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Abdul El-Sayed Narrowly Wins Michigan Democratic Senate Primary; Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Says No Talks With U.S. Underway Over Strait of Hormuz; Chipotle Pulls Jalapenos From Some Stores Amid Salmonella Outbreak; Pilot Arrested With 70,000 Ecstasy Pills; A.I. Agents Fake Identities, Target Real People in New Incident. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired August 05, 2026 - 13:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:32:39]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": We're following the Breaking News. CNN projects that Abdul El-Sayed has won the Michigan Democratic Senate primary. The progressive narrowly defeated Congresswoman Haley Stevens in what has really been a highly contentious race.

El-Sayed's victory delivers a major boost to the party's progressive wing while setting up a high-stakes general election battle with Republican Mike Rogers.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": And control of the Senate hangs in the balance here, so no surprise, Republicans are really on the attack. President Trump is calling El-Sayed's win "great news for the Republican Party," while groups like the Senate Leadership Fund and National Republican Senatorial Committee have begun releasing ads. They're targeting El-Sayed as "radical and dangerous." El-Sayed with this response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDUL EL-SAYED, (D) MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: They understand that the only way that they think they can win is to drag us into the mud, to believe the worst about each other, to believe that what divides us is bigger than what unites us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: We're joined now by Chuck Rocha, formerly a Senior Adviser for Bernie Sanders' 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, he's now the President of Solidarity Strategies, and CNN Political Commentator and former DNC Communications Director, Xochitl Hinojosa.

And you hear Republicans, including the president, what they're saying about El-Sayed's win. Electability was an issue here in the primary, Xochitl. I suspect that you may disagree with what the president and Republicans are saying. But, you know, what do you think about it, and what work does El-Sayed have to do ahead here? XOCHITL HINOJOSA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND FORMER DNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well, I'll start with the work. The work he has to do is he has to embrace the other side of the party, people who voted for Haley Stevens, people who actually voted for Mallory. I think she got, last I checked, was like about four percent of the vote, which is a pretty large margin given the fact that she wasn't even running. She was out of the race.

And so there needs to be unity. You saw everyone kind of unite around him this morning, and my hope is that he reaches out. He was very critical of, you know, Governor Whitmer and some of Haley Stevens' supporters, and now he needs to bring them into the party. But I will say electability goes both ways. This race was an anti-establishment, anti-incumbent, anti-institutions race.

We've also seen that across the country. But it doesn't just impact primaries. It is also an anti-establishment race when it comes to the general election. Trump is now establishment.

[13:35:00]

He is now at 33 percent in Michigan. And when you have Mike Rogers embracing him, there is very much an electability argument when it comes to Mike Rogers, because can Republicans win by embracing Donald Trump ahead of a general election with an approval rating in the 30s. And so I think the electability argument goes both ways.

El-Sayed can get behind that and can get over it as long as he embraces the entire Democratic Party.

JIMENEZ: You know, when you talk about anti-establishment, anti- institution, a lot of that was sort of played out. I mean there's a lot of outside money that poured into this race and I just want to play really quickly what El-Sayed said on that front.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EL-SAYED: We took on a machine. You're not supposed to be able to beat $70 million of outside spending. A record amount of money spent in a campaign against a Democrat in a primary in any campaign. You're not supposed to be able to beat that. And what we showed is that the power of our many is greater than the power of their money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Huge disparity between spending for Stevens or against El- Sayed versus for El-Sayed. How are you seeing that?

CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Nine to one.

JIMENEZ: Yeah.

ROCHA: It was crazy and normally, he's right. You don't lose races, especially in primaries, when you're out spending that much but primaries are good. We all sat around this table during the last (inaudible) was like why don't Kamala Harris have a primary? Let's have a quick little primary. Why does she get to be anointed? Iron strengthens iron.

Well, in this case, it really does and as a strategist, I know exactly what I need to know now. I know where he did really well. I know where he did really bad. I know where he needs to come together with the other side and what he needs to work on. So as a strategist, man, that's wonderful to know and that's why you have a primary because you learn from what you did right and you learn from what you did wrong, and you keep your eye focused on the Republicans and marginers (ph) who lost this race two years ago in a year where Donald Trump brought a whole lot of new people into Michigan who had never voted before, which we've talked about on this program. That's what really makes this different.

