Return to Transcripts main page
Erin Burnett Outfront
Attack Suspect Faces Hate Crime, 16 Counts Of Attempted Murder; New Images Show Extent Of Ukraine's Surprise Attack On Russia; China Accuses U.S. Of "Provoking Frictions," White House Touts Potential Call. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired June 02, 2025 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:28]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
Breaking news, the suspect in the Colorado antisemitic attack had planned it for a year. According to police who were speaking with us tonight. And now he is charged with a hate crime. The Boulder police chief and Colorado governor are both OUTFRONT this hour.
Plus, breaking news, new satellite images of Ukraine's massive operation deep inside Russia, the stunning details of the destruction of more than 40 of Putin's warplanes. Even Russians are calling it their Pearl Harbor. We'll see how Ukraine actually pulled it off.
And breaking details this hour about an American journalist missing for over a decade. Is there a breakthrough tonight?
Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news. A hate crime. The man accused of using a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to set people on fire during a peaceful march in support of Israeli hostages. Just making his first court appearance. It was quick and he did not speak.
But according to investigators, we are learning that. Mohamed Sabry Soliman said he had been planning the attack for over a year and that he had with him another 16 Molotov cocktails that were not even used.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J. BISHOP GREWELL, ACTING U.S. ATTORNYE FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLORADO: He said that he had previously tried to purchase a firearm, but resorted to Molotov cocktails when he could not purchase a gun because he was not a legal citizen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Terrifying to think about this. The only reason he couldn't purchase that gun was because he wasn't a legal citizen. To think how much worse this tragedy could have been. Soliman now is charged with 16 counts of attempted murder. Also
charged with a federal hate crime. This video was taken during the attack, and it shows one woman severely injured. You can see we have blurred her, obviously suffering from injuries there.
Bystanders are trying to douse her with water to put out the burns. The camera then pans towards the suspect, who at that time was still walking around. According to witnesses talking to CNN, the suspect was yelling "Free Palestine" during the attack. Twelve people were injured with burns and other injuries.
And this latest act of antisemitic violence comes just two weeks after two Israeli embassy staff members were shot dead in Washington. Their attacker also accused of yelling "Free Palestine". And 49 days after Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's residence was set on fire. According to the warrant, a suspect told 911 operators he targeted the governor, in part because of what he believed were Shapiro's views on the war in Gaza.
Whitney Wild begins our coverage tonight live from Boulder, Colorado.
And, Whitney, obviously, a ton of new information here just in these past, you know, really over this past hour coming in about the attack and the planning in this arrest warrant that you have gotten your hands on, what more can you tell us?
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: What is so remarkable about this arrest warrant, Erin, is that according to law enforcement, he expressed no remorse for his actions. The arrest (AUDIO GAP) he would do it again. And he described why he did it, how, and there was a little bit more detail about what he was thinking as this crime was unfolding. So, as you mentioned, there were multiple Molotov cocktails that he did not detonate. And he said that as he threw the first two, he got scared because he'd never hurt anyone before.
But even still, he told law enforcement he would do it again. It's simply remarkable. Law enforcement really praised the response from law, from other law enforcement. The, you know, long list of police officers and federal agents who responded immediately. But also, Erin, the community who rushed in to help their neighbors when they were injured.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CALLER: There is a male with a blowtorch setting people on fire.
CALLER: You know, there is at least one party rolling around in flames.
WILD (voice-over): Armed with Molotov cocktails and a makeshift flamethrower, authorities say 45-year-old Mohammed Sabry Soliman burned at least 12 people at a (AUDIO GAP) Boulder as they peacefully marched, calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need medical for multiple burns on the courthouse lawns. WILD: According to law enforcement, Soliman sprayed gasoline while
holding a lighter in the direction of the marchers Sunday afternoon while yelling "Free Palestine". The FBI is investigating the case as an act of terrorism.
AV KORNFELD, WITNESS: A person who threw the Molotov cocktail had two more in his hand, and he was holding them, and he was yelling and he was screaming at everybody. I think he was saying, you're killing my people.
WILD: An elderly Holocaust survivor was among the victims.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's making Molotov cocktails.
[19:05:01]
WILD: Law enforcement says two Molotov cocktails were thrown and 16 more were found at the scene.
GREWELL: Mr. Soliman stated that he had been planning this attack for a year, and he acted because he hated what he called the Zionist group.
WILD: During the attack, Solomon took off his vest and shirt as they caught fire, according to witnesses.
