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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Second Woman Who Dated Platner Alleges Violent Behavior; Maine Democrats Working On Plan To Replace Platner; Michigan Democratic Clash In Senate Primary Debate; Prince Harry Loses High Court Case Vs. Daily Mail Publisher; Prince Harry Loses High Court Case vs "Daily Mail" Publisher; Aboard the American Aircraft Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln; Idaho Mom Who Blamed Child Deaths on Vaccines Charged with Murder; Switzerland Advance after Beating Colombia 4-3 on Penalties; Argentina and Messi Stun Egypt with 3-2 Comeback Victory. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired July 08, 2026 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:00]

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Air Force One planes are known to stay in service for years even after new ones come online. The Air Force One pavilion wasn't added to President Ronald Reagan's library until 16 years after he left office, and by then the plane had been retired for years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It shouldn't even really require federal law to hopefully make sure that asset is not wasted or squandered.

KAYE (voice-over): The executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies told CNN, quote, "There is standard protocol for retiring military aircraft. First and foremost there are no military requirements for it." Adding, "They are significant assets and the government wants to get its value out of them."

Courtney is quick to point out the plane Trump is counting on for his library has a long lifespan ahead of it and that perhaps future presidents will require use of it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just taking an asset that doesn't belong to him for his own personal glory or edification kind of par for the course in terms of what we've been watching for the last two years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Our thanks to Randi Kaye for that. Our thanks to you for watching the first hour of The Story Is. The next hour starts right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, The Story Is with Elex Michaelson.

MICHAELSON: I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles. Coming up on The Story Is Trump at NATO. After overnight U.S. strikes on Iran, NATO leaders are expected to focus on security in the Strait of Hormuz. We are live in Turkey. Nic Robertson with the latest in a moment.

The Story Is Graham Platner's future pressure growing for the main candidate to drop out after allegations of violent behavior. CNN is on the ground in Maine speaking with voters there.

And The Story Is Britain's Prince Harry. He loses his lawsuit against the Daily Mail. What the ruling could mean for privacy and the press freedom in the U.K. we'll take you live to London.

But we start with our top story. Iran has now retaliated after the U.S. hit more than 80 targets near the Strait of Hormuz overnight, further testing the fragile ceasefire between those two countries. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it launched drones and missiles at 85 U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in the last few hours. Earlier, U.S. Central Command released this video showing its latest round of strikes. The U.S. also says it has reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil sales in retaliation for recent attacks on commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran calls that a, quote, clear violation of the memorandum of understanding with Washington. The strait is expected to be a major topic of discussion at the NATO summit, where all eyes are now on President Trump and what he may say in his address in just a few hours time. CNN's Nic Robertson is live from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.

Nic, how are NATO leaders responding to this latest round of strikes and does this impact the conversations for the day ahead?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's undoubtedly going to impact. It's a huge escalation in the conflict between the United States and Iran. That memorandum of understanding was signed around the 17th of June. So just a few weeks ago, President Trump, the Iranian president both signing it. And that actually happened during President Trump's last big overseas trip to the -- to the G7 and then at the Versailles palace having dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron.

So absolutely, it's going to be on the agenda. In just a few minutes, we'll start seeing world leaders, NATO leaders arriving here on that blue carpet. Not a red carpet, NATO, a blue carpet as they go into the venue. And we'll get a chance to hear what they think about these overnight strikes.

But we've already heard from President Trump on Epic Fury and his belief that NATO allies and partners did not do enough to step up, provide overflight access, provide bases in Europe. Of course, Article 5 of NATO obliges partner's allies to join the aggrieved party if that aggrieved party, the United States in this case, is attacked. The United States wasn't attacked. That's the point that these NATO members have been making. That's the point they stayed on the sidelines so far.

But undoubtedly this is going to put that back in the conversation. But also in the conversation here, President Trump came in yesterday and again to these NATO allies and partners, said that he thought Greenland, which is part of Denmark, which is a NATO partner, should be part of the United States. And this, I think a lot of people here thought they'd put that to sleep earlier this year. But it's back on the agenda again.

