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One World with Zain Asher

Israeli Opposition Leader: Full Conquest of Gaza a "Bad Idea"; Trump: China Could Face Higher Tariffs for Buying Russian Oil; Higher Tariffs Now in Effect for U.S. Trading Partners; Nearly 2,000 Firefighters Battle Huge, Fast-Moving Blaze; What Arizona Thinks about Trump's Presidency So Far; Estonian Theatre Co Puts New Spin on "Romeo & Juliet". Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired August 07, 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)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with his security cabinet this hour. "One World"

starts right now. Netanyahu is expected to urge cabinet members to support a full conquest of Gaza. We are live in Jerusalem with the latest.

Plus, after months of fumbles, threats and extensions, the Trump Administration's historic tariffs have now kicked in for America's trading

partners right around the world. And President Trump was able to get his big, beautiful bill over the finish line, but now he has to sell it to

voters.

We'll look at how it's playing out in one key battleground state. Live from New York. I'm Paula Newton, and this is "One World". Any minute now, we

expect the Israeli Prime Minister to present his plan for a major military escalation in Gaza. He will present that plan to his security cabinet.

Now, Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to push for a quote full conquest of Gaza. An Israeli official with knowledge of the proposal said the plan

would temporarily displace a million Palestinians in Gaza. Just to be clear, that's about half of the population left in Gaza.

The people there are already enduring a starvation crisis. Sources say Netanyahu's military chief is warning against an escalation, saying it

would trap Israel's forces and put the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza at risk. The families of those hostages, meantime, launched a

flotilla, you see it there, and sailed close to Gaza calling for a deal to bring their loved one's home.

CNN's Jerusalem Bureau Chief Oren Liebermann, starts us off now. Oren, good to see you. Given most Israelis do seem opposed to this. The IDF, as we

just explained, already expressing apprehension. Why is the prime minister insisting here and pushing forward?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Paula, there's the stated reasons, and then we'll get to the political reasons in just a

second. Israel's position, that is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's position is that extend an expanded military operation in Gaza, an

escalation of this sort, could get Israel closer to the defeat of Hamas.

That's one of his maximalist war goals. Could lead to the circumstances in which Israel could free hostages and could effectively lead to what he sees

as his goals for an end to the war. The problem is, Israel has repeatedly said military pressure on Hamas will lead to their being more willing to

negotiate.

In fact, I think you can say we have seen scant evidence of that. Israel, according to the military now controls approximately 75 percent of Gaza.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed. There's a humanitarian and starvation crisis

there, and yet Hamas has only hardened its position.

So that is the situation in which Israel is ready, perhaps potentially, to expand its military operation, despite warnings from many other countries.

Even so, it seems President Donald Trump has given Netanyahu the green light to pretty much do whatever he wants, even as he says, the U.S. plans

to up its humanitarian aid efforts.

Then, of course, there are the political reasons here, an expansion of the war, broadening the campaign against Gaza, the besieged territory. There is

something the far-right ministers in Netanyahu's government have been calling on for some time. So, this, from Netanyahu's political perspective,

holds his government together for longer here.

NEWTON: Yeah, and it is a gamble that has worked for the prime minister in the past. And as you know, there isn't even a speed bump here from the

Trump Administration in terms of him going forward, at least not so far. So, then we turn to, you know, what this operation could mean, you know, in

Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is already dire.

LIEBERMANN: So that's a question of what is approved. It's worth noting that this meeting is set to start in about 25 minutes or so, and it's

scheduled for five hours. It could go longer than that, and there might not necessarily be a vote, but what they're looking at is a phased military

operation that would focus on Gaza City and some of the other populated areas there.

The question how far to go? Is it laying siege from the outside? Is it a much more intrusive approach? One Israeli officials tell us, Netanyahu

favors going into these populated areas. This is exactly what the IDF military chief has warned would be a trap for the military, endangering

soldiers' lives, as well as endangering the hostages who are believed to be held there.

And that's not to say anything for the humanitarian crisis that is almost certain to worsen. Should Israel go ahead with this military operation?

[11:05:00]

Crucially, Paula, it looks like if Netanyahu wants to push this forward. He has the votes he needs to make it happen in the security cabinet.

