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DHS Pauses Traffic Stops by ICE Agents After Shootings; CDC Investigates Surge in Cyclosporiasis Cases. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired July 15, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: She's walking up to 4 miles a day and is set to return home to her 11-year-old son later this week.

[06:00:07]

The world's most expensive fossil has been sold in New York. This is Gus, a South Dakota T-Rex skeleton that was sold for over $50 million at Sotheby's on Tuesday.

The skeleton is about 67 million years old.

And that does it for us here on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Brian Abel. CNN THIS MORNING with Audie Cornish starts right now.

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Here is where we start. Two deadly shootings by ICE, zero body cameras in either case. What's going on?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ANGUS KING (I-ME): Police forces all over the country have body cameras. The ICE people should be following the same -- the same regulations and processes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: And the acting attorney general about to get grilled at his confirmation hearing. Could the Epstein files derail the nomination of Todd Blanche.

And thousands more people sick as a stomach parasite spreads to multiple states. Are CDC and FDA cutbacks making it harder to track?

And President Trump will speak about free and fair elections in a prime-time address tomorrow. Is this about past grievances or future control?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: This is a shameful process. It's tragic.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): What you can't have is ICE investigating itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CORNISH: OK. Both of the senators in Maine demanding an unbiased investigation into a fatal ICE shooting. The question is, are they going to get one?

Good morning everybody. I'm Audie Cornish, and I want to talk about the deaths of two men in ICE-involved killings. This is in less than a week.

A source telling CNN, the Department of Homeland Security now directing ICE agents to largely suspend their vehicle stops, because it was one of those kinds of stops which led to the fatal shootings which killed a Mexican immigrant in Texas and a 26-year-old Colombian man in Maine.

The shootings are also sparking outrage in two states where Republicans are trying to defend Senate seats in the midterms. And it puts the president's mass deportation promise back on full display.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People have to realize this is not normal, and it cannot become normal at all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is murder with impunity. And this could be happening to any one of us, any one of us. He's 26 year old with a child. He has a legitimate reason for being here. He had Social Security. It's horrific.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Joining me now in the group chat, Jasmine Wright, White House correspondent at "NOTUS"; Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project; and Antjuan Seawright, Democratic strategist.

So, first, I just want to take a beat for the people who have died so far. We were looking at the list since January of 2025. People who have been in ICE-involved killings related to immigration agents in Maine and Texas, as we just mentioned.

Of course, Alex Pretti and Renee Good during the protests in Minnesota. Back in December, Keith Porter in California; in Texas, Isaias Sanchez Barboza; in Illinois, Silverio Villegas Gonzalez and in Texas last march, Ruben Ray Martinez.

And that comes from the Trace, which is a gun violence archive.

The reason why I want to bring this up is because, when you come into office, you might indeed have a mandate. You might, indeed, be doing something that voters are hoping you will do.

Things can change. Just ask a Newt Gingrich. Just ask, you know, a Biden. There's plenty of people who learn that mandate can quickly turn into overreach.

Where is the Trump administration on understanding its immigration policy impacts on public approval? JASMINE WRIGHT, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, "NOTUS": I think the Trump

administration believes that they are fulfilling their duty to the American people that -- that elected them for this very thing.

The problem is, is that whenever ICE tactics become the conversation in the nation, that puts ICE and DHS on the back foot.

If you remember, Markwayne Mullin promised that he would take DHS and their -- the tactics that they use and the criticism that they were getting out of the national conversation. That was a part of his own mandate when he took over the DHS after Kristi Noem. And you see right now that that is not happening.

And so, this is something that the Trump administration is going to reckon -- or going to have to reckon with, especially as we know that after Minnesota, people's belief that ICE is -- that ICE acts rationally all the time isn't necessarily there.

CORNISH: I want to show you guys just a little more polling. One, the question asked by Marquette University in May, "What is your opinion of immigration and customs enforcement?"

[06:05:04]

So, right now, nationally, we are showing that number 61 percent unfavorable.

I also want to show you, "Do you approve or disapprove of how Trump is handling immigration?" That number right now, disapprove, 55 percent.

Again, if there is this situation where the tactics, every time they surface, become a problem, at what point do you really change the tactics or admit this is not going the way people intended?

ANTJUAN SEAWRIGHT, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: ICE needs to chill.

When the Trump administration came in, they promised to get rid of the bad actors, the violent criminals. Democrats agree with that. We do need to get rid of the bad actors.

The problem is, according to the conservative Cato Institute, 70 percent of those who have been arrested have no -- have no history of criminal convictions. Less than 15 percent have a history of violent -- of violent crimes. That's a problem.

No. 2, Susan Collins is responsible for the budget that funds ICE. That includes the $70 billion in the Big Ugly Bill. And this additional $75 billion, I think, by way of reconciliation.

And so, what Democrats advocated for was some parameters around ICE: body cameras. Most people would agree with that. Let's not invade personal spaces: hospitals, schools, polling locations. Most people agree with that. But yet --

CORNISH: Let me give people an update on that.

SEAWRIGHT: Republicans ignored that.

CORNISH: So much of that fell apart during the government shutdown; the effects of that on transportation and airports. Some of this fell by the wayside.

But to your point, the way Antjuan is talking about Senator Collins, even though she is not the sole reason why ICE funding is what it is, means these votes will be held against Republicans in places where the tide is turning.

We saw that yesterday in our numbers with Latino voters in Texas.

So, what is the counter, other than telling people this is what you wanted? Is there another argument starting to develop in Republican circles about how to talk about the moments when ICE makes a mistake?

TERRY SCHILLING, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN PRINCIPLES PROJECT: Yes. Look, I think this is why both parties support body cameras. This is a -- it's a necessary thing. It gives a lot of clarity to the people on the ground and the rest of America on what these officers are actually dealing with.

I would go further, Antjuan. First of all, I would say you've got to discount anything Cato says about immigration enforcement. They are an open borders organization. They are not conservative. They're libertarian.

But secondly, we have to do this. This is for the safety of our country. It's not just ICE that needs to chill out. People need to stop resisting arrest.

SEAWRIGHT: Wait, wait, wait.

SCHILLING: People need to -- when -- when you get pulled over, you don't have a right to resist arrest. Your resisting comes in the courts, comes in the lawyers.

SEAWRIGHT: Terry -- Terry, respectfully, that's why the body cam cameras matter. Did you -- I don't know if you saw the video, but they drugged this gentleman out of the car and handcuffed him after he was shot dead. That's brutal. That's deadly.

We -- we see these cold-blooded murders in real time. Unfortunately, we've gone so numb to this, to we want to put it back on the individual. ICE needs to be reined in.

CORNISH: Terry, can I ask a question? Is the acknowledgment that vehicle stops are no longer in the policy? They're saying, look, were going to pause on this. Is that an acknowledgment that things are going sideways, that their take is not, well, they're fleeing. So, everybody deal.

They're saying, OK, wait a second. We've got to pause for a minute and figure out what to do.

SCHILLING: I think this is a mistake. I think that -- CORNISH: You think it's a mistake to pause vehicle stops?

SCHILLING: Yes. I think -- I think Mullins is -- is making a big mistake. He's showing weakness here.

Look, the reality is, is that no one likes these headlines more than the Democratic Party of Maine. They just pulled a 2024 maneuver where they replaced the top of the ticket with a new person. We don't even know who that's going to be yet.

CORNISH: I think people remember Platner went through a massive scandal.

SCHILLING: Yes, but -- but Audie --

CORNISH: So, I don't think people think they pulled him. It seems like he imploded on the launch pad.

SCHILLING: Audie, with all due respect, they were defending him up until it was a Democrat. There is --

SEAWRIGHT: Well, there is that thing about Maine, but what about Minnesota? Because, you know --

SCHILLING: What about Minnesota? I was just about to get to Minnesota.

SEAWRIGHT: You all -- you all make these claims about people resisting arrest, et cetera. But yet, the footage comes out to say something differently. And then you want to ignore the reality and the facts that are right in front of your face.

SCHILLING: Check -- first of all, in Minnesota, she tried to run him over with her -- she did hit him with her car.

CORNISH: This actually gets to something about body cameras I think has always been fascinating.

For the last 20 years, especially in the anti-police brutality movement, people have talked about body cams and it has not exonerated. It has not helped victims. It's usually ended up the victims are -- the police involved are exonerated.

So, I don't -- I don't think video solves this problem, because what we have found is people can argue. Good people can disagree on things they see with their own eyes.

You see a body dragged out of the car. Lots of people see that.

And you see a person who resisted arrest and, therefore, led to their own death. I think that this is a little bit of a thing where, is the White House starting to see what Antjuan sees, or are they still seeing what Terry sees?

[06:10:10]

WRIGHT: I think it's a mixture of both, because you saw Tom Homan yesterday say that these stops are only temporary -- temporary, I think in response to what you're hearing from Terry, which is a part of the right saying that we don't want these vehicles to stop.

I think your point on body cameras is also interesting, but you see that as the go-to position of both Republicans and Democrats in Congress. Timing, timing, timing.

CORNISH: Something everyone can agree on;

WRIGHT: It's something they go on. It's something that we've heard them talk about time and time again.

Just yesterday, we heard Angus King from Maine say that they need to focus more on body cameras.

And so, even though people can take what they believe from these videos, that is the position of Congress.

CORNISH: Yes.

WRIGHT: And that is what Congress wants to see. And I think that those two differences are perhaps why people feel that the Democratic [SIC] Party -- or the Republican Party is not being responsive enough when these things happen.

CORNISH: We're going to talk about a couple other things today, because, as we said, this is a shifting story. There's still fallout. There will be, at least, questions from these states, who have learned that they will not get cooperation from ICE in these investigations of what happened.

So, I do think this story will continue. You guys will be able to talk about it.

I want to talk about one other thing today: Todd Blanche, acting attorney general. He's going to have a confirmation hearing. And the question is, will the Epstein files return to the headlines as a result? We're going to have a survivor here to talk about what's at stake.

And then -- I don't know -- no more midnight doom scrolling? A new social media curfew for teens in the U.K.

And that stomach parasite making thousands of people sick. We're going to ask whether cuts to the public health and food safety network are making it harder to contain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:16:22]

CORNISH: It is now 15 minutes past the hour. This is your morning roundup.

Now, one person confirmed dead. Three people are missing after a pontoon boat capsized near Alcatraz Island in San Francisco. Sixteen others were rescued. Most of the people were family members.

Police say this boating accident was the first reported -- was first reported as a fire. Witnesses say that, by the time help reached the boat, the flames were out, but the boat was sinking.

And he's best known pulling off the Miracle on the Hudson. Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger is the pilot who safely landed a plane on the Hudson River in 2009. Now he's announced he's been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's.

Sully says he's sharing his diagnosis to encourage others to speak up about the disease.

And it will be Spain heading to the World Cup final for only the second time in history after defeating tournament favorite France 2- nil on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Olmo. Olmo, the return. Pedro Porro!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Spain is going to face either England or defending champion Argentina in the final on Sunday, and that game will be determined today.

The U.K. planning to introduce an overnight social media curfew for teenagers. That means that they'd be blocked from the sites from midnight to 6 a.m.

It wouldn't be mandatory. The kids could simply opt out by changing their settings, but this is part of the country's announcement last month to ban all social media for those under the age of 16.

Group chat is back. Did anyone watch the game yesterday? Because I did.

SCHILLING: I didn't, I totally missed it.

WRIGHT: We watched it at the office. First of all --

CORNISH: You mean you were working very hard during a day of hearings?

WRIGHT: Tap, tap, tap, watching the TV.

CORNISH: Yes.

WRIGHT: And it was crazy.

CORNISH: Yes, it was an amazing game, I have to say.

SEAWRIGHT: I'm for England.

CORNISH: You are? Pro England?

SEAWRIGHT: Oh, yes.

CORNISH: In July?

SEAWRIGHT: Bellingham. Bellingham. He's a stud.

CORNISH: OK.

SEAWRIGHT: He's a stud.

WRIGHT: OK. I was wondering.

CORNISH: All right. I'm going to talk about something very serious next. The Daylight Savings Time debate. Should "spring forward" be permanent?

And the Trump administration has cut some public health programs. And now there's this fast-spreading stomach parasite.

And good morning to our viewers in Atlanta, where England and Argentina will play today in the World Cup semifinals.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:22:59]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm on day three of this 2026 stomach bug thing. And I just cried because I felt so bad. But genuinely, like, I can't do this another day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not a joke. I'm actually scared to eat anything, and it literally kept me up at night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK, nearly 1,700 cases of cyclosporiasis now confirmed. Thousands of others being investigated. Since May 1, this parasite has reached at least 34 states.

Now, much of the outbreak is in the Midwest, but it has spread coast to coast, and health officials are in the middle of multiple investigations to determine the culprit of the infections.

Michigan seeing the worst of it. Its investigation is leading them to lettuce. They've been warning people to avoid bagged lettuce and pre- mixed salad kits.

So, joining me now Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. That's at the University of Minnesota.

So, you just heard some -- some poor ladies talking about having some rough nights there. What do you think people need to be looking out for? We've heard that you should purchase whole heads of lettuce and peel

the outer layers. We've heard that you've got to wash everything thoroughly and cook it when possible. Any other things we should know?

DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: Yes. Well, I think first of all, Audie, just to put this into some context, don't forget that about 150 million servings of leafy greens occur every day in this country. That's over a billion every week.

And so, what we're talking about here is actually something that is very, very low risk, relative to everyday eating of produce.

Surely in this situation, where you have an outbreak, is you have a very limited hit, meaning that a product comes in; could be from one or two fields. It gets distributed in a very localized area.