Of course, on the agenda, Ukraine, support for Ukraine. President Zelenskyy here will have a bilateral with President Trump. He wants more air defenses. There's also the defense spending of all the NATO countries. President Trump's going to pressure them to speed up and increase their defense spending.

[01:05:02]

So all of that in the mix. But you're right, the Iran strikes is the sort of unexpected twist. The unexpected twist over the fact that President Trump just yesterday said that he give F-35 to President Erdogan of Turkey. Of course, that's really upset the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.

MICHAELSON: Yes. And of course, you joined us from Greenland when all that was happening. Now you're joining us from this conference. Obviously Ukraine, such an important issue. We had reports of more strikes from Russia in the last few hours there.

What is the consensus on, on that issue and what you expect from Zelenskyy, who is there?

ROBERTSON: Yes, Zelenskyy is really going to push to get more and better ballistic missile defense systems. Look, he's asked the president before for a license to make the U.S. made Patriot air defense missiles, make them under license in Ukraine. I don't think that's going to happen. So yesterday Zelenskyy was speaking about it's really important for Europe to step up and have its own air defense missile production system and capacity. So I think he's going to focus in that way.

But of course he needs to fight the war in many ways. So he's going to be looking for those financial commitments from NATO. He's likely to get significant commitments that will take him well in -- well into next year. But you know, from President Trump's point of view, that has to be paid for and not out of the U.S. pocket. And you have countries like Poland here who are already meeting the president and NATO's expectations of 5 percent GDP spend on defense and security by '25 -- by 2035.

The Poles already doing 4.8 on defense, 2 percent on security. They're way up there. The Baltics, the Nordic countries, they're all way up there. Germany's increased its defense spending. But there are countries like Spain that are making no commitment.

And they say this specifically, they're not going to make a commitment to that increased defense spend. And that's likely to draw criticism from President Trump. And that will be part of the sort of --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

ROBERTSON: -- Ukraine package of discussions that go on here. MICHAELSON: I'll be interested to see what President Trump says all about that. He's expected to speak about two hours from Ankara, where it is now after 8:00 in the morning. He's expected to speak in the 10:00 a.m. hour. Nic Robertson will have live coverage of that throughout the day.

Nic, thanks so much for being with us.

Big news in France. French far right leader Marine Le Pen says she will run for president next year. Le Pen announced her campaign after an appeals court upheld her conviction for misusing more than $3 million in European Union funds. The court reduced the amount of time she's banned from holding public office to 15 months. It also ordered her to serve three years in prison, but suspended two of those years.

She must serve the remaining year at home with electronic monitoring.

In the U.K., Nigel Farage, leader of the populist right wing Reform U.K. Party and a chief architect of Brexit, has stepped down from Parliament. But he plans to run for his same seat in a special election, a move which could grant him even further political power. His resignation also pauses the temporary parliamentary investigation into the source of his personal wealth and other controversial donations that he has received.

In the United States, the big story is in the U.S. State of Maine, where The Story Is more trouble for Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner. A former girlfriend tells CNN that Platner was violent towards her on a number of occasions more than a decade ago. Platner has denied these claims, as well as rape allegations from a different woman. He is under mounting pressure to end his Senate campaign. And Democrats are making plans.

CNN's Arlette Saenz reports from Maine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Graham Platner's bid for U.S. senate in Maine on the brink of collapse.

KATE DALEY, MAINE VOTER: It's extremely disappointing and troubling and I think probably disqualifying.

SAENZ: So do you think he should drop out at this point?

DALEY: I do, unfortunately.

SAENZ (voice-over): One person close to the campaign tells CNN, "I think he knows it's over, but he thinks I built this thing and wants to use the movement he created to have a voice in who is going to replace him." The claims have sparked a cascade of Democratic backlash from Washington to Maine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So many people's feeling about it, obviously now is that Graham Platner has to -- has to drop out.

SAENZ: Do you think Platner should drop out?

JONATHAN TAUBE, MAINE VOTER: It's a -- it's a tough call. He'll have to make that decision. But the party is abandoning him on a national level and on the state level. I don't think he has a choice.

