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Platner Drops Maine Senate Bid, Clearing Way for New Nominee; U.S. and Iran Trade Strikes for Second Straight Day as Tensions Flare; Three More Charged With Damaging Reflecting Pool After Restoration. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired July 09, 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]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The race is on. The unprecedented sprint to replace Senate Candidate Graham Platner in the ballot in Maine in one of the most important races in the country, new reporting on what Democrats there plan to do.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. and Iran trading new strikes now for a second straight day, and President Trump warning that U.S. retaliation could get much worse.

And a suspect in an attempted murder leads police on a wild chase that tore through even a golf course. What happened here? We've got new video this morning.

Sara is out today. I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman. This is CNN News Central.

BERMAN: This morning, Maine Democrats need a new Senate candidate, and the decision they make could determine control of the U.S. Senate this November. In an 11-minute video, Graham Platner announced he is quitting the race after a former girlfriend accused him of rape, an allegation he denies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRAHAM PLATNER (D), FORMER MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE: We are suspending campaign operations

This is incredibly difficult because I know that some will think it's an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not. We're not doing it because of the allegations. We're doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power. And I also feel an immense amount of responsibility to everyone who has worked so hard to get us to where we are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, Maine Democrats now have until July 27th to submit a new Senate nominee to take on Republican incumbent Susan Collins. They're looking toward what could be a dramatic really last-minute convention.

Let's get right to CNN's Arlette Saenz live in Portland, Maine this morning for the very latest on what's next.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John. Maine Democrats now have just 18 days to select a replacement for Democratic Senate Candidate Graham Platner on the ticket in what will be one of this country's most important and closely watched races this election. Maine Democratic Party yesterday did approve holding a nominating convention to select that replacement, which is now setting off a mad scramble for these candidates to enter the race.

Now, Graham Platner announced that he is stepping aside from this race in that lengthy 11-minute video, which he used a large portion of to rail against the Democratic establishment. He argued that those forces are using these allegations of sexual assault and dating violence, which he has denied, against him in trying to undermine him and his movement.

He has argued that the people who voted in this primary back on June 9th should have the significant say in who the next senator -- who the next Democratic nominee from Maine should be. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PLATNER: Now the ball is in the court of the Democratic establishment. My name might be on the ballot right now, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine. And on November 3rd, it needs to belong to the people of Maine. And the next Democratic senator for Maine needs to belong to the people of Maine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: And so now we are waiting to see how exactly this race will unfold. Even before Platner had announced that he was dropping out, there were a number of Maine Democrats who had expressed interest in this race. In fact, I just got a text right now from Nirav Shah. He is a candidate who had run for governor, and he just officially entered the Senate race right now.

There are other candidates who had run for governor, including Troy Jackson, who announced that he would be running last night, and Shenna Bellows. There's also Dan Kleban who owns a local beer company. He announced that he would be running before he -- Platner even got out of the race.

And then we're also watching for State Representative Valli Geiger, who actually spoke with Graham Plattner earlier in this week. He had urged her to consider running though he has yet to offer any endorsement of one candidate.

But this is really giving Maine Democrats a very short window of time to try to find a replacement to take on Susan Collins in November, as this is one of those seats that will be critical for both parties' math and map as they're trying to get the Senate majority in this November midterm election.

[07:05:16]

John?

BERMAN: That convention's going to be something, like unlike anything we've ever seen. And I will say, pretty notable that a candidate really literally entered the race as you were doing your live shot there. We were standing by to see if Mr. Shah or when he would get in. He is now in. We're also waiting to see if Grant Platner's endorsement helps or hurts the future candidates there. Kate?

BOLDUAN: That's a great question. So, we've got some breaking news coming in. The U.S. Embassy in Jordan has now issued an alert on social media just now warning about missiles detected in the air. They are telling people to seek shelter and cover immediately. That's unfolding as we speak.

Just in the last hour, new explosions were reported in Iran hours after President Trump ramped up his threats to Iran with a stark warning essentially saying, keep targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz and U.S. military action will, quote, get much worse.

Overnight, the U.S. military hit Iran for a second straight day, targeting Iranian missiles, drones, and key sites near the strait.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We just hit them very hard, and I'd say we hit them 20 to 1. Every time they hit us, we're going to hit them 20.

REPORTER: Are we returning to a full-scale military conflict, sir?

TRUMP: I don't know. I don't know. We'd win it very quickly. It's another way of doing -- we have many ways we could win, but we've already won militarily. They have very little -- they have very little left. And they want to make a deal so badly. They called a little while ago. They want to make a deal so badly. I just don't know if they're worthy of making a deal. I don't know that they're going to honor the deal. That's the problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House for us. So, Alayna, it's very unclear, it seems, where things stand right now with this non- ceasefire, ceasefire negotiations or not, as after so much has been said, and now missiles are flying once again since Trump went overseas.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, absolutely. I think part of the reason, Kate, it's been so unclear is, one, if you look at the president's public comments, he's kind of gone back and forth and contradicted himself in some moments about where he thinks this very fragile ceasefire. And, of course, that memorandum of understanding that was signed just a couple weeks ago when the president was in Switzerland for the G7, where that all stands.

