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U.S. Set For Next World Cup Match; Sweeping Changes to Student Loans Begin; Interview With Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY). Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired July 01, 2026 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

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[10:33:40]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Happening now: Several people have been attacked by alligators in Florida in the last week, including a 31- year-old woman who was killed. The state of Florida says that Brittany Clark was swimming with her boyfriend in a river near Orlando when she was attacked.

And the progressive wave rolls on and on. Democratic socialist Melat Kiros scored a stunning upset in the Colorado Democratic primary, defeating 15-term incumbent Representative Diana DeGette. The win adds to a string of recent successes for the Democratic Socialists of America, whose candidates won two primaries just last week.

And it's Taylor Swift's weekend. CNN has learned that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are expected to celebrate their wedding at the New York Madison Square Garden, with special events starting tomorrow. Around 1,000 guests are expected for one of the year's biggest celebrity celebrations.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: We know you're a Swiftie, Wolf. You're looking forward to it.

BLITZER: I'm not invited.

BROWN: You're not invited?

BLITZER: Are you invited?

BROWN: How come we're not invited?

BLITZER: I don't know. They should have invited me.

BROWN: No, I'm still waiting for my invitation.

BLITZER: All right.

BROWN: All right, happening now: A diplomatic source tells CNN that U.S. and Iranian officials are holding indirect talks in Doha. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met today with Qatar's emir, but are not attending these lower-level negotiations.

[10:35:04]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has visited IDF troops in Southern Lebanon, where a U.S.-brokered truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah is facing new strains. Israel says it struck a Hezbollah operative yesterday in a continuation of weekend fighting.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem.

So let's begin with these lower-level indirect talks, Jeremy, with the U.S. and Iran and those who are mediating these talks. What can you tell us?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are indeed lower-level kind of technical negotiations that are happening in the Qatari capital of Doha, but there are also very senior-level indirect negotiations that are also taking place.

Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, President Trump's two special envoys on this issue who have been negotiating directly and indirectly with Iran, met today once again with the Qatari sheik. They sat down with the emir and spoke with him about the state of these negotiations after earlier in the day the very same Qatari emir had met with Iran's deputy foreign minister, who has also been a key player in these negotiations.

Meanwhile, the Iranian speaker of the Parliament, Mohammad Ghalibaf, Iran's lead negotiator, has cited progress in the negotiations that have been taking place so far. That is certainly a ratcheting down of the tensions that we saw over the weekend and in the days before amid that exchange of fire around the Strait of Hormuz, apparent restrictions on shipping in that strait, and broader questions about the durability of the cease-fire amid continued fighting in Lebanon.

President Trump also spoke today about the state of those negotiations. Here's the president moments ago at Joint Base Andrews.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think they've come a long way. We hit them very hard last week. I think they're fine. I think we're going to get -- it's the denuclearization of Iran. It's very simple. And Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

Otherwise, all of this stuff that we look at, all of these things that we do...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: Now, meanwhile, despite the claims of progress on both sides of the negotiating table right now, we also know that there are continued Israeli strikes inside of Southern Lebanon. And, in the past, we have seen that those strikes have risked upending

the broader cease-fire agreement between the United States and Iran. Israel and Lebanon have just reached a new agreement there that is aimed to try and stop the fighting that should eventually prompt a withdrawal of Israeli forces from parts of Southern Lebanon.

That agreement, though, has been panned by Hezbollah and does seem to contradict some of the aspects of the Lebanon aspect of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran. And it is clear that, in Doha right now, some of these negotiations are indeed focused on what's happening in Lebanon.

But Israel did indeed strike Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon yesterday, according to the Israeli military, and the prime minister also visiting Israeli troops there, telling them, if you identify a threat to your safety, do not wait. Act.

He's basically telling them to continue carrying out strikes and opening fire as they deem necessary, should they encounter any threats there -- Wolf, Pam.

BROWN: All right, Jeremy Diamond, thanks so much -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And I want to discuss this in a lot more with the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Gregory Meeks of New York.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

I don't know if you saw the story, but "The Wall Street Journal" is now reporting that the president is weighing what's being described as an all-out war with Iran once again. According to several U.S. officials who spoke with the newspaper, President Trump has held conversations with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine, but is opting, for now at least, to stick with diplomacy.

What do you make of all of this?

REP. GREGORY MEEKS (D-NY): Well, look, I don't know what to ever make of what the president says, because, oftentimes, what he says, he doesn't mean or he lies or he's deceitful.

You know, he said that this war would be over in a week or two, and he said before that that we would -- he would not enter into any of these forever wars. And we just had some call it a briefing. I said a question-and-answer period with some of his individuals, and that was not the mainstay of the conversation.

