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CNN This Morning

U.S. Wraps Up Eighth Night Of Strikes Against Iran; Two U.S. Service Members Dead; One Missing After Friday Attack; Kuwait Army Intercepting Missile, Drone Attacks From Iran; Deadly Maine Shooting Sparks Anti-ICE Protests; Ontario Premier Says It's A Shame Trump Is Blaming Canada For Wildfire Smoke; Flash Flooding Follows Days Of Smoke And Heat In New York; World Cup Fans Stranded As New York Storms Cause Airport Chaos; Spain And Argentina Prepare To Face Off In The World Cup Final; Tate Brothers Arrested In Miami On U.K. Extradition Request; Iceberg Lettuce Recalled In 27 States Due To Possible Contamination; Michigan Democrats Battle For Open Senate Seat; Russia Launches Massive Missile And Drone Attack Against Ukraine. Iran Suspending Commitment To Ceasefire Agreement; Top Two Teams In The World Make It To World Cup Finals; Catching Up With Quilen Blackwell, 2025 CNN Hero Of The Year; Andy Burnham To Take Over As U.K. Prime Minister Monday. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired July 19, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:29]

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. We're very glad you're with us here today.

Here's what's new this morning. First up, the U.S. launched another round of strikes on Iran, Saturday, in retaliation for the death of two U.S. soldiers. And happening now, we're learning of new missile attacks by Iran on U.S. allies. We've got that coming up in a live report.

And we're also following breaking news out of Ukraine. Russia is unleashing a major ballistic missile attack on Kyiv. We have new information and video of the damage coming in.

And here in the U.S. first it was the smoke. Well, now it was the floods. Part of the northeast are drying out after flash floods swept through the region. We've got a look at the damage there and today's forecast.

Plus, after more than 100 matches, thrilling wins and heartbreaking losses, it's all come down to this, the World Cup final. And let's take a live look at the stadium where Spain and Argentina are going to face off in just a little bit. We're going to take you there live coming up.

A very good morning to you. It is Sunday, July 19th. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Danny Freeman in for Victor Blackwell.

And breaking overnight, U.S. ally Kuwait says it is actively intercepting missile and drone attacks, citing Iranian aggression. Sirens are also going off in Bahrain. Now, that happened just hours after U.S. Central Command posted this video saying it wrapped up an eighth night of strikes against Iran. CENTCOM says it targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Forces behind attacks that killed two U.S. service members in Jordan on Friday. One service member is still missing.

For more on this, we have CNN's Nic Robertson joining us now. Nic, what more have we learned this morning?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, the very latest is the latest round of strikes from Iran on Bahrain that was ongoing literally an hour ago. And a couple of hours before that as you mentioned Kuwait was taking the force of Iran's attacks.

I think overall last night, it does appear Iran has targeted fewer countries in the Gulf region than it has done over previous nights. It's not clear if it targeted anywhere in Jordan, but Jordan has absolutely, over the past five or six days, been a real focus for Iranian strikes. They say that they've been hitting U.S. Air Force assets at different military bases inside of Jordan. We don't yet know the details about the strike that killed the two service members in Jordan, or the missing third member. No update on that person missing in action.

Those who have been injured, U.S. service personnel injured in that strike in Jordan have been released from hospital. But where does that leave the bigger picture in the region at the moment? One of the things that we're seeing is that the U.S. is increasing its fleet of the KC-135 Stratotankers, the air refuelers for the F-35 and other fighter jets that are critical to prosecuting the war against Iran in the region at the moment and relocating some of them to Israel.

So in that -- in this context where Iran is trying to hit U.S. military assets closer to Iran, putting these assets in Israel, potentially making them safer, harder for Iran to reach Israel has strong -- very strong defensive procedures against incoming Iranian missiles. It has not been targeted yet.

What the United States was targeting overnight were missile storage and drone storage facilities was targeting along the Strait of Hormuz. Again on the Island of Qeshm, which is right at that sort of critical, narrow point in the Strait of Hormuz and Bandar Abbas, which is the main city. Again, Iranian city on the Strait of Hormuz.

It's not clear how much this latest salvo of overnight operations from the United States has damaged Iran's ability to interdict shipping in the -- in the Strait of Hormuz. But that is -- that is the plan to stop Iran being able to cut off international maritime shipping in the strait.

