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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
Trump Announces New Weapons Plan For Ukraine; Trump Threatens Russia With "Severe Tariffs"; Six Children Dead In Israeli Airstrike At Water Distribution Point; E.U. Warns Impact Of Trump's 30 Percent Tariffs Threat; Trump Defends Bondi On Epstein Investigation; Europe to Reduce U.S. Dependence For Space Launches; Astronauts Begins Journey Back To Earth; China's A.I. Robots. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired July 14, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all over the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. And you're watching "The
Brief."
Just ahead this hour, President Trump announces a new plan to arm Ukraine and threatens Russia with severe tariffs. The European Union warns its
trade with the U.S., could be wiped out by a 30 percent tariff. And CNN goes inside the lab working to give China the lead in A.I. powered robots.
We do begin at the White House where President Trump is taking a more sympathetic tone on Ukraine. Seated alongside the secretary general of
NATO, the president announced a new plan to send weapons to Kyiv and gave Russia a 50-day deadline to agree to a peace deal with Ukraine.
Under the plan, European nations will buy U.S.-made weapons, then send them along to Ukraine. This as the country wages a nightly battle against
widening Russian barrages. The president also spoke of his continued disenchantment with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He says, if Putin
does not meet this new deadline Russia will face a hundred percent tariffs. And he's threatening secondary sanctions on countries which buy Russian
oil.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: My conversations with him are always very pleasant. I say, isn't that a very lovely conversation? And then, the
missiles go off that night. I don't want to say he's an assassin, but he's a tough guy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: NATO Chief Mark Rutte says President Vladimir Putin should now consider taking negotiations with Ukraine more seriously.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK RUTTE, SECRETARY GENERAL, NATO: I was Vladimir Putin today, and you're speaking about what you were planning to do in 50 days. And this
announcement I would reconsider whether I should not take negotiations about Ukraine more seriously than I was doing at the moment, if I was
Vladimir Putin. But when I'm Ukraine, I think this is really great news for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Joining us now from Moscow is our Matthew Chance. And, Matthew, I wonder how these new words, new threat from President Trump, how they're
being met in Russia?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, look, the idea that sanctions or tariffs are going to be imposed on Russia if it
doesn't reach a peace deal to end the Ukraine war, not immediately, but in 50 days, is I think they're probably kind of very quietly quite happy that
that sort of green light has been granted by the White House for them to continue with their summer offensive.
I mean, these sanctions could have been imposed immediately, but President Trump chose to wait 50 days. And you know, one prominent Russian senator
has already sort of spoken out saying, 50 days is a long time, I'm paraphrasing him slightly, in which we can make battlefield progress. And
crucially also, it's plenty of time for the leadership of the United States and of NATO to change their minds.
They're very aware that in Trump world, 50 days is an absolute eternity. And so, I think the Russians aren't particularly worried about that. In
terms of the sanctions, a hundred percent sanctions in 50 days, if that's ever implemented, look, the trade with Russia is a couple of billion
dollars a year. It's minuscule in global terms. The secondary sanctions are the ones that are concerning. But that would mean placing sanctions
potentially on India and China because they're the biggest customers of Russian energy.
And the reason that hasn't been done so far, Jim, as you well know, is that that would wreck potentially the global economy. And so, it's by no means
certain that the 100 percent sanctions are going to be imposed on India and China in 50 days from now.
And so, look, I think the sense in Moscow is that the weapons that are being supplied to Ukraine, that's a blow. It's going to impede Russia's
military progress, but the sanctions threat is just being seen as more bluster.
[18:05:00]
SCIUTTO: Matthew Chance in Russia, thanks so much for joining. Well, joining us now from the White House, Kristen, President Trump has posited a
number of deadlines that he has broken through himself, his own deadlines over the course of the last several weeks and months. And the fact is he's
imposed harsher deadlines on Ukraine than he has on Russia. How is the White House explaining this new 50-day timeline?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, we've really have seen this kind of evolve in terms of President Trump's view of
his relationship with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, as well as the situation in Ukraine. One of the things that he ran on was this idea that
he had this good relationship with Vladimir Putin. And so, because of that, he would be able to end the crisis, end the war in Ukraine almost
immediately after he took office. Obviously, that has proven to not be true.
And one of the things that we've heard from Trump himself has been really this doubling down on the fact that he's growing more and more frustrated
with Vladimir Putin, that he thought it was going to be easier to solve this crisis. That he's -- he being Putin, has been much more difficult to
work with than President Trump ever thought that he was going to be.
