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U.S. Launches New Airstrikes To "Swiftly Punish" Iran; In Eastern Ukrainian, One Town Tells Story Of Putin's Costly War; ICE Officer In Maine Shooting Had Claimed "Cognitive Deficits" From 2021 Head Injury; England Defeats France Six-Four In Bronze Medal Match; Winners Will Receive Championship Rings For The First Time; "The Odyssey" Hits Theaters This Weekend. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired July 18, 2026 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:53]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York.

We're going to start with breaking news. The U.S. military says it is launching new airstrikes to swiftly punish Iran after two U.S. service members were killed in an Iranian attack in Jordan yesterday. Another U.S. service member is missing in action after yesterday's attack. The two troops are the first to be killed from Iranian fire in several months since March, and this all comes as fighting between the United States and Iran is intensifying.

Tehran says it is suspending its commitments to its initial agreement with Washington. And then, over the past seven days, the United States has conducted strikes against Iran, while Iran has bombarded U.S. allies in the Gulf region.

CNN's Julia Benbrook joins us now from New Jersey, where the president is.

And, Julia, what more are we learning about this latest wave of attacks?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, a new wave of attacks from the United States have been confirmed by U.S. Central Command. They say that these started at the direction of President Donald Trump just about an hour ago, 6:00 p.m. Eastern, and went on to say in a statement that the strikes are designed to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night.

This comes after there had already been seven consecutive nights of U.S. strikes, as well as waves of Iranian drone and missiles fired at a widening number of targets in countries with U.S. bases. And the confirmation that two U.S. service members in Jordan had been killed in action, one other service member is still missing.

Now, CENTCOM also said that four American service members were medically evacuated from that area and sent to Jordanian hospitals. They have since been discharged. There isn't a lot of information about the two U.S. service members who were killed at this point while they are working to notify next of kin.

But it was just about a week ago, Omar, that things really started to escalate again, as Iran had targeted some of the ships in the Strait of Hormuz and Trump had said that he believed that the ceasefire was over. And then just about a month ago, there was hope that there was going to be this big diplomatic breakthrough, the memorandum of understanding was signed by both the United States and Iran. It was kicking off a 60-day time period to have technical talks on the big issues like Iran's nuclear program, which includes the fate of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Trump has recently said, though, that in his opinion, that memorandum of understanding is also, quote, "over."

So what happens next here? There are a lot of questions, but sources familiar with the matter say that Trump has been presented with options for expanding military operations in Iran. That was before those two service members were killed, and that there was a situation room meeting just a few days ago that centered around how to loosen Iran's grip over the Strait of Hormuz, that critical waterway.

And Trump did give a major address a couple of days ago. It was focused on election integrity, but it was taking place while all of this escalation was going on there in Iran, and he barely mentioned this conflict. He simply said that he believed that the United States was winning this conflict.

When it comes to how Americans are seeing this, overall they've been skeptical of how Trump has handled things there with just 29 percent in a recent poll by the "Washington Post" and Ipsos. Just 29 percent saying that they approve of how Trump has handled this conflict.

JIMENEZ: And something, obviously, we are watching minute by minute right now as Central Command has been putting out updates.

Julia Benbrook, really appreciate the reporting there for us in New Jersey.

I want to bring in former State Department Middle East negotiator Aaron David Miller. He's also a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Aaron, what is your assessment of where we are tonight in this war as we have new attacks underway right now?

[19:05:04]

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: Thanks for having me, Omar. Look, we were already in an escalatory cycle here because you can't break the current impasse. The Iranians have demonstrated their weaponized geography. They're going to want to hold on to the straits. The administration is determined. Forget about proxies, ballistic missiles, or Iran's nuclear program. The issue now is how to reopen them. So you have an impasse and I say this in all sincerity, I think the

situation is going to get worse before it gets worse. The Iranian regime clearly has the capacity to target American military bases. The Muwaffaq Salti Air Base is a critically important piece of the regional hub where the U.S. operates in and out of. And because of the vulnerability of the Gulf bases, they may have moved some personnel to Muwaffaq Salti.

They've demonstrated that essentially they can continue to hit not Jordan, but the Jordanian air base in which the U.S. stages. And the president has made it unmistakably clear -- I'm sort of surprised the reaction on the ground hasn't been more expansive. He has basically said repeatedly that if Americans are killed, there will be an overwhelming response. So far the administration has confined their responses today to IRGC command and control drone and missile infrastructure.