FREEMAN: And again, still heartbreaking for the families of those service members who were killed. Nic Robertson, thank you so much for that latest update.

[06:05:01] Really do appreciate it. Switching gears now, we have new details about one of the officers on scene when 25-year-old Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero was shot and killed in Maine back on Monday. Now a warning, the video you're about to see may be disturbing.

CNN now confirmed David Brouillette was among those officers, according to two of his ex-wives. One of those ex-wives and one of his daughters told CNN that he told them he opened fire and thought the shooting was justified. CNN has not independently confirmed if Brouillette was the officer who shot Duran Guerrero, and federal officials have not publicly identified that officer.

Now, after combing through public documents and speaking with those ex-wives, CNN uncovered more details about Brouillette's past. Both women described a history of alleged domestic abuse and intimidation. Brouillette has denied the allegations and was never charged.

Another note from his past, Brouillette told a court in Maine that he suffered lingering cognitive issues after he suffered a serious head injury. A steel beam fell on his head while he was in firefighter training, leaving him unable to complete that training. Well, Brouillette has not responded to several requests by CNN for comment. Now, the shooting has sparked protests across Maine like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, I think just grief stricken silence, anger, disbelief, shock. Yes, because it happened here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was down at Biddeford and I'm here because I care about that. And, you know, I mean, who doesn't?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Twenty-five year old Duran Guerrero was from Colombia. He was here with his partner and daughter working as a delivery driver. The Department of Homeland Security says he was trying to flee the scene, and an ICE officer shot him, quote, "fearing for public safety."

Also this morning, nearly 1,000 wildfires are burning across Canada. In Ontario alone, crews are battling 191 active fires, with more than 150 firefighting teams spread across the province.

Now the smoke is drifting deep into the U.S., Midwest and East Coast, prompting air quality alerts for more than 100 million people. President Trump is blaming Canada for the smoke and threatening to impose tariffs on Canada over it. Yesterday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford pushed back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUG FORD, ONTARIO PREMIER: I find it a shame, the administration in the U.S. and Congress people, 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)

FREEMAN: Meanwhile, thousands of people have been forced from their homes in Canada with no clear timeline for when they can return. And of course, here in the U.S., the smoke is disrupting everything from summer events to outdoor activities across more than a dozen states, including near the venue for today's World Cup final.

Though after days of smoke and extreme heat, New Yorkers found themselves dealing with a completely different problem, flash flooding. Heavy rain moved through the region yesterday, flooding roads and causing problems on parts of the transit system. Some areas picked up several inches of rain in just a few hours.

CNN's Melissa Nord joins me now. Melissa, I was, you know, I'm here in New York, and it really was coming down yesterday. What can people expect today?

MELISSA NORD, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I know it was really intense, but it's going to be looking a lot better, Danny, today in New York for that World Cup final. You can see over 400 reports of damaging winds yesterday. And there are all of those flash flooding reports through New York City.

The front, though is further south. So we've had this wind direction shift. It's pushed the smoke out of there. It is encompassing the Midwest today. But for New York itself, it looks great for game time.

We've got kickoff there at 3:00. We'll be in the 80s. There's low humidity. So really nice weather there.

The storm system that brought that flash flooding to New York City yesterday further south at this point, that's going to bring some severe weather to the Carolinas, down to Georgia. It's daytime heating. So it's driven in the afternoon and evening watch for heavy rain that could lead to flash flooding and damaging winds.

And then south of there, we're also watching some trouble in the tropics. This little swirl across the Eastern Gulf now has a 60 percent chance of development. Hurricane hunters expected to fly into this later today to get more information. It's going to swirl around in the Eastern Gulf the next couple of days, bringing some intense rain bands right along the coastline.

It could become a tropical depression if it becomes a named storm Bertha would be the name there. You can see forecast rainfall. Much of this just right along the Big Bend region, Apalachicola, and even down to the Tampa area. We could see locally some places get around four inches of rain, Danny.

FREEMAN: Man, a wet week coming up. All right. Melissa, thank you so much. Really do appreciate it. And severe weather has left soccer fans stranded just ahead of the World Cup final in New Jersey. The intense rain forced ground stops at JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark airports, triggering a cascade of cancellations and major flight delays for thousands of fans traveling on the eve of today's championship match.

