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Relentless Rain Creates Life-Threatening Flooding in Southern Texas; Interview with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL): Trump to Address Nation in Primetime Speech; Senators Grill Todd Blanche at Attorney General Confirmation Hearing; Trump Overturns ICE Traffic Stops Suspension Amid MAGA Criticism; Family Demands Murder Investigation After Texas Teen's Drowning Death. Aired 8:00-8:30a ET

Aired July 16, 2026 - 08:00   ET

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

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RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: ... an American of race, and my word, an actress, good lord.

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JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the CNN flash doc, "ROYAL FEVER, WHY AMERICA CAN'T QUIT THE CROWN," even if it should, airs Saturday night at 8 p.m. Eastern, right on CNN.

A brand new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL, I think, starts now.

All right, breaking news, we're getting new dire warnings just in from Texas, major flooding, thousands told to seek shelter. The Guadalupe River rises 16 feet in just 30 minutes, and we're just now getting word in this region of tornado warnings.

The president delivering a speech in prime time tonight. The word is he wants to talk about elections, what he sees as problems with elections. There are reports this morning that Republicans are all kinds of nervous. He's going to focus on the 2020 election that he lost.

Two teenagers now accused of evidence tampering in connection with the drowning of their classmate.

I'm John Berman with Sara Seider and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get to the breaking news, and truly what's unfolding right now are water rescues underway in Texas, as it is being described as life-threatening flooding is sweeping across parts of the state. A volunteer rescue group says that it is right now receiving, the way they describe it, is chilling dispatch reports from families whose homes are filled with water, people trapped in attics. And the National Weather Service says the Guadalupe River in Comfort, Texas, has risen 16 feet in 30 minutes.

And there's also warning of what -- I've not heard this warning myself before -- of a large and deadly flood wave making its way downstream. There's a flash flood emergency, the highest level of warning for more than 6,000 people along the Guadalupe River in Kerr and Kendall County, Texas. Remember, this is the same area as the deadly Camp Mystic floods from last summer.

CNN's Derek Van Dam is tracking all this for us. And there is a lot to keep an eye on right now, Derek, but it is really unfolding as we speak. What are you picking up?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, the large and deadly flood wave of the National Weather Service, that terminology, they've used that once. And that was during the July 4th, 2025, catastrophic flood event that unfolded, killing dozens of people here across the Texas Hill Country.

Here's the radar -- very active, very busy. I'm going to point out these two white boxes here. These are flash flood emergencies with a catastrophic tag on it.

That is the highest flood alert level that the National Weather Service issues. And then amongst all of this, we have ongoing tornado warnings across the Texas Hill Country. This is also a concern, but more immediate would be the flood threats.

All right, and I'm going to highlight the Guadalupe River. This is the river that goes through Kerrville, through the Comfort area. Remember, Camp Mystic is up in this location here.

We're talking about this area because one of the river gauges has risen 32 feet in four hours overnight. That is why we have this catastrophic tag highlighted here.

And I'm bringing your attention to Comfort, this region of West Texas. That is the area that has seen over a foot of rain. You tally it up over the past week, and we're talking over two feet in many locations.

It's not just in Kerr and Kendall counties. There are other locations. But many of these river gauges are forecast to reach major flood stage.

And according to the National Weather Service, some of these flood gauges may reach or exceed the historic crest that occurred last year in July 4th of 2025. So this is a really concerning situation that's unfolding right now -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Derek, thank you very much. We're going to be watching this all throughout the morning -- John.

BERMAN: Yes, we will try to reach people on the ground there. We are right now, but this is a very, very dire situation.

All right, this morning, Politico reports that some Republicans are, quote, scared, S-less, that because the president is set to deliver a primetime speech from the White House where he says he will address the 2020 election, Politico reports members of his own party are bracing for more false claims that the president won the 2020 election. He did not. With us now, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senator, thanks so much for being with us this morning. What do you think the president is going to talk about in primetime, and how much credence do you give it?

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL), SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Well, I can just tell you something. We have seen so many examples of this president's craziness when it comes to the 2020 election. It reached the point that his nominees for federal judgeships looking for lifetime appointments have to continue this charade that the big lie is true.

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Here's the bottom line. Donald Trump lost the election to Joe Biden by 7 million votes, period. Nothing, nothing that he has produced since then argues otherwise. He's fixated in his mind that he's never lost an election, and we're going to hear more of that craziness tonight.

BERMAN: Speaking about confirmations, you of course sat through the first day of confirmation hearing for Tom Blanche to be attorney general. More hearings today. What do you think at this point his chances are for confirmation?

DURBIN: Well, I can tell you that after the hearing where I asked the attorney general, the acting attorney general, to meet with the survivors from Jeffrey Epstein, and he consistently refused to do so. After that, I met with the survivors myself. No member of the Senate would vote for this nominee if they met with these Epstein survivors.

