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U.S. Reimposes Blockade in the Strait of Hormuz; Spain to Challenge Winner of England-Argentina in the FIFA World Cup Finale; American League Prevails at the MLB All Stars. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired July 15, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to "CNN Newsroom," I'm Lynda Kinkade. Here's what's coming up.

More strikes in Iran for the fourth night in a row as Donald Trump sends an ominous message to Iran if they don't make a deal.

Plus, a pair of killings by ICE agents has prompted a pledge for more body cameras, but is it too little too late?

And Spain heads to the World Cup final after dominating France in the semifinals. And now Argentina and England face off today for the final spot. We're following all the action.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: We begin in the Middle East where U.S. forces have concluded the latest round of strikes on Iran just hours after reimposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports. President Trump says the strikes will, quote, "continue until I say it's enough." He's also threatening to target Iran's civilian infrastructure as leverage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants, next week comes the bridges. We're going to knock out all their power plants, we're going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Iran blames Washington for causing the breakdown of the ceasefire and says it has no obligations to the 14-point agreement made with the U.S. last month. Gulf countries are on high alert following the U.S. naval blockade on Iran. Earlier video geolocated by CNN appears to show an Iranian drone striking a warehouse in Kuwait.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us live from Abu Dhabi. Good to have you with us, Paula.

So we're seeing the fourth consecutive night of strikes and counter- strikes. Trump is also threatening to strike Iranian power plants and bridges. What's been the impact so far?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, it's certainly not the first time that we've heard the U.S. President give these maximalist threats against Iran, this time saying he would be going for infrastructure like those power plants and bridges. But in the past what we've heard from Iran is that these very strong threats really do show just how desperate the President is.

We heard that from the Iranian chief negotiator. So it's unlikely that threats like that will bring Tehran back to the negotiating table. What we have seen though overnight with these strikes we've heard from the U.S. Central Command saying that they have more than 20 U.S. Navy warships, hundreds of military aircraft operating, and for the most part they are once again targeting military infrastructure along the Strait of Hormuz, along the coastline to try and degrade Iran's ability to be able to threaten commercial shipping in that critical waterway.

We also heard from Central Command, the commander saying that over the past seven days Iran has attacked seven commercial ships, saying that almost a dozen crew members have been killed, are missing, or have been injured.

Now when it comes to the response we're seeing from Iran, it is as it has been for the last several nights. We've seen Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan being impacted by Iranian missiles and drones. We do have video that CNN has geolocated of what appears to be an Iranian Shahed drone in Kuwait hitting a warehouse that was already on fire.

Now the Revolutionary Guard said that they did target Kuwait, saying they targeted a logistics and support center. Jordan saying that it shot down three missiles in Bahrain. The Revolutionary Guard saying that they attacked fuel storage facilities used by the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet.

So we are starting to see really a familiar pattern here, Lynda, but it's certainly escalating.

KINKADE: Certainly very familiar pattern.

In terms of other proposals, we've seen that Donald Trump has now dropped his 20 percent fee, he suggested, imposing on cargo transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. But now he wants the Gulf countries to invest in the U.S. in exchange for safe passage. What's been the reaction to that in the region?

[03:05:02]

HANCOCKS: You're very likely to get any public reaction from leaders of the Gulf nations when it comes to something as sensitive as this. Clearly it was not welcomed when the U.S. President had suggested that there would be this 20 percent levy on cargo in return for securing the Strait of Hormuz. There were many questions about how that would work and also the fact that the U.S. military appears unable to secure the Strait as Iran is still targeting ships.

Let's listen to what the U.S. President said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I don't think anybody should be able to charge a fee for the Strait or for any other Strait relationship in terms of other sections of the world. I don't think anybody should be really in that position. But we were doing it as a reimbursement.

