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E.U., Ukraine Urge Trump Against Unilateral Deal with Putin; IDF Chief Approves "Main Concept" for New Attack Plan; ICE Deportation Planes Hide Data Used to Track Them; Mexico Transfers 26 Cartel Figures to U.S. Custody; Taylor Swift Talks New Album on 'New Heights' Podcast. Aired 12-12:45a ET
Aired August 14, 2025 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, on the eve of meeting face to face with Vladimir Putin, the U.S. president had a blunt warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't have to say there will be very severe consequences.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: But will the tough talking Trump turn up in Alaska, or will he throw Ukraine under the bus?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER LUXON, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: Netanyahu has gone way too far. I think he has lost the plot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Growing international outrage at Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu, as the military approves plans to occupy Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RENE MARSH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is one of about 6,000 ICE flights since President Donald Trump took office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And ICE Air flying dark. How those privately operated flights are becoming increasingly difficult to track.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
VAUSE: On the eve of the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, the question for Europe and Ukraine is which Donald Trump will show up at a military base in Anchorage. Will it be the tough talking "I'm very disappointed in Putin, he's a killer" Donald Trump, or will it be the "throw him under the bus" Trump like in 2018 in Helsinki, when Trump sided with Putin over election interference?
After a virtual summit Wednesday with European and Ukrainian leaders, it seems the U.S. president was on board. Two European diplomats telling CNN President Trump indicated he would push for an unconditional ceasefire and later telling reporters Putin would face very serious consequences if he doesn't commit to a ceasefire. But he refused to say what those very serious consequences might be.
President Trump also said if Friday's meeting goes well, follow up talks could include Ukraine's president and happen almost immediately. On Wednesday, Ukraine and European leaders emphasized unity, urging Trump not to agree to a peace deal without Putin -- with Putin, rather, without them.
French President Emmanuel Macron says Trump was very clear that Washington wants to secure a ceasefire and that Ukraine's territory cannot be negotiated without its president. Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirmed on Wednesday he will not cede the Russian occupied Donbas region to Moscow and laid out his terms for a peace deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Everything about Ukraine will be discussed with Ukraine. We have to get prepared for a three-sided format of the conversation. There should be a ceasefire first then security guarantees. Real security guarantees. And by the way, President Trump expressed his support for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: More now on Wednesday's virtual summit from CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reporting in from Kyiv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: They have urgently tried to project all day the idea of what their messages were to Trump and that he was listening. But I think ultimately there is a recognition that when Trump and Putin get in the room together, that is a huge roll of the dice. And they've seen in the past, Trump get dragged back towards Moscow's narrative when talking or meeting with Putin.
So that's a huge concern. Trump has, according to some European diplomats, suggested that he won't make deals about Ukrainian territory without Ukraine being involved. That's a key European ask here. But he's also said that land swaps are an integral part of these discussions, so it's hard to imagine how he gets into the discussion about what peace would look like with Putin without discussing territory.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, alongside the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who hosted him in person in Berlin today for a virtual conference with Trump and Vice President JD Vance and other European leaders, Zelenskyy reaffirmed that he's not going to be giving up any parts of the Donetsk region that Ukraine still controls as part of a deal. That seems to have been one of the ideas emerging from U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff meeting with the Kremlin last week.
I have to tell you, there are European officials I'm speaking to who are still kind of in consternation about how Witkoff has handled the results of those meetings, one calling him amateurish on the matters of utmost importance, another saying that negotiations are a lot clearer when Witkoff is not involved. So I think there's concerns about that that's percolated throughout the whole week with Europeans trying to catch up on exactly what that idea has really been.
We heard from Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, that they will not accept legal recognition of Russian occupied parts of Ukraine as being Russian territory. We've heard, too, from Mertz the idea they believe there could be serious decisions made in Alaska. Very much not playing down like the White House were 24 hours later. Zelenskyy has said he could end up going to Alaska as well.
And one European official I spoke to familiar with Trump's call with the Europeans. They seem to think that the threat is on still of secondary sanctions against Russia's major energy customers, thinking that the threats against India, one of those, had an obvious effect on Moscow's thinking, they believe, but still great anxiety about the unpredictable nature of what may follow in Alaska.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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VAUSE: Joining us now is John Herbst, a senior director at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center, and he served as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 2003 to 2006.
