Republican Rebuke

Today in the group chat the Republican rebuke. You've got four people in the president's party who have broken with him on the war with Iran, but will it have any impact? See that. I definitely feel what people are experiencing back home. You know, I go back home to my district every single week. You know, I fill up my gas tank too. President Trump calls his anti-weaponization fund a quote, beautiful thing. Does anyone in Washington believe the plan is really dead?

I actually said it was gonna kick his ass. Fighting words from the Treasury Secretary, but a real battle looms over Trump's pick to lead the national intelligence community. You know, that's why I do jujitsu, that's why I train my fellows just so I can handle myself in a real life uh situation like that.

A do-or-die struggle on a plane, how an MMA fighter saved the day. And then of course the New York Knicks look to pull off something we have not seen since Nixon was in office. Oh what a sweep move. Jalen Brunson, we number one player in the country, number one player in the NBA, next to four baby. That's how I feel.

People are tired of this. They're tired of$5 a gallon gas and$6 a gallon diesel and fertilizer we can't afford to. I think it sends a good message that the People's House, which represents the people, is tired of this war. All right, GOP defectors crossing party lines to limit President Trump's war powers. Will anything come of this in the long term? Good morning everybody. I'm Audie Cornish, and here's where we start, because this is a rare Republican rebuke.

On the hill. You've got four Republicans siding with Democrats on that resolution that directs Trump to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities with Iran. Before the vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson had this warning to members of his party looking to flip. Yeah. I I think it is a a uh very dangerous prospect to take away from the administration and the commander in chief right now the ability to negotiate. That's what this does. It it weakens us.

But for the Republicans who ended up voting yes, they say several factors weighed into their decision. We have to follow the law. There there's a law in the books. The War Powers Act of 73 says 48 hour notification and 60-day concurrence of Congress. We're past the 60 days. So you have two choices. You either follow the law or you change the law.

People are frustrated certainly, but that's not the only consideration in this. I fill up my gas tank too. I I have four kids. I share the the interest in making sure that Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon, but we have to do this in a way that is done through the use of force authorization that Congress has the exclusive authority over. Congress alone declares war.

Joining me now in the group chat, Eleanor Mueller, White House economics reporter from Semaphore, former Trump White House Communications Director, Mike Dubkey, and Megan Hayes, former Biden White House Director of Message. Planning. Okay, so w when it comes to a story like this, it's not the usual suspects. You're Thomas Massey of Kentucky. that we are looking at. It's the other folks. Brian Fitzpatrick, Pennsylvania, Tom Barrett, Michigan, Warren Davidson, Ohio, all pretty important states.

in general in elections. Can you talk about what's going on, why these particular people might be the ones to make this shift? I think it tells us a lot about how much pressure these Republican congressmen are under to show voters that they're doing something on affordability. We should be clear, they were just at home. Exactly. Serena from constituents. Fitzpatrick has been someone that leaders have had their eye on for a long time as somebody who might vote against this war.

And I would argue that him and Barrett specifically, right, are under a ton of pressure to again show their districts that they are doing something to bring energy costs. Down. And so in addition to these concerns over constitutionality that I think Davidson and Massey share. Barrett and Fitzpatrick are really feeling the heat and this vote was a sign of that.

So then you've got this um New York Times reporting that even if oil prices peak soon, the global economy is gonna slow down, meaning the damage has been done. Um and Secretary Bescent was on the Hill yesterday and he of course was asked about the economy for the same reasons that this war vote saw the erosion of some support because people are worried and here is um what Bessent had to say on the Hill. Could you just explain to me and to farmers in Minnesota?

How those increased prices driven by the war in Iran are Worth. Senator, do you believe that Iran can have a nuclear weapon? Well as a former farmer, I will tell you that and maybe you know that 75% of the fertilizer had already been purchased this year. That is not what my farmers in Minnesota are telling me, sir. They are telling me that they cannot afford their fertilizer and they know the reason why.

There is no doubt that that f farmers have been struggling, but much of that that there was a record crop last year, Senator. And what do record crops lead to? Lower prices. Okay, so our messaging folks, what do you think of that back and forth? Both sides of it, frankly.

I mean I think that there's a complete disconnect from how people are feeling and I think if you're not gonna show empathy from people, that's really what gets you here. It's not necessarily the policy, it's when people s don't underst don't say to you, I understand where you're coming from, we are doing this for this reason.

Forward. But I d I just don't think farmers have already bought fertilizer. They have no he there's no empathy or humanity for people who are actually suffering, who are actually paying the bills. Th these people are multi-billionaires, they are taking people for a ride, they're getting money from taxpayers, and that's all the American people see.