[01:10:01]

SAENZ (voice-over): The latest revelations come less than four months before the election against Republican Senator Susan Collins, leaving Democrats scrambling for a resolution.

ALEXANDRA LASH, MAINE VOTER: I think we were all rooting for change and hoping that would come in the form of Graham Platner. So I think it's really disappointing because nobody that I know wants Susan Collins any longer.

SAENZ (voice-over): Democratic leaders in Maine are preparing for the possibility of replacing Platner on the ticket, potentially by holding a mini convention or caucus to select the next nominee.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a very short window here to pull ourselves together and find somebody and just praying to the universe, to the stars that we can pull it together.

SAENZ: Do you think he should drop out of the race?

IAN MACRAE, MAINE VOTER: That's a tough call. Only because I don't know who's the replacement's going to be. And we went through this with Harris when we -- you know, it was -- it was a Biden-Harris ticket and then Biden stepped out, moving Harris to the front. And then the other side could say we didn't even get to vote for.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAENZ (on camera): Graham Platner would need to drop out of the Senate race by next Monday, six days away if Democrats were to try to find a way to replace him as the party's nominee. Democrats would need to put forward a new nominee by July 27, really highlighting the calendar crunch that the party is facing right now as they grapple with their next steps in their attempts to battle Republican Senator Susan Collins in November.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, Portland, Maine.

MICHAELSON: Thanks to Arlette.

Let's bring in our political panel. On the left, Dave Jacobson is a Democratic strategist and co-founder of J&Z Strategies. And Jennifer Horn is the host of "The Morning Answer" on 870 AM here in Los Angeles joining us on the right. Welcome back to both of you.

It was interesting we heard from the head of the Maine Democratic Party who essentially is saying that Graham Platner is holding them hostage. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DEVON MURPHY-ANDERSON, MAINE DEMOCRATIC PARTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Unfortunately, Graham Platner's team has repeatedly reached out to us in an attempt to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like. We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner's team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: From a Democratic Party perspective. Dave, what do you make of this whole mess and sort of where the party should go from here?

DAVE JACOBSON, CO-FOUNDER, J&Z STRATEGIES: It's an outrage. I mean, I'm flabbergasted by the news. Obviously he should drop out. But I think the challenge is if Democrats want to have a shot at winning the Senate, Maine is a must win. We have to defeat Susan Collins.

And my hesitation here with this process is it if it's top down where the Maine Democratic Party just handpicks a candidate and force feeds it to voters, I think that's a challenge for Democrats and a lesson that we didn't learn from 2024 when that happened with Kamala Harris and the result was Donald Trump. I think there needs to be a process. I don't know if it's a debate or a poll, but there's got to be some non-coronation process where Democrats and voters get to weigh in and have a say. This top down Democratic Party system that is currently in place is not going to cut it.

MICHAELSON: Well, and they only have three weeks for that process. And that process --

JACOBSON: Yes.

MICHAELSON: -- can only start, Jennifer, if Graham Platner drops out. And the longer that he stays in, the harder it is to start that process. It's interesting. There's already seems to be though a campaign underway for his replacement, even though he's still in the race.

JENNIFER HORN, "THE MORNING ANSWER" ON 870 AM IN L.A.: First, can I just hug you, Dave?

JACOBSON: Yes.

HORN: I love hearing those words from a Democrat because truly I think what's so disappointing to me is that this is not a surprise. We knew about Graham Platner's Nazi tattoo a long time ago. These allegations of strange behavior, of racism, of sexism, of abuse, these have plagued him for quite a while. I wish that the Democrat Party in Maine had let the people of Maine actually vote for somebody that they want to replace him. I don't think it is great for our country for democracy.

I'm not a Democrat, but for the Democrat Party to continue to insert people that they think are better fits and kind of subvert the will of the people. So, I am watching as a lot of these candidates come forward, but I think you're right. There has to be something where the people feel like they're going to get to choose a candidate instead of it just being forced upon them.

MICHAELSON: How do you see the race now? Susan Collins was always sort of one of the most endangered potential candidates. Has been for multiple cycles and she keeps winning.

