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The Situation Room
Laura Loomer Ousts Trump Staff; Netanyahu Considers Expanding Military Ops in Gaza; Need Ceasefire to Delivery Aid to Hostages Says Red Cross. Aired 10:30-11a ET
Aired August 04, 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: -- what this means for other states as well, and potentially the future of the U.S. House of Representatives. All that coming up live right here in the Situation Room. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, this morning we have some new CNN reporting about growing concerns inside the White House about Laura Loomer. She's a controversial far-right activist with a direct line to President Trump. Loomer calls herself his loyalty enforcer, and she publicly targets any administration official who may have had doubts about the president at one time. She takes credit for helping boot many of them out of office, and the number is growing.
CNN Steve Contorno joins us now with his reporting. So, Steve, Donald Trump has a long history of valuing loyalty above almost any other trait. How does he view Laura Loomer in her mission here?
[10:35:00]
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Pam, both publicly and privately he appears quite pleased with the work that she is doing outside of his administration to find those that might be disloyal or partisan within his government. And while White House advisers even going back to his presidential campaign have long tried to minimize her interactions with the president, they really have failed in many respects.
She has a direct line to him. She has his cell phone number. She has had an Oval Office meeting with him. She is on the phone often with people inside the White House, sharing her research and what she is finding on certain individuals. And Trump himself has publicly praised her work. Listen to what he had to say just yesterday about Laura Loomer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is your relationship with Laura Loomer? What kind of influence --
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Who? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With Laura Loomer. What kind of influence does she have in the White House?
TRUMP: I think she's very nice. I mean, I know she's known as a radical right. But I think Laura Loomer is a very nice person. I've known her for a long time. And you know, personally, I think she's a patriot. And she gets excited because of the fact that she's a patriot. And she doesn't like things going on that she thinks are bad for the country. I like her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CONTORNO: Loomer's influence is undeniable. Just last week alone, the top vaccine regulator in the U.S. was ousted in part because of a pressure campaign from Loomer. But when I talked to her by the phone last week and I've had several conversations with her of late, she sounds more frustrated than triumphant. She believes that the White House and his advisers aren't doing enough to vet the people coming into this administration, to make sure they are loyal to Donald Trump and his mission. In fact, she would actually like to have a role in the White House overseeing hiring so that she could do this vetting on the front end.
And look, she has some high targets in mine steel. She has been very vocal about her criticism of Attorney General Pam Bondi and the aftermath of how she handled the Epstein files, but she has also been critical of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. She thinks that Rollins is in parts to blame for Trump's softening stance on undocumented migrants in the agriculture community and in the hotel industry. And she has been very suspicious of anyone who is hired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his Health Department.
I will point out though that one cabinet secretary has welcomed Loomer's counsel, and that is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon confirming to us that Hegseth and Loomer recently spoke and telling us that he appreciated what she had to say in the work that she was doing. Pam.
BROWN: All right. Steve Contorno, thanks so much. Wolf.
BLITZER: Just ahead, the Gaza hunger crisis. Israel says it's now considering expanding military operations in Gaza. But Hamas demands the humanitarian situation be addressed before it comes back to the negotiating table. I'll speak to the head of an aid organization on what all this means for the people in Gaza.
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[10:40:00]
BLITZER: Happening now, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is considering expanding Israeli military operations in Gaza as a way to free the remaining Israeli hostages, that according to an Israeli official. And the humanitarian crisis in the enclave doesn't appear to be easing at all. Israel said a coalition of countries airdropped 136 aid packages in the last few days, but one Palestinian woman says the distribution system isn't working.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The U.N. used to distribute aid, and I could get it easily. Now, we get nothing. I risk my life going to Zikim and I see death with my own eyes. And this is now the fifth time I return with an empty bag. I just want to return to my children with something. I'm seeing death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: I'm joining us now, Tjada D'Oyen McKenna. She's the CEO of the AID group Mercy Corp. We just heard, Tjada, that woman plead for help, saying that the aid distribution system that's in place right now clearly isn't working. Is that what your staff on the ground in Gaza is hearing as well?
