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Judge Blocks Indiscriminate Immigration Stops In SoCal; Lawmakers Tour Controversial Detention Facility In Florida Everglades; NYT: FEMA Didn't Answer Thousands Of Texas Flood Survivor Calls; Trump Announces New 30 Percent Tariffs Against Mexico, European Union; Both Sides Trade Blames As Talks On Possible Gaza Ceasefire Stall; Medics: Israeli Strike Kills Children Waiting At Gaza Health Center; Iga Swiatek Wins Her First Wimbledon Singles. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired July 12, 2025 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: A new CNN original series goes inside the notorious billionaire boys club of the 1980s. On the surface, it was a social and investment club, but in reality, it was filled with greed, fraud and even murder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARRATOR: There was a huge fuss on the other side of the restaurant, and it was the guys from the BBC.

They were young, they were dressed in suits that looked like they came out of the pages of "Vogue". They acted like $100 bills with napkins. It didn't matter the rich and famous were there. It was all about these guys.

[16:00:03]

They really seemed to have it together. No one knew at the time about the dark underbelly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Their shocking story of the "Billionaire Boys Club" premieres tomorrow, 10:00 p.m., right here on CNN.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

The CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jessica Dean next.

(MUSIC)

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean here in New York.

A federal judge has ruled Homeland Security must stop, quote, roving patrols that indiscriminately sweep up people without probable cause. The ruling is a legal blow to the Trump administration. But here's the thing. It is limited to the judge's jurisdiction in the Los Angeles area. Now, that area has become a flashpoint in Trump's immigration

crackdown. The ruling also saying Homeland Security must stop detaining people without probable cause, and also says people who are detained must have the right to consult with a lawyer. Immigration raids sparked intense standoffs this week between protesters and law enforcement in the L.A. area.

Let's bring in CNN's Julia Benbrook.

Julia, what is the Trump administration saying in response to this ruling?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, just a little while ago, we heard directly from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. She had a press conference, one where her remarks were advertised using this wording. This is from her team directly. They said to expose the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.

And during that press conference, she said that her team would continue to work harder and faster when it comes to the Trump administrations large scale immigration crackdown. And she repeated a point that we hear often from members of this administration. She said that she believes that the president has a mandate to take these types of actions and said that being able to go forward, they'll be able to do more, in part due to some recent funding in that so-called one big, beautiful bill that recently passed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Now that the president's reconciliation bill, the Big, Beautiful Bill has passed, we also have more resources. We're going to come harder and faster, and we're going to take these criminals down with even more strength than we ever have before. We have the funding to put in the training, the resources, the salary and the support for our law enforcement officers that they've never had before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: This press conference comes after weeks of chaotic immigration raids in southern California, which, as you pointed out, has really become a flashpoint area when it comes to this issue. And it comes just a day after a judge granted a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit requiring federal authorities to find reasonable suspicion to make immigration arrests in Californias central district, which includes Los Angeles.

The federal judge found that the Department of Homeland Security had made stops and arrests without probable cause. And she ordered them to stop detaining individuals based solely on race, occupation or spoken language. Now, I did hear from a White House spokesperson responding to this order directly will pull up part of that statement for you now. They said, quote, no federal judge has the authority to dictate immigration policy. That authority rests with Congress and the president. Enforcement operations require careful planning and execution skills

far beyond the purview or jurisdiction of any judge. We expect this gross overstep of judicial authority to be corrected on appeal. So, we hear there they do intend to take further action on this -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Julia Benbrook in Washington, thanks so much for that.

Let's bring in defense attorney and former federal prosecutor Shan Wu.

Shan, thanks for being here on a Saturday afternoon.

I first just want to get your thoughts on this ruling. What does it mean practically?

SHAN WU, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Practically speaking, it means that they need to not act so recklessly. And it serves as a safeguard against those sorts of really unconstitutional, illegal things, such as targeting people on the basis of their language or their appearance.

It also means practically, they'll need to be prepared. They have to do a little bit of homework to actually show why they are detaining people. I might just add that, you know, if all these allegations were true, that all these people were, the majority of them are dangerous criminals, the probable cause really shouldn't be very hard to gather in those instances. So if they're fussing about having to gather that kind of cast, some questions on what kind of basis they're really using.

