Hamas Submits “Positive Response” To Ceasefire In Major Step

22:41Well, thank you very much. And that is some sight, especially after what happened just a week ago, when you look at that big, beautiful plane and the other ones were something. It was an incredible mission. And I think I can say very proudly, and I don't have to quote the polls, that our country is more proud right now than it's been in many, many years. We have pride. We have dignity. We have something that's happened miraculously so fast. You know that our military now is the most sought-after job there has ever been serving in our military. One year ago, people didn't want to join our military.

23:23They didn't want to join our police, our firefighters. They didn't want to join anything having to do with our country. And now, as you probably know, the enlistment is at an all-time record. We're packed. We're full. And I just think that's so important because that was so sad. One year ago, when I heard those statistics, we had a different president. But nobody wanted to join. And now we're at a record. And I will say that I just left NATO, where we had a tremendous experience. They've agreed to put up over a trillion dollars a year. They went from less than 2 percent to 5 percent. And nobody thought that was possible.

24:05And they told me very strongly, the leaders of a big part of the world, respected people all, they told me that, you know, one year ago your country was dead and now you have the hottest country anywhere in the world. So that's the way it is and that's the way we like it. And it's only going to get hotter. I promise you that. After that spectacular display of American power, let me just say that God bless the United States military and God bless the USA. God bless the U.S. Army. And to all Americans, I want to wish you a very happy Independence Day, happy 4th of July. This is going to be something special.

24:52There's spirit in this country. We haven't seen anything like it in many, many years, in decades. Let me also express our gratitude to our magnificent First Lady. She worked very hard to make this all work.

25:08And we have a fireworks display about 9 o 'clock tonight. I hope you're all going to be around and watch it. I know our congressmen and our senators who are standing right here, so many of them, they did such a great job. They're going to be here. I guarantee you, they're not leaving. They're not leaving. Thanks as well to the National Park Service, the USO, and countless friends and distinguished guests. We have so many people in the audience that have so much to do with the success of our country. We've, I think, had probably the most successful almost six months as a president. And the presidency, I think they're saying it was the best six months.

25:46And I know for a fact they're saying the last two weeks there has never been anything like it as far as winning, winning, winning.

25:56So as you know, two weeks ago, our incredible Air Force pilots conducted one of the most successful military strikes in all of history, Operation Midnight Hammer. And that's exactly what it was. It was a hammer. This evening, we're honored to be joined by 150 airmen and their families from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, home of the B-2 bomber.

26:29And we've kept them a little bit on guard. We kept them a little bit, let's be a little bit quiet about it. But if you want to raise your hand very quickly, raise your hand because you people are just incredible. President Trump at the White House there giving a tribute to airmen and women following a flyover from B-2 bomber, as he references two weeks ago U.S. strikes on Iranian military sites. We're going to continue to monitor the president's comments there alongside the first lady. We are also following other breaking news. Officials say some 20 children are unaccounted for at a camp in Texas after heavy rain overnight led to just catastrophic flooding.

27:13We're going to check in on that story right after this break.

27:20We are following breaking news. Officials say some 20 children are unaccounted for at a camp in Texas. This after heavy rain overnight led to just catastrophic flooding there. The Texas lieutenant governor says 14 helicopters, 12 drones, more than 500 people from various units have been rescuing adults and children, some of them out of trees near the camp in Hunt, Texas. For the parents who are waiting, particularly that had children in Camp Mystic, Camp Mystic is a camp that has over 750 kids. Right now, there are 20-some that aren't accounted for. That does not mean they've been lost. They could be in a tree.

28:10They could be out of communication. We're praying for all of those missing to be found alive. I can only imagine how the parents are feeling right now. The floods in Kirk County have already killed at least 13 people. Flooding risks remain high across Central Texas' hill country. and Heartland this afternoon and evening. This according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service. CNN's Ed Lavendera, he is on his way to some of the worst of this flooding as he drives through. And Ed, I know you were listening to updates from authorities there. A huge effort underway. What's the status?

28:51Well, Jim, it's a nightmare scenario. And the shockwaves of this are being felt all across the state, as you heard the lieutenant and governor. 750 kids. Camp Mystic is an all-girls camp just downriver. There's another camp that's all boys that also had evacuation efforts. So, you know, these are places that for years and years, families have sent their children to. It's a very popular kind of summer camp area. So the shockwaves of all of this really being felt all across the state as parents and families are trying to scramble to get the latest updates on their children and other families who are obviously been deeply affected by all of this.

29:28So right now, those rescue efforts are continuing. The rain has continued to fall throughout much of the day as well. So that is also hampering rescue efforts. As you mentioned, there off the top, there is a squadron of boats on the river, drones, helicopters being used to rescue people as well. A very dramatic and painful situation that continues to unfold and will continue to unfold here into the evening, Jim, listen, I can only imagine folks listening to this right now must be thinking of their own kids in camp as I am. This took place overnight. Is that right? Is that why? Is that one of the reasons why things were so dangerous?

30:12Well, it was also just the amount of rainfall that fell so quickly. Obviously, the evening darkness probably made it much more difficult for a lot of folks in this area to be fully aware of what was unfolding along this river. And the amount of rainfall that has fallen has also fallen on a very vast area of central Texas and the Texas Hill Country. And all of that water making its way downstream through the Guadalupe River. And that river kind of winds and bends its way through the Texas Hill Country. And it's in those bends where you probably have the worst-case scenario of the rushing water going down the river and then coming out of its banks.

30:54So that's one of the reasons why this becomes such a treacherous situation for people who are along the banks of the river. We see this occasionally, but these specific camps and these summer camps are very close to the river, and that's why they've been some of the areas hardest hit in the storm. Well, listen, we know you're on your way there and we'll await further updates. Our Ed Lavender on the scene. Again, Texas authorities say at least 20 children missing from a Texas summer camp following these flash floods. They do say that a gargantuan rescue effort is underway involving drones, helicopters, and other units.