HORN: Yes.

MICHAELSON: You know, this is a state that Kamala Harris won and yet she's won over and over again. How do you see the race?

HORN: Honestly, I think the Democrats should be stuck with Graham Platner because they knew this. They -- I'm -- I would love to see Susan Collins take him on. But look, there's something about Susan Collins. She in -- she enrages Republicans just like she enrages Democrats. She's in a really interesting situation in Maine.

[01:15:08]

I don't think she's in a position to make anybody happy. But what I do think is interesting about her is she survives time and time again. She always is behind in the polling, but yet somehow she comes back out on top. And I think that's really interesting about her. And I think she's probably in a better position obviously today with all of this mess on the Democrat side than she was probably four or five months ago when this race really kicked into high gear.

JACOBSON: Listen --

MICHAELSON: Four or five months ago, but not maybe a week ago.

HORN: That --

MICHAELSON: Because if Platner is out, that's probably not as good for Collins.

HORN: Not as good.

MICHAELSON: Do you agree?

HORN: Yes, I would agree. A stronger candidate --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

HORN: -- is going to be more dangerous for her --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

HORN: -- certainly.

JACOBSON: I will say Wedgewood just put out a poll, was a flash poll. Given the news. Troy Jackson, who's the former Senate president in Maine, is leading Susan Collins by 5 percent in that poll. Janet Mills, the governor who was running in the Democratic primary and dropped out because Graham was obviously going to defeat her at the primary, is tied 47 to 47 with Susan Collins.

So it's clear that Susan Collins is still in the game. But another Democrat, perhaps not a Janet Mills Democrat --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

JACOBSON: -- could potentially have a little bit of a lead over the Republican.

MICHAELSON: And flash polls don't always have the greatest sign --

JACOBSON: For sure.

HORN: Yes.

MICHAELSON: -- behind them --

JACOBSON: (Inaudible).

MICHAELSON: -- as well.

JACOBSON: Yes.

MICHAELSON: And we'll see what happens in terms of getting name ID and all the rest of that out there.

There is a very interesting Senate race happening right now in Michigan, which is another state that the Democrats need to win if they've got a chance to win the Senate. You've got on the left, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who is a more progressive choice. You've got Haley Stevens, the congressmember, running for Senate on -- who's a little bit more in the center. And Israel has been a big issue. AIPAC, which is an organization that has supported the Israeli government, is largely supporting Haley Stevens.

And that was top of mind during a debate tonight on local T.V. in Michigan. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDUL EL-SAYED, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR U.S. SENATE IN MICHIGAN: For too long, our foreign policy has been handed to us by the likes of the state of Israel and AIPAC who has made sure that Democrats and Republicans are doing their bidding. I don't take that money. They are spending against me because they've called me the most dangerous candidate for the U. S. Israel relationships.

REP. HALEY STEVENS (D-MI), CANDIDATE FOR U.S. SENATE IN MICHIGAN: Well, Abdul, I would say no one is afraid of you and in fact, the GOP is spending thousands of dollars to prop campaign because they think it -- they will make it easier for Mike Rogers to win if you are the nominee.

EL-SAYED: Well, you know, if Congresswoman Stevens makes it or Mike Rogers wins, either way, Israel will win. AIPAC is perfectly fine with either of my two opponents because they know that they will have a comfortable, reliable vote in the U.S. Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Mike Rogers is the Republican nominee in Michigan. A few years ago, that conversation about AIPAC would have never happened on a stage of a Democratic primary or Republican primary. For years AIPAC was seen as this incredibly bipartisan thing. One of the most powerful organizations in all of Washington. Talk about how this issue of Israel has really changed and the way Democratic voters are seeing it right now.

JACOBSON: Well, I think it's clear that AIPAC has shifted their strategy in the last couple of years. They used to not engage in Democratic or Republican primaries via super PAC. Now they are spending in electoral politics in a -- politics in a different way than they previously did. Doing attack ads against Democrats, attack ads against Republicans. But in partisan races they are spending money on T.V. ads and direct mailers.

