Anderson Cooper 360

Former President Donald Trump vented about his legal troubles to House Republicans in a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill today, the first time Trump has returned to the Capitol campus since leaving office after the January 6, 2021 riot. Trump aired his grievances regarding his legal and electoral challenges, attacked his critics in the room, and only briefly addressed policy matters like abortion and taxes, according to multiple GOP lawmakers who were in attendance. He also met with Senate Republicans, including Sen. Mitch McConnell, who had an icy relationship with the former President and hadn’t spoken directly with him since December 2020. Trump praised McConnell today and shook his hand. New York Democratic congressman Daniel Goldman speaks to Anderson about Trump’s day in Washington. Also tonight, a top Senate Democrat revealed Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas took more undisclosed trips on a private plane of GOP megadonor Harlan Crow. CNN justice correspondent Jessica Schneider, former federal judge John E. Jones III and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig give their thoughts on the new development. Plus, a special goodbye and good luck to our longtime executive producer Charlie Moore, who’s taking on a new role at CNN.

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The New York Police Department said they arrested a 27-year-old man early Wednesday morning with a cache of weapons. According to the NYPD Chief of Department, officers searched his SUV and found a gun, large amount of ammunition, handcuffs, multiple knives, two axes and other items. Former NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence & Counterterrorism John Miller and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe discuss the case. Plus, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting survivors, who lost 20 first grade classmates in the massacre nearly 12 years ago, graduate from high school and remember those they will always miss. Two survivors talked with our Randi Kaye.

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A federal jury convicted Hunter Biden guilty on all three felony gun charges he faced, concluding that he violated laws meant to prevent drug addicts from owning firearms. The conviction marks the first time a president’s immediate family member has been found guilty of a crime during their father’s term in office, though his crimes predate Joe Biden’s tenure as president. After the verdict, Hunter Biden said he was disappointed by the outcome but was "more grateful for the love and support" of his family. President Biden said he accepts the verdict, while supporting his son. "I am the president, but I am also a Dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today." Anderson speaks to two people who've worked with and know President Biden well, CNN political commentators David Axelrod and Kate Bedingfield. Plus, CNN's chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward is granted extraordinary access inside camps in Northern Syria housing women and children captured after ISIS was defeated.

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Hunter Biden’s fate in the federal gun trial is now the in the hands of a Delaware jury. A look at how the prosecution and defense did in making their case. Then, the latest in a string of CNN exclusives on decades of sexual abuse at the United States Coast Guard Academy. Also, four Israeli hostages were freed in a special operation in central Gaza according to the IDF. Plus, Donald Trump is calling the inmates connected to the events of January 6th victims. 

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President Biden gave a speech at Pointe du Hoc in Normandy on Friday, warning about the dangers of isolationism. Historian Garrett Graff and Protect Democracy editor Amanda Carpenter join Anderson to discuss. And New York Times opinion columnist Frank Bruni joins Anderson to discuss the 2024 presidential election and why he says it's a mistake to think Donald Trump can't win.

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Does former President Trump mean what he says when he keeps suggesting he'll use the justice system for payback if he's elected again? We're Keeping Them Honest. Speaking in Phoenix, at an event put on by conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Trump confined the bulk of his remarks to immigration and the economy, but also railed against his criminal prosecutions saying "We're in more danger from the enemy from within. With these lunatics, these fascists, these communists, and we're going to stop that also." Biden-Harris national campaign co-chair and former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu speaks to Anderson about Trump's comments. Plus, 8o years ago today more than 150,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France in the largest seaborne invasion in history. The sacrifices made in that defining battle led to the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany and ultimately the end of WWII. CNN chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour is in Normandy where President Biden and other world leaders gathered to commemorate the historic invasion.

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A Georgia appeals court has halted the election subversion conspiracy case against former President Donald Trump and several of his co-defendants until a panel of judges rules on whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be disqualified, the latest indication this trial won't occur before election day in November. Also, Judge Eileen Cannon, who’s overseeing his classified documents trial, revamped the timetable, pushing several pre-trial hearings later. Former federal judge Nancy Gertner, former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Toobin, and CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen share their thoughts on the new developments. Plus, Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, was asked by The Washington Post how his fellow evangelicals reconcile their faith with the former president's behavior. “Character does matter, and individual voters will make those assessments. But I think that the idea that either voters of faith or all voters disqualify someone because of moral failings in the past is just out of step with who the American people are," Reed told the Post. Anderson gets reaction from Russell Moore, editor in chief of Christianity Today.

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The former president's legal team asked Judge Juan Merchan in the criminal hush money trial case to lift the gag order, now that a jury has found him guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, and the trial is over. When asked about the status of the gag order, a court spokesman said, “the order is part of the court record that has been made publicly available and it speaks for itself.” Former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Toobin, and retired New York judge Jill Konviser - a long-time friend of the trial judge in the case - tell Anderson whether they think this is a reasonable request, and what the judge could decide to do. Plus, President Biden issued sweeping executive action Tuesday that will allow the administration to ban asylum seekers who cross the US-Mexico border illegally. CNN's David Culver is at a border crossing in San Diego with the story of one man who has made patrolling the border a personal mission.

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The leader of the Republican party faces a sentencing date for 34 felony convictions, and former president Trump's supporters are rallying around him. In a new letter CNN obtained today, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan is proposing to defund federal and state prosecutions targeting what he called, quote, “political opponents.” Separately, Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene called the USA a "banana republic." Anderson speaks to former Arkansas Governor and former Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson on the state of the Republican Party. Meanwhile, a jury has been seated in Hunter Biden's trial on felony gun charges in Wilmington, Delaware. This is the first time in American history that the child of the sitting president is on trial. CNN Political Commentator and former White House communications director Kate Bedingfield and former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Toobin tell us what they make of the case and the impact it might have come election day.

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This morning, at Trump Tower, Donald Trump denounced the historic guilty verdict in his criminal hush money trial. He also vowed to appeal his conviction in remarks that were filled with false claims about Judge Juan Merchan, President Biden, New York City's crime rates and other topics. New York criminal defense attorney Arthur Aidala and former Manhattan Chief Assistant District Attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo share what might be next for the now-convicted former president. Plus, today President Biden announced Israel has submitted a three-phase proposal to wind down the war with Hamas. The proposal would include the release of hostages, and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from "all populated areas of Gaza" and eventually lead to a "full and complete ceasefire." The proposal closely matches a deal Hamas itself recently offered. Barak Ravid, political and foreign policy reporter for Axios, talks about how realistic this potential deal might be. 

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