Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Abdul El-Sayed Narrowly Wins MI Dem Senate Primary; Soon: Trump to Deliver Remarks on Economy in Las Vegas; Rep. Chuck Edwards Drops Reelection Bid After Ethics Report; Rep. Max Miller Denies Abuse Claims, Won't Drop Reelection Bid; GOP Rep. Max Miller Speaks to CNN, Denies Abuse Allegations; No Russian Missiles Shot Down by Ukraine in Strikes that Kill 17 3-3:30p ET

Aired August 05, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: And they want -- just to let people know that, you know, he's being taken care of. They said, "We can confirm that Perez is receiving medical care and our family's focus right now is on his well-being. We kindly ask that you respect Perez's privacy, as well as the privacy of his family."

So, we -- you know, during this difficult time, they said -- and he said, "If -- if and when we are able to share any updates, we will do so with everyone as soon as we can." And so that was the latest update that we got and that just came in not too long ago, Brianna. So, we just have to wait and see what else happens.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Well, that is good news. And let's hope that he does have that support that he needs. Lisa Respers France, thank you so much for the report.

And remember that help is available. If you or anyone that you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. You see that on the screen.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: A Democratic divide, wins by progressives in Tuesday primaries, exposing some differences between establishment candidates and those further to the left. We're going to speak to a former chair of the Democratic Party about what it means for the midterms.

And then, Marine One Helipad Take Two: Why the President's project in the White House South Lawn appears to be undergoing changes before it's even been finished.

And then, a secret agent: How an A.I. bot faked its identity to trick real people. And we'll tell you why this latest security incident is so alarming for tech experts.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

All right. In Michigan, Democrats are entering a new midterm era after a bitter Senate primary. CNN projects Abdul will be the state's Democratic nominee for a high stakes seat this November. The progressive edging out moderate Haley Stevens by less than 15,000 votes. And then in just 90 days, El-Sayed takes on Republican Mike Rogers.

Earlier today, the Democrat downplayed the rifts within his primary race to unite the party.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDUL EL-SAYED: Sometimes, you know, inter-family squabbles are the biggest ones. But we all know that when we walk out the house, we stand united. We're going to build a movement that reaches out to everybody. I know not everybody's going to agree with me on everything. That's not how this works. But I do know that they agree with me on the need to beat Mike Rogers and the need to hold Donald Trump accountable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: I want to bring in former DNC chair and host of the "At Our Table" podcast, Jaime Harrison. Thank you for taking the time.

You know, you wrote on social media you would be so happy when this Michigan Senate primary is done. Why -- what did you mean by that?

JAIME HARRISON, FORMER DNC CHAIR & HOST "AT OUR TABLE" PODCAST: Listen, this was a long, long, hard-fought battle, and it became personal at times. And, you know, some of the rhetoric from supporters went a bit too far. But votes have been counted. The voters have spoken. And now it is time to unite. And I'm so encouraged to see what Abdul said, what Haley said, what Mallory McMorrow, who was also in the race, said, because they are -- have all come together to support Abdul in this. And they have pledged their support. And that's what healthy political parties do.

You know, we compete. We fight like heck. We respect the outcome. But in the end of the day, we come together. And - and that's the important part at this point.

JIMENEZ: You know, at this point, you know, when you sort of compare it to when you served as party chair during -- during the Biden years in particular, do you believe the core of the Democratic Party is different from just that short time ago?

HARRISON: Well, I think the parties are always evolving, right? They're always shifting and changing and really reacting to what's going on generally in the country. And right now, I think what -- what's going on in the Democratic Party is that the voters are hungry for somebody or people who are going to stand up and fight back and not just take the status quo, right?

They - they really want change. And we've seen these type of change elections before. In 2006, after coming off of the 2004 presidential loss, that was a time in the country and the party that they wanted change. After the 2016 election loss, we saw in 2018, people were hungry for a different going against the status quo and they wanted change. And this is an election cycle that is very similar to '06 and '18. And I think that same type of hunger is it's a voracious hunger within the electorate right now, but they want -- they want to move away from the status quo and they want change.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, one aspect of that status quo and change, we saw it play out in the 2024 presidential race and El-Sayed publicly backed the uncommitted movement when opponents of the war in Gaza voted uncommitted during that Democratic presidential primary ballots to basically show their dissatisfaction with President Biden's steadfast support for Israel.

[15:05:13]

But it was a hundred thousand Michiganders that voted uncommitted two years ago. And I wonder, are you seeing a connection between some of that energy in Michigan in particular and El Sayed's victory?

