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Trump Asks For Release Of Grand Jury Documents In Epstein Case; House Passes Trump's $9 Billion DOGE Cuts Package; U.S. Set To Destroy 500 Tons Of Us-Taxpayer Funded Emergency Food; Netanyahu Defends Syrian Airstrikes, Won't Rule Out More; Israeli Strike On Gaza's Only Catholic Church Kills 3; Russia Returns 1k Bodies Of Killed Ukrainian Soldiers; U.K., Germany Sign Friendship Treaty To Boost Ties, Counter Russian Threat; U.K. and Germany Sign Major Treaty Strengthening Ties; Brazil's President Lula Criticizes Trump over Tariffs Threat; Five Charged in Murder of U.S.-Based Academic in Greece; Santa Claus' Hometown in Finland Baking Under Heat Wave. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired July 18, 2025 - 01:00   ET

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

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[01:00:26]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm John Vause. Ahead this hour on CNN Newsroom, the U.S. president facing more scrutiny amid a Wall Street Journal report that he sent a salacious birthday letter to the sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Details and the U.S. President's response coming up.

Also, Brazil's president hitting back at his counterpart liking President Trump's threat of heavy tariffs is blackmail.

And Santa feeling the heat high above the Arctic Circle, his home baking in the midst of a heat wave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause. Good to have you with us.

VAUSE: We begin this hour with new developments in the so called Jeffrey Epstein scandal and growing demands among MAGA supporters in the U.S. from for more details about the federal investigation into the convicted pedophile and sex trafficker, President Trump has just ordered the release of any and all relevant grand jury testimony about the investigation, information which the attorney general says could be public in the coming day.

That announcement comes after the Wall Street Journal reports a bawdy letter was sent from Donald Trump to Epstein for his 50th birthday. According to the Journal, the letter is framed by the outline of a naked woman and concludes with the words "Happy Birthday and may every day be another wonderful secret."

President Trump was quick to deny the report, telling the Journal, this is not me. This is a fake thing. It's a fake Wall Street Journal story. I never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of women.

It's not my language. It's not my words. He continued on Truth Social posting the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch, personally, were warned directly that the supposed letter they printed was a fake and if they print it, they will be sued. Mr. Murdoch stated that he would take care of it, but obviously did not have the power to do so.

Questions about Donald Trump's relationship with the disgraced financier flared up again last week when the Justice Department announced there was no Epstein client list. Many Trump supporters were left bitterly disappointed by that decision. Many have been demanding the White House release all government documents and material from related to the Epstein investigation as he died in prison in 2019. Officials say he committed suicide.

But conspiracy theories continue to swirl around the cause of death. And all of this has caused a rupture between the president and his base. He seems furious with some Republican lawmakers and supporters saying they're fixated on Epstein.

Still, some within the GOP are standing firm, continuing to demand the release of more information.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM BURCHETT, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: We need to get to the bottom of this because first of all, we need to send a message to these godless dirtbags that abuse children that we're not going to stand for it. And second of all, we need to send a message to all the victims in the world, in this country anyway, that we are out there fighting for you. I've held the hands of people that have been molested and abused.

And ma'am, they have a life sentence. They never get over it. Lifetime of counseling, guilt, horrible things they do horrible things to their bodies. And it is just a, it's a horrendous thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: At the same time, calls the egg lauder for an investigation by an independent special counsel. CNN's Kristen Holmes has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: White House Press secretary Caroline Leavitt said that President Trump would not recommend a special counsel or special prosecutor to look at the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case or to take over the investigation.

During a press briefing today, Leavitt was asked about a number of questions about the Epstein files, about the handling of this rollout, what information there was. When asked in particular about this idea of a special prosecutor, something that President Trump's own followers, own loyalists have called for, she said that he wouldn't recommend it. And then she added, that's how he feels. Now, the reason why this is so critical is the fact that normally in

an administration, or at least generally in modern history, the Department of Justice has acted independently of the White House, particularly when it comes to the appointment of special counsels.

However, as we know and as we have seen, this Department of Justice really acts in sync with the White House. So President Trump saying that he wouldn't recommend it, or at least Leavitt saying it on his behalf, makes it seem almost zero percent chance that at this point they would actually appoint a special counsel.

Now, I did ask her how much President Trump actually knew about what was in those files.

Does he have knowledge or an understanding of what is in the files related to Epstein that have not been released?

[01:05:00]

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Not to my knowledge. And that's a question for the attorney general, as I said, and the president has told the attorney general if they have any more credible evidence, they should release it.

HOLMES: Is that evidence? Would she have to run that by the president before she released it?

LEAVITT: I don't think so. He said if she has any more credible evidence, she should release it.

HOLMES: Now I tried to follow up there, who gets to deem what is credible or not. But you can see she started moving on immediately to other reporters. We should note the White House has been trying to move away from this story now for weeks and they can't seem to get away from it, not just because of the media around it, but again, because so many Trump loyalists, so many of these people who helped elect Donald Trump and get him into office have been pushing him and speaking out against the president for the way this was handled, for the lack of clarity, the lack of information here.

And just one thing to note on what Leavitt said to me in that exchange. She said she didn't know what President Trump actually knew or if he had knowledge of what was in those unreleased files. But we should ask the attorney general, Pam Bondi, to be clear, you if Pam Bondi did in fact brief President Trump, this is also a question for the White House. What President Trump knew, knows what he knew and when. And we're still trying to get answers on that. Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The controversy over the release of Jeffrey Epstein documents caused a delay in a vote on President Trump's federal cuts package. A number of Republicans demanded more transparency into the Epstein case before voting on a bill which claws back $9 billion in funding foreign aid as well as public broadcasting. Eventually, the bill passed by three votes. 260, 213 Republicans Mike

Turner and Brian Fitzpatrick voting against it. The U.S. House Rules Committee also advanced a non-binding resolution which calls for the release of Epstein related material.

Jim Kunder is a former deputy administrator of USAID as well as former vice president for Save the Children. He is with us this hour from Alexandria in Virginia. Thank you very much for being with us.

JIM KUNDER, FORMER DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR, USAID: Nice to be here, John. I'm glad you're interested in this story.

VAUSE: It's a big story. It's an important story. And the explanation CNN was given from the U.S. State Department for why this emergency food aid was destroyed seemed to give the impression this was routine. Happens fairly often. They went on to say a spokesperson saying this the expired lot was acquired under the last administration purchased as a contingency for needs beyond projections, resulting in the inability to deplete the before expiration.

So they want to say, unfortunately, this risk is part of always being ready to respond to life saving humanitarian needs with consumable commodities in remote locations around the world.

They added, it's just not unique at all. So from your experience, is that true? Is that a true and accurate statement? How often were food supplies, which were basically a day pass they use by date, how often were they destroyed under your watch?

KUNDER: Well, you know, this is -- the situation is in the U.S. Foreign Assistance Program. First of all, we're talking about a massive food program. The United States government distributes more than a million tons of surplus food around the world and also things like pharmaceuticals for medical programs around the world to battle diseases.

And it's not at all unusual that you're going to encounter food or medical supplies that have expiration dates. And this is a normal part of managing the delivery of this food is to track those expiration dates. What I think happened in this case is unfortunately there's sort of a dual level problem.

One is the food was ready to expire, but the main problem was the transition that was taking place between the U.S. agency for International Development and the State Department due to the DOGE shutdown of the Agency for International Development meant that this thing fell through the cracks.

I know from talking to some of my former USAID colleagues that they tried to alert the new masters at the State Department that this food was expiring and it should be redirected to some other source where it wouldn't be wasted.

But because of the chaotic transition launched by DOGE, this message never received, never reached those that could take the action necessary. And so unfortunately, the taxpayers are going to be paying for burning food that they paid to purchase a little bit ago.

VAUSE: There does seem a tragedy or an irony here that so many people are in need right now and food which could have saved lives and could have fed hungry children is being destroyed.

KUNDER: It's inconceivably inconceivable tragedy. This amount of food could have fed 27,000 children for a month.

[01:10:02]

And what bothers me is that there is another 60,000 tons of food purchased by the U.S. Agency for International Development from American farmers. And thank God we have a surplus in this country. We have enough food that we can afford to send some overseas. But that 60,000 tons, I think that's the next big question, John, is what's going to happen to that?

And if the new managers of the U.S. Foreign Aid Program at the State Department let this one slip through the cracks, what about that next 60,000?

