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House GOP Infighting Stalls Trump's Tax Bill; Diddy Denied Bail After Acquittal On Most Serious Charges; Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty In Court; Hamas Leaders To Consider Latest Gaza Ceasefire Plan; Trump's Megabill in Limbo as Vote Stalls in the House; China Showcasing Aircraft Carrier in Hong Kong; Pentagon Confirms Ongoing Review of Military Aid to Ukraine; Denmark Introduces Military Conscription for Women; Europe Battles Dangerous High Temperatures; Second Day of Conference for Dalai Lama's 90th Birthday. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired July 03, 2025 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:40]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump's domestic agenda on hold in the lower house. Ahead here on CNN Newsroom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON, U.S. SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: We can't make everyone 100 percent happy. It's impossible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It's a bit like herding cats. Republican leaders still scrambling for enough votes to pass the president's mega budget bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The less weaponry is supplied to Ukraine, the closer the end of the special military operation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The Kremlin sees victory moving closer as the Trump administration places a hold on air defense munitions amid a surging Russian aerial assault on Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today's a great victory. It's a great victory for Sean Combs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A victory, of course, not guilty on charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. But Sean "Diddy" Combs still facing up to 20 years in jail as well as dozens of civil suits.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: It's just gone one minute past 1:00 a.m. in Washington where lawmakers are burning the late night oil once again, this time in the House where President Donald Trump's mega bill is currently stalled on a procedural vote.
Republicans can lose only three votes if they want to advance the president's sweeping domestic agenda. Right now there are five nos with eight Republicans yet to vote. Speaker Mike Johnson says he'll keep the vote open until he flips enough holdouts to advance the bill.
President Trump in just the past half hour posting on Truth Social largest tax cuts in history and a booming economy versus biggest tax increase in history and a failed economy. What are the Republicans waiting for? What are you trying to prove? Well, let's go live now to CNN's Brian Todd in Washington.
Brian, it has been a long day, a long night, and now it looks like it will be a long morning. So where do things stand with this deadlock and these five no votes? And I guess the question is how much longer can this actually drag on?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, this can drag on for several more hours and it looks like it's going to at this point we're told that House Speaker Mike Johnson is in the chamber. He's also in the cloak room there in the side rooms doing their negotiating. Johnson and his allies doing their best to get these five holdouts to come to the yes side.
But again, eight Republicans have not voted at all so they could have roughly a dozen people or more to try to convince to get this. And this is just for a procedural vote to pass so that they can get to the final House passage later.
Now, we now have five Republican nos. You cannot have more than three defections here. So they have five. And so they've got to get those people in line to try to get a passage of this.
Representative Thomas Massie a short time ago became the fifth Republican to say he would vote no on this procedural vote. There are four others, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Victoria Spars of Indiana, Keith Self of Texas and Brian Fitzpatrick Patrick of Pennsylvania in addition to Thomas Massie. Those are the five Republicans who say they're going to vote no to this procedural vote.
And they're being negotiated with right now by House Speaker Mike Johnson and his allies. You mentioned President Trump a short time ago just posting on Truth Social his frustration over all of this. Now Trump was instrumental all during the day Wednesday and trying to get some of the hard line Republicans to come to his side. He had several of them over to the White House.
He was said to be very cordial with them, listen to them, aired out their concerns and they did. Trump, Johnson and their allies did succeed in winning over some hard line Republican votes. But right now they've got five people in addition to eight others who have not voted who are basically holding up the entire thing.
Now Speaker Johnson says he will keep this procedural vote open for as long as it takes, but their window is closing, John. They, they promised President Trump that they were going to get this to him by the Fourth of July. That is a little over. I mean, it's less than 24 hours from now. So this window is closing fast. And it's unclear right now if and when this procedural vote can go.
If they cannot get this done in the next few hours, the whole thing is kind of up in the air. They need to try to get to final House passage and that looks uncertain really at the moment.
VAUSE: It is quite the drama playing out in real time there on Capitol Hill. And Brian Todd, you'll see watching all of it for us. We'll keep you keep up to date with this story with you. Thank you very much.
TODD: Sure.
