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One World with Zain Asher
Trump In Turkey For High-Stakes NATO Summit; Trump Floats Selling F- 35 Jets To Turkey, Despite Ban; Prince Harry And Others Lose Case Against Daily Mail Publisher; Heat Warnings Across Much Of Europe; Aired 12-12:30p ET
Aired July 07, 2026 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump says that he's so disappointed with his allies in NATO that he'll most ditch today's summit in Turkey.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: The second hour of "One World" starts right now.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars and they're not there for us? We've always been
there for them.
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GOLODRYGA: Words among friends, Donald Trump says he's thinking about selling fighter jets to Turkey despite a ban from Congress.
ASHER: Also ahead, case close. U.K.'s High Court says the Prince Harry failed to prove wrongdoing in his lawsuit against the tabloid newspaper.
Plus.
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GOLODRYGA: Egypt and Argentina are kicking off right now in Atlanta. Can Messi lead his team into the World Cup's last eight? We are live in the fan
zone.
ASHER: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching the second hour of "One World."
Donald Trump is in Ankara for a summit, his Secretary of the State recently described as probably the most important meeting in NATO's history.
ASHER: Yes. But the President says that the only reason he's there is because of who is hosting it. And the images are striking. Trump sitting
next to Turkey's president, while criticizing European allies and questioning whether the U.S. should stay in the military alliance at all.
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TRUMP: Frankly, if it weren't held in Turkey where my friend happens to be a very strong leader, a very strong person, I think it's possible that I
wouldn't have attended.
We did something in Iran. We don't need anybody's help. I didn't even want the help. But before I asked, they said they wouldn't be there. And we've
invested trillions of dollars in NATO.
We would think that they'd be very willing to do something to help us. And they really weren't.
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Asher: Western allies, meanwhile, are trying to keep NATO from fracturing even further and trying to prove to Trump that they are actively increasing
their defense capabilities.
GOLODRYGA: It all comes as Russia and Ukraine intensify their strikes and try to gain leverage on the battlefield. That's four and a half year --
years of war grind on with no resolution in sight.
ASHER: CNN's Kristen Holmes joins us live now in Ankara.
I mean, obviously, for Mark Rutte, one of his priorities is really to show Trump that there has been significant changes just in terms of the NATO
alliance, spending more partly because of a changing European security climate, but also partly because of pressure from the U.S. president.
But one of the sort of key focuses is not just President Trump's relationship with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but the issue of these F-
35 fighter jets that President Trump says that he may allow Turkey to purchase, even though a lot of people back home view it as a national
security risk.
Kristen, walk us through that.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, basically this goes back several years in which the United States pulled Turkey or
banned Turkey from the fighter jet program after Turkey acquired a Russian air defense system.
Now, this defense system could override or defeat U.S. stealth systems. And that was a national security concern from lawmakers, and at the time, from
President Trump, because this ban actually went into effect under President Trump, although he did blame President Obama.
The fear, of course, being that once activated, these Russian air defense system could get proprietary military information from these jets, about
these jets that would then be transferred over to Russia.
Now, President Trump is saying, well, we're going to sell them -- we might be selling them to Turkey anyway.
Now, there is a little bit of a complication here because no one can tell us what they're going to do about the congressional ban because this was
actually ratified into law. So, what are they actually going to do to be able to sell those F-35?
Now, in a goodwill gesture, seemingly, President Trump also said that he was going to lift all the sanctions on Turkey that were also around this
purchase of this Russian air defense system.
So, clearly here, much more lenient posture towards Turkey. But I also want to just mention, you played that clip of President Trump kind of bashing
the European allies. Many of these European leaders were hoping for a message of unity out of this summit.
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And if I'm those leaders watching, President Trump kind of trash NATO overall, it certainly be uneasy about what the rest of the summit is going
to look like.
