Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

U.S. & Iran Launch New Strikes Amid Tensions Over Hormuz; Pub Fire in Bangkok Kills 27, Injures Dozens; Lindsey Graham Dies Shortly after Trip to Ukraine; Four Teams Remain in World Cup; China Appears to Build a Full-Scale Replica of U.S. Warship; Jannik Sinner Keeps Wimbledon Title with Win Over Zverev. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired July 13, 2026 - 00:00   ET

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

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. I'm Will Ripley, live from Hong Kong.

[00:00:38]

Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, The U.S. and Iran launching fresh strikes against each other, marking yet another escalation in the diplomatic breakdown between the two countries.

Plus, the FIFA World Cup's Final Four is set. We're breaking down everything you need to know ahead of the tournament's final week.

And a mock-up of an American warship sitting in the middle of a remote Chinese desert. Why is it there? And what could this mean for the U.S. and the wider region?

We begin in Iran, where the Islamic Revolutionary Guard says it has launched a new wave of missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. bases in the region.

The announcement comes after the U.S. began an hours-long barrage of strikes across central and Southern Iran. A U.S. military spokesperson says the attack is in response to Iran firing at another commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran is warning neighboring countries not to assist any U.S. military action, and a number of Gulf countries say they faced Iranian fire during the weekend.

So, let's go to the White House and CNN's Julia Benbrook.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Let's take a look back at the last couple of days as we dive into this recent escalation.

It was on Friday that President Donald Trump said that, in no uncertain terms, the ceasefire is over but that discussions would continue in some form.

According to senior U.S. officials, there was a demand from the United States for Iran to release a statement saying that the Strait of Hormuz is open and that vessels passing through that critical waterway would not be targeted.

BENBROOK (voice-over): Now, the United States did not send negotiators to Oman, but some in the administration expected that there would be this positive development, this statement coming out of those.

Instead, we have seen further escalation. The United States struck dozens of Iranian military targets after what it said was an Iranian attack on a merchant ship in the strait, and Tehran claimed it targeted several U.S. military sites in the region.

Sunday evening about 5 p.m. Eastern, U.S. Central Command confirmed that they were carrying out another round of strikes at the direction of the president.

BENBROOK: And earlier in the day, Trump spoke with CNN's Jake Tapper, and he said that he thought that there were --

BENBROOK (voice-over): -- going to be positive developments during those meetings in Oman. But then, that commercial ship was targeted. Take a listen.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT (via phone): But I will say, we hit them very hard last night. We had a deal with them yesterday. They were giving up everything. And then, all of a sudden, two hours after that, they hit a ship with a drone. And I said, these people, there's something wrong with them.

BENBROOK (voice-over): So, where do things stand in the Strait of Hormuz right now? There are conflicting messages. While Iran's authority tasked with overseeing the new protocol for transits through the waterway, says that the passage of vessels is not possible at this time, U.S. Central Command says that traffic is flowing, writing this: "The Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit the international waterway," adding, "U.S. forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available, despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations."

BENBROOK: Trump told CNN that, as far as he's concerned, it's open.

Julia Benbrook, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: Joining me now from Los Angeles is retired U.S. Army Major General Mark MacCarley.

And General, I'm really glad to have you here, because as you know, the U.S. and Iran have been making these contradictory claims about the status of marine traffic.

From a military standpoint, who actually controls the Strait of Hormuz right now? MAJ. GEN. MARK MACCARLEY (RET.), U.S. ARMY: That's perhaps the most

important and critical question you could have put to anybody, including myself.

And as I was pondering how to answer that, first and foremost, those entities, including our government, that have the ability to, using sophisticated satellite systems, can come forth with perhaps the best information as to whether or not some portion of the traffic that was beginning to flow through the straits by getting very close to Oman, has, in fact, returned to what we would call pre-July 8th or 9th number of vessels. And that, of course, is very, very important.

[00:05:28]

Now, can we here at the station or from our vantage points, confirm that? No. But I think that what's coming out of the White House has a significant amount of credibility, especially as reinforced by CENTCOM.

