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Senate Panel Votes on Holding Fauci in Contempt of Congress; Punchbowl: Schumer Pledging to Do What It Takes to Win; GOP Rep. Max Miller Again Insists He Won't Drop Out of Reelection Race; 3 Charged Over Threats Tied to Nolan Wells Case; Chance to Win Michigan Senate Race. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired August 06, 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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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... here on the earth.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The solar eclipse happening in August 2026 is going to have a path of totality that people will, you know, travel across the world to be able to catch a glimpse of.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fact is that the moon has a very romantic and seductive quality when it comes to our lore. And that's the moon that we get to now go to.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going back to the frickin moon.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: The space race heating up once again, China launching its latest mission to the moon.

JARED ISAACMAN, ADMINISTRATOR NASA: The Chinese will land their taikonauts on the moon. The question is, do we return first?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: "ECLIPSING POWER, MUSK, BEZOS AND THE NEW SPACE RACE" premieres Sunday, 8 p.m. Eastern on CNN and on the CNN app.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts now.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: This hour, a Senate committee expected to vote on whether to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions at a hearing last week.

Plus, shocking developments in the case of Nolan Wells, a Mississippi teenager who was found dead after a July 4th boat trip with his friends. Several people now charged with threatening a judge and witnesses connected to that investigation.

And a brewing legal battle between huge gas station chain Buc-ee's and -- and it's not just gas, let's be clear, they sell literally everything -- and a mom and pop convenience store all over the smaller store's logo.

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

BOLDUAN: And minutes from now, a Republican led Senate committee will vote on whether to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. It is a major moment in what has been a year long campaign by Senator Rand Paul against Fauci for what Senator Paul sees as Dr. Fauci's mishandling in the nation's response to the COVID pandemic. Fauci appeared under subpoena before the committee last week, and he invoked the his Fifth Amendment right more than 100 times, saying that he was only there because Senator Paul's -- because of Senator Paul's unhinged obsession with him.

A new twist in this saga now this morning, if Republican Senator Ron Johnson -- he's a chair of a subcommittee investigating Dr. Fauci -- says that they have now obtained a copy of Fauci's phone, it apparently contains data from the phone Fauci used during the time he was director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Senate Republicans say that they are hoping that the data from this phone will answer some of the questions Fauci refused to address during that committee hearing.

CNN's Annie Grayer is tracking all of this, and it's quite a bit from Capitol Hill right now. Annie, what is about to happen?

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: So Kate, in the room behind me, Republicans and Democrats from the Senate Homeland Committee will file in. We're expecting a couple of brief opening remarks and then they will take the vote of whether to hold Fauci in criminal contempt of Congress. And because there are more Republicans than Democrats on this committee, we are expecting it to pass.

And then it's going to be up to the Department of Justice on how to handle this. Now, Republicans are making the case that Fauci does not have the right to not answer their questions. That's what they want the Department of Justice to answer and potentially criminally prosecute on.

But Fauci, when he was here in front of this committee under subpoena, said that he was pleading the fifth because he felt like he was going to -- he was being targeted by the chairman of this committee, Rand Paul. And taking the fifth is his constitutional right. So take a listen to how he framed it in his testimony.

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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, FORMER DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Given Senator Paul's obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution, his repeated slanderous comments about me, the only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, quote, behind bars.

(END VIDEO CLIP) GRAYER: Now, Fauci also has a preemptive pardon from former President Joe Biden, but that only covers him up until January of 2025. So anything after that is fair game for the Department of Justice to look at. And we know that Republicans, President Donald Trump have been wanting to go after Fauci for a long time.

So this potential referral from the Homeland Security Committee could be what the Department of Justice needs to get this process going. But it's a very complicated process.

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And the Department of Justice has taken up contempt referrals from Congress before. When I covered the January 6th committee, and Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro refused to participate in that investigation, they ended up going to prison for that.

But they were -- they didn't even show up for those interviews, they didn't participate at all. Fauci has made an appearance. He has just taken the decision to plead his Fifth Amendment rights.

So we are expecting it to be a quick process in front of this committee that's right behind me. But then the Department of Justice has a big decision to make.

BOLDUAN: Sure does. Annie Grayer, thank you. Out front of that committee hearing, we'll bring it to you when it happens -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, this morning, brand new comments from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer about Progressive Abdul Al- Sayed's win in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary. He talked to Punchbowl News, and Schumer pledged to do, quote, what it takes to win and express support for, quote, a big tent party.

When asked about Al-Sayed's comments about him, about Schumer, he had this to say, quote, "The issue is not me. The issue is doing what working families and showing clear distinction between parties and showing the road to victory. And as leader of my caucus, I think we've shown the path to victory and that's why so many people now are saying we have a damn good chance to take back the Senate."

With us now, one of the reporters behind this new reporting, Punchbowl senior congressional reporter Andrew Desiderio. Andrew, great to see you this morning.

So Schumer talked to Al-Sayed. How did he say that conversation went? What was the vibe you had when you spoke with him?

ANDREW DESIDERIO, SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS: Well, look, Schumer was very upbeat, which was surprising given that this was the day after his preferred candidate in this race lost. He said the conversation was good. It was cordial.

And look, this is what the leader of the party in the Senate has to do after these primaries, right? They have to sort of coalesce, come together. There were always these worries lingering among Democrats, especially here in D.C., that given how ugly and contentious that primary had gotten, that it was going to be hard for the whole party in Michigan to sort of coalesce and unify behind the eventual nominee. And Chuck Schumer's job is to make sure that that happens, even though in the case of Schumer specifically, he's got some really different views from Abdul Al-Sayed, especially when it comes to U.S. support for Israel, which is obviously a topic that is dividing Democrats very sharply right now.

BERMAN: What did Schumer have to say about questions of his own leadership, his own future leadership as leader of the Democrats in the Senate? Because many Senate candidates who are running right now are suggesting they won't vote for Schumer to lead the party.

DESIDERIO: Well, look, there's no real threat to Schumer's job as Democratic leader, right? And he obviously doesn't want to talk about anything but the midterm elections, right? Even though two weeks later are when the Democratic caucus leadership elections will happen.

And for Schumer, if Democrats net a couple of seats or if they even, you know, somehow were able to take back the Senate majority, which I still think is an uphill climb for them, I think that that essentially guarantees that Schumer is going to win another term as leader.

Another reason I think his job is safe, John, is that nobody else wants this job. Right. Nobody else has indicated that they want this job.

And there wouldn't be enough support for a sort of progressive insurgent challenger to Chuck Schumer at this point. And Democratic senators realize that it's not a popular position in their party right now to say publicly that they support him. But when you talk to them privately, they are supportive of his role still.

And they expect that he will be reelected as Democratic leader for another two years unless something goes horribly wrong for Senate Democrats in November.

BERMAN: It's an interesting distinction to make there, what you're hearing publicly and what you're hearing privately. If we can shift houses, chambers for a second. I know the House -- a lot of House members are not around.

Still it has been notable that more have not come out and said that Max Miller should drop out of his House race. Max Miller accused of domestic abuse. He denies that.

He did the interview with Jay Tapper, says he's staying in the race. Bernie Moreno, the senator from Ohio, says he should drop out. He's his ex-father in law.

Katie Britt, the senator from Alabama, says he should go as well. But that's pretty much it. What are they waiting on now?

DESIDERIO: Well, look, this is a case where this is a seat that Democrats could potentially pick up. And so when we're this late in the cycle and then you have to replace a nominee, it makes it harder to hold on to that seat. And, you know, there are debates ongoing right now about what interpretations of Ohio election law regarding when he could drop out and still be replaced on the ballot.

But look, you know, given everything that's come out and, you know, certainly the interview he did with Jay Tapper the other day contributes to this idea that Max Miller is not a viable candidate in a general election right now. So Republicans are certainly concerned at this point.