And so, now you're seeing this play out in many different ways. One is this 50-day period, particularly when it comes to financial obligations. One of
the things that Donald Trump had said, even just a few weeks ago, was that he wasn't going to enact any sanctions. That he wasn't going to put in
place any tariffs. And now, that is shifting. And he's learning something in real-time that we've seen president after president, both Democrat and
Republican, learn that lesson for themselves that Putin is not trustworthy.
And so, what you're seeing now is this idea that they're going to have secondary tariffs if there is no deal reached in the next 50 days. He's
putting into place this a hundred percent tariff. And the reason why this is so important is the fact that it's not anymore just going to be Russia.
If you tax just Russia, you put a tariff just on Russia it wouldn't really matter that much to them. They don't do that much trade with the United
States. But what the secondary tariff does is it actually puts this on another country, particular likely China, a country that does business with
both Russia and the United States.
And the idea behind that is that if you say this is coming, it's not -- now, it's no longer just about Vladimir Putin, it's also about President
Xi. He might be someone who will pressure Putin to come to the table if it is the fact that he's facing this a hundred percent tariff on other goods.
So, that's the hope behind all of this as Donald Trump becomes -- it seems more aware of the fact that Putin is a lot of talk and not a lot of action.
SCIUTTO: Yes. That tie to China is notable for sure because, of course, China has been one of Russia's biggest backers. Kristen Holmes, thanks so
much for joining.
Joining us now, Congressman Eugene Vindman. He's on the House Armed Services Committee, recently led a bipartisan group urging the Trump
administration to restart those weapons shipments to Ukraine. Congressman, thanks so much for taking the time.
REP. EUGENE VINDMAN (D-VA): Thanks for having me, Jim.
SCIUTTO: So, first of all, before I get to the 50-day deadline, do you welcome President Trump's decision to resume arms sales to Ukraine via
Europe, really, I suppose with Europe footing the bill, but those weapons at least finding their way to Ukraine?
VINDMAN: The short answer is yes. It took 175 days for the president to figure this out, apparently, his one day promise to end the war is going to
be 216 since we're adding another 50 days. But the fact that he's improving or increasing shipments via NATO to Ukraine is an absolute good.
SCIUTTO: How about this 50-day deadline? That takes you to the end of the summer, and that's a lot of time, one, for Ukrainian cities to withstand
Russian bombardment, but it also would, it seem, allow Russia to complete its summer offensive.
VINDMAN: Look, Russia is not on track to make any significant gains during this offensive. It's a slow plotting offensive. They're going to continue
to reign missiles on Ukrainian cities, Ukrainian critical infrastructure, which will be somewhat blunted by the shipments that are in transit. But
the long and short is there's no real good reason for a 50-day extension to impose tariffs, not sanctions. And like, your previous commentator said,
this gives the president opportunity to back out.
SCIUTTO: Tell me about the formula that Trump has struck on here, which is that NATO members buy the weapons from the U.S. and then send those weapons
on to Ukraine, which means it's not a U.S. appropriation or gift to Ukraine, but it's a -- Europe footing the bill and American defense
contractors getting those contracts. Is that good? Is it an acceptable formula in your view to get American weapons there?
[18:10:00]
VINDMAN: Well, look, it was never a gift to the Ukrainians. The whole reason we were supporting Ukrainians is because it was in our own national
security interest. And so, the weapons that we sent to Ukraine were replaced by brand-new weapons off the assembly line. This idea of having
NATO purchase the weapons and then transfer it to Ukraine is -- I don't have any objection to it, but it was never out of a sense of, you know,
charity that we provided them in the first place.
SCIUTTO: I wonder, do U.S. weapons, beyond air defense missiles, which clearly are still crucial to defending Ukraine's -- Ukrainian cities,
Ukrainian civilians from Russian airstrikes, do U.S. weapons matter as much to Ukraine as they used to, given that Ukraine has made such enormous
advances in drone warfare, and the majority of the casualties now on the frontlines are from drones?
VINDMAN: Well, that's a great point, Jim, is that obviously the war has gone through a number of different phases from mobile warfare with large
exchanges of territory to trench warfare a year and a half ago, to now a drone warfare and really static frontlines.
So, U.S. weapons don't matter nearly as much. Certainly, if we're talking about tanks and armored vehicles. But artillery does still count the
HIMARS, the multiple launch rocket systems still count and certainly, the defensive weapons. Probably the most important weapons systems that we can
transfer are interceptive -- interceptors and missiles and repair parts for F-16s, those are going to be the most useful because they can help blunt
Russian attacks, mask, drone attacks.
