Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

House Democrats Left Texas for a Possible Redistrict Plan; Death toll in Chilean Mining Collapse Now at Six; A Volcano in Russia's Kamchatka Erupts for the First Time in Many Years. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired August 04, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States, all around the world, and of course to everyone streaming us on CNN Max, I'm Rosemary Church, just ahead.

Some Texas Democratic lawmakers have left the state amid a fight with national implications. We will explain why, and share the warning the state's governor has issued.

Plus new U.S. tariffs are set to go into effect this week for dozens of countries as Donald Trump looks to squeeze trade agreements out of the holdouts.

And outrage in Israel over the condition of hostages held in Gaza. We will speak with the International Red Cross following Benjamin Netanyahu's plea for their help.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has a warning for Democratic lawmakers who left the state, show up for work today or face being removed from office. House Democrats in the state legislature are pushing back against the Republican-led effort to redraw the Texas congressional map; it's a move that could have national consequences when it comes to deciding who controls the U.S. House of Representatives.

Some Texas Democrats have traveled to Illinois, New York and Boston, denying the state house the minimum number of members needed to advance the redistricting plan. CNN's Steve Contorno has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SR. REPORTER: In a stunning move on Sunday, Texas Democrats fled their state in hopes of blocking Republicans there from passing new congressional maps. These district boundaries that Republicans have proposed could potentially net them five additional seats in Congress in next year's midterm elections. Democrats saying that this extraordinary step was necessary to stop a Republican overreach.

GENE WU (D-TX), STATE REPRESENTATIVE: The tool they're using is a racist, gerrymandered map, a map that seeks to use racial lines to divide hardworking communities who have spent decades building up their power and strengthening their voices. And Governor Abbott is doing this in submission to Donald Trump.

CONTORNO: By leaving the state, Democrats believe that they can block a quorum, that is, the necessary number of legislatures present in order to conduct legislative business.

Now, in Texas, the state constitution says you need two-thirds of a legislative body in order to have a quorum. There are 150 members of the Texas legislature. That means 100 have to be present, 62 of them are Democrats.

That means that if 51 leave the state, well, Republicans can't pass their maps. And that means that legislative business will be stalled.

It's unclear how long Democrats in Texas intend to leave the state. They tried this in 2021 and they were gone for 38 days. But as long as they are outside the state, they may be fined and face other repercussions.

We'll have to see whether or not they are willing to suffer those consequences.

Steve Contorno, CNN, Carroll Stream, Illinois.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: New U.S. tariffs on just about every country in the world are set to take effect this week. The impact will be widespread, with President Donald Trump imposing the highest tariffs since the 1930s.

The Trump administration is warning that the rates are final and will not change again. The White House says a 10 percent tariff will apply to most countries. Others will face at least a 15 percent rate if the U.S. has a trade deficit with them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're seeing phenomenal numbers in terms of the business we do with other countries and the business we do within our own country. I mean, really phenomenal numbers.

KRISTEN WELKER, HOST AND MODERATOR, "MEET THE PRESS": Could a market reaction prompt President Trump to change these tariff rates again?

KEVIN HASSETT, U.S. NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL DIRECTOR: The markets have seen what we're doing and celebrated them. I don't see how that would happen.

WELKER: Okay, but not ruling it out? HASSETT: No, I would rule it out because these are the final deals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: So, let's take a look at where U.S. markets stand ahead of a busy week. And you see the U.S. futures all in positive territory right now. We'll see what happens in the hours ahead.

CNN's Julia Benbrook has more.

[03:05:06]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's no doubt that this week was a big one when it comes to trade and that this upcoming week will be as well.

President Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail that he was going to take an aggressive stance when it comes to tariffs. And we are seeing that play out.

The administration says that his moves aim to even the playing field for American workers and businesses. But they've also created uncertainty.

Really, the one constant in all of this has been to expect to see changes. We have seen tariffs turned on and off.

