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Trump Visits Scotland As Epstein Controversy Simmers; IDF Says It Will Resume Aid Airdrops In Gaza; Trump Set To Meet With E.U. Leaders For Trade Talks; Trump Announces "Massive Trade Agreement With Japan; Trump Ramps Up Pressure Campaign On Fed Chair Jerome Powell; Southwest Airlines Flight Dives To Avoid Mid-Air Collision. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired July 26, 2025 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:00:58]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Jessica Dean in New York.

There is breaking news this hour involving the starvation crisis in Gaza. The Israeli military saying tonight that airdrops of aid into Gaza will resume overnight, and that it would establish humanitarian corridors to guarantee safe transport for U.N. convoys of food and medicine.

We're going to have a lot more on that development coming up in this hour.

In the meantime, in Washington, the Trump administration, facing a growing political crisis over its handling of documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

This week, sources telling CNN when Attorney General Pam Bondi briefed the president back in May on the Justice Department review of documents related to the Epstein case, she told Trump his name appears in the files.

Now, that was not the only focus of the talks, the sources said. But Trump has denied this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, were you briefed on your name appearing in the Epstein files ever?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, I was never, never briefed. No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: To be clear, we do not know the context for Trump's name in the documents. Sources familiar with the DOJ review say the files seem to include several unsubstantiated claims that the DOJ does not find credible, including those related to Trump.

Also this week, though, deputy attorney general Todd Blanche spending two days interviewing Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison back in 2022 for carrying out a years-long scheme with Epstein to groom and sexually abuse underage girls. She's continued to appeal her conviction.

CNN legal analyst Michael Moore is joining us now.

Michael, thanks for being here with us to kind of sort through some of this.

I do want to play a clip of what Maxwell's attorney said yesterday. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID OSCAR MARKUS, ATTORNEY FOR GHISLAINE MAXWELL: She was asked maybe about 100 different people. She answered questions about everybody and she didn't hold anything back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: So, Michael, let's start first. Walk us through this type of interview. What was happening behind closed doors? And also the fact that Todd Blanche is the one down there doing this interview.

MICHAEL MOORE, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. Well, I'm glad to be with you. I mean, this absolutely is one of the strangest things that we've seen lately, and it's completely outside the norms for the Department of Justice.

You've got to remember that Todd Blanche is the deputy attorney general, oversees roughly 120,000 Department of Justice employees.

And so you just don't see the deputy attorney general go around and do an inmate -- or interview with a federal inmate who's been convicted of these types of heinous offenses involving so many victims. And claiming, I guess, he's trying to get additional information.

You just don't do it. You send a line prosecutor, an FBI agent, something like that. So the first thing is this took place completely outside the norms.

Likely the interview is not recorded or at least will not be publicly recorded. I'm guessing that he went in and he was aware that his -- any recordings could have been subpoenaed.

And so he's probably just taking some personal notes about what she said. And they're probably looking and grasping for any individual names they can get in an effort to somehow minimize the fact that Trump's name, at least according to his attorney general, appears in the Epstein file.

And, you know, it's not surprising that it appears there. They had a personal relationship. That's no secret. You don't have to do much Google research to see a picture of the president and Mr. Epstein.

And so they are trying, I think, at great length and probably at great peril, because this little exercise, this little show, nonsensical event that they did is not going to satisfy anybody, even if they come up with information.

I mean, what are they going to say? We got told by Miss Maxwell that the president was not involved. Well, guess what? The Department of Justice has already said that she's not credible, not trustworthy? That's in court.

So this is really not going to satisfy the people who are interested in information about the case.

[17:04:46]

DEAN: And we learned that Maxwell was granted limited immunity to talk to Todd Blanche and the DOJ. This was -- this is what's called a queen-for-a-day session.

What is -- what does that mean? How does that kind of deal work?

MOORE: Yes. Well, oftentimes a prosecutor, when they're interviewing an agent with the prosecutor's agreement, when you're interviewing somebody and they've been charged with crimes or maybe have been convicted of crimes, but may have information that could be useful in other investigations, you'll say, for instance, I'm not going to use what you tell me today against you. So I need to know what you know.

So, for instance, if you help set up sexual encounters by Individual A with these young girls, I need to know it. If you set up sexual encounters with young girls with Individual B, tell me about that and I'm not going to charge you with that conduct.

And that's something that if what you tell me today, I won't use. It does mean at some point, if you gather information about other crimes and offenses or even about that, and independently that the person can't be charged.

But this is this is sort of like throwing the bait out toward Miss Maxwell, saying, hey, maybe we'll give you some immunity, and who knows. If it's good enough information, maybe, maybe the president will consider a pardon or commutation of your sentence or something like that.

So there's nothing particularly out of the norm about offering, you know, some limited immunity for an interview with a subject.

What's odd is the way they're doing this and you've seen sort of the very top of the Justice Department swoop in and clearly in an effort to give, and I think you've heard some Republican senators say this, to get -- to give the president some cover.

DEAN: Yes. And I want to talk about the possibility of a pardon in just a second. But I want to go back to something else you kind of alluded to, which

is just how trustworthy is Maxwell. And there are people I think that look at all of this and say, well, yes, I mean, she's convicted. She's spending years in prison. What's to stop her from telling them whatever they want to hear.

MOORE: I think that's the whole point. I mean, I really -- I think this is -- this is just a ludicrous exercise by the department. And I think you're never going to hear exactly what went on word for word in the interview. Any promises that were made or otherwise.

But certainly she has a motive to try to help herself since she's facing a 20-year jail sentence. But again, the department has already said in open court that her testimony is not credible, and she had a chance at trial if she wanted to, you know, testify --

DEAN: Right.

MOORE: -- the criminal defendant always has a right to do that. If they wanted to put up information at that time about other people who were involved, if she -- if she wasn't involved.

I mean, but --

DEAN: But she didn't.

MOORE: -- you know, this is a little bit like, well, this -- this is a lot like asking a, you know, somebody who's been convicted of drug distribution to start naming people on the street.

I mean, this is -- this is just a chance, I think, And her lawyer probably has been very capable to set this meeting up. But this -- this is really a chance for her to try to save herself or shave some years off.

And there's no question -- you don't have to watch much news, but there's no question about what the goal is. And that is, I believe, to get information that the president and those around him think would somehow either take him out of the mix or bring other people into the mix so that he didn't look quite as bad, since his name, again, at least according to his own attorney general, appears in the file.

DEAN: Right.

And we don't -- we have no idea what that means. And he has obviously denied all wrongdoing.

MOORE: Right.

DEAN: I do want to ask you about this idea of a pardon. This is what President Trump said when he was asked about pardoning Maxwell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you consider -- would you consider a pardon or commutation for Ghislaine Maxwell? TRUMP: It's something I haven't thought about. It's really something.

It's something -- I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I have not thought about.

(CROSSTALKING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: He certainly hasn't said an outright no, but he hasn't -- he said he hasn't thought about it. He's not sure, but he's allowed to do it.

But again, just to underscore, she's serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking young girls. To pardon somebody like that, what might the impact of that be?

MOORE: Well, I mean, everybody will just have to decide for themselves whether or not they believe what he said about having not thought about it. I mean, that's about like somebody asking me if I've thought about dinner. I mean, clearly I have. And so that's just that's just nonsensical too.

But without question, the president has a right to pardon people. That's -- that's presidential authority and any president has a right to issue pardons. We've seen it in every administration. And that's just what they do.

The question here really is whether or not the public at large would accept the fact that he's pardoned somebody like this. You typically see presidents come in and pardon people who have maybe minor offenses, drug type offenses, maybe they've served a significant amount of the sentence for some type of drug offense. And the president might pardon them, might be, you know, people like that. They've clearly been political pardons in the past.

[17:09:47]

MOORE: But this is one of those cases where you have someone who's come in and through trial, has denied what she was convicted of. And, you know, the charges for which she was convicted are awful. They're just awful. And they leave a lot of victims out there who are still hurting about what happened to them.

And so whether or not, you know, the public will accept the fact if, in fact, the president were to come in and pardon her is not necessarily a legal question, but a political one.

And I, you know, I for one would think it was a complete travesty if he did it. And I think, frankly, by, you know, what you hear out on the street is that there are a lot of people who would see it the same way.

So does he have the legal authority to do it? He does. Does the Republican Party and, you know, the people around him have the political stomach to do it? You know, that's another question that they'll have to answer. And frankly, the answer may not come until we get closer to an election.

DEAN: That is a political question, as you -- as you note.

All right. Michael Moore, great to see you. Thanks so much.

MOORE: Glad to be with you. Thank you.

DEAN: And still to come, we have breaking news out of Gaza where Israel says it is taking new steps to get badly -- desperately needed aid into Gaza.

