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Russia Pounds Kyiv With One of Its Largest Missile Strikes; U.S. Retaliates Against Iran After Service Members Killed; Trump Blames Canada for Poor Air Quality Due to Fires; Spain and Argentina Prepare to Face Off in Sunday's Final; Democrats' Primary Battle in Michigan. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired July 19, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world and in the U.S. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London.

Let's get into the headlines. U.S. forces launch a new wave of strikes on Iran. This is after the killing of two American service members. We're going to go live to Jerusalem for the latest on this escalating conflict. And a Democratic primary in a key swing state yet again pits a progressive against a moderate. We'll take a look at what it says about the party. And it all comes down to this. We're going to take a look at the highly anticipated World Cup final between Spain and Argentina.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

ABDELAZIZ: I'll have more on those stories for you in just a moment, but first we are getting breaking news out of Ukraine. Kyiv is right now trying to shake off one of Russia's largest ballistic missile strikes since the conflict began. Ukraine says the Kremlin launched more than 40 missiles and over 100 drones overnight, most of them targeting the capital Kyiv.

One person was killed and 16 others wounded. New video shows a massive crater left by the strikes along with some damage to nearby buildings. Now, CNN crews on the ground say that a strong smell of smoke permeates the city. We're going to have a live report for you on all of that later this hour.

U.S. Central Command says it's completed the eighth consecutive night of strikes against Iran. Iranian state media reported several explosions earlier across the port city of Bandar Abbas and an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz. An Iranian official says at least 50 people have now been killed just in the past three weeks.

And CENTCOM says the latest strikes were carried out in retaliation for Iranian attacks that killed two U.S. service members in Jordan. Tehran says it is suspending its commitments under the deal reached with Washington last month as it hits targets in the Gulf, including an oil facility in Kuwait. Vital civilian infrastructure sites are coming under fire as fighting escalates in the Middle East. Kuwaiti officials said on Saturday that Iran again attacked one of its desalination plants, which are a critical source of drinking water within the region.

Iran also claims a U.S. missile attack damaged a desalination plant in the country's southern region, leaving some 20 villages with no water.

CNN's Nic Robertson is live for us now from Jerusalem. So, we're looking, of course, at the first American fatalities here since this Iranian firepower resumed in March. Can you talk me through what happened and how the U.S. military might retaliate now?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. The Iranians over the past few days, four or five, six days, have actually been targeting Jordan more than they have done in the past. And they've targeted a number of different air bases. And on Friday, they said that they targeted a large Jordanian air base near the town of Azraq, which is just perhaps 40, 50 miles or so from the capital, Amman. It's just on the edge of the desert.

And it's not quite clear what they were targeting there. The Iranians claimed that they hit helicopters and aircraft on the ground. And it's not clear precisely where these U.S. service members, the two who were killed, one is still missing -- declared missing in action. Another four were injured significantly enough to be treated in Jordanian hospitals. We understand they've now been released. But precisely where these casualties took place, what these service members' responsibilities were on the ground isn't clear.

CENTCOM obviously withholding their names until next of kin have been notified. When we hear that, that may give us a greater understanding of precisely what was targeted by the Iranians on the ground, what was actually hit. But Jordan is really facing a significant uptick in Iran's ballistic missile attacks and drone attacks on its air bases.

[04:05:00]

In the last few hours, Kuwait said it's been defending against incoming Iranian attacks. And to those U.S. attacks that are at maritime facilities, a lot, they say, along the Strait of Hormuz that is targeting missile and drone storage facilities, we've seen images of Iran trying to restore some of that damage, images of damaged bridges on highways that link Bandar Abbas, that important city on the Strait of Hormuz with the rest of Iran, sort of bypasses across dry riverbeds have been created to get the traffic through there, a tunnel that was hit in the early hours of yesterday that has been partially repaired, and also those 20 villages in the south of Iran that lost their water supply when Iranian officials say that the power and desalination plant there was damaged. Some of their services have been restored, according to Iranian authorities.

