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Markey And Moulton Face Off In Massachusetts Democratic Senate Primary; Sources: Army Secretary Resigns Amid Tension With Hegseth; Soon: Jury Resumes Deliberations In Lindsay Clancy Murder Trial. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired September 01, 2026 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:31:30]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Polls opened just minutes ago for the Massachusetts primary. The main event, a generational battle within the Democratic Party. Eighty-year-old Sen. Ed Markey is aiming to survive a challenge from 47-year-old Congressman Seth Moulton.

And there's a twist. Markey, who has served 50 years in Congress, is backed by some young progressives like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He's also backed by Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders. But Moulton, a Marine Corps veteran first elected to Congress in 2014, argues it is time to pass the torch.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is live in Somerville for us. Arlette, it's really interesting what you have here where you have these two candidates that both say that they are progressive, but the generational divide is huge between them. Give us a sense of what you're learning this morning.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Sara. Yeah, Sara. What makes this race so interesting is that it mirrors a lot of the debates playing out in the Democratic Party across the country, but the warring factions in this race don't fall neatly into the camps that people typically think of.

You know, Congressman Seth Moulton, a 47-year-old former veteran, trying to wage this generational argument against the incumbent Democratic Sen. Ed Markey who is 80 years old and has spent decades up on Capitol Hill.

But it's Markey who has pitched himself as the more progressive candidate in this race. He spent last night campaigning with Congresswoman Ayanna Presley. Over the weekend he was on the campaign trail with Sen. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren trying to take that progressive pitch to voters.

We heard from supporters of his last night at this final rally -- young supporters who said that he -- they feel that he embraces a lot of the policy positions they care about. But I've also spoken with a Moulton voter who said that they simply think it's time for generational change.

But here is a bit of the candidates' closing message to voters in this final stretch. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. SETH MOULTON (D-MA): We're not trying to out-endorsement him. We never have been. He's got the political establishment with him. That's what happens when you've been in Washington for half a century.

SEN. ED MARKEY (D-MA): It's not your age; it's the age of your ideas. And I am always the youngest guy in the race, and especially against Seth Moulton. I believe in Medicare for All, taxing billionaires. I believe in the Green New Deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, Markey does find himself in a familiar position. Six years ago he had already faced a generational challenge from then- Congressman Joseph Kennedy III. That -- Markey was able to successfully defeat him in that primary to secure another term in the Senate.

We have also seen this race focus a lot around the issue of transgender rights and the ability of transgender athletes to play in women's and girls' sports. Moulton, after the 2024 race, tried to pull this party to the center on that issue, but Markey has made that an issue over and over here in this very Democratic-leaning state of Massachusetts, Sara.

SIDNER: Arlette Saenz, I know you'll be watching it this morning. Thank you so much. Polls just opened just half an hour ago, John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. With us now, Tia Mitchell, Washington bureau chief for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. And Kate Santaliz, congressional reporter for Axios.

So Tia, what happens when you have something like Massachusetts where you have, you know, an immovable object met by an unstoppable force? I know the metaphor doesn't exactly work there. But you've got this progressive shift on one side meeting this urge for a generational shift on the other. What happens?

[07:35:05]

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, THE ATLANTA JOURNAL- CONSTITUTION (via Webex by Cisco): Well, to me, in a state like Massachusetts, it's a smaller state. The candidates are able to get around and allow voters to touch, feel, hear from them directly. They're not just campaigning via TV ads or mail.

So I think voters -- you know, what happens is now voters get to decide. Voters have had a chance to hear from both candidates and weigh their options. You might not be able to read something nationally into this because this is now an issue for Massachusetts voters only. BERMAN: Yeah. There might be a limit, Kate, to this idea of a need for a generational shift. Ed Markey has been in Congress for about 50 years and in the Senate now for two terms, but it just may not matter to Massachusetts voters.

KATE SANTALIZ, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, AXIOS: Yeah, that's exactly right. And this primary is really switching the usual script that we've seen this cycle of this anti-incumbency wave overall. You know, of course we have an older, more progressive candidate being challenged by a moderate younger candidate. And Seth Moulton is really trying hard to make this race about that generational change and highlight this age gap.

