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Early Start with Rahel Solomon
Trump's Warning to BRICS Countries; Surviving the Deadly Floods; At Least 82 Dead in Texas Flooding; Erin Patterson Guilty in "Mushroom Murder" Trial. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired July 07, 2025 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00]
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Any evacuations should have come earlier. Now, Texas officials have said this happened so rapidly overnight, there was not more that could have been done. And President Trump for his part says he does not believe the cuts to the National Weather Service played any role. But of course, we are continuing to press for answers.
Pamela Brown, CNN, Hunt, Texas.
MJ LEE, CNN ANCHOR: World Leaders gather in Brazil. And Donald Trump is warning, anyone that tries to align with that group will face additional tariffs. Details ahead on CNN.
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[05:35:00]
LEE: After a 90-day pause on his reciprocal tariff, Donald Trump says his administration will begin sending out letters later today to all U.S. trading partners without a deal in place. Trump says the take it or leave it letters will detail the tariff rates that countries will have to pay for goods exported to the U.S. starting at the beginning of August. The U.S. treasury secretary told CNN's Dana Bash he thinks countries will be anxious to make new deals.
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SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: We are going to be very busy over the next 72 hours. We are going to -- President Trump's going to be sending letters to some of our trading partners saying that, if you don't move things along, then on August 1st you will boomerang back to your April 2nd tariff level. So, I think we're going to see a lot of deals very quickly. And you know, Dana, we're going to send out probably a hundred letters to small countries where we don't have very much trade. And most of those are already at the baseline 10 percent.
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LEE: If countries fail to make a deal, they could face an additional 50 percent tariff rate on goods that they export to the U.S. A summit of world leaders in Brazil is prompting a new tariff threat from the White House. The BRICS Coalition includes nations that have been critical of the United States. BRICS leaders are wrapping up a weekend meeting in Rio de Janeiro, which prompted Trump to post a warning on social media saying, any country aligning themselves with the anti-American policies of BRICS will be charged an additional 10 percent tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy.
And Marc Stewart joins us now from Beijing. Marc, how was that threat from President Trump received at the summit?
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, MJ. Good to see you. Well, look, I don't think it was that much of a surprise in the sense that many of these nations collectively have been very critical of the United States. They have been trying to almost create a new world order of their own that doesn't necessarily align with the United States and some of the values there.
Let's go to President Trump's posting on Truth Social which we saw early in the day here in Beijing at least. He says that, any country aligning themselves with the anti-American policies of BRICS will be charged an additional 10 percent tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Let's look at the different nations that are involved with BRICS. We have Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. But it's also recently been expanded to include Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran nations, which have had many different issues with the United States politically, militarily, but also economically, and that's prompting this discussion.
Now, before this whole meeting wrapped up in Brazil, we did get some response to the current atmosphere as a whole, you could say, from these BRICS nations. Let me read to you part of that statement saying that they have serious concerns about the rise of unilateral and non- tariff measures. So, you could conclude that's directed toward the Trump administration and some of its tariff policies.
MJ, you did mention the timing of all of this. This is occurring as the White House is prepared to send letters to dozens and dozens of nations around the world, saying that if you do not engage in trade deals, some of the hefty tariffs that you've seen from the past could be put back into place. This certainly adds another element, perhaps another element -- another factor of complication into this broader discussion. MJ.
LEE: There could be a lot of news on this front in the coming days. Marc Stewart in Beijing, thank you so much. Trump's tariffs are likely to be a huge focus for the business world this week, but they aren't the only thing to set to make headlines. Anna Stewart runs it down for us.
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ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tariffs will be the key focus for markets this week. The deadline to get a deal before President Trump's 90-day pause expires is tomorrow. Those countries lacking a deal could have new tariff rates announced on Wednesday. The bond markets will be closely watched after a yippy reaction, to use the president's words, partly influenced his initial pause. There will be a U.S. 10-year bond auction on Wednesday, and that's followed by a 30-year auction on Thursday. So, those are key ones to watch.
And actually, while we're on it, another significant auction happening this Thursday, coinciding with a Paris Haute Couture fashion week. The original Jane Birken bag is expected to sell for an eye watering sum. Out of the reach of us mere mortals, but perhaps not those gathering in Sun Valley, Idaho this week.
