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One World with Zain Asher
Trump Weighing Operation to Take Kharg Island; Ukrainian Defense Minister Ousted in Government Reshuffle; Torrential Rain Triggers Life- Threatening Flooding in Texas; Argentina and Spain to Face Off in World Cup Final; Illness Caused by Cyclospora Parasite Surging in the U.S. Aired 11- 11:30a ET
Aired July 16, 2026 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Hello everyone. Live from New York. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: And I'm Zain Asher. You're watching "One World". In just a few hours from now Donald Trump will give a prime-time
address to the nation. We know the topic, but we don't necessarily know at this point what exactly he is going to say.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, Trump says that he'll make what he calls a really big announcement about election security. Now he could likely rehash his
complaints about the 2020 election being rigged. This, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. It also comes a day after his nominee for
Director of National Intelligence, Jay Clayton refused to answer direct questions about whether Trump lost that election.
ASHER: CNN's Betsy Klein joins us live now from the White House. So, Trump has said he's going to be talking about election security. We don't know
the details. What are you hearing from your sources, Betsy?
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, when President Trump makes a speech like this, he is typically making changes up until the very
last minute, so the full crux of it remains to be seen. But the president has suggested he will put a focus on election security when he addresses
the nation in prime time tonight.
He is also expected to make what he says is a very big announcement. We just don't know exactly what the nature of that announcement is? But
according to two sources familiar with the matter, the president is expected to address voting machine security as well as alleged efforts by
foreign countries to interfere or influence previous American elections.
Now, the president has long been fixated on election integrity. He has repeatedly and falsely claimed that he won that 2020 election. He has also
been strongly advocating for the Save America Act, that is an elections overhaul and voter ID bill that does not yet have enough support to pass
the Senate at this point.
But election law experts have raised concerns ahead of this speech that the president could be sowing doubt ahead of those November midterm elections
coming up. And many Republicans are bracing with their own concerns that the president is not doing enough to alleviate everyday Americans'
anxieties. Vice President J.D. Vance addressing that question listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A lot of Republicans here want him to focus on the 2026 midterms and not to relitigate his claims
over the 2020 elections. Would you encourage him to steer clear of those unfounded claims that he is actually the true victor of the 2020 elections?
J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I'm obviously not going to get ahead of his remarks, but we can talk about a number of the American people's
problems. We can solve a number of the American people's problems. The next -- that's exactly what we're going to work with our House colleagues and
our Senate friends, to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KLEIN: Now, President Trump is expected to address a number of topics in these remarks, and we do expect him to talk about this conflict in Iran
that we have seen steadily increasing in recent days. And all this comes as there is a new poll from "The Washington Post".
There are two numbers that really stood out to me here on his handling of both the economy, 33 percent of respondents say they approve of his
handling of the economy, and then on this conflict with Iran, 29 percent approve of how he's overseeing this conflict with Iran.
And so, this could be an opportunity for the president to clearly lay out a case to the American people of why he is moving forward as he is weighing
potentially an escalation in U.S. military operations in Iran. We'll have to see if he does that, Zain and Bianna.
ASHER: All right, Betsy Klein, thank you so much. We'll see.
GOLODRYGA: Well, picking up on just that, Iran is laying down what it is calling an unbreakable red line as it trades intensified air strikes with
the U.S. for the sixth straight day.
ASHER: Yeah, Tehran now warns it will not allow the U.S. to interfere with the Strait of Hormuz and vows to crush all infrastructure in the region if
Donald Trump carries through with his threat to target Iranian bridges and Iranian power plants. Meantime, the war may be about to escalate even
further.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, sources say the U.S. President is considering expanding the military option in Iran, including the possibility of seizing Kharg
Island, that is the country's main export oil hub. CNN's Eleni Giokos joins us now live from Dubai.
And seizing Kharg Island does come with significant risks. It has been an option for the president since day one of this war, something he has wanted
to avoid, especially the risk that it poses to U.S. troops. But here we are, six days into an escalation between these two sides.
Eleni, on the one hand, both say that they are willing to continue negotiating, but the kinetic warfare continues. Kuwait and other countries
there in the Gulf are having to shoot down incoming drones and missiles. Just talk about the impact this is having on the region. What you are
hearing now?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean a lot of the experts that I've spoken to say it seems like we're in you know what people are
predicting an escalation trap. In fact, some experts just a short while ago on a Lloyd's List Webinar said that they believe this is the most intense
phase of the current crisis.
