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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
U.S. Resumes Strikes in Iran; ICE Fatally Shoots Maine Man, Second Person in a Week; France Battles Huge Blaze During Europe's Third Heat Wave; Legacy of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham in Focus After Sudden Death; Late Republican Senator was a Foreign Policy Hawk; A Father's Dangerous Journey to the Site of His Son's Killing; World Cup Semifinals Kick Off Tuesday with Spain versus France. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired July 14, 2026 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles.
Coming up, THE STORY IS the collapsed ceasefire with Iran and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. hits targets inside Iran for a third straight night.
THE STORY IS ICE agents shoot and kill an immigrant in Maine. Now the community, state and federal authorities are demanding answers. The mayor of Biddeford joins me to discuss the shooting.
And THE STORY IS in France. As the country celebrates Bastille Day, hundreds of firefighters are struggling to contain a massive wildfire near Paris.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: Thanks for joining us. THE TOP STORY IS the U.S. strikes on Iran for a third consecutive night, as President Trump says that the U.S. will be the, quote, "Guardian of the Strait of Hormuz." U.S. Central Command says its forces have completed the latest wave of strikes, and the mission targeted Iran's, quote, "ability to attack commercial shipping."
Social media footage shows the aftermath of the strikes in southeastern Iran, and President Trump says the U.S. may soon control the Strait of Hormuz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are just going forward. We're attacking them tonight, and we're taking out all of their capability for anything having to do with the strait, with the Hormuz Strait. And I think in the end, we will end up just controlling the whole thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: President Trump also announced that the U.S. will resume its naval blockade on Iranian ships in the coming hours.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins asked President Trump when the conflict is expected to end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You've been bombing Iran for months now. Is this just the new normal for the American people?
TRUMP: No. Well, you know, we're in Vietnam for 19 years. We're here for four months. So I think we've done a lot. We've knocked out their Navy in a period of one month. We knocked out their air force. Air force is nonexistent. We knocked out most of their missiles, most of their drones. We knocked out their drone manufacturing capability, about 92 percent. Their missile capability for manufacturing, we knocked out 89 percent. And they have a little capability, but they don't have any capability for us. This is almost a military skirmish.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Oil prices are reacting after President Trump said the U.S. is reinstating its blockade of Iranian shipping in the Gulf. Tehran has already announced it was closing that vital waterway.
Oil prices jumped more than 9 percent on Monday after the announcement. They are still well below their Iran war peaks of above $110 per barrel, but have been rebounding higher in response to the surging tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
Joining me now to discuss all the developments is Benjamin Radd, a political scientist and senior fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations, and retired General Wesley Clark, a former NATO Supreme Allied commander and founder of Renew America Together.
Welcome to you both.
General, let's start with you. What should happen right now with the Strait of Hormuz? Should the U.S. control it? And what would they have to do to actually make that happen?
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: Well, I think the U.S. has to prevent Iran from being able to interfere with shipping going in and out. It needs to be restored to the status of an international waterway with free passage. But Iran is blocking it and so it's a smart thing to put the blockade on Iran's shipping back in, and step by step Admiral Cooper of the Central Command is taking out Iran's military assets that can be used to attack shipping and close the strait.
[00:05:17]
By far, he's got underwater assets. He's got aircraft. He's got the remote controlled boats. The drone boats that can go in there. So he's got a lot of assets. We've spent a long time looking at the intelligence, at the assets the Iranians have. And so he's going after this step by step to take away Iran's ability to close the strait or harass shipment. That's what he should be doing. That's what he is doing.
MICHAELSON: Is it enough assets to achieve that goal?
CLARK: I think he has enough to do it. But if I were making recommendations to him, I'd say also you need to do more than cut off Iran's shipping. You need to close the rail lines and road lines that are enabling Russia and China to reinforce Iran while the blockade is on. So that means taking out the infrastructure in the north and the eastern part of the country, cutting the rail lines, highways and so forth.
MICHAELSON: Ben, to you, at this point, is diplomacy dead?
BENJAMIN RADD, SENIOR FELLOW, UCLA BURKLE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: The reason we're here -- do you remember the MOU was supposed to create a space of 60 days for negotiations on the nuclear issue? That part of it is not happening. While this fighting is going on and the focus is on the strait, there's no talk of re-entering discussions about Iran's nuclear program.
