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The Situation Room

Growing Parasite Outbreak; Interview With Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL); Fallen U.S. Soldiers Return Home. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired July 22, 2026 - 11:00   ET

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

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WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: 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.

We begin this hour with breaking news. At any moment now, President Trump will observe the dignified transfer of these U.S. service members recently killed in the Iran war. Three deaths occurred at a military base in Jordan and one in Northern Iraq.

The transfer will take place at the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. The president arrived there just a few moments ago.

CNN's Kevin Liptak is over at the White House for us.

Kevin, first of all, what can you tell us about the dignified transfer?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right now, the president is meeting privately with families of the fallen. He described his message as a simple one to them earlier today, just that we love you and that we love your children.

There's probably no other moment for a president that really underscores the weight of responsibility that they have than traveling up to Dover for these dignified transfers, standing at attention as those cases draped in American flags move from the hull of a cargo plane across the tarmac and into a waiting van.

Covering them, you're really struck by the silence. There are no speeches, no music, just the whirring of the auxiliary engines and the footsteps. The fallen that are being transferred today ranged in age from 19 to 30.

They hailed from Hawaii, Texas, New York, and North Carolina, and they died on the other side of the world in Jordan and Iraq, and they are the human consequences of the Iran war. And I think nothing is harder for any president than bearing witness to those consequences.

President Trump acknowledged that earlier today. Here's what he said:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to Dover. Some of you are going with us to honor our heroes, and they are indeed great heroes, actually.

They said and they -- all of them said very strongly, we can't let -- we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. They won't have a nuclear weapon. So we're going to honor them, and one of the hardest things to do. For me, it's one of the hardest things to do as a president, but has to be done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: Now, even as the president is bearing witness today to the costs of the war, he is also threatening escalation.

He warned this morning that if Iran continues shooting at vessels in the Strait of Hormuz -- quote -- "whether it be by missile rocket or drone or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy one bridge or power plant," including those located next to or in the capital city of Tehran.

He's also warning that he may soon target the Iranian nuclear facility at Pickaxe Mountain. That's the highly fortified site south of Tehran, where, at least according to Israeli intelligence, Iran may be moving some of its advanced centrifuges and some of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And, Kevin, another major development unfolding now, two U.S. officials telling CNN the president has approved an agreement to allow Saudi Arabia to build a civilian nuclear program and, more importantly, enrich uranium. What are you learning about that?

LIPTAK: Right.

And this is a significant deal. It would be in place for 30 years and it would involve American companies helping Saudi Arabia to develop nuclear reactors, including enriching its own fuel.

Now, this is going to cause some controversy, because, in theory, if Saudi Arabia is able to enrich uranium, it could eventually develop it into nuclear weapons. Now, that is not the point of this arrangement. This is purely for civilian purposes. But you've already heard some outcry from inside of Israel.

Certainly, they don't want to see Saudi Arabia obtain nuclear weapons. You could also hear some skepticism from members of Congress, who will be asked to sign off on this deal.

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Now, the powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said that if Iran were able to obtain a nuclear weapon, that Saudi Arabia would follow suit. But, at least for now, the contours of this deal are for civilian purposes only and not for any sort of weaponization.

BLITZER: A sensitive issue indeed.

Kevin Liptak reporting for us from the White House, thank you.

I want to bring in Republican Congressman Carlos Gimenez of Florida. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

As you know, the president has vowed retribution against Iran for the recent killings of these U.S. service members. How would you advise him to balance that with the risk of becoming another endless war in the Middle East, which he explicitly campaigned against?

REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ (R-FL): I don't think we're going to get into an endless war in the in the Middle East.

For one, we don't have any boots on the ground as of now, and if we do put boots on the ground, I think very limited, trying to either to capture some strategic assets like Kharg Island. But I think he needs to keep doing what he's doing.

We need to put an all-of-the-above pressure campaign on Iran, continue to deter or deteriorate their military capability, make sure that the Straits of Hormuz is open to all commerce, make sure that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, and then continue the blockade of Iran and put a stranglehold on its economy.

And so it's an all-of-the-above kind of strategy. On top of that, I would probably be looking at some -- helping some insurgencies inside of Iran, so that the Iranian leadership has -- is going to be fighting this battle, this war on a number of fronts.

And as they get weaker and weaker and weaker, then maybe they will come to the negotiating table. But I would never -- if they come to the negotiating table, say, yes, we're fine, we're going to sit down and negotiate with you, but we're not going to stop what we're doing until you sign on the dotted line, and then we have agreements that you will never have a nuclear weapon, and then there is procedures to verify that you will never have a nuclear weapon, and that the Straits of Hormuz will always be open to free trade and commerce.

And so that's what I would be advising the president of the United States.

BLITZER: But, as you know, Congressman, the U.S. military Central Command has confirmed that the U.S. has thousands of boots on the ground in neighboring Arab Gulf states, whether the United Arab Emirates or Qatar or Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman. There are a lot of U.S. troops there.

And the most recent U.S. casualties were also based outside of Iran in these neighboring countries. What do you make of that?

GIMENEZ: Well, that's completely different, though. We actually had boots in Afghanistan. We had boots in Iraq. I mean, we have boots on the ground all around the world all the time. And so I don't see that as being the same thing.

And it's unfortunate that we had these four service men and women killed this last week, and it's a casualty of war. And my heart goes out to the families of those four. But, at the end, I think the best way to honor the dead, the ones that have paid the ultimate sacrifice for this, is to make sure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.

Anything short of that, for me, is failure, to be honest with you, and so I think we just need to keep doing and put more pressure on Iran to let them know we're not going to give up. You can't stop us.

And if you want to join the league of nations as a responsible member, not export terrorism around the world, not threaten your neighbors, and also, frankly, the United States of America, come to the negotiating table and let's see how we can work it out so that you come out a better nation, but also the world comes out a safer place.

BLITZER: President Trump this morning said that Americans -- quote -- "aren't against the war" -- end quote -- despite a lot of polling to the contrary.

In a recent "Washington Post"/Ipsos survey, 68 percent of Americans said the war was not worth fighting, while 28 percent said it was. How do you explain the disconnect between what the president says and how Americans feel, according to almost all of these most recent polls?

GIMENEZ: Well, I'm not going to speak for the president that I think that the -- I'm not going to dispute the polls either.

But I also know that, prior to World War II, 85 percent of Americans were not in favor of entering that war. And then it all changed in one day. I think the president and, frankly, us, we have to explain why it is that we are hitting Iran, that we don't -- we want to make sure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.

Iran has been saying for 47 years "Death to America," "Death to Israel." When somebody's been talking like that for 47 years, I tend to listen and think that they're serious about it. So this war is really not about us. This war is really about protecting our children and our grandchildren.

And I'm willing to make that investment. And so while many Americans may think that it's -- we shouldn't be doing this, I believe we should, because I want to protect my children and my grandchildren in the future from a nuclear-armed Iran.

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BLITZER: Yesterday, President Trump posted this on social media comparing the 18 U.S. troop deaths at Iran's hands to the larger number of service members killed in other wars, including in Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam.

As we observe today's dignified transfer, Congressman, what is your response to that post?

GIMENEZ: I mean, look, that -- that's -- that post is true. I mean, we have lost a heck of a lot more men and women.

But you know what? The loss of the these four are a heartbreak to the families of those four. We don't want to lose any service men and women to any conflict. But that is the nature -- the nature of war.

And so, in this case, this conflict, we have been at it for four or five months. Casualty figures are really, really low compared to other conflicts that we have been involved in. But that's not a -- condolences to the family members of those that actually lost their loved ones.

And so, again, my heart goes out to them. The president, I think, is doing exactly the right thing. He's there. He can see the consequences of his actions. It's hard for him. I know that he doesn't want to see any men -- service men and women die in action. And this just brings the point home that his decisions carry consequences.

But, in this case, we want to make sure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon, and I think that that's the ultimate goal, and I think that that's what the president is fighting for. And I don't think he's going to fall short on this. Eventually, we're going to make sure that Iran never has a nuclear weapon.

BLITZER: The critics are arguing that the president's TRUTH Social post minimizes these service members' deaths at the hands of Iran. What do you say to that, Congressman?

GIMENEZ: I don't -- I just think he posted. Some people are saying, well, hey, we have four service members. That's it. We have had many more casualties in other wars.

It doesn't minimize the loss of these four at all, and it doesn't reduce how we're going to honor them. The president is going there in person to honor these four brave men and women of our armed services. And so, again -- but you also have to point out that for a war that's been going out for so long, these are extraordinarily low casualty numbers, you know?

And, again, I don't want to downplay the casualties, but that's just the facts. And so you have to commend the Department of War for conducting this war in the safest manner possible. But it is war, OK? And in war, you will have casualties.

BLITZER: Before you go, Congressman, I just want to get your thoughts. The former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is scheduled to appear in federal court today.

At the same time, the first shipment of $100 million U.S. aid package has arrived in Cuba. Would you like to see the U.S. pursue an operation against the Cuban leadership like the U.S. did with Maduro?

GIMENEZ: Well, we do have charges against Raul Castro for the murder of four Americans back in the '90s. I'm not going to comment on whether we should go get him like we did in Maduro.

But I do believe that the pressure that's being put on the Cuban regime, their actual incompetence, OK, is causing that regime to get weaker and weaker. They have been and are -- have been, are today, and will be a security threat to United States of America.

We know that there are some 300 -- or we have heard reports of some 300 either Russian or Iranian drones in Cuba that have -- that could reach up to New York City. And so they continue to pose a threat.

Now, the best way to get to change there is probably with the pressure campaign that we are putting on right now. The $100 million in aid is not going to go to -- through the regime. It's going to go to Catholic charities down there, and we have worked with them in the past.

And not one dime of that can be can be stolen by the regime, which is what they do. As far as Maduro is concerned, he's going to face some American justice, and I'm happy for the operation that happened on the 3rd to bring him to American justice.

On the other side, though, I also believe that we need to move forward, and I think the secretary of state's moving forward in a good manner with bringing free and democratic elections to Venezuela.

BLITZER: All right.

GIMENEZ: The Venezuelan people inside deserve it, and also the people outside are waiting for that day to happen. So there's good steps happening on that front too.

BLITZER: Republican Congressman Carlos Gimenez of Florida, as usual, thanks so much for joining us.

GIMENEZ: It's my pleasure.

BLITZER: And still ahead: what the health and human services secretary is now saying about the growing parasite outbreak that's already made thousands of Americans violently sick.

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And months after that astonishing jewel heist, a gallery at the Louvre is reopening right now, but with a change. We will explain.

That's ahead in THE SITUATION ROOM.

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BLITZER: New this morning, New York City officials now say a fifth, a fifth person has died of Legionnaires' disease on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

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There have been 82 reported cases so far as part of this cluster. Eight people are now in the hospital. Officials think the cases are linked to building cooling towers; 76 buildings have tested positive for the bacteria. The disease is not contagious and can be managed if people are given antibiotics early enough.

Also happening now, health officials are racing to try to find where thousands of cases of cyclospora are coming from. They say there's very strong evidence that shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms is the source, that despite a false positive test over the weekend for the parasite.

Still, the Trump administration says it has the situation under control.

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ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., U.S. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: We do have the outbreak under control. We have done extensive forensics, epidemiological forensics. And we have identified the source of the outbreak. We and the companies that have involved have implemented a recall.

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BLITZER: More than 8,000 cases have now been reported in five Midwestern states. The parasite causes very severe stomach illness.

I want to bring in Stanford University microbiologist David Relman. His work transformed clinical diagnostics and food tracing for cyclospora.

David, thanks so much for joining us.

DAVID RELMAN, MICROBIOLOGIST, STANFORD UNIVERSITY: Pleasure.

BLITZER: Is Secretary Kennedy right? Is the situation now under control?

RELMAN: I'm not so sure we can say that at this point. Time will tell.

But it strikes me and others that this may be a more complicated set of outbreaks than simply just one with one source.

BLITZER: How does a false positive test happen?

RELMAN: Well, laboratory testing is complicated. It involves a lot of conditions that have to be met, and it requires a lot of controls.

And one of the ways the contamination, cross-contamination or false positives happen is when material from a known positive gets into a test for an unknown. There are also problems with the sensitivity of the test, and sometimes people push it beyond the limits that it ought to be used at.

BLITZER: What do you think, David, keeps health officials confident that the lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms is behind these cases? RELMAN: Yes, so there's an important point about outbreak

investigation, which is that there are multiple facets of an investigation.

A major approach is through the use of epidemiologic methods. This is where you knock on doors and call people up and undertake surveys, and you develop associations between disease and an exposure. And then you have a hypothesis and you test it by looking at other control groups, looking at other possible sources, and trying to strengthen your case.

There's a separate effort to use the laboratory testing to help confirm some of your hypotheses. But the second is not required in order to have a strong case that can be built simply on strong epidemiologic evidence.

And I think, here, it sounds as though there is such strong epidemiologic evidence that links many cases, at least those in Michigan and the Upper Midwest, to a Taylor Farms-distributed form of shredded lettuce. That's not to say that there aren't other overlapping outbreaks with other possible sources, perhaps through chopped lettuce as well.

But we have got a really complicated distribution system for food such as fresh produce, especially leafy vegetables. And it makes for a very difficult time in trying to tease it all apart.

BLITZER: And which raises the question about a lot of confusion out there right now, what is actually safe to eat? What do you say to that?

RELMAN: Well, we know from experience that, when you pool together sources of lettuce, for example, mix them and then distribute them widely, it only takes one little local source of contamination to spread throughout the country.

That's what happens when you have chopped, mixed lettuce that goes into bags, mixed, and then distributed all over the United States. If instead you were to go to the supermarket and purchase a single head of lettuce whose source you had some confidence about knowing, hopefully local, the chances are much, much lower.

You have got one roll of the Russian roulette spin versus many that you have essentially bought into when you buy a bag of mixed lettuce.

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BLITZER: So, to be on the safe side, should you simply stop eating lettuce or other specific vegetables, arugula or kale, stuff like that?

RELMAN: I would say that that's not necessarily prudent or necessary.

It depends on where you live. It depends on where you shop. But I think there are ways in which you can purchase fresh leafy vegetables that are locally sourced, that are not prepackaged and mixed, which are going to be far less risky than these commercialized, widely distributed mixed produce products.

BLITZER: David Relman, thanks so much for your expertise. Thanks so much for joining us.

RELMAN: You're welcome.

BLITZER: Up next: U.S. officials say President Trump has approved a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia. But the arrangement potentially could ruffle feathers in Israel.

We're live from Jerusalem straight ahead.

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