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Workers Say Veterans Affairs Hospitals Hit by Staff Shortages, Falling Morale; Senate Republicans Work to Win Over Holdouts on Trump Bill; Trump-Musk Feud Reignites as Tesla CEO Rips Megabill; Trump Departs White House to Tour Alligator Alcatraz Facility in Florida; Bryan Kohberger to Plead Guilty to Idaho Student Murders. Aired 8- 8:30a ET

Aired July 01, 2025 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And here are some of the comments that we've gotten from doctors at VA hospitals across the country.

One at a VA hospital in the central U.S. says, quote, This is like a death by a thousand cuts. They're trying to make life difficult. They're trying to make people quit.

Now, on some of the duties they're pressed into doing, one top VA doctor told us, quote, I change the paper on exam tables. All of the doctors do.

And another doctor at another VA hospital said this, quote, I'm going to fail because I can't do budgeting, hiring actions, sealing actions, in addition to treating patients -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Brian, what does the VA say about this?

TODD: Well, John, the VA is pushing back strenuously on this. Regarding the accounts of morale dropping at VA hospitals, Peter Kasperowicz, the VA spokesman, called that fear-mongering stoked by the media.

And regarding the other accounts, he said this, quote, The fact is that during the Biden administration, VA failed to address nearly all of its most serious problems, such as benefits backlogs and rising health care wait times. Under President Trump and Secretary Doug Collins, VA is fixing these and other serious problems. VA is undergoing a holistic review centered on reducing bureaucracy and improving services to veterans.

Also, regarding the accounts of doctors having to change exam table paper and do scheduling and other duties, Peter Kasperowicz said this, quote, There is no scenario in which VA will require doctors to perform anything other than their normal patient care duties -- John.

BERMAN: All right, Brian Todd, thank you so much for this reporting on the commitment to our nation's veterans.

Brand new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now. KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening right now, the marathon continues. Senators up all night and still at it this morning, voting on changes to the president's massive tax cut and spending bill, raking up sweatshirts and blankets and Kindles to get through it all. One senator even playing hide and seek to pass the time. No joke.

And a new X factor in all of this ongoing debate. Elon Musk is back at it, promising to back primary challengers against anyone who votes for this.

Also, outrage after prosecutors announced a plea deal with the man charged with murdering four college students in their home in the middle of the night. The death penalty could be off the table. What is now the question if there even is one left for the judge in this case?

And the president's heading to Florida today for a photo op, the opening of one migrant detention facility. Why and why it's causing so much controversy.

I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman and Sara Sidner. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BERMAN: All right, a lot going on this morning. The breaking news alive. Look at the White House where any moment President Trump is set to depart for Florida.

While the Senate is still holding this marathon session on his sweeping domestic agenda bill, lawmakers have worked overnight into the morning, coming up on 23 hours now since this began. The multi trillion dollar legislation would extend the 2017 Trump tax cuts and spend billions on border security and defense but would also slash social safety net programs. The president wants it on his desk by Friday.

We have a live shot now on Capitol Hill this morning where Vice President J.D. Vance arrived earlier. He would be the one to cast a tie breaking vote if the bill doesn't get enough Republican support, if there's a 50-50 tie, Republicans have been pressuring holdouts in their party who are anxious about the cuts that would come to Medicaid from this bill.

More than 12 million could be pushed from the rolls. And then there are those concerned about the fiscal costs. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates it would add more than $3 trillion to the national debt.

And that number is what led the president's one time friend, Elon Musk, to launch a new attack on the bill. He called it insane. He's vowing to form a third party if it passes, and he's threatening to fund primaries against any lawmaker who votes for it.

So a lot going on, waiting to hear from the president, waiting to see if they'll even be a vote on Capitol Hill. Arlette Saenz is there. Where do things stand right now?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, senators have pulled this all nighter and there is still no end in sight when it comes to a final passage vote on President Trump's domestic policy agenda bill.

Now, Vice President J.D. Vance has spent the morning up here on Capitol Hill. He was asked by reporters if he thinks they will be able to get this across the finish line today. And he said, we're going to find out now.

Now it all comes as this is really a top priority for the president and his team, as this would implement much of his domestic policy priorities in the second term. But there are still a number of hurdles that need to be cleared.

[08:05:00]

The Senate has been voting now for close to 23 hours on amendments to the bill. There have been three that have passed so far that have included -- or been related to A.I. regulations, unemployment benefits and Medicaid. But there are still a number of key amendments we are watching out for. One of those is from Senator Rick Scott of Florida, who wants to reduce the federal matching rate for states that had expanded Medicaid under President Obama. There is a small group of conservative senators who want to see a vote in passage of that amendment.

