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Trump Administration Withdraws Iran Oil Wavers; Interview with Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI): Platner Support Collapses After Rape Allegation He Denies; Trump in Turkey for High-Stakes NATO Summit; Argentina Scores Three Straight Goals to Beat Egypt 3-2. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired July 07, 2026 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: This just into CNN. The Trump administration has revoked the temporary oil waivers It issued as part of the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: That's right. The waivers had allowed Iran to sell its oil. CNN White House reporter Adam Cancryn is with us now. We're three weeks into this 60-day agreement and this is a significant development.

ADAM CANCRYN, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, absolutely. I mean, this is just the latest test of what has not really been that long of a big ceasefire agreement. This is a 60-day agreement trying to get towards some kind of a permanent truce between the U.S. and Iran that would kind of finally end this fighting.

This is really the latest complication. And it started with Iran firing on a trio of commercial vessels that were near this critical Strait of Hormuz, which is where a lot of the world's oil travels. And the U.S. has said, President Trump has said in the past, that when Iran does something like that, there will be a level of retaliation.

This is what we're seeing, the retaliation. Now it's economic. This is the big concession that Iran got in the Memorandum of Understanding, this idea that they were now going to be able to sell their oil freely without sanction, a huge boon for them economically.

The Treasury Department today revoking that very abruptly in clear retaliation to these strikes that we saw on the ships earlier today.

SANCHEZ: What do we know about where negotiations stand right now? Because there was some back and forth.

[15:35:00]

And this isn't the first incident of some kinetic action in the Strait of Hormuz, though this is obviously the most serious retaliation so far by the U.S.

CANCRYN: Yes, I mean, officials have told us that the talks have been productive, but we haven't really seen any kind of clear progress toward, you know, what you'd call a bigger, longer term truce. And nobody really kind of thought this would happen this early, but it's still a big test right now.

SANCHEZ: Adam Cancryn, thank you so much for monitoring that.

CANCRYN: Thank you. I appreciate it.

SANCHEZ: Now, back to our top story, the growing pressure for Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner to end his race in Maine after a woman accused him of rape, an accusation that Platner has denied. But as more members of the party now withdraw their endorsements, the so-called path forward for the outsider becoming nearly impossible to see. And Platner's party faces a Monday deadline if they hope to replace him on the ballot in November.

Let's discuss with Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell of Michigan. Congresswoman, thank you so much for being with us. Do you think Graham Platner should drop out?

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): Yes, I do. You know, I'm one of the people that was disturbed by the reports a couple of months ago and said it on CNN. I'm not a voter in Maine.

It wasn't up to me to decide, but I was disturbed by the pattern of what we were hearing. And I have not slept a lot, quite frankly, in the last 24 hours as we are getting new reports that follow a pattern that had already been reported. And I think all of us need to take a deep breath and wonder why once again, when people have the courage to come forward, which they did before, survivors are the ones that aren't believed or get attacked.

What this woman this week that's come forward, it took a great deal of courage. I'm glad to see some of the very people that yelled at me -- and I was yelled at by some people -- have now withdrawn their support. But if I get yelled at for saying, look, I've spent my life fighting sexual violence and domestic violence and I don't vote in Maine, but I can't support somebody who's got a pattern.

Think about what it's like for just somebody who's been assaulted to say something.

SANCHEZ: Can you give us an indication of who is doing the yelling? Because we've seen a number of folks just in this story get called operatives and get accused of having political motivations for coming out and detailing their past with Platner.

DINGELL: You know, I'm going to not give you names because they're people that I have a great deal of respect for as well. But they have said to me, you were right. Your gut was right.

Your instincts were right. He lied to me. I am going to tell you point blank that I -- I'm not even going to give you gender because I've discussed it with people of both genders -- said that they'll never forgive him for lying the way that he did.

And I think a lot of people have been stunned by the continuing pattern of stories. And quite frankly, I am told that there are more. I do talk.

This is a community that I work in and there are other credible reports that people have told me up. I don't spread rumors, so I'm not going to get into that. But it's time we have a sexual predator in the White House that doesn't make it OK for Democrats.

Yes, we need to fight fire with fire, but we've got to have some principles and values that we stand up for.

SANCHEZ: Well, I want to ask you to expand on that, in part because I watched your interview yesterday with Kasie Hunt and something that you said caught my eye. This was after the initial report about Jenny Racicot's allegation came out. Let's watch the soundbite.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DINGELL: I will always be concerned about domestic violence allegations, sexual assault allegations. But also, we got a man in the White House that's a predator, has been convicted of sexual assault and people's lives are being impacted by this every single day. So it's a very complicated situation.

And it is ultimately up to the people in Maine who I suspect he is going to talk to and listen to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: To be clear, Trump was found liable for sexual abuse in a civil trial. He wasn't convicted. There's a legal distinction.

But nevertheless --

DINGELL: OK, you're right.