So that part of the diplomacy is gone. Now, the diplomacy, if there's any left, would be how to end the fight over the strait and to reach some sort of an agreement that would allow ships to pass and both countries could benefit from it.
MICHAELSON: If diplomacy is essentially dead, are we now in a, quote- unquote, "forever war"? Is there an end to this?
RADD: Yes. And that was a great question. You saw Kaitlan asked the president. From his perspective, it's a matter of diminishing Iran's capacity to the point where they can't sustain a war, and they still are in economic freefall. I mean, the country is suffering domestically. And if it's one thing we've seen from this government is its capability of providing domestically for its people is not there.
And now the question is, how long can Iran sustain this offensive against the United States while it is battling its own domestic forces?
MICHAELSON: And General, let me ask that question to you. How long can Iran sustain this and how should the U.S. further isolate Iran?
CLARK: Well, I don't know exactly how long Iran can sustain it. But as you begin to cut off their ability to stop shipping, and as you take away their ability to be reinforced by Russia and China, you do put the squeeze on Iran. And step by step, the IRGC will recognize that it has to return to diplomacy. And so it may be two weeks, it may be three weeks, it may be four weeks, or maybe stop and goes.
There may be discussions underway, but you have to take away Iran's leverage. They think they've won. And so what's happening now is proving to them that they haven't won. So once they realize they're losing, they're going to lose bigger if they keep going, that could bring them back into the negotiating process. That's the intent. Can you do more? Sure. You can, first of all, isolate the country as I said earlier.
You also should isolate the area around the strait, Bandar Abbas. It's in mountainous terrain. It's got two or three major access roads. Take them out, cut their ability to reinforce and to replace losses in that area. And you can do more. You can take out landline communications and so forth. There are any number of targets that can still be taken out in Iran that will further convince the IRGC they're in a losing game. That's what you want to do. It's about leverage.
MICHAELSON: And Ben, to you, everything that the general is just talking about there would certainly make life more complicated for the Iranian regime. The Iranian regime has to govern. We've seen so much attention recently with the funeral for the ayatollah that got a lot of publicity, but they got to make things work for their country.
How do they do that and how good a job are they doing of that right now?
RADD: There's one person that can deliver on that domestically and one person who has a credibility to bring -- to make concessions to bring the conflict to an end and not suffer politically. That's the current supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. The question is, and I brought this up last time I was on your show, where is he?
MICHAELSON: Right.
RADD: That's -- so the one person who has the legitimacy under Iran's system to actually affect domestic changes and to make deals with the United States to end the conflict is the one person who is absent and missing. That's the challenge for this regime now.
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MICHAELSON: Yes. And that makes it very difficult to govern as well.
RADD: Indeed.
MICHAELSON: Ben, thank you. General, thank you so much. Really appreciate both of you for sharing your expertise as we get started on this evening.
Now, THE STORY IS a second immigrant to the U.S. shot and killed by ICE agents in less than a week. This time in the state of Maine. A neighbor has identified him as 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero. He's from Colombia. An immigrant rights group says he was authorized to work in the U.S..
We want to warn you video of the aftermath is very disturbing.
The Department of Homeland Security has issued a statement saying, "ICE law enforcement attempted to conduct a vehicle stop. The vehicle attempted to flee the scene, and fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon." That has sparked protests, a vigil, lots of questions about why an officer would shoot a fleeing vehicle.
More now on all of this from CNN's Jason Carroll. Another warning his report contains more disturbing video.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): State and federal authorities are investigating another ICE involved shooting, this time in Biddeford, Maine.
Maine Senator Angus King saying he spoke to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who shared that the victim of today's federal law enforcement shooting, identified as a 26-year-old Colombian man, was not the target of the warrant. This, in contrast to an earlier conversation in which Senator King shared that Secretary Mullin told him the victim was the target.
Witnesses tell CNN shots rang out early Monday morning around 7:15.
LAURA PETERS, HEARD SHOOTING: I was getting my DoorDash and I thought I heard a car backfiring and asked the DoorDash driver if that was a car. He said he didn't know. So we kind of went down to the corner and saw a bunch of vehicles pull up at the same time, marked and unmarked.
EM AKERLEY, WITNESSED AFTERMATH OF SHOOTING: I heard a rapid fire of gunshots afterwards. I got up and went to the window and that's when I saw the little white car being driven in a circle like it was circling the intersection with two officers pressed up against his driver's side door.