Mr. Ambassador, thank you for being with us.
JOHN HERBST, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: My pleasure to be with you. Thank you.
VAUSE: So very quickly, off the top, this summit was put together fairly quickly in a matter of days. So what are your expectations now which will come from this summit, and why was it so hastily put together?
HERBST: It was hastily put together because given the first reports of the meeting between Special Envoy Witkoff and President Putin, the White House thought that Russia might be willing to make compromises, which they refused thus far. But subsequent follow-up suggested that no, Putin's uncompromising stance had not changed. That's how I think we got this summit.
VAUSE: Well, the Ukrainian president was in Berlin on Wednesday. He warned that Moscow wants total occupation of Ukraine. And he went on to say Putin shows no commitment to a ceasefire at this summit. Then the U.S. should apply maximum pressure. Here he is. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENSKYY (through translator): Putin is bluffing that sanctions do nothing and they don't work. In fact, sanctions are hitting Russia's war economy hard.
Putin definitely does not want peace. He wants to occupy Ukraine. And we all understand that Putin cannot fool anyone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: I guess the thing here is that Putin only needs to fool one person, and that's Donald Trump. And while there is some optimism coming from these virtual summits in Berlin about a united front among the U.S., Europe and Ukraine, the big unknown factor remains the U.S. president, and will he stick to the plan?
HERBST: Well, that's absolutely right, although the European wishes and the Ukrainian wishes are not necessarily what Trump intends to do. But I -- if you look carefully at what Trump and his team have done since the weekend, you see that their optimism for a breakthrough has changed. So first, Trump said earlier this week, you know, this is going to be -- we're going to feel Putin now in the summit, meaning to figure out he really wants peace.
And then he said today, well, if Putin does not move towards peace, there will be serious repercussions. So I think the White House is understanding that Putin remains obstinate and that means that this summit is unlikely to produce any real progress towards peace.
VAUSE: Yes. And with regard to that statement from President Trump about what happens if Putin doesn't play ball, if you like, here he is taking questions from reporters. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Will Russia face any consequences if Vladimir Putin does not agree to stop the war after your meeting on Friday?
TRUMP: Yes, they will. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What will the consequence be?
TRUMP: Yes, there will be consequences.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sanctions? Tariffs?
TRUMP: There will be -- I don't have to say there will be very severe consequences.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: I guess here say the question is, why not say what those consequences will be? What's the diplomatic reason for that? HERBST: Look, I believe that we need to put major pressure on Putin to
ensure that he does agree to a stable peace. But I think some ambiguity is not a problem. President Trump has already laid out sorts of steps he might take. Those include sending advanced American weapons to Ukraine, paid for by our NATO allies, and also some serious sanctions, maybe perhaps using tariffs.
So what he has in mind is I think pretty much in view. And I just hope what we heard today proves to be the policy when Putin does prove to be obstinate.
VAUSE: Europe does have some credit in the bank with Donald Trump. They've agreed to increase spending on defense as Trump demanded. European leaders have traveled to the White House. They've groveled before him. They've lavished him with praise. So will the outcome of the summit be an indication if that strategy has worked?
HERBST: I think that's partly true. It will be an indication. But it's not just the European approach or the Ukrainian approach to Trump that might lead Trump to make the right decision and put -- and resume pressure on the Kremlin because Trump thinks -- Trump's stated goal is a durable peace. Putin has relied on weakness and inability or unwillingness to stick to a difficult policy by Western leaders as he's conducted his war first on Georgia and now on Ukraine.
If Trump allows Putin to establish an insecure ceasefire and then breaks to take the rest of Ukraine, Trump will look like a very weak leader indeed. And I think he understands that. And that's the principal reason I think we'll wind up seeing a sound policy in the end.
VAUSE: John Herbst, thanks so much for being with us. We really appreciate your insights and your analysis. Thank you.
HERBST: My pleasure. Thank you.
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VAUSE: The head of Israel's military has approved plans for the reoccupation of Gaza City. While it's still not known when that operation will begin, there has been a surge in military strikes in the past 24 hours. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, 123 people were killed. More than 400 others were wounded. So far, more than 61,700 people have reportedly died in Gaza since the October 7th attacks.
The Israeli Security Cabinet voted for a military expansion last week, despite growing condemnation at home and around the world of how Israel has conducted this war in Gaza.
