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CNN Reports, Crowley Narrowly Defeats Democratic Socialist Hong in Wisconsin Governor Primary; Trump Says, Secret Service, Military Advice Prompted Plane Switch; Former Classmates Describe Pattern of Volatile Behavior by Rep. Max Miller (R-OH). Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired August 12, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking just a short time ago, the establishment strikes back. A huge upset in the Wisconsin governor primary by a razor-thin margin. Oh, this was close. So, what are the lessons that were learned there?

Also breaking overnight, the president's first comments about the elaborate ruse to protect him from an Iranian threat to Air Force One, escaping through a catering truck. We've got new CNN reporting on who he left on the decoy plane.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And from the Midwest to the Ohio Valley, we're tracking deadly, powerful storms. Winds so strong, you got to see this, look at that, they tossed a car like a toy on the interstate, and there's more flooding in the forecast today.

Kate is out today. I'm Sara Sidner in Atlanta with John Berman, who is in New York. I miss him already. This is CNN News Central.

BERMAN: And the breaking news this morning, oh, this was close, and a huge upset. David Crowley, a Milwaukee city councilman, upset Francesca Hong from Madison, Wisconsin. She is the progressive Democratic socialist candidate. He upset her in the Wisconsin Democratic primary. She had been ahead in all kinds of polling leading up to the race, including, incidentally, David Crowley's own internal polls, and she'd been up by a lot.

But look at this, look at the margin we see right here, 3,211 votes separating the two candidates. He edged her out by the tiniest margin. I will say, there was a period of time after 11:00 P.M. last night that she was actually ahead by several hundred votes. It kept on swinging back and forth, but we were able to project a winner in this case just a few hours ago.

If you do look at the map here, you can see a little bit of a story. You can see Francesca Hong did very well anywhere there's a city almost, right, city, city, city, city, city, city. But David Crowley did well in all these rural areas, and there are a lot of rural counties here, also some of the suburban counties. And the one city he did well in was the city of Milwaukee, where he lives. You can see, again, this was close, but he was able to win by about a 2,500-vote margin, which wasn't much less than the margin for him in the entire state.

Again, this was such a closely watched race because it pitted the left of the party, Francesca Hong, she'd been criticized for comments she had made about Thanksgiving, about some -- against someone seen as a more centrist candidate. So, this is seen as a defeat for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

But it was not all bad for them last night. We're going to go over to Minnesota here and look at the Senate race there. And you can see it was a blowout for the candidate seen as more progressive here. Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan crushed Congresswoman Angie Craig, winning by almost 20 points there, well over 100,000 votes. This was a victory for progressives, so a little bit of a split decision overnight in the internal fighting in the Democratic Party. But the headline absolutely is Wisconsin.

We'll go back to the governor's race there because this was an upset. This is something that has given the establishment a sigh of relief this morning.

Let's get right to Jeff Zeleny, who is live in Madison, Wisconsin. And, Jeff, you and I have covered a lot of races, but we keep seeing things we've really never seen before. This was a huge come-from- behind victory, and this was close all night long.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: John, good morning. We have never seen anything like this before. One month ago, David Crowley was out of this race. He suspended his campaign on July 8th for ten days. But what happened in that ten-day period would obviously change the race. The lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, Sarah Rodriguez, dropped out of this campaign. Mandela Barnes, a former lieutenant governor, dropped out as well. Crowley got back in and roared back to a remarkable comeback last evening as you were showing those results.

There's no doubt that Francesca Hong was very strong in some college areas, a lot of those cities across Wisconsin. However, here in Dane County, in Madison, she also won this county, but David Crowley was also quite strong. That contributed to his victory as well.

[07:05:00]

And as we talked to so many voters as they were casting their ballots, they liked Francesca Hong. They liked her call for change, and this progressive strain of politics that has run through Wisconsin Democrats for years and years, more than a century, going back to fighting Bob La Follette. But there was also deep concern about whether she could win in November.

The questions of electability here, John, were more pronounced than I have ever heard them. So we do know now that David Crowley will be accepting this victory in a speech in Milwaukee in just a couple hours. But the governor of the state of Wisconsin, Governor Tony Evers, he campaigned at Crowley's side and warned Democrats to not squander all their gains here.