HARRISON: I'm not sure. I mean, you know, again, times have changed. But this is the thing that I do know that is consistent, that Donald Trump and Mike Rogers, they aren't going to distinguish between people who supported Abdul or Haley or Mallory. They want to defeat all Democrats. And that's why unity at this point matters. We have to be unified.

I wish we could have been unified in 2024 and made sure that Donald Trump didn't get another term in the White House. But in this moment, we got to take back the U.S. Senate. And Michigan is going to be key -- a key component in terms of doing that. We got to take back the House of Representatives to put a check on this presidency and the fascism that we see that they're pushing in this country.

And so, we have to be unified. We -- let's learn from the mistakes in 24 so that we are all on the same page in these midterm -- important midterm elections in '26.

JIMENEZ: And just on that last point before we go, so you believe the Democrats were more divided in 2024 in terms of coalescing around Kamala Harris, for example, than the divisions that we're seeing now within the Democratic Party?

HARRISON: I do think the divisions were -- were hot and heated. But what I saw today with what with Haley did and what Mallory did and then -- and hearing Abdul talk about unity, it's something that is really, really reassuring, saying, you know, people seeing that, you know, we don't have time for the personal, you know, we got to lick our wounds. We got to heal and then we got to unify to get this vote out. And that's what's really, really key and what's really important right now.

JIMENEZ: Jaime Harrison, really appreciate you taking the time. Thanks for being here.

HARRISON: Thank you for having me.

JIMENEZ: All right, Brianna. BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: With the midterms rapidly approaching,

President Trump is hitting the campaign trail out west. Right now, he is in Las Vegas, where he's expected to deliver remarks on the economy. And CNN's Kevin Liptak is there and is with us now to talk about it.

So, Kevin, what are we expecting to hear from the President?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, the ostensible topic is the economy. And you see signs around this ballroom. We're at a casino. One says no tax on tips. The other says Trump Accounts. Those are the federal savings accounts for kids that the administration has set up.

So, President Trump, in the hope of his advisers really coming here to tell a story, and they think it's a good story to tell on the economy and his accomplishments, the problem that he has run into is that the voters just aren't feeling it. And you see that in polls over and over again, Americans really souring on how he has handled economic topics, but also every other topic virtually that he has been assigned as president.

And it has been a difficulty of his to try and break through on this economic matter. Part of it is due to the war in Iran, which has both, I think, waylaid him in a lot of ways in terms of messaging. He has seemed consumed by the war over the last five months. But also, the war itself has raised prices on gas -- at the gas pump. So, it has been a difficulty of his to try and talk about the economy.

He also, in these speeches, doesn't tend to stick to the economy. And you know, the last time he was here in Las Vegas was in April. He was here to talk about no taxes on tips, but he downplayed the spike in gas prices. And he talked about all manner of other things. And that has been, I think, posed some trouble for the message on the economy to really break through.

The other thing you have seen him do is sort of step on his own message. And just for one example is on housing, which is a huge issue out here in Nevada, a real scarcity in affordable housing. The White House had once hoped that that big bipartisan bill that passed through Congress at the White House's urging might be a new way for him to break through on that particular issue.

But remember, Brianna, he refused to sign it and called the whole thing "a yawn." And so, in a lot of ways, he has stepped on his own message on the economy. And the polls certainly reflect that. So, it will be a challenge of his both today and in the months to come before the midterm elections to try and stay on message, to focus on this very important issue for voters.

KEILAR: All right, Kevin Liptak, we will await those remarks. Thank you so much.

Still to come, Congressman Max Miller talks to CNN. He's facing increased pressure to drop his bid for re-election. What he said about the abuse allegations that he's facing. Plus, an urgently from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He's

calling on allies to provide anti-ballistic missile systems after Kyiv was unable to stop any of the dozen missiles that were fired overnight from Russia.

[15:10:07]

And then later, what we know about the man who was arrested at one of President Trump's golf courses just days before the President was supposed to visit. That and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:14:41]

KEILAR: A pair of ethics investigations on Capitol Hill have Republicans scrambling to sort out who will actually run in some key congressional races. Congressman Chuck Edwards announced that he will end his re-election bid for North Carolina's 11th district. A House Ethics Committee probe found what it calls substantial evidence that Edwards repeatedly made unwanted advances toward two young female staffers.

Committee members also are taking the rare step of recommending that the full House vote to censure Edwards.

In a statement, the 65-year-old who is serving his second term said that after much prayer and reflection, I've decided to withdraw from my re-election campaign. I will complete my current term.

