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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Helipad, Cocktails, Ballroom: Trump Showcases His White House Vision; Trump Says U.S. Has "Complete Control" Over Strait Of Hormuz; Axios: GOP Memo Warns Data Centers Are Politically Radioactive. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired August 19, 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]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: --CNN's Max Foster told us, King Charles was first made aware of this on Sunday, suggesting this did not come up during Harry and Meghan's family visit to the U.K., last month. His trip back to England, last September, included his first in-person meeting with the King, his father, in more than a year and a half. Neither he nor the Duchess of Sussex are expected to resume any royal duties when they get back.
We'll learn more about this in the days ahead.
The news continues. That's it for us. I'll see you tomorrow. "THE SOURCE" starts now.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: A helipad, cocktails, and a new ballroom. The President takes us inside the construction zone at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to show us his vision for the White House.
I'm Boris Sanchez in for Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.
Facing massive challenges both overseas and here at home, today, President Trump spent more than a half hour reveling in the part of the job he talks about often these days, Developer-in-Chief.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: As you know, we're doing a fix-up of the White House.
I was very good at real estate, like maybe the best in a lot of ways, and I love construction.
I'm very good at flagpoles.
One thing I know how to do is build.
I look at it, everything. You know, I'm in real estate. I'm a real good developer.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: President Trump personally walked reporters through the work being done to replace the White House driveway, plant new grass, and build a new helipad on the South Lawn.
The President clearly enjoying showing off, at times, in granular detail his knowledge of all these projects.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We got rid of the asphalt here. And this is granite. And if you notice, it's radial. Radial meaning it's cut about two degrees.
This is the highest quality stone you can get, and especially for something like this, it's got -- it's rated a million-year-plus. That means it has a million-year life. Can you imagine that?
If you notice, we took it up and redid some -- one aspect because we had a lot of slope on it, and I felt it was too much slope. It's a slope for the rain, but I felt it was too much slope.
That stone that if you took a hammer and you started hammering right now, all day long you would not see where you hammered. I don't care how strong you are. You wouldn't see a mark on it, literally. That's the kind of power it is.
We put top soil, brand-new earth on top.
They can have people go there for cocktails and then walk to the ballroom after that's finished.
You look at the lettering and you look at the joints; they're like flawless.
You look how fine -- how fine that's cut.
You know, grass has a life like humans have a life, and this is all going to be -- right now, it's put in. If you come back in two weeks, three weeks. It's in shock. But you come back in two or three weeks. This has all been redone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Worksite tours have become a semi-regular feature of his second term, to the point where the sound of his talking over jackhammers is becoming commonplace. And his social media feed is filled with everything from updates on bathrooms to ever-changing plans for the ballroom.
The President's fixation on these projects has been known to surface at just about any time, like during a meeting with oil executives, or when honoring Medal of Honor recipients, or when he was asked about the killing of Charlie Kirk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: What a view. This is the door to the ballroom. Unusual time to look, but I figured we might as well do it.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: We have a lot of great service members here with us too in this beautiful building. Isn't it beautiful? We're adding on to the building a little bit. We're improving the building. See that nice drape? When that comes down -- right now, you see a very, very deep hole.
REPORTER: How are you holding up over the last three and a half days?
TRUMP: I think very good. And by the way, right there, you see all the trucks. They've just started construction of the new ballroom for the White House.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: The President shared his frustration over legal efforts to block his ballroom while musing that the helipad project has not been met with the same sort of scrutiny.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: So, it's great. But this was very exciting. And interestingly, I received zero criticism. It was shocking. Because I'm used to criticism. But then after we open, I always get praise. A lot of times, I get criticism. And then when they see the final product, they say, That was great.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: According to the latest CNN poll, that praise is not coming from most Americans. A majority, 58 percent, saying they feel dissatisfied or angry about them.
With the midterms fewer than three months away, the President's penchant for focusing on construction has become a regular point of attack on the campaign trail. Watch this.
[21:05:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEGGY FLANAGAN, (D) MINNESOTA LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: In Donald Trump's America, there is plenty of money for ballrooms.
SEN. JON OSSOFF (D-GA): Donald Trump wants your tax dollars for what many are calling the Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Ballroom.
GOV. WES MOORE (D-MD): We have a federal administration that seems to be more interested in ballrooms and bombs and Bitcoin than actually focusing on addressing our issues.