So, that certainly was a big factor. But there is no question that there's some unifying to be done, that starts this morning with an eye on November. John?

BERMAN: And again, as you point out, Francesca Hong was divisive. Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, they did not endorse her as they had endorsed Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Senate Democratic primary there.

I want to say, I've been on cable the last few days a lot. It's where I work, and I've heard a lot of Republicans with talking points. They were loaded for bear on Francesca Hong. Francesca Hong was the candidate they were focused on. They were already trying to nationalize her, what they saw as her imminent victory in Wisconsin. How surprised are Republicans this morning?

ZELENY: John, they are very surprised. Not only were they talking about this campaign and how they would effectively use some of her comments, they were trying to prop her up at the same time, a remarkable play here. The Republican Governors' Association was spending more than $4 million running ads showing that she's a strong progressive. Well, that was seen as a way to effectively meddle in this race.

So, Republicans were hoping to run against her. That did not happen. So, this race is an example of the establishment striking back. But, John, I'm also thinking back to an interview I had with David Crowley on Sunday evening. I asked him about that establishment thing. He said, look, I'm established, but I am not a member of the establishment. If he would win, he would be the first African American governor right here in Wisconsin. John?

BERMAN: Absolutely. It would be historic again, and taking on Tom Tiffany, the Republican who easily won the Wisconsin gubernatorial Republican primary. You'll just note, you know, the number of votes cast, some 480,000 in the Republican race, Democrats will point to this and say there were well over 600,000 votes cast in the Democratic primary. They would see that as more energy on their side. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Thank you so much, John.

Breaking overnight, President Trump is now talking for the first time about that elaborate cloak and dagger plan that involved him hiding in a catering truck to switch planes and fly out of Turkey after a threat at the NATO summit last month. Take a listen.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It's only up to Secret Service. I just follow what they'd like to do. So, I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety, but they wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SIDNER: Now, we're learning some new details about the, what prompted the ruse exactly. Two U.S. officials telling The New York Times there was a specific surface-to-air missile threat. U.S. intelligence was also aware that someone with a shoulder-fired missile was spotted near the NATO Summit, and they learned the Iranians knew the president's detailed location.

CNN's Kevin Liptak joining us now. I mean, this is really stark. The fact that you had somebody with a shoulder-fired missile, according to The New York Times reporting, the fact that they knew exactly where the president was, the fact that we know that in the past there have been certainly a desire to assassinate the president from the Iranians. What are you learning this morning about all of this?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. It is quite remarkable, and it does, I think, lead to some explanation for why there was this scramble to develop this furtive plan to get President Trump on a different plane out of the country. You know, I'm told by people familiar with the matter that it was the specificity of what the Iranians knew about the president's arrangements on the ground there that led to their concerns and to their worries.

It was people, including from the military and the Secret Service in that final day of the NATO summit in Ankara were really huddled behind the scenes for hours and hours to try and come up with this plan to get him out of the country. And it was this specific shoulder-fired missile threat that led to that scramble.

You know, it's not clear from my sources where exactly that intelligence came from. You know, we had reported in the days after that summit that the Israelis had come to the U.S. with intelligence about an Iranian assassination plot, but that had been downplayed in a lot of ways. A lot of American officials thought that that was Israel's attempt to influence President Trump's thinking on Iran.

So, it's not clear where exactly this information came from, but it was viewed as very specific and very credible.

[07:10:02]

And it's remarkable to hear President Trump on the tarmac last night kind of downplaying in a lot of ways, the nature of the subterfuge. He did not get into any details about his ride in that catering vehicle. And he seemed to suggest that the plane that did go into the air with journalists with staff, with military members aboard, in fact, that that was the safer flight, and that the plane that he was on was the one that was in real danger. Listen to what he said on that front.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The plane that I flew on was at greater risk. I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane, I think, that we -- that they would be more likely to go for.

I have a lot of threats. I have a lot of threats that you don't know about. Any consequential president has a lot of threats. REPORTER: Were you worried about a shoulder-fired missile?

TRUMP: I don't worry about anything, to be honest, whatever it is. You know my attitude? Whatever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: Now we are learning a little more about who was left behind on that old legacy Air Force One. It included two cabinet secretaries, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, in addition to other members of the White House staff.

