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Growing Outrage After Fatal ICE Shooting Of Mexican Man In Texas; Interview With Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-NY); U.S. Strikes In Iran Take A Pause After 13 Straight Nights; New York Stabbings Suspect Charged With Attempted Murder, Hate Crimes; Troy Jackson Clinches Democratic Senate Nomination in Maine; Iran War's Impact Felt At The Gas Pump. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 25, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

CAITLIN CLARK, WNBA STAR: It's crazy. Yes, I appreciate it. It's crazy.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT: Yes, you know, I always say, one of the things that was luckiest for me was I didn't get famous until I was like 45. So I was an old (EXPLETIVE DELETED) man. I mean, you're my daughters' age. They're not have had that much, you know, burden and nonsense. So don't lose that joy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Clark has become one of the most popular and scrutinized figures in the WNBA. So after interview she said during her conversation with Obama, her hands were sweaty and clammy but overall, I'm quoting her, "It was super cool," end quote.

All right, plus, also very cool, Mattel unveiled a new Barbie doll sporting the likeness of basketball superstar Angel Reese. The six- foot-four forward earned the nickname Bayou Barbie while playing for the LSU Tigers back in 2023. Well, the toy company revealed its new doll ahead of tonight's WNBA All-Star Game in Chicago. Reese's Darbie dons a pink jersey commemorating her professional number five on the front and college number 10 on the back.

Mattel said it's proud to honor Reese for her on court achievements, entrepreneurial leadership and advocacy for girls.

All right. Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And right now, growing anger and mounting questions after a man in Texas was fatally shot by ICE. The Houston district attorney is pushing back on a claim by the FBI that illegal drugs were found in a van driven by Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican immigrant who was gunned down earlier this month during a traffic stop.

After the shooting, federal investigators said they found a substance in the van resembling methamphetamine. But the DEA says a test was conducted and it has confirmed that it was not drugs. Today, protesters in Houston held a rally against ICE tactics and a vigil for Salgado Araujo.

CNN's Ed Lavandera has more on the roadblocks investigators are facing in the search for answers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It has now been more than two weeks since Lorenzo Salgado was shot and killed by an ICE officer on the streets of Houston, and the lead prosecutor here in Houston says that essentially, federal investigators are stonewalling their investigation. They say that they have not been able to get any key pieces of evidence. They do not have the identity of the officers involved in the altercation.

They do not have key paperwork surrounding the targeted immigration operation that led them to Salgado and the three other men in that white van, and that they still also don't have access to the weapon. And because of that, the prosecutor says this is completely out of the ordinary, unlike any other officer involved shooting that the district attorney has investigated here in Harris County over the years.

And that led to calls of -- from the Democratic lawmakers who were leading this forum. All of this came out during a forum led by 11 Democratic congressional lawmakers. There were no Republicans involved. These lawmakers essentially are saying that the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are federal agencies that have gone rogue, in their words, that are completely out of control.

And they are using this forum to continue ratcheting up pressure to force the DHS and federal investigators to turn over key pieces of evidence to local prosecutors and also state authorities that are conducting an investigation as well. But so far, it is clear that a lot of the local prosecutors who are trying to spearhead this investigation into the shooting death of Lorenzo Salgado are having a very difficult time getting access to what they believe is key pieces of evidence to be able to figure out if any criminal charges against the officers should be brought forth.

The two sons of Lorenzo Salgado also spoke emotionally at this forum as well today, saying that, you know, how many more dads have to die before ICE -- an agency like ICE is brought under control. They once again called for a full independent investigation. Apart from what federal investigators are doing at this point.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Houston, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, Ed, thank you so much.

All right. Let's discuss more now with Democratic congressman and Hispanic Caucus chairman Adriano Espaillat. He is one of several congressional Democrats who held that field hearing in Houston yesterday.

Great to see you, Congressman. Thank you so much for being with us.

REP. ADRIANO ESPAILLAT (D-NY): Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I want to first --

ESPAILLAT: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: Absolutely. I want to get your reaction now to the district attorney concurring, concurring with the families, you know, who initially were defending their dad, concurring that that substance found in Araujo's van was not drugs.

