Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

U.S. Completes Two New Waves Of Strikes Against Iran; Sources: Trump Getting Options For Expanding Iran Operations; Jordan: Air Defenses Shot Down Eight Iranian Missiles. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired July 16, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:01:13]

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

The U.S. unleashes another round of strikes that have run as Donald Trump weighs his options for expanding military operations. Plus, President Trump's set to address the nation later in a speech focused on free and fair elections. Sparking concerns he could revisit false claims about widespread voter fraud.

And the World Cup final is set. What to expect when Spain and Argentina face off for the championship.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: We begin in the Middle East, where U.S. Central Command says it's completed two waves of strikes on Iran for the 5th consecutive night. Its main target? Military assets to prevent Tehran from threatening shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian media reports that explosions were heard in cities across the country, including the capital, Tehran. Sources say President Trump has also been receiving options for expanding military operations to undo Tehran's grip on the strait. Iran's foreign ministry says that Tehran will continue to respond firmly to U.S. strikes and has no plans for negotiations.

Jordan's military says its air defense has shot down eight Iranian missiles that were headed towards the country. Tehran claims they were targeting the U.S. military's communication systems and fuel storage facilities.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is following the developments and joins us now live from Abu Dhabi. Good to have you with us, Paula.

So a fifth straight day in a row of these strikes from the U.S. and the retaliatory strikes from Iran. Is there any clear military objective right now, or is this an open-ended campaign?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, the ceasefire feels like a distant memory at this point as we see these continual strikes by the United States. They say, according to CENTCOM, they're -- they're focusing largely on coastal areas, trying to degrade Iran's ability to be able to hit and threaten vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. We are, though, seeing strikes in other areas inland as well.

We heard from state media that in the early hours of Thursday morning, there were explosions heard around the outskirts of the capital, Tehran. We also saw that one hospital in the southern city of Avaaz had to be evacuated as air strikes were close by to that area as well.

Now, what we're hearing from two people familiar with what is going on at this point saying that President Trump is weighing up options to increase and escalate the military options at this point, that there are discussions as to whether or not they should be taking Kharg Island, which of course is the key island for the oil infrastructure of Iran. This was one of the main questions really in in March and April. So, we feel like we've gone back a couple of months when it comes to the military options being looked at, at this point.

We're also seeing the naval blockade has been reinstated. We're seeing the Greater Tunb Island, for example, a tiny island in the Strait of Hormuz has been struck as well. This is where we understand there is an Iranian military presence.

So, at this point, diplomacy does seem very far away. But we did hear from the U.S. Vice President, JD Vance on Tuesday, speaking to Joe Rogan, saying that it is impossible for this to be solved simply with military options. Let's listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JD VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: You can bomb them, you can take away their radar, you can take away some of their drones and some of their missiles, but it's just too easy to fire at ships in the straits. So, you've got to actually be willing to talk and to try to figure out the problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:05:15]

HANCOCKS: Now, when it comes to threats from the U.S. president, he has threatened once again to bomb infrastructure if Tehran doesn't come back to the negotiating table: power plants, bridges. He has threatened this before. But we've just heard from a military spokesperson in Iran through state media saying that if Trump does hit infrastructure, Iran will destroy all infrastructure throughout the region.

So, as we're seeing military escalations, we're also hearing these rhetoric escalations as well. We have heard from the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, pushing back against Trump's threats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MASOUD PEZESHKIAN, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (voiceover): These comments are continuing, and they are doing these acts, so the point is whether they could reach their goal in the field. The people who decided to divide our Iran into pieces, where they are standing now, finally. We in action based on what we believe in. We'll defend our soil every inch of the way, and these disrespectful comments are worthy of them, not us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. military says that it has disabled a tanker, an empty oil tanker that was sailing towards Kharg Island. This is part of the naval blockade that the U.S. has reinstated, not allowing vessels in or out of Iranian ports, saying also that they have redirected two vessels which were compliant and did turn around when they asked them to.

As for how many vessels are even in the Strait of Hormuz at this point, it is minimal. According to Marine Traffic, on Wednesday, just 13 made the crossing. Bear in mind pre-war levels was something like 110 every single day. Lynda.