Just a few days ago, dozens of countries were expecting to see those higher tariff rates go into effect early Friday. But hours before the deadline, Trump announced some new guidelines and pushed the implementation date to August 7th.

Now that gives Customs and Border Security sufficient time to prepare to apply these new rates. It also potentially gives some wiggle room to countries that are looking to continue to talk trade.

But in an interview with CBS that aired over the weekend, U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer was asked directly if Americans should expect to see some of these announced rates negotiated down in the coming days. He said he doesn't think so. Take a listen.

JAMESON GREER, U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE: I don't think they will be in the coming days. I think a lot of these, I know a lot of these are set rates pursuant to deals. Some of these deals are announced, some are not.

Others depend on the level of the trade deficit or surplus we may have with the country. So these tariff rates are pretty much set.

BENBROOK: Separately, conversations with China are ongoing. Back in May, both countries agreed to temporarily bring down historically high tariff rates. But that pause is expected to expire on August 12th.

Greer suggested that there could be an extension to that date. He and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently met with their Chinese counterparts and both spoke positively about the meeting. But that meeting ended without a resolution.

Now, if there's not an agreement or an extension in coming days, we could see those rates go historically high once again.

Traveling with the president in New Jersey, Julia Benbrook, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: For more on the negotiations between the U.S. and China, let's go now to CNN's Kristie Lu Stout.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The U.S.-China trade truce could be extended beyond the August 12th deadline. That's according to the U.S. trade representative, Jameson Greer.

Now after reaching preliminary deals in May and June, the U.S. and China now have just over one week to get an extension or a lasting trade deal. If there is no agreement here, tariffs are going to snap back up to those ultra high levels.

In an interview with CBS that aired on Sunday, Greer was asked whether the deadline of August the 12th would be extended. He said, quote, "that is something we're working toward." Now, Greer also said that recent trade talks with China were going in, quote, "a positive direction and that they focused on rare earth magnets and minerals."

Watch this.

GREER: We talked about, and I won't go into detail because they're, you know, confidential conversations between two governments, but they really focused on rare earth magnets and minerals. China has put a global control on the world.

And so for the United States, we're focused on making sure that the flow of magnets from China to the United States and the adjacent supply chain can flow as freely as it did before the control. And I'd say we're about halfway there.

LU STOUT: Last week, U.S.-China trade talks in Stockholm ended without a deal. There are a number of contentious issues in the U.S.-China relationship, including China's export controls on rare earths, China's purchase of sanctioned Russian and Iranian oil, fentanyl, particularly the flow of fentanyl precursor chemicals from China, and the fate of TikTok.

Now, by Friday, August the 1st, the Trump administration imposed tariffs on scores of countries. And Greer says that those tariffs will likely stay in place. But analysts say trade talks between the U.S. and China are far more complex and they can turn on a dime.

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Ron Brownstein is a CNN senior political analyst. Good to have you with us.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST, AND OPINION COLUMNIST, BLOOMBERG: Thanks for having me, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So let's start with Texas Democrats leaving the state in an effort to stop Republican plans to redraw the congressional map to gain an additional five House seats at the expense of the Democrats. So what could this mean for the midterms and democracy itself? And can we expect to see similar redistricting, do you think, in other states?

[03:09:43]

BROWNSTEIN: Well, we are seeing really unprecedented pressure from Trump on Republican-controlled states to try to redraw their maps in between the decennial census, which itself was an unusual, very rare event until recently for any state to draw the lines again, but to do so explicitly under direction from a President of your own party to try to build a firewall in the midterm election.

I mean, it's just another marker of how far we are descending from what have been, you know, kind of the traditional assumptions of our democracy and how far we are advancing into a situation in which the red and blue states are not really seeing themselves as part of a federated republic, but really as just almost hostile entities that are vying for control of the national government. I look at this as a very ominous kind of marker of where we are and where we are going, because it's not only the red states, now Trump is triggering the blue states to respond in time.

