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CNN Headlines: Primary Voters In 5 States Set Up November Midterm Showdowns; El-Sayed, Stevens, Locked In Tight Race To Claim Dem Nomination In Michigan; GOP Rep. Max Miller Speaks To CNN, Denies Allegations Of Abuse; Armed Man Arrested At Trump's California Golf Course Ahead Of President's Visit. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired August 05, 2026 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:21]
BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: Too close to call. A heated race in Michigan right now where a moderate Democrat versus a progressive has all eyes on it. What this means for the Democratic Party.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MAX MILLER (R-OH): No one has told me to get off the ballot, and that's because they know I can win this seat and see this through
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Congressman Max Miller says he's not dropping out of his race. And what he told Jake Tapper about the abuse allegations his ex-wife has made against him.
Plus, 22 flights diverted from the same airport. What was happening in Denver? We'll dive in.
Plus, this is just terrifying. A teen dressed as a clown, now accused of murder. Okay, we're going to get to that in a little bit.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Brad Smith, this is CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. Glad that you're with us this morning.
Let's get started.
We start with Tuesday's primary day and five key states. None getting more attention than that battlefield Michigan. Votes in the Wolverine State still being counted in a highly watched Senate primary between Democrats, and it's still too close to call. A record number of voters came out to pick between moderate Haley Stevens and progressive Abdul El-Sayed. National interest stems from the Democrats showdown between electability and ideology.
And the balance of power on Capitol Hill, it hangs in the balance. The candidates both telling supporters last night to hang in there while votes are counted. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: Turns out it takes a long time to count some votes in Michigan. It's a big state, but I will tell you this. I want you just to reflect on what that means. Right now, we are on track to vastly outvote the historical numbers that we should have expected. And that tells you about the kind of movement that we were able to inspire.
REP. HALEY STEVENS (D), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: So we got to get some sleep or get some coffee and then we got to be ready to go. We got to wake up and be ready to go. Because if we are going to win this thing, which we are -- we are going to have -- we are going to have to get ready and show Mike Rogers what a little stick it to him looks like.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Whoever wins the nomination will face off against former Congressman Mike Rogers. That is him in the middle. He ran virtually y unopposed after an endorsement from President Trump.
Michigan is just one of five states that went to the polls Tuesday, and not the only state where Democrats, there are picking between two very different candidates.
First, we take you to Missouri. That featured a rematch between now incumbent Wesley Bell and former Congresswoman Cori Bush, who lost the seat in a contentious 2024 primary. Like then, moderate Wesley Bell won under a banner of unity. While Democratic socialist Cori Bush, a one time member of the squad, struck a defiant tone in her concession speech.
And across the border to Kansas, we take you Methodist Pastor Adam Hamilton will win the Democratic senate primary after defeating ten other candidates in his primary. On November 3rd, he'll challenge incumbent Senator Roger Marshall.
And Adam Marshall wasted no time, attacking the Republican incumbent in his victory speech. We'll have more on Tuesday's primaries later on this hour.
All right. Embattled congressman, Republican Congressman Max Miller is speaking out in a new interview with CNN. He sat down with Jake Tapper and reiterated his refusal to drop his reelection bid amid allegations of abuse from his ex-wife, Emily Moreno. allegations Miller denies.
Moreno has accused Miller of multiple instances of domestic abuse, including an incident in which he says he pointed a gun at her. She says that he pointed a gun at her, and those allegations were revealed during police interviews as detectives looked into how the couple's young daughter broke her collarbone. No charges were ever filed in connection to their daughter's injuries.
Miller has also denied allegations that he abused ex-girlfriend Stephanie Grisham, a former White House communications director. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILLER: I then played Lauren Fox, three separate audio videos, three separate audio videos of my daughter saying, I do not want to go to mommy's. I do not want mommy's and I do not feel safe.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, "THE LEAD": Now your ex-wife stated to police that your child told her in the days leading up to the discovery of the injury, quote, "Daddy kill you". And your ex-wife also said your child had said, "Daddy angry and daddy's house is scary".
Now, according to your wife, your daughter articulated these statements to children and family services.
MILLER: I wish you could talk to my beautiful baby girl. She can't string together sentences like that. She's two and a half years old. She doesn't have the ability to articulate any of what you just said. Through investigations --
TAPPER: You just told me that she had said that she was scared to go to mommy's house.