So we'll see in hours and days ahead whether those strikes are expanded. But the bottom line here, Omar, is there's no way out of this. Force is not going to change Iran's calculation. And the administration is going to have a hard time acquiescing to the new reality of Iran's control leverage over the straits.

JIMENEZ: You know, you look back a month ago or so when the posturing did seem to be a little bit more optimistic in terms of -- you had a memorandum of understanding. It seemed that despite tit-for-tat strikes and flare ups, that there was going to be a diplomatic process moving forward.

When there is -- when there are negotiations happening behind the scenes and you inevitably have flare ups militarily, what happens to those negotiations? Do those lines of communication stay open with the understanding that, hey, we're not going to be able to move forward until this military part plays out or just what is happening diplomatically behind the scenes now?

MILLER: Look, I voted and worked for Republicans and Democrats. And let me say very clearly, even when negotiations were happening, they were largely performative. The MOU is -- the memorandum of understanding has turned into the memorandum of misunderstanding. I don't know who's doing the lawyering and negotiating on our side, but they clearly produced a highly flawed document which gave the Iranians an Article Five, the talking points to continue to insist that they and the Omanis will administer the straits.

So I think you can't do these negotiations on the back of a cocktail napkin. You can't do them on a cell phone. You can't do them through intermediaries. The Qataris, the Pakistanis, however well intentioned. There's no trust and confidence between the Trump administration and the Islamic Republic. And unless you get to a point to buy the time and space to have serious negotiations and do serious diplomacy, assuming the Iranians want to engage, we're going to drift.

And if we are only drifting, that would be one thing. But we're escalating. And once that escalatory cycle gets out of control, no amount of backchannel contacts is going to end it. Right now this, for the time being, Omar, is the new normal.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, just for a moment, I want to look at the location where these service members were unfortunately killed, as we understand in Jordan. What is the significance of Jordan in terms of the United States and to this region?

MILLER: I mean, the Jordanians, the Hashemites have been a partner, economic, political security partner for the United States, stretching back to the early '50s. There's an intelligence relationship with Jordanian intelligence and the agency, king -- the late King Hussein, and even the current King Abdullah, I think, are moderate monarchs. Yes, Jordan is an authoritarian country. Nonetheless the Jordanians have facilitated American policy and on balance been a reliable ally.

But they are now a point of vulnerability. And if in fact the administration, CENTCOM is moving personnel from Gulf States to Muwaffaq Salti, this base named after a Jordanian lieutenant who was killed in 1966, it's a Jordanian royal air force base. Nonetheless, the U.S. has turned it into a key hub of operation for advanced fighter aircraft. The Iranian message is we can strike you wherever and we can and will continue to strike the U.S. military bases where we can find them.

[19:10:02]

They've already proven, done far more damage, I think, than the administration is willing to admit in a number of bases in the Gulf. So, again, what we don't want to see happen is to push this into a regional war. And the Israelis are not involved right now. But if this goes on and the Iranians choose to motivate Hezbollah to strike Israel proper, Israelis will get involved, and then you're going to -- it's going to be very hard to put this to bed anytime soon.

JIMENEZ: Aaron David Miller, really appreciate the time and perspective. Thank you for being here. Obviously, a lot of updates to watch for in the days and weeks to come here.

MILLER: Appreciate it, Omar. Thank you so much.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

All right. Still ahead, Ukraine launches its deadliest attack on Russia in years. We're going to have the latest from that war just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:15:35]

JIMENEZ: Today, Ukraine launching some of its deadliest attacks on Russia in two years. Videos like this are what are emerging right now. Black smoke can be seen billowing in the sky after two warehouses were hit in Russia. Regional officials say at least eight people were killed, and Ukraine says those facilities were used to make drones. Ukraine also says it targeted an oil facility and vessels in Russia's shadow fleet. Now there's one Ukrainian town that's providing rare insight into how

the war is really going for Russia. Over the years Kostyantynivka has been under constant danger of drone attacks as Russian forces slowly advance. Earlier this month, Russia claimed it captured the city. But video evidence indicates that may not be completely true.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has visited the beleaguered city several times since the war began and brings us this update.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Huge losses, tiny gains and lies. That's the reality of Russia's war on Ukraine.