DEAN: I want to listen to what acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told Fox News earlier today. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD LYONS, ACTING ICE DIRECTOR: ICE has always conducted good criminal and intelligence based targeted enforcement.

[16:05:04]

And we will continue to do that. We're pretty confident that when the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security appeals this, we will win. But this is just another attempt to stop President Trump from making America safe again and stopping what the American people want. ICE goes out there every day and does a lawful law enforcement mission.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: So, Shan, we know the Trump administration is going to appeal. That was -- he made some arguments there about maybe what they might be saying.

Obviously, the White House statement saying there's careful planning and execution that goes into these arrests and that -- that's something a judge would never understand and that they don't have any -- any jurisdiction here. Do you think that they have a case to be made on appeal?

WU: Probably not. But they should have nothing to fear. If it's really true that they have all this careful planning that goes into their raids, their detentions, et cetera. The point they're trying to make the White House, as well as the acting director there about the federal judge, has no business talking about immigration policy. He's right. But the judge isn't weighing in on immigration policy. He's weighing in on the law. He heard the judge. And that's exactly what the judge should do.

So they're trying to blur that either through ignorance or through some deliberate obfuscation there. It's not a question of the judge interfering with policy. It's a question of the judge interfering with lawless actions. That's what the courts are supposed to look at.

DEAN: And look, the order states, as you noted, there must be probable cause to detain someone. Also, that these individuals have to have access to an attorney. I'm curious if you are here illegally, how might those rights -- do people still have those rights no matter what? Or is it different when we're talking about immigration enforcement?

How does the law pertain to them if they are here illegally?

WU: So even -- well, of course, there's a little bit of a chicken and egg question there. You have to first ascertain if they're here illegally. And that determination itself is part of the process normally where you'd have them have a lawyer. They need to find out what the status is. They may have arguments to make. The government may say those are bogus arguments.

That's really the threshold step we're missing to begin with is the Trump administration just wants to declare people here illegally with no test of that evidence, assuming they had access to a lawyer, then there can be an evidence based process for that.

And absolutely. I mean, if they are in the normal system, they would have a right to a lawyer. And that's basically part of the problem here. I mean, to really drill down in the weeds, there are certain types of immigration procedures where it could be done on a very expedited removal basis. If the person has only been here an X amount of time.

But the broad question here, I would say, applies to the majority of people being caught up here, is this question of who what kind of determination is even made that they're being legitimately caught up. And for that they have to have access to lawyers. Judges have to be able to look at that, whether its immigration judges or other federal court judges.

DEAN: Something else that caught my attention was that this ruling was specific to just the area that the judge is responsible for. It was -- it was limited in its scope. Earlier this week, we saw this birthright citizenship ruling. And that applied to, again, a very -- a very specific group of people, babies born after X date. This comes after the Supreme Court ruled to curb the lower courts power. So, it would seem to me that they are trying to follow that in these rulings. Is that what you're gathering as well?

WU: Oh, absolutely, and that's the maze, you know, crazy quilt pattern that the Supreme Court is bringing upon the country is fine. So, the judges, the federal district court judges are certainly going to obey this rule that says, okay, you can't do nationwide injunctions then -- and but they will continue to decide the cases that come before them. So, you just have a lot more cases that need to be brought.

On the one hand, that may not be good for certain types of defendants, plaintiffs. It's a little bit harder for them to get access to law, be easier if there's a uniform law imposed early. On the other hand, it's also a whole lot more work for the government having to defend all these individual types of cases across the country and really, from the Supreme Court standpoint, again, it's quite puzzling. You see this in some of the dissents, but what is their big rush? I mean, they can allow the courts of appeals to weigh in on these questions rather than jumping in to try to decide this.

To me, there was no real emergency for them to overuse the emergency docket. But unquestionably, the lower court judges are following that order. They only decide what's before them. They won't expand it against what the court said, which is they won't make nationwide injunctions.

[16:10:03]

DEAN: All right. Shan Wu, always great to have you. Thanks for your time.

WU: Good to see you.

DEAN: You, too.

Let's go to Florida now. And for the first time, a group of lawmakers toured the immigration detention center there known as Alligator Alcatraz. You'll remember last week, several Democratic lawmakers were denied entry when they tried to visit. Immigration rights groups have alleged inhumane conditions at the detention center. That is something that state officials there in Florida have denied.

CNN's Rafael Romo is joining us now with more on this.