We don't know, and the White House is not saying at this point, who joins the president in that alternate plane that he flew back to the U.S. on.

SIDNER: Yes. Well, the plane that was the, quote/unquote, decoy, I mean, could've been in grave danger. You had journalists, you had members of the cabinet on there, some staff members on there. There's a lot of questions that need to be asked surrounding all of this. But a fascinating walkthrough as to what happened to try to keep the president safe, which is the job of the Secret Service.

Thank you so much, Kevin Liptak. Great reporting from you there in Washington.

All right, ahead, new CNN reporting on Congressman Max Miller. We've learned about a broader pattern of alleged violence dating back years before the current allegations that he abused his ex-wife.

Plus, a baby, these pictures are incredible, rescued from the rubble after that devastating earthquake in Colombia. We are on the ground in one of the hardest hit areas as urgent rescues like this one are currently underway. Wow.

And millions will get a chance to see a total solar eclipse. So exciting, I love it when this happens. We will tell you where the best views will be.

Those stories and more ahead.

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[07:15:00]

BERMAN: All right. This morning, new reporting on Congressman Max Miller, the Republican who did not drop out of his Ohio re-election race despite domestic abuse allegations. Court filings by Miller's ex- wife, the daughter of Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, allege a pattern of violent and unsettling behavior, including throwing hot water on her in one incident and pointing a gun at her in another. Miller has denied all of the allegations and says they are politically motivated.

This morning, CNN has new reporting on earlier incidents where he was accused of violent or problematic behavior.

With us now, Allison Gordon with the CNN investigative team. Alison, what have you learned here?

ALLISON GORDON, CNN REPORTER: Yes, that's right, John. I obtained police reports, went through court records, and spoke to more than a half dozen people who knew Max Miller when he was younger, and nearly all of them described him in a similar way, aggressive, hot-headed, quick to start fights, with outbursts that made others uncomfortable. And people say that it became worse when he drank.

Miller also had several criminal charges during this period. He had at least four run-ins with the police between 2007 and 2011, with charges like disorderly conduct, intoxication, criminal mischief for punching through a window after a night out, and crashing a Jeep into a light pole on a college campus. The police report said MDMA and other prescription drugs were found in his bloodstream.

Now, John, that crash seemed like a turning point. I spoke with three people from the time who told me that Miller tried to get sober in this period and make amends. One is a man who used to play baseball with Miller in high school, and he said that later on, Miller made it a point to apologize for his past bad behavior.

Former classmates also told me he had a reputation for being misogynistic. One woman told me that he was not someone you wanted to be close with as a female, and former friends said he would brag about his sexual exploits and make degrading comments about girls, specifically about their weight.

BERMAN: So, one of the women who has made allegations against him, and this has been reported publicly for some time, is a woman who said during their teenage years that he pushed her down the stairs at a party. I do understand you spoke to someone who arrived there just after that incident allegedly occurred?

GORDON: That's right, John. According to my sources, Miller threw a party at his parents' house. And sometime that night, he allegedly pushed a female classmate down the stairs after she rejected advances from him. Now, I spoke to a man who encountered the girl moments after the alleged incident. He said that she was crying inconsolably.

That party happened around 2006, and I should note that Miller has repeatedly denied that he pushed her.

BERMAN: And former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, who was dating Miller when they both worked in the White House, she has made allegations as well. What have you learned there?

GORDON: That's right, John. In 2021, Miller was accused of physical abuse while in a relationship with former Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham. He denied ever abusing her, and he sued her for defamation shortly after she published an op-ed in The Washington Post.

I should note that Miller did not respond to my request for comment on this story, but he has consistently denied allegations of abuse by the women who have accused him.

[07:20:02] When The Washington Post contacted him in 2018 about some of the charges related to drinking and disorderly conduct, like I mentioned earlier, Miller told the Post at the time, quote, growing up, everyone makes mistakes. Who I was in the past is not who I am now.

BERMAN: Allison Gordon, thanks for sharing your new reporting on this, adds some details to this conversation.

All right, new video shows a state trooper punching an 18-year-old woman during an arrest.

And Spotify making changes about how A.I. artists are handled.

