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White House Rushes to Upgrade Qatar-gifted Plane; Americans Feelings on Iran War; Maine Senate Hopeful Faces Scrutiny; House Democrats Launch Epstein Probe; Tampa International Airport Moves to Privatize TSA. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired July 21, 2026 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:31:14]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, we have new reporting on the security upgrades needed for the new Air Force One gifted to President Trump by Qatar. The White House is apparently quickly moving now in trying to upgrade the plane after administration officials had internal talks about the president avoiding flying on it in high threat areas. President Trump himself appeared to acknowledge the security concerns, saying that the plane needs to be, quote, "maxed out" with upgrades.

CNN's Betsy Klein is live at the White House for us this morning with more on this.

So, what is the latest here? This is like the latest twist in the kind of ongoing controversy and questions around this new plane.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Exactly. That plane maxing is set to begin soon as the White House is making a plan to quickly upgrade that Qatari gifted Air Force One that President Trump unveiled just a few weeks ago.

And this comes with some remarkable reporting from our colleague Kristen Holmes. She says that according to two sources familiar with the matter, there were internal discussions among Trump administration officials , about whether President Trump should avoid flying that new plane in high threat areas.

Now, the extent of these forthcoming upgrades are unclear, but it comes after the president returned from Turkey on the old plane after flying there on the new plane. He said that was because the new plane was going to be sent to Mildenhall Air Force Base in the United Kingdom for service members to give it a tour. But we reported at the time, just a couple of weeks ago, that that decision was driven, at least in part, by escalating security concerns, as this conflict with Iran had been ramping up in those days.

Now, before that trip, officials had discussed the possibility of Trump not traveling on that plane to high risk areas. But the decision was ultimately made for the president to proceed on this brand-new plane. It was cleared for use. The president traveling to Ankara for the G-7 Summit.

Now, officials, one of those sources, told Kristen, later realized that clearing it for use on that trip was a mistake. And now they are going to take some steps to rectify that. We've heard from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. In a statemen she says, quote, "the new Air Force One is perfectly safe for the president's travels, but will receive additional upgrades and enhancements in the fall, which will take approximately one month to complete."

Now, the president is still expected to use this plane for some domestic trips, as well as the possibility of international trips in the coming months before those upgrades. But some experts have warned that that one month timeline isn't enough for the extent of the security upgrades that they say are needed.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: All right, Betsy, thank you for the latest on this ongoing question surrounding this plane.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, so, this morning, we heard from the president of Iran, who said his country is engaged in a full-scale war with the United States. Now, depending on how you look at this, it is either a new phase of the same war, a second flare up in the war, or just one long, continuous war. Nevertheless, one question is, how do Americans feel about where we are right now in this war and the presidents handling of it.

With us now, CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten.

Good to see you, sir.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Nice to see you, Johnny B.

BERMAN: We were talking yesterday. I was curious, given that we do appear to be in full scale fighting again, I wanted to know, how do Americans feel about it this time around versus where they were at the beginning?

ENTEN: Yes. Historically unpopular. That's the phrase that I would use. The war was unpopular to start off with, and it's become even less popular. You could see it right here. OK, "Washington Post" poll, Trump's Iran war net approval rating. In early March, look at this, it was way down there at minus 13 points. Very rare for a war to start off underwater on the net approval, that is approval minus disapproval.

But look at how far down we are now.

[08:35:01]

Right into the Red Sea. Forty points underwater according to "The Washington Post" poll. Look, I tried to find every single poll I possibly could. I believe this minus 40 points represents the least popular poll in terms of Trump's net approval rating on the Iran war, the entire war so far. So as I said at the beginning, it started off unpopular, and now it is even more unpopular. Historically unpopular. Forty points underwater.

BERMAN: Well, since you're talking about history, put this in some historical perspective.

ENTEN: Yes, OK, let's put it in some historical perspective. You think the war has been worth it or not worth it? And why don't we take a look here? We can compare Iran in 2026 to Iraq in 2006. And keep in mind, the Iraq War, by this point in 2006, at this point in a midterm cycle, it had been going on for three years at this point. We're only a few months into this war. Think the war was worth it? Iraq in 2006, 58 percent said it was not worth it. And again, that was three years into that war. Look at this now. You think that 58 percent was high in terms of not worth it. Sixty-eight percent of Americans, more than two in three, say the Iran War was not worth it. Just 28 percent, less than a third of Americans, now say the Iran War was worth it, even less than the 40 percent who said the Iraq War was worth it. Again, at this point, heading into the 2006 midterm cycle. Of course we remember what happened in 2006. Republicans lost both the House and the Senate. And at this point, this 28 percent, even lower. And this 68 percent saying not worth it. Even higher than the 58 percent who said this about Iraq 20 years ago. And so, this is a very, very bad number for the president. And I think a lot of Republicans in Congress don't like this number one iota.

BERMAN: No, look, this is a notable difference. This was a devastating year for Republicans in the midterms there. And I'm really surprised, frankly, that the disapproval is that much higher at this point.

All right, who are these people? What is the partisan makeup of people saying that they don't think the Iran War is worth it?

ENTEN: Yes, the 68 percent not worth it. You know, just a devastating number for Republicans.

What is driving this number? Well, it's two groups that I think are just really interesting. Say the Iran War is not worth it. Look at this. Among all independents, it is 77 percent. More than three in four of all independents say its not worth it. How about GOP-leaning independents? These are independents who say they actually lean Republican. Sixty-three percent of them, more than three in five, nearly two in three say that, in fact, the Iran War is not worth it. Again, as I said at the beginning, this is a historically unpopular war. It's a war that is becoming only more unpopular. And while President Trump won't be on the ballot come November, a lot of Republicans in Congress will be. And they cannot like the look of these numbers, especially with a group of GOP-leaning independents who historically vote Republican.

BERMAN: They need these voters.

ENTEN: They need these voters. They need these voters. They need these voters. And right now, on the Iran War, they most certainly don't have these voters. BERMAN: Harry Enten, thank you very much.

ENTEN: Thank you, Johnny B.

BERMAN: And if you missed this presentation, it will be available on Instagram, without me, later today.

ENTEN: We're going to put a nice little picture for you on there.

BERMAN: Kate.

BOLDUAN: Like a -- oh, like a -- like a bobblehead of Berman would be amazing.

ENTEN: Yes, we could have a -- we could have a -- we could have a Johnny B. bobblehead. Wouldn't that be nice?

BOLDUAN: Yes. A Johnny B. I don't know what just happened there.

ENTEN: Johnny B.

BERMAN: Right. The vowel, it doesn't exist, but that's OK.

ENTEN: I make up accents all the time.

BERMAN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Let's go to this now. Thank you, boys.

New reporting today. Maine's likely Democratic candidate for Senate, Troy Jackson, is facing new scrutiny over his temperament. It all centers around an alleged incident five years ago when a female state legislator says Jackson threw a water bottle. She says it was aimed at her. His campaign says, while he acknowledges throwing the bottle, it was not directed in anyone's direction. The allegations do not stop there.

CNN's Mark Preston joining us now for more on this.

Mark, how is the campaign responding to this?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you know, first of all, good morning, Kate. And the campaign right now is pushing back very hard against this. The Jackson campaign notes that he has not been accused of any physical abuse or criminal wrongdoing, and even his critics are quick to separate his conduct in the Maine state house from the allegations against the former nominee, Graham Platner.

Now, the moment in question happened five years ago, when Jackson was just then the state senate president, and he clashed with fellow Democrats during a private meeting. Now, Jackson grew frustrated in this meeting, and according to sources, he threw a plastic water bottle across the room. A female legislator told her colleagues at the time that the incident deeply frightened her because she felt that Jackson was aiming to hit her with the bottle according to five sources who learned of the incident shortly after it occurred. Now, the legislator was distraught and she left the meeting that day. Months later, she decided not to run for re-election, in part, she said, because of Jackson's conduct, three of the sources told CNN.

Now, Jackson's campaign acknowledges to CNN Monday that he had thrown the water bottle during the meeting, but disputed he had lobbed it in anyone's directions. And in a statement, the campaign said, quote, "Troy Jackson is passionate and deeply invested in the people and policies he advocates for. Over 22 years in public office, there have been moments when he let his frustration get the better of him. When that happened, he took responsibility and apologized directly at the time."

[08:40:10]

Now, the campaign also says that the bottle was thrown away from anyone in the room, and it did not strike anybody. It refers Mike Lawrence, a state senator who was in the room at the time of this confrontation, who did tell CNN that he saw the bottle being thrown, but it was thrown away from others in the room.

Now, later, in a Democratic meeting, Jackson did address the water bottle incident and apologized, though it was not enough for some of the female lawmaker's allies according to two of the people that were in that room.

Now, the water bottle clash, which was first reported by "The Washington Post," was not a one-off for this lawmaker because Jackson was also known for pounding on desks, storming out of rooms, getting into shouting matches with members of his own party and swearing at colleagues, sources told CNN. With one of his former colleagues resorting to recording meetings out of concerns over Jackson's behavior, this source said.

Now, Jackson's team said that in a statement he was often involved in "heated, two-way disputes over consequential legislation among powerful elected leaders."

Kate.

BOLDUAN: So, that's kind of the history of it, but what do you make of this then in the context of where they are currently in a campaign?

PRESTON: Well, first of all, we should note, this is in no way a comparison to what we saw with Graham Platner. We should also note that he does come from an era of a time of politics. And, Kate, you and I saw this on Capitol Hill during our time up there, where there was this kind of intimidation that you would often see. And still, we often see it now in today's politics.

We also see intimidation tactics that occur every day here in Washington, D.C. I will tell you, even as a young reporter, I remember an editor being angry at me for one thing or another, picked up a telephone, launched it across the room. I'd also tell you that I was also pushed more than once by senators who were upset by the questions that I asked them. Again, politics was a different time back then. But what we are seeing is a new reckoning, so to speak, especially in the Democratic Party, especially being driven by young people, especially these young people being young women who are calling into account for some of the actions of folks who have done things in the past over the past 20, 30 years that people are now holding them to account for.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Mark, thank you so much for your take on that. I appreciate it.

John.

BERMAN: All right, with us now, political analyst -- CNN political analyst Zolan Kanno-Youngs. Also with us, White House reporter for "Politico," Sophia Cai. I should note, Zolan is with "The New York Times."

Let me just ask you, I'm going to phrase this like a question, the water bottle incident, Zolan, for real?

ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Look, this is what happens when you're now the guy, when you're picked now after a very, very fast process that we saw on who would replace Graham Platner. Your record is going to get scrutinized each and every incident that may be -- expose you to political vulnerabilities as you continue in this race.

We're now close to the general here. We're basically at a general. And with that you're going to see a, you know, thorough investigation at the pass of any new replacement for Graham Platner. In this case, Troy Jackson.

I do think what's interesting and something to watch here is just how fast they move to pick a replacement for Graham Platner. You know, there was talk over, are we going to see a sort of convention to pick a nominee, particularly after some of the lessons learned, or maybe were learned after 2024, where the Democratic Party essentially anointed a candidate to replace Joe Biden. They didn't really do that. They picked delegates that would support Troy Jackson. This is their guy that they're now moving with. We'll have to see how Maine voters respond to that.

BERMAN: Sophia, I want to be clear, I don't condone violence against water bottles in any way, but Democrats you talk to behind the scenes, Democratic elected officials we have here on the show, one of the things they tell us, and it's widely consistent, is they think that Democratic voters want fighters. Now, again, not fighters against water bottles, but they want people, candidates, elected officials who have passion and are willing to stand up for those passions.

So, part of me does wonder if this is something of a -- of a bad news story or a good news story, you know, wrapped in a bad news story for Mr. Jackson as he runs for office here, that this displays the kind of passion that some Democrats might want.

SOPHIA CAI, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, "POLITICO": He is clearly passionate. And remember, to your point, this is Democrats' best choice. Troy Jackson won three quarters of the delegates. So much that the rest of the contenders dropped out pretty much immediately. And, you know, the water bottle incident is very different from Graham Platner's issues, which were a lot more serious. So, you know, it's really apples and oranges.

And the other thing I should say is, another question Democratic voters that my colleagues have been talking to have mentioned is, does he have the it factor?

[08:45:07]

Graham Platner was someone who was a very gifted public speaker, and he campaigned with Troy Jackson. And some Democratic voters are saying, well, look, a lot of people came out for Graham Platner, not for Troy Jackson, who also won -- who also ran and lost in the primary for governor.

BERMAN: Sophia, again, and all of this is happening in a political environment that's much bigger than any one candidate. There's a war going on right now that doesn't seem to be ending. Harry just put up on the screen some figures about independents. Seventy-seven percent of independents right now don't think the war in Iran is worth it. More than 60 percent of Republican leaning independents. Is this an environment right now that is getting worse for Republicans?

CAI: This is a really difficult question. I mean that 77 percent, even the 63 percent for Republicans, that's bad news for President Trump. And that's also why you don't hear him talking about it as much, right? For weeks the president has said, look, we've declared victory, we've already won, but the fighting still continues. And now over on The Hill, Republicans are about to vote on a reconciliation package that includes more than $70 billion for the war.

BERMAN: Yes, it's a great point that Sophia makes, Zolan, how can this White House not be publicly focused on this war that seems to be escalating? You know, for a couple of months this was everything that the White House was talking about. And now you do get the sense they would like to sort of be in other places, but it's going to be hard.

KANNO-YOUNGS: And remember, the president came out at the start of this war and said that he expected it to start within -- or to end within five weeks, right? That that was the projection. That's not what we have seen. We are now at a moment where there's a, you know, growing fears that this is going to be a broader sort of regional conflict as well.

I think when it comes -- the White House and the president's allies are aware that this is emerging as a greater political liability. You know, we've long talked about foreign policy maybe not being as much of a factor when it comes to elections in the United States. But when you take the war in Iran with the ripple effects that it has, particularly on Americans, right, gas prices that have fluctuated, also people are still feeling economically frustrated as well when it comes to their mortgage rates, when it comes to price of living. And now they see this attention on an overseas war as well. You have to put all of that in context to understand the frustration that we are seeing clearly outlined in these polling numbers.

BERMAN: And, Zolan, just very quickly, the Pentagon hasn't had a briefing, I don't think, since May they were telling me this morning. That's a -- that's a long time. Americans are being killed overseas.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Americans are being killed overseas. It comes as my colleagues have also reported on the extent of injuries that have been totaled overseas, and whether that aligns with the administration's rhetoric. And by the way, we mentioned that vote earlier on that Congress is about to take. The administration is requesting a lot of taxpayer money to basically fund this war. And we still have questions over just how much our missiles and military arsenal has been depleted as a result of this war, which would seem to be a factor in the ask for all of that money.

So, absolutely, there are a number of questions that the American people and the press have when it comes to this conflict.

BERMAN: And I should note, while he hasn't briefed reporters, he's speaking to the Senate Appropriations Committee today. So, that will be interesting.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Sophia Cai, thank you so much. And we love your reporting. Thank you for being here.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: A new investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. House Democrats, they are looking into whether he was working for more than one foreign government.

And a swimmer is rescued after drifting miles and miles away from shore. We've got more details on that.

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[08:53:24]

BOLDUAN: There's a new investigation now into Jeffrey Epstein. House Democrats, they now want to look at whether he acted as an unregistered foreign agent for multiple countries. Congressman Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, is pushing for the Justice Department to turn over information on the existence of and scope of Epstein's foreign ties.

CNN's Annie Grayer has new reporting on this. She's joining us now from Washington on Capitol Hill.

Annie, what are you learning?

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Kate, Raskin is asking the Department of Justice, the Department of State, and the Office of Director of National Intelligence to turn over a number of documents to answer this question of whether Epstein acted as an unregistered foreign agent with a number of countries, because Raskin says that even with just the available evidence that he's been able to look at from the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice and documents released by the Oversight Committee, that he has found, quote, "substantial evidence," that's from his letter to these agencies, that Epstein acted as an unregistered foreign agent with countries like Russia, like Saudi Arabia, like Israel and like Kuwait. But he says that there's still so many documents that these agencies obtained that he thinks that there's a lot more still to uncover.

So, I'm going to read for you a portion of this letter that Raskin sent to the agencies now where he says, quote, "notoriously sparing with his typo-ridden words, Mr. Epstein did not set forth his plans and interactions with foreign dignitaries and state actors in detail. Moreover, the committee knows that DOJ has not released vast numbers of the Epstein files required by law, many of which may contain relevant information. But our examination of available evidence has already revealed damning indications of Mr. Epstein's activities on behalf of foreign states."

[08:55:10]

Raskin is also asking the DOJ to put in writing whether they've ever investigated Epstein as a potential unregistered foreign agent in the past.

Now, Raskin is writing this letter when Democrats are in the minority where they do not control committees, they do not have subpoena power. So, it's unlikely that the Trump administration is going to comply voluntarily with this request.

But the launch of this investigation, the request for documents that Raskin is making today, does give us a preview into how Democrats may continue to probe Epstein if they reclaim the majority in November. We already know that the House Oversight Committee, the separate committee, is planning to continue its work into Epstein, particularly if Democrats reclaim the majority in November. That's the committee that has conducted eight -- interviews with 18 witnesses, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and a number of powerful people in Epstein's orbit.

So, really, what we are learning from Raskin's letter today is the Epstein matter is far from over, particularly for Democrats on The Hill. And there's a lot more that they still want to probe, Kate.

BOLDUAN: All right, Annie, thank you so much for that. Really appreciate it.

John.

BERMAN: All right, in Atlanta, a police chase ended when the vehicle on the run hit a concrete barrier -- you can sort of see it there -- launching it into the air. And it landed on top of a patrol car. Odd how that happened. The suspect then got out and tried to run but was taken into custody.

A woman was rescued in the chilly water near Seattle. The Coast Guard says she drifted nearly two miles from shore when a rescue swimmer spotted her. A helicopter crew then pulled her from the 53-degree water.

So, in Florida, if an alligator knocks on your door, do not answer. A family woke up to find a nearly eight-foot alligator on their front porch. They said that their alarm system actually alerted them to the unexpected visitor there. Police and wildlife officials responded to remove the alligator.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: OK.

A major change is coming to security at Tampa International Airport. The airport says it has now plans to privatize most TSA operations there beginning next year as part of what is called the TSA Gold Plus Program, a new public-private partnership screening program. The announcement out of Tampa comes after President Trump unveiled a proposal that called for a move just like this, turning more airport security responsibilities over to private companies.

Well, what does this mean? CNN's Alexandra Skores joins us now.

What are you hearing about this?

ALEXANDRA SKORES, CNN TRANSPORTATION REPORTER: Hi, Kate.

We're hearing that TSA employees are really sad about the news. This was something that came out of, you know, they just really needed to grasp what was going on and, you know, how this would change their job. Several of them are left with a lot of different -- difficult choices at Tampa. Whether they find other government jobs, you know, apply to work for the private contractor, transfer to another airport, resign or even retire earlier than they might have expected to.

Tampa actually put out a statement and I'll read it to you now. "The change to privatization not only reduces disruption risk caused by lapses in federal appropriations or government shutdowns, but also allows greater flexibility in exploring new screening checkpoint infrastructure and technology to enhance the customer experience."

So, there's a lot of changes here for TSA employees at Tampa. And, you know, they are left with a difficult decision of leaving a job that they once knew.

BOLDUAN: Yes, a big change as part of this pilot program. Let's see what happens.

Alexandra, thanks so much for your reporting. Appreciate it.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

Moments ago the Pentagon has now released another name of a U.S. soldier killed over the weekend in Iraq. President Trump is now vowing revenge on Iran for their deaths.

And we are standing by for an Army veteran to be formally charged after igniting a fireball outside a federal building in Manhattan. What federal officials are saying the new videos out reveal about the attack.

And countdown to "Doomsday." Fans are freaking out, technical term, over the first trailer for the new Marvel Avengers movie.

Sara is out today. I'm Kate Bolduan, with John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BERMAN: All right, the breaking news this morning, the U.S. has now identified another American soldier killed in action amid the war with Iran.

[08:59:59]

The Pentagon says Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton, a 30-year-old from North Carolina, was killed during the controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone on Sunday at Erbil Air Base in Iraq.