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What We Know with Max Foster
Senate Passes Trump Megabill After 50-50 Vote, VP Breaks Tie; Musk Vows To Unseat Republicans Who Back Bill; Charities Urge End Of U.S.- Israeli Backed Aid Program; Federal Reserve Chair: Trump's Tariffs Keep Rates From Being Cut. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired July 01, 2025 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:21]
ISA SOARES, CNN HOST: Another step forward for Donald Trump's agenda. His so-called Big, Beautiful Bill passes the Senate after a marathon vote.
I'm Isa Soares, in for Max Foster. And this is WHAT WE KNOW.
The legislation that will likely define President Trump's second term now one step closer to becoming law.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Senate being evenly divided, the vice president votes in the affirmative. The bill, as amended,
is passed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: The vice president, you saw there, J.D. Vance, cast the tie breaking vote after three Republican senators joined Democrats in opposing
the bill.
Mr. Trump got the news while touring a new migrant detention center called Alligator Alcatraz in the Florida Everglades. The bill now heads back to
the House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's a great bill. There is something for everyone. And I think it's going to go very nicely in the
House. Actually, I think it will be easier in the House than it was in the Senate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: The president's one time ally turned advisory is threatening to fund a third American political party if the bill ends up becoming law.
Elon Musk once again slammed the legislation, jumpstarting his feud with Mr. Trump.
Let's get more from our White House (INAUDIBLE). Kevin Liptak joins me now.
And, Kevin, we heard the president on, what, two hours ago or so or so saying this is music to his ears, but now he faces, of course, the House.
What is the -- what's at stake here? How realistic is it that it will pass meeting that July 4th deadline that the president is seeking?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, we've just been hearing from White House officials, and they do seem confident that this
will make it to the president's desk by Friday, by the 4th of July.
President Trump earlier today was a little softer on that deadline, but nonetheless very confident that this will ultimately pass, which I think in
reality is probably true. But that doesn't mean that there won't be some challenges ahead for the president and for the White House as they work to
twist arms among the Republicans in the House to get behind him.
And I think in those three Republicans who voted no today in the Senate, in this bill, you do get a sense of where these pockets of opposition will
lie. So, for example, Susan Collins and Thom Tillis, both Republicans, voted no today. They opposed it because they thought that the cuts to
Medicaid, which is the program for low income Americans to get health coverage, they thought that those cuts were too deep. They were worried
about slashing the social safety net.
On the other side of the coin, you had Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky who thought that this bill did not cut enough. He thought it would explode the
deficit. He thought, essentially that it cost too much. And so on, those sort of polar ends of the spectrum there. You get a sense of the different
cohorts that the president will have to face in the House now that he needs those Republicans to support him as well.
And you've already heard Republicans who say that the bill that passed the Senate does far worse for the deficit than the bill that they originally
passed in the House, for example, in the House Freedom Caucus, that group of ultra conservative Republicans complaining that the Senate version
expands the deficit by much more than what they were willing to agree to for the first time around.
And remember, when the House first passed this, it only succeeded by one vote. A very narrow margin, and the president clearly will have to get all
of those Republicans on board going forward.
There was one Republican senator in the Senate today, Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, who had been kind of on the fence throughout the entire course of
the deliberations. Ultimately, they were able to add enough sweeteners in the bill for her and for her home state of Alaska to get her on board. But
she says that she wants a number of other provisions to be corrected by the House.
But we were just listening to White House officials who said that they don't believe this bill needs sort of the reconciliation process, known as
a conference committee. They think that the House can pass this very, very quickly to have it on the president's desk by Friday.
SOARES: Sounding very confident indeed. One person who's very much opposed to this bill is one of the richest men in the world, Elon Musk. And we're
seeing again, Kevin, this feud erupting between the president and Elon Musk, a feud that started with this very bill. Just talk to us through what
each side has been saying and how real of a threat this is.
LIPTAK: Yeah. And it had seemed like they had made up. It had seemed that this was now water under the bridge between the two men who had feuded so
bitterly last month.
[15:05:00]
Now Musk is really reviving his criticisms of this massive bill one because he thinks it explodes the deficit. But two, he's concerned about some of
the stripping back of electric vehicle mandates, of clean energy subsidies that Republicans had wanted to get out of the bill. Donald Trump really not
taking very kindly to those criticisms, he says that potentially the federal government could withhold the subsidies for Elon Musk's companies,
whether it's SpaceX, whether it's Tesla.
