Return to Transcripts main page

Erin Burnett Outfront

Mad Scramble To Save Blanche; U.S.-Iran War Widens As Egypt Targeted For The First Time; ICE Shooting Witness Speaks Out. Aired 7- 8p ET

Aired July 30, 2026 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:20]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

The breaking news, a mad scramble to save Todd Blanche after Trump threatens to pull the nomination until the GOP holdouts leave office. So, who blinks first, Trump or the Republican senators who have nothing to lose?

Plus, breaking news this hour, a witness to the deadly ICE shooting in Texas speaking out tonight for the first time, saying that the government is, quote, "lying". That exclusive interview coming up this hour.

And the State Department tonight apologizing after incorrectly labeling every single country on a map of Africa. What happened?

Let's go OUTFRONT.

(MUSIC)

BURNETT: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.

And OUTFRONT tonight, we begin with breaking news -- not backing down. Todd Blanche's nomination is going nowhere tonight as Trump and two Republican senators remain deadlocked. Who blinks first in this high- stakes game of chicken is the big question for the country this hour.

Meanwhile, a mad scramble behind the scenes at the White House and on Capitol Hill today. Sources say Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis privately met with Blanche this afternoon, so there was an attempt. At the meeting, we stand lasted a little bit over 45 minutes, and we hear they made progress, but no resolution.

It all comes after Trump threatened to pull Blanche's nomination for attorney general, posting, quote, "Blanche will remain, in any event, as acting. I have no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd's name if they do not do the right thing and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office."

Now, it's a very risky thing to do because, first of all, an acting attorney general doesn't have the same powers and weight as a real attorney general. Plus, who knows what's going to happen when Cornyn and Tillis are out, as they will be because they're not running for reelection or Cornyn lost his effort to do that, right? They may not even control the Senate, so who knows what power Trump would have.

And second, this shows what matters to Trump, right? Because this all comes down to two things which are of personal interest to Trump. Nothing about policy, nothing about the country. This is personal.

Cornyn and Tillis are holding up Blanche's nomination over two things. One, Trump's $1.8 billion so-called slush fund, which is created for his allies, people who say they were unfairly targeted by the DOJ, January 6ers, others, could get that money. They don't like that. They're not alone, but they've said no go.

And the second thing is the tax immunity deal that was part of this. It protects Trump and his family. It's a pretty sweet deal if your last name is Trump. It reads, "The United States is hereby forever barred from prosecuting or pursuing any and all claims, whether presently known or unknown, that as of the effective date of the settlement agreement have been or could have been asserted by defendants."

Now, this obviously matters, right, if you're getting immunity when you consider all of the incredibly in-depth reporting on the Trumps' finances over the past years. And "The New York Times" analysis of Trump's 2020 tax returns, just to take one example, found that this deal could free Trump from a potential $100 million IRS penalty. So yeah, it's a pretty sweet deal if your name is Trump.

And tonight, more Republican senators, Bill Cassidy and Lisa Murkowski, are also committing -- not committing to backing Blanche. And as for Cornyn, he's calling the president out to our Manu Raju.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Does it tell you that they want to move forward with both the Weaponization Fund and give Trump some tax immunity? Does that tell you that?

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): That's what it sounds like. We just wanted to confirm what he already scored to him now that the president's fully funding back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: And Cornyn has reason to worry. Trump has repeatedly said publicly that he loves this fund.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think the Weaponization Fund is a great idea, and so do many other Republicans.

I love it. I think it's so important.

The Weaponization Fund, as far as I'm concerned, was a beautiful thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BURNETT: Love, beauty, a beautiful thing. Trump saying all of that, okay, about how much he loves it and how beautiful it is after Blanche announced the fund was dead under pressure from Republican senators during testimony. All right?

So Blanche knew that senators needed to hear this in order to move forward on his nomination, so he told them what they wanted to hear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL: We're not moving forward with the fund.

We are not moving forward with the fund, period.

We are not moving forward with the fund.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: So, he said it again and again. We are not moving forward with the fund. But it is unclear who the we is, given that the ultimate boss has made it very clear that he loves it and that it's a beautiful thing.

[19:05:04]

And that is -- appears to be exactly the concern that Cornyn has. And even a federal judge has said she doesn't buy the Trump administration's claim that the fund could be dead, saying, "When the president of the United States says he wants something to happen, that's a pretty good indicator there will be an incentive and motive to make it happen." So again, when he says it's a beautiful thing and he loves it, you know what he wants.

