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Evacuations, Rescue Amid Life-Threatening Floods in South Texas; Trump to Make Primetime Speech on Free and Fair Elections; Sources Say, Trump Getting Options for Expanding Iran Operations. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired July 16, 2026 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, urgent flooding emergency. The National Weather Service warns of a, quote, large and deadly flood wave in South Texas, with a major river rising an astonishing 25 feet in just one hour.

Plus, a possible war expansion, new reporting on the options President Trump is considering next for Iran.

And testing for testosterone, the defense secretary's latest attempt to ensure American troops are, quote, strong, resilient, and capable.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Pamela Brown is off. You're in The Situation Room.

And we begin with the breaking news in South Texas, where more than six months' worth of rain is falling across the Hill Country. This is a live look right now at floodwaters in Comfort, Texas. Mandatory evacuation orders are in place in some areas, and forecasters are warning of a large and deadly flood wave moving down the Guadalupe River. Water levels there rose more than 25 feet in just an hour.

This is the same area devastated by last year's July 4th weekend flooding that killed more than 100 people, including 28 at Camp Mystic. Crews have already rescued more than 75 people, including this family who woke up in the middle of the night to find water filling their home. Watch.

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ROBERT SHELTON, KERRVILLE, TEXAS RESIDENT: The whole kitchen was flooded, and within a blink of an eye it was already waist level. And then the door broke open, and more water came rushing in, and so we went to the attic.

And the water got all the way up to within a foot of the attic, so it was climbing that much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were not about to stay.

SHELTON: I was scared the house was going to break apart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Our Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is joining us right now. Derek, this is a staggering amount of rainfall. Just how bad could things get in the coming hours?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Wolf, this is certainly a rapidly evolving situation as well, as we get new flash flood emergencies within the past five minutes, including this one right here. This is for the Pedernales River that the National Weather Service is warning of yet another large and deadly flood wave moving downriver.

This is the Guadalupe River. We've been highlighting that all day into Comfort, Texas. And then I'm going to point your attention towards Uvalde. This is a flashflood emergency with a catastrophic tag attached to it. That's their highest alert level for flash flood events, and you could see why. This is rainfall accumulation over the past hour exceeding four inches per hour. We saw five-inch or greater rainfall rates per hour within this area this morning. This is on top of what's already fallen since Monday of this week.

Zooming into Uvalde, you can see this very heavy band of rain that's going to move over this very saturated part of the county. That means the potential for rapid rises in rivers is there. You know the National Weather Service is using some pretty stark language. Look at the radar estimated rainfall accumulating more than a foot just since midnight of last night. You go back towards Monday, we have topped two feet in multiple locations.

So, here is the Guadalupe River. We have highlighted this so much because of the flood tragedy that unfolded on July 4th of last year with Camp Mystic. Now, between Kerrville to Comfort, this is the area we're concerned about, especially downstream from Comfort, as we've seen these rapid rises in the rivers.

This is proof, with the river gauge, the Guadalupe River at Comfort rose 25 feet in one hour, now surpassing the July 4th, 2025 crest. That is a significant milestone to see this particular location exceeding what happened last year.

Just to put it into some geographical reference for you, here's Kerrville. That's moderate flood stage. But the Comfort River gauge right here, where that flashflood emergency is ongoing, that is at major flood stage, and that is because we have had this half a year's or more worth of rain falling from the sky since the beginning of the week, with multiple rounds of additional heavy rain still incoming today, with some light at the end of the tunnel as we head into Thursday and Friday. That's when we anticipate the heaviest rain to move on.

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But look at this area, Uvalde into Medina and Kerr Counties. These areas could pick up locally anywhere from another four to eight inches on top of what's already fallen. That is why catastrophic, life- threatening flash flooding is ongoing, and this is a rapidly evolving situation. Wolf?

BLITZER: And the good news is Camp Mystic is closed this summer, so there are no campers out there. There are other camps in the area, but not Camp Mystic this summer given what happened a year ago.

VAN DAM: And so many people who vacation there too, right?

BLITZER: Yes.

VAN DAM: There's a lot of people who go to the Texas Hill Country this time of the year. A lot of people don't have cell service out there, so we need to get the word out to family and friends.

BLITZER: Yes, that's so important.

All right, Derek Van Dam, you'll stay on top of this for us. And to our viewers, don't forget, you can always keep up with any severe weather in your area or anywhere else for that matter with the CNN Weather app. You can download that from the Apple App Store.

And also happening now, the White House is preparing for President Trump's primetime speech to the nation tonight. The president says at least some of it will focus on what he's calling free and fair elections, and that may include his fixation on the 2020 presidential contest, which Trump falsely claims he won. He's promising, and I'm quoting him now, really big news, quote, really big news.

Let's go to CNN Senior White House Reporter Betsy Klein. Betsy, what else are you learning about this big speech tonight?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right, Wolf. President Trump getting ready to make a big speech that he has suggested will have a focus on election security and include a really big announcement.