You know, we saw in a debate just a couple of weeks ago where Markey was asked how he uses AI and he didn't really have a great answer for that, saying he just uses whatever comes up on his phone. And we immediately saw Seth Moulton turn that into a campaign ad.

So Moulton really wants this race to be less about policy and more about age, so these results are going to show what matters more to the Democratic Party, generational change or siding with them ideologically.

BERMAN: You brought up AI there. We're about two weeks into the idea of AI data centers, like, bursting onto the political scene and scrambling partisan politics with politicians from both sides of the aisle racing to basically if not ban, at least be very wary of data center construction in their districts.

Yet, President Trump comes out with a statement not just supportive of data centers but almost seeming to mock people who have questions about them.

He wrote yesterday, "The only reason that communities throughout the USA should not want data centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor. If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let data reign."

So Kate, just first to you here. It was the Senatorial Campaign Committee of Republicans -- the Republicans warning their candidates about data centers, and here President Trump comes out firmly behind them.

SANTALIZ: Yeah. I think this statement really threw a wrench into Republicans' plans here. I mean, this is an issue that's crossed party lines. We've seen candidates on both sides of the aisle campaign heavily against data centers.

But particularly in the Ohio Senate race, my colleague at Axios reported just a couple of weeks ago how worried Republicans were about the impact data centers were having there. You know, former Sen. Sherrod Brown has made this central to that campaign.

And Republicans are worried that Husted is getting a little too beat up over this issue and they sent a letter to AI companies telling them that if Husted loses here that's going to send a warning signal to other candidates across the country about how they should be dealing with data centers.

So Republicans don't, you know, obviously want to stick with the president. They don't like to buck him too often. But this is an issue that's proved to be really potent for voters. You know, we've seen a majority of voters --

BERMAN: Um-hum.

SANTALIZ: -- are against the construction of new data centers. So this is a tricky one for them.

BERMAN: I have to say, Tia, though, President Trump has shown an ability over the last 10 years he's been in politics to will things into being, particularly among his supporters. Can he will support for data centers into being here among the MAGA base?

SANTALIZ: I think that --

MITCHELL: Well, I mean, he can among --

BERMAN: I'm sorry, Kate. That's to Tia.

MITCHELL: -- the MAGA base but --

BERMAN: Go ahead, Tia.

MITCHELL: Yeah. I was just saying I think that he can among the MAGA base. The concern is that even among the MAGA base there's growing skepticism of Donald Trump and his agenda. And, of course, we know most voters don't fall in the MAGA base.

So what Trump -- this is just another example of him speaking to loyal followers and hoping that they fall in line, and kind of ignoring the broader political atmosphere. Ignoring the fact perhaps he could lose voters in the middle. He could lose the type of coalition building that he used to win in 2024, and that Republicans need to win in 2026.

So it's not -- it's a focused message; it's not a broad message. And that's kind of a concern with President Trump all around. His latest statement on AI data centers just being the latest example.

BERMAN: And it is September now I am reliably told, so not much time before the midterms.

Tia Mitchell, Kate Santaliz, great to see you both. Thank you -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The Army's top official is out. Sources say Army Sec. Dan Driscoll has now resigned. This is after months of clashing with the Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth -- friction that CNN ha reported stems in part from Driscoll's close ties to Vice President JD Vance. That Hegseth viewed that as a threat to his authority.

[07:40:00]

One source says that Driscoll raised to the president directly, his concerns about the Army's transformation and readiness, and accused Hegseth of blocking those efforts by firing several generals responsible for them.

Joining me right now on what this means is CNN national security analyst, Alex Plitsas. It's good to see you, Alex.

They're in the middle of a war, obviously. And as The New York Times put it, this comes as "...the military's largest service faces its busiest period since the Iraq and Afghanistan wars."

Army air defense soldiers are playing a leading role in defending U.S. troops in the Middle East. The army's command in Europe is providing intel and other support to Ukraine.

What are you hearing now about this resignation and what it means?

ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, DIRECTOR, ATLANTIC COUNCIL'S COUNTERTERRORISM PROGRAM (via Webex by Cisco): Sure. So the secretary -- Sec. Driscoll -- that is the secretary of the army, now former -- he was seen as a Secretary of Defense in waiting, very close to the vice president. They'd gone to law school together.

And from the moment that sort of became known that was a potential in the future, he and Sec. Hegseth began to clash. And that's something that's gone on and has been a point of friction since he got into office near the -- you know, 15 months ago since he assumed the office there. And as a result of that it was an impact to the army's staff is what we're told. And I should correctly characterize it was over the transformation efforts of the army.

So the army secretary and the chief of staff at the army don't actually fight wars, right? Their job is what we call man, train and equip. Their job is to recruit enough troops to hit the number of soldiers we need in the army and to buy the equipment to train them to make sure it's up to standard.

And as we're transforming our military for a future state of combat -- we're transitioning, right, obviously into wars we're seeing now across the Middle East with unmanned systems, et cetera -- there was a number of efforts that were made to sort of transform the army and there were at least some attempts, according to the army secretary to hold that back based on the actions of the Secretary of Defense. And that's allegedly accusations that were made to the president as a result of that.

BOLDUAN: And Alex, I mean, Hegseth has been keenly focused on army leadership, as you can just see with how things have transpired.

The Atlantic has some interesting reporting around this. It's saying this in part. That at meeting last week "Trump was surprised when Driscoll told him how many generals and other top officers had been fired, pushed out, or passed over for promotion under Hegseth, one of the people said. Driscoll argued that the Army could not transform itself the way it needs to because of the departure of so many leaders, this person said, adding that Trump expressed concern about the deep cuts to the Army's senior leadership."

I mean, what do you make of that? PLITSAS: I think it's a reflection of a few things.

So obviously, the president seemed surprised. This had been a major news story for the last year or so in which we've seen general officers either withheld from promotion for whatever reason. We've seen a large number of them happening with minorities, which has led to accusations of racism or sexism as a result of that happening.

And we've seen some very well-known, well-regarded who were let go or who were forced to retire early. You know, Chris Donahue being one of them -- the last pair of boots on the ground in Afghanistan and legendary Delta Force commander well-respected across the board.

And the list just kept sort of going on and on. And that -- when you have that institutional brain drain that is going to have an impact overall going on.

So a little bit surprising the president seemed to be caught off guard and unaware, but definitely a reflection of what we've seen in terms of an institutional brain drain over the last year.

BOLDUAN: Let me ask you about the current state of affairs with the conflict with Iran. The president was asked again yesterday about what's been widely reported -- you and I have discussed it many times -- concerns of dwindling supplies of U.S. munitions as this war continues.

Let me play what the president said in part.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The ammunition -- if you talk about a little -- we have tremendous amounts -- unlimited amounts of midgrade and older stuff that's also very powerful. Unlimited amounts. We're only talking about what we call the elite -- the elite stuff -- and even that -- we're in very good shape. We used very little in Iran by comparison.

Joe Biden gave Ukraine over $300 billion worth of stuff free. Now, I also help Ukraine, but they have to pay for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: The president there trying to start to make the case that if there is a dwindling supply of munitions it's because of the Biden administration.

How does this square with what you're hearing?

PLITSAS: So there's been a dwindling supply of munitions due to a couple of factors. So, yes, due to the war in Ukraine and due to Gaza, but both of those preceded the war in Ukraine -- excuse me, in Iran, that's been launched over last year or so. So those totals were known before a decision was taken to launch new combat operations here.

So there has been a large expenditure of munitions over the past six months or so during the war. Some of the concerning ones were missile interceptors. We've heard about two-thirds of the THAADs and two- thirds of the Patriots. Those are two types of missile interceptors that shoot down incoming missiles -- you know, have been expended.

[07:45:00]

Where this is problematic is not only for Iran here in this context -- you know, we saw this economic sanctions package listed as "D-Day" which hasn't really taken effect. The Chinese have said they're not really going to play. But the pivoting towards economic pressure to step away from having to go back in active conflict.

