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Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) is Interviewed about the Houstin ICE Shooting; Soccer Popularity in America; Treasure Hunter Drake Nicholas is Interviewed about Treasure. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired July 17, 2026 - 09:30   ET

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

6 (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:30:06]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, an update on the investigation into the fatal ICE shooting of a Houston man, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, while he was driving to work. This week we reported that a newly filed search warrant claimed an FBI agent found drugs on the dashboard and the floor of his van. Well, now an attorney for his brother, who was in the van, says the substance was salt. The attorney says the salt is, quote, "paired with lemon and water as a homemade electrolyte mix used by outdoor workers in extreme Texas heat."

And last night, hundreds of mourners gathered at a funeral home for a public viewing honoring Salgado Araujo.

Joining me right now is Democratic Congressman Adriano Espaillat of New York. He is chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which will hold a field hearing next week in Houston on the shooting. He is the first formerly undocumented immigrant to be elected to Congress.

Great to see you, Congressman.

REP. ADRIANO ESPAILLAT (D-NY): Thank you. Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So, tell me first about this hearing and what you're hoping the goal will be -- what goals will be met potentially?

ESPAILLAT: Well, first, Fredricka, this is a very troubling pattern. ICE has been discredited. This last attempt to link him to drugs. Many in the community feel is a smear campaign. And, of course, 2,000 -- they have quotas, 2,000 arrests a day. And 90 percent of the people they are stopping and arresting are Latinos.

So, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is very concerned about this pattern of behavior, this very aggressive culture that ICE has. And has ICE become a runaway train?

WHITFIELD: Even the district attorney in the Houston area is disputing the federal investigator's claims about the drugs. Again, reiterating what the attorney for the brother is saying, that this salt -- you know, this substance found, this was for electrolytes for people who are working outside. And this is kind of their, you know, concoction really surviving the day. I mean, what does this say to you then about the road ahead with this

ongoing investigation with already those facts being disputed?

ESPAILLAT: Well, first, the modus operandi of the FBI and other law enforcement agencies is not to talk about any potential evidence that they may have in a case. In this particular case, they went ahead and they alluded that this may have been drugs, when, in fact, the family is claiming that this is an electrolyte substance used by construction workers in high heat areas like Texas. So, we're concerned that there is a smear campaign already in motion. So, we'll have to push back against that kind of practice, that kind of modus operandi within the law enforcement agencies.

WHITFIELD: President Trump had reversed DHS plans, you know, that would have stopped ICE traffic violations related, you know, to what we have already seen. I mean, these mixed signals now with the president reversing a decision DHS made, what does this say to you about the complications and the continued obstacles you might have even as you pursue your hearing to find more facts?

ESPAILLAT: Well, as I said earlier, they have quotas. Two thousand or plus arrests a days is their quota. And so, these officers that are often very rogue individuals with opinions already -- very extreme opinions about immigrants are placed in a position where they're now going to go out to our communities and try to arrest as many people as possible. And so, this is what happens. And this, of course, is happening in the middle of the midterms. So, the president is backpedaling, but America is seeing it for what it is.

WHITFIELD: How about now in the Portland, Maine, area. An ICE shooting involving Joan Sebastian Guerrero. Killed also by an ICE agent during a traffic stop there earlier in the week. His partner, Karolina Rojas, spoke yesterday talking about how, you know, he was one who would dream big and what a great father he was to their three year old.

Listen to more of her very impassioned plea, and that her child has been asking for papa.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINA ROJAS, PARTNER OF JOAN SEBASTIAN GUERRERO: That Monday afternoon was supposed to be her day with papa, but he never came home. And now my daughter asks for papa, and I don't have the strength to tell her that papa isn't coming.

I love you, my love. You will always be the love of my life until my heart stops beating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, now these two cases, I mean, so many --

ESPAILLAT: Heartbreaking.

WHITFIELD: Heartbreaking. And, you know, these similarities leaving families just simply crushed. [09:35:01]

What does this, I guess, help you zero in on as it pertains to local investigators talk about obstacles that they have had in trying to get to all of, you know, trying to collect evidence similar to how in Minneapolis it was difficult for local authorities to work with federal authorities. What does this tell you about what can be shaped about this working cooperations between these entities, especially in cases like this?

ESPAILLAT: We got to push right through these obstacles right away. That's why we're going to Houston this coming Friday to hold this hearing and hear from witnesses and hear evidence and get to the bottom of this. We will have to go to Maine as well. And we will go wherever we need to go.

This is heartbreaking. This guy, Joan Guerrero, was here on a -- had a work permit. He was going to work. His little girl in her pajamas saw him get killed. Heartbreak. This is not America. And so, we got to break through the efforts to try to block the authorities, government, from getting to the bottom of this, that start even right after the killing.

WHITFIELD: Who do you hope will be at the field hearing that you're planning for the Houston area?

ESPAILLAT: Well, his son will be there. Family will be there. We asked Secretary Mullins to be there. He should be there. It should lead to some level of transparency so that we can get to the bottom of this.

