Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Blanche Rescinds Anti-Weaponization Fund; Spokane City Council Member Zack Zappone is Interviewed about Wildfires; GOP Rep. Max Miller Vows to Stay in Race; Numbers on Michigan's Senate Race; Michigan and Ohio Races for Democratic Party. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired August 03, 2026 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have criticized the $1.8 billion fund, calling it a slush fund that could have been used to pay January 6th defendants. Even the violent ones. The Senate committee that must approve of Blanche's nomination is expected to meet tomorrow.

CNN's Alayna Treene is live at the White House this morning.

I guess the big question is, is this letter that was requested by two Republicans enough to get Blanche into the seat permanently?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it looks like it's enough for Senator John Cornyn, who had released a statement, Sara, last night as well saying that he had reached a deal with the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, to put this in writing. And that really is the big news.

I'd remind you that we'd previously heard from Blanche and others at the Justice Department that this $1.8 billion weaponization fund, a fund, of course, that would have paid people who claimed that they were victims of a weaponized Justice Department, that includes people from the January 6th Capitol attack back in 2021, Blanche had said previously in the Justice Department that this was dead and the Justice Department had told courts essentially that this fund was abandoned. I'd remind you that came after we saw a major backlash, not only from Democrats, but many Republicans who believed that that fund should not move forward.

However, the issue here was that the White House and the Trump administration had previously refused to put that commitment in writing. That is really what we saw Senator John Cornyn and Senator Thom Tillis say was necessary for them to go forward and back Blanche's nomination to become formally the attorney general. So, it seems that Cornyn is on board.

We have not yet heard from Tillis, someone who said that this was a major issue for him. We also have not yet heard from the president responding to this.

But I want to get into a little bit of what we heard from Blanche specifically. He came out yesterday. He issued a post saying that he has been meeting with senators, having conversations with them, and then he issued this document showing that they have formally rescinded that weaponization fund. He says, or at least in this document it says that it had been rescinded with no force of -- or effect.

But I'd remind you that we heard from the president over the weekend, something that kind of threw a wrench in a lot of the messaging around this to try and push Blanche's nomination forward. The president had been threatening to revive this very controversial $1.8 billion fund if Blanche was not confirmed. And he repeated those threats just yesterday when he was traveling back in the evening on Air Force One. Listen to what he told reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look, we have a man named Todd Blanche. He's outstanding in every way. Most of you know who he is. You're not going to find a better person. And everybody agreed. 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 him. If they don't -- if they don't approve Todd, I can put him back on the table. A lot of people like him. A lot of big supporters of Trump like him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, I think a lot of things to break down from those comments, Sara. One is that clearly the president still believes in this fund. He believes that there were people who deserve this type of money, even those who were participating in the Capitol attack on January 6th. He also seemed to argue that this was really just an issue that Senators Cornyn and Tillis, both who sit on the Judiciary Committee, which is going to be meeting tomorrow to determine the path forward for Blanche's nomination, he believed that they are the only people really getting in the way of this and against that fund.

But that's not true. I'd remind you that even if Blanche's nomination gets through the Judiciary Committee, the Senate still needs to vote on this. And there have been many senators who share Cornyn and Tillis' concerns. And I think the question, again, is going to be, is this enough for them as well? We have to see.

You know, the Senate is expected to go on recess at the end of this week for five weeks. We know that Senate Republican leaders really want to get this nomination for Blanche through and confirmed before they do so. It's a quick timeline, but this could be enough to make it happen. We have to see the reaction from other congressional Republicans today.

SIDNER: Certainly, Blanche said it was dead. He's now put it in writing. But the president is still talking about it. Still on his mind. So, it begs the question whether or not it can be revived at any point in time. I'm sure the senators are looking at all of this.

Alayna Treene, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The numbers around the fires out west are both hard to wrap your mind around, but also helpful in understanding just how devastating these fires are becoming. Nearly 65,000 families evacuated, more than 700 homes destroyed, and zero percent containment. That is what we know this morning about the three major wildfires burning right now in the Spokane area in Washington state.

Fire officials that we've talked to today say that they've never seen anything like it. Drought and days of extreme heat are fueling these fires. Add to that the simple fact that the pacific northwest is already facing its worst fire season in more than 30 years.

[08:35:05]

Joining me right now is a Spokane city council member, Zack Zappone.

Zack, thank you very much for waking up to speak with me.