CHURCH: And Ron, the White House is calling Donald Trump's new trade tariffs the final deals. But we have, of course, already seen deadlines extended and tariffs start and stop causing massive uncertainty for markets and nations around the world. And now stocks face a big threat ahead of President Trump's new tariffs, which take effect for most countries this coming Thursday.

So what might be the political consequences of this once voters do start to feel the real economic pain of these tariffs?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, I look at the tariffs as really one of the best examples of something we've talked about before, which is that compared to his first term, Donald Trump believes he is governing absolutely unbounded and almost unfettered. All of the constraints that limited him in his first term have eroded, if not collapsed, and therefore he is free to pursue his agenda to the max. That isn't necessarily an unconditional benefit for him or for his party.

These tariffs are not as large as he may have originally threatened, but they are larger than Americans have faced since the Depression. You know, you look at the Yale Budget Lab, their calculations are that these are the largest tariffs Americans have faced since basically the era of Smoot-Hawley in the 1930s. And they will, in fact, mean a significant, in effect, tax increase, particularly on those families of modest means that were critical to his election.

Donald Trump was elected above all to solve one problem. If you look at the exit polls and the other data done in the election, Americans elected him to bring their cost of living under control. He can point to what he believes will be other benefits of tariffs in terms of perhaps repatriating jobs over the long run, but there is no way that these do not increase the cost of living for average Americans.

And I think as Joe Biden learned, new investment and new jobs are no substitute when voters are concerned that you are raising their costs. And that, I think, is the trap that Trump is walking into as well.

CHURCH: And Ron, meantime, new A.P. polling came out Sunday showing that voters in both parties are losing patience with politicians and feeling pretty pessimistic about the future. Republican voters call their party greedy, pro-rich and generally bad. But Democrats were more disillusioned, calling their party weak, apathetic, ineffective and disorganized.

So what do the numbers reveal to you? And what do the leaders of both parties need to be doing to garner more support for next year's midterms?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I mean, these numbers really, Rosemary, are just one more reflection of something that is so much a part of our experience that we don't think about how unique it is. But the fact is, is that the period roughly for the last 60 years, since around 1968, is the longest period in American history when neither party has been able to establish a lasting advantage over the other. And it is precisely because of numbers like that.

Neither party really has had any period in the last half century or so where they have been able to convince a durable majority of the country that they have solutions to the day-to-day problems that Americans face, in particular, the squeeze on living standards that we've faced since the early 1970s in the era of globalization and income inequality.

And, you know, as I said, Donald Trump was elected for a lot of reasons, but without doubt, the most prominent was the feeling among Americans that Biden and most Americans that Biden mismanaged the economy. They thought Trump would bring back an economy in which their life made more sense and was more affordable.

He simply is not making enough progress on that in the eyes of most Americans. And so you have a dynamic in which Republicans are at risk of seeing the wheel turn again against them in 2026, which brings us back around to where we started.

That's why Trump is putting so much pressure on Republican-controlled states to try to redraw their lines, in effect, to rig elections, to squeeze out more seats, because I think the White House recognizes that if you look at the trajectory of public opinion now, they are not in position to hold the House.

Don't forget, as we've talked about before, neither party having a majority of more than 10 seats in each of the last three House of Representatives, that's never happened before in American history.

[03:15:05]

It's another reflection of what we're discussing, the inability to decide to establish a durable advantage over the other.

CHURCH: Ron Brownstein, I always appreciate your political analysis. Many thanks.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: An Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is asking the International Red Cross to bring food and medicine to the hostages held in Gaza. A warning, the image you're about to see is disturbing.

His request follows outrage in Israel over the release of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad's propaganda videos showing two emaciated Israeli captives. The anger spilling over on the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night, where large crowds called for a deal to free the remaining hostages. Families of those held a warning against an expansion of the war, as one Israeli official says Netanyahu is pushing to free the hostages through military defeat of Hamas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Dear citizens of Israel, like you, I was deeply shocked yesterday. I saw the horrifying videos of our dear sons, Rome and Iviatar. I called the families, embraced them on behalf of myself and my wife, and on your behalf too.

