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What We Know with Max Foster

Fed Holds Interest Rate Steady Despite Pressure From Trump; Trump Threatens India With 25 Percent Tariff If Trade Deal Not Reached; 8.8 Magnitude Quake Off Russia Triggers Tsunami Threat; Arab League, EU Urge Hamas To Disarm & End Rule In Gaza; U.S. Department of Justice Files Epstein Document Justification; Former VP Harris Not Running For California Governor In 2026. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 30, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:20]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: The U.S. Federal Reserve keeps rates on hold for now, despite intense pressure from President Donald

Trump to lower them.

I'm Christina Macfarlane, in for Max Foster. This is WHAT WE KNOW.

Now, despite a relentless campaign from U.S. President Donald Trump, the Federal Reserve is leaving interest rates unchanged, a decision announced a

short time ago. For months, Mr. Trump has lashed out at Fed Chair Jerome Powell, demanding that the central bank slash rates. That feud was on full

display last week when the two verbally sparred in front of cameras.

But Jerome Powell is resisting. Here's what he said just a few minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROME POWELL, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: Economy is not performing as though restrictive policy. We're holding it back inappropriately. So, it

seems to me and to almost the whole committee that the economy is not performing as though restrictive policy is holding it back inappropriately

and modestly restrictive policy seems appropriate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, the Fed chair has previously said he would have -- he would have cut rates earlier this year if it hadn't been for Donald Trump's

tariffs.

Next up is the president's Friday trade deadline. Mr. Trump threatening India with a 25 percent tariff rate, along with other economic sanctions if

it fails to strike a deal with the U.S.

Let's get straight out to our senior White House reporter, Kevin Liptak, who's standing by.

And, Kevin, we -- I don't think, have heard anything yet from President Trump on this announcement, who was, as we know, not just looking for a

rate cut, but a monster cut. It seems, though, from this press conference, that it's the uncertainty around Donald Trump's tariffs that is holding the

Federal Reserve today to press pause.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. And actually, we heard from the president before we knew officially that the Fed would hold rates

steady. And he continued his calls on Powell to cut the rates, but also said that he anticipated a rate cut come September. And so, the president

still very much of the view that Powell and the Fed should cut rates in a bid to sort of unleash the American economy in a way that he views, that

it's been throttled.

But as you mentioned, this tariff situation still continues apace. And the big news that we got from the president today was his determination of

imposing a 25 percent tariff on India as trade negotiations with that country have proven frustratingly difficult for the president. You know,

you heard him today say that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a friend of his, but that he was being very tough in these talks to try and ease the

trade deficit that the U.S. sustains with India.

President Trump has previously called Modi the tariff king, and you do hear frustrations behind the scenes that India has not been more open to opening

up its market to U.S. imports, particularly agriculture and dairy imports. And so that's a continued frustration for the president as he tries to

finalize that deal. The -- from the Indian perspective, they seem sort of resigned to this higher tariff rate as they continue these discussions,

there is some hope that maybe in a few weeks or a few months that they will be able to finalize an agreement, but they seem sort of consigned to the

fact that this rate will go into effect.

On the second part of what the president did, which was to say that India would face a penalty for continuing to import Russian fuel, we have not

gotten a great amount of specifics on what exactly that will mean. You know, the president has threatened in the past what he calls these

secondary tariffs on imports of Russian fuel as punishment to Moscow for continuing its war in Ukraine. But we don't, for example, have a rate on

what exactly that means.

But certainly, the president seems very intent on following through on some of these steps that he says are necessary to sort of punish Russia for its

continued aggression in Ukraine. We also heard from the president on the continued trade talks with China. And you'll remember that the Treasury

Secretary Scott Bessent was in Stockholm for the last couple of days talking with Chinese officials as that trade negotiation also continues

apace.

The decision in front of President Trump right now is whether to delay the tariffs on China. They're set to go into effect on August 12th. But there

is some thought that he will perhaps push them off as these trade negotiations continue. The president said today that those discussions were

going very well.

So, it seems as if he is at least of the mind that potentially the tariffs could potentially be delayed as he works to continue and try and rebalance

the world's largest trading relationship between the U.S. and China.

