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Ghislaine Maxwell Granted Limited Immunity To Talk To DOJ; Epstein Saga Shines Spotlight On MeToo Movement; Trump Flees Washington As Epstein Scandal Simmers; France Says It Will Recognize A Palestinian State; 3-Year-Old Alabama Boy Dies In Hot Car While In State Care; Lawmakers Turn Up Pressure On Trump Admin To Release Files; Country Legend George Strait Holds Benefit Concert. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 26, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, for such a huge thing. It's pretty maneuverable.

ADAM BASARAN, GOODYEAR AIRSHIP PILOT: It is.

MUNTEAN: I took it for granted. It looks like the blimp is so graceful, I'm bumbling through the air, but it's really -- it's quite the flier. I'm surprised.

BASARAN: It's fun to fly.

MUNTEAN: Yes. It's totally fun to fly.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and thanks so much for joining me. I'm Erica Hill in today for Fredricka Whitfield.

We are following new developments in the Jeffrey Epstein saga on this Saturday. Sources telling CNN Ghislaine Maxwell was granted limited immunity in her meetings with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Her attorney says she held nothing back. In 2021 Maxwell was convicted as a co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein for -- co-conspirator to sexually abuse minors. She's serving a 20-year sentence.

Her lawyer also appearing to suggest that she would like a pardon, something President Trump was asked about.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Would you consider a pardon or a commutation for Ghislaine Maxwell?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's something I haven't thought about. It's really something -- I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I have not thought about.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HILL: Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle meantime really ramping up the pressure on the administration to release the documents.

CNN's Paula Reid has a deeper look now about what we know about those meetings with Maxwell this week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: On Friday, Maxwell wrapped up her marathon interview with the Justice Department. She answered questions from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche for roughly nine hours. Her lawyer said that she answered every question. She did not invoke any privilege. He even went so far as to say she was asked about maybe 100 different people. She answered questions about everybody and did not hold anything back.

Now, she went into this with some protections. It was expected that she would get some form of immunity. You would never put a client, especially one who's been convicted and is appealing that conviction across from the Justice Department without some sort of protection. So we've learned that she had limited immunity, which means that she is protected from any further prosecution related to much of what she said unless she lies.

You do not get protection for potentially lying to the FBI. But her lawyer insists that she did not do that. Everything she said he claims can be corroborated and insists she's telling the truth. But of course, we have to view this with some skepticism. The only details we have gotten have been from her legal team, and she, as I noted, is a convicted sex trafficker whose credibility has been called into question in the past. During her trial, where she was convicted, victim spoke about how she was the one who recruited them, groomed them, and in some cases sexually assaulted them.

Now she is appealing that conviction, but there are potential pitfalls for the Justice Department. If they were to engage in some sort of deal with her or President Trump, or to commute her sentence or grant her a pardon because a lot of the concern, the outrage over what some perceived as the lack of transparency around the Epstein files is driven by a concern that sexual predators are being protected.

So this is fraught with landmines for the Justice Department and the administration. It is unclear what they have received from Maxwell and what they'll do next. The deputy attorney general has said he will give an update at the appropriate time.

Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: The Epstein saga is also shining perhaps a brighter spotlight in this moment on the MeToo Movement. Gretchen Carlson and Julie Roginsky, who co-founded Lift Our Voices, write for "TIME" magazine this week about what the scandal involving Epstein actually tells us about the state of the MeToo Movement, noting, quote, "The shift in public discourse around the Epstein case shows the subtle but profound way our culture has changed. Today, the pressure is rightly placed on those in power, those who enabled abuse or participated in it, and not on the survivors. That is real progress."

Gretchen Carlson and Julie Roginsky join me now.

And for our viewers who may not know, Gretchen, you sued Roger Ailes.

Julie, you sued FOX News.

Both of you for sexual harassment. You were incredibly important voices in this moment. And I so appreciated your piece.

You know, Gretchen, I'm wondering, when you speak out now, why is it so important to highlight the fact that there are some wins here when it comes to how victims are viewed?

GRETCHEN CARLSON, FORMER FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Yes, because I think what we tried to point out in our op-ed is that sometimes the media says that the MeToo Movement is dead when we have one little blip that happens. And meantime, Julie and I are working every day to make sure that we're changing laws and increasing education about these issues in the workplace and making them safer. And so we look at everything a little bit more optimistically.

