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Texas House Again Fails To Reach Quorum With Dems Absent; Israeli Security Cabinet Approves Takeover Of Gaza City; Explosions In Gaza City After Takeover Plan Was Approved; International Backlash Mounts Over Israel's Plan To Take Gaza City. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired August 08, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:36]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Deadline for Democrats, Texas lawmakers who left the state were warned they needed to return by this hour or else, but Republicans are making it clear they won't give up their push to pass a new congressional map that could help the GOP keep control of Congress.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": And a dangerous escalation in Gaza as Israel approves a plan to seize control of Gaza City and embraces a shutdown of aid in that area to force Palestinians to leave. Some countries are now reconsidering their support for Israel. And as the White House weighs the idea of tariff rebate checks, economists see a big problem with the idea, one, that some are calling dangerous. We're following these major developing stories and so much more, all coming in right now to the "CNN News Central."

KEILAR: Time's up in Texas, the State House Speaker's gavel is about to drop any moment, meaning we'll soon find out if there are enough Democrats present to hold quorum. Republicans had set a deadline for them to show up today, or face expulsion. Democrats have been boycotting a Republican redistricting plan. CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Austin for us. Ed, at least 12 Democrats need to be there to hit that mark of having a quorum. Is it going to happen?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the door to the House of Representative is about to close. You can see actually through there, the Speaker of the House at the podium. We've heard the gavel going off and I can hear the bells ringing for the roll call. So here in a matter of moments, we will have an idea of whether or not a quorum has been met or has not been met. And obviously, this is a moment many of these Republicans and Democrats are watching very closely, as Republicans have been trying to ratchet up the pressure on these Democrats to return.

And I think here, pretty shortly, we'll have an indication. I can't exactly hear what they're saying inside, but I can hear the bells going off. So we will continue to talk about what is at play here, because not only are we watching what is happening here, Brianna, but we're also paying close attention to what's happening in the courts as the governor is pushing to have the Chairman of the Democratic Caucus of the House, Gene Wu, removed. The Attorney General is also threatening to file filings in court to have the seats of these Democrats vacated.

And that would raise up all sorts of serious questions here in this moment. And we spoke with one of the Democrats, Representative Trey Martinez Fischer, and who said that -- in fact, I'm just getting word now that there is not a quorum. So, all of this will be ending here rather shortly. So, Democrats have stayed away once again. And what we're hearing and have been hearing from a lot of the Democrats saying that -- many of them that we've heard from say that they are willing to stay away for the longevity of this special session, which would go until August 19th, a little more than a week from now. And let me play a little bit of the sound from an interview we did just a short while ago with one of those representatives.

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REP. TREY MARTINEZ FISCHER, (D) TEXAS STATE HOUSE: What I'd like to see happen is, I'd like to see this country wake the hell up. If Donald Trump is on a race to the bottom, then we have to meet him at the finish line. And so that involves New York State, California, Maryland, and other states that are in a position to do so, and then hopefully, the courts will act like the grownups in the room and say, Hey, hey, when it comes to politics in America, you got to win fair and square. And maybe put this all to bed. But if Texas Democrats are the spark that lead to all of that, then we are happy to do our job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And while Democrats are talking like that, we also see Republicans are still trying to ratchet up the pressure on them as well. The Speaker of the House has eliminated the ability for these representatives, who are away from the state, to receive direct deposit of their paychecks and per diems while they serve in this legislative session. They're told that to get those checks, they actually have to come here in person to pick them up. That same representative you just heard from described that that tactic from the Speaker of the House is "petty."

But all of this is kind of another clear indication that this continues to escalate as, once again, behind those doors, behind me, Brianna, a quorum has not been met.

[14:05:00]

And we'll start seeing a lot of these representatives filing out of the House chamber here pretty soon.

KEILAR: All right, really interesting there. Ed Lavandera live for us in Austin, thank you. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, Briana. With me now is Democratic Texas State Representative Ramon Romero Jr. He is in Chicago right now. Great to see you. So no quorum met. Will you stay away until August 19th, which is the end of that special session? REP. RAMON ROMERO JR., (D) TEXAS STATE HOUSE: Absolutely there, without question. Myself, along with the brave men and women that have chosen to take this path in order to keep Donald Trump's agenda from affecting the American people, we are undeterred. And as Al Green -- Congressman Al Green said, we will continue to march on just as those in the past have done, we will as well.

WHITFIELD: So you're undeterred, even though Texas U.S. Senator Cornyn has said that the FBI will help locate you and other Texas Democrats. For one, you're on television right now, we know you're in Chicago. But, are you concerned about being located?

