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The Situation Room

Maine Senate Candidate Replacement?; Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln; U.S. Launches Strikes on Iran. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired July 09, 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]

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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Pamela Brown is on assignment. We will hear from her in just a moment. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

We're following major breaking news right now. Iran is lashing out at its neighbors that host U.S. military bases after a fresh barrage of American strikes. The U.S. military's Central Command says it has now hit 90 targets along the Iranian coast. And we just got in this new video of one of them.

The immediate objective of the strikes is to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping. Overnight, the U.S. struck a number of air defense systems and storage sites for missiles and drones in Iran. Iran is responding by targeting U.S. bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, this for the second night in a row.

Iran's army says it also targeted a U.S. military site in Qatar. That's the first time Tehran has acknowledged targeting that Gulf nation. And Jordan now says it intercepted eight Iranian missiles earlier this morning.

Let's go live right now to CNN's Pamela Brown aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, where the service members are on high alert right now.

Pamela, walk us through what you're learning.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: That's right, Wolf.

The captain of this ship, Dan Keeler, told everyone on board on the loudspeaker that -- quote -- "Things are heating up here."

We are near the Iranian coastline near the Strait of Hormuz. And given the escalating tensions, everyone here has a different posture. The captain of the ship said that they have been directed by the administration to have a high state of readiness. He emphasized that that is always the case on this ship. They are always ready to go. But given what's happened over these last couple of nights, there

certainly is a different feeling here on this ship. And we know, Wolf, this ship has been a target of the Iranians over the last several months, really since the beginning of the war, and there have been fighter jets and other capabilities like the warships and destroyers that have protected this ship.

And I want to show you one of those aircraft that has been part of that protection. Right now, you're looking at an E-2 here on the flight deck. You hear the engine roaring. This E-2, I'm told, has been an essential asset because it detects threats from far away. It has that dome on top of it. It's what's called a radar.

And it can detect those threats, whether they're small drones, missiles, anything else. And so often these E-2s will go up in the air and go alongside the other aircraft to protect them.

So, today, Wolf, on this landing pad here where we are, we have seen a very fast, quick tempo of flights taking off and flights landing. Now, I'm told so far they have been pretty routine in terms of going to do surveillance over the Strait of Hormuz and just defensive operations.

But what I can tell you is, given what happened the last couple of nights, where, according to CENTCOM, around 170 targets were hit, there is an open question here on the ship whether there will be more strikes. That has not been ruled out.

And so the pilots here, the crew members, they are ready to go. Earlier today, we saw one of the warships, the destroyers that protect the Abraham Lincoln come nearby. There's more than around a dozen that are here in the sea to protect this aircraft carrier, this high-value target.

So people on board I have been speaking with say they actually feel pretty safe, given the capabilities, the defensive capabilities. There's around seven layers of that. But, at the same time, there is an acute awareness of things escalating here -- Wolf.

[11:05:00]

BLITZER: I know you had a chance, Pamela, to speak with the commanding officer of the USS Abraham Lincoln, where you are. How are military members on board -- there are about 5,400 sailors and Marines who are on board the aircraft carrier.

How are they reacting to news of this escalation? And are there steps that they're taking to prepare potentially, God forbid, for an Iranian strike?

BROWN: Well, they're always on high alert, is what I'm told.

And I'm told, by talking to the commanding officer here, the admiral in charge and others, that they always assume the Iranians are trying to target them, right? The Iranians have tried to use ballistic missiles. They have tried to use drones, all kinds of different ways to target this ship right here. And so, in terms of being on high alert for any threats, I'm told that

it's just like any other day. Now, in terms of whether this ship will be involved in any strikes, the pilots I have been speaking to who have been involved in combat since the beginning say there has been so much touch and go.

And, actually, Wolf, I want to swing around here. Hopefully, we can show this helicopter taking off right here, just so you can see some of the activity happening as night falls here on the USS Abraham Lincoln.

As I said, the aircraft have been taking off and landing at a very fast tempo. And, basically, the pilots I spoke to, Wolf, who are the ones who told me they have been dodging missiles up in the air and drones and so forth, they say there has been so many changes and pivots so many times where it looked like they were going to launch strikes, and then they pulled back.

So they said, look, they're kind of unfazed in this moment, especially after going through active combat for so many months, but they're ready to go if need be -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Tell us a little bit more, Pamela, about that destroyer, part of that aircraft carrier battle group that's there, which has various air defense capabilities that potentially could help protect the -- everybody aboard the U.S. aircraft carrier where you are.

BROWN: You know, Wolf, talking to the sailors here, they say they feel safe because of destroyers like what we saw earlier today, that the Petersen warship, basically, it's one of more than a dozen that are around here.

And it is the point of the -- the tip of the sphere. Its main job is to be a shield for this aircraft carrier, Wolf. It has a number of capabilities, defensive, offensive, is able to launch Tomahawk missiles onto the land. It has what's called an Aegis radar, which looks for any threats in the area, large and small, and to be able to take down those threats if they're coming to -- toward this aircraft carrier.

