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Official Who Claimed Teleportation Pushed Out Of FEMA; Trump Speaks At Faith & Freedom Coalition Conference; Death Toll Tops 900 As Rescuers Dig For Trapped Quake Victims In Venezuela; Judge Declares Mistrial In Palisades Fire Arson Case; Historic Heat Wave Triggers Alerts & Disruptions Across Europe. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired June 26, 2026 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[14:00:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": A ballooning death toll. Venezuelan officials now say at least 920 people have been killed in this week's back-to-back earthquakes. Rescue teams are combing through the rubble to find survivors.

And on the offensive, President Trump goes after what he calls communists after the election of three progressive candidates in the New York primaries, allies of New York City Mayor, Zohran Mamdani.

And beamed out of FEMA, a top official who had claimed that he was teleported to a Waffle House has been pushed out of the agency. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to "CNN News Central."

President Trump making a direct pitch to one of his most important voting blocs with the midterms just about four months away now. The president just took the stage at the Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority Conference here in Washington, which is one of the largest public policy gatherings of Christian conservatives.

And there's a sense of urgency at this event as the president attempts to defy historical trends to actually gain Republican seats and bolster his party's power on Capitol Hill. CNN's Kristen Holmes is at the White House with the latest. Kristen?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, right now, he's still talking about Christianity, the role that Christianity and religion has played in the last 250 years of America, but we do expect this to be somewhat of a political speech. And as you noted, this is real time for the White House to start trying to pivot their messaging away from Iran and to those midterms.

And I was told by a political adviser that overall the messaging from Republicans, from the White House, President Trump, was going to be this idea that while voters might not be happy with the status quo, that things are going to get better, but additionally that things would be so much worse if voters were to go out and vote for Democrats.

Democrats were successful in the midterms. Now, interestingly, this political adviser told me it wasn't going to be alarmist messaging, but I'm not quite sure President Trump got that message because this is what he posted on Truth Social just moments before he headed over to this conference to give this speech. He started linking, as you noted, Democrats to communists after those primary wins in New York.

But he said this, unfortunately, after two or three years, the country where this is taking place -- he's referring to Communism -- would fail. It always does, and then you start living in squalor. There will be no food, there will be no housing, there will be no military, there will be no nothing. There'll be a third world in every way, and everyone will suffer or die. I'm sorry to say, but assassinations on those who oppose them is a very important element of their ideology.

He goes on to say this is the most serious threat to our country since its existence 250 years ago. And then he says these ruthless communists will attack all religions, but in particular Christianity. They always do. Now, that does sound alarmist, somewhat, at least to me, talking about how people are going to suffer and die, essentially, if Democrats win and linking again Democrats to communists.

I will say, you know, President Trump, he has a different approach to everything, including politics, than some of his advisers believe is always best. But we'll see, of course, how this messaging plays out at this event. We should also note that this event is taking place at the Hilton Hotel, which is where the White House Correspondents' Dinner was after that man, that armed man, came in and interrupted the dinner trying to attack President Trump cabinet officials. This is the first time he's been back at that venue since then.

KEILAR: Yeah, you know, I think everyone will suffer or die, probably hits that alarmist mark, as you say. Kristen Holmes, live for us at the White House, thank you. Boris?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Now to an agonizing wait in Venezuela as families are holding out desperate hope. It's been just over 44 hours since two powerful earthquakes struck, toppling more than a hundred buildings. With each passing hour, the rescue operation growing more dire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANA RIVAS, MOTHER OF MISSING EARTHQUAKE VICTIM (through translator): My daughter has been trapped in the rubble since Wednesday. Yesterday, they pulled her husband out completely. Well, he was already dead. The authorities are taking action, but there are no results yet. My daughter is still under that rubble. We have asked them to bring in heavy machinery.

My daughter has been there since Wednesday. We don't know if she is alive, we don't know if she has died.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Last hour, officials say the death toll has now risen to at least 920 people, nearly 200 others are believed to be missing. Earlier, we learned that U.S. rescue teams are being deployed today. We're joined now by Craig Fugate, he's a former FEMA Administrator who oversaw the agency during a response to the Haiti earthquake back in 2010.

Craig, thank you so much for being with us. So, this detail about more than a hundred buildings collapsing in La Guaira, the epicenter of the quake, put that into context for us in terms of how much work rescue and recovery crews now have ahead of them.

CRAIG FUGATE, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: Well, you know, if you look at just U.S. history, the Oklahoma City bombing, the World Trade Center, we deployed just about every team we had to do the search and rescues. Even in Haiti, it required an international response of numerous teams.

