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Iran Issues Demands for U.S. Before Reopening Strait of Hormuz; Israel Rejects Trump's Gaza Plan, Demands Hamas Disarm First; Key Deadline Passes for Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) to Drop Out of Race. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired August 10, 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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PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, semi negotiations, no deal in sight. In a new interview, President Trump says the U.S. is low-keying it, while Iran says nothing will get through the strait until the U.S. corrects its behavior.

Plus, first lettuce, then jalapenos, now prepackaged foods from Taylor Farms is being recalled.

And up next, an ultra-processed announcement, RFK Jr. is expected to crack down on companies that put chemicals in their food products without notifying regulators.

And free childcare for all? As calls for universal childcare gain momentum, a Situation Room special report takes a closer look at how families are having to choose between their jobs and their children.

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

New this morning, Iran issues a new list of demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran says oil won't resume flowing through that critical shipping route until the U.S. corrects its behavior. And adding to the stalemate, President Trump now says the U.S. is only semi-negotiating with Tehran.

So, let's go live now to CNN's Kevin Liptak at the White House. What more are you learning this morning, Kevin?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and the president, what he's describing here is essentially a waited out approach. Put the war on a backburner and wait until the economic pressures on Iran are so great that it just caves to his demands. He says we are only semi-negotiating with the country at the moment.

That is very different from what we heard from the president and other officials last week, who kept describing this deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as a day or two away. The president now saying that Iran is, quote, in a very bad shape economically, and that, eventually, the economic pressures will be so great that they will capitulate.

But what we saw over the weekend was actually exactly the opposite, Iran issuing fresh demands for reopening the strait. In a lot of ways, they're moving the goalposts. Now, Iran demanding that the U.S. end threats and, quote, insults against the country, that the president lifts the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, and moves the U.S. military assets out of the region, that the U.S. compensates Iran for damages imposed as part of this conflict, and that the U.S. lift sanctions and unfreeze Iranian assets.

Now, that last point, I think, will be a non-starter for President Trump. He has repeatedly said that financial relief for Iran will not come until they agree to abandon their nuclear program. At this point, it doesn't even appear as if negotiations over the nuclear program are underway.

And, of course, the pressures are mounting on President Trump as well. We just saw today the price of oil, the price of Brent Crude ticking back up close to $80 a barrel. We've also seen the dwindling stockpiles of munitions. That has been a repeated concern inside the administration. We learned over the weekend the Pentagon sent a memo to defense contractors urging them to ramp up production.

So, all of this increasing pressure on the president, even in his words, as he tries to, quote, low-key the entire situation.

BROWN: All right. Kevin Liptak live for us from the White House, thanks so much.

And Israel has also delivered a setback to President Trump by publicly rejecting his peace plan for Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his troops will not withdraw from the strip until Hamas is fully disarmed.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us live from Jerusalem. So Jeremy, was the public rejection of President Trump's peace plan expected here?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, the Israeli prime minister had already previously made clear that he disagreed with some fundamental principles in this new 15-point plan. And in Israel, we have seen a pretty wholesale rejection of this plan by various corners of the political spectrum, namely some of the prime minister's key right wing allies in his government.

And that ultimately seems to be a big factor in what led the prime minister to come out yesterday and publicly, during this recorded government meeting, to say that he is rejecting this 15-point plan out of hand, saying that Israeli troops will not withdraw until Hamas is completely disarmed, and also making clear that Israeli forces will still have the ability to carry out strikes to defend themselves or Israeli -- or the Israeli population as they deem necessary.

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And this was quite a remarkable public split, though, for the prime minister to be so vocally critical of something that President Trump has called historic, something that he said would lead to lasting peace and security.

Behind the scenes, though, we're getting a bit of a different story though from a Board of Peace official, for example, who is saying that they see a lot of this as being kind of election theatrics. The prime minister is just a couple months away from, you know, one of the biggest Israeli elections that we've seen in a very long time. And this official said that everyone has politics and may be accentuating certain points for election purposes. But they said that behind the scenes, they are seeing cooperation from the Israelis.

