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Trump Tells Israel To "Finish The Job" As Starvation Grips Gaza; Growing Starvation In Gaza As Thousands Go Hungry; U.S. Government Review Finds No Evidence Of Widespread Hamas Theft Of Gaza Aid; Anti-War Protests Ramp Up As Starvation Envelops Gaza; Trump Dismisses France's Plan To Recognize Palestinian State; Trump Visits Scotland To Play Golf, Talk Trade; Deportation Flights Begin From Everglades Detention Center; CNN Talks To Inmates At Remote Everglades Detention Center. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired July 26, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:38]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

Doctors in Gaza describe dire conditions as the famine in Gaza deepens. What we know about the situation on the ground. And Donald Trump is telling Israel to get rid of Hamas, why ceasefire negotiations broke down and what comes next.

Plus, the president's fielding questions about his domestic problems while visiting his golf course in Scotland. What he's saying about the ongoing Epstein controversy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: We begin this hour with the growing death toll in Gaza. Palestinian health officials say six people were killed and more than 160 wounded while waiting for much needed aid in northern Gaza. Now comes, as U.S. President Donald Trump suggests, it's time for Israel to ramp up its military campaign. That's despite the horrific pictures emerging of starving children and rising reports of Palestinians dying from hunger.

Here's what President Trump told reporters after his negotiators pulled back from ceasefire talks this week.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It was too bad. Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die. And it's very, very bad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think -- TRUMP: And it got to be to a point where you're going to have to

finish the job.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BRUNHUBER: A senior Hamas official told CNN about two of the remaining sticking points in the ceasefire negotiations. They include the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages and the schedule for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza.

Meanwhile, doctors and nurses in the enclave are suffering along with their patients. We're learning that some of them are fainting from hunger and exhaustion while trying to save lives. One doctor says medical staff are now rationing themselves to one meal every two or three days.

All right, joining us live from Jerusalem is CNN's Nic Robertson. So, Nic, let's start with that dire situation facing so many people in Gaza, going from bad to worse.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. And as you said, six people were killed as they went to get aid in the north of Gaza in the early hours of this morning. 160 people injured in one location, 30 people injured in another location in the north of Gaza where they went to get aid as well. The figures being reported by Palestinian health officials are really mounting up over the past couple of months.

For residents of Gaza as they go to get aid now, more than 1,092 until yesterday have been killed, that total now 1,098, more than 7,000 injured just as they try to get aid. And the situation on the ground, incredibly desperate, as you describe. Malnutrition is getting worse there, according to aid agencies.

UNICEF said that in the first two weeks of this month, 5,500 children have been treated for malnutrition. Health officials in Gaza say that 70,000 children in the Gaza Strip are suffering the effects of malnutrition. The Israeli government yesterday announced a potential remedy for part of that under huge international pressure. They have said that they will consider allowing aid flights to be or aid to be dropped from flights, airdrops into Gaza.

Now, U.N. groups, NGOs have described it as that method of getting aid into Gaza as expensive, as dangerous. Previous efforts, in some cases, food aid dropped from planes and landed on people waiting for it below and killed them. Nevertheless, the British prime minister yesterday said that he is pushing forward with the British government rushing with energy to try to coordinate with Jordanian officials to get British food aid for the Gazans onto Jordanian aircraft and dropped into Gaza.

We don't have a timeline on that. We don't know precisely how it will work. But it is indicative of the huge pressure that Israel is facing internationally for the images that are emerging from Gaza, while Israel says that the fault of the food shortage is Hamas. Hamas, they say behind -- is responsible for causing the deaths around the food distribution areas.

[05:05:04]

They say the Israeli government says there's an effort to disrupt the food distribution, the new food distribution systems separate to the U.N. because they say Hamas doesn't want it to work.

BRUNHUBER: Nic, you've outlined how desperately people in Gaza need a ceasefire in order to get more aid. That seems now even further away, especially given President Trump's latest comments.

ROBERTSON: Yes, and it's not clear if his latest comments, which were, in essence, the Israeli government needs to go into Gaza and finish off the job, they need to finish the fighting, finish off the job, were his words. Steve Witkoff, just -- his envoy to the mediators, to the peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians inside of Gaza, his envoy, just less than 24 hours earlier, had put on the social media platform X that Hamas wasn't really interested in the talks.

