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Benjamin Netanyahu: "Broad Peace" In Middle East Possible Through Donald Trump; Donald Trump Pushes "Reciprocal" Tariff Deadline To August 1; Death Toll From Catastrophic Texas Flood Rises To 104; Russian Transport Ministers Dies After Being Fired By Vladimir Putin; Death Toll From Catastrophic Texas Flood Rises to 104, Search and Rescue Ongoing. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired July 08, 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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[02:00:31]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world, and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, Donald Trump hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, hoping to move the Gaza cease fire negotiations forward.

U.S. markets tap the brakes as President Trump threatens Japan and South Korea with 25 percent tariffs after extending the pause on his so called reciprocal tariffs.

And more rain is forecast for Central Texas as rescuers frantically search for two dozen people still missing from the weekend floods.

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

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Well, after months of halting progress and Israel's escalating bombardment of Gaza, momentum seems to be building toward a cease fire following the latest meeting between the Israeli Prime Minister and President Trump. Another possible sign of progress, Trump's special envoy will join the negotiations between Israeli officials and Hamas in Qatar this week. Our Kristen Holmes has the latest from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Trump and Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, answered questions from reporters at the start of a dinner that they were having behind closed doors. President Trump said that he was looking for a cease fire deal in Gaza, and Netanyahu said that underneath Trump's leadership, he believed there could be broad peace between Israel and the rest of the Middle East. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I think Palestinians should have all the powers to govern themselves, but none of the powers should threaten us. That means that certain powers, like overall security, will always remain in our hands.

We want life, we cherish life for ourselves, for our neighbors, and I think we can work out a peace between us and the entire Middle East with President Trump's leadership. And by working together, I think we can establish a very, very broad peace that will include all our neighbors.

HOLMES: And now one thing to note is that some White House officials had hoped that there would actually be a cease fire deal on Gaza before this meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today, that of course, deadline has come and gone.

However, as we know and have reported, Hamas has responded positively to the proposal that was agreed upon by the U.S. and Israel. So, still waiting to see what the next steps are there.

Now, the other point that they had discussed during this dinner when they were taking questions was the next step in negotiating conversations on a nuclear deal with Iran. President Trump saying that he was originally skeptical about sitting down with them again, particularly because the United States had bombed those nuclear facilities, but adding that Iran had requested these meetings.

No details yet on what those meetings are actually going to look like or when they're going to take place. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was also sitting there in the dinner and just noted that they were going to be happening quickly and in a very short amount of time.

Kristen, Holmes, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Joining us live from Tel Aviv is Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli Consul General of New York. Appreciate you being with us.

ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL OF NEW YORK: Thank you, Rosemary. Good morning. Always good.

CHURCH: So, as these renewed negotiations continue in Doha, Qatar, we are learning that President Trump's special envoy will join those talks this week. How likely is it that the cease fire and hostage release deal between Hamas and Israel is as close to being achieved as the U.S. president appears to think it is?

PINKAS: Well, I'll divide the answer to two, Rosemary. In terms of being close to a -- to a cease fire, based on the draft that people know by now, a 60-day cease fire, during which negotiations will be held about the future, a partial exchange of hostages, Israeli hostages, for Palestinian prisoners, I think the likelihood has increased.

And the president, as you pointed to, by saying that he expects this to happen sooner rather than later, is essentially putting pressure, at least on Israel, at least on his guest, Mr. Netanyahu.

And so, I think the chances of that happening have increased. But there is a second part, a more important part, and that is how durable is this?

[02:05:04]

Because, you know, we're talking about a cease fire, which everyone should be welcoming and being happy and looking forward to. But this is a partial deal. There was no reason in the world, Rosemary, not to strike a big deal to end the war, give back all the hostages, release all the prisoners, according to the agreement and that's that.

And that leads me to suspect that the durability of the deal is questionable. There are so many questions that remain on the details, will Israel withdraw? Yes, no, by how much during that those 60 days? Probably not. Who will be in charge of humanitarian aid? How do you -- did the U.S. and what kind of assurances did the U.S. provide the Hamas, which demanded those assurances that the cease fire would last the entire 60-day -- a 60-day period and beyond.

