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One World with Zain Asher
Iran Widens Attacks Amid Sixth Straight Night of U.S. Strikes; Gulf States Fend Off Attacks as U.S.-Iran Conflict Escalates; Trump Only Briefly Mentions Iran War in Thursday's Speech; Iran Targets 7 Middle East Nations in Retaliation Against U.S.; Trump Claims Intelligence Reveals Vulnerabilities in U.S. Elections; 25 Democratic Governors Accuse Trump of Trying to Undermine Elections. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired July 17, 2026 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Iran expands its retaliation strikes as U.S. attacks intensifies. "One World" starts right now. No sign of de-
escalation between the U.S. and Iran, with Gulf region caught in the middle. We are live in Dubai for you with the latest.
Plus, Britain's Prime Minister in waiting, Andy Burnham, is just a step away from Downing Street as he becomes Labor leader, looking on social
media has helped him on his path to power. And deadly flash floods are sweeping through Texas today. I'll speak to one local mayor about recovery
efforts.
All right, coming to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher. Bianna is off today. You are watching "One World" as U.S. forces pounded Iran for a sixth
straight night. Iran is showing it has the firepower to keep the region on edge. Gulf states are fending off fresh retaliatory attacks from Iran,
Qatar, Jordan, and Kuwait.
All of these nations coming under fire. Iran struck a power and water desalination plant in Kuwait, causing a fire. Iranian media also reporting
Iran could target a network of key ports in Gulf states, in retaliation for multiple U.S. attacks on a maritime control tower in the Iranian port city
of Chabahar, video obtained by CNN shows a low-flying drone above the city.
Several bridges in Iran's south were hit in the latest round of U.S. strikes. Iranian state media says at least eight people were killed. The
U.S. President only briefly mentioned the war with Iran during his prime- time address on Thursday night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We are likewise winning big in Iran, and you will see the fruits of that labor very, very
shortly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Eleni Giokos joins us live now from Dubai. So, we are at a new stage. It appears in this war where you now have civilian infrastructure
being targeted, and that means the very people that the U.S. President claimed he was helping on the onset of this war are now being, of course,
caught in the middle of this, especially with bridges being targeted here.
And now you have a situation whereby Iran is, of course, as you would expect, retaliating on Gulf nations, including a desalination plant in
Kuwait. I mean, this now has reached another level, just in terms of escalation. Just walk us through what Gulf nations are really saying about
what could be next here, Eleni.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Zain. And frankly, we are firmly on an escalation ladder. And in fact, so many experts that we've spoken to
are concerned that this perhaps could be the new normal. Some saying that this has the hallmarks of turning into a forever war because both sides are
doubling down.
And you're right to say a lot of civilians in Iran have been impacted by a lot of the strikes that we've seen over six consecutive nights. And we saw
images of bridges leading to an important port city, Bandar Abbas, that were degraded and damaged. We also heard about other strikes on Chabahar,
another port city.
And the United States is trying to degrade Iran's not only military capabilities but also maritime capabilities from areas where it exerts
control over the Strait of Hormuz. From the Iranian perspective, when we see images released by the Iranians showing drone launch sites, missile
launch sites, in conjunction with seven countries targeted just late Thursday and early Friday morning by Iran.
It really goes to show that Iran is making good on its word that it is going to retaliate for anything that happens on its territory by the United
States. I want to take you through some of these strikes because it's really quite surprising where we saw a strike in Syria. This hasn't
happened since the start of the war.
We saw a strike in Iraq, Oman, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait. You mentioned the desalination plants as well as a power plant that was impacted.
Importantly, desalination plants, Zain, not only for Kuwait but also for the entire region are absolutely vital. This is where we get clean water
from, drinking water.
So, it also comes at a time where you have, you know, we're dealing with high temperatures of close to 40 degrees Celsius. So, Iran really is trying
to double down here, where it also says that, you know, any kind of control over the Strait of Hormuz is only going to be in its hands.
[11:05:00]
When I look at tanker traffic and vessel traffic in the straits over the last 24 hours. Only eight vessels made the transit, seven of which opted
for the northern Iranian route. And basically, is a big signal and trend that a lot of the ship owners are viewing the southern route, the Omani
route, the one that is has where the U.S. has air superiority.
