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Erin Burnett Outfront

Hegseth Facing Questions After Reports Of Sailors Going Overboard; Trump-Picked Board Votes To Put Trump's Name On Kennedy Center, Again; Senator Cruz Deletes Post With False Claim Linking COVID Shot To Miscarriages. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired August 13, 2026 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:22]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

The breaking news, the Pentagon facing growing questions about reports that sailors deployed for Trump's Iran war jumped overboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Top senator demanding answers tonight is our guest, along with the reporter who broke this major story.

Also breaking this hour, Trump's name returning to the Kennedy Center. This decision made by Trump's handpicked Kennedy Center board. The details are important here.

And then, deleted. Ted Cruz taking down his tweet just moments ago. He just did it. The tweet that falsely linked the COVID vaccine to miscarriage. Not after, though, it created a massive uproar.

Let's go OUTFRONT.

(MUSIC)

BURNETT: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.

And OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news. The Pentagon facing major questions tonight about reports of American sailors jumping overboard from the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has now been deployed in the Middle East for 266 days. It's about nine months, nine months deployed, 250 of those days, not even with a land stop.

This is because they are in the middle of Trump's war with Iran. And that war is taking a toll on sailors aboard who've complained about not having enough food. They've literally gone hungry. And we've heard these complaints, the lack of basic necessities, that includes toothpaste, deodorant, soap.

And all of those things add up with an incredibly long deployment that keeps getting extended to dangerously low morale. There are 5,000 American sailors on board. And sources tonight confirmed to CNN that at least one sailor did, in fact, go overboard earlier this month. That sailor was ultimately rescued.

And that follows a shocking "Military Times" exclusive report, which we detailed on OUTFRONT last night about multiple attempts by crew members to jump off the ship. One woman whose husband tried to jump, telling "The Military Times" he's scared. He thinks he'll get a dishonorable discharge. And just because he was burnt out, his 13-year career is ruined just like that.

But tonight, the Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, is denying the reports, saying they're simply untrue.

Listen to what he told Newsmax when questioned about the reporting while traveling in Panama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Completely misrepresented. Listen, we make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Well, that is not what our Pamela Brown, who was on board the USS Abraham Lincoln last month, heard from some sailors on board.

Here's what they told her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

U.S. NAVY SAILOR: Actually, I would say where else pretty low and not just in the division, like in the ship entirely, you know? Personally, what helps me is I go to the gym, you know, I -- I'm trying to better myself, you know, every day, but it's hard. The food -- I'm sure you heard the food was pretty bad for a couple of months. We were surviving on not a lot and it takes a lot to push through, persevere, keep going even when it gets hard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Well, you heard what he told Pam there, that you heard about the food. There's a time there was not a lot.

And in April, "USA Today" did publish a story about sailors on board going hungry. At the time, Hegseth dismissed those reports, too. He called them fake news, but you just heard the crew member there.

And it -- therefore, perhaps not a surprise that families with loved ones on board the USS Abraham Lincoln are privately warning each other not to speak out. OUTFRONT is learning from the "Military Times'" Natalie Oliverio, who broke all of this, that the fear that if they reveal any more details about the disturbing conditions, it could result in punishment for their loved ones, which adds to the low morale aboard the Lincoln.

But if you ask Defense Secretary Hegseth about his strategy for boosting morale, even though he denies that there's any problem whatsoever, I guess to the extent he does address it, he's put out videos like this, lifting weights, working out with U.S. troops, talking about upping testosterone levels for social media, apparently in an effort to I guess, boosts morale. OUTFRONT now, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. He sits on the

Armed Services Committee. He's written a letter to the Defense Secretary Hegseth, requesting information on what's actually happening.

And Senator, I appreciate your time.

Hegseth says today that these reports aboard the ship are completely misrepresented. By the way, I'll just remind everybody that, for example, when it came to Trump getting off Air Force One and the catering cart, all that was completely denied as false, too. And of course, it was true. So, you know, they deny things whether they're true or not. So, it's hard to know.

But he says the troops have everything they need, even though, of course, we've seen the images of inadequate food. You heard the sailor there speaking to our Pamela Brown.

So, do you believe anything that Hegseth is saying?

