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Trump Says Iran Ceasefire is Over, Calls Iran Scum at NATO Summit; Maine Democrats Say, Platner's Team Trying to Influence Replacement Search; Crews Race to Stabilize New York City High-Rise With Buckled Structural Columns. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired July 08, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Ceasefire over. That is what President Trump just declared when it comes to Iran, and after ordering a new wave of strikes while he was attending the NATO summit. So, what now?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, Graham Platner is still officially running for Senate, and Maine Democrats say they're furious. He's trying to influence who replaces him if and when he drops out. A second woman now on camera accusing him of violent behavior.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: It's stable for now, but crews are still working to reinforce a Manhattan high-rise after some of its structural columns buckled, fueling fears of a partial collapse. We're on the scene as workers race to try to find a permanent fix.

I'm Sara Sidner with John Berman and Kate Bolduan, this is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: All right. Let's get to the breaking news. Already this morning, President Trump just a short time ago, hours ago, declared that, in his view, the U.S. ceasefire with Iran is over after the two countries traded a barrage of new strikes in just the last 24 hours. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Is the ceasefire done? Is the MOU dead?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: That's a very interesting question. To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum. You know what scum is? They're scum. They're sick people. They're led by sick people. And they're vicious, violent people. And if they had a nuclear weapon, they'd use it. As far as I'm concerned, it's over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: The memorandum of understanding between the two countries apparently collapsing now as President Trump attends the NATO summit in Turkey. The president has also now re-imposed sanctions on Iranian oil sales. That's a key reversal of a big concession that was part of the latest ceasefire. It was part of this memorandum of understanding. Trump also called the negotiations with Iran a waste of time.

Overnight, there were large explosions and fires seen at multiple ports in Iran. Those strikes are said to be the U.S. response to Iran launching a series of attacks on commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz this week.

Let's get to CNN's Kristen Holmes. She's live in Turkey for us, following the president's travels. Kristen, what are you learning about this right now?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I mean, Kate, President Trump was incredibly angry. He was only meant to do some welcome remarks coming into NATO, and you saw him completely let loose. Part of what he seems to be angry about is this idea that the United States gave some space to the Iranians so that they would be attending the supreme leader's funeral, and then instead they were striking these commercial vessels.

So, now you have him saying that he believes the MOU is over, but he did leave the door open for potential negotiations, which is making a lot of this much murkier. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They want to negotiate. They're good people, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, but they have to come back to me. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them. They're liars.

They're bad people. And, frankly, I don't want to waste my time with them.

Now, I'll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don't see it. I don't like these people, you know that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And later, he called them lying guys. He said they were a cancer that needed to be cut out. They were evil and sick.

And you can just see this escalation from President Trump, who really has had this war in Iran hanging over most of his presidency now for much longer than he anticipated.

BOLDUAN: Kristen, also a lot of the focus today was supposed to be, and maybe still will be, on an important meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. What are you hearing about this now?

HOLMES: I find it hard to believe that that's going to be a main focus, but they are going to have this bilateral meeting. President Trump has already railed against NATO, saying that they don't contribute enough, saying that they believe that these other countries need to be giving more, including to Ukraine. Now, European leaders had hoped that this bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy, that talking about re-upping a ceasefire and peace plan, an end to the war with Russia and Ukraine, would be a point of unity, a place where they could really get through with President Trump or at least start those conversations again.

[07:05:01]

Obviously now, what we saw last night and the last several hours is going to hang over all of this. We know Zelenskyy has said he needs more air defenses, and President Trump, for the fact that he has talked to both Putin and Zelenskyy, for the fact that he sounds optimistic about ending the war, he says both of them want an end to it, the White House has not confirmed to me what, if anything, the United States is willing to agree to when it comes to Zelenskyy and providing any support.

BOLDUAN: A key detail is right there, Kristen. It's great to see you. Thank you so much. John?

BERMAN: All right. This morning, Maine Democrats say they're furious that still-candidate Graham Platner is trying to influence the choice of his possible replacement if or when he drops out of the Senate race. Under state law, Platner has just five days to quit or his name stays on the November ballot.

Now, a second former girlfriend is speaking to CNN to describe disturbing and violent behavior just a day after a different woman said he raped her while intoxicated. Platner strongly denies the allegations.

Now, his support has evaporated, including from his most prominent backer, Bernie Sanders, who now says Platner should step aside.

