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Isa Soares Tonight
U.S. Threatens To Move On From Ukraine Negotiations; White House Says Deported Maryland Father Abrego Garcia Is "Never Coming Back" To The U.S.; Sony World Photographer Of The Year Crowned; Suspect Luigi Mangione Indicted On Federal Charges; Israel Faces Unprecedented Protest From Reservists; Haunting Image Of Young Palestinian Amputee Named World Press Photo Of The Year; Search For Answers On American Detained In Venezuela; Zed Nelson On His New Photo Book "The Anthropocene Illusion"; How Pope Francis Will Celebrate Easter Weekend. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired April 18, 2025 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, the U.S. threatens to walk away from
Ukraine peace negotiations within days if a deal isn't reached. I'll get reaction from Kyiv. Then, the White House says a man mistakenly deported to
El Salvador is, quote, "never coming back".
That is despite a federal judge ordering the Trump administration to facilitate his return. Plus, the Sony World photographer of the year has
been crowned. We'll take you on a journey across four continents with his incredible images. We'll begin, though, tonight with a threat from the
Trump administration to pull the plug on efforts to bring the war in Ukraine to an end.
Just a short time ago at the White House, President Donald Trump backed up earlier comments made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said the
United States may abandon those efforts within days if talks do not produce any signs of progress. Have a little listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we're going to get it stopped, ideally. Now, if for some reason, one of the two parties makes it
very difficult, we're just going to say you're foolish, you're fools, you're horrible people, and we're going to just take a pass. But hopefully,
we won't have to do that. And Marco -- and Marco is right in saying it. We're getting -- we want to see it end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Now, Marco, Marco Rubio, talking about there, also added it's not our war. We didn't start it, leading to the question of whether the United
States would continue to provide support for Ukraine. The secretary was part of an American delegation that presented a broad framework for peace
to Kyiv and its European allies, if you remember, on Thursday.
And amid the diplomatic efforts, the fighting goes on. Ukrainian officials say Russian missile attack on an apartment in Kharkiv killed one person and
injured dozens more. There's fears others may be trapped underneath the rubble. Let's get more from our Nic Robertson who joins me now.
And Nic, just -- we've been hearing such mixed messaging from this administration. President Trump perhaps being clearest just in the last
hour or so, but he said, there were no specific number of days when we heard those comments from Marco Rubio. Explain where we are on these
negotiations, because very little has come out of that.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: So, Thursday, Marco Rubio meets with principal European interlocutors as well as the
Ukrainians, the French, the Germans and the British. So, he's met with those interested and key parties. And he also had a phone call with his
opposite number in Russia, Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister.
So, what he put to all of them, he said, was a broad framework, and he won't answer questions about what that broad framework is. But what we
heard from him this morning, Friday morning, and we've heard from President Trump, is a need to get this, to get answers to this proposition that the
U.S. has put forward and get them quickly because the White House is frustrated.
So, that seems to be where we are, that the U.S. is doubling down on pressure on all parties, it seems. The difficulty is to know, are they
putting it more on? Are they expecting the Russians to make a move that they're not making? Is it the Ukrainians are expecting to concede to
something that they haven't done so far. On this, the White House Secretary of State are being quite opaque.
SOARES: They're very opaque. And you know, Ukraine agreed to this ceasefire, what, mid-March? I think it was mid-March --
ROBERTSON: Unconditionally, yes.
SOARES: Unconditionally, so, surely, the pressure would have been on Russia's side. President Trump was asked repeatedly whether Russia was
dragging his feet. What did you make of what he said?
ROBERTSON: You know, he, again, his answer was, I don't believe he is. We'll see soon. Trump obviously doesn't like to appear to be --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBERTSON: Being played by anyone, but he was asked, are you being played? And he said, no. He said, I've been in the art of negotiations my whole
life. I know when I need to see enthusiasm, I believe I see enthusiasm, I believe I see enthusiasm for both sides. So, he's keeping up that sort of
opaque view. The perception from Ukraine and frankly, in Europe, is that, the U.S. negotiators and principally here -- we're talking about Steve
Witkoff --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBERTSON: Who's been the one meeting with President Putin, are getting spun, are buying the Russian narrative about the war. That said, Trump has
said just this week that Putin is the number one person responsible for the war. Putin -- rather, Trump --
[14:05:00]
SOARES: Yes --
ROBERTSON: Has expressed frustrations with Russia, and said that he could put secondary sanctions and tariffs on Russia, but has also said that he's
not willing to go on supporting Ukraine forever, and that the burden is going to fall on Europe.
