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Israel Rejects Trump's Gaza Peace Plan; GOP Bullish On Holding The Senate; Young Votes On Midterms; Captain Charged After Deadly Boat Capsizes; DOJ Considers Criminal Charges Against Dr. Fauci; Nanny Arrest By ICE Agents At the PHILADELPHIA Airport; Thirty Years Later: Tupac Murder Trial. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired August 09, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

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SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Space race hitting up once again. China launching its latest mission to the moon.

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JARED ISAACMAN, ADMINISTRATOR, NASA: The Chinese will land their taikonauts on the moon. The question is, will we return first?

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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: "Eclipsing Power" airs tonight at 8 Eastern right here on CNN. All right, thank you so much for joining me this weekend. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The "CNN Newsroom" continues with Omar Jimenez right now.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR AND NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to the "CNN Newsroom," everyone. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York. New tonight, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a striking public split with President Trump, says his country flatly rejects America's latest peace plan for Gaza. Netanyahu says Hamas must be fully disarmed before any Israeli forces pull out of Gaza. This comes more than a week after President Donald Trump said there had been a breakthrough in negotiations.

CNN Jerusalem correspondent Jeremy Diamond joins us now.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: President Trump called it historic. And now, the Israeli prime minister is rejecting it out of hand. What I'm talking about is the U.S.-backed plan for disarming Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli prime minister just announced at a meeting of his government that Israel is rejecting out of hand the 15-point roadmap that the U.S. just announced a little over a week ago. The Israeli prime minister is saying that Israel will not carry out any withdrawal from the Gaza Strip until Hamas is completely disarmed of its light and heavy weaponry as opposed to the kind of phased withdrawal that would happen under this 15-point plan.

The prime minister also said that Israeli forces will continue to have the ability to thwart any attacks inside of Gaza. He said that he is currently speaking with the U.S. administration about these various disagreements. But this statement from the Israeli prime minister marks a remarkable public split between the prime minister and President Trump.

Now, in these same remarks, Prime Minister Netanyahu was careful to praise President Trump as one of the best allies that Israel has had, particularly as it relates to Iran, but under pressure from right-wing members of his government, it seems the Israeli prime minister has come out and forcefully rejected this U.S.-backed plan, U.S.- negotiated plan to disarm Hamas.

Now, we don't know how President Trump is going to react to this news. We have seen him publicly criticize the Israeli prime minister in the past when Netanyahu has angered him. We do have a response, though, from Hamas, which said that it reaffirmed its commitment to this newly-negotiated 15-point plan. Hamas called on the Board of Peace and the mediators and the United States to ensure that Israel complies with this newly-negotiated agreement.

Now, it is important to note that over the course of the last week, we have seen a significant decrease in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. And privately, an Israeli source has told us that targeted killings, for example, in Gaza must now be approved by the Israel's top general, the Israeli military chief of staff.

So there have been some changes on the ground, but what the Israeli prime minister is conveying here is that there certainly will not be any withdrawal of Israeli forces in Gaza right now and certainly not before Israel's elections, which are slated to take place in late October and which seem to be driving quite a bit of the prime minister's calculus at the moment.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

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JIMENEZ: All right, Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv, really appreciate the reporting. I want to bring in former State Department Middle East negotiator and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Aaron David Miller. Let's just start with what is Israel rejecting this peace plan say about the United States and Israeli dynamic right now to you.

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR, SENIOR FELLOW AT CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: I mean, it has been fraud. I mean, I worked for administration, Jimmy Carter to Bush 43, and I throw in Obama and Biden as well, I've never seen the Israeli -- U.S.-Israeli relationship under greater stress than it is now. The three foundational elements, common value, shared interests, and a strong, sustainable basis of bipartisan support, all of these is now under stress. I think from the U.S. point of view, public opinion, increasingly, what was once perceived, Israel as David, Israel is now perceived as Goliath. I think that that is a worrisome sort of headline and trend line for folks who believe, as I do, that there is a strong case being made for a special relationship with Israel, but not an exclusive relationship that undermines American interests. We've got to have more reciprocity.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, to your point -- sorry, not to cut you off, but to your point, across multiple administrations, Israel has been a pretty steady ally to the United States, a reliable one to the United States.

[17:05:00]

And then when you look at this moment, it's not just that the countries are fraught, but it also seems that the relationship specifically between President Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu seems to be strained. How do you parse out those two dynamics?