[15:05:04]

ESPAILLAT: This is the kind of behavior that has discredited ICE, and it has made it really a renegade agency, unaccountable with lack of transparency. The community called it out early. They felt it was a smear campaign that, in fact, what they found was an electrolyte substance that is commonly used by construction workers that work in very high heat, like in Texas. And so, of course, now we get the results and it further discredits the agency. And of course, they weren't there to begin with at the hearing. They were no shows. So this has become a renegade agency.

WHITFIELD: Who was at the hearing?

ESPAILLAT: We had the Harris County D.A.. He gave us as much information as possible. But as you know, Fredricka, some of the information that we wanted to get is still confidential and part of an ongoing investigation. We don't know who the shooter was, whether that ICE agent has been placed in administrative duties as is normally done in law enforcement agencies across the country. There are still many questions to be answered. But they failed to show up at the hearing.

WHITFIELD: Passengers in Salgado Araujo's van say the officers were not in danger as he was parking. Among those who did show up at the hearing, what did they have to say about their eyewitness accounts or that moment? What did they reveal to you?

ESPAILLAT: Well, the folks that testified revealed, you know, their frustration with ICE and the federal agencies, their lack of cooperation. Now, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia has spoken to the three gentlemen, including the brother of Salgado Araujo, and has spoken to them, has visited them, and has shared some information. They felt that they had done nothing wrong. And so this is, again, another incident that ended in the death of a working dad.

And we heard the testimony of the two young sons that were there, with us, in Houston. Heartbreaking testimony as they no longer have their father. And of course, they're devastated.

WHITFIELD: And how will these testimonies perhaps be folded into whether it's the local authorities have their own investigations, but of course, we've just mentioned there have been roadblocks. Federal authorities have an investigation. Or are -- you know, might that information be folded into either one of those investigations? Or are you saying there will be a separate congressional probe that goes past these hearings and that testimony might be enlightening in some other kind of investigation?

ESPAILLAT: Well, we will be asking for a congressional investigation. Obviously, next year, we're hopeful that Democrats will be in the majority and will be able to conduct that investigation without any obstruction whatsoever.

I might add, Fredricka, they didn't have anybody cameras again. You know, we gave. Congress, the Republican Congress gave ICE $20 million to purchase these cameras some time ago. They have not purchased them. They have not put the program in action. And as a result, we don't have film footage from body cameras.

Body cameras often either exonerate the officers or shed light on evidence that incriminates them. But it really brings light to these very confusing and complicated cases, like the Salgado Araujo case.

WHITFIELD: Congressman Adriano Espaillat, thank you so much for being with us today.

ESPAILLAT: Thank you for having me once again.

WHITFIELD: Of course.

All right. More now on the war with Iran and a new front emerging in the region. New video shows smoke rising from an oil facility in Saudi Arabia after Iran-backed Houthis said they targeted the site. The attack comes a day after Saudi forces launched strikes in retaliation for the rebel attack on a Saudi vessel in the Red Sea. That clash happening during a rare apparent pause in fighting between the U.S. and Iran after 13 consecutive nights of attacks on Iran.

CNN's Betsy Klein is joining us right now from the White House.

Betsy, is the administration saying anything about this apparent pause in attacks on Iran or possible talks even potentially with Tehran?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Right, Fredricka. After 13 consecutive nights of strikes on Iran, a relatively quiet night last night and no reports of attacks between the U.S. and Iran.

[15:10:01]

Now, this comes after U.S. intelligence agencies had recently assessed that these types of sort of limited strikes that the U.S. had been carrying out against Iran were unlikely to shift Iran's negotiating position. President Trump says that, in his view, Iran isn't ready to make a deal yet. And there were some notable comments from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt to the "Wall Street Journal" earlier this week.

She said that the U.S. will continue to hit Iran until they come to the table in what President Trump deems a meaningful way. So we are waiting to see now whether that is indeed the case here. But President Trump offering some insight into his mindset yesterday. Listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look, we're talking to them right now. I think they're getting more and more serious as the days go by for maybe the obvious reason, but we are talking to them right now.