KEILAR: Where he did bad, let's talk about that because we were talking in the commercial break, I was saying it's giving a little presidential primary 2016 when Bernie Sanders had momentum and we knew that, but he unexpectedly surged ahead and beat all the expectations and beat Hillary Clinton in Michigan. It was a wild night. He had to like come out in Florida -- you know, he was down in Florida.

I know I was there. I was like the only person at his event. He closed the event before the results came out and it was like actually he won. Oh my gosh.

HINOJOSA: And we were on opposite ends of that, Hillary and Bernie.

(LAUGH)

KEILAR: It was amazing to have you both.

ROCHA: And the polls were wrong there too just like they were in this race.

KEILAR: The polls were wrong, but they did show I think that he had maybe some energy.

ROCHA: Right.

KEILAR: Or we knew that there was energy. We didn't know that it was like that. The point is though, you heard El-Sayed giving Bernie the shout out. He called him the OG. He credited him for coming in on day one. Is this a bit of the long tail of Bernie Sanders and what do you see that's different from how Bernie did there?

ROCHA: Well, Xochitl kind of talked to this, whether it's Bernie Sanders or whether it's AOC, no matter, it's this opposition to what people see every day which is the establishment. Donald Trump is the establishment. So is a lot of old Democrats are establishment too.

There's a lot of folks coming of age and they're just frustrated that it used to be if you played by the rules you could work really hard and you could make it. Folks are working harder. They're making less and things cost more. For us Democrats, we ain't in charge of nothing. So we can at least go, we're not in charge, they are, and this is why you need to vote for us to give us a shot and that's just a shot for us. Folks are running to our party not because they love our party. They're willing to give us a shot but they're really pissed at Republicans.

JIMENEZ: You know, Xochitl, El-Sayed spent some time thanking United Auto Workers and union support as part of what we heard this morning which we know. Look, President Trump made a play for blue-collar workers in Michigan in 2024, succeeded in many cases as well. One of the things that was interesting and you know, not one-to-one, but in a Mamdani race, for example, there were some folks who maybe supported Trump and found ways that they could get behind a Mamdani.

HINOJOSA: Yes.

JIMENEZ: Do you see similar opportunities for someone like El-Sayed, again, not a one-to-one comparison, but for folks that may have gone Trump working-class and see similar opportunities in El Sayed?

HINOJOSA: I do and that is because of where Trump stands in terms of his approval rating and where we are with the economy. Michigan is a very unique place in the sense that, with tariffs, they were impacted greatly. Manufacturing jobs were impacted and I think that what you heard from El-Sayed and I think what you're going to see from the Democratic Party, outside groups, et cetera, is tying Mike Rogers to Donald Trump when it comes to cost of living and when it comes to tariffs. And that is going to be a huge issue and one of the issues that we can sort of get Republicans and Independents because, at the end of the day, that is not an issue about labels. That is issue about like putting, you know, food on the table and making sure that you have health care for your children.

ROCHA: Let me make your point real quick.

JIMENEZ: Yeah.

ROCHA: When he comes out, El-Sayed, the first thing he says is 'Medicare for all.' He says 'money out of politics, money in your pocket' and let's stop spending all this money overseas. That could have been Donald Trump four years ago. The point is exactly right, is that there's a lot of folks out there that feel a bunch of anxiety and he's tapping into that.

[13:40:00]

KEILAR: Chuck and Xochitl, great to have you here and a good reminder that Michigan will always keep Democrats on their toes here recently.

(LAUGH)

KEILAR: You were two voices to remind us of that. We appreciate it.

A Middle East official telling CNN there's a 50/50 chance that Iran will reach a deal on the Strait of Hormuz by Friday and that flies in the face of President Trump who suggests that an agreement is imminent. 50/50 is not nothing though, so we're going to talk about this and the conflicting messaging next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:45:08]

KEILAR: New warnings as the war in Iran drags on. CNN sources say the U.S. military has burned through nearly 80 percent of its interceptors for a key missile defense system. Senior U.S. military commanders warn the Pentagon's munitions stockpile is now dangerously low. Stockpiles of THAAD and Patriot missiles are especially hard hit. Plus, a source says the Army has used virtually all of its highly accurate long-range surface-to-air missiles.

