Return to Transcripts main page
CNN News Central
Florida Voters Pick Nominees for Midterms; Trump Halts Talks with Iran Signaling New Approach; Ossoff Doubles Down on Trump Insults as Feud Intensifies; Judge Seeks Grand Jury Materials in Don Lemon Case. Aired 8-8:30a ET
Aired August 19, 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]
MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Paul Cheek, who leads that institute, and he told me that if you combine these two reports, it suggests that AI really has two problems, right? One is the seniority problem, and two, it's a gender problem. And his advice to the business leaders out there is they've got to stop this zero-sum war for talent that are really experienced talent, and they have to start building their own internal talent pipeline.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It comes at a time when there's a lot of other criticism about the AI revolution. Interesting data here. Matt Egan, thank you very much -- Sara.
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: You've got to worry if AI is going to take some of those jobs as well, eventually, when it starts learning more and more. We will be watching.
All right, on our radar for you, police in Toledo, Ohio, say two workers at a recycling plant have died following a massive explosion Tuesday morning. Flames could be seen shooting from the building. Our affiliate reports 12 workers were inside at the time of the explosion.
Most were able to escape with minor injuries, but a man and woman were killed. An investigation into what caused this explosion underway this morning.
And take a look at this. The moment that people lift a car off of a person pinned underneath it. It happened after a crash in Los Angeles. LAPD officers and a group of bystanders helped flip that car over to get the man inside out.
Police say the victim survived this. Amazing.
A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.
Breaking overnight, an unexpected upset by a Democratic Socialist in Florida and a mixed bag of results for Trump backed candidates. We have results from key primaries that have set up high stakes races in the November midterms.
Also, as Axios is putting it, Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff is testing his party's appetite for going low, taking more jabs at the president and escalating the war of words with the White House.
And the landmark trial that could have a seismic consequences for Meta and social media has begun. Lawyers for several states laying out a case accusing the tech giant of deliberately hooking and exploiting children for profit.
I'm Sara Sidner with Kate Bolduan and John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.
BERMAN: All right, the breaking news this morning, the results are in from key primaries and the biggest surprise, absolutely, Angie Nixon pulling off a stunning upset against Alex Vindman to win the Democratic nomination for Senate there. This is despite Vindman outraising her $16 million to about $1 million. She outspent her on media by about 37 times.
Also this morning, some growing evidence that President Trump's endorsement, no guarantee of victory. The Trump backed Congressman Cory Mills, who was under a house ethics probe, lost his bid for reelection. Catalina Lauf, the Trump endorsed candidate in Florida's 19th congressional district, she lost her race as well.
And Trump's candidate for Wyoming governor, Megan Degenfelder, also fell short. Now one of the quirkiest results in Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola and incumbent Senator Republican Dan Sullivan, they will advance to the general election. But there is a twist here, a twist also named Dan Sullivan.
There is an additional candidate named Dan Sullivan on the ballot, and he still could make it to November. That's not Dan Sullivan though you're seeing. That's Steve Contorno live in Orlando, Florida with some of the latest on the primary results overnight.
You could change your name to Dan Sullivan.
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: I could and then I'll have to fly across the country and run for office in Alaska, I guess. But good morning, John. You know, it's been an interesting 12 hours since those election results came in last night.
Just to take a step back, the Democratic Party and Democratic voters in Florida nominated and on the same day, a former Republican congressman and David Jolly to be the party's representative for governor. And then a Democratic Socialist in Angie Nixon to be this party's nominee for U.S. Senate. It just shows that candidates and campaigns really matter and that's what really was the difference in this shocking upset by Angie Nixon.
She is someone who is well known in the Jacksonville area where she comes from. She is a state rep. She didn't exactly come out of nowhere in that respect like some of these other DSA candidates we've seen have wins across the country recently. And she brings some interesting support from progressive groups into this now general election where she will go up against Ashley Moody.