SCIUTTO: I wonder if this could also be a model for NATO going forward, because I'm sure you've heard, as I have, from NATO member countries
officials, leaders, et cetera, and some of these have been public comments concerns that the U.S. will no longer lead in Europe's defense and might
very well leave Europe's defense entirely to Europe itself. Do you see a hopeful sign, perhaps for the NATO alliance in this arrangement here that
perhaps Donald Trump will find a way to continue to supply those weapons, but perhaps with Europe footing more of the bail?
VINDMAN: Well, look, what we've seen from this administration is sort of a slow plotting learning process. In the beginning, the president thought he
was going to end the war, considered Russia a friend, and was frankly abusing our allies and partners, including Ukraine. And now, he's starting
to realize what most observers and those knowledgeable in national security establishment knew that Russia is not our friend, and that that NATO is an
important player, an important aspect of our own national defense.
And so, it's a slow painful to watch learning process, but the -- and this is not even the president's first term, but it seems like -- and you know,
the proof is in the pudding, but it seems like the president and the administration may ultimately be learning something.
SCIUTTO: And do you see an emerging Trump vision? In the wake of the Iran strikes you had J. D. Vance say there's a Trump doctrine in those strikes
but it seemed that his description of the Trump doctrine was very tailored to the Iran situation, single military strike, move on to negotiations, et
cetera. You can't do that -- they certainly can't do that with the Ukraine war. You might not be able to do that with say a war over Taiwan. Do you
see a clear Trump approach to the world, Trump foreign policy?
VINDMAN: The short answer is no. In fact, you can't even tell sometimes who's in charge of the government and national security establishment. I
mean, just last week we had Pete Hegseth pause weapons shipments. That's why we wrote a letter, a bipartisan letter to have those restarted. They're
restarting. The president apparently didn't know that that halt had occurred.
And so, there seems to be a complete lack of coordination there, the absence of National Security Council, they're coordinating function
implementing policy. And I don't see a policy yet. I don't see a vision for this administration on National Security and international relations.
SCIUTTO: Congressman Eugene Vindman, thanks so much for joining the show.
VINDMAN: Thanks, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Well, one of the guys, a health official say an Israeli airstrike killed 10 people, including six children at a water distribution site on
Sunday. As we so often must do, these images are graphic. We need to warn you. The Israeli military has acknowledged the strike. It says it was
targeting an Islamic Jihad terrorist, but that something went wrong. This comes as negotiations -- goodness, those poor families -- negotiations
between Israel and Hamas continue in Qatar with no major progress.
[18:15:00]
The family of a Palestinian American killed in the West Bank is now demanding justice. 20-year-old Saif Musallet was born and raised in
Florida. Witnesses report he was killed by Israeli settlers. His relatives said in a statement he was quote, brutally beaten to death while trying to
protect his family's land. Jeremy Diamond has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the back of an ambulance safe, Saif Musallet's aunt says one final goodbye. She's far from
alone. Hundreds in this West Bank town have come to honor the American's son who is deeply rooted in his Palestinian community.
Saif was killed on Friday, just two weeks before his 21st birthday, beaten to death by Israeli settlers, according to his family. Those settlers also
shot and killed another Palestinian man in the same attack, according to eyewitnesses. It is a senseless yet all too common outcome in the West
Bank.
DIAMOND: Today, it is an American citizen being put to rest here, but over the course of the last 20 months of this war, nearly a thousand
Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem according to the United Nations. But today, Saif Musallet's family is demanding an
American investigation into his death.
KAMEL MUSALLET, SON KILLED: We want justice.
DIAMOND (voice-over): His father Kamel was home in Florida where he runs an ice cream shop with his son when he got the call that Saif had been
attacked by settlers.
MUSALLET: You never think that it's your son or anything that that, who is this happening to. And then I got word that it was my son. He was hit, he
was beaten, he lost conscience, but nobody could get to him. Ambulance couldn't come in. Why? Because the IDF restricted that. The IDF blocked
that.
DIAMOND: So, you hold the Israeli military --
MUSALLET: I hold the Israeli military just as responsible as the settlers and the American government for not doing anything about this.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The State Department said it is aware of Saif's death, but declined to comment further on calls for an investigation.
Israeli authorities say they are investigating but have not made any arrests.
For two months now, Palestinians here say Israeli settlers have been encroaching on their land. And terrorizing Palestinians who try and access
it.
This was the scene on Friday as Saif and other Palestinians tried to reach their farmland. Hafez Abdel Jabbar said he saw settlers chase after a man
he would later learn with Saif.
HAFEZ ABDEL JABBAR, SON KILLED IN 2024: They ran up the hill, they caught a Muslim. They started beating them with sticks.
DIAMOND (voice-over): By the time he reached Saif's body, he was already dead. As we head to the location where Saif's body was retrieved, a white
vehicle suddenly appears behind us.
DIAMOND: We have a group of settlers who are now following us in their vehicle. They put their masks on as well, which is a concerning indication.
DIAMOND (voice-over): At an intersection, the settlers get out and try to pelt our vehicle. We manage to approach a nearby Israeli border police
vehicle, and the settlers turn around. But minutes after the border police head out to search for the settlers, we are ambushed.
DIAMOND: Everyone OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Shoot, shoot, shoot.
DIAMOND: Go, go, go. Drive, drive, drive. Keep driving.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The masked men smashed the rear windshield of our car. But we managed to speed off unharmed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no. They went --
DIAMOND: They turned. They turned. They turned.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They turned. They turned.
DIAMOND (voice-over): It is just a small window into the reality here.
JABBAR: If it would've took us five more seconds, we all would've been beating with these things.
DIAMOND: Do you think they would've beaten us?
JABBAR: Yes, sir.
DIAMOND: But your son was also killed.
JABBAR: In January, 2024, by a settler. Simply just being there barbecuing.
DIAMOND: What does that feel like to have to constantly try and tell the world what's happening?
JABBAR: You scream into the whole world, and the whole world is watching, simply silent, seeing all these mothers put their sons down. They worked so
hard to raise them up for 20 years and you pick them up and you put them in the ground under the sky and the silence go on and on and on.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Sinjil, the occupied West Bank.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: An important story there. Still ahead, a sobering warning from the E.U. about its trade relationship with the U.S. We're going to speak to a
former E.U. trade commissioner about the path forward for the bloc, as 30 percent U.S. tariffs loom.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:20:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." U.S. stocks finished Monday's session higher led by gains once again tech. Investors for now brushing off
President Trump's latest tariff threats. Bitcoin also hit a new milestone, rising above $120,000 for the first time. President Trump is now warning
the E.U. in Mexico that he will impose 30 percent tariffs on both countries beginning August 1st. The E.U. and Mexico say they hope to reach a deal
before that deadline. President Trump had this to say about the status of those ongoing negotiations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're going to be talking to people. We have -- you know, I watched the show, there's one they were talking about, well, when's he going to
make the deal? The deals are already made. The letters are the deals. The deals are made. There are no deals to make. They would like to do a
different kind of a deal, and we're always open to talk. We are open to talk, including to Europe. In fact, they're coming over. They'd like to
talk to us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: We should note, Trump at his first term negotiated trade agreements with both Texas -- with both Mexico and Canada, USMCA, which of
course this current trade war is now breaking. The E.U. trade commissioner says 30 percent tariffs by the U.S. would make it nearly impossible for
Europe to export goods to the U.S.
And the head of the European Parliament's Trade Committee is calling Trump's tariff threat, quote, "a slap in the face." He goes on to say,
quote, "This is no way to deal with a key trading partner." E.U. officials are now looking to strengthen their trade ties with other countries.
Joining me now, Cecilla Malmstrom. She's a former E.U. trade commissioner, currently senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International
Economics. Thanks so much for joining.
CECILIA MALMSTROM, FORMER E.U. TRADE COMMISSIONER: Thanks for having me. Good evening.
SCIUTTO: I was speaking with some European officials earlier today, and they were saying that in these negotiations they plan to stick together. In
other words, negotiate as a block rather than divide and conquer, right, from the U.S. perspective. I wonder, do you believe that the European Union
will stay together, seeing it as sort of strength in numbers as it were with the U.S.?
MALMSTROM: Absolutely. In trade policy, it is the commission who negotiates on behalf of all member states. And we have in the past stick together and
we will. There are, of course, different priorities and so on, but there's been a lot of discussions and internal coordination. So, I'm convinced that
E.U. will stick together.
[18:25:00]
SCIUTTO: New York Times had a piece this week -- Times about this and I've heard this from others -- from other officials. They've been interviewed on
this broadcast saying, listen, as these negotiations go poorly, we will look to diversify our trading relationships, trade with other countries,
make other trade deals other than the U.S. not replace the trade entirely, but reduce it.
And is that something that you believe has legs that, that the European Union will in effect look elsewhere as much as it can?
MALMSTROM: Yes, I think we will because the E.U. already has more than 45 trade agreements all over the world, and it is negotiating with countries
such as India, Australia, Indonesia. It has finalized negotiations with the four countries of MERCOSUR. Hopefully, that deal can be ratified later this
autumn. And it is also looking to see whether it can strengthen the corporation with the CPTPP countries, the 12 countries in the Indo-Pacific,
also now including the U.K.
So, absolutely de-risking and diversifying from the U.S. But of course, we will still keep on trading with the U.S. when possible. But diversifying,
as most countries of the world are doing right now.
SCIUTTO: So, far, the U.S. economy, at least in the headline numbers, has not shown major damage from the trade war. What is Europe showing? Are you
seeing a slowdown already there?
MALMSTROM: Well, we see stock markets being worried this morning. They all sank all across the European Union and we have seen many companies who had
planned to invest in the U.S. now having second thoughts because of the uncertainty, because of the volatility, because of the lack of
predictability. And that's what companies are seeking.
And of course, a 30 percent trade tariff on all goods would hurt the car industry, the auto industry, and many other industries apparently. But it
have -- they haven't attempted into force all of them yet. So, the worst is probably yet to come. But the E.U. will not accept a 30 percent tariff
without striking back. So, let's see if there is a deal to be made. Otherwise, I think the E.U. will respond with the counter tariffs.
SCIUTTO: Now, Trump, Peter Navarro, other Trump administration officials say that the tariffs are leveling the trade playing field. The
relationships between the U.S. and its trading partners, including the E.U., is unfair to the U.S. Are they, in your view?
MALMSTROM: No, they're not because trade deficits have so many other costs. It's about consumption. Patterns is about deficits, it's about prices, it's
about pensions, it's about currencies, et cetera. And we have a trade surplus with the U.S. on goods, but on services, it's the other way around.
So, if you look at both of them, it is still a surplus from the E.U. side, but it's much more balanced.
And we would rather seek to facilitate more trade with, us taking away existing barriers. But that does not seem to be in the cards for the time
being, unfortunately.
SCIUTTO: Do you see the U.S. and the E.U. getting over this? I mean, there have been stops and starts, giant tariffs from the U.S. that Trump backed
off from to some degree, but now, the big threats are back. I mean, do you see a light at the end of the tunnel here, or is this just going to be a
state of being between the U.S. and its trading partners?
MALMSTROM: Well, it's probably going to be bumpy for quite a while, but we must remember that the E.U. and U.S. trade relationship is so important. We
trade for $4 billion a day, and the U.S. consumers, they want to buy European goods. And if you raise tax -- trade tariffs, and tariffs taxes in
fact, that makes it much more expensive for American households. So, they will also suffer. So, you cannot go on raising prices all the time like
that without having people suffering.
So, I think somehow this will calm down, but I don't really see exactly where it is going to end. But the European Union does not consider a letter
sent on Twitter or on through social as a deal. A deal is something you negotiate, you give and take, and you agree. So, I think the E.U. is
determined to keep on talking for a couple of days and see if there is a deal to be made. Otherwise, I'm afraid it will be very tense for quite some
time.
SCIUTTO: Cecilla Malmstrom, thanks so much for joining.
MALMSTROM: Thanks for having me.
SCIUTTO: Just to add, President Trump is forced to defend his attorney general from the wrath of some of his own MAGA loyalists. They're looking
for a smoking gun in the refusal by the Trump administration to release the Epstein file, as they're known, and taking out their disappointment on
Attorney General Pam Bondi.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. And here are more international headlines we're watching today.
President Donald Trump is giving Russia 50 days now to reach a deal in the hope of finally ending the war in Ukraine. The president met with NATO
Secretary General Mark Rutte today in the White House. Under a new weapons deal, European nations will buy top of the line systems from the U.S.,
which Europe will then send to Ukraine.
Iran's president was slightly hurt during the 12-day conflict with Israel, this according to the semiofficial Fars News agency, it described the
incident as an attempt by Israel to assassinate political leaders. The report says that several officials suffered minor injuries to their feet
while trying to escape the attack.
The Arizona governor wants an investigation as a wildfire burns through parts of the Grand Canyon. Lightning started the Dragon Bravo Fire, as it's
known, on July 4th. The Blaze has destroyed cabins, infrastructure, and the historic Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim. Governor Katie Hobbs says,
the federal government chose to manage the fire as a controlled burn at first instead of taking a more aggressive strategy.
President Trump is now coming to the defense of his attorney general, Pam Bondi, involving backlash over her decision not to release documents from
the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation. In a show of support, Trump flashed Bondi, a thumbs up sign at Sunday's Club World Cup final in
New Jersey, where she watched the game from the president's box. We should note, President Trump called for the release of those files himself for a
long time.
[18:35:00]
This as CNN learns that the FBI deputy director, Dan Bongino, returned to work today after telling others last week he was considering resigning over
the handling of those files. The House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, is signaling it may be time for congressional action to force the release of
any documents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER: The American people deserve to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth as it relates to this whole sorted Jeffrey Epstein matter. Democrats didn't put the Jeffrey Epstein thing into the public domain, this was a
conspiracy that Donald Trump, Pam Bondi, and these MAGA extremists have been fanning the flames of for the last several years. And now, the
chickens are coming home to roost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Donie O'Sullivan joins us now from New York. And, Donie, you've been speaking to MAGA supporters for a long time, including recently. How
have they reacted to this news? Do they see it as a betrayal?
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim, they're not happy. And as all of this was playing out over the weekend, we were in Florida at
a conservative conference speaking to some of Trump's most ardent supporters. And here's what they have to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this is the first topic that all of us as Americans, not as Democrats, not as liberals, not as Republicans, are actually lining
together and saying we all want the Epstein files as a, come on, Donald, give us those files.
O'SULLIVAN: We are here at the turning point USA, some of it in Tampa, Florida. It is a big gathering of Trump supporters. And one thing everybody
seems to be talking about here this weekend, Jeffrey Epstein.
STEVE BANNON, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF STRATEGIST: We need to get to the bottom of Epstein because Epstein is the key that picks the lock.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let me just ask you, make some noise if you care about Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
O'SULLIVAN: What do you think is going to happen?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they're going to maybe give us pieces and maybe not the whole thing, and think that that's going to suffice. And I
don't think people are going to be quiet about it until they really do it. But who knows if we'll ever know the true story.
O'SULLIVAN: Can't Trump just say, look, release everything?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I -- he -- if you know anything about him, he can do and say whatever he wants. Do they have to listen? I don't know the
legalities of that or the policies and procedures.
O'SULLIVAN: This is Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit. It is an event aimed at mobilizing young conservatives. Ultimately, I mean, how bad
do you think it would be for the MAGA movement, for young people's trust in Trump, if by the end of his term they don't release everything they know
about Epstein?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think that if they don't releases the Epstein files, whatever J. D. Vance says then is irrelevant because it's like
everybody is going to take it as like a lie.
O'SULLIVAN: Bring it in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of what Donald Trump did.
But I think J. D. Vance wants these files released as well. And I think that Donald Trump, he promised them, so he needs to do it. No matter who's
on them, we need to release the Epstein files.
O'SULLIVAN: Because right now the whole debate is about Bongino versus Bondi. But ultimately, it's Trump's decision, right? I mean, he has the
power.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Its Trump's decision. It's Trump's decision. I think -- I think, again, and I'm not going to make the decision for the president.
It's not my job. It's not my place. But I do think the way that I am seeing it played out is that Bongino will be here and Pam Bondi will be the fall
guy.
O'SULLIVAN: Do you think that's fair?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think anything is fair in politics.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): And, Jim, we spoke to a lot more people at that event in Florida this weekend, and no one we spoke to said that they didn't
want more transparency when it came to the Epstein file. So, this I don't think will be something that goes away very easily.
SCIUTTO: In your time covering MAGA world, have you seen the Trump base out of line with the president as much as they seem to be on this?
O'SULLIVAN: Never.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes. Nothing like this ever. I mean, and you think going back through the years, there was a lot there. Even, you know, the fact that the
Trump administration, developed the vaccine, that was a big push back from some in the base. Obviously, those sort of early COVID lockdowns as well,
but nothing like this.
I should mention that on Truth Social, the president's own social media platform, which is basically a sort of pro-Trump echo chamber that post
that he sent at the weekend saying boys and gals and telling people to basically forget about this stuff, there's about 47,000 comments on that
post and you'd be doing really well to find a comment there that is agreeing with the president. It is overwhelmingly negative. And again, that
is on a space that is pretty much always pro-Trump.
SCIUTTO: Notable, very notable. Donie O'Sullivan, thanks so much.
O'SULLIVAN: Thanks.
SCIUTTO: Still ahead, a crew of private astronauts started their journey back to earth today, all of them from different nations. We have an
interview from space with them. Please stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
SCIUTTO: Yet one more potential split between the U.S. and Europe. European nations want to decrease their dependence on the U.S. when it comes to
space exploration. Lynda Kinkade shows us exactly how they plan to do it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two small spaceports, one in Sweden and one in Norway, are racing to launch the first satellites from
mainland Europe into space. Their motivation, to decrease Europe's dependence on the U.S. according to experts. In 2024. the U.S. had 154
launches of hardware into orbit. Europe had just three.
STEFAN GUSTAFSSON, ANALYST AND FORMER CHIEF STRATEGIST, SWEDEN SPACE CORPORATION: Europe lacks the defense space infrastructure to a dangerous
degree. So, we really need to put efforts there.
KINKADE (voice-over): The continents only successful orbital launch location is in French Guiana in South America.
GUSTAFSSON: Europe and the European Union on its territory has no own rocket launch facilities.
KINKADE (voice-over): While Europe seeks to expand, NASA is facing cuts. This week, more than 2,000 of NASA's senior staff announced their
departure. A part of continued efforts from President Trump to trim down the federal workforce.
On Wednesday Trump announced that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will be the interim head of NASA, a position typically chosen from a pool of
scientists, engineers, academics, or public servants. These moves follow the proposed White House budget for 2026, which would cut NASA's funding by
25 percent and slash staff by 5,000. In June, French President Emmanuel Macron voiced his support for European satellites while speaking at the
Paris Air show, stating that space in some way has become a gauge of international power.
But Europe's hopes are not without hurdles. In late March, Andoya Spaceport in Norway conducted its first test launch, a small rocket made by German
startup ISAR Aerospace. While not the desired outcome, the Nordic countries push on.
Lynda Kinkade, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[18:45:00]
SCIUTTO: Space is hard, as they say. Four astronauts sent to the International Space Station in a private mission are now on their way back
to Earth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Axiom-4, Godspeed and safe journey home to the best planet in the solar system.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: The SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft on docked this morning. It is scheduled to splash down near California early Tuesday. The crew included
astronauts from the U.S., India, Hungary, and Poland. A mission arranged by a Texas-based company called Axiom.
It is the first time in 40 years that India, Hungary, and Poland have sent a human to space. Paula Newton spoke with the crew just last week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tibor, you're only the second astronaut from your country. There's a lot of pressure on you.
They'll be expecting some of those experiments on Earth as well. But how important is it then for your country?
TIBOR KAPU, HUNGARIAN ASTRONAUT: It is extremely important. And as you mentioned, I'm not the only one as a second national astronaut, but also
Shubhanshu as well, representing the same kind of class as well.
We have been the second from our countries as national selected astronauts, and all these countries have been waiting 40 years to come back to space as
a former astronaut. It's a huge responsibility, but also a huge privilege on us. Now, that we have been doing this mission, it's actually a new
access for us to space.
NEWTON: Captain, I want to ask you, this mission is so important to your country, India. What are your thoughts on the recent news that the
Gaganyaan mission has been postponed until 2027? Are you still hopeful that more can be done with this mission in terms of testing in this calendar
year?
SHUBHANSHU, SHUKLA, INDIAN ASTRONAUT: Yes, Paula. I think, first of all, this mission comes at a very crucial time for us, and I think it is very
aptly placed. As you mentioned, we are on our own journey for human space flight mission, the mission Gaganyaan, and a lot of progress has been made.
A lot of test missions have been conducted. And we were looking for certain test missions to be done this year and next year as well.
Since I'm on station and I'm busy with a lot of experiments and research out here, I may not have the exact update on what's happening as per the
timeline of the test events. But I do agree that this mission plays a very important role for us because witnessing a human space flight mission end
to end, from launch till recovery, gives you insights which are I will take back with me and would be able to apply for our own journey back home in
India.
NEWTON: Peggy, if we could turn to you. And you are the veteran. I mean, as we mentioned, this is not your first rodeo. And given that, I've learned
that this is a very research-intensive mission. I mean, with this framing in mind, why is commercial space travel so important now and for the years
to come?