[01:05:02]
VAUSE: Let's bring in Ron Brownstein, a CNN senior political analyst and opinion columnist at Bloomberg. So, Ron, you know that old saying, anyone who loves the law or sausages should never watch either being made. You know, watching Republican leaders here, the South Speaker, Mike Johnson, working in real time to secure enough votes just to pass a procedural vote. Here's Johnson speaking a few hours ago. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNSON: We are working through everybody's issues and making sure that we can secure this vote. We can't make 100 percent happy. It's impossible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It's impossible. And it's one reason for that, because the speaker doesn't have much bargaining power here, has got a lot of leverage. He can't really offer any changes or amendments to the bill.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR PLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. Yes. You know, look, as we've talked about before, every president since Reagan has taken their core economic agenda and bundled it into their equivalent of one big beautiful bill, a reconciliation bill in their first year. And it's often been a tightrope to get it to passage. I mean, Bill Clinton passed his by two votes in the House and one in the Senate after a shouting match filled with expletives with one Democratic senator. But they've all gotten it there. They have all passed it.
I suspect in the end they will find a way to do that here, too. But here's what's really revealing, John. I mean, the list of members who are holding up this bill, there's only one centrist on that list at the moment, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, one of the three Republicans left in district that voted for Harris.
The objections to this bill are coming from the right who are basically arguing that a bill that cuts over $1 trillion in federal support for health care and would result in over 17 million people losing their health care, the most of any enacted statute in American history is not cutting enough. I mean, that's kind of the center of gravity of the debate in the Republican Party during the second Trump term.
VAUSE: Are they more concerned about, you know, more cuts to Medicare or they more concerned about increases to the deficit? Because obviously they support the tax cuts which are part of this bill.
BROWNSTEIN: That's the point. Right. I mean, that was what was so interesting when Elon Musk was threatening, you know, and has been threatening to spend money against people who vote for the bill. There are four and a half trillion dollars in tax cuts in this bill.
The cost of extending the Trump 2017 tax cuts just for people making more than 400k exceeds all of the savings they are getting from throwing 17 million people off of their health care. And so the argument on the right, whether it's in the Senate with Rand Paul and Ron Johnson or in the House with the Freedom Caucus members, is not that the concern about the deficit and the debt is so great that we should roll back any of that tax cut.
They want to keep all of the tax cut and cut even more from social programs. And look, I mean, you know, historically, that has been a very tough argument to sell to the American public. I mean, the last time we saw this tried, really, was by the Newt Gingrich Congress in 1995. It was the last time Republicans cut taxes and cut spending in the same bill.
And Bill Clinton basically won the argument for public opinion during that fight and turned around his presidency. This is going to be a tough argument in swing districts to sell. And as we're saying, what they're really pushing is for push to tilt it even further in the direction that the public has shown resistance to.
VAUSE: In your latest column for Bloomberg, you focus on an unrestrained President Trump, and he's part of what you wrote.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
VAUSE: The common thread linking Trump's second term choices is that he appears to view himself as both infallible and invulnerable. A lack of pushback appears to be encouraging him to take yet more gambles. None have entirely blown up on him yet, but he's rushing onto so many ledgers that any could crumble beneath him.
So is he out one of those judges right now? You still think he'll get this through, but he has these, you know, five no votes already. And this could all die in the House if there is any kind of amendments that send it back to the Senate.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes, right. I mean, it's not clear what's a bigger risk the Republican Party if it dies or if it lives. I mean, you know, think about, I mean, what I argued in that piece was that Trump is taking kind of really militant positions as his ante and then doubling down and going further over and over, really, from day one. Right. I mean, he not only pardoned the people who broke into the Capitol, he pardoned the people who attacked the police officers. He not only sent the National Guard into L.A., he sent the Marines into LA.
And then today, as you watch on this bill, as we're saying, he is not only trying to extend the tax cut that he passed in 2017, but he's going a long way toward refighting the repeal of the Affordable Care Act that failed in 2017.
And as I said, I still think it's more likely than not they will find a way to pass this, because that's what Republicans do in the first year of a new Republican president. They cut taxes. They find a way to get there.
[01:10:00]
But you're talking about a bill that is facing significant opposition from the public and would impose significant cost on Republican constituencies. You know, in the Trump era, the Republican Party is overwhelmingly dependent on voters without a college degree. 85 percent of the adults on Medicaid don't have a college degree. 64 House Republicans represent districts with more Medicaid recipients than average. 11 Republican senators are from the 15 states that have added the most people to Medicaid under the ACA expansion that would face the biggest cuts in this bill.
There is just no way around the fact that they are targeting cuts and not even to mention clean energy at a lot of their own voters. And there may be a cost for that in 2026 if history is any guide.