And we were told yesterday by Israeli officials that that language by Steve Witkoff was really to shake the Hamas negotiating position into something more realistic. The Israeli prime minister said that Hamas would be very gravely mistaken if they thought that Israel was going to negotiate something that was contrary to its national security interests.

The position now is confusing, to say the least, because Egyptian and Qatari mediators say that they continue to meet to discuss the possibility of ceasefire and hostage release. Hamas has put forward what they thought were the contentious sticking points on the border, on the width of the borders, on how many Palestinian prisoners should be released for how many Israeli hostages.

But you have that language from President Trump, and it really is the open question. Does he actually mean the IDF and Israel are clear now to go in and ramp up their offensives inside of Gaza, or is he merely putting pressure on Hamas to weaken their position and to come back to the table with something else? And that isn't clear at the moment, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. All right. Nic Robertson in Jerusalem. Thanks so much for that. Appreciate it.

Well, the Trump administration has repeatedly claimed that Hamas is stealing humanitarian aid in Gaza, but a new internal U.S. government review found no evidence of widespread theft by Hamas. The analysis from the U.S. Agency for International Development looked at more than 150 incidents reported by aid groups on the ground. The U.S. has backed a controversial private organization to distribute aid, claiming it's the only group that is able to deter thefts by Hamas.

While anger over the humanitarian crisis is growing, a large crowd marched through a majority Palestinian city in northern Israel, demanding an end to the war. Some of the protesters held up photos of emaciated Palestinians in Gaza with signs that read, "We Stand Together Against Starvation."

And in London, hundreds of people gathered outside Downing Street. They banged on pots and pans to honor Palestinians who were killed trying to get food and other aid in Gaza.

Now, earlier, I spoke with Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House in London. I asked her about the timing of French President Macron's decision to recognize Palestinian statehood amid the crisis in Gaza. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

SANAM VAKIL, DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA PROGRAM, CHATHAM HOUSE: This is a moment where the broader international community has to come together in absence of the United States to stand up for what is right and just. It is a long time coming that Palestinians deserve statehood. And certainly on the back of this war and this crisis, I think the aim here is to have more countries recognize a Palestinian state and when the war comes to an end, build out a negotiation and diplomatic process that supports the prospect of Palestinian statehood and tries to bring both sides to the table in what really should be a foregone conclusion.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So you talk about building support. Obviously, the hope, from Macron's point of view, is that other countries could follow his lead. You know, concretely, do you think that's likely? Will we hear other announcements, possibly, in the future?

VAKIL: I certainly hope so. There is pressure on the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, to do the right thing. There's pressure within his party. There's widespread pressure coming from across British society, and the same is across Europe. People would like their governments to recognize Palestinian statehood, and that's very much the case here.

But it is unclear if Prime Minister Starmer is going to have the courage or the leadership to do so. And, you know, I, among many here, are imploring for him to do that. He is very much worried that such recognition could damage Britain's relations with the United States of America.

[05:10:01]

And President Trump takes a very bullying approach to these sort of relationships. And so he's trying to balance national interests against international interests and doing the right thing. This is about doing the right thing. This is a moment in history. What's happening in Gaza is inconscionable, and the world needs to be paying attention, as do world leaders.

BRUNHUBER: You say Starmer won't want to cross the U.S. president. We've heard again from the Trump administration. They said this move is reckless. They say it rewards terrorism and actually sets back peace. Couple that with Donald Trump telling Israel to finish the job in Gaza, is there a chance that this could just push Trump further towards Netanyahu at the expense of Palestinians? VAKIL: It certainly showcases that both Trump and Netanyahu are -- well, Trump himself is frustrated that the ceasefire negotiations that were underway in Doha haven't resulted in outcomes. I also think that Prime Minister Netanyahu really has no interest in the ceasefire negotiations at this time, despite the fact that there are still 20 living Israeli hostages in Gaza.