PETE BUTTIGIEG, FORMER UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: Cut a million-dollar check to build that new golden ballroom for all the fancy parties they want to have at the White House.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Joining me now are a pair of deeply-sourced White House correspondents.
Bloomberg's Jeff Mason.
And Politico's Dasha Burns, the Playbook co-author and host of "The Conversation with Dasha Burns."
Thank you both for being with us.
Dasha, first to you. How do your sources in the White House view these attacks coming from folks, all over the President's projects and efforts to rebuild the White House grounds?
DASHA BURNS, PLAYBOOK CO-AUTHOR, HOST, "THE CONVERSATION WITH DASHA BURNS": Well, this might be the most -- one of the most effective attack lines that Democrats have.
I've got Republican sources that are trying to win campaigns in the midterms that are telling me that voters in focus groups and in surveys are bringing up the ballroom and this kind of thing, organically. Like, they're not even being asked about it, but they're saying, Why is the President talking about this when I can't afford to fill up my gas tank?
Meanwhile, in the White House, his aides are coming to terms with the fact that this is what the President wants to focus on. I had one person close to the President tell me that he is in the, quote, Fun phase of the presidency, where he just wants to do the things that he enjoys doing. I had another person tell me recently that there are three things that the President cares about right now, almost exclusively, and it is the ballroom, the SAVE Act, and Iran. And I suppose, now you can add the helipad to that too.
SANCHEZ: The helipad as well.
Jeff, you could say that grass has a life like humans have a life.
JEFF MASON, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, BLOOMBERG: I heard that today. Yes.
SANCHEZ: What did you make of this presentation of the President taking about a half hour, as there is still no resolution to the war with Iran, and still the Strait of Hormuz remains contested?
MASON: Well, I think it just underscores what he cares about the most, and you don't need to be a reporter with amazing sources like hopefully both of us have, to be able--
BURNS: And yet, you have two right here as you--
MASON: Thank you. To be able to draw that conclusion because he makes it clear every day. He makes it clear by what he -- by the time he gives to it, by the time that he spends on it, when he's on his social media, or when he's talking to reporters, or when he's doing interviews, or when he's talking to his staff. So, it's clear that this is what he cares about.
That doesn't mean that there aren't other things on his list, as Dasha rightly says.
BURNS: Sure.
MASON: But the fact that he's spending as much time on this is indicative of what he cares about.
I would also add to that. I don't think it's -- I don't think you can underscore enough how unusual it is. I met with a former Democratic White House official, just a few days ago, who spent a lot of time working in the White House and said, What President Trump, from his perspective, does not understand is that this is the People's House, and it's not another real estate project.
President Trump does have a real estate background. There's no question. He probably does know a lot more about grass than you or I do, and certainly helicopter pads. But it's the White House. And he has, from many people's perspective, turned the White House into a Trump house that is not in line with what that historic house is supposed to be.
BURNS: He does love grass. It reminded me of the unusual nickname for Marjorie Taylor Greene that he used to have. The Marjorie--
SANCHEZ: I don't recall it--
BURNS: You know, Marjorie Taylor Brown, and his explanation is--
SANCHEZ: Oh.
BURNS: --Marjorie Taylor Brown because green grass turns brown when it dies.
SANCHEZ: One of many names that have come and gone over the years, for Trump's opponents.
The President was asked about his appeal to the Supreme Court over his ballroom. Let's play that sound bite.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: You're talking about all the construction out here--
TRUMP: Right.
REPORTER: --and certainly the ballroom project. What is your plan if the Supreme Court rules against that?
TRUMP: Well, we hope that doesn't happen. I can't imagine it happening. The lawsuit had -- the person had no standing. It was a person -- said, she walked along and she didn't like the view, even though nothing was built. A person that didn't like it and never even saw a rendering of it. We've gotten tremendous architectural reviews. It's beautiful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Have you all heard from anyone at the White House about what happens if the Supreme Court doesn't intervene?
BURNS: I mean, the reality is that that the courts do move slowly. I mean, you've seen, for months already, all the construction actively happening, on the White House. And so, the question of how much they're able to do in the meantime and how much the President really does follow those orders.
I mean, the reality is that this is actually deeply serious for President Trump. You know, we're making some jokes about it here, and people are having fun with it online. But he's thinking deeply about his legacy right now, and to leave his mark on this city that, at one time, rejected him, now much more embracing of him, and he wants to have that live on past this presidency.
SANCHEZ: That's a really interesting point.