(Voice-over): It's plain to see in the strategic town of Kostyantynivka, where last week Russia planted a flag in its center claiming its capture but that's not true. Ukraine still holds lots of it. Yet its fate over the past year lays bare the crisis at the heart of Russia's war.

Kostyantynivka sits right on what's known as the fortress belt of heavily defended towns in the Donbas, the capture of which is a key Putin goal. Take it and the other two remaining towns of Kramatorsk and Slovyansk are well within reach.

(Voice-over): But wind back a year, take a look at reliable battlefield maps and you see a story about Moscow's persistence but also how much tiny gains cost. Last year, we saw the road in was lined with fishing nets protecting from drones. But the town was under Ukrainian control and safe enough. But by November, it was being hit hard here in the southwest with another drone video showing an airstrike just a few streets away.

Ukraine still had troops casually in the city center and Russia was still really on the contested southwestern outskirts. It's in the first week of the year that the map records a big leap forward for Moscow.

But remember, their casualties across the whole front are estimated by the West at about 35,000 a month now, dead and injured.

(Voice-over): The Ukrainians are at this time still posting from the central railway station but by February, white phosphorus is being used to horrific effect in the southwest, even though the Ukrainians are still very much central. Jump forward to April and the damage done is horrific. Drone images right where we saw the Ukrainians in November as the Russians have slowly crept in.

We saw how perilous it was to get in and out ourselves.

(Voice-over): The netting we saw 10 months earlier, now a graveyard for so many. Russian flags central this week, even if the maps show they're far from controlling the town. One year of tiny, tiny steps and doubtless thousands of Russian dead for a town that is relatively tiny itself. Russia's real weak spot in this war. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: Nick Paton Walsh, really appreciate that reporting.

Still ahead for us, we've got new details about the ICE agent connected to this week's fatal shooting in Maine.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:23:27]

JIMENEZ: We've got some breaking news for you. New court documents reviewed by CNN reveal the ICE officer connected to a deadly shooting in Maine once told a judge he suffered cognitive issues after suffering a head injury in 2021.

David Brouillette said the injuries were so debilitating that he couldn't complete a firefighting training course, and was still feeling the effects of it years later. In 2023, he filed a lawsuit against the college where he was taking that course, saying the incident, quote, "impaired his cognitive functioning and memory." And then two years later, he was working as an ICE officer.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is here now with new details.

And, Gloria, we should note that CNN has not independently confirmed who fired the shot that killed Johan Sebastin Duran Guerrero but this does raise new questions about the vetting process for hiring officers. What more are we learning?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Omar. And that is the key question as we have been learning more about this officer's background. The question here is how ICE is doing the vetting and training of these officers. So we're getting a much bigger picture now.

David Brouillette was among the officers on the scene in Biddeford, Maine, where an ICE officer fatally shot Johan Sebastin Duran Guerrero. This is according to two of his ex-wives who reviewed photos and spoke with CNN.

Now, as you said, Omar, CNN has not yet independently confirmed whether Brouillette was the officer who discharged the weapon that killed Duran Guerrero, and investigators have not yet publicly identified the officer either.

[19:25:01]

Now, federal sources confirmed separately to CNN that Brouillette is indeed an ICE officer. The Department of Homeland Security has declined to comment on the identity of the officer, but they have said that the officer used deadly use of force because they feared for public safety. We have been trying to gather all the details and all of the background in the past few days.

My colleagues, Michael Williams, Kurt Devine and Priscilla Alvarez have been combing through public documents, putting the pieces together, and what has emerged is a lot of information about this officer's background, including allegations made against him by his former wives and children. All of it raising serious questions about the level of vetting and training that ICE is doing as it increases officer headcount to meet the demands of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

Here's some of what we learned. In 2023, Brouillette told a court in Maine that he had suffered a serious head injury that resulted in ongoing cognitive issues after he was struck in the head with a beam that fell on him while he was doing a training exercise for a firefighting certificate. He sued the Maine community college system as a result of that injury. And it was just two years after he filed that lawsuit that Brouillette started working for ICE.

Brouillette's ex-wives also described a history of alleged domestic violence and intimidation in court documents. He denied the allegations in those court documents, and we have not found any criminal charges or convictions against Brouillette. We have also tried reaching out directly to Brouillette, who has not responded to our request for comment. And we should mention that the killing of Duran Guerrero was the second time an ICE officer fatally shot an immigrant who was behind the wheel in the span of just a week, and the fourth killing this year alone by federal immigration authorities -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: Gloria Pazmino, really appreciate the reporting along with the team as well.

