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Aid Begins Trickling in Gaza; Starvation Spreads in Gaza; Protesters Rally in Tel Aviv; Anti-Trump Protests in Edinburgh and Aberdeen; Trump to Meet with Ursula von der Leyen; Thai-Cambodian Fighting Persists; Republican Redistricting Push. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired July 27, 2025 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

After international outrage over starvation in Gaza, aid begins to flow into the Palestinian enclave, but many worry that it's too little, too late. The U.S. president is in Scotland golfing and meeting with leaders, the hours ahead could determine whether he can come home boasting of a trade deal with Europe. And hopes that Thailand and Cambodia were on the verge of ceasefire talks is short- lived. The fighting. enters a fourth day.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: Israel says a humanitarian pause is in parts of Gaza and it's now underway. It'll last until 8:00 p.m. local time and will continue daily until further notice. Now, it comes as global outrage grows over the dire starvation crisis. Egyptian TV showed dozens of aid trucks moved toward the border with Israel earlier. They were reportedly bound for the Kerem Shalom Crossing where the borders of Egypt, Israel, and Gaza meet.

Meanwhile, Israel says they've started dropping aid into Gaza. They've also opened humanitarian corridors for United Nations convoys to make aid deliveries. But the head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees called the airdrops a distraction, saying they'll do little to alleviate the suffering.

And joining us now is Larry Madowo live from Nairobi, Kenya. Bring us up to speed, Larry.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kim, we have now entered the second hour of this tactical pause in military activity as the Israel Defense Forces is calling it. It's supposed to run for 10 hours until 8:00 p.m. local time and to -- and continuing every day until further notice. It's not clear how long this will last, but the aim is to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza as this international outage grows over the deliberate mass starvation of civilians. That's what the U.N. Refugee Agency for Palestinians has called it. And they've been critical of what Israel is also doing here, these airdrops into the Gaza Strip, which we've seen new video of these airdrops taking place overnight. CNN cannot independently verify when they were filmed, but we know that the Israelis are saying that they're surging aid into Gaza. But the U.N. Refugee Works Agency says it's the most inefficient way of getting aid into Gaza. It's very expensive, and in some cases, it can kill starving civilians.

They say they have between -- up to 6,000 trucks waiting in Egypt and in Jordan trying to get into the Gaza Strip, and they need about 500 to 600 trucks every day to meet the demand. There's been a lot of outrage internationally over the starvation of so many people in Gaza.

A five-month-old baby with malnutrition died in the arms of her mother just on Friday, and it's difficult even for the humanitarian workers, for the doctors who are treating people while they themselves have nothing to eat. Listen to this one UNICEF official.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE ENGLISH, EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST, UNICEF: My colleagues who are hungry themselves, they're going to bed hungry, they're waking up hungry, but they are still doing everything they can to support the people in Gaza, you know. But ultimately, the proof will be in what happens tomorrow. What we're able to do. I will say, you know, this is a short turnaround in terms of the amount of notice that we have, you know. And so, we cannot work miracles. You know, we are able to prevent malnutrition. We're able to treat malnutrition, but it will not happen in a day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: Israel says it has created secure routes for the U.N. and other humanitarian agencies to distribute food and medicines into Gaza. But there's also been criticism of this decision to allow this humanitarian pause from the Israeli far-right. The national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said this was a total surrender to Hamas and he does not feel that this is the best way to try and get the hostages back home, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Appreciate that. Larry Madowo in Nairobi, thanks so much.

Well, the Red Cross has described the situation in Gaza as abhorrent as Palestinians struggled to get even one meal a day. CNN's Nic Robertson reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Empty bellies, empty food pots. Life in Gaza reduced to this, searching for food. Nothing else counts. Join the food line. A brave face. But this is not a game, a necessity.

[04:05:00] Kids here are dying from hunger and they know it. So, wait, clean your pot, hope this will be your lucky day. Like so many battle-weary soldiers, faces filled with suffering. Thousand-yard stairs, fixed. Hunger has become everything. Life on hold. And soup kitchens like this one facing food shortages too. The only chance these kids and their parents have to put their belly aches in remission.

This young girl telling us, we only get food once a day. We thank the people working in this kitchen. Without them, we would've starved. Sometimes we get food, sometimes we don't.

The woman waiting next to her telling us, I'm pregnant, I have to come here. My husband is blind and diabetic. I have to bring it, the food for my kids because they're young. Sometimes I come back with an empty pot and they're waiting with plates and spoons.

The closer to cooked the food becomes the greater the desperation. Missing out means hungry for another day. More people crushing at the fence. More pots hanging, thrust over. More than obvious, the food in the cauldron cannot fill them all.

And then it begins. The moment everyone's been waiting for, a thin lentil draw (ph) ladled out where bombing destroyed lives, fighting off starvation degrades them.

Food now made a front line in this war. Turning Gazans against one another for the scraps. Survival reduced to this.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And I want to bring in Charles Kupchan, who was senior director for European Affairs at the National Security Council during the first Clinton administration, and he joins us now from Jerusalem. Thank you so much for being here with us. Really appreciate it.

So, this aid couldn't come soon enough, though, of course, it is far from enough. Do you think this decision was just a result of international pressure?

CHARLES KUPCHAN, FORMER SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL AND PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Primarily international pressure, yes. I mean, on a daily, hourly basis, reports of the sort that you just showed are circulating in the international media. You have a rising chorus of voices condemning what's going on in Gaza from President Trump to President Macron, who recently recognized Palestinian Statehood. No practical implications, but symbolically important. And so, yes, there was real pressure on the Israeli government to move some pressure from within Israel.

There were protests here in Jerusalem last night, also in Tel Aviv. Some of those protests were about the situation in Gaza, but I also think that the government has realized the system wasn't working. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation wasn't getting food in. It's time for plan B. BRUNHUBER: Yes. You talked about the reaction in Israel. Obviously, not all Israelis are behind this move to allow in aid. As we mentioned earlier, Israel's national security minister called the decision a surrender to Hamas. So, you're in Jerusalem. How is the decision being viewed there and how aware are Israelis of the humanitarian situation?

KUPCHAN: You know, the issue of awareness that you mentioned, Kim, is important here. because the Israeli media isn't covering the situation inside Gaza to the same degree that the international media is. And as a consequence on the street, there isn't the same sense of, whoa, what's going on there? And there also is a continuing I -- what I would call post-traumatic syndrome here in Israel about October 7, about the degree to which Israel is surrounded by enemies. And to some extent, that does inoculate the Israeli public against some of the suffering that's going on in Gaza.

But I do think that you're getting more and more concern in the street, and particularly among elite Israelis, including in the military, who were saying this is untenable. We need to find a way to get more aid in. We need a better plan for how to end this war and get the hostages home.

[04:10:00]

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Let's dig into that a bit more from that military point of view, because one might wonder what the point of choking off aid was using humanitarian deprivation as a negotiating tactic. It doesn't seem to have led to anything beyond the suffering and deaths of so many in Gaza.

KUPCHAN: You know, I think the initial rationale was to try to put more and more pressure on Hamas by denying Hamas the ability to siphon off aid, to sell that aid, to feed its own combatants. And as a consequence, would affect Hamas' readiness to negotiate and end this conflict. But it really didn't work.

You know, you only had initially four sites that were delivering aid. People were streaming in mass numbers to get food. And because chaos was breaking out, a good many of them were getting killed. Now, Israel, before this recent announcement was starting to let the U.N. get back in.

I was in Kerem Shalom just a few days ago, the major border crossing. I saw pallet after pallet of food. They were going across the border into Gaza. But then they were getting stuck on the other side because there wasn't sufficient security inside Gaza to drive to the north, to get to population centers. The humanitarian pauses that we're hearing about, which apparently will be occurring every day, should provide enough security for those hundreds of trucks that are either in Gaza or waiting to go to Gaza to get where they need to go.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And on the issue of Hamas stealing aid, both a U.S. analysis and the Israeli military neither found any proof that Hamas was actually siphoning off this aid, but that's certainly been something that the Trump administration has been saying. They've been blaming Hamas for this humanitarian crisis, as I say, accusing them of stealing aid. What do you make of the U.S. role in this, presumably, President Trump could have exerted more pressure on Netanyahu and prevented the situation from getting this far?

KUPCHAN: You know, I think that we're now seeing more pressure from Trump. We don't know what's being said behind closed doors. But I do think that Trump is probably a key player here because Netanyahu knows that the United States is critical to Israel, the continued flow of aid, of weaponry. So, I do think that there is a lot of pressure that's being exerted here.

