Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

U.S. And Israel Pull Negotiating Teams From Gaza Talks; Trump Visits Scotland As Epstein Controversy Simmers; Several People Stabbed At Walmart In Traverse City, MI; ICE Raids Rattle California Farming Industry; Arrest vs. Livelihood: Farm Workers Face Tough Choices; Lawmakers Face Heated Questions, Tough Town Halls; Cuomo Says He's Done Being "Nice" As He Runs For NYC Mayor; Top Investigators Details Strange Behaviors by Idaho Killer. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired July 26, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:33]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I am Jessica Dean here in New York, and we are following breaking news out of the Middle East as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza grows increasingly dire.

Israel tonight says it will implement a number of measures designed to improve the flow of aid and that includes airdrops and the opening of corridors for U.N. aid convoys.

Moments ago, the IDF releasing these images, which appear to show preparations for those airdrops. Now the U.N. warns airdrops can be dangerous and very expensive. In March last year, CNN reported at least five people were killed when aid packages were airdropped on them.

Aid agencies meantime warning of mass starvation after months of limited aid supply. The Palestinian Ministry of Health says 127 people have died of hunger since the war began. The majority of those are children. Israel has denied causing a famine, instead accusing Hamas of "engineering" food shortages.

Negotiations over a possible ceasefire in Gaza have stalled, with both U.S. and Israeli teams walking away from talks this week. Let's bring in CNN global affairs analyst and AXIOS correspondent, Barak Ravid, who has new reporting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a group of hostage families, it is time for the administration, Barak, to "do some serious rethinking" is your reporting. Tell us more about this.

BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND FOREIGN POLICY ANALYST: Yes, Jessica. But just a minute before that, just to continue what you talked about just a minute ago.

DEAN: Yes.

RAVID: I have some new reporting that on Sunday morning, Israel is going to implement a humanitarian pause in the fighting that is expected to last at least between something between eight to 10 hours in several large areas in the Gaza Strip, both in the Southern Gaza Strip, in the Central Gaza Strip and in the Northern Gaza Strip, to allow safe access for the U.N. and other aid organizations.

This is the first time Israel is allowing such humanitarian pause in the fighting since Israel unilaterally decided to resume the war in March, and also decided then to stop the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

This is a dramatic step, a very significant step, and a result of huge international pressure on Israel over the last days and weeks.

DEAN: Yes.

RAVID: And it is connected to --

DEAN: Go ahead.

RAVID: Yes, and it is connected to your question about the overall strategy in Gaza, because I think that what has been happening in Gaza over the last few weeks, the fact that the ceasefire talks have stalled, the fact that Hamas hasn't been destroyed, and the fact that Gaza has turned into a total catastrophe zone, I think, led many in the Trump administration to realize that six months in something is not working and that they need to rethink their strategy, and this is what Secretary of State Rubio told the hostage families on Friday.

DEAN: Okay, so let's put that to the side for just a second, because you did come to us with some big news. CNN is working to confirm that on our end, too, but this is your reporting through AXIOS, Barak about this eight to 10 hour humanitarian pause, which we just had a UNICEF aid worker on an hour ago saying that is the thing that could make the biggest difference for actually getting aid to especially these children that we have seen these horrifying images of who are suffering from starvation.

And I think in listening to you, it sounds like this is the result of just where the talks are and the international pressure that was building around this, that's what prompted this change.

RAVID: There is no doubt. It is only the international pressure both by governments and by international -- by the international media. The Israeli military and the Israeli government say that there was an orchestrated campaign led by Hamas to make it seem as if there is famine in Gaza.

Regardless of the question of whether scientifically, the situation in Gaza is famine or not, it is not in dispute that there is not enough food in Gaza, and that there hasn't been enough food in Gaza for weeks now, and that people in Gaza, especially children, has been in dire malnutrition. This is not in dispute.

[18:05:14]

And the Israelis admit that the humanitarian situation is dire and unfortunately, the Israeli government did the right thing after it tried everything else.

And it took weeks and weeks and weeks, and many people died in the process, and the question is whether it is not too late because it is very easy to deteriorate the humanitarian situation. It is much harder to improve it, and it takes much more time.

