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US War With Iran; FIFA World Cup Quarterfinal; Venezuela Earthquakes; ICE Agent Fatally Shot A Man During Traffic Stop. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired July 09, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:01:06]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: It's great to have you with us. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York, and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

And the US and Iran, they trade strikes for a second day after Trump suggested the ceasefire is over. We'll take you live to Tehran. Plus, can Morocco stop Kylian Mbappe? We'll look ahead to the match as France prepares to face Morocco in the World Cup quarterfinal.

And as Venezuela braces for a long haul recovery following back-to- back earthquakes, we'll hear from the family of one survivor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from New York, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: And we do want to begin with a second night of strikes between the US and Iran after President Trump said the ceasefire is over. The escalation of hostilities taking place as the US President returned to Washington from the NATO summit in Turkey. This is a video of him arriving back in the United States just a few hours ago.

Iranian state media is reporting explosions in several cities. In one strike, Iran says that a railway bridge was hit, and according to state media, that bridge strike it is now causing travel disruptions for mourners trying to reach the northeastern city of Mashhad, where Iran's slain Supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will be buried in the hours ahead.

As of now, the US is now taking responsibility for that bridge strike. The US Central Command says that its latest strikes are complete after hitting about 90 Iranian military targets. And President Trump has warned that the strikes would get much worse if Iran attacks more ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

We want to go now live to Frederik Pleitgen in Tehran. Actually, strike that, we should -- we do want to go to Paula Hancocks first out of Abu Dhabi for the very latest on what we're hearing. Paula, what is the latest as we continue to hear from not only CENTCOM, but potentially Iran's government?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Polo, what we've heard from Central Command to start with is that, over the past two days they have carried out something like 170 strikes or those are the 170 military targets that they have been focusing on in Iran. They say, for the most part, they're focusing on the coastline. They're focusing on the radar systems that the missile launch systems, and the air defense systems along the Strait of Hormuz to try and degrade Iran's ability to try and keep control of that critical waterway.

Now, we have heard from Iran that they say through state media, some 14 have been killed, 78 wounded over the past couple of days. And we have also heard from the chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. He's posted on social media, I'll read you part of it.

"If you strike, you'll get hit. Don't flail around pointlessly or you'll sink even deeper. The Strait of Hormuz will only open with the Iranian arrangements, not American threats."

So this is really one of the critical parts of trying to keep this memorandum of understanding intact, if you like. The fact that Iran considers itself to be in control of the Strait of Hormuz, they say that's what the MOU dictates. And yet we have been seeing a number of vessels taking the more southern route in this waterway, so hugging the Amani coast. So they don't have to deal with Tehran, they don't have to get the Iranian permission.

Now, we have heard from a US official familiar with the discussions that the reason President Trump decided to go ahead with these strikes was, of course, the fact that they have said that Iran was targeting vessels, three vessels Trump says, in the Strait of Hormuz. But also that he was angered that this had happened while he was in Turkey, while he was at the NATO summit, also showing significant frustration in public declaring that the ceasefire is over.

[04:05:17]

Now, what we've seen from the Iranian retaliation side is once again, Bahrain and Kuwait really bearing the brunt of Tehran's strikes. We saw in the early hours of Thursday, so a second night of very little sleep for residents in these areas where emergency alerts were sounding. We heard from Bahrain officials saying that they intercepted several attacks. Bahrain, of course, home to the US Fifth Fleet. Polo?

SANDOVAL: CNN's Paula Hancocks with that live report from Abu Dhabi. Thank you, Paula. And you did hear Paula just mentioned that NATO summit. Well, there were many headlines that came out of the President's trip to Turkey.

While in Ankara, he complained that allies hadn't backed him up in the war against Iran. But he ended the summit on a positive note, praising members of what he called their tremendous unification and love. Meanwhile, Turkey's president said that President Trump gave them some encouraging signals about the possible sale of US F-35 fighter jets to Turkey despite a congressional ban.

And during a meeting with the Ukrainian president, Donald Trump said that he will give Ukraine the ability to manufacture its own Patriot missile defense systems. This was that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: We're going to give a license to you to make Patriots. That's pretty cool, right? This way you can't complain that we're not giving them enough. I'd say, make them yourself.

We haven't informed the company of that yet, but that'll work out all right. You know, sure they'll be thrilled. But, you know, they'll be able to do it. You'll be able to figure that out. Most countries couldn't do that.

If I said that to most countries, they wouldn't know what I'm talking about. But this is a very ingenious group. And what I like about that, it's a defensive situation as opposed to an offensive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: That announcement about Patriot missile interceptors, it was pretty unexpected as CNN's Nic Robertson reports.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: You know, I think for all of those of us listening, it was a real surprise. We were briefed by the US ambassador to NATO just a week or so ago and this issue came up. You know, President Zelenskyy has wanted permission to have this license to produce Patriots inside Ukraine, the defensive missile systems.

Why, quite simply, they're running out. They don't have enough. President Zelenskyy has said the way to win the war in Ukraine. It's a battle in the skies now with Russia. Russia's got the more impaired ballistic missiles. Ukraine's defenses are weakened because they don't have enough of the defensive missile systems, although Ukraine is very good at the offensive stuff because it's got some long range drones.

So the whole war has framed it as a war in the skies. And so just last week, you have the US ambassador to NATO, who you would think understands where the sort of central gravity on US opinion is, that there wasn't going to be a granting of these licenses. And you had President Zelenskyy just yesterday saying so important for the European countries and NATO to be able to produce these interceptor missiles themselves inside of Europe, you know, putting the burden on them rather than putting it on the US.

And then President Trump sit in there and saying, well, I think a little birdie tells me. And Zelenskyy, I think because of his encounters with President Trump and knows the way that they can go backwards and forwards, I think perhaps -- well, I mean, he was quite quiet. That was notable thing.

One would understand that perhaps he wanted to go away and see what the details behind the scenes were on this. In fact, we'd expected President Zelenskyy to hold a press conference before he left, maybe that 40 minute exposure sitting in an armchair with President Trump, which was pretty much the totality of their bilateral meeting by the way. He decided that was enough exposure and he left without giving his press conference. So I think reasonable to say that it was a surprise round.

SANDOVAL: Right now to the FIFA World Cup, where quarterfinals are set to start later today. Tournament favorite France kicking things off with their match against Morocco just outside of Boston. Then on Friday, it's Spain versus Belgium in Inglewood, California. Norway versus England and Argentina versus Switzerland will be capping off the quarterfinals on Saturday.

The French squad, they are looking to keep the momentum going. Les Bleus have won all of their games so far that the French coach says that they are not taking anything for granted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIDIER DESCHAMPS, FRANCE COACH (through translation): Planning for a match, Morocco's profile is not that of Paraguay.

[04:10:01]

So Morocco, for those who are not familiar with them, already stepped up when we met them four years ago in Doha in the semi finals. They also made it to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, so they are among the very best teams with very good players.

They are not here by accident. It is a matchup between two teams that like to have the ball, that like to attack, that like to score goals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Morocco's Atlas Lions, they are out for revenge after losing to France at the semifinals four years ago, their last World Cup. For more on the World Cup, let's bring in Moroccan sports journalist Amine El Amri, the Deputy Editor in Chief of SKWAD, a digital media outlet specializing in sports. He's joining me from Casablanca.

Good morning to you. It's great to see you.

AMINE EL AMRI, DEPUTY EDITOR IN CHIEF, SKWAD: Hello. Thanks for having me.

SANDOVAL: Of course, it's a pleasure to have you. Let's get things started with maybe your thoughts on how the Moroccan team continues building on its legacy, and also it's historic World Cup appearance from 2022.

EL AMRI: The opportunity to break a glass ceiling, and people just discovered that there's a world beyond. I think that was -- the challenge was to come into 2026 trying to confirm, and to have some continuity with what happened in Qatar. And I think this team just did that because they secured the sixth game in this World Cup against France.

SANDOVAL: I mean, who are the players that you will be closely watching today? EL AMRI: Well, of course the French armada in the attack. So the four fantastic as we call them, Mbappe, Dembele, Olise and either Desire Doue or Barcola, because they're so fast. The Moroccan team cannot be not unaware of what happening behind this defense.