And, Rafael, these lawmakers now getting out of this visit, talking about what they saw, what are you hearing from them?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Jessica, there's a huge difference when it comes to what Democrats are saying about it as compared to Republicans. As you would expect, the state of Florida agreed to allow a group of lawmakers at the state and federal level to tour the facility, dubbed Alligator Alcatraz. This happened after earlier this month, a group of state legislators was denied entry.

After touring the detention for migrants in the middle of the Everglades, Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat, called it, quote, an internment camp. Surrounded by other Democratic state and federal elected officials, Schultz also said that temperature was 85 degrees in the medical intake area, that there is no privacy in the shower area, and that detainees are fed food portions that are, in her opinion, smaller than they should be.

Congressman Wasserman Schultz also said she's concerned about the amount of people being held in every holding unit. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): The only thing inside those cages are the bunk -- they're bunk beds. And there are three tiny toilets that are toilet units that have a sink attached to it. So, they essentially drink -- they get their drinking water and they brush their teeth where they poop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And, Jessica, on Thursday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said people need to remember that Alligator Alcatraz is not a hotel. DeSantis also said that all the standards are a lot higher than what was even required. A Republican Florida state senator who also toured the facility earlier today, agrees with the governor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLAISE INGOGLIA (R), FLORIDA STATE SENATE: The rhetoric does not match the reality from what you guys have been hearing from, I would say Democrats, especially congressional Democrats, it's actually a very well facility. The idea that the detainees are in there and they're in squalid conditions is just not accurate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Jessica, earlier this week, I spoke with the Guatemalan woman whose husband is detained at Alligator Alcatraz. Among other things, she told me her husband is enduring mosquitoes, unbearable heat and humidity, insufficient washing facilities, hard beds and bad food. She also told me her husband was only able to take one shower in a six-day period, and that he was not -- he has not had access to an attorney so far -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Rafael Romo, thanks for that.

And still to come, how FEMA is responding to new reports about a slowed response to the devastating flooding in Texas.

Plus, President Trump is adding more countries to the list of nations about to get hit with even higher tariffs in just a few weeks. This time, taking aim at one of America's closest neighbors and top trading partners.

Also, why teams sent to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza, say the talks are now stalling.

All of this when we come back. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:17:51]

DEAN: The acting head of FEMA made his first visit to Kerrville, Texas, today after the devastating floods that left at least 129 people dead. More than 150 people remain missing. It comes as central Texas is facing new threats of flash flooding from storms this weekend, and as search crews scour the area for those still missing.

There's also some new reporting from "The New York Times" that says documents show FEMA did not answer thousands of calls from flood survivors. According to their reporting, the agency struggled to answer calls in a timely manner because it had fired hundreds of contractors at the call centers. "The Times" also reports FEMA faced similar challenges after Hurricanes Helene and Milton last year.

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones is joining us now from Kerrville, Texas.

Julia, there are more and more questions about the FEMA response in the immediate aftermath of the flooding. What more are you learning today?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, we tried to learn more from FEMA's acting administrator, David Richardson. He was here. We're at a FEMA disaster response center.

This is where people are coming to file for that paperwork. That very needed assistance for everything that their insurance won't help them cover. He did not answer any questions when we posed that very reporting from "The New York Times" to him. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS JONES: Can I just ask you a couple questions about this "New York Times" reporting about FEMA, not answering some of the calls? Two thirds of the calls in the first two days. Do you have any comment on that, sir? Would you like to say anything else?

DAVID RICHARDSON, FEMA ACTING ADMINISTRATOR: How long is it back to the EOC?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think.

RICHARDSON: Ten minutes?

VARGAS JONES: All right. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS JONES: And, Jessica, this is the first time that we've seen this administrator here in Kerrville since, you know, we've had the president come. We had the secretary -- DHS Secretary Kristi Noem visit on Friday, but this is the first time that we're seeing him. He did go inside and had meetings with local officials here. Now, this reporting from "The New York Times" is also specifically

tying that delay in the response to the calls to contracts that were not renewed, that had expired on July 5th and only four days later were they renewed.

[16:20:05]

And then that response started to trickle back down.

Now, I do want to read to you a response from a DHS spokesperson about that to "The New York Times". They said, quote, when a natural disaster strikes, phone calls surge, and wait times can subsequently increase. Despite this unexpected influx, FEMA's disaster call center responded to every caller swiftly and efficiently, ensuring that no one was left without assistance.