We can't afford our gas, we can't afford electricity, we can't afford groceries, but you're down here building a ballroom and having a UFC fight. That is it. And so when you sit up there in front of Congress and have no empathy for people, that is what they see and that's the problem here. When Trump went to this war, he never went to the American people and said, this is why I'm going and this is what I'm doing. So this is what we're left with.

Many lessons learned uh from the Biden era folks about empathy in the economy. Really? Yeah, of course. Don't do what Biden did and that's exactly where we are. No, I'm being serious. No, I'm being serious. You see it as all in the same way?

I see it in the same way. Look, when I do when I do m you know, media training or anything on a professional level in communications, one of the things that you need to talk about, especially with public officials, is to show some empathy. And I I totally agree with Megan on that. Now I will take a look at the I will say that these four defectors defectors on the house side, uh you know, there are other reasons that are going into it, I think for sure besides affordability.

Um and we can get into that if you want to, but yeah, from from the message perspective, this administration does need to understand that there is pain being felt right now. I understand what you're saying about someone like Thomas Massey who's a perennial thorn in the side of the administration. I wanna put up some information about Representative Tom

Barrett, who is a first term Republican, okay, so you've got a newbie, but he also is a former army helicopter pilot. I'm really paying attention to how veterans are behaving politically right now across the political spectrum. Um and he's facing re-election. And one other person um I want to show you, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, represents the Philadelphia suburbs, which I'm sure we'll hear about ad nauseum come election time.

But more importantly, former FBI agent has broken away from the administration before. There is a world of veteran law enforcement like people who kind of speak the lingo and understand the conversation around conflict. And they are not as afraid to have a different point of view.

Hundred percent. I mean they are bringing a perspective to this that not everyone on the hill is, I think you know, Republicans, congressional Republicans are constantly talking to you constituents who are veterans, but it's one thing to be having those conversations and another thing to be coming at it having done this work yourself.

You guys we're gonna talk more about this and some other topics later. Um later on CNN though, I I wanna get to this because it doesn't sound like the president is actually letting go of his plans for some sort of anti-weaponization payout fund. And what could basically that mean going forward? And then there's actually pandemonium on the streets of New York. The Knicks give fans a reason to be rowdy and a plane passenger tries to open

Open an exit door mid-flight. Luckily there was a trained black belt on board. The guy tried to like attack him and choke him and I was already ready for something to happen soon. Mm-hmm. I'm CNN Tech Reporter Claire Duffy. This week on the podcast Terms of Service, the idea of riding in a car with no driver can feel daunting, and this technology raises questions about. Yeah. Safety and the future of transportation.

That's why I'm here with Nicole Gable, Head of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at Waymo. Always been about safety, no distracted driving, no drum. the rules of the road. Listen to CNN's terms of service wherever you get your podcasts. Time I got news for your ears. Podcast. I am your host, Michael Ian Black. His latest thing, you see this yesterday, was he finds the piece. Talks. Boring. Shocking.

Not my favorite guy, but I gotta be honest with you. I know exactly what he's talking about. He's not negotiating. He's not in the room. But how do you think he receives the information? Uh sir. Sir, would you like to hear the latest update? They should make like a comic strip out of it. Have I got news for your ears? Check us out on Apple, Amazon Music, wherever you get your podcasts, even better. You can watch. It is 13 minutes past the hour. Here is your morning roundup.

Now you're looking at the moments. An unruly passenger is subdued on a frontier flight. So the man allegedly tried to open an exit door, then breached the cockpit, and choked an off-duty flight attendant. Passengers quickly helped. take him down and it just so happens one of those good Samaritans is a trained fighter. You can't control what people are gonna do and where they're gonna do it, so I think it's just best to be trained, be trained in jujitsu.

Uh At least try out class so you know how to take care of a real life situation when uh something happens. The flight was diverted, the suspect was arrested, and he faces multiple charges. Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls Cuba a growing security concern for the U.S. Testifying before lawmakers, he says the administration is trying to figure out who they can talk to on the inside.

I think the United States is open to a negotiated situation that puts Cuba on a path towards democracy, prosperity, freedom, nor normalcy. We would be open to that and we would work with whoever is open to doing it. Obviously it'll be challenging. There are clearly individuals within the apparatus of power in that country that understand that what they have now is not sustainable and needs to be fixed.

Cuba is currently facing an unprecedented energy crisis. For the last five months, the island nation has been cut off from almost any fuel supply. And here in the U.S., the New York Knicks taking game one of the NBA finals on the road against the Spurs. Jalen Brunson scored 30 points in New York's 105 to 95 win over San Antonio. CNN's Omar Jimenez was out. Outside of Madison Square Garden to see New York's characteristic calm response to the event.