CARROLL (voice-over): Video from the scene shows officers hanging from the side of a white Kia sedan, and moments later, a second video shows agents in vests providing aid to a man on the ground. The victim had work authorization in the United States and was issued a Social Security number that, according to the Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition.
"We are grieving, we are furious, and we will not allow his death to be treated as routine or inevitable," the organization said in a statement.
REP. CHELLIE PINGREE (D-ME): No one should be shot by ICE under circumstances like this. We have also heard that the individual's family was nearby and that a young child was there. A lethal killing is never justified in my opinion, in a case like this, but we don't know exactly what went on. We don't know if the individual had a weapon. None of those things have been made clear to us. We've asked for a thorough investigation.
CARROLL (voice-over): According to the Maine attorney general, the man was attempting to flee in a vehicle in the direction of the officer before he was shot. This comes just days after another fatal case in Houston, where officials say an ICE agent shot and killed a 52-year- old Mexican national. Both shootings have sparked protests and calls for accountability across the country, with many questioning ICE's tactics during traffic stops.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Jason Carroll in Biddeford.
Joining us now is the mayor of Biddeford, Liam LaFountain.
Mr. Mayor, thanks for being with us. What is the federal government telling you? And do you feel like they've been transparent with you?
MAYOR LIAM LAFOUNTAIN, BIDDEFORD, MAINE: Well, thank you for having me on. And the federal government, I've been in contact almost every other hour with Senator Angus King, who represents the state of Maine, who has been providing updates to us. Those are the majority of the updates I've received, as well as from our governor's office, but have not received any information from ICE.
MICHAELSON: Are your local law enforcement officers working with the federal government?
LAFOUNTAIN: Our law enforcement are committed to public safety in the city of Biddeford. That's their goal. That has been their goal. That's what they continue to do. They were on the scene after the incident took place to provide security and a perimeter, but they were not involved in the interaction with the individual.
MICHAELSON: What -- you've been out on the streets, you've been at vigils and protests. What are people telling you in your community about this shooting?
LAFOUNTAIN: I have heard from people all across the city, all across our state and the country that they're thinking and caring about Biddeford right now.
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They're looking out for this family and the individuals that are all impacted. I see the video you have up on the screen now very recently at Mechanics Park in downtown Biddeford, where people gathered to (INAUDIBLE) their support for this community. And we appreciate people coming out and sending that message.
MICHAELSON: The governor of Maine asked -- put out a statement asking for ICE operations in Maine to stop. She said, quote, "This development makes this tragedy even more disturbing and infuriating, and it underscores the reckless and haphazard manner in which immigration enforcement operations are being conducted in Maine and across this country. This has to end."
Do you agree with her?
LAFOUNTAIN: We can't have people killing people in our country like this. And what I'm calling for, as other Maine officials are, is a thorough, full and transparent investigation so we can find out the facts of this case and provide accountability to our residents and families impacted.
MICHAELSON: And what is this like for your community, to a community of 20,000 people, to all of a sudden be in the center of this national debate on immigration, on ICE and all these, you know, very controversial issues? How is that -- how is your community dealing with that?
LAFOUNTAIN: Well, I think, I mean, speaking for myself, you know, we're a country that needs immigration reform, but this is what we saw today is not it. And our community is steadfast. We're a community that's proud of our immigrant history. In the 18th and 19th Century, immigrants in our city built this city. And even today, we welcome more and more immigrants from across the globe. And an incident like this, it's really hard.
MICHAELSON: Yes. Well, we're feeling for everybody's family involved in all of this. And we thank you for taking some time to join us.
Mayor Liam LaFountain of Biddeford, Maine, thank you so much.
LAFOUNTAIN: Thank you for having me.
MICHAELSON: Bastille Day celebrations are underway in France. Fireworks lit up the Paris skyline as crowds gathered around the Eiffel Tower to mark the country's biggest national holiday. And there's more to come. In just a few hours President Emmanuel Macron will preside over France's annual Bastille Day military parade.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are expected to attend. Ahead of the events, Macron told allies on Monday that France and Europe have come a long way in strengthening their defense capabilities.
Meanwhile, French firefighters are battling a wildfire raging through a historic forest south of Paris. It's one of several wildfires to ignite as Western Europe bakes under its third heatwave since May. Crews have been scooping water from the Seine River to help battle the flames. The fire has forced many residents from their homes, and police say they are investigating whether it was deliberately set.
