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Trump Makes Statements about the Strait of Hormuz; Graham's Death Comes at Critical Point for GOP; Scramble to Replace Graham; Nolan Wlls' Death Investigation; Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) is Interviewed about Lindsey Graham. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired July 13, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: These two surgeries, like, where do you focus your attention next in terms of fine-tuning performance and getting, I don't know, getting people really comfortable with the concept of doing this on a live patient?

MICHAEL YIP, PH.D, PROFESSOR, ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING, U.C. SAN DIEGO: Yes, I think there's two avenues here. One of them is really fine-tuning the remote surgery aspect, you know, bringing down the latency to do long distance remote surgeries. That's important so that we get really good connections between doctors and the patients they might be seeing from far away.

The other side is actually autonomy. And I'm a really big believer of using the autonomous aspect of humanoid robots and actually getting them into surgical teams where you might not have, you know, five to six people doing the operation, but maybe you're supplementing several of those people with humanoids and actually being able to schedule these operations in places that normally would not be able to schedule them.

BOLDUAN: Quite a thing to see, and quite an advancement to be making. Congratulations on the success of these studies. Let's see -- we're very much looking forward to seeing where you take this next.

Michael Yip, thank you.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking this morning, President Trump now says the U.S. is taking over the Strait of Hormuz and will get paid for guarding it. This is a notable contrast to "The New York Times" headline, how Trump failed to secure the Strait of Hormuz in the Iran deal.

This morning, will Ukraine lose key Republican support following the death of Senator Lindsey Graham?

And new video of a man launched feet into the air -- oh my God -- by a bison in Yellowstone National Park. That's why you don't go anywhere near those bisons. That poor guy.

All right, Sara is out today. I'm John Berman, with Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL

BOLDUAN: Let's get to the breaking news this morning.

We are getting new -- a new response from President Trump in the wake of these escalating attacks between the United States and Iran, as the fight for the control of the Strait of Hormuz seems to be coming in new focus this morning. The president now saying that the United States will take over the Strait, should even be reimbursed by other nations for doing so.

Overnight, U.S. Central Command says that it hit dozens of targets, part of its push to try to get Iran to stop attacking commercial ships in the Strait. Iran, today, saying that it's going after U.S. military targets and claiming it hit a U.S. base in Bahrain, further promising to keep up attacks on other regional allies.

Let's get over to Betsy Klein, who's live at the White House with much more.

This interview that the president gave this morning, I mean, he's making some bold claims. I talked to Democrat Adam Smith, who says he doesn't -- he simply doesn't believe what the president's saying. But what more is the president laying out today?

BETSY KELIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, there's certainly reason for some skepticism, as President Trump, moments ago, told Fox News, quote, "we're going to hit them very hard."

But to take a step back here, it was just last week President Trump declared this ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran was over, at the same time that he suggested that diplomatic discussions between officials would continue. But in practice, what we have seen is this steady escalation of attacks between these two countries.

Now, the Strait of Hormuz, that critical oil thoroughfare, is the key route of this disagreement here. And the U.S., before this conflict started, no one had any formal authority over this waterway. Iran making clear that they want control of the Strait of Hormuz. It's become a key point of leverage for them in this conflict.

Now, the U.S. position, according to CENTCOM, is that the U.S. -- that Iran does not have control over the Strait of Hormuz. It remains an international waterway. But the U.S. has launched multiple rounds of strikes in recent days, including overnight by air and sea drones, hitting further inside the country of Iran. Iran has, in turn, taken attacks on U.S. military sites in gulf countries.

But President Trump weighing in on all of this and a path forward moments ago. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Most of their equipment is gone. Their anti-aircraft stuff is gone. We hit them very hard last night. Every time they send a drone, we hit them very hard. But we had a deal. What nobody knows, we had a deal. It was a done

deal. And then they broke it. They always break it. We've had ten deals with these people, and so we're just going to hit them very hard. And we're going to -- we're going to keep the Strait and we'll probably run it. We'll become the guardian of the Strait.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: The president going on there to say that the U.S. would be paid for guarding the Strait of Hormuz. He did not explain how that would take place.

But the view inside the White House is that there is some disagreement amongst Iran's leadership. There are the moderates who believe that the U.S. and Iran should continue these diplomatic talks, at the same time that there are hardliners who say that the U.S. and Iran should never have signed this memorandum of understanding about a month ago in the first place.

[09:05:13]

All of that leading to the ceasefire that is now essentially shattered. But critically, oil prices up about 10 cents over the past week. All of this weighing on the president as he plots his path forward, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, Betsy, thank you very much for that update. Appreciate it.

John.

