Return to Transcripts main page

The Situation Room

Netanyahu Headed to Capitol Hill; Netanyahu Nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize; Weapons Deliveries to Ukraine Will Resume; At Least 105 People Killed in Texas Floods. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired July 08, 2025 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We're continuing to monitor all the breaking news on the Texas floods. We'll have much more on that, that's coming up. We're also standing by right at the top of the hour for a news conference in Texas with authorities and officials there. They've got more information that they're going to share with us. We'll have live coverage of that.

But there's other news we're following right now, including news involving the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. He's heading to Capitol Hill right now. He's set to meet with the house speaker, Mike Johnson, after having dinner last night with President Trump at the White House. The prime minister said he believes what he calls very broad peace is indeed possible between Israel and other countries in the Middle East through President Trump's leadership. He also presented the president with a letter nominating him for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Joining us now is Jeff Flake. He's a former Republican senator from Arizona and a former U.S. ambassador to Turkey under President Biden. Ambassador -- I'll call you Ambassador, thanks so much for joining us. As you know, President Trump is turning up the pressure on Prime Minister Netanya to try to get a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal in place. How do you see all this playing out? I.

FMR. SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R-AZ), FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO TURKEY: Well, I hope it plays out well. I'm glad the president is engaged and he obviously needs to speak to President Netanyahu, but -- or Prime Minister Netanyahu, but he also -- you know, Hamas needs to be engaged in this. They have to want this peace. And I hope they do it. It's certainly time, past time. The people there are suffering greatly.

BLITZER: On the letter that Prime Minister Netanyahu wrote and showed to the president last night during the course of their dinner, he nominated Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. It's an award that has long been a fixation for the president. Why do you think Prime Minister Netanyahu did this? Clearly, President Trump was very pleased, very excited, very surprised to see that letter. Do you think Trump would be a worthy recipient? And I ask that to you, not only as a former U.S. senator, but also as a former U.S. ambassador to Turkey.

[10:35:00] FLAKE: Well, I certainly hope that that he's worthy of that and time will tell. Obviously, there are still conflicts going on. President Trump famously said that he could bring the Ukraine-Russia conflict to an end within 24 hours. We're still working on that. So, I certainly hope and wish him well and hope that he can deserve that prize. I hope we have peace.

BLITZER: What he did do during his first term was create what's called the Abraham Accords, which did lead to peace relations, full diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab countries in the Middle East. That was a very significant development. And now, he's clearly trying to expand that to include other Arab countries as well.

At the same time, as you know, Ambassador, he says the United States will supply Ukraine with more weapons to defend itself from the Russians. It's a very notable change from how President Trump has generally talked about Ukraine. And just last week, the Pentagon paused some weapons shipments to Kyiv. What do you think is behind this latest apparent shift towards Ukraine?

FLAKE: Well, let me first say the Abraham Accords were great and the -- that's the basis of ongoing stable peace in the Middle East. And so, I hope we can continue there. And the president is to be commended for doing that in his first term.

With regard to Ukraine, certainly glad to see what the president said that weapons will resume. That is desperately needed. We need to help Ukraine fend off Russian aggression. And so, I'm very happy to see the president change his mind on that.

BLITZER: While I have you, Ambassador, I want to ask you about a very important op-ed that you wrote for The New York Times over these past few days, an article in that you titled "The Republican Fever Must Break." And you warned about what you see as the current danger facing the Republican Party. Lay that out for us.

FLAKE: Well, the current danger is that we've become calcified just on completely on the right and simply listen to only voices on the right. I mentioned that during my time in Congress. I differed with President Bush on a number of issues, no child left behind, prescription drug benefit, and voted against his agenda. Yet, I was with him on other things. And he appreciated that. And then, he never took it to -- as a slight personally. Now, it seems that President Trump takes that as a slight personally.

Senator Thom Tillis voted with the president on all his nominees. He supported the president's legislative agenda and then voted against one bill, the big beautiful bill. And the president said, I'm now going to support a primary against you. The Republican Party -- if we want to be stable and a serious party and endure we've got to allow dissident voices within the party. And I fear that we're not doing that.

And I think that on the left, the Democrats have become too much on the far-left and we're going to do the same, or we're doing the same on the right. And that's not good for the country. BLITZER: Do you think it's going to change?

FLAKE: I hope so, but I have to say, looking at the record, we haven't seen much willingness for the president to allow or to tolerate divergent voices within the Republican Party. But if you're going to have a governing party, you've got to have a coherent governing strategy. And if you don't listen to voices other than the ones you firmly agree with, you're just not going to get that. You know, grievance and anger are not a governing philosophy. And it'd be good for the country if we allowed more dissident voices within the party.

BLITZER: Yes. Important points indeed. Jeff Flake, thanks very much for writing that article. Thanks very much for joining us.

FLAKE: Thank you.

BLITZER: And right now, we're continuing to follow the breaking developments out of Texas, where search and rescue efforts are underway. Our Pamela Brown is in Kerrville for us. Pamela, I know it's so heartbreaking and this is a story that is so personal for you.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: It absolutely is. And there are just so many grieving families out there right now as crews continue to search for more than 20 people still missing. And up next, the daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson, joins us to discuss how Camp Mystic impacted her life and generations of Johnson family members.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:40:00]

BROWN: Well, Camp Mystic is a very special place to those who attended. And seeing the utter devastation here is just heartbreaking. It defines heartbreaking. I attended that camp 30 years ago when I was 10 years old, about the same age as the little girls who we're sadly talking about now. You can see me there in the middle photo. I was there and what was called Bubble In, the cabin.

And you can look at this map of Camp Mystic circled on the right side of your screen. It is a very different scene now. Trees, overlooking cabins along the Guadalupe River, they have been ripped from their roots. Those cabins are now covered with dirt and debris from rising flood waters. But my happy memories of a summer long ago remain, and I will hold on tight to those. I just never thought I would come back 30 years later after being at Bubble In to cover a story, a tragedy like this.

[10:45:00]

The campus -- the camp is a Texas institution, much like President Lyndon Johnson, who has had 21 family members call Mystic their home for the summer over the last 67 years. They simply refer to the camp as their happy place. In a statement that Johnson family saying, quote, "Mystic has always been more than just a camp. It's where we learn to work together, to be responsible members of a community, to be a friend, to live our faith, and to love and be loved. It has touched the lives of thousands and those who spent summers there, even decades ago, still sign their letters with Mystic Love. In the midst of sorrow, we have also heard stories of incredible bravery of counselors, campers, and the Mystic community responding with courage, compassion, and faith. We grieve for everyone affected, and we are not surprised by the strength and love shown in those moments. That is the mystic spirit. We have known and cherished."

And the daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson, and joins us now. She went to Camp Mystic. Luci, thank you so much for coming on. Camp Mystic played such a vital role in your family history. What was your initial reaction when you heard the news?

LUCI BAINES JOHNSON, DAUGHTER OF PRESIDENT LYNDON JOHNSON AND CAMP MYSTIC ALUM: It was gutting beyond belief. I still feel the trauma. Generations of our family have bonded together. Cousins that were disparate across the country have been able to come back to Mystic. My father used to say the Hill Country of Texas was the place where people knew when you were sick and cared when you died, and Mystic exemplifies that totally.

But our family is no exception. Generations of countless families across our state and beyond find Mystic a place where we can come to learn to work together, to play together, to remember that God is first, our neighbor is second, and we are third. It's a place where we learn how to build community and reach out to each other. And so, I find -- I'm hearing from people I love from Mystic every day and wrenching my hands and bowing my head and saying our prayers and saying, dear, God, please help us to be what we need to be for each other.

And for those who are grieving -- the director, the owner of our camp, gave his life literally for Mystic, for -- from the time he was a little boy, and he went to heaven trying to save little girls. Dick Eastland and his wife Tweety are beyond living their faith. They are the emblem of what all of us would like to be.

BROWN: And that's right. I mean, Mystic to them was a place where they could help these campers that they treated like their own daughters, enrich them, really make it their happy place, and they did. I know it was for me. And I just think it's so important to talk about why Mystic was so magical. You know, right now, so much of the discussion is on the numbers and so many awful parts of this story. But I also want to talk about why Mystic has left such an indelible mark on so many of us. What made it so special to you and your family? What are some of your fondest camp memories?

JOHNSON: Well, it's a place where you came to love and be loved. To learn and to be patient, and to be enthusiastic and express a devotion for each other and for your God and for how you could get better at whatever talent you had.

One of the things that was so magical about Dick Eastland is that he would find even in the little girls like myself whose skills were not necessarily athletic and who had yet to kind of find themselves, he would find whatever talent you had and make you feel he believed in you, and so would his beloved wife Tweety, who is still with us. And I think that's one of the things.

My mother came to camp closings in a hundred-degree heat for well over 50 years, but she wasn't the only great-grandmother who did that, many did. It's just a place that binds the hearts of women, making them feel that that they can come together and be better because of the Mystic love and the Mystic spirit.

BROWN: And I remember, you know, Tweety would make these cookies, they were called Tweety cookies. She was so good at helping the homesick campers. I was one of the most homesick campers. I mean, I just remember being so homesick for my parents when I was at Camp Mystic, and Tweety and everyone else just did everything they could to make me feel right at home.

[10:50:00]

I have fond memories of singing on stage, a "Hakuna Matata" from "The Lion King." I mean, it's all kind of brushing back. And I remember the Guadalupe River, Luci. I mean, we played in that river so much. I don't know about you, but it's just so tough to process how that river could be the source of so much grief now. How do you -- are you looking at that and what do you make of the lack of alerts at the camp?

JOHNSON: Well, having been a child of public life, I know that preliminary information can be conflicting and your decisions are only as good as your information. Of course, I, like everyone who cares about Kerr County and its people, and Mystic in particular, is desperately concerned about the what ifs and how can we do things better. And I join them in that concern.

But I am hopeful that I cannot have a rapid race to judgment, to come and have a more informed decision about what is best for the future. What we know for sure is that we can and must do better in memory of all of these precious little children who gave their lives, in memory of all of their families and those who loved them, in memory of all of those who came to celebrate our country's birth on the 4th of July on the banks of the Guadalupe River.

One of our camp songs was on the banks of the Guadalupe Liver River, where hearts are loyal and true. Camp Mystic, we will pledge, are true and faithful love to you. And I think that -- it was always a place of happiness and hope. My hope is -- my prayer is that somehow some way we can make some decisions that will spare future generations the agony that ours is going through right now.

BROWN: Luci Johnson, I know that sentiment is shared far and wide. Thank you so much for your beautiful memories that you shared with us. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:55:00]

BLITZER: As intense search and rescue efforts continue in Central Texas, the state's major sports teams are now coming together to help with flood relief efforts. CNN Sports Anchor Coy Wire is joining us right now. Coy, we're talking about millions of dollars from these teams, right?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, Wolf, millions of dollars in donations as these pro sports teams and leagues combine efforts to help those impacted, the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, and the NFL Foundation pulled together one and a half million dollars to provide some immediate assistance and long-term resources for the victims' families and their survivors.

Yesterday, the NBA followed suit announcing it would be partnering with the three franchises in the State of Texas. The San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, and Dallas Mavericks, along with the NBA Players Association donating more than $2 million. MLB teams in the state also coming to the support of families. The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers each pledging $1 million.

Now, Wolf athletes are stepping up individually as well. I just messaged with former three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, J.J. Watt. He and his wife, former U.S. National Team and NWSL Standout Kealia donated $100,000 to support meal deliveries for those impacted, Wolf, in the midst of tragedy. These teams, these athletes, which play such big roles in their communities are doing their part to step up to help.

BLITZER: They always come through and we're grateful to them. Coy Wire, thank you very, very much. For more information about how you, our viewers, can help these Texas flood victims, tou can go to cnn.com/impact, or you can text FLOOD, F-L-O-O-D, FLOOD to 707070.

We're standing by for an update from officials in Central Texas. We'll have live coverage, new information coming in much more right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:00]