Can the Tate brothers avoid extradition to UK after sex trafficking? | Jesse Weber Full Show

[00:00:05]Hey everybody and welcome to Jesse Weber Live. Week is off to [music] a busy start. You got influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate appearing in a Miami courtroom as UK prosecutors bring these new rape and sex trafficking charges. And the question is, can the brothers be legally sent to the UK to face those charges? Interesting question that we're going to get into. Plus, talking big cases, you know, we've been all on top of this one. Singer David heading to an LA court this week for a preliminary hearing. This is huge. This is where we're going to have to ask the question, will we finally see the evidence that prosecutors claim they have that proves he murdered 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez? Who's going to testify? Lauren Conlin's going to come on with a preview. And some interesting news, you know, the reports about the allegedly contaminated lettuce at Taco Bell. Turns out the FDA is kind of backtracking on this. Makes it very complicated because there's still lawsuits out there. We're going to have a top food safety advocate talk about the latest in the cycllospora outbreak.

[00:01:06]But first, we go to the Middle East.

[00:01:08]This is the 10th straight night the US is attacking Iran. SenCom saying the air strikes are designed to degrade Iran's ability to attack ships in the street of Hermu is a critical issue. Sencom also announcing the growing American death toll. 17 US service members have now died in the Iran war. Two were killed in an attack on their base in Jordan on Friday. A third is missing. They were defending against incoming Iranian ballistic missiles. The Pentagon saying that the two army soldiers who were killed are first lieutenant Tyler James Fihan, age 25, of Hawaii, and Private Isabella Gonzalez, age 19, of Texas.

[00:01:45]Another US service member was killed in Iraq Saturday during a controlled detonation of an explosive from an Iranian drone. Now, these deaths marked the deadliest stretch for US personnel since the war started in late February.

[00:01:59]Lawmakers, they are expected to publicly press Trump administration officials on the resume fighting tomorrow because that is when Defense Secretary Pete Hegth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Kaine are set to appear before the Senate Appropriations Committee. They're going to be defending the Pentagon's request for $67.1 billion in extra military spending this year. In meantime, the continued military operations are once again severely disrupting traffic through the straight of Hermoose. It's like I said, critical issue because that is already affecting the energy markets, sending oil prices to just about $90 a barrel today. While AAA reports the national average gas prices climbed back over $4 a gallon.

[00:02:37]So, a lot to get into for all the latest. NewsNation White House correspondent Kelly Meyer joins us from Washington. Kelly, always good to see you. So, have you gotten any new information on the US soldiers that were killed missing this strike uh strikes on Jordan and and also what has been the White House's response to all this?

[00:02:58]Yeah. So, we did learn today that President Trump is set to attend the dignified transfer and a Trump administration official just told me that there will be four soldiers that will be transferred to Dover Air Force Base. It was set to happen tomorrow night. Now, they're saying it's going to happen Wednesday. So, that's the two killed in action in Jordan, one killed in action in Iraq and the one whose remains are currently unidentified, but believed to be the missing soldier from the attack in Jordan. And Caroline Levit did tweet tonight saying that there was a scheduling update that it was no longer taking place tomorrow and the exact day and time. We're still being finalized, but again, another administration official saying it is going to happen on Wednesday. So, we're watching for that. Now, Jesse, >> I just want to say our uh our thoughts and our prayers are with their families.

[00:03:41]I mean, truly the brave of the brave when you think about it. Now, I will tell you, Katie, excuse me, Kelly, as I was going through this this weekend, the number one article that kept popping up is, is this going to be a forever war?

[00:03:53]Is this going to be a forever war? Is there an actual off-ramp here? What are you hearing in DC when people talk about or concerned about this being a forever war?

[00:04:05]>> Yeah, we just don't know right now. That was the question that you know you've ready to go to ask the president every day you're at the White House. What's going to happen here? And every day it's just a different answer. And and the president really just doubling down on retribution for the killings of the US soldiers. He just wrote on True Social today that quote, "Every time Iran kills an American soldier, they will pay for that killing many times over." And then we also got this new alert tonight from the State Department that went out for Americans around the world to exercise increased caution, adding that due to heightened tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation. So right now, it looks like it's not ending anytime soon.

[00:04:47]>> Yeah. and you see different perspectives on what to do. Do you add more ground troops? Do you go after Car Island? Do you break their grip on the straight of Hermuz, go after the bridges, the roads, military assets? Um, you know, the New York Times is reporting today that in the week leading up to this attack in Jordan, Iran had carried out three other strikes against US forces in that country and several US officials telling the New York Times that those attacks injured dozens of US service members and damaged several helicopters. But the Pentagon apparently didn't disclose those earlier strikes or the casualties.