But the question is, is it enough? What will be enough for the two million people there facing starvation?

Plus Gaza, Ukraine, tariffs and trade, all of it sure to come up as President Trump holds crucial talks with European and U.K. officials during his weekend in Scotland.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[17:11:11]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: Tonight, the Israeli military is responding to growing outrage over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, announcing it will implement a series of actions designed to improve the flow of aid, including airdrops and possible humanitarian pauses.

Aid agencies are warning of mass starvation in Gaza, with little access to food, fresh water and very limited medical supplies.

UNICEF saying of the 113,000 children screened in June, nearly 6,000 of them were found to be acutely malnourished, you're looking at video right now of one of them, and the situation is only getting worse by the hour, by the day.

We're joined now by the emergency communications specialist for UNICEF, Joe English. Joe, you've been on with us before. We have talked about this for months now. And now we are just getting these horrific, arresting videos and images of these children. And we get this news tonight from the IDF about these airdrops.

Help give people context. Obviously, something always better than nothing. But what does -- what do these airdrops potentially do or what -- what might -- what holes might still exist?

JOE ENGLISH, EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST, UNICEF: Yes. Good to be with you, Jessica.

So look, any effort to get more aid into Gaza is obviously welcome. But let me touch on airdrops first.

This is one of the most expensive and one of the most inefficient ways of delivering aid, you know. And if you're concerned about aid getting into the wrong hands, then let me tell you, dropping it from the sky is hardly the most precise way to make sure that you're reaching children and families who are in need.

There is an existing way of distributing aid in the Gaza Strip, and it is the U.N. We have been doing this for decades. During the most recent ceasefire, we had 400 distribution points. We were meeting people where they are.

And you see these images of starving children, of malnourished mothers, you know, and expecting them to be able to get to these areas where aid may be dropped in. You know, I mean, these people are barely able to leave their, their shelters. You know, we have to be able to get in and reach them where they are.

DEAN: Yes. And Joe, if you could wave a magic wand, what -- I think people are looking at these images again of these children, especially, and saying what has to happen for them to get the food they need. What would you do? How do you fix this?

ENGLISH: We don't need a magic wand, you know, we have the tools available. This is what absolutely breaks my heart.

We know how to prevent malnutrition. We know how to treat malnutrition. UNICEF uses ready-to-use therapeutic food, which is highly fortified, peanut paste (ph). And if we can get to children and provide them with this course of medicine, then we know that we can save their lives, but we have to be able to reach them, you know.

And that is another reason why airdrops is not going to be able to do this, because we have to be able to deliver this course over a number of weeks. So a one-off drop of aid is not going to help the children who we are seeing who are severely malnourished.

DEAN: So you need -- it sounds like you're saying again for this using your example of the peanut paste and getting to children, you need to be able to get in and be able to consistently go to where these children are to give them this paste, not just once, but over and over and over again.

ENGLISH: That's exactly it, you know, and the U.N. has a plan for this. We laid out just this week a 30-day plan and that found that we believe that if we get these this pause in the fighting and ability to scale up our programming and the programming of our partners, we can reach 98 percent of the audience of malnourished children who need this support -- 98 percent.

We could turn this around in a month if we have the access and the ability not just to get aid in, but to get aid across the strip as well. And that, you know, that means were calling on all parties. It's not just the case of Israel allowing us aid in. It also needs to be facilitated within the strip. And we also need to see the armed groups on the ground, the parties on the ground allow us to reach children and families wherever they are.

DEAN: Right. Right.

Tell us just currently. So that's what could be done. Currently what are your colleagues experiencing? What is the current situation? Are they able to get to anybody at this point?

[17:19:55]

ENGLISH: Yes. You know, we continue to screen children for malnutrition. As you said in your introduction there, we've been screening hundreds of thousands of children for malnutrition. And many of those were able to get treatment, which is, you know, preventing the situation being far, far worse.

But we are also running low on this, on this ready to use therapeutic food, you know. And so we have to see not just that kind of initial flow of aid, you know.

And this news about potential humanitarian pauses, now that is very welcome. You know, we want to see a ceasefire. But in the meantime, if we can get these pauses, that would be a welcome step.

But the challenges are humongous and it has to be sustained. You know, parents can't be expected to think, ok, well, there might be aid coming in today, but we don't know if it's going to be sustained because we'll continue to see these heartbreaking images of children otherwise.