The idea that society right now, in this Epstein case, is not demanding that these survivors come forward, right, they're not saying we don't believe them, we need to hear from them, and they need to tell us their names. No. Instead, we've come past that point in time, and now they're demanding accountability for the alleged perpetrators, and they want to know who was involved in this, and they want them to be accountable.

[15:05:05]

That is a tremendous shift in the way in which we used to look at these things even just nine years ago when I came forward.

HILL: Julie, you know, as my colleague Paula Reid just noted, too, though, there is some concern that the predators could end up being protected in a situation like this. Would you agree that that is a very real concern in this moment?

JULIE ROGINSKY, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: It's always a concern. It's been a concern for many decades, certainly before the MeToo Movement. It continues to be a concern today. But the reality of where we are today is that, as Gretchen pointed out, we are not automatically going to a place where predators are protected. That was the case for many, many, many years before the MeToo Movement really had its most recent iteration, where, of course, the predators were continued to be promoted and continue to be enabled.

And it's the survivors who had their careers or their lives, or in the cases of these young women who are now adult women had their lives not just destroyed but threatened continuously. Today we're at a place, as we pointed out, where the spotlight is rightfully on predators, holding them accountable and making sure that they pay a price for what they did, not on the young women who were trafficked and who were abused by the predators, who are both named, and the ones who we have yet to name.

HILL: There has also been this push, and I certainly heard it, having spent the last week in Washington, D.C., and this was such a topic of conversation, what I was also hearing from a number of people was it shouldn't just be about talking to Ghislaine Maxwell this week, right, as we had Todd Blanche speaking with her in Florida. But they should also be speaking, Gretchen, to the victims.

I think that can be interpreted two different ways, as a concern for the victims, but also some concern about should they be forced to speak again, that would really be up to them. Correct, Gretchen?

CARLSON: One hundred percent. And we like to call them survivors, by the way, because they have survived a horrific ordeal and it puts a little bit more of a positive light on how far we've come that we're not going to just only call them victims, but survivors. And I think the point here is that it's up to them if they want to come forward. They're not being forced to come forward because people aren't believing their stories.

If they want to speak, then that is their personal choice. Julie and I always tell this to people who reach out to us because in our society, even though we've had so much progress, you may still be penalized for speaking. Not to mention the entire Trump administration potentially retaliating against you. Not to mention the MAGA movement potentially retaliating against you.

You know, when Julie and I came forward, the number one thing our lawyers said to us was, they're going to malign you. They're going to kill you. And to a certain extent, that could be true in this situation again.

HILL: And yet you did still come forward, right? A great -- at great personal risk but it was important. And so many women and frankly some men as well are grateful for you having the courage to do so in that moment.

Julie, there is, you know, the president was asked yesterday before he left for Scotland whether he would consider a pardon. And he initially said no, but they said, oh, I have the power to do that. What would -- what would that say in this moment to see a pardon for someone like Ghislaine Maxwell?

ROGINSKY: It would be incredibly distressing and it would be disrespectful is not even the word towards these survivors. It would be a slap in the face to the young girls who, as I keep saying, were young girls when they were trafficked, to say that a woman who threatened them, a woman who reportedly took away the passport of at least one girl, preventing her from getting off of Epstein's island because that girl used to have sex with Jeffrey Epstein.

Girls who were threatened to be fed to alligators if they didn't go along, girls whose lives were threatened, whose careers were threatened, adult siblings of those girls whose careers were threatened. I mean, this is all Ghislaine Maxwell's legacy. And that's not just accusations. She was found guilty of all of this and of trafficking these girls. To what end would somebody pardon Ghislaine Maxwell? I mean, take away the politics of this. To what end would the president of the United States, who does, of course, have the constitutional power to pardon anybody, want to pardon somebody who did this to young girls?

And if he does, go ahead and do that, and the fact that he's even contemplating doing that should raise questions about why, why would somebody do that? To what end? And I think that's a question that the president needs to answer, and that his base demand that he answer because she is not a victim, Ghislaine Maxwell, despite the fact that there are elements of his own base now who are starting to paint her that way.