Pentagon and White House officials insist the U.S. still has enough munitions to meet its strategic goals, though rebuilding those stockpiles could take years. The shortages issue here was raised before President Trump's decision to cancel weekend strikes on Iran. The president continues to say that the Strait of Hormuz could reopen soon.

But just in, the Iranian deputy foreign minister has denied that Iran is currently in talks with the U.S. over the Strait. He described discussions with Oman as strictly bilateral. We're joined now by Mark Esper, former Defense Secretary under President Trump. He serves as a Board Member and Partner at Red Cell Venture Capital.

I wonder what you think of that, Secretary, what we're hearing from the deputy minister here on his assessment of these talks. And how are you reading that and does it matter?

MARK ESPER, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP: It does matter. We've heard a lot of conflicting statements, though, coming out of various capitals on this front. We do know that the Iranians, at least the foreign ministry, is talking to the Omanis about how the Strait will be administered. They want to create a northern route that is adjacent or within Iranian territorial waters and a southern route that's in Omani waters.

And frankly, this is consistent with the MOU. In fact, point five of the MOU says that Iran and -- Oman and Iran will negotiate the future administration of the Strait, which to me means we're giving Iran at least some control of the Strait, which is one of the issues I have with the MOU.

But, nonetheless, it seems like they are talking pursuant to that, that the IRGC is not necessarily involved and that they consistently are claiming that there are no direct talks between the United States and Iran.

So, look, if an agreement comes up between Iran and Oman, we're going to have to see what's in it and whether we can live with it or not. It seems to me that there's not a place where we can live with it because we do not believe that those countries, let alone Iran alone, should have control over the Strait of Hormuz.

KEILAR: This depletion of U.S. defensive capabilities and long-range weapons, how does that affect U.S. leverage in any negotiations? ESPER: Well, it affects our positioning with regard to how much we want to risk in a return to combat operations. Of course, when I was in the role, you have to constantly balance the international demands, global risks, the things that you're most concerned of. And for me, I always keep a watchful eye on China. And in a war with China, we would need THAAD missile launch -- THAAD missiles.

We would need PAC-3 missile interceptors. We would need PrSM, all those missiles that, to one degree or another, the Center for Strategic and International Studies reported were in the stockpiles. So I'd be very conscious of that, and I might be reluctant to employ them in certain scenarios if I knew that it would affect my global supply.

KEILAR: Yeah, if you're looking at the deterrent effect of the U.S. military and all of those capabilities being part of that, and right now, it seems the best-case scenario is a negotiation to get out of this with re-opening the Strait, which is where the U.S. was before this war, and looking at an incredible depletion of munitions, how do you chalk this up to anything other than a big loss, putting the U.S. in a really tough spot, should they have to confront another enemy or challenge going forward?

ESPER: Look, deterrence is not just military capability. It's your soft power capabilities. And in this case, it's also your economic strength and might. Specifically here, it's your munition stockpiles. The enemy wants to have a sense of how long you can sustain that fight and with what type of weapons. And importantly, your economic and industrial base.

And defense industrial base is something that vastly needs improved in terms of its surge capacity. We are not where we need to be. And frankly, it was our economy that really won World War II when you go back and look at history.

So, look, I think all those are factors when you think about deterrence. In this scenario, I've argued the last few weeks that, look, I think the strategy needs to pivot here toward an economic blockade complete of all of Iran and not just into the Strait but all sea, air, ground routes. Strangle them. Globalize the conflicts. We have allies, partners, everybody else joining in. And then slowly close the noose on them.

[13:50:00]

They are facing the highest inflation they've ever had in decades. The economy is weakest it's been in decades. To me, that's where the pressure point is right now, there and the IRGC. And that's where I would lean more toward rather than trying to re-engage in a military assault from the air in the pursuing weeks.

KEILAR: Do you have confidence in the diplomacy that you've seen so far, if that's an indication of what you're going to see going forward to solve that issue?