NEWTON: Yeah, that is the crucial point, isn't it? Now, Oren Liebermann, you'll be watching this cabinet meeting for us, and we'll continue to touch

base with you. Appreciate it. Now, several countries are continuing to air drop that humanitarian aid over Gaza, even as Gaza's Health Ministry is

calling on nations to halt the practice, saying it's often deadly, expensive and inefficient.

Officials want more land crossings to be opened instead. CNN's Matthew Chance, in fact, traveled on a Jordanian air force flight that air dropped

aid and got an up-close look at what exactly is involved. Take a look.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: You've got these big transport aircraft behind me. These are from the Jordanian air force.

But there are other countries as well, like Germany and Belgium and United Arab Emirates and France and Britain.

They're all sort of taking part in this international humanitarian effort to drop aid in Gaza, and they're loaded up with pallets in the back cargo

space. You then take off from this airport in a man which is in Jordan head over towards the Gaza Strip the back opens up, and then the aid pallets,

they parachute off into the waiting crowds below.

And you can see on the tail fin of this aircraft. There is a very idealistic scene painted of a Jordanian transporter. Actually, one of the

Jordanian transporters dropping humanitarian aid into Gaza, and people are gratefully receiving it. The reality is much more chaotic, much more

violent.

Remember, there's an intense humanitarian starvation crisis underway in Gaza. And so, people are absolutely desperate for any kind of food that

they can get. And so, these aid drops result in chaos on the ground, people scrambling violence. There have been multiple stabbings of people as they

try to get their hands on the aid packages.

Also, people have been killed by the aid pallets actually hitting them on the head as they drop down. And so, look, this is a far from perfect means

of delivering humanitarian assistance into that crisis zone. But having said that, there is intense starvation that's gathering pace in the Gaza

Strip.

And so today, for instance, we delivered 6.5 tons of powdered milk and tinned food to Gaza from the back of one of these Jordanian transport,

military transport planes. It's not much. It's nowhere near enough to tackle the hunger problems in Gaza, but it's better than nothing. And for

some people in the Gaza Strip, it may make the difference between life and death.

NEWTON: Now, in the coming days, the leaders of the U.S. and Russia could be sitting face to face with the future of Ukraine hanging in the balance.

President Putin confirmed today that a meeting with Donald Trump will likely take place next week, and he said one suitable location might be the

United Arab Emirates, not for his part.

Trump says there's a quote, good chance the meeting will take place soon. His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has proposed a trilateral meeting with

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Putin says he has nothing against that, but adds certain conditions must be met first.

Zelenskyy says Russia may finally be more inclined toward a ceasefire, but he says the main thing is that Russia does not deceive the U.S. and

Ukraine. Meantime, President Trump's Friday's ceasefire deadline is still in place. He has threatened additional secondary sanctions on countries

that buy Russian oil if Putin does not reach a peace agreement by tomorrow.

Fred Pleitgen now joins us from Moscow with the details. Fred, good to see you back in Moscow, in fact. Can you bring us right up to date on the

status of this meeting? And you know what is this talk of preconditions, exactly?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, preconditions, the Russians are saying that they were made an offer, as the

senior Kremlin aid Yuri Ushakov said that they were made an offer by the United States and one that they found acceptable. So, the Russians are

saying that the preconditions for talks between President Trump and President Vladimir Putin have been met.

And they believe that the two sides could possibly at least move forward to a certain degree. I'm not sure whether they believe that actually, the

crisis in Ukraine can be solved in one meeting, but certainly it seems as though the Russians believe that the time for talk right now is ripe, and

it is a good time for those two leaders to meet.

Now, one of the interesting things, Paula, that we picked up on today is that Yuri Ushakov That senior Kremlin aid also came up and told a Russian

reporter that the Russians had essentially not changed their stance as far as the conflict in Ukraine is concerned. And of course, we know that stance

is very hard line.

They want Ukraine to cede territory. They want Ukraine to not become a member of NATO, and they essentially want Ukraine to all but disarm all

things that the Ukrainians have said are nonstarters for them. So certainly, it seems as though those talks are going to be very difficult

moving forward, also because of the Trump Administration, which says they want a ceasefire as fast as possible.

[11:10:00]

Now, as far as that possible trilateral meeting that you were talking about, and that the Trump Administration has been talking about, is

concerned. The Russians said that that idea was floated by Steve Witkoff, by the president's envoy, and that they did not respond to that idea.

