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CNN Headlines: Trump Heading To High-Stakes Talks In Turkey; Maine's Platner Under Growing Pressure To Exit Senate Race Amid Allegations; Hearing Continues For Man Accused Of Killing Conservative Activist Charlie Kirk. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired July 07, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:26]

BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump is headed to the NATO summit in Turkey this morning. What will be high on his agenda today? That's the big question.

Plus, Senate candidate Graham Platner is facing calls to step down after sexual assault allegations, accusations he denies. More on this developing story.

And flash floods in New Jersey leave streets underwater. Some people are still trying to drive through it. We've got the full story there and your forecasts.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Brad Smith. This is CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. Glad that you're with us this morning.

Let's get this started.

This morning, the mounting pressure is on Graham Platner to end his U.S. Senate campaign. The Maine Democrat says that he's reflecting on the best path forward after being accused of rape. He called the allegations troubling, serious, and false, but he's quickly losing the backing of his party, and that Maine Senate seat is crucial to Democrats' chances of gaining control of the chamber.

Now, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand released a statement saying, "The allegations reported today are incredibly disturbing. Violence, abuse, and sexual assault are absolutely unacceptable. Graham Platner needs to immediately withdraw as the Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins. The DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot."

Platner's accuser says she had no political motive for sharing her story and actually agrees with Platner's politics, but wants people to know who they are voting for. She spoke to CNN's Jake Tapper, and a warning, this interview contains strong language that may be disturbing and triggering for sexual assault survivors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JENNY RACICOT, GRAHAM PLATNER ACCUSER: So, he had kind of jumped on top of me and indicated that he had intentions that were sexual in nature. And I remember just at first being like, hey, I'm not into this. I'm not in the mood. Don't, whatever.

And it got to the point where I was like, OK, I feel like -- I've said this enough times. He's not listening to me, or he's not hearing me. And I looked at him and I remember this very specific look in his eyes and I could smell alcohol and I was like. This is different.

I remember specifically him like grabbing at my chest and I like hit his hand and I said don't touch me and. I remember that during the altercation, specifically, he kept going. Yeah, and it was this weird mix of like. Coming in and out of. I don't think consciousness is a word, but like coming to and kind of falling back into that drunken "I don't know what I'm doing" state. And yeah, and he just -- he would apologize in those moments and then go back to doing what he was doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Platner has denied all allegations against him and says that he's reflecting on the best path forward.

Today, prosecutors will continue laying out evidence against the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. It's part of a multi-day preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson. The judge will use this hearing to decide whether there's enough evidence to send the 23- year-old to trial. It comes about 10 months after Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking to a crowd of thousands at a Utah Valley University event.

CNN's Marybel Gonzalez breaks down how day one unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twenty-three-year- old Tyler Robinson sat in a Utah courtroom on day one of a five-day hearing in front of a judge who will determine whether he will stand trial for the murder of Charlie Kirk.

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: The judge just has to hear legally sufficient evidence of probable cause.

GONZALEZ (voice-over): Prosecutors previewed their evidence starting with their first witness, a former Utah Valley University police officer who described the shooting, the aftermath, and his response.

CHRISTOPHER BAGLEY, FORMER SENIOR OFFICER, UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY: I asked dispatch to get on the camera system and to see if anybody was on top of the Losee Building during the time of the incident.

GONZALEZ (voice-over): The hearing comes about 10 months after Kirk, the 31-year-old conservative co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed as he addressed a crowd of roughly 3,000 people at Utah Valley University in Orem. BAGLEY: People were screaming, standing up, and starting to run in

all different directions away from the center of the tent.

[05:05:00]

GONZALEZ (voice-over): The day after the shooting, Robinson surrendered to police.

JACKSON: Certainly, they will hear evidence relating to all types of things like ballistic evidence, which links him, that is Mr. Tyler Robinson, the defendant in the case to the shooting.

GONZALEZ (voice-over): Robinson's defense team said it plans to call three forensic experts to testify. The Kirk family, including Kirk's parents and his widow, Erika Kirk, attended Monday's hearing. It marks the first time since they were in the same room as Robinson since he was arrested last year.

I'm Marybel Gonzalez reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: And now to Iran, in its fourth day of public mourning for Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Images from today of the procession which has arrived. An important holy city is where this has arrived, about 80 miles south of Tehran.