[00:05:22]What has been the Pentagon's response to that?

[00:05:26]>> Yeah, so the explanation provided by the Pentagon to the New York Times said that central command is not required to release information about injured service members, especially when they quickly return to duty. But then the Pentagon shared that nearly 100 service members have been injured in Iran uh in attacks in Iran just this month and basically saying that 96% have returned to duty. So that was a statement we saw from the Pentagon spokesperson put out just today. So in a way following up on that reporting and trying to add some more uh clarity uh some more context to what we were hearing from the New York Times >> and this >> and transparency really >> and this and speaking of transparency I mean those are the kind of questions that you think might be raised for heath and Kane at this Senate appropriations hearing tomorrow. Do we know what else we can expect there?

[00:06:14]>> Yeah. Yeah. Definitely expecting a lot of questions on the Iran war and exactly what your question was. What is the exit strategy? How long will this go on? Uh what will this mean for the attacks in the straight of Hermuz and the ongoing attacks from Iranian uh military from the Iranian military as the White House continues to say that they don't have anything left. There's also potential questions on what would this look like if there are potential for ground forces. So those are things we're watching for tomorrow. And at the same time, members of Congress are also asking for more questions from those officials. And they are set to brief, at least Secretary Hegathth is set to brief some of those lawmakers tomorrow morning. Our team at the Hill and our Joe Khalil uh confirming that that apparently it's only going to be invite only. So there will only be certain members there. So we'll see who exactly gets this briefing and what exactly we may learn from it if we are able to hear about it. And just to put it into context, this is the first time that we're really hearing from the administration um since the renewed or the escalated attacks uh the back and forth since July. Um by the way, I want to ask you about the Gulf States. Um so as Iran is continuing these strikes against the Gulf nations.

[00:07:25]>> Any talk of Iran cooperating with these countries to keep the straight of Hermuz open because that's the central issue what started the fighting again.

[00:07:33]>> Yeah. And one of those options that was under discussion prior to all of this kicking off again was perhaps Oman and Iran sharing control of the strait between the two of them, but that has since been rejected as a violation of international law. And the Gulf nations are obviously frustrated with this resuming again with Iran striking. So again, in that area, we don't know what might happen and everything is kind of still up in the air, but those strikes ongoing. They just wrapped up the latest round. Uh we just heard that statement from US Central Command uh not too long ago. So we'll keep monitoring it.

[00:08:06]>> It's interesting because I've heard this conversation about having there being a joint collaboration, joint coalition between the Gulf States and um Iran regarding traffic in the straight and making sure he used the proper passages.

[00:08:17]I interviewed General Wesley Clark. He said that would be a terrible idea giving that kind of information or power to Iran. So interesting conversation, interesting questions to have. Kelly Meyer, great to see you. Thank you so much.

[00:08:28]>> Great to see you. Thank you. You got it.

[00:08:30]Okay, let's talk about what happened today. A dramatic scene in lower Manhattan this morning. Did you see it?

[00:08:35]Investigators say that a man set off an incendiary device outside the federal building at 26 Federal Plaza. Now, this building houses FBI offices and immigration court, other federal agencies. And authorities say the device sparked an explosion and a fire just outside the building, sending this smoke pouring into the area as panicked bystanders ran for safety. Three people were injured, one needed to be hospitalized. Investigators say the suspect was quickly tracked down, taken into custody at the scene after a massive law enforcement response. He has been identified as Andrew Arbaka.

[00:09:12]Officials told NewsNation affiliate Pix 11 the fire appeared to have been started by fireworks that were loaded into a wagon with a sign that said, "Ice out of our streets." Officials say he also had airsoft rifles. Arbaka expected to face federal charges as this investigation continues. And the FBI is working with its joint terrorism task force to determine a motive, whether this alleged attack was targeted, if anyone else was involved. We will of course stay on top of the story and update you when we learn more. Okay, over to a big case that we've been following. Tomorrow could be one of the biggest days yet in the case against singer David. 21-year-old, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, is scheduled to return to a Los Angeles courtroom for a preliminary hearing.