[06:10:09]

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLAKE FERTITTA, FAN TRAVELING TO WORLD CUP FINAL: Yes, mostly been checking online and see that the ground stop has finally ended, so hopefully they'll board and we can get up there tonight. That's the hope. If not, either try to recoup the tickets on a -- you know, sell the ticket or potentially get a rental car through the night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: I hope they get there. All right. Coming up next, we're going to take you live to New Jersey and the site of today's World Cup final, where fans are already making their predictions. And we're going to tell you what fans can expect if they're heading to the match as well.

Plus, also a duo of controversial influencers are back in legal trouble. They've been arrested in the U.S. and are facing extradition to the U.K. We're going to explain the accusations against the Tate brothers.

And later, Andy Burnham is set out to become the UK's new prime minister tomorrow. We're going to lay out the challenges he's facing as Britain's incoming new leader.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:15:51]

FREEMAN: After 38 days of nonstop action, the 2026 World Cup final is finally here. At 3:00 p.m. eastern today, world number one Argentina faces world number two Spain in front of a packed new stadium. It's going to be a spectacular clash featuring soccer superstar Lionel Messi and prodigy Lamine Yamal. President Trump will also be in attendance, and FIFA's president even stated that Trump would hand the trophy to the winning team.

Leigh Waldman is live outside of the New York -- New Jersey stadium where these games are taking place. Leigh, so great to see you and so much excitement ahead of today's match.

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Danny, so much excitement. The 3:00 a.m. alarm is not so bad on a Sunday when this is what your day at work is here. It has all led up to this moment. These two teams have such different playing styles on the pitch, so this is going to be a really thrilling match to watch between Spain and Argentina. But even if you don't necessarily identify as a sports fan, this day has something for everyone, including a performance from Miss FIFA herself, Shakira, Shakira.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. MIKIE SHERRILL (D-NJ): Welcoming the world to New Jersey. Some people have compared it to having your cousins over and your mom let you stay up late.

WALDMAN (voice-over): An incredible tournament that has brought memorable moments on and off the field.

SHAUN ALEXANDER, WORLD CUP FAN VISITING U.S. FROM SCOTLAND: Buc-ee's is like America in a box, a very, very large box. But, you know, you go in there, it's very colorful. There's all these kind of gifts and all this different food and smells.

WALDMAN (voice-over): After weeks of intense matches, it all comes down to this. Two giants meeting on the pitch in New Jersey. La Roja versus La Albiceleste.

UNIDENTIFIED YOUNG FAN: I think they would be pretty proud of seeing all these fans just happy to support them always.

UNIDENTIFIED YOUNG FAN: It was really cool seeing Spain walk by, seeing all my favorite players walk by. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED YOUNG FAN: All the players are great and it's like a great experience to see everybody. And Spain is going to win the World Cup.

WALDMAN (voice-over): This is the first time the two teams have played each other at the World Cup since the group stage of the 1966 tournament in England, when Argentina won two-one. While both teams have a lot riding on this game, Argentina is playing for history, trying to be the first repeat champions since the 1960s.

Today's final has something for everyone, including those who don't identify as sports fans. Ahead of the game, FIFA is hosting a star studded show with performances from some of the biggest names in music and entertainment. At halftime, Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira, BTS and more will be coming together for what's sure to be an unforgettable performance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALDMAN: And, Danny, if we need to make today even more exciting, let me add another level for you. This is the first ever World Cup final to be contested by the champions of the world versus the champions of Europe. Messi, he is hoping to answer a very important question today. Is he the GOAT?

FREEMAN: Yes, I think he's for sure the GOAT. That's undisputed. And, Leigh, I just love that you are wearing the blue and white stripes for Argentina. And also the red earrings for Spain. I really like that. Nice touch. Leigh Waldman, thanks so much. Have a good time out there. All right. Coming up after a break, we have new information about the cyclospora outbreak. The company behind the contaminated lettuce is issuing a recall. We're going to tell you what you need to know coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:23:42]

FREEMAN: In headlines this morning, we're learning more about the arrest of social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate. U.S. marshals arrested the brothers yesterday in Miami on an extradition request from the U.K. British prosecutors accused the brothers of rape, sex trafficking and other offenses tied to an investigation involving multiple alleged victims. They're expected to appear in federal court in Miami this week as the extradition process moves forward. The brothers have repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

And produce supplier Taylor Farms is recalling iceberg lettuce shipped to 27 states due to potential cyclospora contamination. This is the same company that supplied shredded lettuce to Taco Bell restaurants that have been linked to the cyclosporiasis outbreak in the Midwest. The recall covers lettuce distributed between June 29th and July 16th. If you have it, the company says you should immediately throw it away.

And later today, Michigan Democrats will get another look at one of the party's most closely watched Senate primaries. Abdul El-Sayed is set to rally with Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Grand Rapids. El-Sayed and Congresswoman Haley Stevens are competing to replace retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters. As he campaigns for the Senate, El-Sayed is framing his message around who he says really holds power in Washington. Here's part of what he told supporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: Donald Trump is not himself the disease of our politics.

[06:25:02]

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)

FREEMAN: And coming up later this morning, El-Sayed joins Jake Tapper on "STATE OF THE UNION." Moving abroad, Russia just launched one of its largest ballistic missile attacks against Ukraine since the war began over four years ago. Ukraine says more than 40 missiles and 120 drones were fired overnight by the Russians, most of them targeting the capital, Kyiv. Rescue operations are underway at this hour. The attacks followed deadly strikes by the Ukrainians deep into Russia, destroying two e-commerce warehouses, one of them in Moscow. At least eight people were killed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE (through translator): These were Russian logistics facilities, including warehouses supplying equipment for the war effort, such as navigation systems, components used in drone production and other supplies for the Russian military. Our Ukrainian weapons also struck another oil facility and targets in the waters of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. This was an important operation. There will be more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau is tracking the latest developments. Barbie, this war really seems to be escalating to a dangerous new level.

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, this really was a brutal overnight attack on the Ukrainian capital. Those 40 missiles raining down in less than two hours, sparking fires, residential areas were hit, a shopping center was hit. But of course, they are retaliating against that Ukrainian twin drone strike deep into the heart of Russia, very close to Moscow, hitting those distribution centers.

You know, this really is seeming to be an escalation of the war right now. And it remains to be seen if Ukraine is now going to or has the capability to strike Russia again inside, and whether or not this sort of escalation is going to bring either side closer to the negotiating table and bring these countries in this ongoing war closer to an end and peace in the region.

It has been four difficult years, obviously, in Ukraine. Reverberations all across Europe here with higher prices and Ukrainian refugees. So everybody's looking for an end to this, except it seems, Vladimir Putin and Russia -- Danny.

FREEMAN: All right. Barbie Latza Nadeau, thank you very much for that update and report.

All right. Let's get more now on our top story this morning. Two U.S. service members killed in action in Jordan, the first American fatalities from Iranian fire since March. And another U.S. soldier is missing. The U.S. retaliating an eighth straight night of strikes targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Forces believed to be behind those attacks.

CNN global affairs analyst Kimberly Dozier joins us now from Washington to break all this down. Kim, good to see you. Though I'm sad to see you on a hard weekend for the U.S.

Listen, we still don't have a ton of information about this attack in Jordan that killed those two service members. But what's your read on where this conflict stands today after this awful news? I mean, surely this will only make things worse

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes. First of all, we don't have much information because the way the U.S. military does its notification, it only does it between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. in wherever the families are located, so that they never have to fear a knock at the door in the middle of the night with the worst possible news of their lives. So that process is ongoing, and then we'll likely get more details about how those troops were lost after that notification.

As for the battle itself between the U.S. and Iran, what this shows is that while the U.S. might have taken out Iran's conventional military capability, largely that Iran maintains weapons and militia groups and operatives throughout the region that have been there for years, and they still have capability. And so wherever the U.S. has a weak point, troops in a vulnerable location, Iran is going to note that and strike.

FREEMAN: Kim, I'm curious, what do you expect U.S. retaliation to look like in the coming days? We've already seen eight straight nights of strikes against Iran.

DOZIER: Well, we've seen them expand. CENTCOM has been hitting bridges. And according to Iranian authorities, even desalination facilities. It seems the goal is now, you know, that they've run out of many of the conventional military targets to hit some of the economic targets, to make it harder for the government to maintain power. That gets them into the gray area of -- a lot of these things will be dual use.

[06:30:04]

When you take out a bridge, yes, U.S. military troops might go over that bridge, but also civilians use it, which has led to accusations across the Gulf and the Middle East. I just came back from Europe, where I heard this chorus from people that the U.S. was committing war crimes. That can't be great for the U.S. reputation long term.