The president, even today on the South Lawn, as he was heading down to Florida, didn't rule out the possibility of deporting Elon Musk back to
South Africa.
So, you can see how this feud has now been revived. Musk says that he will potentially fund primary challengers to every Republican that votes for
this bill. But at the end of the day, that's going to be a lot of Republicans for him to try and challenge. So, it's not exactly clear what
his end game is in all of this.
SOARES: Kevin Liptak, we shall see. I know you'll stay across it for us.
Kevin Liptak outside the White House there.
Well, the top senators of each party in the Senate could not have had more different views, really, on this bill passing today, as we heard a parts of
that from our Kevin Liptak. For the Republicans, this is delivering on campaign promises made in last year's elections for Democrats, it's a
disaster in waiting. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: With this legislation, we are fulfilling the mandate we were entrusted with last November and setting
our country and the American people up to be safer, stronger and more prosperous.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: The people of America will remember this vote. The American people will remember the Republican
betrayal and Americans will pay the price for this perfidy for generations, generations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's get more from CNN's Arlette Saenz, who's tracking developments for us on Capitol Hill.
So, Arlette, let's just lay it out for us. What exactly passed in the Senate bill, and how likely do you think is the House to make any sort of
changes here? And then obviously adding more time, of course, for discussions on this?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isa, Senate Republican leaders are breathing a sigh of relief as they were able to get the President Trump's
domestic policy agenda across the finish line. But they acknowledged there is still a lot more work to do over in the House. Now, Vice President J.D.
Vance cast the tie breaking vote in the Senate. There were three Republican senators who had voted with Democrats on this massive policy agenda bill
for the president.
This bill will -- would extend those 2017 tax cuts that had been implemented, and it would also make good on some of the president's
promises relating to no tax on tips and overtime pay. The administration is also quick to point out that this would also boost funding for border
security and ICE operations. But then there were incredibly steep cuts to Medicaid, steeper cuts than what had been presented in the House bill that
had just passed just a few weeks ago. And those are some of the differences that GOP lawmakers in the House will have to consider going forward.
Now, in the Senate, the three no votes were Rand Paul, who has expressed concerns about the additions to the deficit. He said that for fiscal
conservatives in the House, this will be a very tough bill to vote on. There was also Senator Susan Collins, who was among those who said that her
the top reason why she voted against this bill was Medicaid cuts. We've already heard from some moderate Republicans who have concerns about how
deep those cuts would be.
So, at this time, the House rules committee is meeting. That is the next step for this bill as it heads back to the House. But House Republican
leadership has signaled that they are hoping to hold votes tomorrow on this measure. Now, they still have to call back all of their GOP lawmakers who
had gone home for this partial July 4th recess holiday. So, we will see how many are actually able to get back into town.
But for House Speaker Mike Johnson, he is working with very tricky math over there on the House. Remember, this bill had only passed by one vote
just a few weeks ago. And so, he needs to try to keep as many of members of his GOP caucus happy, even though there are very vast different issues that
people have concerns about.
So, we will see how this plays out over -- in the House, over the course of the coming day. Whether they can meet that July 4th deadline or whether it
potentially has to come back to the Senate if changes are made. Of course, opening up a conference process would be very involved, unlikely to happen
before that July 4th deadline, as many senators have already caught planes to head back home.
So still, while this is being considered in the House, still faces a very uncertain future, even as President Trump has repeatedly said he wants to
get this bill passed as it's a key priority to implementing his domestic policy agenda in his second term.
SOARES: It's certainly sounding confident, but it's going to be a showdown, I have no doubt.
[15:10:03]
Thank you very much, Arlette Saenz. Appreciate it.
Now, Oxfam, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, as well as 168 other charities, are calling for the dismantling of a U.S.-Israeli backed
aid distribution program in Gaza. They say it's designed to, in their words, sustain a cycle of desperation and danger as well as death.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed while approaching aid sites since the program was implemented in May. The charities accused Israel, Israeli
forces of routinely firing on desperate civilians, a charge that Israel denies.
Our Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem for us on that.
And, Jeremy, let's start then with that joint statement from some of these charities. You have done extensive reporting over the last several months
on this aid distribution site, which clearly has not worked. What is -- what's the -- what are they saying? What are they saying? Any response here
from the Israeli government?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, indeed. S, over the course of the last month, nearly every single day, we have seen
Palestinians shot and killed while trying to reach these aid distribution sites. In many cases, clearly by the Israeli military and the Palestinian
ministry of health actually just today said that the figure now stands at over 600 people who have been killed while trying to reach aid. Some of
those incidents are also around the distribution of U.N. trucks and the looting of U.N. trucks.