She was found guilty by a jury of her peers of the most heinous crimes against young children. And for a movement that has been talking for a decade about holding predators accountable, my god, is she not the top predator still alive who should be held accountable for everything that she did?

HILL: Gretchen, Julie, I always appreciate you taking the time and all the work that you have done. Thank you again for being available today.

CARLSON: Thank you.

[15:10:09]

HILL: Up next here, President Trump in Scotland, as protesters across the country rally against his visit and the U.K. leaders' warm reception.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: President Trump is in Scotland for a five-day visit.

[15:15:01]

And while it may put an ocean between him and the growing fallout in Washington, D.C. over the Epstein saga, it does not, of course, entirely eliminate some of the difficulties. The president spending today golfing at his property in Turnberry, Scotland. That's one of two Scottish golf courses the president owns, and plans to play during his visit. He will also be meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as well as the head of the European Union Commission for trade and tariff talks.

The trip to Scotland, as I noted, not without controversy. The president was met with some large protests. More are planned over the course of his visit.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny joining us now from Scotland.

He has a lot going on this week, but perhaps not as busy as a more traditional trip over these five days. What can we expect? JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Erica, there's

no doubt that this has been a typical weekend for President Donald Trump. Golfing on one of his golf courses. He just happened to fly here to Scotland to do it. So golf was the order of the day. Today he was golfing with the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom. Golf also scheduled tomorrow.

But there has been a sentiment here in Scotland, where many residents are simply not welcoming the U.S. president. Not unusual. Perhaps he saw the same amount of protests, even more so back during his first term when he visited, and there is no doubt that President Trump feels a fond appreciation for Scotland. Of course, this is where his mother came from. He'll be dedicating a golf course named after his mother later on this trip.

But it was the sentiment from residents that we talked to during a protest earlier today here that really resonated some anger toward the American president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISABEL MATHER, TRUMP PROTESTER: Well, you might not know what lack of frontiers means. It's a Scottish phrase. If I said, oh, I'm black affronted, I'm very ashamed.

ZELENY: Like ashamed.

MATHER: Mortified, very ashamed. And I'm sure his mother would be. I think he's just the worst thing that has happened to your country and to the world, and a threat to all of us, a threat to democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So many Scotland residents actually invoking the president's mother, as we just heard there from Isabel Mather, saying that, you know, the overplaying the ancestral relations here simply is not going well, going over well with Scottish residents. But all that as it may, the president is still seeing this as a working vacation. But that changes tomorrow when he does -- he's scheduled to meet with the head of the European Commission.

This is going to be pretty extensive trade talk. The deadline once again is looming for new tariffs on the European Union. Those member countries would desperately like to make a deal with the United States. One proposal is a 15 percent across-the-board tariff. That would be about half of what the U.S. has already threatened if they don't make a deal. And then on Monday, of course, the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also will be here to meet with the U.S. president.

So a bit of golf, no doubt. A few protests, but trade talks begin tomorrow here in Scotland -- Erica.

HILL: Jeff, appreciate it. Thank you.

New today a Hamas official says the militant group was surprised by the U.S. decision to walk away from ceasefire talks this week. The U.S. has blamed Hamas for the breakdown in negotiations. All of this as Gaza's future remains incredibly uncertain. France, though, is now weighing in with the news that it plans to recognize a Palestinian state.

CNN's Saskya Vandoorne takes a look at the significance of that move.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER (voice-over): This is a historic move from France. It says it will recognize the state of Palestine at the United Nations this September, becoming the first major western power to do so. And the timing is no accident.

French front pages this week show images of skeletal Gazan children, victims of the hunger crisis, pushing the Palestinian question back to the top of the agenda.

As ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas again look to be stalling, an Elysee spokesman said Macron hopes the move could add pressure on Jerusalem at a critical moment.

(Voice-over): So why has Macron done this? Despite strong support for Israel after the October 7th Hamas terror attacks, he says this isn't about Hamas. It's about reviving the two-state solution.

"We must build the state of Palestine and ensure it contributes to security of all," he wrote.

JOSHUA ZARKA, ISRAEL'S AMBASSADOR TO FRANCE: Hamas are looking at what's happening, are looking at what is being decided in international community and from their point of view, it will be an encouragement to continue. It is going to be harmful not only for the future, but for the continuation of the war. It will encourage basically Hamas to say, well, it's working. Why should we stop?