And that is all to Iran's benefit, as Iran takes more pain than the U.S. can and continues to mete out at least reputational damage and some military damage as well.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Kim, can you break down and help us understand, I mean, how vulnerable are some of these U.S. military bases in the region of the Middle East? Because, you know, I think that a lot of folks would have assumed that those would be a little bit more secure, certainly.

DOZIER (on-camera): Well, it's just like, you know, when I used to be based in Iraq, the U.S. bases were as secure as they could be. But we're undergoing pretty constant attack. That is happening right now in Iraq. Hundreds of attacks have happened against U.S. diplomatic and military facilities by militias who are funded by Iran, in some cases ordered by Iran.

So Iran has a lot of capability to harass U.S. troops, but also to by hitting the Gulf nations, which it's doing right now, it's increasing the pain for having those U.S. troops based in those countries, with the ultimate goal of getting the Gulf countries themselves to eject U.S. forces.

FREEMAN: Kim, from your perspective, does it seem like the administration continues to underestimate what Iran or its proxies are capable of?

DOZIER (on-camera): What I keep hearing out of the White House is, you know, the same kind of things I heard during the Iraq and the Afghan war, but we've destroyed so much. We've taken --

FREEMAN: Right.

DOZIER (on-camera): -- so much equipment off of the battlefield. But what they don't seem to be able to do is take away the will to fight. And they are just confused and perplexed by that.

From Iran's perspective, though, as many of us who've watched Iran for a very long time said before these attacks by the U.S. and Israel even began, Iran is a society built on the strength of martyrdom and the strength of sacrifice. The more pain they endure, the better that is in terms of their support from the local population and also the admiration that they're increasingly getting from other countries around the globe.

And that spells everything from people willing to smuggle goods to Iran, to nation states like China and Russia, who are already Iranian allies, willing to do whatever they can to keep the Iranian government going, because remember, that's also tiring the U.S. out. And for an adversary like China, that's a good thing.

FREEMAN: Kim, last thing, and I know it's hard to assess this in still, I guess, relatively early days, but I mean, is this beginning to look like what forever wars look like?

DOZIER (on-camera): I think what we could be looking at is at least this tit-for-tat going through the end of this year. From the Iranian perspective, they don't want to hand Trump the diplomatic victory of a full sort of Iranian nuclear deal or anything approaching that. But they do need to get economic relief.

The recent ceasefire allowed them to get a lot of the oil that had backed up in all their storage facilities. It allowed them to get that oil out. It allowed them to get some cash in. So at least for a time, several weeks, I think you'll see this back and forth go on until Gulf countries will reach out and say, you know, there's got to be some peace talks because our people need relief from this constant barrage.

So I think we're going to see that seesaw back and forth as opposed to a forever war.

FREEMAN: Yes, again, especially with more of those U.S. allies being dragged in continuously.

Kim Dozier, thank you so much for your expertise as always. Good to see you.

DOZIER (on-camera): Thanks, Dan.

FREEMAN: All right, coming up, today's World Cup final will be a battle of the soccer giants. Argentina looking to repeat as champions, but Spain is standing in their way.

We're going to preview today's matchup coming up after a quick break.

And if you're heading out, remember, you can stream our show from anywhere in the U.S., right from the CNN app. You can also go to CNN.com/Watch. We're all over the place. See you in a bit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:39:30]

FREEMAN: It all comes down to this. Argentina versus Spain this afternoon at New Jersey Stadium. Will Lionel Messi get that what could be his final World Cup trophy and be a back-to-back champion? Or will Spain pull off an upset?

Seth Vertelney with USA Today is here with us to talk through it all. Seth, it's been a pleasure having you with us on the weekends for this entire World Cup run. Great to see you. Let's start here.

What are you thinking? Argentina? Spain? Who's going to win?

[06:40:00]

SETH VERTELNEY, SOCCER EDITOR, USA TODAY: Oh, man, it should be a really good game. I'm really looking forward to this. If you had to ask me, I would probably make Spain a slight favorite. The reason is, Argentina, for all the quality that they have, has been really close in all four of their knockout games to losing. It's been sort of a high wire act with them. Even going back to the round of 32 against Cape Verde, they had to go into extra time and they continue to find ways to win in really dramatic fashion.