ASHER: Kristen Holmes, live for us. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Let's bring in CNN political commentator Sabrina Singh. She also served as a deputy Pentagon press secretary. Welcome,
Sabrina, back to the show.
You were at that Pentagon podium where you made clear the department's position that the S-400 air defense system and the F-35s cannot coexist as
for how we just heard Kristen explain, some of the concern security concerns in revealing the stealth capabilities, if they did so.
Turkey still possesses the S-400s. I don't believe they've ever deployed them, but they did fire test them at least once.
Is anything that has transpired, since these sanctions have gone into place, has anything changed to justify the president just unilaterally
announcing today that he's lifted them?
SABRINA SINGH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, this is something that we don't know. And just to take a broader step back, I mean, the F-35 is the
fifth generation aircraft that is incredibly complex, contains a vast majority of intelligence that we would never want an adversary like Russia
to get its hands on to be able to configure its own systems like the S-400 that Turkey has to be able to shoot it down.
And so when it comes to the S-400, if Turkey were to give those up and transfer to a third-party, I mean, there was even talk of them transferring
it over to Ukraine at one point, that would allow for the sale of the F-35 to Turkey.
But we -- I mean, there -- there's bipartisan agreement here that Turkey cannot acquire the F-35 unless there is some agreement or change to their
policy on the S-400, which would likely mean giving it to a third-party or dismantling it in some way, shape or form that makes it basically unusable
for the country.
ASHER: Just in terms of Turkey's role within this alliance, Sabrina, I mean, it sort of seems to be quite a mixed bag. On the one hand, you have a
lot of people sort of raising their eyebrows at Turkey's sort of closer relationship with Russia.
Bianna talked about the S-400s and the purchase of that. But also on top of that, it's sort of slowing down of the ascension of both Sweden and Finland
to NATO. But then you've got the fact that it does have a large army. It does have an important role in terms of its -- it's role within the Middle
East. And then also just how much it has helped with Ukraine as well.
Give us your take on -- on Turkey's role within NATO.
SINGH: Yes. It's -- it's a little bit awkward because, you know, you also have Turkey messaging a country like Greece when it comes to potential
conflict. And you do have the president of Turkey getting closer with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
So, you know, I think what this really means is that, you know, Donald Trump likes strong men. And President Erdogan is -- is that and he really
does have a group of control over his country and cracks down on his opposition and the press. And I think that's something that Donald Trump
admires.
But they are in this interesting larger alliance. I mean, NATO is 32 countries, like-minded nations, that come together with the collective
support and for the collective goal of strategic deterrence.
So, Turkey does occupy an interesting position right now. And strategically, the way Turkey's occupied position, it also allows the U.S.
to operate out of Turkey when it comes to operations in the Middle East.
So, this is an important relationship. I think you see these NATO summits as ways for leaders to strengthen their relationships. But it is a bit
uncomfortable and that Turkey is sort of occupying a position where it's close to Russia in some ways, but also maintains a foot in what is the
greatest defense of the alliance in history.
GOLODRYGA: Sabrina, how do you square the president saying that the only reason he came to the summit was because his good friend Erdogan was
hosting in Turkey as opposed to what we heard from the Secretary of State, just a few weeks ago, saying this may be the most consequential NATO summit
in history.
It doesn't seem like the president has set expectations as high as the Secretary of State and National Security Advisor has.
SINGH: Words like that are extremely damaging to the alliance, to say that you're only coming because of one person. The NATO alliance is going to
outlive Donald Trump.
As I mentioned, it is one of the greatest defensive, and I -- and I emphasize the word defensive alliances in history, because it is there to
defend European countries part of that block. And it is incredibly important as it was formed, you know, after World War II. So, it has a
strategic effect when it comes to deterrence.
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And -- and the main deterrence here is we're talking about is Russia. I do think Secretary Rubio is right, that this meeting is one of great
importance.
Coming from the meetings, we know that President Trump was upset with NATO allies for not coming to the USAID when it came to the Iran war.