A lot of attention is also being paid to Senator Susan Collins, who has yet to say how she will vote. And then there is Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Several provisions that would have benefited her home state were struck out by the parliamentarian. So there's a big question mark about whether she will vote in favor of this bill. We have actually seen Senate leadership huddling in the back of the Senate chamber with her over the course of the past hour.

Now, as these senators have been up all night, they've used various tactics to try to stay awake. Coffee, energy drinks. I saw one senator as I was walking over here with a breakfast sandwich and coffee in hand.

Senator Thom Tillis actually was playing a game of hide-and-seek with his family, who was watching while they were on vacation. He had his grandchildren come over to see and at one point blew a kiss towards the camera. So a lot of senators finding ways to occupy their time during this marathon voting session.

But currently, it's still unclear how many more amendments will be voted on and when that vote on final passage will be. And big questions about whether Republicans can get enough GOP senators on board. They can only afford to lose three votes on this bill.

BERMAN: Yes, we're looking for any sign of progress there. I just saw the Senate Majority Leader John Thune walk across the Senate floor with purpose. Oh, there he is right now. What does it mean? We just don't know. Trying to discern the meaning behind all of this.

Arlette Saenz on Capitol Hill. Thank you very much -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: And he just touched his brow. What does that mean?

BERMAN: He's pointing to and fro right there.

BOLDUAN: John Thune likes to count the seats and make sure he knows who's here and who's absent. He's also a very fit man, so he's probably just trying to get his steps in.

BERMAN: Yes, but now he's leaving. And again, walking out of the chamber right there, so.

BOLDUAN: I see Tommy Tuberville. I mean, we could do this all day. Tommy Tuberville taking over the seat. What's going to happen here? If he sits quickly, does that mean progress? If he sits slowly, I don't know. Is he just getting a squat in? I don't know.

BERMAN: And what does it mean for Auburn football?

BOLDUAN: I don't know. That, of course, remains the biggest question of all. As you can see, we have just too much time on our hands here.

Let's move to this. It also is all related. This morning, the Trump- Elon Musk feud is back on.

As lawmakers worked -- as we've now been talking about -- overnight, the president worked with social media hitting back at Musk. In a late night post, Trump suggested that DOGE should investigate federal money that Musk's companies have received, writing at one point that Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history by far. And without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good hard look.

Musk earlier had picked back up on his attacks on the president's massive tax and spending bill. Remember, he called it disgusting at one point. Musk even vowed to back primary challengers for any lawmaker who voted for it. Or he also said he could start a new political party if the bill passes.

Hadas Gold tracking this element of this ongoing story and saga. What's going on here this time, Hadas?

HADAS GOLD, CNN MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate, this is significant because this is the first and starkest political threat that Elon Musk has made about his political future. We were waiting. There's lots of questions.

What will Elon Musk really do going forward in the midterms? Remember, he had said he was going to kind of step away from the political spending. And it should be taken seriously because when Elon Musk gets laser focused, gets obsessed with something, he has the willpower and he has the funds to get it done.

Now, he made essentially two really big kind of threats and promises over the last 12 hours or so. The first, as you know, he said he will back any primary challenger in Congress who has talked about reducing government spending, but then voted for this Big, Beautiful Bill, saying it will be the last thing he will do on Earth.

Look at this poster that he said will feature the face of any member of Congress who does this. It shows Pinocchio in flames and saying this is what people will see as they go to vote.

And he's already declared the first candidate that he will be backing up. That will be, of course, Representative Massey. Massey was one of the two Republicans, of course, to vote against the House version of this bill last month. And he has been President Trump's number one target so far for Republican primaries going forward. So that, again, puts him on the opposite end of the spectrum for President Trump once again.

And then he did promise this. He said that he will create a new political party called the America Party. Remember, his political action committee is called the American PAC.

He says if this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day. Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat- Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a voice.

[08:10:00]

This is a significant change to Musk's plan. Remember, he's spent more than $275 million to back President Donald Trump, as well as other Republicans running last year. He had promised something like $100 million to President Trump's outside groups ahead of the 2026 midterms. And just as recently as March, according to FEC filings, his PAC had supported Republican candidates in Florida. I should note also Tesla investors, they do not want this.

We saw President Trump already threatened Elon Musk, saying that he might even put DOGE, Elon Musk's own creation, against him. Tesla investors do not want this. They wanted Elon Musk out of politics, focusing on his companies.