You see them wasting away in a dungeon, but the Hamas monsters surrounding them have thick, fleshy arms. They have everything they need to eat. They are starving them the way the Nazis starve the Jews.

And when I see this, I understand exactly what Hamas wants. It doesn't want a deal. It wants to break us through these horrifying videos, through the false propaganda it spreads around the world.

But we will not break. I am filled with even stronger determination to free our kidnapped sons, to eliminate Hamas, and to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to the state of Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Hamas says it is prepared to, quote, deal positively with any request by the Red Cross to deliver aid to Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, but only if certain conditions are met, primarily that humanitarian corridors are opened, allowing in food and medicine amid a deepening hunger crisis in the enclave.

On Sunday, Israel's military says six countries, including Jordan, France and Belgium, airdropped 136 aid packages into Gaza. However, health workers have said these efforts are not enough to reverse the crisis, and the U.N. warns airdrops are ineffective and dangerous. CNN senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman has reported

extensively from Gaza for decades, but right now the Israeli government has banned international media from the territory. So, Ben joins us live from Rome. Good to see you, Ben.

So, what more are you learning about efforts to get aid to hostages and to Palestinians in Gaza?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly what we know is that this business of the airdrops may visually look quite impressive, but it's a very ineffective way to get any aid to anybody in Gaza. The U.N. says that it is 100 times more costly than bringing food in by land.

They have, according to the UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, they have 6000 trucks waiting to go into Gaza, but they haven't received a green light from the Israelis.

So, at the moment, aid is coming in sort of in dribs and drabs from the World Food Program. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, this U.S.- Israeli-backed organization, claims to have provided more than 100 meals since it started operating in Gaza.

But in the meantime, more than 1400 people have been killed trying to get that aid from a very limited number of distribution points inside Gaza. In fact, within the last 24 hours, 16 people were killed in Gaza trying to get to that aid.

So, the system clearly isn't working. There isn't the political will on the part of the United States, which does have significant leverage over Israel or the European countries, so they're going for these sort of second line of solutions, like the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, like these airdrops.

And as far as getting aid to the hostages, clearly Hamas is hesitant to provide the Red Cross with a way to get food to these hostages, about 20 of whom it's believed are still alive, because clearly the Israelis are going to be watching that and would launch some sort of military operation.

[03:19:56]

Now, we did hear Prime Minister Netanyahu talking about going for a military option to try to rescue the hostages, as opposed to a negotiated agreement of some sort. But the Hostage and Missing Families Forum in Israel says that that will lead to ruin for the hostages. So, no good solution short of some sort of agreement, which clearly the United States, Israel and Hamas don't appear willing to come to at the moment, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Ben Wedeman reporting from Rome. Many thanks for joining us. I appreciate it.

A manhunt is underway in the U.S. state of Montana right now. Police are searching for a man suspected of shooting and killing four people. The latest, just ahead. Plus, the Department of Homeland Security says there's no hunger

strike at a controversial migrant detention facility. Why immigrant rights groups are criticizing conditions at this facility in the Florida Everglades. Back with that and more in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: We now know the names of the four people killed in a bar shooting in Montana. Three men and a woman were shot and killed at the Owl Bar in Anaconda Friday.

[03:25:03]

They are Daniel Edwin Bailey, Nancy Loretta Kelly, David Allen Leach and Tony Wayne Palm. All were local residents. Montana's attorney general says there's an all-out manhunt for the suspect, Michael Paul Brown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AUSTIN KNUDSEN, MONTANA ATTORNEY GENERAL: The vehicle he ended up grabbing was loaded full of equipment. It was not his vehicle. It was a stolen vehicle, but there was camping equipment in it, we believe there was some clothing in it.

So at this point, we have every reason to believe the suspect is fully clothed, shoes on his feet, able to get around. We are acting under the assumption that he is alive, well armed and extremely dangerous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Brown is a U.S. Army veteran. His family says he struggled with mental health issues. Officials are offering a $7500 reward for information that leads to locating him.

In Tennessee, authorities are searching for a man accused of shooting and killing four people. The deaths were discovered after a baby was found alive but abandoned in a car seat in a random front yard. The bodies of the victims, which include the baby's parents, were found on Tuesday.

Police have arrested two people as accessories after the fact to the killings, Tanaka Brown and Giovanni Thomas are 29 years old. Brown is also accused of tampering with evidence. The man suspected of committing the murders is Austin Drummond.

Officials say he's extremely violent and are warning people not to engage with him.

The Department of Homeland Security says there is no hunger strike at Alligator Alcatraz, that is the controversial detention center in the Florida Everglades. An immigrant rights advocate said that at least a dozen detainees were on hunger strike to protest conditions at the site.

CNN's Rafael Romo has more. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Access to the migrant detention center is heavily restricted. Even attorneys for those detained at the tent facility are complaining it has been nearly impossible to meet with their clients.

But an immigrant rights advocate who has been monitoring conditions at the migrant detention center dubbed Alligator Alcatraz by Florida and federal officials says at least a dozen detainees have been on a hunger strike for the last 12 days to protest conditions at the facility that opened last month in the Everglades.

Why did the detainees decide to go on a hunger strike? This is what Thomas Kennedy, a spokesman with the Florida Immigrant Coalition, had to say about their decision.

THOMAS KENNEDY, POLICY ANALYST, FLORIDA IMMIGRANT COALITION: A number of individuals detained there have refused to eat, to protest again the deplorable conditions that they find themselves in, including lack of adequate food, having to clean up fecal matter from the toilets due to lack of water pressure, lack of water in general, mistreatment by the guards, water intrusion when it rains due to flooding.

ROMO: Immigrant advocates like Kennedy say they know what's happening because detainees have told them when they have access to a phone, which usually happens once a day. We reached out to both the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which manages the facility, and the Department of Homeland Security for comment in a statement.

A senior DHS official called the information false, calling reports of the hunger strike unsubstantiated, inaccurate allegations. The statement also says that "For the record: during hunger strikes, ICE continues to provide three meals a day, delivered to the detained alien's room and an adequate supply of drinking water or other beverages. Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority at ICE."

In addition to what has been described by activists and Florida Democratic leaders as deplorable conditions at Alligator Alcatraz, attorneys for those detained are still facing obstacles when it comes to getting access to their clients held at the migrant detention center.

KENNEDY: I'm actually very concerned, not just for the aggravating conditions that the detainees are subjected to, but also the constitutional and due process that's being denied to these detainees and their families.

ROMO: We specifically asked officials at both the state and federal levels for a reaction to this allegation, but it was not addressed in the statement we received from a senior DHS official.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: Still to come, all the bodies of the workers trapped inside a Chilean copper mine have been found, bringing the death toll to six. The latest on the mine collapse, after a short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: A warm welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church. Let's check today's top stories for you.

The White House is making it clear that President Donald Trump's new tariffs are here to stay. America's top trade official says the tariff rates are, quote, "pretty much set." Starting on Thursday, most countries will be hit with at least a 10 percent levy on their goods.

There's a manhunt in the U.S. state of Montana for a man suspected of shooting and killing four people. Police say the shooting happened at a bar in Anaconda, Montana, on Friday. The gunman allegedly drove away in a stolen vehicle that contained camping gear, authorities are searching for him in a nearby national forest.

Israel's Prime Minister is asking the International Red Cross to deliver food and medicine to the hostages still held in Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu's request follows outrage in Israel over the release of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad's propaganda videos showing two emaciated Israeli captives. Hamas says it is prepared to, quote, "deal positively with any Red Cross request, but only if humanitarian corridors are opened up in Gaza."