And Trump has suggested when it comes to Cornyn and Tillis that it's all about political payback. He says that, quote, "Their political careers have been ended by my action." And that's true for Cornyn. He lost his primary to a Trump-backed opponent after Trump backed Paxton.

And while Cornyn denies that his opposition now has anything to do with revenge for that, he calls it a convenient excuse and says it's certainly not true.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told POLITICO that part of Trump's trouble with the Senate right now is, quote, "The active role he played in some of these primaries."

And Kristen Holmes is OUTFRONT live from the White House.

So, you know, Kristen, an incredible moment where the appointment of an attorney general, a top law enforcement officer in the United States, is coming down to two things that matter personally to the president. What is the latest that you're learning about where the nomination stands and where Trump stands?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, one thing to keep in mind here, Erin, and you kind of laid this out with the idea of the Senate right now being control of by Republicans and we won't know what's going to happen in the future is this idea that Cornyn and Tillis really hold all the cards? President Trump often says that who holds all the cards? Well, Cornyn and Tillis do in this very moment because they are the ones controlling whether or not he can be confirmed.

So, it does seem likely that President Trump and the White House, the DOJ is going to have to cave on at least some of their demands. And I will tell you, there's been so much frustration White House. President Trump saying that he's willing to pull this nomination until Cornyn and Tills are out of office. Well, that doesn't work for a lot of the staffers here who really support Blanche who want him to have this position.

He has expressed that he wants to be in a confirmed official capacity. They want to do that for him. They believe that he is loyal and this is really their only shot that they know that they have when they still control the Senate. There's been a lot of frustration, a lot of finger pointing people saying that the president is not getting the right advice on this that he needs back down in certain various areas, specifically when it comes to that IRS settlement.

And there is another point that I am told has been up for dispute and it is the idea of who is actually named in that IRS settlement. It's not just Trump and his kids, it actually goes on to say that their business entities, anything that they've invested in, all of these kind of loose terms, that there's a lot of concern over on Capitol Hill that that could apply to almost anything.

Think about how many things the Trump kids or the Trump brand is invested in. Does that apply to almost any of these businesses, any of these crypto businesses? They could never go back and look at them.

BURNETT: Right.

HOLMES: So that's been another point of contention.

Now, I will tell you there is a lot of optimism after the meeting between Cornyn Tillis and Blanche. They believe that everyone is on the same there's going to be a deal announced. But of course, right now we're going to wait and see for this to actually take place and see if it's moving in the direction the White House believes it is.

BURNETT: Yeah, which is a -- you know, it is incredible when you think about that audits not being allowed with all of those businesses and all of those deals and how they've been linked potentially perhaps to major foreign policy decisions or deals, right? I mean, to imagine that that would be off the table for the IRS is to be stunning. So, we'll see if there's a deal, what it says about that.

Kristen, thank you so much from the White House.

And I want to go now to Democratic Senator Adam Schiff because he sits on the Judiciary Committee.

Senator, I appreciate your time.

So, do you think that the president is going to get this done, that Senator Cornyn and Senator Tillis are going to back down?

SEN. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Look, they're asking for so little, it's hard to imagine that they're not going to get it. That is, the senators are only asking that Blanche live up to what he testified under oath, that the fund is truly dead, this slush fund for insurrectionists and cop beaters, and that this self-dealing IRS settlement will only apply to Trump, his two kids, and the Trump Organization. Those were the litigants in this supposed litigation.

They are asking for so little. And the fact that the president is willing to walk away from his own attorney general, willing to have the country not have an attorney general unless he gets the full benefit of this corrupt bargain, is striking for the reason you mentioned, and that is the American people have nothing to do with it. He could care less what that might mean to the public. It is always, always about Donald Trump and never about anything else.

BURNETT: So, it sounds like they're saying, okay, if he lives up to his word under oath, so then the fund would be dead if he lives up to his word. So, there's the big if there, given that we know where the president stands.

[19:10:02]

But you're also saying that the negotiation the audits would still leave Trump and his two children in the Trump Organization, which are at the center of so many of these stunning stories about deals, right, and what's being done and what the motive is. That would all still be off the table for the IRS.

SCHIFF: I think that's all that Cornyn is asking for and Tillis is asking for. They're willing to give him that. They're willing to give him all of that, potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars. That is so little, and yet he is so greedy a president.

He wants not just himself, his organization, his two kids. He wants all of their subsidiaries, all of their companies. It could be dozens of corporate entities. He doesn't want the IRS looking into any of them.

