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82 People Died in a Massive Flooding in Texas' Kerr County; Israeli P.M. to Meet Trump. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired July 07, 2025 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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.
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 Mystic. It's 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."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): There 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: CNN's Ed Lavendera has more on the rescue efforts from Comfort in Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SR. 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 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 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 was alerts when causing evacuations of the area and so that was 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 unlikely scenario to unfold here as difficult as that is to say right now.
Ed Lavendera, CNN, Comfort, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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, "DALLAS MORNING NEWS": Right, thanks for having me.
So right now we're looking at over 80 deaths in Central Texas and the Hill Country so that's beyond the death toll in Kerr County. There are 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 4th of July weekend and so a lot of folks were in the region to, you know, do some camping and swimming and so a lot of folks are still unaccounted for. We don't know exactly the number but of course still a lot of 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?
[03:05:09]
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 p.m. tonight, 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 Kerr 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 also seen like all their 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 camp based in Kerr County but a lot of attendees are also from North Texas for example. And so this loss and her is felt across the state, the Governor also declares Sunday 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 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 amount of flooding that occurred. And also in the recent legislative session the Texas House state legislature passed a bill that would have established a network connecting first responder and state agencies and provide grants to help local government, and hence their emergency communication infrastructures. That bill died in the Senate.
So yesterday so Sunday, the Governor mentioned that you will be looking at response to flash flooding in a special sessions coming up later this month. That session was called prior to flooding but now this response to flooding issue will be something that they will also consider in the upcoming special session.
CHURCH: Alex Nguyen, I appreciate your reporting on these catastrophic floods. Thanks for joining us.
NGUYEN: Thanks for having me.
CHURCH: President Trump vowed continued federal support for Texas following the devastating floods but stopped short of commenting on the future of FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. CNN's Kevin Liptak has more reaction from the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Trump says he will probably visit the affected areas of Texas on Friday. He actually said he wanted to visit this weekend but decided against it because he thought the security apparatus could affect the search-and-rescue efforts there.
The President is calling what is happening horrible insists the Federal government will continue to assist state and local authorities as they deal with this tragedy, the President signed a major disaster declaration for Texas on Sunday and what that did is unlock federal resources for the community there it allows FEMA the Federal Emergency Management Agency to begin its work on the ground.
The U.S. Coast Guard has also deployed resources there including two helicopters three fixed-wing aircraft which have thermal cameras able to detect movement on the ground that might not be visible to the naked eye. FEMA has also set up seven shelters which as of 1 p.m. on Sunday we're housing 137 people.
[03:10:03]
President Trump in his letter to Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas wrote a handwritten addendum in Sharpie saying that our wonderful Secretary Kristi Noem is available at all times. Kristi Noem, obviously the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Now there are some questions being raised about staffing levels at the National Weather Service, some critical positions were left vacant after their occupants decided to take early retirement initiatives offered by the Trump administration as they have worked to reduce the size of the federal government.
One of the positions is a warning coordination meteorologist at the Austin San Antonio office of the National Weather Service. Now it is not a definitive answer of whether these positions if they were filled could have changed anything on the ground there but it is certainly something that will be scrutinized going forward.
President Trump also addressed some of these questions on Sunday, listen to what he said.
REPORTER: Do you think that the federal government needs to hire back any of the meteorologists who were fired in the recent months?
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I wouldn't know that I really wouldn't. I would think not this was the thing that happened in seconds, nobody expected it, nobody saw it, very talented people are there, and they didn't say it. It's, I guess, they said once in a hundred years they've never seen anything like this so I wouldn't I mean people are trying to blame the school, they're trying to blame the camp, they're trying to blame-- it's just a horrible thing, but no I wouldn't say that.
LIPTAK: Now President Trump was also asked if he still plans to phase out FEMA. Remember his goal is to eliminate that agency and put more responsibility on states for preparing and recovering for disasters. Those changes were set to go into effect after this year's Atlantic Hurricane season.
The President declined to answer that question. He said that FEMA is busy working and that it was a question for another time.
Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Earlier CNN's Pamela Brown spoke with Texas resident Robert Brake who's searching for his missing parents he called them in Kerr County early Friday morning urging them to evacuate, minutes later his brother discovered the home where they were staying had been swept away by floodwaters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT BRAKE, SEARCHING FOR MISSING PARENTS: My brother was staying at the R.V. park he had called at 4:44 and said call mom and dad because they were staying, visiting my brother at the R.V. park, HTX R.V. park. And I called my dad at 4:44, dad you got to get out of there, he was still -- he's a little older, he was still just a model.
My brother was about 40 yards away, he went up to help them at 4:53 and all the homes they were staying in were gone, they were just leveled there, was no longer there. We haven't heard or seen of them since then.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: So you did make connection with your dad initially right?
BRAKE: At 4:44, yes ma'am, he answered the phone.
BROWN: At 4:44. And what did he say to you then?
BRAKE: Nothing. I just -- I told him Luke's R.V. was getting swept away. Lucas, my brother, needs some help at the time we didn't realize the magnitude of what was going on. My brother just barely escaped with his own life and his wife and by the time my brother went up to help him realizing what was going on they were already gone seven minutes later.
BROWN: Horrible. Tell me more about the search and the rescue.
BRAKE: I'll tell, you know, that's been probably -- the part that's got us through the most. These folks have just been unbelievable, we have seen everything from DPS to state troopers, local sheriff's ambulances, we've seen Coast Guard's Blackhawk helicopters, you know, when you look outside you see the support -- the overwhelming support of people that are showing up, not just uniform, but with their hearts, you know, it just it provides.
It provides this little world, you know, there's people with big hearts that are out there doing the best they can addition circumstances trying to assist us find all the doors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: So many heartbreaking stories like this.
And one climate scientist says the U.S. is unprepared for worsening natural disasters as the planet continues to warm. Meteorologist Chris Warren explains the key causes behind the catastrophic floods in Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS WARREN, METEOROLOGIST: It really is hard to imagine how something like this could happen and in this case a lot of different things came together to create this disaster. One of those was the drought.
Days, if not weeks, in the making, you might say well why would a drought make flooding worse, wouldn't that be more water in, you know, to the soil more room?
[03:15:01]
Well it doesn't necessarily work that way with the very hot and very dry conditions, the soil kind of gets baked and it gets hard. So initially, you get this downpour of water and it doesn't go right into the soil, it just runs off. You think of how big the land is if you would go right into the soil, that would at least help.
But in this case there were a lot of things going against the situation here. So another one would be once the rain started it was tapping into moisture not just from the Gulf, which helps make things very humid in Texas anyways, but a couple of these former tropical systems add a little bit extra juice. So there's another thing.
The other aspect of it was slow moving, the overall system that was helping to trigger these showers and thunderstorms just wasn't moving very fast. And then the location right we knew there's going to be storms and possibly flash flooding but the fact that this one this bad horrible storm set up right here, right over the north and south forks of the Guadalupe River that feed into here, anything that falls from the sky, any rain, any water is going to drain that way and it was hours and hours of some of the heaviest rain you could even imagine.
And it all ended up being well over 10 inches in some areas, around a foot in some spots estimated by radar and it's over several counties. So that water drains out in many cases into the same locations. And because of that in just a matter of hours going from, this is the river gauge here the Guadalupe River at Kerrville, going from less than a foot below a foot water level to about a two-story house in a matter of couple of hours.
That's all of that rain being funneled down the stream there. And then this is the forecast, not completely done just yet, still have showers and thunderstorms to get through during the day tomorrow, but eventually by tomorrow evening, things start to dry out and fortunately really going to get a break it's going to be hot but back to a dry stretch next week.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And 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 U.S. 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.
And much more to come on the deadly floods in Texas including stories of survival and rescue. That's just ahead.
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[03:20:00]
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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone.
A recap on our breaking news story now, 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 10 campers who are still missing.
CNN's Isabel Rosales spoke with volunteers who have been helping in those search efforts, here's what they had to say about their experience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH EISENBACH, VOLUNTEER: Those babies, those babies, if it was my babies I don't want somebody looking so that's why I'm here. I couldn't sit back. I mean it ate at me all day yesterday and seeing everything, I got a buddy that's down in Conroe as a rescue swimmer he was down here matter of fact right here yesterday.
And he told me, you know, he was telling me about, you know, finding some of the girls and I just -- I had to come.
