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One World with Zain Asher
Texas Officials Give Update on Deadly Flooding; Camp Mystic Confirms At Least 27 Campers and Counselors Died in Flooding; Death Toll from Catastrophic Texas Floods Raises to 108; UAE Urges Trump, Netanyahu to Pursue Middle East Peace; Search & Rescue Ongoing for those Still Missing in Texas; Noem: Hundreds of People were Saved After Texas Floods. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired July 08, 2025 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: All right, hello, everyone. Live from New York. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: I'm Zain Asher. You are watching "One World". We are expecting a really busy hour of news in terms of the U.S.
President, he's expected to hold a cabinet meeting at the White House, where he typically does weigh in on a range of issues. So, we're waiting
for that.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and also, as you see on your screen there, Central Texas officials in hard hit Kerr County are about to give us another update on
search and rescue operations after those devastating flash floods that killed now at least 105 people early on July 4th, of course, so many others
still missing.
ASHER: Let's begin with the flooding that, Bianna was just talking about the ongoing rescue operation. Joining us live now is retired Lieutenant
General Russel Honore, who led the military response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Russel, thank you so much for being with us.
You know, the task of searching for survivors, I imagine, is really taxing on any sort of rescue team, physically, emotionally, psychologically, and
wading through waters. You might encounter debris, for example, you might need equipment that you have to bring with you.
And there's also the risk of coming across, you know, a fatality, which, of course, is psychologically difficult for anyone involved in search and
rescue. Just walk us through what the process is like, for these rescue teams and the toll that it takes on them?
LIEUTENANT GENERAL RUSSEL HONORE (RET.), U.S. ARMY: Well, it's hard on the professionals, and then we have a lot of volunteers that are there, and the
big challenge becoming having good communications with all the volunteers that they are part of a search grid, and you have communications with them.
And remember, we still have weather warnings of potential flooding in that area. So, it's a very complex operation, but the need is there, and you
take a lot of risks when you go in to do search and rescue, because you're going in places that are full of debris, the water could be contaminated,
and the heat plays a big toll on the first responders and the search teams as well as they moved in now the cadaver dogs.
They have limited hours of operations that they can be constantly using this heat, as well as in the environment where there are a lot of humans
around that can distract them. So, it's a complex operation. At the same time, we've got people in boats where the river is allowing them to get in,
because in some places, the water is still running too fast because of upstream rainfall that's coming down river.
That makes it complicated to get into water with your rescue boats and with all the debris in the water as you try to navigate that. So, it's a complex
operation, but at the county level and at fire stations, that's where the organizing of the boots on the ground happens, and people are required to
sign in and let somebody know you're there.
And then you get assigned to a search grid if you're a volunteer, because there are probably as more volunteers there now than there are organized
uniform search teams, where the search teams are growing the most difficult areas to get to, that is a part of the challenge.
GOLODRYGA: As we're waiting for this press conference to start. Obviously, first and foremost is giving everyone there an update, and that conference
is starting right now. Let's listen in.
SHERIFF LARRY L. LEITHA, KERR COUNTY, TEXAS: -- to reunite families the large search and rescue effort, including local, state, federal and
volunteer agencies, continue. As of 08:00 a.m. central time, 87 deceased have been recovered in Kerr County, including 56 adults and 30 children.
Identification is pending for 19 adults and 7 children with one additional person still unidentified.
At present, five Camp Mystic campers and one counselor still remain unaccounted for. We asked private boats to stay off the Guadalupe River to
allow search and rescue teams to operate without any interference.
[11:05:00]
This is a tragic time for us. We're so grateful and thankful for all the resources have been provided to us to do this job, you know, and I can
assure you we will not stop until this mission is complete. At this time, I'm going to turn it over to city mayor.
MAYOR JOE HERRING JR., KERRVILLE, TEXAS: Thank you for being here. I'm Joe Herring, Jr. I'm the Mayor of the City, Kerrville. I want to reassure our
community and those families that the city, the county, the state and the federal experts are working together, not separately, but as one team.
If you go inside the emergency operation center, you don't see silos, you see one team. I want to talk briefly about in-kind donations. The
outpouring of generosity has been tremendous, and we are grateful. We're going to -- we are working on a new system to accept donations.
When those plans are complete, we will post them online on the city's Facebook page. We are grateful. We need a new system to handle the
generosity of the world. Financial donations can still go to communityfoundation.net. That's the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill
Country.
Again, we are grateful for the generosity of the world. Over and over, I've asked you to pray, it occurred to me that I haven't asked you to for what
to pray specifically. Please pray for those who mourn, for those who wait, and for those who help. Now I'd like to call on Lieutenant Colonel Ben
Baker.