31:32We'll bring you updates as we have them. Well, now to the Middle East. A potential step towards a ceasefire in Gaza. Hamas has now submitted a, quote, positive response to the latest proposal. This according to mediators in those negotiations. Israel previously had accepted the U.S. proposal, which lays the groundwork for more detailed talks down the line. CNN's Oren Lieberman is in Jerusalem. Oren, you know, we've seen this pattern before, right? And it's not a guarantee Hamas signs on to this, but it is a step in the right direction. What's your understanding of the status of the negotiations?

32:12I would go a bit farther than that, Jim, and call it a major step in the right direction, with a positive response from Hamas coming just about 90 minutes ago. I'll read you part of a short statement they officially put out earlier this evening. The movement, that is Hamas, has delivered its response to the brothers mediating, which was characterized as positive. The movement is fully ready and serious about immediately entering a new round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework. What does that statement say? It means they've accepted the broad outline put forward by Qatar earlier this week.

32:43Israel had accepted that on Tuesday when one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's closest confidants was in the U.S. And now Hamas is responding positively. We have learned from a Palestinian-American official that they have requested some adjustments to the framework that we've seen. But that official says it's not expected to derail the efforts. and we also heard from an Israeli source familiar with the negotiations earlier today that Israel was expecting a positive response with some adjustments to the language that, again, were not expected to derail this latest effort. So there is a tremendous positive attitude here amongst not only, it seems, Israel, but also negotiators to try to move this forward.

33:21But it's not done yet. The next step would be what are called proximity talks, when negotiators go back and forth between Israel and Hamas to hammer out the final details. That is key here. Jim, broadly speaking, it is 60-day ceasefire. Ten living hostages will come out during that time, 18 deceased hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees, and immediate work to get to a permanent ceasefire and an end to the war, Jim. If they do come to an agreement on this proposal, how quickly might we expect it to play out then? How soon? It could potentially play out quite quickly here.

34:00The proximity talks, which are hammering out those final details, could move very rapidly. And we have seen President Donald Trump suggesting or even predicting that it might be hammered out sometime next week. So there is an effort here to move quickly and a desire, it seems, to get to those proximity talks as soon as possible. They would take place either in Cairo or in Doha, with negotiators shuttling back and forth to try to hammer out the last details. Could it still fall apart? Yes, it could. But this is a major development and a major step forward here. And of course, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this weekend will head to Washington where he will meet Trump on Monday.

34:39Jim, you have to imagine that Trump would like nothing more than to declare that his teams and his efforts have brought about a ceasefire after more than 630 days of war in Gaza. No question. Well, listen, like you, I've been in touch with some of the hostages, family members, and this would certainly be long delayed good news. Oren Lieberman in Jerusalem, thanks so much. Right after the break, we're going to go back to the White House to hear from the president as he celebrates and signs his big, beautiful bill.

35:12In our politics lead, we are continuing to monitor President Trump there at the White House as he speaks on Independence Day, ahead of him signing his sweeping mega bill into law, which of course just passed yesterday. We'll continue to monitor those comments. But turning to our national need elsewhere across the country, the July 4th barbecues, pool parties are well underway. Last minute travelers hoping to catch tonight's big fireworks displays will join a record-breaking number of Americans expected to travel for the 4th of July weekend. CNN's Pete Muntean is with me. Pete, very happy 4th to you.

35:50So yet one more travel record goes down. Yeah, you know, and it'll be a big one. America got a birthday gift here. Very few air travel snags. Yeah. Even in spite of those storms in Jersey and Texas. And here are the latest numbers from FlightAware. About 3 ,000 flights delayed, 115 flights canceled. That number is very low, although the numbers could go up with the FAA anticipating thunderstorms in Florida later on today. This is the live look at FlightRadar24. The FAA anticipated today being the lightest traffic of the week, but the big day nonetheless. American Airlines says it plans to serve about a half million customers today across 5000 flights, a total of 40 ,000 flights expected to be handled by the nation's air traffic controllers today, many of them working mandatory six day weeks of 10 hour shifts.

36:40Compared that to the 50 ,000 flights yesterday, earlier ground stops at Newark and Reagan National Airport have been canceled, but there could be some flights held later on today when fireworks kick off in D.C. and New York, but the F.A.A. says that should be brief. The emerging air travel story right now is in France. Air traffic controllers are on strike for the second day, and they're citing staffing shortages and aging equipment. Same issues here in the U.S. Right now, French airports top the cancellation chart. French officials directed airlines to cancel about 40 % of all Paris flights. A total of 1 ,500 flights have been canceled over the last two days.

37:21So a real disproportionate impact there in France and a big disproportionate impact on some of the budget carriers like Ryanair, too. Yeah, those cancellations and delays would definitely spoil a vacation. No doubt. Pete Muntean, thanks so much as always. We're going to continue keeping an eye on it. So what happened on this day in history 250 years ago? Here's a hint. George Washington played a starring role. We're going to have a closer look coming up.

37:50With summer coming to an end, you're going to be spending more time indoors. Get your home ready and save up to 50 % off custom window treatments during the Labor Day mega sale at Blinds.com. From room darkening to light filtering shades, finding the perfect fit is easy. Get free samples, expert design help, and professional measure and install services. Or DIY with confidence and support every step of the way. Shop up to 50 % off site-wide plus huge savings on doorbusters. right now during the Labor Day mega sale at blinds.com. I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of the Chasing Life podcast. Last week, there was this important report that dropped that I think got a lot of attention.

