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Trump, E.U. Announce Framework For Trade Deal In Scotland; Interview With Representative Robert Garcia (D-CA) About The Epstein Files; Aid Moves Into Gaza As Israel Pauses Fighting In Some Areas; Multiple Polls Yield Unclear Outlook For Midterm Elections; Trump Posts False Claims About Beyonce Being Paid To Endorse Harris; Inside "Alligator Alcatraz" With Firsthand Detainee Accounts; "Live Aid: When Rock And Roll Took On The World" Premieres Tonight. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired July 27, 2025 - 20:00   ET

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

[20:01:05]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean here in New York.

And breaking news tonight, stock futures are rallying, pushing even further up into record territory after President Trump announced what he calls the biggest deal ever made, agreeing to a trade framework with the head of the European Union.

This deal framework includes a $600 billion investment in U.S. goods, along with $750 billion worth of energy purchases from the U.S. The main thrust of the agreement is a 15 percent tariff on European goods sold to the U.S. Now, that's lower than the 30 percent Trump had previously threatened, higher than the 10 percent the E.U. was looking for.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more details now from Edinburgh, Scotland -- Jeff.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, a big economic week ahead for President Trump that really kicked off today here in Scotland with that deal between the United States and the European Union.

Now, this had been in the works for some time, but it was a bit of a surprise announcement after an hour-long meeting with President Trump and the president of the European Commission sitting down and suddenly announcing that they had a deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think you were saying this is probably the biggest deal ever reached in any capacity, trade or beyond trade.

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: It is.

TRUMP: It's a -- it's a giant deal with lots of countries because, as you know, Ursula represents a lot of countries, not one country. VON DER LEYEN: It will bring predictability. That's very important for

our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. It was tough negotiations. I knew it at the beginning, and it was indeed very tough. But we came to a good conclusion for both sides.

TRUMP: We did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: And this deal certainly becomes a prelude for other deals still to come with Mexico, with Canada. Most importantly and urgently, perhaps with China. U.S. officials and Chinese officials are scheduled to meet in Stockholm on Monday and Tuesday to continue their round of negotiations on their tariff deal.

Now, this is all part of President Trump's effort to really change up the global trading order. China has been certainly a sticking point on that. Tariffs that have been put in place really have had little economic effect in China. So that certainly is the next challenge for the Trump administration. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will be on the ground in Stockholm trying to work through this.

The president, meanwhile, will be holding a meeting on Monday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer here in Scotland. Gaza, of course, front and center in that, but also putting the finishing touches on the U.K. tariff deal as well. That is a 10 percent across-the-board tariff deal. Certainly a better deal, some would say, than the European Union. Then the president moves on to his final day here in Scotland. He'll be opening a golf course in honor of his mother in Aberdeen -- Jessica.

DEAN: Jeff Zeleny there in Edinburgh for us. Thanks so much.

And while the president is striking trade deals abroad, back home, House Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to navigate how to manage the political tempest over how the administration has handled documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. There's been a bipartisan push on Capitol Hill to release some of the files, including by a Republican led House Oversight Committee, which voted to subpoena the DOJ for files related to Epstein.

And joining us now, Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia from California. He is the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee.

Congressman, thanks for being here with us. We really appreciate it. There are multiple initiatives working their way through the House right now to try and force the release of some of these Epstein files, including the one we just talked about that came from the Oversight Subcommittee.

If you can, walk people through what this specific vote means and how what you all are trying to do on oversight is a little bit different.

REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): Yes, absolutely. I mean, the Oversight Committee has been committed to ensuring that all the files, documents, videos are released to the public. And so when we had that vote last week, we brought in, I think the Republicans were surprised that the vote happened and that we brought the motion forward, that we did get three Republicans to join the five of us on that subcommittee to essentially subpoena the full Epstein files and documents.

[20:05:12]

And so that is a subpoena of the United States Congress. It was done in a way that was bipartisan, and we expect James Comer, the chairman of the committee, to sign that subpoena hopefully in the coming days.