The Gulf States are going to invest a tremendous amount of money into the United States. And that was very satisfactory to me. I think it's actually much better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now he was also asked about ground troops in that Fox News interview. He said, I don't want to do that, referring to putting troops on the ground in Iran, but also mentioned that we have other people who will do the ground campaign for us.

Again, this is something that has people scratching their heads wondering who exactly would be willing to put up their military to be on the ground in Iran. Lynda?

KINKADE: Exactly. Good point. Paula Hancocks for us in Abu Dhabi as always, thanks very much.

Fawaz Gerges is a Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science and also the author of "The Great Betrayal, The Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in the Middle East." He joins us now live from London. Great to see you.

FAWAZ GERGES, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, AND AUTHOR, "THE GREAT BETRAYAL": Thank you. Thanks for having me.

KINKADE: U.S. President Trump has combined military strikes with more threats about targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran, like power plants and bridges, while also leaving the door open to negotiations. What exactly is the strategy here and will it work?

GERGES: Well I don't think there's a strategy, I don't think President Trump has any strategy whatsoever, no exit strategy. He continues to improvise, bluster threats, contradictory positions. President Trump does not understand that basically the Iranians know his game now, his game plan, and they're not buying the rhetoric.

In fact, I doubt it very much whether President Trump will be basically able to force Iran to bend to his will and open the Strait of Hormuz, because the reason why? Because for Iran and Iranian leaders, the Strait of Hormuz is a strategic asset, is not tactical. They're willing to really incur heavy costs in order to maintain their control and assert their management of the Strait. So all in all, it seems to me we're almost back to full hostilities.

And I don't think President Trump really has any clear and any well- defined strategy of how to either force Iran to accept his conditions or get out of this bloody venture in the Gulf.

KINKADE: Will targeting civilian infrastructure or this further escalation potentially weaken the Iranian government or potentially strengthen hardliners who are arguing that Iran is again under attack?

GERGES: Well, I mean, I think the first point that comes to mind when President Trump threatens to bomb, you know, water plants and civilian infrastructure, it's considered a war crime, that this is a war crime. And for the President of the United States to basically think the unthinkable, committing war crimes, is by itself, it tells you a great deal, that President Trump is very angry, President Trump is very frustrated, President Trump really knows that he is in a strategic bind.

What we have seen from Iran, they are escalating as well. Iran now has threatened to attack the entire energy infrastructure in the region. Imagine whether it's in Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates or elsewhere. And Iran also has threatened to shut down the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is really basically hugs the Red Sea.

So in a way, Iran is escalating horizontally. And just to give our viewers a glimpse of what we have seen in the past 24 hours, the United States yesterday, its bombing campaign of Iran lasted for six hours. I mean, six hours.

So what we are really seeing is almost return to full hostilities and strategic escalation on the part of the United States and threats by Iran to also escalate strategically, which will be catastrophic for the Gulf, for the world economy, and also for millions of people who are suffering from food insecurity worldwide.

[03:10:05]

KINKADE: Yes, and of course, right now, Iran is also facing military pressure, economic pressure, and questions of its regional influence. What are Tehran's realistic options right now? Does Iran have more to gain by continuing this escalation or by returning to negotiations?

GERGES: Well, I think it seems to me that Iranian leaders might be overplaying their hand. I think they feel empowered, they feel emboldened, they feel that somehow they have forced President Trump down.

And I think the funeral of the late, you know, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, they feel that they have a basically a new, I mean, a referendum, a new mandate. And that's why I think we've seen that Iran is really increasing its demand.

And this could really backfire, because at the end of the day, I think the differences between the United States and Iran are so huge. And unless they are bridge, we could really see strategic escalation. And if President Trump is really back to the wall, we know exactly that it could easily basically escalate and attack civilian infrastructure in Iran.

So all in all, it seems to me, both Iran and the United States must, it's not about should, they must compromise, they must find a middle way. Otherwise, not only Iran and the Gulf and the world will suffer, this could really be catastrophic in terms of security. And in terms of the pain for the world economy, in particular, for the poor people in developing countries.