[15:05:06]

MACFARLANE: And in just the last few minutes, we've seen Donald Trump announcing additional tariffs on Brazil as well, Kevin. This coming after

today, he has been recommitting to that August, the first deadline. But what are the chances that the White House is going to be able to meet that

deadline?

LIPTAK: Well, at least on certain number of these countries, the president has already sort of set the tariff rate that he says will go into effect on

August 1st. And some of these countries are not really in active negotiations for a trade deal with the U.S. He has struck some deals,

particularly with some countries in Asia, that would allow the rate to go down. Countries like Japan at 15 percent, Vietnam, I think it's at 20

percent. Indonesia also in that range.

Some of the sort of fine print on those trade deals is very much up in the air, particularly when it comes to Japan, and this $550 billion investment

that the president says Japan will make in the United States as part of that deal. There are some discrepancies in how Washington and how Tokyo are

describing that particular scheme. When it comes to Brazil, this is sort of a unique case because the U.S. actually has a trade surplus with Brazil.

It's not a matter of trying to rebalance the trade relations.

And in fact, in the order that the president signed today, he said very explicitly that this new tariff, he has raised it to now 50 percent tariff

on Brazil is comes down to, in part, what he calls political persecution against the former president, Jair Bolsonaro. The president says that its

drummed-up prosecutions against the former leader there. That is leading to these new tariffs. Sort of putting it aside from the trade relationship

altogether.

And so you do see the ways that the president is using these tariffs not only to rebalance U.S. trading relationships, but also to try and influence

some domestic policy that he doesn't necessarily agree with, even in some large trading partners like Brazil.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. As you mentioned there, an example of that with India, as you were saying there, secondary sanctions threatened earlier today.

Kevin Liptak for now, thank you.

Now, at this hour, more tsunami advisories are being canceled along the U.S. West Coast, hours after a major earthquake rocked eastern Russia. The

8.8 magnitude quake fueled tsunami waves into Japan, Hawaii, California and other Western U.S. states. As the ground shook, panicked sea lions were

sent scurrying into the water.

Look at this. Nearly 2 million people were evacuated to higher ground in Japan, some of them onto the rooftop of this building. And there were no

reports of any serious injuries.

Huge waves reached more than 1.5m at one point in Hawaii, tsunami alerts sent many people scrambling for higher ground, including some cruise ship

passengers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY BOOKER, CRUISE PASSNGER STRANDED IN HAWAII: We were up visiting Volcano National Park and saw the tsunami warning go off on our phones, and

then one of the tour operators from our cruise ship, the pride of America, said, everyone back to the ship as fast as you can.

Ships leaving at 3:30. And well, we knew at that point we weren't going to make it so its it's pulling away now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: So what we want to know is just how dangerous was this powerful earthquake?

Joining me now is Taimi Mulder, a seismologist at the geological survey of Canada.

Great to have you with us. Thank you for your time.

So, this earthquake we've been hearing all today was the sixth biggest on record. I heard one seismologist describe it as the size of the state of

Connecticut. Of course, the tsunami threat is not yet over, but given the size and the reach of this earthquake, why wasn't it more deadly?

TAIMI MULDER, SEISMOLOGIST AT GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA: Well, this earthquake was quite remote, actually. So I think that there was not a lot

of population nearby to experience the shaking effects of this earthquake. The way that tsunami waves propagated, first of all, they just -- the

directions they propagated in and the actual amplitude or height of those waves was smaller than one could have expected. So that was very fortunate

for all of us who were at risk from the tsunami watch. It's -- there's certain shadow zones to when the energy comes out from an earthquake, it

goes out in certain very specific directions, depending on how the rupture happens.

And that also applies to the tsunami itself. The energy goes across the ocean, focused in certain directions. And those, fortunately, were not too

bad for the west coast of North America, which is where I live.

[15:10:03]

And the same for Japan and Alaska. Much of Alaska was partly shielded by the trailing edge of islands coming off of Alaska.

MACFARLANE: Is that in part why we didn't see the sort of huge, towering tsunami waves like the ones that struck Japan in 2011 and more sort of

witness the scale of this, because I think what was stunning to all of us was just how far this stretch, you know, all the way from Russia down to

Chile and French Polynesia. But the reason we didn't see those huge, towering waves on land is because, as you say, it was too far out to sea to

begin with.

