against working-class folks, it seems that the only people that are able to get ahead are those that are connected to the insiders, or doesn't have access to millions of dollars of money. And people are rightfully pissed off. And we need a change in Washington. We need someone from the outside. I think that's another reason why Graham really caught on. He's not a career politician.
I'm not a career politician. I've spent the last 20 years building a small business, started my kitchen, moved my garage, and now I employ over a 100 Mainers and provide a living wage, and I cover a 100 percent of their health care costs. I've shown that you can build something here in Maine that not only works for the entrepreneur, the small businessowner, but works for my employees and works for my community.
COLLINS: Yes.
KLEBAN: And I think we just need fresh voices in Washington, and Susan Collins is not that.
COLLINS: Do you think -- I mean, the clock is ticking here. And so, he's exiting the race. Obviously, the deadline was next Monday. But obviously, the replacement has to be decided before the end of this month. Is that enough time to put together a campaign to vet the other -- everyone who's going to run, in addition to yourself, in your view?
KLEBAN: Yes, I mean -- I mean, look, I think that I don't know exactly who all is going to throw their hat in the ring. So, I think some will probably have gone through a gubernatorial primary, in which case they will have, obviously, been threw -- threw the ring, or so to speak. I already threw my hat in the ring, last fall.
I've been embedded in my community. Again, I've been married here. My wife is from Northern Maine, been married for 22 years, have two kids, 15-year-olds, have a business here for two decades. You know, I'm on multiple -- serve on multiple boards in the State of Maine. People know Dan Kleban. So, I like to think I've been fairly well-vetted as well. So, I do understand it's a concern, but I think -- of the people, including myself, that are throwing their hat in the ring, I think they've all -- I think they're all good people.
COLLINS: You talked about carrying on his progressive agenda, and what Graham Platner was able to tap into. I mean, he got a ton of votes, obviously, in the Democratic primary, I think, maybe more than any Democratic Senate candidate in your state before.
One thing that he talked about, and he references in his video tonight, is he says that Israel has committed a genocide in Gaza. Is that a position that you agree with?
KLEBAN: Look, I mean, I -- my position is that, one, I will state upfront, I really, I firmly believe that Israel has a right to exist. I believe that the atrocities of October 7th were just unspeakable. I can't imagine what it was like if that was my son or daughter that was murdered by Hamas.
[21:30:00]
That being said, I think Benjamin Netanyahu has been a horrible leader for the Israeli people. What has taken place in Gaza is an absolute tragedy. And frankly, if I was a United States senator, I would vote to make sure that no arms were sold to Israel without condition.
COLLINS: What would those conditions be?
KLEBAN: Well, I think that what is happening in Gaza has to stop, and we need to get back to a place where we're talking about Palestinian people and the Israeli people living in peace, side by side.
COLLINS: And if you won and you went on to represent Maine in the Senate, would you vote for Chuck Schumer as leader?
KLEBAN: I would not vote for Chuck Schumer as leader. Look, as myself, I'm running to be a new voice in the Senate, a new generation of leadership. I think it's time for some turnover. So, just as I think we need new senators in the United States Senate, I think we need a new generation of leadership. So therefore, I would not vote for Chuck Schumer as leader of the Democratic Caucus.
COLLINS: Dan Kleban, thank you for joining us on this breaking news, as you are now in this race. Really, really appreciate your time tonight.
KLEBAN: Anytime, Kaitlan. It's great talking to you.
COLLINS: Up next. We have more on this breaking news. What's happening inside the Graham Platner campaign, as he informed his staff about this. And what it means for Democrats, as they're now trying to take back control of Congress, and they need this seat.
[21:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: And back on our breaking news tonight. As Graham Platner has dropped his Senate bid in the State of Maine, now clearing the way for Democrats to choose a new candidate, but they don't have a lot of time to do so. Party leaders say it will be done through an upcoming nominating convention.
As Platner, for his part, said that stepping aside was by no means an admission of guilt after an ex-girlfriend accused him of rape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PLATNER: This is incredibly difficult because, I know that some will think it's an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not. We're not doing it because of the allegations; we're doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power.
I'm not asking for how this process is going to work; I'm not trying to dictate to anyone who it should be or how we get there, but I will say this: it needs to be open, transparent, and democratic.
