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Video Shows Arkansas State Trooper Punching Woman During Arrest; Republican Congressman Max Miller Facing New Scrutiny; Los Angeles Lakers Sold; Moderate Wins Wisconsin Gubernatorial Primary; ICE Using Electric Gloves. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired August 12, 2026 - 11:00   ET

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

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Happening now: a shocking tactic. ICE is now handing its officers gloves that give people electric jolts.

Plus, hot-headed and misogynistic? Former classmates described the Max Miller they knew in high school. What a CNN special report has learned about the Ohio congressman's past behavior.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Pamela Brown. Wolf Blitzer has the day off, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BROWN: And we begin this hour with that breaking news.

This week's Democratic primaries offer mixed messages about where the party is headed. In the Wisconsin governor's race, CNN projects that the establishment-backed candidate David Crowley will defeat Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong. An aide tells CNN that Hong called Crowley to concede early this morning.

He will face President Trump's Republican pick, Congressman Tom Tiffany, this fall. And in the Minnesota Senate Democratic primary, CNN's decision desk projects that progressive Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan will beat moderate Congresswoman Angie Craig.

And moving to the Republicans, the South Carolina contest to replace the late Senator Lindsey Graham advances to an August 25th runoff. Graham's sister, Darline, and Congressman Ralph Norman will compete to take on Democrat Annie Andrews.

And President Trump's choice for Minnesota governor, election denier, and MyPillow founder Mike Lindell lost his race. CNN projects that state House Speaker Lisa Demuth will win the GOP nod and face Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar in November. Joining us now to discuss the Wisconsin governor's race is Mary

Spicuzza. She is an investigative political reporter for "The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel."

Great to have you on, Mary.

So I understand you were covering Republican Tom Tiffany's election party last night. We know the GOP was hoping for a Francesca Hong victory in the Democratic primary.

MARY SPICUZZA, "THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL": Yes.

BROWN: How is the Tiffany campaign feeling about facing Crowley instead?

SPICUZZA: After -- as Tom Tiffany was talking to reporters after his speech, he did say that there's not a dime of difference between the candidates and his message will remain the same.

But, clearly, as I was talking to his supporters last night, there was a definite hope that Francesca Hong was going to be the Democratic nominee. They were already talking about her tweets and about Thanksgiving and very much gearing up for a Francesca Hong versus Tom Tiffany race.

So I do think that they're going to be shifting their message a bit, but he said that he will still campaign the same way as he would have.

BROWN: So I want to play some of what David Crowley said during his victory speech. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CROWLEY (D), WISCONSIN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I especially want to thank representative Francesca Hong. Her campaign reminded people across Wisconsin that there are no long shots when it comes to believing in a better future and fighting to expand opportunities to every family.

That kind of passion, it strengthens our democracy. And I look forward to earning their support and everyone who participated in this campaign as we move forward together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Several polls showed Hong handedly beating Crowley. Crowley's win over Hong at this point is narrow, but I'm curious what you've heard from actual voters on the ground there. Did they feel like Crowley had a better shot of beating Tiffany? Just help us better understand the mindset.

SPICUZZA: Yes, well, I'm definitely old enough to remember the 2016 polls in Wisconsin were not exactly accurate. So I think that there were a lot of people who felt like Hong was going to be the nominee, and it was going to be a blowout. And that was definitely not the case. As I was talking to voters

yesterday, there were some Democratic voters who said Crowley has been Milwaukee County executive. He's been in the legislature. He's passed a lot of bills. They just felt like he was -- that it kind of this race is a must-win for Democrats, and they felt like he was their best shot.

That said, there were very highly motivated, I would say a lot of younger Hong supporters who were really do or die for Hong. I do think that a lot of Dems that I talked to after voting said, I voted for Crowley or I voted for Francesca Hong, but many said that, regardless of who the nominee was, they were going to back the Democratic nominee over Tom Tiffany.

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BROWN: So, based on your reporting, how much of this Democratic primary was really about the moderate versus progressive divide for voters? And how much of a role did the endorsement of the outgoing governor, Tony Evers, play in it?

SPICUZZA: This is like a Democratic primary I cannot remember covering.

BROWN: Yes.

SPICUZZA: Like, it was just a roller coaster, honestly.

And we're all very tired here in Wisconsin. I think that there were so many candidates at first. And, at first, like, everyone was playing pretty nice. And then Sara Rodriguez, who was kind of almost going to be the presumed establishment candidate, her race was -- her campaign was derailed by campaign finance problems.

