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What We Know with Max Foster
Opening Statements Kick Off As 29 U.S. States Sue Meta; Trump Posts Image Of Strait Of Hormuz As "U.S. Territory"; South Korean President Calls For Stronger Independent Defense Capabilities After Trump Scales Back Drills; Gaza Officials: Israeli Strike Kills Six, Including Child; Russian Strikes Kill 10 People In Ukrainian Village; Ossoff Mocks Trump For Time Spent On AF1 With Aide Harp. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired August 18, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:25]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Meta on trial.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
Starting the hour with a major legal showdown that could lead to huge changes for social media users and put one tech giant's future in jeopardy.
Opening statements have begun against Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook. A group of U.S. states is arguing that Meta deliberately
designs its social media platforms to be addictive to children, a claim the company denies. The attorneys general could seek as much as $1.4 trillion
in damages.
One activist outside the court accused Meta and his competitors of exploiting young people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAWSON KELLY, UNIVERSITY STUDENT: Holding these companies accountable will not bring back the time or the people we have all lost. But this justice
brings us closer to a world where addiction is no longer our predetermined destiny.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Our Clare Duffy, following this story, she joins us now.
I mean, looking at the numbers, this company is effectively fighting for its future in this case.
CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: That's right, Max. The potential scale of the consequences here for Meta are really significant. As you said, the
attorneys general in this case could seek as much as $1.4 trillion in damages. That is almost equal to what the company is worth on Wall Street.
And even if they don't get that big of a number, they're also seeking changes to how the platform operates, how Meta operates its various
platforms, I should say. And that could mean that if Meta loses this case, we could see really significant changes to how we all experience social
media, in particular, young people.
Now, opening statements just wrapped up on this first day of trial in federal court in Oakland. And so, we got to hear both a lawyer for the
states and a lawyer for Meta outlining each side of this case. Megan O'Neill, she's the deputy attorney general for Canada, for California, I
should say. She outlined the attorney's general's argument that children are essential for Meta's ad-based business, and so Meta intentionally built
addictive features to hook them and to keep them on the platform as long as possible, exploiting their personal data.
They're also arguing that Meta knew about the risks from its platforms and failed to warn the public about them, and that Meta illegally captured data
from children under the age of 13.
Meta, on the other hand, is arguing that the states are misrepresenting its platforms and its policies. A lawyer for the company talked about the
safety measures that Meta has already rolled out, things like parental controls and teen content restrictions. He also accused the attorneys
general of cherry-picking internal documents and internal statements and said that ultimately their arguments are not supported by the evidence.
Now the jury will have an opportunity, obviously, over what is expected to be a seven-week trial to hear some of that evidence and make a decision for
themselves. The jury will be advising the judge in this case who will be ultimately responsible for the verdict, Max.
FOSTER: I spoke to a child psychologist earlier and said that the intent is very easy to prove because everything about the platforms was designed
to keep people on those platforms for longer. And there wasn't a differentiation for a long period of time between young people and older
people. So, it's going to be a very tough case, actually, for Facebook and Instagram to defend, isn't it?
DUFFY: Well, look, I mean, I think what Instagram and Facebook and Meta's platforms in general are going to say is we have really tried here. We have
rolled out these teen safety protections. This is something the company has been working on for the last five plus years since they faced scrutiny over
this issue. We have seen a number of safety measures rolled out.
And what Meta's lawyers said in court today is that ultimately the company has an interest, including a business interest, to make sure that all of
its users are having a positive experience so that they want to coming back to the platform year after year. And so, he said it would be sort of
counterintuitive if Meta was intentionally harming young people's mental health. Of course, the states are going to dispute that argument.
FOSTER: OK. Clare Duffy in New York, appreciate the time. Thank you.
Now, as global oil prices mark a third day of gains, U.S. President Donald Trump says there are no talks underway or, indeed, scheduled with Iran. But
it did have a message for the region. Mr. Trump posted an image on social media showing the Strait of Hormuz labeled as new U.S. territory.
The president has said repeatedly he wants to make the strait part of the U.S.
[15:05:04]
Iran has dismissed the president's latest Strait of Hormuz declaration and issued a list of demands the US needs to meet before the choke point is
actually reopened. Conditions include lifting sanctions on Iranian oil and ending military threats.
