Return to Transcripts main page

Connect the World

Trump Saying He Will Talk to Putin This Hour; Liverpool Star Diogo Jota Dies in Car Crash; House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries Has Been Speaking for over Five Hours to Delay Final Vote on Bill; Corporations, Manufacturers Expect Permanent Business Tax Breaks; Fifteen Killed in Israeli Strike on School; Interview with Top UNRWA Official Philippe Lazzarini on War in Gaza. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired July 03, 2025 - 10:00   ET

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


[10:00:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Well, no words of comfort for so much pain. A tribute from Diogo Jota's Liverpool teammate in the wake of

his death.

Welcome to our second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD from our Middle East headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson and the time is just

after 6 pm here.

Also this hour, Donald Trump says he and Vladimir Putin will hold a phone call this hour. That announcement dropped just minutes ago on the U.S.

president's Truth Social account. More on what we know as we get it for you.

And we are also standing by for the U.S. House of Representatives to vote on president Trump's megabill. It includes $120 billion in funding

earmarked for his mass deportation agenda. We're going to break down those numbers for you.

And the death toll climbs after the Israeli military unleashed a relentless night of bombing in Gaza. I'll speak to the head of the United Nations

refugee agency about the conditions there.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ANDERSON: Well, football fans around the world are struggling to come to terms with the tragic death of Diogo Jota. The Liverpool and Portugal

football star tragically died earlier today in a car crash in Spain alongside his younger brother, Andre.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON (voice-over): You're looking at video of workers going through some of the debris of the car that he was driving. Investigators are

blaming a burst tire for the crash. Jota was part of the Liverpool side that won the English Premier League in May. He'd only just got married last

month. He was 28 years old.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: CNN sports senior analyst Darren Lewis standing by for us. First, let's bring back CNN's Amanda Davies.

Look, Amanda, you know, he was at the top of his game; a newlywed, a dad of three kids. By all accounts, a terrific guy. Understandably, there's a real

sense of shock.

What do we know at this point about exactly what happened?

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely, shock from across football here in the U.K., around Europe and around the world. People

waking up on Thursday morning to this news that was emerging from the Portuguese football authorities.

And then with a few more facts from the Spanish authorities, because, as you rightly said, the car that Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre, were

traveling in crashed in Zamora in northwest Spain at just past midnight, 12:30 on Thursday morning.

Spanish authorities saying a vehicle left the road on the left-hand side. The investigation points to a road accident due to a burst tire whilst

overtaking. As a result of the road accident, the car caught fire and both occupants died.

There is further investigation, of course, ongoing. But this is one of those tragic moments that really puts life and football trophies into

perspective.

But you cannot pay tribute to Diogo Jota without referencing what he has done so very, very recently on the football pitch, being such an integral

part of the Liverpool side that lifted the Premier League Trophy under Arne Slot just a few weeks ago.

Even after that, helping his country, Portugal, to victory in the Nations League, their second Nations League crown, that moment lifting that trophy

was the last time we will have seen Diogo Jota on a football pitch.

[10:05:00]

But then, as you so rightly mentioned, Becky, this has taken place just 10 days after Jota married his long-term partner, the mother of his three

children, Rute.

And tragically, his final Instagram post just hours before his passing with the phrase, "A day we will never forget."

ANDERSON: Truly heartfelt tributes pouring in from his club, from his teammates, both, you know, on the national and club level, from rival

clubs, from world leaders. Just tell us a little bit more about Diogo Jota, the man, if you will.

DARREN LEWIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, he was a very understated man. He was somebody who was paying to play for his local club when he was 16.

If I give you a bit of context, Arsenal have just signed a 17-year old to a long-term contract in their first team. But Jota was somebody who wanted to

work his way up from humble beginnings to the top of domestic and European football. And he managed to do that.

As Amanda has just been telling you, a Nations League winner with his country, Portugal. Last month, a Premier League winner with Liverpool in

May. And I can tell you, Liverpool have issued a statement in which they describe their unimaginable loss that they are trying to come to terms

with, Becky.

I can tell you, too, that his former club, Wolves, he helped them to win promotion to the Premier League.

And they say here, "We are heartbroken. The memories he created will never be forgotten."

And I mentioned that Nations League victory. Alongside him winning that trophy was Cristiano Ronaldo.

And he has said, "It doesn't make sense. We were only just together in the national team. He had only just got married. I send my condolences and all

my strength in the world to your family, to your wife and to your children. I know that you will always be with them.

"Rest in peace, Diogo and Andre," his brother, who had died alongside him. We will also feel it.

ANDERSON: Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who signed Diogo Jota, of course, from the -- for the club from Wolves in 2020. Darren has offered

his condolences in a post on Instagram.

Quote, "This is a moment where I struggle," wrote Klopp.

"There must be a bigger purpose but I can't see it. I'm heartbroken to hear about the passing of Diogo and his brother, Andre."

He continued, "Diogo was not only a fantastic player but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father. We will miss you so much."

It seems so wrong, doesn't it, to talk about a the legacy of not just the player but Diego himself.

But when you consider what that might be, how will he be remembered, Darren?

LEWIS: Well, I would say as, Becky, he was a sort of player that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say other players -- and you know all about

the tribal nature of football and how entrenched supporters can be. But he was a player that other fans admired.

You can only -- you only have to look at social media and the outpouring of emotion. He was very low maintenance. He wasn't somebody you saw falling

out of night clubs or involved in Twitter beats on social media.

He was someone who was devoted to his craft. He played with a smile on his face and he was utterly devoid of any spite, malice. You didn't see him on

the pitch getting involved in the kind of things that sometimes can be so tiresome from some footballers.

He was a wonderful footballer, a very versatile, very talented player. But he was also a wonderful man. And that is being reflected in everything that

you are seeing and everything that you will see in the coming days and weeks.

ANDERSON: I remember seeing -- I remember looking at his social and seeing him posting some images of Liverpool when they were showing the cup to the

fans, when they were doing the trophy, the trophy bus through Liverpool. And Liverpool was a sea of red. And there was red smoke in the sky.

And you could just see, you could hear him behind that video, just thanking the fans. And he was so emotional about, you know, that moment, when he got

the opportunity to really understand what that meant to the people of Liverpool, who support Liverpool Football Club.

He will be absolutely sorely missed by so many.

To both of you, thank you very much indeed for joining us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ANDERSON: We'll get some breaking news out of Washington now. President Trump says he'll be speaking to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, at

some point after the top of this hour.

[10:10:06]

We're through that at this point. I want to get straight to our Kevin Liptak, who is at the White House on this.

What are you hearing there?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the president saying that this call will happen at 10 am Eastern time, which is right now. The

president obviously speaking to his counterpart in Moscow after what has been quite a critical week for U.S. support in Ukraine.

The White House, the Trump administration announcing a few days ago that it would put a halt on some defensive weapons that had been destined for

Ukraine, citing dwindling stockpiles in the United States.

And I think this potentially could be a point of discussion between the two men today. They last spoke in the middle of June. That was amid these

tensions around Iran. And president Trump did make clear to Putin in that conversation that he wanted the Russian president to focus very squarely on

resolving the war in Ukraine.

The president last week, when he was at the NATO summit, did call Putin misguided. He said that he wanted to settle the conflict in Ukraine but he

didn't, for example, know exactly how to get about reaching a ceasefire deal there.

And so this is something of an ongoing conversation between the two men. But it is coming amid a flurry of diplomacy with the Russian leader. The

French president, Emmanuel Macron, spoke to Putin this week for the first time in three years.

And so you do see all of these conversations now occurring between Moscow and between these Western leaders as they try to resolve this conflict. One

question that we haven't gotten an answer to is when or if president Trump plans to speak to Volodymyr Zelenskyy about that pause in weapons.

They did speak on the sidelines of the NATO summit in the Netherlands last week. And president Trump at that point actually seemed open to sending new

Patriot missile batteries to Ukraine. Obviously, the pendulum seems to have swung in the opposite direction just this week.

And so it remains to be seen when those two men will have a conversation. But obviously, this discussion between Trump and Putin, I think, could

prove somewhat consequential as the president works to get this conflict in Ukraine resolved.

ANDERSON: Yes. And we've just been looking at some pictures from 2018, such a different time; Putin and Trump standing next to each other.

Perhaps, though, we are reminded by those pictures that that relationship did exist back in that time.

And that is something Donald Trump has relied on when he said he could get this war done in 24 hours. That was, of course, when he was first elected.