Joining me now from Tel Aviv is Jacob Kurtzer, a Communications Coordinator with the International Committee Of The Red Cross. Thank you so much for talking with us.

JACOB KURTZER, COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR, INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS: Thank you for having me.

[03:35:07]

CHURCH: So as we just reported, Israel's Prime Minister has made it clear that he wants help from the Red Cross to deliver aid to hostages in Gaza after public anger over those videos showing two emaciated Israeli captives. How would the Red Cross do that? How would that work exactly?

KURTZER: Since the onset of this crisis, we've made it clear publicly and to the parties to the conflict privately that we're ready and prepared to do these visits. This is a core part of the ICRC's mandate and it's a core part of our global activity to visit people who have been deprived of their liberty.

What's critical for us to do such a visit is to have the enabling environment. First and foremost, we need to be granted access by the parties. We need to be given that access in order to visit the hostages, we can't force our way in, we don't know where they are.

And so we have said consistently that we need to be given that access. Once that access is granted, we have a methodology that we've used for many years that allows us to ensure that people are hopefully being treated consistent with their rights and consistent with the obligations under the Geneva Conventions. Unfortunately, we haven't been granted that access so far.

So what we're asking for and what we have consistently said is to the parties themselves is reach an agreement. Let us do this critical work because as we can see, lives depend on it.

CHURCH: Right. You mentioned that you're awaiting that permission to be granted. Hamas is now saying that it's prepared to deal positively with any request by the Red Cross to deliver aid to these Israeli hostages, but only if humanitarian corridors are opened up in Gaza.

So what is your response to that?

KURTZER: Well, the situation in Gaza is extremely volatile. The vast majority of it, 80 to 85 percent remains an evacuation zone or an area of military operations.

The remaining space is very densely packed with people who have been displaced, who have been forced to evacuate their homes. The security conditions remain very difficult.

And so what we need to know is for the safety and security of our own colleagues, that the environment in which they would be able to do such a visit, if it were granted, and if the parties came to such an agreement, is one that we could ensure the safety of our colleagues, as well as the safety of the people that we seek to meet.

And so what we have said with respect to this, but what we have said with respect to the broader humanitarian situation, is we need the space to operate. We need a cessation of hostilities.

We need guarantees so that we can then make the determinations about where and how to move. The whole physical space of Gaza has been changed by the conflict. Roads have been changed, we know there's a lot of unexploded ordnance around, the situation is just very insecure.

And so again, it's really incumbent upon the parties themselves to create the enabling environment that would allow us to do this work.

CHURCH: So hopefully all those conditions can be met. And as you point out, all of this comes as the starvation emergency worsens in Gaza, with Palestinians getting only limited access to aid. What real impact are the latest airdrops having on the food and water crisis in the enclave right now?

KURTZER: Well, we've been adamant and consistent that much, much more needs to come in. Airdrops are a solution in very specific contexts where you can't get food or other material because of geographic constraints or otherwise. We know that there's a system that has worked to deliver aid into Gaza

and to get it to people in safety and with dignity. So we've regularly reiterated that much more needs to come in.

What we've seen so far has been quite limited. It's not enough, it's insufficient to meet the extreme need that has emerged over the last four months since aid became restricted from entry. Millions of people are hungry, there is not enough food.

What we're seeing at the Red Cross Field Hospital is a substantial and alarming increase in cases of malnutrition. And so airdrops are not the solution. In some contexts, they might be helpful.

But what we really need is a robust, sustained opportunity for the humanitarian providers that have been working there, that have been making sure that people had enough to eat, to be given that same space, that same safety, that same security to deliver food throughout Gaza to the people who need it. It's not enough for food or other items to be just brought into Gaza. It also needs to get to where people are.

[03:40:05]

And that's the most critical thing is for the food and for the other assistance to get to where people are and not to compel people to travel lengthy distances in an insecure environment to try to access food or safe water.