And yes, if Trump is the key player here, he did wait too long and it may be because he's distracted by the war in Ukraine, by the focus on tariffs. But I do think that in American politics, in European politics, the situation was really getting to the breaking point. And that is why I think we're seeing a very significant change in policy here in Israel.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Listen, really appreciate getting your analysis. Charles Kupchan, thank you so much.

KUPCHAN: Good to be with you.

BRUNHUBER: Well, as we mentioned, protestors and family members of Israeli hostages took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday renewing their demands to end the war and bring back their loved ones.

The protestors marched the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv appealing to President Donald Trump to intervene in negotiations. The demonstrations have become a fixture in Israel since the start of the conflict. Some hostages' family members criticized the Israeli government for not doing enough to reach a ceasefire. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOTAM COHEN, BROTHER OF HOSTAGE NIMROD COHEN: Enough is enough. The partial deals doctrine has turned out to be ineffective. One deal. One deal. A comprehensive one to release all hostages and end the war. That is the only so-called alternative way to get all of our hostages, amongst them my brother, home, alive, and safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: U.S. President Donald Trump is in Scotland this hour on a five-day visit that we'll see him meet with two European leaders. But his presence also brought out protestors across the country on Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he's just the worst thing that has happened to your country and to the world and a threat to all of us threat to democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Hundreds of people showed up outside the U.S. consulate in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, as well as in Aberdeen. Trump owns a property near that city. He's set to travel there in the coming days to open a golf course named after his mother, who was born and raised in Scotland.

Now, in the coming hours, President Trump will meet with European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. CNN's Chief U.S. National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny is in Scotland with more.

[04:15:00]

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: President Trump is scheduled to meet on Sunday here in Scotland with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission negotiating E.U. tariffs on behalf of the member countries, hoping to avoid a transatlantic trade war.

Now, the Trump administration, of course, has used the threat of tariffs throughout its first six-month in office, on again, off again. But this new deadline is approaching in August and the Trump administration is threatening a 30 percent across the board, a tariff rate for all European Union nations. They're desperately and scrambling to lower that with a proposal of 15 percent. A deal could be at hand as President Trump signaled as he arrived in Scotland.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: 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.

ZELENY: The American president signaling there's a 50/50 chance in his view that there could be a trade deal reached. We shall see how that meeting progresses on Sunday.

Trump also is set to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday. Of course, the trade deal with the United Kingdom and the United States is largely already inked, but so many other items to discuss, the Gaza humanitarian crisis, no question the Ukraine War as well.

Again, this golfing weekend for President Trump also adding some significant work in it as well. He'll return to Washington on Tuesday after dedicating another golf course here in Scotland.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Edinburgh. Scotland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Still to come here on CNN Newsroom, Thailand says it isn't ready for a ceasefire with Cambodia, as a deadly border dispute between the two countries drags on, we'll bring you the latest on the conflict.

Plus, a family in Ukraine keeps the faith that their POW brother and son will return home. We'll have those stories and more coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [04:20:00]

BRUNHUBER: Thai and Cambodian forces are fighting for the fourth straight day in a deadly border dispute. Cambodia says Thailand has hit several locations with drones, tank fire, cluster, and aerial bombs. Thai officials accused Cambodian troops of firing heavy artillery into civilian homes. On Saturday, Thai and Cambodian officials signaled their readiness for ceasefire negotiations after President Trump called for an end to the conflict, but no let-up in the fighting is in sight, and Thailand's government has just issued a new statement saying it is, quote, "currently not ready to cease operations to preserve national sovereignty."

Thai and Cambodian officials now say at least 32 people have been killed and at least 200,000 civilians displaced in the fighting. CNN's Polo Sandoval brings us the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A Thai town near the border of Cambodia is nearly deserted. Shops are closed. Just a few cars on the roads. Residents say many people have fled to temporary shelters after fierce fighting broke out along the border between Thailand and Cambodia have left.

LOUIS YENDEE, TAHAI MARKET VENDOR (through translator): I'm worried. And it's shaken me a lot. My family evacuated to stay at our cousin's place, but my other siblings and I stayed to guard our houses.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Across the border in Cambodia, similar fears drove people to leave their homes in search of safety. Many people huddling in tents and makeshift shelters hoping to escape the gunfire and artillery that has killed dozens of people in both countries, mostly civilians, and also force more than 150,000 people to flee.

