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GOP Sen. Murkowski Says She Will Not Support Blanche's Attorney General Nomination; Growing Calls for Rep. Max Miller to Step Aside Amid Abuse Allegations; HHS Secretary RFK Jr. to Make Rare Visit to CDC Headquarters. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired August 07, 2026 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And she decided to do it again this week. Amazing, the flight raised money for the stroke unit that helped her recover after a stroke last year. John, would you do it?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The oldest woman to be strapped to the wing of a plane.

SIDNER: Right.

BERMAN: A new film about chef and travel journalist, our friend Anthony Bourdain, hits theaters today. Tony tells the story of Bourdain as a young man discovering his love for the kitchen.

Kate Bolduan sat down with the director and star of the film.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Like, hey, I've got this idea of, you know, this biopic, this interpretation of the life of Anthony Bourdain. Did that, I don't know, what was your, what did your gut tell you at the moment? Was it intimidating?

DOMINIC SESSA, ACTOR, TONY: Yes, I mean, I didn't really know what that meant. I mean, initially I think, OK, yes, you want me to play this guy who's like 45 years old. Like, I can't, that doesn't make any sense, you know?

But for me, yes, and I don't think I would ever feel comfortable, at least now, like trying to portray somebody in that way. But it became, after talking with Matt and getting to know him personally as well, I think it became personal for both of us, and it became, we learned a lot about ourselves doing it, you know, selfishly.

BOLDUAN: Wonderfully.

MATT JOHNSON, DIRECTOR, TONY: Hey, I think that the great secret of making movies about people that you don't know, and I include characters, is that you find a conspiracy between you and them, and in this case, it was a true conspiracy because you need three people, and that was between myself, Dom, and Anthony Bourdain. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Tony's in theaters today. Kate's extended interview is streaming on CNN All Access and at cnn.com or on the CNN app.

A new Hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

SIDNER: Breaking this morning, a key Republican senator says she will oppose Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general. It only takes one more Republican senator pulling his support to kill his chances. We are standing by to hear what President Trump might say about it this morning.

In minutes, a key indicator on America's finances drops. We are waiting for July's jobs report and what it says about the state of your economy.

And Netflix going to new heights to promote a new show, putting a man inside a billboard above the question, how long can you survive? I hope they paid him well.

Kate is out today. I'm Sara Sidner with John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BERMAN: Breaking this morning, Todd Blanche hanging on by a thread, a Bill Cassidy-sized thread because Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski announced just a short time ago, she will not support the nomination of Blanche to be attorney general. Again, minutes ago, she posted online that she does not have the confidence in Blanche to, quote, check the impulses of the administration. Now, Maine Senator Susan Collins has already stated she will oppose Blanche nomination, his nomination.

This means that if Mitch McConnell can't come in and vote, and honestly, that seems highly unlikely, it all comes down to Bill Cassidy, the man there on the right. If he votes no, Todd Blanche will not be confirmed as attorney general.

Let's get right to CNN's Alayna Treene at the White House for this latest development. Alayna, what are you hearing?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, this is a much narrower path now to try and get the president's nominee, Todd Blanche, into the role of attorney general more permanently. I will say in the statement we saw from Lisa Murkowski, she didn't mince words. She essentially argued that she believed -- or she didn't believe that Blanche would act to rein in President Donald Trump moving forward and reverse what she called the, quote, politicization and even weaponization of the Justice Department, something she said has, quote, accelerated under the president.

I do want to read for you this key statement, or key line from this statement, that I found to be quite interesting. She said, quote, "The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration. I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that if confirmed, but I simply do not have the confidence that that will be the case."

Now, as you mentioned, John, given that Senator Susan Collins has also said that she will not vote to confirm Blanche, it really does come down to Senator Bill Cassidy, someone who has had no qualms about speaking vocally and moving against President Donald Trump, particularly ever since Trump really worked to oust him in his Republican primary and virtually oust him from the Senate overall. Now, I will say we did hear from President Donald Trump about this.

[08:05:00]

He did an interview, this was taped yesterday, released today from Punchbowl News, and in it, he talked about how he believes it is so important to get Blanche through, but if he isn't, then he will keep him in an acting role.

Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All I can say is that he's a great gentleman, he's a great person, he's great at what he does. Everybody agrees with that. People think he's incredible.

If they don't agree to do what they should do, it'll be very sad, and we'll all survive. Todd will survive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He'll keep him in as acting.

TRUMP: Yes, sure, he'll be acting, but why should he be acting when, and you know, if he was a marginal -- everybody agrees he's fantastic, he's great, he's fair, he's a fair guy, not a radical flamethrower. Yes, he's going to be acting, and we'll try it again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, what I think is really interesting to note here as well is that this has been a very, very important vote for the president and his team. I know from my conversations with people here at the White House, John, that they have been really trying to lobby senators to get behind Blanche, so this would be a significant blow if he is not able to get confirmed. Someone who, of course, Todd Blanche, very close to the president, used to be his former personal attorney, the attorney general role, very powerful and important to this president, so we're really going to have to see what happens here.

