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Donald Trump's Mega Bill In Limbo As Vote Stalls In The House; Sean Diddy Combs Bail After Jury Convicts On Two Charges; Source: Hamas Leaders To Consider Latest Gaza Ceasefire Plan; Mike Johnson Says GOP Has Votes to Advance Trump's Megabill; Trump Announces U.S. Trade Deal With Vietnam; China Showcasing Aircraft Carrier in Hong Kong; Europe Battles Dangerous High Temperatures; Iranian President Approves Law Suspending Cooperation With IAEA; National Guard Working at Everglades Detention Center; Judge Blocks Trump Administration Policy Barring Migrants at U.S.-Mexico Border From Seeking Asylum; Microsoft Confirms It is Laying Off 9,000 Workers; Tesla Reports Record Sales Plunge From Last Year; Dalai Lama Announces Intention to Reincarnate After Death; Princess of Wales Reflects on Cancer Treatment; Health Care Company Partners With NHS on Pilot Program; First Genome Sequenced From Ancient Egypt. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired July 03, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:28]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, Republican holdouts stall President Trump's massive spending bill in the House as the speaker and the president twist arms to get it across the finish line.

A split verdict in the Sean Diddy Combs trial with the jury finding him not guilty of the most serious charges.

And a 60-day cease fire in Gaza inches closer to reality. Top Hamas leaders are expected to meet in the coming hours to consider the latest proposal.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us, and we begin with breaking news out of Washington and another long overnight session in Congress, this time for the House. Members are hung up on a vote to bring President Trump's sweeping domestic agenda bill to the floor for debate.

Republicans can afford to lose only three votes, and as it stands right now, five Republicans have voted no. Several other holdouts have not even voted yet.

House Speaker Mike Johnson says he will keep the vote open until he can flip enough holdouts to advance the bill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): I'll keep it open as long as it takes to make sure we've got everybody here and accounted for and all the questions answered. I made that commitment to my members. You know, we're in an area -- an era of Congress where we have small margins, small majority, and that makes it, by necessity, a bottom up institution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Live now to CNN's Brian Todd in Washington. Good to see you, Brian. Speaker Mike Johnson, we just heard this as he intends to keep this session open for however long it takes.

So, with five holdouts, what level of horse trading is playing out right now to get this done and has there been any word of any movement yet?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is word of movement just now, Rosemary, we do have some breaking news. Just moments ago, Speaker Mike Johnson came past us and said, "I think we're about to get those votes right now."

So, it appears that those holdouts are coming around, and they could close this within the next hour. The House Majority Leader Steve Scalise came by our position just a short time ago and said they expect to close this in the next hour. So, that's breaking, it looks like they have a deal. It looks like now they've won over those five holdouts, and we'll say who those holdouts were.

Congressman Thomas Massie, Republican from Kentucky, Congressman Andrew Clyde from Georgia, Congresswoman Victoria Spartz from Indiana, Congressman Keith Self from Texas, and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a moderate Republican from Pennsylvania, those were the five holdouts, in addition to eight other Republicans who had not voted yet.

But it looks like they have wrangled those votes, and they are going to bring this procedural motion, this procedural vote to a close, according to the House majority leader within the next hour.

So, it looks like things are moving along for hours and hours. As you mentioned, this had been stalled. They were wrangling on the House floor, those five holdouts, some of whom were very upset with the Senate version of this as it had passed the Senate, were holding out and just making things pretty difficult for the House speaker and his allies, but now it appears they have come around, and they have reached an agreement to vote yes again on this procedural motion, and they should wrap that up according to the House Majority Leader Steve Scalise within the hour.

Then, it will go to a House vote, a final -- for final passage on the House floor, but that will happen after at least an hour of debate, and it could be more than that. It depends on how long House leadership on both the Democratic and Republican sides decide to speak, but they'll have that debate first, and then it will have final passage in the House that looks like it could come -- could come on Thursday, at some point, maybe later this morning, and that will be good news for Speaker Johnson, was under a lot of pressure to deliver this bill to President Trump's desk by Friday, the Fourth of July, Rosemary.

CHURCH: A self-imposed deadline, and we'll see what happens. We'll keep a very close eye on that. Of course, come back to you, Brian, as we get more news on this. Appreciate that live report.