And the economic toll that America and the world is facing as a result of his war of choice, which went against every allies' thoughts and opinion, is what continues to have suffering around the world, and the rising costs of the gas and food and fertilizer for farmers.

So the president just is -- or as he seems and as he sounds, I think, he's just erratic. And that's no way to be in charge to try to make sure that you come to a diplomatic resolution here. So I don't know. I think the president might be just over his head on this matter.

[10:40:02]

BLITZER: Earlier this week, Congressman, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff held what was described as an unclassified briefing with you and a few other members of Congress about the United States' memorandum of understanding with Iran.

Did you hear from them -- did -- hearing from them, did they give you any assurances that the U.S. will be able to craft what's being described as a long-term peace deal with the Iranians?

MEEKS: No, I did not hear from them.

It really wasn't a briefing. It was a question-and-answer period, because they didn't brief us on anything. But we had an opportunity to ask questions about the memorandum of understanding. And if you look at the memorandum of understanding, you will see that it was poorly drafted.

It wasn't drafted by individuals clearly that had some expertise in diplomacy. You have individuals who drafted that who are primarily real estate developers. But it left open a lot of questions. One of the questions that I asked them is, what does an open strait mean and whether or not there are going to be tolls that's going to -- that Iran would charge tolls, period, during the strait -- at the Strait of Hormuz.

You heard one thing from him at that briefing, unclassified briefing. You heard something from what I got back from some senators that he said differently when he talked to them. So there was no real answers in that regard.

When you talk about issues of, for example release of funds to Iran, he says no funds have gone to Iran yet. But when you read in section 11 of the MOU, you see where it says that funds would be going to Iran for its use at the execution of the MOU. And the MOU, the president has signed it.

So it seemed to me I can see why Iran says they're receiving and will receive money that's coming from Qatar and others that will be released for them to use as they see fit, and then the president -- you hear the president say something else.

And if there's a dispute, there's nothing in the MOU to say how disputes are resolved. So -- and as I talk to some of our other allies in the region, particularly, they agree, and they think that they don't see how this tenuous cease-fire will continue.

But I will say this one thing, Wolf. I think it's important that the president tries to continue, even as incompetent as he has been, to do a diplomatic solution. And what I had -- did see into agreement is going back to the status quo, that is, going back to where we were before his ill-advised invasion into Iran and going back to many of the things that were contained within the JCPOA. So we would have not gained anything by going into war in Iran, but,

hopefully, we will get back to some of the diplomacy that we had in place in the JCPOA and get away from this continuing craziness that this president is moving -- has been moving forward to, and what you just talked about earlier with him going again to Iran with a full- blown war without coming to Congress, because that's another issue.

None of this has come to Congress. It just seems to me outrageous. And the Congress should stand up and not allow this happening. And that's why we passed a war powers resolution in a bipartisan way just a couple of weeks ago in the House of Representatives.

BLITZER: U.S. support for Israel, as you know, Congressman, has become an issue not just for Democrats, but also for Republicans as well, at least several of them.

House Democratic leaders, including yourself, have said you will oppose an effort to cut billions of dollars in U.S. aid to Israel. But recent polling from "The New York Times" found that nearly 70 percent of registered Democrats oppose additional U.S. military and economic assistance to Israel.

What do you say to those voters?

MEEKS: Yes, hey, look, you got to really -- and my job that I have as a member of Congress is to really read and understand what this amendment that was put forward by Mr. Massie is.

And you -- also, you got to understand the person that put forward and the reason why he put forward that amendment. So, when you look at it, you can see that it is a poorly drafted one that leaves a lot of discretion as to what is and not covered to the State Department, of which I have a real problem with right now also, as now we all agree that the innocent deaths of individuals in Palestine and the Palestinian territories, in Lebanon, that has to stop.

Civilians dying, that has to stop. So, we want to make sure that the Israelis are safe, but we don't want words like Ben-Gvir and what he's been doing to continue to be the way that President Netanyahu -- or Prime Minister Netanyahu has prosecuted this occasion, because it's wrong how that is being done now.

[10:45:06]

BLITZER: Always good to speak with you, Congressman Gregory Meeks of New York. Thanks very much for joining us.

MEEKS: Thank you for having me.

BLITZER: Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, coming up here in THE SITUATION ROOM: A major shakeup for student loan borrowers starts today. We will explain the new income-based formula and who could pay more.

We will be right back. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Happening now: Sweeping changes to student loans will take effect today. Borrowers will begin to see major changes related to several provisions in President Trump's sweeping so-called One Big Beautiful Bill.

[10:50:02]

And that includes changes to repayment options, lower limits on borrowing, and a discount for automatic payments.

So let's go live now to CNN business senior reporter David Goldman.

David, break it all down for us. What will borrowers begin to see?

