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U.K. Police Release Suspect in Death of Former Government Minister; Talks on U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Ukraine Gets Green Light to Produce Patriot Interceptors; Temperatures Soar in Western Europe; FIFA World Cup Highlights. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired July 11, 2026 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers, joining us from all around the world and in the U.S. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Here are our headlines.
New details in the shocking death of former British politician Ann Widdecombe. What police are now saying about their investigation.
And U.S. and Iranian negotiators are still working toward a deal, even as both sides trade new threats.
And typhoon Bavi hammers East Asia, where the storm is headed and how many people could be at risk.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Salma Abdelaziz
ABDELAZIZ: I want to begin here in Britain with a developing story. A man arrested in connection with the death of former government minister Ann Widdecombe has been released from custody. Police say he is no longer part of their investigation.
The 78-year-old former Conservative politician was found dead at her home on Thursday. Detectives are conducting house-to-house interviews and reviewing video evidence. Our Anna Stewart has more on this disturbing case.
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ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): British police were called to a shocking scene. Former lawmaker and household name Ann Widdecombe was
found dead in her home in southwestern England, her body bearing serious injuries. Forensics teams on the scene are searching for answers, piecing together her final moments. Police say the investigation is moving Swiftly. A 26-year-old white man has been arrested, police say, on suspicion of
murder but a motive remains unclear.
Widdecombe's death recalls deep scars in British politics. Nearly five years ago, conservative lawmaker, David Amess, was stabbed to death by an
attacker inspired by ISIS. And 10 years ago, Labour lawmaker, Jo Cox, was shot and stabbed during the tense Brexit campaign, the first sitting MP to
be killed in office since the 1990s. Her attacker was a far-right extremist.
Police emphasize this is not currently being treated as a terror- related incident. They've warned the public against social media speculation. In
the U.K. online rumors are a highly sensitive subject, especially after misinformation triggered nationwide riots following the Southport stabbings
two years ago. Police say that so far, there is no evidence of a political motive but Widdecombe's death has nevertheless rocked the nation. Tributes
are pouring in across party lines.
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Ann was a distinguished politician over many, many years with many achievements and it's a huge, huge loss.
STEWART (voice-over): Widdecombe was a polarizing, eurosceptic conservative who later joined the Brexit party and then the Reform Party.
She became an unlikely reality TV star, endearing herself to millions. Labour politician and interior minister, Shabana Mahmood, called her a true
servant of her constituents and conservative MP, Priti Patel, called her a much-loved member of the Conservative family.
A combative, forceful figure in British politics for decades, whose untimely death is now being mourned across the entire political spectrum -- Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
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ABDELAZIZ: International mediators are trying to get talks between the U.S. and Iran back on track after the meetings in Muscat. U.S. officials expect Iran to declare the Strait of Hormuz open and confirm commercial vessels will not be attacked, an official told CNN. The start of nuclear talks depends on safe passage in that strait.
Officials also said any final deal must see Iran turn over its enriched uranium to the United States. All of this as president Donald Trump weighs in on social media, referring to early reports about an Iranian plot to assassinate him.
He said the U.S. military would, quote, "decimate and destroy" Iran if he is killed. For more on all of this, I'm joined now by CNN's Nada Bashir here in London.
Good morning to you, Nada. As you just heard there, president Trump, yet again, making those threats, this time saying he would completely decimate and destroy Iran. But at the same time, you have these mediators scrambling to bring that peace process back to life.
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Is it working, Nada?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're certainly seeing those mediation efforts taking place already this weekend.
And we have heard from the U.S. president himself hinting somewhat that there is still some scope for mediation, although whether this is simply rhetoric or an actual reflection of what is happening in terms of that negotiation table, that remains to be seen.
But the U.S. president did take to social media on Friday to say that Tehran had requested further negotiations and talks. This has been denied by officials in Tehran.
But we are seeing today Iran's foreign minister traveling to Oman to carry out talks specifically focused, according to a foreign ministry spokesperson, on establishing suitable mechanisms for the control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Now, of course, the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route which runs -- which runs between Iran and Oman, has become the key stumbling block in trying to establish and sustain a ceasefire agreement.
