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The Situation Room
Democrats Debate Response To Texas Redistricting Push; Giuffre's Family Says She Would Have Wanted Epstein Documents Released; Witkoff And Huckabee Visits Gaza Aid Sites; Kindergartners Missing 2024 Required Vaccines. Aired 10:30-11a ET
Aired August 01, 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: Other new developments this morning as Democrats confront the Republican push to try to redraw congressional boundaries in Texas at President Trump's urging, it could have a profound impact on the 2026 midterm elections. California Governor Gavin Newsom might respond with a special election in his Democratic controlled state this fall and have voters approve new House maps that would boost his party, the Democratic Party. But another prominent Democrat, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren says, no retaliation is needed. Listen.
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SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): Republicans in Texas are afraid of their own constituents. They are afraid that if the people of Texas have an opportunity to vote for whoever they want, that's going to put Democrats in charge in the state legislature and elect more Democrats to Congress.
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BLITZER: Joining us now is the Democratic governor of New Mexico Michelle Lujan Grisham. Governor, thanks so much for joining us. I know you recently met with Texas. Democratic lawmakers about redistricting in Texas. Where do you stand on this sensitive issue with Governor Newsom or Senator Warren?
GOV. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM (D-NM): Look, I stand in this space, which is every single American, irrespective of party affiliation, ought to be really alarmed by this power grab. And I think that the reality is you're seeing governor California maybe New York feeling like a first punch has been thrown against our very democracy and that you can't just take that punch and do nothing.
I hear Senator Warren, which is these overreactions potentially where everyone is now kind of a tit for tat, trying to figure out what we do is less about American voices in protecting our democracy and becomes more of a political food fight. I think the best advice is all of us have to be sounding the alarm in a meaningful way. Because if we don't, we're going to keep looking away for a president who has no constitutional boundaries.
BLITZER: You are talking about Trump. As you know, Governor --
GRISHAM: I'm talking about Trump.
BLITZER: Yes. As you know, Governor, Democrats already fill all of New Mexico's entire congressional delegation. So, what's your role in helping those Texas Democratic lawmakers if you can't get more Democrats elected to Congress through redistricting in your state? All of the congressional districts in New Mexico have Democrats.
GRISHAM: Well, I'm doing it right now. By talking to more than just new Mexicans, talk to every American. This is not the way this system works. When you don't get your way, when you don't -- when you're losing political support in Congress, when people are beginning to notice that you're not delivering on a single one of your campaign promises, this is not the reaction where you are allowed and you can get your Republicans in a state like Texas that's already challenged by gerrymandering.
[10:35:00]
And for most Americans who may not exactly understand what that is, it means that they draw maps that are about the politician, not about the individual voter, and it's illegal. So, this effort, Wolf, your interest in this situation, ergo the Situation Room, I think creates presence by Americans that we cannot just stand idly by for this level of authoritarianism. That's what's really going on.
BLITZER: It's certainly a situation to be sure. On another topic, while I have you, Governor, I know you're following very closely the president's new tariffs around the world, how will they impact your beautiful state of New Mexico?
GRISHAM: They have devastating impacts. Food prices go up. And New Mexico's a state where our utility prices are 18 percent below the national average, those go up. Housing prices, infrastructure prices. Look, every state is really working hard to make sure that we're delivering and particularly Democratic governors.
Yesterday, Wolf, I was announcing a brand-new bridge in a small rural community that connects, right, commuters and workers and visitors in a largely Navajo district in the State of New Mexico. These bridges, some of them are Vietnam era. This is part of the infrastructure law that Biden passed. We're cobbling together all of those resources. This is what New Mexico voters want. This is what American voters want.
Your healthcare prices are about to skyrocket. So, food prices, infrastructure, prices, construction, steel, wood, every single thing you rely on. And now, if you are a consumer that brings goods in via the mail that's going to go up. I think this is going to have a dramatic negative impact.
Last thing, this is a state that moved from 50th and childhood poverty in two years to 26th, and we believe that we're going to see even better efforts given our universal free childcare. You know, what hurts that effort? The fact that everyday prices go up so that you never get ahead. It's outrageous.
BLITZER: Yes. All right. New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, thanks as usual for joining us.
GRISHAM: Thank you, Wolf. I appreciate you.
BLITZER: Thank you. The family of Jeffrey Epstein accuser, Virginia Giuffre, is speaking out to CNN dramatically and lashing out at how the case is being handled. Giuffre had died by suicide earlier this year. The family, they're upset that Epstein's accomplice and convicted sex trafficker, Ghislaine Maxwell, met with the Justice Department official just last week, and that Maxwell has offered to testify before Congress, but with major conditions including immunity. Listen to this.
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SKY ROBERTS, GIUFFRE'S BROTHER: She was preyed upon by Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as, many other predators out there, but she was preyed upon at Mar-a-Lago. And we were very shocked and very surprised that, you know, they were giving her a voice and giving her a platform to essentially possibly make a deal.
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BLITZER: There you go. You saw Giuffre's two brothers and two sisters- in-law. The family has taken issue with President Trump's comments earlier this week that Epstein stole young women and worked at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Giuffre's brother says she was preyed upon, not stolen, preyed upon there by President Trump. President Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing in this case. The family is also frustrated by Epstein -- the Epstein files not being released.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was still fighting for those documents to be released. They are sitting in our court system right now. She wanted the world to know what they've done to her and so many other survivors, and she had been fighting that to her very last day. And I think we have taken that mantle on. And we will continue to fight with her and for her, and for all the other survivors so that their truth is known to the world and that they're vindicated.
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BLITZER: Our thanks to Kaitlan Collins for that very moving and very important interview with the family. The Trump administration at the same time is facing mounting political pressure to release more documents in the case. We'll have more on that. That's all coming up.