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, there's a lot to digest here, so I really encourage you to go to CNN.com, read my colleague Tami Luhby's story on this.

But here's the gist. There are now two, only two repayment plans for your student loans. If you're an existing borrower, you can keep your plan. But if you are now borrowing, you can do one of two things. You can use the standard repayment plan, which is now tiered. It allows you to repay based on how large your repayment is.

And then the other one is an assistance plan that bases your repayment on your income level. But here's the catch. Those loans are forgiven now only after 30 years. It used to be that you could get your loan forgiven starting around 20 years. That's a long time to hold your debt.

The other kind of controversial thing that's happening here is that there is a limit now to how much you can borrow for graduate school. There is always a limit for how much you can borrow for undergraduate school. Now that applies to grad school, and it's about $100,000.

And, Pam, you know that graduate school costs a little bit more than $100,000.

BROWN: Yes.

GOLDMAN: Medical students, law students, they can borrow $200,000. Again, not going to get you there. So those are some of the factors that you now need to consider if you are going to college.

BROWN: All right, David Goldman breaking it down.

And, as you said, there's a very thorough article about all of this on CNN.com in case it was tough to keep track of all of it. David, thank you so much -- Wolf.

GOLDMAN: Thank you.

BLITZER: He always has good information for us.

BROWN: He does.

BLITZER: Very good information.

BROWN: Yes.

BLITZER: All right, here's what's coming up all new at the top of the hour.

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TRUMP: So this will be the first flight of what I think is maybe the greatest commercial plane ever built.

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BLITZER: President Trump is taking the new Air Force One for its first presidential flight today, but it's not just the plane getting a lot of attention. It's where that plane came from.

And a new generation of Democrats now taking on the party's old guard and winning. What these primary upsets could mean for the fight to control Congress this fall.

And for the first time, popular weight loss drugs are now covered by Medicare. We will explain who's eligible and what they will pay and why millions of people could benefit.

That's all new in the next hour.

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[10:57:26]

BLITZER: Happening now: Team USA is gearing up for its game day at the World Cup. The Americans will face off with Bosnia and Herzegovina in a prime-time match tonight on home soil, their goal, secure a spot in the Round of 16 against Belgium or Senegal.

BROWN: For the latest on Team USA's final preparations, let's go live now to Coy Wire in Santa Clara, California.

What's the mood there like, Coy?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hello, Pamela and Wolf.

Something is in the air today. It's not just the Bay Area fog. It's not just a winner-go-home game. It is belief. It feels like America's getting ready to turn the page on this story; 32 years ago, America hosted the World Cup, hoping to grow the game. Today, that game is all grown up.

And that little kid who used to yell "Goal" in their backyard, pretending it was a World Cup stadium, are now wearing the crests on their chest instead of a cape. And the fans, they have gone from just trying to learn the offside rule to creating atmospheres loud enough to shake the crossbars, hosting a World Cup knockout match right here at home.

But standing between the 15th-ranked Americans and the next chapter, a 61st-ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina team, talented, fearless, with nothing to lose, and those teams can be trickier than a bicycle kick at a phone booth.

Here is how the U.S. is prepping for the moment.

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SERGINO DEST, U.S. WORLD CUP PLAYER: It's a knockout round. And if you want to win this throw for the World Cup, you have got to beat everyone and be able to beat everyone. So, if it's from Europe or Africa, it doesn't matter. We just want to win.

FOLARIN BALOGUN, U.S. WORLD CUP PLAYER: We know we're going to need to be creative. We know we're going to need to be intense, like we have been so far, and there's no doubt we can go out there and win.

GIO REYNA, U.S. WORLD CUP PLAYER: We have very high expectations for ourselves for the rest of the this tournament. And, yes, we don't want this to be over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Now, this is a huge moment for coach Mauricio Pochettino, who took over about a year-and-a-half ago. When he took over, he inherited a talented team. But what he has built is belief.

The former Champions League finalist has the Americans playing fast, fearless, and for each other. The tactics matter, Wolf and Pamela, but his greatest contribution has been convincing this team it belongs under the brightest lights.

Here are how the players describe what makes their coach tick.

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TIM REAM, U.S. WORLD CUP PLAYER: Intense, focused, but at the same time, very personable.

MAX ARFSTEN, U.S. WORLD CUP PLAYER: Passionate, I think that's the word that comes to mind.

BALOGUN: Fierce. He's intense. And he wants he wants that to show in the way we play.

REYNA: He brings a very, very sort of fun and positive vibe every single day.

MILES ROBINSON, U.S. WORLD CUP PLAYER: He brings that intensity and that, like, courage with him in every step of the way. And I think, yes, he's great for this group.

(END VIDEO CLIP)