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Interview with Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH): Trump Threatens Very Severe Tariffs on Russia if No Ukraine Deal and Pam Bondi's Handling of Jeffrey Epstein Investigation; Trump Floats Update Fairly Soon on Gaza Peace Deal; Historic Grand Canyon Lodge Destroyed by Wildfire. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired July 14, 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]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Back to our breaking news this afternoon, President Trump announcing a crackdown on Russia today to get Vladimir Putin to end his invasion of Ukraine. Trump demanded a peace deal within 50 days and threatened Russia with extreme tariffs and even more sanctions if a deal does not happen. He also promised more weapons to Ukraine, which will first be purchased by NATO members and then transferred to the Ukrainian front lines.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've been hearing so much talk. It's all talk. It's all talk and then missiles go into Kyiv and kill 60 people.

It's got to stop. It's got to stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Joining us now to discuss is Republican Congressman Warren Davidson of Ohio. He is on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Congressman, thank you so much for sharing your afternoon with us.

Are you on board with this plan to funnel U.S. weapons through NATO to Ukraine?

REP. WARREN DAVIDSON (R-OH): Yes, thanks, Boris. Look, I appreciate that President Trump has finally decided that his mission is to secure a peace in Ukraine. I mean, previously, we had a bill called the Define the Mission Act under the last administration, and they never wanted to state precisely what their mission was.

They would go everything from regime change in Russia, including war crimes tribunals for Vladimir Putin, all the way to just a ceasefire, and they had nothing in between. No Russians in Ukraine, no Russians in Ukraine, including Crimea, and at least President Trump's very clear. He wants a peace, and so I think he's using everything he can to try to get that accomplished. SANCHEZ: To the idea that these sanctions or tariffs, if they're imposed, would predominantly target China and India, the largest markets that import Russian goods, do you think these moves are likely to sway those leaders to bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table and Modi and Xi?

DAVIDSON: Yes, I'm not sure that Modi and Xi Jinping can change Vladimir Putin's mind either, and honestly, I'm not sure that, you know, just sticks brings Putin there. I mean, if you look, his threat is existential on energy. He's got an energy economy, and the United States also wants to sell energy into Europe. Everyone does.

Europe's not producing enough energy. Frankly, the United States is well underway doing much better with President Trump, and especially after the Big, Beautiful Bill, growing energy in the United States of America.

And a lot of these things, Russia just sees downsides. So I think they feel like they can't do anything. Even the rare earth minerals that President Trump worked to deal with, you know, Zelenskyy to get for the United States, that's a loss in a mine for Russia.

So it's not clear how this plays out, and I think, honestly, a lot of people are saying, look, this really isn't our war. We wish the people of Ukraine well, but it's not our war to fight, and it certainly shouldn't continue to be our war to fund. I think the President really gets it right in saying, hey, we'll sell NATO countries these weapons, and if they want to pay for them, they can buy them.

SANCHEZ: I think the counterargument to that would be that Vladimir Putin would be incentivized by having something other than sticks, as you put it. I mean, if you speak to folks that have followed his steps for decades, they would make the case that you would embolden him if you were to give him some financial incentive to continue what he's doing. They don't necessarily see diplomatic peace through some kind of business negotiation or some kind of profit motive that he might have.

You really think Putin would be motivated by money?

[14:35:00]

DAVIDSON: Look, his economy and his power depends on energy in Russia, so if there's not a future for Russian energy, I don't know what will hold his interest, and, look, he may simply just be a crazy person, and he really is like Hitler, and he's going to march all through Eastern Europe and restore it. But he didn't spend the last 25 years building the world's most lethal military. He spent the last 25 years plundering the wealth of Russia, so he doesn't seem indifferent to plundering the wealth of Russia. If he wants to plunder it, there has to be some, and so, look, I think President Trump is going to land on the right thing here, but I honestly think we were on the right path by saying this really isn't our war to fight or fund.

SANCHEZ: Congressman, I do want to pivot to something that you have been outspoken about, and that is the Epstein file saga. You posted something on social media that I thought was interesting today, a quote from Immanuel Kant. You write, quote, if the truth shall kill them, let them die.

You go on to say that Jeffrey Epstein wasn't self-employed, that he exploited and helped others exploit minors. You cite a song in which the singer argues that politicians should look out for minors and not minors on an island somewhere -- a play on the word minors.

I wonder what you make of the administration arguing that there's nothing else to see when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein. It doesn't seem like you think the American people are getting the truth.