[14:05:00]

I think what's important to understand is time is running out for people that are trapped in what we call voids, where they are safe and uninjured, but unable to get out, that's the real focus right now. And one of the things we learned out of Haiti, the dogs were the most effective way of locating where people were still alive so they could focus their efforts.

And this is really going to be the key thing, focusing on where people are still alive, that are trapped and getting to them. And that's part of what the urban search and rescue teams that the United States has deployed, as well as the international community will be focused on under the direction of the Venezuelan response.

SANCHEZ: Help us understand why this golden window of 72 hours to find survivors is so critically important.

FUGATE: Well, for a lot of folks that were injured, the 72 hours just means they will have bled out, won't survive their injuries. For others, it's really the factor of water, the environmental conditions, how hot and humid it is, how long a human body can go without water. So that's the urgency.

But as we saw in Haiti, there were people trapped but not injured that were rescued a week after the event. So the 72 hours is the urgency, but they won't stop the rescue operations until there's no longer any sign -- lack of signs of life. As long as there's some indication that people are alive, the teams will keep working to try to reach them.

SANCHEZ: The backdrop of this disaster is the economic and political turmoil in Venezuela. What limitations do you see in the government's ability to respond to a disaster of this scope?

FUGATE: Well, I think, you know, when people compare Haiti and Venezuela, remember, Venezuela has a rather substantial government. They have the military. They have the Guardia Nacional, their version of National Guard. This is not a case of going into a failed state. But early on, they did ask for the international community to support them.

This is something where they recognized the type of rescues that they were going to need to complete, they just didn't have enough of that expertise. So I think there's a vast difference between Haiti and Venezuela. And I think notwithstanding all of the other issues, this is a government that is fully attuned to what needs to be done, has asked for help and is managing the response.

SANCHEZ: The U.S. alone committed $150 million in aid. We anticipate that that number is likely to climb. U.S. crews are currently on the ground. How do you think those resources will be allocated? How will they be utilized?

FUGATE: Well, again, the Venezuelans are running this response. So ideally, in coordinating with our teams, as well as the rest of the U.N. teams, they're putting these technical teams where they have likely survivors that are very difficult to reach in the partially collapsed buildings where our team's expertise of digging and tunneling will be maximized.

You don't want to just put them out there just looking around to see what needs to be done. Hopefully, they've been given very specific assignments so they can go straight to work.

SANCHEZ: Craig Fugate, great to get your perspective. Thank you so much for joining us.

FUGATE: Thanks for having me.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Still to come, a judge declaring a mistrial in the Palisades Fire trial. And now, we're hearing from at least one of the jurors about why they couldn't come to a consensus.

Plus, lawmakers subpoenaing a Jeffrey Epstein associate after he refuses to answer questions about non-disclosure agreements he has with women. We're going to be joined by a lawmaker who was in today's interview.

And later, after years of unchecked cheap shots, there is new fury over the WNBA's treatment of star, Caitlin Clark, after she's hit in the throat mid game. That and much more coming your way on CNN.

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[14:13:35]

KEILAR: Major developments in the Palisades Fire arson case. A judge has declared a mistrial after the jury said it was deadlocked. Jurors sent a note to the court saying that they cannot reach a unanimous verdict on any of the three charges against the man accused of sparking the fire that grew into a deadly inferno. CNN's Nick Watt is outside federal court in Los Angeles.

Nick, do we know why jurors could not reach a consensus here?

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, apparently 10 of the 12 jurors were locked on not guilty, and one of those jurors has spoken to us. Now, the government case basically painted this guy, Jonathan Rinderknecht, as an angry young man pissed off at the world -- their words, not mine -- who went up above the Palisades and lit this fire as revenge against the rich, revenge against a world that wasn't treating him right.

So it was entirely circumstantial. Now, this juror said she didn't like the way that they were maligning his character. You know, they were saying he was talking to ChatGPT. They used those prompts against him. She said, listen, I've suffered anxiety and depression. I use ChatGPT. I don't like that they were maligning him just for being human. She also said they can't prove that he was the only person up there because the cell phone records are incomplete.

And here is a key issue with this entire case. Rinderknecht is accused of lighting this fire the early morning of January 1. He called 911, as a bunch of other people did. Fire department came, thought they'd put it out.

[14:15:00]

But it was still smoldering underground in the roots, and hikers said that they saw some smoke. So this juror said, listen, you know, you're saying that he lit this fire January 1st, it blew up again the 7th, and you're holding him responsible? Take a listen to what Juror Number 4 had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUROR NUMBER 4, PALISADES FIRE ARSON TRIAL: I wanted to know has anybody ever gotten in trouble for a holdover fire anywhere else because this holdover theory just wasn't, like, it wasn't working for me. I don't think there was enough evidence to say he started the first fire, but say he did, I don't see why everybody else's negligence of doing things incorrectly where he needed to be -- he needs to be responsible for the whole Palisades.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: And 10 out of the 12 jurors, as I say, were on not guilty, hence mistrial. Brianna?

