Return to Transcripts main page

What We Know with Max Foster

Speaker Johnson Reacts As House Passes Trump Megabill; Liverpool Star Diogo Jota Dies In Car Crash At 28; Officials: Putin-Trump Call Lasted Nearly An Hour; Health Officials: More Than 80 Killed In Israeli Attacks; Stronger-Than-Expected U.S. Jobs Report For June. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 03, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:17]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: The so-called "Big, Beautiful Bill" is about to become big, beautiful law.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

Speaker Mike Johnson is making remarks right now. Actually, we're going to cross to him on the Capitol.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: That comes along with it, the opportunity that we can do for the country. And we believe that we

would have that chance.

And then I believe in the people that are standing here behind me. I believe in this group. Every single one of them individually. Some of them

are more fun to deal with than others, you know?

I mean that, I mean that with the greatest level of respect. I love every single one of my colleagues, you know, even the ones I got to spend more

time with. right?

Because everybody's here, their motive is right. Their heart is right. They're trying to do right for their constituents. They're trying to serve

the greatest nation in the history of the world that we're going to celebrate tomorrow. We don't take that lightly.

I know their hearts and I know what their skill sets are, and I know what they bring to the table. And I get up every day excited because I know that

each of them are going to bring that to the table and they're going to serve their constituents. You could not have a greater group of public

servants and the people standing in this room right here. They will give their all for this country.

And, man, that's what the framers intended. When they put this thing together 249 years ago. This is what it was about.

So, I believed -- I believed in this vision. I believed in the group. I believe in America. I believe we have the greatest nation.

(APPLAUSE)

JOHNSON: I'm going to say this very simply, and everybody here would articulate it in their own way. We had a tough four years before this last

election cycle. America was in. We were in deep trouble, and we knew that if we won and we believed we would, we knew that if we got unified

government, we'd have to quite literally fix every area of public policy. Everything was an absolute disaster under the Biden-Harris radical woke

progressive Democrat regime, and we took the best effort that we could in one big, beautiful bill to fix as much of it as we could. And I am so

grateful to God that that we got that done as we did because of the dedication, yeah.

(APPLAUSE)

JOHNSON: Lastly, it's no secret I do believe in God. I believe in that motto. Thats that I referenced in the floor speech a little while ago. I

believe that is what has made our nation the greatest in the history of the world.

And some people shake their heads and they think that's old fashioned or something. That is a fact. When the framers put this together, they stepped

out in faith. They did something that no nation had ever done before. The great statesman, philosopher G.K. Chesterton of Great Britain, said,

America is the only nation in the world that was founded upon a creed. And he said, its listed with almost theological lucidity or clarity in the

nations birth certificate, the Declaration of Independence.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that we recognize, we boldly proclaim the self-evident truth that our rights do not come from the

government. They come from God himself. He's the one that gave us our rights. That's right.

(APPLAUSE)

JOHNSON: Abraham Lincoln said in the Gettysburg address, we are dedicated to this proposition one nation under God, a government of the people, by

the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth. This is an experiment. It's only 249 years, y'all. That's not a long span of time in

human history. It's just a blip on the whole scale of human history.

It is up to us to save it. It's up to the duly elected representatives of the people to come here and represent. And it's up to every single one of

us, of the people, by the people, for the people, all of us. So you've got to be engaged, and we've got to pass this along to the next generation.

Reagan reminded us, freedom is not inherited in the bloodstream. It's got to be protected. It's got to be fought for. It's got to be taught to the

next generation so that they will have the same liberty, opportunity and security that we have all known and too often take it for granted.

So I just want to say we're going to get to the main event here. We're about to sign this bill and get it over to the White House. Okay?

(APPLAUSE)

JOHNSON: Some of these -- some of these -- these men and women have got to go catch flights and stuff. So were going to sign this real quick and I'll

take a few questions.

But I just want I just want to say this do not take for granted what we have been given. This grand experiment in self-governance. We can preserve

it, but we got to do it all together.

God bless you. Thanks for being here. Appreciate it.

[15:05:03]

FOSTER: Okay, so a pretty extraordinary moment in modern American politics there. This huge mega bill, so wide-ranging, many thought it wouldn't get

through. But Donald Trump managed to make it work with this man, Speaker Mike Johnson, doing huge amounts of work behind the scenes, and he's about

to sign this bill. It then goes to the president where we expect it to be signed by him and made into law tomorrow.