According to an affidavit, he told the FBI he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead, stating he would do it again. Solomon is in the country illegally, according to homeland security. He is an Egyptian national and had lived in Kuwait and applied for asylum, but was denied a visa.
DHS said he entered the country in August 2022 as a nonimmigrant visitor and was granted a two-year work authorization in march 2023 that has since expired. Soliman appeared in court today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the matter concerning Mohammed Soliman.
WILD: Soliman is facing 16 counts of first-degree attempted murder, as well as multiple counts of assault and felony use of incendiary devices, among other state and federal charges. Recent antisemitic incidents have become increasingly violent. Sunday's attack, coming after two Israeli staff members were shot and killed in Washington, D.C., outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum nearly two weeks ago.
ELIAS RODRIGUEZ, MURDER SUSPECT: Free, free Palestine!
WILD: And nearly two months after a man set fire to the Pennsylvania governor's mansion using Molotov cocktails.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WILD (on camera): Erin, according to that arrest affidavit, he told law enforcement that he expected to die in this exchange. Law enforcement has listed off the long list of charges here. There are more than 40 state charges. DOJ is handling the hate crime charge. The DOJ hate crime charge with an attempted murder underneath it.
According to the Department of Justice, the U.S. attorney here in Denver that carries with it, if convicted, a maximum of life behind bars. You know, very similar to the state charges. The state charges in total, Erin, carry a maximum of more than 400 years behind bars -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Whitney, thank you very much, in Boulder tonight.
OUTFRONT now, Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn.
And, Chief Redfearn, I really appreciate your time tonight.
We're learning a lot more now about the planning that went into this attack. I mean, what are you able to share about the planning and how much worse? Frankly, this incident was intended to be.
CHIEF STEPHEN REDFEARN, BOULDER, COLORADO POLICE: Yeah. So, we know now that this suspect planned this terror attack for over a year. And of concern is, as you might have heard in the press conference, he attempted to purchase a firearm. I am so grateful that that didn't happen. I cant imagine how much worse this would be if he was able to do that. And so, it's very clear he was intent on harming people. And I'm just glad that we were able to get there relatively quickly and contain this before it was worse.
BURNETT: Yeah. I mean, you can only imagine how horrific it could have been. And so horrible as it is. But to imagine some sort of a firearm and how much death and carnage that could have caused. The affidavit so far says that he told police, and I quote, he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead.
Have his conversations with you, with police given you more information about his motive?
REDFEARN: You know, there's been extensive conversation. Interestingly enough, the suspect was cooperative. And we detectives interviewed him yesterday afternoon.
And, and I think to your quote that you just gave from the affidavit, I mean, that is clearly the motive. We have no other motive that's come out at this point. You know, I don't want to say that there might not be something else that comes out down the road, but right now, it became apparent in the first few hours that that was the motive.
BURNETT: So the affidavit also says that his wife gave police an iPhone that had belonged to her husband. And it also says that he told police that he left an iPhone at his, at his house and that on there were messages to his family as well as a journal that he left. Can you share with anything with us about, you know, what he wrote in that journal or what he says in any of these communications?
REDFEARN: You know, I can't, and only because our partners with the FBI handled the entire scene down in Colorado Springs, where his residence was. So, I haven't seen that. I have not talked to the FBI about that. They processed that entire scene in the -- those things are in their possession.
BURNETT: So, you say he lived in Colorado Springs, and obviously it's about two hours away from Boulder. And we understand that the sheriff's department there says that they received three non-criminal calls. Thats how they described them to his house over the past couple of years or since 2022.
Is there anything more you can tell us about those calls? And to the point that he had, as you said, wanted to purchase a firearm and couldn't, was he on anyone's radar before the attack?
[19:10:02]
REDFEARN: So, I'm not familiar with the calls for service. El Paso County sheriff would have to provide those. I haven't seen those either. We did not have on our radar here before the attack. And I know in talking with our partners, with the FBI, a question was asked at the press conference. They also -- including the Joint Terrorism Task Force, did not have the suspect on their radar.
So, as far as I know, there was nothing that indicated that the suspect was coming to Boulder to do this attack, which obviously makes this all the more scary.
BURNETT: Right. Well, especially when you're talking about it, that he planned it for over a year, right? That that wouldn't have actually risen to anybody's radar, from what you understand right now. In your press conference right after the attack, I know you said that you're not calling it a terror attack at this point. Those were your words, Chief.
Now that you know more about the motive, right, you've got more information. Are you comfortable calling this a terror attack?