[05:40:00]
Alan and cohost the annual conference dubbed summer camp for billionaires from Tuesday, a top-secret deal making event that's become a must attend for tech titans. For those on the more bargain end of the shopping spectrum, this year's Amazon Prime Day may be a little different. It's going to be the longest ever running from Tuesday until Friday. The e-commerce giant is emphasizing its use of artificial intelligence, specifically touting A.I. shopping Assistant Rufus, which will recommend products and deals based on user interests. Enjoy.
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LEE: Central Texas braces for the risk of more flash flooding, and survivors and residents are sharing their harrowing brushes with disaster. Stay with us.
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[05:45:00]
LEE: Welcome back. I'm MJ Lee. Here are some of the stories we are watching today. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in the U.S. He is scheduled to meet with President Trump to discuss a Gaza ceasefire agreement. A source tells CNN that this comes as indirect talks have resumed between Israeli and Hamas negotiators in Qatar on Sunday.
Donald Trump says his take it or leave it tariff letters will start to go out later today to all U.S. trade partners that don't have a deal in place. The administration's 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs expires on Wednesday. In April, Trump announced a base 10 percent tariff rate with some countries paying an additional 50 percent for those goods they export to the U.S.
Parts of Texas are facing the threat of more flash flooding after at least 82 people were killed over the holiday weekend. Heavy rainfall in some of the most devastated areas is making water levels rise again. Officials say hundreds of local, state, and national first responders have now joined the search and rescue operations. CNN's Ed Lavandera filed this report on Sunday from Comfort, Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: While the death toll from the flooding continues to go up dramatically, there are still a number of people missing. And because of that, we're seeing large numbers of volunteers fanning out across the Guadalupe River from Camp Mystic all the way downstream to where we are here in the town of Comfort Texas, some 36 miles away from Camp Mystic.
And up and down the river, we've seen groups of people coming out trying to help the search and rescue teams bring those answers and the closure to so many families that are still awaiting news about their loved ones. But this is what they're up against. Look. This is all of the debris just in one little spot. They got washed up here along this bridge that crosses over the river.
But you look at the denseness and the thickness of all of this debris, and it just makes you realize how difficult this search operation is. You know, cutting through all of this and trying to find a possible victim in this kind of scene is just in incredibly difficult, incredibly taxing. But we've seen all that. And a lot of that was brought to a halt here today because there had been some concerns that there was more flash flooding along -- coming. There's alerts when causing evacuations of the area. And so, that was -- caused a lot of concern. And because of that, we saw the teams of volunteers here being told to kind of evacuate these areas.
So, those search and rescue operations and the volunteer efforts kind of came to a halt because of that. And we presume that it will continue because there are still several days out from this tragedy. Still many families looking for answers. Some still holding on to hope that maybe someone could be rescued alive, but with every passing hour they know full well that that is a very -- it's very unlikely scenario to unfold here as difficult as that is to say right now.
Ed Lavender, CNN, Comfort, Texas.
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LEE: Local eyewitnesses are continuing to document this devastation on the ground. This dramatic moment you're seeing was captured by a resident in Center Point, Texas showing a house completely swept away by the Guadalupe River. Floodwaters overtook the town in less than an hour on Friday. With downed trees and debris threatening roadways, local authorities are urging the community to exercise caution while traveling.
And while Central Texas is reeling in the aftermath of the deadly flood, stories of devastation and terror are emerging as survivors describe the horrors that they witnessed.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Disaster. It was horrible. I've been through a lot, but I haven't seen anything like that in my life. It's pretty bad. Just demolished. Yes. The whole town is demolished.
SCOTT WALDEN, FLOOD SURVIVOR: I grabbed my wife and we literally jumped in the water and it swept us down to about 200 feet down that way. And there was a creek myrtle tree that we grabbed hold of and we waited for rescue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, no, granny. I can't get anymore. Oh, my God.
TONIA FUCCI, FLOOD SURVIVOR: No warnings at all. They came hours later, which was the most devastating part. We got the warnings on our phones hours later. Hours later. The destruction had already been done before the warnings came out.
