Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Trump in Michigan Ahead of Key Battleground Primaries; Officials Give Update After Deadly Shooting at Seattle Food Festival; Pentagon Revises Casualty List. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired July 27, 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]

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: -- brain is still development -- his personality is still developing. And that he believes he can be changed with time and the right medication.

Obviously, this is going to be up to the judge to decide whether he will be eligible for parole. Boris?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Isabel Rosales, live for us in Georgia. Thank you.

A new hour of "CNN News Central" starts right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Pit stop in Michigan with less than 100 days until the midterm election. President Trump heads to the Motor City where he's expected to tout his economic policies, including his latest round of tariffs. And a health update on Senator Mitch McConnell. His office releasing a new photo along with word that he'll miss one of Kentucky's biggest political events.

And then later, wearable devices are going A.I. Major tech companies and startups are developing new gadgets that give A.I. assistants instant access to our lives in public. The question is, are we all ready for that? We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to "CNN News Central."

We're standing by to hear from President Trump in Michigan as the battleground state prepares to hold its primaries. The midterm blitz now in full swing with less than a hundred days to go and in Michigan, a key Senate seat is up for grabs. Minutes from now, the president is expected to give a speech about the economy, something that voters really care a lot about.

And CNN's Steve Contorno is in Michigan ahead of the president's speech. So Steve, we just heard the president gaggling on Air Force One on the way there, giving us perhaps a little bit of a preview. He said that car companies are doing better than they've ever done. That's actually not true.

He promised this big boom the last time he was there several months ago and there's been a modest uptick in employment in the auto industry, but it's largely due to parts makers and suppliers and automakers have taken a bit of a hit instead. How's he going to sell that?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well that's a great question, Brianna, because so far voters are not buying Trump's attempts to sell his economy. Take a look at his approval ratings. This according to Pew, almost two-thirds of voters disapprove of his job performance. And when you ask voters, what is their top issue going into this election? What do you want to hear candidates talk about more?

29 percent say the economy and that is certainly one of the challenges Donald Trump faces as he comes here today. Donald Trump made so many overtures over the years to the autoworkers here and the industries that rely on car manufacturers when you go back through the 2024 presidential election. I can't count the number of times I was in this part of the States where Donald Trump was trying to win over autoworkers.

These are the same kind of voters now that Republicans are fearing they may not be able to hold on to in these midterms because of these tariffs, because of these high anxiety around gas prices. I actually just spoke with Mike Rogers, who is Republican running for Senate here, and he acknowledged that high gas prices are going to be a challenge for the president and for their party trying to sell this economy and they are hopeful that that will change as this war with Iran comes to a close, if it does come to a close at all.

And this particularly acute pain here in the Detroit area, take a look at the unemployment rates across the country. It's higher in Michigan than the rest of the country. In fact it's ranked 44th overall at 5.0 percent unemployment but it's even higher in the Detroit area and that is up from a year ago, so that is what the president is facing. That is what he is going to be speaking to when he takes the stage in just a few moments, Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, Steve. We will certainly be watching for that. Thank you. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Let's discuss with Democratic Congresswoman, Debbie Dingell of Michigan. Congresswoman, thank you so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us. As President Trump is trying to reassure voters in your home state about the economy, there's some recent polling from Pew that shows that neither party has a clear advantage on what many say is their most important issue.

Democrats just hold a one-point lead to Republicans. Given the rising cost of gas, low approval numbers for the president as well, why do you think that number isn't higher given the state of politics right now?

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL, (D-MI): Look, I've always said that we are not going to beat President Trump or win this fall by being anti-Trump. We've got to show American people how we are fighting for an affordable America.

Now, here is a reality that when you go in and you talk to voters, they know -- I mean they're hurting. I go to the grocery -- Kroger every Sunday morning, people know I'm going to be there. They show me what's happening with their food costs. They talk about what's happening with gasoline. A lot of people have to commute to work from around here. It's costing them a lot of money.

[14:05:00]

So I think that we have far more credibility right now about recognizing that people are hurting because what the president does -- doesn't show any. Then he just went, you know, we're opening the Gordie Howe bridge today, which connects us with Canada, very important economic partnership.