VENG CHIN, CAMBODIAN EVACUEE (through translator): May I ask Thailand and Cambodia to negotiate a settlement as soon as possible so that I can return to my home and work on the farm?

SANDOVAL (voice-over): What started is border skirmishes erupted into heavy combat, with both Thailand and Cambodia accusing each other of starting the conflict, but a possible olive branch on Saturday from U.S. President Donald Trump, who leaned on both countries to quickly negotiate a ceasefire. Posting on social media, Trump said that he spoke to leaders in both countries and warned them that there would be no trade agreements until the fighting stopped. A threat with enough teeth to get both parties to agree to ceasefire talks. Both countries facing a 36 percent tariff on most of their exports to the United States starting August 1st.

Cambodia says it's ready for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and Thailand says it also agrees in principle, but wants to see, quote, "sincere intention" from the Cambodian side.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Russia launched another massive overnight barrage of drones and missiles on Ukraine early Saturday. A drone damaged the regional military administration in the center of Sumi's Independence Square. An official said there were no casualties. But three people were killed in Dnipro and nearby, according to officials there. Russian forces launched an estimated 235 drones and 27 missiles in the region. Ukraine's Air Force said 10 missiles and 25 drones hit residential and commercial buildings causing fires and damage.

Well, it's been three years since Russia's brutal siege of Mariupol, but the ordeal of the prisoners of war and their families continues. CNN's Rafael Romo reports on one family keeping faith that their brother and son will return home soon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are not afraid to die on our land, in our city.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was one of the last times they heard his voice before being captured. The Russians kept shelling their last bastion mercilessly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We keep fighting every day under heavy airstrikes.

ROMO (voice-over): By mid-May 2022, they had run out of ammunition, surrounded by the enemy, hungry and thirsty after a weeks-long siege.

Fewer than 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers were still holding a steel plant in the city of Mariupol, facing a stark choice, surrender or die.

By the end of May, they had all been captured, and according to a witness, 400 had died there.

ROMO: It has been more than three years, Lyudmyla, since your brother was captured. What would you like to tell us about him?

[04:25:00]

LYUDMYLA LEYVA GARSIYA, SISTER OF POW: He's a brave man. He was one of those soldiers who was trying to defend Mariupol from Russian occupation.

ROMO (voice-over): Sitting with her father and mother, Lyudmyla Leyva Garsiya says just about the only thing they know about her 27-year-old brother, Juan Alberto, is that he's still alive.

ROMO: Do you know where he is and what condition he's in?

GARSIYA: It's really hard to get any information about prisoners of war who are held in Russia. We could get some information from other exchange soldiers.

ROMO (voice-over): Recently released POWs have told the family that Juan Alberto, who was fighting for his native Mariupol, was first sent to Olevnivka, in Ukraine's Russian-occupied Donetsk region, before being transferred to Luhansk, and finally to the Perma Krai Region in Russia.

ROMO: For the first time since the beginning of the war, the POW's family is speaking publicly. They are no longer afraid, they say, to speak about what they consider gross violations of international law by Russia under the Geneva Conventions that say POWs must be treated humanely.

ROMO (voice-over): Conditions are terrible, his father says, based on what a recently released POW told him. The food is terrible. They're forced to stand for 16 hours. They can't move. If they do, they're beaten up. They can't speak to each other.

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to prisoner swaps several times since the beginning of the war, including last September when malnourished but in good spirits POWs returned home, including one who was unable to walk.

They didn't do anything wrong other than defending their country, their families and their homeland, the POW's mother says. That's the most important thing the world has to understand about them.

The wait for this POW family has been agonizing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to survive, to save our people, and to continue the fight for our country.

ROMO (voice-over): His father, a Cuban immigrant to Ukraine, says he hopes the captured soldier still remembers what he taught him as a little boy, a phrase the young soldier would repeat when he was under siege in the Mariupol steel plant. Homeland and life.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, Republicans are trying to protect their slim majority in the House of Representatives by redrawing the maps. We'll look at how Democrats are responding to the redistricting push. That's next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

With the midterm elections just 15 months away, Republicans are attempting to gain an edge with a rare redistricting effort in key states. A special legislative session is underway in Texas where lawmakers are considering redrawing the state's congressional map. Those comes as Republicans seek to retain their slim majority in the U.S. House by potentially carving up currently held Democratic districts. But Democrats say they aren't going to just stand by.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STATE REP. JON ROSENTHAL (D-TX): Mid-decade redistricting is pointless, unjust, and we won't let that happen quietly. I'm here to fight. We all need to raise our voices to protect democracy for every Texan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Republican redistricting efforts are also being considered in Florida, Ohio, and Missouri. Now. Usually, redistricting only occurs each decade after a census.

