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The Situation Room

Steve Witkoff Meets with Netanyahu in Jerusalem; Trump Calls on Hamas to Surrender and Release Hostages; Student Loan Balances for 8M borrowers Set to Increase. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired July 31, 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 this morning, The White House special envoy, Steve Witkoff, just wrapping up his meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Witkoff and Israeli leaders are discussing ways to try to increase aid and alleviate the growing starvation crisis in Gaza. And it comes after President Trump's split openly with the prime minister saying that Palestinians in Gaza are facing, quote, "real starvation" despite Netanyahu's denials. And pledging to set up food centers to ease the crisis.

Joining us here in the Situation Room right now is CNN Senior White House Reporter Kevin Liptak. Kevin the president, is posting about the crisis this morning. What's the latest thing he said?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and this is interesting because you mentioned that earlier this week, he seemed to break with Netanyahu saying that there was in fact starvation occurring in Gaza and saying that Israel needed to do more. Today, he's putting the onus very much on Hamas to try and alleviate the suffering. He's saying the fastest way to end the humanitarian crises in Gaza is for Hamas to surrender and release the hostages.

And so, you can expect this is going to be a point of discussion with Steve Witkoff and the Prime Minister in Israel today. Clearly, the humanitarian crisis is weighing on President Trump. You know, we're told that he's been looking at the images, looking at the video, and is pretty affected by it, and I think Witkoff is going to want to talk with Netanyahu about what exactly can be done to try and get more aid in there.

We also understand that Witkoff could potentially visit Gaza and some of these aid distribution sites that the U.S. has set up with a private contractor. They've been the site of some scenes of chaos. So, we should look for that later today.

[10:35:00]

Of course, he's also going to want to discuss the prospects of this ceasefire deal. Remember Witkoff pulled his team out of the region last week, essentially saying that Hamas was not serious about reaching this deal. He also said at that point that they were going to discuss some alternatives for getting the hostages out and getting the aid in. We haven't heard a lot of specifics about what those alternatives might look like. So, that could be also a point of discussion with Netanyahu today.

And of course, this is coming amid immense diplomatic pressure on Israel. You've seen a number of countries, G7 countries saying that they're going to recognize the Palestinian State. Today, the State Department is kind of going in the opposite direction. They've announced new sanctions on members of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization, denying some of the organization's leaders visas to the U.S. That could potentially prevent them from coming to the U.S. for the U.N. General Assembly, where all of these other countries have said that they will recognize a Palestinian State. And so, that's an important, I think, moment of the State Department putting its support behind Israel amid all of this diplomatic pressure.

BLITZER: Yes, the U.N. General Assembly taking place, as it always does, in September. So, that's coming up very soon. All right. Kevin Liptak, thank you very, very much.

Let's continue this conversation. Barak Ravid is CNN's Political and Global Affairs Analyst. He's also the politics and foreign policy reporter for Axios. Barak, thanks for joining us. Presumably, the special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will have dual missions on this current trip to Israel. He's now in Jerusalem. How much do you think he can actually accomplish?

BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST AND POLITICS AND FOREIGN POLICY REPORTER, AXIOS: It's a good question, Wolf. It doesn't seem that he can accomplish much. And I think the big question is. Whether president Trump or the Trump administration as a whole has a plan, or will it continue to basically follow Benjamin Netanyahu's plan, which is to continue the war indefinitely?

And at the moment -- or not at the moment, but over the last few months, the Trump administration, the president himself, didn't really put pressure on Netanyahu and basically followed his line on almost all issues in Gaza. The only time when Trump decided to take another route, he conducted direct talks with Hamas and managed to get U.S. hostage, Edan Alexander, out of Gaza and back to his family.

But on any -- almost any other issue relevant to the war, Trump followed Netanyahu, and the result was that six months after Trump came back to office, the war in Gaza is still going on.

BLITZER: Certainly is. And this morning, Barak, as we just heard from Kevin, the State Department announcing new sanctions on officials from the Palestinian Authority and the PLO, the Palestine Liberation Organization, accusing them of undermining commitments toward peace in the region. Is this likely to have any impact?