MILLER: Look, I think you broke the code, Omar. The reality is -- I mean, look, you've got a split screen. You've got an extraordinary military operation beginning February 28th. You have to go back to World War II to identify another partner that the U.S. cooperated so intimately with even though they shared different objectives than the campaign against Iran.

But on the other hand, you have a president who literally has been more critical of Israel than any of his predecessors, who has leaked profanity-laced conversations with Benjamin Netanyahu, who has mocked him, opened a dialogue with Hamas over Israeli objections, cut a deal with the Houthis over Israeli objections, removed sanctions from Syria over Israeli objections. And now, you have this demilitarization, decommissioning plan for Gaza.

I think, Omar, the key here, the president hasn't reacted publicly. He clearly does not like public nos, and this is a very public no. It would be interesting, fascinating to see exactly how the administration or the president responds when he does.

JIMENEZ: Yes. It's dynamic. We're going to watch very closely. I want to turn to the Iran war where, in particular, Axios is reporting that President Trump said the U.S. is -- quote -- "low-keying" Iran, only semi-negotiating with them. He also signaled that he might put additional economic pressure on the country. How do you interpret those comments? Do you see it as the United States shifting its strategy in any way?

MILLER: Well, that assumes, of course, Omar, that the U.S. has a coherent strategy. Look, I think -- I think the administration is making a virtue out of necessity, right? The president does not want to massively escalate on one end, and he cannot afford to concede Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz.

And right now, even if you had direct negotiations between Tehran and Washington on the issue of opening up the strait, I don't think you could find a balance of interest which would satisfy the needs of the Iranians that want to assert sovereignty. It's not just a question of money, it's control and an administration that simply can't afford to create a new geopolitical reality in one of the several most important choke points on the planet.

So, doesn't want to escalate, doesn't want to cut a deal, falls back on same old, same old, which is to continue the blockade and hope that somehow, over time, and this is the key, Omar, weeks, if not months, that he, the administration, could break the Iranian economy. If it went on long enough, maybe, maybe you could get the Iranians to change their core calculations.

But I'm even doubtful, frankly, even by year's end, that that the guys running the railroad in Tehran, former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Basij, military security officials, they think they've won and they want to create a new reality by controlling the strait. It's their new nuclear weapon.

So, I think, for a while, good news is no massive escalation. I think that would fail. I wouldn't advise the president to cut a deal that acknowledges this new reality. So, in essence, administration is stuck and that's a problem.

JIMENEZ: Is it in Iran's best interests or better interests? I should say that this drags out as opposed to the U.S.

MILLER: Interesting calculation as to whether time is an ally or an adversary or for whom. I think the Iranian is probably making a mistake, assuming that somehow the midterms are a sacred date for this president. I don't think that's the case. I think that Republicans may lose the House.

I think the president is not on the ballot. He could blame it on the party, on bad candidates. I think his main concern, gas prices and his own legacy. This could be a legacy defining issue for the administration. And, as you know, Omar, Iran has already ruined the legacy of one president, Jimmy Carter. It clearly knows how to manipulate and work toward that end.

So again, I'm reminded, I'm old enough to remember what Lyndon Johnson said about Vietnam in '68. I feel like a hitchhiker in a Texas hailstorm. I can't run, I can't hide, and I can't make it stop. And it's not Vietnam, Omar, but I'll say it again, I mean, the administration really is stuck and there are no good options to diminish gas prices, to somehow replenish American munitions, and to break the will and the capacity of Iran.

Putin could not break Ukraine. It's the fifth year of the war. And Trump has not been able to break Iran in five months.

[17:10:01]

It's a cautionary tale for great powers who believe that somehow, they can impose their will on smaller ones.

JIMENEZ: Important perspective. Aaron David Miller, really, really appreciate you taking the time. Thanks for being here.

MILLER: You know, Omar, thanks so much for having me.

JIMENEZ: Of course. All right, less than three months until the midterms and some Republicans think their chances to hold on to the Senate are better now that Democrats have their Senate candidate in Michigan. We'll talk about it. Plus, young voters could swing the midterm elections in several different directions. So, what are they saying? What matters to them? We'll get into that as well. And then later, the captain of a boat now faces charges after it capsizes near the Statue of Liberty, killing a mother and her five-month-old daughter. We'll bring you those details here in the "CNN Newsroom."

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JIMENEZ: Midterms quickly approaching, people. Some Republicans think the shift to favor Democratic progressive candidates will hurt the Democratic Party as a whole. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott says that Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is making it easier for Republicans to win.

CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju has the story.

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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Senator Tim Scott is bullish about his party's chances in November. He is the chairman of the Senate GOP's campaign arm, is in charge of holding the Republican majority. He thinks not only will they hold the majority, that they can expand their 53-47 majority and add another seat, meaning 54-46, over the next two years. Democrats, of course, discount that.

But it is a difficult road to the majority for the Democrats. They have to pick up a net, four seats. That means they have to win in red states. Ohio being one of them. Alaska being one of that. Can they win in a place like Iowa? Can they win in a place like Texas? They also have to flip in main seat with incumbent Senator Susan Collins. Always a difficult race.

They have a very good chance in flipping the North Carolina seat, but they have to hold two of their incumbents. Georgia, Jono Ossoff, the incumbent there, running ahead in that race. But what about that open seat in Michigan? That's where Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive candidate, won in that very divisive Democratic primary last week, beating Haley Stevens, who is backed by the moderate establishment of the Democratic Party.

Tim Scott told me that El-Sayed makes their job easier to win in November. And they've been using his full name in attack ads. Abdul El-Sayed is Muslim. He's the son of Egyptian immigrants. And in the ads from the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, they've been using his full name. And I asked Tim Scott if this is a way to try to gin up fears about El-Sayed and to remind voters that he is Muslim.

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SEN. TIM SCOTT (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Not at all. What we're saying -- what we're only saying to voters is a simple thing. He says he's the most -- he says he's the most dangerous candidate you can find. He's right. We should trust his words, not ours.

RAJU: But why not just use his name, Abdul El-Sayed, which he goes by?

SCOTT: Well, listen, I go by Timothy Jean. And so, I get called that all the time. Here's what I know about that question. It's about what he stands for.

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RAJU: Democrats believe those kinds of attacks will backfire in a pivotal swing state. But nevertheless, this is going to be a very vicious and ugly campaign between El-Sayed and Mike Rogers over the next couple of months.

Manu Raju, CNN, Washington.

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JIMENEZ: All right. Manu Raju, really appreciate it. One important voter demographic candidate going to have to consider these midterms, young voters. CEO and co-founder of BridgeUSA, Manu Meel, joins us now. BridgeUSA is a multi-partisan student movement that facilitates student-led chapters on campus to engage in constructive discussion. Really appreciate you being here, Manu. Can you just tell us a little bit more about BridgeUSA, what you are trying to do, and how you think those voices are going to actually make a difference come these midterms?

MANU MEEL, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, BRIDGEUSA: Omar, it is great to see you. The reason why I might come off a little too optimistic and hopeful in this segment is because we just came off the National BridgeUSA Student Summit where we had 135 college chapters from 41 states, 250 students from ideologically diverse sides of the political spectrum, all focused on actually how to have the conversation.

And so, when it comes to young voters, I mean, I just heard from 250 college students that represent 27,000 students bridging political differences, is they vote less on party lines and what they vote instead on are our political officials actually trying to solve problems. Are they actually trying to have conversations? And most importantly, are we actually trying to solve the most important problems through dialogue and conversation instead of conflict and violence?

JIMENEZ: And, you know, you talk about dialogue and conversation. What have you -- what is sort of been the reason you all have felt that is so necessary to focus on? Was that something that you felt that college campuses and students were struggling to be able to do, especially in the realm of politics? MEEL: So, right now, the impossible that Americans perceive is that you cannot get young people in a room who are different than each other to actually have the conversation. And yet what I'm seeing is that dialogue is actually now the new counterculture on America's college campuses. Conversation is courage.

The real activists in our society today are our young people that are listening, engaging, trying to build those coalitions, trying to have those tough conversations about the Israel-Palestine conflict, trying to have the tough conversations about are the progressives more important or the moderates more important in American Democratic Party politics.

[17:20:06]

But the one thing that, Omar, they all understand is that there's actually a new divide in America. It's between the open minded and the close minded. It's between those of us that believe that the people we disagree with are fundamentally redeemable. And those of us that have written off half the country, the real divide is between the builders and the breakers.

And these college students, I got to tell you, Omar, represent some of the most diverse political perspectives I've seen, and yet they are showing that the impossible is possible, especially during the midterms, because I cannot wait to see what's going to happen in the fall when these conversations actually take off.

