whatever sport i'm into all in one place without missing a thing. even if it's football, australian football, or football football. in a word—it's fitz-credible. i got to trademark that one. this season, eligible xfinity rewards members can get up to $100 off nfl sunday ticket from youtube. sign up for xfinity rewards now.

♪ good morning, everyone. let's get things started with five things to know for this tuesday, september 5th. and we start with exclusive, new cnn reporting this hour, special counsel jack smith is not done investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election. now, he's got his sights set on a connection between fundraising and the push to breach voter equipment. also this morning, first lady jill biden testing positive for covid-19. she's doing all right. she is fighting mild symptoms, we're told. she's at home in delaware. the president has tested negative so far. this, of course, is ahead of his trip to the g20. also this morning, new signs that an alliance between russia and north korea is strengthening. kim jong-un expected to meet with vladimir putin in russia to further the arms negotiations. urgent message from the mother of the escaped mother in pennsylvania. there have been four separate

sightings of the fugitive. max exodus from the desert in nevada. thousands of people finally made it out of burning man after days stuck in the money, literally. "cnn this morning" starts right now. ♪ happy tuesday, everyone. hope you had a restful labor day. and if you worked, thank you for that. exclusive new reporting this hour that shows the widening scope of the federal probe into attempts to overturn the 2020 election, even though former president trump was charged a month ago with four criminal accounts. the special counsel leading that probe, jack smith, is still digging. that's according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation. and it raises the possibility that others could still face legal peril. so jack smith is following the money. sources tell us smith's team of prosecutors has asked two recent witnesses about how money that

was raised off baseless claims of voter fraud was spent to fund attempts to breach voting systems in several key states that joe biden won. so we know prosecutors have focussed their questions on the role specifically of former trump lawyer sidney powell, who entered the public consciousness with unsubstantiated claims, like this one. >> we have mathematical evidence in a number of states of massive quantities of trump votes being trashed, just simply put in the trash, like you would on your computer with any file. and biden votes being injected. >> poppy noted, unsubstantiate and outright lie. powell was indicted in the georgia election subversion case. cnn obtained invoices that show powell's nonprofit defending the republic hired forensic firms that accessed voting equipment in four swing states, georgia, pennsylvania, michigan and

arizona. in georgia that access looked like this. the coffee county gop chair standing by as others inspect the county election office the day after the attack on the capitol. we'll bring in zachary cohen who helped break this story. there's a ton in here. i think that's important to note the full context of things. but lay out what the special counsel has been investigating since the indictment. >> yeah, good morning, guys. jack smith is doing exactly what he said he was going to do about a month ago when he indicted former president trump. he's still digging. sources are telling me and paula reed, he is focussing on a few key areas is following the number and looking into sidney powell. she raised a lot of money, we're not sure how much, but it was a lot. a lot of money based on these lies that the election was stolen. she then said that this defending the republic group was something that could help fund the legal challenge that she and other trump lawyers were putting forward in key swing states trying to dispute the outcome there. jack smith has been asking at

least two witnesses about sidney powell and whether she was able to back up these claims of election fraud. they wanted to know how the money from defending the republic went to fund these efforts to find any evidence of voter fraud or widespread fraud which they did not. sidney powell, as you mentioned, these invoices do connect defending the republic directly to these breaches we have seen investigated at a state level but not really from a federal level. jack smith does seem to still be investigating those two elements of this. >> it's really interesting reporting from you and paula. this is really focussed on people outside of former president trump's act. but how does it all connect to the former president? >> yeah, poppy. jack smith made clear in his indictment that donald trump sits atop a vast conspiracy to overturn the election. and sidney powell, unindicted

conspirator. sidney powell has legal jeopardy here. prosecutors asking questions. remains to be seen whether or not she will -- it's worth noting that in georgia the charges that she faces there are all tied to a voting system breach in coffee county in south georgia. they have come up in some of these witness interviews that have been connected by jack smith's team cently as well as some breaches in michigan and pennsylvania. >> zach, that's something i wanted to follow up on. you, our colleagues and sara murray broken a ton of elements on the breaches in coffee county. how does this tie together? what else have you learned? >> three years past january 6th and still learning about how different people played significant roles in this effort to overturn the election. and i learned just recently that another witness came forward in april, sat down with the special counsel's office and said, look, his former boss, a wealthy gop donor in pennsylvania by the name of bill backenberg fund a