RAVID: I'm not sure. I'm not even sure that any Palestinian official --

BLITZER: I think we just lost our connection with Barak. We'll try to fix that. Have we reconnected with Barak? Not yet. All right. So, let's -- let him go. We'll continue this -- our -- now I'm told that we have reconnected. Barak, you hear me OK? RAVID: Yes. Wolf? I can hear loud and clear.

BLITZER: All right. All right. We hear you loud and clear too. But go ahead, finish your thought on whether or not these latest steps by the State Department here in Washington against Palestinian officials is going to have any impact.

All right. Barak, we just lost you again. But we'll continue this conversation down the road to be sure.

Just ahead, nearly 8 million student loan borrowers could see their monthly payment skyrocket. That's coming up next. What you need to know about the changes to a very popular loan program.

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[10:40:00]

BLITZER: And this is just to CNN, the former vice president, Kamala Harris, is releasing a book on her presidential campaign, it's titled "107 Days." In a Social Media Post, she says, the book is a behind the scenes look at the shortest presidential campaign in modern history. Here's part of that announcement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: In essence, writing a journal that is this book, "107 Days." With candor and reflection, I've written a behind the scenes account of that journey. I believe there's value in sharing what I saw, what I learned, and what I know it will take to move forward. In writing this book, one truth kept coming back to me, sometimes the fight takes a while, but I remain full of hope and I remain clear-eyed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Tonight, Kamala Harris will sit down with Stephen Colbert on the CBS show late tonight for what they're billing as her first interview since the 2024 election.

Other news we're following right now, student loan payments here in the United States for nearly 8 million borrowers are set to skyrocket starting tomorrow. The U.S. Department of Education is set to end a Biden era repayment plan, known as the SAVE Act. It could be a serious blow to borrowers already struggling to make payments on very high interest student loans.

[10:45:00]

CNN Washington Correspondent Sunlen Serfaty is here with me in the Situation Room. Sunlen, you spoke to some of those borrowers. What are you hearing?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, more than anything, Wolf, these borrowers are worried, but they are very confused. They're confused by this whole process. There's massive changes going on in the student loan world, and they're having a hard time navigating it all. And these changes that will go into effect tomorrow with a SAVE plan are a really good example of what borrowers are navigating on their own.

Now, these changes, starting tomorrow, will impact them greatly. First of all, they have been in a situation since last summer where they've been in no issue forbearance, meaning that they will not have to pay their monthly fee. They will not have to pay, their balance were essentially frozen, but that's what's going to change here. Now, starting tomorrow, those borrowers will be facing interest for the first time in a year, meaning that big, massive number that they're facing will go up. And that's deflating to so many borrowers who came to the SAVE plan specifically because they didn't want to see their interest balloon out of control.

And I talked to many borrowers who are facing this deadline of tomorrow and what it will mean for them. One woman I spoke to, she's 31 years old, she just got out of medical school. She's in her residency, not making much money yet, and she's facing $300,000 of debt. Here's what she told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRONTE REMSIK, "SAVE" PLAN BORROWER: I've spent my entire 20s in school. And so, now in my 30s and as a young professional, I would love to have a life. I would love to be able to, you know, go on vacation and to eat dinner out and to live a normal human life in the very limited free time that I have. And now, you know, the financial walls just feel like they're crushing down around me. When I thought graduating medical school was the big win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: Now, notably, one thing that is really driving a lot of the confusion here, Wolf, is that the Department of Education made this change very suddenly. It was only three weeks ago that they said the SAVE plan -- those on the SAVE plan will start accruing interest. So, this really set off a scramble for many students.

Now, the Department of Education and Student Loan Experts say, reach out to them. Look for help. Let's try to see if another plan may work better to switch. But for many people, 8 million people here who are on this plan, they're facing potential big interest fees.

BLITZER: Yes, it's huge. 8 million, that's a lot. All right. thanks very much. Sunlen Serfaty reporting for us. And still ahead, we'll speak to family members of victims of that deadly collision between a passenger jet and a U.S. army helicopter over the Potomac River, as federal investigators meet to try to figure out what went so horribly wrong.

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[10:50:00]

BLITZER: Want to keep your brain sharp? Take a nice long walk. New studies show that regular exercise can help slow down cognitive decline. We're paging CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He's the author of an important new book entitled "Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age." Sanjay, thanks very much for writing this book. Thanks very much. Thanks all for joining us.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Our viewers have questions for you. Let's start with Alan from Ottawa. He wants to know, does having type two diabetes accelerate cognitive decline if you're over the age of 70?