VAUSE: Overnight, Wednesday, after Thursday, the U.S. Senate approved President Trump's request to claw back about $8 billion Congress allocated to foreign aid, prompting this question from Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON OSSOFF, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRAT: Do we believe it is the will of our constituents that children like Abdullah should die?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Because that will be the effect of withdrawing that foreign aid. So, in other words, do you believe that this is what the vast majority of voters who supported Donald Trump actually want? Do they want kids to die or life-saving food goes up in flames, or medicine just rots out of dock somewhere?

KUNDER: Well, that's a, you know, that's a strong accusation that people want people to die. Let me put it this way. And I've been in Washington working on humanitarian programs in a lot of refugee camps and a lot of places around the world where people are literally starving.

The conservative former Republican President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, once famously said, a starving child knows no politics. And he made a decision that even if countries opposed us at the United Nations, or if countries weren't completely in sync with our foreign policy, we weren't going to let children starve in those countries because America is, it stands for something in the world beyond short term transactional deals.

And so what I think is happening here is that you've got a group now in the Trump administration that has a completely different philosophy from the one Ronald Reagan had one time. They appear to be willing to let children starve in order to make a political deal, in order to get their supporters riled up and in order to have countries bend to our will.

And what you have is a major philosophical clash about how to project American power abroad, what we call soft power, where America picks up a lot of allies and support because we are the people who are willing to send food to starving people, even if the government doesn't agree to us. That's the way we've always done business in our country.

VAUSE: Back in May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made this promise during a congressional hearing. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We're not stopping foreign aid. I mean, we're going to continue foreign aid and at levels as generous, more generous than any other country in the world, than most countries in the world combined. The question is, how can we deliver it more effectively and ensure that it is aligned with our foreign policy priorities?

But in the case of food aid as an example, there's no goal to end it or to be to stop doing this kind of work. It is more about how can we deliver it more efficiently and effectively and quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: That claim may have been true and accurate in May. Does it remain true today?

KUNDER: You know, I've heard the argument now for six months in Washington about how we need to align our foreign aid with our foreign policy. Look, I am a former Republican official in three Republican administrations in Washington working at the U.S. Agency for International Development. There was never any problem. The professionals who work in this field, who deliver America's foreign assistance abroad, they understand how the American system works. They're patriotic Americans. More than 100 of my former colleagues have died in the line of duty delivering food and other humanitarian assistance.

So this notion that somehow the U.S. Agency for International Development was off resisting the Trump administration and they had to do something to bring them in line, let me say this as diplomatically as possible. It's hogwash.

VAUSE: Tim Kunder, thank you so much for being with us, sir. Your experience, your insight, very much. Appreciate it. Thank you.

KUNDER: Thank you.

VAUSE: Tenuous ceasefire in southern Syria appears to be holding, even though the interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, accuses Druze militia groups of violations, while Israeli airstrikes on Syrian government targets appear to be on hold as well. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not rule out further military

action, saying Israel will continue to act as necessary to defend and protect the Druze Arab minority in Syria.

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Netanyahu adding recent Israeli airstrikes are a direct result of Syrian government forces in the Suwayda area south of the capital and home to that Druze community.

Earlier this week, deadly violence erupted between Druze and Bedouins in Suwayda, with Damascus sending in the military to try and restore calm. With a ceasefire in place, government forces have now completely withdrawn.

But according to Syrian state media, many Bedouin families have been forcibly displaced from their homes.

The Israeli prime minister says he deeply regrets a deadly strike on Gaza's only Catholic Church, blaming stray ammunition but adding an investigation is underway. According to Palestinian officials, three people were killed, several others hurt when the Holy Family church took a direct hit from Israeli fire Thursday.

Many from Gaza's small Christian community have been sheltering inside the church, what was one of the few places of relative safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FOUAD AYAD, GAZA RESIDENT: For more than three weeks we've been under constant bombing and destruction. The Israeli occupation makes no distinction between Christians and Muslims. Now both mosques and churches are being targeted. Christians and Muslims alike are under attack. This is the enemy, the Israeli occupation. This is what they now consider their target, bank houses of worship without differentiating between Christian or Muslim sites.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: A former hostage has spoken with CNN about more than 16 months he was held captive by Hamas. Or Levy was released back in February. In his first interview with international media since then, he spoke to Jeremy Diamond about his experience and how he survived.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Five months ago these images of Or Levy shocked the world. His emaciated body a testament to the 491 days he was held hostage by Hamas.