PEGGY WHITSON, U.S. ASTRONAUT: Well, as you know, the International Space Station is planned to be decommissioned by the end of this decade. And it's
going to be very important to maintain a human presence in space. And I think Axiom Space is on the forefront of being leader there, of providing a
space station that will enable the continuation of the phenomenal types of research that we're doing, but more importantly, to also take advantage of
manufacturing and actually making -- using space to make items that you can't make as well on earth, like superconductor crystals or pulling fiber
optics. Having a commercial entity will enable a lot of new pathways that have not been available in the past.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Interview from space. Coming up --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look what happens when we try to make a goal. See, it sticks. Its leg out, very much like a real-life goalie would.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: -- Marc Stewart goes one-on-one with China's newest humanoid robots. Why many fear the U.S. is falling behind China in the race for this
cutting edge technology?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:50:00]
SCIUTTO: Some really big matches in the weekend Field of Play. Jannik Sinner won his first Wimbledon title, defeating the two-time reigning
champ, Carlos Alcaraz. It was a thriller. Four sets, latest installment. What has already become an epic rivalry between the two young tennis stars.
Going to be a lot of years of those guys on the court.
On the women's side, Isa Swiatek defeated Amanda Anisimova in a match that lasted just less than an hour. Swiatek won both sets, six-love, six-love.
On the other side of the Atlantic, at the FIFA Club World Cup Final, the underdog, Chelsea, actually beat top ranked Paris-Saint Germain three-
nothing. U.S. President, Donald Trump was at MetLife Stadium handing the winner's trophy to Chelsea. And after a bit of confusion about whether the
president would leave the stage, the team celebrated with Trump squarely in the middle of it.
Well, they're not quite ready for the Club World Cup just yet, but sophisticated robots under development in China are another example of
leaps and bounds Chinese technology is making across many high-tech fields, including defense. Many are calling it a wakeup call for the U.S. Marc
Stewart reports on one particular technology from Beijing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is where robots come to life. They mimic mankind, yet, depend on these Chinese engineers to
function. We were given rare access to this lab by tech startup Booster Robotics on the outskirts of Beijing. We saw how robots can be built to
play soccer.
STEWART: Look what happens when we try to make a goal. See, it sticks its leg out very much like a real-life goalie would.
STEWART (voice-over): The robots can also play on their own, powered by AI, as they did in the recent tournament live streamed across China. The
technology is still a work in progress. The robots often lose balance and fall, scooped away on stretchers. They look very much human-like in their
movements.
CHENG HAO, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BOOSTER ROBOTICS: Yes, yes, yes. This is a new technology about imitation learning.
STEWART (voice-over): Technology, the CEO thinks, can be used in everything from food delivery to factories, even how kids learn new languages.
STEWART: This whole robotic push comes at a time when the Chinese government is making technology, including AI, a national priority.
STEWART (voice-over): Already, China's a proven innovator, as we've seen with EVs. Now, it's looking to dominate the field of AI-enabled robots, and
the gap with the U.S. is widening, according to Morgan Stanley research.
STEWART: What does this symbolize beyond the soccer field?
ALEX CAPRI, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE BUSINESS SCHOOL: China is really pushing the envelope in all things leading-edge technology. And
there are so many practical and also strategic applications of A.I. and robotics combined.
STEWART (voice-over): Here in China, we've seen robotics at work during our tours of factories. And the Chinese military has shown off a robotic dog
with an automatic rifle mounted on its back. The U.S. Air Force is utilizing similar technology. On the turf, the focus is on innovation and
attention.
HAO: We need to push the technology development. So, we need a real scenario to task our technology.
STEWART (voice-over): Scrimmages on the soccer field that may help China to score further as a global tech leader.
Marc Stewart, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[18:55:00]
SCIUTTO: I think that robot just took a dive. We got to check out the referee there. Well, spectacular fireworks near the Eiffel Tower as France
celebrated Bastille Day today, the symbolic start of the French Revolution back in 1789. Earlier today, French troops marched along the Champs-Elysees
as the president, Emmanuel Macron, and other dignitaries watched the military parade. Indonesia's president was this year's special guest.
In today's Good Brief, "Superman," soaring to the top at the box office, $122 million opening weekend just here in this country, beating early
estimates of around $90 million.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Superman.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, buddy, eyes up here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Looks like fun. David Corenswet takes flight as the new Man of Steel in Director James Gunn's new superhero film. The movie distributed by
Warner Brothers, which is owned by CNN's parent Company.
Thanks so much for your company today. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