And what's more, they're not even insisting -- Cornyn and Tillis are not even insisting that the Justice Department not pay insurrectionists. They're getting paid anyway. The president's cronies are getting paid anyway. Michael Flynn got paid by the Justice Department anyway. There are these private settlements going on anyway. They just wouldn't have this massive fund to do it.

Now, obviously, I think they should be asking for a lot more to earn their votes, like an end to this corrupt IRS settlement, an end to any use of DOJ funds for cop beaters, but that is not what they're asking for.

BURNETT: Well, I mean, it sounds like you're saying you can call it a fund or not call it a fund. If you still get the payout, you still get the payout. I guess --

SCHIFF: Exactly.

BURNETT: -- it seems right that there's going to be a deal, that they're not asking for much, as you said, that he may give them that. But if he doesn't, what does that say to you, Senator, to your point, right, that you have all of that and it's not enough? And are you concerned that if he does fail, that having Blanche as an acting attorney general given that that especially given that the taint on it would really hurt his power and legitimacy and ability to do the job, that Trump could move forward with someone that you believe is less qualified than Todd Blanche.

SCHIFF: Well, we've seen that play with Bill Pulte. You put someone completely unqualified in as the Director of National Intelligence, as the acting director, and it does create a kind of a panic, an urgency to get somebody else who might be unqualified as well, like Jay Clayton, but at least isn't Bill Pulte.

So yeah, they could try that with the Justice Department. But I think what this says is, here's a president who made $2.2 billion or $2.3 billion in his first year as president, and it's still not enough. He wants even more.

And whether it's this sham of a tax deal that gives him hundreds of millions of dollars more, or whether it's this new fiasco where they're going to sell off early access to his Truth Social posts, so that his donors or investors in his private business get a leg up on ordinary Americans who might be investing in the market. It's just one scam after another, but the central core is they all benefit the president financially.

BURNETT: Senator, I was so glad to talk to you about all of this, but then there was something else I was really glad to have you on to talk about tonight, and that's something at the heart of the Democratic Party. We've got a new poll out here at CNN tonight which finds about just over a third, actually, of Democrats now identify as Democratic socialists, 59 percent of them, right? So, 60 percent are younger than the age of 45.

Are you on board with this? Do you see this as, you know, accept this, that this is where your party's going? And are you good with it?

SCHIFF: Look, I think we're a big tent party. I think we should be a big tent party. And I would rather be in that big tent in the majority than be a smaller party that is stuck forever in the minority. And I don't think that most Americans that say they want to associate with the Democratic Socialists of America are buying into what the bylaws of that organization say, which is pretty extreme.

I think they like Mamdani. I think they like some of the other people who are running under that banner. They think they're changemakers. They're attacking the status quo. They're charismatic figures. I think that's what's attracting their interest.

And, for me, the most important thing is, are they willing to challenge a system which is not working for a majority of Americans? Are they willing to do bold things to make the economy work and bring down costs if they are. They can call themselves whatever they like. As far as I'm concerned, they have a place in the Democratic Party.

BURNETT: All right, Senator Schiff, I appreciate your time, and thank you very much.

Next, new details about Iran's supreme leader and the debate among top officials about whether he's even alive. And that's top officials in the region with the best intelligence.

[19:15:01]

And a man who was inside the van where a Houston father was shot dead by ICE is speaking out tonight exclusively to CNN, to us, why he says ICE's version of what happened is false.

And William Shatner and his daughter opening up about battling stage four cancer at the same time and why at age 95, he is not ruling out another crack at playing Captain Kirk.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Breaking news, major fears of the war in Iran widening in a very significant way tonight after a suspected Iranian drone struck an Egyptian port with two ships set on fire as a result of the strike. It is the first time Egypt has been targeted in the war.

[19:20:01]

And no one's actually claimed responsibility yet, but the Iranian foreign minister is now speaking out, claiming that everyone was must, quote, "be vigilant against Israeli plots and false flag operations."

And Saudi Arabia, for the first time in the war, is now joining the U.S. in a strike against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq as President Trump is facing growing anger over his war at home. An anonymous group of artists mocking Trump's handling of the conflict, placing a 10- foot-tall participation trophy in his hometown of New York.

Karim Sadjipour and retired Air Force general -- Colonel Cedric Leighton are with me.

I appreciate both of you.