She dropped out of the race. David Crowley, who had suspended his campaign, got back in with the endorsement of Governor Evers. But the polling does show that Governor Evers has been a very popular governor. He polls very well.

And there were definitely voters I talked to who said, I decided to vote for Crowley after Governor Evers endorsed him because I like the governor. And if he thinks Crowley's the best bet, I'm going to go with Crowley.

There was definitely some progressives who were pretty upset with the governor and I think still are, who felt like he was kind of trying to derail Francesca Hong from becoming the nominee. But governors have endorsed in the past, and there were certainly -- he's worked with Crowley in the past on a number of bills, both when Crowley was in the legislature and as Milwaukee County executive.

So he said it's nothing personal about anybody else, but I do feel like Crowley is the best -- in the best position to win. And he also said that he was concerned that Francesca Hong would not beat Tom Tiffany.

BROWN: All right, Mary Spicuzza, we will see how it all plays out for the midterms. Thanks so much.

SPICUZZA: Thanks so much.

BROWN: And new this morning, CNN has learned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and officers soon may be equipped with gloves that deliver electric shocks.

ICE is planning to spend up to $20 million to buy them. The manufacturer says that they are intended to de-escalate encounters.

CNN's Brian Todd is here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Brian, tell us more about these gloves.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, no potential for controversy here, right, Pamela?

BROWN: Yes.

TODD: As Pamela mentioned, ICE is planning to spend $10 million to $20 million for purchasing these gloves.

It is called -- quote -- "The CTG-5 G.L.O.V.E.," and glove is an acronym. You see gloves that are very similar to the ones that they're going to be used. Those are from the company's Web site. G.L.O.V.E. stands for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter.

Now the manufacturer, Compliant Technologies, says these gloves are designed to de-escalate encounters with people. They can deliver a maximum voltage of up to 380 volts at a time. According to the manufacturer, that would -- quote -- "inhibit and distract the subject from performing coordinated muscle movement" -- end quote.

Now, according to the user's manual, no more than two of these gloves should be applied to a person at one time. They should not be used for more than 15 seconds at a time. Company officials and distributors say they can end a struggle in three seconds or less. There is video that we have had that we can show you here.

This is the company president actually demonstrating this on a subject. And, look, he does take him down there in about three seconds or less, and the gentleman there on the ground is a little bit shocked, but he is able to get up.

One of the things -- a couple of things that you have to know about these things, they do not go through hair or clothing. They have to be applied directly to the skin. So that's one of the possible restrictions there of this thing.

And the company is warning that they should not be used on high-risk individuals like pregnant women, elderly people, small children, and severely disabled people. They should not be used for more than 15 seconds.

Yes. BROWN: I mean, how -- in a moment, how would an ICE agent know if

someone had a disability or if a woman was in her first trimester of pregnancy or whatever the case may be?

TODD: Right. You don't know that. That's why this could really be controversial.

And I was also thinking about the Alex Pretti death in January. That's in January in Minnesota, right? He's wearing a lot of clothing. They're wearing a lot of clothing. It wouldn't have necessarily been a factor in that situation.

So, yes, you don't know if a lady is in her first trimester if you're using this thing.

BROWN: Yes.

TODD: You don't necessarily -- you can't necessarily see someone's disability almost immediately if you're using this thing in some cases. So, yes, it is really -- it really does have the potential for being controversial.

It's not clear how many gloves are going to be purchased, how much each glove costs, or when officers are going to start to use them, but ICE officers probably will be using these things before too long, and, as we mentioned, $10 million to $20 million it's going to cost them.

As Pamela and I have been talking about, it is controversial. Two groups, the National Immigration Law Center and the American Civil Liberties Union, have come out expressing criticism of the plan to use these gloves.

Here's a quote from the National Immigration Law Center -- quote -- "This is a rogue agency with an $80 billion slush fund that allows them to concoct and fund new ways to visit cruelty upon our communities." That group calls this disgusting and barbaric.

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But there is a gentleman who monitors the use of these types of devices. John Peters from the Institute for the Prevention of In- Custody Deaths, who said, possibly, possibly this thing could be an effective tool if an officer is getting resistance, Pamela.

And we should say that the Department of Homeland Security and the manufacturer of Compliant Technologies LLC has not responded immediately to our requests for further comment on how these would be used. But you can see clearly there is a potential for misuse here. There's a potential for accidents.