But the overwhelming majority of the cases are indeed people who are on their way to these Gaza humanitarian foundation sites. You know, we are
hearing in this statement from these organizations, which include not only Save the Children, but Oxfam and Amnesty International, that they are
calling for the dismantling of this and pointing to the fact that this is a system that in their words, is not just incidentally causing this deaths,
but they say it is, quote, designed to sustain a cycle of desperation, danger and death.
Now, certainly the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation would disagree with that characterization. And we've seen the United States also doubling down on
this group, providing $30 million in funding guarantees for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation going forward and calling on other countries to
participate.
I think the real question now, Isa, is what happens to the GHF if there is a ceasefire in Gaza, because we know that one of the points of negotiation
here from Hamas is, is to call for the free and unfettered flow of humanitarian aid, which would mean, you know, U.N.-run distribution systems
going back into Gaza, which we saw, of course, happened during the last ceasefire.
SOARES: Let's stick then -- let's stick with Gaza, because a lot possibly happening. Jeremy. Next week, President Trump said he's looking for a Gaza
deal sometime next week when Prime Minister Jeremy Netanyahu -- Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit the White House. But there are elements
within his party who do not want a ceasefire at this moment.
Speak to those voices and how you know what likely -- he's likely to come away from that meeting with President Trump, who very much wants a deal
here.
DIAMOND: Yeah, and I think that pressure from the United States will mean a whole lot when Prime Minister Netanyahu shows up at the White House next
week. He's facing a president who's not just calling on him to reach a deal to secure the release of some of the hostages or a ceasefire for a limited
period of time. This is a president who's now talking quite openly about a deal that would end the war and bring all of the hostages home, and it's
not clear yet whether that's something that Prime Minister Netanyahu is actually willing to go for.
He has certainly talked a lot in the wake of the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran about the opportunities that are now presented by this,
about capitalizing on Israels success in that conflict with Iran.
But at the same time, we know this week he has had a series of discussions with some of those right wing partners, including Bezalel Smotrich, the
finance minister, and the national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, both of whom are saying that in this moment of opportunity, ending the war is
not the right way to go, but rather intensifying it, deepening the conflict to fully eradicate Hamas from Gaza and ultimately, perhaps occupy and
settle the Gaza Strip.
The military is pushing the prime minister in another direction, it would seem. And so, it still is an open question, but we will see probably get
more answers when Netanyahu shows up at the White House next week, Isa.
SOARES: We shall see. And of course, I almost gave you a major career progression by making you prime minister. That was a slip of the tongue.
Jeremy, good to see you. Thanks very much indeed.
And coming up, a new eruption in the feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Musk threatening to form a new political party in the United States.
We'll tell you what's behind it. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:17:57]
SOARES: Elon Musk and Donald Trump are feuding once again, all stemming from the U.S. president's massive domestic policy bill. After the Senate
backed the bill in a procedural vote over the weekend, Musk vowed to use his vast resources to campaign against Republicans in Congress who voted
for it. He later threatened to form a new political party. As you can see there, saying on X if this insane spending bill passes the America party
will be formed the next day.
Today, Trump responded with threats of his own. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He's upset that he's losing his EV mandate -- and he's very upset about things, but, you know, he could lose a lot more than that. I can tell
you right now.
Hey, Elon -- Elon can lose a lot more than that.
REPORTER: Are you going to deport Elon Musk?
TRUMP: I don't know, we'll have to take a look. We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go
back and eat Elon. Wouldn't that be terrible?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And we thought they had reconciled.
So, what we want to know is, would a third political party ever work in the United States?
Joining me now is Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
Larry, great to see you. Let's take on that question, then, for our viewers around the world, can Elon Musk's dream of a third party succeed in the
U.S.?
LARRY SABATO, CENTER FOR POLITICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Well, certainly, it's possible, particularly for the world's richest person.
However, it is very difficult to do. I don't think Elon Musk has really looked into the procedures for creating a political party. Those of us who
studied such things for decades know that you have to be willing to spend an enormous amount of time and money to careful planning.
Will Elon Musk really stick with it? And normally, the person forming the third party is running for president. So there's an enormous expanse of
volunteers who will help gather the signatures and do the other things you have to do in each of the 50 states.
