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Ongoing Search & Rescue Efforts in Central Texas for Victims of the Flooding; Tropical Depression Chantal Travels Through the U.S. Atlantic Coast; Guilty for Erin Patterson; Prime Minister Netanyahu to Meet with President Trump; Trump Warns Of New Tariffs Ahead Of Final Day Of Meetings; At Least 82 People Dead In Catastrophic Texas Flooding; Trump's Megabill Kick Starts Races To Control Congress. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired July 07, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. And we are following breaking news in Central Texas where a desperate search is underway for any survivors from the devastating flash flooding. At least 82 people are now confirmed dead, including 28 children. Texas Governor Greg Abbott is warning that more heavy rain could again threaten areas that have already been hit hard.

A local sheriff says more than 400 first responders from more than 20 agencies are part of the massive rescue operation. But the treacherous conditions are making it harder for rescuers to search the area. At last check, officials said at least 41 people were still missing. That includes at least 10 campers and one counselor from Camp Misty. It is an all-girls summer camp near the Guadalupe River that burst its banks early Friday when most people were still sleeping. Governor Abbott visited the camp and says it was, quote, horrendously ravaged.

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GREG ABBOTT, GOVERNOR OF TEXAS: It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through, and we will remain 100 percent dedicated searching for every single one of the children who were at Camp Mystic as well as anybody else and the entire riverbed to make sure that they're going to be recovered.

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CHURCH: CNN's Ed Lavandera has more on the rescue efforts from Comfort, Texas.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: While the death toll from the flooding continues to go up dramatically, there are still a number of people missing. And because of that, we're seeing large numbers of volunteers fanning out across the Guadalupe River from Camp Mystic all the way downstream to where we are here in the town of Comfort, Texas, some 36 miles away from Camp Mystic and up and down the river.

We've seen groups of people coming out trying to help the search and rescue teams bring those answers and the closure to so many families that are still awaiting news about their loved ones. But this is what they're up against. Look, this is all of the debris just in one little spot. They got washed up here along this bridge that crosses over the river. But you look at the denseness and the the thickness of all of this debris, and it just makes you realize how difficult this search operation is, you know, cutting through all of this and trying to find a possible victim in this kind of scene, is just incredibly diff difficult, incredibly taxing, but we've seen all that.

And a lot of that was brought to a halt here today because there had been some concerns that there was more flash flooding along -- coming. There's alerts when causing evacuations of the area. And so that was like, caused a lot of concern. And because of that, we saw the teams of volunteers here being told to kind of evacuate these areas. So those search and rescue operations and the volunteer efforts kind of came to a halt because of that.

And we presume that that it will continue because there are still, several days out from this tragedy, still many families looking for answers, some still holding on to hope that maybe someone could be rescued alive. But with every passing hour, they know full well, that that is a very, very unlikely scenario to unfold here as difficult as that is to say right now. Ed Lavandera, CNN, Comfort, Texas.

CHURCH: Alex Nguyen is a breaking news reporter for the Dallas Morning News and she joins me now from Dallas in Texas. Alex, what is the latest on these catastrophic floods and, of course, the tragic loss of so many lives?

ALEX NGUYEN, BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Right. Thanks for having me. So right now, we're looking at, over eighty deaths in Central Texas and the Hill Country. So that's beyond the death count -- the death toll in Kerr County. They're also death in other counties nearby as well in Central Texas.

Of course, search and rescue is a big priority right now. The flood hit, you know, at the beginning of the Fourth of July weekend, and so a lot of folks were in the region to, you know, do some camping and swimming.

[02:05:03]

And so, a lot of folks are still unaccounted for. We don't know exactly the number, but, of course, still a lot are missing. So, the priority looking right now is search and rescue.

CHURCH: Of course. And, Alex, with at least 82 dead and dozens still missing, what are rescue and recovery crews saying about their priorities in these overnight hours and in the days ahead?