And they point to a few things that are true from even a public-facing standpoint, which is a significant reduction in Israeli strikes over the course of the last week. An Israeli source also told us that targeted killings in Gaza, drone strikes now have to be approved at the level of the Israeli military's chief of staff. So, it does seem like there are certain elements at least where Israel is quietly cooperating with the American side, but publicly a very, very different story.

And there are still a number of elements we need to wait and see how they shake out to see whether Israel is just rejecting this for public purposes or whether it actually will affect the potential disarmament of Hamas down the road. Pam?

BROWN: All right, Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much.

And happening now, the U.S. says it is deeply concerned over reports that a Marine veteran being detained in Russia is near death. State officials are now requesting Robert Gilman be released on humanitarian grounds after his family says he slipped into a disassociative stupor six weeks ago. Gilman's sister said in a statement, quote, we want our government to make it clear to the Russians that they need to release Robert now before it is too late. Whatever deal is required to make that happen is better for the U.S. and Russia than having to navigate the death of my brother because both didn't seize on the urgency of acting when there was time.

The 32-year-old was arrested back in 2022 after the Russians alleged he got into a drunken altercation with a police officer, which his representative denies.

And still ahead, setting his sights on El Sayed, President Trump and the GOP are tuning their message on Michigan's Democratic Senate candidate as the midterms heat up.

And happening now, the trial for the mother accused of murdering her three young children is underway. The psychiatrist who treated Lindsay Clancy is back on the stand. We'll get an update from right inside court.

You're in The Situation Room, and we'll be right back.

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[10:10:00] BROWN: Happening now, embattled Ohio Republican Congressman Max Miller will not drop his bid for re-election despite abuse allegations that have shaken his campaign. The deadline to replace Miller passed on Saturday, and his spot on the ticket is now locked in place. Miller has denied all of the allegations against him.

With us now is CNN senior reporter Annie Grayer. So, what happens now, Annie?

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Miller is in the fight for his political life. He is defiant in staying in this race, in this run for re-election. He has denied any wrongdoing. He hasn't been charged with any crime, and he's even called for the House Ethics Committee to investigate him, and that's a process that's going to play out, and in the meantime, he wants to stay in this race.

Now, we know behind the scenes that Republican leaders were pushing Miller to drop out because they were really concerned about how these allegations were going to impact his race. We even know that President Trump and Miller spoke, but in that conversation, the president apparently never told Miller to drop out, but just that it was going to be a very difficult race, because Miller is a district that he carried by -- Trump carried by 11 points in 2024.

Republicans want to hold that seat as they try and maintain their very narrow majority. Every seat counts here. They don't want any unforced errors, and they're concerned that the allegations could create problems for Republicans there.

And in the meantime, there's a growing list of Republicans who are calling on Miller to resign. Miller's ex-father-in-law, Senator Bernie Moreno, also representing Ohio, has been very public as he's protecting his daughter, who is Miller's ex-wife, and calling for Miller to resign. And some other Republican senators have also started to say that it's time for Miller to resign.

So, take a listen to Republican Senator Jim Banks from Indiana, the most recent Republican to say it's time for Miller to step aside.

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SEN. JIM BANKS (R-IN): The allegations against him are terrible. And he's endangering a seat in Congress as we're, as we're trying to keep the majority in the House, and he should he should drop out if he's endangering that seat. He should drop out because of the allegations against him.

KRISTEN WELKER, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: And just to be very clear, Ohio Senator John Husted also calling on him to resign. Are you saying you believe he should resign? It sounds like that's what you're saying.

BANKS: Well, if the allegations are true and watching this play out publicly, of course he should resign.

(END VIDEO CLIP) GRAYER: Now, Miller was supposed to have a campaign event today in his district, but the Ohio Republican Party there said that it had to be canceled due to security s- concerns.

So, one thing that we're going to be watching is how does Miller campaign going forward? How does he make his case to voters, and are they going to care about these allegations?

BROWN: That is the big question. Annie Grayer, thank you so much.