And, you know, we saw that again in the semifinal against England, they were trailing with about five minutes left and they found a way to score twice in the last six, seven minutes of that game to beat England and make it to the final. But this Spain team has been so solid throughout this entire World Cup. They have conceded one goal in seven games. And I think where I see Spain having an advantage is they're so good at keeping the ball. Their specialty is possession. And Argentina in the last five, 10, 20 minutes of that game against England had all of the ball.

And I think especially if Spain can get an early goal or can get a lead, it's going to be much harder for Argentina to come back today than it has been in previous games.

FREEMAN: No, that's super well said. But I guess that's the question, right? I mean, because Argentina, especially in the England game, have had these stunning last minute comeback wins, can Spain ever rest? Like even if they do get an early lead, what do they need to do to hold Argentina off from pulling another upset off?

VERTELNEY: Yes, I think they need to do what they do best, which is keep the ball. Spain, I think we saw it best exemplified against France in the semifinal. I mean, going into that game, I think people would make France a slight favorite because of how dynamic their attack had been throughout the tournament. In every game, it seemed like they were overwhelming teams.

And what Spain did is they put together a game plan where they were so defensively sound, their structure was so solid. And they really prevented France from getting a lot of openings on attack. And when Spain has the ball, they're able to maintain possession and they're able to find moments to hurt teams when they are in the attack in third.

And so I think that's what they need to do again today is have a really strong defensive structure, have a good shape, and they should feel confident, especially the way that they controlled the game against France. They should feel confident heading into today's game.

FREEMAN: Yes, because shutting down Mbappe is no easy feat.

Seth, are we thinking this is going to be Messi's final World Cup run?

VERTELNEY: I would imagine so. I mean, he turned 39 at this tournament. You know, you never want to say never, especially because in 2030, Argentina will host a game of this World Cup.

And so, you never know. Messi has been kind of taking things day by day, moment by moment for the last four years. You know, he never really said he was for sure going to play in this tournament until he was named to the Argentina roster.

I mean, by the time they named the roster, it seemed pretty likely that he was going to be part of the squad. He also has a contract with Inter Miami --

FREEMAN: Right.

VERTELNEY: -- through 2028. So he's going to be 41, presumably, when he gets to the end of his time in MLS.

FREEMAN: Right.

VERTELNEY: So, you never know. He's obviously playing at such a high level at this tournament as a 39-year-old, but it would seem that today is going to be his last World Cup game.

FREEMAN: Well, surely a match to watch for so many different reasons. It's been a great World Cup.

Seth Vertelney, thank you so much for sharing it all with us and for giving us your expertise. Really do appreciate it.

All right, to this now. This year marks the 20th anniversary of CNN Heroes, and there's no better time to catch up with Quilen Blackwell, the 2025 CNN Hero of the Year. He employs at-risk youth in Chicago to grow flowers on vacant lots and sell them at his nonprofit shop.

Opportunities for his team have blossomed, and they even had a chance to join forces with another CNN hero.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[06:45:01]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Quilen Blackwell.

QUILEN BLACKWELL, 2025 CNN HERO OF THE YEAR: I was stunned. Absolutely stunned. It's just given us like that massive stamp of credibility.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST (voice-over): Being named CNN Hero of the Year brought new opportunities to Quilen Blackwell and his non-profit flower shop, Southside Blooms.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's so good to see you.

COOPER (voice-over): It also led to a collaboration with a fellow CNN hero, Hillary Cohen. Her non-profit, Everyday Action, rescues leftover food from film sets and delivers it to those in need.

BLACKWELL: Hillary and I hit off like instantly. To have that moment to meet people who really are passionate about compassion is absolutely phenomenal.

COOPER (voice-over): In April, Quilen and his wife, Hannah, brought a team to Los Angeles to help with Hillary's annual fundraising gala.

HILLARY COHEN, CNN HERO OF THE YEAR: It's so cool that he came with his entire team and it's like my friends here.

COOPER (voice-over): They turned her workspace into a temporary flower shop, a step that also helped with Quilen's big plans for the future.

BLACKWELL: We are kind of looking at this as like a dry run of what it would look like to have an L.A., Southside Blooms location.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never imagined I would be able to go to L.A., Los Angeles. That's crazy. I feel like I'm dreaming.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can have that kind of thrill around.

BLACKWELL: Galas are your lifeblood, you know, for any non-profit. It means the world that Hillary and her team is putting so much faith in us and hopefully she's not disappointed.

