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Iran Announces Strait Of Hormuz Now Closed As Fighting Continues between Israel And Hezbollah In Lebanon; Vice President J.D. Vance To Travel To Switzerland For Peace Negotiations With Iranian Leaders; Plans To Build Large ICE Detention Center In Social Circle, Georgia, Discontinued By Trump Administration; Major Storms Threaten Gulf Coast; Obama Presidential Center Opens In Chicago; Algae Turns Water Green In Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Despite Cleanup Efforts; U.S. Men's Soccer Team Defeats Australia In World Cup Game; Building Of Erie Canal Examined In CNN Documentary. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired June 20, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:29]

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Breaking news. Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is now shut down. U.S. Central Command, meanwhile, says Iran does not control the waterway, and the messaging raising serious questions about where things stand on the agreement between the two countries.

Plus, with July 4th fast approaching, the plagued Reflecting Pool has hit a new snag -- peeling paint. We're going to show you what it looks like today.

And talk about nine lives. We're going to introduce you to the California first responders who used CPR and oxygen masks to save a very lucky group of cats from a fire. Must see video is coming up just ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.

FREEMAN: Good afternoon. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Danny Freeman sitting in for Fredricka Whitfield.

And we're beginning this afternoon with breaking news. Iran says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to renewed fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. A short time ago, U.S. Central Command, though, disputed the claims, saying that Iran does not control the strait and commercial vehicles continue to pass. Fighting in Lebanon is supposed to end as part of the U.S. framework agreement with Iran. And right now, U.S. envoys are in Switzerland for anticipated talks as part of the 60-day period to reach a final deal. They're expected to be joined by Vice President J.D. Vance by tomorrow.

We have full coverage of all of these developments. Julia Benbrook is at the White House and Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem. Julia, let's start with you on this rapidly developing story. Where do these talks stand right now?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, according to U.S. official who spoke with CNN, Vice President J.D. Vance is expected to travel to Switzerland today as preparations for talks with Iran begin. The timing of his departure was not immediately available, so we're still keeping an eye out and tracking any developments there. But we do know that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who have been involved throughout this process, are already on the ground dealing with technical aspects of negotiations. The administration says that they have been there for a number of hours, and that so far things are going well.

Now, Vance, in an interview with FOX News earlier today, he spoke a bit about his travel and what next steps might look like. He did say that things do remain in flux, and that some of those next steps would be worked through after the arrival of the principals in the Iranian government, as well as the Qatari and Pakistani governments, which have been key mediators throughout this process.

His travel, though, has changed throughout this last week. He was originally expected to depart a couple of days ago, and on that he said that his travel is a, quote, "delicate coordination dance where diplomatic protocols must be considered". When it comes to the goals moving forward, in that same interview, Vance was pressed on if the United States and Israel are currently on the same page. Take a listen to his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, (R) VICE PRESIDENT: I don't know if there's a divergence of goals or sometimes just a divergence of how to accomplish those goals. I obviously don't want to speak for the Israeli government. They've been a good partner in a lot of ways. But what the president of the United States has said, you know, counter to some of the elements within their government, is that we are going to give this negotiation a chance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: So those remarks come just a couple of days after Vance had a press briefing here at the White House, and he had some strong words for Israel. He repeatedly returned to the idea that Israel should veer away from, from veering away, essentially from where the United States goals are here, that they should tread carefully from veering away from the U.S. goals when it comes to Iran.

Now, in a recent interview with "The Financial Times," the president himself said that once there is an agreement between the United States and Iran, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have no choice but to accept it.

A reminder here that the memorandum of understanding, what has been signed is really just a first step. It then leads to this 60-day period for the more technical talks, these negotiations to really address the key issues here. Danny?

FREEMAN: All right, Julia, thank you for that reporting.

Let's bring Oren into the conversation. Oren, Iran said it was closing the Strait of Hormuz because of these Israeli strikes in Lebanon. Once again, the Lebanon front continues to complicate negotiations before they've even really gotten started. Can you walk us through the latest of what we know today?