TJADA D'OYEN MCKENNA, CEO, MERCY CORPS: Yes, it's not working at all. The old U.N. system had 400 distribution points throughout the country. We were able to reach people where they were. This is a distribution system that has four in one area of the country. You have to be able to get there. It forces people to walk across military lines. And right now, over 1,300 people have been killed just trying to access that site.
BLITZER: Because the very controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is supported by Israel and the U.S., is facing a lot of criticism from the way the aid is being distributed. But the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has praised them for delivering more than a hundred million meals in Gaza just in a matter of days. What are you hearing from people on the ground as far as their efforts are concerned?
MCKENNA: That the amount of meals they're distributing are not enough. We're hearing that the food that's being distributed is not already to eat. Sometimes it requires fuel or water to be prepared. And it's unacceptable to have people dying to access aid. It's also just not accessible to people if you're older, if you're infirmed, if you can't make that travel for any reason, you're not getting there. So --
[10:45:00]
BLITZER: As you know, Israel is accusing Hamas of looting this humanitarian aid and looting the trucks as well, bringing the aid in, saying they are responsible for the humanitarian, the starvation crisis in Gaza. How do you respond to that?
MCKENNA: We have staff based in Gaza and I actually have a staff member who goes in and out. And she said, what you see when you cross into -- they know where the trucks are. You see women and children throwing themselves in front of the trucks, climbing on the trucks for food. Those are not members of Hamas. We have not experienced the diversion of food from Hamas, and reports have come out where Israeli military officials and U.S. government reporting has said there's been no evidence of widespread diversion from Hamas. People are hungry, they're desperate. It's making it incredibly difficult for us to really get the food out because people are desperate. They don't know what's coming next. And they will seize it at any chance. It's -- people have lost their dignity trying to survive.
BLITZER: The images that we see are awful. The Israeli prime minister, we learned today from an Israeli official, is now considering expanding Israeli military operations in Gaza. How would that potentially impact Palestinians and the current situation on the ground in Gaza?
MCKENNA: It just seems like an attempt to accelerate the famine and accelerate the number of deaths. I don't know. What he's saying doesn't seem different than what's been done before. And it's hard to imagine things getting any worse, but that's what it feels like he's indicating.
BLITZER: How is your staff in Gaza dealing with this? How are they doing?
MCKENNA: They're tired. They're hungry. They don't have access to water just like other people. I think the thing that's disturbed us the most is that there is a sense of hopelessness that you see starting to set in. We are -- we ourselves have about 73 truckloads of food that we have not been able to get in to serve people since March. 1,200 food kits have expired. We are currently delivering water to people, but even the water desalination plants that we use don't have enough fuel to run all the time.
So, this complete siege, I think that it's gone on for so long that they feel forgotten. Even though they know we have not forgotten them, they feel like the world has forgotten them.
BLITZER: This starvation and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, who's more to blame, the Israelis or Hamas?
MCKENNA: You know, at this point, Israel controls access in and out of Gaza. In March, it implemented a complete blockade of commercial food and humanitarian aid. Now, there's been a trickle. But this is an area that's completely the borders are controlled by Israel, who goes in and out, how things are delivered, where things are delivered. All that is controlled by Israel. They have the power to change the situation and to flood the zone with food.
BLITZER: Tjada McKenna, the CEO of Mercy Corps, thanks for all the important work you're doing. Please thank all your staff members as well. Thank you very, very much.
MCKENNA: Thank you.
BLITZER: And the house of minority leader Hakeem Jeffries is standing by. He'll join us live. We'll get his reaction to the Gaza hunger crisis and other issues. All that's coming up right here in the Situation Room.
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[10:50:00]
BLITZER: It was a big weekend on and off the hardwood and the track. The Lakers locked in Luka Doncic for the long run. And the WNBA -- in the WNBA, the Indiana Fever stay hot without Caitlyn Clark on the floor. Plus, the shove felt around the world. We'll update you on that as well.