Look, there are two ways. I consider that the smarter way. But the others probably the easier way doing what we're doing. And we can take that to a much higher level if we want to. You know, we're prepared to do that. As you know we're locked and loaded.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Now as we are trying to ascertain what to make of this pause in strikes, a senior U.S. official tells me that President Trump has always been clear that his preference is diplomacy, but he has shown Iran what will happen if they fail to come to the table in a serious way -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. And, Betsy, the Pentagon still hasn't updated the Web site that tracks casualties of war. What more are you learning?

KLEIN: Well, at issue here is a Web site called the Defense Casualty Analysis System that tracks those casualties during a conflict. And "The New York Times" first noticed this, and they got conflicting answers as to why that had been changed from 18 deaths to 14 deaths this week. Three military officials had told them that there had been some sensitive discussions about whether to include those four fallen U.S. service members who died last weekend in the count, because that had come after President Trump signed that ceasefire deal that ultimately, as we know, had fallen apart.

But a Pentagon spokesperson saying in a statement that this was a temporary data disruption that would be resolved. Of course, that was on Thursday. It is now Saturday. I checked just moments before I came on the air. The count is still 14.

WHITFIELD: All right, Betsy Klein, thank you so much.

All right. Still to come, the suspect in two stabbings in broad daylight in New York City will face hate crime charges. We have the latest. And later, moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Bertha still fueling floods along the Carolinas and the southeast. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:17:14]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. A 51-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder and multiple hate crimes after a brazen attack in broad daylight in New York City. Police say he stabbed an Asian man and a Jewish man Thursday afternoon. Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the violence, saying, quote, "Every New Yorker deserves to be safe, regardless of their religion or race," end quote. CNN reporter Mark Morales joining me now from New York with more

details on this.

Mark, what are we learning about this man and the charges?

MARK MORALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, these charges were the big question mark here. Police made the arrest, as you know, on Thursday, but they stopped short of actually calling this a hate crime because they wanted to see if they could dig up any more evidence. And not only were they able to do just that, but prosecutors were able to hit him with a slew of hate crime charges, which also includes two counts of attempted murder as a hate crime.

Now, he went before a judge late last night where he faced these charges. Prosecutors made the argument that because of the violent nature of these crimes, plus the evidence of mental health issues for him, it wasn't safe to let him out or to give him bail in any way. So he was remanded back into custody. So that's where he is right now. He is in custody. He's not able to flee. And a lot of this boils down to not just the actual attacks, but what he said during these attacks.

So as we know, he went right up behind the Asian man and stabbed him in the back with a knife. And then moments later, he was able to stab a Jewish man in the chest with a screwdriver. But during both attacks, he yelled the phrase "Allah Akbar," which as we know is a phrase in the Muslim religion, but it's also been used during violence or extremist attacks. And that phrase has been used in a lot of times by law enforcement to decipher whether or not something is -- has been deemed a terrorist attack or a hate crime.

Now, in this instance, that's been a big factor in whether or not to label this as a hate crime. But it's also important to note that there's two underlying issues here. There's not only the mental health issue of the man himself, but there's also the idea that crime in New York is for the most part down. Shootings are down, homicides are down. But when you look at hate crimes, they're up a tick from where they were around this same time last year with antisemitic incidents leading most of the way.

But the other part of this also, too, is that both of these victims here also represent two communities in New York City that have been on edge for a number of years now. It's not too much -- not long ago that Asian people were being targeted post-COVID, and there's been an increase in antisemitic attacks since not only October 7th, but since the war in Iraq has started -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then and then how are the two men who were stabbed? How are they doing?

[15:20:00]

MORALES: Well, they're both expected to survive. The Asian man had to be taken to a local hospital where they had to perform surgery to remove the knife from his back and to repair a lot of those wounds. The other man was stabbed in the chest with that screwdriver, but the screwdriver fell out. So they recovered that weapon at the scene. He wasn't as hurt as the other person, but he was still injured and still needed to receive treatment.

WHITFIELD: All right. Mark Morales, thank you so much, in New York.