So, this is a truly extraordinary moment. You consider the politics involved here. The vote went straight along party lines, really very tight

overall, 218 Republicans voted for the bill. All Democrats voted against it. Two Republicans also voted no.

The bill now goes to the president, as I say, for his signature.

CNN's Annie Grayer is on Capitol Hill.

I mean, the atmosphere there is extraordinary, isn't it? Which, you know, whatever you think of this bill, love it, hate it. What President Trump

managed to do here. And Speaker Johnson is quite extraordinary.

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: It is quite extraordinary. If you were to look just 24 hours ago, Republicans did not have the votes for this. The

votes were stalled. The bill was delayed.

But we saw a full court pressure campaign from House Speaker Mike Johnson, from the -- from his leadership team and specifically from President Trump

and his team. The president met directly with a group of holdouts yesterday. One of his meetings went for over two hours. He had a conference

call with another group of holdouts at 1:00 in the morning. I mean, this was around the clock negotiating.

This is a strategy that we have seen House Republicans, House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and his team deploy again and again, which is used the

president as his closer to get members over the finish line. I mean, there was this -- there was this threat this whole time of Republicans saying

maybe they were going to vote against this up until the 11th hour.

But the concerns of what this would mean politically, to vote against this bill and not deliver Trump, this, this win, ultimately is what got the

majority of Republicans to fall in line.

But I want to focus on the two Republicans who voted no because they voted no for very different reasons here. You have Republican Congressman Brian

Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania who could not get behind the bills deep cuts to Medicaid and the impacts that it would have on his district. And then

you also have Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who's been a long opponent of President Trump and is against this bill because it doesn't do

enough to cut the deficit and federal spending.

So that just gives you a snapshot of the issues that have -- Republicans have been trying to work through this entire process in both the House and

the Senate, and why it was so difficult to find a bill that people could come behind, because there, again, there were so many different issues that

leaders had to account for. But this is a massive win for President Donald Trump. It is going to be the signature piece of his legislation for his

term, defining his domestic policy agenda, from enforcing the border to tax cuts to how they're going to add work requirements to Medicaid, to phasing

out energy tax credits.

I mean, the list is so long here. And president wanted it on his desk by July 4th. And that is what Republicans have handed him today.

FOSTER: But just talk about the bill. And you just talked about how wide ranging it was there. But this was a massive gamble, wasn't it, by

President Trump to put everything in one bill say it's all going in here. Obviously, some politicians like parts of it, not other parts of it.

If -- he took the risk of none of it getting through or all of it, which is the big gamble here.

GRAYER: It is a huge gamble and it appears to have played -- played off for Republicans. But now we have to think about how this is going to play

politically, specifically for the 2026 midterms. There is plenty for Republicans to champion here and plenty for Democrats to seize on.

We should -- we saw a preview of that today with the top Democrat in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, gave the longest speech in house history over eight

hours long, outlining all of the issues that Democrats have with this bill and the number of people whose Medicaid coverage, whose health care

coverage is at risk as a result of this bill passing.

So, we are now going to see a messaging campaign on both sides play out as Republicans and Democrats each try and cherry pick the pieces of the bill

that they like and have to defend from the attacks from the other side.

FOSTER: Annie, thank you so much as well.

Also, playing out there in the room, "YMCA", the MAGA anthem has become really. What we don't know is will this be the defining moment of the

second Trump presidency.

Joining me now is CNN senior politician -- political analyst Ron Brownstein.

Ron, thanks for joining us.

I mean, you know, you don't want to say it's the defining moment because he's got a lot of his presidency to go.

[15:10:02]

But it very well will be, won't it, because he's managed to put everything he wants in one bill and extraordinarily managed to get it through.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, yeah, I think in terms of domestic politics and domestic policy, this will be by far the biggest

congressional action in Trump's presidency. This bill is going to have a very big impact on America.

I guess I find it less extraordinary that he was able to pass it. If you look at history, every incoming president since Ronald Reagan, with the

exception of George H.W. Bush, had their own version of the one big beautiful bill in their first year in which they bundled together the core

elements of their domestic economic agenda. And it has often been a tightrope, Max, with lots of twists and turns. But they all passed, you

know, previously, and some of them were very tight. Clinton passed his budget by two votes in the House, one vote in the Senate. A lot like this.