The Robotaxi just launched. There's a lot of things going on with SpaceX, but it seems as though Elon Musk is not going to give this up.

BOLDUAN: Let us stand by and see where this heads now. It's great to see you, Hadass.

GOLD: As we speak, he continues to post on X. So things are changing by the minute here.

BOLDUAN: Hadass, thank you so much -- Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, from the vote-a-rama to the fight- a-rama. Joining me now are CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers and Maura Gillespie, the former press advisor to Republican House Speaker John Boehner. All right.

Let me start with you, Maura. This is a question that I think is on a lot of people's minds. You see this fight, right, going back and forth with Elon Musk and Donald Trump.

Are Republicans more afraid of Donald Trump, Elon Musk, or their own constituents?

MAURA GILLESPIE, FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL, BLUESTACK STRATEGIES: I mean, this is really childish, but it wasn't just a few months ago that Elon Musk said any member or senator who stands in the way of Trump's agenda will be primaried. So now it's if anyone who stands in the way of this Trump's agenda, if they don't stand in the way of it, they're going to be primaried. I mean, he may change his mind in a month.

So it's really hard to say. I don't think Elon Musk is their threat. However, if Donald Trump's not going to show up for them in their primaries, in their re-election bids in 2026, then it's their constituents that he's most afraid of, because that's what's -- Trump is a lame duck president. He has not been really keen to go out for every single house race that's at jeopardy here, it's a lot.

So I think it's their constituents they should be most afraid of here.

SIDNER: Bakari, what does this say about the money and politics and these two men going back and forth? Or is this about something different?

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think it's about something different. I think that it's very, very petty and very childish. I think that it's kind of like the real housewives of the Beltway. I mean, he basically called him a welfare queen and told him to go back to where he came from.

SIDNER: Wow.

SELLERS: But I mean, when you juxtapose that against the fact that, like in my home state of South Carolina, 220,000 people will be kicked off of Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, or in North Carolina, 600,000 people are going to lose insurance coverage. When you juxtapose it against the people are going to lose SNAP benefits and health insurance, it looks really, really small. We've always said, Democrats have always said that Donald Trump's a very small man. And you see that.

I'm trying to figure out how he has the energy and the wherewithal to tweet throughout the middle of the night at some other man that he just simply doesn't like. Is there not enough going on in the world for him to actually grapple with?

And Elon Musk, you know, I believe in radical pragmatism. And so I want to destroy this bill just as much as Elon Musk. So the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

And I guess I'll take Elon Musk in this battle.

SIDNER: Interesting. Maura, Senator Mark Warner, I want to show you what he said. He said, I'm tired of my Republican colleagues telling me in private how they feel about this terrible bill. It's time to vote like it.

So what do you make of this sort of quiet talk that Mark Warner is talking about and whether or not that's ever going to translate? Because we have heard this before and they still pass the agenda.

GILLESPIE: I think we've been hearing it for 10 years. I mean, ever really since Donald Trump got on the political scene, I've listened to Republicans, my former colleagues, friends of mine complain, complain, complain. And yet they just go out and say, we're doing the people's work.

We are going to make America great again. And they continue to purport what he wants them to say just to stay in his good graces. So I don't think that's going to change, except for the fact that they will lose come 2026 because they're not providing solutions.

Listen, we understand that there's no such thing as a perfect bill. This bill by far is not perfect, right? There's lots of problems in it.

But our debt's also a problem. These programs, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, they're also ballooning costs. Medicare itself, which they're not talking about because insurance companies put in a lot of lobbying money to make sure that the Medicare Advantage and other programs stay safe. So there's not even being talked about right now.

But we need to come up with solutions. We elect members of Congress to come up with solutions. And instead of what we're watching is a childish Twitter battle and just truly taking a sledgehammer to programs that need a scalpel. And that's my biggest concern right now.

SIDNER: Bakari, Senate Republicans are saying by voting no, and they're putting this on Democrats, that every single Democrat is going to vote to raise taxes. It will hurt people. It will hurt small businesses.

What's the Democrats' message? And is it breaking through?

SELLERS: Well, first of all, I'll call BS on that. Second, what is our message is still muddled.

[08:15:00]

And I think that's the biggest problem with the Democratic Party today. The fact that we can't show an image of inauguration where you have Peter Thiel, where you have Elon Musk, where you have Jeff Bezos, and you can't actually come out of your mouth and have another graphic that says that Republicans, the first thing they do is they actually go in and cut your healthcare benefits, cut your SNAP benefits, while actually giving the people who were at this inauguration, flashback to the image, tax cuts, right?