This is the reaction after a game one win in the NBA finals for the New York Knicks. We have been outside Madison Square Garden throughout all of this and uh Look, if you doubt any of the enthusiasm, even for an away game for the Knicks, uh look no further than the crowd that gathered over the course of this game. But I want to show you

what we've been seeing over the course of this as the celebration really begins here in New York City. It's the beginning of a long series. You know that if you're a basketball fan, but you can't tell the people here who have been chanting Nixon 4. For hours. I was talking to them beforehand. They were saying Nick's in four beforehand too. So this is just the beginning. They got a game one. It came down to a back and forth game throughout all of it. But the excitement in New York City.

Is the chance to do something they have not done in over five decades. Now that they are back in a place they have not been in more than two decades. So moving forward, like we said, is a long series, but the enthusiasm here. It is not going to... Back to you guys! Ugh and Omar was never seen again. No, Omar is fine. He's gonna be following game two tips off tomorrow night in San Antonio. I love a happy fandom. I'm glad you've heard from him though. Let's do it. He's good.

It's also tall, you know. Right, very. Very lucky. Okay, you guys, after the break on CNN this morning, the White House Correspondents Dinner is getting a second act. Plus, the anti-weaponization fund may be dead, but the president isn't done talking about it. In the meantime, good morning to our viewers in New York. Just waking up or still awake after a next win.

Look, we're not moving forward with the fund. We are not moving forward with the fund, period. We are not moving forward with the fund. Correct. Correct. We're not moving forward with the fund. We're not moving forward with the fund. We're not moving forward with the fund. We're not moving forward with the fund.

Um, here's the thing, somehow people are still asking, are they moving forward with the fund? That one point seven hundred and seventy-six billion dollars so-called anti-weaponization fund that was quickly condemned. in a bipartisan way when it was rolled out a few weeks ago. But even as the acting attorney general, you're see seeing them right there saying it's over, there are other mixed signals.

So Lindsey Graham, for instance, suggested another way to pay out the fund. A top DOJ official, Stanley Woodward, replied saying, we're on it. And ABC News reports, Woodward posted Tuesday evening in response to Graham's post. Now Woodward's post was deleted by Wednesday morning. President Trump also seems unwilling to let the idea go entirely.

The weaponization fund, uh, as far as I'm concerned, was a beautiful thing. It was something I was I I didn't make it, but I was I heard that, I thought that was the greatest thing. The group chat is back. I I'm under the impression that under federal law, they can't bring it back.

But they also it's very hard to find a plaintiff here, right? Because this is a settlement between two government agencies that are both controlled by Trump. And so who's the person that can come forward and say they were wronged and challenge this? all those people who raise their hands like you know. We've seen exactly

folks come out and do for example, you know, folks who were injured in the January Sixth riots have said, if you give money to my former attackers, then that is an attack against me and that's part of why we're seeing this held up in the courts at least temporarily. Yeah.

I think the Trump administration saying that this is at least uh for now dead is a sign that they know the political opposition is But there's he's you got Blanche saying, Look, I'm not gonna do this and then you've got everyone else being like, Well, maybe, maybe and is that really just like to soften the blow of it not happening? I I think we're all missing the the the active word here that the President used which was was. It was a beautiful thing. And he didn't

And he didn't bring that up. That was in a press conference yesterday in the Oval Office. He's like someone else came up with it. Well and and he was asked a question about it. So I mean we're talking about something that I do think is dead for political reasons especially, but this also we've got a court order that this thing can't go forward. We have members of Congress.

Especially senators who are about to enter a vote a rama today. I think Tom Tillis is gonna bring his amendment forward and when he does, I wouldn't be surprised if there's ten to fifteen Republican senators Who vote for the Tillis measure to basically kill this thing? So I we can keep talking about it, but even the president said was.

Then let me add part two, the IRS settlement that says thou shalt not do audits of me or my family in perpetuity. Is it basically we've all distracted ourselves with the fund and so this part can go forward? Well the fund was publicized by DOJ when the settlement was reached. The IRS agreement to not audit Trump or his family for past tax returns. publicize, which I think was an implicit acknowledgement by the administration that this is not a standard thing to do.

I was just gonna say this is smoke and mirrors. Like look over here to this shiny object that no one's ever gonna get money, so we don't have to pay taxes.

taxes and no one will ever know how much money my family and I have made off of the administration and or off of us being in office and off the taxpayers' dime. So I actually think that that's right and I think that there's more there should be more upright upheaval over the IRS settlement than this this Fun that's never gonna get any uh get any Well there be is there any traction on that conversation on the Republican side?