MULDER: Not that it was too far out to sea, but it was in a more remote area further north, where there's not as much population off of the

Kamchatka peninsula in Russia. In addition, this was a magnitude eight not over magnitude nine.

So, the previous ones have been magnitude 9.1. The Japan earthquake. And this is a logarithmic scale. So, things ramp up substantially from

magnitude nine is ten times more than a magnitude eight, for example. Now we are in the high eights so that is one reason it was not as big as a 9.1.

So, the waves that are generated are smaller.

And the whole reason wave gets generated is the bottom of the ocean floor will move either up or down as a result of the ground's movement. And

depending on how that happens, that moves the whole column of water above it from the ocean floor up to the surface. And then that propagates

outwards.

So, the potential, the water depth could have been a little bit shallower here, generating a slightly smaller wave. There was less rupture, less

horizontal, like the length of the fault zone itself was not as long as it was for the Japan earthquake. A lot of these magnitude nine earthquakes,

you can get a rupture of 800 to 1,000 kilometers. That was not quite this long in this case.

So, the subsequent tsunami and amount of movement on the ocean floor is also less.

MACFARLANE: How possible is it to predict an earthquake of this magnitude? Are there any signs that sort of precede a quake like this?

MULDER: There's been a lot of tsunami modeling work done. The tsunami warning center does quite a bit of modeling of all these tsunamis based for

all the subduction zones around the Pacific and for various magnitudes of earthquakes. So, they have a fairly good idea of where the waves may hit

and what the magnitude may be.

But this all depends on the initial verification at -- usually, there's a series of buoys called dart buoys around the Pacific Ocean, and they're set

up to capture these first waves that come out and capturing that first wave leads to one set of modeling results. And then as the wave gets recorded at

various tidal stations, that provides further information that goes into further modeling in real time to continue to estimate what wave heights

might be as that wave propagates.

MACFARLANE: Well, it is a relief that, you know, no one was hurt or no one was killed, really, in the wake of this earthquake. And it is quite

fascinating, really, to understand how it happens.

Tammy Mulder, we appreciate you joining us tonight. Thank you.

MULDER: Thank you.

MACFARLANE: Now, is there dissension in the ranks of the Fed? Coming up, we'll dig deeper into their latest decision on interest rates and what this

all means for the U.S. economy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Arab nations have signed on to a landmark declaration at a U.N. conference that calls for Hamas to disarm and end its rule in Gaza. It's

part of a diplomatic effort to end the war and pave the way for an independent Palestinian state. Key negotiator Qatar, the Arab League and

European Union are among the signatories. The declaration calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and for the Palestinian Authority to take power.

But with no ceasefire in sight, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening by the day. Gaza's health ministry says seven more people have

died from starvation and malnutrition amid limited deliveries of humanitarian aid. The World Food Programme says nearly 40 percent of Gaza's

population is now going days at a time without eating.

I want to bring in Jeremy Diamond, joining us from Jerusalem -- from Tel Aviv.

Jeremy, this is the first time we've heard a call from the Arab world to Hamas to disarm and to give up power towards a two-state solution. How

likely are Hamas to be listening?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: That's a difficult question to answer. I mean, there certainly is weight, in the words of these countries

that have signed on to this. I mean, it includes the 22-member Arab League. It includes the entire European Union and another 17 countries who have

backed this declaration.

And it includes heavy hitters like Saudi Arabia, for example, who have in addition to, you know, power and wealth. They have a lot of influence in

the Muslim world at large.

And so to have them and the 22-member Arab League make this call for Hamas to end its rule in Gaza, hand over its weapons to the Palestinian

Authority, is certainly significant. And there is weight to those words.

That is a different question from whether or not it will actually have any kind of impact on the ground, certainly not in the short term. And beyond

that, of course, you know, this all requires a process in order to actually end this war in Gaza. And it's quite clear at this stage that those

ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas have very much stalled and are going nowhere fast.

You know, the other question here is what will Israels reaction to all of this be? Because for now, the Israeli government has insisted on Hamas

being completely out of power. Its military capacity is being completely destroyed inside of the Gaza strip. What they have not committed to is the

Palestinian Authority then taking up the mantle of leadership in Gaza, or any kind of alternative Palestinian governing body to Hamas within the Gaza

Strip.

