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What We Know with Max Foster

Zelenskyy: Call With Trump "Very Important And Meaningful"; Ukraine: Russia Launches Record Drone Attack, Targeting Kyiv; President Trump Disappointed By Call With President Putin; Trump To Sign His Megabill Into Law At July 4th Ceremony; Trump: Hamas To Respond To Ceasefire Plan Within Hours; Liverpool Fans Leave Tributes To Star Player Diogo Jota; DHS To Send Group Of Migrants To South Sudan. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 04, 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]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Donald Trump speaks with Ukraine's president after a chaotic night in Kyiv.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

A very important and meaningful. Thats how Ukraine's President Zelenskyy describes his call with U.S. President Trump. According to "Axios",

President Trump told Mr. Zelenskyy he wants to help Ukraine with its air defense.

The call comes after one of the worst nights for Kyiv in Russia's war against Ukraine. A massive aerial assault hit a nuclear power plant,

causing blackouts. Multiple residential areas and buildings were also hit.

The prospect of peace looking distant after Mr. Trump expressed his disappointment over a call with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

Right now, Kyiv is bracing for another night of possible attacks.

Here's CNN's Nick Paton Walsh.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Hear the buzz and all you can do is wait. Kyiv has seen this almost every night for months, but there was something about Thursday night's

ferocity that seemed new and unchecked, even underground.

No sleep is the norm. Huddling in basements too, if you're not so immune to the sirens, you turn over in bed when you hear them, hearing Russia broke

another record of drones fired has also happened a lot this past month. What was different was the possibility the capitals air defenses behind

interceptions like these, might be in trouble.

Gunners try to pick off drones, but the American supply of Patriots that take down ballistic missiles is at best in doubt, leaving nights here

longer and louder and solace something you find in the subway.

A record assault that came moments after Presidents Trump and Putin spoke that too did not go well.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin,

because I don't think he's there, I don't think he's there, and I'm very disappointed. Well, I'm just saying I don't think he's looking to stop, and

that's too bad.

WALSH: Among the smoldering remains of civilian worlds terrorized. Ukraine's foreign minister claimed fragments of a Geran-2 combat drone were

found made in China. The growing global footprint of a war where Kyiv's daylight is dark and still by the smoke of the night before, and where the

damage done is measured in intimate, personal loss.

Hear what that feels like for those whose broken homes lie in pieces around them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today's attack is the most terrifying attack for us in the three and a half years that this war has been going on. There is info

that he (Putin) will launch 700-800 Shahed drones. I'm sorry but neither we, nor our air defense can withstand it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today, the drones were flying like swarms of bees. It was such a horror. It is a great horror. Let all Americans know how we live

here, how we suffer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very scary when people are left with nothing. It's very scary. And there are small children. Right now, there is no gas,

no electricity. We have practically no hope left for America. Our only hope is in our own people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH (on camera): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's readout of his call with President Donald Trump, look, it's overwhelmingly positive. He

talks about a very important and fruitful conversation. He complements Donald Trump on his grasp of the situation, and they talk about potential

opportunities for air defense, joint production, all the things that Ukraine urgently needs.

But let's be honest, there's no real specifics here. And the Ukrainian readout suggests that President Trump has gone for a matter of hours ago,

agreeing with his Pentagon staff that they are very short of these Patriot interceptors that Ukraine so urgently needs to now potentially seeing a way

forwards. Does this involve Germany buying the interceptors, Germany making the interceptors specifics that everyone urgently needs answers to,

particularly in Kyiv where you saw what poor air defenses or struggling air defenses can mean to the night skies.

But above all of this, Ukraine thinks there's 160,000 Russian troops gathering near their northern and eastern front lines. That is an urgent

problem in the weeks and months ahead, for which Ukraine has a serious manpower issue. And of course, now allies whose arms it urgently needs,

whose support is a constant topic of discussion.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

[15:05:02]

FOSTER: In just a couple of hours, U.S. President Donald Trump plans to sign his mega spending bill into law at the White House in a ceremony

celebrating Independence Day. With the stroke of a pen, Mr. Trump will put the finishing touches on what will be the biggest political win of his

second term.

