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Russia Pummels Ukraine with Deadly Wave of Missiles; Zelenskyy Calls for Talks with Russia; Car Plows into Crowd Outside L.A. Nightclub; Kilmar Abrego Garcia's Pretrial Detention; Microsoft's Alerts for Hack Attack; Scottie Scheffler Wins 2025 British Open. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired July 21, 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: New today. Russia, once again, pummeling Ukraine with very deadly strikes, killing at least two people in the capital city of Kyiv when drones and missiles hit, that according to Ukrainian authorities. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling for talks with Russia to take place this week.

Joining us now is CNN military analyst and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton. Colonel Leighton, thanks for joining us. This is the latest massive attack from the Kremlin after President Trump's threats to further sanction Russia and those countries that trade with Russia if it doesn't agree to a ceasefire. What does it tell you about Putin's mindset right now? He seems to be completely ignoring what Washington is saying.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST AND U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): Yes, that's right, Wolf. Good morning. One of the key things here is that Russia is still bent on achieving its military goals in Ukraine. So, in the short-term, what that means is very much subjugating as much of Ukraine as they possibly can, terrorize the civilian population, as another aspect of that, and of course this bombing and missile campaign is one that allows them to do that.

And then the other thing, of course, is the ultimate goal is that Russia still wants to make sure that Ukraine is basically either a vassal state or completely sub subjugated. And given all of that, it seems very difficult for the two sides, the Ukrainians and the Russians, to meet somewhere in the middle in order to achieve some kind of a ceasefire or even a piece of court.

BLITZER: President Zelenskyy is calling for talks with Russia to resume this week, Colonel. This comes after negotiations stalled last month. Why do you think Ukraine is making another push for talks right now?

LEIGHTON: Well, I think one of the key calculations that President Zelenskyy is making, Wolf, is that he wants to always appear to be the one to be reasonable in -- especially in President Trump's eyes. And if that -- you know, if he continues with that policy, what Zelenskyy wants to do is he wants to show that he is willing and able to talk. Now, on the other side of this, Ukraine is under a lot of pressure. There's no question about it. All of these missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities are definitely having an effect. But they are definitely not at the point where they're breaking the Ukrainians will to fight. What Zelenskyy is trying to do is achieve some kind of a ceasefire where he maintains sovereignty for most of Ukraine, basically the part of Ukraine that his forces still control.

BLITZER: As you know, Colonel, the United States, the Trump administration has now agreed to sell weapons to NATO that will then be sent to Ukraine. Will this do anything to help bring an end to this now years long war that's going on?

LEIGHTON: Well, it certainly will help beef up the Ukrainian defenses. I don't think it's going to be the panacea that Ukraine needs in order to achieve either some kind of victory or some kind of halt in Russian efforts to advance. But what it will do is it will definitely put the Ukrainians on a good defensive footing, especially when you're talking weapons like the Patriot missile system and HIMARS systems. Those systems will be very good from a defensive standpoint, and they'll make it much more difficult for the Russians to achieve their goals through a missile campaign or a drone campaign.

BLITZER: Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you very, very much. Pamela.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Wolf.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Wolf, in Los Angeles, at least 36 people are recovering today after a car plowed into a crowd right outside a nightclub over the weekend. And we want to warn you of disturbing images from cell phone video taken at that scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He just smacked everybody in the -- he just smacked everybody, bro. Get that drunk ass --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:35:00]

BROWN: You see the chaos unfold, panic, witnesses scream and run as dozens of victims just lie right there on the concrete with various levels of injuries. Police say the man intentionally drove his car into that crowd and the people that dragged him out of the vehicle.

Let's go to CNN Correspondent Julia Vargas Jones in Los Angeles. What more are you learning this morning, Julia?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pam, the LAPD is now asking for the public's help in finding the man who then shot that driver. They said he's still a large and considered armed and dangerous. This all unfolded around 2:00 a.m. on Saturday, 29-year-old Fernando Ramirez had just been kicked out of the nightclub for being disruptive. Not long after it, he got behind the wheel, sped forward and drove his vehicle into the crowd, as we see in that disturbing video. The car then slams into a hotdog cart -- a taco stand, and the valet podium injuring multiple people along the way. Bystanders then pull Ramirez out of the car and start beating him. That's when another man walked up from across the street and fired a single shot to Ramirez's lower back according to police.

He was then hospitalized and laid, booked for assault with a deadly weapon. He was on parole and has a long criminal history, according to the Associated Press. LAPD Captain Ben Fernandes telling CBS this morning that this sequence of events complicates the situation because now they have one suspect that committed a terrible act, but now has become a victim himself. Pam.

BROWN: Julia Vargas Jones, thank you. Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. There's more news we're following. Just ahead, hackers hit a major Microsoft server used by government agencies and businesses. How hackers got into the system. That's next.

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[10:40:00]

BROWN: Happening now, we are waiting for a judge to rule on whether Kilmar Abrego Garcia will be released as he awaits trial on federal human smuggling charges. Abrego Garcia gained worldwide attention earlier this year after the Trump administration said he was deported by mistake. He was held at the notorious mega prison in El Salvador before being returned last month to face trial in Tennessee. That trial was set to begin next year.

BLITZER: And joining us now, the former U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin. Judge Scheindlin, thanks so much for joining us. What factors do you think will the judge consider before deciding if Abrego Garcia can in fact be released before this trial?

SHIRA SCHEINDLIN, FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK AND FORMER U.S. DISTRICT COURT JUDGE: The usual factors in deciding whether to set bail are risk of flight and danger to the community. Those are the two things that he usually would consider. Remember, this is an appeal from the ruling of the magistrate judge who already ruled that he should be released, that there was no reason to keep him pretrial. Now, it's on appeal to the district judge, and the district judge will decide.

BROWN: So, the Trump administration has already come out and said that it will try to deport him to a country other than El Salvador if he's released pending trial. Are they within their legal bounds to do that?

SCHEINDLIN: Well, that's an interesting question. If he's released, he's going to be released directly to ICE custody. He's not going to be released to freedom on the street. So, he'll be somewhere in a detention facility. And I understand that the request of his lawyers is that he be returned to Maryland, where there's already a case pending before Judge Xinis.

So, the question is, they've also asked that 72 hours' notice be given to his attorneys if they decide to deport him. But the attorney general has said he's going to face trial here. So, she's sort of on record of saying, first comes the trial on the criminal charge, then we'll worry about deportation.

BLITZER: What will the government have to do to prove their case against Abrego Garcia?

SCHEINDLIN: So, like any other case, there's going to be a jury trial and the jury's going to have to find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. This case is made up of cooperators and only cooperators, and all of them will have a deal that the jury will hear about. Some of them will get a deal to stay in this country rather than be deported. Some of them will get a deal to have a reduced sentence or to serve their sentence in a halfway house, not a prison. So, all of them have a great interest in coming forward.

We haven't heard directly from them. It was the agent who testified before the magistrate judge and summarized what the testimony would be. When that agent was cross examined by the defense counsel for Abrego Garcia, it turns out that agent hadn't done all of his homework. He had not been aware that the cooperators had made contradictory statements previously to what they're now saying. So, their credibility is somewhat an issue. Also, they've kind of met together, which is very unusual, and three of them are relative of each other. So, there's a lot of doubt here as to whether they're going to be found credible by a jury.

BROWN: Well, HHS Secretary Kristi Noem, for her part, wouldn't discuss the specifics of the case at a news conference last week, but she did comment on Garcia. Have a listen to what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: He is a monster. And he is tied to a terrorist organization that has perpetuated violence against human beings for many, many years. My hope is that he will stand trial and get the consequences of his actions and that justice will be served for his victims.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Could those kinds of public comments complicate the trial in any way?

SCHEINDLIN: Well, they try to prejudice a jury pool. So, you have to question the potential jurors carefully. Have they heard these statements? Do they believe these statements? I think they'll find jurors who never heard this particular news clip. I'm not sure all of the jury pool in middle district of Tennessee are news buffs who watch the news every day. So, they probably never heard Kristi Noem's statement.

[10:45:00] The fact is they have to find that the case is proved beyond a reasonable doubt. And there's a lot of doubt here as to whether this guy really is a member of this gang and really engaged in human trafficking, although maybe he did. Of course, I don't know. I know what the indictment says, but I know who the witnesses are, and as I've already explained to you, they're all cooperators.

In the meantime, you asked me, can the government deport him to a third country? And the answer is yes, because the United States Supreme Court held that it's OK to do that. So, he could be deported to Mexico or South Sudan or other countries that are taking our deportees. We'll have to see if they really want to try them or they really want to throw them out of the country now.

BLITZER: Judge Shira Scheindlin, we always appreciate your expertise. Thanks so much for joining us.

BROWN: Thank you.

SCHEINDLIN: My pleasure.

BROWN: And new this morning, Microsoft is warning that server software used by government agencies and businesses to share documents within the organization is under attack. Tens of thousands of servers are said to be at risk and as hackers target a major vulnerability within Microsoft SharePoint software.

CNN Business Writer Clare Duffy joins us. So, Clare, tell us more about this attack and how users can protect themselves here.

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yes, Pamela. So, this is an attack, as you said, on Microsoft SharePoint servers. This is the software that lots of people will be familiar with, the government, agencies, and businesses use to facilitate document sharing between employees. And attackers here went after on-premises SharePoint servers. So, not Microsoft's cloud service, but on-premises servers.

But as you said, there are tens of thousands of servers are thought to be at risk, and this was what's known as a spoofing attack, where bad actors can impersonate legitimate users or services to look like they are a legitimate actor on the service, but in fact, that could allow them to steal documents, to access passwords. And these could have really significant ramifications, including potentially financial ramifications for the businesses or agencies that are at risk here.

Microsoft is urging any business or agency that is using this software to install an immediate update because the company is calling this an active attack, which means it could potentially still be ongoing. Now, we don't know who is behind these attacks, but the FBI does say that it is investigating, trying to figure out who is perpetrating these attacks. Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Clare Duffy, thanks so much. Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Coming up, he's the world's number one golfer for a reason, and Scottie Scheffler seems to be unstoppable. CNN Sports Anchor Coy Wire is joining us right now. Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Oh, Scottie Scheffler, absolutely dominating the competition. At one point yesterday, he is like, why did the other golfers even come out of the clubhouse? But you mentioned being number one for a reason, Wolf. Part of his reason, right there. Young Bennett trying to make his way up to dad and get a -- take a closeup glimpse of his brand-new shiny toy. We'll have all the highlights coming up after the break.

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[10:50:00]

BLITZER: Scottie Scheffler has some more hardware for his trophy case. The world's number one golfer winning the British Open over the weekend in dominant fashion.

BROWN: Let's go to CNN's Sports Anchor Coy Wire. Coy, Scheffler is on one of the most dominant runs in golf history.

WIRE: Yes, it is super impressive. Good to see you both. And you have to start asking, is he making golf a little bit boring? Because he is just that good. The 29-year-old from Texas was in no mood for a dramatic ending in Northern Ireland, dominating the competition. He took a four-stroke lead into Sunday's final round and (INAUDIBLE) away with a four-stroke win.

Scheffler joins only Tiger, Jack Nicholas, and Gary Player to win the Masters, PGA Championship, and British Open before the age of 30. Perhaps the biggest win of the day, the reception he got from his family afterwards, if you ask him, including his one-year-old son, Bennett. He hadn't seen dad all day long. Just wanted some big hugs. And dad came to the rescue off that hill. Young Bennett got to see the brand-new trophy. Scheffler says that golf is great and all, but it's not the most important thing in life. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER, BRITISH OPEN WINNER: Hopefully, I did a good job of communicating that, yes, this is amazing to win the Open Championship, but at the end of the day, having success in life, whether it be in golf or work or whatever it is, that's not what fulfills the deepest desires of your heart. Am I grateful for it? Do I enjoy it? Oh, my gosh, yes. This is a cool feeling. I can't wait to get home and celebrate this championship, you know, with the people that have kind of helped me along the way, but at the end of the day, it doesn't fulfill the deepest desires in my heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Now, Scheffler now only has the U.S. Open to win to complete the career Grand Slam. It just so happens the open will wrap up on his 30th birthday next year. His rivals have seemingly realized that it's so obvious that he's so head and shoulders above them all they might as well just go out and say it out loud. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

XANDER SCHAUFFELE, TWO-TIME MAJOR WINNER: I can't even say he's on a run. He's just been killing it for over two years now. So, you know, he's a tough man to beat, and when you see his name up on the leaderboard, it sucks for us.

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU, TWO-TIME MAJOR WINNER: Scottie's in a league of his own right now, and I played with him a bunch in college and he was not that good. So, he is figured out a lot of stuff since then, and it's really impressive to see.

RORY MCILROR, FIVE-TIME MAJOR WINNER: He's been dominant this week, but honestly, he's been dominant for the last couple of years. He's -- you know, he is the bar that we're all trying to get to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: There have been a lot of comparisons, Wolf and Pamela, for Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler, and some are too interesting to ignore between their first and fourth majors, each of them taking 1,197 days to hit those marks, Scheffler says, oh, no, not yet. I only have four majors. He had 15. I'm only a quarter of the way there in true humble fashion. But who knows? We may be soon talking about him hitting that many majors as well.

BROWN: Yes. And I loved -- I love that video of his little boy trying to get to daddy right here. And he is, oh, he just fell and you know, you need a little help there.

[10:55:00]

WIRE: Yes, Pamela, he said afterwards, he says, you know, sometimes you just had to get out there and learn the hard way. He was --

BROWN: That's right.

WIRE: -- out on that golf course.

BROWN: You've got to try and walk uphill as a little guy like that. That's tough. But you got to learn the hard way. Those lessons start at a very young age. And I love that he said, you know, the success is great for my work, but it doesn't fulfill the deepest desires of my heart. Clearly has his priorities in the right place with that beautiful family.

BLITZER: Such a sweet little boy. And, Coy, I don't know if you know this, but I started golf lessons last week. You play golf?

WIRE: I am an expert putt-putt miniature golf guy. I'll get there to your level someday.

BLITZER: Well, my instructor told me I've got huge potential. That's what she said.

BROWN: There you go. You're a natural, Wolf.

BLITZER: Let's see.

WIRE: Just remember this, Wolf, fore, that's the most important lesson.

BLITZER: I'll remember. OK.

BROWN: All right. You got big lesson coming up, your second one this week.

BLITZER: Yes.

BROWN: Coy Wire, thanks so much.

BLITZER: All right. Coming up, money that's kept many public broadcasting stations on air for decades is now going away after President Trump signed a bill that slashed the funding. In the next hour, we'll speak to the head of one rural station that's already feeling the impact.

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