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President Trump Frustrated with Putin, to Send Patriot Missiles to Ukraine; President Trump Interested on Russia Sanctions; Rescue Operations in Central Texas Suspended, FEMA Under Intense Scrutiny; Two People Dead, Three Injured in a Shooting in a Church in Kentucky; Six Children Killed in IDF Strike in Gaza; President Trump Threatens Tariffs on E.U. and Mexico; Hispanic Businesses In U.S. Suffering Under Trump Policies; Muhammadu Buhari, Former Nigerian President, Dies At Age 82; Lasting Impact of Trump Assassination Attempt; Trump Rallies For Bondi Amid Republican Backlash Over Memo. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired July 14, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead, President Trump is getting ready for what he calls a major announcement on Russia as he voices more frustration with Vladimir Putin.

Killed while collecting water, several children in Gaza die in an Israeli airstrike as hopes for a ceasefire are now fading.

And is Donald Trump underestimating America's interest in the Jeffrey Epstein case? We will take a deep dive into the data.

Good to have you with us. U.S. President Donald Trump is lashing out at Vladimir Putin. He says he's very disappointed with the Russian president after Moscow hit Ukraine with escalating drone and missile attacks over the weekend.

President Trump is now teasing possible sanctions on Russia ahead of a major announcement that he's planning to make on Monday. That's in the coming hours. So U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal are pushing a bipartisan bill that they have introduced to slap sanctions on Moscow. They say it could be the sledgehammer President Trump needs to end the war.

The president is expected to meet with NATO's secretary general in Washington this week. That meeting comes just days after President Trump announced a deal with the alliance to send weapons to Ukraine, including Patriot missiles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I haven't agreed on the number yet, but they're going to have some because they do need protection. But the European Union is paying for it. We're not paying anything for it, but we will send it. It'll be business for us and we will send them Patriots, which they desperately need.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Kevin Liptak has more now from the White House.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: As President Trump promises this big announcement on Russia to come on Monday, he is also laying out a new plan to deliver defensive weapons systems to Ukraine, in particular, those Patriot missile batteries, which are so essential as Russia ups its onslaught of missiles and drones towards Ukraine.

The Patriot missile systems are the only devices that can intercept some of those Russian missiles. So they are absolutely essential to Ukraine's defense. A fact that President Trump reiterated on Sunday, saying that Ukraine will need these weapons and describing a new scheme whereby European countries will buy the Patriots from the United States and then transfer them to Ukraine.

It's a setup that will essentially insulate the president from criticism that he's going back on some of his campaign promises to pull back support for Ukraine. He says that these will be paid entirely by the Europeans and that the U.S. will benefit because they manufacture and sell these weapons to their allies in Europe. The president says he will be discussing this with the NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, who will be here in Washington this week.

This is all appears to be driven by the president's animus, growing animus, towards the Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The president again accusing Putin of duplicity, of saying one thing and then doing another. Listen to more of what the president said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I am very disappointed with President Putin. I thought he was somebody that meant what he said and he'll talk so beautifully and then he'll bomb people at night. We don't like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: So essentially that's a less profane version of what the president said last week when he accused Putin of peddling BS. He didn't use the word BS. He actually used the curse word of saying things on the phone and then turning around and doing exactly the opposite.

And so the question, of course, now is whether President Trump plans to apply new sanctions on Russia. He stopped short Sunday of saying that he would be willing to do that. But we did hear earlier in the day from the Republican and Democratic sponsors of a sanctions bill in the Senate saying that they were prepared to bring that up and they appeared confident that President Trump would eventually get on board. Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.

[17:04:57] CHURCH: Let's bring in Nina Khrushcheva, professor of international affairs at the New School and the great granddaughter of Nikita Khrushchev. She joins us now from New York. Appreciate you being with us.

NINA KHRUSHCHEVA, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, THE NEW SCHOOL: Thank you.

CHURCH: So President Donald Trump will make a major statement on Russia's war in Ukraine in the hours ahead. We don't know what he will say, of course, but reports suggest he'll announce additional sanctions on Moscow, along with a weapons plan for Kyiv. What do you think the U.S. president will say?

