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Venezuela's Deadly Earthquake; Trump Lunch With Republicans Erupts Into Shouting Match; Extreme Weather. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired June 25, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:44]

POLO SANDOVAL, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. Thank you so much for joining me for CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York. Search and rescue efforts, they are currently underway after Venezuela is hit by its biggest earthquake in more than a century. An update in a moment.

Plus, Donald Trump refuses to sign a landmark housing affordability bill, leaving lawmakers scrambling. What the US President is demanding in exchange for a signature.

And extreme heat, it is melting national records across Europe. Will head to Paris for a live report.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from New York, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: Let's get straight to breaking news in Venezuela, where the acting president says that at least 32 people are dead and 700 injured. And all this after two powerful back to back earthquakes hit the country's northern coast just hours ago. And those casualty figures, they are likely going to rise, as the toll does not yet include the numbers that will be coming from some of the hardest hit areas.

And we're also seeing some extensive damage in the capital of Caracas. First responders and security forces are currently deploying across the region, they're searching for survivors. They're listening for any survivors, any sounds or signs of survivors from beneath the rubble. One official says that rescue teams there, they are continuing to work and have already pulled out dozens of people.

The quakes sent terrified residents running out of their homes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What I did was throw myself on the floor to call on God. The walls cracked, the kitchen collapsed, the living room is about to fall. One more movement and it will come down here.

I'm to stay here in the street, I have nothing else. At that moment, I only ran out with my rosary, my phone which I had on me and my clothes. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: We know that a 7.2 magnitude quake struck near Venezuela's northern coast just after 6:00pm local time. And less than a minute later, an even stronger quake hit a 7.5 and that was not far from the first one. And the second quake, it is the strongest to hit the country in more than a century, going back to 1900.

I want to show you some video of the devastation where homes and buildings have collapsed while others are badly damaged. The fear of aftershocks and further damage, that has led to many people choosing to sleep on the streets tonight. The US and other countries in the region, they are sending rescue teams as well as some humanitarian aid to Venezuela.

President Delcy Rodriguez declaring a nationwide state of emergency, and also one northern state is declared a disaster zone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DELCY RODRIGUEZ, VENEZUELA PRESIDENT: At this time, 20 aftershocks have already been recorded. This is a serious event with severe consequences and several states have been particularly affected. In the capital city, Caracas, buildings have collapsed in different districts. The state of Miranda, La Guaira, as well as Aragua, Carabobo and Falcon have also been severely affected where we have recorded incidents.

Our first message to the people is to remain united in order to save lives immediately following these two earthquakes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And no doubt complicating the ability to get help into the region. The international airport just north of Caracas, it is closed due to significant structural damage. A former Venezuelan lawmaker was there when the quake hit and he started recording this on his phone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WILMER AZUAJE, FORMER DEPUTY, VENEZUELA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (through translation): Look at what Maiquetia airport looks like while we're inside. Look at the disaster here, completely destroyed. Look at it, after the earthquake. Look at how everything ended up.

Everyone, the situation we're experiencing here is serious. A high- magnitude earthquake, everything ended up. I recorded during the earthquake. I recorded everything. We also helped people get out. Look at the ceiling, everything was destroyed, everything was ruined.

Look, Maiquetia airport. The authorities should be called to safeguard many things. Look at this disaster. This is Maiquetia. We are at the elevators. Look, we're all here We're going to start broadcasting from this moment. [04:05:10]

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: CNN Contributor Stefano Pozzebon felt the powerful tremors hundreds of miles away in Bogota in neighboring Colombia. Here's this latest report.

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: This death toll does not include the crucial state of La Guaira. That is the state that is pretty much between the city of Caracas and the Caribbean seas, just north of the capital on the coast. That is where -- we know that the impact of these earthquake has been felt the strongest.

I was able to speak with, for example, with Rodriguez's brother, Jorge Rodriguez, who is also a statesman in the country. He is the president of International Assembly, pretty much the president of the Congress or parliament there. And he told me that according to preliminary, a preliminary estimate, at least 15 buildings have collapsed in that particular state of La Guaira. So that is where they're trying to reach as quickly as possible, providing as many emergency services and first responders there.