And what I'm told from officials is, there have been numerous times that the destroyers have had to intervene to eliminate threats, and that they are very capable of eliminating those threats before they get close enough to the aircraft carrier.

But, of course, Wolf, it is such an important tool here and resource for the Navy to protect -- for protection and for a defense, and it does -- it has anti-submarine defenses as well, just a wider range, but then there's also the cost ratio of these small drones the Iranians have been using as part of its war strategy to overcome U.S. defenses in terms of these expensive missiles that are being used to take them down.

And so I talked to the admiral on board here about that, and they said they're trying to find less expensive ways to eliminate those threats like drones. But, regardless, there are destroyers like the one I was just talking about, warships like that, that are making the sailors on board this ship right now feel very safe, even in this very tense, active, dynamic environment -- Wolf.

BLITZER: How long have these 5,400 or so sailors and Marines who are crew members of the aircraft carrier, how long have they been away from home?

BROWN: A long time.

I mean, many of them have been away from home since November. It's a little under 5,000, I'm told now, but many of them, they got on this ship last November. It went to the Indo-Pacific, and then it was rerouted here in late January. And then this ship and the fighter pilots were part of the first wave of strikes against Iran.

They have been at sea pretty much since November. They have had a couple of very quick port stops, but it wasn't 24 hours. And so they tell me here on board that this is the longest deployment in terms of consecutive days for an aircraft carrier. They talk about how it's hard.

[11:10:04]

I have talked to many pilots, sailors, crew members who have had children born while they have been on deployment that they have never met. They do say it weighs on them. But, at the same time, they have to compartmentalize. They understand why they are here, what the mission is.

And, Wolf, they don't know when they're going back. Sometimes, it can get really tough, they tell me. Some days are like Groundhog Day, as you would expect when you're at out at sea on a ship. And a lot of the crew members, I should note, on the ship are young.

They're -- around 40 percent are, I think, of 25 years of age and younger. I interviewed a sailor today only 20 years old, and he's supervising driving the ship. So these are young sailors for the most part who all have jobs and they're working around the clock.

We have seen it. I mean, this aircraft carrier doesn't slow down. It doesn't go to sleep like the rest of us. There's round-the-clock operations. And every sailor here has a job to do from working in the galley preparing food, more than 17,000 meals a day, to make sure these aircraft get off the ground safely and land safely, from driving the ship.

Everyone has a job to do. But they also told me that they miss their family, as you would expect. And they all have certain meals in mind they want to get home to. One told me today they can't wait to have the Chinese food when they get home. Another one told me they can't wait to have Chipotle.

So they definitely have their wish list for when they get back home after this deployment, whatever that might end. But that's very uncertain, especially in this dynamic environment we're in right now, how long this appointment will last, Wolf. BLITZER: Pamela, when you and I were discussing what to expect when

you were going out on this assignment, we thought it was going to be a relatively peaceful adventure for you aboard the aircraft carrier. Little did we know that this war was escalating big time right now, and who knows what's going to happen in the days and weeks ahead.

Pamela Brown, to you, stay safe over there. We will stay in close touch with you, of course. And thank all those crew members on behalf of all of us for what they're doing and sacrificing, Pamela Brown, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

And we're going to continue our breaking news coverage of the war with Iran in just a moment.

Still ahead: Democratic reckoning as well. The embattled Graham Platner exits Maine's Senate race. Now the party faces very tough questions about its future.

And, later: A suspect leads police on a wild chase through a golf course.

You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

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[11:17:31]

BLITZER: We will continue our coverage here in THE SITUATION ROOM of the escalating war with Iran right now. We will do that in just a moment.

But, first, also happening now: growing anxiety, as Democrats rush to try to find a new candidate for a race that potentially could decide which party controls the U.S. Senate, Graham Platner ending his insurgent campaign over rape allegations that he denies.

Now Maine Democrats have just a few weeks to try to decide on his replacement as they try to flip the seat held by Republican Susan Collins.

CNN political commentator and former senior adviser to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign Karen Finney is here with me in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Karen, how badly did Democrats actually fumble this race?

KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, I think this is a combination of a number of things.

Clearly, it sounds like he wasn't fully honest with his campaign, the advisers, the people who recruited him. And you do have to wonder in the conversations up -- I have been in those vetting conversations. Did they ask the right questions? And when they got those answers, why would they think that wasn't something that they needed to either figure out how to get ahead of or talk about within the context of the campaign, or that maybe they would be disqualifying? And, look, so the voters of Maine decided -- we learned about the tattoo. We learned about the Reddit posts. Voters of Maine decided they were willing to give him a shot. He had what seemed to be insightful answers.

But I think what this represents is, very clearly, he's lost credibility with not just voters, but people like Bernie Sanders, and even some of his own campaign advisers, who have said, look, you got to get out, and it's a good thing he's out.

BLITZER: With hindsight, you would have thought the Democrats would have done a better job vetting him.