How are -- how are you doing? I mean it's not -- you're not just a city council member. You are a member of this community. How are you doing? How is your home? And tell me more about what all you've experienced so far.

ZACK ZAPPONE, SPOKANE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: Yes, thank you.

I'm OK. My house is OK. I'm about two blocks outside of the evacuation area. But this is my neighborhood where I grew up. And my family lives here. My aunts, my uncles, my sister, my friends from high school and current day. And it's hit or miss for everyone.

Everyone that I know is safe and out, but my uncle has lost his house. I've had dozens of friends lose their houses. And we're all just trying to figure out how to get by. Displaced, sleeping at friend's houses and hotels and just trying to -- just trying to get by right now.

BOLDUAN: One thing I heard from the deputy fire chief of Spokane County Fire earlier this morning was just -- he said he's just never seen anything like it because of just how fast things have moved. I mean when you say you have dozens of friends who have lost their homes, I mean, this is a -- this is -- this is life-altering and changing in just really -- it's almost like a blink of an eye. How do you describe everything that's now happening to your community?

ZAPPONE: Yes. Yes, I mean, we were here Saturday and we were just doing our regular stuff. There was a parade in town that morning. I came home, I live kind of across the state park away from where it started and we could see the smoke start and everyone kind of came out to look at it. And it was just very fast. It was a giant cloud of smoke. And we kept watching it and we're like, should we do something? Which way is it going?

And the moments of it starting was very panicking. My mom was calling. And she was like, you need to evacuate your area. And then we saw that the smoke was headed her way and the fire was going her way. The area that is really impacted is also a specific elevation changes

and there's only one and two roads out of these areas on three different levels. And so, during the beginning phases it was very scary. People were stuck in traffic for hours trying to get out while the smoke was coming and the flames were coming. Thankfully, all -- everyone I know so far is out, but we are still taking information to figure out if anyone's missing or not and encouraging folks to call in so we can do some welfare checks.

BOLDUAN: Yes, that's a big question right now, right?

What kind of help do you all need most right now? What are you hearing? Are -- and do you -- do you feel like you're getting what's needed? The information -- from information to actually tangible assistance from state -- from the state and federal government?

ZAPPONE: Yes, we've been very grateful to have immediate assistance from both the state and the federal government. The National Huard is here. The governor is here. Senator Cantwell's here.

I think one of the biggest concerns is, second day, the fires calm down, the winds calm down, but it's still a very active fire. And that means, if you drive through a lot of houses have open flames from their gas that are still active and anything can blow and start back up. There's multiple fires and multiple fronts going. And so we're struggling to contain all of those different fronts.

And people are wanting to return to their homes in areas that have already burned. And we're just really encouraging folks to still not return to the area because things can pick back up. And that was the case overnight. The fire in the north started moving south towards more of the urban area again. And so, just really trying to communicate to people to stay out, trying to get more help to secure the area, secure property to prevent looting and just making sure that we have the resources to keep fighting the fires that are -- that are hard to control. And we have folks from out of state all around the area that are here helping us. And it's just hard to control.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Absolutely.

Zach, thank you very much for coming on this morning and good luck to you and everybody. We'll be watching. Thank you so much.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, this morning, Ohio Congressman Max Miller is vowing to stay in his re-election race as he fights allegations of abuse from his former wife. She is accusing him of a history of violent and dangerous behavior as part of a contentious divorce and custody battle. He denies the allegations.

Now, his ex-wife's father is Republican Senator Bernie Moreno from Ohio. He is now weighing in, saying Miller should not serve in Congress.

Let's get right to CNN's senior reporter Annie Grayer for the very latest on this.

And I should note, again, there's a lot going on here with consequences that go way beyond Ohio.

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: There are a lot of consequences unfolding here, John. But first to the allegations, which are really serious.

Emily Moreno has accused Max Miller, congressman from Ohio, of holding up a gun to her, of throwing hot water at her, of shoving her up against a wall.

[08:40:08]

These are very serious and detailed allegations that came out initially as part of a police investigation into how Moreno and Max Miller's two year old daughter broke her collarbone. But no charges were ever filed there. But still, the lawsuits have continued to build. There are defamation lawsuits. There's a restraining order lawsuits. And Max Miller took to social media yesterday to put out a video defending himself, saying that he still plans to run for re- election and denying all of these allegations. So, take a listen to a portion of that video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MAX MILLER (R-OH): At the end of the day, we will continue to hold strong, clear our name, and I could not be more proud and honored not to hide from any of this as this election is just more about winning a seat in November for the Republican Party. This election, to me, is about my family and about our daughter and keeping our values here.