ROMERO JR.: Not really. I mean, I think that for sake of our own safety, given the fact that people are disclosing our location even within our own House Caucus members said, this is where they are, you all go get them. We know that that kind of incendiary comments in the past has resulted, just as it did in El Paso, in over 20 lives being lost. Men, women, and children that had nothing to do with the politics of Governor Abbott or Ken Paxton. We know this is dangerous. So yeah, we're putting ourselves in harm's way.

The fines, the threats of expulsion, those things are of no concern. We will pay that price, but putting people's families and lives in danger is something that the Republicans are going to have to answer to. And I think independents and smart folks all around the country are super disappointed at the lack of leadership in Texas right now. They know that Governor Abbott, Ken Paxton, and even John Cornyn are launching bottle rockets from Texas and expecting them to land in Illinois. And it's just not going to happen. We're thankful to all the law enforcement that helped us and responded to us at the Q-Center, and to Governor Pritzker for everything that he's done to keep us safe.

WHITFIELD: So the Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed an emergency petition in Illinois 8th Circuit Court to make civil arrest warrants enforceable in the state of Illinois where you and dozens of other Democrats are staying. It's unclear whether a judge will weigh in, when or whether a judge will weigh in. So, what do you make of that arrest threat?

ROMERO JR.: I think that is a politician that is running for Senator, keep in mind, one who has been under indictment since the time I was elected in 2014. Attorney General Paxton is an embarrassment to our state and the fact that he's playing politics and doing that as a campaign ploy, just as Cornyn is -- Senator Cornyn, just kind of shows us the sign of the times of what happens in a Republican primary. So there's no concern on our part. Our lawyers tell us that they don't believe that this will be enforceable here in the state of Illinois. So again, it's just a bottle rocket being launched with nowhere to land.

WHITFIELD: And as you mentioned, Cornyn and Paxton are both competing against one another for the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. Both are also apparently vying for President Trump's endorsement. Do you see that that is what is factoring in here, regardless of the fact that even the governor is now saying that you all will possibly be fined $500 a day that you are not in Texas?

ROMERO JR.: Yeah, I mean, those are -- these are campaign ploys and Governor Abbott is responding. He knows that he's getting negative press on this. Nothing that he says is sticking. He's blamed it and sent out attack ads about us not giving him the power to do what's necessary for the families in Kirk County that unfortunately suffered so much loss of life included. Yet, he is not the Speaker of the House. He's not the Lieutenant Governor. He's the governor with a pen that could take executive action right now.

Ask Governor Abbott, why have you not taken action right now? He doesn't have an answer. Within the authority of the Texas legislature, we gave him appropriations to have dollars to spend and he hasn't done it. This is what's happening right now because of the coverage around the country and the world, people are paying attention to the kind of leadership we have. The man's got no grit. He has no pride. He has no honor to do what's necessary right now.

The bad press hurts, so he's doing whatever he can, along with Attorney General Paxton. And all of our unfortunately, proud state, the lone-star state doesn't have the leadership, the grit that it takes to be a real leader in Texas, and they're just following Trump's orders.

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It's unfortunate. But in 2026, I believe that independence around the state of Texas and the country are going to make those gentlemen pay.

WHITFIELD: And we're looking at live pictures of the State House there, where the House Speaker has just said that his expectation is that you, Democrats, will be back and there in the Chamber on Monday. And I also heard my producer but you are going to have to repeat that for me that some help (inaudible) also that BPS is being enlisted to help retrieve you.

ROMERO JR.: Yeah, we know and we've heard from some of our members and some of the top --

WHITFIELD: Border Patrol rather -- Border Patrol is being enlisted to help retrieve you.

ROMERO JR.: Well, that's interesting. The Border Patrol is going to find themselves around the country this way. It seems like it's no holds barred at this point from the Republican Party. Look, I mean, we've heard of some of the tactics that are being taken back in our home state, at our homes, looking over our fences, going to our doors, talking to our parents, harassing our loved ones. But, nothing -- we don't put anything past them.

Again, we knew that we were putting ourselves with a target on our backs, but it's a very small price to pay for our democracy. It's a small price to pay for the value of a vote. We know that this is a -- this would basically create a sham election with these heavily redistricted districts in Texas, especially for the Latino and people of color, all African Americans as well. Our votes matter. Our votes should be respected, not diluted by sending us and spreading us apart all over our great state of Texas. We're going to continue to fight.

I'm glad for every bit of coverage that we are getting and all the attention that this redistricting fight has gotten. Folks that didn't know what redistricting was have learned now because of the actions of Governor Abbott not having the will to say, no, I'm not going to find you five more seats, just as in Georgia, they said, no, I won't find you 11,000 more votes.