VANDOORNE: Meanwhile, President Donald Trump dismissed the move.

TRUMP: His statement doesn't carry any weight. He's a very good guy. I like him, but that statement doesn't carry weight.

[15:20:03]

VANDOORNE: The decision follows Spain, Ireland and Norway who recognized Palestine last year.

The stakes are high for Macron, as France is home to the largest Jewish and Muslim populations in Western Europe. And yet a May poll found 63 percent support statehood.

And pressure came from within France, too. This week, prominent French historian Vincent Lemire warned Macron, quote, "If you wait any longer, you'll end up recognizing a cemetery."

For Macron, it's also about legacy, following in the footsteps of President de Gaulle, Francois Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac, all of whom were sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. Macron may be taking the lead and adding symbolic gesture, but for now, there's little hope the French decision will change the reality on the ground in Gaza.

Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: A 3-year-old boy is dead after being left in a hot car for hours. He was in the care of the state of Alabama at the time. We'll tell you who's being held responsible, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:25:27]

HILL: A 3-year-old boy in Alabama died while in foster care, and now a state agency is under investigation.

CNN's Rafael Romo joining us now with more of the details.

This is such a terrible story. What happened to this little boy, Rafael?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very, very tragic indeed, Erica. Well, the day the 3-year-old boy identified as Ke'Torrius Starkes was allegedly left strapped inside the car was humid with temperatures ranging from 93 to 96 degrees during the five hours in the afternoon he was left alone. According to our own CNN meteorologist, those temperatures felt like 101 to 105 degrees with heat index values not even considering the car the boy was in was in direct sunlight as the family's attorney claims.

According to officials and the family's attorney, a worker employed with a company contracted by the Alabama Department of Human Resources picked up the boy, who went by K.J., from daycare at 9:00 in the morning on Tuesday for a supervised visit with his father. The visit, they say, ended around 11:30 a.m. but instead of returning the boy to daycare, the family's attorney says the contract worker made several personal errands with K.J. buckled in a car seat in the back of her car.

The attorney says the worker finally returned home by 12:30 p.m., parking her car and leaving the 3-year-old boy strapped inside the vehicle with all windows up and the car engine off. It was not until five hours later, Erica, around 5:30 in the afternoon, when the worker received a call from the daycare asking why the boy had not been returned, that she apparently realized what had happened, according to a timeline, the attorney provided. 911 was called and K.J. was pronounced dead at 6:03 p.m.

This is how the boy's father told CNN affiliate WVTM he will remember his son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KE'TORRIUS STARKES SENIOR, BOY'S FATHER: Small, brilliant, bright little child. I'm talking about, when I say, yes, yes, yes, respectful, I'm talking about knew how to count, knew his colors. Three years old. Knew all the animals, man. He was very intelligent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, he was, bro. He was real nice and all that.

STARKES: Like he was just joyful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Erica, earlier today, I had an opportunity to speak with Courtney French, the family's attorney. He told me he spoke with the family in the morning about what they're going through right now, and they're understandably having a very hard time with what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COURTNEY FRENCH, ATTORNEY TO VICTIM'S FAMILY: It's just hard to comprehend that you would leave a baby in a hot car and just have no recollection whatsoever that the baby -- a 3-year-old child is trapped in your car. He died a brutal death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: CNN also obtained a statement from the Alabama Department of Human Resources. "A child in DHR custody," the statement reads, "was being transported by a contract provider when the incident occurred. Due to confidentiality, DHR cannot comment further regarding the identity of the child or the exact circumstances."

According to Kids and Car Safety, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of hot cars for children and pets, this is the first hot car death to occur in Alabama this year and the 16th nationwide.

Very hard to report this story. Very tragic, Erica.

HILL: Yes, it really is. Thank you, Rafael.

While the Epstein case, of course, garnering so much attention this week, it's also splitting House Republicans and dragging Speaker Johnson into the storm. As pressure to release the files grows, what is the way out of this mess?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:47]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: How much are your constituents clamoring for more information about Epstein right now?

