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Todd Blanche Confirmed by Senate as U.S. Attorney General Despite Fears Blanche Might Weaponize Justice Department on President Trump's Behalf; Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine Reportedly Told Top Advisers Remaining Military Options against Iran Could Backfire on U.S.; Mayor of Cape May, New Jersey, Interviewed on Cyberattack against His City's Water System; Federal Appeals Court Halts Building of New White House Ballroom; Interview with Man Who Identified Suspect in Spokane Wildfire; Investigation into U.S. Operations against Alleged Drug Trafficking Boats in Caribbean and Pacific Uncovers Innocent Deaths. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired August 08, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:34]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Looking for an offramp, nearly six months into the conflict with Iran, the top U.S. general feels the war has reached a crossroads. We have new CNN reporting.

Plus, fire danger, crews battling destructive blazes in the pacific northwest are facing harsh conditions today as they try to get a handle on three large wildfires near Spokane. We'll talk to a grandfather who helped investigators find the man accused of starting one of those fires.

And later, homerun robbery, a minor league outfielder makes the catch of the year. You've got to see this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.

WHITFIELD: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, it's official. Todd Blanche is set to become the next U.S. attorney general of the United States. President Trump's former personal lawyer was narrowly confirmed by the Senate in an overnight vote with Republican Senator Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joining the Democrats in opposition of the nomination.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On this vote, the yeas are 50, the nays are 49. The nomination is confirmed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Blanche's confirmation to take over as the nation's top law enforcement officer ends weeks of uncertainty over concerns that he could surrender independence of the Justice Department to the president. CNN's Brian Todd has details on how this tense confirmation played out.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, it was an arduous week for Todd Blanche, as he really didn't know whether he had the votes for confirmation until late in the week. It was late Friday when Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana finally came out and said that he would support Todd Blanche for attorney general. That put Todd Blanche over the top, but by the narrowest of margins. That vote 50 to 49, with Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski siding with the Democrats to vote against the Todd Blanche nomination.

The concern, of course, by all the senators who were on the fence about Todd Blanche was, is going to continue Donald Trump's retribution campaign against his political enemies using the Justice Department to go after those enemies. The answer, of course, is not clear. And those Republicans on the fence knew it wasn't clear. That's why so many of them, including Murkowski, had concerns.

Here's a quote from Lisa Murkowski ahead of the vote. 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 confidence that that will be the case," end quote. That was from Lisa Murkowski.

So it came down to Bill Cassidy, who in the end had his own concerns about the probe into Cassidy Hutchinson. She is the former White House aide who was a pivotal witness in the congressional probe into the January 6th attack on the Capitol. There are concerns that Cassidy Hutchinson might be indicted. That's not -- still not clear whether she will be or not. But apparently Todd Blanche said enough to Bill Cassidy to alleviate concerns about Cassidy Hutchinson. So Bill Cassidy did, finally, in the end, support Todd Blanche.

But again, still concerns whether Blanche is going to, again, carry out Donald Trump's wishes and, you know, bring cases against Donald Trump's political enemies.

Another thing we should note about the Senate's business before it adjourned for its August recess. The Senate did pass a -- the extension of funding, excuse me, the extension of funding for the government through December 11th. There was a September deadline for that. So they got that done ahead of the September deadline. But they were trying to avert a possible government shutdown before the midterm elections. So they did pass the bill to extend the funding of the government until December 11th.

But still, the funding of the government, the fate of that bill is not quite certain yet, because the House still has to take up that measure. And in the House it is a little bit more uncertain. The House has passed an alternative measure to that spending bill. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Brian Todd, thanks so much.

All right, new reporting today. Sources tell CNN that President Trump's top general is looking for an offramp from the Iran conflict. [14:05:00]

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine, told top advisers that the military options left on the table could backfire. CNNs Julia Benbrook is in New Jersey near where the president is spending the weekend. Julia, what else do we know about General Caine's concerns?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: According to sources familiar with the matter who spoke with CNN, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine has privately made clear that the United States needs to look for an offramp when it comes to the conflict with Iran because the military options that are on the table to escalate have the potential to backfire, and because air power alone has its limits when it comes to the objectives that have been laid out by President Donald Trump.