[00:09:56]This was this is where a judge will decide whether prosecutors have presented enough evidence for this case to move to trial. Low standard, probable cause. Hearing is expected to last 3 days. You're going to have both sides argue over the mountain of evidence collected during this high-profile investigation. And one of the details to be discussed is whether Burke is going to appear in visible restraints while in that courtroom. Now, we know Burke has pleaded not guilty. He is innocent until proven guilty or unless proven guilty.

[00:10:25]And the charges that he faces include first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, unlawful mutilation of human remains because prosecutors allege he killed 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, dismembered her body before her remains were discovered months later inside the front trunk of an impounded Tesla allegedly register registered to him out in LA. And prosecutors have also filed special circumstance allegations that could lead to the most severe penalties if he's convicted. There's also another strange twist in this case. There was a new song that was reportedly by David. It was titled Marinescence. Suddenly appeared on his official Spotify page on Thursday, remained available for about eight hours and then kind of vanished without explanation. Obviously sparked a wave of questions online. But I want to bring in somebody who's been following this case from the very beginning. Los Angeles magazine's Lauren Conlin arguably knows this case just as well as I do. I'm not I don't brag, but I feel like I know this case pretty well, which is why I want to start here. Lauren, I this I I generally speaking, it's a low burden. The question I don't even think is, is the prosecution going to have enough to move forward? The question I have is what are we going to learn that we don't know already? What are you going to be on the lookout for? What information are you going to say? We didn't know this beforehand.

[00:11:43]Jesse, it's interesting because I feel like we know a lot circumstantially. Um, you know, there is a lot of circumstantial evidence here, but I do feel like between possible witnesses, David's friends, maybe they can testify about the the relationship when maybe they noticed that something might have been a little off. Celeste may have been a little bit young. as >> you're talking about Neil Langston and Asia Collins because they posted on social media. Asia posted recently about her alleged conversation with David about Celeste being a minor.

[00:12:17]>> I did. I saw that. I found that she was kind of talking in circles in in my opinion and she really was trying to to do damage control here. I mean, as as anyone would. But yeah, I I think that, you know, it it's possible we we do hear from them to to establish this relationship or to help establish. I think it's possible that we may hear from Celeste's family. Um, you know, I I don't anticipate them being in the gallery because I think they could be potential witnesses here as well as as David's family. I mean, we know that the grand jury was trying to call David's family and they were actively trying to fight it. I do also believe that we may hear from the medical examiner as well as the LAPD to establish uh the her her actual homicide because we know that the medical examiner ruled her death um a homicide by two penetrating wounds to the torso here. So, you know, I'm wondering uh I guess how the defense is going to fight this.

[00:13:21]They're going to challenge it. They're going to challenge cause of death. They came out, right? They came out at the beginning and said, "He did not murder her. He is not the cause of her death."

[00:13:29]And there's been a lot of questions between the back and forth of the medical examiner's office and the LAPD and the sealing the records. Now, the Emmy's office is under investigation. I feel like this is going to be a sense where we see the defense challenging that.

[00:13:43]>> Yeah, of course. And and can the defense poke holes in everything you just said?

[00:13:47]Absolutely. But Jesse, everything we know here, I mean, what did somebody pop out of the bushes at David's home and stab this poor girl? I mean, he's he's either the unluckiest guy in the world or there's so many coincidences. And yes, we're going to learn more, but sorry, continue.

[00:14:04]>> No, no, no, no, no. I'm I'm just going to ask you a question here. It's a big question I've had from the very beginning. In one of the prosecution's filings, they claimed David lured her to his house, right? That he stabbed her and then watched her bleed out. Now, I looked at that and I said, "How do they know that?" Do they know that because they claim, oh, they're assuming, you know, they make the al the argument he never called emergency services, right?

[00:14:26]That's the allegation. Or was there a witness? Was there surveillance footage?

[00:14:30]Is anyone else involved in this whatsoever had knowledge? I turn it to you. My >> my guess, my speculation is no. They're determining this based on the the medical examiner's reports, based on the autopsy. We know that this poor girl did bleed out internally and that does take time, Jesse. I mean, you know, per the reports, it it took up to 40 minutes.

[00:14:54]So, I think that this was just sort of the way that they they phrased this because we all know what happened to her after she she passed away. We know what happened to her remains. So, I think the the phrasing is that yeah, he he quote, you know, waited around before he allegedly dismembered her. And and let's not forget also, I mean, in her body there were uh blue fragments from the inflatable pool that was found in his garage. So, I go back and say, yeah, there's a lot of circumstantial evidence here. And and again, I like to to come at these cases obviously from an unbiased perspective, but right now all I know is what the prosecution has. I don't know what the defense is going to say, so I'm I'm ready for it.

