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One World with Zain Asher
Liverpool Star Diogo Jota Dies In Car Crash At 28; Awaiting Final Vote On Trump's Sweeping Agenda Bill; Gaza Hospital Director: Fifteen Killed In Israeli Strike On School; Soon: Trumps To Meet Freed U.S.-Israeli Hostage In Oval Office; Stronger-Than-Expected U.S. Jobs Report For June; Trump Speaks With Russian President Vladimir Putin; Fourth Of July Travel Set To Break Records; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired July 03, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:25]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. A better than expected jobs report in June as the U.S. economy holds strong. "One World" starts right now.
Plus, Liverpool fans mourn a beloved team member, Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash in Spain.
And on Capitol Hill, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries delivers a mega speech as he delays the vote on President Trump's mega bill.
And get ready for a record-breaking travel weekend. Americans are hitting the road and taking to the air for the 4th of July.
All right. Live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. My colleague and friend, Bianna, is off today. You are watching the second hour of "One World."
I want to begin with a really tragic news. Football star, Diogo Jota, one of the top goal scorers for Liverpool, and a mainstay on Portugal's
national team, has died in a car crash. The 28-year-old Jota and his younger brother were actually travelling on a Lamborghini on this Spanish
highway, Thursday morning.
Investigators believe a tire burst on the car leading to a fiery crash that claimed both of their lives. Jota was coming off a very successful season
in which he helped Liverpool win the Premier League title. He also had been a part of Portugal's Championship squad and the Nations League as well.
Less than two weeks ago, Jota had married his longtime girlfriend. The couple had three really young children together.
Patrick Snell of World Sport joins us live now. With more on this, really, I mean, this story is just so difficult to digest, obviously, it happens so
suddenly. I mean, this is a man who was in the prime of his career, just had so much to accomplish left. Walk us through what the fans' reaction has
been.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, Zain. This is just devastating everywhere you look. I do want to say first and foremost, we are thinking
of the entire Jota family our prayers and our thoughts very much with them at this time.
Here's what we know in terms of the actual crash itself. It happened in Cernadilla in Zamora district of northwestern Spain, just after midnight
today on Thursday.
Diogo, just 28 years of age, his younger brother is 25, Andre Silva, also killed in the crash. He played in the second tier of Portuguese football.
Now, Spain's Guardia Civil revealing an statement that their investigation, quote, points to a road accident due to a burst tire while overtaking. They
also added the car, then caught fire.
And I want to also say, Zain, at times like this, we see the global football community coming together as one. And we have seen also just an
absolutely outpouring of grief from fans from former teammates as well, in tribute to both men.
And the fact, as you just said, Jota had just got married as well. The couple with three young children makes it even more heartbreaking to report
on, just so devastating.
ASHER: And, Patty, just give us some perspective on how important Diogo Jota was to his club. I mean, what does this mean for Liverpool and, of
course, the Portuguese national team?
SNELL: Yes. Just a highly, highly talented player with a really keen eye for goal. Boy, did he scored some really important goals for his club side,
Liverpool before that Wolves as well. He earned 49 caps as well for the Portuguese national team, winning the UEFA Nations League, both in 2019 and
this year, just recently.
But really, really adored by Liverpool fans. A real impact player, a really good finisher, instinctive finisher, really, really, really good. Eye for
goal, as I say, a key part of that Liverpool team that just won the Premier League, he also won the FA Cup, and the League Cups as well during his time
with the Reds.
He scored six goals this past season and provided four assists in 26 matches in total as Liverpool won the Premier League for the second time
this past season.
Now, Liverpool Football Club reaction coming in from fans. The club itself saying it's been devastated by the tragic passing of its player, adding no
further comment will be made at this time.
The Reds also requesting the privacy of Diogo and Andre's family friends, teammates as well, the club staff, that that be respected as they try to
come to terms with an unimaginable loss.
And as for the manager who actually signed Diogo to Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, the German head coach, he signed Jota from Wolves. "This is a moment
where I struggle. 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.
Diogo was a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father. We will miss you so much."
And the brothers fellow Portuguese, the legendary, Cristiano Ronaldo, via social media earlier, "It doesn't make sense. Just now we were together in
the national team. You had just got married."
[12:05:08]
Ronaldo sending his condolences to Jota's family, wife, and children, adding also as well. "I know you will always be with them. Rest in peace,
Diogo and Andre. We will miss you."
All very terribly so. We'll stay across the reaction as it continues to come in, Zain, on this day, complete global outpouring of grief from the
worldwide soccer community. Back to you.
ASHER: Yes. I mean, it's beyond heartbreaking. Patrick Snell live for us. Thank you for bringing this story to us.
And in our last hour, I actually spoke to longtime football journalist, Keir Radnedge, and asked him what made Diogo Jota so special.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR RADNEDGE, FOOTBALL JOURNALIST: I think what made him sparkle was the energy he brought every time he trod on the pitch, whether that was
starting a match or as often happened more recently, coming on as a substitute. He had this wonderful ability to suddenly enthuse people, to
enthuse fans that no cause was ever lost while Diogo was on the pitch they're playing.
He had an ability, an energy, a commitment that enabled people to feel, oh, this is a man who can change the course of this match. It's -- it's a
wonderful gift to have.
ASHER: Yes. That is -- that is a really special gift. I mean, you think about the handful of players that can do that, that can change the course
of -- of a game. I mean, we think about, you know, Tom Brady here in the U.S. as being a major football player that can also do that. That's a
special skill to have as you point out.
Talk to us about how this is going to impact Liverpool as a club, do you think?
RADNEDGE: Liverpool, as a club, are intensely loyal to their players, to their -- to their staff, to their fan base. I mean, Liverpool, as a club,
has come through so much tragedy that -- that I think they have a -- a real emotional and real understanding of the -- the emotional connection between
the game and the fans and the players.
This is what makes the Liverpool, if you like, more than the football club, but a real family. And that's why this tragic accident will be felt so much
and so personally by Liverpool fans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: And, of course, CNN will keep you up to date on all the tributes to Diogo Jota. What investigators are saying about the crash as well? Check
out our live digital coverage or use the CNN app on your smartphone for more information.
All right. Getting it over the finish line. That's what U.S. House Republicans are trying to do with Donald Trump's massive tax and spending
package. But that cannot happen until democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, who you see here, wraps up his floor speech. So far, he has been voicing
his opposition for this bill for more than seven hours.
He actually started around 5:00 A.M. this morning. He's been calling it an all-out assault on ordinary Americans. Speaker -- House Speaker -- House
Speaker Mike Johnson is set to speak after Jeffries and then a vote is going to take place after that. It follows weeks of tense infighting
between Republican lawmakers.
Eventually, though, those holdouts did fall in line behind the U.S. president despite their harsh criticism of this bill.
CNN political analyst Jackie Kucinich joins us live now from Washington. So, despite all of the drama, all of the holdouts, all the people had
questions about this on the Republican side in the Senate and, of course, the House, you know, President Trump did actually manage to get his way
with this. This is -- this is a big win for him.
JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It will be. I mean, we still do have the actual vote and voting for the rule, which is what they did last
night is a -- is just a -- a way that the House says, OK, we can actually debate the bill now.
So, we'll have to wait and see whether there's drama there, whether they're going to have to cajole and twist arms on the floor like they did last
night and early this morning. But you're right, if -- if he does get this over the finish line and by his arbitrary July 4th deadline, it is quite
the win. And another way that you can see that this president has total control over the Republican Party.
ASHER: In total control. I mean, we were sort of talking about yesterday, this idea that you had all these GOP holdout -- holdouts who are going to
the White House to voice their concern about this bill to the U.S. president.
And I think in the back of our minds, we knew that the president was, of course, going to be able to persuade them because obviously you risk a lot
as a Republican House member, as a Republican Senator by not falling in line behind this president, don't you?
KUCINICH: I mean, look what happened with Senator Tillis. He was -- from North Carolina, he was against this bill. He was speaking out very
forcefully about it. And this Sunday before this vote, he dropped. He -- he said he's going to retire at the end of his term.
And we had expected before that for him to run again, but Trump said he was going to primary him. And I guess there was some -- he was kind of
wavering. And this was it, he decided to drop his bid.
[12:10:00]
Now, there are some who have been able to get -- get -- get by with this, but someone like a Congressman Massie who Trump is currently attacking for
some of his votes, he has been challenged by the president before and he has been beaten back primary challenges, but that is a rarity.
And a -- a lot of members don't want Trump's ire and the force of his personality and his social media and his power against them because he has
shown that he will absolutely implement it.
ASHER: Yes. I mean a lot of people on both sides of the aisle don't like this bill for a number of reasons Republicans --
KUCINICH: Yes.
ASHER: -- question the deficit and the sort of $3.3 trillion is going to add to that. Democrats have obviously a lot of issue with the Medicaid
access and the other social assistance programs that people will now have to sort of work harder for quite frankly, but is there anything in this
bill that Democrats can actually get behind?
KUCINICH: I think at this point, you have to take it as the sum of its parts, right? Because you can't -- I'm sure there's, you know, something or
another that perhaps Democrats would like to discuss, but that's not what we're talking about here.
We're talking about a bill that has all of these components in it that Democrats and Republicans, particularly off the record, will tell you that
some of this stuff isn't going to be good for their districts. And even some of them have said this on the record and yet they're still casting the
vote for it.
ASHER: So, we're seeing Hakeem Jeffries right now doing his magic minutes speaking for as long as possible. I mean, I understand that he's been
speaking for about seven hours. If my math is correct, he started around 5:00 A.M. this morning.
So it's just -- just a little bit over. He must be exhausted. And it's a little bit over seven hours. He's trying to do his part to delay, but when
he stops peaking, as I understand it, House Speaker will come in and sort of he would -- he would speak, and then after that, the vote's going to
happen. And then as we anticipated, it is going to pass.
Walk us through at this point what Democrats need to do to sort of tailor the messaging around this bill as -- as they sort of tell Americans why
it's bad for this country in order to have a little bit of an advantage come the midterms.
KUCINICH: We've been hearing this throughout the morning and actually from the inception of this bill where they have been trying to bring out things
in Republican districts that could be hurtful. The -- the number of people who are on Medicaid in certain districts, the EV credits that will go away
in other districts.
And they're really trying to target their attacks to members who might be vulnerable and to members with these larger populations that could be
impacted by some of these cuts.
And we should say, so this magic minute thing that you mentioned talking Jeffries there is, there could be an end in sight. He is trying to break
Kevin McCarthy -- Speaker Kevin McCarthy's record in 2021 of I think it's eight hours and 32 minutes. He broke Speaker Pelosi's record in 2028 of
eight hours and that's seven minutes.
So if he does that, there could be an end in sight. This won't go on a perpetuity. We're thinking that he might want to break Kevin McCarthy's
record and he's getting close.
ASHER: All right. Jackie Kucinich, live for us there. Thank you so much.
All right. Health officials in Gaza say that more than 80 Palestinians were killed on Thursday. This video shows the aftermath of a strike on a school
that took place. A hospital director says 15 Palestinians sheltering in the school were killed. Another medical official says civilians, including
children were burned as they slept.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports, Israel is intensifying its strikes across Gaza, even as negotiations to reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas ramps up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Zain. Let's focus in on what's new about this latest ceasefire proposal compared to the one that
Steve Witkoff presented about a month ago. That's the U.S. Special Envoy, of course.
This time, you know, a lot of the new things in here are aimed at bridging the gap with Hamas' demands, one of those being stronger assurances from
the United States that they will keep Israel at the negotiating table to negotiate in good faith and end to the war, meaning that the United States
is actually going to actively push for Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement to end the war, either during the 60-day ceasefire or for those
negotiations to continue and for that ceasefire to be extended past those 60 days until the two sides reach a permanent ceasefire.
We will have to see whether or not those assurances are strong enough for Hamas, which has insisted on an upfront guarantee for an end to the war
thus far.
We're also learning that Israeli hostages will be released in five different phases over the course of that 60-day ceasefire, about half of
the living hostages, half of the deceased hostages expected to be released over that 60-day period.
That's different as well from what was presented about a month ago by the Americans where there would only be two phases of hostage releases over the
course of the first week of those 60 days, another change to address Hamas's concerns.
[12:15:02]
And then you have on the humanitarian aid front, Israel now committing to allow humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza through the traditional
humanitarian channels run by the United Nations, rather than through that controversial U.S. and Israeli backed Gaza humanitarian foundation.
Now, what's important to note is that Hamas is now reviewing this latest proposal, which we've been told Israel has indeed accepted so far. We
believe that they are meeting today to discuss it. And -- and Hamas' response could come as early as today. It could come tomorrow. It could
also come later. We -- we just simply don't know.
But if Hamas agrees to this, that will mean that there is a major framework agreement between these two parties. You will still need some days, most
likely, of detailed proximity talks between Israel and Hamas to sort out the kind of final details about the implementation of this ceasefire,
including, for example, the timetable for Israeli troops to withdraw from Gaza over the course of this deal.
But barring that, of course, a -- a framework agreement between these two sides would be a major development. And it would certainly open the pathway
for a final agreement about a ceasefire for 60 days, and one that could eventually be extended into a permanent one. Zain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Jeremy Diamond reporting there.
All right. Later on this hour, U.S. President Trump and First Lady Melania is going to be meeting freed Israeli-American hostage, Edan Alexander, in
the Oval Office. He was reunited with his family in May after intensive and indirect talks. There he is, greeting his mother being reunited with her.
And the Trump administration that bypassed Israel out. Alexander was serving in the IDF when he was abducted on October 7th, 2023. He's the last
living American hostage in Gaza to be freed.
CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak joins us live now.
I mean, those scenes are, I mean, it's impossible not to get emotional when you see those scenes playing out of families being reunited after being
apart for almost two years and not knowing what has -- what had happened to Edan Alexander.
This is somebody who is American, Israeli. He'd spent much of his life, obviously, in New Jersey before moving to Israel or spending time in
Israel. And then, of course, he was abducted on October 7th.
And what's interesting is that this meeting between the last freed American Israeli hostage is taking place just days before the U.S. President meets
with Netanyahu, who's coming to the U.S. next week and obviously continuing to put pressure on Netanyahu to end this war in Gaza.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. I think the timing is quite significant here. And we did hear from President Trump earlier this
week saying that he would be, quote, very firm with Netanyahu in the Oval Office during their meeting Monday to try and come up with some sort of
resolution to the conflict in Gaza.
Obviously, the two men will also discuss the strikes on Iran that occurred last month. But it is this topic of Gaza that the president very much wants
to hammer down on when the prime minister is here.
And I think the visit today from Edan Alexander really kind of underscores the stakes of that meeting. You know, he spent 584 days in captivity after
being abducted by Hamas.
You know, he was only 19 on October 7th. He's 21 now, but still quite a very young man who has spent so much time in Hamas custody.
And I think, you know, those scenes that we are just looking at and certainly this moment in the Oval Office today. I think in President
Trump's mind, we'll just sort of frame the stakes of what he wants to accomplish with Netanyahu.
President Trump has met with several freed hostages who had been held by Hamas. Obviously, this is now the last remaining American. But there are a
number of Israelis who continue to be held that the president wants to see set free as part of this ceasefire that he hopes he'll be able to broker.
And so this meeting next week will be very critical in that front.
And I do think, you know, this situation in the Middle East and the situation with Gaza, you can look at as part of, you know, these series of
events that the president has undertaken just in the last two weeks, really kind of demonstrating some of his power now on the world stage, but also
domestically, whether it's the strikes in Iran, whether it's this bill that now appears poised to pass Congress, the president really kind of
consolidating a lot of these victories.
And I think this situation in Gaza is one that remains somewhat outstanding for the president. He does want to resolve that conflict, as he said he
would do as a candidate. And now this meeting coming up next week will be an opportunity for him really to press that case with the prime minister.
ASHER: Al right. Kevin Liptak, live for us there. Thank you so much.
[12:20:02]
All right. The latest numbers are in and the U.S. jobs market is doing better than expected. We will crunch the data for you when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Some good news today on the economic front. New data shows the U.S. economy is humming along despite uncertainty over President
Trump's tariffs.
The government's jobs report shows strong than expected growth, 147,000 jobs added in June. While the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1 percent.
But a closer look shows that a lot of the jobs that were added were actually state and local government ones.
CNN's Matt Egan joins his live now to break down the numbers. So, this is - - I mean, the head -- you can't ignore the headline number, right? The headline number is actually pretty impressive. And I think when it broke we
were all like, wow, that is impressive, right? The U.S. economy is clearly very resilient as it pertains to the labor market.
But when you take a peak beneath the hood, Matt, it does look problematic especially when you think that half of the jobs were government jobs and so
the private sector, you know, might be showing signs of trouble.
MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, Zain, that's right. I mean, I think there are some blemishes beneath the very positive headlines here.
But look, I do think big picture this job market continues to really defy expectations, right, 147,000 jobs added. That's about 30,000 more than had
been anticipated. There were some whispers for sub 100,000 jobs to have been added.
The unemployment rate was supposed to go up. It didn't. It went down to 4.1 percent. Of course that is historically a relatively low number.
And when we look at the trend for job growth, it's -- it's clearly slowed from where things were last year, but not in a dramatic way. It has not
been an alarming slow down. And we're still well above what economists say you need for the job market to continue to be in a positive, healthy state.
Now, to your point, when you dig into some of the sectors, one of the concerns here is that employment growth is not widespread, right? It is
relatively concentrated in a -- a few key areas.
First of all, healthcare and social assistance, right, that has been another big month of job gains for that sector. Leisure and hospitality
also gaining significant amount of jobs.
But then when you look at other sectors, notably manufacturing, right, lost 7,000 jobs for the second month in a row. That's the exact opposite of what
the administration is trying to make happen with their tariffs. Also, we saw a job loss for the federal government.
[12:25:02]
And you mentioned state and local government. That has been -- that was a surprise here, right? There was just a significant number of job gains from
state and local government.
And -- and that has mass some of the slowdown in the private sector, also the unemployment rate.
So, it did go down for a few reasons, right? One reason is a positive one. That's the fact that there were a lot fewer people who were unemployed
during the month of June. So, that lowered the unemployment rate.
But another factor is there were fewer people looking for work right now. And part of that does reflect the immigration crackdown. And that's a trend
we could continue to see play out.
So, the bottom line here, Zain, is that the job market does seem to be holding up a lot better than fear, a lot better than people had expected
just a few months ago. The question, of course, is how long is that going to continue?
And I think a lot of that is going to be decided by what happens next on the trade front. And we do have another big deadline on tariffs coming up
next week.
ASHER: All right. Matt Egan live for us there. Thank you so much.
You're talking about the July 9th deadline. Yes, we're watching that one closely. Thank you.
All right. A Big, Beautiful Bill or a, quote, disgusting abomination that rewards billionaires. The U.S. House on the verge of passing Donald Trump's
entire domestic policy agenda, my conversation with two former lawmakers, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:30:01]
ASHER: Welcome back to "One World." I'm Zain Asher.
All right. Back to our top story. A blown tire, a fiery crash and a family ripped apart. The football world is mourning today after 28-year-old
Liverpool forward, Diogo Jota died in the car crash in Spain.
Jota had been a key piece of Liverpool's Premier League Championship squad, as well as Portugal's national team. He leaves behind a newlywed wife, who
were married less than two weeks ago, as well as three young children, as we mentioned.
The crash happened in Spain. And that's where CNN Espanol correspondent, Pau Moquera is.
Pau, I mean, this is obviously heartbreaking. I mean, walk us through, A, what we know about what happened, and -- and the latest on the
investigation into this.
PAU MOSQUERA, CNN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely devastating news for the world of sports, Zain. The latest we know is that the car crash took
place around midnight local time when the vehicle was driving by the village of Cernadilla, which is a town located northwest of Spain.
according to the Spanish Civil Guard, it seems that the vehicle where both Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, were in, was trying to overtake another
one when, while doing so, one of the tires blew out, and then the car went off the road. Then, subsequently, according to the Spanish Civil Guard, the
car was caught on fire.
We know that earlier this morning, the Spanish Civil Guard were to the scene of the accident. Both of the bodies were taken then to the forensic
medicine morgue of Zamora, the capital of the region, where the accident took place.
And earlier this afternoon, they were taken (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY) 23 kilometers far from where the accident took place, because the local court
now has jurisdiction over the investigation.
And now that's the point, Zain. They're trying to investigate to figure out what exactly happened, why did this accident happen? And as they do, the
sad news actually prompted a pouring off messages of condolences.
One of the first that we have seen talking about that was the Liverpool football club, where Diogo Jota was playing. They say to be devastated
about this sad news.
Also, the Portuguese Federation of Football. And they are requesting privacy for the family on these very difficult moments.
Also, the captain of the Portuguese national team, Cristiano Ronaldo, talked about that in his official social media accounts, sending
condolences to the family, sending all the support, and also saying that all the team is already missing him. Zain.
ASHER: I mean, it's, you know, unbelievably heartbreaking. Pau Mosquera, CNN Espanol. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
Former Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, who signed Diogo Jota for the club from Wolverhampton in 2020, has offered his condolences as well in a post
on Instagram. "This is a moment where I struggle," wrote Klopp. "There must be a bigger purpose, but I cannot 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."
All right. After weeks of drama, delays, and the Republican infighting, U.S. President Donald Trump, appears to be on the brink of his first major
legislative victory since taking office.
House lawmakers are expected to pass his entire domestic policy agenda wrapped up in one massive tax and spending cuts package anytime now.
But first, they need to clear a final hurdle. And that hurdle is live on your screen there. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has been voicing his
opposition to the bill in a speech that's been going on for nearly eight hours, seven and a half, eight hours now. Here's how he described the bill
earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFRIES: I'm going to take my time and ensure that the American people fully understand how damaging this bill will be to their quality of life.
And as a result of the lack of healthcare, that will result directly from this one big, ugly bill, people in America will die. Unnecessary deaths.
It's a crime scene going after the health and the safety and the well-being of the American people. And, Mr. Speaker, we want no part of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Once Jeffries finishes, Speaker Mike Johnson will briefly take the floor and then the full chamber is going to vote the measure, which was
approved by the Senate earlier this week, includes trillions of dollars in tax cuts, financed in part by dramatically slashing health, nutrition and
clean energy programs.
All right. Time now for "The Exchange." And we want to bring in Asa Hutchinson, a former House Republican and former governor of Arkansas.
I mean, just looking at Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader speaking for nearly eight. I mean, I always wonder what that must be like to -- I
mean, I like to talk. I mean, I do this for a living, but I always wonder what it must be like to stand and talk for eight hours and he started at
almost 5:00 A.M. He's still going. We know what the end result is going to be it. Eventually, he's going to have to stop talking at some point in
time. Then Mike Johnson's going to take to the floor and then, you know, this bill is going to pass.
[12:35:20]
I just want to get your reaction to this bill passing.
ASA HUTCHINSON, FORMER GOVERNOR OF ARKANSAS: Well, I mean, first of all, Hakeem Jeffries making this long speech will certainly energize the
democratic base. I think that's what's motivating this very long speech.
But in terms of the outcome, yes, you're absolutely right, it's going to pass. The votes are in place. And this is a big, big victory for Donald
Trump.
He's had his foreign policy successes. This brings a domestic success that will set the stage for the campaign next year for the control of Congress
and the Senate. And -- and so he's got to sell the package. Right now, it is not as popular as -- as you would like.
It has tax cuts. It has relief in there, but it increases the debt. It fulfills his promises. So there's a lot he can talk about there. He can
sell it.
But right now, it's a mixed bag in terms of the public and how they perceive this massive spending bill, but also a tax relief bill that
hopefully will boost the economy.
ASHER: No one, I mean, I shouldn't say no one. Very few Republicans are willing to stand up to this president, you know. They -- I mean, we know
that a lot of them have had concerns about what's in this bill. Some of them have only shared those concerns privately, behind closed doors, even
to Democrats.
Some people have been brave enough to say it publicly. We saw a few Republican House members go to the president at the White House to voice
their concerns, but we all sort of ultimately know what the outcome was going to be. And that is they would have to get in line behind the
president and back this bill. You know, nobody wants to see their careers jeopardized or be threatened by the U.S. president.
As a Republican yourself who has, actually gone against the U.S. president, what is that like? Because very few people at this point are willing to do
it.
HUTCHINSON: Well, I have. And I speak out very clearly when I disagree with him. And I have on a number of policies from tariffs to support for Ukraine
that we can under his administration.
But actually you look at this bill and the problem starts out the fact that it was one massive bill that put everything in there and it gives the
members limited choices.
But if for a member to stand up and say, no, I'm not going to support this bill, first of all, you're going to have the wrath of the president.
Secondly, his base is going to make it more difficult. You're going to have a primary challenge against you coming from the right.
And then thirdly, I think if -- if you look at this bill and there's bad parts to it, certainly, I don't like the debt increase. But if you want to
be on one side or the other of this bill, I would rather be on the side of saying, we've got to have those tax cuts. It's good for our economy. It's
fulfilling the promises that are needed. It's going to grow our economy.
And, you know, the challenge is the reduction in Medicaid, how it's going to impact healthcare delivery. But you take those two sides. I think the
members come to the conclusion. We'd rather pass this than not pass it and try to sell that next year in the campaign trail.
ASHER: Asa, standby because we do have former Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan. I want to add him to the conversation. Hi, Tim.
So, one of the things that Asa was just mentioning is that, you know, you look at Hakeem Jeffries, the House Minority Leader, speaking for almost
eight hours.
Obviously, it doesn't really have any sort of practical effect because we know what's going to happen once he stops talking. But Asa was saying,
look, it is -- it is important in terms of just doing, you know, your part to energize the base and also a small part in terms of educating the public
about what is wrong with this bill.
I mean, what do you make of that?
TIM RYAN, FORMER UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE: Yes. I think it's a -- it's a great technique. As -- as Asa knows, the House is so much different than
the Senate procedurely from even being able to get the speech to talk and get a minute. But as a leader, you obviously get more as he showed.