KINKADE: Just quickly looking at the decades of U.S.-Iran confrontation, what patterns from history are we seeing being repeated here?

GERGES: Well, I mean, I think the first lesson that comes to my mind myself as a historian is the law of unintended consequences. I mean, think what President Trump, when President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister attacked Iran on the 28th of February, they were really going for regime change. What we have seen is the opposite result, and that's the law of unintended consequences.

Iran now has emerged more powerful, which tried to control the Strait of Hormuz, which was open for traffic before the American-Israeli war. And I think another lesson is that strategic miscalculation.

It seems to me that American Presidents don't really learn from history, whether the attack and invasion, occupation of Iraq in 2003, and now President Trump's, you know, strategic war of choice. Well, I mean, misadventure, strategic choice, war of choice in Iran.

KINKADE: Fawaz, as always, great to get your analysis. Thanks so much for your time.

GERGES: Thank you.

KINKADE: Authorities are investigating another deadly encounter with federal immigration agents here in the U.S. The Florida Highway Patrol says four people ran from a vehicle stopped by ICE officers.

One of them ran across the highway and was struck and killed by a tractor trailer. The Department of Homeland Security says the victim was a Mexican national.

Protesters in cities across the U.S. are demanding action after the two fatal shootings by ICE officers in less than a week. In Maine, they're remembering Colombian immigrant Joan Sebastian Duran Guerrero as a loving person who worked hard to provide for his wife and three- year-old daughter. The Department of Homeland Security is pausing most traffic stops by ICE agents, and they're planning to equip each arrest team with an agent wearing a body camera.

We get more now from CNN's Jason Carroll in Biddeford, Maine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Maine lawmakers say there are still many unanswered questions about why ICE officers use deadly force when they stop Joan Duran Guerrero at this intersection early Monday in Biddeford, Maine.

REP. CHELLIE PINGREE (D-ME): Homeland Security was saying that the officer field for their life. That's what they always say, that the individual weaponized their car. But then we heard 12 hours later in the day that they feared for public safety.

This man was shot four times through the windshield. So there was an ICE officer shooting him directly in the face.

CARROLL (voice-over): Democratic Maine Congressman Jared Golden posted on X, "Unfortunately, the ICE officers involved in this incident were not yet wearing body cameras, which could have helped to establish those necessary facts. DHS needs to make this a priority."

DHS released a statement blaming Democrats for government shutdowns that they say delayed the rollout of body cameras, adding body cameras have been deployed to more than half of the field offices, with the remaining half to receive them in the next 60 days.

Body-worn cameras were absent in both deadly ICE-involved shootings in Maine and Texas, though $20 million in funding has been allocated for them. And the department has pledged to roll them out for the past five months.

[03:15:07]

That is little comfort for those calling for accountability and transparency.

MONTY ELLISON, LIVES NEAR SHOOTING SCENE: People have to realize this is not normal and it cannot become normal at all.

PEGGO HODES, VISITED SHOOTING SCENE: This is murder with impunity. And this could be happening to any one of us. He's 26 year old with a child. He has a legitimate reason for being here.

He had social security, it's horrific.

CARROLL (voice-over): As protests continue, CNN is learning more about the man who was killed. His father told Blu Radio, a popular station in Colombia, his son was working as a cleaner and a delivery driver, hoping to build a future for his family.

UNKNOWN (through translator): He has his wife and his three-year-old girl. He is a very hardworking person, a very loving person, and a person who loves his family very much. His daughter, his little three- year-old daughter, he worked for them.

CARROLL (voice-over): A neighbor telling CNN Duran Guerrero was a good husband and father.

CARLOS, FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR OF JOAN SEBASTIAN DURAN GUERRERO (through translator): He wasn't a bad guy. And the speculation that he was a criminal and had an order of deportation, that's a total lie.

(END VIDEOTAPE) KINKADE: Well, much more coming up this hour, including the World Cup. Spain taking down the tournament favorites France to claim a spot in the final. We'll discuss the highlights and preview today's semi-final match between England and the defending champs, Argentina.

Plus how Cubans are coping with yet another nationwide blackout on the island's aging power grid. We'll have a report from the Cuban capital.

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[03:20:00]

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(VIDEO PLAYING)

KINKADE: Well, that is the scene in Madrid Tuesday. Spain celebrated Spain's 2-0 victory over France in the World Cup semi-finals. The Rojas are now headed to the final for the first time since 2010.

"World Sports" Don Riddell is in Dallas with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: What a performance from this extraordinary Spain team who march on to the World Cup final, hoping to repeat their feat of 2008 and 2010 when the European champions went on to claim the world title. And they just played this French team off the park today. It really was quite a remarkable performance.

Coming into this game, everybody thought the French were going to do it. Their swaggering, swashbuckling attack of Mbappe and Olliset and Ousmane Dembele. But in the end, they didn't get a look in and they ended up being knocked out of this tournament with barely a whimper.

Spain took the early initiative.

Lamin Yamal earning the first half penalty that was converted by Mikel Oyarzabal. It was a wonderful strike from Oyarzabal, meaning he now has five goals in this tournament. He's Spain's top scorer, making up for the disappointment of missing the last World Cup through injury.

And that was the worst possible situation for the French to find themselves because they now had to chase the game against a team that doesn't concede any goals. La Roja had only conceded once in the whole tournament before this game and they kept yet another clean sheet today.

It got even harder for France in the half when Pedro Porro rounded off a wonderful team move to make it 2-0. And that was pretty much that. Nobody thought it was going to end like this for the French team, but this Spanish team are going to take some stopping and their fans who've travelled all the way from Spain to watch this were absolutely thrilled.

UNKNOWN: I cried of joy as soon as we scored the second goal, as soon as we approached the 80th. I cried of joy multiple times.

It was just like, I don't know, I've never felt this before. It was just the realization of getting there finally after so many years, it's just amazing.

UNKNOWN: I was thinking it was going to be very hard, but I think it was really easy.

RIDDELL: Were you surprised about the French performance? Because they came into this game with everybody thinking they were just going to score 10 goals.

UNKNOWN: I was 100 percent surprised they didn't come to play today. They didn't show up, nobody.

They're still looking for Mbappe. Where is he?

UNKNOWN: The feeling that I felt today was completely new to me, so on Sunday I guess it's going to be another type of new as well.

UNKNOWN: It's just going to prolong longer. It's just going to go on and go on.

UNKNOWN: The only thing I'm sure about is that if we do go all the way on Sunday, it's going to be a story I'm going to tell my kids.

RIDDELL: The narrative before kick-off was that France were unstoppable, Spain were impenetrable. Well, Spain might now be both.

Whether they face England or Argentina in the final in New York, New Jersey on Sunday, that's going to be the big question. Can anybody score on this team? Because if not, Spain are going to find themselves as world champions again. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Our thanks to Don Riddell.

Well, for more on the World Cup action, I want to welcome Johnny Dutch. He's the host of the podcast, "The Thing About Arsenal," and he joins us now live from London. Great to have you with us.

JOHNNY DUTCH, PODCAST HOST, "THE THING ABOUT ARSENAL": Good to be with you, Lynda. How are you?

KINKADE: I'm well. So, Johnny, Spain into the World Cup final after beating the favorites, France.

France, of course, came to this tournament with one of the strongest squads, but Spain kept them scoreless. Just what went wrong for France, and what impressed you most about Spain?

DUTCH: I actually had Spain as my pre-tournament favorites. I think they're an exceptional team, very well managed and structured. Every single component knows exactly what they have to do, they know their responsibilities, and they look like this all tournament, really. [03:25:05]

Whenever they've been challenged, they've risen to the occasion, and they sort of strangle the life out of things with just how good they are positionally.

And last night, what we saw was a great team beating a bunch of great individuals, to be fair. France do have those names and that post and attack, but Spain proved that with a disciplined organization and a proper game plan, and the team that are used to playing together as well and understand their responsibilities, that normally wins nine times out of ten. That's what we saw last night.

KINKADE: Yes, and of course, later today, we'll see England play Argentina. Who would be the most difficult opponent for Spain?

DUTCH: For Spain, I believe England. I'm not just saying that because I have English and I want England to get there, but I believe that England have a little bit more -- I feel that Argentina have been riding their luck a lot, especially during the knockout phase. They've been relying on moments of Messi moments, and you can't always rely on that all the way throughout a tournament, especially when you're a magic man's 39 years of age.

I think England have a little bit of belief, and don't get me wrong, Argentina are world champions, but they're riding on fumes at the moment. England have two world-class players, in Cain and Bellingham, and a far better defensive unit, and a better manager. I know Scaloni's won so much now, but Tutu is a real top elite tournament and competition manager.

So, I might be biased, but I do genuinely believe England will provide a real strong challenge for Spain on Sunday, should they beat Argentina tonight.

KINKADE: I mean, Messi might be 39, but he is still delivering the magic. How dangerous is he in the World Cup knockout match?

DUTCH: Oh, of course. England haven't played Messi before, and Messi hasn't played England, so tonight will be a unique challenge for both. He's such a difficult player to manage and to prepare for, because he does so much walking and seems so disinterested, then all of a sudden, his ability will come through and shine.

I think it would be a bit much to ask against a very good England team for him to drag Argentina through this tonight, but one free kick, one moment of magic where the game opens up in the final third and Messi could stroll through and put the ball in the top corner.

So, always a danger. I think Julian Alvarez, after his amazing winning goal on Saturday night, I think he's Argentina's outlet, because Argentina sit in, they play in bursts, they don't really control long stretches of the game. They rely on their outlets in Messi and Julian Alvarez, so there's two things for England to worry about tonight, without a doubt, but I do think with the full dudes in, and Kane's been quiet now the last couple of games, he's due a goal that England should have enough to overcome.

KINKADE: I hope for you that's the case. I want to ask you about the World Cup final, because it's become more than a football match. It's one of the biggest global cultural events, this year for the first time, there's also going to be a halftime show produced by Global Citizen with a focus on expanding opportunities for children through education and sport.

What do you make of football using its global platform in this way?

DUTCH: I think it's important. The half an hour show is going to be very different for the players, having to warm down and warm up again to get ready for the second half, but I think it's important.

We're talking about something that is way bigger than any other sporting occasion. It's going to have two to three billion eyes on it, so you've got to make a statement and use that time purposefully, and it's for a great cause.

I do think there's been a lot of controversy around the World Cup this tournament. As great as it's been, it would be good to have a positive moment to end it, and I think that is the right call by FIFA.

KINKADE: You're not on the cover of football, you of course are a music artist. Why do you think football and music connect so strongly, from the stadium chants we hear and the fan culture to the World Cup songs and the celebrations?

DUTCH: Well, we've seen it with the England fans and singing a Wonderwall at the end of every game, and even some of the chants going right back to the start with the Scottish fans. Football and music is forever connected.

As music artists, we are all field athletes, and a lot of field athletes would love to do music, so there's always going to be that connection. Some of the chants have really brought this World Cup to life, and I know Americans aren't probably used to the chants, and it's something we're more used to in Europe now, but it brings a different level of atmosphere and culture to the game.

Long may it continue, and hopefully we get a good halftime show on Saturday -- on Sunday, sorry.

KINKADE: I have to say -- I'm sure we will.

One of my standout moments going to a match here in Atlanta was the entire stadium singing "Take Me Home Country Road," John Denver. Everyone seemed to know the words, so music certainly, yes, and football, work well together.

DUTCH: Oh, brilliant. Africa and Europe, it goes hand in hand. It's part of the whole experience, going there and having a sing-along, there's something that is very human about it.

KINKADE: It is. Johnny Dutch in London. I appreciate it, and all the best to your team later today.

DUTCH: Thank you very much.

KINKADE: I appreciate it.

Well still to come here on "CNN Newsroom." President Trump is threatening to target civilian infrastructure in Iran and force Tehran to the negotiating table. We're going to bring you the latest from the White House.

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[03:35:00]

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KINKADE: Welcome back, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

U.S. President Trump is set to make a televised primetime address to the nation Thursday. He says it will include new information on what he calls election security. The topic has long been a focus of the President, who continues to insist without evidence that the 2020 election was stolen.

U.S. forces have concluded the latest round of strikes on Iran. Tuesday marked the fourth consecutive night of strikes on Iranian targets. CENTCOM's commander says, quote, "U.S. forces are holding Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression that continues to endanger innocent lives."

Just hours earlier, the U.S. military reimposed its naval blockade of ships going to and from Iranian ports. The blockade went into effect a day after President Trump said it would be reinstated, that the U.S. would act as, quote, a guardian of the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. has enforced roughly a two-month blockade on Iranian ports earlier in the war.

CNN's Kevin Liptak has more from the White House on the President's latest threats against Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Trump is issuing fresh warnings against Iranian civilian infrastructure, including bridges and power plants, as he ups the rhetoric against Iran to try and break loose some sort of resolution to this conflict.

Now, the President has made those threats before, including as recently as last week, and hasn't followed through on them. And it's not clear that they will yield the type of concessions from Iran that so far they have failed to yield during the previous threats that the President has made.

But I think it all adds up to a commander-in-chief who is really casting about looking for a way to break loose what has essentially become a stalemate in Iran. And you saw over the course of the last several days the President searching for different options, including the naval blockade of Iranian ports that went back into effect on Tuesday. Central Command saying that 20 U.S. naval warships and hundreds of American military aircraft are enforcing that blockade.

You also saw the President sort of go back and forth on this idea of imposing a 20 percent fee on vessels that are trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz. The President, in an interview on Tuesday, declined to say potentially how long all of this would last, saying only that the U.S. strikes on Iran would, quote, "continue until I say it's enough."

Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Israel's finance minister says the nation's security cabinet is allocating $434 million for 34 new West Bank settlements. The U.N. Palestinians and most countries consider the settlements illegal. The move comes as U.S. lawmaker Ro Khanna says he had a harrowing experience while visiting the West Bank last week.

Khanna says settlers armed with American-made rifles blockaded his convoy and harassed his group. He says when the IDF soldiers came to the scene they sided with the settlers. The IDF disputes that and says its personnel did not participate in the blockade.

CNN spoke earlier with Yuli Novak, the executive director of the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem. Here is her take on what's happening in the West Bank.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YULI NOVAK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, B'TSELEM: We're talking about millions of people, Palestinians, who live in an ongoing threat of violence, who are completely exposed to this or potentially exposed to this kind of violence, both from settlers, which we have by now multiple attacks by settlers militias a day, but more than that by the Israeli forces, the Israeli army.

So the vast majority of the violence in the West Bank, and that is important to note, is actually being done and conducted by Israeli officials. The lack of accountability and the full impunity that the system itself giving to the perpetrators allow this violence to continue. Add to that the fact that the communities are being ran out of their territory, of their homes.

Tens of thousands of people were displaced into the cities themselves, especially north of the West Bank. And you get an overall picture of how Israel is trying to make the West Bank unlivable for Palestinians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:40:10]

KINKADE: Israel has refuted international objections to the settlements, arguing that it is disputed territory.

U.S. lawmakers have unveiled a sweeping bipartisan bill aimed at intensifying sanctions on Russia's energy, economy, and defense industrial base. Senators on both sides of the aisle are now urging Congress to pass the legislation, calling it a fitting tribute to the late co-sponsor, Senator Lindsey Graham. It comes as the U.N. reports that June was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since April 2022.