All right. joining us now for more on this is Professor Sam Wang from Princeton University and he's also the president of the Electoral Innovation Lab. Thank you so much for joining us here.

So, take us through what exactly Texas is trying to do with their new district maps. And is this more extreme than what we've seen before?

SAM WANG, PROFESSOR, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY AND PRESIDENT, ELECTORAL INNOVATION LAB: It is certainly extreme. This is like so much this year, it is not normal and I would characterize it as the kind of thing that a party does when it feels weak.

Normally, in the United States, boundaries of congressional and legislative districts are only drawn at the beginning of the decade after the census to make sure the populations are equal within each state. Right now, Texas is attempting to do something that is technically legal within their state, which is unusual, and redraw those lines to give one party, the Republicans, an advantage. They have a very slim majority and they're hoping to stave off something that they think is going to be potentially very bad for them next year.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So, what -- how many Democratic seats are at stake here? What could happen if the Democrats -- you know, if these new maps go through?

WANG: Well, Republicans can only afford to lose three seats -- actually, two seats in next year's congressional election in 2026. Texas has 38 congressional districts. Currently, the delegation from Texas is 25 to 13 Republicans to Democrats. So, according to estimates by the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, that is already a fairly severe gerrymandered, 25 to 13. And what they're trying to do is to try to draw a map that gains them as many as five more districts through aggressive drawing of lines by packing Democrats into a very small number of districts within Texas.

BRUNHUBER: All right. OK. So, you said this was technically legal. So, the only thing sort of stopping them would be, what, like custom and conventions or what?

WANG: Yes. Over the last 50 years, voting rights in the United States have advanced, and there have been a lot of norms that have been put in place. One is to only redistrict at the beginning of the decade. Now, some states only allow redistricting to be done as at the beginning of the decade. In Texas, there appears to be very little to block them from doing so. The laws are different in every state.

And in Texas, they're pioneers of it. 20 years ago, they attempted it as well. Republican leader Tom DeLay in Congress got them to do it. And so, it's, you know, another thing that's been pioneered there. This is a test of voting rights in several ways actually.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So, Democrats, they're threatening to fight back by doing the same thing in states that they control. Earlier this week, former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke argued the fate of the republic was at stake here. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FMR. REP. BETO O'ROURKE (D-TX): And so, not only do I think we should meet fire with fire. And Gavin Newsom, who has a trifecta in California and could arguably increase Democratic Congressional advantage there, not only do I not want -- not only do I think he should do this, I don't think he should wait for Texas.

[04:35:00]

In other words, why -- are we responding and reacting to the other side instead of taking the offense on these things?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: So, could Democrats actually match what Republicans are trying to do in Texas and other states?

WANG: That would be tough in a few ways. First off, I would characterize that fighting fire with fire, it's one thing to direct focused fire, but it's another thing to bring the entire building down in a conflagration. So, first off, let's see.

Usually, the number of seats that changes hands in election is 13 in a typical midterm election in the United States. And so, these changes a few seats here, a few seats there, are relatively small. So, the big factor next year is what people actually do when they go to vote.

Secondly, Democrats are going to have a pretty tough time because as it turns out, there's been a lot of progress in fighting gerrymandering in the last decade because of laws in California, in Michigan, in Virginia, a court case in Pennsylvania. Gerrymandering on a state-by-state basis has been constrained. And so, Democrats would have to actually change the law, and it would be pretty tough for them to get out more than -- to eke out more than a seat or two by undoing all the progress that's been made over the last 10 years.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. I mean, you know, some would argue that this attempt to tit for tat creates a sort of redistricting arms race. To stop this, I mean, you know, ideally one would think these things would be controlled by, you know, nonpartisan boards who are looking at things scientifically. Realistically though, what is the solution?

WANG: So, in about half of the states, it is possible for voters to bring a ballot initiative before the voters to change the law, to take the power away from legislators and put it into the hands of citizens. That only covers half the states. And so, there are different solutions. People have proposed various changes to voting rights, including a national establishment of redistricting commissions. That's going to really require a sea change in how people view their democracy in the United States.

And so, it's a disruptive time and obviously, you know, after disruption and after destruction of institutions, maybe in some future date, there could be change to rebuild and to make repairs.

BRUNHUBER: I have to say, you don't sound all that optimistic that that will happen. But certainly, we can hope. Really appreciate getting your expertise on this. Sam Wang, thank you so much.

WANG: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Well, raids by immigration agents across California are spreading fear among undocumented farm workers and frustration from their employers. Now, this is forcing many people to make some hard choices as CNN's Julia Vargas Jones reports

(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.

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.

JONES: California's agriculture is a $60 billion industry. More than one-third of all vegetables and two-thirds of fruits and nuts in the United States are grown right here.

JONES (voice-over): 34-year-old Marisol (ph) says 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.

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

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

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.

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.

JONES: You have authorization to work in this country.

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.

[04:40:00]

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not respond to CNN's request 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.

We are also fearful, he says, because we've sowed the seeds, but we can't harvest without people.

JONES: Would you be able to find American hands to work here?

GUILLERMO JIMENEZ, FARMER: No.

JONES (voice-over): The day after the Camarillo raids, 14 workers didn't show. It takes 18 people to harvest one field. Jimenez says if that pattern continues, he will have to scale down.

JONES: Now, it's not just those farm workers and farmers that are suffering from this, there's a whole parallel economy that is dependent on the income that those farm workers make. If those farm workers are not spending their money in shops and restaurant and vendors, the whole economy of the area is suffering too.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Police say 11 people were injured during what they're calling a random stabbing attack at a Walmart in Michigan. Now, it happened near the store's checkout area on Saturday. Police have a 42- year-old suspect in custody. The FBI and local law enforcement are investigating.

A man deported from the U.S., the notorious CECOT Prison in El Salvador is telling CNN what it's like on the inside.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): Then the director spoke and said, welcome to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism. Welcome to Hell on Earth.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: We'll have more on his story just ahead here on CNN Newsroom. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Dozens of migrants risked their lives to reach a European enclave in North Africa on Saturday. According to Spanish reports, at least 54 children and about 30 adults swam from Morocco to Spain's autonomous City of Ceuta.

[04:45:00]

The migrants swam in dangerous conditions, including rough seas and fog. Spain's civil guard rescued some of them from the waters. Others made it to Ceuta. One of -- two Spanish enclaves on Morocco's Coast that share the European Union's only land borders with Africa.

And Venezuela says it will investigate alleged abuse. Inside El Salvador's notorious CECOT Prison. One man deported from the U.S. is revealing what life was like inside the prison. He says the prison's director described it as hell on Earth. Stefano Pozzebon reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): A homecoming fit for a star, Jerce Reyes left Venezuela last year alone, and this is how he returned. Welcome back after being deported from the United States and spending four months in El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison. He was returned last week with 251 other Venezuelan migrants in exchange for 10 U.S. nationals and permanent residents, plus dozens of political prisoners held in Venezuela. Reyes told CNN that his stay in the prison was agony.

JERCE REYES, DEPORTED TO CECOT (through translator): After they shaved our heads, we had to walk about 100 feet, crouching like this. They beat us. When we got to the cells, people were screaming. There was blood on the floor, vomit. Then the director spoke and said, Welcome to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism. Welcome to hell on earth.

POZZEBON (voice-over): On one occasion, he claims he was sent to solitary confinement for hours as a punishment because he tried to shower outside the allocated time. At times, he says, he contemplated suicide.

The Salvadoran government denies these allegations, saying it respects the human rights of those in custody, quote, "without distinction of nationality."

A former professional soccer player, Reyes crossed the U.S. southern border last September for an appointment with migration authorities. He was accused of being a gang member and immediately detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In December, he applied for asylum, citing Venezuela's economic crisis.

But in March, U.S. Homeland Security accused him of belonging to the infamous gang Tren de Aragua, an assessment DHS confirmed to CNN in a statement then and reiterated Thursday. Reyes says this is a misunderstanding.

POZZEBON: This is the incriminating tattoo. He's saying that it represents his favorite soccer club, Real Madrid, from Madrid in Spain, a crown and a soccer ball. And he's saying that that's why he spent four months in a maximum-security prison.