[15:20:00]
This is not an easy process. I'll be surprised if he sticks with it, but maybe, you know, after they finish in divorce court, he and -- he and
Trump, he might have more time on his hands.
SOARES: Who knows? But look, Larry, he spent I think it was $275 million supporting President Trump. And he did say on X, "Our country needs an
alternative to the Democrat-Republican Party so that the people actually have a voice."
Is there appetite for a third party? How would his words resonate with Americans across the country?
SABATO: There is a permanent appetite for a third party.
SOARES: Yeah.
SABATO: And sometimes a fourth party and fifth party. Okay? So, people like the idea of having more choices. Here's the problem, Isa. They are tied to
their real party. They're either a Democrat or Republican, particularly in these very partisan times.
And as a result, when it actually comes to voting, they don't, quote, waste their vote. They don't waste their vote on a third party. They vote for one
of the two parties that will actually win the seat.
SOARES: We have seen the feud between them escalate. I think we can bring that up. I'm going to ask my producer to bring it up. The last comment that
we saw from Musk, I think he said, it's so tempting to escalate this, so, so tempting, but ill refrain from now. And that was in response to a little
clip that we played of where the reporter asked the president whether they would deport him to South -- back to South Africa.
But look, we are seeing this escalation, of course, again, between both men. We thought there had reconciled. That's clearly not the case. But, you
know, it's interesting given the fact that this started because of the Big, Beautiful Bill. This is how it all started between them both. And we have
seen some dissenting voices within the Republican Party.
Speak to those dissenting voices. And whether you think there is room, there is space for dissent in this Republican Party.
SABATO: There is space, but it is so small, you have to tiptoe to keep from falling off the cliff. There are really only, I would say, a total in both
Houses together of about 15 moderates. And I'm stretching the definition of moderate to include anybody who would vote against Trump on anything,
occasionally.
The vast majority of Republicans will vote with Trump on anything. They follow his directions because they don't want to be challenged in a
primary.
You do also have some very conservative members, particularly in the House, the House Freedom Caucus, who claim to be very concerned about the national
debt and the deficit. I believe they are concerned about it, but they always cave, Isa. They always cave.
They say they will never vote for this because it's adding, as in this case, the big, beautiful, ugly bill. It's adding $4 trillion to our already
$36 trillion, $37 trillion national debt. And they said, absolutely not. Never.
I guarantee you that the vast majority of them will vote for it.
SOARES: And we saw, in fact, that GOP senators, there were some standouts, Rand Paul, Thom Tillis, Susan Collins all voting no on the legislation.
Tillis obviously, as we said yesterday, not seeking reelection. So I think that's quite telling in itself.
But, you know, the point you made over the cost of the bill almost for $3.5 trillion over ten years. This is also a concern from Elon Musk. What do you
make then of him threatening to tank the political careers of Republicans who, you know, campaigned on reducing government spending and now are
backing this bill? Is there any -- any seriousness to this threat do you think?
SABATO: He's made such a big deal of it now that I think he has to do something? As I said, I don't think hell get around to forming a semi-
permanent 50 state third party, but he is so wealthy he can easily give away $10 million, $20 million, $100 million to candidates who have been at
least sympathetic to what he's been saying.
We'll see, though. It's a long time until we get, you know, 14, 15 months toward the midterm elections. And, you know, the lovers spat. They may have
made up. And then they'll have another argument.
And who knows how many arguments Trump and Musk are going to have between now and then?
SOARES: On that point on midterms, how much, Larry, is this a gift, not just the feud, but also the divisions over the Big, Beautiful Bill is a
gift for the Democrats?
SABATO: It is a gift to them. They didn't create it. They're benefiting from it. Finally, they get -- they get a break.
And of course, they will use this because the most important elements of this bill are not the fact that they're in there right now, because most
Americans never follow the details. But if they get cut off health care, you'd better believe they're going to vote on that.
[15:25:03]
SOARES: Yeah.
SABATO: And the conservative estimates are that 10 million people will lose their health insurance on account of this. The estimates go up to 17
million, and I'm not saying they'll all vote, but the ones who do vote, if they lose their health insurance, I don't think they're going to vote
Republican.
SOARES: Larry Sabato as always, great to get your analysis. Good to see you, Larry. Thank you.
SABATO: Thank you, Isa.
SOARES: Now, the U.S. Federal Reserve chair says the Fed would have lowered interest rates this year if it weren't for President Trump's tariffs. At a
Central Bank forum in Portugal, Jerome Powell was asked if the reserve would have cut rates by now. He answered, "I do think that's right if it
weren't for the tariffs".
Mr. Trump has slammed Chair Powell in recent weeks for not lowering rates sooner. The Fed says they'll wait to see what effect the tariffs have on
the U.S. economy before doing so. That hasn't sat well with Mr. Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He'd be a good candidate. You might do him. She'd be a good candidate, too. Anybody would be better than Jay Powell.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's get more. I want to bring in CNN's Matt Egan, who joins me now from New York.
And, Matt, I think it's interesting what we heard from Jerome Powell, because the last time we heard from him in a policy setting, he hinted at
that. But the language we heard from him just in the last 24 hours is very, very clear that he would have if it weren't for these tariffs.
So, speak to that. And what that adds to the future were seeing between him, of course, and President Trump.
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yeah. Well, the feud continues. The president just continues to pound the table for massive interest rate cuts right now.
But Fed Chair Powell, right, he is making it clear that he's not ready for that. Not yet at least. And I think the ironic part here is that it really
is Trump's own trade policy that is preventing his hand-picked fed chairman from embracing the interest rate cuts that Trump thinks the U.S. economy
needs right now.
Take a listen to that full response from Jerome Powell earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Chair, would the fed have cut more by now if it weren't for the tariffs?
JEROME POWELL, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: So I do think that -- I think that's right. We're -- in effect, we went on hold when we when we saw the
size of the tariffs and where -- and essentially all inflation forecasts for the United States went up materially as a consequence of the tariffs.
So, we didn't overreact. In fact, we didn't react at all. We're simply taking some time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
EGAN: Now. Powell also said that inflation is really behaving exactly how Fed officials expected, and that they never anticipated to have a
significant tariff driven increase in the inflation rate. They expect that that is still in the works here.
Now, we do know that a number of Fed officials have signaled that they're open to potentially cutting interest rates. As soon as the meeting at the
end of this month. Powell was asked about that, and he sort of punted. He said that he can't really say whether or not July would be too soon, and
that he wouldn't take any table off the -- take any meeting off the table or put it on the table.
But if you look at what the market is signaling, investors are pretty skeptical that the Fed is going to be able to cut interest rates as soon as
this month. There's just a 19 percent chance priced into the market of a July interest rate cut.
But look at that. There is growing confidence that the Fed will be able to start cutting interest rates at the meeting after the July 1, the one in
September, 93 percent chance priced into the market for a September rate cut. Goldman Sachs is the latest big bank to join the camp of a September
interest rate cut.
When we look at the chart of where interest rates are, it's clear that the president is upset because rates are still pretty elevated right? I mean,
during his first term, rates were around 1 percent, 2 percent. Right now, there's still above 4 percent. They've come down, but only just a bit.
And the president is concerned that not only is this slowing down the economy, but it's also making it much more expensive for the government to
pay interest on the mountain of debt. Debt that some nonpartisan groups have argued will only grow significantly higher based on the policy bill
that was passed out of the Senate today.
But one last point here is that Trump is calling for not a slight increase, a slight decrease in interest rates, right? He's calling for massive cuts.
And I think reasonable people can debate, right, does it make sense to cut interest rates in July or September or later this year? But it's pretty
hard to find anyone who's calling for the size and scale of interest rate cuts that Trump is. He says that he wants the rates to go from about 4.5
percent to just 1 percent, and that would be very dramatic.
And, Isa, I'm not sure he'll be able to find anyone who could get through the Senate confirmation process and cut interest rates as drastically as
he's hoping for.
[15:30:06]
SOARES: We shall see. Certainly, you won't be happy about that September cut. Certainly too late for the president's sights, no doubt.
Matt Egan, thank you very much, Matt. Appreciate it.
Now it's called Alligator Alcatraz and is expected to hold what Donald Trump calls the most menacing migrants. Coming up, we'll take you there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone.
After more than 24 hours of nearly nonstop voting, the U.S. Senate finally passed Donald Trump's tax and spending bill. Just hours ago, the vote was a
50-50 tie, which required vice president, as you can see there, J.D. Vance, to cast the tie breaker.
Several Republican senators said they could not accept the combination of big cuts to Medicaid or the estimate that the bill would add to more than
$3 trillion dollars to the deficit.
We have just heard were just hearing from President Trump, let's play, who just left the Alligator Alcatraz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Happy about it. This was great today, going down to Florida and seeing what homeland and Ron and everybody else have been able to do in a
very short period of time. So happy about it. I hope you enjoyed it.
Go ahead. Any questions?
REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: What about him?
REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Well, I just don't think he does a good job for the country. He's always a no. I call him Rand Paul Jr. He's always a no. Nothing
constructive at all, at all. I mean, just terrible.
Thomas Massie from Kentucky and nothing constructive. I don't think he's a very smart guy.
[15:35:01]
Good education. But that's about it.
REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) What degree are you trying to make an example out of him?
TRUMP: I don't care about -- I don't think about him. I mean, you know, I oppose somebody, I oppose somebody, and for some reason, the voters almost,
always, they seem to go along with me because they know I'm working hard.
I have a nice high IQ. They like that, you know? We like high IQ people. But they know I make good decisions. That's why we have the -- that Trump
was right about everything, right?
But you know, I don't like guys like they just keep saying no, I vote no, I vote no. There's no -- nothing. Let them do something. Let him get what he
wants, to vote yes. But if you look at his voting record, it's always against.
REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Well, he's going to have an opponent. He's got --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Apologies for the audio. There was not very clear. The president there aboard Air Force One, speaking to reporters not very clear what he
was addressing. I'm guessing the Big, Beautiful Bill, which he said earlier today was music to his ears.
The bill now heads to the House for approval, with Republicans hoping they can get it to Donald Trump by Friday so he can sign it on July the 4th.
What we don't know is, will Trump's mega bill split the Republican Party?
Joining me now is CNN senior political commentator and former congressman Adam Kinzinger.
Congressman, great to have you. Apologies. I'm pretty sure you can hear I can make sense of what he was saying.
But look, let's speak about this beautiful bill. It was a bit like pulling teeth, wasn't it? The bills now through, but there are clear holdouts on
the Republican side now moves to the House.
Do you expect it, congressman, to be equally fraught when it gets to -- when it gets to the House here?
ADAM KINZINGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. I mean, by the way, he was going after Tom Massie and Tom -- he's right. Tom votes no on
everything. But Tom is a little more principled than Donald Trump.
But yeah, I mean, look, it's -- as a former moderate Republican in the House, I can tell you how this goes. It starts out with now these --
there's going to be 10 or 15 so-called moderates that aren't really moderate, by the way, that are going to have problems with this bill. And
they will ultimately capitulate and vote for it.
So here's the thing. If they make any tweaks to it, then it has to go back to the Senate. And the Senate had a hard time getting this through. I think
the Senate is saying to the House, take it or leave it. And so, they're going to have to twist a lot of arms.
But again, I'll be surprised because ultimately, people like to look like they're putting up a fight, but they will never cross Donald Trump. We've
been doing this for 10 years, and he'll get what he wants, and we'll add $4 trillion to the debt, and give the richest Americans their tax break that
they want so bad, even though they probably won't even notice it, except their accountants might.
SOARES: On that, I mean, we did see GOP Senators Rand Paul, Thom Tillis and Susan Collins voting no on the legislation. We also know 24 hours ago or
so, Tillis said he was seeking reelection.
What does this tell you, Congressman, about the state of this Republican Party and whether there is any room at all for dissenting voices, given
this is a president, above all, who expects loyalty?
KINZINGER: Yeah. I mean, look, keep in mind, when there's three people, magically there's only three people. And if they'd have lost one more, a
lot of this is planned. So there are people that will say, like, I need to vote no. And so they'll find a way to allow them to vote no so they can get
reelected while they have just enough to pass.
What is it saying? I mean, look, as a guy that's lived through this, obviously, you know, we -- I'd say four years ago, there was room for
dissent in the Republican Party today, I mean, ten years of Donald Trump and, you know, ten years is enough to remake a party. There is no room for
dissent.
You're going to have people that can tweet good things. Look, here's a question. Why -- how come half of the Republicans that are so principled in
the House are not demanding $25 billion for Ukraine? They're putting $150 billion behind ICE to deport people. Why aren't there good Republicans
pushing for $20 billion, $10 billion, I don't care, for Ukraine aid? They're not doing it because they don't want to cross the president.
So, look, is there hope for the Republican Party in the future? I certainly hope so, because this country needs two healthy parties. But as of now,
this is literally the party of Donald Trump despite what kind of fake opposition can be brought up.
You know, since it's so close in the House, there's a small chance that this goes down. But it will be against all odds.
SOARES: And there is and we have been mentioning this for the last several hours. Another battle brewing in the wings. And that's with Elon Musk, who
has for weeks railed against Trump's policy bill, a fight that got ugly. And then he backed away. Now he's back and he's proposing not only starting
a political party, but then also going after some Republicans who said one thing against the bill and now voting for it.
What do you make of his comments, first of all, on this third political party?
[15:40:03]
How would that resonate, do you think?
KINZINGER: Well, look, I mean, if he was serious about it -- I mean, you know, he could find somebody and make an effort. If you think back to, for
instance, Ross Perot, Ross Perot had a ton of money, was able to get on ballots and kind of created this thing, right, like this movement. But he
couldn't win.
A third-party contender cannot win because you have to get 270 electoral votes. If you fail to get 270 electoral votes, it goes to the House of
Representatives to vote for. So, all the third party can be as a spoiler.
Look, I really wish there was a third party. I honest to God do.
The problem with Elon Musk right now is he's hot and cold on Donald Trump. So anybody that would be like, hey, I'd love to start a third party with
Elon Musk and his money would be like, well, yeah, but I'm going to jump on that. And then, all of a sudden he's going to turn for Donald Trump again.
And let's keep in mind it was Elon Musk that was giggling on stage with a chainsaw because he was cutting people's things that they need, USAID, aids
for Africa. You know, those kinds of programs. He was giggling about cutting them. So, it's not like because he's opposing this bill or opposing
Trump, somehow he found like, you know, Jesus or anything like that. I mean, it's -- he still wants to cut everything.
SOARES: Definitely a flip flopper.
Congressman, great to see you. Thank you very much indeed.
KINZINGER: You bet.
SOARES: Now, the bill passed the Senate while U.S. President Donald Trump was touring a controversial new detention facility in Florida, we played a
little clip of the president there. He was on board Air Force One. He was making his way from there.
He says a tent city will house some of what he calls the most menacing migrants on the planet. The so-called Alligator Alcatraz will House up to
5,000 migrants. The Trump administration calls the facility uniquely secure, their words, since its surrounded by swampland teeming with
alligators and pythons.
The project is sparking backlash from environmentalists and activists who call the center dehumanizing.
Let's get more from CNN's Tom Foreman, who joins us now.
So, Tom, just lay it out for us. What exactly is this, Alligator Alcatraz?
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's about 45 miles west of Miami. So, way down there in Florida. It's an old airfield that has largely been
abandoned. And they put all these tents and trailers on there, and they said they're going to put about 5,000 people whom they are in the process
of deporting there.
The reason they're doing this is because they have not enough facilities now for the people they've already picked up and haven't been able to ship
out yet. So, they're saying this place with a built in airstrip could be the real key to doing things.
It has, however, triggered tremendous backlash from environmental groups who say, what about the impact of putting all these people out there? The
governor says, won't be a problem at all.
From indigenous groups who say they were driven off that land largely, and that land is important to them for a lot of reasons. They don't like the
idea of this going on there.
From tourism people who say this is very close to the famous Florida Everglades National Park, and it implies that it is a wasteland where
people can't even survive. That's not the case. And on and on and on it goes.
The biggest single complaint is from people who say, look, as much as the Trump administration keeps trying to say, this is all about picking up
murderers and rapists and drug dealers who are in this country illegally, so far, the vast majority of people they have picked up have not been
criminals like that. They've been people who keep jobs and are taking care of families and may have kids who are born in the United States, who are
United States citizens.
And polls have shown most Americans don't really want those people treated this way. Maybe not deported at all. So, in one way, the administration
thinks this is a solution. By putting 5,000 people out here in the summertime in a hurricane area and a lot of other ways, people think it
could be another new problem for them.
SOARES: Tom Foreman, thank you for laying it all out for us. Appreciate it.
FOREMAN: Good seeing you.
SOARES: And still to come today, an early summer heat wave across many parts of Europe is breaking records, even here in the U.K. Bring you that
story just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:47:13]
SOARES: Europeans continue to swelter under a brutal early summer heat wave that is breaking records. England has just recorded its warmest June on
record, and in Spain, this year's June temperatures beat a previous record set in 2017.
The heatwave is peaking today and tomorrow, with the high temperatures impacting nearly every aspect of life for Europeans. In Paris, it reached
38 degrees Celsius today.
Our Melissa Bell takes a look at how people are coping or not with the heat.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is one of Paris's main train stations, the Gare Saint-Lazare. You can see people have
come out to distribute water to passengers. But perhaps more importantly, in a bigger reflection of the impact of this heat wave on cities like Paris
that are simply not used to coping with temperatures like this, is that all the trains are now at a standstill and will be for the next several hours
because we're told the heat has impacted the rail network.
It is a reminder amongst so many others of some of these very difficult conditions being faced across Europe as a result of this heat wave, not
just high temperatures of more than 104 degrees in many parts of Europe at this Tuesday from Italy, Spain, Greece and France.
But it is also that this heat wave, which has come at an earlier time than many of the heat waves we've seen in previous years, 2023, `24 had already
seen records set. As experts told us, this was the new normal. This time the heat has come earlier and, of course, that means greater risks and
dangers. Looking ahead, if this continues to be a very hot summer of wildfires and all the other difficulties linked to extreme heat conditions,
as Europe settles into what is in its normal Europe, which is currently the fastest warming continent in the world.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, Russia says three people were killed early Tuesday after Ukraine struck a missile production factory deep inside Russia.
Video from social media captured explosions and people running from the long range missile blasts. And this comes after Ukraine reports that a
Ukrainian fighter jet pilot was killed over the weekend after Russia launched a huge aerial assault involving hundreds of drones and scores of
missiles.
Turkish police have detained at least four cartoonists over an image that sparked protests, as well as condemnation. Officials accused the
cartoonists of drawing and distributing an image depicting the Prophet Muhammad and Moses shaking hands as bombs fall below. The cartoon was
published in a political satire magazine. Turkey's interior minister called the cartoon a provocation.
The judge overseeing Sean "Diddy" Combs sex trafficking trial has been meeting with defense as well as prosecution lawyers today, discussing
responses to requests from the jury.
[15:50:03]
Earlier, jurors asked for guidance about how the distribution of controlled substances is legally defined. The jury is now into their second day of
deliberations. Of course, we will keep you up to date on any developments as soon as they happen.
Still to come, though, in the show, the royal train will soon reach its final destination. Why the royal family has decided to put the brakes on
this regal mode of transportation, that is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone.
It's the end of the line for the British monarch's train. It's set to be decommissioned by 2027 as part of cost-cutting measures, according to
Buckingham Palace, it was used only twice this year and cost nearly $110,000 to operate.
With more is our Anna Stewart.
And I think we've just kind of answered the question why.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's quite expensive way to travel.
SOARES: Because it's incredibly expensive. It's just not the right thing to be doing at this very moment. With cost is so high.
STEWART: We had the accounts out yesterday so everyone could see what's costing lots for the British taxpayer in terms of the royal family and
travel was a big one. We kind of expected this to happen. The current sort of service of the train was due to come to an end in 2027, and that is when
it will retire. They simply won't renew it. And really, I've got lovely pictures of this train.
This one was launched in 1977 for Queen Elizabeth II. It's from 1977. It's pretty dated even inside. Yes, it has bedrooms. Yes, it has an office.
SOARES: Looks pretty good, actually. When I saw the images inside, I mean dated for today's standards.
STEWART: But perhaps better than national rail.
SOARES: It certainly is. I can tell you that.
STEWART: But it would have needed a lot to keep it going and to renovate and all the upkeep costs in the years to come. And clearly, they're just
not using it that much. This was possibly the favorite mode of transport for the late queen. Things have changed, and it's not the first time
they've had to retire all sorts of transport.
Do you remember the royal yacht Britannia?
SOARES: Oh yes, I've been on that. I've been on that. It's gorgeous. Yeah.
STEWART: And it's -- it came to the end of its time in 1997 again due to cost. And now the royal family are looking to really almost completely
electrify their fleet of vehicles. They'll use two helicopters instead of the train. The cost per use is significantly less. We're talking about
maybe $4,000 versus $60,000 per use, and they will also be using King Charles's Bentleys, fueled by biofuel.
[15:55:00]
SOARES: I was going to say King Charles, who obviously cares deeply about the environment. This will be incredibly important to him, but also the
memories that he may have had as a little boy in this -- on this train.
STEWART: I think as a family traveling and that there will be so many memories. And I imagine parts of this train will end up being in museums
where the public can get to see them and share some of the memories, some of the pictures that are on the walls and Prince Philips bedroom and the
queen's bedroom. I'm sure there will be plenty of mementos for royal fans who will be very sad to see this go.
SOARES: Anna, thank you very much indeed.
And that does it for us for this hour. Do stay right here though. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is up next.
Have a wonderful evening. Anna and I shall see you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
END
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