So, on both fronts, governments are trying to sort of restore the damage, but this is at a time when Iran is threatening to escalate, at a time when the supreme leader yesterday said that President Trump's signature was worthless, that he was untrustworthy. This was in relationship to the memorandum of understanding. But another significant thing that the supreme leader in Iran said yesterday was that he was calling for unity. He said that a lot of times in this written address to the nation. Again, he has still not been seen in public since his father was killed on the 28th of February at the beginning of this current conflict.

ABDELAZIZ: Nic Robertson there on the fallout after two American service members were killed by Iranian fire in Jordan. Thank you so much.

I want to bring in now Rachel VanLandingham. She is a professor of criminal and national security law at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. She is also a retired U.S. Air Force judge, advocate general. Good morning, first of all, to you, Rachel.

We've brought you on here because we really want to discuss the targeting that's taking place during this conflict. I mean, President Trump has said very openly, I might hit bridges, I might hit desalination plants, and we're seeing that happening on the ground in Iran. Everyone seems to be doing the same. Start with a plain talk definition for me. When it comes to attacking facilities or infrastructure, what constitutes a war crime?

RACHEL VANLANDINGHAM, CRIMINAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY LAW PROFESSOR, SOUTHWESTERN LAW SCHOOL AND U.S. AIR FORCE JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL (RET.): Well, thank you for having me and good morning to you. So, lawful military targets have to be -- have to make an effective contribution to actual military action. The law of war's fundamental premise is that you divide the world into civilians on one side and civilian objects and military targets, military personnel on the other. And the goal of the law of war is to reduce suffering in war and to protect those civilians.

And so, for a so-called dual-use target, that is, some object that also serves military purposes and civilian purposes, it has to qualify as a military objective because it makes some kind of effective contribution to military action, and its destruction offers a military advantage. For example, a bridge, usually through its intended future use, provides some kind of contribution as a line of communication to the enemy, and its destruction offers a military advantage.

So, this link to military action really operationalizes the core principle of military necessity. But that's not where things stop, right? There's additional rules such as militaries must take all feasible precautions to lessen harm, to prevent harm to civilians, and that choosing what time to strike, for example, a bridge striking at night versus a busy time during the day where there's more civilians.

And finally, even going through feasible precautions and attack, a military objective is not lawful as a target if the damage to civilians, the harm to civilians, will be considered excessive, the anticipated harm excessive to the military advantage gained.

But I want to highlight water desalinization plants are considered objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population. They receive heightened protection and should not be directly targeted whatsoever unless they were only being used to serve a military base, for example, which is that's really rare, right? And so, these water desalination plants need to be absolutely protected, and they may be perhaps considered collateral damage. So, we don't have the exact evidence on this.

The United States should not be targeting water desalination plants, let's just be honest. But power plants, bridges, they have to undergo a case-by-case determination regarding their contribution to military action. Otherwise, it would be considered what we consider indiscriminate --

[04:10:00]

ABDELAZIZ: This is such an interesting and complicated way that you're breaking it down because you're saying, look, there's a gray zone here. Targeting a bridge is not always a violation or a war crime. Let me talk to you about another thing that America is doing and it's been very clear about doing, which is blockading Iran's ports. Blockading Iran's ports, if I may ask about that specifically, because that is something that is going to, of course, hurt the general economy of Iran, harm civilian businesses, harm civilians' well-being.

How is, for example, blockading an Iranian port, is that something that is considered fair game versus hitting a desalination plant, as you were giving?

VANLANDINGHAM: Apologies, I had a little bit of a delay there. Blockades during war are a classic and lawful tactic, means, and methods of warfare. However, if the repercussions, the consequences cause excessive harm to civilians, but it's excessive compared to the direct and concrete military advantage gained. And that direct and concrete military advantage gain is usually not considered excessive compared to the harm to civilians. It can reach that level, but a blockade is typically considered a classic, lawful military measure during wartime.