All right, everyone. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:31:54]

JIMENEZ: Some breaking news tonight. The U.S. Military says it launched new airstrikes at Iran as a way to swiftly punish the country after two U.S. service members were killed. Central Command says the service members were killed Friday in an Iranian missile attack in Jordan. Their identities will be withheld for 24 hours until after their families are notified. One other service member is missing as well.

Now, President Trump is calling it very sad, telling NewsNation today "We hate to see it happen. It is in our service to our country." And added, "We are never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon." This is obviously a developing story. We will bring you details as they come in.

Meanwhile, let's get you caught up on some World Cup action because after heartbreaking losses to the World Cup, finalists, England and France competed today for third place. England won six to four. Yes, that is the real score. It happened at Miami Stadium in South Florida, where more than 64,000 people showed up for a game that didn't really mean anything substantial. But you're playing for pride, you're paying for third place on the biggest stage in the world.

Striker, Kylian Mbappe scored two goals for the French, which breaks his tie with Lionel Messi for the race for the Golden Boot with 10 goals in this World Cup, also puts him as most goals all time scored in World Cups.

And then, who plays on the right wing? Bukayo Saka scored three for the English in their win getting that hat trick. Three goals for him, third place for the English, which is their highest finish in decades.

But still, we've got fan excitement ahead of the main event, tomorrow's World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. Thousands have made their way to New York City, where we saw them in Times Square earlier tonight. We are covering it from all angles.

I want to start with CNN's Maria Santana, who has made her way to a popular soccer bar with some diehard fans. You were outside earlier. Now you're inside with some fans. What are you seeing?

MARIA SANTANA, CNN ESPANOL: Yes, well, that was a great time with the Argentinian fans earlier. But you know, there was another match being played today between France and England and I am at the Soccer Republic, an Irish pub in Times Square where fans gathered to watch this match. It is an Irish pub, so as you can imagine, they were super happy here that England won. Of course, the downside is that it was for third place, but I am here with Damien Nolan. He is the general manager of this bar.

And you know, one question that everyone has been asking themselves is, has this World Cup been an economic boom for the United States, for business here? What have you seen?

DAMIEN NOLAN, GENERAL MANAGER: What I've seen since the World Cup has started is for every New York City bar, it has been a massive increase in sales and volume, with crowds coming and especially our international visitors, which I believe makes the World Cup one of the biggest business drivers this summer for New York City bars. It has been an amazing experience, and I would like to thank all our supporters that come to McLeod's here on 54th Street.

[19:35:07]

SANTANA: Now, you have been -- you know, you've seen fans come in for World Cups, for other tournaments, what do you think this World Cup has done for soccer here in the United States amongst American fans?

NOLAN: Oh, most American fans, it has actually created an excitement, you know, and a lot of people are very involved in it now. What they want to do is watch soccer and also being a soccer bar, because we are busy all the time with it.

We see an increase in volume because of it. It has been really helpful.

SANTANA: Excellent! Well, thank you so much for letting us be here.

Omar, as you know, the economic numbers, the official ones, are still being put together. But, you know, fans don't care about that right now.

What they want to see is the Final tomorrow, Spain versus Argentina and we are were all super psyched for it.

JIMENEZ: I know, it is going to be amazing.

Maria Santana, great to see you.

I want to go to CNN's sports anchor, Elizabeth Perez. She is live outside the New Jersey Stadium where these teams will face off.

Elizabeth, this seems like the calm before the storm, but we actually have had some real storms in the area today.

ELIZABETH PEREZ, CNN ESPANOL: Exactly. We woke up with a lot of thunderstorms. Actually, Spain had to suspend the training session. Argentina set a little bit later, but yes, it seems calm now. But tomorrow is going to be a different story. But it is very exciting that for the first time since 1930, this Final is going to be completely in Spanish -- Spain and Argentina are facing each other. Two teams that have very similar records.

They have played each other 14 times. Each has six wins and they have drawn twice. Their only official World Cup meeting was in the group stage in 1966 World Cup in England and Argentina won that match.