WHITFIELD: Congressman Espaillat --

ESPAILLAT: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Good to see you. Thank you so much.

ESPAILLAT: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.

All right, the clock is ticking down to the final game of the World Cup. And Americans are showing their love for this sport.

And treasure hunters off the coast of Florida made an amazing discovery while exploring a 400 year old shipwreck. We'll talk to the captain of the crew that pulled treasure from the ocean floor.

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[09:41:21]

BOLDUAN: As the World Cup's -- World Cup begins winding down, a lot of Americans are asking themselves the same exact question, when did I become a soccer fan? What started as another sporting event to watch has now turned into a full-blown obsession for some who will -- who also, like me, still have never, ever understood what offsides means. CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is here.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: I still don't. All I know is I got soccer fever, baby. Soccer fever.

BOLDUAN: I -- oh, really? I can't tell.

ENTEN: Who knew? Who knew?

BOLDUAN: Yes.

ENTEN: We go a little --

BOLDUAN: Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope, nope, nope.

ENTEN: I'm more of a handball type of guy. There we go.

BOLDUAN: I don't even know what to do.

Harry --

ENTEN: Hi, Kate.

BOLDUAN: How do we gauge the interest and obsession level of Americans in soccer this World Cup?

ENTEN: Well, as your soccer guide, I will tell you that Google searches up like a rocket. I mean, my goodness gracious. All-time high for Google searches here in the United States of America, up 318 percent versus a year ago. I'm in this getup for the beautiful game because the bottom line is, Americans now believe we are joining the rest of the world. We do believe it is the beautiful game.

BOLDUAN: What about the TV ratings, Harry?

ENTEN: Yes, OK, so you see these Google searches, right? You say, OK, what about the hard numbers? Not just the interest in it, but actually watching the sport, right? What are we talking about? Well, you know, when the U.S.-Belgium World Cup, U.S. viewership, you know, earlier this year, 50 million people across Fox and Telemundo watched it. That made it the most viewed sports event of any non-NFL game since the 1994 Winter Olympics. My goodness gracious. Of course, that was Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

ENTEN: So, we're just talking about absolutely amazing stuff when it comes to the viewership and the interest levels as well in soccer.

BOLDUAN: I mean this is a big number.

ENTEN: It's a huge number.

BOLDUAN: OK, so, you still also are going to have to watch it on TV because how hard is it to get a seat? ENTEN: It's basically impossible to get a seat. You're going to have

to shove out some real Do Re Mi. You're going to be dressed like me on the couch, because take a look here, the chance that the get-in price for the World Cup final is over $6,000 at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Get this, an 80 percent chance according to the Kalshi prediction markets. A soccer ball like this and a get up like this is probably the closest that anyone will actually be able to come to, you know, experiencing the World Cup in person.

BOLDUAN: Please put $6,000 in perspective for us.

ENTEN: Yes, I'll put $6,000 in perspective for you. $6,000 is the mount of costs, the damage I'll do if I kick the soccer ball too hard.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

ENTEN: But beyond that, the last minute ticket cost for the 2026 Super Bowl was about $3,000. How about the median Eras' Tour, the get-in price? We're talking about $958 back in 2023. If you're more expensive than seeing Taylor Swift, you know you're quite popular. It's a beautiful game, but it's an expensive one as well. Unless, of course, you're just playing it --

BOLDUAN: Nope.

ENTEN: In the studio.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And I did -- yes, I did tell him everyone that his -- the shin guards do go underneath the socks. But regardless, thank you, Harry.

ENTEN: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: A lot of news. We'll be right back.

Harry, we're spinning, not walking towards.

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[09:48:53]

WHITFIELD: All right, this morning, a terrifying landslide in southwest China caught on camera. Dash cam video shows part of a hillside suddenly giving way, sending dirt, rocks and debris crashing down onto homes and businesses below. And you can see drivers stopping as the hillside collapses. In another video, you can see people fleeing in terror. Authorities say an unknown number of people may be buried in that debris. Rescue crews are searching right now. They reportedly have pulled out ten survivors.

And in Washington state, police rescued an elderly woman who got stuck in a hot Tesla. The woman said her granddaughter left the car in pet safe mode, which is supposed to leave the air conditioning running. However, KOMO reports something went wrong and the air conditioner was not running, leaving the woman trapped in 100 degree temperatures for nearly an hour. Police were able to locate the granddaughter who unlocked the doors and were able to get her grandmother out safely.

And an unusual rescue during the storms in Texas. Two paddle boarders saved a raccoon struggling in the waters of Lady Bird Lake in Austin.

[09:50:07]

They scooped up the little guy, as you see right there, put him on the board. Look how cooperative he is. And then they headed to shore. The raccoon even kind of snuggling up there to one of the rescuers. But once they got to shore, it took off and it didn't look back. That's a lucky racoon.

BOLDUAN: He's like, I'll snuggle up to anybody if you get me out of here.

WHITFIELD: Right.

BOLDUAN: And then I'll see you later. I think they were probably like, that's fine.

WHITFIELD: Yes, that's good. Yes.

