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U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Paramount Takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery Delayed; Deadly ICE Shooting in Texas; Russia's War on Ukraine; U.S.-Saudi Agreement in Limbo; South Carolina Senate Seat in Play; LeBron to Join Philadelphia 76ers. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired July 25, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers watching in the U.S. and all around the world. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Let's get into our headlines.

No overnight strikes in Iran as Trump gives his thoughts on the future of peace talks. What we know about the state of negotiations.

Plus his hour-long speech at the White House Correspondents' Dinner falls flat. Who the president targeted in his remarks.

And the race to replace the late senator Lindsey Graham. We're going to take a look at South Carolina to see who has the president's endorsement and whether or not it's going to make a difference.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Salma Abdelaziz.

ABDELAZIZ: I want to start with what appears to be a pause in U.S. attacks against Iran. The U.S. military did not announce it was launching strikes on Friday. This is after pummeling Iran for 13 straight nights.

And we're also not getting any reports of Iranian attacks on U.S. allies in Bahrain, Jordan or Kuwait overnight.

Now all of this comes after president Trump met with top advisors and cabinet officials to discuss a potential escalation of the war. That's according to a source.

The president says the U.S. is still actively negotiating with Iran after their ceasefire agreement crumbled earlier this month. But he also suggested U.S. forces could press on with their campaign and even expand it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: There's a military exit where we just keep going just the way we are and we can even make it a heavier dose and it's knocking out everything they have or there's a smarter strategy that let's you make a deal. And they want to make a deal. I just don't think they're ready yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: I want to bring in now Leila Gharagozlou. She is joining us live from London.

So we're hearing from our reporters in the White House, Leila, that president Trump is weighing the possibility of a massive attack.

I mean, what could that mean after nearly two weeks of punishing airstrikes?

LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN PRODUCER: Yes. So it could mean a range of things. He's said over the last two weeks, that he could hit civilian infrastructure, like bridges or desalination plants. He's also toyed with the idea of hitting Mt. Kolang or, as people call it, Pickaxe Mountain, which is part of the Natanz facility.

So there could be quite a lot of different options here. The U.S. generally, over the last two weeks, has been working to degrade Iran's military capability and loosen its control over the Strait of Hormuz.

So much of those strikes that we've seen in these 14 days have really been in that stretch along the southern area of Iran. The defensive arch, he could widen that out, go back to hitting places like Tehran and really focusing again on the capital. So there's a lot to work with, I guess, in terms of strike targets.

That being said, he's also had conflicting statements where he said that, you know, they could be talking. The Iranians are talking. He's open to the idea of diplomatic negotiations. So it's unclear what next steps he's going to take.

Now a lot of the analysts and experts that I've been speaking to over the last two weeks have said that if the U.S. is looking to have Iran capitulate via more airstrikes and an expanded campaign, that's very unlikely to happen.

And the Iranians themselves have said that -- they've said that if the U.S. escalates, they're going to escalate in kind. They're not going to sit and negotiate and they're not going to move those red lines around things like their nuclear program, which is what president Trump says he wants curbed.

So it's unclear what a actual expansion of the mission for the U.S. is going to really do. It's not going to necessarily bring Iran back to the table. And one of the things to remember here is that Iran has a very high pain threshold when it comes to these strikes and even things like an economic blockade.

So they can go quite a long time with this kind of conflict before it really starts changing their behavior. And it's unclear if the U.S. is going to want to commit to a much broader war and campaign, Salma.

ABDELAZIZ: Leila Gharagozlou there on whether that pause in hostilities, if it did indeed take place, could mean a ramp toward diplomacy. Thank you so much.

Now the Pentagon's website that tracks war casualties has still not been updated with the correct numbers.

[05:05:03]

It lists 14 deaths in the war with Iran. That excludes four soldiers who were killed just last weekend. The number of listed casualties was corrected earlier in the week. Pentagon officials deny there was an intentional effort to mask the war's toll and blame the changes on technical issues.