[14:05:06]

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: And, Danny, it looks like this is very likely to happen over and over again because, as we see on the ground, there isn't really a ceasefire in place in Lebanon. We saw that yesterday where continued deadly fighting there for Israeli soldiers killed at least 47 people in Lebanon killed, according to the ministry of health there. That led Iran to say, look, we're delaying our participation in the talks until there's a ceasefire. That ceasefire was renewed late last night. And yet here we are again.

The Israeli military says one soldier was killed late, late last night, and they say Hezbollah fired some 50 rockets at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed at least 16 people. And Iran, because of that, says they're closing the Strait of Hormuz. So the Lebanon front continues to disrupt what are very delicate negotiations that are supposed to be taking place between the U.S. and Iran on an incredibly limited timeline.

And the difficulty here, it seems, is that Israel and Hezbollah are looking at two different ceasefires. Israel says, or at least appears to view it as abiding by the terms of the June 4th ceasefire. And that allowed Israel to remain in southern Lebanon and continue to operate and carry out strikes in southern Lebanon south of the yellow line that is the border of Israeli occupied territory there. Meanwhile, Hezbollah and Iran are pointing at what was just signed with the United States, saying that that calls for a cessation of hostilities across all fronts, including Lebanon.

That disconnect there is something the U.S. is going to have to figure out if it wants a ceasefire in Lebanon, if it wants to continue talks with Iran. And yet it is likely, from what we've seen so far over the past 48 hours, to continue to disrupt what are to be very difficult and delicate negotiations with Iran to try to get to something that's more than this memorandum of understanding, Danny.

FREEMAN: Yes, very well said. But at least some potential signs of progress if the vice president is, in fact, heading now to Switzerland. All right, Julia Benbrook at the White House and Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem, thank you both for your excellent reporting. Appreciate it.

Switching gears now, plans for a mega ICE detention center in Social Circle, Georgia, have been scrapped by the Trump administration. The controversial facility would have housed up to 10,000 detainees. That's nearly double the population of the town. Local leaders, though, feared it would have overwhelmed the city's infrastructure.

Now, according to "The New York Times," the Social Circle property is one of seven warehouses the Department of Homeland Security is offloading. CNN's Rafael Romo is in Social Circle for us today. Rafael, you spoke to the city manager there. Tell us, what are you learning?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Hi, Danny. Well, imagine this, officials here in Social Circle told me that they first learned about the Department of Homeland Security plans to build a detention center for migrants the day after Christmas. Social Circle is a town of fewer than 6,000, about 45 miles east of Atlanta. The plan called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to open the detention center in a local 1 million square foot warehouse to hold as many as 10,000 migrants, nearly tripling the population. And that's without counting, 2,000 to 2,500 employees.

The plan drew fierce opposition in Walton county, where President Donald Trump won more than 72 percent of the vote in 2024. Social Circle leaders said their main concern was the potential impact to their water and sewer infrastructure, which lacks capacity, a concern they say they tried to convey multiple times to federal officials.

And then, unexpectedly, Danny, the city of Social Circle learned only two days ago the Trump administration is now backing away from its plans. And they learned that not from DHS officials, they say, but from Congressman Mike Collins. And apparently, this is not happening only here in Georgia. "The New York Times" citing documents it has obtained, reports that DHS is scrapping plans for a conversion of a total of seven of 11 recently purchased warehouses into detention facilities from Roxbury, New Jersey, to Salt Lake City, Utah.

What changed, you may ask? Well, this is what Social Circle's city manager Eric Taylor told me earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC TAYLOR, CITY MANAGER, SOCIAL CIRCLE, GEORGIA: I just have to believe that they came to the same conclusion that what we -- what we've been trying to tell them all along, that Social Circle is not the right place for this type of facility. And, you know, they went in and looked at it with a fresh eye under the new administration and came to the same conclusion.

