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Tsunami Waves Hit U.S. Shores After Enormous Quake Off Russia; New York City Shooting Victims Honored as Investigators Search for Answers; New Report Shows Economy Rebounded Sharply in Second Quarter. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired July 30, 2025 - 10:00   ET

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

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WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, tsunami alert. A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Russia triggers a tsunami. Japan, Hawaii, Northern California are now feeling the impact.

Plus, economy rebounding, we're learning the GDP grew sharply in the second quarter, but a major company that makes items you use every day says its products could soon cost more.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Pamela Brown is off today, and you're in The Situation Room.

And we begin this hour with the breaking news. Right now, multiple countries are on high alert after an enormous 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Russia triggering a tsunami. The impacted areas, Pacific and South American countries, including Japan and Peru, as well as Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast. The tsunami warning prompting evacuations, in Japan, some people even sheltering on roofs.

Four-foot tsunami waves hit its shores in Maui. The tsunami wave topped five and a half feet and waves of four feet hit Northern California, that in addition to the normal surf levels. The quake that prompted this tide for the sixth strongest ever recorded.

This shocking video from Eastern Russia shows doctors performing surgery as the earthquake hit. You can see the team holding onto the patient and the surgical equipment as the room shakes. Near the epicenter in far eastern Russia, waves lash the coast, sweeping away buildings and debris. So far, thank God, there are no reported deaths.

CNN is covering this breaking news story from all angles. Our Veronica Miracle is in Santa Monica, California. Veronica, what's the latest on the tsunami impact in California where you are?

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, here in Southern California, officials are the most concerned about the current. They're asking people here in L.A. County to stay out of the water. They're clearing the beaches. They've cleared all the events. They're asking R.V.s to move because, yes, there wasn't any significant damage here. There wasn't any flooding, which is great news. But these waves are strong and they are concerned about swimmers and surfers getting into the water.

They're trying to keep these areas clear up in Northern California, as you mentioned, waves reaching as high as four feet. And that's an area that officials are closely monitoring for any potential damage in the coming hours. And up and down the West Coast, that appears to be where the most significant waves were.

Over in Hawaii, there was a lot of chaos. In the hours leading up to the waves coming ashore there where there was flooding and there were waves almost to six feet high. And as they told people to evacuate, there was a logjam of traffic as people were trying to make their way up to higher elevations, up to buildings, four storeys are or higher, rather. And, in fact, on the big island of Hawaii, there were tourists who were left behind after a cruise ship had to leave.

So, this morning we're watching that as the fallout unfolds. But the good news here is that there's not significant damage along the West Coast and in Hawaii besides that flooding there.

Back to you, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Veronica Miracle on the scene for us, thank you very much.

We're still monitoring alerts across the Pacific. I want to bring in CNN Meteorologist Chris Warren.

Chris how big have the waves been from this tsunami?

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Wolf, we're still tracking the ongoing situation right now along California, but in Hawaii, Maui, close to six feet. Water rise Hilo around five there on the big island.

Now, here on the mainland from Oregon down to California, it's Crescent City that we're still keeping a very close eye on, and there is a specific reason for that, at four feet. Here's the water levels, the blue line, if you can see it, this land that goes like this, that was the initial forecast, and essentially the high tide, low tide, high tide, and then as the waves from the tsunami reaching the shoreline, a lot of up and down.

And what we see, these are increments of an hour. So, this right here, all of this, where there's been the wave action at times, I think that four was right about there, that four-foot. It's been going up and down. So, it is not just one push of water. When you see video, you might think that, you might think just one push of water, one surge. That's not always the case. You can have multiple surges of water, which can also make it very dangerous.

With all of the alerts here, the yellow, the advisories for the Aleutians, still in Hawaii and the West coast of the United States, it's right there, Northern California, including Crescent City with the warning where we're seeing a lot of the action.

