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Trump Visits Alligator Alcatraz; Accused Killer's Plea Deal Infuriates Victim's Family; Interview With Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL). Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired July 01, 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]

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: As he pushed back on this and did not side -- or voted against moving this bill forward.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: All right, Kristen Holmes at the White House, we will stay in very close touch with you. Thank you very much.

It's now the top of the hour. We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and indeed around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: The Senate now appears close to a final vote on President Trump's megabill after more than 24 hours of negotiations. Majority Leader John Thune told reporters a short time ago that he thinks they're almost to the finish line.

So let's go to CNN congressional correspondent Lauren Fox on Capitol Hill.

Lauren, some optimism there.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we expect that this vote series could get under way shortly. Obviously, there are going to be a couple of other things that they're going to have to vote on before they get to the final passage.

One of those will be what is known up here as a substitute amendment. Essentially, it's leadership's last take, last opportunity to make changes to this bill in order to satisfy some of those holdout senators that they're going to need in order to get this across the finish line.

All eyes this morning have been on two moderate Republican votes. Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from the state of Maine who is up for reelection in this next cycle, as well as Senator Lisa Murkowski, who perhaps is better positioned than anyone else in the Republican Conference to fight specifically for her state of Alaska.

She is someone who knows how to get what she needs in these pieces of legislation. She has been horse-trading with leadership over the course of the last several weeks, going into the weekend and even into this morning.

There have been a couple of issues that have been blown out by the Senate parliamentarian's ruling. One of them was a provision that would help the state of Alaska shore up their Medicaid funding and that state, would plus it up in order to basically -- excuse me -- in order to basically deal with some of the bigger cuts that were coming down the pipe to rural hospitals.

That was ruled out of order by the Senate parliamentarian. So there's been a lot of questions this morning on whether or not this was going to be able to get the vote of Senator Lisa Murkowski. Obviously, there were already two Republicans who voted against advancing this bill, Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, who then just a day later turned around and said he was retiring from the Senate and would not seek reelection.

Then you have Senator Rand Paul, who's been very clear all along that this bill just does not cut enough to federal spending. So that's where things stand right now. We expect that this vote series could get under way very shortly.

BROWN: Right. And you heard President Trump say that we may have to move that self-imposed deadline, July 4.

I just interviewed Republican Congressman Marlin Stutzman, who's on the Budget Committee, who said that basically, yes, there's a good chance that that deadline will have to be moved because there's concern among House members, particularly about raising the debt ceiling in the Senate.

FOX: Yes, I mean, the Senate bill raised the debt ceiling. So did the House bill, but the Senate bill does it by another trillion. That may be a concern for some conservatives.

I would also just point out that there are both moderate concerns about the Senate bill, as well as conservative concerns about the Senate bill, as they move back over to the House of Representatives. That is going to be an entirely new fight that unfolds that Speaker Johnson is going to have to deal with.

It was hard enough to get the votes the first time around, Pam. Obviously, the second time around, now that the bill has been changed, now that carefully crafted coalition may not exist in the same way for Johnson, he's going to have to be contending with that in the days ahead.

BROWN: All right, Lauren Fox, thanks so much -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Pamela, joining us now, Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley of Illinois. He's on the Appropriations and Intelligence committees.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

How do you think Democrats in the House -- how will the Democrats in the House fight this bill once it comes back from the Senate, assuming it passes in the Senate?

REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL): Yes, I assume that they're going to get there. My Republican colleagues talk tough, and then the president steps on them and they acquiesce.

Look, all we have is our vote and our voice. So our goal is to make it as difficult as possible for the Republicans to pass them, reminding their constituents what it means to rural hospitals when the Medicaid cuts -- as they're coming.

What it's going to mean long term with the debt and the deficit? If we can ever get to the point where we recognize cutting taxes will not help us address the debt and deficit. It goes the opposite direction. But there's many other examples along those lines. We will do the best we can.

And I think, of course, we will be united in opposition.

BLITZER: The bill could affect, as you correctly point out, millions of people who are currently on Medicaid. How do you see that impacting people in your Chicago area district?

[11:05:02]

QUIGLEY: Look, 40 percent of all babies born in Illinois are on Medicaid. It is a dramatic impact there.

I just try to get people to recognize the fact that this isn't about us or them. This impacts all of us. So Medicaid cuts in the Chicagoland area obviously affect people in my district, but even the biggest hospitals Northwestern, University of Chicago, Lurie's, they're going to have to contract the services they provide to everyone.

And, obviously, rural hospitals, many of them are just hanging by a thread and are already experiencing cuts, if not closure, where constituents in red districts will have to drive, what, 100, 200 miles just to get a medical appointment or go to the E.R.

All of these -- all these things affect everyone and we have to recognize that to show proper empathy, but also to show the public that they ought to call their lawmakers on the Republican side too.

BLITZER: So are you comfortable with these Medicaid cuts? Is that going to impact your vote?

QUIGLEY: Well, obviously I'm going to vote no. The Medicaid cuts are horrific.

What I'm trying to tell people is, it's just -- it shouldn't be just Democrats who oppose this. Well, the fact that Senator Murkowski is trying to exempt Alaska from SNAP and Medicaid cuts shows us that they know these are wrong. They're going to have a devastating human impact. So, if they would only do it for one state, how fair is that,

recognizing a person is a person, whether they live in Alaska or Chicago? So, of course, we're unified in opposition to any of these Medicaid cuts in the manner in which they're being done.

(CROSSTALK)

QUIGLEY: The Senate bill just adds another million people cut off health care.

BLITZER: Excuse me for interrupting.

But do you think the Republicans that you have been talking to are going to still vote for this legislation?

QUIGLEY: You know, they will talk tough and then they will end up supporting it. That's been the pattern of the first Trump administration. That's been the pattern the first beginning of it.

The few that stand up and stick to it typically retire or they don't run for reelection, as we have seen just recently. So this is no longer the Republican Party. It's the party of Trump. They recognize, if they're not with Trump 100 percent, they're gone.

BLITZER: In a new tweet posted just a little while ago, Elon Musk threatened to create a new political party, saying that we live in a one-party country, criticizing lawmakers for not reducing government spending. Does Musk have a point here?

QUIGLEY: Oh, look, the cut -- addressing the debt and the deficit is a fair game. And the fact this adds $4 trillion more to the debt -- again, the Bush tax cuts added four. The first Trump administration added two with his tax cuts. This adds four more.

Look, there's room for concern about the debt and deficit within the two-party system. If he wants to create another political party and draw away I suspect from the Trump party, more power to him. But the fact of the matter is, this bill and the administration he supported wholehearted is moving us in the wrong direction.

BROWN: You have said, Congressman -- this is Pamela Brown chiming in here -- that the House version of the bill, that it was rushed through without meaningful debate or transparency. Would delaying the deadline, as Trump is now suggesting he's open to, allow for more meaningful debate to occur, or do you think Democrats will just remain unified in its opposition no matter what?

QUIGLEY: The fact of the matter is, they never came to us with considerations. This didn't begin.

When I got sworn in, in a special election, a Republican, Mark Kirk, came up to me on the floor and said, any good meaningful legislation happens in the middle.

This isn't in the middle. This is to the far right extreme. And it's why the moderates on the Republican side and even some of the ones farther to the right oppose it. They're just afraid to vote no because of what it will mean to them at election time.

BLITZER: Congressman, do you see Democrats making this bill part of the campaign during the midterm elections that are upcoming?

QUIGLEY: Well, it's only one half of it. Obviously, the polling on this bill is horrible for Republicans. It's got pretty universal opposition to it. And that's something you can use.

Consumer confidence in the economy is another one. But the bigger part of this, the other half of it is what we propose in the alternative. What is the alternative? We have to address the issues. And I suspect the first issue that we will have to address, just like Trump did and everybody else will, is how much things cost, the cost of living.

[11:10:03]

The fact is, President Trump said that's what he was going to do. Unfortunately, the costs have gone in the other directions. And with the terror program that's being put in place, and, frankly, this bill, costs will continue to go up for everyone.

So we have to propose plans that detail exactly what we're going to do to reduce costs, how we're going to move sectors of the economy forward, I would say particularly housing.

BLITZER: Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley of Illinois, thanks very much for joining us.

BROWN: Thank you.

QUIGLEY: Thank you.

BLITZER: Pamela.

BROWN: And still ahead right here in THE SITUATION ROOM: The man about to stand trial in a murder case that shocked the nation is expected to accept a plea deal. How the family of at least one victim is responding.

You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:15:30]

BROWN: Turning now to that abrupt end of a notorious murder case that was about to go to trial.

The man accused of murdering four University of Idaho students back in 2022 has accepted a plea deal that will keep him off death row. The family of one victim calls the deal potentially sparing Bryan Kohberger's life shocking and cruel.

BLITZER: CNN's Veronica Miracle is covering this for us.

Veronica, tell us about what the victims' families are saying in the wake of this latest development.

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Pam and Wolf, some families are very upset.

This plea deal comes after this case has dragged on for more than 2.5 years. There were numerous delays to the trial start date. There was also a change in venue from Latah County, where the murders took place, to the state capital of Boise. That also caused delays. But there was a trial date start in sight. It was slated to begin in August and jury selection was expected to begin next month.

But in the last few weeks, the defense had faced some serious blows. They were once again denied by the judge to delay this trial start date. They were also denied a proposal that they put in to present the jury with four alternate perpetrators whose names have been sealed in court documents.

But the judge said there's no evidence tying these four alternate perpetrators to the case. So that was out. And then the judge also denied Kohberger's alibi defense because nobody could vouch for where he was the night of the murders. So the defense certainly had their backs up against a wall before this plea deal came together.

But one of the families, victim -- one of the families of one of the victims, Kaylee Goncalves, they have been very outspoken throughout this entire process and they are outraged. Hear what Kaylee Goncalves' father has to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE GONCALVES, FATHER OF VICTIM: This is not justice. We had an outsider come to our community, kill our kids in their sleep while they're getting a college education, doing everything that they should do. And we don't have the courage to hold him accountable. No plea deal. Let's go for this guy 100 percent. Let's do it. And that's how this family stands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MIRACLE: And the prosecutor in this case, Bill Thompson, he did write a letter to the families.

And we have an excerpt here. He says: "This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family. This agreement ensures that the defendant will be convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison, and will not be able to put you and other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction appeals."

Now, there is a hearing expected tomorrow for this plea deal, although, of course, there are some -- there is some pushback from the families. They want this to be extended possibly at a later date so they can all get together and go down to Boise. So we are still waiting to see if this hearing happens tomorrow -- Pam, Wolf.

BLITZER: So, Veronica, I just want to be precise. Life in prison without the possibility of ever getting parole, right? MIRACLE: That's correct. That's right, Wolf.

BLITZER: OK, Veronica Miracle reporting for us -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, up next, the president is visiting a new migrant detention center surrounded by the Florida Everglades.

CNN's Isabel Rosales is live outside that center -- Isabel.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump seeing for himself this new detention facility dubbed Alligator Alcatraz just 50 miles from his resort in Miami.

I will show you what he saw inside and the reason protesters are calling it reckless, dehumanizing and cruel.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:23:34]

BLITZER: Right now, President Trump is touring the newly constructed and very highly controversial migrant detention center right in the heart of the Florida Everglades.

BROWN: The new tent city will house 5,000 migrants, where they will be detained, processed, and deported. The administration is celebrating this facility as uniquely secure, surrounded by miles of swampland and all the alligator snakes and crocodiles that live there.

We're following all the latest in this morning's development.

CNN's Isabel Rosales in South Florida and our Kristen Holmes is right there at the White House for us.

I want to begin with you, Isabel, in Florida. What's happening right now on the ground?

ROSALES: Pam, Wolf, right behind me is the main entrance leading to that airstrip, this newly dubbed Alligator Alcatraz.

So, as the president is touring the site right now inside, this is what's happening outside, this group of protesters bringing signs like stop sign -- "Stop ICE," rather, stating: "Alligator Alcatraz has got to go. We welcome immigrants."

Now, Trump, we know, has long been enamored with the idea of reopening Alcatraz. And, today, the governor, Ron DeSantis, here is essentially hand-delivering him Florida's version of Alcatraz put together in a week and one day, and right here in the Everglades. This is located less than 50 miles West of Trump's resort in Miami.

