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Death Toll In Catastrophic Texas Flooding Rises To 67; More Rain Forecast Today For Texas Areas Hit By Deadly Floods; Man Dies Trying To Rescue Family From Floodwaters; At Least 67 Dead, 11 Campers Still Missing In Texas Floods; President Trump Signs Major Disaster Declaration For Texas; FEMA, Coast Guard Among Fed. Agencies Sending Resources To Texas; Trump's Megabill Kick-Starts Races Key To Controlling Congress. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired July 06, 2025 - 13:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:54]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta alongside my colleague Boris Sanchez live in Texas. We'll get to you in a moment, Boris.

Welcome to this special edition of the "CNN Newsroom" as we continue to cover breaking news out of Central Texas.

Right now, expanding search and rescue efforts are underway in the central part of that state, which has been devastated by catastrophic flooding. Today, first responders are entering the third day now of searching for survivors as the situation looks increasingly dire.

New time lapse video showing how the historic flash floods rapidly swelled rivers in a matter of minutes and then swept away homes, buildings and dozens of people. Today, the death toll has risen to at least 67. Most of the fatalities in hard hit Kerr County, where 59 people have died, including 21 children.

A short time ago, officials gave an update on the situation, saying 11 girls and a counselor are still missing from Camp Mystic, a summer camp located along the Guadalupe River.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY LEITHA, SHERIFF, KERR COUNTY TX: We extend our sincerest condolences and prayers for every single family affected by this tragedy, and we continue to work around the clock and reunite these families. We will continue to search our search efforts until everybody is found.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: CNN anchor Boris Sanchez is on the ground there in Hunt, Texas. Boris, what have you seen?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, for the situation here on the ground in Kerr County is difficult to process as officials are trying to make their way through some dispiriting scenes of devastation. The scope of the damage as it comes into view, the loved ones of those missing are still hoping for a miracle as these floodwaters receive -- recede and first responders are now doing everything they can.

More than 400 first responders from some 20 some agencies searching on the ground in the air and on the water for those still unaccounted for. And as you mentioned, that includes 11 young girls and a counselor from Camp Mystic, which is right behind me. That number of missing significantly down from yesterday, when nearly 30 had been reported missing and all around us, we see devastation here on the ground.

I just want to step back and you can see behind me these structures where children were over here on -- on my left side. Those were flooded in the overnight hours. We heard stories of camp counselors having to bust open through the glass of the windows to get children, campers out, some of them as young as eight years old.

The water here on the Guadalupe River just submerging this entire area, going up to about 24 feet as it made its way through this area, you could see the water line in the trees behind me. Those trees just with scattered debris all over them, clothing and sheets. We've seen folks come out to this area. A lot of them volunteers who have personal connections to people at Camp Mystic with chainsaws trying to cut through the trees, trying to move the trees to see if perhaps anyone may be underneath.

The search for survivors gets more desperate as each hour passes now, 48 plus hours after these flood waters came through this area.

I want to get an update from Kerrville now with CNN's Isabel Rosales.

Isabel set the scene for what you're seeing there today.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Yes, Boris. Good afternoon. So, I am in center point. This is just southeast of Hunt where Camp Mystic is located. And right behind me is a tributary of the Guadalupe River. There are hundreds of volunteers from Boerne, from Ingram, from Center Point, from all over all over Central Texas who have come out here donating their time. They have shovels with them. They have walking sticks and they're going into this scene of devastation essentially following the water here.

[13:05:05]

If we pan over here to my left, you can see the areas that they're searching for and why it is so grueling and slow. They have gloves on. You're talking about teams of like five people lifting up these heavy limbs to search every nook and cranny that they can to make sure that they're not missing anyone. I heard from several of the volunteers that in this area alone just yesterday, several victims were unfortunately found. They're not just looking for these victims, they're looking for things like this, Boris.

You see that over here, a personal item, a jacket. Whenever they find something like that, a piece of clothing, they set it to the side, they note it. And they told me that they're waiting for essentially cadaver dogs to take the next steps.

I can hear the sound of chainsaws in the air as they're both working to clear all this mess up so they can search even better and continue their search for these victims.

There's all sorts of challenges here from, you can see this right over here, down barbed wire. You see this? All over the ground. It's been everywhere. To fire ants, nature here, to the slippery mud all over the place. These are the challenging conditions that they're having to go through.

Here are some more volunteers. And this is an all-day affair from sunrise to sunset. I've also seen people on kayaks in the water and up above as well with drones. Folks on the ground with dogs. It is just incredible the amount of manpower out here. People on horseback even, one of which is a father, broke down in tears telling me how he knew he had to come out here once he heard about those kids at Camp Mystic.

Listen to what else a different volunteer had to say about the massive search and rescue efforts happening right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED HERNANDEZ, RESIDENT, BOERNE TX: Everyone's just trying to do their part. It's a horrible sense of search, right? Because you're searching for something you hope you don't find, but at the same time, you know, if you've got family members that are missing, you hope there are people out there looking for them, you know. And if you bring in that closure, then that's something that counts for something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES (on-camera): And I think it's also important to relate just how expansive this search site is. You can see all these volunteers. They're out for miles, over 60 miles, covering the Guadalupe River.

And if you can see over here, this way, (INAUDIBLE) if we pan this way, you can see these massive downed trees. It kind of gives you a sense of just how powerful these currents really were. And if you keep going in that direction, you're going to see a bridge. You see that? They were working to clear that out so rescuers could even get into this area. But you see those ginormous tree limbs just like leaning over the bridge.

That goes to show you just how high the water went, how powerful the currents were, and how easily, if you look down this way, how easily it is to miss a person that was taken even for miles by the currents and could be their body, unfortunately, stuck in small little holes like this. This is why this process is so grueling. And they're telling me so slow, but they understand how important it is to get these families answers and to give them closure as well.

Boris.

SANCHEZ: Yes, so important, especially at this sensitive time when there are families out there still waiting to find out exactly what happened to their loved ones.

Isabel Rosales, thank you so much for that reporting.

As first responders and residents continue to search for the missing, Central Texas is bracing for even more rain. Let's get the latest on the forecast with meteorologist Tyler Mauldin.

Tyler, we've been seeing it here throughout the day from early in the morning, a heavy downpour to showers and thunder throughout the afternoon. What is the forecast telling you about what it's going to look like in Central Texas today?

TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on-camera): Boris, I think we're going to see much more of the same as we go through today as well as tomorrow. The radar over Central Texas right now is showing sporadic showers in the area, even some thunderstorms.

Zooming into the Kerrville area right now, you are looking at some light showers here. Could get a little heavier at times as we go later on into the afternoon. We have a flood watch in effect for the next few hours for all of Central Texas here. That does include Kerrville at this time.

As we get later on into the afternoon, we see a few breaks in the clouds. Temperatures heat up into the upper 80s, lower 90s, and we will see more in the way of rain across Central Texas. We hit repeat for your Monday. It's not until we get into Tuesday that we start to see some drier air come in. That will help clear out the skies and finally put an end to this rain machine.

Now, what exactly is causing all of this? What caused such a large historic flood here? Well, we have, of course, a pipeline of moisture coming over. It sat in place in the same area, Boris, and it tapped into, believe it or not, the remains of a tropical system, Tropical Storm Barry, and that helped energize this system. It helped bring in that moisture as well. It was going nowhere fast, just sitting over the same area.

[13:10:28]

So, you combine all that together. Oh, and you also add in the fact that, yes, we had an exceptional drought in Central Texas. Well, this foot of rainfall, it has nowhere to go because that very arid soil is almost like concrete. It's not porous. It doesn't want to absorb the moisture. It doesn't want to absorb that rainfall, so it just sits there. And unfortunately, when you have that much rainfall over such a drought-stricken area over such a short amount of time, you will see your rivers go from less than a foot to more than 23 feet in just a few hours. And that is exactly what we saw on Friday.

SANCHEZ: Yes, just a wall of water moving through this area.

Tyler Mauldin, thank you so much for putting that in perspective for us.

We are now learning more about the lives lost in this catastrophic flooding. Twenty-seven-year-old Julian Ryan died while trying to rescue his fiancee, two kids, and his mother from these rising waters on Friday.

Julian's fiancee says the group was trapped inside their mobile home near the Guadalupe River in Kerr County. And when the water got too high, Julian punched out a window to try to get his family and their pets up to the roof. The broken glass apparently cutting his arm, and he suffered a wound that turned out to be fatal.

We're joined now live by Julian's sister, Connie Salas, joins us now over the phone.

Connie, first and foremost, I'm so sorry for your loss. Your little brother, Julian, died a hero trying to get your mom and his young family to safety. I just wonder how you are processing what happened.

CONNIE SALAS, BROTHER DIED SAVING HIS FAMILY: Processing, we're processing it as it's still unreal. It's still a dream. We want to wake up from it. And we're actually living like that's the truth.

SANCHEZ: Yes. And Connie (INAUDIBLE) is --

SALAS: Like he's never going to walk through that door again.

SANCHEZ: Yes, I'm sorry, go ahead, you were saying?

SALAS: He would never walk through that door again and be that funny person he is, because we lost that person.

SANCHEZ: And Connie, how is his fiancee and the rest of the family, how are they holding up?

SALAS: They're not holding up too good because my mom, why they were literally panicking and about to drown. And my mother was still holding up her son, holding him up. And he looked at her and said, I love you.

So my mom has that heartbreak of looking at her son and having, telling him goodbye, holding him while he takes his last breath.

SANCHEZ: Connie, could you give us an idea of what exactly happened, how they learned that something was wrong and then how he was able to manage to get them out? SALAS: What happened is we heard a gurgle in our tub, in our toilet. And by the time we looked and seen and what the gurgle was, the water was already coming out of the tub and out of the toilet. And by the time we had no time to actually physically save ourselves, it just came. The water rose, I was -- I lived right behind him, like 20 steps away. And me and my brother talked before this happened.

And so, for us to say our last goodbyes and say both of us said we're scared and didn't hear nothing, talk to each other after that, our last words were, I'm scared. And he says, me too. We lost everything, we lost our house.

SANCHEZ: Yes. I wonder how you're going to tell your brother's sons about him. What is it that you want them to know about him? What is it that you want the world to know about your brother?

[13:15:12]

SALAS: I want the world to know he went out as a hero. He went out as a hero to save his family, and I will let my nephew know and his other kids know everybody. I want, not just the kids, and I will speak to the kids the same way, but I want everybody to know, and the kids that he didn't die in vain. He died saving you. He took his life, not worried about his life, and he sat there and did something that no one else was doing. Not 911, not the rescue, not nobody. He took it in his own hands to save you all. And you all need to make a life of yourself because your dad took -- your dad saved you all.

So, you all do what you all got to do, but reach for the stars the way that your dad wanted you to. Reach for the stars.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Connie, he -- he died helping the people that he loved most. I also wanted to ask you about how they were able to survive by floating on a mattress until help could arrive. I -- I also understand that you were afraid that you weren't going to make it. Tell us --

SALAS: Yes. We weren't going to make it.

SANCHEZ: -- what that was like and. Yes. How -- how did you manage to stay safe?

SALAS: How did I -- we managed to stay safe. Julian managed to save his family and it was great, but at the end of the day, we were -- I -- I was scared at the end of the day. I had to call my kids and I was like, I made the worst phone call that I would ever have to make to somebody, and I thought I was a mother and they're going to have to bury a mother.

And I -- I told my kids, I said, I love you. We're about to die. We're in a flood and I don't know if we're going to get out.

SANCHEZ: Wow. Connie, I am so sorry for your loss. Our hearts go out to you and your family and I'm just so sorry about what happened to your brother, but he was clearly a hero that he was able to save the people that mattered most.

Thank you so much for sharing his story with us.

SALAS: Thank you. Thank you for giving me the chance.

SANCHEZ: Connie Salas, thank you so much.

Of course. Still to come. They were mothers and fathers, grandparents and kids, 67 lives tragically lost in Texas. We're going to bring you more stories of how friends and families are remembering the victims.

You'll hear their stories, next. Stay with us.

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[13:22:37]

WHITFIELD: All right, we continue to follow the breaking news out of Central Texas where the death toll from severe flash flooding has now risen to 67 people.

Torrential rain in Kerr County caused the Guadalupe River to surge by more than 20 feet in less than two hours overnight on Friday. And 48 hours later, rescue crews are still searching for the missing, including 11 girls and one counselor from Camp Mystic, one of the many summer camps that line the river.

Joining us right now is CNN national correspondent Rafael Romo with more on what you're learning about the flood victims, and there are too many.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): We're thinking of the parents. it is very difficult to talk about this as a parent myself but you understand as well because it's just unimaginable, Fred. The toll includes at least 21 children in Kerr County, that's where there's a desperate ongoing search for 11 girls and one counselor who are still missing from Camp Mystic.

According to authorities, Camp Mystic is a girls' summer camp with facilities right next to the Guadalupe River. And we're learning more about some of the victims of this horrific tragedy.

Reece Zucker, the head coach for the boys' soccer team at Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas, is among the people who died. This was confirmed to CNN by his niece. His team posted on social media that coach Reece Zucker was not just a soccer coach, he was a mentor teacher and a role model for our Kerrville kids.

Paula Zucker, Reece's wife also died in the flooding as confirmed by the team's statement and a cousin of her husband's also the couple's two children remain unaccounted for. This is just so sad, Fred.

CNN has also confirmed that the 13-year-old Blair Harber and her 11- year-old sister Brooke are among the victims. This was confirmed by their father. Both girls had been missing.

RJ Harber told us that, Blair was a gifted student and had a generous kind heart. And Brooke was like a light in any room. People gravitated to her and she made them laugh and enjoy the moment. Neither girl was attending Camp Mystic at the time of their disappearance -- disappearance.

Authorities confirmed earlier today that people died in at least four different counties. CNN is currently reporting 67 fatalities in connection with the flooding in Texas. The breakup is as follows, 59 deaths were confirmed in Kerr County, four more in Travis County, there were three people who died in Burnet County and an additional one in Kendall County.

[13:25:09]

But again, it is just unimaginable what these parents must be going through. You know, it was supposed to be a festive weekend, camp for the girls' time to spend together with family and friends and -- and this happens. It's just really hard to talk about.

WHITFIELD: It really is. All right. Well, thank you so much for giving us a profile of these beautiful lives. Rafael Romo, appreciate it.

All right for more information about how you might be able to help the Texas flood victims, go to cnn.com/impact or text FLOOD to 707070.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: You're watching CNN's special live coverage of devastating historic flooding in Central Texas. I'm Boris Sanchez in Hunt, Texas, where a desperate search is underway after historic floods have killed at least 67 people, including 21 children.

[13:30:12]

We should note that there are still a number of people missing specifically from where we are right now. This is just outside of Camp Mystic, this is an all-girls camp in Kerr County. Right now, we're told that 11 campers, these are young women, some as young as eight years old. And one counselor remain unaccounted for.

Officials here have been doing everything they can to try to find them, whether to discover that they have somehow survived more than 48 hours after these floods ran through this area, or to at least provide some measure of comfort for their families who have been wondering about their loved ones now for more than two days.

To give you an idea of just how high the water got, you could see the tree line behind me. The water here, it was essentially a wall. It was up to 24 feet. This is a Guadalupe River, which overcame its uh banks and just tore through this area. We've seen officials come through here with chainsaws trying to get into difficult to access areas to see if there might be any sign of those that are missing. We've seen clothes in tatters, scattered across the branches, as well as sheets and other personal belongings, which officials are trying to get through and to scan. Kerr County where we are, is ground zero for these devastating floods. And earlier today, local officials here provided updates on where things stand right now. The developing situation.

Here is some of what they shared with the public.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEITHA: Search and rescue operations continue with a full response from local, state, and national first responders. At present, there's over 401st responders for more than 20 agencies that are working in Kerr County. We have -- we have more than a dozen K-9 working in and near the river. More than 100 air, water and ground vehicles are in the field right now working on this search and rescue.

As of 9:00 a.m. this morning, we've recorded 59 deceased in Kerr County. Among those who are deceased, we have 38 adults and 21 children. Eighteen adults pending identification and four children are also pending identification. At present, there are 11 Camp Mystic campers unaccounted for, along with one counselor.

We extend our sincerest condolences and prayers for every single family affected by this tragedy. And we continue to work around the clock and reunite these families. We will continue to search our search efforts until everybody is found. Our missing person center call center is open, and those reporting missing loved ones can call the number 830-285 -- 258-1111. I'll repeat one more time, 830-258- 1111.

Please follow the Kerr County Sheriff's Office in City of Kerrville, Facebook for your latest information. At this time, I'll turn it over to our City Manager, Dalton Rice.

DALTON RICE, MANAGER, KERVILLE CITY: Thank you, Sheriff. Thank you all for being here today. Everyone in the community is hurting and we know many of you are locals or have some local connections here, so please keep every -- keep everybody in your thoughts as we continue to navigate this very challenging time for our community.

Search operations continue starting about 0600 this morning. We were able, we started putting boots on the ground, we have increased our number of personnel that are -- are navigating the -- the really challenging shores along the bank line, but we are continuing to make progress from west to east as we -- as we continue operations.

What -- what we really need from you all is to really help us get the word out. We know that, that people want to volunteer, but what we're starting to see is we're starting to see personal drones that are flying. With these personal drones that are flying, that is a danger to aircraft, which then risks -- which risk, then further operations. So, if you could please pass the communication along that we need to keep these drones -- these personal drones out of the sky. We -- we have drones and assets flying, we want to continue to do that.

Four volunteers and donations. We do have a phone number, 830-465- 4794. We can give you that number after, but if you want to volunteer, if you have donations, please contact that number and they will help get everything out.

We have families who need to be re reunited and -- and we are continuously making effort to make, to get -- to make sure that our families are reunited. We want to continue to work together with our community. We appreciate everybody here and we want to make sure that we stay Kerr united. We're going to -- I'm going to let the -- the mayor wants to say a few words and then I will take a couple questions after the mayor.

[13:35:10]

JOE HERRING JR., MAYOR, KERRVILLE TX: Again, thank you for being here. You know, I'm old enough to remember Fred Rogers and he one time said, during a crisis, look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping. In Kerrville, those helpers are the city staff, county personnel, state agencies, and federal agencies. The entire Kerrville city council is on site today. We're doing everything we can.

Let me repeat something I said yesterday. In our emergency operations center, it's not a bunch of different teams. It's one team. Our goal is to rescue those in peril and find those who are lost. If you are interested in donating to help those families who've been affected, you can visit the community foundation of the Texas Hill Country. They've set up a portal for donations, and I understand our community, our state and the world have been responding. Thank you.

Kerrville's branch of the Salvation Army has been designated as our official partner for volunteer coordination and in-kind donations. They can be reached at another very similar to what you just heard, 830-465-4797. Also. we have a website for volunteers to register a different website. It's tcr.communityos.org. It's important to follow the City of Kerrville's Facebook page for updates.

If you follow social media and are interested in such things, I may be too old to tell you this, but there is a hashtag, it's #KerrUnited. That's what we are, we're united to help those who are grieving, define those who are lost. And now we'll open up to questions. I cannot answer operational questions, but I'll -- I'm going to ask the -- the city manager to come back up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not sure we can answer this, but we just talked with business owners who are very concerned not only for themselves, but also for employees about how are they going to pay their mortgage? How are they going to pay their electricity? They've been having people reach out to them about their bills and they're terrified that in the middle of all this they're going to get cut off, or.

RICE: We are working through everything right now. You know, currently our biggest focus is to making sure that we get families reunited with their loved ones.

And so, we are not going to stop until we are able to get those families reunited.

(CROSSTALK) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Question for both of you and the Sheriff. There appears to be a massive operation now in Center Point. Is that where we're seeing bodies recovered at this moment?

RICE: We are seeing -- we are seeing bodies recovered all over, up and down. So as we make our way east to west, we have the entire pretty much span of operations. We broke it down into grids so we can -- we can recover those bodies. So yes, it is a -- a full operation.

LEITHA: None as of this morning (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Rice? Mr. Rice?

RICE: One more, one more question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Well, one of the questions that still hasn't been answered three days into this. Is despite (INAUDIBLE) warning on July 2nd and July 3rd that something like this could have happened that (INAUDIBLE) existed, why that information didn't get down to the camps and why they weren't evacuated? Can you answer that now?

RICE: That -- that is a great question, but again, we want to make sure that we continue to focus. We still have a 11 missing children that we want to get reunited with our families. Until we can get -- until we can get reunited with our fam -- with the families, we are not -- we are not going to stop. We are not going to stop until we do.

So, thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Quick follow up question, sir. Was any emergency alert given out on the fourth that morning of, did anyone get any alerts?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, there are families who deserve better than that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: As you just heard there from officials in Kerr County, 59 killed here, bringing the total across the lone star state to 67. The city manager there saying, that this is an all around effort, up and down to not only try to find cadavers, but hopefully in the words of Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, to find a miracle, someone perhaps still alive after 48 hours of this devastating flooding.

We've actually just learned that FEMA has now been activated in response to this devastation. We have more on the Trump administration's response in just a few moments.

Don't go anywhere. CNN returns in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:44:38]

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to CNN's coverage of the deadly historic flooding in Central Texas.

A short time ago, President Trump posted on social media saying he signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County, among others where the worst of the flooding hit. CNN reporter Betsy Klein is with us.

Betsy, walk us through what this declaration adds to the resources being made available here.

[13:45:01]

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER & WRITER (on-camera): Yes, Boris, so local officials have described the search and rescue and recovery efforts as a marathon, and that is going to require very close coordination between local, state, and federal governments. So, we know that President Trump has signed this Federal Disaster declaration.

Here's what he said in a post to social media a little bit earlier this morning. Quote, I just signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County, Texas to ensure that our brave first responders immediately have the resources they need. These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy with many lives lost and many still missing. The Trump administration continues to work closely with state and local leaders.

So, what does that look like? Well, according to the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been activated on the ground, is going to be helping with some of those longer term recovery efforts, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard, which is helping with search and rescue.

Now with that there are two U.S. Coast Guard helicopters on site assisting there, as well as three C-144 planes that have thermal cameras. That's going to be very critical in helping to find people. There's going to be some imaging there that can help identify movement. But state and local leaders in Central Texas say that so far, they are getting what they need from the federal government. But as we track the federal response, I want to zoom in on a couple of key questions in the National Weather Service.

Now, this is the nation's top weather forecasting agency. It issued a series of alerts, warning of life-threatening flooding in the early morning hours on Friday, but it's unclear how many people those alerts reached. Separately what's also unclear is whether cuts at this agency affected how those warnings were disseminated. So, the Austin and San Antonio office of the National Weather Service currently does not have what's known as a warning coordination meteorologist. That is a key role. There are other top vacancies due to efforts by the Trump administration to cut the size of the federal government through some early retirement initiatives.

Now, sources say that this office, San Antonio, Austin, had adequate staffing and resources, but at the same time, this was historic and unprecedented flooding. It happened very fast and some officials have also warned of warning fatigue in this area that is really prone to a lot of flooding and it's.

Also worth noting, Boris, that the administration's fiscal year 2026 budget, which it's already abiding by, includes cuts to some of the research that is critical to improving the data for forecasts. President Trump here in New Jersey monitoring all of this closely.

SANCHEZ: Betsy Klein live force traveling with the President. Thank you so much for that.

Stay with CNN. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be back with more from the devastating flooding in Central Texas.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:52:34]

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll get back to our coverage of the deadly Texas flooding in a moment.

But first, the midterm elections 16 months away. But President Trump's Megabill that he signed into law Friday is already shaping races that could decide who controls Congress. The big question, will it help Republicans or Democrats?

CNN's Jeff Zeleny went to Iowa, a state that could be a testing ground.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R) SPEAKER, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: (INAUDIBLE) the Nasser (ph) two --

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The sound of the gavel.

JOHNSON: The motion is adopted.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKERS (in unison): USA! USA!

ZELENY: And the stroke of the pen. Mark the unofficial opening of the 2026 midterm election campaign, and the race to define President Trump's landmark legislation.

DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: Look forward, fellas, look forward and just say what it is because it's the most popular bill ever signed in the history of a country, whether you're military or anybody else.

ZELENY (voice-over): That bold assertion will be litigated over the next year. As Republicans fight to maintain control of Congress and Democrats seize on broad public skepticism over the law and try to lead their party back to power.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D) MINORITY LEADER: After Project 2025 comes Project 2026. ZELENY (voice-over): The history books are filled with big

presidential priorities leading to big fallout at the ballot box. From Clinton's economic plan in 1993 to Bush's Social Security Reform effort in 2005 to Obama's healthcare debate in 2009 and Trump's failed attempt to repeal it in 2017.

The President and his party often paying the price, a point not lost on Trump as he sought to defend the laws, sweeping tax cuts, and immigration spending.

TRUMP: Not one Democrat voted for us, and I think we use it in the campaign that's coming up, the midterms, because we got to beat him.

ZELENY (voice-over): The President started his victory lap in Iowa, a state that's delivered him big wins in all three of his campaigns. It will now be one of many places to measure political fallout from the law.

As Democrats I too (ph) competitive House races and target Republican Senator Joni Ernst, whose comment about Medicaid cuts in the bill.

SEN. JONI ERNST (R-IA): We all are going to die.

ZELENY (voice-over): Still reverberates. At a Democratic rally, these signs spell out the party's argument for how the law benefits the wealthy at the expense of working class Americans.

JENNIFER KONFRST (D) IOWA STATE HOUSE: Iowans are fed up. They are angry and they are ready to fight.

ZELENY (voice-over): Jennifers Konfrst the Iowa House Democratic leader is running for one of those congressional seats now in Republican hands.

[13:55:07]

ZELENY: What worries you the most about this bill?

KONFRST: It's healthcare access. That's what I'm hearing everywhere I go. I'll say, what keeps you up at night? It's always, I'm scared I'm going to lose my hospital.

ZELENY: Does the road to a congressional majority for Democrats run right here through this district?

KONFRST: Without question. If you want to get to the majority in Congress, you have to come through the third Congressional district in Iowa. This is one of the lowest hanging fruits when it comes to flipping a seat.

ZELENY (voice-over): It's an open question, just how competitive races like this will ultimately become in all corners of the country, as Trump takes the leading role in selling the GOP agenda.

TRUMP: I know for a fact they're saying the last two weeks there has never been anything like it as far as winning, winning, winning. ZELENY: The President says he is winning, winning, winning. But Democrats see political opportunity in this big legislation as well. There is no question over the next 16 months, the details of this from Medicaid cuts to tax cuts will be fought out by both sides control of Congress hangs in the balance.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Straight ahead, back to our breaking news coverage of the deadly flooding in Texas. You're looking at live pictures right now of search and rescue efforts, combing through debris downstream in Center Point, Texas.

We'll resume our coverage right after this.

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