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Trump Says Iran Ceasefire is Over as U.S. and Iran Trade Strikes; Trump to Meet with Ukraine's Zelenskyy at NATO Summit; Platner Pressured to Drop Senate Bid Following Rape Allegation; Crews Adding New Steel Supports to Stabilize NYC High-Rise. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired July 08, 2026 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Smashing a window and running off with a pregnant fire sand boa. Deputies caught him close by with the snake in his hand. Caught snake-handed, I guess you would say.

The snake is doing -- right there. That was improv.

I just came up with it like that. All right, the snake is OK. I'm not.

A brand new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The ceasefire is over. That is the word from President Trump today, now lashing out and calling Iranian leaders scum.

The Democratic Party in Maine is also now blasting Graham Platner. They say he's trying to dictate the terms of his exit from that Senate race. The scramble now behind the scenes while everyone still waits for Platner next move.

And a shocking and heartbreaking development out of Idaho. A woman claimed last year that her twin toddlers had died from vaccinations. This morning, she's charged with their murders.

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

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking this morning, the ceasefire is dead. A furious President Trump declaring the ceasefire is over after just three weeks. The U.S. and Iran have been trading new strikes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is the ceasefire done? Is the MOU dead?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's a very interesting question. To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with this 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)

SIDNER: As far as he's concerned, it's over. CNN's Kristen Holmes is in Turkey's capital, Ankara, where the NATO summit is happening, where all this went down. Kristen, what are you learning this morning?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're going to see President Trump any moment now. He's going to be sitting down for that bilateral meeting with President Zelenskyy. And there are still a number of questions that we have, not only about Russia and Ukraine, but also about what he said earlier this morning about the ceasefire being over. He said he believed it was over.

He didn't want to deal with them. He said that the Iranians were a cancer that needed to be cut out. But then he said this about potential for ongoing negotiations.

(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: So we still have a number of questions as to what exactly this means. Are there plans for ongoing negotiations? Does this mean that the ceasefire is not in effect as though we are going to go back to that Operation Epic Fury level of strikes in Iran?

Is he willing to put boots on the ground? What level are we actually talking here? Or is President Trump just venting his frustration over what we have seen, which is a clear violation of Iran of the ceasefire?

Remember, one of the key components of that MOU was that in order to get the naval blockade removed, in order to get those sanctions lifted, that Iran had to help, or as much as they could, these commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. That obviously is not what is happening here. We are seeing them continue to strike.

This is now the second time President Trump has intervened, responding with strikes in Iran after they struck a commercial vessel. So right now, though, there are still a lot of questions. Obviously, this is hanging large over this NATO summit. And I will tell you, moments ago, President Trump, in addition to lashing out at Iran, he also lashed out at those NATO allies. They've been behind closed doors for roughly two hours now. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

SIDNER: It is all good points to make. And we knew there was going to be a lot of tensions, but this ratcheted it up much, much higher than some people might have expected. Kristen Holmes, thank you so much for all your reporting there in Ankara, Turkey for us -- John.

BERMAN: All right, with us now is former U.S. Ambassador Richard Haass, President Emeritus of the Council of Foreign Relations. Ambassador, always great to see you. How surprising is it to you that this ceasefire is not going swimmingly?

RICHARD HAASS, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR: It shouldn't surprise anybody. It hasn't gone swimmingly from the get-go. It's been an off-again, on- again ceasefire.

And let me just suggest that this, what you're seeing, is a glimpse of the future. You will have intermittent military actions in both directions. You will have periodic closures, partial or total of the Straits of Hormuz.

You'll have on-again, off-again negotiations.

[08:05:00]

So rather than looking for clarity of black or white, get used to the gray.

BERMAN: Yes, I'm so glad you're addressing this. This is because this is one of my big questions. In other words, what if this is as good as it gets?

What does that mean for U.S. strategy?

HAASS: Well, it might be roughly as good as it gets. It might get slightly better, slightly worse. I think a big decision for us is how much military force would leave in this part of the world.

The whole goal of the National Security strategy put out by this administration late last year was to significantly dial down our military involvement here. But I think what it means for the world is you want to reduce your dependence on the Strait of Hormuz. That'll take time with pipelines, increasing energy production in other parts of the world.

And I think you're going to have an ongoing challenge trying to put a ceiling on Iran's nuclear program. And that's not going to be temporary. That's going to be open-ended.

BERMAN: Anything short of more military action, an increase in U.S. strikes, would anything short of that get Iran to change its behavior?