Sgt. Michael Swinton is one of the names no longer listed. Now the Defense Department says he was killed on July 19th at the Irbil Air Base in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone.

His widow spoke to CNN's Erin Burnett and called Swinton a big teddy bear, who loved to crack jokes and spend time with his 4-year-old daughter.

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ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: The Pentagon does say it's a glitch.

Has anyone spoken to you about this or told you anything about it?

JAMIAH GONZALEZ-SWINTON, MICHAEL SWINTON'S WIDOW: Nobody has reached out yet. Well, I kind of don't have words for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: President Trump used the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner to repeat his refrain that the war in Iran is going, as he puts it, extremely well.

And perhaps missing the irony, he told attendees, don't believe the fake news.

The dinner, which was postponed after a shooting incident in April, had tighter security and a smaller guest list. The president appeared to doze off while some of the awards were presented.

But then he delivered a speech that ran for an hour and four minutes and was straight out of the Trump playbook. He hurled insults, told jokes that mostly fell flat and took aim at perceived enemies, including some of the journalists in the room.

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TRUMP: But Karoline may have one of the hardest jobs in the White House. She has to deal with all of you, all of the time and you can be very difficult. You can be very, very difficult people. But I'm probably being a little bit oversensitive. Sometimes, I really do think that some of you don't like me.

(LAUGHTER)

In fact, I read a report, I get 93 percent negative publicity. Ninety- three. I said, how the hell did I win the election by so much?

Think of it. I don't think that's true. I can't believe it's 93. In the 80s, maybe but not 93.

(LAUGHTER)

But this place is really the largest group of Trump derangement syndrome people ever put together at one time, I suspect.

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ABDELAZIZ: Mr. Trump also said that he'd run for president again in 2028, seeking a constitutionally prohibited third term but then declared he was, quote, "only kidding."

In his speech, president Trump mentioned media figures he actually likes, such as David Ellison and his father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. They took over Paramount last year and are now trying to close their acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN's parent company.

Paramount suffered a setback on Friday when it agreed to delay the mega merger until an antitrust trial takes place or until next June, whichever one comes first. Lawsuits filed by the Writers Guild of America and 12 state attorneys general claimed the merger would reduce competition and hurt consumers.

Here's what the California attorney general had to say about it.

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ROB BONTA, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Let me just say, this is a significant setback for Paramount Warner Bros obviously. It's a major development in the case in the favor of the states.

And this is what we always sought, a block of the merger until a judge, the court could decide on the legality of our case. We're going to make a request for when we think trial should be. Paramount Warner Bros. will make a request when they think trial should be.

We are likely to make a request to have trial in 2027, which is very appropriate based on the expert discovery that needs to happen, the fact discovery that needs to happen before a trial can and should go forward.

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ABDELAZIZ: We have more on this now from CNN's Brian Stelter

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BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Hey there. Yes, this is a major setback for Paramount, the relatively small media company that's trying to get much bigger by buying Warner Bros. Discovery, including CNN.

On Friday afternoon, all the parties involved, Paramount as well as the two different legal teams that are suing to block the deal, all announced they reached an agreement that says Paramount will stall the merger.

Will stop the merger process and agree not to complete the deal until a legal process plays out and a trial is held to hear the antitrust arguments that the states, the 12 state attorneys general in the U.S. that are suing, as well as the Writers Guild of America, have all brought against this media mega merger.

The states and the writers say this deal would harm consumers and stifle competition, hurting Hollywood as well as anybody who streams movies or watches TV shows. Paramount rejects those arguments.

But the company lost an early battle in court earlier this month.

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When a judge in California put a temporary restraining order in place, delaying the deal for a few weeks, Paramount lawyers, I'm told, also believed they would lose the next stage of this case.

The preliminary injunction stage where a judge would review the evidence and potentially put the merger on hold for months. So the lawyers for Paramount, the lawyers for the writers, the lawyers for the states all got together and worked out this agreement.