Like, I am not a -- I'm not a person who says there should be no billionaires, right? But I do think that there is a fundamental piece of most Americans --

SIDNER: I'm going to stop you really quick, I'm so sorry. Trump is --

SELLERS: You're cutting me off for the president?

SIDNER: I'm cutting you off for the president. He is talking about his trip to the Everglades. Let's listen. DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm working hard on it with Ron and everybody, and I think it's going to be great. And then I'll be back here fighting for the bill, and I hear it's going OK. We'll move it along. But we'll be back here pretty early.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, do you think the president on the bill used enough warnings from Republicans not to go too crazy with the cuts? Are there parts of the bill or amendments that you think cut too much?

TRUMP: We're going to have to see the final version. I don't want to go too crazy with cuts. I don't like -- I don't like cuts.

There are certain things that have been cut, which is good. I think we're doing well. We're going to have to see. It's very complicated stuff. Great enthusiasm, as you know. And I think in the end, we're going to have it.

What do you think, Karoline? Yes, I think we're --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think about Zohran Mamdani having such a hard time condemning the phrase globalize the intifada?

TRUMP: I think he's terrible. He's a communist. The last thing we need is a communist.

I said there will never be socialism in the United States. Now we have a communist. I think he's bad news.

And I think you're going to have a lot of fun with him, watching him, because he has to come right to this building to get his money. And don't worry, he's not going to run away with anything. I think he's -- frankly, I've heard he's a total nutjob.

I think the people of New York are crazy. If they go this route, I think they're crazy. We will have a communist in the -- for the first time, really, a pure, true communist.

He wants to operate the grocery stores, the department stores. What about the people that are there? I think it's crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened to Elon Musk?

TRUMP: Who?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened to Elon Musk?

TRUMP: Nothing. You know, he's upset is that he's losing his EV mandate. And he's upset -- yes, he's very upset about things.

But, you know, he could lose a lot more than that. I can tell you right now. Hey, Elon -- Elon can lose a lot more than that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President (INAUDIBLE). TRUMP: We hope it's going to happen, and we're looking forward to it happening sometime next week.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

TRUMP: We want to get our hostages back.

We want to get the hostages back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What if the Big, Beautiful Bill doesn't pass? Do you have to go through item by item by item and pass this stuff one at a time, or are you going to try again?

TRUMP: I think we're going to get there. It's tough. We're trying to bring it down, break it down, so it's really good for the country.

Trying to get a lot for everybody. And it's a big bill. And smaller bills would have been easy, but they wouldn't have been as good. I think it's going to do OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And with the Alligator Alcatraz, is the idea that if some illegal immigrants escape, they just get eaten by an alligator or a snake or something?

TRUMP: I guess that's the concept. This is not a nice business. I guess that's the concept.

If you -- you know, snakes are fast, but alligators are -- we're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator, OK -- if they escape prison. How to run away. Don't run in a straight line. Run like this. And you know what? Your chances go up about 1 percent, OK? Not a good thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, when are you going to talk to Netanyahu about much of it?

TRUMP: So he's coming here. We're going to talk about a lot of things. We're going to talk about the great success we had.

I mean, we had an incredible -- in Iran, we had an incredible success, like really nobody's had in many, many years. That was a precision war strike. And the word obliteration can now be used because the Atomic Energy Commission said you can't even get into the place.

It was -- it was demolished. It was really demolished. It was a great, brilliant strike.

And how to get -- go forward. We're also going to talk about Gaza. We want to get the rest.

We got a lot of hostages back, but we're going to talk about Gaza.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).

TRUMP: I don't know. I think we'll have to take a look. We might have to put DOGE on, Elon. You know? You know who DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn't that be terrible? He gets a lot of subsidies, Peter.

But Elon is very upset that the EV mandate is going to be terminated. And you know what?

[08:20:00]

When you look at it, who wants -- not everybody wants an electric car. I don't want an electric car. I want to have maybe gasoline, maybe electric, maybe a hybrid, maybe someday a hydrogen. If you have a hydrogen car, it has one problem. It blows up, you know? So I'm going to give that one to Peter. I'm going to let Peter test it out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)

TRUMP: The hydrogen cars -- and when they blow up, it's serious. They find you five blocks away.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) are there any countries we can expect to see before the July 9th deadline?

Everything's going well. Honestly, everything -- this is very complicated because it's very big, a lot of different areas. Look, the Republicans have their heart in it.