And he increased the tariffs again by 50 percent on things like hockey sticks when the Gordie Howe Bridge were opening. Tariffs are increasing costs for people in this country, for working people. And I do believe that they are seeing that and they want to know what we're going to do to fix it.

SANCHEZ: Republicans are trying to frame the midterms as a choice between what they describe as common sense versus crazy in reference to the rise of what we've discussed before, Democratic socialist candidates across the country and parts of their platform. The co- chair of the Democratic Socialists of America was asked about some tenets of their platform yesterday. Let's play that soundbite, listen to what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHANNON BREAM, CHIEF LEGAL CORRESPONDENT, FOX NEWS: OK, so we're going to put up on the screen a few of the things that are part of your platform. And I want to ask you just give me sort of a true or false on these.

Abolish the Senate.

MEGAN ROMER, CO-CHAIR, DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA: True.

BREAM: OK, replace the presidency and Supreme Court as we now know them.

ROMER: Yep.

BREAM: Abolish ICE.

ROMER: Absolutely.

BREAM: Abolish borders and give amnesty to anyone currently in the U.S. illegally.

ROMER: As a long-term plan. Yep.

BREAM: Defund the Pentagon.

ROMER: Absolutely.

BREAM: Abolish prisons, at least in large part.

ROMER: Yeah, again, as part of a long-term program. Yeah.

BREAM: OK, so no prisons. Government or public ownership of most large corporations.

ROMER: Yeah, absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Do you think these goals pull from the focus that you are trying to put out there, your message on affordability?

DINGELL: So I'm going to say this to you point blank. I hate labels. I don't happen to agree with a lot of what was just said, but I also don't think that a lot of my Democratic colleagues that I've worked with agree with those at all either.

Look, I hate labels. I'll give you an example. I am somebody who believes that if you're sick in this country, you should be able to go to the doctor when you need to go to the doctor and afford the medicine you need.

I am one of the leaders. My husband was a Medicare for all. I believe that when you're sick, I don't think that's like that's just common sense. We got to figure out a health care system that is totally broken, that's affordable for every American. So I think we got to -- when you talk about common sense, what you just were listening to are examples of trying to terrify people of what might happen. We've got to make sure that we are keeping people safe.

We got to protect our borders, but nobody can approve of ICE shooting and killing people either. So there is -- there are a lot of things that we need to do and we need to show the American people what we are going to do to make life more affordable for them. And we're going to start by lowering the cost of groceries, gas and housing.

SANCHEZ: Yet, Congresswoman, there are candidates within your own party, more progressive candidates that see some Democrats as not progressive enough, and they're eager to target them. I'll give you an example. Democratic Senate candidate, Abdul El-Sayed told donors on a call obtained by Politico, that if he wins in next week's primary, he would use it to, quote, "Put one ogre on a pike," to send a message to the rest of your party.

Now, his spokesperson said that, in part, he was speaking metaphorically about the fact that he fully intends to support a primary against John Fetterman. But I wonder what that means for Democrats who are, in his view, not progressive enough.

DINGELL: Look, Abdul is one of the candidates in Michigan. I have had many intense discussions with him. You know, that's the thing about democracy. Democracy brings people with many different perspectives to a table and you try to find that common ground.

We'll see what happens when he wins next or loses next week. I'm not -- I think Michigan is like one of the most competitive seats and I will not make a prediction about who's going to win because this is a very competitive seat. But when he gets there, he will be a voice and we're going to all have to work together.

He and I agree that everybody should have access to health care in this country and I will work with him on that and there'll be issues I disagree with him. I brought people together. He came, I had a sit-in in my office because I didn't sign on to the Green New Deal because labor and environmentalists weren't working together.

[14:10:00]

I brought them together. Abdul came to my office and participated in the sit-in and brought them food. But yet, I'm somebody who actually brought people together. So you know what? People can disagree. Abdul and I are friends. I talk to him. I talk to him very bluntly, for the record.

SANCHEZ: And before we go, Congresswoman, one last question. El-Sayed is framing his race as David versus Goliath, referencing $30 million in spending from AIPAC-aligned groups, the kind of donations that many progressives and opponents of U.S.-Israel policy view as disqualifying.

