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Dems Search for Path to Retake House in Midterm Elections; Attorneys Say They Still Can't Reach Clients at Florida Detention Center; Rare Look at China's AI-Powered Robot Sports Push. Aired 9:30- 10a ET

Aired July 16, 2025 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Actually have more net pickup opportunities. This doesn't look anything like those wave elections back in 2006 or 2018.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: If it doesn't look anything like those years, what does it look like?

ENTEN: OK, so what does it look like? Well, let's take a look back at the generic congressional ballot. What was going on in Ipsos in October of 2024?

Democrats were ahead by two points. Look at where we are now. Democrats ahead by two points among registered voters.

At this particular point, this election cycle looks a lot more like 2024 than it does then either 2018 or 2006. And so, of course, Republicans actually held onto the House back in 2024. Will it happen this time around? We'll just have to wait and see.

But for anyone who's writing the Republican House's political obituaries, hold the phone. This is a reality check. Republicans are still very much in the game.

BERMAN: Harry Enten, and that'll be quite a reality check, I think, for a lot of Democratic voters.

ENTEN: Yes.

BERMAN: Thank you, Harry, --

ENTEN: Thank you.

BERMAN: -- very much for that -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And joining us right now is Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha and Republican strategist Melik Abdul. Guys, thanks for being here.

Chuck, why isn't it adding up? What are Dems still not getting right? CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think Democrats are finding their footing right now after they just got through fighting this big, beautiful, whatever you call this thing. When folks start feeling that, and you're starting to see it now with inflation ticking up, real voters out there have not seen a big change. But the change is coming, and they're starting to feel this.

And you will see these. It's really early. Even Harry would agree that it's really early.

Lots are going to happen between now and then. And with the midterm elections, this part you should write down if you're at home right now. Even you, Harry.

In the midterm elections, it's about motivation. Who's going to show up? Because not everybody shows up in the midterm like they do in the presidential year.

So motivating people that are angry to show up is a big reason why 2018 happened. And I think you're going to see more of that as we get closer to election day.

BOLDUAN: Yes, I mean, and Melik, what Democrats are banking on is what will motivate voters is their opposition to the president's tax cut and spending bill. I mean, there are these warning signs ahead in this polling that's coming out this morning, the CNN polling, six in 10 voters, Americans oppose the tax and spending bill. That includes two thirds of independents.

Does that concern you in terms of -- because, you know, I mean, Democrats have already said this is a major part of the midterm playbook, especially when it comes to the cuts to Medicaid. How much of an uphill sales job do you have?

MELIK ABDUL, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me. And what greater way to start the morning than being on with Chuck. We are always in New York together. So it's good being here.

I do think that Republicans have to be concerned, obviously, about polls. Polls are a snapshot in time. So there is a lot of room for Republicans to actually run with here. But when you look at the bill itself, I think that 60 percent number, I went back and looked at not just the Build Back Better bill under Joe Biden, but also the Obamacare. About 60 percent of voters were against those programs as well.

And typically they're against the bills because there is a lot of negative attention that are attached to the bills. And so it's not surprising to me.

But I do agree. Republicans should in no way rest on our laurels. Historically, we're supposed to lose the House next year. But you know, I love, I love Harry.

So I'm listening to what Harry says and I'm actually going to use that as some talking points moving forward. But again, polls are snapshots in time and they're subject to change.

BOLDUAN: Chuck let's talk about the story that's not going away. And despite what the president says he would like to see, which is the fallout over the conspiracy theories around the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. We see a lot of Democrats joining in with MAGA influencers and kind of broader Republicans on Capitol Hill now calling for the calling for the Justice Department to release more on the investigation.

I want to play for you how Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell explained to us this morning why she is supporting this move.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): These very same Republicans called it conspiracy, demanded release of files, made a promise that as soon as they were in office, they would release this files. They created expectations. They made it.

They added to the conspiracy theory. And now suddenly they're saying that there's nothing there.

The whole last year was all built on people hiding things and built on conspiracy theories. And you have a White House and Justice Department that are practicing what they condemned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Still, Chuck, one can venture to guess the Dems wouldn't be pushing on this if the conspiracy theories hadn't caused this rift that we're seeing between Republicans and President Trump. I mean, are Democrats taking this too far?

ROCHA: OK, let me connect what we just talked about with this topic. And I can't be crazy enough to tell you hard enough that motivation is a big part of midterm elections, motivation, energy, folks showing up who don't normally show up. This is just one example of why Republicans and their base are really angry.

[09:35:00]

You feather in not only this with this topic, but also Ukraine funding. You can even put in that they think the Superman movie is woke. They're mad about a lot of things right now and disappointed in their own party.

And I think you're going to see that in the midterm elections because, again, only the most motivated folks show up here. And Democrats are smart to use this issue to drive a wedge because this is an issue that should be a layup. Democrats let go of your pearls, jump in the middle of this and say, look, we should find out who's been molesting women, who's been out here trying to traffic women and young girls.

This should be something we should be standing on top of cars, shouting about it, saying, we're with you, MAGA. We're with you. Wanted to know everything here. Let's see all the files and the videos, whether somebody did or not. Let us find out,

BOLDUAN: Melik, what's the point, you think, when politically it becomes, I don't know, untenable for the president to say this is boring and I'm done talking about -- I'm done talking about it. Move on.

ABDUL: Well, I think that one of the things that many people and especially Republicans and I understand, you know, when we get on television, you know, we have to toe the line. But I think that there is a conversation about this divide within MAGA that many within MAGA aren't comfortable talking about. I will say that there is a split in MAGA and Chuck named a few.

But if you think of the Iran strikes, there are a number of areas where the where MAGA has been splintered. And so I think that the important thing for Donald Trump to do is to understand that.

Now, I do agree. I do get his dismissiveness, because despite what people have said, Donald Trump himself never campaigned on the release of the Epstein files. He did respond to questions about whether or not he did.

BOLDUAN: Yes, I mean, he said he would.

MELIK: But where he goes wrong, though -- but where he goes wrong, though, it is that there are people around Donald Trump like Dan Bongino, like Cash Patel and a number of other people who have basically developed a cult following on this issue of the Epstein files, much like the kitchen table issues will be the issue, much like it was in this past election.

Kitchen table issues will also be the issue in the midterm cycle. And I don't think that Democrats or Republicans will be able to use this in order to win anything. Most Americans generally don't care about the Epstein files.

So Donald Trump is right in that regard. But he has to understand, bro, you have people around you who push this, and that's why they're spitting out of control at this point.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you both. Thanks for coming in -- Sara

ROCHA: Thanks.

SIDNER: All right, ahead, lawyers for detained immigrants say Alligator Alcatraz is a legal black hole. What happened when one attorney showed up to represent her clients? We'll talk to her ahead.

And your health care costs may be going up again. Why? Just ask your employer.

[09:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SIDNER: This morning, new reporting on the controversial immigration

facility in the Florida Everglades. Lawyers tell the Miami Herald they still cannot reach clients who are being held there as concerns grow about the conditions of the so-called Alligator Alcatraz.

One of those attorneys, Katie Blankenship, is joining me now. She is a co-founder of Sanctuary of the South.

All right, so you went to the so-called Alligator Alcatraz, where migrants are being held in those cages that we saw in swampland. What happened when you got there?

KATIE BLANKENSHIP, CO-FOUNDER, SANCTUARY OF THE SOUTH: Well, unfortunately, I was completely turned away and blocked from all access to my clients. That continues today. This was last week on Thursday.

I drove out to the facility, as you mentioned. It sits in the heart of the Everglades, right inside the Big Cypress National Preserve on Miccosukee tribal land. I waited for about three hours at a checkpoint.

Being told that a contractor from the facility would come speak with me at some point about my access. I waited and waited and waited. I finally saw that person, was able to submit my names and A numbers for the people. That's the alien numbers. It's how you identify people inside. Submitted that information.

I had five people I needed to see. It's also worth note that one of those was a 15-year-old minor that we had reports that he was inside.

I submitted that information and they said thank you. It's time for you to go. I said, well, I need to see my clients. They said, somebody will call you within 48 hours.

I said, well, how do I confirm? Where's the e-mail? What's the phone number?

Oh, it doesn't exist.

I said, let me make sure I understand this process. The process for attorneys is to drive out to this facility, spend hours of the day in the Everglades, only to be turned away and told that somebody will call us.

I've never gotten that call. I was turned away that day. I still have not seen my client.

I still have not seen my clients. I haven't even been able to speak with them. One of them, after I was there -- again, this was last Thursday, to see him -- was rushed to a hospital in a medical emergency.

We have no visibility into, except that we know through his wife that it required emergency medical surgery. He is now, as of tonight, or last night, apologies, been reported to be back in the facility, not receiving post-op medical care.

I can't get to him. I cannot verify his health and safety. I have submitted multiple requests to try to see him. And it is, as you said, a black hole at this facility.

[09:45:00]

They are disappearing individuals into this facility and blocking all access to counsel. We're in coalition with people all throughout the state. We don't know of a single attorney who's been able to make contact with their client.

SIDNER: In your mind, is the Trump administration breaking the law here?

BLANKENSHIP: Undoubtedly. We have regardless, regardless of how this administration wants to turn their immigration perspective in such a cruel manner, the Constitution holds. We have constitutional rights in this country. And no matter what the Trump administration wants to think, that applies to immigrants standing on our soil.

And when we detain them, they have rights through the Constitution to access to counsel. They do not, the government does not have the right to disappear individuals from their family and legal counsel, to keep them literally in cages in the Everglades without us able to have access.

We can't file documents for our clients. We don't know what court they're appearing in. We get zero response from ICE.

And at the end of the day, regardless of what Ron DeSantis is doing with this facility, this is being propped up by ICE and the Trump administration. And they are all responsible for this.

SIDNER: I want to ask you about what a Florida official is telling the Miami Herald. They are saying, quote, working to ensure timely attorney-client communication.

A DHS official told the Herald that, Because this facility is so new, it will take a while for detainees to be added to the ICE locator system.

He called this rollout bumpy. What do you call it?

BLANKENSHIP: I call it grossly irresponsible in a representation of human rights abuses. If you can't provide legal access to people that are inside, then you can't detain people inside. That facility should have never been opened.

It should not be open and then say, oh, by the way, we're working on getting you access to your clients. That's not how legal access works. That's not how the right to counsel works.

You cannot disappear people into a black hole and then say, sorry, it's been bumpy. We'll get back to you. It is deadly. SIDNER: Katie Blankenship, thank you so much. We will be in touch with you as you go through this process. And we'd like to learn when, indeed, you get that phone call allowing you to speak with your clients that are there in so-called alligator Alcatraz.

Really appreciate it -- John.

BERMAN: Outraged and demands for an investigation. The U.S. government wants Israel to investigate how settlers beat a Palestinian American man to death.

Plus, these AI robots trying to take over soccer robots. What's going on here?

[09:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: A new survey out today shows that employers are planning to shift more health care costs to their employees come 2026. Just over half of employers surveyed say that they are planning to adjust their health insurance offerings to increase the worker's share of the costs next year. That could come from higher deductibles or higher annual out-of-pocket maximums.

Health benefit expenses rose 4.5 percent in 2024 and are expected to jump by nearly 6 percent this year.

The largest known piece of Mars found on Earth is up for auction today. It can be yours for the low, low price of between $2 and $4 million.

Officially named, I believe it's pronounced N-W-A-1-6-7-8-8. We can come up with a better one. It's a 54-pound rock that was discovered in 2023 in a remote part of the Sahara Desert.

According to Sotheby's, it broke away from the red planet's surface after a massive asteroid strike, a strike that was so powerful it turned parts of the meteorite into glass. The Mars rock then traveled about 140 million miles through space before landing on Earth -- J.B.

BERMAN: I mean, if you like rocks, I have one I can sell you for like less than half the price.

BOLDUAN: Really?

BERMAN: Of that one.

BOLDUAN: Is it 54 pounds?

BERMAN: Maybe. I could find one, believe me. I'd buy one twice as heavy and sell it to you for a million dollars.

BOLDUAN: I'll consider it.

BERMAN: All right, this morning, a different look at the race to dominate artificial intelligence, which China is very much trying to win, in very unusual places as well. So this is kind of their pitch on the pitch.

CNN's Marc Stewart has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is where robots come to life. They mimic mankind yet depend on these Chinese engineers to function. We were given rare access to this lab by tech startup Booster Robotics on the outskirts of Beijing. We saw how robots can be built to play soccer.

STEWART: Look what happens when we try to make a goal. See, it sticks its leg out. Very much like a real life goalie would.

STEWART (voice-over): The robots can also play on their own, powered by AI as they did in a recent tournament live streamed across China. The technology is still a work in progress. The robots often lose balance and fall scooped away on stretchers. They look very much human-like in their movements.

CHENG HAO, CEO, BOOSTER ROBOTICS: Yes, this is a new technology about imitation learning.

STEWART (voice-over): Technology, the CEO thinks, can be used in everything from food delivery to factories, even help kids learn new languages.

STEWART: This whole robotic push comes at a time when the Chinese government is making technology, including AI, a national priority.

STEWART (voice-over): Already, China's proven innovator, as we've seen with EVs. Now, it's looking to dominate the field of AI enabled robots. And the gap with the U.S. is widening, according to Morgan Stanley research.

STEWART: What does this symbolize beyond the soccer field?

ALEX CAPRI, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE BUSINESS SCHOOL: China is really pushing the envelope in all things leading edge technology. And there are so many practical and also strategic applications of AI and robotics combined.

STEWART (voice-over): Here in China, we've seen robotics at work during our tours of factories. And the Chinese military has shown off a robotic dog with an automatic rifle mounted on its back. The U.S. Air Force is utilizing similar technology.

On the turf, the focus is on innovation and attention.

HAO: We need to push the technology development. So, we need a real -- a real scenario to test our technology.

STEWART (voice-over): Scrimmages on the soccer field that may help China to score further, as a global tech leader. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: Now, that was impressive.

SIDNER: The way that robot just got up, that's me.

BOLDUAN: I was like, when did you see that?

BERMAN: The dogs, I mean, the robots kind of suck at soccer, though, so far.

SIDNER: They're not so good.

BOLDUAN: I mean, they're about as good as you are at soccer.

BERMAN: Which sucks.

All right, thank you all for joining us.

This has been CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "SITUATION ROOM" up next?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)