And as you mentioned, Vladimir Putin also came out earlier today and said, in general, he's not against a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the

President of Ukraine. However, there are very tough preconditions. Let's listen in to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: I have already said many times that I generally have nothing against this possibility, but certain conditions

must be met for this. But unfortunately, we are still far from creating such conditions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: Still far from creating such conditions, the words of the Russian President. So certainly, that trilateral meeting seems to be something that

you know still very much in the making. However, the Russians are saying they are working hard, and that work is very much underway to getting that

summit between President Trump and Vladimir Putin going probably as early as next week.

Of course, the two sides have said that a venue has been agreed upon, but has not officially yet been announced, Paula.

NEWTON: Yeah, Fred, it is a commuter hour there in Moscow, as we can see behind you. I am wondering, how is this being received in Russia?

PLEITGEN: Yeah, it's a very good question, because we are, of course, here one of the busiest or pedestrian streets here in Moscow Stary Arbat, with a

lot of people who are coming around here. We've actually spoken to some of the people as how they see the summit that's going to take place, and a lot

of them said they do have pretty high hopes in it.

There's a lot of folks that we've been speaking to who say that, first of all, of course, they want the conflict in Ukraine to end, but they also say

that they really want relations between the U.S. and Russia to go back to, as they say, what they were before, something like 10 years ago, when there

were still American products on the shelves here, when you could pretty easily travel to America, where electronic payments were more doable, or

were fairly easy here, from the Russian Federation with Western countries.

So those are all things where people are saying they are longing for that, and they certainly hope that the summit between President Trump and

President Putin can be successful. At the same time, of course, a lot of people here also very cautious, because they do know that there are still

so many hurdles to be overcome.

And of course, as you mentioned, also those secondary sanctions by the Trump Administration just recently put into place, Paula.

NEWTON: Yeah, given the fact they want sanctions lifted, as you just said, we're actually waiting to see in the next 24 hours, if those secondary

sanctions come into place. Fred Pleitgen on Stary Arbat. Thanks so much. Appreciate it. Now up next on "One World", Donald Trump's tariffs have

arrived, what it means for the global economy.

We'll have that when we come back. Plus, U.S. Vice President enters the fight to redraw the map, the role J.D. Vance is playing in the president's

push to keep Republicans in control of Congress.

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[11:15:00]

NEWTON: Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs went into effect 11 hours ago at the stroke of midnight in Washington, upending decades of trade policy.

Now, Trump has been talking about these tariffs for months now, and they are finally here. Trump says they have already raised $100 billion in tax

revenue.

Now it is still too early to know what effect those tariffs will actually have on the U.S. economy. 69 countries were hit among the hardest, Brazil,

Laos, Myanmar, Switzerland, Iraq and Serbia. Trump's Treasury Secretary says they are mostly done cutting trade deals, meaning the tariffs

currently in place won't be changing much. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: The trade deals are largely done, and now we can really hone in on the affordability. At treasury, we're

going to be looking at what we can do for housing, for student loans, for overall because there is an affordability crisis. The first step in easing

the affordability crisis was to bring down inflation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Treasury Secretary there. Now, meantime, President Trump says China could also face a tariff hike for buying Russian energy. CNN's Marc Stewart

now from Beijing.

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If we look at this, U.S.-China trade dynamic. We have seen a shift early on in this trade dispute. The United

States focused on China's manufacturing sector. We've seen a shift recently to rare earth minerals. And now the U.S. is focusing on China's purchase of

crude oil from Russia.

Russia is China's top supplier of crude oil, and it's something additional tariffs, at least, it's something that the administration has thrown out

before. Let's listen to President Trump speaking on Wednesday, who is keeping the door open to tariffs targeting these fuel purchases.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It may happen. I mean, I don't know. I can't tell you yet, but I can. We did it with India.

We're doing it probably with a couple of others. One of them could be China.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: When confronted with this possibility, in the past, China has made remarks saying that it will take energy supply measures that are right for

China based on its national interests. As far as the timing of all of this, it comes as a trade truce between the U.S. and China is set to expire. Marc

Stewart, CNN, Beijing.

NEWTON: And we will be right back with more news in a moment.