KINKADE: All right, pull the Hancocks for us in Abu Dhabi. We appreciate you. Thank you.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in Kyiv right now, arriving shortly after new Russian strikes in Ukraine's capital. Ukraine says Russian missiles killed two people and set some buildings and vehicles on fire. Mr. Starmer is making his final trip as Prime Minister.

He is expected to hold talks with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, about the progress made in the war against Russia. Before he left, the British leader said his country's cast-iron support for Ukraine will continue.

Clare Sebastian is monitoring the developments and joins us from London. Good to see you, Clare.

So, to today's Russian attack, change the tone of Starmer's visit. And is Moscow trying to send a message to Ukraine's allies?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, I think it's clear that Moscow is in escalation mode right now. We have seen a clear uptick in attacks, and particularly using ballistic missiles. And there were 18 missiles used overnight in this attack. We haven't exactly had the breakdown yet of what types of missiles, but only three, according to Ukraine's Air Force, were averted or shot down, which means 15 got through, and we're hearing of two deaths in Kyiv in a missile strike. So that's that.

I don't think that changes the tone given that that's part of a pattern that we're seeing. The U.K. has, as Starmer said, been steadfast. That has transcended four prime ministers. He is the 4th. We're now looking at the fifth since the start of the full-scale invasion, and he's clearly played a leadership role when it comes to rallying international support for Ukraine.

But on the other hand, what we have today as part of the backdrop is political turmoil in Ukraine. They may be about to get their 5th defense minister since the start of the full-scale invasion. Mykhailo Fedorov is set to be, we think, a casualty of a cabinet reshuffle, a government reshuffle that's now underway after the resignation of the Prime Minister.

There is a protest ongoing in Kyiv this morning against that. He has been in the job as defense minister for six months and is widely credited with basically changing Ukraine's fortunes during that time, allowing them to take the initiative on parts of the frontline, really stepping up deep and mid strikes using long-range drones that have crippled Russia's oil refining capacity.

So, this process is ongoing. What's behind that resignation, and of course, nothing is confirmed yet. Some of the cabinet members that have had to step down as part of this reshuffle may come back. So that's certainly what the protesters are looking for today.

But Zelenskyy talking earlier in the week about how unity was needed between the defense ministry and the army. So, you know, there has been reporting around conflict between Fedorov and the head of the armed forces. But either way, this is something that many Ukrainian people, you see them this morning in Kyiv, are really worried and really upset about given the impact he's made, particularly in terms of technology on the battlefield. Lynda.

KINKADE: And quite a turnout there at that protest. Clare Sebastian for us in London, thanks very much.

[04:10:03]

The Trump administration is slapping a 25 percent tariffs on most goods coming from Brazil, alleging unfair trade practices. U.S. relations with the Brazil have soured since the election of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as president in 2022.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Lula and his government have negotiated in bad faith. President Trump was a huge supporter of the previous president, Jair Bolsonaro. He was convicted of attempting A coup to overturn his election loss.

President Trump is preparing for a prime-time address to the nation tonight. He's calling it a really big news and says the speech would deal with U.S. elections ahead of November's midterms. Sources tell CNN who will focus on voting machines and alleged efforts by foreign countries to influence U.S. elections. Reporters asked Vice President JD Vance about concern surrounding the midterms.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will the administration support the results of the midterm elections come November, regardless of what they look like?

VANCE: Well, look, of course we're to support the results of the midterm elections. We think we're going to win, but ultimately that's up to the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Those comments coming up to Vance met with congressional Republicans to unveil a massive emergency funding request. It's meant to cover costs for the president's war in Iran, as well as Trump's push to crack down on election laws.

Joining me now from New York is Lawrence Norden, vice president of the elections and government program at Brennan Center for Justice. Lawrence, good to have you with us.

LAWRENCE NORDEN, VP OF THE ELECTIONS AND GOVT. PROGRAM, BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE: Thank you for having me, Lynda.