The shippers are worried about any kind of attack by the Iranians. So, we're seeing so many questions coming to the fore about what happens next
here. Is there an off-ramp? Is there room for diplomacy? Nobody knows where it's going to go. But one glimmer of hope, and one expert earlier said that
memorandum of understanding is still a document that exists.
And at any point, wherever the mediators are able to get both sides to the negotiating table, perhaps that piece of paper will still hold and stand if
they both work together to find some kind of way forward.
ASHER: Yeah, but one of the problems that a lot of people pointed out was that with that memorandum of understanding, I mean, obviously it was
hastily put together. There are a lot of holes in it, and there are a lot of clauses that seem to benefit the Iranians. As you mentioned, though, the
path to diplomacy is a long and difficult one.
It is a complicated one, to say the least. We'll see what happens next. I'm sure you'll be watching this closely for us, Eleni. Eleni Giokos, live for
us in Dubai.
GIOKOS: Thanks Zain.
ASHER: Thank you so much. All right, China is calling accusations by the U.S. President that it interfered in the 2020 election entirely fabricated,
and it's urging the U.S. to quote, reflect on its own behavior. On Thursday night, from the sanctity of the bully pulpit, Donald Trump delivered a
prime-time speech claiming American voting systems are vulnerable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Every American deserves to know that when they cast their vote, that vote will be counted accurately in a system, and that is to make that
system secure, one where cheating and interference are not just difficult but virtually impossible. Unfortunately, the system we have today falls
catastrophically short of that standard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: During the 25-minute address, Trump demanded Congress pass an elections overhaul bill that would dramatically change how Americans vote.
He repeated conspiracy theories debunked by his own intelligence agencies and the documents he declassified in order to provide quote, unquote, proof
did not back up his claims.
Democrats say the real purpose of the speech was to sow doubt and undermine the upcoming midterm elections. The president is now threatening the
broadcasting licenses of two major networks for not airing his speech live. Kevin Liptak joins us live now from the White House.
I mean, it's interesting, isn't it? Four months out from the midterms, Republicans obviously fear losses in both chambers. And now you have the
president really having a prime-time speech that really sows doubt in the minds of the American electorate, that elections can be trusted.
Obviously, this is something that is out of his playbook. He's done this before, but just talk to us about what specifically the president was
trying to achieve here, Kevin.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: You know, I think you're right to point out the timing here because it does raise some questions. If
the president truly had concerns about these major vulnerabilities he's claiming to expose in the election system. Why would you wait until only
four months before the elections happen?
That isn't enough time, according to experts that we've been talking to, to fix some of what the president is talking about here, and that I think
leads so many of them to come to the conclusion that his actual intent was, in fact, to sow distrust in the elections and in election security.
And when you listen to what he was saying in his speech, so much of it was hyperbolic, really kind of outlandish, and did not actually match up to the
hundreds of pages of declassified information that the White House put out at around the time he was coming up to the podium, and just to tick through
a few of the claims that he made.
The first one on China, the president claiming that Beijing had obtained 220 million American voter files. He did not say, and the documents did not
say that China had been able to alter or manipulate any votes in any existing elections, and in fact, much of those voter files are available
for public purchase.
And it's not clear that China has done anything to sort of illegally hack into databases in the way they've done to companies like Equifax, for
example. And so, the president, I think, making what sounded like quite an alarming claim, but when you look at what's in the actual materials,
perhaps not so outlandish.
He's also talking about the voting infrastructure and voting machines, saying that potentially they could be vulnerable to foreign cyber threats.
[11:10:00]
Now this is something that experts have warned about for some time, but again, the president didn't make the claim or wasn't able to make the claim
that any actual votes had been altered. And in fact, throughout the speech, the president at no point said that the results of the 2020 election had
been stolen or would be any different if what was being disclosed last night was known back then, which is actually something of a change for him.
He makes that claim so often, and so it was interesting. He did not actually go that far in his speech last night. Now we're going to hear from
the Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin any moment now, talking about some more of what was found in these documents last night.
But I think you know there's nothing in the president's record that shows him having taken any of this very seriously up until now. You know, he
disbanded foreign meddling task forces at the FBI, at the director of national intelligence. He completely gutted the CISA unit, you know, the
cyber unit that was meant to track foreign influence campaigns.
