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The Situation Room
Congress Holds Hearing on Organ Donation Systems Reform; Jon Stewart Calls Out CBS for Canceling Colbert; 15 People Dies of Starvation in Gaza. Aired 10:30-11a ET
Aired July 22, 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: Happening now on Capitol Hill, a congressional hearing with hopes of reforming the country's organ donation system. It follows a federal investigation that uncovered a Kentucky-based organization beginning the process of taking organs from dozens of people who may not have been dead.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: I find this so unbelievably disturbing. Let's go to CNN Medical Correspondent Meg Tirrell. Meg, what more do we know about this investigation?
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, this really stemmed from a case that came to light last fall of a man in Kentucky who had a drug overdose, was all set to become an organ donor with his family's consent. And then these signs of life started to happen. Our colleague, Sanjay Gupta, and our team did a story on this. Take a listen.
[10:35:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: From what I understand, he was mouthing the word no and pushing hands away and things like that.
NATASHA MILLER, FORMER KODA EMPLOYEE: Yes. He was very aware. The pronouncing physician comes in. And when she comes in, she walks back out and she says, I'm not doing this. I'm not doing this case. I don't feel comfortable. The Oregon coordinator that was there, she steps out to call the supervisor at the time to tell him that the pronouncing physician was refusing to do the case. She said that he was yelling at her, telling her she needed to find another physician to come, and she's like, there is no one, there's no one else to come do this case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TIRRELL: Now, that man, TJ Hoover did survive and that spawned this bigger investigation into this organization in the Kentucky area which found that of more than 350 cases where organ transplant was authorized but ultimately not completed, there were a lot of cases that showed concerning features, including 73 with neurological signs incompatible with organ donation, and as you said, Wolf, at least 28 patients may not have been deceased when the procurement was initiated, guys.
BROWN: So, how is this affecting how people consider enrolling to be organ donors in the U.S.?
TIRRELL: Right. So, this is a huge balance. There needs to be a trust in this system in order for people to enroll in this system. 48,000 people got transplants last year in 2024, but more than a hundred thousand people are on the waiting list. And we did see signs, after this case, really got such attention that some people were unenrolling. So, this really needs reform and trust, and that's what they're working on this morning, guys.
BLITZER: They got to really work on it. Meg Tirrell, thank you very, very much, Pamela.
BROWN: Well, just ahead, Gaza's Health Ministry says that 15 people, including four children have died in the last 24 hours from starvation. We're going to speak to an American doctor on Gaza about how the lack of aid is impacting the staff at his hospital.
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[10:40:00]
BLITZER: A must-see late-night moments. Stephen Colbert back for the first time since CBS's shocking decision to cancel his show. And the long-time late show host is not shying away from the drama at all. Here's what he's saying about the president's role in all of this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": On Friday, Donald Trump posted, I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? Go (INAUDIBLE) yourself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: OK. So, for more on this, CNN Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter joins us. Really a remarkable moment in the history of late- night television here, Brian.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes. And a show of solidarity from Colbert's fellow late-night comics, comedians, actors, some of his rivals who double as his friends. You know, figures like Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, Andy Cohen, and our own Anderson Cooper, of course, Cohen's best friend, they were all in the studio audience doing a spoof on that Coldplay cam viral video moment.
But I think what some of those late-night comics were trying to do was show support for Colbert on his first new episode since the show's cancellation, because it does speak to a broader concern about whether there's room for the kind of comedy and the kind of satire that Colbert's been known for, well, for the past decade. It was notable also that Colbert repeatedly made jokes about the late- show's financial health because CBS said financial reasons were the cause of the cancellation. He did not directly dispute that, but he did repeatedly joke about it during the show, and I think he'll probably continue to for the next 10 months since the late-show does not officially go off the air until next May.
BLITZER: You know, Brian, we're also seeing some of the biggest names in comedy weighing in on this decision. What do you make of the reaction that's unfolding right now?
STELTER: Yes, and I think in some ways Jon Stewart's comments last night were the most important. Jon Stewart is a producer of the "Colbert Show." He is a friend of Colbert and his program, "The Daily Show," is owned by the same company as "The Late Show." It's all owned by Paramount. And Paramount's trying to get that deal approved by the Trump administration. Certainly, Jon Stewart does believe that political pressure had something to do with Colbert's cancellation. He made that quite clear in his commentary.
BROWN: Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": If you believe as corporations or as networks, you can make yourselves so innocuous that you can serve a gruel so flavorless that you will never again be on the boy king's radar. A, why will anyone watch you and you are (INAUDIBLE) wrong?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STELTER: Stewart giving voice to something that many American liberals are worrying about right now. And frankly, I would say this is something that has been bubbling up for months at this point. Our TV network's going to keep supporting political satire and free speech at a time when President Trump's campaign of retribution is rattling Corporate America.
You know, there's been a long history in the U.S. of comics having a lot of space and room to poke fun at presidents, as well as the network executives who run the parent companies. But right now, fans feel that tradition is under threat, and it relates to a broader fear about institutions caving to Trump and quieting political dissent. Jon Stewart, for one, said he's not going anywhere. He said at least he doesn't think he's going anywhere. His contract to be on "The Daily Show" once a week ends at the end of this year. It ends in December.
[10:45:00]
So, keep an eye on that and keep an eye on whether Stewart stays. But you know what? Even if he leaves Comedy Central, I bet he would walk across the digital street and launch a show on YouTube, and that should be a comforting note for people who are concerned about a chill in the proverbial air. There are more ways than ever for comedians to get their messages out. It's just, right now, some of these institutions are under a lot of political pressure.
BROWN: Yes, I don't think Stephen Colbert is going anywhere after his show ends. I want to turn to --
STELTER: Right. Right.
BROWN: -- something that is just so sad. I was a huge "Cosby Show" fan.
BLITZER: All of us were, yes.
BROWN: And -- yes -- all of us were. And we found it so shocking to learn that after Malcolm Jamal-Warner of the "Cosby Show" fame has died at just 54 years old. What more do we know about his death, Brian?
STELTER: And the tributes are pouring in again today. You know, we've seen reporting about how he's swept away by a strong current, at a popular surfing area in Costa Rica. There are reports that another person who was swimming was also injured and was also having to take -- be taken to the hospital as a result.
It's such a tragic story. Warner only 54 years old. Of course, he grew up in front of our eyes. He grew up in front of America on "The Cosby Show" and was such an important role model for so many people, for so many young African Americans who were tuning into "The Cosby Show." But he also continued his career for decades. And I was struck by the fact that he launched a podcast last year. The most recent episode just came out two weeks ago. And he talked about black excellence.
So, people want to Google it, look up the show, it's called "Off the Hood." A really powerful podcast by Malcolm Jamal-Warner.
BROWN: Yes.
BLITZER: All right. Brian Stelter, good point. Thank you very, very much. And we'll be right back.
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[10:50:00]
BLITZER: New today, Gaza's Health Ministry says 15 people have died of starvation across the enclave just in the last day. The head of a Gaza hospital told CNN that tens of thousands of children were suffering from malnutrition right now. One woman who was able to find some food aid said it wasn't enough to feed her family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Is this even edible?! Is this edible?! Is this edible?! This, people (INAUDIBLE) to feed my children. People. People. Have mercy on us. Have mercy on us. Have mercy on our children. Like you feed your children, feed us. Look at us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: The health ministry also said more than a hundred people were killed by Israeli gunfire over the weekend as they were looking for food. With us now is Dr. Travis Melin. He is a doctor from Oregon working at the Al Nasser Hospital in Gaza, and he joins us from there. Tell us, Doctor, what the conditions are like where you are.
DR. TRAVIS MELIN, AMERICAN PHYSICIAN WORKING IN GAZA AND ANESTHESIOLOGIST AT GAZA'S NASSER HOSPITAL: They're very atrocious right now. If I put it into its simplest terms, what I'm seeing is a group of people locked in a cage being starved and whipped in a world full of powerful nations who lack moral character to do anything about it.
In its a more detailed form, what I'm seeing is women, children, and men showing up to the hospital coming from these GHF aid sites with terrible injuries, gunshot wounds to the head, even in young children. And as they are being treated in the hospital, those that survive are frequently in the hospital for prolonged periods of time because there's simply no food to feed them. The hospitalists don't have food to feed them. Often their families have been killed or don't have the capacity or the means to obtain food for them.
And so, we're seeing them, you know, come through the operating room for chronic wound infections, for scars that aren't coming back together, for ulcers on their butts, from skin breakdown. It's really a horrific thing here. It's something that's very hard to witness.
BLITZER: And Dr. Melin, I know you've also raised serious concerns about the health of the staff at your hospital where you're working right now. Are the workers there getting enough to eat?
DR. MELIN: No, absolutely. There's no one that's getting enough to eat. You know, I was here last year for a couple months and even last year. Universally, even amongst the staff, there was evidence of micronutrient deficiency and everyone could show you a photo of them before the war and a current day and they had all lost dramatic amounts of weight.
This year, what I'm seeing is, you know, my friends that I made last year are noticeably thinner. The staff are, you know, working 24 hour shifts and they're getting a small amount of rice, sometimes with some kernels of corn or peas in it as their food. And often, that's the only meal that they're getting each day.
And of -- you know, of course this is leading to fatigue and chronic depression, PTSD, et cetera. And not only that, but while they're here working in the hospital, I don't think a day has gone by where one of their family members, you know -- I haven't treated one of their family members either in the ER or the OR. It is very frequent to be in the operating room to make a case and to have someone walk in and, you know, find out that this is their brother or their niece or their aunt. It's very tragic and preventable.
[10:55:00] BROWN: Israel says that blockade of aid distribution controls are justified as a way of combating Hamas from diverting aid for its own use. Have you seen any evidence of aid making it to -- into the wrong hands when it does get through the blockade?
DR. MELIN: Absolutely not. What I can speak to is that I'm a physician and I can tell you that the civilians, the children, the women, everyone that I see here is losing weight, is actively hungry. There's really palpable like desperation, you know, across the board.
BLITZER: Dr. Travis Melin, thank you so much for joining us. Thanks for all the important work you're doing. We really appreciate it.
DR. MELIN: Of course. Thanks for having me on.
BLITZER: And coming up after the break, a Situation Room interview. We're one-on-one with Mahmoud Khalil as he visits Washington, right here in Washington to meet with lawmakers about his detainment and his case.
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