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Blanche Formally Rescinds Trump's Anti-Weaponization Fund; Three Fires in Washington State Scorch 7,000-Plus Acres, Destroy 700- Plus Homes; Soon, Trial of Mother Accused of Killing Her Three Kids Resumes. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired August 03, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

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SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: The breaking news this morning, officials are calling it the largest natural disaster in the history of Spokane, Washington. Fires torching more than 700 homes, forcing 65,000 families to evacuate, and no end in sight.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: He is putting it in writing. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche late last night put out a memo formally rescinding the so-called anti-weaponization fund, a key demand by the Republican senators withholding their support for his nomination. Is this enough?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, a car stolen with a two-year-old inside. The moments officers chased down the car and confronted the suspect.

I'm John Berman with Kate Bolduan and Sara Sidner. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: All right, let's get to that breaking news overnight. The roadblock holding up Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche from permanently taking over the role may now be no longer. Blanche essentially did what two Republicans have been demanding for weeks, which is put it in writing that President Trump's so-called anti- weaponization fund is formally ended and fully dead. Blanche released a one-page memo stating that he is formally rescinding it.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have criticized the $1.8 billion fund, calling it a slush fund that could've been used to payout January 6th defendants. Thom Tillis just this weekend called it a payout pot for punks. And fellow Republican John Cornyn -- he and fellow Republican John Cornyn were the key senators to withhold their support over this issue, and holding up the nomination entirely.

So, now, the key Senate committee that must approve Blanche's nomination to get it to move forward, that committee's expected to meet tomorrow.

CNN's Alayna Treene is live at the White House this morning with much more. The question remains, this saga's had so many twists and turns, it's hard to say a done deal is a done deal until it's actually done. Where do you -- what's your assessment? ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, I think there have been days, Kate, as you know, of frenzied negotiations over how to try and push through Blanche's nomination, and now the administration believes that they do have a deal to do that and to move forward. And you did see one of these key Republican senators who has been holding out on this, Senator John Cornyn, he even announced as well overnight that they have reached a deal.

So, we really do have to see whether or not this is enough, not only for the committee, but then, of course, if it gets through the Judiciary Committee, a key question as well will be, will all of the Senate Republicans who need to vote for this, will they move forward with this as well? Will this be enough?

Now, as you mentioned, late last night, Blanche, currently the acting attorney general, he issued a formal document stating that the order creating that controversial $1.8 billion weaponization fund is being formally rescinded. This is exactly what Tillis and Cornyn wanted.

He wrote specifically that my team and I have met with committee members and senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions, we've enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result, issue the following order and update with regard to the May IRS settlement. In these documents that are in that post that you see on your screen right now, they say that the weaponization fund is, quote, rescinded with no force or effect.

Now, again, getting into Cornyn and Tillis, I'd remind you that this wasn't something a lot of people in the White House believed would be a huge issue. Blanche had previously said that this order was essentially -- this $1.8 billion weaponization fund was not going to happen, that they were not going to move forward with it.

But these holdout senators, both people, of course, who Trump had previously essentially ousted out of the Senate come after these midterm elections, they had said they wanted this formally in writing. That is what this big document, this big news that Blanche posted last night really gets at, trying to get them over the line with this being a formal order now.

Now, I will say the move comes, of course, after we heard from the president over the weekend issuing threats that if Blanche was not pushed through, if his nomination was not confirmed, that he would consider reviving this $1.8 billion weaponization fund. I want you to listen to what he told reporters just yesterday as he was returning on Air Force One.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Look, we have a man named Todd Blanche.

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He's outstanding in every way. Most of you know who he is. You're not going to find a better person. And everybody -- and it's because I backed Cornyn's opponent, and his opponent won in a landslide. This is -- that's the only reason it's happening. A lot of people like it. If they don't approve Todd, I put it back on the table. A lot of people like it. A lot of big supporters of Trump like it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, those comments, Kate, really throwing some of a wrench in some of the messaging from the Trump administration, showing that the president clearly still believes in this fund, believing that there are people who deserve this money, including some of those who were at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021.

One other quick thing is that the document released Sunday by Blanche also shows that they are in a, having an addendum to the agreement that there's a tax part of this. You know, IRS saying that the IRS will not go over past taxes. He makes in writing clear that that agreement will only be retroactive, another thing Cornyn had really been pushing for. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Yes. Two aspects of this, which also there are still -- I have to say, there are two people that still need to be heard from, Donald Trump on this one, as well as Thom Tillis. So, let us see.

It's great to see you, Alayna. Thank you so much. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, Kate. More breaking news this morning, officials are calling it an unprecedented catastrophe. A wildfire disaster is unfolding as we speak in Washington State. Multiple major fires burning more than 7,000 acres, and it is 0 percent contained. Officials say the fast-moving flames have forced nearly 65,000 families to evacuate, and more than 700 homes have been burned to the ground.