It stipulates that Paramount will not complete the deal until a judge has ruled in this case or by June 1st, 2027, nearly a year from now. Right now, the Paramount-Warner merger agreement expires on June 4th of next year.

So basically, this deal will be on hold until a court in California rules. And at that point, if Paramount loses, it has a plan to appeal and already is talking about going all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.

I spoke with a Paramount representative on Friday afternoon. The person reiterated the belief that Paramount has a strong case and wants its day in court or weeks in court in order to bring evidence to light in trial.

But the states say they are also looking forward to a trial. California attorney general Rob Bonta told CNN's Jake Tapper that the states will likely seek a trial date sometime in 2027. In other words, not anytime soon.

The states won't have lots of time for the discovery process, to seek out evidence, to interview witnesses, et cetera. Paramount is going to seek a much faster timeline, probably pushing for a trial date to start in November.

So we'll see how that works out. We'll see what a judge decides. But the practical effect is that this deal is now frozen in place. It means, for example, that this network, CNN, will not be owned by Paramount between now and the U.S. midterm elections.

That had been a concern among some CNN employees, given Paramount's cozy relationship with the Trump administration. So now this deal is on hold, probably at least through the new year. And no one knows for sure what will happen.

An analyst for Forrester Research told "The Wall Street Journal," quote, "The deal may still close or it may not. What we know is that the path to either outcome just got longer, messier and likely more expensive."

Longer, messier, more expensive, those are words no CEO likes to hear but those are the words now echoing at Paramount -- Brian Stelter, CNN.

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ABDELAZIZ: Officials now say that a substance that was found in the van of a man shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Texas was not illegal drugs. The Harris County district attorney's office announced the test results on Friday.

An FBI warrant had said investigators believed the white powder was an illegal narcotic. Now an ICE agent had -- an ICE agent shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado during a traffic stop in Houston. This was on the 7th of July.

Prominent Texas lawmakers have joined his family in calling for more details about what led to the shooting. CNN's Ed Lavandera has this report.

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ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It has now been more than two weeks since Lorenzo Salgado was shot and killed by an ICE officer on the streets of Houston.

And the lead prosecutor here in Houston says that, essentially, federal investigators are stonewalling their investigation. They say that they have not been able to get any key pieces of evidence. They do not have the identity of the officers involved in the altercation.

They do not have key paperwork surrounding the targeted immigration operation that led them to Salgado and the three other men in that white van and that they still also don't have access to the weapon.

And because of that, the prosecutor says this is completely out of the ordinary, unlike any other officer-involved shooting that the district attorney has investigated here in Harris County over the years.

And that led to calls of -- from the Democratic lawmakers who were leading this forum. All of this came out during a forum led by 11 Democratic congressional lawmakers. There were no Republicans involved.

These lawmakers essentially are saying that the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are federal agencies that have gone rogue, in their words, that are completely out of control.

And they are using this forum to continue ratcheting up pressure to force the DHS and federal investigators to turn over key pieces of evidence to local prosecutors and also state authorities that are conducting an investigation as well.

But so far, it is clear that a lot of the local -- the local prosecutors who are trying to spearhead this, this investigation into the shooting death of Lorenzo Salgado, are having a very difficult time getting access to what they believe is key pieces of evidence, to be able to figure out if any criminal charges against the officers should be brought forth.

The two sons of Lorenzo Salgado also spoke emotionally at this forum as well today, saying that, you know, how many more dads have to die before this, the ICE, an agency like ICE is brought under control. They once again called for a full independent investigation.

[05:15:02]

Apart from what federal investigators are doing at this point -- Ed Lavandera, CNN, Houston, Texas.

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ABDELAZIZ: The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating what caused a seaplane to make this remarkable emergency landing in Washington state.

The aircraft ended up beached against rocks on Thursday. The pilot and 10 passengers climbed out of the plane before it was eventually consumed by fire. The seaplane airlines officials say everyone was rescued and taken to a hospital. Three are still there.

It is not yet known why the seaplane went down in the water near the San Juan Islands of Washington state, about 45 minutes after takeoff. It was just 15 miles from its destination.

