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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Zelenskyy and Netanyahu Meet with Trump at White House; Trump Remembers Lindsey Graham at Senator's Funeral; Iran Threatens to Block Ships from Using Strait of Hormuz; Search for Survivors in Japan; Shaky July For Chip Stocks as Traders Evaluate A.I. Boom; CENTCOM: Intercepted Iranian Missiles Targeting U.S. Forces; Revisiting The Deadly U.S. Strike on an Iranian School. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired July 28, 2026 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, "THE BRIEF": Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington, and
you're watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, a flurry of diplomacy. President Donald Trump meets with two world leaders involved in two different wars, both with uncertain
outcomes. Plus, the urgent search to find people still trapped in Japan after a powerful earthquake causes multiple buildings to collapse. And five
months on, we remember the victims of the U.S. strike on an Iranian school, where many questions remain unanswered by the U.S.
Well, it was a day of diplomacy for President Trump. He had back-to-back meetings with the leaders of Ukraine and Israel, as two wars he promised to
end quickly, in fact, drag on. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he discussed Kyiv's need for more air defense missiles and restarting
failed diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia.
This was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's first visit to the White House since the war with Iran began in February. His relationship
with the U.S. president visibly strained, as the conflict continues with no clear path to victory or peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I have just finished an excellent meeting with President Trump. When I say
excellent, it's not just lip service. It was a conversation of full partnership, of mutual support, with an understanding of the shared goal to
ensure that Iran will not have nuclear weapons and also other goals. It was one of the best conversations I've had with the president of the United
States, our friend Donald Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Afterwards, the three leaders attended the late Senator Lindsey Graham's funeral service at the National Cathedral. The longtime Republican
senator was an influential voice on U.S. foreign policy, with strong support for both Ukraine and Israel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: He was the first person to make you laugh and one of the last people that you've really ever wanted to fight. These
were the traits that made him into one of the great figures in Senate history. Few like him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Joining me now is Kevin Liptak. And, Kevin, is it clear to you from conversations with the White House what substantial progress or
promises or deliverables came out of these meetings with Zelenskyy and Netanyahu?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I don't think there were any, to be honest. And, you know, these were, in a lot of ways, sort of
touch-based meetings. They were scheduled on the side of Lindsey Graham's funeral. And so, I don't think the expectations were enormous going in, at
least for the Americans.
You know, for the Israelis and for the Ukrainians, I do think that they were looking to get in front of President Trump to try and advance some of
their own sort of interests in terms of the wars that each of them have on their plates.
But it is interesting. You know, I think if you asked a year ago which of these leaders was coming in to the Oval Office in better standing with
President Trump, clearly you would have said Benjamin Netanyahu. They have a long affinity. They've known each other for quite some time. And
Zelenskyy had been just coming off of that horrible Oval Office meeting that he had at the very beginning of President Trump's term.
In reality, the positions were switched this time around. Zelenskyy has sort of come into President Trump's orbit with a new degree of respect.
President Trump has said that he looks at the Ukrainians' gains on the battlefield very positively. He's seen what they've done in terms of drone
technology, for example, and has been quite impressed.
And so, Zelenskyy coming in on the front foot, Netanyahu, on the other hand, coming in at a moment when President Trump's irritation, I think,
with the Israeli leader is really kind of flaring. Remember, the last time he was at the White House was a couple weeks before the Iran war began.
They sat in the Situation Room, not the Oval Office. Netanyahu told the president that the regime would fall very quickly, that the ballistic
missiles could be destroyed and that Iran would be so weakened that they would be unable to close the Strait of Hormuz. Of course, none of that
happened, and it has created a degree of resentment, I think, on the part of the president and the part of his team.
[18:05:00]
And you saw that flaring even before Netanyahu arrived, when President Trump was frustrated in an interview on Fox News that Netanyahu is out
talking about a pickaxe mountain instead of talking about it privately and saying that Netanyahu, quote, "just wants me to stay involved."
Now, afterwards, things seemed to be positive by the White House, the Ukrainians, the Israelis all saying that these meetings were very, very
positive. But what that actually portends for these various wars and for President Trump's attempts to bring them all to a close, really not clear
at all.
SCIUTTO: Much progress remains to be made. Kevin Liptak, thanks so much. Well, an Israeli official called the prime minister's meeting with
President Trump very positive. Earlier, Israel's defense minister said the U.S. has been preventing the country from striking Iranian energy
infrastructure over concerns about the economic costs of such strikes.