38:29It's about football. And there was this new study in the British Medical Journal, which estimates that of all the NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021, about 878 players, at least 25 % of them had confirmed CTE. That is the disease that is caused by repetitive hits to the brain. So CNN's resident NFL veteran, Koi Weyer, he called me. We called fellow CNN sports anchor Andy Scholz. And we were talking about it. I know as a former player, anytime I forget my keys, if I get a slight headache, it pops in my head. I'm thinking like, man, I hope this is just... Andy, do you forget your keys? Rarely.

39:10Oh, you're supposed to say yes all the time, Koi. It made me feel better. Sorry. Listen to Chasing Life, streaming now wherever you get your podcasts. We are back with our breaking news. President Trump is now signing his sweeping domestic policy bill into law. Let's go back to the White House.

39:53Music

39:59Music

40:11Mr. President, this is the gavel we used to enact the Big Beautiful Bill, and I want you to have that for your time.

40:21Are we ready? We're ready. Are we ready? Yes. We are ready. Yes.

40:30Thank you. Have a good time.

40:38Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. That's a lot of points. Good job. Richard Beckham. Come on. Absolutely. And we have some more. We'll give you some more. Thank you. A great first lady. Come here. Oh, yeah. Thank you.

41:04All right, President Trump has just signed his big, beautiful bill into law. You saw him there. Let's listen in. Unbelievable people. Mary, hi, Mary. How's Scott doing? Good job. Scott, how's the economy? It's going to get better from South Carolina. It's been amazing. Thank you very much everybody. Have a good time. Happy Fourth of July. Happy Fourth. You saw him there handing out the pens he used to sign that legislation out to several members of Congress, including House Speaker there, Mike Johnson, or Kristen Holmes, is at the White House. Lots of smiles from the President and fellow Republicans.

41:48Yeah, Jim, I mean, one of the things that we heard President Trump say just moments ago before he signed this was that this bill was the greatest victory yet of his second term. And that really is what his team believes. And in fact, if you talk to a number of them, they believe this is the biggest thing and the greatest victory they've had both terms combined. Because as we continue to say, President Trump believes that this is going to deliver on those campaign promises. Now, something interesting to note, as we know, this bill is not popular with voters. We have seen the polling on it. I talked to a number of Republicans even here today who have said that they believe that people aren't aware of what's in the bill.

42:23So the spin on how they are going to get voters to digest this bill and approve of this bill has already begun. We had President Trump standing up there at one point saying, don't believe anything that you hear about this bill. It's the most popular bill in history. Of course, as we know, it is not the most popular bill in history, but we will see how voters receive this bill as some of the policies in it begin to actually take place. That is what Republicans are hoping for, in fact, because they believe that some of these will help them get voters in the midterms. But again, as I said before, they are aware that they have been losing the messaging battle when it comes to this bill.

43:00Now, one other interesting point I heard from President Trump here is at one point he said, or indicated at least, that maybe the size of the bill, because this is an enormous bill, actually helped him get it done, saying that because there was stuff that Republicans wanted in it, that they were forced to vote for it, even if there were stuff they also didn't want in it, instead of having a series of smaller bills. So just a note there, because there had been a lot of questions about why they did it in this format, this giant bill versus the smaller bills, President Trump believes that helped him actually get it across the finish line.

43:33Kristen Holmes at the White House there, the president putting on his familiar Make America Great Again hat as he walks away. Well, July 4th is, of course, a major holiday, because it represents when the Founding Fathers adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776. But 250 years ago from today, George Washington arrived in Massachusetts to take command of the New Continental Army and inspired his troops to understand what it truly meant to be an American. I want to bring in now Lindsay Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon. Thanks so much for joining.

44:17Thank you for having me. All right, so take us back 250 years ago, July 4th, 1775, George Washington just arriving in Cambridge, about to take command of the Continental Army. But an army that at that stage, and this is, of course, a year before the Declaration of Independence, doesn't really have a shared culture. How did he manage to bring that together? Yeah, it's such a great point. You know, we forget sometimes that the war was raging for over a year before the Declaration of Independence was actually passed. And so, you know, fighting a war, creating an army, creating a national identity when you're not yet a thing was really a real challenge and one of, I think, Washington's primary tasks.

44:56It wasn't enough to say we're not British. You have to actually say what you are. And so he started by issuing his second general order on July 4th, 1775, a year before the Declaration. announcing that the army was a thing. It was no longer just a mishmash of militias. It was now the Continental Army, and Congress had created it and urged them to set aside their regional differences and come together for one common cause. And how did he define that? I mean, people often talk about how America is an idea, right? I mean, was there already that sense at that time? Well, there was a sense that they were fighting for an idea.

45:33Today, we think of, you know, the principles laid out in the Declaration of Equality and Liberty for all people. But that wasn't necessarily as well-defined at that moment. But they did understand that they were fighting for something, certainly for freedom. They felt that they had been treated as second-class citizens within the British Army. The rule of law was really important to them. They felt like the British system had crushed their legal rights. And so these are all elements of what we think of as the American idea. They just hadn't necessarily been packaged yet. So why him? What was the particular collection of qualities that George Washington had to make him the man who met that moment?

46:15Well, he had three critical qualities that caused Congress to pick him as commander in chief. And then he had some intangibles that are really hard for us to sometimes define. So the first was he was born in the United States. He had never served in the British Army officially. So his loyalty was unquestioned. He, of course, had military experience. If you're going to appoint someone as a commander, you want that. And lastly, he was from Virginia, and they needed to prove that this contest was not just a Massachusetts contest. It wasn't just rabble-rousers in Boston throwing tea in the harbor, but actually it was a unified fight.