Now, when we did the subpoena for Miss Maxwell, for example, that happened and was signed within two to three days. And so we expect the same from Chairman Comer. He's already said publicly he will sign the subpoena. What's important for us as Democrats on the Oversight Committee is that that subpoena ensures that we get the documents within 30 days of the subpoena from the Department of Justice. That has been our request, and we're hoping to see our request get launched this upcoming week.

DEAN: And I hear what you're talking about with your Democratic colleagues. I'm very curious what kind of conversations you've had with your Republican colleagues on your committee about this.

GARCIA: I mean, look, we had three Republicans join us. The truth is, we have pulled every single public statement from all the Republicans on this committee. We know where they're at. They've all called for releasing the Epstein files. They campaigned on them. They campaigned alongside Donald Trump to release the files. It would be extremely hypocritical for them and quite frankly, angering to many of their voters and base if they were to go back on that.

And so this was a way of kind of proving to their constituents that they were actually going to support transparency. And three of them did. Now, there also might be, when we come back from the recess, a larger vote to the whole Congress, which a couple other members have been pushing, which would also be bipartisan. But we've already subpoenaed the files. They need to come to the Congress where they need to be reviewed. They need to be made available to the public.

And Republicans, when we talk to them on the floor, they are privately saying, we got to release the files. Many of them disagree with Donald Trump's posture, and quite frankly, they don't want to be involved in whatever cover up or whatever they're trying to hide at the White House right now. It is quite concerning. And so we want to get a full release of these files.

DEAN: And what do you say to people out there who say that Democrats are really kind of just jumping on this Epstein bandwagon, that Democrats didn't care, and now suddenly they do?

GARCIA: Look, I mean, look, the Epstein case wasn't our issue. I mean, at the end of the day, in the last campaign, we were focused on a lot of issues. The Department of Justice was moving forward and had made some obviously -- had brought some of this, some of the case to the courts. But this was an issue that Donald Trump brought. We're focused on it now because Donald Trump did a complete reversal. And so we were going from a process and files and documents that were

going to be released, according to the incoming president, to a complete flip-flop. And so that, of course, has caused massive alarm. What is Donald Trump hiding? What is Pam Bondi hiding? And the just enormous shift has concerned not just, I think, the Democrats, but Republicans in the Congress. And so now I think it's very fair to ask the question, why were you so obsessed with releasing the files, and why aren't you now, especially when we know in light of reports in the "Wall Street Journal" and others, that Donald Trump himself was told by the Department of Justice that his name appeared multiple times in the documents?

And so I think it's time to get the documents out and released, and that we remember that at the center of this are actual victims, people that are -- that have had horrific things happen to them. I mean, in some cases, teenagers, young women that have been victims of sexual abuse. And so we've got to center that and bring justice for them as well.

DEAN: And so if you were able -- you subpoenaed Maxwell, give me a best case scenario. What can you hear from her if she were to sit with you all that would help you here?

GARCIA: Yes. I think there's two things that are really important. I mean, one, we know that she's already met with the DOJ directly. I mean, essentially with Donald Trump's former personal lawyer. I mean, that is a very concerning set of meetings that just happened because we don't know if she's trying to get a pardon from Trump. She's likely trying to get a reduced sentence. And so she may be willing to say whatever it takes to actually get a reduced sentence. That's of concern.

Us, as far as the Democrats on the Oversight Committee, and the Republicans will be involved in a deposition with Miss Maxwell likely the week of August 11th in Florida, in Tallahassee. That's going to be really important so that we can ask the questions that need answers. We can also ensure that we're going to be able to take whatever is in the files, and hopefully corroborate that information with her testimony.

Remember, this is a person that is a liar. She has actually caused horrific harm to young women and to others. And she has been convicted of horrible crimes. We just can't take her word for it. And so it is important that the files get released to Congress so that we can take that information and corroborate that information with whatever it is that Miss Maxwell is actually going to say. And so that's what both the release of the files and the truth in her testimony and deposition are going to be both important.

DEAN: Yes. I mean, I think you hit the nail on the head there is why can you believe -- why believe her at this point?

GARCIA: Well, I think what's important that we listen to everybody. And if she's able to corroborate information that actually are in the -- in the files, documents or videos, and we know that the Justice Department has an enormous amount of information. [20:10:09]

That is going to be critical. And I also think it's important, especially now that the DOJ is working to cut some type of deal with Miss Maxwell. We're not sure, and if she's trying to get a reduced sentence, the only people talking to Miss Maxwell can't be Trump's Department of Justice, and certainly not Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, which is why it's very important that Congress and those of us in the Oversight Committee have a chance to actually sit down with her and conduct this deposition, which we're expecting to do here in the next few weeks. I personally, I will be involved in that -- there during that deposition.

DEAN: And, Congressman, are there others that you all intend to subpoena?

GARCIA: We're -- absolutely we're looking at that right now. I mean, one of the things that we're doing is Congressman Ro Khanna and I are working with the Epstein estate and trying to get information from the Epstein estate on documents that they might have. We know that they're in possession, for example, of that birthday book that's been reported a lot in the last week that included that letter and that note from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein.

There are other notes in there as well. So we have already requested that book and that information. There's other things we might request as well. And so we are casting a large net to ensure that transparency in this investigation is hopefully bipartisan, but also really thorough to support the victims. And really, at the end of the day, get to the truth.

DEAN: And again, any individuals that you all think you'll subpoena?

GARCIA: I think right now everything is on the table. Obviously, to get a subpoena out of the Congress, we're going to need bipartisan support. And Republicans were able to do that this last week. But we also did it in a way that we forced a vote in a -- in a way that they weren't expecting. And so we'll need to look for those opportunities again. And we're hopeful that they're bipartisan. But we are -- we are -- there's a lot of folks out there that know a lot.

It seems that Elon Musk knows information. It seems that Steve Bannon knows information. There's other folks in -- that were involved and possibly implicated in these files that also have information. And so we're actively looking and searching to ensure that we can put together at the end of the day the truth and transparency for the public.

DEAN: So Elon Musk could be on that list.

GARCIA: Elon Musk is someone that has multiple times said in public and on his platform that he knows that Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. And so clearly he knows something. He's been very close to the president in the past. I think anyone that has information should think about the victims and those harmed and get the Oversight Committee whatever information that they have. DEAN: All right. Congressman Robert Garcia, we really appreciate your

time. Thank you.

Up next, desperately needed aid getting into Gaza, but it's nowhere near enough. The executive director of Doctors Without Borders joins me next.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:1727]

DEAN: Critical aid now getting into Gaza. The United Nations says more than 100 truckloads were delivered today, but much more is needed. The Palestinian Ministry of Health saying another six people died of starvation today and nearly 90 children have died of hunger since October of 2023.

The Israeli military has begun what it's calling tactical pauses in some areas to allow for the flow of aid. Here you can see people running toward airdrops of aid. These airdrops were carried out today by Jordan and the UAE. Israel also saying it will set up humanitarian corridors for U.N. convoys across Gaza.

We're joined now by the executive director of Doctors Without Borders, Avril Benoit.

Avril, thank you so much for being here with us. I first just want to get your sense of what you're hearing from your colleagues on the ground today as all of this is unfolding.

AVRIL BENOIT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: Well, it's an incredibly shocking situation. We have colleagues who themselves are chronically hungry, often not eating in a day, maybe eating every second day. And when they eat, it's just one meal. They come into work not knowing where they'll find their next meal.

It's been catastrophic in this deliberate campaign to deprive Palestinians in Gaza of food and water. There's also a shocking lack of clean drinking water, and that's making people sick as well. So what we're finding in our hospitals is that people are malnourished, one in 4 in one of our surveys that we did of children and pregnant and lactating women. People are not able to recover from their wounds.