Iran is threatening to block ships from countries or companies that use frozen Iranian assets to block them from passing through the Strait of
Hormuz. This comes after President Trump said that any damage to ships or cargo would be paid for using Iranian funds held by the U.S.
Joining me now is former U.S. ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro. He's a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council. Good to have you.
DANIEL SHAPIRO, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL AND DISTINGUISHED FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Good to be with you, Jim.
SCIUTTO: So, at the start of the war, the U.S. and Iran were very much in lockstep. They went into this war together. Now that relationship appears
strange. President Trump publicly criticized Netanyahu, saying he wants to convince him to stay in the war. You say Trump is conflicted. Tell us why.
SHAPIRO: He really has two totally incompatible goals. One is to get the Strait of Hormuz reopened, to restore calm to energy markets, to get gas
prices under control before the midterms, now less than 100 days away. On the other hand, he says he wants to ensure Iran never has a nuclear weapon,
and he's willing to go as far as to use major military operations again against sites like Pickaxe Mountain and other nuclear sites.
But if he were to follow that path, Iran would certainly not agree to the terms of a closure, of a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. So, he has to
kind of choose which path he's on, and now he has Netanyahu coming, and Netanyahu very clearly prefers the second path. Netanyahu wants to go back
into major military operations with Israel participating to hit both nuclear targets and energy targets. And so, Trump is caught in his own
dilemma, and maybe with divergent political interests as well as strategic interests from what the Israeli leader brings.
SCIUTTO: Israel, of course, has a vote here as well, and Israel considers any path to a bomb or really just a nuclear program in Iran as an
existential threat. When I was in Israel and speaking to Israeli officials in the midst of the war, they made quite clear that the war would not be a
victory unless the program was done. I mean, if the U.S. pieces out of this war prior to that, does Israel continue military action on its own?
SHAPIRO: At the moment, it's clear that Israel can't act and won't act without a green light from President Trump. So, at least they need to wait
until he makes his decision. It's very hard to imagine if President Trump announces a deal has been reached and the Strait of Hormuz is open, and
therefore military operations are suspended, that Israel is just going to go off on its own and continue its own campaign. Maybe at some later time
with some very specific targeted strikes, one could imagine it. But I think he really holds the cards on that decision.
You know, last June, when Israel and the United States together struck Iranian nuclear facilities in a very short, targeted, limited campaign, it
seemed to be something that had set the program back so far that both sides could live with it for at least some period of time. And then this February
came the decision to go back and try to re-obliterate something that they'd said was obliterated. It feels like they can't ever quite get to the point
of feeling like it's completely removed until this regime falls. But a regime change war is going to require ground forces and invasion, something
that nobody's prepared to do.
SCIUTTO: Yes. Not even clear that that would have a clear outcome. Of course, there are elections coming up in Israel in October. You have
written a piece arguing that repairing Israel standing here in the U.S., where support for Israel is waning, and among lawmakers as well, Democrat
and Republican, that Israel requires a new leader not named Netanyahu. Why?
SHAPIRO: Every poll shows and votes in Congress show that Israel's standing has reached kind of an all-time low. Lots of people are upset
about the war in Gaza and the civilian casualties among Palestinians there, even after the terrible October 7th attacks. People sometimes hold long-
standing grudges against Netanyahu because of his opposition to President Obama's nuclear deal. Others oppose this Iran war and that he helped
convince President Trump to do it. Others want to stop funding Israel's military.
[18:10:00]
So, Israel's standing is very, very low, and Netanyahu is so associated with all of those reasons, all of those controversies, that it's almost
impossible to imagine arresting and reversing that decline in Israel's standing if he's the face of Israel. If somebody that Americans don't know
as well isn't so associated with all those historical controversies and maybe try some new policies to try to get the region a little bit more
under control comes in, I think there's a chance to start to work to repair that damage.
SCIUTTO: But the fact is that, you know, some of these are not policies unique to Netanyahu, right? I mean, the approach to, for instance,
Hezbollah. I mean, of course, a new leader could take a different tactical turn there, but is a leadership change going to do it? Because it does seem
that there is a public questioning of U.S. support for Israel more broadly. Why? It's a why question you hear. Are our interests truly aligned?
