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Trump to Head to Texas as Consoler in Chief; Summer Blockbusters Premier Amid Box Office Slump. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired July 11, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

M.J. LEE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Flocked to this zoo in Thailand to join the celebration.

[06:00:06]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): This will be part of their memories, the kids. Because they've not seen her before, and they can go to school and tell their friends that they've seen her now. It's their childhood memory.

LEE (voice-over): A charity auction was held as part of the birthday festivities, and a cast of Moo Deng's footprints sold for more than $21,000.

LEE: Thank you so much for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm M.J. Lee in Washington, D.C. And CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Today, the commander in chief takes on the role of consoler in chief. President Trump heads into the Texas flood zone. Will he have the healing touch?

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please help us all to defend the Constitution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: ICE officers clash with protesters in Southern California again. Now a federal judge gets ready to rule on stopping controversial raids.

And there's this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHMOUD KHALIL, PALESTINIAN ACTIVIST FACING DEPORTATION: Missing the birth of my child. I think that was the most difficult moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Freed from ICE detention. A Palestinian activist tells CNN why he wants the Trump administration to pay for his pain. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CORENSWET, ACTOR: Hey, buddy. Eyes up here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: And can Superman help save the movie business or soar to the top of the box office? This looks like a job for the hero in blue.

And look up in the sky. A bird, a plane bringing rain. Why the Trump administration is shedding new light on an old conspiracy theory.

It's 6 a.m. here on the East Coast. Here is the sunrise on the U.S. Capitol.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. I want to thank you for waking up with me.

And here's where we begin. President Trump heads to central Texas today. That's where more than 160 people are still missing from last week's catastrophic flooding.

He's expected to take on the role of consoler in chief, and that's been something of a challenge for him in the past. We get to that in a moment.

But first, here's where things stand. Texas Governor Greg Abbott asking for more federal disaster relief. He's requesting aid for nine more counties. And that comes as questions grow about how the response is being handled.

Listen to this recording of a firefighter pleading for help on the morning of the floods and not getting it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there any way we can send a CodeRED out to our Hunt residents, asking them to find higher ground or stay home?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ten-four, standby. We have to get that approved with our supervisor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: President Trump is expected to focus on the progress that search-and-rescue teams are making. He's already on the defense, however, ahead of his arrival.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there any way we can send a CodeRED out to our residents, asking them to find higher ground or stay home?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ten-four, standby. We have to get that approved with -- DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Texas was just absolutely so badly hurt

by something that was a big surprise, late in the evening. So, we'll be working with the governor and all of the people of Texas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Joining me now in the group chat, Noel King, co-host and editorial director of "Today, Explained," the podcast on Vox; and Mike Dubke, former Trump administration communications director; and Lulu Garcia-Navarro, "New York Times" journalist and podcast host. Thank you, guys, so much.

MIKE DUBKE, FORMER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Absolutely.

CORNISH: So, I want to start with the consoler in chief bit, because the thing that does stick out in my mind is 2017. You have Hurricane Maria. You have people who are suffering on the island.

And that's when he, like, tossed those paper towels to everybody, kind of like rock-concert style. And here's how he explained it at the time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They had these beautiful soft towels, very good towels. And I came in, and there was a crowd of a lot of people. And they were screaming, and they were loving everything. And we were -- I was having fun. They were having fun. They said, "Throw them to me. Throw them to me, Mr. President." And so, I'm doing some of the --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK, so that's first term. Noel, what are you looking for?

NOEL KING, CO-HOST, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, "TODAY, EXPLAINED" PODCAST": Well, here's what I think.

I think people who like President Trump, despite incidents like that, really do find him to be a calming figure and a figure who exhibits a lot of sympathy in real time.

So, he's heading into Texas, and my assumption is that is fairly friendly territory for him. I would imagine people who are experiencing this much grief, who have lost this much, the idea that the president of the United States is coming down, is making, you know, a big deal out of what they've experienced, is actually going to be consolation to a lot of people.

[06:05:06]

CORNISH: Second-term disaster, I think, was that midair collision with a commercial plane and a military chopper in D.C. over the Potomac. Here's what he said then.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: The FAA says people with severe disabilities are most underrepresented segment of the workforce, and they want them in. And they want them. They can be air traffic controllers. I don't think so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: So, which version do you think we're going to get, Mike?

DUBKE: Oh, I'm -- I'm in full agreement with Noel on this. I think we're going to get -- I actually think we're going to get a sympathetic Trump. I think there's going to be a lot of questions.

He is going to feel on the defensive, because the Democrats have already come after him. You had Representative Castro on the Sunday after this -- this tragedy come after him. You had Chuck Schumer on the same day, put out statements that the funding caused this disaster, almost to that extent. And so, I think this administration has been on the defensive.

But now he's waited a week. It's the proper time to go in. I think the people of central Texas and the hill country are going to appreciate that the president of the United States is there.

And, you know, he's in his second term. I think part of what --

CORNISH: Yes.

DUBKE: -- the clips that you've been showing here, there were some -- you know, there was some learning of being the consoler in chief. But it's also important that he's there and focusing on them.

CORNISH: Yes.

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I mean, I would agree with both of them in the sense that this is friendly territory for him. I think what we've seen is a response that was pretty active once they got going.

And it is, though, in stark contrast to what happened in California.

And I think the point that many have been making is that: is this an administration that chooses, in friendly territory, to behave one way; when in a place like California, which is a blue state, they behave in a different way?

And so, I think that is one of the big concerns when they look at the federal response.

CORNISH: I just want to play something, because I like to go into archives and history; about how various presidents have approached these kinds of moments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I ask all Americans tonight to pray. To pray for the people who have lost their lives.

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger honored us with the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them this morning.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are here today to remember a man of God who lived by faith. A man who believed in things not seen.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: America today is on bended knee in prayer for the people whose lives were lost here, for the workers who work here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: I think one of the things I look for in these moments is for a president not just to console us, but to help us make material sense of the moment, right? To give us something to hold onto.

KING: Yes. I mean, we vote for policy, but we also vote for exactly what we just saw, right? It's somebody coming in and saying, you know, what happened here was important. The people who are lost are important.

President Trump does it differently. I mean, we all know that at this point.

CORNISH: Yes.

KING: Like his method of delivery is just different. He was also elected twice. So, there is something about that method of delivery that is working for a lot of Americans.

CORNISH: All right. You guys stay with me. We have got a lot to talk about today.

Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, another migrant raid rattles Southern California. The latest clash between protesters and ICE agents as a federal judge gets ready to weigh in.

Plus, a Palestinian activist facing deportation is speaking out for his first CNN interview since being released from ICE custody. Why he says he can never forgive the Trump administration.

And we're going to the movies. The summer blockbusters hitting theaters in hopes of a box office bounce-back.

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SKYLER GISONDO, ACTOR: As an actor, you're making something, and you hope that people see it, and they connect with it.

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CORNISH: It's now 13 minutes past the hour, and here is your morning roundup.

Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil speaking out in his first CNN interview since his release from ICE custody. He just filed a $20 million lawsuit against the Trump administration. And he spoke with CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANA AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: You missed the birth of your first child, a boy. Everybody was very concerned about your wife, who is an American citizen, there without you.

What was that like? And then what was it like when you were first able to hold your child for the first time?

KHALIL: Missing the birth of my child, I think that was the most difficult moment in my life. Especially because, like, this could have been avoided.

We -- we put so many requests to be able to attend that -- that moment. And I will not -- I don't think I would be able to forgive them for taking that moment away from -- from me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: It's a fascinating interview. If you want to catch the whole thing, it's debuting at noon right here on CNN.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Malaysia for a second day as he meets with several Asian foreign leaders.

[06:15:00]

The summit comes as the State Department braces for plans to fire almost 2,000 employees. Sources tell CNN the cuts could start as soon as today.

And Justin Bieber bringing swag back. He surprised fans with a midnight release of his new album, titled as such. Bieber started teasing his new music yesterday with these billboards that were popping up across the country.

Now, he hasn't released an album since 2021. It's his seventh studio album and his first since becoming a father.

Ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, how do you take your coffee? Cream? Sugar? Maybe a 50 percent tariff, if President Trump follows through on his latest threat.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CORENSWET: Hey buddy, eyes up here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Hollywood loves a good comeback story, and now it's experiencing one of its own with a slew of summer blockbusters.

And good morning to Metropolis. Now, it's actually New York. You guys have got a cloudy day ahead.

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[06:20:18]

CORENSWET: What is this?

Crypto?

What the hey, dude?

I thought --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK, I want to go off-script and talk about the movies, because after the pandemic and the labor strikes, the Hollywood blockbuster summer, it's kind of been like a hit or miss thing. Remember "Barbenheimer"?

Well, so far this year, revenues dropped 9 percent at AMC Theaters. Attendance numbers are down 10 percent. It's their weakest season since 1996. That's when Will Smith's "Independence Day" came out.

So, with the new Superman movie popping this weekend, I wanted to know what does it take to be a hit in 2025? What's going to get you guys to go back to the movies the way you did before?

Wait, did any of you guys go to the movies? Have you?

DUBKE: Yes.

CORNISH: You do?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I go in the middle of the day. I mean.

CORNISH: OK, well, chief music [SIC] -- movie critic at "The Washington Post," Ann Hornaday, is here to talk. And so, we've got conflicting theories here.

Obviously, some people are not going. Not people on this panel who are obsessives. Can you talk about what's happening? "F-1," Brad Pitt. Tom Cruise, "Mission: Impossible." And yet, it's not clear they'll be profitable.

ANN HORNADAY, CHIEF FILM CRITIC, "THE WASHINGTON POST": It's a conundrum, Audie, because like you said, people are going to these movies.

I mean, last time I checked, "Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning" made more than half a billion dollars, and somehow, it's not being considered a success.

And that goes back to budgets. It goes back to production. The costs of production and marketing, which are just enormous.

So, you know, on the one hand, people are going back, and hits like "Minecraft Movie" and "Lilo and Stitch" and "Sinners," which has been a --

CORNISH: Yes.

HORNADAY: -- really interesting phenomenon.