46:48And what better way to do that than to bring someone that represented the largest and most powerful state? Did it make a difference that he was tall? I mean, sometimes you read that that had a little bit of an intangible effect. Well, so when we think about those intangible qualities, if someone looks like a leader, when they walk in the room, they have presence, they're noticeable, you can't take your eyes off them, they have bearing. Those are things that are hard to teach. They're hard to define. But they do make a difference when you're commanding someone, especially in battle. Sure. He famously turned down a third term, right, which created a tradition.

47:22It took many decades before that was enshrined as a constitutional amendment. but he could have, I mean, arguably probably could have stayed forever, right? How important is that to his legacy? Oh, it's essential. You know, he actually turned down power twice. So he returned his commission at the end of the revolution in December of 1783, and he could have easily become a military dictator. And most people did. This is the age of Napoleon. So that was the standard expectation and confirmed the character of the Republic as a civilian government. And then when he did so again as president, he was confirming that we were not going to have elected kings.

48:01He could have stayed in office for the remainder of his life, which would have established that expectation for all that followed him. But he understood that the peaceful transfer of power is what it means to be a republic. And the American people had to be taught to do that. And so he wanted that process to happen in his lifetime. I was going to ask you if his legacy, if those principles are still relevant today. but I think you just answered that question. They're timeless. They are, I think, the cornerstone of what it means to be a republic. It's, you know, civilian control of the military and peaceful transfer of power.

48:33And both of them go back to Washington, and both of them remain essential today. Lindsay Trevinsky, thanks so much. Thank you so much. July 4th tribute to George Washington. Coming up next, a preview of CNN's fourth in America special with musical performances from some of the biggest stars and fireworks from coast to coast when we come back.

48:59Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jim Sciutto. In today for Jake Tapper. Very happy July 4th to you. President Trump just signed his mega bill at the White House, a big legislative win for Trump and Republicans, as lawmakers tucked a long list of measures into a massive tax and spending package. Now, what does this mean for the rest of the country, and how will Democrats respond? I'll ask one lawmaker about the battle to sway voters, particularly before the midterms in next November. Next. Plus, evacuations underway in central Texas, where a month's worth of rain fell in just a couple of hours, triggering deadly flash flooding like you see there.

49:40The Texas governor says the state is using every resource now to save lives. And while America celebrates its birthday with fireworks, this World War II vet has just one request for his. We'll tell you what it is ahead.

49:59The lead tonight, President Trump signing his so-called one big beautiful bill into law, his first major legislative achievement of the second term. CNN's Kristen Holmes is at the White House. Kristen, I wonder what the president is saying about how this bill will impact the country, especially given a lot of polls show and even some Republicans said voters are concerned about the cost of this. Yeah, Jim, that's right. And remember, one of the things that we've been hearing from Republicans is that they are losing the messaging war when it comes to this bill. So we do expect to see a ramp up of Republicans going out and outside groups pouring money into actually trying to highlight the positives that they believe are in this bill.

50:43And one of the things that President Trump said when he was talking just moments ago was he said that he believed this was the greatest victory yet of his second term. But when I talked to other administration officials, White House officials, they believe that this might be the greatest victory that they've had across both terms that President Trump has been in office. This was so key to this White House, to this administration, to President Trump. They believe it's not only just the cornerstone of this time in office, the second term, but also part of his legacy, that this is going to cement his legacy.

51:14And there are things in that bill that they say he promised voters on the campaign trail. That includes things like giving more money to ramp up deportations, as well as no tax on tips, as well as no tax on overtime. As you noted, there are still a lot of concerns. President Trump out here today clearly hearing what people are saying at one point, saying, don't believe anything you hear about this bill. It's a great bill. He also said this bill was the most popular bill ever to be signed. Now, of course, we know because we've seen the polling that voters do not believe that this is the most popular bill, that they are not supportive in huge numbers of this bill.

51:52But there is a belief among Republicans that they can actually try and shift the narrative at least a little bit to point out some of the things that they believe will be positive. And one of the most interesting things I heard him say was this idea that perhaps he was able to get it through Congress because it was such a large bill, meaning that there were lawmakers who wanted parts of the bill but not others. But in order to get what they wanted, they had to vote it through. It's an interesting concept when you think about the fact that generally these kind of bills are split up for that very specific reason because it's harder to get them through in these big chunks.

52:27They want to focus on things one at a time. But President Trump clearly believes that was to his benefit that this was such a huge sweeping agenda bill. A big moment before the signing of course was the flyover of B2. That was not accidental. The B2s of course were central to those U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The president enjoys military displays. We saw that with his military parade last month. Does it get concerned at all that voters will be concerned about the cost of this, that B-2? Had to fly from Whiteman in Missouri. And he said that as well. Look, they obviously don't have that concern right now.

53:08I mean, President Trump, as you said, loves a military display of force. And they were going to do this regardless of whether or not the bill ended up on his desk today. Just to be clear, they had already invited the pilots of those B-2s to come here. And they had already planned for a flyover as kind of a tribute to what we saw, those strikes in Iran by the United States. He believes that this is quintessential America. Obviously, there are likely voters who are going to be concerned about the cost of this. But it's not something that President Trump or his team are concerned about as far as I can tell.

53:41No evidence, at least. Kristen Holmes at the White House, thanks so much. No visible evidence. Well, meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is already making it clear Democrats will attempt to make Trump's agenda the centerpiece of their drive to try to flip the House next November. Democrats plan to hammer how the bill will slash federal dollars, in particular for Medicaid, potentially jeopardizing health coverage for some 11.8 million Americans, as well as cuts to the nutritional aid program snap often known as food stamps i want to bring in now democratic congressman adriano espayat of new york congressman very happy july 4th to you and thanks so much for joining happy july 4th to you and to all america your district includes upper manhattan parts of the bronx there's been a lot of talk about the impact on rural hospitals of cuts to Medicaid, but fact is city hospitals use Medicaid funds to serve, and I imagine, many of your constituents.