We're standing by for a reaction from the president to Murkowski's no- vote, John.

BERMAN: Yes, and again, it all comes down to Bill Cassidy. Of course, the president worked to unseat in Louisiana, but I do wonder, with the language Lisa Murkowski was using, she said Blanche, if confirmed, would not stand up to the president. Maybe she knows what Cassidy is voting or where he's leaning.

We'll see. Someone knows out there. Alayna Treene at the White House, thank you very much -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right, there are growing calls from Republicans this morning for embattled Ohio Congressman Max Miller to step aside as he continues to deny abuse allegations from his ex-wife and two other women. Fellow Ohio Republican Senator Jon Husted, as well as GOP senators Tim Sheehy and Katie Britt have all said Miller should step aside. Senator Bernie Moreno, the father of Miller's ex-wife, says he sent his daughter and granddaughter out of state to a secure place amid these allegations.

A source tells CNN there is an intense push by party officials to get Miller to drop out of the race. But so far, Miller appearing unconvinced. The Wall Street Journal reporting he plans to lend his campaign a million dollars from his own money.

Joining us now is Toluse Olorunnipa, a staff writer for the Atlantic. Here is the one person who could break this sort of, this sense that he's going to stay in the race, and that is President Trump. So what have we heard from President Trump so far in this case that may indicate one way or the other that he is looking at potentially trying to push him out?

TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: Well, we've heard different things in public versus what's been reported about the president's private conversations with Representative Miller. In public, the president has said he's a good guy, it's a tough situation. He's declined to weigh in and say that he thinks that Max Miller should get out of this race.

But behind the scenes, he's looking at the polling, he's looking at what his political advisors were telling him, and he told Max Miller directly that this is a tough situation and that maybe he should consider stepping out of this race. But when we've heard from Max Miller, he instead is using President Trump's own example of staying in the race, even when things were tough, even when there was negative reporting about him, even when he was accused of a number of different things back in 2016, and he stayed in the race and he ended up winning. And Max Miller is using that example and saying that he wants to follow in the president's footsteps.

And so we do have a little bit of, you know, political maneuvering going on, the president thinking about how he might be able to get out of Max Miller. Max Miller thinking about how he might be able to win the president's support by comparing himself to Donald Trump in 2016.

SIDNER: Yes, and complimenting him along the way as much as he can, clearly knowing where his bread is buttered. But I do want to ask you about the fact that he's putting his own money, letting the campaign borrow a million dollars, not chump change at all, which doesn't necessarily mean this is a good thing for him. He has only one voter, he can only vote for himself once.

But what does this tell you about his plan going forward?

OLORUNNIPA: He is trying to put the Republican Party up against the wall. They realize that -- he realizes that August 10th is really the last date, this is next week, for the Republican Party to put in a new candidate into this race. And so he's trying to get himself a bridge to show that he's staying in this race, show that the donors that may be withholding their money, trying to force him out of this race are not doing anything that's going to actually push him out of the race and leave the Republican Party with no choice but to either side with him or to give up that seat.

[08:10:00]

And we're in a fight for the control of the House. Republicans cannot give up many seats because they already have a very narrow majority. And he is trying to muscle the party into supporting him because he is a vote that they will need to try to keep control of the House.

And so he's trying to bridge over the next few days, lend his campaign money, and also make a signal to those who may be trying to push him out that he's here to stay. We'll have to wait and see whether or not that continues, whether or not the pressure becomes too hard for him in the next hours. But he really only has a few days to make the final decision of whether he's going to stay in this race or get out.

Because if we get into next week and he's still in the race, his name will definitely be on the ballot, and Republicans will be stuck with him no matter what happens.

SIDNER: Toluse, there's a lot for him to lose, if you know what I mean, in this whole debacle, but also the women who have come up and made these allegations against him. They're very serious. And there are now so many Republicans that are calling for him to step down, excluding his two colleagues in Ohio.

We will see where this goes. It is a pleasure to have you on to analyze all this for us -- John.

BERMAN: All right, in the face of a measles outbreak and the expanding wave of explosive diarrhea, Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. makes a rare trip to the CDC.

And new this morning, President Trump says voters are angry at Republicans, but not at him. What the numbers actually show.

And new video of a tractor trailer slamming into a house.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He could have been in there. And he probably would have been dead because right where that truck is sitting is right where his workbench is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: Happening today, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. is expected to be at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta for a rare visit. He will host a ceremony to mark the anniversary of last year's deadly shooting there and take questions from staff amid leadership changes and staff shake-ups. His visit comes as the agency prepares to welcome its new director, Dr. Erica Schwartz.

CNN Health reporter Jacqueline Howard is at the CDC. Jacqueline, look, there is as much concern for his coming there as there may be folks who are happy to see him. Give us some sense of what you're learning.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: That's right, Sara. And, you know, keep in mind, many people probably remember that tragic Friday last August when a gunman opened fire here at CDC offices in Atlanta, Georgia, right behind me. So this is an emotional day, knowing that this is the first anniversary since that shooting.