That said, we still have attacks, certainly, by the Iranians. And our response to those attacks -- striking ballistic missile sites, air defense sites, military logistics areas -- some people would call this a tit-for-tat. But this is not reflective of what we would call forward progress toward reaching something akin to a peaceful resolution, which we were all optimistic about at the point in time in June 17th, when this memorandum of understanding was first introduced and brought forth to the world.

RIPLEY: Yes. You mentioned this tit-for-tat. Almost feels like we're in this "Groundhog Day" pattern of limited strikes and trying to get diplomacy back on track.

Based on your experience, can military pressure like this stay limited, or do these situations tend to escalate?

MACCARLEY: The immediate quick answer is, and one that concerns all of us, both from a diplomatic perspective and a military perspective, is a potential for what is, as I use the term -- and you echoed that term -- tit-for-tat. And it could escalate very rapidly.

And I'll suggest an avenue in which that might take place, because I think earlier, certainly on multiple networks, both here, CNN, CNNI, and as well in Europe, there has been a discussion about whether or not this is the point in time in which the U.S. has to exercise its military might and strike in two areas.

And the first is the Kharg Island, which is, essentially, the oil distribution hub for the Iranians. And, if we went in there and struck to the point in which we destroyed those supply systems, that would be very, very significant.

Would the consequences be severe? I would have to say absolutely yes.

And the second touch point is Bandar Abbas. And Bandar Abbas is the major port, maritime center of all things related to Iranian utilization of the Persian Gulf for the movement of goods, services, and especially oil.

And the other attack point could be -- and I hope that this doesn't take place, because this will be an instant escalation. But U.S. forces could, indeed, find their way to Bandar Abbas. and, with the exercise of the capabilities that our armed forces have, seize that particular part of Iran.

But just articulating that creates palpitations in anybody who listens to what could be a potentially huge escalation of this conflict that has already gone on since February 28.

RIPLEY: And obviously, any of those military activities that you describe require a huge amount of logistics and planning.

What if you were in the Situation Room advising the president right now, and you're talking about the next 24 hours? What would be your top priority?

MACCARLEY: Oh, my gosh, that would be a great honor, to involve myself in making decisions. But quite seriously, those two items have to be on the table. I think amongst all that are involved, those are intimately involved in the negotiations.

There is, to use a term, hope that we can at least return to what we had three or four days ago, when there was conversation. But inevitably, there is tension that arises, certainly precipitated by Iran and Iranian interpretations of the memorandum of understanding.

And as you and I well know, there's that paragraph in there -- I think it's paragraph 3 or 4 -- that describes what Iran -- what's Iran's relationship with the Strait of Hormuz? Does it have a controlling position?

The language in there says that, for 60 days after this document was signed on June 17th, that Iran would back away. That has not occurred.

[00:10:06]

So, in answer to what advice you give the president, it's the responsibility of those military individuals present in the war room, what we sometimes call the tank. And at that particular point, we have to lay forth, and lay in front of him, what are his options?

Hopefully, we return to negotiations that will prove fruitful after a long time. And that's one area in which we have to asterisk, because anybody who has had any experience with Iranians as negotiators recognizes that nothing is done in a short period of time.

Time for those negotiators on that side of the table are not days, not months. It could be a year, year and a half, as we saw in the joint -- joint comprehensive agreement back in 2015.

So, in front of the president, you lay out that options [SIC]. you have the Kharg Island, to seize it. You have Bandar Abbas, each of which require, to use the trite phrase, boots on the ground. But you're going to commit men and women, U.S. personnel, soldiers, Marines, Navy, Air Force, those will, all of a sudden will find themselves in significant harm's way.

The other option, which is one that's being employed now, which is why I described it as tit-for-tat. Iranians launch. They try to strike our centers of military activity in the Middle East, whether Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

And then we respond by attacking a multiple number of their facilities. But I have to tell you, we're at a very, very dangerous point right now.

RIPLEY: And, you know, Gulf nations were intercepting attacks all weekend.