BEN BAKER, LIEUTENANT COLONEL FOR TEXAS GAME WARDENS: Good morning, everyone, thank you for being here. My name is Ben Baker, Lieutenant
Colonel for Texas Game Wardens. I'd like to start out by thanking the mayor, sheriff, chief, our local state partners, Texas Department of Public
Safety, and the many others that have responded this tragic event.
We as Texas are strong and together, we face adversity. Your Texas Game Wardens responded in the early mornings of Friday to this tragic event,
along with many other local and state partners, since the early mornings of Friday, your Texas gamers have had over 300 Game Wardens in the area
serving the people of the state of Texas and the citizens of Kerr County.
Among that, we've searched 26 river miles since the tragic event started. We've had approximately 444 rescues, 30 recoveries. Some of our resources
and assets we have dedicated to this tragic event include two helicopters with hoist teams, 12 drone teams, 10 K-9 units, 9 swift water boat crews,
15 air boats, 16 UTVs and 169 four-wheel drive vehicles.
Your Texas Game Wardens will remain here and serving the community. We just ask you to continue to pray for the victims, for the families, for your
first responders, for everyone involved. We'll open it up now to questions. Anybody has --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- talk about how challenging it is with you guys in the mud, the big trees, it's been like the difference of rain --
BAKER: No, thank you for that question. Extremely challenging. You know, we've got, of course, your Texas gay born out there, your local your state
partners, Texas Task Force One, got the national forest service out there. Got A&M Forest Service.
We've got numerous responders with specialized capabilities where we've got this large pile of debris, and with our K-9s, and you know, when we're
trying to make these recoveries, these large piles can be very obstructive, and to get deep into these piles is very hazardous, and those specialized
teams have to go in there, layer by layer, because our first responders all so the safety of them is concerned.
[11:10:00]
So, it's extremely treacherous, time consuming. It's dirty work. It's the water's still there, so we're having to go layer by layer, peeling these
off to make those recoveries. So, we're --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about mentally like you guys, stumble across someone who may be deceased. How do you process it?
BAKER: Absolutely, we process it the best we can. We have professionals in place, our crisis intervention team. All the agencies have some members
representing there and officer wellness is a is a first responder wellness is a key component to these operations. So, we're maintaining and
monitoring our officer wellness, our first responder wellness.
We're making sure they have the support. It's very tragic whenever you see human life, but to see child and that loss of life is extremely tragic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a question --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- eventually it's going to get down to the water with the river. Is that going to put a halt through the searches? And if not,
how are you going to change the trajectory of the search and rescue operations?
BAKER: So, with the water coming down, that is always a concern. And I'm sure you've been monitoring the last couple of days where we've had some
reports of maybe some additional water coming in. Obviously, that's going to impact the search and recovery efforts.
You know us, with numerous other agencies, do have air capabilities, drone capabilities. We've got numerous fixed ring rotary helicopters here. So, it
will alter our patrol patterns and alter our searches, but it won't deter them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- sir.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you -- these specific discussions and actions were taken between the time the first flood emergency alert came in at 01:14
a.m., and then when the river first started flooding those hours later. What were the specific actions and discussions that happened in these
hours.
LEITHA: Can you repeat that again, please?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would like to know if you could outline, please, what the specific actions and discussions were that local officials took
between 01:14 a.m. that's when the first flood emergency alert came out, and hours later when the river first started. What happened in these hours?
LEITHA: What I can tell you, when I was first notified, it was around the four to five area. One of my sergeants was in dispatch when the first calls
started coming in. The actual 911 calls come in. It was between four or five when I got notified, OK, but prior to that, in that three to four
area, my understanding is, and we're in the process of trying to put a timeline, you know, that's going to take a little bit of time.
As I've told you several times, that is not my priority this time. There are three priorities. That's locating the people out there, identifying,
notify the next of kin, that is what I'm taking is my job as Sheriff here to do. OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir -- I think that the community here is asking these questions, what happened? When did it happen? Was the emergency manager
awake at the time? Did they push the button to issue an emergency alert?
LEITHA: So, it's not that easy, and you just push a button, OK? There's a lot more to that, and we've told you several times.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- did that happen sir?
LEITHA: I can't tell you this time, OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The emergency manager of the -- actually issued an emergency. OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sheriff, just give me a second operation center -- emergency --
LEITHA: I'll come back to you. I'm going nowhere.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who runs the Emergency Operations Center?
LEITHA: We have a communication center, a dispatch, OK? We have a communication center, that's where the calls actually go to the police
department, then they're forwarded to us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But leading up to this, in monitoring the weather, there is in any large city, in any state, there's an Office of Emergency
Management that is monitoring the weather, that is watching and listening and getting briefings. Who was getting those briefings in this city, in
this county, who was receiving that information, and who would have ultimately made the decision to evacuate, hearing what was coming in from
the weather service --
LEITHA: OK, what we would have done when we get notified? OK --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- you're not emergency management, right? The sheriff's not. You'll see --
LEITHA: No, there is no, I meant as the city.
BAKER: So, we understand you have many questions. Hang on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I understand, but you're going to go, you're not going to answer the question, because that's up to the city manager and the
mayor to answer -- county emergency --
BAKER: Correct. We understand you have many questions. We understand that, but right now, this team up here is focused on bringing people home. That's
our focus. All those questions will be answered, but the priority right now is bringing people home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We totally understand that, and we value the incredible work being done by those first responders. We're seeing them out there,
muddy and sweaty and grinding it out day after day.
[11:15:00]
But your community is asking these questions --
BAKER: And we will have -- we will get answers. Right now, all of our resources are focused to recover.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- who is -- who was in charge of the Emergency Operations Center at the time that was getting any --
BAKER: Do we have another question?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think I'd like to focus on what local people can be looking for we're looking at some erosion in roads and safety in them
traveling. What can we tell people who live here right now, what they can do in their daily life? Should they worry about traveling on roads? Do we
know anything about that infrastructure?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure, absolutely. Jonathan Lamb Kerrville Police Department, so we know that there's substantial road damage. Some roads
have been closed for safety. We've got crews out there in the county shoring them up and making sure that people can travel to and from.
What we're asking for the public to do to assist us is, if they believe that they have seen someone a victim, notify emergency services call 911,
let us know or use our non-emergency numbers. Area code, 830-257-8181, contact our dispatch team, and we will send officers out there.
We also ask folks to limit their travel. Our first responders have had a very difficult time getting to where they need to go because of the amount
of people who are flooding our roadways, we understand there's natural curiosity. People want to come here and see the flood damage. Now is not
the time for sight-seeing.
This operation is ongoing and continuous, and it will continue. I've got time for one more question -- As far -- last question, as far as I know,
the last live rescue unless there's new information, and I don't believe there is, was made on Friday. All right, I'm afraid that's going to have to
do it for this morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- answer, if the bodies have been released to the families, Sheriff.
LEITHA: Excuse me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have the bodies been released to the families?
LEITHA: Some, some, they're an autopsy --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- among the general population, not just the girls from Mystic, even just credible reports. Is it hundreds still? Is there any
estimate on the general population? How many people?
LEITHA: No, I've told y'all several times it's hard to know that number. No, we don't. I know the numbers that we have found, and that's all I know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, so we're going to continue our operations. The next time that we're going to be in front of y'all will be at 05:00
p.m. right back here. If there is a critical update again, we'll provide that information to you through the contact list that you have provided to
us. Thank you all. We appreciate it.
GOLODRYGA: All right, we've been listening to Kerr County officials give an update there as the death toll, sadly, continues to rise from those
catastrophic floods that hit Texas last week over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The death toll now at 108 in Kerr County alone, 87 have
now been declared dead.
56 of those adults, 30 of them children. 19 adults still pending identification, 7 children. It's just so tragic when you hear children
involved in any type of death, but especially in these circumstances, 7 children have yet to be identified as well in terms of Camp Mystic campers,
5 are still unaccounted for.
One counselor unaccounted for. In total, there have been 440 rescues thus far, and 30 recoveries. I do want to bring back in retired Lieutenant
General Russel Honore, and you've been listening into that press conference, and obviously there are a lot of people who are heartbroken in
this region and need to hear first and foremost about their loved one's safety.
We got that information out, and also other sources that people can turn to for donations that's very important to have as well so many people in need
right now, those fortunate enough to have survived to rebuild their lives.
But then, of course, come the difficult questions about what could have happened, what should have been done, perhaps to prevent, not the flooding,
because the flooding came, and as the forecast had said, they knew that rain was anticipated, no one expected perhaps this amount of rain in such a
short period of time.
But I'm just wondering how you are reacting to some of those questions and the responses about the communication system, from the time when the
National Weather Service issued those alerts to when those in that region most affected could have perhaps been given some notification.
It was in the middle of the night, the worst time ever for a flooding. We know that as well. We know Kerr County officials did not have the massive
alert systems that would have been heard throughout the region even in the middle of the night. But what stood out to you from the line of
questioning? What questions do you still have right now?
[11:20:00]
HONORE: Oh, well, I think the reporter, when asked the question who was manning or who was responsible in the EOC Emergency Operations Center. I
think the list missed the opportunity to tell the people what the procedures are, because as of yesterday, there were still flood warnings
along that river.
I hadn't checked the weather there this morning, and I didn't get an update in my morning review. But that system would have to work today, and I think
they missed the opportunity to communicate with the public on what they proceeded, they've taken a very defensive position in responding to the
press, and I think they fail to realize that when you talk to the press, you're talking to the American people.
The press is just a medium to try and have conversation to inform people, if you are a family or friends, of those that are lost, they had
opportunity to go into more detail on what the search grid looked like, what areas they're concentrating on, where have they found the most
remains.
So, they missed the opportunity to communicate with the public, because I think they're perceiving having stood in that position that they're in. You
have a tendency to get a little defensive, particularly when you get asked a question that you don't want to answer.
But they're in charge, and I think they missed the opportunity to communicate more with the public, and they've taken a very defensive stand
upon any questions that are asked about what they're doing and what they did, and we all understand that they will do a complete review afterwards,
but I think they missed a clear opportunity to talk to the public and to those who have relatives that have not been found or identified.
And they missed the opportunity to ask for people help to identify those that the -- remains that they have that they don't know who they are to
come forward with DNA samples if you're missing a relative. So, they miss the opportunity to communicate with the public because they're very
defensive toward the press.
ASHER: Russel, I do want to ask you, because, you know, I've been spending a lot of time thinking about, obviously, yes, the families who have lost
loved ones, especially the families who have lost children. But I've been spending a lot of time also thinking about the families who are still
waiting.
I mean, I cannot imagine how excruciating it must be to still be waiting for answers five days after these flash floods occurred. And obviously, if
you are a family that is waiting for answer this time, I mean, you have to cling to hope, right? You have to at this point, you have to believe in
miracles, right?
Because if you don't, what else do you have? I imagine that at some point, rescue crews are going to have to tell some of those family members that
they're no longer looking for survivors, which I must imagine has got to be one of the hardest conversations and the hardest things to actually have to
say to a loved one who is waiting right now.
I mean, give us more in terms of your perspective on how those sorts of conversations actually end up going?
HONORE: Yeah, well, the governor said we would continue the search and rescue phase until they are all found. That is a proclamation from the
government. Normally, it's made by local officials at the county level when they transition from strictly a search mission to a recovery mission.
But the governor stated two days ago, they will continue to operate in this mode of search and recovery, a mission, which means to intensify the
search, to find every until everyone's filed. I think once they make that proclamation that they go into recovery, then I think people will be able
to start to make that adjustment, having dealt with this before that we're in recovery now, there's no expectation that we'll find anyone alive and
they again, I think that decision now rests with the governor.
The mayor mentioned it two days ago, and the governor refuted that and said, no, we're going to stay in search and rescue, which is more intense
search, day and night, 24 hours a day, doing search and rescue with a hope of finding someone that they could rescue.
[11:25:00]
But I think, it's been days now since they found anyone alive. But when they make that read, that transition to say, we go into recovery, I think
the families can start to make that adjustment that their loved one is not coming home, that there's very little hope to find anyone alive now.
ASHER: Yeah. I mean, look, I'm sure a lot of these families are praying to whoever or whatever they believe in, you know, constantly. And you know, as
I said, you have to believe in miracles, and that is what I'm hoping happens over the next 24 hours. We are rooting for some kind of miracle
here in terms of more people being rescued. Russel Honore, thank you so much for sharing your perspective with us, we appreciate it.
HONORE: Good luck to the responders out there, and I hope that Emergency Operations Center is operational, because with that many people in the
county, somebody hopefully they are operating 24 hours a day, and they are providing early warning if there's weather, because he missed the
opportunity to see what they're doing now, rather than what they were doing 1 o'clock in the morning on the day of the flood. So, thank you for
covering the story.
GOLODRYGA: And so important again, to acknowledge those first responders who have been working tirelessly to find any survivors to recover, many of
them volunteers as well. This is a community that has banded together, so our hats off to them, and we commend them all.
Thank you so much, Russel. We appreciate it. And still to come for us. The Israeli Prime Minister says that he's working with the U.S. to find
countries that will want to give Palestinians in Gaza a better future. What he meant by that? That's straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: All right, any moment now U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host the sixth Cabinet meeting of his second term in the White House.
ASHER: Yeah, we'll bring you that meeting live as soon as it begins. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set also to meet with U.S.
