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One World with Zain Asher

Russia: Witkoff & Putin Meet for Three Hours; Trump: "Up to Israel" Whether to Occupy all of Gaza; VP Vance to Host Dinner to Discuss Epstein Strategy; Deadly, Fast Moving Fire Rips Through Southern France; 60th Anniversary of Voting Rights Act Comes at Troubled Time; Trump: FBI "May have to" Help Find, Arrest Texas Democrats. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired August 06, 2025 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: A constructive and useful meeting in Russia. "One World" starts right now. A high stakes meeting in Moscow ahead

of a sanction's deadline threatened by President Trump. What if anything was accomplished? Plus, firefighters in southern France battle a fast

moving and deadly wildfire.

We're live in Paris with the latest. And as the U.S. marks the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. All eyes are on Texas' redistricting

standoff. I'll speak to Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson. Hello, everyone, live from New York. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are

watching "One World".

The Kremlin is calling today's three-hour meeting with U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff, constructive and useful. That is, according to Russian state

media. Witkoff met earlier with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Here you can see the two of them shaking hands.

Sources say the Kremlin had requested today's meeting in a last-ditch effort to avoid threatened U.S. sanctions, Witkoff and Putin met back in

April, but the mood is much different now. That's mostly because Donald Trump's patience with Russia seems to be waning.

The U.S. President has given Russia until Friday to make progress towards peace in Ukraine or face new sanctions. And in just the past hour, Trump

has already taken action. The U.S. has added an additional 25 percent tariff on goods imported from India because the country buys Russian oil.

Our Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow and filed this report.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, right outside the Kremlin wall. Of course, what you see behind me is St. Basil's

church, and then the Kremlin walls behind me where that meeting took place and adjourned, I would say, about 45 minutes ago.

It was then seen that Steve Witkoff motorcade appeared to be leaving that area. It's unclear whether or not he's heading straight to the airport, but

normally, when he's on the ground here, he does tend to come in and come out very quickly. Now, we have had the Russians comment on this meeting.

Now it's quite interesting, because we really only have the readout from one side. And this comes in the form of a Senior Kremlin Aide named Yuri

Ushakov. And one of the interesting things that we've been seeing as Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin were saying their hellos and the meeting was

about to start, Yuri Ushakov was also in the room.

So, he's a very important negotiator for the Russians. He's also extremely close to Vladimir Putin, and he called the meeting useful and constructive.

He also said that the main topic was the conflict in Ukraine, and that the Russians had received signals from the Trump Administration, and had, in

turn sent back signals to the Trump Administration as far as Ukraine is concerned.

Now it's unclear whether or not the Russians are budging on any of the things that President Trump would like them to budge on. As far as the

conflict in Ukraine, conflict in Ukraine is concerned, whether or not a ceasefire could be any closer, or there could be some sort of other things

that the Russians are willing to do.

But certainly, there did seem to be a broader discussion on that. And of course, we know that the meeting was about three hours long, so there

certainly seemed to be a lot to talk about. On the other hand, though, one thing that we've seen from the Russians in these negotiations from the

past, and that we're seeing again now, is that the way they're trying to frame this is that Ukraine is only one of the topics that's being

discussed.

They also said that relations between the U.S. and Russia, economic relations, on a broader term, were discussed as well, and that's something

that's been very important to them, where they say, look, we're speaking about Ukraine, the conflict in Ukraine, but we're also speaking about a

major reset of U.S. Russian relations.

Now it's unclear what the U.S. says to all this. There's no U.S. readout for any of this, what was said in the meeting. But right now, the Russians

are saying that that was also an important topic that was broached as well. But again, whether President Trump still feels that way is unclear as of

course, he's been threatening those sanctions against Russia and possibly also tariffs against countries that are buying Russian oil and gas.

GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to Fred Pleitgen for that report. Let's get some perspective on U.S. Russia relations. We're joined by CNN Military Analyst,

Colonel Cedric Leighton. Cedric, it is good to see you. What do you make of the statement? Again, we're just getting the readout from the Kremlin that

these talks were constructive and useful.

It was a three-hour meeting between Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin, quite different, obviously, I would imagine in tone from the last one that they

had a few months ago. Given the change in language and rhetoric from President Trump himself. What if anything can come out of this?

