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Longtime Republican Senator Lindsey Graham Passes Away. Sen. Lindsey Graham Dies At 71 After Sudden Illness; Trump: Lindsey Graham "One Of The Greatest People And Senators I Have Ever Known"; Hostilities Resume: U.S. Says It Hit 140 Iranian Military Targets; New Orleans Floods After Heavy Rains. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired July 12, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:42]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

RENE MARSH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Rene Marsh in for Victor Blackwell.

We begin this morning with breaking news. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has died. His office announced this morning that the longtime senator died from, quote, "a brief and sudden illness," but did not give further details. Graham was elected to the House in 1994 and the Senate in 2002. He was running for his fifth term as senator in this fall's midterm elections.

President Trump paid tribute to Graham in a post on Truth Social, saying, quote, "Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and senators I have ever known is dead. He was always working and was a true American patriot. Lindsey Graham will be greatly missed."

Lindsey Graham had just celebrated his 71st birthday just last week. And CNN's Brian Todd joins us now. Brian, what is the latest that we're picking up? I know we don't have full details on the cause, but we are learning some details.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're learning some details, Rene, just kind of trickling in. And what we're able to confirm with sources and with dispatch, emergency dispatch calls, what we can tell you is, first, a spokesperson for the senator says that he died from -- after a brief and sudden illness. He was 71 years old.

What we can tell you from dispatch audio from emergency response was that there was a piece of dispatch audio that came in that was -- that was heard at about 8:30 p.m. eastern time on Saturday evening. Dispatch audio discussing someone suffering from chest pains.

We can play for you some audio from a dispatch call, an emergency dispatch call, that gives a little bit more detail. Take a listen to that.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) cardiac arrest (INAUDIBLE). EMS six respond (ph) to (ph) engine seven, medic seven with cardiac arrest.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

TODD: (INAUDIBLE) cardiac arrest. We cannot confirm at this moment that the senator died of cardiac arrest. That dispatch call discussed cardiac arrest. But of course, you know, those dispatch calls discuss various conditions that sometimes don't turn out to be the real cause of death or the cause of an injury. So, we just can tell you that that call discussed the possibility of cardiac arrest.

And we also can piece together some detail elsewhere in an audio call, a dispatch audio. The discussion of someone suffering from chest pains. And that discussion at that point was at 8:30 p.m. eastern time in an audio call from emergency dispatch audio.

That's what we can tell you. They discussed chest pain, someone suffering from chest pains, and then you heard the audio of that call someone suffering from cardiac arrest, possibly, but we cannot confirm at this time that the senator died of cardiac arrest.

Rene, you just posted President Trump's post on Truth Social saying that Lindsey Graham was one of the greatest, quote, "one of the greatest people and senators I have ever known." Trump saying he was always working and was a true American patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed. That is a post on Truth Social from President Donald Trump.

We can also tell you that South Carolina's Republican governor, Henry McMaster, he is empowered to appoint a temporary replacement for Senator Graham. And of course, we assume that Senator McMaster is working on that as we speak.

Senator McMaster did issue this statement posted on X, quote, "Peggy and I and our children are devastated. Lindsey Graham is irreplaceable. The fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America, and a loyal and steadfast friend. We grieve with Darline, his family and his devoted staff. May God hold him gently in the palm of his hand. We shall not see his likes again."

That a quote from South Carolina's Republican Governor Henry McMaster, who we can tell you is empowered to appoint at least a temporary replacement for Senator Graham. That mention of Darline in that post from Governor McMaster is a reference to Senator Graham's younger sister, Darline, who Senator Graham actually helped raise when their parents died, when both he and his younger sister were very young.

[06:05:08]

Senator Graham was an undergraduate in college. His sister, Darline, was a teenager. He helped raise her and eventually adopted her. That reference to Darline from Governor Henry McMaster is what that is all about.

Others, of course, weighing in. Senate Majority Leader John Thune with a long statement posted on X, talking about how just dedicated, loyal and what a great friend that Senator Graham was and what just a powerful and influential senator he was. That's a long statement from Senator Thune saying, Lindsey's long and dedicated service in the Air Force and in Congress carried him to far-flung regions of the world. He was a strong advocate for the United States and a strong ally to freedom-loving countries across the globe.

