Return to Transcripts main page
Inside Politics
Truth Social's Early Access Offer Prompts Federal Lawsuit; Two House Republicans Hoping To Keep Seats In Harris-Won Districts; Lawler Campaign Received $10,000 From Max Miller-Linked PAC; Official: Sailor Went Overboard From USS Lincoln, Quickly Rescued; USS Official: USS George Washington Is Headed To The Middle East To Replace The USS Abraham Lincoln. Aired 12:30-1p ET
Aired August 13, 2026 - 12:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:30:00]
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: -- the question about whether or not he puts the country over personal gain, this is according to a CNN poll a couple of weeks ago. Yes, 34 percent. No, 66 percent. Meaning, you know, 66 percent of the people think that he is putting himself ahead of the country, his personal gain.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: And that has become something that really has settled in. I mean, long ago, I think if people forgotten about, I will be the fighter for you. It is clearly the second term is about the Trumps, the Trump family --
BASH: Are people getting that out there that you talked to?
ZELENY: I mean, I think there's no doubt about it. I mean, some people aren't troubled by it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
ZELENY: The supporters of the President, I think, are fine with it. But even those, I think, are kind of wondering like, hmm, this just doesn't sound right. Because it's coming at the same time where just the things are not booming or rosy for a lot of people. And it's just one more example of, hmm, they're making so much money on this. $100,000, that's a lot of money.
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: It's a lot of money, yes.
ZELENY: And to move a vaccine market or something, I mean, the President announces a lot of things from the Oval Office that can move markets.
BASH: Yes.
ZELENY: There's no doubt about it, which is often why it happens after the market closes for the day. But this is something we've never seen before. BASH: All right. Coming up, with the President's historically low approval numbers, can a Republican win re-election in a district that voted for Kamala Harris? I'll talk to one who's trying next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:37]
BASH: Just two House Republicans are running for re-election in districts Kamala Harris won in 2024. Pennsylvania Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick and New York Congressman Mike Lawler. That uphill climb may be getting a little bit steeper as the President's approval rating falls to just 34 percent.
Joining me now is Congressman Lawler. Thank you so much for being here. Let's kind of start with a table setting of where the electorate is and what they're experiencing right now. The average price of gas is $4.07 up from $3.13 in January of 2025 when the President was inaugurated. Unemployment sits at 4.1 percent, barely unchanged since then.
We are six months into a war the President said would be an excursion. So what is your argument about why people in your district should vote for you and also keep fellow Republicans in their seats to keep the majority?
REP. MIKE LAWLER (R), NEW YORK: Well, first of all, since I came to office in 2022, we have made significant progress bringing down inflation from the record highs under Joe Biden. Unemployment levels are almost at full employment, which is part of the reason that they remain unchanged.
When you look at gas prices, that obviously is a direct result of the situation in the Middle East. But it had come down significantly from the highs of the Biden administration. But there's more work to do. But the work that I have done in Congress has directly benefited my constituents.
I led the effort to increase the cap on SALT, putting over $4,000 back in the pockets of the average family in the Hudson Valley. We passed no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security, the largest tax cut in American history.
My opponent wants to get rid of all that. She wants to increase taxes. She has made it clear that she would have let the tax bill expire. That would have resulted in a $4,000 tax increase on the average Hudson Valley family.
BASH: Congressman --
LAWLER: You look at issues in New York -- hold on, Dana. This is important.
BASH: Go ahead. Go ahead.
LAWLER: New York is Democrat -- it's Democrat controlled. Kathy Hochul and Zohran Mamdani are running the state and city of New York into the ground. Many of my constituents work in New York City and are directly impacted by the radical policies being put forth. Utility prices in New York are up 58 percent in the last six years.
That has nothing to do with Washington and everything to do with policies coming out of the Hochul administration, where they ban natural gas, they block pipelines, they shut down nuclear power. That drives up utility costs. So I have been heavily focused on the cost of living.
It's why I led the housing bill along with Chairman Hill and Chairman Flood. Six of my provisions were part of that package, the largest bipartisan package to pass Congress in 36 years. I'm proud of my record and I'm running on it.