Look, Kharg Island, as you mentioned, has been on the cards for quite some time. It's been mentioned time and time again, but of course, it poses a
lot of military consequences for the United States. And we know that many people have assessed this entire war as a gross miscalculation.
[11:05:00]
Because what we've seen as leverage by Iran in using the Strait of Hormuz as sort of this flashpoint was really not anticipated and added into the
scenarios that had been planned out. But here we are, where Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is an unbreakable red line for them.
And in fact, we've seen this playing out in real time, where commercial vessels have time and time again been targeted in the U.S. Omani route, and
then forcing commercial vessels to really consider the northern route, the Iranian route.
And if we look at traffic and vessel traffic, frankly, a lot of ship owners have been, frankly, opting for the Northern Iranian route because it seems
for now to be a lot safer, despite the fact that the U.S. has superiority in many instances, specifically over you know air superiority.
In the meantime, the U.S. and Iran are trading threats. The U.S. is considering expanding its military operations. President Trump has signaled
that he wants to target more sites in Iran. Iran has retaliated, saying it's going to think about targeting U.S. bases and any U.S. assets in the
region. We've seen that happening and transpiring with Jordan and Kuwait as well.
But again, when we see what is happening in the Strait of Hormuz that is really going to determine how things play out going forward for the United
States and President Trump. He's been saying time and time again that Iran has not stuck to its commitments in terms of opening the Strait fully, and
Iran clearly has a very different perspective of how things will play out.
You know, one analyst that I spoke to a little earlier today says that there is an off-ramp to this, Bianna. And what he believes is that there
needs to be some kind of joint mechanism that includes the United States, that include Gulf nations, as well as Iran at the table to try and find a
long-standing and sustainable solution for the Strait of Hormuz. But for now, it seems that escalation is a major risk.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and we're seeing that as a result of all of this escalation, another rise in oil prices as well. Eleni Giokos, thank you.
ASHER: And there are still a lot of unanswered questions at this point in time about that deadly strike on a school in the first day of the war in
Iran. In a CNN exclusive, sources tell CNN the U.S. military has still not conducted a standard rather intelligence review of that attack.
GOLODRYGA: Iranian state media reported that a U.S. strike back in February killed at least 168 children and 14 teachers. Nearly five months later, and
the investigation into what happened and what went wrong appears to be at a standstill. The Defense Department would only say that the investigation is
ongoing.
ASHER: President Trump posted on social media that Iran has released an American woman who had been wrongfully detained since December of 2024.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, he has been identified by her attorney as Dena Karari. He says that she was interrogated by Iranian authorities dozens of times and
barred from leaving the country because she operated a charity that helped poor children in Iran. Trump says she is now safely outside of the country
and called Iran's move an act of goodwill.
Turning to Ukraine now, where loud explosions rocked the capital ahead of a visit by the British Prime Minister.
ASHER: Yeah, Russian missiles struck Kyiv, sparking fires at warehouses and nearby vehicles. Ukraine says that two people were killed.
GOLODRYGA: Keir Starmer arrived in Kyiv hours later. The outgoing British Prime Minister reaffirmed support for Ukraine as he met Ukraine's
President.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We know that this fight already has impacted on the United Kingdom, both economically with the cost of living,
but also through state-backed action that's been taken on our streets and in our communities to attack our people. And that's why there is such huge
resolve.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: What about us? Of course, I am afraid. Changes -- of course, we are afraid because we are at the war each
day. But again, the priority is the relations between nations, between just people, and I am sure that these relations will not change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Starmer's visit comes amid protests in Ukraine over a controversial government reshuffle. The defense minister, a 35-year-old tech expert
credited with an innovative approach to the war, has lost his job. All right. The question is: what effect will this change in leadership have on
Ukraine's war effort?
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Clare Sebastian has more on the implications.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is coming at a critical juncture in this war. Russia is clearly in escalation mode. Ukraine is in this
desperate race for new air defense supplies, and this decision by President Zelenskyy to let go his defense minister, a very popular figure, Mykhailo
Fedorov, has only been in the job six months, but he's seen as a bit of a technological whiz.
