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President Teases Big Announcement on Elections in Prime-Time Speech; U.S. Interview with Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO): U.S. Military Reimposing Blockade of Iranian Ports; France Faces Spain in 2026 World Cup's First Semifinal. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired July 14, 2026 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

THOMAS HICKS, ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSIONER FIRED BY TRUMP: ... independent agency. And so we did that with the Obama administration. The first Trump administration contacted us.

The Biden administration contacted us. And then this current administration has not. They might have contacted my Republican colleagues, but not me.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: The commission certainly was a target of the president's, right? From the very first executive order, it directed the EAC to add a proof of citizenship requirement to federal forms for voter registration, while ordering the commission to pressure states to adopt election day mail ballot deadlines. It was largely blocked by courts.

However, obviously you were a bit of a target there. I wonder, as the Supreme Court recently issued a decision that bolstered the president's power to fire leaders of independent agencies, if you thought this was coming?

HICKS: Well, it was always a thing that could happen. But my thing is, we're all going to pass away at some point. I'm going to do my job the best that I can, whether or not that I had gotten fired or not.

So I'm just going to figure out my next steps and take in all sort of options and see where I go. But again, it's not about me. It's about the American people being able to cast their votes.

I was just one person there.

KEILAR: For you, it is about you. I mean, you're in the middle of that. But for a lot of people, it's about what it means for this whole commission to be gone.

And it's not just the commission, right? CISA, which is the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which is always, it's been so crucial in the past. It's been gutted by the Trump administration.

And I wonder how you look at the commission, plus that, and even other changes, all together, how are you seeing the effect of that? HICKS: Well, I was surprised about CISA because the Trump administration formed that agency back in, I think it was 2018 or 2019. So that was really surprising to me. The U.S. Selection Assistance Commission did a lot during the COVID-19 crisis in terms of getting agencies together to talk about how to ensure that people could still vote independently and privately and safely. So with CISA being gone, with DHS being gone, the EAC was stepping up to actually have briefings for election officials, talking to other federal partners, and helping to ensure that this election runs smoothly in November and during the primaries, which we're in the middle of right now.

KEILAR: The president has this primetime address. He's going to make what he's saying is a very big announcement and a focus on free and fair elections. As people look towards the November elections, what do you think should be on their mind?

What should be primary among their concerns?

HICKS: One thing I would say is start by checking your registration, making sure your registration is up to date, but ensure that you still cast your vote. Your vote will not count if you don't cast it. So whether or not you do that by mail or in person, ensure that you go and cast your vote to make sure that your voice is being heard.

At the EAC, we didn't care who won the election. We just wanted to make sure that the process was functioning well. And I want to make sure that folks know, when the U.S. coughs, the rest of the world gets a cold. So I want to ensure that this doesn't happen to other agencies around the country, no doubt. But also, I had the privilege of going over to London and talking to members of parliament about safety issues and talking to other countries about issues that may affect our elections moving forward. And so I want to ensure that as a democracy, we continue on with that.

So for folks to basically exercise their right to vote and get out there and do so. But also, if they want to participate in another way, serve as a poll worker. If you have doubts of how the process works, go in, serve as a poll worker, see it from the inside.

KEILAR: Thomas Hicks, thank you so much for taking the time with us today. We appreciate it.

HICKS: Thank you.

KEILAR: And we are still standing by for a solemn ceremony on Capitol Hill, the swearing in of the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, Darlene Graham, to serve in the Senate. And we're going to bring that to you live. Stay with us.

[14:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: We're back with our breaking news. The U.S. military preparing to restart its blockade of Iranian ports in roughly an hour from now. Today, in a major reversal, President Trump says the U.S. will not charge tolls on cargo moving through the Strait of Hormuz. He says he dropped the planned fee after several Gulf nations urged against it, instead offering to invest in the United States. The blockade is getting underway after the U.S. launched another wave of strikes across Iran overnight.

Let's discuss these developments with Democratic Congressman Jason Crow of Colorado. He's a member of the House Armed Services and Intelligence Committee. Congressman, thanks so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.

So, both Trump and the Iranian parliament have declared that the ceasefire is over. Iran is attempting to assert control over traffic in the Strait. What do you think the administration should do next?

REP. JASON CROW (D-CO), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Boris, it's not a major reversal. It's Donald Trump's daily reversal. I mean, literally, this changes by the day.

One time the Strait is open, the next day it's closed. One day we're going to charge a toll, the next day we're not. The next day we've signed a peace deal in an MOU, the next day we don't.