Alayna Treene joins us from Washington.
When the president talks about turning into territory, is that a military operation, or is it more of what we've been seeing where actually the US
has been gaining more control of the strait?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I do think some of this is the president trying to taunt the Iranians, just to be frank with you, Max,
and see what their reaction is. But it does, of course, raise questions about just how long exactly the president believes there needs to be this
massive and sustained military operation around the Strait of Hormuz. Of course, if you look in recent weeks at the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian
ports, the effect of that has been in some ways helping push back Iran's influence over that key waterway. You're seeing a number of vessels.
Actually, if you look at today, the data shows 80 percent of vessels who have traveled through there have been using the Omani route, the U.N.
sanctioned route. something that the Iranians have said they disagree with and have been trying to fight against. And the president yesterday actually
addressed some of this in the Oval Office. He said, I mean, we do control it. that's a direct quote from the president in the Oval Office yesterday.
He said, "We control with the blockade and I like the idea of declaring it a territory."
However, if you talk to some of the president's top advisors, you've heard the Secretary of State Marco Rubio make this point is that they believe
that the Strait of Hormuz should not be controlled by any singular So I'd keep that in mind. But again, just given the strain of resources we've seen
throughout this war, whether it be on munition stockpiles or even the strain on some of these aircraft carriers and the sailors who have been at
sea, as we've reported extensively on the USS Abraham Lincoln, a lot of questions about what this could mean if this is actually a serious kind of
issue that the president is trying to raise.
And Max, I do want to raise something else. We also heard from the president today because it was a sharp departure from what we've been
hearing about the negotiations that have been ongoing with Iran from the get go. The president posted on social media saying that there are no talks
or conversations going on or scheduled with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The naval blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is
open and operating. He goes on to explain other things.
The reason I find this notable is one, this also sharpens very differently from what we heard just yesterday from the president's envoy, Jared
Kushner, someone who has been in direct communications with the Iranians. Kushner was saying yesterday that the conversations that have been ongoing
between Trump administration officials and the Iranians was, quote, "probably more robust than it's ever -- it's maybe ever been," arguing that
the administration continues to have very positive and active conversations.
Again, that was just yesterday. that Kushner made those comments. So, it's a bit confusing to see where exactly things are in this timeline. I will
share, we heard from a U.S. official, that there have been positive discussions but that the president has asked his team to try and wait and
not to engage until further notice. All to say, this does seem like the president is trying to keep Iran at more of an arm's length at this point
in time, continuing on with his current plans of trying to exert as much economic pain on them as possible until they can actually get to more
substantial talks down the line.
FOSTER: Okay. Alayna Treene at the White House, thank you so much.
South Korea's government is considering what was happening yesterday. The President is calling for stronger independent defense capabilities, saying
the country must plan for what he calls the worst-case scenarios. The remarks came after President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to
substantially reduce joint U.S.-South Korean military drills which are now underway. President Trump calls the annual exercises a total -- a totally
inappropriate and hostile signal to North Korea, one of the most repressive dictatorships in the world.
We're joined now by Stephen Collison in Washington because you've been writing about Trump's foreign policy, linking it to what's happening in
Oman, also what's been happening in Europe as well, right, where European countries have been punished for not supporting the president in the way
that he likes in Iran. And it's a completely different form of foreign policy that we're used to in America.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah, well, he's turned everything upside down. If you just look at the events of the last 48 hours
or so, as the memorandum of understanding, which was already fractured, reached its 60-day expiry date, President Trump made positive moves towards
North Korea, as you say, a brutal dictatorship, and rebuked two allies, Oman and South Korea.
This is consistent with Trump's siding with strongmen leaders against U.S. allies throughout Europe and Asia throughout his two presidencies.
[15:10:08]
And I think it's really a defining feature of his leadership. He doesn't really see alliances as long-term guarantors of stability, as force
multipliers for United States power. He sees them as transactional. Just look at the reasons why he canceled those drills in South Korea. He wanted
South Korea to take part in his war, but the U.S. alliance and treaties with South Korea are basically just defined by the geographical and
geopolitical fallout from the Korean War in the middle of the 20th century. They don't have anything to do with military operations elsewhere.