So, Karim, can we just start with happening here in Egypt, targeted for the first time in the conflict? Obviously, the coded message from Iran is it could be false flag operation of Israel, but what they're saying obviously doesn't mean anything one way or the other. How big is this war getting?

KARIM SADJADPOUR, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, Erin, one of Iran's objectives since the 1979 revolution has been to try to kick America out of the Middle East. And one of the original sins of Lebanese Hezbollah 40 years ago during the Reagan administration was their attack on U.S. Marine barracks, and four months later President Reagan pulled out. We saw a few years ago the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan.

So, certainly, that has been a broad objective of the Iranian regime, and I think they're prepared to go after U.S. forces virtually everywhere in the region now.

BURNETT: I mean, Colonel Leighton, it's an incredible thing to think about this. You know, five months ago, six months ago, to say that Iran was prepared to go after U.S. forces anywhere in the region, nobody would have believed that we'd be here, but yet we are.

How worried are you at this moment that the U.S. and Iran are close to full-blown war again? And I don't even want to use the word again, because it could be much bigger even than what we saw before.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yeah, it certainly could be that way, Erin, and I'm quite concerned. You know, the way in which the Iranians have moved forward and you know, basically use their philosophies that they've been espousing, you know, for those 47 years that Kareem mentioned, it is very, very important to know that the Iranians really do have that goal in mind, and they are basically using better weapon systems than they had before, and that's really the key thing here.

They're getting much closer to being not only more accurate, but to hitting things that are, you know, much more lethal and much more important as far as the U.S. is concerned. The loss of an AWACS plane at Prince Sultan Air Base. You know, those kinds of things become really important, especially when you add them up. And I think the Iranian effort is clearly, you know, designed to kick us out of the region if they can.

BURNETT: So, Karim, it's been 152 days. since the Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was severely injured in the strike that killed his father. He has not been seen in public, not one single time since that strike, not since he became the supreme leader, and not in the weeks prior to that.

OK, so I know you've been talking to people in Iran, people senior leaders of other countries in the region who obviously have the best intelligence there is about this situation, about at this point asking the question again whether he's alive or not. What are you hearing?

SADJADPOUR: So, Erin, not only have we not seen Mojtaba Khamenei, but we haven't even heard a recording of his voice since he was named supreme leader. And this is the most important question and it's a question we don't have the answer to. Who is the most powerful person now in Iran? What is Mojtaba Khamenei's state? Is he even alive?

I've spoken to senior officials in the Gulf who are actually growing skeptical about whether or not he's alive. In Iran, it's a political culture which lionizes what they call living martyrs, people of overcome assassination attempts. And they say, listen, if the guy was injured, it would be a badge of pride for him to appear before the cameras, injured and a wounded warrior.

I know Prime Minister Netanyahu is implying that he's also alive. But what is important and I've heard this from senior U.S. officials they say in their meetings with some of their Iranian counterparts, those Iranian counterparts will actually say, Mojtaba Khamenei is not the most powerful man in Iran right now.

So, as I said, that's the most important question and a question we don't have an answer to.

BURNETT: Yeah.

I mean, Colonel, it is pretty incredible that we can't answer the question of who's the most powerful person in Iran when the U.S. is at war with the country. I mean, it is a stunning situation and hard to really comprehend. But then the other thing that Karim is saying I mean, there's been months of reporting actually, some of it in great detail country. I mean, it's a stunning situation and hard to really comprehend.

But then the other thing that Karim is saying I mean, there's been months of reporting, actually some of it in great detail, Colonel, about, well, Mojtaba Khamenei is severely injured and his face was disfigured and that's why he's not in public, and they've got all these couriers going back and forth to give him information.

[19:25:11]

I mean, what does it say to you that even senior people in the region are now having the conversation again about whether any of that's even true and whether he's even alive?

LEIGHTON: Yes, certainly it points to a real opaqueness within the Iranian system. And I think what you're looking at here is, you know, there is possible -- it's quite possibly true that he may no longer be among us. for Mojtaba Khamenei is not among us, then it tends to lead one to believe that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps or, you know, force that is aligned with the IRGC is actually running things.

And if it's a collective leadership, then it becomes important from an intelligence perspective to know who those people are and whether or not they can be divided.

BURNETT: Right.

LEIGHTON: If there's any division among them, you know where they don't agree on certain matters, but failing knowing that, you know, if you don't know that, then it becomes really a critical element, really a blank space within our intelligence picture at the moment.