We also did learn this week, Jessica, that Kerr County officials had submitted months ago a 200-plus page report to FEMA in which they specifically warned of the dangers of something like this. They said that it could be an -- the county could experience a flood event in the next year, and that this was a hazard mitigation report. And they said that this could be likely. This kind of event could be that was months ago, Jessica.

Just goes to show how people were very much aware of the risks of this kind of event in this part of central Texas.

DEAN: All right. Julia Vargas Jones there in Kerrville, thank you so much for that.

President Trump threatening to hit Mexico and the European union with a 30 percent tariff, upping the pressure to make a trade deal. Will it work?

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:25:26]

DEAN: President Trump says he's planning to place a 30 percent tariff on goods from Mexico and the European Union. He made that announcement in letters to their respective leaders. This is just days after he threatened Canada with a 35 percent tariff, and all of it set to take effect August 1st.

Let's go now to CNN's Betsy Klein at the White House. Or, sorry, rather, in New Jersey, traveling with the president.

Betsy, what more do we know about these tariff threats and the thinking behind them?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, I think it's the White House's hope, Jessica, that these letters serve as an accelerant for negotiations that have largely stalled across the globe. And we are here because that 90-day deadline, a deadline that the president implemented back in April to give these negotiations with other trading partners, a time to form deals, really has expired this week.

And the president now extending that deadline to August 1st. But he is sending a new round of aggressive tariffs in letters to world leaders across the globe, including today, Mexico and the European Union. Those 30 percent tariffs that will go into effect on August 1st, if a better deal is not reached. Now, in that letter to Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum, the president said that Mexico wasn't doing enough to secure the border and that he hoped that Mexican businesses would bring their manufacturing to the U.S., saying similar to the European Union.

But these are major U.S. trading partners. I just want to point to you, U.S., Mexico trade is $840 billion last year. U.S. European Union trade close to $1 trillion last year.

But we just heard from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. And as the White House negotiated, they really failed to close a number of these deals, except two one with the United Kingdom and another with Vietnam, the details of which have not been fully sorted out yet. But Bessent said in a post to social media just moments ago, quote, the U.K. trade team smartly secured an early deal.

He goes on to say let this be a lesson to other countries -- earnest, good faith negotiations can produce powerful results that benefit both sides of the table.

But all of this, Jessica, contributing to so much mounting uncertainty for businesses and consumers and investors alike leading up to that August 1st deadline. The race here to negotiate some deals and also injecting more uncertainty into what has otherwise been a relatively stable period for the U.S. economy. Inflation is cooling. There have been some strong jobs reports, unemployment at about 4.1 percent.

U.S. stocks also at all-time highs. So, we'll be seeing how the White House navigates this in the weeks ahead, Jessica.

DEAN: Indeed. All right, Betsy Klein for us, thank you so much.

I want to bring in CNN global economic analyst Rana Foroohar, who's joining us now to talk more about this. She's also a global business columnist and associate editor at "The Financial Times".

Thanks so much for being here with us.

The E.U. has threatened countermeasures here. How significant could that impact be, and how would you assess where we are in this back and forth as they try to sort out a deal?

RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: So, thanks. To that first question, significant, for sure.

If you think about what comes from Europe, automotives, electronics, washing machines, luxury goods, fashion, food -- there's a lot of imports coming from the E.U. In terms of where we are -- you know, I think that Brussels is getting very, very tired of the back and forth. You know, you're starting to see the E.U. negotiating not just with the U.S. but with other trading partners. I sense that there is a kind of an exhaustion, frankly, with the back and forth of Trump tariffs.

And so, I wouldn't be surprised if things go down to the wire and you and you do hear certainly threats of countermeasures. We'll see if we get there.

DEAN: Yeah. And you know, it's interesting markets were at first quite reactive to Trump's tariff threats back. I'm thinking back to the spring when we saw that dramatic dip. We're looking at it there in the middle of our screen right now. At this moment in time, as Betsy just noted, it is kind of relative calm, both in the markets but also kind of across the economy.

How -- what do you think is happening, and do you think just specifically to the stock market, that they're just kind of factoring in this back and forth at this point?