SOARES: I'm being told to wrap up, but very quickly. You know, when you hear this comment from secretary, the -- within days, how do you interpret
that? Does it mean we will end on negotiations on the Russian side and will then give you more aid in terms of support Ukraine, or does it mean we walk
away entirely from this?
ROBERTSON: You know, it's not clear, but we know that the next set of talks are framed --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBERTSON: To be here in London, a continuation --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBERTSON: Of Paris and early next week is what we're told. So, that would be again, the Ukrainians, the French, the Germans and the British, but not
the Russians. So, the next phase in this goes to that group, which gives you a clue --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBERTSON: The answers coming first from there, that we're not hearing about any talks with Russia, with Witkoff, with Putin in the intervening
period. Are they going to do it on the phone? Really? Is the waiting moment to see what is said here in London? That is the only clue we can look at to
where the concessions may come from.
SOARES: Potentially, a message there for the Kremlin and for President Putin. Nic, appreciate it, thank you very much. Let's get the view from Ben
Wedeman, who is with us from Rome. And we're going to you to Rome, Ben, because, of course, we saw J.D. Vance visiting Italy, and I wonder if you
can tell us why?
Because yesterday, you and I were talking about Prime Minister Meloni, who was visiting the White House, J.D. Vance was there. What's behind this trip
from J.D. Vance to Italy? Is he likely to see the Pope? I mean, I'm sure he would want to have a visit -- a visit with the Pope here as well.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't know at this point if he's going to see the Pope keeping in mind that he, the Pope,
did recently meet King Charles and Queen Camilla. Even though, initially, there were indications that the meeting wouldn't happen, so, we simply
don't know at this point.
And of course, Pope Francis is somebody who decides what he wants to do regardless of what his aides are telling him. So, we shall see. But the
timing of the visit by J.D. Vance is a bit awkward because, yes, yesterday, he was on the couch in the Oval Office when President Trump met Prime
Minister Meloni. So, here he is again. He met with her today around midday.
And essentially, we heard kind of a repeat in a somewhat more neat manner. Some of the main points that the United States and Italy are discussing the
future of Ukraine, the question of trade, between not just Italy and the United States, but also Europe and the United States. So, this visit is a
bit awkward.
It almost seems pointless, given the meeting that happened yesterday in Washington. Keeping in mind that Prime Minister Meloni's trip to
Washington, was not -- was scheduled well after Vance had decided he wanted to come to Rome. And it does appear that a large part of his visit here
seems to be somewhat personal.
He's with his wife and his three small children. This evening, they attended Good Friday services in St. Peter's basilica. We saw their three
young children during that two-hour service got very restless, and their parents had to struggle to keep them calm and peaceful. But it does appear
that he is going to be meeting tomorrow with some officials from the Vatican. But as far as where the Pope comes into that visit, we're just
going to have to wait and see. Isa --
SOARES: We do, of course, and on personal visits, we also saw him going to Greenland, of course, which is a territory that we know President Trump
wants to take or take control over. Very quickly, Ben, just on Meloni, what is your sense from the Italian newspapers or how fruitful, how effective
her visit was? What is Italian media saying here?
WEDEMAN: Well, certainly, there's a realization that given Prime Minister Meloni's political inclinations, which lean far to the right, that she has
a lot in common with President Trump, that they see eye-to-eye on many things, for instance, on questions of wokeness and illegal migration, even
though they don't necessarily see eye-to-eye on the Ukraine.
And it's interesting that the Italian media is reporting that Prime Minister Meloni did debrief Ursula von der Leyen; the President of the
European Commission, on her visit to the United States.
[14:10:00]
And many Italians are hoping that because of her position as a Trump whisperer, that she may be able to lessen somewhat President Trump's
insistence on imposing these sky-high tariffs on not just Italian products, but also European imports to the United States. So, even though, there's a
feeling among many Italians that you know, Trump is not popular, a recent opinion poll found that two-thirds of Italians have a negative view of the
U.S. President.
But given the threats posed by the Trump-launched economic war, trade war on the rest of the world, they are hoping that Prime Minister Meloni will
be able to head off what could be a serious economic disaster.
SOARES: Yes, I've got 90 days, less than 90 days now to reach some sort of deal. Ben Wedeman there for us in Rome this evening. Thanks very much, Ben.