In a bid to boost support for Kyiv, Ukraine's President joined European leaders in Paris this week to announce a new air defense coalition which intends to jointly develop an anti-ballistic missile system. CNN's Clare Sebastian has more on what emerged from that meeting in France.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There was that very overt show of force in Paris, as you see a show of force and unity. President Macron of course, using the Bastille Day celebrations to showcase Europe's increasing resolve to take charge of its own defense amid the U.S., of course, stepping back.

But amid that, Ukraine facing what it said was its fifth assault by Russia involving ballistic missiles this month alone. So the frequency of that does seem to be going up.

Now, it was able to avert, shoot down or suppress five out of the eight ballistic missiles used, according to the Air Force. It has not been able to do so in some of the recent attacks. So what we're in now is a race against time.

Ukraine and its allies racing to beef up Ukraine's defenses as it's clear that Russia is in escalation mode. On Monday, they announced this coalition, anti-ballistic missile coalition. The core of that is to come together, Ukraine and its allies, to build what would be a cheaper alternative, a cheaper European alternative to the Patriot system.

President Zelenskyy has also called for a winter air defense package involving some 300 Patriot interceptors. That is a huge number, especially given that the effective collapse of the ceasefire with Iran will put even more strain on U.S. stockpiles. All the while, we see from Russia signals that it's not backing down from its maximalist goals and that it is in the mood to escalate here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Our thanks to Clare Sebastian.

All people in Cuba are grappling with the third nationwide blackout in just over a week. The latest collapse of the power grid comes amid a U.S.-imposed oil blockade and is further strained by the island's aging infrastructure. CNN's Patrick Oppmann reports from Havana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: Once again, Cuba's national power grid has collapsed. It's the third time in about 10 days this has occurred. And of course, it's incredibly hot in Cuba in the summer months.

It's one of the reasons that has contributed to the fact that we are seeing longer and longer blackouts on a regular day. And then you have these complete, utter collapses of the electrical grid, which sometimes can take several days to get back up. But even when they do get it back up here, the Cuban government, that doesn't mean you have power most of the time or even much of the time.

On average now, you might get power sort of two to four hours each day. Very intermittently, you never know when it's going to be on, how long it will be on for. And what people just tell you is there's no way to live, that the food is spoiling the fridges.

It's incredibly uncomfortable to live in these conditions that you can't sleep at night. People are actually sleeping outside sometimes on rooftops, on the street, because it is just so hot to be inside at this moment.

Of course, a backdrop to this is Cuba and the U.S. are at the highest tensions that they've experienced in years. The Trump administration is trying to force Cuba to make political and economic sanctions.

This island is resisting to open up the political system here, to open up the economy, allow Cuban Americans to come back and have a greater role. The Cuban government says they're willing to negotiate, but not under the gun, as the Trump administration continues to pile more and more sanctions on, including not allow any oil shipments to this island.

And so you've seen this just gradual breakdown each day of the aging infrastructure here, which the government has not invested in over the years. You see people saying they are living harder and harder lives. Certainly blackouts are not new for Cubans, but I've never in the 14 years I've lived here experienced anything like this, where each day, every day, most of the day, you're going to be out with power on a good day.

On a day like right now, with the national electrical grid collapses, you know you're probably going to be several days without power. And so people are sometimes going out and protesting. More and more people say they're just resigned to this, that somehow they will have to make do, as difficult as that now is.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[03:45:02]

KINKADE: Still ahead, China's economy falls short of expectations for growth in the second quarter as the turmoil in Iran disrupts global trade. We'll break down the latest data. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Here are your business headlines.

[03:49:58]

In the coming hours, U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh is scheduled to appear before the Senate Banking Committee. It comes after questioning in front of the House Financial Services Committee Tuesday. Lawmakers grilled Warsh over whether he believes the Fed can set interest rates without political interference; he said, quote, we're honored to be independent.