GLENDA BROWN, SOCIAL CIRCLE RESIDENT: Relief, relief. Pure relief, because we love our town just like it is.

ROMO: What was your main concern?

BROWN: The water, mainly, in the bathroom. If you don't have maybe 5,000 people, how can you accommodate 10,000 more?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: DHS told CNN in a statement that it is still focused on removing what it calls the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens. "These heinous criminals once arrested," the statement says, "should be removed at lightning speed, not housed on American soil at taxpayers' expense. [14:10:06]

DHS is moving swiftly to utilize existing detention space with our state and county partners."

Several crucial questions remain, Danny. The deed shows that the federal government paid more than $128.5 million for the Social Circle property, more than four times the $29.4 million it sold for in 2023. A source told CNN in April that DHS began rethinking the more than $700 million program to expand immigration detention after Markwayne Mullin succeeded Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary. But the administration is still not publicly giving specifics on where the program goes from here. Danny?

FREEMAN: A fascinating story. All right, Rafael Romo, thank you so much for being on the ground in Social Circle for us. Appreciate it.

And coming up, President Trump's brand new claim as to why his $14 Reflecting Pool renovation is plagued with so many problems. That's in a moment.

Plus, terror in paradise. A raging fire at a Dominican Republic beach resort turns deadly, forcing hundreds of tourists to run for their lives. We have that incredible video.

Plus, catastrophic storms have left southern states drenched, and the threat is still not over. We're going to tell you where millions of people are still at risk. Stay with us.

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[14:16:04]

FREEMAN: We're learning new details about a deadly fire that broke out at a hotel resort in the Dominican Republic. "Reuters" citing local authorities as saying an Italian woman was killed and at least nine others were injured in this massive fire you see right there at Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Hotel on Friday. And 1,700 tourists were reportedly forced to evacuate. Emergency officials said flammable palm roofs and high winds intensified the flames spread. The cause now under investigation. So scary right there.

And to this now, a new storm threat today is adding to the misery from the catastrophic flooding along the Gulf coast. Tropical storm Arthur has set off deadly flooding from Texas to Mississippi. People had to travel by boat in parts of Louisiana after more than two feet of rain fell there this week. In Mississippi, there are flood waters fully surrounding some homes. The man who filmed this video says his house has a foot of water inside and he has lost two vehicles.

And take a look at this Waymo in Dallas that got stranded on a flooded street. Oh, my goodness.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking the threat of more rain in the south as well as potential tornadoes in the plains.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: More than 15 million people are under that threat for severe storms, mainly across the central portion of the country. But there could even be a few strong to severe thunderstorms down along the Gulf coast where, yet again, we're going to be looking at additional rainfall. And this area does not need any more rain. You're looking at rainfall totals just since Monday, so not even a full week. Look at all of the pink color you see here. That shows areas that have picked up at least ten inches of rain just since Monday. And there's even a few tiny white pockets there, indicating at least 20 inches of rain.

Now, we're not expected to add a tremendous amount of more moisture today. But really, when you think about how saturated that ground is, it's not going to take much to trigger additional flooding concerns along the Gulf coast region. And that's through the remainder of the evening hours tonight and even into the overnight.

You also have that cluster of storms that's been ongoing across areas of the central U.S. That's slowly making its way over into the Midwest as we head into the day on Sunday, and will continue to make its way across even as we go into the day Monday as well. But by that point, really kind of focusing more on the mid-Atlantic and the northeast.

But Sunday and Monday, additional storms yet again across portions of the southeast where they just simply do not need any more rain. Just through Sunday, again, you can see widespread totals of about an extra one to two inches, but there will be a few spots that could pick up three, four, or even five on top of what they've already had.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

FREEMAN: Allison Chinchar, thank you very much for that forecast.