The Democrats want to -- they just want to destroy our country. A Democrat wants to destroy the country. They won't vote on it. They don't vote on anything. This is the biggest tax cut in history. The biggest -- everything, everything is the biggest in history.

It's the best bill we've ever had. We can't get one Democrat on it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When do you think you'll get final -- when do you think you'll get final --

TRUMP: Nice guy, Peter. What do you think?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very nice guy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When do you think we'll get final passage of the bill?

TRUMP: Hopefully soon. Hopefully today, if we can. Final passage. When I say final, let's take Senate at a time, OK? But I think Senate should be today and we go over to the House.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what about Senator Murkowski? Is there any way to placate her?

TRUMP: Who knows? You tell me. You tell me. Is there? Alaska has done so well with me. There's never been a president better to Alaska than me. But it doesn't mean people appreciate it. Have a good day.

SIDNER: All right, there is President Trump leaving the White House. He is heading to Florida, to the Everglades, to the so-called Alligator Alcatraz. And he has been bragging about that alongside the governor of Florida.

Let's go back and just try to go through some of the things that he said. There was a lot. He talked about many different things.

And interesting to note that he says, I don't want an electric car after he had Elon Musk sitting right there with all of his electric cars there at the White House. So that is noted.

But let's go back to him and these cuts that are in this bill.

He says, I don't like cuts. Don't go crazy with the cuts.

So I guess to you, Maura, it looks like he is setting up this scenario where if this goes through and if it gets passed and if people are upset about it, because the voting -- the polling shows that voters are completely dislike this bill.

It seems he is putting himself in a position where he doesn't get blamed. Is it going to work?

GILLESPIE: Well, which is the exact problem that Republicans were kind of fearful of. Because if they said, you know, this is the president's agenda, we're voting for the president's agenda to get him what he wanted to get across the finish line, basically putting it on him. So they went back to their constituents. This is what you voted for. You voted for President Trump. This is his agenda.

And now he's flipping the script by saying, I didn't want cuts. I didn't want cuts. It's a problem.

SIDNER: We do not have any more time. Bakari, you will get the first word next time. I really, I mean, it's not going to give me a coffee.

SELLERS: You cut me off, the president cuts me off.

SIDNER: I mean, it's that.

SELLERS: Give me a coffee.

SIDNER: I'll buy. Bakari Sellers, thank you so much, Maura Gillespie, we really appreciate you. Thank you so much. We'll be right back.

[08:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, a surprising development overnight in the murders of four Idaho college students, a development that has infuriated at least one victim's family. The man charged with their murders, Bryan Kohberger, agreed to plead guilty in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.

Now, if this is approved by the judge, the deal would mean life in prison for Kohberger and we would waive his right to appeal. This comes just a month before the trial was set to begin after more than two years of delays. With us now CNN anchor, Jim Sciutto, who spoke with one of the victim's families. Jim, what did you hear?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Listen, I've been talking to Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee Goncalves, who is one of the -- one of the four victims. She was 21 when she -- when she was murdered -- for four months since this happened. And I spoke to him at length last night.

To be clear, this is not a deal that the families want. They're extremely upset about this. They wanted their day in court. And to be clear, they wanted the possibility of the death penalty for Bryan Kohberger. And they feel that taking that off the table. Right.

The details of the plea agreement are such that he'll plead guilty to four murders, but face life in prison and the death penalty will be taken off the table. They feel that taking that off the table denies them justice in so many words. He said that to me repeatedly.

And they feel blindsided. They feel that the deal was made without their consent and rushed as well. I mean, they've got to appear on July 2nd tomorrow. They got to fly down to Boise. And he was even saying to me he's got to, like, buy last minute tickets for his family to go to court in Boise tomorrow for this deal. And they feel blindsided by the result of it, but also that they're being dragged in the sense that this is being rushed through by prosecutors in a negotiation with the defense that the families weren't a party to and didn't support.

And he told me that three out of the four families are very much opposed to this and made that clear to prosecutors when they were speaking with them last week.

BERMAN: They said blindsided. There's no requirement that the families are consulted beforehand, but they had no idea that this was taking place.

SCIUTTO: No. And you would think, listen, you're a prosecutor. You've been connected with this family -- these families for the last two and a half years, right? You've been in their most vulnerable moments as they go through what has already been -- listen, the event itself gutting.

But the whole process has been frustrating for them, right? Because there've been a number of delays along the way and they already felt like this was being dragged out.

[08:30:00]