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[11:20:00]

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[11:25:00]

NEWTON: Well, welcome back to "One World". I'm Paula Newton in New York. Here are some of the headlines we are watching today. Israel's security

cabinet is meeting this hour to discuss the prime minister's reported push for a full military takeover of Gaza. The meeting comes amid reports that

Israel's Military Chief, as well as the opposition leader, are against the strategy.

Sources say the IDF Chief has warned it would trap Israel's military within the enclave and put the remaining hostages at risk. Russian President

Vladimir Putin has confirmed a meeting with Donald Trump will likely take place next week. He says a possible location might be the United Arab

Emirates.

For his part, President Trump has said there's a good chance such a meeting will happen soon. On the agenda a potential ceasefire in Ukraine. Sources

tell CNN, the two senior FBI officials are being fired because they were seen as being at odds with the Trump Administration.

One of them is said to be Brian Driscoll, who was Acting Director of the FBI just earlier this year. Driscoll clashed with the White House over

efforts to provide the names of FBI agents who had worked on cases connected to the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Nearly 2000

firefighters are now on the scene in Southern France working a fast-moving wildfire that's already scorched an area larger than Paris, killing at

least one person.

The fire has scorched some 16,000 acres, or nearly 40,000, pardon me, hectares, or nearly 30,000 acres, making it the largest blaze to hit France

in decades. OK, today's the day Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs are now in place. It is sending ripples through the global economy.

As you can imagine, overall, U.S. consumers are now paying an average tax rate of about 17 percent on imported goods, the highest since the Great

Depression. For more on the impact of those tariffs, we are joined by Brad Seltzer. He is a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and he

has a long history of work at the U.S. Treasury and the International Monetary Fund, in addition to being a senior advisor to the U.S. Trade

Representative.

Good to see you. That was just in the Biden Administration, which seems a world away from what we're having to deal with now on trade, you know, I

have to say to you, look so much for the TACO trade, right? Trump did not chicken out. I'd argue this is actually capitulation, not just from

countries, but from corporate America. Why such a surrender? Do you think?

BRAD SELTZER, SENIOR FELLOW AT THE COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Well, the president has clear conviction around tariffs, for better or for worse. He

believes tariffs are a very effective tool, and I think most countries reach the conclusion that they couldn't dissuade the president from tariffs

by threatening retaliation, and they didn't want to risk an all-out trade war where both sides levied ever increasing tariffs.

And then I also think many countries came to the conclusion that they can live with a 10 or 15 percent tariff, as long as all their competitors

outside the U.S. have the same tariff. And so, once it became clear that say Japan was going to accept a 15 percent tariff. That made it much easier

for Europe, for Korea, to accept 15 percent tariffs as well.

NEWTON: Understood, and that would seem very practical. But what kind of effect do you think it will have on global trade and the American economy?

And I point out, you know, you're talking about Japan. Toyota just came out saying that, look, the losses will be steep, $9 billion alone, they say,

for this year.

SELTZER: Well, many companies have initially chosen to absorb some of the cost of the tariff, not raising prices commensurately. I do expect those

prices to increase over the course of time, because it's difficult for most companies to absorb the cost of the tariff.

The interesting thing is that, because the tariffs are so complex, it is hard to know for sure how they are going to impact -- particular sectors.

The auto sector is a great example of that. Japan, Europe, Korea, now have 15 percent tariffs, but American producers using parts from Canada and

Mexico are paying 25 percent on those imported parts from Canada and Mexico.

And the U.S. industry was very integrated with the North American industry before the Trump Administration. They U.S. producers also face higher costs

of steel because of the 50 percent steel tariff and rising prices of domestically made steel. So, there is actually a concern on the part of

some of the U.S. automakers.

They may be relatively disadvantaged. So long as their parts are tariffed at 25 and Japan and Europe are tariffed at 15, the overall effect is going

to be less trade. There's going to be fewer imports. Those imports are going to be a bit more expensive because we're tariffing a lot of parts, a

lot of inputs, we're going to be exporting less.

So, the net effect is primarily a reduction in trade with higher prices for many consumers, and then some significant compression of profits in those

sectors where companies decide to sort of eat the cost of the tariff out of their profit margin.

[11:30:00]

NEWTON: And once again, those are American profits going to the American treasury instead. I point out that, you know, Congress usually has a say

here, and you have said, while court cases are pending, do you expect Congress will have any teeth to this? Do you expect the court cases will

have any teeth?