CNN's Melissa Bell has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've come as really as close as we can to but to give you a little perspective, those are not clouds that you see behind me. That is the fire coming from that fire. Still not fixed, say authorities. So they still haven't managed to contain it. And what we understand, as authorities have spoken about what has been happening here since last night, we're about 60 kilometers to the southeast of Paris.
This is most unusual to see wildfires this far north. What we understand is that this fire started last night. There were two different fires that started on either side of this main motorway. The A-6 that leads south out of Paris, right by Orly Airport. Those two fires have now, say authorities, become one and it is raging out of control. As you say, 800 hectares already burned. It's about a fifth of the forest of Fontainebleau, this very ancient forest here to the southeast of Paris.
And just behind me, near where that fire is currently raging. Of course, the famous Chateau of Fontainebleau, the royal residence here in France, and one of the most famous royal residences there are. So still not contained. And what we're hearing is that this nearly 1,000 hectare fire now is likely to continue being pushed on by the kind of winds that we've been seeing. But it is also very dry conditions.
We're now in the middle of our third heat wave in just a month and a half. Already across France, it is 32,000 hectares that have burned. That is more than the entire season of wildfires, of heat of 2025. And it gives you an idea of just how dry the earth is and just how hot the air is.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Melissa.
We are now learning who will finish Lindsey Graham's Senate term. It will be a sister. We'll hear from her just ahead. Plus, tensions are rising in the West Bank. Still to come, how some Israeli settlers are threatening Americans traveling in the region.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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MICHAELSON: No casualties have been reported after Russia fired missiles at Kyiv. The attack took place just hours after Ukraine and a group of European nations announced an air defense coalition. It would include plans to build shared ballistic missile defense capabilities. Meantime, in the U.S., a White House official says that President Trump will support the passage of a bipartisan Russia sanctions package spearheaded by the late Senator Lindsey Graham.
That package would clear the way for the president to impose tariffs on imports from nations that buy Russian oil and natural gas in an effort to further weaken Moscow amid the war with Ukraine.
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Now all this coming just two days after Graham died suddenly over the weekend from what a medical examiner's preliminary findings shows was an aortic dissection. On Monday, a vase of white roses was placed at Graham's desk on the Senate floor as his colleagues paid tribute to him.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune described Graham this way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): There wasn't anybody who was a more colorful character, more passionate about the work that he was involved with, but always brought an energy and a sense of enthusiasm that was contagious to anybody that was around him. It's a huge loss for -- institutionally for the Senate, but it's a huge loss for those of us who knew him well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: South Carolina's governor has now appointed Graham's sister to serve out the rest of his Senate term. She said her brother had always been there for her, and now she will be there for him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DARLINE GRAHAM NORDONE, SISTER OF THE LATE SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM: It is such a privilege to get to finish some of his important work, and I promise to work hard over the next several months to support the president and carry forward the efforts of my brother on behalf of the citizens of South Carolina and the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Joining me here live in Los Angeles, Melanie Mason, California bureau chief at "Politico" and co-author of California's "Politico Playbook," and Steven Olikara, senior fellow for Political Reform at the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, founding CEO of Bridge Entertainment Labs and a former U.S. Senate candidate. Quite the titles there.
Welcome back, both of you.
Steven, let's start with you. As somebody who ran for the United States Senate and has studied the Senate very closely, what made Senator Graham such an effective senator?
STEVEN OLIKARA, SENIOR FELLOW FOR POLITICAL REFORM, USC SCHWARZENEGGER INSTITUTE: Well, I think the key to his success is really stemming from his journey. An American story. I like to say he went from the pool hall to the halls of Congress. I mean, he grew up in the back of this bar that his family ran, shared a bathroom with the patrons who were going there, and he wound up becoming one of the most influential members of the U.S. Senate.
That's an incredible American story. And the other piece of that is he's been a political survivor. His ability to reinvent himself from multiple eras of politics. From being a Bush Republican to a Trump Republican, has been interesting. Democrats have been frustrated with him over the years on a number of issues. But I think one key to his success has been his ability to build relationships.
His use of humor and wit helped him a lot along the way. And you can point to a number of key bipartisan bills over the years that may not have passed if not for Lindsey Graham. You look at the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform he passed with Cory Booker, or the bipartisan gun reform he passed with Chris Murphy. And I think when you look at these U.S. senators, Democrats, they've all universally been saying how much they enjoyed his relationship with him. So I think that was key to his success.