Let's go to Natasha Lindstaedt. She's a professor of government at the University of Essex, and she joins me from Colchester in England. Appreciate you being with us.

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: So, this procedural vote in the House on President Trump's mega spending bill has been stalled on whether to advance his bill to the floor for debate with these five Republicans still saying no and eight yet to vote.

[02:05:05]

But now, of course, we're hearing word from the speaker himself. Two hour, Brian told that there's a possibility there could be movement with this within the hour. We'll watch that very carefully, of course, and see what happens.

Given they can only afford to lose three votes, of course, it's critical that they can pull two moreover, isn't it? So, where do you see this going?

LINDSTAEDT: I mean, I'm actually even surprised that we're to this point that they are poised to vote on this. I thought there were just so many divisions in the House, and that the House was upset about the changes that had been made to the Senate.

I mean, the big divisions going on are about the fact that the Senate added a trillion to the bill, and there are fiscal hawks within the House that just aren't in line with this and don't agree with this. And then the House was also upset at the fact that the cuts to Medicaid were too aggressive and this was going to hurt their constituents. They were also upset about the state and local tax deduction cap of 10,000. The House was hoping that it could be greater.

So, possibly they'd been making some kind of deals to appease House members who are upset about this, but the issue is that the divisions are on, you know, completely opposing sides, so I'm not sure what they were able to do to make this more appealing to House members, and I thought it was just going to take a much longer time for them to get to the point that everybody was in unison.

But I think this underscores how much control Trump has over the party. I mean, if you look at Representative Thomas Massie, he was very clear he was not going to support this bill, and then Trump threatened him and said he was going to support his opponents in the primaries.

So, I think you can see how much power Trump wields over the Republican Party.

CHURCH: Yes. I mean, as you point out, we've got Republican hardliners mostly unhappy about adding trillions of dollars to the U.S. deficit. Then moderates are worried about cuts to Medicaid that would deny 17 million Americans health coverage, if not more.

How do these issues get resolved in time for Trump's big, beautiful bill, as he calls it, to land on his desk for signing by July 4th, his self-imposed deadline?

I mean, even if speaker Johnson is right and he can rally these votes to pass the procedural vote to then actually get it debated on the floor. I mean, they've still got to then get it to President Trump's desk by July 4th. That's a tight deadline right now, isn't it?

LINDSTAEDT: It is, and that's why I thought this was going to be pretty much impossible. There were just too many issues. I mean, the bill is hundreds of pages long, and there are too many divisions within the House and too many things that they're going to have to resolve.

And I think what we're seeing also is that Republicans don't really like this bill, and I'm not just even talking about the voting public, but also the Republican legislators. They don't like the bill, and they're trying to find a way to support it, and they know that it is going to be a massive political liability for them in the 2026 midterms, Senator Rand Paul had said this so much.

So, they're worried about what's going to happen. They're going to have to own the debt, and they know that this is going to add trillions to the debt, and it's probably one of the most expensive pieces of legislation that we've seen in decades.

And I think the other concern is that the debt could grow exponentially over years, because the Senate changed the rules that were in place to curb Congress's ability to just grow the debt without any kind of limits, and they're going to know that the Republican Party is going to be -- to blame for this. There's really no one else to blame.

CHURCH: Natasha Lindstaedt joining us there with live analysis. We do appreciate that, and of course, we'll continue to watch to see what happens with that procedural vote. Thanks for joining us.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: Entertainment mogul Sean Diddy Combs has been denied bail after a jury returned a split verdict in his federal criminal trial Wednesday. Combs was 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. After the ruling, the attorney for Combs thanked the jury for their work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARC AGNIFIO, ATTORNEY FOR SEAN DIDDY COMBS: We had a wonderful jury. They listened to every word and they got the situation right, or certainly right enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:10:00]

CHURCH: Combs could face up to 20 years in prison, though will likely serve a shorter sentence. Leigh Waldman has more details now from New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): During 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, ATTORNEY FOR CASSIE VENTURA: Obviously, we would have liked to have seen convictions on the RICO charges and the sex trafficking charges, but Cassie prompted this investigation by the Southern District, and now Sean Combs stands before the court as a convicted felon of two federal crimes.

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, it 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, "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 will be a beautiful life with her family.

