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The Situation Room

DHS Chief Noem To Discuss Ice Arrests, Expansion Of Detention Centers; Intense Wildfires Prompt Evacuation Of Thousands North Of L.A.; Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Is Interviewed About Israeli Security Cabinet Approves Plan To Take Over Gaza City. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired August 08, 2025 - 11:00   ET

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

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[11:01:07]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news. Green light for a takeover. Israeli Security Cabinet approves a plan to occupy Gaza City. 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.

We're following breaking news this hour as Israel intensifies its war against Hamas. Israel's Security Cabinet voting to approve Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to take full control of Gaza City. And just hours later, a plume of smoke rose over the city after an Israeli airstrike. Look at that.

Prime Minister Netanyahu's plan drawing widespread criticism already from nations across the world, as Hamas, with Hamas, is vowing it will come at a, quote, high cost. CNN's Matthew Chance is in Jerusalem with more on how this plan is being received. We should note that Israel does not allow international journalists into Gaza for independent reporting.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the fact that the Israeli Security Cabinet took 10 hours to debate and reach a decision on this military escalation gives us a sort of indication of just how much division there is inside the Israeli government. And that's a division that's extended across Israeli society. You've got, you know, the hostage families.

There are more than, well, there are 50 hostages still inside the Gaza Strip, 20 of them still believed to be alive. And those families have come out and said, look, you know, escalating the military campaign right now amounts to a death sentence potentially for our loved ones. And so there's a great deal of concern amongst those people.

And that concern is shared by the vast majority of Israelis. According to latest opinion polls, many Israelis are utterly exhausted by nearly two years of war, not just in Gaza, but in Syria, in Lebanon, against Iran as well. And they want the country to return to some sort of normality. The military, too, has expressed its concerns about overstretch, that its reservist soldiers are, you know, too tired. There's an increased rate of suicides amongst people who have returned from the front lines into civilian life. And so that's a big concern for the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces.

I'd say the only group really in Israel that is in favor of this military escalation are the hardliners, the Jewish nationalist parties that form such an important part of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister's fragile political coalition. They want a full scale invasion of Gaza. They've spoken openly about establishing in the future Jewish settlements inside the Gaza Strip.

And they're saying that's the best way of destroying Hamas and bringing the hostages held by Hamas and other militant groups back home. Now, as I say, that's not something the majority of Israelis agree with. But politically, Benjamin Netanyahu needs the support of those hardliners to stay in power.

And so this decision by his security cabinet to double down in Gaza, to take Gaza City, to conquer and to occupy it, is being seen as a political move, not for the benefit of Israel, but for his political survival. And so it's in that sort of divisive, feverish atmosphere that this important decision about what Israel will do in Gaza has been made. Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: All right. Matthew Chance in Jerusalem, thank you very much for that excellent report.

And there's more breaking news we're following. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is about to hold a news conference right outside of Chicago. She is vowing to expose what she calls the worst of the worst among those arrested in President Trump's immigration crackdown. She's also expected to discuss the expansion of ICE detention facilities.

[11:05:17]

CNN correspondent, Priscilla Alvarez, is joining us live right now. Priscilla, first of all, what do we know about this push to get states more involved in the administration's immigration crackdown?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this has been an ongoing effort by senior Trump officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, to get states on board to very quickly set up these migrant detention facilities. We saw an example of that in Florida with the facility that is now known as Alligator Alcatraz.

That was a facility that was set up very quickly by the state of Florida that has been holding hundreds of detainees and a place where President Trump himself had toured alongside with the Homeland Security Secretary. And the reason that these types of facilities are so appealing to them is because they are running at almost overcapacity when it comes to ICE detention. So they need more of these facilities as they continue to ramp up arrests across the country. And just this week, the secretary announced that yet another facility is going to come online, this time in Indiana. They are calling that one Speedway Slammer. Now, the difference there is that that facility in Indiana will occupy, and you're seeing images there, a space that already exists.