multi-state effort in pennsylvania, michigan and arizona and georgia. people coming forward and really fake elector, so people have been coming forward and reporting thins they think the feds need to investigate. remains to be seen how that might play into a federal investigation or potentially criminal charges down the line. >> zachary cohen, thanks again for the reporting. new overnight, first lady jill biden tested positive for covid and is experiencing mild symptoms according to the first lady's office. we're told president biden tested negative and is still planning to go to india to the g20. arlette saenz is live for us. the first ladies health and very busy and consequential week for the president. >> reporter: a busy week for first lady jill biden. she was set to begin teaching at the community college here near washington, d.c., just this

week. but now she will remain at their home in rehoboth beach, delaware, after receiving that positive covid test on monday evening. now she spent the weekend there with her husband after they had traveled down to florida to survey the damage after hurricane idalia. and the white house says that after the first lady received that positive diagnosis, the president went ahead and tested and he tested negative. now white house press secretary karine jean-pierre says the president will continue to maintain a regular testing cadence throughout the week and monitor for symptoms. but there are questions about what this will mean for the 80-year-old president and his incredibly hectic schedule. if you look at what he's planning for this week, a bit later today, she is set to host a medal of honor ceremony at the white house on thursday. on monday, he'll -- over the weekend he will also travel on to vietnam. the white house will be closely monitoring how the president is doing in the wake of his wife

first lady jill biden receiving that positive covid diagnosis. now this is the second time the first lady has tested positive for covid. her husband had tested positive last summer in july. she tested positive in august. both of them had undergone paxlovid and then experienced a rebound case. we're waiting to hear whether they might go down that route and use the paxlovid treatment. for the time being, she remains in rehoboth beach, delaware and the president will continue to test throughout the week as he has that busy events on his schedule. >> arlette saenz for us at the white house, thank you very much. coming up for us, u.s. officials say kim jong-un is planning to meet with vladimir putin in russia. this is a big deal. they're going to talk about supplying weapons in the war against ukraine. and the senate is coming back to work today with several major issues looming over capitol hill, including a potential government shutdown and concerns over senate minority leader mitch mcconnell's health. we'll break down a huge month ahead. stay with us.

sometimes jonah wrestles with falling asleep... ...so he takes zzzquil. the world's #1 sleep aid brand for a better night sleep. so now, he wakes up feeling like himself. the reigni family room middle-weight champion. better days stt with zzzquil nights. lactaid is 100% real milk, just without the lactose. delicious too. just ask my old friend, kevin. nothing like enjoying a cold one while watching the game. who's winning? no idea. real milk. real delicious. and don't forget to try some delicious,

creamy lactaid ice cream. what's that mabel? (mooo) wow, smart cow! i was told my small business wouldn't qualify for an erc tax refund. you should get a second opinion from innovation refunds at no upfront cost. sometimes you need a second opinion. [coughs] good to go. yeah, i think i'll get a second opinion. all these walls gotta go! ah ah ah! i'd love a second opinion. no. i'm going to get a second opinion. with innovation refunds, there's no upfront cost to find out. so why not check like i did for my small business? take the first step to see if your small business qualifies for the erc.

right now get a free footlong at subway. like the subway series menu. buy one footlong in the app, get one free. for freeee. that's what i'm talking about. order in the subway app today. ♪ ("drumroll" by lónis, little league) ♪ (♪) ♪ this just in ♪ ♪ got the keys to what you want and what you need ♪ ♪ something new something sweet ♪ ♪ moving to a different beat ♪ ♪ okay now (what?) ♪ ♪ can i get a (get a) drumroll? (what?) ♪ ♪can i get a drumroll drumroll? (what?)♪ ♪ can i get a can i get a drumroll please (oohh) ♪ ♪ that's nice (yahh)♪ (♪) ♪ ya, can i get a drumroll, ♪ ♪ can i get a drum- ♪ ♪ that's nice ♪ for moms, from centrum. ♪ this new mom ♪ ♪ here i go ♪ ♪ i am strong and brave i know ♪

♪ with a little time for me ♪ ♪ no doubt i will get through ♪ ♪ loving me is loving you ♪ ♪ new from centrum. the women's choice multivitamin brand. i need it cool at night. you trying to ice me out of the bed? baby, only on game nights. you know you are retired right? am i? ya! the queen sleep number c2 smart bed is now only $999. plus free home delivery when you add an adjustable base. shop now only at sleep number. is really significant zwomt. north korean leader kim jong moon may meet with russian president vladimir putin pretty soon to advanced on going arms negotiations. the potential deal could see pyongyang providing significant ammunition for different kinds of weapons to support russia's war on ukraine. the kremlin has just declined to comment, but u.s. intelligence is indicating this.