And that is impact -- impacting public perception. Simultaneously you have this very, very unpopular war going on that President Trump is spearheaded. And I think that's also a challenge here.

Look, I don't think Israel is going to be the defining issue of this campaign in the Senate race in Michigan or for Democrats in the primaries overall. Ultimately, I think this is about change versus more of the same. This is about antiestablishment versus insurgency.

Perfect case study, last week in Colorado, you had Michael Bennett, a U.S. Senator in Colorado who was perceived as the frontrunner. At one point in that race, there was many Democrats running. He cleared the field essentially --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

JACOBSON: -- without Phil -- except for Phil Weiser, the attorney general who became the insurgent and defeated him. And I think more broadly it's more anti sort of establishment sentiment that's out there and less about Israel as being the defining issue.

MICHAELSON: Although it was one of the first things that they brought up in this debate and something where we saw a real disagreement, Jennifer.

HORN: The anti-Israel sentiment that's happening on the far left of the Democrat Party is shocking to me. I think you're right, Elex. We would have never heard this literally dominate the entire debate, which is what happened. I mean this is all they were talking about, was their support of Israel.

To your point, Dave, I think AIPAC has to spend more money on politics now because Israel is being attacked at every turn. And I don't know that that plays well with the American people. I think right now, from where I sit as a conservative, Democrats have a real problem because the far left of the party that's got a lot of momentum, a lot of money and are bringing a lot of spirit into these primary debates with their anti-Semitism, I don't think it plays well with the American people.

[01:20:20]

I actually feel so much better as a Republican looking at the midterm elections, watching people like this run for Senate, people like this run for the House on an anti-Israel message. I don't think it's a pop one with the bulk of America. I think it actually helps Republicans. So I guess we let them do it.

I just can't believe that anti-Semitism has become the key issue of Democrats fighting it out on a -- on a primary or on a primary stage.

JACOBSON: Well, I think anti-Semitism is a very dangerous problem in this country --

HORN: Yes.

JACOBSON: -- that must be addressed. And there's a lot of hate crimes that are happening across this country and those perpetrators need to be held accountable.

HORN: Absolutely.

MICHAELSON: But there is a difference between anti-Semitism and being critical of the policy in Gaza or critical of the Israeli government too.

HORN: Agreed. But sometimes those lines --

MICHAELSON: I know that --

HORN: -- get blurred.

MICHAELSON: -- sometimes the line get blurred. But there is sometimes a distinction there as well.

Jennifer, Dave, so much to get into in such a big night. Thanks to see both of you tonight.

HORN: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: Still to come, Prince Harry's case against the Daily Mail's publisher has not gone his way. Details of the judge's ruling. What's next in the prince's fight for privacy and what this means for journalism on a larger scale. We go live to London next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:25:54]

MICHAELSON: Britain's Prince Harry has lost a high stakes case against the publisher of the Daily Mail. The Duke of Sussex was in London in support of the Invictus Games when the High Court issued its ruling. He and six others, including Elton John, accused the publisher of gathering information illegally using private investigators to tap their phones and intercept voicemails. The judge said the allegations were serious, but that the group did not adequately prove that the publisher actually used illegal tactics.

The publisher called the ruling a vindication of the Daily Mail's journalism, but Prince Harry denounced it as, quote, "a complete and obvious whitewash."

Mark Stephens is a media law expert and a solicitor with the Howard Kennedy Law Firm. He joins us live from London. Good morning to you.

MARK STEPHENS, SOLICITOR, HOWARD KENNEDY: Good morning, Elex.

MICHAELSON: We know that Prince Harry has been successful in past lawsuits against other media organizations that were similar. What was different about this case?

STEPHENS: This -- first of all, I think we need to remember that this was a test case. It was to test out a legal and evidential theory that you could infer wrongdoing to the media. And the evidential base in this particular case was far more precarious than it was against, say, the "News of the World" or the "Daily Mirror." In those cases, there had been police investigations, there had been convictions, including jail time. There had been documents which the police had obtained which came into the hands of the claimant's lawyers.

