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Platner Team Discussing Exit from Maine Senate Race; Trump Says He Doesn't Think Iran War is Going to Start Again; Prosecutors Resume Presenting Evidence in Tyler Robinson Case; Diarrhea-Causing Parasite Infecting People in Several States. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired July 08, 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]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Be very clear about what you're talking about here.

DAVID COSTELLO, (D) FORMER MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE: Yes, what would happen is similar to what happened in the governor's race, where it was determined by rank-choice voting. The person who got the most votes didn't win. The person who received the most rank-choice votes won.

So what I would suggest here is that we treat Mr. Platner as having lost, and having his votes, his second-place votes, distributed among the remaining candidates. It'd be the simplest, most straightforward, and most democratic way. Over 220,000 Mainers participated in the election, in the primary election.

This would be the quickest and cleanest way to determine the replacement nominee.

KEILAR: So you want to keep this replacement process confined to those on the original ballot? Is that just to be clear? There are no one else, like former State Senator Troy Jackson or former gubernatorial candidate Nirav Shah, would be included in that?

I hear you're saying it's simple, but it would exclude them, correct?

COSTELLO: Well, they didn't choose -- they chose to run for governor. They could have run for Senate. They chose to run otherwise.

They chose to run for governor. So, I mean, again, this is the simplest way to do it. And, of course, you couldn't add them from a rank-choice perspective because they weren't on the ballot.

They were on the ballot for the governor's race.

KEILAR: OK, let me ask you.

COSTELLO: So they would be excluded in this process.

KEILAR: The main Democratic Party says they've sort of put out their guiding principles here, right? They've been working to develop an open, inclusive, transparent and fair process. They're not saying that it's going to be simple.

That is not the primary guiding principle in what they're talking about. They're talking about something that is inclusive. Certainly a signal has been sent by the appeal of Graham Platner is seen as more of an everyman.

At least that was the initial appeal with voters compared to, say, Janet Mills or someone who spent a lot of time in politics. People in Maine clearly have a desire for that. Aren't you talking about turning your back on that with a plan to just observe the rank choice?

COSTELLO: Well, the rank-choice process allows more people to participate. As I said, over 220,000 people voted in Maine's primary just a short time ago. And many of them expressed preferences beyond the first choice.

You know, coming up with a caucus later and adding more people to the contest doesn't necessarily make it more open because instead of having 200,000 or more participate, you might get a couple of thousand at most. So I believe this process is more open. And it's certainly transparent because we just nominated a candidate for governor by the same process.

So, again, I would argue and I would also argue that the candidates on the ballot have broader, deeper, more hands-on governing experience than the candidates who want to now join the contest.

KEILAR: Do you not see --

COSTELLO: So I don't think it's -- I think it's good for Maine. Go ahead, I'm sorry.

KEILAR: Do you not see what has happened to the Platner campaign, the popularity of this candidate, and then the demise of it as kind of fundamentally changing this race in a way that needs to be uniquely addressed as opposed to just falling back on an election that happened before all of this chaos?

COSTELLO: Well, I mean, I think the chaos was building. So I don't think it's been a big surprise to many that something like this might happen. So I would say that.

And, again, it's -- to me, it's falling back on a process that is more democratic than what would likely -- we understand it's going to be messy because it's unprecedented. We've never had to deal with this situation. I just think that this approach is the most straightforward and most rational approach for the party to take, given we've only got a few weeks to pull this off.

And I do think the candidates on the ballot are still the best candidates.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: To beat Senator Collins. KEILAR: Certainly time-compressed. What would you say to someone -- but that's also -- the process you're advocating for is also one that would favor you more than perhaps another process.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: What would you say to critics who might say you're advocating for a process that's a little self-serving there?

COSTELLO: Yes, but we're all, as you know, we're all in this for, you know, selfish reasons to some degree. Obviously, I think all of us also want to do what's best for Maine. And ultimately, to do what's best for Maine is we need to replace Senator Susan Collins, and we need to put the brakes on the Trump administration.

And, again, I think if Platner voters, if they voted, and they -- obviously 72 percent of the vote went to Graham Platner. Most of those people want a change candidate. I am much more of a change candidate than many of the gubernatorial candidates.

Some obviously are change as well, or at least they're from the outside.

[08:05:00]

So I don't think it's a disservice to Maine voters to suggest that we take this approach.

KEILAR: Well, all eyes are on your state today and in the coming days. We are watching along with you. And, David Costello, we appreciate you taking time to be with us today.

Thank you.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Brianna.