And so how the president plans to remedy any of what he was talking about last night. Right now, really isn't clear.
ASHER: Right, Kevin Liptak, live for us there. Thank you so much. Right, let's dig a little deeper. CNN's Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein
joins us live now. I mean, Kevin, our reporter. Not sure if you heard him, but he brought up an important point, that if you really cared about
election security and the integrity of the vote in this country, why would you wait until four months before the midterms to bring it up?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah, and his point about Trump dismantling really across the government the main structures that
have been built to try to preserve election integrity against possible foreign meddling is important too, because I don't think I, you know, it's
interesting.
I mean, he pointed at China so often in the speech, but I don't think China was really the target of the speech. I mean, China was more of a cudgel or
a lever that he wanted to use to try to force changes on blue states and states that have different election rules than he prefers.
I mean, the backdrop for this speech has been a consistent drumbeat of efforts by the administration on a variety of different fronts to assert
unprecedented federal control and interference in the administration of the election. So far, they have been stopped by courts.
But I think the last night's speech was a very clear signal that, in addition to pushing for this legislation in Congress, there's going to be
more unilateral action from the executive branch between now and November, trying to shape the playing field in a way that benefits Republicans.
ASHER: Right, because one of the arguments that Trump and many Republicans are sort of pushing is this idea that you know foreigners, people who don't
have U.S. citizenship, are voting in large numbers in American elections.
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.
ASHER: For our international audience who might not necessarily know what the Save America Act is and the voter ID legislation that he's pushing for.
Just talk to us about what's in that.
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.
ASHER: What it would mean for ballot access and mail-in voting as well.
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, first of all, you know every study that has been done has shown that non-citizen voting is a peripheral, minimal, marginal problem.
Even the Conservative Heritage Foundation was only able to find, I think, 100 examples over 20-five years, and ranging from them all the way the
other side of the political structure, the Brennan Center at NYU, no one has really seen produced evidence that this is a serious problem.
The voter legislation that the president is pressing Senate Republicans to pass would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. It would
impose a national voter ID law, in essence, taking this change that many of the most of the red states have passed and imposing it on blue states.
And the argument against it is that, that require both of those requirements set up demands for documentation that would disproportionately
disenfranchise certain groups, particularly women, could be hurt in terms of a change of name and so forth for proof of citizenship, and lower income
and minority voters would have more trouble or are more likely to not have the documents required on the voter ID.
So, you know, it is striking, though, saying that the issue on which the president is exerting the most pressure on Senate Republicans to end the
filibuster is this Save America Act. It is changing the national voter rules. It's not a coincidence that was also the issue on which there was
the greatest pressure on Democrats, Senate Democrats, to end the filibuster under Joe Biden to impose a very different set of national rules, including
universal access to mail-in voting and early voting and same day registration.
In a normal political world, the two parties would, you know, and back in the old days, the parties would find some kind of compromise in which you
could do both of these things, expand access and have some kind of voter ID requirement.
[11:15:00]
But we are so far away from that in modern politics that it's not even talked about.
ASHER: How do you think independents and moderate Republicans. Republicans who, of course, know that Donald Trump lost the 2020 elections?
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.
ASHER: How would they view the speech last night?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think the biggest risk for Trump in the speech is that one of the core problems Republicans faces is the view among the
electorate. You know, we're talking about 60 percent or more of the electorate that that he that he has not made as much progress as he
promised on the biggest problem, they elected him to solve, which is dealing with their cost of living.
And that not only has he not enough made -- not made enough progress on it, he is not focused on it enough. That he is focused far more on his
priorities and grievances, whether it's tearing down the East Wing, getting rich on crypto, prosecuting James Comey, or kind of you know picking at the
scabs of the 2020 election.
And I think a lot of Republicans are concerned that Trump, week after week, month after month, as the election approaches continues to show a lack of
focus on the key, you know what is unquestionably the paramount issue for Americans, and feeds into this democratic narrative that you elected him to
solve your problems, and as president he's focusing on his own priorities.