Decisions should not be made in backrooms by people in places of political power. Party apparatchiks are not the ones to make these decisions. These decisions need to be made in the open by the people of this state, the people who got us here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And I want to bring in my political sources tonight.
And CNN's Jeff Zeleny is with us here at the table.
And Jeff, obviously you have been talking to sources. Graham Platner held a call with his campaign tonight. What have you heard about that?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, finally, I mean, after waiting about 48 hours, he addressed his campaign staff at the exact same time that this video message was sent out.
And I'm told that he told his staffers that he thanked them, but he also repeated some of the messages there from the video, and he said the ballot belongs to the people of Maine. And he effectively encouraged them to keep his message alive. I'm told that his voice cracked a bit with emotion, and you could see it in the video there.
But the wider Democratic establishment in Maine and elsewhere has been waiting for this. He took his time, and now Democrats have very little time to resolve this.
So, I think the question going forward here is, A, how much is he going to be involved. And most candidates are not going to want his endorsement. They certainly want his supporters, and they want the energy behind them. But that is kind of the challenge here for him.
But in the video, not much a contrition at all. I mean, he denied the allegations again, but also almost sounded like he was playing the victim card. So, going forward here, I think that could still be a challenge for whoever the Democratic nominee is, if this whole process hangs over this.
But the real challenge, I think, if Democrats can somehow make this a contest again about Susan Collins and her record in five terms in the Senate, then it can be a contest. But don't count her out. And boy, she is certainly helped by all of this huge mess on the Democratic side, which is now actually just beginning, as they start a process to find a new candidate.
COLLINS: Yes.
I mean, Ameshia, where does this leave Democrats tonight?
AMESHIA CROSS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST, FORMER OBAMA CAMPAIGN ADVISER: Well, it's a very tough spot to be in.
Democrats, I believe, were right, in terms of those who had endorsed him, taking back their endorsements, and being so full-throated on essentially acknowledging what had happened or what was accused of happening, and pushing him out. Because you can't say that you stand on believing in women and having a higher standard for your candidates, if he was allowed to stay in, or if they continue with their endorsements. But it does make it extremely hard for Democrats. This is a very short window. The next person who is chosen through their process is not going to be somebody who was chosen by the actual Democratic electorate who voted in the primaries. That's going to be a stain for them. And for a lot of people, it's going to be a hard thing to even get them out to vote because, this won't be somebody who they had originally endorsed. And only time will tell if it's going to be someone who holds truth evident to be behind the same types of policies he was.
I do think that Platner was able to get people interested in this race, who probably normally wouldn't have come out. He was someone who stood on affordability. He was someone who wasn't afraid to talk about the war in Iran. He was somebody who represented a lot of what his voters wanted to see.
So, we'll see if another candidate is going to be able to seismically catch that type of energy. But the right decision was made here.
[21:40:00]
COLLINS: And Charlie, the President, tonight, as he was flying back on Air Force One, was asked about these allegations against Graham Platner, and just everything that's happening, and this is what he told reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Democrats are talking about picking a replacement for him. Should they be able to do that?
TRUMP: They're picking what?
REPORTER: A replacement for Graham Platner--
TRUMP: Well--
REPORTER: --if he steps out of the race.
TRUMP: So he won the primary--
REPORTER: And now there's these new allegations.
TRUMP: It's very hard for them to do. And it's really a question of whether or not you believe the woman. A lot of people say big falsehoods. It's... he's in a bind, he's in a bind. But should they be able to do it? Well, I guess he's going to lose. I would imagine he's going to lose. It's very interesting when a Republican woman came out with the same charge nobody believed her. When this woman came out, everybody believed her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: What did you make of those comments? I mean, he seemed to kind of cast some doubt at the beginning in terms of the allegations.
CHARLIE DENT, FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE (R-PA): Well, yes, well, let's look at his own record.
COLLINS: As whose--
DENT: I mean, obviously, who is he to -- who is he to judge Graham Platner, when it comes to issues with respect to women.
But the political path is littered with candidates who have underestimated Susan Collins, over the years, and I think that was likely going to happen here with Graham Platner.
I listened to Graham Platner speak, and I heard about structures and systems. No, it was him. It was him. I still believe in gravity, political gravity in physics, that certain things are disqualifying. Tattooing a Nazi symbol to your chest used to be disqualifying. I think it still is.
