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Blanche Formally Rescinds Trump's Anti-Weaponization Fund; Crews Battling 15 Major Wildfires Across Washington; Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) Says, Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) Should Not Service Over Abuse Allegations. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired August 03, 2026 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, billion dollar reversal. Todd Blanche is now officially scrapping the so- called anti-weaponization fund. Inside the political jockeying for Blanche's attorney general confirmation.

Plus, devastating wildfires, flames are rapidly spreading in Washington State, scorching neighborhoods and forcing more than 60,000 people to evacuate. We'll take you there live.

Plus, deadly shooting investigation, shocking scenes in Idaho after a man opens fire at an In-N-Out, killing three people and injuring seven. What we're learning about two bystanders now being hailed as heroes.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: New negotiations? President Trump now says talks with Iran will resume today after he canceled an attack on the country. But the Iranian Foreign Ministry says no such discussions are taking place as Iranian state media openly mocks the U.S. president.

Plus, crowdsourcing war strategy, new exclusive reporting on CNN on the U.S. military asking analysts for, quote, creative and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran. What's behind this unusual ask?

And Reflecting Pool feud, President Trump is slamming his longtime ally Jeanine Pirro as the U.S. Justice Department now admits the president's renovation of the landmark led to, quote, hasty and botched work. We're going to bring you all the details just ahead.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in The Situation Room.

We begin with the breaking news. The acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears to be inching closer to confirmation after a major, major concession. Late last night, Todd Blanche announced in writing that he's formally rescinding President Trump's $1.8 billion so-called anti-weaponization fund. Republican Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, who sit on the Judiciary Committee, had withheld their support for Blanche and demanded the controversial compensation plan for Trump allies be officially scrapped. The committee is due to vote on Blanche's nomination tomorrow.

Let's go live right now to CNN's Alayna Treene over at the White House. Alayna, has President Trump commented on Todd Blanche's decision?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We have not yet heard, Wolf, from President Donald Trump as it relates to this very controversial $1.8 billion weaponization fund, or this, you know, rescinding of that fund in writing from Blanche. We also have not yet heard from Senator Thom Tillis, one of the two key Republican holdouts in the Senate blocking Blanche's nomination from moving forward.

We have, however, heard from Senator John Cornyn, someone who, of course, said yesterday that he had reached an agreement with the Justice Department laying out that there would be this agreement to formally rescind in writing that controversial compensation plan for what the president argued were victims of weaponized Justice Departments of the past.

But I want to get a little bit more into this because, one, I think it's clear, of course, Cornyn and Tillis are both people who have been essentially ousted from the Senate by Trump himself. They're no longer going to be serving in the Senate following this year's midterm elections. That gave them more leeway to really push this issue and fight this issue with the administration.

I'd remind you that Blanche had previously said that essentially this weaponization fund was dead. It initially, as soon as it was announced by the Trump administration, garnered a lot of backlash, not just from Democrats, but from many Republicans in Congress as well. But they really were the two who were saying even though you're saying it's dead, even though the Justice Department had told the courts that it would be abandoned essentially, they wanted this in writing.

Well, now, they have essentially gotten that from the Justice Department. And after days of frenzied negotiations over how to try and get Blanche confirmed as attorney general, we heard him make this big decision.

Now, the president, for his part, has been threatening throughout the weekend that he would try to revive this fund if Blanche were not confirmed. Listen to what he told reporters.

[10:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: This would be a reimbursement for the pain that they suffered. A lot of people like it. If they don't approve Todd, I put it back on the table. A lot of people like it. A lot of big supporters of Trump like it. (END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, as you heard there Trump really kind of continuing to throw a wrench in some of the messaging, arguing that it could be revived if Blanche was never confirmed, and that he still believes in the fund. So, we've not yet heard from the president, who just yesterday was making those comments. Wolf?

BLITZER: Alayna, on another very, very critically important issue, the president says talks with Iran will resume today. It's approaching already evening over there after announcing a pause in U.S. strikes. What can you tell us?

TREENE: Yes. Look, this announcement from the president is something that's being refuted by the Iranians. As we've seen throughout the several months now of this ongoing war, you're getting two very different messaging and different you know, plans really that you're hearing from the U.S. side versus the Iranian side, the president arguing that negotiations with Iran will continue this afternoon, Iran arguing that's not happening.

He also says, the president, that there is a deal in hand to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, obviously, something that was not an issue before this war, but continues to be a key sticking point now. Iran says that's not the case, but they are talking with the Omani.

So, a lot of uncertainty about where all of this stands, but it does come after the president had called off a major attack set for over the weekend, saying that he was encouraged by allies in the Middle East, the Saudis, the Qataris, the list goes on, trying to tell him to back off those strikes. Wolf?

BLITZER: Alayna Treene with the White House for us, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Wolf. Breaking news this morning, crews are battling multiple major wildfires raging across Washington State, destroying more than 700 homes and forcing nearly 65,000 people to evacuate. Officials say more than 250,000 acres have burned. That is roughly a third of the size of Rhode Island.