Finishing the job is, in their minds, about eradicating Hamas's long- term viability, but that comes at the expense of ordinary citizens on the ground. Not all Palestinians by any means support Hamas, and they are being very much punished for this war that is going to continue, drag on into two years, with long-term consequences. And, of course, the daily humanitarian disaster does need to be addressed.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BRUNHUBER: President Trump is in Scotland for a five-day visit. Trump is expected to play golf at his two resorts this weekend, and he'll also hold trade talks with the U.K. prime minister and the president of the European Union.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny is traveling with the president.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: President Trump taking a respite from Washington, spending a few days in Scotland, the ancestral territory and homeland of his mother. Officially a golfing trip, but it now has become something much more than that. He'll be meeting with the president of the European Commission here on Sunday to talk about tariffs and trade, as well as meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

TRUMP: I like your prime minister. He's slightly more liberal than I am, as you've probably heard, but he's a good man. He got a trade deal done. And, you know, they've been working on this deal for 12 years. He got it done. It's a good deal. It's a good deal for the U.K.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ZELENY: But a new trade deal has already been inked largely between the U.K. and the U.S., but it is that E.U. deal that is still looming. That's why the meeting on Sunday with Ursula von der Leyen is so critical. Of course, she does not have as strong of a relationship with President Trump, but when he arrived in Scotland on Friday, he had positive words to say about her, and he said he believes they could strike a deal, of course.

This is leading into an August 1st deadline for yet another tariff deadline. All of this is coming, of course, as many other issues are hanging over this trip, which is the fifth international trip President Trump has taken since returning to office. Of course, Gaza, front and center as well. The Ukraine war is, too.

But on the president's agenda, at least for the weekend, much golf. It is two golf clubs here. On Tuesday, he will also be opening a new golf course in the north of Scotland named after his mother, who, of course, was born here, but left Scotland at age 18 to come to the United States.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Edinburgh, Scotland.

BRUNHUBER: The convicted accomplice and former girlfriend of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein faced a second day of questions Friday. Ghislaine Maxwell was given limited immunity for her meetings with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. She's currently serving a 20- year prison sentence for helping Epstein groom and sexually abuse underage girls.

Afterward, Maxwell's attorney seemed to suggest she's hoping for clemency from the president. Here is.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

DAVID OSCAR MARKUS, ATTORNEY FOR GHISLAINE MAXWELL: We haven't spoken to the president or anybody about a pardon just yet. And, you know, listen, the president this morning said he had the power to do so. We hope he exercises that power in the right and just way. Thank you.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now, that comment from Maxwell's lawyer came in response to a statement made by Trump earlier in the day. The president was answering a question from CNN's Kevin Liptak, who filed this report.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Trump continues to be hounded by these questions about the Jeffrey Epstein matter. And the question on Friday was whether he was considering a pardon or a commutation for Ghislaine Maxwell. Remember, she is the Jeffrey Epstein associate who has spent the last two days in Florida talking to the Deputy Attorney General, Todd Blanche, about what she knows about the Epstein files.

[05:15:02]

Blanche is down there really to try and show that the administration is trying to do everything it can to proactively find out more about the case. The reason the question about pardons and commutations has come up is that there's a belief that Maxwell wouldn't necessarily sit down with Blanche and reveal everything she knows if she didn't get something out of it.

You know, she's serving a 20-year prison sentence down in Florida. She's maintained her innocence. She's appealed her case. And there's a belief that she wouldn't necessarily go along with what the Justice Department is asking her to do unless she was getting something in return.

Now, I asked the president whether he was open to using his powers of clemency on Maxwell. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

LIPTAK: Would you consider a pardon or a commutation for Ghislaine Maxwell if she's cooperating --

TRUMP: It's something I haven't thought that. It's really something --

LIPTAK: If recommended --

TRUMP: It's -- I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I have not thought about.

LIPTAK: But you wouldn't rule it out?

(END VIDEOCLIP)

LIPTAK: So you hear the president there saying, on the one hand, he hasn't given this any thought, but on the other hand, that he does have the power to do this and not ruling it out in any sense of the word. And so, clearly, this will be an ongoing question for the president to answer.

He was also asked how he ascertained Maxwell's credibility. You know, on the one hand, she's a convicted sex trafficker. On the other hand, she wants to get out of prison. There's a question of how Blanche and how Trump know that she's telling the truth here.

What the president said is that, essentially, he had faith in Blanche, who is the deputy attorney general but is also his former criminal defense attorney, that he had faith that Blanche would be able to sort of suss out whether or not she was telling the truth or not. And so the president, clearly, having still plenty of questions asked of him about this matter.

You know, he really tried to tamp down on what people were asking, said that instead of sort of probing into his own relationship with Epstein, that reporters would be better off looking into Democrats' associations with Epstein, including his predecessor, Bill Clinton, who, like Trump, has said that he cut off all ties to the disgraced financier before these crimes came to light, and that he had no idea that Epstein was committing them.

Now, President Trump is now in Scotland. He's at his Turnberry golf course on the west coast of Scotland, essentially putting the entire Atlantic Ocean between himself and this scandal that has engulfed Washington for the last three weeks. But, really, it's not at all clear that having that geographic distance will cause any of this to blow over.

Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.

BRUNHUBER: The first deportation flights have taken off from the Florida detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz. Ahead, why officials say the facility is speeding up deportations. And CNN speaks to inmates inside the facility. Hear what they're saying about the conditions there.

Those stories and more coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [05:21:49]

BRUNHUBER: Deportation flights have begun from the makeshift immigration detention center in Florida dubbed Alligator Alcatraz. Immigration officials say as many as 100 people have been deported. It's not clear where they were sent. The remote Everglades facility has been criticized for housing migrants in poor conditions.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis is defending the detention center saying it's speeding up deportations. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

RON DESANTIS, FLORIDA GOVERNOR: It was never intended to be something where people are just held and we just kind of twiddle our thumbs. The whole purpose is to make this be a place that can facilitate increased frequency and numbers of deportations of illegal aliens.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has more on the conditions inside the South Florida facility.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JUAN PALMA MARTINEZ (through translation): This is sad, sad, hopeless. It's a type of torture.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are the stories of migrants held at Alligator Alcatraz, a new detention facility deep in the Florida Everglades. Using a plan of the site shown during President Trump's visit and photos from media tours and social media, CNN created a 3D model to take you inside the site where hundreds of immigrant detainees are being held.

Here are the giant tents where people report being crammed into cells made of chain link fence packed with bunk beds.

CNN spoke with eight detainees to hear firsthand accounts of what conditions are like on the inside. Some asked not to be named for fear of retribution.

GONZALO ALMANZA VALDES, DETAINEE: Because of the way that we have been treated, it has been a very terrible experience.

ALVAREZ (voice-over): Gonzalo Almanza Valdes was detained by ICE when he showed up for a meeting with his probation officer.

VALDES: 32 people per cell or per cage, really, because this is a cage. It's a metal cage strapped in with zip ties.

ALVAREZ (voice-over): Three open toilets are shared by dozens of men who say there's no running water or sewage system.

Roger Moreno, who was in the U.S. for more than 30 years, told CNN the rain makes it worse. ROGER MORENO, DETAINEE (through translation): The toilets, when it rains, they overflow, and the cells we're in fill up with sewage.

VALDES: Every time it does rain and storm, the toilets clog up.

ALVAREZ (voice-over): Detainees told CNN the lights are kept on 24 hours a day.

VALDES: We can't sleep. I have to personally put a rag on top of my head to at least try to take a nap because the lights are so bright. There's 24 LED lights in the roof, and it's like shining bright.

ALVAREZ (voice-over): Juan Palma Martinez has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years and was also picked up by ICE at a routine meeting with his probation officer.

JUAN PALMA MARTINEZ, DETAINEE (through translation): I no longer know when it's daytime or when it's nighttime. I don't sleep. It's affecting me mentally and physically.

ALVAREZ (voice-over): The tents aren't sealed. You can see cracks in this image. And at the height of the hot Florida summer, that means the insects are relentless.

MORENO (through translation): Yesterday, the air conditioning went out. We had the whole morning without air conditioning. Lots of mosquitoes came in because they get in from all sides.

[05:25:03]

ALVAREZ (voice-over): Multiple detainees said they don't get enough food, though they're served three meals a day, and that water is limited.