Let's go to Maine. CNN's Arlette Saenz in Portland this morning with the very latest in this sort of back and forth between Platner and Maine Democrats about what happens next.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. There's really been this power struggle playing out, but it's been more than 36 hours since Graham Platner said that he would reflect on the state of his campaign following that allegation of rape, which he denied, that really has shaken up this race. And just yesterday, our colleague, Jake Tapper, spoke with another woman, Lyndsey Fifield, who described violent behavior and mistreatment when she dated Platner in the past. Take a listen to that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LYNDSEY FIFIELD, PLATNER ACCUSER: This is a man who is so hostile to the feelings of women, and he is disgusted by any show of emotion.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: When Jenny told her story, what, if anything, aligned with your experiences?

FIFIELD: The eyes. It was almost like looking at like a pit bull, where they just -- there's -- it's nothing, but not just nothing, but like a capacity for violence, and you see it. And you know it's there, and it's terrifying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, the Platner campaign in a statement said that Fifield's allegations were, quote, categorically false, and said they came from a person with a well-documented political agenda.

But it's allegations like this that have caused so much angst for Democrats in Washington and here in Maine, and have really placed Platner on this political island by himself. He's lost the support of prominent backers, including Senator Bernie Sanders, who said that he spoke with Platner and recommended he step aside in this moment. And we spoke to many Maine voters who were very disappointed in these allegations and believe that now is the moment for his -- him to end his campaign.

But we are also behind the scenes hearing about a very messy battle about what the potential process to replacement -- to replace Platner might look like. Last night, the Maine Democratic Party, which has called for Platner to step aside, its executive director released a video saying that Platner's team repeatedly had reached out and was trying to put their thumb on the scale of how this nominating process would play out. They said that they made clear to the Platner team that they would have no involvement in selecting the nominee or laying out how this process would look.

The Platner campaign has pushed back, saying that they had simply reached out to learn more about the process, and that while Platner does not want to be involved, he does want to make sure that the voters here in Maine will have the chance to pick a potential nominee, not the establishment, here in the state.

So, there's a lot of messy politics going on between the Democratic Party in Maine and Platner. But for now, there are many who still believe that he needs to step aside in this moment.

BERMAN: It seems like almost all national Democrats think he needs to step aside, and it's just a matter of how much leverage he actually has with the Maine party telling him, you've got none.

Arlette Saenz in Portland this morning, thank you very much. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, John.

Ahead, crews have been working through the night to stabilize a high- rise building in Midtown Manhattan after warnings of a possible collapse. You can see why there. Look at those beams buckling like they're cigarettes.

All right, plus, brand-new surveillance video from the day Charlie Kirk was shot, tracking the movements of the man accused of murdering him. The evidence just introduced in court and what it means for the case going forward.

Also, a 737 cargo jet has gone missing, suddenly disappearing from flight radar. What we know about this aircraft.

Those stories and more ahead.

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[07:10:00]

SIDNER: I was so annoyed about this story, I forgot to put my drink down. Anyway, breaking overnight, crews in Midtown Manhattan working through the night, rushing to shore up a high-rise building after warnings of a possible collapse in one of the busiest, most crowded parts of New York City.

So far, officials say this morning they're confident that newly added temporary beams have helped stabilize this building. But look at how the old beams have buckled. It's crazy. We're standing by for an update.

Now, crews have been working to add 19 floors to the existing ten- storey building. You can see here a before and after. Look at that, how it changed.

Now, they were also renovating a neighboring tower as part of a project to turn a former office into an apartment complex. Now, the entire project is halted, and nearby buildings remain evacuated.

[07:15:02]

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is on the scene. Gloria, something about this is so frustrating when you can scene. Gloria, something about this is so frustrating when you consider how many inspections it takes to do anything in this town, and then to see something this dangerous and have all these people evacuated. What are you learning, because I know you were able to ask the mayor a question as well?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And I would say, Sara, that that is one of the primary concerns that the city is in the process of investigating, that, you know, this was not just any little, old building that was going through a renovation here in New York City. We're talking about a major skyscraper in the middle of Midtown Manhattan that was undergoing a major renovating process.

And the question is whether or not any of the construction practices that were happening inside that building or the way that this project ultimately was designed led to the failures of those beams that we saw yesterday.

Now, I want to tell you about the progress that has happened overnight, because it was actually quite significant. They have been working to make sure that the building can be shored up. They made significant support last night to bring in reinforcements that can be added to prevent any potential partial collapse inside the building. That was the primary concern yesterday when this all first started and inspectors made it to the 21st floor of the building where the buckle beams were found, leading to sagging floors, and, again, the concern for a localized collapse. So, significant effort made overnight. Steel supports and emergency jacks have been brought in. That's going to help stabilize the weakest points of this building right now, and it's going to allow equipment and workers to be able to safely get into the building to continue the shoring up process. That's all just to make sure that it can be safe and that this area around Manhattan can return to some normalcy, because there are several buildings that continue to be under an evacuation order.