And just ahead, I'll speak to someone from the U.N.'s Humanitarian Affairs office who is inside Gaza. She'll tell us what she's seeing right now as this food crisis clearly deepens.
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[10:40:00]
BLITZER: New this morning, President Trump's special envoy to the Middle East is seeing the starvation crisis in Gaza firsthand. Steve Witkoff and the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, have now visited an aid distribution site in the southern part of the enclave. It's run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is backed by both the U.S. and Israel. The United Nations says Israel's military has killed hundreds of Palestinians desperate for food near the foundation sites. The group disputes this.
Olga Cherevko is a spokesperson for the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. She's joining us live now from inside Gaza. Olga, thanks so much for doing this. What's the state of the crisis in Gaza right now? Are you seeing any improvement at all?
[10:45:00]
OLGA CHEREVKO, SPOKESPERSON, U.N. OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: Thanks, Wolf, for having me. You know, I am honestly constantly amazed by how much and how quickly it's deteriorating by the day, seemingly.
Just yesterday I was on a convoy to pick up supplies, and alongside the road I saw this elderly man kneeling down completely alone and scooping up lentils with his hands that had spilled from a previous convoy that had gone by, and he was just putting them in his t-shirt and doing this because, obviously, this is the only way that he has right now to basically not to starve.
BLITZER: You know, I thought it was interesting that the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has praised the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation for delivering what he says were 100 million meals since launching in June. That's a huge number, obviously. But is it a big impact? What's your assessment?
CHEREVKO: Well, if we look at the malnutrition rates, for example, as one of the indicators. For the past four months, they have been rapidly climbing up. And this July, the first half of July, we had a 9 percent rate of kids under five who have been screened with malnutrition. And these rates are continuing to climb up. And I continue to see people who are obviously emaciated and famished and really desperate for anything, just to be able to feed themselves and their families.
BLITZER: President Trump's Middle East Envoy, Steve Witkoff, who's in Gaza with the U.S. ambassador, Mike Huckabee, they've visited Gaza and they're saying -- that Witkoff is saying he spent more than five hours on the scene in Gaza. What could it mean if the U.S. got more directly involved in this crisis? Are you hopeful that will happen?
CHEREVKO: Well, we're hopeful that any member state with influence will take action to change the situation. You know, ultimately, this crisis cannot be solved by humanitarians. There is only so much that we can do to address people's needs. This crisis needs political decisions, and that's what needs to be done now to really address it. BLITZER: Israel has now allowed airdrops of supplies to resume inside Gaza. France, as you know, joined several other countries coordinating those airstrike efforts. Are those airdrops making a significant impact?
CHEREVKO: Well, we, of course, welcome any efforts to provide aids to people because this is long overdue and desperately needed. But airdrops specifically or any other alternative to land routes. There is really no such alternative because the most effective way to bring it at scale is by road.
And also, the cost pound -- ton by ton and hour by hour is -- and the volume that you can bring are really incomparable. You are talking about $7,000 that it costs to transport one metric ton of supplies through -- with a C-130, let's say, versus 20 metric tons that one truck can transport, which can transport about 20 metric tons. And it costs about just over $3,000, both to bring it and to transport it within Gaza.
BLITZER: Olga, you're there on the ground in Gaza. You're watching and you're seeing personally what's going on. What's your message to the world right now about what you're seeing?
CHEREVKO: Well, I hope that now that the world has really seen these very shocking images of people who are in desperate need, who are starving, that the International Community will wake up and will really start taking action that we have been appealing for all along. And ultimately, also because, again, humanitarian solutions are not enough. We need a ceasefire and we need this -- it's very, very long overdue.
BLITZER: Olga Cherevko, good luck over there. Stay safe. We'll stay in touch with you. Appreciate it very much.
CHEREVKO: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: And we'll be right back.
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[10:50:00]
BLITZER: This morning, a very troubling trend as children across the United States start returning to school. New data from the CDC shows a record percentage of kindergartners missing their required vaccinations last school year, and that includes nearly 286,000 students who did not get a full series of measles, mumps, rubella vaccinations. Measles cases have hit their highest levels here in the United States since it was declared eliminated years ago.
CNN Medical Correspondent Meg Tirrell is joining us right now. Meg, walk us through these very troubling new numbers.
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, we're seeing really declines across the board for all reported vaccines for kindergartners last year. So, from measles to polio to diphtheria and whooping cough all lower. And a lot of this trend could be driven by an increase in the number of vaccine exemptions. There are out there for required vaccines.
[10:55:00]
Now, up to a record, 3.6 percent of kindergartners having an exemption for one or more required vaccines, leaving 138,000 kids without full coverage from these state-required vaccines as they're going into kindergarten. If you look at this over time, you can really see an uptick in the number of vaccine exemptions starting around the year 2020.
So, as we go through the pandemic, you can see that orange line there, which is non-medical exemptions for vaccines starting to really rise. Medical exemptions really staying the same, and accounting for a very small percentage of vaccine exemptions.
Now, if we want to hone in on one vaccine, particular MMR, measles, mumps and rubella, we are seeing that rate decline like the others for the past five years. That's been under the 95 percent coverage goal of the federal government. Setting that goal really as sort of a herd immunity goal to be able to protect other people through vaccination. So, we are well below that, Wolf. And as you noted, we're seeing a record number of measles cases.
BLITZER: Yes, very worrisome indeed. Meg Tirrell, thank you very, very much for that update. And coming up, we're keeping a very close eye on Wall Street right now. The Dow is tumbling after a lackluster jobs report and on the heels of President Trump's new tariff plan. Stay with us. You're in the Situation Room.
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