SHAPIRO: There are different interests, and there's a reevaluation of those interests, for sure. I do think there's still a strong U.S. interest
in Israel's security and its ability to defend itself against enemies who want to destroy it and also are enemies of the United States.
But it's true, not a change of leadership -- a change of leadership doesn't automatically fix everything, but it's the first step. It's the first step.
Now, I do think some of the alternative leaders running against Netanyahu would take a different approach in the West Bank, for example. They would
work to shut down the wave of Jewish terrorism against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. They'd work with the Palestinian Authority,
transferring the funds it's due and try to help facilitate its involvement, not just there, but also in advancing President Trump's 20-point plan for
Gaza, which Netanyahu mostly finds reasons to oppose and obstacles to throw up.
So, it's the beginning of a different attitude and a different change, and maybe some Americans who are currently soured on Israel would take another
look, but it's not the end of the story either.
SCIUTTO: Right. Ambassador Daniel Shapiro, appreciate you joining the program.
SHAPIRO: Thanks, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Well, to the other president and the other war on Donald Trump's agenda today, he met, of course, with Ukraine's president, Volodymyr
Zelenskyy, at the Oval Office earlier. As we mentioned, the pair discussed licenses for Ukrainian production of Patriot missile interceptors. The two
leaders also discussed ways to perhaps revive diplomacy to end Russia's ongoing invasion.
You were looking at images here of the destruction in Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, where one person was killed, a dozen wounded, in yet another
Russian strike over the weekend. Just hours before that White House meeting, Kyiv then launched hundreds of drones towards the Moscow region.
Kira Rudik is a member of the Ukrainian Parliament and leader of the Holos Party. She joins me now from Kyiv. Thanks so much for taking the time.
KIRA RUDIK, MEMBER, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT AND LEADER, HOLOS PARTY: Hello, Jim, and thank you so much for having me.
SCIUTTO: What are your expectations of Zelenskyy's meeting with Trump? Do you expect him to leave Washington with any new U.S. commitments for help?
RUDIK: The main expectations are that this so much expected production of Patriot missile systems will continue and will be happening in Europe, in
Ukraine, moving forward.
As of right now, we know that Russia produces twice as many ballistic missiles than the United States are producing the interceptors for them.
So, even if we were the only one contenders for all the Patriot missile systems that the United States were producing, we would still not get
enough. This is why this is so essential that the production of the interceptors for ballistics is expanded. It is expanded within the United
States, but also outside.
And it is really absolutely critical for Ukraine, our future, our ability to survive yet another day, to have this strategic plan going. And this is
why if there is only one step being achieved right now, it's still a massive step in our chances to survive.
SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this, though, because given the shortage of interceptors in Ukraine, here in the U.S., and the long production time,
Russia's firing a lot of missiles. I don't have to tell you that. You're sitting in Kyiv, which is often the target of those missiles. Russia is
firing missiles deliberately now, increasing the pace, because they know that you're short of missiles. So, how does Ukraine manage in the meantime,
before it's able to manufacture its own?
RUDIK: We are working closely with all of our partners, desperately trying to find some leftovers and some saved stockpiles of the Patriot missile
systems. But we are very open that we simply do not have enough to take down Russian missiles that are coming our way.
[18:15:00]
And this is why, Jim, we see the massive destructions over the last couple of months in Kyiv and other cities, because it is a huge problem for us to
be able to take down the ballistic missiles that are coming our way.
And yes, the deal with President Trump is a strategic one. It wouldn't happen overnight. But it is much better to know that at some point we will
be protected than just hoping for nothing. And this is why it is so critical that every single day is being used to speed up this production.
SCIUTTO: As you know, President Trump's support for Ukraine has been up and down. And he consistently shifts statements on who he favors, whether
that's Ukraine or Russia. More recently, Trump allies, among them Chris Ruddy, a close Trump friend, has said that what's truly changed for Trump
is that he sees Ukraine winning now. And Trump likes a winner. And therefore, he's more positive towards Ukraine.
Do you think that's a lasting change, in your view? And is that one that Ukraine can rely on?
RUDIK: It is very hard to predict anything with President Trump. But we only can do what we can, and it is doing our best in supporting our army
and those amazing operations that President Zelenskyy was able to show to President Trump, trying to change is mind that the only thing that Russia
can offer to President Trump right now is to be some sort of negotiator.