Today, I think the story can be different according to what we have seen throughout the tournament, because Spain has a lot of strength, they have proven that they are very organized and pragmatic. But as I am talking to you, it started to rain here and there is a lot of rain. I hope tomorrow, the forecast doesn't make a mistake and we have a lot of sun because there is a lot of wind.

Argentina, they -- well, they expect to play both of them with the same players that they had throughout the tournament. Maybe little changes. So the fact that we didn't have much training sessions today for Spain doesn't change anything. Argentina, as we know, is chasing the second straight World Cup title and its fourth overall after winning in 1978 and 1986 and in Qatar 2022. And Spain is looking its second World Cup title after winning in South Africa 2010. We will see what is going to happen this Sunday.

Meanwhile, we have to brace the weather and the rain.

Back to you, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Yes, the skies look pretty ominous behind you there. You've got to get inside like Maria Santana.

Good to see you both. Elizabeth Perez, Maria Santana. Appreciate it. I want to bring in Joe Lowery. He is a sports writer and host of the "Total Soccer Show" podcast.

And Joe, I just want to start with your prediction. You predict Spain winning two-one. Why?

JOE LOWERY, SPORTS WRITER, HOST OF "TOTAL SOCCER SHOW" PODCAST: Spain, for me have been the most dominant team in this entire tournament. They took down the top dogs in France, two-nil in the semifinals in what was the most impressive individual showing of the entire World Cup so far.

Spain have the quality in each line of the field. They have the young star Lamine Yamal. Of course in the attack they have Rodri, the best defensive midfielder on the planet, and they have a backline that faced questions coming into the tournament but has been excellent all throughout this World Cup.

I think their well-rounded ability and their ability to control the ball and squeeze the game will tilt it in their favor.

JIMENEZ: You know I love a good fact-based prediction there. You just went right into the statistics which we always appreciate here.

Now look, you were talking about the young Lamine Yamal. Yes, he is young now, but I know you've seen the picture. I can't stop talking about it and thinking about it.

Messi holding five month old Lamine Yamal in a charity photo shoot in 2007 and now, they are playing against each other in the World Cup Final. Can you just take me into the magnitude of this moment within not just this sport, but sports in general?

LOWERY: I mean, Lionel Messi is the greatest player of all time. He is one of, if not the greatest men's athlete of all time. He is a player that made his name great at FC Barcelona. Now you have Lamine Yamal playing at that same club, a club that Messi said he loves and very much wanted to return to, but was not possible for financial reasons. So that's why he ends up at Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.

Lamine Yamal is following in his footsteps. There have been times watching this young player for Spain, for Barcelona, that you watch him and think with some of his slaloming dribbles on that right side. Is this the new Messi? I know that sounds sacrilegious to say, it might be sacrilegious to say the heights Messi has set have not been reached by any other player since he set them right, but Lamine Yamal, with his ability on that side of the field, the same side that Messi made a name for himself, it is unbelievable that we have that picture. It is unbelievable that these two are meeting in the Final.

[19:40:10]

JIMENEZ: It still blows my mind. He has got an unbelievable left foot, too, Lamine Yamal. I mean the similarities if you were to walk in any footsteps, he is off to an amazing start. Now look, whether this becomes Lionel Messi's last World Cup game or not, it is probably likely 39 years old. But again, you never know. I am not going to put anything past Messi from trying to do it. If anyone can, it is him.

What should fans keep in mind as they watch Messi in particular? In what, again, could be his last match?

LOWERY: Yes, take it in. Right? I mean, this is a player that we thought we had already seen the last of with Argentina. He retired from international duty with Argentina before. We didn't think he would make it to the 2026 World Cup after Argentina won it in 2022. This is a player that can do things with the soccer ball that no other player in the history of the world's greatest sport has ever done, right?

I mean, we just don't see players have the ball stick to the left foot like Lionel Messi. We don't see players draw defenders quite like Lionel Messi and that maybe is the thing to watch most is his gravity. He draws everyone into his orbit because of how dangerous he is, both with his long range shooting, with his passing, with his dribbling. He forces you to pay attention to him.

And not just you, but also the guy next to you and maybe the guy next to him as well. The ability that he has to draw players to himself and create space elsewhere is completely transformative for Argentina. And I know I predicted Spain to win this game, but if Argentina are going to do it, it is going to have this man's fingerprints all over it and it is going to be obvious.