There have already been prosecutions for the use of these things in South Carolina a couple of years ago, their use on inmates. So, again, it's already controversial. But, again, could it possibly de-escalate a situation where an ICE officer or a border protection officer isn't killing someone and instead uses this? Maybe, but, again, very controversial. BROWN: All right, Brian Todd, thanks for bringing us that reporting.

Still ahead: growing calls for an investigation after a state trooper is seen on video slamming and punching an 18-year-old woman during a traffic stop.

And all eyes to the sky, as the world waits to catch a glimpse of the next solar eclipse. We have live team coverage from several watch parties.

You're in THE SITUATION ROOM, and we will be right back.

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BROWN: Breaking news, a major sale: Josh Kushner and Bob Iger are teaming up to buy the Los Angeles Lakers.

Let's go live now to sports anchor Andy Scholes.

Andy, how much money are we talking here?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Pamela, according to ESPN, they're buying it for a valuation of $12.5 billion, which will set a record for a franchise in American pro sports for a sale.

And this was rather surprising. You don't see storied franchises like a Cowboys, a Yankees, or a Lakers change hands very often. The Lakers have now -- will now have been sold twice in a matter of just a year.

Mark Walter, who owns the Dodgers, he bought the Lakers from the Buss family just last year, but now he's turning around and selling them to Josh Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger, the group that they put together.

Kushner and Iger, they put out a statement on buying the Lakers. I will read to you what it said. It says: "As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honored for the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world. We have immense respect for the leadership and vision of Jerry and Jeanie Buss."

Of course, the Buss family used to own the Lakers and ran them for decades.

"Our long-term commitment is to build on that foundation, compete at the highest level, and serve this extraordinary team, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles."

But, as I said, Pamela, this is a rather surprising development considering that the Buss family just sold the Lakers to Mark Walter last year. Walter owns the Dodgers. Him owning the Lakers certainly made sense, and he bought them at that time for $10 billion. So that's kind of a profitable quick flip right there.

BROWN: I'd say.

SCHOLES: Yes, making a couple billion.

But Kushner, he was in that deal, Pamela, to potentially buy equity in the World Cup. Remember, that caused the big uproar with FIFA.

BROWN: Yes.

SCHOLES: I guess maybe the funds freed up because he wasn't going after the World Cup, his capital firm Thrive Capital, and now, hey, look, he's a part owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, which is one of the premier franchises in all of sports.

BROWN: It certainly is.

All right, Andy Scholes, thanks for bringing that to us.

SCHOLES: All right.

BROWN: We will be right back.

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BROWN: Happening now: new CNN reporting about Max Miller. He is the Republican congressman fighting to keep representing Ohio's Seventh District. He's under increased scrutiny since a court filing by his ex-wife.

He happens to be the daughter of Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno. That filing alleges a pattern of violent and unsettling behavior, including accusations that Miller threw hot water on her and pointed a gun at her. Now, Miller has denied all of these allegations and calls them politically motivated.

But now CNN has new reporting on earlier incidents where he was accused of problematic behavior.

CNN investigative reporter Allison Gordon is here. She has been breaking stories about Max Miller all along the way.

And you're taking a closer look, Ali, at Congressman Miller's background. What have you learned?

ALLISON GORDON, CNN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Yes, Pam, you and I have both been reporting on Congressman Miller since these allegations from his ex-wife, Emily Moreno.

But, for this story, I went back in time more than a decade to the period when he was living, growing up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, which is the Cleveland suburb where he's from. So I spoke to more than a half-dozen people that knew him back then.

This included baseball teammates, former classmates, people that overlapped with him socially, and there was a consistent through line in nearly all of my conversations. People told me that he had a short temper, that he could become angry, especially after drinking.

Women I spoke with remembered Miller as misogynistic. They also said that they didn't really want to be close to him as a female. Baseball players on the team told me that, while none of them were perfect, they remember Miller being especially gratuitous about his degradation of women, particularly about their physical appearance, commenting on their weight, and that he could brag about his sexual exploits.

So those are the conversations I had with folks who knew him. But I also combed through dozens of police records and court filings that revealed Miller had a myriad of run-ins with the police in this time period.

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So, between 2011 -- excuse me -- between 2007 and 2011, he had charges for underage drinking, drunk and disorderly conduct, in 2010, punching his hand through a window. He needed to be hospitalized after a night out. In 2011, at Miami of Ohio's college campus, he crashed a car into a light pole, and a subsequent lab test found MDMA and other prescription drugs in his system.