Ukraine can offer him and the United States to be winners, because we definitely know that with the right support, with the right amount of
weapons and supplies, we can win this war. With the right amount of pressure to Russia, they can be pushed away from other territories. And we
are showing the world, we are showing President Trump that Russia is not invincible. And we are able to overdeliver on any promises that were made
beforehand, while Russia, whatever Putin told President Trump in Alaska, definitely failed at all of his attempts.
So, the only path that we see forward, and that implies that President Trump's support will continue, is bite by bite, piece by piece, hitting
Russia where it hurts, and showing the world that the bet on Ukraine actually wins.
SCIUTTO: Kara Rudik, thanks so much for joining. And as always, when I speak to you from Kyiv, given Kyiv remains a target, I wish you a safe and
quiet evening.
RUDIK: Thank you, Jim. And glory to Ukraine.
SCIUTTO: Well, it is a little after 7:00 a.m. in Japan, where rescue teams have been working through the night trying to find survivors from a
powerful earthquake. The disaster downed bridges, sparked fires, and destroyed this shopping mall, killing two people. A blast at the mall may
have been triggered by a gas leak. Japanese broadcaster NHK says at least six people have been saved from the rubble. It is feared more are trapped
inside.
Nine people are missing at a paper factory, while a 400-bed hospital is said to be operating at full capacity, treating the injured. Japan's
defense forces have been mobilized for rescue and relief efforts. The prime minister says they are doing all they can.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANAE TAKAICHI, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Power outages have occurred in some areas. I ask everyone to take action to
protect themselves, including evacuating to a safe location, while also taking precautions against heat stroke. The Takaichi administration will do
our utmost. We will respond with the full force of the government, prioritizing human lives above all else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Ten years ago, remarkably, the same region suffered a series of devastating quakes, killing 275 people. Hanako Montgomery has the latest
details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A calm afternoon turned to chaos as a powerful earthquake and a series of aftershocks rattled the
Japanese island of Kyushu on Tuesday. Buildings burned, this train overturned, a shrine wrecked, and a bridge collapsed. The full-scale of the
damage still being assessed around the epicenter in Japan's southern Kumamoto prefecture.
Inside the mangled wreckage of this partially collapsed shopping mall, several people were reported trapped after an explosion rocked the building
following the quake, Japan's public broadcaster NHK said. The wall of the historic Kumamoto Castle, a top tourist attraction, was also seen crumbling
as the quake struck.
How can I put it? I felt as if my body was hovering midair. So, for a moment, I didn't realize it was an earthquake, this witness said. It was
only when I saw it collapse that it dawned on me that it was an earthquake.
The castle was previously damaged in the 2016 earthquakes, which killed nearly 300 people in Kumamoto and Oita prefectures. South of Kumamoto City,
buildings and homes in Uki City and Yatsushiro City were also impacted.
[18:20:00]
Thousands of homes were left without power. And multiple people were unaccounted for after this chimney collapsed at a paper factory in
Yatsushiro City, NHK reported.
Japan's Meteorological Agency warning residents in areas that felt the biggest tremors to be prepared for further strong quakes and landslides in
the week ahead.
Hanako Montgomery, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Still ahead, the chips are down for global chip stocks. A semiconductor sell-off triggering trading halts in Asia today. We'll tell
you why, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, a mixed day on Wall Street. The Dow rallied 1 percent on strong earnings and lower oil prices,
with Brent Crude falling 5 percent. Weakness in the NASDAQ, however, with chip stocks selling off once again. Micron, Intel, AMD, and SanDisk, just a
few of the semiconductor names that closed sharply lower.
The chip route began in Asia, with South Korea's KOSPI falling more than 10 percent, trading there temporarily paused to halt the plunge. Shares of two
chip makers in that index, Samsung and SK Hynix, closed more than 13 percent lower.
The sell-off comes as investors brace for quarterly results from major tech firms, beginning with Microsoft and Meta on Wednesday. Investors laser-
focused on the amount of money these companies are spending on chips and other hardware for their continuing A.I. build-outs.
Joining me now, Paul La Monica, Senior Markets Writer at Barron's. Paul, good to have you.
PAUL R. LA MONICA, SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER, BARRON'S: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: So, this has been the enduring question for some weeks and months now, right? Is the spend going to pay off, right? As they build out these
massive centers and buy all these chips. Right now, the market seems to be, well, at least asking that question, right? I mean, is this a lasting
repricing or just a correction?