DEAN: Is there any sense, Barak, that this humanitarian pause tomorrow, that you're saying would happen on Sunday could lead to a longer pause, not necessarily a ceasefire, but maybe. Is there any indication that that leads to anything beyond an eight to 10 hour humanitarian pause?

RAVID: I am not sure. It definitely wouldn't hurt. It wouldn't HURT: the efforts to reach a more comprehensive ceasefire, and I think that we will see more humanitarian pauses. This is not a one off.

The Israeli officials tell me that more humanitarian pauses will take place if needed, and I think it is clear to everybody that it is pretty much needed. So I think we can expect more humanitarian pauses in the coming days. Again, it is not in the entire Gaza Strip, but it is in the main populated areas in what is called the Mawasi in, you know, Southwest Gaza. It is in the center camps, and it is in Northern Gaza, Gaza City, especially where there are big population centers.

DEAN: And this was supposed to happen Sunday morning there, at that time in Gaza?

RAVID: Yes, what I heard again, we have to be careful things change all the time. It is a war zone.

DEAN: Of course.

RAVID: The plan that I heard about is that the humanitarian pause will start at 8:00 A.M. -- sorry -- at 10:00 A.M. local time.

But again, this can change.

DEAN: Of course.

RAVID: And I think that anybody who is listening to us now in Gaza should wait for an official announcement. I am sure the IDF and the U.N. will put out official statements.

DEAN: Okay, so we will keep an eye on that.

At the same time, what really does fold into this, as you noted, is six months in the Trump administration, your original reporting that we were talking about Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, saying to these hostage families, we've got to rethink this.

RAVID: Yes. And he even told them, listen, I don't know what is going to happen now with the stalemate in the negotiations over the hostage deal and the ceasefire, but it is obvious that we will have to come to the President with some new options. That's what Rubio told the hostage families.

And he also mentioned something very interesting. He said, myself and President Trump never liked this format of a partial deal of an incremental ceasefire and hostage deal that you release the hostages --

DEAN: The phased deal, right.

RAVID: Phased deal, 10 hostages for two months, then you negotiate for another 10 hostages. We don't think -- we never thought it would work, but we inherited this format from Biden, so in the January 17th deal, we said, okay, we will go with it.

The problem is that the Trump administration then agreed to Prime Minister Netanyahu's request to continue with those incremental deals and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff put forward a plan that was, again, another incremental deal, another phased ceasefire and hostage deal.

And Rubio told the families yesterday that he still thinks that an incremental deal, a phased deal, is not the right way to go, and at least from two sources in that meeting, the understanding of anybody who was in that meeting, the understanding was that Rubio thinks that a comprehensive, a more comprehensive deal of all for all of all the hostages being released for ending the war in one big, beautiful deal like President Trump likes to call it, might be the better way to go.

DEAN: And that, as you know, would be such a dramatic shift from what we have seen, and we will have to wait and see if that's something that they will push, if that's something that both sides could potentially agree to. So then just to recap for everyone watching Barak, this is the state of play as it is right now.

The IDF announcing just recently that they're going to drop aid. Your reporting for AXIOS is that there is going to be a humanitarian pause. We had reported that that was a possibility as early as sometime Sunday morning local time there.

[18:10:10]

And then all of this happening as we know that the Trump administration, again, based on your reporting, is reevaluating how they're approaching this and these talks have kind of hit this kind of break, temporary breakdown, let's call it where the U.S. and Israelis walked away. And that kind of sets our stage right now for where we are, right?

RAVID: Yes. And it's -- and the problem is that if the talks over the hostage and ceasefire deal continue to be in a deadlock, then you know, there is no vacuum. It means that the fighting will escalate. If the fighting escalates, more and more people, Palestinians in Gaza will be displaced, more and more Palestinian civilians will be killed.

The humanitarian situation will deteriorate again, because that's what happens every time when the fighting escalates, and I think it is clear to everybody who is mediating this deal -- the U.S., the Qataris, the Egyptians, it is clear to them that something needs to happen for these negotiations to resume.