REP. ERIC BURLISON (R-MO): It's the number one phone call that we get. By far. It's probably 500 to 1.

RAJU: 500 to 1?

BURLISON: Yes, it's number one phone calls that we get.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: With growing pressure on the Trump administration to release files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, House Speaker Mike Johnson is stuck in a crisis, and there doesn't really seem a clear path forward, although several are calling for their version of it. A number of Republicans clamoring for a vote on releasing the files. Some feel the GOP speaker, though, opted instead to please the president by sending everyone home early for more discussion.

Now I'm joined by Kadia Goba, politics reporter covering Congress for the "Washington Post."

There's been so much focus on Epstein this week, and also, of course, the move by the speaker to send everybody home early. And then you have, you know, subcommittees sort of making themselves known as well. How does this end? It seemed like there was almost a hope on the part of the speaker that in not having this vote, it would put things to bed. Instead, it seems that we're going to extend the conversation through September.

KADIA GOBA, POLITICAL REPORTER, WASHINGTON POST: Yes. So it's unclear at this point. What I can tell you is that a flurry of -- members are going to get a flurry of, you know, questions when they're home in their district within the next five weeks.

[15:35:05]

You know, during August recess this is a time to talk to your constituents and answer questions. And for Republicans in particular a moment to talk about that big, beautiful bill that they just passed. That I imagine will be not the focus of their constituents, but people will want to know about what's happening with the Epstein situation, what kind of transparency each individual lawmaker, how do they feel, how are they voting on this.

So I think they're going to get bombarded by questions, and it's going to take a lot of focus on the administration and what they accomplished in the last six months.

HILL: Right. So to your point, Republicans were hoping to take this opportunity for the August recess to go home and essentially talk about the big, beautiful bill that was signed, of course, by the president to really try to increase support for it because the numbers are perhaps not all that encouraging for Republicans. They may not have as much of an opportunity to do that.

GOBA: No, you're right. This is -- it's going to be -- I think they're going to be bombarded by questions around Epstein. And because the House left sort of in this situation where it's a little dangling, we know that the Oversight Committee passed a motion to subpoena DOJ for all the Epstein files. That passed. And we know that the chair of the committee, James Comer, is obligated by House rules to issue that subpoena.

Now, whether they comply is a different situation because what we'll see within the next 30 days is, you know, a lot of pressure probably on Republicans to bring the DOJ or to force the DOJ into actually releasing the files. So it's up in the air and it's on, you know, members of Congress right now to deal with their constituents, some of whom will deal with them during tele town halls or in-person town halls.

HILL: Absolutely. There's also, you know, as all of this is seemingly sucking all the oxygen out of the room, there are some other very real business that Congress is tasked with as part of its job. That isn't happening, including, you know, funding the government. I mean, there are really important moments that should have been happening that are not.

Is there a sense that lawmakers should be concerned about this dominating efforts when they get back in September?

GOBA: Well, I mean, they weren't -- they probably were going to start a little bit during the recess on funding the government. And, you know, there's another rescission package that we expect to come down the pike. And there's also 2.2 on the record, 2.0 on the reconciliation part. There's expected to be another reconciliation bill. So yes, those are a lot of commitments that, you know, Republicans have to pass or Congress has to bring forth.

And it's open as to whether or not they're going to be fully distracted by this Epstein stuff. But, I mean, members of Congress have done other things while they were impeaching presidents, or trying to impeach presidents. So I'm sure they'll get through it. But I think --

HILL: Yes.

GOBA: I think you'll see them succumb by a lot of the Epstein stuff.

HILL: Yes. I mean, technically it can be done. You know, there can be walking and chewing gum at the same time. Sometimes they're more efficient than at others when they're doing that. So there's so much that we see publicly. But you have such a unique vantage point, right. So when you're there, you're talking to lawmakers. You're on the hill. There's plenty that they may tell you privately that, of course, they don't want out there.

What is your sense based on your conversations over this past week about how concerned members are in general, in the way that this is, in fact, dominating conversations?

GOBA: Yes, I think Representative Eric Burlison said it talking to Manu Raju just a few minutes ago at the opening. They are extremely concerned, again, first, because the midterms are coming up in 2026. So they wanted to kind of reverse course on the one big, beautiful building, go out there and at least convince their base that this is going to work for them, right. You don't see the financial impacts of the one beautiful bill yet, but they kind of wanted to turn the tables on that.