WHITFIELD: And the governor is also threatening, it could go from five to eight. And just a correction, I misheard what was being told with me in my ears. The Department of Public Safety, not Border Patrol, but Public Safety that may be enlisted to help retrieve you. What does that say to you about the lengths that are being taken to incentivize, retrieve, encourage Democrats to return to Texas?

ROMERO JR.: Yeah, it's a very strong form of encouragement. Unfortunately, they don't realize that our founding fathers, which they like to brag upon, put this into the Constitution to give us the right to break quorum. This is like a filibuster to stop all action, in this case, it's a 20-day filibuster. We know that this is what it's going to take to stop Texas from complying with the payback to Donald Trump. And at the same time, states that have the trifecta like California, New York, and New Jersey and others are paying attention.

And hopefully, they will continue to act, we are -- not continue to act, act aggressively to be in preparation. And as Governor Newsom said, he won't do it if Texas doesn't do it. If we end up completing our goal of killing this special session, and we -- there's a time period. Governor Abbot has had to seriously consider whether he should abandon this mission. And a lot of times, that's what you have to do, is abandon the mission for sake of the people that you love. And in this case, that's every Texan that deserves a voice and we hope that he takes that action.

WHITFIELD: And before I let you go, who is paying for all of you being elsewhere? Because we heard from the governor who said he would be pursuing potential bribery charges that you are accepting monies, without specification, to be in Illinois or anywhere else other than Texas during this period.

ROMERO JR.: Look, we have gotten an overwhelming support from all over the country, from my constituents who are calling and saying, how can I help? I don't believe that we are even very concerned with the money right now. But it's ironic that the governor who received almost $10 million to ensure that his Private School Voucher Program passed right before -- or the elect the cycle there, during the legislature, and Ken Paxton of all people, when he was under indictment -- pardon me, under scrutiny and being tried before the Senate, the Lieutenant Governor received $3 million. So, here we have Republicans receiving money for a direct action and yet, they're charging us or attempting to charge us with bribery. False claims, bottle rockets going nowhere.

WHITFIELD: Democratic Texas State Representative Ramon Romero Jr., thanks for your time.

ROMERO JR.: Thank you so much. WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, we're standing by to hear from President Trump this hour as he hosts two world leaders at the White House and could face questions on Israel's controversial new plan for Gaza.

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And new reporting just into CNN, the Trump Administration planning to send federal agents to interview unaccompanied migrant children. The warning from child advocates about this new tactic. And later, the Trump White House taking on another university, why it wants UCLA to pay $1 billion? That and much more, coming up on "CNN News Central."

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WHITFIELD: All right. Right now, Israel is ramping up military operations in Gaza. Explosions sending shockwaves through parts of the enclave, just hours after the Israeli Security Cabinet approved plans for the takeover of Gaza City. But despite this major escalation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is insisting he has no plans to fully occupy the whole territory. Sources tell CNN the initial phase of the plan would see Gaza City's entire population, about a million people, evacuated into other areas by October 7th.

At the same time, Israel would expand humanitarian relief efforts throughout the enclave while blocking aid in Gaza City as an incentive for residents to get out. These moves are facing mounting criticism both in Israel and internationally. Today, hostage families held a Shabbat dinner outside the home of Israel's defense minister in protest of the plans, while Germany announced that it will halt weapons exports to Israel for use in Gaza. CNN's Kristen Holmes is at the White House for us. So Kristen, tell us more. How are officials there responding to Israel's plans?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, in just a few moments, we're going to hear from President Trump and he's expected to be asked about this. But I do want to note, when this was just a proposal and reports of a proposal from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump was asked about it and he said that anything outside of humanitarian aid to Gaza was up to Israel, that these decisions would be made by Israel and they will do what they want to do.

So just to be clear, where they were standing on this issue. But Vice President J.D. Vance, he was asked about this when he was sitting down with the United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary. He said very distinctly, he repeated that the United States would not recognize a Palestinian State, it is notable given the fact that we have seen several declarations from France, Germany, and United Kingdom saying they would recognize a Palestinian State. But he also said this, talking about the goals of the United States in the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) J.D. VANCE, (R) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think the president obviously has been very clear about his goals, about what he wants to accomplish in the Middle East, and he's going to keep on doing that. The president, as you know, speaks to these issues commonly, I'm sure that he'll talk at some point to the media about his response to what's happened, or what was announced earlier today in Gaza. But our goals are very clear. We want to make it so that Hamas can't attack innocent people. We want to solve the humanitarian problems in Gaza.

