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Europe Threatens FIFA Boycott; Blanche's A.G. Confirmation in Jeopardy Before Senate Recess; Egypt Struck for First Time in U.S.- Iran War; CENTCOM Says Strikes Hit Iranian Command Centers, Missiles & Drone Sites; CNN Polls Shows Voters Favor Democrats Heading Into the Midterms. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired July 30, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": The A.G. nomination in jeopardy. The president lashing out at two Republican Senators who are holding up the confirmation of Todd Blanche for Attorney General. We're getting new details from the White House and from the halls of Congress.

Plus, new concerns that the war with Iran could turn into a broader regional conflict. The U.S. unleashing what CENTCOM called a heavy wave of strikes on Iran as more countries are being pulled into the war.

And a World Cup brawl. The tournament facing boycott threats from European soccer's governing body over FIFA's plans to turn the game over to private investors. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to "CNN News Central."

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": We've Breaking News in the confirmation battle over Acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche. President Trump is now saying that he's open to temporarily pulling Blanche's nomination amid resistance from Senators in his own party. After the Senate Judiciary Committee was forced to postpone a vote to advance Blanche's nomination as outgoing GOP Senators, John Cornyn and Thom Tillis withhold their support.

Trump posting on Truth Social, quote, "I'd have no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd's name if they do not do the right thing, and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office." The two Republican Senators, though, they are not backing down. They want written assurances that the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund is dead. They also want clarity on a deal that could shield the Trump family from future IRS tax audits.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz is here with more details on this. Katelyn, what's the very latest here?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME & JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, Todd Blanche, he will stay leading the Justice Department. We know that as of now, even if his nomination is pulled or put on ice by the White House, until the beginning of next year. The question is going to be, is Todd Blanche going to forever be known as an Acting Attorney General and a Deputy Attorney General, to which he was confirmed into that job before he still has that role? Or is he an Attorney General whose name is on the wall of those in history that have led the Department of Justice?

What's happening now is that Trump is taking the power back here. There has been a lot in the Justice Department that has gone quiet, a lot of the what we would call retribution investigations. We haven't heard much from them. There haven't been wild attempts to get political or heavily political cases through grand juries since Blanche has been looked at by the Senate to be confirmed.

There's also been assurances he's made in his confirmation hearing to the Senators that he would tell Trump no if he believed it. Now, the White House will have him back under their thumb though. Donald Trump is not going to do what Donald Trump does not want to do. That is clearly the case with what the Senators, the Republican Senators, want related to this settlement that had been signed and Blanche has tried to swear up and down is over. He can't actually deliver though.

And now, Trump will have it over his head hanging, this possibility that he might not get re-nominated if they do indeed pull the nomination.

KEILAR: Yeah, they're saying, we don't just want you to tell us. Put it in writing, right? And it's not just this anti-weaponization fund that's gotten so much attention. It's this IRS tax audit immunity, which I think a lot of people look at and go, wait, from future tax audits? Does that maybe incentivize someone to sort of maybe do something? You're not going to get in trouble in the future. What's going on there?

POLANTZ: Yeah, so how this came about and the reason the Senators have really been asking so many questions about it is that there was an agreement made between the Justice Department and Donald Trump himself as a private person. One part of that was setting up this $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. The Republicans have been quite angry over that because it could have awarded money to January 6th defendants.

But then there's the other part, which shielded Trump from prosecution and potentially, his family members forever -- it says, forever barred from prosecution by the United States. Blanche has tried to narrow that down into being just an IRS issue for past actions. But Trump could always sue to enforce it.

Do they need to unwind that whole settlement in order to get a Blanche nomination through?

KEILAR: Yeah, it's a pretty amazing provision when you think about it. Katelyn, thank you so much. Boris?

SANCHEZ: New concerns are emerging that the war between the U.S. and Iran could expand, pulling other countries into the conflict. For the first time since the war started in February, Egypt says that a drone hit one of their ports, sparking fires on two vessels carrying energy supplies. Meantime, U.S. Central Command says it launched a heavy wave of attacks across Iran, targeting dozens of IRGC military facilities.

CNN's Zach Cohen is here with more. Zach, what is the U.S. saying about these strikes?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, Boris, the U.S. military spent about two hours bombing Iranian targets to include missile and drone sites, defense, coastal defense sites, as well as command centers, in response for the alleged surprise attack launched by Iran against U.S. forces in Jordan.

[14:05:00]

Now, this is consistent with the tit-for-tat sort of response and calling (ph) response we've seen between the U.S. and Iran over the last several weeks, as neither country really seems to have made any progress towards a diplomatic or negotiated settlement to end this war. But at the same time, it's consistent with this pattern by the U.S. of targeting military sites specifically.