REDFEARN: Absolutely. And I just want to say to that, you know, we did that press briefing very early on. There were so many moving parts. I was not comfortable in that initial briefing, even though we had a really good idea that it was going to be called terrorism. It was it was a targeted terrorist attack. We were being very careful at that point because at that point, we were still interviewing the suspect, interviewing multiple victims and witnesses.
And we did not want to put out something that was inaccurate. We were being very cautious at that. And obviously that changed the later press conference in the evening. We were very clear that we believe this was indeed terrorism. And I still stand with that.
BURNETT: All right. Well, Chief Redfearn, thank you so much. I appreciate your time.
REDFEARN: Thank you very much.
BURNETT: And OUTFRONT now, the Democratic governor of Colorado, Jared Polis.
And, Governor, I very much appreciate your time. You know, just to start off with the breaking news that Whitney Wild
was sharing here that he was talking about during the moments when he had the Molotov cocktails and about to throw them at people, and then he heard them going off that he was scared, they say, because he had never hurt people before. And then he proceeds to have no remorse and say that he would do it again.
What is your reaction when you hear all of those details?
GOV. JARED POLIS (D), COLORADO: Look, well, I don't know whether he's hurt people before or not, but he absolutely injured close to 10 Coloradans, elderly Jewish Americans, a Holocaust survivor.
Several had to be hospitalized. Many of them will have burn scars for the rest of their lives. This is an outrageous, antisemitic act of terror. That's why there's been broad condemnation from the left, the right, Christians, Jews, Muslim community.
And we need to make sure that everybody knows that this is not okay. We cherish our free speech in the United States of America, and we protect those engaged in free speech.
BURNETT: So now there is a federal hate crime. You just heard Police chief saying he is very clear that this is terror from what he now knows 16 counts of attempted murder in the first degree.
So, you know, Whitney Wild was adding it all up. You'd be looking at 400 years. I mean, the bottom line is, it's life in prison if he's convicted.
Do you think that that is the right thing?
POLIS: It seems, all appearances, like a very open and shut case. And clearly, he should never see the light of day, the light of freedom again after committing this heinous attack on innocent Americans in our central plaza in Boulder.
BURNETT: You know, what's your reaction when you hear the he tried to get a gun, and I mean to only imagine how horrific this would have been if that were the case, that the only reason he was not successful in doing so was because he was here illegally.
POLIS: Well, look, I mean, certainly to a certain extent, it shows that gun safety laws work. We have universal background checks in Colorado. We're grateful he didn't get a gun.
But I want to keep the focus on the victims as we encourage them and pray for their recovery, as well as on the important message that antisemitism. Anti-free speech through violent means, has no place in the United States of America. And we need to unequivocally condemn it, regardless of the specifics of any particular case.
BURNETT: And you were speaking, obviously, as the chief executive of a state, right. And in that role, I would believe you would say what you're saying no matter what. But, of course, your personal life is relevant, too, right? You're the first Jewish governor of Colorado. You live near where this attack happened.
I know that you know, two of the victims personally. How close to home does all of this feel for you?
POLIS: Well, it doesn't get much closer, as you indicated. We really didn't know what was going on. Our son is was scheduled to attend the Shavuot services, which he did until, you know, 1:00 in the morning. It's a great holiday where teenagers can stay up late without having to ask their parent's permission.
But we had to have that discussion as a family to say, should he even be able to go to the Shavuot services? Is it dangerous? His grandmother didn't want him to. We said, if that's what you want to do, do it. He was able to go and worship.
And we cherish that right to worship as we see fit in the United States of America.
[19:15:00]
And nobody should be intimidated by the acts of one terrorist. We can never let the terrorists win. We need to redouble our efforts to commit to our values of free speech and freedom of religion, to worship how we choose in this country.
BURNETT: So, you know, you've got the Pennsylvania governor, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, he is also Jewish. His home was attacked. His family, his children were there.
You had those two young people about to be engaged, shot and killed outside the Israeli embassy. I mean, these stories are horrific. And now this happens, literally, essentially in your neighborhood and obviously in your state.
How worried are you, Governor, right now about antisemitism in America?
POLIS: Well, I think we need to do two things at the same time. One is decry all acts of violence, of terrorism. Anybody who tries to infringe upon our rights of free speech through terrorism and intimidation and at the same time call out specifically antisemitism, the rise of antisemitism, words across social media, and, of course, the horrific antisemitic acts of the last few weeks that you referenced.
BURNETT: Well, Governor Polis, I appreciate your time, and thank you so much for coming on amidst all of this.