BOLDUAN: You can go on your way. You can go on your way now, sir.

WHITFIELD: Don't need a raccoon bit (ph).

BOLDUAN: Let's move to this right now, to an amazing discovery off the Florida Keys. This week, a group of treasure hunters on a dive expedition recovered a rare, very valuable 22 pound silver bar from a centuries old Spanish ship that sank during a hurricane back in 1622. That bar alone, you see it right there, is worth nearly $100,000.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

BOLDUAN: The discoveries didn't stop there. Just days after recovering the silver bar, divers also found three silver coins in a single day. That ship that I was mentioning, it was loaded, apparently, with literally tons of treasure way back when, silver, gold and pounds of emeralds. So, maybe this is just -- maybe now they're just getting to the good stuff.

Joining us right now is Captain Drake Nicholas, who was part of the team to make this big find. He's also the captain for Mel Fisher's Shipwreck Expeditions.

It is great to speak with you. I don't know if I've ever really been able to speak with the treasure hunter. This is kind of a great moment for me. Thank you, sir.

Let's get to the how'd you do it in a second. But first, just your reaction after -- you found so many things, but what you thought when you pulled this one up to the surface.

DRAKE NICHOLAS, CAPTAIN FOR MEL FISHER'S SHIPWRECK EXPEDITIONS: I really didn't know what to think. I mean, I -- as I was uncovering it, I really didn't believe it at the time. But the more I got it uncovered and the first time I touched it and pulled it out of the mud, I knew what it was and was -- I couldn't -- I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to think. It was amazing.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Captain, this is Fredricka. I'm alongside Kate here. We're looking at the video, seeing your big smile as you pull that thing up. I mean, but really it doesn't look like it's a silver bar. But you all are treasure hunters. And when you did spot it, did you say to yourself, oh, this really is something? Look, I'm a scuba diver, so I feel like we all are hoping to find something when we go to a wreck dive. But this is your kind of pursuit as a treasure hunter. When you saw this thing, did you say to yourself, that's a silver bar or, well, let's bring it up to the surface and maybe it will be something?

NICHOLAS: Yes. You know, it obviously has 400 years of encrustation on it. But as I was uncovering it, there is a mark still visible. It's the assayers (ph) scoop or assay (ph) scoop. And that's the little divot right in the center of the bar. And as soon as I saw that, I kind of, you know, I recognized that and pulled it out of the mud and how heavy it was. And I kind of knew right then that that's what it was. I mean, as I was digging it up, I definitely had my doubts. But I pulled it up. And once I felt how heavy it was, it all clicked.

WHITFIELD: It was the real deal.

BOLDUAN: I was reading something about you -- you used some kind of an air lift to kind of get to it. What's the process here? I mean, the ship had been located obviously by the group back in the '80s, but what, how, what, how -- give me the how to. How did you pull it up?

NICHOLAS: So, the airlift, the easiest way to describe that is more so an underwater vacuum. We kind of searched an area 30 foot at a time and I got -- we go down with metal detectors. I got a decent hit. It was kind of a small hit, which either means it's very shallow in the mud or it's very deep. And as I was digging it out, it was -- it was a very deep hit. And then, yes, I go down with the airlift, excavate with the airlift, gently suck up mud, make sure not to damage any artifacts, and slowly expose the bar. And one of the first things I saw was the -- that assayers scoop. So, that was -- that was a key detail for me to recognize it was silver.

WHITFIELD: So now what? Do you -- do you cash this in for that $100,000? Do you keep this? Is it finders keeper? I mean, what's the process now?

NICHOLAS: It's in our lab being preserved and conserved at the moment. We have a big group of investors that kind of back our whole operation here and, you know, it goes to all that and just keeping the operation running, keeping the dream alive. There is so much more left to be found out there that --

WHITFIELD: Oh, my God.

NICHOLAS: You know, we're just excited. This is kind of a -- just one discovery leading to another I feel. And we're -- I'm excited to see where this leads. WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. Well, later you can share some of those

coordinates and maybe I will, you know, accompany the next dive to see if I can help look.

[09:55:01]

BOLDUAN: Yes, see -- I'll come if we're going -- I'll come if we get emeralds, OK? That's the --

WHITFIELD: Yes.

BOLDUAN: I'm just kidding.

WHITFIELD: Yes, that's nice.

BOLDUAN: Captain, it's great to meet you. Congratulations on such an amazing -- just an amazing moment and find. And you guys have so much more -- so much more to -- so much more to do.

WHITFIELD: That's right.

BOLDUAN: Thank you so much for coming in. Really appreciate it.

I love that he comes -- talks about keeping the dream alive. It's like a very cool, very, very cool job that man has.

WHITFIELD: Yes, keep it going. Oh, yes. Very, very aspirational and inspirational.

BOLDUAN: Uh-huh.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much for hanging out with you.

BOLDUAN: It's great to see you. Thank you so -- thank you for being here. I really appreciate it.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Thank you all so much for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "THE SITUATION ROOM" is up next.

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[10:00:07]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, President Trump's election claims.