And as for the beyond, the so called post war plan, that calls for a permanent cease fire. Parallel to that, the Israeli government is now officially talking about adopting a plan. The details are sketchy and murky at this point of relocating the entire 2.3 million people population of the Gaza Strip to a southern -- to the southern part of the Gaza Strip to a so called humanitarian city. I don't understand how that is consistent with a permanent cease fire.

CHURCH: And you have often said that Prime Minister Netanyahu sabotaged previous cease fire deals to keep the war going in order to stay in power and avoid his legal woes. So, how is it different this time?

PINKAS: It's not. It's not, which is why this is a partial deal. You just put your finger on the -- you know, the biggest issue on the table, and that is, will Israel -- look, this agreement, assuming it is signed, is very similar, almost identical, to the deal that was in place in January and lasted for 58 days, almost 60 days. It lasted for 60 days, and then Israel violated it for whatever reasons. We're not going to get it. We're not going to relitigate that right now, but Israel violated it on March 18th. There's no reason to think that it won't happen again.

And this, Rosemary, this goes to the very heart of the differences between the sides on what constitutes, what defines victory. For Israel, it was the annihilation, evisceration. Evisceration, I'm sorry, obliteration of Hamas in Gaza. That hasn't happened.

I mean, yes, Gaza is decimated. Yes, Hamas has been degraded. Yes, the war has been devastating for almost 21 -- for 21 months plus, but Hamas is still there.

And as for Hamas, their definition of victory is to be negotiated with, which is exactly what's happening. So, these inconsistencies lead me to think that Mr. Netanyahu, for the reasons you just mentioned, at some point in the next 60 days is going to violate or breach the cease fire on the grounds of Hamas hasn't kept its side of the bargain, which is why I'm optimistic about the likelihood of a deal being struck. I'm much less optimistic of how sturdy and durable that deal would prove to be.

CHURCH: Now, of course, one of the sticking points in these negotiations has been the issue of what a post war Gaza would look like, and who would control the Enclave during and after a cease fire. How will that issue likely be resolved, and what happens after the 60 day cease fire in terms of making this a more permanent end to the war? Because that is what President Trump wants to see. He's not going to be happy if Prime Minister Netanyahu doesn't get on board with this.

PINKAS: You're absolutely right, and there's a good chance, although I don't know. I'm speculating here with you this morning.

There is a good chance, Rosemary, that President Trump gave Mr. Netanyahu, you know, a piece of his mind when they met privately in four eyes. There's a very good chance that he said to him, listen, I promise to end this war during the transition period. I said it again in February. It's really nice of you to sign a letter recommending me to the Nobel Prize which, which Mr. Netanyahu presented to him.

But I don't see this war ending, and you can end it. And I'm asking you to end it. When you asked me, you Prime Minister Netanyahu, when you asked me to come to your assistance and attack with B-2 bombers and GBU-57 bunker buster, busting bombs, three nuclear sites in Iran, I did that. Now I'm asking you to end the war. This could happen.

[02:10:00]

Now, as for the post war, to the best of my knowledge, the plan that is on the table is a plan that was formulated or crafted primarily by the United Arab Emirates. The Emiratis put a plan that calls for an extended cease fire leading to a permanent cease fire in which or during which an inter-Arab force that includes Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the Palestinian Authority basically take over Gaza, working with Europeans and Americans on subcontracting the humanitarian aid in the -- in the vast reconstruction, I don't grasp reconstruction effort. I don't see Israel agreeing to that, because that essentially means that Israel needs to withdraw entirely from the Gaza Strip, and that inevitably is going to lead to pressures on Israel to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority, which controls the West Bank, which is far bigger and are more populous than the Gaza Strip. Which is why this post -- this post war scenario is problematic.

CHURCH: We shall see what happens. Alon Pinkas in Tel Aviv. Many thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.

PINKAS: Thank you, Rosemary. Good morning.