So I think it's going to be a very good game, very balanced, but the one that scores, I think it's going to be a very, very low score game.

SANDOVAL: You mentioned Kylian Mbappe in your assessment, how much of Morocco's success do you think hinges on their ability to stop him?

EL AMRI: A lot, a lot. I think he's one of the best players in the world, maybe the best. I know his season with Real Madrid wasn't the perfect one, but he's still a liability for France. And the numbers show it, seven goals in five games. I think he's the best threat that France has.

SANDOVAL: What do you think has changed for Moroccan football as they continue to just keep the quality of their game incredibly competitive?

EL AMRI: Well, I think the difference between 2022 and now that -- in 2022, it was tough defense spirit with the tactical rigor. As of now, third -- a lot of participants, and we also have got a lot more talent than in 2022. So for example against the Netherlands that made us control the ball for 75 percent of the game.

And to be frank, I've never seen the Netherlands playing in the last third for the majority of this team has got much more quality than in 2022.

SANDOVAL: With a big and resilient Moroccan community inside France, I assume it's going to be extremely interesting among the fans. Amine El Amri, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your perspective. Excited about the game, enjoy it.

Still ahead, a family in Houston, Texas demanding answers at the sound this after an ICE agent fatally shot a man during a traffic stop on his way to work. But we know about this deadly incident is next.

Plus, how one man imported from the US survived the deadly earthquakes in Venezuela. We'll share his story in a moment.

[04:14:32]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: It's hard to -- currently, the Department of Homeland Security is investigating the fatal shooting of a Mexican immigrant by a federal immigration agent in Houston. The family of 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo says that he was shot during a traffic stop involving unmarked vehicles while on his way to work on Tuesday morning.

Well, an ICE spokesperson says that the man tried to evade arrest, rammed into a law enforcement vehicle, and that the agent fired in self-defense. The family now mourning, a husband and father of three sons, they're also demanding answers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALDO SALGADO, LORENZO SALGADO ARAUJO'S SON: I saw a video posted on Facebook that he had been shot. I recognized him immediately, not from his appearance, but from his voice, crying for help as he lay on the street bleeding out.

He did not deserve to die. He did not deserve to be reduced to a headline of Mexican man shot and killed by ICE. He deserves to live a quiet life as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a husband, a father and a job creator for dozens of men who also wanted the American Dream.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: CNN's Ed Lavandera has the details and a warning that his report does contain some images that may be disturbing for some viewers.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The family of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo as well as Latino civil rights activists are calling for a full independent investigation into the man's shooting death by ICE agents early Tuesday morning in Houston. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say that Salgado used the white van that he was driving as a weapon and targeted ICE agents who were trying to take him and the several men that were with him in the van into custody, that they had used that van as a weapon.

[04:20:06]

Now, Salgado's family as well as these activists say they do not believe ICE's version events in this situation. However, there has been no full video that has been released or seen in any way so far that captures the full moment of the shooting. We have obtained a video that caught the aftermath where you see Salgado on the ground next to the van with several agents around him, but that is the extent of what we have seen so far.

Salgado's family and activists say that they point toward what happened in Minneapolis earlier this year where there were serious questions raised about ICE's versions and explanations for shootings that took the lives of two people there. That's why they say at this moment, given what they know and what the description of what has happened, they do not believe ICE's version of events.

Salgado's family says that he's been in this country for 35 years, has no criminal history, was going through the process of obtaining his legal work permit, that he -- if he had known that it was ICE agents who were going after him, that they would have pulled over and complied with whatever the situation called for. So a lot of questions still swirling around this as these activists in the family is urging the public if they have any video of how all of this transpired, to come forward with those videos.

But ICE agents and ICE officials maintain that it was Salgado who was threatening one of those ICE agents on the ground, using his vehicle as a weapon. And that that is why the officer felt compelled to shoot at the driver of that white truck. Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

SANDOVAL: What's now been two weeks since Venezuela was hit by a deadly back-to-back series of earthquakes, the death toll continues to rise in the aftermath with officials there reporting more than 3,800 fatalities. International crews, they are still helping on the ground with Venezuelan crews as they try to work through this humanitarian crisis that's unfolding as a result of the damage.