And so, you know, he goes off the cuff and he could very well make the decision to further draw down the U.S. president's military presence from
Europe, which would have a profound consequence for the NATO alliance.
So, you know, words like the president saying that he's only there for one person. Again, this is a 32-country alliance that protects interests all
around the world. It's incredibly important. And I hope the president walks away from this, seeing that countries are committed to the alliance even
more so than they were a year or two ago.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Walking and withdrawing -- walking away and withdrawing from NATO, the president himself can't unilaterally do that. It requires
Congress.
SINGH: Right.
GOLODRYGA: But as you noted, withdrawing troops is definitely something that the president can do and has threatened to do as much.
Sabrina Singh, thank you.
And a quick programming note for you, our colleague Dana Bash -- Dana Bash to sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and to get his
thoughts on the potential sale of those F-35 airplanes to Turkey. He had been warning about that for the past few weeks. We'll bring you his
comments to Dana in about 15 minutes time.
ASHER: All right. British right wing lawmaker Nigel Farage has resigned as a member of Parliament and immediately announced that he will run for his
own MTC. The Reform U.K. leader says that his decision was triggered by increasing press harassment of his family.
GOLODRYGA: Farage, who spearheaded the U.K.'s Brexit campaign, has been facing intense scrutiny over his finances concerning millions of dollars in
gifts that he's received. He insists that he has not broken any rules.
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NIGEL FARAGE, LEADER, REFORM U.K.: It seems to me that the establishment have now decided that they can't beat us fairly, so they've chosen to use
foul means.
Let me be absolutely clear, after the furore and the media pile on, well not just the media, the other political parties too, let me be absolutely
clear. I have done nothing wrong. I have not broken the law in any way at all. I have not misused public money.
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ASHER: The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry and six others, have lost a case against the publisher of the "Daily Mail."
GOLODRYGA: Prince Harry is in the U.K. this week for charity engagements. He is one of several high-profile figures who accused associated newspapers
limited the publisher of the "Daily Mail" tabloid of using unlawful practices in its reporting.
ASHER: Well, Anna Stewart joins us live now from London. Obviously, a significant setback for Prince Harry. Part of the reason why this was
incurred was because they said that these six plaintiffs essentially couldn't prove that the information was obtained unlawfully, illicitly.
Anna, take us through it.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is significant blow for Prince Harry and the other claimants. The verdict has been, as you say, the claimants
failed to prove their pleaded allegations. And also, he said, claimants can rely on suspicion even where understandable.
Now, the allegations of bugging phones, bugging homes, blogging, private investigators use by the newspapers, both "The Mail on Sunday" and the
"Daily Mail," date back decades. We're talking decades ago. It's been over 20 years since, you know, phone hacking became part of vernacular.
This case has been one of three major cases for Prince Harry against tabloid papers. This was the final one. This was the final chapter, really,
of what has been a trilogy. He had the case against "The Mirror." In 2023, he successfully won against that publisher.
Then last year, he actually received a settlement with a publisher of "The Sun." He won damages. He won an apology.
Now, this is a major blow to lose this case. And it's unclear, really, next, as to who pays the legal cost. That's the next big question.
Prince Harry and the other claimants could be on the hook. And a multi-year legal battle like this does not come cheap. Currently, estimates suggest it
could cost as much as $67 million. So, that's still to be decided at this point.
ASHER: All right. Anna Stewart, live for us there. Thank you though.
GOLODRYGA: A French appeals court has opened the door for far-right leader, Marine Le Pen, to run for president next year. The court upheld her
conviction for misusing E.U. funds, but it also reduced the amount of time she is barred for running for office.
ASHER: Le Pen has also ordered to wear an electronic monitoring device for one year. That means that if she did run for president next year, she'll be
doing so from her home in an ankle tag, something Le Pen previously said she would not do.