VAUSE: IT does sound like a circular firing squad in many ways. Ron Brownstein, thank you for being with us. Appreciate it.
BROWSTEIN: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Entertainment mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs has been denied bail after a jury returned a split verdict in his federal criminal trial Wednesday. Combs has cleared of the most serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, but he was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Prosecutors accused Combs of leading a criminal enterprise and using employees to commit criminal acts, including forcing Combs former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura and another woman into drug fueled sex acts. Leigh Waldman has more. Now reporting in from New York.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The jury in the federal trial of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs has come to a verdict guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution but not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. DOUG WIGDOR, CASSIE VENTURA'S ATTORNEY: 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.
WALDMAN (voice-over): The jury heard from 34 witnesses called by the prosecution, including two of Combs' former girlfriends, Cassie Ventura and a woman testifying under the alias Jane. The woman testified Combs coerced them to engage in sexual encounters referred to as freak offs and hotel nights.
WIGDOR: What she did was so brave and courageous.
WALDMAN (voice-over): Combs and his defense team celebrating the acquittal of the most serious charges he was facing. Combs telling his family in the courtroom, quote, thank you. Love you mom. I love you, I love you, I love you. Prosecutors have indicated they will seek incarceration during the sentencing phase of the trial. The transportation to engage in prostitution charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Combs has been convicted of two counts so he could receive a prison sentence of up to 20 years. Combs family members waving two cameras while leaving the courthouse after the verdict came down. Ventura's attorney celebrating the convictions.
WIGDOR: She's moving on with her life, and I think it'll be a beautiful life with her family.
WALDMAN (voice-over): In lower Manhattan, I'm Leigh Waldman.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Entertainment and media lawyer Lisa Bonner is with us now for more on Wednesday's ruling and what the future will be for Combs. Thanks for being with us.
LISA BONNER, ENTERTAINMENT AND MEDIA LAWYER: Thank you for having me.
VAUSE: Okay, so after Cosis (ph) denied bail, his lawyer spoke to reporters. He either forgot to mention or chose not to say anything about the guilty verdict on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. This is part of what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARC AGNIFILO, SEAN COMBS' LEAD ATTORNEY: Today is a great victory. It's a great victory for Sean Combs. It's a great victory for the jury system. You saw that the Southern District of New York prosecutors came at him with all that they had.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: OK, so he was acquitted on the most serious charges. But that prostitution charge, two of them, comes with prison time. You know, 10 years, possibly maybe served concurrently or, you know, one after the other, that's 20 years in jail. So how big of a win could this be?
BONNER: Well, good afternoon. And for the issue of the sex trafficking through the process of RICO, that is a big win for them because of the fact that Sean Combs will not be facing life in prison. So that is a moment for him to exhale, of course.
But as you mentioned, his lawyer did neglect to mention that he is now a convicted felon and he is still facing up to 20 years in prison. That is unlikely that he will serve the terms. He may serve them concurrently. However, when you're looking at the issue of the split verdict, there is no doubt that Sean Combs is still a convicted felon. So it is somewhat a win in terms of RICO and not facing the maximum time of life in prison. So I understand that. But it is important to mention that he is still convicted of two serious charges.
VAUSE: And in terms of civil suits, which have a much lower standard of proof, Combs is facing about 70 civil suits all up. How does this criminal trial actually impact those cases?
BONNER: Well, as you mentioned, there is a lower burden of proof for that beyond a preponderance of the evidence. So when you're looking at the fact that he was not convicted and on the more serious charges in federal court, and you want to try and extrapolate what can happen.
[01:15:08]
That is not totally possible, but it is possible to probably estimate that some of these cases. He will possibly be facing a civil judgment because of the fact that you are looking at a lesser burden of proof and you have some of the same people who have been accused, some of the same allegations of domestic violence, of sexual assault. So I am interested to see what is going to happen and I'm sure that we will be following these cases very closely to see what happens.
VAUSE: There was also a decision by the judge to deny bail. The judge said that's because Combs demonstrated a disregard for the rule of law and a propensity of violence. So it seems that this decision not to allow him out on bail was out of more concern for those who are on the witness list, as well as his girlfriend or former girlfriend, as opposed to him being some kind of flight risk. Right?