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But they're also concerned about the idea of pushing him out as the nominee, because they think that essentially guarantees that they lose that seat anyway. So they're between a rock and a hard place on this. But, of course, you see, as you noted, you see very few members of Congress, Republican members of Congress calling for him to either resign or just not run for reelection.

BERMAN: We'll see if that changes in the next few days. And really, any interpretation, they only have a few days to get his name off the ballot. Andrew Desiderio, always great to see you.

Maybe talk to us a little bit more about what's going on. Maybe talking to you tomorrow after a big interview the Punchbowl has with the president. Appreciate it -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right, ahead. Three people have now been charged with threatening witnesses and the judge tied to the case of a young man who died on a boating trip with his friends. What we're learning this morning in this particular case.

All right, the man charged with arson in one of the devastating Washington state wildfires due in court today as the latest weather conditions there might fuel the flames even more.

Plus, the foodborne illness, which turned deadly and is linked to tainted lettuce, has now spread to 15 states. The latest on that outbreak ahead.

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SIDNER: All right, new this morning. Three people have been charged with making threats tied to the Nolan Wells case. Authorities said that the threats came in the form of calls and Facebook messages from Illinois, Ohio, and California.

According to a court affidavit, one of them threatened to kill an unnamed witness and their family. Another person is accused of threatening to send a bomb to the judge's office. Investigators said none of the three people accused appear to know Wells or his family.

The 18-year-old college football player was found dead two days after a July 4th boating trip that he went on with his friends. You see the photo there of that trip. He was the only black person in the group on that trip, and the investigation and its handling has gained national attention and critique.

Authorities have not made any arrests or named any suspects in the case. An independent autopsy commissioned by Wells' family found the cause of death to be, quote, undetermined pending further investigation.

Joining me now, CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney, Joey Jackson. Let's get first to these people -- the three people who have been charged in this case. They do not live in the state in which this happened. They do not, according to court papers, know the Wells family or him.

What's going on here? And have you seen something like this? Is this sort of the media fury around him and the interest?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. Sara, good morning to you. I think it has a lot to do with it, right? And it speaks to the vested interest that people have in stories that resonate with them.

There are issues surrounding this, right? And people just are locked in. And as a result of that, they do things like this, which you should not do because this is the result, right?

You have people who are no one charged in connection to his death. But now you have people because of their interest of what happened and was there foul play? And are we getting to it soon enough?

And what? Who are you hiding? And is there transparency are doing this?

And so I think it has a lot to do with where we are today, right? It's easy to communicate. We have all these forums, right?

We've got CNN and the star that you are. We've got Facebook. We've got all of these things. And so I think people locked in like this are engaging in this activity. But you know, there are consequences to this because of federal law, which says that you can't send threats.

And so it is federal because of the interstate nature from state to state communication, making the threat and as a result, facing five years. And that's a problem.

SIDNER: Counselor, you just lied to the court. There is no star standing here with you. But I will say that when you look at what a threat is and whether or not it rises to the level of a charge, I mean, people go, oh, it's a Facebook message or oh, it's a --.

What is the line there? Because you do have a First Amendment, right?

JACKSON: You do.

SIDNER: But there's there is a line that that has to be crossed in order for authorities to say, hey, this is too far. JACKSON: Yes. And so it's pretty simple, actually. And we know First Amendment.

We have those protections. You could be vulgar. You can be offensive.

You can be, you know, provocative. All those things. No worries.

But when a reasonable person, right, understands that what you're saying is a threat. There you go. Supreme Court has answered that question.

And so people can speak freely, and people do speak freely and people are encouraged to speak freely. But what a reasonable person believe that what you're saying is a threat. When I say tick, tick, tick, right. Time to die.

That seems to me to be quite the threat that you have to watch out for. When I'm sending something, whether it's through Internet communications or I'm making 21 phone calls and I'm mentioning derogatory things that I'm going to do to you. I think a reasonable person would interpret it exactly as that.

It transcends the First Amendment. And as a result of that, you're being called into a Mississippi court to answer some serious questions. And as I noted, this is serious stuff.