They wanted to, you know, tout that promises kept when it comes to the administration and doing everything that he promised in the first 100 days. However, what's going to be lingering out there is this idea that there's one promise that wasn't kept and that is releasing the Epstein files. You even see a lot of it coming, or some of the incumbents that are vulnerable are actually feeling some of this because their Democratic counterparts or their opponents are, you know, they're keen on how this has triggered the Republican base.

[15:40:07]

And so they're taking every opportunity to troll their Republican counterparts or opponents about this. So it's going to be in the forefront. I'm -- it is -- they have a very ambitious legislative agenda when they return. So that's already going to be difficult. I don't see it becoming even easier with Epstein possibly in the fold.

HILL: Yes, certainly not. Kadia Goba, great to have you here. Appreciate the insight. Thank you.

GOBA: Thanks for having me.

HILL: Well, the NFL is cracking down. About 100 players and club employees are now facing fines for flipping Super Bowl tickets above face value? So what else are they facing in terms of punishment? Those details are next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:32]

HILL: A historic night for Houston Athletics rookie, in Houston, rather, for athletics rookie Nick Kurtz. The 22-year-old became the youngest player in Major League Baseball history to smash four home runs in a single game.

CNN's Andy Scholes has more on that special night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Erica, this was just an incredible performance from Nick Kurtz. And he was about five feet away from becoming the first player ever to hit five home runs in a game. Kurtz hit his first home run of the night, going opposite field into the Crawford boxes in the second inning at Daikin Park. Then in the fourth inning, show you this at bat, it was not a home run. He comes up just short, but had it been, Kurtz would have ended up with five home runs.

The A's rookie never got out all night. He homered again in the sixth, the eighth and in the ninth off position player Cooper Hummel. Kurtz is the first rookie ever to hit four homers and the 20th to do it in Major League history. The 22-year-old slugger also tied Shawn Green's Major League record with 19 total bases in the game. His parents and godparents were there in Houston to see it, making it an extra special night.

Kurtz saying afterwards this was stuff you don't even dream about because it doesn't really happen. The A's, they won big in that one, 15 to 3.

In Boston, meanwhile, Aramark Concession workers at Fenway Park went on strike before the Dodgers game yesterday. Many formed a picket line outside the stadium, telling fans to not buy concessions as they fight for higher wages. The Red Sox noted that the team is not involved in the negotiations, and they did have contingencies in place this weekend, so fans would still have a full and uninterrupted ballpark experience.

Now all those Red Sox fans, they did get to see a pretty awesome double rainbow over Fenway last night during the game. However, did not get to see a Red Sox win as they lost to the Dodgers by two.

The NFL, meanwhile, cracking down on players and team personnel that sold their Super Bowl tickets for a profit. So each NFL player they can buy two Super Bowl tickets at face value, but you're not allowed to sell them for a profit. The NFL says they're finding more than 100 players and approximately two dozen team employees for selling their tickets.

Now, the players that violated the rule, they're being fined one and a half times the amount of face value of the tickets they sold while team employees, they're being fined double.

And Erica, the players who got caught, also lose the right to buy Super Bowl tickets for two years, unless they are playing in the big game.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Andy, appreciate it. Thank you.

Still ahead here, country legend George Strait hitting the stage, taking to the stage, rather, for his home state to raise money and hopefully raise spirits for the victims of those deadly Texas floods earlier this month. We'll hear more from a member of the band, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:53:03]

HILL: The iconic voice there of George Strait singing "Amarillo by Morning," a song, of course, about his home state, which was recently ravaged by deadly flooding. Well, now the Texas native is holding a concert tomorrow in an effort to raise money, and also hopes for those who are devastated by the disaster. At least 136 people were killed in the flooding, including more than 20 campers and staff at Camp Mystic.

Joining me now is the keyboardist for George Strait's Ace in the Hole Band, John Michael Whitby.

You are also a Texan, I should point out. I really appreciate you taking the time to join us. Moments like this, after just an unthinkable disaster are a reminder of the power of music, I think, to bring people together, to offer a little bit of hope. Why was it so important to George Strait, to you and to all the artists you've gathered together to give folks this moment?

