Return to Transcripts main page

The Situation Room

Demands Grow for ICE Reform; Spain Wins World Cup; Three U.S. Troops Killed in Iran Attacks. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired July 20, 2026 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Well, the biggest input is oil. And we're seeing oil topping $90 earlier this morning. It came back just a little bit, but we're around $88 a barrel right now.

And that has forced gas futures higher. And, remember, if gas futures are higher, then eventually the stuff that you pay for at the pump will become more expensive. And that means we could be looking at another dime to a quarter by the end of this week if this continues.

One of the things that you have to remember is, where are we in this picture? Because I think a lot of folks have gotten lost as oil has ebbed and flowed. Gas is significantly higher than it was at the beginning of the war, although we are still about 60 cents lower than we were during the peak, so right in the middle right there.

I think that if this continues to get more expensive, you're going to get a lot of people who are upset about the price of gas again after a little bit of a respite there over the course of the last few weeks, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Yes, it's a big, big issue indeed.

All right, David Goldman, thank you very, very much.

And still ahead -- quote -- "maxed out." That's what President Trump is now saying about new upgrades coming to that Qatari donated U.S. Air Force One after concerns were raised about its security. What we're learning. We're getting new information. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:35:50]

BLITZER: Happening now: social media manosphere. Influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate are set to appear in a Miami federal court today. The two brothers were arrested by U.S. Marshals on Saturday following an extradition request from the United Kingdom on charges of sexual offenses, including rape and sex trafficking.

An attorney for the brothers says they're innocent and they plan to fight the request.

Here in Washington, President Trump says the Qatari donated jet serving as Air Force One will be sent now for upgrades.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It has a lot of capability, but, as I understand it, in about a month or so, they're going to send it to have it be maxed out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Concerns have mounted over the plane's security features, including missile defense capability, after the president unexpectedly ditched the jet during his return flight from the NATO summit in Turkey.

In Texas, a traffic stop turns into a lifesaving rescue. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of the car! Get out of the car! Let's go. Come out of the car. Open it, open, open it. Get out. Get out. Come out through the window. Hey, come out through the window.

Sir, come out through the window. Now give me your hand. Give me your hand. Give me your hand. Give me your hand now. I got you. Give me -- all right, you OK? Anybody else in the car?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one else in the car? Anyone -- no else in the car? Come with me. Here, here, here, here, here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: You can see just how quickly that situation escalated from the officer's body camera. Thanks to his quick thinking, the driver wasn't seriously injured.

And for the first time since 1870, a sitting vice president is a new dad. J.D. Vance announced yesterday that he and his wife, Usha, have welcomed their fourth child, a boy named Alec Neel Vance. President Trump posted a picture of the baby this morning and congratulated the family. We congratulate them as well.

And back to our breaking news, the United States launching attacks on Iran for a ninth straight day, as a third U.S. service member is confirmed killed since Friday. Two service members died in an Iranian attack on an air base in Jordan, while a third died in Iraq. One service member is still missing in action.

Iran is also continuing its attacks, including this one in Kuwait. It has now struck seven countries, Arab Gulf nations in the region.

With the U.S. now -- joining us now is Ambassador Dennis Ross. He was a special assistant to President Obama on the Middle East peace process and is a counselor over at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Dennis, thanks so much for joining us.

Do you expect there will be larger fallout from the deaths of these U.S. service members? Is this war with Iran now going to dramatically escalate?

DENNIS ROSS, FORMER U.S. ENVOY TO MIDDLE EAST: I don't know that it's going to dramatically escalate, although it's clear the U.S. is moving F-15s and F-35 to the region, is also moving additional aerial refueling tankers, so that suggests we're probably going to increase the scope and intensity of the attacks we're going to carry out.

The Iranians, as you just noted, have hit seven different states in the region. So there is a dynamic here that seems to be an escalatory one. But it's also noteworthy that, A, the Iranians are not hitting Israel, which suggests they know that Israel would hit back in a big way.

B, the United States is still not hitting certain kinds of targets, meaning we're not hitting power plants. We're not going after energy facilities. And I think the reason for that is, we're seeing that the Iranians have the ability to hit similar kinds of targets in the Gulf states.

I think when they hit Kuwait and they hit the desalinization plant, an electricity-related facility, an oil-related facility, that was their way of signaling, if you hit these kinds of targets within Iran, we will hit those kinds of targets in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and elsewhere. And the impact on oil prices will be dramatic.

[10:40:03]

So I think there is still a conflict that is being fought within certain bounds. Wolf, the basic problem is, there's no way out of the current impasse, because the Iranians are insisting they will control the straits, and we're saying they will not.

BLITZER: The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, says the U.S. is still open, open to diplomacy with Iran. Iranian officials say they were also open to it. But how does diplomacy even restart at this point with this war escalating?

ROSS: Well, it's not unusual to have force and diplomacy operate at the same time.

Oftentimes, each side is using force to try to affect the terms of a negotiation. I think that's what we're seeing at this point. I think both sides actually would like to find a way out. Our reimposition of the blockade has dramatically damaged further an already desperate economy within Iran.

The IRGC, the Revolutionary Guard, leadership may speak strongly and boldly about how that's not going to affect them, but the truth is, it does have an effect on them. But the same is true here. The president is clearly sensitive to the idea of oil prices going dramatically higher. Each side would like to find a way out, but neither side wants to look

like it's backing down. It's in that context that you have mediators like the Qataris offering new proposals to start with a 10-day cease- fire, and then you come up with what might be some new mechanisms that involve many of the states in the region as part of the management of the straits.

Each side is going to need some way out. The one thing from an American standpoint that I think is essential, Iran cannot be in control of the Straits of Hormuz when all this ends. Let's recall, Wolf, that, on February 27, the straits were open.

Supposedly, our main objective was about preventing Iran from ever having a nuclear weapon, but our whole focus right now seems to be on reopening the straits, which, by the way, were open prior to the war.

BLITZER: How deep, Dennis, are the fractures within Iran's regime right now? We still haven't seen, as you know, the new supreme leader. He was injured. His father was killed in the opening days of the war. Are we even sure who is in charge right now?

ROSS: Historically, I would just note that we have always seen factions within the Iranian elite. That's not new. But the supreme leader was always the arbiter and always the decision-maker.

Right now, we don't know what the real status of the supreme leader is. He hasn't been seen. Statements are issued. They're probably written by others. I think what we're seeing is a kind of balance of power where maybe the supreme leader has some role, but there's probably a balance of power where the dominant voice at this point is not -- is really reflecting the Revolutionary Guard.

But I do think the president, Pezeshkian, the head, speaker of the Parliament, Ghalibaf, I think they are part of the decision-making process. It still seems that the Revolutionary Guard has greater sway. But, again, there's a kind of balance of power at this point favoring one side a little bit more.

The longer this goes on, the greater the pressures from within, given the what's happening to the economy. I still think we will see an interest on their part to find a way out. The problem is, they think they can outlast President Trump, and that's really I think why we're seeing the dynamic we are right now.

BLITZER: As you know, Israel says it will respond, and respond militarily, to any future attack from Iran or its proxies, for that matter. What does Israel want right now? How do you see it?

ROSS: Well, I think there's what the prime minister wants in terms of the politics of the situation.

And I think he would still like to be able to inflict much more damage on the Iranian ballistic missile capability, its inventories and the like, but he's not in a position to make decisions. It's the president of the United States who's making the decisions. And then I think the president at this point doesn't seem to want the

Israelis to be involved. It's ironic that the Iranians don't seem to want the Iranians -- the Israelis to be involved. The only way the Israelis become involved is if the president changes his mind and/or the Iranians hit Israel. At this point, they're avoiding that.

So I still think, even though, within Israel, I think there's a strong sense that something could happen this week where Israel is drawn in, my sense at this point is that basically neither the United States nor the Iranians seem to want the Israelis involved, because I still think there's a desire, at least on the part of the president, to keep this more limited.

I think we're going to see him try to strike a balance, where he's going to do much more this week, in the hopes that by hitting the Iranians even harder, with the blockade, they will come around and look for a way out. Now, whether we can get to that point right now, given the kind of zero-sum quality of each side wanting an outcome that the other can't really live with, that remains to be seen.

[10:45:01]

But I still think we're seeing each side operate within certain limits. And the mediators may come up with something as things begin to look worse that allows each side to take a step back. That, I think, is the hope for the moment.

BLITZER: Ambassador Dennis Ross, thanks so much for joining us.

ROSS: My pleasure.

BLITZER: And still ahead: Spain gets a champion's welcome after defeating defending World Cup champs Argentina. A closer look at the thrilling finish to a truly historic World Cup.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: New this morning, President Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, suggesting he's in favor, yes, in favor of ICE officers wearing body cameras.

[10:50:08]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, WHITE HOUSE BORDER CZAR: Yes, I think body cameras are the way to go. I think body cameras let the American people know what that officer sees when he takes that action.

MARGARET BRENNAN, HOST, "FACE THE NATION": When will every one get one?

HOMAN: You know, you can have a cell phone camera from a witness on the side. You can have, you know, city cameras or whatever, but I want the American people to see what that officer sees when he makes -- when he -- when he takes -- when he makes the decision and takes the action.

BRENNAN: Yes.

HOMAN: I think the American people need to see what that officer sees and hears. I think it's important.

BRENNAN: Yes.

HOMAN: And if you look at the data, body cameras actually exonerate agents more than they, you know, provide evidence of wrongdoing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: His comments come as Immigration and Custom Enforcement officials face renewed scrutiny right now after ICE officers shot and killed two men this month, one in Maine and one in Texas, in less than a week.

Our correspondent Priscilla Alvarez is here with me in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Priscilla, Senator Angus King and 38 of his colleagues just signed a letter to the Department of Homeland Security secretary, Markwayne Mullin, demanding reform. What does it say?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, and, notably, Angus King is one of the senators of Maine, who was in close touch with Secretary Markwayne Mullin last week following that fatal shooting that occurred there.

Now, in this letter, they are asking for three very specific things. You see them there on your screen, that body-worn cameras be issued by the end of July, that the gear that agents are wearing when they're conducting these arrests visibly say "ICE." That is the case sometimes, sometimes not.

And they have questions about vetting, and that vetting has been under scrutiny before. Remember, last year, ICE had an aggressive push to recruit as many officers as they could, trying to hit their target number of 10,000.

And as we learn more about the ICE officer involved in Maine, it has provided fresh scrutiny over what exactly the vetting was as they were doing this recruitment push. And so these are parts of the letter that King, along with 38 senators, want to get clarity on from the Department of Homeland Security.

Now, on the issue of body cameras, you heard there from White House border czar Tom Homan that he is in favor of this, and there are some changes that are already happening that reflect that. For example, there is guidance now that at least one agent on every ICE arrest team have a body-worn camera on their person as they work on distributing those body cameras to all agents in the field.

Now, of course, the issue that senators are taking with this is that then Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said earlier this year that this was going to happen, that there was going to be this distribution of cameras, but that hasn't happened, as was so clearly the case in these shootings that happened over the course of a week.

So we will see when everyone gets those body-worn cameras and if they meet the senators' demand of the end of July.

BLITZER: It makes so much sense. So why was there so much opposition to these officers wearing body cameras to begin with?

ALVAREZ: Well, ICE has generally been behind when it comes to body- worn cameras. That's not necessarily the case for all federal agencies, but it was the case for them.

So they were moving in this direction. And the issue here was not everyone had one, but this has been a work in progress. The question, of course, is, particularly after what happened in January in the shootings in Minneapolis, why did it not happen faster, particularly given that they have billions of dollars since last year to do this exact thing?

BLITZER: They certainly have the money. They could do it.

All right, thanks very much, Priscilla Alvarez, reporting for us.

And here's what's coming up all new right at the top of the hour: A teen will be laid to rest as the mysterious circumstances around his death deepens. We're live in Mississippi with the latest on Nolan Wells.

And, in minutes, we will get an update from the National Hurricane Center, as a tropical depression now churning in the Gulf could turn into a next -- to the next tropical storm.

And the Ontario premier, Doug Ford, joins me live. We will discuss the raging wildfires in his country and the future of trade with the U.S.

That's all new next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:58:43]

BLITZER: The World Cup comes to an end in epic fashion. Spain's extra time goal lifted La Roja, a nickname for the Spanish team, to their second World Cup win, outlasting reigning champs Argentina in a dramatic finish.

Today, team members arrived back in Madrid and posed with their new hardware. Look at this.

Now let's go live right now to CNN sports anchor Coy Wire.

Coy, what an incredible ending to a truly historic World Cup.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Simply awesome, Wolf. This was Spain's moment. They have now won it all, reigning supreme as

world Olympic and European champs, first nation ever to hold the men's and women's World Cups at the same time.

The stage couldn't have been any more spectacular for the first ever meeting of Leo Messi against heir apparent Lamine Yamal, the grit and gravitas of the defending champs Argentina against the tactical precision of Spain, who had nearly 70 percent possession, 20 shots on goal.

And after Enzo Fernandez was sent off for that wild challenge, it was ultimately Ferran Torres coming off the bench and netting the game winner in extra time; 1-0 is the final, an unprecedented seven shutouts in a single World Cup, with no single standout performer throughout the entire tournament, just a swarm of red, one team, one heartbeat.

Spain are the kings of football for just the second time in World Cup history. Now we wait to see what the defeat means for Lionel "Leo" Messi and his future playing for Argentina. The 39-year-old captain, who cemented his place as the greatest of all time at this tournament, had tears streaming down his face after the final whistle.