And, of course, we've seen days of U.S. military attacks and fires on Iran as a result of what the U.S. has described as Iran's failure to adhere to the ceasefire agreement, they say, targeting ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Which Iran says failing to meet the terms of the agreement or failing to travel and pass through the parts of the Strait of Hormuz, it carries out of control. But, of course, this is a key stumbling block.
There has been significant daylight between the U.S. and Iran on exactly how the Strait of Hormuz will be controlled upon its reopening and that has clearly been a key stumbling block throughout the first few days of this initial part of the ceasefire.
But again, Iran's foreign minister is in Oman today, so we will be waiting to see what comes out of those talks, whether that perhaps shifts the needle somewhat in terms of potential future negotiations between the U.S. and Iranian officials.
We know that talks have also been taking place between U.S. officials and other regional counterparts, including officials in Saudi Arabia as well. But again, we have seen months of negotiations, mediation efforts come to nothing with these latest round of strikes in Iran.
And there have also been continued threats from the Iranian regime itself that it will also continue to target U.S. assets in the region if the memorandum of understanding and the terms of that deal, including, of course, control of the Strait of Hormuz but also terms around Iran's nuclear capacity, are not upheld and respected.
ABDELAZIZ: Nada Bashir here in London on yet another attempt to restart negotiations. Thank you so much for that update.
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ABDELAZIZ: Two senior U.S. senators say they have reached an agreement with the White House to update the sanctions against Moscow. It would allow the U.S. to slap tariffs on countries that buy Russian products, including oil and gas. But what is unclear is if president Donald Trump will directly get behind that proposal.
In Ukraine, four people are dead after new strikes on the city of Kramatorsk. Officials say Russia dropped seven aerial bombs on Friday, leaving at least nine more people wounded.
Kramatorsk is part of something called the Fortress Belt, which is the backbone of Ukraine's defense in the east. And Ukraine is getting new hope that it might be able to beat back the worst of Russia's aerial strikes.
Earlier this week, U.S. president Donald Trump said he would allow Ukraine to start producing its own Patriot missile interceptors. These are the only weapons that can actually take down Russia's ballistic missiles. But there are still many unresolved questions here, including how quickly Ukraine can start its own production.
For more, I'm joined by the author of this book, "The War in Ukraine: Strategy and Adaptation under Fire." Mike Ryan is a retired major general in the Australian Army and a senior fellow for military studies at the Lowy Institute. He's speaking to us this morning from Brisbane.
Thank you so much for joining us. I want to just go straight into that surprise announcement from president Trump that that, of course, he would allow Ukraine to produce these Patriot interceptors.
But for weeks now, Ukraine has been saying we are running out of these. We need these now.
How quickly can this actually make a difference?
Essentially, I'm asking you, how quickly can they produce them?
MAJ. GEN. MICK RYAN (RET.), SENIOR FELLOW FOR MILITARY STUDIES, LOWY INSTITUTE: Well, we're not going to see them produced this year.
Germany signed an agreement in 2024 to produce PAC-2 missiles with Lockheed Martin. It won't start production until next year. So even if Ukraine was to do this on an accelerated timeline, we're not going to see Ukrainian-produced interceptor missiles in 2026.
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That leaves a gap to be filled. And in the wake of the NATO summit, Ukraine has apparently reached an agreement where the U.S. will provide it with some.
ABDELAZIZ: Right. But we also know that Russia has stepped up its use of ballistic missiles precisely because it knows that Ukraine does not have enough of these interceptors. Now the assessment lately from European partners has been that Kyiv has the momentum in this conflict.
But could this vulnerability change the tide of the war?
RYAN: No, I think that, even though Russia has started to exploit Ukraine's vulnerability with its inability to intercept as many ballistic missiles as it might like to, it is not going to change the tide of this war.
Ukraine has suffered these bombardments for years now. It has developed a very advanced air defense system, the ability to take down the majority of Russian missiles and cruise missiles and drones.
Ukraine's advantages in deep strike, in mid-range strike and in the tactical fight out in the east are just too much for a few Russian ballistic missiles to change the course of the war at this point.
ABDELAZIZ: So you're talking again about those advantages, particularly the deep strikes that Ukraine has been carrying out inside Russia. But surely Kyiv needs more than just these Patriot interceptors.
What else does Ukraine need from America and its European allies?