House Speaker Mike Johnson later on this hour. He's also expected to speak with other congressional leaders during his visit to Capitol Hill.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, this follows a White House dinner Monday night hosted by President Trump that focused on efforts to achieve ceasefire and hostage
deal in Gaza and recent U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
[11:30:00]
Netanyahu said Israel and the U.S., were working closely to find countries that will give Palestinians what he called a better future. The prime
minister also surprised the president by handing him a copy of a letter nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize, something that Trump has long --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: So, I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize Committee, it's
nominating you for the Peace Prize, which is well deserved, and you should get it.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Thank you very much. This I didn't know. Well, thank you very much.
NETANYAHU: Thank you.
TRUMP: Coming from you in particular, this is very meaningful. Thank you very much Bibi.
NETANYAHU: Thank you. Thank you for everything you're doing.
TRUMP: Thank you. It's great honor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: All right, joining us now. CNN's Political and National Security Analyst David Sanger, he's also the author of "New Cold Wars", China's
rise, Russia's invasion, and America's struggle to defend the West. David, good to see you. No one can deny that Prime Minister Netanyahu knows how to
read President Trump quite well. He is an experienced and savvy politician.
ASHER: Very smart.
GOLODRYGA: And the two have known each other for quite a while. So, what better to warm his heart than by delivering him notification that he has
been nominated by Israel for a Nobel Peace Prize. But other than that, symbolism and then, of course, more platitudes about moving forward with
some sort of negotiated ceasefire hostage deal.
Were you surprised that nothing more tangible came out of the that presser? Because, I mean, they were at dinner. We don't know anything else of
substance that happened after that.
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL & NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Right.
GOLODRYGA: But from what we were exposed to as journalists, it didn't seem like much.
SANGER: It sure didn't look as, usually, you don't know very much about who gets nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, but of course, we've seen other
cases in which people have made public their nominations of President Trump, because they know what this means to him.
He's also said he doesn't think the Nobel Committee would ever give him the Peace Prize. I think much of the confusion that we had about what their
positions were coming out of that press conference were quite deliberate. The ceasefire they are discussing is 60 days, and would involve the release
of about 10 Israeli hostages who are believed to be alive and a good number who are believed, sadly, to be deceased.
And then, of course, releases of Palestinians in larger numbers. But the big question isn't that is, what happens after that? Because essentially,
the Israeli position unchanged has been Hamas cannot run Gaza, and that Israel will for security purposes. You'll remember that it was just a year,
year and a half ago, when we were hearing from the Biden Administration.
Israel cannot be the one running Gaza. Someone else has got to step in to do that, whether it's the Palestinian authority or others. And so far, we
have heard no plan from the prime minister about who, other than Israel, would actually run the place. Now maybe he can get some Arab states to go
do it. It's been 18 months of war, and we haven't seen any evidence that they're eager to do so.
ASHER: And David, just in terms of just to sort of follow up on what Bianna was, both of you are talking about there with the letter that Netanyahu
presented Trump, essentially nominating him for a Nobel Peace Prize. I mean, one of the things that Netanyahu said is that the reason why he did
it is because Trump is forging peace.
As we speak, in one country, in one region after the other, obviously talking about, you know, the fact that the U.S. sort of essentially
brokered the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran. The U.S. is limited sanctions, or removed most of its sanctions against Syria, for
example, and is trying to sort of negotiate a of negotiate relations between Israel and Syria.
And of course, Donald Trump is now calling for an end to the war in Gaza. But you know, Netanyahu is praising Trump all of this. But is that really
what Netanyahu actually wants from Trump?
SANGER: I don't think so.
ASHER: Exactly.
SANGER: I think what he is look -- yeah, he's, looking for U.S. support for whatever Israel decides to do on the ground. He's gotten very little
resistance. He embraced the president's concept of turning Gaza into a great series of hotel resorts, which didn't really explain what you would
do with the Palestinian people who live there now.
President hasn't talked about that much lately, but the prime minister has why, because he knows it freezes the situation while that is discussed. And
the most interesting is they really didn't discuss the next step with Iran.
[11:35:00]
The president did say that the Iranians want to speak and maybe have some kind of broader agreement, but we don't know what that agreement would look
like. And so, it's very possible that it's a situation where Israel wants to be able to go in and mow the lawn, if they see as the phrase they use
for going in and attacking any indication that Iran is reconstituting its nuclear sites.
GOLODRYGA: And we're also getting reporting from French diplomatic sources that France, Germany and Britain are threatening snapback in terms of
sanctions against Iran if they do not comply with the Non-proliferation Treaty, which they had said that they most likely would not following those
attacks.
But David, we also didn't hear from President Trump on whether or not he would support continued attacks against Iran, if need be, by Israel. If
Israel senses that Iran is trying to reconstitute their nuclear program or their ballistic program, at that they have been set back significantly, but
the desire to reconstitute, I would imagine, is still there at even a greater degree from Iran at this point.
SANGER: Yeah, Bianna, as we've talked about before, president acting as if the Iranian reaction is that they're no longer interested in a nuclear
program, he said that explicitly, when, in fact, the Iranians have been pretty clear they have no intention of giving up enrichment, and that means
rebuilding it somewhere, and probably rebuilding it secretly.
The violation of the NPT that you referred to, was their decision to oust the inspectors, the international inspectors who work for the International
Atomic Energy Agency, a UN bureau, they have now all left Iran. And so that means that almost anything that gets reconstituted will happen in secret.
And it's hard for me to believe that the president, given the events of the past few weeks, wouldn't support the Israelis if they decide to go in and
hit some building or laboratory that they claim is part of that effort to reconstitute the bomb project.
GOLODRYGA: And that is something they view as deterrence that has been set unprecedented from both the United States and Israel.
SANGER: Yeah.
GOLODRYGA: Not only threatening to take action, but actually doing so. David Sanger, always good to see you. Thank you for joining us. It looks
like you may be on holiday. Well-deserved sir. Thank you for taking some time to speak with us and connect to Wi-Fi and put a suit on. We appreciate
it.
SANGER: Well, I keep --
ASHER: We assumed a lot --
GOLODRYGA: Yes, you may be having important meeting out there. Yes. Exactly.
SANGER: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: OK.
SANGER: Yes. Yes. Take care.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you.
ASHER: Right, still to come here on "One World", the faces of the victims, a look at the lives cut short when water swept away a summer camp in Texas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:40:00]
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. Here are some of the headlines we're watching today.
ASHER: All right. Benjamin Netanyahu is set to arrive on Capitol Hill soon to meet with the U.S. House Speaker and other congressional leaders. It
follows his dinner with President Trump at the White House Monday night, where the two leaders discussed efforts for Gaza ceasefire and hostage
deal, and the U.S. strikes on Iran.
GOLODRYGA: President Trump says the U.S. will send additional defensive weapons to Ukraine to repel intensifying attacks from Russia. This is a
turnaround from last week's position, when his administration said that it was causing some weapon shipments to Ukraine, including patriot air defense
missiles.
ASHER: President Trump informed 14 countries Monday that tariffs on their exports to the U.S. could jump to as much as 40 percent unless a deal is
reached. But he also delayed implementing what he calls reciprocal tariffs from July 9th to August 1st for all countries except China.
U.S., stocks dropped following Trump's announcements, which included 25 percent tariffs on goods from Japan and South Korea.
GOLODRYGA: Rescue workers continue to search for the missing from last week's flash floods in Texas. In a bit of good news, weather forecasters
say they expect today to be much drier than recent days, with fewer chances of storms that can lead to more flooding.
ASHER: All right. We're beginning to learn a little bit more about the lives lost in the floods. At least 27 campers and councilors at Camp Mystic
were swept away by the waters.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, we learned at a news conference a short time ago that 6 others from the camp are still missing. Here's CNN's Tom Foreman with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the wake of the rising Texas floodwaters, the list of victims is growing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my god.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Especially at Camp Mystic, where more than two dozen campers and counselors die. Lila Bonner was there enjoying the summer
before third grade. Her parents wrote we ache with all who loved her. They say she was killed with her cabin mate and best friend Eloise Peck her
family says she loved spaghetti, dogs and animals.
A vigil was quickly called for Linnie McCown and Mary Stevens, two elementary school age victims from Austin, while elsewhere, families are
mourning Rene Smajstrla, Janie Hunt and Hadley Hanna, who was enjoying her first year at the camp. Her mom said she was the most joyful, happy kid.
Anna Margaret Bellows came from Houston. Sarah Marsh came from near Birmingham, and Camp Owner Dick Eastland came to the rescue as hundreds of
campers were pulled to safety. His grandson says Eastland lost his life trying to reach more noting on Instagram, if he wasn't going to die of
natural causes, this was the only other way saving the girls that he so loved and cared for.
HERRING: I've lost two friends. We left, and they're gone.
FOREMAN (voice-over): The search for the flood victims is stretching over dozens of miles along rivers and creeks, through valleys and trees.
LOUIS AMESTOY, EDITOR & PUBLISHER OF THE KERR COUNTY LEAD: You've seen the debris fields here. I mean, there's probably people possibly buried in some
of those debris' fields, and it's going to take a long time to get those folks out.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Anywhere anyone might be.