WALDMAN (voice over): In lower Manhattan, I'm Leigh Waldman. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Joining me now is Areva Martin, a civil rights attorney and Legal Affairs commentator, and she joins us from Los Angeles. Good to have you with us.

AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Hi, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, Sean Diddy Combs was acquitted on the most serious charges in his federal criminal trial Wednesday, but was convicted on two other charges, and the judge denied him bail. What was your reaction when you heard he was cleared of racketeering and sex trafficking?

MARTIN: Well, I was disappointed, but not totally surprised. When you think about racketeering and RICO charges, typically, you think of mob bosses. You think of gangs who are prosecuted under that particular federal statute. You think of a mob under boss on the witness stand pointing his finger at the mob boss sitting at that defense table, saying that this guy directed me to engage in criminal conduct.

We didn't see that, this was a very unconventional prosecution. The prosecutors did not bring forth any of the alleged coconspirators. There was no one else charged along with Sean Diddy Combs. There were no witnesses on behalf of the prosecutors who came forward to point the finger and say that Sean Combs directed them to engage in criminal conduct.

And likewise, with the sex trafficking charges, unconventional way in which they were prosecuted by this team. Typically, again, many people think of sex trafficking as involving individuals in an arm's length relationship, not people involved like Cassie and Sean Combs in an 11- year relationship, and then the three year relationship that Jane, the witness who testified as Jane and Sean Combs, who were in a three year relationship.

So, there were many elements to the prosecution's case that were unconventional, and quite frankly, the jurors decided that the evidence presented by this prosecutorial team fell short of providing what they needed, obviously, to convict him on those charges.

CHURCH: So, Areva, what do you expect this will mean for Combs in terms of sentencing?

MARTIN: Well, I think we got a good sense about how the judge is thinking about this case. In denying the bail request by Sean Combs' team, the judge cited the very comments and statements made by the defense team throughout this six week trial.

Look, we have to remember the judge sat as the 13th witness -- I'm sorry, the 13th juror in this matter. He heard all of the reprehensible testimony. He saw that video, and he heard Combs' team talk about him being a very violent individual.

So, it wasn't surprising to me that the judge denied him bail, particularly after we learned that Cassie Ventura herself had submitted a letter to the court stating that she believed that Sean Combs was a threat to her and to the community.

CHURCH: And while Combs may have been acquitted on the most serious charges in the criminal court, he still faces multiple civil lawsuits. So, what will that likely mean for him?

MARTIN: Well, not only does he face multiple civil lawsuits, Rosemary, it's so important that we remember that he was convicted on two very serious felonies, felonies that carry up to 10 year prison.

[02:15:02]

So, this wasn't just a slap on the wrist by the jury. This was a jury saying that you Sean Combs are a criminal, that you are a two time felon. So we have to make sure we remember the seriousness of those two charges for which he was convicted.

And as you indicated, there are about 70 or so civil lawsuits that still have to be resolved. Many of them will likely be resolved out of court, without a court settlements, but we may see some civil trials perceived as those plaintiffs in those civil actions seek justice in civil courts.

CHURCH: Areva Martin, we appreciate your legal analysis. Many thanks.

MARTIN: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in their home in 2022 has formally admitted to their murders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty?

BRYAN KOHBERGER, FORMER CRIMINOLOGY STUDENT: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: 30-year-old Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty Wednesday in a deal with prosecutors which will spare him the death penalty. The victims' families remain torn over the deal. Some say it helps avoid the pain and spectacle of a trial. Others say they were blindsided and won't get answers about what happened to their loved ones. Kohberger sentencing is set for July 23rd.

Well, there's a glimmer of hope for a cease fire in Gaza, but still at least one major hurdle to clear before it becomes a reality, that's just ahead.

Plus, the Chinese Navy is making a show of force in Hong Kong. We go live to the city's Harbor, where China is displaying its first domestically built aircraft carrier. Back with that and more in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:20:31] CHURCH: All right, want to update you on our breaking news out of Washington. Just minutes ago, our Brian Todd heard from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who said Republicans believe they have swayed five GOP holdouts on President Trump's domestic policy bill, and it appears they have the votes needed to move out of this procedural phase.

Now they expect to bring the procedural vote to a close sometime this hour, and that would be followed by about an hour of debate, perhaps longer. Then a final full vote will be held on the House floor, with passage of the bill possible sometime Thursday, perhaps in the coming hours this morning. We'll keep a very close eye on that.