DEAN: Well, and there's also -- just the danger in trying to get to the aid right now. Medics say six people were killed, dozens injured just today while they were trying to get to aid.

It is dangerous for people to try to get kids, women, children, anyone really, but to get to this aid.

ENGLISH: It is. You know, and we spoke two weeks ago and at that point I think around 600 people have been killed around these distribution sites. And that number is now almost a thousand. It may even have passed 1,000, you know.

So that is a very visceral, striking example. You know, humanitarian aid goes on all around the world. People should not be risking their lives in order to get the basics for survival.

As I say, during the most recent ceasefire, 400 distribution points, you know, the U.N., UNICEF, WFP, organizations that the U.S. has long supported and has long worked with, they've been our biggest supporter. We know what we're doing. We just have to be allowed to do it.

DEAN: All right. Joe English, thank you so much for being here, for giving us some context. And we certainly hope that as time goes by that this -- this can -- this can get better. And we will get to talk about better circumstances. Joe English, thank you so much.

ENGLISH: Thanks so much, Jessica.

DEAN: President Trump doesn't plan on just playing golf during his weekend trip to Scotland. He's also looking to hit the sweet spot on trade as he talks tariffs with one of America's biggest trading partners, the European Union. [17:22:05]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: The clock is ticking as President Trump's August 1st deadline approaches. Some of Americas biggest trade partners now in the middle -- are now in the middle of negotiating deals with the U.S. or they could face steep tariffs.

This weekend, the president is hoping for what he calls, quote, "the biggest deal yet", as he prepares to meet with the leader of the European Union during his trip to Scotland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Ursula will be here, highly-respected woman, so we look forward to that. In terms of a deal, we're meeting with the European Union and that would be actually the biggest deal of them all if we make it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: CNN's Jeff Zeleny is joining us now live from Edinburgh, Scotland where the president is for the weekend. Jeff, exactly what kind of deal is the president hoping for and how realistic might that be?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well Jessica, this is just one more example of the many negotiations that we have seen over the last several months of the Trump tariff policy.

As we know, it's been on again, off again but there is that August deadline, as you were saying. And it is the E.U. that is hoping to reach an agreement with the United States. That is why Ursula Von Der Leyen is coming to the Trump Turnberry Golf Resort to meet with the president.

This was not on the schedule announced by the white house, and it actually happened in flight. The president, we were told, had a phone conversation with her. She sent out a message on social media saying that she was going to meet with the president, and that was later confirmed by the White House.

So an example of how a weekend golf outing, which the president is here doing, visiting a couple of his clubs, actually becomes a business meeting as well.

She has not had the warmest relationship with the president. She is one of the few leaders who has not visited the White House. But she will be meeting with the president tomorrow afternoon here in Scotland, in the morning in the U.S. and trying to negotiate a deal.

Now what the member nations of the European Union are hoping for is a 15 percent across-the-board tariff rate; that would include autos, auto parts. That would be a significant deal, if you will, because the Trump administration is threatening 30 percent across-the-board. So the president yesterday when he landed here in Scotland, he said

there's about a 50-50 percent chance he would make a deal. But we know when he meets one-on-one, face-to-face with leaders, he often comes to the dealing table.

So there is a certainly optimism from the E.U. But there was also a vote just a few days ago if the deal is not reached, retaliatory tariffs also would be imposed against the U.S. So that, of course, is the incentive for President Trump to also meet the E.U. in the middle.

DEAN: Yes. And Jeff, also, there have been protests there in Scotland where you are around the president's visit. I know you talked to some people. What did you find?

ZELENY: Well Jessica, there's no doubt that many Scots have been not thrilled that President Trump is here opening a golf course, visiting his golf courses. His golf courses themselves have been somewhat controversial, but it's the policies of the president that were really coming under sharp rebuke at a protest earlier today in Edinburgh.

We talked to James Graham, who was actually born in the United States, now lives here. He had this to say about President Trump.

JAMES GRAHAM, PROTESTING TRUMP VISIT: I think There's a foul smell in Scotland right now.

[17:29:56]

But I grew up in America.

ZELENY: OK.

GRAHAM: So, I have a keen interest in what's going on there, and my children are there, and I fear for them. I worry for them, and the rise of the right, and --

(CROSSTALK)

ZELENY: OK.

GRAHAM: -- the things that are going down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So, there is no doubt that the policies of the Trump administration, even the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, has followed the president here. Many people we've talked to at that protest were raising that in particular.