Delcy Rodriguez, in her last message from two local radio also said that several countries have already offered to send in some teams of first responders. Among them is, of course, Colombia, where I am. We were able to speak with the unit of first responders from the Colombian government that are saying that they're standing by and trying to reach Caracas as quickly as possible.

Of course, one of the challenges is that the Caracas International Airport in Maiquetia, which is in that particular state, La Guaira, that is being so badly damaged, is currently closed. Jorge Rodriguez, the statesman that I was able to speak with, told me that they believe they hope to be able to open it in the upcoming hours or perhaps early on Friday.

But at the point -- as of right now, which is early Thursday morning, that airport remains closed. And a lot of people in Caracas are sleeping outside. For example, I was able to speak with several residents over the last half an hour or so, and they're telling me that they are too afraid to go back into their houses. They're too afraid to go back into their flats.

Some are speaking, are speaking about sleeping in their cars, others in like tents. I mean, as much as you can perhaps sleep or trying to catch some rest after such a dramatic experience like going through those two earthquake that hit the capital within seconds of each other, 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude. Those were big, big quakes.

SANDOVAL: Our thanks to Stefano Pozzebon for that report. Let's go now to Melbourne, Australia and Adam Pascale. He's the Chief Scientist at the Seismology Research Center in Australia. Adam, it's great to have you with us.

ADAM PASCALE, CHIEF SCIENTIST, SEISMOLOGY RESEARCH CENTER-AUSTRALIA: Hi, Polo.

SANDOVAL: Adam, it's now been about 10 hours since that initial earthquake from a scientific perspective. I wonder if you could just speak to the, you know, how great a risk is there still to some of the emergency responders when it comes to any potential aftershocks? Again, it's been quite some time now.

PASCALE: So there were some aftershocks earlier today following that event, and those have been closer to Caracas, actually. So the main event is about 100 miles to the west of Caracas. But these two aftershocks that we've seen in the sort of mid 4 range are closer to Caracas. And that's sort of still getting to the point where you can get some damage, particularly to already compromised structures.

So recovery efforts are certainly going to be hampered if there are continuing aftershocks, which are quite likely in the short term.

SANDOVAL: Yes. We're seeing some of these pictures right now, sharing with our viewers some live images out of Caracas where it's 4:00am and you see crews trying to hear, trying to listen for any survivors beneath the rubble. You may be able to even make out how they're moving rubble appears to be with a pail. So it just gives you a sense of the challenges that they're up against.

There's also the potential for secondary building collapses. You know, in studying earthquakes, if you could just perhaps speak to how that continues to be a risk.

PASCALE: So the structures are compromised from these events, and certainly if there are any large enough aftershocks that can further weaken them, there can be collapse. There is phenomenon probably close to the epicenter called liquefaction, whereby the surface of the earth becomes sort of liquefied from the shaking, meaning some buildings may have sunk into the earth a little bit and collapsed to a degree, which may then get worse over time.

[04:10:00]

So there's a lot going on with all the dynamics in different parts of the country. So I'm sure it's going to be a great challenge across the nation really to deal with this.

SANDOVAL: We've reported that the second quake is the strongest to hit the country in more than a century, going back over 100 years. In your early assessment of some of the preliminary data, what is your assessment of these quakes that struck on Wednesday?

PASCALE: Well, the fact that they were two right after each other is unusual. I mean, that has happened before, but it's not common that two of such similar magnitude or such large magnitude will occur right after each other. A 7.5 may not seem much larger than 7.2 but it's actually twice as large because of the way the scale works.

So it just means that shaking will have gone on for so much longer because you've had that first one starting the shaking and then 40 seconds later, a larger event which will have longer duration of shaking. So -- and the harmonics of those two earthquakes interacting with each other could potentially amplify some of those signals.

So it's really an unusual and very dangerous sequence of events. So hopefully that's the end of them, but you can't rule out that larger events might not occur in the short term. So people really do need to be aware and prepared for that potential occurrence.

SANDOVAL: Yes. Some important insight from seismologist, Adam Pascale, joining us live from Australia. Adam, thank you so much for your time and for your perspective.