All right. Straight ahead, at an unusual party convention, Maine Democrats pick their Senate nominee. But can Troy Jackson help them win control of Congress in November? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:25:02]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

Graham Platner is out and Troy Jackson is in. Today Democrats in Maine swapped out their scandal-plagued Senate nominee, hoping a new last minute replacement will give them a chance in one of this year's most critical midterm races. The delegates pick a former state lawmaker and logger who isn't wasting any time going on the attack against his Republican opponent, Senator Susan Collins. Listen to what Jackson said earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TROY JACKSON (D), MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE: For nearly 30 years, Collins has told Maine that she is concerned. She was concerned while she rubber-stamped Trump's Medicaid cuts and gutted our health care. She's concerned when she cut taxes for corporations and the wealthy. Concerned when she confirmed justices who overturned Roe versus Wade. And really tragically, she was concerned when she gave ICE billions to terrorize our neighbors and murder people in the streets with no accountability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's discuss now with Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright and Sawyer Hackett.

Good to see you, gentlemen.

All right, Antoine, you first. Are Democrats now in a better situation by offering voters this new candidate in Troy Jackson as a replacement to Graham Platner?

ANTJUAN SEAWRIGHT, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Yes. I think we can move to a place where Democrats across the country need to be and that's the place of consolidation. Look, politics is a game of addition and multiplication, not subtraction or division. Just because the quarterback has changed does not mean the playbook or the mission has changed. That all remains the same.

The reality is there are 400,000 people who are on Medicaid in the state of Maine, 54,000 who benefit from the ACA tax credit, and another 166,000 who are benefiting from SNAP benefits. Susan Collins has been the orchestrator, if you will, of implementing those cuts. And so Maine and Maine voters are going to hold her accountable and responsible. And I think Democrats have to be the party to amplify what she has done, what she has not done, and what we will do.

WHITFIELD: And, Sawyer, I mean, "The New York Times" is reporting today that Republican Senator Susan Collins has about $60 million reserved for ad time. No Democratic nominee is likely to raise that kind of money within the next four months. Do you see a big national fundraising operation that just might kick in for a Troy Jackson?

SAWYER HACKETT, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST AND CONTENT CREATOR: There will definitely be some national money coming in for Troy Jackson. And yes, we are we're definitely starting behind here. And that's the, you know, the fault of a candidate who had to drop out. But the thing is, I don't think that this race is going to be won by a billionaire stuffed war chest like Susan Collins. I think that this race is going to be won through organic fundraising.

It's going to be won through kind of grassroots fundraising. And I think that that money is going to come in. I mean, ask Sarah Gideon from Maine if money wins Senate races up in that state. I think, you know, Troy Jackson is going to have his introduction to the people of Maine. He's going to have his introduction to the people of the country, to Democrats around the country. And I think he's going to get that grassroots support he needs to compete with Susan Collins.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's broaden this conversation out a little bit, because, Antjuan, you know, our panel of Democrats yesterday revamped the 2028 primary calendar, sparking a whole lot of reaction. And if approved, South Carolina is set to be the party's first nominating contest. But some say a more diverse state should have gone first. How do you see it?

SEAWRIGHT: Well, I'm from South Carolina, and I contend that the road to heaven and the White House runs through South Carolina. The reality is 60 percent of those who cast their vote in the Democratic primary are African-American. That is reflective of the booster cables and batteries that make up the Democratic Party as a whole. And also, I would just add that South Carolina has a unique rural urban suburban makeup and the geographics of South Carolina is very reflective of the terrain ahead.

And then, according to all the research I've read and seen, over 40 percent of enslaved Africans who came to this country came through that Port of Charleston in South Carolina. That means the hands that once picked cotton will now have the first say so in picking the Democratic nominee for president. I think that is a sign of progress. And I commend the rules and bylaws committee for their decision.

And, Fredricka, let me just also say and remind folks, since 1992, every person who's won the South Carolina primary has gone on to be our party's nominee, with one exception. Neighboring son, in 2004, John Edwards, did not win the South Carolina primary, did not win the nomination, but was on the ticket that year. So we have a rich history of being dedicated to this process.