Now, those who spoke with our team said that Caine has expressed these concerns with other key officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President J.D. Vance. Some have said that he has been less direct when it comes to the president himself, carefully communicating any potential downsides when it comes to the military options as he presents those to Trump.

Now, we did reach out to Caine's team for a comment on all of this. They essentially said that they would not comment on what they call confidential conversations with top advisers and the president himself. A White House official did give us this statement in response to some of this reporting, saying, quote, "General Caine is an incredible asset to President Trump's national security team, and the overwhelming success of Operations Epic Fury, Midnight Hammer, and Absolute Resolve speaks for itself. The general always provides accurate, unbiased information, and a host of options to the commander in chief, who ultimately makes decisions based on what he feels is best for U.S. national security."

This comes as there have been reports of a dwindling munitions stockpile. This was a key topic at a recent cabinet meeting that took place at Camp David. And Trump has acknowledged that certain munitions are, quote, "tighter". But he has also insisted that the United States has what it needs to continue fighting if necessary. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: We have certain types of munitions that are very powerful, that we have unlimited, virtually unlimited supply. We have others where it's a little bit tighter, and we're getting them in on a daily basis. We always want more. We have to have more. We have other things maybe come up, maybe come up and maybe don't come up. Hopefully nothing else does come up. But we're in very good shape. We have literally massive amounts of ammunition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: And as this conflict now nears the six-month mark, Vice President J.D. Vance in an interview with FOX News that aired earlier today, he said that he wants to remind people that, quote, "We're in the middle of the game here," adding that this thing is not over. Now, of course, after those first joint U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran months ago, Trump had said that this could last a matter of days, a matter of weeks. Again, now nearly six months into this conflict. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, Julia Benbrook, thank you so much in New Jersey.

All right, meantime, another key development in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia signed a NATO style defense pact with Pakistan and Turkey on Friday. The deal formalizes longstanding security ties between the countries. CNN's Nada Bashir explains.

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NADA BASHIR, CNN PRODUCER: Well, of course, many in the region, including particularly the Gulf allies of the United States, are hoping that this will at least shift the needle in some positive direction to allow for further negotiations to take place. It's understood that the broader framework of this agreement has, of course, been laid out on the table with approval, tacit approval on both sides. Both Iran and Omani officials, of course, taking part in those discussions and negotiations for some weeks now. But the hope would be under the terms of this agreement, according to officials cited by Iranian state media, is that a central passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be agreed upon by officials on both sides, with inbound traffic being monitored and overseen by Iranian officials, outbound traffic by Omani officials.

And this would be as opposed to the former status quo that we have seen over the course of this war, in which Iran has pushed for vessels to travel along the corridor near it's coastline, as opposed to vessels traveling along the Omani coastline, where, of course, many of those vessels have then come under attack by the IRGC.

Now, of course, the Strait of Hormuz and allowing vessels to travel safely through this key shipping passage has been a key stumbling block in negotiations, and there is some hope amongst mediators, again, particularly in the Gulf, that this latest development, if indeed the agreement is seen through, that this would allow for further negotiations to take place.

[14:10:04]

And it does appear as though the U.S. might be heading towards the direction of pushing for further mediation and negotiations, particularly, of course, given those frank comments by President Trump's top general, Dan Caine, according to three sources familiar with discussions ongoing behind the scenes, warning that they may need an offramp soon, that any further action taken, any military options on the table to escalate this conflict could backfire, and also some concerns that air power alone on the part of the U.S. military will not be enough to secure President Trump's end goals.

And of course, we had previously heard at the outset of this war from the U.S. president that much of Iran's military capabilities had already been decimated, that this would only take weeks. Clearly, nearly six months into this war, that has not been the case. And now this frank warning that the U.S. may need an offramp might be enough to push the U.S. and other allies towards further negotiations. But, of course, all that remains to be seen.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: Nada Bashir, thank you so much.