So, we haven't seen the U.S. military expand its target set in a way that would escalate this conflict, hitting things like energy infrastructure. Some of those options have been presented to the president, we know, in recent days. But it does not appear yet that he has decided to take that step and escalate the conflict, despite the lack of progress on the diplomatic front.

And even so, though, Boris, I continue to hear from sources that air power has its limits. So, Trump's ability to ultimately change the nature of this conflict through air power alone does appear inherently limited, putting him in somewhat of a box at the moment where he has to decide if he wants to escalate and go further than he's ever gone before or if he wants to continue to try to pursue a diplomatic path.

SANCHEZ: When it comes to this strike in Egypt, no one is yet to take credit for it. What have you learned?

COHEN: Yeah, Boris, it does appear that this was a drone that was responsible. And like you said, nobody has claimed credit for it yet. But this does make Egypt -- really the first time Egypt has been attacked or hit during this conflict, which is sparking fears that the conflict itself is widening. And we've seen other indications of that recently as well, with Saudi Arabia joining U.S. forces in those joint strikes against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq just this week.

We've also seen other Gulf countries suffer damage to their energy infrastructure as well, as the Iranians have continued to target that energy infrastructure intentionally. And we're told by U.S. officials, and we have been consistently, that Iran views this as another tool it has to exert pressure and as an asymmetric threat it can impose on its Gulf partners.

And the U.S., it puts pressure on the U.S. to also address that in addition to just focus on the Iran conflict itself in Iran.

SANCHEZ: Zach Cohen, thank you so much for breaking that down for us. Still to come, the family of one of Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent victims calling out a former Obama White House lawyer. What that official told lawmakers behind closed doors that has angered the family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

Plus, new CNN polling out today shows the fissures in the Democratic Party may be rooted in a growing movement among increasingly progressive younger voters looking for change. And European countries calling foul as FIFA plans to turn up -- to turn the World Cup into a hedge fund. That coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:12:20]

SANCHEZ: American voters are putting Congress on notice, revealing in a new CNN poll that they are dissatisfied with their representatives and they are hungry for change. It shows that with less than 100 days until the midterms, Democrats lead Republicans by eight points among registered voters.

It also finds that a majority believe that Congress would be better off if most members were unseated in this fall's election. Let's head over to the Magic Wall and talk more about these numbers with CNN's Jeff Zeleny.

So Jeff, talk to us about when the timeline of these numbers panned out. How has this changed over time and how does the choice for Congress break down between the parties?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Boris, that is so interesting. You talked about that hunger for change. That really is apparent throughout our new poll.

But if you look at this timeline, so interesting. Just back in April and May, there has been a shift. Of course, a lot has happened since the spring, but Democrats are widening their majority in terms of their preference on the generic ballot, you call it.

Of course, all of these races are individual or races run in states and via districts, but Democrats overall have a significant advantage here going into November with just less than 100 days now. But if you look at this, the party of choice, I'm focused on this Independents. Look at this.

40 percent of all Independents are favoring Democratic candidates, only 29 for Republicans. That is a significant challenge for Republicans. You want this Independent number more in the middle here. So that is a huge advantage for Democrats going into the fall campaign.

SANCHEZ: Which party -- if voters out there are hungry for change, which party is seen as the party of change? Which one is seeing the most enthusiasm?

ZELENY: Not surprisingly, in most midterm elections, the president's party, the party in control of Congress is going to sort of get that blowback for the party of change. But when you look at these numbers here, we have seen a big shift from basically a year ago.

Democrats now have the big advantage of the party of change, a 10- point difference now. And of course, it's effectively a flip from how it was about a year ago. Republicans had an advantage then. Democrats have that now. So Democrats are seen as the party of change. Again, not surprisingly, because Democrats are out of control.

But this is effectively a pox on all their houses. Incumbents are not popular, but Republicans are less popular.

SANCHEZ: When it comes to the sort of infighting between Democrats during this primary season, we've seen a lot of progressive candidates win, perhaps unexpectedly in some races.

ZELENY: Right.

[14:15:00]

SANCHEZ: What are you seeing in the polling about Democratic socialism?

ZELENY: And that's a bit of a reality check, I think, for Democrats here, because there's no question that with Democrats inside their own party are having some infighting, some identity crisis, if you will. But take a look at this. If you identify as a Democratic Socialist or not, one third of all Democrats say, yes, we do. We do, Democrat -- we do identify as a Democratic Socialist. This is going to be playing out in races in Michigan, for example, the primary next week. Wisconsin the week after that.