ASHER: All right, well said. Ron Brownstein, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right. Still to come. The UK is ready to welcoming a new
political era. Details ahead on the rise of Andy Burnham and the challenges that await the country's next prime minister. Plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are still reeling from what happened a year ago. Those are not easily forgotten memories, and to have this happen again so
suddenly is literally quite devastating for a lot of us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Torrential rain triggers deadly flooding, wreaking havoc in parts of Texas again this year. We'll speak to a local mayor just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: The new leader of Britain's governing Labor Party will soon face a major test: Can he bring political stability to the UK? Andy Burnham will
soon become the country's seventh prime minister in only a decade. He set to secede Keir Starmer on Monday. Momentum has been building ever since his
crucial win in last month's by-elections.
Burnham says he wants to oversee the quote, biggest rebalancing of power to Britain's regions.
[11:20:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDY BURNHAM, LEADER OF UK LABOR PARTY: As your leader, I will set a direction that is distinctively Labor. From here, we do it differently. We
win by being us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Much like his predecessor, Burnham is taking office at a time when Britain is clamoring for change. Delivering that change may depend on both
its new leader as well as forces outside the government's control. Nada Bashir explains.
NADA BASHIR, CNN 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 Labor 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 Labor 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.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BURNHAM: As your leader, I will set a direction that is distinctively Labor. From here, we do it differently. We win by being us. Boldly,
confidently, authentically us, Labor. That's how we win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASHIR: 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. 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.
ASHER: Thanks to CNN's Nada Bashir for that report. Burnham has repeated his message often. He wants to hand power to regions and become more pro-
business. Clare Sebastian shows us how Burnham became one of the country's most popular politicians.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BURNHAM: Better not put that one on the camera.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Britain's Incoming Prime Minister belongs to a new generation of politicians, one that understands
the power of social media. From campaign trail highlights to football skills to a viral roasting of the British opposition leader who called him
--
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's dark blue, actually.
SEBASTIAN: That video racked up over 5 million views on X. The strategy, especially with these signature selfie-style videos, is really part of an
effort by Burnham to present himself as an outsider here in Westminster, a regular guy, despite, of course, his many years spent in Parliament
previously.
His style is true to Andy, and that isn't going to change. A source close to his campaign told me he's not trying to land a point with every post.
JAMES LYONS, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR KEIR STARMER: He feels comfortable. He feels relaxed. And to be honest with you, it reminds me of
that famous phrase that Margaret Thatcher had about Ronald Reagan. He's engaged in the great cause of cheering us all up.
BURNHAM: We're doing it to change Labor. Better, to make it work for you. That's what we're all about.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): And yet, optimism and hope don't always get the clicks.
EMMA CONNOLLY, FELLOW IN UCL DIGITAL SPEECH LAB: He has got a harder job in terms of you know, his content compared to someone like Trump or like
Farage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you come to the UK illegally, you will be detained and deported.
CONNOLLY: We know that social media algorithms prioritize or amplify emotionally charged, polemic, kind of controversial content in any way. But
I would look to someone like Mamdani, for example, who has managed to navigate that.
ZOHRAN MAMDANI, MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: I'm freezing. You're --
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is emerging as a template for progressive politicians on social media, and the parallels
with Burnham aren't hard to find. Using social to amplify grassroots campaigning, light-hearted ways to discuss major policies.
MAMDANI: Start spreading --
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Even singing.
BURNHAM: I left the north again. I traveled south again.
ANDREW BARD EPSTEIN, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR MAMDANI CAMPAIGN: I like when people take risks and try things out and aren't afraid of cringe.
[11:25:00]
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): But says Mamdani's Former Communications Director, Burnham's desire to unify may have come at the expense of clarity.
EPSTEIN: The agenda and the message, is a bit more muddled than Zohran's was, and the risk that Burnham runs in being, you know, sort of being all
things to all people, or not being totally clear on where he falls on particular issues or ideological debates, I think can risk reading to
people as just being another politician.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): And that's exactly what Burnham is trying to avoid.
BURNHAM: I am going to do things differently.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): He's used social media to make himself accessible to regular people, facing criticism on the way for neglecting traditional
media, something he denies. No questions allowed from journalists at this recent big policy speech. Instead, a few days later --
BURNHAM: Send your questions in.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): He took to Reddit for a public, "Ask Me Anything" session that was so popular the site crashed midway through, the source
told CNN.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right behind you thanks a lot cheers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right better hit the road, Lads.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): The challenge now to strike a balance between running on TikTok and running a country. Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, still to come here on "One World", parts of Texas reeling from deadly flash floods. We'll take a look at the catastrophic damage and
what to expect next as rain continues in the region.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher from New York. Here are some of the headlines we are watching today. China is
slamming a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump, calling some of his claims totally fabricated in a prime-time address to the nation on Thursday
night.