Now, I think it's important to talk about what was happening inside this building, because there are actually a history of complaints at this construction site, and at least one worker that was severely injured on the job. So, that is part of what the city is looking into.

The project was being converted from office space to apartments. It's actually the city's biggest conversion of this type in its history. And the question is whether that addition of floors on top of the building might have led to some of these issues, the developer of this building telling The Wall Street Journal that he believes that the added load might have led to what happened here yesterday.

So, the primary question today is how soon can they stabilize that building so that it's safe enough for them to reopen these streets? We're in a major part of Manhattan here that's very congested, a lot of people that cannot get to where they're going this morning. So, we'll be looking for an update and figuring out how soon the building can be deemed safe. Sara?

SIDNER: It is crazy. It is Midtown, it is shopping, it is living, it is filled with human beings. And I know residents are frustrated because they cannot go home.

Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much for all your reporting on this. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So, there are some big questions being asked right now about Senator Mitch McConnell. He's been hospitalized for weeks with very little update from his staff on how he is doing. Republican leaders say they've talked to him, but others in the MAGA coalition are demanding a, quote/unquote, proof of life.

And a pet store window smashed to pieces. A snake inside stolen. The suspect just eight years old.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BERMAN: New evidence expected today from prosecutors in the case against the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Now, on Tuesday, they presented new surveillance video that gives perhaps the clearest timeline yet.

CNN's Jean Casarez with me this morning. And you said this is stuff we've just never seen before.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The, the vast majority of what we're going to show right now has never seen before.

Now, the prosecution is saying this is Tyler Robinson. Defense, they're not conceding at all that this is Tyler Robinson. But Tyler Robinson, according to prosecutors on the day of the shooting of Charlie Kirk, went to that university four different times.

The first time was 8:30 in the morning. I think we have the video. He's driving a car that has now been substantiated to be registered to Tyler Robinson. He's in the university parking garage. He parks that car, he gets out of the car, and he then walks down the stairs. And I think we've got that video. But he's got shorts on, he's got a T-shirt on, and he walks onto the campus. He walks directly to where Charlie Kirk's people are because they're getting ready for the event. He has interaction with them. We don't know the interaction at this point. We may have to wait till trial to find out what exactly was said. But following that, he walks back to his car, gets in his car, and then he leaves.

All right, now, the second time he comes in to university is about a little after 10:00. He walks into the university campus. He is wearing the same clothes, but this time he has a backpack on his back. What does he do? He goes into one of the buildings on campus where they have a Chick-fil-A. He buys himself some food at the Chick-fil-A. He sits there on campus and eats the food. Then after that, he walks across the campus to a wooded area, stays in the wooded area for a little bit of time. And when he comes back out and he starts walking, he looks the same, but he doesn't have the backpack with him anymore.

[07:25:00]

Now, we'll go to the third time that he went to campus, and this is the pivotal moment. And remember, prosecutors are saying this is Tyler Robinson. Defense is not conceding at all that this is Tyler Robinson, especially on this third time, goes to the university. It's a little about -- a little before noon that prosecutors say he arrives there. He's wearing different clothes, long shirts.

Now, we've seen some still pictures of this before, but this is video we haven't seen. He's wearing long shirt, long black pants, but he's got a limp. And there's a point where he is trying to climb the stairs to get into the university, and he's got that limp. Prosecutors say the rifle was up his pants and that's why he has the limp.

He gets to the building. He walks up the stairs. He jumps over a rail, and I'm saying this in a fast way, but he crawls on the roof, gets in the prone position, according to prosecutors, and that's when the shot is fired at 12:23, jumps down from the roof holding now something that appears to be a rifle.

The fourth time he comes to the university, according to prosecutors, is the evening, late evening of September 10th into the early morning hours of September 11th. And according to the testimony yesterday, there was security all around. There'd been a shooting. He's in a car, and the law enforcement stops him. Security officer has interaction, the officer believes, with Charlie Kirk. Some intuition we heard in testimony, he writes down the license plate. Later on, when they finally have their suspect, he runs the plate, and it's registered to a Tyler Robinson.

BERMAN: Lot of new details we are getting, and we will learn more even today from prosecutors.

Jean Casarez, thank you very much. Kate?

BOLDUAN: It's over. That's the message this morning from President Trump on his agreement with Iran. So, what now? We should be hearing and seeing from the president in the coming hours.

And your Waymo is watching. Why the driverless taxi called the police on some teenage passengers.

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[07:30:00]