A weapons exhibition near Kyiv becomes a Russian target, with scores of people killed and injured. Now Ukraine's president is suggesting someone in his country should be held responsible. That story is ahead.

And vacation hotspots are turning into disaster zones as wildfires race across parts of Europe. When we come back, the latest on the evacuations and the relentless fight to contain the fires.

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ABDELAZIZ: Breaking news coming to us from India this hour. The country's education minister has just submitted his resignation. Now that was a key demand of protesters that were led by opposition parties and student groups. I want to bring in now CNN's Rhea Mogul. She is standing by in Hong Kong.

Rhea, just remind us how we got to this point. And explain the latest developments here for us.

RHEA MOGUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hi, Salma. Happy to be here.

India's education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has just submitted his resignation to the prime minister after weeks of demonstrations in the heart of New Delhi, demanding accountability over allegations that entrance examinations for India's prestigious and fiercely competitive medical schools were leaked and sold.

Now many said that this forced millions of students out of a fair chance at a future. And this movement has been spearheaded by India's Cockroach Janta party, which is a youth-led campaign that began as an online joke. But it's evolved into a much broader political force, channeling the frustrations of millions of young Indians.

Pradhan's resignation announcement is really a rare climbdown for this Indian government and for, you know, prime minister Modi, who's a third term leader, who tends not to be swayed by big protests, by big protest movements.

And it's a huge victory for young protesters whose spiraling demonstrations really presented a growing challenge for the government, one that they were really trying to contain, one that they were hoping not to boil over.

You know, Modi put out a couple of statements over the last few days addressing the students' concerns but he stopped short of announcing the resignation of this minister. Now the minister has publicly said that he has indeed submitted his resignation.

So what started as something that was really quite contained to Delhi spread rapidly and became such a massive force in India. And this news is being met by celebration from the Cockroach Janta party founder. They've just posted messages of celebration online. I'm looking at that video now.

And that's racking up hundreds of thousands of likes on Instagram. So I'm sure there's going to be a huge victory celebration in Delhi at the protest site, where thousands are currently gathered.

ABDELAZIZ: And as you said, a huge victory for demonstrators, a major climbdown for the government.

Does that mean everything is resolved?

All the protesters go home?

Or where does this go next?

MOGUL: That's a really good question. The -- this was the key demand that the protesters had. So this is a massive victory for them.

But they also had other demands, including overhauls to some of India's examination system, compensation for students whose lives -- who they say took their lives because of exam pressure and growing pressures within the Indian education system.

So it's really, you know, just a wait and watch to see exactly what happens next.

It's unclear whether we're going to see these tens of thousands of protesters just go home and leave the site that they've been camping at for weeks now or whether they're going to stay there and demand even more of what they've been asking for, which is more accountability for their government.

And more assurances that these exam leaks don't happen in the future.

ABDELAZIZ: Rhea Mogul there in Hong Kong on the news that just broke, the education minister in India resigning after strong demonstrations. Thank you so much.

Ukraine's president is berating a weapons exhibition that was held near Kyiv. Russian missiles struck the area during that event on Friday, killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 100 others.

Now president Zelenskyy said that the exhibition is now drawing scrutiny from investigators. Meanwhile, Ukraine is not missing a beat in escalating its strikes deep inside Russia. The latest target was this factory you see there, about 800 kilometers northeast of Moscow. It was hit on Friday.

Russian officials say six people were killed in that attack and 26 others were wounded. I want to bring in now CNN's Larry Madowo. He joins us live from Nairobi.

And as we just mentioned there, Larry, president Zelenskyy now essentially saying there's going to be an investigation to ascertain the circumstances behind that latest Russian attack on Kyiv.

Why?

Why does he need to investigate this?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The question is, Salma, why was this allowed to happen in the first place, considering that Russia has attacked two previous similar exhibits since the war began in 2022?