[21:10:00]
Though it's a bit tongue-in-cheek, Jeff. Specifically with the ballroom. There are ethical questions, questions about executive power. Part of the argument from the administration is that, We've already built so much, we can just kind of ignore what the court says, right? I mean, what kind of precedent does that set? What are you hearing from the folks in the administration about what happens if--
(CROSSTALK)
MASON: Well, I would just -- I would just say that that's been very strategic on the White House's part and on President Trump's part.
BURNS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
MASON: I mean, on some level, does it really even matter what the Supreme Court says? The East Wing of the White House is gone forever.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
MASON: It's gone. He got rid of it. He didn't ask. He went ahead with it. And that has, in some ways, tied the hands of the people who are doing these legal challenges because they can't--
BURNS: And this is a theoretical--
(CROSSTALK)
MASON: Hold on. Because they can't--
BURNS: There is--
(CROSSTALK)
MASON: --they can't just bring it back, right?
BURNS: Yes. Yes.
SANCHEZ: Right.
MASON: They can't just bring it back. So, there's a legal challenge going on, and it'll be interesting to see what the Supreme Court does. But they're still building it either way.
BURNS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: The other important thing that we should point out: much of it taxpayer-funded as well.
Jeff Mason. Dasha Burns. Thank you both so much. Appreciate it.
On the other side of the aisle, a stunning upset in Florida's Senate primary is the talk of the Democratic Party tonight. Democratic Socialist Angie Nixon defeated the more moderate and well-funded Alex Vindman, marking another major victory for the rising Democratic Socialist movement, amid a growing power struggle for the future of the Democratic Party.
Angie Nixon is my source tonight.
State Representative, thank you so much for being with us. Congratulations on your win.
We've seen progressive anti-establishment candidates win in blue and purple states, New York and Michigan, for example. What message does your win send about DSA candidates running in red states too.
ANGIE NIXON, (D) FLORIDA U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE, (D) FLORIDA STATE REPRESENTATIVE: So, our message sends a statement, and it lets folks know that organized people will beat big money each and every day of the week.
This was about having a really strong, organized ground game. We went to 67 counties almost, here in the State of Florida, and we talked to people, and we had conversations with them, even folks that we didn't necessarily agree with ideologically, and we were able to let them know that they deserved better.
Right now, we are all being screwed by the unelected Ashley Moody and Donald Trump in Washington because, they are working less and less and less, and meanwhile they're getting richer. Meanwhile, we, as everyday hardworking people, are working more than ever and really struggling just to stay afloat. And so, we are really pushing people-centered policies, and that's been resonating all across the state. SANCHEZ: I'm curious about the interplay between more progressive candidates such as yourself, and the establishment within the Democratic Party. Senate Democratic leadership backed your primary opponent, Alex Vindman. Have you spoken to Leader Chuck Schumer since your win last night?
NIXON: I have not spoken to the Leader, but I have spoken to other U.S. senators, and I'm super-excited to have their support. They're going to be publicly coming out in support of me.
And look, we are going to expand our big tent to actually work on unifying the Democrats here in the State of Florida, so that we can take on Ashley Moody. Look, she is someone who doesn't care about people; she actually just cares about her campaign donors and these billionaire friends and family members that she has. She actually voted to end the ACA subsidies for folks all across the country, which knocked off nearly 300,000 people off the ACA marketplace here.
And not only that, but Ashley Moody actually allowed the redirection of $10 million that was supposed to go towards the most medically- needy children here in our state, to be used to actually defeat two ballot initiatives at the discretion of Ron DeSantis. And because of that, she was rewarded this U.S. Senate seat.
And so, what I am trying to let folks know is that Ashley Moody is corrupt, Donald Trump is corrupt, and it's time we send people to Washington, D.C., who are strong, bold fighters who aren't just going to send strongly-worded emails, but who are willing to push back and actually hold Donald Trump accountable.
SANCHEZ: You spoke about a big tent, and I sort of want to pull on that thread. Because some of your fellow Democratic Florida primary winners from last night had some harsh words for the DSA, the group that you're aligned with. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): I reject the DSA. I reject the fringe left socialism that they are promoting. And frankly, people across South Florida, voters across South Florida, repeatedly reject that.
