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The Situation Room
Undocumented Workers Hiding In L.A. Because Of Raids; Russia Launches Major Drone Attack At Ukraine; Trump Speaks With Zelenskyy; Trump Wants To Host UCF Fight At WH. Aired 10:30-11a ET
Aired July 04, 2025 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I assume you're worried about that.
REP. CHARLES FLEISCHMANN (R-TN): I'm not. I think the Democrats who have strayed woefully to the left, and we saw that the other day with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries with a nine-hour rant that really didn't accomplish anything, they need to come to the table because the vast majority of hardworking Americans where they're independents, Democrats, or Republicans are looking to the Republican Party, because the Democratic Party doesn't have solutions, particularly for hardworking people.
My belief is that it's the people's money, we just put more money in the hands of hardworking Americans, non-Americans who don't want to work. And if they truly need a social net, they will get a social net, whether it's in Tennessee or anywhere else. The Republican Party are embracing people who really need it, not those who don't and those who are here legally.
BLITZER: Republican Congressman Charles Fleischmann of Tennessee, thanks very much for joining us. And we'll be right back.
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[10:35:00]
BLITZER: They're some of Southern California's oldest and most iconic neighborhoods, but recent ICE raids have put these communities on edge and sent many undocumented immigrants into hiding. CNN's Veronica Miracle went there and found plenty of shuttered shops and empty streets.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no.
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): If President Trump's hardline immigration policies aim to scare people, here in Southern California they're working.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's your name?
MIRACLE (voiceover): In recent weeks, businesses have shuttered as ICE raids and arrests have sent many undocumented people into hiding, except 63-year-old taco stand owner Urbano. For 43 years he's lived in the United States undocumented, but this past month when he's been able to push through the fear of being deported and open his stand, he's had hardly any customers.
MIRACLE: So, he says that business is really slow. You can see a lot of businesses in the area have closed. Can you tell me, have you been in hiding at all or have you been out every day working?
URBANO, UNDOCUMENTED WORKER (through translator) We have to go out to work because if not, who is going to pay our rent? Who is going to pay our taxes like I'm paying taxes? Can you imagine?
MIRACLE (voiceover): Urbano's story is one of many. In fact, one in five California immigrant workers is undocumented. That's according to a study by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute. So, to see the largescale impact of the ICE raids we went to L.A. Fashion District.
MIRACLE: Can you show me down Santee Alley?
ANTHONY RODRIGUEZ, PRESIDENT AND CEO, L.A. FASHION DISTRICT BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT: Absolutely.
MIRACLE (voiceover): Anthony Rodriguez is the Business Improvement District president and CEO.
RODRIGUEZ: Probably 90 percent of these businesses are immigrant- owned.
MIRACLE (voiceover): Rodriguez says there are roughly 100 shops along this alley alone. A majority of shop owners are too scared to operate, he says.
RODRIGUEZ: Unfortunately, even when it isn't -- there isn't actual activity the fear of people -- you know, someone thinks they hear something and that alone will shut down the entire area.
MIRACLE: On a typical weekend day I'm told that this is packed shoulder-to-shoulder. You could hardly move through Santee Alley. But since the ICE raids happened -- starting, what, three weeks ago -- there has been a 45 percent drop in foot traffic.
What's going on, on Santee Alley?
CHRISTOPHER PEREZ, VENDOR, L.A. FASHION DISTRICT: Well, a lot of people are scared to come out.
MIRACLE (voiceover): Christopher Perez says he hasn't seen his neighboring vendors open for weeks.
PEREZ: It's sad seeing my own people get arrested and harassed by the ICE agents, but it's pretty much -- I hope it all ends soon.
MIRACLE (voiceover): And just a few miles away from Santee Alley we found a similar situation.
MIRACLE: We're on Olvera Street, one of the oldest streets in all of Los Angeles and this is actually considered the birthplace of this city. And yet, you take a look around at this cultural landmark and all of these businesses -- these vendors -- they've shuttered their doors.
MIRACLE (voiceover): Those that are open are struggling to make ends meet.
VILMA MEDINA, OLVERA STREET VENDOR, BUSINESS OWNER: There will be days that are like I've sold, like, $10.00 the whole day. It's bad. All of us are trying to, like, hold on and we're just trying to do the best we can.
MIRACLE (voiceover): Leaders and business owners all tell us the long- term economic impact of these raids is not clear. But if the nearly 2.3 million undocumented immigrants in California were all deported, researchers at the Bay Area Council Economic Institute estimate the state's GDP would decline by over $278 billion.
ABBY RAISZ, RESEARCH DIRECTOR, BAY AREA COUNCIL ECONOMIC INSTITUTE: That's nine percent of our GDP. That GDP value is larger than the entire state of Nevada, than the entire state of Oregon. These are not small outputs.
MIRACLE: Do you have any message to President Trump?
URBANO (through translator): Mr. President -- well, let us work because we came to work. We didn't come to steal; we came to build in this country. We came to make the country better.
MIRACLE (voiceover): Veronica Miracle, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And our thanks to Veronica for that excellent, excellent report. Just ahead overnight assault. Russia launches a record number of drones at Ukraine just hours after President Trump's phone conversation with Vladimir Putin. How this may have impacted today's call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. We have details, that's next.
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[10:40:00]
BLITZER: This morning, President Trump has completed a phone call with the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and it comes just hours after Russia's overnight bombardment of Ukraine, launching a record number of drone strikes on Ukraine and it follows the Pentagon's halting the shipment of at least some weapons to Ukraine over concerns about U.S. stockpiles.
Joining us here in the situation room, CNN Global Affairs Analyst Kimberly Dozier. Kim, thanks very much for being here. Zelenskyy has publicly said he wanted to talk to President Trump about weapon supplies, specifically Patriot air defense missiles for Ukraine's air defense. How urgent is the need for this conversation?
KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, as you could see from the overnight attack, probably one of the largest attacks on Kyiv since Russia's attempted invasion in 2022 to take the city, there is nothing that is more urgent than air defense across Ukraine.
[10:45:00]
But the U.S. expended a lot of its own air defense missiles Patriots, et cetera, in the attacks on the Houthis in Yemen, and also to repel Iranian attacks. So, it basically is getting bear cupboards, that's the argument the Pentagon makes, and that's why they've delayed a shipment to Ukraine. But Zelenskyy seems to be trying to put the best face on that.
BLITZER: I know you're getting some reaction from Zelenskyy now to that phone conversation he had with President Trump. What is the reaction?
DOZIER: Well, he tweeted out on his official account that these were fruitful discussions and that they discussed air defense and ways to increase the safety of Ukrainian skies and also some joint production and manufacturing possibilities. So, clearly, Zelenskyy is trying to put the best face on this, in light of fears in Ukraine and across Europe that Trump is simply going to get tired of trying to negotiate with Vladimir Putin and withdraw U.S. support and say, as he has said publicly before, I'm just going to let these two kids in the school yard fight it out.
BLITZER: The president, President Trump, said yesterday's phone call that he had with the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, was very disappointing and that Moscow doesn't appear interested at all in ending the war in Ukraine. Is Putin sending a message with this overnight bombardment that we've just seen of Ukraine, this intense drone strike?
DOZIER: And certainly, in Kyiv, that's the way people took it. It seems that President Trump is finally catching up, at least in some of his public remarks, to what Ukraine watchers and European officials have said since the beginning of the Trump administration. Putin has no intention of stopping this war or negotiating, and every statement he makes just plays for time to allow further Russian attacks. There's a Russian troop buildup outside the Ukrainian region of Sumy and there is an expected Russian summer offensive coming.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is talking about withdrawing or stalling some of its aid at a time when Kyiv needs it most. And Trump needs to catch up to Ukraine's need.
BLITZER: President Trump says the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities that occurred over the past week or two, it can help boost relations between Israel and Arab nations. Listen to this. Listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: One of the things we talked about, the Abraham Accords. Now, that Iran has been taken, out in terms of a nuclear threat and they have been completely taken out, at least for a very long time, I think a lot of people are going to be joining the Abraham Accords. We have four great countries already, but we're going to have a lot of people, I think joining.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: What do you think, Saudi Arabia or some other countries will join the Abraham Accords and normalize, have fully peaceful diplomatic relations with Israel?
DOZIER: Well, the Gulf Nations are glad that the Iran situation seems to be over for now, that there won't be any more U.S. strikes. They need to see a resolution of the Palestinian situation in Gaza. Saudi Arabia keeps saying, we need to have Israel agree that there will be an independent Palestinian State before we can move forward, and I think everyone else is going to be following Saudi Arabia's lead. There will not be an expansion of the Abraham Accords anytime soon.
BLITZER: That's been the Saudi position for a long, long time. As we all know, two-state solution, then they can move on and have normal relations with Israel, if Israel agrees to a new Palestinian State. All right. Thanks very much, Kim Dozier, helping us appreciate what's going on.
And coming up, a potential first. President Trump wants to host a UFC fight over at the White House. When he says it will happen, he says it will happen. We have details, that's next.
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[10:50:00]
BLITZER: He's back. Joey Chestnut widely considered to be the world's greatest hotdog eater is looking to reclaim his crown. He'll have his chance later today at Nathan's Famous Hotdog Eating Contest out on Coney Island. Let's go live right now to see. That's Carolyn Manno. She's in New York. Carolyn Chestnut holds what the contest record for consuming 76, yes, 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Yet was absent last year. What can we expect this year?
CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. Happy 4th of July. Well, Chestnut says that if things break his way, he might be able to best that record of 76 dogs that he set back in 2021. It was a sponsorship dispute that derailed his chance at the crown last year, but there doesn't seem to be any beef between the legend and the famed hotdog eating contest. The 41-year-old says his body feels amazing and that his 17th title is within reach.
Now, Babe Ruth, who was also known to have a love affair with hotdog, by the way, only won seven World Series. Well, Tiger Woods has only won 15 majors. So, Joey Chestnut up there in the pantheons of greats, when you're talking about the best to have ever done it, as he chases his 17 title, he might do it.
BLITZER: It's amazing. Carolyn, we're also learning about plans for the White House, yes, the White House to host a UFC event. That's coming up at, what, in a year. What more can you share with us? MANNO: The president said on Thursday that a UFC fight on White House grounds would potentially kick off a series of events to mark America's 250th birthday next year, Wolf. And a lot of people are aware of the president's longstanding ties to the organization and also to its CEO, Dana White.
[10:55:00]
The pair have been friends for decades now. We saw White introduce the president at the Republican National Convention last July. So, this really aligns with the president's messaging that he's a fighter, it would likely reach many of the young men who were fans of both mixed martial arts and the president. Wolf, Trump also adding that plans for the country's milestone birthday would likely include other professional and amateur sporting events. So, this is likely the first event of a long lineup of what we could see next year.
BLITZER: Did he say where at the White House? The Rose Garden, the South Lawn, the North Lawn? Where this match would take place?
MANNO: It could be anywhere. No details yet. They've just confirmed that it's something that they're serious about. But anywhere it will be, it would likely be a spectacle, that's for sure.
BLITZER: It certainly would be. All right. Carolyn Manno, thanks very much for that update. And to our viewers, make sure to tune in into CNN tonight for "The Fourth in America." The celebration will be musical performances from big names like Sting and Nelly, and of course, plenty of fireworks. Our coverage kicks off at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. And we'll have more news right after a short break.
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