You know, you have a lot of people with severe injuries coming in. They need good nutrition to be able to recover. Think of people who survived burns and whatnot. They need those micronutrients. They need the calories. And their bodies are just not functioning well. And so we have an additional layer of suffering as a result of this deprivation of food.

DEAN: And so what will it take to turn this around?

BENOIT: Well, it's certainly not airdrops. Airdrops are an incredibly inefficient way to deliver aid. What we really need is to open up those land borders again and allow all the trucks to come in, all the food. Prior to this latest escalation, you know, prior to October 7th, there were 500 trucks entering Gaza every day. Now, to compensate for all the gaps and the months of siege, we would need thousands of trucks really to even meet the needs. And so what we see now is a drop in the bucket.

[20:20:02]

Airdrops are no way to deliver aid because, you know, you can have shoots that fail. The pallets land on people, kill them. That's happened a few months ago. You have a chaotic situation on the ground where it's the survival of the fittest to run toward the food supplies and grab what they can. I mean, it's a chaotic way to do it.

And that's one of the reasons that humanitarian aid organizations are calling on Israel to open up access for the delivery of aid, the way it should be delivered in an organized fashion, reaching those who need it most in all the areas of Gaza where people are vulnerable.

DEAN: And obviously, Doctors Without Borders, you all are treating all kinds of issues there. But I am curious, just from a medical perspective, for these children who have been severely malnourished, what are those long term effects? What happens to these children that we see these images of who are, you know, if they are able to survive, just literally skin and bones at this point?

BENOIT: Yes, it actually, you know, the wasting, the effects on their organs, their internal organs, the effects on their developing brains even. And that's not even to mention the mental health burden of such a situation, a campaign of starvation that Israel is laying upon them right now in this genocide. And so what we have is a situation where it will take special nutrient, micronutrient rich therapeutic foods.

And those have not been allowed in in the amounts that we need. And so that's another call to Israel. Please allow in all the medications that we need. We need, especially the specialized foods to treat people because you can't just give them rice and porridge and grains. I mean, they need something more substantial to be able to recover from all the medical consequences, even in the short term.

So it's a general call to stop this campaign of starvation and depriving people of food and water, also allow in food because that's a fuel. Rather that's something that we need to run the hospitals, the desalination plants for the water, and any number of other things like ambulances. That's another thing that has been in short supply. So all around a ceasefire, a permanent holding ceasefire would allow for the humanitarian aid organizations to be able to go in and do the work that we have been clamoring to do.

And at the moment, very much doing what we can. But lacking the supplies necessary to properly be able to offer Palestinians in Gaza the kinds of things they need to survive all of this.

DEAN: Yes. And Israel, of course, would say this is not genocide, that they have not done this intentionally. But, Avril, you certainly, we hear you and we certainly do appreciate your perspective in helping giving us some context around this. Thank you so much.

BENOIT: Thank you.

DEAN: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:27:22]

DEAN: We know President Trump remains popular with Republicans, but new polling data suggests there's been a noticeable shift when it comes to independent voters.

Here to run the numbers with us, CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten.

Hello, Harry.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Hello.

DEAN: OK, so walk us through among Trump and his favorability among independents.

ENTEN: Oh, my goodness gracious. It's just awful. It's horrible. It's terrible. I mean, you know, we -- there was all this focus in the press about the Gallup poll that came out that showed him at basically his lowest rating ever among independents. But I want to note, it's not just Gallup, it's the average.

What are we talking about? Trump's net approval rating among independents, look at the average. In January, he was basically even, right, at about minus three points. Not too hot to trot, but not terrible. Look at where he is in July. Minus 29 points. My goodness gracious. That's an over 25-point drop. And then I mentioned Gallup. They went from minus two to minus 35. That's a 33-point drop.

So no matter which way you look at it, you look at the average, you look at Gallup, the drop has just been absolutely tremendous. And he is just in a horrific position when it comes to the center of electorate, where oftentimes elections are decided -- Jessica.

DEAN: Yes, put his standing in historical context for us.

ENTEN: OK. So we're going to look back at all the presidents I could possibly find at this point in their presidency. And, you know where Donald Trump ranks, Jessica Dean? He ranks at the bottom, all the way down in the basement. Worse in net approval ratings ever six months and among independents, he's at minus 29 points as I mentioned the average. That beats the old record.

Who held the old record? Well, it was Donald Trump himself back in 2017. He was 23 points underwater. And that of course was the worst. And Donald Trump has somehow managed to beat even that. He is at the lowest of the low levels. You have to take an elevator all the way down. It's no longer on street level. It's about 30 stories under it, minus 29 points. DEAN: And look, when you're talking about these numbers, I think the

next question is why? So what appears to be the leading cause of this issue for him?

ENTEN: OK. You know, one of the big reasons that Donald Trump was reelected to the presidency was because folks did not like the way that Joe Biden and the Democratic Party was handling inflation. Let's go back through the time machine. We can take a look at net approval ratings on inflation. Again among independents back in 2024, Biden was 38 points underwater. Absolutely horrific on inflation.

But look at where Donald Trump is. He manages to go even lower. How low can you go, to quote Chubby Checker? Look at that, 45 points underwater. Oof, it's no wonder that his ratings overall among independents are so bad, because arguably the biggest issue of our day and age inflation in the minds of the American public, Donald Trump is absolutely failing when it comes to independent voters.

[20:30:06]

DEAN: OK, but Trump isn't alone in having issues with voters. Democrats have got their own issues.

ENTEN: Yes. So, you know, we have on the right side of the equation, you have Donald Trump. But on the left side of the equation, you have Democrats and the Democratic Party. And let's take a look at Dems and let's look at their net favorable ratings. Whoa, woof. I mean, my god, you know, we mentioned CNN, we had that poll come out a little while ago. On their net favorable rating they were 26 points underwater.

You think that's low enough? How about we go even lower? We'll go to this side of the screen. I'm going to walk over here. We go to the "Wall Street Journal," minus 30 points, 30 points underwater, their lowest on record. These polls have records going all the way back since the early 1990s. And when it comes to the Democratic Party's net favorable rating in both the "Wall Street Journal" poll and the CNN poll, the Democratic Party is breaking records in the way, Jessica Dean, you don't want to break records.

DEAN: Yes. You know, you don't want that. What about how they do among independents?

ENTEN: OK, so we're talking about overall here. But we started off this segment for the first three slides talking about independents. Why don't we talk about the Democratic Party's favorable rating among independents in our CNN-SSRS poll? Look at this. 19, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. 19 percent.

If I can count it, you know it's low and it is extremely low when it comes to independents and the Democratic Party. Independents hate everybody. But that's one of the reasons why the election next year is going to be so interesting because when it comes to independent voters, the bloc, a group that actually decides elections, they hate everybody.

DEAN: They don't seem to be pleased. Yes, those numbers aren't great for anybody. All right. Interesting.

Harry Enten, always good to see you. Thank you so much.

ENTEN: Thank you.

DEAN: Coming up, President Trump going after celebrities like Beyonce and Oprah. Why he says they need to be prosecuted.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:36:43]

DEAN: Oprah, Beyonce, Kamala Harris, all of them mentioned by President Trump in a social media post filled with accusations and all are now targets of online threats.

CNN's Brian Stelter is joining us to talk more about this.

Brian, what is this all about?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes. The president is telling us what he wants his Justice Department to do. He's saying Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce and Al Sharpton, quote, "should all be prosecuted." So what's he basing that on, right? Well, he's basing that on outrage bait nonsense coming from right-wing online message boards. And I think it's worth putting up his post and try to break it down word by word because the president's words inherently do have a lot of power.

