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Trump: U.S. To Set Up "Food Centers" In Gaza; Delegations From U.S. And China Meet Ahead Of Trade Deadline; Ghislaine Maxwell Appeals To Supreme Court To Overturn Conviction. Aired 11-11:30a ET
Aired July 28, 2025 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[11:01:56]
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, quote, real starvation. President Trump speaks out on the hunger crisis in Gaza and distances, distances himself from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as it begins to enter the enclave at least a bit of it.
Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Pamela Brown is off today and you're in The Situation Room.
And we begin with the breaking news. President Trump has been meeting with the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and in wide-ranging comments the men discuss the global crises unfolding this morning. The President gives Russia a new deadline in its war on Ukraine and both men call on a global response to try to alleviate the starvation crisis that is sweeping across Gaza. Listen.
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KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We've had the opportunity to talk about the situation in Gaza and the intolerable situation including images of starvation. And I think both of us know that we have to get to that ceasefire and we have to increase humanitarian aid in.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's great to hear you feel the same way that --
STARMER: Yes.
TRUMP: -- that we have to help on a humanitarian basis before we do anything we have to get the kids fed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: CNN chief national affairs correspondent, Jeff Zeleny, is on the ground for us in Scotland. Jeff it's clear that this humanitarian crisis in Gaza is a key focus of their discussions that are unfolding now. What else can you tell us? JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, if it absolutely was of course those images from Gaza are gripping the world and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer really was succinct in his language. He called it revolting. And he said it's revolting the British people and indeed the world. And one of his key points of meeting the American President here as he has effectively been on a mix of a golfing trip and a diplomatic trip was to press Donald Trump to increase the pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a ceasefire. That was one of the overarching purposes of this meeting.
Now we watched live as this conversation unfolded at Trump Turnberry golf course for more than an hour. And that was one of the sharpest exchanges certainly. And the President, the American President, saying that he believes that Netanyahu must do more about this. But also Wolf an interesting rebuke. He said the images show starvation, starvation of children. He said you can't fake that.
Of course that comes directly in contradiction to what Netanyahu said over the weekend that he did not believe that some of these images were real. So clearly the prime minister trying to bring the President on board here to join the voices of so many to condemn but also to -- to bring action and food. And Donald Trump announced food centers. He said that will be a setup and noted that the Americans have already given some $60 million in food aid although he said it's an open question how much of it has actually reached the starving Gazans.
[11:05:15]
BLITZER: The President, Jeff, also demanded a lasting ceasefire in Russia's war against Ukraine. Tell us about that.
ZELENY: Wolf, that was also very striking. President Trump clearly voicing his frustration at Vladimir Putin. He had given him 50 days to effectively stop the war, stop the bombing on Ukraine. The bombing has only intensified. So the President changed his language and he said he will give 10 to 12 days before issuing a stark sanction and tariff. He explained it like this.
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TRUMP: Look I was tough on Putin because I was the one that closed up Nord Stream and Biden came along and opened it up. I was very tough on Putin in one way but we got along very well. And I -- I never, you know, I never really thought this would happen. I thought we'd be able to negotiate something and maybe that'll still happen but it's -- it's very late down the process. So I'm disappointed.
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ZELENY: So the disappointment there is clear in the President's language but he promised of course that he could bring an end to the Ukraine-Russia war if he was elected president. That has absolutely not happened as we can see but definitely a major development there. If he holds to this 10 to 12 day deadline new sanctions could be coming soon. Wolf? BLITZER: We shall see. All right Jeff Zeleny thank you very, very much.
Also this morning the Palestinian Health Ministry says 14 people have died from starvation and malnutrition in Gaza in just the last 24 hours. Israel is now resuming what it's calling a tactical pause that opens routes for funneling aid into parts of the enclave.
International pressure is clearly building big time on the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who claims there is, quote, no hunger crisis or starvation in Gaza. Listen.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: There is no starvation in Gaza. We enable humanitarian throughout the duration of the war to enter Gaza, otherwise there would be no Gazans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: This morning, President Trump was asked if he believed the denials of a hunger crisis denials expressed by Netanyahu. Listen.