JIMENEZ: What are some of the issues that have bubbled up from some of the students you've been speaking to or from some of the discussions that you've watched between some of these students?

MEEL: So yesterday, we held an event called Bridge the Gap. Imagine a room with 15 roundtables. Each table has a conversation topic like immigration, Israel, Palestine, free speech. You know, the things that we've written off as hard line topics that no one can actually find common ground on or listen on.

And these students moderated those conversations. They came from chapters like Columbia University or UC Berkeley or Harvard or UT Austin where campuses are actually embroiled in these conflicts. The central issues that these students are finding, what unites them all is, again, not what they believe, but it's how they think, how they engage.

So, the issue they care more about is, are we actually building a country that is set up to the next 250 years of American democracy? Are we building a country where the leaders that want to actually solve our problems are winning? And most importantly, they're wondering, are we willing to put aside outrage as a tool to actually come to the table to resolve those hard issues?

Because these young people understand that they don't need to and want to be exploited. And currently, they're being exploited by those that traffic and outrage. And we're shifting that on a daily basis. And I am genuinely inspired. It is amazing. JIMENEZ: And, you know, it feels like, I mean, for -- in many ways, more than one since COVID-19 and the pandemic, just a communication structure of how students communicate with each other, but also how they engage with politics seems to have been completely flipped on its head again, especially with young Gen Z and even Gen Alpha as well. What do you think candidates can do to actually authentically engage with young people right now? Are there any people that you feel like are doing it well or sort of setting the model for that next generation of political communication?

MEEL: Candidates can listen. They can come to the table. They can reduce the pandering to tribes that young people can see through. They can be honest. They can listen.

One of the greatest things actually about this Michigan Senate race was that, yes, a lot of people think that young people were primarily supporting El-Sayed, but what I actually saw was young people were just genuinely excited to see Haley Stevens and El-Sayed having a really constructive and interesting debate.

They got into Israel. They got into AIPAC. They got into immigration. They got into student loan debt. That was a campaign. Yes, it was vicious. Disagreement is a good thing, Omar. We need disagreement. Disagreement is the engine of our democracy. But they are liking races where we're actually showing that disagreement constructively is possible.

After the campaign, El-Sayed said, I'm sorry for my attacks on Haley Stevens. Haley Stevens said, I support El-Sayed. Now, you might disagree with what El-Sayed stands for, but that model of engagement is really important, and we're seeing that also on the right.

And I'll just say that I think there's a seismic shift happening on college campuses right now that most people are not catching. That seismic shift is that young people are ready to buck the political trends of the moment. They're ready to be independent thinkers. They want to be autonomous individuals. They don't want to fit into categories.

And so, candidates that can speak the nuance, complex issues, listen, engage, present real solutions, they're going to win. The folks that simply pander, do talking points, divide, slice and divide our country, those folks, it's going to be a tough, tough election season.

JIMENEZ: Manu Meel, I'm sure you got some campaigns taking notes after that. I appreciate you taking the time. Thanks for being here.

MEEL: Omar, thanks for having me, and we're grateful to be showing the country that the impossible of conversations is actually possible.

JIMENEZ: Of course. Of course. All right. As we go on in this show, look, we're following a lot of news this hour. We talked about it a little bit as we began the show, but we're following developments after a mother and her young daughter are dead. The captain of the boat they were on is now under arrest, facing multiple charges. We're going to have the very latest on that next right here in the "CNN Newsroom."

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[17:25:00]

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JIMENEZ: We're learning more about a tragedy near the Statue of Liberty where a boat capsized in New York Harbor, killing a woman and her five-year-old daughter. The captain has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of reckless endangerment.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino has been following the investigation and joins us now. So, Gloria, what is the latest there?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Omar, this is, you know, a really sad, tragic story coming out of New York City this weekend. It unfolded late last night right here in the New York Harbor, not far from the Statue of Liberty, not far from Liberty Island, which is where the national monument is. That's when people reported a capsized vessel and people in the water. Now, the captain of this boat has been taken into custody. That happened early on Sunday.

[17:30:01]

He is facing at least 13 counts of reckless endangerment. Now, here's what we know about how this incident unfolded. As I said, late last night, it was reported shortly after 10:20 in the evening. That's when the call first came in, reporting this capsized vessel and people in the water. NYPD Harbor Unit responded, air units, marine units, the fire department, as well as the NYPD diving team.