The committee says it found no evidence that Edwards engaged in sexual activity with staffers, but that he repeatedly gave them lavish gifts, sent personal notes expressing his affection, and invited them to intimate dinners. Edwards denies that his behavior was intended as a sexual or romantic advance.

Now, a much different tone from Congressman Max Miller, who is defying calls to end his re-election bid in Ohio. At least three women, including his ex-wife, accusing the two-term congressman of violent behavior. Miller has denied the allegations against him, but the House Ethics Committee has now launched an investigation into his conduct.

And in an interview with Politico, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he hasn't spoken to Miller since the allegations emerged, but believes that the investigation process should be allowed to play out. CNN's Jake Tapper, who did speak with Miller about all of this, is with us now.

Jake, very important interview. How is Miller responding?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, "THE LEAD" & "STATE OF THE UNION": Well, he's denying everything, all of the allegations. The ones made by his former father-in-law, Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio. The ones made by his daughter, Emily Moreno. But I also noted, which is, I think, one -- that's an important part of the story, is that this is not the first time that Congressman Max Miller has been accused of behaving violently towards a woman, dating all the way back to high school, according to investigations done by Politico and Mother Jones and -- and others.

So, when I asked him about it, this is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: There are now three women, three women, who have accused you of violent behavior. Politico published a report in 2021 that says when you were in high school, you, quote, pushed a girl out of the dorm of his room and she fell down some stairs after he became enraged when she resisted his attempts to touch her, according to three people who were there, and many more who heard about the incident in the aftermath.

Now, you deny that, but the woman in question told Mother Jones reporter Abby Vesoulis just days ago that it happened and was, quote, one of the more traumatic nights of her life. Now, that's ...

REP. MAX MILLER (R-OH): Oh, I would love ...

TAPPER: Now, hold on ...

MILLER: ... for that individual to go on the record, because that (INAUDIBLE) ...

TAPPER: Okay, hold -- hold on because I'm done with the list ...

MILLER: ... I was 13-year -- I know.

TAPPER: ... of women that have accused you of violence. Then there is former ...

MILLER: I mean, that ...

TAPPER: ... White House press secretary.

MILLER: ... 13 years old ...

TAPPER: Okay, you were young. Then, there's former White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, who was your ex-girlfriend. She accused you of being abusive and having a violent streak. She wrote in her book, quote, "I could do nothing right by him. I would wake up every morning shaking with anxiety about his mood that day. I had seen his temper before and it had scared me," unquote. She has recently filed a temporary restraining order against you in a defamation case. And now there are these claims from your ex-wife, Emily Moreno\.

And I guess the question is, are all three of these women who don't know each other, are all three of them lying?

MILLER: Yes, it's -- it's very easy and I can tell you why. Every single time, and people have asked me, you know, what are you going to do? Are you going to drop out of this race? Are you going to resign? You know, are you going to get out before the deadline? And my answer to you, Jake, is no. And I can tell you why. In 2016, when President Donald J. Trump faced the most extreme

allegations in the world that hit him day after day after day, and people in the media, very much like yourself and others, said that he would have no shot at winning, that he should not be the President of the United States. But guess what? He stayed in, and he was resilient.

And what the American people can see, is that they can see that somebody is fighting, who is resilient, and that is a quality that the American people cherish.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: At a separate time in that interview, he also called for the media to investigate his accusers as much as he had been investigated by the news media. But you can see he is following the Trump playbook, deny everything, say everyone in the world who is, you know, taking issue with his behavior is lying, pivot immediately to the fact that he is fighting and he is defiant.

KEILAR: Yes, it was quite the redirection off of what you asked him, which was, are these women lying? You also spoke with him about his two-year-old daughter who reportedly said that she did not feel safe at his home. Talk to us about what he said.

TAPPER: So, this is obviously one of the most heartbreaking parts of this whole sad saga, is that there is a two-year-old little girl, a two-and-a-half-year-old little girl, that there's a custody fight between Emily Moreno and Congressman Miller. And I asked him, well, he wanted to bring up the fact that he had tapes that suggested that this little girl had said something about not wanting to be with his ex- wife, her mother, but his claims were kind of confusing. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MILLER: I then played Lauren Fox three separate audio videos -- three separate audio videos of my daughter saying, I do not want to go to mommy's.

[15:20:07]

I do not want mommy's and I do not feel safe.

TAPPER: Your ex-wife stated to police that your child told her in the days leading up to the discovery of the injury, quote, "daddy kill you."

MILLER: She can't string together sentences like that. She's two and a half years old. Investigations ...

TAPPER: You just told me that she had said that she was scared to go to mommy's house and ...

MILLER: She is, and I have video of it.