One no doubt, one of the topics of conversations they'll be talking about between J.D. Vance, I have no doubt and Prime Minister Meloni, besides,
tariffs would be Ukraine, which is, of course, our top story.
I want to get the view from Ukraine right now with Tymofiy Mylovanov; the President of the Kyiv School of Economics, he's a former Minister of
Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, a well-known face here on the show. Tymofiy, good to have you here on the show again. Let me really get
the -- your perspective on what we've heard and those comments in particular by Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it is not possible to end
the war in Ukraine.
We need to move on. Those words, we need to move on. How do you interpret them? Is that -- is that a recognition, you think, from the United States
that the Russians have been stalling? Or is that recognition, or is that potentially the fact they will leave these talks and leave Ukraine alone
here?
TYMOFIY MYLOVANOV, PRESIDENT, KYIV SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: I don't know whether they're going to leave Ukraine alone, I hope not, but I definitely
think it's final recognition or finally, recognition that Russia, you know, Russia has not agreed to unconditional ceasefire, Ukraine has. Russia has
been pushing forward maximalist demands. Russia has broken short of any hope for an agreement immediately after visit of the U.S. special envoy
here -- by bombing Ukrainian cities immediately and doing it daily. So, I think they're basically recognizing that, you know, Putin is not
negotiating in good faith.
SOARES: Which is -- they haven't said that very clearly. There has been, without a doubt, a sense of frustration, which is what our correspondent
was saying as well. And when he was asked, President Trump was asked in the last hour, what do you want to see from both sides? I have to see an
enthusiasm from both sides.
But when he was asked, Tymofiy, is Putin stalling or is he -- is President Putin playing you? He said nobody's playing anybody. We did hear from
Secretary Rubio who said, "it is not our war. We didn't start it. The United States has been helping Ukraine for the past three years, and we
want to end it, but it is not our war."
So, let's assume. If the U.S. walks away, Tymofiy, I mean, I imagine that would leave Ukraine incredibly vulnerable. No security guarantees
whatsoever here. That would be a win for Russia, would it not?
MYLOVANOV: Well, you know, in the end of the day, I think, yes, you can view it as a win for Russia. But you also -- we all should understand, I
have seen that mistake have been, you know, made so many times. You know, the fate of the countries of the nations are not decided in the capitals.
They're decided by the people, by the willingness of people to defend their land.
And I think Ukraine has surprised everyone in the beginning of the war, has surprised everyone throughout the war, yes, Ukraine will be in a very
difficult position, but it is much less difficult position than in the first days of the war where Russia have an absolute upper hand. Surprise
was on their side and they moved as far as to the outskirts of the Kyiv. So, I think, yes, situation will be tougher, but --
SOARES: Yes --
MYLOVANOV: Ukraine will hold, Ukraine will stand. Unfortunately, people will die.
SOARES: And look, Nic Robertson, our correspondent, diplomatic correspondent, you know, trying to get some -- trying to read the tea
leaves, Tymofiy, and talking about this broad framework that we've seen Ukraine turn up to since March, fully signed up since March. Russia not
there yet.
Do you have a sense in terms of your contacts, your sources of why Russia is not there, besides telling me they're not serious about this? Do we know
what they're asking for and they're not getting in return, or what exactly is being considered here?
MYLOVANOV: I am not informed about the specifics of the framework proposed forward by the United States. But you know, it's the -- Russia has been
pretty consistent in terms of its demands.
[14:15:00]
It wants de facto surrender, which, you know, is framed as giving up some unoccupied territory, in particular some territory on the west side of the
Dnipro River, which would create a foothold for Russia to attack in the future, and also to demilitarize Ukraine. This is simply impossible,
infeasible politically, and you know, that would lead to civil war if any politician would agree to that.
Everyone understands that, Russian President understands that, the United States understands that, Ukraine understands it. So, it's a maximalist
demand. You can push Ukraine for future concessions, further concessions. But the point is that Russia should be -- you know, where does it end? You
know, we already have given concessions on NATO -- I mean, the United States and Ukraine --
SOARES: Yes --
MYLOVANOV: And everyone can get on some other areas. You know, that's not going to solve anything if Ukraine gives more concessions, everyone will
sense that Russia has to show something that it is serious about having a ceasefire.
SOARES: Yes, and so far it hasn't, and it's been clearly dragging its feet as we've seen. I heard President Zelenskyy, Tymofiy, yesterday, claiming
that China has been supplying weapons to Russia. I want to play that. We can talk after that. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE (through translator): I think it is important information. It's not very pleasant. We finally received
information that China is supplying weapons to the Russian federation, and we are ready to talk about it in detail. Today, we have general information
from the Secret Service, from Intelligence about gunpowder, artillery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: First, North Korea, and now China, I mean, just how significant, how worrying is this, Tymofiy?