CORNISH: And shout out to original I.P. It was, like, not something that was a blockbuster or a reboot.

And I was thinking of that because of "Jurassic Park: Rebirth."

HORNADAY: Right.

CORNISH: "The Hollywood Reporter" was saying that the first three "Jurassic World" pics grossed North of a billion globally, and they all basically opened higher than this film did this year.

HORNADAY: Right. Well, I do think we are seeing some superhero fatigue and reboot fatigue and sequel fatigue and all those, you know -- I'm getting nods in the group here.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Like I'm like, yes.

CORNISH: Right.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yes. Something that isn't a reboot.

CORNISH: Yes, we'll take it.

HORNADAY: Right. And I do think audiences are agreeing. And I just think that's what makes "Sinners" such a really fascinating phenomenon.

Because when I'm out in the world, when -- right after that opened, that's the thing. People were like, have you seen "Sinners"? I mean, it was -- it just had caught people's imagination.

CORNISH: Yes.

HORNADAY: And a smaller movie that's doing the same thing is "Materialists."

CORNISH: Oh, yes.

HORNADAY: Dakota Johnson movie with Chris Evans.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I went -- I went to the movie theater to watch it.

CORNISH: Which is a romance. And --

HORNADAY: Right.

CORNISH: -- yes, one thing about being -- having fatigue is does it open up the door to more kinds of movies?

HORNADAY: That's what I hope for as a critic. I think, if I dare speak for the exhibitors, when I talk to especially independent theater owners or even chain theater owners, what they want to see is a -- is the smalls, mediums, and larges, right? They want, like, a full ecosystem of all sorts of different movies.

So, it's not just -- you know, your whole fate isn't hinging on a blockbuster.

Because if you think about what we like to see as people, we want all of it. You know, we want sort of a little bit of everything throughout the year in a steady cadence. And I think that's what we're waiting to get back into in terms of a pacing situation.

CORNISH: In the meantime, the digital natives, the Gen Z's, are they going to the theaters?

HORNADAY: They are. And what's interesting is a recent statistic that I got from Cinema United, which is the exhibitors organization formerly known as NATO, National Association of Theater Owners, is that avid moviegoing among -- among Gen Z'ers is going up.

And what I'm, again, anecdotally hearing from theater owners is they're going to repertory. Young viewers are interested in the older movies.

So, when you have a theater that has, like, a series or a retrospective of a filmmaker, you will see young filmgoers at those movies, which to me is incredibly encouraging --

CORNISH: Yes.

HORNADAY: -- and something to be followed and nurtured and encouraged.

CORNISH: And interesting, because you can't miss --

DUBKE: Vinyl's back.

CORNISH: Yes.

DUBKE: I mean, vinyl's back. Anything analog is cool again.

CORNISH: Yes.

HORNADAY: That's right.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: My one caveat with all this is it's so expensive to go to the movies. And really, the cost keeps on going up. And so, when I said I go in the middle of the day, I mean, part of

that is it's cheaper. And so, if you want to go to the movies a lot, like you used to, it just costs a lot of money. It doesn't feel like its accessible to just go to the movies once a week, the way you used to.

CORNISH: Yes. And it makes you pickier, I think, in terms of spectacle.

HORNADAY: Absolutely. I mean, if -- if I were to, you know, I would probably say the theater owners would say, well, it's still, you know, when you compare all the different forms of entertainment, especially for a family, it's still on the relative cost-effective side.

[06:25:10]

But there is no doubt that those costs are going up of ticket -- tickets, concessions. If you add in parking, that's a whole other dimension. So, I take your point.

CORNISH: OK. And I'm going to ask you what your summer recommendation is. Keep in mind, our parent company is Warner Brothers. And really, the only correct answer is "Superman."

HORNADAY: Listen, I was -- you know, I'm delighted by Superman on several levels. And one is that James Gunn took it upon himself to lighten up.

I feel like superhero movies have gotten -- you know, "Batman" introduced the dark era, right? And it was very serious and ponderous.

CORNISH: And for adults, really.

HORNADAY: And for adults. Yes. And, and -- and I just think this is bright. It's poppy. It's a little frenetic. I'm -- I'm too old for some of this stuff.

But the -- the cast is fantastic. I think David Corenswet does a wonderful job, as does Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult. So, I'm -- I'm encouraged. I look forward to seeing more from them.

And I really do love the new tone. It's a bright, playful, fun tone. And I just think, you know, it's -- people go to the movies, this kind of movie to have fun, and it's fun.

CORNISH: OK. And I'm looking for your byline here. Are you in here? "Daily Planet"? You know?

HORNADAY: I can't see it. I was looking forward to it.

CORNISH: It's deep. It's deep in the cut of the paper. This was in "USA Today" for -- just to be clear, I didn't actually, like, get this from the boss. This was an advertisement, but it made me laugh.

All right. Ann Hornaday, chief movie critic at "The Washington Post." Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, we're going to talk about the ICE raids

in Los Angeles, whether or not they're going too far, and why a federal judge could step in to stop them as soon as today.

And Powell under pressure. The president demands the Fed chair lower interest rates or else. But is he going to follow through?

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