[11:10:00]
He's credited with the expansion of Ukraine's drone program; with the big success they've seen over recent months in terms of deep and mid strikes
attacking Russia's oil infrastructure. The effort ongoing at the moment to isolate Crimea and the improvement of Ukraine's fortunes on the front line.
This decision has really touched a nerve, I think, among the people. We're seeing protests not only in Kyiv but in other parts of Ukraine as well.
People calling for him to be reinstated, very worried about where this leaves the war effort.
This is the guy, also, by the way, who convinced Elon Musk to shut down Starlink for the Russians, which was something that caused a lot of
problems for the Russians back in the winter and early spring. So why is this happening?
Well, President Zelenskyy said that he, you know, he wants unity between the Defense Ministry and the military. It seems that Fedorov has clashed to
some degree with the top levels of the military establishment, but I think the feeling on the streets is that people haven't really had a full
explanation.
That again is why this has touched a nerve, but a critical juncture in this war. We're seeing these missile attacks going up, and I think this is going
to lead to questions not only within Ukraine but among its allies as well.
ASHER: All right, many thanks to our Clare Sebastian for that report there. The Trump Administration plans to impose new 25 percent tariffs on Brazil,
alleging unfair trade practices.
GOLODRYGA: The Brazilian President is already lashing out on social media, saying there was no justification for the illegal tariffs. U.S. relations
with Brazil have soured since his election in 2022.
ASHER: President Trump was a huge supporter of the previous President Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of attempting a coup to overturn his election
loss.
GOLODRYGA: Coming up, thousands of people in the U.S. are falling sick because of a parasite in their food. Just ahead, we'll tell you how to
reduce the risk of infection.
ASHER: Yeah, plus, it will be the teen versus the titan in the World Cup final. Details of Argentina's late win. This is so painful to me, God. And
Wednesday's semi-final coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Torrential rain in Southern Texas is triggering life-threatening flash flooding, including in the same area hit by the deadly Camp Mystic
disaster last year. Dozens of water rescues have already taken place as crews are scrambling to pull people from the rising water, like this one of
a child seen here in snorkel gear being carried away onto a boat.
ASHER: Yeah, in some areas, more than half a year's worth of rain has already been reported. Tens of thousands of people there are under the
highest level of flood warning, while others are under mandatory evacuation orders.
GOLODRYGA: CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us with more. And it's just so harrowing to think back a year ago, almost exactly a year ago,
Fourth of July last year, when the Camp Mystic flooding occurred and caused so many deaths, especially of young children.
[11:15:00]
We obviously want to avoid a similar situation here. Our thoughts are with first responders. Just tell us the extent of the flooding and when it could
end?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: OK. Well, Camp Mystic is closed. We know that, but there are other camps and certainly a lot of tourists who visit
this part of the hill country of Texas is a very popular area, especially to visit this time of year. But we call it Flood Alley for a reason, and it
is unfortunately living up to its name today.
The Camp Mystic area that you were pointing out happened right along the Guadalupe River. We try to highlight it there. It's that blue kind of
squiggly line that goes past Kerrville. Camp Mystic's located right about here, but there's a flash flood emergency with a catastrophic tag
associated with it.
Highest level of flash flood emergency that the National Weather Service issues. We had the Kerrville Mayor on our domestic audience show just a few
minutes ago, saying that he believes the water levels are higher than the catastrophic flooding event that occurred back in 2025, July 5th -- July
4th, to be specific.
I'm going to get into some of the areas here just to give you an idea. I know we're getting very hyper local for an international audience. But
there are so many rivers, tributaries, and basins around this very hilly area of Western Texas. But that allows the water to filter down into these
low-lying areas pool and kind of rage downstream, right?
So, the National Weather Service using words like a large and deadly flood wave moving downstream for two different rivers at the same time now: the
Guadalupe River and the Pedernales River. So, I'm going to try and show you those locations right now.
These are river gage forecasts, and anywhere you see those purple squares, those are flood gages that are forecast to get to major flood stage. We
don't want that. That's when you start to see homes, businesses inundated with water. Unfortunately, lots of humans and animals impacted by this as
well.