But the impact is not only limited to that. All of these munitions and weapons systems are all tied to plans or operational continency plans that sit on the shelf. In the event we have to go to war anywhere else in the world. So if there's a South China Sea contingency with China and Taiwan as an example, or many others across the world, those plans are tied to availability of men and material across the world. And as those dwindle our adversaries take notice of that and it could embolden folks is sort of the worry.

BOLDUAN: Alex, it's good to see you. Thanks for coming in -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, Kate.

Very soon, the jury is set to start a fourth day of deliberations in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mom accused of killing her three young children. The jury was sent home yesterday after failing to reach a verdict for a third day in a row. So far, they've spent a total of 17 hours deliberating. Clancy has pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility.

CNN's Jean Casarez was in court yesterday when jurors, which are nine women and three men, returned to the court. She said that they appeared stoic and serious as they kept their eyes on the judge and did not make eye contact with Lindsay Clancy.

Joining me now, criminal defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh. Thank you so much for returning today to talk us through this.

The jury is doing what juries do, typical, where they're spending their time trying to go through the evidence. But does the body language of this jury give you any hint?

And I just want to read you a little bit more of what our Jean Casarez saw in court. She said that there were no smiles and one woman appeared deep in thought, staring into her lap. She said that she and her fellow jurors took their seats and they did not look up at Lindsay Clancy, and the judge then told them just stay the course.

What do -- what do you see here when you hear some of the details of how the jury is acting in court?

MARK EIGLARSH, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY, FORMER PROSECUTOR (via Webex by Cisco): It's not atypical at all. I mean, this is what my jurors do. They spend hours going over evidence. You've got people likely entrenched in their position; others who disagree. This isn't necessarily fun. These people didn't want to have to battle other jurors. And again, I'm not suggesting I know what's going on inside but the longer we go I think the more entrenched certain people get in their positions. It's very difficult.

So no, I don't look at them as people who should be smiling. These are people who are taking their oath very seriously. They're going through the evidence. They've asked for additional views of the evidence. Um, you know, this is typical.

SIDNER: Look, they had, what, 85 witnesses, tons of evidence to go through.

How difficult is this particular case when you consider that both the defense and prosecution put on a pretty strong case?

EIGLARSH: You're absolutely right. This case is extremely unique. One could make the argument that the state proved their case by showing that she knew what she was doing. Conforming her behavior to speak with her husband very calmly as she's killing her kids, making him think that she's merely giving them a bath. You know, all the decisions that she made.

And then on the other side you've got experts who were saying that this is waxing and waning. One minute you're normal, the next minute you're cuckoo for cocoa puffs. This is what happens. It's a specific condition that their experts are familiar with.

So both sides can justify their position.

What I'm hoping is that one juror does more powerfully than that what the defense failed to do, and that is argue reasonable doubt. That the burden falls exclusively on the state to prove criminal mindset. And they failed to prove that she was sane. It's their job to do so.

SIDNER: Yeah. The jury has to come to a verdict, and it has to be beyond a reasonable doubt. It has now gone on -- the deliberations -- for 17 hours. We will see what happens today. There is always a possibility that we could see a verdict today.

Mark Eiglarsh, thank you for your analysis. I really appreciate it -- John.

BERMAN: All right. Just in, we are getting new video of the flood disaster in Nepal that we just haven't seen before six days after that flash flood hit. I want to show you where it is. Now, this is where the glacier snapped off and melted. This is the border crossing we've all seen so much of.

The new view I'm about to show you comes from Syapru Besi. This is a village a little bit downstream from that border crossing. It is stunning. Take a look.

[07:50:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(Screaming and yelling)

Flash floods hitting Syapru Besi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Just horrifying to see that -- that wall of water and debris cascading over that village.

Now we actually have aerial footage of this area from before. This is what it looked like roughly before the flood came. Now look at it after. Anything that was there just gone. That's before and after.

We've got another look at this general area right there. Again, this is before. See how much is built up right around the riverbanks and then after. This whole area here simply gone after the water came down. A simply stunning look at the force and the power of this disaster.