We are now some six months into this administration and we will see what happens with that, of course. We will get more from you and for our viewers

as we get it here into CNN. Thank you.

Well, the waiting game goes on this hour in the U.S. House of Representatives ahead of a final vote on president Trump's sweeping tax and

spending cut bill. Approval appears to be a foregone conclusion after the president and House Speaker Mike Johnson convinced four of five Republican

holdouts to back the legislation.

But House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is delaying the final vote, speaking now for more than five hours to highlight his party's complaints

over the bill. And once he finishes talking, Johnson is expected to give a short speech before that final vote happens.

I'm joined this hour by Molly Ball, who's senior political correspondent for "The Wall Street Journal."

Molly, it's great to have you. Thank you. Hakeem Jeffries calling the legislation, which is titled, of course, the big, beautiful bill, the big,

ugly bill. But this, more than now five hours speech. And we see him on the right hand side of our screen here live. It's very likely largely symbolic.

The president, it seems, has the votes to pass it.

How did Donald Trump and the Speaker sway those holdouts, is it clear?

MOLLY BALL, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": It's such an interesting question because we know that they can't give them

anything on policy. The House cannot change anything in this bill or it would have to get sent back to the Senate.

So the House has to pass the Senate bill completely intact, which means that any promises that they might be making would have to be either about

something that the executive branch could do on its own, Trump promising some kind of executive order or action.

We are hearing that he may have made promises to that effect around some of the clean energy provisions in the bill, which the Senate made that

slightly less conservative than the House version.

There could also be promises about future legislation or other priorities that people have.

But we don't have a lot of details about what kind of promises are being made. What we have are the president, tweeting late into the night, urging

Republicans to get on board with this bill and a very, very late-night, in fact, an all-nighter in the House of Representatives.

[10:15:00]

As Republicans went in and out of meetings and tried to get those last few stragglers on board until the wee hours. But I think everyone knew that

they had to get to yes in the end, because the party has so much riding on this piece of legislation.

And while you did have some voices saying, well, we could always push this deadline, it's not a real deadline. It's just what Trump said he wanted.

The vast majority of the Republicans really wanted to get this done and they wore down their colleagues until they were almost all there.

ANDERSON: It is July the 4th, of course, tomorrow, which is a public holiday. Mike Johnson, who is the House Speaker, of course, has just

spoken. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), HOUSE SPEAKER: Yes, we're excited to get this done. If Hakeem will stop talking, we'll get the job done for the American

people. It takes a lot longer to build a lie than to tell the truth. So he's really spinning a long tale in there.

But we're excited. The people will see the effect of this bill. It will be extraordinary legislation. It's going to get the economy humming again,

really, at a record pace. And it will help every American.

So the sooner we can get to it, the sooner the Democrats will stop talking, we'll get this bill done for the people and we're really excited about it.

So I'm ready to roll.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: "It's a lot longer to build a lie than tell the truth," he says of Hakeem Jeffries, who has now been talking and taking the opportunity,

which he has as the Democratic leader there, to state the opposition by the Democrats, who are, of course, not voting for this bill.

What do you make of what Mike Johnson just said?

BALL: Well, look, the Democrats view this as an -- their only real opportunity to get their message out. They believe that they are already

winning the messaging battle on this bill.

Public polls have shown that, while the public doesn't have a very firm idea of what exactly it's about and some individual provisions may be

popular, the bill overall is extremely unpopular by, in some measures, a 2:1 margin.

And, of course, that's what's going to happen as soon as this bill passes, is that both parties are going to go out and sell their message around this

bill.

The Democrats arguing that the Republicans have passed a massive tax cut for the rich that explodes the deficit while kicking millions of people off

of their health care.

The Republicans arguing, as you just heard from Mike Johnson, that this is a bill that will lead to massive economic growth and unleash what Trump has

called a golden age for the American economy.

So I think, you know, a lot is riding, particularly next year's midterm elections, on which party's version, which party's message around this

legislation the American people come to believe.

ANDERSON: It's always good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.

Well, the markets certainly in positive territory, certainly do not dislike this bill. It's sold, after all, by the White House as a bill promoting

growth for the U.S. economy.

One of the biggest complaints coming from critics of it, though, who stands -- is who stands to lose the most from it?

Many lower income Americans will actually be worse off because of these historic cuts to social safety net programs, particularly Medicaid and food

stamps. Matt Egan is here to break down the pros and the cons of this legislation -- Matt.

MATT EGAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR WRITER: Yes. Becky. Listen, the president has argued that this will be one of the most successful pieces of

legislation in American history. But like a lot of things, the ultimate beauty of this bill is very much in the eye of the beholder. But let me run

you through some of the groups that could be better off.

First of all, big business groups, the Chamber of Commerce, the business roundtable. They have cheered this legislation loudly because they're

betting they're going to be benefiting from permanent business tax breaks in this legislation.

Also, manufacturers are going to be able to fully and immediately deduct the cost of building new manufacturing facilities in the United States.

Now also, small businesses and partnerships formed by lawyers, doctors, investors. They should also benefit because there's going to be these

permanent deductions for certain so-called pass through entities.

Look at the workers, tipped workers. They're going to be able to deduct up to $25,000 in tipped income through 2028. Overtime workers, they can deduct

up to $12,500 of their overtime pay.

One of the biggest winners here, though, are high income Americans. The top 20 percent of earners, their net income could go up by $13,000 per year.

That's according to the Penn Wharton budget model. Look at this. The top 0.1 percent. They're really coming out ahead. Their yearly net income could

go up by almost $300,000.

Another key here for high income Americans is that this legislation is going to allow people who live in those high tax states and make up to

$500,000 a year.

[10:20:00]

They're going to be able to have this temporary deduction limit increase to $40,000 per year for the next five years.

But, of course, there are some groups, some business groups, some workers, who are going to be worse off because of the changes in this legislation.

Let's start with lower income Americans. As you noted, there's some significant cuts to the social safety net.

We're talking about new and expanded work requirements for Medicaid and food stamps. And so some observers do believe that the take-home pay of

lower income Americans could actually go down because of this legislation.

Also, hospitals there could be hurt by the fact that there's this reduced Medicaid funding from states.

Got to look at what's happening in the clean energy industry as well, because this legislation calls for reduced incentives for renewable energy

projects like wind and solar. Also, stricter requirements to get some of those incentives.

And when you think about some of the opposition from Elon Musk electric vehicles, they're certainly coming out as worse off because this

legislation ends tax credits in September, that -- those tax credits had not been scheduled to expire until 2032.

Another loser, here are those deficit hawks, because the Congressional Budget Office estimates that this package is going to increase the deficit

by $3.4 trillion. And we know the United States already has a deficit problem. There's this mountain of debt.

Look at this. This shows U.S. debt over time as a share of GDP. And what really stands out here with this figure above 150 percent is we're well

ahead of the World War II level era of debt as a percentage of GDP.

It started to go up during the 2007-2009 great financial crisis. Of course, there was a lot of spending to bail out banks and provide stimulus checks

that went even higher during COVID. Again, that was a once-in-a-century pandemic.

But look, it just has continued to go higher and higher. Even though we are in an environment of low unemployment and, thankfully, no health crisis

right now, we are continuing to see the budget come under enormous pressure because of all of this spending out of Washington.

So look, when you put it all together, there are obviously some people that are going to come out ahead, some who are going to be worse off. But I do

think the big winners here are those high-income earners and also big businesses. Becky.

ANDERSON: Matt Egan is in the house. Thank you, sir.

The tax cuts and spending bill then has huge implications to the migrants in the U.S. Just how many billions are earmarked for the president's

immigration crackdown and how that money will be used is later this hour here on CNN.

After this short break, I speak to the head of the U.N. agency for Palestinians as health officials say dozens of Palestinians have been

killed this Thursday as Israel intensifies its attacks.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:25:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ANDERSON: Health officials in Gaza say more than 80 Palestinians were killed on Thursday as Israel again intensifies its strikes across the

Strip. Authorities say dozens of people seeking aid were among those killed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON (voice-over): This video, obtained by CNN, shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike on a school. A hospital director says 15 Palestinians

sheltering in the school were killed. Another medical official says civilians, including children, were burned as they slept. This eyewitness

describes what she saw.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The situation is terrifying beyond imagination when you see them torn apart and injured like this. At

2:15, we woke up to this scene.

I saw the fire like this and could not get close. I took the little girls and moved them from here to there until I could escape with them from the

area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, the UNRWA commissioner general, Philippe Lazzarini, joins me now.

Thank you, sir, for joining us.

Israel has banned him from entering Gaza since March of 2024. But there are agencies, of course, on the ground. The U.N. just said yesterday 61 attacks

on schools have been reported since mid-March of this year. And we know schools often serve as shelter for displaced Palestinians.

What do you understand to be going on the ground and how -- what do you understand to be Israel's policy when it comes to places that may be

sheltering people, being targeted?

PHILLIPPE LAZZARINI, COMMISSIONER GENERAL, UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY: Thank you for having me. It is true that the military operations

are going on unabated, that every day we have tens of people being killed.

The testimony we just hear is just unbearable.

And when I ask my colleague in Gaza, how do you describe Gaza right now?

I mean, it goes beyond the imagination. Basically, they are describing a kind of a post-apocalyptic environment, where the day-to-day occupation of

the people is just to find ways to survive, to survive the bombardment, to survive hunger, to survive the disease.

And what we have seen also over the last few weeks is that military evacuation, military order, go also unabated. And we observe a trend of a

population being in northern Gaza being asked to be pushed south of the Gaza Strip.

ANDERSON: The work that your agency has done to date, at least until the access has been denied by Israelis -- and funding issues have been critical

to the success of any of the work that you do. You know, the work that you were doing was fundamentally to support Palestinian refugees.

You have been accused, as an agency, of allowing significant influence in the policies and practices of your U.N. agency by Hamas and other

organizations on the ground.

Is that true, sir?

LAZZARINI: Listen, as a U.N. organization, we fully abide on U.N. principles.

There have been, during this war a number of allegations, which we are each time taking very seriously. But unfortunately, part of this allegation are

also part of a broader propaganda narrative, which prevents, in fact, the agency to really take action.

And here, Becky, I think it's very important that we keep calling for international journalists to have access to Gaza, because, as long this

won't be the case, we will hear an Israeli narrative. But we will also hear a narrative coming from Gaza, which, unfortunately, is too frequently being

questioned.

ANDERSON: Yes. And I've called for access. My colleagues have called for access. Western journalists and journalists from around the world have

called on Israel to allow that access. Of course, we fundamentally support the work that's being done on the ground by those in Gaza.

And you know, clearly their work supports our coverage of this continued conflict.

I do just want to ask you a follow-up question on the accusations that have been made against your agency, because I just think it's important to hear

from you very specifically on the accusations that are made, that the terrorist groups on the ground frequently make demands of your organization

and influence its decisions.

[10:30:11]

Is that true?

LAZZARINI: This is untrue. Since the beginning of the war in Gaza in October 2023, the dismantling of the agency has become an objective of this

war.

The accusation of the infiltration from Hamas are dealt with whenever there is substance behind an accusation. And the agency has undertaken a number

of investigations.

But the real motivation behind this, Becky, is that there is a political objective to dismantle the agency, because, through this, there is a hope

that the Palestinians will be stripped from the refugee statehood and hence that would put an end from what many Israelis say the perpetration of the

refugee statehood of the Palestinian.

ANDERSON: I know that you are as eager as anybody to get a solution to this conflict. And you have tweeted hope and anticipation for a ceasefire

deal. It is so desperately needed and long overdue. It seems like every time we hear talk of a potential ceasefire, the devastation grows on the

ground. Two questions to you.

How confident are you that we are on the brink, potentially, on the brink of a deal?

Can that lead to a ceasefire, a permanent ceasefire?

And let me just -- and what can be done as this deal and permanent ceasefire is negotiated, if that is what's going to happen?

What can be done to prevent the death and destruction on the ground at this point?

LAZZARINI: Yes, the ceasefire is desperately needed. I believe, from what we hear through the media, that we have never, ever been so close of the

renewal of the ceasefire.

What is needed, once the ceasefire is being in place, is the release of the hostages. But it's also the return to scaled-up, safe and principled

humanitarian assistance to reverse the trend of the starvation in the Gaza Strip.

But to make it lasting, we need also to politically invest in the future security arrangement and governance of the Gaza Strip. We, as an agency,

being primarily a human development organization, we stand ready to scale up from day one our primary health but also education.

I think education will be a top priority. We have 600,000 girls and boys currently living in the rubble. And we have absolutely no other future than

the trauma of the last 20 months.

ANDERSON: Philippe Lazzarini, thank you for joining us. We have been reporting that there is, you know, much momentum at present for a deal. And

we will continue to monitor that, talking to our sources around the region who are involved in any way in mediating this, talking to our sources in

Washington and, of course, in Israel as well.

It's good to have you on the show. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.

Well, still to come, an outpouring of tributes for a much loved champion footballer fresh off two huge achievements in the sport. More on the tragic

death of Diogo Jota.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:35:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky, Anderson. These are your headlines this hour.

And Liverpool and Portugal football star Diogo Jota has died in a car crash in southwestern Spain. He was 28 years old. Jota's brother, Andre Silva,

who was also a professional football player, was also killed in the crash.

Liverpool's Premier League rivals have been sharing their tributes and condolences, along with the prime ministers of the U.K. and Portugal.

Well, U.S. House of Representatives set to hold a final vote to approve president Donald Trump's sweeping domestic agenda. That's after a handful

of Republican holdouts dropped their opposition to the bill.

The vote has been delayed, while the House Democratic leader speaks, highlighting his party's opposition to the legislation.

President Donald Trump said he would be speaking with Russian president Vladimir Putin this hour. The call comes days after the White House

announced a pause in delivery of certain weapons that had been headed for Ukraine. The Trump administration said the move was due to dwindling U.S.

stockpiles.

ANDERSON: I want to get you back to the tragic death of the Portugal and Liverpool football star Diogo Jota. He and his younger brother, the

footballer Andre Silva, were killed in a car crash in Spain just after midnight local time. There's been an outpouring of tributes from teammates,

from other players, from fans and politicians.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMAS DA CUNHA, FOOTBALL COMMENTATOR, DAZN PORTUGAL: Jota was living his best moments personally. His marriage, his wedding was last week. He won

Premier League with Liverpool and Nations League with Portugal.

He was a special player and a special person because he was a normal guy, a normal guy who understands his community, not only his family.

He was adored everywhere they go; at Wolverhampton, at Liverpool now, because he understands how important football can be to those people.

At Gondomar, the -- his hometown, small village in Portugal, the academy has his name and there is a quote, like, it doesn't matter where we come

from but where we're going to.

And I think that describes Diogo Jota's career, Diogo Jota's life as a simple person and humble footballer that everybody loves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, David O'Connell is a blogger and co-founder of the DaveOCKOP.com. That's a news website about Liverpool Football Club. He

posted this tribute.

"Diogo Jota's song will ring around Anfield forever. In 100 years, it'll be sung when we are all long gone. He will be forever remembered. A poacher,

he'd get you off your seat when he was on the ball in the box. One of the finest finishers in our history, one of the finest men."

David O'Connell, joining me now from Galway in Ireland.

And that is so beautifully written.

Dave, what was it about Diogo Jota that made him such a favorite amongst his teammates and fans alike?

DAVID O'CONNELL, BLOGGER AND CO-FOUNDER, DAVEOCKOP.COM: Thanks, Becky, for having me on your show. I think he was just so relatable and fans could

relate to him.

[10:40:00]

He had this warmth about him and a smile that he brought to every scenario he was in. He was a great footballer and, of course, the younger audiences

could relate to him as well. He's a big AA sports player and a lot of young, young fans looked up to him as well. He was very good at that game

and he's very good at the real game.

And he was, like I said, he was just such a warm character. And although we don't know these footballers personally, we feel that we get to know them

through the various social media videos and other aspects of the game that we get to see.

And we form a bond with them, despite not ever getting to meet them. And I think every football fan is grieving today and especially Liverpool fans. I

think there's just a certain numbness around the club at the moment. There's disbelief. And it's going to take some time for this news to settle

in, you know.

ANDERSON: His brother, Andre Silva, also killed in the crash. He was also a professional footballer, not of the level -- he wasn't playing at the

same level as Diego was. But they were -- they were clearly close.

What do you know about his contribution to the game?

O'CONNELL: Yes, he was playing in the second tier in Portugal with FC Purnell. And, of course, he played with FC Porto at a time when Diogo was

there with the -- with the senior side as well. We've seen a beautiful photograph of them together during their time at FC Porto.

Obviously he didn't have the same profile as his brother, who won the Nations League, of course, this year, but a fine footballer in his own

right. And I think, sometimes in tragic circumstances like this, often it's just focused in on the higher profile person.

But we as Liverpool fans, of course, remember Andre Silva today and we're thinking of him and the wider Jota family. It's just been a terrible loss.

Obviously the two of them were very close and we know that, you know they spent their last moments together, which is just terribly, terribly sad.

ANDERSON: Look, I mean, I was looking at some social media of his only recently and when he posted these amazing scenes, when they were doing the

open top bus tour through Liverpool for the fans.

Look, with Diego's help, Liverpool just won that Premier League title, of course. And you spoke a little bit about this in the post that we

introduced you with. Just explain, you know, for the benefit of those who aren't football players -- sorry, football fans or soccer fans -- just

explain what Jota's sporting legacy will be.

I mean, he was so young. And I was -- I was talking to Darren earlier on, one of my colleagues, and saying, it seems so wrong to be talking about the

legacy of such a young guy. But I know, as fans, you know, it's already deeply ingrained, just how amazing a footballer he was.

So I just wondered what you -- what you -- how you feel he will be remembered.

O'CONNELL: I think he'll be remembered as somebody that could always change a game in any moment. And everybody felt that, when Jota was on the

pitch, something could happen, even if he wasn't quite in the game for the full game.

We always just felt that if he got a chance, he would take it. He was very good in the air, although he wasn't the tallest player. But he was very

strong. He had great leap when crosses used to come into the box.

And he was that type of player that you wanted a chance to fall to. If you're trying to win a game or you're trying to trying to get back into a

game, if you wanted the ball to fall to anybody, it was Diogo Jota. He only needed really one chance to make an impact where other strikers might need

numerous chances.

But you always felt, when Jota was in front of goal, maybe a sense of ease came over you before he even took the shot, because he just felt this is

going to nestle into the back of the net. And very few players have that type of profile. But he was definitely one of them.

You just had this confidence in him when he was on the field. And I think that's the best way to sum him up. When he was on the ball, when he got a

chance, he was just confident that he was going to do the business. So he's such a loss.

Obviously, the human element is the most important thing. But as a football side as well will be a huge loss to Liverpool FC.

ANDERSON: And there will be youngsters who are, you know, who are -- who've been watching him and who delight in watching him on the field, who

will try and sort of, you know, become the kind of player that he was.

And I guess that's as much as a tribute as any words can offer, right?

That young, young footballers are inspired by, you know, a man like Diogo. It's good to have you, mate. Thank you very much indeed.

Man City have just paid a tribute to Jota, posting this photo of the Liverpool star with their Portuguese captain, Bernardo Silva; their arms

around each other, saying, "Everyone at Man City is shocked and saddened to learn about the devastating news regarding the passing of Diogo Jota.

"We send our heartfelt condolences to his family and his friends and everybody at Liverpool Football Club at what is this difficult time?

"Rest in peace, Diogo."

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:45:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ANDERSON: I want to return to president Trump's massive spending bill with a look at where some of the money is going. It includes, I have to say, an

eye-watering amount to fund his immigration agenda. More than $121 billion devoted to enforcing the administration's crackdown.

It's broken out like this: $46.5 billion for border barriers, $45 billion for detention facilities, nearly $30 billion to hire, train and retain ICE

personnel. That enormous infusion expected to supercharge what is already an aggressive campaign against illegal immigration.

Joining me now to discuss this is our senior political analyst, Mark Preston.

Always good to have you in the house, sir. Thank you.

How are these numbers compared to ICE funding now?

And just how big an expansion is this?

I'm trying to get my arms around this for our for our viewing folks.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Several hundred times-fold. Or I should say a couple hundred times-fold. This is an incredible increase in

money that is being given now for border enforcement, which is president Trump's number one domestic issue. That, of course, has bled into foreign

policy as well.

The amount of money that we're seeing, not only as we saw there, to build these facilities, to keep them operating, to make them more acclimated for

families to actually be housed there as well is something we have never seen before.

And in addition to that, there's also some money that Trump is using in the form of grants that he'll give to state and local law enforcement agencies

who work with ICE to try to get some of this enforcement done in these cities.