Now here's the Pedernales River at Fredericksburg. It is in major flood stage still rising, but this is downstream from that. Look at the rapid
rise in the river at Johnson City. OK, that's the large and deadly wall of water that is being triggered by rainfall totals that have exceeded 300
millimeters since midnight last night, and that's on top of what has already fallen.
That's why we have these catastrophic flash flood warnings underway. And that is why we are seeing some of the images that you've seen on your
television screens, or your computer screens, or your cell phones today, because this is about as dire as it gets. The Guadalupe River, right there.
Again, here's Kerrville, Camp Mystic, just to the north and west. This area under a flash flood emergency, and earlier this morning, there was a gage
that registered a 25-feet rise in water in one hour's time. That's a two and a half story building of water, and that is the amount of risen -- that
it rose within just a short period of time. That is just really incredible.
More rain to come still today. Another three to five inches on top of what's already fall in some of the hardest hit areas. It will start to dry
out by the weekend. That's something we can look forward to. But right now, we're in it, Zain and Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: And you will be covering it all for us, Derek Van Dam. Obviously, everyone should be heeding local warnings there. Thank you so
much.
ASHER: All right, we are also keeping an eye on the fire emergency spreading across Canada, more than 800 wildfires are currently burning,
with the largest rivaling the size of Washington DC. Nearly 2 million hectares have been scorched so far this summer.
GOLODRYGA: You're looking at these images: hazy orange skies blanketing parts of the U.S. Northeast and Midwest as massive plumes of smoke are
spilling over, causing the air quality to plummet. According to a recent report, parts of the Great Lakes currently have the worst air quality on
the planet. We can see it here in New York too.
OK, our whole show team was texting last night while yesterday watching this game. I feel for Zain, but I was rooting for Argentina, and boy, those
fans have been celebrating through the night after their team's two late goals shocked England on Wednesday, giving them a 2-1 victory and sending
them to their second consecutive World Cup Final.
ASHER: Well, I still have a pit in my stomach right now, so that means they're going to be taking on Spain this Sunday in New Jersey. Argentina
hopes to become the first back-to-back World Cup winners since 1962.
But first, I'll have to make it past Spain and 19-year-old venom Lamine Yamal. Let's bring in World Sport Patrick Snell joining us. Patrick, I
mean, this is thing. This is why late goals are so cruel. They're so cruel because had Argentina scored in the first 10, 20 minutes I'm strong enough
to handle that because there's still hope. But when you when you talk about goals at the 85, 90 -- I mean the show is over.
[11:20:00]
And everybody knows it. And that's why it was so painful yesterday.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: 85 and 92 yeah, just a horrible way from an English football fan's perspective. I was feeling it, believe me. I was not
in the stadium, Zain. I was in the fan zone, about half a mile away. Thousands of fans living and breathing and kicking every ball there.
It was a great atmosphere, but it was a heartbreaking end for England. I will say though, this Argentina side does not know the meaning of the word
defeat. This is the team, the Albiceleste. They are playing for the icon that is Lionel Messi, who is 39 years of age, and he turned the game.
It was incredible. He ended up playing the match as basically a right winger, got that cross in, wonderful cross for assist for Lautaro
Martinez's winning goal to break England's hearts, and in the moment, it hit the back of the net. Messi goes running. You see that image there
running towards the substitutes, the coaches there.
This is a team totally united. Heartbreak for England. I mentioned Lautaro Martinez. Let's hear now from him. Get more reaction to this huge win for
Argentina.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAUTARO MARTINEZ, ARGENTINE FOOTBALLER: These are the rewards you always hope for the rewards for everything, for all the work you put in since you
were a kid. Today is just pure joy. It's all thanks to this group that, in the face of adversity, keeps going and going and never tires. And we have
the best player in the world as our example.
HARRY KANE, ENGLAND STRIKER: We know how much it means to them. We know how much it would have meant to reach the final. And have that have that day
together. And look we gave it everything. Every last blood, sweat, tears whatever it took we tried to get us into that final and give the fans
something to cheer about. But yeah, in the end we fell short.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: Yeah, heartbreak there, as I said, for England and Harry Kane. But look at these scenes here in Buenos Aires, the Argentine Capital, I
believe. Part of that video is on. That's Atlanta as well. So, we got Buenos Aires and Atlanta, where I was. That's the fan zone where I was
yesterday.