And we have someone here to help us better understand the context around all of this. CNN Political Director David Chalian is with us.

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So, Miller is locked in to this ticket now. David, how does this race look for his district now and just for the balance of Congress overall?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: Well, if you listen to Donald Trump's assessment, as Max Miller has told us in his private conversations with the president, his assessment is this is going to be a much tougher race for Max Miller.

Now, as Annie was saying, this is a district that Trump won by 11 points. This is considered safe Republican turf. So, what has upended that safety? Well, obviously, it is all these allegations. Whether or not Democrats are going to be able to fully capitalize out of that and take an R-plus -- a Trump-plus 11 district and flip it blue that's still, even in an advantageous political environment, even with a scandal-plagued incumbent, that is not necessarily a given.

But, clearly, these allegations have dominated, have broken through. Voters on the ground in the district are hearing about this story, and it's raising questions, and so it does put the seat at risk.

BROWN: Well, tell us more about this controversy and how it's impacting the voters there in his district.

CHALIAN: Well, I think you've heard in a lot of our reporting, I know Lauren Fox was there last week. You hear folks on the ground raise questions about this. Now, I will say you also heard from voters saying that they want to see him fight these allegations. And we know that sort of commodity of fight in modern-day politics. But these -- given the fact that his ex-father-in-law is also United States senator, it's just such a unique set of circumstances.

BROWN: Yes. And now you have other Republican senator standing behind the ex-father-in-law, calling for him to resign, and --

CHALIAN: Notably, you don't hear too many Republican House members.

BROWN: No, you're right.

CHALIAN: And you don't hear Speaker Johnson or President Trump yet say, It's time to go. BROWN: Yes, very notable.

All right, I want to turn to the Abdul El-Sayed campaign in Michigan. Now that he has secured the Democratic nomination for the Michigan Senate seat, Republicans are going after him. No surprise there. Here's what President Trump said about him.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Abdul El-Sayed, lovely gentleman. He's a man of hate, and now he's going around saying, No, I love everybody, I love -- he doesn't love everybody.

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BROWN: Is this the kind of campaign tone we're likely to see from Republicans between now and the election?

CHALIAN: Without a doubt. I mean, we are seeing it already. And they are going to try and paint Abdul El-Sayed as far outside the mainstream as possible. He clearly is a progressive from the left wing of the party, though, as you know, he kind of rejects the socialist label and calls himself a progressive capitalist.

That's not going to stop what President Trump and Mike Rogers, his Republican opponent there, are going to try to paint him as so far outside the mainstream for a state like Michigan.

BROWN: All right, let's talk about California Governor Gavin Newsom. He was in Michigan over the weekend making what looked like a campaign stop, you could say, and he raised some eyebrows with this comment. Let's listen.

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GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): People just want fighters. They want people with conviction, strength, clarity people that get it and want to get things done and they're done with the status quo, and I totally respect that. I've long felt like I've been an established insurgent. I've always had that mindset.

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CHALIAN: When I saw that, I was just like, wow. This guy, Gavin Newsom, was a two-term San Francisco mayor, a two-term lieutenant governor, and now a two-term governor of California. Tough to call him an insurgent, right? And yet I think it's so instructive. When I saw it, it was so telling. Where -- here's somebody who has said he is, you know, very much publicly considering a run for president in 2028, and where he sees the energy in his party is clear.

He sees it in this insurgent, anti-establishment energy in the party. He wants to use -- you know, he had the whole fight with Trump last year on redistricting, and he was successful in that, in getting that ballot measure passed last year. He wants to use that to translate, hey, I'm a fighter. I'm part of that side of the party. I'm not the establishment, despite his very long resume showing just how establishment he is.

BROWN: So, you're saying basically that the idea that he's an insurgent is a questionable claim to say the least.

CHALIAN: Yes, or as he said, an established insurgent.

BROWN: An established insurgent.

CHALIAN: Yes.

BROWN: All right. David Chalian, thanks, always great to have you on.