JIMENEZ: And it is wild to say that because, again, he is 39 years old and he is not just playing. I mean, he was leading the Golden Boot race until quite literally this afternoon. He hit the match winning assist to get them to the World Cup final here. And you know, you look at just this overall World Cup. This is one of firsts here. First time three countries have hosted. We've got the first half time show. This will also be the first time the winners get a championship ring like the Super Bowl.

So something like American imprints, but how would you grade this World Cup now, as we reflect back on what it has been?

LOWERY: It has been incredibly entertaining. I think there is a real argument that this has been the best World Cup that has ever been played. There have been controversy, right, even something as simple as shifting to the 48-team format, which is -- is it not a strong one for competitive reasons, where you're playing all these group stage games to only get rid of the third of the tournament field, and that always felt like a gateway for FIFA to move from 32 to 64, but without doing it all at once.

There are some frustrating moments there. There is the frustrating bit Folarin Balogun's red card being overturned, and Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, allowing that to happen for reasons that still have not really been explained, there has been controversy, there have been difficult moments, but on the field to have this matchup between the reigning South American champions, the reigning European champions, we've never seen that in a World Cup Final ever before.

To have these moments where the biggest stars have been performing, as someone who loves watching this sport, and as someone who enjoys what I get to do for work very, very much, this has been the pinnacle and that is not always true of these tournaments where the international angle is a bit different. The players don't get to train together very much, they don't get the same level of tactical instruction from the managers as well, to have as much quality as we've had on the field all summer long, and for it to really come to a head tomorrow is delightful.

JIMENEZ: It has been amazing and I am going to miss it when its gone. But let's enjoy it tomorrow while we've got it.

Joe Lowery, appreciate you taking the time. Good to see you.

LOWERY: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: All right, aside from the World Cup, it is the biggest summer blockbuster in years and it is expected to revive Hollywood. Has it already woken up? But does it live up to the hype? We are going to talk about Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:48:19]

JIMENEZ: Weve got our epic blockbuster of the summer, folks. It is finally here.

("THE ODYSSEY VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We won the war. Help me go home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Christopher Nolan's adaptation of the Greek classic "The Odyssey," hitting screens this weekend. It is projected to make $100 million in its opening weekend, and some industry trackers say "The Odyssey" is part of the box office gold set to catapult Hollywood back to record ticket sales, erasing years of financial problems during COVID.

I want to bring in film critic, Brandon Pope to talk about all of this.

So, Brandon, first, you've seen it. You've seen it twice, I think. Does it live up to the hype?

BRANDON POPE, FILM CRITIC: Yes. I had to run it back this morning. How are you doing, Omar?

Look, a Nolan film promises epic scale and breathtaking cinematography, a commanding score. You know, the deal with Nolan films and "The Odyssey," I am happy to say, delivers on every single aspect of it. It is a grounded adaptation of one of the greatest stories of all time. It is a cinematic triumph.

Emotionally, the performances are great, the practical effects are astonishing, and that score once again by Ludwig Goransson that just keeps building and building. It is just special, man. It really is.

JIMENEZ: Yes. I mean, everything about this, I am incredibly hyped for. I don't have my ticket or I haven't seen it just yet, but I am going in a few days and as perfect proof of this, it is so hard to get this in IMAX right now, which is obviously the format this was shot for, and that might be a surprise for people that think that the theaters are empty.

[19:50:05]

Can you just put this movie into perspective for us in terms of the industry and the amount of people it is driving to go back to the theaters?

POPE: Yes, absolutely. This is a cultural phenomenon. And it once again, showcases that audiences still love the theater experience and love a good movie, but you have to give them something they actually want to pay for.

You know, we talk all the time, we are on CNN about the affordability crisis in America. Think about a family of four, how much it costs to go to the movies nowadays. Now families will budget for that, right? But it has got to be something that is worth it for them to do so.

And so when you invest in a filmmaker like Christopher Nolan and his vision, and you walk audiences through the process of the value of great formats like Ryan Coogler did through "Sinners," like the Miller Brothers did for "Project Hail Mary," the audience rewards that, and they are doing it right now.

"The Odyssey" is set to shatter records already said to be Nolan's highest grossing film of his entire career. That's pretty good. He has got "Batman" on his resume.