and the timing of any putin/kim jung unmeeting is not confirmed. "the new york times" says it is expected to take place mid this month. kylie atwood joins us live at the state department with more. if this happens, it's a huge deal, especially the fact that kim jong-un would travel out of country to go do this. >> reporter: that's right. u.s. officials are actively telling north korea to cease these conversations with russia at this time. we've heard that from u.s. officials quite frequently over the last week or so. but this is significant news that they think it's actually getting to a leader level engagement. a leader-level potential decision with nsc spokesperson adrian watson tells us it's kim jong-un who is expecting to meet with president putin to engage with president putin in russia. now, as you said, we don't know the exact timing of this actual, potential engagement. "the new york times" is saying it could happen as soon as this

month in the far east in a area in russia where kim jong-un travelled in the past, by train. but the backdrop here is that north korea has sold infinity weapons to russia throughout the course of this war dating back to last year. and what the u.s. is looking for now is the potential for a new arms agreement between the two countries with the nsc spokesperson top official john kirby saying last week that the expectation is that this would include a significant amount of ammunition from north korea to russia to be used in multiple different types of weapon systems that russia has and also the possibility of raw materials for russia's defense sector. we know that's a key area as well just because of how many sanctions are on russia right now as a result of their invasion of ukraine. we have seen a flurry of activity between the two countries in recent months with the russian defense minister visiting north korea in july. a follow-up meeting by

additional russian officials to north korea. and we also know, according to nsc that kim jong-un and putin talked about deepening the relationship between the two countries. poppy. >> so many steps leading up to what appears to be this meeting in a matter of weeks. thanks very much. let's bring in "new york times" white house and national security correspondent david sanger. david, i want to start with white house officials have been warning about the possibility of this, have been signaling this was a potential likelihood over the course of several months. obviously as poppy and kylie just laid out, the progression that we have seen on a bilateral basis between russia and north korea. why now, though, in terms of actually moving forward on these weapon sales and deliveries? >> well, phil, it's really fascinating question. and i think the answer is that the russians are probably running low on ammunition, just as ukraine did. you'll remember that when the

united states needed to find artillery shells for ukraine, it got them from south korea. and that's because the korean peninsula has basically armed up with the kind of artillery on both sides that the russians need, that the ukrainians need. so i think from the russian perspective, there's a little bit of you're going to go to the south. we'll go to the north. but there's something else that's going on here as well. while i think the russians have a fair bit o gain, as kylie described, not only weapons but raw materials, the north koreans have a huge amount to gain, phil. what can they get from this? they can get oil, something that's hard to come by for north korea. they can get help on their icbms which have been impressively tested over the past few months, including some that can probably reach the united states. obviously an area that russia knows a lot about. and finally, phil, they get

legitimacy. there's a super power that actually needs them. >> david, you've termed this the access of the aggrieved pointing to north korea, iran, russia and china. that begs the question of is this a one-time meeting to serve a one-time purpose? or is this the beginning of something that should be much more concerning to the west. >> oh, i think it's concerning. this access of the aggrieved is something that we have really seen come up as a reaction to the united states, nato, the rest of the west, rallying behind ukraine. we've seen china, russia, iran and north korea forge a new relationship. that brick meeting that took place the other day was an effort by china to begin to have a counterweight to a u.s. and western consensus laid group. so we're seeing the world come together more in blocks than we

really have at any time in the post cold war period, poppy. it's really a remarkable reshaping. and it may be the biggest geopolitical result of the ukraine war. >> wow. >> david, one of my questions when is this reporting came out yesterday, when the white house basically declassified intelligence and released this, is this follows what has been a fascinating and very kind of on their front foot strategy the white house has pursued since before russia invaded in terms of declassification and release of intelligence in advance trying to kind of utilize that either to postpone or hold off actions or to kind of galvanize allies. what's the rational here. i understand you declassify to try to keep china from making a move. i understand you declassify from keeping russia to make a move or convince your western allies they're about to. north korea i don't think cares if there's public perception of wrong doing or going against

what they had publicly said beforehand. why this? >> you know, i think that the best you can say for it, phil, is that it puts a spotlight on them that makes it hard for others around who deal with north korea, russia, china to continue trading with them and so forth. but let's face it. this has been a remarkable strategy, as you have said, that has only worked sporadically. nay revealed russia's war plans. russia invaded any way. they revealed that iran was getting ready to ship drones to russia, they've continued to ship drones. it's really only with china, which has the most to lose with their own trade relationships that they've had some success in getting them to restrain what it is that they're shipping. and that's why putin is going to the north koreans because he can't get this stuff from the chinese. >> that's a great point. david sanger, appreciate it as