The problem is that at the moment, nobody has any idea how to do this.

DEAN: And there you go. Nobody -- yes. Trump said Friday in his words, it was time to get rid of Hamas and finish the job. How do you think Israel is interpreting that statement, or how Hamas might be interpreting that statement?

RAVID: Well, you know, Israeli -- the Israeli military is trying to finish off Hamas for 20 months now. And, you know, when Trump assumed office, Benjamin Netanyahu also replaced the IDF chief-of-staff, and he said -- he told members of his Cabinet, now, with Trump in the White House and Biden out, nobody is going to hold us back, and I kicked out the IDF chief-of-staff who was the chief-of-staff during October 7th, and I brought a new IDF chief-of-staff who is aggressive, who is offensive and now we will finish off Hamas.

Netanyahu even said it is going to take three months. It has been six months since then. They didn't finish off Hamas and the hostages are still there. Only one hostage came out as a result of negotiations held by the Trump administration. This was Edan Alexander, and it was actually, in my opinion, a very significant diplomatic move and very successful diplomatic move by President Trump. But he did that by bypassing Benjamin Netanyahu and by taking a different route than the route the administration has been taking for several weeks now.

And I think it is clear that the current route over the last six months did not bring a release of hostages. And in the one-time President Trump decided to go on a different route, it did result in the release of hostages.

DEAN: Yes, yes. All right, Barak Ravid, full of news this evening. Thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

RAVID: Thank you.

DEAN: And still to come, President Trump in Scotland on the golf course while the political crisis over Epstein back home continues. We will have a live report from Scotland, next.

Plus, lawmakers returning to their home districts for summer break and facing heat from constituents. A live report straight ahead.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:18:30]

DEAN: Tonight, President Donald Trump is in Scotland for a working visit with plans for trade talks, meeting with the British Prime Minister and golfing at his resorts. It is also 3,000 miles away from the political firestorm back home.

The administration has been facing backlash over its handling of the documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, and this week, sources told CNN, when Attorney General Pam Bondi briefed the President on the DOJ's review of the Epstein documents back in March, she did tell Trump that his name appeared in the files. Now, that was not the only focus of their talks, the source said, and still, Trump has denied that claim. And to be clear, we don't 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 the DOJ does not find credible, including those related to Trump.

Let's bring in CNN's chief national affairs correspondent, Jeff Zeleny, who is joining us now from Scotland, where the President has been for a day now.

Jeff, how is the President navigating this situation while abroad?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well Jessica, the President and the White House are still trying to put this to rest, but even flying across the pond, if you will, has not done that.

At protests today here at Edinburgh, there were several Jeffrey Epstein chants and signs really filled the air. It was in the newspapers here and it is on the President's mind. There is no question when he arrived here in Scotland, he said he was focused on deals, but he also said something else.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I am focused on making deals. I am not focused on conspiracy theories that you are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[18:20:08]

ZELENY: So raising conspiracy theories there. This is something that President Trump has done for a very long time, more than any President likely in history, certainly in memory.

The whole Epstein saga began as a movement within his party, and now he has struggled to answer some of these questions. But it is one of -- one of the reasons is because, again, when he arrived here, asking -- taking questions from reporters, he was asked about whether he was aware that his name was in the files. He said no, he was never briefed on that.

Well, as you said, Jessica, just a couple of days ago, the White House said he was. His name was in the file, but they said that does not signify any wrongdoing. So its these unanswered questions. It is allowing oxygen here to allow these questions to fester has kept this alive.

So the President clearly is focused on golfing today. He will be moving to a discussion of tariff and trade talks tomorrow and Monday. But there is little question that this is still hanging over everything as we are seeing it in congressional town hall meetings back in the United States. It certainly has divided members of Congress and the President's own movement as well. DEAN: Yes, and, Jeff, you've also been talking to people on the ground there in Scotland. What are they saying about the President's visit?

ZELENY: Well, look, many of them were mentioning Epstein and asking questions about it and the longstanding friendship that Jeffrey Epstein had with Donald Trump long before he ran for office, but otherwise really focusing on concerns with the U.S. policies on Gaza, on democracy, other matters.

