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CNN Polling On President Trump's Six Months Performance; Official; Number Of Missing Drops To Three In Kerr County, Gov. Abbott Calls For Special Legislative Session; CNN Exclusive Access To Camp La Junta After The Flooding; Tesla's Autopilot Under Federal Trial; CNN Interviews Former Hamas Hostage. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired July 20, 2025 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: This week, follow Joe Hunt's ascension as the leader of the social and investment club.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: When Joe reveals he and Jim had killed Ron Levin, the BBC boys were stunned.

UNKNOWN: This was a group of young 20 somethings who had very little experience with life. I can only imagine their heads were spinning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Watch the new episode tonight, 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 right now.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Jessica Dean here in New York. And tonight marks six months into President Donald Trump's second term. Some new CNN polling out this week showing the president losing ground on two key issues he campaigned on. Since March, the president's approval rating on the economy has fallen from 44 percent to 40 percent. And more Americans now say they disapprove of his handling of the economy, going from 56 percent to 60 percent.

Turning to immigration, his approval rating on that has fallen to 42 percent of American adults. That's down almost 10 points since March, while a majority, 58 percent, disapprove. And looming over these latest numbers, the story that Trump can't seem to shake, the Epstein files. The Trump administration's still facing questions over the Justice Department's handling of that case.

I want to bring in CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak, who's joining us now from the White House. Kevin, what is the Trump administration touting as some of its biggest accomplishments in these first six months? And then how do you compare that with what these new polls say.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, and certainly the president does want to celebrate this milestone half a year into his presidency. One thing I don't think anyone would dispute is that this has been an eventful six months. And certainly the president has notched some wins in Congress, at the Supreme Court, on the world stage.

But there's also this matter of the Jeffrey Epstein files, as you mentioned, the president trying to tamp down on discontent among his own supporters who want to see more from the president there. We did hear from the president just this morning, marking today. He said, "Wow, time flies. Today is the six month anniversary of my second term.

Importantly, it's being hailed as one of the most consequential periods of any president. In other words, we got a lot of good and great things done. including ending numerous wars of countries not related to us other than through trade and or certain cases friendship." And the president concludes, Happy Anniversary. So the president clearly eager to make the most of today.

In a separate post, he also suggested making reference to the Epstein case that his numbers among his supporters have actually gone up. And in fact, in our CNN poll that was just released last week we found that among Republicans, 88 percent support the president. But when you look at sort of the president's approval on the issues that have been central to this first six months in office, you do see overall more Americans disapprove of how he's handling the job.

So on taxes, of course, the president secured that major victory in Congress, which extended the tax cuts from his first term, 44 percent approve. On immigration, we've obviously seen the president pursue this hardline immigration agenda, 42 percent approved. The economy, 40 percent and foreign affairs, 40 percent as well. So six months, obviously a time to look back, but also a moment to look forward and certainly, the president and all of the key issues that he's put at the center of his agenda, he will be focused on those this week as well.

He will have to sign into law that bill that clawed back funding for public broadcasting as well as for foreign aid. We expect a court hearing on Monday in Boston on the administration's attempts to pull back federal funding from Harvard. He will meet the Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. later this week. He's also gonna continue this effort to pursue trade deals by sending those tariff letters to U.S. trading partners.

And then at the end of the week, he'll be at his golf courses in Scotland, as well as meeting the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to talk about the trade deal that the two of them agreed to earlier this spring. So certainly an eventful six months, with the president also now looking to the next 42 months that he has remaining in his term. Jessica?

DEAN: That's right. All right, Kevin Liptak at the White House. Thank you so much. And joining us now is "New York Times" White House correspondent Luke Broadwater. Luke, thanks so much for being here with us. I want to go back to the so-called Epstein files for a minute and get some -- talk a little bit more about that.

[17:05:03] After weeks of this intensifying pressure on the issue, some in the MAGA base seem to have changed their tune. They're now rallying around the president in light of him suing the "Wall Street Journal." What are you hearing? What are you reporting about what's being said in his inner circle about all of this?