But ultimately, the logic that Trump and the Republican leadership used here has worked before, which is that, you know, whatever the objections to

individual components of the bill might be, members of the president's own party are really reluctant to vote down the core of his domestic agenda

right after he wins election. And they made that gamble again. And as it did for Reagan and Clinton and Obama and Trump in '17, and even Biden with

Build Back Better, it ultimately played out for the president once more.

FOSTER: He was aiming at July the 4th. He's going to get July the 4th. I thought it was interesting that you had "YMCA" playing out there, because

it's not a Republican anthem, is it? It's a MAGA anthem.

And MAGA is a movement. It's not a political party. I mean, what does that say about American politics?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, I mean, what we are watching is, I think and very clearly punctuated by the announcement Sunday and Monday, as this bill was

kind of steamrolling toward completion of the retirements of Senator Thom Tillis in North Carolina and Republican Rep. Don Bacon in Omaha, two of the

very few Republicans who have tried to display any distance or independence from Trump that they would be retiring.

We see Trump having a degree of control over his own party that is really almost unprecedented in modern times, certainly unprecedented is his

willingness to immediately and unconditionally attack anyone who votes against him on anything that matters to him. You know, there is -- our

system has been evolving more like yours over the years. It's becoming more parliamentary. I mean, only one Democrat, for example, voted against Build

Back Better in 2021.

But even within that longer transformation in which there has been less tolerance in each party for dissent, what we are watching under Trump, I

think, is unique and it is, you know, it is a risk to Republicans because basically they are all now running with the Trump logo stamped on them as

emphatically as one of his office buildings or hotels. And the question will be whether there are 218 house seats and 50 Senate seats. They can

consistently win, you know, running under that label.

FOSTER: You say, okay, we're going to go back I think Ron to Speaker Johnson, because he's taking questions.

JOHNSON: And I think the answer to those questions, I don't -- I don't think they exacted a lot of specific commitments or concessions or anything

like that. It was just more an understanding how that would interact.

As you know, this president has been a bold leader. I, by last count, he's issued over maybe close to 160 executive orders, so far. We're trying to

codify as many of those as possible.

So, a lot of the discussions were about what executive orders will be forthcoming as it relates to the new legislation and how can we be involved

as a house to codify that and do all that in a coordinated fashion?

The beauty of unified government is this is exactly how it can work and how it's supposed to work is that you have an interaction between the executive

and the legislative branches, because that's what's best for the people. And that coordination is going to yield great results for the folks. So,

that that was part of the discussion yesterday.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Last question.

REPORTER: Thank you. Follow up on that. Some of the holdout members have told us that they understand the president will consider more tariffs on

solar and wind as part of the deal, and also that there were assurances about a big issue for your conference, undocumented immigrants and

benefits. Can you help us understand what that might look like, how he would limit those benefits?

JOHNSON: I literally don't know anything about that. I mean, I wasn't privy to the conversation. So, I would tell you there's lots of rumor and

conjecture and innuendo that floats around, especially when you've got so many people wandering around the building and deliberating over their vote.

So, I don't know how much stock I'd put into much of that.

But -- all right, last question. Yes, ma'am?

REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) communities in Saint John the Baptist, Saint James, whose funding has now been cut entirely, cut off from the IRA's climate,

environmental justice funding. What do you say to those from the communities facing more pollution, more exposure from --

JOHNSON: Look, I think a lot of the estimations about what this legislation would do in a negative manner to communities in my state or any

other are far overblown.

[15:15:00]

I can tell you that this bill is going to be a great thing for everybody around the country. My constituents, especially.

What's good for Louisiana is good for America. We've got great tax policy here. I think they're going to feel this this pretty quickly. Wages will

rise. I think household income will go up. I think the job participation rate will increase dramatically. I think unemployment will be low.

We're going to duplicate what we did in the first Trump administration. Remember, at the first two years y'all have heard me say a thousand times,

it's objectively true. We had one of the greatest economies in the history of the world, and we're going to do that again, except this time much more

comprehensively. We did tax cuts and regulatory reform, and that brought about a resurgence of the U.S. economy.

That's about -- that's what's going to happen here. It's about to happen on steroids. And we can't wait for that to happen. This is jet fuel for the

economy. And all boats are going to rise.

Thank you all for being here. We got to get a little rest. God bless.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Enjoy your Fourth.

FOSTER: Speaker Johnson there saying this is -- this Big, Beautiful Bill, as Donald Trump calls it, will be jet fuel to the economy. Wages will rise.

Unemployment will fall. This will be good news for everyone, economically speaking. There are economists who would disagree with that.