OR LEVY, FORMER HAMAS HOSTAGE: And I must say it's after three weeks of a lot of food that got into like that we got.

DIAMOND: Meaning had you been released three weeks earlier, you would have looked a lot worse.

LEVY: For sure.

DIAMOND: That's hard to imagine.

LEVY: It's hard to understand how difficult it is to live one pita a day for 491 days. It's something that no human should live like that. And for the people that are still there. I know those days were even worse than what I've been through. And it's scary.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Just as difficult as the physical toll was the emotional burden of captivity being ripped away from his then two- year-old son Almog.

LEVY: When his birthday came and I was there, it was my worst day of my life.

DIAMOND: What did you do on that day?

LEVY: So I sing to him and crying most of the day, thinking and telling stories about him, about what went through, promising that I would do whatever it takes to go back and doing his next birthday together.

DIAMOND (voice-over): That wish came true two weeks ago, a birthday that came five months after Or was reunited with his family and with Almog.

LEVY: I remember seeing him, hugging him, hearing his voice. Crazy.

DIAMOND (voice-over): But he says that day was also the hardest of his life. It was the day he learned that his wife, Einav, had been killed. On October 7th.

LEVY: I met this woman from the army, and I asked her about my wife. I told her that I think I know, but I'm not 100 percent certain that I want to know. And then she told me.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Or and Einav were huddling inside this bomb shelter when Hamas militants began throwing grenades and opening fire.

LEVY: And the last picture that I remember seeing is the Hamas terrorist shooting inside the bomb shelter.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Hersh Goldberg-Polin. An American Israeli, later executed by Hamas in captivity, was also kidnapped from that shelter. They would spend three defining days together in Gaza's tunnels.

LEVY: He said to me, he who has a why can bear anyhow. And for me, when I was in captivity, I understood that I have a why, and this can help me survive any harm.

[01:20:02]

DIAMOND (voice-over): When he got back from Gaza, he got the mantra tattooed on his arm.

DIAMOND: What or who was your why? LEVY: Almog. Every rough day that you know you're about to crack, I

was touch here, right where I did my tattoo. And talking to Almog and saying to him, yeah, you're my why, and I will go back for you. And I remember on rough days, I would like to do like this, feeling stronger. Feeling stronger and not wanting to die.

DIAMOND: The thought of dying crossed your mind every day?

LEVY: Every day. But for me, I didn't accept that because I knew that people are waiting for me. My kid is waiting for me. And I don't want him to grow up without mom and dad.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Or is home. But he must now answer his son's questions alone.

LEVY: Just the other day asked me why I didn't take him to this far place I was in.

DIAMOND: That's how you describe it to him. You were in a far away place?

LEVY: Yes. So he asked about his mom, about what happened to her, about who caused it.

DIAMOND: What do you tell him about her? And how do you carry on her memory?

LEVY: So first of all, I explained to him every time that his mom did want to go, that his mom loved him from the bottom of her heart. I'm showing him pictures of her every day of us three telling the story behind this photo. This is something that I promised to myself, even when it's hard to get him to know her because it's harder for him.

DIAMOND (voice-over): But Or's ordeal won't be over until all the hostages are home.

LEVY: The fact that people are still there haunts me in the night for sure. I think that nothing is worth more than getting those people home. I know that we need to push on to get a deal that gets everyone home and finished everything.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Jeremy Diamond, CNN. Giv'atayim, Israel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Still ahead, the leaders of U.K. and Germany hailing what they say is an historic treaty. Details after the break.

Also ahead, how heavy monsoon rains led to one of the deadliest days of this year's rainy season in Pakistan.

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VAUSE: At least 69 people are dead, 11 missing after a fire at a mall in southern Iraq. Firefighters are on the scene for hours overnight. Some tried to escape the flames by climbing from the roof with the help of rescue teams. Cause of the blaze has not been announced, but a preliminary report is expected in the coming days. Iraq's prime minister ordered an investigation. He also declared national mourning.

A grim prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine with the Kremlin returning a thousand dead Ukrainians in exchange for the bodies of 19 dead Russian troops, part of an agreement brokered during peace talks in Turkey. Those talks have made no progress towards a cease fire which led to an ultimatum from President Trump Monday to Moscow. Make peace in 50 days or face punitive secondary sanctions.

