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Democrats Vote in Primary Tomorrow in Michigan; Trial of Lindsay Clancy Resumes; New Polling on Texas Races; Iran Targeting A.I. Data Centers. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired August 03, 2026 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:32:31]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, we are now less than 24 hours away from polls opening in Michigan, where after months of a bitter and contentious Senate primary with huge implications for the Democratic Party hanging in the balance, voters are about to have their say on who they want to head to the general, Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens or Abdul El-Sayed.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny is in Detroit, has been there speaking with voters ahead of this big day.

What's the sense you're getting, Jeff?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kate, good morning.

I mean this Democratic primary race really does have it all. A, it's for the fight for control of the Senate. I mean Democrats must hold this Democratic seat in Michigan and win four Republican seats if they are going to win control of the Senate. So, that is, obviously, one major factor. But it's also the latest in biggest test of this progressive wave that we've been seeing in Democratic primary after Democratic primary, really across the country. But it's going to play out here in a different way in Michigan. A key battleground state, there's no doubt.

But these two candidates were delivering their closing messages in a very different way over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), MICHIGAN SENATE PRIMARY CANDIDATE: So, I'm just honored to be here with you all celebrating the democracy. We've got the opportunity we got on Tuesday and then 13 more weeks from there to continue to build on this movement, to get money out of politics, put money in our pockets.

REP. HALEY STEVENS (D), MICHIGAN SENATE PRIMARY CANDIDATE: Guys, we are two days out. Two days. Like a couple of sleeps away from what might be and what might feel like the world's longest primary. Except for, I love it. I love being out there for Michigan. I love being out there with all of you. I love bringing a little bit of that grit and a little bit of that Michigan way, and maybe just a little bit of that, stick it to 'em.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So, Haley Stevens, of course, is a Michigan member of Congress. She was elected back in 2018. She won a Republican-held House seat at that time. But the party has changed obviously dramatically since then. Abdul El-Sayed is a progressive insurgent. He's a former health official from here in Michigan. But he is really trying to carry that progressive movement into the election.

But the bottom line here is, Kate, electability has been hanging over all of this. Haley Stevens has been advertising and saying that she is the more electable candidate in November. He tells me, look, electability is something that is not known until the voters vote.

[09:35:01]

Well, that is going to happen tomorrow as well as there's been a wave of early voting.

But the Republican who's been watching all of this, of course that is the central question here, who is going to win in the end, Mike Rogers, the former member of Congress who's running for Senate again here. He's been enjoying this primary. But it's unclear what type of a road he will have over the next three months as well because those headwinds here facing all Republican officeholders and candidates are strong. But for now at least the race between Stevens and El-Sayed will say a lot about this Democratic Party and the moment.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Jeff, it's great to see you. Thank you, Jeff.

ZELENY: You got it.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, and don't forget to tune in because this is your favorites night, election night, tomorrow night, the results will hopefully come in early. We'll see. All good. CNN "Election Night in America" starts coverage at 7 a.m. -- 7 p.m.

All right, happening now, testimony is resuming in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the mother accused of murdering her three young children with exercise resistance bands. Clancy's defense is claiming she suffered from post-pregnancy psychosis. On Friday, jurors visited Clancy's home and walked through the house where the killings happened and into the basement where the bodies of her three young children were found.

CNN's Randi Kaye is following this trial closely, here with me now.

This is a hard trial to follow just because it is devastating, the thought of this mother killing her three children, the way that they were killed especially.

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And think about that jury that has to sit and listen to these details.

SIDNER: Yes.

KAYE: And she herself, Lindsay Clancy, is in the courtroom listening to the details, reliving it, in fact.

So, the jury went on Friday to Duxbury, Massachusetts, to the home where this happened. They spent about 40 minutes there. They were told not to open any drawers or touch anything, but the lawyers were there and they were able to point things out and they were able to go down, Sara, into that basement where the children were killed in two different locations in the basement with those exercise bands. That's how they were strangled. And they were also able to retrace the steps of Patrick Clancy, her husband, because the prosecution says that she sent him out. It was all a ruse. Sent him out to run errands. And in that 15-minute window, it was a very short amount of time, he -- she went ahead and killed the children. So, they were able to retrace his steps to the CVS, where he got some pediatric medication, and then also to a restaurant where he got some takeout food.

So, the prosecutors say again that it was a ruse. But, of course, Patrick Clancy, when he testified, said that he had been away with the boys for a guys weekend, he had been away for work trips, and she had never done this before.