JIMENEZ: Yes, I was going to say. I was going to say, he has got some billion dollar movies on his resume there, you know, and when you look at the type of movie that this is, I mean, it feels like not so long ago people were talking about movie theaters, maybe going out of business, especially during COVID, but when you look at the success that we've seen this year, it's not the success of the past. Superhero movies aren't grossing as much as they used to. Instead, we are seeing low budget horror in some cases over exceeding, beating expectations.

You've got "The Backrooms," you're seeing "The Odyssey," others as well. What is the environment for movies like now? How is it different from what we've sort of come to expect to see as successful in the theaters?

POPE: Yes, you know, streaming has changed the game so much. Audiences have been conditioned since the pandemic to wait for things. If they don't really think it is worth paying for parking and paying for all of those extra things, right? So the impact of streaming, I mean, I think about my own family, right? My mom and my niece and nephew, young kids used to be every time a Marvel movie, a must go to the theater, right?

For the first time in a while, I hear them say, well, we will probably just wait for Disney+ for that one, but we will plan for X, Y, Z, right? That's what a lot of families are doing nowadays, right? And so what that means for studios is they have to be more calculated and strategic in what they are going to invest the theatrical release into, while also doubling down on theatrical windows and saying, hey, you have to come to the theater and see this. You want to be here and see this.

Look at the sound, look at the performances, look at the investment. That is working right now. Look at what "Project Hail Mary" did this year. Look at how "Disclosure Day" did and look at this movie and "Spider-Man" hasn't even come out yet. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is set to be pretty, pretty good too.

So movies are making a comeback because we are giving audiences what they want, an experience worth paying for.

JIMENEZ: Well, I am excited to see "The Odyssey." I've got my IMAX 70 millimeter tickets on Tuesday morning because that's like the only time you can find tickets for it these days.

But Brandon Pope, I appreciate you sharing your knowledge here. Good to see you. Thanks for taking the time.

POPE: Yes, sir. Thanks a lot, bro. Enjoy.

JIMENEZ: Of course. Thank you, man.

All right, everyone, you're in the CNN NEWSROOM. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:57:53]

JIMENEZ: Here are the top stories we are following tonight, starting with the breaking news: The United States says it is launching new attacks against Iran. U.S. Central Command says, "At 6:00 P.M. Eastern Time, U.S. Forces began launching new airstrikes against Iran at the commander-in-chief's direction. CENTCOM says the strikes are designed to swiftly punish Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard after two U.S. troops were killed in Iranian attacks in Jordan.

Also, Paul Pelosi, husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has been charged with a misdemeanor hit and run and authorities say the 86-year-old hit a parked car earlier this month, briefly stopped and then allegedly drove away.

Now, officials say Pelosi did not have any alcohol in his system at the time. He is expected to appear in court in August.

And then New York City getting pummeled today, creating dangerous flash flooding. You see some of it here, two to four inches of rain fell this afternoon, fully flooding many roads. The downpour caused flight cancellations and delays just a day before the World Cup Final, by the way, in New Jersey.

Officials responded to calls of people being trapped in their cars and needing help. Thankfully, no deaths or injuries have been reported.

And then coming up next, right here on CNN, the Royal Family, from their clothing and corgis to their jewels and castles. Why is America so enthralled? Go behind the obsession in a new CNN flash doc.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, SENIOR WRITER FOR CNN DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT: Here we have an American marrying into the British Royal family when almost 250 years ago, we were fighting to get away from British Royalty.

KRISTEN MEINZER, POP CULTURE EXPERT: We all learned in elementary school about 1776 and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

ERIN VANDERHOOF, WRITER: The original 13 colonies decided they didn't want to be British subjects anymore. And so that's what kicks off the Revolutionary War.

KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL HISTORIAN: America fighting back against Britain is David versus Goliath. And yet America fights back, throws off the British Empire.

JULIE MONTAGU, COUNTESS OF SANDWICH: We've become our own independent country.

MEINZER: But for all of our insistence that we don't want Kings and Queens here, we can't look away from them.

WILLIAMS: With Meghan Markle, we have a biracial American woman marrying into the Royal Family.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": A commoner! An American of race and my word, an actress!

Good Lord!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Tune in to "Royal Fever: Why America Can't Quit the Crown," next on CNN, which means that's it for me this evening. I am Omar Jimenez. We will see you right here tomorrow at 5:00 P.M. Eastern.

Goodnight.

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