Now comes the defiant response from Russian officials saying they will not accept what they call threats from Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA ZAKHAROVA, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): Let me remind you once again that the language of ultimatums, blackmail and threats is unacceptable to us. We will take all necessary steps to ensure security and protect the interests of our country in such conditions. The urgency of the tasks is achieving the goals of the special military operation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And in the last 24 hours, at least 48 people have been wounded, six killed in Ukraine after another deadly salvo from Russia. That's according to local authorities. And the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stressed the importance of drone interceptors in recent weeks. Ukrainian troops say it has become harder to shoot down the waves of drones Russia continues to launch at an increasing rate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It is more difficult for us to shoot down the swarm because you will only take down, for example, five to six at most. If you manage to hit two, that is good, but the rest of the mass will simply pass you by and you will not have time to destroy them because there are a lot of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The leaders of Britain and Germany have a new wide ranging treaty between their countries. This comes against the backdrop of Russia's war on Ukraine, as well as the US Pulling back from the region and a defensive capability. This new treaty impacts a number of key issues, including defense and immigration. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDRIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This agreement is being hailed as historic by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as well as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Keir Starmer saying that it is the first of its kind between these two nations. Now, the agreement covers 27 pages and there's a lot of important

things in it. First and foremost, cooperation between Germany and the United Kingdom on immigration, the economy, transport, energy, but then also, and this is very important on defense as well.

[01:30:09]

Now all this comes, of course, as the war in Ukraine continues to rage on, causing a lot of uncertainty here in Europe. But then also as a lot of European NATO partners are uncertain with the Trump administration, whether or not the United States would still fully stand up for European nations if there was a larger conflict here on the continent.

Now, Keir Starmer called Germany one of the United Kingdom's closest allies as he met with Friedrich Merz. Here's what he said.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I see it very much as evidence of the closeness of our relationship as it stands today. The strength of our values, the strength of our joint approach, but also very much as a statement of intent, a statement of our ambition to work ever more closely together, the closest of allies and whether that's on defense, security, trade, the economy, energy covers so much in this treaty.

And so this is a really historic signing of a historic agreement. And it's very, very good to welcome you here in order to do so.

PLEITGEN: As far as defense is concerned, we did read a little bit of that agreement. And the U.K. and Germany say that they want to work together to create longer range weapons, deep strike capabilities, as they put them capable of reaching up to 2,000 kilometers. Then also cooperation on drones and as they put it, on strengthening NATO's eastern flank.

All of this, of course, coming as we are seeing European countries increasingly standing up for the continent's security, especially if we look at the United Kingdom, France, Germany, but also Poland as well, coming together as the United States and its commitment to European security seem to be hanging up in the air.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN -- Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Thursday was one of the deadliest days of this year's monsoon season in Pakistan, with at least 63 people dying during the heavy downpours. Most were killed when the roofs of their homes collapsed.

Monsoon rains have killed 103 people and injured nearly 400 in Punjab Province alone. The nationwide death toll from the rain stands at almost 160 since late last month.

At least two people are dead, more than a thousand have been evacuated after heavy floods in South Korea. Intense rainfall left roads, trees and vehicles submerged in some parts of the south Chungcheong region Thursday. 166 reported property damage from the heavy rain.

The ministry of education says more than 400 schools are closed, at least for now.

Dozens have been evacuated as firefighters battle wildfires near Madrid. Authorities estimate that the blaze has affected more than 2,500 hectares of grassland since Thursday afternoon.

Strong winds are hindering efforts to fight the fire while also blowing large columns of heavy smoke towards the Spanish capital.

We'll take a short break. When we come back, Brazil's president firing back at Donald Trump after threats of punitive tariffs. What he had to say next and more of the tit for tat.

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VAUSE: I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

The Brazilian president seems to be making the most of his back and forth with President Trump telling CNN Trump is not the king of the world, and he should stop trying to interfere in Brazil's justice system.

He's been appearing in media with this message, and that comes after Trump threatened to impose a 50 percent tariff on Brazil's exports to the United States.

And again on Thursday, Donald Trump, expressing support for former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing trial for an alleged coup attempt after losing the last election to Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva.

In a letter, the U.S. president claims Bolsonaro is a victim of an unjust system. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, shot back on Thursday, saying Mr. Trump is certainly not trying to be emperor of the world.

So now here's part of President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silvas recent conversation with CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT: What we cannot have is a President Trump forgetting that he was elected to govern the U.S. He was elected not to be the emperor of the world. It would be much better to.