RYAN: Well, the most important thing is moral support, the continued support that was on display at the NATO summit where the official communique recognized that Ukraine is a key part of transatlantic security, where NATO allies are committed to another $70 billion of support for Ukraine into 2027.
But also in a different respect, intelligence from the United States and Europe is critical to underpinning these mid-range and deep strikes that Ukrainians are undertaking on a nightly basis, including in the Sea of Azov, where, in the last 24 hours, they've destroyed nearly 30 ships.
ABDELAZIZ: And if I could take a break from talking about the military strategy here and ask you a little bit about politics, because part of the reason that Ukraine has not been able to get these Patriot interceptors is because there's quite a queue for them. Right. Europe is trying to replenish their own stockpiles that they've given
to Ukraine. You have demand in the Middle East, where there is the Iran War. You have demand in Asia, of course, where China is a threat to South Korea and Japan.
Could this decision from president Trump backfire?
Could it cause a diplomatic row?
What's your opinion there?
RYAN: Well, we're starting to see the production of these missiles in Japan. Germany will start producing them. The original producer in the United States is greatly expanding production of these missiles.
So you know, it's to be welcomed that president Trump supports the transfer of intellectual property to Ukraine. It becomes another producer of a very important air defense missile -- well, not just the Ukrainians but probably Eastern Europe more broadly.
ABDELAZIZ: That's a very interesting perspective. Thank you so much. Mick Ryan there on that production of Patriot interceptors, which you say we won't see until next year, potentially in Ukraine. Thank you very much for your time.
Typhoon Bavi is moving west toward China and is forecast to hit an eastern Chinese city of 10 million people early on Sunday. You are looking right now at live pictures from Taiwan's northeastern coast. You can see those huge waves.
Now the storm has pummeled Japan's southern islands with heavy rain and violent winds. Bavi also brought strong winds and rain to Taiwan's northeast coast but it's not expected to make landfall on Taiwan as it gradually weakens.
As a precaution, though more than 14,000 people have been evacuated, mostly in mountain areas and hundreds of flights have been canceled. Officials are warning residents to stay on high alert for violent winds, landslides, flooding and storm surges.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Well, I'd say they're all around a moderate level, probably about five or six out of 10, as I've experienced much rougher conditions before.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Disasters are difficult to avoid. But what's more important is making preparations in advance. If you take time to prepare beforehand, you'll be in a much better position to cope when a disaster does occur and you'll be less likely to run into problems yourself.
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ABDELAZIZ: Continuing our weather stories, Western Europe is still experiencing high temperatures, although they're not as high as the last heat wave in June.
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As the hotter weather draws more people to Britain's beaches, lifeguards are urging swimmers to be really careful in and around the water, which is dangerously cold.
In London, some people have been struggling with the extreme heat in homes without air conditioners. They say they're getting some relief at work in air conditioned offices. Commuting and sleeping has been difficult, of course, as the city sweltered in the third heat wave of this year.
The scorching heat is also drying things out, sparking wildfires in Spain. Officials there are concerned that wind gusts could spread the country's deadliest wildfire in more than two decades. The blaze is raging in the southern Andalusia region, where scores of people were forced out of their homes. Pau Mosquera has more for us from Madrid.
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PAU MOSQUERA, CNN SPAIN CORRESPONDENT: The wildfire burning in the town of Los Gallardos, located south of Spain, is one of the worst to ever impact the country. More specifically, the authorities say that it is the deadliest one ever registered in the autonomous community of Andalusia so far.
The authorities also confirmed that the flames have claimed the life of at least a dozen people, while more than 20 remain missing. And it is also important that, so far, the reason the origin of the fire is still uncertain.
The president of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, says that one of the hypotheses is that one of the power lines, alongside one of the national motorways near the municipality, may have fallen and then caused the first fires.
So far, the flames have already engulfed around 3,200 hectares of the forest around the town. Now the authorities remain very worried about the fact that they don't know when they will control this wildfire, because they estimate that, under the current situation and circumstances, it may take a few more days -- Pau Mosquera, Madrid.
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ABDELAZIZ: Still ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, a story that might make you think twice about choosing that window seat on your next flight, the terrifying mid-air incident aboard a Boeing 737 when we come back.
