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House to Take Vote Today; Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) is Interviewed about the Spending Bill; June Jobs Report; July Fourth Holiday Travel; Verdict in Combs Trial. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired July 03, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): And if outdoor adventure is what you're after, Missoula has a bit of everything. Notably, fly fishing, popularized by the 1992 film "A River Runs Through It," set right here on the Blackfoot River. And I was ready to give it my best Brad Pitt impression.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With fly fishing, the weight of the lure pulls the line through the air. You got to pick it up and fire it in there. Awesome. Money!

Even pressure. Even pressure.

BLACKWELL: There we go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fly a little bit. And, oh, (INAUDIBLE), fish. Oh, hey, hey, hey. A heck of a hook (INAUDIBLE) there, Victor.

BLACKWELL: My first fly fishing catch. Feels good. Although it hit me in the face. I forgive him.

All right, let's catch some more.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, breaking this morning, a stronger than expected jobs report in June as the U.S. economy holds strong with the unemployment rate dropping. Job losses reported in two industries. We will break it all down for you ahead.

And three plus hours and counting. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries vowed to take his time, and he's keeping his promise, delaying the House vote on President Trump's mega bill. The legislation, though, expected to pass no matter what Jeffries does, as GOP holdouts fall in line.

And get ready for a record-breaking travel weekend. Americans hitting the road and taking to the air for the 4th of July holiday.

I'm Sara Sidner, with Kate Bolduan and John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The breaking news is, we are standing by, watching live the House floor in the U.S. Capitol, waiting to see when lawmakers will take a final vote on President Trump's massive tax and spending bill. They were up all night negotiating. The House speaker still trying to get enough Republican votes to pass it. And for the last, well, for hours now, the top Democrat in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, you see right there, has been speaking on the floor, speaking out against the bill. And in doing so, holding up the vote. President Trump wants to sign this into law by tomorrow, which had him hosting a revolving door yesterday of Republicans at the White House to break the resistance of the Republican holdouts.

It seemed to work. There are two numbers that encapsulate kind of the biggest sticking points here. Under the bill, nearly 12 million more people are expected to lose health insurance coverage due to the cuts to Medicaid. And then there is the price tag. The bill is expected to add some $3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade.

CNN's Lauren Fox is on Capitol Hill.

OK, where do things stand at 9:02 a.m.?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Leader Jeffries has been speaking now for more than three hours, and there's not necessarily any end in sight. He's doing what we call here at the House of Representatives the magic minute. This essentially gives him the opportunity to hold the floor as long as he can continue speaking.

Now, it's possible that he could wrap this afternoon. It's possible this could go far longer. We just don't know the answer to that right now.

I was in the chamber a few minutes ago, and there's not that many members in the chamber, maybe a few dozen on the Democratic side, and then a handful on the Republican side. The mood right now is people just waiting around for this final vote, which we expect will go -- get underway and then move relatively quickly once it starts, in part because members are ready to jet from Washington for this July 4th holiday.

Obviously, this rule vote was kept open for hours overnight as Leader -- excuse me, as Speaker Johnson tried to work those votes on the floor. He clearly got some assurances from the administration that they could satisfy some of the concerns from conservatives, especially when it came to some of those green energy tax credits. I actually just talked with Representative Burchett about his concerns on that issue and the fact that he thought that the president did a really good job of quelling any remaining anxiety that conservatives had on how quickly those could be phased out.

There still was one Republican who voted against advancing the rule last night, and that was Representative Brian Fitzpatrick from the swing state of Pennsylvania. Obviously, he has been clear over the course of the last several months that he did not want to see steep cuts to Medicaid. That was something that a lot of moderates shared concerns about, especially because many of them believe that the Senate bill made things worse, not better, than the House bill. But right now, Speaker Johnson and leadership feeling really good about where things stand.

[09:05:04]

Steve Scalise, the majority leader, saying he thinks over the course of yesterday people got to a place where they realized this bill wasn't changing and it was this bill or nothing.

BOLDUAN: And for everyone tracking this at home on your C-SPAN's, Hakeem Jeffries just picked up a fresh binder of -- of a speech and commentary to begin. So, we'll see how long -- much longer he goes.

It's good to see you, Lauren. She's going to be tracking all of it for us.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, joining me now is Democratic congresswoman from Florida, Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Thank you for joining us. I know you are there on Capitol Hill and listening to all this.

Look, here are some things that have happened. Gas prices, down. Economic indicators are decent. Brand new jobs report shows that it's much better than expected. And border crossings are down. And now Trump's mega spending bill looks like it's going to be passed by Republicans. How do you, Democrats, fight back with the wins that Trump can tout?

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): Well, it depends on how you define wins, Sara. I mean, the way I can summarize this -- this big, ugly bill best is, Republicans caved, Trump lied, and people will die. This bill does kick 17 million people off of their health care. That's people who are on Medicaid, who are extremely vulnerable, like veterans and the elderly, the disabled and children. We're talking about the largest cuts to nutrition assistance, meaning people are going to go hungry. Four million people lose their -- their nutrition assistance, 31,000 in my district alone. You have 70,000 who will lose Medicaid.

This is a bill that is going to cause tremendous pain. And it is incredibly unpopular with the -- with the public because they don't want their government to actually take away things that ensure that they can remain healthy and safe, and that their families can be cared for, and that they can have a middle class lifestyle.

This bill is all in service to taking care of the wealthiest, most fortunate Americans. It explodes the deficit, and it raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion to give tax breaks to the wealthy.

That jobs report you -- you just mentioned, the overwhelming majority of those jobs are actually government jobs and education jobs that look to be more like substitute teachers. There are really not many jobs in that jobs report that they can point to that are in the private market.

So, it's a hollow jobs -- jobs report and you're going to see, over the next year and a half, the incredible pain that this big, ugly bill will -- will cost people. And we are on the House floor behind our Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, to make sure people know just what's in it, because the Republicans are doing this again in the dead of night when people don't know what's going on.

SIDNER: You -- we've been seeing ads from Democrats already hitting the airwaves about this bill. Voters will get the tax cuts first it appears in this bill and then the Medicaid cuts. Those work requirements, for example, could start by 2027, and states can delay that until 2028. Have Democrats calculated when voters will feel the impacts of this bill and whether they can then use it in the midterms against their opponents?

SCHULTZ: Absolutely. A lot of the most significant Medicaid pain happens right away. The -- the -- most of those provisions actually become law upon enactment. And you're going to see these -- this Medicaid cuts and the nutrition assistance cuts happen right away.

Already the Trump administration is actually ending summer meal programs and summer after school aftercare programs in the middle of the summer, when people who need a place to have their children be able to go after -- after -- after school, those programs are being cut. They are going to leave vulnerable people who need health care twisting in the wind.

I've had hospital CEOs come see me in the last two weeks that they're worried about their hospitals closing. Rural hospitals will close, nursing homes will close because many of these hospitals and nursing homes, the way they're able to stay afloat is because they have a Medicaid patient base. When that Medicaid patient base loses their health care, the hospitals will close. And where are people going to go if they have an emergency or to get their care?

The Republicans are focused on taking care of the wealthiest, most fortunate Americans. That's been their singular focus. And they do it at the expense of people like veterans, the elderly, the disabled and children. It's an abomination, and they will pay for it at the ballot box next year when Democrats take the majority back because people are going to rebel.

SIDNER: Let me move to something that's happening in your state. President Trump and your states governor, Ron DeSantis, have been really touting how great they say this newly opened detention facility that they dubbed "alligator Alcatraz" is.

[09:10:10]

They tout the unpaid parts, if you will, of its security. Pythons and alligators in the middle of the Everglades.

How -- how do you see this facility, and have there already been problems with it? SCHULTZ: Sara, being a fellow Floridian, like -- like you are, you

know, we're in the middle of hurricane season in Florida. And, I mean, when you plunk a flimsy structure like what they've built out in the middle of the Everglades on environmentally sensitive land, in the middle of hurricane season, as soon as a hurricane blows over that thing, it's going to blow apart like matchsticks. During DeSantis' press conference, there was not even a hard rainstorm and it started flooding.

So, what the biggest concern here is, is that this is being placed on land that is environmentally sensitive in the middle of the Everglades restoration project, which we've been spending hundreds of billions of dollars on for 25 years. They're going to upend all of that progress to restore our natural sheet flow, rebalance the flora and fauna, and ensure that we can restore our river of grass. And on top of that, it's on -- it's on sensitive tribal lands, sacred tribal lands, with no consultation with the Miccosukees. And they're -- they're placing people's lives in danger by housing them there. It -- it -- it's -- last but not least, it is on an airport strip that was originally planned to be this massive airport, but it was abandoned in the 1970s because it was deemed too environmentally sensitive to put any infrastructure on.

It's an outrage, an abomination. It is going to upend and waste hundreds of billions of dollars that we've already spent on Everglades restoration. It should be abandoned immediately.

SIDNER: All right, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, thank you so much.

SCHULTZ: Thanks, Sara.

SIDNER: And I know you got a lot of work to do there on The Hill.

SCHULTZ: We sure do.

SIDNER: Over to you, John.

SCHULTZ: Going back into that chamber now. Thank you.

SIDNER: Excellent. Thank you.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thanks so much, Sara.

You know, you and the congresswoman were talking about the jobs report. You can see what the market reaction has been over the last few minutes. These are futures. You can see futures up very slightly, mostly flat. This isn't much of a reaction to a jobs report that was very good. Continued jobs growth in this country. It beat expectations.

With us now, CNN's Zain Asher.

Let's talk about this report. And again, the news, I think, is that the length of time we've continued to see this good news. ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR AND BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. I mean

there is good news, though, and bad news in these jobs numbers, and I'll explain in a minute.

But when you look at the headline numbers, 147,000 jobs added, there's no denying that this is a very resilient labor market economy.

And I've spoken to so many economists since liberation day who have said to me time and time again that despite the solid numbers we've seen in previous months, they said, Zain, wait till June. June, you will see that. We will start to see the impact of -- in the hard data of the sort of wavering tariff policy.

BERMAN: Yes.

ASHER: That's not happening.

One of the reasons why, I think it's also important to add that there is a little bit of bad news in these numbers, is that at least half, John, 73,000 of the jobs that were added actually came from the government sector. And what you're seeing is federal government jobs that are being lost. A lot of people are transferring from federal government jobs to state and local government jobs.

And then, when you look at the private sector jobs that were added, and this is where the problem lies because you can't just look at the headline number. You have to sort of take a peek below the hood. If you look at the private sector jobs that were added, I mean, it's sort of stalemate. It's sort of a stalemate compared to what we've seen in previous months. When you think about tariff sensitive sectors, like, for example, construction, a lot of people who work in construction in this country are, of course, foreign born migrants. They're subject to an unforgiving immigration environment at this time. Also, they're also subject, that division, that sector is subject to raw materials being that much more expensive. So, we're seeing construction jobs, problematic issues with construction jobs.

When you look at that -- look at manufacturing, for example, down 7,000. When you think about the fact that you have raw materials again being that much more expensive, a lot of manufacturing facilities in this country are sitting idle.

So, there is a bit of a discrepancy, right, between the rosy picture we're seeing when it comes to federal government jobs, or rather state and local government jobs, and what we're seeing in, for example, construction, manufacturing, transportation. If fewer goods are coming into this country via imports, fewer transportation jobs are going to be required to transport them, those goods, around the rest of the country. So, I think it is a tale of two cities with this jobs report.

BERMAN: All right, this was the June one. Wait till July. Let's see if this streak continues.

ASHER: Yes.

BERMAN: Zain Asher, thank you very much. ASHER: Of course.

BERMAN: All right, Sean Combs denied bail. What does this tell us this morning about possible sentencing in the crimes where he was found guilty.

And thanks to the power of artificial intelligence, one couple now pregnant with their first child after trying for more than 18 years.

And are you ready for the busiest Fourth of July travel week ever? It is a record-breaking holiday rush.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:19:06] BOLDUAN: So, if you are heading out of town for the July 4th weekend, get ready to be joined by millions of your best friends that you just have not met yet because Americans are going to be traveling in record numbers this holiday, which means we've got to go to Pete Muntean, who's tracking this one for us.

I feel like when it comes to holiday travel with you, it's like, if you build it or if you say it, it will come. Is this one of those scenarios people are going to tell me, like, people should have left last weekend to beat the crowd?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Kind of. You're about to become the traffic is the bottom line here. You might think of it just as a driving holiday, but it's also really huge for air travel too. The FAA says today is the biggest in terms of the number of flights in the air. The biggest of the rush. The TSA says when the rush is over, though, it will screen a total of about 18.5 million people at airports nationwide.

Sunday will be the biggest at airports. That's when TSA anticipates screening 2.9 million people at airports nationwide.

[09:20:04]

Pretty close to the all-time high. Near a record. TSA screened 3.1 million people on June 22nd, only 11 days ago, right after the Juneteenth holiday.

Here are the busiest airports of this weekend, according to travel site Hopper, Atlanta, DFW, Denver, Chicago O'Hare and LAX. Pretty hard to avoid these, though, because these are some of the biggest hubs for airlines.

It will also be pretty hard to avoid the traffic on the roads, Kate. Leave early in the morning or late at night AAA says because, nationwide, another 1.3 million people will drive 50 miles or more compared to last July Fourth rush. It might be because summer gas prices are the lowest they've been since 2021. The nationwide average down about $0.35 compared to a year ago.

And Independence Day falling on a Friday is also making things interesting. Technically, that's when the federal holiday is observed, but a lot of people, as you've probably noticed, probably already got a jump on things. Yesterday was forecast to be the busiest on the roads before the holiday, but we are not out of the woods yet. AAA says Sunday will be the busiest after the holiday. So, Sunday is going to be bad at airports. Also on the roads.

The advice from AAA, avoid the afternoon rush today. In general, the worst times today are between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. So, you should really try to hit it before noon. Much after that, maybe wait until 8:00 or 9:00 at night AAA says, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Pete, I needed you and that graphic yesterday afternoon when I got into a battle royale with my daughter --

MUNTEAN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Because I could not convince her to skip camp today so we could leave earlier. The only benefit of having the o'dark (ph) 30 schedule that we have is you're able to leave earlier. But, oh, no, no, Delphine and her commitments. And so, I will be right in that.

MUNTEAN: The people who have the real benefit are the ones not working and who already got the jump on it last Sunday. That probably was the time to do it.

BOLDUAN: Yes, this is the thing when I'm like, to -- from Pete's lips to God's ears. Last Sunday is when we should have left.

It's good to see you. Thanks, Pete.

MUNTEAN: Sorry, Kate. Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Sara.

SIDNER: All right, Sean Combs had expected to walk out of court into the arms of his family after being acquitted of the two most serious charges against him. The judge had other ideas. What will happen next in that case?

And, trash piling up on the streets of Philadelphia after thousands of sanitation workers go on strike. Where they are in that negotiation, that's all ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:26:54]

BOLDUAN: This morning, Sean Combs is waking up behind bars as he waits now for his sentencing. Combs was denied bail after he was convicted on two prostitution related charges. The judge citing, in part, the defense's own admission that Combs was violent as the reason that he should remain in jail. Still, Combs' legal team is celebrating this as a major victory because the jury acquitted Combs on the most serious charges, sex trafficking and racketeering.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARC AGNIFILO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY FOR Sean "DIDDY" COMBS: Today is a great victory. It's a great victory for Sean Combs. It's a great victory for the jury system.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Now, Cassie Ventura, the prosecution's star witness, you'll remember, she spent hours on the witness stand detailing graphic and the graphic and traumatic history of her relationship with Combs. Her attorney spoke exclusively to CNN after the verdict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGLAS WIGDOR, ATTORNEY FOR CASSIE VENTURA: Obviously, we would have liked to have seen convictions on the RICO charges and the sex trafficking charges. But Cassie prompted this investigation by the Southern District, and now Sean Combs stands before the court as a convicted felon of two federal crimes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And joining us right now, civil rights attorney Areva Martin and CNN contributor Cari Champion.

Thanks, guys, for being here.

Areva, what did you make of this outcome and now what this all means and is going to happen now heading into sentencing?

AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY: I think it means that we still have a long way to go in this country in terms of understanding the nuances of toxic relationships, of domestic violence, of abusive relationships, like the ones we heard so much about during the six weeks of testimony. And although Sean Combs' legal team is celebrating this as a big win, we cannot lose sight of the fact that, one, he is still behind bars. Typically when there's a big win, the defendant is free to leave that courtroom with their attorneys.

And, two, he has been convicted of two felonies, both of which carry ten year sentences. And if the judges' denial of bail and his reciting of the defenses own arguments about the violence of Combs is any indication of what to expect during the sentencing hearing, my guess is that Combs is not going to walk out with time served or probation, or possibly even home arrest, but he will be serving some jail time. Now, whether that's the ten years or the 20 years possibly related to these prostitution charges, yet to be determined. But it's pretty clear that the judge, sitting as the 13th juror, heard and received all of the evidence about the violence of Sean Combs and is prepared to hold him accountable.

BOLDUAN: Cari, we were showing some of the video from outside of court. I mean this case throughout attracted extraordinary amount of attention and commentary online and all over the place.

[09:30:01]

What do you see in the fascination that this garnered? And also, when you're talking -- I mean you're talking about a music mogul