[00:15:42]>> So, two things about that, right? The blue inflatable pool, one of the items that he allegedly purchased to, you know, dismember body, cover it up. Um, to be clear, even if the judge determines there's enough evidence to move to trial, he's still innocent unless proven guilty. He has not been found guilty beyond the reasonable doubt. That's a determination for trial.

[00:16:00]Just want to make that clear. Um, look, I'll tell you the digital evidence. If you're asking me one of the things I'm looking out for, are we going to know the alleged text messages between David and Celeste? Is this judge going to see the alleged child pornography that prosecutors claim are on David's devices?

[00:16:19]>> I think that the text messages are definitely going to come out. the gallery. I know in the media we are obviously not going to see the seessam material, but this is going to be presented. And and look, should this get to trial, which I think it will, the the jury will most likely see that. And it's it's going to be really troubling, Jesse. It's going to be really damaging.

[00:16:42]As well as autopsy photos. I mean, look, I don't think because it's the the preliminary hearings, I don't think we're going to see anything graphic like that. But Jesse, we're going to hear some graphic stuff. I I I do believe that's coming. And so I I feel for for anyone that is is in the the camp of Celeste Revas Hernandez.

[00:17:01]>> Me, too. And I'll just tell you, it's not for gratuitous purposes to display this. It's because he's charged with continuous sexual abuse. And they make the claim that he killed her to keep her quiet about their sex alleged sexual relationship, killing a witness, killing for financial gain because the argument is if she would have exposed him could have destroyed his whole career. which is why I also think they may call the managers and people who knew about his career, which is why you see it for three days. Listen, Lauren, I know you're going to be in there. I know you're going to be covering it. You have an open platform here anytime you want to come on and talk about it. Okay.

[00:17:33]>> Thank you so much. And and I'll keep you guys updated.

[00:17:36]>> Thank you so much. Okay. Still to come.

[00:17:38]So, they built a brand of alleged misogynistic rhetoric [music] and ultra masculine lifestyle, flashy wealth. But tonight, the Tate brothers are sporting [music] jail jumpsuits in solitary confinement as they fight extradition to [music] the UK. What are the chances that they actually dodge that? Will their past controversial comments about women come back to haunt [music] them in a court of law? That's all next.

[00:18:14]Okay, let's head on over to Miami where two of the world's most controversial social media influencers are being held in a federal jail in solitary confinement. This is according to their attorney. Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested by US Marshalss on Saturday and today they appeared before a federal judge wearing tan jump suits in handcuffs shackles and they are fighting extradition to Britain on dozens of sex crimes charges. Now, if you're not familiar with the Tape brothers, they're social media influencers. They're known for their lavish lifestyle. They're known for sparking outrage with their comments about women. They're also two of the biggest names in the so-called manosphere, this online movement that promotes traditional or hyper masculine views on manhood, which critics say often crosses into misogyny. But British prosecutors claim that Andrew Tate faces 42 criminal charges while his brother faces 17, bringing the total to 59.

[00:19:12]We're talking rape, sexual assault, traffic related alleged offenses, assault, and and by the way, in Andrew Tate's case, 19 of the new charges relate to indecent images of a child in extreme pornography. Prosecutors claim that there are now seven alleged victims, and some and some of these alleged offenses date back to 2010. To be clear, the brothers have repeatedly denied the allegations. But remember, they are also facing more trouble.

[00:19:37]They're facing a separate criminal case in Romania, which I will tell you may complicate extradition being brought back to the UK. Today, their attorney, Joe McBride, told the judge that they plan to fight their extradition. An outside court, he described the case as a stitchup job. Take a look.

[00:19:55]>> Innocent men uh don't like being arrested. So, when you're arrested and you know that the there's a stitch-up job, there's a political witch hunt for you. Whether you're your common person who works at a bodega or whether you're President Trump, nobody likes it. Nobody likes to be have the judicial process used against them for exercising their free speech rights.

[00:20:13]Well, I am made of questions. Let me bring in David Defurry, specialist in public international law partner at RN Fox Shift. Good to see you, sir. Thanks so much for taking the time. I got to say when I think about their arguments to fight extradition, the ones that I, you know, there's the argument, oh, they if they argument they're only being extradited for political purposes. I think the stronger argument is, didn't a Romanian court previously say that the Tape brothers extradition, they could go to Britain, but only after the Romanian case is completed? It's not complete.