This is obviously sparking a lot of backlash from environmental groups, which have sued the Trump administration and also DeSantis, also indigenous Americans who say that this threatens their sacred lands, and immigrant rights activists, who are saying that this is dehumanizing cruel, and inhumane putting detainees here in the middle of the summer during hurricane season outside.

[11:25:19]

Now, we have seen inside of the facility through footage through a FOX interview that DeSantis did, and we saw -- we did see, as DeSantis pointed out, potable water, sewage, power. He pointed to the A.C. units. He said that this is not inhumane. These people are going to need for nothing. He said that this is very much the same conditions where people displaced from hurricanes would be in temporary tents.

Now, here's what a Trump supporter who's a registered Democrat told me right out here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB KUNST, TRUMP SUPPORTER: This is a great location for this. We have a million illegals in Florida. Many of them come in through Mexico and wind up especially here in Dade County because there are big populations they can hide in.

ZAC COSNER, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTESTER: This is an absurd affront to the people, the nature, the community of South Florida. This is an environmentally destructive and spiritually poisonous prison camp that they want to construct on sacred land in sensitive habitat that cannot be allowed to stand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: Yes, and Governor DeSantis said that this is, he's stressing both temporary, and very much-needed. So many activists and protesters here telling me they don't buy that. They're worried this detention center will never go away -- guys.

BLITZER: All right, Isabel Rosales, stand by. We will get back to you. We will watch all of this unfold.

Right now, I want to turn to CNN senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes.

Kristen, the president's visit to this so-called Alligator Alcatraz comes as the Trump administration is fighting for more funding for what it calls the largest deportation campaign in history.

Kristen, how significant is the timing of the president's visit?

HOLMES: Well, the timing is everything. One, President Trump will take any opportunity he can to showcase his hard-line immigration policies.

As you saw there, the person that Isabel spoke to, the President Trump supporter, that's exactly who they are trying to reach with this kind of trip and this kind of message. But, as you also noted, this is coming at a critical time for President Trump, as he is pressuring these lawmakers to pass this enormous spending bill that is expected to aid in ramping up deportations. But there's also the optics of just what this facility is. And

President Trump really has talked about this kind of thing, not necessarily with alligators and crocodiles, but making it impossible for migrants to escape. And he even mentioned that this morning when he was leaving. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I guess that's the concept. This is not a nice business. I guess that's the concept. If you -- snakes are fast, but alligators are -- we're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator, OK, if they escape prison, how to run away. Don't run in a straight line. Run like this.

And you know what? Your chances go up about 1 percent, OK?

(LAUGHTER)

TRUMP: Not a good thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And just so you understand, the question there was something along the lines of, if you escape, would you then be chased by alligators, which is why he said, I guess that's the concept.

But just really quickly, Wolf, even though he is there in Florida, he and his entire team are watching closely to see what happens with this spending bill. This could not be more important to the president as they move forward here.

BLITZER: Kristen Holmes and Isabel Rosales, to both of you, thank you very much -- Pamela.

BROWN: We saw in Isabel's live shot, Wolf, that these -- all the protesters there. You have seen environmental groups sort of bonding together to file a lawsuit blocking the completion of the detention center.

BLITZER: Elise Pautler Bennett is the Florida director and senior attorney at one of those advocacy groups, the Center for Biological Diversity.

Elise, thanks so much for joining us.

Governor Ron DeSantis has downplayed concerns about the environmental impact. Listen to what he said. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's remote. This is something that's already built. Now, there's different things that are being added to the airport, but there's no different footprint at all. So it has nothing to do in terms of Everglades impact or restoration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So, Elise, what kind of damage are you afraid that this facility could do to the Everglades?

ELISE PAUTLER BENNETT, CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY: Well, make no mistake. This is a new development right in the middle of Big Cypress National Preserve and in the middle of the Everglades.

We are already seeing truck spring in fill material, asphalt, large diesel generators, artificial lighting, all of the things that would be needed to essentially build a community of people in a place that Governor DeSantis himself has said is quite remote.

I mean, I have driven down that road at night, and it is quite dark, quite lonely. It's beautiful and it's wild. And all of that could be taken away by this incredibly destructive and cruel project.