And there were corporate admissions as well, as well as findings from the judge. This case was entirely different. There had been no police investigation, there were no documents, there were no records. And at the end of the day, essentially they were doing a mosaic of saying, when you put these tiles down, there's an unknowable piece of information, I think of one of the claimants, ectopic pregnancy, for example. How did that come into the public domain?

And they had worked with people who had previously unlawfully gathered information. And in those circumstances, they were trying to persuade the court that you could infer wrongdoing. This particular case, the Mail turned up and said, we stand by our journalism. You may not like the way in which we do our journalism --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

STEPHENS: -- but it's lawful and we cultivate sources and we get the information and that's why we publish it.

MICHAELSON: I want to bring up some of Prince Harry's statement up on the screen. I just referenced some of it, but I want to read a little bit more of it. And he said that "It is a complete and obvious whitewashed, but sadly not altogether unexpected. We came to court -- however, the lengths to which the court has gone to exonerate the Mail is as shocking as it is totally unwarranted. We came to court seeking justice and accountability, but we have received neither."

We know that Prince Harry has blamed the media for his mother's death back in the '90s, Princess Diana. But you say that the media is a lot different now. What do you mean by that?

STEPHENS: Well, we've had -- since Princess Diana's death, we've had an evolution of privacy laws, not only just in the U.K., but across Europe. And as a consequence, it was felt that the media had become overly intrusive and so the laws rebalanced that. So some of the stories that we saw about Princess Diana could never happen again today. We know that there was wrongdoing at some of the newspapers, but I don't think anyone thinks that that's still ongoing. So to some extent, they've had and made the change that they were seeking.

[01:29:45]

I think the difficulty with the statement that you've just articulated is that it's never a good look to blame the judge, or the adjudicator, because you've lost.

This was a test case. It was a bit speculative. It didn't come up where they wanted it to. And as a consequence of that, I'm sure they feel badly done to.

But at the end of the day, the judge made the very point that this wasn't a public inquiry. I'm not investigating whether there was wrongdoing in Fleet Street. There obviously was.

But I'm asked to look at these 55 specimen articles and say, can I safely infer that criminality occurred without more evidence? And he concluded that he couldn't do that, particularly where journalists bellied up and said, yes, I did this by old-fashioned legwork.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: So bottom line, is this a victory for journalism? And what does this mean for journalism going forward?

STEPHENS: I think it is a victory for journalism. I think it's a complete vindication. Our newspapers split really into two -- the sort of "Guardian" and "The Times" at one end of the scale, which didn't indulge in phone hacking and unlawful information gathering. And some of the tabloid papers which did.

It's all gone away now. And I think what history will look at is say, well, actually "The Daily Mail" and "The Mail on Sunday" were in that respectable group and it's become a historical fact or will become a historical fact now.

These kinds of stories are not published in the U.K. We don't have the same kind of prurient press.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

STEPHENS: And so in those circumstances, I think they should be wise and, you know, leave it be.

MICHAELSON: Mark Stephens with some great context on a very important case in London. Thank you so much for being with us.

From London to Turkey. Live pictures right now where NATO leaders are meeting and President Trump is expected to speak in the coming hours. We are seeing right there one of the leaders, of course, the first openly-gay leader of the Netherlands.

The NATO Secretary General just took questions from reporters about the U.S. strikes on Iran. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Well, I think it was absolutely necessary because when you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire, we seen what happened yesterday with ships being attacked, I think it is totally crucial that the U.S. forcefully reacts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: We'll have more on all of this after the break as CentCom says its forces remain in position to, quote, "hold Iran accountable".

We'll go aboard the American aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln. CNN's Pamela Brown is there next.

[01:33:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: Welcome back to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson.

Let's take a look at today's top stories.

For the second time in three months, crews are draining the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. That move follows weeks of problems with algae blooms, green water and allegations of vandalism.

The Interior Department says it hired the same contractor that previously drained and painted the pool blue for the latest repairs. It's unclear how long the work will take.

Thousands have gathered in the Iraqi city of Najaf to pay their respects to Iran's late supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. The city is significant for Shiites as the burial place of the cousin and son-in- law of the Prophet Muhammad.