On Wednesday, Khamenei's body will be transported to a key Iraqi city for ceremonies there before returning to his hometown, where he'll be buried Thursday.

Also new this morning, a tanker was reportedly struck by an unknown projectile while sailing near the Strait of Hormuz, according to a trade group that operates in the region. Iranian media reports a Qatari oil tanker was attacked while attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz, quote, "after ignoring repeated warnings," citing claims from unnamed sources.

Shortly after we learned of that strike in the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump boarded Air Force One, and he's now on the way to Turkey's capital for a high-stakes NATO summit, where security in the Strait is sure to come up. He has accused members of not meeting defense spending requirements, but NATO leaders plan to show him that they are spending money to defend Europe.

The president is also signaling a renewed focus on ending Russia's war on Ukraine. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy will also be in Turkey on the sidelines as he fights for more aid for his country.

The man accused of planting pipe bombs in D.C. the night before the 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is not covered by the pardon that President Trump issued for the rioters. Prosecutors say that Brian Cole Jr. placed explosive devices near the headquarters of both major political parties that night, and his attorneys argued that the pardon should apply to him because the allegations are connected to January 6th. But a federal judge ruled that the pardon only applies to people already convicted and the suspect had not been charged at the time. The case now moves forward with cold due in courts tomorrow.

Team USA's World Cup dreams have come to an end as Belgium dominated the pitch, scoring twice in the first half and then exploiting a series of defensive mistakes. They ultimately pulled away for a four to one win to reach the quarterfinals. That result comes amid controversy over FIFA's decision to delay a red card suspension for one of Team USA's star players.

During a White House event yesterday, President Trump admitted he personally asked FIFA's chief to review that red card decision, saying he didn't think it was a foul. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I didn't think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled. I can't tell them what to do, but -- and I don't believe he made the decision. I think it was a committee that made the decision, and they made the right decision. All I did was ask for a review. I didn't say you have to do this.

We're going to have a full team, and Belgium's going to have a full team. And you know what? If they beat us, then they can be really proud. The other way, if they beat us, we'll say it was -- I say it was rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Now, to be fair, you'd be hard pressed to find a soccer fan or a sports fan that would say that it was an all-out foul, but the bigger matter here is a source of saying White House World Cup Task Force had Andrew Giuliani and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick were among those involved in trying to convince FIFA to undo the decision.

We'll continue to see how that plays out throughout the sports world.

Lots more to come in CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. Heavy rains flood entire neighborhoods in New Jersey. We've got more on that next.

Plus, take a look at this. A shocking scene in a BJ store. A roof collapses on shoppers here. Wow, just a striking scene that played out there.

And later, why President Trump is floating Senator Ted Cruz's name for the Supreme Court, even though there are no vacancies.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:14:05]

SMITH: Flash flooding brought up to five inches of rain to several areas in New Jersey, and this roof of a BJ's collapsed in Ocean Township. You can see the water rushing in as a result, and there were 27 people in the store. A few people were briefly trapped, but no one seriously injured. More than a month's worth of rain fell in just a few hours. Some areas received five inches very quickly. Multiple streets were underwater, and cars were stuck as drivers tried to navigate flooded streets.

Meanwhile, extreme heat has been baking large swaths of the country, but is there relief in sight? That's a big question many of us have.

Here is CNN meteorologist, Derek Van Dam, with our answer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Thank goodness the excessive heat and humidity has been dialed back across the northeast. Last week was brutal. The weekend was brutal. Now things are a little bit more normal for this time of year. Still hot across the southeast, but kind of used to that for the middle of July. We do have a quieter weather pattern in store for the Mid-Atlantic and the southern portions of New England as well. So that's the good news.

Maybe some scattered strong storms across the Northern Plains today as a weak system moves eastward, but just pop up showers. That's the name of the game for the next 24 hours or so. Temperatures here, 84 for the nation's capital. Look at that comfortable 72 in the Big Apple, 83 for Chicago, 92 for Atlanta.

We've got some heat though, building across the western parts of the U.S. that will continue to build as we head into the end of the week and into next weekend.