always, my friend. thank you. >> thanks, david. what officials in pi pennsylvania are now trying to do to convince an escaped convicted murder to turn himself in. we'll explain what you're hearing after the break. it's a plea from his mother broadcast from a helicopter over the search area. we'll take you live near the prison where he escaped. video shows the moment a crowded pier in madison, wisconsin, collapsed in the lake. you're watching right now. six people were hurt. 60 to 80 people from the university of wisconsin were crowded on to that pier when it gave way. we'll be right back. ee subscripx so we're sending custom thank you gifts to our team. our custom ink rep is just as excicited as we are and knows s what great quality products to get. celebrate your milestones with custom gear. get started today at cusustomink.com. automatically responds to snoring. so, no more hiding under your pillow. because this system actually detects snoring

then adjusts to lp reduce it. for a limited ti, save up to $700 on select tempur-pedic adjustable mattress sets. my brain. so i choose new neuriva ultra. unlike some others, it supports 7 brain health indicators, including mental alertness from one serving. to help keep me sharp. try new neuriva ultra. think bigger. your record label is taking off. but so is your sound engineer. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire lactaid is 100% real milk, just without the lactose. delicious too. just ask my old friend, kevin. nothing like enjoying a cold one while watching the game. who's winning? we are, my friend. we are. mlb chooses t-mobile for business for 5g solutions... ...to not only enhance the fan experience, but to advance how the game is played.

now's the time to see what america's largest 5g network can do for your business. trying vapes to quit smoking might feel like progress, but with 3x more nicotine than a pack of cigarettes - vapes increase cravings - trapping you in an endless craving loop. nicorette reduces cravings until they're gone for good. that's why comcast business de is launching theal. mobile made free event. with our business internet, new and existing customers can get one year of unlimited mobile for free.

it's our best internet. powered by the next generation 10g network and with 99.9% reliability. plus one line of free mobile for an entire year. it's the mobile made free event-happening now. get started for just $49.99 a month. plus, ask how to get one free line of unlimited mobile. comcast business, powering possibilities.

♪ so the state of pennsylvania on edge right now because despite four credible sightings in the state an escaped killer is still on the loose. he escaped a prison near philadelphia. four credible sightings. now a really creative effort to try to get him to surrender? >> reporter: that's right, poppy. as you mentioned before the break, police are using a broadcasted message from the suspect's mother in portuguese. they're sending it from helicopter. that message is urging danelo cavalcante to surrender. police hoping they can bring him in peacefully. overnight, law enforcement officers fanned out in search of escaped convicted murdered danelo cavalcante.

blocking off roadways and scouring neighborhoods and thick woods within a two-mile raid yois of the prison he escaped near last thursday in pennsylvania. >> there's every reason to believe he remains in this area. >> reporter: as the search stretches into its sixth day, police broadcasting a message from the fugitive's mother across the search area. >> as desperate as he is, maybe he has a change of thought. here is his mother telling him to surrender, his family cares about him. he's desperate, hungry, dirty, in the woods. >> reporter: cavalcante has been spotted four times since his ecape most recently on sunday. >> a trooper observed him in some distance. gave chase but was unable because of the terrain and other on city cams was unable to get to him before he disappeared. >> oh my god this guy is down

there. >> reporter: the fugitive was in his home on friday night. >> i woke up my wife. hey, i think there may be somebody down stair. you know, get on the phone. >> reporter: drummond says he saw cavalcante leave walking back into the woods after taking food. >> peaches, apples, green snapped peas. >> reporter: residential surveillance camera picked him up at 1:43 carrying a backpack police think he may have stolen. >> he'll make mistakes. he'll show himself. he's already shown himself, we believe, a few times. we'll contain him and eventually catch him. >> reporter: cavalcante was sentenced to life in prison without parol for the 2021 murder of his former girlfriend. >> he is desperate. he does not want to be caught. he has very little to lose at this point. >> reporter: and poppy, i just want to emphasize the terrain around this prison quite

diverse. a lot of wooded areas, creeks and corn fields. that is really what has made this search so challenging for police. law enforcement officials say there are just a lot of places to hide. poppy? >> to hear them say that one of the law enforcement officials, danny, saw him on foot and just couldn't get to him because of the terrain just speaks to the difficulty because they're trained for this stuff. please keep us posted. thanks very much. well, at any moment decision could come down on whether to move forearmer mark meadow's subversion case out of fulton county and into federal court. we'll discuss the likelihood of that happening. that's next. stay with us. ♪ zyrtec! ♪ works hard at hour one and twice as hard when you take it again the next day. so betty can be the... barcode beat conductor. let's be more than our allergies! and for fast, allergy relief with a powerful decongesnt,

try zyrtec-d. at pnc bank, you can finus in big cities and small towns across the us, whe our focus is to always support the people who live and work there. because you call these communities home, and we do too. pnc bank. dry skin is sensitive skin, too. and it's natural. treat it that way. aveeno® daily moisture with prebiotic oat is proven to moisturize dry skin all day. you'll love our formula for face, too. aveeno® automatically responds to snoring. so, no more hiding under your pillow. because this system actually detects snoring then adjusts to help reduce it. for a limited time, save up to $700 on select tempur-pedic

adjustable mattress sets. [narrator] why is aaron happy? well, carvana has tens of thousands of cars under $20,000. so aaron's folks could help hook him up with a new ride. we'll drive you happy at carvana.