In fact, Japanese medics seen here, they're helping treat patients in a temporary camp. They're helping with wounds, diseases and trauma related to the disaster. And officials say that nearly 18,000 people are now homeless.

But some are doing whatever they can to help. In fact, there's one Venezuelan fashion designer that has switched from making colorful gowns, making body bags, having a shortage from those. He says that it's his way of contributing after the disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EFRAIN MOGOLLON, FASHION DESIGNER (through translation): Emotionally, it's very hard because we truly see that this is suffering that all Venezuelans are going through and experiencing. Of course, we do not want to have to do this, but we do it out of kindness and from the heart, as a way of helping, and that is what comforts us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: It is an incredibly telling account and we're also hearing stories of hope from families either reunited or waiting to be reunited after the earthquakes. CNN's Carolina Peguero spoke with a woman whose father was deported from the US back to Venezuela and narrowly avoided death.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALBANIS PARRA, DAUGHTER OF EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR (through translator): On Wednesday, the earthquake happened, and I hadn't talked to him yet. I knew nothing of him since then. I didn't know if he was OK or not.

CAROLINA PEGUERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two weeks after the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, Albanis Parra still hasn't processed the uncertainty she experienced, not knowing about her father, who had been on the last deportation flight on June 24th. Today, he's alive by a miracle.

PARRA (through translator): My father survived by a miracle because he had a complaint filed against him by his sister from 15 years ago after an argument, and he was taken to a separate detention facility.

PEGUERO: Her father, Alberto Parra Villalobos, shares by FaceTime call from Venezuela and explains how this miraculous detour saved his life, but not from the trauma he now lives with after witnessing the aftershocks and the destruction.

ALBERTO JOSE PARRA VILLALOBOS, EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR (through translator): They told us, get ready, we're leaving. On the day of the earthquake, they took us to a courthouse, which was across the hotel where the other deportees were staying at. The ground below was roaring loudly, like the devil was coming out of it and the seawaters were coming up through the toilets. I thought a tsunami was coming, and I felt like I was being shaken in a hammock.

PEGUERO: Parra Villalobos who had been living in the United States under a political asylum status, was detained on Christmas Day in 2025 for driving without a valid license, and after more than six months being held in several ICE detention centers, he was deported under the Trump administration. He says the images he has seen will never leave his mind.

VILLALOBOS (through translator): It was a white cloud. You could see all the dust all the way from Caracas to La Guaira. I saw staircases collapsing, and suddenly more than 1,000 vultures were flying all over the hotel. The guards were crying, and some because they found out their families had died.

[04:25:05]

PEGUERO: He shares that he saw many who were on the same flight also lose their lives that day.

VILLALOBOS (through translator): I feel very bad about everything and what I've lived through. I will never forget this, the children and the pregnant woman who died. I stay outdoors all the time because I can't go into my house. I'm afraid, and I can't live like this.

PEGUERO: His daughter has been using her flower shop as a donation center to help families in Venezuela. She hopes that one day her and her son will be able to reunite with her father.

PARRA (through translator): I love him very much. I'm grateful to him, even though we may argue. I love him. God gave him a second chance at life, and I know this is very painful for all those families who have lost loved ones. All we can do is trust in God.

PEGUERO: Carolina Peguero, CNN, Orlando.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And we will have more on the escalation of hostilities in the Middle East ahead. Iran retaliating yet again after a second night of US strikes as questions grow about the fate of the ceasefire.

And a little later, forecasters are predicting a powerful El Nino this year that could bring destruction around the globe. So what if there was a way to tame this weather phenomenon? I'll be speaking to a climate expert in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANDOVAL: In a bit now on the new fighting between the US and Iran that just hours after President Trump declared at the NATO summit that the ceasefire is over, the US Central Command says that about 90 military targets were hit overnight, and that the action is meant to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten the Strait of Hormuz.