Trump accused Beijing of stealing voter information and interfering in the 2020 election. Trump also announced he was declassifying intelligence
documents as evidence, but those documents did not back up his claims. The U.S. has completed a sixth wave of strikes on Iran, some going deeper
inside the nation.
[11:30:00]
Iran says several bridges have been hit. Iran is widening its retaliatory attacks on Gulf states. Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan have been under fire.
Iran also claims it targeted U.S. assets in Syria, Oman, and Bahrain. The Israeli Parliament voted to dissolve itself earlier on Friday after a
marathon session.
This marks the end of its four-year term before the summer recess. After that comes the October 27th elections. This is the first time the
government has served its full four-year term since 1988, and it's the first time Mr. Netanyahu has served a full term as well. The UK is set to
have a new leader, Former Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham.
Earlier, Burnham became the Head of the Labor Party. He's not officially prime minister yet. Burnham is set to take over the role on Monday.
President Trump's own social media site, Truth Social, plans to sell Wall Street firms faster access to his online post. Truth Social says the data
feed will be available to institutional investors starting August 1st.
The president's posts often move global markets, and getting these posts sooner could increase profits for certain companies. CNN's Clare Duffy
explains how this will work.
CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: This is being billed as a potential new revenue stream for Trump Media Group, which of course owns the Truth Social
platform. This is going to be a back-end data platform API where institutional investors could pay to get early access to posts from
influential Truth Social users before they would end up on the main feed.
Now we don't yet know how much extra time they would have with this information. We also don't know how much this offering is going to cost,
but for some of these algorithmic trading firms, even just having fractions of a second of additional time with information could mean making big
profits.
Now, other social media platforms do have a similar offering. Platforms like Reddit and X giving Wall Street firms early access to potentially
market moving information. Oftentimes, those firms also get access to an archive of posts so that they can look for trends in that information.
But what I think is distinct about this Truth Social offering is that if you look at who is posting potentially market moving information on a
platform like X, you've got journalists, news outlets, many times corporate executives are posting their corporate news on that platform.
But if you look at who is posting potentially market-moving information on Truth Social, it is largely the president. He has the largest account on
the platform with nearly 13 million users, and many of the other large accounts on the platform are other members of his administration.
I also think this is really striking in light of the report from our CNN investigates colleagues that published today. They found that financial
managers for the president had bought stock in 20 companies, and that days after those transactions happened, the president posted about those
companies on Truth Social.
In some cases, posting about new government programs that could benefit those companies that he had just invested in. And so, I think this is
another example of where we're seeing sort of the blurring of the lines between his duty as president and his businesses.
We should say that CNN has reached out to the White House for comment on questions that this deal could present some conflict-of-interest questions
that this new Truth Social offering could present. The White House has not yet responded. Back to you.
ASHER: Right, still to come. The anticipation continues to rise as Argentina and Spain prepare to face each other in the World Cup final.
We'll have a preview, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:35:00]
ASHER: Torrential rain has triggered more flash flood warnings in parts of Texas today, but not in the areas that have been the hardest hit by
flooding. Officials say that two people are confirmed dead and at least 230 rescues were executed as flood waters rose in the Texas Hill County on
Thursday.
One river gouge found water levels rose 25 fees, feet rather in just one hour. It comes after nearly a year's worth of rain fell in just a few days
in some parts of the same areas that experienced devastating floods last July. You'll remember that 130 people died last summer, including 25 girls
at a Christian camp.
Take a listen to what one resident had to say about losing his home from catastrophic floods.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE MALDONADO, UVALDE RESIDENT: Honestly, I'm upset, mad because I could have, I felt like I could have maybe saved it, done more. I mean, first it
is my -- you could say first home that I bought last year, Christmas, and now what to figure out to do is the next thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Right, let's get right now to meteorologist Derek Van Dam in the Weather Center. I mean, people here are living through this nightmare for a
second time in a row. I mean, these floods have left behind a trail of damage. Apparently, according to one mayor there, that it could set -- it
could break records essentially just in terms of the amount of rainfall that has fallen.
