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The Situation Room

Interview With Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY); Interview With Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ); Todd Blanche Confirmation Hearing Continues; Wildfire Smoke Impacting U.S.; Russia Pounds Ukraine's Capital. Aired 10:30a-11a ET

Aired July 16, 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]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: More than 100 million people in the Midwest and Northeast are dealing with very dangerous air quality due to the smoke.

CNN's chief climate correspondent, Bill Weir, is joining us right now.

Bill, what do people need to know about the smoke and what it's doing to the air they're breathing right now?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, they need to know there's about 150 fires burning up in Ontario, the boreal forest dried out by triple-digit temperatures, the kind of heat waves that have plagued much of the globe in this era of climate change.

And then they have got a both a high-pressure and low-pressure system next to each other funneling that smoke down. So the air, when it's orange, those particles are on their way to becoming black. And if those tiny particles get in into lungs, it causes real damage.

That's why the air quality index is so important on days like this. I think we have the chart. Anything over 100 for vulnerable folks with respiratory conditions, anything over 150 for everybody is advised to stay inside, maybe wear a mask if you have to run errands outside.

But this is nowhere nearly as bad, at least in the New York area, as we had two years ago when the air quality index got up to 485, I believe. Yesterday, Duluth, Minnesota, it was even higher. It was a catastrophic 785 out of 800. Duluth had some of the dirtiest air of any city on the planet.

And you're just at the mercy of the winds as these things burn, burn out. But, unfortunately, this is becoming an every summer a phenomenon, Wolf. And protecting young folks, the elderly, the vulnerable needs to become part of a summer routine, the way we used to think about sunscreen and bug spray.

BLITZER: So, basically, younger folks and the elderly should stay indoors and avoid going outside, given the huge air quality issues?

WEIR: Yes, when the AQI is over 150, you should just keep an eye on that. It's on weather apps. It's available usually on your local weather broadcast, the CNN Weather App as well.

Just keep an eye on that AQI index and just keep an eye also your mind on those folks who may have respiratory issues in your family. Kids shouldn't be out running around the way they you would like them to be most summer days. And so this is a day.

Tomorrow, it's supposed to clear out here. So, today, the advice is, in New York City, at least, if you can stay inside, do it in the places like Chicago, Duluth, other places, definitely, because if you can taste it, some of that is actually getting into your -- into your lungs and bloodstream.

BLITZER: And why is this happening now?

WEIR: Well, Wolf, this is the age of climate change, when an El Nino year makes it even worse. So you have got these rapidly drying conditions in some parts of the planet, rain bombs in others.

We have seen the temperatures crank up. Canada is heating up twice as fast as the rest of the world, those forests drying out. These are lightning-caused strikes, 150 of them, impossible to contain. So all we can do is adapt and protect life and property best you can.

BLITZER: Yes, it's a terrible situation.

Bill Weir, thanks for that update. We will stay in close touch with you.

And just ahead: Russian missiles pounding Ukraine's capital again overnight, killing at least two people and sparking multiple fires. And it comes as Ukraine's president makes a change that could potentially impact the outcome of this war.

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[10:38:02]

BLITZER: Russia hammers the Ukrainian capital with overnight missile attacks, killing at least two people and sparking fires in two districts of Kyiv.

And it happened just hours before the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, touched down in the city to meet with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Starmer arrived as protesters are filling the streets angry over President Zelenskyy's dismissal of his defense minister.

CNN's Clare Sebastian is following all these developments for us.

Clare, how much of an impact could this change in leadership have on Ukraine's war effort?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, 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.

He's credited with the expansion of Ukraine's drone program, with the big success they have 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 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.

[10:40:00]

And 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.

BLITZER: Clare Sebastian reporting for us, Russia clearly not letting up at all. Thank you very, very much.

And we're also closely following day two of the confirmation hearings for President Trump's attorney general pick. Right now, a panel of witnesses is appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify -- testify for or against Todd Blanche's nomination to lead the U.S. Justice Department.

CNN's chief congressional correspondent, Manu Raju, is up on Capitol Hill. He's monitoring all of this.

So, Manu, who are the witnesses who are testifying, and what have they said, at least so far?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, these are character witnesses, Wolf, which is very consistent with how these major Cabinet nominees go forward.

Typically, there's a hearing in which there are the -- of course, first, the nominee himself or herself testifies. Then there are people who testified against or for that nominee. And we're seeing that happen just right now. But the big question is going to be whether this changes the views of

two key senators on the committee, Republican senators, because we expect most Republicans to vote for Todd Blanche from -- and pretty much -- we expect all Democrats to vote against Todd Blanche, meaning one Republican center, that's all it would take to defect to essentially scuttle this nomination altogether.

And the two that we were watching in particular, Senator John Cornyn of Texas and Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, both men really have nothing to lose. They are not coming back next year. Tillis is retiring. Cornyn lost his primary after Trump backed his rival, Ken Paxton, in that primary fight earlier this year.

Both of them say they want more assurances that the so-called weaponization fund, $1.8 billion in taxpayer money that the president had tried to push earlier this year to provide for people who claim they have been victimized by the Justice Department, including potentially January 6 defendants, they want that dead.

They were not satisfied with Todd Blanche's testimony. Today, in speaking to the reporters, they made clear they want more in that regard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): What I confirmed is that the weaponization fund still can be revived. And so this idea that it's somehow gone is just not true, in my opinion. And so there may be some other steps that people take to try to make sure that that's dead and gone for sure, because I think I'm not the only one that has concerns about that.

You still got to get the majority on the floor. And that's not -- undetermined yet whether that's going to happen.

SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): I need a work product that convinces me that the 1776 fund is dead, period, full stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: now, Tillis went on to say he wants that drafted into legislative text, actually passing the United States Senate and is endorsed by the president as well. So that would take a lot, Wolf, to actually get that done over the next couple of weeks before the August recess, and to see if President Trump, who has really gone back and forth about whether this fund is dead or not, to get behind this plan.

So, a big question about whether it can actually get to that point. Tillis did say he is still leaning towards supporting Todd Blanche's nomination. But if this effort to try to kill the weaponization fund stalls in some way, maybe that change will change his calculation. So it's still a big question about whether those senators will ultimately fall in line or if one of them defects and essentially stops Todd Blanche from getting that job.

BLITZER: We will see what happens. Manu Raju up on Capitol Hill, thank you very, very much.

And coming up right here in THE SITUATION ROOM: the growing bipartisan push up on Capitol Hill to dismantle and replace a longstanding United Nations relief agency. We're going to ask the two congressmen leading the effort, Republican Mike Lawler and Democrat Josh Gottheimer, why now is the time for such a dramatic move.

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[10:48:30]

BLITZER: Happening now: Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are now pushing to try to dismantle and replace the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, also called UNRWA.

It was established back in 1949 to help Palestinian refugees during the Arab-Israeli conflict. But members of Congress advocating for its breakdown are now arguing it does not serve its stated mission and instead promotes what they call antisemitism.

They also allege some employees at UNRWA have ties to terrorist organizations, including Hamas and Hezbollah.

Joining us now is the bipartisan duo leading this effort in the House of Representatives, Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York and Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey.

To both of you, thanks very much for joining us.

REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): Thanks for having us.

BLITZER: And, Congressman Lawler, let me start with you.

A June inspector general report from USAID actually referred more than 100 current and former UNRWA staff members linked to Hamas for suspension and disbarment. What do you feel -- why do you feel the need to go further right now than that and fully replace this agency, which I can testify over the years -- I have spent a lot of time in the Middle East -- over the years, it has done a lot of good things, especially for the Palestinian refugees.

REP. MIKE LAWLER (R-NY): Well, look, Wolf, obviously, we all share in the desire to ensure humanitarian aid and assistance, especially to innocent Palestinians.

But the fact is that this organization has been corrupted by Hamas for years. And there is no question about its ties to terrorist organizations taking money and using it for nefarious purpose. And so we have been clear for a long time now that this organization needs to be abolished, that the United States should not send 1 cent of taxpayer money to it.

[10:50:29]

And so we want the government to begin the process of looking at ways to not only eliminate UNRWA, but to establish a new entity that will be aboveboard, that will fulfill its mission of humanitarian aid and relief, that will address things like education in these areas so that they're not teaching Palestinians to hate Jews and to want to kill them, which is unfortunately one of the things that UNRWA did.

We know that there were people working for UNRWA that had direct ties to Hamas and to the terrorist attacks on October 7. And we also know that Hamas operated underneath and out of buildings in which UNRWA operated.

And that is a fundamental problem that needs to be addressed, and that is why we are leading this legislation.

BLITZER: And, Congressman Gottheimer, this legislation is almost exclusively supported by Republican members of the House. Why is there less of an appetite among your fellow Democrats to address this issue? And can your bill really get broad bipartisan support to pass?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, I think it's a matter of, Wolf, education, getting the facts out there.

I think this is what we're doing right now that's exactly part of that effort. The reality is, the key is we have got to get humanitarian aid out. We want to help people, everybody, right? And we especially want to help those who need it the most, innocent Palestinians. It's very important we get that aid out.

However, as Mike said, which is critically important, we know that one in 10 involved with UNRWA have ties to Hamas, to a terrorist organization. We know that, on October 7, many hundreds, if not thousands of employees of UNRWA were involved in the attacks of October 7, brutally beheading, burning babies alive, the most heinous, most heinous terrorist attack.

And did UNRWA do anything about it? Nine members of UNRWA have been fired because of their ties to Hamas, despite knowing that hundreds, if not thousands, have ties to Hamas, that one in 10. So they haven't done anything about it.

So we're now in this position where either you let the United States continue to fund this terrorist activity, where there were tunnels literally, Hamas tunnels literally under the UNRWA buildings, right, or you do something about it.

And what we're just saying is, let's do something about it. Let's make sure U.S. taxpayer dollars aren't supporting terrorists and antisemites. Let's actually fix this organization so it can do what its intended mission is. And that's really what we're focused on.

BLITZER: Congressman Lawler, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has vowed at the same time to try to get rid of the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, alleging war crimes in Gaza.

Do you also support the abolition of the ICC, the International Criminal Court? LAWLER: Look, the United States is not party to it. We have had

issues for years with the ICC and the way that they operate.

And, frankly, much like the U.N. at times and some of these other international organizations, they have become a hotbed of antisemitism and anti-us and Israeli bigotry and hatred. And so, from the standpoint of what the secretary is trying to do, I have no problem with it.

The larger issue, again, to me is establishing entities and organizations that there is trust behind and that we know are operating in good faith, with fairness.

And I fundamentally wish that many of these international organizations that have been so quick to denounce Israel would show the same outrage and anger towards individuals like Vladimir Putin or the ayatollah and their war crimes and the things that they have done to kill their own people over the years and obviously what we have seen in Ukraine, and yet that doesn't happen.

And so, from my vantage point, a lot of these organizations, unfortunately, it's not rooted in a good faith effort to address issues, but it is more rooted in politics, often driven by antisemitism and Jew hatred.

GOTTHEIMER: That's a great question.

Like, what is with all this anti-American sentiment spewing out of these organizations? We see it in the U.N.. We see it at the ICC, focused on actually attacking democracy, instead of, as Mike just said, focused on going after the bad guys, right, like the ayatollah, like Putin.

Why aren't we focused more on that? And why are these international organizations so obsessed with going after some of our key democratic allies?

[10:55:03]

LAWLER: By the way, inclusive of that, human rights violations in China. You almost never hear that from any of these organizations.

GOTTHEIMER: Right. They're not talking about the Uyghurs. They're not talking about Sudan. Where is all the talk about that?

BLITZER: All right.

Before I let you go, Congressman Gottheimer, all of this happening as a majority of your fellow House Democrats, more than 100 of them, voted to block billions of dollars in U.S. military aid to Israel yesterday. Two years ago, only 37 -- two years ago, only 37 Democrats voted that way when presented with a similar vote.

You both voted to continue military support for Israel. But, Congressman Gottheimer, how do you explain that notable shift in the party's position right now? GOTTHEIMER: Obviously, Wolf, a seismic and disappointing shift in

among some of my colleagues in the Democratic Party here.

I think a lot of it is just politics, right? It's not based on substance. They have got a lot of people chasing after them. And -- but I think the most important thing that happened over the last couple days is that our leader, Hakeem Jeffries, voted against it, said, absolutely not, and I think that's a very important signal.

So we have got to be very careful for the move that's going on here among socialists who are trying to hijack the Democratic Party with their anti-American rhetoric, getting influenced by foreign dollars and really trying to undermine our democracy and our freedom, and this massive disinformation that's going on and this attempt to try to poison the Democratic Party.

We have got to stop it and stop the socialists. They're not Democrats, Wolf.

BLITZER: The Democratic whip, Katherine Clark, she voted to block all U.S. military aid to Israel.

Almost all of the Republicans, Congressman Lawler, they voted to continue U.S. military aid to Israel, right?

GOTTHEIMER: But, Wolf -- Wolf, I will be clear...

BLITZER: Yes.

GOTTHEIMER: ... that Hakeem Jeffries, who's the Democratic leader, pay attention to what he said and where he voted, less on the others.

BLITZER: Yes, but there was a split, at least among some of the Democratic leadership.

Go ahead, Congressman Lawler.

LAWLER: Yes, look, every Republican voted in favor, except, of course, Thomas Massie, who's made clear his anti-Israel bigotry.

The fact is that this aid is not only important for our great ally Israel. It's important for the United States military and all of our assets in the region, and in defense of our assets against the attacks perpetrated by Iran and their terror proxies.

We have seen over the last few years dozens upon dozens of attacks against U.S. military bases and assets and military personnel. And so, to me, it was foolish for folks to vote no on continuing aid to Israel. I'm glad it was defeated.

But, certainly, we see this move that needs to be stopped dead in its tracks, and I will continue to stand up against it.

GOTTHEIMER: And to do anything to undermine a key democratic ally, as Mike said, that's been critical in the fight against terror makes no sense. So let's focus on going after Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, the enemies of the United States of America who seek to undermine our freedom, instead of going after our allies.

BLITZER: Congressmen Lawler and Gottheimer, to both of you, thank you very much.

GOTTHEIMER: Thanks.

BLITZER: And we will be right back with more news.

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