BONNER: Yes, they have mentioned that his plane is not in Florida where he was seeking to be relocated for bail. They have surrendered his passports as well. But the judge does understand that he does have a history of violence. He cited that in his denial, in his bail denial. And he often talked about the past conduct of Sean Combs and how that has affected his behavior towards the witnesses, the alleged victims.
So I do believe that when he -- when the judge is taking account the sentencing that we will ultimately face, he will be looking at the same instances of history of violence, his past conduct, and his blatant disregard for the law. And it is important to mention that Sean Combs is a self confessed domestic abuser. And as we talked about before, he is a convicted felon. So those do take, the judge will take those into consideration in
determining the bail, the sentencing, and ultimately what is going to happen in the next, in the few coming weeks.
VAUSE: Just very quickly, you believe he won't get that maximum 20 years or 10 years in prison, what sort of sentence would you expect him to receive?
BONNER: I would expect Sean to receive somewhere between three to five years. This, like I said, the judge has broad discretion in terms of how to implement the sentence, but he is going to take into consideration all the information we just talked about, the history of violence, of conduct, and will be looking at letters that people will be submitting to the court against a lower sentence.
The defense is going to obviously push back on that, but we are obviously looking for the prosecution to put forth the most rigorous and the highest.
VAUSE: They are seeking jail time in this so it'll be interesting to see how this all plays out the days ahead. Lisa, good to have you with us again. We really appreciate your time.
BONNER: Thank you so much for having me.
VAUSE: It's a pleasure. Take care. Well, the man accused of killing four University Idaho students in their home in 2022 has formally admitted to their murders. 30-year-old Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty Wednesday in a deal with prosecutors allowing him to avoid a trial and the death penalty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you honor about that same date in Moscow, Idaho kill and murder Kaylee Gonzalves as human being?
BRYAN KOHBERGER, DEFENDANT: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And did you do that willfully, unlawfully, deliberately and with premeditation and malice aforethought?
KOHBERGER: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Some of the victims families have condemned this plea deal, including the family of the young woman you just heard Kohberger admit to killing, Kaylee Goncalves They issued a statement saying in part today was the day for answers. The day to find out what happened, to find out really anything about what the defendant did that night and why he took the lives of four beautiful people. At least that's what we hoped for. But hope is really all we had today. Sentencing is set for July 23rd.
Well, there is a glimmer of hope for a ceasefire in Gaza, but there's still at least one major hurdle to clear before it becomes a reality. More details on that in just a moment. You're watching CNN.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. 20 minutes past the hour. Indonesian rescue crews are searching for at least 38 people still missing after a ferry sank overnight near Bali. The Associated Press reporting 65 people were on board when the ferry went down about half an hour after departing East Java. Police say 23 people have been rescued. Four bodies have been recovered so far.
Ferries are a common form of transportation amid Indonesia's 17,000 islands. But poor safety standards means accidents like this are common.
Hamas leaders are expected to meet Thursday to consider a new U.S. ceasefire plan for Gaza. According to one source, if Hamas agrees, talks with Israel would quickly follow. The Israeli government has already signed on to the plan, which calls for the release of at least some hostages still being held in Gaza over a 60-day ceasefire period. Jeremy Diamond has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, since President Trump posted Tuesday night that Israel has agreed to the latest proposal for a cease fire and hostage release deal, we've been trying to understand what is new about this latest proposal, what is different from the proposal that Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy, presented just a month ago to Israel and to Hamas.
An Israeli official who I've spoken with says that there are indeed stronger assurances from the United States and from the mediators about reaching a settlement to end the war in Gaza, meaning a stronger commitment from the United States to ensure that those negotiations that are supposed to take place during this 60-day ceasefire and perhaps beyond as well, that they ultimately lead to a permanent cease fire between Israel and Hamas.
