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One World with Zain Asher

Trump Arrives in Texas to Tour Flood Damage; Firefighter Requesting Emergency Alert Before Floods Arrive; State Department Firing More Than 1,300 Staff; Hamas Accuses Netanyahu of Obstructing Ceasefire Deal; Israeli Airstrike Kills 15 Near Medical Clinic; U.S. Sending Weapons to Ukraine Through NATO; ICE Agents Clash with Protestors; Grim and Desperate Search in Texas; U.N.: Iran Deports 500,000 Afghans; Amanda Anisimova Head to the Wimbledon Final. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired July 11, 2025 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: All right. Coming to you live from New York. I am Zain Asher. Bianna is off today. You are watching "One World."

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives in Central Texas this hour, one week after rain and flash floods ripped through the state. Donald Trump and

First Lady Melania will meet with families of victims and other officials as well. The president spoke to reporters before leaving the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It's a horrible thing. A horrible thing. Nobody can even believe such a thing. That much water that fast, without a

dam break. You'd think a dam would've to break to have it. So, it's a terrible thing, But we're going to be there with some of the great families

and others, the governor, everybody is going to be there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: A makeshift memorial has sprung up in hard -- in the hard-hit town of Kerrville, Texas as the death toll continues to climb. At least 121

people have been killed and scores are still missing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Vigils are being held across the state as people unite in grief and mourn the victims with both song and prayer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To help. The love that we have for one another. We're people, no matter what color you are, we're people, no matter what flags

we're holding, we are people and we love each other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: The president is slated to visit Texas. Actually, he just landed in Texas. He's slated to visit the hard-hit town of Kerrville, an area where

some hundred and 50 people are still missing. CNN's Julia Vargas Jones is on the scene in Kerrville, and she filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When President Trump and the first lady arrive here in Kerr County, what they will see is this. The river now

back to almost its normal level, but a path of destruction.

We are standing between the river and Route 39, this highway that has been hit so hard, so many homes and vacation destinations. Where we are now,

this used to be an RV park. The owner also owns a restaurant here that's Howdy's Restaurant, and it has become a bit of a point where first

responders and volunteers get together in this patch from here, but it is also a place that saw so much destruction. It's not just the loss of

property that you see behind me, but also one of the employees in this very place lost his life in these floods.

Now, the president is expected to meet with local authorities and also hear from some of the families who have lost loved ones in this massive, massive

tragedy. But he will also be pushing back on some of the mounting criticism of the response, both at a federal level and the local level. The federal

level, as there has been some criticism that the response from FEMA took too long to be authorized, but at a local level as well as officials here

say that they had warned of potential issues of this very magnitude back in October in a report that was submitted to the federal government.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Kerr County, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Questions are still swirling about the response from local, state, and federal officials on the day of the disaster, early on July 4th, even

as flood water surged. At around 4:22 in the morning, a local firefighter asked that an alert to be sent out to warn the public. It took nearly six

hours before some residents got that alert. CNN has obtained dispatch audio recording of that call. We want you to listen to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Standby. We have to get that approved with our supervisor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: The man who shared that audio clip of CNN spoke to us on Thursday. He's a former director for Kerr County who helped install the Code Red

System. He told us that even at 4:20 a.m. a warning might have been futile.

[13:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN DAVID TROLINGER, FORMER IT DIRECTOR TO KERR COUNTY: I fully believe that a really quick action could have -- and I'm not going to hindsight at

all, but a quick action could have helped people downriver. But at 3:30, once it hit 4:30, it was just too late. The code red would've been

ineffective in my opinion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Let's bring in Dillon Collier, an investigative reporter for CNN Affiliate Station KSAT. He joins us live now from Kerrville, Texas. Dillon,

thank you so much for being with us. Obviously, there have been some really harsh criticisms leveled at the Trump administration, especially when it

comes to the FEMA response. Explain to us what sort of questions people have on the ground still as the president lands there.

DILLON COLLIER, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, KSAT: Zain, thank you for having me. The big question, at least from survivors that we've spoken to over the

last week has been, why didn't we have more warning? You mentioned the code red alert system, and that code red that a firefighter who was in Hunt

along Texas 39 was calling for at 4:22 a.m., the earliest alert that came out of that system reached some people in the area at 5:34 a.m. So, you're

talking well over an hour delay for the earliest alert to go out. And again, as you mentioned, some people did not receive that alert until the

10:00 hours.