CHURCH: Yes, indeed. Distribution is key here, isn't it? And of course, fair distribution of this aid. So what exactly needs to happen to ensure that happens and to make a difference and to feed and hydrate everyone who's desperate in Gaza?

KURTZER: Well, I think ultimately right now, the first and foremost is this, you know, there's talk of a humanitarian pause and we're talking about a cessation of hostilities, essentially a ceasefire to allow the humanitarian circumstances to be addressed consistently and in a sustained way. The same challenges that we have moving around are the challenges that a truck driver has. The roads are not secure, there's a lot of pressure.

Every single truck that comes in with food, because people have reached such a level of desperation, there's so much pressure on those individual entry points. And so we know that there are a variety of different locations where items can enter Gaza. We know that there are a lot of different providers.

And we're basically saying, and we join other humanitarian actors in saying, more quickly and now, because otherwise the urgency will not be met. Otherwise there will still be this pressure. We will still see people getting injured or killed at food distribution sites.

And so much more needs to happen. And that requires the truck drivers, that requires the different service providers to be able to know that they can do this safely and that will enable people to feel comfortable to be able to get what they need. But right now we also know that we need essential nutrition items

because people have become so hungry. There's such a high level of malnutrition. It's not just enough about getting food in, we also need to get fuel.

We also need to get these other items to allow people to cook the food. One of the things that the Red Cross does is also, the ICRC also works very much in the water system to make sure they have safe water with which to cook the items that are coming in.

CHURCH: Jacob Kurtzer, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

KURTZER: Thank you.

CHURCH: All the workers trapped after a copper mine in Chile partially collapsed have been found dead, this brings the death toll to six. Nine others were injured. According to authorities, the collapse happened after an earthquake struck the region.

The National Seismological Centre in Chile recorded a 4.3 magnitude earthquake in the area on Thursday. Chile's president has declared three days of national mourning and the Chilean prosecutor's office is launching an investigation into the collapse.

Well with Republicans threatening to redraw some congressional maps ahead of next year's midterms, a key Democrat in the U.S. Senate has a message for his colleagues. It's time to fight fire with fire. More on that after a short break, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone.

Well with crucial midterm elections just over a year away, Democrats across the U.S. are trying to figure out their path forward. And one of their most powerful voices in the Senate, Cory Booker, has this advice: Don't bend the knee to Donald Trump. He also suggests Democrats should fight fire with fire when it comes to redrawing congressional maps.

CNN's Manu Raju has more now from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Democrats have been going through a bit of an identity crisis in the aftermath of their steep election losses last November. They've seen their polling at rock bottom. Really historic lows in public opinion and favorability for their party.

So how do they move ahead? There's been this debate within the party about its tactics, about how to respond to Trump, and this really blew up on the Senate floor last week when Cory Booker, the senator from New Jersey, pushed back against Democratic senators who are trying to work with Republicans to pass policing bills.

But Booker has serious concerns about how the administration has been dealing with public safety money. He says they've been withholding money to blue states like his own because they are not adhering to the Trump agenda. He wanted those bills to more adequately deal with that specific concern.

But he also told me there's a larger debate and issue that he has with Democrats and others that he says they should not bend the knee to Donald Trump. In his words, they should push back.

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): What I want to see more people doing is not doing what some law firms have done, bend the knee to Donald Trump. Not doing what some universities have done, bend the knee to Donald Trump. We see major corporations who want some merger approval, not standing up on principle, but bending the knee to Donald Trump.

That to me is outrageous. History is going to remember these people for their complicity and what it's a guy that's going to severely try to undermine our government who already incited a riot on our Capitol. This is a moment in history where people are going to ask, where did you stand? Did you bow to an authoritarian leader or did you stand strong and fight?

I'm sick of the gerrymandering, but if Donald Trump is going to push to gerrymander Texas, he's going to break the rules in order to win. He can't win by the rules they are right now, so he thinks you should break the rules.

