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Laura Coates Live
Outrage in Texas After ICE Shoots and Kills 52-Year-Old Man; Housing Bill to Become Law Despite Trump's Refusal to Sign; Family Pleads for Answers in Teen's Death; Video Shows McConnell into Ambulance on a Stretcher. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired July 10, 2026 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[23:00:00]
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: You can catch our Saturday morning show, "Table for Five." It is at 10 a.m. Eastern. In the meantime, "Laura Coates Live" starts right now.
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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, anger growing over the ICE shooting of a 52-year-old father of three. Now, witnesses who were there when the man was killed are disputing ICE's version of events. Plus, Trump says the bipartisan housing bill he is refusing to sign is a "yawn," but just minutes from now, at midnight, it's going to become law, anyway. And what is going on with Mitch McConnell? The deepening mystery into his condition as CNN obtains new video from when he was loaded into an ambulance. Tonight on "Laura Coates Live."
Good evening. I'm Boris Sanchez, in for Laura. Tonight, protesters in Houston have a message for ICE.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: (INAUDIBLE).
SANCHEZ: They want ICE out of their city, and they want answers about why 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was shot and killed on his way to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Right now, it comes down to this, whose version of those fatal seconds do you believe? The agency's or the men who were in the van when the father of three was approached by an ICE agent who opened fire? ICE claims Salgado Araujo rammed a law enforcement SUV and refused to obey commands. But now, we're hearing the account of the other three men in the van though the attorney who represents two of them. I should say through the attorney who represents two of them. He says they told him that ICE's version of events does not add up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUGO BALDERAS-IBARRA, ATTORNEY: After speaking with these three men that were in the vehicle with Lorenzo, I have no doubt that what these ICE agents are saying is completely false. At no point did they ever use the van to ram into the ICE agents and at no point were these ICE agents' lives ever in any danger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: That attorney says the men told him it was ICE vehicles that rammed the van. He says they were boxed in on each side when an officer jumped out, yelled stop, and immediately fired from the passenger's side, hitting Salgado Araujo in the abdomen.
If you watch this animation, you can get a sense of what happened based on the surveillance video we have, and it actually highlights one of the biggest questions around this case. We don't have any dash cam video even though CNN has asked DHS if any is available. We also don't have any body camera video. A DHS spokesperson says none of the agents were wearing cameras. So, we're left to piece everything together from surveillance footage, video of the aftermath, and witness accounts.
Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, says an investigation will get to the bottom of what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM HOMAN, BORDER CZAR: When I went to Minnesota to fix that mess, when President Trump sent me there, the first thing I did was bring more internal affairs officers in there and run down all the allegations. And, unfortunately, a couple of agents are in trouble now. But we will do the right thing based on the findings of the investigation. We'll hold our people accountable. You got my word on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: That promise may not be enough for people who have seen this before. Investigators in Minnesota say they were frozen out of the investigations and of the killings of Rene Good and Alex Pretti. They eventually sued the federal government for evidence. Now, officials in Houston are running into the same problem.
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MAYOR JOHN WHITMIRE, HOUSTON, TEXAS: They have the evidence. In this instance, the van, the passengers, the deceased. And they're tightly controlling it.
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SANCHEZ: Like the Houston mayor, my first guest is demanding accountability from ICE. Texas Democratic Congressman Christian Menefee joins us now. His district is next door to where the shooting took place. Congressman, thank you so much for being with us.
The lawyer for the men who were traveling with Salgado Araujo say the van never hit the ICE agents, that the agents' lives were never in danger, a very different account from what we're hearing from ICE. Which version of the events do you believe?
REP. CHRISTIAN MENEFEE (D), TEXAS: Certainly not ICE. The more information that we get, the more it's becoming abundantly clear that ICE and DHS are lying. They told us that the decedent and the three individuals who were with him tried to hit them with their vehicle, but we've only seen a little bit of camera footage, and it makes very clear that that isn't what happened at all. We've heard from a couple of the witnesses through their attorney that at no point in time was there an ICE agent in front of the vehicle.
And I'm from Houston, Texas. Like, I am really from here. And if you talk to people in our communities, talk to our neighbors, our family members, they will tell you that you don't pull over for an unmarked vehicle in a state that has such laxed gun laws, and we have road rage incidents all the time.
[23:05:03]
You talk to people on the ground, and they'll tell you the reality of what Mr. Salgado Araujo was experiencing in real time. Nobody in the city of Houston would have pulled over when they were being chased that way from ICE. So, the expectations from ICE are completely unacceptable, and we're seeing them lie right now in real time.
SANCHEZ: The two men are in ICE custody. Their lawyer claims they're being pressured to self-deport. What do you know about their condition and that claim about pressure to self-deport?
MENEFEE: What we know is that ICE does this all the time with folks who are in detention. I personally toured Dilley detention facility and talked to a number of immigrants who were being detained there, who were being coerced to self-deport. It is a regular practice from ICE when they are detaining folks.
We have heard from our congresswoman, Sylvia Garcia, who spoke directly with the acting administrator of ICE as well as the lawyer for the three individuals who have been detained, and she has said that we're doing all we can to be able to get in communication with them and to make sure that we get their witness statements before any type of deportation efforts take place.
But what we know is that ICE is rushing as quickly as they can to try to cover their tracks because every single thing that they have told us thus far has been proven not to be true. They are an agency that has shown to be radicalized, that has shown to be dishonest, and that's why they have lost the trust of Houstonians and lost the trust of the American people.
SANCHEZ: So, CNN reached out to ICE about the self-deportation claim. A spokesperson says it's categorically false that the agency pressures people to self-deport. Notably, these agents were not wearing body cams.
DHS is blaming that on you and your party. They say -- quote -- "The process of purchasing and issuing body-worn cameras to all of our ICE field offices was interrupted by Democrats through multiple government shutdowns." What is your response?
MENEFEE: That is absurd and moronic. Anybody who's paying attention to the funding of ICE over the past couple of years knows that ICE had $75 billion in surge funding that it received last year, that it was able to use to recruit new agents, to do enhanced enforcement operations throughout the country, to get more vehicles.
But, somehow, they couldn't afford body-worn cameras that had been purchased by local government and state government officials when it was Democrats in Congress who made the argument that we should not be funding ICE at all if they cannot agree to more reforms, including independent investigations and more body-worn cameras. It was Republicans who opposed that. When President Trump came to Congress and tried to cut body-worn camera funding for ICE from $20 million to $5 million, it was Democrats who opposed that, whereas Republicans were ready to be on board with that.
I think that ICE should stick to the work that they're supposed to be doing, which they're obviously messing up right now and that's why all of Houston is mad at them, instead of making lies about Democrats in Congress.
SANCHEZ: Congressman Christian Menefee, we have to leave the conversation there. Thanks so much for sharing your time and perspective.
MENEFEE: Thank you for having me.
SANCHEZ: Of course. Let's talk about the political fallout now with political strategist and senior advisor of "Our Republican Legacy," Rina Shah, and co-founder and CEO of "The Seneca Project," Tara Setmayer. Thank you both for being with us.
So, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has not made any public statements since the shooting, unlike his predecessor, Kristi Noem, who was front and center during the shootings in Minneapolis. Do you think that's a mistake? Should Mullin be more public-facing?
RINA SHAH, POLITICAL STRATEGIST AND COMMENTATOR, SENIOR ADVISOR OF OUR REPUBLICAN LEGACY, GEOPOLITICAL RISK ADVISER: This is the first big shooting that has happened since Mullin took office or took this role, rather. And I think if he wants to save himself from being on the chopping block, he should lead with humanity, he should come out and say that mistakes happen like this, unfortunately.
Look, if you want to be a proper conservative about this, I'm not talking the Trump era, MAGA era, but a compassionate conservative, you would say, I'm pro-law and order, I'm not pro-chaos. What this was, was chaos. And I think we saw an innocent man lose his life yet again at the hands of federal law enforcement that are, frankly, just doing their jobs.
But this whole thing, at the end of the day, feels like yet another cover-up because the Trump administration's top people cannot admit where they failed.
SANCHEZ: Tara, your thoughts?
TARA SETMAYER, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, THE SENECA PROJECT: Rina is exactly right. When I was on Capitol Hill, I was a Republican staffer and worked on immigration issues. As a matter of fact, I was the lead congressional staffer that helped commute the sentences of two border patrol agents who were charged for shooting a drug smuggler, an illegal alien drug smuggler, in Texas. And I became very familiar with the rules and regulations and the use-of-force continuum rules and all of that for the Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol, CBP, ICE, all of that. And I've got to tell you that there were agents who went to prison for way less, for pushing people down with their foot, detainees down with their foot, for violation of civil rights under the color of law, for things that were nowhere close to taking the lives of people like this, innocently.
[23:10:04]
ICE is out of control. They are a disgrace to the badge. I come from a law enforcement family. My husband is a federal agent. My grandfather was a police officer in my hometown, capped in 40 years. I take this very seriously. And the good people who are out there doing their jobs are looking at this and saying, what are we doing?
And this administration continues to violate the civil rights of individuals in ways that would never have been OK before, and no one should be all right with it, particularly Republicans who claim to be the ones that say, oh, we're supposed to be the ones that are back the blue, and we want to make sure that the laws are followed.
These guys are vigilantes, and they're killing innocent people, and they need to be held accountable for it.
SANCHEZ: I want to play some sound from Mullin's confirmation hearing because he said that he wanted to keep ICE and Border Patrol out of the headlines. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARKWAYNE MULLIN, SECRETARY, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY: My goal in six months is that we're not in the lead story every single day. My goal is for people to understand we're out there, we're protecting them, and we're working with them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Is there something the administration could do at this point, Rina, to regain confidence, to regain credibility?
SHAH: Well, right now, ICE agents who are, again, just doing their jobs, are being painted out as reckless and evil, and all of them are sort of being looped into the same category as stormtroopers. That puts a target on all their backs, right?
And then you think about the public. And I think of myself as a woman and how I approach law enforcement and my interactions with law enforcement. And what the congressman said about, you know, being pulled over by unmarked vehicles, that doesn't feel safe. And I'm raising really small kids in this world. I'm talking about how you go to law enforcement, you go to the police, you find officials when you do not feel safe.
There are millions of Americans who have been here, are here, undocumented. And we have to accept that reality. I'm a daughter of legal immigrants. I take great offense to anyone that ever skips the line.
But I also think this could have been a great chance for a reset by Mullin. And so, if he's the right guy for the job, which we were told he was after Noem, then he needs to come back, backtrack, and do something major, make a grand gesture, and come out and take responsibility.
SETMAYER: That would be great if we had people who actually cared about real immigration policy and actually upholding the civil liberties of people in this country. Stephen Miller is driving this train here. These people are xenophobic. They are dehumanizing immigrants in this country. There are so many other policy ways that we could be fixing the illegal immigration problem. This is not it. They are going into cities and terrorizing communities.
And that is because they have another agenda. That agenda is not to be welcoming to immigrants. What Markwayne Mullin was saying, it was all just cover for this larger, more sadistic approach to trying to put forth Stephen Miller's vision of America, which is one that doesn't include people who look like me, you or Rina.
And that's the reality of this. We need to put it in context and stop looking at this as if this is just a policy disagreement. It's not. It's a much bigger, more dangerous ideology that MAGA and Trump and Stephen Miller and the Markwayne Mullins of the world -- you can put lipstick on a pig all you want, but their underlying policies are still really, really disgraceful and dangerous in this country, the way they're treating people who are not white Christian men.
SHAH: I mean, speaking of policies for just a second, a very solution-oriented thing they could do this week is go back and address tactics and training for these agents because I am so concerned about the innocent people all through federal service who are being tainted just because of really the stench of Trumpism that reeks from people like Stephen Miller.
SETMAYER: Yes.
SHAH: So, if we want to talk solutions, it's tactics and training for agents nationwide.
SETMAYER: Absolutely. If they cared about that, that's the problem. They don't. They're pushing people through training who are unqualified. We saw this earlier in the year because of what was happening with Kristi Noem and the disaster that she was at DHS. There are a lot of unqualified people who have no business having a badge and a gun that are going out here and killing people on the streets of America. SANCHEZ: Tara and Rina, please stand by. Much more to discuss. Up next, President Trump punishing his own party by once again refusing to sign a bipartisan housing bill, instead demanding sweeping changes to elections. And later, the mystery around Senator Mitch McConnell. CNN obtaining this new video showing the moment he was taken out of his home.
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SANCHEZ: Just minutes from now, at the stroke of midnight, the bipartisan housing bill will turn into law with absolutely zero credit going to President Trump. In fact, he refused to sign it. That's despite the fact that his own White House says it will make it easier and cheaper to build homes.
The president, though, calls it a yawn. It's only taking effect because if the president doesn't sign a bill in 10 days, it automatically becomes law. Trump railed on it today. Quote -- "I will not sign the housing bill, which has been fully approved by Congress and sent to the White House, in protest over the fact that the United States Senate is not capable of passing the Save America Act."
That measure would require proof of citizenship for all voters, among other strict rules. Rina Shah, Tara Setmayer back with us. Rina, Republicans are trying to look past Trump protests to say that all that matters now is that this is law and that it might help them come midterms.
SHAH: Yes. I mean, practical Republicans are saying, well, look, this is a classic Washington thing that happens. It's a must pass bill that gets loaded up. And it has unrelated stuff in it. And this is what we do. But then it collapses. And so that's what's going on with Trump, collapsing it for them. And they're kind of looking at this. They're like, man, can't you just give us one little win here? Because if you really look at Congress on its face, housing policy has been forgotten.
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And I think there are a great many Republicans who understand that actually goes under the affordability banner. And they can weave this nicely in to what they want to do for the midterms. So, I think the president is obviously not doing them a solid. And by trying to hold this hostage with the Save America Act, that's no bueno for the party.
SANCHEZ: So, this argument about the Save America Act comes in conjunction with the president firing the leadership of a federal election commission. I actually spoke to the Oregon secretary of state earlier today. Here's what he shared with us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TOBIAS READ, SECRETARY, STATE OF OREGON: Well, I think this is just the latest example of the president's effort to sow distrust in our elections. It is desperate. It is reckless. It is irresponsible. And there could be some disruptions. Let's remember what the Election Assistance Commission is charged with doing. It is helping to make the administration of elections easier and to increase voter participation. That's it. They do technical things. And this shouldn't be a partisan issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Do you think Democrats are striking the right tone here?
SETMAYER: Well, he's right. And there is a full-on, full-funnel assault on our elections. And, you know, I run a women's organization, "The Seneca Project." And what we do is we help galvanize women to help save our democracy. We also make ads. We're a content messaging organization.
So, when we look at this, one of the issues that we have been talking about is the direct attack on not only our bodies but also our ballots because you have these people out here that are doing things per Donald Trump's directive here to literally try to rig the elections and to suppress voters, including women.
The SAVE Act is not just about voter I.D. No one is arguing that. They are trying to use that as the red herring. What they're really trying to do is suppress votes and make it more difficult, particularly for married women, and the types of IDs, and they want to get rid of mail- in ballots.
And so, Democrats bringing up the fact that this is what Trump is trying to do. Here are all the examples. I think that's a good thing. The American people need to know. Don't fall down into the argument of, well, it's just -- it's about voter I.D. It's so much bigger than that. It's bigger. It's part of a much larger plan by Trump.
You look at what they're doing here. They're trying to get rid of mail-in ballots. They're trying to mess around with the post office. They've got Bill Pulte as the national director of the intelligence, who has no experience whatsoever. He's a housing guy who bought his way into Trump's orbit through a Mar-a-Lago membership, who is now running our entire intelligence apparatus that's threatening -- they are threatening states to hand over voter registration information or they're going to hold back counterterrorism dollars.
Marco Rubio next week holding a conference with our allies, trying to designate Antifa as some kind of terrorist organization so they can use that with Seb Gorka, who we all know from the first time around in their counterterrorism strategy, to try to use that as another way to possibly, you know, do something to our elections in November because Donald Trump is scared to death of the fact that Democrats could win because his popularity is underwater.
When you say things like the housing bill is a yawn and affordability is a hoax, the American people are looking at him, including his own people who he is betraying every day because he promised them that he'd make life more affordable.
SHAH: It's all about public confidence.
SETMAYER: That's absolutely right. And he knows this, so he's doing everything he can to try to make the elections unfair and rig them in his favor.
SANCHEZ: Ladies, let's talk Graham Platner because though we expected him to officially file paperwork to drop out of that Senate race in Maine on Monday, he did it today. And in his letter, he wrote -- quote -- "Mainers voted for a new kind of politics. One that is representative of people down here in the real world -- not billionaires, oligarchs, or the political establishment." He then ended his letter with "'F' ICE. Free Palestine. Up the hearts." Rina, what do you think about the way that he chose to go out? Do you think this is the last that we will hear of Graham Platner?
SHAH: It better be the last. The way he has went out, I hope there's a whole class of people that stop him from ever seeking public office again. This guy is, I think, the epitome of the type of candidate that myself, I think also for you, in the past decade and a half, if not more, we have been seeing over and over again, try to come and tell the American people that they are one thing, yet they're another.
And if anything, this Platner thing, this whole episode has taught us that we need to believe all women. For the sake of every American woman out there, we can't do this whole, well, she's conservative, so we can't believe her. You know, these accusers tried so hard, just like the Epstein accusers have. Women have pushed so hard to bring these men to be accountable. And even when they fall, even when it's proven that they were not to be trusted, we still don't really give these women what they're due.
But again, as a former political operative, I should say, you know, this was not a surprise ending for me. It was an avoidable one. And I think parties on both sides keep learning this lesson the hard way. So, we need to get better at rejecting flawed candidates early, not defending them until they become liabilities.
SANCHEZ: Tara, there were a lot of red flags along the way.
SETMAYER: Oh, yes. Yes. I mean, the Nazi tattoo should have been it.
[23:25:00]
And, you know, for me, I was not one of those people who was like, well, he's somebody different and he's got energy. No, he's got a Nazi tattoo. So, that should be the end of it.
But this is what happens, though, when you overcompensate for the other side. I mean, Democratic establishment folks who have been there a long time, who are adjusting and playing the game that we're in now and not showing the fight that people want, that has cost Democrats this. This is what has cost them because now, the pendulum is swinging so far at the other way. And this is what happens, this is what happens when you let 26-year-olds who really, you know, like to cosplay as casting directors, which is what the quote was used for, the Platner consultant. This is what you get from that.
But to Rina's point, I agree a hundred percent. My organization has a campaign called "America is Watching." America is paying attention to character. Character either matters or it doesn't. And in 2026, unfortunately, misogyny is bipartisan. We need to put a stop to that and hold them accountable no matter what side of the aisle they're on.
SANCHEZ: Tara and Rina, great to see you both. Thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
SETMAYER: Thank you.
SHAH: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Of course.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE WONSLEY, MOTHER OF NOLAN WELLS: We just want to know. We just want to know what happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: A Mississippi mother's plea for answers after her son, Nolan Wells, was found dead following a boating trip with his friends, while the family says they don't trust the investigation, when we come back.
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SANCHEZ: Tonight, a family in Mississippi is grappling with questions that no parent should ever face. Their 18-year-old son, Nolan Wells, was found dead after the fourth of July in the water near an island where he and his friends had taken a boat trip. The case has ignited intense speculation online and is raising questions about race, trust, and Mississippi's painful history.
CNN's Randi Kaye has this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WONSLEY: We just want to know. We just want to know what happened and why our baby didn't come home.
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is one of the last pictures Christine Wonsley has of her 18-year-old son. Nolan Wells went boating with high school friends on July 4th at Horn Island off Mississippi Gulf Coast and never returned home.
WONSLEY: We're going to miss him dearly.
KAYE (voice-over): Wells's friends returned from the island that same day without him. His family reported him missing that night and confirms that, at some point, a friend of his called the Coast Guard for help. The Jackson County Sheriff's Department launched a search. On July 5th, his mother posted this desperate plea on Facebook.
The next morning, around 8:40 a.m., Wells's body was recovered by a National Park Services agent, according to the Jackson County coroner. The coroner also told CNN his body was face down at the shoreline and the swimsuit matched what he was wearing in the photograph.
BEN CRUMP, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: When you start talking about drowning, I mean, this is a kid who knew how to swim. This is a kid who was in tip-top shape.
KAYE (voice-over): State autopsy results are pending. His parents have flown his body to Washington, D.C. for an independent autopsy. Their son's disappearance and death now the subject of speculation and racial tension.
CRUMP: The family has distrust of the Mississippi law enforcement officials giving them a fair investigation where their Black son ended up dead after going out on a boat with three young white men.
KAYE (voice-over): There also seems to be conflicting stories about why Wells separated from his friends.
ELMORE WONSLEY, FATHER OF NOLAN WELLS: We always taught him to, if you go with a group, you stay with a group, and do not separate from the group. God was saying safety is in numbers.
CRUMP: A young woman he was talking to says that, well, Nolan said he was going back to get on the boat with the boys. The boys say Nolan told them he was going to stay and talk to the young woman.
KAYE (voice-over): There were no immediate signs of foul play or trauma on the body, the coroner told CNN. For the family, things just don't add up, like what they saw or didn't see on their son's phone.
C. WONSLEY: There were no saved pictures. There were no snaps from that day. That's why we feel that things may have been deleted, was because of the fact that there was nothing in either one of his accounts.
KAYE (voice-over): The phone itself was retrieved from his friends, raising more questions.
CRUMP: We're talking about an 18-year-old kid. What teenager would leave their phone behind if they're going to stay on this island?
KAYE (voice-over): Authorities are investigating a video of an alleged altercation involving Wells, on which attorney Ben Crump says you can hear him arguing about his phone.
CRUMP: You hear on the video, Nolan said, give me my freaking phone.
SHERIFF JOHN LEDBETTER, SHERIFF, JACKSON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: I don't know the origins of that video at this point. But, yes, we are looking into it. That has been brought to our attention. (END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE (on camera): The coroner told CNN that the state autopsy has been completed, but the cause of death, Boris, has yet to be determined because they are still waiting on a toxicology report. Now, it could be weeks, we're told, before that report is final.
Meanwhile, both the family and investigators are asking anyone who was at Horn Island who might have witnessed an altercation or possibly Wells struggling in the water to share what they know. Everyone is trying to piece together the final moments leading up to his death. Boris?
SANCHEZ: Our thanks to Randi Kaye. Joining us now to discuss the investigation is civil rights attorney Joe Richardson. Joe, thanks so much for being with us this evening. Ben Crump, who's representing the family, told Jake Tapper earlier that his number one question here is why Nolan left his cell phone.
[23:35:01]
The family also says that he went hours without posting to Snapchat. They're wondering if those posts, if they exist, could have potentially been deleted. How crucial is that phone in terms of evidence? How could that help determine what really happened?
JOE RICHARDSON, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: It's the beginning -- good to be with you, Boris. It's the beginning and the ending of the largest question related to this case. First of all, he's a social kid. He snaps, he sends pictures, etcetera. They're out on July the 4th. They're out on the island doing their thing. There would seem to be -- there would be information that would be missing if there's no snaps and if there's no pictures.
And then the phone. Again, the phone. Why on earth would anyone separate themselves from their phone? No one would do that. It's a safety issue. And for young people, it's a status issue. We don't do anything without our phone. And if it's true that he's going to go away and not be with his friends, that makes it all the more important for him to have his phone.
SANCHEZ: Investigators are asking for any original unedited photos and videos from the island, including any that show an alleged altercation or even just Wells himself. What are they going to need to build a reliable timeline and to separate verified evidence from rumors that flood social media?
RICHARDSON: They're going to have to get to the heart of the matter. But what I would say is they're not going to do that by saying, skip to all the firsthand information right now. If you are lacking information, particularly in a place where there aren't a whole lot of public cameras, et cetera because it's an island, et cetera, you've got to start off with whatever you hear, and then you make distinctions between what can be followed up on, what ought to be followed up on, what makes sense, what tracks and what doesn't. So, I don't think that the investigating agency should be as discriminant right now about the information that needs to come in. If they're truly trying to get to the bottom of this, you take everything at face value, what you hear, you see what tracks and you see where it takes you as opposed to dealing with, in some perception, what might be a predetermined outcome.
SANCHEZ: Joe, the family has called for an independent autopsy and a fully transparent investigation. We heard from Ben Crump saying that Mississippi's racial history helps explain why they're skeptical and they want outside scrutiny. What can authorities do now to give this family confidence that they're following up on every lead?
RICHARDSON: The most important thing is transparency. Go above and beyond so that you have shown every card that you have out there. You left no stone unturned. You look at everything. And, frankly, it would start by making sure, like for instance, apparently, Nolan's best friend hasn't been interviewed yet. He doesn't seem to have a problem with it, but it would be a natural place to start.
Check all of the boxes so that when you come up with the result that you do, the family, which is already tasked with doing something that no family wants to do, and that's bury a child, they can move on the best way that they can. It's not something you get over, but it's something that you can try to get through.
But it starts with transparency about knowing everything that they could know. And maybe, if that independent autopsy is inconclusive or is consistent with what this coroner does, then maybe that's a starting point.
SANCHEZ: Joe, before we go, the mother of one of the men pictured with Wells happens to be a local judge. She put out a lengthy post on Facebook this week trying to dispel rumors, saying that her son is fully cooperating with authorities. Was it appropriate for her to speak out about an active investigation this way as a judge?
RICHARDSON: No, it was not. You don't put your toe in the water as a judge. Normally, the only public statements that judges are making are about the cases that they're actually judging. She may have vacillated over it. She got to know better. But when she did that, it was a mistake because now she's talking about -- she says she's doing it so that the people can concentrate.
The family, we can focus on the family's grief. But the family's grief is very different than the family's justice. And we're going to have to do the things that we need to do to check every box so that this family can get some closure about what actually happened with their son because what is being said right now, what is being suggested, does not make sense.
SANCHEZ: Joe Richardson, appreciate the expertise. Thanks for joining us.
RICHARDSON: Thanks. SANCHEZ: Of course. Up next, the Mitch McConnell mystery deepens after CNN gets new video showing the moment he was loaded into an ambulance. So, what happened to the senator? The TMZ DC duo has been trying to get to the bottom of it. They're with me, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: The mystery surrounding Senator Mitch McConnell's health is deepening by the hour. Assurances from Republican leadership is now clashing with growing demands for transparency on why McConnell has been hospitalized for nearly a month. His office will not reveal any specifics on his condition.
Tonight, though, CNN has obtained one piece of the puzzle, a new video taken by a neighbor that shows the moment emergency responders loaded the senator onto an ambulance outside his D.C. residence. The video was shot in the distance. And while you can't see the senator's face, his lower legs do appear to be covered by an orange blanket. And as you can see on your screen, his feet are also visible. These images give us the first unfiltered look at how this emergency unfolded in the morning hours of June 14th when first responders were called to McConnell's home for a report of an unconscious person.
My next guests are on the hunt to solve this mystery.
[23:45:00]
TMZ DC managing editors Jacob Wasserman and Charlie Cotton joining us now. Great to see you both. Jacob, first to you. You spoke with former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene earlier this week, and she blasted Republicans on this. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, FORMER GEORGIA REPRESENTATIVE: Shame on every single person in Washington, D.C. that doesn't call this out and demand that Mitch McConnell's family step up and announce his resignation and take care of their family member because there needs to be a new election held in Kentucky where they can have a functioning person serve as a senator.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Jacob, what did you think of her response?
JACOB WASSERMAN, MANAGING EDITOR, TMZ DC: Well, I thought her response was incredibly passionate and definitely is a litmus test, I think, on where Republicans are standing on this right now. Whether or not you agree with Marjorie Taylor Greene, I think she uniquely has her finger on the pulse of the Republican Party. Clearly, she's very upset about this. And I would imagine, a ton of other people who are involved in the MAGA side of the Republican Party feel the exact same way.
SANCHEZ: Charlie, you actually stopped by Senator McConnell's home in D.C. today. And let's say you found something unexpected, walk us through what you saw. What did you find out?
CHARLIE COTTON, MANAGING EDITOR, TMZ DC: Yes. Look, I mean, I found it a bit bizarre that while Mitch McConnell is hospitalized now for nearly a month, they are doing home improvements. So, yes, I was there most of the day. We've been there a lot this week. And I saw a guy, you know, picking up his carpet samples and tiles as well. So, they're looking to, you know, outfit the place and make it look all fresh and new.
Either, I mean, to stay there for a lot longer with new carpets or are they selling the house? Like, I don't know what reason they would have to make their house look a new at such a time in their lives when, you know, Mitch, is he going to make it? Is he not going to make it? And you're trying to make the house look all nice? It was surprising to me.
SANCHEZ: Unexpected timing. No doubt. Jacob, social media is practically begging TMZ and YouTube specifically to crack this mystery. Look at some of these posts we found. Quote -- "You are TMZ. Go find out. Go to his hospital room. Why is this not a major article yet?" Why hasn't TMZ uncovered the truth about McConnell? Isn't that the whole point of establishing a D.C. office, to cover politics better?"
I personally do not endorse visiting him in the hospital, Jacob. But I'm wondering if you're feeling any pressure on this. These kinds of stories seem to be the bread and butter of TMZ.
WASSERMAN: Well, first off, I share your endorsement. And also, I take it as a huge compliment that people are trusting us to crack this big story. I can assure you that we are definitely giving it our best effort. And I 100 percent can promise you that come Monday, Charlie and I will make it our mission to hold these politicians accountable on both sides of the aisle and give us an answer on where they stand on this.
I mean, this whole situation is just frankly so bizarre. And a lot of people are pointing the finger at Elaine Chao, McConnell's wife. You know, keep in mind, Elaine Chao was in China while McConnell was rushed to the hospital. And we could take the politics out of it. Boris, if you told me that someone's wife or husband was in another country as their loved one was rushed to a hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest, you would say that sounds bizarre. And that's the -- and that's the case. This is bizarre.
COTTON: They've been married for 33 years. They've been married for 33 years. I don't know how long you've been married.
SANCHEZ: Only a few months, but --
COTTON: Oh, well, congratulations.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Thank you.
COTTON: But if your significant other of 33 years, you know, EMS said unconscious, EMS said cardiac arrest, does she fly back to be with her husband of 33 years at that point? No. She stays in China another three days to meet with the vice president as like what? One of our elected -- like, why is she there? What is she doing? She is the only one we know for sure knows what's going on, right? We don't know for sure that Mitch McConnell's staff has even been in the room. We know his next of kin is Elaine Chao. So why isn't she being more transparent?
If he's doing fine, like a lot of people have said, a 20-minute phone call, 20-minute phone call, if he's doing 20-minute phone calls, resign. If you can't make it to the vote and vote for what your party wants, resign if you're not up to it, or maybe those 20-minute phone call didn't actually happen. I don't know. Maybe he's on life support. And if so, why isn't Elaine Chao then doing something for the betterment of the country? Why is it -- you know, maybe she's doing this. We should know. We should know.
SANCHEZ: A lot of questions to ask lawmakers when they come back next week. I know you and Jacob will be pacing the halls after them. Before we go, it is Friday night. So, let's have you guys take the Laura Coates live quiz of the week.
COTTON: OK.
SANCHEZ: Let's start with the first question, one that Charlie kind of already answered, but it's good practice.
COTTON: OK.
SANCHEZ: It's good practice.
[23:50:00]
People online are memeing that they've spoken to Senator Mitch McConnell for, A, 15 minutes, B, 20 minutes, or C, an hour. If you guys get this wrong --
WASSERMAN: Easy. Easy. Come on.
SANCHEZ: There you go. All right. Twenty minutes. That is correct. So, now, let's make things harder. Why did Trump switch from a Qatari- gifted jet to legacy Air Force One when he left Turkey this week from the NATO summit? A, a kitchen fire, B, humidity, or C, security concerns.
COTTON: Is Jacob looking at my answer in the screen?
SANCHEZ: He might be. He might be. We're going to need you to be quicker --
WASSERMAN: No, I'm not. I'm not. SANCHEZ: We're going to need you to be quicker on that, Jacob.
COTTON: Quicker, please, Jacob.
SANCHEZ: We'll give you that one for now. But let's see if you know this one. How did Belgium, the Belgian soccer team, shade President Trump after beating Team USA in the World Cup? A, the Trump dance, B, wore red ties, or C, wore MAGA hats. Jacob -- Jacob maybe just watching --
COTTON: I feel like he might be cheating. I feel like he might be cheating.
SANCHEZ: We're going to wait until he picks up his next time for the next question.
WASSERMAN: I'm a man of honor. I would not -- I would not cheat --
SANCHEZ: Is he a man of honor?
COTTON: He is a man of honor.
SANCHEZ: All right.
COTTON: Can I just say this to you, Boris?
SANCHEZ: Yes.
COTTON: There's a 25th Amendment for the president. Why is there a 25th Amendment?
SANCHEZ: He's going back to Mitch McConnell.
(LAUGHTER)
WASSERMAN: I know.
COTTON: Like this -- this is something -- something that I'm going to ask like senators and congresspeople all next week. This guy is holding up a lot. He's holding up funding the war. He's holding up so much stuff that Trump wants to get through. Why is there a 25th Amendment for a president? But then there's this guy who right now, we don't know where he stands.
SANCHEZ: It's a valid question. And he's not the only lawmaker that has had an extended absence that there have been questions about. So, I look forward -- I look forward to hearing what they have to say. So, back to trivia.
COTTON: Sorry about that.
SANCHEZ: Secretary Pete Hegseth is cracking down on what policy? A, beards, B, sneakers, or C, warfighter nutrition. Which one?
COTTON: I don't know this one.
SANCHEZ: This could be the time --
COTTON: I'm going to -- I'm going to go to something --
WASSERMAN: No, no, no. It's A. It's A.
COTTON: Is he allowed to change after he has already --
WASSERMAN: I -- it came to me.
COTTON: I'm going to do something different then.
SANCHEZ: Oh, Jacob takes the lead.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: He did switch. It's beards. They're going after beards at the Pentagon, at the Department of War.
COTTON: Why?
SANCHEZ: I don't know. We might -- we might be in trouble.
COTTON: Oh, true, Boris.
SANCHEZ: Maybe. All right. So, last one. Congressional Republicans --
actually, that is not it. We've got a different one here. Senator Chuck Grassley questioned Kash Patel's purchases of this brand of car. A, was it an Audi, B, BMW, or C, Ferrari. What do you guys got?
COTTON: This is another pick and pick. I'm like, I don't know. Jacob went C. So, I'll go B.
SANCHEZ: You got it.
COTTON: Hey!
SANCHEZ: He takes the lead or he ties it up? It's now a tie.
COTTON: That's nice. We're nonpartisan here. So, we just want a tie.
WASSERMAN: I just can't believe Charlie just went on a full-on rant in the middle of trivia.
SANCHEZ: In the middle of trivia. I mean --
WASSERMAN: That was so vintage. That was so classic Charlie.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Gentlemen, appreciate seeing you both. Jacob, Charlie, always a pleasure. Thank you so much for joining us tonight.
WASSERMAN: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: We'll be right back with this week's CNN hero. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: "CNN Heroes" is back and kicking off its 20th year. Andrew Lunetta is our first hero of 2026. He's building tiny homes in Syracuse, New York, offering safe shelter for people working to rebuild their lives.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREW LUNETTA, CNN HERO: We take for granted the stability that a home affords us. If you were to just imagine doing anything without a house, like, oh, no, that's what I have to get first. That is where (INAUDIBLE) are coming from constantly. The tiny home is a really, really solid model because it pairs this independent and also private living.
RHEA HOLMES, TINY HOME RESIDENT: I wish people understood that the homeless population are still human. At any time, circumstances can change.
I was living at my husband's grave for eight months. My whole life was turned upside down. When I finally got to the end of the rope and became out of my home, the only place that I felt was home for me was the cemetery where my husband was.
LUNETTA (voice-over): In its simplest form, stable housing made it so Rhea no longer had to sleep in the cemetery.
(KNOCKING)
HOLMES: Come in.
UNKNOWN: Hi.
HOLMES: It's so good to see you.
LUNETTA (voice-over): The next step after that was long-term case management support to help her address the things that, hopefully, she's not going to have to deal with anymore.
UNKNOWN: I am so proud of you.
HOLMES: Thank you.
LUNETTA: You all helped me out.
UNKNOWN: Oh, man.
LUNETTA: You all got me focused.
LUNETTA: Where a tenant moves in, they don't necessarily understand that they're being housed by this organization that cares a whole lot about them.
UNKNOWN: Yeah, dude, you've been knocking out of the park.
LUNETTA: So, when all of a sudden, we're knocking on their door, there's a little bit of like, well, this is different.
Hey, buddy. You want to walk?
But as time goes on, and I think that they've seen that we mean it, it's really pretty profound, some of those changes.
This wouldn't exist without the tenants.
HOLMES: You're a great leader, sir.
Peace is now what I have. It's like freedom to just exhale. Like your nervous system is now able to rest.
LUNETTA: Let's go get this toilet fixed, shall we?
I still don't love being called a landlord. But it is true. That's what we are.
[00:00:00]
And I think that what this population need is landlords who care. It's absolutely what we do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: For the full story, go to cnn.com/heroes. Thank you so much for watching. "The Story Is with Elex Michaelson" is next.