Establish a negotiation first and then to reach the possible agreement, because we're two countries that we had very good meetings and we have good relations for 200 years.

And so he's breaking away from any protocol, any liturgy that should exist between the relations between two heads of state.

It was very unpleasant. We are trying to talk with the people there, but we're also preparing ourselves to give an answer to that.

[01:39:47]

DA SILVA: What I've been saying publicly is that we will use all the words that exist in the dictionary in trying to negotiate. If we don't manage to reach an agreement, I can reassure you that we will go to the World Trade Organization, or we can gather a group of countries to respond, or we can use the reciprocity law that was passed this bill by the National Congress.

This is how it's going to work. I regret -- I regret that two countries that have an historical relationship of 201 years preferred to be fighting through judicial means, because one president does not respect the sovereignty of the other president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: To Sao Paulo, Brazil now and Andre Masuko, a research analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Thank you for joining us.

ANDRE MASUKO, RESEARCH ANALYST, ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT: Thanks so much.

VAUSE: Ok, so in a letter which was written by the U.S. president to the former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, Trump expresses his support for a man he calls his friend. He writes that Bolsonaro's trial on charges of an attempted coup should end immediately, and he believes Bolsonaro is the victim of an unjust system.

The U.S. president actually made this letter public by posting it on social media, and the support for Bolsonaro comes with this threat of punitive sanctions on Brazil.

So exactly how is this meant to help Bolsonaro in Brazil?

MASUKO: Actually. that's a very good question, because we have -- we are seeing some signs that Trump's strategy is actually bound to backfire, you know.

We saw yesterday some recent surveys showing that Lula's popularity has actually increased following Trump's threats to impose a 50 percent tariff on Brazil.

And that is actually because most Brazilians right now, you know, this recent survey shows that more than 70 percent of Brazilians they see the justification for tariffs, you know, signing a witch hunt against Bolsonaro and political persecution as totally inappropriate.

And it exceeds economic justifications, mostly because Brazil runs a trade deficit with the United States, right? So Lula is benefiting from a rally around the flag effect in which we

are seeing that both centrists, left-wings and even some parts of the right wing are actually rallying behind Lula against what they consider a clear case of U.S. intervention in domestic affairs.

So right now, as you as well mentioned, Trump's strategy is actually helping and not, you know, creating pressure on Lula.

VAUSE: Amid this political windfall for Lula Da Silva, the Brazilian president seems to be sort of everywhere, all at once telling anyone and everyone he will not give in to a bully.

Listen to him speaking here to CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DA SILVA: Well, we cannot have a President Trump forgetting that he was elected to govern the U.S. He was elected not to be the emperor of the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So I guess this is kind of just what most people would expect after Trump demanded an end to the investigation and threatened these tariffs on Brazil. Was it going to ever play out any differently?

MASUKO: Brazil's judiciary is quite activist, and it will show no, they will try to signal a strength and they will not tolerate some sort of intervention by the Trump administration. So that is not a possibility right now.

You know, the judiciary will continue the case against Bolsonaro. He will probably be arrested later this year. And, you know, that strategy, that political game is actually benefiting Lula.

So we see scope for some watering down those tariffs. They will not return to the 10 percent rate that was applied in April. But there will be some scope -- some dilution to something around 25 percent.

VAUSE: The Brazilian president did say he is willing to enter these negotiations with the United States. Here he is again speaking to the to CNN on what could happen after that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DA SILVA: If we don't manage to reach an agreement, I can reassure you that we will go to the World Trade Organization, or we can gather a group of countries to response, or we can use the reciprocity law that was passed, this bill by the National Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So how is this likely to all settle? What level of tariffs do you think will be actually imposed by the United States, and what impact will that have on Brazil's economy? MASUKO: Sure. Excellent, excellent question. It is uncertain whether

those 50 percent tariffs will apply, but overall the -- if those tariffs they apply at 50 percent, the economic impact more broadly on the economy will be somewhat limited.

VAUSE: Andre Masuko there in Sao Paulo, Brazil -- thank you sir, for your time. Good speaking with you.

MASUKO: Thanks so much.

VAUSE: A prominent college professor gunned down in broad daylight. Police in Greece now have five suspects, including his ex-wife. The latest on the investigation in a moment.