For Democrats to sit back and just say, okay, we're going to play by the queen's rules. No, I'm telling you right now, we need to win in the midterm. We need to stop him from cheating, from lying, and from stealing the election.

And if they're doing something to add their congressional seats, we need to look at our ways of doing that right now.

RAJU: That last comment referring to the fight that is happening right now in Texas, where Republicans there are redrawing the district lines for the United States House to add five more Republican seats in next year's midterms. Donald Trump is pushing that to happen now, even though typically these redistricting fights happen at the beginning of a decade.

Now Trump wants this done to help him in the midterms next year. But Booker there is saying New Jersey should respond in kind. A blue state could potentially, if they redraw their lines, add Democratic seats and help them in the midterms.

In an arms race of sorts between the two parties, they try to position themselves for next year's midterm elections, but assign two of the debate with the Democratic Party about how to proceed. As Booker says, it's time to fight back. Manu Raju, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Flooding, scorching heat and a rare winter wonderland. Still ahead, the wild and surprising weather events hitting countries across the globe.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: A volcano in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula erupted for the first time in 600 years. A tourist group filmed the eruption while returning from a trip to see another volcano. Russian state media says the volcano's eruption could be connected to the massive earthquake that rocked the region last week, officials in Kamchatka reported an ash plume rising up as high as 3.7 miles or nearly six kilometers.

Spain is bracing for temperatures of up to 42 degrees Celsius or almost 108 degrees Fahrenheit while dangerous heat starts to set in there. Australians are dealing with polar opposite conditions. Towns in eastern Australia are seeing the most snow they've had in decades.

In both parts of the world, one major feeling is shock. CNN's Ben Hunte has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Spain in August. It's not surprising that it's hot, but when temperatures are expected to reach 42 degrees Celsius or almost 108 degrees Fahrenheit in some places, that's not just hot, it's dangerous.

UNKNOWN (through translator): I couldn't imagine. They had told me, but I could imagine that it was so hot.

[03:55:07]

HUNTE (voice-over): Spain's weather agency says the heat wave could continue at least a week. The Environment Ministry reports there were nearly 1200 heat-related deaths in the country from mid-May to mid- July, a sharp increase from the same period last year when there were 114 deaths. Many people say they are taking precautions when going outside.

JUAN CARLO POLANCO, LOCAL RESIDENT (through translator): Take a break, cover your head, especially if you have little hair, and keep drinking plenty of water. It is very important to stay hydrated to withstand this heat.

HUNTE (voice-over): It's also brutally hot in Japan, where forecasters say the average temperature in July hit a record high for the third year in a row. And in many regions, there's less rainfall, which is impacting rice production. Some tourists in Kyoto say it's been a challenge to stay cool.

ANNA KRZEMINSKA-KACZUNSKA, KYOTO TOURIST: I've been to India and other places in Asia, so I have the understanding of this heat, but this experience is really, really amazing in a sense that I am sweating from top down.

HUNTE (voice-over): It's just the opposite down under. In Australia, parts of the eastern country were turned into a surprising winter wonderland. As much as 40 centimeters, or about 16 inches, of snow fell in northern New South Wales on Saturday, the most since the mid- 1980s.

Emergency services say they were called to help more than 100 vehicles stuck in the snow. But many others made the most of the snowy conditions.

BRENDAN GOUGH, TRAVELED FROM QUEENSLAND TO NEW SOUTH WALES TO SEE SNOW: This, actually, it's a very surreal experience. I've always dreamt about going to the snow. I've never seen snow before in my entire life.

And it really is a surreal experience. And Yes, it's awesome.

HUNTE (voice-over): Ben Hunte, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: He's a very happy man there. Thanks so much for spending part of your day with me, I'm Rosemary Church. "Amanpour" is next, then stay tuned for "Early Start" at 5 a.m. in New York, 10 a.m. in London.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)