But certainly, a triumph for Speaker Johnson and particularly Donald Trump, who managed to get this through. He talked a bit about how he managed to

convince the holdouts in the Republican Party to support this bill, and said, actually, the system worked. The executive worked with Congress to

develop a bill that works for everyone, which will be signed into law tomorrow by Donald Trump.

So, it is going to happen after all of that work, there are many, many politicians who really don't believe in this bill, including all of the

Democrats. They all voted against it. So, there will be much to break down in this bill. But it is a moment of triumph, no doubt, for Donald Trump.

We'll be back in just a moment. But to update you on that story, we'll come back on that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:20:04]

FOSTER: Well, the other breaking news were following for you this hour, football fans mourning today following the tragic death of Liverpool's star

Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, too. The pair were traveling on a Spanish highway when their car crashed and burst into flames shortly after

midnight, right there.

Authorities believe a tire burst whilst the car, a Lamborghini, was overtaking. Jota has just come off his most successful season. The 28-year-

old played a key role in Liverpool winning the English Premier League. He also won the UEFA Nations League with his national team, Portugal. And just

last month, he married his longtime girlfriend. They had three young children together.

Jota's brother, Andre Silva, was 25 years old. He was also a professional footballer who played in Portugal's second division.

More from CNN World Sports' Amanda Davies.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORTS (voice-over): A champion taken far too soon. Diogo Jota was in the prime of his life. In the space of a month,

he'd won the Premier League with his club Liverpool. The Nations League with his country Portugal, and married the love of his life, the mother of

his three children.

His last Instagram post, just hours before his death, a video of the wedding he'd celebrated just 10 days before. His tragic death, confirmed by

Spanish authorities. They say his car burst into flames after spinning off the road when a tire burst while overtaking.

Inside Jota and his 25-year-old brother, fellow footballer Andre Silva.

The head of the Portuguese football federation, said the organization and all of Portuguese football are completely devastated.

PEDRO PROENCA, PRESIDENT, PORTUGUESE FOOTBALL FEDERATION: Diogo was what we all want to be. He was a benchmark for Portuguese football. He was a

talent of his generation. But much more than that.

DAVIES: Jota's club, Liverpool, saying simply they're devastated by the news, describing it as an unimaginable loss and requesting privacy for his

family, friends and teammates.

Jota arrived at Liverpool in 2020, quickly establishing himself as a key attacking player, so much so that his contract was extended two years

later.

DIOGO JOTA, LIVERPOOL STAR: I'm now signing a new long-term deal. It's obviously from the club's perspective, a proof of belief in myself as a

player.

DAVIES: His credentials, though well-known even before he arrived in Liverpool, a key player in Wolves promotion to the Premier League in 2017,

after impressing in Spain with Atletico Madrid and Porto in Portugal, an amazing achievement for a small but talented youngster who first kicked a

ball at the tiny club of Gondomar. They too were devastated by the brothers' deaths.

We will cherish the memory of both of them forever, proud to have seen them grow as athletes and exemplary young men.

Jota was proud of where he'd come from and for all he had already achieved, the Champions League was one he still very much wanted to win.

JOTA: That drive is in me and I know it's in my teammates and in all the staff, so we have everything to fight for those titles out there.

DAVIES: Those teammates now with a huge hole in their dressing room without Anfield's beloved Portuguese number 20.

Amanda Davies, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: A wake expected to take place tomorrow in the brothers' hometown in Portugal. Meanwhile, tributes have been flowing from across the

footballing world. Diogo Jota's Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo writes, "It doesn't make any sense. Just now we were together in the national team,

just now, you were married. To your family, to your wife and children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world."

Prince William, a football fan and patron of the English Football Association, paid his respects, saying, "I'm deeply saddened to hear of the

passing of Diogo Jota and his brother. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and all who knew him."

It's been an extremely emotional period for Liverpool football club and its fans. First, there were the highs of watching their team win the English

Premier League title in April, then shock when a car plowed into fans during the teams parade celebrations in May, injuring dozens. Now they're

grappling with the senseless loss of one of their stars in the prime of his career.

Liverpool fans have come together in grief today, gathering outside the club's stadium, Anfield, to pay their respects.

[15:25:03]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought it was some joke.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was so shocked I sprang out of bed immediately and I -- and I couldn't believe it. I absolutely couldn't believe it. I didn't

want to believe it at all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was literally the only player I enjoyed watching on the pitch, for some reason.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Let's bring in Ste Hoare. He's from The Redmen TV, a leading online platform dedicated to Liverpool Football Club.