Here's a look at your extended forecast along the East Coast. Temperatures starting to warm up a little bit. You can see that as we head into the weekend time frame, yeah, we'll start to see upper 90s in some locations. Atlanta as well.

Look at Raleigh, 102 by Friday. Let's just keep those humidity levels down, right? That's the most important thing.

All right. That's all we have for you at the CNN Weather Center.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: All right. Thank you, Derek.

For all of your weather needs from any location, you can download the CNN weather app at cnn.com/cnnweather for up-to-date tracking on your forecast.

Members of an urban search and rescue task force based in Virginia returned home from Venezuela last night. The team had spent 10 days in the earthquake-ravaged country helping with recovery and rescue missions. One of their notable rescues involved saving a mother and her nine-month-old baby from the rubble of a collapsed building. Nearly 3,000 people have been confirmed dead as a result of these devastating earthquakes. The effort there continues.

We've got a lot more to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS as well. The search is over for a Mississippi teen who went missing on a July 4th boat trip with friends. His body recovered. However, questions remain about his death.

And from critic to supporter, how rapper Nicki Minaj is all in with President Trump and her role in the Treasury's new children's savings accounts. Details on that and more, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:21:34]

SMITH: President Trump says that Senator Ted Cruz of Texas would get an easy confirmation to the Supreme Court.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: In fact, somebody said, would you ever appoint him to the United States Supreme Court? Because he's a brilliant lawyer, Ted. They said, well, he's the only one I can think of that's going to get 100 votes. All Republicans will vote for him, all Democrats will vote for him, because they want to get him the hell out of the Senate.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAN DAM: This was during an Oval Office event Monday after the bell ringing that took place. The president was listing people who had helped with the new Trump savings accounts for kids. He brought up the 2016 Republican primary when they were both vying for the presidential nomination.

And by the way, there are no empty spots on the Supreme Court right now.

Once critical of President Trump, Nicki Minaj has now emerged as one of the president's most high-profile celebrity supporters.

And as CNN's Betsy Klein shows us, she's also reportedly backing his new savings program for children known as Trump Accounts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: Nicki Minaj. Nicki, stand up, please.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: He's such a great person, respected by everybody.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER (voice-over): What is Nicki Minaj doing in the White House Rose Garden?

President Trump rang the New York Stock Exchange bell today to celebrate the first day of trading for Trump Accounts. That's the new saving and investment vehicle for children under 18. And they've been funded in part by a $6.25 billion donation from Michael and Susan Dell. And Minaj is also among those offering contributions. Sources telling

"The New York Post" back in January that she was pledging between $150,000 and $300,000 to the accounts for her fans, known as the Barbz. CNN has reached out to the White House to see if that contribution has landed yet.

TRUMP: She's a big Trump supporter. and a Trump fan. Nicki makes a lot of money, and she's generously stepping up. She's investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in Trump Accounts to support the children and really -- really the children of her incredible fans.

KLEIN (voice-over): It's not entirely clear how this money is going to be distributed, but her participation underscores Minaj's public embrace of Trump. Minaj was initially critical of Trump during his first term, but she has emerged as one of the president's highest- profile supporters in the entertainment world.

NICKI MINAJ, SINGER: I am probably the president's number-one fan.

KLEIN (voice-over): And Trump loves her back.

TRUMP: Nikki is so beautiful. Her nails, her nails are, like, that long. I said -- I said, Nikki, are they real? And she said -- she didn't want to get into that. But she was so beautiful and so great. And she gets it. You know, more importantly, frankly, she gets it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: Straight ahead on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, Maine's Senate Democrat candidate facing some serious allegations this morning. He denies it, but could it derail his campaign?

And a multi-day hearing is underway for the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Prosecutors revealing the evidence that they say they have against Tyler Robinson. We've got much more coming your way.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:29:23]

SMITH: It is half past the hour. Let's hit the refresh button on our top stories.

The procession for Iran's slain supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has arrived in the holy city of Qom. This comes as Iranian media reports that a Qatari oil tanker was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, citing claims from unnamed sources.

And President Trump is hours away from arriving in Turkey for this week's NATO summit.

Also, an explosive allegation rocking a Senate race that could decide control of Congress next year. The Democrat running to flip Maine's Senate seat. Graham Platner is facing mounting pressure from his own party to drop out of the race.