POLIS: Thank you.
BURNETT: And next, we do have breaking news. We have new satellite images tonight of what some are calling Russia's Pearl Harbor. And these are new images just in. We're going to show them to you, show you exactly what you're seeing there on those airfields.
And a massive surprise attack in multiple locations deep inside Russia. These explosive laden drones hidden in wooden sheds. A former member of Putin's government weighs in next.
And Trump's new deadline for countries and trade deals. Is anyone biting? Einstein and Ives are our guests.
And Italy's Mount Etna erupting smoke and ash sent miles into the sky. Tourists who were literally on the volcano as it erupted, running for safety.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:22:15]
BURNETT: Breaking news, new satellite images into OUTFRONT showing the extent of the damage caused by a massive Ukrainian operation that took a year and a half to plan against air bases deep inside Russia. One Russian military blogger calling it Russia's Pearl Harbor. Now, the Ukrainian government says that the drone attacks damaged more than a third of Russia's strategic bombers. The operation caused more than $7 billion, and it did hit air bases across Russia.
Now one attack happened 2,800 miles from Ukraine's border. So let's just put that up on a map just to make this very clear, that is closer to Japan than it is to Kyiv. So you're talking about Tokyo, not Kyiv. Just to think about what it would take to pull that off. Well, what did it take?
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says 117 drones were used, and that these drones were covertly smuggled into Russia inside mobile homes that were transported on trucks and then placed near the air bases. A Trump administration official tells CNN, and this is really crucial, the United States was not given a heads up about the operation that is stunning in and of itself. And as for Putin, it's a major embarrassment, to say the very least.
And as Russian media analyst Julia Davis points out, there is utter disbelief and also shame tonight on Russian state television.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did these trucks get through? Who has inspected them? How did you pass the inspection points? The weigh ins? How did it happen?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: A level of frustration and anger there expressed by a by now extremely familiar faces on Russian state television. Putin propaganda supporters.
OUTFRONT now, Vladimir Milov, a former deputy minister of energy in Russia, served under Vladimir Putin.
Obviously, then, of course, you resigned, Vladimir.
So let me just ask you from the perspective of, you know, when you hear that on Russian state. How did those trucks get in? How did they get through the waypoints? Right? That frustration you hear there. How big of an embarrassment is this for Putin?
VLADIMIR MILOV, FORMER RUSSIAN DEPUTY MINISTER OF ENERGY: Good evening, Erin. Great to be with you again. It is big indeed enough. But this is not the first time because we just had nine-month occupation of the part of the Kursk region by Ukrainian troops nearly ended. And that was a major setback to Putin.
And, you know, Russian airports, Moscow area airports getting disrupted, if not daily, at least weekly because of permanent Ukrainian attacks of Russian military industry facilities with drones. Today, I heard on the air that one of the executives of the Emirates Airline said that they might be reconsidering the whole schedule of flights to Moscow because of this permanent disruptions.
So, so these setbacks now come, like, nearly daily. I mean, and, this is just another example of total failure, failure of counterintelligence, failure to protect strategic long-range aircraft and so on.
Well, what I hear from Moscow is that people are barely surprised by all these multiple failures. It shows that Putin's system is not as strong as it wants to seem from the outset.
BURNETT: Which is very important because obviously on state television, you know, I think the right word to describe the sentiment is fury, right? There is fury. They are angry. Theres one former KGB agent who was on saying that because of this, Ukraine essentially should be obliterated. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It can be compensated only with them being preventively knocked out down to nothing. There is no other way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:25:03]
BURNETT: So, what do you think Putin does here?
MILOV: Well, fury is the right word, but what I don't hear in all these comments is surprise. People are really not surprised because everybody is more or less aware that Putin's system is, in a lot of ways dysfunctional. Clearly, Putin would retaliate again with this barbaric bombardments of Ukrainian peaceful cities, as we saw in the past years, months and weeks.
There is no other way to go because Russia does not have a capacity to like, say, launch a massive military offensive. They don't have enough personnel for it, so he'll probably resort to barbaric bombardments here again. I mean, there are other options, like people talk about potential use of nuclear weapons and so on. I don't think that this is on the table, but again, Putin had shown many times that he's resorting to barbarity and revenge after Ukrainians really do something sensitive to his military. BURNETT: So now to the what the Russian military blogger said when he
called it Russia's Pearl Harbor. Now, obviously, Pearl Harbor was an unprovoked attack on the United States. This is this is obviously, Ukraine trying to take out the bombers that are bombing Ukraine on a regular basis. So, in that sense, it's different.