MACCARLEY: Yes.

RIPLEY: And as you rightly stated, it doesn't seem like this thing is ending anytime soon.

Major General Mark MacCarley, we need to leave it there for now. But I really appreciate your insight and your expertise. Thank you, sir.

MACCARLEY: You bet.

RIPLEY: We're following just an awful fire at a pub in Bangkok, Thailand. The latest number: at least 27 people are now confirmed dead. We know that dozens more have been injured in this.

Let's bring in CNN's Mike Valerio, live in Beijing. He's been kind of following the timeline here.

Do we have clues yet, Mike, as to why this fire was so deadly?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Will, I think we would start with the circuit breaker. And that is coming from the very top, from Anutin Charnvirakul, who's the prime minister of Thailand, telling that to reporters in the early morning hours.

But we're going to put up some video, and I stress we're going to play it once, only once, just to set the scene of how astonishing this fire was, of how it accelerated so fast out the front door.

This is the Na Ladprao pub in the Chatuchak neighborhood of Northern Bangkok.

So, this is just around midnight. And to get to what we know so far, according to the prime minister, he said that he spoke with a musician who was performing around the time. That musician saw something not right with the circuit breaker. There's smoke that starts coming from the circuit breaker.

Power goes out, and then there's an explosion that appears to come from the circuit breaker. So that, again, appears to be the potential starting point.

But how this accelerated so quickly. That is the open question, and that is our reporting target for the rest of the day, as long as this story goes on.

Now, Chadchart Sittipunt, the governor of Bangkok, puts the injury total so far: 22 people are still in critical condition at this hour. Again, 27 dead, as you mentioned. Sixty-three are in the hospital with a wide gamut of injuries.

And according to our super producer, Kocha Olarn, who's on the ground there in Bangkok, her reporting is conveying that one of the difficult parts of treating the injured is also figuring out who they are. When family members say, you know, I have this person, my mom, dad missing, trying to figure out who's who.

The injuries are so grievous -- and people's I.D.s have been burned or not on their person -- that that is becoming a challenge of this investigation.

So, again, no clear answer as to how that accelerant, what -- what exactly caused this fire to accelerate. But as you know, Will, from covering this part of the world for more than a decade, this is not a problem that is unknown to Bangkok and Thailand because of safety standards that have been lower than in many parts of the world.

So, the theme that we're going to be watching out for is to see if there's any sort of, not only just accountability, but whether this changes any sort of safety standard going forward, considering that Bangkok is such a visited city, you know, in the international community -- Will.

[00:10:03]

RIPLEY: Yes, absolutely. Mike. I mean, as -- as Kocha has covered before, there have been other really terrible fires in Bangkok. The buildings are older. Getting these places up to fire code, you know, even if they change the law, it's still really difficult to enforce compliance.

And then that video that you showed at the beginning, just absolutely terrifying.

VALERIO: Yes.

RIPLEY: Hope they can get to the bottom of it. Mike Valerio in Beijing, really appreciate the update. Thank you.

We're taking a live look now at the U.S. Capitol, where flags are being flown at half-staff in honor of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, who died shockingly and suddenly -- suddenly, over the weekend.

A preliminary finding from the medical examiner now says that he died following what's known as an aortic dissection, essentially a tear in his aorta.

The longtime South Carolina Republican died on Saturday night. He had just celebrated his 71st birthday.

Graham served in the Senate for nearly a quarter of a century, and he was known for his willingness to work across the aisle. Graham, once a fierce Trump critic, became a close ally of the U.S. president, who said he had spoken with the senator just hours before his death, after he'd arrived back from an overseas trip to Ukraine.

Trump called Graham a great and natural politician. He was also a major supporter of both Ukraine and Israel, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is remembering him this way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: He was a wonderful, wonderful friend, a great American patriot, and a great champion of Israel-American alliance. And I'll miss him personally a lot, a lot. I really, really thought the world of him.

And I think the world has lost a great human being. America has lost a great senator, and we have lost a great friend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Other allies are also expressing their condolences, remembering Graham as a staunch advocate for U.S. involvement overseas.