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TRUMP: I don't know. I mean based on television I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry but we're giving a lot of money and a lot of food and other nations are now stepping up.
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BLITZER: I want to go to see it as Jeremy Diamond. He's on the ground for us in Jerusalem. Jeremy, so where do relief efforts stand today.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we are seeing a significant uptick in terms of the number of trucks getting into Gaza and also in terms of Israel lifting many of the restrictions that they have kept in place for months in Gaza that led us to this exact situation of starvation in the Gaza Strip. But much more still needs to be done according to United Nations officials in order to actually alleviate the starvation that is happening in Gaza.
We have now seen that the Israeli military is implementing these, quote, tactical pauses for 10 hours per day in three different areas of the Gaza Strip. That is facilitating it would seem, the United Nations efforts to pick up truckloads of aid that have crossed into the Gaza Strip and then be able to actually distribute them inside of Gaza. But we are still seeing that the number of trucks that are going into Gaza are still very, very small especially compared to the enormous need.
We know that yesterday about 120 truckloads of aid were delivered into the Gaza Strip. Many of those trucks however, Wolf, were indeed looted as crowds of thousands of hungry Palestinians crowded around those trucks and -- and ultimately looted them. It speaks of course to the desperation that we are seeing on the ground as the World Food Program now assesses that a quarter of Gaza's population is now experiencing famine like conditions.
The United Nations is welcoming these latest steps by the Israeli military to loosen some of these restrictions in Gaza that are facilitating the distribution of aid. But they say that it needs to continue going forward in order to ensure that the -- the thousands of trucks that are actually needed in Gaza actually get distributed. What is clear, Wolf, is that even as some of these restrictions are being lifted more people are continuing to die in Gaza and likely will continue to die in the coming days.
In just the last 24 hours 14 people have died of starvation. That brings us to 77 people who have died in Gaza of starvation just this month. Wolf?
[11:10:00]
BLITZER: And Jeremy before I let you go what can you tell us about this leading Israeli human rights group that is now accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza?
DIAMOND: Well, listen, Wolf, this is a very, very significant announcement because it comes from B'Tselem which is the leading human rights organization here in Israel. And after months of review of the available evidence not only of the impacts of Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip but also the statements that we have heard from Israeli leaders talking about the kind of annihilation of the -- of the population of Palestinians in Gaza.
They have concluded based on their assessment that Israel is committing a genocide in the Gaza Strip. They are not the first human rights organization to conclude that. We have heard similar statements in the past from Amnesty International for example which made a similar -- drew a similar conclusion last year. Israel of course categorically denies that it is committing a genocide in Gaza insisting that it is carrying out a legitimate military operation in the Gaza Strip that they say aligns with international law. Wolf?
BLITZER: All right Jeremy Diamond reporting from Jerusalem for us. Thank you very, very much.
Also happening now the United States and China are poised to start a fresh round of talks in Sweden. The goal being a temporary trade truce aimed at holding back triple digit tariffs as the world's two biggest economies are trying to broker a lasting deal. Moments ago President Trump addressed the importance of this meeting. Listen and watch this.
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TRUMP: They're meeting right now. And, you know, we have a good relationship with China. But China is tough and like you're tough. You know, we're -- we're all tough. Yes. But we're going to see what happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: Delegations led by the U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and China's vice premier convening in Stockholm today before the current deadline expires on August 12th. I want to go right now to CNN international correspondent Marc Stewart who's joining us live from Beijing. Marc from your spot in China, does Beijing come into these talks with any strength.
MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And, Wolf, I should acknowledge a stormy evening here in Beijing. Not sure if that's an indication of what's to come but indeed China is entering this with a point of strength that it really has three things working in its favor.
Number one rare earth minerals. America wants them. China has a hold on them. These are substances that are used to make everything from electronics to lights to electronic vehicles -- electric vehicles I should say. Number two the Chinese economy. While some economists may give the recent economic data a second look, right now it shows that it's performing better than expected.