But we're talking about the scale of what happened when he refers to Pearl Harbor. Presumably you know, and Zelenskyy says that operatives planned this, that the planning happened directly next to an office of Russia's intelligence services. Right?
So, they did it right next door, and nobody picked up on it. And they worked on it for over a year. So, to the point you made about, you know, Russia, Putin's status inside Russia, you know, does this weaken him domestically?
MILOV: Not immediately, but, you know, step by step, brick by brick, because again, when you have so many failures on all fronts, begin with economy or so much promised import substitution, we will soon have no plane planes to fly on because the Boeings and Airbuses are getting worn out, and there is no maintenance because of the sanctions and so on.
So, all of these things will come together at one point, probably there will be no immediate consequences after setbacks like this. But then again, you see the reaction. People are asking questions, how come? How this is all possible? We thought that were like this mighty superpower, which at the end of the day, have, all their strategic bombers unprotected. Is that the superpower we imagined?
So, so sooner or later, I remember, you know, my childhood years in the '80s when all these questions about the inefficiency of the Soviet government came together at one point and this became louder and louder in the end.
BURNETT: Before glasnost.
Vladimir Milov, thank you very much. I appreciate your time. As always. It is good to see you. I know it's late where you are.
I want to go now to retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges. He was the commanding general for the U.S. Army in Europe. Also late where you are tonight, General.
So how significant do you think these strikes by Ukraine are, right now, against Putin?
LT. GENERAL BEN HODGES (RET.), FORMER COMMANDING GENERAL, U.S. ARMY EUROPE: Well, of course, the most significant thing immediately is a reduction in Russia's ability to kill innocent Ukrainian citizens. These bombers were how Russia was launching cruise missiles against Ukrainian cities. So immediate reduction in that capability.
But then I like how Vladimir just described, you know, the psychological impact on Russia as people begin to realize that they are not invulnerable. And this will put pressure on the Putin regime. BURNETT: So, what does it say to you? And I mentioned this, right
before I brought Vladimir into the conversation. Ukraine did not tell the United States about these strikes, which is hugely significant, and I can't say exactly. Did the U.S. never have any inkling? I mean, the planning has been going on for over a year, right? So that would predate Trump even winning the election.
So, I don't know if the U.S. knew nothing ever about anything even being thought about. But certainly, we know they didn't know about these strikes at this time. What does that say to you?
HODGES: Well, it tells me that, of course, Ukrainians do not trust the Trump administration. I mean, they're pretty certain, based on what they've seen happening and coming from the Trump administration, that if they had shared or given a heads up that this would have been leaked or handed over somehow if not stopped. And so, I think they don't have any trust there.
And then also, even if they did trust the White House they would have been concerned about this being discussed over some signal chat group. You know, inside the administration. And so, this is why this trust about who runs our intelligence, why this trust is, is so important.
BURNETT: So obviously, you're joining from Germany tonight, and you were the commanding general for the U.S. army in Europe. So I know that you know what it means when the German defense chief goes on television, as he did today with the BBC and talked about the possibility of Putin attacking a member of NATO, perhaps soon, here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENERAL CARSTEN BRUER, GERMAN CHIEF OF DEFENSE: I think it's a -- it's a very serious threat if you ask me. Now, is this a guarantee that's not earlier than 2029? I would say no, it's not. So, we must be able to fight tonight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Must be able to fight tonight. And that an attack of Putin on NATO could come in the next few years. Do you think that's realistic?
HODGES: Well, of course, what General Bruer is trying to do is help change the culture inside Germany. And the German Bundeswehr about what we and the U.S. military call readiness of preparation, to be ready to fight tonight, having your trained, your equipment works, all of that. And General Bruer is leading that effort.
But he also is repeating what the British defense minister has said. And other European leaders talking about almost the inevitability that Russia plans to attack a NATO country, not in the way that they've attacked Ukraine, but certainly, they're going to test NATO, especially if they think that the U.S. is not going to be a reliable ally. Can the alliance respond to an attack of some sort?
Because Russia's objective has always been to put a wedge between Europe and the United States, and to break apart the alliance?
BURNETT: General Hodges, thank you so much. I appreciate your time tonight.
And next, Trump giving a new deadline in his trade war, but will anyone respond or take it seriously?
And the mystery over missing American journalist Austin Tice, an investigative journalist uncovering top secret intelligence files tonight, is there finally a breakthrough tonight?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:36:40]
BURNETT: Breaking news, tensions are flaring between the U.S. and China over President Trump's trade war.