[21:15:00]
REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ (D-FL): 25 percent of this district is Jewish. 20 percent of this district is Hispanic. People have escaped socialism. And when they hear folks from the DSA go on television, and talk about how they want to abolish the Senate, which, you know, don't give Trump any ideas, and they want to get rid of prisons and they -- no borders. Most Americans hear that stuff and they say, What is going on?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: How do you connect with Florida voters who feel the same way that Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Congressman Jared Moskowitz do? NIXON: So, I want to be clear. Number one, I recently joined the DSA as well as the Working Families Party and became a lifetime member of the NAACP. And I did this because these organizations have a common thread in regards to some of the values that they fight for, which are the same values that hardworking everyday people all across this country want. That is, that housing is a right. They believe housing is a right. They believe that health care is a right. They believe that we need to have fully-funded public education. We need to get big money out of politics. And all the things. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
And don't get me wrong, every organization that I am a part of, I don't agree a 100 percent with all the things that they do. I want to be clear: I have been a Democratic Party member my entire adult life. I served as the DEC Vice Chair in Jacksonville. I also worked for the state party as a political director and field director for a little bit. And I don't agree with all the things that the Democratic Party agrees with, particularly those that accept corporate PAC money or those that get money from AIPAC.
And I mean, folks are trying to basically fearmonger a little bit, but we really need to be unifying, right? The main issue and concern that people are having is right now it just costs so much money just to be alive, right? It costs way too much money to be alive, and that is a message that we can actually unify under and, like, fight against collectively.
And I'm looking forward to working with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz as well as Moskowitz to make sure that we put some checks on Donald Trump, and work to end that corruption and chaos.
SANCHEZ: You mentioned some disagreements with the DSA as well as with Democrats. You joined the DSA during your primary run. And last week, they commemorated what would have been Fidel Castro's 100th birthday with a statement extolling him, describing him as an organizer and a fighter.
Is celebrating Fidel Castro something you agree with?
NIXON: That's something that I'm not supportive of. I am supportive of ensuring that housing is a right for everyone, that folks have quality health care as well as fully-funded public education. And I would not have supported that.
But again, I also don't support corporate Democrats allowing these companies to jack up our health care premiums, corporate Democrats allowing us to still have a $7.25 minimum wage. Those are some of the things that are really harming our communities and causing people to struggle.
And so, again, I am going to amplify the good things that are a part of this platform and push back against those that I don't agree with.
SANCHEZ: Angie Nixon, thank you so much for sharing this evening with us. Appreciate your time.
NIXON: Thank you for having me.
SANCHEZ: Of course.
So tonight, the U.S. State Department is confirming that five Americans are among those killed in the crash of a safari helicopter in Kenya. Authorities say that the chopper, with seven people on board, including the pilot, went down in a rugged, remote area in the foothills of Mount Ololokwe, a popular destination for tourists.
Now, among the passengers was a veteran TV news executive, Jose Suarez, who spent two decades in leadership roles at both NBC and Telemundo, someone who I actually crossed paths with early on in my career, a friend of mine. He is being remembered tonight by colleagues in Florida as a visionary in both English and Spanish language television. May his memory and of all those on board be a blessing.
Up next on CNN. President Trump says the situation with Iran is quote, So good, before later threatening Economic D-Day.
Plus, did you know, North Korea has 57 nuclear weapons? The President spilling that and revealing plans to meet with its leader, Kim Jong Un, sometime this year.
Stay with us.
[21:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Mr. President, when do you plan to formally reopen talks with Iran?
TRUMP: About what?
REPORTER: Reopen negotiations with Iran?
TRUMP: Maybe at some point. But right now, I think the situation is so good. But maybe at some point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: That was President Trump today, charting an uncertain path forward on the war with Iran, as talks remain paused indefinitely and control of the Strait of Hormuz is now a key bargaining chip for Tehran.
When asked about the status of the Strait today, the President declared it is under complete American control.
[21:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The Strait, last night we had a lot of boats come through. We have possession, complete control of the Strait. I mean, outside of nuisance value. And there is nuisance value, when they shoot a drone every once in a while but -- and not everybody's going to go through. But they come through. And over the last couple of weeks, we've had a lot of oil coming out. A lot of oil. It's not going to be perfect, but it's a lot of oil coming out. A lot. In fact, people are amazed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: My source tonight is the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Democratic Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island.
Senator, thank you so much for being with us.
What's your understanding of who controls the Strait of Hormuz right now?