ABDELAZIZ: Speak to me about who is ultimately responsible for answering for the outcomes. Because by the time the order is given to a pilot, there is a specific target that has been decided and originated. Who signed off and who carries the burden here of blame?

VANLANDINGHAM: There can be multiple levels of accountability. First and foremost, the commander that chose that target has a legal duty to ensure that target is a lawful military objective and not a civilian target. However, the pilot dropping a bomb, for example, they also have a duty to call off that strike if they receive information, if they identify the information that shows it's no longer a lawful military objective. So, there's accountability and responsibility that's dispersed throughout the chain of command.

Ultimately, commanders have the ultimate responsibility to ensure that the laws of war are being followed and adhered to by their subordinates. And therefore, they are responsible under the law of war for war crimes committed by their subordinates if they either ordered them directly or they should have known about them because of their duties as a commander and they failed to do anything to stop them.

ABDELAZIZ: Rachel VanLandingham there on the rules of war, what constitutes a war crime as tensions escalate, of course, between Iran and the United States. Thank you so much for explaining all of that to us.

After days of soaring temperatures, New York City was hit with heavy rain on Saturday when thunderstorms swept through the region. Two to four inches of rain by early afternoon triggered significant flooding as the National Weather Service issued a flood watch for all five boroughs

This video shows a street in New York which is submerged as rain pelts down. It got so intense that Yankees Dodgers baseball game had to be rescheduled. Ground stops were issued for LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark airports on the eve of the World Cup final. It caused flight delays and cancellations. Nearby New Jersey was also hit by the weather. Here you're seeing a man attempting to get out of his truck, which is stuck in the high water.

Hundreds of forests are also burning in Canada. This is as firefighters scramble to control whatever they can. Now, U.S. President Donald Trump has blamed his northern neighbor for what he calls willful negligence, polluting the air in the U.S. through bad forestry practices, even threatening more tariffs on Canada.

Smoke from the outbreaks has blanketed parts of the northeast, putting more than 100 million Americans in 18 states under air quality alerts. Doug Ford, premier of Ontario, where many of those fires are burning, called Trump's threats unacceptable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUG FORD, ONTARIO PREMIER: I find it a shame the administration in the U.S. and congresspeople writing these letters and blaming us and so on and so forth. They have a very short, short memory. We had the water bombers, everyone ready, going over to California. It was last year. We sent down hydro linemen down to the Carolinas and Georgia to help out. That's what neighbors do, right? You don't get on and start threatening and criticizing because guess what, one day it's going to be your turn.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Now, air quality is a concern because of these fires. Ahead of today's World Cup final in New Jersey, CNN meteorologist Melissa Nord explains what people can expect here.

[04:15:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA NORD, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The strong thunderstorms and the wind direction shift really helps to scour out the smoke in the forecast by first thing on Sunday morning. You can see on the map here, throughout the day we start clear. A little bit of smoke comes in, but the concentration of the smoke, very low.

When we were talking about Friday and Saturday morning, the concentration on this map was showing all the colors in the red and even into some purple colors. So, that really dense smoke is gone throughout Sunday. And we're also seeing the high humidity from Saturday is also gone. We have very stagnant, humid air. It was hot outside.

Now, Sunday, look at the purple and really tan colors showing up on the map. That's really dry air, making it feel much more comfortable outside. So, for the forecast, 3:00 kickoff will be in the low 80s and not feeling much hotter than that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Some of the world's best soccer players will face off in New Jersey later today. A Spain and Argentina battle for that World Cup title. The match will take place at 3 p.m. Eastern time. CNN's Amanda Davis shows us how that excitement is building.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CROWD: Argentina. Argentina.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: We, the teams and the fans, have made it here to the Big Apple for the big one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If Spain scores first, that's probably good news for Argentina because they like to do comebacks. So, if they score first, then I think Argentina will take it.