COLONEL CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, quite a few things, Bianna, it's great to be with you again. So, when they use the term

constructive, that's usually a good sign. The Russians, you know, tend to look at this as, you know, basically a way in which they can influence

events.

[11:05:00]

That they can influence President Trump, for example, in terms of his reaction to Russia, and also, they plan to influence, of course, the

outcome of the Ukraine war. So, when it comes to those specifics, I don't think we will see anything that will say, OK, in this particular date,

you're going to have a ceasefire.

And these are the next steps that are involved with that. None of that, I think, was achieved. Although three hours is a substantial amount of time,

I don't think this one meeting was enough to, in essence, put those kinds of things out there for the U.S. and the Russians to agree on.

Of course, the Ukrainians have a say in this as well, and so I think the meeting probably paved the way for further discussions, but it probably is

not something where we can say these are the next concrete steps that will happen.

GOLODRYGA: How do we interpret some of the language coming out of again, this is just the Kremlin's readout. We don't have the White House's readout

yet, but that, in addition to the war in Ukraine, economic ties with the two countries were discussed as well as a sort of reset of U.S. Russia

relations, coupled.

At the same time with the President of the United States announcing additional tariffs against India at 50 percent now, these secondary tariffs

for purchasing Russian oil and gas. So, it seems like India is now on the receiving end of the punishment from President Trump, while at the same

time, you're hearing Witkoff and Putin talk about reestablishing some sort of economic relationship.

LEIGHTON: Yeah, it's, this is very interesting. So, I think there's kind of a dual track going on. On the one hand, the U.S. Administration is

pressuring countries that are the main trading partners of Russia, such as India in this particular case. But also, I think China may be taking note

of what's going on here.

But on the one hand, they're doing this because they know that the monies that India pays to Russia, are fueling the Ukraine war effort. So, there

is, in essence, this part of the -- stick approach would be the stick approach the next part, where they're talking about possibly extending or

enhancing the relationship, the economic relationship, between the United States and Russia.

That kind of speaks to a future. Now, when you look at that, it seems as if Russia is holding out the prospect of, in essence, being rewarded for

achieving some kind of a peace deal, or at least a ceasefire with the United States, and obviously, by extension, with Ukraine.

The problem with that is that a lot of what the Russians have done, of course, has violated all kinds of international norms, and that may very

well go unpunished if this path continues. But clearly, the Kremlin is pointing to a fairly constructive result from this, if you can call there

at least an intermediate step, and they're trying to put the best face on this as much as possible.

What it also, I think, means is that it's going to be a lot harder to get to some of the more concrete steps that other NATO nations, for example,

are envisioning, and it could very well complicate the whole idea of providing weapons to Ukraine through the mechanism that President Trump has

announced, which is basically the NATO nations pay for weapons that are going to Ukraine, and then their stockpiles are replenished by the U.S..

So, if there's some kind of a thaw in relations between the U.S. and Russia, that could mean that those kinds of arrangements are being called

into question.

GOLODRYGA: Right. And I believe there was just another announcement of a billion dollars' worth in U.S. military equipment, again, via the NATO

purchasing of these weapons, then providing them to Ukraine. Ukraine obviously can use as much military assistance, especially some of the

defensive weaponry that they need so desperately now get that the war is turning more and more into a war of attrition.

It appears on the battlefield, Colonel Cedric Leighton, standby. We'll have much more to discuss in just a moment, please. Meantime, the Health

Ministry in Gaza is reporting 138 people were killed in the past 24 hours. That is the highest death toll in weeks. This is Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu met with a small circle of advisers on Tuesday to discuss a possible takeover of Gaza.

Israel's security Cabinet will now meet Thursday to discuss these plans. The United Nations says any such move could risk catastrophic consequences

and further endanger the lives of hostages. Much of the territory has already been reduced to rubble, and Gaza's Health Ministry says five people

died of starvation in the past 24 hours.

The U.S. President weighed in on Tuesday, saying his focus is on humanitarian aid. Donald Trump says whatever happens next in Gaza is up to

Israel.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We are there now trying to get people fed. As you know, $60 million was given by the United

States fairly recently to supply food, and lot of food, frankly, for the people of Gaza that are obviously not doing too well with the food.