CHURCH: The U.S. president announces punishing new tariffs and once again, pushes them back. The so called reciprocal tariffs due to take effect Wednesday now have a new deadline of August 1st. Donald Trump said they are "Firm, but not 100 percent firm." Indicating it's not too late for trade partners to negotiate.

He also sent out a wave of letters warning of new tariff rates of up to 40 percent if no deals are reached. The letters went out to major allies like Japan and South Korea, who will see their levies rise to 25 percent without new agreements. President Trump warned countries will see even higher tariff rates if they dare to retaliate.

The news caused Wall Street to take a dive on Monday, all three major indices ending sharply in the red. And here's a look at the U.S. Futures. You can see fairly positive there in certainly in positive territory. We'll see what happens in the hours ahead.

And CNN's Marc Stewart is following this live from Beijing. He joins us now. Good to see you, Mark.

So, Wall Street may have reacted negatively to President Trump's tariff threats on Monday, but that wasn't the case across Asia, was it? So, what's the latest on all of this?

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rosemary. It's good to see you. Look, sometimes markets defy expectations, defy what we would think to be common thinking, common sense. Despite these tariffs targeted toward two very strong American allies, Japan and South Korea, we're seeing a very strong trading day here in Asia.

If we look at the Asian markets, we're seeing gains on the KOSPI in South Korea, the Nikkei in Japan. If we look at Japan and South Korea in particular, these are two nations that make a lot of products that Americans depend on, of course, cars like Hyundai and Toyota.

But I'm thinking about things like flat screen T.V.s, washing machines, products whose expensive costs could impact American consumers, as well as some of the big companies here in Asia, yet we are seeing some gains, and that prompted me to ask an economist based in Hong Kong what's really happening here.

And the fact that President Trump perhaps opened the door to future negotiations is one reason why this economist felt that maybe we are seeing some gains and that and that these nations are choosing to approach this with more of a half glass full approach, as opposed to a glass half empty approach. Lots of minutia involved.

Also, we are hearing from some of the leaders of these different nations, including Japan. Many of these world leaders are going to have to have to use a lot of caution in how they approach these negotiations. Let's listen to the Japanese prime minister.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIGERU ISHIBA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): At the current time, there are some points on which the United States and Japan cannot reach agreement, still remaining and therefore no agreement has yet been made. This is because we as the Government of Japan have avoided making easy concessions, and have pursued robust talks, seeking what we ought to seek, and defending what we ought to defend. (END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: So, here's something that's interesting. Japan and South Korea, which are very strong American allies have failed to reach a trade agreement with the United States, yet China and the United States appear to have some agreement. A lot of the messaging that we are getting from Washington is very forward thinking. So, it shows, Rosemary, just how fragile and fickle this tariff process really is proving to be.

CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Marc Stewart joining us live with that report from Beijing. Appreciate it.

[02:15:03]

Well, now to Central Texas, where search and rescue teams are continuing efforts to find any survivors. Days after flash floods devastated parts of the region, at least 24 people are still missing, including 10 campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic, the all-girls camp that was devastated by floodwaters. The camp sits along the Guadalupe River, which rose rapidly early Friday morning before many young campers could escape. The camp has now confirmed that 27 of its campers and counselors were killed over the weekend.

Texas officials say 104 people have been killed in the disaster overall, some of the victims include twin 8-year-old girls, a high school soccer coach and his wife and a father who died while saving his family. The White House says U.S. President Donald Trump is planning to visit the disaster area possibly on Friday.

CNN's Marybel Gonzalez brings us the latest on the search for those still missing in Texas.

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MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As more time passes, hope turns to grief as families desperately search for loved ones who were lost in the floods.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had to swim through a window and hold on to the meter box outside of the house.

GONZALEZ (voice over): What started as rain early Friday morning quickly turned deadly in Central Texas as the Guadalupe River rose more than 20 feet in less than two hours, bursting its bank, sending water and debris smashing into homes and tearing down trees.

Federal and local agencies and volunteers are scouring areas by boat and air, looking for survivors, but with so much wreckage and more rain in the forecast, it's a challenging and dangerous task.

