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Texas GOP Now Clear to Pass New Trump-Back Congressional Maps; Trump Vows to Get Rid of Mail-in Ballots and Voting Machines; Hamas Says It has Agreed to New Ceasefire Deal. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired August 19, 2025 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: ... given that, often during midterm elections, Latinos don't show up.

SABRINA RODRIGUEZ, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Republicans are really placing a huge bet here, Boris. You know, they've seen in recent election cycles, Latinos shift toward the Republican Party. They saw a lot of opportunity, particularly in South Texas, an area that for decades has been a Democratic stronghold, primarily Mexican-American communities.

But what they've seen was, you know, Democrats have slacked off. You know, you'll hear it from Democrats themselves, say we took voters for granted and are now trying to catch up. So Republicans are banking that those massive gains they made, particularly in the 2024 cycle, are going to hold.

Now, the thing here is, when you look at the data, yes, while these areas shifted dramatically toward Trump, when you go down the ballot, a lot of these folks also voted for Democrats, which sort of poses that gamble.

SANCHEZ: I do wonder what you heard from these voters on what they based their vote on, how they feel Trump is doing, and how they might vote in the future.

RODRIGUEZ: Yes, for a lot of people that I talked to down there, I focused particularly on talking to people who had been Democratic voters that went and voted for Trump, so to try and understand, OK, why did you make that bet and where are you going from here? And a lot of the people I talked to said, you know, it came down to money. It came down to the idea that Trump was going to be better for the economy.

They sort of wrote off a lot of the messaging around immigration, a lot of Trump's promises of, you know, mass deportation, and said, well, he's going to focus on criminals. So now there's a lot of backlash to that because they're saying, wait a minute, I'm seeing a lot of people in my neighborhood, you know, get deported.

I'm seeing, you know, one of the people I spoke to as a schoolteacher was telling the story about how, you know, she saw a lot less students coming to school. A lot of people scared that their parents were being deported. A lot of people whose parents had already been deported. So there's a lot of backlash to that.

But it's interesting because it doesn't mean that they've decided what they're going to do going forward. It puts them in this awkward position politically.

SANCHEZ: And as we've seen over and over again, immigration, perhaps counterintuitively, not often a determining factor in how Latino voters decide to vote. When it comes to Democrats, what have they told you about how they're trying to navigate not only the new maps, but also this potential realignment?

RODRIGUEZ: I think for a lot of Democrats, they're still sort of playing the catch up. I think for the first months after the election, there was sort of this collective shock that this happened. Not only that this happened, but to the degree which it happened, not just in places like South Texas, but with Latinos across the country.

So I think for them right now, it's sort of a showing people that they're fighting for them. That's something we've heard not just from Latinos, but from Democrats, you know, across the country and from different demographic groups. So we're seeing the kind of action that you're seeing from Texas Democrats to show that, OK, maybe they can't control everything that Republicans are doing right now, but they want to show people that they're really fighting for them and want to help their lives and improve them.

SANCHEZ: And speaking of fighting for their voters, you're seeing this redistricting battle now move to California, potentially other places, Illinois, Florida. How do you think this ends?

RODRIGUEZ: I mean, it's becoming a tit for tat, right? You know, it started as Texas and then now it's just spread across the country. You know, I think that the thing talking to voters, obviously a lot of people are not following the day to day of redistricting.

People don't like the idea that cards are being stacked against parties and people don't like that. I think there's going to be a lot of backlash for both parties depending on what state you're in. But clearly we have months ahead of us of this partisan gerrymandering.

It certainly isn't stopping with Texas and California. And I think it's going to be an open question about what other blue and red states are going to do and map out.

SANCHEZ: Sabrina Rodriguez, always appreciate having you on. Thanks for joining us.

RODRIGUEZ: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: The Duchess of Hialeah.

Still to come, President Trump's push to ditch mail-in voting is getting significant pushback from several states. We're going to speak with the swing state secretary of state that is telling Trump to, quote, pound sand. Stay with us.

[14:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Today, election officials across several states are pushing back after President Trump said he would sign an executive order aimed at getting rid of mail-in ballots and voting machines.

The president posted on Truth Social, quote, Remember, the states are merely an agent for the federal government in counting and tabulating the votes. They must do what the federal government, as represented by the president of the United States, tells them for the good of our country to do.

That's what the president says. But now here is what the Constitution says.

According to Article 1, Section 4, Clause 1, quote, The times, places and manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof. But the Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations, except as to the places of choosing Senators.

I want to discuss this more with Arizona's Democratic Secretary of State, Adrian Fontes.

Sir, thanks so much for being with us. I wonder what you make about these claims that voters should be concerned about the security and legitimacy of mail-in ballots.

ADRIAN FONTES, (D) ARIZONA SECRETARY OF STATE: The only problem with the security and legitimacy of mail-in ballots is that the president keeps lying about it. A lot of states have been using this system. In fact, in Arizona, it was under Republican Governor Fife Symington that no excuse absentee balloting was made law.

[14:40:23]

And that was promoted by my predecessor, a longtime election administrator and solid Republican Helen Purcell at the Maricopa County Recorder's office. It's something that's widely used out West. Many states only use mail-in balloting across the entire state.

I don't know where the president is getting his advice from. It's clearly not from an understanding of the Constitution. But the clear message needs to be this. I don't work for you, Donald Trump. I work for the people of the state of Arizona. And I don't take my guidance from you. I take it from the Constitution and from the rules established in state law.

That's where we operate. And that's where we will continue to operate in spite of Mr. Trump's delusions.

SANCHEZ: I want to get to that novel reading of the Constitution that Trump expressed. But I do also want to ask you just more broadly, who uses mail-in ballots in Arizona and how many might be affected if they're banned? FONTES: Well, well over three-quarters of our voters vote by mail early. All 15 of our counties very much extol the virtues of voting by mail. It's far more economical. It's safer. It's more accountable.

And it's used by folks in rural communities. It's used by veterans and the elderly, folks who have transportation issues. Folks who don't have, you know, access and the capacity to stand in line for a while. This is something that has continued to grow and grow and grow.

In fact, there was a time in Arizona where you had to request a ballot by mail every single time you wanted to vote by mail. It became so popular that the state later made it so that everyone who signed up got their ballot by mail permanently. And they just continued to get it election after election because that was cost-saving for the state.

This is something that, again, is popular. It's used by folks in every demographic. And I will say this. It's one of the reasons that Republicans in Arizona held power for so long because they were very, very good at getting out there and chasing these ballots for their voters.

So it's not just unconstitutional for the president to be saying what he's saying. It doesn't make any political sense for him and his party when they've been so effective at using ballot by mail to keep the power that they've had here in Arizona for so long.

SANCHEZ: That's a really interesting point. So when Trump suggests that states act as agents of the federal government when it comes to tabulating ballots, obviously an uncommon reading of the Constitution, as we just pointed out. But Congress does have a role in voting regulations, right?

FONTES: Yes, they absolutely do. But the president can't by executive order just wave his magic wand to change things. That's not how this country works.

We are a federal republic. And I'll tell you what. There's a lot of conservative states' rights-type people out there who ought to be hopping mad at the notion that the executive of the federal government is going to try to exert power in a state part of our rules and regulations and the way that we govern ourselves.

Look, if he wants to propose changes through the regular congressional process, he has the right to do that. He's, you know, the president. He's a citizen like anybody else. And the Constitution is very clear about that.

But there's no reason why anybody should think that it's, A, reasonable or, B, rational to be just coming out as the president saying I'm going to run the show and you work for me.

Like I said, I don't work for the president. I work for the people of the great state of Arizona. And I'm going to keep doing so in spite of his oddball machinations.

SANCHEZ: Are you concerned that with a Republican-controlled Congress that seems eager to back the president with a multitude of moves that he's made, he might try to pass some legislation to enforce a national ban on mail-in voting?

FONTES: Yes, I'm concerned about that. But that would be the normal process. Look, elections have consequences. And they've got both houses in Congress and the presidency. They can make those laws if they'd like to. But that's not the point here.

The point here is that the president is trying to dictate how states do state business. That's not how this country works. That may be OK in some other dictatorial authoritarian state.

But this is the United States of America. We are the United States, not the United White House. And we need to be very, very clear.

The president is clearly overreaching federal authority here into where the states have their rights, and it is their purview. What's most disappointing in this entire episode is the absence of conservative voices as against this president.

[14:45:00]

Those folks who would love to see states running just about every aspect of all governance, those folks on the political right who are remaining silent right now are essentially kowtowing to a want to be dictator.

Instead of asserting their principled stance that they've had for a long time, which is a reasonable balance between what the states can do and what the federal government ought to be able to do. And that's the most disappointing thing of all here, is the cowardice of some of the folks who would advocate for states' rights, and their silence is deafening.

SANCHEZ: Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, thank you so much.

FONTES: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour. A popular Colombian immigrant TikToker is detained by ICE in the middle of her livestream. Lady Tatiana Malfa Martinez was streaming to her followers from her car in Los Angeles on Friday when she was yanked from the vehicle by officers.

A bystander captured this arrest. In a portion of the video, CNN viewed and confirmed she pleaded with officers to wait before arresting her. We should warn you, the images you're about to see may be disturbing to some.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LADY TATIANA MALFA MARTINEZ: Esperate, no, no, no, no, no, no way, no, no, no, no, esperate, esperate. Esperate, me voy a dejar, pero esperate. Esperate, me voy a dejar, pero esperate.

Esperate, esperate, esperate, esperate. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The department of Homeland Security says Malfa Martinez was convicted of driving under the influence in 2023 and says she will be held in custody pending removal proceedings. CNN has reached out to DHS for more information.

And four young girls stranded on a rock on Lake Superior are safe thanks to a daring rescue by the U.S. Coast Guard. Officials received a call late Sunday night after dangerous conditions prevented the children from making their way back to shore near Silver Bay, Minnesota. The girls range in age from 8 to 14, and they had paddle boarded to the island. Coast Guard officials used a rope relay to get the girls' blankets and food before lifting them to a nearby field where their parents were waiting.

And also the Food and Drug Administration is investigating after a radioactive isotope is detected in shipping containers in frozen shrimp from Indonesia. The agency is warning against eating, selling or serving some frozen shrimp because of potential contamination with cesium-137. The FDA says no shrimp that is tested positive has entered the food supply, but they still suggest a recall on all products distributed by BMS Foods.

Still to come, new discussions underway to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. We have the latest from the Middle East coming up in just a few minutes.

[14:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Hamas says it has agreed to a new ceasefire proposal in Gaza amid a push by mediators to renew talks. In a statement, Hamas said it had accepted a plan presented Sunday by Qatar and Egypt.

Meantime, Egyptian officials involved in the discussions tell CNN in an exclusive interview that it has warned Israel that the mass displacement of Gazans is a red line. Let's get more from CNN International anchor Becky Anderson, who is in Cairo for us.

Becky, what more can you tell us about this latest proposal?

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I spoke to the Egyptian foreign minister on a visit up to Rafah, the border crossing on the Egyptian side, the border crossing where so much aid is built up trying to get into Gaza. And this was yesterday, and we discussed the ceasefire proposal that had been tabled to Hamas at that time. The last 48 hours here in Cairo behind the scenes has been extremely busy.

Both the Egyptian and Qatari mediators who've been long involved in trying to get a comprehensive solution to end this war have really ratcheted up their efforts over the past 48 hours trying to get some sort of framework together that might end this war. They are extremely concerned about the threat of a further expansion of the Israeli war, a threat underscored by the decision by the Israeli Security Council last week to go back into Gaza City and displace those who are there in order to rout out the remaining Hamas operatives there.

These mediators tell me that they are concerned for two reasons. They say this will exacerbate the already catastrophic humanitarian situation on the ground and will further endanger those hostages who remain in Gaza.

Now, remember, we believe there are about 50, 21 of whom maybe are still living. The efforts by these mediators are to get this temporary truce, this partial sort of phased plan for release of half of those hostages over a 60-day period, which will at least relieve the pressure somewhat and get this surge of humanitarian aid in.

When I spoke to the Egyptian foreign minister, he has real reservations about the political will from either party for a resolution of this, particularly on the Israeli side. This is part of what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BADR ABDEL-ATTI, EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: What we have to do now is to implement the proposal of Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special ambassador.

ANDERSON: To the phased partial agreement. A temporary truce.

ABDEL-ATTI: At least to have a cooling off period to allow more trucks to enter into Gaza and during the 60 days of the ceasefire, to engage in a serious negotiations to make this ceasefire sustainable.

ANDERSON: Can I be clear, foreign minister, is that the only proposal then on the table at present? The Witkoff proposal to all intents and purposes?

ABDEL-ATTI: This is the practical one. Of course, the Israelis are talking about ending the war --

ANDERSON: A one and done.

ABDEL-ATTI: -- having a comprehensive deal, but they are putting impossible, you know, conditions to be realized on the ground.

ANDERSON: Can you explain what those impossible conditions are?

ABDEL-ATTI: I mean, by talking about, of course, disarming Hamas now, that they will not allow neither Hamas or Fatah or the Palestinian Authority to be there in Gaza. This is something, you know, not logic and not practical.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (on camera): Mediators say that they have secured 98 percent of what was the original Steve Witkoff proposal back in July, but it's not clear what the remaining 2 percent is, and that could be an awful lot of detail that is still to be hammered out.

The other big point at this stage is that there has been no official response to this proposal from the Israeli side, and we know the Israeli position has hardened since that last proposal. Israel wants to see the end of Hamas.

They believe that Hamas is on the ropes. They want a comprehensive deal, a one-off deal, which effectively releases all the hostages in one go, and that is not what this proposal is all about, as far as we can tell on the details that we have. Back to you.

SANCHEZ: Becky Anderson, live for us in Cairo. Thank you so much, Becky.

Still to come, parents caught in the middle of a debate over the COVID vaccine between the CDC and a pediatric group.

We'll explain in just moments.

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