SANCHEZ: -- I just want to point that out. But I've heard Democrats say, including Virginia Senator Mark Warner, that President Trump set a new standard for behavior. And I wonder if you think that voters, as they gather and decide who is going to represent them, should compare their candidates' moral character to the president's or if they should be judged on their own merits.

[15:40:00]

DINGELL: So I don't think people -- look, I don't want someone of that moral character representing me. I do understand how desperate some people are because they have been hurt terribly by the policies of the last year to have somebody willing to stand up in the Senate and say no to Donald Trump.

But you really have to. It's why I express I would not endorse him in May on CNN. When you ask me about him, you know.

And, you know, when he made the statement yesterday, he said he had to look at the past forward and he acknowledged this is much bigger than him. This isn't about him. It's about the people of Maine having somebody that will stand up and be a voice for them in the United States Senate.

I hope that he is getting the message. I hope he is getting help that he needs. Look, my own father had mental health issues, was a drug addict.

And I lived with that kind of violence. And I wished for him to get better, to get treatment, to get support. But we got to be really careful that when people are denying and saying things are OK, they're not.

And the people of Maine need to have somebody that's going to be able to stand up and be effective for them in the United States Senate.

SANCHEZ: In that regard, if he does drop out, what kind of candidate should take his place? Given the fact that he was elevated in part because he was a rejection of the establishment, right? Do you have a name in mind of someone who represents that that perhaps doesn't have allegations or the sort of history that he does?

DINGELL: I hope it's somebody that doesn't have allegations. And I think that they will be very clear. It's Maine.

These are Maine voters that are determining who they want to represent them. You know, we have a representative government and I hate the word establishment and in what that means. You want somebody who's going to be a fighter, who's not afraid to stand up and stand up and fight for what is right.

And representative government means we've got all kinds of people, all kinds of demographics, all kinds of ages. And the people of Maine are the ones that need to decide who it is that they think will have a voice representing them and that will be effective in the United States Senate.

SANCHEZ: It is notable that the word establishment has become a sort of pejorative in politics now. Congressman, before we go, there was an interview earlier today with Dana Bash and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He brushed off criticism from one of your Michigan colleagues, Senate candidate Haley Stevens, who said that the prime minister has made Jews less safe.

Stevens also drew a contrast in that interview where she said that with her Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, when she was when he was pressed by Kasie Hunt, he said that he would not specifically answer whether he believed that Israel has a right to exist. I just wonder what role you think Israel is going to play in the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan. Where are Michigan voters?

DINGELL: So I want to be very clear. I am someone that believes that Israel has a right to exist. And I am also someone that is horrified by what has happened in Gaza and what is happening in southern Lebanon today.

People do not understand that Israel is trying to turn southern Lebanon into Gaza and the kind of destruction that is going on there. I do think that it is an issue in Michigan, but this state is a very complicated state. We have one of the largest Jewish populations in the country is in Michigan.

And we have one of the largest Arab American populations. And I don't understand the hate that's being directed at either of these communities. That's one of the things that we've got to start to do as a nation to stand up to hate wherever and whenever we see it.

And I think there are a lot of things that are going on in the Mideast right now that disturb a lot of people. I am not a fan of the prime minister. I've made that very, very, very clear.

But I think that we also have to stand up to hate. I do not because it bothers the Jewish community very strongly when people compare anti- Semitism and Islamophobia in the same sentence. Each of these communities is experiencing their own form of hate and people are scared.

There are people whose lives are really being threatened.

[15:45:00]

And I don't like what's happening in the Mideast, coming into my country. And I think we've all got to work together to get peace in the Mideast, to recognize some of the horrific things that are happening on all sides, and hard to get people to stand up to hate, period, when we see it. It's not OK towards anybody.

SANCHEZ: Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, we have to leave the conversation there. Always appreciate your time. Thank you so much.

DINGELL: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Still ahead, President Trump is in Turkey, where NATO leaders are gathering for their annual summit, but he's made it clear he isn't especially happy to be there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Now to Turkey where NATO leaders are gathering for their annual summit. A short time ago, President Trump arrived for a social dinner with other heads of states. Earlier, he criticized European members for not joining his war with Iran, and he refused to rule out withdrawing more U.S. troops from Europe.

[15:50:00]

SANCHEZ: The president also confirmed he's considering selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and express optimism over prospects for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, despite saying that nothing has changed regarding that conflict.

Let's discuss with Daniel Baer. He's a former US ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, currently the interim president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Ambassador, thank you so much for being with us. What would a reduction in U.S. troops in Europe mean right now, especially with the war in Ukraine?

DANIEL BAER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO OSCE: Right now, it would be devastating for Europe if it happened precipitously. And I think that's the Europeans will be focused on. They understand that it's coming.

President Trump has made that clear for some time now. But what they will want out of President Trump is a plan, a focused plan on how that drawdown will proceed and which capabilities will be left on the continent for them to depend on. Because if they know what the U.S. plan is, they can plan to backfill the United States as much as possible.

Without a plan, they're left guessing, and the erratic behavior of this administration over the last 18 months has left them guessing more often than not.