BERMAN: This morning, the death of Senator Lindsey Graham setting off a scramble inside the Senate, the Republican Party, even at the White House. The senator's death comes at a crucial moment. In just two days, confirmation hearings begin for the president's pick to lead the Justice Department. They want to make Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche full time confirmed attorney general.

Graham was also up for re-election with less than four months to go until November. Republicans will now have to hold a special primary to determine who will go on the ballot instead of Graham. The governor there also needs to pick a temporary replacement. So, all kinds of decisions need to be made.

Let's get right to CNN's Annie Grayer following all of this from Capitol Hill.

What's the latest from up there this morning? I know it's going to be a hard morning for a lot of these senators. It's their first day back without Lindsey Graham.

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: It is the first day back. And senators are in mourning as Lindsey Graham was a power player in the Senate.

I mean just to show you, he came back from Ukraine on Saturday and immediately got on the phone with President Trump to not only talk about his trip, but to talk about the president's key piece of legislation that he's trying to pass to overhaul the U.S. election system, called the SAVE America Act. That bill has been in a standstill in Congress, essentially halted all other business of Congress as Republicans try and chart a way forward because it doesn't hit -- they don't have the votes for that 60 vote threshold.

So, Graham, who was chair of the Budget Committee, has been working behind the scenes with the White House, with President Trump, to try and pass pieces of this legislation through a process called budget reconciliation. This is something that would allow Republicans to pass this bill at a lower threshold. It's a process they've used for other key parts of Trump's agenda in the past. And Republicans were really going to rely on Graham to get that legislation through. So, it's a question of how that vacuum is going to be filled in Graham's -- in Graham's absence.

Graham was also a major defense hawk. He was a big supporter of Congress providing the administration with more funding for the war with Iran. Congress is currently sitting on a request from the White House for over $60 billion to provide funding for the war with Iran. And that was facing an uphill battle. And Graham was going to be a key voice in trying to help deliver that.

And as I mentioned, in his -- in his recent trip from Ukraine, Graham was a big supporter of being an ally to Ukraine, which is really a position that's been waning in Trump's version of the Republican Party. And Graham, now being absent, sets off a scramble for how -- for who is going to replace him. He was up for re-election. And now South Carolina has a very short timeline. There's a scramble in South Carolina to try and fill his seat. And now the majority in the Senate for Republicans is also getting even narrower.

As you mentioned, the Republican governor of South Carolina will temporarily fill Graham's seat until the election. But now Republicans have an even narrower majority, especially with Senator Mitch McConnell, who is in a long term hospitalization stay. We don't know when he is coming back. So, right now, Republicans are down two votes in the Senate out of their 53 majority.

And just this week, to spotlight something that Graham would have been a key part of, is the Senate confirmation process beginning for Todd Blanche to be Trump's next attorney general. Graham will not, of course, be able to be there for that. So, another huge hole being missed by Graham's shocking and surprising passing.

BERMAN: Yes. I mean, not to mention the personal void I know that many of these senators will feel today.

Annie Grayer, on Capitol Hill, thank you very much.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: And joining us right now is Marc Short. He's a former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence.

It's good to see you, Marc.

And you have a unique view kind of on just -- from the many jobs you have held, the relationship, then how it developed between Senator Graham and President Trump from your time with Pence at the White House and also as legislative affairs director during Trump's first term. How do you make sense of and describe that relationship?

MARC SHORT, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO VICE PRESIDENT PENCE: Well, Kate, thanks for having me.

I think in a time when Washington is going through one of its most divisive chapters, it's hard to think of a legislator who was more joyful in representing his constituents and I think uniquely had close friendships with John McCain, Democrat Joe Lieberman and Donald Trump. I think that's a trifecta that's pretty hard for anyone else to boast of having those friendships.

But, you know, look, I mean, Graham went from, in 2016, referring to Donald Trump as a bigot and condemning him to becoming one of his closest allies in Congress during the first term, to then on January 6th, you know, announcing, I'm out, I can't do this anymore with, this is not what I signed up for, to once again becoming one of his closest allies.

[09:10:14]

But, you know, to -- for Senator Graham, look at his causes of, it's hard to think of somebody who was more involved in trying to defend Ukraine from Russian aggression, keeping alliances with Israel, defending judicial nominations, and perhaps most notably defending Brett Kavanaugh, fighting for life. Like he used those relationships to advance the causes and agendas that he felt was most important to his constituents.

BOLDUAN: What does a loss like this -- a sudden loss like this mean for the Senate, like, as an institution in your experience? I mean, an institution you worked in and for so many years?

SHORT: Well, I think you've already seen the number of Democrats who have come out and lauded Senator Graham's friendship and his career. And so, you know, it's -- and again, in this time of strict partisanship, it's hard to think of somebody else that would be able to have those sorts of bridges. And so, I think it is, for the institution, it's a loss.