ELIZABETH SCHUMACHER, VOLUNTEER: And everybody's just trying their hardest doesn't matter what age background whatever everybody's out here. Like you said, pulling up sticks and digging through piles, and it's tough seeing people's belongings 30 foot up in a tree. Well I hope that we do find them.
Do I necessarily want that person to be me who finds them? Maybe not I'm not that brave but I hope we do find them because I can't imagine not knowing what happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Jason Cummings is a Kerrville resident who found a man trapped by the flood and helped rescuers locate him. He told his story to CNN's Pamela Brown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON CUMMINGS, HALPED SAVE FLOOD VICTIM: I was just out looking at the storm my son who was out of town actually woke me up, and told me about it, so I got out, and went to a bridge because I live very close to the river.
And I went to a side road next to the bridge, and I went into the state park and I wanted to see where the debris line was how high the water got inside the park. And as I walked toward the cyclone fence I heard someone yelling hey and they were waving their arms, but they were pinned in a probably 12 foot tall pile of debris. And he said he thought his leg was broken, I believe he was 18, but I was just so thankful that God for some reason had me there just to notice him.
So I noticed a firetruck on the bridge that was very close, I mean he could see the bridge and no one could see him or hear him with the world the roar of the water.
[03:25:08]
And I went and got the swift rescue team and they were faster than the U.S. Olympic sprint team getting over there to him, and I went to get some tools at my home just to help them out chainsaws and whatnot. And by the time I got back, they had already started loading him off, they had him on a backboard, they had an ambulance there, so I was very happy that those incredible professionals were there.
And I cannot say enough about all the professional law enforcement. I've never seen ever this amount of equipment and assets for one event. It's unbelievable. (inaudible)
And shortly after that unfortunately I was chainsaw and clearing a bridge very close to town, the next bridge over just for equipment to clean all the debris later, and I found a deceased victim. So I was really shocked and stunned and I was not expecting that at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: But so lucky he found that young man who was pinned under that debris. That was Jason Cummings speaking to CNN on Sunday.
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.
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[03:30:00]
CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check today's top stories for you.
Parts of Texas are facing the threat of more flash flooding after at least 82 people were killed over the holiday weekend. Heavy rainfall in some of the most devastated areas is making water levels rise again. Officials say hundreds of local, state and national first responders have now joined the search and rescue operations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in the United States. He is scheduled to meet with President Trump later today to discuss a Gaza ceasefire agreement. This comes as an Israeli negotiating team left for Qatar to begin proximity talks with Hamas, Trump was optimistic a deal could be agreed to in the coming days, saying, "We have to do something about Gaza."
Donald Trump says take-it-or-leave-it tariff letters will go out on Monday to all U.S. trade partners without a deal in place. The administration's 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs expires Wednesday. In April, President Trump announced a base 10 percent tariff rate, with some countries paying up to 50 percent more.
While Central Texas reels in the aftermath of the deadly flood, stories of devastation and terror are emerging, with survivors describing the horrors they witnessed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: A disaster, it was horrible. I've been through a lot, but I haven't seen anything like that in my life.
It's pretty bad, just demolished. Yes, the whole town's demolished.
SCOTT WALDEN, FLOOD SURVIVOR: I grabbed my wife, and we literally jumped in the water, and it swept us down to about 200 feet down that way. And there was a crepe myrtle tree that we grabbed hold of, and we waited for rescue.
UNKNOWN: Oh, no, Granny. I can't get any more. Oh, my God.
TONIA FUCCI, FLOOD SURVIVOR: No warnings at all. They came hours later, which was the most devastating part. We got the warnings on our phones hours later, hours later.
The destruction had already been done before the warnings came out. It was just something so serious happening. And the swiftness of the water, it wasn't slowing.
It wasn't slowing. Debris and furniture and RVs were coming down the river.
UNKNOWN: I'm devastated by what's happened to these families, to this town. But I'm also joyful to see the efforts that the community is all pitching in.
MACON WARE, RESIDENT: A week ago, I had five granddaughters in Camp Mystic, and they finished their first session, and they're home now. But some of their friends were there for the second session, and my heart goes out to all those little girls.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with President Trump today to discuss the latest hostage-ceasefire proposal. Just before boarding his flight to the U.S. on Sunday, Netanyahu said Mr. Trump, quote, "can help move us closer to a ceasefire agreement."