MICHAELSON: And some have criticized him for what they see as sort of being so cynical that you maybe don't have principles, you know, that he was so anti-Trump, then became so close with Trump. He would argue, Melanie, that this is the way to get things done. And
if he would have gone out after Donald Trump in the way that some other critics have, they'd be at home, whereas he was right in the middle of the Senate gaining power. He described himself recently as the most influential he'd ever been.
MELANIE MASON, CALIFORNIA BUREAU CHIEF, POLITICO: Well, and that's the key word, influence, right? I mean, I think it was his theory of influence. And I think for somebody who has been in government as long as he had been and had very sort of defined views, particularly when it came to foreign policy, I think that as he saw the evolution of the Republican Party, I think that he made that calculus, that in order to retain that influence, in order to pass through the policy priorities that he had, that he had to himself undergo an evolution.
And I think in some ways in miniature, it's kind of the change of the Republican Party is what we saw in the change in Lindsey Graham. And of course, that is what has frustrated so many Democrats. But I think that, look, it kept him in the room.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
MASON: And I think that was -- that is the key power brokering for senators.
MICHAELSON: Well, and part of what he was so passionate about was foreign policy. And this interventionist, hawkish view, which was sort of more old school Republican. Somebody who stood up for Ukraine, somebody who's been advocating for a war with Iran for many, many years. Somebody who was in favor strongly of the wars with Iraq and Afghanistan.
Does that exist anymore in the Republican Party? And if so, who sort of takes over that part of Graham's legacy?
MASON: I mean, it absolutely is a sort of shrinking part of the party. There's no question about it. I mean, I think in some ways, their hawkishness still exists because, you know, we are still seeing a country at war, right?
MICHAELSON: Right.
MASON: I mean, you know, President Trump did decide to pursue this Iran policy and based on --
MICHAELSON: After being pushed by Lindsey Graham.
MASON: Right. But also from other people in his Cabinet, and I mean, there was --
MICHAELSON: Yes. And the prime minister of Israel.
MASON: Well, that obviously was a pretty influential voice as well. But I think that the point being that, you know, really it's only Vice President J.D. Vance that seems right now within the White House to be that sort of isolationist voice. You have people like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, I think, who maybe represents that old guard.
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But there's no question that that is a shrinking part of the party, and this more "America first," more isolationist strain is the one that's dominant right now.
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: And you talked about, Steven, Senator Graham's backstory. And part of that backstory when he was 21 years old, both of his parents died very soon after one another.
And he had this 11-year-old sister that he adopted so that she would get his benefits, and he became her caretaker. Well, now, she's becoming the caretaker of that Senate seat. I mean, it's a -- really a beautiful story.
STEVEN OLIKARA, SENIOR FELLOW FOR POLITICAL REFORM, USC SCHWARZENEGGER INSTITUTE: It is. I think his -- his sister and Lindsey Graham, they have such a special relationship. And, you know, she's really the closest thing he has to, you know, family right now.
And so, for them to appoint her, you know, it certainly means that she will carry on Lindsey Graham's legacy. We don't know what type of leader, what type of senator she'll be. She'll finish out the term.
But I think for Democrats, Republicans, and independents who are looking at this very complicated story and legacy of Lindsey Graham -- and I certainly don't share his views, especially on -- on foreign policy. But I think this American story is something that you can connect with. He really was an underdog who translated a lot of that pain, ultimately, into power in the U.S. Senate.
MICHAELSON: Yes. And part of the way, Melanie, he was an old school senator was that he really liked the media and talked to the media all the time, you know, for many, many years.
You think about the old-school senators, the guys that he used to serve with, people like John McCain, and Joe Biden, and Chuck Schumer and people who were very, very easy to get a quote from, for those of us that have been in -- in Capitol Hill. You say the first senator you ever interviewed --
MASON: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- was Lindsey Graham.
MASON: When I was a little baby intern for "Politico," actually, I was, you know, waiting outside the Senate Tuesday lunches. And he was the first person that I talked to.
And you're right, he -- he liked talking to the press. He, A, I think, saw it as part of the job of being a senator. And I think he saw that as a way to communicate to his constituents, but also into the national conversation.
But I also think he just thought it was fun. My colleague Jonathan Martin had this great line, where he said that he saw every interaction with the press as -- as an opportunity instead of a risk. And I do think he seizes these -- of seized these opportunities.