54:41How many New Yorkers do you believe will lose access to care because of this? Well, just to give you an example, I have 488 ,000 Medicaid recipients in my district. I have New York Presbyterian Hospital, Mount Sinai, Harlem Hospital, and of course Montefiore Hospital. Some of these are safety net hospitals like Montefiore that will lose tremendous amount of funding for Medicaid. Now, you may think if you have a private insurance that that will not hurt you. But in fact, the services all around the hospital will be crushed. If you cut funding for Medicaid, the other services that are provided to people that have private insurance will be adversely impacted.

55:27And you have a significant number of Republicans, 60 House Republicans, that have a significant number of Medicaid enrollment in their district. For example, Balladeo in California has 495 ,000 people. The Speaker himself has 264 ,000 people enroll in Medicaid, and he will lose 43 ,000 of them. Hal Rogers from Kentucky, 392 ,000. And you go on and on and on. This is not a beautiful bill. This is a gut punch on July the 4th to the American people. I've spoken to doctors at one of the hospitals you mentioned in upper Manhattan who said they've already begun cutting staff as a result of Medicaid cuts.

56:11Your Republican colleague out of New York, Congressman Mike Lawler, he spoke with my colleague Dan Abash earlier in the day. he contested the argument that this will lead to cuts in Medicaid benefits. I want to play his answer and get your response. Have a listen. Now, understand, with all of these changes, Medicaid spending is still going up 24 percent over the next decade. Twenty four percent. So when Democrats say they're gutting Medicaid, no, we're not. What's your response to that, which is a talking point I've heard from Republicans a number of times last several days? Well, they will try to justify it in whichever way they can.

56:55But the fact of the matter is that for Lawler, who has two campuses for New York Presbyterian in his Westchester County, you know, that will be directly impacted when New York Presbyterian gets hurt with Medicaid. is not just exclusively the Washington Heights campus that gets hurt. It is the entire hospital, including two of its campuses on Westchester County. And yes, in addition to health care, those hospitals are part of our local economies, and they will see major, major shifts in employment that will hurt our local economy. If people are laid off because there's no Medicaid funds, then obviously our local economies will also be hurt.

57:38So this is a devastating blow. That and food stamps. What a 4th of July gift from the Trump administration. Unbelievable. You can't make this up. Are you confident in current Democratic leadership in making this and other arguments in advance of next fall midterm elections? Do you believe that Democrats have the leaders they need to win back the House? Well, Hakeem Jeffries took that up for over eight hours just this week to show the American people in detail what an impact it's going to have across the country and the members, the Republican members that are betraying their constituency. This is not a beautiful bill.

58:26This is a betrayal of the American people. When you talk about health care, you're talking about life and death. If I don't have the services that I need and I'm a diabetic, if I don't have the services that I need and I have cardiovascular problems or I have a kidney tumor and I don't have the Medicaid funding that I need to survive, ultimately I could die. And so this is the ultimate betrayal on July the 4th by the Trump administration. And yes, our leadership is going to make the case district by district. All the Republican, all 60 of them, that has significant numbers of Medicaid patients in their district.

59:02Before we go, this bill also includes an enormous boost in funding for ICE for immigration and customs enforcement. If you begin to see frequently in New York ICE agents arresting people, detaining people in the streets of New York, what's going to happen? How will local authorities respond? I wish I could tell you that ICE is only engaged in deporting, arresting, convicting and deporting violent criminals. But that is not the case. Green car holders are being detained and deported. People that have work permits that are an intricate part of our economy are being held, detained and deported. And even U.S.

59:47people, children are being deported. I met with four of them in Monterey, Mexico, who were deported with their parents. And other children, U.S.-born children and other U.S. citizens are being detained by masked ICE agents that are unwilling to give their first name and their last name. They want to enforce the law anonymously. sleep. Congressman Adriana S. Byat of New York, we do appreciate you joining on this holiday. Thank you. Happy Fourth of July to you as well. We're coming up just catastrophic flooding in Central Texas, where the governor has now called out the National Guard to help major evacuations, water rescues underway as well.

1:00:29We're going to bring you the latest.

1:00:38With summer coming to an end, you're going to be spending more time indoors. Get your home ready and save up to 50 % off custom window treatments during the Labor Day Mega Sale at Blinds.com. From room darkening to light filtering shades, finding the perfect fit is easy. Get free samples, expert design help, and professional measure and install services. Or DIY with confidence and support every step of the way. Shop up to 50 % off site-wide plus huge savings on doorbusters right now during the Labor Day Mega Sale at Blinds.com. Torrential rains turn deadly across central Texas as evacuations and water rescues are still underway.

1:01:17According to the lieutenant governor, there are currently more than 20 children unaccounted for from Camp Mystic, which is located right along the river, the Guadalupe River. Here's what he said. I want all of you to know we will do everything humanly possible 24-7, and we will do everything looking at every tree, turning over every rock, whatever it takes, if your child is one of those truly missing and not just out of touch, to find your daughter. Gosh, those parents must be in agony. Well, law enforcement has reported at least 13 fatalities across Kerr County. Seeing as Ed Lavendera is on his way to the scene in Kerrville there.

1:02:01Ed, as you get closer, I wonder what you're seeing. well we are making our way from uh Kerrville uh to a little town of Ingram which is just upstream along the Guadalupe River here and this is where we're starting to see a great deal of activity in fact uh there's a one of the local schools is being used as a reunification center with families gathering we're seeing a staging ground with state helicopters and boats that are launching into the river as well. So a great deal of activity that you can really get a sense of just how active the situation continues to be. As you mentioned, at least 13 confirmed dead so far, more than 20 kids from Camp Mystic that are still missing.