And like you said, Sara, CDC staff, are expecting this visit from Secretary Kennedy. What we know about his visit today, we know that he will be hosting a commemoration ceremony in honor of DeKalb County Officer David Rose, who was killed during that tragic shooting last year. There's still a memorial behind me that is, again, in honor of David Rose.

This has been up for the past year here in Atlanta. And along with this commemoration ceremony, we know that Secretary Kennedy will hold this ceremony at a memorial plaque in honor of the officer. We also know, Sara, later this afternoon, we're hearing that there will be a fireside chat with Kennedy as well as Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health. We're hearing that CDC staff will be able to ask Secretary Kennedy questions during this fireside chat. And as you mentioned, these events are happening just a couple of days after Dr. Erica Schwartz was confirmed as the new CDC Director.

It's not clear what involvement she may have in these events, but like I said, Sara, this is an emotional time for the agency. They've been without a director for the past year. So they see their new director has been confirmed. They are still, again, experiencing this emotional aftermath a year later after the tragic shooting.

They're anticipating this visit from Secretary Kennedy. So there are high emotions right now at the agency -- Sara.

SIDNER: Yes, yes. And I've spoken to someone who works there. There's also concerns about what RFK has been saying about healthcare workers during the pandemic and his skepticism of vaccines.

There is a lot that is going on in the minds of those who are -- who's job it is to try to keep us safe. Jacqueline Howard, I know you will get all the details for us. Thank you so much for your reporting this morning from Atlanta for us.

All right, ahead. His case has now been tossed. The charges dropped.

Now the former Olympian who had been accused of vandalizing the reflecting pool says all options are on the table as he considers his next move. And a stolen car crashing in a neighborhood. Behind the wheel, police

say, a seven-year-old boy and his four-year-old brother, they left someone injured.

We'll tell you about this story coming up.

[08:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, this morning, signs that President Trump's political movement, the so-called MAGA movement, is losing support amid a key group. With us now, CNN chief data analyst, Harry Enten. So what's going on here?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: What is going on, Mr. Berman? What's going on is simple. Is the MAGA movement was built among the working class, non-college Americans. And take a look at this trend line that we're looking at in the data.

Here we go. OK, net favorability rate. The MAGA movement, non-college adults. Back in October of 2024.

Look at that. On the plus side of ledger. Positive.

Plus six points. Down we go into the Atlantic Ocean. Now look at this movement.

Now minus 22 points. That is a shift, Johnny B., of 28 points away from the MAGA movement away with non-college Americans. So the bottom line is, is the group at which the Trump movement was built upon, they are shifting away and saying, we don't like MAGA anymore.

BERMAN: Same question, same poll here. This is really interesting to see these numbers move like that.

ENTEN Yes, exactly right. So same question, same poll.

[08:25:00]

BERMAN: All right, so how about what the same group is saying about Donald Trump specifically?

ENTEN Yes, OK. So you know what? The idea being, OK, maybe they've soured on MAGA, but they haven't saved -- soured on MAGA, but maybe they haven't soured on me, Donald Trump might be saying. Ain't the truth. Take a look here.

OK, non-college voters on Trump. Hello! OK, in the 2024 election, he won them by 13 points, right?

That was the reason he won. He won among non-college voters, a very strong performance amongst them. And that, of course, was the reason he was able to win because college voters were against him.

But look at this now, minus 19 points. Minus 19 points. We're talking about an even bigger shift here.

We're talking about, what is this? This is a 32 point shift away from the President of the United States when it comes to his key core political group. This is why he's in so much trouble.

It's not just that college voters are against Trump now. It turns out that non-college voters, the ones that he built his presidential bid on, have waved adios, goodbye, see you later, Mr. Trump. We don't like you anymore.

BERMAN: So what impact might this have on Republican House members?

ENTEN: OK, Johnny B. is asking the key question here because maybe they're abandoning President Trump, but you know what? The midterm elections, they may not like Democrats either.

Well, if you're a congressional Republican and you wish that to be true, I have bad news for you because it turns out that the non- college voters are turning on you, too, and it may, in fact, turn you out of power in the congressional elections coming up in the midterms. The choice for the House, non-college voters. 2024 election, look at this.

Republicans plus 13 points. Now Democrats, Democrats actually lead among non-college voters in an average of polls. It's just a point, but you know what?

When it comes to a point and given how well the Democrats are doing among college voters, these are the types of numbers in which blue waves are built, and therefore we can say that the key group that put Donald Trump in the White House, the key group that he built the MAGA movement upon is leaving him, and it's leaving congressional Republicans, too.

BERMAN: Harry Enten, thank you very much for that.

ENTEN: Thank you, John Berman.

BERMAN: The time is 8:26 and 20 seconds, which means in about three minutes and 40 seconds we get a brand new jobs report. What will it say?

And one woman is on a mission to make expensive medical technology available and accessible to all.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)