[00:20:45]Don't they have a strong argument the UK has no right to get them over there right now?

[00:20:50]They might have that argument, Jesse, and I think that could be something the defense lawyer attempts to do. But the UK has a very strong argument and the UK has a very strong relationship with the United States. And while Romania made this decision, that's a decision that the Romanian courts have to follow. I'm not sure a US court has to follow that.

[00:21:12]>> But doesn't but doesn't the UK and Romania have an agreement at the end of the day?

[00:21:17]>> They do have an agreement. So, but you know, one thing is the UK could say that we are worried that they are a flight risk. We want them extradited back to the UK and then we will deal with Romania, we can extradite them back to Romania under that agreement that they get tried first in Romania and then they get tried in the UK. There's also generally a worry that because of pressure from the United States, especially the Trump administration, Romania is wary right now to go forward with the prosecution and that's why they were released from house arrest in Romania.

[00:21:48]>> Let me ask you two parts to this. One, this is going to be decision that's that's up to Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the end, right? The courts will figure it out here, but it's going to be up to him whether or not they'll be extradited. Do you see a situation? I know there's an interesting relationship between the Tates and the administration. Although the president seems to have distanced himself from the legal case involving the Tates. I mean, he basically said, "I don't know too much about it." But does it seem to you there's a possibility that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would deny the extradition? And if they do go back to Britain, do they make bail or how does it work?

[00:22:23]>> Jesse, this is the key question and it's why your viewers, I think, will want to follow this case. It's interesting how the process works. The State Department actually has two bites at the apple.

[00:22:32]First, when the extradition request is made, it actually goes to the State Department. They verify if there's an extradition treaty, they pass it along to DOJ. DOJ passes it to the court, which is where it is now. If it passes through the court, the court agrees that there's probable cause. Then the court sends it back to the State Department and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has to sign off on the extradition before they will be sent to the UK. And yes, if there's pressure on Rubio from the Trump administration, from President Trump, from President Trump's family members who were said to be friendly with the Tape brothers, he could potentially deny the request. Although I think it would be very controversial, especially when you consider in context the Epstein case. Epstein was accused of pedophilia.

[00:23:20]These guys are accused of child pornography. One case involves pedophilia in Romania. And so it could be extremely controversial and you could see uh you know the the the public.

[00:23:33]It would be it would it would be controversial to say the least, right?

[00:23:36]Interesting optics. If they go to the UK, are they trying to avoid it at all costs because they wouldn't make bail and they'd be rotting in a jail until their trial?

[00:23:45]>> I think that's probably correct. And because the UK is going to be less vulnerable to influence, but from the United States, less and less responsive to the people who support the Manosphere and support the tape brothers and the UK has a very strong legal system. So likely they would be put in jail. They certainly would be a flight risk in the UK.

[00:24:07]>> Now, they'll say, "Hey, we haven't we haven't tried to flee all this time."

[00:24:10]David, real quick, we got 30 seconds.

[00:24:12]The strength of the legal case. One of the things I've been wondering, can UK prosecutors use all the past comments about women, like we kind of let up in our introduction, to support their case of sex trafficking and rape and assault and all that. Well, they can use their denials and sometimes their denials involve their viewpoint on how women should be treated. So, I do think they're going to be able to weave that in. But this has to be based on evidence. The probable cause determination here in in the United States has to be based on evidence, not just what they said.

[00:24:47]>> Okay. I think this has a lot of interesting layers. If they fight extradition, this could take a while.

[00:24:54]They could be in Miami in that jail for also quite some time. So, David, like I just told Lauren, you too have an open invite to come back on and talk about it as this case progresses. Sound good?

[00:25:04]>> Thanks, Jesse.

[00:25:06]>> All right, I'll take that as a guess.

[00:25:07]Good seeing you, David. Thanks so much.

[00:25:09]>> So, still to come, the father of missing Tennessee teen Sebastian Rogers has [music] filed sweeping federal lawsuits against two government agencies, claiming they failed his son before and after he disappeared. Independent journalist Justin Shepard, who has been following this case closely, joins me live on it next.

[00:25:38]Now to a major development in one of the country's most mysterious missing child cases. The father of missing Tennessee teen Sebastian Rogers has filed two federal lawsuits naming the Sumar County Sheriff's Office and the Tennessee Department of Children's Services alleging both agencies failed his son.