So, Trump is coming along trying to redefine the world in his own image. And I think, as you see in Europe as well, as you mentioned, Max, when he
leaves office, the U.S. projection of power and the geopolitical map of US alliances is going to be very different, I think.
FOSTER: Does he always consider what the U.S. gets out of these alliances? Because obviously if there was some sort of confrontation with China, he'd
need that massive base in South Korea. He's shown recently with Iran how he needs the European bases, but he seems to think it's a one-way
relationship.
COLLINSON: Yeah, he basically takes the position that all alliances are other countries ripping the United States off. He doesn't seem to be either
understanding or willing to admit that South Korea pays the United States a lot of money for the maintenance of its garrison of now around 30,000
troops on the peninsula, which is a lot less than it has been in previous decades.
The European alliance with the United States has been a forward operating base in many ways for U.S. power throughout the Middle East. right through
the Cold War and ever since then. And the whole concept of the Transatlantic Alliance was about creating and safeguarding this area of
democratic capitalism, which helped the United States become the most powerful nation in the history of the world.
So, he doesn't see things in that sense. He sees them purely as We protect them. They should pay us more. And therefore, they, our allies, should join
me in whatever military mission I decide is the right one, even though European nations and Asian nations, many of them regarded the Iran War as
illegal and certainly not in their national interests.
FOSTER: Stephen Collinson, appreciate it. Thank you.
Israel launching a deadly news strike in Gaza just a day after U.S. envoy Jared Kushner pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to curtail the
attacks. Medical officials say a 13-year-old boy and his father were amongst those killed in the strike on a seaside cafe in Gaza City. Israel's
military says it struck several Hamas commanders. It says they were planning to attack Israeli troops operating in Gaza.
Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian-American father has raised a giant U.S. flag over his house, hoping it might deter settlers
who've been besieging his property for more than a week.
Our Jeremy Diamond accompanied him on the journey home to Qusra.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With a military escort leading the way and armed Israeli soldiers manning a checkpoint, the
journey to Loui Ridi's home in the occupied West Bank feels more like entering a restricted military area. That's because it is.
The Israeli military declared it a closed zone to non-residents last week after radical Israeli settlers made Ridi's home their latest target of
conquest, establishing an illegal outpost outside his gates and preventing anyone from coming in or out.
And yet, despite all the extra security, this is what Ridi found within an hour of arriving, four Israeli settlers squatting right outside his home.
LOUI RIDI, OWNS HOME BESIEGED BY SETTLERS: That's terrifying. That's truly terrifying that they're able to sit there, not feeling that anyone will be
arresting them. They are trespassing. They are illegal here under the international law, under the Israeli law, and the Israeli military are here
to move them. But they're still there.
DIAMOND (voice-over): For over a week, Ridi, a Palestinian-American, has watched from Ohio via security cameras as Israeli settlers besieged his
West Bank home.
DIAMOND: You made it.
RIDI: I made it.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Now, he's finally joined his brother, who's been trapped here under siege.
RIDI: It's a lot of emotion because I've been talking with him 24/7, watching him on the cameras, fearing for his life.
[15:15:08]
DIAMOND (voice-over): Ridi is now in the same boat, with an American flag draped over his shoulder. He's hoping that his presence and this flag will
protect him.
RIDI: This flag is the most powerful flag in the world. My fear the settlers taking this house. The first thing they do, they raise their own
flag. So, they have to take this flag down so they can raise the settlers' flag. That's why I'm asking the U.S. officials and the embassy to protect
me and protect that flag.
DIAMOND: So, the Israeli military now has a regular presence outside of Loui's house. You can see one of those Israeli military vehicles right down
there. And in fact, two Israeli soldiers are currently patrolling right outside the gate to this home.
DIAMOND (voice-over): But that presence alone isn't enough to stop these settlers from trying to take this hilltop. They are clearly undeterred.
DIAMOND: Do you feel like if the military wanted to, they could get rid of the settlers?
RIDI: Absolutely, absolutely. If they really want it and they give the okay from top ahead, they could have done it probably within the first
hour.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The next morning, Ridi comes face to face with this new reality, an Israeli settler trespassing in the restricted area.