SEN. JACK REED (D-RI): Well, the Iranians have significant leverage over the Strait. We are able to get with our navy some vessels through with oil, but it's a fraction, a very small fraction of what was passing through the Straits before the war. So, effectively, the Iranians have extremely great leverage over oil moving in and out, not just oil, but fertilizer and other products from the Persian Gulf. So, the President's characteristic is, or characterization, I should say, is widely off the mark.
SANCHEZ: It's interesting you say that. The Energy Secretary, Chris Wright, last week, said that total oil transits are totaling some 15 million barrels a day, closer to that 20 million barrel average before the war.
Do you dispute that claim? Do you see evidence, perhaps, that the U.S. is gaining ground; that Iran is losing leverage over the Strait?
REED: No, I think the Iranians have demonstrated that they can coerce and significantly disrupt oil passage through the Gulf. They can choose when to do that, and they've demonstrated previously that an all-out effort of drone attacks could shut the Gulf down again. So, the best evidence probably is the price of gasoline, which is still extraordinarily high in America and pressure throughout the world for petroleum supplies is still extraordinary.
SANCHEZ: This evening, the President posted about Economic D-Day, what he's calling Economic D-Day for Iran, saying the MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY is coming.
Can you expand on the measures the President is talking about?
REED: Well, the Iranians have been living under sanctions for decades now, and they're quite adroit at avoiding them, somehow getting around them, and they'll still do that.
But I think the different dimension at this moment is that if they feel so pressured, they will probably, in some way, retaliate and strike in the region. And there's some discussions that I've read in the newspapers of even contemplating attacks outside the region, into Europe. So, you're dealing with a regime that is not going to go quietly.
And there's, I don't think yet, any sort of clear indication of what the President and the administration is going to do to reopen completely the Straits, and also to somehow prevent the Iranians from striking against other countries in the region and maybe beyond the region.
So, I mean, the President every several days makes another statement, that Well, peace is going to be settled in a day, and we're talking to them. And then he's contradicted by Kushner. And this is just whimsical and impulsive, and not based on, I think, any real analysis.
SANCHEZ: Focusing on a different part of the world. I want you to listen to what President Trump said today about North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un, after he decided to scale back military drills between the U.S. and South Korea this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Are you exchanging written letters with Kim Jong Un?
TRUMP: Can't tell you that.
REPORTER: And are you hoping--
TRUMP: But I get along with him well.
REPORTER: Are you hoping for a meeting this year?
TRUMP: And you know what? The fact that I get him along with him. That's a good thing. Not a bad thing.
REPORTER: Are you hoping for a meeting--
TRUMP: He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons. Should have never allowed it to happen. They should have never allowed it. If I were president, I wouldn't have allowed it. But he's got them.
I get along with him very well. I can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon. And I know Kim Jong Un very well, and he's going to be fine. As long as we have a smart president, he's going to be fine. If we have a dumb president, then he's probably not going to be so fine.
REPORTER: Are you expecting to meet with him later this year?
TRUMP: Yes, I will be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Senator. What do you make of that?
REED: Well, the President consistently alienates our allies, like South Korea, and embraces our adversaries, like North Korea. That is a recipe for disaster. We've seen this repeated on and on again.
[21:30:00] And the other aspect of this is that he feels that he -- if he can embrace a fellow autocrat, if you will, then everything will be fine. He tried that with Putin. We can all remember how he and Vance humiliated President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. Well, that was a little show to Putin that he was really on his side. And guess what? Putin has been exploiting him rather aggressively over the last several months.
So, this is a situation where they don't have a strategy. They are alienating our allies. They are weakening us. And they are causing most countries around the world to say, I don't know if we can trust the United States again. And that is, again, it's just leading us into a worse situation.
Anyone who believes that Kim Jong Un is a good guy and can really -- will give up his nuclear weapons just because of a personal relationship is badly flawed intellectually.
SANCHEZ: Wow. Senator Jack Reed, appreciate your perspective. Thanks for joining us.
REED: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Of course.
Up next. The President is throwing his support behind an issue Republicans are warning could hurt the party in November.
Plus, a reunion that once seemed impossible: President Trump, and his fixer turned nemesis, Michael Cohen.
[21:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: It is turning out to be one of the most politically toxic issues of the midterm elections. But today, President Trump gave AI data centers his full endorsement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: If I were the mayor of a town or the governor of a state, and I had a chance to get a big plant in, an AI plant or a data center, I would absolutely want it because the jobs are enormous and the money paid, the taxes paid, are just enormous. And if you don't take it, you're going to be left behind because there are plenty of places that want it. So, I would say that maybe it can use a little public relations help. But if I were a governor or mayor, I would want that plant in my community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Most Americans disagree. A recent poll found that seven out of 10 oppose an AI data center being built near them.