KHRUSHCHEVA: Well, probably what you just said. Certainly, it's going to be more weapons and it's interesting, once again, that Donald Trump basically, as he did from the beginning, saying this is not my war. Joe Biden started it. Europe will have to pay for it. Europe will pay for it because this is for his constituents who actually kind of believed or wanted to believe his promise, he's going to end this war.

So he's once again saying we are not going to be part of it. We're just going to supply weapons because our weapons are the most beautiful and the most wonderful and the grandiose weapons of the universe. So that's one part.

With sanctions, it's not exactly clear whether he's going to be on board as of yet, because this 500 percent that promised all economists are saying that this is detrimental not only to the Russian economy will be, but also to global economy and to American economy. And together with tariffs that can actually create problems, including the rising price of oil, which is also going to be felt in the United States.

So he may scream large, and that's how Russians look at it. That's how the Kremlin looks at it, is that Trump is a showman. He's going to scream large, but actually nothing from Trump will end up in actual deeds. And that's how they basically, they and the Kremlin, shrug it off and say, well, he's just a lot of bullshit himself.

CHURCH: So how do you think Russia is preparing for this major statement from the U.S. president, especially if it's much tougher sanctions along with a Ukraine weapons plan? And how will President Putin likely respond to all of this?

KHRUSHCHEVA: Well, he'll respond with more war, that's for sure. There's more bombs on Ukraine. And in fact, the Russians now are saying, and even in the newspapers it has been going on, is that, well, finally we got to what America usually is, which is to destroy Russia. And so now we're going to respond even more in kind.

So if they want to bring more war to Russia, because one of the conversations are the long-range missiles that are going to be sent into the Russian cities. So if they want that, fine. We're just going to, and Kyiv is a nice city, but, you know, our cities are nicer so we're just going to do that. So that idea that, I mean, Lindsey Graham, he's been going at it for,

I don't know, decades, that the more you press Russia, the likely it's going to surrender. Actually, it's an absolute opposite. The more you press Russia, the less it's going to surrender. So I believe that there is more pressure from the United States, Russia will respond with more war.

CHURCH: So Nina, what type of additional sanctions would actually make a difference? Because so far, the Russian economy has survived the Western sanctions. So what would it take to change that and really make a difference?

KHRUSHCHEVA: Well, it won't. That's the thing. I mean, Russian economy survived. It's obviously struggling somewhat, but not absolutely, not nearly as much as what's because it was supposed to be destroyed. Remember when Joe Biden said, well, Putin will learn the high price and he will get off.

I mean, the thing about the Russians is that any price not to be defeated is going to be paid. So somewhat it's going to get worse, but Putin is prepared for that. And also, this is not really -- I mean, we talk about militarized economy. It's not a military economy yet. So if he needs to, there was going to be a military economy. There's going to be all hands on deck.

And so that Russia can do it, has a large population, and now there's zero freedoms that people can protest against it, so that's going to be mobilized. And the question is how Europe is actually going to mobilize its population. Are they ready for war? So in terms of waiting out and in terms of really paying the necessary price economically and everything else, Putin is ready.

CHURCH: And how important do you think it is that these additional sanctions come with a massive and sustainable U.S. weapons package for Ukraine?

KHRUSHCHEVA: Is it sustainable? I mean, how sustainable is it? We don't know. I mean, it's somewhat -- do they actually -- is it in words or do they actually have those Patriots that they can deliver? Because, for example, from Germany, we're hearing Taurus's, these long range missiles are going to be delivered to Ukraine. Oh, no, we don't have enough. It's not going to be delivered.

So as long as the West continues to flip flop on its own message and Trump continues to flip flop on its own message, there is a question if it's sustainable and I don't think Putin believes that it's sustainable.

[02:10:05]

CHURCH: Nina Khrushcheva, thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate it.

KHRUSHCHEVA: Thank you.