SIDNER: Yes.

JACKSON: Up to five years in jail, $250,000 fine, three years post release supervision. Do not make threats like this, no matter how vested you are in the case. You know, keep your views as it relates to threats to yourself.

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SIDNER: Yes, it's disturbing in many ways just because we are seeing public officials, judges included, seeing more and more of this kind of behavior, this kind of activity, threats to them and their families, one of which turns deadly. Thank you so much, Joey Jackson. Good advice as always, counselor.

JACKSON: Thank you, Sara.

SIDNER: All right, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Coming up, why President Trump says the big win for progressive Democrats in Michigan could be big, good news for Republicans.

Take a look at that. And it's turning into the district of construction from the White House to other landmarks around the nation's capital. We have a new look now at the president's major renovation plans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BOLDUAN: This morning, Democrats began the big task now of healing the wounds of some brutal primaries, especially after that bruising Michigan Senate primary. There is a unity rally set for tomorrow morning in Detroit, actually. But behind the scenes, many Democrats still remain, for now, not entirely convinced that Abdul El-Sayed will be able to unite the party and pull off a win in 13 weeks.

CNN's Harry Enten is running the numbers on this one. Set, as I always say, Harry, set the stage. How do Democratic chances look now in Michigan now that we know that El-Sayed is the nominee?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN: You know, once El-Sayed became the favorite for that nomination and now that he's actually become the nominee, Democratic chances have fallen dramatically. You can see it right here, Kalshi prediction odds.

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Take a look here. Chance to win the Michigan Senate race. You go back to April at this point in the month, Dems had a 79 percent chance. Look how that number has fallen dramatically. Down we go into Lake Michigan.

Now we're talking about just a 59 percent chance, while Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee, look at this, 21 percent chance, basically doubling now up to a 41 percent chance. So the people who are putting their money where their mouths are, quite skeptical at this point, or at least significantly more skeptical that Democrats will be able to hold on to the Michigan Senate seat with El-Sayed as the nominee, though I still should note he is the slight favorite here, but given Michigan being a purple state and given where Trump's approval rating is, I think it's quite surprising that his numbers are not significantly higher.

BOLDUAN: Let's talk about where things broke down and what that means for the future. El-Sayed talks about being the candidate for the working family, the working class. How did they vote for him?

ENTEN: This I think is the big problem, right? Democrats have been hemorrhaging working class voters, voters without a college education. El-Sayed comes in, the great promise of him, some kind of populist message, I can connect with those voters.

Well, in the primary, it didn't happen. Take a look here. OK.

Counties, El-Sayed won in the primary. Zero of 15, zero of 15 with the lowest share of college degrees. Ergo, he did not win in those working class areas.

Where he did win, he won 13 of the 15 counties with the highest share of college degrees. So you're thinking about Democrats having real trouble amongst the working class. El-Sayed's support came dramatically from those areas, in fact, not where there is working class folks, but where there are highly educated folks.

More from elite circles than from the working class circles, and I think there's real worries among Democrats. Well, will that transfer over to the general election, and El-Sayed continue to have the problems that prior Democrats have had with the working class?

BOLDUAN: You think that's not the only worry the Democrats should have here?

ENTEN: No, it's not the only worry, because, I mean, the polling, the polling estimated El-Sayed's primary margin by about 10 points, and I think there's a real question, will that happen in the general election again? Because the general election polling is quite tight, and what we know in Michigan is the candidates of the college degrees tend to be overestimated. Will that happen with El-Sayed?

Maybe, but I think it's just another worry in why this race has closed dramatically, and the folks who are trying to handicap it.

BOLDUAN: Super interesting, Harry. Thank you so much.

ENTEN: Thank you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: John. John? John?

John? John? John?

BERMAN: There we go! We are standing by. The anticipation is building for a Senate committee to vote to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt. Could he face criminal charges?

And then the heated legal battle over a semi-aquatic rodent. Who gets to use the logo?

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