And so, there are questions for both sides here in terms of what comes next in the war in in Gaza.

[15:20:04]

In addition to that, of course, we know that Israel is facing ramped up pressure from many of its allies. With France now vowing to recognize a

Palestinian state in time for the U.N. general assembly in September and the United Kingdom saying that they will also recognize a Palestinian state

unless Israel takes steps to agree to a ceasefire, alleviate conditions in Gaza, and also commit itself to a two-state solution.

And that is very much up for debate at this point, as the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Netanyahu have made clear that they oppose

a two state solution at this stage, with many ministers in Prime Minister Netanyahu's government actively saying that they are trying to prevent the

creation of a Palestinian state.

So, a lot of uncertainty, but certainly this is quite a lot of diplomatic heavyweight attention to this issue of what happens once the war ends in

Gaza, something that we have not seen a whole lot of over the course of the last 21 months.

MACFARLANE: Jeremy Diamond, thank you.

All right. Back to our top story. The U.S. Federal Reserve is keeping interest rates steady. This despite President Donald Trump's intense

pressure for cuts. The Fed will leave its benchmark lending rate at a range of 4.25 to 4.5 percent.

However, this decision was not unanimous. For the first time since 1993, two Fed governors dissented, saying that they preferred a quarter point

rate cut instead.

What we don't know is will Donald Trump eventually get his wish on interest rates?

Joining me again is Richard Quest.

Richard, I just want to put something to you because Jerome Powell in that press conference a little earlier, said he was going to wait on employment

and inflation data still to come this week, of course, to make that decision in September.

My question is, why is September being signaled as a possible date when we don't yet know the economic fallout implications of Trump's tariff war,

which is still ongoing.?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Because -- excellent question. Because by September, we have greater clarity. Up until now, so much of the

debate has been about the tariff rates. Will he, won't he, what, this, that and the other. And we had a lot of front loading during the crisis, which

is why we saw, you know, massive imports because people wanted to get goods into the United States before any tariffs came in.

Well, now we have the deals done. The big ones, China, the E.U., lots of major countries having been done and therefore, we know what inflation is.

We know what unemployment is.

We, the Fed, will be able to gauge, is it a one hit wonder or are they now safe to start lowering rates again? Remember they lowered in November and

December of last year. It's only since this administration has been in office and there's been confusion over tariff policy that they've basically

said the economy is doing really well.

We don't want -- the balance of risks, is the phrase, and they don't want to take that risk until they have better data.

MACFARLANE: Now, I'm sure you'll be watching this. You have been watching this very closely with Jerome Powell. Didn't really address in the press

conference these dissenters, except to say that there was a consensus in the room. What did you make of the fact that there were two dissenters the

first time in, I think, 32 years?

QUEST: Yeah, I think it's really significant to mention, we're not talking about lunatics here or fringe outsiders or people who've sort of wearing

hair shirts and running around screaming fire! We're talking about seasoned, responsible, respectable economists that have a different point

of view at this moment, and what sort of the doves versus the hawks.

And what Powell said, which was interesting, was, look, I'm fine with dissenters, if they make their position clear and their rationale and that

they did. So, the position they took is not off the charts. And as you say, towards September, unless something dramatic happens, I would expect to see

a quarter point cut in September because then they'll have more data.

By the way, we're looking at the market going down. They wanted more than they've got. Powell is obviously being a little bit more hawkish than the

market would like. There's clearly worries that will he, won't he.

That's what this is all about. This is why we're seeing. And you can see the very sharp fall is literally timed to when he starts speaking.

MACFARLANE: So you're probably in agreement then with Powell that he was pretty dismissive of the idea that growth is slowing.

QUEST: He was -- he points out, where's the words? Hang on a second. Here we go. I'm glad you got here we go. You're going to read it -- uncertainty

about the economic outlook remains elevated.

[15:25:01]

So, in other words, we ain't sure the committees carefully assessing data, evolving outlook, balance of risks. Committees attentive to risks. Continue

to monitor.