DR. GUPTA: Yes. So, the short answer to this question is yes. Let me give you a little bit of context here. First of all, if you just look at the population as a whole, around 12 percent of the country has diagnosed diabetes. Over the age of 65, the number is closer to 30 percent. So, real concern. But there is a correlation between having diabetes and having more accelerated problems with cognition.

In fact, some people, Wolf, actually refer to Alzheimer's as type three diabetes as a result. When your insulin is not working as well, when you're insulin resistant, that can have impacts on your body, we know, but also on your brain. So, really important to sort of keep that your blood sugars under control.

BLITZER: Anthony from Illinois writes this, Sanjay, I know exercise is good for my brain, but what types of physical activity are most effective for slowing cognitive decline?

DR. GUPTA: Yes. So, really great question. And let me just say, first of all, this may be a little counterintuitive. But physical exercise, physical movement, probably more important for your brain health than doing things like puzzles. Movement is the most evidence proven way to actually increase new neurons, new neuronal growth, which I think is really important.

But there is a nuance here. If you're thinking about your heart doing more intense activity, probably a good idea, getting your heart rate really elevated, that's good for your heart. But for your brain, you probably want to do more moderate activity, 150 minutes or so of moderate aerobic activity a week. Some strength training. You still want to continue and improve balance.

But here's the thing, Wolf, when you're intensely exercising, you may be creating new neurons, but you're also creating a lot of cortisol, which is a stress hormone, and that can actually inhibit neuronal growth. So, for your heart, intense activity. For your brain, more moderate activity.

BLITZER: Like taking a walk.

DR. GUPTA: Taking a walk.

BLITZER: Really important. Yes. And a quick question, I like to take a walk every day outside, but what if it's 85, 90, 95 degrees? Is it smart to be out there when the weather is that hot? DR. GUPTA: I think you certainly have to listen to your body. But yes. The short answer is yes. The key is to stay hydrated. I mean, that is where people really run into trouble. Making sure you're taking your bottle of water with you. You've been so good at this for so many years, Wolf. But making sure you stay hydrated when you're out there, that's the key.

BLITZER: Drink a lot of water. I always do. Finally, we have actually had several people ask this, Sanjay, I see a lot of products out there. This is the question that seem -- that you seem to be promoting. It looks like it might be A.I., artificial intelligence.

[10:55:00]

DR. GUPTA: Yes.

BLITZER: But can you confirm that this is not you? Watch this. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Scientists believe they may have finally found a natural way to not only fight, but potentially reverse the devastating effects of the disease. The most surprising part, the key is in some new drug. It all comes down to a simple honey recipe and a powerful traditional Indian root developed by Dr. Sanjay Gupta himself.

DR. GUPTA: I want to say that this is truly a landmark in modern medicine, and I am honored to be a part of it. Today, new hope is born. In fact, I'd call it a new certainty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right. Sanjay, can you explain what's going on here?

DR. GUPTA: Well, I mean, this is a scam, Wolf. This is fake. It is designed to prey on people who are vulnerable and worried about their brain health. I just find it reprehensible. It's not me just, to put that out there. It's not Anderson either. That is totally A.I. generated. And we're seeing more and more of this. So, it's concerning, Wolf. It's something that I'm glad we're talking about.

A couple things, as my mom always said, if it seems too good to be true, it's not true. The idea that honey could cure Alzheimer's disease, that obviously is not accurate. Look for these A.I. platforms. I thought Anderson's part of it. It sort of sounded like him. Mine, you can tell from the natural voice and things that is A.I. generated, pay attention to that.

Also look for other sources. If we came up with a cure for Alzheimer's disease, Wolf, I'd be talking to you about it on your program, not some social media thing that you have a hard time finding, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes. Really important information from Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay, thank you so much. And this A.I. stuff can potentially be very, very dangerous. Appreciate it very, very much.

DR. GUPTA: You got it. Thank you.

BLITZER: And coming up, we're hearing from the family of one of the most high-profile victims of Jeffrey Epstein. Yes. We'll discuss the latest on this. Her family is now saying that President Trump's recent comments saying a lot about her family's recent comments. We have details, that's next.

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