FOROOHAR: So, there's two or three reasons why markets are still up. And I have been amazed, frankly, that they haven't broken yet. But as my "FT" colleague Rob Armstrong said, you know, there's the TACO trade, Trump always chickens out. So, this, you know, the idea that Trump is going to pull back at some point on tariffs and August will come and go and will be pretty much where we are now.

[16:30:16]

There's also, though, a couple of other real fundamental business drivers. The A.I. story -- the tech story. That's been keeping stocks very, very hot in the U.S. A lot of big companies are here. As long as there is a perception that A.I. will pay off, I think that you will -- you'll see stocks, at least in the S&P, which is driven by tech staying high.

Earnings are also pretty good. And in fact, some companies have been revising earnings upward. So, there's just no question that we still, against all odds, have a pretty good economy. And so, I think stocks are reflecting that.

DEAN: It's interesting too because I think for -- there was so much uncertainty going -- from the spring going into the summer about what might happen, when tariffs would go into effect, what that might mean for the consumer, what that might mean for the economy. I know you -- I hear -- I hear you when you say you're kind of surprised the stock market hasn't broken yet and you explained why that is. Are you surprised at kind of the greater numbers that we're seeing and just kind of the broader economic picture right now?

FOROOHAR: I am surprised. But, you know, as I've been talking to folks about this, I think one of the things that's happening is that businesses, particularly large businesses in the U.S., have really, really invested in their supply chains. You know, between COVID, war in Ukraine, you know, blockages in Gaza. It's really something that companies are taking seriously.

And I think that we're beginning to actually see the payoff of that where, you know, they've got a lot of productivity-enhancing investment that's going in in the last couple of years. And they're able to weather a lot. It's kind of amazing. And the U.S. companies in particular.

DEAN: Wow. I also want to ask you about what's happening with the Fed chair, Jerome Powell.

FOROOHAR: Yes.

DEAN: Of course, his term is set to expire in May next year. Trump has said he won't fire him, but there have certainly been stories with names for successors floated. The White House has ramped up its attacks, the president ramping up his attacks against him while he's still the sitting Fed chair. Why does that matter? And what are the dynamics here?

FOROOHAR: OK. So, this is a really important issue because when I'm out talking to global business people, they're willing to put up with a lot. They're willing to put up with tariff threats, you know, with the possibility of a cyclical recession, if it were to come. What they are not willing to put up with, and I think you would see a big exodus if this happened, is a sense that the Fed is no longer apolitical, that the fed is somehow being bullied by the White House.

If you were to see Jerome Powell removed by force, if you were to see, you know, a sense that you don't have an independent Fed anymore, capital would leave the U.S., investors would leave the U.S. and so, that's why it matters so much. Investors don't even like to see Trump nibbling at the edges of this, let alone pushing hard. It's a big issue.

DEAN: It is. It is really interesting too. And I wonder what kind of their threshold is beyond if he was removed by force, which again, Trump has said he's not going to do, but he certainly talking about it a lot and attacking Jerome Powell.

FOROOHAR: Yes.

DEAN: Do they have an appetite for that either?

FOROOHAR: Well, you know, I think that's a slower burn issue. And frankly, you've been seeing since Trump won foreign capital leaving the U.S. You see just a little at a time, every time we do a treasury bond auction, there's a -- just a little bit fewer foreign investors. There's a sense that, look, we want to diversify. We want to not be so exposed to this political risk that we didn't use to have in the U.S., and now we do. And I expect that to continue over months and years going forward, particularly if the behavior stays the same on the part of the president.

DEAN: All right. Rana, thank you so much. Always good to see you.

FOROOHAR: Thank you.

DEAN: After days of optimism coming from U.S. and Israeli officials, negotiations to end the war in Gaza appear to be on the brink of collapse once again. We're going to talk about the sticking points that has -- that have ground these talks to a halt.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:38:59]

DEAN: Talks over a potential ceasefire in Gaza appeared to have stalled. An Israeli political source today telling CNN Hamas has rejected a proposal put forth by Qatar, which would include the release of hostages. However, a senior Hamas official is accusing Israel of hindering the talks by "Adding new conditions each time."

We're joined now by former State Department Middle East negotiator Aaron David Miller. Aaron, good to see you. Here we are again. Another two steps forward, two steps back kind of situation here.

All sides indicating talks have stalled. Is that kind of your assessment of the situation so far?