And I think that, you know, just looking at it for the short term, you're down to like, what, 21 legislative days I think between now and Election Day, and there's not -- there's not a lot of, I think, optimism that we're going to get actually much done in that period. And you have, as your correspondent just said, the Todd Blanche hearings coming up, of which Graham was a member of Judiciary Committee and would have played a significant role there. And so, it's just one more, I think, challenge to actually getting much done between now and November.

BOLDUAN: Yes. He -- Lindsey Graham was 71 years old and that is young in relative terms when it comes to the Senate. But add that into the extended absence that we've been tracking with Mitch McConnell after the fall that he took and the hospitalization. It does bring the conversation once again back to a question and a focus on the age of these men and women in this institution and how old is too old to serve.

Do you think age should be more a focus, a part of the conversation, a real kind of an -- you know, it can be uncomfortable, of course, to be bringing this up, but do you think it's something that Republicans need to look at more?

SHORT: Well, Kate, I don't know that it's just Republicans. I mean, it was Dianne Feinstein that --

BOLDUAN: Oh, no, totally.

SHORT: I think had a lot of health issues.

BOLDUAN: I totally agree. Yes.

SHORT: Yes. Yes.

So, but I think as an institution, look, I think Americans are living longer. They're capable of doing a lot more. I personally have always been a supporter of term limits. But I think that, you know, I think a lot of people who are critics of term limits say, look, voters get a chance every six years to make their decision. And as long as there are not better alternatives, that perhaps they'll keep, you know, looking to advance seniority.

But there's no doubt that the way Congress works, and particularly the Senate works, is that the seniority benefits and provides somewhat of a -- of an incumbent's protection program. And I think that that's just going to be a challenge I think voters are going to have moving forward.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. When -- one of the things we've seen, you mentioned it in the aftermath of his death as -- and he was talking about it just before he died, was that -- how excited he was that he got the green light, he said, from the White House to move forward on this massive Russia sanctions bill that he's been pushing for, for more than a year with Richard Blumenthal. Do you think his death, the calls for this to kind of be his legacy item, do you think that changes the likelihood that this actually goes through? Because this has been greenlit by the president, if you will, before, only for this to not really happen?

SHORT: Yes, I think that's a challenge, Kate. I think it's been greenlit before. I certainly am a supporter of it. And I think that Senator Graham was one of the most articulate defenders of Ukraine and was one who could clearly condemn Russia's aggression. And I think not having his voice in the debate is certainly a setback.

As far as the bill itself, I hope there's a pathway forward. I hope the president is willing to sign it at this point. He certainly should be signing it. But there has been, as I said, mixed signals from the White House before when they've given the green light to say, if you send it to me I'll do it, and then not wanting to do it. And so, I think this less has to do with Congress, this more has to do with the White House and whether the White House is actually willing to sign that bill.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you, Marc. Thank you so much.

John.

BERMAN: All right, parents demanding answers and a thorough investigation into their son's mysterious death. How investigators are trying to piece together the final hours of an 18-year-old's life.

And the dozens of people killed in a horrific fire at a bar. Flames shooting out the front door. That's just extraordinary to see. This morning, the latest on the investigation.

And this morning, remembering longtime actor Sam Neill, who passed away overnight at the age of 78.

[09:14:58]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAM NEIL, ACTOR, "JURASSIC PARK": Mr. Hammond, after careful consideration, I've decided not to endorse your park.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: So, this morning, investigators are still trying to piece together the final hours of Nolan Wells' life. The 18-year-old football player. He left on a July 4th trip to kind of an uninhabited island off the Mississippi with friends, did not return when they did. His body was found a week ago and his family has been searching for answers since. This morning, we are waiting to hear more from authorities in Mississippi. We're also waiting to see the findings from two autopsies, including an independent one from the medical examiner.

Among the questions, as this investigation moves forward, are, why didn't -- why didn't he return on the boat with his friends? And why didn't he have his cell phone with him?

CNN's Ryan Young is following this one for us.

Ryan, what's the latest that you're picking up?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate, there are so many questions on this one. And, of course, on the internet people are speculating all sorts of reasons for why the friends split up.

[09:20:03]

But that's not helping the family, and that's not helping investigators. At this point, we're really hoping that the sheriff's department will give us more information this week in terms of what this investigation is sort of looking into and what's going on, especially when it comes to the cell phone. Do they have information about when the cell phone split from him, whether or not the friends took it to a different location? All of those things are trying to be figured out right now.

Now, we do know, on July 4th, the friends went to Horn Island to have a good time, and at some point they decided to split up. It's where -- right there where people are sort of confused because there is a young lady who was apparently somewhere near that water line who says that she was told that he was going to go back with those friends. So, they're still trying to put this timeline together. We hope at this point that Mississippi officials have some more information about this.

And then you heard last week from the father who said he didn't have a boat initially. And one of the coaches decided to help him go search for his son's body. And it was a day later, on last Monday, where they found the body. You can understand why so many people are concerned about how this investigation is being put together, what the actual timeline is. But behind the scenes, investigators are trying to put the pieces together.

And, in fact, take a listen to Ben Crump talk about how the family got his phone back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN CRUMP, ATTORNEY REPRESENTING WELLS' FAMILY: His mother tracks his cell phone with her sister on Life 360, because people want to know where their children are at. And it is at the -- one of the boy's house who owned the boat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: And, Kate, something I want to bring up here. If you look at that, that was obviously from a church service here in Atlanta where Ben Crump was talking to one of the most popular churches here in the Atlanta area, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. And you can see really a galvanizing across the country of people trying to figure out exactly what happened to Nolan Wells.

So many people are involved in this. Tyler Perry is, at this point, going to pay for the funeral. We know Colin Kaepernick has paid for the autopsy that's going on in D.C. And we're hoping from that private autopsy we'll get some more information just about exactly what happened here and maybe were there any signs or trauma to the body?

Now, we know from what we've learned from the medical examiner in Mississippi, they don't see any outward signs of trauma. But there are so many questions about what could have caused this death and all those unanswered questions is leading people to speculate.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And it's just so unbelievably sad when you see his beautiful face.

YOUNG: (INAUDIBLE).

BOLDUAN: Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Ryan.

All right, this hour on Capitol Hill, the Senate is reconvening. This is their -- the first time, of course, since the shocking and sudden death of Senator Lindsey Graham. His longtime friend and colleague, and also fellow senator from South Carolina, Tim Scott, is our guest next.

And also, on video, a bison launches -- just look what happens to this poor man and the injuries he sustained from this, launched eight feet in the air. We've got an update on how he's doing this morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:27:00]

BERMAN: Today, lawmakers will return to Capitol Hill feeling the absence of Lindsey Graham, who passed away suddenly at the age of 71 after returning from a trip to Ukraine.

With us now is his fellow South Carolina senator and longtime friend, Tim Scott.

Senator Scott, thank you for being with us. We're very sorry for your loss.

And I know when you go back to Capitol Hill this week, it's going to be the first time you've ever served there without Lindsey Graham being there. First, you know, across the Capitol, then, obviously, as Senate colleagues. I just wonder if you've reflected on what that's going to be like.

SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): Wow, John, that's a -- that's -- that's -- gosh, saddening to hear that, honestly.

I have not. I've just been missing my friend. America misses its statesmen. But I miss my friend. And putting it in perspective, for the rest of my service I will be without Lindsey Graham, is a sad, sad thought.

There are -- his shoes are irreplaceable. His humor and his wit brought us together. And what I love about Lindsey is that, because of his humble beginnings and the misery and the pain of his young life, he became a very sensitive person towards the needs of others. And you were never invisible if Lindsey Graham was in the room. And to think that that will be missing for the rest of my career, and frankly for America, we have lost a statesman. And he loved this country. He loved his sister. He loved his family. South Carolina will be grieving for a long time to come.

BERMAN: Again, I am sorry for your loss. I was just reading a quote from former Senator Al Franken, you know, from "Saturday Night Live," who said that Lindsey Graham was the funniest senator also by far. So, I know his presence -- his absence, I should say, will very much be felt.

And you called him a statesman. And foreign policy was so key to the work that he did in Congress.

SCOTT: Yes.

BERMAN: First as a congressman, then as a senator. And he had just returned from a trip from Ukraine, where he was so proud that he received White House support for his Russia sanctions bill. I'm curious what you will now do personally to help see that through Congress now that Senator Graham is gone.

SCOTT: Well, John, I'm still in the mourning process. You know, Romans -- the book of Romans reminds us to rejoice with those who rejoice, but also to take time to mourn with those who mourn. And I'm not going to hop into the legislative vehicle so quickly. I'm going to continue to take time to think about my friend and to get through this process over the next several days.

There's no doubt that there are -- I believe there are 85 co-sponsors of the aforementioned legislation. I hope that it has a path forward. But today I'll spend more time thinking about Lindsey Graham and the impact that he has had versus the legislation that people are hungry to take his legacy and use it as a springboard for a legislative victory.

[09:30:00]

I think it's important for us as a nation, frankly, to reflect on why we mourn Lindsey Graham and the kind of friend, the kind of statesman, frankly, the kind of American that he was that would