The senator's statement goes on for a while there just talking about just, you know, how revered Senator Lindsey Graham was in the U.S. Senate. Also, tributes have come in from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussing Senator Graham's steadfast support of Israel. We do know that Senator Graham was in Ukraine just a couple of days ago, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returning, we believe -- he spoke to reporters actually on Friday from Ukraine and returning to the U.S. shortly after that the senator passing away in Washington, D.C. So just basically hours after his return from Ukraine, we get news of his passing, Rene.

MARSH: And that is why this is all so stunning. And again, we've been saying this all morning, but no one expected this because of all that you just laid out. He was just traveling. He was just in Ukraine. We saw Zelenskyy post on social media about Senator Graham and the work that he was doing there. Brian Todd, thank you so much.

Joining me now on the phone is CNN congressional correspondent Lauren Fox. Lauren, you have been covering Capitol Hill with CNN for quite some time now. I want to first start with just your experience with covering Lindsey Graham. What was he like, as you know, between journalist and politician? Tell me that perspective.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on the phone): Yes, I mean, obviously, everyone is really shocked by this news because Senator Graham was such a fixture on Capitol Hill. He was someone who regularly spoke out on news of the day. He was, obviously, a fierce defender of Donald Trump and was a key ally of the White House on Capitol Hill. So, he was a really valued voice.

If you're a reporter in the halls and you're trying to understand what's going on day to day in the Republican Party, you're talking really frequently to Senator Lindsey Graham. Now, I first got to know Senator Graham when I was covering immigration reform back in 2013. He was part of the bipartisan Gang of Eight, a group of lawmakers who worked together to bolster border security, as well as create a path to legalization for millions of immigrants who were living in the shadows in this country.

And obviously, that was a huge bipartisan effort in Congress. It ended up not going anywhere in the House of Representatives, but it did pass the U.S. Senate. And he was a very key voice, a very key senator on that bill.

He had worked really closely with his friend and longtime mentor, Senator John McCain, on that legislation. And there were several instances, even once Donald Trump took office, that Senator Lindsey Graham became a major commentator and advocate on immigration related issues.

Now, over time, his view and his position sort of evolved as the Republican Party's and President Trump's position really hardened the position of Republicans on that issue. But that's how I got to know Senator Graham initially.

I mean, he was someone who also was extremely outspoken on foreign policy issues. I mean, he built his career as a defense hawk, as you noted. And as Brian noted, he was just in Ukraine a couple of days ago, meeting with the president of that country, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. And that was a reoccurring visit that he had taken.

I mean, he has visited that country multiple times since the Russian invasion. He has been a really strong ally of Ukraine in terms of supplying them with defense systems, planes, weapons that they need as they continue to fight the Russians. And that is something that he has been unwavering on over the course of his career.

Obviously, he has been a strong advocate for intervention across the world, from Iraq to Afghanistan to Iran, more recently defending the president's role there. So, you know, he is someone who just has been involved in every facet of American life, whether that is the U.S. position abroad, immigration.

[06:10:00]

He, obviously, served as the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and was the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee when President Trump renewed his tax bill earlier in the second term. So obviously, he is someone who's a really key voice for Republicans, Rene.

MARSH: Lauren Fox, thank you so much. And our coverage continues with Senator Graham's death. When we come back from our break next, we'll talk about his strong support for both Israel and Ukraine as reaction to his death comes from international leaders.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:15:03]

MARSH: We are following breaking news, the passing of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham. Just last Friday, he was in Ukraine meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Graham was working on a Russia sanctions bill to try to help end Russia's war on Ukraine.

In a social media post, Zelenskyy commented on Graham's consistent effort to try to secure peace in that area. Zelenskyy wrote in part, quote, "Good meeting with U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham in Kyiv. This is already his 10th visit to our country, and we appreciate this support."