1:02:48So, you know, you can imagine the horror that people are dealing with here today in the Texas Hill Country. No question. Had there been any more update on those missing little girls from Camp Mystic? No, we don't have any more confirmation on who they might be or if any of those have been found and what condition they might be in. So we can continue to wait on information on that front right now, Jim. And tell us what response you're seeing around there as well in terms of the lieutenant governor described helicopters, drones. I mean, they're really throwing everything at this they can, even looking for people that they rescued in trees.

1:03:38Yeah, you know, it's a very widespread area from Kerrville down to Ingram and another town, Hunt, where there was Camp La Junta, which is the all-boys summer camp, and then downriver from that is Camp Mystic. And many of the roads are closed. I was just looking at our map to try to gauge how long it would take us to get there. A drive that appears would normally take us about 20, maybe 25 minutes is showing that it will take us an hour and a half. So clearly the conditions along the river are still very limited, and because of places we've seen just how high the river has gotten here in the last 12 hours.

1:04:19Yeah, well, listen, gosh, our thoughts are with those parents waiting for news of their daughters missing from that camp. Our Ed Lavendera and his team, thanks so much to them. Please stay safe as well. Also in our National League today, you are looking at new video from the Citizen app taken when four homes were engulfed in flames simultaneously as fireworks. And you can see them there were going off in Los Angeles last night. More than 130 firefighters raced to the scene to put out the flames. One person was killed, at least two people injured. Veronica Miracle is live in Los Angeles. Veronica, what are authorities saying about the cause of this?

1:05:00And do they have everything under control now? Well, Jim, they're still investigating how this explosion happened, but they said when they arrived on scene, fireworks were raining down on homes. Witnesses described an explosion, a fire, and then fireworks going in all directions. So the firefighter itself was incredibly difficult last night. Now that the fire is out, they have discovered, as you said, one person who died. One woman was taken to the hospital with critical injuries. multiple people had smoke inhalation and multiple animals were also injured in this fire, according to the LAFD. And city officials are stressing the dangers of fireworks, rather, both illegal and not illegal, asking people to go to shows, let the professionals do their work.

1:05:46And Jim, this was the second deadly house explosion, house fire with fireworks involved in the last 24 hours in this area. There was another one where about 30 miles away, A man was killed and a house was set on fire after a fireworks explosion. Back to you, Jim. Veronica Miracle there in Los Angeles. Thanks so much. And we will be right back after a short break.

1:06:12Of course, the holiday weekend means lots of Americans are grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, myself included, to celebrate with friends and family. But before you fire up the grill, our next guest hopes that you will substitute some of those beef patties and hot dogs with chicken, fish or even plant based meats. Jake Tapper speaks to a journalist who says the food in your barbecue on your barbecue plate has a huge impact on the climate. A provocative question posed by the book title of my next guest, which is we are eating the earth, the race to fix our food system and save our climate. Joining us now is the author, Michael Grunwald.

1:06:49He's an award-winning journalist and author who's been covering climate for the last two decades. Michael, congratulations on the book. It's full of stunning, eye-popping information and some nuanced arguments that aren't thrilling everybody, even on your side of this environmentalism versus let's destroy the earth debate. Let's start with your outlook on the future. The United Nations projects that the world's population will reach nearly 10 billion by 2050. Now, in the book, you laid out what that could mean, writing, quote, if current trends hold, the world's farmers will need to clear at least a dozen more California's worth of land to fill nearly 10 billion human bellies by 2050.

1:07:35Is that even possible? Well, current trends better not hold, right? Because we don't really have 12 Californias to spare. But right now, you know, like it says on the cover, we are eating the earth. And really, it's agriculture that's eating the earth. Two of every five acres of this planet are now cropped or grazed. And we are losing a soccer field worth of tropical forest every six seconds. So, yeah, something's got to change, Jake. So lots of July 4th barbecues. There are probably a lot of meat eaters watching right now. Now, you detail the negative impacts of cattle farming in the book, but you stop short of calling for an all vegan or all vegetarian diet.

1:08:17Instead, you suggest cutting back on meat. Quote, the average American ate three burgers a week and replacing one of them with an impossible burger could save a Massachusetts sized landmass every year. Unquote. Impossible burgers for people who don't know are quite delicious non meat hamburgers. What impact do you see these alternative proteins or plant-based meats having on the climate? Well, if a lot of people were buying them, they could have quite a lot because they reduce land use by like 90 percent and emissions by 95 percent. So far, they don't seem to taste as good and they aren't as cheap as meat, which is a problem because like like you suggested, beef is really the baddie.

1:09:01Even switching to chicken would would make a big difference. Beef uses about 10 times more land and generates about 10 times more emissions than chicken or pork. So I know I'm like a buzzkill for July 4th. But even if you could have a little bit less burger, a little less steak, and a little more chicken and pork dogs, that could make a difference. I'll say I've had an Impossible Burger, and I'm very skeptical of any meat substitute that they throw at me. And it tasted absolutely delicious. Now, it's not necessarily healthier for you, and it's not necessarily cheaper, but it tasted the same. That's interesting.

1:09:39I mean, so far the taste tests find that for chicken nuggets, the plant-based versions actually win in blind taste tests. I mean, who even knows what's in those chicken nuggets anyway, right? Right. But for burgers, I mean, some of the thin ones where you can kind of slather it in sauce and not so much know the difference, they seem to do okay. And I think Impossible Burgers are pretty good. Yeah. But certainly on steaks and in general, people have, you know, consumers, the dogs just haven't loved the food. Yeah. But the good news is that this is, it's biotech. This is technology. It's already as healthy as beef.

