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CNN This Morning

Today: Hegseth Faces Senators after New Troop Deaths, Injuries; Darline Graham Launches Bid for Full Senate Term. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired July 21, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: -- involving two tractor-trailers. Highway patrol says a huge amount of diesel was leaked on the interstate.

[06:00:08]

The cause of the incident and the accident here is under investigation. We'll continue to keep you updated with any of the details as they continue to come forward.

Just crazy scenes that we're getting a glimpse of here from that accident.

Well, that does it for CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Brad Smith. CNN THIS MORNING with Audie Cornish starts right now.

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces lawmakers today for the first time since the U.S. went back to war with Iran. How will he answer for the troop deaths and injured this month in the fight?

And the lawyer for the Tate brothers thinks Marco Rubio could save them from facing rape and sex trafficking charges in the U.K. But what does the State Department say?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DARLINE GRAHAM (R-SC): I feel like I can do it. I feel an inner peace about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Lindsey Graham's sister wants to run for his Senate seat. Will President Trump's support be enough to carry the first-time candidate?

And you see him take on Pete Hegseth and take care of his wife, Gabby Giffords. Do Democrats see Senator Mark Kelly as a candidate for president?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have not been telling us what's been happening in terms of lost equipment, in terms of the cost of the war, and certainly in terms of the service members who have been wounded.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK. The escalating attacks between the U.S. and Iran come at a cost. The Pentagon has confirmed nearly 100 U.S. service members have been injured in just the past two weeks.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. And the Trump administration wants more money to carry out a fresh round of attacks on Iran. They're going to need Congress to make that happen.

Today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth heads to Capitol Hill, where he's going to ask senators for another $87 billion to fund the war.

The U.S. military is also sending more fighter jets, other aircraft to the region, giving the U.S. more options to strike Iran.

There were some reports of a ten-day ceasefire being floated by mediators between the U.S. and Iran. But right now, the odds of that happening remain slim.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ (R-FL): Anything that says, Oh, we want a ten-day ceasefire, I think I've been there before. I've read that book. I've seen that movie. And -- and you know what? You just can't trust the Iranians. All they want to do is stall, stall, stall.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: So, joining me now to discuss, Adam Farrar, senior political analyst at Bloomberg, former member of the White House Security Council. Thank you so much for being here.

First, I want to address this thing we've been talking about today: the 17 service members who were killed in the Iran war so far, with one more identity still to be revealed.

Then the American soldiers killed in Jordan, in particular: Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan and Private Isabella Gonzales.

You're saying the U.S. is in a kind of escalatory spiral? What does that mean? Are we expecting to see more casualties? The reality of war?

ADAM FARRAR, FORMER MEMBER OF WHITE HOUSE SECURITY COUNCIL: I think that's certainly possible. And what we saw over the weekend is a natural outcome of this escalation we've seen since the return to conflict, as the MOU and the ceasefire collapsed.

The Iranians are taking this moment to show that they still have reach, that they still have missiles. They can -- they can hit targets well beyond just the Gulf. And in the case of these service members, U.S. operating areas in Jordan.

And, you know, when we talk about this escalatory spiral, what we're really seeing now is that both sides are actually responding to the other's hits, not looking at their own strategic outcomes as much. You know, the president came out yesterday and said that he would --

the United States would strike back every time a U.S. service member dies.

CORNISH: Yes. Let me show, actually, his Truth Social post. I don't know if it's the one you're referring to. But he says, "Every time Iran kills an American soldier, they will pay for that killing many times over. This directive has been passed on to the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, every Leader in the Military."

So, we understand the position.

Help me understand a picture of what's happening, though, beyond the U.S. and Iran. Are there other actors who are -- who are joining the fight? Are we still keeping an eye on what's happening between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon? What is going to contribute to the escalation?

FARRAR: There's so many facets to this right now. Certainly, the United States and Iran are the key actors. But what we've seen just over the last couple days is this rising question of what will happen with the Houthi forces that operate out of Yemen.