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Hegseth trying to characterize these powerful, credible reports as fake news is really a disservice and profoundly disrespectful to the sailors who are on the USS Abraham Lincoln and enduring these hardships. They are more than just quality of life threats, lack of sufficient food, toothpaste, soap, hot water. Okay, that's quality of life maybe, but it affects morale and it exacerbates stress, which is reflected in that sailor going overboard.

But anyone who's familiar with how an aircraft carrier operates knows that these jobs are highly stressful, requiring stamina as these fighter jets land on an area that looks like a postage stamp as they begin their descent. And these sailors, whether they are on the deck or below doing mechanics or at the surveillance systems, fending off possible attacks are all under tremendous stress and doing work that can be highly dangerous if they are either distracted or demoralized.

So, it's a real strategic issue. And remember also that there are reports now that the USS Washington is on its way to replace or relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln finally after a record of 200-plus days without even a port call, without setting foot on ground.

Well, the USS Washington is being taken away from its forward position in the Far East. So, the endless war of impulse without strategy and exit plan is having a toll on our military readiness.

BURNETT: Yep, yep. I believe it's 250 days without a land call. And I'll also just add, Senator, that I think just when you hear this as an American, and Americans rightly have pride in the greatest military in the world, but to hear that you have a premier military ship like this, right, a carrier where people aren't getting enough food think it's stunning. It's hard to hear, and it's frankly shocking. And the conditions on the Lincoln appear to be in no small part because of the war with Iran, right, extending the tour, extending the tour, extending the tour unexpectedly. Now you've got these reports, and on top of those disturbing reports

you just mentioned and I refer to, troops jumping overboard. I mean, how is what's happening on the ship affecting America's readiness in the war, America's ability to conduct this war?

BLUMENTHAL: It is certainly bad for recruitment. We want the best of our young people to want to join the Navy or our other services. It is bad for our readiness and preparedness when we have to take an aircraft carrier group. It's not just one ship. It's an entire group with destroyers and other vessels away from the Far East.

Believe me, China is watching. That USS Washington was based in Japan, a critical element of our Far East strategy. And it is undermining the readiness of that ship itself because those fighter jets and other equipment are essential to the power and credibility of our military in that part of the world and elsewhere.

BURNETT: Yeah.

BLUMENTHAL: And, you know, I would just add one of the reports here is that sailors aren't getting their care packages. Anybody who's had sons or daughters in the military, I've had two, knows that a stale cookie can be worth its weight in gold.

That kind of destructive impact to morale can have a ripple effect in the crew. And these kinds of traumatic stress experiences in the face of danger, real physical danger, and neglect from one's own military can have a ripple effect on those individual sailors.

BURNETT: So Iranian media tonight is mocking President Trump's flight from Turkey to the U.K. after the NATO summit, right, when he was transported in the catering cart. So, they're showing a Lego Trump inside a shawarma truck, an A.I. photo of the president surrounded by McDonald's fries, photoshopped image of Trump hiding inside an EasyJet trolley, I mean, all the things that, you know, demean and diminish.

And we're also learning, Senator, that the CIA had low confidence in the threat against Trump that was by the Israelis. So low that according to "The Washington Post", Marco Rubio, who was briefed on the intelligence, was like, I'm staying on this plane. I'm staying on the decoy plane.

So, he wasn't afraid. He didn't take stock in it. CIA didn't take much stock in it.

But the president gets on a catering cart with some of his closest aides, right?

[19:10:02]

Natalie Harp, his assistant, Dan Scavino, Walt Nauta, his body man. And they get in the catering cart and go this other way.

What do you think really happened here?

BLUMENTHAL: I'm asking for a hearing and demanding answers about, in fact, what did happen here, because it has broader ramifications. The president has to be safe when he travels and we respect Secret Service decisions to keep the president safe.

But if this supposed threat had low credibility, we want to know whose decision it was to move the president in this extraordinary way. But any threat with credibility raises the question, why it was okay for the president to get off that plane and the press and other staff including top cabinet officers to stay on the plane as a decoy, and in the moment the Secret Service thought there was apparently a credible threat?

BURNETT: All right, Senator Blumenthal, I appreciate your time and thank you very much for being with us tonight.

I want to go straight OUTFRONT now to Natalie Oliverio, the "Military Times" Pentagon reporter. I mentioned her a few moments ago. She has been breaking all of these details on the USS Lincoln. She's also a Navy veteran.