All the things that he posted on Reddit, he offended African Americans, he offended rural whites, he offended women, he offended a lot of people. It finally caught up with him, and we're in this -- Democrats are in this bind now because of his conduct, and no one else's. And he can say the establishment is now going to pick the candidate. They're going to pick it because of what he did, not because of the voters made a mistake in Maine, and it's all on him, frankly.
COLLINS: I mean, he did have so much energy, though, in terms of his campaign. And we were just talking to Dan Kleban, who is now running to replace him. He says he doesn't want Platner's endorsement, but plans to take up his progressive agenda. I mean, without Platner's endorsement, do you think whoever is next on this ticket could succeed, could get that energy?
ZELENY: I think no one wants Platner's endorsement because that also brings the baggage with it, but what they want is the energy in the party.
The challenge here, though, is when a nominee comes out of a nominating convention, a party convention, they're almost certainly going to be more to the left than from a primary. And Susan Collins is a moderate here. So, that is what I'm looking for going ahead here. This is a metaphor for what's playing out across the country, the establishment versus the left wing here, and who the Maine Democrats nominate is going to be very, very interesting going against Susan Collins.
COLLINS: Yes. I mean, what do you think that could look like, Ameshia?
CROSS: Well, I think that they would be smart to choose somebody who was within the same vein as Platner, without the baggage that came along with Platner. Because, he was able to get a certain level of energy. He also had policies that people believed in. Again, he was able to tap into voters of multiple different demographics.
That -- it was always going to be an interesting race, I think. However, at this point, it is also making those voters believe in you with a very short window to do so because, they've got to learn everything they can about this candidate to even give enough care and concern to actually come out and vote. That puts them up to a very difficult challenge.
COLLINS: Yes, it certainly does.
Ameshia Cross. Charlie Dent. Jeff Zeleny. Thank you all for being here tonight.
Up next. The President, as we noted, left Turkey on his former Air Force One instead of the new Qatari-gifted one that he's been touting so much. Why? My military source is going to weigh in on a possible reason for that plane swap.
[21:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: President Trump has made no secret of how much he loves his new jumbo jet that was gifted to him by the Qatari government. So, why is he now taking the old version of Air Force One again? That's the question that a lot of reporters are asking today, especially after the President flew on the new plane to the NATO summit in Turkey, but flew back from Turkey and the NATO summit on the old version of Air Force One.
The President said that the new Qatari jet was being sent ahead of time to a military base in the United Kingdom, so members of the United States military could tour it and see just exactly what it looks like on the inside.
We saw President Trump landing at that same military base where he walked from the old Air Force One to the new Air Force One. You can tell a difference in the old color scheme on that plane versus the new red, white, and blue one that he put on the new Qatari plane.
Now, the White House said that this was because the President wanted members of the military to be able to see it for themselves.
But the President himself was also asked whether or not it had to do with any security issues or concerns about his own personal safety. This is what he told reporters.
REPORTER: I'd like you to address speculation that you are leaving Ankara, not in the new Air Force One because of security concerns involving Iran. You've spoken today twice about them possibly assassinating you and possibly being successful. Did that concern have something to do--
TRUMP: Well, I speak about it a lot because, you know, the life of a president is very dangerous.
You should have told me that years ago, maybe I wouldn't have run. It's a very dangerous profession. No, I'm number one on the kill list for Iran. (END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Tonight. The New York Times is reporting that a security precaution is what led to the resumption of hostility -- that, related to the resumption of hostilities, I should say, with Iran is what led to the President's plane change that happened today. Sources are telling The Times in this new report that the new plane does not have all the features of the old Air Force One.
[21:50:00]
My source tonight is Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps colonel who oversaw the Air Force One replacement program under the Bush and Obama administrations.
And thank you, sir, for being here.
Because there are questions that were raised when this new plane was being brought about retrofitting it, getting it up to speed for the President's use. When you read this report in The New York Times tonight that says that there were security concerns, what do you make of that?
COL. MARK CANCIAN (RET.), U.S. MARINE CORPS (RET.), SENIOR ADVISER, CSIS DEFENSE AND SECURITY PROGRAM: I think that's been long expected, frankly.
The new plane, or this, what they're calling the bridge plane, cannot have all of the features of the regular Air Force One. It was converted in a very short period of time at a much lower cost, and that meant that you couldn't put all of the things onto it that you would on a full-up Air Force One. So, it could handle some level of threat, but not as much as the other aircraft.
COLLINS: I think some people might hear that and say, But how could they put the President on a plane that is not as fully equipped as the plane he's just been flying on, that other U.S. presidents have flown on for three decades. I mean, how is that possible?
CANCIAN: Well, the Secret Service makes a determination about the level of threat in the destination the President's going to.
And going to Turkey, when there was still a ceasefire, they must have made a determination that the level of threat was not so great that it would -- could overwhelm the systems on this bridge aircraft.
But then, when the war broke out or when the fighting broke out again, or maybe they got some information about what the Iranians were up to, they decided that the threat was higher, and now they had to put the President on an aircraft that had more protective systems.
COLLINS: What kind of systems would it be that, that are the most important for the new Air Force One to have, in your view, these security capabilities?
CANCIAN: It has a wide variety of defensive systems to protect it from attack by missiles or even other aircraft. Some of those protect against infrared missiles, like a Stinger in the U.S. inventory, launched from the ground or from the air. Has other systems, electronic warfare systems to spoof missiles that are guided by radar. It has chaff, it has flares, and in addition has a wide variety of other capabilities, has secure communications, for example. And it's also hardened against what's called electromagnetic pulse, which is a disruption, electronic disruption in nuclear warfare. Very unlikely the Qatari aircraft has that because you have to rip out all of the electronics to put that in.
COLLINS: Yes.
CANCIAN: And there's also refueling. I doubt the Qataris have that.
COLLINS: And it's only been 10 months, obviously, since they took possession of this new plane.
Colonel Mark Cancian, thank you for joining us with your expertise. It was great to have that on this story tonight.
CANCIAN: Thanks for having me on the program.
COLLINS: We also have new reporting this hour about what is potentially a looming lawsuit from state attorneys general challenging Paramount's pending deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, including CNN. More on that ahead.
[21:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: We do have breaking news tonight. As CNN has learned that lawyers for several states are finalizing an antitrust lawsuit challenging Paramount's pending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN. Sources tell CNN's Brian Stelter that the multi-state lawsuit is likely to be filed next week.
And Brian joins me right now.
Brian, what are you hearing?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: That's right, Kaitlan. Sources involved in the process say that this lawsuit will likely be filed next week, alleging that Paramount's takeover of WBD would violate antitrust laws.
The Democratic State Attorney General in California, Rob Bonta, has been leading this multi-state effort, and he's been saying for months that he's concerned about the prospect of Paramount taking control of these assets, the Warner Bros. movie studio, CNN, et cetera. He's concerned this would hurt consumers, although Paramount rejects that.
My sources now say that California and several other states are finalizing the lawsuit. They caution nothing is done until it's done. Of course, Paramount has been in talks, behind the scenes, trying to fend this off. And tonight, a Paramount spokesperson told me the company is, quote, Prepared to address legitimate antitrust issues. We are confident this transaction raises no such concerns.
Behind the scenes, some executives see politics at play here. Some of these Democratic state attorneys general are up for reelection this year, and they might see this as a winning campaign issue.
Of course, presidential politics have been a cloud hovering over this entire transaction. Paramount executives have sought to cozy up to the Trump administration in the past year or so.
And last month, the Justice Department approved this Paramount takeover of WBD, even though, according to The Wall Street Journal, the antitrust staffers, the staff members looking at the deal, were concerned about it and were going to advise the government to oppose the deal.
So, you have this battle of antitrust lawyers, between the federal government, which is looking away and approving the Paramount deal, versus these state antitrust officials who are inclined to oppose it.
Now, a lawsuit, as I said, could be filed by this time next week, maybe as early as Monday. That doesn't mean it would necessarily stop the deal, but it could at least slow the deal down, depending on what a judge decides.
We saw this happen earlier in the year with Nexstar taking over a company called TEGNA, two big TV station owners trying to merge. The federal government approved that deal, but the states sued to block it. And now that deal is stuck in the legal system, and it's been going on for a while, and it's basically stalled out now, for at least the rest of the year.
[22:00:00]
So, a sign here, Kaitlan, that there could be some turbulence for Paramount, as it's trying to close the WBD deal just in the next few weeks. It might take more than a few weeks for this deal to be completed.
COLLINS: Brian Stelter, we will be checking with you and your reporting on all of this. Thank you so much, Brian.
And thank you all so much for joining us here on THE SOURCE tonight.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT" with my colleague, Abby Phillip, starts right now.