But I --I think articulating what's wrong with this bill and by doing it with eight hours plus, people are going to say, what the heck was he doing
on the floor for that long? And then -- then the discussion begins about the tax bill.
So, I think the technique was good. But again, I --I think when the American people find out about this bill, when they start seeing the
national debt and the annual deficits that -- that are going to come out of that rural healthcare, rural access, you know, the Medicaid program, it's -
- it's going to be a really bad bill.
[12:40:08]
ASHER: So part of the messaging among Democrats has been, Tim, just this idea of, you know, this -- this is a president who only supports
billionaires. He's taking money from the poorest Americans, ordinary working Americans, and he's giving it back to billionaires and rich people
in the form of tax cuts.
You know, obviously that's going to be, I imagine, part of the democratic strategy when it comes to messaging as we move towards the midterms. The
problem with that, and I just want to get your take on this, is that, you know, it's not enough to say why people shouldn't vote for Republicans. You
actually have to give them a concrete reason to instead choose the Democrats. What is that reason here?
RYAN: Well, I think the Democrats have to get back on to an economic message and talk about, you know, rebuilding the country. I think, you
know, the -- the CHIPS Act, the Infrastructure Bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, there were some great things in there about re-industrial --
actually reindustrializing the country. And you got to get to this cost issue.
And I think the idea of saying like, what, we've got to get cost down for people? We got to rebuild the middle class? And giving tax cuts to Elon
Musk and the billionaires, while borrowing the money from China to give it to them, is not probably a great idea to lower the cost of goods for you
every single day.
And I think staying in that economic lane, getting away from these cultural issues that have sunk the Democrat Party, they've made the brand toxic, but
this could be a real - a real pivot for Democrats to get back on an -- on an economic message.
ASHER: And, Asa, one of the things that a lot of people have been saying is that, you know, the fact that there were so many Republicans who had
concerns about this bill in both the House and the Senate, and they all eventually, not all, but a lot of them did fall in line behind the
president really tells you just how much of a hold this president has over the Republican Party.
Is it a much greater hold this time around in the second term compared to the first term? And if so, why?
HUTCHINSON: It is. Trump has consolidated power, both of the Republican Party, but also leverage against the members of Congress. He's getting his
agenda passed to greater extent than he did his first term. He's has better control over the apparatus.
Part of it, I think, is that he's the second term president and he knows how to yield that power and use the office of the president. And you've got
the Supreme Court that's backed him up. It's a very powerful position that he's in. People recognize that.
We also recognize he has a very short amount of time because he's only got, you know, four years now, he's finished and -- and he also has a midterm
elections coming up.
So this bill lays the foundation for it. Tim is right. Democrats need to get back to the economic message. This helps them to do that, but it's
really the divide that we've had between the Republican Party and Democratic Party for years.
And the argument is you're -- you're helping out those that are higher income. You're punishing the poor.
I think that, you know, the Republicans be able to defend their position on this. A lot will depend upon how the states implement the work requirements
on Medicaid and how good a partner they are to minimize the reductions in healthcare services for our rural areas.
ASHER: All right. Asa Hutchinson, Tim Ryan, thank you both so much. Appreciate it.
HUTCHINSON: Good to be with you.
ASHER: All right. Breaking news into CNN. President Trump has wrapped up a nearly hour long call with Russian president Vladimir Putin, according to
Russian state media, TASS. The two leaders discussed Ukraine, Iran and other issues on Ukraine.
A Kremlin aide said that president Putin told President Trump that Russia would not back down from its war goals in Ukraine.
Let's go to senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak with more. Kevin, what more are you learning about what happened during this call?
LIPTAK: Yes. The White House saying that the call has ended, but that's about all they're saying. We're getting most of the details now from the
Kremlin side of things. The Kremlin saying that Putin made clear to president Trump that Russia would not back off of its war aims in Ukraine,
while at the same time saying that they would continue these bilateral discussions with Ukraine about potentially bringing this war to an end.
And so I think if you're president Trump going into this call very much hoping to make progress on bringing the Ukraine conflict to an end, it's
not clear, at least from the Kremlin readout, that he had a great deal of success on that front, but clearly trying to keep open these channels of
communication as he works to resolve that conflict.
One interesting point that the Kremlin made was that the two men did not discuss this decision on the part of the Trump administration this week to
put a halt on weapons shipments to Ukraine. The Trump administration had said that they were concerned about dwindling U.S. stockpiles and put those
weapons on hold. That topic did not come up in these two men's conversations according to Moscow, but it will be interesting to see if and
when President Trump describes this particular conversation.