The Pentagon confirms that the U.S. is reviewing military aid to Ukraine in what could have significant consequences for Ukraine's ability to defend itself from Russian attacks. The Trump administration has paused some weapon shipments to Ukraine, including air defense missiles. The Defense Department says it's part of a review of military spending and U.S. support to other countries to align with President Trump's America first agenda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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)

CHURCH: Top Ukrainian presidential official says it would be, "Inhumane for the U.S. to stop supplying missiles to Kyiv, especially the Patriot system, which has been effective at protecting civilians amid increased Russian attacks." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his government is seeking answers from the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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)

CHURCH: Russia, for its part, welcomed the Trump administration's decision to pour some weapons shipments to Ukraine. The Kremlin says the move will help bring the war to an end sooner.

Meanwhile, Russian artillery strikes on a hospital in Kherson wounded nine people, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Top Hamas leaders are expected to meet on Thursday to decide whether to accept the new U.S. cease fire plan for Gaza. That is, according to a source who said that if Hamas agrees, it would quickly move on to further talks with Israel. Its government is already on board with the proposal, which reportedly calls for the release of at least some hostages held in Gaza during a 60-day cease fire. Jeremy Diamond has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, since President Trump posted Tuesday night that Israel has agreed to the latest proposal for a ceasefire 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 ceasefire 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 his 60-day ceasefire through the traditional United Nations run humanitarian channels and not through this controversial U.S. and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

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.

[02:25:01]

And of course, Prime Minister Netanyahu still contending with a very volatile domestic political situation as right-wing members of his government, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben-Gvir, are both signaling opposition to another ceasefire proposal. The prime minister said to convene his full cabinet on Saturday night to discuss all of this before he heads to Washington Sunday.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Indonesian rescue crews are searching for at least 32 people still missing after a ferry sank overnight near Bali. The Associated Press reports that 65 people were on board when the ferry went down about half an hour after departing from East Java. Police say 29 people have been rescued and four bodies have been recovered. Ferries are a common form of transportation across Indonesia's islands, with frequent accidents due to lapses in safety regulations. The U.S. president announces a new trade deal, this time with Vietnam.

We'll take a look at what he says is in that agreement, that story and much more after a short break, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: All right, want to get you up to date on our breaking news this hour, House Speaker Mike Johnson says Republicans are about to get enough votes to advance President Trump's sweeping domestic policy bill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNSON: We have an hour scheduled for debate, and depends on how long the Democrat leader's magic minute goes. But I suspect it won't drag on long. We'll be voting, I think by early morning, and right when everybody's drinking up to have their coffee, they'll have a watch the first step. They'll have a big -- a big, happy surprise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:30:00]

CHURCH: Now, the measure had been stalled on a procedural vote since late Wednesday, with five Republicans voting not to advance the bill, but Johnson says his party has the votes to clear this hurdle and final passage, which could come by early morning, as you just heard him say there.

Well, Donald Trump says he has reached a trade deal with Vietnam. This marks the administration's third significant agreement ahead of a self-imposed July 9th deadline. CNN's Matt Egan breaks down what the U.S. president says is in that deal.

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: There's still a lot we don't know here. A lot of the details remain unclear, but let me walk you through what we do know. The president has announced this, what he's calling a trade deal with Vietnam. And as part of this agreement, the U.S. tariffs on Vietnam would stand at 20 percent. Now, that is above the current rate of 10 percent that exists on most U.S. imports but it is below the 46 percent that the president had threatened in early April.

Now, as part of this deal, there'd be 40 percent tariffs on trans shipping. These are goods that originate in a third country. They pass through Vietnam on their way to the United States. This is key because in the past, Vietnam has been a conduit for goods from China to get around U.S. tariffs on China. Also, the deal calls for 0 percent tariffs on U.S. goods sold in Vietnam. Although I should note, Vietnam's not a major buyer of U.S. goods.

And as you mentioned though, a lot of this really has not been confirmed by Vietnam. Now, there's a lot at stake here for U.S. workers, for consumers. Vietnam is a major source of U.S. imports, $137 billion of goods imported from their last year alone. Everything from computers, footwear, furniture, clothing and toys, speaking of footwear, I just talked to Matt Priest, he's the CEO of the Footwear Industry Trade Group, and he said even their very unclear right now on the details, including whether or not these tariffs that have been announced today by the president are on top of existing tariffs that are already in place on footwear.

But he said if they do stack, he said that would not only be unnecessary, but in his view, it would be bad economics. Now, as you mentioned, the clock is ticking to July 9th, right? That's when this 90-day pause on tariffs expires. At this point, we really only have deals and we're probably being generous by calling them deals, deals with just three countries, right? The United Kingdom, China, and now Vietnam. Of course, that leaves dozens of other countries where there is no deal in place.

CHURCH: China is showcasing its first domestically-built aircraft carrier in Hong Kong right now. The ship sailed into the city's harbor earlier, along with a number of escort vessels. China's Navy has been working for years to build a fleet of aircraft carriers and experts say Beijing's carrier force is slowly closing the gap with the United States. And CNN's Ivan Watson is live in Hong Kong, not far from the warship, on a boat there. So Ivan, what more can you tell us about China's first domestically-built aircraft carrier and of course, how significant it is for the Chinese Navy?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, this is a very rare thing to get to see up close like this. A Chinese aircraft carrier, one of the largest weapons in the Chinese military arsenal. It is here in Hong Kong at the beginning of a five-day visit. As you pointed out, China's first domestically produced aircraft carrier. It is the length of more than three football fields. It can carry more than 40 aircraft, many of them J-15 fighter jets.

And when it conducts flight operations, those jets, some of which you can see on the deck of the aircraft carrier, they would launch off of that sloped ski jump bow of the vessel. Of course, that's not taking place right now. Now, some context for this. I was on a small boat in the same harbor in 2018, looking at a very different aircraft carrier. It was the USS Ronald Reagan paying its own port visit here. Now, relations between Washington and Beijing have sharply deteriorated in the years since.

So, we haven't seen a U.S. Navy ship visit this port in many years. And in the meantime, around 2020, that is when the Chinese Navy surpassed the U.S. Navy in total number of warships. China now has the largest navy in the world. OK? So, the Shandong here is one of two fully operational Chinese aircraft carriers. There's a third that's currently undergoing sea trials and reportedly a fourth aircraft carrier, larger, more advanced, currently under construction.

The U.S. Navy has aircraft carriers 11 in total and more nuclear powered submarines. But the point is that China has these ambitions.

[02:35:00]

Its navy is growing rapidly. This aircraft carrier was recently operating off of the eastern coast of Taiwan, leading a strike group there. Why is that important? Well, Beijing claims that self-governing island as its own and has never ruled out potentially using force to take it. I'm going to turn back to you in a second. So now, it is here in Hong Kong, driving, making a demonstration to the world of Chinese naval might. Rosemary?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: I appreciate that report. Ivan Watson, just, near Hong Kong there. Appreciate it. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. An extreme heat wave is easing over northwestern Europe, but there's no relief in sight for people in the south. In Madrid, Spain, the heat wave sent temperatures soaring near 40-degrees Celsius. That is over 100-degrees Fahrenheit. Al Goodman is enduring the blistering heat. He joins us live from Madrid. So Al, another hot day, what is the latest on this unbearable heat wave?

AL GOODMAN, JOURNALIST: Hi, Rosemary. Well, you're right, it is easing a little bit. The temperature is down just a little bit. Seville, the high expected today, the southern Spanish city, Seville, the high expected today is 37-degrees Celsius. That's 98.6-degrees Fahrenheit. Madrid is just a little bit below that. But, there's much more humidity here and along the coast on the beaches, just what everybody needed.

Now, there's a huge fire that has finally got a perimeter. The firefighters got a perimeter around it in eastern Spain, that's about an hour inland from the big city of Barcelona in the province of Lleida. There were two farmers who died on Tuesday due to that fire. Tuesday evening, the 32-year-old farmer who was running this pig and cow farm went out to try to save a worker who's in his 40s in a vehicle, they were trying to escape. The vehicle had a problem.

[02:40:00]

They got out on foot. The fire didn't get them authority say, it was this incredible amount of smoke. They are among at least a four dead in Spain.

And in that same region, east of Barcelona, there was another fire on Wednesday afternoon that stopped the traffic of the high-speed bullet trains between Madrid and Barcelona for several hours. Now in France, there are at least two people dead and 300 have been sent to hospital. In Italy, at least two men died on a beach, and there are red alerts in a number of the cities, including the capital. In Switzerland, a reactor was shut down because the water temperatures were too high.

Across Europe, Rosemary, the European Union's and the United Nation's monitoring agencies are writing and saying that these are earlier than expected heat waves and lasting longer. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Those are tough temperatures to endure. Al Goodman, stay cool. You are in Madrid there. We will talk again next hour.

Thanks for watching. I am Rosemary Church. For our international viewers, "World Sport" is coming up next. And for those of you here in the United States and in Canada, I'll have more news in just a moment. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:25]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. We are keeping a close eye on Capitol Hill this hour where House Speaker Mike Johnson says Republicans should now have the votes to adopt President Donald Trump's domestic agenda bill. Republican holdouts effectively caused a stalemate for most of the night, preventing the megabill from moving forward. But, Johnson now believes that they will have the votes to adopt the bill with final passage possible sometime this morning. We'll keep an eye on that.

Well, Iran's president has approved a law suspending cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog. One week after parliament passed the legislation, Iran is accusing the International Atomic Energy Agency of collaborating with Israel and providing a pathway for strikes on its nuclear facilities, claims the IAEA denies. The U.S. State Department is slamming Iran's decision.

(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)

CHURCH: There's now concern that Iran's move will obscure attempts to rebuild the country's damage nuclear program. New satellite images appear to show repairs taking place at Iran's Fordow Nuclear Facility that was hit last month by U.S. bunker buster bombs. Well, the Pentagon says Florida National Guard troops have joined other staff to work at a controversial new Migrant Detention Center. The facility in the Everglades has been dubbed Alligator Alcatraz for its remote location in the middle of Florida's vast wetlands. The temporary camp will soon house 5,000 migrants in a tent city.

Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell says 70 Florida National Guard members are conducting base security at the Detention Center. Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration at the southern border has been dealt a legal blow after a judge blocked efforts to limit asylum claims. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has details.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A federal judge on Wednesday blocking the Trump Administration policy barring migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border from seeking asylum, issuing a major blow to the Administration. Now, this ruling stems from a lawsuit against a presidential proclamation issued earlier this year that effectively shut down asylum on the U.S. southern border, marking an unprecedented departure from decades-long protocol which has allowed migrants to seek asylum, whether they entered lawfully or unlawfully along the U.S. southern border.

Now, in a sharply worded decision, the judge said the following: "The president cannot adopt an alternative immigration system which supplants the statutes that Congress has enacted. In other words, the judge saying that the president does not have the authority to bypass immigration law. And that was the argument by the challengers in this case, immigrant advocate groups. The administration, however, had said that the president had broad authority when it came to matters of national security and public safety to seal off who was permitted to seek asylum at the U.S. southern border.

Now, the judge did stay this decision for 14 days. The administration is likely to appeal it, so it is not going to take effect as of today. But, it is certainly a remarkable development targeting one of the president's key agenda items, immigration, but more specifically border security, particularly as the administration touts the low number of border crossers in recent months, especially in June with just over 6,000 people crossing the border unlawfully.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: Microsoft says it's laying off 9,000 workers despite making lots of money. The job cuts, the largest since 2023, will impact about 4 percent of its workforce. The downsizing comes as Microsoft and other firms are using artificial intelligence to make their staffing more efficient. On the flip side, Microsoft says first quarter profits rose almost $26 billion or 18 percent.

Tesla is hoping to get back in gear with an increased focus on Robotaxis and artificial intelligence for cars.

[02:50:00]

The company is reporting a record drop in sales of its electric vehicles, which may have something to do with the man behind the wheel, Elon Musk. CNN's Hadas Gold has our report.

HADAS GOLD, CNN MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Wednesday's results were the largest year-over-year drop in sales for Tesla in company history. They delivered just over 384,000 cars from April through June. That's down around 60,000 cars from the same time the year before, but it is up 14 percent from the first quarter total. Now, Wall Street expected this. It was actually not as bad as some of the more dire prediction whispers that were going around Wall Street about what this could look like, and that's why you saw Tesla shares up just a bit today.