And CNN's Oren Liebermann has details now reporting in from Jerusalem.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Israel's military chief has approved what the military called his main concept for a new attack plan as part of the next phase of Israel's operation in Gaza, which will mark a major escalation after nearly two years of war. It was just days ago that the Security Cabinet approved the decision to occupy and take over Gaza City, in northern Gaza, over the objections of Israel's military chief, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir.
He had warned that such a phase in the military operation would risk the hostages. It would risk soldiers. It would also burden a military that's exhausted after nearly two years of war, as well as worsening Israel's international standing and risking worsening the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Despite his warnings, the Security Cabinet led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed forward with those plans, saying the first phase is the evacuation of Gaza City, up to a million Palestinians, and then the military, part of the operation will begin.
Now, the IDF didn't give any details about what this plan is that the military chief had approved, but the intention is clear. Israel is pushing forward with this plan despite the warnings of the military. As we see this happening, New Zealand's leadership saying Netanyahu has lost the plot when it comes to the war in Gaza and saying these plans for Gaza City are, quote, "utterly, utterly unacceptable."
So you see, another member of the key U.S. led security alliance, the Five Eyes, warning of the consequences here. But realistically, none of this has been able to head off Netanyahu and his plans for the next phase and escalation of the war in Gaza. A takeover of Gaza City. And he said just a few days ago that after that might come the occupation and takeover of the central camps in Gaza, signaling that at least as the situation stands now, an end of the war is not something we will see imminently.
Oren Liebermann, CNN, in Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The Associated Press is reporting on Israeli discussions with South Sudan to resettle Palestinians from Gaza. Right now, it's unclear just how far those talks have progressed. It's a country which is struggling with war and famine. The South Sudanese Foreign Affairs Ministry called the resettlement report baseless, even though the deputy foreign minister was just there from Israel.
Israel and the U.S. have encouraged voluntary migration from Gaza, with the Israeli prime minister telling i24NEWS that Israel is talking to several countries about this and Palestinians are not being pushed out, but rather being allowed to leave. Most Palestinians remain deeply opposed to permanent resettlement. So do rights groups and regional allies.
Still to come on CNN, immigrant deportation flights are skyrocketing in the U.S., but the planes used to carry out those missions are getting harder to track. We'll explain why.
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[00:17:42] VAUSE: Federal court has ordered an immediate improvement in conditions at a holding facility in New York City, operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE. That includes limiting capacity, cleaning cells three times a day, and providing sleeping mats. Detainees had complained about dirty conditions and cell phone images showing about two dozen men crowded into one room with only blankets.
Meanwhile, the number of ICE deportation flights has surged, thousands in recent months, and they're also becoming harder to track.
CNN's Rene Marsh explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARSH: More than 30 migrants, detainees, handcuffed, walk up those steps and get on board. One, two, three, four more detainees. You can tell that their hands are restrained.
(Voice-over): This is one of about 6,000 ICE flights since President Donald Trump took office. We were able to find this plane here in Richmond, Virginia, but most of them are hidden from the public and operating with little transparency. Virtually every ICE flight carrying detainees blocks their tail numbers from flight tracking Web sites, making it nearly impossible for families and advocates to find their loved ones once they're in ICE custody.
This is one of the tail numbers that we think could possibly come here, and right now it's in Youngstown. Oh, look, I think it's taken off because the altitude is increasing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it rising?
MARSH: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
MARSH (voice-over): We studied months of flight paths. Got a tail number and made an educated guess about which flight would arrive in Richmond. Then using a crowdsourced database that monitors aircraft radio signals, we tracked the suspected flight, revealing every city and state it stopped in within 24 hours.
This is the plane were tracking, a Boeing 737 operated by Eastern Air Express, with the tail number N668CP. It has up to 148 economy seats, a bathroom in the front and the back, but it's unclear how many people are on board this flight or any other ICE flight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tyson 51, continue on.
MARSH: OK. Tyson 51 is this one right now. That's the call sign that they're using for this flight.
(Voice-over): Many ICE flights go by Tyson. The same call sign used to identify Trump's personal plane after he was elected in 2016. Here's the flight path it took on August 6th. Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania to Louisiana, back to Ohio, then New York, picking up and dropping off detainees at every stop.