♪ recess is over on capitol hill and the senate is back to work today, hopefully your kids are back in school, by the way. there are a number of items on their short list to address, including avoiding a government shutdown in less than a month. top of mind is minority leader mitch mcconnell's health. the republican senator has frozen twice in front of reporters this summer, raising questions about his age, his health and his ability to effectively lead. cnn capitol hill reporter melanie zanona joins us now. it's been fascinating to follow the republican leadership response and the fact that he's going to talk to them but talked to a number of them on the phone about this over the recess.

>> reporter: right. there's a lot going on this month. recess is other. reality is starting to set in. top of mind right now, of course, is the health surrounding gop leader mitch mcconnell. he is going to deliver his weekly press conference tomorrow. he's going to deliver his floor remarks later today. so his performance of course will be heavily scrutinized. and then he's also going to be facing his own members for the first time. they have their weekly party lunches. there could also be a special conference meeting to specifically talk about his leadership and his health. and members still have a lot of questions about what is really going on and whether he is up to the job of leading them. this is going to be just a critical moment for mitch mcconnell to tamp down speculation about both his health and his political future. but, politics aside, there's also a ton of legislative business. congress is racing to avoid a shut down at the end of this month. and they are nowhere near close to completing their work on their annual spending bill. a short term spending patch is going to be needed. but even that is proving to be

complicated, guys. one of the chief sticking points right now is whether a supplemental funding package that involves disaster aid and ukraine money is going to be attached. it's going to be a huge showdown between house conserves and senate democrats and house republicans. >> one that the legislative history i'm not going to take you down the rabbit hole as much as you and i would like to but it's on a firefighter pay increase. there has been a push forward for firefighters. what's the latest on that? i know you have new reporting. >> reporter: yeah. this is one of the critical issues that is at stake in the funding fight. the bipartisan infrastructure law included a temporary pay raise up to 50% for wild land pay raises. that is set to expire at the end of this month. if congress were to let that lapse, it would be devastating. you could see mass resignations in the height of wild fire season. that is not something anybody wants to see. now i am told that speaker kevin

mccarthy committed to extending this in a short-term funding bill if they can get that passed. but it is less clear whether or not they're going to do a permanent long-term solution. even though there's bipartisan support and kevin mccarthy is no stranger to the effects of wild fires, california, of course, is home to many wild fires. this is an issue that has run into political head winds because of conservative hardliners and their demands to cut back spending. it's another issue to watch. >> buckle up. what a month ahead. melanie, thanks for the reporting. this morning, we're also closely watching for a major ruling out of georgia. at any moment a federal district judge could rule on mark meadows request to move out of fulton county and into federal court. both meadows and da fani willis gave the judge the additional briefs he asked for last week. now we're waiting to see how the judge ruled. before now, meadows is set to be arraigned in court tomorrow along with any of the other defendants who haven't waived

their right to an arraignment. donald trump waived his and submitted a not guilty plea in writing. let's bring in former senior investigative counsel for the january 6th committee, deputy chief of staff adam kinzinger and former director of the new york democratic state party. remind people what's at stake here in this meadows of the georgia case specifically. why we're waiting for what will happen next. >> so there's the criminal statute that allows individual charge with state crimes if that person is a federal officer and charged for a crime that was conducted under color of law, they did the thing they're charged with because they were a federal employee, they can go to court and say i want to remove that case to federal court for basically a neutral jury, a neutral forum. you can think way back when more

old time days, folks are really concerned that states wouldn't be physical therapy to the federal government. so mark meadows is saying, i want my case out of georgia court. doesn't make it a federal case. he'll have the same prosecutors. he'll have the same criminal exposure, but it does put it before a different jury that will be likely more conservative than a fulton county jury. it will be in the federal court, which is not where fani willis and her team are used to practicing. why it's very important is that once it gets into federal court, one of the reasons why it would be in federal court is because he is what's a called a colorable federal defense which means there's some basis for him to have a defense in federal law against the state law charges. that's super important. once he gets to federal court, the court as acknowledged he has at least a potential federal defense. now when he's there he will assert that defense, which he already has. if he's successful that means those charges are fully

dismissed. that becomes more important because former president trump is watching. other federal employees like jeffrey clark are going to be keeping an eye on that. if that's successful, fani willis could have a whole swath of her cases removed and dismissed in federal court. it is a close call. the judge asked for supplemental briefing which for lawyers if a judge asks for you to brief an issue more, that means the judge thinks it's not clear. he's basically say i need your help. dig deeper into case law. find me support so i know which way to go. everyone right now has what's effectively a coin toss here to see whether this case is going to move or stay in state court and proceed as expected. >> big picture here for the former president is that if meadows is successful, this could mean that trump would be successful moving there and potentially getting it dismissed too. this could put her whole probe in peril, no? >> it potentially could.