The slain ayatollah's body will then be transferred to the Iraqi city of Karbala in the coming hours, before returning back to Iran for burial on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Iran says it has launched drones and missiles targeting 85 U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait. That comes after the U.S. said it struck more than 80 targets in Iran overnight in retaliation for recent attacks on commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz.

CNN's Pamela Brown has been traveling aboard the American aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln. Earlier, she gave us a closer look at what's happening in the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: As you know, an aircraft carrier, a big part of it is to launch flights. It's a floating airport, essentially. And we're here in the hangar. And you can see behind me here there's

F-18s, F-35s. These are some of the planes that have been used in the conflict to actually drop the bombs on Iranian targets.

So what happens here, I'll have John, my photojournalist, go over here. This is they can put these planes once they become operational again after some maintenance on what's called an elevator. And then it will bring up to the flight deck just above.

So it's pretty incredible the capabilities here. And then once it's on the flight deck, the flight deck itself is only four and a half acres. So they use a catapult and working with the wind and the propulsion from the nuclear reactors to -- for the flights to be able to take off.

And they've been very busy. I mean, they have been able to have the flights take off every 15 to 20 seconds during really active times.

And so where we are right here is where that maintenance takes place. But you have to think were out in the middle of the Arabian Sea. It's not so easy to just quickly do maintenance. They have to have ships brought in to bring parts for these planes and helicopters and so forth.

[01:39:48]

BROWN: So it's really a logistical, complex environment. But they are still doing their best. And they say that they are still very ready -- they're at a readiness state because of the ongoing escalations and tensions here where we are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Amazing to see that. Pamela Brown, thank you for that.

Venezuelan officials say the death toll from last month's massive earthquake has risen to nearly 3,700. Many of the dead remain unidentified almost two weeks after the disaster.

The need for burial sites has skyrocketed, prompting a cemetery in La Guaira to prepare about 500 new gravesites. Local officials say that cemetery has separated the unidentified victims into a special area, where each grave is marked with a code to help families locate their loved ones in the future.

A young Idaho mother blamed routine vaccinations for the deaths of her twin toddlers. Just ahead, why prosecutors now say she is responsible for their deaths.

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MICHAELSON: Some of the people who knew a young Idaho mom grieved with her after her toddler twins died last year. Anti-vaccination groups rallied around her after she blamed their deaths on vaccines. Now she's been charged with killing them.

CNN's law enforcement correspondent Whitney Wild has more.

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WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: 23-year-old Andrea Shaw of Payette, Idaho is facing murder charges in the death of her toddler twins, according to her attorney.

JOE FILICETTI, ATTORNEY FOR ANDREA SHAW: Well, obviously, I was shocked. What I heard was she had been arrested. Law enforcement was at her house.

She's quiet, she's soft, she's loving, she's kind. She and her husband have a good relationship, have a good marriage. You know, they loved the twins and they love their newer baby, too.

WILD: Shaw was arrested last week --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First degree murder.

WILD: -- just five days after giving birth to her third child.

The mother, according to prosecutors, suffocated her twins, 18-month- old Tyson and Dallas in May 2025 before she became pregnant again.

The Payette Police Department issued a statement on Facebook saying Shaw was arrested after a lengthy and thorough investigation.

But Shaw's says vaccines were the cause of her toddler's death.

ANDREA SHAW, SUSPECT: They got Hep A, the DTaP, and the flu shot.

WILD: Appearing last year, a few days after the children died, on an Internet show produced by the Children's Health Defense, an anti- vaccine group Shaw said the twins were born prematurely but healthy until just after they received their 18-month vaccinations.

Within two days after their shots, she says both her son and daughter got very sick.

SHAW: She was almost falling asleep while I was changing her and when I had, you know, moved her out of the way so I could then change her brother she just laid on the carpet in the living room and wouldn't move or get up. And her eyes kept rolling back like she was trying to go back to sleep.

WILD: Shaw said she took them to the emergency room and says they were checked, given Tylenol and sent home. Shaw told the host of CHD the next morning she found the babies lying on their bellies and they were cold.