And I know Israel is going to help us with that, in terms of distribution and also money. We also have, the Arab states are going to help us with

that, in terms of the money and possibly distribution. So that's what I'm focused on. As far as the rest of it, I really can't say that's going to be

pretty much up to Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: CNN's Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman has reported extensively from Gaza for decades, since the October 7th attacks

by Hamas, the Israeli government has banned international media from the territory. Ben joins us now from Rome.

Ben, so the president saying this is up to Prime Minister Netanyahu, essentially, to decide what the next steps will be. The prime minister is

threatening to take control over the entire enclave. Not sure that has the support of the Israeli military right now, but seen by some as an

additional pressure point to put against Hamas.

What are we supposed to interpret from President Trump's words, though, that this is up to Prime Minister Netanyahu, when, of course, most people

know that if anybody can influence Netanyahu and what decisions come next in the war it is President Trump?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It certainly is. The United States has more leverage, Bianna, over Israel than any other

country, but it appears it's not going to be using at this time. Now, earlier this week, there were reports in the Israeli media that President

Trump had given the green light to Israel, to Prime Minister Netanyahu for this operation.

And that appears to be the case, and that is against some strong opposition from a variety of elements within Israel itself. We know that Eyal Zamir,

the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, is not enthusiastic about this idea, because the Israeli army is already severely exhausted from 22 months

of war.

The hostage families don't want it to go ahead because they fear, of course, that their loved ones, their lives will be endangered. And the

United Nations warns that there will be even more catastrophic consequences for the population of Gaza if this operation goes ahead.

And then there's the question, is, OK, you're going to reconquer all of Gaza? Does that mean Israel is going to reoccupy all of Gaza? That comes

with all sorts of legal and logistical complications that probably the certainly the Israeli army, doesn't want to have to deal with, let alone

others in that country.

So, it really the questions raised by the possibility of this military operation are huge, and of course, as I said, the United States is going to

bear the consequences if we see massive civilian casualties, as has been the rule in this war. The United States, of course, is the principal

provider of weapons and ammunition to Israel.

So even though President Trump wants to focus on the American efforts to provide food to the people of Gaza. It's not lost on the people of Gaza and

the wider sort of global community that the United States is enabling this war. And it's also worth pointing out that there is a system already in

place for the provision of food to the people in Gaza.

A system that's been in place for decades, and that's the United Nations, but Israel has decided not to allow that to happen. The U.N. says they have

6000 trucks ready to roll into Gaza right now on the -- in Egypt and in Israel, but Israel is not letting them in, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Ben Wedeman reporting for us. Thank you so much. Let's bring back CNN Military Analyst and Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel

Cedric Leighton. We've heard a number of positions and statements from President Trump over the last few weeks and months, at one point telling

Netanyahu to just finish the job, whatever that means now saying that what happens next in Gaza is ultimately up to Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Though the U.S. is now focused on supplying humanitarian aid and food to the enclave, when you hear Prime Minister Netanyahu say that the next

steps, unless Hamas surrenders fully and releases all of the hostages, would be complete control of the enclave.

Just talk to us about what that would look like from a military perspective, because I know there has been some hesitation from military

leaders inside the IDF to do just that this as the war is quickly approaching its second year.

[11:15:00]

LEIGHTON: Yeah, Bianna, that's exactly right. The military leaders in Israel are looking at several different factors. One of them is the

attrition of their forces. While they haven't clearly lost as many troops as Hamas has lost fighters, they are still feeling the brunt of this, and

you have not only the very visible wounds of war from a physical sense, and of course, the deaths of 400 plus Israeli soldiers.

But you also have hidden psychological effects that are quite pronounced where the Israeli army is actually looking at suicide prevention efforts,

wrapping those up. And so, this is going to get much worse if Netanyahu goes ahead with the idea of occupying all of Gaza.

So, from a military perspective, that would mean bringing forces into areas that the Israeli army has basically left more or less alone during this

period from October of 2023 to now.

So that could not only mean that they are going to find themselves in pitched battles with Hamas fighters on an individual basis, but those

pitched battles will happen much more frequently than they have up until this point, and the firefighting has been quite intense in certain phases

of this conflict.

So, you'll see a lot of close combat. Potentially, you'll see a lot of armored personnel carriers and tanks going into certain areas. The thing

that you also will see is basically what we would call restriking of a number of targets. And in essence, what we're talking about here is we see

these scenes of massive destruction in Gaza is the fact that Israel has basically run out of normal targets.

Yes, there are still underground areas where a mosque fighters congregate, where they exercise command and control over their forces, where they're

holding the hostages, of course, but those are the kinds of things that are going to be part of -- in Israeli effort in here.

And so, the type of urban combat that we saw in the earlier phases of this war will probably continue in some ways. They could potentially get even

more intense in certain localized areas, but we're also dealing with a society that is basically broken on the Gazan side.

And you also have a situation where a lot of the Hamas fighters that would normally be combating Israeli forces have been eliminated. Yes, there are

still thousands that are potential fighters, but their leadership has been decimated, and it is basically an Israeli effort.

If this comes to fruition, it will be an Israeli effort to totally eliminate Hamas, and that's going to be a very hard thing to do, because

the total elimination of an enemy is almost impossible in the strict sense of that term.

GOLODRYGA: Right. And we've been hearing that there's conflicting messaging coming from some of the Hamas leadership outside of Gaza in Doha, at times,

saying that they've agreed to a deal, only to learn that those in control on the ground in Gaza are against a deal right now, as far as what the

United States can do providing more humanitarian aid and food resources.

We saw that previous attempts by the Biden Administration appear that they had built was unsuccessful after spending millions of dollars there.

President Trump has already said the U.S. has committed $60 million and is quite frustrated that more aid hasn't been able to get through. What more

can the United States do logistically on that front?

LEIGHTON: Well, yeah, I think it's, you know, there's some lessons from history, Bianna, that we could look at, you know, in terms of how to

provide relief to a population like the population of Gaza. And some of those examples, of course, come from Gaza itself.

But I think one of the key things, whether you're looking at, let's say, what happened with the Berlin Airlift back in the late 1940s or you look at

something like Gaza, is the key thing is to have distribution handled on the ground. For the most part, you know, when it comes to historical

examples, the best thing that has happened is when the distribution is done directly with the people involved.

And there is a minimum of, you know, of an area where there is a possibility of theft, or, you know, of absconding with these types of

supplies. So, when it comes to Gaza, basically what you're looking at is the need to open up more land crossings, and, yes, obviously, to control

them, but to use mechanisms, as Ben was talking about with the U.N. which have been tried and true mechanisms for the most part, for decades now.

[11:20:00]

Now, of course, the Israelis will object, if you know, if the U.N. is back involved in this because of the allegations that Hamas has absconded with a

lot of the aid that has been supplied to Gaza civilian population. But other studies have indicated that amount is fairly small compared to the

actual amount that has been distributed to the people in need.

So, you kind of have to flood the zone with the foodstuffs that are needed to sustain this population. And the best way to do that is to really open

up those land borders. Get cooperation from Egypt and, of course, from Israel, to do this, but it will be essential if they're going to avoid a

major famine in Gaza at this point.

GOLODRYGA: No doubt. Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you so much for your time today with both really important stories that we're covering on an

international front. Now, as we mentioned earlier, Washington is escalating a trade battle with New Delhi. President Trump has just imposed an

additional 25 percent tariff on Indian goods as punishment for importing Russian oil.

This, according to a document posted on the White House website. President Trump has already placed a 25 percent tariff on Indian imports. CNN's Kevin

Liptak is at the White House. And Kevin, well, have things changed. The president has long touted his relationship with Prime Minister Modi, saying

the two are very close.

And now all of a sudden, we are seeing not 25 percent but 50 percent tariffs announced against the country, essentially for purchasing Russian

oil and gas. We do know that the back story also included some tense negotiations over a tariff deal. What more are we learning from the White

House as we are seeing India respond to this news as well?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, and there are really kind of two strains of events that have converged to bring these new

tariffs into effect. One is this very tense trade relationship that has evolved between the U.S. and India. American negotiators very frustrated

that India isn't opening up its market as part of these talks.

That's what led to those 25 percent reciprocal tariffs, which are set to take place overnight. The U.S., you know, really saying that India has

resisted all of their entreaties to try and broker a trade deal that they say will reduce the U.S. trade deficit with India. The other strain is

President Trump's increasing frustration with Vladimir Putin on the war in Russia.

And we've seen Steve Witkoff, the president's foreign envoy in Moscow today, meeting with Putin, trying to talk about a possible ceasefire and

peace agreement. And the president has threatened new sanctions on Russia if that doesn't come to pass, but also threatening these secondary

sanctions on countries that are purchasing Russian oil.