KEILAR: I guess the question is, will this be continued once he leaves office, right? Is this going to be a long-term thing? I mean, we know right now that even though the troop reductions aren't official, they're reviewing them.

The Army Europe Command has been downgraded to a three-star command. So this emphasis is very clear for Trump. Do you see that as persisting for the U.S. position on the issue?

BAER: Yes and no. I think over time there will be a U.S. drawdown that continues beyond this administration. I hope that it will be a planned drawdown and not a complete drawdown so that Europe can remain strategically positioned to defend against threats, to deter Russian attack, et cetera.

That is valuable for the United States. The United States is in Europe not as a charity project, but because it's in the United States national interest to have a strong and secure Europe. They're a huge trading partner.

They support a lot of American jobs. We have a lot of investment in Europe. The Europeans have a lot of investment in the United States.

We don't want Europe to be under threat and we don't want Europe to be at war.

SANCHEZ: Let's play a quick soundbite of President Trump being asked about where the war stands right now. This is at the NATO summit in Turkey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It doesn't affect us. It's really, you know, it's far away. It affects Europe much more.

We're there to help Europe, but it doesn't affect the United States. We have an ocean in between.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: We have an ocean in between. Notably, he also said that both Putin and Zelenskyy want to resolve this. They both want to get it settled now.

This is 11 months after his summit with Putin in Alaska. I mean, is it likely to end soon? Does it affect the United States?

Should there be urgency on the part of the White House?

BAER: There should absolutely be urgency. And one of the things that has happened in the last few months is that President Zelenskyy may not have completely turned the tide on the battlefield, but he has turned the narrative. And one of the things that happened at the beginning of this administration is that President Trump and many of his colleagues came in thinking that it was inevitable that Ukraine was going to lose.

That is increasingly looking like it's not the case. President Trump has an opportunity to change from what looks increasingly like a losing horse in Moscow to a winning horse in Ukraine, which is not only gives him a chance to be on the winning side, but also gives him a chance to do the right thing for Europe, for European security and for the United States. It absolutely affects the United States to have a major war going on in Europe.

Actually, the United States is going to turn out to benefit from supporting Ukraine in the long run because Ukrainians are innovating on the battlefield faster than anywhere else in the world. And in the long run, I suspect that there will be partnerships between the United States and Ukrainian defense innovators that are going to make us more secure here at home.

KEILAR: How do you think Russia has seen this? I'm curious, the CSIS is estimating that Russia suffered 1.4 million casualties. Now, that's astronomical, I think, for a reference point for us as Americans, maybe not for Russians when you consider how many people they lost in World War I and II, but modern day, that is a huge number.

They're currently unable to recruit new troops at the same rate as they're losing them. What position is Putin in?

BAER: Right. They're net negative on the recruitment. I saw there was a study that came out last week that showed that the average life expectancy from recruitment to death is less than a month.

Russian soldiers are lasting less than 30 minutes when they show up on the battlefield. They get so little training. The average lifespan of a recruited Russian soldier is less than that of a fruit fly these days.

President Putin is under enormous pressure. The Ukrainians have shown that they can attack the energy infrastructure at home. There were fuel shortages for the first time, striking for a massive petrochemical producer.

There is pressure on President Putin. If President Trump chose to up the pressure on President Putin, he could actually compel him to come to the bargaining table. I don't expect, going back to your question, I don't expect that we're going to see a resolution to the war this year.

I think President Putin is more dangerous on the way down than on the way up in many respects.

[15:55:00]

He's obviously trying to dig in, but the way to get to the bargaining table sooner is by putting pressure on Moscow.

SANCHEZ: Ambassador Daniel Baer, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

BAER: Thanks for having me.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

Still ahead, Lionel Messi leading Argentina to one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup history, leading to tears here in the studio. Details straight ahead.

KEILAR: We have tissues, though.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: A short time ago, soccer fans witnessed a World Cup comeback for the ages. We witnessed greatness, truly. Argentina, down by two, made three consecutive goals to defeat Egypt.

Fans in Buenos Aires burst into jubilation.

KEILAR: If you heard Boris chuckle, that's because he's rubbing it in because our poor floor director Pablo, huge Cristiano Ronaldo fan, is struggling through this triumph here. Soccer legend Lionel Messi scoring one of the winning points at the game in Atlanta as he tightens his grip on the record for most World Cup goals ever. Now he and his team are headed for the FIFA quarterfinals.

They're aiming for back-to-back World Cup titles.

[16:00:00]

We've just been getting these glares from Pablo, so we thought we'd bring that to you. This is angry Pablo.

SANCHEZ: You won't hear him say much, but you sense the anger in his eyes, sometimes tears. Actually, there was a little bit of noise earlier when Egypt's second goal was revoked over a foul. I heard some rustling.

I heard some angry sounds over there.

KEILAR: It's a feeling. It's a feeling. Pablo, we're there for you, and we're there for "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt, which starts right now.