And the guidance has been that these should not be carried out, especially anywhere near residential areas. [05:25:03]

What we understand is that this attack happened Friday around 11:30 am local. And it's three ballistic missiles, only one of which was intercepted, according to a Ukrainian military official. This was an exhibit of drone technology by a drone manufacturers' association. It was taking place in north of Kyiv.

And it's understood to have been well advertised within security circles. Many in the drone industry were there, showcasing some of Ukrainian drone technology. Obviously, the military defense kind of industrial complex has grown as this war has dragged on.

And at least 100 people were injured in this, 10 people killed in this attack, that neighbor residential areas. You see some security services kind of digging through the rubble here to try and figure out exactly what happened and to save any people they can find there.

President Zelenskyy says this should not have happened. There's an investigation. I want you to listen to what the president said.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Today, I spoke with prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko and received reports from law enforcement. Criminal investigations have been opened to what happened.

Of course, the strike was caused by Russian missiles, by Russian terror and nothing else. But we have already said 1,000 times that in these wartime conditions, with an enemy like this, you definitely cannot hold any weapons exhibitions with large crowds of people, especially near residential buildings.

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MADOWO: Ukrainian media say there are two separate criminal investigations here, one on the violation of the customs of war and another on exactly if this would qualify as negligence, given the guidance that president Zelenskyy was referring to there.

He says that their intelligence says that Russia intends to launch another massive attack against Ukraine, possibly in the next 48 hours, and asking the population to stay alert and listen to air raid alerts, Salma.

ABDELAZIZ: Larry Madowo there on Ukraine, bracing for potentially yet another attack soon from Russia. Thank you very much.

Massive wildfires in Spain and France are forcing more than 200,000 people to flee. About half of those evacuations are along the Atlantic coast.

In southwestern France, authorities say the wildfires there are burning so intensely that they're actually generating their own weather system. French president Emmanuel Macron is requesting firefighting help from other European countries.

And Spain has called its first ever national emergency because of these giant blazes threatening to converge just outside Madrid.

We're tracking the economic fallout of the Iran war and what it is actually costing Americans. That's coming up next.

Plus, the future of the U.S.-Saudi nuclear deal. We're going to ask an expert if the White House even has a coherent policy after president Trump's sudden change of heart.

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ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Welcome back. I'm Salma Abdelaziz. Let's check some of today's top stories.

Most of president Trump's jokes either fell flat or offended members of his audience during his speech at the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner on Friday. The president took aim at his perceived enemies, including some of the reporters right in the room. The event had been postponed in April after a shooting incident.

And now Houston officials say Lorenzo Salgado did not have illegal drugs in the van involved. In the July 7th deadly shooting, an ICE agent shot and killed Salgado during a traffic stop. The findings countered the FBI's previous assertions that the substance could have been drugs.

And after nearly two weeks of daily U.S. airstrikes against Iran, the bombing appears to have paused. But president Trump is weighing whether to ramp up attacks on Iran or keep pushing for diplomacy. He said on Friday that Iran is getting more serious in ongoing talks.

The cost of the Iran war is putting new pressure on American households. CNN's David Goldman explains why Americans are paying more for everything from gas to groceries.

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DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: The Iran war has cost Americans a lot of money. Gasoline alone adding $305 to Americans' expenses over the past five months. Diesel, $253 of added expenses.

And that is important because everything that goes on a truck costs more. And groceries go on a truck. Added price for groceries $240 over the course of the war. Transit is also higher because of those gas prices, $110.

Add that to the amount that the average American household has paid during the course of the war. But it's not just gas prices. It is also mortgage rates, right?

Because all of those higher gas prices have meant that bond yields have gone higher because they're worried about inflation. That has a direct effect on mortgages. The average mortgage is now $200 a month, more expensive than it was before the war. And that is because of those higher interest rates.

Look at this, 6.6 percent now. It was below 6 percent before the war. And that, when you add it into the cost of a $441,000 home, which is the median cost of a home in the United States, that adds up to a lot of money.