They're just not prepared to take the risk of cutting rates when the economy is chugging along just fine, unemployment is low and they cannot

say with certainty that there's going -- not going to be a tariff shock around the corner. It's a -- it's a cautious wait and see where others

would probably hold their noses and jump now.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, it's a fascinating world, the Federal Reserve, isn't it, Richard? We appreciate you joining us.

QUEST: Oh, now, come on, Christina. You never thought you'd be saying that, did you? You never thought in your wildest dreams you'd be saying that.

MACFARLANE: No. Trump tariffs have changed everything for me. I tell you.

Richard, thank you.

Now, the U.S. Department of Justice has filed documents explaining why grand jury documents in the Jeffrey Epstein case should be released. The

Justice Department says the grand jury testimony of two witnesses will be released, both law enforcement. The filing is seen by some experts as

performative rather than a real effort to release the Epstein files.

However, the Trump administration has been criticized for not releasing information about the former financier and convicted sex offender.

CNN's Paula Reid is joining us now.

So, Paula, what further arguments are the DOJ leaning on here and how likely are they to be received given this is something that is widely being

viewed now as performative?

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. It's been about ten days since they initially made their request to try to unseal

transcripts from grand juries, both from the New York investigations and the ones down in Florida. Now, they initially argued that there is enormous

public interest here. But as you noted, that was viewed with skepticism because the unusual request, the default is here, the grand jury material

is confidential. It came at a time that the administration was facing enormous backlash for backtracking on its own promise to release additional

Epstein materials.

Now down in Florida, the request was denied. But in New York, the judge just asked for more, asked for more information, more of an explanation

about why they needed this. And the most interesting thing we learned in last night's filing from the Justice Department is that even if these

transcripts were to be released, the grand jury only heard from two witnesses both law enforcement officials.

Now, this is not uncommon in a grand jury. The bar is low to get an indictment. So, you don't put on your full case. You don't bring in your

blockbuster witnesses. It's very common that you just bring in these summary witnesses, law enforcement officials, to summarize some of the

evidence that you have.

But while this has always been seen as a long shot, it raises new questions that, okay, even if the judge were to allow the release of these

transcripts, would this really quell the outrage, the backlash that the administration is facing seems highly unlikely because of the bulk of the

information, again, is within the possession of the FBI and the Justice Department. Not in these transcripts.

MACFARLANE: All right. We will watch to see where this goes.

Paula Reid, for now, thank you.

Still to come, Kamala Harris sheds light on her next move. We'll have those details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:31:36]

MACFARLANE: We're turning now to the aftermath of that massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck off Russia's far eastern coast. The

Kremlin says there are no fatalities there. It's tied for the sixth strongest quake ever recorded and even triggered tsunami alerts across the

Pacific region. According to data from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, tsunami waves have begun to hit Ecuador's Galapagos Islands.

Well, all tsunami warnings along the U.S. coastline have now been downgraded. Officials say the worst is over, but they're urging people to

remain vigilant.

More now from CNN's Marc Stewart in Beijing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Surgeons try to keep steady, holding on to their patient and equipment as a huge 8.8 magnitude

earthquake violently rocks the operating table at this Russian cancer center Wednesday.

The quake struck off Russia's far eastern coast around 11:25 a.m. local time, sending waves crashing into shoreline towns nearby and rattling

furniture inside homes and offices, even damaging this kindergarten.

Kindergarten number 15, there was a collapse of the building facade, but thank God no one was injured. There were no children, said this local

official. Waves also crushed the Japanese coastline. People rushed to the top of this fire station for safety. Standing on the roof after a tsunami

warning was issued, the tsunami warning extended across the Pacific Ocean coastline in Hawaii, officials warned of potential ten-foot waves.

California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska also saw waves. This quake is tied as the sixth strongest ever recorded, and around 2 million people were

ordered to evacuate in Japan alone. The remaining tsunami warnings have now been downgraded.

Marc Stewart, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: This just in. Former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has declared she will not be running for governor of California in the next

election cycle. There's been speculation over Harriss next move after she lost the 2024 presidential race to Donald Trump. She says she would look

forward to getting back out and listening to the American people.

Let's go straight out to Eva McKend. She's been reporting extensively on the Harris campaign.

Eva, what more are you hearing about this?

EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, I'm just getting off the phone with my sources who tell me this was a difficult

decision for the former vice president. She was very well positioned to win this governor's race. But ultimately, after deep reflection, she wants to

take the time to continue traveling across the country and listening to Americans. She could not run for governor and then turn around and run for

president again.

Now, this doesn't mean she will for sure run for president a third time, but it does leave her the option to pursue that lane. This also allows her

to be a force in 2026 for the midterms. In terms of fundraising and bringing her celebrity status in the Democratic Party across the country to

excite Democratic voters.

MACFARLANE: So you said that, you know, she was one of the favorites, the frontrunners for this race. But, I mean, is there any indication that she

has wanted a White House campaign in her future? I mean, has she suggested anything of that in the recent -- recent months, weeks?

[15:35:03]

MCKEND: Well, so far, the polling suggests that she would continue to be very competitive. So that is why that is still something that she is

considering. But she already has run twice. The first time unsuccessfully. And then ultimately, she was selected as President Biden's running mate.

And then, of course, in this historic contest last year, when she had just about 100 days to mount this campaign. Maybe she wants to give it a third

attempt and really have an opportunity to run a full campaign. Like she didn't have the chance to do last time. But right now, making this decision

to bow out of the governor's race, give other California Democrats the opportunity. It gives her a chance to at least continue to entertain this.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. And the question is, what other options might there be on the table as well?

Eva, thank you for the update. Appreciate it.

Now, the National Transportation Safety Board is holding a three-day hearing into the deadly midair collision near an airport in Washington. Six

to seven people were killed back in January when an army helicopter collided with an American Airlines passenger jet. Today's hearing revealed

that less than a second before the crash, a helicopter instructor told the pilot to change course.

Pete Muntean is standing by.

Pete, what more can you tell us about that revelation today, in that day, one of these hearings?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, the revelations have been huge and have really focused on the problems on board the Black

Hawk helicopter, specifically, the National Transportation Safety Board has drilled down on problems with the Black Hawk helicopter's instrumentation

and the altimeters that were on board, which is so critical because the tolerance between the helicopter route that goes down the Potomac River,

down the east side of Reagan National Airport, and the approach path that American Eagle Flight 5342 was on that night.

The difference between those two, the vertical separation between those two routes, only 75 feet, and the National Transportation Safety Board said

today after operating a test on three similar Black Hawk helicopters from the same Army unit only a few months after the crash, they found that those

altimeters showed an error of 80 to 130 feet. So that is bigger than the margin of error baked into the airspace here.

What has been really telling is the reaction from the 11-minute-long video here that was showed to this packed hearing room of the flight paths and

the air traffic control audio. National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy told me she is very concerned that there are more problems

like this at airports around the country where helicopters fly nearby.

Listen to what she told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIR, U.S. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: I don't think anyone did the math until the NTSB did the math to show there was

only 75 feet of separation at a critical point on that route, circling to Runway 33. And that's significant. My concern is, where else in the

national airspace does that exist?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: The scope of this three day long set of hearings is huge. We're talking 200 new documents put out today by the National Transportation

Safety Board. Tests and transcripts, including the transcript from the cockpit voice recorder on board that Black Hawk helicopter. We knew that

air traffic control in the tower, Reagan National Airport tried to warn the pilots of that helicopter on a training mission of the impending collision

unfolding before them.

And we now know from these transcripts from the black box on board the helicopter that the pilots discussed changing course. They were about to do

it, but less than a second later that microphone, part of that voice recorder captured the sound of the collision. A very preventable case here,

Christina.

MACFARLANE: All right, Pete. Still more to come. We'll continue to follow this for now. Thank you.

And we're seeing huge delays in airports across the U.K. after a major technical issue at an air traffic control center. The problem impacted

outgoing flights out of Edinburgh, Newcastle, and London Gatwick airports. Other U.K. airports have also been experiencing delays in inbound flights

were still able to land. U.K. air traffic services say the issue was fixed quickly and that they are working with airports to minimize the disruption.