the difference, though, that the former president has from mark meadows, he has far more charges. you're going to be looking at each act and each charge to see whether it falls turned gambit of the statute. the former president is in a different situation. if you remember, mark meadows said i made a phone call here and that's my job. i set up a meeting. i was just being chief of staff. it will be tougher for the former president to look at all the conduct he's charged with and saying i was faithfully executing the laws of the united states because as many folks will know, the federal government doesn't have a role in conducting georgia state elections. right? >> the state has that role. >> the state has that role. so i think he'll have a tough -- he being former president trump, saying i wasn't acting as candidate trump but as president trump when i called the secretary of state and said find me 11 -- whatever vote. he wasn't calling and saying follow federal law. i'm calling as the head of the

executive branch. he was really calling as candidate trump to say i want you all to do x, y, z. so i think president trump has a far, far more uphill battle here which is incredibly more challenging to be successful. following the money, sidney powell, the lawyer, and the outside group that was aligned with her, the january 6th committee, where you worked, did a lot of work on this front as well, where do you think this heads from a federal perspective? >> there's a lot they can uncover here that the january 6th committee also did and we presented, laid out in the hearings through the summer. so they'll probably follow those through that process. i would also -- >> you think you gave a road map? >> absolutely. >> on this specific issue. >> i think we did.

we can discuss that, too. i think they did. i think one thing i point out about some of the things that were uncovered in the hearings is that there were some things -- we talked about with mark meadows, that weren't necessarily handed over to us. i'll be interested to see what jack smith can uncover as we see how this plays out. there were certainly things that we were able to present to the american people and i think in a sequential manner. but i'm interested to see what jack smith turns out. >> no. as i'm listening to both of you and thinking about all the work that was done, what an incredible narrative laid out for the american people, right? and so when i think about what might happen to mark meadows and then what trump is looking at as you said, the concern that i have is will the american people, particularly the voters in florida, feel as accountability has been -- that there's accountability here. do -- will they feel that he going to federal court, whether it's meadows, and/or trump, if they feel that hear again the

ring leaders of all that we witnessed on january 6th are not being held accountable and by the way, the folks who say, well, i did what i was told are the ones that are going to be punished and effectively let the ring leaders, if you will, off the hook. i do get concerned about that because what that does is it sort of tamps down enthusiasm for all the work that you did but also for the votes that any potential democrat can get going into 2024. >> despite all of this, biden, the democrat here at the table, biden is tied with trump and the new "wall street journal" polling and biden is really not doing well on the economy, 58% of folks say it's gotten worse under him. and age. 73% of voters say he's too old to seek a second term, only 47% of voters think the same of trump. how do you fight those two things? >> couple things. first of all, i understand to some extent if -- even if the numbers are better, people don't

feel as though it's better. if you're a millennial, you have high mortgage costs, you feel the -- >> your rent is too high. >> i understand. i honestly understand the concern. think about what the biden/harris team was elected to do. it was elected to run the bureaucracy, engage in good governance and bring the country back to normalcy. they have done that. >> can i ask you, perception is reality. perception is everything. if you were running the show, you're a democratic strategist, what would you change so people feel what's happening? so those young democratic voters feel it and vote that way? >> he's done a couple things. meaning he talked about student loan forgiveness, right? the young voters really are attracted to that policy issue. continue to talk about climate change and continue to talk about the economy itself. as we looked ed over the last cycles, the number of swing states and swing state voters have decreased. we don't talk about ohio and florida as swing states anymore.

if we're talking about a smaller number of states, that economic message will hit home. on the other stuff, particularly what was created after or during the january 6th hearings, i think is really built in with democrats and republicans. they are where they are. and unlikely unmovable. persuadable does get persuaded by an economic message. >> thank you very much. thanks, guys. it's an all-american quarterfinal matchup. two of the three remaining american men will face off in the u.s. open. a preview next. and look at this big guy. yikes. a group of mississippi hunters have broken the state record for the longest alligator ever captured. why you want that record i have no idea. it's more than 14 feet long and weighs just over 800 pounds. congratulations to those guys. r.

conquer 2000-word essays. conquer 300 thank-you nonotes. rule over what you write with the smooth writing, longest lasting gel ink pen in america. do you g2? for moms, from centrum. ♪ this new mom ♪ ♪ here i go ♪ ♪ i am strong and brave i know ♪ ♪ wita little time for me ♪ ♪ no doubt i will get through ♪ ♪ loving me is loving you ♪ ♪ new from centrum. the women'choice multivitamin brand. that first time you take a step back. i made that. with your very own online store. i sold that. and you can manage it all in one place. i built this. and it was easy, with a partner that puts you first. godaddy. sleep more deeply. and wake up rejuvenated. with purple's new mattresses fall asleep 20% faster have less aches and pains and sleep uninterrupted.

right now save up to $900 off mattresses sets during purple's labor day sale. visit purple.com or a store near you lactaid is 100% real milk, just without the lactose. delicious too. just ask my old friend, kevin. nothing like enjoying a cold one while watching the game. who's winning? we are, my friend. we are.

how white do you think your teeth really are? let's try the tissue test. ooof, still yellow. whitening toothpaste can only do so much. there's toothpaste white, and there's crest 3d whitestrips white. so much whiter! crest. wake up, achievers. you're making the most of every hour of your life. except the hours that you're sleeping. so why do we leave so much untapped potential on the table? this is a next level bed, for a next level you. my circadian rhythm is kicking your circadian rhythms butt! it's not a competition. i know, but i'm still winning! so, it is a competition.

save 50% on the sleep number limited edition smart bed. plus, free home delivery when you add an adjustable base. shop now only at sleep number. right now get a free footlong at subway. like the subway series menu. buy one footlong in the app, get one free. for freeee. that's what i'm talking about. order in the subway app today. j.p. morgan wealth management knows it's easy to get lost in investment research. get help with j.p morgan personal advisors. hey, david! ready to get started? work with advisors who create a plan with you, and help you find the right investments. so great getting to know you, let's take a look at your new investment plan. ok, great! this should have you moving in the right direction. thanks jen. get ongoing advice; and manage your investments in the chase mobile app.

♪ the men's semifinals at the u.s. open are guaranteed to include at least one american. two of the three remaining will face off tonight. coy wire joins us now with a preview. coy, our u.s. men's tennis back after the women have carried the entire weight for the last decade? >> that's right. they're catching up. they're catching up. good morning, philly and poppy. two decades since an american man last won in front of a home crowd at the u.s. open, that was andy rod dick in 2003. we have a chance at any major since 1968 we'll see two black american men in the quarters. frances tiafoe and ben shelton will play each other tonight. ti tiafoe is in the quarters for the second straight year. he never faced shelton or his powerful serve. just 20 years old, fired off a

pair of 149 miles per hour serves on his match on sunday. the fastest of the entire tournament. look out. the third american is ninth seeded taylor fritz who will play 23-time major champ novak djokovic for a chance to advance to the semis. this is the first time since 2005 that three american men advanced this far in singles at the open. it was a late night labor day thriller for reigning olympic champ zverev. sinner got cramped, had to get up off of his feet but he would rally to force a fifth set. the corona boys who follow him around, they were jumping around to give him life. sinner snack on carrots during matches. but at 1:40 in the morning, z vary ef. z verev and the crowd applauded

him. duke went last night's college football game as 12 point underdogs at home against number nine clemson. the blue devils were lights out especially duke quarterback riley leonard whose mom texts him before every game i quote, you suck, as motivation. her little boy making the biggest play of the game in the third quarter. he breaks loose from a would be tackler and there he goes, down the sideline. looking like phil mattingly in some football pads. touchdown for the lead on defense. two goal line stands. three turnovers including interception. outscoring clemson 22-0 in the second half. duke wins, 28-7. look at the fans rushing the field. that is what it's all about. but, phil, poppy, how about mr. riley leonard's mom and that

motivational mind technique she has? >> moms, man. moms know. may not make sense to us, but if the mom is doing it, clearly it's working. coy, i appreciate you as the professional football player thinking i who topped out as a high school football player could do anything like that in pads. coy wire, thanks my friend. >> you got it. elon musk threatening to sue the anti-defamation league. why he's blaming them for his platform's slump in ad sales. (♪) ♪ please don't go ♪ ♪ please don't go.. ♪ ♪ please don't t go ♪ ♪ plelease don't go ♪ ♪ don't goooooo! ♪ (♪) ♪ don't go away ♪ (♪) ♪ please don't go ♪ - [narrator] this is my coffee shop. we just moved into a bigger space, brought on another employee, and ordered new branded gear for the team. it was so easy.

i just chose my products, added our logo, and placed my order. bring your own team together with custom gear. get startetoday at customink.com. and placed my order. this tiny payment thing- is a giant pain! hi ladies! alex from u.s. bank! can she help? how about a comprehensive point of sale system... that can track inventory, manage schedules- and customize orders? that's what u.s. bank business essentials is for. (oven explosion) what about a new oven, can u.s. bank help us there? we can serve loans in as fast as 12 minutes. that would be a big help! huge! jumbo! ginormous! woo! -woo! finding ways to make your business boom. that's what u.s. bank is for. we'll get there together. the all-new tempur-pedic breeze makes sleep feel cool. so, no more sweating all night... ...or blasting the air conditioning. because the tempur-breeze feels up to 10° cooler, all night long. for a limited time, save up to $700 on select tempur-pedic adjustable mattress sets.