Now, we don't know at this point exactly what that big announcement is going to be, and it is very likely that the president is going to be making changes to this address up until the very last minute. But two sources familiar with the matter say that President Trump is likely to touch on voting machine security, as well as alleged efforts by foreign countries to influence American elections.

Now, as you mentioned, President Trump has long been fixated on election integrity. He has baselessly contested the results of the 2020 presidential election. He has also been pushing for the SAVE Act. That is an election overhaul bill that does not currently have the votes to pass in the Senate.

But election law experts are raising concerns ahead of this speech that the president could try to sow doubt in election integrity ahead, ahead of those midterm elections in November. Republicans are also expressing some concerns that the president is not doing much with this address to alleviate voters' anxieties about the war with Iran, the economy, inflation. Now, the president is expected to discuss several topics. We do think that the war with Iran will be part of that as this conflict continues to escalate. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Betsy, stand by because I want to ask you this. CNN is learning that the president is considering right now an expansion of his strikes on Iran, and this comes as a new poll from The Washington Post shows Americans are pessimistic over the course of this war. What can you tell us about all this?

KLEIN: Well, Wolf, there are two numbers in that poll that really stuck out to me. The first is that 33 percent of voters approve of President Trump's handling of the economy, and just 29 percent approve of how he is overseeing this war with Iran.

Now, tonight could be an opportunity for the president to make the case to the American people why he should be escalating in this conflict, where things stand. And that comes as we are learning that officials have presented President Trump with a series of options to expand the U.S. military's operations in Iran. That includes a potential operation to take Kharg Island, which is a key oil export hub for Iran, as well as the possibility to bomb underground complexes on Pickaxe Mountain. That is believed to be one of Iran's nuclear sites.

But this escalating conflict continues to affect gas prices, now ticking up close to $4 a gallon, all of that weighing on the president as he plots his path forward. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Betsy Klein at the White House for us, thank you very, very much.

I want to continue this conversation with two experts on foreign affairs, retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Peter Zwack, he's a global fellow at the Kennan Institute, and Sanam Vakil is director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House, an international think tank. To both of you, thanks very much for joining me.

General, let me start with you. How serious of an escalation potentially would this be?

BRIG. GEN. PETER ZWACK (RET.), U.S. ARMY: Every one of these darts in and out of more brinksmanship, they pose a significant threats, risk because stuff goes wrong, friends. And, eventually, I think it's almost inevitable there will be a crisis within operations, whether we're flying airstrikes and an airman gets shot down and captured, a ship, a warship is hit.

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And so there's a price.

We want it. We want to do it, and we want to, you know -- and we're going to go forward. But we just have to be aware, and I'm sure Admiral Cooper and his team have worked out the scenarios, contingencies for if something goes wrong. In these types of conflicts, with missiles and drones flying all over the place, the risk gets inherently higher.

BLITZER: Yes, Admiral Cooper, the commander of the U.S. military's Central Command, which oversees this entire region.

Sanam, the president has said any ground operation to take Kharg Island would fall to another country. Do you think any other U.S. ally is ready to commit ground troops to this war, the war the U.S. started, when the U.S. itself is not ready to take that step and put boots on the ground, as they say, on Kharg Island?

SANAM VAKIL, ADJUNCT LECTURER IN MIDDLE EAST STUDIES, JOHNS HOPKINS SAIS: Good to be with you, Wolf. Honestly, I'm a bit skeptical of any Gulf country or regional country putting ground troops into that operation. So, that leaves Israel as another alternative. Again, you know, such a move, I think, would expose the region to huge counterstrikes by the Iranians. There have been quite strong and direct messaging as such.

You know, believe it or not we are in a moment of alarming escalation between Iran and the United States, but there is worse to come. And both sides are using public rhetoric to signal and perhaps using that as leverage. It will be important to see what the president says tonight in his address with regards to Iran.

Last night, Iran's negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the parliament, also spoke about the current conflict and did suggest negotiations are still on the table. They are certainly still in discussion through mediators, but, of course, in tandem to that, he too was messaging further conflict and rising escalation should this cycle get worse instead of getting better.

BLITZER: I just want to follow up, Sanam, with this. We have some exclusive new CNN reporting on a U.S. missile strike that killed nearly 200 children and adults at a school in Iran. It happened in early February when the war was just starting. Sources tell CNN that the first two stages of the U.S. investigation were completed within the first week after the strike, but that military leaders have not ordered the standard third stage of the intelligence review.

What message, Sanam, does this delay send to the region and indeed to the world?

VAKIL: Well, I think it really indicates that a massive mistake was made. So many lives were lost, and young lives no less. The fact that the U.S. isn't being transparent and not pushing for accountability is sort of reflective of the place we are in in the world at the moment we are living through where institutions are sort of ignored. The multilateral system is slowly unraveling. International law no longer is being enforced.

And when the United States is at the forefront of that, of course, it makes people feel less secure and makes the U.S. look less credible.

BLITZER: General, let me follow up. The president, President Trump, was asked about the school strike just a couple of days ago on Fox. Here's what he said. Listen to this.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: You know, I don't think anybody's going to ever be able to say what happened there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are images from this site that show fragments that appear to be from U.S. Tomahawk missiles. Is it possible that old intelligence or a mistake during a very active time in the war led to this event?

TRUMP: It is, but it's also possible that those images that you have are A.I.-generated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The president says that we may never know the actual truth of the strike. How does that sit with you, General?

ZWACK: I think on this one, earlier on, Wolf, we needed to come clean and say, horrible regrets, a terrible mistake. This has transpired because of the awful situation that is evolving with Iran, and we greatly regret the strike and the loss of life. We need to just own up and then move on.

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BLITZER: Let me get to another issue that's just come up, General, while I have you. The defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has announced new plans to screen servicemen for low testosterone, annual tests for everyone over 30, and optional testing for those in their teens and 20s. Here's what he said on social media. Listen.

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PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: If treatment is recommended, it's entirely your choice to receive testosterone replacement therapy. This initiative, it's not about artificial enhancement, it's about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity, and ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain the fight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So, is this a legitimate issue, General, for military readiness?

ZWACK: The way it was conveyed publicly has now pushed it out into the stoplight and -- I mean, excuse me, out in the forefront. I think if there were as other items of medical, you know, it could be discreet. But it I think to have announced it to our force, to our people, to the world is, I think, a little bit excessive.

And I know that it is designed to, you know, show us to be bulked up, if you will. I don't think it was the right way to convey it, you know, and bring -- and put it down, if you will or bring it in by edict.

BLITZER: General, thank you very much, General Peter Zwack, and Sanam Vakil, always good to get your expertise. I appreciate it very much.

And still ahead, immigrant rights groups are calling it a smear campaign after the FBI said it might have seen drugs in a shooting victim's van.

And later, growing schism, more than 100 House Democrats voted against billions in U.S. military aid for Israel, as the party grows more and more divided on this very sensitive, important issue. We'll speak with a bipartisan duo about what the shift means for both parties.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

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BLITZER: Breaking news, we have brand-new video just coming in to CNN. Take a look at this. San Antonio, Texas, the seventh-largest city in the United States with a population of 1.5 million, it is -- really, so much of that area underwater right now.

Our Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is back with us. He's got more. Derek, there's also a new flood wave that's prompted what's being described as a flashflood emergency. Update our viewers.

VAN DAM: Yes, that's along the Pedernales River, and I'm going to highlight that area here. You can see that white box. This is kind of following along the banks of the Pedernales River. There was one river gauge in Fredericksburg that was still rapidly rising, already reaching major flood stage, there's the telltale signs that we've seen all morning with the Guadalupe River, and that rapid rise of water indicating this flood wave that the National Weather Service keeps referencing.

By the way, I've only heard them say that wording one other time. That was last July 4th during the catastrophic and deadly flooding here across the Camp Mystic region and just west of this area.

Okay. So, let's get into the specifics here because this is really important. We're talking about the Texas Hill Country now, right? So, this is an area prone to flooding, very susceptible. The ground is saturated. Here's Fredericksburg, excuse me, and you can see the blue river or the river right here. That is the river that has this wall of water. And it continues to rain. This is being triggered by rainfall rates that, at times today, had already exceeded five inches per hour. So, this is on top of what's already fallen from the sky, which, in some locations, has totaled over two feet since the beginning of the rain on Monday. But in the past, let's say, 12 hours, we've seen at least 12 inches, so over a foot of rain in these locations.

And it's not just Kerrville, it's not just Kerr County. It's Uvalde to the south, Medina County as well. This is all across the southern Texas Hill Country area that we're watching for this catastrophic life-threatening flash flooding.

Again, we hate repeating this, but this is just adding misery to what they already dealt with last year at this time. There's Kerrville, catastrophic. Wolf, this is the highest level, alert level during a flash flood warning that the National Weather Service, they are urging people to seek higher ground immediately. Get out of flood-prone areas. Look at that rapid rise, 25 feet in one hour.

BLITZER: It's unbelievable what's going on, so sad.

All right, thanks very much, Derek Van Dam.

And to our viewers, once again, don't forget, you can always keep up with any severe weather in your area or indeed anywhere else with the new CNN weather app. You can download that from the Apple App Store.

And coming up here in The Situation Room, while Texas deals with very dangerous flooding, smoke is filling the skies and turning them into an eerie orange in dozens, yes, dozens of U.S. cities, including Chicago, it's all thanks to massive wildfires in Canada.

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BLITZER: Happening now, air quality is plummeting in cities across the United States as smoke from Canadian wildfires pours across the border. Here you can see how the smoke turned the sky over the Rochester, New York area orange. Look at this. Wow. And here's a live look at the hazy Detroit skyline right now. You can barely see the buildings in the distance. And look at this, this is Chicago.

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More than 100 million people in the Midwest and Northeast are dealing with very dangerous air quality due to the smoke.