And just this week, Republicans seem to acknowledge that in a private memo obtained by Axios. It warned tech companies that data centers have become a sleeper issue, and could cost one Senate Republican his seat in November, which is why campaigns across the country are spending millions on attack ads like these.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): He's been called the face of data centers in Ohio. Why? Because Jon Husted spent years aggressively recruiting data centers to the state.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Meet Data Center David Crowley.
DAVID CROWLEY, (D) WISCONSIN GOVERNOR NOMINEE: There's an opportunity for us to really become an AI and a data hub, not only for the entire country but for the entire globe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Data center production and energy use in Texas is skyrocketing to meet AI's needs. For your future.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What? Who authorized that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Greg Abbott. Abbott took $20 million in campaign donations from data center executives and companies, and he gave them billions in tax breaks. For your future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: My political sources, Ashley Etienne, and S.E. Cupp, are here with us now.
S.E., could Trump's embrace of data centers potentially be a liability for Republicans in November?
S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, PODCAST HOST, "OFF THE CUPP": Yes, we have not seen an issue really sort of metastasize and take hold and flip so fast as data centers. The polling you reported flipped, in like six months, people went from being mostly supportive of them to mostly opposing them, and that opposition, as you mentioned, is coming from both sides of the aisle.
So, if I were a Democrat, like Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania, who just kind of came out against these data centers without regulation, if I were Democrats, I would absolutely try to tie Republicans and Donald Trump to the data centers. You can tie in crypto corruption and all other kinds of tech issues that you think Trump is corrupt on, and that a lot of voters are skeptical on. So, I think it's part of a basket of issues, but it's absolutely, it would be a winning one for Democrats right now.
SANCHEZ: Ashley, this issue is such a flashpoint, not just in politics but also in pop culture. Jason Kelce starred in a new satirical ad campaign telling people to mail data centers their pee. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON KELCE, AMERICAN FORMER AMERICAN FOOTBALL PLAYER: AI data centers waste millions of gallons of water. That's why Liquid Death and Garage Beer, we decided to team up. We want your pee to cool these data centers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: The company already sold out of those $18 jars they call Data Center Coolant Collectors.
Now, Trump acknowledged there that data centers need better PR. Do you think he fully appreciates just how unpopular they have become?
ASHLEY ETIENNE, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS, FORMER ADVISER TO SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI: No, I don't think he actually does.
And this is not just an issue that falls on the shoulders of Republicans, but there are a lot of Democrats who are receiving a lot of heat about these data centers.
Just last month, there were a 140 protests across 40 states. So, this is a growing sort of opposition within the American public. And again, it's not just urban; it's suburban, but it's also rural counties. Some of those that voted for Donald Trump now that are coming out. I think CNN recently did an entire piece on a county, that's Republican county that voted for Donald Trump, and now they're going to have a data center in their backyard, and they're incredibly perplexed and upset about that.
[21:40:00]
So anyway, this is going to be a problem not just for Republicans but also for Democrats. Anyone who's not showing what the Governor has done, some profound resistance to this, is going to fall victim to it potentially.
SANCHEZ: I also want to ask you too about President Trump's longtime fixer, Michael Cohen, confirming that he's going to interview the President on his radio show tomorrow.
I want to remind folks about what they've said about each other, especially after Cohen implicated Trump in that Stormy Daniels hush money case, and also served as a star witness in the criminal trial. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He's a weak person and not a very smart person.
MICHAEL COHEN, AMERICAN FORMER LAWYER: The man doesn't tell the truth, and it's sad.
TRUMP: As far as Cohen is concerned, he's convicted. He's a liar. He's defrauded at a high level.
COHEN: At the end of the day, Donald Trump needs to be held accountable for his dirty deeds. TRUMP: He's a felon, convicted felon, and not a good person. But that's their only witness, and he's now crashed and burned.
COHEN: Only Donald knows what's going on inside Donald's head. He makes things up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: S.E., what are you going to be watching for in this reunion?
CUPP: I'm not. I don't know why we keep falling for these character arcs that are so blatantly manipulative.
Michael Cohen did terrible things for Donald Trump. He's a criminal. And after he flipped on Trump to try to save himself, unsuccessfully, he tried to become something of like a resistance hero. And I couldn't believe it, but inexplicably, some people and some media outlets bought it, fell for it, put him on as some new Trump traitor, some kind of Trump hero. Now he's back, I think, trying to get into Trump's good graces.