KEILAR: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: President Trump is heading home from the NATO summit in Turkey after giving conflicting messages on the ceasefire with Iran and whether it's still intact. After declaring it over at one point, he said he'd let his negotiators, quote, keep talking if they want. The president also said this about a future deal with Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[08:10:00]

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know if we're going to have a deal. We may just do it without a deal. Because you know what?

It's easier. I'm not sure it will with Iran. If we make a deal with Iran, I'm not sure that will stick. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Then at his last news conference before leaving the summit, the president said he does not think the Iran war is going to start again, despite saying the U.S. may launch more strikes tonight.

So let's talk about this with Ian Bremmer. He's the president and founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media.

All right, Ian, how are you seeing this? I mean, the possibility of a strike on Iran, is that a real thing? He sees the ceasefire is over.

He's talking about re-upping the blockade. Is all of this just things that he said in the moment when he was upset, and now he's backing off of it?

IAN BREMMER, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, EURASIA GROUP AND GZERO MEDIA: Yes, pretty much. And that's because he recognizes that they do not have good options for significant military escalation. There are still 15,000 troops in the area.

You could send them into Kharg Island to, quote-unquote, take the oil. You could take, you know, sort of coastal areas. If you wanted to ensure that the Iranians wouldn't be able to disrupt the strait, those would be very costly.

Those would lead to not only significant American loss of life but would also lead to significant dangers to American allies in the Gulf. And he is unwilling to risk that. He's also unwilling to maintain a blockade for more weeks that would lead to, as he has previously said, economic catastrophe for the United States, and globally.

It's why President Trump said he didn't want to turn into President Hoover. Those are all accurate things, and they reflect a lack of leverage that the United States does not have in its war of choice against Iran. So Trump can talk pretty big, and he can continue to hit the Iranians back when they go after ships going through the strait, and he has done that.

But those are limited strikes that are essentially meant not to escalate, but rather to show the Iranians, you hit a ship, we're going to hit you. But we don't want the war to restart. That's where we are.

That's why oil isn't going to 100 right now. It's going up. You're going to have a harder time insuring ships when they're going to get hit by the Iranians.

But the Iranians also want to show more leverage with the Gulf states because they want to get paid for these ships going through, and that's getting harder for the Iranians to do when oil prices come down, when the strait gets demined, operations that are ongoing right now with about 10 American ships, and also when most of the ships that go through the strait, as we've seen in the last two weeks, are going through the southern Omani route, not through the northern Iranian route, which is what they would prefer. KEILAR: So at the heart of this, is it just a fundamental misunderstanding, disagreement about what the MOU, the memo of understanding was when it came to who is controlling the strait?

BREMMER: Oh, no, no, I don't think it's a disagreement. It's just that you can't get to a sustainable equilibrium when the Iranians have more leverage over the strait than the Americans do. You saw President Trump saying, maybe I'll do it without a deal.

He can do that. He can choose to end the war, continue the ceasefire, and he can enforce a blockade if he wants as well. He can do all of those things without restarting a war that has been a profound failure for the United States and for Israel.

He doesn't need a Memorandum of Understanding to accomplish that. He doesn't need a nuclear deal to accomplish that. But it does codify the fact that this several-month war that caused all the damage, led to 13 American servicemen getting killed, and also led to the Iranians with more influence over the strait, those things have been a failure.

That's why he wanted to announce not only an initial memorandum, but he's talking about a longer-term 60-day nuclear deal that would be a much stronger deal than Obama ever got. If he's going to now do this without a deal, but also unwilling to return to war, and wisely unwilling to return to war, then it shows failure. What Trump really wants to do is stop talking about Iran, move on to the Western Hemisphere, to Cuba, move on to places where he has a lot more influence, and much more capacity to get an outcome that would be seen as favorable to his presidency.

Iran is not that place.

KEILAR: No, it's really clear that it is not. Ian Bremmer, thank you so much. Really appreciate you being with us.

BREMMER: Good to see you.

[08:15:00]

KEILAR: Still to come, prosecutors in the Charlie Kirk murder trial expected to present a videotaped statement from the accused shooter's ex-roommate. We'll have the latest next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Testimony has just resumed in the preliminary hearing for the man charged with murdering conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Tyler Robinson has not entered a plea yet. This week, prosecutors are presenting evidence, hoping to take the case to trial.

And one key piece of evidence is videotaped testimony of Robinson's ex-roommate, who prosecutors describe as Robinson's romantic partner. CNN national correspondent Nick Watt is here with the latest on this. Nick, could the court see this video today?

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they could. I mean, we just had a moment there in court where the judge was moving TV screens around, trying to get it set so that the camera, the one camera that is allowed in, can capture this when it comes. Now, of course, the defense will, I'm sure, ask for redactions.