Well, there was at the beginning. I mean if you remember when this first came out, that was really what got Republicans off the sideline was this kind of uh blanket immunity for the Trump organization and Trump family. Again, my understanding, uh staying at a Holiday Inn Express last night, I guess.

And not a lawyer or watching Law and Order. I don't know, whatever metaphor I can sell on this. Right, exactly. But my understanding is when the when the judge said we're we're putting a hold on on this, they put a hold on everything. All parts. Because it was an a it was an amendment

Yeah, yeah. So we should say there are some aspects of this that somehow are still in the courts just'cause of the way it went down, but for now we are hearing politically backing down. Straight ahead on CNN this morning we're gonna turn to the war with Iran.

We're gonna talk about whether this is over, whether it's the beginning of a long, bloody conflict. And then there is some pushback on Polte, Republicans lashing out against the president's pick for interim director of national intelligence. Oh, just my height. Oh, I mean the house. competition of the summer. Three amateur renovation teams paired with a top HGTV mentor will transform Three Beach Houses into a life-changing opportunity. To win. and$50,000 cash. Did you say 50? Can we join?

All new Battle on the Beach, Monday night at 9 on HGTV. Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. Thank you for joining me on CNN this morning. It is half past the hour, and here's what's happening right now. President Trump expected to nominate Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, to be the next Attorney General. Tomorrow I'm instructing Dan and... Everything. that we are going to make him permanent Attorney General.

Now Blanche previously served as one of the president's personal defense attorneys. He's been currently serving as acting AG since the firing of Pam Bondi back in April. by a gunman. President Trump said he wanted it back on. The new dinner will take place July 24th. In a truth social post, the President says he'll be there. And then a stunning rebuke of Trump, the House approving a war powers resolution on Wednesday that would halt the U.S. military action against Iran.

to limit the president's ability to initiate or escalate military hostilities without congressional approval. So the question is, are we at the end or are as some lawmakers are worried about, are we at the start of something First of all, you're not taking me at my word, it's a fact. We're no longer conducting sustained strikes inside of Iran to degrade their military because epic fury is over. Here's how the president described it. Yeah. We hit them pretty hard.

The night before and actually last night. So there are fresh hostilities between the US and Iran overnight, spilling into neighboring Gulf countries. One person was killed, more than sixty injured, in an Iranian drone strike on Kuwait's airport. So we're bringing in Harrison Mann to the group chat. He's a former U.S. Army major and former executive officer of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Thank you so much for being here. So as we talk, we talked about the potential the hostilities here.

I want to talk about the possibility for the deal. Iran over and over keeps bringing up restitution. It wants to be basically its assets. unfrozen. Can you talk about what they're looking for and how much of a sticking point this is for the U.S.? First I want to point out that, you know, this so-called sticking point was a was a demand from before the war, right?

When when Trump did the surprise attack uh with Israel in February, what the US and Iran were discussing was some kind of sanctions relief, which would be a de facto release of funds in exchange for freeze on Iran's nuclear enrichment.

And so I think it's in my mind a little misleading to say that this thing that we've known has always gonna be uh in Iranian demand is a sticking point. Uh I think really the the principal sticking point remains Trump's lack of interest and actually pushing for a deal. Okay, let me just play a little of it first so people have some context um for what you're talking about. Um here's what he said about whether or not a deal could be reached in the coming days.

Yeah. The negotiation itself has gone very well actually. Right. Very well. Mr. President. It could happen I mean if it happens and it might not happen, you know, who knows. But if it happens it could happen like over the weekend. The blockade is the most powerful thing. I think the blockade maybe has more impact than the bombing has. But the blockade that we have, the naval blockade is incredible. Not one ship has gotten through unless we wanted it to. And people respect it a lot.

Yeah, so I think, you know, Trump may actually believe that the blockade is working and he might believe that it's sustainable. Uh the Iranians don't believe either. Um I think they're pretty confident in their ability uh to to withstand, you know, some loss of oil sales.

And they really don't like the status quo. It seems like Trump kind of thinks he basically ended the war and, you know, occasional tit-for-tat strikes uh can go on really forever. Um The Iranians don't want that. They they think they've got an advantage and they want to press it. And so like we saw with the uh the attack on the Kuwaiti airport, I think they're gonna actually start escalating a little more to try and break this impact.

Against allies, uh US allies of the region. This idea of just spreading it into the the region more. I think against US forces and against US partners, which they still hold responsible um because US attacks are sometimes launched from their territory. And so I think they they are gonna basically they have found also that their strategy is not working because Trump is not actually convinced.