I'm not getting out of this race, and I'm winning in November, and I'll be back in the 120th.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRAYER: Now, a spokesperson for Emily Moreno denounced this video, saying that Emily Moreno has detailed specifics to back up her allegations and denounced her ex-husband for putting out a video that their daughter will eventually see online one day.

But then her father, Senator Bernie Moreno from Ohio, weighed in for the first time. He has not publicly, as far as we know, weighed in on these allegations. And he put out a statement where he said, quote, "if there are any basic standards of character required to hold elective office, Max Miller fails them. He should not serve in the House of Representatives. I believe Max Miller needs to seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake. I believe he should not be free to continue endangering others until he does."

Now, that was a big statement from the senator. But Congressman Miller says that the senator is only weighing in for political reasons. He doesn't believe what he's actually saying. But this is a very difficult situation unfolding in an election year

where Max Miller is running for re-election. His district, President Trump carried by 11 points in 2024. Miller's confident that he can -- he can hold his seat. But Democrats see this as a potential pickup opportunity given the potential blue wave that's happening in November and these allegations swarming Max Miller.

President Trump was asked about these allegations yesterday, and he said he was still looking into them. But at this point, they are just allegations.

John.

BERMAN: Yes. President Trump, very close allies to both of the men, Max Miller and Bernie Moreno. So, very interesting to see how the president navigates this as well.

All right, Annie Grayer, thank you so much for that update.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, in another case, another political battle, tomorrow voters will have their say in Michigan's Senate Democratic primary. Moderate Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens is facing off against former public health official progressive Abdul El-Sayed. Now, the race has turned into a huge reflection of tensions within the Democratic Party.

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten joining us now.

All right, Harry, who looks to be the favorite in this particular battle in Michigan. A big thing because people are looking at it as, again, is this a harbinger for things to come?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes. Yes, I think that tomorrow Abdul El-Sayed will deliver the biggest blow so far against the establishment of the Democratic Party, because he is the heavy favorite going into tomorrow.

Just take a look at the prediction market odds. OK, chance to be the Michigan Democratic Senate nominee. Abdul El-Sayed look at this, he's up to a 98 percent chance according to the Kalshi prediction markets. Way up like a rocket compared to where he was on April 3rd when he was just a 28 percent chance just a few months ago.

The bottom line is this. You look at all the data that is out there. Abdul El-Sayed is the very heavy favorite going into tomorrow. And, of course, he is backed by a lot of folks on the left wing of the Democratic Party. And at this point, as I said at the beginning, he looks tomorrow to deliver the biggest blow so far against the establishment wing of the Democratic Party.

SIDNER: Give us some sense of just the amount of anger that is there really at incumbents.

ENTEN: Yes. SIDNER: Not at, you know, just a particular person, but at incumbents, at people who are the establishment for Dems.

ENTEN: Yes. Yes, Sara, I think this is part of a larger story within the Democratic Party, right? That is why tomorrow is so key for understanding where the Democratic Party is right now. And you can see it nationally, what do Democrats want?

Democrat and Democratic leaders who think the party needs at least major changes. Look at this. In 2022 it was just 33 percent. Look where it is now. The clear majority of Democratic voters are those who lean towards the Democratic Party, 57 percent, a clear majority, believe that the party needs at least major changes.

[08:45:05]

No wonder what we've seen so far is incumbents go down to defeat in the House of Representatives. No wonder what we've seen so far this Democratic primary season is the establishment losing and losing and losing again in key races. And no wonder that Abdul El-Sayed is favorite tomorrow because the Democratic Party's voters at this point are so upset with the establishment they are saying, anything else, please. And Abdul El-Sayed, who just eight years ago during Trump's first term got blown out running for Michigan governor against Gretchen Whitmer, tomorrow is the heavy favorite because, simply put, the Democratic Party is looking for something new, and they are looking to go against Haley Stevens most likely tomorrow, who, of course, is a sitting congresswoman.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you just how motivated Dems are. Where's the energy? How motivated are they to go out and vote? Because numbers matter.

ENTEN: Yes, numbers matter. Who in the Democratic Party is motivated to turn out and vote this election season. The energy right now is on the left wing of the Democratic Party, where Abdul El-Sayed is.