[08:20:00]

We'll see how that goes. That has been the rhythm of this. The prosecution puts together -- puts forward their evidence, trying to persuade the judge they've got enough to take this to trial. And the defense rebuts everything.

But yes, and why is this video going to be so key? Well, the prosecution claims that correspondence between Tyler Robinson and this roommate slash romantic partner basically lays out the whole crime and is essentially a confession.

So it's going to be fascinating to see that. And we do expect that we will see that, either today or maybe tomorrow, but probably this afternoon -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Who else is expected on the stand today?

WATT: Well, right now, you see on the stand there, that is an agent from the State Bureau of Investigation who is right now talking the court through the evening that Tyler Robinson handed himself in. That was the day after the shooting. This agent was asked to fly down to St. George, where Robinson lived. And that video right there, that is Robinson in custody that night in the local sheriff's department after handing himself in with his parents and a family friend. The parents were interviewed by this agent and other agents, as was the family friend.

So we are going to get this agent, one more law enforcement from the prosecution. They say that is their case. There will then be two ATF agents called by the defense, and then the judge has to decide, is there enough evidence to take this to a full trial --Brianna?

KEILAR: All right, we'll be looking for that. Nick, thank you.

Now to some of the other headlines that we're watching this hour. A federal judge is ordering the release of more than $5 million to writer E. Jean Carroll, denying President Trump's effort to delay the payment. The money was placed into a court-controlled account in 2023 after a jury found Trump liable of sexually abusing and defaming Carroll.

Her lawyers asked the judge to free the funds following the Supreme Court decision not to hear his appeal. The president's legal team is asking the justices to reconsider, though. It's rare for the high court to grant such requests.

Also, a former rising star in the Democratic Party is arrested on drug charges in Alabama. Former Tallahassee, Florida, Mayor Andrew Gillum is facing three counts after police say they pulled him over for driving erratically and found marijuana and methamphetamine in his vehicle. The 46-year-old came within 33,000 votes of beating Ron DeSantis in the 2018 Florida governor's race, but he's had other legal run-ins in the years since.

Gillum was found not guilty of lying to the FBI back in 2023 after being indicted on multiple federal charges.

And yet another heat gnome is expected to hit the West this weekend following the East Coast turn in the hot seat last week. Temperatures from the Rockies to parts of California could spike to record highs in the 90s and 100s.

Salt Lake City, for example, has a forecast of 105 on Sunday. The heat dome is part of a larger pattern of higher temperatures linked to human fossil fuel emissions. Heat domes may increase the chance of wildfires, which have already burned 3.3 million acres in the U.S. this year alone.

And still to come, a summer stomach bug is sickening hundreds across several states. How you can lower your risk.

[08:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: A parasitic infection is making life miserable for people in several states. It's caused by cyclospora and can lead to long bouts of terrible diarrhea. Several states are reporting an uptick in cases, pointing to an outbreak from a common source. CNN's Jacqueline Howard is with us now.

All right, Jacqueline, this sounds awful. What do we need to know about this?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Yes, Brianna, it can be awful in many cases. What we have learned from health officials, though, some of these illnesses have been linked with eating fresh produce. In some cases, this included fresh produce from Mexican style restaurants, local chain grocery stores, and some were during catered events.

And potentially some of the produce may have included cilantro, onions and cucumbers. Now, this has been found in Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. There are eight additional clusters that are still currently under investigation in several other states as well, as you see on this map.

So, so far, these are the states that have reported clusters of this illness. And the illness itself is called cyclosporiasis. As you said, Brianna, it's caused by the parasite cyclospora.

Some of the symptoms are intestinal, including watery diarrhea that in some cases has been described as explosive diarrhea. And these symptoms can last for weeks. So that's why you were saying, Brianna, this can be miserable for people if they do get sick.

Now, this illness can be treated with antibiotics. But, again, you really want to avoid getting sick in the first place -- Brianna. KEILAR: Apologies to our West Coast viewers who are on their lunch hour. I just have to say that. All right, so how do people avoid this, though?

HOWARD: Well, again, this can spread through food or contaminated water, mostly fresh produce. So it's very important to wash fresh produce thoroughly. If you have a firm fruits like melons, scrub firm fruits or vegetables with a brush and avoid food or water that may be contaminated with feces.

That's how the parasite can spread. And then Brianna, basic hygiene, can go a long way. Wash your hands with soap and water.

That's also very important, Brianna.

KEILAR: That is very, very important. All right, Jacqueline, tough story, important to know. We don't want to be among these people who are suffering through this.

And certainly we have concern for them at this point. Jacqueline Howard, thanks for all the info. We do appreciate it.

And "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.

[16:00:00]