In the meantime, indirect negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release between Hamas and Israel restarted in Qatar on Sunday, a diplomatic source told CNN. Today's White House meeting comes on the heels of Israel's latest round of strikes on Gaza, which killed at least 57 people across the enclave on Sunday. Gaza's health ministry says nearly 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.
And CNN's Nada Bashir joins us now live from London. Good morning to you, Nada. So what more can you tell us about what's expected to come out of the meeting today between Prime Minister Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, and also the ceasefire negotiations now underway in Doha?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Rosemary, following the end of the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump made very clear that in addition to a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, he was keen to push for a ceasefire in Gaza. And we had heard similar indications from the Israeli Prime Minister as well, suggesting that that ceasefire could lead to an expansion of other peace agreements as well.
And there certainly does appear to be some momentum now on that front. As you mentioned, we heard from Netanyahu speaking ahead of his departure to Washington, D.C., stating that he believes those discussions with President Trump today could help to advance discussions around a ceasefire.
[03:35:04]
President Trump has certainly also issued statements of confidence around the potential for a ceasefire agreement to be struck, even within the coming days. So clearly there is that sense of momentum amongst leaders and mediators involved in these discussions.
Those talks today, of course, are certainly expected to focus and touch on the negotiations that have been taking place in Doha over the weekend. They restarted on Sunday indirect talks, according to a diplomat familiar with those ongoing discussions. We know that an Egyptian mediating team was also present or traveled to Doha to participate in those talks as well.
And what the focus of those talks currently is expected to be is really on closing those final gaps. These are close-level indirect talks focused on the final sticking points, really, around this U.S.- backed proposal, the 60-day ceasefire proposal, which would secure, of course, a cessation of facilities for 60 days at least, as well as the release of some hostages, both living and deceased.
Now, this is something that, of course, many in Israel have been protesting for, rallying for some time now, calling on the Israeli Prime Minister to secure a deal that secures the release of those remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip. Many, of course, pushing for an end to the hostilities, as you mentioned, that death toll in Gaza continuing to soar. And we are continuing to see airstrikes in Gaza.
We know, of course, that Hamas, according to one official, had put forward some amendments. The focus for Hamas has long been trying to secure more concrete guarantees that this would lead to a total end to the war, as well as guarantees for an expansion of the amount of aid getting into Gaza, crucially through U.N. mechanisms. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Nada Bashir brings us that live report from London. Many thanks.
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 OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA PROGRAM, CHATHAM HOUSE: Morning.
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 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.
[03:40:06]
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: Sanam Vakil, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate your analysis.
VAKIL: Thank you.
CHURCH: As Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to meet with the U.S. President, he may be thinking about some of the other high-profile visits to the White House by world leaders and wondering how his appearance with Donald Trump will go. Melissa Bell looks at how Oval Office meetings have changed with Trump as President and what some diplomats say it takes to get a warm welcome.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: You're gambling with World War III and what you're doing is very disrespectful.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the brow-beating of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy --
TRUMP: Death, horrible death.
BELL (voice-over): -- to the more elaborately choreographed ambush of President Cyril Ramaphosa --
TRUMP: These are burial sites right here --
BELL (voice-over): -- complete with dimmed lights and video alleging genocide of white farmers in South Africa.
The Oval Office has, at times, been turned into a boxing ring by President Trump.
RUFUS GIFFORD, FORMER CHIEF OF PROTOCOL OF THE UNITED STATES: The foreign leaders have to treat those meetings very differently than they have had to treat any engagement with previous American presidents. And they should not have an expectation that it's going to go smoothly.
BELL (voice-over): Some, though, have fared better than others.
The British Prime Minister, who arrived armed with a letter from the King and the Canadian Prime Minister, who also emerged relatively unscathed.
So what are the keys to making it work?
GERARD ARAUD, FORMER FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES: You should really compliment the President. There is a sort of North Korean side in the White House.
You know, really, you are a genius or something. It was great. You are generous.
Thank you for the United States. And it's such a success.
BELL (voice-over): Even during President Trump's first term, there was something more physically aggressive than the world was used to.