That he has to change the status quo. Um so they're they're pretty willing to go back to war, more than Trump is, and I think we're gonna see them push closer and closer uh if Trump doesn't actually get serious about making a peace deal. Can I also get your opinion on this war vote? We were all talking about why these various Republicans there's only a few right four.

um i who have decided to vote against um uh we w the president going to war and being able to do more hostilities. And we were looking at issues like reelection, what districts, what state. Can you talk about uh what you know about their backgrounds and whether you think there is also a broader conversation happening within the vet community about this?

Yeah, I think I think these uh defections, which I don't want to call them that because these these Congress uh members of Congress did the right thing, right? They're trying to end this war, represent two things. Um one, the the costs of the war and like the kind of stupidity of the war have become impossible to ignore, right? We're three months in, you can't pretend Trump's got a plan, you can't ignore the very uh visible and tangible uh economic effects.

Right. I saw you playing before fertilizer, increasing the cost of food, and of course uh the the paint at the gas pump. Um on top of that. I think, you know, the the most recent generation of veterans uh who serve in the war on terror in some capacity, contrasted maybe with with Lindsey Graham, who's also a veteran. I mean remember there are people in power here who have that share same experience. That's why I'm wondering about the divide.

Yeah, I I do, you know, as a veteran, I don't wanna say that putting a veteran in a leadership position automatically means they're gonna make a good decision, right? You got Pete Heggseth, uh you got JD Vance. Yeah, Telsey Gabbard, uh, you know, to for her her short lived D and I career. Um but some of them clearly

took the correct lesson away from the war on terror, which was we shouldn't be doing these stupid destructive wars for no reason. And it's really clear, it's been clear from the start, that's what this was gonna be. I think tons of Republicans, both veterans and and not, have understood this uh are were biting their tongue basically to see if Trump could resolve this quickly and they could avoid having to take a stand.

Um so yeah, I think these four are probably just the the tip of the iceberg. You know, we've seen some Republican senators also threaten uh in the past to support war powers resolutions. And, you know, I I think we're only gonna see more of this. It is. Especially as, you know, folks folks understand that their lives are getting qualitatively worse and more expensive because of the war.

Well, right now it's still just a trickle politically. I'll let you know and bring you back when it becomes a wave, all right, if we see more people jump on. Thank you so much for being here.

Um, we just mentioned national intelligence and the president's choice to become acting director of national intelligence is actually getting a lot of blowback on Capitol Hill. The person he's chosen is named Bill Poulte to oversee the nation's intelligence agencies. He does not have a background in intelligence. His current job is at the administration's Federal Housing Finance Agency and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mack.

Um but from that job he's also managed to launch criminal investigations into several of the president's political foes. One White House source said the change from Trump was easy, saying quote, Trump likes Tulsi, but she's very methodical. She's a thinker. Bill is a move fast and break things kind of guy, the source said. Many senators, including Republicans, believe Poulte is not the right guy for the job. I see no no evidence of any qualifications for that job. I think he's the right thing.

Worse. form of sycophant and advisor to the president that is gonna hurt the president's legacy. So the group chat is back. I gotta go to our friend here at Semaphore because you got the scoop. You got scoops about how this guy got pushed to the forefront, how you went from hey, handle the houses to hey, handle eighteen intelligence agencies.

I've been covering Bill Pulti for a long time since actually he was nominated as FHFA director, and he came in hot. He laid off a ton of executives, he made himself chairman. of Fanny and Freddie, which was an unprecedented move. And he completely overhauled a ton of different policies. And since then he's kept up that momentum, right? We've seen him leave the charge. Houses. Houses is your job. Watch. So how do we prod your

Yeah, right. We've seen him submit the criminal inquiry to the Justice Department that was the basis for Trump's attempt to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook. He's clashed with cabinet members, including Scott Besson, over basically encouraging Trump to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

And that is what his supporters wanted him to bring to this job, right? Roger Stone, Tulsi Gabbard. These are folks who said this is what we need. We need someone who's not going to necessarily respect the typical MO and instead come in and just get stuff done and clearly trump agreed. Um, it's interesting because he's got as you said, he comes in hot um and somebody who comes in equally hot in in response.

Is the Treasury Secretary Besson and it's been Washington lore that they had a fist fight for a long time, confirmed. And in this moment in a hearing on Wednesday, Tom Tillis asked about it, kind of as a character witness, so to speak, and here's what Besson had to say. Did you actually Ciao! Poulty, you were gonna punch him in the face. Uh no sir. I actually said I was gonna kick his ass. Good. Okay, good. I share the emotion. Thank you. As I said, that was last summer.

Some are twenty five and the many teams have fights in the locker room and then go out and win for the team on the field. Fight's in the locker room. I'm being judgmental. I'm like, you've seen a locker room. Are there what do you see when he's talking about this? I don't think that's totally wrong.

Yeah, I mean I think first of all like Trump Trump loves it when people are competing for his affection. Like that's that's kind of his ideal. Uh you know, I'm not I'm not Ha ha It's tough for me to imagine um him getting a fight with anybody, but I think like I'm I'm much more kind of scared here about the the idea of putting somebody who's even more of a kind of submissive loyalist than Tulsi Gabbard into this role. Um yeah, Pulti has shown kind of

extraordinary talent for weaponizing the the pretty obscure position that he was originally in. Um but I I think really anybody who's a loyalist to Trump, even if it's not Poulti, even if they find somebody who has like better resume than Poulte, Um could use the DNI position to cause a lot of Yeah, and this is one of those things where

It starts out about being one thing, like the weaponization fund, and it causes problems for other priorities. In that case it was immigration. With this one, with Poulty, all of a sudden you've got some senators like Warner who had been working on a bipartisan deal on FISA being like Oh, you want this guy? Well let's have a conversation about the Pfizer rules and can it disrupt other priorities, is it worth it to get this guy in?

Well, first of all, Poulty's never going to be the nominee, and I'll just say that. I don't think he I I believe that. I think that this is That's true. Trump said he was making him acting at D and I. I think they knew from the drum that he could never get confirmed by the summit. The bigger political question here is why poke the bear of the Senate for any reason on this by putting Pulti in this in this position? Um and that I think on on especially when you've got uh Pfizer reauthorization.

You know that the the deadline for that coming up. It's got a salsa. It is a it is a fight that maybe wasn't worth picking for this guy, but let's let's be just clear about this. Poulty is a flash in the pan in terms of DNI. Yeah, I um yeah, I just think he can do a lot of harm while he's there, right? We have elections coming up. That their whole thing is to prove that the twenty elections didn't happen. Tulsi Gabbard was in Georgia.

Why? Who knows? This guy's already shown that he's gonna weaponize more, and now you're gonna weaponize eighteen intelligence agencies. I mean it's just disgusting. I just didn't know uh to his point I just didn't know that you could have someone less qualified to be in this role. And I think it should scare the American people and it's clearly making noise on the s in I didn't think she was less qualified. I mean

I just wanna say that come back. I wanna end with you, um uh Eleanor, because you talked to like industry people from banking and even they were like We don't understand why you would put this guy who in his regular real time job went into the tickle files. Unprompted.

I think it shocked many people within the banking industry who have seen firsthand what he's done at FHFA since he was picked last year. I was was with Senator Warner when the last D and I stepped down and He said explicitly, you know, we want to see someone who's going to stay in their lane like past D and I've and with Poulty he has a very

cut and dry track record of very much not doing that. You know, not only on these issues of mortgage fraud, but also on housing policies like the fifty year mortgage where he's taken advantage of this personal relationship with Trump to bring him ideas that the rest of the party has then immediately said blown up. Absolutely not. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Before I let you go, can I ask how much damage can they do? Is this a job some people thought Tulsi was sidelined in a lot of ways?

People have always complained about this gig, whether it really does do anything. What kind of access will he have to top secret materials and what's the concern? So he won't just have incredible access. Um there's there's eighteen intelligence agencies. Other than the CIA and the FBI, the rest of them don't really have representation in the White House. They don't have the same representation or the same level.

on the hill. Um so they they are much more sensitive to the demands of the DNI. Um right, we saw there's a feud between Radcliffe, the CIA, and Gabbard. That that's not gonna happen with the Office of Naval Intelligence. or, you know, even the uh the Intel agency that's under DHS. Um, he sets budgetary priorities. Like in bureaucratic world, he he can exercise a lot of control over these other agencies.

Um and he can use that to and basically investigate Americans or target Americans. Um I think it's a good thing that Trump's authoritarianism basically got in the way of itself. And he's disrupting the renewal of uh FISA section seven oh two because I don't I don't want somebody like Pulti or or Cash Patel to have access to that kind of basically warrantless uh surveillance of us. Um but that's the kind of stuff he could do and could exploit.

Um a lot of the authorities of the IC have already been um abused or misused, not you know, not just under Gabbard, but under previous administrations. Um if this is a guy who could weaponize, you know, housing finance, there there is a lot he can do with the Intel world. Okay, Harrison, thank you so much for being here. Coming up on CNN, there's another setback for the president. We mentioned the anti-weaponization fund all but dead. That are we at this kind of turning point in this presidency.

I think it sends a good message and from the people's house the people are tired of war. Thank you. Which leads us to that rebuke. The House passes a war powers resolution to limit his authority in Iran. We're gonna talk with Congressman Kevin Kiley, the only independent in the House about it. He's here next. You ever have somebody offer to come home with you from the hardware store? I am giving away a room makeover. Where's the cat?

Three days to complete this renovation. You have no say in the design and we start today. Oh wow. You're not just gonna steal everything. Ha ha. Ready to get your house. For real. A little dated. It's time to turn this over to us. You guys gotta get out. Crasher Series Premiere Monday, June 8th to 10 on HGTV.

So what's going on with Republicans in President Trump? Well, before the break, we were talking about this outcry over his pick for the interim director of national intelligence. Well I think it's a funny pick to say the least. It seems like a funny pick. Uh uh i i it's interim for now I I guess we'll see. Um but uh I think it's uh an odd pick. But remember he's replacing Tulsi Gabbard who was a Democrat not very long ago.

I I don't think he has any experience whatsoever that translates into that position. So I'm not sure why he was put there. Thank you. other than maybe he's just considered to be very loyal to the president. Then there's that$1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund. Trump's DOJ is basically saying that's dead, even though some senators don't buy it. Yeah.

We got to either eliminate it, streamline it, guardrail it. It can't go in its current form. And if that's the only choice we should have, we should eradicate it. And in the biggest backlash of his presidency, four Republicans voted to limit the president's war powers in Iran. Yeah.

But I definitely feel what people are experiencing back home. You know, I go back home to my district every single week. You know, I fill up my gas tank too. I I have four kids. We're taking them to practice, we're taking them to school, we're driving throughout my district. I see it as well. It's not something that I'm unaware of.

So every one of the people we just heard from all Republicans. So we're asking whether or not we're at a kind of turning point for Trump's presidency. And joining the group chat, we have someone who used to be a Republican and is now an independent, Congressman Kevin Kiley of California. Welcome back. Uh congratulations are in order, I suppose, right? The last time you're here we weren't Sure, I'll take it. Deal taken.

Sooner or later. How come you're not one of the people voting yes on this uh Ron War Powers resolution? And what's your response there? You just heard some lawmakers saying why they have uh changed sides. Yeah, I I certainly appreciate the uh the willingness for Congress to assert its constitutional authority. Uh in this case I just don't agree with a particular mechanism, which is a war powers resolution, which is largely performative.

uh even if it were to pass, which it has passed, the president's gonna veto it. Even if it were overridden, it's not something that would be enforced by the courts. And even if it were enforced, what it specifies is that we have an immediate withdrawal, which even if you think we need to wind this conflict down to that we shouldn't have started it. I don't think that's the right way to do it.

Yeah, but it sounds like they're leaning into that symbolism. I mean he's talking about what he's hearing from constituents, he's talking about the economy and gas. Um what is it that you think is uh d are we looking at actual movement on this issue or is it still just one or two?

Well no, I think we are. I think that there's broad uh concern across party lines about where we are right now and of course on the ramifications on the economy and fuel prices and everything else. What I'd like to see is Congress to assert its constitutional authority in a way that has real teeth. And so for me that means through the budget process, through our power over appropriations, we can direct how any funds related to this conflict are used. And number two, through real oversight.

of the conflict so that Congress can get a sense of what the strategy is and assure that it's being carried out in a way consistent with our objectives. Okay, the other thing I want to talk about because you brought up uh funding and um the power of the purse. This seventeen seventy six billion f your your mouth just went all the way up like this. So are you among the people who's not so excited about this fund?

Uh I would certainly say I'm not excited about it and in fact I was uh one of the first to speak out against it the day after it was announced. Do you believe it's dead? I uh I think it's dead, but I I I and I voted the day after it was announced on the Judiciary Committee uh for subpoenas for those who were responsible for it.

So we need to make sure it's dead. If that requires putting it in law, then absolutely. And I also think we need to figure out how this sort of thing came about so nothing like this happens. Last thing, I'm gonna play uh Senator Tom Tillis, he of the uh YOLO Bolo I'm calling it. Uh somebody who he's had it. He's had enough. And this Bill Poulte suggestion to put him in charge of um uh in in a key intelligence role, um, here's what the senator had to say. Yeah. People

And the administration need to understand math. They need to understand timing. My God. You put forth this restitution fund when we're trying to get Homeland Security funded for three years? You put an incendiary attack dog like Poulty out on the agenda while we're trying to get 702 authorized and he would be one of the major users of it? It's like whoever these people are in the White House need to get the hell out of the White House. I am tired of amateur hour.

Okay, I I do think some people look at him as part of the like wounded bear caucus, like people who this is from the Wall Street Journal. Um and but at the same time, I liked what he said about math and timing. And same thing for our message, folks. Does this administration understand when they actually have the votes for things or do they just not care?