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GOLODRYGA: All right. Still to come for us, some rough nights. World Cup fans recovering from a whirlwind of emotions. I only had one that was
sorrow. We'll have the latest on today's matches, though. One day after Belgium ended the United States' run.
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ASHER: All right. Chinese officials say at least four people have been killed in the city of Nanning after typhoon Maysak triggered deadly
flooding.
GOLODRYGA: Floodwaters reached waste level in this video from Xinhua news agency. Emergency crews are evacuating stranded residents with officials
saying hundreds more are waiting to be rescued.
ASHER: More severe weather has hit further north in Hubei providence, CCTV reports that at least five people were killed after a rare tornado tore
through the region. Officials say the passing typhoon and the early rainy season are fueling the severe weather.
GOLODRYGA: Well, heat warnings are in place across much of the western and central Europe. The ongoing high temperatures are especially difficult to
handle in places where few homes and public buildings have air conditioning.
ASHER: Yes. CNN's Pau Mosquera is in Madrid with more.
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PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thirty-nine degrees Celsius, around 102 degrees Fahrenheit, that's the peak temperature recorded in Madrid during
this Monday afternoon. Quite a suffocating start to the week, right?
Well, the responsible is no other than the second heat wave that is impacting the west of Europe. More specifically, large parts of Portugal,
Spain, and France that during the day have been under heat warnings because of the high temperatures.
This is why, for example, here in the Spanish capital many have been looking for climate shelters. Places where to cool off that are spread all
around the city. Many of these climate shelters are located inside of public buildings, but some others are located on the outside, as for
example, the park of Arganzuela that you can see here behind me. This place is called as Playa de Madrid, Madrid's beach.
As you know, here in Madrid, we have no sea. There is no beach. We only have Manzanares River going around the city.
But here, the young ones and the adults can enjoy the public fountains and have some fun under the water jets, as you can see here on image.
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And this is quite a good way to keep cool from the heat because this second heat wave of the summer is going to last at least until Thursday.
And that is why the authorities are asking the population not to get to the streets during the central hours of the day or to keep themselves very well
hydrated.
Pau Mosquera, CNN, Madrid.
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GOLODRYGA: I hate to break it to Pau, it's only mid-July. It's probably much harder for a --
ASHER: There's still August.
GOLODRYGA: -- long period of time.
All right. Well, who wants a spot in the quarterfinals? Right now, in Atlanta, Georgia, defending champions Argentina are taking on Egypt. In
just about 20 minutes into the game, Egypt has taken the lead. One to zero.
We'll see what Lionel Messi.
ASHER: Because we can't watch it, right?
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
ASHER: Because we're on air. So --
GOLODRYGA: Of course.
ASHER: -- we're just like learning about it in real time with you guys.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Which we hope you are watching us instead of the game too. I'm going to turn to the game.
ASHER: Don't switch over.
GOLODRYGA: OK.
ASHER: Don't switch over.
GOLODRYGA: All right. I've never give up or bet against Messi though. We'll see.
ASHER: Yes. And less than four hours, Switzerland's going to be going up against Colombia. That will be in Vancouver, Canada on Monday.
Belgium. How do you feel about this, Bianna? Belgium ended the hopes of Team USA beating them. They didn't just beat them. They beat them -- am I -
- am I rubbing it in? They beat them four-one.
GOLODRYGA: No. This was a really tough game to watch for all the wrong reasons. Team USA just didn't show up. They were not in their best form.
Something wasn't jelling. They deserved to lose with that type of play. They played fantastic leading up, thus far. And really, it's been an
incredible run.
And all I can say is we can't wait until 2030. Very, very proud of this team.
ASHER: Yes. And Belgium's resolve was a --
GOLODRYGA: They did a little Trump thing, I think, in the victory too, following that call from President Trump.
Nonetheless, they -- they deserved a win. They played a better game. And very proud of Team USA, nonetheless.