Here's what he wrote on Truth Social in the middle of the night in Scotland. He says he claims the Democrats, quote, "admit to paying, probably illegally, $11 million to singer Beyonce for an endorsement." He's referring to Beyonce supporting Kamala Harris before the last election day. But he says the Democrats admit to it. They don't. He says the amount was $11 million. That's made up. And he says it was probably illegal, but he's referring to a made-up piece of information.

CNN's Daniel Dale has a great fact-check about this that's up on CNN.com right now. He points out that this rumor started last fall from online commenters claiming that Beyonce was paid $10 million to throw her weight behind Harris. That was not true at the time. Now, for some reason, the number is $11 million, but we can even put up the fact check from last fall from PolitiFact saying there was nothing to it then. There is still nothing to it now.

But it's an interesting example of how kind of gross the game of telephone can be, where a rumor gets repeated again and again and again. Over time, Trump makes the dollar figure higher, but it's still all based on nonsense to begin with. So even though the dollar figure is higher, it is still nonsense. Its only notable, I think to me, Jessica, because the president has repeatedly signaled to the DOJ who he wants to see prosecuted.

So even though in this case it's made up and, you know, Beyonce and Oprah were hanging out last night at the Beyonce concert, maybe, you know, maybe they were joking about this. In this case, here's the president repeating basically pointing at famous Democrats who he wants his base to dislike, claiming they're somehow making up crimes together when again, there's just no evidence for it at all.

DEAN: And we've heard even some of Trump's supporters on popular podcast, like Joe Rogan called this out, and the administration out over this. This is what he said. I can play the clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE ROGAN, PODCASTER: When Kash Patel was on here and he was like, there's no, there's nothing. And I was like, what are you talking? I didn't even know what to say. My thought was and people are like, why didn't you push back more? My thought was like, I'm just going to put this out there and let the internet do its work.

The guy saying there's no tapes, there's no video. That doesn't make any sense. Everyone knows. It doesn't make any sense. The film has a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) minute missing from it. Like, do you think we're babies? Like, what is this? N

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Sorry. Just to be clear, that's them obviously talking about the Epstein files. But what do you make of that, Brian?

STELTER: Well, first of all, I think the connection -- the connective tissue here is the following. When the president repeats a lie, whether it's about conspiracy theories over about A or B or C or conspiracy theories about X, Y, or Z, you know, in this case, he's making up, you know, these lies about Beyonce and other prominent liberals. When he's telling those lies over and over again, some members of his base expect action. They expect results.

[20:40:03]

And that is why the Jeffrey Epstein story, which of course is years old, has bubbled back up and has become such a significant factor this summer. It's because of years of these stories repeated over and over again. Ultimately, they want action. They want accountability. And so it is really telling that someone like Joe Rogan, who was very proud of his support for President Trump last fall, continues to now critique the administration.

This is like the ninth or 10th or 11th time that Rogan has prominently broke with the president, criticized Trump and the administration on his podcast. And look, in some ways, I think that's notable of Rogan. He's a heterodox figure, used to be a big lefty talking about Bernie Sanders. So he has continued to evolve in his politics. But I think it's important to pay attention when Rogan criticizes the Trump administration because it's a signal about what some of those prominent podcasters are telling millions of listeners on a weekly basis.

DEAN: All right, Brian Stelter, always great to see you. Thanks so much.

Up next, CNN talks to immigrants detained at the Florida facility the Trump administration has been calling "Alligator Alcatraz."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUAN PALMA MARTINEZ, ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ DETAINEE (through translator): This is sad. Sad. Hopeless. It's a type of torture.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[20:45:56]

DEAN: Deportations from the controversial detention facility called "Alligator Alcatraz" have begun. CNN spoke to multiple people inside the facility about what the conditions are like and using 3-D modeling and photographs, we're able to give you an inside unique look.

Priscilla Alvarez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTINEZ (through translator): This is sad. Sad. Hopeless. It's a type of torture.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are the stories of migrants held at "Alligator Alcatraz," a new detention facility deep in the Florida Everglades. Using a plan of the site shown during President Trump's visit and photos from media tours and social media, CNN created a 3D model to take you inside the site, where hundreds of immigrant detainees are being held.