[12:45:12]
You know, the last time that he was talking in public about Putin was at the NATO summit last week, and he said that he thought his Russian
counterpart was misguided in this conflict, that he wanted to find a way to bring this war to an end, but that he didn't necessarily know how to do it.
It will be interesting to see if this conversation changed the president's perspective in any way. It did come amid this flurry of diplomacy between
the West and with Moscow, the French president, Vladimir -- the French president Emmanuel Macron spoke to Putin earlier this week for the first
time in three years.
And so you do see sort of the diplomatic gears starting to grind, but at least based on the Kremlin's description of this call, it doesn't appear as
if the war in Ukraine is coming any closer to a resolution.
ASHER: All right. Kevin Liptak, live for us there. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
All right. We'll be right back with more after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. This week, we've been exploring a burgeoning industry in Senegal, centered around space, getting the country space agency off the
ground, means constant work for director Maram Kaire, which is paid off in the form of multiple mission collaborations with the most famous space
agency in the world, NASA. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MUSIC
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): There's a movement in West Africa, centered around the stars and their biggest champion.
Maram Kaire is always on the go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So welcome, Mr. Kaire. It's an honor for us to welcome you here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Whether a tech incubator's advising on virtual reality, doing T.V. and radio interviews to spread a message about
the importance of astronomy and space science.
Meeting with an artist featuring him in a new children's book series. And even at home with his own kids sharing a passion for the cosmos.
So, when U.S. space agency NASA came calling in West Africa, those in the know knew there was only one name who could help in Senegal.
MARAM KAIRE, DIRECTOR GENERAL, SENEGALESE SPACE STUDIES AGENCY: Sort of fate, sort of destiny. So, it was in 2014 with some colleagues in -- in
Paris and so on. So, we have a very nice activity here in Senegal to watch Planet Mars crossing the queue of the comet Siding Spring. And one day, we
have the chance with some colleagues from France to be contacted by NASA.
[12:50:26]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): It was a key moment for Senegal which would go on to assist NASA on several future missions. But Maram knew to
reach its full potential, the country would eventually need a space agency of its own.
KAIRE: You know, the dreaming of a young boy to become an astronaut for NASA. Now you are creating a sort of NASA in your country. It's just maybe
destiny.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: We'll be right back with more after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Americans are gearing up for a busy holiday weekend. The 4th of July is expected to see record-breaking travel with AAA predicting
more than 72 million Americans will hit the road or the sky.
Our Pete Muntean is tracking all of this for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: You might think of this as only a driving holiday, but it's also huge for air travel. The FAA says Thursday
will be the biggest of the rush in terms of the number of flights in the air.
The TSA says, when this rush is over, it'll screen a total of 18.5 million people at airport checkpoints nationwide. Sunday will be the biggest at
airports. That's when TSA anticipates screening 2.9 million people at airports nationwide, pretty close to the all-time high, when TSA screened
3.1 million people on June 22 right after the Juneteenth holiday.
Here are the busiest airports of this weekend, according to travel site Hopper, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Chicago O'Hare, and LAX, but
pretty hard to avoid those because some of those are huge hubs for airlines. It'll also be hard to avoid the traffic on the roads.
Leave early in the morning or late at night because AAA says, nationwide, another 1.3 million people will drive 50 miles or more compared to the last
July 4th rush, maybe because summer gas prices are the lowest they have been since 2021, the nationwide averaged down about 35 cents compared to a
year ago.
Independence Day falling on a Friday this year, also making things interesting. Technically, that's when the federal holiday is observed, but
a lot of people are getting a jump on things early.
[12:55:04]
Wednesday was forecast to be the busiest day on the roads before the holiday, but we are not out of the woods yet. AAA says Sunday will be the
busiest on the roads after the holiday.
The advice from AAA, avoid the afternoon rush. In general, the worst times are between 2:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M. So try to hit it before noon. Much
after that, best to wait until 8:00 or 9:00 at night.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Take some tips there from our Pete Muntean.
All right. The largest known Martian rock ever found on Earth is going up for auction next month at Sotheby's. The rare meteorite was discovered in
Niger in 2023. It's expected to sell for up to $4 million.
Scientists think that an asteroid blasted it off the Martian surface into space before finally reaching our planet as meteorite. There you go.
All right. That does it for this hour of "One World." I'm Zain Asher. Appreciate you watching. "Amanpour" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