Well, for more on Graham's diplomatic work in Ukraine, we turn to CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson. Nic, again, we know that Senator Graham was a fierce advocate for Ukraine and trying to end hostilities between Ukraine and Russia. What's the reaction that you're hearing coming from that region? NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, this is something that was hugely important for Ukraine. President Zelenskyy saying that Senator Graham was there when the Ukrainian people needed him. As you mentioned, 10 visits since Russia's full scale invasion earlier in 2022.

So this is, you know, clearly someone who was an interventionist, if you will. Whereas President Trump's MAGA base was more isolationist. He believed in propping up United States allies around the world. And Ukraine was one of those.

He believed that by supporting Ukraine, you made Europe, your European allies safer, that you put limits on President Putin's expansionism agenda. And to that point, that part of this visit, where in Ukraine on just Friday, where he visited the latest and sort of most up to date Ukrainian drone factory, the SkyFall factory, where he was able to see their long range bomber drones that are penetrating deep into Russia, hitting energy facilities more than a thousand miles away from Ukraine, to their front line drones that sort of can buzz in and out of the trenches. You know, get and target and defend troops on the battlefield. As well as their defensive drones that intercept Iran's drones and are now becoming an indispensable part of what the United States allies in the Gulf need to defend against attacks from Iran.

So, President Zelenskyy was able to show all of that to Senator Graham, because he knew that by bringing this understanding of where Ukraine was out on the battlefield, of its dynamic military capabilities, that this message would end up inside the White House, that he would be able to communicate that to President Trump. And that was the kind of advocacy and support inside the White House that President Zelenskyy was looking for.

Lindsey Graham himself talking about this mission, this particular trip on Friday, and how that was aimed at putting more sanctions on Russia. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): We've reached agreement with the White House on a version of the Russian sanctions bill that they will support. It means it's going to become law. So when I get back to Washington, I'm going to go with Senator Blumenthal to the Republican and Democratic leader to see if we can find time to move this Russian sanctions package that would give tools to President Trump to help end this war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: So on this war, Lindsey Graham wasn't just a key player for Ukraine but for European leaders as well who wanted greater advocacy from President Trump, who wanted greater involvement inside of Ukraine.

And let's look back to just last year, late February, that disastrous meeting in the Oval Office where President Trump berates President Zelenskyy. Senator Graham, who until that moment had been a very, very staunch supporter of President Zelenskyy, calling it a disastrous meeting. And wondering whether or not he could continue to support the Ukrainian president.

But fast forward just a few months, where the Europeans have stepped up, formed their coalition of the willing, who is it from the United States that the Europeans have representing the U.S. on that coalition of the willing, it is Lindsey Graham, and that was because they knew he was valuable to what they wanted to achieve as well, that he would bring the message into the White House, interventionist, supporter of Ukraine, thwart to President Putin.

So not just Ukraine and so many other countries' leaders will miss him. But I think on the European stage, he certainly had a value for the Europeans at this time.

MARSH: And it certainly raises the question, is there a Republican that could fill that void that is now left by Lindsey Graham as it relates to those foreign relations?

[06:20:03]

Nic Robertson, thank you so much for that perspective. And it wasn't just Ukraine. Senator Graham was also known for his strong support of Israel. Already, several Israeli leaders are expressing their condolences.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted this in part on social media, quote, "Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend."

Let's go to Jerusalem Bureau Chief Oren Liebermann, with more on that part of Graham's legacy. Good morning, Oren.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Rene. That sentiment of heartfelt feeling of thanks, of deep, deep grievance and mourning is not unique to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. We see it from politicians across the Israeli spectrum, from the coalition under Netanyahu, to the opposition.

I'll read you just a smattering of these statements here. This is former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who said he is heartbroken to hear of the passing of Lindsey Graham. He said, America has lost a devoted patriot and Israel has lost one of its greatest friends.

Former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman also said, for years, Graham stood by her side even when it required courage and even when it involved significant criticism. And I'll read one more here. Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid said, Lindsey has unwavering moral clarity, a deep devotion to the people of Israel, and a clear vision for a secure and peaceful Middle East.