BROWN: And you know who can update us is CNN's Sports Anchor Coy Wire. Coy. Let's start with the WNBA.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, I got you, Pamela. I got you, Wolf. The Indiana Fever win again without Caitlin Clark again. Her teammates are rallying. Clark still has been out dealing with a right groin injury since mid-July. She's missed 16 games this season. But in Seattle yesterday, Aliyah Boston set a new franchise record for consecutive double doubles with six of them. She ran up 16 points, 12 rebounds. Natasha Howard was pivotal rising up for a game high, 21 points. And Sophie Cunningham added 17. In a 78-74 win over the Storm. This was the Fever's fifth straight win tying the longest streak in the last decade for Indiana.
U.S. Track and Field Championships. Reigning Olympic 100-meter champ Noah Lyles chasing down and staring down Kenny Bednarek to win the 200-meter final 19.63 seconds then. Kenny shoves him after the line. That did not go over well. The two, that stare down. Track is unique. You can be teammates in international competitions, but still fierce rivals. Kenny said afterwards, Noah's going to be Noah. He added this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KENNY BEDNAREK, TWO-TIME OLYMPIC SILVER MEDALIST: What he said doesn't matter. It's just what he did. That's it. It does not unsportsmanlike -- and I don't deal with that. Last time we lined it up, I've beat him. So, that's all I can say. You know, next time I line it up, I'm going to win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: All right. For our last story, how would you like your salary to pay you $6,200 per hour? Every hour, every day for the next three years. The Lakers securing superstar Luka Doncic with a three-year $165 million contract extension. The deal includes a player option in 2028. This comes after being part of a blockbuster trade from Dallas in February. In his 28 games for the Lake Show, he averaged 28 points, eight rebounds, seven assists. And listen to this, Pamela and Wolf, the Luka Doncic Foundation has already committed $5 million to help 77 young underprivileged athletes around the world have enough funds to be able to chase their dreams. Luka is building a legacy on and off the court, and he is building a legendary bank account apparently as well.
BROWN: Well, I'm glad that he's using some of that money for good money. That's important.
BLITZER: That's a good contract.
BROWN: Yes. That's a lot of money. Well --
BLITZER: Very good.
BROWN: -- to say the least, Wolf, I think I would take that.
BLITZER: Yes. I think so too.
BROWN: But, Wolf, you were telling me before the segment that his basketball career ended in seventh grade.
BLITZER: In seventh grade when I was trying out for the team and I could dribble well with my right hand. But, Coy, I couldn't dribble well with my left hand. And the coach said, you know what, maybe think of another sport. So --
WIRE: I thought you were going to tell us is when you tried to dunk and you got hung up on the rim and that --
BLITZER: No, I never got anywhere close to dunking anything.
[10:55:00]
BROWN: But then you became a baseball star, right?
BLITZER: I played on the baseball team, the football team. Basketball, not my sport. I was a season ticket holder for a long time for my Washington Wizards. I love the NBA and I love basketball. I love watching it.
BROWN: All right. Coy Wire, thanks so much.
WIRE: Have a good one, guys.
BROWN: And we love the story --
BLITZER: Yes, we do.
BROWN: -- this hour.
BLITZER: It's so cute.
BROWN: We want to bring you a very special birthday party, pandemonium at the zoo, if you will. Yes. Pandemonium, I said it. This is at the National Zoo right here in D.C., a cake and presents for giant panda Bao Li. He's a four -- he is four years old. And no expense was spared for the big day.
BLITZER: And we should go over to the zoo, Pamela, and really congratulate Bao Li. He wasted no time digging into his cake. It was so delicious. Look at this. These are pictures of Bao Li enjoying that birthday cake. And remember, you only turned four once. So, he even got his own cardboard box present. What could be better than that? Adorable.
BROWN: It reminds me of my toddler who just wants to play with boxes, you know, like --
BLITZER: I think your kids would love to go see Bao Li.
BROWN: Well, you know what, I did take them a few months ago.
BLITZER: You did?
BROWN: Yes, I did. It was it's quite a scene. All right. We'll be right back. Happy birthday to Bao Li.
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