NICK SORTOR, UNITED CAJUN NAVY: As the water moves, the debris also, you know, sometimes it falls into the water, you got -- we have to worry about these snapped trees falling on top of rescuers.

GONZALEZ (voice over): More than 100 people have died, and about two dozen are still missing. These two brothers, Brock and Braden Davis, were attending camp in Hunt, one of the hardest hit areas when the floods struck.

BROCK DAVIS, FLOOD SURVIVOR: Our bed starting tipping over and like we got to the top really quick.

GONZALEZ (voice over): At the heart of this tragedy, Camp Mystic, a Christian girls camp where more than two dozen campers and counselors have been confirmed dead. The camp sits next to the Guadalupe River, making it hard for crews to rescue them.

SCOTT RUSKAN, U.S. COAST GUARD RESCUE SWIMMER: They were in need of air lift. There was no other way to get them out. Bridges were gone. Road ravers were gone, and the water was coming up too high for boat rescue.

GONZALEZ (voice over): In Kerrville, I'm Marybel Gonzalez.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, Russia's former Transport Minister found dead just hours after he was fired by Vladimir Putin, we will have the latest on the investigation, back in just a moment.

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[02:22:22]

CHURCH: Before Monday's dinner with the Israeli prime minister at the White House, President Trump told reporters he plans to send Additional defensive weapons to Ukraine, this despite an administration official announcing last week that the U.S. would be pausing weapons shipments following a review of military spending.

Mr. Trump admitted Russia has been hitting Ukraine hard, and said, "They have to be able to defend themselves."

Russian President Vladimir Putin fired his transport minister who turned up dead hours later. CNN's Matthew Chance has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, a Russian politician has been found dead with an apparent gunshot wound hours after he was unceremoniously fired by a presidential decree, according to Russian investigators, who said their main theory is suicide.

The former Transport Minister Roman Starovoit's body was recovered from his personal car outside of Moscow on Monday. The Kremlin gave no reason for the transport Minister's dismissal, but denied it was down to a lack of trust.

But it came amid a serious bout of disruption to air travel in Russia linked to the Ukrainian drone threat. Previously, Starovoit had been governor of Kursk, the Russian region where Ukrainian forces later staged a humiliating military incursion, and where he had been linked to security failures.

Matthew Chance, CNN, London.

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CHURCH: At least 11 people were killed and 500 arrested in the latest round of antigovernment protests in Kenya. Police clashed with protesters on the anniversary of a major pro-democracy rally. It comes after 16 people were killed during antigovernment protests in June and dozens were killed during anti-tax demonstrations last year.

CNN's Victoria Rubadiri explains what's behind the growing anger.

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VICTORIA RUBADIRI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Video shows police using tear gas and water cannons on demonstrators in Kenya, where protests turned violent.

The demonstrations marked the 35th anniversary of a pro-democracy rally known as Saba Saba. They come amid an ever growing anti- government resentment among young people in Kenya following an unpopular finance bill resented and later withdrawn by the government last year.

Protesters are outraged over corruption allegations, alleged police brutality and the recent death of a teacher in police custody.

[02:25:06]

RAILA ODINGA, FORMER KENYAN PRIME MINISTER: We have a rogue police force that shoots people with impunity. And this is a force that we inherited from the colonialists.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Kenya's National Police said in a statement each reported incident will be, "Subject to further investigation in accordance with the law."

And still to come, at least 28 children have died in the Texas floods in what's believed to be one of the deadliest disasters involving children in U.S. history. A closer look at the lives lost. That's just ahead.

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[02:30:08]

CHURCH: Search and rescue teams in Texas are refusing to give up hope in their efforts to find survivors of this weekend's catastrophic flash floods. Forecasters say some relief is on the way with storms winding down and drier conditions expected in the coming days. But, cleanup will be a daunting task for communities reeling from the tragedy. Texas officials say at least 104 people lost their lives in the disaster, at least 28 of the victims were children. CNN's Tom Foreman has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the wake of the rising Texas flood waters, the list of victims is growing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God. Oh my God.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Especially at Camp Mystic, where more than two dozen campers and counselors died. Lila Bonner was there enjoying the summer before third grade. Her parents wrote, we ache with all who loved her. They say she was killed with her cabin mate and best friend, Eloise Peck, Her family says she loved spaghetti, dogs and animals.