BURNETT: And of course, to put the obvious on it, it's ridiculous to talk about doing a major, major deal to end a war with a country when you actually don't know who you're talking to, which some of this administration at the highest levels had admitted they don't know for sure. But this is really stunning.

Karim, I want to ask you about one other thing. I mentioned at the top of the program something from the State Department today, that they're blaming an unfortunate error, in their words, on their use of a map that mislabeled every country that they listed on a map of Africa. We're showing it here. So, every one of them that they listed was incorrect. It was shown during a conference in Brazil.

Karim, what's your reaction to that? Obviously, coming at a conference represented by the U.S. State Department to get this wrong.

SADJADPOUR: Well, and it's no secret that this is an administration which has a profound distrust of subject matter experts and longtime civil servants. And when you gut the country's major institutions of those subject matter experts and longtime civil servants, unfortunately you're going to see profound mistakes like that, whether it's in a war with Iran or when it comes to expertise on Africa.

BURNETT: Yes, really sobering to see that.

Thank you both very much. I appreciate your time tonight.

And next, a witness to the fatal ICE shooting of a father in Houston, speaking out for the very first time. This is an exclusive interview here OUTFRONT. What did he actually see inside the van when the agent fired his gun?

And one of America's top election forecasters, Larry Sabato, just moving 13 House races toward Democrats. He joins us tonight to share his new predictions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:32:31]

BURNETT: Breaking news, a witness to the fatal ICE shooting of a Texas man tonight breaking his silence. Jose Trinidad was inside Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's van when he was shot and killed by an agent earlier this month. The two men, along with two others, were on their way to work for 7:00 a.m. that morning at a work site. Now, after spending weeks in ICE detention, Jose is speaking out in detail publicly for the first time about what he saw with his own eyes that morning. He says the government is not telling the truth.

And Ed Lavandera is OUTFRONT with this OUTFRONT exclusive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSE TRINIDAD ROJAS PLIEGO, KEY WITNESS IN TEXAS SHOOTING (translated): I feel a bit traumatized or something like that. I'm sad about what happened, and especially about what I saw, since I was the one who witnessed it all.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jose Trinidad says things will never be the same, that he's traumatized by the shooting because he saw it all. The 52-year-old construction worker witnessed the final moments of Lorenzo Salgado's life from inside the van driven by the man he simply called El Patron, the boss.

It was just before 7:00 a.m. on July 7th when ICE officers in unmarked cars started pursuing the four-man crew of construction workers in East Houston. Trinidad says he was sitting a few feet behind Salgado in the van.

Jose tells me during the pursuit, he heard the men up front say they were being chased by ICE officers. Videos show ICE officers pursuing Salgado's van in unmarked cars, at one point racing past the van on Canal Street. The last video shows ICE officers taking the three other men into custody and Salgado on the ground handcuffed just after being shot.

LAVANDERA: When the officer shot, where was he standing?

TRINIDAD: On the side.

LAVANDERA (translated): Who's side?

TRINIDAD: Of his brother.

LAVANDERA: On the passenger side?

TRINIDAD: The passenger side.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Trinidad says the ICE officer shot Salgado through the passenger window.

The Department of Homeland Security says during the chase, Salgado attempted to evade arrest, then weaponized his vehicle and tried to run over an ICE officer. And that's when an agent opened fire in self- defense.

TRINIDAD: That's a lie.

LAVANDERA: That's a lie?

TRINIDAD: Yes.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Trinidad says the DHS statement is a lie. There are no known videos that capture the moment of the shooting. The ICE officers were not wearing body cameras.

Trinidad says ICE agents were never in front of or behind the van and that Lorenzo was about to turn himself over to the officers.

The three men with Salgado inside the van have been in custody since the shooting, but this week a judge ordered Trinidad's release and this is the first time he's spoken publicly in detail about what happened.

[19:35:08]

After his release, Trinidad paid tribute to his friend at the memorial honoring Lorenzo Salgado on Canal Street and then prayed at his friend's gravesite.

Jose Trinidad says he and the other men in the van were simply going to work and that he's speaking out in hopes of getting Lorenzo Salgado and his family justice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: I mean, Ed, incredibly direct there when he calls the government's version a lie. I mean, but it's also, you talk about the date. This was July 7th when this happened. And here we are almost in August, the last days of July. Jose just able to speak to you, right? He had been detained in detention.

What is the latest on his immigration status and government efforts to hold him or deport him?

LAVANDERA: Well, he still remains in potential deportation removal proceedings it's not clear exactly when there might be some movement on that if at all his lawyers are trying to get him a visa as There are special visas for witnesses of crimes here in the U.S., so they're trying to get him that visa.