Now, Anderson Cooper had a chance to visit that town of Syapru Besi I should say. Listen to what he saw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: This is all that's left of the once bustling market district in the town. All of this area and all the way down to the river, down this hill, would have been businesses and homes. People lived here. There was a lot of commerce.

The border with Tibet is just about 18 miles from here and there was a very important road from that border area all the way down to Kathmandu that ran through this town, but that road now is wiped out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Amazing to see it from the ground level where Anderson had a chance to visit. Our thanks to him -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: I just have to -- that was -- that before and after, John, is just remarkable to see how it has just completely just control-alt deleted -- erased with that mud that is under what you showed there. That's remarkable and terrifying how it happened in just truly minutes.

All right. We're going to keep it -- we're going to get back to Nepal shortly. But we're also tracking this right now. A hurricane watch is in effect for parts of the Gulf Coast and there are new concerns that Edouard could significantly strengthen as it is making its final approach toward Louisiana and Texas.

And Lionel Richie in the hospital. We have an update on how he is doing today.

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[07:56:35]

BOLDUAN: So this morning we are keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Edouard as it is now making a final approach at the Texas-Louisiana border. A hurricane watch is in effect -- in effect in Louisiana already. Forecasters say the storm could near hurricane strength when it makes landfall in the next several hours.

Let's get to Derek Van Dam. He is clearly watching this very closely. What are you seeing? Where are we?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, tiny but mighty Edouard, and it's trying to get its act together. One thing we notice on the radar here is what seems to be a small eyewall. This is not a large tropical system, but nonetheless tropical storm winds extend about 25 miles from the center.

We've got an 8:00 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center. They've kind of changed the positioning of this. We do have about three to six hours or so just before this makes landfall. You can see the tropical storm warnings that extend across western Louisiana into eastern sections of Texas. But it's really Cameron Parish, Louisiana and Jefferson County, Texas where we have that hurricane watch just with the anticipation that this storm is actually strengthening upon its final arrival.

The winds won't tell you much though because it's really not gusting more than 15 to 20 miles per hour.

The big thing about this story when it's all said and done will be the rain. Widespread three to six inches pretty much east of Houston. And then don't forget about the susceptibility to storm surge here across the coast -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Lots to watch in the coming hours. Thank goodness for you, Derek. Thank you so much -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, Kate.

On our radar for you this morning new video of a dangerous close call along a busy Tampa interstate. Police say a teen driver ignored an officer's commands and then ends up crashing and then trying to flee the scene all at the same time -- watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POLICE OFFICER: Hey, pull over! Stop! Stop! Stop the car!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Despite being told to stop, you can see the teen's white Kia passed the officers, swerved, and then slammed into the back of a pickup truck. The department called it a dangerous close call for the officer. The teen now faces felony fleeing charges.

Now to Georgia where a police officer is on paid leave there after shooting and killing a baby donkey. It happened while officers were searching for a missing child near a family's farm. The child was found and is safe. But during the search the officer killed the donkey named "Hee Haw." His owner is devastated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANNAH ISRAEL, FARM OWNER: Every time he saw somebody he would run up and bray and then do a really goofy sound because he loved people and he thought he was a person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Well, Hee Haw was killed and the owners are now calling for justice. And an online fundraiser in his honor has raised more than $100,000. An investigation is underway into what led up to the shooting -- John.

BERMAN: All right. It is U.S. Open season here in New York, which means tennis into the wee hours of the morning. The matches just ended about half an hour ago.

Let's get to CNN's Andy Scholes for the latest on who played and what they wore, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yeah. You know, John, if you're a night owl, the U.S. Open is certainly for you.

Naomi Osaka -- she wrapped up her first round match at 12:26 this morning, actually much earlier than Venus Williams' match the night before. But Osaka said she was channeling her inner Allen Iverson last night with her look. She made her usual fashionable entrance with a long, white skirt and gray hooded robe that had newspaper clippings about her on it. And the two-time U.S. Open champ also rocking cornrows and a headband just like Iverson used to.