JOHN MICHAEL WHITBY, KEYBOARDIST FOR GEORGE STRAIT'S ACE IN THE HOLE BAND: Sure. I think that George cares deeply about Texas, about his community. You know, he has children and has seen this devastation before and wanted to, you know, he's got a lot of friends. He's got friends in high places. And they rushed to help him as well. So it was a no brainer who got the invite.

But there's some local guys as well. But it was very important for George to hold -- to have an event and to raise as much money as we could for everybody in need at this time so.

HILL: You talk about the folks who will be joining you, the artists who will be joining you, people raising their hands. But you also noted some local people as well, and tying it to the community is so important. Who else will be there?

WHITBY: So members of George's band, such as myself. There's a youngster named Hudson Westbrook, William Beckmann, Kyle Park, Ray Benson with Asleep at the Wheel, Wade Bowen, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Dean Dillon, Riley Green.

[15:55:04]

There's a special guest we can't announce yet. And then George, for sure. So it'll be good. I've been working --

HILL: Not a bad lineup. What does it mean for you to be a part of this event?

WHITBY: It's special, for sure, I mean, just, you know, I love George and love the band. I look up to them. I've been there 20 years now, I respect them. They're all wonderful, you know, people. But to really be involved and to kind of help take point on this, it's something that I do naturally I think, putting everything together. But I care about this as well. This cause is near and dear to our hearts, to my heart, being our neighbors down the road.

So -- but yes, it's special to be involved in this. And I know that there's going to be special people there and it's going to be a great evening for sure.

HILL: And what's your message to the people of, you know, of the Hill Country there who've been through so much, understandably, as they're now, you know, moving into this next chapter, right, as they as they deal with the aftermath.

WHITBY: Well, I think that local communities, I think that Texas, I think, you know, the nation as a whole, we just played in L.A. at SoFi Stadium and met some people in L.A. that, you know, have been -- have been praying for the folks of Kerr County and surrounding Hill Country areas that were affected. But we are with you 100 percent. We love you and we care about you. And I think there's so many people here that can give, are willing to give, and just drop everything that they are doing to come and help these people.

So in Texas, we definitely care about one another and come together. But we appreciate all the support we're getting from everywhere. There's people that are donating, you know, from all around, all across the country. So it's a -- it's such a tragic thing. But it's a wonderful thing that people, you know, you bring people together over this.

HILL: Yes. It is. It is -- it is a terrible reason, right, to be in this moment. But it is. And as we see so often, these are reminders of the power of community and the way people can wrap their arms around one another from near and far, and to really lift others up.

Really appreciate you taking the time to join us. Enjoy the night tomorrow. I know it is for a special reason. People will be thinking of those who are no longer with us as well.

John Michael Whitby, thank you.

WHITBY: Amen. Thanks, Erica. Take care.

HILL: Well, 40 years ago this summer, rock stars Bob Geldof, Bono, Sting and so many more performed a landmark music event to raise money for famine relief in Africa. You can see how the legendary concerts in London and Philadelphia came together, how that movement as well continued in a new episode of the CNN Original Series, "LIVE AID, WHEN ROCK AND ROLL TOOK ON THE WORLD."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Phil Collins live from Philadelphia on Live Aid.

PHIL COLLINS, MUSICIAN: Good evening, Philadelphia. Good evening, America. Good evening, London, and good evening, the world.

I was in England this afternoon. Funny old world, isn't it?

Retrospectively glued the two events together more than just being the same name, you know, live over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was the connection between the London show and us. He sat down at the piano. And all of us in the production crew cried. We literally all cried because it was impossible. It's kind of part of something bigger. Oh, boy.

(MUSIC PERFORMANCE BY PHIL COLLINS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Be sure to tune in for an all-new episode of "LIVE AID, WHEN ROCK AND ROLL TOOK ON THE WORLD" this Sunday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.

Well, heartfelt tributes continue to pour in for wrestling legend and pop culture icon Hulk Hogan. Current stars and legends of the past coming together in Cleveland during Friday night's smackdown to pay their respects. Hogan passed away on Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest. The WWE honoring him with a video highlighting his most memorable moments in the ring and a special 10 bell salute.