So, six hours to receive any sort of notification on their phone via text message or a phone alert for a system that had been in place for 16 years

here in Kerr County, and a system that had a huge public relations push behind it when it was first introduced here.

ASHER: And, Dillon, when you think about just all the sort of different factors that worked against, you know, the people who ended up losing their

lives, I mean, the fact that this disaster took place in the early hours of the morning, the fact that you had a lot of people clearly still sleeping,

the fact that, you know, there were just -- there were so many issues, especially when it came to just how quickly the flood waters rose, would

there actually have been any way to fully prepare for a disaster of this magnitude?

COLLIER: The only way to fully repair would've been to leave the riverside before the storm even hit early Friday morning. The warnings that began to

come out around that time were for a flood watch and then a flood warning, and then, actual alert saying that this is a flood event going on where you

are at this minute.

So, short of people not going to bed along the Guadalupe River Thursday into Friday. So, that would've been the 3rd into the 4th. There would not

have been a lot to do to get people out of here short of sending out alerts once this flood event began.

ASHER: And just in terms of, you know, local officials, we've seen a number of press conferences this week. Local officials have been really

pressed for answers by journalists, by some of our own reporters here at CNN. And their response has oftentimes, you know, they've appeared to sort

of try to pivot. They've appeared to sort of try to dodge some of the hard questions here, essentially saying that there will be a time and a place

for those sorts of analysis and that kind of investigation.

What has been the response and how are people on the ground reacting to how local officials have been perhaps in -- you know, some of might view

dodging answering some of the hard questions?

COLLIER: After-action is the phrase that Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha has been using. He keeps telling the media during those press briefings

that there will be an after-action report that's put together. And to be quite honest, the survivors, the people that we speak to in Kerrville,

Hunt, in Ingram, they're asking those questions now. They're not in the group that's going to wait for an after-action report. These are people who

lost loved ones, survived horrendous conditions, were pulled out of a raging river, and they're asking those questions now, which is why we're

asking those questions now.

ASHER: Talk to us about the fact that you have 160 people still missing at this point in time. You know, I keep talking on the show about the fact

that that is obviously incredibly difficult for those family members who have no idea if or when to begin their grieving process. They have no idea

what exactly has happened to their loved ones, and they might never really know. Just give us your take on, you know, the emotional turmoil that this

community is going through, particularly those who are still waiting for answers.

[13:10:00]

COLLIER: It's extremely hard on them. We're talking about that corridor of the Hill Country, Kerrville, Ingram, Hunt. Each city separated by just a

few miles. This place will never be the same. Not only has the topography changed, you have beaches where it used to be grass and trees, but you have

an emotional toll that, you know, certainly won't begin to heal until these loved ones are recovered, and quite honestly may never heal.

ASHER: And just with FEMA, you know, a lot of us have been talking about FEMA and their response and the criticism that has been leveled at FEMA.

Based on reports that we've seen, FEMA lost about a quarter of its workforce. How much blame is there being leveled towards FEMA at this point

in time?

COLLIER: I have not heard a lot of -- I've not heard a lot of criticism towards FEMA at the local level. I know they opened for operation this

morning. President Trump extended the federal disaster declaration to eight other counties around Kerr County. He had already put that in place for

Kerr County.

That criticism, at least here in Kerrville, has not been as biting as questions about the alert system and really whether Kerr County had an

emergency management plan in place heading into July 4th.

ASHER: All right. Dillon Collier, live for us. Thank you so much. We appreciate it. All right. To the State Department now where mass firings

are underway, more than 1,300 people are expected to lose their jobs. Part of Secretary of State Marco Rubio's dramatic downsizing after he called the

department bloated. CNN's Jennifer Hansler joins us live now from the State Department. Jennifer, what more can you tell us?

JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, Zain, these firings, as you said, are underway at this moment. People are receiving

notices in their e-mails saying that they have been laid off from their jobs.

Now, this comes as part of a broader restructuring of the State Department that has seen a drastic elimination of -- and changing of office this year.

There are about 300 offices and bureaus that are impacted by this restructuring plan that was able to move ahead after the Supreme Court gave

a green light earlier this week.

Now, former officials, former diplomats, as well as current diplomats have pushed back and said, this is coming at a time when diplomacy and expertise

in foreign affairs is more important than ever, particularly with crises raging around the globe that the Trump administration says it wants to

resolve. These cuts are coming across the board at basically every single office you can think of here. The restructuring also has eliminated offices

that are focused on human rights, on refugee repopulation, and such things. These are hitting foreign service officers as well as civil servants.

I can give you the numbers here. According to an internal memo, there are 1,107 civil service members who are being laid off today, and 246 foreign

service officers. And this latter group, the foreign service officers, they are usually highly specialized, highly trained. They speak multiple

languages, and they serve around the world at embassies and consulates.

Now, the State Department says that, you know, they're not making cuts overseas right now, but there's inevitably going to be an impact when there

is that reduction of staff here in Washington, D.C. I spoke earlier this week with Tom Yazdgerdi, who is the president of the American Foreign

Service Association, and he told me this, quote, "There are horrible things that are happening in the world that require a tried-and-true diplomatic

workforce that's able to address that. The ability to maintain a presence in the areas of the world that are incredibly important, dealing with

issues like Ukraine, like Gaza, and like Iran right now."

Now, state Department officials said they weren't looking at personnel when they made these cuts, they were only looking at the functions that these

employees were carrying out. State Department -- secretary of State, rather, Marco Rubio was asked about the cuts yesterday and he defended

them, saying he had done them in a very careful and precise manner. Take a listen to what he said.

And then -- it sounds like we don't have that quote ready. But, you know, this is coming of course, as this has been looming over the State

Department for weeks and weeks, people have been afraid. There's been really tough hits on morale here in the building, and folks are finding out

right now whether the careers they've devoted years, if not decades to are still going to be around. Zain.

ASHER: All right. Jennifer Hansler, live for us from the State Department, thank you so much. All right. Hamas is accusing the Israeli prime minister

of obstructing a temporary ceasefire agreement. That comes just hours after Benjamin Netanyahu delivered this message from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): At the beginning of this ceasefire, we will enter negotiations for a permanent end

of the war, meaning a permanent ceasefire. If it can't be achieved in 60 days of talks, we'll achieve it by other means, by using the power of our

heroic army.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:15:00]

ASHER: As the negotiations grind on in Qatar, Israeli strikes in Gaza have continued unabated. Over 500 people have been killed by Israeli attacks

this week alone, including 15 who are waiting in line for supplies at a medical clinic yesterday in Central Gaza.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is following the developments from Tel Aviv. So, Jeremy, obviously, this comes at a time when you have had hundreds of

people also killed in Gaza as they've been lining up for food at a time when the enclave has been on the brink of famine. What's been re the

reaction to this, Jeremy?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JEREMY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, listen, this is just a reminder of how much is riding on those ceasefire negotiations. You

know, we talk about these ceasefire negotiations day in and day out, but it's important to keep in mind what it means. We are talking about the

lives of 50 hostages held in Gaza, about 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.

We are talking about the 2 million Palestinians who still live in Gaza, who are still -- you know, one in three of them are struggling to find enough

food, going days without eating food. 90,000 Palestinian women and children in need of urgent care for acute malnutrition. And of course, the hundreds

who were killed just this week alone in Israeli airstrikes and shooting incidents near those Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid centers over the

course of this war.

And indeed, yesterday we saw this harrowing incident where 15 people were, killed including eight of them children who were with their families while

they were waiting to get access to this health clinic in Central Gaza, that was actually run by an American nonprofit called Project Hope. Among the

victims, the youngest we are now learning is a one-year-old boy named Mohamed (ph). UNICEF, which was a partner of Project Hope, said that

Mohamed (ph) had just uttered his first words hours before he was killed.

UNICEF is now calling on Israel to not only investigate this attack, but also to, quote, "urgently review" its rules of engagement. The Israeli

military for its part has said that it -- that the incident was under review and it claimed that it was targeting a single Hamas militant whose

name they declined to provide to us. And again, all of this is happening as we are watching those ongoing ceasefire and hostage deal negotiations.

The Israeli prime minister returned from Israel after days of meetings in Washington, aimed at trying to reach that ceasefire agreement, according to

President Trump who said he believed that it could be reached by the end of this week. But Netanyahu is now back in Israel and there is no deal.

The Israeli prime minister has said that he believes the deal can be reached within days. But as far as I understand it, Zain, there are --

there is still one major sticking point and that is the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, when, and whether they would withdraw from

certain parts of the strip, including one of the sticking points is the Morag Corridor, which separates the city of Rafah from the rest of the Gaza

Strip, and that is the subject of some of these contentious negotiations.

We are also waiting to see when Steve Witkoff, President Trump's special envoy, will actually head to Doha. He was supposed to leave later this

week. That hasn't happened yet. Perhaps a sign that they're waiting for more progress to be reached before he travels there. Zain.

ASHER: All right. Jeremy Diamond live for us there, thank you so much. Donald Trump says he'll make what he's calling a major statement on Russia

this Monday. This comes after the U.S. president announced a deal with NATO to get weapons to Ukraine. His special envoy, Keith Kellogg, is expected on

the ground in Ukraine on Monday for what's being called an important dialogue between the U.S. and Ukraine. These developments come during a

week of unprecedented Russian drone strikes against Ukraine. At least 10 people have been killed and dozens wounded over the past 24 hours.

You are looking at video of a maternity hospital in Kharkiv after it was struck overnight. A new mother there barely managed to find safety with her

baby and husband.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLEKSANDRA LAVRYNENKO, NEW MOTHER WHO FLED THE BOMBING (through translator): We woke up and heard a very loud whistle. My husband and I

got up and rushed to our little one. And at that moment, there was a hit and the window shattered. Thank God we are alive and unharmed. We grabbed

our son and ran to the basement.

It is very difficult and scary to give birth at this time, but life goes on. We pray to God that all the children and their mothers will be well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: A man hunt is underway for the suspect who shot and killed a Ukrainian intelligence officer Thursday in Kyiv. It's important to note,

we're not showing the moment of the fatal shooting itself. This clip shows the male officer carrying a couple of bags and heading towards a car parked

nearby. He is then approached by a mask individual who appears to fire a gun at the man who then collapses to the ground.

[13:20:00]

The officer worked for the SBU. That's Ukraine's main security service responsible for Kyiv's drone attack against Russian airfields last month.

It's a big part of Ukraine's effort to mask a -- master, rather, covert warfare as CNN's Tom Foreman explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, more than three years ago, and the very visible fighting began,

the Ukrainians have been mastering largely invisible warfare, picking off key Russian targets in places they might have thought safe.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What we know what happened is that she was traveling in this vehicle when the vehicle

blew up.

FOREMEN (voice over): In 2022, the daughter of an outspoken Russian war supporter who also promoted the Russian cause was killed just outside

Moscow. In 2023, a pro-war Russian blogger was killed in Saint Petersburg, reportedly by a bomb hidden in a small statue.

In 2024, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, a key figure in Russia's radiological, biological and chemical defense forces, was killed by a bomb

planted in a scooter just a few miles from the Kremlin, and a car bomb took another general in a Moscow suburb earlier this year.

In every case, Ukrainian agents were either highly suspected or Ukraine openly took credit. What's more, the covert agents have played a role in

some of the most dramatic drone attacks. After Operation Spider Web damaged or destroyed scores of Russian aircraft in June. The head of the Ukrainian

security service celebrated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): How beautiful it looks, this airbase Belaya.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Our operation spider web yesterday proved that Russia must feel what its losses mean.

FOREMEN (voice over): By all accounts, the Russians have tried to do the same. Allegedly repeatedly trying to assassinate Ukrainian President

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, among others. That's one reason the killing of that security service agent in Kyiv is drawing so much attention. And according

to some international reports, celebration on the Russian front.

Tom Foreman, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right. Still to come here on "One World" --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They started throwing pepper balls, tear gas, smoke everything. Just trying to disperse us because they're scared. They know

that we're going to push back against it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Tensions rise at a marijuana farm in Los Angeles as ICE agents and protestors clash. And the incredible journey of one tennis player from her

mental health break to the Wimbledon final. We'll bring you the story of Amanda Anisimova.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:25:00]

ASHER: 10 scenes out of Ventura County in California between protesters and federal agents. Video shows agents using tear gas canisters into the

crowd outside of marijuana farm. The Ventura County Fire Department were called to the scene after receiving calls of breathing problems in the

area. The mayor of Oxnard, Luis McArthur, described the actions taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as bold and aggressive.

With more details on this is Veronica Miracle. Veronica, just walk us through what happened and just set the scene for us in terms of what's

happening right now.

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely, Zain. Well, the fallout from yesterday's situation has been great, and it's still evolving.

In fact, the response from city leaders and activist groups has been swift. You could see a group right behind us, they're gathered. This is the end of

a long march and they're holding an event right here.

And Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also just held a press conference. And she signed an executive directive in order to bolster the city's response in

order to support immigrants as well as pursue legal action in any way that they can. She elaborated a little bit on what they plan to do. Here's what

she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN BASS, LOS ANGELES MAYOR: These folks are parachuting in and I'm assuming are going to be parachuting out. So, what is the threat? And what

is the threat if you're carrying weapons on you, with you know, these vests on that have dubious identification? Sometimes it just says police. That's

why I always say it looks like they got them online. You know, they don't even look real. So, that's what we're wanting to know in the FOIA as well.

What are the specific policies that say you need to be masked and that say that you don't have to have proper identification?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MIRACLE: And in terms of what happened at the marijuana farm, it's still not clear how many people were detained. Those numbers have not yet been

released yet. But we did see busloads of people being taken away in the aerial footage that we were monitoring. We also saw people lined up and

detained next to facilities.

And we also understand from Customs and Border Patrol that at least 10 people were under the age of 18 and discovered on those farms, eight of

them unaccompanied minors. And so, now this is also turning into a child labor violations case. But as we've seen from the videos, the reaction from

protestors when they descended upon this area, it was swift, it got violent. In fact, there's one man identified by the FBI. They're asking for

information leading to his arrest because they say that he pointed a gun and shot at officers. And now, $50,000 reward is out for information

leading to his arrest.

And president -- Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also put out a statement today in response to this saying that the enforcement actions are

unjust and also saying that this is going to hurt the United States economy.

So, exactly what is going to happen from here, it's still unfolding. There's still a lot happening in the courts and here out on the streets.

But all of that still playing out today. Back to you.

ASHER: All right. Veronica. Miracle live for us in Los Angeles, thank you so much. All right. Still to come here, we go back to Texas and the massive

search operation for more than 160 people still missing from those floods.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's so much debris even up in the trees. You can see how high the water reached here,

probably reached a little bit higher than that. And crews here, when they see something, that have to be concerned that there could be someone in

that debris pile still high up in a tree.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:30:00]

ASHER: Welcome back to "One World." I'm Zain Asher. Just minutes ago, Donald Trump and Melania Trump arrived in San Antonio, Texas. They're on

their way to inspect the damage in Kerr County, in the Texas Hill Country after those deadly flash floods that hit early a week ago. The president

will also sit down for chat with first responders and local officials too. At last report, there were more than 120 people confirmed dead and over 160

still missing from the floods.

Let's go straight now to CNN's Ed Lavandera in Kerrville, Texas with the very latest. So, listen, Ed, it's been one week, right, one week. Since

these flash floods occurred. Obviously, this community is still grieving. They're still coming to terms with what's happened. And also, you know, a

lot of the people who have loved ones who are still missing are still hoping, praying for a miracle at this point. Just walk us through where

things stand in terms of the cleanup and recovery efforts on that front.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's incredible to think that a week ago, this riverbed that you see behind me was raging

with flood waters. And as President Trump is shortly expected to reach this area, Kerr County, where we have been reporting from for the last week,

he's going to find people who are very much still entrenched in what you're talking about, the hope and the search for the missing and also the

cleanup.

And the question so many people have is just, you know, is the support that they're seeing now is it going to last to be able to help this community

get through this ordeal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Passing through the gates of the Last Gap Ranch in Center Point, Texas. Volunteer firefighter Razor Dobbs takes us to the edge

of a sunflower field. The beauty eclipsed by heartbreak.

RAZOR DOBBS, CENTER POINT, TEXAS VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT: Yes, there's been a lot of victims in this area, right here.

LAVANDERA: And this is a place that's home to you.

DOBBS: This river is this whole community's home. This river is like the backbone, this river is where people that grew up on this river and their

kids are growing up on this river.

LAVANDERA (voice over): This is the story of one spot along the Guadalupe River and the monumental task of finding the missing.

DOBBS: This is a pinprick. This is a little bitty one frame of the whole movie of equipment.

LAVANDERA: Right.

DOBBS: I mean, this operation right here is going for 30 miles plus.

[13:35:00]

LAVANDERA: All the way back to Camp Mystic.

DOBBS: Yes. And so, it is crazy.

LAVANDERA (voice over): Heavy machinery has taken over the banks of the Guadalupe River. Makeshift roads have been carved into the river's edge to

haul out mountains of debris.

DOBBS: This whole area right here was a huge debris field. It was full of not only, you know, natural debris, but it was full of, you know, remnants

of RVs, houses, boats, you know, just names. So, which triggers the search and rescue people that OK, this is a hotbed.

LAVANDERA (voice over): Razor can't say how many bodies have been found along this tiny stretch of the river. But every day since the July 4th

flood, he says, search teams have uncovered victims here. This spot is about 30 miles downriver from Camp Mystic, the discoveries uncovered here

have shocked him.

LAVANDERA: What kind of debris have you guys found down here as well?

DOBBS: Well, we've found signage from the camp part of the hills that's up there by Camp Mystic. That's 30 miles away.

LAVANDERA: That's staggering.

DOBBS: That's staggering. That's the power of this river.

LAVANDERA: This is what the search crews are having to navigate their way through these massive cypress trees that have been ripped out of the

ground. All of this was well under water here. And there's so much debris even up in the trees. You can see how high the water reached here. Probably

reached a little bit higher than that. And crews here, when they see something that have to be concerned that there could be someone in that

debris pile still high up in a tree.

LAVANDERA (voice over): Navigating our way through the riverbed, we came across a group of volunteers trudging through terrain. A group of strangers

who have come together to help.

REX CASHION, VOLUNTEER: We just all have that one common goal of helping the community and helping fellow Texans.

LAVANDERA (voice over): One week into this tragedy, and there's an outpouring of gratitude for the volunteers and emergency teams working

along the river.

LAVANDERA: As you sit here and you watch this operation, and it is heroic on so many levels. But do you think it's possible that there are some

families who are just not going to get their loved ones back?

DOBBS: You know, right now, I'm not even going to think about that. You know, right now, my mentality and our mentality thing is we're bringing

people home and that's it.

LAVANDERA (voice over): For seven days, Razor Dobbs and his fellow Center Point volunteer firefighters have worked around the clock. As we navigated

the debris field, he seemed frozen for a moment. A few weeks earlier, he enjoyed a picnic in this spot with his wife and friends.

LAVANDERA: Does it hit you pretty hard?

DOBBS: I don't know, just still numb. I'm still in work mode, but it's -- you know, it is filtering in. You know, my wife came down and from the

house and just looked and she just started crying because not at the destruction of the property. This is going to grow back, but just the

horror and the anguish that these families must feel. Number one, the powerless that -- powerlessness they must feel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (on camera): And, Zain, President Trump, he should be arriving here in this area any moment now. And he's expected to meet with local

officials. And he's also mentioned before he left the White House that he'd be meeting with families affected by the flooding as well.

And as I mentioned off the top, you know, we've heard from a number of people is that one of the concerns as they have is like all of these

volunteers, thousands of volunteers who have poured into this area to help. And some of the, you know, residents we've talked to are concerned that,

you know, eventually those people will have to go back to their homes and their lives, and will the help here remain? Because this is a process that

will take weeks, if not months to get through.

AMANPOUR: All right, Ed Lavandera live for us there, thank you so much. Time now for the exchange. Join me live now is Deanne Criswell. She was the

administrator of FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, during the Biden administration. She is the first ever woman to head up FEMA.

Deanne, thank you so much for being with us. Not just today actually, but honestly, we have so valued your thoughts and your analysis on this story

the entire week. We were talking about it during our morning meeting. So, we are very grateful to have you on.

I do want to start by just talking about that clip of audio that was published, essentially showing that you had a firefighter in Texas saying

there should be a code red, some kind of emergency alert system issued immediately to residents, particularly around the Guadalupe River. And that

emergency alert did eventually go out, but in some parts, it took one hour, in other parts, it took six hours. Six hours.

[13:40:00]

And you can imagine that obviously if that alert had been issued earlier, there probably, not definitely, but probably could have been live saved.

Your reaction to that, Deanne?

DEANNE CRISWELL, FORMER FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR: Zain, early warning is like the most critical thing that communities need

to do in order to protect them. We have notice storms, right, when we're watching hurricanes approach the coast, but then we have these limited

notice storms where those seconds and minutes really make a difference.

The technology is out there and the technology works, but the technology is only as good as the people that are implementing it. And that requires

training and consistent use. And if you're not using it on a regular day- to-day basis, then you don't maybe have that familiarity.

But I also want to say many of these smaller communities and the emergency management positions, these are often under-resourced roles, right?

Emergency managers and emergency management offices sometimes are made up of one person or it's other duty as assigned, especially in a small rural

town. And so, those kinds of roles and responsibilities really do need to be well defined to make sure that they can get out as soon as possible.

I don't know what the case was there. But these are tools that need to be continuously trained on to be used appropriately during times like this.

ASHER: Yes. And I mean, I do want to make it clear that this isn't about blame. You know, I agree with you, this is not about blame. This is really

about learning. You know, we have to sort of learn from this in order to make sure it doesn't happen again or -- and obviously flooding will occur

again. But, you know, communities, especially in areas that are prone to flooding, do have to be more prepared in order to save lives.

When you think about the fact that this Texas firefighter was told by the sort of dispatcher that, you know, it would need supervisor approval. And

this is, of course, 4:00 in the morning, you know, who knows how long that supervisor approval took. I often wonder, you know, after the story came

out, I wondered multiple times, was there really anything that could have been done differently? It makes sense for somebody to need supervisor

approval and plus, it's the middle of the night. So, of course it's going to take time. What could have been done differently to cut the sort of red

tape bureaucracy in a situation like that?

CRISWELL: I think especially when we're talking about rural communities that don't have maybe a 24/7 operation center that can process some of

these requests quickly, you have to be able to, again, define roles and responsibilities down to the lowest level and give them the training and

the support that they need to be able to make those decisions when they're necessary.

But you can also invest in low-cost things, like NOAA weather radios, right? NOAA weather radios get those same alerts. These are just a matter

of turning those radios on. And so, there's other tools and resources that are out there. You know, we rely a lot on the wireless emergency alert

system. Those are the things that come over your cell phone or the emergency alert system that comes over your television, those same alerts

can go to a NOAA weather radio.

And so, those are the kinds of tools that we need to make sure that they have availability and understand all the resources that are available and

which ones are going to be best suited for their jurisdiction, because every jurisdiction is going to be different and have different needs.

ASHER: And I -- you know, I really hate the fact that I have to ask this question, but when you have 160 people missing still, it has been over a

week, just a few hours over a week at this point. What are the chances, Deanne, of any kind of miracle at this point in time?

CRISWELL: I mean, Zain, we hear over and over of these unbelievable stories of survival. And so, I think that hope is such a powerful thing and

prayer is a powerful tool, right, for these communities, not only that, hope for the survival still, but also to help the community cope and

recover.

But I also want to say sometimes that number is high because so many people include a call and say somebody's missing, but then they don't call back

and say that they've been found. And so, with that, the number does dwindle down, but they need to -- it takes time for the officials to go through

that and see is that number still accurate? Do they have still that number of people missing or have family members found them and just not reported

back?

And so, we've seen that in other disasters. We saw that in Maui. We saw that in North Carolina, right, that number starts to come down. But I do

believe there's still a number of people that are unaccounted for within that 160 plus.

ASHER: And that makes total sense. You know, if you think about it from the family's perspective, they're probably so elated and so overjoyed, and

so grateful and so relieved to be reunited with their loved ones. They're still processing all of those emotions that the last thing that they're

going to, they're going to think to do is, oh, I have to call that hotline to let them know that I've been reunited with my brother or my uncle or my

friend. So, that does make sense.

[13:45:00]

But as you point out, that number could, of course, dwindle, but it would likely will take time. Deanne Criswell, former FEMA administrator, thank

you so much for being on the show. We appreciate it. Have a good weekend.

The U.N. says that more than half a million Afghans were expelled from Iran in a matter of weeks. Why it happened and where those refugees are forced

to go. That story just ahead.

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ASHER: The International Criminal Courts as it believes both Sudan's government and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force may be committing war

crimes and crimes against humanity in the Darfur region where a civil war has raged for more than two years. ICC officials say the depth of suffering

has reached, quote, "an intolerable state" with people being deprived of food and water, abductions for ransom, and weaponized sexual violence. U.N.

agencies say about 40,000 people have been killed and nearly 13 million displaced.

Iran has expelled more than half a million Afghans after its recent conflict with Israel, that's according to the United Nations. These

deportations often in dire conditions are fueled in part by claims that Afghans spied for Israel, claims that remain unsubstantiated. CNN's Nick

Paton Walsh has more on the plight of the refugees.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice-over): One of the largest forced migrations in decades, Afghan migrants pushed out

of the rock of Iran and its menial, low-paid labor, to the hard place of Taliban, Afghanistan, and the economic horrors they fled in the first

place.

Half a million in just 16 days, according to U.N. figures, a peak that began at the end of the conflict with Israel, and 88,000 in just 48 hours

of the past weekend before a deadline to leave expired on Sunday. You can see the scale here but not feel the heat.

MIHYUNG PARK, CHIEF OF MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN, INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION: There are dozens of people under the sun. And you know how

hot Herat can be. It's quite dire. Last week it was about 400 separated, unaccompanied children.

WALSH (voice-over): Parissa is 11, but this year was told she couldn't go back to school. We spent six years in Iran, she said, before they told us

to apply for the exit letter and leave. We did have a legal census document, but they told us to leave immediately.

[13:50:00]

They're often arrested on the street and deported without a chance to collect their belongings, sometimes from years working in Iran for better

wages.

Basheer is in his 20s and was removed from Tehran. First, they took about $200 from me, he says. Then they sent me to the detention center, where I

was kept for two nights, and they forced me to pay another $50. In the detention center, they wouldn't give us food or drinking water. There are

about 200 people there. They beat us up and abuse us.

For Iran, it's a matter of pride. The music here sets the mood of how state TV presents the expulsions. And Tehran police release images of the

manhunt: chasing Afghans, interrogating their employers.

The answer to why now? Why, when Iran should be recovering from a brutal 12-day conflict with Israel, would it choose to focus on undocumented

laborers?

Well, there have been accusations Afghans spied for Israel, like these alleged confessions in state media. The evidence may be lacking here, but

the messaging is clear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): That person contacted me and said he needed information on certain locations. He asked for them, and I

provided them. I got $2,000 from him.

WALSH (voice-over): Iran decided to do this months ago, but perhaps never imagined this pace. And Afghanistan, already struggling, perhaps never

imagined this new challenge of returnees.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's it. Amanda Anisimova has done it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: The temperature may have been soaring, but 23-year-old Amanda Anisimova kept her cool, delivering a three-set win over World number one

Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday. And now, she's off to her first Grand Slam finals on Saturday.

But it hasn't been an easy road. She took a break from the sport in 2023 to prioritize her mental health, which she returned to the court at the start

of last year.

[13:55:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMANDA ANISIMOVA, TENNIS PLAYER: When I took my break, a lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top again if you take so much

time away from the game. And that was a little hard to digest. Because I did want to come back and still achieve a lot and, you know, win a Grand

Slam one day. So, just me being able to prove that, you know, you can get back to the top if you prioritize yourself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: And in the meantime, on the men's side, Carlos Alcaraz has breezed through his third straight Wimbledon final after defeating Taylor Fritz.

The Spaniard will take to the green again on Sunday, where he will face Jannik Sinner, who just won against Novak Djokovic in straight set. So,

it's going to be a very busy weekend at Wimbledon indeed.

All right. That does it for us here on "One World." I'm Zain Asher. Appreciate you watching. Isa Soares is up next.

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