Washington State is grappling with its worst fire season in decades, and there is a rough road ahead as residents anxiously wait to see what's left, while others return to pick up the pieces.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARIC FRANK, SPOKANE WILDFIRE SURVIVOR: Everything just turned black. It was like someone flipped the lights off. It's just stuff, so I don't think I'm going to rebuild here, because I don't ever want to have to relive a fire coming up this hill again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Let's go live now to CNN Correspondent Julia Vargas Jones in Spokane, where crews are battling three separate fires. Julia, thousands have been evacuated. What is the latest there?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, many of them are right here, Pamela, in one of the shelters set up to accommodate so many families, in this one, about 400 people. But so many of them also having to make that choice, like this man we just heard, of realizing whether or not they will be able to rebuild in these areas. The areas that were mostly badly burned in the northwest side of Spokane is where we've driven by. We've seen house after house just burned to the ground completely.

And authorities saying now just in the past hour that they are looking into a number of missing persons reports. But at this time, thankfully, they have no information about any fatalities. They did issue the very stern warnings. A lot of people seem to have heeded those warnings and left their homes with just what they had on their bodies.

The Washington National Guard is now urging people to please be patient, as it will take time not only to battle these three separate fires, Pamela, but also to clear the roads, make these places safe for people to start looking into going back into their residences again.

There are checkpoints being enforced all over these areas affected by the fire. There's debris that needs to be removed, and the latest number is that there are still 10,000 residences without power as these fires continue to burn, still at 0 percent containment.

We did hear from the governor of Washington, Bob Ferguson, that he spoke with President Trump yesterday and that he is seeking more federal assistance here. We hope to hear more in the coming hours as there's a press conference scheduled for 10:30 local time.

Now, at the same time, we heard from the mayor of Spokane. She said, you know, in this time of uncertainty, that our hearts go out to all of the people that are going through difficult situations.

I just want to share with you, Pamela, just around -- just before we went live with you, there was a gentleman that came out and said he is caring for multiple people from a nursing home that he had to evacuate here, and that he's urging for help. They need to be more people that can care for these people. That's part of the message from the mayor as well. If you can come here, go to shelters and help others.

BROWN: Yes, an important message there from the mayor.

[10:10:01]

Julia Vargas Jones in Spokane, thank you. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Let's go live right now to our Meteorologist Derek Van Dam. He's over in the CNN Weather Center. He's got the latest forecast. Derek, what conditions will the firefighters be up against today?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Wolf. Conditions, at least fire conditions, have temporarily eased across some of the hardest hit areas, but that is a far cry from what the firefighters had to contend with this weekend. The winds gusting between 40 to 50 miles per hour, adding the oxygen needed to help spread these wildfires.

Remember, wildfires, in order to burn, need three key ingredients. We need heat, we need fuel, and we need that oxygen. They all came together in the perfect storm this weekend, unfortunately, to create those volatile explosive wildfire conditions across the Washington State.

Now, the winds have relaxed. We're talking five to ten miles per hour. That's a far cry from the 50-mile-per-hour winds we saw this weekend. But the heat and the dry vegetation has gone nowhere. We still have extreme drought conditions in place across the Pacific Northwest. We have very low relative humidity, not as bad as what we experienced on Saturday, but you can see relative humidity values dropping to the lower 20s. Compare that to between 5 and 10 percent this past weekend.

The unfortunate news here is that another heat dome will build over the Western U.S. gradually through this week, so we bring back the heat component to this wildfire threat, and that's not great news for firefighters on the ground as temperatures soar into the 90s by the end of the week. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Derek Van Dam reporting for us, thank you very much.

And I want to note that we'll be speaking live with Spokane's mayor, Lisa Brown, on the latest wildfire updates in the next hour right here in The Situation Room. Pamela?

BROWN: And still ahead, Wolf, a Republican lawmaker at the center of domestic abuse allegations says he's not dropping out of his re- election bid. What Congressman Max Miller, who is denying those allegations, said in a new video.

BLITZER: And from patron to hero, new video of the bystander who confronted a gunman at an Idaho In-N-Out restaurant, and what we're now hearing about the deadly shooting from those who saw it firsthand.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

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[10:15:00]

BROWN: Happening now, Ohio Republican Senator Bernie Moreno says his former son-in-law, Republican Congressman Max Miller, who's up for re- election this year, should not serve in Congress due to allegations of abuse by his former wife. Moreno said in part, quote, as he has admitted privately, Max Miller needs serious psychological help. He is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter.

Miller has denied allegations of abuse and said he's staying in his race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MAX MILLER (R-OH): I have never abused our daughter. Before I go through the facts with you today, understand one thing. Every one of these allegations traces back to a single source, my former wife.

I just want to be clear, no court, no agency has ever substantiated any allegation of abuse against me. I also want to address the allegations of domestic abuse. I categorically deny abusing my former wife. I'm not getting out of this race, and I'm winning in November.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So, let's go live now to CNN Congressional Correspondent Lauren Fox. She is up on Capitol Hill.