Here are the giant tents where people report being crammed into cells made of chain-link fence, packed with bunk beds. CNN spoke with eight detainees to hear firsthand accounts of what conditions are like on the inside. Some asked not to be named for fear of retribution.

GONZALO ALMANZA VALDES, ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ DETAINEE: Because of the way that we have been treated, it has been a very terrible experience.

ALVAREZ: Gonzalo Almanza Valdes was detained by ICE when he showed up for a meeting with his probation officer.

VALDES: Thirty-two people per cell or per cage, really, because it's a cage. It's a metal cage strapped in with zip ties.

ALVAREZ: Three open toilets are shared by dozens of men, who say there's no running water or sewage system.

Roger Moreno, who has lived in the U.S. for more than 30 years, told CNN the rain makes it worse.

ROGER MORENO, ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ DETAINEE (through translator): The toilets, when it rains, they overflow and the cells we're in fill up with sewage.

VALDES: Every time it does rain and storm, the toilets clog up.

ALVAREZ: Detainees told CNN the lights are kept on 24 hours a day.

VALDES: We can't see. I have to personally put a rag on top of my head to at least try to take a nap because the lights are so bright. There's 24 LED lights in the roof and it's like shining bright.

ALVAREZ: Juan Palma Martinez has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years and was also picked up by ICE at a routine meeting with his probation officer.

MARTINEZ (through translator): I no longer know when it's daytime or when it's nighttime. I don't sleep. It's affecting me mentally and physically.

ALVAREZ: The tents aren't sealed. You can see cracks in this image. And at the height of the hot Florida summer, that means the insects are relentless.

MORENO (through translator): Yesterday, the air-conditioning went out. We had the whole morning without air-conditioning. Lots of mosquitoes came in because they get in from all sides.

ALVAREZ: Multiple detainees said they don't get enough food, though they're served three meals a day and that water is limited.

VALDES: They scan our bracelets. We go into the food hall. The food is very terrible here. Very, very, very small portions and people are having a hard time living here because like they're starving. It's probably like a quarter cup of rice.

MARTINEZ (through translator): We've eaten as late as 10:00 at night. The food at night is cold, too. There's never a hot meal.

ALVAREZ: Showers are located in a separate tent. And opportunities to shower there are scarce, according to the detainees we spoke with.

VALDES: All the showers are connected to the same water source. There's barely any water pressure. So, we have to, like, literally put ourselves on the wall right next to the water drainage so like we can at least get hit with water.

MARTINEZ (through translator): They follow you when you're walking to the shower with your hands on your head, as if you were a prisoner. The water is very hot, very hot. They don't give you enough time. Mosquitoes are biting you in the shower. There are more mosquitoes than water.

ALVAREZ: The only line to the outside world are phones set up in the cells.

VALDES: Nobody here has been able to see a loved one. Nobody has been able to see a lawyer here. Nobody. And it sucks. It sucks. There's no like physical contact with the outside world other than these phone calls. It's not really more about me. It's about not being able to see my son. [20:50:02]

He's six. He's about to turn seven in November. And I don't even know if I'm going to be able to see him in his birthday.

ALVAREZ: Republican and democratic lawmakers recently toured the facility. According to one of them, they were not permitted to speak to the detainees. Then-State Senator Blaise Ingoglia, a Republican, said the facility is in good order.

BLAISE INGOGLIA, FLORIDA CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: It's actually a very well-run facility. The idea that the detainees are in there and they're in squalid conditions is just not accurate.

ALVAREZ: But most distressing for detainees, they say, was that in multiple cases, they haven't appeared in any state or federal detention system since they were arrested. That means families have been unable to track them.

VALDES: We're in the middle of the Everglades with constant reminder that we're locked up in a cage and anything can happen. A hurricane can hit us and we can all die and nobody would know.