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: It is. Although I still think a deal is possible, Jessica. I think the broader point, which I think is elemental to understand what's going on here, is the mutual irreconcilability of the end games between the Netanyahu government on one hand and Hamas on the other. That is why over the last 18 months, what you've seen are incremental exchanges. No trust, no confidence, obviously, between Israel and Hamas.

[16:40:01]

But they're -- the -- their end states, what they want from out of one another, from one another, what they want to do to one another are mutually irreconcilable. And the closer you get to Hamas having only now what, 50 hostages, an estimated 20 living, and the remainder are no longer alive, you get down to the -- to the rawness and the bone of this. Hamas wants to survive. The Israelis want to ensure that its presence in Gaza, both militarily and from a political view -- point of view, no longer exists.

And that's why the Israelis in this case, want to remain in parts of Gaza where they can continue to push Palestinian majority -- Palestinian civilians so they have a better chance of getting at the residual remainder of Hamas forces. And Hamas, on the other hand, wants guarantees of an end to the war and a withdrawal of Israeli forces. So, even if you got another limited deal, you still face that galactically difficult problem of how the war in Gaza is going to end. And frankly, I think it's likely that there will be no definitive or formal end to this. Hamas is going to survive, and the Israelis will continue to preempt and prevent what's to become of the hostages and the majority of long-suffering Palestinian population is right now an open question.

DEAN: Yes. And -- I mean, as I'm hearing you describe this -- and this has been the issue, you know, for a very long time now, you were a negotiator. It seems so undoable to reconcile those two things.

MILLER: I mean, I think it is, which is why what we've seen is incremental interim deals. And look, based on my experience, it doesn't take a brilliant analyst to make this conclusion. Middle East doesn't often offer up Hollywood endings to anything. And the reality is, we're not going to get a black or white ending out of this. We're not going to get a Hollywood ending.

It may well be that you -- I could foresee a situation in which the hostages are returned, and the Israelis make a commitment to withdraw to a buffer zone. But Hamas will not agree to self-destruct, and the Israelis right now don't have the military or the political clout to basically obliterate the organization. And that's why if you had different leaders, certainly that's the case in Israel and among Palestinians, you could begin to think about a more rational ending, Palestinian governance, better security, bringing Arab states in to help even a Palestinian police force.

But right now, that would require leaders who are willing to risk, and who care more about the future of their respective peoples than keeping their own seats. And that's the -- that's the basic problem, I think, that we confront here. Without leaders, we're not going to solve this problem.

DEAN: Speaking of leaders, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington for several days this past week. A lot of people said this was a pretty critical week, and it was going to be important to see and indicative to see what came out of it. How would you categorize this week and what came out of it?

MILLER: I know -- I think, frankly, there were a lot of expectations. The announcement of the possibility of Israeli-Syrian negotiations on some sort of interim or security arrangement between the Israeli government. We know that there are ongoing Israeli-Syrian contacts, which is really quite remarkable. That wasn't announced. That didn't happen. We didn't get a ceasefire. As you pointed out, there's an impasse in the negotiations.

I think this, frankly, was a lot about politics. Mr. Netanyahu came for a victory lap. I think he got it. He got an enormous amount of margin for maneuver from the president, who still hasn't made a judgment or determination as to how much pressure he's prepared to put on Israel to change their negotiating position. So, again, I think politics unfortunately informs the situation in a way that doesn't redound to the security and safety of either the hostages and the long-suffering two million Palestinians in Gaza, which face every single day not only deaths and injuries as a consequence of Israeli military activity, but a building humanitarian catastrophe.

DEAN: All right. Aaron David Miller, always good to see you. Thanks.

MILLER: Thank you. Jessica.

DEAN: And while talks on a possible ceasefire were happening this week, Israeli strikes on Gaza have continued. At least 15 people were killed while gathered outside a health center, according to medical staff and Gaza officials. And among them, eight children. The youngest, just two years old.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has this story. But we do want to warn you that this does contain very graphic and disturbing images.

[16:45:15] (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM REPORTER (voiceover): Children's screams pierced through the smoke-filled air in central Gaza. But screams alone cannot prepare you for the scale of the carnage unleashed by this Israeli airstrike. This street is filled with the bodies of dead and injured children whose bodies are quickly loaded onto donkey carts. And then there are those barely clinging to life, like this woman splayed on the ground.