Just take a look here. OK, Dems extremely motivated to vote. Look at this, 80 percent. Four in five of those who identify as very liberal say they are extremely motivated to turn out and vote. Compare that to all others within the Democratic Party. A significantly lower chunk, just three and five, 59 percent. Abdul El-Sayed kind of comes together, puts it all together as an outsider, comes from the populist progressive wing in the party, and that's why I think tomorrow he is the heavy favorite if he does, as I said at the beginning of this segment, it would be the biggest blow against the Democratic establishment so far, sort of culmination of all the factors we've seen in this primary season.

SIDNER: This is certainly bubbling up. And then you, of course, have the general. And that's a whole different thing.

ENTEN: That's a -- we will discuss that --

SIDNER: We'll discuss that later. We won't go there.

ENTEN: We'll discuss that later. Let's have the primary first.

SIDNER: Got to get through the primary first. These are really interesting numbers. Wow.

ENTEN: Yes.

SIDNER: Harry, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

ENTEN: Thank you.

SIDNER: John.

BERMAN: All right, with us now is CNN's senior political analyst Ron Brownstein.

And, Ron, you've got a new piece out, a dispatch from Michigan, where you went.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes.

BERMAN: You checked it out. And one of the questions has been, look, I mean, how is it that people may be flocking to Abdul El-Sayed in spite of all the support his opponent is receiving from the Democratic establishment. And you note, essentially, it's not in spite of that support. To an extent it may be because of that support that voters are rebelling.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Yes, look, you know, I think that if you -- if you look at what's happening in Michigan, it is another indication that Democratic voters are more alienated from their own leaders really than at any point since LBJ and the Vietnam War. You know, the warnings from party officials who have locked arms almost uniformly behind Haley Stevens, whether it's at the national level, Chuck Schumer, the state level, the outgoing senator, Gary Peters, who they're vying to replace, the governor, Gretchen Whitmer, the very popular former senator, Debbie Stabenow. I mean, their basic argument, their core argument is that Abdul El-Sayed is a riskier bet in November. Not that he can't win. I don't think that you can't say -- you can't say that. It's impossible for him to win in this environment with Trump as weakened as he is. But it is a much more complicated road for him.

That argument has largely fallen on deaf ears. I mean I think the dispiriting final months of the Biden presidency, the inability to stop Trump from winning again in '24, and the inability to put up a more effective opposition to him, especially in the first months of his second term, have really undercut those Democratic warnings from the leadership.

You know, the dilemma for Democrats is that in this instance the establishment is probably right that it is going to be much more difficult for Abdul El-Sayed, but not enough voters, I think, are in a mood to hear that right now.

BERMAN: You noted, as others have who have been to Michigan, that El- Sayed, he mentions Democratic leadership, his battle against the Democratic establishment --

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

BERMAN: Almost more or more than he talks about Donald Trump. To what extent do you think that would change after October 4th, heading into November 3rd?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, look, I mean, you know, the core wave that all Democrats are riding on this year is that Trump is significantly more unpopular than he was even in 2018. And if you look at Trump's disapproval rating today, and his approval rating, you know, his situation is worse than his -- than his own situation in 2018, Obama in 2010, Clinton in '94, Biden in '22, and even Bush, George W. Bush, in '06. So, yes, he has to focus on that.

But, I mean, the problem is kind of bringing back together the Democratic coalition, either way -- after this race, in a must-win state.

I mean, you know, what we are seeing in Michigan is pretty much what we have seen in other primaries, the left has its victories so far. The center has its victories so far. But generally we are seeing the Democratic Party divide along similar lines state after state. Abdul El-Sayed, strongest with -- you know, even though he portrays himself as an economic populist, strongest with college educated voters and young people. Stevens strongest with non-college whites, seniors and black voters.

[08:50:00]

Whoever wins, the other -- the losing side of that equation has a lot of skepticism about the other candidate.

And, you know, I was, for example, in a -- in a church on Saturday in Detroit at a meeting of Al Sharpton's National Action Network, and the reverend excoriated El-Sayed and said he was more concerned about Gaza than about Detroit. So, there's work to be done for Democrats no matter who comes out of this.

BERMAN: And while we're talking about Michigan, I always want to stay in the rust belt here. Let's talk about Ohio. We just heard from Annie Grayer on Max Miller, the situation in that congressional race and the domestic abuse allegations, which he denies.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

BERMAN: But Ohio is more in play, it seems, or parts of Ohio, than it has been in past elections.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

BERMAN: What's the common thread there with Michigan?