That's something else that China may want to use in its favor in these discussions. And then the third point the third potential advantage for China is TikTok. Americans like it. We heard from a government adviser that that too may be a point of advantage, a point that China again could use in its favor in these talks. Just listen to what the U.S. Commerce Secretary had to say this weekend.
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HOWARD LUTNICK, COMMERCE SECRETARY: I mean the President really likes to talk and he said it over and over again because, you know, it was a good way to communicate with -- with young people. But let's face it you can't have the Chinese have an app on 100 million American phones. That is just not OK. So it's got to move to American ownership. It's got to move to American technology, American algorithms.
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STEWART: And that algorithm is the real sticking point in all of it. It's the secret sauce, an electronic formula that China has devised to figure out what people want to see on the TikTok platform, the reason it's so successful. Not so clear if China wants to part ways with it. Wolf, I was hearing from one observer in Washington who described this whole current scenario between the U.S. and China as a fragile ceasefire, Wolf.
BLITZER: I'm Marc Stewart in Beijing for us. Marc thank you very, very much.
Still ahead, President Trump isn't ruling out a pardon for Jeffrey Epstein's co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, as she appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out her conviction.
[11:14:23]
Plus, President Trump is calling for Beyonce to be prosecuted for something that did not actually happen. We have details. Stay with us. You're in the situation.
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BLITZER: New this morning, President Trump says he never, never visited Jeffrey Epstein's private island. Listen.
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TRUMP: I never had the privilege of going to his island. And I did turn it down. But a lot of people in Palm Beach were invited to his island. In one of my very good moments, I turned it down. I didn't want to go to his island.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Those comments come as attorneys for the longtime Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell are expected to make their final pitch to the U.S. Supreme Court as they look to try to overturn her conviction. She's currently serving 20 years in prison. Let's discuss with CNN's senior legal analyst and former state and federal prosecutor Elie Honig. Elie, thanks for joining us. Walk us through where things stand with Maxwell's expected Supreme Court appeal.
[11:20:07]
ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: So Wolf, back in 2008 when Jeffrey Epstein was prosecuted by Justice Department prosecutors in the southern district of Florida. He was given an outrageously lenient plea deal. And in addition to all the sentencing benefits that Jeffrey Epstein was given, there was a really unusual provision in that deal, which said that none of Jeffrey Epstein's co-conspirators will be prosecuted in that district.
Now, fast forward to 2020, Ghislaine Maxwell gets indicted in the southern district of New York, a different part of the Justice Department. And Maxwell has argued both at the trial court and the Court of Appeals that that deal DOJ made back in 2008 benefits her. It says she can't be prosecuted if DOJ says she's one of the co- conspirators.
However, DOJ's position up until now, including now, has been that that deal was only binding on the prosecutors in Florida, not on prosecutors in New York, and that that kind of deal releasing co- conspirators is basically invalid because it's so much against public interest. So judges have ruled against Maxwell at the trial court level, and at the Federal Court of Appeals level. And now Maxwell is down to her last hope, which is trying to get the U.S. Supreme Court to take up this issue.
BLITZER: So what do you think? How much of a hope does she have?
HONIG: So the Supreme Court statistically takes only a very small proportion of all cases brought to it under 10 percent, usually under 5 percent, usually in the range of 2 or 3 percent. Recently, on the one hand, Wolf, there have been different interpretations of this issue in different circuits around the country, which is usually a factor that makes it more likely the Supreme Court will take the case.
On the other hand, though, the Supreme Court was brought this same exact issue in a separate case a few years ago, and declined to hear it then. So maybe they've had a change of heart. So I would say overall, it is unlikely but not impossible that the Supreme Court takes this case.
BLITZER: If this appeal fails, Elie, what other legal avenues could Maxwell's team pursue?