Just walk us through what people are experiencing, Derek.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: When the river was swollen at its peak, we're talking about the Guadalupe River, where the flooding happened last
year, where the flooding was repeated a little bit downstream this year. At one stage, it was nearly a quarter mile wide.
I mean, this aerial perspective shows you just the extent of the flooding as the swollen river overspilled its banks, of course, impacting people's
homes, people's businesses. And then I'm going to point your direction to this, just showing you the force of the water. There's even a clip later on
this particular movie of a tree trunk just sliding down the river because of the fast-moving current.
So, what the power of the water can actually do? This is the result, right? Like actually overturning full RVs, flipping vehicles like their kids'
toys, leaving debris strewn about. There are electrical poles that have been snapped, concrete that's been moved, a lot of mud left over behind the
flood waters.
Now the cleanup process, right? But we're not done. We're not completely out of the woods yet. But what I'm going to try and show to you is that the
heaviest of rain that has fallen since the beginning of the week has really been concentrated across this area, the Guadalupe River.
We've highlighted it right there, Kerr County southward into Uvalde. The heaviest rainfall now is just to the north and west of that area. This is
the Abilene region, west central Texas. I'm not liking what I'm seeing here with this current batch of precipitation moving from the Mexico border into
the U.S.
That could exacerbate some flood across this highly compromised ground cover here, but the flash flood emergencies that we currently have ongoing
right now. Remember, this is the highest level of flash flood threat from the National Weather Service. It's got that catastrophic tag.
It means flash flooding is ongoing. It's been observed. Seek higher ground immediately. But what I'm trying to hammer home here is that the heaviest
rainfall that is occurring now is north of where the most torrential rain since the beginning of the week has happened. So, this is the really
compromised soil.
It will not take much additional rain to rise river levels across this area.
[11:40:00]
But again, we're in a little bit of a better shape across the west central portions of Texas, where the ongoing flash flood threats are currently. We
still have several river gages that are at major flood stage and will continue to be so. They're forecast to continue that. But what's different
about today is that we only have a level two of four for the flash flood risk.
A lot of the moisture is really accessing away from Western Texas, you'll see that here going forward in our high-resolution forecast radar, and then
the forecast accumulation shows just that. You can see it's moving really across the Great Basin region. So, we desperately need this, Zain.
We need to dry out quickly, and it looks like the computer trends, the model trends show that will happen this weekend.
ASHER: Right, Derek Van Dam, live for us there. Thank you. All right, let's bring in the Mayor of Sabinal, Texas, Erik Gomez. Mayor, thank you so much
for being with us. You know, I'm sure this situation happening where you are right now reopens so many old wounds for a lot of people, especially
given the nightmare that many people experienced just almost literally a year ago to the day.
Just explain to us, I think first and foremost, how is everyone doing? How is the community doing? How are they holding up? Yeah, your audio is muted,
mayor. Mayor, can you hear me? Because your audio is muted. Do you want to try again? I can't hear you.
ERIK GOMEZ, MAYOR OF SABINAL, TEXAS: Can you hear me?
ASHER: OK, Mayor, we're going to actually call you back in a moment. OK, it looks like we have you. Do we, have you? I'm just told we have you. Can you
hear me?
GOMEZ: Yes. Can you hear me?
ASHER: OK. Yes, I can hear you now. Go ahead.
GOMEZ: Good morning. I apologize for that.
ASHER: Don't worry.
GOMEZ: Our community strong. Our community strong. They were worried. There was lots of anxiety throughout the last couple of days, tons of questions,
tons of do I need to move, tons do I need to leave? But our community's strong, and now that you know most of the heavy rain has passed us, now
it's time to move forward with some clean up and things like that.
ASHER: I think one of the things that I'm really worried about is you know this idea of, and I'm sure you're thinking about this too. What if this
does become the new normal? I mean, you saw those devastating floods a year ago. Over 130 people killed, including obviously Camp Mystic, which
received a lot of media attention as well.
And now we're sort of having people relief the same thing. I mean, if this does become a regular occurrence, and God forbid. But if it does, how ready
are you? I mean, this obviously raises a lot of questions about infrastructure, about flood preparedness, and I'm sure a lot of residents
are thinking to themselves, gosh, is it safe for me to even begin to rebuild, knowing that this could possibly happen again?