And I think that the reason that reporters have so many good anecdotes now that they're sharing is because he sought out those types of interactions with reporters. And that is just rarer and rarer these days.
MICHAELSON: Yes. I mean, and our friend Peter Hamby talked about that tonight in this great article in "Puck," as well, where he talked about the fact that Lindsey Graham enjoyed sharing a drink at the end of the day with a lot of reporters. So, a lot of reporters have stories of -- of Lindsey Graham.
And he was somebody who really enjoyed the old-school version of politicking: of going into communities and shaking hands. And -- and it's sort of a different era. And -- and there's some value in that era, as well, as we sort of say goodbye to that era.
Melanie, Steven, you're coming back. We're not saying goodbye to you just yet. We're going to talk about some of the politics involved with what's happening in Maine in our next hour with you.
Also, still ahead here on THE STORY IS, a preview of France versus Spain. The two heavyweights meet on the pitch in just a few hours, hoping to advance in the World Cup. A lot of people think the winner of this is going to win the World Cup. We break it down with Max Bretos, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:38:14]
MICHAELSON: Welcome back to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaels. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
President Trump says he wants the U.S. to be reimbursed for protection in the Middle East. He suggests the U.S. would offer protection in the Strait of Hormuz for a, quote, "20 percent on all cargo shipped."
Iran's foreign minister agrees with Trump's proposal, but says 20 percent is too much, and that Tehran would be, quote, "be fair."
In the coming hours, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to lead his final cabinet meeting before leaving office.
Starmer announced his resignation just weeks ago after months of political turmoil and mounting pressure from his own party for the meeting. He's set to attend Bastille Day celebrations in Paris at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.
The U.S. Homeland Security Department is investigating another fatal shooting by an ICE officer. A 25-year-old Colombian immigrant was killed today in Biddeford, Maine.
Senator Angus King says the man was not the target of the enforcement operation. DHS says the officer opened fire when the man attempted to flee the scene in a vehicle.
U.S. Congressman Ro Khanna is back in the U.S. after a harrowing trip to the West Bank last week. Khanna says he and other Americans were blockaded by armed Israeli settlers for more than an hour.
He also claims that when IDF soldiers arrived at the scene, they sided with the settlers. Khanna says his team was ultimately freed only after the U.S. embassy contacted a high-ranking Israeli official.
The IDF has denied that its personnel participated in that blockade.
This isn't the only such incident in the West Bank. As CNN's Jeremy Diamond shows us, a CNN crew and the father of a Palestinian-American killed by settlers last year were also confronted this past weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kamel Musallet hasn't been able to reach this land in over a year. This is the hillside where his son, Saif, an American citizen, was killed.
[00:40:08]
DIAMOND: It's like it's down here, if you want to walk.
KAMEL MUSALLET, SON KILLED BY ISRAELI SETTLERS: Yes.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Beaten to death by Israeli settlers exactly one year ago. Since then, settlers have illegally occupied the area, preventing this father from getting the closure he so desperately seeks.
MUSALLET: We have to keep an eye, because usually they'll come down that way.
DIAMOND (voice-over): We've come here in an armored vehicle wearing bulletproof vests because of how violent these settlers have been. But we've made it.
DIAMOND: What does it feel like to finally be here after a year?
MUSALLET: It's just like I'm -- to be honest with you, I'm imagining, like -- now just imagining him, you know, like. So, it's just -- it's just -- it's a lot going on in my head right now. Like just what he went through there, at that moment.
DIAMOND: I'll let you take a moment. Come on.
DIAMOND (voice-over): But this solemn, sacred moment won't last. Within seconds, we spot a car speeding towards us. We start to leave. But as we drive away, we see that four settlers have set up a roadblock.
Armed with clubs and rocks, they try and block our way: first with their bodies. And then --
DIAMOND: And now it looks like he's trying to slash our tires. He's trying to slash our tires.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, he's got a knife. He's going --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God.
DIAMOND (voice-over): A group of independent journalists and activists are in the car behind us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Move, move, move!
DIAMOND (voice-over): But their vehicle isn't armored.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Move! Move!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go, go!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Move!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go, go! Watch out, watch out!
MUSALLET: Without an armored car, without a bulletproof vest, how do I get to my land? The Israeli army should -- right now should be here and kicking them out. It's illegal for them to be there. It's frustrating. It's -- You're so angry, and you can't do nothing about it. It just kills you from inside.