[00:25:58]For those who may not remember this case, 15-year-old Sebastian Rogers, who is autistic, was last seen on February 25th, 2024 at the Hendersonville, Tennessee home that he shared with his mother, Katie Proudfoot, and her husband, Chris Proudfoot. Now, Katie says she said good night to him, but when she went to wake him up for school the next day, he was gone. We know it was odd. His shoes, his cell phone, all left behind. Investigators searched more than 2,000 square miles. But just a week after his disappearance, authorities announced they were scaling back that ground search. And more than 2 years later, there is still been no sign of Sebastian. And now you have back to those lawsuits that were filed by Sebastian's father. So, the lawsuit against the Sumar County Sheriff's Office alleges the investigation was mishandled, claiming detectives failed to properly secure the home as a potential crime, scene, that they assigned just one detective to Sebastian's missing person case. And then you have this second lawsuit that alleges the Tennessee Department of Children's Services failed to protect Sebastian despite investigating his household twice before he disappeared.

[00:27:00]Now, Seth Rogers is seeking millions of dollars in damages, wants the court to reopen the investigation with adequate adequate resources. I'm joined now by my friend Justin Shepard, digital journalist in Nashville, has been following the case from the very beginning. Justin's online handle is just in the nick of crime. Thank you so much for taking the time, sir. Good to see you. So, you have these lawsuits.

[00:27:21]They accuse the sheriff's office of mishandling the investigation. DCS of failing to protect Sebastian before he before he disappeared. Which of the allegations strikes you as the most significant and why? Which are the ones we should pay attention to? So, I think that there's a few things. I I think one is the fact that he's saying that they didn't properly secure the crime scene. Uh, so for reference, not only do I live in the Nashville area, I actually live in Sumar County. So, I live in the same place where >> where Sebastian went missing. And so, there's been a lot of talk, but basically, if I recall correctly, they treated it as a runaway, him as a runaway at the beginning and didn't really lock down the scene, lock down the house. They didn't go search um his parents' house until much later. And then the other thing that I found interesting in the lawsuit was the fact that Seth had mentioned the fact that um there were two investigations from the Department of Family Services or Children's Services and he was not informed about either one of those. And then about a year ago, a year prior to Sebastian's disappearance, the family kind of stopped talking to him or giving him updates on any of these things. But he had made it pretty clear that had he known what was going on or that there were investigations, he would have pulled Sebastian out of that situation.

[00:28:35]And having had many conversations with Seth, I believe he would have done that.

[00:28:38]>> Do we know what those investigations were about?

[00:28:41]>> As far as um as far as the the family goes.

[00:28:47]>> Yes. Right. Why was DCS investigating?

[00:28:50]>> Oh, for that one, sorry. Um no, I'm not really sure. What I can tell you is he never really got into specifics with me about that. I didn't know until the lawsuit came out that there were DCS cases involved. But what I will say is at one point he did come on live with me very very early on and and kind of dropped a bombshell which is that he said that Sebastian at one point had been sexually abused but he didn't say by who if I recall. Um so I would imagine that could have been one of the things that it had to do with. Um I know that there he had mentioned concerns about the way Sebastian had been treated uh you know in that home. So that could have been it. But I mean other than that it's pretty much just a shot in the dark.

[00:29:30]>> Yeah. I think those are allegations are in the lawsuit. I mean the defendants in these lawsuits I said of the sheriff's office in DCS. But as you read through the complaint there's a lot of attention to these allegations about Sebastian's home life, his mother, his stepfather.

[00:29:44]Um and I mean you you kind of mentioned what this investigation might have been about. I'll tell you one of the other allegations that really really stood out were these claims that investigators never determined why security cameras at this home weren't working the day that Sebastian dis disappeared. And there is even an allegation that Katie Proudfoot installed and operated security cameras for a living.

[00:30:10]So, I believe I remember hearing that too when everything first happened that she worked for I don't remember if it was ADT or one of the other security companies, but yes, that's what my understanding was too. And I also find it very um I'm not going to say suspicious, but find it very odd that none of the cameras at that home were working and that no cameras in the vicinity caught anything. And I think something else that's worth mentioning going back to it with what Seth had said at one point too um because I know you had mentioned earlier in the broadcast that you know he found like his shoes and things were still there. Seth made it very clear that with um his autism and the way that he was that there's no way he would have left that house without his shoes for what that's worth.

[00:30:49]>> Yeah. And by the way if he was a runaway limited options I also wonder about where he might have gone. Um just and so by the way where do you see this going?