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HOLMES: So those are the two goals there. And one thing to be clear, what we have seen for the last several months, when it comes to Israel and the United States, is that they've barely been working in lockstep. So even though we haven't heard from President Trump, we know that the prime minister of Israel has been running almost everything that he is doing by the White House, by various administration officials. So, they would clearly have known that this was coming, but we'll see how President Trump reacts in just the next few minutes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kristen Holmes, thank you so much. Brianna?

KEILAR: Let's talk about this now with former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Evelyn Farkas. She's also a former Senior Advisor to the Supreme Allied Commander of Europe. She's now Executive Director of the McCain Institute. Evelyn, as you're looking at this plan that's been approved in Israel, what's your biggest concern? And is it realistic, this plan?

EVELYN FARKAS, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, Brianna, my biggest concern, of course, is the human suffering that is going to be compounded by this because, as your colleagues have reported, about a million people are going to be displaced from Gaza City. And also, the fighting will be occurring in the place where we believe that the 20 living hostages are located.

So, a lot of potential suffering for innocent, you know, Palestinian people who are being -- going to be forced to move out of that area into other areas where there's no food and no shelter and pretty bad standard of living, if you will, if you can even call it that. And then at the same time, I think it will be quite dangerous for the hostages.

KEILAR: The IDF Chief of Staff warned the Security Cabinet of the danger of worsening the humanitarian crisis, which you bring up, the danger to the remaining hostages as you bring up, the international implications of an escalation of the war. He was brushed aside, bringing up those concerns that you note. What could that disagreement mean as the IDF prosecutes a war and the military, the soldiers are aware that their leadership is in disagreement with the orders that they're carrying out?

FARKAS: Right. Well, obviously it could be a real blow to morale. There is an open question, Brianna, about what will happen when the IDF goes to call up reservists because they will need to do so in order to execute these new orders. And if the fewer reservists are turning up, which apparently has been the case and morale is low, then obviously that has a real impact because it could cause the military mission to suffer greater losses.

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So the people, the military fighters, the soldiers to suffer greater losses if there's a problem with morale, with leadership, and with having the right number of soldiers to fight Hamas. So, I think the going against counter to the advice of his military is quite risky for the prime Minister.

KEILAR: There's significant international backlash. We should note Germany, that's very notable, halting exports of military equipment that could be used by Israel in Gaza. Does it make a difference to Netanyahu?

FARKAS: Well, it is notable as you said, Brianna, because Germany has been the one holding back the rest of the Europeans saying, we don't need to recognize the Palestinian State. We need to support Israel in the fight against Hamas. And so, the fact that the Germans are saying, whoa, whoa, whoa, this is too much, is significant. Does Netanyahu care? He's not demonstrating any interest whatsoever. I think he would care if the United States were to say, hey, we're going to halt our military assistance because we don't want to support this military strategy, these military operations. I think ultimately, we're the ones that matter the most when it comes to Netanyahu's calculus.

KEILAR: When you're looking at this public backlash inside of Israel, we should note, Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod is currently a hostage in Gaza, told the BBC about Netanyahu today. He said he prefers the hostages dead because it's going to make it easier for him. He said he's using the hostages issue to prolong the war, to prolong his position as a prime minister. That's a criticism that Netanyahu is also getting from former officials. Do you see evidence that Netanyahu is using the war to stay in power? And if so, what is the utility in not looking for a diplomatic off-ramp here?

FARKAS: Right. Well, look, you don't need to try to look into the brain of the prime minister to understand everything that he's done has kept the war going. That is the reality. He had many opportunities to get the hostages freed in exchange for more Hamas prisoners being released, and frankly, a peace deal that the Arab States are still ready to sign up to. So, he had many opportunities to end this war and to get the hostages home and he didn't take them. So clearly, he has been interested in extending the war.

He may have an idea that every last -- he's going to take out every last Hamas fighter, but anyone who knows anything about counter- terrorism and counter-insurgency knows that all of the death of the other Palestinians have resulted in new fighters. So ultimately, you need to offer the Palestinians hope, a new future, a state, and that's what's going to get the number of fighters to go down forever, if you will. So, I am afraid that there are political motivations here for the prime minister and he's clearly doing what his far-right wants, which is to continue the war, and sadly at a very high cost to the Palestinian people.

KEILAR: Yeah. Evelyn, thank you so much for your expertise. We appreciate it.

FARKAS: Thank you, Brianna.

KEILAR: Still to come, an exclusive CNN Report, federal law enforcement now planning to interview unaccompanied migrant children in custody at shelters across the country.

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