Thank you so much for joining us.

I think looking at Amanda's report, one of the -- you know, there's so many tragic elements to this. The timing is just so awful, isn't it? It was

watching the video of his marriage and that had only been posted shortly before. I mean, the loss is extraordinary.

STE HOARE, HEAD OF OPERATIONS, THE REDMEN TV: It's heartbreaking. It's devastating. It really is. Like you say, he's a 20-year-old guy. Forget

about being a footballer for a second. You know, he's a 20-year-old guy who's a father of three, just recently married, like you say.

Obviously, his parents lose both their sons. It's just absolutely heartbreaking news. Like I say, when it came through early this morning,

everybody was shocked and deeply saddened. Really. It's awful. It really is.

FOSTER: How are -- I mean, it's -- I mean, sort of trite question, but in terms of how fans are feeling, they've obviously had this extraordinary

season, haven't they? And he was such a key player in it. Just describe what he gave to the club.

HOARE: Yeah -- he -- yeah. Like I say, everyone's deeply shocked and sad. In terms of Diogo Jota, the footballer, he was a very charismatic. He was

almost like that quiet kind of guy.

But he had that ruthless drive to him. He wanted to succeed rather and score goals. And that's what he did.

He arrived at Liverpool aged 23. And you remember that was during the pandemic. So we didn't get to celebrate him in person for about a year. He

arrived into a wonderful Liverpool team filled with superstars and the idea we all thought was maybe he's a sub and he'll come on the -- off the bench

every now and then and we'll see bits and bobs.

But within literally games of him arriving, he was scoring goals and he got himself straight into a team full of superstars. And he didn't really look

back. He was -- when he was fit and available. He was always playing, you know, both managers, both Jurgen Klopp and Slot wanted them to be in their

teams because -- yeah, he just he provided goals. He provided magic moments for Liverpool and -- yeah, it's a bittersweet memories now.

FOSTER: Is that what you think made him a great player? Because you know, it's always a test, isn't it? If you put a player like him in with such a

team of big stars, whether they rise to the occasion or whether it just intimidates them, and he broke through and the fans saw that, didn't they?

HOARE: Absolutely. Yeah. Like he arrives. Liverpool were champions of England. They have Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, one of the best

front threes that this club and maybe football has ever seen. And then this 23-year-old kid arrives from Wolves and breaks into that team.

Yeah, listen, it's not an easy way for Liverpool. Sometimes it can be a bit sink or swim and Diogo Jota thrived. He took to it straight away. He was in

the team scoring goals, getting assists, playing. You know, his work rate that really gained praise from the fans. That really endeared him.

You know, if you work hard, Liverpool fans tend to get behind you. So, it was very, very evident from very, very early that Liverpool had signed a

really top player and he helped. He helped them win trophies, he scored big goals, he scored penalties and finals.

He just this a few months ago now was, you know, unfortunately, it was his last goal for the football club. It's a winner against Everton in the

Merseyside Derby. There's no bigger game for us. That one that pretty much secured Liverpool a league title almost as well. So, massive, massive

moments. And when Liverpool needed someone, Diogo Jota often stood up.

FOSTER: So, a huge loss to Liverpool, also to Portugal as well. How central was he to that team? How much will he be missed there?

HOARE: Yeah, like I say, he's a -- Portugal was often the Cristiano Ronaldo show which again understandable, but when Jota got on the pitch

again, he often delivered Portugal. He probably didn't play as much as he did for Liverpool again, given the circumstances. But you mentioned before

he -- he was very -- he was on the pitch just a few months ago.

Well, a few weeks ago really now when Portugal won that Nations League Final, he again a kid from -- if you heard him talking the way he grew up

through football came through the system, moved away at a very early age and became a key part for, you know, one of the biggest football clubs in

the world, one of the biggest national teams in the world. He -- and he did that himself. You know, nothing was handed to him, and he deserved a lot of

credit for that.

FOSTER: Yes. Absolute tragedy.

Ste Hoare, thank you for sharing your time with us today and our thoughts with all the fans today. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:18]

FOSTER: Well, we've been talking about that major political win in the House for U.S. President Donald Trump. But on the eve of that, or shortly

before he was speaking to the Russian President Vladimir Putin today by phone. According to Russia's state media, President Trump brought up the

possibility of ending military action in Ukraine as early as possible during that phone call.

Kevin Liptak is at the White House.