The White House now claiming that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will, in their words, likely speak this week. But there are no more details about when and how that will happen. And details really are important here, because the two leaders have not spoken since Trump launched his trade war, you know, liberation day, April 2nd, despite Trump's claim to the contrary.
Back in April, when a reporter from "Time Magazine" asked him, has she called you yet? Trump replied yep. Time asked, when did he call you? Trump answered, he called. And I don't think that's a sign of weakness on his behalf.
China denied any such call happening since liberation day. So, there was this whole lack of clarity of yeah, maybe they talked at some point prior to all that. So that was unclear. Then, Trump made this claim in the middle of May.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The relationship is very, very good. I'll speak to President Xi maybe at the end of the week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Well, they didn't speak by either account. They did not speak in April at all. They did not speak in May.
And tonight, China accusing the U.S. of, quote, provoking new economic and trade frictions.
Einstein and Ives are here.
So, you know, Dan, it's, you know, it's sort of like a lot of things. There'll be a deal by the end of the week or there'll be a deal in two weeks.
So, it's kind of the same thing with the phone call. We keep hearing about it. But still, no call. I mean, what's going on?
DAN IVES, GLOBAL HEAD OF TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH, WEDBUSH SECURITIES: Look, I think it's this game of high stakes poker, and I think the reality is, is that the market knows Trump needs to get some deal or some framework in terms of China, but China knows that as well. So, it speaks to what's happening here.
And Peter and I have talked about is that, you know, they need to get deals on the table. But China is not running to get deals done. And then it comes down to that framework that they did in Switzerland in terms like what that deal ultimately looks like.
And I think look their backs against the wall. They need to get deals done. But right now, we talk about 90 deals in 90 days. We don't have any. But China is the big one.
BURNETT: Right. And, of course, then, Peter, it's a matter of what's a deal. Or do we just do something that isn't a deal and call it a deal and try to move on? I mean, all of these rhetorical games, the markets really just seem to want it over with.
PETER TUCHMAN, TRADER AT THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE: They really do. I mean, we're seeing that day -- day by day. I think the market is completely disengaged this story altogether. And it's just going up.
We were just talking about it earlier that, you know, at the end of the day, we really don't think that anything that it's frustrating because each day, there's such a disconnect with reality.
BURNETT: Well, they think it's going to go away. They think it's just going to poof, go away.
TUCHMAN: But think about it, what he did today when he called -- asked everybody to show up with their best -- their best offer, right? Their, you know, their best --
IVES: By Wednesday.
TUCHMAN: Right, by Wednesday. It's almost like, you know what? He looked down there and there's nobody there, no grownups in the room. And they don't have any paperwork for any of this. So, it's like, you know, if I -- if I don't have anything in order here, maybe I should have you come and show me.
BURNETT: So, here's the thing about a deal, right? You only have leverage if you're willing to walk away in any sort of a deal, right? But the problem is, when you start the whole fight, he can't just walk away. And that's where we are.
I mean, what is it? "Reuters" is reporting that the Trump administration wants every country come with your best and final offer by Wednesday, okay?
TUCHMAN: That's what I'm talking about.
BURNETT: Now, the Office of U.S. Trade Representative didn't respond to a CNN request for comment on this, but this is a "Reuters" report. So do people take this seriously or is this another -- I hate to use the acronym, but it has stuck.
[19:40:01]
You know, TACO, Trump always chickens out, best and final by Wednesday. Or else what?
IVES: Look, and I think we talked about on the show, you know, over the last month or two is that, is this a Costanza moment from a Seinfeld? In other words, are you negotiating with yourself? And I think that's the issue is that, you know, the TACO trade, ever since he was asked that in the Oval Office, now, he's like, okay, he has to show its not taco. He needs to show being tough.
And I think we saw that in terms of the China piece. But now it comes down to you need to see what the deals look like. Look, India, where's that deal look like? South Korea, Vietnam.
And businesses. They need to know rules of the game.
BURNETT: And who's going to come -- who's going to come and say on Wednesday? Here you go. Here's my best offer in the context with everything else we've seen. Who's going to do that.
TUCHMAN: Nobody. Look, we talked about the other night that the E.U., the president of the E.U., and I mentioned it with you the other night here. I felt she was the first person who was willing to meet Trump on his grounds. She called him and said I'm ready to make a deal. We need a little bit of time. And it was almost he finally somebody met him at his level and she got what she wanted, right?