RIDI: He's a terrorist. He needs to be removed from here. That's my house.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Rather than detaining him, Israeli soldiers prefer to negotiate until the settler walks away.
YASMIN, DAUGHTER: Did you bring food and water, Baba?
DIAMOND (voice-over): Ridi's 10-year-old daughter, Yasmin, is keeping tabs from Ohio.
YASMIN: Why couldn't you just say I -- this is basically my house, so I don't need to know this stuff.
RIDI: Exactly. That's exactly what I've been telling everybody.
DIAMOND (voice-over): But there's only so much Ridi can promise his daughter.
DIAMOND: Were you able to tell your daughter that you're going to be safe?
RIDI: Maybe if I tell them that, just to ease their minds. But truly, I'm not feeling safe.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Qusra, the West Bank.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: As defense capabilities run low, Russia and Ukraine are stepping up aerial attacks on one another. Late on Monday into Tuesday local time,
Moscow says Ukraine launched another large drone assault. In this video geolocated by CNN, you can see the exact moment when Russian air defenses
intercepted a drone attack. The mid-air blast caused debris to fall in a city near Moscow. On early Tuesday, a Russian missile attack killed at
least 10 people and injured 18 in a village in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine.
The International Atomic Energy Agency says another drone exploded at a bus stop used by staff at one of Ukraine's nuclear power plants, killing one
person and injuring several others. These attacks come as Russia looks to exploit Ukraine's critical shortage of missile interceptors.
Coming up, is it 2028 yet? The White House takes aim at a Democratic senator whose name is rising up the ranks of presidential contenders.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:21:17]
FOSTER: A Democratic senator who some have touted as a 2028 presidential contender today finds himself in a war of words with the White House.
Georgia's Jon Ossoff has been the subject of fierce attacks, including profanity from White House officials who were angry about a speech that he
gave over the weekend.
In it, Ossoff questioned whether President Trump really wants the job of commander in chief. He noted the president sometimes seems to fall asleep.
in meetings and he said Mr. Trump seems most engaged when flying around in his new Air Force One with close aide Natalie Harp. Harp is known for
handling the president's social media posts.
Senator Ossoff defended those comments in an interview earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JON OSSOFF (D), GEORGIA: I've heard this particular aide referred to as his security blanket. And I think we could say that about any number of
the senior aides in the White House. They're not telling him what he needs to hear. They're telling him what he wants to hear.
And the nation is at war, and we cannot afford that. The president, surrounded by enablers in the West Wing, is playing golf, is trading stock,
and is decorating his ballroom. It's a disgrace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: So what we want to know is, Jon Ossoff eyeing off a presidential run?
Joining me now is Larry Sabato. He is the director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
Thank you for joining us.
I mean, we don't know his exact plans, do we? But he certainly sounds like someone is going to run.
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CENTER FOR POLITICS: I think it's very likely that he will run. And people around him will tell
you that either off the record or on deep background. Now, you know, candidates change their minds, but Ossoff has taken off like a rocket.
There's no doubt about it.
He's young. He's been in the Senate for one term. Increasingly, we pick people who have short public careers or don't even serve in public office
at all. So he's in a good position. He's an excellent speaker.
And I'll tell you how I know he's a serious candidate. The White House has really reacted strongly to what he has said, not just on this occasion, but
others. They only do that when they see an opponent who really can cause them problems now and in 2028.
FOSTER: Yeah, I mean, that's what I was going to point to as well. Some of the language was extraordinary, wasn't it, coming from the White House?
What could they do to undermine him? Because that would probably be the plan, if you look at the language.
SABATO: All they can do now, because they've got their hands full with the midterm election that they're likely to lose in at least some respects, all
they can do now is to make him a devil figure for the Trump base, for the MAGA base. And that has consequences. It means that his office will be
flooded with emails and the tweets and social media will focus on him and they'll start digging up negative information. That happens anyway, but
it'll be soon.
And look, you never know, Max. We counted 38 Democratic candidates or semi candidates, people who have been talking about running for president or who
have groups pushing them to run for president, 38. Now only about, my guess is 15 to 20 will run, but that's a big number. And Democrats fall in love
easily and then they fall out of love easily. So, we've been through this a lot of times.