However, critics of the legislation say it will leave millions of people, many of them Trump voters, without health care coverage and add trillions

of dollars to the national debt. Republican allies pushed the massive bill through Congress in a relatively short period of time, underscoring the

stranglehold the president has on the party.

A short time after the House vote, Mr. Trump told reporters his own expectations were they were for the second term, and he says they are now

sky high.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think I have more power now. I do, you know, I could say, oh, gee, I don't know. I think I probably do because we've had a great record of

success. You know, my first term was very, very successful. We had the greatest economy in the history of our country. I think we're going to blow

it away this term.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: CNN's Kevin Liptak with us from the White House.

I mean, he's not wrong, is he? He does have more power.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. And I think the last couple of weeks really kind of demonstrated how the president was able to

consolidate a lot of that power into the position that he now finds himself in. And in fact, this ceremony that we're getting ready for on the South

Lawn of the White House, I think is only going to underscore that apart from the actual paper to pen signing of this bill, the highlight will be a

flyover from one of those B-2 bombers that dropped the bunker busters on Iranian nuclear facilities last month, which I think illustrates sort of

the sequence of events that led the president to now this very consequential moment.

He had that success in the Middle East. He has seen success at the NATO summit last week in getting people allies to up their defense spending. He

had a success with that very impactful Supreme Court ruling that expands his executive power. And now the president has success in Congress with

this very important piece of legislation, all culminating in this event later today.

He is kind of co-opting the traditional July 4th celebratory atmosphere to also celebrate his political win in Congress. So, he'll have fireworks,

he'll have that flyover. Weve been able to smell the grill of the grilling, the hot dogs and hamburgers, getting ready for tonight. We've been smelling

it all day.

Clearly, this is an important moment, I think, for the president. But it also kicks off, I think, an arduous task of trying to sell this bill to the

American public. You know, polling shows that most Americans are very skeptical of what is contained in here. And even Republicans who ended up

voting for this bill acknowledged that a lot of its aspects could leave them vulnerable ahead of next year's midterm elections.

Democrats have already begun framing this bill in earnest, saying it amounts to Trump stripping away some benefits from the poor in order to

reward the wealthy with these tax cuts. You know, the American history, recent American history is littered with presidents who secured these major

legislative wins using their congressional majorities only to later regret not doing a better job selling it when those majorities are lost in the

midterm elections.

And so, President Trump obviously sort of the consummate political salesman, but he's also, I think, always prioritized his own legacy and his

own agenda over the broader Republican Party. So, it does, I think, remain to be seen how exactly he plans to go out and present this bill to the

American public over the weeks and months ahead. But at least for today, the president very much taking a victory lap after what was a decisive

victory in Congress.

FOSTER: Yeah, he likes a big show, doesn't he? And he's going to give that in the skies tonight. Just take us through what we're going to see and why.

LIPTAK: Yeah. And I think the big highlight will be the flyover of those B- 2s that was planned before the president turned this into a signing ceremony. They were always going to come here for the Fourth of July. Both

the planes themselves, but also the pilots who piloted that mission in Iran last month. The president, very much hoping to celebrate what was in his

mind a decisive victory over Iran's nuclear facilities. Although we should say that the assessments of how much the program has been set back remains

something of an open question.

But the president, I think, very much wanting to note this string of successes, the program in Iran, even if it is not completely dismantled, it

does seem to have prevented a wider war from breaking out, at least in the near term. And I think as the president celebrates this, he'll also have

military families out on the South Lawn. They are the traditional guests for the Fourth of July here at the White House.

But obviously, the entire event also taking on something of a political tint as he celebrates this bill, which was passed with only Republicans in

support of it.

And so, it will be in one facet, a celebration of the country's independence, but also a celebration of the president's very decisive

political victory.

FOSTER: Well, enjoy the show and the hot dogs, if you get one, Kevin. Thank you.

LIPTAK: Yes, sir. Sure.

FOSTER: Israel keeping up deadly strikes, meanwhile, on Gaza as it waits to see how Hamas responds to the latest ceasefire plan. Gaza's health ministry

says 138 people have been killed in just the past 24 hours.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he expects a Hamas response on the proposal within hours. Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions for a

ceasefire. This comes ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the White House next week.

Let's get more from Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem.