This was a major rescue operation in really difficult conditions. It was late at night, 10:20, so it was dark. And it was actually quite far from shore, near the Statue of Liberty. So, really difficult conditions, both for those first responders and the victims.

Now, it was actually another commercial vessel that was in the area and saw what was happening, that was able to get to the people who were in the water and pull them out. A total of 11 people was pulled by them.

And we are told that it was NYPD divers who found that young mother and her five-month-old infant. They were transferred to an area hospital but, sadly, they were pronounced dead shortly after. I am also told by a law enforcement official that the baby's father was also aboard this vessel. He is among the survivors. The survivors all sustained minor injuries and are expected to survive.

The Coast Guard, as I said, conducting this investigation, trying to determine exactly what led to the capsizing and if this vessel was being operated legally. Omar?

JIMENEZ: All right. Gloria Pazmino, awful story, but really appreciate you bringing us the details. All right, coming up for us, the Justice Department considering whether to charge Dr. Anthony Fauci after Republicans hold him in contempt of Congress. We're going to talk to a man who worked right alongside Dr. Fauci during the pandemic, next.

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[17:35:00]

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JIMENEZ: The Justice Department says it is reviewing a referral of contempt of Congress charges against Dr. Anthony Fauci who helped lead the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Republican members of the Senate committee voted on the referral after Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than a hundred times in a recent hearing. It is now up to the Justice Department to choose whether to take up the case.

I want to bring in former CDC director, Robert Redfield. He's also the author of "Redfield's Warning: What I Learned (But Couldn't Tell You) Might Save Your Life." And, doctor, I just want to start with pretty extraordinary to be in a situation here where, you know, Dr. Fauci could face charges, depending on what we hear from the Justice Department. What do you make of that possibility here?

DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, FORMER DIRECTOR OF CDC, AUTHOR: Well, I was disappointed that Tony didn't take the opportunity just to tell the American people the rationale behind the decisions that he made, which ones now in retrospect he would have done differently.

Obviously, I would have liked him to be more forthright about the science behind the origin of the virus. This virus did not come from the wet market. It actually came from a lab as a consequence of science. So, I would have liked him to have that courage to do that. I understand his lawyers felt strongly that he should take the Fifth because he potentially could be in jeopardy by state issues. But that was a disappointment.

You know, I don't really want to see anything negative happen to Dr. Fauci other than him just tell the truth and explain the decisions he made and why he made them so the American people have a better understanding of what decisions in retrospect he would have done differently if he had the ability to do that.

JIMENEZ: And doctor, I know you mentioned that. I mean, as you said, COVID-19 came from a laboratory. That hasn't been conclusive. As I understand, there are a few different studies. The CIA has assessed that it more likely originated from an accidental lab leak, but that was a low confidence assessment. And then on the other side of things, a group of independent experts gathered by the WHO assessed that it likely came, but not conclusive, from animal sources. So, I just wonder, where did you get the conclusive aspect of it?

REDFIELD: Yes. I don't have any question as a virologist that this virus came from the lab. There's a good --

JIMENEZ: That is your medical opinion as a virologist?

REDFIELD: Yes, my expert opinion. And I encourage people to read a book came out by Dr. Steven Quay who's also a virologist. He just came out with an excellent book about a month ago and it's called "The Virus as the Witness." So, he uses the virus. And if you can understand the virus, you can see why it wasn't conceivable that this virus evolved in nature.

The wet market was never really a consideration. It was a roost. The pandemic actually started probably in August, September, way before the wet market was even considered.

The authors in that lab, the scientists in that lab in 2014 actually published a paper funded by NIH, that they had figured out how to teach coronaviruses, how to infect humans through the ACH2 receptor in humanized mice. So, I don't think there's any question. The CIA has concluded that now. But the Energy Department --

JIMENEZ: With low confidence.

REDFIELD: -- the FBI, the DCI, and the Energy Department with moderate confidence.

[17:40:00]

But all the intelligence agencies now have re-evaluated their assessment and said the most likely origin of the virus was the lab. So, I'm personally -- I don't have a question in my mind as a virologist. So, we'll leave it at that.

JIMENEZ: I have seen -- I haven't seen it as conclusive as you have. I'm not going to rule it out, but I'm not going to conclude it here on the origins, on this program.