Now that's not the only expense that we have. Remember, we as taxpayers also have to pay for the war and, per household, on average, we are paying $280 for this war. If you make more money, you pay more. If you make a little less, then you pay a little less.

But that's the average cost for every single taxpayer. The total is a lot of money, $1,400 per American household on average. That is the cost so far for the Iraq war. Back to you.

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ABDELAZIZ: The U.S.-Saudi nuclear deal is now in limbo. This is after a very sudden about-face by president Donald Trump. He said on Thursday the agreement is off unless Saudi Arabia agrees to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel. That announcement came just 24 hours after the deal was signed without that condition.

[05:35:00]

Mr. Trump's U-turn caught his own nuclear negotiators by surprise and a source later told CNN that the U.S. Energy Secretary didn't give the president a heads-up that the deal would be announced. Mr. Trump was asked about that on Friday.

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QUESTION: Did you authorize for Secretary Wright to sign the Saudi nuclear deal?

If not, why did he sign?

TRUMP: Well, we didn't talk about it but it was always understood. And Chris knew. And Saudi Arabia knew that if they didn't join the Abraham Accords, the deal is not I'm not going to do the deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: For more on this, we're joined now by Laura Rockwood, a nonresident senior fellow at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation. She is also a former senior adviser to the International Atomic Energy Agency. She is joining us live from Vienna.

Good morning. First of all to you. Thank you so much for joining us, because there's a bit of whiplash here, of course, just 24 hours after this deal is signed and president Trump does a U-turn, says there's no deal unless Riyadh agrees to join the Abraham Accords.

What does this reversal tell us about how coherent this policy actually is?

LAURA ROCKWOOD, NONRESIDENT SENIOR FELLOW, VIENNA CENTER FOR DISARMAMENT AND NON-PROLIFERATION: Well, interestingly, Salma, thank you for having me. The word whiplash is exactly the word I would have used. What it tells you is there's absolutely no coherence in their policy.

The deal as it was described when Secretary Wright announced it involved Saudi Arabia's right to enrich. And it also involved a reduced implementation of IAEA safeguards, both of which, according to most policy experts and myself included, would be inappropriate for a number of reasons.

I mean, of course, enrichment is one of the key ways of getting to nuclear weapons, usable material and is exactly the issue that is a problem in Iran right now. So it would seem to undercut any kind of negotiation with the Iranians.

And in terms of safeguards, the United States would replace the modern standard of safeguards with the additional protocol with something like safeguards lite.

That would only be focused on the sensitive nuclear facilities, unlike the additional protocol, which gives the IAEA very broad access to the whole of the state and its nuclear program, whether declared or undeclared.

ABDELAZIZ: And you've touched on this here, Laura. Essentially, Washington has demanded that Iran give up domestic uranium enrichment. Yet this Saudi agreement would leave them precisely open to have that possibility and not even require those additional IAEA protocols.

Has president Trump effectively offered Riyadh what he went to war to deny Tehran?

And how damaging to the region and globally is that apparent double standard?

ROCKWOOD: It's an excellent way of describing it. And what you could also compare it to or contrast it with is the deal that was concluded with the United Arab Emirates, which is considered the gold standard -- no enrichment, no reprocessing excepting very strict IAEA safeguards, including an additional protocol.

And it absolutely would exacerbate this sense of double standard in the Middle East. And I don't think would make it more secure, particularly in a country like Saudi Arabia, whose principal leader has already announced on many occasions that Saudi Arabia would acquire nuclear weapons if and when Iran were to do so.

ABDELAZIZ: Now let me throw the counterpoint at you, because the administration insists there are strong bilateral safeguards from a technical perspective and that those safeguards can be relied on to prevent Saudi Arabia from producing weapons grade material.

Do you buy that or do you simply argue that there is no real substitute for the IAEA's inspection protocols?

ROCKWOOD: It's more than just there's no substitute. When you look at the details, the few details we have from the U.S. deal, it talks about focusing only on those sensitive nuclear facilities; for example, enrichment facilities.