DAVIDSON: Yes, look, we want transparency and we want prosecutions, and, look, I hope that this is all just a play to get the prosecutions. We've got a long history of things that are public about Jeffrey Epstein, and frankly, Ghislaine Maxwell's not in jail for nothing, right? I mean, she was doing some illegal activity and she's in prison for it.

So I think, look, we should have transparency and we should have accountability. And whomever is prosecuted, if you trafficked children, if you were a client of people who were trafficking children, you need to go to jail. And I think that's a clear expectation.

I hope it's not just a partisan expectation. I think that's something that Western civilization believes. And I think that's why this is such an important issue, not just for President Trump, not just for this administration, but for, really, the United States.

We need to get this right. These activities were done in the United States. The banking system was used, was in the United States.

And some of the activities apparently occurred offshore. But let's not forget, Alex Acosta, you know, prosecuted Epstein in Florida, in Miami, there was a settlement there. So there's some public records already of prosecution in the United States.

SANCHEZ: I do wonder, because correct me if I'm misreading it, but you seem to make the argument that some of this may be a ploy by the administration to secure further prosecutions. Did I hear that correctly?

DAVIDSON: I certainly hope so. I mean, I think, look, they campaigned on accountability for, you know, Epstein. And I don't think that President Trump has walked back on any campaign promises.

He's, promises made, promises kept. His tactics and strategy may vary, but I think he's going to remain committed to that objective.

SANCHEZ: Would you -- what would you say to the argument that, as you said, the administration vowed to do this on the campaign trail, what would you say to the argument that either these folks overly invested in a conspiracy theory in which there's no there there, or the scenario in which perhaps the there that's there is now actively being suppressed, and these folks are now part of that conspiracy, in part because many have speculated, and I'm sure you've seen it, that somehow the president's name comes up in these files.

What do you make of those accusations?

DAVIDSON: Well, I think if Donald Trump's name came up in the file, previous administrations would have found it irresistible to go after President Trump. I mean, there's a certain argument that says it's mutually assured destruction because one side discloses the other sides and everything else. That's a pretty dark view. I mean, some people would say that's black pilled.

Look, I just think like the people deserve the truth, and look how long it took for us to get part of the truth on JFK. And, you know, at this point, people aren't shocked by what's become public about the JFK files because it took 60 plus years to get them.

And I think that you're going to see the same dogged determination to find out the truth on what really was going on on that island with Epstein, with whomever he was working with to accomplish what he was doing. I don't think anyone believes that he did it of his own accord or that he made all that money while being a teacher without a bachelor's degree at some school somewhere. No one believes that.

So there's something there, and people want to know exactly what it is.

SANCHEZ: So quickly, Congressman, would you support a special counsel or some kind of independent bipartisan commission to study the case and share whatever they find with the American people?

DAVIDSON: Well, look, I think, look, Congress should continue to do its job. I think we should follow the money. I'm the chairman for National Security and Illicit Finance.

Clearly, there was some illicit finance involved there, and we intend to look into that as we do in all cases.

[14:40:00]

And frankly, we need to give more tools to our law enforcement to go after it. But the administration, I do trust that President Trump has been clear. He makes promises. He keeps them.

SANCHEZ: You mentioned Ghislaine Maxwell. Would you come -- have her potentially testify to Congress based on --

DAVIDSON: Oh, we'll see what -- yes, I mean, I know that that's in the news lately. I don't know that we want to chase the headlines or anything, but we do want to follow the money wherever it leads.

SANCHEZ: Congressman Warren Davidson, we very much appreciate the time. Thanks for sharing your POV.

DAVIDSON: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Still to come, President Trump hinting at a possible deal between Israel and Hamas, quote, fairly soon. We have the latest on the progress of ceasefire talks when we come back, don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:45:19]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: As hopes for a new ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas dim, a senior United Nations relief official says Palestinians in Gaza are being forced to choose between starving or risking death to secure aid. Israel is escalating its attacks on Gaza. And I do want to warn you that some new video obtained by CNN is graphic, maybe disturbing to some viewers. It shows the aftermath of an airstrike at a water distribution site. It's a heart wrenching scene as Gaza health officials say 10 people, including several children, were killed as they were trying to collect water.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is with us now. Jeremy, what are you hearing on talks and also on this strike?

JEREMEY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, for the last couple of weeks now, President Trump has been telling us that we are very close to a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. And indeed, last week, it did seem like these two sides were very close to an agreement. All of the key players in the region, all of my sources were telling me that the momentum was on the side of reaching an agreement. And yet, as we've been reporting this, we've also cautioned that there is no deal until all points are agreed to.