And as CNN's Nic Robertson reports, Graham had just returned from one of his many trips -- ten trips, as a matter of fact -- to Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, it's really interesting because this, of course, is a time where President Trump is really straining his relationships with his NATO partners.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): I mean, you only have to look back to last week and that summit in Ankara, where the president came in angry. He left a little happier.

ROBERTSON: But that has been strained.

And -- and it's very interesting to hear from the secretary-general of NATO, Mark Rutte --

ROBERTSON (voice-over): -- from the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz; from the British foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, all saying that he was a very strong supporter of the NATO Atlantic alliance.

ROBERTSON: So, that is something that the Europeans found value, particularly at this time with President Trump.

And that's really -- was perhaps best embodied by Lindsey Graham's engagement in Ukraine. President Zelenskyy said that Lindsey Graham had been there ten times since Russia's invasion in 2022. You know that he was a great supporter of -- of peace.

But he had other really strong words that I really think speak to what Senator Graham did when he was in Ukraine. And that was connect, not just with the political leadership, but with the people. Because President Zelenskyy pointed out that he was really grateful for Lindsey Graham's kind and supportive words about the difficulties the Ukrainians were going through, remembering they've been through many winters, freezing winters.

And Lindsey Graham's visits there weren't just about trying to get more weapons for Ukraine so that they could fight back against Russia. They were about supporting the country and the people. You know, "I'll miss our conversations" is what President Zelenskyy said.

But this latest visit, perhaps the most important, if you will, visiting with the Ukrainian president, visiting Skyfall. That's -- that's one of Ukraine's top drone producing factories. Really why they're getting an advantage in this war.

ROBERTSON: And it was that advantage coupled, Lindsey Graham hoped, with more sanctions on Russia that gave him the belief that perhaps the war could be ended. This is what he said about it when he was in Kyiv on -- just on Friday last.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): We've reached agreement with the White House on a version of the Russian sanctions bill that they will support. It means it's going to become law.

So, when I get back to Washington, I'm going to go with senator Blumenthal to the Republican and the Democratic leader to see if we can find time to move this Russian sanctions package that would give tools to President Trump to help end this war.

ROBERTSON: And that's what's going to be hard to replace here in Lindsey Graham, not just the advocate for Ukraine, but an advocate and a sympathetic supporter of the people, winning President Zelenskyy's trust. And being that vital conduit to the White House to try to influence President Trump. Value to the Europeans, as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[00:20:11]

RIPLEY: Nic Robertson there.

We're also learning more about the health of another U.S. senator, Republican Mitch McConnell. As you probably know, if you've been following coverage of this, speculation over his condition has been at a fever pace in recent weeks after he went to the hospital on June 14.

So, his office has just released a photo of the senator and his wife, the former U.S. transportation secretary Elaine Chao.

McConnell says he had to go to the hospital after he fell, and he briefly became unconscious. But he says he's now in a rehabilitation center to regain his strength after a mild case of pneumonia.

Video obtained by CNN shows an ambulance at the senator's residence last month. But until now, nobody knew exactly what the emergency was. The lawmaker says that he did not break any bones, did not have a

heart attack, no stroke. A doctor's note attached to his statement also referred to his injuries as minor.

But he's 84 years old. He does have a history of health issues. He's a childhood polio survivor, and he did suffer a concussion from another fall just a few years ago.

With four teams left standing, the battle for football's biggest prize is reaching a fever pitch. We'll have a preview of the upcoming World Cup semifinals after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:26:02]

RIPLEY: And then there were four. Just four teams remaining in the battle for football's biggest prize.

The World Cup semifinals kicking off on Tuesday. France will put its star-studded offense to the test against a Spanish team that's allowed just one goal in the tournament so far.

And on Wednesday, one of the sport's greatest rivalries will play out yet again when defending champions Argentina meet the Three Lions of England on the pitch in Atlanta.

Henry Winter joins me now for some expert insight into all of this upcoming action. He's a football writer and columnist for "World Soccer Magazine," and you've covered nine FIFA World Cups. Is that right?