In the case of IAEA safeguards with an additional protocol, the IAEA has broad access throughout the country.

What happens if Saudi misuses this enrichment technology to create undeclared enrichment activities elsewhere in the country?

Exactly what we have been claiming Iran has been doing over these years.

What kind of access would the IAEA have to follow up on those kinds of allegations?

And certainly the U.S. deal, the way it's described, doesn't give even the United States that right.

[05:40:08]

ABDELAZIZ: I want to ask you one final question -- and I'm sorry, we're running out of time. So very quickly here. We understand, of course, that Netanyahu will be visiting the White House on Tuesday.

How do you think he will view this agreement?

Is he going to see it as an unacceptable proliferation risk or simply as leverage to secure Saudi normalization with Israel?

ROCKWOOD: I think it is not unreasonable to speculate that, between the time the Department of Energy announced the deal and president Trump reneged on the deal, there might well have been a communication from Netanyahu suggesting that he was not entirely in favor of such a deal.

I could imagine Israel would not be supportive of such a deal.

ABDELAZIZ: Laura Rockwood there on the administration's U-turn on that Saudi nuclear deal. Thank you so much.

South Carolina is shaping up to be a key state ahead of the 2028 presidential elections. Just ahead, how Republicans and Democrats are navigating the sudden death of senator Lindsey Graham right after the break.

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ABDELAZIZ: South Carolina will once again hold the first Democratic presidential primary for the 2028 U.S. presidential election.

The Democratic National Committee's rules panel chose the state over 11 other locations. Supporters say the choice reaffirms the party's commitment to Black voters. The state also held the first Democratic primary in 2024.

The focus on South Carolina politics comes after the sudden death of longtime Republican senator Lindsey Graham. His funeral is set to take place over two days later this month. A formal service at the Washington National Cathedral will be followed by services in South Carolina.

[05:45:00]

His sister, Darline Graham, has been appointed to fill his seat until January. Now earlier this week, she announced she will run to keep that seat. Senate majority leader John Thune says he is not endorsing her at this time but called her a strong candidate.

I want to bring in now, joining us now for more on this political shakeup in South Carolina is Luis-Alfredo Garcia. He's a reporter with South Carolina ETV and public radio.

Thank you for coming to us in the middle of the night, very early in the morning, because this race is very quickly becoming a test of president Trump's power.

Senator Darline Graham, the sister, of course, of the late senator, is temporarily filling the seat. She has gained president Trump's endorsement for a full term. But she's facing some stiff competition. Tell me about the race. Tell me about the contenders and who has the best chance of winning here.

LUIS-ALFREDO GARCIA, SOUTH CAROLINA ETV AND PUBLIC RADIO: Yes, well, for starters, it's a crowded race. So far, there's at least 10 candidates who have committed to running for this seat. Nine of them have officially filed as of right now, 5:45 am, my time here in Columbia, South Carolina.

And nobody's really pulled out as a front-runner. You have some bigger names, like former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford. You have U.S. representatives Ralph Norman and Russell Fry.

And, of course, current U.S. Senator Darline Graham. But nobody's really pulled through so far. This is going to be a race that really sees what South Carolinian voters want on the GOP side.

And we'll see how much that Trump endorsement holds weight. You know, South Carolinians, they do care about that Trump endorsement. Trump has given Darline Graham his full support in this race.

But from talking to voters, from talking to people, especially during the June 9th primary, which Lindsey Graham had initially won, a lot of them care more about local and statewide endorsements. They want to hear more about issues and things that they will bring for South Carolina than just a straight-up endorsement from the president.

ABDELAZIZ: So an open race, as you said, there and it's really going to come down to what South Carolinians want.

So what do they want?

Are they looking for a like-for-like replacement for the man who held that seat for 20 years or more than 20 years?

Or are they seeking a change here?

And if so, what is that change that they want?

And who's offering it?

GARCIA: Well, right now, one of the issues at the top of mind for South Carolinians, we're a fast-growing state. It's the fastest growing state, right?