So, it is not a big surprise that President Trump would not get a warm welcome here in Scotland. I mean, he is used to that. When he came here during his first term, thousands marched in the streets. I would say hundreds did so today here in Edinburgh. There were other protests around the country.

But look, leaders are rushing to the President. They are rushing to the President to continue to try and make deals with him. The best example of that is tomorrow, when the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is meeting with the President at his resort.

She is trying to strike a deal on tariffs before a deadline happens in August. So there is some angst and anger among the people, but leaders at least realize they have to deal with the President and he is seeing them and likely to try and ink some type of agreement -- Jessica.

DEAN: Yes, yes, yes. We will see how that goes.

Jeff Zeleny, thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

Joining us now to talk more about this, White House correspondent for Semafor, Shelby Talcott.

Shelby, thanks so much for being here with us. I do want to go back to the Epstein situation, because that continues to swirl around the President and this White House and certainly he is thousands of miles away and it continues to bubble up and be discussed.

How are they thinking about, and in your reporting, what have you figured out about how they're thinking about this and how they're trying to turn the page?

SHELBY TALCOTT, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, SEMAFOR: Well, I think it is no surprise they want this to go away. They've wanted this to go away from the start, and we've seen how the White House has kind of shifted its strategy, right? Originally, you had that DOJ, FBI two- page memo that effectively said that this case was closed. There was nothing else to see here, and because of the persistent backlash from Donald Trump's own sort of core supporters, you've seen him sort of shift away from that and say, okay, I support releasing the testimony. And then now you're seeing that the DOJ is interviewing Ghislaine Maxwell.

And so you're kind of seeing them try to give a little bit to their base in an effort to make this go away. But at the same time, it is really interesting because the White House strategy is sort of to lock it down. We have not heard much commentary from administration officials on it. Of course, Donald Trump will sometimes go on Truth Social and is sort of his own character, right? Sometimes he goes off script and does things that the administration might not want him to do.

But generally, administration officials are really locking this down. They don't want to discuss it. They are referring everything to the DOJ at this point.

DEAN: And then more broadly, for Republicans who, you know, the House, Mike Johnson, the House Speaker, letting them out early to try to avoid any more on this. Meantime, we saw Oversight with that vote, trying to subpoena some of these documents.

This is still growing within the Republican Party and specifically all of these Republican House members who are now going home to their districts and have to run for re-election soon in the next year and talk to their constituents about this.

TALCOTT: Right, it is really fractured, not just the sort of MAGA influencer orbit, but Republicans in Congress, too, and you're seeing how they're struggling to grapple with it. They're struggling to sort of figure out how to placate Donald Trump and support what the President wants, while at the same time, this is an issue that a lot of these lawmakers have cared about for a long time.

[18:25:15]

And so you're seeing some of them kind of go against what the President wants, and you're right, this is an issue that they're going to have to go home and answer to their constituents, particularly because Democrats are making sure that this stays in the news and Democrats are going to make sure in the midterms that this remains a topic.

And so, it is top of mind for a whole host of lawmakers, and there really hasn't been a solid, easy way out for Republicans on it.

DEAN: And, Shelby, you've covered Republicans on the Hill. You've covered this White House, obviously, they're usually quite effective, especially the President, in changing the topic if he doesn't want to be talking about it. Things seem to just kind of roll right off of him.

This one is sticking around longer than we've seen previously. How is that sitting with him and with those around him?

TALCOTT: I think that they're frustrated is the word that I would use, and I think that they underestimated sort of how much their base really cares about the Epstein issue, and it is interesting to me, somebody who has covered Republicans for so long because this Epstein -- these Epstein files have been something that Republicans and conservatives have talked about for years.

I mean, during the Biden administration, Democrats all oftentimes described it as a fixation, and so now, you're seeing the White House sort of confused about why the base isn't agreeing with them and willing to drop it, and the simple reason is, it is because this has been one of the top things that conservatives have talked about and really care about over the past several years.

DEAN: Yes, All right, Shelby Talcott, great to see you. Thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

TALCOTT: Thanks.