That's different from Florida, where they had set up these soft-sided tents to hold migrants. But you can see how they are trying to use these models, where it's a state and federal government partnership, to set up detention facilities and do so in a rapid pace. And this is something that the secretary is expected to talk about in her press conference in Chicago today.

She has been crisscrossing the country over the last several weeks. She has also gone to other cities, where she has touted the work of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, of course, the agency at the center of the President's immigration enforcement campaign. Now, I have seen internal data about who exactly they are arresting.

And what that data bears out is that around 10 percent of those arrests are serious convictions. Sixty-five percent don't have convictions. They fall under other charges and violations, for example, traffic violations.

Now, when -- when pressed about this, senior officials, including White House czar, Tom Homan, are at home and say, well, everything counts. A DUI is just as bad as any other serious conviction. So they are looking at it through that lens, meaning that they see these arrests as ones that are making inroads in their agenda to get the, quote, worst of the worst.

And we'll hear more about that today from the secretary as soon as that press conference gets underway.

BLITZER: All right, Priscilla Alvarez reporting for us. Thank you very, very much.

And there's other breaking news we're following right now. A new wildfire just north of Los Angeles is prompting evacuation orders now. The flames have consumed nearly 5,000 acres along the Los Angeles and Ventura County line. Here you can see aerial video of the blaze as a helicopter flies over Hasley Canyon, California. Let's go to CNN national correspondent, Nick Watt. He's joining us out of the scene for us in California. Nick, what's the latest? Where does the containment efforts stand this hour?

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the last we heard, the containment, Wolf, is zero percent. But we have seen plenty of fire personnel, 250 on the ground. We've also seen some helicopters making drops this morning. So we are right now, since we last spoke to you last time, we were near where the fire started at Lake Piru, meant the hills Between that point and Castaic, a town of 20,000 people.

There are rural communities up here that are in danger as we've been driving around. We have seen some like outhouses, some farm structures that have been damaged, no homes. More than 4,000 people are under evacuation orders, 1,400 structures in danger. Now, the good news, Wolf, is you can see my hair is not fluttering at all.

There is no wind right now. There is going to be a little wind later, but wind is what drives these flames. But we are going to see near 100 degree temperatures again today. There is still a lot of dry undergrowth and humidity is still low. That is why this is still a fight to save homes, to save communities. And that is why there are so many assets on the ground here.

This, of course, Wolf, one of many wildfires burning. This is now fire season in California. Of course, we saw those terrible fires back in January. That was not really fire season. This is fire season. At the end of a long summer, we always get these high temperatures here in Southern California this time of year.

And, of course, since those fires in January, the anxiety levels are just higher than they have ever been. People are concerned. Personnel are on the ground trying to contain this. Wolf?

[11:10:07]

BLITZER: Nick, how far are these fires from the millions of people who actually live in Los Angeles?

WATT: Well, right now, Wolf, we are about 40 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. But, of course, L.A. County itself, the most populous county in the United States, 10 million people. The fire started in Ventura County, popped into Los Angeles County. So, there is a buffer. But the town of Castaic, as I said, 20,000 people, that is close.

That was also threatened in January. You know, the issue here, we've got mountainous areas. We've had no rain for a long time, high temperatures, low humidity. So, right now, the fire is really burning in the back country. But they need to keep it there. They need to keep it from getting into those populated areas. And that's what's going on right now. Wolf?

BLITZER: Let's hope that happens. They keep it outside of the populated areas, to be sure. Nick Watt, thanks very much. Stay safe over there.

And still ahead, we're talking with Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer, who just co-led a group of U.S. lawmakers to the Israel- Gaza border. How he describes what he saw in his reaction to Israel's new plans for the enclave. Stay with us. That's coming up next.

Plus, new CNN reporting about a policy shift regarding U.S. weapons for Ukraine as President Trump prepares for a possible summit with Vladimir Putin. Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

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[11:16:18]

BLITZER: And there's more breaking news we're following. Israel's security cabinet approving a plan to take control of Gaza City and that's prompting backlash globally. The announcement stopping short of explicitly stating Israel would take full control of Gaza in its entirety, although the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously said that was the intention.