ANDERSON: Let's have a look at this bill more broadly. Thank you. It's -- the analysis is really important. Let's have a look at the bill more

broadly. It is widely unpopular with American voters. Polls ranging from Pew Research Center to FOX News are all showing that.

So what is going to be the political ramifications of this very specifically for the Republican Party?

Because he has got everybody in line behind this; ultimately, it took some time.

Right. He does. No doubt about that. Well, look, what we're going to hear from Republicans over the next 17 months or so, before they're up for

reelection, all of the Republicans in the House and a third of the Senate, is they're going to hear them talk about tax cuts, tax cuts, tax cuts.

And we've seen the extension or we'll see the extension of the 2017 tax cuts that Donald Trump put in when he first got into office. Those were set

to expire. We're going to see those passed as well.

What this is not, though, is a deficit reduction bill, OK?

We talk a lot about how much the United States is in debt, $36 trillion.

[10:50:00]

This bill will add up to perhaps another $4 billion to that. It will not decrease the deficit. In fact, it's going to add to the deficit.

ANDERSON: Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the Democrats in the House, is taking what is his moment -- and it's called a moment, as I understand it -

- to stomp on what it is that the Democrats have in opposition to this bill and to Donald Trump's very aggressive agenda at this point.

He's been at it for more than five hours. I think we're into 5.5 hours at this point. This is going to be largely symbolic, Mark, right?

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: I mean, what he says now before this vote is not going to sway any Republicans to decide to not vote for this bill, am I right?

I'm right in correcting -- suggesting that, right?

PRESTON: One hundred percent right. You couldn't be more spot on. What we're seeing right now from Hakeem Jeffries is an effort to try to excite

the Democratic base, which is very depressed right now. They're very upset at Democratic leaders here in the United States.

They're upset specifically because they don't think that these Democratic leaders have done enough to push back against president Trump and his

agenda. The reality is that Donald Trump does kind of hold most of the levers of government right now, certainly the federal government. So

Democrats have been kind of left on to the side.

What we're seeing from Hakeem Jeffries right now is an effort to show some kind of leadership at this point. We saw the same from a senator from New

Jersey, Cory Booker. Some of our viewers will remember him. He ran for president. He did the same thing, except it was across the United States

Senate.

People started talking about Cory Booker running for U.S. president again. So Hakeem Jeffries right now, the Democratic leader, the face of the

opposition, clearly trying to make a point here for the Democratic Party that, even though they've lost this battle, they're willing to fight on.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. It's good to have you, Mark. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.

Getting tough on immigration was a key campaign promise of president Trump. And he courted the Religious Right to win the election. But several

Catholic bishops are speaking out against Mr. Trump's harsh policies, including the Archbishop of Washington, in an exclusive interview with CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARDINAL ROBERT MCELROY, ARCHBISHOP OF WASHINGTON, D.C.: It's right to be able to control our borders. However, what's going on now is something far

beyond that. It is a mass, indiscriminate deportation of men and women and children of families, which literally rips families apart and is intended

to do so.

And the mechanism by which it's doing it is the creation of fear -- deep, profound fear -- within the community of about 10 million. This is simply

not only incompatible with Catholic teaching. It's inhumane. And it's morally, morally repugnant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: McElroy says that people are now even afraid to go to church for fear of being picked up by ICE agents.

You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. We will be right back.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ANDERSON: Well, fans are paying tribute today to Liverpool and Portugal star Diogo Jota. He and his brother, Andre, died in a car crash overnight

in Spain. The 28-year old Jota was part of the Liverpool side that won the English Premier League back in May.

[10:55:00]

I've been speaking all hour about the amazing videos that he posted after that win, showing off the trophy to the crowds gathered in Liverpool. We've

got those images for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON (voice-over): This video that Jota himself shot during that trophy parade, it was an amazing celebration of an amazing win.

And his Liverpool teammate, Darwin Nunez, has been among the first to pay tribute, saying, quote, "There are no words of comfort for so much pain. I

will always remember you by your smile, as a good teammate on and off the pitch."

I have got to admit, it's been a struggle coming to terms with such a tragic death. We know Diogo Jota was a star and admired all over the world.

But he was also loved by his teammates and, of course, his family and his friends.

All of us here on the CONNECT THE WORLD team offer our condolences to the Jota family and to his team.

And that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up.

END