DIAMOND (voice-over): But the settlers aren't done. More arrive, blocking another road before chasing us and attacking us again.
DIAMOND: No. They're trying to stop our car again. They're hitting us.
DIAMOND (voice-over): We finally make it back to safety, where I get on the phone with the Israeli military, which was responsible for security in this area.
But settlers have also called the military, and these soldiers are only interested in harassing us, refusing to take action against the settlers.
Minutes later, the commander of a different battalion arrives and sends his soldiers after the settlers, detaining them until the police arrive.
The Israel police said they arrested four suspects and seized clubs and a knife. They vow to, quote, "bring them to justice accordingly."
A full year later, Kamel Musallet is still waiting for his son's killers to be brought to justice.
MUSALLET: No one's been arrested, no accountability.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Saif was just two weeks shy of his 21st birthday when he was killed. A Florida native, he had been visiting his family in the West Bank.
At the time, U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee condemned Musallet's killing as a criminal and terrorist act and vowed to pressure Israel to bring his killers to justice.
DIAMOND: I reached out to the U.S. embassy. I sent them a list of questions, and this is the response they gave me. They said, "The Trump administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans. Due to privacy considerations, we have no further information to provide at this time."
MUSALLET: I just feel if that was true, you know, they would do something about it, you know, at least an open investigation. You know, that's the least that they could do.
If it was anywhere else in the world, an American citizen was killed by a mob of extremists, of terrorists, what kind of outrage would there be? You know, how disappointed would Saifullah be right now that, you know, his U.S. passport did nothing for him?
DIAMOND (voice-over): Saif believed in that blue passport.
SAIFULLAH MUSALLET, KILLED BY ISRAELI SETTLERS IN WEST BANK: Blue is blue. Not because he's a Palestinian-American. He's just an American.
DIAMOND (voice-over): But his family is still waiting for it to mean something, anything, in their pursuit of justice.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Sinjil, the West Bank.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Some extraordinary reporting from Jeremy Diamond there.
We are following new developments in the case of a Colombian man shot and killed by an ICE officer in Maine. We'll have more from the mayor of Biddeford, and our panel will weigh in. Stay with us.
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[00:49:28]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Row! Row! Row!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Row! Row! Row!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Row! Row! Row!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: That was Norway's football team.
Taking part in the now famous Viking row outside of the royal palace in Oslo, with the Norwegian crown prince playing the drum.
Tens of thousands of fans gave the team a heroes' welcome after they were eliminated from the World Cup on Saturday by England. It was Norway's most successful World Cup to date, as the men reached their first-ever quarterfinal.
The World Cup semifinals kick off tomorrow in Dallas with a showdown between two of the heaviest of heavyweights. Top-ranked France will put its star-studded offense to the test against the number three- ranked Spanish team that's allowed just one goal in the whole tournament so far.
The winner moves on to the final on Sunday.
Max Bretos is a play-by-play announcer for Major League Soccer on Apple TV. He's also been doing a lot of work on Sirius XM during this World Cup, as well.
Max, welcome back. France versus Spain. Are these the two best teams in the tournament?
MAX BRETOS, PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCER, MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER ON APPLE TV: This is the final. I would -- they could still lose a final. But this is like a bonus final. And this is fantastic.
These two teams actually played in the European championships two years ago in the semifinals. Spain won that.
France was my pick from the beginning, and I'm sticking with it. But this is a really intriguing game, because we've talked about how great Kylian Mbappe and his team is, and they've run through teams. But they haven't played a team like Spain.
Spain have been the most -- the hardest tested team. When you look, they had to play Portugal and Belgium. They possessed the ball. They're going to push. They're going to test the French backline.
And Lamine Yamal, who hasn't -- has one goal. He's a superstar. But he leads the World Cup in every data: one-on-one challenges, passing, interior passing, final third passing. I think he might be having his big game.
I'm tempted to change my championship pick, because I really like this Spanish team. This is going to be a feast for the eyes. Definitely tune into this.
MICHAELSON: I mean, how is it that they've only given away one goal in the whole tournament?
BRETOS: That's not their strong point.
MICHAELSON: What is it about the Spanish defense?