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If it's actually coming to Virginia, it should be here very soon. It's on approach. It's on approach right now. Its altitude is like literally 50 feet so --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. I think over there. Over there. Go, go, go.
MARSH: All right. I think -- I think that might be it. This is a plane. This is a plane that we've been tracking all morning. This is it. And we just saw, like, more than 30 detainees handcuffed, walk up those steps and get on board. There's one, two, three, four more detainees. You can tell that their hands are restrained. Another one. Another. OK, so they're unloading another vehicle here. Multiple detainees walking up to get on board this Eastern Air Express flight.
(Voice-over): The Trump administration has used more than 70 airports across the country for domestic shuttle flights so far. Moving ICE detainees between detention centers before deportation. In the past three months, the number of these flights spiked 90 percent compared to the same time period last year, according to an immigrant rights group. And that trend is expected to continue after the Department of Homeland Security recently earmarked $14.4 billion for ICE flights.
We know that the tail number of the flight that we've been tracking today is N668CP. And we want to see if this public tracking site that gets its data and information from the FAA has any record of the flight. Nothing comes up.
(Voice-over): But we were able to track the flight as it made its way back to Alexandria, Louisiana, the busiest hub for ICE deportation flights. At this point in the journey, some of the first detainees on board were possibly on this plane, handcuffed for nearly 10 hours. As this ICE flight completes its 24 hour trip, Louisiana is likely the last stop in the U.S. before the people on board are deported.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, France, Germany and the U.K. are warning Tehran to return to nuclear negotiations or face renewed sanctions. All three countries also demanding inspectors are given access to Iran's nuclear facilities by the end of the month. A letter to the U.N. Security Council the three countries accused Iran of violating most of its commitments in the 2015 nuclear deal. That's the deal which U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of in 2018. And Iran has since scaled back on compliance.
Still to come here on CNN, details on the Trump administration's latest move to increase pressure on cartels sending drugs over the U.S. border.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatening Russia with what he calls very severe consequences if he believes President Vladimir Putin is still not serious about ending the war in Ukraine when the two leaders meet in Alaska on Friday. President Trump says if the meeting goes well, follow-up talks could include Ukraine's president and happen almost immediately.
Israel's military chief says the chief of staff there has approved the main concept of a new attack plan for Gaza City. No word on when the military expansion into Gaza City will begin. It could bring Israel closer to fully occupying Gaza for the first time in more than three decades.
The White House says there's now significantly more National Guard troops patrolling Washington, D.C., all part of President Trump's crackdown on crime. We're told Guard members are not making arrests and their involvement could change depending on the needs of law enforcement.
Well, the two dozen senior cartel bosses serving time in Mexico are now in U.S. custody in the United States. This is the second transfer in recent months from Mexico to the U.S., part of an agreement between both countries to try and curb the flow of illicit drugs into the U.S.
CNN's Valeria Leon explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Mexican government said it decided to hand over 26 high-ranking cartel members to the U.S. because they continued operating their criminal organizations from inside Mexican prisons. This was revealed by Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch during a press conference in Mexico City.
While it's no secret that Mexican prisons can be a school for crime, the prominence of the criminals sent to the U.S. raises questions about cartel operations in the country. Also, Mexican authorities confirmed that it was for security reasons they've decided to send these criminals, along with meeting Trump administration demands, marking a new way of security relations between the U.S. and Mexico.
This extraditions to the U.S. may alarm drug kingpins in Mexico because they are used to the corruption of the country's prisons. However, there is no indication that any of this has had any real impact on the cartels business.
Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: In Alaska, a glacial outpost has caused a record-breaking river surge. Waves of water rushed from a lake formed by the Mendenhall Glacier, flowing into a river running along the west side of the capital, Juneau. This is the third consecutive year of this kind of flooding. Officials say newly installed flood barriers have helped protect the city.
[00:30:07]
The Arctic, including Alaska, is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet as global temperatures rise, as carbon emissions increase.
Air Canada says it anticipates flight cancellations will start Thursday as it winds down operations ahead of a strike this weekend, and it's warning it will lock out flight attendants who voted in favor of the strike.
The airline plans to suspend operations Saturday. It could remain shut down until a deal is reached.
Still to come here, the world's biggest pop star takes over one of the biggest sports podcasts. The reason behind Taylor Swift's surprise appearance, just ahead.
