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At Least 119 Dead, 170+ Missing in Catastrophic Texas Flooding; Abbot: Texas Legislature Will Address Emergency Alert System; Ceasefire Talks in Doha as Israeli Prime Minister Visits Washington; MAGA World Outraged Over DOJ's Handling of Epstein Investigation. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired July 09, 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]
SANCHEZ: ...other mayors, one Texas lawmaker who represents an area where some of the victims survived, is now calling for an investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. LLOYD DOGGETT (D-TX): Why a county would invite people from all over the state and the country to come there to camp along the river and not have an alert system in place to protect those people is difficult for me to understand. And the admission was pretty clear from the county officials about the decision to not do that. On the other hand, the state of Texas had the opportunity to pass legislation on this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Joining us now is John Sokich, who retired in January from the National Weather Service as its Director of Congressional Affairs. John, thank you so much for being with us. I want to get your reaction first to the Congressman's comments there.
JOHN SOKICH, FORMER DIRECTOR OF CONGRESSIONAL AFFAIRS, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE: Well, I believe there are systems in place. There's the wireless emergency alert that delivers information to your cell phones. They have that in place.
There's also something called NOAA Weather Radio, which can broadcast and does broadcast National Weather Service forecasts and warnings. And it's available to anybody who has a receiver to receive it. In fact, after the horrendous floods back in 1987, the National Weather Service was directed to install a NOAA Weather Radio transmitter covering the Kerrville area.
And one was installed, and that system operated well during this event.
SANCHEZ: It's important to keep that in mind. Now, the Congressman says that he hopes the Texas Legislature will address any holes in the alert system during a special session. I wonder what additional things they should be considering. What kind of funding also do you expect that they might need to implement more expansive alert systems?
SOKICH: I can't talk about the funding or the impact that sirens or something along those lines would have. But I do know that we need to examine what happened in this last mile of communication. The Weather Service issued the first flash flood warning at 1:14 a.m., and people did hear the warning. And some of them went out, checked the river, and then went back to bed. I don't see any problems. You had a three- hour lead time plus before the bad flooding occurred.
So I think a lot of it has to be education so people can understand the impact of flash floods and know what to do when a flash flood warning is issued.
SANCHEZ: Yes, that would certainly address some of the warning fatigue as well that we've heard about, folks who may have gotten the warning but figured that it may not be as deadly as it turned out to be.
I want to get your thoughts on Kerrville's mayor telling CNN that he wasn't invited to that weather forecasting call with state officials that was held the day before the flooding.
What's typically discussed in those calls? What kind of information would have been provided to the mayor?
SOKICH: At that point, I can speculate from the National Weather Service side, they provide a briefing for the weather for the next day, the upcoming day, and the potential impacts that the rainfall would have. The day in advance they issued the flash flood watch as a more general, here, watch out for this area that could get flash flooding. And then they narrow it down during the evening and overnight when they actually see the rainfall, where it's falling, which basin it's falling in, so they can issue the accurate flash flood warning.
And I can't speak to as why the mayor was not on that call.
SANCHEZ: Understood. John Sokich, appreciate your perspective and expertise. Thanks for joining us.
We are continuing to remember the victims who lost their lives here in Central Texas. The family of Tim Walker confirmed his passing last night. Local media reports that Walker helped his family escape the deadly Guadalupe River floods.
Walker's family describes him as a supportive dad, a devoted husband, artist, tinkerer, and adventurer. He was 63 years old.
[14:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on Capitol Hill right now meeting with lawmakers amid ceasefire talks on Gaza. He spoke moments ago. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: And I have a common goal. I want to achieve the release of our hostages. We want to end Hamas rule in Gaza. We want to make sure that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel anymore. In pursuing this common goal, we have a common strategy. Not only do we have a common strategy, we have common tactics.
This doesn't involve pressure, doesn't involve coercion, it involves full coordination. President Trump wants a deal, but not at any price. I want a deal, but not at any price.
Israel has security requirements and other requirements, and we're working together to try to achieve it. Everything else --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: President Trump says Israel and Hamas are, quote, very close to a ceasefire deal as talks continue in Doha. Those meetings are underway as Israel bombards Gaza with new airstrikes. A market in Gaza City was hit today, and you can see some of the damage.
Hospitals say they are running low on fuel, forcing them to shut off critical services.
[14:40:00]
The director of a hospital just south of Gaza says doctors had no choice but to put several newborn babies into a single incubator. He described the situation as a life-or-death struggle.
Meantime, President Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, says a ceasefire deal could come by the end of the week. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more on those talks from Tel Aviv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's no question that there is progress being made in those negotiations between Israel and Hamas over a potential ceasefire and hostage release deal, both in the Qatari capital of Doha, where those proximity talks are taking place, but also in Washington, D.C., where critical negotiations are taking place between the Israeli prime minister and his team and President Trump and his administration.
But the fact that we saw President Trump sitting down with Prime Minister Netanyahu last night for the second time this week, but not inviting cameras in, not delivering any kind of statement afterwards, suggests that there's still quite a lot of work to be done and puts into question whether or not this deal can actually get done by the end of this week, as President Trump has repeatedly said he believes is possible.
The U.S. special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said yesterday that three of the four main sticking points have been closed out over the course of the last few days of those proximity talks. But a sticking point still remains.
And my sources have told me that one of the main issues here is the timeline and the location to which Israeli troops would withdraw during that 60-day ceasefire, one of the main arguments that has arisen as both parties try and close out this agreement.
We know that the United States and President Trump in particular have provided assurances to the mediators, to Hamas, ultimately, that Israel will remain at the negotiating table and that the ultimate goal here during the 60-day ceasefire is indeed to reach a deal over an end to the war altogether and the release of all of the remaining hostages being held there.
But there's no question that time is running out, not only for those hostages whose families and former hostages we have heard remind the world that their situation is urgent, that every single additional day they remain in captivity is another danger to their lives.
But also for the people of Gaza, who continue to suffer very intense Israeli bombardment, and also not only food shortages, but fuel shortages that are also affecting hospitals in the Gaza Strip. This image right here shows four newborn babies at Al Helou Hospital in Gaza, all crammed into one incubator that would normally be closed and normally just be for one premature baby.
But this is the kind of situation that Gaza's hospitals, after being decimated over the course of this war, are facing. Not enough NICUs and now fuel that is really posing a threat to the ability of these incubators to function. We have seen hospitals like Al Shifa Hospital shutting down its dialysis center, and the United Nations says hospitals are rationing fuel, ambulances are stalling, and water systems are on the brink.
They say they urgently need fuel to get into Gaza. We've reached out to COGAT, the Israeli authorities responsible for coordinating that aid. They have yet to respond to our request for comment.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Jeremy.
All right, now to some of the other headlines that we're watching this hour. We have a deal.
A union representing thousands of city workers responsible for trash pickup and other services in Philadelphia have reached an agreement with the city to end an eight-day strike. Nearly 10,000 workers walked off the job on July 1st, calling for better pay and benefits. The standoff led to a backlog of trash, and some drop-off centers were overflowing, as you see right there. Details on the deal set to be released soon.
Also, drugmaker Novartis says it has approved for the first malaria treatment for newborns and young children, the Swiss authority giving the drug known as Coartem Baby the green light. Until now, babies were being treated for the mosquito spread disease with medications designed for older children.
This approval could soon lead to widespread use in Africa. In 2023, there were an estimated 263 million cases of malaria and nearly 600,000 deaths, nearly all in Africa.
And move over, Microsoft and Apple, U.S. chipmaker Nvidia just hit a milestone no other publicly traded company has hit before. The company now has a $4 trillion market value. Its stock soared around 20 percent this year thanks to its key role in the artificial intelligence boom.
[14:45:00]
Wall Street analysts expect Nvidia to keep on climbing.
And 40 years ago this summer, rock stars performed at a landmark music event to raise money for famine relief in Africa. In an all-new CNN original series airing this Sunday, see how the legendary concert came together and how the movement continued. Here's an early look at Live Aid when rock and roll took on the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's 12 noon in London, 7 a.m. on Sunday, and the world's biggest rock and roll festival is about to kick off. Philadelphia. And around the world, it's time for Live Aid.
BOB GELDOF, IRISH SINGER-SONGWRITER AND POLITICAL ACTIVIST: We live in a world of surplus food. There is no reason why these human beings should die.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bob came in and said, I've got this idea.