So someone who can manage South Carolina's growing population while also reaching out to voters. I've talked to plenty of people in these last two weeks, just around the state, whether it's here in Columbia or down in the Low Country by Charleston or more in the upstate by somewhere like Greenville.

And they want someone who they feel like they can understand, they feel like really connects with them, somebody who, again, can deal with this population growth and see how to balance all the new people coming to the state with the people who are here, who want to see the roads fixed.

The people who want the education in the state to improve, those are some things that are important for South Carolinians here. And it's, like I said, still an open race. Nobody's really pulled ahead.

But there are some more familiar names for voters, like some U.S. representatives, Ralph Norman, Russell Fry. Ralph Norman in particular also ran for governor. He placed third in the initial June 9th primary. Didn't make it to the runoff but he did place third. And yes.

ABDELAZIZ: I love that you've been talking to people up and down the state to hear what they want. I think, outside of the state, what Lindsey Graham was most known for was as being the Trump whisperer on foreign interventions, right?

He pushed a hawkish Israel. He backed Ukraine.

Is that something that you're hearing, that South Carolinians are interested in?

Do they want someone to pick up that mantle on foreign intervention?

GARCIA: Quite honestly, no, that's not something that's at the top of mind for people here in South Carolina. When it comes to what they want in a candidate -- and this is seen in the campaigning -- most people are campaigning on how we will directly influence South Carolina, at least so far.

Some people have just said, I'm doing best, what's best for South Carolina. Former governor Mark Sanford said his focus is going to be on reducing the national debt and finding a way for future generations to not have to deal with growing debt.

And, you know, a lot of the talk has been, how can we improve South Carolina?

Those foreign relations hasn't been really at the top of mind in this campaign cycle yet. But it's still early. The primary is not until August 11th. So you know, that may ramp up as people start to get more familiar with the candidates.

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And they feel like they can expand what they're saying in the -- in their campaigning. But for now, the focus is really on capturing voters, capturing these people who might not know who you are, who might not be as familiar with you as they were with Lindsey Graham, who had, you know, served in the in the Senate since 2003.

Had some stints in the U.S. House and the South Carolina House before that. They're really looking for someone who speaks to them and they feel like can do the best for South Carolina specifically.

ABDELAZIZ: Luis-Alfredo Garcia on what is an open race in South Carolina, thank you so much for joining us.

A huge announcement from NBA superstar LeBron James. We're going to take a look at his next chapter as he announces his move to the Philadelphia 76ers right after the break.

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ABDELAZIZ: LeBron James is heading to the City of Brotherly Love, announcing Friday that he'll be joining the Philadelphia 76ers and Philly is already rolling out the red carpet ahead of his record extending 24th season in the NBA.

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro proclaimed July 24th as LeBron James Day in response to the news.

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LeBron said he believes he can help bring Philadelphia and the 76ers a championship. CNN "WORLD SPORT"'s Patrick Snell has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, LeBron James has made his decision and it's a shock one. The basketball superstar announcing a move to the Philadelphia 76ers after eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Now the 41-year-old face of the NBA even revealing he'd contemplated retirement before choosing the Sixers as his next challenge.

James is the league's all-time leading points scorer and on Friday, he took to X to say, "I thought I was done when the season ended. I wasn't ready to announce it and I knew I needed some time to really decide but I was pretty sure I played my last game. I still truly love this game and I have more to give."

The four-time NBA champion has signed a two year, $8 million contract with a player option, according to his agency Klutch Sports Group. This is going to be his fourth NBA team in his storied career. LeBron has won NBA championships with the previous three, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat and the Lakers.

James adding, "This is my last decision. I'm not going for money. I'm not going for family.

What am I really playing for at this point?

I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship. I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time."

As his remarkable career continues, LeBron James is now preparing to enter his record, extending 24th NBA season. And with that, it's back to you.

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ABDELAZIZ: Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. For our viewers in North America, "CNN THIS MORNING" is next. For the rest of the world, it's "AFRICAN VOICES."