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25 Hospitalized After Significant Turbulence on Delta Flight; Trump Ramps Up Pressure Ahead of Tariff Deadline Tomorrow; Giuffre Family Tells The Atlantic They Were Shocked By Trump Saying Epstein Stole Spa Workers from Him. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired July 31, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, more than two dozen people sent to the hospital after severe turbulence on a Delta flight. The plane then forced to make an emergency landing.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Quote, it makes us ask if he was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's criminal actions. The family of one of Epstein's victims speaking out after President Trump's claim that Epstein stole young women from Mar-a-Lago.

And the arrest in the case of the two parents killed while hiking with their young daughters. What we know about the suspect now facing capital murder charges.

Sara Sidner is out. I'm John Berman with Kate Bolduan, and this is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: Let's get to that breaking news. 25 people on a Delta flight hospitalized after what they're calling significant turbulence forced the plane to make an emergency landing. The plane, the flight was going from Salt Lake City intended to go to Amsterdam, but it was diverted to Minneapolis where it was met by medical teams.

Brynn Gingras tracking this one, and there's a lot of details still coming in, Brynn, but what are you learning?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, terrifying moments, Kate, for these more than 200 passengers on this flight, as you said, this flight was going from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam. That's about a nine-hour flight. It got diverted about two hours in after hitting what is being called significant turbulence. And then it landed in Minneapolis. Well, when that plane landed, I can tell you that fire personnel, emergency personnel rushed to the gate to actually perform some medical attention to some of these passengers before some of them even had to go to the hospital.

We're told 25 people were injured on this flight, and we're actually hearing from some of those passengers who were on board. I want you to take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LEEANN CLEMENT-NASH, PASSENGER: If you didn't have your seatbelt on, everyone that didn't, they hit the ceiling and then they fell to the ground. And the carts also hit the ceiling and fell to the ground and people were injured. And it was -- and it happened several times. So, it was really.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS: Again, terrifying moments. Delta, thanking those first responders in a statement about the flight. But as you said we are still working to get more information exactly what caused all of this turbulence. But it is good to know that some people okay, others at the hospital will get a checkup on how they're doing. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Brynn, thank you so much for tracking this one for us. She's going to have updates throughout the show. John?

BERMAN: All right. We are less than 24 hours away now from the deadline that President Trump set for dozens of America's trading partners to cut deals or face stiff new tariffs. And just ahead of the buzzer, the administration has announced a handful of new agreements. The president now says the U.S. has come to terms with South Korea slapping a 15 percent tariff on goods from there. That's down from the 25 percent threat he made in April.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also said late last night that deals have been made with Cambodia and Thailand, though one senior Cambodian official told The New York Times that that was news to him. And Thailand officials say they expect more details within 24 hours.

Then there are the major trading partners the U.S. has yet to cut a deal with, including Canada, Mexico, Taiwan. Also within the last 24 hours, the president imposed steep new tariffs on India and Brazil to other countries that have yet to come to terms with the U.S. After kicking the can down the road twice, President Trump claims this time he will stand firm. He posted that the deadline will not be extended, though, today his tariffs face a critical test at the US Court of Appeals from small business owners who argue this is all hurting their bottom line.

Let's get right to CNN's Alayna Treene at the White House where there has been a lot of activity, Alayna.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: There has. And just moments ago, John, we actually heard again from President Donald Trump on all of these different deals, he posted at Truth Social, essentially saying that tariffs are making America great and rich again. He argued that they were against the United States for several years, but then he said the tide is completely turned and America has successfully countered this onslaught of tariffs used against it.

He went on to argue now America's now the hottest country anywhere in the world. I'd note a phrase we've now heard him. We can tell he likes to use this. He's been using this more and more to describe people in his administration and policies. He likes hottest country anywhere in the world. Congratulations to all. Look, I think that post, John, is actually important even though it doesn't really, you know, give any more insight into some of these new trade deals. From what I've been hearing in my conversations with Trump administration officials, and I think this post reflects that is the president is feeling somewhat vindicated now after months and months of tumult with these different tariffs of them impacting the economy, of so many questions of where these would actually end up, they are sticking firm to this August 1st deadline.

[07:05:13]

And I know that the president was really hoping, trying to push that deadline and make it hold firm would hopefully give other trading partners that the U.S. has allied with more urgency to strike these deals.

And we kind of have seen that in this week. I mean, you mentioned it, but just in the last 24 hours alone, we've now seen deals with South Korea, Thailand, Cambodia, the last week alone, major deal with the European Union that he announced when he was in Scotland, also a deal with Japan and other countries.