Lindsey Graham was a staunch supporter and advocate for Israel in the U.S., not just championing the cause of Israel, but he pushed for more funding for Israel's defense. He pushed for the memorandum of understanding and more U.S. funding for Israel's weaponry. That has been something he's done for years. He visited here frequently. I've attended his press conferences here and been invited to many more as he made it a point to come here repeatedly, not only since October 7th, 2023, 2023, but even before that. And in fact, many of those now putting out message of condolences and messages of mourning are also sharing pictures with Lindsey Graham.

For Netanyahu, he was especially important because even when there was a division between Netanyahu and President Donald Trump, when it came to Iran, Lebanon, Gaza or other issues, it was Graham that had Netanyahu's ear. Netanyahu could speak with Graham and try to use that to either try to sway the Congress or put his opinion, his position out there, but also would use Graham and would work with Graham to try to show Trump Israel's position here. So from that perspective, Graham was very important politically to Netanyahu himself.

We've also been told with an Israeli source familiar with the matter that Netanyahu is considering trying to see if he can attend Graham's funeral in the United States. That, in and of itself would also give him an opportunity to meet with Trump. The two had agreed to meet after one of their most recent phone calls, but that hasn't been put on the agenda. This would be a chance for Netanyahu to pay his respects to someone who's considered one of Israel's strongest supporters, and perhaps to meet Trump as well, Rene.

MARSH: Oren, thank you. And we're going to take a quick break, and then we'll continue our breaking news coverage of the death of Senator Lindsey Graham at the age of 71. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:27:43]

MARSH: We're back to our breaking news coverage of the death of Senator Lindsey Graham. According to his office, the 71-year-old South Carolina Republican died from a brief and sudden illness last night. Graham has long been one of President Trump's most trusted allies on Capitol Hill. Here he is just last month.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRAHAM: And when it comes to President Trump, Mr. President, I'm going to be your strongest ally in the United States Senate. I'm going to be the Trump guy in the United States Senate helping the Trump agenda for your last two years.

You're on course, my friend, to be one of the most consequential presidents in American history. And what did we prove tonight? That South Carolina is Trump country, not Massie country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARSH: Well, let's bring in CNN political commentator Maria Cardona. Maria, you have been in Washington for years now. I want to first start off by asking you, what are they saying within Washington circles right now from this news that is shocking so many? MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, that's exactly the first thing that they're saying, Rene, is just what a shock, what a tremor this is within D.C. political circles, within the country and within the whole world.

As you have been talking about, Lindsey Graham was very involved in U.S. foreign policy. It was one of his passions. It was one of the areas that he had expertise in. And I think it's been one of the areas where he's really made a difference for the better, especially when it comes to Ukraine.

And Zelenskyy, I'm sure, is very sad today because Lindsey Graham was one of the ones who was whispering into Trump's ear about how important it was for the United States to stand up against Russia on the side of Ukraine. And so we'll see what happens with that.

But as a foreign policy hawk, that is where I think you saw recently one of the biggest ways in which Lindsey Graham really influenced the way that Trump saw and acted in terms of the war between Russia and Ukraine.

[06:30:00]

MARSH: Yes, that was going to be my next question. I mean, it sounds like you think that, you know, his influence in the space of foreign relations. Would you say that that is going to be his most lasting impact on Washington and even the Republican Party?

CARDONA (on-camera): I think it will be one of the biggest ones. But there were a lot of issues in which Lindsey Graham affected policy and was influential. And one of the other areas where he was very effective and influential is the area of immigration.

As you can recall, he was part of the story, the gang of eight, the eight senators that in I believe it was 2013 really focused on immigration reform. And it was at the point where we almost were able to achieve bipartisan immigration reform. And it was in large part because of those eight senators that included Lindsey Graham. Sadly, we didn't get there. But Lindsey Graham had been a big advocate of immigration reform.

He changed that in in the latest years when he became one of, you know, like he you just showed the clip where he said that he was going to be one of Trump's biggest advocates and biggest supporters in the Senate. And he did become that. And, you know, sadly to a lot of folks, immigration advocates chagrin, he turned his back on exactly the same subject that he had been such a supporter of in years past. And I think there's going to be a lot of discussion about the way in which Lindsey Graham changed his views when he became one of Trump's biggest supporters.