And coming up here in The Situation Room, federal investigators are now getting involved after a boat capsized right near the Statue of Liberty, killing a woman and her baby.

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BROWN: Breaking news out of Colombia, a 7.4 earthquake has hit the western part of the country. Take a look at these pictures right here. The mayor of one city says people are still trapped inside collapsed buildings.

The epicenter was located in San Jose del Palmar. That's about 250 miles west of the country's capital. People in several cities felt the tremors.

So let's go live now to Meteorologist Derek Van Dam in the CNN Weather Center. What more do we know here, Derek?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, we already know that we've had the original earthquake, but now we have aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 occurring within the past few minutes. So, we're likely going to still see some shaking. You got to consider that the original earthquake damaged and really destabilized buildings within this very vulnerable part of Colombia. Now, that we have these aftershocks of 5.0 or potentially greater going forward, that could cause some serious problems.

Geographically referencing this area, just so you understand where we are, this is South America. This is Colombia. We are just west of the capital city of Bogota. And take note of the depth of this, because that is incredibly crucial.

But, first, let's talk about the implications of a magnitude 7.4 earthquake. We have the ability to compare this to other past events in similar areas with similar type of structures. And when the USGS does this, they have a scale where they can calculate the forecast number of fatalities.

[10:25:04]

And I know this is a grim subject, but it's a reality we're facing here. There is a one in three chance that there are over 1,000 fatalities with this particular earthquake. Significant casualties and damage are likely. We're already seeing the images on your screen. And the impact, of course, could potentially be widespread.

We're looking at the focus of this epicenter, and it was at about 100 kilometers deep, so there was a lot of ground to kind of absorb that shaking. But when you look at this map, Pamela, this is important, there was nearly 2 million people that felt very strong shaking. So, we need to expect and anticipate additional aftershocks of a strong magnitude 7.4 that's occurred already.

BROWN: Oh, wow. All right, we'll continue to monitor this. Derek Van Dam, thank you so much.

And happening now, Taylor Farms says it is recalling several products containing jalapenos after a food distributor reported a potential salmonella contamination. The recall includes salsas, dips, sandwiches, and more.

So, let's go live now to CNN Health Reporter Jacqueline Howard. All right, what more can you tell us about this recall and this new outbreak here, Jacqueline?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Yes, Pam. So this recall impacts 26 states. What's happening, the recalled products included, like you said, salsas, dips, guacamole, sandwiches, diced jalapenos, and burritos that were distributed across the 26 states that you see here, that you just saw on that map.

And these products were sold at stores including Kroger, Target, Trader Joe's, Walmart, and Whole Foods. So, if you shop at any of those stores and you did buy any of those items, check your refrigerator, check your cabinets. Some of the products include best if used by dates up to and including August 16th. And the FDA says if you do have any of these products, throw them out immediately. Taylor Farms says that refunds will be available at the stores where you may have bought the products.

And it is important to note, Pam, that as of yesterday, Taylor Farms says that no illnesses have been linked to these products. But, again, this recall is really happening out of an abundance of caution. Pam?

BROWN: And on the heels of the cyclospora outbreak.

HOWARD: Exactly.

BROWN: So, last week, Chipotle removed jalapenos from some of its restaurants because of salmonella risks. Are these connected?

HOWARD: They are connected. What happened, the jalapenos used in the Taylor Farms products that I just mentioned, they were supplied by Coast Citrus Distributors, okay? And that's the same company that is at the center of the outbreak of salmonella linked to jalapenos at Chipotle, and jalapenos used at Qdoba as well, at those restaurants.

Now, the FDA says that those restaurants have taken action and these jalapenos are no longer being served, the affected jalapenos. But, Pamela, at least 345 people had gotten sick, and 36 people were hospitalized. So, again, we did see people getting sick from those jalapenos, and all of these actions are really, like I said, out of caution. Pam?

BROWN: All right, Jacqueline Howard, thanks for bringing us the latest there.

And coming up, Hunter Biden has given an update on his father's battle with prostate cancer. We'll speak to an expert up next.

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