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Florida Voters Pick Nominees for Midterms; Feud Escalates as Ossoff Calls Trump a Draft-Dodging Crook; Sources Say, Trump Expected to Pick Dr. Heidi Overton to Lead FDA. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired August 19, 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: Big developments overnight, a major upset for a Democratic socialist, a substantial setback for Trump-backed candidates, including one with an old-fashioned debate gaffe.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Gas prices on the rise again as the president makes another shift in his approach to the Iran war, from hammering Iran to slowly strangling Iran's economy, telling his envoy to stop negotiations as the U.S. appears to gain ground in the Strait of Hormuz.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And complete strangers step in to save a life, helping a police officer rescue someone pinned under a car after a crash.

I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman and Sara Sidner, this is CNN News Central.

BERMAN: All right. This morning, the dust is settling after some key primaries. The most stunning result in the Senate Democratic primary in Florida, where Democratic Socialist Angie Nixon crushed Alex Vindman, the retired colonel of the first Trump impeachment hearings fame.

Now, the key here to remember is that Alex Vindman outraised Angie Nixon by 16 times, outspent her on media 37 times. This is seen as a huge win for Democratic socialists. I will note she even beat him in Alex Vindman's home county of Broward County there.

Now, when we're talking about Democratic Socialists, it wasn't a pure sweep for them in Florida. They did lose in one House seat where they had been eyeing. Incumbent Democrat Jared Moskowitz, congressman, he easily won in the primary there, defeating Democratic Socialist Oliver Larkin. So, this was seen as a victory for more centrists.

On the Republican side, one interesting result to look at here is in Florida's Seventh Congressional District, where Cory Mills, a Republican incumbent accused of sexual misconduct, which he denies, there is a ethics investigation, he lost to Ryan Elijah. One notable factor here is Donald Trump had endorsed Cory Mills here.

I will say some Republicans are breathing a sigh of relief. They think it might be easier for them to retain the seat without Mills on the ballot. The Trump-backed Cory Mills is out.

On the subject of Trump-backed candidates, I'm going to pull way out here and go all the way to Wyoming here, Donald Trump-backed Megan Degenfelder in the Democrat the Republican primary for governor there, she too lost to Eric Barlow. So, another Trump-backed candidate here losing perhaps some of the luster of the Trump endorsement fading just a little bit.

And then finally, one other race I want to point out here, I've got to really scroll down because it's an unusual one. It's an open primary for Senate in Alaska, an open primary. You will see that Mary Peltola, former Democratic representative, we know she will advance to November. The incumbent Republican senator, Dan Sullivan, he too will advance. We know that both of these people will be on the ballot in November.

In Alaska though, the top four candidates in the open primary advance, and the thing to watch over the next several hours, what happens to this man? You'll notice his name, Daniels J. Sullivan, is very similar to Dan S. Sullivan, the incumbent. Is it possible that Dan Sullivan advances to November to face Dan Sullivan and maybe draw votes from him? That's what people are watching.

And you'll notice the margins here are very small. These 3,000 votes or so come November could be the difference between the Democrat maybe picking up this key Senate seat.

All right, let's go back to Florida now, where we saw so much of the action there, and let's get to our friend, Steve Contorno, who is standing by in Orlando. Steve, talk to us about what you saw down there.

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, John, I think that everyone in the state has been talking about this result in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. I mean, you talked about the spending gap in that race and what Angie Nixon was able to pull off with very little resources. It's pretty impressive.

But I will say she is an elected state representative. She comes from Jacksonville, the largest city in the state. She is a known entity. And Colonel Vindman was a recent arrival to Florida and didn't really mount much of a ground campaign, which, you know, means something in a primary still these days where you're trying to get those hardcore Democratic voters to show up for you.

But, certainly, the Democratic socialist label that Angie Nixon is going to carry into a general election is going to be much talked about and potentially something that other Democrats on the ticket are going to have to talk about as well. Already, David Jolly, the Democratic nominee for governor who was chosen last night was asked about this, and he said, look, I reject socialism. I reject the DSA.