They've now put forward a claim that they will be stopping Saudi Arabian shipping moving through the Red Sea, which has been a key lifeline for the global economy as oil has shifted out of the Strait of Hormuz through a Saudi pipeline.

[06:05:03]

CORNISH: But they've been operating in the Red Sea for a long time. We have been, actually, in support of going after them in the Red Sea for a long time.

Are you saying they're looking at what's happening with Iran and the way Iran has been able to leverage the Strait of Hormuz and saying, Great, we're going to do that too?

FARRAR: Actually, it looks like the Houthis are kind of getting dragged into this conflict.

From the start, back in February, the outstanding question was if and when they were going to join. And so far, they had refrained from significant engagement.

But what has happened here is a combination of Iranian pressure, right? Their primary backer is saying, We need you in the fight. We need you to put pressure not only on the United States, but the world to end this conflict.

And at the same time, the Saudi Arabians have conducted a series of strikes in Yemen that have, you know, forced the Houthis' hand, in their their -- their perspective.

And now, they're trying to find a way to show their strength in this moment and highlight that they can stop shipping through the Red Sea, potentially, using their wide array of drones and missiles.

CORNISH: And as you pointed out, that might mean putting a stop to, what, some 4 million barrels of Saudi oil that passes through the Red Sea.

So, let's think about Hegseth on the Hill today. He's going to come to them and say, This is what we need to finish fighting this war.

But you've outlined a lot of complexities here. What will it take? Is it more interceptors? Is it more -- like, help me understand what you're going to be listening for in a hearing like this.

FARRAR: So, I think one of the outstanding questions for him will be, how is the U.S. prepared to refill its stockpiles of munitions that it's drawn down significantly, particularly in that early phase of the war? And now, day in and day out, as the United States has just completed its 10th day of strikes, we're seeing that fall even further. And that's what part of that 87 billion is meant to do.

And it's not only putting the money into the production, but it's finding a way to speed it up because, for many of these key inputs, the key weapon systems, particularly our long-range strike systems like a Tomahawk or the key air defense systems -- Patriot and the SM-3 -- those are all -- those all take years to produce.

CORNISH: Yes.

FARRAR: And so, there's this broader effort going on to increase the capacity of the industrial base.

But I think the real place in which we'll see a lot of these questions is, what does the administration see is --

CORNISH: What's the plan?

FARRAR: -- the new plan? How does this end? Because what the military is showing: that it is capable of tactical victories and tactical success on a daily basis. It can hit the target.

But so far, that's not changing the calculus of the regime. And so, with that in front of us, I think there are going to be lots of questions on how do we get off this path of escalatory -- escalation and find a way back to the negotiating table to, hopefully, bring Iran to a position where it actually will agree to the restrictions that the administration says are essential to stopping its nuclear program?

And the issue that has really taken over: the status of the Strait of Hormuz, and whether ships will really be able to freely transit and all of that oil, natural gas.

CORNISH: Right. Or at what cost? Will it involve our military for that flow to --

FARRAR: That's right.

CORNISH: -- happen in the future? Thank you so much. We're going to be keeping an eye out today for what you talked about in that hearing, because the president has more or less sidelined Congress in the war.

And we're going to talk to Representative Jonathan Jackson. He's from the House Foreign Affairs Committee about what lawmakers can do, if anything, about it.

Then in the meantime, we're going to talk about that attack outside of a New York federal building. What the FBI is now saying about the suspect.

And Lindsey Graham's sister wants to make her own run for her late brother's Senate seat. We're going to talk about whether that's a good idea for a political newcomer. And our group chat is here to discuss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:13:12]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRAHAM: I feel like I can do it. I feel an inner peace about it. Will it be difficult? Yes, absolutely.

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: So, you're inclined to get in? Or have you even made a final decision?

GRAHAM: I've made a decision.

HANNITY: You're in?

GRAHAM: I'm in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: So, the sister of the late Lindsey Graham launches a bid for a full term in his South Carolina seat. Senator Darline Graham was sworn in to finish her brother's term just last week.

But a week-long filing period opens today for the special Republican primary, which was set for August 11th to fill the seat officially.

President Trump encouraged her to run in a Truth Social post last week, saying he would give her his complete and total endorsement.

Joining us in the group chat today, Isaac Dovere, CNN senior reporter; Chuck Rocha, Democratic strategist; and Ashley Davis, former Bush White House official.

Good to see you guys.

CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good morning.

ASHLEY DAVIS, FORMER BUSH WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL: Good morning.

CORNISH: I want to start with Isaac, because when I was reading and reporting on this last week, it was this person has passed away. His sister has been appointed by the governor to fill in for the months, and then someone else will be running and will take that seat, full- time.

So, was this surprise to the establishment, to the governor? Like, was this not a surprise inside South Carolina?

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: It seems to have been a surprise to a number of people, including some of the people who were hoping to, and still are hoping, to run for the seat, that there was this understanding. She is -- this has happened before, where a family member gets appointed when somebody dies suddenly, but that it's usually a caretaker situation, especially for a Senate seat.

It's no requirement for them. It's up to Darline Graham to decide what she wants to do. But there was this feeling like she would not be part of it.

Now the question is this -- the primary election in this special situation is coming up in just a few weeks. What do other South Carolina Republicans do? Do they back off?

[06:15:06]

CORNISH: Yes. Can I show, while you are talking, here are some of the guys who are running: Rep Russell Fry; Rep. Ralph Norman; Marc Lynch, a businessman; Duke Buckner, attorney.

I don't know if any of these people in South Carolina have the name recognition of Graham. Right? But we know that she would be a first- time candidate.

She's worked for the Commissioner for the Blind. She's got a master's in rehab counseling. She has campaigned with Graham. Can she run and be Graham, who had such a, I think, very interesting sort of pedestal and perch within the Trump White House?

DAVIS: I mean, I think she's going to be very different than her brother. Obviously, I think Lindsey had a very unique quality of being able to make his colleagues laugh, make his colleagues angry. But at the end of the day, both sides of the aisle really respected him.

But from my perspective, I think that this is a really good thing. One, I'm always big on getting more women into office, and that's very good, especially on our side. We're not that good at it.

But also, you know, you've heard on the other side, like, is she qualified, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, listen, how many candidates have run for office that, like, haven't been in politics before? I don't think that that automatically makes you not qualified.

DOVERE: The condition (ph) here is that she has the Senate seat because she was appointed to it, right?

DAVIS: Totally.

DOVERE: Not -- not having faced voters, which is something that other people --

DAVIS: And she'll face -- and she'll face --

DOVERE: -- and then we'll see what happens when she does face them.

DAVIS: Yes. But that's anybody that would have been appointed.

DOVERE: Sure.

DAVIS: That usually -- I mean, if Mitch McConnell wasn't there, and someone put in -- and the governor of Kentucky put somebody in as a Democrat, that person would probably run. I mean, that's not unusual.

ROCHA: It's important to say that these Senate elections are up every six years. It just so happens that this one was up this year.

CORNISH: Yes.

ROCHA: Lindsey Graham just had a primary two months ago. And it's also important to say that Lindsey Graham only got 56 percent of the Republican vote in the Republican primary against a nobody.

CORNISH: Oh, really?

ROCHA: Now, let's pull in the politics here.

CORNISH: No, but that's helpful, because I think I'm assuming this is going to stay a red seat.

DAVIS: It's going to stay a red seat, yes.

CORNISH: OK.

ROCHA: It should. It absolutely should. But --

CORNISH: But you're saying it wasn't 90 percent.

ROCHA: Right.

CORNISH: It was -- OK.

ROCHA: As we sit here and judge Democrat or Republican in any primary. I remember us sitting here and judging Graham Platner when he was still in. Did he get enough of the Democratic vote?