WHITFIELD: And Sawyer, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan, Virginia. I mean, they will also be playing a role in the early nominating process. [15:30:06]

How might this change the influence of the kind of support any Democratic nominee receives?

HACKETT: You know, in 2020, I was the communications director to Secretary Julian Castro's presidential campaign, and he kind of led that charge for changing our nominating calendar way back then. And that was kind of before the debacle that happened in that Iowa caucus in 2020. As a result now it looks like that we're going to have a primary schedule that really does reflect kind of the diversity of both opinion and of race, of culture, of class across the party, across the country.

In this nominating calendar, you have obviously South Carolina, a predominantly black state that -- where Democratic voters are going to have to be able to mobilize black voters in November. We have Nevada up there up front with Latino vote, a very strong Latino voter population, working class population. My home state of Virginia has now entered the fray, which I think is great, a state that's, you know, very highly educated, highly kind of working class as well.

So I think we've really put together a really good schedule for preparing our nominee for what the general election is going to look like. And I'm excited that they're making these changes. I think it's a long time coming.

WHITFIELD: All right. Sawyer Hackett, Antjuan Seawright, great to see you both. Appreciate it.

HACKETT: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, a new front in the war with Iran is threatening to spread through the region. Now Houthi rebels are attacking Saudi installations along the Red Sea. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:35:11]

WHITFIELD: All right. We're following new developments in the Middle East where Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen say they attacked an oil facility in Saudi Arabia. The two sides have exchanged multiple strikes in recent days, raising concerns that a new front has opened up in the war.

With us now is Brett Bruen. He is a former National Security Council and State Department official in the Obama White House, and he's now CEO of public affairs -- a public affairs company Global Situation Room.

Great to see you.

BRENT BRUEN, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL OFFICIAL IN OBAMA WHITE HOUSE: Good to be with you, Fred. WHITFIELD: So are these strikes between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis

now creating among the greatest risks for a regional escalation of this conflict?

BRUEN: Yes. Fred, you know, the really interesting dynamic here is throughout the first five months of the war, Trump essentially viewed this as, you know, he and Netanyahu versus the regime in Tehran. And yet what is starting to unfold is that there are considerable cost consequences for other countries. And, you know, if I'm sitting in Saudi Arabia, my frustration level is reaching a peak point.

I think it's part of the reason, quite frankly, that that supposed nuclear enrichment deal was reached earlier in the week. And then Trump tried to change the terms of it. You know, Trump and quite frankly American taxpayers are going to be on the hook for a lot of both the reconstruction of the region as well as just, you know, obviously, this thing continues to spiral out of control, and we'll have to see where it goes.

WHITFIELD: And now for the first time in about two weeks, there were no reported strikes between the U.S. and Iran overnight. Could a pause in fighting be an opening for diplomacy right now, or is this a more ominous sign, in your view?

BRUEN: It could be. And look, sometimes in these diplomatic negotiations, you want, as a sign of good faith, to say, we will pause for a moment and that ensures that negotiators in Tehran can gain some level of confidence, perhaps get a deal across the line.

But, Fred, we've already seen a deal across the line, and it didn't hold. And I think that has been the real challenge for Trump, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, is how do I get something that is not just strong, but sustainable? And at this moment, you know, and Trump last night was saying, I want all of my demands met. And that just isn't a realistic starting point. And he's obviously been a very mercurial figure, often changing terms, including, as I mentioned, with the deal that he struck with the Saudis.

WHITFIELD: President Trump, he was asked last night, you know, if an exit strategy with Iran is afoot. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: There's a military exit where we just keep going just the way we are, and we can even make it a heavier dose. And it's knocking out everything they have. Or there's a smarter strategy and that's you make a deal. And they want to make a deal. I just don't think they're ready yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So what do you think? Is it Iran isn't ready or as some Iranian leadership said recently that it will not be bullied by the U.S.? So what is happening here?

BRUEN: Well, let me interpret what Trump was saying. You know, he essentially is implying that the U.S. will just continue to bludgeon Iran. And we've seen this show just, you know, recently in the case of Gaza. I do not think that the United States of America wants to be engaged in a conflict in which we are attacking not just civilian infrastructure, it's already happened in the last couple of weeks, but civilians.