And we've got to learn this fact of recent history, which is that Trump villains, they don't go good. They don't become good people suddenly. OK? They are villains, and we should not be trying to launder -- help them launder their reputations by falling for this -- these fake narratives that suddenly, suddenly they're redeemable. They're not.
SANCHEZ: Ashley, you're going to tune in?
ETIENNE: Absolutely not. I'm with -- I'm with S.E. I am a 100 percent behind everything she said.
This is the most toxic relationship bromance I've ever seen publicly. I don't know what to believe. I agree with S.E. Like, it's all such fiction, you know? So no, you won't be -- you won't be getting my views.
SANCHEZ: I'll be watching for the news value, so we could potentially play some clips on "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" in the afternoon.
Ashley Etienne, appreciate you. S.E. Cupp, the same to you.
Up next. An experimental vaccine showing promising results for patients with melanoma. My medical sources join me to explain the potentially huge breakthrough in the fight against skin cancer.
[21:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Tonight, a major breakthrough in the fight against melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Moderna says it its personalized mRNA cancer vaccine used with a Merck immunotherapy drug succeeded in a large late-stage trial. The study is ongoing, but it found the treatment lowers the risk of cancer recurring and prevents it from spreading elsewhere in the body. The vaccine is personalized by using mutations from the patient's own tumors. This could be a huge breakthrough for patients suffering from skin cancer.
According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2023, more than 1.5 million people, in the U.S., were living with melanoma.
My source tonight is CNN Medical Correspondent, Meg Tirrell.
Meg, this is obviously encouraging news. What did this trial find?
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Boris. What it shows is that this experimental personalized cancer vaccine, using mRNA technology, the same technology behind COVID vaccines, combined with an existing treatment called Keytruda, showed real benefits over that treatment that already had revolutionized the treatment of melanoma itself, Keytruda.
And so, this is a personalized treatment made by Moderna and Merck, and it could really potentially improve the survival rates for melanoma. So, what they do is, after people have had surgery to remove the cancer, they apply this personalized cancer treatment plus Keytruda, and what they see is that in this Phase 3 clinical trial, which is usually the last step before filing for FDA approval, that they met the study's goals of preventing the cancer from coming back or from spreading to other parts of the body. And so, Moderna tells us that they plan to file for FDA approval within months.
And of course, the survival rates, the five-year survival rates for melanoma that spread to distant parts of the body have been pretty bad, about 35 percent at least as of a decade ago. Those have been getting better, but there's still lots of room for improvement.
Now, these are personalized cancer vaccines, so everybody's individual tumors are actually sequenced, and then their vaccine, their treatment, is designed specifically for them to help their immune system better-identify their cancer.
And Boris, this isn't necessarily only going to be just for melanoma. While that is what these results are in, they're also testing this approach for other cancers, including lung cancer, bladder cancer, and kidney cancer.
Boris.
SANCHEZ: Meg, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the very research that HHS Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been cutting funding for?
TIRRELL: Yes, over the last year, we have heard a lot about HHS and Secretary Kennedy pulling back on mRNA research. Specifically though, they have focused on mRNA applications for respiratory virus vaccines.
And so, they canceled about 22 projects a year ago, totaling about $500 million in federal funding, but those were really focused on things like COVID and flu. And at the time, Kennedy said that this was not a safe approach, even though the evidence suggests that it is.
[21:50:00]
When it comes to cancer, though, he has struck a different tone, showing perhaps some more optimism about the technology being applied here. And of course, these results back that up. But experts also tell us this, means that really we should be supporting mRNA research more broadly.
Boris.
SANCHEZ: Meg Tirrell, thank you so much for that report.
Dr. Michael Postow, the Chief of the Melanoma Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, joins us now from New York.
Doctor, thanks for being with us.
You were connected to this trial. How significant is this development, this new vaccine?
DR. MICHAEL POSTOW, ONCOLOGIST, MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER, CHIEF OF MELANOMA SERVICE, MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER: I think this is a major breakthrough. It's incredibly exciting for our patients with melanoma.
Melanoma is a very scary cancer. Even with the best surgical resection of melanoma, unfortunately, a lot of patients will have recurrences. And now we can tell these patients that we can make a vaccine just for them, that, in combination with Keytruda, will decrease the risk that their melanoma will ever come back.