So, that is going to create some uncomfortable and challenging questions for the other candidates in this race. Nixon was asked about this last night and this label. Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGIE NIXON (D), FLORIDA SENATE CANDIDATE: It's not about people's labels for me. I'm a single mom. I was a single mom for, you know, 12 years. I'm a mother now. I'm an organizer. I'm a community organizer. But more importantly, it's about the needs of the people. And what people need is they need housing, right? They need universal healthcare. They want universal childcare.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Now, I was at the campaign watch party last night for Representative Byron Donalds, who won his primary to be the next governor of Florida. And I will say a lot of people in that room were very upbeat about the fact that Angie Nixon will be on the ticket alongside Democrats. They believe that she will present challenges for David Jolly, particularly in South Florida, where socialism, where you have these communities from the diaspora of Cuba and Venezuela, who reject that label outright and that will hurt Democrats there, they believe.

But I've also talked to some Republicans who are sort of clear-eyed about this and say she has a strong base of support in Jacksonville. She is well-known in the black community and among progressives. And if she brings out some of those people for David Jolly, it could be a, a boost to his campaign as well.

So, we'll definitely have to see how this shakes out over the next 76 days. John?

BERMAN: Steve Contorno for us in Orlando this morning, site of all the action overnight, thanks so much for being there. Sara?

SIDNER: John, thank you.

The war of words between President Trump and Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff is intensifying this morning. The Democrat denounced the president with a string of insults at a campaign rally yesterday. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JON OSSOFF (D-GA): I don't think anything illustrates the times more aptly than that the draft-dodging crook president, who has plunged our nation recklessly into a war he knows not how to end or to win, tried to imprison this man who embodies American heroism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Ossoff is pointing there to fellow Democratic senator, Mark Kelly, of Arizona. Ossoff has, for months, railed against the president in what's become his campaign signature as he faces a tough re-election fight.

But it was his comments about Natalie Harp, a close aide to Donald Trump, that escalated this feud with the White House. Harp's constant presence at the president's side has sparked a lot of questions. This morning, we're learning new details about her and her unwavering loyalty to President Trump.

CNN's Betsy Klein's at the White House. There was some of this that had been written about by Maggie Haberman in her new book. There is some of it that we have seen in print. What are you learning this morning about this?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Sara, I think this entire episode really speaks to how President Trump has really disrupted traditional Republican Party power structures and hierarchies, and that has created a vacuum of talent. And in that vacuum, you have seen people coming from non-traditional political backgrounds, and the one overwhelming thing that, that many of them have in common is loyalty to President Trump and to his movement.

And, really, what could be more loyal than Natalie Harp's origin story? She came on President Trump's radar back in 2019 when she credited his right to try policies with saving her life as she was suffering from a rare form of bone cancer.

Now, she has since become one of President Trump's most trusted and loyal advisers. She is a constant and intensely dedicated presence, according to sources that we've spoke to. And at times, some of those sources say that has irked members of the president's inner circle who have tried to take steps to box her out at times. But for President Trump, she is intensely dedicated, loyal.

[07:10:02]

He appreciates her commitment.

CNN's Erin Burnett spoke with Natalie Harp's estranged brother, Preston. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESTON HARP, NATALIE HARP'S BROTHER: Trump's best friends are people who are his fan club, you know? Like and so she's his biggest fan, and so that's probably why he likes her, and like she's good-looking. She's got a good personality.

She's written letters to other presidents, let me put it that way. And so like her dream came true finally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Now, there's another story that really encapsulates the dynamic here, some reporting from our colleague Kristen Holmes. Back in 2023 when President Trump was going to court, there wasn't enough room for Harp in his motorcade. There was a shouting match in the lobby, according to sources at the time, and Harp insisting that Trump wanted her by his side. She ultimately put herself in the trunk of an SUV. That is according to two sources and confirmed by a photo obtained by CNN.

But I think the other question here is what exactly Senator Jon Ossoff, the Democrat of Georgia, is trying to accomplish here by invoking this little-known aide. This is a little inside baseball here in Washington. And he has come under fire from some in Trump's orbit for what they view as sexist remarks and insinuations about Harp and her relationship with the president.