NGUYEN: Yes. I think local and state officials are making a priority to, you know, definitely try to find all of the girls who are still missing from Camp Mystic, for example, and I think they're still facing a lot of challenges because of the flood watch got extended until at least 10:00 p.m. tonight. It will probably get extended again. So they're having to navigate both, you know, search and rescue for the current victims, but also make sure that the current communities are safe and evacuated from ongoing flooding as well.

CHURCH: And, of course, more heavy rain could threaten areas that have already been hit hard, which will, of course, make the work of these rescue and recovery teams even more difficult. How are some of them coping, those that are from the local area? Of course, a lot of people coming from outside of the area, but how they're coping with these conditions and with the heartbreak of this tragic story?

NGUYEN: Right. I think on the heartbreak front, we have seen, you know, people gathering and praying together. Of course, there are mass happening at the local church. And we're also seeing, like, other communities in Texas coming together and praying for them as well. So for example, a lot of folks in Dallas and Fort Worth area also held their own vigil.

So for Camp Mystic, for example, of course, it's a camp based in Kirk County, but a lot of attendees are also from North Texas, for example, and so this, loss and hurt is felt across the state. The governor also declared some dates to be a day of prayer, of course.

CHURCH: And, Alex, we know that there were warnings issued on Thursday, and we know that this area too is its aware and used to flash flooding like this. So why did it appear to be taken by surprise?

NGUYEN: Yes. I think there's still a lot of questions and debate about, you know, the warning issues. So far, we already have the Kerr County judge telling reporters that the county itself does not have a warning system. It's something that is expensive for local communities, and so that has been a reason that was given. Of course, you know, this is also considered flash flooding alley, and so he said that, flooding is something common, but didn't see the amount of rainfall or amount of flooding that occurred.

And also in the recent legislative session, the Texas House, so the state legislature passed a bill that would have established a network connecting first responder and state agencies, and provide grants to help local government enhance their emergency communication infrastructures. That bill died in the Senate. So yesterday so Sunday, the governor mentioned that they will be looking at response to flash flooding in a special session coming up later this month.

That session was called prior to the flooding, but now this response to flooding issue will be something that they won't still consider in the upcoming special session.

CHURCH: Alex, Nguyen, appreciate your reporting on these catastrophic floods. Thanks for joining us.

NGUYEN: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: The tropical depression Chantal made landfall in South Carolina on Sunday. It's now become the first named storm to strike the Atlantic Coast of the US this hurricane season. More than 5 million people in North Carolina were under flood alerts by the early morning hours yesterday. And Virginia also put at least 2 million people under flash flood warnings.

As the storm tracks deeper inland, rain is expected to push further north later this week. Chantal was recently downgraded from a tropical storm, but is still inflicting heavy damage on coastal communities. This image on screen shows a collapsed highway amid major flooding in Central North Carolina.

Still to come, after a 10-week trial and six days of deliberations, a verdict has been reached in the so called mushroom murder case in Australia. The very latest in a live report after a short break.

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CHURCH: We are following new developments in Australia where the jury in the mushroom murder trial has delivered its verdict, finding Erin Patterson guilty on all counts. The 50 year old was charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after feeding her in-laws a beef wellington lunch made with poisonous death cap mushrooms two years ago. CNN's Ivan Watson has the latest on this from Hong Kong. Good to see you, Ivan. So, what more can you tell us about this guilty verdict?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, the jury deliberated for six days, Rosemary. And in the end, as you pointed out, they found Erin Patterson guilty on all four counts, three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. There was no doubt going into this nine-week trial of what killed her guests at a lunch at her home in the small town of Leongatha nearly two years ago, that was poisoning by death cap mushrooms, which had gotten into the portions of beef wellington that she served her guests.

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The question that was on the table here was whether or not she purposely put the death cap mushrooms into the food. And the defense had argued that this was all a tragic mistake. We don't know what convinced ultimately the jurors to rule unanimously guilty on all these four counts. But we do know that the prosecution said that there were four calculated deceptions here. One, they accused Erin Patterson of fabricating her cancer claim, which was used as a pretense for the lunch.

So, according to the one survivor of this lunch, this was, Ian Wilkinson who had been in medically induced coma after the poisoning for several weeks. He said that Erin Patterson told her guests that she was suffering from cancer and that she was going to possibly die. And in retrospect, no cancer was diagnosed upon her and she said this was -- basically, she was trying to -- she was embarrassed to admit she was going to have gastric bypass surgery. The second deception on the part of the prosecution, they say that

their lethal doses of poison were added to the beef wellington. Patterson had argued that she mixed up some mushrooms that she had picked on her own in the wild.

The third deception was her attempts to pretend that she too had suffered from poisoning. So, after her guests had all been hospitalized, Patterson also went to hospital and was sick, but not nearly as sick, and was released from the hospital. And she argued that perhaps she hadn't gotten as sick because she had induced nausea deliberately after the lunch because she had binged on some cake, and going back to her issues with her weight and her body image.

And the fourth, deception that the prosecution alleged was the sustained cover up for concealing the truth. She disposed of a dehydrator that she'd used to dehydrate the death cap mushrooms that she picked. She had her phone wiped and she lied and admitted to lying to the police saying that she had panicked at the time. The victims were Erin Patterson's mother and father-in-law and the sister of her mother-in-law. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Alright. Thanks to Ivan Watson bringing us that live report from Hong Kong. Appreciate it. Well, could Israel and Hamas reach a ceasefire agreement this week? When we come back, the details of the Israeli Prime Minister's upcoming meeting with President Trump and the renewed talks that are set to take place in Qatar. We'll have that and more in just a moment.

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CHURCH: More now on our top story. At least 82 people have now been killed in the flash flooding in Central Texas. At least 41 others are still missing. Texas Governor Greg Abbott warns that even more heavy rain is expected in the coming days and the flooding could still get worse in Kerr County where the majority of the destruction has taken place. Search and rescue crews are still looking for at least 10 campers and a counselor missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp near the Guadalupe River. It took less than two hours for that river to rise more than 20 feet or about six meters on Friday.

Dozens are dead across Gaza after the Israeli military attacked Gaza City and the southern enclave on Sunday. The latest round of strikes come as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu travels to Washington in a move that could inch Israel and Hamas closer to a ceasefire agreement. Our Paula Hancocks has the latest.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the closest to a hostage ceasefire deal that Hamas and Israel have been in months, and the negotiations have now moved to Doha. Now we know there is an Israeli delegation already there. A Hamas senior sources told CNN they believe that the next round of talks could start as early as Monday.

Now, they could potentially be proximity talks. This means that even though they won't be speaking directly, Hamas and Israel may potentially be in the same building, which means that the mediator can run from one to the other hammering out those final details in a much quicker way than we have seen in months.

Now, we did hear from the Israeli prime minister's office saying that they had seen some amendments that had been called for by Hamas, and they called them, quote, "unacceptable." So these are really the last minute final talks that we will see in the days ahead. Now the Israeli prime minister is on his way to Washington. He'll be meeting with the U.S. president, Donald Trump, on Monday. Mr. Trump has been very optimistic about these talks, saying he believes a deal can be done by next week. He was referring to the week that is coming.

A quick look at what the proposal looks like as far as we know from a source familiar with the situation. There will be 10 living hostages and 18 deceased hostages released in return for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli military will pull their troops back to pre-agreed locations in Northern Gaza. There will be negotiations starting for that permanent end to the war. This will just be a temporary 60-day ceasefire, at this point.

And there will be an influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and most crucially, it will be through the United Nations-run institutions, which have up until recently been somewhat sidelined as the U.S.- Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was in process. The GHF role going forward is uncertain.

Now this ceasefire cannot come quickly enough for those on the ground in Gaza. Dozens more were killed on Sunday. Hospital officials saying over the weekend that many children lost their lives. The Israeli military saying that they are continuing to target terrorist organizations in Gaza. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

CHURCH: Joining me now from London, Sanam Vakil is the Director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House. Appreciate you joining us.

SANAM VAKIL, DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA PROGRAM, CHATHAM HOUSE: Morning.

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CHURCH: So Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu is set to meet with President Trump in the coming hours with the U.S. president very optimistic about Israel and Hamas agreeing to a 60-day ceasefire and the return of hostages by the end of this coming week. So do you share the president's optimism or do you worry that these talks will end as others have without a deal?

VAKIL: To me, it really seems that both Hamas and Prime Minister Netanyahu haven't changed their demands and so, without real pressure coming from Washington, from a president that doesn't show much interest in details or has too much patience, I don't know that this is going to be the big diplomatic effort that will give the people in Gaza a much needed respite. There is an urgent need for humanitarian aid, and Hamas insists that, also, this is a ceasefire that will lead to the end of the conflict, which is something that, ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet do not want to commit to. So there is still a standoff that needs to be addressed and it's going to take quite a bit more time, I suspect.

CHURCH: Right. And those renewed negotiations for this ceasefire agreement get underway in Doha today with the Israeli and Hamas delegations potentially in the same building in what's called proximity talks. How does that process work exactly with this extreme pressure being applied to both delegations at this time?

VAKIL: Well, with talks being indirect, obviously, it takes much longer. One side risk discusses a position with the mediators, and then the mediators basically have to facilitate and pass the messages when meeting with the other delegation. And so, it's just much harder when they're not facing each other in the room. And it's hard to iron out the details And the facilitators here play a very important role in trying to bridge the two sides and trying to present solutions.

CHURCH: And when Prime Minister Netanyahu goes to the White House today for his meeting with President Trump, how much pressure will he likely feel from the U.S. president who clearly wants this ceasefire achieved by Friday? and what do you think Trump will say to Netanyahu to ensure this gets done?

VAKIL: Well, I think on the one hand, there will be sort of a celebration among bros or two leaders who feel that the campaign against Iran was a successful one. So the two of them will be celebrating that success quite publicly. Behind the scenes, Prime Minister Netanyahu will be looking for continued U.S. support to get behind Israel so that Israel has whatever freedom of action against Iran. So that's one, basket of negotiations.

And on the other hand, there is the Gaza ceasefire. I think that the president will be trying to impress upon Netanyahu the urgent need and will try to showcase his support for Netanyahu. The problem is that within Netanyahu's cabinet, there's opposition to a permanent ceasefire. So there could just be a deadlock that can't be resolved. If Netanyahu himself can't appeal or appease, that opposition within his cabinet and he commits to a ceasefire that permanently ends the conflict, that could break apart Netanyahu's coalition and the Knesset. So, this is a sort of knot that is not easy to untangle.

CHURCH: And if this ceasefire is achieved, and that is, of course, the hope, there hasn't been a lot of attention on what's likely to happen, who will likely run Gaza once this war ends, and the two state solution which had previously been the goal of previous administrations in the United States and with some administrations in Israel, that seems to have been forgotten in the midst of all this, doesn't it? So what is the likely future for Gaza once this war ends?

VAKIL: Well, I don't think it's been forgotten. Behind the scenes, Arab states have proposals and plans for what post war governance could and would look like.

[02:30:00]

What's problematic is under the context of daily deaths in Gaza, nobody wants to be touting or pushing a solution when it's very clear that the Israeli side has no interest in thinking about the day after.

A two-state solution is very much still on the agenda. And it is likely that the Palestinian Authority, in some capacity, will take over the administration of Gaza. But the details are still very much have to be ironed out in the public domain. And none of that, including the rebuilding of Gaza, is going to happen while the war is ongoing.

So, everything hinges right now on obtaining that ceasefire, obtaining that relief for Palestinians, securing the release of hostages that are still being detained in Gaza. And from there, the political processes will unfold. But it's about giving people the space to be able to engage in what comes next.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Sanam Vakil, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate your analysis.

VAKIL: Thank you.

CHURCH: A summit of world leaders from the BRICS group of nations is prompting a new tariff threat from the White House. The BRICS meeting in Rio de Janeiro includes leaders of nations that have been critical of the United States.

And Marc Stewart joins us now from Beijing.

So, Marc, what's expected to come out of this last day of BRICS summit and what can you -- or what more can you tell us about tariff threats being made by U.S. President Donald Trump and directed at anyone planning to do business with BRICS nations?

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, let's first talk about this tariff threat. These nations, as you mentioned, that are meeting have been very critical. Many of them have been very critical, have had rocky relationship with the United States. So, it's not that much of a surprise that we would perhaps see some criticism from President Trump. When we look at the BRICS nations, it includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

But it's also expanded in recent times to include Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Iran, nations that have been critical of the West, nations that have been working to push this narrative, that there are other ways to do business, other ways to align yourself than other than the United States.

So, if we look at this tweet or I should say this posting from President Trump on truth social, it reads, any country aligning themselves with the anti-American policies of BRICS will be charged with an additional 10 percent tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy. Thank you very much for your attention to this matter.

Let's look at the timing of all of this. This new additional tariff threat comes as the White House is prepared to send letters to perhaps dozens and dozens of nations threatening high tariffs that we saw very early on in this White House that were relaxed during perhaps a negotiation period. So that's the timing of all of this. And the nations, many of which have been critical of the United

States, especially toward its trade and tariff policy. In fact, following the conclusion of this meeting in Rio, a statement was released from these nations saying that they are very critical about these moves by the -- by the White House, saying that these -- these rise of unilateral and non-tariff measures are a real concern.

So, you could conclude that this is all pointed in response to Trump policies. By the way, Rosemary, China, Chinese leader Xi Jinping was not in attendance. He was a no show. Instead, the Chinese premier showed up in Brazil on his behalf.

CHURCH: All right, thanks to Marc Stewart for bringing us that live report from Beijing. Appreciate it.

Well, more breaking news coverage of the devastation in Texas still to come. When we return, we will hear how survivors live through the floods that have now killed at least 82 people.

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[02:37:08]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

A recap on our breaking news. At least 82 people, including 28 children, have been killed by flash floods in central Texas. State and local officials say 41 people are missing. This time-lapse video shows a river in Kingsland, Texas, as water rushed in over the course of just 30 minutes. Most of the flood victims were in Kerr County, where the Guadalupe River rose more than 20 feet in the span of 90 minutes. Many of the youngest victims died at camp mystic, a Christian all- girls summer camp located on the riverbank.

Search and rescue operations continue for a camp counselor and ten campers who are still missing.

Earlier, CNN's Erica Hill spoke with Texas resident Amanda Sue Jones. During their conversation, Jones recounts how she and her family escaped the floods during a camping trip in Kerr County.

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AMANDA SUE JONES, FOUR KIDS SURVIVED HTR CAMPGROUND FLOODING: We pulled out of the campsite and we parked at -- we were still on the island. What we thought was higher ground. But then we're -- the kids needed to use the bathroom. So we\re going to go up to the headquarters of the camp. So, we crossed over the little bridge and went up there and everything seemed pretty calm for the most part there. And we saw some flooding. A kayak had, you know, gotten swept away from somewhere. We saw that.

But nothing crazy until after we had used the facilities. And you just hear mayhem hit. The first sound was just the sound of the campers and cabins just crashing against each other. That was the first of it. And that's what caught our attention. So, I immediately went to our staff, went through all our belongings,

found a few life jackets for all the children and said, you know, put this on immediately. You know, told them, everybody put this on us.

My husband was already going and seeing what he could do to help. So, it was me and the kids at that point. And then you start hearing the screams for help and then a gentleman had come out of the bathroom and was saying his family was still in. His family was down there.

And at this point, it was such a matter of minutes before the water rushed in and created this raging river just right there with, you know, within where the campers were was just immediately like a just a whole new river there.

It was so fast. It was unreal. Like I said, wed stayed in this area last July, and July when it flooded before, and it was just kind of slowly rising. But this was just like nothing I've ever seen. It just happened so fast and it was just so devastating, and just the cries for help and somebody was asking for a rope.

[02:40:12]

And I sent my oldest son, you know, with a ratchet strap, because I was like, this is all we have. Like, I'm just scrambling through our belongings looking for anything to throw to them and I don't think that it was of any use, but we tried as a family. That's what we're dealing with, is the stuff that, you know, wasn't caught on camera. You know, the -- I had seen a family.

I just remember a man, I don't remember anyone with him. He was made it through the water and he was up to, like, waist deep water. And then a camper, probably like a over 30-foot camper is just being taken like it's nothing. And it ran into him and I didn't see him afterwards. And it's just moments like that that weren't captured that you see these people are trying and it is just the devastation and the power of the water was just -- I mean, it was moving these cabins like they were nothing.

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CHURCH: Terrifying moments there for so many people.

And I do want to thank you for joining us this hour. I'm 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, we'll have more news for you just ahead after a short break.

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CHURCH: Welcome back to our viewers here in North America. I'm Rosemary Church.

First responders in Texas are facing communication issues as they search for survivors of the extreme flooding over the weekend. A volunteer rescue group told CNN they've had issues with radios not working. They've started using Starlink satellite communication devices to ensure they can stay in contact.

Officials say more rain is on the way to central Texas, with dozens of people still missing and at least 82 confirmed deaths so far.

Well, as people in Texas come to terms with this tragedy, parents of some of the children who survived at Camp Mystic are praising the heroism of the camp counselors.

CNN's Pamela Brown is in Hunt, Texas, at that camp where she herself spent time as a child.

Pamela shared some of the family's stories.

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: This parent told me that it was, you know, in the middle of the night, around 4:00 a.m., the water was ferocious, it was rising, and they were told to stay put, that the owner, Dick Eastland, and his son were coming to get them in the car. And while they were waiting, they saw the fury of the water continue to rise. And they knew that that car was going to get to them in time.

And so, they rounded up the girls, and the counselor got her key out and poked a key in the mesh of the back window in the back of the cabin to poke that out. The counselors went out. There were two in that cabin, and then the one next door that came over to help, and they were bringing the girls outside of that tiny window in the back, and the water was chest high. I'm told by this parent.

The little girls told her, they said their counselors helped them across the rapids. So, the counselors were handing the little campers, nine years old to one another to get to the hill behind the cabin. I mean, these are the stories we're hearing. And this parent said, had it not been for the counselors who were so young, just out of high school, she wonders if her -- if her girls would still be alive.

Here's more of what she told me in her description. Two counselors were in the rapids and one on the dry hill, moving the kids from hand to hand. A lot of them lost their shoes and then climbed up the rocky hill to safety, all in the middle of the night.

Then they got to sky high and cuddled because they were cold and wet and sang songs and prayed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Terrifying moments there.

And CNN's Rafael Romo has more on what we know about some of the victims of these devastating floods.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The families of several campers have confirmed their deaths to CNN, while others are enduring an excruciating wait for news on their loved ones. At one point, officials confirmed as many as 27 children were missing from Camp Mystic, a Christian all girls camp located by the Guadalupe River in Central Texas, Kerr County.

The family of Renee Smajjstrla confirmed to CNN that the eight-year- old camper at Camp Mystic went missing during the torrential flooding and has passed away. Sean Salta, the girl's uncle, told us that its truly devastating for the family, adding that his niece's body was recovered on Friday, the same day flooding swept the area.

The mother of missing Camp Mystic camper Janie Hunt, who was nine years old, told CNN in a message Saturday morning that her daughter had passed away on Friday, the day of the tragedy, and Hunt had told us that the family was just praying for the return of their daughter.

CNN has also confirmed that 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 had 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, he said. And she made them laugh and enjoy the moment. Neither girl was attending Camp Mystic at the time of their disappearance.

Reese Zunker, the head coach for the boys soccer team at Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas, and his wife Paula, are also among the dead, as confirmed to CNN by his niece. His team posted on social media that coach Reese Zunker was not just a soccer coach, he was a mentor, teacher and a role model for our Kerrville kids. Authorities confirm flooding killed people in at least six different counties in central Texas, including Travis, Burnett, Kendall, Williamson, Tom Green and Kerr, which had the largest number of victims by far.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And as people look for answers, some are wondering about the region's preparedness for such a disaster.

[02:50:02]

Some are directing blame at the National Weather Service, while others are critical of the Trump administration for budget cuts at forecasting agencies.

CNN's senior national security analyst Juliette Kayyem says there are some lessons to be learned and that more could have been done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I do not buy into the argument that there's nothing that could have been done. This is a 100-year storm. We've got decades and decades of disaster management to protect children like this, so everyone needs to stop pretending that either the other party did it or this was not a preventable -- this tragedy.

We have lessons to be learned. Here's what we know just from the timeline. National Weather Service begins to really get more frantic over the course of the morning. It is a holiday weekend. It is in the middle of the night. Your worst-case scenario for this situation. We do know that there were people who are in charge of what we call coordination.

And the reason why we call it that is that you have a warning, and then you have action, and you need people to connect those two, right? Do you evacuate? Do you hide in place, whatever it is?

We also know that the county does not have a siren system on its rivers, which other counties in Texas do. Cell service was probably not good. So, we have a lot of factors that we need to learn from.

I think it's wrong for Texas to blame the National Weather Service. And I think it's premature for the president to say it wasn't the national weather service. I will say one thing, though, and these cuts to the National Weather Service, to NOAA, to FEMA, the potential elimination of FEMA, we will miss them when they're gone.

I think we need to say that now. I don't know if there's a direct line between the national weather service and cuts and what happened, but this is what government is for. It's to -- it's to help people and prepare them for the damage and the devastation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: After a 90-day pause on his reciprocal tariffs, Donald Trump says his administration will begin sending out letters Monday to all U.S. trading partners without a deal in place. Trump says the take it or leave it letters will detail the tariff rates countries will have to pay for goods exported to the U.S. starting at the beginning of August.

The U.S. treasury secretary told CNN's Dana Bash he thinks countries will be anxious to make new deals. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARTY: We're going to be very busy over the next 72 hours. We are going to -- President Trump's going to be sending letters to some of our trading partners saying that if you don't move things along, then on August 1st, you will boomerang back to your April 2nd tariff level. So, I think we're going to see a lot of deals very quickly.

And you know, Dana, we're going to send out probably 100 letters to small countries where we don't have very much trade. And most of those are already at the baseline, 10 percent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: During that April announcement, Trump said some countries would face an additional 50 percent rate on the goods they export to the United States.

Well, the president is also facing a big domestic challenge right now, convincing Americans that his newly passed mega bill will do more good than harm.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny looks at how it could come back to haunt the Republicans in next year's midterm elections.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The nays are two.

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

JOHNSON: The motion is adopted.

(CROWD CHANTING "USA!")

ZELENY: -- and the stroke of the pen.

(CHEERING)

ZELENY: -- marked the unofficial opening of the 2026 midterm election campaign and the race to define President Trump's landmark legislation.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE 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 our country. Whether you're military or anybody else.

ZELENY: 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-NY): After Project 2025 comes Project 2026.

ZELENY: The history books are filled with big presidential priorities, leading to big fallout at the ballot box. From Clintons Economic Plan in 1993 to Bush's Social Security reform effort in 2005, to Obama's health care 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 law's 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 them.

[02:55:06]

ZELENY: 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 eye two 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: -- 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 HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE: Iowans are fed up, they are angry and they are ready to fight.

ZELENY: Jennifer Konfrst, the Iowa House Democratic leader is running for one of those Congressional seats, now in Republican hands.

What worries you the most about this bill?

KONFRST: It's health care 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: 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY (on camera): 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.

CHURCH: 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.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)