REDFIELD: Even Dr. Fauci --

JIMENEZ: But I just want to ask you. Dr. Fauci --

REDFIELD: If you read Dr. Fauci's diary, he even says in his diary that, you know --

JIMENEZ: That's different from a wide-ranging study, doctor. But I want to ask you about Dr. Fauci's testimony. You said you were disappointed that he did not actually speak and rather pleaded the Fifth over a hundred times. You said, as you told me just a few minutes ago, that it fueled sort of further distrust of public health officials.

I mean, look, you were also part of the team here. I mean, you were head of the CDC during the pandemic. And look, maybe you did not have as much influence as Dr. Fauci. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, if you feel that way. But the CDC ultimately did have a lot of authority in providing advice to local and state governments, certainly the president as well. I mean, do you not bear any of the same blame and questions that Dr. Fauci had to face?

REDFIELD: Well, I would argue that the policy recommendations that I made, for example, I recommended we don't close the schools and we don't shut down the businesses. Dr. Fauci recommended that we close the schools and we close the businesses. He said on the news that he never suggested we should close the schools. But when you read his diary, he talks about how excited he was and talking to Mayor de Blasio about closing the New York schools and the --

JIMENEZ: But some jurisdictions listened and some didn't. It's up to them. Is it not?

REDFIELD: I think -- I think you're right, and that's reality. I mean, I think a few jurisdictions listen to my point of view, Arkansas, the archdiocese schools in Baltimore. But a majority of the governors chose the alternative approach which, in retrospect, I think, again, everyone can make mistakes.

If you read my book, you'll read frequently that I say we got that wrong, we got that wrong. But I think it's important to have an honest reflection of the policy decisions and now, in hindsight, try to determine, really, was it in the interest of K through 12 to close schools? I argued it wasn't back in 2020. I think most people today will argue keeping the kids out of school. In retrospect, was not in their interest. The same thing about businesses. Was it good to close all the businesses? I would argue.

And again, the vaccine mandates, this vaccine did not prevent infection. Did it make sense to mandate it to hospital workers and military workers and policemen and firefighters and children and people who want to go to college when there was no evidence that this vaccine could actually stop infection?

So, I think there was a lot of policy mistakes. And it would have been refreshing just to have, you know, I think, an honest discussion of these decisions that were made. I stand by them. In retrospect, I think -- in retrospect, we could have made better decisions. In my mind --

JIMENEZ: Well, infections with the vaccine versus hospitalizations is another thing. But bottom line, doctor, do you believe Dr. Fauci should be criminally prosecuted for those decisions?

REDFIELD: No.

JIMENEZ: OK. Fair enough. That's just what I want --

REDFIELD: I'm not involved in the legal part of it. I don't -- I don't think that. I think -- as I told you, I think he misled people. And there's a lot of people in public life that mislead people, both the media and the public and the Congress. He misled people. But I think, you know, in earnest, he was doing what he thought was in the best interest of science. I just disagree with him.

JIMENEZ: Fair enough. Dr. Robert Redfield, really appreciate you taking the time. Thanks for being here.

REDFIELD: Yes. God bless you. Bye-bye.

JIMENEZ: All right. Still to come, it is a deadly shooting that shocked the world. The murder trial taking place 30 years after the killing of famous rapper Tupac Shakur with a defendant who also happens to be the prosecution's star witness.

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[17:45:00]

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JIMENEZ: An Argentine woman working as a nanny in Philadelphia is in ICE custody after getting arrested at the Philadelphia airport last month. Thirty-year-old Iliana Lick was traveling with friends when she was detained by federal agents and has since been moved to a detention facility in New Mexico. Her boyfriend calls her arrest devastating since she has no criminal history and had followed procedures to stay in the country.

CNN's Rafael Romo joins me now. So, Rafael, what more have you learned about this case in the Trump administration's immigration enforcement crackdown here?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Omar. Well, we reported earlier that this is happening at airports across the country, people who have visas that have expired or are in other situation. But in this case, Pennsylvania nanny Iliana Noeli Lick was detained early on a Saturday morning in July as she was about to take a flight from Philadelphia to Kansas City, Missouri to watch a World Cup game between Argentina, her native country, and Switzerland.

This is according to her boyfriend, Steven Melchiorre, who told CNN he dropped her off at the airport. Later at home, Melchiorre says he realized he had missed a phone call from her and, as he heard her choke back tears, he realized she was in trouble.

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ILIANA LICK, NANNY ARRESTED BY ICE AGENTS: Hey, Steven, I'm Iliana. I'm still at the airport. So, I'm in detention. Please call me.