HAASS: Well, I don't think that would get Iran to change its behavior. We had several months of intense warfare. That didn't do the trick.

So I think the United States is up against a harsh reality that more military action doesn't necessarily give you more in the way of results. Plus, the last thing we want to see is this war widen. We don't want to see Iran attack the energy or water infrastructure of its neighbors in the Middle East.

So U.S. options are not great here, let's be honest.

BERMAN: I want to shift gears if I can, because President Trump getting ready to meet with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is at the NATO summit in Ankara, hasn't exactly been a tension-free summit so far. And I'm not sure that it will get any less so. But what does Zelenskyy want to get?

Is it realistic that he can get anything concrete from President Trump?

HAASS: Look, what he needs more than anything else is protection, some missile systems to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles. Increasingly, this war has become a war in which Ukraine uses drones, to a lesser extent missiles, to attack Russia, including Moscow, including energy infrastructure. And Russia is now using missiles to attack, among other things, Kyiv.

So Ukraine needs help defending itself. So the real question is whether the president is willing to part with the Patriot air defense systems that the United States has. That, to me, is the big issue.

BERMAN: You know, the president famously told Zelenskyy that he had no cards, right? Is that still the case? Who has the cards here?

Who has more cards? Is it Ukraine or Russia at this point?

HAASS: I would argue Ukraine. This is a war of choice for Vladimir Putin. It hasn't turned out well, to say the least.

Russia is suffering, what, 1,000 casualties a day, 30,000 a month, probably over a million since this war has began. Increasingly, it's hurting Russia and the Russian economy. It's showing Russian vulnerability.

Russia is not gaining territorially. So no, I think actually Ukraine increasingly has the cards, but both countries are paying a price for this war. So even though Ukraine is in a far better position than this administration seems prepared or able to acknowledge, neither side is benefiting from the continuation of war.

I actually think there's a great opportunity if the United States would take a neutral position and simply push for a ceasefire, not try to impose a peace with territorial transfers that favor Russia. This is the moment that President Trump really wants to get the peace deal, and I think he could just go for a neutral ceasefire that doesn't prejudice anybody's claims to territory.

BERMAN: We could see in the next few minutes or hour exactly where the president's head is here on this. In fact, his head is anywhere near Ukraine, or if he's thinking just about Iran or other things when he meets with Zelenskyy. Ambassador Richard Haass, always great to see you.

Thank you very much -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: At this hour, Graham Platner is still a Senate candidate in Maine. This morning, he is now being accused of trying to influence the search, though, for his possible replacement.

And the high rise in New York apparently stabilized for now. But what went so wrong with that construction project? And what are they going to do about it now?

And Waymo is watching you. A tip from a self-driving robotaxi got a group of teenagers in trouble with the police.

[08:10:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: This morning, the search is on for a Democrat who could replace Graham Platner on the ballot in Maine. But right now at this hour, he's still in this Senate race, even after a former girlfriend accused him of rape.

The latest turn here is that Democrats in Maine appear furious, saying that Platner is now trying to influence the search for a possible replacement, essentially trying to dictate the terms of his exit. Under state law, Platner has just five days to quit or his name will be on the November ballot. And now a second former girlfriend is speaking to CNN detailing what she says was violent behavior.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

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

[08:15:00]

FIFIELD: The eyes, it was almost like looking at like a pitbull 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)

BOLDUAN: Platner denies all of the allegations against him here. CNN's Jeff Zeleny is watching this very closely. Jeff, where does it stand with this push to get him out, but also a push to find a replacement?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, good morning. It's in a bit of a holding pattern until Graham Platner decides that he is going to exit. I mean, everyone around him that we've spoken to does not believe that he is not going to get out.

But the question is, when will he get out? That could happen later today. We shall see about that.

But the reality here is every hour that passes sort of complicates this. And behind the scenes, I'm told one of the things that's really going on is that the Platner campaign, his strategists and the candidate himself are trying to exert some leverage here over who the next candidate might be. But that is causing some consternation inside the party. Of course, anyone who he would endorse would probably immediately be tied to him.

So that would make the race potentially more complicated in the fall. But the executive director of the main Democratic Party pushed back in an extraordinary way in a video late last night saying this about the Platner campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEVON MURPHY-ANDERSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MAINE DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Unfortunately, Graham Platner team has repeatedly reached out to us in an attempt to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like. We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So this is a fairly extraordinary Democrat on Democrat internal warfare here going on. And the reality is the reason that that statement was released is because he has not gotten out. And clearly, as you heard, they're trying to have some kind of a role in this.