Now, I should note that Miller did not respond to my request for comment for this specific story. But, in 2018, when "The Washington Post" reported on some of these criminal filings, he said -- quote -- "Growing up, everyone makes mistakes. Who I was in the past is not who I am now."

BROWN: There's one allegation, Ali, from his teenage years that really stands out. Tell us more about that.

GORDON: Yes, so this incident has dogged Miller for years. He's repeatedly denied that it ever happened.

The allegation is that he pushed a female classmate down some stairs at a house party after she rejected his advances. So I spoke on the record with someone named River McWilliams. He played baseball with Miller back at Shaker Heights, and he told me that he encountered this young woman at the center of the allegation right after the alleged push happened.

And he told me that she was hysterically crying, couldn't believe what had just happened, and it really shook her and really shook him. And it's a vivid memory for him. He told me that the reason he's coming forward on the record now for the first time is because Miller has repeatedly denied that this ever happened.

Again, he did not respond to my request for comment for this story, but that has been a stance in the past.

BROWN: And so this was when Miller was in high school?

GORDON: According to these folks, yes, around 2006.

BROWN: Around 2006, OK. So I mentioned the allegations from his ex-wife, but she is not the

only woman in the past who has accused Miller of abusive behavior. Tell us more about that.

GORDON: Yes, Pam.

So, as you know, in 2021, Miller's ex-girlfriend who he met while working for Trump -- that was then-Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham -- alleged in an op-ed and also in her memoir that her boyfriend, who was also a White House staffer, was physically abusive.

She did not name Miller, but it was easy enough to deduce that that's who she was talking about. Miller subsequently sued her for defamation for talking about these physical abuse allegations. He later dropped that lawsuit, and she has not spoken publicly about it since.

And, again, Miller did not respond to my request for comment, but, in the past he has denied all allegations of physical abuse.

BROWN: All right, Ali Gordon, really important reporting you're doing. Thank you so much. Great to have you on the show.

Well, happening now: growing concerns about an Arkansas State Trooper body-slamming an 18-year-old woman, then punching her in the face during a traffic stop. There's video of this. According to the incident report, Alisa Hackett was first pulled over for speeding and driving with her hazard lights on.

The trooper says he then decided to arrest her for a bottle of liquor on the passenger seat, and learning that another trooper had given her a verbal warning from similar alcohol possession during a separate traffic stop. This incident quickly escalated. It was caught on the trooper's dashcam video.

And we want to show how it all played out. A quick warning, it is disturbing to watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Place your hands -- yes.

Keep your hands on your trunk, but take like two steps towards me.

(CROSSTALK)

ALISA HACKETT, 18 YEARS OLD: Sir, what did I do?

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... left hand real quick.

(CROSSTALK)

HACKETT: I didn't even do nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, do not resist. Do not resist. HACKETT: I need to call mama.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no. Stop.

(CROSSTALK)

HACKETT: Sir, what am I doing? Oh, no.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop.

HACKETT: (INAUDIBLE) This is illegal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) Eighteen. I don't give a (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Turn around. Turn around!

(CROSSTALK)

HACKETT: This is illegal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn around!

(SCREAMING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn around!

HACKETT: You cannot punch me.

(CRYING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn around.

HACKETT: I need to call my mama.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn around. I will punch you again if you don't (EXPLETIVE DELETED) turn around.

HACKETT: (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn around.

HACKETT: Can I call my mama?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No, we're past.

HACKETT: No, you just punched me in my head.

(CRYING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Joining us now is Jillian Snider, a retired New York City police officer. She's also policy director for criminal justice and civil liberties at the R Street Institute, a Washington think tank.

Jillian, what is your initial reaction watching that? JILLIAN SNIDER, R STREET INSTITUTE: So, again, we're only seeing the

dashcam footage. We're not seeing body-worn camera, because, unfortunately, this agency does not equip their troopers with it, which I find very surprising.

But my initial instinct is that this officer or this trooper did not really use any type of real de-escalation techniques or tactics or even verbal judo, as we call it, trying to calm this person down. Obviously, she was upset. She was being taken out of her car.

But I don't see the officer really using any de-escalation techniques at all.

BROWN: And the trooper warns that he will punch her a second time if she doesn't turn onto her stomach and appears to rest his hand on his stun gun without firing it.

In your view, could either of those actions be justified, particularly when you look at the size difference here?