This is what happens. I mean, who would have guessed, let's just put it this way, who would have guessed that getting into another war in the Middle East without a plan, without an endgame, without a strategy, without allies, would possibly have ended up like this? It is nuts that we are now six months into this, have spent over $100 billion.

[14:40:00]

Service members have lost their lives. We've lost our credibility. The Iranian regime is actually more emboldened and has more control over Iran and the Iranian people than they did in February. This is an unmitigated disaster.

SANCHEZ: So should the U.S. simply walk away? Is that your position? Wouldn't that simply cede control of the Strait to Iran?

CROW: No, of course that's not my position, right? We have started this. We never should have started this to begin with.

But now we have to figure out how we extricate ourselves from a terrible situation that we never should have been in. The first step to doing that is creating more options. We have to create more options for us.

We have to open more doors. The best way to create options and open doors is to build a coalition and to bring our allies to the table. But the best way to bring our allies to the table is to stop yelling and screaming at them, maligning them, and threatening to take them over, right?

So Donald Trump needs to stop doing damage and digging a hole deeper for us, needs to engage with our allies, bring them to the table, develop a coalition which will enhance options for us, and then we can figure out which of those is the best one to take.

SANCHEZ: Certain experts that we'd heard from previously, folks that have spent a lot of time working this issue and that have experience at the Pentagon, have made the case that specifically European allies, beyond the ability to remove mines in the Strait, are not necessarily equipped to do what's necessary to keep it open. And beyond that, it is a challenge to keep traffic flowing through the Strait militarily when it costs a lot less for Iran to use cheap drones and to use these smaller attack boats to sort of ward off anyone that wants to do commercial shipping there. I wonder if you think an effort to keep the Strait open, whether through a blockade of Iranian ports or further strikes into Iran, could change the equation.

CROW: Well, we have to make a distinction, Boris, when we're talking about tactics versus when we're talking about strategy. It's clear there's no strategy here, right? This administration is stumbling day to day, week to week, trying to figure out how to handle developments on a 24-hour basis.

Now, what you just talked about, control of the Straits, that's a tactical question. And what I can tell you without a doubt, and I've been saying this since day one, as have our military commanders, as have every expert who knows anything about this region and how the military works, that there's no way to control the Strait of Hormuz without a significant military presence and significant military operation far beyond anything that we have done so far, right? So Donald Trump's saying we're going to control it and charge a toll.

How does he propose to do that when Iran, for pennies on the dollar, can hold our Navy at risk, can hold personnel at risk, can hold boots on the ground, which, by the way, we would have to put into the Straits area to hold it, to secure the land around it? He has no plan for any of these things. So it's just talk.

It's just bluster. Meanwhile, Americans are paying for it.

SANCHEZ: In terms of congressional oversight, Congressman, President Trump notified Congress about renewed attacks on July 10th. That triggers the 60-day clock for Congress to either authorize military action or demand that the executive end it. We saw lawmakers approve a few weeks ago a war powers measure before some key Republicans flipped their support for it.

Do you think another resolution would have the votes to pass in the next few weeks, in the next 60 days or so?

CROW: Well, I'm going to be really clear on an initial point here. And you just talked about the 60-day clock. The 60-day clock only applies and gives the president authority to use military force when there's an imminent threat.

If there's no imminent threat, you have to come to Congress. This president and this administration has never shown an imminent threat, never showed the American people and its elected representatives that there was an imminent threat that in the first place required us to go in there. So that's really important to talk about. So let's just stipulate for a minute that there is an imminent threat and we're here. But now what the president wants America to believe is he's just going to engage in a series of 60-day wars. 60 days, that ends, you recertify it, the clock starts, you do it again.

How long does he propose to do that? Because I'm pretty damn sick and tired of 20 years of endless conflict in the Middle East that has cost Americans $5 trillion, over 6,000 American lives, lost time, lost credibility, while my constituents can't afford their homes, can't afford their health care, can't afford the basic necessities of everyday life. Enough is enough.

[14:45:00]

SANCHEZ: Congressman, before we go, a key player in any broad strategizing or any needy deal moving forward that is durable in the Middle East will go. A key player in any broad strategizing or any needy deal moving forward that is durable in the Middle East will be Israel. In the coming days, Congressman Thomas Massie's amendment to effectively cut off U.S. aid to Israel will get a vote in the House.

Where do you stand on that?

CROW: Well, we're looking at that bill, but I'm going to also be clear about this. The status quo is untenable, right? The status quo is not a status quo.

Things need to change. Our relationship and our terms need to change because right now what we need to do is have an ally that we can rely on, that will follow the law, that will follow our interests as a nation. And I'm not confident that that's the case right now.

And this administration seems to want to give blank checks to Benjamin Netanyahu, and I'm just not interested in continuing that cycle.

SANCHEZ: Congressman Jason Crow, always appreciate getting your perspective. Thanks for joining us.

CROW: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Ahead in a heavyweight clash, France and Spain set to take the pitch for the first semi-final game of the FIFA World Cup. What to expect next?

[14:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We're just minutes away from a clash of titans, France and Spain, facing off in the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup. France, the favorite, given how Les Bleus has breezed through the tournament. Don't count out Spain's not-so-secret weapon, though.

Lamine Yamal has been tearing it up on the field. The two top teams will battle it out on the pitch to see who will advance to the World Cup finals. CNN Sports anchor Amanda Davis joins us now. Amanda, a clash of

heavyweights, a clash of titans, endless synonyms for how big this game is going to be.

AMANDA DAVIS, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, and a really, really tough one to call, Boris. The Spain coach, Luis de la Fuente, called it the final before the final, and his French counterpart, Didier Deschamps, has said it is going to be sensational. And frankly, who are we to argue with two men who have won three World Cups between them?

Many people's top two teams ahead of the start of the tournament, who have very much, as you were saying, lived up to that billing as they've progressed through. I mean, France has gone on from their last four World Cup semifinals into the final, and they're looking to make history by becoming only the third team to reach three straight World Cup finals since they won it in 2018. But the European champions, Spain, have won both of the two most recent meetings between these sides.

They've both been major tournament semifinals, the European Championships in 2024, and then the Nations League in 2025. And Deschamps has said his team is playing at a different level this time around, though. He's not really paying much attention to the history.

And you have to say you'd agree with him, but you can't count out Spain. We've seen their super sub, Mikel Moreno. He's scored the winner in both their round of 32 and round of 16 games.

And of course, the man who is the subject of today's What a Shot, Spanish superstar, Lamine Yamal, incredibly celebrated just his 19th birthday yesterday. He's had a relatively quiet tournament so far on his way back from injury, but his coach has said his big day is yet to come. They are very much hoping it's today.

SANCHEZ: And Amanda, another huge game tomorrow, England, Argentina, the other spot in the final. We've learned that officials in Atlanta are actually tightening up security ahead of that match.

DAVIS: Yes, in terms of rivalries, I mean, this one can't be underestimated. Atlanta police have said they're increasing their numbers and enhancing their safety and security protocols. Argentina arrived here last night, England on their way here as we speak.

There is so much history between these two sides. This is, though, their first meeting in 24 years, the first time England will line up against Lionel Messi. As he put it, one of the only teams he's never played.

And it's one of my most vivid memories as a football fan, being there in Saint-Etienne in France for the 1998 meeting. I mean, the fans, the Argentinian celebrations, the banging on the windows of the team bus, the hostility, the vitriol after David Beckham was famously sent off for kicking out Diego Simeone and then Argentina going on to win on penalties. But prior to that, of course, 1986, that famous Diego Maradona hands of God game. Before that, 1966, the quarterfinal at Wembley. And there is also the backdrop of the politics, the 1982 Falklands War. But the Argentina boss, Lionel Scaloni, has urged fans to remember this is just a football match.

That is his words. Nothing more than that. But as one Argentinian fan in Miami told me on Sunday, this is not a game. It is a religion.

And there are so many stories we've been hearing over the last couple of days from fans in terms of their quest for tickets. A Miami restaurant owner, the one I was just talking about, he said he's been priced out of this one. So he's not traveling.

[14:55:00]

There were some England fans on the plane from Miami here to Atlanta. They literally, as they were boarding, had just managed to get some tickets for $3,400. But I think the prices have been increasing since then.

I've got to say, Boris, I'm wearing the blue today. I will not be wearing it tomorrow.

SANCHEZ: We'll see. I can only guess what you're going to pick between England and Argentina. Who knows?

A big mystery. Amanda Davis, thank you so much -- Brianna.

KEILAR: We do have some breaking news into CNN. Darlene Graham has been sworn in to serve as the interim senator from South Carolina after the death of her brother, Lindsey Graham.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that you take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter? So help you God.

DARLENE GRAHAM (R-SC) INTERIM SENATOR: I do.

(APPLAUSE)

KEILAR: And a new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts after a quick break.

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