MILLER: She is. And I have video of it. And she is --
TAPPER: But now you're saying that she's not capable of saying, daddy kill you? I mean, it seems like she's either able to say one, but not the other.
MILLER: Jake --
TAPPER: That doesn't make sense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: We'll have more from that interview with Max Miller later this hour.
Meanwhile, President Trump is weighing in on the swirling controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I hope he's able to work it out. I feel badly for him.
MILLER: I rise in strong support --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Separately, Miller's attorney is now apologizing for releasing a sensitive image of the congressman's child and documents shared online. All of this happening as he faces reelection in Ohio's seventh congressional district, a GOP Republican stronghold.
Miller's ex-father-in-law, Republican Senator Bernie Moreno, is also calling on miller to leave Congress. Okay. A man arrested outside of Trump's National Golf Club in southern
California is expected to be in court today, just two days before the president's visit. Federal agents say that 38-year-old Jeanine John Taele was taking videos and photos, appearing to monitor their security plans. At the time of the arrest, police say that he had a magazine in his pocket and a gun and a fake badge in his car.
The Secret Service is investigating whether the man posed a threat. The FBI says that they searched his home and found several weapons and multiple notebooks containing concerning statements. The suspect pleaded not guilty to weapons charges.
Sources are telling CNN that President Trump laid into U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro at the tense White House meeting that they had earlier this week. It stems from her court filing that blamed damage to the reflecting pool on shoddy workmanship, not vandalism.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins has more on the Oval Office rift.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's this drained, reflecting pool behind me that is at the center of so much drama inside the Trump administration right now, not just between President Trump and his handpicked D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, though we are told that he did lay into her during a meeting at the White House on Monday.
But it's also the source of big division between Jeanine Pirro and the interior secretary, Doug Burgum. Pirro and Burgum were both inside the Oval Office with President Trump on Monday, and she has blasted Interior Department staff as well for not turning over information, as Burgum's office has maintained that, yes, the pool was vandalized. Well, Jeanine Pirro brought boxes of evidence to back up her claims at the White House that says she shows it was shoddy workmanship during the renovation that caused the damage, not vandalism as Burgum and the president have both maintained.
We're told during that meeting that Jeanine Pirro did not offer to resign, and the president didn't fire her, though she is certainly on thin ice with the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: All right. Thank you, Kaitlan.
A convicted felon has been charged with first degree arson in relation to one of the three massive wildfires still burning in Washington state. Thirty-seven-year-old Aaron Farinacci appeared in court virtually, and he is accused of setting the Old Trails Fire. An investigator said that the suspect was seen kneeling in the grass where the fire started. Authorities say that they had waterproof matches and a lighter on themselves, and he denied starting that fire, according to an affidavit.
Together, all three fires have scorched more than 10,000 acres since Saturday, when the fire broke out. Officials say 65,000 people have been evacuated, more than 700 structures have already been destroyed, 10,000 more are at risk. Fortunately, no injuries or deaths have been reported, but all three fires remain uncontained, and a national guard leader said parts of Spokane County look like a, quote, "war zone".
In this morning's weather express, take a look at this heavy flooding hit Norfolk, Virginia yesterday. This man had to use a broom and a floatie to maneuver his way through the waters. It was a once in 60 years type of flash flood event, which quickly left drivers in dangerous conditions. You can see cars submerged in several feet of water.
Now, like this driver here. Several people jumped in to pull them out of their SUV after that driver was partially submerged in the flood waters. They are expected to be okay.
We'll continue to monitor the weather forecast and bring you the latest. We've got lots more to come as well on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. Take a look at this. Hundreds of people forced to evacuate after a powerful volcanic eruption now in its third day.
[05:10:03]
Plus, dramatic rescue in rough waters, a teen rescues a young boy who nearly drowned. We hear from him straight ahead.
And parts of a SpaceX rocket may have crashed into the moon. We'll explain when CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS continues. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SMITH: Heart pounding footage of a bison charging at a child at Yellowstone National Park. Take a look at this
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Go back, go back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go back, go back.
[05:15:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do not go towards him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go back. Go away from him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Video of the close encounter was captured by another park visitor. The bison was reportedly walking near a pedestrian pathway when a child in the passing group began to run. Now, thankfully, the bison stopped after a brief chase. The child is okay.
This is the second time in just a month that a dangerous bison run in at Yellowstone was caught on camera. A 65-year-old grandfather was tossed eight feet into the air after a bison charged at him back on July 10th. He's recovering from broken legs.