CHURCH: More than a week after deadly flash floods swept through central Texas, parts of the area are under mandatory evacuation orders. Slow moving thunderstorms continue to threaten the area with heavy rain, plus a potential for flash floods and rapid river rises.

In Kerrville, storms forced ground searches to temporarily suspend operations. The chance for more thunderstorms continues into Monday morning, with rivers forecast to continue swelling into flood stage this week. At least 132 people have been killed in the recent disaster, and 106 of those victims were in Kerr County. That is according to local officials.

FEMA is facing scrutiny for its response in central Texas flood sites. Some agency officials are pointing to bureaucratic hurdles that led to obstacles in mounting rescue efforts. But the Department of Homeland Security is challenging those claims. CNN's Julia Vargas Jones has the latest.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The rain putting a pause on all those search and rescue operations. We're hearing from those leading those operations that the safety of firefighters and Cajun Navy officers is paramount right now, and it's just too dangerous for them to be out on those waters today.

But tomorrow, the hope is that all of those operations will pick back up after that river crests and goes back down. But I do want to show you one photo that was shared with CNN earlier on Sunday, showing just one vehicle under a pile of debris and gravel. It's not just water that they're battling. There's so much debris, so much mud. And that just goes to show the difficulty of those searches as they continue to look for those people who are still missing.

This, as now we are hearing questions about FEMA's response in the first 72 hours after this disaster. CNN reporting that due to bureaucratic obstacles, officials inside the agency said that there was just so much red tape they could not deploy those search and rescue teams. They usually, they would have been in place ahead of the formal authorization from FEMA just to have a quick response in the area.

Now, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem pushed back on those claims, saying that the response from FEMA was swift. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTI NOEM, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: You know, those claims have -- are absolutely false. Within just an hour or two after the flooding, we had resources from the Department of Homeland Security there helping those individuals in Texas. It was a heartbreaking scene, and I think it's been well covered about what the Coast Guard did, how they were deployed immediately and helped rescue so many individuals from those floodwaters.

And we had Border Patrol down there with their tactical teams, and FEMA was there just within a few hours as well. So those claims are false. They're from people who won't put their name behind those claims. And those call centers were fully staffed and responsive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: The call centers that she is mentioning there have to do with reporting from "The New York Times" that contracts that had expired on July 5th, the day after the floods began here in Central Texas, were not renewed until five days later, which delayed the answering of so many calls, thousands of calls to the crisis assistance line that went unanswered.

We're also learning that Kerr County officials here had submitted back in October a report to FEMA that said that this very nature of this event could happen in the next 12 months. All of that, just chilling details as we look forward to Monday where those officials will be meeting to talk about those responses here in Kerrville, Texas. Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Kerrville, Texas.

CHURCH: Police in Kentucky say two women were killed by a gunman at a rural church on Sunday. Officers shot the suspect who was declared dead at the scene. The incident began at a nearby airport when the gunman opened fire on police during a traffic stop. He then fled to the church where he began shooting at worshipers. CNN's Rafael Romo has details.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The first call to police came in at 11:36 in the morning in Lexington, Kentucky according to Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers. According to the chief, the Kentucky State Trooper was shot after pulling over a vehicle on what he described as a license plate reader alert. After making the stop, the trooper was shot and the suspect fled. We have learned that the trooper is in stable condition.

[02:14:55]

A short time later, Chief Weathers said the suspect apparently carjacked a vehicle before fleeing the area and driving to the location of Richmond Road Baptist Church, where he fired his weapon at people on church property. According to officials, two women died at the church. Additionally, two men who were also shot were transported to a local hospital. One of them is in critical condition and the other one was reported in stable condition.

This is what Chief Weathers said about a possible motive for the shooting. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE WEATHERS, LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY POLICE CHIEF: The suspect may have had a connection to the individuals at the church. Four individuals were shot on church property. Two female victims were pronounced deceased at the scene. The other two victims, both male, were transported to a local hospital. The suspect was shot by responding law enforcement and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Police Chief Weathers also said the Lexington police officers fired their service weapons. The shooter, who is dead, has also been identified, but police did not release the name. The family of the shooter has not been notified, officials said. And during the entire episode, they had their body cameras on, which will allow investigators to learn exactly what happened.