[15:40:03]

And Fred, it is important that we level set with what Trump is threatening here. You know, you cannot simply bomb your way to a negotiated deal. And that is where I think Americans, and certainly those in Congress need to start speaking up and reminding that, one, we have laws and those laws, including in war, have to be followed. But also we have values and morals. And at the end of the day, this is just going to generate more support for Tehran amongst other countries, amongst other groups. And that's worrying from a security standpoint.

WHITFIELD: OK. You know, a couple of times in this conversation, you brought up Saudi Arabia, you know, and that deal, the U.S. nuclear, you know, deal or arrangement being made with Saudi Arabia. And I'm wondering, are you -- is it your feeling that this comes out of an appeasement, so to speak? But at the same time, then the president, you know, the next day after it was revealed publicly put a condition in place.

So do you see this as a viable path for Saudi Arabia and the U.S. and this arrangement of nuclear enrichment? Or is there something else going on here?

BRUEN: Well, there is no doubt, Fred, that the regional allies are sending messages to Washington that their economies have been badly hit. There is no Vision 2030 in Saudi Arabia, their big plan for economic growth, with the vision of missiles on the horizon. And so the Saudis, the Emiratis, the Qataris, the Omanis are frantically calling Washington and saying, you are going to owe us for these.

We may not necessarily be seeing that in the public space, but the damage to their economies is so great. and the future prospects, you know, even if we get to a ceasefire or a peace deal, this war has created instability. It's created concern in the Gulf, and that is coming with a considerable cost for those countries.

WHITFIELD: All right. Brett Bruen, great to have you. Thank you so much.

BRUEN: Sure thing.

WHITFIELD: All right. Americans continue to feel the pain at the pump this weekend as the Iran war does drag on. U.S. gas prices remain well over $4 a gallon. And as we have been covering today, Houthi activity in the Red Sea adds to the uncertainty for global oil shipping while the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed. The Iranian backed rebels claim they launched attacks from Yemen against Saudi installations, setting another potential chokepoint for oil exports in the region. CNN's David Goldman has more on the cost of the Iran war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: The Iran war has cost Americans a lot of money. Gasoline alone adding $305 to Americans' expenses over the past five months. Diesel $253 of added expenses. And that is important because everything that goes on a truck costs more. And groceries go on a truck added price for groceries $240 over the course of the war. Transit is also higher because of those gas prices. $110.

Add that to the amount that the average American household has paid during the course of the war. But it's not just gas prices. It is also mortgage rates, right? Because all of those higher gas prices have meant that bond yields have gone higher because they're worried about inflation. That has a direct effect on mortgages. The average mortgage is now $200 a month more expensive than it was before the war. And that is because of those higher interest rates.

Look at this, 6.6 percent now. It was below 6 percent before the war. And that, when you add it into the cost of a $441,000 home, which is the median cost of a home in the United States, that adds up to a lot of money.

Now, that's not the only expense that we have. Remember, we as taxpayers also have to pay for the war. And per household, on average, we are paying $280 for this war. If you make more money, you pay more. If you make a little less, then you pay a little less. But that's the average cost for every single taxpayer. The total is a lot of money, $1400 per American household on average. That is the cost so far for the Iran war.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow. So far, expensive. All right, David Goldman, thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, hundreds of thousands evacuated in France and Spain as devastating wildfires tear through southwest Europe.

[15:45:02]

Details straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. More on the breaking news we first told you about last hour. Wildfires burning in southwest France, forcing more than 200,000 residents and tourists to flee towns in the Bordeaux region.

[15:50:05] French media describing this ongoing massive evacuation as the largest since World War II. Several people can be seen carrying their belongings, children and pets into shelters. Earlier, French authorities deployed an enormous military cargo plane to help battle the wildfires. French officials have mobilized considerable civilian and military resources, including water-carrying helicopters. At least 27 firefighters have been injured fighting these fires.

French President Emmanuel Macron praised the country's unity and thanked allies, including the European Commission, for sending help.