But I think Ossoff can last. I've watched him carefully for years and I think he's. He's got the right stuff. Whether he's the nominee in the end
will depend on lots of things we can't predict right now.
[15:25:05]
FOSTER: Well, it's interesting watching a possible counterweight emerging, isn't it?
Meanwhile, we've got these crucial primaries in Florida, because as you mentioned, the midterms coming up, they are crucial and we're getting a
sense, aren't we, of who might be playing into that.
SABATO: Very much so. And Florida used to be the ultimate swing state. It decided the election between George W. Bush and Al Gore back in 2000 by 537
votes. It couldn't have been closer.
And many of their elections used to be close. Not anymore. The Republicans went in a land landslide almost every time, and a lot of it is because of
the Cuban American population there, which is sensitive to the use of the term socialist or communist, which, as you'll note, Donald Trump has been
using a lot lately, though I wonder, after sidling up again to Kim Jong-un, whether that will continue.
But for Republicans, they see this as the opportunity to pick their next governor pick their next United States Senator and pick a bunch of new
members of the House of Representatives because they redistricted again and they've taken at least four seats away from the Democrats, even though they
already controlled a large majority.
So, this is going to be a good night for Republicans in Florida. If the Democrats win anything in November in Florida, you'll know Democrats are
having a good night and Republicans are having a bad night.
FOSTER: How do you think the midterms are looking at the moment?
Everybody that I know in politics on both sides says the Democrats will win the House of Representatives. Republicans say it'll be by a few seats.
Democrats say it's going to be by 15 to 20 seats. I don't know who's right. No one could at this point.
But I'd bet on the Democrats for the House. The Senate is on the edge of the knife it could fall either way I still think the Republicans have the
better chance to hold the Senate because even 50/50 works for them. They've got 53 seats right now they can lose three seats net and still control the
Senate because Vice President Vance would break the ties.
But you know, if Trump continues to fall in the polls. He's down to 33 percent in the Reuters/Ipsos poll and other polls I've seen. He's getting
close to that mark in the 20s, the upper 20s, when it's really difficult to govern for a president.
If that continues, then it could be a bigger night for Democrats than we can imagine right now.
FOSTER: That's going to be fascinating. Larry, appreciate your time as ever. Thank you for joining us from the University of Virginia.
SABATO: Thank you, Max.
FOSTER: U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan from Alaska is also running in a race and he is running against a candidate who has the same name. President
Trump is urging Republicans to be careful which Sullivan they pick. Republicans claim the other Dan Sullivan is a dirty trick by Democrats to
try to gum up the race, but there the two are.
Coming up, it is the biggest legal fight yet over the impact of social media on children. Four U.S. states take on Meta in a trial that could
prove to be pivotal for the future of platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. An update, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Opening statements are now over in a trial, pitting the parent company of Instagram and Facebook against the attorneys general of four
U.S. states leading a larger coalition. Twenty-nine states accuse Meta of designing features that lead kids and teens to become addicted to their
platforms. The company has repeatedly rejected those allegations. The attorneys general could be seeking as much as $1.4 trillion in damages.
Now, critics of the company are rallying outside the courthouse today. That includes mothers who say Meta's policies contributed to their child's
decision to harm themselves.
Eric Goldman is the associate dean for research and a professor at the Santa Clara University School of Law.
Thank you so much for joining us, Eric.
I know you're following this closely, but Facebook is effectively or Meta is effectively fighting for its survival, isn't it? In this case, because
this $1.4 trillion would be its entire worth as a company.
ERIC GOLDMAN, ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR RESEARCH, SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW: Yeah, I think that we all assume that a company like Meta is immune
from a legal judgment that could put it out of existence. But the amount of money at stake in this case really is an existential threat to Meta. And I
think that that really shows how high the stakes are.
FOSTER: If they did get that fine, I know it's unlikely, but what would the scenario be? Would it close down? Would it be taken in by the
government? I mean, what would you look at there?
GOLDMAN: Yeah, it's a little hard to speculate what life would be like in a situation like that. As you say, it's unlikely. So, I'm not really
expecting to see that kind of damage award. But I think it gets to the point that we assume that Meta is going to be able to make a profit on its
existing operations. And a damages award that's a massive number just changes those profit expectations.