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So, at the time of the earthquake, you can see the forecast 5, 10, 15. We're in this zone right here, but it's -- you can see closely in the blue, Wolf, it's what's going on, on the surface of the ocean, the surface, the trenches, the mountains underwater can focus that water to the land, and that's what makes Crescent City so vulnerable, plus the shape of the coastline as well.

BLITZER: And I see the west coast of Canada is getting hit pretty seriously as well, right?

WARREN: Yes. So, we're watching still from Canada, yes. So from the Aleutians to Alaska, the mainland of Alaska, all the way down to British Columbia, and now we're watching, have yet to see the waves get into Southern America, in South America. And that's what we'll be continuing to watch throughout the morning and afternoon hours. Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes, this was an enormous earthquake that hit off the coast of Russia and it's having an enormous impact.

Chris Warren, our CNN meteorologist, thank you for that update.

Also there's other important news happening now. NYPD detectives are turning their attention to Las Vegas. That's where the gunman in Monday's Park Avenue mass shooting lived. Last night, family, friends and New York City officials came together for a vigil honoring the four people killed. The shooter took his own life during the attack as well. He had a history of serious mental health issues.

CNN Correspondent Omar Jimenez is covering the deadliest shooting in New York City in some 25 years. Omar, what are the investigators hoping to learn in Las Vegas?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, for starters, anything from his past that may help provide information to how this person got to the point where they're driving across the country to carry out something like this, so, yes, investigators going to Las Vegas where this person lived. The New York Police Commissioner has also talked about how this person had a documented mental health history. So, there goes looking into the clues that may be there.

They'll also likely look into how this person ended up with the weapon that he did. He did have a concealed carry license in Nevada. But the main component of the gun used here was bought by someone else. And we are getting new images of that particular weapon. You can see here the assault-style rifle with what appears to be blood toward the barrel. There's a scope there and a flashlight as well. And then in his car, investigators also found additional ammunition and a revolver as well.

And then we've heard from New York City Mayor Eric Adams that this person, they believe was targeting the NFL offices and that a suicide note was found on his body saying he suffered from CTE. Well, the New York City Medical Examiner's Office says they will now be investigating to see if that is actually the case. So, that's where things are moving on that front.

As that goes on, though, there are families, friends, and communities still trying to process how they're going to move forward without their loved ones. You spoke about the vigil that we saw last night in part for Didarul Islam, the 36-year-old New York City Police officer that leaves behind two children and a wife expecting a third. Here are their pictures here. Wesley LePatner, an executive at Blackstone, described as brilliant and passionate, leaving behind a husband and children. Aland Etienne, a security officer, described as dedicated a father as well. And then Julia Hyman, an associate at the real estate firm that -- an associate at the real estate firm that owns the building who just graduated from Cornell in 2020, described as a kind person with a bright smile and infectious laugh.

So, those are the two dynamics going on right now, Wolf, the investigation, but then also these loved ones trying to process how to move forward.

BLITZER: And our hearts go out to those families. Omar Jimenez, thank you very much for that update.

Other news we're following, including news that's new this morning, some welcome news for the U.S. economy, new numbers show a sharp turnaround after a worrisome first quarter.

CNN Senior Reporter Matt Egan is joining us here in the situation room. How big of an improvement is this new report for the U.S. economy?

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Wolf, the headline here is a positive one, right? GDP, the broadest measure of the U.S. economy, it did rebound in the second quarter 3 percent. That is a solid number, and it also beat expectations. This marks a major improvement from the first quarter when we saw a rare contraction. So, that's the good news.

The bad news is economists say that this headline GDP figure, it's misleading, and that's because the trade war is distorting all of these metrics. In the first quarter, we saw imports crash because of high tariffs, right? Businesses, consumers, they were trying to beat the clock on tariffs. We saw a reversal in the second quarter where imports this time, they actually went down sharply because of tariffs. And when that happens, that subtracts from -- that actually adds to GDP.

And so that's why economists say that this GDP improvement, it's really a mirage and that this economy actually lost steam. Fed officials and economists, they like to look at core GDP. It was just 1.9 percent in the first quarter.