Well, Lindsey Graham only got 56 percent of the Republican vote. That shows that there's things on both sides of these parties where folks aren't liking incumbents. Will she be seen as an extension of an incumbent?

DAVIS: Well, I actually think, though, it was because Lindsey had -- Lindsey also isn't considered conservative enough for South Carolina. I mean, that's kind of the issue.

ROCHA: I think he used to not be.

DAVIS: No. But he's still not. No. Because of some of his war issues.

ROCHA: OK.

CORNISH: It'll be interesting to see what aspects of his agenda she is most vocal about, or if she really positions herself as "I'm a caretaker of this legacy, and I want to help" --

ROCHA: We just don't know.

CORNISH: -- "follow through on the things he cared about," of which some of them are still up for a vote, right?

DOVERE: Yes. And there were a couple of senators who, after she made it clear that she was going to run, started to say she's been -- she's a great senator. I'm not sure that she has done enough in the Senate to be great or terrible or anything yet.

CORNISH: Yes.

DOVERE: She's barely been a senator. So, we'll see what that looks like, and what her positions are, and how much she puts herself forward as a continuation of Lindsey Graham, or starts to be her own right.

CORNISH: But fundamentally, Trump tipped the balance on this, right?

DOVERE: For sure.

DAVIS: That's when I thought she was running: after he met with her on Friday, I guess it was. And then he put out this Truth Social post.

But here's the other thing that I think is interesting. You know, like, let's just take Ralph Norman for a second. I mean, he's very, very, very conservative. He's part of the extreme right in the party. Like for me, that is not, from what I understand so far, the -- Senator Graham's -- the new Senator Graham's -- position on things.

So, I think for kind of us mainstream Republicans, she's a much better candidate.

CORNISH: Interesting. OK. Well, we're going to turn to something else. We do have some serious news today.

There is a singer accused of murder who's due in court. We're going to talk about how a judge will decide if his case actually goes to trial.

Plus, the Trump administration escalates its fight with Harvard University.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:23:35]

CORNISH: It is 23 minutes past the hour. Here are five things that are making the news this morning.

The Gulf Coast bracing for the impact of Tropical Storm Bertha. The storm is currently about 110 miles South of Panama City. Sustained winds of 40 miles per hour.

Now, a tropical storm watch is underway for a large chunk of the Gulf Coast. According to the National Hurricane Center, Bertha has been drifting erratically but is expected to move to the Northwest and West.

And the singer D4vd is expected to appear in an L.A. court today, where a judge will decide if there is enough evidence to take his case to trial.

Prosecutors there say the 21-year-old killed 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Prosecutors claim D4vd continuously sexually abused the teen and that he killed her when she threatened to expose him.

Now, her body was found in the trunk of his car last fall. So far, he has pleaded not guilty.

In Ohio, five people confirmed dead after trying to rescue another person from a river. They jumped in the water when they noticed the person was struggling. And officials say a young child who was with the group flagged a driver down for help. And then that person called 911.

When rescue crews got to the river, they pulled two women out of the water, and they were pronounced dead at the hospital. The three other bodies were recovered hours later.

And a 43-year-old Army veteran now being accused of setting a fire outside a federal building in New York. Officials are saying that he poured gasoline outside the building and then ignited it with a firework.

[06:25:09]

Now, the building has offices for ICE, and the FBI arresting officers say the suspect shouted anti-ICE terms while being taken into custody.

And the Justice Department is investigating Harvard University's financial aid programs for potential discrimination against U.S. students.

Now, the Justice Department is accusing the Ivy League of accepting money from Chinese donors to support aid programs limited to students from certain countries.

Harvard says it is reviewing the Justice Department's notice.

And straight ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, does anyone want to save the Tate brothers? They are facing extradition on human trafficking charges. They are hoping for help from the Trump administration.

Plus, Senator Mark Kelly has been a fighter pilot and an astronaut. Could he be a candidate for president?

In the meantime, good morning to my friends in Nashville. A live look at the skyline over Music City. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:30:00]