All right, coming up, President Trump insists the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool was vandalized and is now demanding his U.S. attorney in D.C. revisit the case that she dropped.

Plus, cyberattacks are targeting water systems across the U.S. and exposing a vulnerability experts have warned about for years. We'll be joined by the mayor of one city whose water system was attacked.

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[14:16:12]

WHITFIELD: A recent spate of cyberattacks on state water systems has revealed critical infrastructure vulnerabilities, leaving U.S. officials concerned about future threats. Sources tell CNN that a dozen states were targeted in the coordinated hack. The first public sign of the hacks came from authorities in Minnesota last week. Now the FBI says it is investigating reports in Michigan and Georgia. There are no known incidents of water contamination at this point, thankfully.

I'm joined now by Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock, whose city was hit in a cyberattack this week. And I do want to note that he is also the Democratic nominee for New Jersey's second congressional district. All right, Mayor, great to see you. Let's talk about what happened.

MAYOR ZACK MULLOCK, CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY: Fredricka, thank you so much for having me.

WHITFIELD: Absolutely. Let's talk about what happened and how frightening this was. And when did you learn that something was awry?

MULLOCK: Yes. Our city manager sent us an email that at 2:30 in the morning we could not figure out why our water tank was saying that the water was low and it looked like our pumps were on. To the credit of our staff, they immediately understood that the pumps were not on, and that was part of the hack. They contacted the DEP, the FBI, the NJCCIC, and by 7:00 in the morning had it figured out. But only because of the work of the cybersecurity staff and our staff here locally, did they, were they able to do that quickly.

WHITFIELD: Did this impact services citywide?

MULLOCK: Luckily it didn't. But you know, the fact is, if our system was more automated and more connected to the internet, we could have had some major issues. And, you know, that's, I think, what is really scary about this attack. WHITFIELD: So what kind of precautions are in place to protect the

city's water, other systems that you are able to kind of publicize, so if something like this were to happen again, what are you able to do? What can you avert?

MULLOCK: Well, I think that's the problem. Really, the federal and state agencies that we spoke to said that there wasn't much that we could change. And I think that's the problem. You need to not be connected online as much as possible. But, you know, I think what we're experiencing is, is modern warfare. This is, you know, the attack right here on our home front. And I think that's what's scary to me as a mayor. We need federal and state agencies to be able to help us. And small municipalities such as ourselves can't do this alone.

WHITFIELD: Do you have any idea who is responsible for this?

MULLOCK: Well, I think you can see on the news who is the expected people involved. We were told that Iran was involved in this. There's not 100 percent certainty, but that's who we suspect was involved in it.

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, that might be what suspected. But what is being presented to you to give you a better idea, a better handle of who is responsible? What would be the hallmarks to know with certainty?

MULLOCK: Well, that that is what they're investigating now. And I am told that that may take months to find out. But the obvious suspect right away was Iran.

WHITFIELD: OK. So I'm wondering, while some states and cities are choosing not to be public, that they were subjected to this cyberattack, others such as, you know, your city and you are revealing it publicly. Is, you know, what are you assessing in terms of why it is important to be as transparent as you can about being targeted?

[14:20:01]

MULLOCK: Well, water system, we have to be as transparent as possible, but we immediately worked with both several state and federal agencies and frankly, went with their advice. We certainly didn't want to make any announcements without their input, making sure were not revealing any issues of national security. So we spoke with them. They agreed that we should announce this publicly. And as soon as everyone was in agreement, that's when we put out our press release.

WHITFIELD: OK.

All right, let's switch gears now to the midterms, where you are running for election to the House. You know, what are you hearing from voters about what is motivating them to go to the polls? Oftentimes, midterm elections are not as popular, obviously, as the general election. But are you hearing otherwise from people? What's motivating them? Why are they enthusiastic? Or why, in your view, are they lacking those things? MULLOCK: Well, I think why I'm here today is a perfect example.