And, Natalie, I'm glad to have you back. And I know you've got more information tonight. The Defense Secretary, Pete Hagseth today, though, says your report about poor conditions, right, you were talking specifically people you had spoken to whose loved ones had tried to jump overboard about the shortages of food and soap and basic materials, deodorant. He calls it completely misrepresented.

So, I want to give you a chance to respond to what he's saying.

NATALIE OLIVERIO, PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT, MILITARY TIMES: Thanks for having me back, Erin. It's great to be here. And I appreciate the opportunity to respond.

It's not really me that he's responding to. It's the countless sailors who have reached out to "Military Times", and to other news outlets they trust with their organic photos, parents who are sharing native chat sessions with their kids, spouses doing the same.

These are not fabrications. They're not stretches of the truth. Like you mentioned back in April when the "USA Today" broke out pictures on the mess decks of what any American would quantify as inadequate nutrition for our service members and our all-volunteer force of service members who are in extraordinary conditions right now.

I think gaslighting our force is disrespectful and at a minimum, they deserve transparency and accountability.

BURNETT: Yeah, at a minimum. And you speak as a Navy veteran, of course, Natalie.

So, I guess in that context, I want to ask you about what Hegseth appears to be his strategy for boosting morale. Now, of course, he denies it's a problem, but to the extent that he's trying to motivate people, right?

There's the videos he's posting on social media where he's lifting weights there and he's working out with U.S. troops, or he posted that post that, of course, you've seen about we're going to be testing testosterone and upping the testosterone levels for our force.

How is all that landing with actual crew members and members of the Navy?

OLIVERIO: Broccoli. I think some service members are concerned because altering your hormones, they come with a host of issues that not everyone can predict. So not everyone is really riled up for more testosterone. There are a lot of service members who find it to be really contradictory and unfair in the face of rejecting gender affirming care in other areas of the military.

But I can tell you from my experience that morale makes a difference underway. Morale has been planned for, for decades, such as when you're out at sea for 45 days, you get to have two beers. You get to have a steel beach picnic where you put down the nets on the flight deck, maybe take a swim call, put on some music, get cozy on the non- skid and just, you know, have some time together, camaraderie.

Yeah, it's combat operations. Maybe it's not sunshine and steel beach picnics. But we can do a whole lot better knowing that these morale milestones are the markers service members and sailors look forward to, to get them through some of the most strenuous and difficult times underway.

BURNETT: Right, and so much longer than they had expected. And again, I come back to your reporting, Natalie, on the food shortages. I mean, that is shocking and deeply upsetting for anyone listening.

Thank you very much. I appreciate, as I said, Natalie has been breaking this obviously hugely momentous story.

And next, breaking news, Trump is not letting up on his obsession with the Kennedy Center and its name. We are now learning that they found a way, there's been a vote, his name is about to go back up on the building, we're going to tell you exactly how.

[19:15:04]

Also breaking this hour, more races are now shifting in the Democrats' favor. Contests that really are crucial could determine who controls a Congress. That's just breaking right now.

And also this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLI)

ICE AGENT: You almost ran us over!

CAROLINA MOLINA, VIRGINIA RESIDENT; I didn't almost run you over.

ICE AGENT: You almost ran us over! Stop playing.

(EXPLETIVE DELETED)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Troubling video emerging of an ICE agent pointing a gun at a woman's face, which contradicts what ICE claimed actually happened.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Breaking news, Trump's name is going back onto the Kennedy Center. You heard me right.

[19:20:00]

And here's why. The president's handpicked board has voted just a short time ago, and what they voted to do is to inscribe Trump's name below the Kennedy Center sign so it will say that the iconic building was, quote, restored and renovated by President Donald J. Trump.

Now, that move -- it does test the limits of a federal judge order that came in May, right? And that order said that Trump could not rename the Kennedy Center after himself. So, at the time, right, they had to go. They had a deadline of midnight. They came in in the dark of night to go to scrape it off, essentially. His name was removed.

But they never -- he could never actually bear to look at it not being there. So it's still covered, as you can see, by a massive tarp, that whole spot. So now they've come and voted to find another way to get the name up there.

Sunlen Serfaty is OUTFRONT at the Kennedy Center.

It's a bizarre story, Sunlen. Obviously, the focus of Trump on this specific issue is a little unsettling. But the handpicked board that he has there has gone ahead and voted this new way to try to get his name there. What more are you learning?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Erin, certainly this is a very defiant move by the Kennedy Center Board, which, of course, is chaired by President Trump himself. They were intended to huddle for their summer board meeting today and the word was that they were going to discuss a plan potentially to propose back to the court, back to the judge, telling them what they intended to do, how they could potentially, partially stay open.