And so, you see these two events kinds of converging into what the president announced today, essentially a doubling of the tariffs on India.

Now he does allow for a little bit of a grace period these additional 25 percent tariff for punishment for the Russian oil purchases.

Those won't go into effect for 21 days, essentially allowing New Delhi time to come in and either reduce its purchases or try and negotiate some sort

of agreement that would allow those tariff rates to come down. But certainly, this is evident of a real bottoming out of the relationship

between the U.S. and India, which had seemed so strong for so long.

Now today, the Indian Foreign Ministry says that these new actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable. Also pointing out that there are a

number of other countries who are purchasing Russian oil, namely China, that the president has not applied these new sanctions on and saying that

it was extremely unfortunate and that they would take all necessary measures to protect their interests.

GOLODRYGA: All right, we'll be following this fast-developing story. Kevin Liptak, thank you so much. And still to come on "One World", the Trump

Administration tries to figure out what to do next about the uproar over the Epstein files. Details of a high-profile strategy session are coming

up.

And the lawmakers on the lam, what Republicans in Texas are doing as they try to force Democrats to return back to Texas so a redistricting vote can

move forward.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:25:00]

GOLODRYGA: Some of the most important voices in Donald Trump's inner circle are huddling this evening to talk about the story that just won't go away

the Epstein files. Sources tell CNN, that Vice President J.D. Vance will be hosting a dinner and high-level strategy session amid continuing calls for

the release of more information about Epstein and his associates.

One major topic of conversation is likely to be Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's recent meeting with Epstein's co-conspirator Ghislaine

Maxwell, and whether to release transcripts of that conversation. So, let's get to the White House and CNN's Alayna Treene.

Alayna, it wasn't so long ago where J.D. Vance was taking two podcasts saying that all the files should just be released. Now he's having a

strategy session on how to avoid this crisis from ballooning even more. What more are you learning about this dinner?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: So clearly you can see from the officials that are attending that, Bianna, I mean, you mentioned bit, but

the Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, Attorney General, Pam Bondi, FBI, Director, Kash Patel, the Deputy Journal, excuse me, the Deputy Attorney

General Todd Blanche himself, the one who, as you mentioned, was the one to interview Ghislaine Maxwell last month.

One that I'm told he did over two days and was over more than 10 hours of a conversation, all of them convening at the vice president's house. And it

comes as we also broke the news yesterday that there is now audio of that interview that Blanche did with Maxwell. I'm told that the Justice

Department has been going through it, transcribing it, digitizing it, redacting it.

And really the question now is if and when they are going to make those materials public. I talked to two senior Trump Administration officials who

told me that it could be as early as this week for us to see some of those materials released. So that's kind of the backdrop and context of what's

going on as they all convene this evening.

Now, in addition to having this kind of be, you know, talking about the administration's handling of the Epstein case overall, we are told it's

also meant to serve as a way for them to make sure they're providing a unified front on this messaging, something we've seen, you know, kind of be

a little bit rocky.

Particularly in the rollout of how all of this was handled from the get go, when the Justice Department had released that memo saying that Epstein, you

know, they believe that Epstein died by suicide and that there was no so- called client list. I mean, that's really what kicked off these weeks, over a month now, firestorm and backlash to their handling of this.

Now behind the scenes as well, and this is a bit separate from that dinner tonight. We know there are internal conversations happening here at the

White House about having Blanche also potentially do a hold a press conference or do a high-profile interview, potentially with Joe Rogan, of

course, the very popular podcaster who many people in the Trump world have been on as well.

But of course, I think all of this comes as we know, there have been kind of two camps inside the administration on how to deal with this. There have

been people who, at this point, believe that the stories largely die down. I mean, it's very far from kind of the fever pitch we saw last month when

we were getting more and more information on you knows what they were doing, or really lack thereof when it comes to Epstein.

[11:30:00]

But then there's people as well who believe they need to use this as an opportunity to take control of the narrative and really drive the

conversation. And so, all of that likely to come up when they convene at Vance's residence this evening.

GOLODRYGA: You'll be paying close attention to that and bringing us the latest highlights, hopefully tomorrow. Alayna Treene, thank you so much.