But it's not surprising to the President, of course. He had large protests back during his first term in office as well. And of course, he was re-elected, and that is just how it is. He owns golf courses here. He does business here, and speaking of golf courses, he'll be opening a new golf course on Tuesday, dedicated after his mother, who, of course, was born in Scotland and moved to the U.S. at the age of 18. Jessica. DEAN: All right. Jeff Zeleny for us. Thank you so much.

And joining us now is Gillian Tett. She's a columnist for The Financial Times. Gillian always great to have you here with us to kind of dig into some of this.

Let's start first with this possible E.U. trade deal. President Trump, obviously, saying this could be the biggest deal of them all. He has been critical of the E.U., but he has called its leader a very respected woman. How do you think the E.U. is going in to this -- to these trade talks?

GILLIAN TETT, COLUMNIST, FINANCIAL TIMES: Well, as you say, it is a very big trade deal, potentially, if it happens, remember that the total value of U.S.-E.U. trade is about $1.6 trillion a year. That is huge. And the deal matters enormously for both sides, because for the E.U., a very large part of their exports do indeed go to America, and they are obviously very strongly opposed to the tariffs that the Trump administration has imposed.

But at the same time, President Trump himself is under huge pressure to show that he can actually cut deals, not just for the real economy, but also because the stock market has been soaring in recent weeks, hitting new records almost every day. The so-called euphoria index of Barclays tracks is twice its normal level, and it's soaring because investors are assuming that the worst threats around trade won't actually materialize.

The so-called Trump Always Chickens Out, TACO trade is alive and well. And if the E.U.-U.S. trade talks fail, you could potentially see very nasty reactions in the markets, and that is not something that the Trump administration wants to see.

DEAN: It is so interesting that you note that what's going on with the stock market and just the incredible kind of run that it's been on lately, because -- and it's interesting to hear what you're saying, which is that they are kind of baking into this, that they think the worst of this is over and that the worst won't go, go through essentially.

TETT: Absolutely. I mean the fact that the Japanese in the U.S. did strike a deal which brought down the tariffs to around 50 percent, which is what appears to be on the table potentially for U.S.-E.U. has further played into the idea that Trump talks tough. There's a lot of dramatic rhetoric, but his bark is a lot worse than his bite, and actually, in the end, he does cut a deal.

Now, I should stress that the Japan-U.S. deal that was announced with so much fanfare contains numerous holes, and the ink is barely dry on the deal, or they didn't actually sign anything, but the announcements barely been made. And already, the Japanese are saying they have quite a different interpretation of items, like the investment in semiconductors from the Americans. So, there is going to be a lot of wrangling around that in the months ahead. But because that Japan-U.S. trade deal has been done, there is a pretty high expectation that something will get done between the E.U. and the and the U.S. And so, if that doesn't happen, there is going to be profound disappointment in the markets.

DEAN: And -- yes, let's stay with Japan for a second. We were just showing people kind of what -- from the Americans perspective, what was included on this which includes 15 percent tariff that extends to car and car parts, a $550 billion Japanese investment into the U.S., among some other things there. But Detroit automakers here in the U.S., Gillian are not -- are not thrilled with this deal. What kind of an impact might it have on the auto industry here in America?

TETT: Well, there is certainly a lot of opposition from the auto industry. There is a feeling that actually, this is still pretty unfair. The really big sticking point, though, is about the $550 billion investment by Japanese into U.S. chip operations. And it was presented by the Americans, by Howard Lutnick and others. That 90 percent of the benefits of that investment would go to U.S. taxpayers, which, frankly, if that's what the Japanese did indeed sign up to. That is really astonishing, because essentially it means the Japanese are providing all the investment, taking the risk, but all the benefits are going to U.S. taxpayers.

Now, the Japanese have said in the last 24 hours that actually that is not their understanding that basically the split of profit will be proportionate to the amount of money invested.

[17:35:03]

So, that's quite different.

And I just cite that as one example of the way that these deals were announced with enormous fanfare and yet a lot of question marks are still lingering around what they are going to mean in practice.

I mean the U.S.-U.K. trade deal, which was announced as supposedly won the first trade deals that Trump was able to unveil. There is a lot of details around that which are still very unclear. And another issue that's going to be on the agenda during President Trump's visit to the U.K. is what on earth is going to happen with steel tariffs, with other tariffs like that, which are of great interest to U.K. producers.