To this now. In southern California, first responders acted without hesitation to show that every life is worth saving. Arriving at the scene of an apartment fire, they made sure all residents made it out, and that included four cats. But what rescuers did next was truly beyond the call. CNN's Ryan Young has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

CAPT. MARK LEWAN, RIVERSIDE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: So, these are the two units that were on fire. The fire basically was in both of these units when we arrived here, and so both of these had fire coming out of it.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This past March, as firefighters in Riverside County, California, were getting an active apartment fire under control, it suddenly became apparent that not all the residents were accounted for.

DAVE COLOMBO, RIVERSIDE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: One of the neighbors said, there's four cats. Two were the homeowner's cats, and then two were -- she was cat-sitting. So, they weren't even her cats. So, she was really stressed out. And she was yelling, hey, can you get our four cats in that apartment?

YOUNG (voice over): Firefighters Dave Colombo and Ray Guillen rushed back into the building, still filled with smoke.

RAY GUILLEN, RIVERSIDE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: As soon as I looked underneath the bed, I could see two eyes. And I said, OK, there's one cat. It was a black cat. It was looking right at me. So, I went to go grab it. As soon as I grabbed it, it fell over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come here.

YOUNG (voice over): As they gathered up the unconscious cats and got them outside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on.

[14:20:00]

YOUNG (voice over): Captain Lewan's paramedic training immediately kicked in.

LEWAN: I saw the gray cat. He wasn't breathing very well at all. I didn't know if he had a heart rate or anything, but you could tell he was towards the end of his life. And made the decision, and I give him mouth-to-snout. I started rescue breathing for the cat, hoping to revive him or get him to start breathing again.

YOUNG (voice over): After relying on the same CPR techniques used on infants, they turned to the oxygen mask, which required some quick adapting.

LEWAN: Their snout is no bigger than my thumb. So, that -- I stuck his snout in there, therefore that the oxygen was coming right out of here and going straight into his snout.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, squeeze it on.

LEWAN: I just did it on the fly right there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on. I know.

LEWAN: In the video he opens his eyes and is shocked that, like, who are you guys and what am I doing here?

When I handed the cat to the owner and how grateful she was after watching us resuscitate the cat, she was very happy and, you know, just makes you feel good that something like that happened.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at that.

LEWAN: I think the public puts us as heroes, but this is the job we do, even when there's cameras not rolling. This is what we get paid to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: Just incredibly quick thinking. Ryan Young, thank you so much. Thankful for those firefighters and their work.

All right, coming up, more on our breaking news ahead. Iran saying it's closing the Strait of Hormuz because of the violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon. All this happening as talks between Washington and Tehran get underway in Switzerland. But the question is, will the diplomatic process hold? We'll discuss coming up after a quick break.

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[14:26:04]

FREEMAN: Let's get back now to our top story. Iran has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed. It says Israeli strikes in Lebanon break the framework agreement between Iran and the U.S. U.S. negotiators are in Switzerland, meanwhile, in anticipation of talks getting underway as early as tomorrow.

Joining us now is Joel Rubin, former deputy assistant secretary of state during the Obama administration. He's also the author of "Saving Democratic Foreign Policy, How Democrats Can Earn the American People's Trust to Lead the World Once Again."

Joel, thank you so much for joining us. Listen, U.S. envoys in Switzerland now, and it appears their Iranian counterparts will be there as well. So let's start here. Do you think that meaningful talks will actually begin this weekend?

JOEL RUBIN, AUTHOR, "SAVING DEMOCRATIC FOREIGN POLICY": Danny, it's great to be with you. And I think talks will begin, but meaningful is a whole other order of magnitude, because, quite frankly, the hot issues that you just described a moment ago, like the fighting inside of Lebanon, that needs to be top of mind. Yet the Lebanese and the Israeli government officials to deal with it are not going to be there. They're going to be here in Washington.

And this symbolizes the whole disconnect that we have right now in this diplomacy, which is that it seems like there's multiple parts that aren't connecting to each other. And therefore, were seeing spoiler opportunities like Hezbollah attacking Israeli troops and Israel responding. The Straits of Hormuz will be open or closed. It's up to the Iranians on a daily basis. It's a really unsynchronized diplomatic process right now.