MYLOVANOV: Also Iran, you know, before that --
SOARES: Yes --
MYLOVANOV: And so, you know, Russia is pulling on its -- you know, allies so-to-speak, to get resources. And these are powerful allies. And they are
also a security threat to Europe, to the United States, to all democracies around the world. So, yes, they're unifying, they are scaling up their
presence and resources.
I think it is significant, but in some sense, it is expected. The point here is that this threat is to the entire democratic world, and the
democratic world has to stand united against this threat, not polarized.
SOARES: We shall see what comes out of those negotiations next week, Tymofiy Mylovanov, great to have you on the show, thanks, Tymofiy. Now,
celebrations amid uncertainty. The wife of a Maryland man wrongfully deported to El Salvador says her prayers have been answered after hearing
about this meeting between U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen and Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
The Maryland father's legal battle has become a flashpoint in the fight over U.S. President Donald Trump's hardline deportation push. While the
Supreme Court has ordered the Trump administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return, the White House is making it clear they do not want to
bring him back to the United States.
And just want you to take a look at this post on X from earlier today. You can see that it shows an edited screenshot of a "New York Times" article
about Van Hollen's visit, but the headline has been changed to read, "senator meets with deported MS-13 illegal alien in El Salvador who's never
coming back." This comes after the White House border czar spoke with CNN's Kaitlan Collins on Thursday night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM HOMAN, U.S. BORDER CZAR: He's a citizen of El Salvador, he's in El Salvador, he's home. He's an illegal alien with a final order of removal.
He's an MS-13 member, which is now classified as a terrorist. So, we removed an illegal alien, MS-13 member who has a final order of removal
issued by an immigration judge to his homeland.
Order withholding that everybody keeps talking about or withholding as you set aside, because he's a -- he's a designated terrorist with -- which
order withholding is meaningless.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's get more from Katelyn Polantz, who's tracking the story for us from Washington. And Katelyn, that narrative is very much the narrative
we heard from President Trump the last hour or so, as he continued to slam Abrego Garcia, as well as Senator Van Hollen. But on Van Hollen, do we --
do we have a sense, Katelyn, of the substance of this meeting? And more importantly, what can come from it?
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME & JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, what can come from it is to see if the administration is willing to say more about how
they are trying to facilitate bringing him back to the United States. What is happening here is very political. There's Van Hollen making speeches in
El Salvador, visiting him, having that meeting there is Bukele, the President of El Salvador also tweeting about this meeting, criticizing or
even mocking it, and the White House saying, this man is not coming back to the United States.
That is all the political discussion. But the reality remains in court that a trial judge is looking at this case on a daily basis.
[14:20:00]
She is looking at his status in El Salvador, and she is asking questions about what the United States is doing every day to facilitate bringing him
back to the United States. Now, that is not in this judge's terms or in an appeals court now, their willingness to look at this and say, bringing him
back to the United States does not just mean sending a plane if El Salvador is willing to release him, which they're not.
It means more than that. And so, the fight now is one that is much larger about the administration's willingness to listen to a court and follow
court orders to facilitate his return to the U.S. There was an appeals court last night that said they're not stepping in. They're letting the
trial judge continue to manage this.
And they wrote, "if today, the executive claims the right to deport without due process and in disregard of court orders, as they did with Abrego
Garcia, what assurance will there be tomorrow that it will not deport American citizens and then disclaim responsibility to bring them home? And
what assurance shall there be that the executive will not train its broad discretionary powers upon its political enemies?
So, that is quite a major warning from an appeals court there about what this case means and what it could mean if the administration continues not
to follow court orders."
SOARES: Yes, and in the meantime, the administration is saying this, you know, Abrego Garcia is never coming back to the United States. We shall see
what happens on the legal front. Katelyn Polantz, appreciate it, thank you very much. Well, a U.S. citizen has been released from prison after being
charged an unauthorized alien in Florida.
Twenty-year-old Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez wearing black in this photo was briefly held in jail this week. The Florida Highway Patrol arrested him as
he crossed the state-line from Georgia, and even though his mother provided a judge with his birth certi -- birth certificate, pardon me. After the
arrest, the judge said she did not have the jurisdiction to immediately release him.