VALDES: They scan our bracelets. We go into the food hall. The food is very terrible here. Very, very, very small portions. People are having a hard time living here because it's like they're starving. It's probably like a quarter cup of rice.

MARTINEZ (through translation): We've eaten as late as 10 at night. The food at night is cold, too. There's never a hot meal.

ALVAREZ (voice-over): Showers are located in a separate tent, and opportunities to shower there are scarce, according to the detainees we spoke with.

VALDES: All the showers are connected to the same water source. There's barely any water pressure. So we have to, like, literally put ourselves on the wall right next to the water drain so like we can at least get hit with water.

MARTINEZ (through translation): They follow you when you're walking to the shower with your hands on your head, as if you were a prisoner. The water is very hot. Very hot. They don't give you enough time. Mosquitoes are biting you in the shower. There are more mosquitoes than water. ALVAREZ (voice-over): The only line to the outside world are phones set up in the cells.

VALDES (through translation): Nobody here has been able to see a loved one. Nobody has been able to see a lawyer here. Nobody -- it sucks, it sucks. There's no like, physical contact with the outside world other than these phone calls.

It's not really more about me. It's about not being able to see my son. He's six. He's about to turn seven in November. And I don't even know if going to be able to see him on his birthday.

ALVAREZ (voice-over): Republican and Democratic lawmakers recently toured the facility. According to one of them, they were not permitted to speak to the detainees. Then-state Senator Blaise Ingoglia, a Republican, said the facility is in good order.

BLAISE INGOGLIA, FORMER FLORIDA STATE SENATOR: It's actually a very well-run facility. The idea that the detainees are in there and they're in squalid conditions is just not accurate.

ALVAREZ (voice-over): But most distressing for detainees, they say, was that in multiple cases, they haven't appeared in any state or federal detention system since they were arrested. That means families have been unable to track them.

VALDES: We're in the middle of the Everglades with constant reminder that we're locked up in a cage, and anything can happen. A hurricane can hit us and we can all die, and nobody would know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALVAREZ (on-camera): In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson for the Florida Division of Emergency Management said the following, quote, "As stated many times before, these claims are false. The facility is in good working order, and detainees have access to drinking water, showers and clean facilities for hygiene."

Now, Florida officials anticipate that the population of detainees at Alligator Alcatraz will grow over time to include thousands more. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is in talks with other states who are looking to the makeshift facility in Florida as an example of how they may approach migrant detention.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.

BRUNHUBER: Still ahead, a new executive order could push homeless people off the streets and into treatment facilities. We'll take a look at the potential impact.

Plus, FEMA's new proposal to cut grants that help communities prepare for disasters and possible terror attacks. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:30:00] BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Kim Brunhuber. Let's check some of today's top stories. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is growing, putting 1 million children at risk of starvation or nutrition. New video shows crowds of Palestinians struggling to get food at a soup kitchen in Gaza city.

Palestinian health officials say dozens of people have starved to death in Gaza over the last few weeks. U.S. President Donald Trump is in Scotland for a five-day visit. He's expected to play golf at his two resorts this weekend. He plans to hold trade talks with the U.K. Prime Minister and the President of the European Commission.

Protesters are planning demonstrations at Trump's golf properties in the coming hours. The convicted accomplice of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein met with the deputy Attorney General for a second time on Friday. Ghislaine Maxwell was given limited immunity for the meetings.

Her attorney suggested she's hoping for clemency from the President. Earlier, Trump said he hadn't thought about giving her a pardon but didn't rule it out. A new executive order signed by President Trump will make it easier for communities to remove homeless people from the streets.

The order signed Thursday reverses judicial precedents that limit local jurisdiction's abilities to relocate homeless communities. It also allows those homeless people to be put in rehabilitation facilities and substance misuse facilities. Now, this order comes a month after the Supreme Court ruled that anti-camping ordinances don't violate the constitutions ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

The new rule will change how communities respond to a growing homelessness crisis. According to a report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than 770,000 people experienced at least one night of homelessness in 2024. That's the highest number ever recorded.

Homelessness among people in families with children had the largest single-year increase in homelessness, about 39 percent jump from 2023. About 1 in 5 people experiencing homelessness were over the age of 55. All right, for more on this, I want to bring in from Washington Jeff Olivet; former executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.