I'd note that yesterday at one point when the president was asked a similar question to the clip you just played of that a reporter asked him on Air Force One when he was coming back to the States, he was asked while still in Turkey, what does this mean for the broader Iran conflict? And he tried to argue that, look, he does not expect there to be a return to all-out war. He said that this will end very quickly, and we're not looking for long-term action in Iran.

Of course, some of those comments likely targeted toward the markets where you saw oil prices really surging yesterday given all of the latest news around these hostilities between Washington and Tehran.

But I also think, you know, from the conversations I'm having, Kate, with people here at the White House, very much unclear where the president's head is on this at this moment. He has said as well that he believes a lot of this is going to be up to the key negotiators that he has deployed, people like Steve Witkoff, like Jared Kushner, like the vice president, to determine how they want to proceed. But I think there's no question, of course, that we are on the brink of a potential collapse here of this broader agreement.

I do want to get into some reporting, though, that I have put out as well about some of the thinking for the president and why he was so angry. I mean, those who were watching him in Turkey yesterday, you could see there was palpable anger in the comments that he was making. I'm told part of this is he is very frustrated that the Strait of Hormuz is not yet fully reopened.

I'd remind you that in the text of that memorandum of understanding, that was one of the first lines, that there needed to be a free and open navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Clearly not something we are seeing.

But I was also told he was particularly irked by the timing of Iran striking vessels in the strait while he was abroad at this NATO summit, while he was meeting with foreign leaders on the global stage. Obviously, when he comes to these big, massive international gatherings, he likes to have something to tout, some victories to tout. This got in the way of that. The other is he's been frustrated as well with the pace of negotiations, I'm told, particularly feeling like the Iranians have been slow walking on the nuclear talks.

So, all of this adding to what we're seeing now, the second round of massive strikes in Iran. A lot of questions about how they proceed from here.

BOLDUAN: Yes, maybe the only not surprising thing about this whole thing is Iran slow-walking nuclear talks. If anyone followed the last round of negotiations, it took two years, and that was part of exactly those two years.

[07:10:01]

Alayna, thank you so much. A lot going on here today. We're going to continue to follow this throughout the show, of course.

Also breaking overnight, three more people have been criminally charged for allegedly damaging the Reflecting Pool in Washington after President Trump's renovations, as a former Olympian indicted by a grand jury is heading to court today about this.

And an incredible and disturbing story, a toddler who had been declared dead by doctors after drowning in a swimming pool, was actually found alive five hours later in a hospital morgue. We've got much more on this.

And legendary singer Bonnie Tyler, famous for hits like, of course, Total Eclipse of the Heart and Holding Out for a Hero, has passed away at the age of 75.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:15:00]

BERMAN: All right. This morning, new charges against three people for allegedly damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, court documents indicate officers witnessed the two men and one woman peeling and removing pieces of blue paint from the pool.

Now, a former Olympic canoeist was indicted by a grand jury also for allegedly damaging the Reflecting Pool, but on a more serious charge. If convicted, David Hearn could face a maximum of ten years in prison. He is expected in court today.

So, let's talk about that. With us now is Elie Honig, CNN senior legal analyst, former U.S. -- assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and I should also note Elie is something of a pool expert.

Counselor, I want to throw up on the screen here the actual legal code from Washington, D.C, the District of Columbia. Whoever maliciously injures or breaks or destroys or attempts to injure or break or destroy, by fire or otherwise, any public or private property, whether real or personal, not his or her own, of the value of $1,000 or more, shall be fined or shall be imprisoned for not more than ten years, or both.

Talk to me about what these charges mean against Mr. Hearn specifically.

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, John, two things that prosecutors ultimately are going to have to prove, of course, beyond a reasonable doubt. First of all, that he intentionally destroyed property, that it was not the result of some accident. We don't know the exact extent of the proof on that. Jeanine Pirro has said that there are multiple National Park Services employees who will testify to that. Of course, Mr. Hearn claims that he did no such thing.

The second thing, that $1,000 requirement, now that can be just a technicality. That's the dividing line between a misdemeanor, which some of these new charges announced overnight are under $1,000, or if it's over, as in the case against David Hearn, allegedly, that makes it a felony, and there's going to be a real interesting exchange on that.

Jeanine Pirro actually said they're going to call an expert in pool maintenance to testify that the value of the damage here is over $1,000. But watch for the defense to counter by saying if something's already ruined or destroyed or totaled, then you can't damage it any further, therefore, he did not cause over $1,000 damage.

The last thing I would say, John, you see there the law says the max penalty is ten years in prison. That is correct. But even if David Hearn is convicted, almost no chance he gets sentenced to prison on an offense of this nature. He's likely looking at a probationary sentence and a fine.