SELTZER: Well, I think Congress is waiting for the courts. I think the Republican majority has enabled President Trump to move forward using a

very debatable legal theory. So, I do think the court case is quite important. These tariffs are being done under primarily there's exceptions,

but primarily under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, that act historically has been used for sanctions.

If you read the text of that law, it doesn't actually ever mention the word tariffs. And the lower courts have questioned whether a trade deficit is a

sufficient international emergency to allow the president to raise tariffs pretty much as he wishes, and some have also noted that he's raised tariffs

on countries like Brazil that don't actually have a trade surplus with the United States.

So, there is a think, I think, a very serious legal question about whether the international Emergency Powers Act really gives the president this

level of authority over tariffs. It would not surprise me if the courts end up striking down the use of IEEPA the use of this power.

However, there are other powers, section 301 -- statues said, do delegate authority to set tariffs to the president, and so there will be an effort,

if this main statute is struck down, to recreate some of these tariffs.

NEWTON: Now, Brad, you know you -- in your time served, have been basically a free trader. What has happened is that you've been trying to bring

barriers down. But what are the chances that the Trump Administration is actually right about this in terms of the rebalancing of trade and bringing

industry back and manufacturing back to the United States.

And just going with the theme of your shot there, I do think I see a coffee maker in the background. At what point do American consumers say they've

had enough? I don't know if you've checked out the price of coffee in a grocery store recently, I have, its eye popping.

SELTZER: Yeah, well, I'm -- I think the tariff on Brazilian coffee is the least sensical of the Trump tariffs. It serves no economic purpose. And I

doubt it's going to change Brazil's domestic politics and lead them to change the court case against their former president.

I think over time, I've been in favor, actually, of toughening trade measures against China. I think there's a real problem with China, with

China's overproduction, with China's very unbalanced economy. And I do think we need a different trade policy towards China than towards many

other countries.

But I also don't think it makes sense to tear up economic ties between the United States and Canada, or to put hefty tariffs now on India, a country

which we were trying to increase our broader relations with, where we were trying to turn an incipient alliance into a deeper form of cooperation.

I don't think it makes sense to tariff all goods from Europe. So, I do disagree with this effort to raise barriers on everyone. I think the

problem with global trade is really concentrated around trade with China and a better policy with a focus on trade with China, these tariffs are

significant.

We have gone from a world of generally low tariffs to a world where most tariffs are going to be between 15 and 20 percent. We've gone from a world

where tariffs were usually pretty simple, where most goods face the same tariff, no matter what country you're coming from.

Now each country often has a different level of tariffs, slight variations, huge increase in complexity, and we've gone from a world where Congress

dictates or determines, ultimately, most trade policies to a world where the president is unilaterally setting tariffs and can change them pretty

much overnight.

These are fundamental changes in trade policy, and they'll have long, reaching consequences. The short run, effect, though, is going to be a hit

to American profits and a hit to America's wallets.

NEWTON: Yeah, as you said, they've taken what is an incredibly complicated issue worldwide, and really, as you said, turned it into an executive order

with a pen swipe from the president. Brad Setzer, we'll leave it there for now. Thanks so much.

Now, as we did mention earlier, nearly 2000 firefighters are on the scene in Southern France working a fast-moving wildfire that's already scorched

an area larger than Paris, killing at least one person. The fire has scorched some 16,000 hectares, or nearly 40,000 acres, making it the

largest blaze to hit France in decades.

[11:35:00]

Our Melissa Bell is in Paris with the latest. And Melissa, this is a familiar story, unfortunately all around the world, but it really caught my

attention with the French government calling this a catastrophe on an unprecedented scale. Why has it been so difficult to bring it under

control?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's just the conditions were really reunited, Paula, as this fire began on Tuesday

afternoon, very hot weather, very strong winds, very low humidity levels on the ground to allow this fire really, to advance at remarkable speed.

Those 16,000 hectares really had been affected within 24 hours, and that, of course, made it very difficult for firefighters to start taking the

measures that they needed, even to hope to contain it, to bring it under control, so to fix the perimeter of it, which is now about 100 kilometers

across.

So, it is the speed with which it progressed. And what we've been hearing from French politicians is they're now calling this the biggest fire since

1949 in terms of its surface. Now, we had believed earlier on that the weather conditions were more favorable this morning than they had been,

that the winds were dropping, the temperatures were falling.

