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Nolan Wells Press Conference; Independent Autopsy Released Today for Nolan Wells; Jon Ossoff's Poll Numbers; OpenAI says Model Went Rogue. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired July 22, 2026 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now, recently, CNN's own investigative correspondent, Katie Polglase, had a chance to interview Daniel Siad, and she pressed him about the fact that he continued his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein even after Epstein's 2008 sex crime conviction.

This is what he had to say.

Oh, apologies. I thought we could bring you an idea of what he'd had to say, but he had been -- let's have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL SIAD: My work with him has been strictly professional. I never doubt that -- because I never heard anything from anyone I introduced him who come back to me that he -- they had a bad -- a bad situation with him.

I didn't know a lot about him until when he comes to Paris, and I told you again, he said he passed he to -- to the government. So, for me, he is free man. He's clean. He was such a powerful person. And how can I not trust him?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: Now, Daniel Siad, as you hear there, who continue -- this is just a few weeks ago -- to protest his innocence. We've been hearing from his lawyer this morning as well who says he was under a great deal of pressure. Still, because he believed he was innocent, he'd spoken to the media. He was also, I think it's important to note, the subject of a criminal probe here in Paris, part of wider probes that are looking into the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and the modeling world. So, that will have added to the pressure under which he was that his lawyer alluded to.

But for the time being, we know nothing about the circumstances of his death, simply that this is the latest macabre twist in the Epstein affair. This time on this side of the Atlantic, Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

Melissa, thank you so much for giving us an update on that. Clearly much more to come. Really appreciate it.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thank you so much, Kate.

Happening right now, new developments and calls for accountability in the investigation into the alleged drowning death of Nolan Wells. Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump is holding a press conference as we speak. He says he's going to reveal the preliminary results from an independent autopsy ordered by the Wells family to determine whether the 18 year old suffered injuries beyond drowning.

Let's listen in to this now.

BENJAMIN CRUMP, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY REPRESENTING WELLS FAMILY: Attorney Lisa Park (ph), attorney -- who you're going to hear from in a few minutes, attorney Eric Hurts (ph), attorney Gary Bukin (ph), attorney Camilla Moore (ph), Cliff Jones (ph), Jared Preston (ph), Allen Williams (ph), our whole team of people who are committed, as I said, President Johnson, on this ferocious search for the truth of what really happened to Nolan Wells.

But before we begin to discuss the intricacies of the preliminary findings of the independent autopsy, we think it would be appropriate for you all to hear from the people who knew Nolan Wells best, so they can thank you themselves and tell you about the trials and tribulations that they have been enduring since July 4th. July 4th will never be the same for them. I bring to the podium --

SIDNER: Our Ryan Young has been following this story from basically the beginning when this death happened and there seemed to be -- there was certainly suspicion about his death, about Nolan's death.

And you've been watching all of this and talking to your sources.

What are you expecting to hear here? And what have you been hearing and seeing as you've been watching this?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first things first, your heart just breaks for this family and what they're going through. Getting a chance to be there for the funeral and getting a chance to talk to his parents, you understand the tremendous loss they're dealing with. I asked his dad just what he felt with all the people who've shown up to support them, and he was basically saying, it looks like they did a pretty good job raising a really strong young man. And that really stood out to me. All his coaches talking about how just of a great teammate he was and how he wanted to help out in the community. And there are other things planned in the community for him in the coming days.

We believe that this preliminary autopsy will have some findings that, as I've been told, may shock some people. That is how it's been characterized to me at some point. But look, we've been given no information about this and there is nothing to compare it to. So, we have to be careful about how we move forward because what part of the report are we going to get? [09:35:02]

We know the state report has not come out just yet. We've been asking the authorities there to do a news conference to set a timeline so we can dispel some of these internet rumors as well.

SIDNER: Yes.

YOUNG: And we are fully aware of what some people are alleging online, but all that has to be figured out in terms of exactly what investigators know.

So, this is really going to be our first glimpse to figure out exactly what they believe from their independent autopsy that was paid for by Colin Kaepernick, what may have happened here. And so this will be a first sort of insight in terms of where this investigation may be ongoing.

We also don't know whether or not the cell phone records have been pulled together with not only the authorities, but with Nolan Wells' family as they do this investigation to see if there were any text messages deleted or any kind of data deleted from his phone. And we know his friends have sort of been speaking out through some independent media, have also talked to some other media outlets about what they said happened on that day. But what do investigators know about the timeline and where this young man may have ended up after he separated from his friends?

Let's not forget, it's been 18 full days since this all happened and still just not a lot of answers so far.