HENRY WINTER, FOOTBALL WRITER/COLUMNIST, "WORLD SOCCER MAGAZINE": This is ten now.

RIPLEY: This is ten. OK. So, you know better than almost anybody, I think. What would you say is your -- is the biggest surprise of this World Cup so far?

WINTER: Wow, that is a good one. The joy between the fans, if I can take an off-the-field one. Because there were so many issues going into the tournament -- cost, logistics, size of it.

But actually, all I've seen is Americans embracing Scots who've gone to Boston, the Tartan Army, and drunk the place dry. England fans, who've not always had the best of reputation but have been good in recent tournaments, going to Mexico city, partying with the Mexicans, even with the Mexicans heartbroken by what happened.

So, anyone who wants people to speak peace unto people, that is happening on the streets of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and also in the stands of these great sporting cathedrals that you have here.

RIPLEY: So, when people look back at this 2026 World Cup, do you think that is what it will ultimately be remembered for, or what else do you think, when people look back and think about it?

WINTER: Oh, well, obviously, the football, as well. And you know, whether it's -- this is the last dance of -- of Lionel Messi, the great from the country of the tango. We thought that was in Qatar, when I saw him in the final there. And he was sensational there.

But you look at him in this tournament, and you see him walking around, padding around like a panther, and then suddenly bursting into life. He is a player of moments now, but these are great moments, goalscoring moments.

And then you look at the team that I've been covering for so long, and you look at Harry Kane, his finishing, his leadership. You look at Jude Bellingham and the sort of swagger around him, the confidence, the belief he can -- he can score, he can create, he can destroy. You know, and he's world class in all those three elements.

Lamine Yamal of -- of Spain hasn't quite kicked on. But he's a fabulous talent, as we've seen with Barcelona.

And finally, who do you want from this magnificent French team? Whether it's Kylian Mbappe, the striker up front, who is just so clinical in front of goal, such a beautiful player to watch. Or Michael Olise, the playmaker behind him.

So, on the pitch, off the pitch, it's been an absolute joy, and I will put it in my top three World Cups I've covered.

RIPLEY: What about all of the things that have kind of been different with this World Cup? I think, you know, referee cameras, one example.

Also, you know, the possibility -- this year was expanded to a 48-team format. They're saying they could be looking to expanding to 64 teams in the future. I mean, have these changes worked out, in your opinion?

WINTER: Well, you look at the top four teams are the four finalists. So maybe we just need a four-team World Cup.

I think the problem of continually expanding it -- and I understand the political voting reasons for the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, because it -- it strengthens his power base around the world, if more teams can actually qualify for the World Cup. More money for them. I understand the politics of that.

But actually, it diminishes some of the quality. It also pretty much kills the qualifying campaigns. And the club managers who are very strong in Europe will say, well, why are we lending you our star players to play in qualifying campaigns when you're pretty likely to qualify anyway?

[00:30:14]

So, I don't think FIFA have thought this through.

RIPLEY: All right. Henry Winter, leave it there for now, but enjoy all the action this week. Thank you. WINTER: Pleasure.

RIPLEY: Up next, remembering Lindsey Graham. Ahead, the U.S. president speaks with CNN about his close ally after the senator's unexpected death over the weekend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:35:23]

RIPLEY: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. We're live in Hong Kong. I'm Will Ripley. Let's take a look at the stories we're following at this hour.

Iran says it's launched new strikes targeting U.S. military bases in the Middle East. This as U.S. Central Command says it hit dozens of Iranian military targets in a second night of strikes.

CENTCOM says it's to degrade Iran's ability to continue attacking international shipping flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.

A fire at a pub in Bangkok, Thailand, has killed at least 27 people and injured dozens. Officials say the fire was reported around midnight. The country's prime minister said many of the victims were found in the restrooms at the back of the pub.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Politicians in the U.S. and around the world are paying tribute to the late Senator Lindsey Graham as we learn some new details about his death. According to Graham's communications director, there's a preliminary finding from the medical examiner showing that the 71- year-old died following an aortic dissection.