But the result of that vote was rather surprising in one particular way. This striking vote to, in essence, go back to what they were before with a little tweak. They voted today to add President Trump's name back on the side of the Kennedy Center. There were some modifications, as you said.

Now it goes below President Kennedy's name. Now it simply says in the inscription or it will say in the inscription, were stored and renovated by President Donald Trump, but very clear that this group here at the Kennedy is digging in their heels that they want to see his name in some way on the side of the wall.

I spoke a short time ago to the co-counsel of the plaintiffs who have sued over this. And they say it's too cute by half. They call it defiant and they say a clever work around, around the judge's order, who, of course, ordered them to bring the name off the side of this in June. So, clear escalation in this back and forth. This legal limbo that frankly has not had much progress since June when that name came down and those tarp behind me, Erin, have been up ever since.

We will get potentially some news next week both sides will have to submit more reports to the judge.

But of course, we will see what the judge has to say about this later maneuver by the Kennedy Center board.

BURNETT: Yeah, I mean, it is just amazing that they could never remove the tarp. It's very strange.

The board also voted again today, Sunlen. This was the second time to close the performing arts institution for the renovations that Trump has been pushing. Trump has said the Kennedy Center, in his words, is tired and broken.

So, what can you tell us about that decision?

SERFATY: Yeah, this is really at the center of much of the legal battle. The Kennedy Center today decided that they would like to again vote to close the main center, but they today, in the vote, acknowledge that they will leave open one part of the Kennedy Center. It is a separate building in entirety of itself. It's called the reach. It's where they have a lot of very small or very low-scale performances, so that would remain open.

And they will present this to the judge and see if that fulfills their mandate to at least stay partially open. You'll remember that earlier in the summer, in May, the judge came back rather strongly. He said it to be in line with your congressionally mandated agenda, you have to consider maintaining some performance while the renovations are going on.

And the renovations, the extent of the renovations have been certainly the subject to a lot of speculation here. But for today, the Kennedy Center Board saying that we would like the judge to approve us to at least close completely with just a small building open.

BURNETT: All right, Sunlen, thank you very much.

And I will go to S.E. Cupp and former Congressman Max Rose. They are both OUTFRONT.

S.E., look, I guess I just keep stumbling on the fact that it's been since May, that that tarp went up because of the ruling. And it just sort of gives the feeling like the tarp never came down because somebody couldn't bear to see what was under it, or I guess what is no longer under it, until we'll see how this goes.

I mean, what does it tell you about Trump at this moment in history with what's going on around him is still so focused on how his name will get on the side of that building?

S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah, I mean, he is hyper- fixated on it. And we should say, firstly, that this board, right, is Trump-appointed. So, this is a little like Russia on the U.N. Security Council voting not to sanction Russia, right? Like the vote on this board to do what Trump says when Trump is heading the board, that should not be, you know, overlooked here.

But yeah, I don't know if you saw this story today, Erin, but PolitiFact came out with a report that shows Trump has talked more about these construction projects than anything else besides the war in Iran.

[19:25:12]

Now, if you go to voters and you ask them what's top of mind, they'll tell you the economy, their personal economy, affordability, housing cost, gas prices. the job market. Trump is not talking about that. He's talking about these building projects and putting his name on stuff and he's suing and appealing and trying to sort of like jam it in.

I just think that to voters this is going to read as incredibly out of touch, like he's just not on the most important issues that matter to voters in an election year.

BURNETT: So, you know, we're looking at the images right now, Max, the giant tarp that is covering where Trump's name was removed from the building because of the judge's order, right, in May. And the Kennedy Center recently got an extension until next week to explain to a judge why the tarp is up. Okay, to explain why the tarp is up. So maybe that's why the board at the meeting today had to vote for this other way to put the name up because they got to justify why the TARP is there because, you know, somebody can't bear to look at what is no longer under it.

Okay, is there anything that your party could do or should do to highlight what S.E. just pointed out, the PolitiFact reporting, that Trump has spent so much time and spent so much time ruminating and speaking about things like this?

MAX ROSE (D), FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN: Yeah, of course there is. Two can play this game. In January of 2029, a Democrat will get sworn in as the president of the United States. That Democrat will then be in charge of the Kennedy Center. The day after that swearing in, that Democrat should order that a picture of Trump and Epstein, a large picture, perhaps with gold framing, in recognition of Donald Trump should be in every single room of the Kennedy Center.

Here is why these Republicans are doing this. They're doing this because they don't think the Democrats will do anything in response. They think they're dealing with a normie technocratic party that wants to return back to normal order.

The only deterrent for something like this ever happening again in this country has to be a recognition that the other political party can be just as crazy and vindictive. And that will be the Democratic Party that comes into power in this next administration. I absolutely believe that's the right thing to do.

BURNETT: OK, so can I just follow up on that? Because you've touched on something, right? This has been years of people talking about how to deal with Trump, right? Do you if you can't beat them, join them, right? Do you if we go they go low, we go high? Michelle, you're at the heart of this.

But you really think that's the right thing to do?

ROSE: A thousand percent.

BURNETT: You do something, I know you're not really joking, but the thing about Epstein and Trump, you think that's the right way to handle it?

ROSE: I absolutely believe it's the right way to handle it. I also think it speaks to a larger strategy that the Democrats should deploy here. We are dealing with a president that the Supreme Court has fully established has immunity for anything that he does in his capacity as president of the United States.

We are also dealing with a president that has openly said he will pardon literally anyone he has spoken to over the course of his presidency.

So, we have to start thinking about what does deterrence look like under those circumstances. What are we supposed to do about these countries that are engaging in corrupt business dealings with the Trump family, knowing that Trump will just pardon everybody?

I'll tell you what we could do as an administration in 2029. We could say 10X on their tariffs until they cease any business dealings with the Trump family. The Democrats have to dig deep and use all the tools at their disposal, irrespective of morality and norms and precedent. None of that matters anymore. We have got to show them that we can play this game, too.

BURNETT: S.E., in the moment that we're in now, Trump is facing increasing blowback from some in his own party. I don't want to say Joe Rogan's in his own party, but obviously Joe Rogan had come out and supported him before the last election, right, and was very influential in so doing.

He has recently been critical of Trump on many different fronts. But now calling out Trump for something that has widely been described and seen as corrupt, which is selling advanced access to Trump's posts on social media. So, you know, you can buy an advanced access, and you can see he's going to do bomb or not bomb Iran, and you can make the oil trade ahead of everybody else. Simple example, right?

Okay, here's Joe Rogan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE ROGAN, PODCAST HOST: You get access to a tweet before he makes it, and then you could bet on that tweet. How is that legal? Wait a minute, what is this?

Trump sued over Truth Social advance access sale.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm online in the Oval Office.

ROGAN: Who's telling him this is a good idea?

[19:30:02]

I feel like I need to be closer to that. Up to $100,000 each month. Oh, my God, not even just $100,000 a year, each month. For early access to market moving posts from Trump and other people who use the platform.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Market moving.

ROGAN: You imagine you charge $1.2 million a year? He's just on a grab.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: You know, S.E., what's incredible about this, and Joe Rogan, I think, captures it, but I just want to say it another way. If you're charging someone $100,000 a month for advance access to your posts, you are admitting that people can make money ahead of other people because otherwise they wouldn't pay for that.

So, it's like it's not even -- it's not even a fig leaf. There's not even a fig leaf on this, which I think is what Joe Rogan's saying. He's just on a grab.

Does this issue, this and others, the issue of corruption, is it moving the needle?

CUPP: Yeah, and Trump is being sued for this, right? And, you know, Joe just seemingly found this out from one of his favorite kinds of sources, a comedian. But it's also a bit of a performance. Joe should know that Donald Trump has been a corrupt con man for years and years and years, right? He was corrupt before he became president. He was corrupt in his first term as president. He was corrupt between the terms and he's corrupt now.

So, this performance from guys like Joe and Tucker, like just finding out that Trump is corrupt and the sort of the shock and they're shocked and appalled. It's a bit -- it's a bit of a game.

But yeah, I think the corruption is becoming the whole story this time around. I think the first time Trump was presidenting with a little corruption, and now he's corrupting with a little presidenting. And I think people like Joe and others are just seeing how naked and obvious and craven this is.

They're not even hiding the grift. They're doing it out in the open, and there's seemingly no recourse for it, but again, some of these people are performing, right? They're performing because they want subs. They want to keep your attention. They want to keep -- keep their audience, you know, conspiratorial.