And we're going to take a look at the latest World Cup match results as Spain secures its spot in the semifinals with a dramatic win over Belgium
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ABDELAZIZ: An airline passenger is recovering from sheer shock and a few other injuries after the window next to his seat broke midair on a flight from Greece. Witnesses say the man was sucked partway out of the plane up to his shoulders.
Passengers say they heard a loud noise, then oxygen masks dropped shortly after takeoff. Greek media report passengers managed to hold the man down and prevent him from being pulled further out.
The Ryanair flight returned to the airport, where the passenger was treated by medics and U.S. officials say they're going to assist Greek authorities with the investigation.
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ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): you are looking at fans in Madrid erupting in celebration as Spain beat Belgium 2-1 for a spot in the World Cup semifinals. Spain took the lead in a tight first half before Belgium equalized, becoming the first team to score against the reigning European champions in this World Cup.
But after Belgium's goalkeeper was injured, Spain capitalized on a mistake by his replacement, pouncing on the rebound to book their spot in the semifinals against France.
The final two quarterfinal matches kick off later today. Norway is, of course, chasing its first-ever semifinal appearance against England in Miami. And defending champions Argentina will take on Switzerland in Kansas City. Our Elizabeth Perez caught up with some Argentina fans ahead of that quarterfinal match later today
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ELIZABETH PEREZ, CNN EN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: Hello from Kansas City, where Argentina, the defending champions, will face this Saturday Switzerland in the quarterfinals.
The Midwest city is again tinted baby blue and white, the colors of the Argentinian flag that the majority of the fans are proudly wearing in their jerseys. Fans that came here once again to support Lionel Messi and the South American team.
I spoke to some of them and they told me that they are full of hope before the match against Switzerland. They believe the team can reach the semifinals, even though the last two games have been a roller coaster.
Where are you from?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm from five minutes away from here. I live in -- I live in the neighborhood like three blocks from here.
PEREZ: So a guy from Kansas I see supporting Argentina.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I just got Argentinian citizenship 10 minutes ago. It's the best thing that ever happened to me. These are the best people in the world and they deserve everything.
PEREZ: You are dressed full Argentinian, you have the shirt, you have the hat.
What is the thing that you like the most about the Albiceleste?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love it because of the excitement that it brings to my neighborhood. I grew up right here. I couldn't have wished more for the World Cup in Kansas City. And just to see all these people is everything I could have ever wanted of the World Cup in the United States.
PEREZ: Let's not forget that, even though Argentina finished top of their group without losing a game, the knockout stage was much harder. In the round of 32, Lionel Scaloni's team needed extra time to beat Cape Verde after a very difficult match.
In the round of 16, Argentina made an amazing comeback against their -- in their match against Egypt. Now their next opponent is a very organized and pragmatic Switzerland, still unbeaten and that has never been behind on the scoreboard during the tournament, including the knockout rounds.
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They just faced a tough Colombia in the round of 16 and won in the penalty shootout. And there is an interesting fact. Switzerland has never beaten Argentina. Argentina is the only South American team still in the tournament. So let's see if they can keep moving forward and defend the title they won in Qatar.
I'm Elizabeth Perez from Kansas City, back to you.
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ABDELAZIZ: The top two seeds in the men's draw are going to meet for the Wimbledon title on Sunday. Defending champion and world number one Jannik Sinner will take on second seed Alexander Zverev in what's set to be a blockbuster match.
Sinner dominated seven-time champion Novak Djokovic. Zverev beat Arthur Fery and is now looking to clinch his second straight grand slam title.
In women's action, it's an all Czech final. You have Karolina Muchova facing off with Lynda Noskova. Muchova ended Coco Graf's run in an incredible drama-filled three sets. The 21-year old will be appearing in her first Wimbledon final.
King Charles has reunited with Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their children. The Friday meeting took place at the king's private country residence. It was the first time he was seen with the whole family together since 2022, suggesting a possible step toward mending that royal rift.
The last known meeting between Harry and his father was in September, when the pair had tea in London.
Now Harry returned to the U.K. on Monday. He's there to mark the one- year countdown to the Invictus Games, the Paralympic style sporting competition for injured servicemen and veterans that he set up more than a decade ago.
Thank you so much for watching. I'm Salma Abdelaziz. "CNN CREATORS" is next. I'll be back with more news at the top of the hour.