But I think for now, Rene, we're going to focus on how he served the country. He served 33 years in uniform. I think we have to salute that. He served for so many years in Congress and in the Senate serving the people of South Carolina. So today, may he rest in peace and our thoughts and prayers and condolences go out to his family, his friends and the people of South Carolina. There will be plenty of time to talk about politics and plenty of time to talk about his record.

MARSH: Maria Cardona, thank you so much.

And it wasn't just his foreign policy influence, but Senator Graham also proved to be one of the most effective and reliable communicators in President Trump's inner circle. Whenever the administration did something that needed defending or explaining, Graham frequently stepped up.

I want to bring in CNN's chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, with more on that side of Lindsey Graham and his legacy.

Brian, what are your thoughts on Graham and his role as the communicator for the Trump administration many times?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST (on-camera): Well, number one, he just he loved actually being a politician. Now, there are some senators. I was, you know, once a page in the Senate decades ago. I remember this very vividly, even from back then, how there are some folks who enter that arena who are senators, who are lawmakers, who are in various public officials jobs, who actually are not there because they love the sport or necessarily love to be wooing the public, persuading the public.

Lindsey Graham did. He truly loved the sport and the art of politics. And you could see that through his television appearances. You use the word communicator. That's exactly the word, you know, describing the way that he was a champion for President Trump for the past 10 years across the television dial on Fox News. Yes. But on many other channels, he was actually scheduled to appear on NBC's Meet the Press later today.

So when we think about the shock of his sudden death, that really emphasizes how -- how suddenly this occurred. He had been booked. He had been promoted as a guest appearing this morning. And of course, he had been on the program dozens of times before because he understood that he had to and wanted to be on television in order to use that public stage to push his views and to promote his agenda and to promote President Trump's agenda.

So very much through the television, he recognized that was his way to serve. And gosh, 10 years ago, he really became a symbol of how Trump was taking over the party. I think people sometimes forget that Graham was in that GOP primary in 2015. He was on the Fox News debate stage for that very first two-part debate back in 20 -- in 2015. He did not make it very far in that primary. He saw exactly what Trump was doing to the party.

And so, people use the word loyal. People use many critical words to describe how he evolved. But certainly back then, that moment, he saw what was happening to the GOP in real time in 2015 and 2016. And then that speaks to the idea that he really loved the art and the sport of being a politician.

[06:35:05] MARSH: Yes. And I wonder just, you know, how effective do you think he was in communicating on behalf of President Trump? And what was it about Graham that the Trump administration or President Trump wanted him to speak on his behalf?

STELTER (on-camera): Well, one, number one, what President Trump said on True Social this morning, he made a comment about how Graham was always working. That's something that Trump likes. It's something he looks for in his allies. He views himself as always working 24/7, and he viewed Graham the same way that Graham was willing to be out there doing those television hits. Again, something that he enjoyed doing.

And there was also a levity. There was a, you know, Graham was very relaxed in that way, in that forum, being willing and able at all times to go out there and play defense, and then, of course, offense, too. But that idea of levity, I think that's a word Tim Scott used earlier today. That's something that also has stood out to me over the years, seeing Graham in those forums. And, you know, he just offended off, I think it was five challengers in his primary election last month. You know, so that speaks to someone who is, you know, again, really enjoying what he was doing every single day.

And I think, you know, certainly one thing President Trump valued about Graham was that he saw the value and the influence of those TV appearances, also of that social media footprint, that Graham was always in the arena and willing at all times to be part of that Trump alliance.

MARSH: Brian Stelter, thank you.

And stay with "CNN This Morning" as we continue to follow the death of Senator Lindsey Graham.

We are also watching the breaking news in the war with Iran as the U.S. targets Iranian military sites in their latest strikes. All that coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:41:13]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

MARSH: Well, good morning. We are continuing to follow our breaking news out of Washington.

Longtime Senator Lindsey Graham has died from a brief and sudden illness. His office announced this early this morning.

Graham served as a senator for South Carolina for more than two decades. Initial 911 audio revealed emergency personnel responded to a call for cardiac arrest at Graham's home in D.C. He had just celebrated his 71st birthday last week.