The longtime South Carolina Republican died on Saturday, just after celebrating his 71st birthday, and shortly after returning from a visit to Ukraine.

U.S. President Donald Trump is calling Graham's death a terrible loss as he reflects on their relationship and Graham's time in the Senate. He called in to STATE OF THE UNION and spoke with CNN's Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Mr. President, thank you so much for joining us. Obviously, quite a shock. The senator was a close ally of yours. He referred to himself as your North Star, the Trump guy in the Senate. What are your thoughts about Lindsey Graham this morning?

TRUMP (via phone): Well, it's devastating. I thought he was fine. He called me last night. He just got back from Ukraine, and he had a great trip. He was telling me about the trip. He was pushing very, very hard. You probably know, he wanted to do the SAVE America Act. He was talking about that. He was full of vim and vigor.

He was tired. He said, I'm tired because it's a long trip. But other than that, he was -- he was fine. And he called me, I guess, just moments before, because he called me at, like, 6:30 or something. And the -- the medical people got there a little bit later, right -- right after that.

What a -- what a terrible loss it is. He's a great politician. He was a natural. There are very few of them. He was a natural politician, got along with everybody. When he didn't, he was very tough. You know, he was a tough cookie, too. But he got -- got along with everybody.

TAPPER: Yes. He had some harsh words about you ten years ago when you were running against each other.

TRUMP (via phone): Yes, he did. Well, he ran against me. and he was, you know, formidable. He was a tough cookie. He was tough and smart. And that's where I got to know him, on the campaign. I didn't know him before then. And I spoke to him maybe once in my life before then. But I got to know him.

He was one of the 17 people that ran against me. And he was, you know, a smart guy. And it was a nasty campaign. He was tough and nasty, but I was nasty, too. And it worked out fine.

And I got to know him by little drips and drabs. And then we became friendly, and there was no better advocate. He was a fantastic advocate in the Senate, and he could do things that other people -- he was -- he was able to. If I had a really big problem with a certain Democrat, he could work it out. You know, that's something most Republicans can't do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: Joining me now is Robert Jimison, a congressional correspondent with "The New York Times."

I'm sure you saw the footage of Lindsey Graham in Ukraine when he was speaking to reporters with just his usual strength and personality. It's such a reminder, frankly, how quickly you can go. Right?

And it was interesting to see Mitch McConnell, who everybody's been looking at his health in recent weeks, put out that proof of life photo with his wife. Where does the Republican Party go from here?

ROBERT JIMISON, CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": That's the question a lot of people are asking right now. You're absolutely right. This took a lot of people by surprise. You know, Senator Graham, there were no outstanding questions about his health.

The heart condition that you mentioned, one that really can come out of nowhere for a lot of people.

Where the party goes right now, you know, Senator Graham occupied a really rare space within the Republican Party for the Senate. He was both a traditional Reagan-style interventionist who believed in a strong American presence around the world.

But he was also a Trump ally. And the party of Trump and a lot of Republicans of the Trump party today, who fashioned themselves after the president, are far less interventionist than where Lindsey Graham was.

[00:40:09]

And so, that -- that really does ask, you know, like, where does his legacy continue? Where does his style of Republicanism go forward? And whether or not a newer, younger generation of lawmakers will continue to think and act in the legislative body the same way that he did is yet to be seen.

RIPLEY: So, what conversations are you hearing that are happening privately, particularly among Republican lawmakers and their staff on the Hill, about the current situation? And as you mentioned, where -- where things go?

JIMISON: Well, as you can imagine, one, it's -- it's important to note that the Senate, there's 100 senators. And so, unlike the House of Representatives, where there are several hundred of them, no matter the party that you're in, no matter, you know, which side of the aisle that you're on, losing a senator in office is pretty devastating, even for people who would consider themselves pretty -- political enemies of Lindsey Graham.

The senator maintained close relationships, both amongst Republicans and Democrats in his party, though he disagreed with Democrats quite frequently and quite fervently.