And so, at some point, the investors of Meta will say there's not a good investment if Meta is having to write out massive checks. And so, it poses
either the challenge to Meta to reshape their business to try and find a profitable niche or shut down because it can't.
FOSTER: So, the heart of this is addiction, right? And I don't think there's much denial on either side that addiction exists. But what Meta is
accused of is intentionally designing the platforms to make them addictive. That's a very tough case to prove, isn't it?
GOLDMAN: I do think that the notion of addiction is being contested, and there's a difference between user engagement and addiction. Many people
watch your station many hours a day, but we wouldn't say they're addicted. We would just say that they're highly engaged users. And similarly, Meta
takes that position.
In addition, there's no medical or psychological definition of social media addiction. And so, in order for the state A.G.s to establish this claim,
they need to convince the judge that the judge should legally recognize a thing called social media addiction without any medical or psychological
backup.
[15:35:13]
FOSTER: Okay, Eric, stay with us because we also want to ask you about another story also facing a string of lawsuits over child safety is OpenAI,
which is rolling out ChatGPT for teens. OpenAI has faced lawsuits from multiple families who claim ChatGPT contributed to their child's decision
to harm themselves. The company says the new version for teens will have safety features that can better protect young users.
Let's go back to Eric Goldman on that one because actually, in terms of harms, you can imagine A.I. being almost more dangerous than social media
because it's so personalized, right?
GOLDMAN: No doubt that people are asking questions of A.I. that they might not ask questions of elsewhere. On the other hand, one of the challenges
that OpenAI and other generative A.I. models have is figuring out who's even a minor. They may not know that. And so, in order for them to do
anything special for minors, they have to overcome a threshold question, how do we know that the user is a minor in the first place?
FOSTER: OK. Eric Goldman, appreciate your time and looking into those two stories for us.
Now, it is the final moments of trade. On Wall Street, meanwhile, stocks are down. They've been down since the opening bell, in fact, as break crude
prices rose over $91. The U.S. government's borrowing costs are also going up as a result, putting pressure on the Dow.
This is our Business Breakout.
China's Unitary, the world's top humanoid robot maker, is going public on Wednesday. The company is known for its dancing and kung fu androids are
also unveiling a Superman robot. It can jump over six feet high. They run nearly 30 miles an hour. That's almost 50 kilometers an hour. Much faster
than me. The IPO is set for Shanghai.
Have you ever flown on Spirit Airlines? In that case, your data might soon train Google's A.I. The bankrupt airline is selling its data to Google for
$10 million, including emails, flight bookings, employee records. Google says all personal information has been removed.
There's family drama brewing over the Lakers' $12.5 billion sale. Bob Iger and Josh Kushner are buying a majority stake in the basketball team, but
Jeanie Buss is fighting to keep her own family from selling the remaining 18 percent share. Selling would force her out as team governor, a title she
isn't willing to give up.
Now Disney has taken the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to court over the Trump administration's actions against ABC. The entertainment
giant claims the White House is violating its First Amendment rights, calling it a retaliatory campaign simply because officials don't like what
TV network ABC is broadcasting.
CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter joins me now.
It's a bold move, isn't it, from Disney, because they're brushing up against the White House on this one. But it's also a very interesting test
case.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yeah, I think about it as Disney going on offense after playing defense for months. You've had the Trump
administration targeting Disney in various ways, actually for more than a year at this point. It became more intense last winter with an
investigation into ABC's talk show "The View". Then President Trump was pressuring ABC to fire late night host Jimmy Kimmel. ABC rejected that,
resisted that, of course.
But on the very same week Trump was pushing on about Kimmel, you had Trump's FCC chairman Brendan Carr demanding that Disney order up its
stations for an early renewal process.
Now, an early renewal process, Max, that might sound like a positive thing. It's actually a negative thing in this case. It means that ABC's local
stations have eight-year-long license terms. They're not due to be renewed for a few years at least, but the FCC was ordering them into an early
renewal process as a form of punishment, or at least as a form of challenge.
Now, I spoke with Carr earlier today. He says this is all about Disney's discrimination. alleged discrimination. He says this is all about DEI. You
know how the Trump White House has tried to target DEI at companies and Carr is investigating whether Disney has discriminated against people using
DEI practices.