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In the second quarter, Wolf, it slowed to 1.2 percent. That paints the picture of an economy that is slowing down.

BLITZER: On a related matter, we're just a few hours away now from a Federal Reserve decision on a possible interest rate cut, which is what Trump keeps calling for. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, so far, has refused to cut those interest rates. What are we anticipating?

EGAN: Well, Wolf, a fed Decision, always a big deal. A lot more drama this time because, as you mentioned, the president has been pounding the table for interest rate cuts all year, and he's not looking for slightly lower interest rates. He wants dramatically lower interest rates.

And, look, that's just not going to happen. The market is pricing in almost no chance of even a tiny cut at today's meeting. There is about a 62 percent chance of an interest rate cut at the next meeting, the one in September. But this decision today, it could shine a light on some growing pressure from inside the Fed for the first time since 1993.

Fed watchers expect that two members from the Fed's powerful Board of Governors will dissent, and that does speak to some pressure on the Fed, not just from the president but also from Powell's own colleagues.

BLITZER: And we'll know the result of the decision today, when?

EGAN: 2:00 P.M. Eastern.

BLITZER: We'll be watching. All right, thanks very much, Matt Egan, reporting for us.

There's other news that's happening this morning. We're learning that President Trump's Justice Department is seeking the release of grand jury testimony from Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell Prosecutors have filed a memo arguing a judge should release more of the investigative record.

Also new, President Trump describing his falling out with Epstein more than 20 years ago. The president now says he discovered Epstein was poaching employees from the Trump resort down in Florida at Mar-a- Lago.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: He took people. And because he took people, I say, don't do it anymore, you know, they work for me, and he took beyond that. He took some others. And once he did that, that was the end to him. I didn't like where they steal people. I don't like it.

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BLITZER: When you steal people. I don't like it.

I want to bring in CNN Senior White House Reporter Kevin Liptak. Kevin, there's a lot to cover, but let's begin with the president saying, Epstein was hiring or stealing away his resort employees. KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and it is striking language, Wolf, and it is also the most extensive accounting that we've gotten from President Trump about how his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein kind of deteriorated more than two decades ago. You know, the White House has been saying that he broke off ties with Jeffrey Epstein because he was, quote, a creep, and now the president adding some more details about how exactly that happened, but also raising some more questions about the timeline of all of this.

Listen to just a little bit more of what the president said.

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REPORTER: Mr. President, you said yesterday your falling out with Jeffrey Epstein was over him taking some of the workers from your business, but your administration in the past said that you threw him out because he was a creep. So, can you explain that?

TRUMP: Well, maybe they're the same thing. You know, sort of a little bit of the same thing. But, no, he took people that worked for me, and I told him, don't do it anymore. And he did it. And I said, stay the hell out of here.

REPORTER: Mr. President, did one of those stolen, you know, persons, did that include Virginia Giuffre?

TRUMP: I don't know. I think she worked at the spa. I think so. I think that was one of the people. He stole her. And, by the way, she had no complaints about us, as you know, none whatsoever.

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LIPTAK: So, you hear the president there talking about Virginia Giuffre, who is probably the most well known of Jeffrey Epstein's victims. She died by suicide earlier this year. And she had said in a deposition that she was 16 when she was recruited by Ghislaine Maxwell from Mar-a-Lago to work as Jeffrey Epstein's masseuse.

Now, we should note, the timeline here is a little questionable. That happened in 2000. But as recently as 2002, President Trump was still saying warm things about Jeffrey Epstein. He said in a magazine article that he was a terrific person.

So, a lot of questions, I think, still remaining about the timeline in all of this as the president looks to downplay how exactly he was tied to Jeffrey Epstein.

BLITZER: Yes, it's a, a really ugly story from A to Z, no doubt about that. Kevin Liptak, thank you very, very much.

Also happening now, the National Transportation Safety Board is holding its first day of hearings on that deadly midair collision near Reagan National Airport, right here in the nation's capital. The January 29th crash between an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army helicopter killed 67 people. CNN Aviation Correspondent Pete Muntean outside the hearing for us. He's monitoring all these developments. What are the investigators hoping to accomplish, Pete?

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PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the first witnesses were just sworn in here, three from the U.S. Army's Aviation Brigade, the Aviation Unit, also one from the Federal Aviation Administration and one witness from Sikorsky, which made that Army Black Hawk helicopter.

The scope of these proceedings are really unprecedented, huge, three days of hearings, 200 new documents. We're talking 10,000 pages of findings. And perhaps the most emotional and stunning piece of evidence was just played here. You could hear a pin drop as the 11- minute-long animation of the flight paths and the air traffic control audio was played here in this packed house, this NTSB hearing room.

It also included the transcripts, the texts from the voice recorder on board the Black Hawk helicopter. And that really details a lot of the confusion in the cockpit of the helicopter that the crew of the helicopter thought they were higher -- sorry, lower on the route, that helicopter route, than they actually were. There's a 200-foot maximum altitude published on that route that has now since been banned. Also that the crew was confused about what they were looking at, that the crew was a little unclear about the location of that incoming American Airlines regional jet.

I want you to listen now to NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, who gave a very stern message here to the witnesses who are presenting today. She said, this is not like a courtroom. They should not touch speculation. They should not analyze here and strictly stick to the facts. Listen.

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JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIRWOMAN, NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: This is not an adversarial hearing. This does not mean difficult questions won't be asked. They will be and they should be. This is an investigation. We are here to improve safety.

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MUNTEAN: Right now, the review is taking place on the altimeters onboard the Black Hawk helicopter, and that is so significant because the NTSB has laid out some pretty significant discrepancies here. There were three sources of height on board that helicopter, now seems like that helicopter was higher on the route when there was only 75 feet of clearance baked into the approach path there to Runway 33 Reagan National Airport.

BLITZER: And as you know, Pete, this is very, very personal for a lot of us who fly in and out of Reagan national all of the time. Has the U.S. military now completely stopped flying military helicopters near Reagan National Airport? MUNTEAN: Essentially, the helicopters are now somewhat banned. They are not allowed to fly very close to Reagan National Airport. They've been given new routes around Reagan National Airport. The Army helicopter unit that was involved here, the 12th Aviation Battalion, essentially restarted flights near Reagan National Airport and then stopped flights near Reagan National Airport.

So, there's still a bit of a rub there. Not totally done just yet, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, they should completely stop those flights. Pete Muntean, thank you very, very much.

Still ahead, Ghislaine Maxwell says she's ready to testify before Congress, but she's attaching some major conditions.

And up next, President Trump says the Friday tariff deadline won't be extended. I'll ask the Colorado governor, Jared Polis, what these tariffs could do to people in his state and indeed around the country.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

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Happening now, President Trump is threatening 25 percent tariffs on imports from India, plus a penalty for purchasing Russian military equipment if there's no trade agreement by this coming Friday. This morning, he posted that the August 1st deadline stands strong and will not be extended, a direct quote from Trump.

The U.S. imported a whopping $87 billion worth of goods from India just last year with smart phones, clothing, and pharmaceuticals topping the list. In fact, India has surpassed China now as the top supplier of smart phones to the United States.

Meanwhile, you'll likely start feeling the tariffs when you buy everyday things, like laundry detergent and toilet paper. Procter and Gamble, which makes Tide, Charmin and other familiar household products, says it's hiking prices because of the tariff's effect on its profits.

Joining us now is the Colorado Democratic governor, Jared Polis. Governor, thanks so much for joining us.

First of all, what are you hearing from your Colorado constituents and indeed from other states about the impact of all these tariffs?

GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): Well, first of all, it's ridiculous. I mean, Europe, our closest ally. The tariffs historically been between 1 and 3 percent. Trump has hiked it to 15 percent. I mean, that's a net 12, 13 percent price increase for American consumers on everything that comes from Europe. India, potentially, could be even worse for America if it stays anywhere near that 25 percent, because this is really important for Americans buying products. It also discourages investment in the United States. Because when you're making things here for export, there's always a reciprocal tariff. The other country puts one on us, and so a lot of manufacturing is going to move overseas.

I've already heard from companies here saying, we're not going to build a factory in Colorado. We're going to build it overseas because we can't pay the tariffs on all the parts and materials that we need to make our product.

BLITZER: I know, Governor, you issued an executive order earlier this month to try to mitigate the effects of these tariffs, but President Trump has been able to strike trade agreements with some U.S. allies, including a framework with the European Union just the other day.

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Are you willing to give Trump credit for that?

POLIS: Well, no, because it went from 2 percent to 15 percent. If he gets it down to zero, I would be happy to give him credit, Wolf. I mean, that's the goal of trade negotiations. And if this is a some sort of bluff with India, he wants them to stop selling to Russia, bring down their barriers, and he goes to zero, I'll say he was a great negotiator and got a good deal. Right now, 25 percent, 15 percent, ripping off the American people, bad deals, hurts the economy.

BLITZER: You see these tariffs as, in effect, attacks on U.S. consumers.

POLIS: Effectively, there is sales tax on U.S. consumers for broad sets of products and goods. You mentioned a few. There's so many more, right? I mean, it's the clothing we wear, it's iPhones, you name it, and it gets passed right along 15, 20, 25 percent, whatever it is. It's inflationary, it raises prices and it's regressive.

Many lawmakers, as you know, Governor, are being pressed by voters at town halls and elsewhere on the critical hunger crisis that's unfolding in Gaza right now, and they're being questioned about U.S. support for Israel. Dozens of Democratic senators on Tuesday sent a letter to administration officials demanding the expansion of humanitarian aid in Gaza. Do you believe American support for Israel should be contingent on more aid getting into Gaza?

POLIS: Look, our priority should be getting the hostages freed. I know that they are close in the negotiations. It seems like Israel is trying to turn up the pressure to get that final negotiation done. But, obviously, as long as Israelis and innocent people are being held hostage. They're going to try to get them out. And so that's exactly what they're trying to do, whether it's militarily or through economic means.

But at the end of the day, we need a two-state solution that recognizes Palestinian sovereignty over the Palestinian areas and Israeli sovereignty in the Jewish state of Israel. BLITZER: On another sensitive issue, Governor, we've seen Texas state lawmakers now meet with governors in blue states like California and Illinois, urging them to redraw Congressional district lines to benefit Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections. What do you think of that? Should Democratic governors like you be open to that?

POLIS: Well, first of all, again, I think it's sad that Texas is looking at doing what they're doing effectively, trying to change the, the game midstream to benefit one political party. Voters don't like that. Voters want to elect their politicians. They don't want their politicians choosing their voters.

The voters of Colorado had a lot of foresight. We put in our state Constitution. I supported it at the time, it was a number of years ago, a constitutional amendment. It takes the redistricting power away from politicians and gives it to a non-partisan redistricting commission that's composed of people of our state.

So, that's the way we've done it. I think it would be very bad for the Republican Party of Texas if they continue down this track.

BLITZER: We're now six months, Governor, into the Trump administration, the second term of the Trump administration, and you surprised some Democrats when you came out in support of the president's nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services secretary. Have you been satisfied with RFK's leadership at HHS?

POLIS: Well, I've been disappointed by the same types of things that he's been saying for years. When he casts aspersions on vaccinations, that hurts the public health.

In terms of improving nutrition, trying to ban some of the dyes that have been linked to cancer, I'm absolutely for that. Less refined sugars, less artificial dyes, I'm 100 percent for that, and I hope he makes progress on it.

BLITZER: Let's see if that happens. Governor Jared Polis of Colorado, thanks as usual for joining us.

POLIS: Thank you.

BLITZER: And coming up we'll get back to our breaking news, an enormously powerful earthquake off Russia's far eastern coast and tsunami waves all the way to U.S. shores, what it looked like close to the quake, epicenter, just ahead.

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