And so, there hasn't been very much conversation about what happens next. I think a lot of members were, frankly, shocked by the sudden death of Senator Graham, and are still kind of gathering themselves to figure out, you know -- you know, reeling from -- from the news of it.

I think there is talk about the -- you know, the succession and a special election and who -- who would might be appointed to fill the remainder of his term and who might, you know, fill that -- you know, run for that special election for that seat in South Carolina.

But I think mostly right now, a lot of the lawmakers are just kind of reeling and taken aback by losing one of their own.

RIPLEY: Totally understandable. And obviously, it's still early to -- to discuss this, but you do have to ask the question, who would you say benefits the most politically from this unexpected vacancy? And whose job becomes much harder?

JIMISON: Well, this is where, you know, the politics of each state kind of comes into play.

There's been a lot of talk, like you mentioned, Senator Mitch McConnell in Kentucky. The circumstances, a lot of people were speculating about a potential instance there of that seat potentially being vacant soon.

In Kentucky, if a senator, you know, unexpectedly leaves, a special election is required to fill that seat. The governor there cannot fill -- appoint a senator to fill the remainder of the term.

However, in South Carolina, the governor, McMaster, there can appoint someone to fill the remainder of the term. And also, there will be a special election held, I believe, in August, for someone to run to carry out the rest of his term.

And so, while there will be a lapse of some period of time, we're not sure how long the seat will be vacant. There will be a lapse that will hold up some of the Republican agenda.

I think most notably, though, besides just, you know, one Republican missing from the chamber, Republicans are losing their Senate Banking Committee chairman. Lindsey Graham was highly influential in helping the president pass a large chunk of his domestic policy agenda. The One Big, Beautiful Bill, some of the immigration reform via reconciliation. A lot of the things that come from having that seniority, and those relationships, and that leadership, and the years and years he spent in the Senate are now gone.

And so that, I think, is going to be the biggest loss that is going to be felt on the Hill for Republicans when it comes to the work of the legislative body.

RIPLEY: Robert Jimison, it's 12:43 a.m. there. Really appreciate you staying up late to speak with us. And to think that it's now still less than 24 hours that we learned of this, and already it feels like the world is such a different place as a result of this, this shocking and monumental loss.

And I know you'll be covering it. We appreciate your insight, Robert. Thank you.

JIMISON: Absolutely. Thank you.

RIPLEY: I want to show you something. I want to show you something really also surreal, kind of bizarre. It's a replica of a U.S. warship, and it has appeared in a remote Chinese desert.

Now, this picture here, that's a real warship. I don't know if we have the replica of the warship. You might have to wait till after the break to see this thing, because it's sitting right there in the middle of the sand. But it looks just like this Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. Why would Beijing have built this? We will tell you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:49:19]

RIPLEY: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM, live from Hong Kong.

Here's a question for you. Why would China build a full-scale replica of a U.S. warship in the middle of a vast, remote desert?

Well, the Taiwanese analyst who first spotted what he calls Beijing's first ever 3-D mockup of a U.S. destroyer, tells me it could be linked to China's attempts to refine hypersonic missile targeting. He says it could also be a signal that China wants to remain combat-

ready amid simmering tensions over Taiwan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY (voice-over): At first, it looks like any American warship at sea. Then you notice the sand. More than a thousand miles from the nearest coastline, hundreds of miles from any major city, deep inside the western Chinese desert. What appears to be a full-scale mock-up of a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

Look at it side by side with the USS Fitzgerald. The resemblance is striking. Both are around 510 feet long. At the back, the helicopter flight deck used to launch and recover naval helicopters.

Next are the vertical launch system cells used to fire guided munitions like the Tomahawk cruise missile, heavily used in the conflict with Iran.

This is the bridge and command area, where navigation, communications, and combat operations are controlled. At the front is the deck gun used for surface targets, air threats, and shore bombardment.

Together, the details suggest a carefully built, full-scale replica of one of America's main guided missile destroyers. Workhorses of the U.S. Navy fleet. More than 70 sailing in oceans around the world.