I've delivered for my district. I brought back over $80 million in community project funding. We've closed almost 10,000 constituent cases. I show up in every community. I've done over 2,000 in person events. These things matter in a district like mine, just north of New York City, where, yes, the cost of living is an issue.
But there are other issues, quality of life issues, crime, public safety. We stopped the massive influx of illegal immigration into this country. Criminal aliens are being arrested. The Gorman family lives in my district. Their daughter, 18 year old Sheridan Gorman, brutally killed in Chicago.
BASH: Yes.
LAWLER: These issues matter.
COOPER: Congressman, it sounds like what you're saying is that you're running almost to be a check on the Democrats who run New York, as opposed to somebody who is a Republican running for reelection in a GOP run city of Washington. That's both. It's both.
Again, I'm proud of the work that I have done in Washington, D. C. to deliver for my constituents and my district. I've stood up to the President. I've taken him on on numerous issues, including on the tax bill on the issue of SALT.
I've also recently taken him on on the issue of Haitians, including on the tax bill on the issue of SALT. I've also recently taken him on on the issue of Haitian TPS.
[12:40:08]
But I also understand that you have to be able to work with the people in charge. You can't just say no, no, no, no, no if you actually want to get things done for your district, Democrats have taken that approach for 10 years, and it has gotten them exactly nowhere. You have to find the balance in that. I've done that.
It's why I've been rated among the most bipartisan and effective members of Congress. It's why Democratic members of Congress are saying that they want me to win reelection. BASH: Let me ask you about sort of a hot topic that has been out there, and that is about your fellow Republican Congressman Max Miller. You received $10,000 from Congressman Miller's pack this election cycle. Your campaign spokesman told Politico you have no plans to return the money.
And Miller, of course, has been accused of abusing his ex-wife and his daughter allegations he denies. Why have you decided not to return the $10,000?
LAWLER: Well, first of all, there's been a lot of allegations leveled. I know Max very well. I've talked to him personally over the last two years about this very difficult family situation. It's tragic. I don't think anybody disagrees about that.
But this is something that should play out in family court. I think the fact that some of the media and my Democratic colleagues have tried to turn it into a spectacle and, you know, use this situation for political points is wrong. But look, my opponent, Cait Conley --
BASH: Yes.
LAWLER: -- took tens of thousands of dollars from Elliott Spitzer, who admitted admitted to trafficking young women across state lines for the purpose of prostitution --
BASH: All right. Congressman, I've seen you say this --
LAWLER: -- and sexually abuse them.
BASH: I've seen you say this someone --
LAWLER: She has not returned those --
BASH: But how -
LAWLER: -- fans.
BASH: OK. But --
LAWLER: -- and he admitted to the conduct. Max has not.
BASH: OK, so I'm asking you specifically about Max Miller. So it sounds like you said you've talked to him a lot privately.
LAWLER: Right, but --
BASH: It sounds like you're saying that you're not returning the donations because you --
LAWLER: I'm not going to get into that.
BASH: -- because you believe him.
LAWLER: Look, this is a private family matter that unfortunately has spilled out into the public. It should be adjudicated in family court. Max has been accused. Max has also made accusations against his ex- wife.
It is tragic on. And obviously, I don't condone any level of abuse. But ultimately, there has been nothing that has been corroborated here, which is part of the reason why Max is continuing to run for reelection.
BASH: I guess just politically speaking --
LAWLER: As far as my opponent goes --
BASH: -- you have --
LAWLER: But Dana, as far as my opponent goes, you have the former governor who resigned --
BASH: -- you've only gotten $10,000. Yes, you've only got $10,000.
LAWLER: Dana, you have the former governor that resigned in disgrace because he sexually abused young women. Yes.
BASH: This is -- I'm talking about this right now that your colleague has given you from his PAC $10,000.
LAWLER: But Dana, do you have information?
BASH: Can you explain --
LAWLER: Yes.
BASH: -- just politically speaking, why not just give the money back? It's only 10 grand and you have $4.8 million cash on hand. Is it the principal because he's your friend and you believe him? I'm just trying to get to the bottom of why.
LAWLER: Yes, Dana, do you have information that proves the allegation?
BASH: No --
LAWLER: I mean, are you aware of something that the rest of us are not?
BASH: No, absolutely not.
LAWLER: OK, right. So he's been accused --
BASH: He denied it and his --
LAWLER: All right. So he's been accused --
BASH: -- father and -- ex father-in-law --
LAWLER: Right.
BASH: -- who's a senator very much says that he should not be --
LAWLER: Yes. BASH: -- in Congress.
LAWLER: I understand. It's a tragic family situation that has spiraled into the public. But again, you have this situation where the allegations have not been verified. You yourself just acknowledge they have not been verified. And yet my opponent took tens of thousands of dollars from the former governor of New York, who resigned in disgrace because he sexually abused young women.
Are you OK with Cait Conley keeping that money?
BASH: I'm not --
LAWLER: She returned that money when the governor of New York admitted to the conduct.
BASH: I don't have an opinion on either way. I'm just asking you a question.
LAWLER: All right. But you are asking me about a --
BASH: Yes.
LAWLER: -- unverified allegation versus a verified allegation --
BASH: This is --
LAWLER: -- in which the former governor resigned in disgrace because he sexually abused young women --
BASH: -- has been hugely in the news. This is your sitting colleague in Congress.
LAWLER: I understand.
BASH: And you're talking about something that happened --
LAWLER: But you just admitted.
BASH: -- two decades ago.
LAWLER: You just acknowledge that --
BASH: I'm not admitting anything. I'm telling you that I --
LAWLER: But you just acknowledged that you don't have evidence to verify the allegation. I'm simply saying if you're going to go down that road --
BASH: Yes.
LAWLER: -- then hold everybody to the same standard.
BASH: I agree. I agree.
LAWLER: My opponent should return the tens of thousands -- BASH: I am not giving -- I am not making the allegation his ex-wife
is, his ex-father-in-law. And I'm asking you a purely political question.
LAWLER: Right. And it's tragic. It's tragic.
BASH: A purely political question.
LAWLER: It's tragic.
[12:45:07]
BASH: Why not just give it back? It's only $10,000 --
LAWLER: Because this is --
BASH: -- and move on?
LAWLER: -- the typical Washington media game where it's always an allegation comes up. You must return the money. It's the typical game everybody plays, and it doesn't actually do anything to further the situation. If there's evidence that Max did something, then obviously there should be a thorough investigation of that. But thus far, there's been nothing to verify any of the claims that have been leveled.
I think it is a tragic family situation. We all know people who have gone through nasty divorces. This is a very unfortunate situation.
BASH: Yes, it is tragic because there is a small child involved and among many other things.
LAWLER: There is a child involved. No question.
BASH: Yes, among many other things.
LAWLER: No question.
BASH: Congressman, it's always good to talk to you. Thank you for coming on, and I appreciate it.
LAWLER: Thanks, Dana.
BASH: All right. Coming up, a sailor overboard, a record deployment and a war with no end in sight. My friend and colleague Pamela Brown was aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, and she's going to be here next with new reporting on struggles that the sailors are experiencing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:30]
BASH: Now to some disturbing new reporting, a U. S. official tells my colleague Pamela Brown that a sailor went overboard from the USS Abraham Lincoln last month. The sailor was quickly rescued and medically evaluated, but it's unclear if that person was evacuated. The incident comes as multiple reports detailed the mounting mental toll of those on the Lincoln's extended Iran war deployment.
And Pam joins me now. Pam, tell me more about this reporting.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR & CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so I am told by a U.S. official that actually after I left my -- in bed on the USS Abraham Lincoln, there was a man overboard situation where a sailor went into the water. That sailor was quickly rescued and was evaluated.
Now we don't know the circumstances around that, but of course it comes at a time when there is extra scrutiny on the mental toll that this deployment has had on the sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. There's around 5,000 on board when you include the air wing and the Navy sailors, the Marines on board.
I'm also told Dana that there's a aircraft carrier on its way to relieve the Abraham Lincoln. The USS George Washington is on its way. I'm told by U.S. official to provide that relief. We're not given a specific timeline for operational concerns, but also what I was told when I was aboard the ship, there have been many times along the way they thought that they would be home by a certain time and it gave false hope.
And so now they're really careful about giving anything firm in terms of a timeline or this is when you're going to be able to get back home. But as you can imagine, the sailors and their families really they want certainty.
BASH: Yes, and I know you spent a lot of time talking to these sailors about how they're feeling about this long deployment.
BROWN: When I was there on the ship, they actually crossed the threshold into setting the record of the most consecutive days at sea --
BASH: Which is how long?
BROWN: More than 250 days without a regular port visit. Typically what happens is when these aircraft carriers are at sea, they get poor visits more frequently and they have more time to put their foot on the ground, right?
BASH: Yes.
BROWN: In this case, like this young man, I spoke to this enlisted Sailor Randall Stone, he says he hasn't stepped foot on land this year. Here's what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDALL STONE, USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN: So it's hard. You know, it's hard in your mental state, you know, to see for eight months without being on dry land. It takes a toll on you.
BROWN: Yes. What do you want Americans to know back home about the work you're doing here and that toll you're talking about? STONE: It's only my job to do what people tell me out here. But for, like the American people, I would say, you know, they have to know, like, I just want them to know what we're doing out here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: They want people to know. Look, they're out there. They're working hard, but it's tough. And it was tough. And a lot of the sailors I spoke to, including Lieutenant Colonel Capstaff, Dana, who hasn't even met his daughter, who's been -- who was born during this deployment. Let's listen to what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: What kind of told is that take on you personally?
LT. CMDR. JOE CAPSTAFF, USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN: It's tough. I said, I had my first kid born in February --
BROWN: Oh Wow.
CAPSTAFF: -- so very excited to get home and meet her.
BROWN: You've never met your daughter?
CAPSTAFF: Nope.
BROWN: She was born right around when this conflict started.
CAPSTAFF: Luckily, she was born February 6, so I was able to get on FaceTime, watch the birth, talk to my wife before everything went down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: I will say having WiFi on board has been for a lot of the folks I spoke to a game changer and past deployments like Lieutenant Capstaff said he didn't have it during COVID. So that has helped, but it's not always steady. It's not always predictable, but it certainly has helped.
BASH: And going back to somebody jumping into the sea and obviously, thank thankfully being rescued. You witnessed training for that very scenario.
BROWN: Yes, we did. And I believe we have some video of it. There is an inflatable boat in a section of the ship dedicated to a man overboard scenario. Here's the boat right here. And there's a big team that is dedicated to a man overboard scenario, and they trained for this.
They were -- they immediately put on life jackets. They put the boat down. You see them right there with the rope. They would lower that the boat into the water to try to find the person who had gone in.
Additionally, there are helicopters, and I'm told actually that is a primary way that they try to locate a sailor. And this particular case of what had happened last month. I'm not sure exactly how this person was rescued. But when I was on board the Abraham Lincoln, there were drills, a man overboard drill, because this sadly does happen not just on the Abraham Lincoln, it has happened on previous deployments with aircraft carriers.
[12:55:13]
And when that happens, everyone has to quickly go into their station, their designated station for accountability. Simultaneously, there is a search underway where you have this team putting on their life jackets, getting the boat ready. The helicopter is getting ready.
So it is a scenario that they prepare for. And I spoke to a U.S. official today who sent me this statement from the Navy, Dana. And this person says, quote, "We have not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship. We take every service members well-being seriously and have religious medical and mental health professionals available to assess and address concerns as they arise. Sailors go through normal transitions throughout a deployment cycle. Adapting to life at sea can be difficult, so we've learned how to provide resources and help sailors with these transitions. We are not experiencing an uptick in mental health issues aboard the Abraham Lincoln."
BASH: Well, that's interesting. But listen, they're talking about it. And lucky for us and everybody out there that you were able to spend time on the ship and talk to the sailors --
BROWN: Yes.
BASH: -- to really understand what they're feeling with their emotional state --
BROWN: It was so a privilege to be there and to talk to them and to just see up close the hard work and sacrifice that is physical and mental to.
BASH: Thank you for sharing that with us. And if you were someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, including depression or suicidal thoughts, you can call the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988 or visit them online at 988lifeline.org.
Thank you so much for joining us on Inside Politics. CNN News Central starts after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