In fact, that's now reversing, and it looks that winds are picking up, and we're looking at a fresh heat wave for Southern France. So, things are not

looking good in terms of containing it. Have a listen to what one local had to say about the impact of the fire so far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

XAVIER GUILLE, OWNER OF VINEYARD BURNT BY WILDFIRE: Since last night, when the winds calmed down, we've been fighting the fire that returned to our

pine forests alongside our neighbors from the nearby vineyard, whose pine forests were also a lot more affected. Ours is a smaller one. We have

extraordinary teams of firefighters. We're at war, but also, we will win the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: And that war, of course, continues down there in the old region of France. There are more than 2000 firefighters now trying to bring it under

control. The very latest, Paula, is that some of those flames have picked up again within pockets of that fire again that has yet to be contained,

even as temperatures are threatening to soar once again.

NEWTON: Melissa Bell for us in Paris. Thanks so much. Now it's a key swing state that voted for Trump in 2024. Up next, we'll speak to a local

journalist in Arizona about how people there are feeling about president's job performance so far.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: President Trump was able to get his so called, big, beautiful bill over the finish line in Congress last month, but now he has to sell it to

voters.

[11:40:00]

Trump won the swing state of Arizona back in 2024, and it will you can bet on this be a key battleground in next year's midterm. CNN's John King

traveled to the state once again to ask voters what they make of Trump's mega bill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A scorching summer in the Arizona desert, a risky time to open a new restaurant, add in

higher beef prices and an unpredictable economy.

RAY FLORES, ARIZONA VOTER: Confident, hopeful, I believe a lot in this brand. I believe a lot that what we do is different.

KING (voice-over): Charro Steak North is just about ready. The bar is stocked, supplies delivered, the team is hired, and for that, Ray Flores

gives President Trump some credit. Specifically, the new law lowering taxes on tips in overtime,

FLORES: We had a really robust hiring fair, lots of applicants, way more than we've had in previous hiring fairs. Lot of quality applicants, a

little higher quality. I do believe that those messages of some kind of tax relief created some of this.

KING: This is Arizona's sixth congressional district, one of the battlegrounds that will determine whether Republicans keep their house

majority after next year's midterm elections. It is a district that covers a ton of ground. This is the edge of Tucson, but the district stretches 110

miles that way.

That's east to the New Mexico state line, and 60 miles my right is south. That's the U.S.-Mexico border, 60 miles that way. The district is a

battleground because it is evenly divided politically, and because of that, it offers a great test of the big midterm questions.

KING (voice-over): Republican Juan Ciscomani as the incumbent. Charles Steak North is in his district, and Flores, an independent, has supported

Ciscomani in the past.

KING: How they sell that bill, whether that bill actually improves the economy because of the tax cuts or the no taxes on tips for overtime.

That's a big deal for his political fate.

FLORES: Yeah.

KING: What do you think at this moment? Got a way to go. But what do you think now?

FLORES: I mean, I think unfortunately for them, or for us, to give a good answer, right now, we're in the middle of the off season, I think it's

probably a question that needs to be asked. You know, a year from today.

KING: Here's another big test. 25 percent of the residents here in Arizona, six are Hispanic, and Republicans are hoping in next year's midterms to

continue their recent important gains among Latino voters. It makes a big difference. Take a look.

KING (voice-over): Here in Arizona, for example, Donald Trump won 37 percent of the Latino vote in 2020. He lost here and statewide.

KING: But in 2024 Trump's share jumped to 44 percent He not only carried this district. He won statewide in Arizona on his way back to the White

House.

KING (voice-over): 15 months still to the midterms, but we will get a clue about Latino sentiment next month. There's a special election in the

neighboring seventh congressional district. It is overwhelmingly democratic, but also 60 percent Hispanic.

KING: So welcome back to Sun Arizona.

KING (voice-over): This food bank serves both the sixth and seventh congressional districts, and is already dealing with some Trump changes.

CLAUDIO RODRIGUEZ, ARIZONA VOTER: I believe you live from Mexico right now.

KING: Right. You are correct.

RODRIGUEZ: That's going to change pretty soon with the tariffs and all that. So, we're going to be definitely seeing less produce come in.