FREEMAN: Can we talk about the Strait of Hormuz just for a moment, because this has been a particularly confusing morning, I feel like, for some folks. Iran declaring it is closed. Cent Com saying, no, Iran doesn't have control of it at all. I don't I don't want to put you in the spot of saying, is it closed or open right now, but I guess, do you feel that Iran, are they bluffing about being able to close the strait whenever it suits them now?

RUBIN: You've put your finger on the button, right? Like, from a strategic perspective, if you are a shipper, if you are an oil company that wants to send their goods through that strait, and the Iranians say it's now closed, you don't know what's going to come next. You don't know if that means a boat will come out and shoot at you, if a mine has been laid that no one has captured or seen. You just don't know. And it's that uncertainty as well that will spike interest amongst the shippers from going forward.

So unless the United States and Iran have a firm, verifiable agreement that is clear and the rules of the road are in place, shippers aren't going to have confidence that they can really go through that strait without, at a moment's notice, having it ostensibly shut down, or at least the threat of it, which could harm their ship anyways.

FREEMAN: Right. Even if it not -- if it isn't closed, just the risk might be too great for some shippers to take that chance.

I want to get your perspective on this. There was an editorial earlier on Iranian media close to the powerful Revolutionary Guard there that warned Iran's foreign minister not to meet with U.S. envoys in Switzerland because of this ongoing, or back and forth fighting in Lebanon. Why do you think the IRGC is resorting to public messages now to key members of the regime?

RUBIN: Well, you know, Danny, there's no secret that there is still different power centers inside of Tehran. The IRGC ostensibly is the most powerful component of the Iranian government. They are the ones that have the guns. And if they are putting out these positions in public, perhaps they're concerned, but also, they're telling the rest of the world that whatever you negotiate with our foreign ministry, our presidency's office, it doesn't really matter. They're going to have to come back to us, the IRGC, and we just won this war. And that's what they're telegraphing.

And for the Americans, we have to demand more from the Iranians. If they are going to meet with us at the table, we can't be in a situation where we're talking to ghosts, where we're talking to passthroughs. We need to know that were speaking with leaders. And I think for the vice president to go out there, President Trump is showing that he is putting a strong leader in the chair to negotiate. It is his vice president. And that means something.

[14:30:05]

And so if the Iranians aren't willing to match that, that means that they're not taking the diplomacy seriously.

FREEMAN: Yes, that perhaps is the biggest sign that after initially canceling the trip to Switzerland, Vice President Vance is reportedly back on his way. Joel Rubin, we'll have to leave it there. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise.

RUBIN: My pleasure. Thank you.

FREEMAN: Still ahead, the doors are officially open at the Obama Presidential Center, and the former first couple's special surprise for a group of local students at the brand new public library is coming up next. Don't want to miss it.

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[14:35:14]

FREEMAN: One day after a star-studded opening ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Barack and Michelle Obama surprised a group of Chicago elementary students at the center's public library that opened on Friday. Reading Maurice Sendak's children's classic "Where the Wild Things Are." Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: They roared their terrible roars. Do you guys have terrible roars?

(YELLING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: On Thursday, the Obamas were joined by former presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush, and Joe Biden, along with big name musical guests and celebrities for the opening of the $850 million Obama Presidential Center.

Joining me now is A.D. Quig. She's a reporter for "The Chicago Tribune". Thank you so much for being here, because you've covered the long, extensive buildup and opening of the Obama Presidential Center. So just talk to me about the impact and significance, really, for the city of Chicago and the specific neighborhood where it is now located.

A.D. QUIG, REPORTER, "CHICAGO TRIBUNE": Well, this has been 10 years in the making, a massive project for Chicago's South Side. This is located in Jackson Park, which is surrounded by the neighborhoods that the Obamas kind of made their careers. And they said they wanted to build this thing to be an economic engine, but also an amenity for the people that live there.