If Donald Trump's right and we get a response from Hamas, we know that Israel's already signed up to it, then it could be the ceasefire deal

everyone's been waiting for. I just wonder how we would hear about it when it happens if it happens.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: So, Max, I should start by saying that there are now reports that Hamas has submitted their response

to the latest proposal to the mediators, to the negotiators, but we don't yet have an official statement from Hamas. That's what we're waiting on.

And this is effectively what President Donald Trump had said, that they were expected to respond within 24 hours. So, this very much lines up with

that.

The reports we're seeing, and I should be very careful here, are that Hamas has responded positively. That was the widespread expectation. Again, no

official statement yet. And that's very much what we're waiting for at this point.

But we did learn earlier today some of the key details here that tried to bridge the gap between Israel and Hamas. A lot of the broad brushstrokes

here are the same as we had seen, a 60-day ceasefire. Ten living Israeli hostages, 18 deceased hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and

detainees. The key difference here is that that is now expected to be spread out over a much longer period, effectively over the entire 60 days,

as a way of ensuring to Hamas that Israel does not break the ceasefire earlier.

The other key question, of course, was getting from a temporary ceasefire to a permanent end of the war, and that was a key Hamas demand. From the

language we have seen, according to a source familiar with the negotiations, there is no guarantee of a permanent end to the war, but

there is a promise, a guarantee that if negotiations which start on day one of the ceasefire are not done by day 60, they will continue and the

ceasefire will continue.

And the guarantor of that is Trump himself. He has weighed in here, and his team have weighed in as a way of guaranteeing this, to try to get this over

the line. Some of the other key details aid will begin flowing in on day one for Israeli forces will begin moving on day one and withdrawing. The

key point here, though, is if Hamas agrees and we learn about that shortly, there is still the step, Max, of proximity talks, which is when Israel and

Hamas are effectively in the same building or down the hall from each other, probably in Doha or in Cairo, and negotiators go back and forth just

to hammer out the last few details.

If we're at that point, those can go quite quickly, and this might be imminent. Max, we're going to see here if we can get an official statement

from Hamas, and we will absolutely keep you posted.

FOSTER: Absolutely. Back with you then, Oren, thank you.

Now, an outpouring of grief in Liverpool, tributes growing for the football star Diogo Jota and his brother killed in a car crash on Thursday. We're

live in Liverpool after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:16:43]

FOSTER: There's been an outpouring of emotion today as the family of Liverpool star Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva gathered to remember

the footballers. The brothers died in a car crash in northwest Spain on Thursday morning. A private wake was held at a church in their hometown of

Gondomar in Portugal's north. The family has just opened it up to the public.

Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro was amongst those in attendance. As you can see, alongside family and friends, a funeral will be held on

Saturday. Liverpool fans have continued to leave tributes to Jota outside the club's Anfield Stadium. He played a key role in helping secure the

club, the English Premier League title this season.

More from CNN sportswriter Matias Grez in Liverpool.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATIAS GREZ, CNN SPORTSWRITER (voice-over): The city of Liverpool, a place defined by its fierce football rivalry, united today in grief. Fans of both

Liverpool and Everton gathering outside Anfield Stadium today to mourn the loss of Diogo Jota, the 28-year-old forward, who died in a car crash in

Spain alongside his brother Andre Silva on Thursday.

Everton players arrived carrying wreaths applauded by supporters gathered at the stadium. The club was represented by two of their Portuguese

players, a powerful gesture that transcended rivalry and showed solidarity from across the city. Tributes continue to grow at the stadium on Friday,

with fans leaving shirts, scarves and handwritten notes thanking Jota for his passion and commitment. Among the sea of red, a soul blue Everton

shirt, a sign of respect that cuts across allegiances.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I support Everton, and I work with a lot of colleagues in work who support Liverpool, and obviously, it's just like touch the city

as well, like, you know, sort of like Everton and Liverpool fans. It's just a really, really sad day yesterday. Emotional and obviously like, you know,

I'm a football fan and it touches everyone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just tragic. Yeah, he's only 28. It's just what the like the Liverpool people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Number 20, it's -- so mean so much. This guy make Liverpool's get the top of the league and champion.

GREZ: Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was seen in tears as he laid flowers, paying his respects to a player he once led on the pitch.

On social media, tributes have flooded in from around the world. Jota's Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah wrote it's going to be extremely difficult

to accept that Diogo won't be there when we go back. They will never be forgotten.

Here at Anfield, the sense of shock remains raw. Fans and players alike remembered the Diogo Jota not only as a brilliant footballer, but as a

devoted family man and a beloved teammate. The message is clear, he will always be Liverpool's number 20 and he will never walk alone.

Jota and his brother died after their car veered off the road and caught fire in northwestern Spain early on Thursday morning.

[15:20:02]

Spanish authorities say a burst tire while overtaking may have caused the crash.

In Portugal, a private wake for close family and special guests was held this morning at a chapel in Gondomar, attended by Jota's agent, Jorge

Mendes, Portugal's Prime Minister Luis Montenegro and Jota's mother and father. A public wake opened this afternoon, allowing fans and the local

community to say their goodbyes.

A funeral will take place tomorrow morning.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Yeah, I mean, let's go to Matias. He's in Liverpool tonight.

In Portugal, you saw those fans coming out in extraordinary numbers and it's wonderful, isn't it, for the family to allow some of those fans to pay

their respects as well in what way they can, but really in Liverpool, you've just -- the option is just to go there and lay flowers, right, and

sort of be with other fans who are grieving.

GREZ: Well, Max, I'm sure as you can imagine, the overwhelming emotion here over the last 24 hours has been grief. And those tributes you mentioned --

if I just step to the side for a moment here, you can see the hundreds and hundreds of them that have been laid down here outside Anfield Stadium,

scarves, shirts, handwritten notes and, of course, that bouquet of flowers laid down by the former Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson, who arrived

here earlier this afternoon.

But it's not just Liverpool shirts and scarves we're seeing here. We've seen Manchester United fans arriving to pay their respects and, of course,

I'm sure you can see the odd blue of the Everton shirts and scarves dotted throughout the sea of red here. Usually these clubs are bitter rivals on

the pitch, but I think the reaction here today just goes to show you how well respected and loved Jota was, not only in the city of Liverpool, but

in the wider football community.

And talking to Liverpool fans today, of course, it's Jota's success on the pitch that has made him so loved among the fan base. But really it's Jota,

the man that really endeared himself to the fans here. You know, a man from humble beginnings, a family man, a hard working man, and I think a lot of

those things resonated with the city and the people here. And they saw a lot of themselves in him.

Now, of course, his passing came when he was on top of the world, professionally and personally. Only 12 days ago, he'd married his childhood

sweetheart, the mother of his three young children. And just weeks before that, winning the nation's league with Portugal and the premier league with

Liverpool, which, of course makes the timing of his passing all the more tragic.

But amid all the grief here over the last 24 hours or so, speaking to fans and reading the tributes from former managers and former teammates, there's

one thing that stands out more than anything else, and that's Diogo Jota's smile. And I think that's how fans and his teammates want him to be

remembered. A man with a broad grin who was an infectious personality and somebody who gave absolutely everything for the shirt and the city every

time he stepped onto the pitch.

FOSTER: Matias from Liverpool, thank you.

Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was detained by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, otherwise known as ICE, just days

after a high profile fight with Jake Paul. Officials say the 39-year-old is in the process of being deported over alleged cartel ties and other

infractions. They add he made fraudulent statements on his immigration application and has an active arrest warrant in Mexico. His attorney calls

the allegations outrageous.

Joining me now is our Valeria Leon. She joins us from Mexico City.

I'm just wondering, are people surprised by these allegations? Are they a revelation about this boxer?

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, definitely. Followers here in Mexico were surprised about this news. And this is because after Mexico's

government publicly confirmed that Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has an outstanding warrant for arrest issued in 2023 for alleged ties to

organized crime and arms trafficking, this morning, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that she had been unaware of the charges against him

until they were brought to light yesterday afternoon, leading to questions as to why that warrant hadn't been served over the past two years.

After the arrest of the Mexican boxer, we're now learning more about his ties with former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin El Chapo Guzman and his

family. Chavez Jr. is married to Frida Munoz, who herself was once married to one of El Chapo's sons, Edgar Guzman. Chavez Jr. also used to post on

social media about how close he was with Ovidio Guzman, another son of El Chapo, now locked up in the U.S.