And breaking news from the Middle East. U.S. Central Command shared new video of strikes the U.S. military says it carried out on 140 Iranian military targets. This comes just after an attack on a merchant ship in the Strait of Hormuz that left one person missing.

Now the U.S. is blaming that attack on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Now Iranian state media claims it's retaliating for the latest U.S. attacks by targeting U.S. military sites.

Well CNN's Nada Bashir joins me now. Nada, what are you learning about these latest attacks?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Well, this is the third round of strikes now carried out by the U.S. military targeting Iran. As you mentioned, we've heard from the U.S. Central Command confirming that around 140 targets were struck.

They say these were military targets, including missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities, as well as communications networks and coastal surveillance locations. Now, of course, this has come after Iran announced that it would be closing the Strait of Hormuz. And we have also seen since these strikes carried out by the U.S. military retaliatory strikes carried out also by the IRGC targeting U.S. and allied forces, allied assets in the Gulf region.

So we have heard from officials in Kuwait, in Bahrain, in the UAE, for example, as well as in Jordan warning of a threat from Iran and that in some cases there were interceptions. But, of course, this also comes as efforts continue by some mediators to try to bring about some sort of diplomatic impact, to try to pass some sort of diplomatic resolution to this latest escalation of hostilities. And, in fact, we did see the Iranian foreign minister just yesterday meeting with his Omani counterpart in Oman.

Now, the focus of those talks, according to officials familiar with the discussions, was, of course, the Strait of Hormuz, which continues to be a key stumbling block in diplomatic mediation efforts and, of course, continues to be an area where we are still seeing significant daylight between the Iranian and the U.S. position. Now, Iran has expressed its wish to maintain control over vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. It wants to see ships passing through a corridor along its coastline.

But according to a source familiar with those discussions which took place just yesterday between Oman and Iran, there may be a proposal in the works for some sort of mutual control aspect element to this deal, which could potentially shift the needle somewhat in terms of a mediation and resolution effort.

MARSH: Nada Bashir, thank you.

And going deeper on this, joining me now for analysis is curator with The Iranist Substack, Holly Dagres. Thank you so much for joining us this morning, Holly.

I guess I just want to start at the core of all of this. The two sides can't seem to agree on what they agreed on. They both walked away from the same talks, but they seem like both countries have different understandings, and that is really at the heart of what's happening there in the Strait of Hormuz.

[06:44:59]

Is this, you know, failure in communication? Is this a trust issue? Is this that they just were never aligned from the very beginning?

HOLLY DAGRES, CURATOR, THE IRANIST SUBSTACK: That's a really great question. I should start by saying, you know, there has been distrust for 47 years and more recently under this administration, there were talks happening and then there was the two wars that took place, the first in June of 2025, the 12-day war, and then the latest, of course, was the three-month war.

And what really it comes down to is that at the outcome of this latest iteration of war, the United States and Iran both think that they won it. And when you have two sides that think that they won the war, they also means that they have different interpretations of the memorandum of understanding that they've signed. And that's what's been clear since the most recent attacks that have been happening with these tit- for-tats. It's not been just the past 24 hours or so, these have been going on for weeks.

And so it really boils down to, as you noted, the strait of Hormuz. And one of the other aspects that have been key in part of these talks that are being kicked down the road is the state of Iran's nuclear program.

MARSH: Yes. And let's talk a little bit about the mediators at the heart of this, right? Oman and Qatar, they have invested an enormous amount of diplomatic capital. They're trying to get these negotiations jump-started again, keep them alive. Yesterday, we know that Oman proposed a framework for the strait of Hormuz and shipping routes there so that the strait can remain open without hostilities. And then shortly afterwards, we see that shots were fired towards a vessel and now the strait is completely shut down.

And so, it got me wondering, does this suggest in any way that maybe mediators could be losing their leverage between these two countries?

DAGRES: So leverage, I think the Iranians seem to think that they do have this leverage in this moment. You noted about the talks that Oman's having. It's been several countries involved, Oman, Qatar, and of course, Pakistan.