So, this is a huge advance for patients with melanoma, and our hope, as we were hearing, is that this will be expanded in other contexts to many different types of cancers as well.
SANCHEZ: So, is recurrence the biggest difference between this vaccine versus a typical melanoma treatment?
POSTOW: What we know right now, in the way that this study was conducted, was that this was studied in patients that did not have evidence of melanoma, but that were at risk for recurrence of melanoma. And so, this decreased the risk of recurrence.
We don't know yet whether the overall survival of these patients was improved with this approach. We need more time to follow to see what happens in that context. But by decreasing the risk of recurrence and decreasing the spread of melanoma to distant parts of individuals, that's a huge advance in and of itself, and it avoids a lot of more complicated treatments that might be needed in the event of recurrence.
SANCHEZ: What does the timeline look like for patients to realistically see access to this treatment?
POSTOW: I really wish this would be something that could be here tomorrow. The regulatory agencies need to review the data. We need to see the data numbers ourselves. The press release that came out today was the topline data that had the main points of the trial. But we don't know the degree of benefit exactly just quite yet. So, we need a lot more data to see this. The regulatory agencies will be reviewing all of this and, I hope, with favorable effects and ultimate access to patients in the near future.
SANCHEZ: If you had your way, what kind of testing would you do to see what broader use this might have, this mRNA technology, to address other cancers?
POSTOW: Trials with this type of approach are rolling out in many different tumor types. And so, I think what I would encourage patients, if you have a diagnosis of cancer, to talk to your doctor about opportunities to participate in clinical trials, to see if you can get access to these types of treatments after surgery for your cancer and other particular settings.
And I think it's great science that's been funded on many, many years of laboratory research and other investigations in earlier phase trials, and it's great to see the success in melanoma today in the Phase 3 study.
SANCHEZ: To the point about funding, in your view, how important is federal funding for this kind of vaccine research?
POSTOW: Absolutely critical. I think federal funding supports so much of our research enterprise from the very, very beginning in the laboratory when the ideas are initially formulated, about what might work in patients with cancer, all the way through the spectrum, and it's those advances that happen in the laboratory.
It takes many, many years for something like that to come from a laboratory idea to the reality that we see today in this positive Phase 3 study. And funding throughout the entire continuum is critical, and we encourage it to continue.
SANCHEZ: Dr. Michael Postow, appreciate your work and your expertise. Thanks so much for spending the night with us.
POSTOW: Thank you very much for having me.
SANCHEZ: Of course.
Up next. The Source Code. We're giving you a number at the center of a story in the news. Can you guess the story? Tonight's Source Code, so big our graphics system wouldn't fit all the zeros, 40 trillion. We'll be back in just a moment, with the answer.
[21:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Tonight's Source Code is $40 trillion. That is the staggering new number the national debt has reached two years earlier than predicted by the Congressional Budget Office. The tab has grown more swiftly than expected. Experts point to a number of factors, including recent tax cuts and America's aging population, which forces the government to pay more for Social Security and Medicare benefits.
For the first time this fiscal year, interest payments alone are expected to reach a trillion dollars. That has a ripple effect on the broader financial system. The skyrocketing debt can affect all of us directly through higher mortgage rates, car loans, and business costs, and it just keeps adding up.
Finally, tonight, the Justice Department says that Todd Blanche did not make the call to indict James Comey.
In a new court filing, prosecutors are trying to distance the Attorney General from the decision to charge the former FBI Director, over that 8647 seashell post. If you remember, prosecutors had said that it amounts to a threat on President Trump's life. The number 86 often can refer to getting rid of or banning something. Trump, of course, is the 47th President. Comey denies that charge.
Now, the DOJ says the decision came from Ellis Boyle, the U.S. Attorney in eastern North Carolina, who took the case to a grand jury and also briefed Blanche only the day before the indictment because of expected publicity.
When the indictment was announced though, Blanche was front and center for the cameras. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TODD BLANCHE, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: The first count is that on or about May 15th of last year, he knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life of and to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States.
[22:00:00]
Count two, same day, May 15th, 2025 that the defendant, James Comey, knowingly and willfully transmitting in interstate commerce a communication that contained a threat to kill the President of the United States.
Both of these counts carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Thank you so much for joining us tonight.
You can catch me tomorrow and every weekday on "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" at 01:00 p.m. Eastern.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts in just about five seconds.
Thanks.