But look at this here. Some of the top names in the Democratic Party are effectively underwater here, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries. But look at this, the mayor of New York City, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, they have pretty favorable numbers here. 60 percent for the mayor of New York City here. He is a Democratic Socialist, a proud one. So clearly, there is a bit of an identity struggle going on inside the Democratic Party. You can see that.

So that's one of the subtexts of this midterm elections here. But overall, the bottom line, throw the bums (ph) out and in charge Republicans are.

(LAUGH)

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

ZELENY: So that benefits the Democrats.

SANCHEZ: We'll see how things play out next week in Michigan and obviously, further down the line in November.

ZELENY: That's right.

SANCHEZ: Jeff Zeleny, thank you so much for walking us through that. Coming up, Europe declaring that the World Cup is not for sale. The threat of total boycotts, millions of dollars on the line as FIFA plans to turn the tournament into a private equity group. Details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:21:03]

KEILAR: We're following bombshell news in the world of soccer. UEFA, the governing body of European soccer, says it will boycott all FIFA competitions, including future men's and women's World Cups, if FIFA moves ahead with a controversial new investment plan. This is coming after FIFA President, Gianni Infantino announced a proposal to create a company with private investors to run its competitions, including World Cups.

Intended investors included Thrive Eternal, founded by Joshua Kushner, whose brother Jared Kushner is a son-in-law of President Trump. CNN's Christina Macfarlane is with us now on this story. So, Christina, it was a unanimous vote by all 55 UEFA members to pass this boycott. What kind of shockwaves is this causing?

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, huge shockwaves in the world of football, Brianna, because it was unanimous and because it is unprecedented. I mean, the statement that accompanied it too was damning of Gianni Infantino and his bid to sell the soul of world football. That's what many are calling this.

And I just want to take a minute to read you part of that statement. UEFA said, "The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football's greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale."

So, Brianna, what we're talking about now is the prospect of the world's strongest teams being potentially absent from World Cups moving forward. That would include World Cup winners Spain, the likes of France, England, Germany, Portugal, Netherlands. And it would severely damage the credibility of the World Cup.

You know, 12 of the last 22 World Cup men's winners have come from the UEFA block. And there's implications here too for the Women's World Cup and the women's game as well. I mean, they have relied very heavily on these global events as a showcase.

And of course, the European teams are the strongest in women's football. And they currently are headed for the 2027 Women's World Cup, which is set to be played in Brazil next year. Qualification for that is already underway.

Are we going to see teams, European teams, beginning to withdraw? These are the questions we're looking at now. And while we do, we're waiting for a response from FIFA, from Gianni Infantino. Will he back down and therefore will this boycott back down? Or are we going to see the fracturing of world football and of Gianni Infantino's leadership? Because many feel now that his position is untenable.

KEILAR: Yeah, I mean, it's hard to imagine there even really being a World Cup without those teams, Christina. And you mentioned Infantino and his leadership. How could this affect his future? He is up for re- election next year.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, that's absolutely right. And to that point, you know, he's up for re-election in March of next year. We are watching very closely to see how the other confederations around the world are going to react in the wake of this UEFA unanimous decision.

We're hearing, actually, from sources that CONCACAF, that's the North America confederation where you are, Brianna, are holding -- are scheduled to hold an emergency meeting tomorrow. We don't yet know if that's going to be a boycott meeting. We also know that the AFA, that's the Asia confederation, came out very strongly in its criticism in the last few days of Gianni Infantino and this, you know, purported sort of business plan that he's putting forward.

Now, they don't normally -- they're normally very much in Infantino's corner, so that signifies a real break. And if those two confederations alone go the way of UEFA, what we could see is not only will Gianni Infantino's business plan fail to get through, but also he could lose votes for the presidency as well. I mean, in essence, you know, with the presidency coming up in a matter of months, this is very much looking like a referendum now on his leadership.

KEILAR: Yeah, huge news here. Christina, thank you so much for that. We appreciate it.

[14:25:00]

Still ahead, Epstein survivors and their loved ones calling on lawmakers to block Todd Blanche from becoming Attorney General. We'll talk to a lawyer for one of those survivors next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Some new outrage surrounding the Epstein investigation. The family of one of his most prominent victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, is blasting a former Obama White House lawyer with ties to Epstein. Giuffre's family is furious after learning that former White House Counsel, Kathy Ruemmler, told the House Oversight Committee she thought some of Giuffre's claims about Epstein lacked inherent credibility.

She made that statement during a closed-door interview, according to a transcript released by the committee --