COOPER (voice-over): The flowers and the gala were both a huge success. At the end of the night, Hillary invited Quilen on stage to announce a new initiative they developed together.

BLACKWELL: We had a conversation that turned into our collaborations, which is Flowers for Good. COOPER (voice-over): The program gives non-profits 20 percent of purchases made by their supporters. Quilen hopes that Hillary's group is just the first of many to benefit.

BLACKWELL: It's a way to really help share the bounty of flowers. Shop Southside Blooms, sign up for Flowers for Good and help support your favorite charity in the process.

COHEN: I think that two non-profits coming together to help each other on this really big level, that's so beautiful.

COOPER (voice-over): For Quilen, it's another example of the power of flowers.

BLACKWELL: It just really makes me feel good to see Southside Blooms blossom.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: And to learn more about his work, go to cnnheroes.com.

We'll be right back.

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[06:51:39]

FREEMAN: Welcome back. Here's what to watch this week.

First up, funeral services for Nolan Xavier Wells will be held in Mississippi tomorrow. He's the 18-year-old who disappeared while on a July 4th trip with friends. His body was later found, but there are still questions about exactly what happened to him.

The family has requested an independent autopsy. Those results, though, have not yet been released.

And then all eyes turn to Arizona's primary on Tuesday as several Republicans are facing off for a chance to take on Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs. Hobbs will seek re-election this fall after her win over Kari Lake four years ago.

There will also be key races for Attorney General and other House races that could offer an early read on November.

And then a federal judge is expected to decide by Wednesday whether to grant a temporary restraining order that would pause Paramount's planned merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. California Attorney General Rob Bonta is leading a 12-state lawsuit to block the deal, arguing it would reduce competition in Hollywood and cable television. CNN is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.

And Thursday, CNN and The Bangor Daily News will host a crucial Democratic debate in Maine's closely watched Senate race. The event comes two days before 601 Democratic delegates gather to choose a new nominee to replace Graham Platner. And the debate will be moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, along with The Bangor Daily News. Coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. here on CNN and on the CNN app.

And then on Friday, President Trump will speak at the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association dinner.

The smaller gathering at Washington's Waldorf Astoria will feature heightened security measures. The event was rescheduled, you might remember, after a gunman got through security and fired shots back in April. Our coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

Andy Burnham, the new leader of Britain's governing Labour Party, will enter 10 Downing Street tomorrow and become the UK's seventh prime minister in just a decade. In his acceptance speech, Burnham pledged to give ordinary people hope back and overhaul a political system he says is broken.

CNN's Nada Bashir is in London with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We did hear from Andy Burnham giving a very clear statement in which he did outline five key areas where he plans to dedicate his focus as the new leader of the United Kingdom once he is finally in place at Number 10 Downing Street on Monday. He talked about trying to unify the Labour Party. This is a country which has seen, of course, a huge amount of division within Number 10, within individual parties but also, of course, across the political spectrum as well.

He also spoke about trying to be very clear about the party's direction. And while Andy Burnham didn't really offer any clear outline as to what this Labour Party under his leadership would look like, he has been quite clear that he believes this is the strategy needed to ensure a win at the next general election.

Take a listen.

ANDY BURNHAM, PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: As your leader, I will set a direction that is distinctively Labour.

From here we do it differently. We win by being us. Boldly, confidently, authentically us. Labour. That's how we win.

BASHIR: Now, Andy Burnham also focused on two very clear points that he would like to focus on throughout his leadership. Part of that was trying to be a prime minister for the whole of the UK. He has, of course, built a reputation in the north as the former mayor of Greater Manchester, but he said he would be a prime minister for all parts of the United Kingdom for all peoples of all walks of life.

[06:55:16]

But he also said he wanted to see power decentralized from Westminster from Whitehall giving power and authority back to local politicians to local mayors, to try to focus on those grassroots issues that of course, so many in the United Kingdom are concerned with. But there are still real questions as to what his broader domestic policies will look like. Of course, real questions as to what his foreign policy will look like as well and that will really hinge on who he decides to appoint within his cabinet.

Again, all eyes will be waiting on Monday to see who those key appointments will be.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: Nada Bashir, thank you very much for that report.

All right there's much more ahead on the next hour of "CNN This Morning Weekend." We're learning new details about an ICE agent connected to the fatal shooting of an immigrant in Maine. Why it's now raising questions about recruiting at the agency.

Stay with us.

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