You've received contributions from AIPAC and AIPAC-aligned groups. What do you say to voters who view --

DINGELL: No, I have not gotten AIPAC contributions. I have not.

SANCHEZ: AIPAC-aligned groups?

DINGELL: I have gotten J Street. I don't think of J Street as AIPAC- aligned, but I do never have gotten. They don't love me. I lived in Dearborn for 30 years. So let's just be -- you know, everybody throws this stuff around.

SANCHEZ: Well, I think it's fair to say that they're AIPAC-aligned or at least somewhat advancing Israel policy. And a lot of progressive voters feel that that kind of contribution is a political liability. I'm curious to get your perspective on what you would say to those voters.

DINGELL: Well, for a start, Boris, I want you to go in, because I got accused of taking AIPAC money, and I was stunned because of living in Dearborn. I've never been their favorite person. And then it turned out it was people affiliated with J Street, and it's very little money compared to what other people take. But I believe that democracy -- you know, everybody's got that opportunity for a voice.

If you're somebody like me, I've lived in the middle of these two communities my entire career, and long before. I believe Israel's got a right to exist. But what I am watching in Gaza, and even worse, what I'm watching in South Lebanon right now, when they are destroying the homeland and the city that so many friends and neighbors I've known for 30 years -- they've just destroyed Ben Jamal.

And today, I'm getting phone calls that there are bulldozers there. They're going to dig up his cemetery. I'm going to talk about the issues. And that's what I think Abdul is trying to do. I think Haley is got perspectives that I agree or disagree with her on. I think we've got to find a way.

The division right now in this country is scaring me. I want peace in the Mideast. And I am always going to listen to both sides. I see both sides. I'm very angry by what I'm seeing in Lebanon right now. I do not believe we should be supporting Netanyahu at all anymore by what we've seen. But that doesn't mean that Israel doesn't have a right to exist.

SANCHEZ: Finally, Congresswoman, I wanted to take a moment to recognize that your family suffered a difficult loss recently, your great-granddaughter. So --

DINGELL: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: I just wanted to express my condolences. Our hearts are with you and your family. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, thank you so much for being with us.

DINGELL: Thanks.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

And still to come this afternoon, a new health update for Senator Mitch McConnell, what his office is saying now about the timeline for going back to Washington. Plus, the shocking shooting of a Super Bowl- winning coach's wife. Now his son is charged.

And later, we're tracking the coastal storm that could set off dangerous flash flooding from New York to Boston. That and much more coming your way next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:18:02]

SANCHEZ: Let's go straight to Seattle now, where officials are giving an update on that deadly shooting at a food festival. This is Fire Chief H.D. Scoggins.

CHIEF HAROLD D. SCOGGINS, SEATTLE FIRE DEPARTMENT: -- by paramedics to Harborview and has since been discharged. And last night, a 27- year-old male reported to UW Medical Center, Montlake, in satisfactory condition with a gunshot wound that has since been discharged. And that's possibly the eighth patient, but SPD has to follow up and interview this individual. Now I'll pass it to Chief Barnes.

CHIEF SEAN F. BARNES, SEATTLE FIRE DEPARTMENT: Certainly last night was a tragedy. It's becoming all too familiar in this community and many communities as well. Any loss of life due to gun violence is unacceptable, as is the terror it causes our community.

Our department has been taking a lot of steps to address gun violence this year. And those steps will be increased following this tragic incident last night at Seattle Center, an incident in which three people suffered fatal injuries. Our hearts as a department, as a city, as a county, as a state, goes out to those victims and all who were affected by this tragedy. Officers were assigned to work the Bite of Seattle event. The staffing was adequate. The placement was good. That's one of the first things that I checked on when I got the first call around 6:30. And because of such, we believe that additional loss or injury of life occurred.

Our officers, as well as members from the fire department, medic team, ran toward gunfire in an attempt to render life-saving aid and to disarm someone who was actively firing a weapon into a crowd.

[14:20:00]

We believe that the bullets that were fired were from two individuals who appeared to be firing at one another, and as the mayor stated, a 15-year-old suspect was taken into custody. We have a full complement of police officers working on this case, as well as professional staff.