But I do not know many folks who cover this world, who are in this television world, who actually believe that narrative. And Disney today in
this lawsuit calls the DEI part a pretext for what's really going on, a political campaign to pressure ABC to silence Trump critics and to promote
Trump's agenda.
So, ABC's been on defense for months. Now they're going on offense by filing this lawsuit.
FOSTER: How do you think the White House will respond to this? Because Disney is, you know, one of the most powerful media companies in the world.
There will be other media companies that have sympathy, actually, with the Disney case.
[15:40:03]
The media turning against Trump, which he uses so effectively, could feel quite threatening to him, couldn't it?
This is, that definitely summarizes the stakes very well. What we have seen from other media companies in the Trump 2.0 era is an attempt to maybe
foster goodwill or not to get on Trump's bad side. Well, here you have Disney reluctantly, it says, deciding it has to go and file a lawsuit to
defend itself, to protect itself.
But Disney is saying very clearly it believes other media companies are in a similar danger and that if ABC is targeted in this way and ABC suffers,
the Trump administration will come for others.
Here's a part of the lawsuit text that stood out about this. It says, "If the administration gets its way, the message to every media company in the
United States will be unmistakable. Tell only the stories the administration deems favorable or face the coercive machinery of the
federal government."
So, ABC is saying to everybody else, you're next, you're a target as well. But right now, it is ABC, and this license renewal process, it's kind of in
the weeds. It might take years, but what Disney is doing today is asking a court to step in and stop the FCC from going any further because, Disney
argues, it is being harmed every day.
Now whether it can prove that, what a judge will decide, we don't know yet. I'm very interested to find out, but it's going to happen pretty fast, Max,
because Disney's asking for a hearing as soon as possible on this.
FOSTER: OK, Brian Stelter, thank you so much. Fascinating.
Still to come tonight, a grim milestone, though. The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo hits a devastating new record. We'll take a
look at what's being done to help people there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: The 17th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has reached some devastating new milestones. It's now killed 2,325 people.
That's more than the number of deaths in the country's 2018-2020 outbreak.
[15:45:02]
And the number of confirmed cases has risen to almost 5,000.
Last hour, I spoke to Dr. Thierno Balde. He is the WHO's Africa health emergencies lead. And here's what he had to say on the situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. THIERNO BALDE, W.H.O. AFRICA HEALTH EMERGENCIES LEAD: What we are seeing here, based in Punia, it's really a kind of extremely growing
transmission of the outbreak and with a major extension in different health zones. As you have mentioned, it's been three months since this outbreak
has been officially declared. But at the same time, we know also that this outbreak has been ongoing for some months before the official declaration,
before the kind of confirmation of the Ebola situation here in the DRC.
And today, we are having some really key challenges which are mostly related to the movement of the population. Just to give you an idea, today,
we are having almost six provinces which has been affected. And these provinces are extremely big. It's like a kind of small country here in
Africa. So, we are handling this situation in almost different six provinces.
And clearly, as I was saying, one of the major factor, it's the movement of population or the movement of patients in the movement, sometimes, of dead
bodies, which are going to infect some of the different localities. The latest province which has been affected was the Bas-Uele province and where
a patient came from neighboring affected locality which went and died in that place.
So, this is the type of dynamic that we've been seeing currently in the DRC. However, actions are ongoing for trying really to control this
situation.
FOSTER: But it feels like it's impossible to control at this point because of the scale and the scale of the infection, but also the challenges you're
facing to contain it without that local support from you know, official agencies that you'd normally get.
BALDE: I will not say that it's impossible to control it, because I can confidently tell you that today in the areas where the outbreak started,
notably in Mongbwalu or in Yankunde, today we are seeing really a stable trend. And that stable trend, we are also seeing it in some of the other
health facilities where about seven weeks ago, you know, it was extremely challenging. That's a health facility like Condenizi (ph) close to Bunia
here.
So, and in all of these different places, we implemented strongly and really aggressively, you know, some response measures around all of the
different cases, but at the same time also for trying to have safe and identified barriers with the support of some of our partners, mostly the
Red Cross and other partners, you know, of course that's the event where people got infected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Review from the DRC there.
