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Israel Warns U.S. Of Iranian Plot To Assassinate Trump; Ceasefire Is Over, But Talks To Continue; U.S. Gas Prices Surge $0.09 In Two Days; WHO Says New Cancer Cases Projected To Nearly Double By 2050; Nurses Locked Out Of Boston Hospital After Striking; Eurostar Orders High-speed Trains That Can Cope With Extreme Heat; Trump Turns To White House Columns For Next Construction Project; Colorado Firefighters Gaining Ground Against Aspen Acres Fire. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired July 10, 2026 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:30:48]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Today, President Trump is pushing the restart button when it comes to talks with Iran. He writes on social media that Iran asked to continue talks, and that the U.S. has agreed to do so, but then also said that Washington has informed Tehran that the ceasefire is over.

A diplomat tells CNN that Qatari negotiators are in Iran pushing to de-escalate the situation. A top U.S. official says the U.S. is deliberately striking and then pausing to allow gaps for diplomacy to restart. All this unfolding as sources tell CNN that Israel learned of an Iranian plot to kill the president.

Trump posted, or rather told the New York Post today, that he's left instructions for the U.S. to respond with overwhelming military force if Tehran were to succeed. Let's discuss with CNN National Security Analyst, Beth Sanner. She's a former Deputy Director of National Intelligence.

Beth, great to see you. Thanks so much for joining us. To start, how do you read the reporting around this Israeli intelligence and an assassination plot?

BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So, Iran has been plotting to kill the president, as well as some of the other people who were involved in the killing of Qassem Soleimani, who was Head of the IRGC Quds Force in 2020.

And so, you know, they have been actively plotting to do that. There have been, you know, arrests and other things that show these plots were real. So it doesn't surprise me that Iran continues to plot at a point in time after we killed the supreme leader or the supreme leader was killed in the strikes, whether it was Israel or us.

So, you know, I think that, OK, it's plausible, but here's the thing. I think that it coming from Israel, I would put this in the category, in the intelligence committee, we talk about sourcing and we sometimes say that a source has an interest in informing, in influencing, as well as informing. And I think that anything that comes to us from Israel, given this timing on this subject, probably has a little bit of truth on both of those that it's -- there's probably some truth there. But I think that it's definitely intended to influence as well as inform.

And then the other thing is, I really don't believe that Iran would try to kill Trump at this moment, at this very moment in time. That doesn't mean they will continue -- they won't continue to try to plot and all of that. But I don't think that this is like an imminent plot that, you know, requires, you know, a significant change in security. If it does, we will see that. The plane flying out of Turkey is, I think, a little bit of a different matter, given just the circumstances of that.

SANCHEZ: Sure. So on the ceasefire, Trump says it is over, but talks will continue, just like they did during the MOU, when strikes between the two sides were also still happening. What do you anticipate is actually going to change now that Trump has announced that the ceasefire is done?

SANNER: Yeah. So, I mean, in reality, the idea that the ceasefire isn't happening, that we don't have a ceasefire and we're negotiating has been, in fact, what the last three weeks felt like, you know, because this is not --

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

SANNER: -- the first time that the ceasefire has been violated. So the real question is, does this change anything? Well, you know, maybe by saying it out loud, it does. You know, the first paragraph of the MOU literally says immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts.

So now, we have said, basically, paragraph one, never mind. Now does that include the Lebanon front, which is explicitly called out there? Does it give Israel more room for maneuver? I don't know. So I'm not sure it changes very much, but I do worry about -- the fact is that it opens up the door for more of these tit-for-tat things.

And every time this happens, we are talking about one thing, which is the very beginning of the terms. How do we open the Strait?

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

SANNER: And we're not talking about the thing that actually was the justification for this, at least as of now, the justification for this war is nuclear, on the nuclear issue.

[13:35:00]

We're nowhere closer to that. And in some ways I feel, Boris, that we're further from that than we were in June or February earlier this year. SANCHEZ: That is such an important point because the focus is now on the Strait, and in part in an effort to keep traffic flowing through it, Trump says that he's considering restarting the blockade of Iranian ports. What factors does he have to weigh with that potentially on the table?

SANNER: So if you want to get to the negotiation on the nuclear issues, if we resume the blockade, that also is a violation of the MOU, at least in terms of how Iran would read it. And so it would mean that they will refuse to do the nuclear talks because they have explicitly said that until all of the terms of the MOU are completed, including them getting some of their frozen assets, they're not going to do the technical talks on the nuclear issues. So I think that that's the risk.

At the same time, you know, it's hard to criticize the administration on the idea that you cannot allow Iran just to ride roughshod over the Strait, over the entire agreement, and come away scot-free. So, you know, it's unfortunate that we're in this place. Part of that is because the MOU was written in a way that was acceptable to Iran and, you know, it favored them in order to have a piece of paper so we could get to the nuclear agreement.

And I think people didn't realize maybe how difficult it would be to get these terms in this ambiguous document all wrapped up in a bow so you can get to the next phase, the nuclear phase. We're not close to that now.