PASCALE: You're welcome.

SANDOVAL: Let's take you to Washington now, where President Trump insists that his party is unified despite a shouting match with Republican senators behind closed doors. The President abruptly canceled the signing ceremony for a landmark bipartisan housing bill on Wednesday.

Well, he's demanding that the Senate approve his election reforms known as the SAVE America Act, but party leaders say that they don't have the votes. A lunch meeting devoted. Actually, I should say that the lunch meeting that followed it pretty much devolved into a shouting match with one source saying that the President called Senator Bill Cassidy, you see him there, he called him "a lunatic.'

Despite all that, the President tried putting a positive spin on the meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: I think we had a really great meeting and we're very proud of the party. We like our leader. We like everybody really in the room. I don't like a few people, but that's OK. I think you know who they are.

But we -- I'll give you that information someday. But for the most part, we have a really well-unified party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: More now from CNN's chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump has derailed his own agenda, and Republicans are at a loss at how to proceed. This after the President abruptly canceled a signing ceremony over a bill that passed by wide bipartisan majorities in the House and the Senate, dealing with housing and trying to make housing more affordable for Americans.

But the President said he would not sign this bill into law, even though he had been scheduled to do so on Wednesday afternoon. He said that first the Senate needs to pass what's known as the SAVE America Act. That is a bill that requires require proof of citizenship to vote. But here's the problem, it doesn't have the support needed to pass the United States Senate. The Republican leaders have tried time and again to pass it, it has failed. The most recent effort had 48 votes when it needs 60 votes in the United States Senate. And Trump wants to blow up the Senate filibuster rules to allow him to pass legislation along the straight party lines.

But still, even if they were to do that, which they don't have, the votes, they've got the filibuster, they still would not have enough votes to pass the SAVE America Act, which is why Republicans are at a loss over how to proceed, because it is the latest effort by the president to get that SAVE America Act bill through and derailing other parts of his agenda, even essentially turning off critical spying powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act because that legislation has been derailed over the President's unrelated demands dealing with this election's overhaul.

Now, talking to Republicans, it's very clear that there is a split. The MAGA wing of the GOP, very much in line with President Trump, others saying that he needs to agree to move ahead with this housing bill because it's important to their constituents. But some of those conservative hardliners are telling me tonight that they plan to shut down business on the House floor until Senate Republicans cave.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ANNA PAULINA LUNA (R-FL): They're trying to say that they're -- this is a joke. The votes aren't there yet. Eighty percent of Americans want this. Black, white, Hispanic, Asian, men, women, Democrat, Republican, Independents, and yet you're trying to tell me that the top issue in the country right now is not this. Go vote, do what you need to do, but they don't get to stipulate to the House what the deal is.

REP. TIM BURCHETT (R-TN): We need to show America we're serious about the SAVE America Act and we start playing hardball with the Senate. It's the most popular piece of legislation out there. The President supports it. I think we ought to go to the map for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:15:00]

RAJU: So a lot of questions about what ultimately will happen here. And Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, told me on Wednesday evening that he plans to meet with the President on Wednesday -- on Thursday, make the case to him directly that it's time to sign that bill into law as they try to move ahead with the President's other priorities. Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

SANDOVAL: And just a day after Sanders approved a resolution aimed at limiting US military action against Iran, the Senate rejected a separate effort to advance a similar war powers measure. President Trump celebrating that vote on social media late on Wednesday and said that it put Iran "on notice." The President also criticized the earlier vote, saying that it undermined his leverage in negotiations with Iran. Meanwhile, we're also following some live developments out of the Middle East where the US secretary of state is currently visiting the region there, where he's assuring some of the US' partners that the United States will not undermine its allies in the negotiations with Iran.

Marco Rubio in Bahrain right now where he's meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council at this hour. In fact, we listened to some of his remarks just a few moments ago. Rubio also visited the UAE and Kuwait where he revealed that expert level technical talks with Iran are likely to start next week. But Rubio is not meeting with a key regional ally, this man, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from Israel, even though the US did mediate discussions between Israel and Lebanon.

Those discussions are still going on in Washington this week. What's next, let's go to CNN's Eleni Giokos joining me live from Dubai. Eleni, it's good to see you. I know you were monitoring the secretary of state's comments just a short while ago. He making it very clear, we do not want to deal with deal at any price, said the secretary of state. What else did he make very clear?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, really interesting. And it's sort of words of reassurance, you know, at the start of this trip here to the Gulf states. He was saying that he wants to listen more than talk. And he sort of struck that tone today in Manama in Bahrain at the Gulf Cooperation Council meeting.

And really fascinating for him to sort of say, look, we're here to reassure you we want peace but not at any cost. I want you to listen to some of what he has to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, US SECRETARY OF STATE: Also to reassure everyone publicly that the United States, while committed to this process, wants to make -- will make sure that none of the agreements that are made, none of the things that are agreed to, will in any way be counter to the interest of any of the nations represented here today because you are our partners and our allies, and we want that to continue. And partners and allies don't undermine one another.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Yes. And really important there that there's going to be no undermining in terms of implementing this memorandum of understanding. And frankly, in the next 60 days, the technical talks which are going to be restarting in about five days time, are going to be very important for long term security here in the region.

One thing that's not included is what happens to Iran's missile program. That was not mentioned in this opening statement. But Chile will be coming up. He also said they're going to be talking about some economic issues. And then he said other issues that have been raised already is next steps in Syria. And then importantly, the conversations, the current diplomacy that is happening in the United States around Israel and Lebanon, he was very optimistic. He says hopefully there'll be a positive outcome. The red lines for Secretary Rubio really pertain around the Strait of Hormuz.

He says, if we allow anyone to charge a toll fee in international waters, that could possibly set a precedent for other international waterways at a global level and that would create chaos. And importantly, the Strait of Hormuz has become this flashpoint. We know Oman and Iran came out with sort of a joint mechanism plans in terms of future navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

One line everyone has been focusing on when they mentioned the services and the fees associated to those services in terms of navigation. But if we drill down into those numbers, Polo, at this point, according to CNN analysis, we see that traffic in the Strait of Hormuz over the last 24 hours has indeed doubled. Kpler just messaged me a short time ago saying there were 69 vessels that transited through the strait yesterday. That is the highest level that we have seen since the start of the war.

So encouraging numbers here, but still a lot of confusion for shippers and a lot of things to work through.

SANDOVAL: The secretary saying, a country charging for the use of the Strait of Hormuz, it will never be a condition. We've heard it from the Trump administration before, but there is going on the record. So we'll see what these technical talks lead to. Eleni Giokos, thank you so much for your time and your report as always.

A major heat wave shattering temperatures all across Europe and more extreme heat, it's probably on the way too. We're going to have a live report from Paris in a moment. Plus, the Trump administration says that the main -- that actually the main wall along the US-Mexican border will be finished next year. We'll talk to a former US official about whether that's a realistic goal.

[04:20:09]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: Welcome back. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. Europe, it's sweltering under a relentless heat dome. The UK has broken its record for the hottest June temperature for the third time in a day, reaching nearly 97 degrees Fahrenheit. That's 36 degrees Celsius.

Spain already hitting some records and more records likely to be set there in the coming hours. So people trying to stay cool. In fact, in parts of Italy, the excessive use of air conditioning to combat the heat wave, that has apparently caused some electricity outages.

But France is really at the epicenter of this extreme heat, breaking the record for its hottest day. And Paris is under a red heat wave alert again. CNN's Saskya Vandoorne is live from Paris.

Saskya, I know you're trying to stay cool out there. You know, I don't think people around the world may fully understand. Only about 20 percent of the homes in Europe have air conditioning. So, how are people staying cool right now?

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN PARIS BUREAU CHIEF: Well, I think it's very difficult because it has been just so hot this week, Polo. France has been breaking records day after day. Monday saw the hottest night on record.

[04:25:10]

Then Tuesday became the hottest day ever recorded. But by Wednesday, that record was broken when temperatures rose above 40 degrees in some parts of France. So it really has been relentless. But as you said, Polo, it's not just France, much of Europe is also sweltering.

European countries have been issuing health warnings. Here in France, three quarters of the country is now on the red alert zone. That is the highest alert for heat waves. What does that mean? It means that their life -- that life can be in danger if there is too much exposure to the heat.

So how are people adapting? Well, I'm joined here by Ellie So. Ellie So is 24 years old. She lives in Paris. How are you handling the heat?

ELLIE SO, PARIS RESIDENT: Honestly, like most, most of us, I'm not. It has been a very restless week. Everybody's very tired and it's difficult to manage.

VANDOORNE: And we're here by the Canal Saint-Martin, which usually is closed off for swimming, but they have opened it so that people can try and cool off. Are you tempted to jump in?

SO: I've been worried about the cleanliness, but honestly, it looks very tempting right now. I might just go and jump.

VANDOORNE: And I think there is some hope on the horizon. French forecaster Mitchell Haas (ph) France said that by Sunday, temperatures could ease. How does that make you feel?

SO: It makes me feel happy. But honestly, I don't know if this is enough. And I'm thinking in the years to come, how will we be able to handle that and what will the measures be to help everyone cope with the heat?

VANDOORNE: And there is a debate right now in France as to whether most homes should be equipped with AC, or whether that is a bad thing, of course, for the environment. How do you feel about that?

SO: I think it's a necessity for schools, hospitals, of course, in elderly homes, but it's not a long term solution. It's just adding on to the problem, as you mentioned, because it also generates heat. So I think we need urban planning and other solutions to fight this kind of heat wave.

VANDOORNE: Well, thank you so much, Ellie So. And we hope you manage to stay cool. Polo? SANDOVAL: Yes. That question, how do you cope with this heat? The answer, you can't. It is a short but powerful response that you're hearing there from your guest. Saskya Vandoorne, do stay cool, my friend. Thank you so much for that report and for showing us around.

Jurors here in the United States, they are set to resume deliberations on Thursday in the federal trial of the man accused of starting a fire that later set off the deadly Palisades. Prosecutors are arguing that 30 year old Jonathan Rinderknecht, was motivated in part because of his anger towards the wealthy. While defense attorneys say that he is being made a scapegoat since the fire department did not completely extinguish the initial blaze. If convicted, he faces up to 45 years in prison.

As Los Angeles rebuilds from the disaster, some professionals are looking forward to preventing the past from repeating itself. Contractor and television host Jonathan Scott gave our Elex Michaelson a personal tour of his most recent project. He's helping rebuild a family home using resilient materials that should help it withstand future fires and other natural disasters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN SCOTT, TV PERSONALITY: I think it's a beacon of hope.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Celebrity contractor Jonathan Scott is showing us, a way to build homes he says are virtually. Fireproof, earthquake proof, tornado proof, and hurricane proof.

This is something that could be implemented all across the country, right?

SCOTT: Absolutely.

MICHAELSON: Jonathan and his brother Drew are known as the Property Brothers.

SCOTT: And it just looks fancier.

MICHAELSON: For over 15 years, they've renovated hundreds of homes, including many on HGTV. It's like CNN is owned by Warner Brothers Discovery.

ZOOEY DESCHANEL, ACTRESS: It's really special.

MICHAELSON: Jonathan is engaged to actress Zooey Deschanel.

(CLIP FROM THE MOVIE "ELF")

MICHAELSON: She appeared in the Christmas classic "Elf."

(CLIP FROM THE MOVIE "ELF")

MICHAELSON: And starred on FOX'S "New Girl" for seven seasons. Zoey and her sister, Emily, also an actress, grew up in LA's Pacific Palisades neighborhood. For 42 years, the Deschanel lived in this 100- year-old Spanish style home. This is what it looked like after January 7, 2025.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God.

MICHAELSON: The Palisades Fire killed 12 people and burned nearly 7,000 structures, including the Deschanel.

SCOTT: It gets emotional. Yes, it's hard to see your loved ones in pain. And everybody's experiencing that, everybody.

MICHAELSON: Soon after the fire, Jonathan returned to that home.

SCOTT: Just know that there is hope.

MICHAELSON: To film a public service announcement for the city of Los Angeles.

[04:30:00]