TAPPER: But now you're saying that she's not capable of saying daddy kill you? I mean, it seems like she's either able to say one, but not the other. That doesn't make sense.

MILLER: Because daddy -- Jake -- Jake, to be very direct, this is incredibly disturbing. I am not going to my child to say daddy kill you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: It's kind of confusing, because he didn't address the contradictory things he was saying to me. And he said, I'm not going to my child saying daddy kill you. That -- that's not the accusation. The accusation is that the little girl had expressed fears to her mother that daddy was going to kill the mother. But he -- he did that a lot throughout the entire interview.

KEILAR: And she either has developmentally appropriate language skills, or she doesn't, right? That's -- that sort of the question.

TAPPER: Well, you have had a two -- you have had two-and-a-half-year- old in your house more recently than I. I think that a two-and-a-half- year-old is capable of saying both of those things.

KEILAR: Yes, a few -- a few words together, definitely, no doubt.

TAPPER: Yes.

KEILAR: If developmentally appropriate, of course. So overnight, President Trump said that he felt badly for Miller. That's the quote he used, badly. And this comes after the President made that phone call to Miller earlier this week. What's Miller saying about the President's role in this?

TAPPER: Well, first of all, we should just note that this is history. This is a pattern with President Trump. Whenever there is somebody in his administration or in his, you know, entourage that has been accused of violence towards women, he always expresses concern about the man and what the man is going through. Very seldom does he say anything expressing concerns about the woman, even if the woman works for him, like Stephanie Grisham, his former White House communications director.

But that said, there are concerns among Republicans that Congressman Max Miller is going to lose in November. We shouldn't lose sight that that is in Washington, D.C., the most important thing, whether or not he loses or wins the race, not the morality of his behavior or whether or not people think the allegations are true.

And for that reason, people are urging President Trump to tell him to get out of the race, or they were, at least. He did talk about the phone call that he got from President Trump, I think, on Monday morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: You spoke with the President yesterday. Did he tell you what he is telling aides privately, that he does not think you can win? MILLER: Look, the conversation I had with him yesterday at 9 A.M., and

I've gotten a million phone calls about this, and this is what's so troubling. Look, he called me, and he said, Max -- he said, Maxie, it's going to be a tough race. And he said, I don't know if you're going to be able to, you know, pull this one out.

And you know what, Jake? I reminded him of the same resilience that he had when people told him that he was going to struggle in 2016, and he became the 45th president of the United States. And I have the utmost confidence that my constituents back home know me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: I mean, we'll see what happens. Ultimately, it is a Republican-leaning district, although if there is something of a blue wave, people like him could fall by the wayside. In Ohio, by the way, the other senator who was up for re-election this year, Jon Husted, he has not commented on this, even though his colleague, Senator Bernie Moreno\, whose daughter this is, has obviously called for Miller to step down.

KEILAR: Very interesting point. Jake, thank you so much for bringing that interview to us. We appreciate it. And we'll have more coverage of this story on "The Lead with Jake Tapper" at 5 P.M. Eastern. We'll be tuning in for that. Thank you.

So ahead, Ukrainian officials say 17 people were killed after Russia launched more than two dozen ballistic missiles toward Kyiv. Why Ukrainian defenses could not intercept any of them next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:28:41]

JIMENEZ: Ukraine is sounding the alarm after suffering yet another barrage of Russian missile attacks. Authorities say today's pre-dawn strikes on Kyiv and its suburbs killed at least 17 people and wounded dozen -- dozens others. Ukrainian defenses did not intercept any of the missiles. CNN's Clare Sebastian has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was the latest in a series of drone and missile barrages, particularly targeting the capital, Kyiv, that have been growing in frequency and ferocity throughout the summer as Russia tries to exploit what is now a well-publicized lack of defenses in Ukraine, particularly against ballistic missiles. Now, this attack involved some 24 ballistic missiles and four anti-ship missiles, which are almost as difficult to bring down.

So, it's specifically designed to be as difficult as possible for Ukraine to deal with. And as a result, none of these missiles were brought down by air defenses, according to Ukraine's air force.

Now, according to CNN's calculations, there has been an increasing difficulty for Ukraine in tackling these attacks involving ballistic missiles. In July, Ukraine was able to avert only about 23 percent of the ballistic missiles that Russia fired. And so far in August, Russia has fired some 56 ballistic or similar missiles, of which only one has been brought down, according to CNN's calculations.

[15:30:00]

So, this led to more urges and pleas from President Zelenskyy today to his partners to increase supplies of interceptors for ballistic missiles to -- to provide Ukraine with the ...