The incident is now being investigated by the Kentucky State Police Critical Incidents Response Team as well. An internal review by Lexington police will also be conducted. Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

CHURCH: Children collecting water in Gaza are among the latest killed in Israeli strikes in the enclave. We'll have details just ahead.

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[02:20:00]

CHURCH: With Gaza ceasefire talks faltering in Doha, there's been no let up to the Israeli airstrikes. We do need to warn you, viewers may find this next video disturbing. It shows a chaotic scene in the central part of the enclave after an Israeli airstrike hit a water distribution point. Gaza officials say six children were among the 10 Palestinians killed at that site on Sunday.

The Israeli military has acknowledged the strike missed its intended target, which they say was an Islamic Jihad terrorist and fell dozens of meters away. The IDF says it's reviewing the incident. A doctor at the hospital in Nuseirat describes what he witnessed after that strike.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AHMED ABU SAIFAN, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, AL-AWDA HOSPITAL (through translation): At 9:00 a.m., we were alarmed by the influx of patients after a missile hit a water distribution point. Most of the injured were children and women. We treated 17 patients, including seven children. The patients suffered from various injuries, including splinters and fractures, which were treated initially.

However, we are certainly experiencing a health crisis and a shortage of medical and health resources due to the stifling blockade on the Gaza Strip. In addition, there were eight martyrs, including six children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Nada Bashir has more now from London, but first a warning viewers may find some of the images in her report disturbing.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, despite days of proximity talks in Doha around a proposed 60-day ceasefire and hostage release deal, negotiations appear to have stalled yet again, with both sides accusing each other of putting up new obstacles.

On Saturday, an Egyptian source with direct knowledge of those indirect talks told CNN that negotiations were deadlocked as a result of additional demands put forward by Israel, with a senior Hamas official telling CNN that talks had faltered as a result of new conditions introduced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including new redeployment maps for the Israeli military in Gaza.

Those reports come after an Israeli source also told CNN last week that the key outstanding issue on the table was at that point the terms around where the Israeli military would redeploy in Gaza once the ceasefire takes effect. But on Sunday, Netanyahu claimed Israel had accepted the latest proposal put forward by the U.S. and instead accused Hamas of rejecting the deal on the table.

The Israeli Prime Minister is facing growing pressure at home in Israel for a deal to be struck to secure the release of the remaining hostages held captive in Gaza. And on the ground in Gaza, the humanitarian toll continues to rise, with growing international calls for an immediate end to the war, as Israel's attacks on civilian areas continue.

On Sunday, several children were killed in an Israeli airstrike at a water distribution point in central Gaza, according to health officials in the Strip. Distressing video from the scene showed multiple casualties amid buckets and makeshift water carriers.

The Israeli military later acknowledged the airstrike, claiming it had targeted an Islamic Jihad terrorist, but that the munitions had landed dozens of meters from the target. This attack came shortly after Gaza health officials reported that 139 bodies were brought to Gaza's hospitals in the space of just 24 hours, with many more victims feared to be buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings.

All this as families in Gaza continue to face crippling shortages of humanitarian aid and medical supplies. Nada Bashir, CNN, London.

CHURCH: Meanwhile in the West Bank, a large crowd of Palestinians attended a funeral procession on Sunday for two men killed in clashes in recent days. One of those killed was a 20-year-old Palestinian- American man beaten to death by Israeli settlers, according to local health officials and an eyewitness.

Settler violence against Palestinians has ramped up in the West Bank, and Israel has increased military operations in the territory, displacing thousands of Palestinians and raising entire communities as it targets what it says are militants operating in the territory.