You know what? Because she -- because she was willing to sign something 48 hours later, right? It was -- it was. And that's what everybody is going to have to do. Because at the end of the day, think about it. If this is a negotiating tactic, which is what he claims, he does not like the TACO phrase, this is the way he does negotiates by throwing out this big swath of 145 percent, and then he pulls it back. He's been doing that since Trump won.
BURNETT: And there's been a lot of interest by people in all this talk about Apple, right? And you know, what do they get their own special tariffs? I mean, what's going to happen.
IVES: Look, and right now, I mean, Cook and Apple, I mean they're caught in the storm because they pivoted to India. You have what, 60, 70 percent iPhones out of India. Now, Trump's basically targeting them saying, can't do that. You got to bring it to the U.S. So I think right now, that's part of the negotiation but --
BURNETT: So, he wants everybody to do a deal with South Korea and buy a Samsung?
IVES: But it also speaks to our view. If you want iPhones produced in the U.S., they're $3,500. That's a fairy tale. And that's the reality of what these companies are actually dealing with. BURNETT: Right. So then so then you know what happens here from the
market perspective. Maybe there's a call and maybe there isn't.
TUCHMAN: I think we are really at a crossroads here. What is going to be the next catalyst. We're either going to go up because finally were going to have a deal on the table because we have no choice, and he's just going to get called on his game because we need China way more than they need us at this point, or something is going to (INAUDIBLE) and he's going to get called on the bluff, right? And he's going to show his cards and there's nothing there. And the market --
IVES: And to Peter's point, it's about the ten-year, gold, U.S. dollar, right?
TUCHMAN: Why is gold rallying these days?
IVES: You can bully --
BURNETT: That's what Dimon was saying today.
IVES: And even like when Dimon said, you know, they could see a crack in the bond market. As we've said on the show, you cannot bully the bond market.
BURNETT: No, no. And you can't really bully China either.
TUCHMAN: And you can't bully China. And what is there to gain by that? I mean, at the end of the day, you know, there's that meme that of a young Chinese boy and an American boy talking about what? How many products do you have in your bedroom that are made in America? And he says, none.
And it was on Twitter. And then the Chinese boy asked the American the other way around. The American asked the Chinese boy, how many things you have made here in America from America. And he said nothing. And the other way he went back and said, everything is made in China.
BURNETT: Right. This is the reality of the world that we live in.
All right. Thank you both very much.
And next, breaking details tonight about an American journalist who's been missing for over ten years. And tonight, there is a new investigative report that uncovers top secret intelligence files that could offer crucial clues. And we have the person breaking this,
Plus, Mount Etna erupting panic tourists who were actually on the volcano, you know, there for your -- wow. Take a look at Mount Etna. Then, they're sprinting for safety as huge plumes of smoke and ash are soaring into the sky.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:48:29]
BURNETT: And tonight, breaking new details after a year-long investigation into the disappearance of American journalist Austin Tice.
Now, Tice was captured. He was reporting on the Syrian civil war. So, this all happened initially more than 12 years ago. But then in December, President Joe Biden, just before leaving office, gave the tice family a crucial glimmer of hope.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, FORMER U.S. PRESIDET: We believe he is alive. We think we can get him back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And that raised hope that when he said we that you know, that that would happen before Trump was even inaugurated. And tonight, top secret intelligence files are confirming for the first time that Tice was detained by the Bashar al-Assad regime. Now, Assad has denied this repeatedly. But tonight, this is the first hard proof that the former President Bashar al-Assad's government held Tice at some point since his disappearance in 2012.
Investigative journalist Josh Baker uncovered these files. He is with me now. His investigation was first published by the BBC. And, Josh, it is an extraordinary investigation that you have put so much into. You know, we heard Assad's regime deny that they were holding Tice again and again and again.
Youve confirmed that that was a lie, that they were holding him. But of course, that regime was toppled in December, which led to Biden saying what he said, and prisons. You know, we saw all the images reportedly emptied and tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people were just flooding out. President Trump has met with the new leadership in Syria, but there's still no trace of tice tonight.
[19:50:03]
How is that possible?
JOSH BAKER, AWARD WINNING INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Well, look, I mean, what we've been able to do through uncovering the files, but also by having access to a vast network of former Syrian intelligence officials is to kind of get a picture not only of what happened to Austin, but also just this industrial complex of enforced detention.
You have to remember that more than 100,000 people have said to have disappeared into this system. Austin is one of those people, and it's a place which was designed to create this massive web of secrecy.