It was an incredible atmosphere. Those fans, you know, they're kind of used to their team making incredible comebacks, aren't they? We saw that against
Egypt earlier in the tournament. And they struggled to beat Cape Verde as well, 3-2 before they finally got the job done there.
But you can see the emotion of the fans there. They're really, really now looking forward to the final, as you mentioned in New Jersey. It's going to
be an incredible final. I believe I can't wait for it. A Spain's La Roja (ph) lie in wait. Lamine Yamal, the 19-year-old, up against the 39-year-old
icon of the sport, Lionel Messi. Back to you.
ASHER: Bianna is actually going to the finals.
SNELL: I am very impressed and officially.
ASHER: I'm jealous.
SNELL: I'm jealous. Very jealous.
GOLODRYGA: I am very excited --
SNELL: Good for you.
GOLODRYGA: -- to have my Messi jersey ready to go.
SNELL: Good for you. I'm pleased for you. That's awesome. Great.
GOLODRYGA: I'll be recording.
ASHER: I'm pleased for you. Yeah, right.
SNELL: I'm pleased for you through gritted teeth.
ASHER: Patrick.
SNELL: Awesome.
ASHER: Four years. We'll wait until 2030.
SNELL: You know, it was sick.
ASHER: It didn't come home this time, but it'll come home.
SNELL: Zain, 60 years of pain were meant to end this year. They haven't, so four years from now we'll go again.
GOLODRYGA: Four years from now Mick Jagger will be there cheering on his team as well. Did you see him in the stands? Mick Jagger, David Beckham,
they were all yes.
SNELL: Right there. Yep.
GOLODRYGA: Yep. All right. Thank you, Patrick. Well, England's World Cup Semifinal against Argentina didn't end the way fans in London had hoped,
but they did have some fun celebrating one of their team stars. Hours before Wednesday's match, crowds of young men gathered for a look-alike
contest to see who most resembled midfielder Jude Bellingham.
ASHER: University student, was actually crowned the winner. The prize, a food delivery voucher worth more than $2,000 and a Beatles box set as well.
All presented by another look-alike of Norway Star Erling. They actually do.
GOLODRYGA: They do.
ASHER: Yeah, especially the Erling look alike as well.
GOLODRYGA: They'll have a lot of food they can share together with that win.
ASHER: Yeah.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Speaking of food, a foodborne parasite is surging across parts of the U.S. sickening thousands of people. More than 3000
cases of a severe illness called by the cause by the tiny cyclospora parasite have been reported in Michigan and Ohio. Nationwide, the CDC says
more than 7,000 cases have been confirmed or are currently under investigation.
ASHER: Symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, and fatigue. CNN's Jacqueline Howard has more on how to protect yourself.
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The outbreak of diarrhea that's happening right now, caused by the cyclospora parasite. It has so many
people wondering what is safe to eat?
[11:25:00]
And health officials in Michigan they're zeroing in on lettuce or salad greens as being possible sources of this outbreak, but they haven't
completely ruled out other food sources too. So, here's what you should do to stay as safe as possible.
You should buy this instead of this. With whole heads of lettuce, you can remove the outer layers that may have been exposed to germs, and then you
want to wash the inner layers and use those to eat.
When washing your fresh produce, you don't just want to rinse it under water. You physically want to scrub either with your hands or a brush, the
friction from you scrubbing can help remove potential germs. Some foods like raspberries and basil they are more difficult to wash, and they have
been linked to previous outbreaks.
All of these steps are helpful, but they're still not 100 percent effective at killing the cyclospora parasite. To do that, you really have to use
heat. Cook your food to at least 158 degrees fahrenheit or higher. So, while these tips are helpful for everyone to be safer, they are
particularly important for people with weakened immune systems.
ASHER: OK, that has ruined my lunch.
GOLODRYGA: -- that's correct. On to potato chips maybe that's what we should be sticking with for a little while now until we get to the bottom
of this. All right, stay with.
ASHER: That's a private inside joke because I'm always eating potato chips during the commercial break.
GOLODRYGA: There are worse spices to have. All right, stay with CNN. There's more "One World" in about 30 minutes, but "CNN Creators" is next.
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(CNN CREATORS)
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