Now she's a familiar face to young kids on YouTube. Now Ms. Rachel is helping the mothers of Gaza. After the break, I'll speak to the charity

working to make it happen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:42:54]

MACFARLANE: Now, if you're the parent of a young child, you may know her as the friendly face behind "Songs for Littles" on YouTube. We're talking

about the children's entertainer Ms. Rachel. She's now mobilizing her huge online following to try and get baby formula to starving children in Gaza,

as parents in the region struggle to secure food.

Footage of one baby named Ayah (ph) moved Ms. Rachel to post this video last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MS. RACHEL, HOST, "SONGS FOR LITTLES": I want you to know that I see you and I -- and I am so sorry. And the whole world needs to just stand up and

say this is wrong. I see you, I love you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: On Monday, Ms. Rachel said the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund, a charity she's been working with, has managed to locate Ayah and her

family and bring them some formula. Ms. Rachel has also started a fundraiser for the group, which has raised more than $1 million.

Well, Tareq Hailat is the head of the children's -- Palestine Children's Relief Fund, who's been working with Ms. Rachel and joins me now.

Thank you so much for your time.

Tareq, after Ms. Rachel posted that video, she came to you to ask if you could help Ayah and in collaboration with the PCRF, you were able to find

that baby traveling. I understand, through bombed out areas to bring her formula and food packages at a time when Gaza is cut off and thousands are

starving.

Can you tell us how you did that?

TAREQ HAILAT, HEAD OF THE TREATMENT ABROAD PROGRAM, PCRF: Yeah. Of course. Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me here. I think in

general, what is occurring currently inside of Gaza, the pure starvation of our people is just completely horrific. So, you know, Ayah is just one of

thousands of children that has endured malnutrition. And we're thankful that we've been able to help her but, you know, she's just one of so many.

Our team has been working on the ground for the last two years consistently, every single day, delivering aid to children.

[15:45:03]

This is just one of the stories that, obviously, due to Ms. Rachel's huge influence, has been shown to many. But again, Ayah is just one of many

where our courageous workers on the ground are trying their best to save the lives of these children while enduring the own -- the hardships of

taking care of themselves and their families.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, Ayah certainly is one of one of the lucky ones. You were talking there about the mass starvation taking hold in the enclave. You

were saying you've been there for two years.

Can you tell us what you are seeing and hearing now on a daily basis? So, the type of calls you're getting from inside Gaza and outside.

HAILAT: Yeah, it's honestly so sad. You know, on a daily basis my phone rings more than 100 times. I mean, as we're having this interview right

now, I'm getting notifications on my phone from desperate families pleading.

And what's more sad than anything is the fact that when you hear these success stories, there are so many others that never got to the point of

success that were not as fortunate as Ayah. And that's one of the really difficult points of all of this.

Obviously, it's no secret what's happening inside of Gaza. You can just go on your social media platform and see that Israel is starving the

Palestinians. And when these Palestinians are trying to find any type of aid, they're being killed. And it's just extremely horrific. And it makes

me so, so sad.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. I mean, you have a small army around you not only trying to get aid into Gaza, but also trying to get children out to get them

evacuated. What success have you had so far?

HAILAT: Yeah. You know, every day, honestly, I thank God that I'm in a position where I can help people, especially children, and I genuinely mean

this. I thank God on a daily basis. So I'm really glad that I'm supported by this huge network that you're talking about. The incredible, incredible

individuals that are on the ground, employees that are going through these difficult circumstances and on every single day they leave their families,

and they don't know if they're going to be coming back.

You know, we've been fortunate to be the largest Palestinian led organization to evacuate the largest number of children. Weve evacuated

more than 250 children in just the last year and a half, and we've been able to evacuate them to a lot of countries. The United States. We've done

the largest medical evacuation program with the European Union, and we've been obviously also evacuating children locally to Qatar, Egypt, Jordan,

Lebanon and the UAE.

And we thrive on a daily basis to try to open up new pathways. Just as we've opened up the first two children to the U.K., the first child to

Australia and the first child to Canada. And as we open up these pathways, we're giving not only us but other organizations the capabilities to also

do the same and to allow these countries to help in whatever capacity that they can by treating these individuals and these children.

MACFARLANE: I mean, you'll have seen the WHO are saying that around 5,000 children are in need of evacuation, but the response from international

governments, you mentioned the U.K., they have been criticized, too, has been woefully inadequate. And it's a very different type of response to

perhaps what we saw in the aftermath of the start of the Ukraine war.