[15:25:00]

And the Mexican boxer's wife is a U.S. citizen, and according to Homeland Security, Chavez Jr. was applying for a U.S. resident visa. And during that

process, officials said he made false statements, which led to an immediate order for his deportation back to Mexico.

But federal agents in the U.S. arrested Chavez Jr. in Studio City, California, on charges related to this Mexican arrest warrant and to bring

in the U.S. illegally. But even though his visa expired on Friday, just one day before he fought American boxer Jake Paul, he wasn't deported. It was

three days after the fight when U.S. marshals arrested him, so he fought while in the U.S. illegally. Nobody stopped him until after the event, and

now he's in the process of being returned to Mexico in the coming days. And we'll see how he deals with these legal charges once he's back in Mexico.

But this case leaves Mexico's international public relations with a black eye. Yet another public figure being linked to the drug trade, even as the

government here has tried to portray itself as proactively fighting the influence of drug cartels in the country -- Max.

FOSTER: Okay. Thank you so much, Valeria, for joining us from Mexico City.

Now, multiple people are dead after catastrophic flooding in central Texas. Authorities are racing to rescue and evacuate people in Kerr County, about

75 miles west of Austin. Months worth of torrential rain fell in just hours on Friday morning, the heaviest rain now moving out of the area,

thankfully.

Now, a huge explosion at a petrol station in Rome has injured dozens.

The blast heard across Rome actually injuring at least 45 people. At least two suffered serious burns. Amongst those hurt were a dozen police officers

and six firefighters. They were already called to the scene after a truck hit a pipeline at the petrol station. Earlier, Rome's mayor told reporters

an incident happened whilst a fuel tank was being refilled.

Now it was a terrifying night for Kyiv's residents after Russia launched a record bombardment. The timing of which one Ukrainian MP says was not a

coincidence. We'll explain, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:50]

FOSTER: Peace seems as far away as ever in Ukraine after Russia launched a record drone attack on Kyiv overnight. At that moment, a drone exploded in

a residential area in Kyiv. The smell of smoke and explosives greeted the city's residents when they finally emerged from bomb shelters after a

terrifying night of Russian bombardment. At least one person died and dozens were injured.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump today, this days after the U.S. paused some weapons

shipments to Ukraine. Donald Trump also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He says he doesn't believe Putin wants to stop the war.

One Ukrainian member of parliament in Kyiv tells CNN, Donald Trump needs to get tough with his Russian counterpart, saying the timing of these drone

attacks was no coincidence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLEKSIY GONCHARENKO, UKRAINIAN MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: Immediately Putin gives order to make one of the biggest attacks on the capital of Ukraine.

He could choose any other town city in Ukraine. They are doing it almost every night. But he chose Kyiv and it was the night to July 4th. And

immediately after conversation with President Trump, this is a way how Putin tries to show that he humiliates the United States of America.

And I'm sure that the United States will not leave these unnoticed. And President Trump, I hope, will understand that the only way to speak with

Putin is to use the language of force, language of strength, because the United States of America are much stronger than Putin. But he is a bully,

which just tries to understand where are the borders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Let's bring in Michael Bociurkiw. He's a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and currently in Odessa in southern Ukraine.

Thank you so much for joining us from there.

Do you think -- that's right. Do you think Donald Trump's had a reality check about Putin?

MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, SENIOR FELLOW, THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Yeah. Good to be with you. Well, I wish I could be as optimistic as my friend Oleksiy

Goncharenko, the MP, that you just played. I don't think Trump responds to statements like that very well. I think he's still afraid of Mr. Putin. I

think there's no floor to his subservience to Mr. Putin.

And as many of U.S. viewers know, Trump can say one thing one day and do another hours, minutes, hours or days later. So, he's a very, very

difficult ally to deal with. Unfortunately for Ukraine, it's the strongest ally Ukraine has right now, especially when it comes to those Patriot

missile systems that can help Ukrainian cities stay safer.

CNN is reporting today that Mr. Zelenskyy is requiring about 25 of those patriot missile systems. They only have about half. They only have about a

dozen, and they're in short supply.

And just quickly, I should also remind everyone that Odessa was struck quite badly yesterday with two very, very powerful missiles in the world --

Port Odessa here, which exports grain around the world. So if that's not taunting the United States, making fun of Mr. Trump, I don't know what is.

FOSTER: Yeah. I'm glad you're okay there as well. I mean, it's getting more and more dangerous, isn't it? Ukraine -- you know, Kyiv has come under

attack before, but it seems to be targeted more and more. And this is, you know, if we think back right to the beginning of the war, when you saw

those tanks rolling up to Kyiv, that was, you know, that was the initial target, wasn't it?

BOCIURKIW: Absolutely. And Nick Paton Walsh, your colleague also reported today and I've seen this very same reports on Ukrainian social media that

in the next days or weeks we could see up to 1,000 drones a day, and that would completely overwhelm Ukrainian cities as well.

You know, I think we're a little bit of a turning point here. I mean, I've just spoken for about ten minutes to a former merchant marine from member

from here, from Odessa. And he says as soon as he can, he will leave Ukraine.

[15:35:02]

I'm hearing that from many others. And he also said for especially young Ukrainians to come back, they not only want to come back to a peaceful

Ukraine, but also a Ukraine free of corruption. And that's a war which is not being persecuted very well by the Zelenskyy administration, I should

say.

FOSTER: If Putin is taunting Donald Trump, obviously a very dangerous game. You know, he's got the biggest military in the world. Where is Trump's

leverage with Putin? What can he use against him?

BOCIURKIW: I think the only leverage there is to say to Mr. Putin, okay, enough is enough.

We are going to use our own leverage, for example, in the Gulf, to get our friends, the UAE, the Qataris of the world, these countries where Mr.

Putin's circle is parking their yachts, buying very expensive real estate, and which, by the way, aviation parts are slipping through sanctions and

going towards Russia. So, that noose needs to be tightened so hard that the pain will be felt.

And by the way, to Turkey, no more Russian tourism. It's going to be painful if countries which rely on Russian tourism so much say that. But I

think at this point that's the only thing that will do it. Sadly.

FOSTER: Interesting. Michael, thank you so much for joining us from Odessa in Ukraine.

BOCIURKIW: My pleasure.

FOSTER: Still to come, Democratic lawmakers are denied entry into a controversial migrant detention center in Florida as the first detainees

arrive there. We've got a live report for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: The president of El Salvador is hitting back after claims that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was controversially deported by the Trump

administration, was tortured in an El Salvadorian prison. Nayib Bukele recently posted this edited video to social media that appears to paint a

different picture than what Garcia's attorneys described.

[15:40:05]

Bukele says the allegations of mistreatment are false. CNN cannot verify the accuracy or the contents of this video.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security says a group of migrants is expected to arrive in South Sudan by Friday after being held at

a U.S. military base in Djibouti. This comes after the Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration can deport certain migrants to places that are not

their native countries.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez joins us with more.

I mean, it's quite an extraordinary idea, isn't it? I guess it's happened before, but it feels like a new phase in something that people are being

deported to the countries they're not from, because that was always the general rule before.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is critical to the Trump administration's agenda, given some of the difficulties they face in

deporting certain migrants to certain countries. But, Max, there has been a turn of events over the course of the afternoon here in Washington, D.C.,

as the attorneys for these migrants raced to try to get yet another block to their deportation to South Sudan. What happened over the last hour or so

was there was an emergency hearing held before a federal judge where the plaintiffs so or rather the attorneys for these migrants, argued that their

constitutional rights were being deprived because the Trump administration was sending them to war torn South Sudan, essentially levying additional

punishment. Severe punishment against these migrants.

These are migrants who have criminal convictions, but some of whom already had done their sentences here in the United States and had final orders of

removal to their home countries, but not, of course, to South Sudan, which occurred originally back in May. Now the migrants are still at a military

base in Djibouti, and the Justice Department told the judge that there is a flight scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Eastern today to send them to South Sudan.

Because of, again, that Supreme Court ruling yesterday. The Justice Department also said that there that the attorneys for these migrants

didn't have any basis for their claims. So, going against what their argument was.