KING (voice-over): But the biggest test is down the road. The Trump agenda bill makes big changes to Medicaid and food assistance programs critical to

the working families who come here for help. Claudio Rodriguez wrote Congressman Ciscomani on behalf of the food bank, urged him to vote no, but

he voted yes.

KING: So, when you say, sir, with all due respect, we think that's going to hurt people. What does he say?

RODRIGUEZ: He believes that it won't that he's attacking the fraud, the abuse, the scam. But I know when we come here every day on the line, we

don't really see any of that. And if it is one or two people that do that, why punish the rest? Why punish the seniors? Why punish the kids? The

veterans? Well, a lot of veterans that come through here.

KING (voice-over): The food bank served 171,000 people last year, and projects that number will jump significantly as the Trump changes kick in.

But the timing there is noteworthy. The politically popular tax break on tips in overtime takes effect immediately, but the biggest and politically

risky changes to Medicaid and food assistance don't take effect until 2027 after the next election.

RODRIGUEZ: I know something they're going to roll out after the midterms, which is a very nice play. You know, for some folks to wait until after

that.

KING (voice-over): That timeline just one of the Trump agenda flashpoints in a place far away from Washington, yet critical to the Republican grip on

power there. John King, CNN, Tucson.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: -- take a deeper dive now with our local impact segment. Joining us is Wayne Schutsky, is a Political Reporter at KJZZ radio in Arizona. I am

grateful to you to joining us, and let's pick up where John King left off, right? I mean, Arizona a political minefield.

I think that's charitable, actually, especially when you consider the dividing lines between Republicans and Democrats there. You know people

that you speak to what are they saying about the big, beautiful bill?

[11:45:00]

Because, as John King just pointed out a lot of the changes that may hurt people in Arizona actually haven't come into effect yet.

WAYNE SCHUTSKY, POLITICAL REPORTER AT KJZZ: That's right, so it's really difficult to say how it's going to affect the vote that's over a year away.

We have seen some protests, even down in CD 6, during negotiations on the bill, and then after it was approved, we saw nurses protesting outside of

representative system on his office, saying the Medicaid cuts were going to hurt people.

We saw Democratic Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari go down to CD 6 and hold the town hall down there, where we heard from a lot of people upset about

the Medicaid cuts, the food assistance cuts, things of that nature. That being said there. Those are the really plugged in people, the really

activated voters.

So, we're still kind of in a wait and see pattern to see how it's going to -- how this messaging is going to seep into the deeper electorate down in

CD 6?

NEWTON: You know, Wayne, I don't have to remind you, the White House is not taking a wait and see approach. I mean, they're really gaming out the

midterms. The Democrats are trying to figure out, you know, how to fight back on that when it comes to redistricting, Arizona will figure

prominently in any election, right?

In terms of what you are seeing. How is each party laying the groundwork for midterms right now? I mean, we point out, you know, Vice President JD

Vance is in Indiana today, really trying to get them to do more to push up the Republican count in Congress.

SCHUTSKY: Well, you see the Republicans, like Representative Ciscomani, really pushing the idea that these Medicaid cuts, these snap us food

assistance cuts are not going to hurt your average everyday person, that they're really targeted at the fraud, the abuse that they believe is has

taken root in the system.

However, you see Democrats saying, you know, that's not true, that these cuts are going to cut health coverage, for instance, for hundreds of

thousands of Arizonans projected that. That was a projection, and even folks who aren't on Medicaid could be heard, especially in rural

communities where, you know, certain hospitals rely a lot of Medicaid funding and may have to either cut services or shut down.

So, they're trying to spread the message that, you know it's going beyond targeting any potential fraud in the system that it's really going to

affect the lives of a lot of these Arizonans, especially those independent voters that are such a crucial part of Representative Ciscomani's district

down in CD 6.

NEWTON: Yeah, as you just pointed out, it is those independent voters, in their opinion, that will likely count the most. I have to ask you people in

Arizona obviously reacting to the crackdown by ICE on undocumented residents. I mean, some Arizona voters wanted this.

Others are saying, look, this is not what we voted for. Can you just give me some insight into what voters are telling you about the crackdown on

immigration and on undocumented residents?

SCHUTSKY: Yeah, I think the crackdown is probably more aggressive than a lot of Arizonans. Even some who voted for President Trump were

anticipating. The messaging ongoing after, you know folks with criminal records in that, I think, really resonated here and was supported by a lot

of Arizonans.