I want to first ask you, Kevin, if I could, about this extraordinary moment in the house today. Moves to you, doesn't it? Tomorrow, when this big,

beautiful bill becomes law?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. And the president will sign it here at the White House at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time tomorrow,

punctuated, I would note, by the B-2 bombers who dropped those bunker busters on Iran last month. So kind of an elaborate celebration here at the

White House that really, I think, underscores this moment for the president.

He is now, I think, at the height of his political power, after quite a successful stretch of days. The president clearly trying to relish that.

But I think he also has his task cut out for him going forward in selling this bill to a skeptical American public.

You know, polling shows that this bill is not particularly popular among voters. And the president's objective, I think, going forward is trying to

explain more about how everyday Americans will benefit from this. The understanding I have is that hell focus primarily on those tax cuts. They

overwhelmingly affect wealthy Americans, but there are provisions like eliminating taxes on tips that the White House and President Trump think

will be more popular among the working class voters.

But, you know, recent American history is kind of littered with presidents who passed major pieces of legislation using their congressional

majorities, but then went on to regret not being able to effectively sell them to the American people, with the results of the midterm elections as

kind of the cost.

[15:35:15]

You know, a lot of presidents go on to lose the House after their first two years in office. And I think for President Trump, the task now will be

really trying to sell that. And he'll begin it tonight. He's heading soon to Iowa where he'll speak at a July 4th kickoff rally. We understand that

the president will use a lot of those remarks to kind of bask in the glow of this successful passage, but in talking to White House officials, there

is an acknowledgment that the hard part in selling this to the public begins now.

FOSTER: In terms of the call with Putin, we shouldn't forget that, because there was a discussion about ending military action in Ukraine, and that

came from the Russian side as well. So, they're now talking about that. I mean, how do you interpret that?

LIPTAK: Yeah. And the other thing that the Kremlin said, which was important, is that Putin doesn't plan to end the war in Ukraine until he

achieves his objective. So it doesn't seem clear, as if Putin at least is moving off his position, his maximalist position on that war, despite

President Trump's urging to try and come to some sort of negotiated settlement.

You know, the call lasted roughly about an hour. The Kremlin said it was a businesslike call. It also comes the same week that President Trump and his

administration announced that the U.S. would halt shipments of American weapons to Ukraine, citing dwindling stockpiles in the United States.

Moscow says that that topic didn't come up in the call, but it certainly provided an important backdrop for the president as he engaged in this

conversation.

Remember last week at the NATO summit, President Trump said he thought that Putin was misguided in this conflict, that he thought he wanted to reach a

settlement towards an end to the war in Ukraine, but didn't necessarily know how to do it. It's not clear from the Kremlin's side of things that

Putin is any closer to coming to an agreement to end this conflict, and I think for President Trump, who has had a number of successes over the last

two weeks, whether it's the strikes in the Middle East, which seems to be providing new momentum to a ceasefire in Gaza, whether it's this bill that

just passed, whether it's a favorable decision at the Supreme Court, the war in Ukraine is still one of those outstanding problems that he promised

to resolve within 24 hours of taking office, but so far has not really been able to get any movement whatsoever.

Talking to Putin today think was an important moment for him, but certainly no resolution that we can detect was discussed between these two men in the

call today.

FOSTER: I guess at least they're talking. Kevin, thank you so much for that.

Meanwhile, just days after the Trump administration hit pause on some weapon shipments to Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country

has a deal with a U.S. firm to produce hundreds of thousands of drones this year. In an online post, Mr. Zelenskyy says the agreement with the company,

Swift Beat, would include long range strike drones and interceptors that will be capable of destroying enemy drones and missiles.

The head of emergency medical services in northern Gaza calls it a horrific massacre, saying civilians, including children, were burned alive as they

slept after an Israeli strike hit a school turned shelter. This is what's left of that shelter that was housing displaced families in Gaza City. A

hospital director says 15 people were killed.

Dozens of Palestinians seeking aid were also killed after coming fire -- coming under fire again. One woman says people have begun carrying burial

shrouds with them when they go to seek food.

Paula Hancocks has more on today's attacks, and we warn you her report has disturbing images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Smoke rises from the remnants of this school turned shelter. An Israeli airstrike killed at

least 15 people here in the early hours of Thursday. According to Gaza's health ministry, a scene described as harrowing by medics on the ground.

"We went to put out the fire to reach the victims," this eyewitness says. "The bodies were boiling from the fire. These rockets struck them. They

destroyed children, turned them into corpses."