I'm told that Ron Dermer, the Strategic Affairs Minister, one of Prime Minister Netanyahu's closest advisers, he agreed to this proposal on Tuesday while he was in Washington. In addition to those stronger assurances, I'm told that Israel has also agreed here to allow for a surge of humanitarian aid during this 60-day ceasefire through the traditional United nations run humanitarian channels and not through this controversial U.S. and Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
[01:25:00]
Now, the question is, will Hamas accept this? Hamas has now confirmed that they have received this latest proposal. And they say that they are conducting, quote, national consultations, but they reiterate once again that they are aiming to reach an agreement that ends the war and secures the withdrawal of Israeli forces. And so the question now is whether or not this stronger language in
this latest proposal will be enough to bridge that gap with Hamas. And, of course, Prime Minister Netanyahu still contending with a very volatile domestic political situation as right wing members of his government, Betsala Smotrich, Itamar Ben-Gvir are both signaling opposition to another ceasefire proposal. The prime minister set to convene his full cabinet on Saturday night to discuss all of this before heads to Washington on Sunday. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Iran's president has signed off on suspending cooperation with the UN's nuclear watchdog. Tehran has accused the International Atomic Energy Agency of collaborating with Israel and its offensive on Iran's nuclear facilities, claims which the IAEA denies. The U.S. State Department has also been critical of this move by Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAMMY BRUCE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT PRESS SECRETARY: It is, we'll use the word unacceptable that Iran chose to suspend cooperation with the IAEA at a time when it has a window of opportunity to reverse course and choose a path of peace and prosperity. Iran must cooperate fully without further delay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: There's now concern that Iran will attempt to rebuild its damaged nuclear program and send it underground. New satellite images appear to show repairs taking place at Iran's Fordow Nuclear Facility, the one built inside the mountain, which was hit last month by U.S. bunker buster bombs.
In a moment, a key vote is underway in Washington as Republican holdouts threaten to keep Donald Trump's major domestic policy bill from moving forward. We'll tell you why with an update in just a moment.
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VAUSE: 30 minutes past the hour. Welcome back, everyone. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
Well, a procedural vote in the U.S. House appears to have stalled. And with that, Donald Trump's domestic agenda remains on hold.
Right now, this vote to allow the start of debate doesn't have enough Republican support to pass. Five Republicans have voted no. There are still eight Republicans who are yet to vote.
The House Speaker says he'll keep the vote open as long as it takes to flip enough holdouts to advance the bill.
The U.S. President seems a little frustrated, posting on social media, quote, "What are the Republicans waiting for?"
Benjamin Radd is a political scientist and senior fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations. He joins us e this hour from Los Angeles. Thank you for staying up late.
BENJAMIN RADD, SENIOR FELLOW, UCLA BURKLE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: Thank you for having me.
VAUSE: Ok, so it seems Johnson, the Speaker, knew he didn't have the numbers here, but he went ahead with this vote anyway. So if the idea was to call the bluff of those opposed to the bill, it seems he may have stepped on a rake. And in fact, it seems he's been doing that all day.
RADD: Yes. I appreciate the Simpsons reference you just made there. Indeed. And I think that there's a reliance here on President Trump and his sort of a charm offensive that he can put on at the last minute to really twist some arms and deliver the remaining votes.
And you can see the pressure mounting. You can see his frustration manifest through his social media posts.
VAUSE: Yes. With that in mind, he did post just a short time ago on Truth Social, "Largest tax cuts in history and a booming economy versus biggest tax increases in history and a failed economy." I don't know what he's referring to there.
"What are Republicans waiting for," he goes on. "What are you trying to prove? MAGA is not happy. And it's costing you votes.
You know, MAGA --
RADD: Yes. I don't know where he's --
VAUSE: Yes -- go on.
RADD: Sorry, go ahead.
I don't know where the MAGA is not happy comes in. I mean, as it stands, the data shows that a large number of MAGA voters, constituents across the country -- I mean, here in California, in rural parts of the state, you've got members of Congress signaling that they're voting for this bill. Members of the House whose constituents, you know, 50, 60 percent depend on Medicaid benefits that would be cut as a result of this bill. Not to mention those who are impacted by the cut in food stamps.
And this comes on a day when you know, he's already declared that they're cutting millions from Department of Education, which is going to impact school budgets.
It's difficult to see who these cuts are benefiting. They're definitely not benefiting the people that need the most, many of whom tend to be his voters.
VAUSE: This is true. And the more people learn about this bill, a lot of people don't know what's in it. But the more they learn about it, the more unpopular it seems to get.
One of the concerns though, among conservatives, especially the Freedom Caucus, is the increase in the national debt from this bill. They believe the cuts to Medicare are not big enough and not deep enough.
It's being passed by a process called reconciliation, which is a budget measure. And as "The New York Times" reports, reconciliation has long included the requirement that bills cannot add to the debt for more than a decade.
But Republicans decided to disregard that rule, relying on an accounting gimmick to argue that the 3.8 trillion cost of extending the 2017 tax cuts is actually zero. And therefore they can continue indefinitely.
You know, Republicans continue to claim they're the ones who are fiscally responsible. They're the grownups in the room. But when they do sort of shifty accounting like this, it tends to harm their credibility quite a deal in many ways.
RADD: Indeed. And if you're -- and if you're resorting to accounting gimmicks and sort of backroom tactics to try to get this passed, it basically means you failed.
I mean, we see this with Congressman Massie representing Kentucky, who has been one of the stalwarts who's been against this bill from its beginning, signaled that he would vote to bring it to the floor.
Now he's withheld his vote and said he's not going to do it. He's walking around with a, I believe, a lapel pin that actually has a running tally of the -- of the current status of the deficit now and his concern and the concern of many in that Freedom Caucus, and he's one of the big ones, is that absolutely, this will cause the debt to balloon in a way that is inconsistent with their principles as a party, specifically as a caucus.
VAUSE: And what is interesting right now is we have these five no votes, and there are still eight Republicans who are yet to vote.
[01:34:45]
VAUSE: Presuming some of them are holdouts and they're being, you know -- in negotiations right now with Speaker Johnson, who can offer I don't know what, because if there are any changes to this bill, it has to go back to the Senate for approval.
And that's -- if that happens, the concern is the whole thing dies in the process.
RADD: Indeed. And you have some of those eight they represent districts that Kamala Harris, I believe, won a few of them. And so they are vulnerable members. That's why they're waiting to see how this is all going to play out before they cast their lot in with what might be a losing side. They're concerned about their prospects for reelection in 2026. It's
difficult to see what Speaker Johnson can offer them that's going to secure them at least reelection, let alone the vote that they need to get this bill passed.
And like you said, absolutely. Then it goes back to the Senate, then who knows what happens. I mean, either way, it's difficult to see this hitting the July 4th deadline.
VAUSE: Well, that that seems to be an almost certainty right now. July 4th will be, what, 24 hours away? Thursday, coming into Friday?
RADD: Yes, indeed.
VAUSE: Happy 4th of July for later in the week, Ben. Thanks for being with us.
RADD: Thank you.
VAUSE: Well, the Chinese navy making a show of force in Hong Kong. In a moment, we'll go live to the city's harbor, where China is displaying its first domestically-built aircraft carrier.
Also, crucial air defenses for Ukraine now on hold. The Pentagon confirms a review of military spending and aid in the name of pursuing America's interests. Those details also ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: China's first domestically-built aircraft carrier has arrived in Hong Kong's harbor, along with a number of escort vessels. China's navy has been working for years to build a fleet of aircraft carriers. Military experts say Beijing's carrier force is slowly closing the gap with the United States. They always have the biggest navy in the world.
CNN's Ivan Watson live in Hong Kong, not far from the aircraft carrier. Ivan, you got quite a seat there. Quite a view.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This is a pretty rare sight, John. I mean, this is -- whoa, watch the bump here.
This is a Chinese aircraft carrier. This is the Shandong. It is one of the largest weapons in Chinas military arsenal.
[01:39:43]
WATSON: It is the length of more than three football fields. And it can carry more than 40 aircraft, many of them are J-15 fighter jets. They're on board on the deck right now.
And when it's conducting flight operations, they will launch off of that ski jump there -- that sloped bow. That's how they would take off.
Now the Shandong is here for five days in Hong Kong. And it's really demonstrating China and its relatively new naval power.
Let me give you a little bit of context here. In 2018, I was on a small boat in this same harbor, looking at a very different aircraft carrier. It was the USS Ronald Reagan paying its own port visit to Hong Kong.
Since then, the relations have deteriorated sharply between Beijing and Washington, and we haven't seen a U.S. navy ship visit Hong Kong in years.
In the meantime, around 2020, that is when China's navy is believed to have surpassed the U.S. Navy in total warships. China now boasts the world's largest navy. And this aircraft carrier is a very potent symbol of that naval strength.
It was recently operating off of the east coast of Taiwan. That's the self-governing island that Beijing claims for itself and doesn't rule out the possibility of one day using force to take it under control.
There is another fully operational aircraft carrier in the Chinese fleet, and a third that is currently undergoing sea trials and reportedly a fourth, larger, more advanced aircraft carrier is currently under construction in China.
So bringing this aircraft carrier here, it is aimed at helping drive up patriotic sentiment here in Hong Kong. And tickets to visit the aircraft carrier, they disappeared in minutes.
And it's also a clear demonstration to the world of China's ambitions to protect its naval power further into the high seas, John.
VAUSE: We should note, yes, this is not the first Chinese aircraft carrier. It's the first domestically-built aircraft carrier because the original aircraft carrier was a refit from Ukraine, I believe. And that's still actually operational.
But the advances they've made since that first aircraft carrier to now is exceptional.
WATSON: They are moving forward. I mean, if you do look and certainly there's anxiety within U.S. security circles about the ambitions and the growth, the recent growth of the Chinese navy, though again, China has now it's working on its fourth aircraft carrier, the U.S. still has 11 aircraft carriers. It still has far more nuclear-powered submarines.
But again, China has demonstrated its muscle at shipbuilding right now. And the projections that the U.S. Department of Defense have are that it won't catch up with China for years. China will remain in front on that.
And what China is doing with its navy is it is moving further into oceans and areas where the U.S. Navy has operated for generations.
So this isn't a direct challenge, but it is competition that the U.S. Navy hasn't seen until the last couple of years. And it's clearly a source of pride. That is part of why China has
brought this aircraft carrier here. It's demonstrating it to the people of Hong Kong.
On the islands around here, people are lined up taking photos right now. For as far as I know, were the only people in a boat bouncing around, getting seasick, taking pictures of it up close.
But -- but this is a remarkable scene, and it's rare that we get to get up close to an aircraft carrier in the Chinese navy like this. So that's why we're here right now, John.
VAUSE: It truly is exceptional to get that close, Ivan. It is a view which we never get to see. So thank you for bringing that to us.
Ivan Watson there live in Hong Kong Harbor, not far from a Chinese aircraft carrier. Thanks, Ivan.
Amid an unprecedented surge in Russian airstrikes on Ukraine, the Pentagon has confirmed a review is underway of all U.S. military aid and deliveries of anti-missile missiles for the Patriot Air Defense System to Ukraine are on hold.
The Pentagon says this review is meant to align all spending on military assistance globally with President Trump's America First agenda.
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SEAN PARNELL, U.S. CHIEF PENTAGON SPOKESPERSON: We see this as a common sense, pragmatic step towards having a framework to evaluate what munitions are sent and where.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A senior Ukrainian official says a pause in weapons shipments, especially for the Patriot System, would be inhumane, leaving civilians increasingly vulnerable to a Russian air strike.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been left scrambling for more information and clarity from the White House.
[01:44:43]
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Technical level discussions between Ukraine and the U.S. are ongoing to clarify all details related to the delivery of defense aid, especially air defense components.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: As for Moscow, the Kremlin says pausing weapons delivery to Ukraine will help bring an end to their so-called special military operation in Ukraine, now into its fourth year. Well, Denmark is conscripting women for military service as Russia's
ongoing war in Ukraine heightened security concerns across Europe. Previously, women could voluntarily join the country's armed forces, but now they'll be added to the draft lottery as Anna Stewart explains.
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ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Marching through the fields and forests with faces painted and weapons in hand. These Danish soldiers will soon train beside new recruits.
Women have been able to take up arms in the Danish Royal Guard since the 1970s. Now the military is looking to expand and will add women to the law requiring 18-year-olds to register for a yearly conscription if there aren't enough volunteers.
COL. KENNETH STROM, LEADER, THE DANISH MILITARY'S CONSCRIPTION PROGRAM: Today, 24 percent of the conscripts are females but they are joining on a voluntary basis.
STEWART: The law is set to change that percentage since it went into effect July 1st. The move comes as the Russia-Ukraine war rages on and Europe's security concerns are heightened.
Amid the crisis, Denmark recently announced its efforts to bolster their military and introduced a five-year plan to increase defense spending by $5.9 billion.
STROM: It's based on the current security situation in order to get more combat power and have those skills that are needed for either the army, navy, air force or even the special operation forces.
STEWART: The military plans to further develop those skills by increasing service from four months to 11, starting next February.
According to Reuters, the military expects the changes to increase the annual number of young people completing their service to 6,500 soldiers by 2033.
ALBERTE, VOLUNTEER SOLDIER, THE DANISH ROYAL LIFE GUARDS: You know, I think it's very good for the Danish military because, you know, war is active in the world right now and we need to force our military in Denmark. So I think it's good.