Well, now to the battle over congressional maps in Texas. Democratic lawmakers remain defiant after they fled the state in an effort to prevent

a vote on a Republican redistricting plan being pushed by President Trump.

Republicans have issued arrest warrants for the lawmakers, and the Texas Governor is asking the state Supreme Court to declare vacant the seat of a

key Democrat who left town.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): Another thing though, that Democrats don't seem to know, and that is taking or receiving a payment like they have to escape or

not take a vote, subjects them to forfeiture of their seat. That's going to be one of the legal grounds you're going to see asserted here immediately

to seek the vacation or elimination or abandonment of these House seats by the Democrats, so we will remove them from office and call for elections to

replace them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Donald Trump seems ready to inject the federal government into this fight saying that the FBI may have to help find and arrest those

Democratic lawmakers who left the state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you want the federal government and the FBI to help locate and arrest these Texas Democrats who have left the state?

TRUMP: Well, I think they've abandoned the state. Nobody's seen anything like it, even though they've done it twice before, and in a certain way, it

almost looks like they've abandoned the state. Looks very bad. Yeah, go ahead, please.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Should the FBI get involved?

TRUMP: Well, they may have to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: And we're going to have much more on this issue coming up in about 10 minutes time. I will be speaking about redistricting with a

Democrat who has served in Congress for almost two decades. Also ahead on the show, a deadly wildfire rips through Southern France, burning an area

larger than Paris. We'll have the latest on the battle to contain the flames and what's fueling this major disaster.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:35:00]

GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Bianna Golodryga, New York. Here some headlines we're watching today. The Kremlin calls today's meeting

between U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin, constructive and useful. That is, according to Russian state media.

The two met for three hours. Sources tell CNN, Russia requested the meeting to try and avoid punishing sanctions. A federal judge is hearing the case

to decide whether to grant a temporary restraining order to prevent the construction of a migrant detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz.

A group of environmentalists has requested that a judge block operation at the center over concerns about the impact on wildlife living there. Well,

more than 2000 firefighters are battling a wildfire that's racing through parts of Southern France. An elderly woman in this village was killed.

A regional official tells CNN Affiliate, BFMTV that the woman apparently did not want to leave her home. So far, the fire has burned an area bigger

than the size of Paris. About 9000 kilometers away, officials are working to contain the Gifford fire in California. That is the largest wildfire in

the state has seen this year.

It was only about 9 percent contained as of late Tuesday, evacuation orders were in effect for portions of two counties Tuesday, and it has impacted

air quality in parts of neighboring Nevada. We'll have more on what is fueling wildfires in the U.S. and Canada, in a moment with Derek Van Dam.

But first to Melissa bell in Paris on those massive wildfires in Southern France, tragically, we just reported about the death of one woman. What

more are we learning about these fires? How close are they to being contained?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Not close, for the time being, Bianna, what we've just seen is the French Prime Minister and

the French Interior Minister visit the scene of what is a remarkably fast spreading wildfire. Bear in mind that this fire only began on Tuesday

afternoon, and within 24 hours, had burned some 16,000 hectares.

Now we've just been hearing from the interior minister there that this is the largest numbers of hectares burned in a single wildfire in France since

1949 and this in the space of just 24 hours. And really what you've seen over the course of those hours are very high temperatures, strong winds and

low humidity levels.

And that, of course, fueling those flames, there has been that one death we've been hearing about several firefighters who have also been wounded in

the blaze. One of them had been in a critical condition. But for the time being, there is no sense that this fire is being brought under control.

Again, the speed with which it spread, the violence with which it spread, has authorities extremely worried. And what you've seen over the course of

the last few weeks here in Europe, remember the fastest warming continent, Bianna, in the world, global warming is happening faster here, twice as

quickly here, as it is elsewhere.

Over the course last few weeks, we've had very high temperatures, very dry conditions, and a number of wildfires already over the course of the year

in the European Union, we're at nearly 1500 since the start of the year. This is a much bigger number than we'd seen in previous years.

And just to give you an idea, what's burned so far in this latest wildfire in a region Corbieres just to the south of France, just above the border

with Spain. What's been burned so far, and there's no sense this is by any means over is double what burned in wildfires here in France last year.