People are concerned about national security issues. They're also concerned about, you know, kitchen table issues. Obviously affordability, I hear it every day, people complaining about health care insurance costs. Even local issues here.

I'll tell you, we rely on tourism here in Cape May County and south Jersey, and one local example is Canadian tourism. For a lot of our areas in New Jersey, that represents 10 percent of our tourism. Last year it was down 60 percent. This year it's estimated to be down even more than that. And I think there's a lot of people in the tourism industry that are upset about that because they feel like, for what reason? And the tariffs that we've put on that are ultimately being paid by their business owners, I think people are very upset about that right now in south Jersey.

WHITFIELD: All right. Mayor Mack Mullock, thank you so much for being with us. All the best.

MULLOCK: Thank you so much for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right, we're also learning more about last weekend's deadly shooting in Twin Falls, Idaho, with a look inside the In-N-Out Burger. Newly released video shows the shocking moments that employees are sent scrambling as the gunman fires into the drive-through window. You see right there, employees who were, you know, hitting the floor there, trying to keep themselves safe. And then there's footage there. You see a former Twin Falls officer actually confronting the shooter, exchanging gunfire. Police say an off-duty state trooper and a civilian also stepped in to draw the shooter away from the restaurant. Three people in all were killed in the shooting, including an employee. Police say the suspected gunman later died from a self- inflicted gunshot wound.

All right, coming up, President Trump's $400 million White House ballroom could become a very expensive hole in the ground. A federal appeals court says construction must stop now. We'll look at where things stand.

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[14:27:34]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. President Trump is calling on D.C.'s U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to revisit her decision to drop vandalism charges related to the $14 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. Pirro justified dropping the charges by saying the renovation was botched in the first place. Former Olympian David Hearn had been charged with vandalizing the pool. The judge dismissed the case but stopped short of preventing it from being prosecuted again. In a social media post, Trump continues to insist the pool was vandalized.

A federal appeals court says President Trump is breaking the law by building a massive new White House ballroom. That ruling sets the stage for a U.S. Supreme Court showdown over the president's $400 million project. In its two to one decision, the appellate court said, quote, "Congress has not ceded unfettered authority to the executive branch to fit a particular president's desires," end quote.

CNN's Kirsten Holmes has the latest from Washington.

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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump is vowing to bring his ballroom project all the way to the Supreme Court after an appeals court ordered them to halt their construction on the project without congressional approval. Now, in a lengthy screed on Truth Social, President Trump talked about national security and almost didn't mention the ballroom at all, instead pinning this on safety. He said that two Obama and Biden appellate court judges just voted against the desperately needed military center -- he's referring to the ballroom -- required for the national security of Washington, D.C., and our country itself. He goes on to say the decision has been stayed. And just for your note, the court itself stayed their own decision. They gave them two weeks to appeal this to the Supreme Court, says that they'll be immediately appealing.

Then he goes on to say the military and Secret Service are viewing this horrendous, politically motivated, and unlawful ruling as a national security threat to our nation in that the entire complex is being built for the protection of our country and, additionally, all future presidents.

Now, I did talk to a number of White House sources tonight asking, what is plan b here? What if this Supreme Court doesn't actually take this up? Or what if the Supreme Court does and rules against President Trump? And I was told at this point, there's not a lot of conversations happening around plan b, that these legal advisors at the White House believe that they are on solid ground.

[14:30:03]

They believe the Supreme Court is not only going to take this case up but will rule in President Trump's favor. Now, no one could tell me exactly why, what was giving this level of confidence. But right now they say they are still confident.

One thing is clear, President Trump is doubling down on this. He will do anything to get this ballroom built. And there is a large question here. Overall, what happens if the Supreme Court rules against this? Right now, there's just a large gaping hole on the White House. Is this something that Congress is going to have to get behind because of what is happening at the people's house? But right now, the biggest issue is getting that appeal to the Supreme Court and seeing what they decide to do next.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Kristen. A suspect is in custody, accused of starting at least one of the

wildfires that is tearing through Washington state. He was identified by a quick-thinking grandfather driving through the area with his grandson. We'll meet him and hear his story next.