BERMAN: All right. Let me just -- you talked about whether or not it was already destroyed or broken or whatnot. It gets to the word malicious in this law here. Elie, if I'm walking by a pool and I see a piece of paint floating on the top there and I grab it, is that malicious? Does that get to intent? I mean, is it something that is inherently a crime if I see something like that, or do I have to go in meaning to destroy this monument?

HONIG: That's the heart of the case, and the answer is the latter. If a person wanders by the pool and sees something floating and just grabs it and says, gee, what's that, that's not malicious. That's not intent to destroy. And this really gets to the crux of the case.

You will hear people who will tell you David Hearn did absolutely nothing wrong. You will hear other people, typically on the other side of the aisle, who will say, this guy's a villain. He's a miscreant. He absolutely was trying to rip up the liner. The truth of the matter is, at this point, we just don't know. Very few people, nobody other than the prosecutors and the grand jurors, have actually seen this evidence.

Today, we'll learn when the defense and maybe us, maybe we in the public will see the evidence. But the key evidence as far as I can tell is going to be those park service employees. It also appears if you watch Jeanine Pirro's public statements, it seems they do not have video. So, the key is going to be not just did David Hearn reach into the pool, not just did he touch the paint. Did he have that malicious intent to destroy the property?

BERMAN: And one other few words our circle here which may come into effect, District of Columbia there, which is where this case takes place, which is where the jury will be ultimately if it goes to trial. Why is that important?

HONIG: Very significant because Donald Trump is extraordinarily unpopular in D.C. All three times he ran for president, over 90 percent of the votes were cast against him.

Also, your jury eventually at trial is going to be pulled from the District of Columbia, and we've seen a pattern where both grand jurors and trial juries have actually rejected charges if they believe those charges are overstated or are political.

The best example I can give you, John, is the incident where an individual threw a Subway sandwich, a foot long, at a Border Patrol guard who was in D.C. He does it on video. It technically meets the definition of assault, but the jury, even though they saw that video, said not guilty.

[07:20:05]

So, it wouldn't shock me if we have a similar outcome here.

BERMAN: Counselor and pool expert Elie Honig, great to see you. Thank you very much.

HONIG: Sure.

BERMAN: New video shows the moments after the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk turned himself in.

And power lines explode into a fireball. What caused that terrifying moment?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: A major development in the case against the man accused of murdering Charlie Kirk. A judge has decided to allow prosecutors to play a redacted video statement from Tyler Robinson's former roommate as part of the ongoing preliminary hearing.

CNN's Jean Casarez is tracking all of this for us, and she's here with me now.

[07:25:01]

Talk to me about what this means. How big of a deal is this?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The prosecution has to be able to enter this into evidence because this is the preliminary hearing. The judge will determine seven counts, should they all be bound over for trial, and two of the counts are tampering with a witness.

And those counts are saying that the defendant in this case told his roommate, do not talk to law enforcement. If they ask you questions, you don't say anything, and any of the texts between us, you've got to delete them. Delete them so law enforcement will never see them. And those are the counts. So, they need this to come into evidence.

And what this is going to be is it was videotaped, and it's from April 20th of this year actually. And it is focused on the roommate, and he is giving a sworn statement. We think it's going to be in interview fashion but it is sworn under penalty of perjury before they turned the cameras on and he did this.

There was immense argument. The defense was so defiant against this coming in, and especially for it to be published to the public, to us, because it would violate the fair trial rights and undue process and his due process rights would be violated.

But in the end, the judge sort of made a compromise, and it's a 37- minute recorded statement or interview, and 20 minutes of it the public will be able to hear. We won't see it but we will hear it. And the media attorney came on and argued so aggressively that the public has a right to know this.

And the texts were public. I mean, a lot of them in the charging document, the roommate says, you weren't the one that did this, right? I am. I'm sorry. I had enough of his hatred and hate. Some hate cannot be negotiated out. If I'm able to grab my rifle, I will have no -- left no evidence. How long have you been planning this? A little over a week, I believe. This is public. This has been in so many articles.

BOLDUAN: Right.

CASAREZ: But then the Kirk attorney, he has not spoken. The Kirk family attorney went to the podium before the judge made the decision and pleaded for this to be public. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY NEIMAN, KIRK FAMILY ATTORNEY: The Kirk family believes strongly that if the evidence is being admitted in this preliminary hearing, it should be made public for the world to see, no redactions.

To not be transparent here, to not be open, to not let the world see what happened, will create doubt and distrust in the judicial system, and that's not what anybody wants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Now, yesterday, short video clip when Tyler Robinson turned himself in to authorities the day after the shooting of Charlie Kirk happened. That's what was released to the public, but that is now the defendant, Washington County, Utah, when his parents and a close family friend brought him to the court.

BOLDUAN: Wow. All right, much more to come now. It's great to see you, Jean. Thank you so much.

So, the scramble is now on to come up with a plan to find a new Democratic candidate in the Maine Senate race. Now that Graham Platner says he's bowing out, how are they going to choose who will step in and do it in time?

And the moment a hotel collapses into the street in New Jersey. There is new reporting on what led to this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:30:00]