Demonstrators in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are denouncing the plan, saying the ongoing conflict harms both Israelis and Palestinians. Joining us now to discuss what's going on is Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey. He's a key member of the House Intelligence Committee and just returned from a bipartisan congressional delegation, a trip to Israel. I know you had a chance, Congressman. Thanks very much for joining us, by the way.

You had a chance to meet --

REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): Thanks Wolf.

BLITZER: -- with Prime Minister Netanyahu while you were there. Did you have any sense he was planning this move or are you surprised?

GOTTHEIMER: I mean, I clearly understood from our conversation that their intention was to do everything possible to get the hostages out, the 50 that are remaining, 20 we believe are alive. So you saw the videos, Wolf, of -- of Hamas starving, literally starving some of the hostages, one digging his own grave.

And so the goal is to, we know the last stronghold appears to be in Gaza City where the Prime Minister plans to go in to crush Hamas and drive toward a ceasefire. And -- and to me, that's the ultimate objective here is getting humanitarian aid in to -- and prevent Hamas from blocking that humanitarian aid, which we know they've been doing, to crush Hamas and to transition, as the Prime Minister said, to a multinational Arab government. To me, that's the goal here, to not have any kind of long-term occupation or annexation. I'm totally opposed to that. And to -- to, as quickly as possible, move to a new government without Hamas terrorists in charge.

BLITZER: And as you know, Congressman, we've already seen some major protests breaking out on the streets of Israel today and a lot of condemnation coming in from international leaders, including some major U.S. allies. Very harsh criticism coming as well from the families of hostages, one father telling the BBC that Prime Minister Netanyahu, quote, prefers the hostages dead so that he can carry out intensified attacks. Where do you stand on this decision by Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli security cabinet?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, I don't believe that's our objective. The objective is to get the hostages out. Hamas is torturing and starving these hostages. And as you know, there are 50 left. You know, we also know, Wolf, that the aid is not getting through because Hamas, you've seen the -- the videos of the U.N. convoys consistently getting raided and looted. Hamas taking the food and preventing it from getting to children who need it.

I saw, I was at the Shalom crossing and went down, saw firsthand the trucks moving from Israel into Gaza and sitting in Gaza because the -- the U.N. trucks, which they put out statistics saying that they have an 85 percent fail rate of getting that food to the people who need it, which is unacceptable.

You know, there is an alternative, which I believe is working. And I met with them, the Global Humanitarian Foundation, the GHF, which is focused on getting food directly to people and not letting Hamas get their hands on that food. They're quadrupling the number of sites.

We need to do everything we can to get that aid out and to crush Hamas and get these terrorists out. And obviously, a long-term occupation is unacceptable. But I'll tell you, what is acceptable is doing everything we can to stop these terrorists.

[11:20:01]

BLITZER: The Hostages Families Forum in Tel Aviv today called the Israeli government's decision, and I'm quoting now, a colossal for both the hostages and our soldiers, end quote. I know how important the hostages and their families are to you. I know you recently met with some of them in Israel. Do you think they're wrong about Netanyahu's decision?

GOTTHEIMER: Listen, the -- the meeting I had with the two families who the videos were released in the last week of -- of both of their loved ones being starved, you know, the -- the pain in their eyes, you know, and -- and in that meeting that you, Wolf, I'll tell you, I left there angrier about the situation than I've ever been because, you know, in the past Hamas had shown -- had not intended to show videos or pictures of starving hostages and torturing them, and now they're blatantly doing that, you know, showing the one digging his own grave.

What I heard from these loved ones is that time is not on their side. They know that. We've got to do anything we can to get these hostages out immediately. I know that in my meetings the intention is to do everything as careful and cautiously as possible to get these hostages out, but long-term Hamas has no intention, in my opinion, of doing anything except starving and killing these hostages. They've shown no interest in agreeing to any deals. They keep walking away from the table.