And over the course of the last several days, it does seem like negotiations have stalled once again, primarily over a dispute over when and whether Israeli troops would withdraw from a key corridor in the Gaza Strip, known as the Morag Corridor. This is the corridor that separates the city of Rafah in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, from the rest of Gaza. And Israel has been reluctant, it seems to withdraw from that corridor over the course of this 60 day ceasefire.

We know that the Israelis have now been pressed by both American officials as well as the Qataris, who are mediating these negotiations to present new maps to try and bridge the gap with Hamas. Steve Witkoff, President Trump's special envoy on all of this, said

that he felt like progress was being made. He said that just yesterday. And then today, we heard President Trump say that there could be an agreement fairly soon, that he thinks things are going well in these negotiations. Yesterday, he had said that he believed it could take another week to reach an agreement. So it's really hard to tell at this point how specific these projections of optimism from President Trump actually are in these negotiations.

What's clear is that there is this major sticking point of Israeli military withdrawal. Prime Minister Netanyahu is blaming Hamas for this. Hamas says that Netanyahu doesn't actually want to reach an agreement.

And so we will see. And as all of this is happening, Brianna, we are seeing indeed in Gaza day after day not only these airstrikes, including yesterday at a water distribution center, but also, of course, the continued hunger of so many Palestinians in Gaza struggling to get their basic necessities, as Israel has clearly chosen through these negotiations to use this -- the withholding of humanitarian aid as a key negotiating point, as leverage in these negotiations, because aid would flow in if there is a deal -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Jeremy Diamond, live for us from Jerusalem. Thank you for that report.

Still to come, a troubling forecast for firefighters who are trying to contain wildfires near the Grand Canyon.

[14:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Here's a look at some of the other stories making headlines today. Police say a man shot and killed two women at a church in Lexington, Kentucky yesterday. The victims have been identified as 72- year-old Beverly Gumm and her 34-year-old daughter Christina Combs.

Officials also say the gunman shot and injured the women's husbands before responding officers killed the shooter. A family member tells the Lexington Herald-Leader that she was in the church basement cooking lunch when the suspect arrived. She says the man came looking for one of her sisters with whom he shared three children.

That sister, though, was not there. Police say that prior to going to the church, the same gunman shot a state trooper near the Lexington airport.

You may see higher tomato prices as soon as today. That's because a nearly 30-year-old U.S. trade agreement with Mexico is being replaced with the Trump administration's 20.9 percent tariff on most Mexican tomato imports. Experts say, as a result, the price of a pound of tomatoes could go up by 10 percent. Consumers could also see higher prices for anything that uses tomatoes like pizza and salsa.

And a rapidly moving wildfire to tell you about on the north rim of the Grand Canyon has destroyed 50 to 80 structures, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. You can see in these before and after photos on the left how the lodge looked before the fire. On the right, now just smoldering ash and rubble remaining.

The wildfire, called the Bravo Dragon Fire, is one of two large wildfires that ignited near the Grand Canyon earlier this month. It's burned at least 5,000 acres. It remains 0 percent contained -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Weather conditions are actually expected to get worse near the Grand Canyon as those two large wildfires are continuing to rapidly expand. We have CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam keeping an eye on things there. Derek, what are you tracking?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, the Dragon Bravo Fire, Brianna, actually breaking the hearts of residents of Arizona and all the residents who flock to this area to go see the Grand Canyon from that north rim perspective because it's now closed for the remainder of the season because of this rapidly expanding fire, which you just noted is over 5,000 acres burned.

Here's the Grand Canyon right here. We head a little further north, we've got the White Sage Fire just shy of 50,000 acres burned. Both of these large wildfires are at 0 percent containment.

[14:55:00]

Now the conditions on the ground are going to get worse before they get better. Let me explain.

It's been dry, especially across the Pacific Northwest. The fire threat today is nominal across this region, even though we've seen this expansive growth. But as we head into tomorrow, things could get complicated by a sagging frontal system that will pick up the wind speeds.

It'll also create these dry thunderstorms that don't form any rain but do produce lightning strikes that could spark additional fires. So the wind forecast heading into tomorrow, gusting 15 to 25 miles per hour. Complicated by extreme heat alerts that are in place across the Grand Canyon and all over the western U.S.

I talked about some relief. We have to wait until Thursday and Friday. What you're going to see is this uptick in the moisture availability across the Great Basin and specifically into Arizona that could help produce some actual rain showers to help douse the fires that are ongoing -- Brianna, Boris.

KEILAR: That would be certainly good news. Derek Van Dam, thank you so much.

And still to come, President Trump starting a countdown for ceasefires -- for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, giving Vladimir Putin an economic incentive to make peace.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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