DEAN: Certainly. And he is going to meet with the U.K. prime minister to talk about probably that and a number of other things.

I do want to also touch on this feud between the President and the Federal Reserve Chair, Jerome Powell. You have spoken with many people who share President Trump's criticism of the Federal Reserve, including one popular online blogger, Curtis Yarvin, who believes that the key is taking power away from the Fed by combining it with the treasury department.

How prevalent is that idea? How mainstream are some of these ideas?

TETT: Well, the reality is that the techno libertarian, the far-right of the Republican Party, or rather what used to be the Republican Party have been arguing for a long time that there need to be major reforms to the Federal Reserve. And Curtis Yarvin, who is a popular far-right blogger, he's very closely followed by people like J.D. Vance and others inside the administration, has been arguing recently that, that is not enough to simply remove Chairman Powell. You have to basically put the Fed under the treasury and essentially engage in a dramatic restructuring of American debt to simply make the country solvent again.

Now, most people who are in mainstream organizations or financial institutions are horrified by that idea, because they would argue that the only reason why America has been able to build credibility around the world with the dollar, and frankly, keep rates as low as they are right now, is precisely because people have trusted that the Federal Reserve will be independent and immune to any political pressure around the need to lower rates.

And as a result, that inflation will stay low, and if there is any fun of that cracking, you could really see a pretty violent reaction from the markets. I mean, President Trump has called for interest rates to be around one percent. That would be negative real rates, i.e. that's meaning that interest rates will be way below the current rate of inflation. And that's the kind of measure you normally only use in the middle of a deep depression.

DEAN: Yes.

TETT: Not the kind of growth picture we got right now. So, that would really create concerns about inflation and undermine the value of the dollar.

DEAN: Yes. Gillian, always great to have you. Thank you so much. We appreciate your time.

TETT: Thank you.

DEAN: What we know about a terrifying incident when a Southwest Airlines plane was forced to dive suddenly to avoid colliding with a fighter jet. That's when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:42:43]

DEAN: Another frightening moment in the skies, this one in Southern California. A Southwest Airlines jet dropped about 470 feet -- 75 feet after alarm sounded to avoid colliding directly into a fighter jet.

And now, there are new questions about what happened and if it could happen again. CNN aviation analyst Mary Schiavo is joining us now. Mary, great to see you. I feel like we keep having you on and going, oh, this is -- this is something scary that happened. But, what do you think about this particular incident?

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, this incident is just as we you said. We had keep having these scary incidents, but it's clear the common thread in all these incidents is that air traffic control has not -- there is lots of reason why, but air traffic control has not properly separated the traffic and has not given the proper alerts to all the traffic in there.

And of course, there is lots of reasons. After the DCA mid-air earlier this year, you know it was well, the military traffic was being controlled by other controllers. We heard that after the North Dakota incident last week. We heard that, well, for the runway incursions we've had this year where there's traffic on the runway as the plane's landing, they have to hopscotch over it, avoid it, do go rounds. We said, well, they didn't follow the instructions of air traffic control.

Then, on the military, we heard well, where they didn't have the same equipment. They didn't have something that's called ADSB in or out, or they didn't have it turned on, or they weren't visible because the equipment was different. And then, finally, we've even heard excuses that, well, it wasn't a true near miss because they really weren't close enough.

This one, we know they were. Why? Because the equipment in the airplane designed to prevent mid-air collisions went off. It instructed the pilot, and that's what it does. That's why so life- saving. It tells the pilot, climb, dive, do this. The plane barks orders. So, we know this was a true near miss, and that's why it's happening. All those reasons.

(CROSSTALK)

DEAN: So, yes. It's really scary. And so, wow, what needs to be done? Is this about more air traffic controllers? What is going on?

SCHIAVO: What needs to be done is multifaceted, but you know, basically we start with the fact that the air traffic control system is outdated. We were supposed to have the new air traffic control system being built out not a decade ago, not two decade ago, but three decades ago.

[17:45:01]

And then, we see reports from my old office, the Office of Inspector General, where literally tens of billions of dollars has been wasted. That would have bought our new air traffic control system. So, first and foremost, we need the modern air traffic control system, and we don't need this -- the you know, systems where we have no radar, burned out radar, no systems, and planes not visible on-air traffic control.

And then, the second part of that is the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation has to get tough.