HONIG: So it's clear that Ghislaine Maxwell now is making a play for some sort of leniency. She got a 20 year sentence. She's about five years into that sentence, and she's in her mid-60s. The other way she could get relief, or there's really two main ways. One is to hope for a pardon or a commutation. And we've seen various comments made by the President refusing to rule that out, saying he hasn't thought about it. But the other one is Maxwell can try to convince DOJ prosecutors, and this may be what's part of behind the meeting that she had last week.
She can try to convince the DOJ to write a letter, what we call the Rule 35 letter to a court saying, yes, she's already been convicted and sentenced. However, she's been cooperative. Her cooperation was helpful. And therefore, Judge, we ask you to re-sentence her to something lower. Now, DOJ should be very careful about when they write those letters, especially in a case like this, but it is theoretically and procedurally possible.
BLITZER: As you know, Elie, this morning, President Trump once again spoke about whether he could pardon Ghislaine Maxwell. I want you to listen to what he said specifically. Listen to this.
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TRUMP: Well, I'm allowed to give her a pardon, but nobody's approached me with it. Nobody's asked me about it. It's in the news about that, that aspect of it. But right now, it would be inappropriate to talk about it, so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: So what stands out to you about those comments from Trump?
HONIG: I don't know, Wolf. This boggles my mind. It's the same response he's been giving. Will you consider a pardon for a convicted child sex trafficker? I mean, the easiest thing to say is just no, of course not. What president wouldn't say that? And the fact that Trump keeps saying he has the power, and by the way, he's right. He does have the power, as unseemly as it might be, and then says, you know, I haven't thought about it.
I mean, that's the same answer that Donald Trump has given many times in the past with other people who he did end up pardoning or commuting. So, look, obviously, there will be a serious political cost to doing that. But -- but I think it's pretty telling that Donald Trump has said anything other than absolutely not. BLITZER: How could Maxwell's interview the other day with the Justice Department's Deputy Attorney General factor into what we are seeing happening next?
HONIG: Well, I think the play we're going to see from Maxwell's team is obvious and the right play from any defense lawyer's perspective, which is to make an argument to DOJ. Look, she has now come forward. She has given you valuable, truthful information. Whether that's true or not, I don't know. But that'll be what Maxwell's attorney says. And therefore, we want you to go to a court and ask for sentencing leniency.
From DOJ's perspective, it's a little bit unclear what exactly they're doing. I am skeptical that Ghislaine Maxwell is anywhere near credible enough to sign up as a cooperator and to bring other indictments based on her information. I cannot envision myself ever having done that. It would shock me if DOJ did that. So maybe they're just trying to get her information. Maybe they have some interest in getting whatever she said out there to the public to try to appease critics. But there's an interesting sort of political and legal dance happening here between the parties.
[11:25:02]
BLITZER: I want to play some of what Republican Congressman Thomas Massie said about the possibility of subpoenaing Jeffrey Epstein's estate. Listen to this.
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REP. THOMAS MASSIE (D-KY): I think we should get a lot more than just the book. Let's get the financial records of the estate. Follow the money, as they say up here. We should look at the plea bargain, open that up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: How big of a development, Elie, would this be? What could lawmakers learn if that were to happen?
HONIG: Well, it's an interesting idea by Representative Massie, and I know he has some bipartisan support. On the one hand, the notion of let's subpoena the Epstein estate, they can do that. Congress has broad subpoena power. Now, the estate might well resist it, and it may well end up going to court, but I think Representative Massie's right that that could shed some light on really the mystery around Epstein's finances. There's then a separate question about subpoenaing DOJ.
Now, traditionally, Wolf, the Justice Department would resist that type of subpoena, would say, we don't open up our closed files to Congress. However, if you think about the political reality, and I think it's pretty tough for Pam Bondi to say, no, we want to legally resist a subpoena from Congress, especially if it comes with bipartisan support.
BLITZER: Elie Honig reporting for us. Thank you very, very much. Appreciate it.
HONIG: Thanks Wolf.
BLITZER: Up next, an urgent manhunt is now underway in Arkansas after a couple was killed while hiking with their two young children. We have new details emerging right now on the attack that's coming up.
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