SHAW: They looked as if they had gone in their sleep. They were in their sleeping positions. I think it's called rigor mortis. They were -- their faces were in sleeping faces. WILD: Shaw is facing two felony counts of first-degree murder and is pleading not guilty to the charges. Her attorney disputes the evidence used to indict her.

FILICETTI: But they don't have a confession. They don't have anything other than the same evidence we have, and they came to a different conclusion. Their conclusion is she suffocated them. Our conclusion is the vaccines caused the kids to suffocate.

WILD: CHD is an anti-vaccine activist organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., although he's no longer affiliated with them. The CEO says the group is standing with her family to support them.

And they are partnering with Shaw in a lawsuit accusing the American Academy of Pediatrics of racketeering and defrauding American families about the safety of the childhood vaccine schedule.

According to the lawsuit, the twins died eight days after they had their vaccinations.

Shaw's husband is now caring for their newborn infant, while Andrea Shaw remains in custody. If convicted, she faces up to life in prison or even the death penalty.

Whitney Wild, CNN -- Chicago.

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MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Whitney.

Coming up next, nail biters wrap up the World Cup Round of 16. Lionel Messi extending his record goals as Argentina shocks Egypt. Plus Switzerland -- Colombia go all the way down to penalty kicks.

Stay with us.

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MICHAELSON: THE STORY IS the FIFA Men's World Cup. And the quarterfinals are now set. Switzerland fans celebrating as their team pushes through the group of 8 for the first time since 1954.

After a scoreless two hours of play and plenty of squandered opportunities, the Swiss needed a penalty shootout to eliminate Colombia in the last match of the Round of 16. Switzerland coming out on top, four goals to three.

Meanwhile, Argentina fans are celebrating a stunning comeback against Egypt after trailing Egypt for most of the match in Atlanta. Defending champion Argentina scored three unanswered goals late in the game, including the winning goal in stoppage time.

CNN's Amanda Davies is on the scene in Atlanta with more.

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AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: This was not the day for it to end. The dream of the champion after back-to-back World Cups for Argentina or the privilege for the rest of us of watching Leo Messi and his teammates do what they do on the biggest of footballing stages.

But boy, did they have to work for it. You only had to see the emotional reaction from Messi and coach, Lionel Scaloni, to see just how hard they had to work.

At 79 minutes with Egypt at a two-nil lead, a team who only won their first ever World Cup match at this tournament. At this stage, for the first time in their history, keeping the might of the Albiceleste at bay.

The number of missed chances for Argentina, gilt-edged chances, and of course, that Messi missed penalty you could feel and see the doubts starting to creep in amidst the Argentinian fans.

But not for nothing are they the defending world champions, two-time Copa America winners. During Lionel Scaloni's tenure, they've lost just nine of 101 games. It was Cristian Romero who set them on their way.

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DAVIES: And just as I was starting to think they needed to channel a bit of Cape Verde or, of course, what we saw from that in that incredible final in Qatar against France, out popped Leo Messi scoring his eighth World Cup goal here in the United States, his 21st in all.

And then it was Enzo Fernandez who put the icing on the cake to send Argentina through, completing a great escape on one of the greatest days of Argentina's footballing history.

Next up, it's Switzerland in the quarterfinal. Bring it on.

Amanda Davies, CNN -- Atlanta.

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MICHAELSON: That looked like fun, Amanda. Thank you.

The nominations for the 78th Emmy Awards will be announced just a few hours from now. Actors Liza Colon-Zayas and Jeff Hiller will host the event at 8:30 a.m. here in L.A., 11:30 a.m. on the East Coast leading up to the big ceremony later this year.

Actor, director and producer Mariska Hargitay will host the awards show honoring the best in television on September 14th.

"The Pitt", "Pluribus", "Hacks" and "Willow Bay" expected to lead the pack. We'll have more on that when I see you tomorrow for more of THE STORY IS.

I'm Elex Michaelson. Thanks so much for watching us here in Los Angeles.

We leave you with live pictures right now from that NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. The meetings expected to go throughout the day. President Trump expected to speak to the group about an hour and a half from now.

We will have live coverage of all of it throughout the day here on CNN.

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