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VAUSE: YouTube will soon be using artificial intelligence for age verification, guessing a user's age to try and prevent children from accessing adult content.
If A.I. gets the age wrong, an uploaded government I.D., credit card, or selfie can correct the record. That has sparked concerns about private information being accessed.
Children can get around all of this by using YouTube without logging into an account.
Pop superstar Taylor Swift took over the "New Heights" podcast on Wednesday to give new details on her upcoming 12th studio album.
Swift's boyfriend, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, hosts the show along with his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister breaks down what the singer revealed about her latest project.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's the moment that the world was waiting for, and over 1.3 million people tuned in live on YouTube to watch Taylor Swift on her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and his brother, Jason Kelce's, podcast.
Now, the podcast comes as Taylor announced her 12th studio album, "The Life of a Showgirl" --
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): -- and she made some big announcements.
She revealed that the album will be released on October 3rd. She also revealed the producers behind the album. And these are two producers who she previously worked with. And they are credited with helping her transition from country music to pop music, which means we are in store for a pop album from Taylor Swift.
WAGMEISTER: Now, this was a big deal for the relationship between these two superstars from the entertainment world and the sports world, because it's the first time that we've seen them in conversation.
So, we got a little glimpse into their relationship and how it all started.
You may remember that Travis had previously said on his podcast that he wanted to shoot his shot to get Taylor. Take a look.
TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER: I'm just circling back to New Heights to say thank you for -- for this. Look at this.
TRAVIS KELCE, TIGHT END, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: I'm the luckiest man in the world.
JASON KELCE, FORMER PHILADELPHIA EAGLES PLAYER: How did you know he wasn't crazy? Because that's the other side of that, right? Like a guy goes up there and professes his love for you.
T. KELCE: What's wrong with being crazy, Jason?
J. KELCE: It's either one. It's like, this could be the most romantic thing in the world. It could also be like --
T. KELCE: What's wrong with being crazy about somebody?
SWIFT: He is crazy, Jason.
J. KELCE: But there's a -- there's a right crazy.
SWIFT: Yes, he's the good kind of crazy.
And I knew that he wasn't crazy the first couple of times that we talked. I was just like, he's -- he's truly, like, he's truly getting to know me in a way that's very natural, very pure, very normal. Like also, like, just the way that he could make me laugh so immediately about normal things.
WAGMEISTER: Now, Taylor also got incredibly emotional as she talked about buying back her music catalog. You remember that earlier this summer, the superstar had made the announcement that she now owns all of the rights to all of her music, after a very contentious battle over the ownership of her music.
SWIFT: I get a call from my mom, and she's like -- she's like, We -- we -- you got your music.
T. KELCE: Yes.
SWIFT: And, I'm so sorry that -- this is -- it's literally been so long since this happened. Like, it's every time I talk about it. She was like, you got -- you got your music. And I just, like, very
dramatically hit the floor for real. Like, honestly, just started --
T. KELCE (singing): It's been a long time coming.
SWIFT: Bawling my eyes out.
And I knock on the door. He's playing video games, and I'm trying to say it in a normal way. And I'm just like, Travis --
T. KELCE: And I'm like, Oh, no. What just happened? What just happened?
SWIFT: And he's like -- he, like, puts his headset down. He's like, Guys, gotta go. And I think he thought something was wrong. And you come up and I'm just like, I got all my music back.
And then just start absolutely heaving.
T. KELCE: Just deadweight, just deadweight.
SWIFT: Crying. Dropped.
T. KELCE: Lost all control.
SWIFT: Had no power in my legs to support myself. And yes, this changed my life.
WAGMEISTER: Taylor also revealed that there are going to be 12 songs on her 12th studio album, including a collaboration with fellow pop star and her friend Sabrina Carpenter.
As always, it is Taylor's world, and we are just living in it.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: So, where's the beef? It's now back on the menu at one of the world's most exclusive restaurants.
Four years ago, 11 Madison Park in New York made news when it went all vegan. All of it. But now the all plant-based menu is literally on the butcher's block. It's gone, out.
The head chef telling "The New York Times" the vegan offerings at the three-Michelin-star restaurant -- it had three Michelin stars -- had actually become exclusionary.
[00:40:00]
So now, they can order steak and make it rare.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause, back with more news at the top of the hour. In the meantime, please stay with us. WORLD SPORT starts after a short break. You're watching CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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