Thank you so much for being here with us early this morning. Many viewers who, you know, have homeless encampments in their neighborhoods could reasonably think that this new policy is a -- is a good solution. You've said this will actually make homelessness worse. Why is that?

JEFF OLIVET, FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, U.S. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS: Well, I think we all agree that the status quo of people living on the street is unacceptable. We need to get people the housing and the supports that we need. But if you look into this executive order, it is cruel. It would be expensive to implement, and it would actually do nothing to solve homelessness for people. It simply lays the groundwork for rounding them up against their will.

BRUNHUBER: OK, so, the administration frames this as sort of getting people into mental health and addiction treatment, which sounds like a good idea. So, what's so problematic about doing that, about mandated treatment like this?

[05:35:00]

OLIVET: If it actually did that, it would be a good idea. I think a lot of people who are living on the street do need access to mental health care and drug and alcohol treatment, but this executive order doesn't provide this. And this is from the same administration that just slashed Medicaid, the very program that pays for people to get treatment that they need.

And so, it really does not provide those services. It simply lays the legal groundwork to force people into treatment that actually doesn't even exist.

BRUNHUBER: So, as I mentioned, this executive order builds on the Supreme Court's recent decision that allows cities to ticket people for sleeping outside, which some civic leaders have applauded. So, they and the Trump administration argue that, they're clearing encampments and enforcing these anti-camping laws will make the streets safer. Do you agree?

OLIVET: I think if you close an encampment and get all of those people into housing and get them the support that they need to thrive and succeed and reconnect, that's a great approach. But that's not the approach this administration is taking. If you simply close an encampment and don't provide the real solutions, the access to housing and wrap-around supports, then all we're doing is moving the problem around.

And so I don't think this actually solves anything. And in fact, this executive order would set back our work to combat homelessness 30 years. It really is a step backwards.

BRUNHUBER: So, you've said that there's -- the treatments portion of this is sort of nonexistent. What is missing exactly in this chain that they imagine of sort of getting people, rounding them up and then getting them into these, you know, treatment centers?

OLIVET: Well, I'll tell you one thing that's missing from this executive order is, any focus on families with children, any focus on young people aging out of foster care, any focus on elderly homeless folks who are often becoming homeless for the first time and not necessarily wrestling with drug and alcohol issues and mental health issues.

So, this executive order paints a stereotypical picture that everybody who's experiencing homelessness is a violent criminal. And that is just simply not true. So, I think that's one fundamental flaw. The other flaw is that this actually provides no access to housing, to treatment. It simply incentivizes states to criminalize homelessness.

BRUNHUBER: I mean, that last portion, the criminalization of homelessness, I mean, is there research that shows that these aggressive approaches don't work?

OLIVET: There is. There's research and there's history. We have tried this dozens of times throughout our history to arrest our way out of homelessness. And you just simply can't do it. Handcuffs are not the solution to homelessness. Jailing people, forcing people into long- term commitment against their will is not a solution to homelessness. What we know solves homelessness is getting people housing and getting people supports they need to succeed in that housing.

BRUNHUBER: All right, so, you know, all of that, what you're talking about there costs a lot of money. Just you know, I used to live in L.A., so I follow that fairly closely there. They spent huge amounts -- I think it's $900 million this year, more than a billion dollars the year before. And that's apparently reduced homelessness by about 10 percent.

So, the return on investment, you know, isn't great there. So, how do you do this without just throwing more and more money at the problem?

OLIVET: I think the long-term return on investment is huge, and the costs of incarceration are greater. So, if you really look at the cost of keeping people homeless, of moving people in-and-out of jail and prison and psychiatric institution, those costs are actually much greater than simply providing enough housing for people and enough access to outpatient mental health care, drug and alcohol treatment.

And I think, yes, there have been a lot of investments in Los Angeles and in many other places, and I think we're beginning to see the results of that. The Los Angeles numbers that were released recently are showing gains in homelessness, as you said -- I mean, reductions in --

BRUNHUBER: Yes --

OLIVET: -- homelessness --

BRUNHUBER: That's right, yes. Listen, we'll leave it there. But really appreciate getting you on this very important topic. Jeff Olivet, thank you so much.