Why has there been such indifference, you know, from foreign governments, from what we've seen?

HAILAT: I -- I mean, honestly, that is an extremely good question, and I wish I could answer that question for you, but I really can't. And I agree

with you. I agree that there has not been the same response as there was in Ukraine. I mean, just the U.K. alone. We and Project Pure Hope work

together and privately funded the treatment of those children. We also privately funded their evacuation.

That was not the same for Ukrainian children. That was also -- that was a complete government initiative where they brought children in and treated

them in the U.K. through government funding. And so we brought in the first two children, and it was a sign to the U.K. that this is -- it can easily

be done if a nonprofit organization is able to do it, then the government itself can definitely do it.

And so, we are now pleading that the U.K. government steps up and takes care of these children and evacuates more children and treats them through

government routes instead of just from private routes, as we did.

MACFARLANE: Well, I stand in utter admiration for the work that you are doing, Tareq, and also to Ms. Rachel for giving you the platform to try and

raise your voice and get what you need.

We really appreciate you coming on and speaking to us here tonight. Thank you.

HAILAT: I want to thank you and the entire team and definitely also Ms. Rachel for all the exposure that she's brought to the Palestinians

worldwide. Thank you.

MACFARLANE: Thank you.

[15:50:01]

And on that note, stay with us. We'll be back after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: A.I. robotics is seen as the next frontier for tech companies. Elon Musk is one of many boasting about the potential for robot helpers to

transform our lives.

One startup in Australia sees a role for robots to fight loneliness among the elderly.

Polo Sandoval introduces us to Abi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Where technology meets empathy.

Melbourne startup Andromeda Robotics's slogan says it. Abi is a humanoid robot, but she's also a companion for patients in aged care facilities.

GRACE BROWN, FOUNDER AND CEO, ANDROMEDA ROBOTICS: So she's been designed and built to address and alleviate loneliness. So, people just talk to her

as a one on one friend and companion. So, people talk to her about her story from their life, you know, their love affairs, their family stories.

Yeah, they just -- they know her as a robot. They see her as a -- as a friend.

SANDOVAL: Abi recognizes faces, remembers past interactions, and speaks 90 languages. She sings, dances, meditates, even does tai chi, all under four

feet tall.

Brown created Abi alongside healthcare professionals, aged care providers and robotics engineers.

Andromeda is one of many companies worldwide that are developing and expanding A.I. robots out of factories, handling more complex tasks and

public services like this humanoid robot developed in China, which learned how to do things like play dice.

Andromeda says it sends engineers out regularly to study how people interact with Abi and document ways to improve her technology.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was so surprised to see such, such a nice robot. It's fantastic.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think she's become my best friend.

SANDOVAL: Abi's also able to change personality modes based on who she's interacting with. For instance, sarcastic maven Abi is sassy and witty,

psychological Abi encourages movement and motivation, and dementia mode Abi is compassionate and understanding for more vulnerable patients. Abi's

bubble blowing arm is perhaps her favorite party trick.

BROWN: I think the reason we gave Abi bubbles is because it's so indicative of like, who she is, like she's incredibly, like complex piece of

technology, but she's also just very creative and playful and fun.

SANDOVAL: Aging experts in Australia say as many as 40 percent of aged care facility residents aren't visited by family or friends, which Brown says

encouraged her research.

[15:55:01]

Andromeda says it's launching Australia's first humanoid robot production line, and it plans to have Abis in 100 aged care facilities and children's

hospitals by mid-2026.

(SINGING)

SANDOVAL: Polo Sandoval, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: And finally tonight, tons of fans gathered to say goodbye to Ozzy Osbourne today., A sprawling jazz band playing Black Sabbath hits led

the way as people lined the streets of Birmingham, England. The body of heavy metal superstar was driven past the famous Black Sabbath bench and

bridge on the way to a private funeral. Ozzy's widow, Sharon Osbourne, was visibly -- visibly emotional as she waved to the crowd surrounded by her

family.

And that's it. I'm Christina Macfarlane. That is WHAT WE KNOW.

Stay tuned for "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" coming up after this short break.

END

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