ASHER: And it was one-nil as Spain eliminated Portugal, complete, of course, with the Cristiano Ronaldo, which is 41 years old.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Let's speak with Cecilia Dominguez live in Buenos Aires, Argentina among the fans.
So, you're not in neutral territory there. It's clear where the fans are -- are hoping this game ends up today. They're down one goal, but, of course,
never bet against Argentina or Messi. It's quite behind you though. Are they nervous?
CECILIA DOMINGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are very nervous, especially now, oh, because it was a penalty for Argentina. Egypt is winning and Lionel
Messi just missed a penalty. And this is what's happening here in -- in the fan fest in Buenos Aires. There are a lot of people. This place as a
capacity of 15,000 people.
And believe me, it's packed. It's packed, not only with locals, with people from Argentina, of course, and people that came from different parts of the
country, but also with people from other countries, especially tourists that wanted to experience the -- this, to experience watching a humble
match in Buenos Aires, in Argentina.
How's the -- the experience? What's this experience like for you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been great. The people here are so passionate about -- about the game. And it's just been fun. We've come here every match so
far. It's been a riot.
DOMINGUEZ: Where do you live and why are you here in Argentina?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We live in Houston. These are my parents. They're here from Chicago.
DOMINGUEZ: So, you're here with your family?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We're here with my family. We get -- I get a sabbatical for work every few years. We're lucky enough to get that. And we
choose a -- a city around the world that you spend 30 days and try to live like a local.
DOMINGUEZ: So, happy to be here in Argentina. And is this like you imagined? And is this like you imagined what people live and experience
during a football match?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think so. I guess I didn't know how passionate they were about it in their everyday lives. That's all everyone talks about.
Everyone wears Messi jerseys all day every day. It's -- it's pretty neat.
DOMINGUEZ: Your son is wearing a Messi --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes.
DOMINGUEZ: -- jersey. Are you -- are you a Messi fan? Do you like Messi?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
DOMINGUEZ: What do you like the most about him?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.
DOMINGUEZ: Everything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
DOMINGUEZ: And OK. I hope you enjoy it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
DOMINGUEZ: What do you expect to see today?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's that?
DOMINGUEZ: What do you expect to see today?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope that it's an Argentina win. That's what I'm going to see.
DOMINGUEZ: You can see fans celebrating.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, fans celebrating. Yup. Very good. It was fun.
DOMINGUEZ: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's great.
DOMINGUEZ: Thank you.
Well, we are a little bit nervous because Argentina is not winning right now. Egypt has scored its first goal during this match.
But I want to (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES) to -- to suffer a little bit, especially after the last match, Argentina played against Cape Verde. It
wasn't an easy match. It was very tough.
So, we are never losing hope, especially during this World Cup. So -- so, this is what's happening. People are really focused on what's going on in -
- in the giant -- on the giant screen.
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ASHER: Yes. I mean, look, this World Cup has been full of surprises. You know, it was a close call for Argentina and let Lionel Messi, as it
pertains to Cape Verde, who by the way, played extraordinary well.
GOLODRYGA: Over time.
ASHER: Yes. Even though they got knocked out, they have played extraordinary well in this World Cup. And Argentina, obviously, you're
seeing the game, you're reacting to it, seeing real time. They are down right now, one nil, as I understand it, against Egypt. Of course, we're
going to continue to watch.
GOLODRYGA: I hate to interrupt you. Go back to watching the game. I know that that's where -- that's where your mind is. I don't blame you. Go join
the fans and just go, Argentina.
ASHER: She was reacting real time.
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
ASHER: So funny. All right.
GOLODRYGA: Cecilia Dominguez, enjoy the fans, enjoy the game.
ASHER: Thank you, Cecilia.
All right. That does it for one world. I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. I'll be back in about 30 minutes time with "Amanpour."
ASHER: And we've got CNN's exclusive interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That's coming up next. Dana Bash picks things up after
the break.
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