Why this is all happening? Well, there's several reasons to keep in mind. The first is that Elon Musk and Tesla are really sort of shifting away from the -- what you could now call the traditional electric vehicle car that you're selling directly to consumers. A lot of their focus right now is on these autonomous, driverless vehicles, the Robotaxis that are being tested out in Austin, and also, they say that they believe that their future is in things like A.I. for cars as well as robotics, the Optimus robot. That is really where they're focusing on. Also, Tesla's competitors, especially out of Asia, are picking up some steam. And then of course, you just can't ignore the giant elephant in the room, which is the politics. The fact that Elon Musk has gotten so involved in politics recently, not only alienating Democrats because of his time with the Trump Administration, but now also the Trump Administration and some of those fan -- those Republican President Trump fans after his recent several dust-ups with the president. If Tesla investors (inaudible), I believe most of them would want Elon Musk to fully step away from politics and only focus on his businesses.

But as we've heard from Elon Musk recently, as he's saying that he's going to support primary challengers for members of Congress who had talked about government spending, cutting government spending, but are now supporting the big domestic policy bill that President Trump is trying to push through, and the fact that he is threatening to create a new political party. It doesn't seem as though he is completely going to step away from politics anytime soon. That's something that Tesla investors are just going to have to stomach going forward.

Hadas Gold, CNN, New York.

CHURCH: The second day of a religious conference is underway in Northern India to mark the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday this weekend. Tibetan Buddhists welcomed his announcement on Wednesday that he intends to reincarnate. More now from CNN's Simone McCarthy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMONE MCCARTHY, CNN SENIOR NEWS DESK REPORTER (voice-over): 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 non- violent middle way approach has earned him international support and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The Princess of Wales is opening up about the difficulties of life after chemotherapy. Catherine's comments came during a visit to the Wellbeing Garden at England's Colchester Hospital on Wednesday. She spoke with patients at the hospital about the personal struggles she has faced.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CATHERINE, PRINCESS OF WALES: You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment, treatment's done, then it's like, 'I can crack on, get back to normal', but actually the phase afterwards is really, really difficult. You're not necessarily under 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)

CHURCH: This was Catherine's first public appearance since she unexpectedly withdrew from the Royal Ascot two weeks ago.

A healthcare logistics company is partnering with England's National Health Service to pioneer a new way of delivering time-sensitive blood samples from hospitals to labs. CNN's Anna Stewart tells us how.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How long do you say? Eight minutes?

HAMMAD JEILANI, FOUNDER, APIAN: Two minutes.

[02:55:00]

STEWART: Two minutes?

JEILANI: Two minutes.

STEWART (voice-over): On a rooftop, in the shadow of London's iconic Shard building, a delivery drone takes to the skies. It's carrying precious cargo, in this case, blood samples from patients here at Guy's Cancer Center to a lab at St. Thomas' Hospital, a trip that can take 30 minutes or longer on London's roads.

JEILANI: I am a doctor by background, but I left the NHS to focus on this full-time, basically to make the NHS better.

STEWART (voice-over): Hammad Jeilani is one of the medical brains behind the healthcare logistics company called Apian, which began five years ago.

STEWART: As a doctor, what were the biggest challenges that you saw in terms of supply chains and logistics?

JEILANI: Yeah. Care is very much constrained by the logistics that underpin it. So if you work in a certain hospital, a district hospital, you have to get your samples into a central facility. You want that to be timely, especially for urgent samples. It's all about the variation in the population, the different kinds of medical problems are out there, but they can all fundamentally benefit from logistics.

We have done a business case and we found that drones can be 40 percent cheaper than ground logistics. They can be 85 percent faster. They are 95 percent more carbon efficient than even electric vehicles on the road. So, we found that there's lots of benefits and actually it's more than just about the speed. And there you go, it's that one over there.

STEWART: There we go. Wow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: For the first time, scientists have sequenced the entire genome of an ancient Egyptian who lived more than 4,500 years ago. The man's remains were found unusually well preserved in a sealed clay pot inside a tomb south of Cairo. By extracting DNA from a tooth, researchers discovered most of his genetic material came from ancient people in North Africa, about 20 percent was traced back to West Asia and the Mesopotamia region. The findings are the first genetic evidence of an ancient cultural connection between the various regions.

I want to thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more "CNN Newsroom" after a short break. Do stay with us.

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