SIDNER: Look, we know, in cases across the country, that getting forensics back takes time. It's been a big frustration of victims and of families wondering what the truth is, which the forensics sometimes tells you. But in that gap, as you said, there is a lot of speculation about what happened to this lovely young man. And his parents, of course, are distraught and want to understand what the hell happened to him, as do his close friends. And so we're all sort of in a position to wait for that.

I do want to dip in, just once again, to this press conference as we wait to hear what the independent autopsy that was done on behalf of the family says. Let's listen in to what's being said at this moment.

ELMORE WONSLEY, FATHER OF NOLAN WELLS: Nolan brought a lot of joy to our family. He was the most -- he was the wittiest one out of everyone. The clown. He loved to put in the work because he wanted to be the best. He wanted to make me and his mother proud. And we were so proud of him just for being the person that he was.

He was loving. All his teachers knew him, but loved him. He walks in the room, his aura, you were automatically drawn to it. Never met an enemy. And if they were, they would eventually be friends because they would eventually bond. And it's going to be hard.

He should be at football practice right now. Calling me after practice. Dad, I made this play or I made that play or I get a text with three or four videos of him doing these -- making -- running this route, making this block. And what you think, what you think I should do. And I would give him my honest, because I always tell him, if anyone is going to be totally honest with you, it's going to be me. And it's not because I'm being mean, but people outside of your family are going to tell you what you want to hear. I'm going to tell you what you need to know to make you better.

It's going to be hard for our family from here on out. And like I -- like I said, every day is a -- is a challenge. We're going to miss our son. And like my wife said, we just want honesty. We want to know what happened to our son because the things that you're telling us, that's not the character of our son.

We know our son. I understand, you know, our children would do things that, you know, that were kind of dumbfound sometime. But the things that we're being told, that wasn't Nolan.

So, please keep us in your prayers. Keep him in your prayers. And we're going to keep pushing and fighting until we find answers.

Thank you, guys, for your love and support.

SIDNER: That was Elmore Wonsley, the father of Nolan, and his mom behind him, sort of looking up to the sky.

And now this is Benjamin Crump. Once again, we are waiting for that result of the preliminary independent autopsy. And we may be hearing that in just a second here. Let's listen in.

CRUMP: Go over the preliminary findings from the independent autopsy. We will here from attorney Lisa Park to tell you about who was the forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy.

Attorney Lisa Park.

[09:40:07]

LISA PARK: Thank you.

Dr. Roger Mitchell could not join us today, but we felt it important, before we reveal and unfold this report, that you understand who conducted this autopsy.

Dr. Roger Mitchell is a physician and board certified forensic pathologist with two decades of experience. He currently serves as the president of the National Medical Association, which is the --

SIDNER: All right, so you're hearing there from attorney Lisa Park about the pathologist, the forensic pathologist, Dr. Roger Mitchell. They're giving all of the information on him, trying to put him in the light that this man is a professional and -- before they release the independent autopsy that was done on behalf of the family. This is, of course, not the official autopsy. And there will be one. But those results have not come out yet. We're going to keep following this for you. And as soon as we start

getting word, as they start reading out what is happening with that independent autopsy, we'll bring that to you live.

Our Ryan Young is also, of course, standing by for us, watching all of this for you so that we can bring it to you as soon as we can.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:46:06]

BERMAN: In the category of, it's never too early in Democratic presidential politics posturing for 2028, this has become something of the summer of Ossoff here. Ossoff's America. What am I talking about here? The Democratic senator from Georgia, Jon Ossoff, who's actually running for re-election for Senate. But that's not what people around the country are talking about.

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is here.

Why are you calling it Ossoff's America?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Why is this Ossoff's America? And that is because Jon Ossoff is hotlanta. That's what we're talking about when you're looking at the prediction market odds.

Take a look here. Chance to be the 2028 Democratic nominee. You know, back in January, January 1st, Gavin Newsom was the clear leader of the pack according to Kalshi, 35 percent chance. Jon Ossoff was down at five percent. AOC was down at 10 percent.

Look at where we are now. Gavin Newsom's numbers have absolutely tumbled in the Kalshi prediction markets. An 18 percent chance. Still maybe the nominal leader. But look who is up like a hotlanta rocket, up to a 16 percent chance to be the 2028 Democratic nominee. Jon Ossoff, the senator from the great state of Georgia. AOC, right behind him at 15 percent. But the real mover, at least in terms of looking forward at this very early look, is Jon Ossoff, tripling his chances from five percent -- actually more than tripling -- to up to 16 percent chance now.