If conflict ever erupts over Taiwan, these destroyers would likely be among the first U.S. warships deployed.

Hans Su analyzes China's military for Taiwan's top defense research institute.

RIPLEY: Why would China go through all the effort and expense to build this?

HANS SU, DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE AND SECURITY RESEARCH: The Chinese try to prepare everything from A to Z.

SU (through translator): The Chinese military has ballistic missiles that can attack from high angles, and cruise missiles that can attack horizontally. So, they're trying to combine both and enhance their anti-access area denial capability.

RIPLEY (voice-over): He says they're trying to improve the accuracy of China's newest hypersonic anti-ship missiles, displayed at Beijing's military parade last year.

The 3-D replica is covered with antennas designed to simulate the radar signature of an American warship, helping China detect, identify, and perhaps target the real thing.

It's located in Xinjiang, the same area where the People's Liberation Army built two-D flat mock-ups of U.S. aircraft carriers and destroyers several years ago, even putting them on tracks, analysts say, to move at the speed of actual ships. RIPLEY: Have they ever built a 3-D mock-up before.?

JOSEPH WEN, OPEN SOURCE INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: It's the first time.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Open-source intelligence analyst Joseph Wen first spotted the mock-up when it was still under construction about a month ago.

WEN (through translator): I do think this is quite surprising. The scale of the construction is really massive.

RIPLEY: What message are they trying to send by building this?

WEN (through translator): The message that they are sending is, China is always preparing for war.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Under leader Xi Jinping, China has poured billions into modernizing its military: from aircraft carriers and nuclear weapons to artificial intelligence.

The PLA has also long trained using mock-ups of everything from U.S. military assets to Taiwan's presidential office.

On China's tightly controlled social media, censors are allowing comments like these. The U.S. military's premiere escort warships, long regarded as a source of pride, have now become designated targets for Chinese missiles. They are nothing more than targets sitting in the desert, waiting to be hit.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: We have reached out to the Pentagon, the U.S. Pacific fleet, and China's defense ministry, trying to get comment about this. We've not heard back.

But we will be right back with more CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:55:01]

RIPLEY: World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is holding onto his ranking and the Wimbledon title. He beat Alexander Zverev in four sets during a brutally long match at the All England Club.

It's Sinner's fifth Grand Slam singles title. And CNN's Don Riddell has all the highlights.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Jannik Sinner is once again the Wimbledon champion, but he was made to work for his title defense by Alexander Zverev on center court on Sunday.

This was a fascinating matchup between the top two seeds, but Zverev might have had a bit of trepidation beforehand. Although he recently broke his major drought by winning the French Open, he had lost nine consecutive matches against Sinner.

However, he stepped up here, edging a tight first set on a tie break, snapping a run of 14 consecutive loss sets against the Italian.

The second set also very competitive, although this time it was Sinner who edged it on another tie-breaker. And although he went on to win the match by three sets to one, Zverev had pushed him all the way.

Regardless, Sinner is now a five-time major champion and a two-time Wimbledon champ. And at three hours and 46 minutes, this was the second longest win of his career.

JANNIK SINNER, WIMBLEDON WINNER: There is no better place, honestly, to play tennis. I'm standing here. You can feel the nerves on Sunday morning when you wake up. You know that this is, you know, a very, very special day. And you never know how many times you can come back on Sunday.

So, I never take things for -- for granted. Playing in front of very, very special people throughout the whole couple of weeks. It has been amazing. And yes.

And thanks for the support. You are always amazing to me. And you gave me the most special feeling at tennis player can ever feel like. So, thank you so much.

RIDDELL: So, the focus now switches to the U.S. Open in New York, where Sinner was the champion in 2024. He'll be the favorite, although there must now be considered a serious rival. And at some point the injured Carlos Alcaraz is going to be back in the mix.

If he's been watching on TV, he'll know that Sinner will take some stopping.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: All right. Thank you for watching. I'm Will Ripley. We're live in Hong Kong. And I will be back with another hour of CNN NEWSROOM right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)