TONIA FUCCI, FLOOD WITNESS: You just want them to be found for the sakes of the families. But you know, it's not going to be a good ending.
[11:45:00]
FOREMAN (voice-over): It was not good for the Harber family, Blair 13 and Brooke 11 disappeared along with their grandparents. The family says the
girls were found holding hands in death. No word on the grandparents. Jane Ragsdale was the owner of another nearby summer camp. It was empty, but she
died there just the same.
GREG WHITE, FRIEND BILL HOUSTON MISSING IN FLOOD: RV park was just gone. Everything it was, you know, it's wasn't on this earth anymore.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Greg White's friend Bill Houston is nowhere to be found, although White says the body of Bill's dog sage was discovered in
the debris. High School Soccer Coach Reece Zunker and his wife Paula were swept away. Psychologist and college professor Katheryn Eads too.
And even as some campers have ridden away from the calamities, singing songs of faith. Sad search for more victims goes on. Tom Foreman, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Obviously really difficult to watch just what happened to Canton -- specifically. And if you'd like to help those affected by flooding in
Texas, go to cnn.com/impact, you can find resources for donations, and then you'll be connected to charities that are on the ground there right now,
helping those in need. We'll be right back after this short break with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Well, welcome back, everyone. No clear direction in U.S. stock market so far this session. Let's take a look. If you can bring it up
on the screen. I never know which way to look. Comes on the screen. There it is on your screen right now. It's basically flat right after a down day
on Tuesday's yesterday's sell off, sparked by a new round of tariff threats from President Donald Trump.
GOLODRYGA: And things are developing fast on the trade front. It's all changed for President Trump's deadline for countries to make a deal to
avoid the new tariff rates. It's now August 1, instead of tomorrow, and the president signaling even that day could be flexible.
ASHER: Yeah, Trump said his new deadline is firm, but not a 100 percent firm, indicating that trading partners do indeed have time to negotiate.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, Quasi firm. I don't know if that's how to describe it. On Monday, he said --
ASHER: 99 percent --
[11:50:00]
GOLODRYGA: 99, he sent out a wave of letters warning of new tariff rates of up to 40 percent if no deals are reached.
ASHER: CNN's Anna Stewart joins us live now from London. So, Anna, you and I were talking about this sort of Trump TACO, which really is a thing now,
just in terms of looking at market reaction, I mean, the DOW is pretty much flat. If this was six months ago or four months ago, there would be a
massive reaction to this.
But we're so used to deadlines being delayed and things changing, and the goal posts, you know, continuing to move. Obviously, this is difficult for
OK, I'm sorry, Anna, President Trump is actually speaking at the White House right now, let's listen in.
GOLODRYGA: -- probably about this.
ASHER: Yes.
TRUMP: -- these last few days, done an incredible job, as you know, Kristi Noem, I'm going to ask you to say a few words about Texas. The first person
there was first person I saw on television was you actually, and you've worked great with the governor. It's terrific.
And you might want to tell a little bit about the trials and tribulations, but we appreciate the job that you and everybody have done. You had people
there as fast as anybody has ever seen. So really appreciate it. We all do. And maybe you could say a few words.
KRISTI NOEM, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Well, thank you, Mr. President, I want to thank you for your leadership. Texas is strong, and
the people of Texas are incredibly strong. They've gone through something that is absolutely horrific, and it is heartbreaking to watch these
families suffer the way that they are.
As soon as this flash flooding event happened, you know, the governor has activated his emergency responders. Nim Kidd is his Emergency Management
Director who is incredible and has immediately worked with the local first responders to get help to individuals and get them evacuated, put requests
into me.
We deployed, sir, right away, as I've -- as you know, because you and I were talking a lot during this time that Coast Guard. We also had some
assets out of customs and border protection. Border Protection, our board tech teams went in and helped with rescues and clearing debris so that we
could get roads open and people get the help that they need.
I think when I got there, the most served that day, as soon as I arrived on site, was getting a briefing from all the emergency responders. Responders
were just how unified they were in focusing on the fact that there were there to save lives. They were there to rescue people, find people who were
still alive, and to reunify them with their family members.
We as a federal government don't manage these disasters. The state does. We come in and support them, and that's exactly what we did here in this
situation, FEMA went to an enhanced level immediately, but as soon as you signed the major disaster declaration, we were able to get them resources
and dollars right away, just like you envisioned, through state block grants to help them with clean up.
And we're still there in presence, and FEMA has been deployed, and we're cutting through the paperwork of the old FEMA, streamlining it, much like
your vision of how FEMA should operate, and it's been a much better response to help these families get through this terrible situation.