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[14:35:45]

WHITFIELD: All right, today is the last day the Spokane area is under an elevated fire threat, but crews are still scrambling to contain the three wildfires there. The devastating blazes have scorched more than 10,000 acres of land and destroyed hundreds of homes and structures. On Friday, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson announced a public health emergency declared by the U.S. Department of Health.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar has a look at how winds and humidity could be a concern.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Fire weather conditions continue out west, at least for one more day, and that relief could not come quick enough for much of this area. Here you can see that elevated risk still includes in and around the Spokane area. Now, by the time we get to Sunday, the bulk of this begins to shift well down to the south. That's where the fire weather concern is going to be at its highest as we wrap up the weekend.

But you still have a lot of those wind gusts expected to be around 20 to 25 miles per hour for today, not as high as it's been the last couple of days, but still high enough to take some of those embers that are in with the fires and spread them very quickly across these areas.

Also noting, too, that with those wind increases the last few days, it's also shifted direction. So you're actually starting to see more of the smoke impact some newer areas, giving some folks a break, like Seattle and Portland now finally starting to have at least some clearer atmospheric conditions and not quite as many air quality issues. However, on the flipside, areas farther to the east and south, you're actually starting to see an increase in a lot of those smoke conditions.

Temperatures have also been very high the last few days. Spokane topping out at 94 degrees on Friday. We're now finally starting to see some of these temperatures coming back down, and they'll continue to do so the next few days, topping out at 90 today, back into the 80s by the time we get to next week. So again, relief is on the way. We just have to give it a little bit more time.

WHITFIELD: All right, Allison Chinchar, thanks so much.

All right, prosecutors say a suspect has confessed to starting one of the wildfires devastating the Spokane area, the Old Trails fire. Investigators say he told them he also set more than two dozen other fires in the past year. He's now charged with multiple counts of arson. The suspect was initially identified after a witness, Paul Child, gave the man's description to police.

And guess what? Paul Child is joining us right now. Great to see you, Paul. So I mean, tell me how this all happened. I understand you were driving with your grandson when you first encountered this suspect. A, how did you know he was the suspect? And tell me what you saw.

PAUL CHILD, HELPED LAW ENFORCEMENT IDENTIFY SUSPECT IN WASHINGTON WILDFIRE: Well, we the road we live on is kind of like a place where people kind of stop. And we had some issues with some, you know, vagrancies and people parking and stuff like that. So usually when I see somebody, I kind of usually take notice, and I just happen to see this guy standing by the train tracks. And you know, just standing there looking into the woods. And I was thinking, well, what's he doing? But he wasn't really doing anything at that time.

We were returning back from getting my grandson's friend, and we're coming back up our road. And then he was still there, only this time, he was kind of bent over and doing something in the bushes. He saw us, and he basically stood and turned and faced us, and then kind of, got kind of nervous. And then, my grandson made the comment and said, what's he doing?

And so we continued up the road, got to my house. And then probably five minutes, five to ten minutes max after we got to the house, my daughter, who was sitting on the back porch, happened to see some smoke. And so I ran out there. And of course, my first comment was, you know, that SOB started a fire.

WHITFIELD: Because that smoke was in the very area where you saw him?

CHILD: Correct, yes.

WHITFIELD: And then what did you do? Did you call police, fire? I mean, what was your reaction then?

[14:40:00]

CHILD: We had -- well, I have, where the fire actually initiated, or started, was across the street from my neighbor's house. So I got on the phone to call him. And he informed me he wasn't there, but he had some people working in his back shop, and could I go tell them? And in the meantime, my daughter called 911 and, you know, started getting EMS ready to go.

It just happened that after I let them know that the fire department was responding at that time, and they actually had a officer from our local police station here in Airway Heights. So I flagged him over, told him what I saw, gave him a description of the individual that we saw. And then he put out a radio broadcast, and he then followed us down to our house to help us get -- I have seven people living here, five dogs and two cats. So he assists. So he assisted us to come and get our, you know, to get to so we could get out. And during that time --

WHITFIELD: So when you saw this smoke, so you're saying, fire was -- fire was starting to spread to, uh, in addition to the smoke that you were seeing. So you were concerned about all of these people and your pets. You were facing immediate danger.