We're now hearing from the 10-year-old boy who was saved from drowning by a teenage lifeguard in California. The dramatic beach rescue was captured on video in Santa Cruz. You remember we showed you this when it happened. You can see the lifeguard pull the boy from rough waters. Huge waves continue to come crashing down on them.
He's now recovering and says he's grateful to the teenager who saved him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUMIT RAI, NATHANIEL'S FATHER: Fortunately, riders saw him get drawn into the water and that's what prompted him to act so quickly and heroically to save him. But he got lucky. And, you know, most of the time, you're not going to get that lucky. I mean, they noticed his hair above the white break on the water.
NATHANIEL RAI, RESCUED FROM NEARLY DROWNING: I hurt my back a little bit, but it's almost healed now. Thank you so much for saving my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Nathaniel was on vacation with his family at the time of the rescue. He's now back in Dallas.
Well, NASA has been closely watching, watching here for the impact of part of a SpaceX rocket crashing into the moon. It was projected to collide with the lunar surface early this morning. The Falcon IX rocket carried two robotic commercial lunar landers into space.
It's first stage returned safely to earth. But instead of burning up in earth's atmosphere, the upper stage was pulled onto a collision course with the moon due in part to solar activity and gravitational forces. Scientists hope to study the incident to learn more about the moon and how to better shield astronauts for future NASA missions on the lunar surface.
We want to show you this video of a massive volcano erupting. It's said to be in the most intense phase. This is in Guatemala, and it's been spewing lava and ash since Monday. Hundreds of people who live nearby had to get out of the area quickly. We'll continue to keep you updated there.
Still more to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, an FBI agent is arrested for allegedly stealing nearly $1 million in cryptocurrency. We've got details on that coming up.
And I'm not leaving. Ohio Congressman Max Miller facing allegations of abuse by his ex-wife. He's moving forward with his reelection bid, despite calls for him to leave the race. That story and more on the other side of the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [05:22:20]
SMITH: An FBI agent finds himself on the other side of the law as he stands accused of stealing nearly $1 million in cryptocurrency. According to court documents, Patrick Steven Yaroch took the money from accounts that the agency was monitoring and used his internal access to transfer the holding into his personal account. The stolen crypto, reportedly worth around $900,000. The agent was then fired and later arrested.
The criminal complaint lists charges against him related to the interstate transport of stolen goods. An attorney was not listed in court records. CNN has contacted an email associated with Yaroch for comment.
A last second leap saved a man's life on a busy Ohio interstate.
CNN's Patrick Cornell shows us the close call, all caught on camera.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK CORNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Watch a person narrowly escape catastrophe by hopping onto an interstate divider to avoid an out-of-control car. Check out the close call again, as those split-second reflexes help dodge disaster. Video shows someone in a neon vest by the broken down car in a closed lane near Columbus, Ohio.
According to ODOT, that's when two vehicles traveling in that closed lane appear, one unable to stop, swerves past a truck slamming into the disabled car. WNBS reports one person was taken to the hospital but is stable. Officials shared the video to remind people to pay attention while driving.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: All right. They're getting ready to whoop it up in Cleveland, women's professional basketball officially returning to the land. NBA's newest expansion team unveiled its name yesterday. The Cleveland Sirens, making the debut. They debut is coming in 2028, ending a 25- year WNBA absence in the city. The team will play their games at Rocket Arena, home to the NBA's Cavaliers.
Ahead on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, locked in a tight race. Michigan's Democratic Senate primary has yet to be called in a race that is being watched closely across the country.
And a teen dressed as a clown is arrested, possibly in connection with a bizarre death investigation. We've got those details coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:29:17]
SMITH: It is half past the hour. Let's hit the refresh button on our top stories. Five states voted in yesterday's primaries. In battlefield Michigan's
high profile Senate matchup, Democrats Haley Stevens and Abdul El- Sayed are locked in a tight race, just one of many battles this year between electability and ideology in the Democratic Party.
The U.S. also running low on key missile defense weapons. And this is all amid rising tensions with Iran. Sources say that the military has used nearly 80 percent of its missile interceptors and about half of its Patriot missiles since the start of the war. Military officials are now warning that the Pentagon and the shortage it could limit any defense against possible Iranian attacks.
Also, Ohio Congressman Max Miller is refusing to drop his reelection bid, even as the House Ethics Committee reviews allegations of domestic violence, abuse and illegal drug use.