We still are looking for people. We're still looking for a lot of little girls and other family members that were camping along that river, and they
will continue until they find every single person, and we will continue to help them and assist in that. I was surprised when I got there at the camp
that day, right after this happened.
The parents that were there, the parents that were looking for their children and picking up their daughter's stuffed animals out of the mud and
finding their daughter's shoe that might be laying in the cabin, and just hugging and comforting people matters a lot. I'm extremely grateful for
God's hand in that whole situation, because hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people were saved.
And this is a time for all of us in this country to remember that we were created to serve each other.
TRUMP: Yeah.
NOEM: We were -- God created us to take care of each other, and that when we do that, we are happier, we are more fulfilled, and we can walk
alongside people on their worst day and help them get through it and come out the other side knowing that we can continue to live a life that God has
purposed for us.
So, they're grateful for you. I -- several times the day after the flooding, you and Melania were on the phone with me, and I want to thank
you for that, that meant the world. I was able to tell many of those folks that I had been visiting with you and that you had said, whatever they
need, Kristi, let's deploy it and get it down there and be helpful.
[11:55:00]
And on Sunday, when the families were waiting at a church to identify their children's bodies. Franklin Graham and I called in and prayed with the
families and read some scripture with them, and he was incredible in making himself available to that as well. We'll be back down there in a couple of
days and continue to do all we can.
But this is an unprecedented event. It really is. There's been tragedies like this around the country, but everyone is unique in different
situations. And you know, the response the federal government had supporting the state through this, I'm proud of the people that stepped up
and immediately came the Coast Guard when they came in.
They had a difficult time, even getting the aircraft in and landed. They had to try several times in the weather to get it in and deploy. And I
think we, we've heard about, you know, our one Coast Guard member that was responsible for saving over 165 people, but that entire crew did incredible
work, and all the first responders there did incredible work.
And I know people are getting tired now, but they're getting reinforcements, and volunteers are showing up, and I just want to commend
the governor and his team for being the leaders, and they're so thankful that you're letting them make the decisions and manage the response like it
should be, and then us supporting them with the resources of the federal government.
We've already deployed dollars to the state, much like the block grants that you've talked about so. Very grateful for that, sir.
TRUMP: There's never been a wave like this outside of the breaking of a dam. This was almost a wave that was 80 feet high, more actually. Now with
the dam, you can understand it, but this approach, almost with that speed, when you see a dam break, it's not a pretty sight. It wipes out everything.
And this is the kind of thing that built up so fast, and it's happened two or three times before over the years, but not to this extent. But tell them
when you met the father who was picking up the daughter's clothing and --
NOEM: I had walked through the cabin where all the little girls died, and I had kind of fallen apart in there. But I walked out of the cabin, and one
gentleman was standing there, and he said, that man over there needs a hug. And so, I walked over to him, and I hugged him, and I said, do you work
here?
And he said, no, my little girl was in that cabin. And he said, and I just found her best friend. About an hour and a half ago, she had passed away,
and he just fell apart. And so, then we just hugged and talked for probably an hour about that. But then there was another, the grandpa was there
looking for his granddaughter as well.
There was a dad there of one of the counselors. The counselor was alive, but she was dealing with the fact that she had hung on to some of these
girls and was trying to keep them out of the flood waters, and had gotten hit by something, and had lost two of the girls and wasn't able to hang on
to them, and was going to live the rest of her life thinking about that moment when she wasn't able to hang on to these girls.
But these parents were picking up their kids as belongings out of the mud and throughout the camp and putting them in bags. And then one of the dads
said, I knew 50 of these girls here, so I'm -- what I knew that was her dress and my daughter's friend's dress. So, I was -- he was picking it up
and putting it in a bag to return to her parents.
And so, it was a -- and then the director was there comforting everybody who had lost his father the night before, too, and he was still there
trying to facilitate all of these parents grieving their children and find them. So, the strength of people is incredible.
One of the things that I asked there today, that day, was that they all have escorts or counselors when parents come in that, so from that point
that when they came into the camp, that they have somebody with them when they're going and looking for their children's belongings, or looking for
their children. And so, very emotional, but also just so tragic.
TRUMP: Yeah, relationship with Texas and the governor has been very good for years with me, but the relationship with their first responders and us
with our first responders and lots of other people, and we brought in a lot of helicopters from all over, and we had a lot of helicopters.
It was actually dangerous, a lot of helicopters up there, but they were real pros, and they were responsible for pulling out a lot of people. And
we got them there fast, and they -- Texas had some good ones too, but the response has been incredible. And the fact that we got along so well, I
don't know that's not. I don't even think that's a political thing, but we got along so well, and it was so unified.
END