GOLODRYGA: Unbelievable. We were just talking about the heat wave there in Spain as well. No reprieve really in sight for Europe thus far. Melissa

bell in Paris for us. Let's go to Derek Van Dam at the CNN Weather Center. And again, you're covering all of this.

We're talking about the extreme heat and these wildfires in Europe and France. And then also we are seeing that play out in California as well.

What are you looking at?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, 9000 kilometers away from the fires in France. We've got this Gifford fire in Southern California that's

causing havoc. But I want to show you this video because I find it fascinating. These are firefighters actively working to contain the blaze.

They've made some progress, but they're creating what is known as a fire break. This is a purposefully kind of almost a broken area of vegetation,

the dry vegetation that burns within these wildfires to help stop or slow the spread of a fast-moving wildfire. They've made some progress.

That's good news. But unfortunately, the Gifford fire now is the largest wildfire in California so far this year, and conditions there on the

ground, in terms of the weather, are going to get more challenging as the hours and days go on this week. So let me just catch you up to speed.

[11:40:00]

Here's Southern California, here's Los Angeles, here's Santa Maria. We've got nearly 84,000 acres burned, but that 9 percent containment has gone up.

But when we talk about worsening weather conditions, the fire weather conditions, we talk about relative humidity, how much water moisture is in

the atmosphere.

We talk about temperatures, unfortunately, they're going to go up. And then we've got the background environmental conditions, how much rain has fallen

here in the past months, years, and unfortunately, we're under a moderate to severe drought across Southern California.

So, here's the relative humidity values, dropping into the middle teens, single digits at times. We don't want that. We need that to be in the upper

80s into the 90s to show kind of a wetter environment. But unfortunately, that's just not the case. Of course, the winds fueling flames as well,

creating additional spot fires in and around the Gifford fire, so that has allowed for the evacuation area to expand in size.

They're particularly concerned at the moment with this northern flank of the Gifford fire. So, this area here you see in the orange, that's the

burned acreage, the 84,000 acres we talked about a moment ago. Regarding the winds, that's all going to fuel the flames and create those additional

spot fires, and then we've got the plumes of smoke emanating into the atmosphere as well.

And get these 400 kilometers away in Las Vegas. You've probably heard about it. The strip looked like this from the wildfires 400 kilometers to its

west, from the Gifford fire. So, degrading the quality of the air for millions across the southwestern portions of the U.S., including Los

Angeles as well, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Derek Van Dam with the CNN Weather Center for us, thank you. Coming up for us, we'll take a closer look at the battle for U.S.

congressional districts and the legislation that's at the heart of it, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Well, today is an important anniversary in U.S. history. It was exactly 60 years ago today, on August 6, 1965, that President Lyndon

Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. Historic piece of legislation that prohibited racial discrimination in voting. Since then, it has become a

central piece of the battle over how congressional districts are drawn.

But the U.S. Supreme Court is considering hearing a couple of cases that could severely weaken the Voting Rights Act, including one that would make

it impossible for individual voters to claim racial bias, leaving that decision only to the federal government.

[11:45:00]

Of course, all this comes as the battle over congressional districts has been thrust into the spotlight in Texas, that's where Democratic lawmakers

have fled the state in an effort to stop Republicans from redrawing congressional maps and eliminating some Democratic seats.

Texas Republicans are issuing arrest warrants and turning to the courts in an effort to get the Democrats to either come back or be removed from

office. Democrats say they will not back down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. GENE WU (D-TX): This is just purely insanity. First of all, this is not my seat, and it sure as hell not Governor Abbott's seat. This seat

belongs to the people of the state of Texas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Congressional districts are redrawn once every 10 years after a census of the American population that is mandated by the Constitution, but

states are supposed to redraw the districts to reflect changes to the various Democrat demographic groups. But sometimes the districts are drawn

unfairly.

Over the decades, there have been many battles over what's known as Gerrymandering, drawing a congressional district to benefit one group or to

reduce the representation of another. Well, now we're in another battle in the state of Texas, and despite being five years from the next census,

Texas Republicans are hunting for more seats, and they're hoping to get them by redrawing the congressional map in their favor.

Joining me now is Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson a member of the House Judiciary Committee. Congressman, thank you so much for joining us. So, the

Texas Democrats, as you know, have fled the states in what they say is an unfair and unconstitutional move by Republicans there.

And now the showdown is spurring into maneuvering similar actions in democratic states like California, like Missouri, are we entering an era of

tit for tat now? And is this something that you would support at this point for the Democratic Party to do?

REP. HANK JOHNSON (D-GA): Yeah, it's unfortunate that Republicans have us on a trajectory to the bottom when it comes to reapportionment and

redistricting and political gerrymandering. And so, there's no way that Democrats can sit back and allow this to happen when our only response is

to engage in this battle to the bottom.

So democratic states are going to have to up their game and redistrict in order to meet this challenge that is really trying to deprive people of

their fundamental right to vote. We have no choice but to fight fire with fire.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and it is something that Democrats in top positions going back to the Obama Administration. I'm thinking of Eric Holder, strongly

opposed to. And also now, unfortunately, according to his own words, he says this is something the Democrats should be doing as well, sort of

reversing course on his views.

What are you hearing from your constituents, from your democratic constituents, is that what they are wanting the party to do?

JOHNSON: Well, there's no doubt that my constituents want to see Democrats fight vigorously against all of the chaos, cruelty and corruption of the

Trump Administration and its acolytes like Greg Abbott and others down in the Texas MAGA Republican Party who are trying to abuse this system in

order to maximize their own power at a time that they know that the American people are not in favor of what they have done.

This big, beautiful bill is opposed by 60 percent of Americans, and as we approach the midterm elections, Donald Trump and his MAGA minions like Greg

Abbott are trying to stack the deck to make sure that they can elect more Republicans. And that's why Texas is doing what it's doing, and that is

exactly why Democrats in states across the country must match what Republicans are doing,

So that we can preserve and protect this ability of the American people to choose their representatives, not for the politicians to choose who they

want to vote for them.

GOLODRYGA: Well as we heard, Governor Abbott is threatening lawsuits now against these democratic members that have left the state. President Trump

has called them cowards and said the FBI may have to arrest some of them. What are the democratic implications if, in fact, we do see the FBI and the

Justice Department now intervene in what is a state specific issue?

JOHNSON: Yeah, well, it's no doubt that under Donald Trump, we're seeing more militarism throughout the country.

[11:50:00]

And the same thing is coming to Texas Governor Greg Abbott is really trying to turn Texas into a police state, threatening to enforce laws against

legislators that don't even exist, that are not even on the books, and threatening to yank them out of office. And I guess he would put his own

folks in there, if he were so bold.

And I'm not sure that he will not be bold enough to try to insert his people over the democratically elected representatives who've chosen to

flee Texas to deprive the Texas MAGA legislature of the quorum that it needs, that it would use to cut the throats of Democrats.

So, we're not going to be complicit in our own destruction. I support what those Democratic legislators in Texas have done, and that is to leave the

state. They're not cowards. They are very courageous, and they are making a tremendous sacrifice for the greater good.

GOLODRYGA: Congressman, this battle is unfolding as we mark the 60-year anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. How do you see the connection between

what is going on in Texas right now and the larger national erosion of voting rights that so many are sounding the alarm about?

JOHNSON: Yeah, unfortunately, we have a United States Supreme Court which appears to be hell bent on gutting the remainder of the Voting Rights Act.

They've already neutered section five of the Voting Rights Act, and now they're going after section two to make it impossible for individuals to

protect their rights, and putting that into the palm of the hand of a politicized Justice Department to file suit on behalf of those who would

contend that their voting rights have been violated, and so that would turn precedent on its head.

The U.S. Supreme Court appears willing to do that. And MAGA Republicans want to see it done because they know that it benefits them. They know that

right thinking people in this country deserve a right to choose between parties where the deck is not stacked. They need fair districting.

And so, the way to get that done, by the way, is to come up with a redistricting commission that is nonpartisan. And I think that's something

that Eric Holder has been promoting, and I think he's still in favor of that, although he acknowledges that in the present climate, we have no

choice but to attack these what the state of Texas is doing in other states that are democratically controlled.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson will have to leave it there. Thank you so much. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:55:00]

GOLODRYGA: We have breaking news out of Georgia. Fort Stewart army base is under lockdown because of an active shooter reported there. That's

according to police. The situation is ongoing. Fort Stewart is about 40 miles southwest of Savannah, Georgia.

We will have much more on this story as we get more information in. And do stay with CNN, I'll have more "One World" after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:00]

END