[00:30:58]Is it have these lawsuits sparked renewed attention? Has there been a community push to put more pressure on law enforcement to investigate this? I mean, one detective investigating this at one point. You tell me where you see this going. So, in Sumar County, Hendersonville specifically, people have not forgotten Sebastian. You can still go to businesses and see his picture up there. What I think is very interesting about this, um, and I really commend Seth on this, is it's going to force discovery. So by um suing, you know, the Department of Family Services and suing the Sar County Sheriff's Office, it could possibly lead to reports that he wasn't aware about, reports uh from those investigations, interviews that took place, things that were never released during the investigation that could possibly shed some more light on it. Uh it might give him some more answers as to what went wrong at the very beginning of this because, you know, here we are a couple years later and there's no more answers on the day that he went missing.

[00:31:50]>> Big update, Justin Shepard. Thank you so much. Good seeing you.

[00:31:54]>> Likewise.

[00:31:54]>> Now, I want to let everybody know we reached out to the two government agencies listed in the lawsuits for comment, as well as Katie and Christopher Proudfoot. Haven't heard back from yet. Okay. Thousands are sick.

[00:32:06]Multiple lawsuits have been filed. But is the company that everyone blamed actually responsible? The new twist in the, sorry to say it, explosive diarrhea outbreak. That's next.

[00:32:23]Major new developments tonight in the massive cycllospora outbreak that has sickening thousands of people with severe and in many cases explosive diarrhea. The legal fight has now begun.

[00:32:37]Multiple lawsuits have been filed by people who claim that they became violently ill after eating at Taco Bell, alleging the chain served them contaminated lettuce that left them with these debilitating symptoms. You know what the problem is? Federal investigators claim that the chain purchased shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms to Mexico. The supplier identified through the FDI's excuse me, the FDA's traceback investigation after all these customers reported eating at Taco Bell before they became ill. But while Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled the lettuce that it supplied to Taco Bell and other food service customers, the FDA now says the lab test that appeared to detect cycllospora in that lettuce was actually a false positive.

[00:33:21]Yeah. Now, federal officials, they still say they're looking into Taylor Farms lettuce, but let's be clear, this development has to have some sort of major implications as these lawsuits move forward. and his lawyers tried to determine whether Taco Bell, its supplier, someone else in the food chain should be held responsible. I'm joined by a leading expert in food safety law, attorney Bill Marlor. Thank you so much for taking the time, sir. How does a false Good to see you. How does a false positive affect the lawsuits?

[00:33:49]>> It doesn't affect it whatsoever.

[00:33:52]>> The that Yeah, not at all. I mean there, put it this way, there are over 10,000 Americans who have suffered a cycllospora illness in the last three months. The test that the FDA ran was on product that they grabbed coming across the border 3 days ago. That was clearly not product that they ate, you know, people ate in May and June. The reality is is I've been doing this kind of work, Jesse, as you know, since the Jack in the Box outbreak back in 1993.

[00:34:25]Um, it's very rare to have product left over because, interestingly, people eat the evidence. That's why they got sick.

[00:34:34]And in a product like lettuce, which is perishable, um, the likelihood of it being left around two or three or four months later is is just impossible.

[00:34:45]>> Let me just push. Let me just ask you let me ask you a couple complications here. One complication I would imagine is isn't there a long incubation period between when somebody eats something and when they get sick? How do you know it's definitely from a Taco Bell or Taylor Farms? And the other way of looking at it is with so many people. Are we saying one source it all it's only from Taco Bell or Taylor Farms?

[00:35:06]>> Um you most likely um I've been doing I've sued Taylor Farms on cycllospora cases multiple times. I've sued Taco Bell on E.coli. coli and salmonella cases multiple times. You know, this is not a happen stance. Uh the FDA, the local and state health officials, the CDC, although hampered by budget cuts, have done an amazing job of interviewing thousands of people. And the only common denominator between most of the people that they've identified is eating iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell for a cluster of people, about 1,600 of them.

[00:35:45]The rest of the people, nearly 10,000, are spread out mostly uh east of the Mississippi, exactly in the same spot where Taylor Farms um iceberg lettuce from Mexico went. So, this is all going to shake out, but I've seen this movie.

[00:36:03]God knows how many times, Jesse.

[00:36:05]>> I'm sure you have.

[00:36:06]>> The The reality is Taco Bell is a manufacturer of a food product. They're strictly liable under the law.

[00:36:13]>> That's what I was going to ask you.

[00:36:14]That's what I was going to ask you. So, if they can say, "We got sick from your product under the law. Strict liability.