This has been a point of pride for folks on the South Side, also a headache. This has been like traffic jams nonstop. But also people are just so excited that this is finally, finally here, and hopeful, and remembering what it was like in 2008. It's controversial, too. Theres there's fears that it will lead to gentrification, but there's the other fear that what the foundation wants, which is big investment on the South Side, might not come through.

FREEMAN: I'm curious, during the opening ceremony that got so much attention, the former president, he delivered pointed criticism of President Donald Trump, though notably without mentioning his successor by name. I want you to take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: A belief in the intrinsic dignity and worth of all people, and that no one is above the law or beneath its protection, a belief in checks and balances in our government, and an accountability that comes with an independent judiciary and a robust free press.

A belief that our military and law enforcement owe allegiance not to any president.

A belief in the peaceful transfer of power, values every president here today, as different as we are, has tried our best to uphold, values that John McCain and Mitt Romney believed in no less than I did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Again, the nonmention of Trump saying quite a lot there. What do you make of how Obama drew contrasts with Trump's visions of America there?

QUIG: Well, what a lot of attendees, including politicians, said was this kind of feels like the opposite counterprogramming to the America 250 stuff we've been seeing for the last few weeks, including what we anticipate on the Fourth of July. The foundation has emphasized over and over, we are not a political organization and has declined to comment directly on politics, but indirectly, pretty directly, they mentioned the president quite a lot.

And a lot of the message was not only this is the democracy that I envisioned and ran on and believe in, but something that we can get back to as a country. So I think he was trying to counter, or counterprogram some of the national rhetoric, divisiveness, anger, and kind of replace it with that 2008 era hope, change, and a reminder that collective action, which is the big thing the foundation is about, can counter a lot of this, and that people don't want to feel as divisive and hopeless as they do right now, and that they can turn back towards each other, and we can do it on a bipartisan basis. But again, it was everything Trump, without saying Trump directly.

FREEMAN: Yes, a lot of split screens this week in particular. A.D. Quig, thank you so much for joining us to break down a very important week in Chicago. Really do appreciate it.

QUIG: Thank you.

FREEMAN: Happening now, law enforcement is looking into what led to the green algae appearing in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Again, law enforcement. That's according to President Trump, who said, without providing evidence, that the pool was vandalized. Meanwhile, crews have been removing the algae from and are also dealing with a blue paint peeling off parts of the pools floor.

Now, the president also linked the etching of "86 47" into the grass on the National Mall to the alleged pool vandalism, which in new images appears bolder after the Interior Department attempted to cover up the numbers. So a lot happening here, but CNN's Tom Foreman talked to visitors to the Lincoln Memorial for their thoughts on the problems with the pool.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For a couple of protesters and a chorus of the curious, the Reflecting Pool, glistening green, is D.C.'s hottest new tourist distraction. [14:40:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a total waste of tax dollars.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It looks pretty gross.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it's terrible.

FOREMAN: The most recent issue, portions of what appear to be that brand new blue liner coming apart.

This is what we're talking about, and I'll try not to disturb anything, but just show you pieces like this flapping up from the bottom where some tourists are even coming along and tearing them away as souvenirs.

It was supposed to be memorable in a different way. When the White House fast tracked the renovation through a no bid contract for $14 million, seven times the cost originally pitched, President Trump insisted it would be better than anything any previous president had tried, leaving the pool clean, pristine, and with a fresh new paint job just right for the nation's 250th birthday.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: It will be blue water, dark blue. We call it American flag blue because that's the name of the color that we chose. American flag blue, can't do better than that.

FOREMAN: But the algae came on so fast and furious, just as it had for years, and just as outside experts said it likely would, that official claims the water is now crystal clear seem laughably false.

DAPHNE LASCHECK, VISITING FROM SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: All I see is green. So --

FOREMAN: No blue.