This is because ICE already issued a 48-hour holding order. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security says the agency is looking into the
incident. Well, long-time Democratic Congressman Jim Clyburn has issued a stark warning about the dangers facing the United States. During a town
hall with his constituents, Clyburn answered questions about the Trump administration's moves since taking control of the White House.
The congressman emphasized that Democrats are limited in what they can do as the minority in Congress. He, though, urged voters to speak out and help
tip the balance of power, and to offer their prayers for the future of the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JIM CLYBURN (D-SC): All we can do is share with you what we are doing and ask for your prayers that this country will not allow itself to go the
way of Germany in the 1930s when people stood by.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Quite the words there from Jim Clyburn. And still to come, tonight, a Florida community wants answers over Thursday's mass shooting. We'll have
the latest on an investigation and the conditions of the victims. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: Well, investigators are trying to figure out why a man went on a shooting spree at the Florida State University on Thursday. The shooting
left two people dead and five others wounded. Investigators believe the suspect, 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, used a gun belonging to his mother, a
local sheriff's deputy.
The five who were injured remain in a hospital. Students at Florida State were finally allowed back into the student union to get their belongings,
but one student describes the confusion, as you can imagine on campus when the shooting began. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, the shots rang out, and we were like, is that construction going on or what was happening? And so, we got up, looked out
the window, and I remember looking outside and hearing five more shots go off, and I was like, what's going on? So, I saw kids running away from the
student union, and I walked away from the window, and then I walked back to the window and heard 6 or 7 more shots ring out. And at that point, we
were like, OK, there's a shooting going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Absolutely terrifying. Joining us now is Brian Todd. So, Brian, just bring us up-to-date with the latest on this shooter, Phoenix Ikner,
20-year-old. What more do we know?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isa, there's still a pretty good degree of mystery surrounding the shooter and specifically that relates to
his motive. And I'll get to that in just a moment. But here's what we can tell you about the alleged shooter. His name Phoenix Ikner, he's 20 years
old according to a spokesperson for the Florida State University, he is a student at Florida State.
Authorities say he is the son of a local sheriff's deputy. Now, officials and records say that when he was taken into custody yesterday, Ikner was
carrying a handgun that used to be in the service -- used to be the service weapon, I should say, of sheriff's deputy, Jessica Ikner. Authorities say
Phoenix Ikner spent some time training with law enforcement, and that he served on the sheriff's advisory youth council in the years before the
shooting.
So, he was familiar with law enforcement training and possibly familiar with some weapons there. Leon County Sheriff, Walter McNeil, said that
Jessica Ikner, his mother, has served in the sheriff's department for more than 18 years, and he described her service as, quote, "exceptional".
Jessica Ikner did not respond to CNN's request for comment on any of this.
We have also learned, Isa, that, according to CNN's review of court records, and I should say this is all information compiled by CNN's
investigative team. According to their review of court records, Phoenix Ikner had a tumultuous childhood with another woman who was identified in
court documents as his biological mother.
So, that sheriff's deputy Jessica Ikner is not his biological mother. We're talking about another person here. Court records say that the biological
mother was accused of taking him to Norway when he was ten years old, in violation of a custody agreement. The biological mother after that
incident, pleaded no contest to removing a minor from the state against a court order. She was sentenced to jail time.
She later tried to have that conviction vacated, but the courts denied that request. She was ordered to have no contact with her son after that, it's
not clear whether she's had any contact with him over the past decade. We should say the biological mother also did not respond to CNN's request for
comment.
And Isa, again, what we don't know at this moment is his motive for the shooting. Authorities have not established a motive, and they say that he
has invoked his rights not to speak to police while he's been in their custody. Isa.
SOARES: And in the meantime, Brian, we're seeing -- I'm seeing that all the FSU shooting victims, thankfully, they've been treated at Tallahassee
Hospital, are expected to survive. What are the details you have on them?
TODD: Right, well, we do know that when they were brought to the hospital, there were five gunshot victims aside from the two deceased people, five
gunshot victims, and one was listed in critical condition and the others were listed in serious condition. So, it's good news, of course, to hear
that just about all of them are expected to survive.
And again, going back to motive and the victims here, that you were just mentioning these victims, the two deceased victims were both adult males
who did not -- who were not students at Florida State. So, we're talking -- when we're talking about motive here, the question is whether he targeted
anybody specifically.
There are accounts that he was firing indiscriminately. But again, there was a lot of chaos going on, of course, at the time. And, you know, whether
these two people, these two adult males who were killed were targeted specifically, that's what we don't know yet. We're going to be drilling
down on that.
[14:30:09]
SOARES: I have no doubt. Many questions still unanswered. Brian, I really appreciate it. Thank you very much indeed.
Well, the man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of United HealthCare on a sidewalk in Manhattan has now been indicted on federal charges. Those
include murder, stalking, and a firearms offense. The federal charges mean Luigi Mangione could be sentenced to death if convicted. And the U.S.
Attorney General has said the Justice Department will seek the death penalty. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to New York state charges.
I want to bring in Kara Scannell for more. So, Kara, bring us up to date with the very latest. What do we expected to see next here?
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, the next step in this case, well, Mangione will appear at the federal courthouse behind me next Friday. And
that is when he will be arraigned on these new federal charges that were unsealed yesterday. According to the indictment, Mangione is charged with
two counts of stalking, one firearms offense, and one count of murder through the use of a firearm. It's that count that is eligible for the
death penalty. And the U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi did say earlier this month that she would instruct the local federal prosecutors here to seek
the death penalty in the case if he is convicted of that charge.
Now, Mangione is also facing New York state charges including murder charges, murder in the -- in the -- in advancement of terrorism. That
charge is -- has a maximum sentence of life in prison. Mangione has already pleaded not guilty to those state charges. He's also facing state charges
in Pennsylvania related to forgery where he has entered a plea of not guilty.
His lawyers say that this is all piling on. They say that with the Trump Administration seeking the death penalty in this case, they call that
barbaric, a political stunt. They said that it is essentially a state- sponsored murder in this case. And his lawyers say that he will fight the charges in all of these cases. Isa?
SOARES: Thank you very much. Kara Scannell there from New York. I appreciate it, Kara.
And still to come tonight, dissent in the ranks of Israel's reservists. Why the government is facing unprecedented protests over the Gaza war? That is
next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:35:51]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Far-right Israeli ministers are urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to unleash hell on Gaza after Hamas
rejected an Israeli ceasefire proposal. Israel bombed dozens more targets across Gaza today. Palestinian authorities say at least 43 people were
killed. Hamas says it's ready for a comprehensive truce that would see all hostages released, but says it cannot accept what it calls Israel's partial
ceasefire. The proposal did not guarantee an end to the war or the withdrawal of Israeli troops and called for the disarmament of Gaza or red
lines for Hamas.
Well, a growing number of Israeli reservists don't want to wait for a ceasefire any longer. They want the war to end now so all remaining
hostages can come home. Many of these reservists have lost faith in their government. And as Jeremy Diamond now reports, as many as 40 percent are
not answering when duty calls.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. OR GOREN, IDF RESERVIST AND COMBAT PHYSICIAN: Thank you. Thank you so much.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dr. Or Guren spent months deploying to Gaza as a combat physician in the Israeli
military, treating and evacuating wounded soldiers. Now, he's part of a growing number of reservists who believe the war is no longer serving its
stated goals, destroying Hamas and returning the hostages.
GOREN: No, I don't believe it anymore. And it's a year and a half, Gaza is demolished, hundreds tens of thousands of people killed. The houses there
are destructed, infrastructure is destruct -- is destructed, but Hamas still rules the place, still shoots rockets. And so, where are we heading?
DIAMOND (voice-over): Goren is one of thousands of reservists who have signed public letters calling on the Israeli government to end the war and
strike a hostage deal. The first letter from Air Force reservists and retirees quickly spawned others from reserve combat physicians and
paratroopers to sailors and military intelligence officers, all echoing this message. At this time the war mainly serves political and personal
interests and not security interests. The continuation of the war will lead to the death of abductees, IDF soldiers, and innocent civilians, and to the
attrition of reservists.
The Israeli military which heavily depends on reservists to bolster its regular forces moving swiftly to quash the descent firing dozens of
reservists who sign the letters. The Israeli Prime Minister slamming the signatories as a small group of bad apples, accusing them of refusing to
serve for political reasons.
GOREN: The pilot's letter did not say they will stop serving. There was nothing illegal about it. We are the backbone of this society. How can you
silence us?
DIAMOND (voice-over): The outrage in Israel is mounting. Seven in 10 Israelis say they want a deal to end the war and get the hostages out,
according to Israel's Channel 12. And now, between rising political opposition and the burden of multiple tours on reservists and their
families, as many as 40 percent of reservists no longer showing up when called to duty.
Even among those who support the war like Matal Bernstein Hadari, 18 months of war is taking its toll. Her husband has spent more than 300 days
deployed, forcing her to scale back her speech therapy practice as she raises her four kids.
During this latest fifth deployment, my entire body hurt, she says. For 300 days, he wasn't home and I needed to carry on my small shoulders what we
usually hold together.
But while others say enough is enough, Matal wants Israel to keep fighting.
MATAL BERNSTEIN HADARI, WIFE OF AN IDF SOLDIER: The limit is when we (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
DIAMOND (voice-over): The limit she says is when we win.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, it's a haunting image, a single photo that says more than words ever could about the trauma of war and its brutal impact on the most
innocent of victims. This is 9-year-old Mahmoud Ajjour. He lost both of his arms in an Israeli air strike on Gaza City. The image has just been named
World Press Photo of the Year. It was taken by Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf who met the boy in Qatar when he's receiving medical
treatment.
Mahmoud's mother said his first words to her after his arms were amputated were "How will I be able to hug you?"
The judges were moved by the photo's contrast, suffering, and resilience, light and darkness, its beauty and its pain. An image that tells the story
of one boy out of thousands of children in Gaza who suffered similar injuries. UNICEF says Gaza now has the highest number of child amputees per
capita anywhere in the world. Let that sink in.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, the family of a French American man held in Venezuela is desperately searching for answers. Three months after Lucas Hunter was
detained, Hunter's sister tells CNN she has no idea where her brother is being held or for how long.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES (voice-over): This is how Sophie Hunter found out her brother had been arrested.
LUCAS HUNTER, DETAINED IN VENEZUELA (text): I don't want you to freak out. I was caught by the Venezuelans and four tours have passed.
SOARES (voice-over): With a voice message, a location pin, placing him on Venezuelan soil. Her 37-year-old brother, French-American Lucas Hunter had
been traveling around northern Colombia to kite surf along the coast, sending Sophie regular updates about the places he was visiting. But on
January 7th, he told her something different.
SOPHIE HUNTER, SISTER OF LUCAS HUNTER: I was riding my scooter. I got a bit lost. I came close to a border checkpoint. I reversed and I got grabbed --
that's the word he used -- by Venezuelan military forces. They took me across the border.
SOARES (voice-over): They continued to text for the next 24 hours but then the messages stopped.
S. HUNTER: Since the 8th of January 1:00 p.m. local time, we haven't heard from him. We have no idea where he is. The governments have no idea.
SOARES: The Venezuelan authorities haven't responded to our requests for information. For now, it is unclear where Hunter is being held. But the
last group of Americans to be released from Venezuela were held here at this high-security prison on the outskirts of Caracas called Rodeo Uno.
Activists say that this is the prison where those who challenge the government are held, but also dozens of foreigners.
DAVID ESTRELLA, FORMER VENEZUELAN PRISONER: They could do anything they want. Put it that way. And they did.
SOARES (voice-over): Until January, David Estrella was one of those Americans, accused by the government of wanting to bring down Maduro. He
says he was just a tourist. Inside, he says, he was tortured and made to feel insignificant.
ESTRELLA: They said many times -- they say we -- you know, we can disappear you, eliminate you. You don't exist in this country. They were right, you
didn't exist there, so like they said, they can make a hole in the ground and shoot you and disappear and nobody knows.
SOARES (voice-over): Venezuela denies any allegations of torture but Estrella was only released on January 31st after President Donald Trump
sent special envoy Richard Grenell to negotiate directly with Maduro, the first U.S. official to do so in year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't believe we're here.
SOARES (voice-over): Five other Americans went home with Estrella, but Hunter wasn't among them.
S. HUNTER: Obviously, I was a bit sad. However, I was very happy that some of the Americans got out because for me that meant maybe we can understand
more about the conditions.
SOARES (voice-over): The State Department says Hunter is unjustly detained and continues to seek the release of all Americans, 10 in total, arrested
by the regime in Venezuela. Months after he was supposed to come home, Lucas' flat in Paris now bears the marks of his absence. His family have
kept his things intact certain he'll be back.
S. HUNTER: He's, you know, strong and everything. I also know that he has a soft side inside, and that's why I'm a bit worried for his mental health,
for his asthma, and how he can keep his spirit up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES (on camera): We're hoping of course for some good news when it comes to Mr. Hunter. Of course, we'll stay on top of that story for you.