A vigil was quickly called for Linnie McCown and Mary Stevens, two elementary school-age victims from Austin, while elsewhere families are mourning Renee Smajstrla, Janie Hunt, and Hadley Hannah, who was enjoying her first year at the camp. Her mom said she was the most joyful, happy kid. Anna Margaret Bellows came from Houston. Sarah Marsh came from near Birmingham. And camp owner, Dick Eastland, came to the rescue as hundreds of campers were pulled to safety. His grandson says Eastland lost his life trying to reach more. Noting on Instagram, 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.

MAYOR JOE HERRING JR., KERRVILLE, TEXAS: I've lost two friends. We left them and they are gone.

FOREMAN (voice-over): The search for the flood victims is stretching over dozens of miles along rivers and creeks, through valleys and trees.

LOUIS AMESTOY, EDITOR & PUBLISHER, THE KERR COUNTY LEAD: You've seen the debris fields here. I mean, there's probably people possibly buried in some of those debris fields, and it's going to take a long time to get those folks out.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Anywhere anyone might be.

TONIA FUCCI, FLOOD WITNESS: You just want them to be found for the sakes of the families. But you know, it's not going to be a good ending.

FOREMAN (voice-over): It was not good for the Harbor family. Blair 13 and Brooke 11 disappeared along with their grandparents. The family says the girls were found holding hands in death. No word on the grandparents.

Jane Ragsdale was the owner of another nearby summer camp. It was empty, but she died there just the same.

GREG WHITE, FRIEND BILL HOUSTON MISSING IN FLOOD: The RV park was just gone. Everything, it was -- it's -- it's -- wasn't on this earth anymore.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Greg White's friend, Bill Houston is nowhere to be found. Although White says the body of Bill's dog, Sage, was discovered in the debris.

High school soccer coach, Reece Zunker and his wife Paula were swept away. Psychologist and College Professor Katheryn Eads too. And even as some campers have ridden away from the calamities, singing songs of faith, sad search for more victims goes on.

Tom Foreman, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And we'll be right back.

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[02:38:20]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. While the Turkish coastal town of Bodrum is renowned for its luxury resorts, but this may be the country's most exclusive. A stay at the Villa Macakizi will cost you up to $50,000 a night in peak season. CNN's Max Burnell has more.

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MAX BURNELL, CNN BUSINESS JOURNALIST (voice-over): This is Bodrum, ancient ruins, turquoise water and villas that are so exclusive, you need a GPS to find them.

ANDREW JACOBS, GENERAL MANAGER, VILLA MACAKIZI: The villa is very private. There's no real access by road. A lot of the people that stay here come on boats.

BURNELL (voice-over): This is Andrew Jacobs.

JACOBS: Oh, I hate the lift.

BURNELL (voice-over): The General Manager of the Villa Macakizi, which rents out for $50,000 a night in peak season.

JACOBS: Anybody here? Hello?

BURNELL (voice-over): It comes with 50 staff and Super Chef Carlo Bernardini.

JACOBS: Carlo is very good at doing parties down here. Very quickly, on a day in July, you know, 30 people can turn into 200, and we're ready for that. Whatever people want, whatever their wildest imagination, Carlo and his team here can really put that together and make it happen.

BURNELL (voice-over): Deep in the bowels of the villa, according to Andrew, is one of the best wine cellars in the country. JACOBS: Well, I can't really put a value on what's in here, but it's a lot. I've actually experienced where some guests were locked in here for a few hours, consuming a few bottles of wine.

[02:40:00]

BURNELL (voice-over): 10 bedrooms, a gym, private beach, and pool. It may be difficult to find, but that's villa life in Bodrum.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Looks pretty fine. Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Rosewood Church. "World Sport" is coming up next. Then, I'll be back at the top of the hour with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stick around.

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[02:45:00]

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