The border is obviously a huge issue here. Being a border state, voters just last year, passed a border security measure with a pretty

overwhelming, I believe, 62 percent of the vote that was modeled after Texas' SB 4, creating a state law criminalizing illegal crossings of the

border.

However, voters here also approved a few years ago, giving DACA recipients, dreamers, people who are brought here as children in state tuition. So, it

really is a balance in Arizona, and so I think these aggressive ICE raids targeting communities, including people who don't have those criminal

records that could end up being a vulnerability for Republicans here, if they can't figure a way to defend how that kind of lines up with what the

president had promised during his campaign.

NEWTON: And a reminder, because of the big, beautiful bill, so called ICE is only ramping up its efforts in places like Arizona. Wayne, I want to ask

you President Trump, you know, just a little while ago, said a new U.S. census that excludes undocumented immigrants will happen, if he gets his

way, they will not be included in part of the census count. What effect would that have in Arizona, specifically?

SCHUTSKY: That would have a very significant effect. Again, being a border state, I think the number of undocumented immigrants in our state is

relatively high compared to other places. And just in the last census, there was a lot of accusations that Arizona had an undercount.

We were expected to buy a lot of analysts to gain a congressional district that didn't end up happening. And a lot of folks blame that on, you know,

efforts by then Trump Administration to kind of intimidate folks from being counted for lack of a better term. And so, if they're just not going to be

counted at all, I can see that definitely affecting Arizona's ability to potentially pick up another seat.

NEWTON: Yeah, interesting, how even something like a census, which is, you know, a government stat, will now play into efforts during the midterms,

and how it will sway. Wayne Schutsky, again, thanks for that. Look see into Arizona politics. Appreciate it.

SCHUTSKY: Thank you.

[11:50:00]

NEWTON: Now still to come for us. It's a heavy metal spin on a Shakespearean classic. Literally, we'll show you a new version of Romeo and

Juliet that you have to see to believe.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: Well, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was required meeting, I'm sure, for many of you, and for me as well. But now a theater company in

Estonia is putting a very unique spin on the classic play. And trust me, on this one, it's not like anything you've seen before. CNN's Lynda Kinkade

explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a limestone quarry in the Estonia countryside, Shakespeare's most famous tragedy is getting a heavy-

duty makeover. This is Romeo and Juliet reimagined with busses, excavators and trucks taking center stage.

PAAVO PIIK, CO-DIRECTOR OF KINOTEATER: It's basically a big experiment about what it means to do Shakespeare today and whether we can find new

ways to do it.

KINKADE (voice-over): And to Juliet, a red four by four pickup truck, small in size, but bringing big emotion.

PIIK: We kind of had this instantly, this emotion, OK, this could be Juliet when we saw this kind of very vain looking semi-truck, this was Paris for

us.

KINKADE (voice-over): Romeo is played by a speedy rally truck and Mercutio and Tybalt are two excavators able to duel with their mechanical

attachments, clashing like swords. In this version of the Forbidden Love Story, the Montagues and Capulets are transformed into the motor ready and

Carbaretti families, a few told by concrete mixer semi-trucks and city busses.

But finding the right actors was only half the challenge. Directors had to find a way to express emotions, love, grief, anger, through the machinery.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would still say that even though it was cars, it felt really sweet and cute, like when you had the scene where the cars were

kind of probably kissing, you would assume it was the energy was captured really well.

KINKADE (voice-over): The show sticks to the same beloved storyline known around the world, and audiences seem to approve.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they did a great job. A lot of great humor, as we know from -- quite a few nice little tweaks and surprises. So, I think

it was great.

[11:55:00]

KINKADE (voice-over): Complete with fireworks, music and a car, falling off a cliff. This new version of Romeo and Juliet might not end well for the

star-crossed lovers. But it seems this mechanical tragedy has driven straight into the hearts of the audience. Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Cliffhanger there, I guess. And finally, this hour with summer winding down, sadly, it's that time of year when the Illinois State Fair

unveils a life size sculpture of a cow made out of butter. The butter cow has been a fixture of the State Fair since the 1920s.

It takes about five days for sculptors to shape 500 pounds of unsalted butter into the bovine figure that you see right there, and it's all done

by and what else? Love butter, salted kind. That's for me. I want you to stay with CNN. I will have more "One World", right after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:00]

END