[02:24:55]

Donald Trump's immigration crackdown is taking a toll on thousands of Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States. We will show you the impact it's having coming up on "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. President Trump is threatening massive new 30 percent tariffs on products from the European Union and Mexico starting August 1st. Mexico's president says she's confident her country will reach a trade agreement with the U.S., and the E.U. is delaying its trade countermeasures against the U.S. They were due to take effect on Monday, but are now on hold until early August, so there's more time to negotiate a deal. President Trump says his tariff threats are working.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're dealing with other countries and certain countries that would rather have a deal than a regular tariff. Well, if they're willing to open up, these are countries that have been shut to us, but we've been open to them. In other words, they wouldn't let us do business there, but they would do business in our country. It's not a fair deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And here is how U.S. market futures are reacting to Donald Trump's latest trade moves. As you see, all indices down around half a percent. We'll see what happens in the coming hours.

The Miami Herald and the Tampa Bay Times say they have obtained a list of more than 700 migrants who have either been detained at or may be sent to what the Trump administration calls Alligator Alcatraz.

According to the report, lawyers are having difficulty locating their clients who were sent to the controversial facility in the Florida Everglades without their knowledge.

[02:30:08]

The newspapers say that state and federal officials are not sharing information about who is detained there. According to the list, only a third of detainees have criminal convictions. Hundreds more just face pending charges, and more than 250 are only being held for immigration violations, not criminal offenses.

One Florida lawmaker says the U.S. government is claiming differently.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): When we were touring and we were asking about the status of the detainees that were there, we were told that every single one of them. And he said there were 900. And the camp is currently built for 1,000, had were in the finished stages of their immigration process and criminal convictions, and were preparing and were in final stages of deportation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The White House border czar is reacting to the death of a migrant farm worker who fell from a greenhouse roof during an ICE raid in southern California. He died from his injuries on Saturday.

Here's how Tom Homan is responding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, BORDER CZAR: It's sad. It's unfortunate. He was in ICE custody and ICE did not have hands on this person. But it's always unfortunate when there's deaths. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Jaime Alanis Garcia is the first person known to have died during the Trump administration's crackdown on undocumented migrants. Hospital and government sources say Garcia may have been fleeing ICE agents when he fell about 30 feet from the greenhouse roof and broke his neck. The Homeland Security Department says agents arrested 200 people suspected of being in the country illegally, and says they were not pursuing Garcia.

President Trump's immigration crackdown is taking a toll on Hispanic businesses in the United States. Under President Biden, thousands of people from some Latin American and Caribbean countries were allowed to live and work in the U.S. for up to two years, but Donald Trump shut down that program and is forcing those workers to leave.

CNN's Ione Molinares explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IONE MOLINARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Carlos Castro opened TODOS Supermarket more than three decades ago in Woodbridge, a city in northern Virginia just outside of Washington.

But he doesn't know if celebrating now is a good idea.

CARLOS CASTRO, OWNER, TODOS SUPERMARKET (through translator): This year, we'll be 35 years old in July, and I want to celebrate in a big way. But I'm also afraid of making too much noise.

MOLINARES: He says he ran out of bakers and butchers several weeks ago. They left when President Donald Trump's administration eliminated the Biden era humanitarian parole program, positions that, according to Castro, require specific skills.

CASTRO: Great employees. I mean, that's the saddest part. Productive human beings eager to take care of their families to get ahead. They take away their visas and give them a letter with the days they have left to leave the country. And then we as a company have to cover them.

MOLINARES: A study by the non-governmental organization for us, which promotes bipartisanship, found that among the 740,000 beneficiaries of the humanitarian parole program for Cubans, Venezuelans, Haitians and Nicaraguans, at least 80,000 work in the commerce and sales sector. Without qualified personnel, Castro's concern is twofold. The governments pressure on immigrants and the consequences his policies have on his customers personal finances, which could affect the future of his business.

In fact, he's already seen it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I think it's more expensive today than it's always been. I think so, yes, because today, even eggs are more expensive than buying a chicken. MOLINARES: Hispanic businesses are an important source of employment, according to 2021 Census Bureau figures, there are approximately 406,000 Hispanic businesses in the U.S. They represent approximately 7.1 percent of employers in the country, generating about 573 billion annually and millions of new hires.

