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House GOP Pressing Ahead with Key Procedural Vote on Trump Agenda; Trump Says U.S. has Reached a Trade Deal with Vietnam; Tesla Reports Another Record Plunge in Sales. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired July 02, 2025 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Although some family members really unhappy with this plea deal, others happy to forgo the emotion of the trial, but it was certainly unnerving how unemotional we saw Brian Kohberger. Jean, thank you so much. You've been following this all along. We really appreciate you telling us what happened in the courtroom.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you.

KEILAR: And still ahead, Speaker Mike Johnson says, there is very positive progress toward passing President Trump's so-called Big, Beautiful Bill, but he does acknowledge that not all House Republicans are going to be happy with the final product. We are live on Capitol Hill next.

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: We're following breaking news on Capitol Hill. Right now -- you can see on your screen -- the House is moving forward with a series of votes to kickstart the process of passing President Trump's so-called Big, Beautiful Bill. This could take some time as Republican leaders scramble to find enough votes.

Several Republican holdouts have vowed to stall the president's signature legislation. Here's what House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), HOUSE SPEAKER: I feel very positive about the progress. We've had lots of great conversations. I've met with individuals and groups all day long, as has the president, who's fully engaged as well, trying to convince everybody this is the very best product that we can produce.

But I feel good about where we are and where we're headed. And stay tuned. There's more conversations to be held.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: CNN's Lauren Fox is standing by. What conversations need to be held for this to pass, Lauren? LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, there's still a lot of work to do. In fact, just a few minutes ago, we saw Speaker Johnson leaving the House floor, heading back to his office on his cell phone. That obviously an indication that they're still negotiating.

They are still trying to find a way to get the votes that they need for this procedural rule vote, which is the third in this series. Right now, we are on the second vote. That is being held open while some of these conversations take place.

There's really two groups that Johnson has to satisfy right now. And it seems like he is making some inroads with some of the more moderate members of his conference. But there are still questions about whether or not conservatives are going to be willing to get on board.

Now, our colleague Arlette Saenz talked outside with Representative Burchett, who was one of the conservatives who was at the White House. He said that they were making progress, that he was moving closer to getting to yes. Perhaps that's a good sign for leadership, because typically, these conservatives will vote in mass together. So that is a good sign for leadership.

But last night, there were two critical votes on that rules committee that voted against getting the bill out of committee, Chip Roy and Ralph Norman. So that shows you that this is still very much a live action discussion on the floor.

We'll be watching to see if Johnson goes back to the floor, if members come and continue meeting with him in his office. But obviously, you can see this is an extremely fluid situation. Lawmakers back in Washington, this was always expected to take a little bit of time.

Given the fact that the Senate bill did makes significant changes, some of which are upsetting the moderates, some of which are upsetting the hardline conservatives. How you square that circle, obviously, it's a very difficult task for leadership.

SANCHEZ: Yes, especially with very thin margins. Lauren Fox, thank you so much. Stay with CNN. We'll be right back.

[14:40:00]

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KEILAR: President Trump just announced a new trade deal with Vietnam. The clock is ticking down to his deadline on July 9 next week when his pause on tariffs runs out and steep duties kick in on from all around the world. But it isn't yet clear if the Vietnam deal has been finalized or if Vietnam has actually agreed to the terms.

Its state-run news outlet is only calling it the framework for a deal. That would mean that so far the White House has three deals, if this is one that counts. CNN senior reporter Matt Egan is with us now.

So Matt, what's in the deal? How will it affect everyday Americans? MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Brianna, there's still a lot we don't know here. A lot of the details remain unclear. But let me walk you through what we do know.

The president has announced this, what he's calling a trade deal with Vietnam. And as part of this agreement, the U.S. tariffs on Vietnam would stand at 20 percent. Now, that is above the current rate of 10 percent that exists on most U.S. imports. But it is below the 46 percent that the president had threatened in early April.

Now, as part of this deal, there'd be 40 percent tariffs on transshipping. These are goods that originate in a third country. They pass through Vietnam on their way to the United States. This is key because in the past, Vietnam has been a conduit for goods from China to get around U.S. tariffs on China.

Also, the deal calls for zero percent tariffs on U.S. goods sold in Vietnam, although I should note Vietnam's not a major buyer of U.S. goods. And as you mentioned, though, a lot of this really has not been confirmed by Vietnam.

Now, there's a lot at stake here for U.S. workers, for consumers. Vietnam is a major source of U.S. imports, $137 billion of goods imported from there last year alone, everything from computers, footwear, furniture, clothing and toys.

Speaking of footwear, I just talked to Matt Priest. He's the CEO of the footwear industry trade group. And he said even they're very unclear right now on the details, including whether or not these tariffs that have been announced today by the president are on top of existing tariffs that are already in place on footwear.

But he said if they do stack, he said that would not only be unnecessary, but in his view, it would be bad economics. Now, as you mentioned, the clock is ticking to July 9th, right? That's when this 90-day pause on tariffs expires.

At this point, we really only have deals -- and we're probably being generous by calling them deals -- deals with just three countries, right? The United Kingdom, China, and now Vietnam. Of course, that leaves dozens of other countries where there is no deal in place.

The president has said that he's not inclined to extend that deadline, Brianna, although he has noted that he could extend the deadline if he wants to.

KEILAR: Yes, we'll see if he does that. Matt Egan, thank you -- Boris.

[14:45:00]

SANCHEZ: So Tesla just reported a record sales plunge. Sales of its electric vehicles fell more than 13 percent in the last three months. Its stock is down 17 percent for the year so far. Investors are hoping that Elon Musk will refocus on his company and revive Tesla after leaving the administration. But just this week, Musk dove right back into politics, renewing his feud with President Trump over the administration's signature piece of legislation.

Joining us now is reporter for The New York Times and co-author of "Character Limit, How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter", Kate Conger. Thank you so much for being with us, Kate.

What do you think is contributing to this record sales plunge for Tesla?

KATE CONGER, REPORTER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: You know, I think a lot of it has to do with Elon Musk's work in government. This has been very unpopular and a lot of people in the country have felt like his cuts went too far and were too reckless. And so there's been a lot of backlash towards Tesla, political backlash over the way Musk handled himself while in government.

SANCHEZ: Do you think that Musk is now trying to remake or temper some of his more extreme statements? I saw that he posted on social media some measure of regret for having walked out with that chainsaw that the Argentinian President Javier Milei gave him, saying that he understands now that it lacked empathy. Do you think he's trying to wash his image a bit now?

CONGER: You know, I thought that was really interesting. I think he very rarely will second guess or question himself. And so it was notable to see him say that he regretted walking on stage with a chainsaw and that he felt like it could have come across as insensitive.

But that being said, I don't think he's backing away from a lot of the political positions that he's taken. He's still opposing President Trump's legislation right now, pushing back on that very strongly and talking about starting his own political party and running primary campaigns against some of the members of Congress who support that bill.

SANCHEZ: How concerned should Republicans who vote for this bill be that he's going to fund primary opponents?

CONGER: You know, I think they should be very concerned. He's demonstrated, you know, a willingness to spend a lot of money on politics, both in the presidential campaign recently in Wisconsin for a judicial race there. But I think members of Congress are stuck a little bit between a rock and a hard place right now.

They maybe don't want to lose Elon Musk's support, but they also don't want to lose President Trump's support.

SANCHEZ: If Trump follows through with his promise to pull some of the contracts that Musk has through SpaceX and some of his other ventures, how do you think Musk might respond?

CONGER: I think that this could really set off another feud between Musk and the president if those contracts were to be pulled. Right now, Trump has spoken a lot about Elon Musk being upset about losing subsidies for electric vehicles. And Musk has said that that's not something that he feels very strongly about.

You know, as long as the playing field is level for other electric vehicle manufacturers, he hasn't seemed too worried about that. But where the majority of his government contracts come from is SpaceX and its internet provider, Starlink. And pulling contracts there would really be detrimental to SpaceX.

And, you know, it could create a lot of problems for the U.S. in terms of space programs, internet service in disaster areas, and things like that.

SANCHEZ: Kate Conger, thank you so much for joining us.

CONGER: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: State officials across the country say they have been ghosted by FEMA as worrying signs that hurricane season is intensifying. That story coming your way in just moments.

[14:50:00]

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KEILAR: And we dance to the music.

SANCHEZ: It's got everybody in the studio.

KEILAR: So great. And we --

SANCHEZ: All most everybody.

KEILAR: Mostly me. OK, today we're going to get a look at the number three spot on CNN's list of America's best towns to visit. from breweries to scenic mountain drives.

SANCHEZ: From breweries to scenic mountain drives, Asheville, North Carolina, has something for everyone. CNN's Coy Wire had a chance to experience it all.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR (voiceover): Welcome to Asheville, North Carolina. Months after Hurricane Helene's devastation this mountain town is on the rebound. From breweries to the Biltmore Estate there's something for everyone.

WIRE: And I feel the best way to explore it is on two wheels. Let's go.

WIRE (voice-over): The 8,000 acre Biltmore estate is the largest privately owned home in the country. Founded by George Vanderbilt, it helped put Asheville on the map.

STEVE WATSON, CEO, BILTMORE COMPANIES: You're basically doing time travel. You're going back into a time in the 1890s with the gilded era. It has 75 fireplaces and 250 rooms.

WIRE (voice-over): You can tour the luxurious home and even stay overnight.

WIRE: Wow.

WIRE (voice-over): Outside you can bike hike and discover the ancient art of falconry.

WIRE: What is falconry?

JEFF CURTIS, FALCONER, BILTMORE ESTATE: Falconry is actually hunting with birds of prey. We don't use a rifle or a shotgun or a bow. The bird does the killing.

We're never this close to birds of prey. To have someone handle them, they look at these birds differently.

WIRE (voice-over): Heading into town, we took a scenic detour on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's been gradually reopening after Hurricane Helene. But before that, it was the most visited national park unit in the nation.

CAROLYN WARD, CEO, BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY FOUNDATION: It's 469 miles of uninterrupted motor road. This park was designed by landscape architects that thought if I come around this corner, what would be a beautiful vista to see?

[14:55:00]

And so there was a lot of thought that went into what that total experience would be like on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

WIRE (voice-over): In town, there's no shortage of great places to eat and drink. We checked out Potential New Boyfriend, a new lounge that perfectly captures Asheville's eclectic vibe.

DISCO, OWNER, POTENTIAL NEW BOYFRIEND: It's a hi-fi listening lounge, dessert bar and wine bar.

WIRE: This is the busiest, most popping place we've been.

DISCO: The idea was to create a space that would feel like you're going to your friend's living room for like a dinner party where you're going to meet some good friends, maybe meet some new people.

WIRE: Cheers, Disco.

WIRE (voice-over): After a day in Asheville, we barely scratched the surface. But if you ever find yourself here, your best bet is to just take the plunge.

WIRE: Oh, my god, I feel alive.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WIRE (on camera): A slide by Mother Nature into 50-degree waters, that's my kind of cold plunge. I spoke to Cindy Pearce there with Naventure, who runs Sliding Rock in the Pisgah National Forest you just saw, and she said it was so incredible, and they were so grateful for how the whole nation rallied to help support Asheville post Hurricane Helene.

And now, she says the best way to support them is to just go have fun. They are back and open for business. So, if you like the idea of outdoor excursions, or art, or stepping back into time at the beautiful, breathtaking Biltmore Estate, or you just like some good food and brews, Asheville might be the place for you.

For a full list of America's Best Challenges, you could go to CNN.com.

SANCHEZ: Asheville looks amazing. What also looks amazing are your adventures. I have to get Coy's representation, because in the last two days, we've watched him go --

KEILAR: Oregon.

SANCHEZ: -- sliding, skiing, motorcycling, falconing, --

KEILAR: So much drinking.

SANCHEZ: -- hiking --

KEILAR: Lots of drinking.

SANCHEZ: -- waving at surfers.

KEILAR: Beer, wine.

WIRE: OK, don't forget the drinking.

SANCHEZ: He's got a great set of overshirts and hats as well.

WIRE: Listen, you're just living the best life.

WIRE: Come with me. Come with me next time.

KEILAR: OK.

WIRE: I'll get the motorcycle with the sidecar --

KEILAR: Yes.

WIRE: -- and Brianna can be on with me. They'll call us two bald dudes with their brews, and Brianna with the vino. We have it covered.

We're in, right?

KEILAR: I'm ready.

WIRE: Let's do it.

KEILAR: We're ready.

SANCHEZ: It's a pitch. We're pitching this. Coy Wire, thank you so much. Great to see you as always.

WIRE: You got it.

KEILAR: Next, we are back in New York. Were in just a couple of hours a judge will decide whether the release of Sean Diddy Combs is ahead, in -- is going to happen ahead of his sentencing.

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