But right now, on the stand, Sara, is Dr. Michael Snyder. He works in the E.R. at Beth Israel Hospital. And he said that he was there when five year old Cora was brought in and had to work on her to try and save her. He was unable to.

And the testimony this week should shift more from the emotional testimony that we heard last week to much more of the nitty gritty to try and figure out if she was criminally responsible. That's really the word for insanity, the insanity defense in Massachusetts. So, they're trying to figure out if she knew right from wrong, if she knew what she was doing, and if she did this.

SIDNER: Yes, there's all kinds of different evidence happening in this case with the amount of pills her husband said that she was taking.

KAYE: Exactly.

SIDNER: But now you're saying they're getting into the forensics of all this and sort of the details that are as disturbing as the beginning of this trial.

KAYE: Absolutely. I mean they'll hear from -- they'll hear more from the mental health professionals. They'll hear about her behavior that day. She was outside playing, making a snowman with the children, and sent a picture to her husband. So, a lot of questions still need to be answered.

SIDNER: The jury will have to reconcile a lot of different sides of this.

Randi Kaye, it is so good to have you in here. Do appreciate you. KAYE: Thank you. Appreciate it.

SIDNER: All right. And you can see live, streaming coverage of the trial right now on CNN All Access, cnn.com/watch. Go there to see it.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we've got brand-new polling from one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country. The numbers from Texas that are historically different than anything we've previously seen.

And a police officer survives a close call during a traffic stop.

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[09:43:35]

BERMAN: There is new polling out of Texas in one of, if not the most closely watched Senate race in the country. James Talarico taking on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is a Republican here.

Now, Democrats, they always have hope. They have hope for Texas. And that hope has always been dashed. But there are signs this year might, might be different.

With us now, CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten.

So, why is Texas looking different than it did, say, in 2018? When Beto O'Rourke ran against Ted Cruz, everyone thought that Beto O'Rourke had a chance to be the Democrat who could win but didn't. What's different this time?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: The polling is different. The polling is different. This is the best-looking polling for Democrats in the Senate race since really the 20th century. You're going to have to go back probably to late '80s the last time they won a Senate race out there, when it was Lloyd Bentsen winning in 1988. Because just take a look here. This polling looks so much different than it did eight years ago.

You take a look here, James Talarico, the latest poll against Ken Paxton, he's actually up by three points. Look at where the race was between Beto O'Rourke and Ted Cruz at this point in the 2018 cycle. Ted Cruz was ahead by six.

This is very different. The Democrat here is doing nine points better. And what is supercharging that? Look at this. Independents move from tie to plus 39 points for James Talarico. Independents, the name of the game, shifting significantly to the left hand and supercharging James Talarico.

[09:45:07]

It could be real. Every single time I look at the polling going, this can't be right. This could be very, very real. Democrats have a real shot in Texas.

BERMAN: So '26 different than 2018. Ted Cruz, again, who won, but it was very, very close.

ENTEN: Right. Very close. Less than three points.

BERMAN: How is Ted Cruz different than Paxton?

ENTEN: How is Ted Cruz different than Ken Paxton? Simply put, Ted Cruz is popular. Ken Paxton is not popular at all. That is, I think, one of the biggest differences in this race. Take a look here, the GOP nominee's net favorability.

In July of 2018, Ted Cruz was eight points above water. His favorable was eight points above his unfavorable rating. Look at this side of the screen. Very different indeed. Ken Paxton, six points underwater with, get this, among independents, 47 points underwater. No wonder -- no wonder that you're seeing major issues for Ken Paxton in this race so far.

BERMAN: How is the president doing in Texas?

ENTEN: Well, here's the other thing that's going on. How's the president doing in Texas? The president is supercharging Democratic possibilities across red states. Remember, Donald Trump won Texas by double digits. But now he's nine points underwater. He was slightly underwater back in 2018. But he's much further underwater right now in the great state of Texas.

BERMAN: So, Texas, if it were to flip, would be fairly key for the math for Democrats to try to take back the Senate. What are the prediction markets saying right now about those chances?

ENTEN: You know, all of a sudden you put Texas in play, you put places like Iowa, Ohio in play. You know, you're talking about Alaska being potentially in play. Look at this, chance to win the Senate. Now it's basically an even race. Republicans were three to two favorites a month ago. Look at where we are right now. Now Republicans' chances have fallen significantly. Just a 53 percent chance to take -- to hold on to the United States Senate. Democrats have a real shot indeed.

BERMAN: It's going to be a pretty tense few months here.