And so they're really trying to make this a moment that they believe is what the president was trying to set out to do all along, which is reorient the global order, the global economic order, I should say, when it comes to all of this.

And I do want to give you just some details on the South Korea deal, because I do think that is one of the biggest. They had always been a trading partner that I know officials here had really prioritized in making a deal. And South Korea as well was scrambling to try and get this done before tomorrow's August 1st deadline.

So, South Korea is now going to be facing a 15 percent tariff, John, on goods imported to the United States. Trump stating that America will not pay a tariff, that is down 10 percent from the 25 percent tariff rate that the president had initially threatened would go into effect tomorrow if a deal was not in place.

They're also going to be giving, the president said, $350 billion for what he described as investments owned and controlled by the United States, he said, selected by myself as president. They'll also be purchasing a hundred billion dollars in energy products. And then the president also announced that he he's going to be welcoming the South Korean president to the White House within the next two weeks to announce another sum of money is the words that the president used to characterize more investments in that. So, that is a big feather in the president's cap here.

Now, on those deals that you mentioned, Thailand and Cambodia, we're still trying to get details. There are no specifics. And it's clear that there may be some kind of miscommunication with some of those countries, but waiting to see the details on those. Still, though, a lot of countries, a lot of major trading partners that the U.S. has not struck a deal with, that includes Canada, Mexico, Australia, India, and then, of course, we saw Brazil really facing kind of the full weight of the president's threats with a 50 percent tariff yesterday. A lot of that actually tied to the president's dissatisfaction with some of the prosecution the former leader of Brazil, Bolsonar,o is facing, all to say a lot could still happen within the next 24 hours before this deadline goes into effect.

BERMAN: Yes. Again, less than a day left to go. Keep us posted as to what you hear. Alayna Treene at the White House, thank you very much.

The family of one of Jeffrey Epstein's victims shocked by new comments from the president that she was, quote, stolen from him. What questions they now have for the president.

And breaking overnight, rescuers working to reach people trapped in the rubble of an apartment building after Russia launches a deadly attack on Ukraine's capital.

And a recall alert you want to pay attention to. Your energy drinks may actually be Vodka Seltzer in disguise.

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[07:10:00]

BOLDUAN: So, this morning we are hearing from the family of Virginia Giuffre. She is one of the most prominent victims of Jeffrey Epstein. She died by suicide earlier this year. And her family is now responding to President Trump's comment that Virginia, that she was, quote/unquote, stolen by Jeffrey Epstein from working at Trump's Mar- a-Lago club.

Giuffre's two brothers and her sisters-in-law told The Atlantic in an exclusive statement this, it makes us ask if he was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's criminal actions, especially given his statement two years later that his good friend, Jeffrey, likes women on the younger side, no doubt about it. Her family also saying that we and the public are asking for answers, survivors deserve this.

President Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell. This all does come out though justice as CNN has learned the grand jury transcripts that the Justice Department is asking be unsealed includes testimony from just two witnesses, and they reportedly are from law enforcement officials, not from many victims.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz is tracking this one. She's joining us right now. Katelyn, what are you learning about this?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, this is coming in a disclosure from the Justice Department describing what those grand jury records may be to the judge as they make their case to this judge in Manhattan's federal court that grand jury records related to the Epstein case and the Ghislaine Maxwell criminal case should be released. So, it does say in this disclosure from the Justice Department that there are only two witnesses that went before the grand jury, an FBI agent, and a New York City Police detective who has a focus on child exploitation. In the world of grand jury activity, Kate, that's -- those would be called summary witnesses. The types of witnesses that had talked to victims have information about the case and then are presenting it to the grand jury, essentially giving the grand jury what they need to decide on whether to indict Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and then it becomes a roadmap for trial.

So, the concern here for some people looking at what may be in the Epstein files that the Justice Department and the FBI, and even the court may have, is this the whole pie?

[07:15:05]

It would not be. This would be the roadmap for a trial.

And in this court filing that the Justice Department filed in court the judge is still reviewing, there is a hint that what is in these filings, they're the sort of things that would already be public. There is an indication that the victims whose accounts relating to Jeff Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell that were subject of the grand jury testimony, those people testified at trial. And what they testified at trial was very consistent with what those two witnesses told the grand jury about what the victims had to say.

So, this really may not be the full extent of what is known by the Justice Department or by the FBI in this long running investigation that ended up in the conviction at trial of Ghislaine Maxwell. It is one of those things, though, that we are just going to have to wait and see what is in those grand jury transcripts, if they are released by the judge, if the judge agrees with this.