But there are terms to his release. He has to wear an ankle monitor. He has to check in with ICE regularly. He is not allowed to work in the U.S. legally. So those are some, you know, pretty serious implications for him.

The other two men that were in the van, Erin, they remain in immigration custody as well.

We should also point out we reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to respond to those allegations that their versions of events is a lie. The DHS this afternoon referred all of our questions to the FBI, which is still investigating the shooting -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right, Ed Lavandera, thank you very much.

And I want to go OUTFRONT now to Juan Proano, the CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens. He's been working closely with the Araujo family.

And viewers who've been following this story with us, of course, Juan, know you.

So, you know, you hear this interview with Jose, finally able to speak out, right? It's been almost a month in custody. And he says that the version that they try to weaponize the van is a lie, that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo did not try to evade arrest. He had details saying that they shot him through the passenger side. You know, he was obviously there and he had those details.

What's your reaction to hearing all of this?

JUAN PROANO, LULAC CEO, SUPPORTING ARAUJO'S FAMILY: Well, thank you, Erin. It's the first time that we've heard from anyone that has any actual -- you know, eyewitness testimony. And we've said all along that we don't believe ICE, and then we don't believe DHS's versions of the story. And this really confirms what we have thought and known all along.

BURNETT: I mean, obviously. Jose could have said what the government wanted him to say, right? He could have said their version was true. He's got a lot at stake, right? They've had him in custody. They're trying to deport him.

But he's not. He's speaking out. He's saying what he saw.

What do you think this means for him? They've been trying to get him back into custody. Ed was talking about the deportation proceedings in progress. What do you think will happen here?

PROANO: Well, I had a chance to speak with him when he was released the same day. He said it didn't matter what happened to him, that he wanted justice for Lorenzo and that he would continue to speak out.

And so, you know, obviously we have a lot of concern for him and the legal jeopardy that he's currently in, but we feel confident that, you know, he should remain out of detention, that he needs to be a witness in this case and for as long as the investigation is ongoing. It really is a testament to his courage.

BURNETT: I mean, it is, the fact that he's even choosing to, right? I mean, there's going along with the government story. There's also just trying to keep your head low and say nothing.

But he's choosing the third path, right? He's choosing to say what he saw that is the opposite of what they say.

You know, I spoke to Lorenzo's son days after the shooting, and you know, you remember the conversation, Juan, but he talked about how he knew that his father was not aware that these were ICE vehicles trailing him. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALDO SALGADO, FATHER SHOT AND KILLED BY ICE: We have spoken as a family time and time again what my dad should do in the case that he did get detained by ICE. I know my dad would have stopped had ICE agents formally and clearly identify themselves at least through their vehicle markings. My dad would have stopped and complied because he knew that there was a process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Obviously, that fits with exactly what we just heard from Jose. Now, Lorenzo's brother, Victor, was also in the van. He's another person that was there. He also said that they didn't know that those were ICE vehicles, that they didn't know they were following them.

But he is still being detained tonight. We haven't heard from him. He's still being detained. Again, July 7th is when this happened. Have you learned anything about his situation?

[19:40:04]

PROANO: We've been in very close contact with Ruby Powers, his attorney, also with the district attorney. Those three men filed the same exact petitions at the same time, but they have three different judges. And so that obviously complicates the process. Our intention and our hope that he will be released very, very soon.

But the fact of the matter is, is that these individuals are witnesses to a crime. They're witnesses to a murder, and there has to be some accountability, and we're going to continue to fight for that accountability and justice for Lorenzo.

BURNETT: Juan, thank you. I'm glad to see you again. Thank you for your time tonight.

PROANO: Thank you, Erin.

BURNETT: And next, a brand-new poll from Fox News tonight has a Democrat leading in a surprising race as a top election forecaster moves several key races in the Democrat's favor tonight. He's with me next.

And RFK, Jr., someone who has said he has a freezer full of roadkill, is launching a cooking show. We'll tell you about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:45:38]

BURNETT: Tonight, a slew of new polls and projections painting a startling picture for Republicans. A new Fox News poll just out has Democrat James Talarico leading Republican Ken Paxton in Texas, 51 to 48. Again, that's the Texas Senate race.

Trump won the state by nearly 14 percentage points in 2024. Hard to imagine the poll might have been this close with John Cornyn. But Trump backed Paxton, and this is the result right now we'll see as these polls move, because key races across the country right now are moving in polls in favor of the Democrats.

This is according to one of the nation's top election forecasters, Larry Sabato. He is shifting his projections for the midterms further away from the Republicans in one must-win Senate race and 13 House races.

And Larry Sabato is OUTFRONT now. He is the editor-in-chief and director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. and, of course, the man behind Sabado's crystal ball.

So, Larry, I'm glad to talk to you. OK, so I gave the headline here. You're moving a Senate race, 13 House races. Let's talk about, though, Georgia, where you have moved Jon Ossoff's seat from leans Democratic to likely Democratic.

Now, that's a significant shift in a state that used to be red and is now arguably purple -- purplish red. How much of this is about Trump?

LARRY SABATO, FOUNDER & DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CENTER FOR POLITICS: A great deal. Of course, issues are important, too, but Trump links to the disaster of the Iran war, the disaster of affordability and inflation, as well as the disaster that will be developing for a long time on corruption and greed. You put all that together and Donald Trump has many parts, all of them negative for at least Democrats and independents, if not Republicans.

BURNETT: OK, so then let's talk about some of these House races. I mentioned 13 altogether, but five of them you moved from lean Republican to toss-up, which is a pretty significant move. And every one of those five, Larry, are incumbents: Kathy Castor in Florida, Don Davis in North Carolina, Chuck Edwards in North Carolina, Mike Lawler in New York, Rob Bresnahan in Pennsylvania.

So, what's driving this huge shift that you're seeing?

SABATO: Well, this is what you normally see in a midterm election. As you get closer to Election Day and we're 90 some days away, so it's not that far away, some of the undecided start to make a decision. Some of the weak party identifiers, though we have a lot fewer of them these days than we used to, they start peeling off either deciding not to vote because they're conflicted or moving to the other party.

Interestingly, you know, we all look at that generic ballot, Erin, we look at that ballot to see which party is ahead generally, and Democrats have moved up from four or five points there at six or seven. In some cases, eight, one even had in a 10.

BURNETT: Yeah.

SABATO: That normally happens for the winning party and it continues to Election Day.

BURNETT: So let me ask you about this poll that just came in here while we were talking in the past few minutes from Fox, Larry. The Republican Senate candidate, Ken Paxton, is now trailing the Democrat James Talarico in Texas, OK? Texas. This is the first public poll where either candidate has hit the 50 percent mark, OK?

It's Texas. It's an incredible thing to see this. It's also the end of July. Where do you see that race going?

SABATO: I'm like all the other election analysts, Erin, and I've -- I've been around a long time and since 1994, I've gotten call after call virtually every day from Texans and politics on the Democratic side saying this is the year we're finally going to do it. But you know what? I'm starting to believe it's actually possible this year, not just because James Talarico is a great candidate, which he is.

But Paxton is so awful and I'm sorry to use that word, but you know we used to have a word, a flaunter, meaning he's a center who flaunts the sin and that pretty much has been the way Paxton has conducted his public career. A lot of these donors won't touch him. Notice he's not doing well at all raising money. It's because they have family and friends and businesses to protect, and they really don't want to identify themselves publicly with a candidate who has Paxton's record.

BURNETT: All right, Larry, thank you very much.

[19:50:00]

I appreciate your time, as always. And also tonight, amid a growing parasite outbreak causing explosive

diarrhea, HHS Secretary RFK Jr. is hosting a cooking show. It's called "The Real Food Show" and will feature celebrity chefs with the goal of promoting, quote, affordable, budget-friendly recipes and easy cooking techniques designed to save you time and money. They don't talk about whether shredded lettuce is in there.

The first episode, though, dropped on Kennedy's YouTube channel today. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR., HHS SECRETARY: Hi, I'm Robert F. Kennedy Jr., your HHS secretary. Welcome to the Real Food Show. Thanks to President Trump, we flipped the food pyramid and put real food back where it belongs at the center of the American plate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: America's top health official announced the show in an exclusive interview today with "USA Today", where he was asked about the most exotic food he's eaten. His response, I will literally eat anything because I don't have a gag reflex. This from the man who told reporters in 2024, quote, "I've been picking up roadkill my whole life. I have a freezer full of it." A spokesperson later confirmed or clarified, I'm sorry, that RFK Jr. doesn't eat the roadkill himself. He feeds it to the birds of prey that he keeps his pets.

America's top health official -- well, we'll see what his priorities are since he's choosing a cooking show right now.