All right, back in this country, Tropical Storm Bertha has come and gone, but the moisture from its remnants is fueling several flood threats across the southeast. The risk for excessive rainfall stretches from Arkansas to the Carolinas as additional moisture lingers from the storm system.

Meteorologist Allison Chinchar takes a look at which areas could be hit the hardest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLSON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: More than 40 million people are under the threat for flooding, mainly across the southeastern region here, as we have that stalled front, bringing rain to many of the same places over and over again. Even through the evening, we're still looking at some of the heaviest rain to be across portions of the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, and even into Tennessee.

Overnight we get that next round that really starts to slide down to the south from Kentucky. It's still going to be around even Sunday morning areas like Asheville, Greenville, Spartanburg, Knoxville, Nashville, and even around Birmingham all looking at the areas to have some shower and thunderstorm activity even early tomorrow morning. By late tomorrow afternoon, we finally start to see things dying back down, giving many of these areas a much needed break from the rain.

Now, some of these areas are dealing with drought conditions. They need the rain. They just don't need too much rain in a short period of time. And for some of these locations, they've already had three to six inches of rain. And now we're adding more on top of it, which is what's going to trigger the potential for flooding.

The other story, this really focused around the central U.S. and out to the west. This is where we're talking about heat, record-breaking heat, and it's actually going to continue to spread eastward in the next couple of days. So take, for example, today, high of 114 in Las Vegas, the normal is about 105. So we're looking at about 10 degrees above average, not just for Las Vegas but also Salt Lake, Denver, even Casper, Wyoming. But that is going to shift eastward in the coming days.

So places like Omaha, Minneapolis, Chicago, St. Louis also going to start to see their temperatures rising as we head into Sunday and Monday of the upcoming week.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Allison Chinchar, thanks so much.

All right, straight ahead, former U.S. senator Ben Sasse shares with CNN how he is choosing to live after a devastating diagnosis. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:57:35]

WHITFIELD: On Friday the president of the United States ordered the National Park Service to install temporary signs near the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The signs will warn visitors of what the White House calls inaccurate information presented in the museum's exhibits. Critics are accusing the Trump administration of trying to rewrite history to promote a more conservative worldview.

The White House controls much of the Smithsonian's funding, and Vice President J.D. Vance serves on its board.

All right. This Sunday on "THE WHOLE STORY," Jake Tapper sits down with former GOP senator Ben Sasse. They talk about how he is choosing life after he was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in December, when doctors told him he had only months left. Sasse talks about the experimental drug that extended his life beyond doctors' expectations.

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BEN SASSE, FORMER REPUBLICAN SENATOR: So I take a super dose of poison by pills at bedtime and it messes you up. So I take them literally five minutes before I get in bed. I start taking morphine about an hour and a half before bed. So I'm getting kind of dizzy, woozy, zonked high. And then right at bedtime, I take my few hundred milligrams of Daraxonrasib.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: It's a pill some are calling a cancer miracle. You see, pancreatic cancer is considered one of the deadliest. Many, like Ben, don't get diagnosed until it has already spread. People are often given just months to live. This drug is extending that to more than a year.

SASSE: Pancreatic cancer has been thought to be undruggable. The oncology community calls it a greasy ball. The molecule that is pancreatic cancer is like a golf ball with hard dimples, but no crevices, no way to get a drug in. All these molecules evidently have a chaperon molecule nearby. And this rock star researcher, who, you know, was one of the co-founders of Revolutions Medicine, had the idea that maybe you find a way to take molecular glue and glue your chaperon molecule to the pancreatic cancer, and you create a crevice, and you lock the drug in there.

And then they experimented with 500 molecules and they found one, this Daraxonrasib drug. And all of a sudden, pancreatic cancer is a little bit responsive.

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WHITFIELD: Wow. I mean, incredible. Watch "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER," "Ben Sasse is Going Home: Lessons on Life and Death" on CNN this Sunday night at 8:00 and streaming the next day on the CNN app.

All right. Thank you so much for being with me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "THE ARENA WITH KASIE HUNT" starts right now.