For Castro, things for now are not going to improve.

CASTRO: You feel proud of being an entrepreneur, a producing, creating jobs, producing wealth, having your team and having them as family. But even so, I feel that being in business, like maybe not anymore.

MOLINARES: Ione Molinares, CNN, Woodbridge, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:37:47]

CHURCH: Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has died at the age of 82. The country's presidential press office says he died in London after a prolonged illness.

CNN's Larry Madowo takes a look at his complicated legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Muhammadu Buhari made history more than once in Nigeria. The former military leader first seized power of the country in the early '80s in what he described as a war against indiscipline. It was seized from him less than two years later, but Buhari stayed in the spotlight and ran for president four more times after the country moved to democracy in 1999.

The fourth time was the charm. In 2015, with Boko Haram running rampant in Nigeria's primarily Muslim northeast, destroying villages and killing thousands, Buhari handily defeated the incumbent. Goodluck Jonathan, who's Christian, had been widely criticized for his seeming inability to fight the militant group's insurgency that allowed much of the region to slip from his control.

Among Boko Haram's outrages, the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls from Chibok in the restive Borno state in 2014. Buhari, a Muslim from the north, was viewed by many as just a man to negotiate with Boko Haram for the schoolgirls release and the man to bring security back to the region.

MUHAMMADU BUHARI, FORMER NIGERIAN PRESIDENT: It amounts to questions of security. Whether I was a former military officer or a politician through and through, when there is insecurity of this scale in the country, that takes the priority.

MADOWO: Buhari took office on May 29th, 2015, riding high on a wave of popularity and hope for a better future. But his actual record showed mixed results. Buhari's leadership was criticized as heavy handed and tone deaf, following national protests in 2020 against police brutality called End SARS. It took the president two weeks to release a prerecorded speech that did not mention deaths at the Lekki Toll gate in Lagos, where Nigerian soldiers fired into a crowd of protesters.

[02:40:03]

BUHARI: The disbanding of SARS is only the first step in our commitment to extensive police reform in order to ensure that the primary duty of the police and other law enforcement agencies remains the protection of lives and livelihoods of our people.

MADOWO: Buhari earned the nickname "Baba Go-Slow" for his hands off approach to governing Africa's most populous nation. But he countered that he was going slow and steady.

He is credited with helping secure the release of more than 100 Chibok girls, and as many as 800 other captives of Boko Haram. But thousands more lost their lives in Boko Haram attacks during his tenure, despite Buhari declaring more than once that the insurgency was finished.

He came into power vowing to crack down on corruption, asking foreign governments, including the U.S., to help return $150 billion in stolen wealth. And he arrested Nigerians accused of siphoning off government funds for their own profit.

Still, many Nigerians had faith Buhari was the man to turn the nation around. But his government fell back to the same old patterns of previous administrations, military and civilian.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. For our international viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is coming up next. And for those of you here in the United States and in Canada, I'll have more news after a short break. Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:26]

CHURCH: A warm welcome back to our viewers in North America. I'm Rosemary Church.

Sunday marked one year since the assassination attempt on then- presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Now, a new Senate report reveals major security failures by the Secret Service before the gunshots rang out and calls for more severe disciplinary action.

CNN's Alayna Treene was in the crowd that fateful day and shares her memories one year later.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: A year ago today, I watched as an attempted assassin opened fire on then candidate Donald Trump. And the scene was -- it was chaotic. There was so much fear. You could hear people screaming.

It was so unclear in the moment if, one, Donald Trump was safe. That was one of the first questions I, of course, had.

SECRET SERVICE AGENT: Sir, I got you, sir.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let me get my shoes on.

SECRET SERVICE AGENT: Hold that in your head.

TREENE: But also, you know how that was going to impact the rest of the campaign and the president's ambitions of becoming president yet again. And the answer to both of those questions was yes, you know, the campaign completely changed after that day in Butler. I would argue it's actually the most defining, pivotal moment of the entire general -- general election campaign, and the days that followed that following week was the most important week of the entire 2024 year.