OUTFRONT next, an interview with William Shatner and his daughter. They're opening up to CNN about battling stage four cancer at the same time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIE SHATNER GRETSCH, ACTOR, CO-HOST "NO TIME BUT NOW" PODCAST: I just thought, I don't think I can survive losing him. Like, I think I'll just, it'll be too much for me and I'll die too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:56:17]

BURNETT: Tonight, William Shatner not ruling out another run as Captain Kirk. The 95-year-old "Star Trek" legend vowing to live life to the fullest after he and his daughter were diagnosed with stage four cancer at the exact same time.

Both Shatners are now cancer-free and opening up about their story.

Elex Michaelson is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This idea of both of you getting stage 4 cancer at the same time.

WILLIAM SHATNER, ACTOR, CO-HOST "NO TIME BUT NOW" PODCAST: Yeah, I thought it was a brilliant idea.

GRETSCH: I know, we were really clever.

(LAUGHTER)

MICHAELSON (voice-over): William Shatner fought aliens as Captain Kirk on "Star Trek".

SHATNER: Where are the triple.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Fought criminals as T.J. Hooker.

SHATNER: Let's take a ride downtown.

SHATNER: Oh, please.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): And fought courtroom battles as Denny Crane on "Boston Legal".

SHATNER: It was an accident.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): But in real life, he fought stage four skin cancer while his daughter Melanie was battling stage four breast cancer.

MICHAELSON: Who was first?

You were first.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Melanie self-discovered a lump on her breast. At first, doctors said it was fine, but she insisted. They recheck it.

GRETSCH: Under her breath, she said now I would have missed that.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): While Melanie was sick, her dad asked a doctor to check out a lump on his neck.

SHATNER: Anything put his hands on his. You better get this out.

GRETSCH: I just thought I don't think I can survive losing him, like I think I'll just -- it'll be too much for me and I'll die too.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Doctors removed Shatner's mass and gave him immunotherapy.

SHATNER: One day a year or two ago, my oncologist said, you're free.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Melanie's treatment, a double mastectomy, six rounds of chemo, 30 rounds of radiation, and a year of immunotherapy. She's now in remission.

SHATNER: Just a few years ago, both diagnosis would have been pack your bags and get ready to die.

Here's her story.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Father and daughter are now talking about their journeys in their new podcast, "No Time But Now".

SHATNER: There's no time but now to lead your life.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): The podcast has meant quality family time for the father of three daughters. Melanie was born two years before the debut of "Star Trek" on NBC in 1966.

MICHAELSON: Star Trek is 60 years old. How do you think about that?

GRETSCH: That's so old.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So these are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.

SHATNER: It's a phenomenon, right? It's a phenomenon that I have discounted from time to time.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Shatner's upcoming book, "William Shatner And You", is about how his roles changed the lives of his fans, something that makes him emotional to think about.

SHATNER: So many people have come up to me and said I -- I am this because of you.

SHATNER: Once again, we've saved civilization as we know it.

MICHAELSON: To me, "Star Trek" more than anything is about an exploration of what it means to be human. Do you think that as well?

SHATNER: That's beautifully put, and I agree with that.

SHATNER: I'm from Iowa. I only work in outer space.

MICHAELSON: Would you play Kirk again?

SHATNER: Depends on the story.

MICHAELSON: What are you most excited about in the future?

SHATNER: My heavy metal.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): That's right, Shatner is performing heavy metal music for the first time.

SHATNER: I'm beginning to get it. It isn't so much, when do I come in? It's I got to feel the music and then come in with the lyrics.

MICHAELSON: Yeah. SHATNER: And it's all about passion.

GRETSCH: Rage.

MICHAELSON: Did you see your dad as a heavy metal star?

GRETSCH: No, I missed that one.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): His band said to play at Riot Fest in Chicago this fall and then --

SHATNER: And I'm doing the one in the desert in spring.

GRETSCH: Oh god.

MICHAELSON: The one -- you're doing Coachella?

GRETSCH: Coachella.

MICHAELSON: You're going to do Coachella? Half playing, half playing at a -- playing heavy metal.

GRETSCH: My daughter was like, there's not Coachella.

SHATNER: It's frightening.

MICHAELSON: Is that the secret though, to be excited about the future?

SHATNER: You got to be.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Elex Michaelson, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: Okay, who is not awed and inspired by both of them? Wow, what a story.

Thanks so much to Elex and to all of you for joining us.

"AC360" starts now.