The campaign pushes back and said they're not trying to have a role, but they're trying to understand how the process would work. So the bottom line to all of this is the process cannot go forward until Platner decides he's getting out. And again, that's likely to come in a video message if he decides to do it.

But many people believe that could happen later today. We shall see about that. But at the same time, there are several candidates who are lining up potentially to jump in here, and many of them are coming from the ranks of the Democratic governor's race.

The primary just ended a couple of weeks ago. So some top named Democrats there. But again, the balance between the establishment versus the outsider wing is something that is really hanging over the Democratic Party everywhere, but certainly in Maine.

And if you look at some of these potential figures, it's quite interesting. Bernie Sanders has endorsed for the governor's race, Troy Jackson, he is the former Maine Senate president. Nirav Shah is really the face of the COVID-19 pandemic in Maine. He had daily briefings during the pandemic. He was the top vote getter in the first round of the governor's race. He fell short with a ranked choice of voting.

And also the Maine Secretary of State is one of the contenders. So those are some of the possible contenders.

We'll see if there are others or not. But again, none of this can get started until Platner decides he'll be taking his leave -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Quite a moment for all of this. It's good to see Jeff. Thank you so much -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right ahead, we're getting a look at the moments leading up to Charlie Kirk's death and prosecutors telling a judge the man accused of killing Kirk interacted with turning point staff before the shooting. What we're learning from that case so far.

Plus a high rise scare in Midtown Manhattan. This is crazy. That is a beam that is supposed to help hold the building up. And all of them there have buckled.

We'll give you a sense of what the risk is and how engineers are dealing with this this morning to try to keep people safe. Those stories and more ahead.

[08:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: Breaking overnight, crews in Midtown Manhattan working through the night rushing to shore up a high rise, after -- wait till you see these -- buckle beams, raised fears the building could collapse in one of the busiest parts of New York City.

The issue was first reported about 24 hours ago when columns on the 21st floor -- you can see them from the window there -- bent. This happened in the middle of a major development project. This is before and after animation showing how crews were adding 19 new floors to turn an office building into apartments.

Crews worked all night adding new steel supports to try to stabilize that building and officials say they have done so. CNN's Gloria Pazmino is outside the building this morning, which frankly I find brave when you look at those freaking beams there and the potential of that top part of that building coming down. Give us some sense of where we are this morning.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Sara, the primary focus right now is reinforcing this building, making sure that they can add support so that the potential for a partial collapse can be eliminated. That's what engineers and city officials are currently focused on. The perimeter around the area that was initially evacuated has shrunken a little bit, but there are still businesses that are affected in this area. Right next to me, there's a bagel shop, a coffee shop, a nail salon, a local pharmacy. They're all shut down as of this morning. You can see traffic is flowing behind me.

[08:25:00]

That's new from last night, where so many of these streets were closed and we see that pedestrians are walking around, but they cannot go in that direction. That's where the building is, that's where the damage is, and that's where officials want to keep people out of for safety reasons.

Now let's talk about what went on overnight. They have been spending a lot of time and energy bringing in reinforcements. Steel reinforcements have been brought in. Emergency jacks also have been brought in and what that's doing is reinforcing the weakest points of this building right now.

They want to make sure it holds so that they can get in there and shore up the building. There's no question that this construction that was happening is going to be on hold for a while. This was an office to apartment conversion, the largest in the city's history, that is certainly now put on hold.

And the city investigating just exactly how those beams were bent and why. And the developer telling The Wall Street Journal he believes an addition that was part of that project may have been the culprit in leading to the bending of those beams as a result of that additional weight on top of the building -- Sara.

SIDNER: There are so many questions, Gloria. I know you've been asking the mayor questions, but so many questions about how this happened. And I'm afraid like when you look in there, the workers are in there, the construction workers are in there right now trying to continue to shore up this building.

But it's kind of terrifying when you look up and imagine that coming down. We'll have to see what happens going forward because the city does need housing, but this ain't how you do it. Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much.

Appreciate your reporting out there -- John.

BERMAN: All right, a bereaved mother went on a podcast saying that vaccines killed her twin babies. Now a year later, she's been accused of killing them herself.

And then snakes on the lam, hundreds of them, including venomous cobras. Authorities warning people not to try to capture them with their hands. OK, I won't.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)