♪ this morning, elon musk threatening a new lawsuit. this one against the anti-defamation league over their reporting on his platform x, formerly known as twitter. in a post yesterday, musk claimed the adl was driving advertisers away. saying since the acquisition that the adl has been trying to, quote, kill this platform by falsely accusing me and the

platform. looks like we have no choice but to file a defamation lawsuit against adl. the adl in may published a report finding anti-semitic content on musk's platform after he reinstated several accounts with the history posting hate. >> spokesperson for the adl told axe axios on pending matters. they released a statement saying, quote, adl is unsurprised yet undeterred that anti-semites, white supremacists, other trolls launched a coordinated attack on our organization. this type of thing is nothing new. such insidious efforts don't daunt us. instead they drive us to be unflinching in other commitment to fight hate in all of its forms and ensure the safety of jewish communities and other marginalized groups. joinings us now, senior media reporter for axios, sara fisher. i think there was a follow-up tweet from elon musk where he says to be clear, i'm not

anti-semitic, but he's also pro free speech. that line in between there, that gray area is at the heart of this issue right now. what are the ramifications given the way this has continued to evolve. >> yeah, phil. for elon musk this has big ramifications. that's because twitter is still very heavily reliant on advertising from big brands. fortune 500 companies. those are the types of companies that reputationally cannot afford to take the risk if a third party group like the defamation league is saying aligning their ads against content on this platform could be potentially anti-semitic, meta and youtube faced threats from anti-defamation league and other civil groups around hate speech and policing it. the difference, phil, those platforms are so heavily reliant on ads from small and medium size businesses that aren't going to be called out. so they haven't had big impacts on their businesses when there were boycotts and threats.

elon musk and twitter, this is a serious business problem. the vast majority of twitter's revenue comes from those big brands that can't afford to ignore messages like this from the adl. >> musk tweeted that their ad revenue is down 60% and directly tied that to this adl report but the new ceo of x in that interview with cnbc about a month ago basically said they're doing great. she also said they're pretty close to break even. which is it? >> well, they're a privately owned company so they don't have to publicly disclose anymore, poppy. if you look at what financial analysts are saying for the past few months, fidelity marked up the value of twitter. granted it's way down from when elon musk bought it for $44 billion. but they were doing okay. however i think a series of unforced efforts calling out the adl will make it hard for analysts to continue to project twitter is moving in a positive direction when elon musk says ad revenue is down 60%.

that's ast ronomicalastronomica. i want to switch topics. you have new reporting. democrats outside the re-election effort will be pleased to hear because they have been wondering, when is this heavy blitz of spending, when are they going to start going on air in a major, significant way. what are they doing here? >> yeah. so the biden campaign is going to run a brand new ad this thursday during nfl season opener between the detroit lions and the kansas city chiefs. and a campaign source tells me this ad which will be heavily focussed on the economy is going to be bolstered by seven figures worth of spend over the next few months. this is part of a broader $25 million campaign from the biden administration mostly touting his economic achievements. but it's notable, phil, because at this time the republican party is sort of battling it out with each other. you'll notice that tim scott and nikki haley, chris christie, most of their spend is targeting donald trump. not those biden administration where the state of the economy. of course, donald trump's spend is mostly targeting his indictments. and so the biden campaign is

going to sort of blitz the air ways, taking advantage of this unique opportunity while its competitors in the gop are fighting with each other. >> sara, thank you. >> thank you. good to see you. "cnn this morning" continues right now. ♪ putin calling in back-up. the russian president may soon meet with north korea's kim jong-un to make a plea for more weapons. >> the u.s. is urging north korea to cease any arms negotiations with russia. >> china to help, because china understands how badly it would hurt them. despite four credible sightings a violent murderer remains on the loose. investigators say they're closing in on him. >> hoping this plea by his mother will compel him to come forward. >> he'll do anything humanly possible to get away. >> i want to stress him. i'll push him hard. he'll make mistakes. exclusive to cnn, special counsel jack smith's investigation into efforts to

over t