BROWNSTEIN: The common thread across really not only Ohio and Michigan, but Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and Iowa, where Democrats are contesting multiple House seats, is that Donald Trump's approval rating among his core constituents, white without -- white voters without a college degree, has eroded. He won two thirds of non-college whites in each of his three presidential elections. In all national polling he's now down to around 50/50 approval with him, under 50'50. I think it was 46 in the CNN poll a few days ago. Those voters still have a lot of doubts about Democrats and are probably the most receptive audience to the Republican cultural arguments about Democrats, which we're going to hear a lot of in Michigan if El-Sayed is the nominee.

But the fact that they are so disappointed in the economic outcomes they've gotten under Trump has really opened the door for Democrats to regain some ground with them, which is the key in all of those rust belt states where they are contesting not only Senate races, governor mansions, but also really the heart of their -- of their push to regain the majority in the House. Two-thirds, John, of the seats Democrats are contesting in the House this year, Republican held seats, have more non-college whites than the national average. That's the constituency they have to make at least some gains with in order to get any kind of comfortable majority in the House in November.

BERMAN: When you have structural forces at play, with the addition of scandal here and there, the whiff of scandal at least, sometimes that's the recipe for some of these real big wave elections.

Ron Brownstein, thank you so much. Great to see you, as always.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Ariana Grande says she is stepping back from public life for a while. So, what is driving this and how are fans reacting?

And two goldfish at a restaurant make legal history. Why they are being recognized as sentient beings with rights.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:56:55]

BOLDUAN: Spider-man swinging back to theaters with a historic box office debut. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" premiered this weekend and brought in $927 million globally. It's the second biggest opening weekend of all time, only behind the most recent installment of the Avengers, "Avengers: Endgame." The massive opening extends a hot streak for movies just in general in recent weeks after the release of "The Odyssey" last month.

Pop star Ariana Grande, she's taking a step back from public life. Grande made the announcement after facing growing scrutiny about weight loss surrounding the release of her latest album, "Petal." A spokesperson said that she is taking a step back from visibility after she completes her current tour. That means also that she will no longer be appearing in next year's London revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Sunday in the Park with George." Grande has not said how long this break will last.

Two goldfish in Argentina just tipped the scales of justice. A court in Buenos Aires has ruled that Fede and Magui are not just pets, they are sentient beings with rights. An animal welfare group sparked this legal challenge, arguing that they were being kept in cruel conditions, living in a small tank outside of a sushi restaurant. A court agreed, it seems, and the fish have been moved to a 650-gallon aquarium in a private home. An attorney representing the group did clarify to say that this decision by the court does not equate to declaring that keeping pet fish is illegal. Just so you know, Sara.

SIDNER: The fact that they are in a tank in a sushi restaurant.

BOLDUAN: That's what you're focusing on?

SIDNER: That -- I'm sorry, it just struck me as funny.

BOLDUAN: I mean, I'm just saying, like, I'm barely a sentient being half the time.

SIDNER: Right?

BOLDUAN: So, I'm really thankful for this legal --

SIDNER: I think Berman said something about goldfish and sushi. We will let him --

BOLDUAN: No, no, do not open his mic, please.

SIDNER: Quietly say over there.

BOLDUAN: Please, not.

SIDNER: All right, thank you, Kate.

All right, after a stunning reversal by the Justice Department, admitting that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was not vandalized but instead happened to be shoddy work, President Trump is not backing off it. He is now directly contradicting federal prosecutors. He's doubling down on claims that vandals damaged the Reflecting Pool. For months the White House aggressively pushed the narrative that left wing activists were targeting the iconic landmark. Listen to how the secretary, the press secretary, put it back in June.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The vandalism is very real, despite what Tim Walz wants to say, it's an imaginary problem. No, it is not. It's a very real problem. In fact, I spoke with the National Park Service just before joining the show. They now have 17 police reports that have been filed in just a matter of a few days. There's actually been six arrests at the Reflecting Pool where, again, these deranged individuals, many of them longtime donors to the Democrat Party, to Barack Obama, to ActBlue that have been vandalizing and desecrating our federal monument. One of the most beautiful monuments in the world, the Reflecting Pool.

And that's why President Trump is not going to stop with this effort.

[09:00:00]

We're going to not only hold those people accountable, but we're going to fix the pool, make it -- continue to make it beautiful from this despicable vandalism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Except