GOMEZ: You know, I understand their concerns. You know, you can never control nature. You can never beat nature. You just can prepare for it, and
try to build up yourself to be prepared, your people, and be ready through education, and through you know, knowing things on what to do and how to
act.
If this is the new normal, then you know, which you know, as humans have done for years, we need to adapt. We need to get to it. We need to work
around it. It's because you can't change or beat nature.
ASHER: You know, one of the things that I think does often warm my heart is that when you -- when people experience these kinds of disasters,
oftentimes it does reveal a different side to a community. I mean, there is obviously so much intercommunal support, so much outreach.
You know, I'm sure in Texas people are welcoming strangers into their homes and cooking meals for each other. Just talk to us about that because you
know it does bring out the sort of humanity in people. This this sort of thing, doesn't it?
GOMEZ: Yes, ma'am. No, absolutely. In Sabinal, I've gotten you know dozens of text messages. Mayor, where do I drop off food? Mayor, where do I drop
off water? Mayor, what do you need? Hey, Mayor, I have an extra room in my house for anyone that's been misplaced.
What can I take to the shelter? What can I take to the first responders? What can I feed the city workers? It's been beautiful. And in Sabinal
especially, neighbors tend to help neighbors whenever it's needed, and it's a very beautiful thing to see.
ASHER: Beyond neighbors helping each other, you know, I'm sure there are people who are watching this program who, you know, are devastated as well
by what they're seeing on TV. I mean, even if you are watching the show from the comfort of your living room, seeing what is happening in Texas, I
mean, how could it not upset you?
[11:45:00]
I mean, it's devastating to watch what's happening. So, if people are watching this show and they do want to help, maybe they're not residents of
Texas. What should they do, and what is the greatest need, Mayor?
GOMEZ: Right now, at least here in Sabinal, emergency needs are met as of right now. As far as wanting to give, I would, you know, stay close to our
social media pages, you know, the City of Sabinal page, the Uvalde County Emergency Management page, my Mayor Erik Gomez page, on Facebooks and other
things like that on online.
And I'm sure we'll be putting something out very shortly on helping the aftermath and helping rebuild our communities and help take care of our
people.
ASHER: Mayor --
GOMEZ: As of right now, it just you know we're just trying to we're kind -- it does kind of settle it and we're trying to just you know build from that
but we will be putting something out very shortly.
ASHER: Yeah, of course, and I'm sure there's so many people around the country and beyond who would want to assist and help in any way they can.
GOMEZ: -- We're so grateful.
ASHER: Mayor, I wish -- and I'm so sorry that you guys are going through this again. Mayor Erik Gomez, live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOMEZ: Thank you so much.
ASHER: We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Right, turning now to Spain, where firefighters are battling flames inside, nearly 1,800-acre out-of-control wildfire raging north of Madrid.
It's forced evacuations and lockdowns near the capital. Officials say heat is a key factor as the country's weather agency warns temperatures are
expected to exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of Andalusia.
Government official tells the Spanish media that one man has been arrested on suspicion of arson. Massive plumes of smoke are pouring over the border
into the United States from Canadian wildfires, like in Buffalo, for example, where you can see smoke blanketing the downtown area.
Some 120 million people in the Midwest and northeastern U.S. face harmful air quality. It could certainly put a damper on festivities in New Jersey,
where the World Cup final we played on Sunday in this shot of the stadium. It actually almost looks like winter, and we are in the height of summer.
Meteorologists expect the unhealthy air to linger through Saturday, and then start to waft south. Right, we are just two days away, speaking of
which, from the FIFA World Cup final.
[11:50:00]
As the defending champions Argentina take on European champions Spain. Let's bring in CNN "World Sports" Amanda Davies joining us live now from
New York. Amanda, I asked my kids this morning. I was like, who do you think, guys? Who do you think is going to win the World Cup final?
My seven-year-old said, mummy, definitely Argentina, definitely Argentina. My four-year-old said, mummy, everyone knows that Spain is the better team,
and it made me laugh. I don't know if that's true, but it made me laugh because it really is anyone's guess. This is absolutely a towing cost.
Amanda, take it away.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah, absolutely, and that is why it's such a treat for those of us as neutrals, even if we didn't want to be neutrals
heading into it. Interestingly, we saw a lot of that smoke actually as we were flying in and landing here in New York just last night, Thursday
evening.