Now, there is still an administrative stay for the next 45 minutes or so. That means that that plane in Djibouti cannot take off with those migrants

to South Sudan in the interim, he is sending this case back to where it originated in Massachusetts, and that is where the attorneys are currently

racing to try to get yet another answer, because after 4:30, the administration can deport these migrants to South Sudan.

So, as you can see, this has been a dizzying about hour, hour and a half while this hearing was ongoing and still no conclusion just yet as to what

happens after 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. So, this has been a remarkable case. It has been a long case that, of course, is based in the administration

sending these migrants from various nationalities to South Sudan, despite the fact that they have no ties there. And something that came up again and

again over the course of the entire lawsuit, but certainly today during the emergency hearing, is the situation in South Sudan. And the attorneys

saying that they could be persecuted there, they could be tortured there. And so that is why this is so serious and so urgent in their eyes.

And the judge, too, acknowledged that pointing, for example, to a travel advisory from the U.S. State Department, which cautions against traveling

to South Sudan as well.

So, this is still very much in limbo. But it has been, again, a big turn of events from just a few hours ago, when it was believed that the

administration would proceed with the deportation of these migrants. While that very well may still happen, we are in a period now where they are

blocked from doing so until whatever happens next in this case, after that. 4:30 p.m. deadline.

FOSTER: Okay, Priscilla, thank you so much for bringing us that.

Law enforcement officers in Florida have stopped five Democratic state lawmakers from entering into a controversial new migrant detention center,

and that happened on Thursday, the same day officials say the first set of detainees arrived at the facility in the middle of the Florida Everglades.

The lawmakers say they're concerned about possible human rights violations that demand immediate oversight.

Rafael Romo joins us from CNN headquarters in Atlanta.

I mean, what are these violations there that they're alleging here, Rafael?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT. Yeah. Well, they were trying to take a look at the things for them -- at the place, for themselves and the lawmakers,

Max, say they were worried about humanitarian concerns, that the new detention center in Florida, and that's why they wanted to assess

conditions inside by personally visiting the site.

[15:45:06]

But they didn't get too far, Max. The lawmakers say they weren't even allowed to see the outer perimeter of the tent facility, known as Alligator

Alcatraz, only hours after the arrival of the first group of detainees, a lawyer with the Florida division of emergency management, which oversees

the detention center, later cited a safety concern for the denial without offering specific details, according to one of the lawmakers. CNN, of

course, has reached out to the office for comment.

Now, President Donald Trump, you may remember he toured the facility on Tuesday along with his homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, and their

host, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Shortly after their visit, summer storms flooded part of the facility. Video from CNN affiliate Spectrum News 13 shows wires submerged in pooling

water across the floor. High winds made the floor and walls of the facilities tremble. Florida officials later said that, quote, vendors --

vendors went back and tightened any seams at the base of the structures that allowed water intrusion during the heavy storm, calling it minimal.

Florida State Representative Anna Eskamani, one of the lawmakers trying to visit the facility, referred to the detention center as a political stunt.

Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNA ESKAMANI, FLORIDA STATE HOUSE: Based on reports that we've been able to glean, the site is already experiencing flooding. The first individuals

who have been detained with no due process have arrived, and it's so essential when you have hundreds of millions of public dollars being spent

on a political stunt, that we have the ability to see for our own eyes what is happening and to be the voices of our constituents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And, Max, there's a new twist to all this. Publicly, on Tuesday, federal and state officials said they were working together on this. But in

a court filing submitted the following day, the Department of Homeland Security said it has not been directly involved. The court filing says, in

part, that, quote, DHS has not implemented, authorized, directed or funded Florida's temporary detention center. An official with immigration and

customs enforcement also said that the agency's role, quote, has been limited to touring the facility to ensure compliance with ICE detention

standards -- Max.

FOSTER: Rafael, thank you.

Now, despite all the rhetoric around immigration in the United States, many immigrants are celebrating this July 4th as new American citizens, as is

tradition, several national naturalization ceremonies are taking place across the country on the Independence Day holiday. One of the country's

most well-known imports spoke to 100 new Americans at a ceremony in Virginia earlier.

Arnold Schwarzenegger became a U.S. citizen in 1983. He told the crowds that immigrants are the real heroes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, ACTOR: Because of all the roles that I have played in my movies, I know something about action heroes, right? You don't need a

cartridge belt across your chest or bazooka against your shoulder to be an action hero, and you don't need the stunts and the special effects and the

Hollywood magic to be an action hero. No. Immigrants are action heroes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: One of the biggest bands in British rock back on stage tonight as we speak. After the break, we'll take you to the first gig of Oasis, a

comeback tour. Get a sneak peek at their set list as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:51:21]

FOSTER: Fans of Oasis, I bet you are wishing you were in Cardiff right now. Wales, of course. The band just kicking off its reunion tour.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

FOSTER: Not a clip for the night, but that was a clip from Knebworth 20 years ago now. But those in attendance tonight were treated to that song,

"Acquiesce", as one of the first songs of the set. They began with "Hello" before playing other British classics like "Some Might Say" and "Morning

Glory".

Last night, the British rock band announced they were going back on tour. It wasn't last night, was it? It was last year.

As fans know, the brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher have had a notoriously fraught relationship since they disbanded Oasis back in 2009. What we don't

know is will Oasis make it through their reunion tour?

Joining me now, Nick Reilly, content editor at "Rolling Stone UK".

Sorry, it's a cheeky question, isn't it? But realistic as well. They've fallen out so many times and this is a mega tour. They'll make lots of

money, but they need to stay together throughout it.

NICK REILLY, CONTENT EDITOR, ROLLING STONE UK: Yeah. They absolutely do. And I think the early signs are really promising. And I say that because

just before I started speaking to you, I've been spending the last half an hour watching a live stream that a Welsh man who's inside the stadium has

been doing, and from that stream of what I've seen of the show so far, they are looking absolutely mega. They're sounding, I would say, you know, as

good as they ever did.

And between that, the fact that performing well, there's this much rumored payday, I think that they will get through. I still feel like they might be

mellowed all this kind of grudges that they had as younger men perhaps are, you know, water under the bridge now? Yeah, I think the signs are looking

good. And I think they might just make it through all the way to those dates which go through to the end of the year over in South America and in

Australia, if the early half an hour that we've seen of the gig so far is anything to go by.

FOSTER: Do you think we can read something into "Acquiesce"? Because obviously the two brothers sing together. Apparently, it's the first time

they've duetted on a song in public, at least in nearly 16 years. So, they had it right there at the top of the billing, didn't they? Do you think

that's a message to say, we really are together?

REILLY: It certainly seems that way. Yeah. As you say, the fact that they are duetting, that would have kind of taken in rehearsals an element of

speaking to each other, of making sure that song is perfected. And, you know, I guess having the level of conversation and communication that such

a feat takes. And for two brothers that haven't spoken for 16 years before they reunited, that wouldn't have been an easy thing. But lo and behold,

there it was. As you said right at the start of the set.

So, it's a really good sign. And here's hoping, as you know, the song titles, that things have acquiesced.

FOSTER: Yeah, because people are having to work really hard, aren't they, to get these tickets. They don't want to have one in a few months' time and

not get the concert coming around to them. I mean, I spent seven hours, I think, waiting, and then I got kicked out of it just as I was about to buy

a ticket.

I'm sure lots of other people have had those stories, but, you know, have they sorted out the ticketing issue now, do you think?

REILLY: Well, I think it's an interesting one. It's when you kind of say sort of sorting it out. Those tickets that were there, obviously they went

like gold dust. And there has been a few windows where fans, I think a few weeks ago, were given a secondary chance.

[15:55:04]

There was kind of production holds that they call them sometimes when they've worked out the configurations of a show, there might be tickets

that they can then put on sale. So, there was that chance. And then also in order to kind of compensate for everything that went on and all the kind of

chaos that happened with that sale, dynamic pricing, be it the fact that people will find themselves stuck in queues, the band did put on an extra,

I think it was three more dates at Wembley Stadium, which will take place at the tail end of September, which, as we know in the famously

unpredictable British weather end of September, that will be occasion to bring your parka, I suspect.

FOSTER: Absolutely. Nick Reilly, I think the guys in Cardiff have got it right, haven't they? Thanks for joining us from "Rolling Stone".

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

"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is up next.

END

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