KINKADE: So, what are you going to be listening for when President Trump addresses the country in prime time later today? What kinds of claims would warrant close scrutiny?

NORDEN: Well, I think it's important to start with some context first, because I think frankly, any new claims about election security, about the 2020 election, should be treated with extreme skepticism. Pretty much from day one, with the Trump -- the President Trump coming in on his second term, he has sought to cast doubt on the security of election systems in the United States, particularly to question the results of the 2020 election. And that has been accompanied with the explicit goal of justifying his takeover of future elections. And that campaign has pretty much failed.

He has lost 17 cases at this point by my count, including injunctions of his two executive orders on voting. And I have thought for some time that the logical next step for the president is weaponization of intelligence. I've been writing about this since 2025. So, whatever they release, I think it's important to remember that it's not going to change the fact that the 2020 election was the most investigated, litigated, audited election in U.S. history.

And all of it, including the 60 cases that were brought by the Trump campaign and their associates challenging the results, show the same thing. That Trump lost the -- that election. And whatever he reveals tomorrow, it's not going to change that fact.

KINKADE: And I do want to point out that the U.S. intelligence community looked into foreign interference and it concluded at the time that no indication of any foreign interference, any foreign actor attempting to alter any technical aspect of the voting process, including voter registration, ballot casting, counting. And it did also find that Russia and Iran conducted influence campaigns aimed at shaping public opinion but not altering votes or election systems.

So, if the president does come out and claim that there is a new intelligence about election interference, what is the standard of evidence that Americans should expect, and who is responsible to independently verify those claims?

NORDEN: Yes. First of all, I think it's important to make the point that -- that you made. There's a difference between influence and interference. Influence our disinformation campaigns, and we have seen that in every election, certainly in recent history. Interference is actually an attempt to get into the systems that election officials rely on with the goal of changing the outcome of the election.

As you mentioned, president -- while he was president, while he was still president, the intelligence agencies concluded that there -- there were no successful interference attempts in the election. So as I say, I think there should be extreme skepticism. I think we should -- should anything that is provided that the burden of proof, frankly, and it should be a very high standard, is on the administration itself.

KINKADE: How different is America's election infrastructure today compared to 2020? What improvements have been made?

[04:15:01]

NORDEN: Well, there are a couple of changes that have been made. One is the U.S. has already -- had already by 2020 been moving to paper ballots. And so, in all of the battleground states -- states like Georgia and Arizona- we already had every vote that was cast was cast on a paper ballot. And those were used in the 2020 elections, in fact, to recount and audit. And all of that confirmed that Trump actually lost the 2020 election. We have moved even further than that since the 2020 election, so that in 2026, pretty much everywhere except for the state of Louisiana, we will have a paper ballot or a paper trail for every single vote.

Unfortunately, the Trump administration itself, since President Trump came back into office, has cut back on all the federal support for election security, ironically. And so, while that won't change the defenses that we have in the United States because elections are run at the state and local level, it does mean that if there is a foreign influence campaign, if there is an effort to attack elections, election officials are going to have less information to communicate to the public about it.

KINKADE: So, President Trump proposes changes to how elections are run. What powers does the president actually have, and what authority belongs to the states?

NORDEN: So, the president has no power over our elections in the United States. That is very clear in the Constitution. And that's one reason why the president has consistently lost in the courts since coming into office and trying to control U.S. elections or get information about voters. The courts have been very clear about this.

The Constitution gives the authority to States and local governments, and they will continue running our elections in 2026 and 2028.

KINKADE: Lawrence Norden, we appreciate your time today. Thanks so much for joining us.

NORDEN: Thank you for including me.

KINKADE: Still ahead. The World Cup final is set, and for the first time, champions of Europe and South America will meet in Sunday's final in Spain versus Argentina. Discuss the word to the final with my next guest.

And later, new allegations from the FBI in the deadly shooting of a Mexican national in Texas. How the community is fighting back against that narrative.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:21:23]

KINKADE: Welcome back. Todd Blanche was at the center of one of two high-profile confirmation hearings Wednesday in Washington. He's been serving as the acting attorney general since April and is President Trump's pick to lead the Justice Department permanently.