So, it's not a surprise that it's been very hard over the last 12 years, almost 13 now, to find any information about Austin.
BURNETT: It is. And of course, the way you explain it, that makes sense. A spiderweb analogy really speaks to me.
But then there was when the Assad regime was toppled. Right. Assad flees to Moscow. You know, there's jubilation in the streets. People are flooding out of the prisons.
And Joe Biden says what he said about, you know, I you know, I believe we can bring him home.
I spoke with his parents. Austin's parents, Deborah and Marc, over the holidays. At this time, you know, and, you know, they let us have cameras there to show their whole family was gathered together, right, in the hopes after Biden said that, that Austin's release would be imminent. You know, they believed their son was alive and that he was being cared for at that time.
Here's what they said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARC TICE, FATHER OF AUSTIN TICE, AMERICAN JOURNALIST HELD IN SYRIA SINCE 2012: It's not just one report. It's several times we have heard definitively that he's being taken care of. You know, that he's in good health. So, we trust that because of the nature of the sources.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: I know, Josh, that you speak with them almost daily. And obviously now that is five months ago, right? And they had had hopes that it was imminent. Here we are, still no trace of him.
Do they still believe that he is being cared for, that he is alive tonight?
BAKER: Absolutely. I actually spoke to Deborah Tice earlier today, and she very much still believes her son is alive. You know, she is the mom. She's led a tireless campaign to try and get information about her son, to encourage people to share information.
And she's still hopeful. And she's, you know, she's still searching. I was in Beirut with her last week. She is committed to getting answers to what happened to her son.
And you're right. Biden called for said that he was alive. But also consecutive presidents have. There has been a lot of information out there and a lot of reason to have hope.
BURNETT: So -- so are there still prisons that I mean, you know, as after the Assad regime? Oh, they stopped paying the prison guards, you know, that was why that mass amnesty, if that's even the right word. But is it possible, then, that I guess what you're saying is that he's still being held somewhere by someone?
BAKER: I mean, its very hard for me to speculate that he's still being held in Syria. There are a number of theories about where he might be. A lot of people are looking into those things, but I don't think we have the evidence to say definitively where he is or what has happened to him at this point.
BURNETT: You know, his family is alleging that U.S. intelligence had some of this information that you have unearthed through your incredible reporting earlier, but that they did not act on it or share it. Did you find any indication of this? And I suppose by this, they're referring to the fact that, you know, the information that he was held by the Assad regime, right. And that he had been in prison. All these details that you unearthed.
BAKER: My understanding is that the U.S. intelligence apparatus have had some understanding that Austin has been held by the regime for some time. I think you have to remember as well that this is a vast intelligence system where there is counterintelligence, there's a lot of confusing information.
But I think the key point that you said is, you know, is correct. There has been a lot of information that they've been privy to for years, including, I believe, some of these files that we've seen.
BURNETT: Well, thank goodness you've seen them and bringing them to light. You know, what a miracle it would be if Austin Tice comes home and soon.
Josh, thank you so very much.
BAKER: Thank you very much.
BURNETT: And next, some remarkable video tonight of Italy's Mount Etna erupting smoke and ash miles into the air. But tourists were right there, really on the edge of it, just, you know, taking a look. And then all of a sudden, it happens. They have to sprint.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:58:51]
BURNETT: Tonight, these are stunned tourists that you're looking at. They're jogging away as Europe's largest and most volatile volcano, Mount Etna, erupts, dozens of people were literally on the mountain when the volcano erupted.
Melissa Bell is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here to see a force of nature. Hikers and tourists were surprised by a massive eruption on Italy's Mount Etna early Monday and sent fleeing for safety.
A plume of hot gases, ash and rock billowing high into the air above them.
This is what a close call looks like. The tour guide who took this video says. It arrived all at once an immense smoke, an immense, immense roar.
The eruption began overnight. Geologists say preliminary observations show a, quote, partial collapse of the northern flank of Etna's southeastern crater, producing this enormous cloud seen here in a timelapse video.
Everyone on the volcano has been evacuated safely, local authorities say. Hikers are being told to avoid the summit area until further notice.
Etna is a popular tourist destination on the island of Sicily, visited by 1.5 million people a year, many of whom trek almost all the way to its summit. It also happens to be one of the most active volcanic sites in the world. It erupts often. Geologists, though, say that there hasn't been an eruption of this magnitude since 2014.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: And thanks so much for joining us.
"AC360" starts now.