[17:50:00]

I need to call an attorney. Please answer my phone. I love you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: According to immigration authorities, Iliana Lick arrived in the United States in 2023 and overstayed her visa. But her boyfriend says she extended her travel visa before it expired and then applied for asylum and was granted work authorization. Melchiorre says she had been working as a nanny in Philadelphia for two families who lived near the home they shared. Since she had no criminal background, neither of them thought Lick would be targeted for detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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STEVEN MELCHIORRE, BOYFRIEND OF ILIANA LICK: No. In fact, she has been complying with immigration every step of the way. In fact, about six weeks ago, she went on there and paid a mandatory $100 fee to keep her application current.

ROMO: What do you make of this case, Steven? What comes to mind when you think about the way this happened and where she is right now?

MELCHIORRE: It is -- as far as I know, this is an immigration civil type of case. And the fact to see her being treated in a criminal way, being detained in a prison, is tough for her. That's frustrating and hard to see. I feel really bad for her, that she has been in there for 28 days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: In a statement to CNN, the Department of Homeland Security described Iliana Lick as an illegal alien from Argentina who was detained during a targeted arrest operation at Philadelphia International Airport on July 11. The statement goes on to say that Iliana Lick entered the United States on March 17, 2023 and overstayed her visa. Lick will remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of her immigration proceedings. To be clear, it says, work authorization or a pending application do not confer legal status in the United States.

According to Melchiorre, Lick has been moved four times in the 29 days she has been in detention and is currently being held at a detention center in New Mexico. Melchiorre told me, Omar, he believes there's a good possibility his girlfriend will be granted bond, but that doesn't mean she will be allowed to stay in the country and has no idea what will happen to their dreams of having a future together. Omar?

JIMENEZ: Rafael Romo, really appreciate you bringing us those details. Everyone else, we'll be right back.

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[17:55:00]

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JIMENEZ: After nearly 30 years, the man accused of being the ringmaster in the 1996 murder of famous rapper Tupac Shakur is going to trial. A grand jury indicted Duane "Keffe" Davis back in 2023 after investigators say they were able to gather enough evidence against him, much of it coming from Davis's own mouth.

Throughout various interviews and a memoir he authored about gang life, Davis described the events that led up to Tupac's murder, admitting to being one of four people in the infamous white Cadillac the night Shakur was shot four times.

Now, the shooting happened while Shakur was leaving a boxing match on the Las Vegas Strip. He died six days later. Shakur was just 25 years old at the time, and his murder has been the subject of conspiracy theories, huge public interest ever since.

And so, one of the things that we are going to be talking about, we'll bring you some of those details a little bit later in the program as well. As we talked about, it has been the culmination of a lot going on over the past decade, some conspiracy theories, but a lot of interest in the case as well.

The news continues, though. We're going to get you into more headlines coming up, here we go, including tonight, the Pentagon is urging military contractors to ramp up their weapons production. In a memo written Wednesday, Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg gave industry leaders three weeks to send in their plans for faster manufacturing. There have been recent reports of concerns that U.S. weapons stockpiles are running low amid the war with Iran. And then earlier tonight, President Trump told Axios that Washington is -- quote -- "low keying negotiations with Iran."

CNN correspondent Julia Benbrook joins us now. So, Julia, what else are we hearing from the president and his -- and the administration on all of these?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, lots to unpack here. I want to start with some of the demands that Iran has made. They have said that the United States has to fulfill these if they want to see the Strait of Hormuz reopened, that critical waterway that has been a key area of focus during this now nearly six-month long conflict.

And this list underlines the upper hand that Tehran believes that it has in at least some of these negotiations. It appears to go even farther than that memorandum of understanding, the agreement that was signed back in June by both the United States and Iran, but has since been suspended. These demands came in the form of a statement.

I want to go through some of them with you now. They called for an end to attacks on Iran and its regional allies, for the removal of the U.S. naval blockade, for compensation for war damages, the lifting of all U.S. sanctions as well as unfreezing Iranian assets.

Now, this comes as there have been reports over dwindling munitions supply. This has been a key topic even at the recent cabinet meeting that took place at Camp David. And we are now learning that the Department of Defense has urged U.S. military contractors to ramp up weapons supply amid these concerns. And this came in the form of a memo. This was on Wednesday.

[17:59:55]

The deputy defense secretary, Steve Feinberg, was asking some of these industry leaders to look for ways to increase production and make delivery a more aggressive process.