ENTEN: I think we'll hold on together. Hold on tight, folks.

BERMAN: Harry Enten, thank you very much.

We have a lot of news this morning. We'll be right back.

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[09:51:29]

SIDNER: We shouldn't compare ourselves, right, because this is making me feel pretty low. It seems impossible. Ultra runner Sophie Woods ran 1,240 miles across eight countries, and she did it in just 29 days. The 42-year-old from New Zealand shattered the overall speed record through Europe Alps for both men and women. She battled grueling, triple-digit heat, nearby wildfires and ran on three hours of sleep a night. Her husband and dog provided emotional support. Just a truly extraordinary feat of human endurance.

All right, it's a new chapter in baseball history. The women's pro baseball league started its inaugural season over the weekend, more than 70 years after the original all-American girls professional baseball league folded. Ninety-nine-year-old Maybelle Blair, who played in the disbanded league, well, guess what, she is doing just fine because she threw out the ceremonial first pitch on Saturday night. She is a legend. Her likeness is the league's mascot. That's the -- she's the mascot. That is just adorable. All right, the L.A. Queens claimed the new league's first victory, beating the New York Heights 10-8.

All right, your dog may be able to sit and roll over, but can they surf? Hundreds of people packed a northern California beach this weekend for the World Dog Surfing Championships, where pups of all sizes took to the waves, took to the water, showing off their skills. Judges scored them on balance, confidence and how long they could stay on their boards. They declared winners in several categories, including small dog, medium dog and large and extra-large dog. A grand champion was apparently not crowned because the final surf off was canceled because conditions got too hairy.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: I mean -- I mean, they do look like unsafe dog surfing conditions, I'm just going to say.

SIDNER: What did I miss? Hold on. I'm getting a look from the crew. What did I miss? Come on, sweet Lou (ph).

BOLDUAN: You didn't miss anything. You missed nothing.

SIDNER: I missed something.

BOLDUAN: You missed actually nothing.

SIDNER: It's a pun I missed.

BOLDUAN: You are perfection.

SIDNER: Lies, Kate.

BOLDUAN: As always.

Let's go to this.

This morning, the war between the U.S. and Iran is opening up a new set of targets like we haven't seen before. A.I. data centers are increasingly in the crosshairs. Iran has attacked several facilities across the gulf region already, including an Amazon data center in Bahrain. The U.S. has struck an Iranian data center. These massive facilities power everything from cloud computing to artificial intelligence. Many are tied to major U.S. tech companies, like Amazon and Microsoft and Google. These recent attacks are raising concern about the overall security of what's becoming critical infrastructure in the new A.I. era.

CNN's David Goldman is looking into this one and joins us right now.

What are you finding?

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, these are sitting ducks in this war now. I mean five attacks on A.I. data centers is a lot of attacks. And, in fact, the one that you were talking about in Bahrain, that Amazon data center, that was the second time that that particular data center was attacked. So clearly, this is becoming a new front in the war with Iran.

So, the question is, what can be done about it? Well, you know, Iran believes that these are legitimate military targets, and there's a good reason for that because Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, Palantir, they all have a massive multibillion dollar contract with the government to do military work. But they don't differentiate between military work and their commercial A.I.

[09:55:04]

And the other thing is that there's a huge investment in that region. They wanted to become a kind of third choice between China and the United States. They have dedicated, these gulf nations, $2 trillion to A.I., and specifical U.S. A.I., to the exclusion of China. This is something that I don't think Iran is going to give up all that easily.

BOLDUAN: But what -- I mean, it's also, the United States, as you said, is attacking -- has attacked an Iranian data center facility.

GOLDMAN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: I mean, just like they need to be secured, especially in this now -- this new era we're entering. I mean it's just the fact of the matter.

GOLDMAN: That's right. And these are by big warehouses. You can't, you know, prevent drone fire. The only thing that you can do is build redundancy. The question is, who is going to build in this region if this is going to continue?

BOLDUAN: Yes, that's exactly right.

It's good to see you, David. It's a really important and interesting aspect of this war we haven't talked much about. Great to see you.

BERMAN: As you both know, it is Major League Baseball trade deadline day. David certainly knows. We'll be covering it live all day long. Stay with us for continuing coverage of who the Red Sox end up with.

SIDNER: Will we though?

BERMAN: Thanks for joining us. This has been CNN NEWS CENTRAL. SIDNER: This is -- this is literally all John's doing today.

BERMAN: "THE SITUATION ROOM" up next.

BOLDUAN: Oh, really? Oh, really?

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