They don't want aid getting in. We know that they're literally killing aid workers if they work with the GHF. They are feeding -- BBC put out a report yesterday, and BBC is no fan of Israel. They put a report out yesterday showing they're feeding some. If you're a Hamas household, Hamas is giving you food if you're supportive and money. If they're next-door neighbor, which is not, is getting nothing.

And to me, Hamas, who is supposed to be the governing body, has shown zero interest in taking care of Palestinians. This whole thing is awful. We've got to get to peace. We've got to get past this, but I'll tell you, and get to a ceasefire. But I'll tell you, Wolf, right now you can't allow Hamas to be in power and continue to kill the way they're doing.

We've got to find a way forward here. We need a new government. We need Hamas to be out of the way and to get these hostages out and humanitarian aid in.

BLITZER: I want you to watch, Congressman, what the Vice President, J.D. Vance, said just moments ago. Watch it and listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United Kingdom is going to make its decision. We have no plans to recognize a Palestinian state. I don't know what it would mean to really recognize a Palestinian state, given the lack of a functional government there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: What's your reaction? Should you agree with the Vice President?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, I agree that I don't know who you'd be negotiating with right now. I met with the Palestinian Authority. As you know, Hamas does -- does not treat with any welcoming having the Palestinian Authority in their governing in Gaza. I also don't understand why England and Macron in France are actually doing everything they can to support Hamas by setting these arbitrary deadlines and recognizing and rewarding Hamas for their terrorist activity, right?

I mean, they're literally killing people, Hamas. They're torturing people. And instead of standing up to them, they're actually rewarding them. That makes no sense to me. And -- and, you know, what we need to do here, Wolf, is do everything we can to get aid in, to crush the terrorists once and for all, and -- and of course, get the hostages out. It is incredibly, incredibly frustrating for the hostage families I met with that you still have Hamas playing games and torturing their loved ones. You know, that is unacceptable. We should be focusing on that.

BLITZER: Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, thanks so much for joining us. I'm glad you are OK over there. Appreciate it very much.

GOTTHEIMER: Thanks for having me, Wolf.

BLITZER: And today is an important milestone for those of us here in the Situation Room. This newscast first aired 20 years ago today. It was August 8th, 2005. And while a lot has certainly changed over the past two decades, technical mishaps on live T.V. unfortunately happen every now and then. Here's a look back on that first day.

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BLITZER: Standing by right now, CNN's Guy Raz in Gaza, seen as Aneesh Raman in Baghdad. Let's begin with you, Guy. It's pretty tense where -- where you are.

Unfortunately -- unfortunately, this is one of the problems of live television. Guy, we're not getting your audio to our viewers. This note, this is live television. Sometimes there will be technical glitches. We'll share those with you. We'll be up front. Get used to it. If it isn't pretty, as pretty as it always should be.

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[11:24:56]

BLITZER: Good point. Twenty years ago today. And stay with us. Later this hour, this desk, this desk where I'm sitting right now will get a bit more crowded as we celebrate two decades of The Situation Room with folks who have been here since the very beginning. And we're with me on day one. We'll be right back.

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BLITZER: We got some breaking news coming into The Situation Room right now. The U.S. justice Department is opening an investigation into the New York Attorney General Letitia James' office. This comes as part of a criminal investigation into James, who previously prosecuted Trump. Let's go live right now to our correspondent Brynn Gingras in New York. What are you learning, Brynn?

[11:30:00]

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, so we're getting this information our Kara Scannell confirming that there are now two grand jury subpoenas issued by the U.S. attorney's office for the Northern District of New York looking to get information about James' office, basically trying to see if there was any criminality by her office when she filed that civil lawsuit against the Trump Organization, if you remember, that lawsuit going to trial and the Trump Organization being found liable, having to owe now at this point, because of interest, about a half-a-billion dollars in penalty.