Well I I don't know if I can answer that question specifically. I I like the term YOLO caucus by the way,'cause my newly drawn district includes YOLO County. Nice, nice, well played. uh I'd be part of that. But you know, certainly on something like FISA, which there is broad bipartisan recognition that this is something that is vital to the national security in the United States, but there are also legitimate civil liberties concerns.

Throwing a nomination like this out there really doesn't help matters. And I think that to echo the senator's comment, uh there is a need to sort of uh have a paradigm of competence and experience. uh and effectiveness when it comes to these top positions. And when you see a nomination like that, a lot of people think that's not No, I think there's a a lack of pushback in the White House right now, frankly. That when the president when the president

has an idea, there should be some individuals that stand up and say, let's let's think about that. Let's look at the broader picture here than just uh making one nomination because uh things do affect each other.

And what we've seen we're moving now on the on the election calendar, we're five months out from the midterms, filing deadlines are over, most primaries are over. The strength that the president had for long term gain by nominating and and praising several of these uh of these individuals are causing short term pain right now and will for the next five months.

This is, oh god. I I just think it's gross. I mean, it's wildly incompetent. These people are so incompetent, but I don't understand why we are now a year and a half into the administration and Congress is just starting to be like four people are like, We're gonna vote against the War Powers Act. We're just finding our backbone now. Let me can I repeat what I just said. But like also gross. Okay. You work for the equal, not the party.

happening in a vacuum, right? Trump in in a lot of other ways is making it harder for a lot of different Republicans on the Hill, including by helping ouse John Cornyn, which Senate Republicans thought was their best shot at keeping that seat and so Yeah. Okay. Well I gotta talk group chats, especially since we have a guest. Um Megan, I wanna start with you because you, me and Eleanor apparently have the same group chat, and that group chat has what?

The summer house. Uh uh part two of the reunion in it. And you did an entire podcast on it coming out on Friday. But I think that we are all talking about it. It's all that's in my group chats and I think there there's a Sierra versus Amanda fight going on and all and how everyone is reacting. Well, there's a reality show blow up that crosses the feed and this is one of them. Um so in your summer house chat, no comment what is it that you're all talking about now that you're back in town?

Uh well you know I mean there's obviously a lot on the agenda here. In California we just had uh our primaries as well. Uh so uh that kind of is behind us and uh we're preparing for the general election. Those are your results we're putting out for people? There you go. So uh you know, I think we kinda made history in my race as uh the first independent, I believe, in California's top two era uh to finish first in a primary, assuming that stands with all the late

uh ballots coming in. Uh if I'm uh elected in November I'd be I think only the second independent elected to the House. Uh so I'm gonna decide that at the time and you know ideally you wouldn't have to caucus with one side or the other. That's not how it works, my friend. Right, exactly. That's what's kind of messed up about the way the rules are right now, is that the committee assignments, for example, are the properties of the parties. And so you have to caucus one or the other. So

campaign on that question. A lot of people are gonna wonder that. Mike, what about you? Uh live events are back. People want real experiences, not reality summer house. I will not stand for Summerhouse slander. There's gonna be Summer House Landard. Live events are back. The movie theaters are having their biggest summer since 2019, and Hollywood's not happy. Oh yeah. Which I'm not sure. Very.

I am very happy about that Hollywood is upset because the top two grossing films are done by 20 somethings that started on YouTube. These these these projects started on YouTube. You know who's dead? You know who's dead last week? Baby Yoda. Baby Yoda came in third. This is Let's put under him local man. So back to Summerhouse. Eleanor, what's your group chat? Gotta say it is uh my engagement last week. Did you get engaged? What was that a picture of?

Zion National Park. I think it will. So Canyon Overlook Trail at sunrise, it was amazing and Yeah, yeah. Cheers to you. Congratulations. Okay. Engagement ring emoji in the group chat. I'm Audie Cornish, and stay with us. The headlines are next. Yeah. This is CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam, thrilled to introduce the new CNN weather app. Be prepared for anything with comprehensive coverage from real experts like me. Download the CNN Weather app on iOS today.

I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of the Chasing Life Podcast. Despite representing half the population, women get overlooked. Underserved too often when it comes to their health. issue and is trying to do something about it. Melinda French Gates.

I founded Pivotal Ventures to really focus on women and families in the US. And now I'm really including in that work women's health specifically. We have underfunded and under-researched conditions that affect women. And so for so long the medical community assumed the male body as the default body. then we would take medications and say, okay, we'll take it down by a certain amount of a dosage for a woman. That's just not true. A woman's body is very different than a man's.

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