LA MONICA: I think there are a couple of considerable concerns here, Jim. One, you alluded to Microsoft and Meta. They'll be reporting earnings
tomorrow after the closing bell. Amazon also reporting later this week. And we saw it with Alphabet's numbers last week. There are clearly worries that
those companies, the so-called hyperscalers, are spending so much that it's going to hurt profits in the near-term, even if there is this ultimate big
payoff from all this A.I. spending.
[18:25:00]
But what you're also having now is that there are worries about cheaper Chinese chip A.I. technology potentially coming out. And that's the reason
why the KOSPI got slammed and SK Hynix and Samsung were hurt, is there are worries that those two chip companies, as well as Micron here in the U.S.,
could get significantly hurt by these cheaper products that would hurt their profit markets.
SCIUTTO: There's a bigger picture question there, right, in this broader A.I. race, in that the question is, maybe China doesn't have to win right
at the high end, but for many or most companies, they don't need the high- end product, right? Is that the idea, and therefore, you know, business could, you know, China could do a lot of business in something short of the
AAA product, if that's the right way to describe it?
LA MONICA: Exactly. I think that is a great way to put it. It's reminiscent of the fears that rattled tech stocks not that long ago when
China's DeepSeek, the A.I. model that no one at the time really thought was as advanced as say OpenAI's ChatGPT or Claude from Anthropic and maybe
newer models from, you know, Elon Musk's X, with Grok, as well as Alphabet Google's Gemini.
But you're right, for some companies, some smaller businesses, they may not need the best high-end blue chip A.I., they may need affordable A.I. And if
Chinese companies can provide that to these businesses around the world, not just the U.S., that will hurt the potential profit margins for all of
the companies that are selling the more expensive A.I. models, the more expensive A.I. chips. So, there is that, you know, concern that premium
products may not necessarily win the day.
SCIUTTO: It's not the only concern, right, in this general A.I. space. I mean, there's concern about private lending, right? And I mean, there's
also just basic concern about whether all this stuff, all the investment will pay off on the bottom line.
When you speak to market analysts, do they fear a bubble, right? Do they feel that fear like a major bubble pop, or they think the market is
basically pricing this stuff right? And you might have some corrections, but there's not going to be a kind of Pets.com moment for the A.I. market.
LA MONICA: Exactly. I mean, I think that is a legitimate worry for those of us who are old enough to remember pets.com and the spectacular 2000.com
collapse. That is something that is in the back of people's minds. Are companies like OpenAI, you know, the Netscape, if you will, if not
necessarily the pets.com of 2026, but maybe a company that the valuation is way too high for what it is eventually going to mature into?
And remember, OpenAI still not yet public, Anthropic not yet public. So, there's a lot of time for investors to change their minds about what they
think about the future of A.I. that could hurt those companies when they eventually go public.
SCIUTTO: All right. Final question. Fed is out with its policy statement tomorrow. Of course, the interest rate matters for A.I. firms, but it
matters for a lot of folks. But is there any doubt that they're going to stay fairly tight with their policy, given inflation concerns?
LA MONICA: Yes. It's fascinating because the Fed is still expected to keep rates steady. But there is a significant number of people who think that
Kevin Warsh, the new Fed chair, might push the FOMC to hike interest rates because of those inflation fears. The market is still adjusting to Kevin
Warsh and his communication style. It's a lot different from Jerome Powell. Powell didn't seem to like to surprise Wall Street. I don't think Warsh has
that concern as much. He's keeping everyone on their toes, and that may lead to more volatility in the days to come.
SCIUTTO: Well, tnd he might disappoint someone in the White House, too, given his past public positions on interest rates. Paul La Monica, thanks
so much for joining.
LA MONICA: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Checking some of today's other business headlines now. Coca-Cola shares rose 5 percent today after reporting better-than-expected results.
Coke reports the World Cup helped boost demand for its drinks. It also says the divisive hydration breaks during this year's World Cup tournament
created new advertising opportunities that helped drive sales. Maybe that's what those breaks were about.
Apple has announced a new partnership with fintech firm, Klarna, that will allow customers to lease Apple products instead of buying them.
[18:30:00]
Under the new plan, customers will be able to lease iPhones for just under $18 a month. The program comes as the price of iPhones rises due to the
higher cost of components, like memory chips.