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SIDNER: This morning, a growing call for answers after dash camera video captured an Arkansas state trooper slamming an 18-year-old woman to the ground and punching her in the face.

[07:25:07]

Alisa Hackett was first pulled over for speeding and driving with her hazard lights on.

According to the incident report, the trooper says he moved to arrest her for having a bottle of liquor in her front passenger seat after another trooper said he had given her a verbal warning for alcohol possession during a separate traffic stop.

The incident appears to escalate, though, when Hackett questions why she's being arrested, and the trooper says she tried to turn around. She is now filing a federal civil rights complaint accusing the trooper of excessive force, and we should warn you, this video is really disturbing.

CNN's Ryan Young has been looking into this story. When we all first saw this video, it takes your breath away.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's disturbing to see, especially when you put all the events together. He's calmly talking to her. Everything seems to be proceeding along very routinely.

SIDNER: Yes.

YOUNG: But at some point, there's an escalation in it, and you can see the trooper take her to the ground.

Now, of course, we're going to play this video for you, but the trooper did say he saw an unopened bottle of alcohol in the seat near her. There was also, she was driving with flashing lights. She was going over the speed limit. But it's what happens in the next seconds when he says he's going to take her under arrest that really is troubling to a lot of people. In fact, let's take a watch right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, if she got an attitude, take her to (BLEEP) jail.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay. All right, we'll do that. Yes, let me get your left hand real quick.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sir, what did I do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want your left hand real quick.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am a little --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do not -- look --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't even do nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do not resist. Do not resist.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need to call my momma.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no. Stop.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But I need to get -- sir, what was I doing? Oh, no.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop. Turn around.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't even do nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn around. Turn around. Turn around.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Yes, it is hard to watch. You notice the trooper, Moses Arellano, he used what is considered what is a lat drop, and he basically tosses her to the ground.

SIDNER: Slammed her.

YOUNG: After the toss to the ground, you can tell she is disoriented. And then he provides that one-hand strike to the face. And at some point he even thinks about tasing her, but he decides not to tase her in that moment.

And so what the questions are is whether or not it needed to escalate that far. And that's what her attorneys are asking. Ben Crump is now going to represent her. But the real questions come from, she's only 5'1, 118 pounds. We're not saying that she couldn't have struggled. But what you don't see is what escalated to the point where the toss was needed and that closed fist punch was delivered to her face. Just watching the reaction online, you can see a lot of people were troubled by that punch, and you can hear her screaming as she's calling for her mother.

SIDNER: Yes. She -- initially you hear her say, I need to call my mama, because she was clearly surprised that she was getting arrested.

YOUNG: Right.

SIDNER: We don't know what transpired in the car and what the, the officers put in their report.

Too many times we have done these stories. We have covered these stories where the report does not match what actually happens.

YOUNG: Yes.

SIDNER: But I am curious, you just talked about how large she was, which is very tiny. And this officer, the size of the officer is quite a bit larger than her. There are some questions as to procedure here. Because if one officer cannot deal with a woman who is 118 pounds and this is the result of it, there are clearly some issues that, that need to be talked through.

YOUNG: Well, I think the question will become use of force and whether or not that Arkansas state board believes what he did was right.

And so he seems very controlled after that punch, but the question will be especially did he ever have to put both hands on her, and could he have gotten both hands behind her without delivering the toss and the punch?

But he is being investigated, but at the same time, he's still out there on the streets at this point right now.

SIDNER: Okay. So, he is not being put on administrative leave or he is not on the -- he's still on the streets.

All right, well, there's a lot to go here and I should tell people we will have Benjamin Crump on to talk about this, this side of the story from the perspective of the, the woman who was being arrested at that time.

A lot more, and I know you'll be watching all of this, so we'll certainly have you back on too. It's nice to be here in person.

YOUNG: Good to see you.

SIDNER: Ryan, and thank you for wearing that.

YOUNG: Yes.

SIDNER: I do appreciate it, all us cancer survivors appreciate that. I appreciate you.

All right. New election results coming in overnight, mainstream Democrats notching a rare win, we break it down.

And the coach of the Indiana Fever has had enough of the culture conversations around the WNBA that aren't about what they're about, which is basketball. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will always stand by them. Everybody else can go to hell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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