STEWART: Some women are looking forward to the potential increase of young female service members, but there are still some accommodations to be made.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right now it's made for men. So perhaps like the rucksacks are like a bit too large and the uniforms are large as well. But I do know that they are working on it at the moment, and I think it's -- I think it's going to be something that they're going to achieve.
STEWART: And in 2026, there may be more fitted blue and green uniforms to suit the nation's goal of training more men and women to serve their nation.
Anna Stewart, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: In a moment here on CNN, wildfires still raging in Turkey. We'll tell you how countries around the Mediterranean are now coping with an extreme heat wave.
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VAUSE: Catherine, the Princess of Wales, is opening up about the difficulties of life after chemotherapy. During a visit to the Wellbeing Garden at England's Colchester Hospital on Wednesday, she spoke with patients about her own personal struggles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHERINE, PRINCESS OF WALES: You know, you put on a sort of brave face but stoicism through treatment -- treatments done so I can crack on and get back to normal again. But actually that -- the phase afterwards is really, you know, it's a really difficult journey.
You know, you're not necessarily in the clinical team any longer, but you're not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to. And actually someone to help talk you through that show you and guide you through that sort of phase that comes after treatment, I think is really valuable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: This was Catherine's first public appearance in two weeks after she unexpectedly withdrew from the Royal Ascot.
The number of wildfires burning in Turkey continues to grow or made worse by a searing heat wave across the region. Air tankers and helicopters dumped water onto fires around the province of Izmir, where 42,000 people have been forced from their homes.
In Madrid, Spain, maximum temperatures hit almost 40 degrees Celsius -- that's over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
CNN's Pau Mosquera has more now on how many are trying to stay cool in this blistering heat.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The first heat wave of the summer is having no mercy in much of Europe. Here in Spain, much of the center, south and east of the country have been, on Wednesday, under heat warnings because the temperatures were expected to climb above the 36 degrees Celsius, which is around 97 degrees Fahrenheit.
Even in some cities at the south of the country like in Seville, where we have been earlier on Wednesday, the mercury reached up to 41 degrees Celsius, which is around 106 degrees Fahrenheit.
And the feeling was suffocating. The air was so hot that it felt even difficult to breath.
But this situation is not exclusive to the Iberian peninsula as at least a dozen of European countries have been on Wednesday under heat alerts.
That is the case, for example of France, where the authorities recorded on Tuesday the hottest day of all 2025 as the temperatures got to 38 degrees Celsius.
The authorities even decided to close the top of the Eiffel Tower to prevent any potential risk.
And with this situation many are asking nowadays, when may we get some relief? Well, the national weather agencies are saying that from Thursday and on, a mass of cold air is going to start to arrive to the northwest of Europe.
But in cities like Madrid, the Spanish capital, the heat is going to continue and its expected that here, the mercury over the weekend will still reach the 36 degrees Celsius.
Pau Mosquera, CNN -- Madrid.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:54:55]
VAUSE: A second day of a religious conference is underway in northern India, marking the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday this weekend.
Tibetan Buddhists welcomed his announcement Wednesday that he intends to reincarnate, which ensures the centuries old tradition will continue could lead to a showdown with Beijing's atheist communist government.
More details now from CNN's Simone McCarthy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SIMONE MCCARTHY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Dalai Lama has announced that he intends to reincarnate after his death. Tibetan Buddhism's spiritual leader made the declaration in a pre-recorded video message to religious elders gathered in Dharamsala, India.
It was part of a three-day Buddhist conference this week ahead of his 90th birthday. He said his successor would be chosen solely by his office.
This sets the stage for a high-stakes battle with China's Communist rulers, who have insisted that they alone hold the authority to approve the next Dalai Lama.
The Dalai Lama has spent his life in exile after a failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Beijing's rule. Since the 1970s, the Dalai Lama has maintained that he no longer seeks full independence for Tibet, but meaningful autonomy that would allow Tibetans to preserve their distinct culture, religion and identity.
His commitment to the nonviolent middle way approach has earned him international support, and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: A piece of Mars will be up for sale next month. In fact, the largest Martian rock ever found on earth will go up for auction at Sotheby's.
The rare meteorite discovered in Niger two years ago is expected to fetch up to $4 million. Scientists believe an asteroid blasted it from the Martian surface and into space before it finally reached our planet as a meteorite. It weighs 54 pounds or 24.5 kilograms, more than most of the 400 Martian meteorites which have already been found on earth.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
Rosie is up next after a break. I'll see you back here tomorrow.
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