Still to come, 30 years after his death, new details about Tupac Shakur's final moments. The latest from day two of his murder trial. We're live in
Las Vegas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:50:49]
FOSTER: Prosecutors in Las Vegas are painting a picture of Tupac Shakur's final moments. Today's day two of the trial of Duane Davis. He's the man
accused of organizing the deadly hit against Shakur in 1996 near the Las Vegas Strip. Today jurors saw graphic photos of the crime scene.
Josh Campbell joins us now.
What did you see, Josh?
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was a graphic indeed, but this is an important step for prosecutors laying the foundation of
exactly what occurred. And we've seen this in past murder trials where it's one thing to theoretically say, OK, someone died, which can sound very
clinical.
But for jurors to see that themselves, the result of these fatal gunshot wounds at Tupac Shakur suffered that night three decades ago here where we
are standing in Las Vegas was something that was no doubt very powerful for the jury. They also heard from a medical examiner who described the cause
of death and the manner of death. They said he died from two gunshots, one to his chest, one to his torso. The manner of death they described was
homicide, which is obviously death at the hands of another.
Now throughout the rest of today and court going on right behind us, jurors have heard from a series of law enforcement officers who responded that
night to the shooting. And one thing that is important is prosecutors allege that this. murder was done out of revenge because Tupac Shakur's
entourage had allegedly beaten up the nephew of Duane Davis, the man who is now on trial in this murder case. And one of the officers said he responded
to where that actual fight occurred. But interestingly, Orlando, who's the name of the nephew, didn't want to file any charges against the people who
beat him up, which kind of goes along with that code of secrecy we've heard authorities talk about when it comes to gangs, they don't want to talk to
law enforcement. A lot of them want to handle their own disputes on their own.
Interestingly, and finally, Max, we heard from a law enforcement officer yesterday who spoke to Tupac Shakur himself as he was shot and taken to the
hospital. That officer asked Tupac who shot you? Tupac wouldn't tell him. He said we're going to handle this on our own.
Why is all that important? Because that makes it a lot more difficult for police to often try to solve these cases. And it's also why witness
testimony will be so key. People who may have heard or seen things that weren't involved. This trial still has a long way to go, but certainly an
important day today.
FOSTER: Yeah, this is typical, isn't it, these cases involving gangs? People don't want to speak. The people involved won't share information.
It's incredibly difficult. And then we've got this massive time delay as well since it happened.
That's right and talk about the technology as well. Like obviously today, whether it's here in Las Vegas or major cities around the world, there are
security cameras that are often on street corners where even if someone doesn't want to tell you or tell police what happened, oftentimes the video
will show what happened. That didn't exist here three decades ago.
We don't actually have video of the shooting whenever a car that this defendant here, Duane Davis, was allegedly in pulled alongside Tupac
Shakur's car and people opened fire on Shakur. There's no video of that.
So again, a lot of it comes down to word of mouth. It will come down to, at the end of the day, who does this jury actually believe?
FOSTER: Yeah, absolutely. Josh Campbell, thank you for joining us from Las Vegas.
Now, the trial for a murdered Microsoft executive entering his second date in Florida. Prosecutors say Jared Bridegan was the victim of a murder-for-
hire plot after he was gunned down on the road in 2022. Now, Bridgen was driving with his two-year-old daughter when he stopped to avoid a tire in
the road. When he got out to move it, he was shot and killed by gunmen.
Investigators say it was part of a months-long murder plot set in motion by his wife, his ex-wife, and her husband, seen here. The ex-wife's trial
begins next month.
The official cause of death for actress Hayden Panettiere is still under investigation.
[15:55:02]
Her former partner, Vladimir Klitschko, with whom she shares an 11-year-old daughter, released a statement on her passing saying, "Our family is going
through a time of profound shock and grief."
She built an incredible career through immense talent whilst also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry. Panettiere, known for
portraying an indestructible cheerleader in the series "Heroes" and a country music sensation in the show "Nashville", was found unresponsive at
a South Carolina apartment complex on Sunday and pronounced dead at the scene. She reflected about her struggles with addiction and depression in a
candid memoir released earlier this year titled, "This Is Me, A Reckoning". The coroner's office says the autopsy showed no signs of trauma.
Panettiere was just 36 years old.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Do stay with CNN.
END
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