Lawmakers questioned him on a wide range of issues, including the release of the Epstein files and his previous role as the president's personal attorney. CNN Sherrell Hubbard has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you're about to give before this committee will be the truth?

SHERRELL HUBBARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump's nominee to be attorney general, faced a high- stakes confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Blanche was tested on his fealty to Trump.

JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): Are you and President Trump friends?

TODD BLANCHE, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'm his lawyer. Was his lawyer, and now I'm the deputy attorney general. So, I met him as his criminal defense attorney.

HUBBARD (voiceover): And some committee members had questions about the Epstein survivors.

BLANCHE: I have never said I will not meet with survivors.

DICK DURBIN (D-IL): Will you meet with these 10 survivors? I'm asking you on the record.

BLANCHE: If they have lawyers.

DURBIN: Well, you're dancing on head of a pen here.

BLANCHE: I'm not dancing on any pen.

HUBBARD (voiceover): And questions about the Epstein files released during his tenure as acting AG. He acknowledged there were some errors in the vetting of the publicly released Epstein files, but defended his handling of the files.

During the multi-hour hearing, Blanche called Trump's U.S. Capitol riot pardons generous, dodged a question about litigation challenging federal rules allowing abortion pills to be received in the mail, and spoke about the status of a $1.8 billion so-called anti-weaponization fund for Trump's allies.

BLANCHE: There is no weaponization fund.

HUBBARD (voiceover): And the acting attorney general seemed to slough off calls to investigate FBI Director Kash Patel.

SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-RI): How long do you intend to put up with that Kash Patel character?

BLANCHE: That's an extraordinarily obnoxious question, Senator.

WHITEHOUSE: Great, we get to all that.

HUBBARD: I'm Sherrell Hubbard, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: The death of Senator Lindsey Graham over the weekend took away a Republican vote on the Judiciary Committee. The party now has a single-vote majority, which means losing one Republican vote would block Blanche's confirmation.

World Cup final is set. Argentina will meet Spain in Sunday's showdown in New Jersey. World Cup history in the making the first-ever meeting in a final between the Champions of Europe and South America.

Argentina aiming to become the first back-to-back World Cup title holder since 1962. Argentina booked its spot in the final with a come- from-behind victory over England 2 to 1 in the semi-final here in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Argentina's relentless offense with 14 shots ultimately broke down England's defense after the Three Lions tried to hold on to an early lead. Lionel Messi made the difference. His two assists powered Argentina to rally first in the 85th minute and finding another teammate for the game-winner, and out of time. Messi has scored eight goals so far this tournament as he chases the Golden Boot for the top goal scorer.

Argentina fans here in Atlanta were crying tears of joy after their team's stunning comeback, and in Argentina the emotions were just as high. Stefano Pozzebon has the reaction from Buenos Aires.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: This is what winning a FIFA World Cup semifinal looks like in Argentina. The Albiceleste, Lionel Messi and his teammates were able to score 2 to 1 and win against England on Wednesday. It was a nerve-racking performance with England taking a lead. With Anthony Gordon on the 55th minute, Argentina finally equalizing on the 87th and then on the 92nd, Lautaro Martinez making it to the final.

[04:25:20]

They are now off to play against Spain on Sunday. This nation is truly one that leaves football like no other. We've been here only for a couple of days, and still the nation is really bracing itself preparing for that final against Spain.

We were here in 2022 when they won the third World Cup. Now Argentina will have a chance to bite at history for the second time in a row.

We'll see you on Sunday, Argentina against Spain.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: And thanks to Stefano. Sources say U.S. President Trump is fuming about the reporting of security concerns related to his new Air Force One.

Still ahead. The extraordinary investigation inside the White House to find out who leaked the information.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kincaid. More now in our top story. The U.S. military says it's completed strikes on Iran for a fifth straight night aimed at degrading Tehran's ability to target vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reports that air defenses were activated in the capital Tehran and locations in northern and central Iran were also here.

The new release by running state media shows patients being evacuated from a hospital in southwestern Iran.