Aerospace giant, Boeing, posted a wider than expected second quarter loss today as the cost of its Air Force One program skyrockets. Boeing says the
price tag for building a new presidential plane rose an additional $280 million in the second quarter as it rushes to meet a 2028 delivery date. It
says cost overruns have now surpassed $3 billion.
Coming up next, it was the attack that shocked the world right as the war with Iran began. Five months on, CNN revisits the circumstances around the
deadly U.S. strike on an Iranian elementary school.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto and here are the international headlines we're watching today.
Japan's public broadcaster says six people have been rescued from the rubble of a shopping mall. The mall partially collapsed after a powerful
earthquake rocked the country's southern Kumamoto prefecture. At least two people have been killed. Many others remain unaccounted for.
Washington, D.C. has been paying a final tribute to Senator Lindsey Graham. Donald Trump was among the speakers today at the senator's funeral service.
He served more than two decades in the Senate and was one of the leading voices on U.S. foreign policy. He died suddenly less than three weeks ago
only hours after returning home from a trip to Ukraine.
The White House says President Trump's separate meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy were quote,
"positive and productive." Netanyahu says his meeting was quote, "one of the best conversations" the two leaders ever had. The Ukrainian president
says he discussed air defenses for Ukraine with President Trump and the possibility of restarting diplomatic efforts to end Russia's ongoing
invasion of Ukraine.
[18:35:00]
And this is just in to CNN. The U.S. military says that Iran launched ballistic missiles towards U.S. bases in the Middle East. The U.S. military
says it intercepted those missiles earlier this month. An Iranian ballistic missile and a drone attack killed multiple U.S. soldiers in Jordan. This
comes of course after President Trump paused U.S. military strikes on Iran.
Five months ago today when the Iran war started a U.S. strike hit an Iranian elementary school. The Trump administration has been largely silent
about the circumstances of the attack. Iranian state media report nearly 200 people were killed most of them children. CNN's Jake Tapper has some of
their stories.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Atema Shamali Najad (ph) singing a Persian children's poem smiling and making
faces at the camera while her mother fixes her hair. Her family shared these videos to remember her. Atena was killed on February 28th.
One of 168 children according to Iranian state media who lost their lives when a U.S. Tomahawk missile struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school
in Minab Iran on the very first day of the war five months ago today.
In Iran the parents the families and the City of Minab still grieve for those who were killed. They call them the martyrs.
This is Madis Nazeri (ph). Madis' body and one of her classmates were found in the embrace of their teacher beneath the rubble of school according to
the head of public relations from the Iranian Ministry of Health. He wrote that the teacher held Madis and her classmate quote tightly in her arms as
if she had tried with her own fragile body to become a shield against the onslaught of stone and iron. 14 adults were also killed that day according
to Iranian state media.
For Amars Pega (ph) lost both his daughter Adrena and his wife. He describes how it felt to receive both of their bodies calling his wife his
pillar and his daughter his hope and aspiration. Adrena and her mother were together on the stairs of the school when they were killed. Her teacher who
survived the strike told the BBC.
In addition to what we gleaned from other news media our own information sources are limited to the families whose social media posts we found
through anti regime human rights activists and Iranian media. That's because the Trump administration and the Pentagon have revealed nothing
about the lives they took apparently by accident.
Critical and costly mistakes happen in war. This tragedy happened five months ago to the day. But today, the U.S. military and its top leaders and
the commander-in-chief have yet to even acknowledge the errors that led to the deaths of nearly 200 children and adults in Iran on day one of this
war.
CNN's Zach Cohen reported earlier this month that according to three sources senior U.S. military commanders bypassed warnings in critical
databases that intelligence about potential targets in Iran was severely out of date and approved some strikes including the one that hit the school
in Minab. Two of the sources said the decision by senior commanders to ignore the warnings was made for expediency in a rush to provide targets to
start the war.
Messages indicated the targets for the strike list were based on intelligence that was more than 10 years old. Three sources now tell CNN's
Cohen that the investigation into this strike still sits with military command. The first two stages of the review focused on answering basic
questions including whether the strike hit and damaged the intended target had been completed indicating that the U.S. was responsible for striking
the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab.
The sources said the third stage a more holistic review of what took place and its impact on the overall mission was not ordered. That review would
almost always be conducted in the immediate aftermath of a noteworthy strike they said but it had not begun as of early July. We reached out to
the Pentagon today with questions about the status of the review. An official told us the investigation is ongoing and there are no updates at
this time.