1:10:16And presumably it can keep getting healthier. And it can keep getting tastier. And with, you know, as they reach economies of scale, they can start getting cheaper as well. And they're going to have to do it based on what you write in your book. Now, you have received some criticism from some environmentalists, not all, but some who don't like that you favor industrial agriculture over regenerative agriculture or organic farming, which you argue can actually be more harmful to the environment. Explain. Yeah, I mean, again, like since we are eating the earth, I'm for high yield agriculture, agriculture that produces more food per acre, because then you need fewer acres to make food.

1:10:58Right. And unfortunately, in general, organic agriculture has a 20 to 40 percent yield drag, which means you need you need 20 to 40 percent more more land. I went down to the Amazon and I saw cattle ranches where you had like, you know, one acre for 10 cows. And then I saw one, you know, a couple of ranches where they had a cow on every acre. And so, again, that's 10 times as efficient. People don't like it. It's feedlots. It's industrial agriculture. It's big ag, but it uses a lot less of the Amazon and therefore a lot less of the earth. The book is We Are Eating the Earth, The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate.

1:11:36It's available now. Mike Grunwald, thank you so much. Happy fourth. Thanks for having me on, Jake. Coming up, the lead continues its small business series. We're going to speak to one woman about how tariffs are making it difficult for her to run her third generation luggage business.

1:11:59It is time now for our Business Leaders Series, where we hear from small business owners across America about President Trump's tariffs. Some say they support them, but many say they are struggling. The Luggage Shop in Lubbock, Texas, is a third-generation family-owned business that launched in 1951 and remains dedicated to bringing West Texas the best in travel products. Owner Tiffany Zarfis-Williams joins me now. Tiffany, thanks so much for taking the time on this holiday. Well, thank you so much for having me. And we appreciate you guys continuing to give small businesses voices, especially on this day when we celebrate our great nation.

1:12:35No question. And you guys tend to see things early. Your business, as I understand, it's been feeling the impact of terrorists since 2018. Can you tell us, though, why this round, this trade war is different? I think it is, you know, because we've weathered it, we've been weathering it for so long that we already kind of, you know, know some things that are going to happen, but it continues to be such great uncertainty. And I feel like that's a word we use so much, but it really does make it very difficult to plan, you know, for the days ahead and to know how the customer is going to respond as prices may have to increase.

1:13:15Have you already had to raise prices? Well, you know, at this month, the month of July, three of our major brands have announced price increases. So unfortunately, yes, and it's become a big part of, you know, my staff's daily chores. I mean, we are all about customers and we want that to be our main focus when we're here. But I do have to say, you know, price changes have become a big part of our daily jobs as well. No, I get it. So far, headline economic figures, you know, you look to GDP growth, job figures, certainly the markets have not shown a broad based economic slowdown. But from where you're sitting, do you see signs of of reduced consumer confidence, consumer spending where you are?

1:14:03Well, I mean, I will I will have to say, you know, travel has stayed strong. People, you know, post pandemic has not really slowed down. So we are in an industry that has been really positive and we've seen a lot of great business in the last year or two. And for that, we're incredibly grateful. Again, it's just the uncertainty of what happens going forward. When, you know, a suitcase you've sold day in, day out, you know, goes up in price. Again, how is our customer going to respond to that? Does that change what we carry in our store? How do we know what to do going forward as far as, you know, do we bring a lot of inventory in right now?

1:14:40Will there be supply chain issues in the fall? Those are things we don't know. Yeah, that uncertainty, it's something I hear from so many, I mean, from CEOs of major corporations to small business owners like yourself, is they say they don't know what something's going to cost tomorrow or next month or six months from now, which must make it very hard for you to make plans for how to price stuff or just what the year is going to look like for you. Correct. It makes the end of the year very challenging. I mean, I do feel for, you know, we're an indirect importer, just that, you know, we buy from U.S.

1:15:16brands who do buy their products from overseas. So, you know, we're not I'm not having to deal with that on a daily basis as far as the unknowns of how much that product is coming in. But it still turns back to me in that I don't know what the price of, you know, what the cost of that good, you know, what were the retail prices going to be of the products in fall. Well, Tiffany's office Williams, we wish you and your business good luck this year and a happy July 4th. Thank you. We appreciate it so much.

1:15:49Well, turning now to our world lead, you are looking at the aftermath of a massive Russian aerial assault on Ukraine's capital, Kiev, early Friday, launched just after President Trump said he had made no progress and was very disappointed with his phone call with the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin. Today, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, also spoke with President Trump said he was, quote, very well informed of the current situation. One Ukrainian compared the horror of the Russian drone attack to swarms of bees. Well, joining me now is someone who witnessed it, lived through that attack, Sergei Koshman.

1:16:26Thanks so much, Sergei, for joining. And I understand you were telling me in the break that there's another assault underway right now. Yes, we're actually in the middle of another large scale of salt. It's already like almost four hours in the making. Yesterday it was around 10 hours. So we are like almost getting used to this nightmare of millions of people experiencing those brutal attacks for many, many hours with missiles, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hundreds of drones. So it's happening as we speak. You've been involved in the defense industry. From where you sit, is Ukraine running out of the air defense missiles it needs to shoot down those ballistic missiles and drones?

1:17:20yeah of course we've made a huge leap forward in terms of developing our capabilities and you know the story of Ukrainian drones and Ukrainian innovators but of course there are capabilities that we are really lacking and and especially anti you know ballistic missiles and this is where patriot missiles are extremely valuable for us and uh but we are grateful for the support from american people and uh and we actually on the we unfortunately on this occasion of your independence day and congratulations this is what we are fighting for and with your help i'm sure our fight could be much more you know um if I ever may say so productive, but we need to save really many lives and defend our sovereignty and independence.