BERMAN: And there are other metrics, too, right?

ENTEN: There are other metrics. I mean one of the reasons why that Jon Ossoff is climbing in the Kalshi prediction markets is there's a lot of interest in Jon Ossoff, not just in Georgia, but nationally.

What are we looking at here? Well, take a look here. Google searches for Jon Ossoff, up 300 percent versus last July. That perhaps isn't so surprising given, of course, he is running for re-election. But I will note, it's the most ever for him in a July. Most ever for him in July. So, it's not just interest within Georgia. It is interest in Jon Ossoff nationally. And that is one of the reasons why he is, of course, making a lot of news. And also one of the reasons why he's climbing those Kalshi prediction markets is because he's making a lot of news.

BERMAN: And I noted, he's running for re-election in Senate, and that re-election may be able to be something of a -- of a vaulting point for him.

ENTEN: Yes, catapult off that re-election. I mean, just take a look at historic Dem performances. Georgia Dems for Senate this century. Look at this. The biggest win was Raphael Warnock back in 2022. He won by -- that race by three points. Look at how much Jon Ossoff was ahead in a recent Fox News poll. He was up 13 points. You carry Georgia, you put that into an electoral map, that makes the map and the math much easier if you're a Democratic candidate running for United States Senate.

BERMAN: Yes.

ENTEN: You show you can win in a swing state. And then, of course, you give those spiels that have been going all over social media, which is one of the reasons why his Google searches are so high, and you say, hey, this is a coalition that might actually work.

BERMAN: And there are, what, 77 million other reasons why?

ENTEN: Yes, I would just say, look at this, $77 million. Top fundraiser for Senate this century. Money is what makes a presidential bid go. And he's shown an ability to raise a lot. The top fundraiser this cycle.

BERMAN: Harry Enten, thank you very much.

ENTEN: Thank you, my friend.

BERMAN: A lot of news this morning. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:53:36]

BOLDUAN: New this morning, an unprecedented cyber incident. That is what OpenAI is calling it after the company says two of its models escaped controls during testing and successfully hacked into another A.I. company. OpenAI said the incident involved state of the art cyber capabilities and that they are responding, quote/unquote, accordingly.

CNN's Hadas Gold is tracking this one.

There's a lot leaning on that accordingly, but what happened here?

HADAS GOLD, CNN BUSINESS A.I. CORRESPONDENT: This is a really big deal when it comes to A.I. agentic capabilities and cybersecurity. It's something that experts have been warning about for some time. And now we saw that it happened in real life.

An A.I. model, in testing, escaped its testing environment to -- in order to cheat on a cybersecurity test, infected another A.I. company, hacked into another A.I. company to get the answers to its test in order to win the test. It wasn't supposed to escape this environment, but it managed to go into the real world.

It sounds like the setting of an apocalyptic movie. It is like an engineered virus escaping a biocontainment lab and infecting another facility when it wasn't supposed to be able to do that.

So, this is something that is really big in the cybersecurity world, and something that a lot of people have said is going to happen. And now it has happened in real life.

And it has a lot of real world potential, things that can happen as a result of this. Think about if you're testing an A.I. model and you're trying to test its capabilities at hiking -- hacking into a banking system, and then it managed to go hack into a real-world banking system.

[09:55:02]

So, what happens is that OpenAI said they were testing these environments, testing how good they are at hacking other systems. They removed some of the safety guardrails, but they put it in a sandbox, which is supposed to be a contained environment. But the system managed to hack OpenAI's own internal systems, get access to the internet, figure out that this other A.I. company, Hugging Face, likely had the answer to the security test, managed to hack into Hugging Face in order to get the answer to its test, and that's when Hugging Face actually noticed that somebody was hacking its system and said, hey, what is going on here? They actually informed law enforcement of what was going on before they realized that it was actually OpenAI was behind this. OpenAI and Hugging Face are now working together to try and fix the security flaws.

But this is what people are saying is the next level of cyber agentic hacking. So, keep an eye on what's happening here.

BOLDUAN: I would say so. I mean, it also -- just the respond accordingly is just really sticking with me because we -- I mean, it's like, we're just along for this ride and we'll figure it out when it hacks into all of our lives.

It's good to see you, Hadas. Thank you for laying that out. I really appreciate it.

BERMAN: Yes, have a really nice day, everyone, on that note.

BOLDUAN: And on that note.

SIDNER: On that (INAUDIBLE) ending --

BOLDUAN: Go get 'em, Tigers.

SIDNER: Enjoy your day. And also watch "SITUATION ROOM," because it's next.

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