BRETOS: I'll tell you what it is. They -- they have the ball on their feet the whole time. And France will try and get a piece of it. But that's part of it. They protect their defense. The goalkeeper has to make one or two big saves. Unai Simon and --defensive, they have been good. They are very strong defensively -- moving forward in the midfield, and they have just played a really perfect tournament.
Even though they started a little spotty, they have an all-around team. I'm a little worried about the French defense, because it hasn't been tested. It's going to be tested tomorrow.
MICHAELSON: So, that match is at 3 Eastern, noon Pacific.
BRETOS: It's for a European audience.
MICHAELSON: It's almost like it's prime time in Europe --
BRETOS: It is.
MICHAELSON: -- when this is on. And it wasn't necessarily designed. Almost because they knew that these were going to be the people that are there.
BRETOS: We knew. We knew they were going to be there --
MICHAELSON: Yes, yes.
BRETOS: -- at the end. Wasn't going to be the USA, Elex, I'm afraid.
MICHAELSON: Also there, the next day is going to be England versus Argentina. Some big, big star power in this. Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Lionel Messi all on one pitch.
How do you see this one?
BRETOS: Well, Argentina has kind of slept-walked through this tournament. The Cape Verde result, which well-documented. They escaped.
Egypt, they were down two goals. They came back. You've got to give them credit for fighting back.
And then Lionel Messi. And I'll tell you one thing that's been good is he's been getting help offensively. Julian Alvarez scored the incredible goal against the Swiss. They were against the ropes against the Swiss before the red card to Breel Embolo.
But Argentina are here. They're the reigning champs. They don't look good. But to underestimate them, do that at your own peril. England, they are a big tournament team. They have made a semifinal or a final in the euros the last two times. They are not here by accident.
This is also a rematch of a -- it was -- it was a semifinal in 1986 of the World Cup, which was -- you know, had a lot of subplots because of the -- the hatred between the two countries coming off the Falkland Wars.
It's not that situation, but there's no love lost between the English and the Argentines.
MICHAELSON: We're not -- we're not quite there --
BRETOS: This is going to be a hot pot.
MICHAELSON: All right. So now, today we heard from the FIFA president that FIFA wants to make more money. BRETOS: Why not?
MICHAELSON: Which seems to be a thing. They seem to be doing very good at that.
So, the concept: that they would maybe expand the tournament to 64 teams. Good idea, bad idea? They say every country deserves a chance to play.
BRETOS: We want to see the Vatican City play American Samoa in the World Cup. You want to see that, Elex?
MICHAELSON: I mean, yes.
BRETOS: It won't be --
MICHAELSON: Were they all white (ph)?
BRETOS: Don't underestimate the Swiss guard by any means.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
BRETOS: But it is a good idea, because the 48 teams, we had this third-place mess. So, now it's clean cut. You'll have group stages. Thirty-two teams advance. First and second. Third and fourth goes home.
And it really doesn't matter at the end of the day. Maybe we get rid of the third-place game with 64 teams. But Elex, it doesn't matter if it's 64 or 48 or 128. You know why? Because at the end, the semifinals are going to be France or Spain.
And Argentina versus England. You could have 800 teams in the tournament. You'll have the same teams.
MICHAELSON: But in the meantime, a lot more countries feel included.
BRETOS: Yes.
MICHAELSON: TV rights go up, right? And --
BRETOS: Who loses here?
MICHAELSON: -- a lot of people make money on attendance and more people travel to the country. So, it's all good.
BRETOS: Yes.
MICHAELSON: The amount of money that FIFA is going to make out of this whole thing when their TV rights deals go up and everything, it's crazy.
BRETOS: We might see a little bit of that action. Maybe. Maybe they'll trickle it down to the broadcasters who love this World Cup. It will give you a little stipend for being so good, because we have all this money. We don't know what to do with it. MICHAELSON: Yes, that's how it works, right? Trickle down always
works. Yes.
All right. Max, thank you so much.
BRETOS: Thanks, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Enjoy this week.
BRETOS: We finally made it.
MICHAELSON: It's going to be fun.
Major League Baseball, by the way, they've got a new Home Run Derby champion. We'll reveal the winner, talk all things All-Star Week with ESPN MLB reporter Alden Gonzalez in the next hour.
[00:55:08]
But up next, our top stories, including new developments with Iran.
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MICHAELSON: A count of the royal swan population is underway in Britain. The 800-year-old tradition is called swan upping. It involves tallying all the swans on stretches of the River Thames.