SANCHEZ: Beth Sander, thanks so much for sharing your expertise. Always appreciate your perspective.

SANNER: Thanks, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Of course. As a result of the outbreak and fighting, U.S. gas prices have surged $0.09 in just the last two days. The average price for a gallon of gas now sitting at $3.88, down from a war-time high of $4.56 in mid-May, still about $1 more than what people were paying before the war began.

Up next, the World Health Organization calls for urgent action as it projects cancer rates will nearly double over the next two decades. Why it expects a surge and whether this can be prevented, right after this.

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[13:42:03]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": A new report says the number of people diagnosed with cancer around the world could nearly double in the coming decades. Currently, there are more than 20 million new cases annually.

But the World Health Organization says that without urgent action, that figure could rise to nearly 35 million by the year 2050. The report also notes that disparities in access to cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care is leaving millions without the services that they need, especially in poorer countries.

Joining us now is Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, who's the former White House Policy Adviser under President Obama. He's also the author of the New York Times bestseller "Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Rules for a Long and Healthy Life." All right, Dr. Emanuel, thank you so much for being with us.

I mean, first off, why is the WHO predicting such a big cancer spike?

DR. EZEKIEL EMANUEL, FORMER WHITE HOUSE HEALTH POLICY ADVISER UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, it's partially good news, partially bad news. The good news is people are living longer and cancer is a disease of old age. The more people who live longer, the more cancer cases you're going to have.

And so that's an important element. The bad news hidden in there is the fact that cancer rates among younger people are increasing. We've seen this reported in our country, colorectal cancer, earlier breast cancer, and that is a serious concern.

So those are the elements. A large part of this is just aging of the world's population. You cure infections, more people in lower-income countries are going to live longer, and they're going to develop more cancers. And that's what's happened.

KEILAR: Yeah, we always talk about how we don't have enough staff, right? Medical staff that really came into relief during COVID. So what will this mean, this kind of demand on cancer care? What's that going to mean for patients? Are they going to be able to get the care that they need?

EMANUEL: Well, we have to differentiate between the United States and other high-income countries and low-income countries. In low-income countries, a lot of cancer care is not even covered by their health insurance to the extent that there's a health insurance program. They can't get a lot of drugs, and they don't have many trained personnel.

I just helped a woman try to get Keytruda, a drug produced by Merck, in Senegal. Ended up having to get it, I think, from Turkey in the end. But that shows you how difficult it can be in a lot of these countries where the latest and very effective drugs are just not available.

In our own country, we're having some problems. First of all, forget the workforce issues. We're having problems with some of the drugs. We're having to ration drugs because they're actually in shortage, some of the key drugs that are used for many, many cancers.

Another problem is we have a lot of survivors of cancer who also need care and observation as they age.

[13:45:00]

One of the good things is more people are surviving cancer in the United States and other high-income countries because we've made so much progress. The challenge then is how to follow these patients, make sure they don't have recurring cancers, and for any problems that have developed in the course of the treatment, be able to treat them.

So yes, it is a challenge even in high-income countries like the United States to give people the best cancer care and then the best follow-up care once they survive their cancer.

KEILAR: Yeah, that really does illustrate the challenges you're facing with the medication when you're shopping around the world to try to find something there. Can you talk about some of the progress that has been made in recent years, for instance, tobacco use declining?

As you said, there are some silver linings here, and I do think it's really important to highlight those behavioral changes.

EMANUEL: You're 100 percent right. So if we think about the fact that about 40 percent of cancers can be actually prevented, we have interventions within our grasp. So you've mentioned one there that has been actually quite important, not just in the United States, but worldwide.

Smoking rates have gone down. We know that smoking is associated with lung cancer, but it's associated with lots of other cancers, head and neck cancer, for example. So when smoking rates go down, that's good. Alcohol consumption, also in the United States, that's declined. In many other countries, that's declined. That's associated with seven or so cancers.

It's also good in terms of decreasing the risk of cancer. Then there's obesity, diet, and infections. We know that obesity and diet are not going in the right direction, and we really do need to make a change there in terms of decreasing our consumption of ultra-processed foods, and that is super important, and therefore decrease our obesity rate.

And then there's infections. We have vaccines for some of them, hepatitis B, human papillomavirus, HPV. We're still having people die from these conditions, totally unnecessarily. They are preventable. We don't have everyone vaccinated and that's, I think, a real challenge. It's a challenge not just in the United States, but it's a challenge worldwide.

You know, cervical cancer is one of those cancers. We now have a vaccine that could eliminate it in the country, and we still have about 10,000 cases a year, I think about 4,000 deaths, if I'm not mistaken. You know, that just seems like a tragedy when you can prevent something and people are still dying from it.

KEILAR: Yeah, sort of the gift of that vaccine here in the last, I don't know, several or in the last 20 years, pretty amazing. Dr. Emanuel, thank you so much.

EMANUEL: Thank you.