And we also have to remember, Kate, that there are a number of people on Capitol Hill and elsewhere who are calling for the release of more records that may be out there, and also to hear from Ghislaine Maxwell herself. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Yes, those grand jury transcripts, sealed or unsealed, that's under the control of the judge. The Justice Department, though, and this is what you're getting at, the Justice Department has much more material that they could release that they have currently and could release under the attorney general of the United States. And that is one of the big outstanding questions and one of the big questions coming from Capitol Hill as well.

Katelyn, thank you so much.

Still ahead for us, we have this breaking news coming in overnight, an urgent search for survivors is now happening after Russia launches a deadly attack on an apartment building in Kyiv. You have new video coming in of a man being rescued from the rubble. Much more updates on that.

Also this, the Colorado dentist sentenced now for poisoning and killing his wife and the truly heart-wrenching moment that their daughter spoke up and spoke out in court, calling her dad, saying that her dad turned from hero to villain. We'll be right back.

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[07:20:00]

BERMAN: All right. Breaking overnight, rescuers searching for survivors trapped under rubble and debris after Russia launched a deadly strike on Ukraine's capital. At least four people were killed after a nine-storey apartment building was struck, at least one person was pulled alive from the wreckage. This was 1 of 27 sites hit overnight as Russia claims to have captured a key Ukrainian town.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is in Eastern Ukraine. And, Nick, you've been reporting on the success, frankly, of Russia's summer offensive.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, look, let's get to that in a moment, John. But, again, last night and just in the last minutes, actually, air raid sirens across Ukraine and Russia's, it seems, relatively new tactic of trying to saturate the air defenses of particular cities last night, the capital, Kyiv, to see if, in this case, not a record number of drones, far from it, just short of 200 could indeed get through and some did.

An apartment block seems to have been a predominant source of most of the dead here, seven in Kyiv, eight nationwide. The seven in Kiev, an apartment building whose entrance was indeed hit, a six-year-old boy taken away by emergency responders there who died in the ambulance, according to local officials, dozens injured across the country.

Look, this is part of daily life for Ukrainians, but those aerial assaults which at times peak or seem to alter in their focus one story, what you mentioned just earlier, John, quite frankly, shocking to see in the last weeks the pace of Russian progress along the frontline.

Now, today, their Ministry of Defense has claimed to have captured Chasiv Yar. Now, that is not something, you know, known globally as an important place, but it is utterly vital on the battlefield. Sometimes Russia claims places in advance, some them actually having full control of them, but it does seem as though the constant pressure of months of assaults on this key hilltop town may be paying off.

Now, if they have captured it, it gives them the heights above key eastern town called Kramatorsk and massively eases their continuing successful assaults on other parts of that frontline. Kostiantynivka, so close to Chasiv Yar, that is at risk of encirclement by Russia. Taking Chasiv Yar will massively ease that task that they've seen great progress.

And in just the last week or so, Pokrovsk, to the south, well, we were just near there. Frankly, I didn't speak to many Ukrainians who felt they were going to be able to hold onto that much longer. Once their supply lines, their troops inside that town, again, besieged by Russia for months to huge Russian casualties, once the supply lines are cut for Ukraine, I think the argument amongst many Ukrainians we spoke to is they need to get what remaining troops they have in there out rather than, again, sacrifice people in the defense of a town that Russia eventually takes.

That's an exceptionally complicated decision for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, losing ground, bad news, losing troops, potentially worse news, given the manpower crisis they're having.

But across the frontlines, John, we've been seeing, I hate to say, nothing but bad news over the past week reporting there, and the pace of Russian advances, not just troops on the ground, often that takes longer, but the pace in which they're able to use increasingly longer range attack drones, often controlled by a gaming type console from 20, 30 kilometers away, they're able to move forwards and render villages suddenly overnight, impossible for civilians to live in. We've seen that very fast moving people suddenly leaving an evacuating, a sign of Russia's continual progress.

It's been incremental for so many months, but now those little changes building up into what feels like a strategic change. John?

BERMAN: Yes, maybe less incremental now, Russia very much on the move.

Nick Paton Walsh for us in Eastern Ukraine, Nick, thank you for your reporting.

All right, this time, President Trump says there will be no extensions in his tariff deadline, unlike the last two extensions.

And a manhunt comes to an end at a barbershop, new details on the arrest in the murder of two parents that were hiking with their daughters.

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[07:30:00]

BOLDUAN: New this morning, the president announced a trade deal with South Korea, which now calls for a 15 percent --