This mother says, "What happened is terrifying, terrifying beyond imagination. When you see them torn apart and injured at 2:15 a.m. We woke

up to this. I dragged my girls running downstairs."

Israel's military says it struck a key Hamas terrorist operating a command and control center in Gaza City, adding it took steps to mitigate the risk

of harming civilians.

The United Nations said this week more than 60 schools have been hit since mid-March.

[15:40:03]

The desperate search for food again turned deadly, 25 were killed in central Gaza waiting for aid trucks when chaos broke out.

This eyewitness says, "We're not Hamas or Fatah. I'm just a civilian who wants to eat. And instead, I find death."

Fifteen more killed in Khan Younis while waiting for food, according to a hospital spokesman close to a U.S.-backed Gaza humanitarian foundation

site, lining up bodies, ready for burial. The sound of raw grief is everywhere in Gaza.

Carrying loved ones on their final journey, asking why children are being killed in their sleep.

"They went out to find food and water and they died," this man said. "What use is their bag of flour? The bag of flour is soaked with blood."

As Hamas and Israel appear to edge closer to a ceasefire, that day will come too late for more than 80 killed in just this one day.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: We'll update you on our other top story after the break. The outpouring of grief after Liverpool star Diogo Jota and his brother die in

a car crash in Spain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Football fans are grieving today after the tragic deaths of Liverpool star Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva months ago. The 28-

year-old Jota was celebrating after Liverpool clinched the English Premier League title. At less than two weeks ago, he married his long-time

girlfriend, with whom he had three children.

The brothers were traveling on highway northwest Spain when the crash happened shortly after midnight on Thursday. Investigators continue to do

their work, but authorities believe a tire on their car burst.

Liverpool football club says it's devastated by the loss and the global football community all grieving.

[15:45:03]

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said, "I'm deeply saddened to hear of the tragic passing of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva. They will both be

sorely missed by all those who knew them and by the worldwide football community."

Let's bring in CNN World Sports Patrick Snell.

It's really struck me today, Patrick, that you didn't have to be a Liverpool fan or a Portugal fan to be utterly shocked at this huge loss to

football.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Yeah, absolutely devastating, Max. I do want to say our thoughts and prayers are very much with the entire Jota

family at this time. You know, he was such a wonderful player to watch. He was such an eye for goal. He had this knack, this happy knack for Liverpool

fans and Portugal of scoring at key moments in impact, often off the substitutes bench, where he would score six goals in Liverpool's recent

title charge to go on and win the Premier League Title for the second time in club history. They also won the UEFA Nations League with Portugal twice.

So just a storied career in Liverpool, adored by the fans. There's no question about that. He wore the number 20 on his back proudly and

Liverpool would duly go on to win their 20th top flight title in English football, drawing level with fellow record holders Manchester United.

At times like these, Max, I always say the global football community comes together as one. It really, really does. Liverpool Football Club saying it

was devastated by the tragic passing of its player, saying no further comment for now. But the Reds also requesting the privacy of Diogo and

Andre's family, friends, teammates and club staff that that privacy be respected as they try and come to terms with an unimaginable loss.

Now, Diogo is manager at Liverpool on a slot with this beautiful, beautiful tribute from a little earlier today and I want to kind of break it down.

It's long. It's right from the heart and it means so much. It's so poignant to digest.

Arne Slot saying, "My first thoughts are not those of a football manager. They're of a father, a son, a brother and an uncle. And they belong to the

family of Diogo and Andre Silva, who have experienced such an unimaginable loss. My message to them is very clear, you will never walk alone." A

reference there to Liverpool's famed club anthem.

"Diogo was not just our player. He was a loved one to all of us. The last time we spoke, I congratulated Diogo on winning the Nations League and

wished him luck for his forthcoming wedding. In many ways, it was a dream summer for Diogo and his family, which makes it all the more heartbreaking

that it should end like this."

And you can just see there the scenes on Merseyside on Thursday, absolutely adored by the fans at Liverpool.

Slot, going on to say, "We need everyone at the club to stand together and to be there for one another. We owe this to Diogo, to Andre Silva, to their

wider family and to ourselves. He will never be forgotten. His name is Diogo".

And the brothers' fellow Portuguese, the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo with this, "It doesn't make sense. Just now, we were together in the Nations

League. You had just got married".