FINNEY: Well, it's a newer team of younger, newer -- and I think they sacrifice this idea of wanting a certain type of person, authenticity, kind of in -- and I say that in air quotes -- and kind of sacrificed what would just be good vetting and understanding that, look, we can have people who have nontraditional backgrounds.

Of course, they're going to come with baggage, and that's not a bad thing necessarily, but you still have to do the vetting. You still have to ask the right questions and understand how that is going to be received and what's that going to mean in the context.

And I will tell you, one of the things that really infuriates me about this, think about all the people in Maine who dedicated their time and their money. He owes them an apology because he clearly was not able to go the distance for a whole host of reasons.

[11:20:07]

So both his consultants and the candidate himself owe people an apology for that.

BLITZER: Yes, I suspect that's not coming.

FINNEY: No.

BLITZER: In the video announcing his exit from the race last night, Platner vehemently denied the allegations against him, claiming that, in his words, the Democratic establishment -- that's a direct quote.

FINNEY: Yes.

BLITZER: The Democratic establishment wants him out and sees him as a threat. What do you make of that?

FINNEY: It's shameful and disgusting. It's the kind of hubris and braggadociousness that I think made -- created someone who didn't think that all these issues in his background would be problematic.

Now, I know he denies the allegations, but, still, knowing that things like that are out there, and thinking that that's not going to be something you owe voters an answer to. But, look, I don't know the chair of Maine, but I hear really great things about him, that it seems so far he's done a great job of just very calmly and directly getting this organized.

We have got this nominating convention coming forward, and looks like some of the candidates who ran for governor in particular are going to now run for the Senate seat. So they're known entities to the people of Maine.

BLITZER: Yes, this will be important.

FINNEY: Yes.

BLITZER: Maine law, as you know, doesn't specify how a replacement should be picked.

FINNEY: Right.

BLITZER: But state Democrats, as you point out, have approved a tentative plan for nominating someone at a convention with around 600 Democrats, people selected by the county, county level Democratic committees, to participate among the 600.

FINNEY: Yes. Yes.

BLITZER: They would select a new nominee.

FINNEY: Yes.

BLITZER: Do you think this is the best way to move forward for them?

FINNEY: I have confidence that the chair decided that it was the best way, because, again, you have got two weeks to put this together. There's cost involved. There's the logistics of it involved.

I hope it means that people, regular Mainers will have the opportunity to either decide they want to be delegate to the nominating convention or get to vote for their -- the person that they want to represent him at that nominating convention so that they have a say in this part of the process.

BLITZER: As you know, this race in Maine represents the broader progressive versus establishment fight we have seen playing out in Democratic primaries this year, all around the country, for that matter.

If Democrats end up losing this race in November to the Republican Susan Collins, who's to blame?

FINNEY: I think it's going to be a lot of navel-gazing about that.

Look, the parties always -- I mean, you know I came in. I worked at the DNC under Howard Dean. There's always a process of sort of reinvention and how do we evolve? And so I think it's a good conversation to have, but, again, there's still a responsibility that the people we recruit and the people we put up as candidates, they have to be able to go the distance.

And you have got to do the vetting. You have got to do your homework on these individuals. I think that's going to be the real tension, because the thing -- last thing I will say, Wolf, what's still very true, the anger that voters are feeling, and we have talked about this several times, that's still very real.

My understanding in Maine, people are still very angry at Susan Collins and see her as a vote for Trump. And so I actually think we still have a really good chance to win this.

BLITZER: We will see what happens.

Karen Finney, thank you very, very much.

FINNEY: Thanks.

BLITZER: Up next: Jordan now says it intercepted several missiles, as the U.S. and Iran are resuming hostilities. So, what could all this mean for Israel?

We're live from Jerusalem straight ahead, as our special coverage of the escalating war with Iran continues.

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[11:28:19]

BLITZER: We will continue our breaking news coverage of the escalating war with Iran in just a moment.

But also happening now, President Trump wants the U.S. Supreme Court to do something it rarely ever does, rehear a case it has already ruled out. Last week, justices ruled against Trump in the birthright citizenship case. A petition to have it reheard would need to be filed within 25 days of the decision.

Meanwhile, the president says he will appeal a federal judge's order that he pay E. Jean Carroll $5 million. A jury found Trump sexually abused and defamed Carroll and ordered that he pay the damages.

Plus: crashing the green.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Oh.

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BLITZER: Ohio authorities chasing an attempted murder suspect ended up on a golf course. The pursuit lasted several hours across multiple counties before ending, as seen in this body camera video. Look at this.

A state highway patrolman put his vehicle in the suspect's path, causing him to crash before he was taken into custody.

And part of Florida's anti-woke law are illegal, according to an appeals court. The Stop WOKE Act championed by Governor Ron DeSantis restricts how topics like racism and sexism can be taught in school. But the court ruled the state can't control what college professors teach, so the law doesn't apply to higher education. But it's still in place for K-12.

Now more on the breaking news coverage of renewed attacks between the U.S. and Iran. This is new video just coming into THE SITUATION ROOM from Southern Iran, the U.S. military's Central Command saying it has struck 90 targets along Iran's coast to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping.