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Torrential Storms Bring Deadly Flooding to Central Texas; Florida Lawmakers Denied Entry at Controversial Migrant Detention Facility; Tennessee Law Takes on Teen Bullying with Driving Ban. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired July 04, 2025 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: A dramatic water rescue caught on video in Texas. This is a flooded street in the city of San Angelo. And you can see two rescue officials there making their way to a pole that that person is clinging to. And thankfully, they were able to get that person into the boat.

But all day, authorities have been reporting these water rescues and evacuations underway after some places got an entire summer's worth of rain just in the course of a few hours.

Take a listen to this video of a resident who has been alerted by a police officer to nearby rising floodwaters very early this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OFFICER: The river is already up here.

HOMEOWNER: Oh my God!

OFFICER: There are people screaming in the river. We're evacuating everybody. Can you knock on your neighbors door and tell them to get out now?

OFFICER: The people you hear screaming are in the river right now. Let's get everybody out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: The Kerr County Sheriff's Office says there have been fatalities, though they are withholding information about their identities until they've identified the next of kin. Governor Greg Abbott says the state is surging all available resources to respond to the flooding.

CNN's Derek Van Dam is watching all of this from CNN's Weather Center. Derek, what's the forecast?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it has been just an absolutely catastrophic last 18 hours across the Texas Hill Country. One river gauge near Comfort, Texas along the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes. Let that sink in. This was the result. Look at the Guadalupe River, this is Kerr County. The trees completely toppled over. You can see the water rushing in the background.

But I want to point and direct your attention to this slab of concrete at the bottom portion of this screen. It's going to pan over to the right, and then you're going to see what's left of somebody's front porch.

There used to be a home or a structure that resided here before the force of the water washed it away. That's what they're dealing with on the ground in the hill country. And there's still more rain to come.

This is how much rain has fallen from the sky so far, over a foot according to our radar estimates. And you can see this from San Angelo towards the south and east. There's Kerrville.

The Guadalupe River is right here, and that water needs to move downstream. So what we've seen and what authorities have described this as is a wave of water, and it quite literally and figuratively has been. And it's created the damage you saw on your TV screens a moment ago.

This is the forecast at Spring Branch this morning, just over 1 1/2 feet. Tomorrow morning, same time, nearly 35 feet. That is a rapid rise in water, and it's all because of this mesoscale convective complex that continues to rotate across the region, dumping copious amounts of precipitation from the skies.

There's still more rain to come, and the forecast here projects another 3 to 6 inches of rain in some of the harder-hit areas. We're going to watch this area for more additional flooding, unfortunately -- Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, Derek, thank you for taking us through that.

The Department of Homeland Security distancing the Trump administration from Alligator Alcatraz. Why they say they have not been directly involved with a makeshift detention facility in the Florida Everglades next.

[15:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: A group of state Democratic lawmakers in Florida say they were denied entry into that so-called Alligator Alcatraz detention center. They say they tried to visit yesterday over humanitarian concerns amid recent reports of flooding, extreme heat, and structural issues. This was just hours after the first group of detainees arrived.

CNN's Rafael Romo is with us now. Rafael, tell us what happened and why the lawmakers were turned away.

[15:40:00] RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, the lawmakers say they were worried about humanitarian concerns at the new detention center in Florida, and that's why they wanted to assess conditions inside by personally visiting the site. But they didn't get too far.

The lawmakers say they weren't even allowed to see the outer perimeter of the tent facility known as Alligator Alcatraz only hours after the arrival of the first group of detainees. A lawyer with the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which oversees the detention center, later cited a safety concern for the denial without offering specific details, according to one of the lawmakers. CNN, of course, has reached out to the office for comment.

Now, President Donald Trump toured the facility on Tuesday along with his Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem, and their host, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Shortly after their visit, summer storms flooded part of the facility.

Video from CNN affiliate Spectrum News 13 shows wires submerged in pooling water across the floor. High winds made the floor and walls of the facility tremble.

Florida officials later said that quote, Vendors went back and tightened any seams at the base of the structures that allowed water intrusion during the heavy storm, calling it minimal. Florida State Representative Anna Eskamani, one of the lawmakers trying to visit the facility, referred to the detention center as a political stunt.

KEILAR: All right, Rafael Romo, thank you so much for that.

Coming up, a new Tennessee law strips teenagers of driving privileges if they are found guilty of bullying. One of the lawmakers who sponsored the bill is going to join us live next.

[15:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: A new Tennessee law is taking a bold step to combat bullying among teenagers by taking away their car keys. Starting this week, minors found guilty of bullying or cyberbullying could have their driver's license suspended for up to a year. The law passed with strong bipartisan backing and is just the latest effort by lawmakers to cut down on bullying among teenagers.

One of the sponsors of the bill is with us now, Tennessee State Representative Lowell Russell. Sir, thanks for being with us.

LOWELL RUSSELL, (R) TENNESSEE STATE REPRESENTATIVE: Thank you, Brianna. It's an honor to be here with you.

KEILAR: So I think everyone does not like bullying, right? That seems like a pretty unanimous opinion that people want to see this combated. But how would you find a minor guilty of bullying?

RUSSELL: So it had to be adjudicated in the juvenile court. And if the person is an adult, it would be General Sessions Court.

KEILAR: So it has to get, I would imagine, to a pretty severe level. These are severe cases.

RUSSELL: That's true. Anytime a SRO officer, school resource officer, is notified of a bullying incident, they are required under this law to make a report and tell the parents about the bullying. And then if the officer thinks it warrants charges, they would then take out a charge of either a delinquent act or a class A misdemeanor depending on the age of the child.

KEILAR: OK, so take us through how would this be enforced?

RUSSELL: So it would be adjudicated in court. Of course, it's proof beyond a reasonable doubt. And if it's a delinquent act, that's anywhere from probation up to incarceration.

And the same with a class A misdemeanor. If the student is 18 or above, it's a probation or incarceration. This year, we went back in and added the suspension of the driver privileges for one year.

KEILAR: And why do you think this is so necessary?

RUSSELL: Well, first and foremost, bullying in general has lifelong consequences where people take it for mental health issues and it just causes some problems down the road. So it's just not a today problem. It can affect them later in their life.

So we just wanted to make sure in Tennessee that we try to protect these students and for the rest of their lives by defining bullying as cyberbullying.

KEILAR: Do you think this gets to the root of the problem?

RUSSELL: I hope so. It's a start. From my understanding, this is the only law like this in the whole country.

And I was sort of surprised about it because every time we watch stories on the news about acts of violence and suicides, everybody blames bullying and nobody ever did anything about it.

KEILAR: OK, what do you do if if -- what do you do if a kid doesn't drive? What do you do if they are not 16? What do you do, you know, in some of these other instances where maybe this doesn't apply to them?

RUSSELL: Oh, absolutely. So what would happen is if they're not 16, they would go to juvenile court and the court would send the information to the Department of Safety. And once it gets to the Department of Safety, the child reaches 16, they won't issue a driver's license for -- it would be on the record.

KEILAR: OK, and do you think I mean, I will tell you as a parent, sometimes children are not always looking to the future, right? They have problems with planning or thinking of future ramifications. Why do you think thinking maybe, you know, if they're 11 or 12 even and bullying, why do you think thinking into the future is something that might actually dissuade them from bullying?

Are there other other solutions here, do you think?

RUSSELL: Oh, absolutely. Once the student goes to court and is adjudicated, like I said, they could be anywhere from probation to incarceration.

[15:50:00]

But I think we've got to start somewhere. And if we just sit here and talk about it and blame bullying on these these tragedies, I think that -- and we don't know anything about it. I just think it's harmful for the child.

KEILAR: Your bill obviously has gotten so much attention. And Roger Dinwiddie, who's the CEO of Students Taking a Right Stand Nashville, has expressed concerns that it doesn't address the issue because a lot of bullying doesn't necessarily happen at the high school level. What do you say to that?

RUSSELL: So it's anywhere from K through 12 grades, so it may not happen at the high school level, but they still would get their license suspended once it went through the court system and the court notified the Department of Safety so that they don't issue a driver's license. Growing up, I've always wanted to get my license and have the freedom to drive. And it's a privilege. And if they want to have that privilege, they won't be mean to other kids.

KEILAR: Yes, I remember that well. And then just really quickly, before I let you go, Representative, will you be able to measure the -- like will you be able to measure if this working -- is working? Because obviously you want to know that it's that it's working or not.

RUSSELL: Absolutely. We keep statistics to the TBI and this just went into effect. The main bullying and cyber bullying law just went into effect last year. So we haven't seen good data yet. I think that's coming. We did add an exception in for going to school, work and church.

If a judge wants to issue a restricted driver's license, it was mentioned to add back and forth to counseling sessions. And I think in 2026, we'll probably add that restriction to the driving privileges, too. So that student can go to those counseling sessions.

But, you know, Tennessee is setting good examples. You know, we're hopefully trying to keep kids and future adults safe by preventing bullying. And that's why people moving to Tennessee is because we've done the right thing here.

KEILAR: Well, it is certainly a law that is capturing a lot of attention. And we really appreciate you taking the time to discuss it with us. Representative Lowell Russell, appreciate it.

RUSSELL: Appreciate you. Thank you.

KEILAR: And this July 4th, CNN showing you the best fireworks displays coast to coast, musical performances, too. Our Victor Blackwell sits down with one of those bands, The Fray.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: CNN is celebrating the 4th with fireworks and musical performances. And Victor Blackwell sat down with The Fray.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Joining me now, Grammy-nominated band The Fray and Summerfest Festival president and CEO Sarah Pancheri. Welcome to you all. You're in Wisconsin headlining for Summerfest Music Festival.

We'll, of course, see some of your performance on CNN's The 4th in America. Joe, to you first, how does it feel to be, you know, there? It's beautiful behind you on Lake Michigan, feeling the energy of the fans out there.

JOE KING, THE FRAY: Yes, you know, we actually played a show last night. We pulled up this morning and, you know, I woke up, opened the door of the bus, and it was just green grass and a beautiful lake and a path. And I went for a walk, and it was just joy filling my soul.

So this is, I mean, this is a special place for us. I think this is our ninth time playing this Summerfest, so it's a sacred place for us for sure. So good to be back, full of joy.

BLACKWELL: Dave, what is it about Summerfest that brings you back so many times?

KING: Well, our first, our very first tour and our first show on our first tour was at Summerfest. We were opening for the Pixies and Weezer. We had no idea how to tour, and we pulled up to the show. Our trailer was a mess. The crew, we opened up the trailer. Our gear was everywhere.

Everyone was so gracious because they knew that we were a baby band, and they just took us in. So this place, you know, has really, like, raised us in a lot of ways. So being back here at this point in life to, you know, to celebrate where we're at is, I mean, it's an incredible feeling.

BLACKWELL: Yes, no longer a baby band. You're the big man band now. Ben, this one's to you.

So we, of course, are celebrating the Fourth of America. Right before we went on, I heard you all wishing each other a happy 249th. What's your favorite July 4th tradition?

BEN WYSOCKI, THE FRAY: Oh, man, grilling out for sure. I mean, there's nothing like Fourth of July without grilling out. There's also, I feel like, lake culture, like boat life and lake culture is really big.

And there's nothing more, I think, American than being on a boat, preferably a pontoon boat on a lake, grilling out. So we're pretty close to that here. I think we're living our best lives.

BLACKWELL: All right, so your first single of 2025 is on the horizon, of course, the upcoming 20th anniversary of How to Save a Life. Joe, what can fans anticipate from the new music?

KING: You know, I mean, honestly, I think every artist, you know, you want to reinvent yourself. You want to find yourself where you're at now. And that's what we're doing.

And, you know, I believe it's some of the most important work that we've ever done. And we cannot wait to share it with the world. So it just feels like we're getting started again.

BLACKWELL: And Sara, Summerfest has this rich legacy. This is your 57th festival. The guys have said this is their ninth performance there at Summerfest.

Tell us what it means to have the band be a part of the legacy for so long and what it means to Milwaukee and to music fans.

SARAH PANCHERI, PRESIDENT AND CEO, SUMMERFEST: Well, in Milwaukee, we have an exceptional fan base. And when we think about bands like The Fray that have a two-decade relationship with us, come as baby bands, and have a special place to come home to at Summerfest, we couldn't be more proud of that legacy.

BLACKWELL: Thank you to The Fray and to Summerfest. Make sure to catch The Fray on their How to Save a Life 20th anniversary tour later this month.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: And join CNN for the fourth In America celebration starting at 7 p.m. Eastern tonight. "THE ARENA" starts now.

END