[01:44:48]

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VAUSE: Voting rights in the U.K. may soon be extended to 16- and 17- year-olds, with plans by the Labour government to lower the voting age in time for the next general election. If approved by parliament, the national voting age in the U.K. would then be in line with Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands. The U.K. government says the change is all about future proofing democracy.

[01:49:53]

VAUSE: Authorities in Athens have charged five people in the brutal murder of a college professor, who was shot multiple times at point- blank range in what one source described as a likely hit job.

CNN's Melissa Bell reports the suspects include the ex-wife of the U.C. Berkeley professor and her current partner.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Gunned down on the sunny streets of Athens on the fourth of July.

Przemyslaw Jeziorski, a top marketing professor at Berkeley in California, was meeting his children, who'd been living in Greece since the divorce in 2021.

Known as P.J. to his friends he was killed just days after attending a custody hearing in the Greek capital.

Now his ex-wife and four others, including her current partner, were taken to court on Thursday facing charges in connection with his murder.

This was the scene on the street near the ex-wife's home on the day of the shooting. Police say Jeziorski was shot at close range in the chest and neck by a masked man in black.

A senior police source now telling CNN the ex-wife's boyfriend has confessed to the murder. In a confession leaked to Greek media and seen by CNN, the main suspect says we all knew Przemek had a lot of money, and we were afraid that in the end he would take the children away completely. We were both afraid that he could take them away from Greece forever.

The lawyer for his ex-wife says she denies any connection to the murder, but three other suspects from Bulgaria and Albania, one of whom is a minor, have confessed to being accomplices. None have yet formally entered pleas and CNN is unable to reach out to their attorneys.

Jeziorski was an economist and a professor of marketing at U.C. Berkeley's Haas School of Business. His colleagues describe him as a kind and generous man who loved teaching.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody is just completely devastated. There is a positive side is that I got to see all the comments and got to learn how he was loved. I knew he was great, but seeing what others say about him just makes me think that he was 100 times better than what I even thought.

Jeziorski family have raised money to help bring his body back to Poland and pay for a lawyer in Greece. His brother said, "Our family is heartbroken and we are doing everything we can to ensure that justice is served."

Jeziorski's ten-year-old twins hold American and Polish passports and are currently in protective custody in Greece.

Melissa Bell, CNN -- Paris.

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VAUSE: We shall pause our coverage here. We'll take a short break. Back in a minute.

You're watching CNN.

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VAUSE: Remember that Santa put the -- put the sled in storage for now. There's no snow in the official hometown of Father Christmas in Finland. The area is actually experiencing a heat wave.

CNN's Allison Chinchar has our report.

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ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Santa's helpers are trading snow for swelter in Finland.

[01:54:40]

CHINCHAR: As temperatures in the northern town of Rovaniemi, the official hometown of Santa Claus on the Arctic Circle are reaching over 30 degrees Celsius or 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

And the Finns are soaking up the rare hot weather.

TOIVO KOIVU, ROVANIEMI RESIDENT AND D.J.: It's pretty good. I like it. It's hot. I don't think it's this hot too often here.

CHINCHAR: Summer temperatures typically fall around 20 degrees Celsius or 68 degrees Fahrenheit in northern Finland. But this warmer weather is only becoming more common and even rivaling parts of mainland Europe.

KOIVU: I was on a vacation for a few weeks, going down through Europe with the Interrail, with a few of my buddies and it was very hot.

And we thought that when we would come back to Finland, it would be cooler like normally. But no, it's actually the same weather as down south.

CHINCHAR: It might be time for Santa to retire his sleigh and pull out a floaty instead.

Allison Chinchar, CNN.

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VAUSE: Here's something for anyone facing a long drive on a long desert road, a little music "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven.

Yes, it's the highway making the music. It's in the U.A.E. and the music comes from strategically spaced grooves in the pavement. As tires hit the rumble strips, the resulting vibrations actually produce the melody.

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MOHAMMAD AHMED, MOTORIST: First time I saw this, and it's my first time I drive at this music street. It's very interesting and very enjoyment. I really recognize it's a Beethoven part maybe.

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VAUSE: similar musical highways are already in place in the United States, Japan, Hungary, but this is believed to be the first permanent musical road in the Arab world.

Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.

Please stay with us. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Kim Brunhuber after a very short break.

I'll see you right back here after the weekend.

[01:57:01]

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