OLIVET: Thank you. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: The Federal Emergency Management Agency has proposed cutting nearly a billion dollars in grants to communities and first responders. Now, those groups use that money to prepare for disasters and bolster security for possible terror attacks. CNN's Gabe Cohen has this exclusive story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, in recent months, the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Kristi Noem have been overhauling FEMA to shrink the agency's footprint and to really shift responsibility for disaster preparedness, response and recovery onto states. Now we've obtained these memos that show DHS and FEMA are proposing cutting the majority of FEMA's Emergency Management and Homeland Security grant programs.

[05:40:00]

Nearly $1 billion in funding that goes to a wide range of initiatives in communities across the country. We are talking about disaster preparedness, anti-terrorism, cybersecurity, a staffing and training for local first responders, even an early warning system for disasters. All of it potentially on the chopping block.

Now leadership says this is really about refocusing FEMA on its core emergency management mission. But these memos that I've obtained, they really acknowledge in stark terms the potential risk in eliminating each one of these 19 programs. For example, cutting the biggest program on the list, this $550 million security grant program for big cities to prepare for major disasters like terror attacks, while cutting that, the memo says, could create a quote, "less secure nation, especially at the border and in some of the nations most targeted cities, including Miami, Washington D.C. and Dallas."

Eliminating another disaster preparedness program, according to the memo, could leave state and local governments more vulnerable to catastrophic incidents, and ending yet another one that secures public transit from terrorism would, the memo says, contradict the administration's commitment to a safer and more secure country.

Now I reached out to the Department of Homeland Security with a long list of questions about these proposed cuts. They called these memos cherry-picked. Those were their words, although they did acknowledge a goal of cutting what they called unaccountable programs. They sent me a statement saying in part, "for years, taxpayer dollars have flowed to bloated grants, political pet projects and groups with questionable ties. That ends now."

So, as of now, it appears they are pushing forward with these proposed cuts, although I'll note it will likely take the approval of the White House and Congress in order to get that done. Gabe Cohen, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Russia is dramatically scaling up its ability to produce its own drones. We get a rare glimpse inside a formerly secret weapons factory after the break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:45:00]

BRUNHUBER: At the United Nations on Friday, the United States accused China of fueling Russia's aggression in Ukraine. The U.S. challenged China to stop exports of certain dual-use goods during a meeting of the U.N. Security Council, but China rejects the accusation and says the U.S. is creating confrontation. This was part of the exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOROTHY SHEA, ACTING U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Beijing's claim to have implemented strong export controls on dual-use goods falls apart in the face of daily recovery of Chinese produced components in the drones, weapons and vehicles that Russia uses against Ukraine.

GENG SHUANG, DEPUTY U.N. AMBASSADOR, CHINA (through translator): We urge the U.S. to stop shifting blame on the Ukraine issue or creating confrontation, and instead play a more constructive role in promoting ceasefire and peace talks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: "Reuters" reported on Wednesday that Chinese-made engines are being covertly shipped via front companies to a state-owned drone manufacturer in Russia, labeled as industrial refrigeration units. Now, Russia is ramping up production of the drones it uses to strike targets deep inside Ukraine. A highly secretive Russian drone factory gave state media a rare tour of its operations. CNN's Matthew Chance reports from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Over Kyiv, the ominous buzz of a Russian drone before it finds its target. Waves of these attack drones pose a nightly threat against Ukrainian towns and cities. Now, we have a rare glimpse inside one highly secretive Russian drone factory, where thousands of the cheap, simple and deadly weapons are virtually flying off the assembly lines.

This is now the biggest factory in the world for attack drones, the company CEO, who sanctioned by the U.S. tells the Russian Ministry of Defense television station, "it's secret", he says. "But we will show you something." And what we're showing is a vast and modern production facility employing thousands hundreds of miles from the frontlines, and recently expanded, we're told, enabling Russia's escalating campaign of drone strikes across Ukraine.

"We must give credit to the strategic foresight of those who foresaw that this war would be a war of drones." The CEO says. "And it's good we're ready for it", he adds. There's also this extraordinary footage of the drones being test-launched at speed while their performance is remotely monitored. Russia's drone program, once reliant on imports from Iran, is now self-sufficient.