DEAN: Up next, we do have some breaking news. We are going to tell you what we are learning about multiple people who were stabbed at a Michigan Walmart. We are back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:31:29]

DEAN: We do have some breaking news into CNN tonight as officials in Traverse City, Michigan Say several people were stabbed at a Wal-Mart there. The local sheriff's department saying - says details on the victims and what happened are still coming in, still being processed. There is a suspect in custody. We'll, of course, continue to follow the story and bring you any updates as we get them.

It is peak harvest season in California and ICE raids across the farm belt are spreading fear among undocumented farm workers and frustration for their employers. It's forcing many people to choose between going to work and risking an arrest or staying home and losing their livelihood. Julia Vargas Jones brings us that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): On their hands and knees for hours at a time, these California farm workers brave the elements daily to put food on America's tables. Now many are forced to choose between going to work and risk arrest or stay home and lose their livelihood.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shame on you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shame.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shame on you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES (voice over): Ventura County fields were among the many locations targeted by immigration agents in early June raids that rattled California. And in July, a farm worker died after falling off a roof during another ICE raid in Camarillo. The chilling effects of those raids are hitting hard a state that is the top producer of agricultural products in the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JONES (on camera): California's agriculture is a 60-billion-dollar industry, more than one-third of all vegetables and two-thirds of fruits and nuts in the United States are grown right here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES (voice over): Thirty-four-year-old Marisol (ph) said she came to the U.S. from the Mexican state of Guerrero 12 years ago looking to make an honest living in a safe place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: You've been paying your taxes this whole time.

MARISOL: Si.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES (voice over): And now grappling with the fear of being deported each day, she goes to work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARISOL: (Foreign language) ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES (voice over): "Many of us are scared to go do our jobs," she says, "but then we have to pay our rent and bills and we have no option but to go to work and pray nothing happens to us, but we are scared."

She and her husband are both farm workers. Her main concern if they were arrested by ICE, she says, is their four-year-old daughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARISOL: (Foreign language) ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES (voice over): "I don't have anyone that could take my daughter," she says, "Except for her daycare teacher."

Even those in less precarious situations are afraid here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONES (on camera): You have authorization to work in this country. Tienes autorizacion para vivir aca y asi mismo tienes miedo.

PATRICIA: Si. (Foreign language) ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES (voice over): "Yes, I am scared," Patricia says. She's heard of American citizens and legal temporary workers getting detained by ICE agents. She says, "They just come and sometimes even hit you before asking if you have authorization to work or not."

The Department of Homeland Security which oversees ICE did not respond to CNN's requests for comment. For growers like Guillermo Jimenez who depend on this workforce daily, it's more than a nuisance, especially in summer when produce is ready to pick.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUILLERMO JIMENEZ, FARMER: (Foreign language) ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES (voice over): "We are also fearful," he says, 'because we've sowed the seeds but we can't harvest without people."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONES (on camera): Would you be able to find American hands to work here?

JIMENEZ: No, (foreign language) ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES (voice over): The day after the Camarillo raids, 14 workers didn't show. It takes 18 people to harvest one field.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: (Foreign language) ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES (voice over): Jimenez says if that pattern continues, he will have to scale down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[18:35:00]

JONES (on camera): These farmers are saying that the only way out of the situation and where they're placing their hopes is that Donald Trump will actually make good on some of the promises he had made to farmers to put exemptions so that those workers can get a path to work in this country legally, Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Julia Vargas Jones in Los Angeles. Thank you so much for that report.

Politicians are headed out of Washington, D.C. early for the summer. They're going back to their home districts, but it's unclear what kind of welcome they're going to get. They are bracing for plenty of hot questions from their constituents, including about possible cuts to Medicaid and documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Let's bring in Julia Benbrook now.

Julia, the House getting out a little bit early. They're - those House members now headed back to their districts. How are lawmakers planning to face their constituents?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN NEWSOURCE NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are already getting a glimpse at some of this as some lawmakers are holding town halls both virtually and in person and fielding questions on a wide range of topics. We have heard them discuss the environment, the economy, education as well as President Donald Trump's massive domestic policy agenda bill, the so-called one big beautiful bill.

But one topic that does still come up, a very delicate one for these Congress members to navigate is the Jeffrey Epstein investigation as questions still continue. Now, when the Department of Justice and the FBI released a memo a few weeks ago now, announcing that they had not found a so-called client list incriminating associates of Jeffrey Epstein.

There were even more questions. It really reignited this conversation, especially after Attorney General Pam Bondi just a few months before had hyped up some soon-to-be-released documents and had even said that she had documents sitting on her desk suggesting the so-called client list was there. She later said that she was referring to other types of documents.

But all of this to say that those questions still remain. And during a virtual town hall, Congressman Mike Kennedy of Utah who is a practicing physician, that is an important piece of context as we hear how he responded to this. But he was asked about the Epstein investigation and he compared it to a wound that if it's not treated correctly, if it's left to fester that it could just only become worse. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE KENNEDY (R-UT): I am a big fan of full transparency and of course healthcare and how it's delivered is a big way of thinking about things is if you've got a festering, oil infected wound with pus underneath there, you can continue to just let it fester and potentially that's going to grow inward and create infection in your bloodstream and cause the whole body to be sick. Well, it's another way, and I've done this many times over the course of my doctor careers I just had to put a needle or a knife in it and cut it open and let it drain. And in the case of this Epstein stuff, absolutely, let it out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Now we have seen some movement on Capitol Hill before those house members went back to their districts, a House Oversight subcommittee, they voted, it was a bipartisan vote actually to subpoena the Department of Justice for more documents related to Epstein. The House Oversight Chairman, James Comer, has said that members of his committee have been showing a lot of interest on this topic in recent weeks and he promised to move quickly on next steps with this, Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Julia Benbrook, thank you so much.

Still to come tonight, we're going to check in with New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo amid a new federal lawsuit against the city over immigration enforcement. We'll have a live report on that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:43:27]

DEAN: Andrew Cuomo, hoping that some strategy changes could be the ticket to winning the race to become New York City's next mayor. He says this means more selfies and less Mr. Nice Guy. Cuomo's running as an independent after his stunning loss in the Democratic primary this spring. CNN's Gloria Pazmino is joining us now.

Gloria, he's already run against Mamdani and lost. Now, Cuomo's back as an independent. What does he think is going to be different this time?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jessica. And you know that reference to no more Mr. Nice Guy was Cuomo talking about how he felt like he didn't really counter his opponent, Zohran Mamdani, hard enough during the primary. And he says he's going to do that now.

Now, we are starting to watch a version of that. This weekend he was out here in East Harlem and he was actually making his way all around the five boroughs of New York City trying to speak directly to voters. That's what he said he was going to do different. He said he wanted to be on the street more and he acknowledged that it was a mistake that he made during the primary campaign.

So, we watched as he came out here to East Harlem to meet directly with voters. And then, we sat down with him and he told me that he's hearing a lot of voter anxiety. People concern about affordability and public safety here in the city.

We also asked him about this most recent lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice last week against the city of New York over its sanctuary policies and whether he would do anything to change those laws. Take a listen.

[18:45:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW CUOMO, (I) NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: This is real life. You know, this affordability crisis has them around the throat and they're feeling it every day. And they're upset and they're scared.

The answer is not the federal government then coming in and suing to overturn the sanctuary city laws or the sanctuary state laws. I passed the sanctuary state policy and that gives the state and the city the right to control how we do disposition on immigration issues. And basically, what it does is it says we demand that due process be honored.

PAZMINO: Right. But would you make any changes to the existing law now to deal with perhaps some of the violent people that we are encountering the way that he is proposing?

CUOMO: If a person is a violent criminal, then we don't harbor criminals. Then, 100 percent they should be deported.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: And that's, of course, a reference to Mayor Eric Adams, the incumbent who is also running in this campaign in November. He's also running as an independent. Cuomo has made it clear, he believes he has a better shot against Mamdani if Eric Adams gets out of the race. But Eric Adams has made it clear he has no plans to do so. I asked Cuomo today what he is going to do to encourage Adams to get out of the race. He said that if Adams understands that it should be between him and the person who could actually beat Mamdani, he should get out. But, of course, we know the mayor disagrees with that.