CHILD: Yes, yes. You know, the way the winds were blowing, I didn't think it was going to make it to our house. But, you know, one never knows. I mean, the winds could have shifted direction. And the way that thing, that fire was moving, it would have been on us in less than five minutes.

WHITFIELD: Wow. With all the assistance that did, you know, come, did that mean all of you evacuating while simultaneously, you know, this fire being put under control? I mean, ultimately, what happened then?

CHILD: Well, they basically escorted us out. And like I said, when we were -- as we were getting ready to leave, the officer informed me that they had detained an individual that met our description and wanted to know if we could I.D. him.

So he basically escorted us down to an area on the side of the road where this individual got out of the car and faced us. We were probably, you know, several, you know, probably 50 feet away from maybe even 100. And had him stand out and face us. And my grandson also witnessed him and his friend. So the three of us all together, you know, said no hesitation at all. That's the individual we saw just before the fire started.

WHITFIELD: Wow. See something, say something. I mean, it applies in so many situations. I'm so glad you and your grandson were so astute. So glad you, your property, and all the people and your pets are doing well too. But I mean, we all commend you, of course, for, you know, quick thinking and acting upon your instincts there and now sharing your story.

CHILD: Well, thank you. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Paul Child. Appreciate it. Be well.

All right, coming up, it has been almost a year since the White House began striking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, saying it was targeting narco-terrorists. But a CNN investigation into those killed in the strikes found something very different.

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[14:48:05]

WHITFIELD: All right, we're nearing the one-year mark since the Trump White House began its campaign against alleged drug boats, carrying out military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific. In a new report, CNN's Jake Tapper is shedding more light on who the Trump administration is targeting and why.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Fred, a number of former military officials and Democratic lawmakers have raised serious questions about the legality of these strikes since they began almost a year ago. Earlier this week, U.S. southern command announced a, quote, transition for the campaign called Operation Southern Spear. We have been investigating and compiling victim profiles and speaking to relatives and journalists in Central and South America to learn more about who precisely is being killed by the Trump administration in this military campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TIM KAINE, (D-VA): They're murder victims.

TAPPER: That's Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine's assessment of the Trump administration's campaign targeting people that the administration calls narco-terrorists. In a letter to the White House this week, Kaine accused the Pentagon of going far beyond its original goals in Operation Southern Spear and killing people who are, quote, "entirely unaware that they are marked for execution."

Operation Southern Spear, which began nearly a year ago, has killed 221 people and destroyed at least 66 vessels. But the results do not seem to have been effective. U.S. Customs and Border Protection data analyzed by the thinktank the Washington Office of Latin America, does not show a meaningful decrease in cocaine seizures. During the 10 months before the boat strikes began, CBP reported seizing more than 56,000 pounds of cocaine. During the ten months following the beginning of the boat strikes, September 2025 through June 2026, CBP's reported seizures actually increased two percent.

Fentanyl, which President Trump claims this operation is targeting, is largely produced in Mexico, not Venezuela or Colombia, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency.

[14:50:05]

And CNN reporting shows military officials do not always know whom they're targeting, some of whom may even be innocent. Chad Joseph and Rishi Samaroo were believed to have been killed in the October 14th strike last year. Their families are suing the Trump administration for wrongful death and extrajudicial killing. The complaint says, quote, "Mr. Joseph and Mr. Samaroo were not members of or affiliated with drug cartels." And Trinidad's government says there's no evidence drugs were on board. Chad and Rishi's families told ACLU attorney Jeffrey Stein they were fishing and doing farm work in Venezuela and boarded a boat to get home to Trinidad.

JEFFREY STEIN, STAFF ATTORNEY, ACLU NATIONAL SECURITY PROJECT: Rishi wanted to come home to help care for his elderly mother who had fallen ill. Chad wanted to come home to see his wife and three young children.