Some of the images coming in to us are nothing short of apocalyptic. Take a look.

Those are just some of the images. We are also learning this morning that Fairchild Air Force Base has declared a limited evacuation order for personnel and families there threatened by the wildfires.

The Pacific Northwest is facing its worst fire season in more than 30 years. In all, some 15 major fires have burned more than 250,000 acres across Washington State.

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones is live on the scene this morning in Spokane. I notice you had this incredible video as you were even flying in, where you can see just how much smoke is coming off of this fire, and now we're starting to see the just so much devastation and destruction. What are you seeing, experiencing, and hearing there in Spokane?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was a blanket of smoke, Sara. I mean, that is a striking video. I was flying next to a pilot who was explaining to me how much that was affecting everything in this area. It just hasn't stopped.

We've seen devastation. We've seen block after block of houses just completely burned down. But right now, it's still the middle of the night. It's still so quiet here, and the sense of uncertainty over what comes next is what's just holding over in the air here.

We're outside of this Red Cross shelter where thousands, those 65,000 families have to find a place to stay, and some of them are spending the night here, and, again, dealing with that uncertainty of whether they even will have homes to get back to.

Yesterday, we saw an older gentleman walk up to us and say, this is -- this was my grandson's house where he lived with his pregnant wife and three children. How many of these same stories are in the -- the families that are staying in places like this behind me right now?

We did hear from the Washington National Guard urging these people to please be patient because recovery will take time, and they do have help from a dozen other states for heavy machinery and some aircraft and manpower to help fight these flames that are still at 0 percent containment. But it will take some time.

More than 10,000 people are still without power. That number was at about 30,000, now going down little by little. But the state of the roads here, the state of some of these neighborhoods, it's hard to imagine people coming back home or even wanting to rebuild in these same areas.

You know, we have heard from residents saying things like that, and we've heard that in other wildfires that have come into these urban areas before. The mayor of Spokane said something -- Spokane, I should say said something yesterday that really stuck with me, where she was saying, this is a time, if you haven't been affected, come to places like this, like the Red Cross shelters. Make sure that your neighbors are also taken care of, that they have their bare necessities. This is the time, Sara, where we also see the best in people come out.

SIDNER: Yes. It is also noted that this is 0 percent contained, still burning absolutely wildly and through so many areas of so many homes.

Julia Vargas Jones, I know you'll bring us the very latest as you get it. Thank you so much.

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John?

BERMAN: All right, new video from a mass shooting at an In-N-Out restaurant, how a bystander returned fire.

A CNN exclusive, the U.S. military crowdsourcing ideas for the Iran war, asking for, quote, creative ways to put pressure on Iran.

And a close call for one officer after a distracted driver slams into a car during a traffic stop.

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BERMAN: All right. This morning, new testimony in the trial of a mother accused of murdering her three children while her husband was running errands. Jurors visited defendant Lindsay Clancy's home where these killings took place. They also saw the yard where Clancy was found after jumping from a second-storey window.

CNN's Randi Kaye, who's been covering this case, is here with us now.

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So, the jury went to the home?

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is not very uncommon. I mean, I remember, you know, you probably remember as well that I covered the Alex Murdaugh trial for months in South Carolina, and the jury went to the dog kennels where his wife and son were killed.

So, this time they took what they call a field trip to the Duxbury, Massachusetts house in this case for the jury. They spent about 40 minutes there. They were instructed not to open any drawers, not to touch anything. The lawyers were with them, and they were able to point out things that they thought the jury should see.

They did also, John, go down into the basement. That is where the three children were found, the five-year-old, the three-year-old, and the eight-month-old. They were strangled in the basement with exercise bands. And they then retraced the steps of the husband, Patrick Clancy, because we know that she had sent him out to run these errands.

So, he went to CVS- To pick up pediatric medication, and then he also went to a restaurant to get some takeout. So, it was only about a 15- minute window that he was gone.

So, the prosecution says that this whole errand was a ruse to get him out of the house, but, of course, he says, he testified earlier last week, he said that he had left the house many times before. He had gone on trips with the guys, he had gone on work trips, and she never did anything like this.

BERMAN: So what's next this week?

KAYE: This is going to be a busy week ahead. The testimony should shift more from the emotional angle to the mental state and the criminal responsibility, because that's really the question.

Did she know what she was doing? Did she understand right from wrong? Is she criminally responsible? So they'll probably have very likely will have police investigators, mental health experts. They'll look at her behavior on that day. We know from the husband's testimony that she took pictures and was out there building a snowman with her children that day, and then sent pictures to her husband. So, what is it about her behavior that day that they might be able to dig into?

They'll also, of course, note that nobody is disputing the fact that she did kill the children, but, again, it will speak to the criminal responsibility? And did she know the right from wrong, and the defense will likely argue that she was in a state of mental decline, but the prosecution of course is going to argue that this was all premeditated.