I mean, less than 48 hours after the shooting had happened, you saw Donald Trump announce then-Senator J.D. Vance was going to be his vice presidential running mate just three days after that, Donald Trump triumphantly took the stage in Milwaukee at the Republican National Convention. He was wearing a bandage on his ear, something that has really become a symbol after that bullet had -- had hit his ear and he talked about Butler and really went into detail about how he felt like he was changed because of that day.

Days after that, then the former president, then President Joe Biden, announced that he was withdrawing from the race, all of that really creating an entirely new dynamic that had not existed in the campaign thus far.

Now, I've actually talked with some people, including one White House official who's currently serving in Trump's second administration, but he was also an adviser on the campaign in 2024 to Donald Trump as well.

And he told me that after Butler, it became so much more personal, the campaign, not only for his team but for the president himself, that the sense that if someone was going to try to do this was going to try and attempt to assassinate Donald Trump, the election became so much bigger and that they were going to be even more dug in on ensuring that he won in November.

And one thing that really strikes me still a year later is how that powerful image of Donald Trump, you know, he raised his fist in the air. He had blood on his cheek. His clothing was rumpled, and he screamed, "Fight, fight, fight!"

That image is one that has really become a symbol in the MAGA movement, but also a symbol of strength and defiance for the president himself. It's currently hanging in both the East and West Wings of the White House, and it's also something that is still hung up at many of the presidents private events, one that he looks back on often.

And I think, you know, something that was really interesting about that photo as well. In the weeks after Butler, I caught up with a lot of, of course, the president's closest allies and some of his team. And they told me that that was all Trump. He decided in that moment that he needed to project this potent image to show that he wasn't weak, that he wasn't vulnerable, despite what that attempted assassin had tried to do. And I do really think it speaks to Trump's mindset.

Another important thing I think as well is particularly after what had happened on that fateful Saturday, July 13th, 2024 --

SECRET SERVICE AGENT: Are you ready? On you.

SECRET SERVICE AGENT: Ready.

SECRET SERVICE AGENT: Move! Move!

SECRET SERVICE AGENT: Got you sir, I got you, sir.

TRUMP: Let me get my shoes on.

SECRET SERVICE AGENT: Hold --

TREENE: The president felt like there was divine intervention at play. He felt that God really had a hand in saving his life. And it's not just something that he felt in the immediate aftermath of what happened in Butler, but it's something he still talks about. I know privately, and you heard him as well at his inauguration, in his address.

TRUMP: In a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassins bullet ripped through my ear but I felt then and believe even more so now, that my life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again.

(APPLAUSE)

[02:50:01]

TREENE: He said that God saved his life and put him there. And so, it's something that has continued to really shape not only how he views his role in the White House, but also how many of his team views his role as well.

Just recently, Susie Wiles the presidents White House chief of staff on the campaign, she was Trump's 2024 campaign manager.

She said the same thing. She believed that God had a hand in saving his life. And so, a year on out, I think what when you look back on what happened in Butler, it is completely shaped the way that Donald Trump views his role as commander in chief. And how many of the people around him have really looked back on Butler as something that has strengthened the movement and his supporters in a way that never really had previously.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: CNN's senior law enforcement analyst and former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe spoke to CNN on the security failures leading up to the Trump assassination attempt. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: There's been a lot of work looking into it. The service has done their own series of reviews. The House conducted a review that they published a report of a report on last December. And then, of course, just yesterday we got another report from the Senate Homeland Security Committee that was equally as.

And I think what all those reports are consistently calling out is the thing that dooms almost every operational failure. And that is communication, a failure to adequately receive and disseminate information among the partners that are working the event or the crisis or whatever that may be. In this case, you had the Secret Service operating out of their command post, and all the locals who they were depending upon operating out of a separate command post.

There was not a single means of communication across the entire team. Some Secret Service people didn't even have radios, or they had ones that weren't working.

So, when Thomas Crooks was spotted in the crowd 25 minutes before the attack, walking through the crowd outside the perimeter, but with a rangefinder in his hand, this was clearly suspicious activity. The local police saw it and they were stuck with just putting that out over informal group text chat functions with their colleagues, rather than disseminating it to everybody who needed to know that information.

I'm not saying that that was their fault, but the overall security plan lacking a competent, clearly defined communications channel that was available to everybody. That was a mistake that really cost them a lot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: President Trump rushed to the defense of his attorney general on Sunday. Pam Bondi has sparked a furious Republican backlash for a memo stating there is no evidence that accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was murdered or kept a client list. Multiple sources tell CNN the president personally made phone calls to Bondi's most vocal critics in an effort to tone down their judgments. He also posted online that the attorney general is, doing, quote, a fantastic job.

Meantime, the president seemed unsure if deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino was still in his position. CNN previously reported Bongino had been considering resigning over the Epstein memo.

Here's what the president had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: Oh, I think so. I did, I spoke to him today. Dan Bongino a very good guy, I've known him a long time. I've done a show many, many times. And he sounded terrific, actually. No, I think he's in good shape.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Harry Enten has more on the surge of interest in the Epstein investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Hey there. You know, when it comes to the Jeffrey Epstein story, Donald Trump may want it to go away, but American interest in the story is sky high. What are we talking about?

Take a look at google searches for Epstein over the last 24 hours. Get this, up 1,900 percent versus a week ago, holy Toledo. It's currently the top topic being searched with Donald Trump's name. And of course, this is a story that unites a lot of different factions of the MAGA base on the far right. We're talking about Steve Bannon and Elon Musk, who are normally at each others throats, but even they are combined asking the question, what the heck is going on here?

So, this is a story that is not leaving the news stream. Despite Donald Trump's hoping and wishing that it does. Now you see this up 1,900 percent. But let's put it into some context for you. What are we talking about here?

Well, take a look here. Epstein has been Googled a lot today. A lot. In fact, compare it to some other stories that have been in the news, get this, it's been Googled, get this, four times as often as Grok has been Googled. Of course, Grok, the A.I. part of Twitter went off in its own direction, started spewing antisemitic garbage. But Grok doesn't have anything in terms of how much it's being Googled compared to Jeffrey Epstein.

How about more than tariffs? Of course, Tariffs have been very much in the news, with Donald Trump threatening to levy more tariffs on foreign countries.

[02:55:04]

But get this, Epstein has been Googled 7.6 times as often as tariffs have been today. Again, this is bad news for Donald Trump. He wants it out of the news cycle. Donald Trump has made a massive error bringing it back in. And he doesn't seem to know how to get out of it.

Now, of course, the key question is will there in fact be more reveals? Will there in fact be more releases of the Epstein files? Of course, at this particular point, it doesn't necessarily look like it. And that is why portions of the far right are so upset. But when it comes to the betting markets, Trump releasing more Epstein files in 2025. Get this back. You go. Two months ago, it was 40 percent that there would be more Epstein files released a month ago, 39 percent. Now it's down to just 21 percent. And I think the conventional wisdom

that is being measured by the betting markets really gets at what a big problem this is for Donald Trump, because there are real members of his base who really believe that there should be more files released, and that there would be something contained within those files, that would be something that would be very revelatory.

But the bottom line at this particular point, Donald Trump is basically saying there really isn't anything there. That is what his administration is saying. And at this particular point, it doesn't look like more files will be released in 2025, at least according to the betting markets. And at this point, the more that this story stays in the news, the worse it is for Donald Trump.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: A wildfire has destroyed an historic lodge on the Grand Canyon's North Rim. Here is a look at the Grand Canyon lodge before the fire. It was the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim, and was built nearly 100 years ago. Officials say the fire was initially being managed as a controlled burn, but it quickly spread due to high temperatures and strong winds. No injuries have been reported.

I want to thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more CNN NEWSROOM after a short break. Do stay with us.