Lauren, you've been following this since the very beginning. You've interviewed Max Miller. Senator Moreno posted a scathing message about his former son-in-law on social media yesterday. Tell us more about what he said.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This bitter custody battle between Senator Moreno's daughter, Emily Moreno, and Max Miller, has been playing out for more than a year now. But what we are seeing is this is the first time that Senator Moreno is speaking extensively about what the political implications for his former son- in-law should be.

Before this statement yesterday, Senator Moreno had largely stayed out of this, saying in public statements only that his top priority was the safety of his daughter and his granddaughter, but this is what he wrote yesterday. He said, if there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them. He should not serve in the House of Representatives. I believe Max Miller needs to seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake. I believe he should not be free to continue endangering others until he does.

Obviously there, Senator Moreno, a Republican, weighing in on the future of another Ohio Republican, his former son-in-law, Max Miller. Max Miller shot back in a post on X yesterday responding to this, saying, you know this isn't true, and the only reason you are speaking out now is to hide from your own media circus.

We should also point out that President Donald Trump, who Representative Max Miller had worked for as a top aide, also responded yesterday on Air Force One, saying that, so far, these are just accusations, but he is going to be taking a look at it.

And this comes as there is widespread calls for at least a House ethics investigation to begin into Representative Max Miller, those calls coming from the Democratic Women's Caucus. And there are also questions about whether or not Speaker Johnson is going to stay supporting Representative Max Miller in this race. He has said prior to this that this, there's a process for these kinds of accusations that has to play out on Capitol Hill, but to our knowledge at this point, there isn't an ongoing ethics investigation into Representative Max Miller.

We should note once again that Max Miller has denied all of these allegations, but obviously this is really reaching a boiling point. Pam?

BROWN: All right. Lauren Fox, thank you so much for bringing us the latest.

[10:20:01]

Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Pamela. Coming up, crowdsourcing ideas, how the Pentagon is now trying to put some pressure on Iran with an email request to U.S. troops. CNN's exclusive reporting is next.

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BLITZER: Happening now, officials are investigating why a 24-year-old man opened fire at an In-N-Out restaurant in Idaho. Three people were killed, another seven hurt in Saturday's rampage. New dispatch audio reveals some of the desperation officials heard from the scene.

[10:25:03]

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twin Falls County units, if you're in the area of In-N-Out, I have report of a possible active shooter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Copy that. We're getting inundated with calls of reports of multiple people down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right. Let's go live right now to CNN senior correspondent Josh Campbell. Josh, officials are hailing two bystanders as heroes. What more are you learning about them?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, they certainly are, and officials say that this horrific rampage could've been even more tragic had they not intervened.

Just to set the scene here, this horrific incident played out Saturday afternoon as patrons were having lunch at an In-N-Out in Twin Falls, Idaho. This is the most American activity. You're enjoying hamburgers with family and friends on the weekend, suddenly transformed into horror as a young man walks into the restaurant and begins opening fire.

People begin to flee. There's video of people scrambling to safety across the parking lot. Officials say that some people barricaded themselves in the restrooms. Authorities have identified the suspect here as a 24-year-old man. They say that they believe that he acted alone.

Authorities say that three people were killed, seven were injured. One of those killed was an employee there at the restaurant. Another person was a taxi driver who had stopped to charge his electric vehicle, according to a friend. He was sitting inside the car when the gunman opened fire, striking him twice in the back.

Take a listen here to yet another witness who said that they came face-to-face with the shooter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw the gun and I kind of just froze. I put my hands up and he -- that's when he pointed the gun directly at me.

The only thing I was really thinking was like, don't, don't try and make any sudden movements. Don't try and run. Just -- I mean, just hopefully talk to him and hopefully he can change his mind.

I said, I have a family. I said, you don't have to do this. I'll tell you whatever you want, whatever. Just I'll do anything. I'll tell you what you want.

And that's when he kind of, he started to, like, tear up a bit it seemed like, and kind of just got like emotional, it seemed like. And he said to me, just get away from me, man, in a stuttering voice, like as if he was crying almost.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: And the investigation continues. Obviously, there's a question of motive. Was he targeting someone at the restaurant? Was this an act of just indiscriminate killing? The police and the FBI are continuing to work on a motive. They say that the shooter's family is being cooperative.

And then, finally, Wolf, as you mentioned, amid all this tragedy, two people are being hailed as heroes by law enforcement.

There was a man at the restaurant with a concealed handgun who sprang into action, opening fire on the suspect. An off-duty state trooper was there and did the same. Authorities believe that that helped drive the gunman away from the scene, likely preventing additional deaths, additional injuries. It appears that he fled and was found nearby.

Authorities say that they believe that the shooter here died from a self-inflicted wound from his firearm. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Josh Campbell with the latest on that, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Wolf. Coming up here in the Situation Room, a close call from a Texas officer caught on camera. A distracted driver slams into a car during a traffic stop. The full video is next.

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