So, there's a lot going on here. But yes, I think the corruption story is important, and it is moving voters.

BURNETT: All right, thank you both very much. And next, we have breaking news from one of America's top election

forecasters, just making a big shift in a number of races. They're moving them in the Democrats' direction. We're going to tell you exactly which ones and why this sudden move.

And Ted Cruz suddenly deleting a post, a really big one, taking down a tweet, falsely linking COVID vaccines to miscarriage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:37:24]

BURNETT: Breaking news, more key races moving in Democrats' favor tonight. "The Cook Political Report" just now is shifting three races in Ohio and Colorado away from Republicans. And these are really important races that obviously could decide which party wins control of the House in the midterms.

So, I want to go to Erin Covey. She is a House editor for "The Cook Political Report".

And, Erin, I know you are just breaking this and moving these races. So, can you tell us which House races you're seeing shift away from Republicans tonight?

ERIN COVEY, U.S. HOUSE EDITOR AT THE COOK POLITICAL REPORT: Yeah, so we're shifting 3 races from solid Republican to likely Republican. That means these are races that are no longer totally safe for the Republican incumbents.

It's Ohio's 15th district held by Republican Congressman Mike Carey. This is in Columbus, stretches all the way out to Southwest Ohio.

Ohio's 10th district held by Congressman Mike Turner, the former Intelligence Committee chairman. This is a seat that's anchored in Dayton, Ohio.

And then we're moving Colorado's third district, a seat held by Congressman Jeff Hurd. It takes in all of the western side of the state. That one is also shifting to likely. So this just means that these are seats where Republicans are still favored, but they do have the potential to become more competitive under this current political environment.

BURNETT: OK, so when you say current political environment, I mean why now? Why are you shifting these races in this way right now?

COVEY: Yeah, so here at the Cook Political Report, what we do is throughout the cycle we are gathering information on all of the candidates, all the money that they're raising and polling, much of which still has yet to be conducted across all of these House districts. So, the more polling that we get, the more information we have about which. Parties are spending where then we're able to make decisions on which of the races are going to be competitive in November. Overall, of course, the national environment looks good for Democrats

due to President Trump severely underwater approval rating in many of these seats, and these are all seats that really haven't been seriously contested by Democrats in recent years, with the exception of Colorado's third. And so, it's notable that they're kind of shifting onto the board at this point.

BURNETT: You know, I'm actually curious, in the context of something you did a couple days ago, Erin, you moved Republican Congressman Max Miller's seat from likely Republican to a toss-up. And I guess I'm wondering you know, he obviously stayed in the race despite the serious abuse allegations that he has -- you know, he's facing. He denies them, of course.

But is there an impact from this race, his staying in, those headlines, Republicans allowing him to do it? Is this impacting other races? from this race, his staying in, those headlines, Republicans allowing him to do it, is this impacting other races?

COVEY: Yeah, it's a good question. Look, I mean, I think it's notable that Republican Senator Jon Husted, who has locked in a very competitive race with former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, called for him to resign from Congress.

[19:40:11]

I think that for all the Republicans who are running in Ohio, this issue is going to be more of an issue for them in the media cycle, more so than in other congressional districts across the country.

I think it remains to be seen how much of an effect it has on all the other races, certainly for Max Miller's race, he's in a much more vulnerable position now.

You know, at the presidential level, Max Miller's district, Mike Kerry's district, Mike Turner's district, these are all seats that Trump won by about 10 points in 2024. So, under a more neutral political environment, they really shouldn't be competitive. But of course, Miller seat is now a toss-up due to the allegations against him and Turner and Kerry seats. While still certainly favored are no longer safe for them.

BURNETT: Yeah, that's really fascinating. And thank you very much, Erin. As I said, this all just breaking right now from "The Cook Political Report". We appreciate your joining us to talk about it.

And next, Ted Cruz with a major backtrack, the senator deleting a tweet, a tweet that falsely linked the COVID vaccine to miscarriage. But then half a million people who'd been looked at it before that.

Plus, Trump's borders are tonight defending why the administration is spending up to $20 million to equip ICE agents with electric shock gloves.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:46:01]

BURNETT: Tonight, Senator Cruz admitting a defeat, deleting a tweet that falsely claimed the COVID vaccine resulted in 82 percent miscarriage rate for women in the early stages of pregnancy. A community note from X at the bottom of Cruz's tweet said the senator is using incomplete data and misrepresents a safety study that found no increased risk from the vaccine among pregnant women.

Now, I just want to note, if you watch this on social media, the number of people who bought into it, believed it, fed it into preconceived narratives about vaccines was deeply unsettling. Now, that's really important and maybe the most important thing, but it's also important to say that Cruz's tweet quickly did prompt a backlash with people calling it dangerously dishonest, false, and outright lie, malicious and dangerous disinformation.

And that is because the 82 percent miscarriage number is a misreading of the study's data, which actually has the miscarriage rate at 12.6 percent, which in line with the normal rate of miscarriages in the general population in the United States of America. So, no added risk due to the COVID vaccine.

OUTFRONT now, Dr. Kevin Ault. He is an OB/GYN and the president-elect of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Ault, I appreciate your time.

This is the area in which you have spent your professional career. So just how badly did Senator Cruz get this wrong?

DR. KEVIN AULT, FORMER CDC ADVISORY MEMBER ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES: Well, I mean, I think you let into it very well. This is a well- studied area. We knew this in 2021 that there wasn't an increased risk and now we have five more years of data. So, it's hard to believe we would miss a factor of eight increase in miscarriages. So, at face value, it's a incoherent story.

BURNETT: As you say, at face value, an incoherent story. I also want to note, in addition to your professional career as OB/GYN and what you do, you were a former CDC advisory member involved in COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. So, as I mentioned, Ted Cruz has deleted this tweet, okay? So, he realized it was inaccurate. He deleted it. That's good.

But The fact that it was ever posted is a real issue. It was viewed more than 600,000 times. I talked about what -- I saw it again and again in all sorts of disturbing silos on X overnight.

What are the consequences of having a false claim like this spread so widely? Because, Dr. Ault, you and I both know there are a lot of people who saw that. They will never know that Ted Cruz took it down. They will never know the reality. But they will go around and tell everybody there's an 82 percent chance of having a miscarriage if you get the COVID vaccine.

AULT: Well, you could certainly do studies and ask pregnant women where they get their information about vaccines, and they do get it from social media frequently. So, it's concerning.

I mean, I think the real downside to this is that COVID and influenza infections both lead to maternal deaths. We had dozens of maternal deaths in 2009 due to flu. We had hundreds of maternal deaths in 2021 due to COVID, and we still severe illnesses, ICU stays, stillbirths, predetermined deliveries related to those respiratory diseases and vaccine -- vaccination during pregnancy reduces the risk of all those things.

So, if somebody's making decisions on these bad sources of information that has a real downstream effect on maternal health.

BURNETT: Yeah, I remember I actually had not had a chance to get the flu vaccine. I got it every pregnancy. Hadn't had a chance for one of them. I got the flu. I have never been so sick in my life.

The second I recovered from it, I immediately raced out to get that vaccine. But I have never been so sick in my life. And it just was a real wake-up call.

This -- the context of this when we're talking about this misinformation that's out there though is that President Trump just made false claims about vaccines and autism when he signed that executive order recommending children get fewer vaccines and that's out there though is that President Trump just made false claims about vaccines and autism when he signed that executive order recommending children get fewer vaccines than they usually than they currently do.

[19:50:02]

And I just wanted to play something that he said for you, Dr. Ault. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLI)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've seen proof of it, where they have a vaccination that looks like the size of a bottle of soda poured into a little child's body, and bad things happen. Large amounts of like vats of vaccine are currently pumped into your child's body. Nothing bad can happen from what we're doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Of course, any parent who has been with an infant to a pediatrician knows all of that to be patently false. But what do you say to the president who's sitting there as the president of the United States saying such things?

AULT: Well, I think it just emphasizes what I said before. You know, there are consequences to these actions. The amount of volume in a pediatric vaccine is about one-tenth of a teaspoon. I'm not a pediatrician, but like you, I went to visits where my children were getting vaccines, you know, and that's why we have measles in the United States and one of the things that I thought was very concerning was during that executive order was that a disease like RSV is being deemphasized. The most common reason for young children to be admitted to the hospital the first few months of life.

So, I mean there are real consequences to poor quality information to bad information and misinformation. out there about the safety of these vaccines during pregnancy and during early childhood.

BURNETT: Yeah. Well, Dr. Ault, I appreciate your taking the time. Thank you so much for being with us tonight.

And next, ICE tactics, new ones facing more scrutiny after video of an agent pointing a gun at a woman's surfaces.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:55:57]

BURNETT: Tonight, a growing number of videos showing new and aggressive tactics from ICE officers, raising more questions about the agency, and Jason Carroll is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ICE AGENT: You can stop following us.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A tense exchange between ICE agents and a woman in Virginia.

ICE AGENT: You almost ran us over.

CAROLINA MOLINA, VIRGINIA RESIDENT: I didn't almost run you over.

ICE AGENT: You almost ran us over. Stop playing.

MOLINA: You are full of (EXPLETIVE DELETED)!

ICE AGENT: Stop playing.

MOLINA: You are full of (EXPLETIVE DELETED)!

CARROLL (voice-over): The Department of Homeland Security now describes her as an anti-ICE agitator they accused of trying to weaponize her car against their agents.

But the woman in question, Carolina Molina, says her dash cam video shows what really happened.

The incident took place on Monday. That's when Molina says she saw agents handcuff two Latino men and escort them to an unmarked car. She rolled down her window and shouted insults at the officers.

MOLINA: You're a ho! You're (EXPLETIVE DELETED) up!

CARROLL (voice-over): Molina says she turned around and tried to drive away. And that's when she says ICE agents blocked her in with their cars and an agent drew his weapon. Part of that confrontation captured on her dashcam.

ICE AGENT: I will arrest him. Keep it up.

MOLINA: I'm a legal citizen.

CARROLL (voice-over): The Department of Homeland Security giving a much different account of what happened, saying in part, "While ICE was conducting targeted immigration enforcement in Falls Church, Virginia, an anti-ICE agitator began to drive her car in circles around our ICE officers and then attempted to harm officers by weaponizing her vehicle against them, all in an attempt to help illegal aliens get away. Fearing for their safety, ICE officers conducted a vehicle stop of the driver."

RYAN SCHWANK, FORMER ASSISTANT CHIEF COUNSEL FOR ICE: When I hear this story is that this is exactly one of the scenarios that we trained the officers to address at the Academy.

CARROLL (voice-over): Ryan Schwank spent four years working at ICE as an assistant chief counsel.

SCHWANK: We trained them in what we call broking vehicle stops on how to deal with agitators or individuals who show up and yell insults or slurs at the officers. What we taught them when I was there is those people had every right to do that. These officers were agitated and upset, and they took it out on this individual.

CARROLL (voice-over): This latest incident coming in the wake of other controversial ICE encounters, some of them deadly.

Last month, ICE agents accused a man of weaponizing his vehicle during a targeted traffic stop in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Surveillance video obtained by WGAL showed officers had boxed in the SUV. An agent fired a shot as the vehicle drove away. Law enforcement experts criticize how ICE responded.

The incident occurred just days before an ICE agent fatally shot a 52- year-old man during a car stop in Houston. Less than a week later, another ICE agent killed a 25-year-old man during a vehicle stop in Maine. Neither of those victims was the intended target of ICE operations.

In a report released last month, the ACLU reviewed more than 1,200 incidents of immigration enforcement in 2025 across eight states, identifying 432 incidents involving misconduct by agents, 418 incidents were people who were pushed, shoved, tackled, or pinned, 128 involved threatened force, including brandishing weapons, 82 involved agents using their cars, such as boxing in or hitting other people's cars.

Adding to concerns over ICE tactics comes word ICE has approved a plan to spend millions on electric shock gloves.

TOM HOMAN, BORDER CZAR: It's another device that, you know, to help someone be compliant with or not. You know, you just can't go from zero to 100, right? And first thing you go for is lethal force.

CARROLL (voice-over): Critics worry the devices will be misused. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: And Erin, when it comes to that incident in Virginia, perhaps there would be more clarity about what happened if folks knew whether or not those ICE agents were wearing body-worn cameras. We have reached out to ICE about that, but did not hear back from them. ICE is in the middle of a nationwide rollout of body cams for their officers. That should be completed by the end of the month.

Also, we should tell you that the Fairfax County District Attorney's Office is also weighing in on this today, basically saying that they've been hearing from people from the community who've been very concerned about what they've seen and that they are reviewing the incident -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right. Jason, thank you very much.

And thanks to all of you for being with us tonight.

"AC360" begins now.