For example, we keep talking about a national outbreak. Yet, as of Monday, there were fewer than 300 cases West of the Mississippi. Less than 300. And so, it really has been concentrated in the Detroit, Southeastern Michigan, Northwestern Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia. And it all relates back to what product got served, where.

[06:25:06]

And what's happened, unfortunately, is everyone has condemned leafy greens across the board as being involved. And that's simply just not the case.

CORNISH: So, do you have an opinion on Taco Bell basically saying they're removing some ingredients from their menu, even though, as you said, they haven't heard from health officials about any one specific vegetable that's the problem?

OSTERHOLM: Yes. I think you're going to hear today more information about a linkage to a specific source. I hope that's the case.

I think this outbreak is one that really needs to be re-examined when it's all done, because I think, frankly, we should have had these answers weeks ago and didn't.

And I can't attribute that to any one thing, other than a lack of overall leadership in responding to this.

Yesterday, the CDC put out what was called a health alert network award (ph). And at that point, that's something that should have been sent out four weeks ago, not at the end of this.

I can say right now, I think the outbreak is over. And what I mean by that is this perishable item that came through the food system 4 to 6 weeks ago is gone. It's not there anymore.

People are still sick. We're still going to hear about new cases because they're just now getting diagnosed. And as you heard on the lead-in on the social media commentary we just heard, there are people who are still very sick. The good news is they can be treated. The really also good news is

that leafy greens generally are very safe to eat.

And the thing that I think is most frustrating for someone like me, who's been working on foodborne disease now for over 50 years, including cyclosporiasis, is the fact that we keep talking about how to minimize risk with leafy greens. And most of the stuff, there's no data to support it. Cutting head lettuce, open 2 or 3 leaves. There's no data to support that that makes a difference.

The idea that bagged lettuce is washed may not be as safe as others. In fact, it's much safer.

And so, one of the challenges we've had is just a lot of people are on the air or in print, saying things that they don't know what they're talking about.

CORNISH: Can I ask you a question, then? One of the things that is different right now is we're operating under a food safety system that has been dealt budgetary blows.

So, whether you're talking about 18 percent of the workforce at the USDA being gone.

OSTERHOLM: Yes.

CORNISH: The public health funding that has been cut for state and local monitoring by epidemiologists; whether that's the fact that the mandatory tracking system, as we mentioned, for food surveillance, made cyclospora monitor -- monitoring optional; or even the fact that parasitic diseases --

OSTERHOLM: Yes.

CORNISH: -- the department that tracks parasitic diseases dissolved completely.

I hear you saying that things -- this happens all the time. As a reporter, I am looking at a safety net that looks like it has slightly bigger holes than it used to, and it makes us wonder if this could have been prevented sooner.

OSTERHOLM: Yes, there's a lot of misinformation going around about this right now. Let me tell you, I'm not afraid to be critical of the federal government or even state governments with regard to respond.

But let's be really clear what the changes that occurred at CDC were, were eliminating certain diseases from what would be considered community laboratories. The food net system. These are ten sites where they do much more extensive study.

The way cases get reported to local and state health departments and the CDC is what -- through the national notifiable disease system. That has not changed.

So, this idea that somehow, what changes occurred at CDC basically caused this outbreak not to be well investigated, just simply aren't true.

However, the problem we have is that in the first instance, like politics, all of foodborne disease investigations start at the state and local level.

And today, 94 percent of all the budgets for all 50 state health departments depend on this federal support to achieve that, that level of protection. And right now, we're having challenges at the state and local health department where, in fact, these investigations begin.

So, that is a problem. But it's not what has been made the problem with this food net system. That's just a red herring.

CORNISH: Today there's going to be a new CDC nominee in hearings on Capitol Hill. What do you think she'll be asked about this? Because I -- I have to admit, Dr. Osterholm, there's a couple people in their bathroom somewhere who are not comforted by you saying this is not as big an issue as the media is making it out to be.

OSTERHOLM: Yes.

CORNISH: So, what do you think she will be asked to talk about, this new CDC nominee?

OSTERHOLM: Yes. Well, let me be very clear. I'm not saying this isn't a big issue. Where it's bad, it's bad, but where it's not, it's not.

And I think what's happened is you have heard over and over again, story after story, not isolating these cases.

I mean, has anyone reported on CNN that there have been fewer than 300 cases West of the Mississippi tied to this outbreak? You know, that's a very different picture than what's happening in places like Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky.

So, I'm not minimizing it there.

And I'm also not minimizing the people who are currently sick. Please see a physician. You can treat this disease quite easily. And it's horrible to think of people spending weeks and weeks with this horrible diarrhea. So -- so let's just be really clear.

What we should have been doing is messaging where is the problem?