I met with a dozen of them. One was 13 years old when she was abused by Jeffrey Epstein. They want to tell their stories and they want to name names.

And unfortunately, this nominee for attorney general refused them.

BERMAN: Yes, you pressed him repeatedly on that, and it was your impression. What promises did he leave you with at the end of it?

DURBIN: None. Just a simple request. Meet with them.

Listen to them. You know what he said? Oh, they've lawyered up.

I can't meet with them. Baloney. It's not unusual for a person to have a lawyer by their side, and it doesn't stop him from asking some basic questions.

I want to tell you, they have a lot to say, and they have the courage to say it, and it's embarrassing that the man who wants to be attorney general in the United States refuses.

BERMAN: I want to play an exchange with Republican Senator John Kennedy and the acting attorney general. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): Are you and President Trump friends? TODD BLANCHE, NOMINEE FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'm his lawyer, was his lawyer, and now I'm the deputy attorney general.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Now, he seemed to catch himself after he said, I'm his lawyer. But what did you see as the significance of that?

DURBIN: He was telling the truth. He is the president's lawyer, first and foremost. He was his personal attorney, and now he believes, as attorney general, he's still his lawyer.

And what does it mean? More money for the Trump family. Remember, this president, in his first year in office, got $1.4 billion in a windfall profit from the cryptocurrency industry, which shows up in every shady deal. How did they get that? The president reversed his position on cryptocurrency, and Todd Blanche went on to eliminate the federal regulation of cryptocurrency abuse. After that, money was flowing.

Incidentally, this nominee had over $160,000 in cryptocurrency himself at that time.

BERMAN: You know, out of the committee, the committee in which you were the ranking member of judiciary, the acting attorney general could only really afford to lose one Republican vote. The most likely scene to flip is Senator John Cornyn from Texas. What communications have you had from him, and where do you think he's leaning?

DURBIN: Well, he's kind of kept to himself on it, and I understand it. It's a critical decision, but he sure asked the right questions. He went right to this document that Todd Blanche signed, which said that neither Trump nor members of his family nor their businesses can be held for any tax crimes that occurred before the date of that document.

Think about that. We said that the president, his family, and his businesses cannot be held responsible for tax crimes that were committed before that document was signed. And Todd Blanche signed it.

It's an indication to me that the situation is a little too cozy at the top when it comes to his representation.

BERMAN: Senator, over on the House side, there was a vote yesterday on basically rejecting aid, all aid to Israel. A hundred Democrats voted basically against aid to Israel. How do you feel?

How would you vote if that were put before the Senate?

DURBIN: Well, it would be a very, very difficult vote. I'd have to think long and hard about it, because I believe in the nation of Israel, and I certainly support their existence and their self- defense. But under Benjamin Netanyahu, Bibi Netanyahu, we have seen actions in Gaza and other places which are outrageous.

It's hard to imagine the United States should support the excesses and extremes of that administration. BERMAN: Senator Dick Durbin from Illinois, another busy day for you with more hearings. We appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. Thank you -- Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, ahead, extremely suspicious new evidence has emerged in the case of an 18-year-old Texas swim team member, this young man here, who drowned back in April. New details in the case has his family demanding a murder investigation. We'll tell you why.

Plus, new reporting after an angry President Trump orders ICE to restart traffic stops just hours after they suspended them after an uproar over ICE killing two people in just a week's time.

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And a man is suing the hospital where he was born, saying he was switched at birth and raised by the wrong family. Those stories and more ahead.

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SIDNER: Got some new CNN reporting this morning on the whiplash inside the Trump administration over ICE traffic stops. Boarder Czar Tom Homan had announced they were pausing traffic stops after two fatal ICE shootings in just a week's time. Then President Trump chimed in on social media, overturning that decision.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez broke this reporting and joins me now. Priscilla, what was it that prompted the president to chime in so pointedly and so quickly on this particular issue that his own border czar, the person he put in charge said, hey, let's take a beat here and do some investigation?

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PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sara, our sources tell us that the president was fuming as he was watching coverage of the temporary pause on vehicle stops and also getting blowback from members of the MAGA base who were suggesting that pausing these stops was a weakening of immigration enforcement. So in the span of 24 hours, ICE agents were told to pause vehicle stops knowing that it was temporary and then suddenly told that it was back on and learning that it was back on from the president's post on Truth Social early yesterday, where he called the stops, quote, most important and effective.

And it is clear from that post that the president has a desire here to stay aggressive on his immigration crackdown, despite the two fatal shootings that involved ICE agents over the last week.

Now, we're also told by our sources that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and White House Border Czar Tom Homan did not alert President Trump to this pause prior to imposing it. White House Border Czar Tom Homan had been telling reporters that it was temporary. It was only meant to be brief so they could assess what was going on, why these two vehicle stops ended in these fatal shootings. But of course, as we now know, that didn't last for very long. Now, in a statement to CNN, the secretary said the following quote, "President Trump and I are on the same page. We want our ICE officers to have all options available to keep them safe while executing our mission of deporting as many illegal alien criminals from our country as possible."

And Sara, that part is key because it is true. Vehicle stops is the way that they have been ramping up immigration arrests across the country. This is something that ICE has been leaning on more frequently than it ever has before.

And part of this brief, brief pause was to assess the training for these types of stops. The Department of Homeland Security does tell us that they are upping their training in some categories like crowd control, high risk vehicle stops, medical training and live fire cover courses. But many former and even some current officials wonder whether they are prepared to be going out to do these stops, stops that have come under scrutiny with other law enforcement agencies as well.

But for now, given the president's directive yesterday, these are back on as again, the administration moves forward with this crackdown and tries to keep those arrest numbers high and keep the base happy.

SIDNER: Priscilla Alvarez, great reporting from you on this this morning. Thank you so much -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: This morning, there are also some very serious flood emergency. There is a very serious flood emergency that is unfolding in Texas. And we continue to get new reporting in of the threat increasing. The Guadalupe River -- we're just learning -- has risen 16 feet in a half an hour.

We're getting new reports in from the ground. We're going to bring that to you.

And a poker player says that he was followed home, hogtied and robbed after winning a tournament in Las Vegas.

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SIDNER: So this morning, the family of an 18 year old who's a swim team member who drowned back in April. The family is demanding a murder investigation be conducted after there are new details that have emerged. Police say that Daniel Erving drowned after jumping from a railroad bridge into a lake east of Dallas, Texas.

CNN obtained an autopsy report that said the two teenagers who were with him, here's the quote, "... disposed of his belongings and failed to report the incident to authorities."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BEN CRUMP, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Just facts that aren't adding up at all. Two young white men come to his house to pick him up and they go fishing, swimming, and then they come back. But yet Daniel doesn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: That's attorney Ben Crump speaking with the family. CNN's Ryan Young is tracking this when he joins us right now. Ryan, what are you learning about this?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate, so many questions than this one, but you could obviously understand why this family's in pain. Two teens have been arrested, a 17 year old and a 19 year old. They've been charged with tampering with evidence. That's a third degree felony.

Of course, the cause of death has been ruled accidental, but you can think and understand why the family's got so many questions. On April 13th, Daniel Erving left home with two other teens. He went to a lake.

It's called the Ray Herbert area. And they went to fish. And all three apparently jumped from a bridge into that water and Daniel never returned home. But here's where it gets a little confusing here.

The other two boys who were with him never called 9-1-1, left the scene, threw his clothes into an area off to the side, and even deleted text messages from his cell phone.

All that adds up to people being -- or questioning exactly what happened and why they would do this. Take a listen to his mother.

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TAMECA ERVING, DANIEL ERVING'S MOTHER: I feel like my son only received partial justice, but we're here to have murder charges brought against those two. In the city of Rowlett, when I called the police, I annoyed them and they hung up the telephone in my face. So just imagine as a mother or a parent calling someone to help you save your child and they hang up the telephone in your face.

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YOUNG: As you can understand, you can hear the pain in her voice. Look, Daniel was an honor roll student. He was a member of the swim team.

They said he was a strong swimmer. So you put all that together, then you look at the actions of the two boys who were with him. And there are so many questions here.

And then again, she's saying she did not get the help that she initially requested. So now you understand why there's so much pressure on this area to kind of figure out exactly what's going on. Of course, it's a story that we're now following.

But at the same time, you have to feel for that family and the fact that it took several days before they even got this sort of attention.

SIDNER: Yes. Well, and just the fact that when it happened and now this. I mean, there is a lot going on here. And this is just another tragedy.

This is a real -- another tragedy now that you're tracking, Ryan. Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.

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BERMAN: All right, we are getting breaking news out of Texas. Dire flood warnings. Residents told a shelter in place.

Rivers rising dozens of feet in just hours. New tornado warnings. The list goes on.

This is a developing situation. We are trying to reach people there on the ground.

And then why Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has major concerns over testosterone deficiency.

BERMAN: All right, breaking right now. There is life-threatening flooding in Texas. This is a developing situation, and we are getting new details as we speak.

We understand there are water rescues taking place. The rain is relentless, up to 20 inches so far in some places. There are new tornado warnings in certain regions.

The Guadalupe River rose more than 25 feet in one hour. The National Weather Service is warning that a large and deadly flood wave is at this moment surging downstream. We have an affiliate reporter, Bella Popadiuk, who filed a report from the banks of that river.

Listen.

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BELLA POPADIUK, KENS REPORTER: We are right in front of the Guadalupe River, and it is roaring behind us. I'm not sure if you can hear how loud it is, but the water is rushing very, very fast. Actually, just a couple minutes ago, we watched what looked like a washer or maybe dryer machine that was just being pulled ...

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