Ukraine is waging its own drone war, of course, striking Kremlin forces deep inside Russia in highly sophisticated operations like this one. Last month, targeting Russian strategic bombers. While on the frontlines, drones from both sides have transformed the battlefield. But these unprecedented images from this one Russian factory shows how the Kremlin is dramatically scaling up drone production.

And its capacity to wage a long and devastating drone war in Ukraine. Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Thailand and Cambodia are clashing along their disputed border for the third day, prompting mass evacuations and growing fears of a prolonged conflict. Both sides have accused the other of starting the conflict and are blaming each other for the ongoing fighting and the death toll is rising.

More than a dozen people have been killed in Cambodia, including civilians and soldiers, with scores wounded in Thailand, at least 16 people have been killed, mostly civilians and dozens have been wounded, according to the Health Ministry. Envoys from both countries addressed a U.N. Security Council meeting about the clashes on Friday.

Now, this town near Thailand's border with Cambodia is largely deserted as residents flee the deadly fighting. The clashes have displaced more than 160,000 people. At least, seven children are dead after a school's roof collapsed on Friday in India, officials say the building was old and heavy rain caused the roof to cave in.

The children who died were students at the school. Authorities say, all of those who were trapped under the rubble have been accounted for. We'll be right back.

[05:50:00]

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BRUNHUBER: Romance writers are used to having an aisle dedicated to them at bookstores, but one London shop is taking that a step further. It's completely dedicated to romance novels. CNN's Isa Soares reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Are you looking for romance? Well, this could be just the place for you. This is London's first romance-only bookshop. Come with me.

(voice-over): Here you can swoon, sigh and daydream to your heart's content. There's the classics, of course, but this isn't your grandmother's romance section. There's romantasy, cowboy romance, hockey romance, fiery enemies-to-lovers stories and even, yes, slightly saucier and steamier ones. But founder Sarah Maxwell tells me there's nothing to blush about.

SARAH MAXWELL, FOUNDER, SAUCY BOOKS: So many of these amazing books have been sort of dubbed as quote-unquote, "smut." And I think that's really unfair, because they have, you know, great character building, amazing plot. A lot of time, it's very political. It's not, you know, it isn't smut.

[05:55:00]

So, I felt like we should reclaim that word. So, we have a "smut hut", which is where the destination for all the most popular books, actually. SOARES: Saucy Books is part of a growing trend: Romance-only bookstores popping up across the U.K., the U.S. and Canada.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have always been a little bit unashamed but shy about kind of saying that I like reading romance, because it feels then that people will not take you seriously as a reader.

SOARES: The appetite is voracious. Romance sales in the U.K. alone totaled more than $90 million last year, a surge partly fueled by BookTok, which has brought in a wave of new younger readers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think nowadays people are coming out of that more and being able to connect and bond. And I know that's one of the reasons why I love romance so much as being able --

SOARES (on camera): Yes --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- to talk with friends and like analyze the plot, and it's really a community-building aspect.

JULIE ANDREWS, ACTRESS: Dearest gentle reader --

SOARES (voice-over): Adding to the success, hit TV adoptations like Bridgerton --

NICOLA COUGHLIN, ACTOR: There's nothing that makes me happier than being with you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm an opponent --

SOARES: And "Rivals" --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Makes life more exciting.

SOARES: From the screen to the page, modern romance it seems is blooming.

MAXWELL: I think people really recognize themselves in these characters and they feel very empowered by them. And so, they are almost proud to acknowledge that they have read that book.

SOARES: And as author Jack Strange, who writes gay romance novels points out, it's also relatable.

JACK STRANGE, AUTHOR: And from my perspective, being able to write like more diverse stories for people, because people want those stories.

SOARES (on camera): Yes.

STRANGE: And especially now with like, everything going on, we want fun and we want excitement --

SOARES: Yes --

STRANGE: -- and escapism. SOARES (voice-over): And readers are lapping it up. Isa Soares, CNN, Notting Hill, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Kim Brunhuber. For our audience in North America, "CNN THIS MORNING" is next. For the rest of the world, it's "AFRICAN VOICES: CHANGEMAKERS".