Ronaldo sending his condolences to Jota's family, wife and children, adding, "I know you will always be with them. Rest in peace, Diogo and

Andre. We will miss you."

European footballs governing body UEFA on Thursday announcing a moment of silence ahead of All Women's Euro 2025 group stage fixtures, both Thursday

and Friday. These are the scenes in Switzerland, the Belgium-Italy game. Players paying their respects, their tributes. Italy winning the game by a

goal to nil.

But really, at times like these, Max, results go out the window. This was a day of somber reflection, and I can still see the goal that he scored for

his beloved Liverpool against Everton back in April. It was only a few weeks back, but it was a goal that was so vital on taking Liverpool on

towards another Premier League triumph.

It's really hard to get our heads around this, Max. It really is, 28 years of age, at the prime, really at the peak of his footballing powers, an

incredible person both on and off the field of play, and Liverpool fans are calling for that number 20 jersey, Max, to be retired. We'll see if that

happens.

But fans with very strong emotions today on Merseyside in Liverpool.

FOSTER: Yeah, it would be a lovely tribute, wouldn't it? Patrick, thank you so much.

Well, the rest of the world carries on. Latest data is in and the U.S. job market is doing better than expected. We'll crunch the numbers when we get

back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:52:06]

FOSTER: Well, a fresh sign today that the U.S. economy is chugging along despite uncertainty over how President Trump's tariffs could shake out. The

government's jobs report released earlier shows stronger than expected growth; 147,000 jobs were added in June, while the unemployment rate ticked

down to 4.1 percent.

But a closer look shows a lot of the jobs added were state and local government ones.

Joining me now from New York is Matt Egan.

I know that a lot of the economists have been poring over the numbers because they're so positive on the front of it, but there's certain things

to worry about if you look deeper.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yeah, Max, that's right.

Looking at the headlines here, this report does paint the picture of a job market that is remarkably resilient, despite all of the chaos and

uncertainty caused by the trade war, the job market does continue to chug along, right? So, the U.S. economy added, as you mentioned, 147,000 jobs in

June. That's a solid number. It's well ahead of expectations. There were some whispers on Wall Street of a sub 100,000 number. This is obviously a

lot better than that.

The unemployment rate was expected to go up. It didn't. It went down to 4.1 percent.

None of this suggests that the Federal Reserve needs to come to the rescue with a type of dramatic interest rate cuts that the president has called

for. In fact, the odds of an imminent interest rate cut have come significantly down today, as a result of this better than expected report.

And yet, as you mentioned behind those headlines, right, there are some caveats that are concerning some of the economists that I'm talking to. And

one of them is the fact that the job growth was not widespread during the month of June. Really, it was concentrated in three areas, leisure and

hospitality, state and local government, specifically education, and also healthcare, which added almost 60,000 jobs.

But there were some sectors that lost jobs, professional and business services lost 7,000 jobs. The federal government also lost 7,000. And

that's a result of DOGE and the really deep cuts to the federal workforce, notably, manufacturing lost 7,000 jobs for the second month in a row. That

is the exact opposite of what the White House wants with their sky high tariffs.

Another thing that stood out here is the fact that the Black unemployment rate unexpectedly surged to almost 7 percent. That's the highest level in

more than three years. Lastly, we really got to keep an eye on the supply of workers because this report showed that the number of people who were

looking for work fell during the month of June, and that is one of the reasons why the unemployment rate did come down.

And Morgan Stanley says that this drop in the number of people looking for work is likely a reflection of the immigration crackdown from the

administration, right? Morgan Stanley saying that it's having a chilling effect on the workforce.

So, I think the bottom line here is, yes, the job market continues to defy expectations. But beneath the surface, there are some concerning signals

that bear monitoring -- Max.

[15:55:02]

FOSTER: Yeah. You'll be keeping an eye on them.

Matt, thank you so much.

EGAN: Thanks.

FOSTER: Finally, tonight, the long 4th of July weekend is almost here for Americans celebrating Independence Day. But things got off to a bad start

in Cape Cod.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

FOSTER: Where workers at this country club in Mashpee, in the state of Massachusetts, had to run for cover. As you can imagine, after the

fireworks they were planning for Friday night exploded early. Two people were hurt. One of them seriously. Although the injuries are not believed to

be life-threatening.

The man who shot this video says he's been coming to this firework show for 20 years, but knew right away that something had gone wrong.

I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW.

"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is up next.

END

TO ORDER VIDEOTAPES AND TRANSCRIPTS OF CNN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS