Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Man Killed by ICE Was Not the Target of ICE's Operation; Witnesses Report Seeing Sen. Mitch McConnell Loaded into Ambulance; Israel Warns U.S. of Iranian Plot to Assassinate Trump; Final Day of Preliminary Hearing for Charlie Kirk's Accused Killer. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired July 10, 2026 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Parts of the U.S. we call these things ridge riders, right? So what happens is it pushes the jet stream, what forces showers and thunderstorms in a general direction across the northern hemisphere. Yes, well, you can see it riding up and over that ridge and it's producing this rain band that's just been consistent across central Missouri overnight.

We've had over 10 inches of rainfall in this location, including Annapolis, where we have a flash flood emergency underway. You can see the rainfall totals there estimated over 10 inches even here in Nashville, getting some of these showers and thunderstorms with a flood warning as we speak. So the flood alerts extend all the way into parts of the Ohio River Valley as this ridge of high pressure dominates the weather forecast.

But I want you to see where it's going to park itself this weekend. I'm looking at you, Montana, because you are going to see heat that we haven't experienced in a long time. The potential to set daily record highs, Billings into Glacier National Park.

This is the area that's going to see temperatures soaring to 110, peaking by Sunday. That is excessive heat and that is extreme heat that could leave vulnerable populations at risk. So we want to take this very seriously -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Derek Van Dam for us. Thank you very much. Brace yourselves for that heat out there.

Brand new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the new video this morning that CNN's obtained of Senator Mitch McConnell being taken out of his home in Washington on a stretcher. This is now nearly a month ago. He's been in the hospital ever since. But his condition remains a mystery.

And a man is shot and killed by ICE agents in Texas on his way to work. This morning we're getting a new account from what happened inside the van. An attorney says that the story ICE is telling is, in his words, completely false. And a family is searching for answers after the death of their teenage

son. He went on a boat trip with friends on July 4th, never returned. Nolan Wells' parents are speaking out this morning.

Sara is out today. I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BERMAN: All right, we're getting new details in about the fatal shooting of a father of three by an ICE officer in Houston. An attorney who spoke with three men who were in the vehicle with 52- year-old Lorenzo Salgado say a statement from federal officials about what led to the shooting is, quote, completely false. ICE says they were conducting a traffic stop as part of a targeted operation.

They claim that Salgado was trying to evade arrest and rammed his van into a law enforcement vehicle. His son, I should say, spoke to CNN. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALDO SALGADO, FATHER SHOT AND KILLED BY ICE: He did not know that those vehicles following him were ICE agents. Again, these vehicles were unmarked. They had no emblems, no logos, no flashing lights.

There was no way for him to know that they were ICE agents. I know my dad would have stopped, had ICE agents formally and clearly identified themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, I want to get right to CNN's Ed Lavandera with the latest on all of this. Sort of the new details that are emerging and what seem to be conflicts in the story here.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. We're now three days into the aftermath of this shooting, John. And there is still no clear definitive video that has emerged that captured the entire altercation.

But there have been a number of videos that kind of capture what happened along the street, Canal Street in Houston, which is the area where the final moments of this altercation took place. We have learned -- CNN has learned from a source, that the ICE agents that were there on the ground, that were not going after this specific man or this van, that there were other people who were the target originally of this operation. But in that operation, according to a DHS statement we got yesterday, that there had been some evidence or some intelligence that they were going after a home that had two white vans and that agents on their way to that location spotted a white van that ultimately had Lorenzo Salgado Araujo inside of it and they diverted to stopping him.

So that is one of the new details that we have. But there's still a lot of questions swirling around what exactly happened here at the very end of this altercation that ended up with the shooting death of Salgado. ICE agents maintain that Salgado had weaponized his vehicle, went after the ICE agents and that the ICE agents shot at him in self- defense.

[08:05:00]

The family, as you've heard, and now a lawyer who has spoken with the three other men who were inside that van, say they do not believe this version of events that ICE is describing. This is what the lawyer has said just last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUGO BALDERAS-IBARRA, ATTORNEY: After speaking with these three men that were in the vehicle with Lorenzo, I have no doubt that what these ICE agents are saying is completely false. At no point did they ever use the van to ram into the ICE agents and at no point were these ICE agents' lives ever in any danger.

These men deserve respect. They deserve answers. They deserve justice.

And we are demanding an independent investigation so that we can get them the justice and the answers that they deserve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: So, John, the significant detail there that this lawyer is saying is that this is some of the first accounts that we've heard from the three men that were inside that van. They are in ICE custody. This lawyer says that he spoke with the three men yesterday and that they say that the van never hit any of the ICE agents that were there on the ground.

So those are the latest details. We're hoping to hear more from that lawyer and those conversations that they've had with those three men a little bit later today. But this is the story that continues to develop as we kind of continue piecing together the moments that led up to the shooting death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo -- John.

BERMAN: Yes, the only thing that seems to be clear at this moment that a man is dead and now even ICE is saying he was not the original target of this operation. Ed Lavandera, thank you for reporting on this. Please keep us posted -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Also breaking overnight, a CNN exclusive. CNN has obtained video showing the moment that Senator Mitch McConnell was taken to the hospital. It's been nearly a month, but it is still unclear what led up to the emergency response we're now seeing because his office is not telling the public, his office is not telling his constituents.

So any new piece of information coming out is part of this puzzle that people are piecing together. The neighbor who shot the video says that Capitol Police blocked the street. Other neighbors reported seeing Senator McConnell's face.

Some high-profile Republicans, including Majority Leader John Thune, say that they have spoken to Mitch McConnell over the phone since he has been in the hospital, but they're also not giving details about his condition.

CNN's Annie Grayer joins us now. She has this new reporting. Annie, tell us more about what you've learned.

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: So, Kate, I spoke to one of McConnell's neighbors who said at around 8:30 in the morning on June 14, they stepped outside their home to find a commotion on their street. They saw two ambulances, a firetruck, and Capitol Police, as you mentioned, had blocked the entire street. Now, this neighbor walked over to one of the Capitol Police officers and asked what was going on, and the officer apparently said that there was a medical emergency but wouldn't confirm who it was for.

So this neighbor then stood in the street with others as they tried to wait and see what was going to happen, and at around 9 a.m. on that same day, a person was seen carried on a stretcher from McConnell's home into an ambulance. Now, the person I talked to didn't see the face of the person on the stretcher, but somebody nearby said that that was McConnell's face. Now, the person I spoke to said that the person on the stretcher was wrapped in a blanket and that their feet was exposed, and apparently McConnell did not have an oxygen mask attached to him.

And so once McConnell was loaded into the ambulance, apparently those ambulances drove away with no sirens on them. So as you mentioned, there's very little information that we know about McConnell up until this point. We don't know why he was hospitalized or what has kept him in the hospital.

So now we know at least that he was carried on a stretcher to an ambulance, and that's how he arrived at the hospital. Now, previously it has come out that an EMS audio recording showing that first responders came to the home of McConnell on June 14th, where they responded to an individual who was under cardiac arrest, unconscious, and needed CPR. So these are new details, but while McConnell's office continues to maintain that the senator is recovering well in the hospital.

BOLDUAN: All right. Annie, thank you so much for your reporting. I really appreciate it.

And as you know, no matter the mystery, everyone just hopes that the senator is recovering and doing well right now. Thank you so much -- John.

BERMAN: All right. New reporting this morning, the U.S. was warned of an alleged plot by Iran to assassinate President Trump. Why some U.S. intelligence officials are skeptical.

And a key witness in the case against a man accused of shooting and killing Charlie Kirk. We're now hearing from the suspect's former roommate.

And new video of a huge fire ripping through a shoe factory. Why the owner has now been taken into custody?

[08:10:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: This morning, a scary new warning about President Trump's safety. Sources tell CNN that Israel has alerted U.S. intelligence to a new Iranian plot to assassinate the president. Images from this week's funeral for Iran's slain Supreme Leader show banner after banner calling for Trump's death.

And at the NATO summit, the president said and repeatedly talked to reporters about being Iran's top target.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm on every list. I saw things this morning. I'm on every single one of their lists.

And so far, I guess I've been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn't last very long.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:15:00]

BOLDUAN: But there is also some skepticism emerging from inside the U.S. intelligence community about Israel's warning here. One source is saying that this may -- suggesting this may be an effort to influence Trump's decision-making around the war with Iran. CNN's Betsy Klein live this morning for us at the White House.

What more are you hearing about this, Betsy?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Kate, we are learning about what could have been a factor motivating President Trump to restart those strikes on Iran in recent days. Two sources familiar with the matter telling CNN that Israel has shared intelligence with the United States indicating that Iran has recently devised a new plan to assassinate President Trump. Now, one of the sources said that that warning came this week.

And another source said that the U.S. has been picking up intelligence indicating that there are plots to assassinate the president. But this warning from Israel was new and concerned a specific plot. Now, notably, this comes just days after the president announced that he would be taking the old Air Force One instead of his brand-new Qatari- gifted Air Force One from Turkey to the United Kingdom.

And we had learned that that decision was driven in part due to this escalating conflict in Iran, according to four U.S. officials. Now, two of those officials said that security personnel felt more comfortable with President Trump traveling aboard the old Boeing plane, which, of course, had been outfitted with very significant defense countermeasures, as well as communications, instead of this Qatari plane that had been retrofitted in about a year and a half. Now, the president weighing in on all of this as he flew back to the U.S. the other day. Listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You're probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleazebags that we have to deal with.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you thin that Iran was possibly thinking of trying to --?

TRUMP: I mean, if they ask you to close your windows, probably they feel that way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were you aware of any credible threat by Iran against Air Force One?

TRUMP: Well, I have a threat all the time. I'm number one on their list. Before you. But if I go, you go, right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Some gallows humor there for the president, but so many questions for this White House as to the endgame for this conflict. But we are learning, according to a U.S. official who tells me that U.S. and Iranian officials continue to engage in technical negotiations on some of those nuclear issues, and they do hope to pursue a diplomatic path going forward. Now, multiple officials told CNN that there were plans in place to strike Iran overnight.

But for now, they are letting diplomacy lead the way -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: All right. It's great to see you, Betsy. Thank you so much for your reporting.

We also have new reporting about that dangerous situation in midtown Manhattan that played out this week when a building started to buckle while under construction. The developer is facing a multimillion- dollar lawsuit for work on another project, another building in New York.

And an incredible rescue, two people pulled from strong currents after being ripped out to sea. We've got that story coming up.

[08:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: We are standing by for the final day of a hearing to decide if Charlie Kirk's accused killer will stand trial. Prosecutors played an interview with the suspect's former roommate, who said the suspect admitted that he shot Kirk and regretted it. CNN's Jean Casarez is here with the latest on this testimony from the roommate.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And we learned a lot of new information yesterday. He said that he met Tyler Robinson in 2023, and they had been gaming together in groups, that Tyler Robinson loved video games. But they became roommates in 2023. They started dating about two to three months later. And he said that then, about a month before the shooting, that Tyler Robinson said he was going to take a family hunting trip, and he wanted to engrave bullets with messages on them. And he didn't really think much about it.

The day before the shooting, he said, tomorrow, I'm going to have to take a long drive to work, and so I'm going to leave about 4 or 5 a.m. in the morning. So on the 10th of September of last year, the roommate, Lance Twiggs, said that he didn't hear from him at all during the day. But at 11 o'clock at night, he got a text from him to look under the keyboard, and there was a message there.

And the message said, I got the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I'm going to do it. So then there's a text exchange between the two of them, and the roommate's in shock. And Robinson is still in Orem by the university because he wants his rifle.

He can't find his rifle, and he doesn't want law enforcement to get it. The next morning, on September 11th, the roommate wakes up, and Tyler Robinson is there. Here is what he saw, his demeanor, his state of mind, and what Robinson said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So he acted erratically. Was he pacing? Was he just sitting down, relaxing?

LANCE TWIGGS, FORMER ROOMMATE OF TYLER ROBINSON: No, he was walking around a lot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that's within the home?

TWIGGS: Mm-hmm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And did he talk about what he had done?

TWIGGS: Didn't go into detail. He just -- I just asked him in person if what he said was truer than I before, and he said it was.

I started crying a little bit and said he wishes he hadn't done it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Now here are a couple of the text messages that were actually shown in court yesterday.

LANCE TWIGGS: You were the one who did it, right?

TYLER ROBINSON: I am. I'm sorry. Why did I do it?

LANCE TWIGGS: Yeah.

TYLER ROBINSON: I had enough of this hatred, some hate cannot be negotiated out. And this is important because two of the counts are tampering with a witness because Robinson allegedly asked the roommate, don't say anything to police if they ask you questions, and delete all of these texts.

At the first interview that the roommate gave, which was on the 12th of September, he handed his phone to law enforcement, and he said, here are the communications between us.

[08:25:00]

BERMAN: Again, this will all be evidence for the judge to decide if the suspect will stand trial. Seems like strong evidence for the judge to consider it here. Jean Casarez, thank you very much.

You can follow Jeanne's live, gavel-to-gavel coverage on CNN ALL ACCESS on the CNN app, starting at 11 a.m. eastern time.

All right, for the first time, we're hearing from the parents of a teenager who went missing after a July 4th boat trip with friends.

And the developer behind the buckling building in the middle of Manhattan is also facing legal trouble for work on another huge building.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: This morning after days of trading attacks, there appears to be a renewed push for calm here between the U.S. and Iran, and an attempt to get the two nations back to the negotiating table -- again, an attempt. Multiple officials tell CNN the U.S. has preparations in place for new strikes if needed, but for now they're letting diplomacy take the lead, that's the word.

All of this is sources also tell CNN that Israel has warned the United States of a new Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump, though there is also some skepticism emerging from within.