From his pushing aside of other leaders, to the handshakes mastered first by French President Emmanuel Macron. By Trump's second term, it was also Macron who was prepared to argue back.
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: Get their money back. In fact, to be frank, we paid. BELL (voice-over): The German Chancellor also held his own.
TRUMP: First of all, I want to thank you for that.
FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: My pleasure.
TRUMP: Thank you very much.
BELL (voice-over): So what advice for leaders visiting the White House?
JOE HOCKEY, FORMER AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES: You've just got to find a pathway to help him to meet your goals and for you to be able to meet your goals as well.
ARAUD: Even if you don't like what he says, you know, keep silent. Because at the end of the day, if you respond to him, he will always double down like a good teenager.
BELL (voice-over): President Zelenskyy might have been the first not to bite his tongue, but there could be others with at least this consolation.
TRUMP: This is going to be great television. I will say that.
BELL (voice-over): Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Still to come, after a 10-week trial and six days of deliberations, a verdict has been reached of the so-called mushroom murder case in Australia. The very latest in a live report. That's next.
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[03:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.
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. He joins us now live from Hong Kong. So, Ivan, what more can you tell us about this guilty verdict in Australia's mushroom murder case?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was a unanimous decision from the 12-member jury after six days of deliberations, three convictions for murder and one for attempted murder. This was for a deadly lunch that the now convicted suspect, Erin Patterson, this 50-year-old mother of two, that she hosted nearly two years ago in her town of Leongatha. She had invited her estranged husband, Simon, as well as his parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt, Heather Wilkinson, and her husband, Ian.
Within a matter of days, three of those guests had died of poisoning from death cap mushrooms, and the fourth, Ian Wilkinson, the husband of the estranged husband's aunt, was in a coma. He ultimately did survive.
The estranged husband did not attend. He cancelled coming to that lunch.
Now, Erin Patterson always maintained her innocence. Her defense attorney said there was no motive for a murder, that why would she want to kill the grandparents of her two children.
The prosecution argued that there were four calculated deceptions here, that Erin Patterson fabricated a cancer claim as a pretext to invite these people to the lunch, that she hid doses of the death cap mushrooms in the meal that was served, that she then tried to appear as if she too had been poisoned.
She actually went to a hospital for a couple of days and then was discharged and claimed that she had perhaps not suffered the same symptoms because she had forced herself to throw up from binge-eating cake after the lunch.
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And finally, a sustained cover-up to conceal the truth, she wiped her phone, she admitted to lying to the police, and she tried to throw away a dehydrator used to dehydrate the deadly mushrooms that were used in the meal in the end. Again, a unanimous verdict.
She will likely face decades behind bars, though she does have the right to appeal this guilty conviction. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Ivan Watson, joining us live from Hong Kong with that report, I appreciate it.
And still to come, the owner of Camp Mystic dies in the flooding in Texas. What his grandson says he did during his final moments.
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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone.
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.
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It took less than two hours for that river to rise more than 20 feet or about six meters on Friday.
A security guard at the Camp Mystic is being hailed as a hero for saving the lives of campers.
In a statement, the night watchman, Glenn Juenke, said, quote, "I witnessed the courage and faith that your daughters displayed during some of the most terrifying moments of their young lives. Each of those sweet girls was cold, wet, and frightened - but they were also incredibly brave. They trusted me, and we learned on each other through a long, harrowing night together inside the cabin."
Juenke served as the night guard at the camp for the past four summers. He said he put the girls on mattresses to help them ride out the floodwaters safely. Incredible.
Well, the owner of Camp Mystic, Dick Eastland, died during the flooding in Texas while trying to rescue campers, That's according to his grandson.
In a tribute on social media, George Eastland said of his grandfather, quote, "If he wasn't going to die of natural causes, this was the only other way - saving the girls that he so loved and cared for. That is the kind of man my grandfather was.
He was a husband, father, grandfather, and a mentor to thousands of young women. Although he no longer walks this earth, his impact will never fade in the lives he touched."
And if you'd like to help those affected by the flooding in Texas, you can go to cnn.com/impact. There you can find resources for donations and you'll be connected to charities that are on the ground there right now.
I want to thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. "Early Start" is next with M.J. Lee in Washington.
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