KEILAR: What happens next here, Nick?

WATT: Well, right now they're meeting inside, having a hearing as to whether Jonathan Rinderknecht should be kept in custody or released. The U.S. attorney has already said, we think the evidence is strong, we're going to try again. Worth noting that 10 of 12 jurors disagree with him on that. There are also, Brianna, some civil cases and that is where a lot of the people who lost their homes up in the Palisades, remember, more than 6,000 structures burned, 12 people dead.

The civil cases, that is where some of these homeowners who lost so much say that they hope to find the truth. Some people have called this guy a patsy, convenient scapegoat, because they say the fire department and the city have got a lot to answer for. So we'll find out if this guy is going to get out, we'll find out if there definitely is going to be a mistrial, and residents hope they'll really find the truth when those civil cases get into a court. Brianna?

KEILAR: All right, Nick Watt, thank you for following that for us. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Sources tell CNN a top FEMA official who drew national attention for a series of bizarre public remarks has been ousted from the agency. The White House appointed Gregg Phillips last December to lead FEMA's Office of Response and Recovery, one of the agency's most critical leadership posts, despite his history of promoting conspiracy theories.

Phillips came under intense scrutiny after CNN reported on a series of outlandish comments he made on right-wing podcasts, including claiming that he had teleported to a Waffle House. The Department of Homeland Security says Phillips is leaving for personal reasons. CNN sources say that his departure was not voluntary and followed growing embarrassment over his comments and clashes with FEMA leadership.

Still to come this afternoon, as Europe is suffocated by a record- shattering heatwave, a new analysis has found an "unequivocal cause." We'll tell you what, or rather, who is to blame. Plus, two years after the near-assassination of President Trump, investigators say the actions of some Secret Service agents are continuing to risk the lives of the officials they're charged with protecting. The glaring lapses uncovered, next.

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[14:22:40]

KEILAR: Today, the Netherlands issued its first ever code red for heat as Europe is sweltering under soaring temperatures. All week the heat has been shattering records all over the continent. It's a pattern that experts say would have been virtually impossible just 50 years ago.

In Spain, more than 200 people have died from the heat and at least 48 people have drowned in France while trying to cool off in rivers and lakes. Let's bring in CNN Chief Climate Correspondent, Bill Weir.

Bill, talk to us about what's driving this.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the World Weather Attribution Scientific Network global sort of peer reviewed methods to crunch the data. They took three days of this recent heatwave in Europe, compared it to the biggest heat waves of the last 50 years. One in 1976, another in 2003 that took 70,000 lives. And they realized that the Earth has heated up one -- almost two-degrees Fahrenheit just over one-degree Celsius in this time.

And so that rose the temperature of these heatwaves by a staggering 6.5 degrees or so. So in 1976, instead of 104 Fahrenheit in Paris, like it just was, it would have been in the mid-90s there as well. The wet bulb temperature, which is more deadly, has gone up. They did the analysis. Half of over 800 European cities are set to set records for wet bulb temperatures. So, this is the new normal too as well as the consistency of this. In '76, that was a one off heatwave that stood for decades. These records are being broken by the day in these countries. The highs in France and in the U.K. and England broken day by day. And it is June, Brianna.

KEILAR: Yeah. And Europe is the fastest-warming continent. What's being done to adapt to this? Is the Iran War causing countries to want to turn away from oil, for instance, as an energy source?

WEIR: Good question. You know, the Europe is heating up faster, twice as fast as the rest of the planet because the Arctic is warming so fast. We were just up there for Earth Day. It's staggering, the ocean temperatures up there. But yes, in some cases actually, counter- intuitively, it's driven countries to coal as a stopgap or gas in places in Asia.

[14:25:00]

But it's also goosed, much as it did in 1973 war, talk of energy security and countries building solar and wind and geothermal in their backyards so they don't have to worry about the Strait of Hormuz or the whims of these world leaders starting wars as well.

In the United States, of course, the Trump administration is attacking all things that don't give profits to oil and gas companies. But this last month, for the first time in the U.S., solar power eclipsed coal and that is where the trend is heading. It's a matter of how fast and how much damage and pain there will be in the meantime.

KEILAR: Yeah, we're seeing the pain. Bill, thank you so much, really appreciate it.

And coming up, stunning subpoena. House lawmakers are now seeking to depose a Jeffrey Epstein associate after he refused to answer certain questions during today's interview. We're joined by a lawmaker who was there.

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