1:18:21So tell me your reaction then just in the last several days to President Trump delaying, stopping in fact, the delivery of some of those air defense missiles. They were already in Poland. They were right across the border ready to come in and help shoot down those Russian missiles. And now NBC News is reporting today that that happened despite the fact that a Pentagon review found U.S. supplies are okay, that the U.S. is not running out of such missiles. What's your reaction to that? Yeah, of course, we were absolutely perplexed by such sudden changes of, of let's say you know attitude and and and policy and of course we assume that there are important negotiations going on behind the closed doors and uh and uh we are we have to be patient of course we are losing people but we have to be patient and all the possible scenarios have to be explored and and i i i really hope that once there is an understanding in the white house that the The only way to stop this brutal, unprovoked aggression is to become strong and to defend our way of living together.

1:19:42We have to really then show some teeth and strength. Otherwise we will be just overwhelmed. Do you believe the U.S. is showing that strength to Vladimir Putin? President Trump has spoken for weeks, for months, of adding new penalties, new economic sanctions. It hasn't happened. And in the midst of that, he has imposed penalties on Ukraine. Does Vladimir Putin, in your view, view that as strength from the U.S.? Of course, I think all those calls and, you know, approach of trying to appease him and and find the compromise is just a sign of weakness and this is what russian propaganda portrays that whatever we do the west would have to talk to us because we're like invincible and we are doing the right thing and this is our sphere of influence on this kind of cold war mentality and we'll bring back our territories we'll kind of get back to the eastern europe and drive back nate kind of and of course in this in this paradigm it is really hard to find a quick negotiated settlement because this whole drama was unfolding for years and they were getting ready to attack us and this is unfortunately I don't see any any way to stop it in a in a really comprehensive and immediate kind of negotiated settlement.

1:21:19Well, Sergei, given that you and the residents of Kiev are going through yet one more Russian air attack, we appreciate you joining and we wish you safety tonight. Thank you. Thank you for all American people for supporting us. Coming up just after the break, a sneak peek at CNN's fourth in America party. it's going to be something you don't want to miss.

1:21:48We are getting close to CNN's fourth in America special with musical performances from some of the biggest stars and fireworks from coast to coast. One of the cities we'll be going to is Nashville, where Dierks Bentley will perform and will celebrate the Grand Ole Opry, 100th anniversary. Country music star Ashley McBride, who is an Opry member, gave us a special performance to celebrate the Opry. Let's go to Nashville now, where Ashley McBride is on stage.

1:22:22Standing on this stage, y 'all, it never, ever, ever gets old. One of our favorite things to do when we get to stand on the Grand Ole Opry stage, especially when we're closing out the night, is to make sure that we honor the music that shaped us. So tonight, we're gonna do some Hank Senior. This is country music, y 'all, where sad songs make us happy. The cheating songs keep us faithful. So here's your cheating heart.

1:22:59Your cheating heart will make you weak. You'll cry and cry and try to sleep But sleep won't come the whole night through Your cheating heart will tell on you When tears come down like falling rain You'll toss around and call my day You'll walk the floor the way I do Your cheating heart will tell on you

1:24:07Your cheating heart will pan someday And crave the love you threw away The time will come when you'll be blue Your chicken heart will tell on you When tears come down like falling lame You'll toss around and call my name You'll walk the floor the way I do Your cheating heart will tell on you Pick one, man

1:25:32guitar solo

1:25:39When tears come down Like falling rain You'll toss around And call my name You'll walk the floor The way I do Your cheating heart will tell on you Your cheating heart will tell on you Goodnight, Granola

1:26:29Quite a track there, Hank Williams original. More from Nashville and other cities as they celebrate the fourth. You don't want to miss CNN's fourth in America celebration, coming up right after the leap.

1:26:43So what were you telling me?

1:26:49Birthday this World War II veteran only wants this one. thing for his 100th. That's coming up right after the break.

1:27:04Before we go, turning a century old is a monumental moment, and one World War II veteran in California has just one birthday wish. Frank Wright hopes people around the world will mark his 100th birthday with cards. He's hoping for 100 ,000 of them, to be exact. Frank, so what were you telling me you want for your birthday? You know what I'd like to have? I'd like to have 100 ,000 postcards or birthday cards. And if it gets up to a million, I've got a guy here that can post them all.

1:27:50There's a lot of postage, right? Who is a Marine corporal fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima and his bravery there was recognized with two purple hearts. If you are interested in sending him a birthday note, we're going to post the information on our social media. Coming up Sunday on State of the Union, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Treasury Secretary Scott Besson. Thanks so much for joining us and a very happy 4th of July to you. CNN's 4th in America starts right now. With summer coming to an end, you're going to be spending more time indoors. Get your home ready and save up to 50 % off custom window treatments during the Labor Day mega sale at blinds.com.

1:28:32From room darkening to light filtering shades, finding the perfect fit is easy. Get free samples, expert design help, and professional measure and install services, or DIY with confidence and support every step of the way. Shop up to 50 % off site-wide plus huge savings on DoorBusters right now during the Labor Day mega sale at Blinds.com. Hey, I'm Anderson Cooper. On my podcast, All There Is, we explore grief and loss in all its complexities. My guest on the podcast is NASCAR champion and Hall of Famer Kurt Busch. He's grieving the recent death of his younger brother, NASCAR champion Kyle Busch.

1:29:09I'm trying to grieve in ways to help people. I want your mom, my dad, and I try to do it where I'm not biting off more than I can chew and back off a little bit. I'm trying to help everyone get through this and share stories. It's not going to get any easier, but time will help heal. I have a nice therapist that I worked with towards the twilight of my career. Has therapy helped? It has. I embraced it a few years back, whereas the young Kurt, you know, teenager, 20-year-old, 30-year-old, nah. Talking grief, building community. That's what the podcast is all about. This is all there is. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.