You know, we've seen these incursions in airspace. We have -- you know, seeing the military incursions. We've seen people flying without the proper equipment or the equipment turned on, there has to be severe consequences for people who operate in the airspace and do not coordinate with air traffic control, do not get clearances and do not follow. And we have the ability to do that, and that's up to the FAA and Secretary Duffy to get tough.

And if he has to have a head-to-head with the secretary of defense, So, be it. But the airspace belongs to the American people, and that's who owns it. Not the military, not the people over whose heads they fly, and the American people deserve better.

DEAN: All right. Mary Schiavo, always good to see you. Think about that.

SCHIAVO: Thank you.

DEAN: All right. Thanks so much.

Coming up, how a 3-year-old boy died in a hot car in Alabama while in the state's care. Stay with us here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[17:51:07]

DEAN: Authorities in Alabama are investigating the death of a toddler who died while in the custody of the state's child protective service agency. Ke'Torrius Starks Junior was just 3 years old. He died after being trapped inside a hot car. That's according to medical examiners. The toddler was in the custody of a worker contracted by the state, and officials say the worker left the little boy inside a parked car for several hours on Tuesday, when the temperatures outside were in the 90s. The state has terminated the employee. The Birmingham Police Department is investigating that little boy's death.

In Maryland, a tight knit community is shaken after its long-time pastor was detained by ICE. Daniel Fuentes Espinal fled Honduras in 2001 to escape poverty and violence. He is now facing deportation for overstaying the visa he received 24 years ago.

A family friend told our Laura Coates, Fuentes Espinal has been trying to get a green card for years, but has been met with red tape.

Friends and followers say the pastor has been well known in his volunteer ministry and his community outreach. Two Maryland congressmen are calling on the White House to release him.

Fans are paying tribute to the wrestling icon, Hulk Hogan. Some of wrestling's biggest names came together last night in Cleveland to pay their respects. Hogan died Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest. The WWE honoring him with a video of some of his most memorable moments in the ring and a special 10 Bell salute.

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DEAN: No official details have been released on Hogan's funeral just yet. He was 71 years old.

Every day, heroes walk among us. I'm sometimes keeping their do-gooder side quiet. But we're not talking about Peter Parker, Clark, Kent. We're talking about a real person, Yuri Williams of Long Beach, California.

"CNN HEROES" salutes the founder of A Future Super Hero and Friends.

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YURI WILLIAMS, FOUNDER, FUTURE SUPERHERO AND FRIENDS: My name is Yuri Williams. By day, I'm a deputy juvenile correction officer, and by night --

That's for you.

I'm trying to uplift as many human beings and animals as possible.

I came up with the idea of dressing up as superheroes, Storm Trooper, Kylo Ren, Spider Man, Miles Morales, Deadpool. But my favorite, favorite is probably Mandalorian.

I visit the houseless community, veterans, the elderly, children with special needs, disabilities, anybody that's in need of any type of service or help that I can provide, I reach out.

When I'm out visiting the hospital, I bring as many toys as possible. I go get dressed, and that's when the magic begin.

Good morning, guys and young lady. Cake for you.

Sometimes I go out with my side kick.

I like that smile on your face.

It's making a distraction wearing the costume, but at the same time, I'm able to help them, because they feel like they can trust me.

Another hug. Oh, my goodness.

It's healing for them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

WILLIAMS: You're welcome. You'll be good. All right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

WILLIAMS: This all began in 2009. After losing my mother to an eight- year battle of cancer, my mother was a loving individual. She was a probation officer in the community. Everyone respected her. I fell into a five-year depression period where I almost lost myself. What I did was come up with this nonprofit to honor her and to thank her for being the mother that she was.

Future Superhero and Friends is based in Southern California, but we've been across all 50 states, 5-1/2 times. So, two more states, and it's going to be six times.

[17:55:01]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cheese.

WILLIAMS: Over the years now, I've probably visited over 25,000 plus individuals in need.

Beautiful.

I'm willing to travel anywhere, by plane, boat, whatever I need to do to make an impact on somebody's life.

I just want to be able to do this every single day, and I think I would be satisfied.

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DEAN: And for more uplifting stories, or to nominate someone you think should be a CNN Hero, you can go to cnn.com/heroes. Nominations close soon, July 31st.

Still ahead here tonight, new reporting on conversations happening within the Trump administration about potentially changing its approach to Gaza, where a humanitarian crisis is intensifying, and a small group of hostages are still being held here in the CNN Newsroom.

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