They took my daughter, she says. Her daughter's fate has already been sealed in her bloodstained white dress. 4-year-old Aya is one of eight children killed in this strike. Aya and her mother were among several families waiting to enter a health clinic run by Project Hope, an American nonprofit whose operations were known to the Israeli military. In her white dress, Aya is impossible to miss.

Minutes later, two men walk by the clinic, and then an explosion fills the air. That smoke is soon replaced by an outpouring of grief. Not my sister. No, not my sister. This boy cries.

The Israeli military said it "Regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and is reviewing the incident." It said it was targeting a Hamas militant who infiltrated Israel during the October 7th attacks but declined to provide his name. These four children, killed in the targeting of a single militant do have names. Amir, Muhammad, Yasmin and Aya, still in her bloodstained dress. Mohammad, wearing a makeshift plastic diaper, is a testament to the desperate circumstances that brought his family to that clinic amid shortages of diapers and baby formula.

Speak to me, Amir's father pleads, hugging his son's lifeless body. His brother Nidal joins him in mourning, but he hasn't just lost a nephew. His 14-year-old daughter, Soma, was also killed.

What happened is indescribable. It's a massacre. It's genocide. It's a crime against children, Nidal says. My daughter woke up with a headache and went to get checked at the clinic. Suddenly, we heard the sound and came running to see all the children dead.

Soma's twin sister is inconsolable. Please wake her up. She is lying. I know her. I swear she's lying. As one sister mourns another, a father pleads for it all to end.

Soma is gone and the war is still ongoing, Nidal says. May the war be gone with Soma. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: All right. Jeremy, thank you. And we'll be right back.

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[16:53:00]

DEAN: Iga Swiatek has beaten American Amanda Anisimova in the Women's Wimbledon final. It was a dominating 6-0, 6-0 win, and it marks the first time in the open era that a women's player has won the final without losing a game, and the first time overall since 1911. CNN's Don Riddell is joining us now.

This is Swiatek's first Wimbledon title, but she's no stranger to major championships. What is today's Wednesday about her game and where she's going?

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, Jessica. Well, it says she is absolutely back. I mean, she kind of went off the boil a little bit recently. But she's a former world number one. She'd already won five major titles, but she hadn't done it on grass. And it was considered to be her weakest surface.

But she apparently has absolutely mastered it now, because this was an exceptional performance. It was really, really hard to watch Anisimova crumble in this environment. She'd done so well to get into this position. She beat the world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinal, but she was absolutely destroyed by Sabalenka -- sorry, by Swiatek here. And so, that was that.

But take nothing away from Swiatek. She's had an incredible tournament. This is a fabulous win for her. It's her sixth Major title, as I say, her first on grass. And who knows what she is now capable of? Have a listen to what she said afterwards.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IGA SWIATEK, SIX-TIME MAJOR CHAMPION: Honestly, I didn't even dream because for me it was just like way too far, you know. I never really expected this one. So, I want to thank my team because I feel like they believed in me more than I did.

And I want to thank my coach, who joined this year. And obviously, with ups and downs right now, we showed everybody that it's working. So -- also to the team that has been with me for many years. I would be nowhere without you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: All right. OK. That was -- yes, really amazing. What about the Men's Final tomorrow? What are you tracking for that?

[16:55:05]

RIDDELL: Can't wait for the Men's final. It's going to be between the top two men at the moment. The world number one Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the world number two. Alcaraz is going for a third straight Wimbledon title. Sinner has never played in this final before.

But these two are absolutely ruling the Men's game at the moment. They've won the last six majors between them. And you may remember in the French Open Final five weeks ago, the two of them delivered one of the greatest finals of all time. On that occasion, Sinner was up two sets. He had three championship points. Somehow, Alcaraz was able to turn it around and win that. So, I think we are in for another treat tomorrow. I really can't wait for that, Jessica.

DEAN: All right, more to come. Don, always good to see you. Thanks so much.

And a quick programing note for you. CNN is exploring the story of the Billionaire Boys Club with a new original series. You'll find out how the 1980s social investment group ended with schemes of greed, fraud, even murder. It's tomorrow night at 10:00 Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN.

Straight ahead. We are talking with the former head of FEMA about the way the agency is handling the flooding in Texas and decisions made in years past that might have put people in more danger. You're in the CNN Newsroom.

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