ALVAREZ (on-camera): In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson for the Florida Division of Emergency Management said the following, quote, "As stated many times before, these claims are false. The facility is in good working order and detainees have access to drinking water, showers and clean facilities for hygiene."

Now, Florida officials anticipate that the population of detainees at "Alligator Alcatraz" will grow over time to include thousands more. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is in talks with other states who are looking to the makeshift facility in Florida as an example of how they may approach migrant detention.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Priscilla, thank you. And you're in the CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:56:23]

DEAN: Some of the biggest names in rock and roll came together 40 years ago this month. People like Bono, Sting, Madonna, Bob Geldof, all for Live Aid. The legendary music event was to raise money to help people starving in Africa. And in this week's episode of the new original series, "LIVE AID: WHEN ROCK AND ROLL TOOK ON THE WORLD," you'll see how the legendary concert came together and how millions of televisions across the globe tuned in.

Original MTV VJ Mark Goodman was there to report on this iconic event for the world. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK GOODMAN, SIRIUSXM HOST: You know, looking at JFK Stadium, the way that we're seeing it right now kind of reminds me of the way that it looked when we all piled in here this morning at about 5:30. It's hard to believe that it's 17 hours later. What a day this has been. We have seen some of the most incredible live performances ever. Together we all made history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Mark Goodman joins us now.

Mark, it's great to have you. Look at you now. We zoom forward 40 years. And it is so great to see you. What do you remember most about that day?

GOODMAN: Oh, my gosh. It goes without saying that all of the VJs felt like we were a part of something big, something important. That footage right there is from literally the end of the day. I was doing a wrap-up. You can hear that my voice is like --

DEAN: I know. Tired. That's a long day. Yes.

GOODMAN: But there was great, you know, amazing performances. Mick Jagger and Tina Turner, my friends the Hooters, an amazing Philadelphia band opened Live Aid in Philadelphia. That was an amazing thing. And U2 was there. Their performance is legendary.

For me, one moment that I will never forget is standing outside a trailer and looking in a window and seeing Bob Dylan right there. Bob Dylan and Keith Richards working on what they were going to play when they played together.

DEAN: That is incredible.

GOODMAN: Amazing.

DEAN: Yes. And look, you're a Philadelphia native, so to be in your home city, your hometown, when all of this was happening, that had to be unbelievable.

GOODMAN: It was. It did my heart good because, again, my friends the Hooters, a great Philly local band who people know from MTV, they had a couple of amazing videos. It was great to see them. And again, I was -- I was just happy to be a part of something that I think is important and as Bono has said is still here with us today. And the fact that I got to hear Bob Dylan utter those words, I hope that some of this money will go to American farmers, that's what inspired Farm Aid.

DEAN: Yes, yes. And I'm curious if you knew or you thought at that moment, obviously, you know this is a huge moment, but did you expect it would have, that Live Aid would have such this lasting impact and influence? GOODMAN: Hard to say. I mean, it was at the time billed as when the

record business got a conscience. I still feel like we have a conscience. So I guess it's still around. I wouldn't have guessed it, though.

DEAN: Yes. Do you think they could ever do something like this again? I mean, it was such a moment in time.

GOODMAN: Yes. And considering the technology, it would probably be even smoother. There were some serious bumps in Live Aid.

DEAN: It happens. It happens with live music events. That can certainly be true.

GOODMAN: That's right.

DEAN: All right. We are going to watch tonight.

Mark Goodman, it is so great to have you here to hear firsthand a little behind the scenes. Thanks so much.

GOODMAN: Thanks for having me.

DEAN: And please be sure to tune in. It is a new episode. We just talked about it of "LIVE AID: WHEN ROCK AND ROLL TOOK ON THE WORLD." It is coming up next. They'll take you all the way through so much of that history.

I want to say thank you so much for joining me this evening. It's been great to have you along. I'm Jessica Dean. We're going to see you right back here next weekend. Have a wonderful night, everyone.