I want to turn your attention here to the U.K. because UK's Zed Nelson has just been named Photographer of the Year at the annual Sony World
Photography Awards. His project called the Anthropocene Illusion was shot across four continents over six years and explores our complex relationship
with the natural world. We caught up with Zed here in London and he started off by telling us what inspired this award-winning series.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZED NELSON, BRITISH PHOTOGRAPHER: Scientists today are arguing for a new epoch, the declaration of a new epoch. And they're saying that we should
call it the Anthropocene which is the age of human because of this massive impact that we've had on the earth. And the illusion part of it is what the
project is about which is this kind of construct of the artificial.
It's about how kind of we humans have divorced ourselves from nature, really kind of detached ourselves from the natural world, but at the same
time how we kind of create these artificial choreographed curated versions of nature to sort of retreat into.
So, I mean, this is a lion farm in South Africa. So, when you first see it, you might think it was a zoo or maybe a safari park, but it's literally a
farm where lions are bred, taken away from their mothers when they're, you know, a few days old, bottle-fed, and then people pay to come and pet
lions.
The problem is they are captive, and they are then, when they get a little bit bigger, they become unpredictable. So, then they're sold to trophy
hunters who come -- half of them come from America and overseas and they pay, you know, $10,000 to hunt an African lion in the wilderness.
This is the one Maasai Mara in Kenya. It's a national park. It's beautiful. There's animals there. But this is a scene of a kind of colonial fantasy.
So, people pay a lot of money to go on holiday and will -- you sit there and you sip your champagne and the Maasai warrior is paid to add
authenticity to the scene. And you're looking at animals which are, you know, wild and in their natural habitat but in ever sort of diminishing
areas.
Of course, there's a question in all of this at the end which is like, what can we do? And these are the hardest questions of all. I think when I
started in photography, I thought it like photography can change the world. And I'm less idealistic and a bit more realistic. Unfortunately, we're
seeing on a political level now things appear to be going backwards not forwards. And I hope it's a horrifying hiccup that will write itself.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[14:50:01]
SOARES: Let's hope it's just a hiccup. And to see more of Zed Nelson's incredible photographs, you can visit the Sony World Photography Awards
exhibit right here in London or pick up a copy of his new book based on the series The Anthropocene Illusion. And we'll have much more in fact from Zed
on our Book Club next month. You do not want to miss that.
Well, it's Easter weekend for Christians right around the world. We'll show you how Pope Francis will join them even though he's not leading any
service. We'll have the update there next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, today is Good Friday, the holy day that has Christians gathering around the world. Many were at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican
City as Pope Francis continues to recover after leaving hospital from double pneumonia, if you remember.
While the pontiff is not expected to lead services over the Easter Weekend, Chris Lamb has more on how the Christian holiday will be like no other for
Francis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Not long out of hospital where he came close to death, Pope Francis is preparing to
celebrate Easter but in a very different way than previous years. As he continues to recover from double pneumonia, the 88-year-old pontiff is
unable to lead the Vatican's Holy Week services. He can't speak in public for long periods. Doctors ordered him into weeks of convalescence.
Nevertheless, the Holy Father is determined to participate and to make surprise appearances.
On Thursday, he went to a Rome prison to show his solidarity with inmates, telling them that had he been able as in years before, he would have washed
some of their feet, a ritual that follows Jesus Christ's washing the feet of his disciples.
This is the high point of the church's calendar with pilgrims flocking to Rome expecting to see the Pope.
GAIL ONTONG, TOURIST: It is very disappointing, but I think because Easter is such a special time, it didn't really take away from the celebration and
why we're here as well.
LAMB (voice-over): Among them U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, a Catholic, who is hoping to meet Francis.
The Pontiff has delegated the major Holy Week and Easter services to certain cardinals, although he did make an appearance on Palm Sunday. Since
being discharged from hospital, the Pope has resumed some meetings including a private visit with Britain's King Charles and Queen Camila. And
he thanked the medical team who saved his life.
POPE FRANCIS, HEAD OF CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): Thank you all. I pray for you. Please do so for me.
LAMB (voice-over): He even appeared casually dressed while greeting visitors at St. Peter's Basilica. Good Friday is when Christians remember
Christ's suffering and death on the cross and then celebrate his resurrection on Easter Sunday. This year, the world's more than one billion
Catholics will also pray for their leader frail in health but strong in faith.
Christopher Lamb, CNN Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And that does it for me for today. Thank you very much for your company. Do stay right here. "NEWSROOM" with Max Foster is up next. Have a
good weekend. I'll see you next week. Bye-bye.
END