They worked till about 4 a.m. They're at home now getting some rest. They've been replaced by officers who are working now, professional staff who are working now. We had our regularly scheduled 10 a.m. gun call, which is a gun screening where we analyze every case of gun violence that occur in our city twice a week.

We did that today in an attempt to bring everyone up to speed and so that everyone can participate in this particular case. We will leave no stone unturned to bring those, all of those -- excuse me, all of those who may be involved to justice.

In Seattle, the problem of gun violence is worsened by small groups. We have small groups that appear to be at odds with each other, and in our city, 0.01 percent of the population is connected to 52 percent of our shootings, most of which are young people, which is why our department partners with community members, with our mayor's office, with our prosecutors, and our federal partners, some of which are here today, to find the underlining causes of this.

With us today is Bishop Witherspoon. He meets with me and a group of pastors almost monthly to talk about how we can help and come together as a community to not only end gun violence, but to wrap our arms around kids that may be on the brink. This is very important work, I believe. This is the work that I got into policing to do.

The department alone cannot fix the issue of gun violence. We need the entire system, the entire community to come together to address this now. There is more work to be done, but I believe that we can do it if we do it together. Again, my heart goes out to everyone who was there, everyone who witnessed the gun violence.

I want to thank all of our partners who were on the scene as well as our officers and professional staff, but more importantly, if you were there or you saw something or you witnessed something or recorded something, I want to give our Violent Crimes Tip Line, which is 206- 233-5000, or you can simply call 911 with your information so we can screen that with an investigator. Thank you. SANCHEZ: We've been listening to Chief Sean F. Barnes of the Seattle Police Department there asking the public for help in locating a second suspect after three people were killed and several others, including a toddler, were wounded in a shooting Sunday night at a popular food festival in downtown Seattle.

Officials believe that two people had been shooting at each other, one of them apparently apprehended, the other still on the loose.

KEILAR: Yeah, the suspect who was apprehended just 15-years-old is there looking for videos and witnesses and any information that the public can supply to them. Let's talk now with Michael Alcazar, retired New York PD Detective.

Michael, what are your big takeaways from this press conference, this picture being painted of two people shooting at each other and in the course of that killing three people there at that event?

MICHAEL ALCAZAR, RETIRED NYPD DETECTIVE: Unfortunately, the impression I got was this is reactive. Police departments have to be more proactive. Unfortunately, with the lack of police officers where most police departments are being depleted, the investigative section, the investigative units are not being able to do their job. So we're relegated, police officers are relegated to patrol like what happened here. So they're reacting. We need, like the chief said, we need a partnership with the community. We need our investigative units to investigate cases like this before it happens.

SANCHEZ: Michael, should we read anything into the plea for help from the police chief? Does that tell you anything about where the investigation and the search for the second shooter stands?

ALCAZAR: Well, it's a good thing that they already have the first perpetrator. I'm hoping when they go through his perp history, his criminal history, his previous arrests, his previous complaints, maybe his disputes in the past and him cooperating, he'll be able to identify the person he had this rival shooting with.

It's not uncommon for the chief to ask for information from the public. They're setting up like a tip line. Usually it's a crime stoppers tip line. So I'm sure they're being flooded right now with phone calls hoping to identify this perpetrator. So it's not troubling. It's normal.

Again, it's a partnership. They want the public. There's information out there and they want that information.

[14:25:00]

KEILAR: Michael, what do you think about where this happened? I mean, if anyone has visited Seattle, they've probably gone to the Space Needle either to go see it or to go up in it. They've probably been to this area. This draws huge crowds, lots of tourists. What do you make of it happening there?

ALCAZAR: Yeah, unfortunately, it's a highly populated area. Active shooters, you know, usually happen in crowded areas. Everybody's out and that was a beautiful day. The chief said they had enough police presence, but they probably should have had bag checks, some kind of screening.

I don't believe he said that. Additionally, they should have had like blocker vehicles, right? This could have been worse. It's already tragic, could have been a lot worse. So, yeah, I think omnipresence is key. More investigative steps would have been more prudent.

KEILAR: All right, Michael Alcazar, thank you so much for your analysis there.

Still to come, after facing backlash, again, the Pentagon is revising its list of U.S. casualties from the war with Iran. What we're learning about the changes that they're making. We'll have that and much more coming up on "CNN News Central."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)