But it has also put him on the offense and really at the forefront of a national conversation when many Democrats have struggled to break through in that fight against Trump. He is showing that he can bring some of that. Sara?

SIDNER: Betsy Klein, we'll be watching. Thank you so much for all your reporting this morning. Kate?

BOLDUAN: President Trump expected to tap a longtime ally now to be the next leader of the FDA. Already, there's talk that this pick could be setting up for another high-stakes confirmation battle on Capitol Hill.

And there are new details coming out about the deadly explosion and fire that happened at a recycling business that was filled with hazardous materials. We're going to bring you that.

And there's also this wild video of police saving two children that they also, police say, were kidnapped by their babysitter.

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BOLDUAN: New this morning, sources tell CNN President Trump is preparing to nominate Dr. Heidi Overton as his pick to head up the FDA. She's currently working at the White House, serving as deputy director of Trump's Domestic Policy Council. She's played a central role in developing the administration's healthcare policies and agenda. President's been searching for a new FDA commissioner since Marty Makary resigned in May.

CNN's Meg Tirrell has been covering all the twists and turns on this for since -- and also had really good interview with Makary a while back. You're here now. Talk to me about what this nomination means.

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

BOLDUAN: If it comes.

TIRRELL: So, of course, if it comes. And this was reported by our colleagues Adam Cancryn and Sarah Overmohle in Washington, DC. Dr. Heidi Overton has been in the White House in a policy role, and she has guided a lot of the policies we've seen come out of the Trump administration, particularly including on vaccines.

And it's been interesting because a few months back, we heard maybe the administration was going to be backing off of all of this vaccine talk because it wasn't popular heading into the midterms. Then, of course, we got that big executive order from the Trump White House last week, and Dr. Heidi Overton was right there in the Oval Office with the president as he signed that executive order on vaccines. And so she is going to need to go up for Senate confirmation, including in front of Senator Bill Cassidy, most likely, who heads the Health Committee, and he has been very vocal that he is against this executive order on vaccines. And that's been a sticking point for previous health nominees for the Trump administration before.

We, of course, have Dr. Erica Schwartz, who was just confirmed as the CDC director, a lot of questions for her about vaccine policy. We have the surgeon general, Dr. Nicole Sapphire, we are still waiting to see get a confirmation hearing. And then, of course, if Dr. Overton is indeed nominated, she will have to go through this process as well.

But it's not just vaccines where there are going to be questions for her. She also is going to, if she becomes the FDA commissioner, need to weigh in on the safety of the medication abortion pill, Mifepristone. They have been doing a big safety review of that, and that's a place where she might be more aligned with Senator Bill Cassidy because he has been calling for them to do more on that review. Of course, many studies show that that pill is safe, but the FDA has been under pressure in this administration to look at that.

Also, things like peptides, so the food supply. This is 20 percent of the economy.

BOLDUAN: Also very much talked about right now, yes.

TERRELL: Absolutely. So, there are tons of issues facing the FDA right now, and it's really seen as having been destabilized with a lot of leadership departures.

So, the question is can she come in and really change that? But also, you know, being in the Oval Office during the signing of this executive order makes a lot of people wonder what her policies really are going to be when it comes to regulation of vaccines and medicines more broadly.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And, I mean, great questions all to ask at a confirmation hearing if one is nominated. Let's see if that comes.

Meg, it's great to see you. Thank you so much.

TIRRELL: You too.

BOLDUAN: John?

BERMAN: All right. Breaking news this morning, look at where oil prices are up, up some more, up over $91 a barrel on the Brent Crude there. This as talks stall with Iran, and I have to say, there are other flashing red lights on energy.

And here's a quote for you, you better treat me as a hostile witness, the combative testimony at the trial of the man accused of orchestrating the killing of Tupac Shakur.

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SIDNER: Happening today, more testimony expected in the murder trial of Duane Keefe D Davis, the man accused of orchestrating the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur. This week, combative and sometimes contrite testimony from a former Death Row Records associate who worked in the nightclub that Tupac was going to perform in that night.