BERMAN: Look, this has been so wrenching. I've heard from so many people how difficult this is to watch or read about.

KAYE: Absolutely.

BERMAN: It's in the Boston Globe every day. Oof.

All right, Randi Kaye, thank you very much.

KAYE: Sure.

BERMAN: Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Ahead, we're learning new details this morning about the man accused of opening fire outside an In-N-Out restaurant, killing three people and injuring seven others, much of it caught on video.

And the Justice Department now says the Reflecting Pool repair job was hasty and botched. And they were forced to drop vandalism charges against an Olympian, leading to the question, why was he charged in the first place?

Those stories and more ahead.

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SIDNER: New this morning, we're hearing from a hero bystander who helped slow down the gunman in a deadly shooting at an In-N-Out restaurant in Idaho as police and the FBI are investigating what sparked this rampage.

The chilling attack over the weekend left at least three people dead and seven others wounded. The gunman fired his high-powered weapon at people, you see him there, and at cars, turning the quiet afternoon of shopping and dining into a fight for survival.

Investigators believe the 24-year-old gunman acted alone. They say he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and police say it could have been so much worse if not for the, quote, heroic actions of two bystanders who returned fire, one of them an off-duty police officer, the other, the man you see here, firing back at the shooter. He has identified himself as 35-year-old healthcare worker, telling the Idaho statesman his response to the attack was, quote, automatic. He said to the shooter, quote, He did not like it when bullets started firing both ways. Police say the other hero bystander is an off-duty state trooper.

And we're hearing more from other witnesses now. One woman says she raced from the restaurant and came face to face with the shooter, that he pointed a gun at her. She ducked behind a car trying to get to safety. She then says she saw a pistol resting on a gun case she believed belonged to him. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I didn't have anything to defend myself, so I grabbed the gun and I pulled it back. It was jammed, so I just felt helpless.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: My goodness. Joining me now is CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst and former Deputy Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe. Thank you so much for being here.

Look, the shooter is dead at this point. What are investigators focusing on right now?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes. So, Sara, this is a familiar time for investigators and for people who watch these sorts of incidents, because we've seen this time and time again. What investigators are doing with, of course, the help of the FBI and other agencies, is trying to piece together what exactly brought this gunman to this moment yesterday of such tragedy and destruction.

So, they are identifying all the places of interest, his home, his vehicle, if he has a place of work any place that he might stay or store items. They're getting search warrants for all of those places to uncover what might be there, any writings or indications of what was going through his head in the days and weeks leading up to this moment.

They, of course, want every electronic device that they can associate with the shooter, so computers, tablets, cell phones, anything that might be used to access the internet. They will obtain and execute additional search warrants on each one of those devices. They want to see what his social media presence may have been and if he made statements there, or would like to, I'm sure, identify the other people that he was in contact with over his social media accounts, if he had any.

And then they want to interview all those people in his life, family members, co-workers, social media contacts, anyone that they can put with him, again, in an effort to kind of reconstruct what was he thinking, what was his motivation, what may he have been trying to prove with this attack.

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SIDNER: When you, with your law enforcement office background, look at this video of someone who was a civilian who happened to be armed and he starts firing back, and then you hear the story from that young lady, you see that picture there, that's the civilian trying to neutralize a suspect, and then you hear the young lady there who says that she saw this gun sitting on top of a gun case, and she picked it up and it was jammed, give me some sense of what you hear and you see, and the dangers of all this as you're looking at it from a civilian standpoint? MCCABE: Yes. So, I mean, first of all it takes incredible courage to stand up and get involved in that way in one of these incidents. So, you know, massive amount of respect for the healthcare worker who we see in the video there. Obviously, for the off-duty police officer, who is really off-duty but still trying to, you know, perform you know, his obligations as a peace officer, but there -- it comes with massive risk, you know?

So, law enforcement responding to an incident like this, what they are looking for as they arrive is anyone who is holding a gun, anyone who might be armed. So, just having a gun drawn makes you a target by responding officers who don't know who the good guy is or who the bad guy might be.

You also bring on enormous risk firing into a crowd like this, that you might actually, you know, mistakenly, unintentionally hit someone else with a round. And, of course, you become a target of the gunman.

So, it's a very dangerous mixture of risk that you're creating. But, again, if you can help in that moment and hopefully that's what happened here, that's what the police have said happened, then good on you.

SIDNER: Yes. Andrew McCabe, it's a pleasure. Thank you so much for walking us through that. Kate?

BOLDUAN: We are one day away from one of the most closely watched elections of the entire midterm season. It's a primary election. Who is going to win out in the hotly contested Democratic Senate primary in Michigan, and what will it mean for the future of the Democratic Party everywhere else? This primary could give a lot of indications on what's coming next.

Also ahead, what has four paws and loves to surf? These doggies. The best of the World Dog Surfing Championship, which is apparently a thing.

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