TAPPER: In response to our request for comment on this lawsuit, the White House said, quote, "All of these decisive strikes have been against designated narco-terrorists bringing deadly poison to our shores." But they have provided absolutely no evidence to back up any of the strikes, which is not to say everyone on these boats had nothing to do with the drug trade. Some were clearly fishermen trying to make extra money. We sat down with two investigative journalists who have looked into who is being killed. They uncovered the stories of 19 of the dead. JOSE LUIS PENARREDONDA, EDITOR, "EL CLIP": Many of them, our

reporting shows have, are, are somehow involved in drug trafficking business, in drug transportation business, in very low levels of the chain.

TAPPER: Journalist Lorena Melendez told us one of the stories really stuck with her.

LORENA MELENDEZ, EDITOR, REBEL ALLIANCE INVESTIGATIONS: The case of Juan Carlos, and he was a bus driver, and he bought his boss damage, and he couldn't repair it. He said, I have to do bad things. So he traveled to trinidad.

TAPPER: Juan Carlos's wife told a journalist at consortium "El Clip" she did not want him to get on the boat, but he insisted.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm leaving. I can't take it anymore. What desperation. I'm leaving to live or die, but I'm leaving. That's how he told me.

TAPPER: She also remembered the moment she knew he'd been killed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But since I'm making empanadas here, the phone is ringing too much. When I see an international call, I say no. Something has happened. Something happened to Juan Carlos. The mistake was seeing the video they sent me where they were blowing up boats.

TAPPER: Juan Carlos was believed to have been killed in the October 3rd strike. He leaves behind three children and a grandchild, according to "El Clip". Does that sound to you like a narco-terrorist?

Another victim was a fixture of his community. Here's investigative journalist Jose Luis Penarredonda.

PENARREDONDA: I think about a Venezuelan guy called, I mean, his nickname was Piccirillo. Managed to speak to people who knew him very well. One of them told me, just tell everyone he was a super nice guy.

TAPPER: Eduardo Jaime, or Piccirillo, was a beloved local athlete. A family member tells "El Clip" he was also on the boat that was blown up on October 14th. None of these individuals seem to have even been mid-level drug traffickers. At worst, they seem like couriers.

Remember when the U.S. struck what Trump called a drug submarine? There were two survivors. The U.S. military held them, then released them to their home countries, again, raising questions about whether the Trump administration knew who they were targeting. Andres Tufino Chila was one of those two men. His sister told CNN he was not a criminal.

Last month, "The Los Angeles Times" followed the stories of eight fishermen from Mexico who vanished after the February 16th U.S. strikes. Quote, "The men sometimes earned extra cash by transporting gasoline to the high seas, where they would refill speedboats ferrying cocaine from South America." They were all killed. A mass was held for the men at sea a few days later. This video,

provided by "The L.A. Times," shows mourners drinking beer and singing songs.

There are many more of these stories from Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, and Trinidad and Tobago, maybe couriers caught in the crosshairs of the Trump administration's so-far fruitless quest to end drug trafficking, often going after the lowest on the chain, men who felt they had no other choice and were executed by the United States.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

TAPPER (on camera): We asked the Pentagon if they knew exactly who they were targeting, exactly who they were killing. The Pentagon says, quote, "Targeting decisions are deliberate based on comprehensive assessments and reviewed through established processes. Every narco- terrorist killed in Department of War operations was an affiliated member of a designated terrorist organization actively transporting illicit material," unquote.

We asked for any evidence to prove that, and the Pentagon did not provide any. U.S. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine has seen the classified information, and he says the Trump administration is simply, quote, "lying."

The ending of Southern Spear will make way for an 18-country collaboration to go after drug traffickers. Fred?

[14:55:01]

WHITFIELD: Jake Tapper, thank you so much.

All right, all new next hour, the nation's largest reservoir is approaching record low water levels, raising new questions about the future of water for millions in the west. What happens to the water for Las Vegas, Phoenix, and other major cities in Lake -- if Lake Mead, rather, keeps falling?