So, we'll see how Cuomo adjusts his campaigning style between now and November. And if it actually delivers any sort of different results in the November election. Jessica?

DEAN: Gloria Pazmino, thanks so much.

Bono, Sting, Queen, Duran Duran, some of the biggest names in music took the stage 40 years ago this month at Live Aid. And CNN's Bill Weir sat down with Bob Geldof, the musician who arranged it all, to talk more about how the legendary event came together and how the movement is still going.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB GELDOF, CO-FOUNDER, BAND AID TRUST: I mean, this is pure intuitive genius. The world is watching. It starts now and out come these guys, Brits, and the first thing they go is, all right, you know? Like, what?

That was the moment we all talked to each other, that moment, that gig, a shared language, rock and roll, a language that was beyond language, an attitude and an idea, a (inaudible) united against a common disaster that if it was allowed to happen, would've so affected the human corpus. Thirty-two million people about to die of want in a world of surplus. No, no, to die of want in a world of surplus is not only economically illiterate, it is intellectually absurd, and it is of course morally repulsive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Be sure to tune in. A new episode of "Live Aid: When Rock 'n' Roll Took on the World" airs tomorrow night at 9 Eastern and Pacific, only here on CNN. We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:53:05]

DEAN: An emotional week for the loved ones of the four Idaho college students stabbed to death in 2020. Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for their murder. Victims' family and friends addressed the convicted killer in court and shared their losses since losing their loved ones. New documents released this week by police shed light on the killer's strange behavior after the murders. CNN's Jean Casarez sat down with the Idaho State Police Department's lead investigator on the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): You collected an active phone that he had. What did you find on that phone?

LT. DARIN GILBERTSON, IDAHO STATE POLICE LEAD INVESTIGATOR ON KOHBERGER CASE: When we actually had the physical phone and we were able to do the extract of it, we didn't gain a lot from it. You know, we know that he was clearing a lot of his devices and wiping things from them. We know that he used VPNs. But we also did find screenshots and pictures of news coverage.

CASAREZ: On the case?

GILBERTSON: Correct.

CASAREZ: It has been said that there were pictures on his phone of groups of young people in Moscow and that Maddie, possibly Kaylee, were in some of those photos. Is there any truth to that?

GILBERTSON: No. No truth at all. To this date, we have never found a single connection, anything, between any of the four victims or the other two surviving roommates with him. No pictures, no texts.

CASAREZ: Documents that have not been public have now been made public. And Xana Kernodle, found on the floor, over 50 stab wounds, many of them, much of them defensive. Can you -- can you explain that?

CHIEF ANTHONY DAHLINGER, MOSCOW, IDAHO POLICE: She fought. She fought back and she fought hard.

GILBERTSON: After November 13, he's never in Moscow again. Never even comes back. He stops using his debit card, his credit cards. He starts only using cash. Video and surveillance that we would collect and pick up after that then he's often wearing gloves. Very strong changes in behavior.

[18:55:08]

CASAREZ: The lead investigator told me he went to Pennsylvania pending the arrest of Bryan Kohberger and he actually watched it remotely from the barracks. Kohberger was taken there and he said when he walked through the door that it was surreal to look into his eyes because this was the person they had been searching for, for quite a few weeks. He also was the lead investigator in the processing of the crime scene on that Sunday morning.

He said that the most blood would have been in Xana Kernodle's room. But as far as Kaylee, he said her face was unrecognizable. And I asked him, well, could it have been from the fist of Brian Kohberger? He said, no, it was something else. I said, what about the marks around her mouth? Could that have been from the knife? He said, no, it was something else.

She wasn't bound and gagged. And he says we may never know exactly what happened in that area.

Jean Casarez, CNN, Moscow, Idaho.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

DEAN: Jean Casarez, thanks so much. And still to come, the President is overseas tonight for trade talks and golf as a political firestorm over the Jeffrey Epstein case keeps simmering at home. The latest reporting from Scotland is straight ahead. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)