LASCHECK: No blue. Theres nothing. It's just bright green.

FOREMAN: The company that installed a new liner says it had nothing to do with the water, but amid claims that the liner may be failing in places, added, "There's several things that we've got to address when we come back for maintenance, and anything like that will be addressed if it's a problem."

For now, pumps are working around the clock to push oxygen into the water in hopes of preventing even more algae growth, and dozens of workers are vacuuming up the green goo dawn to ducks.

The thing is, algae comes in microscopic spores that can live in water that otherwise looks clean. And that means that even as these workers are clearing out the old algae bloom, a new one could be coming right behind it.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE) FREEMAN: Thank you, Tom.

All right, still ahead, the tragic and deadly car crash that's sparking fierce new calls to ban that Central Park's old time attraction, a mainstay of the park for more than 150 years. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:47:04]

FREEMAN: This is incredible. The U.S. men's national team is off to a historic start at the World Cup with back-to-back wins. That's a feat they had not accomplished since 1930 at the inaugural tournament. And they did it all while down a star player.

CNN's Andy Scholes is in Seattle with more on the team's victory over Australia. Andy, it must be electric out there. Walk us through the highlights.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: It was incredible, Danny, and another awesome performance for Team USA. And now for the first time ever in the modern World Cup, the U.S. has won their group after just two games. So now for that third group stage game against Turkiye in L.A. next Thursday, they can rest all the players they want, which is great for Christian Pulisic as he continues to deal with that injured calf.

Now Mauricio Pochettino's squad, they just completely dominated the first half here in Seattle yesterday against Australia, and they did so without Pulisic, who was not able to make it back for this game. But the U.S. able to get two goals in that first half. Folarin Balogun, he didn't score, but he created this opportunity that led to an own goal.

And get this, the U.S. is actually the first team in World Cup history to benefit from an own goal in consecutive games. Now, the team then later got a header from Alex Freeman, the 21-year-old son of former packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman, really turning into a rising star. Originally, that was called offsides, but VAR overturned it.

Australia did have some chances in the second half, but Team USA putting up a clean sheet. They win two-nil. And check out the fan zone in Atlanta watching the U.S. get the win. It was just pure chaos after the first goal. They actually had to stop letting people in. It was so packed, and Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta, it's pretty big. So that's an impressive crowd.

Now, the atmosphere here in Seattle, it was also electric. And afterwards, I talked to the fans who are more confident than ever about a deep U.S. run.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was unbelievable. They look -- they're looking so good. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They came out great today. They hit it, and

Australia didn't know what had it coming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm starting to believe. I think we're pretty dominant. I think we're dangerous.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they have a really good chance of winning this whole thing.

SCHOLES: The whole thing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole thing. Quarterfinals for sure. And then we'll see.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got to say, all the way, all the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA all the way red, white, and blue. You know what I'm saying? No matter what, let's go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Now, Balogun has become one of the breakout stars of this World Cup so far. And the story of how he came to play for the U.S., its rather amazing. So Balogun's Nigerian parents lived in London, but some 24 years ago they were visiting New York on vacation, and Balogun's mother was seven months pregnant at the time. And when it came time for them to get on the plane and go back to London, an airline employee would not let her board because of health concerns due to how pregnant she was. So Balogun was then born in Brooklyn before heading back to the U.K. when he was two months old. Balogun could have chosen to play for England or Nigeria, but he chose the USA after fans flooded him with messages.

[14:50:04]

So Danny, we don't know what the future of this World Cup holds for any of the teams. But I tell you what, that one airline employee may have in fact changed the course of history for Team USA.

FREEMAN: That's right, that's right. You know, if we get down the line, that airline employee, she's got to be on a float or something. All right, Andy Scholes, thank you so much.

SCHOLES: We've got to figure out who she is.

(LAUGHTER)

FREEMAN: Yes, exactly, exactly.

Coming up, all new next hour. This --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just unnecessary. Memphis is a predominantly black city. To take that power away from the citizens, it's very suspicious. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Suspicious? What do you think is behind it? What do

you think is motivating it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Racism obviously.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: CNN is on the ground in Tennessee, where Republicans have carved up the state's very last democratic stronghold, majority black Memphis.

Plus, we're going to talk about what officials believe is behind a growing number of deaths in Grand Canyon National Park.

And the legendary locomotive chugging coast to coast for Americas 250th birthday. You're not going to want to miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:55:51]

FREEMAN: An audacious plan to carve a canal to Lake Erie puts New York state on the map as a global trading superpower. The new CNN series "This Land" follows the expansion of the U.S. from coast to coast and reveals the stories, sacrifices, and conflicts that led to this country's creation and how they continue to shape America's legacy. Here's a preview from one of the new episodes this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATE MCKEEVER LOUGHMAN, DESCENDENT OF PATRICK COONEY: Patrick Cooney was my relative who came over from the coast of Ireland. He was one of the laborers who was actually doing a lot of the digging of the original canal. We don't have any idea what Patrick Cooney looked like. There are no pictures or sketches or portraits. There aren't very many records of the laborers along the canal. I think a lot of their names have been lost to time.

SINEAD MACNAMARA, PROFESSOR OF ENGINEERING, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: We know the first shovels went into the ground in 1817. I just don't think you could have comprehended the scale. It must have seemed like they'd gone to the end of the world. It must have seemed like they'd gone to the absolute wilderness. And it was incredibly dangerous work. There would be overwhelming illness and significant numbers of deaths.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Just incredible stuff here. Joining us now to discuss is CNN historian and political analyst Leah Wright Rigueur. Leah, great to see you. Let's talk about this. How did the Erie Canal help shape New York City into an economic powerhouse?

LEAH WRIGHT RIGUEUR, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST AND HISTORIAN: Well, I think the first thing you have to consider is that the Erie Canal is a technological marvel. It is absolutely, I mean, groundbreaking, both for its time, but also in what it allows the country to do. So the first thing is that the Erie Canal actually connects that part of the country with the rest of the country, but it does it in a way -- remember, you have to remember the completion of the Erie Canal comes in around 1825. And so before that, there isn't really a direct and easy access way to bring people or transport goods from one side of the country to the other. It essentially opens up the Great Lakes region to the upper part of New York and to New York City, and just transforms that area of the country.

It also allows people to move themselves, their animals, and their property, their objects, to westward. And so when we think about westward expansion, one of the ways that we understand it is through the development of the Erie Canal.

FREEMAN: I mean, just so, so important and crucial to that time. But tell us, what was the experience of the actual workers and laborers themselves who ultimately built the canal?

RIGUEUR: Well, I think it's important to remember that building the canal is no easy feat, right? This is prior to the kind of the idea that we have about the industrial revolution. So everything that we see is manual, grueling labor. And there are about 50,000 people who are brought in immigrants, largely from Ireland and from Germany, who are brought in to work on this project. At some points, there are reports of 5,000 people, 5,000 people rushing in to be part of this project, being brought in from out of the country.

And so the kinds of experiences that they have are extremely raw. They suffer from sickness, xenophobia, exhaustion. And really it's just, it's a its a grueling experience for these migrants who are building this technological marvel.

FREEMAN: Leah Wright Rigueur, I mean, thank you so much for -- excuse me -- breaking down such a consequential feat of engineering in our country. We really do appreciate it.

The two new episodes of "This Land" air tomorrow night at 9:00 eastern, right here on CNN.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.

FREEMAN: Hello and welcome, and thank you so much for joining me. I'm Danny Freeman sitting in for Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin the hour with breaking news. Iran says that it has closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to renewed fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Earlier, U.S. Central Command, though, disputed that claim, saying that Iran does not control the strait and commercial vessels continue to pass.

Fighting in Lebanon, meanwhile, is supposed to end as part of the U.S. framework agreement with Iran.