KEILAR: Now to some of the other headlines that we're watching this hour. Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston is locking out thousands of nurses who took part in the largest nurse strike in Massachusetts history. The nurses ended their one-day walkout yesterday, but according to CNN affiliate, WCVB, the hospital is not letting them return to work until at least Monday. The hospital says workers were warned and will temporarily be placed -- will temporarily be replaced with 1,300 nurses. The nurses are asking for a cost of living pay increase in addition to their annual five percent raise. The hospital system says those demands will add $128 million in labor costs.

And Europe's high-speed train company, Eurostar, is now preparing to tackle the future challenges of climate change. The company announcing it is ordering a new fleet of trains with air conditioning units capable of working in heat of more than 130 degrees Fahrenheit. That's a move that is coming as Europe has been gripped with an intense heat wave here in recent weeks, shattering records in France, Switzerland, Spain, and the U.K. The new trains are set to enter service by 2031.

And at the White House, a massive tarp now covers scaffolding that has gone up over the North Portico. That's those columns there on the North side of the White House as you look at it from its usual view. The printed tarp, if you squint, makes it appear as though nothing has changed. The facade is as it is normally, but the sound of construction is hard to miss. And you might see the sky blowing in the wind, which kind of gives it away.

A White House official calls the work standard restoration, says crews are repairing the Portico's stone columns. Interior Secretary, Doug Burgum says President Trump personally requested the project. The White House has not responded to CNN's questions about whether any additional changes are planned for the North Portico.

Well, imagine fighting to save the homes of strangers while losing your own. That's exactly what is happening to some of the firefighters who are currently battling wildfires in Colorado. We're going to talk to a family of firefighters who are living through that scenario.

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[13:54:35]

SANCHEZ: Firefighters in Colorado are gaining ground against the devastating Aspen Acres fire doubling containment in the last 24 hours to nearly 30 percent. The progress is allowing more evacuation orders to be lifted across three counties but the destruction is staggering. Officials say more than 275 homes have been destroyed, including the home of a family dedicated to fighting fires. A volunteer firefighter kept battling the blaze even after learning his own house had burned down.

[13:55:00]

He and his wife, who is a retired firefighter join us now. Nicole and Donald Griggs, thank you so much for being with us. First, Nicole, to you, walk us through what happened, when did you know it was time to get out?

NICOLE GRIGGS, LOST HOME IN COLORADO WILDFIRES: I actually work up in Colorado Springs about an hour and a half away from Beulah, in a children's hospital. And my son, who is also on the department, had called me and he said we were on evacuation orders and I needed to get home as soon as possible.

So I left work and got home as soon as I could and met my husband at the house. And we had already seen it cresting over the mountain towards our place, so we got our animals out and grabbed two little bags of clothes for each of us because we really didn't think it was going to hit our home, it was very well mitigated, and we left. And it was that evening that my husband called me and said our house was gone.

SANCHEZ: Donald, you and your son stayed behind to battle the flames. What was that like? What was going through your mind?

DONALD GRIGGS, VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER, LOST HOME IN COLORADO WILDFIRES: It was chaos. As soon as I made sure my wife was out safely with the animals, I went to the station, grabbed my gear, and got deployed on a brush truck. And we started going up Pine Drive, where the fire came down first and was protecting houses along there.

It's just unbelievable how fast and unforgiving this fire was.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, of course. Go ahead.

D. GRIGGS: I was going to say, we would go from one house to the next to the next, there was like four different units, and we would take turns skipping each other, going to the next house trying to keep the fire at bay and saving what we could.

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

D. GRIGGS: Yeah. It was terrible.

SANCHEZ: I'm so sorry that you're dealing with this, and we're showing our viewers some of the images that have been captured of that area. And it speaks to what you're saying about how fast these flames are moving and just how powerful this is. I understand, Nicole, that your father-in-law also lost his home. How is he doing?

N. GRIGGS: He did. He's an 88-year-old man who's lived in his home forever, since adulthood, and he's taking it one step at a time. I believe he's putting a lot of faith into Christ, and he just said it's tough and we're lucky to have each other, but I know how hard it is.

He unfortunately did not have insurance on his home because it was built in, I believe, 1876, so there was no insurance carrier that would cover him. So when he left, he left literally with just his nighttime meds and evacuated. And a little while later, it's when he also found out, along with myself, that our homes were both gone because they're on the same property.

SANCHEZ: I see. I see. Donald, it strikes me that you all come from a family of firefighters, and I wonder what it's like being on the other side of this, seeing also other firefighters and their families in a similar situation that you're in. D. GRIGGS: It's heartbreaking. We are the firefighter family in Beulah is a family, and it's just like losing our own. So you know, where (inaudible) is service over self, and everyone was doing that that night, well, for a whole week.

SANCHEZ: Right.

D. GRIGGS: We were fighting this.

SANCHEZ: It's a very powerful message, a very powerful example. Nicole and Donald Griggs, thank you so much for sharing your story with us. We're glad that, despite the bad news, that you are safe and OK. Thank you.

D. GRIGGS: Yes, thank you.

N. GRIGGS: Thank you for having us, sir.

D. GRIGGS: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Of course. A new hour of "CNN News Central" starts right now.