[00:36:21]Intent doesn't matter. Negligence doesn't matter." But could Taco Bell say, "Wait a second. Wait a second. Are we really responsible or is Taylor Farms really responsible? How what else should we have done? Can they argue against a strict liability kind of argument?

[00:36:37]>> No. No, they can't. They They're strictly liable under the law as a manufacturer. We That was That was a fight I had 33 years ago in the Jack in the Box case where, you know, a court ruled uh in my favor that a hamburger was a product just like an automobile is a product. So, I've I've done that battle and it's over. Taco Bell is liable under the law for selling contaminated product. You know, they know, they knew where this lettuce was coming from. They've been doing business with Taylor Farms for a long time. Um, and Taylor Farms has got a bad record when it comes to safety of their food.

[00:37:14]So, but just going back to the false positive, >> they have a claim. Yeah.

[00:37:17]>> That the false positive means nothing.

[00:37:20]>> So, but but let's say it's but but just to go back. I mean, has there been a positive test or is this if they came?

[00:37:25]It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter at all.

[00:37:27]>> No, it doesn't matter if there was if there was a 100 negative tests. The product that they're testing is product that people didn't consume.

[00:37:36]The product that they're testing means nothing. I mean, if it was positive, it would mean nothing. In negative, it means nothing. The fact of the matter is is that the people who got sick, who've been hospitalized, who've been quite ill, um, you know, they ate product months ago. It's not the product that the FDA tested. So, you know, the it it's irrelevant that it tested positive or negative. I mean, it's kind of fun to talk about and, you know, and Taylor Farms has had a little field day with saying that the FDA apologized, which it didn't.

[00:38:11]>> So, yeah, Taylor Farms and and Taco Bell are on the hook. And, you know, by >> the way, is this going to be is this going to be consolidated class action?

[00:38:19]We got 30 seconds.

[00:38:21]>> No, no class action there. Each case is going to be handled individually.

[00:38:25]There'll be some coordination amongst states, but no, each case is going to be dealt with individually.

[00:38:30]>> All right, Bill Marlor, thanks so much for coming on. I mean, this was a really good lesson on what to look out for.

[00:38:36]Appreciate it.

[00:38:36]>> Yeah, watch out for explosive diarrhea, my friend.

[00:38:39]>> What a what a statement to end on right there. I've never gotten into a trend.

[00:38:43]Just to next segment. Thank you, sir.

[00:38:44]Good seeing you.

[00:38:46]>> Good seeing you, my friend. Bye-bye.

[00:38:47]>> All right, so mystery um switching gears here for a second. So, mystery still surrounds the death of Nolan Wells.

[00:38:54]We've been covering this case. This is the teen [music] who went on a boat trip with friends, never came back. Up next, the latest on the investigation as friends and family pay their final tribute to the college football player with NFL ambitions.

[00:39:16]So, we've been covering the investigation into the death of Nolan Wells. The 18-year-old college football player had taken a July 4th boat trip with friends to Horn Island, which is right off the coast of the Mississippi coast, but he didn't return with them, and his body was found 2 days later off the island's coast. Jackson County Sheriff said that initial interview suggested Wells chose to stay on stay on the island and that his friends believed he would get another ride home, but there were still a lot of unknown circumstances leading to his disappearance. And we know that the autopsy results haven't been released.

[00:39:47]Both the official state examination and that of the independent autopsy that was ordered by the family. Today, Nolan Wells friends and family filed or filled a Mississippi church to mourn and celebrate the teen whose life was cut short. funeral began with remarks from Wells parents. They described their son as a warm, gentle presence, a role model to his younger siblings and a gifted athlete had NFL ambitions. But also today, Reverend Al Sharpton pleaded for new evidence in the case, addressing the quote, "any unanswered questions." And in a fiery eulogy, Reverend Sharpton pro Sharpton promised a $100,000 reward for any new information about the circumstances around Well's death.

[00:40:33]Well's father concluded saying, quote, "Today shows us how much he meant to the community, the country, and the world."

[00:40:41]My two cents on all this. This is a family who is trying to heal, to get answers, to navigate a criminal investigation that they have never been a part of before, and at the same time adjust to a nation focusing on their loved ones case. Every single aspect, including all of the rumors and all the speculation and all the theories. And I just hope we just hope that wherever this case goes, whatever the results are, this family could get the peace and the closure they so desperately need.

[00:41:17]Thanks for joining us here on Jesse Weber Live, everybody. We'll be back tomorrow night. Cuomo is up next.