Meanwhile, President Trump's own downright refusal to acknowledge the U.S.'s responsibility for the strike continues to evolve.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are images from this site that show fragments that appear to be from U.S. Tomahawk missiles. Is it possible that old
intelligence or a mistake during a very active time in the war led to this event?
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It is but it's also possible that those images that you have are A.I.-generated because a lot what they do is A.I.-
generated. They're actually very good at it.
[18:40:00]
So, I don't think that anybody -- you know, I know we're waiting for a conclusive report. I don't think there can be a conclusive report.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you release the report when it is finished?
TRUMP: I guess so. I mean, I have to ask the military people. There might be a reason why they can't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER (voice-over): In a statement to The Lead this afternoon, the White House said, this investigation is ongoing. As we have said, the United
States does not target civilians.
For the families of Atena, Madis, Adrena and the nearly 200 others, most of them children who were killed five months ago, images from before February
28th are now what they rely upon to keep their memories alive. A photo of Atena and Madis holding hands hangs here on a banner outdoors. It reads in
Persian, heavenly angels, may your martyrdom be honored.
As of now, the Pentagon and the Trump administration have not come even close to honoring the memories of the 168 children and 14 adults that, by
all credible accounts, were accidentally killed by the Trump administration five months ago today.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Those poor little girls. Jake Tamper reporting there. Well, Democratic senators called on the Trump administration this month to
release its findings on that deadly school strike. The Pentagon responded, much as they did to The Lead, that the investigation is ongoing.
Joining me now, Democratic Congressman John Garamendi. Congressman, thanks so much for taking the time.
REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA): Well, it's good to be with you, but not on this particular subject. This is a terrible tragedy. It should never have
happened.
We know the basic problems here that occurred, and yet what we find is that the president and the leaders in the Pentagon are unwilling to accept their
responsibility. And until they do, there will be more and more problems, perhaps of the same kind. Hopefully not. But this is totally, totally wrong
from the very, very beginning.
Keep in mind that the Constitution says the president has to go to Congress to get permission to go to war. He didn't do that. He simply struck out on
his own. And what he struck was this school. And so, the haste to war and the mistakes that were made were totally preventable if the president gave
one hoot about the Constitution and his own role in this process.
SCIUTTO: Well, let me ask you about transparency here, because beyond what the Pentagon says is an ongoing investigation, we are seeing the
administration failing to provide more transparency on what is arguably some of the most important information about this war, and that is
casualties of U.S. service members. Over the weekend, as you know, the Pentagon updated its database to record more than 140 additionally
additional wounded members, numbers that were not initially made public.
In your view, is this administration deliberately misleading the public about the cost of this war in human terms?
GARAMENDI: Well, this administration is led by the world's biggest liar. Donald Trump does have no affinity to the truth. He simply will make up a
story to cover whatever concerns he may have or whatever people may be concerned about him. And then the Pentagon follows right along. You've
shown a picture of the Pentagon. That's the world's biggest black hole.
Try as we might in Congress to get information on many different issues, this one and you'd name it the nuclear issues, the shipbuilding programs,
whatever it is, this administration simply refuses to provide Congress with the necessary information.
And as you reported a few moments ago, they were talking about a classified hearing. Do you know why they go to classified? That's to keep those of us
that attend the classified hearings from be able to tell anybody anything that we learned at hearing. It is a way to make us part of the cover up,
and it is just disgusting. It's ongoing. You put up on the program here today the first example, and every day after that, there have been another
examples.
Until this administration, excuse me -- until the Congress is willing to stand up to the president and simply demand the information and check its
veracity and hold the president and the administration accountable. How can we do that? Well, we can simply take away the money. We can stop it. We
could take away Hegseth's airplane. We could do a lot of things, but the Republicans absolutely bend over and kiss Trump's ring.
SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this about the news we received just in the last hour, and that is that Iran has launched more missiles at U.S. bases in the
Gulf region. This is, of course, just a day after President Trump claimed publicly that Iran asked him, quote/unquote, "very nicely" for a pause so
that the two sides can return to a negotiating table.
[18:45:00]
How do you read these attacks? Is that in effect Iran's answer to the prospective talks?