LUKE BROADWATER, NEW YORK TIMES WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, this is the issue that Donald Trump can't seem to shake. He's been successful throughout his first six months of taking a really maximalist approach that the MAGA base loves. But when it comes to the Jeffrey Epstein case, this is where he's crossed a line and the MAGA base is in revolt. And yes, you're right. He's called on them to tamp it down, to move on. And he's had some key people say, okay, guys, let's move on.

But if you talk to rank and file Republicans, they are not happy with this. This has put them in a very difficult situation. For years they have called for the Epstein files to be released. They have speculated the idea that Democrats are in the files and there's terrible crimes being covered up. And the idea that it's the Trump administration that won't give out these files is just anathema to the base.

And so you're seeing that, yes, a few people have moved on, some have moved on, but the base is still very hungry for these files. And that's why I think they did this filing in court to try to put the onus on a federal judge to say it's up to him to release the files, not up to us. I don't know if people are going to fall for that because there's a lot of materials that are not just grand jury testimony, which is what the filing in New York pertains to.

DEAN: Yeah, well look, the president has often used the justice system in the courts to try to solve things and let things play out in public opinion. This is part of his strategy.

BROADWATER: Oh, absolutely. And, you know, they have found one thing they need is an enemy, right? And so they've tried to focus on this "Wall Street Journal" story and make this into a battle between Trump and the "Wall Street Journal" and give MAGA a familiar foe, which is the mainstream media, right? We can say fake news and go after them. And maybe that will divert the attention away from the files.

But at the end of the day, there's still a widespread belief that there are other men out there that are being protected that abused young women or girls alongside with Jeffrey Epstein and the MAGA base wants their names and wants them held accountable. And Pam Bondi saying there is no client list is not being received well. And so, you know, I don't know how they're going to get them to move on.

They can focus them on the "Wall Street Journal." They can focus them on the judge. But the base is in an uproar.

DEAN: Yeah, I mean, think that's the big question too, is can the page be turned and how quickly and what does it mean moving forward.

BROADWATER: Right, and it's been weeks now, right? I mean, you know, most negative news cycles for Donald Trump end in a day or two because there's something else. You know, he'll have a different country with negotiations on tariffs, or he'll be, you know, attacking nuclear sites in Iran. Like, there's some big momentous thing that's happening that will change the news cycle. But the Jeffrey Epstein files has persisted. Now, I think we're going into week three of it. And it's because it's the very thing the base most wants.

It's not liberals who are upset about it. It's not Democrats. Yes, they've come along lately. They've joined in the criticism. They're now, you know, discharge petitions and motions in Congress to try to get these files released. But this really stems from the right. That's where the demands first started from and that's where they continue.

DEAN: And just marking the six months into this administration, into his second term, you know, obviously the president posting that Truth Social, he is quite pleased. But what is your sense behind the scenes? Do they feel like this is going as planned? This is going well? Are there adjustments? What is your sense six months in?

BROADWATER: Yeah, if you talk to any Trump administration official, they have been I think pleased with how much they've accomplished in such little time. Now to Democrats, what they're accomplishing is very bad, right? They're taking a maximalist approach to executive power. They are cracking down the border, using maximalist techniques to deport people.

[17:10:00]

Obviously, there are areas where the administration is over-promised and under-delivered, right? The Epstein files, you look at the trade deals, right? They said there were 90 -- going to be 90 deals in 90 days. And I think we're at maybe one, one and half, depending on how you categorize some of these deals with countries. But they've accomplished a lot in a short period of time checking off the things that they did promise the MAGA base and that's through executive orders for the most part.

Another thing people thought was going to be a problem for them was getting their agenda through Congress with its slim margins. And they've done that, right? Congress has bent to the will of the administration. It's ceded its power of the purse to the Trump administration. And so if you are a, you know, MAGA Republican, with the exception of the Epstein files, you're pretty happy with what they're doing.

DEAN: Yeah. All right. Luke Broadwater, some good perspective. Thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

BROADWATER: Thank you.

DEAN: Mor than two weeks after the deadly flooding in Texas, officials have carefully gone through the list of the missing and we do have a major update for you. That's coming next.

Plus, he was held hostage for nearly 500 days by Hamas and now he speaks to CNN about that harrowing experience. We'll share his story. You're in the "CNN Newsroom." (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:15:00]

DEAN: New updates now from Texas, where officials in Kerr County have dramatically cut the number of people missing in the catastrophic flooding two weeks ago from 97 down to three people. Kerrville says many of those have been found safe and accounted for. The historic flooding killed at least 135 people in Texas, including, of course, 37 children, many of them at summer camp over the 4th of July weekend. And CNN correspondent Julia Vargas Jones is joining us now. Julia, what more do we know about the recovery process for those three people who are still missing?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Jessica, local leaders are saying that it's -- thanks to days of tireless follow-up, phone calls, cross-checking names, and coordinating across multiple agencies that dozens of people who initially were thought to be missing were verified as safe. Now, it's important to note that those listed as missing, weren't campers or local residents. They were mostly tourists in the area for July 4th holiday whose families had not heard from them, which made it especially difficult for officials there to track who was actually lost.

Kerrville's city manager called the response extraordinary, saying, quote, "We are profoundly grateful to the more than 1000 local, state, and federal authorities who have worked tirelessly in the wake of the devastating flood that struck our community. Thanks to their extraordinary efforts, the number of individuals previously listed as missing has dropped from over 160 to three."

Now, the focus is on those three people that remain missing, those teams of thousands of people are still combing through 60 miles of Guadalupe River through thick mud and flood debris. And that is a painstaking process, Jessica. You know, we've talked about this before. It's delicate. They need to first go by hand and then cadaver dogs.

And then they can bring in the machines that handle larger swats of the river and those search and rescue teams are looking for people who might be under a lot of debris, gravel, rocks, tree limbs, you name it.

You know, in the county meeting on Monday, which we were present for, the sheriff said that the search could last months still. Now, granted, that was before this revised number was announced.

DEAN: And Julia, there's also going to be a special legislative session in Texas tomorrow to address the flood warning systems and emergency communications. What are we expecting from that?

JONES: Well, I am interested in that, Jessica. There is so much anger in those communities, so many questions about the levels of preparedness, the lack of alerts and how the floods caught so many people off guard, including local authorities. Governor Greg Abbott called this special session where we're expected to see commentary conversations about strengthening those floods warning systems, improving emergency communications in all of those flood prone areas and allocating relief funding for all of Texas Hill Country, right?

Fast tracking policies for preparedness and recovery is also something that we'll see. And Kerr County is also expected to host a public meeting on Tuesday for residents and families affected by the disaster. We'll be looking at both of those to see what changes will be made to prevent a tragedy like this from happening in the future.

DEAN: Certainly. Julia Vargas Jones, thanks so much for that update. We appreciate it. And we're also learning more about the deadly floodwaters that hit the campgrounds -- those campgrounds in Kerr County. The area was devastated by the flooding on July 4th that we were just talking about. And one of the hardest hit camps was Camp Mystic, of course, along the Guadalupe River that's about six miles downstream, as is Camp La Junta, an all-boys camp where the brothers were before the floods.

The camp was bustling and full of boys making foundational memories. And you can see the sprawling property right by the Guadalupe River. Now this video showing just how fast and furious the floodwaters came in, you see it there just knocking a cabin straight off its foundation. Now fortunately for the camp, everyone was evacuated safely. But the camp itself, as you would imagine, is a skeleton of what it once was.

[17:19:57]

And for the first time to CNN and the world, the owners are letting us see what it looks like now as they reflect on what happened that very fateful night. CNN's Pamela Brown takes us inside.

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KATE FINESKE, OWNER & DIRECTOR, CAMP LA JUNTA: To see the growth and the giggles and the fun and the friendships that form here, that's what this is supposed to be. This is not supposed to look like this. This is not what we're supposed to be filled with.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR & CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Almost two weeks after catastrophic flooding hit central Texas, the owners of Camp La Junta, Scott and Katie Fineske, are opening up for the first time to CNN and reflecting on how quickly deadly waters overran their idyllic campground full of campers on July 4th.

SCOTT FINESKE, OWNER & DIRECTOR, CAMP LA JUNTA: This was our dining hall. So this was a walled building. It had all of our tables. We had 35 giant wooden tables.

BROWN (voice-over): Awaken by the thunder in the overnight hours, the Fineske started planning for rainy Fourth of July activities until Katie looked out the window.

S. FINESKE: A lightning bolt came across the sky and lit up the athletic fields. And she looked at me and said, I think I see our dining hall table floating across the athletic field. K. FINESKE: Water does not rise this fast here and it's just something

that was beyond belief.

BROWN (voice-over): So the Fineske's jumped into action, splitting up and going to each of the 18 cabins on the main grounds because there was no other way to communicate.

K. FINESKE: We've got speakers all through camp. We also have our own radio station that we broadcast announcements. But all of that stuff washed away.

S. FINESKE: Evacuation is one of those things that's on that emergency plan. And so when the counselors got the directive to pull the kids out of the cabin to go to the maintenance road, they knew exactly what to do. They knew how to do it. They knew the path that they were going to go.

BROWN (voice-over): One of the counselors helped campers climb onto wooden rafters to escape the rising waters in their cabin. As you see in this picture shared with CNN.

K. FINESKE: Water was rushing by with huge force and was about chest deep on Scott when we came down. We were on the high ground screaming at the counselors to get their kids in the rafters.

BROWN (voice-over): As the water rushed through the camp, one of the cabins for adult staff was ripped from its foundation and began drifting away.

S. FINESKE: Never made it down to the river. It just floated down the back sidewalk and stopped at the tree right there.

BROWN (voice-over): The Fineske's emphasize the bravery and heroism of the counselors, mostly teenagers.

S. FINESKE: We were very fortunate in the fact that all of our kids were able to get out safely. And it's -- without them and without the way that they reacted, it could be a completely different story.

BROWN (voice-over): That reality of a different story becoming abundantly clear to them once the sun rose on July 4th, when they say a little girl from Camp Mystic was found alive next door after floating five miles in the torrent.

S. FINESKE: It was very shocking that she was there. It was very shocking that she was in good spirits. And it was very shocking that she wasn't injured.

BROWN (voice-over): Now they're grappling with the loss of friends from nearby camps. Jane Ragsdale from Heart of the Hills and Dick Eastland from Camp Mystic, along with 27 campers and counselors.

K. FINESKE: It's a really strong community. So, losing Dick and losing Jane is just -- we have -- it's unthinkable.

S. FINESKE: Our heart goes out to everybody at Mystic, everybody in the community. This is a disaster that's hitting a whole lot of people.

BROWN (voice-over): Despite the physical toll of the storm, they say the camp's spirit of grit and resilience is unchanged since its founding nearly 100 years ago.

K. FINESKE: We plan to be back in 2026. I feel like the work we do here is too important to miss and it's just not an option for us to not rebuild and be back for the kids next year.

S. FINSKE: It's not camp right now. It will be. It will be. But it's hard at this moment to see and to know what it has been for so many years and it's difficult.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Our thanks to Pamela Brown for that story. And coming up, we're going to dig into some new CNN polling, including how Americans are responding to recent efforts by the Trump administration to escalate deportations in this country. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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DEAN: Elon Musk's electric car company, Tesla, is facing a rare jury trial in Miami, where it's facing intense scrutiny over a deadly crash in the Florida Keys involving its autopilot driving system. Now, Musk hasn't been in court himself, but his presence has played a key role in the proceedings. CNN's Randi Kaye has more on this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN: Okay, let's get the suction. Let's put him on the back. Come on, fast.

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was the scene around 9:00 p.m. on an April night six years ago after George McGee's Tesla slammed into a parked Chevrolet Tahoe in Key Largo, Florida.

UNKNOWN: You hit this car?

UNKNOWN: Yeah, I slammed on the brakes and saw it.

KAYE (voice-over): McGee said he dropped his phone while behind the wheel of his Tesla Model S, which was operating on autopilot at the time. That system is supposed to accelerate, steer and brake on its own.

UNKNOWN: I was driving on a cruise going through and I looked down and get the phone I dropped. When I popped up and looked, I saw a black truck. It just happened so fast.

KAYE (voice-over): His Tesla barreled right into this couple's car. They were on a date and had parked at the end of the road.

[17:25:00]

The driver found Dillon Angulo bleeding on the ground and called 911.

UNKNOWN: I just ran into a car and a guy is unconscious.

KAYE (voice-over): Later, paramedics found the body of Naibel Benavides Leon, a 22-year-old college student, in the bushes. She had been thrown from the scene and died instantly.

The victims' families filed a joint lawsuit against Tesla after the crash. They had also sued the driver in a civil suit, which was settled. The lawsuit against Tesla claims the Tesla failed to detect the Park Tahoe directly in its path and drove into it at high speed. It also argues that Tesla's autopilot system was still in beta, meaning it was not fully tested for safety and was not designed to be used on roadways with cross traffic or intersections.

In a statement to AP, Tesla said the crash had nothing to do with Tesla's autopilot technology, blaming it on a distracted driver. Also, in response to the lawsuit, Tesla denied nearly all of the lawsuit's allegations. Tesla warns owners in manuals that its cars do not drive themselves and drivers need to be ready to take immediate action.

(APPLAUSE)

Elon Musk has long touted the autopilot feature.

ELON MUSK, CEO OF TESLA MOTORS, LEADER OF DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY: The future is autonomous.

KAYE: Just this week as the trial in this case got underway in a Miami courtroom, seating jurors proved challenging given their strong feelings about Musk. According to "The Washington Post," one prospective juror had an issue with Musk's role at DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency. Another reportedly found it hard to ignore Musk's relationship with President Donald Trump. A third person said she felt Musk and Tesla were ethically compromised, the paper said.

KAYE (voice-over): CNN reached out to Tesla for a response to the lawsuit and jurors' comments, but have not heard back. Tesla has taken a beating since Musk joined forces with Trump despite their more recent falling out. Global sales were down a record 13% in each of the first two quarters of this year, and the company's financial outlook has worsened. Earlier this year, hundreds of protests took place outside Tesla showrooms across the country. In some cases, Tesla vehicles were set on fire.

REID: A judgment against Tesla in this case could be a problem for the company, since not only is the company trying to convince people that its self-driving technology is safe, but it's also planning this big public rollout of hundreds of thousands of Tesla Robotaxis across the U.S. by the end of next year. Tesla is promising those Robotaxis will be powered by a much stronger self-driving technology. They won't have anyone behind the wheel.

Randi Kaye, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Randi, thank you. New CNN polling is giving us a clearer picture of how Americans view the first six months of President Trump's second term. A majority says the president has gone too far when it comes to immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Immigration was, of course, a central issue in Trump's campaign and a huge part of his agenda. He has plans to build new detention facilities as well.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is joining us now. Julia, what else did you find in this polling?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we'll dive right in, starting with one of the data points that you mentioned, that a rising majority believe that Trump has gone too far when it comes to deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. While that number stood at 45% back in February, it now stands at 55%.

Some of the other key details in this survey, 53% oppose increasing the budget for immigration and customs enforcement by billions of dollars. Nearly six in 10 oppose efforts to end birthright citizenship. A 57% majority also says that they oppose plans to build new detention facilities capable of holding up to 100,000 undocumented immigrants. And 59% of Americans oppose arresting and detaining undocumented immigrants who have resided in the United States for years with no criminal record.

Some extra context I want to add there, a CNN review of government data found that most immigrants taken into ICE custody between last October and May had no serious criminal convictions.

In an interview earlier today that aired on CBS, acting ICE director Todd Lyons detailed the administration's sweeping deportation efforts. Take a listen.

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TODD LYONS, ACTING ICE DIRECTOR: ICE is always focused on the worst of the worst. One difference you'll see now is under this administration, we have opened up the whole aperture of the immigration portfolio, meaning that if you're here illegally and ICE goes out and arrests someone that is released from a sanctuary jurisdiction, a warrant in their home country, and an ICE officer finds other individuals with them who are in the country illegally, we're going to take them as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Now, ICE is about to get a big funding boost, set to receive $75 billion from the president's sweeping agenda bill, the so-called one big, beautiful bill. It's an unprecedented amount of cash for an agency that's historically been underfunded. And despite the reactions that we're seeing in this data that we just went over, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said that new funding will allow them to ramp up efforts even more, promising to come harder and faster.

[17:35:07]

Jessica?

DEAN: All right, Julia Benbrook, thank you so much for that. He spent more than a year and a half as a hostage of Hamas. Now, Or Levy tells our Jeremy Diamond how he got through it.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: The thought of dying crossed your mind.

OR LEVY, HAMAS HOSTAGE SURVIVOR: Every day. Every day. But for me, I didn't accept that because I knew that people are waiting for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[17:40:00]

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DEAN: The desperate humanitarian crisis in Gaza is only getting worse. A medical source tells CNN a four-year-old girl has died from hunger and malnutrition. The Palestinian Ministry of Health says at least 76 children have died of malnutrition since the conflict began in October of 2023. However, CNN cannot independently verify those numbers.

CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Starvation in the Gaza Strip is becoming almost as deadly as the war itself. In June, this woman said her four-year-old daughter, Razan, was weak from hunger.

UNKNOWN (Through translator): My daughter suffers from malnutrition. Malnutrition has also caused her to suffer from a mobility disability. Her health was very good before the war. But after the war, her condition began to deteriorate due to malnutrition. There is nothing to strengthen her. There is no milk available in the hospitals or pharmacies, and there are no vitamins in the hospital.

LATZA NADEAU (voice-over): On Sunday, Razan died, her mother said. Searching for food has also become a dangerous quest. Over the weekend, over 100 people seeking aid were killed by Israeli gunfire, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Nearly 80 were killed Sunday and more than 30 were killed early Saturday, including children near a US-Israeli-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution point, the health ministry said.

Regarding Saturday's incident, Israeli military said they had fired warning shots at people who had approached them, not far from where the food aid site was located. It also said it was aware of reports regarding casualties and the incident is under review. But for those fighting hunger, especially those whose children are dying from it, the fight for survival is often a calculated risk.

LATZA NADEAU: Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: All right, Barbie, thank you so much. Tonight, 50 Israeli hostages are still being held in Gaza as talks of a possible ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have stalled. Or Levy was released by Hamas in February after being held captive for more than a year. And after being freed, he was reunited with his young son, but also learned that his wife had been killed during the October 7 attacks. He spoke with CNN's Jeremy Diamond about his time in captivity.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIAMOND (voice-over): Five months ago, these images of Or Levy shocked the world. His emaciated body, a testament to the 491 days he was held hostage by Hamas.

LEVY: And I must say it's after three weeks of a lot of food that got into like that we got.

DIAMOND: Meaning, had you been released three weeks earlier, you would have looked a lot worse.

LEVY: For sure.

DIAMOND: That's hard to imagine.

LEVY: It's hard to understand how difficult it is to live on one beta a day for 491 days. It's something that no human should live like that. And for the people that are still there, I know those days were even worse than what I was -- I've been through. And it's scary.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Just as difficult as the physical toll was the emotional burden of captivity, being ripped away from his then two- year-old son, Almog.

LEVY: When his birthday came and I was there, it was my worst day of my life.

DIAMOND: What did you do on that day?

LEVY: So, I sing to him and crying most of the day, thinking and telling stories about him, about what we went through, promising that I would do whatever it takes to go back and doing his next birthday together.

DIAMOND (voice-over): That wish came true two weeks ago, a birthday that came five months after Or was reunited with his family and with Almog.

LEVY: I remember seeing him. I hugged him, hearing his voice. Crazy.

DIAMOND (voice-over): But he says that day was also the hardest of his life. It was the day he learned that his wife, Einav, had been killed on October 7th.

LEVY: I met this woman from the army, and I asked her about my wife. I told her that I think I know but I'm not 100% certain, and that I want to know, and then she told me.

[17:45:00]

DIAMOND (voice-over): Or and Einav were huddling inside this bomb shelter when Hamas militants began throwing grenades and opening fire.

LEVY: And the last picture that I remember seeing is the Hamas terrorist shooting inside the bomb shelter.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Hersch Goldberg-Polin, an American Israeli later executed by Hamas in captivity, was also kidnapped from that shelter. They would spend three defining days together in Gaza's tunnels.

LEVY: He said to me, he who has a why can bear any how. And for me, when I was in captivity, I understood that I have a why and this can help me survive any -- any how.

DIAMOND (voice-over): When he got back from Gaza, he got the mantra tattooed on his arm.

DIAMOND: What or who was your why?

LEVY: Almog. Every rough day that, you know, you're about to crack, I was to touch here, right where I did my tattoo, and talking to Almog and saying to him, yeah, you're my why, and I will go back for you. And I remember, on rough days I would like to do like this, feeling stronger, feeling stronger and not wanting to die.

DIAMOND: The thought of dying crossed your mind.

LEVY: Every day. Every day. But for me, I didn't accept that because I knew that people are waiting for me. My kid is waiting for me, and I don't want him to grow up without mom and dad.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Or is home, but he must now answer his son's questions alone.

LEVY: Just the other day, he asked me why I didn't take him to this far place I was in.

DIAMOND: That's how you describe it to him? You were in a faraway place.

LEVY: Yeah. Yes. So, he asked -- he asked about his mom, about what happened to her, about who caused it.

DIAMOND: What do you tell him about her and how do you carry on her memory?

LEVY: So, first of all, I explain to him every time that his mom didn't want to go, that his mom loved him from the bottom of her heart. I'm showing him pictures of her every day, of us three, telling the story behind this photo. This is something that I promised to myself, even when it's hard to get him to know her because it's harder for him.

DIAMOND (voice-over): But Or's ordeal won't be over until all the hostages are home.

LEVY: The fact that people are still there hunts me in the night, for sure. I think that nothing is worth more than getting those people home. I know that we need to push on to get a deal that gets everyone home and finish everything.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Giv'atayim, Israel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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[17:50:00]

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DEAN (voice-over): And he has done it again. The world's number one golfer, Scottie Scheffler, soaring past the competition and clinching the win at the British Open. According to the PGA, Scheffler is the first player during the modern major championship era to win his first four majors by three or more strokes. He's just one U.S. Open victory away in completing a career grand slam. Plus, this.

CHRIS MARTIN, VOCALIST, PIANIST, CO-FOUNDER OF COLDPLAY: We'd like to say hello to some of you in the crowd. How are we going to do that? We're going to use our cameras and put some of you on the big screen. So please, if you haven't done your makeup, do your makeup now.

DEAN (voice-over): That's Coldplay front man Chris Martin jokingly warning concertgoers last night in Madison, Wisconsin about the use of cameras that will show the audience on the Jumbotron. Of course, that follows the moment from earlier this week when a tech CEO was caught cuddling with a fellow executive that was not his wife before quickly pulling apart and ducking. The CEO resigned yesterday following all of the surrounding publicity.

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DEAN: This weekend's new episode of the CNN Original Series, "Billionaire Boys Club," follows Joe Hunt's rise to become the leader of the social and investment club. But as tensions grow inside the group, some high-stakes decisions push the "Billionaire Boys Club" into dangerous territory. Here's a preview.

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UNKNOWN: When Joe reveals he and Jim had killed Ron Levin, the BBC boys were stunned.

UNKNOWN: This was a group of young 20-somethings who had very little experience with life. I can only imagine their heads were spinning.

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DEAN: The all new episode of the CNN Original Series, "Billionaire Boys Club," airs tonight at 10 Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN.

[17:54:59]

Six months into the second Trump administration, the president is losing ground on some of his key issues. We'll talk more about that. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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DEAN: You are in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Jessica Dean here in New York. And tonight, new polling numbers offer a snapshot into how Americans view the first six months of President Donald Trump's second term.

[18:00:00]

He is losing support on some of the most prominent issues he campaigned on.