Witness James McDonald, known as Mob James, told the court to treat him as a, quote, hostile witness. At one point, he made his intentions for the defendant very clear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES MCDONALD, FORMER HEAD OF SECURITY AT CLUB 662: What I explained to them, I don't want to send him to prison --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.

MCDONALD: -- even though we don't like each other.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.

MCDONALD: I don't want to send you to prison. So that's why I'm here where I'm at and the way I am, because I changed my life. I'm raising my grandkids, teaching them never to be like their papa. And here I am explaining to people what I used to be, and I'm not proud of that. I'm not proud of that at all. And you asking me questions that can hurt him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:25:00]

SIDNER: Joining me now, CNN Legal Analyst and Criminal Defense Attorney Joey Jackson.

This was, I mean, breathtaking, some of his testimony. I'm curious what it did to either help further the prosecution's case or do the opposite.

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. So, Sara, good morning to you.

I think what the prosecution's doing is laying the foundation, right? Now, they did a few things yesterday, and I think amongst those things were, you saw that, Mob James, and why is that relevant? If you're talking about and charging someone with gang-related activity, you have to educate the jury with respect to gang-related activity. There's this rivalry. There's this gang called the Bloods, the Crips. There's Death Row Records. There's Bad Boy Records. This is what the rivalry was about. This is what the street code is all about.

I think it also explains, though, in a subtle way, why there's 30 years that have gone by since, of course, the killing and now, and that's, you know, the street, and the codes of the street and the code of silence. You don't speak. And so when you bring in someone like this, Mob James, he gives you a sense of the culture, a sense of, we're not going to say a word. We're just going to let things play out, and a sense of why we're here. But with regard to actually identifying Keefe D, Mr. Davis, right, pointing a finger, showing about his involvement, that was absent.

And so I think that that's critical. The prosecution has to get with that, put him there, and not only put him there, but indicate what specifically he was doing to aid, abet, encourage. That's what they need to do to get a conviction.

SIDNER: You certainly -- you could see were not going to get that from this witness who was very clear that he didn't want to be there and he didn't want any part in trying to further the possibility of putting the defendant in jail.

I do want to ask you about this former police officer and Death Row Records security chief who also testified, Reggie White Jr. What did he share? What did we learn from him?

JACKSON: So, again, I think that a foundational. He was a security guard who heard the shots, et cetera, what was happening. But with respect to actually the identification, we did not learn much. Again, nice to know that you were there, nice to know there was chaos, nice to know there were shots ringing out, but could not identify and actually establish that it was, and if he could, wasn't saying so, that it was Keefe D.

I think if you look at it, what prosecutors did yesterday, also, Sara, with the MGM, we saw that video. We saw --

SIDNER: For the first time.

JACKSON: Exactly, the video of the beating. Why is that important? You didn't see in the video Keefe D. He wasn't there. However, they are, prosecutors, using that to show motive. This is what happened to his nephew. That's why he was so upset. And, therefore, three hours later, of course, you have Tupac, who was shot. Six days later he's dead, and so prosecutors wanted to do that.

We also learned about the cause of death, right? That's not in dispute with respect to the chest, the abdomen, right? But prosecutors have to prove that. So, to date, if you evaluate what's happening, a lot of foundational pieces, learned a whole bunch about the '90s, a whole bunch about gang activity. The prosecutors have to get to establishing that he did it, Keefe D, or certainly was involved in it, to get their conviction. To date, have not done that, but awful lot of learning about what's happened.

SIDNER: Yes, and a long way to go in this trial. We learned a lot about the why certainly so far.

Thank you so much, Joey Jackson. It's a pleasure.

JACKSON: Always.

SIDNER: All right, and you can watch full coverage of the trial starting today at 11:30 A.M. Joey will be there as well. He's been watching all of this. Scan the Q.R. code on the screen or watch on cnn.com/tupactrial or the app. John?

BERMAN: All right, the Trump-backed sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, what she said on a debate stage that had people booing her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DARLINE GRAHAM (R-SC): I'm just going to be honest here. I do not know national security that -- I'm not that informed on national security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: A new report shows the A.I. job market is leaving women behind.

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