And she's already been talking about what she wants to focus on in this campaign versus the Democratic Socialist label. Take a listen to what she said just moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[08:05:00]
ANGIE NIXON, (D) FLORIDA SENATE CANDIDATE: They are frankly just tired and fed up of these politicians, these corrupt politicians like unelected Ashley Moody and Donald Trump who are in Washington working less but getting richer. Meanwhile, folks like us, everyday people who are working harder than ever, basically have nothing to show for.
And that's been resonating. People know I'm not a politician. They know I'm someone that's just like them and I'm a public servant that's going to fight for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CONTORNO: Now I got to say last night I was at the headquarters for Byron Donalds, the Republican congressman who will be the party's nominee for governor, and they were pretty upbeat about how Nixon being on the Democratic ticket could help them in their race. They think that she will perform very poorly and hurts the party's chances in parts of South Florida where the socialist label can be very damaging, particularly in the Cuban and Venezuelan communities. But I also talked to some Republicans last night who say, you know, let's not get ahead of ourselves.
She is a young, black, progressive candidate that's a different demographic than perhaps David Jolly would be able to reach, and she might be able to boost him in that respect. 76 days now between today and the general election, John, and we'll have to see how these two candidates, Nixon and Jolly, campaign together.
BERMAN: Steve Contorno for us in Orlando. Steve, thank you very much -- Kate.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Also this morning, with traffic in the Strait of Hormuz still basically at a standstill, we could call it a trickle, both the United States and Iran seem to be trying new strategies and new approaches to this. President Trump has halted all talks, he says, with Tehran, and Iran's hardline leadership is now devising a new strategy of its own, one that reporting says emphasizes offensive operations and takes a more assertive stance, according to one Iranian official. So a source tells CNN that the White House, though, that White House officials have now told political allies that they're shifting from hammer Iran ASAP to strangle them over time.
CNN's Betsy Klein is at the White House with this new reporting. Betsy, what more are you learning?
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Kate, this could be an effort to shake something loose, because we are now six months almost into this war with Iran, the Memorandum of Understanding has collapsed, there's no nuclear deal, there's no clear strategy to end this conflict, and traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remains severely restricted. So we are witnessing what appears to be a shift in the strategy here. We heard from President Trump yesterday in that post to social media where he said that there are no talks with Iran going on or scheduled.
And now we've learned that he's telling top officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff, Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, and others involved in these negotiations with Iran to halt conversations for now. A U.S. official telling CNN in a statement, quote, "There have been positive discussions, but President Trump has decided to wait and asked his team to not engage until Iran is ready to make a deal." And as you mentioned there, White House officials have been communicating that message to their political allies. They are signaling that there is a change in the strategy here from get this done quickly, hammer Iran fast, to choke them economically, let this play out, give them some time.
In President Trump's view, he wants them to show, the Iranian leaders, to show that they have some willingness to -- a fresh willingness to negotiate before he is willing to get back to that table there. Now, the Strait of Hormuz remains a key point of contention. Before this conflict, no one had control over that critical oil thoroughfare, and it's been a topic of the discussions between Iran and Omani officials.
President Trump privately has been displeased with the contours of that emerging deal, including the idea of a potential toll for that waterway. The president has repeatedly said he does not want any fees to be charged. He wants free flow of vessels.
But the president has repeatedly said he's not in a rush to end this conflict. And one sign of that, and that the U.S. isn't going to withdraw anytime soon, he suggested in a series of posts to social media that the U.S. could take control of the Strait of Hormuz as a new territory -- Kate.
BOLDUAN: Yes. Betsy, thank you so much for your reporting. I really appreciate it -- Sara.
SIDNER: All right, thank you, Kate. Ahead, this morning, we are now hearing from the brother of the Trump aide whose name was evoked sparking a new feud between Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff and the White House. What her brother says about her extreme loyalty to the president.
Plus, Meta on trial accused of exploiting children. The case kicking off against the parent company of Instagram and Facebook that could have huge consequences for social media.
[08:10:00]
Plus, a mother placed in handcuffs after police say she let her child drive her to a gas station and the ride ended poorly. More details ahead on this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIDNER: This morning, we're learning new details about Natalie Harp, one of the president's closest aides, whose name was invoked by Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff during his takedown of the president.
[08:15:00]
Two sources telling CNN now that Harp got into the trunk of an SUV after she was told there was no room for her in the president's motorcade. The 2023 incident unfolded as the president was heading to court and the episode is one of several that has prompted concerns. Here's what her brother told CNN's Erin Burnett.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESTON HARP, NATALIE HARP'S BROTHER: Trump's best friends are people who are his fan club, you know, like, and so she's his biggest fan. And so that's probably why he likes her. And like, she's good looking.
She's got a good personality. She's written letters to other presidents. Let me put it that way.
And so her dream came true finally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: It's interesting. Harp and her brother are estranged. Harp also, as I mentioned, at the center of comments by Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, who's refused to back down from a growing feud with the president.
CNN's Arlette Saenz joining us now. Arlette, the senator continued his attacks and the way he is attacking the president. What did you learn?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, Senator Jon Ossoff is really leaning into this moment, showing no signs of backing down from this escalating feud with the president. Now, Ossoff's stinging critiques of Trump have really become a signature of so many of his campaign speeches. He's railed against the president on issues relating to corruption, high costs in this country and also his handling of the war with Iran.
But this comment regarding the president's personal aide, Natalie Harp, really took things to a new level and drew the ire of the president and many conservatives. There are a lot of conservatives who have argued that these comments are sexist or perhaps suggest some insinuations about their relationship. But at the same time, Democrats, many Democrats are cheering Ossoff's moves here as he continues to try to level attacks against Trump.
Yesterday, he was on the campaign trail with Senator Mark Kelly. And this is a bit of what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JON OSSOFF (D-GA): I don't think anything illustrates the times more aptly than that the draft-dodging crook president --
(CHEERING) OSSOFF: -- who has plunged our nation recklessly into a war he knows not how to end or to win tried to imprison this man who embodies American heroism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: Now, that comment right there at the end was referencing Senator Mark Kelly's own clash with President Donald Trump, who had once accused him of seditious behavior. But what we're seeing from Ossoff is he has really learned how to kind of capture the attention economy that plays out around politics. For months, he's followed a very similar script with his campaign events.
He holds this massive rally. He offers up these zingers against Trump that are very easy to clip, and then those kind of ricochet around the Internet. And it's part of what fuels a lot of the conversation about Jon Ossoff and whether he might be a potential 2028 contender.
He has said that he has zero interest, that his focus right now is on trying to rewin his Senate seat in an important election this November. But certainly there are a lot of Democrats who raise his name and speculate about whether he could potentially have his eyes on higher office. But Ossoff, of course, will need to first get through this midterm election as he is trying to have another term in the U.S. Senate.
SIDNER: Yep. Arlette Saenz, great reporting from you this morning. Really do appreciate it.
Thank you -- Kate.
BOLDUAN: So, police say they have busted a massive cocaine trafficking ring at Penn State University, and now several members of a fraternity on campus are facing charges.
And Senator Darline Graham is running to keep her late brother's Senate seat and just had a rough night on the debate stage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DARLINE GRAHAM (R-SC): I'm just going to be honest here. I'm not on national security -- I'm not that informed on national security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[08:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[BOLDUAN: So there's a new development in a case out of Minnesota. A federal judge now ordering a review of grand jury materials linked to the indictment of several media figures, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon. The incident that triggered this, you'll remember, happened earlier this year.
Don, along with independent journalists Georgia Fort and other now co- defendants, are accused of disrupting a church service during a protest in January. They say they were covering the protest as journalists, which Don is. Now this new order, described as extraordinary, compels the Justice Department to provide the judge with the presentations DOJ made to the grand jury in January and February that resulted in Lemon's indictment.
Here's a quote from the order. "The materials should comprise any introduction, legal instructions for the two counts, witness testimony and closing, including answers to questions from the grand jurors." Joining me now, CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson.
What's extraordinary, of course, that seems to be around this, is grand jury proceedings are so secretive. What's the balance here? What do you think of this?
JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: So I think quite a bit of it, and here's why, Kate -- good morning. I think that you have judges, and particularly this one and others, who are very concerned about a Justice Department that may not be doing justice. There's been, and it hasn't been a secret, right, an indication of whether we have a Justice Department that's being controlled by the White House.
[08:25:00]
Historically, the Justice Department has been independent from the White House. Why are we talking about this? We know about James Comey, right?
We know about going after him, political enemy. We know about Letitia James going after her. Why is that relevant to this discussion?
Because I think there may be a feeling amongst the judiciary, based upon this and other cases, is this proper legal protocol? Did you do it right? Did you call ball and strikes?
Remember this by way of context, Kate. In the grand jury, the prosecution acts as the judge, the jury, and executioner. Defense attorney's not in there, defendant is not in there, so you could instruct the grand jury however you wish. You can give facts to the grand jury, which you do through witnesses, but you legally instruct them.
This judge is making sure that all of that was done properly with regard to the first indictment and what we call the superseding indictment thereafter. So what's the right call? She's not saying she's going to dismiss.
BOLDUAN: That's what I was going to say. A closed-door review of this means what for the case? What means what for Don?
It means what for this whole thing?
JACKSON: Quite a bit. So what ends up happening is that you do, let's start here. Grand jurors, we know they have 23 people on them, right? 16 constitutes a quorum. You need a simple majority, simple majority, 12, to vote out an indictment. You're not saying anyone's guilty in the grand jury.
You're saying there's reason to believe that a crime was committed and that the subject of the grand jury presentation committed that crime. But in doing that, prosecutors introduce witnesses to the grand jury. You ask questions to those witnesses.
After every witness has testified, you then instruct the jury. Ladies and gentlemen of the grand jury, I now instruct you as to the applicable law. And the grand jury has to find that it's legally, the facts raise it to a legally sufficient level to indict.
Now, that's a big deal because that's completely controlled by the Department of Justice. Here, now you're going to have a judge that reviews this to make sure that everything was done right and things were not manipulated, and there's precedent for this.
BOLDUAN: Could dot, dot, dot mean they could be moving?
JACKSON: Dismissal of the case. If a judge evaluates this and determines that there were, you know, improprieties in the grand jury, that case goes away. Now, if you look at what happened in Chicago relating to the case that was leveled against the anti-ICE protesters, that was dismissed, and the U.S. attorney apologized because it was just so abhorrent what had happened. Last point, Kate. And that is that I think the judge is saying, hey, you went to a magistrate to get this actual -- to get a search warrant and to get an arrest warrant, and you went to two different ones, and they said no. And then you, DOJ, bypassed that and you went to the grand jury.
There might be something here. I better look. And that's what this judge is doing, saying I want to look under the hood.
I think that's the right call for justice.
BOLDUAN: All right, let's see. Big development here. Good to see you, Joey. Thank you -- Sara.
SIDNER: All right, thank you so much, guys.
This morning, court expected to resume in the murder trial for rap icon Tupac Shakur after a hostile witness took the stand yesterday.
And "Hacks" star and co-creator Paul W. Downs having a sit down with our Elizabeth Wagmeister.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELISABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: So you wrote this part with Jean Smart in mind?
PAUL W. DOWNS, HACKS STAR AND CO-CREATOR: No.
WAGMEISTER: No?
DOWNS: No. We wrote it as, and Jean will say, Jean will say, well, when you were writing it in 2015, I was far too young for the part, which is true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