ESPER: Again, I would globalize the diplomacy as much as I could, at least enlist allied partners -- allied and partners in this. And look, I think any efforts we can at diplomacy are worth it because this is a conflict that's now become strategic in nature.

We're not talking about the nuclear program as much anymore, which is where we began. We're talking about control the Strait of Hormuz. And I think the Iranians at this point think they're winning the fight. And so to me, we should never not pursue diplomacy. In fact, we should double down on it and enlist, again, more of our partners and allies in that in that purpose.

KEILAR: Just really quickly, we have about 20 seconds. Do you see indications that this administration is globalizing their diplomacy?

ESPER: No, I don't. I wish they would. I mean, there's, if anything, Iran is expanding the attacks by launching strikes, presumably against Egypt. They're threatening Bulgaria. They're expanding to other states and countries. They're now enlisting the Houthis in Yemen. And there was a ship sunk this morning in the Bab el-Mandeb. So they are globalizing it. I think we need to globalize our response as well and put more, again, full court press on them, beginning with economics.

KEILAR: Secretary Esper, thank you so much for being with us. Omar?

JIMENEZ: Let's get you all to some of the other headlines we are watching this hour, including Chipotle pulling jalapenos from some of its restaurants over salmonella fears. Health officials in several states are investigating an outbreak, including Minnesota -- in Minnesota, where at least 110 salmonella cases have been identified.

Now officials have been focusing on quick service, Mexican-style restaurants. In a statement, Chipotle didn't say where the peppers came from, but they did say they were sent to restaurants across multiple states, as the FDA is also investigating, saying multiple ingredients are being considered.

Meanwhile, new video shows the moment police in Indonesia arrested a Malaysia Airlines pilot. He is accused of smuggling 70,000 Ecstasy pills in his luggage. That's about 57 pounds of drugs. Police said the pilot was high at the time and had a bottle of clean urine in his bag in case he was drug tested, presumably.

They say a drug test after his arrest came back positive for cocaine, ecstasy and meth, meaning he likely used drugs while piloting his flight from Malaysia to Indonesia.

And the new bodycamera footage shows the moment police in Texas rushed in to save a man being attacked by a swarm of bees as he was doing yard work next to his home. Police found him on the ground, unable to get away from the bees because he's disabled. They did manage to get him into their police car, all while being swarmed and stung by the bees. The man is in the hospital recovering. The hive was found in an empty lot and removed.

A lot of bees, that's not a situation you ever want to be in, including this one. Up next, how A.I. agents use fake identities to target real people. Stay with CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:58:12]

JIMENEZ: There's been another security incident involving artificial intelligence agents. CNN has learned Anthropic's most advanced A.I. model and another from OpenAI used fake identities to deceive real people and tried to plant malicious code. Now, these unauthorized actions happened during testing by a British research lab. I want to get more from CNN A.I. Correspondent, who is a real person, Hadas Gold.

So Hadas, can you just tell us what happened and how serious this is?

HADAS GOLD, CNN A.I. CORRESPONDENT: So Omar, we've all heard about scammers using social engineering to try and trick people, right? Somebody pretends to be your bank, sends you an email, calls you pretending to be your credit cards fraud company. Well, in this case, it was A.I. agents who were using social engineering to try and trick real humans to insert malicious code into something.

So what happened? This is the U.K. government's A.I. Security Institute. They were running cyber security tests on both Anthropic and OpenAI's models. To be clear, they were removing these models' internal safeguards and did give them some access to the internet to test out their full capabilities. They said that out of 122 evaluations, they found that there were 19 unsanctioned movements essentially, actions taken by these agents, almost all of them aside from two were taken by Anthropic's Mythos, which is one of their more advanced capabilities.

In the worst one, in the worst incident, one of the agents was trying to get malicious code added to GitHub, which is this open-source repository. You can kind of think of it like Wikipedia for software code, where a human reviewer reviews what is submitted and can approve it or not. And this agent was trying to trick the human reviewer into adding malicious code, creating fake Identities to try and convince the human reviewer to approve that code.

As part of that same effort, they even tried to contact other real people directly, sending messages and files to try to persuade them to run this malicious code. Now, according to the U.K. Security Institute -- A.I. Security Institute, they --