GELDOF: I'm very pleased to announce Live Aid.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even the experts didn't have a clue whether it was going to work or not.
GELDOF: My head was full of it's going to be a disaster.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To be honest, it seemed like this could never happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one had ever had 16 hours of anything on television.
PAUL MCCARTNEY, SINGER, SONGWRITER, MUSICIAN: It's a huge event. You know, it could be the start of something big.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That effort saved so many lives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's coming from a good place, but it's coming from a very white paternalistic place.
GELDOF: What Live Aid did was open up the avenues of possibility. Live Aid invites you to walk down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was one of the last moments of global solidarity.
BONO, IRISH SINGER-SONGWRITER AND ACTIVIST: Something went on at Live Aid. That's still with us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live Aid, when rock and roll took on the world. Premieres Sunday at 9 on CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[14:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, there's growing outrage in MAGA world over the Trump administration's handling of the so-called Epstein files, and much of the blame is aimed at U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. After a recent Justice Department memo concluded that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide and that there is no evidence that he had a client list.
All this flies in the face of staunch Trump supporters and even some members of the Trump administration who have nurtured conspiracy theories about the case for years. CNN's Kristen Holmes is at the White House for us. So what is the White House saying about all this?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, on the record, the White House is defending the attorney general Pam Bondi. They are saying that President Trump is proud of her, that he's proud of her efforts to try and enforce or make America great again -- or make America safe again agenda. But behind closed doors, we've talked to a number of administration officials who are really unhappy with the way the rollout went.
And while President Trump himself, we are told, is not unhappy with the attorney general, he has been frustrated at some of the backlash from his base. Some of the fact that his base is still fixated on this. And you really heard that yesterday in the cabinet meeting in which President Trump kind of jumped in to berate a reporter for asking about Jeffrey Epstein.
But one of the things to note, as you just said, is part of the reason that people within President Trump's own base are so fascinated and so fixated on Jeffrey Epstein is because of members of his own administration perpetuating some of these conspiracy theories. Just take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT: Seriously, we need to release the Epstein list. That is an important thing.
KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR: WHITFIELD: Put on your big boy pants and let us know who the pedophiles are. ALINA HABBA, INTERIM U.S. ATTORNEY FOR NEW JERSEY: We have flight
logs. We have information names that will come out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, I've talked to a number of President Trump's most prominent allies, ones that are saying that they believe that this is still a cover up. They are still not happy with the attorney general. They point to an interview that she did on Fox in February, and when she said that the client list was on her desk, she and the White House have argued that she was saying the entire Epstein file was on the desk.
And I said to them, President Trump seems to be standing by Pam Bondi. Are you going to continue these attacks on her? They said they are not letting up, that this is something that they believe in, and they're going to continue trying to get answers on.
So much to the chagrin of President Trump, it seems.
WHITFIELD: All right, Kristen Holmes, thank you so much.
All right, the incredible stories of survival and acts of bravery keep coming from Central Texas.
CNN's Gustavo Valdes speaks with Lorena Guillen, who owns a restaurant and RV park in Kerrville, and she and her husband tried to help rescue people from the floods.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LORENA GUILLEN, KERRVILLE, TEXAS RESIDENT: And the screams, the screams is what haunts me. Every time I close my eyes, I hear people screaming. On the river, you can see the lights of dozens of vehicles just getting washed away, RVs, campers, everything, and you can hear people honking.
And when the lighting, you know, when you see some light, you can see the windows of the campers with people banging against the windows.
They were coming, walking this way, and my husband kept yelling at him, throw me your baby, throw me your baby so he can save the baby, just that. And then a wave came, and it took him, and it took my husband.
Just my husband was able to get snagged or something on a piece of rebar. And before my retention wall collapsed, he was able to grab onto it and climb out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We are tracking the devastation in Central Texas. At least 119 people killed after catastrophic flooding ravages the area. Local officials are asking again for patience to those questioning the emergency response to the tragedy, and we are hearing from those affected.
WHITFIELD: Plus, sources tell CNN that it was Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth who authorized pausing weapons shipments to Ukraine without informing the White House. It set off a scramble inside the administration ...
END