DAVIES: How confident are you for the final?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, I seem pretty confident. Like, I trust in my team to win.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three-two, Spain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Leo Messi, and then my wife, and then my family.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What? No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes, he's the love of my life. Yes. He's the most important people in my life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you serious?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First Messi, then me?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

DAVIES: The love of Messi might never change, but things at this tournament have been a bit different. With the introduction of hydration breaks, we're getting set for that first ever World Cup halftime show. And in another Americanization, it's been revealed the winners are set to receive a Super Bowl-esque celebratory ring.

And how about this, a first public pre-final presentation here at Fanatics Fest with both coaches and captains. And yes, the biggest cheers for Leo Messi.

LIONEL SCALONI, ARGENTINA COACH (through translator): To have been able to reach a final as he has reached it at 39 years old, I think it is something incredible. We have to value what he does. And the history and the legend is him and this whole group of players who have taken us to some wonderful years.

DAVIES: 16 years after they won the World Cup for the first and only time, it's 19-year-old Lamine Yamal who's the face of this new era for Spain. As they look to emulate the success of the players from 2010.

RODRI, SPAIN MIDFIELDER (through translator): This team and this generation, we're going to give people something to talk about. And that the path toward reaching the greatest thing a soccer player can achieve, which is lifting the World Cup. And on Sunday, we have a very beautiful challenge ahead of us to make this unforgettable. I think, as you say, for a great generation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Drones are lighting up the skies above New Jersey, celebrating the World Cup ahead of today's big match. They created images of the tournament's mascots and logo and the trophy that either Spain or Argentina will win. The drones also displayed the Statue of Liberty with the Manhattan skyline as the backdrop.

Meanwhile, England have created some history of their own. They beat France 6-4 in the bronze match on Saturday, bringing the country its best World Cup result in 60 years. Their early goals and tenacious offense set the tone and left France struggling to catch up with the score 4-nil at halftime.

France wasn't going to let that go unanswered. They were helped by star forward Kylian Mbappe, whose two goals in the second half broke Lionel Messi's all-time World Cup goal scoring record. But even that was not enough to stop England from winning the match and the World Cup bronze.

Still ahead, new details about an ICE agent connected to this week's fatal shooting in Maine. Plus, online influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate have been arrested in Miami. We're going to explain why coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

ABDELAZIZ: U.S. Marshals in Miami have arrested online influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate. Now, this is following an extradition request from the U.K. Andrew Tate faces 42 charges. These include rape, human trafficking, unpossessing indecent images of a child, according to the U.K.'s Crown Prosecution Service. Officials say Tristan faces 17 charges. The brothers' attorney says the men are innocent and have criticized the U.K.'s extradition attempt. Both Tate brothers have dual U.S. and British citizenship.

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer connected to a deadly shooting in Maine once told a judge that he suffered debilitating cognitive issues after a head injury. That's in court documents that were reviewed by CNN. David Brouillette filed a lawsuit in 2023. This is against a community college. Where he was training to become a professional firefighter two years prior.

He claimed a heavy steel IBL fell on him during the training and said he sustained a laceration and a concussion and lasting injuries that, quote, "impaired memory and caused cognitive deficits." Brouillette said the injuries were debilitating, kept him from completing the course, and affected his daily life. But two years after filing this lawsuit, he was working as an ICE officer.

[04:25:00]

CNN's Gloria Pazmino explains how these new details are raising questions about the vetting process for federal immigration officers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, and we're getting a much fuller picture about who this officer is now that we have confirmed that David Brouillette was among the officers in the scene in Biddeford, Maine where an ICE officer fatally shot Joan Sebastian Duran Guerrero. This is all according to two of his ex-wives who reviewed photos and spoke with CNN.

Now, we should mention that CNN has not independently confirmed whether Brouillette was the officer who discharged the weapon killing Duran Guerrero. And investigators have not publicly identified the officer who shot the victim.

Federal sources have separately confirmed to CNN that Brouillette is an ICE officer. The Department of Homeland Security has declined to comment on the identity of the officer and they have said that the officer used deadly force because they feared for public safety.

Now, we have been trying to gather details to get a fuller picture about who Brouillette is. My colleagues Michael Williams, Curt Devine and Priscilla Alvarez have been combing through public documents and what has emerged is a troubling picture that raises serious questions about how ICE is doing its training and its officer vetting as they race to meet the demands of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

One of Brouillette's ex-wives and one of his daughters also told CNN that he contacted them days after the shooting and said that he had opened fire. Both said he told them that he thought the shooting was justified.

Now, here's some of what we have learned. In 2023, Brouillette told a court in Maine that he had suffered lingering cognitive issues after he suffered a serious head injury when a steel beam fell on his head during a training exercise for a firefighting certificate. He sued the Maine Community College system because of that injury, but it was just two years after he filed that lawsuit that he started working for ICE.

Brouillette's ex-wives also described a history of alleged domestic abuse and intimidation. All of this in court filings where he denies the allegations and we have not been able to confirm any criminal convictions or charges. We also reached out to Brouillette and he did not respond to several requests for comments.

We should mention Duran Guerrero's killing was the second time that an ICE officer shot and killed an immigrant behind the wheel in the span of just a week. And it's the fourth killing this year alone by federal immigration authorities.

Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Ukraine's capital is battered by one of Russia's largest ballistic missile strikes since the war began. Still ahead, a live report on the attack which left fires and damage throughout Kyiv.

Plus, the Pentagon is under pressure from the press to answer questions about the war with Iran, why this close to vest approach could backfire for the White House, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00]

ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Salma Abdulaziz in London.

U.S. Central Command announced it had completed the eighth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, and on CENTCOM says American military assets targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces that launched attacks against U.S. service members in Jordan on Friday.

Now, two U.S. service members were killed in that attack, and one remains missing in action. Iranian state media has broadcast what it says is the latest statement from the supreme leader, who has yet to appear in public since the start of the war. He said, in part, quote here, "The signature of the president of the United States is utterly worthless and invalid, and that bullying, hegemonic ambition, and savagery are inseparable components of the American creed and way of conduct."

Both President Trump and the secretary of defense have spoken out about the two American service members that were killed in Jordan, but when it comes to the overall war with Iran, the Pentagon is pretty tight-lipped. CNN chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, breaks down the White House's wartime messaging strategy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Hey there. Yes, there are many questions and very few answers after those two U.S. service members were killed amid a week of renewed fighting with Iran. The Pentagon is clearly trying to keep a tight lid on what happened, and it's reflective of a broader strategy to control information, limit access, and avoid questions about the war.

Now, here's the stat that really highlights that strategy. The most recent Pentagon press briefing was two and a half months ago. It was back on May 5th. During past U.S. wars, briefings have been held regularly, sometimes even daily, but not this time. Military beat reporters are increasingly speaking up about a lack of information, a lack of answers they're getting.

The U.S. military largely likes to communicate in a one-way communication mode, via X, the social media platform. What's missing is two-way communication, the ability to ask questions and get answers. And veteran military reporters tell me they're asking those questions on behalf of U.S. service members and their family members and citizens across the U.S. who want to understand the strategy behind the war, who want to be able to hear from the people who are doing the fighting, and who want to see their leaders held accountable.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his aides have been combative with the press for the past year plus, curtailing access to the Pentagon headquarters, favoring pro-Trump media outlets, and rarely holding briefings at all. The renewed attacks in the past week have highlighted the information vacuum, with the military announcing nightly strikes in Iran, but barely sharing any follow-up information.

When Central Command announced the U.S. service member deaths on Saturday, Hegseth followed up on X and he wrote, Godspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve. Hegseth has been active on social media on all sorts of topics lately.

Just this past week, he announced a plan to scrutinize testosterone levels in troops. And he claimed there's a new task force in place to prosecute leakers. The Trump administration has been aggressively trying to stop insiders who share sensitive government information. But when reporters sent follow-up questions about that supposed task force, the Pentagon did not respond.

[04:35:00]

Again, indicating a larger effort by the administration to control information. Leaving critics saying that the public is being left in the dark at a time of war.

Brian Selter, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Now, to Kyiv, where CNN crews say that a strong smell of smoke sits heavy on the city at this hour. That is after Russia launched one of its biggest ballistic missile strikes since the war began. Killing at least one person, 16 others were wounded.

Now, the strike caused fire and damage in multiple parts of the city. And the attack came on the heels of Ukraine's deadliest strikes on Russia in more than two years. Ukraine's officials say Ukrainian drones took aim at two commercial warehouses, which Kyiv says are also used for military purposes. Russia says at least eight people were killed in that attack, and more than 60 others were injured.

Barbie Latza Nadeau is monitoring all of these developments for us from Rome, and she joins us live now. Barbie, what's the latest? What are you hearing and what are you learning this hour?

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Well, you know, these latest attacks by Russia on Ukraine, especially focused on Kyiv, have been incredibly damaging. You know, fires were sparked in residential areas and a shopping mall. And it's just really disturbing for those, of course, the residents of Kyiv, of the capital.

But as you said, these attacks come on the heels of that twin drone attack deep into Russian territory on Saturday, killing eight people in these distribution centers that Ukraine says were involved in the manufacturing distribution of drones. Now, that is a change in strategy, because before that, Ukraine had mostly focused on energy and infrastructure and some maritime assets there.

But this all underscores what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says is Russia's desire to keep this war going at any cost. So, let's listen to what he had to say about the Russian president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Russia has long had the opportunity to turn to diplomacy and end its aggression. It is the Russian leadership's refusal and its desire to continue fighting that are the reasons this war goes on. This year alone, we have approached Russia dozens of times with proposals to stop the war. The response has always been rejection.

Our partners are working to help organize a meeting between the leaders, the United States, Turkey, other European countries and Arab leaders. Putin has no desire to end the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NADEAU: Now, these overnight strikes against Ukraine and the strikes yesterday against Russia do underscore what seems to be an escalation in the situation. It now remains to be seen, of course, whether or not Ukraine is going to try to strike back against Russia on their territory. Salma.

ABDELAZIZ: Barbie Latza Nadeau there on Ukraine that is reeling after heavy airstrikes, ballistic missiles from Russia. Thank you very much.

In U.S. politics, a big primary battle for the Democratic Party is ahead. We are watching the fight in Michigan between a progressive and a more moderate candidate. We're going to explain all that just ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:40:00]

ABDELAZIZ: Progressive Democrats are looking to a key Senate race in Michigan to prove that candidates outside the mainstream are electable and part of the party's future. Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are rallying in Detroit for a U.S. Senate candidate, Abdul El-Sayed. He is facing Haley Stevens, an establishment Democrat, in Michigan's primary election in August. She just won the backing of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC.

The two candidates are deeply divided on U.S. policy towards Israel and Israel's war in Gaza, as well as A.I. and campaign funding. El- Sayed says he understands why Michigan voters are angry with politics and want to change it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ABDUL EL-SAYED, DEMOCRATIC U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: Donald Trump is not himself the disease of our politics, he's just the worst symptom of the disease of our politics. The disease is the system that allows big corporations, billionaires, special interests like AIPAC to buy and sell politicians to do their bidding instead of ours. We have to pay more for all we pay for, get paid less for the work we do, and watch as our tax dollars get misappropriated to drop bombs and buy tanks abroad rather than to invest in schools and health care here at home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: I want to bring in now Lauren Gibbons. She is a senior capital reporter for the nonprofit news service, Bridge Michigan, and is coming to us in the middle of her night in Lansing, Michigan. Thank you, first of all, for joining us.

I mean, this race has become one of the clear proxy battles here over the future direction of the Democratic Party. It's a contest between a progressive and, of course, a centrist, but we've seen this type of battle play out, of course, in other parts of the country, but perhaps you could dismiss them as, look, that's the elites of New York. How does it play out in the Midwest?

LAUREN GIBBONS, SENIOR CAPITOL REPORTER, BRIDGE MICHIGAN: I think you said it exactly right. This has turned into a proxy battle, and it's truly a test of whether that progressive message is going to work in a swing state like Michigan.

Typically, we have seen that independents are necessary for a candidate to win at the statewide level, and we have seen a lot of progressive candidates around the state, but most notably, Abdul El- Sayed, who has really brought this progressive message, a run-on Medicare for all, and also has a different foreign policy perspective than someone like Moderate, Haley Stevens.

So, it's really going to be a true test, not only in this primary cycle, but also in the general election cycle about whether that progressive message resonates in the Rust Belt.

ABDELAZIZ: And you say it's a test of that progressive message. Of course, AOC and Bernie Sanders have thrown their weight behind Abdul El-Sayed. I think they're counting on the fact that this is America's working class, right, the heartland for unionized labor. What is the reaction you're seeing as a reporter, as a journalist on the ground, to that messaging, and what challenges are they facing in winning over voters there?

GIBBONS: Absolutely. This is something that a lot of voters are responding well to. This is a very close race, and I think it's especially notable that this is a close race with all of the outside spending on advertisements that is currently happening in Michigan. The fact that it's this close is quite notable.

You're seeing Senator Sanders especially has made the point that at this point, he believes that it's corporate spending against Abdul El- Sayed, as opposed to Haley Stevens against Abdul Sayed. And so, they are really trying to get this message across.

[04:45:00]

And I think a lot of voters are responding well, but the real test ultimately will be our more moderate Democrats, who are maybe less vocal, less likely to respond to polls, going to be interested in this message. And then in November, if he does succeed in this primary, are independents going to be interested in this message?

ABDELAZIZ: And speaking on that messaging, there is, of course, the alternate messaging, which is coming from President Trump on any progressive candidate. And he says, look, they're communists. Is that something that is being bought in the Rust Belt? Is that being bought by more moderate Democrats, or are you seeing a shift further left?

GIBBONS: You know, it's interesting to see. And I do think that Republicans are already making the case that someone like Abdul El- Sayed is further left than Michigan voters are. There's already advertisements running and in the works. And if he does come to the general election cycle, they will just be hammering that point home over and over again.

And remember, this is a state that has elected Trump in the past, that has been supportive of Trump as recently as 2024. And so, this is a question that a lot of moderate Democrats are asking. And part of the reason that a lot of establishment officials here in Michigan, like sitting Senator Gary Peters, have endorsed Haley Stevens.

ABDELAZIZ: And not to get ahead of the race here, it's obviously a very close race. But if El-Sayed wins, what does that tell us about Democratic voters? Are they moving further to the left? Does it strengthen the argument that swing states prefer a more progressive candidate over more moderate candidates? What does it tell us about the direction of the party?

GIBBONS: I think it will certainly bolster progressive movement in terms of whether this message is successful around the country. A lot of the progressive wins we have seen thus far have been in areas that trended a lot more Democratic in the general election cycle. And in this case, Michigan has been a swing state for many, many years now. And so, if there is a progressive champion that prevails here at the statewide level, that would be quite something.

ABDELAZIZ: Lauren Gibbons there on a very important race that keeps on heating up. Thank you so much.

GIBBONS: Thanks for having me.

ABDELAZIZ: Those are some of the 300 protesters who turned out to meet U.S. Ambassador Tilman Fertitta as he arrived in Venice aboard his super yacht. The billionaire businessman's luxury yacht is called the Boardwalk. He's using it to tour Italy as part of what he calls a Freedom 250 coastal diplomacy tour. Protesters carried signs reading, Must go and make America go away.

Beer and sports are a natural pairing, but now a British man is taking his love of ales and stouts to the World Cup, to a new high. We're going to explain next.

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FRANCES SALIMO, STRANDED FAN: This is a two to four delayed, I think. So, we're still with it. We're still hoping that we can make it.

BLAKE FERTITTA, STRANDED FAN: Hopefully, they'll board and we can get up there tonight. That's the hope. If not, either try to recoup the tickets, you know, sell the ticket, or potentially get a rental car through the night.

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ABDELAZIZ: That is our Lynda Kinkade speaking with soccer fans that are stranded at the Atlanta airport hoping to make the final match at New York-New Jersey Stadium later today. One passenger tells her he spent $14,000 on his trip. All of them are scrambling to figure out whether there's any route connection or last-minute option that will get them to that stadium in time.

One British man is celebrating the World Cup by taking on a heady task. He is combining his passion for soccer and beer by collecting a bottle of suds from each of the 48 nations participating in this year's tournament. That even includes non-alcoholic brews from countries where alcohol is banned. CNN creator, Charline Bou Mansour, reports.

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CHARLINE BOU MANSOUR, CNN CREATOR (voice-over): Where there's football, there's beer, or at least that's the challenge one England football fan has set himself. GUS HULLY, BEER COLLECTOR: When you've got countries like Curacao and you've got Cape Verde, I've never had beers from them before. So, it's taken a lot of time, a lot of effort to try and track down these beers.

MANSOUR (voice-over): Most football fans collect shirts or tickets, but Gus Hully has collected 48 beers from every nation competing at the 2026 World Cup.

HULLY: So, this isn't my first time that I've done it, but I think it was like 2010, 2012 that I saw somebody else on an internet forum try it. And they got somewhere close, but they didn't quite get the full set. But then every sort of international tournament since then, so like the World Cup, the Euros, Women's World Cup, Women's Euros, I've got every single one for them and it's just sort of like -- it's just nice to complete the set.

MANSOUR (voice-over): Over the decades, beer has become almost synonymous with the World Cup. Beer itself has a history stretching back more than 5,000 years. Historians believe it was first brewed by the ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq, making it one of the world's oldest crafted beverages.

HULLY: I mean, I've been helped by a lot of diaspora all over the U.K., so they're sort of like Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil. They've got huge communities in London.

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The ones from internationally, it's all been sort of reliant on other people going to those countries.

MANSOUR (voice-over): After ticking the easier countries, Hully had to use his contact list to source the harder ones from countries where alcohol is restricted.

HULLY: Well, so there were two really difficult countries that I struggled with, really.

So, Qatar, well known as a dry state, they don't exactly brew their own beer, but they do have non-alcoholic options available. But for the 2022 World Cup, there was a brewery called Cataract. They made a non-alcoholic beer called Fizzin.

MANSOUR (voice-over): The last beer he added to his collection was a non-alcoholic pineapple-flavored malt drink from Iraq.

HULLY: There is a big Iraqi community down in East London, but they didn't have any non-alcoholic malt beverages. So, it was only like lemonade and grape juice. But I messaged a guy in Poland. He said that he went to, was it Iraq, maybe two, three years ago and brought a bottle back as a souvenir. And I was like, OK, how much do you want for this bottle? I need to get this bottle. It's the last one I need just to complete the set. That was the final one that I needed to get and the final difficult one. MANSOUR (voice-over): As the World Cup expands and fan culture evolves beyond the stadium, Gus' collection offers a light-hearted look at how football brings together nations, cultures and tastes from around the globe.

HULLY: I've had people from Ghana sort of be like complimenting me on what I've done. It's reached South America. It's reached Australia. It's reached countries that aren't even in the World Cup.

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ABDELAZIZ: Thank you for watching. I'm Salma Abdulaziz. I'll be back with more news after a quick break.

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