The White House is launching a new A.I. cybersecurity clearinghouse. The platform, called the Gold Eagle, is a joint project across the Treasury, Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security. It's meant to help A.I. cybersecurity companies and critical infrastructure providers communicate and coordinate their efforts.

A legal win for Apple. A judge dismissed a lawsuit against the company Tuesday, the court found that Apple was not responsible for the alleged circulation of child sexual abuse material on iCloud. The judge said it's up to lawmakers, not the courts, to address the exploitation of children.

Well now to Asia, where China's economy has missed its growth target for the first time since the COVID pandemic. The government says the economy grew at a slower than expected pace in the second quarter. The country is struggling to offset economic challenges, both at home and abroad.

CNN's Mike Valerio reports from Beijing.

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MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, China's economy just missed expectations and the timing of all this could not be more important.

This is the latest GDP report since the Iran war began and China's economy grew at 4.3 percent last quarter. That is below what economists expected and below Beijing's own annual target range. So what exactly happened here?

Well, let's get into the wider picture.

The Iran war isn't the only story. It isn't the whole story, but it's adding new pressure. Higher energy prices and uncertainty around global trade have made businesses more cautious and at the same time, China is still battling problems at home, like a years-long property slump and consumers who just are not spending enough.

And today's numbers certainly show that. One of the biggest red flags was urban fixed asset investment, which fell 5.7 percent in the first half of the year. That is money going into things like factories, machinery and infrastructure, and when that falls, it usually signals businesses are pulling back.

There were some notable positives we need to get to. Industrial production, that rose 5.3 percent, beating forecasts, and retail sales across China returned to growth up one percent. But taken together, the picture is clear that is coming into focus, and that is China's economy is losing momentum.

So the big question now is whether or not Beijing responds with fresh stimulus when the country's leaders meet here later this month.

Mike Valerio, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well still to come, China rolls out new rules aimed at limiting relationships with humans like human-like A.I. and the changes of some companies scrambling to comply.

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[03:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: China is adopting new rules aimed at limiting the scope of interaction between humans and human-like A.I. products. Some platforms have even removed those features altogether as new policy is set to be enforced. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Beijing is trying to break up A.I. relationships. Chatbots have become more common companions in friendship or even love, as seen across Chinese social media. But this kind of intimacy may be no more, thanks to new rules that take effect today.

Now driven by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the measures tighten oversight on human-like A.I. services. They ban firms from providing virtual companion services to minors, and companies must also avoid, quote, "inducing emotional dependence or addiction in adults."

Legal experts point out this is not an outright ban on A.I. chatbots. Platforms that don't provide emotional interaction like customer service or work assistance are not affected here. Ahead of the rules, Chinese tech giants reportedly stripped human-like A.I. features from their chatbots, with ByteDance's Doubao and Alibaba's Qwen disabling features that let users build and chat with artificial friends.

Now social media users are worried about the clampdown, with one saying this quote, "I recreated the voice of my deceased family member, but now I can't use it anymore. What should I do?"

Now the new rules reflect a growing anxiety in Beijing about the social harms of A.I., especially as falling birth and marriage rates unsettled the Chinese Communist Party. But it's not only China that's concerned here. Several U.S. states, like New York and California, have also passed laws targeting A.I. companions.

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Now to baseball on the 2026 All-Star Game.

New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger got the scoring started with the first inning with a two-run single up the middle. The American League would add another run in the first for a 3-0 lead that held until the eighth inning, that's when Wyatt Stokes-Infield and Miguel Vargas blasted a solo home run into the second deck in the left field.

Final score, 4-0 American League. It's the first shutout in an All- Star Game in 13 years.

Well, thanks so much for watching, I'm Lynda Kinkade. I'll be back with much more of "CNN Newsroom" after a short moment.

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