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It was just something so serious happening. And the swiftness of the water, it wasn't slow and it wasn't slowing. It wasn't slowing. Debris and furniture and RVs were coming down the river.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am devastated by what's happened to these families, to this town, but I'm also joyful to see the efforts that the community is all pitching in.
MACON WARE, RESIDENT: A week ago, I had five granddaughters in Camp Mystic and they finished their first session and they're home now, but some of their friends were there for the second session and I just -- my heart goes out to all those little girls.
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LEE: A security guard at Camp Mystic is being hailed as a hero for saving the lives of campers. In a statement, the Night Watchman Glenn Juenke said, quote, "I witness firsthand the courage and faith that your daughters displayed during some of the most terrifying moments of their young lives. Each of those sweet girls was cold, wet, and frightened, but they were also incredibly brave. They trusted me and we leaned on each other through a long harrowing night together inside their cabin." Juenke served as the night guard at the camp for the past four summers. He said he put the girls on mattresses to help them ride out the flood water safely.
And if you would like to help those affected by the flooding in Texas, please go to cnn.com/impact. There you can find resources for donations and you'll be connected to charities that are on the ground there right now.
And still to come, after a 10-week trial and six days of deliberations, a verdict has been reached in the so-called mushroom murder case in Australia. The very latest in a live report, next.
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[05:55:00]
LEE: We are following new developments in Australia where the jury in the mushroom murder trial has delivered its verdict finding Erin Patterson guilty on all counts. The 50-year-old was charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after feeding her in-laws a beef Wellington lunch made with poisonous death cap mushrooms two years ago.
CNN's Ivan Watson has the latest on this from Hong Kong. Ivan, some of the details from this trial are just so remarkable. What's been the reaction to the guilty verdict?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. The details are remarkable and that's why the attention on this case in a small corner of Australia has been so huge. The subject of at least four podcasts, for example, and it all revolves around a lunch that Erin Patterson hosted nearly two years ago in the small town of Leongatha. She invited her estranged husband and four of her in-laws, her mother and father-in-law and their relatives to this lunch.
The estranged husband did not attend the others did come. And they were served beef Wellington. In the days that followed, three of them died and a fourth barely survived of poisoning. It was agreed upon in the court ahead of time that it was death cap mushrooms mixed in with the beef Wellington that poisoned everybody.
What the jury had to decide was whether or not this was an intended murder. And they ruled unanimously yes, that this was a planned murder, even though Erin Patterson pled not guilty and her attorney said this was all a tragic accident. The prosecution argued that Patterson -- she fabricated an excuse for the lunch claiming that she was suffering from cancer, which was not true, that she poisoned the meal, that she pretended herself to get poisoned. And then, that she tried to cover up what happened by, for instance, after her cell phone had been taken away by police, remotely wiping it multiple times by lying to police, which she admitted to, though she said she was panicked at the time by disposing of a dehydrator, which had been used to dehydrate the deadly mushrooms. The dehydrator also had her fingerprints on it as well.
And there were cell phone evidence that showed that she was in the area of places that were known to be growing death cap mushrooms. This deadly mushroom. She had a hobby of picking mushrooms in the wild. So, all of this must have contributed to what was a unanimous decision after a nine-week trial that was followed closely in Australia and six days of jury deliberations. Patterson, she now has 28 days to appeal. She is likely to spend -- she's likely to spend decades behind bars. MJ.
LEE: So many dramatic details there. Ivan Watson in Hong Kong, thank you. And three people have been arrested in Pakistan after a pet Lion escaped a farmhouse and entered the city of Lahore. You'll see it there in the upper left corner of your screen scaling a concrete wall before jumping into the alleyway below. While on the loose, the lion attacked a woman and two children sending them to the hospital. Law enforcement has since recaptured the animal and turned it over to wildlife authorities. According to local media, the lion's owner will be prosecuted under the Wild Life Act. It's being reported that he did not have a license to keep the lion and could face up to seven years in prison if convicted.
Thank you so much for joining us here on "Early Start." I'm MJ Lee in Washington "CNN This Morning" starts right now. [06:00:00]