POZZEBON (voice-over): His tattoo artist told us he inked him in 2018, when Tren de Aragua was barely known inside Venezuela, let alone abroad. CNN verified Reyes has no criminal record in his own country.

What is your message for President Trump?

REYES (through translator): As the bible says, do not judge by appearances, but by justice.

POZZEBON (voice-over): This week, Venezuela opened an investigation into several Salvadoran officials, including President Nayib Bukele, for the alleged abuses at the prison. Reyes says that he won't be leaving this place anytime soon, simply glad to be back on the field.

Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Machiques, Venezuela.

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BRUNHUBER: All right. Still ahead. A scam involving the usual suspects, sham license plates, and passports from fake countries. We'll have all that and more when we come back. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Members of a special task force in India arrested a man suspected of running a sham embassy outside the capital, New Delhi. Officials say the accused had been posing as the consul or ambassador of several obscure micro nations like West Antarctica. It was founded by a former U.S. Navy officer, but isn't recognized by any state. Our Lynda Kinkade has the details.

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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the outskirts of New Delhi, these cars with what appears to be diplomatic plates parked outside a Posh residence may give the impression of being at an embassy. But look closely at the plates, Westarctica and Seborga are not real nations. Police were quick to arrest this man, Harshvardhan Jain.

SUSHIL GHULE, UTTAR PRADESH SPECIAL TASK FORCE (through translator): We have arrested him for operating an illegal embassy and we have also seized a large number of items from him. Harshvardhan was running this embassy in a rented house, KB 35 in Kavi, Nagar area, and impersonating the ambassador of Westarctica, Seborga, Paluvia (ph), and Ladonia among other places. KINKADE (voice-over): Police released video of license plates, passports, and other documents from these places, as well as doctored photos depicting him with famous people.

GHULE (through translator): He also used a lot of manipulated photographs with renowned people to racketeer and gain commission from people.

KINKADE (voice-over): Neither Jain nor his lawyer have commented publicly on the arrest and why these places that Jain claims to represent aren't real nations, they do exist in a sense as so-called micro nations. That is, they are among the dozens of entities that claim to be sovereign states, but aren't recognized officially by the U.N. or recognize sovereign states.

Westarctica, for example, is led by Travis McHenry, who calls himself the Grand Duke Travis. Here he explains on his website the formation of Westarctica.

TRAVIS MCHENRY, "GRAND DUKE" OF WESTARCTICA: Discovered that a part of Antarctica had been unclaimed by any existing country. So, I thought, well, the Antarctic Treaty prevents another country from claiming it, but it doesn't prevent an individual from claiming it. So, I wrote up a letter, sent it to the United Nations and said, this part of Antarctica is mine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Did you get a response?

MCHENRY: No.

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KINKADE (voice-over): Westarctica, by the way, is also registered as a nonprofit dedicated to climate action to protect Antarctica. In the wake of Jain's arrest McHenry explained that while Jain had been Westarctica's honorary consul general, he was not authorized to create number plates and passports, and has been removed from what McHenry described as the roster of diplomatic representatives.

MCHENRY: This unfortunate event while casting a shadow over Westarctica's diplomatic activities does not represent the value or spirit of our organization.

KINKADE (voice-over): The principality of Seborga, a micro nation in Italy near the French border, has also cut ties with Jain, according to the Indian Express. And the micronation of Ladonia in Southern Sweden issued a statement from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has not and has never been a diplomat or representative. Ladonia does not issue passports, visas, work permits, or residency. Any such claims are fraudulent.

A pretend ambassador now in very real trouble.

Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: An apparent tire fire forced nearly 200 people to evacuate a plane in Denver. Have a look at this. You can see people sliding to safety in this video shot by one of the passengers. The American Airlines Boeing 737 was taxing and about to take off from Miami. Passengers say they heard a loud bang and the plane started tilting and vibrating. The airline says the plane had an issue with a tire and was taken out of service. One person was hospitalized with minor injuries.

An asteroid that was once on possible a collision with Earth may have a new target, the moon. Astronomers say the building-sized object initially appeared to be heading towards Earth in seven years. Well, now they think it could slam into the moon in late 2032, creating a huge crater. Now, researchers don't believe the Earth would face any significant danger, but astronauts and infrastructure on the moon surface could be at risk. Space debris could also affect navigation and communication satellites. And we could see the impact flash and a brilliant meteor shower should it hit the moon.

All right. That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.

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