GARAMENDI: Well, we don't know what the truth is. We know we cannot trust any statement out of Trump's mouth or on his truth social. We cannot trust
it. There's a high probability that is not true. He's talking about a ceasefire. Well, maybe it's a ceasefire, maybe it's just a little bit of
fire. We don't know.
But what we do know is that Iran is continuing to conduct the war, that we do know. We do know that American service members remain in danger. We
don't know the exact number that have been killed because the Pentagon lies to us about that. We don't know what the and we have no idea whatsoever.
And certainly, Trump has no idea what he is going to do to get us out of the quagmire that he put the United States into.
This is an extraordinarily bad war. Not only the number of deaths that occurred to Americans and civilians and the loss of our basis and material,
but also in terms of the position of the United States in the world, we're finding that our European allies are simply not willing to go along with
us. Understandably so.
We know that this entire situation is giving China the upper hand on issues in the Taiwan Straits because we have blown through extraordinarily amount
of our key munitions that would be needed to defend the United States in any other part of the world. And why are we in a situation now where we are
on a hold to save our weapons to not further deploy our weapons and continue to decline our arsenals?
We got a problem here. Trump, you started this problem. Unfortunately, he has no way in his mind to get out of it.
SCIUTTO: Congressman John Garamendi, we appreciate you joining.
GARAMENDI: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: A war zone, that is how one resident of Spain describes the nation's worst wildfires on record. We're going to show you some remarkable
images of the devastation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:50:00]
SCIUTTO: Dramatic pictures from southwest France, where firefighting planes are dumping fire retardant and a huge convoy of emergency vehicles
lined up there you see to respond. Authorities in the Bordeaux area say the fire there has been contained, but searing heat continues to create
dangerous conditions.
Vast wildfires, fires like this one here, can create their own microclimate, rising heat and smoke-filled storm clouds are capable of
starting blazes of their own. Add to that appalling levels of air pollution for residents. The heat wave in France is forecast to peak tomorrow. It is
expected, however, to last through Sunday in Spain, where 63,000 people have been evacuated near Madrid.
Melissa Bell reports on the firefighting efforts from the popular tourist destination of Cap Ferret in France, where 40,000 people were evacuated
last week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Closer and closer to Bordeaux, the Gironde Fire has spread, as daunting by its
size now as it is by its ferocity.
Here on the fire's southeastern front, the fight continued on Monday to try to reign it in. Dash water bombers sweeping in from the sky to try and
douse the flames that the fire trucks couldn't reach. Nearby, at the local summer hotspot that is the Bassin d'Arcachon, pleasure boats have given way
to Black Hawk helicopters brought in from the Czech Republic. Just some of the resources provided by European allies.
CMDR. MATTHIEU JOMAIN, GIRONDE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE (through translator): Given the scale, the response can only now be European and
even international, in the face of climate change and its consequences. Amongst them, major forest fires like these.
BELL: This is the Cap Ferret peninsula. Its population grows in the summer tenfold, which means that when it was evacuated on Friday, 40,000 people
had to flee along the single road that leads back to the mainland, leaving behind this eerily quiet holiday paradise and a huge economic shortfall.
TAPPER (voice-over): The peninsula's camping grounds now reminders of how quickly the fire brought a sudden end to so many summer holidays.
Melissa Bell, CNN, the Cap Ferret.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Still ahead, a red card for FIFA, international football's nonprofit governing body sparking new controversy with a plan to raise
billions of dollars from investors.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Brand-new controversy for FIFA less than two weeks after the World Cup Finals. Football's governing body announced plans for a
commercial subsidiary to run its tournaments and events and to let investors buy stakes in it. One of the investors interested is Joshua
Kushner whose brother Jared happens to be President Trump's son-in-law. FIFA says the move will help develop the sport globally. UEFA the group
that runs European football disagrees. It says and I quote, "The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade."
[18:55:00]
U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is also opposed. He posted that football does not belong to investors it belongs to the fans.
France's men's football team has a new head coach. World Cup winner and legend, Zinedine Zidane, will take over from Didier Deschamps. They had
lifted the trophy together as teammates back in 1994. Zidane is a French football legend, superstar, Kylian Mbappe's hero growing up, but has not
held a coaching job since leaving Real Madrid back in 2021.
Italy is also turning to a familiar face to try to guide the team back into the World Cup after failing to qualify for the last three tournaments.
Roberto Mancini will return for a second time as the national coach. Let's hope they get better results.
Thanks so much for your company. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
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