But we understand it is set to rain on Saturday to help that clear. But I mean, it's incredible. Here we are, 102 matches down, and Spain and
Argentina and their fans have made it here to New York for the big one, Sunday's final in New Jersey. It wasn't just the smoke. It was a pretty
uncomfortable flight for me from Atlanta all round.
As a disappointed England fan after Argentina's semi-final win, I was surrounded by Albie Celeste supporters making their way here to join the
party that is already well underway. Just look at these scenes already from earlier this week in Times Square. They're all here, of course, in the
hopes of seeing history.
As Lionel Scaloni's side, inspired by the goat, Leo Messi looked to become the first back-to-back World Cup winners since 1962. Both teams are set to
train here today, but behind closed doors, not wanting to give any of their secrets away, it is Spain who are the favorites, despite the fact it's
their first final since they won it in 2010.
But the European champions are playing sublime football, having conceded just one goal in their seven matches in the tournament. It really is set to
be a brilliant clash of styles. The consummate, organized slick skill of Luis de la Fuente's Spain, who've reigned supreme, dominated midfields,
smothering the attacking talent of their opponents, as we so saw so effectively against France.
They're up against that frenetic, frenzy, disruptive energy of the defending champions, Argentina. I mean, capable of producing a game-
changing moment of magic at any time, and that means they just can't be written off, as England discovered. One man, though, who's been inspired by
what he's seen at the World Cup, the Miami Heat's new star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
He was in Atlanta on Wednesday to watch Argentina's win before being officially introduced in Miami, and he says he's hoping to emulate some of
the success of his new superstar neighbor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO, 10X NBA ALL-STAR, 2X MVP: Messi might go down as one of the best athletes of all time. He has seven MVPs. He might have two
World Cup wins, finals win. When you see that, you get inspired. You definitely get inspired to take care of your body, to keep on doing the
right thing for your team.
The respect that he has from his team, that's earned. Hopefully, in my career, I'm able to do something like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIES: Well, if Messi does lift the World Cup for Argentina again on Sunday, it will be the 47th major trophy of his career. But the first
received from President Donald Trump, the White House confirming the worst kept secret at the tournament that Trump is attending the final on Sunday.
And will be front and center of the trophy presentation once again, as he was at last year's Club World Cup. But the players won't only be lifting
that iconic trophy this time around. We've seen a few Americanisms, haven't we, already here at the World Cup? The hydration breaks the first halftime
show.
And now the winners are also set to receive the first ever official World Cup championship rings, like we see given to Super Bowl winners, NBA
champions, so all the major U.S. sports leagues, really. They're not going to be subtle, are they? Have a look at that. They're featuring diamonds and
sapphires, a World Cup trophy on the side, and then the logo of the winning team on the other.
There's 2,026 set to be made. 30 are going to the winners, and the others will be available to buy to those who haven't already bled their bank
account dry on match ticket, Zain. And I think we've met a few people who have certainly broken the budget on their travels during this World Cup.
ASHER: Well, my colleague Bianna Golodryga is actually going to be at the final. She's very excited about that, but we shall see. I mean, the
question is, Spain might be better coordinated. They might have the cohesion, as I understand it. But how do you stop Messi?
That is the big question here. Amanda Davies, we'll see what happens on Sunday? Thank you, thank you so much. All right. SpaceX supported the
launch of its mega Starship rocket just moments before liftoff on Thursday. Data from SpaceX showed at least four engines failed to ignite during the
startup sequence.
SpaceX is aiming for another launch attempt sometime next week.
[11:55:00]
The company is facing pressure to ensure the Starship is ready for an upcoming NASA test flight that could pave the way for the next moon
landing. And finally, before we go, Oscar-Winning Actress Brenda Fricker has died at the age of 81. She's best known for her role in the 1989 film
"My Left Foot" for which she won her Academy Award.
But many who love Christmas movies will know her from "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" as the Central Park Pigeon Lady. Born in Dublin, Fricker began
her acting career with parts in TV and theater before appearing in the British soap opera Coronation Street in 1977.
In a statement, her agent confirmed her death and said that we will never see her like again, and the world is lesser for the lack of her. Right,
stay with CNN. I'll have more "One World" after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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