And so interestingly, when we were talking about these latest iteration of strikes by Iran, U.S. officials said it was actually the Omani side, the southern side of the strait of Hormuz that this latest vessel was attacked. And the Iranians are saying, well, any part of the strait, we have control over it. And so that was the kind of messaging they were sending.

And in this moment, the negotiators really need to scramble to make things a concerted effort to make sure that this does not escalate because it seems like we're only moving up the escalation ladder, rather the de-escalation ladder. And so in this moment, it seems that the Iranians want to keep exerting themselves that they have complete control. There will not be a northern or southern version of the strait where two different parties are controlling it.

MARSH: Yes, and speaking of escalation, I mean, this conflict appears to be stuck in this pattern of military escalation, negotiations, more military escalation, more negotiation. How much of this pattern reflects really the personalities of the leadership styles of the two governments, President Trump and the Supreme Leader there in Iran?

And I'm just wondering, you know, how much of this is being driven by these two leaders who believe, it appears, that fighting is almost a form of negotiation.

DAGRES: Well, this leads to my earlier report. This is where the problem lies. When you have these two countries thinking that they won the war, they think that they can have the ultimate leverage over the other. So the Iranians understand that there are midterm elections coming up, the Strait of Hormuz, which they've shut down, put a strangle on the world economy, and that, you know, this is a deeply unpopular war within the United States.

So for them, they're saying, OK, if we keep exerting this pressure, we're going to get the best out of this potential deal that they're trying to negotiate. Granted, both sides are saying that the ceasefire no longer is in place, but it seems that there is talk still happening and ongoing, at least between negotiators --

MARSH: Right.

DAGRES: -- from third-party countries. And so, the United States has also seen the same way. The more pressure --

MARSH: Yes.

DAGRES: -- we put on the Islamic Republic, the more likely they'll bend the knee to us and give us what we want.

MARSH: Holly Dagres, thank you so much.

And stick with us here for more breaking news, the tragic passing of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham when we return from the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:54:05]

MARSH: Back to our breaking news. Senator Lindsey Graham has died.

The longtime Republican senator from South Carolina died from a brief and sudden illness last night, according to his office. Graham was a close ally to President Trump. The President paid tribute to Graham, calling him, quote, a true American patriot.

Well, two people were killed and several others injured after a shooting at Canada's biggest Latin street festival in Toronto. A total of six people were shot. Police say it happened when at least two people were shooting at each other. And a Georgia teen accused of killing four people at his high school is expected to change his plea. Colt Gray, now 16, initially pleaded not guilty to killing two students and two teachers. But court documents show he'll appear in court later this month for a change of plea hearing. His trial is set to start in October.

[06:55:01]

Well, heavy rain is hitting New Orleans. Here's how much rain they got enough to paddleboard down a street. Officials there say some neighborhoods got more than three and a half inches of rain in an hour.

CNN's Melissa Nord joins me now tracking our latest forecast. Good morning, Melissa.

MELISSA NORD, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on-camera): Good morning, Rene. And a lot of heavy rain still falling across southern Louisiana this morning. We've got deep tropical moisture working off the Gulf and zooming out, a little frontal boundary kind of triggering more of those pop-up showers and thunderstorms.

We could see some isolated stronger storms, especially over the Carolinas. But the bigger focus for a lot of areas will just be that southern kind of downpour that can lead to that flash flooding.

Here's the high-resolution future radar this afternoon. More of those showers and storms popping up in the Carolinas, back through Louisiana and Texas. And then for tomorrow, more of the same. But locally, there could be some areas that pick up a good two to four inches over the next two days combined.

Other major story, the Great Basin all the way to the upper Midwest. We've got major heat building in some of these areas. Temperatures pushing 20 or more degrees above average. Look at Billings, Montana, 87 degrees the normal. Forecast high today, 111. That would smash their all-time high record of 108.

Rene?

MARSH: Thank you, Melissa. Thank you.

And ahead in the next hour, we will continue our breaking news coverage of the death of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham.

He died at the age of 71. We will have live team coverage and analysis coming up in this 7 o'clock hour.

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